Fun Ways to Assess Student Learning Informally

There are a variety of ways to assess a student’s progress and understanding. Two of the primary methods are formal and informal assessments. Formal assessments include tests, quizzes, and projects. Students can study  and prepare for these assessments in advance, and they provide a systematic tool for teachers to measure a student’s knowledge and evaluate learning progress. Informal assessments are more casual, observation-based tools. With little advance preparation and no need to grade the results, these assessments allow teachers to get a feel for student progress and identify areas in which they might need more instruction. Informal assessments can help teachers  pinpoint students’ strengths and  weaknesses and guide planning for upcoming lessons.   In the classroom, informal assessments are important because they can help identify potential problem areas and allow for course correction before students are required to demonstrate understanding at a formal evaluation. Many homeschooling families prefer to rely almost entirely on informal assessments because they are often a more accurate indicator of understanding, particularly for students who don’t test well. Informal assessments can also provide vital student feedback without the stress of tests and quizzes. Following are just a few examples of creative informal assessments for your classroom or homeschool. Observation Observation is the heart of any informal assessment, but it is also a key stand-alone method. Simply watch your student throughout the day. Look for signs of excitement, frustration, boredom, and engagement. Make notes about the tasks and activities that elicit these emotions. Keep samples of student work in  chronological order  so that you can identify progress and areas of weakness. Sometimes you don’t realize how much a student has progressed until you compare their current work to previous samples. Author Joyce Herzog has a simple but effective method of observing progress. Ask your student to do simple tasks such as writing an example of each math operation he understands, writing the most complicated word he knows he can spell correctly, or  writing a sentence (or short paragraph). Do the same process once a quarter or once a semester to gauge progress. Oral Presentations We often think of oral presentations as a type of formal assessment, but they can be a fantastic informal assessment tool, as well. Set a timer for  one or two  minutes and ask your student to tell you what he’s learned about a particular topic. For example, if you are learning about parts of speech, you could ask your students to name as many prepositions as they can in 30 seconds while you write them on the whiteboard. A broader approach is to present students with a sentence starter and let them take turns finishing it. Examples include: â€Å"My favorite thing about this topic was†¦Ã¢â‚¬ Ã¢â‚¬Å"The most interesting or surprising thing I learned about this was†¦Ã¢â‚¬ Ã¢â‚¬Å"This historical figure was†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Journaling Give your students one to three minutes at the end of each day to journal about what they learned. Vary the daily journaling experience by asking students to: list 5-10 facts they’ve learned about a topicwrite about the most exciting thing they learned that daylist one or two things they’d like to know more aboutnote something that they’re having trouble understandinglist ways that you could help them understand a topic better. Paper Toss Let your students write questions for each other on a piece of paper. Instruct students to crumple their paper, and let them have an epic paper wad toss. Then, have all the students pick up one of the paper balls, read the question aloud, and answer it. This activity wouldn’t work well in most homeschool settings, but it’s an excellent way for students in a classroom or homeschool co-op to get the wiggles out and check their knowledge on a topic they’ve been studying. Four Corners Four Corners is another fantastic activity for getting kids up and moving while also assessing their knowledge. Label each corner of the room with a different option such as strongly agree, agree, disagree, strongly disagree, or A, B, C, and D. Read a question or statement and have students go to the corner of the room that represents their answer. After students reach their corner, allow them a minute or  two to discuss their choice in their group. Then, choose a representative from each group to explain or defend that group’s answer. Matching/Concentration Let your students play matching (also known as  concentration) in groups or pairs. Write questions on one set of cards and answers on the other. Shuffle the cards and lay them, one by one, face down on a table. Students take turns turning over two cards trying to match a question card with the correct answer card. If a student makes a match, he gets another turn. If he does not, it’s the next players turn. The student with the most matches wins. Concentration is an extremely versatile game. You can use math facts and their answers, vocabulary words and their definitions, or historical figures or events with their dates or details. Exit Slips At the end of each day or week, have your students complete an exit slip before leaving the classroom. Index cards work well for this activity. You can have the questions printed on the cards, written on the whiteboard, or you can read them aloud. Ask your students to fill out the card with answers to statements such as: Three  things I learnedTwo  questions I haveOne thing I didn’t understandWhat I found most interesting This is an excellent activity for gauging what students have retained about the topic they are studying and to determine areas which may need more explanation. Demonstration Supply the tools and let students show you what they know, explaining the process as they go. If they’re learning about measurements, provide rulers or a tape measure and items to measure. If they’re studying plants, offer a variety of plants and let students point out the different parts of the plant and explain what each does. If students are learning about biomes, provide the settings for each (drawings, photos, or dioramas, for example) and model plants, animals, or insects that one might find in the biomes represented. Let students place the figures in their correct settings and explain why they belong there or what they know about each. Drawings Drawing is an excellent way for creative, artistic, or kinesthetic learners to express what they’ve learned. They can draw the steps of a process or create a comic strip to depict a historical event. They can draw and label plants, cells, or the parts of a knight’s armor. Crossword puzzles Crossword puzzles make a fun, stress-free informal assessment tool. Create puzzles with a crossword puzzle maker, using definitions or descriptions as the clues. Accurate answers result in a correctly-completed puzzle. You can use crossword puzzles to evaluate understanding of a variety of history, science, or literature topics such as states, presidents, animals, or even sports. Narration Narration is a method of student evaluation widely used in homeschooling circles and inspired by Charlotte Mason, a British educator, at the turn of the 20th century. The practice involves having a student tell you, in his own words, what he has heard after a read-aloud or learned after studying a topic. Explaining something in one’s own words requires comprehension of the subject. Using narration is a useful tool for discovering what a student has learned and identifying areas that you may need to  cover more thoroughly. Drama Invite students to act out scenes or create puppet shows from topics they’ve been studying. This is especially effective for historical events or biographical studies. Drama can be an exceptionally valuable and easy-to-implement tool for homeschooling families. It’s common for young children to incorporate what they’re learning into their pretend play. Listen and observe as your children play to evaluate what they’re learning and what you may need to clarify. Student Self-evaluation Use self-evaluation to help students  reflect on and assess  their own progress.  There are many options for a simple self-assessment. One is to ask students to raise their hands to indicate which  statement applies to them: â€Å"I fully understand the topic,† â€Å"I mostly understand the topic,† â€Å"I’m a little confused,† or â€Å"I need help.† Another option is to ask students to give a thumbs up, a sideways thumb, or a thumbs down to indicate fully understand, mostly understand, or need help. Or use a five-finger scale and have students hold up the number of fingers that corresponds to their level of understanding. You may also want to create a self-evaluation form for students to complete. The form can list statements about the assignment and boxes for students to check if they strongly agree, agree, disagree, or strongly disagree that the statement applies to their assignment. This type of self-evaluation would also be useful for students to rate their behavior or participation in class.

The Foreign Policy Of The United States Essay - 2141 Words

A civilian’s perspective on an event in which soldier’s acted will always be one of distance. ‘Distance’ in the sense that not only did the civilian not take part in the actual event, he has in most cases not bore witness to it as well. In modern western society, passively stumbling upon stories recounting first person perspectives on modern historical events is a rare form of communication, rather these perspectives have been substituted by the short clips news agency feel are appropriate for a public audience. Thankfully, the pricelessness of primary sources has not been lost onto the sources themselves, and there is a plethora of first person perspectives simply waiting to be revealed and valued. The invasion of Iraq, a most recent event, has also been greatly subjected to this trend of displacing ‘on-scene’ perspectives with the ease, comfort, and sensationalism modern media presents. The effects of the invasion are still potently lingering in the Middle East today, and news of them are shaping the foreign policy of the United States. An event of such impact on our most immediate future, and the future of an entire region of the globe, demands a closer look. The autobiographical account titled The Last True Story I’ll Ever Tell by John Crawford and the Last Letters Home, a compilation of letters written by soldiers serving in the Iraqi invasion and presented by Life Magazines, are the two primary sources I will be focusing on in the following paper. My aim is to offer aShow MoreRelatedThe United States Foreign Policy1667 Words   |  7 PagesAs Kelly Anderson’s Foreign Policy Analyst, the following memo will address three areas of the United States’ foreign policy. The U.S. has gone through may transition when it comes to its foreign policy. The United States has been an isolationist, neutralist, and internationalist country from the year it was founded to now. The executive branch and the presi dent apply their power to influence and change the nation’s foreign policy. There are specific departments within the Executive Office of theRead MoreThe United States Foreign Policy Essay1470 Words   |  6 PagesThe United States foreign policy is an interaction between the United States and foreign nations. Foreign policy sets standards on how different organizations, corporations, and individual citizens should interact with one another. Some Americans believe the United States should remain withdrawn from the affairs of foreign countries, but other Americans believe the United States should involve itself in the affairs of foreign countries. In 1796, George Washington included these words in his farewellRead MoreForeign Policy Of The United States1042 Words   |  5 Pages The foreign policy of the United States of America is the process in which it cooperates with foreign nations and sets guidelines of communication for the rest of the world. The foreign policy of the United States is the strategy by which the United States communicates with foreign countries. The U.S. has a powerful influence in this world. The global reach of the United States is backed by a $14.3 trillion dollar economy, roughly a quarter of worldwide GDP, and a protection spending plan of $711Read MoreThe United States And Foreign Policies870 Words   |  4 PagesDurning 1913 and 1916 Woodrow Wilsons domestic and foreign policies weren t both equally successful but both were successful. AlthoughWilson had primarily been elected to reform national politics and initiate new progressive policies in Washington, he spent the majority of his time as President dealing with foreign policy rather than domestic. Wilson s predecessors, including McKinley, Theodore Roosevelt, and Taft, had v iewed the United States as an emerging power that needed to extend its influenceRead MoreThe United States And Foreign Policy Essay982 Words   |  4 Pagesthe rest of the world, and its foreign policy reflected these ideas and beliefs. The United States was on its way to becoming a world power and advancing its own interest in the world, especially in the North and South America. Isolationism caused the United States to avoid being involved in other countries politics and for the U.S. to remain neutral in foreign policy Americans in the 19th century were more interested in domestic events than the affairs of foreign countries. Economic growth andRead MoreThe United States And Foreign Policy Essay4400 Words   |  18 PagesIn contemporary, international society the United States is at the forefront of global affairs. Moreover, scholars have argued that after the First World War, American hegemony led a path for a liberalized world, where cooperation and harmonious institutions unit the world. However, the United States historically has never been this type of hegemonic leader. Rather from their conception as a nation they had a foreign policy which isolated them from foreign affairs of the world, from President WashingtonRead MoreThe United States And Foreign Policy881 Words   |  4 Pagesthe rest of the world, and its foreign policy reflected these ideas and beliefs. The United States was on its way to becoming a world power and advancing its own interest in the world, especially in the North an d South America. Isolationism caused the United States to avoid being involved in other countries politics and for the U.S. to remain neutral in foreign policy Americans in the 19th century were more interested in domestic events than the affairs of foreign countries. Economic growth andRead MoreThe United States And Foreign Policy1633 Words   |  7 PagesThe United States has always had an erratic view towards foreign policy. At its conception, it leaned isolationist for about a century leading up to the First World War before opening up to the global stage. In the interwar period, the United States retreated somewhat back into isolation but continued to support Europe and Latin America. After World War 2, America was left to assume the role as the global hegemonic power, both willingly and unwillingly. Unique circumstances such as the destructionRead MoreThe United States Foreign Policy975 Words   |  4 PagesThe United States Foreign policy in the Middle East Since the United States became the world’s sole superpower, the Middle East has been seen as the most troublesome region in the world by US politicians. This view emanates from all the conflicts going in the Middle East that have the potential to threaten numerous strategic interests for the united Stated such as oil, terrorist, and Israel. Yet Middle East has never seen as problematic as it is now due to the excessive flux of problems the MiddleRead MoreThe United States And Foreign Policy1786 Words   |  8 Pagesthe United States showed little interest in foreign affairs. The U.S. relied on previous foreign policies which resulted in inconsistent international trade in the years leading up to the twentieth century. However, following the rise of the industrial revolution in the United States American business began to recognize the vast potential of the international market place. The U.S. sought out to expand its territory globally to increase trade and protect its assets more effectively. The United States

Leadership and Organizational Dynamics for Shell Downstream

Question: Discuss about theLeadership and Organizational Dynamics for Shell Downstream. Answer: As an executive of Shell Downstream, I would try to take various types of financial assistance for the company. The right of the people must also be fulfilled and the people must also be allowed to control their own property. The process must be participatory and it must include various stakeholders. It is also necessary for me to monitor and track the progress and thus confirm whether the objectives are met. I must also ensure that the investment will continue to lay a positive impact on the local community of South Africa. It is also essential that there is sustainability in providing the required energy for the growing population of the country and their safety. It is also necessary for the company to deliver the energy safely and to protect the environment. This will help in protecting the contractors, employees and the local communities. The radical economic transformation will also turn the investors of the company (Yulk 2005). Shell Downstream is trying critically to achieve r adical economic transformation. As an executive of the company, it is my responsibility to entrench the overall policy of the government and plan the key challenges of industrial and economic growth. This will help in the removal of poverty, unemployment and inequality among the people. This is important for the inclusive growth of South Africa. There must be new initiatives which are regarded as part of the various concentrated efforts and this is necessary to shift the productive base of the economy for the creation of decent and sustainable jobs. There must be upscale efforts for the inclusive and the shared growth and this is necessary for the control of management and transformation of different kinds of ownership. Shell also needs to restructure the business and change it so as to gain the position in the market. It is trying to retain the position of largest chemical and energy company and this is offering an adequate return to the shareholders in an increasing pace (Bryman 2 013). The radical economic transformation will help me in putting the coherent initiatives in a similar way and it will also help in shifting the productive base of the economy to much higher level of investment. There are some steps which are needed to be followed and this will also help in reducing the corruption. The social investment opportunities of Shell will also provide the people certain development programmes and this has helped them to combat unemployment and poverty levels. This has helped in improving the safety measures of the children who are travelling through different modes of transport. It is my duty as an employee to co-ordinate and collaborate with the other partners and thus this will help in the assistance of the children. It will also help in creating more employment opportunities such as direct employment or through various supply chain activities. It will also help in providing additional training programme and thus help in stimulating the business. Thus, it can b e said that as an employee it is necessary and vital to provide proper medical training to the people. The challenges must also be met in assistance with the partnerships from other organization (Storey 2004) References Bryman, A. ed., 2013.Leadership and organizations. Routledge. Storey, J. ed., 2004.Leadership in organizations: Current issues and key trends. Psychology Press. Yulk, G., 2005. Leadership in Organization. Pearson Publication India.

Statistical Analysis

Question: Write an essay onStatistical Analysis. Answer: In this assignment, the number of admissions to the movies in Australia was surveyed from the year 1994 to 2014. Other factors were also surveyed in this assignment. The data for the variables of Screens, Theatres, Films Screened, Real Ticket Price and Capacity were also collected from the year 1994 to 2014 (Bickel and Lehmann 2012). These data were used in this assignment for the analysis. Statistical analysis would be done on this data set. Descriptive statistics, inferential statistics and concepts of linear regression methods would be given in this assignment based on these data (Vogt and Barta 2013). Graphs and charts would also represent the data and provide conclusion about the data and their relations. Methodology The descriptive statistics for the variables are given below: Screens Mean 1213.52381 Standard Error 103.6609083 Median 1028 Mode #N/A Standard Deviation 475.0339587 Sample Variance 225657.2619 Kurtosis -1.569616636 Skewness 0.410014464 Range 1264 Minimum 645 Maximum 1909 Sum 25484 Count 21 Largest(1) 1909 Smallest(1) 645 Confidence Level (95.0%) 216.2328649 Admissions (millions) Mean 61.82380952 Standard Error 5.151804606 Median 68.1 Mode 92.5 Standard Deviation 23.60853457 Sample Variance 557.3629048 Kurtosis -1.666346431 Skewness -0.055528974 Range 63.6 Minimum 28.9 Maximum 92.5 Sum 1298.3 Count 21 Largest(1) 92.5 Smallest(1) 28.9 Confidence Level (95.0%) 10.74647607 Theatres Mean 545.0952381 Standard Error 9.45840638 Median 547 Mode 520 Standard Deviation 43.34386319 Sample Variance 1878.690476 Kurtosis 8.375821966 Skewness 2.445313468 Range 201 Minimum 501 Maximum 702 Sum 11447 Count 21 Largest(1) 702 Smallest(1) 501 Confidence Level (95.0%) 19.72988992 Films Screened Mean 257.3809524 Standard Error 5.769573802 Median 255 Mode 259 Standard Deviation 26.43950868 Sample Variance 699.047619 Kurtosis 1.256326286 Skewness -0.057083837 Range 124 Minimum 194 Maximum 318 Sum 5405 Count 21 Largest(1) 318 Smallest(1) 194 Confidence Level (95.0%) 12.03512002 Real Ticket Price Mean 19.77952381 Standard Error 0.091997609 Median 19.66 Mode #N/A Standard Deviation 0.421586008 Sample Variance 0.177734762 Kurtosis 0.085043332 Skewness 0.91600328 Range 1.51 Minimum 19.25 Maximum 20.76 Sum 415.37 Count 21 Largest(1) 20.76 Smallest(1) 19.25 Confidence Level (95.0%) 0.191903649 Capacity ('000s) Mean 362.8095238 Standard Error 15.57082422 Median 332 Mode 295 Standard Deviation 71.35448062 Sample Variance 5091.461905 Kurtosis -1.582996919 Skewness 0.44357307 Range 186 Minimum 285 Maximum 471 Sum 7619 Count 21 Largest(1) 471 Smallest(1) 285 Confidence Level (95.0%) 32.48017007 Considering the variable admission (millions), the central tendency the variable, i.e. the mean is 61.8238. The median of the variable is 68.1. This is the middle value of the admission (millions) is 68.1. The modal value of the variable was 92.5 (Plonsky 2015). This is the maximum frequency for the number of people who were admitted for the movie. The variability of the variable; i.e. the standard deviation is 23.6085. This depicts that the variable had a moderate amount of variability in the admission (millions) over the years (Vogt and Barta 2013). The shape of the distribution is platykurtic and the distribution is negatively skewed. The mean of the variable screens was found to be 1213.5238. The median of the variable was 1028 and there was no mode for this variable. The standard deviation of the variable was 475.0339 (Thiem 2014). This depicts that there was moderate variation in the number of screens available in Australia for screening of movies. The shape of the distribution id platykurtic and it is positively skewed. The average value of theatres was found to be 545.095. The median of the variable is 547 and its mode is 520. The standard deviation was 43.34. There was a low deviation in the number of theatres open in Australia during 1994 to 2014 (Campbell and Knapp 2013). The shape of the distribution is leptokurtic and the distribution is positively skewed. The average value of the variable films screened was found to be 257.38. The median value was 255 and the modal value was 259 (Ang and Van 2015). The standard deviation was found to be 36.439. This variable had a low deviation of the number of theatres opened in these years. The shape of the distribution is leptokurtic and it is negatively skewed. The mean of the variable real ticket price is 19.779 and its median is 19.66. the standard deviation of the variable is 0.42 (Kleinbaum et al. 2013). This is a very low standard deviation and the price of the tickets fluctuated little during the period of 1994 to 2014. The shape of the distribution is leptokurtic and the distribution is positively skewed. The average value of the variable capacity was found to be 362.8095. The median was 332 and the mode was 295. The standard deviation of the variable was 71.3544. This depicts that there was moderate variation among the daily capacity of the customers over the years. The shape of the distribution is platykurtic and the distribution is positively skewed. Graph displaying the distribution of admission Box-and-whisker plot for the distribution of the real ticket price is given below The likelihood that the admission is greater than 70 million when the real price of the ticket is more than $20 is given by P(X Z) = 1 P( X Z) = 1- 0.613 = 0.387 (Campbell and Knapp 2013). The admissions are statistically independent of price. This is because the value of the chi square test was found to be zero. The contingency table is as follows: Sum of probability of admission Column Labels Row Labels 28.9 29.7 30.8 35.5 37.4 39 43 46.9 47.2 55.5 68.1 69.9 73.9 76 80 82.2 88 89.8 91.5 92.5 Grand Total 19.25-19.35 0.036 0.071 0.107 19.35-19.45 0.030 0.036 0.043 0.063 0.172 19.45-19.55 0.068 0.071 0.139 19.55-19.65 0.024 0.069 0.093 19.65-19.75 0.022 0.029 0.051 19.75-19.85 0.023 0.062 0.084 19.85-19.95 0.027 0.027 19.95-20.05 0.070 0.070 20.05-20.15 0.059 0.059 20.15-20.25 0.057 0.057 20.35-20.45 0.033 0.033 20.45-20.55 0.054 0.054 20.75-20.85 0.052 0.052 Grand Total 0.022 0.023 0.024 0.027 0.029 0.030 0.033 0.036 0.036 0.043 0.052 0.054 0.057 0.059 0.062 0.063 0.068 0.069 0.070 0.142 1 The 95% confidence interval of mean theatre capacity is given by (mean 1.96* s.d.), (mean + 1.96* s.d.) = (460.1412662, 630.0492099) At 5% level of significance, the admission from 2008 to 2014 had exceeded the constant amount of 84 millions in Taiwan had the hypothesis as follows: H0 = the admission from 2008 to 2014 did not exceed the constant amount of 84 millions in Taiwan H1 = the admission from 2008 to 2014 had exceeded the constant amount of 84 millions in Taiwan On testing the two variables, the p value of the one-tailed test was found to be 0.02732, which is less than the p value (Levy and Lemeshow 2013). The null hypothesis in this case is rejected and the admission from 2008 to 2014 had exceeded the constant amount of 84 millions in Taiwan. The output of multiple linear regression is given in sheet named regression in the excel file. Using the result of regression analysis, the hypothesis is as follows: H0 = there is no difference between the ticket price in 2014 and zero at 5% level of significance H1 = there is difference between the ticket price in 2014 and zero at 5% level of significance The p value of the regression analysis for the variable real ticket price had the value of 0.044, which is less than 0.05. This leads to the rejection of null hypothesis. Thus, there is difference between the ticket price in 2014 and zero at 5% level of significance. The slope of the variable is 5.2766, which is positive (Montgomery et al. 2015). This states that the variable effects the admission in a positive way. The change in price in the ticket leads to the change in the admission in the similar direction. The value of intercept was found to be negative. This suggests that the admission would be negative in absence of all the factors. The slope of Screens was 0.0878, which was slightly positive (Draper and Smith 2014). This value aims to influence the admission in a positive manner, as the value is positive. The value of the slope of Theatres was found to be 0.04508, which is positive. This depicts that the factor had a weak positive influence of the admission. The slope of Flimsy screened was 0.001 and it is weakly negative (Csikszentmihalyi and Larson 2014). This also influences the admission positively and the change in value of this variable changes the value of admission in the same direction (Kleinbaum et al. 2013). The slope of capacity (000s) has a negative slope of -0.2819. This indicates that the variable influence the admission in a negative way. The increase in capacity decreases the admission. All the slope of the variables had the same sign as was expected. The sign of capacity (000s) was expected to be positive whereas it turned out to be negative. The value of adjusted r square is 0.971. This indicates that 97.1% of variation is explained by only the independent variables that actually affect the dependent variable (Fox 2015). The p value of the variables theatres and film screened are more than 5% level of significance. The other three variables have their p value less than 0.05. Thus, this overall model is statistically not significant as the p values of all the variables are not less than 0.05. Scatter diagram and histogram The variable is heteroscadastic, normal and linear. Variables like location of the theatre, facilities provided in the theatre and the type of movie influence the admission positively. These factors would increase the value of regression coefficient and would thereby, influence the regression coefficient. The sampling process of random sampling would not be appropriate one at the first instance. The organisation must identify all the households of native-born Australians. They could then use the process of random sampling to select the households from the identified households. Conclusion It was seen from the analysis that the variable admission is influenced by various factors like the Screens, Theatres, Films Screened, Real Ticket Price and Capacity. The average, standard deviation and the type of distribution of each variable vary from each other over the period from 1994 to 2014. The graphs show the distribution of each variable and the tables give an idea about the type of admission with the real ticket price. The degree of association between the variables was also analysed. Thus the analysis gave a clear picture about the variables and the effect of admission over the years 1994 to 2014 and the influence of the other factors on the admission. References Ang, S. and Van Dyne, L., 2015.Handbook of cultural intelligence. Routledge. Bickel, P.J. and Lehmann, E.L., 2012. Descriptive statistics for nonparametric models I. Introduction. InSelected Works of EL Lehmann(pp. 465-471). Springer US. Campbell, J.P. and Knapp, D.J. eds., 2013.Exploring the limits in personnel selection and classification. Psychology Press. Csikszentmihalyi, M. and Larson, R., 2014. Validity and reliability of the experience-sampling method. InFlow and the Foundations of Positive Psychology(pp. 35-54). Springer Netherlands. Draper, N.R. and Smith, H., 2014.Applied regression analysis. John Wiley Sons. Fox, J., 2015.Applied regression analysis and generalized linear models. Sage Publications Kleinbaum, D., Kupper, L., Nizam, A. and Rosenberg, E., 2013.Applied regression analysis and other multivariable methods. Nelson Education. Levy, P.S. and Lemeshow, S., 2013.Sampling of populations: methods and applications. John Wiley Sons. Montgomery, D.C., Peck, E.A. and Vining, G.G., 2015.Introduction to linear regression analysis. John Wiley Sons. Plonsky, L., 2015. Statistical power, p values, descriptive statistics, and effect sizes: A" back-to-basics" approach to advancing quantitative methods in L2 research. Thiem, A., 2014. Membership function sensitivity of descriptive statistics in fuzzy-set relations.International Journal of Social Research Methodology,17(6), pp.625-642. Vogt, A. and Barta, J., 2013.The making of tests for index numbers: Mathematical methods of descriptive statistics. Springer Science Business Media.

SureCut Shears Essay Essay Example

SureCut Shears Essay Essay There were many intensifying factors that caused SureCut Shears to be unable to pay its bank loan by March 31. 1996. When looking at the pro forma income statement as compared to the existent income statement we see the undermentioned incompatibilities. which are lending to SureCut’s fiscal jobs: AnticipatedActualDollar Loss Contributed Sales25. 80022. 9872. 813COGS ( % to Sls ) 70. 5 % 73. 8 % 768Gross Profit ( % to Sls ) 29. 5 % 26. 2 %SG A ; A Expenses ( % to Sls ) 9. 4 % 10. 6 % 269Entire dollar loss contributed by addition in disbursals 1. 037 Entire dollar loss contributed by lessening in gross revenues 2. 813 As disbursals addition. net incomes are squeezed and SureCut continues to pay dividends at the same rate and sum. further squashing the maintained net incomes. and therefore net income of the company. In entire over the nine months. the per centum addition in COGS and SG A ; A disbursals contributed to over a $ 1 million loss based on the existent gross revenues during that clip. We will write a custom essay sample on SureCut Shears Essay specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on SureCut Shears Essay specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on SureCut Shears Essay specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer In add-on the instance refers to a works modernisation plan. which is claimed to be the ground for an addition in needful financess. However. when examined more closely. the works modernisation undertaking was supposed to make efficiencies that would salvage $ 900K in fabrication costs ( to demo up in COGS ) . If we look at the overall addition in existent COGS through March vs. the awaited sum. we find that this nest eggs of 3 % is non realized and the procedure has really reduced in efficiency. By looking at the pro forma balance sheet compared to actuals through March we see this drama out – existent hard currency on manus in March is $ 1. 68 million lower than anticipated. Since SureCut did non do fiscal accommodations to their payables or receivables period to increase hard currency flow. this loss straight contributed to their inability to pay the $ 1. 25 million loan at the terminal of March. To measure the fiscal state of affairs of SureCut Shears we examined a fewfiscal ratios. Based on our appraisal. SureCut Shears’ fiscal state of affairs has decidedly declined and Mr. Stewart should be concerned. Before discoursing ratios. we looked at the tendency over clip of gross revenues and stock list. as seen in Exhibit 1. As you can see. gross revenues drop off of prognosis in September/October. but it doesn’t look that SureCut dynamically changes their production and stock list scheme. Alternatively of the difference of existent vs. awaited stock list dropping with gross revenues. it increases. As a consequence. stock list continues to construct and gross revenues soften. doing hard currency to be tied up. and forestalling SureCut from paying off their seasonal loans. This is seen in the fiscal ratios listed in the chart below every bit good. RatioAnticipatedActualCalculationNet income Margin29. 5 % 26. 2 %ROE9. 2 % 5. 5 % ( Common Stock + Earned Surplus ) /Net IncomeAsset Turnover24. 3 % 23. 4 % Average Sales/Current AssetsInventory Turnover30. 7 % 25. 6 % Average COGS/Ending Inventory Current Ratio 7. 89 5. 75 Current Assets/Current Liabilities Acid Test 3. 49 1. 87 ( Current Assets – Inventory ) /Current Liabilities Days Gross saless in Cash 28. 85 8. 74 Cash in March/ ( Annual Sales/365 ) Together these ratios reinforce the issues discussed supra. Without doing alterations to fiscal policy. SureCut Shears continues to increase liabilities while gross revenues decline. stock list grows. and hard currency dwindles down to merely 8. 74 yearss gross revenues in hard currency in March 1996. If Mr. Stewart were paying close attending to these ratios compared he would be concerned that SureCut hasn’t changed its fiscal policy to suit. other than bespeaking to borrow more money. In short. Mr. Stewart should non impart extra dollars to SureCut given the fiscal state of affairs. All three instances. SureCut. Play Time Toys. and Wilson Lumber had hard currency flow jobs that contributed to the fiscal problem our supporters found themselves in. As a consequence of the hard currency flow jobs. the proprietor of the company in each of the instances requested a loan from the bank in order to back up the continued operations of his concern. However. the concluding behind the requested support and the hazards and returns associated with its fulfilment varied in each of the instances examined. For Wilson Lumber. the company was sing rapid growing and the nature of the concern ( long hard currency rhythms and low net income borders ) necessitated that Mr. Wilson secure outside support to finance its growing. Wilson Lumber is an constituted concern with 10 old ages of profitable returns in a non-seasonal industry that has small volatility in gross revenues and is comparatively unaffected by swings in the economic province of the state. These features differentiate Wil son Lumber from the other instances discussed and impact the options available to Mr. Wilson in footings of outside support. Mr. Wilson had antecedently been trusting on extended trade credits as a agency of funding. However. by widening the life of the trade credits. Mr. Wilson was non merely increasing his hard currency rhythm but besides running the hazard of financing his payables at a much higher rate than obtaining a bank loan. Mr. Wilson was hence left to make up ones mind how to finance his turning company. something his narrow net income borders left him unable to make on his ain. The trade-off between the two beginnings. bank loans and drawn-out trade credits. finally depended on the rate of adoption and the impact this determination would hold on his concern and supplier/customer relationships. Both Play Time Toys and SureCut have seasonal gross revenues periods which greatly affect the hard currency flow rhythm of the concern. Mr. King from Play Time Toys is seeking to happen a manner to increase net income by keeping a degree production throughout the twelvemonth. For Play Time Toys. the seasonality of the fabrication and production procedure meant that equipment was left idle or underutilized during the off-seasons while labour disbursals and rewards spiked during peak seasons. In order to level production. Mr. King needs outside support because the blue gross revenues during the off-season are non plenty to finance flat production during this clip. In order to obtain this outside support from the bank. Mr. King needs to calculate future gross revenues and purchases to show sensible demand and recovery of the requested loan sum. However. prognosiss in a seasonal industry carry great hazard of volatile returns particularly when carrying stock list for goods mostly depende nt on the province of the economic system and consumer tendencies. Play Time Toys must see this hazard in footings of the company’s investing because in add-on to the bank loan the company will necessitate to partially finance the additions to stock list by utilizing its extra hard currency. Mr. King needs to see the tradeoff between the nest eggs ( increased net income ) from degree production and the involvement payments. decrease in marketable securities income and increase in storage costs ensuing from its execution. While the fiscal trade-off between these scenarios can be estimated given the forecasted gross revenues and disbursals the greater hazard lies in the forecasted Numberss themselves. SureCut Shears is an illustration of how the inability to run into forecasted sums can hold black effects on the long term profitableness and viability of the company as a whole good beyond any awaited nest eggs. The nature of the fiscal jobs SureCut Shears is confronting root from a failure to run into the gross revenues and net income prognosiss that it submitted to the bank and its ensuing inability to pay back the loan sums. Similar to Play Time Toys. SureCut Shears operates in a seasonal industry and its forecasted gross revenues fell abruptly of outlooks. However. in add-on to decreased gross SureCut Shears besides failed to keep its net income borders and control costs in the face of worsening gross revenues. The impact of the gross revenues forecast on SureCut Shears financials was extended because the company decided to keep a degree production throughout the twelvemonth. To finance this determination the company increased its liability by taking out bank loans to fund the production of stock list during months when grosss were low and future net incomes were unsure. The original pick to keep flat production. a hazardous move in itself for a company in a seasonal industry. was compou nded as SureCut increased adoption sums and stock list degrees ( above the â€Å"level limit† ) despite the perennial inability of the company to run into its gross revenues marks month after month. As a consequence. the company has been left with a reserve of stock list ( its largest current plus ) . diminishing net income borders and undependable prognosiss. SureCut Shears has been made riskier in the eyes of the loaning bank and is hence non expected to be able to keep its current adoption bounds.

To Kill A Mockingbird by Nell Harper Lee.

To Kill A Mockingbird by Nell Harper Lee. In the classic book To Kill A Mockingbird, the reader is introduced to a, collage of varying characters. By telling the story through the eyes of the innocent Scout Finch, Nell Harper Lee, is able to portray a true sincere person in all of her characters. In a town where everyone's lives are touched and in some way changed by the trial of Tom Robinson, it is interesting to delineate between good characters, bad characters, those with opened or shut minds, those who have feelings, emotions, and consciences, as well as those who have the ability to be changed and affected by such events. Perhaps no other character seems to be as fascinating, and can offer the reader a deeper description of his true feelings and beliefs as Scouts older brother Jem. Through the events that take place in this novel, and the reactions he takes towards them, it is clear that Jem is a model of maturity, morality, and a character who is easily affected and thus able to be changed.Film producer Alan J. Pakula with Lee; Lee spent t...Perhaps the biggest event which portrays Jem to be very mature is when Dill returns to Maycomb from his mothers house. Dill who has escaped the unpleasantness of spending the summer with his ungrateful Mother and Stepfather, so that he can spend time with Scout, is discovered when Scout felt him in the dark. When Jem became aware of this, he knew what he had to do: "Dill's eyes flickered at Jem, and Jem looked at the floor. Then he rose and broke the remaining code of our childhood. He went out of the room and down the hall. Atticus, His voice was distant, 'Can you come here a minute, sir?' " (141) This event is very important in realizing what kind of person Jem is. Scout...

With recent headlines in mind, identify five reasons for the public Research Paper

With recent headlines in mind, identify five reasons for the public not to trust the government and five reasons for the public to trust the government - Research Paper Example In the United States our government is based on the Democratic model which allows input from the people as a result of their voting and electing of representatives who also vote. Government is made up of these representatives in two specific houses, Senate and Congress and it is called the legislative branch. The executive branch consists of the president, vice president and his cabinet of advisors. These branches are almost exclusively responsible for decisions that affect the lives of hundreds of millions of United States citizens, as well as potentially affecting billions across the planet. Trusting or not trusting this entity that controls so much is a hard question to understand. When asked more than one friend made it clear that we needed to support the government and trust that they were doing what is right by us, specifically they mentioned approaches taken in the security arena with regards to air travel and travel in general in the United States. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has the unenviable job of providing for the security of millions of annual travelers via air travel, and more recently the possibility of scanning and checking millions of travelers via trains, busses and other vehicles as well as pedestrians in some areas. (Greenberg) Additionally the friends mentioned the efforts made by the United States to introduce Democracy into Iraq and Afghanistan. The initial reasons for our being in those nations having to do with the terrorist attacks with planes against the United States on 9/11, while those reasons and nations have since been cleared of wrongdoing in the terrorism approach we are still there ten years after the fact. Lastly, my friends mentioned that we should trust them because they help others, they referenced the Haiti earthquakes and the large amounts of aid and people we sent to assist them, they also referenced the recent BP oil spill and the Hurricane that

Effect of IT Industry on Literacy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Effect of IT Industry on Literacy - Essay Example For example a manual may require at least a week with a man power of ten to fifteen people whereas when it comes to an automation the same work can be finished off within a day with an employee of one o two who knows how to operate it. A number of examples can be cited where Information Technology has played a considerable role. We can take the banks before they were automated. There used to be a lot of difficulty and lot of time consumption for performing transactions. Cashing a check involved a lot of time as the balance had to be calculated manually. But Information Technology has revolutionized banking sectors. Any kind of transaction can be performed within seconds from creating an account to withdrawing cash. And the introduction of ATMs(Automated Teller machines) has made the work even much more simpler in which the user can take money whenever he or she likes and need nor carry the exact amount of money. The IT industry has created a lot of opportunities as well in terms of employment and also with special incentives and packages which no other fields are offering. And also IT sector had a lot of influence of the education sector. Computer education is being provided from early years of education itself. This helps children to cope up with the coming years since they would have firm foundation in computers. Also special emphasis is being given in terms of application programming and also to games. Games help children to improve creativity and also form a kind of entertainment and refreshment. Similarly exposure to internet has also helped since internet is considered to be the largest storage of knowledge and the child can get any sort of information on whatever topic or subject he or she is interested in. It also makes learning easy and interesting. Information technology provides for students to develop and exercise their critical thinking abilities. Information conveyed through advanced information technology such as computers and the World Wide Web can appear more convincing than the same information conveyed through a conversation with a stranger or the newspaper, despite the fact that it may have equiva lent accuracy and validity. Students must evaluate all information critically. Their ability to present information using information technology can aid in developing an ability to separate form from content in all information, and in assessing its accuracy and validity. The result is a more critical evaluation of all information. Such critical ability helps individuals to evaluate information technology-mediated claims for alternative medicines, advertisements for energy-efficient homes, and homework advice from peers. Hence it can be observed that the IT industry has many positive aspects on literacy and education. One of the reasons is that IT has been made to reach even the remote places these days. In the past computers were only subjected to large offices and sectors. Even the internet was limitedly available. But slowly due to advancement in technology an attempt has been made to reach technology to every one and everywhere. This had been dome mainly due to the benefits which this particular field has got. These are the advantages of the IT field. But there are many negative aspects of IT sector as well. IT has definitely promoted literacy. But it has

Symbolic Picture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Symbolic Picture - Essay Example n this particular image, the photographer illustrates the desperate conditions of Darfur as well as the idea that it is possible to make a difference. The black and white image depicts a black child in front of a wall made of irregular posts and straw. The child is caught in the act of splashing water over his head and the water is seen streaming down the child’s very skinny body and splashing in droplets in the foreground. To refer to the child as ‘he’ is a simplification made for discussion but is not necessarily actual truth. The child depicted has very short, close-shaved hair on his head and no clothing to designate gender. The photograph provides just the hint of a belly button at the bottom edge of the image, but no further indication is provided of gender or clothing. The child is wearing two strings of white beads, which could be an indication of female gender but could also be a sign of social status or wealth. The child also wears a hospital-style bracelet which could indicate that he has access to care beyond that of the average child. There are a number of ways in which the image conveys the idea that the situation in Darfur is desperate. The background is stark, conveying a sense of a simple sand floor and poor building materials. The child is completely isolated in the image, with no sense that there is anyone else in the vicinity. This idea is reinforced by the closed eyes of the child directed downward. The most eloquent statement in the image, though, is the extreme thinness of the child. Each individual rib can be counted, the arm joints are nearly skeletal in detail and the child’s hands seem too large for the rest of his frame. However, there are plenty of hints within the image that suggests there is still hope that things can be different. The child wears beads suggesting some form of wealth and a hospital bracelet suggesting there is some form of care underway to see to this particular child’s overall well-being into

Impact of tourism in Greece

Impact of tourism in Greece Tourism Impact Greece Corfu The Economic Impact In Greece, in 2006, Travel Tourism is expected to post à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬37.2 billions of economic activity (Total Demand), growing to à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬70.3 billion by 2016. Greeces Travel Tourism Industry is expected to contribute 7.3% to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2006 rising in nominal terms to à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬26.3 billion by 2016. The Travel Tourism Economy contribution (per cent of total) should rise from 16.4% to 17.2% in this same period. In the European Union, Travel Tourism is expected to post average annualized gains of 3.5% between 2007 and 2016. For Greece, Travel Tourism activity is expected to grow by 4% per annum in real terms between 2007 and 2016. Greeces Travel Tourism Economy employment is estimated at 867,000 jobs in 2006, 20% of total employment, or 1 in every 5 jobs. By 2016, this should total 1,216,000 jobs, 20.9% of total employment or 1 in every 4.8 jobs. The 449,000 Travel Tourism Industry jobs account for 10.3% of total employment in 2006 and are forecast to total 601,000 jobs or 10.3% of the total by 2016. Travel Tourism is a major exporter, with inbound visitors injecting foreign exchange directly into the economy. Travel Tourism exports in the European Union are expected to represent 13.0% of total exports in 2006. In Greece, exports make up a very important share of Travel Tourisms contribution to GDP. Of Greeces total exports, Travel Tourism is expected to generate 29.1% or à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬11.8 billions in 2006, increasing to à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬23.9 billions or 27.8% of total, in 2016. Travel Tourism is very significant for construction and manufacturing. In 2006, the public and private sectors combined are expected to spend 9.3% of total investment on new Travel Tourism capital investment worldwide rising to 9.6% of the total in 2016. In the European Union, Travel Tourism Capital Investment is expected to be in total the 8.6% of total regional capital investment in 2006. Travel Tourism Capital Investment in Greece is estimated at à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬6.4 billions or 14.3% of total investment in 2006. By 2016, this should reach à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬12.9 billions or 14.8% of the total. Nowadays bureaucracy in Greece is having a very negative impact on both operations and investment. In that nation, as in other countries, responsibility for policies and services that affect Travel Tourism are spread among many ministries. However, co-operation between these different ministries and government departments appears to be seriously lacking which affects everything within the government and occurs serious issues. The Environmental Impact Travel Tourism has the potential to bring enormous benefits to people and environments, especially in terms of providing an alternative source of income. However, if not developed in a sustainable way, the industry may result in negative impacts such as environmental degradation, alienation of local communities and, ultimately, destruction of the product itself. If Greeces Travel Tourism is to realize its full potential, any threats to its sustainability must be firmly addressed and tackled before it finds itself in the same situation as some well-established resort destinations such as Spain. Its future depends on preserving the combination of natural and cultural assets, as well as engaging the support of the communities that will be the life-blood of the industry. Integrated plans and planning processes should address issues such as airline carrying capacity, tourism supply and demand, resource utilization and economic, socio-cultural and environmental impacts. In every community there are those who believe that, if nature is to be preserved, it should be left completely untouched. While this belief is infinitely more worthy than a disregard for the environment in a quest for profits, a balance between the two extremes ensures the long-term economic well-being and preservation of an area. A Greek island located in the Ionian Sea named Corfu has an extremely rich natural, historical and cultural heritage and the goal must clearly be to preserve it all. The key is to ensure that tourism development and environmental management are mutually supportive, and that integrated planning, policies and implementation provide for environmental impact assessments for all tourism projects. In addition, a list of valuable historic, natural, and cultural sites, which can be logically exploited for tourism, should be identified and steps taken to conserve those sites for long-term use. Protection of the environment also means limiting construction (especially in terms of accommodation capacity) and ensuring cleanliness and effective sanitation services. Investment in infrastructure and facilities in Corfu appears to be inadequate. Firm government and strong legislative guidelines to ensure that regional and local authorities are adhering to sound development principles must be enforced. The Socio-Cultural Impact The socio-cultural impact of tourism is developed through an enormous range of aspects from the arts and crafts through to the fundamental behavior of individuals and collective groups. A factor often overlooked by researchers is the socio-cultural impact of tourism on the visitor population. Visitors to Corfu, for example, often find it hard to resist adopting the beach-based lifestyle and the Greek culinary particularity when they return home. Generally there is a variety of ways in which we examine the relationships between tourism development and socio-cultural changes. The socio-cultural impact is based on the host-guest interaction and the behavior of tourists. In Corfu and generally in Greece the development of the elements above, every year is being improved because the whole economy of the country is based on tourism and for this reason another significant element is that tourist crime doesnt exist in Greece and therefore in Corfu. In other countries the tourists are the most common victims of the marginal populations of each place, but in Corfu the tourists are absolutely safe and crime incidents involving tourists are fiddling. Corfu is also a very popular destination because of the local customs during the Easter period and other customs during the year. However, if the tourists are not aware of, or care of, the local customs they may behave in a way that creates several social frictions between tourists and residents. Corfu is quite rich in customs and each custom gives the tourist an opportunity to adapt to the local traditions. References Tourism: Principles and Practice (Cooper, Fletcher, Fyall, Gilbert, Wanhill), Fourth edition. www.msu.edu/course/prr/840/econimpact/pdf/ecimpvol1 www.impact.gr/products/itourism_285.htm www.islandheritage.org/tourism.html www.ecotourism.org/WebModules/WebMember/MemberApplication/ www.dallascityhall.com/convention_center/pdfs/city_tourism_impact www.economicsbulletin.vanderbilt.edu/2008/volume3/EB-07C20155A www.sete.gr/files/Ebook/TourisminGreeceBuhalisinCurrentIssues

Use of Computer Technology by Law Enforcement Officers :: Exploratory Essays Research Papers

Use of Computer Technology by Law Enforcement Officers When it comes to fighting crimes, computers are the most helpful source law enforcement and security officers have. They help track where a suspect could be, where they used to live, past jobs, past criminals record, etc, and they keep track of all criminals. Computers keep records of everything; for example: fingerprints, pictures, information about a suspect, etc. Security personnel use computer technology to help catch thieves, cheaters, embezzlers, and so on. Computer technology is very important in today’s society. Many businesses use computer surveillance to keep people from stealing from their businesses. Video camera’s almost always can catch people who are trying to shoplift, if a store did not use a video camera, the person trying to steal would more than likely get away with it ninety nine percent of the time. Computer’s also help in a way so that pictures can be printed off of a suspect and posted in many areas so that people will be aware of who they are to be looking for. If we did not have the printer today, no pictures of suspects would ever be posted, and many criminals would get off scot-free! Law enforcement use computer technology to keep track of convicts everyday. They keep on record the day someone was sent to prison, and they have on file the day they are supposed to be released. Also, computer technology helps the public be able to know if they have an ex-con living in their neighbor, all they have to do is look it up online for their area! If computer technology was not available, you could have a child molester living right next door, and not even know it! And to too me, that would be very scary! Law enforcement use computer technology to help match up fingerprints they have recovered from a recent crime scene. If there were no computer, the person who left the prints would never be found because law enforcement would not be able to link the prints to any one person. Today, police officers have little computers inside their vehicles so that if they so choose too, they can scan your license plate while driving behind you to see if you have a warrant out for your arrest, see if your

Ethical Behavior and Social Responsibility of Organizations Essay

Introduction Proper ethical behavior is a significant part of conducting business. Organizations must therefore find ways to incorporate ethical considerations into their strategic plan. Firms need to practice self governance and obey existing laws if they are to ensure their survival and the well-being of the society in which they exist. The decisions made by an organization affect society as a whole. This paper will examine the social responsibilities of organizations to each of their stakeholders. These include: customers, employees, shareholders, suppliers, the local government and the environment. Each section of this report is supplemented with a case study illustrating the consequences of unethical behavior in business. Defining Ethics Ethics is a ubiquitous term that is subject to personal interpretation. Individuals and groups are guided by moral principles or values. Their beliefs help them to set standards for deciphering right from wrong (Little, 2011). Ethical values are dynamic and are therefore subject to renegotiation and change. These changes are often influenced by periodic and contextual circumstances. As ethical beliefs differ from person to person, it may not be entirely possible to instill a universal set of values. Also, many individuals have different points of reference when determining what is right and what is wrong (Little, 2011). Domestically, ethical values tend to be closely aligned. Individuals who have been socialized in a particular region are more likely to have similar values, laws, religion, knowledge and culture. With the emergence of free-trade agreements, many firms have the opportunity to conduct international business. Although these organizations are usually successful in aligning their economic interests, many have failed to recognize or understand the cultural norms, laws and ethical practices of the country they are conducting business with. Defining Social Responsibility An organization’s approach to social responsibility can impact its image and reputation. Depending on how an organization addresses this aspect of business, ethics can either be a strength or a weakness. Social responsibility can be divided into three categories: obligatory, reactive or responsive behavior (Duening & Ivancevisch, 2008). An organization that acts out of social obligation tends to direct its behavior to the legal pursuit of profit (Duening et al., 2008). Socially reactive organizations often adhere to social norms, values and performance expectations (Duening et al., 2008). These organizations must be accountable for the ecological, environmental and social costs incurred by their actions (Duening et al., 2008). Lastly, socially responsive organizations often engage in behavior that exceeds the actions taken by socially obligated and socially reactive organizations. For example, these firms take stands on public issues, account for their actions, anticipate future needs of society, move toward satisfying them, and communicate with the government regarding existing and anticipated socially desirable legislation (Duening et al., 2008). As illustrated above, social responsibility can mean different things to different people. In a broad sense, social responsibility is a compliance to the legal obligations, social norms and ethical standards of society. For the purpose of this paper, I will use the broad sense of the term, unless otherwise specified. Social Responsibility of Organizations to Internal Beneficiaries Social Responsibility to Employees Legally, organizations are responsible for providing their employees with a minimum wage, safe working conditions and the freedom to form a union (Duening et al., 2008). These laws discourage management from creating workplaces that violate employee civil rights (Duening et al., 2008). However, many part-time employers, fast food restaurants and retailers provide only the minimum. Historically, employee benefits emerged out of pressure from employees, unions and the community. Today, most organizations are expected to go beyond the minimum legal requirements by providing their employees with â€Å"fringe benefits†, such as retirement funds, health and accident insurance (Duening et al., 2008). Many socially reactive and socially responsive organizations have extended their benefits to include training, career development, counseling, employee assistance programs, day-care and flex-time policies. As employee family life becomes more complex, organizations must find ways to offer support. Many modern organizations are concerned about employee satisfaction and the benefits associated with it. Employees who are content demonstrate a higher commitment to the organization, which often translates into less absenteeism, higher morale and higher productivity. Overall, the modern worker wants his job to be both meaningful and fulfilling (Duening et al., 2008). Social Irresponsibility to Employees: Wal-Mart Wal-mart is one of the most profitable and efficiently run organizations in the world. In 2005, the corporation grossed two-hundred and forty billion dollars in sales, yet still failed to provide its employees with health care benefits and a livable wage (Greenwald & Gilliam, 2005). On numerous occasions, the organization neglected to provide its employees with the basic legal requirements. As a result, Wal-mart is now facing a number of class action law suits. Reports suggest that the organization is also notorious for keeping its stores understaffed. Although overtime is rarely an option, employees are still expected to work off the clock to get the job done (Greenwald et al., 2005). Workers are ordered to complete their tasks and are often told that they can be replaced. Given their unfortunate personal circumstances, many employees put up with this abuse. In terms of employee well-being, a large majority of Walmart’s workers cannot afford the company’s basic medical insurance at just seventy-five dollars per month. (Greenwald et al., 2005). However, Wal-mart encourages its employees to seek out section-8 housing, food stamps and government-provided health insurance. (Greenwald et al., 2005). Evidently, Wal-mart’s everyday low prices are a result of taxpayer subsidies. Nationwide, Wal-mart is costing taxpayers over one and a half billion dollars a year in subsidies for its employees (Greenwald et al., 2005). As a result of these policies, Walmart’s average sales employee is living below the Federal Poverty Line. (Greenwald et al., 2005). In 2001, Barbara Ehrenreich conducted a sociological study to determine whether or not she could survive on a low wage. She found a job at Wal-mart in Minnesota. Her study reaffirmed the poor working conditions that Wal-mart employees often endure. In the following quote Ehrenreich talks about a shirt that she wanted to purchase for work: â€Å"One of the rules is that our shirts have to have collars, so they have to be polos, not tees. Somehow I’d missed this during orientation†¦ At $7 an hour, a $7 shirt is just not going to make it to my shopping list† (Ehrenreich, 2002, p.88). Given the low wage that she earns, she has difficulty justifying the purchase of a seven dollar work shirt. In the next quote, her co-worker Alyssa finds herself in a more difficult situation: â€Å"Alyssa is another target for my crusade. When she returns to check yet again on that $7 polo, she finds a stain on it. What could she get off for that? I think 10 percent, and if you add in the 10 percent employee discount, we’d be down to $5.60. I’m trying to negotiate a 20 percent price reduction with the fitting room lady when rotten luck Howard shows up and announces that there are no reductions and no employee discounts on clearanced items. Those are the rules. Alyssa looks crushed, and I tell her, when Howard’s out of sight, that there’s something wrong when you’re not paid enough to buy a Wal-Mart shirt, a clearanced Wal-Mart shirt with a stain on it. â€Å"I hear you,† she says, and admits Wal-Mart isn’t working for her either, if the goal is to make a living† (Ehrenreich, 2002, p.100). Wal-mart is also notorious for squashing unions. If a branch plans to hold a union vote, the organization will hire new employees to dilute the number of people who are pro union. Moreover, the organization allots each store a seven-thousand dollar anti-union package; a thirty-thousand dollar undercover spy van, access to the organization’s one hundred thousand dollar anti-union hot-line; and the use of its seven-million dollar corporate jet for rapid response (Greenwald et al., 2005). If a branch is successful in a union vote, Wal-mart will not hesitate to close down that particular retail outlet. In summary, with the absence of unions and the current mind-set of management, it is highly unlikely that employee working conditions will improve any time soon. Social Responsibility to Shareholders Organizations have a social responsibility to their shareholders and must provide accurate information for investment decisions. (Duening et al., 2008). As stated by Duening and Ivancevich, â€Å"the ultimate action a stockholder can take is to sell the stock† (2008). It is important that organizational information be transparent and accessible. Also, organizations must be as efficient and effective as possible with the use of their resources. Any process or product feature that does not add value is wasteful and has an adverse effect on the bottom line. Investors of the twenty-first century want instant gratification and are therefore often fixated on short-term earnings. As corporations and their managers face pressure from shareholders to produce appeasing quarterly results, they often fail to think about the long-term well being of the organization, its employees and the environment. In recent years, there has been a significant increase in performance-based bonuses. In many multinational organizations, executives earn exponentially more than their lowest paid employees. As an incentive, executives often receive options for shares in the company. The value of those options is contingent upon the company’s short, medium or long-term performance. In 2010, chief executives at the United States’ five hundred largest firms collectively took home four billion dollars (DeCarlo, 2010). The value realized from exercised stock options accounted for the main component of their pay (DeCarlo, 2010). When managers act in their own self interest, bonus-based compensation schemes can have dire consequences for all parties involved. Social Irresponsibility to Shareholders: Enron In 2001, Enron filed for bankruptcy (Bryce, 2003). At the time, it was the largest bankruptcy in the history of the United States. The management cooked the books and misrepresented their position to shareholders (Little, 2011). Enron used mark-to-market accounting practices to manipulate earnings and to create a mirage of success. On several occasions, company executives lied to investors, overstated earnings and omitted critical information (Bryce, 2003). As a result, stakeholders lost billions of dollars. Also, the employee pension plan contained over two billion dollars in assets with sixty-two percent of the funds invested in Enron stock (Bryce, 2003). Thousands of Enron employees lost a bulk of their life savings. In addition, the California Public Employees Retirement system lost three billion dollars (Bryce, 2003). Many individuals, investment firms and hedge funds lost billions of dollars as well. While thousands of individuals lost large sums of money, Enron executives netted significant returns from their unethical stock manipulation and insider trading. Social Responsibility to the Supply Chain The supply chain is a system of organizations, people, technology, activities, information and resources involved in moving a product or service from the supplier to the consumer (Shafer et al., 2010). Within the chain, an organization can be both a supplier and a customer. Today, many organizations realize the importance of strengthening relationships and working with fewer suppliers. In effect, suppliers and their customers have become interdependent on one another. Traditionally, customers pitted suppliers against each other in hopes of getting the best price. Today, however, many suppliers play a vital role in the operations process. Through vendor-managed inventory systems, organizations have been able to avoid stockouts, thus reducing inventory costs (Shafer et al., 2010). Corporations that rely on sole sourcing have a partner-like relationship with their suppliers. The just-in-time delivery system is based on customers pulling their orders through the supply chain while suppliers ensure the inputs arrive according to schedule. Companies are also responsible for ensuring that their suppliers are treated respectfully and paid on time. In this relationship, both organizations have to turn a profit to ensure their survival. Social Irresponsibility to the Supply Chain: Monsanto Monsanto is an organization that has little regard for the farmers who use its products or the end users that consume them. In 1994, Monsanto introduced Posilac to the American market. Posilac is a bovine growth hormone that was developed to increase milk production. Today, â€Å"the United States is the only developed nation that permits humans to drink milk from cows that have been given artificial growth hormone† (Laskawy, 2010, para 3). This product was banned in twenty-seven countries including Canada and the European Union (Achbar et al.,2004). Moreover, Posilac was tested for only ninety days to assess for human toxicity (Achbar et al., 2004). There is widespread concern regarding the long-term effects of this product on the well-being of humans and animals. Despite these concerns, this product was approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Either Monsanto misreported its findings or the Food and Drug Administration did not look at them. Health Canada research showed that bovine growth hormone could be absorbed by the human body with the possibility of a link to cancer (Achbar et al.,2004). In addition to being harmful, Posilac is of little value to farmers and end users. Prior to Posilac’s release, there was an abundance of milk in the marketplace and farmers were told to produce less of it (Achbar et al.,2004) Monsanto is an organization that supplies harmful products and expects farmers to distribute them to the general population. This organization is responsible for the premature release of bio-engineered foods in the marketplace. The long-term effects of genetically-modified food are still unknown. However, Monsanto requires a high level of coordination to get its products to market. The firm often requires help from politicians, professors, scientists, experts, the general public, reporters, and the Food and Drug Administration (Achbar et al.,2004). Monsanto also engineers terminator seeds. These are seeds that terminate themselves through a suicide gene (Achbar et al.,2004). Since terminator seeds are only good for one season, Monsanto has lowered the intrinsic value of them. In nature, seeds are meant to be replanted annually. However, this product goes against evolution and human well-being. There are billions of people around the world who are starving to death and farmers have been denied the opportunity to replant their seeds on an annual basis.This product is immoral to its customers, the end users, and humanity as a whole. Nonetheless, Monsanto still expects its customers to distribute these products to the end users. Social Responsibility to Customers Value is defined as any action or process that a customer is willing to pay for (Shafer & Meredith, 2010). To eliminate unnecessary waste, organizations should always be mindful of customer needs. Processes that drive up costs but do not increase the overall value of a product are wasteful. Firms should strive to reduce overproduction, inventory costs, unnecessary processing, wait times, transportation costs, and unnecessary human motions while minimizing the number of defects (Shafer et al., 2010). Competitive organizations continue to improve the quality and durability of their products (Shafer et al., 2010). However, if an organization fails to use its resources efficiently and effectively, it will likely be punished in the marketplace. A consumer has the ultimate decision on whether or not they will purchase a particular product. Therefore, companies should be adequately prepared to address consumer concerns and after-service needs, should they arise. Also, consumer goods should not do any biological or psychological harm to their customers. Products that have the potential to do harm to others should be put through rigorous testing to ensure they are safe for human use and consumption. Social Irresponsibility to Customers: Aguas del Tunari For twenty years, the World Bank has been working alongside successive governments toward independent development in Bolivia. The World Bank believes that a high proportion of leaders in developing nations are susceptible to corruption, including those in Bolivia. As a result, the organization has played a significant role in assisting the Bolivian government with privatization of its state-owned enterprises. In 2000, Aguas del Tunari corporation signed a forty-year contract with the Bolivian government to provide water to impoverished citizens in Cochabamba City, Bolivia. Aguas del Tunari was guaranteed a minimum annual return of fifteen percent on their two-and-a-half billion dollar investment (Salina & Starr, 2008). As part of the deal, Aguas del Tunari Corporation agreed to repay thirty million dollars of debt accumulated by the state utility company (Salina et al., 2008). In an effort to pay off the debt, Aguas del Tunari corporation increased water rates to twenty dollars per month — a thirty-five percent increase (Achbar, Abbott, Bakan & Simpson, ,2004). However, the company failed to consider the fact that many of its new clients were surviving on only two dollars a day (Achbar et al., 2004). This meant that the cost of water would account for roughly twenty-five percent of their daily income (Achbar et al., 2004). To make matters worse, the government had privatized rain water, making it illegal to collect the rainfall (Achbar et al.,2004). When the newly-owned utility company shut off the water supply to non-paying customers, violent protests erupted across all classes of society. Ninety-six percent of citizens demanded that the contract with Aguas del Tunari be terminated (Salina & Starr, 2008) . The government of Bolivia refused and told its citizens that there was nothing to negotiate. Protests spread to other major cities in Bolivia, eventually causing a ripple effect that would put the country into a state of emergency. To remedy this problem, the Bolivian government kicked Aguas del Tunari out of the country and resumed its role as the nation’s utility operator. In this unique case, it is difficult to conceptualize water as a commodity. Water is essential for survival and is seen as a birth right. Many would argue that the local government is responsible for regulating the cost of water and ensuring that it is affordable for all citizens. Since water surrounds us and falls naturally from the sky, it is difficult for a corporation to add value to it. Privatization of rain water is an extreme concept and certainly crosses some ethical boundaries. Social Responsibility of Corporations to External Beneficiaries Social Responsibility to Local Governments Elected officials have a social responsibility to the people whom they represent. Although corporations cannot directly cast a vote, they can leverage their power by donating large sums of money to political campaigns. In return, they often expect regulatory favors, exceptions, and preferential treatment. Corporations must however respect the local government and prohibit themselves from lobbying, bribing or manipulating local officials for the financial benefit of the organization. Although firms should not tempt government officials, politicians should also avoid situations where they may become vulnerable. As governments and organizations continue to work closely to achieve their objectives, they must ensure they maintain their ethical boundaries. When corporations gain power, the relative authority of local government diminishes and their authoritative power is often confined to their given jurisdiction. As organizations continue to grow, it is becoming increasingly difficult for them to be audited by local governments and regulatory bodies. For this reason, governments should consider implementing more rules and tougher sanctions to prevent legal and ethical misconduct. As history has shown, corporations are not always capable of self- governance. Social Irresponsibility to Local Governments: Long-Term Capital Management Deregulation of public enterprises and new business practices may not always be in the best interest of the general public. In 2000, the Clinton administration passed a bill that would deregulate the derivatives market and establish legal certainty for bankers (Lowenstein, 2002). The three major classes of derivatives are: futures, options and swaps. In detail, the derivatives market is not well understood by policy makers. There have been numerous cases of corporate fraud, financial mismanagement and unnecessary risk. Moreover, taxpayers have fronted billions of dollars to bail out financial institutions. In 2008, the value of the overall derivatives market was an astonishing six-hundred and sixty-eight trillion dollars (Sheridan, 2008). In 1994, Long-term Capital Management took the financial world by storm. This hedge fund was established by two proven Wall Street traders and two Nobel Laureates (Lowenstein, 2002). The fund started with four billion dollars in capital from its investors. The firm enjoyed four straight years of prosperity without a single monthly loss to be reported on their balance sheet. LTCM was thought to be the perfect hedge fund. It simply could not lose. LTCM leveraged its balance sheet trading by 30 to 1, while leveraging its off balance sheet trading by 250 to 1 (Lowenstein, 2002). At one point, the company had in excess of one trillion dollars in derivatives exposure (Lowenstein, 2002). In a short period of time, LTCM had lost nearly everything and turned to banks and the federal reserve for a bailout. At the time, this was the largest bailout ever. In Wall Street’s eyes, LTCM was simply too big to fail. It was thought that its demise would have had dire consequences for the entire economy. Since then, bigger investment firms have failed, bigger bailouts have been distributed and derivatives are still being heavily traded. It appears Wall Street still has a lesson to learn. It was the government’s deregulation of derivatives that allowed LTCM and other investment firms to behave unethically and do as they pleased. As a regulatory body, the Federal Reserve sent out the wrong message by bailing out LTCM. Condoning the behavior of this hedge fund created an environment that would encourage other financial institutions to take the same risks. Social Responsibility to the Environment and Future Generations Today, consumers and citizens increasingly expect more from organizations. Traditionally, firms externalized their costs while internalizing their profits. Today, however, many corporations are becoming ethically conscious and are working toward minimizing their carbon footprint. They have started to use mechanisms known as stakeholder management devices to respond to stakeholder claims (Duening et al., 2008). Progressive organizations have started working toward sustainable development to help create a world that is suitable for future generations. Many firms are also taking an interest in social issues. Some have started practicing corporate philanthropy. These positive efforts enhance a corporation’s good will and improves its overall image. This often translates into more sales and higher profit margins. Organizations that fail to take responsibility for their actions are often looked down upon. For example, an organization that shows complete disregard for the environment will likely tarnish their image and build up ill will. In effect, companies that act out of social obligation are viewed less positively than those that are socially responsive. Social Responsibility to the Environment and Future Generations: Tokyo Electric Power Company In March of 2011, the Japanese coast was rattled by a forceful 9.0 earthquake and a gigantic tsunami. The Fukushima Dai-chi and Fukushima Dai-ni power plants sustained critical damage (TEPCO to Compensate Nuclear Plant Victims, 2011). Both of these power plants are privately owned by the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO to Compensate Nuclear Plant Victims, 2011). The nuclear disaster revealed the company’s misplaced confidence and a failure to adequately forecast its worst case scenario. Furthermore, the company chose to disregard Japan’s tsunami history and relevant GPS data. TEPCO engineers did not factor in earthquakes that occurred prior to 1896 (TEPCO Dimissed Important Scientific Evidence in Planning Nuclear Plant’s Defense, 2011). Tsunami modelers at TEPCO factored in an earthquake of 8.6 magnitude in its worst case scenario model (TEPCO Dimissed Important Scientific Evidence in Planning Nuclear Plant’s Defense, 2011). The earthquake that occured on March 11, 2011 was four times more powerful than the maximum presumed (TEPCO Dimissed Important Scientific Evidence in Planning Nuclear Plant’s Defense, 2011). Given Japan’s geographical position and the volatility of nuclear energy, TEPCO should have put more thought into their calculations. After much delay, the Japanese government has ordered TEPCO to pay partial retribution to the citizens affected by this nuclear catastrophe. Beginning on April 28, 2011, TEPCO has started to compensate families in the nominal sum of twelve-thousand dollars for losses attributed to evacuation, having to stay indoors and nuclear contamination (TEPCO to Compensate Nuclear Plant Victims, 2011). These partial retributions are miniscule. Often times it is cheaper for a corporation to hire a good public relations specialist than to rectify the actual problem. This nuclear disaster has crippled local businesses, fishing operations, tourism and the livelihood of citizens. TEPCO’s greed and irresponsibility has cost the citizens of Japan and the nation at large by causing tremendous losses. Moreover, citizens in neighboring countries and the Western part of the United States have grown concerned over their personal well-being. In TEPCO’s case, the local government should have taken extra measures to ensure the facilities were built to withstand an earthquake of great proportion. Local governments are elected and represent the interest of the people. Therefore, it is their responsibility to ensure private organizations behave ethically. Companies should be forced to take full accountability for their actions. In regard to privatization of nuclear energy, governments should pressure organizations to strive for seven-sigma quality. As we have witnessed, a defect in nuclear energy can have significant implications for the general population. Conclusion As illustrated in this paper, organizations have a social responsibility to both their internal and external beneficiaries. Firms should always conduct business with integrity and concern for others. Although many organizations may feel pressure to increase their short-term earnings, they must retain their focus and uphold their social responsibilities to their stakeholders. Through long-term objectives, organizations can set standards that will ensure their survival. It’s important to emphasize that the decisions an organization makes will often affect society as a whole. As illustrated in the case studies above, companies that go astray or act in their own self interest can adversely affect the well-being of many stakeholders. However, tougher sanctions and an organizational credo may help give an organization ethical focus. In conclusion, by practicing self-governance and obeying existing laws, corporations will be well on their way to becoming socially responsible and dependable organizations. Works Cited Achbar, M. (Director/Producer), Abbott, J. (Director), Bakan, J. (Writer), & Simpson, B. (Producer) (2004). The Corporation (DVD). Canada: Big Picture Media Corporation. Bryce, R (2003). Pipe Dreams – Greed, Ego and the Death of Enron. New York, NY: Public Affairs. DeCarlo, S. (2010). What the Boss Makes.Forbes.com.Retrieved on April 18th, 2011 from http://www.forbes.com/2010/04/27/compensation-chief-executive-salary-leadership-boss-10-ceo-compensation-intro.html Duening, T. N., Ivancevisch, J. M. (2006). Managing Organizations Principles & Guidelines. Cincinnati, OH: Atomic Dog. Ehrenreich, B. (2002). Nickel and Dimed On Not Getting By in America. New York, NY: Owl Book. Greenwald, R. (Director), Gilliam, J. (Producer) (2005). Walmart: The High Cost of Low Price (DVD). United States: Brave New Films Disinformation Company. Laskawy, T. (2010). Court Rules rBGH-Free Milk Milk is Better Than the Kind Produced With Articifical Hormones. Now What? Retrieved on April 19, 2011 from http://www.grist.org/article/food-2010-10-06-court-rules-on-rbgh-free-milk. Little, C. (2011). Ethics [class lectures]. Texas A&M University-Commerce. Spring 2011. Lowenstein, R. (2002). When Genius Failed: The Rise and Fall of Long-term Capital Management. Great Britain: Clays Ltd and St. Ives plc. Salina, I. (Director), Starr, S. (Producer) (2008). Flow: For The Love of Water (DVD). United States: Oscilloscope Laboratories. Shafer, S. & Meredith, J. (2010). Operations Management for MBAs, 4th Edition. John Wiley and Sons, Inc. Sheridan, B. (2008). 600,000,000,000,000? Newsweek. Retrieved on April 20, 2011 from http://www.newsweek.com/2008/10/17/600-000-000-000-000.html. TEPCO to Compensate Japan’s Nuclear Plant Victims. (2011). BBC News Asia_Pacific. Retrieved on April 17, 2011 from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-13090304 TEPCO Dimissed Important Scientific Evidence in Planning Nuclear Plant’s Defense. (2011). Japan Today. Retrieved on April 24, 2011 from http://www.japantoday.com/category/commentary/view/tepco-dismissed-important-scientific-evidence-in-planning-nuclear-plants-defense.

Thomas Mappes essays

Thomas Mappes essays Thomas Mappes, in his article, talks about coercion and deception among individuals who are guilty of using another person without their informed voluntary consent. He tries to determine when it is wrong for one person to use another as a means to benefit the user and when one is guilty of sexually using another person. Mappes says that using another person is acceptable when that both parties have given their voluntary informed consent. Information must be presented to enable persons to voluntarily decide whether or not to participate. It is to ensure respect for persons through provision of thoughtful consent for a voluntary act. Persons may give their voluntary informed consent while not knowing all the facts. A person may withhold the truth or fill the truth with false information to get the person to participate. Another way of one using another would be by coercion. There are two types of coercion. Occurrent coercion which involves the use of physical force and dispositional coercion involves the threat of physical force. Mappes is not saying that using another person is always morally wrong, because we use other people for our own ends all the time. We use a physician to keep ourselves healthy and the physician uses his patients for his lively hood. Each of the parties uses the other group to fulfill their own task, based on the voluntary participation and their given consent. Both parties respect each other and realize that they have the right to do with their lives as they see fit, and should not be coerced into doing something that would violate their rights as a human being. If someone will not give their consent on a particular situation, then that is their right and it should not be violated. If someone wanted to get consent from someone who was reluctant to do so, then they might immorally use them by one of two ways. Deception, being one, where a party gives false inform...

Hcs 405 Healthcare Financial Accouting Essays

Hcs 405 Healthcare Financial Accouting Essays Hcs 405 Healthcare Financial Accouting Essay Hcs 405 Healthcare Financial Accouting Essay In the United States, organizations are financially accessible because of many years of financing cuts, reductions in Medicare payments imposed by Balanced Act of 1997, decreases in Medicaid reimbursements, and the lowering stresses of controlled care (University of Phoenix, 2013). Organizations and other health care facilities should organize cautiously when the situation comes to financing choices, service agreements, type of equipment, physician favorites, and locating to assist in making the best decisions.According to several published and quoted surveys, organizations are postponing or eliminating equipment investments in short-term (Barlow, 2009). Leasing is a substitution to another means of financing. When an organization is deciding when to lease or purchase, the team will decide by how much cash they own from their current funds. If the organization does not have the funds to purchase equipment, then the organization will borrow money to purchase the equipment. Service agreements are contracts to examine or repair the equipment and can be made part of a lease settlement.Whether the equipment is leased or bought, a service agreement will be indicated as an expense and does not need to be used for comparison between leasing and purchasing (Baker amp; Baker, 2011). Elijah Heart Center is a 120,000 square foot hospital to manage, and function as a coronary care unit for up to 140-beds in New York. The finance department has reported that Elijah Heart Center is facing a potential working capital shortfall because of discounts given to manage care companies, decreased in Medicare reimbursements, increase in present liabilities, unused equipment placed in patient’s room, and obtain the workflow of contract nurses.Elijah Heart Center will receive 2,300,000 from Medicare and other administered care organizations within three months but is required to set a cost saving target of 900,000 for the first year (University of Phoenix, 2013). The cost cutting options for Elijah are downsizing staff, cutting benefits, reducing agency staff, decreasing length of stay, and modifying the skill mix. Downsizing staff and cutting their benefits greatly would impact the quality of care and potentially would cause staff to obtain excessive amount of overtime. Reducing a patient’s length of stay would not affect the annual savings for the organization.Reducing high waged agency staff would increase the savings by 2,043,683 and changing the skill mix would increase the savings by 1,471,452 (University of Phoenix, 2013). Reducing the agency staff will increase savings because the organization will save on the premiums and management fees. Over a period of time, changing the skill mix will allow employees to assist with easy task and others personal to focus on their necessary tasks. Option one loan was the best choice for maintain beneficial cash flow because there was not a prepayment limitation.Therefore, the organization could pay the loan off within three months from the payments from Medicare and managed care organizations (University of Phoenix, 2013). Elijah Heart Center needs to choose to buy or refurbish radiology equipment because the patient volumes are increasing and equipment is aging. The useful life of a CT scanner is considered to last for approximately 10 years. An x-ray machine useful life is 15 years with a low change of technological advancements. An ultrasound system is considered to last five years, but with a high continuing advancement of technology (University of Phoenix, 2013).The best loan choice for the high-speed CT scanner is the refurbish loan because they can use the CT scanner for to the end of the useful life and then upgrade. An operating lease will have to pay for an upgrade fee after three years (University of Phoenix, 2013). Purchasing health care equipment indicates acquiring the title or undertaking ownership of the product, which is documented on an organization’s balance sheet. The organization could purchase the equipment by disbursing cash from the company’s money funds, or the organization could finance the entire or a portion of the purchase.When financing happens, the resultant obligation is documented on the organiza tion’s balance sheet (Baker amp; Baker, 2011). The best loan choice for the x-ray machine is a capital lease because the payment of present value is higher compared to taking an operating lease or buying refurbished equipment. The capital lease option does not cover the care of technology advancements but the useful life is 15 years and with the bargain price of the x-ray machine is the best option (University of Phoenix, 2013). The organization could lease to purchase, which is an agreement to contract o purchase. The equipment is still documented on the balance sheet as an asset with a corresponding liability is called capitalizing (Baker, amp; Baker, 2011). The best loan choice for the ultrasound machine is the operating lease, because it has lower upfront payment and lower monthly installments. With the operating lease, the organization will confirm on receiving the newest technology (University of Phoenix, 2013). An operating lease is counted as an operating expenditure that will be indicated as a cost, but is not capitalized or documented on the balance sheet.An operating lease is considered as a cost of present operations, whereas a financial lease is considered as an asset and an obligation. The operating lease develops into an operating expense by a payment that is made within that time interval (Baker, amp; Baker, 2011). Elijah Heart Center is need of a $75 million expansion and advancement project with the increasing number of patients. The organization will house five open-hear operating rooms, twenty critical cardiac patient rooms, and seven cardiac catheterization labs, along with the newest cardiac technology.After considering the net present value, collateral requirements, cost for funding, and prepayment limitations, the best funding option for the four-year planned expansion is the HUD 242 loan insurance program. The HUD 242 loan insurance program qualifies hospitals to have their debt financed as an investment category, which arranges the lowest borrowing prices available. An advantage of this bond is that they are capable to be redeemed after eight years, so the organization could purchase the bonds again and redistribute the debt at a lower price (University of Phoenix, 2013).In conclusion, understanding the difference between purchasing new equipment, purchasing refurbish equipment, and leasing equipment is an intelligent financial requirement. Always, considering the impact of the financial decisions will affect the organization’s cash flow and balance sheet. Deciding on the most cost-effective loan depends on the interest rate, prepayment limitations, net present value, and the usefulness of life. Knowledge and comprehending the terms of agreement will assist in future, strategic investments within an organization.These financial accounting concepts are essential for implementing the tactics to succeed operative organization outcomes. References Baker, J. J. , amp; Baker, R. W. (2011). Health care fi nance: Basic tools for nonfinancial managers (3rd ed. ). Jones amp; Bartlett. Barlow, R. (2009). Effective equipment planning begins in the basement. . Healthcare Purchasing News, 33(9), 50-52. University of Phoenix. (2013). Analyzing Financial Indicators for Decision Making [Multimedia]. Retrieved from University of Phoenix, HCS 405 Health Care Financial Accounting website.