Wednesday, December 25, 2019

The Birth of Resolution Essay Topics

The Birth of Resolution Essay Topics The Hidden Gem of Resolution Essay Topics Still, every one of them would show up in the overall list. At last, you want to take advantage of double place during the essay. If you're fighting with selecting essay topics or writing it, here is the ideal solution. Autocorrect solves the issue of texting language in essays. If it comes to write engineering essay for those students that are studying in electrical engineering school becomes confused since they are engineers and not the writers. At times it's easiest to begin at the start and compose the introduction first. Our experts allow you to comprehend what is needed when you're choosing proposal essay topics. Most of the folks have a tendency to run away from politics and thus the politics essays too, therefore it is quite important to grab the eye of the readers till the conclusion of the essay and that would be much difficult I know. You should have accessibility to proper resources that will aid you to compose the essay with good sense and structure. Clarify how you are going to address your topic, identify sub-arguments you have to prove to produce your large argument true. There are respective topics that may turn into a foundation for a conflict essay. There are many writing service companies who throw endless promises at their clients, but are not able to fulfill them. There are various types of sports contracts which are contingent on the role you play in a particular sport. There were many changes such as sports turning into a huge company and entertainment taking a good step on account of the advancement of electronic technology which in 1 way or another is joined to the entertainment market. There are lots of problems, even on your own campus, which need to be resolved. What About Resolution Essay Topics? Hence, it's essential to use convincing ideas or information. Attempt to acquire a simplified model which provides some information concerning the circumstance. Furthermore, the different kinds of negotiation techniques (like competitive vs cooperative) often bring about session free of hope of adequate resolution. The next method is referred to as a compromise. Finding Resolution Essay Topics Online In the contract, there's a possibility that one party doesn't agree with a term. As it's expected, any newly hired officer particularly in the executive of management brings radical change to prove of their competence and mark a new start. Thus, step one, evaluate what sort of community you've joined. When you look around, you are going to observe social issues that affect society each day. Conduct a research before you are able to even sta rt to provide an answer here. So, the choice of the topic is very important. It should also be the one that gives the students enough to write on. All you will need is a simple topic. Communication Communication may be too broad to be one of the crucial qualities to fix conflicts in the modern world. Literature is also regarded as an intriguing portion of the topic. however, it isn't o popular since most students aren't able to fathom the criticality of the exact same. College degrees reduce the chance of divorce. The student may give the specifics of the topics to the firm. New Ideas Into Resolution Essay Topics Never Before Revealed Conciliation is another sort of resolving conflicts. Mediation has long been applied in family disputes as a procedure of congenial dispute resolution. It is slowly becoming a form of compulsory pre-action conduct with the introduction of the Dunnett theory. When employees don't understand or accept the differences in one another's personalities, problems develop in the workplace. Since the hospital is a location where relationship between employees and management is anticipated to run for a very long time, then the very best strategy to utilize for negotiation is the honest and openness strategy. It is crucial to remember that in the practice of conflict resolution, no matter the conflict resolution method chosen, each party involved need to understand it is bound to for go a sum of its interest in order to achieve a resolution. Conflict is an essential portion of human life. Discipline issues are likewise a matter of concern right after we come to player-organizational disputes. Negotiation Tactics Negotiations tactics are extremely significant in resolving conflicts.

Tuesday, December 17, 2019

Starbucks Financial Analysis Part 2 - 1234 Words

Starbucks: Financial Analysis Part 2 Anna Gallagher American Public University Price earnings (P/E) ratio is considered to be the most valuable tool for investors in determining which stock investments from comparable industry will most likely yield higher growth earnings in the future. Price earnings ratio is calculated by dividing the company’s price per share by its earnings per share (Yahoo Finance, 2015). The higher the ratio, the better because investors can use this ratio as an indicator of how well a company will do in the future. The objective of this paper is to help analyze and assess the P/E ratio of Starbucks and its two major competitors, McDonalds and Dunkin’ Donuts. Below are the comparable data of Starbucks and its†¦show more content†¦Investors are risk-takers. They certainly know the diamond in the rough in the security market. Companies that grow faster than average generally enjoy higher price-to-earnings ratios (Lewis, 2014). Historically, newer companies in the market have tendencies to have a higher growth rate in the first few years until they reach the plateau stage. Some companies are fortunate to continuously have an upward growth rate even after the plateau stage. Starbucks (founded in the 1970’s) is a great example of a faster growing company especially that among the three companies it is the newest company. In today’s modern world, Starbucks became a trend around the world. Many customers seek and prefer this brand of coffee than any other else. No wonder why many investors buy more Starbucks share because of the perception that the mighty green mermaid logo will be prosperous for many, many years. Return on Assets, Profit Margin and Asset Utilization Rate Return on assets, also known as return on investments, measures how efficient management is at using its own assets to generate income. It is calculated by dividing the company’s net income by its total assets. Profit margin is a useful tool to measure a company’s profitability and knowing how much the company actually kept as earned income against all the dollars spent in production of goods or rendering of services. It is calculated by dividing net income to revenues. Asset utilization ratio is a measure that determines

Monday, December 9, 2019

Supply Chain Management Information System

Question1 : Briefly describe the business processes supported by a Supply Chain Management (SCM) information system. In a global business like Emerson what are the advantages and disadvantages of using a SCM information system? With Emersons many divisions using different suppliers, what would be the benefits of using a single SCM information system for all of its divisions? Answer1 : Supply Chain management is all about effectively integrating the flow of materials and flow of information within the supply and demand process. Supply Chain management supports various processes such as return management, forecasting logistics, order management, procurement and inventory management and also planning and forecasting (Olson, 2012). This shows that the supply chain management is mainly helpful for enhancing the business operations and also maintain competitive advantage in the competitive market. Through effective implementation of supply chain management an organization can enhance its performance and productivity, maximize the effectiveness of cost and also increase its competencies (Kart, Moser and Melliar-Smith, 2010). With the rapid development in information system integration (ISI) and information technology (IT), and its role in integrated supply chain management have gotten to be imperative to various researchers and executives. ISI speaks to the level of participation in practices of information system between the functions of business inside a firm and between a firm and its partners for trading. It has been reported that the presentation and use of ISI for supply chain management upgrade the organizations' development and competitiveness (Jitpaiboon, 2005). While numerous firms concentrate on accomplishing large amounts of IT use, without high amounts of ISI, members of supply chain management may not accomplish the full advantages of working inside a supply chain. According to the context of hierarchical supply chain, the information technology permits "numerous associations to collaborate with the activities of the organization that facilitate to really deal with a supply chain". With mor e effective IS practices (external and internal) permits firms to stay focused in a quickly evolving environment. Firms need to oversee distinctive roles of innovations by incorporating and organizing them into a very productive, viable, and responsive framework (McLaren, Head and Yuan, 2004). For global business firms like Emersons, the SCM IS may be advantageous in various ways. A supply chain management information system helps to integrate the primary activities of the organization that is the inbound and outbound logistic with the support activities of the organization. This system supports mainly three fundamental processes: source, procure and resolve which makes the process of the organization more efficient and faster (Kart, Moser and Melliar-Smith, 2010). The advantage of implementing such system is that it enhances the speed of supply and permits the organizations to make their overall process efficient and quicker. Further, the system also enables both the customers and the suppliers to decrease the inventories size and diminish the inventory cost. This would help to grow the company in a long run by maintaining low cost. This SCM IS also helps to improve the delivery process which enables the suppliers to deliver the components and the materials on time and al so enables to implement just-in-time processes that permit the manufacturers to handle and reduce the raw materials easily (Balakrishnan, Bowne and Eckstein, 2008; Barut, Faisst and Kanet, 2002). However, the SCM IS also has some disadvantages like sometimes like it can be complex in terms of learning the system by fewer employees and also implementing the system may be expensive. An alternate reason actualizing a SCM System is a drawback is on the grounds that for a few associations it may oblige them to change significantly on the grounds that their current framework is extremely essential; thusly, usage of such a profoundly praiseworthy framework could change the association impressively (Flynn, Huang and Zhao, 2014). On the off chance that an organization becomes fundamentally, for example, Emerson did, then SCM IS can turn into a deterrent on the grounds that the organization develops and the framework could get to be superfluous towards the organization's key objectives. An extra disadvantage of actualizing a SCM information system is that there could be an absence of appreciation for the framework generally as there was for Emerson; this is focused around the announcem ent (Lambert and Cooper, 2000). An alternate disadvantage for actualizing a SCM information system is that despite the fact that an organization may imagine that they have prepared their workers enough, the truth of this can be that there is not enough ways to train the employees regarding the system (Zhao and Zhu, 2011).Being a huge organization, Emerson has many divisions with various suppliers working in it. Thus utilizing single supply chain management information system for all the divisions would help the authorities to maintain the system easily without any commotion, further this would help the organization to store all the information properly in a single system and there is no fear of losing the data and also implementation cost gets reduced with single system (Boone, Jayaraman and Ganeshan, 2012). Question2 : Global companies like Emerson have suppliers, manufacturing, distribution, and retail operations. List and briefly describe the technologies and devices (used for input, output, and communication) that are used with SCM information systems. Choose two different input devices and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each. Discuss the benefits that they provide to the business. Answer2 : So as to stay competitive all around and stay on the forefront of a complex business world, more organizations are consolidating innovation into their store network administration frameworks today. The versatility, adaptability and comfort of wireless gadgets mean that the managers of supply chain management can organize forms at each connection in the chain, from any place they want (Vella, 2012). Likewise, vendors, supply chain partners and also employees can play a crucial role in guaranteeing proficiency for instance; truck drivers can utilize GPS-prepared gadgets to instantly report transportation catches that may disrupt the methods further along the supply chain management process. Also the cloud computing and the various software programs have improved way of tracking the materials and also update the real-time status just through a single touch. The use of technologies and devices also helps to reduce the errors in the production and improve the service towards the customers , providing huge benefits to the organization across the industries. The most emerging technologies that have a strong impact on the supply chain management and can be used for input, output and communication are RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) is a technology that uses collaboration of electrostatic or electromagnetic spectrum in radio frequency(RF) for identifying the object, Remote management, this is the process in which the controlling device is not attached to the real unit, RTLS (Real Time location system) which mainly allows to track the system through wireless local area network, comprehensive connectivity using the 802.11 wireless LA, Bluetooth this permits easy access to data and voice, portable printing, digital imaging- this device allows to capture the images, speech recognition is a voice technology which permits free data entry, GPS and Voice communication and also 2D Bar Code which reads the symbols and traces the product (Intermec, 2007). The two most important inputs that can be used for effective supply chain management are: RFID and 2D Bar Code. The advantages of using RFID are that it helps to demonstrate the operations of the supply chain and also asset management. This device helps to decrease the time of inventory process and also further helps to track the loading verification process by automatically recording the products that are being loaded (Brown, 2007; Tajima, 2007). Companies like Emerson, can place the RFID tags on their long range vehicles, mobile assets or trailers to increase visibility of utilizing their business assets. Further this process also helps in protecting the brand image by identifying the counterfeited products. The UIN (unique identification number) on the tags of RFID can be used for verifying the products authenticity. These unique numbers can be collaborated with the encryption algorithms that help to generate authentication schemes and make complex for the counterfeiters to evade (Fosso Wamba, 2012; Attaran, 2007). However, there are various disadvantages of using RFID in supply chain manag ement like the RFID includes inserting and assembling the computerized chip which makes the process costly. Even the readers of RFID struggle in retrieving the information while it passes through liquid or metal. Though RFID tags are beneficial, there might be collision when many tags start responding at the same time (Michael and McCathie, 2005; Vizinex RFID, 2010). The advantages of utilizing 2D Bar Codes are that compared to RFID it is less expensive because they are mainly printed on paper or plastic. It is a universal technology and can be processed from any part of the world. There exist no privacy issues in Bar Code process. This system also have disadvantages like the codes get damaged easily as it is placed outside the product, there is also need of labour intensive because the products are to be scanned individually (Ray, 2010). Question3 : Consider that you have to implement a new SCM information system for Emerson. Describe each of the different implementation options. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the different implementation options. Make a recommendation and justify. Answer 3: There are various operations for implementing SCM information system for the growing companies like Emerson. However, companies like Emerson are focusing on two main options for implementing the supply chain management system one is the either by buying a specialized software and by hiring a consulting organization who can collaborate with the in-house team of SCM (Hermans, 2014). The advantages of using these options are that by choosing the right partner, the organization has the capability to evaluate the required areas of supply chain and start managing the service immediately. Further, the third-party partnership helps the executives of SCM to manage the operations effective till its execution. Similarly implementing software helps to reduce manual working and also reduce the effort and time (Seuring, 2010). However, it is to be noted hiring consulting companies to collaborate with the in-house SCM team to handle the activities easily might leave the customers to carry out and sustain the new process by them. Similarly, implementation of software is costly. Further, the software companies sell the capabilities of the supply chain without driving and executing the adoption of the software. Suppose, the company wants to use cloud-based technology solution for sustainable supply chain management, might become costly and needs skilled labour with knowledge of cloud technology to handle the system efficiently (Kumar and Banerjee, 2012). Thus, it recommended that the team of SCM must focus on the facts instead of emotions or guesswork. They should analyse the preferences of trading partners and consumers, organizations competitiveness, impact of their logistic and production operations and also the strength of their product line or brand. Based on these criteria, the company can focus on the following steps (IMA, 1999): Assessing the opportunities of supply chain Creating a vision Creating a strategy Developing the best possible SCM IS based organizational structure Establishing the communication and information network Translating the strategies into action Implementing such an integrated supply chain management system would helps to integrate and coordinate with the flow of the services and goods to the customers market making an eminent business. Further, the most benefits of utilizing such a system is that it helps to reduce the cost in various areas like packaging, warehousing, transportation, inventory management, time-based delivery process and also enhancing the revenues. Also, this integrated system reduces the inventory as the manufacturing system together with the retailers, distributors and suppliers gets linked with the electronic system and eliminates the queues and buffers, enhances the flexibility and reduces the lead times. Implementing this system properly also ensures high value added services to the customers and also embraces the financial and service metrics for true profitability. In short, it can be said that the system is a tactical tool that the management can apply for successful ongoing operation like distribu tion, consumption, eliminating the channel inefficiencies, reducing costs and making the customer service more effective and also controlling the inbound and the outbound logistics. Question4: Q.4 Modern SCM information systems and with the use of other technologies have supported businesses in improving environmental sustainability by reducing carbon emissions. Research and find an example. Briefly describe the system and how it works and how carbon emissions where reduced. Discuss what decision making is performed and how does the SCM information system contribute to the decision making. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages to the business. Answer 4: The supply chain can be described as the generation of crude materials, their exchange to and through different preparing steps, lastly the last product transporting and getting. Each one stage obliges an audit of energy/combustion discharges, waste transfer emanations, transportation vitality expenses and outflows, and packing related emanations. It is like a life cycle or investigation for a product however more identified with the supplier exercises. A product life cycle would need to incorporate any related waste transfer outflows of the product being referred to. Therefore worldwide businesses have expanded endeavours to oversee and decrease their carbon foot shaped impression. These organizations additionally understand that carbon administration in the store network is a vital ability the following incredible venture in decreasing greenhouse gas (GHG) discharges. By synergistically captivating with their supplier systems, organizations can moderate GHG emanations and enhance s upplier connections, while boosting proficiency and diminishing expenses (www.epa.gov, 2010). Some of the companies like Wal-Mart and Procter Gamble have made commitments to reduce the emission of greenhouse gas through their supply chain. Taking the example of Wal-Mart, in the year 2010, Wal-Mart announced to decrease the emission of GHG by 20million metric tons of supply chain. By implementing this process, Wal-Mart has really benefitted in making their supply chain operation more efficient and also reduces the carbon emission in their organization. Reducing the emission of GHG is mainly associated with the rising voice policy makers, improved public relations, enhanced employee motivation, revenue sources and also cost reduction (Bekkering, Broekhuis and van Gemert, 2010; Theien, Spinler and Huchzermeier, 2014). There are four important that has helped achieving this goal (Hanifan, 2012): Developing communication to deliver the performance: To express the intention of an organization, communication process plays a vital role and also commitment towards sustainability. By transparently and openly reporting about the reduction of emission of GHG has helped them to meet sustainability target and also effective communication with their stakeholders have helped to meet the goal. Setting the right targets: Wal-Mart and its suppliers have distinguished between the targets of intensity reduction and also targets of emission reduction. The organization was able to meet the targets by implementing intensive operations like Wal-Mart eliminated the consignment to China to save both money and time to reduce the emission of GHG. It also eliminated the broker process to reduce the emission through utilization of energy and transportation. Integrating sustainability initiatives with information management: The firm has linked all its current IT systems with the sustainability initiatives to reduce the carbon emission. Emphasizing on improvement of performance not compliance: Wal-Mart had succeeded in this area by investing in partnership method with the suppliers and also by exploring new business models to grow eco-friendly consumer niche and building the business based on sustainability. Wal-Mart partnered with Unilever to reduce the peatland rainforest and assist the suppliers to improve the performance of the environment. The advantages that Wal-Mart had received by implementing this system which helped the organization to reduce the carbon emissions are (Plambeck, 2012): Cost Reduction Process: Through proper energy efficiency, the organization had reduced the GHG. In the 1st year itself of sustainability program, Wal-Mart was able to improve the fuel efficiency in its network of logistic by 25%. This has helped to make annual savings of $75million and make 400,000 tons of Carbon dioxide. Revenue Increased: There are many sources through which Wal-Mart have put effort to reduce the emission of GHG like by improving the public relation, attracting more customers, adding new stores to the community etc. Wal-Mart started offering green products or organic products to its customers at premium price, as the customers were ready to spend more for organic products. Selling organic products have helped to reduce the GHG, CO2 and also nitrous oxide. This provided Wal-Mart and its buyers with unparalleled visibility of its supply chain management process. In the year 2010, Wal-Mart also started promoting the CFL lights (compact fluorescent lights), which helped the organization to achieve sales of around 100million bulbs and also reduce the utilization of electricity by the customers and also reduce the emission of CO2. Enhancing the brand Image: In the year 2009, due to its practice of reducing the GHG has helped the organization to increase its reputation among the consumers and also open up new stores to increasing their customer base. Motivating and attracting employees: Doing well to the environment, Wal-Mart was able to attract new talented candidates and also motivate the existing the employees. In order to reduce the emission, the firm motivates its tier-1 suppliers or engages with the upstream suppliers. These kinds of systems also have some demerits. The greatest disadvantage of such system is the heavy investment to design, implement and monitor the system. There is no doubt that the latest and proven technologies would profitably eliminate the emission but adopting such system by the companies is challenging. This would incur designing cost, implementation cost, hiring cost etc. References Attaran, M. (2007). RFID: an enabler of supply chain operations. Supply Chain Management: An International Journal, 12(4), pp.249-257. Balakrishnan, J., Bowne, F. and Eckstein, A. (2008). A Strategic Framework for Managing Failure in JIT Supply Chains. International Journal of Information Systems and Supply Chain Management, 1(4), pp.20-38. Barut, M., Faisst, W. and Kanet, J. (2002). Measuring supply chain coupling: an information system perspective. European Journal of Purchasing Supply Management, 8(3), pp.161-171. Bekkering, J., Broekhuis, A. and van Gemert, W. (2010). Optimisation of a green gas supply chain A review. Bioresource Technology, 101(2), pp.450-456. Boone, T., Jayaraman, V. and Ganeshan, R. (2012). Sustainable supply chains. New York: Springer. Brown, D. (2007). RFID implementation. New York: McGraw-Hill. Flynn, B., Huang, X. and Zhao, X. (2014). Supply Chain Management in Emerging Markets: Critical Research Issues. J Supply Chain Manag, p.n/a-n/a. Fosso Wamba, S. (2012). Achieving supply chain integration using RFID technology. Business Process Mgmt Journal, 18(1), pp.58-81. Hanifan, G. (2012). 4 Steps to Reducing Emissions in the Supply Chain - Inbound Logistics. Hermans, E. (2014). You can work with a partner that goes beyond implementing a tool or designing a processes to drive, execute and sustain a supply chain. IMA, (1999). Implementing Integrated Supply Chain Management for Competitive Advantage. Intermec, (2007). Top 10 Supply Chain Technology Trends. Jitpaiboon, T. (2005). The Roles of Information Systems Integration in the Supply Chain Integration Context - Firm Perspective. Kart, F., Moser, L. and Melliar-Smith, P. (2010). An Automated Supply Chain Management System and Its Performance Evaluation. International Journal of Information Systems and Supply Chain Management, 3(2), pp.84-107. Kart, F., Moser, L. and Melliar-Smith, P. (2010). An Automated Supply Chain Management System and Its Performance Evaluation. International Journal of Information Systems and Supply Chain Management, 3(2), pp.84-107. Kumar, G. and Banerjee, R. (2012). An implementation strategy for collaboration in supply chain: an investigation and suggestions. IJSOM, 11(4), p.407. Lambert, D. and Cooper, M. (2000). Issues in Supply Chain Management. Industrial Marketing Management, 29(1). McLaren, T., Head, M. and Yuan, Y. (2004). Supply chain management information systems capabilities. An exploratory study of electronics manufacturers. Information Systems and e-Business Management, 2(2-3), pp.207-222. Michael, K. and McCathie, L. (2005). The pros and cons of RFID in supply chain management. Olson, D. (2012). Supply chain information technology. [New York, N.Y.] (222 East 46th Street, New York, NY 10017): Business Expert Press. Plambeck, E. (2012). Reducing greenhouse gas emissions through operations and supply chain management. Energy Economics, 34, pp.S64-S74. Power, D. (2005). Supply chain management integration and implementation: a literature review. Supply Chain Management: An International Journal, 10(4), pp.252-263. Ray, R. (2010). Supply Chain Management for Retailing. New Delhi: Tata McGraw-Hill Education, pp.392-395. Seuring, S. (2010). Supply chain management for sustainable products - insights from research applying mixed methodologies. Bus. Strat. Env., 20(7), pp.471-484.

Sunday, December 1, 2019

Lone Wolf free essay sample

Evaluate a significant experience, achievement, risk you have taken, or ethical dilemma you have faced and its impact on you. My mother—a single parent—works as a civil servant of Bhutan: due to her occupational hazards, I was entitled to attend boarding school and travel alone at a young age. Ever since I started to attend boarding school—in the sixth grade I have been travelling alone from Bhutan to Calcutta to Chennai. Normally, a parent would not succumb to such an act, but ever since I could so much as think, I knew I was not a normal child. I stopped giving in to horror movies once I realized they were fake, addendum: the fake 100 Ngultrum bills my mother would hide under my pillow whenever I lost a tooth. I could understand most of the complex and foul languages used in conversations unlike my other classmates—maybe it was the outcome of the vast array of books that have kept me company in my lonely flights to, and fro, Bhutan and India. We will write a custom essay sample on Lone Wolf or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page I was more mature than the others my age. School had just ended and I was on my way back to Bhutan. From Chennai, I had to stop by Calcutta and take the first plane to Bhutan in the morning, which was around twelve hours away. Normally, the airport would allow transit passengers waiting long flights to take shelter indoors, but on this particular day, due to certain circumstances—to this day I still don’t understand—I was told to wait outside. You would normally think it being cruel to have an innocent thirteen year-old boy standing out†¦ but it is India. I was anxious, the battery on my phone died due to excessive gaming to pass the long waiting hours in the airport, I could not call anyone. This was the first time this had happened to me and I felt constricted. I checked my wallet and noticed I had a few thousand rupees, which equaled to less than $75 at the time. I sat down on my bags, and thought of the possibilities that might have me survive the night. I asked and begged the guards to let me in, I showed them my tickets and my passport, yet they refused and told me to wait until the morning. This has never happened before. Had I grown or looked older? I got frustrated and so I asked one of the—with the little Hindi I know—guards for a cheap hotel anywhere nearby. He introduced me to this shabby taxi driver with crooked brown teeth, ragged clothes and grey hair, almost balled. He took me to a hotel, ten minutes drive away from the airport and charged me 500 rupees. I knew I was being ripped off, probably because of my age, but I did not want to offend them in anyway as I had reserved them to pick me up the next day for the same price. The hotel was in the shadiest part of town, pitch black with drunks walking around swearing abruptly in Hindi. I grabbed a hold of my items, checked into the hotel (which was 1200 rupees for the night) and locked myself in. The fan above my head creaked boisterously, shrouding the unceasing barks of dogs and the unending noise of drunken men enjoying their evening debauchery. The lemon yellow paint was peeling off the wet walls and the fan looked like it was going to drop. I lay on my bed anxious and wondering how I got myself into this sketchy situation. I wanted to go home. The next morning, the taxi driver had never left the area, as he seemed to have just slept in his car. He carried my luggage and placed them into the trunk and I jumped in on the front seat, as there seemed to be a drunken man sleeping on the back. The driver sat in the front seat, trying to converse with me in Hindi despite knowing that I know very little of the language as he drove me to the airport. As I left for the airport and headed home, along with a sense of relief, I also felt proud of myself. These isolated experiences show you that in the end you have to depend on yourself and how important it is to have a cool head and your wits about you. My sense of independence may not have been entirely derived from this stand-alone experience but it is sharply etched in my memory and as an effect has made me a braver and stronger person. As an unintended consequence, I had to take a big risk and in the end I believe I handled it very well. Independence means making strong and alert decisions even in the most harrowing of times.

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Thrinaxodon Facts and Figures

Thrinaxodon Facts and Figures Although it wasnt quite as mammal-like as its close cousin, Cynognathus, Thrinaxodon was still a startlingly advanced reptile by early Triassic standards. Paleontologists believe this cynodont (a subgroup of the therapsids, or mammal-like reptiles, which preceded the dinosaurs and eventually evolved into the first true mammals) may have been covered in fur, and also may have possessed a moist, cat-like nose. Name: Thrinaxodon (Greek for trident tooth); pronounced thrie-NACK-so-donHabitat: Woodlands of southern Africa and AntarcticaHistorical Period: Early Triassic (250-245 million years ago)Size and Weight: About 20 inches long and a few poundsDiet: MeatDistinguishing Characteristics: Cat-like profile; quadrupedal posture; possibly fur and warm-blooded metabolism Completing the resemblance to modern tabbies, its possible that Thrinaxodon sported whiskers as well, which would have evolved in order to sense prey (and for all we know, this 250-million-year-old vertebrate was equipped with orange and black stripes). What paleontologists can say for sure is that Thrinaxodon was among the first vertebrates the body of which was divided into lumbar and thoracic segments (an important anatomical development, evolution-wise), and that it probably breathed with the aid of a diaphragm, yet another feature that didnt come fully into mammalian vogue until tens of millions of years later. Thrinaxodon Lived in Burrows We also have solid evidence that Thrinaxodon lived in burrows, which may have enabled this reptile to survive the Permian-Triassic Extinction Event, which wiped out most of the worlds terrestrial and marine animals and left the earth a smoking, inhospitable wasteland for the first few million years of the Triassic period. (Recently, a Thrinaxodon specimen was discovered curled up in its burrow alongside the prehistoric amphibian Broomistega; apparently, this latter creature crawled into the hole to recover from its wounds, and both occupants then drowned in a flash flood.) For nearly a century, Thrinaxodon was believed to be restricted to early Triassic South Africa, where its fossils have been discovered in abundance, along with those of other mammal-like reptiles (the type specimen was unearthed in 1894). In 1977, however, a nearly identical therapsid species was discovered in Antarctica, which sheds valuable light on the distribution of  the earths land masses at the start of the Mesozoic Era. And finally, heres a bit of showbiz trivia for you: Thrinaxodon, or at least a creature closely resembling Thrinaxodon, was featured in the very first episode of the BBC TV series Walking With Dinosaurs.

Saturday, November 23, 2019

P-39 Airacobra - Bell Aircraft - World War II

P-39 Airacobra - Bell Aircraft - World War II P-39Q Airacobra - Specifications General Length: 30 ft. 2 in.Wingspan: 34 ft.Height: 12 ft. 5 in.Wing Area: 213 sq. ft.Empty Weight: 5,347 lbs.Loaded Weight: 7,379 lbs.Maximum Takeoff Weight: 8,400 lbs.Crew: 1 Performance Maximum Speed: 376 mphCombat Radius: 525 milesRate of Climb: 3,750 ft./min.Service Ceiling: 35,000 ft.Power Plant: 1 Ãâ€" Allison V-1710-85 liquid-cooled V-12, 1,200 hp Armament 1 x 37 mm M4 cannon2 x .50 cal. machine guns4 x .30 cal machine gunsup to 500 lbs. of bombs Design Development In early 1937, Lieutenant Benjamin S. Kelsey, the US Army Air Corps Project Officer for Fighters, began to express his frustration over the services armament limitations for pursuit aircraft. Joining with Captain Gordon Saville, a fighter tactics instructor at the Air Corps Tactical School, the two men wrote two circular proposals for a pair of new interceptors which would possess a heavier armament that would allow American aircraft to dominate aerial battles. The first, X-608, called for a twin-engine fighter and would ultimately lead to the development of the Lockheed P-38 Lightning. The second, X-609, requested designs for a single-engine fighter capable of dealing with enemy aircraft at high altitude. Also included in X-609 was a requirement for a turbo-supercharged, liquid-cooled Allison engine as well as a level speed of 360 mph and an ability to reach 20,000 feet within six minutes. Responding to X-609, Bell Aircraft began work on a new fighter that was designed around the Oldsmobile T9 37mm cannon. To accommodate this weapon system, which was intended to fire through the propeller hub, Bell employed the unorthodox approach of mounting the aircrafts engine in the fuselage behind the pilot. This turned a shaft beneath the pilots feet which in turn powered the propeller. Due to this arrangement, the cockpit sat higher which gave the pilot an excellent field of view. It also allowed for a more streamlined design which Bell hoped would aid in achieving the required speed. In another difference from its contemporaries, pilots entered the new aircraft through side doors that were similar to those employed on automobiles rather than sliding canopy. To supplement the T9 cannon, Bell mounted twin .50 cal. machine guns in the aircrafts nose. Later models would also incorporate two to four .30 cal. machine guns mounted in the wings. A Fateful Choice First flying on April 6, 1939, with test pilot James Taylor at the controls, the XP-39 proved disappointing as its performance at altitude failed to meet the specifications set forth in Bells proposal. Attached to the design, Kelsey had hoped to guide the XP-39 through the development process but was thwarted when he received orders that sent him abroad. In June, Major General Henry Hap Arnold directed that the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics conduct wind tunnel tests on the design in an effort to improve performance. Following this testing, NACA recommended that the turbo-supercharger, which was cooled with scoop on the left side of the fuselage, be enclosed within the aircraft. Such a change would improve the XP-39s speed by 16 percent. Examining the design, Bells team was unable to find space within the XP-39s small fuselage for the turbo-supercharger. In August 1939, Larry Bell met with the USAAC and NACA to discuss the issue. At the meeting, Bell argued in favor of eliminating the turbo-supercharger altogether. This approach, much to Kelseys later dismay, was adopted and subsequent prototypes of the aircraft moved forward utilizing only a single-stage, single-speed supercharger. While this alteration provided the desired performance improvements at low altitude, the elimination of the turbo effectively made the type useless as a front-line fighter at heights above 12,000 feet. Unfortunately, the drop-off in performance at medium and high altitude was not immediately noticed and the USAAC ordered 80 P-39s in August 1939. Early Problems Initially introduced as the P-45 Airacobra, the type was soon re-designated P-39C. The initial twenty aircraft were built without armor or self-sealing fuel tanks. As World War II had begun in Europe, the USAAC began to assess combat conditions and realized that these were needed to ensure survivability. As a result, the remaining 60 aircraft of the order, designated P-39D, were built with armor, self-sealing tanks, and an enhanced armament. This added weight further hampered the aircrafts performance. In September 1940, the British Direct Purchase Commission ordered 675 of the aircraft under the name Bell Model 14 Caribou. This order was placed based on the performance of the unarmored and unarmed XP-39 prototype. Receiving their first aircraft in September 1941, the Royal Air Force soon found the production P-39 to be inferior to variants of the Hawker Hurricane and Supermarine Spitfire. In the Pacific As a result, the P-39 flew one combat mission with the British before the RAF shipped 200 aircraft to the Soviet Union for use with the Red Air Force. With the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, the US Army Air Forces purchased 200 P-39s from the British order for use in the Pacific. First engaging Japanese in April 1942 over New Guinea, the P-39 saw extensive use throughout the Southwest Pacific and flew with American and Australian forces. The Airacobra also served in the Cactus Air Force which operated from Henderson Field during the Battle of Guadalcanal. Engaging at lower altitudes, the P-39, with its heavy armament, frequently proved a tough opponent for the famed Mitsubishi A6M Zero. Also used in the Aleutians, pilots found that the P-39 had a variety of handling problems including a tendency to enter a flat spin. This often was the result of the aircrafts center of gravity shifting as ammunition was expended. As distances in the Pacific war increased, the sh ort-range P-39 was withdrawn in favor of increasing numbers of P-38s. In the Pacific Though found unsuitable for use in Western Europe by the RAF, the P-39 saw service in North Africa and the Mediterranean with the USAAF in 1943 and early 1944. Among those to briefly fly the type was the famed 99th Fighter Squadron (Tuskegee Airmen) who had transitioned from the Curtiss P-40 Warhawk. Flying in support of Allied forces during the Battle of Anzio and maritime patrols, P-39 units found the type to be particularly effective at strafing. By early 1944, most American units transitioned to the newer Republic P-47 Thunderbolt or North American P-51 Mustang. The P-39 was also employed with the Free French and Italian Co-Belligerent Air Forces. While the former was less than pleased with the type, the latter effectively employed the P-39 as a ground-attack aircraft in Albania. Soviet Union Exiled by the RAF and disliked by the USAAF, the P-39 found its home flying for the Soviet Union. Employed by that nations tactical air arm, the P-39 was able to play to its strengths as most of its combat occurred at lower altitudes. In that arena, it proved capable against German fighters such as the Messerschmitt Bf 109 and Focke-Wulf Fw 190. In addition, its heavy armament allowed it to make quick work of Junkers Ju 87 Stukas and other German bombers. A total of 4,719 P-39s were sent to the Soviet Union through the Lend-Lease Program. These were transported to the front via the Alaska-Siberia ferry route. During the course of the war, five of the top ten Soviet aces scored the majority of their kills in the P-39. Of those P-39s flown by the Soviets, 1,030 were lost in combat. The P-39 remained in use with the Soviets until 1949. Selected Sources Military Factory: P-39 AiracobraNational Museum of the US Air Force: P-39 AiracobraAce Pilots: P-39 Airacobra

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Alice Malsenior Walker Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Alice Malsenior Walker - Essay Example She went on to attend Spelman College and then transferred to Sarah Lawrence College to which she received a scholarship. Her life as a child was steeped in poverty. Her parents were sharecroppers, and her father's main work involved dairy farming, for which he was paid approximately $300 per year. Her mother supplemented this by offering her services as a maid (Clark). Walker's home was very small, and she and her family lived a huddled life in it, often suffering extremes of temperature in the winters and summers. She spent her time watching people or playing tomboyish games with her older brothers (Danielle). She was a precocious child, who tackled the first grade at only four years old. Her self-perception was very good, and she enjoyed performing in front of crowds at church and other functions. This changed after she was shot in the eye by her brothers. When that incident occurred, her parents delayed taking her to the doctor as they had underestimated the extent of the injury, and instead attempted to treat it with home remedies. However, subsequent infection of the eye which led to a fever caused them to take her to a physician (after they tried curing the fever by strategically placed lily leaves around her head). The doctor was able to cause the eye to heal, but the scar that developed was also a scar to her psyche that she carried with her many years (Danielle). Her scar led to her bei... She was cured while visiting her brother in Boston by visiting a hospital where surgery was done to remove the scar from her eye. At the age of 17 she left home for Spelman College in Atlanta, for which she had received a scholarship for handicapped students. In college she participated much in political activism. She met Coretta King, wife of Martin Luther King, Jr. and participated in the March on Washington, at which King gave his speech "I Have a Dream." She also traveled abroad to the World Youth Peace Festival held in Helsinki, Finland. However, she became unhappy at Spelman because the administrators were disapproving of her activism. So in 1963 she transferred to Sarah Lawrence College in New York. During her final year of college, Walker discovered herself pregnant and subsequently resorted to abortion (Clark). The decision drove her to depression, and in that time she wrote to clear her mind. She produced several pieces of poetry, with which her professor became impressed and which formed the basis of her first published work, a collection of poetry entitled Once (Danielle). She later met and married the lawyer Melvyn Leventhal, who was also active in the civil rights world. She gave birth to a daughter named Rebecca (Clark). For three years she worked in New York in the department of welfare. She later taught for two years as Jackson State University and then at Tougaloo College. It is during this time that her literary career really took flight, with the publication of her second work The Third Life of George Copeland. Many of her works and themes reflect the nuances of her life. Her story "Everyday Use" reflects the anguish of a childhood spent in

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Geology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Geology - Essay Example aconic Orogeny or the building activity of a chain of mountains which is presently recognized as the Manhattan Formation mainly consisting of a metamorphic rock called schist derived from the former event of layered sedimentation. Umpire Rock is composed principally of Manhattan schist, making 90 percent of the Manhattan bedrock. The schist is found to be a mica-flecked stone hat with high durability, closely underlying the entire Central Park, dabbled with rock outcrops. Being a huge part of the Manhattan Formation made of schist, Umpire Rock is mostly a metamorphosed, highly deformed rock with great amount of folding. Physically, it appears as a sparkling rock once hit by sunlight, characteristic of mica flakes comprising much of the rock unit. The surface of the rock’s slope possesses five glacial grooves and these massive grooves had been carved by glaciers during the last ice age when glacial erosion brought about classic landforms. A fairly straight layer of granite approximately 2 to 3 inches wide is designated three feet from the base of the slope, bearing a band of pegmatite underneath. The pegmatite curves up along the slope following the schist’s pattern of folded layers and occurs to cut across the granite at the spot where two layers converge. The cliff’s intricate sculptural folds are such an admirable sight. Central Park Rocks are wholly evident of ancient bedrock upon which epochal events had transpired. Across the grain, light-colored veins of granite and coarser granite pegmatite may be detected visibly. Schimmrich, Steven. â€Å"Umpire (Rat) Rock in Central Park.† Hudson Valley Geologist. 27 Mar 2011. Web. 21 Jan 2012.

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Computer Assisted Audit Technique Essay Example for Free

Computer Assisted Audit Technique Essay The test data technique is primarily designed to test the effectiveness of the internal control procedures which are incorporated in the client’s computer program. The objective of the test data technique is to determine whether the client’s computer programs can correctly handle valid and invalid conditions as they arise. To accomplish this objective the auditor prepares test data (fictitious transactions) that consist of valid and invalid conditions. The auditor enters the test data into the system and have the data processed by the entity’s computer programs. Since the auditor is the one who crates the test data, the auditor knows what the output should look like assuming the client’s computer programs is functioning effectively. The auditor then compares the processing results with his predetermined output. If the output generated by the client’s program is the same as the auditor’s expected output, the auditor may conclude that the client’s program is reliable. A disadvantage of the test data technique is that the auditor does not have an assurance that the program tested is the same program used by the client throughout the accounting process. . In order to overcome this disadvantage, the test data technique can be extended to an integrated test facility (ITF) An integrated test facility (ITF) creates a fictitious entity in a database to process test transactions simultaneously with live input. It can be used to incorporate test transactions into a normal production run of a system. Its advantage is that periodic testing does not require separate test processes. However, careful planning is necessary, and test data must be isolated from production data. Integrated test facility is considered a useful audit tool during an IT audit because it uses the same programs to compare processing using independently calculated data. This involves setting up dummy entities on an application system and processing test or production data against the entity as a means of verifying processing accuracy. When using ITF, the auditor must be alert to the danger of contaminating the client’s master file. Thus, care must be taken to reverse or eliminates the effects of all audit test transactions in order to avoid contamination of client’s computer files. Parallel Simulation The test data and ITF methods both process test data through real programs. With parallel simulation, the auditor processes real client data on an audit program similar to some aspect of the client’s program. The auditor compares the results of this processing with the results of the processing done by the client’s program.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

My Challenged Friend :: Friendship Essay

Learning from My Mentally Challenged Friend From the time I was two years old until I was about seven Steve had been my best friend. He and I went over to each other's houses all the time. At that age I was very friendly and loving to everyone but very over-active. I have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) so I was boisterous and restless. Everything was great until second grade when Steve's parents began to dislike my behavior because I was so "hyper." That's when they wouldn't let Steve be my friend anymore and eventually he was forced to cut off contact with me. This broke my heart and I would have been able to get over it without too many scars; if the rest of the kids had liked me. But they didn't. No one would play with me at recess and no one would ever come to my house. I began to get very depressed. My teachers were not aware of ADHD and were extremely critical of me and insensitive to my disability. It was then I was approached to help Freddie, who is mentally challenged, prepare for the upcoming "Challenger Little League." In the league disabled children play, and "normal" kids act as their "buddies" to help move the game along. Freddie's mom and mine thought it would be a good idea because I would be helping Freddie get ready for the league, and doing something for Freddie might make me feel better about myself. Since then we have been playing ball each fall and spring at his house once a week. In that time I have grown to know him as a person, his likes and dislikes. He has a strong personality that contradicts the image I had of kids with mental disabilities. I had imagined that they were essentially passive showing only faint recognition and response to anything happening in the world around them. And while this may be true for some severe disabilities, Freddie interacts with his environment just like I do. We just have different obstacles to face, different disabilities to overcome. While Freddie and I threw the ball around in the backyard, I developed a genuine friendship with him like I would have with any other kid I knew. That is why I enjoyed going over to his house.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Implement Customer Service Standards Essay

According to the survey recently performed on ABC Bank, it has been found that there has been a big decrease in the number of customers over the past six months. This is due to poor customer service. Therefore, Peter Sellers, as the Manager of the bank, needs to confirm the same and make a report about the issue as soon as possible. In order for Peter to be able to identify the customer service satisfaction or problems, he will use different methods to gather information from both internal and external customers. Suggestion boxes or comment cards will be available, to gather information, complaints and feedback, internally. There will be one-on-one questioning, observation as well as being able to do online surveys and/or fill survey forms, at their convenience. For external customers, feedback will be collected through emails, surveys, questionnaires and/or complete online surveys. Peter has decided to use the brainstorming method so as to able to undertake solutions to the problems identified. According to him, brainstorming will be a useful way of generating radical solutions to the problems. Since brainstorming combines a relaxed, informal approach to problem-solving with lateral thinking, it asks that people come up with crazy and creative ideas and thoughts that can be crafted into original, creative solutions to the problem that needs to be solved, while others can still come up with more ideas. As brainstorming can be divided into two types: individual and group brainstorming; Peter has decided to go with individual brainstorming. He feels that when his staff brainstorm on their own, they come up with more ideas (and often better quality ideas) than groups of people who brainstorm together. Eventually he will place his staff members into group brainstorming, as group brainstorming can develop ideas in more depth than individual brainstorming. It also helps everyone to feel that they have contributed to the solution and it reminds people that other people have creative ideas to offer. Most of the time, brainstorming is fun and it can be a great way for team building. Afterwards, he will combine the individual and group brainstorming, in order to get the best results out of all the ideas generated from the brainstorming sessions. Changes will be transmitted to employees via emails, letters, memos, reports, bulletins, and electronic mail and will be communicated to the external environment through electronic mail, internet web sites, letters, advertisements, brochures, as well as news releases will be used. Sending messages through mobile phones will be used, since nowadays Mobile SMS has become a popular type of informal written communication. Meetings, conferences or conventions will also be convened internally. Quality management can be considered to have four main components: quality planning, quality control, quality assurance and quality improvement. It does not aim to assure ‘good quality’ by the general definition, but rather to ensure that an organisation or product is consistent. It is focused not only on product/service quality, but also the means to achieve it. Quality management therefore uses quality assurance and control of processes as well as products to achieve more consistent quality. According to Peter, International Organisational Standards (ISO) will be the best quality management system to ensure establishing quality organisational service standards.

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Importance of Couseling Essay

The study was limited to only sixteen secondary schools: thirteen government secondary schools and three mission secondary schools in Benin City with practicing school counsellor(s). In all, there were four hundred and twenty respondents (420). Sex was not a factor in the study. Two four-point Likert type scale questionnaires were used to obtain data for the study. These are: Secondary School Counsellors’ Questionnaire (SSCQ); and Secondary School Students’ Questionnaire (SSSQ). The reliabilities of 0.69 and 0.80 were obtained respectively SSCQ and SSSQ using the Cronbach Alpha Internal Consistency reliability. The findings show that there are insufficient counsellors in schools; inadequate availability of counselling facilities; and that the qualification of guidance and counselling personnel has impact on the quality of guidance services they provide to secondary school students in Nigeria. These findings suggest that these variables will help to promote students’ adjustment in the school and the society at large. Paradoxically, the absence of these variables could precipitate students’ maladjustment. Recommendations on ways of improving guidance and counselling services to promote students adjustment were proffered. Keywords: Counselling Qualities; Guidance and Counselling; Students adjustment;; Nigeria 1. Introduction Guidance and Counselling happens to be one of the developments in the field of Education in Nigeria. It became popular with the introduction of the 6-3-3-4 educational system. It is generally accepted that in Nigeria, the organized/formal guidance started in 1959 at St. Theresa’s College, Oke-Ado in Ibadan by some Reverend Sisters, out of concern for the products of their school. They felt that there was need to offer vocational guidance to their outgoing final year students. As a result, the Rev. Sisters invited twenty educated people from Ibadan community who were in different professions and therefore knew more about the emerging world of work than the students and the Rev. Sisters. Fifty-four out of the sixty students benefited from the experts’ advice and were placed in various jobs. The innovation was highly accepted by the society because in later years this group of people, though not trained counsellors, organized career talks, seminars, guidance workshops and lectures for the class five students. Later on, the vocational guidance services spread to other secondary schools outside Ibadan and across the entire federation. The ministry officials became so interested in these organized services that this group of â€Å"Career Advisers† was invited to provide career workshops for teachers and career masters. Eventually the term â€Å"Career Advisers† became a national issue. In an attempt to overhaul the old educational system, towards the needs of the nation, the Nigerian Educational Research Council (NERC) in September 1969 organized a conference on curriculum development. The curriculum conference was followed by a government sponsored National Seminar in 1973 under the chairmanship of Chief S.O. Adebo to deliberate on all aspects of a National Policy on Education using the report of the 1969 curriculum conference as the working document. The conference came up with recommendations for a New National Policy on Education, which the Federal Government accepted and published in 1977 and revised in 1981, 1989 and 2004. With the highlighted changes in the Nation’s educational system, the need for guidance and counselling services in Nigerian secondary schools became more glaring. Consequently, Guidance and Counselling Services became an integral and essential component of the educational process for all students as they progress through the educational system. According to Egbochuku (2008), the aims of school guidance and counselling services, which are based on a developmental hierarchy, are to provide students with: 1. Opportunities to develop knowledge and appreciation of themselves and others; 2. Opportunities to develop relationship skills, ethical standards and a sense of responsibility; 3. Opportunities to acquire skills and attitudes necessary to develop educational goals which are suited to their needs, interests and abilities; 4. Information that would enable them to make decisions about life and career opportunities (: 15). Today, guidance and counselling has gained prominence in t he Nigerian educational system and many people are getting interested in the guidance of youth in making wise educational, vocational and personal/social decisions. Consequent upon the expansion of counselling activities in Nigeria and the need to form a larger association to embrace both counsellors and career masters, the Counselling Association of Nigeria (CAN) was launched on the 11th November 1976. To facilitate efficient management of guidance and counselling services in Nigeria secondary schools, guidance and counselling personnel are being trained in the tertiary institutions and sent to schools to deliver these services. Also, basic courses in guidance and counselling feature in all teachers-education programmes. Prominent among the services rendered by guidance and counselling personnel in secondary schools are Information, Appraisal, Referral, Guidance, Counselling and Planning, Placement and follow-up services for the proper guidance of students. Against this background therefore, the focus of the study is to assess the realities of guidance and counselling services in providing adequate guidance for Nigerian secondary school students. 1.1. Statement of the problem It is assumed that with the increasing complexities in the society, industrial and technological development all going hand-in-hand, the succeeding generation will find it difficult to adjust themselves both to the society, work, family and schools. Failures in proper adjustment to all the facets mentioned could affect the education of young people and expose them to environmental as well as personal problems in development. Guidance and Counselling, as a delivery service, should not be misconstrued as the traditional type that is based on the principles of â€Å"to guide, to direct on a course, to enlighten, or to assist†. This traditional type of counselling was principally carried out in African setting by heads of families, Priests, and church leaders (Olayinka and Omoegun, 2001). Because of the complex nature of Nigerian society, the counselling profession has assumed a wider role. Present day Guidance and counselling is based on the process of helping individuals understand themselves which will lead to the better understanding of the other aspect of their lives (Egbochuku, 2008).   According to the literature, these services are the formalized actions taken by the school to make guidance operational and available to students. These formalized actions typically consist of a set of processes, techniques and functions that serve to carry out the guidance and counselling goals of a particular educational level. For students to be properly informed, they need the assistance of trained guidance and counselling personnel. Hence, the government made it a policy that guidance and counselling should feature in teacher-education programmes because teachers are closer to the students. Furthermore, the department of Guidance and Counselling has been established in most Nigeria Universities to train counsellors at the B.Sc., Master and PhD levels, to equip them with the appropriate counselling techniques to carry out guidance and counselling services in secondary schools. There is need therefore to assess the guidance and counselling services rendered by school counsellors to find out if these services actually provide adequate guidance for students’ development. It is therefore hypothesized that Qualification of guidance and counselling personnel, availability of guidance and counselling facilities, quality of guidance and counselling services will not significantly predict students’ adjustment 1.2. Purpose of the study This study assessed the quality of guidance and counselling services in secondary schools with practicing school counsellors in Edo state. To achieve this, the researcher examined the qualification of personnel providing guidance and counselling services, availability of materials for the successful execution of Nigerian secondary school guidance and counselling services and the impact of guidance programs on students’ adjustment. 1.3. Significance of the study Guidance and counselling is the bedrock for achieving self-actualisation. It is a process of helping individuals to understand themselves by discovering their own needs, interests and capabilities in order to formulate their own goals and make plans for realizing those goals. An analysis of guidance and counselling services in providing adequate guidance for secondary school students is of paramount importance; hence the this study. The result from the study will help in throwing more light on how guidance and counselling services is being implemented in secondary schools in Nigeria and the quality of guidance services received by secondary school students. In addition, it provides information to education planners and school administrators on their responsibility in providing adequate facilities for guidance and counselling services in order for students to receive quality guidance. It also reveals the extent to which guidance and counselling services influence the total development of the potentials and proper adjustment of secondary school students. 2. Methodology This is a survey study using correlational research design. The scope of the study covers some selected government and mission secondary schools with practicing school counsellors in Benin City of Edo State Nigeria. This is because Benin City is a metropolitan city and consists of three well-populated Local Government Areas (Egor, Oredo, Ikpoba Okha LGA) in Edo –South Senatorial District, out of the 18 LGAs in the 3 Senatorial Districts of Edo State. Purposive sampling techniques and simple random sampling techniques were employed in selecting the sample for the study. This study was limited to only sixteen (16) secondary schools thirteen (13) government secondary schools and three mission secondary schools in Benin City because only these schools had practicing school counsellor(s) as at the time the study was carried out. In all, there were four hundred and twenty respondents (420). Sex was not a factor in the study. 2.1. Instrumentation Two different four-point Likert type scale questionnaires were designed by the researcher to obtain data for the study. These are: (1) Secondary School Counsellors’ Questionnaire (SSCQ); (2) Secondary School Students’ Questionnaire (SSSQ) The SSCQ consisted of two main sections viz: Section ‘A’: This consisted of three items requesting information about the level of qualification in guidance and counselling from the respondents. Section ‘B’: This consisted of five items requesting information about the availability of guidance and counselling facilitiesmaterials in the school. The SSSQ also consisted of two sections viz: Section ‘A’: This consisted of eleven items eliciting information about the quality of guidance services rend by counsellors in the school from the respondents. Section ‘B’: This consisted of twelve items requesting information about the impact of guidance and counselling services on Nigerian secondary school students’ adjustment. The respondents in each case were requested to indicate the extent to which they agreed or disagreed to each item. Items one to three in section â€Å"A† of the SSCQ and items one to eleven in section â€Å"A† of the SSSQ were used to test hypothesis one. Items one to five in section â€Å"B† of the SSCQ and items one to eleven in section â€Å"A† of the SSSQ were used to test hypothesis two. Items one to eleven in section â€Å"A† of the SSSQ and items one to twelve in section â€Å"B† of the SSSQ were used to test hypothesis three. The scoring of the instruments was as follow: Strongly Agree (SA)-4 Agree (A)-3 Disagree (D)-2 Strongly Disagree (SD)-1 For all positive worded items the above was the case, while the reverse was the case for all negative worded items in the questionnaire. 2.1.1. Validity and Reliability of the instruments Both construct and face validity was established. The reliability of 0.69 and 0.67 were obtained respectively for sections A and B of the instrument for Counsellors (SSCQ) using the Cronbach Alpha Internal Consistency reliability test. The Students’ Questionnaire (SSSQ) yielded an alpha coefficient of reliability 0.80. 2.1.2. Administration of the instruments Permission was obtained from the school before administering the questionnaires, which were personally administered by the investigator to the respondents in the various secondary schools selected for the study. 2.2. Analysis of Data Descriptive Statistics and Pearson Product Correlation were used were used for analysis. 3. Results Variables Qualification of guidance and counselling personnel Quality of guidance services The table 1 shows an r. value of .169 testing at an alpha level of .05 and a p< .001. The p. value is less than .05 (p

Thursday, November 7, 2019

The Fifty-fourth Regiment of the Cival War Essay Example

The Fifty The Fifty-fourth Regiment of the Cival War Essay The Fifty-fourth Regiment of the Cival War Essay The Fifty-fourth Massachusetts Regiment The Fifty-fourth Massachusetts Regiment of the Union army was thefirst Negro regiment in the Civil War.They were formed in March of 1863, and were organized at Camp Meigs in Readville, Massachusetts, right outside of Boston.The fifty fourth regiment proved that the Negro man could fight and was willing to fight contrary to popular demand. On January 1, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation freeing the slaves of the rebelling territories in the south.Then In January 1863 the War Department authorized Governor John Andrew of Massachusetts to raise a regiment of Negro soldiers in his state (McPherson 173).During thefirst six weeks only one hundred men from Massachusetts volunteered.After the poor turn out Governor Andrew made up a committee to raise money for the recruitment of Negro soldiers.Then in February of 1863, Governor Andrew appointed Shaw as the colonel of the fifty-fourth Massachusetts.All of the offi cers of the fifty-fourth were also white. Shaw was a twenty-six year old member of a Boston abolitionist family.All of Shaws officers were white abolitionists. After the recruiting process was over all of the Negroes were sent to Camp Meigs.The fifty-fourth started their training on February 21, 1863.Soon after the men of the fifty-fourth started their training they were told that they would get paid ten dollars per month instead of the thirteen dollars they were promised during recruitment.Shaw then wrote Governor Andrew insisting that his, entire regiment including white officers, would refuse pay until his soldiers were given the same payment as all the other Massachusetts troops. Yet Congress did not enact legislation granting equal pay to black soldiers until June 15, 1864. (Kashatus American History)After the Negroes had started their training the Confederate Cong

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Quotes From Napoleon Dynamite

Quotes From Napoleon Dynamite Quotes from Napoleon Dynamite have been hugely liked by many quotation lovers. If you do not follow the sense of humor, you need to watch the movie and then read these quotes. It is quite likely that you will not only find them stupid, but very likable. Deb Uncle Rico (Deb, while taking a picture of Uncle Rico) Deb: Okay, turn your head on more of a slant... (heads turn in a slant) Deb: Now, make a fist. Slowly ease it up underneath your chin. (three of them slowly put fists under their chins) Deb: This is looking really good. Kip: You can say that again. (Uncle Rico acknowledges) Deb: Kay, hold still right there. Now, just imagine youre weightless, in the middle of the ocean, surrounded by tiny little seahorses. (Uncle Rico looks at the camera) Deb: (takes the picture) That was one that I think is gonna come out really nice. Uncle Rico: Ah, how you did it... wow... well I felt really relaxed. Thanks, Deb. (Uncle Rico puts his fist down and swats a fly) Napoleon Dynamite Napoleon Dynamite:Â  (drinks a glass of milk) The defect in that one is bleach. FFA Judge No. 1: Thats right. Napoleon Dynamite: Yes! Napoleon Dynamite: (drinks another glass of milk) This tastes like the cow got into an onion patch. FFA Judge No. 2: Correct! Napoleon Dynamite: Yes!!. Napoleon Dynamite Deb (Napoleon and Deb are dancing) Napoleon Dynamite: I like your sleeves. Theyre real big. Deb: Thank you. I made them myself. Napoleon Dynamite: So you and Pedro getting really serious now? Kip Kip:Â  (singing while typing a poem) Your sandy hair floats in the air... To me its like a lullaby... Im just flying by... Oh so high... like a kite... tied to a skate... Uncle Rico Kip Uncle Rico: What about your girlfriend? Kip: Well, things are getting pretty serious right now. I mean, we chat online for like two hours every day so I guess you could say things are getting pretty serious. Napoleon Dynamite Napoleon Dynamite: You know, like nunchuck skills, bowhunting skills, computer hacking skills... Girls only want boyfriends who have great skills. Uncle Rico Kip Kip: So how long are we talking about working? Uncle Rico: What are you, already losing your steam? Kip: No, I just... I have a chat room meeting at 4. I gotta be back here by then. Uncle Rico: All right, you just start a little earlier, thats all. Or else work afterwards. How long is the chat room? Kip: Jeez, sometimes up to 3-4 hours maybe... Maybe not... Uncle Rico: You pay the bills for that? Does that cost money every time youre on, like for minutes on the phone? Kip: Yeah, grandmas still paying per minute. She gets kinda pissed at me sometimes cause Im on there so long. Uncle Rico: I bet she does. Ill tell you something, Id be throwing you out the window. Kip, Uncle Rico Napoleon Dynamite Kip: So whens grandma coming back? Uncle Rico: I dont know. Not sure. Napoleon Dynamite: You dont have to stay here with us, were not babies! Uncle Rico: Ha ha! Talk to your Auntie Carolyn. Napoleon Dynamite: Kip is like thirty-two years old. Kip: I dont mind if you stay.

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Importance of Being a Learned Person in a 21st Century Socioeconomic Essay

Importance of Being a Learned Person in a 21st Century Socioeconomic Society - Essay Example an society today, it has become the culture to work for a salary to pay for the expenses of living and the increasing unemployment rates in the country, however means that there is going to be a lot of hardship for the unemployed individuals, and their families. Most of the people who end up being unemployed are those who have not gone to college and therefore cannot be considered to be learned. This has created a situation where whenever there are any economic problems, then these people do not have the necessary skills either to move to another sector of the economy, or move into another country where there are more opportunities for their own advancement. Being a learned person is a fact which ensures that an individual has the best options in life since they can be able to have flexibility not only within their societies, but also at the international level (Boardman and Sandomir 36). There have developed quite a number of reasons why there is a high unemployment rate in the coun try and most of these are related to the low number of individuals who can be considered to be learned. In many instances, this comes as a surprise and people are hardly ever prepared for them and when these newly unemployed individuals attempt to get other jobs, their potential employers are often exceedingly wary because of the fact that they do not meet the necessary academic qualifications to take on new jobs when their previous ones come to an end (Dash 10). Another cause of the high rates of unemployment in the United States are instances where individuals get laid off their work because their positions are no longer needed by their employers and this is largely because of the introduction of new technology and without the necessary skills that can only be acquired from a good... This essay specifies numerous advantages, that obtainment of quality education brings to a person`s life. In the modern world, one of the most important aspects that define individuals is based on the level of education that an individual has achieved and because of this, many individuals often strive to achieve academic excellence. Education is a basic human right that nobody in the whole world should be denied and it is necessary for it to be made universal. Education is necessary when dealing with almost all aspects of life, because individuals have to make the most educated decisions about all that they do. It is a well known fact that people have to study to a certain level in order to get the kind of job that is equivalent to that level of education. Quite a number of individuals all over the world, however, tend to start businesses without having to study. Most of the people who end up being unemployed are those who have not gone to college and therefore cannot be considered to be learned. In fact, an individuals who is learned can be able to work anywhere in the entire world as their knowledge and skills are universal and can be used by many different countries. The importance of individuals being learned has to be taken seriously because this is the only way through which they can be able to survive in an increasingly globalised world. Individuals, who acquire an education, are the best suited to succeed in the current world, because being learned ensure the breaking of all the possible constraints

Thursday, October 31, 2019

Educational Outline Program Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Educational Outline Program - Essay Example Therefore, the program aims to expand the available knowledge of the nurses and initiate them to regain critical skills competence (Hammer & Craig, 2008). Program description The program takes into account that these nurses have the fundamental knowledge on nursing theories (Liaw, Scherpbier, Klainin & Rethans, 2011). Unlike in the student-to-nurse transition receptor program, the nurses do not have critical uncertainty issues. Therefore, the role of the program is to help them re-enter into the career successfully and with minimum interruptions. The program brings the depth of caring and the nursing insight from their previous experiences in the healthcare environment. The program further familiarizes the refreshing nurses with the new technology in use, the present management of the medical and surgical conditions and other evidence based improvements within the nursing care work. The refresher program will cater for a vast number of practitioners. It addresses areas that concern s everal groups of nursing personnel. Therefore, it is applicable for the following people; the first is all inactive registered nurses. Secondly, it caters for the foreign nurses who are getting ready for license exams in the country and advanced practice nurses who are reentering the workforce. It also caters for nurses who are changing specialties from a department to another, administrators and other nurse leaders who wish to update their clinical knowledge. It is an extensive program, whose implementation will assist many people and improve the healthcare service in the hospitals. Anticipatory set The setting of the course outline requires that the nurse taking the refresher program complete theory-sitting classes. The program also has incorporated practical hours in which the nurse... This paper approves that the program has objectives that it aims to achieve at the end of the training session. The program aims to ensure that upon completing the whole course of refreshing, the nurse can practice safely and consequently be competent enough to handle and maintain critical care units such as the Intensive Care Unit without challenges. This program is not for new entries into the practice, but rather people who practiced and left for some period. Therefore, the learning objective hopes to instill a problem solving strategy within the nurses so they can provide care within a wide range of the patient population. Lastly, the third objective of the learning process in this refresher course is to grow critical skills that use evidence based approach in assessing and managing the patients. The program further familiarizes the refreshing nurses with the new technology in use, the present management of the medical and surgical conditions and other evidence based improvements within the nursing care work. The refresher program will cater for a vast number of practitioners. It addresses areas that concern several groups of nursing personnel. This essay makes a conclusion that the nursing profession is quite competitive. Similarly, the expectations on the nurses are remarkably high. Therefore, with this practical refresher course program for nurses, the local hospitals, as well as, the health care sector will manage the wide gap of nursing personnel shortage. This refresher program offers the opportunity to former practicing nurses to become useful in their area of profession.

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Research, Writing, and Rhetoric Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

, Writing, and Rhetoric - Research Paper Example An experiment conducted by Stanley Migram proved the notion that what is considered ordinary, normal, stable, and decent people who got considered as non-violent or non-radical in their behavior could and did certain irrational actions under certain conditions (Fiske, Gilbert & Lindzey 1172). This experiment proved that situation over individual traits had more of a determining factor on human action. The experiment got designed to test if people were more submissive to obedience as a result of an authoritative power. The experiment demonstrated the dangers of obedience. It determined that situational variables provide a stronger sway on determining obedience than personality factors. Milgram showed that honest, decent and rational people could commit atrocities when caused to do so by an authoritative power. Well behaved people could not refrain from committing atrocities because of the situation or role they got asked to perform by a higher authority. Experiments conducted by Solomon Asch also showed that situations have more influence on human behavior than character or personality (Fiske, Gilbert & Lindzey 1172). Asch showed that a majority of people want to fit in than they desire to do the right thing. Asch through his experiments showed that people would do the wrong thing even if it means that they get hurt. People are afraid to undertake personal decisions and are quick to lay blame on circumstances rather than their personal flaws when things go wrong. Asch’s experiments show how an individual’s opinions get influenced by the decisions of a majority. His experiments demonstrated the power of social pressure. When people believe that the majority is right and they do not want to be seen as opposing to them, they are likely to agree with their decisions even if they are wrong. Here, the person overlooks his or her personal traits to appease the views of a majority even if they are wrong. Asch’s tests we re a further

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Coca-Cola Amatil Limited Management

Coca-Cola Amatil Limited Management Introduction The soft drink manufacturing industry is one of the largest industries around the globe. In Australia, it is one of the greatest revenue generators, estimated at $4bn as of 2016 according to the ibisworld.com 2016 report (IBISWorld.com, 2016 P. 1). The major players in the industry in Australia are Coca-Cola Amatil Limited and Asahi Holdings. The aim of this paper is to analyze and evaluate the performance of Coca-Cola Amatil Limited by first looking at the overview of the company itself. Overview of the Company Management and directors of the company The management of Coca-Cola Amatil Limited comprises of the Board of Directors and the group leadership team. The Chief Executive Officer, officially known as the group managing director, Ms. Alison Watkins (CCA, P.1) is both on the board of directors and the leadership team. The board of directors comprises of the Chairman, Mr. David Gonski, and the CEO (CCA, P. 1). The Chairman is a non-executive director. The other non-executive directors include the following: Ilana Atlas, Non-Executive Director (Independent) John Borghetti, Non-Executive Director (Independent) Anthony (Tony) Froggatt, Non-Executive Director (Independent) Martin Jansen, Non-Executive Director Mark Johnson, Non-Executive Director (Independent) Wal King, AO Non-Executive Director (Independent) David Meiklejohn, AM Non-Executive Director (Independent) Catherine Brenner, Non-Executive Director Paul OSullivan, Non-Executive Director (Independent) Krishnakumar Thirumalai, Non-Executive Director (Nominee of TCCC) (CCM, 2016) The management team consists of the Group managing director, Ms. Alison Watkins, and the following: Mr. Reg Weine, Managing Director SPC Mr. Barry OConnell, Managing Director, Australian Beverages Mr. Kadir Gunduz, Managing Director, Indonesia PNG Mr. Shane Richardson, Managing Director, Alcohol Coffee Mr. Chris Litchfield, Managing Director, New Zealand Fiji Ms. Libbi Wilson, Group Human Resources Director Ms. Betty Iyanoff, Group General Counsel Ms. Katie Newton-John, Joint Company Secretary Mr. James Lane, Sales Director Ms. Liz McNamara, Group Head of Public Affairs and Communications Mr. Simon Edgar, Director Marketing, and Strategy Mr. Chris Sullivan, Chief Procurement Officer Mr. Warwick Hutton, Chief Information Officer Mr. Andrew Wilson, General Manager-Strategy, Planning Innovation Mr. Davis Akers, Head of Investor Relations Ms. Kate Mason, Chief Transformation Officer (ibisworld.com, 2016) Major shareholders (holding at least 5% of shares) Coca-Cola Amatil Limited is a public limited company in Australia (IBISWorld.com, 2016 P. 1).   According to IBISWorld.com, (2016), the major shareholders are the following: Coca-Cola Holdings Ltd of the United States of America, with a percentage shareholding of 29.21 HSBC Custody Nominees Limited (Australia) with a share of 18.65% JP Morgan Nominees Australia Limited with 10.05% shareholding National Nominees Limited (Australia) with 8.54% shareholding Citicorp Nominees Pty Limited with 5.93% shareholding. Compensation of Directors and Top Executives The company has a remuneration committee that is responsible for setting out the remuneration of all employees. The committee has set favourable compensation incentive plans that are performance based; a key management who performs better is likely to earn more on top of the fixed remuneration. According to the CCA Annual Report (2015, P. 62), the compensation of key management personnel was as follows; A.M. Watkins, the Group Managing Director, had a fixed compensation which included Salary and leaves entitlements amounting to $2,263,266, non-monetary benefits of $450, superannuation of base salary of $19,046 and another amount of $7,720. The manager was also able to take at-risk performance related compensation which amounted to $1,564,500 (Coca-Cola Amatil Annual Report, 2015, P. 62). The Group Chief Financial Officer, Mr. M.J. Robert had a fixed salary of $1,810,083 and non-monetary benefits of $258. He also received a superannuation of base salary amounting to $9,654 (CCA Annual Report, 2015, P. 62). He was also entitled to at-risk performance-related compensation of $267,027 (CCA Annual Report, 2015, P. 62). The Group Human Resources Director, E.C Wilson, was entitled to a fixed salary of $620,987 and non-monetary benefits of $36,562 (CCA Annual Report, 2015, P. 62). The Managing Director of Indonesia PNG was entitled to a fixed salary of $719,674 and non-monetary benefits of $432,970, and a risk allowance of $ 371, 626 (CCA Annual Report, 2015, P. 62). The managing director of New Zealand and Fiji was entitled to a fixed salary of $341, 440 and non-monetary benefits of $5,254 with risk allowance of $316,269 (CCA Annual Report, 2015, P. 62). The managing director of Australian Beverages, on the other hand, was entitled to a fixed salary of $939,462 and non-monetary benefits of $118,222 with a risk allowance of $491,447 (CCA Annual Report, 2015, P. 62). Key performance Indicators (accounting and market) Coca-Cola Amatil Limited, being the largest company in the Asia Pacific in the soft drinks industry, has several key performance indicators which serve as the basis for its business decisions. According to ibisworld.com (2016), the Accounting Key Performance Indicators include: The Return on Revenue percentage Percentage Return on Shareholders Funds Percentage Return on Assets Percentage Profit Margin The Revenue per Employee The Net Profit after Tax (NPAT) per Employee The percentage Effective Tax Rate The Percentage Gearing The Interest Cover The Current Ratio The Dividends paid per Share The Marketing Key Performance Indicators are: The percentage change of Total Revenue Growth The percentage change in Sales Revenue Growth The Percentage change in Total Assets The percentage change in the Net Profit After Tax The percentage change in Earnings Before Interest, Tax, Depreciation and Amortization (EBITDA) The percentage change in Shareholders Funds Evaluation of the performance of Coca-Cola Amatil Limited Coca-Cola Amatil Limited is one of the major players in the Soft Drink Manufacturing Industry in Australia. The industrys retail market has been hit by changing customer preferences of soft drink which has led to a significant drop in revenue. However, the growth in popularity of energy and sports drinks has spearheaded the growth of the industry. According to IBISWorld.com (2016), the industry revenue has been projected to increase at an annual rate of 2.4% for the next five years through 2015-2016. In Australia, the company is ranked position 72 in the top 2000 companies. The primary source of income of the company is from the manufacture of beverage and tobacco in the Australia industry. According to ibisworld.com (2016), Coca-Cola Amatil Limited is reported to have generated total revenue of $5.253 billion in the year ending 2016. The company operates in two groups namely: Non-Alcoholic beverages, and Alcoholic, Food, and Services. Under the Non-Alcoholic Beverage segment, the company manufactures and distributes the Coca-Cola licensed products in five Asia Pacific countries which are Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Papua New Guinea and Indonesia (IBISWorld.com, 2016). For the purpose of evaluation, the report will cover the various segments in which Coca-Cola Amatil Limited operates. Spirit Manufacturing in Australia In 2007, CCA started to venture into the alcoholic beverage market after signing a 10 year deal with Beam Global Spirits and Wines Inc and executing it as a joint venture with SABMiller (IBISWorld.com, 2016). As of 2016, the number of companies in the industry is 71 with a turnover growth rate of 1.31 and a size of $1.7831 billion (IBISWorld.com, 2016). Coca-Cola Amatil Limited has an estimated market share of 15.3% in this industry (IBISWorld.com, 2016). Over the past five years, from 2012 to 2017, CCAs alcoholic segment has been performing well despite a reduced consumption which has slowed growth rate. According to IBISWorld.com (2016), CCAs revenue in this industry is expected to increase at an annual rate of 3.3% through December 2017. The primary competitors are Diageo Australia Limited and Asahi Holdings (Australia) Pty Limited. Diageo and Asahi Holdings have market shares of 23.6% and 12.3% respectively, implying that Diageo is the market leader followed by CCA. Fruit and Vegetable Processing in Australia The company ventures in the fruit and vegetable processing through its subsidiary company called SPC Ardmona (IBISWorld.com, 2016). The subsidiary processes a broad range of fruits and vegetable products for sale in various retail stores. The companys performance in this segment has been hampered by cheap imports from South Africa and Italy (IBISWorld.com, 2016). There has also been a competition between the major supermarkets such as Woolworths and Coles, which has also led to the reduction in prices of the products. The industry size is estimated to be $5.8864 billion with a turnover growth rate of 0.29. CCA has a market share of 5.7%. Other players in the Industry are Simplot Australia Pty Limited and Heinz Watties Pty Limited with market shares of 8.1% and 6.6% respectively (IBISWorld.com, 2016). Coca-Cola Amatil has been struggling to cope with the competition over the past five years. Generally, it has been underperforming due to oversupply from cheap imports. Extreme weather has also affected the company since it has reduced fresh produce.   In 2013, the total revenue was 319.8, up from 317.2 in 2012. There was also an increase in 2014, but the revenue decreased in 2015 which was recorded to be 319.6 down from 328.1 in 2014. The revenue in 2016 rose to 332.4. Soft Drink Manufacturing Coca-Cola Amatil boasts being the largest soft drink manufacturer in Australia with a market share of 53.8% (ibisworld.com, 2016).   Its rival, Asahi Holdings Pty Limited has a market share of 24.9%. Historically, the performance of CCA has been strong. However, high competition and shift of customers preference of soft drinks due to health concerns have significantly affected the revenue.   Despite being the market leader in the industry, CCA has been underperforming over the last five years. The companys revenue has been falling due to pressures from competitors and marketing costs. According to IBISWorld report (2016), the revenue increased between 2011 and 2012. From 2012 to 2016, the profits have sharply decreased. Overall Company Performance In overall, CCA has been performing relatively well considering the fact that its main business segment has the highest market share in Australia. Sales Revenue According to Saunders Cornett (2014), sales revenue refers to the net income from the sales of goods or services after all the costs have been subtracted. Over the last five years, CCA has been recording an unstable growth in sales revenue. As at December 2012, the sales revenue was $5,097,400. This was followed by a drop in 2013 which recorded sales revenue of $5,036,400, a growth rate of -1.2%. In 2014, the sales revenue grew at a rate of -1.9% to $4,942,800. This was the lowest figure in the span of five years. In 2015, CCA did a lot to achieve high sales revenue of %5,093,600,000 which is equivalent to a growth rate of 3.1%. In 2016, the sales revenue changed positively at a rate of 1.1% to record a figure of $5,150,800,000 (ibisworld.com, 2016). Although the sales growth rate seems to be staggering, the average growth of sales revenue from 2011 to 2016 is 1.4%. Total Revenue Saunders Cornett (2014) define total revenue as the income of a company from all sources, including the sales revenue, in a given period. The figure includes the sales revenue and revenue from other sources. Just like the sales revenue, CCA has had unstable total revenue since 2012. The company recorded $5.175 billion of total revenue in 2012 (ibisworld.com, 2016). In 2013, the total revenue dropped by 1.1% to record $5.1199 billion (ibisworld.com, 2016). In the following year, a further decline in total revenue was also realized, at a staggering figure of $5.0341 billion, which was a drop by 1.7% (ibisworld.com, 2016).   In 2015, CCAs total revenue increased at a rate of 3% to become $5.1869 billion by the end of the year (ibisworld.com, 2016). By the end of 2016, the total revenue was recorded as $5.2532 billion, which was an increase of 1.3% from the previous year. On average, the percentage change in growth rate since 2011 is 1.5%, implying that the company is on the righ t track. However, comparing to the average growth rate in the industry which was 2.36% in 2016, the company has been underperforming. Net Profit after Tax (NPAT) Net Profit after Tax (NPAT) is the amount of money a company earns after all its expenses (Saunders Cornett, 2014). Coca-Cola Amatil Limited has been hit by fluctuations in profits, and its profits have generally been decreasing sharply from 2012 to date. In 2012, the net profit after tax was $457.8 million. This was followed by a sharp decrease in 2013, which was $79.9 million, which is a percentage decrease of 82.5% (ibisworld.com, 2016). In 2014, the profits increased more than twice and reached $272.1 million, which is 240.6% growth. The profits grew further by 44.6% in 2015 but, as of 2016 December, the profit was $246.1 million as opposed to $393.4 million in 2015, which was a decrease of 37.4% (ibisworld.com, 2016). On average, CCA has not been doing well regarding profits. Its average change in NPAT is -16.1%. As of December 2016, the industry average NPAT was 4.99%, implying that CCA has been performing poorly. Return on Revenue (ROR) To understand the profitability of CCA, it is essential to look at the change in ROR. In 2012, the change in ROR was 8.9% (ibisworld.com, 2016). In 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016, the ROR was 1.6%, 5.4%, 7.6% and 4.7% respectively (IBISWorld.com, 2016). This implies that the company was more profitable in 2012 and 2015 compared to the rest of the years. Return on Assets (ROA) The ROA measures the profitability of a company in relation to its assets. CCA has been doing well since it has been recording a positive ROA since 2012. Coca-Cola Amatil Limited management team can be said to be efficient in utilizing assets to generate revenue. From 2012 to 2016, the Return on Assets is 6.8%, 1.2%, 4.5%, 5.9%, and 3.8% respectively. The average ROA in the industry as at 2016 was 1.9% compared to CCAs 3.8% (IBISWorld.com, 2016). The company has, therefore, been performing well in the industry. Question 2 Robert Alba just won the state lottery. He has been given the option of receiving either  $62.9 million today or $5 million a year for the next 35 years, with the first payment paid  today. Discuss the process that Robert should use to determine which payment option he  prefers. Ignore all taxes and assume that Jesse will live for at least 40 more years Solution To determine the best option, we need to determine the present value the Annuity due of for the given cash flows since the payment in the second option is going to be made at the beginning of the period. Present value or the discounted value refers to the current worth of the given amount of money or the stream of cash flow that is going to be received in future at a particular rate of return (Brealey, Myers, Allen, and Mohanty, 2012). The present value is usually less than the future value due to the time value of money characteristic, which states that money will always earn an interest; therefore, a dollar today is more than a dollar tomorrow. The formula is as follow; (Brealey, Myers, Allen, and Mohanty, 2012) Where C=the cash given per period i = rate of interest n= the number of payments In this case, the present value of $62.9 million today is $62.9 million. Robert Alba should determine the present value of the cumulative cash flows of $5 million per year for 35 years.   The best option would be that with the highest present value. Using the formula above, the present value for option B will be as follow; Assuming a uniform interest rate of 10%, $53.04 million is less than $62.9 million; therefore, Robert Alba should choose option A, i.e. to receive the payment of $62.9 million now. List References Brealey, R.A., Myers, S.C., Allen, F. and Mohanty, P., 2012. Principles of corporate finance. Tata McGraw-Hill Education. CCA Annual Report, 2015. Real Possibilities Real Progress-2015 Annual Report. Accessed on https://www.ccamatil.com/-/media/Cca/Corporate/Files/Annual-Reports/2015/CCA166-CCA-Annual-Report-2015-WEB_final.ashx CCA, n.d. Coca-Cola Amatil Limited. Accessed on https://www.ccamatil.com IBISWorld.com, 2016. IBISWorld Company Premium Report: Coca-Cola Amatil Limited. Balance Date: 2016 Saunders, A. and Cornett, M.M., 2014. Financial institutions management. McGraw-Hill Education.