Unit 2 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Unit 2 - Assignment Example They should avoid open-toed shoes and sandals. Open shoes present hazards due to encounter with fluids or heavy or sharp dropping items. Women should be in hosiery or socks while men should wear socks. The female skirts should be knee length or longer. Exposing their chests because of low cut pants is inappropriate. Males are better in official trousers and shirts than in t-shirts (VCU 2012) A medical professional should be learned and be in possession of a degree from a technical or vocational school, or community college. The specifics of a medical professional depend on the position one seeks and the program attended. A professional must be accountable to the society and the patients on issues regarding health. A medical professional is responsive and available any time as a way accepting the commitment to the service. The professional respects other people be it patients, families, or other medical staffs. Finally, one must be committed to being fair, straightforward, and truthful while interacting with other people within the profession (Jonsen 2013). As a professional, my actions and decisions serve the welfare of others even at my own costs. I observe the code of ethics that specifies the obligations to my duties. I exercise good judgments, complete my responsibilities, and develop sensitive, mature and effective relationships with others. I respect other people, be it residents, medical students, or team members. My dress code is always smart whether in official or casual wears. I also remain truthful to my words while communicating with other

On what grounds has the Washington Consensus been criticized Is the Essay

On what grounds has the Washington Consensus been criticized Is the Post Washington Consensus a viable alternative Critically discuss - Essay Example licy of the developing nations only that includes reduction of government deficits, liberalization and deregulation of international trade as well as cross border investment. This term was first used by John Williamson in 1989. It was used to describe a set of ten specific economic policy prescriptions that was considered by his as the standard reform package promoted for the crisis wracked developing countries. This consensus was influential during the 1990’s. During the first decade of the 21st century, this concept became increasingly controversial. After the outbreak of the economic chaos during 2008 and 2009, it was thought that Washington consensus has found its end (Poverty and development policy). John Williamson who used this term first used this to support the commonly shared themes among the policy advices by Washington based financial institutions. These institutions were the IMF, World Bank and the US treasury department. These policies were believed to be used for the recovery of Latin America from the financial crisis of the 1980’s. But Williamson’s concept of the theme was neoliberal in its approach. Even though the policy was put forward by Americans, the policy makers in Latin America used their own perspectives to develop these and introduce them in their own countries. These were developed keeping in mind what happened inside and outside the country. It was also said that these policies were largely a creation of Latin American politicians and technocrats and Williamson being a person to gather these policies first at one place. Neo liberalists argue that Washington consensus is a set of policies that are imposed on hapless countries by the Washington based international financial establishments. They also argue that these policies have increased the misery of such countries than before. This concept that was initiated by John Williamson inspired a wave of reforms in Latin America and sub Saharan Africa. This policy fundamentally

Evaluating The Congestive Heart Failure Nursing Plan Nursing Essay

Evaluating The Congestive Heart Failure Nursing Plan Nursing Essay As defined by Phipps (Monahan, F, Sands, J, Neighbours, M, Marek, J.F, 2007) congestive heart failure occurs when, the myocardium of the heart is unable to uphold a sufficient cardiac output to meet the bodys metabolic needs. Heart failure can result from either systolic or diastolic dysfunction (Monahan, F, Sands, J, Neighbours, M, Marek, J.F, 2007). Assessment tools that will be used in the assessment of Mr. Toscana include, head to toe, physical, and systems assessments. A risk assessment will also be done on Mr. Toscana to insure that he is safe in hospital (Berman, A, Kozier, B, Erb, G.L, 2008,). As Mr. Toscana suffers from congestive heart failure a wide range of education and psychosocial support is available to help with his condition (Heart Foundation, 2010). A nursing care plan has been made to show four nursing diagnoses and interventions to reduce the impact of the diagnosis. These nursing diagnosess can be solved through a variety of diagnostic tests to make sure that ev ery possible outcome is looked at (Berman, A, Kozier, B, Erb, G.L, 2008). Mr. Toscana is taking a few medications at the present time to manage his cardiac issues along with other medical conditions he suffers from, these medications are, Lasix, digoxin, aspirin, warfarin and perindopril. (Tiziani, A, 2010), (Better Health Channel, 2010) PATHOPHYSIOLOGY OF CONGESTIVE CARDIAC FAILURE Both systolic and diastolic heart failure are second to myocardial injury. Progression of heart failure is highly dependent on the level of ventricular remodelling, this occurs after myocardial injury (Monahan, F, Sands, J, Neighbours, M, Marek, J.F, 2007). The changes in ventricle shape and dimension will cause a decrease in its effectiveness as a pump. An increase on diastolic pressure possibly will further change the shape of the left ventricle, thus resulting in papillary muscle rearrangement and mitral insufficiency. It is more common for congestive heart failure to begin in the left ventricular systolic dysfunction. Some of the common causes for decreased left ventricular stenosis include that of, CAD, systemic hypertension, and aortic stenosis. CAD by diminishing the oxygen supply to the myofibrils decreases contractility. Hypertension causes the left ventricle to contract more with more force to eject blood into the aorta. (Monaha n, F, Sands, J, Neighbours, M, Marek, J.F, 2007) Over a period of time hypertrophy of the muscle fibres happens and an increase in myocardial oxygen consumption occurs. Aortic stenosis, the left ventricle must increase its pumping force to deliver blood through the tight valve. Heart failure will be the result when the hearts need of oxygen cannot be met and blood remains at the end of systole. (Mccance, K, Huether, S.E, Brashers, V.L, Rote, N.S, 2010,) CLINICAL MANIFESTATIONS OF CONGESTIVE HEART FAILURE As stated in Monahan, F, Sands, J, Neighbours, M, Marek, J.F, 2007, Page 814, the clinical manifestations of heart failure occur secondary to elevated filing pressure and tissue hyperfusion Clinical manifestations of congestive heart failure can be broken down into the systems in which they affect the respiratory, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal systems and show effects in both cerebral and psychosocial. Clinical manifestations in respiratory are, dyspnoea, orthopnea, a persistent cough, crackles in the lungs. The cardiovascular system is affected by, the onset of angina, tachycardia, increase of systolic blood pressure and an increase in systolic blood pressure. Gastrointestinal clinical manifestations include that of, enlargement of the right upper quadrant of the abdomen, nausea and vomiting, pain in the epigastric region, anorexia and bloating. Confusion and restlessness can be seen as manifestations of cerebral, and anxiety is associated with manifestations to psychosocial. Generalised manifestations include oedema; either pitting or peripheral, weight gain and fatigue. (Monahan, F, Sands, J, Neighbours, M, Marek, J.F, 2007), (Mccance, K, Huether, S.E, Brashers, V.L, Rote, N.S, 2010,), (Better Health Channel, 2010) NURSING ASSESSMENT OF MR. TOSCANA For Mr. Toscana a variety of nursing assessments will be done upon admission. As well as the usual monitoring of vital signs, assessments such as, head to toe, physical and systems assessments, need to be completed. A head to toe assessment will be performed to give a detail initial assessment studying the whole body to see if there is any other factors that may cause harm or pain, in a head to toe assessment circulatory problems, pressure areas, existing wounds, can all be seen as well as gaining an in depth assessment of the skin. A physical assessment will be done on Mr. Toscana will also be performed, a physical assessment includes, inspection; which is the visual inspection of a person, palpation; the examination done by touch, auscultation; a form of examination by listening to the sounds made by the body (heart, lung and bowel), percussion; the examination done by tapping, percussion is done to listen for abnormal sounds and detect issue (Berm an, A, Kozier, B, Erb, G.L, 2008,). A systems assessment of Mr. Toscana will be beneficial because, along with the other forms of assessment a systems will be able to give a base mark of where he is, a systems assessment covers, central nervous (CNS), cardiovascular (CVS) assesses, respiratory (RESP), gastrointestinal (GIT), renal (RENAL), skin integrity (SKIN), and psychosocial (PSYCH). Together these forms assessment will provide a detailed amount of information to create a nursing care plan for Mr. Toscana, including interventions that need to be made, and things to implement to further his recovery and aid in his discharge. (Berman, A, Kozier, B, Erb, G.L, 2008,). NURSING CARE PLAN Please refer to appendices one for full nursing care plan. (Berman, A, Kozier, B, Erb, G.L, 2008,). (Monahan, F, Sands, J, Neighbours, M, Marek, J.F, 2007), (Heart Foundation, 2010), (Holmesglen, 2009), (Better Health Channel, 2010) DIAGNOSTIC TESTS For Mr. Toscana there are a number of diagnostic tests that will help with the assessment, management and detection of underlying issues. Tests that can be performed on Mr. Toscana are as follows, a chest X-ray to see if there are any problems with his lungs, or vascular congestion, or congestion of the liver (this can suggest right sided failure) (Monahan, F, Sands, J, Neighbours, M, Marek, J.F, 2007), a full blood test including electrolytes, an ECG to check the rhythm of the heart, and determine the causes for Mr. Toscanas symptoms. The use of urine analysis to see if infection is present, function of kidneys, traces of blood in relation to fluid build up. The combination of these tests will provide a baseline for assessment, guide the nursing care, and rule out all other possible causes of the symptoms that Mr. Toscana has presented with. (Monahan, F, Sands, J, Neighbours, M, Marek, J.F, 2007) RISK ASSESMENT From the history of Mr. Toscana a risk assessment can be done. Assessments such as falls, and pressure care. A falls risk assessment will be done on Mr. Toscana to determine the risk he is of falling, and if further measures need to be implemented to insure that he is safe while in hospital, a suitable framework for a falls risk is the FRAT tool, (Falls Risk Assessment Tool), (Department Of Human Services Victoria, 2005) a FRAT tool will show the level of risk that Mr. Toscana is, and risk factors. A pressure area risk check can be done by using the Braden risk assessment tool (Berman, A, Kozier, B, Erb, G.L, 2008,), (South Australia Health, Date Unknown). this will help minimise the risk of Mr. Toscana developing pressure areas where possible. Things at home can also be deemed a risk, things such as; not being compliant with his medications can lead to poor health, and stress can all affect his general wellbeing and lead to further the progression of medical condition s. EDUCATION AND PSYCHOSOCIAL SUPPORT For Mr. Toscana education is a must, education about the maintenance of his congestive heart failure, about the importance of taking medication on a regular basis. How to manage the affects of his congestive cardiac failure, and avoid the effects, support for Mr. Toscana is also imperative to aid in his recovery things such as providing strategies to minimise the health problems, referral to a social worker to help with issues that are affecting him at home. Support groups set up by the heart foundation of Victoria will help with the emotional issues related to having this condition. (Heart Foundation, 2010) The importance of education and psychosocial support will be seen through less medical admissions or problems, increased quality of life and will give Mr. Toscana the ability to be able to deal with small problems before they grow into something much bigger. (Monahan, F, Sands, J, Neighbours, M, Marek, J.F, 2007) , (Berman, A, Kozier, B, Erb, G. L, 2008,) (Better Health Channel, 2010) MEDICATIONS Mr. Toscana is taking a number of medications including, warfarin and digoxin. The action of Digoxin is, it increase the myocardial contraction force in the failing heart, decreases conductivity of the heart in particular the A-V node, increase on vagal activity this results in the slowing of the sinoatrial nodal rate, increases myocardial excitability this can result in ectopic beats this happens mostly through high doses of digoxin, oral digoxin effective in an approximate time frame of 1 hour, maximal effect is reached between four and six hours. The use of digoxin for Mr. Toscana is, to treat his congestive heart failure. Digoxin may produce a false ST-T wave change on an ECG if tested during exercise. Digoxin can cause the following adverse effects, gastrointestinal issues including, anorexia, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, and pain in the abdomen. Cardiovascular effects, ectopic beats, bradycardia, heart block. Tachycardia (ventricular). The adverse effect of toxicity is a decrease on appetite, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, severe stomach pains, weakness and tiredness, a slow and irregular heartbeat, blurred vision, drowsiness, mental depression or confusion, fainting and headaches. Nursing points/precautions which should be followed are that the tablet should never be halved; neither IM nor SC routes are recommended due to unpredictable absorption, because prolonged or intense pain and necrosis of the muscle to the client (Intramuscular), severe irritation may occur when given via a subcutaneous injection. A rapid IV administration should be avoided as it may cause hypertension and vasoconstriction. The action of warfarin is a suppressant of vitamin-K dependant synthesis of prothrombin in the liver, this prevents the extension of a clot that is already established of the formation of a new one, warfarin has an anticoagulant effect that is produced after 36-72 hours and can persist for between 4 and 5 days after the discontinuation of therapy. Th e use of warfarin is, as a prevention and management of the following, deep vein thrombosis (DVT) or pulmonary embolism, thromboembolism in atrial fibrillation, and can be used as an adjunct to therapy for coronary occlusion. For Mr. Toscana there is no relevant interaction with this drug. The adverse effects of warfarin are fatal or non fatal bleeding, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, alopecia, fever, hypersensitivity reaction, an overdose is seen by bleeding from the gums and haematuria, in rare cases skin necrosis is also seen. Some of the nursing points and precautions with warfarin are, that all intramuscular injections be avoided, and subcutaneous injection sites should be closely monitored for haematoma, make sure that the does is given the same time daily to Mr. Toscana, observation for the early signs of overdose things such bleeding especially important from the gums.( Tiziani, A, 2010) CONCLUSION Through a range of assessments, diagnostic testing, education and the development of a nursing care plan Mr. Toscanas condition should improve as well as his general wellbeing. Goals set out in the care plan will be achieved by interventions put in place insuring a quicker recovery for Mr. Toscana. Education is particularly important for Mr. Toscanas medication regime, support strategies will help with the improvement of overall health and wellbeing.

t true knight :: essays research papers

The Definition of a Knight   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Knights were a type of soldier established in the middle ages, sworn to protect the nobility. They followed the rules of chivalry, rode the best horses, bared the finest arms and weaponry, and were highly respected. A strong need for protection of the nobility brought knighthood to be and chivalry to order. True knights are far and few now, by the end of the 16th century knighthood was over. Real knights fought hand-to-hand, before guns and gun-powder, heavily armored and ready for battle. Finding a true knight might seem hard now, but true knights exist, they just don’t look the same.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A knights training started early in his life. At age 7 a boy would be a page. At 14, a page would become a squire, and the training would become tougher. Finally at age 21, a squire would become a knight, and he would serve in the military for 40 more years. This sounds familiar to life now doesn’t it? At 7, a boy/girl would help around the house or at others houses. He/she would be learning about how to complete different tasks in the garden, the kitchen, the garage, etc. At age 14, a boy/girl might acquire a part-time job, or summer work. Train more for the â€Å"real world† and gain more knowledge for the future. This is also the age that he/she might learn about sex, drugs, respect, kindness, even love maybe. Finally at age 21, that boy/girl is now a man/woman. Pursuing a career, starting a family, and working hard to provide and protect his/her family.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The way a person is raised now, is not much different of that of a knight. The difference now might be chivalry. A chivalrous knight will be courteous, kind, protective of what’s right, aggressive to what is wrong, and will value the true things in life; family, love, and life. The same 21 year old man/woman, will love their family, love their spouse, protect his/her family, be kind to others, teach his/her children right from wrong.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A Knight is, kind, chivalrous, gentle, honorable, merciful, and willing to sacrifice.

Definitions of Optical Coupler, Resistor and Transistor

Optical coupling is a portion that exchanges electrical flags between two separated circuits by using visible radiation every bit indicated as a portion of Fig.6.4. It keeps high electromotive forces from act uponing the model accepting the mark. Industrially accessible opto-isolators with stand information to-yield voltages up to 10 kilovolts and electromotive force homeless people with gaits up to 10 kV/ & A ; mu ; s. A typical sort of opto-isolator comprises of a Drove and a phototransistor in the same package. Opto-isolators are by and large utilized for transmittal of advanced ( on/off ) marks, nevertheless a few schemes permit use with simple ( matching ) marks. An opto-isolator contains a beginning ( emitter ) of visible radiation, rather frequently a close infrared Light-Emanating Diode ( Drove ) , that changes over electrical information signal into visible radiation, a unopen optical channel ( to boot called di-electrical channel ) and a exposure detector, which distinguishes nearing visible radiation and either creates electric verve specifically, or regulates electric current sloping out of an outer power supply. The detector can be a exposure resistance, a photodiode, a phototransistor, a Silicon-Controlled Rectifier ( SCR ) or a triac. Since LEDs can feel light notwithstanding radiating it, development of symmetrical, bidirectional opto-isolators is imaginable. An opto-coupled strong province hand-off contains a photodiode opto-isolator which drives a force switch, usually a correlate brace of MOSFETs. An opened optical switch contains a wellhead of visible radiation and a detector, nevertheless its optical channel is unfastened, all owing ordinance of visible radiation by outer points hindering the manner of visible radiation or reflecting visible radiation into the detector A resistance is a two-terminal electronic section intended to curtail an electric current by making a electromotive force bead between its terminuss in extent to the present, that is, as per Ohm & A ; apos ; s jurisprudence. Resistors are utilized as a constituent of electrical systems and electronic circuits. They are to a great degree typical in most electronic cogwheel. Handy resistances can be made of different mixes and films, and in add-on opposition ( wire made of a high-resistivity complex, for illustration, nickel/chrome ) . The indispensable properties of resistances are their opposition and the force they can circulate. Different attributes integrated temperature coefficient, blare, and induction. Less no uncertainty understood is know aparting opposition, the quality beneath which control airing restrains the greatest allowed current watercourse, or more which the breakage point is connected electromotive force. Basic opposition relies on the stuffs representing the resistance and its physical measurings ; its controlled by constellation. Resistors can be incorporated into mixture and printed circuits, and coordinated circuits. Size, and place of leads ( or terminuss ) are of import to gear conceivers ; resistances must be physically sufficiently expansive non to overheat when scattering their energy. Variable resistances are movable by altering the place of a contact on the resistive constituent, for illustration, with a versatile skiding contact, known as a potentiometer. There are extraordinary kinds of resistance whose opposition alterations with different sums, the bulk of them have names, and articles, they could name their ain: the opposition of thermal resistors displacements tremendously with temperature, whether exterior or because of airing, so they can be utilized for temperature or current detection ; metal oxide varistors drop to a low opposition when a high electromotive force is connected, doing them suited for over-voltage confidence ; the opposition of a strain pot differs with mechanical load ; the opposition of exposure resistances fluctuates with enlightenment ; the opposition of a Quantum Burrowing Composite can differ by an component of 1012 with mechanical weight connected ; etc. The appraisal of a resistance can be measured with an ohmmeter, which may be one capacity of a multimeter. Normally, trials on the coatings of trial leads interface with the resistance. A gate driver is a power amplifier that accepts a low-power input from a accountant IC and engenders a high-current thrust input for the gate of a high-octane transistor such as an IGBT or power MOSFET. Gate drivers can be provided either on-chip or as a distinct faculty. In kernel, a gate driver consists of a quality shifter in pile with an amplifier. It is frequently verbalized that transistors such as MOSFETs with stray gate electrodes can be driven without a authority beginning, which is non real. In contrast to bipolar transistors, MOSFETs do non necessitate changeless power input, every bit long as they are non being switched on or off. The stray gate-electrode of the MOSFET forms a capacitance ( gate capacitance ) , which must be charged or discharged each clip the MOSFET is switched on or off. As a transistor requires a peculiar gate electromotive force in order to exchange on, the gate capacitance must be charged to at least the needed gate electromotive force for the transistor to be switched on. Similarly, to exchange the transistor off, this charge must be dissipated, i.e. the gate capacitance must be discharged. When a transistor is switched on or off, it does non instantly exchange from a nonconductive to a conducting province ; and may transiently back up both a high electromotive force and carry on a high current. Consequently, when gate current is applied to a transistor to do it to exchange, a certain sum of heat is engendered which can, in some instances, be plenty to harry the transistor. Therefore, it is indispensable to maintain the switching clip every bit abruptly as possible, so as to minimise switching loss. Typical shift times are in the scope of microseconds. The switching clip of a transistor is reciprocally relative to the sum of current used to bear down the gate. Therefore, exchanging currents are frequently required in the scope of several hundred mill-amperes, or even in the scope of amperes. For typical gate electromotive forces of about 10-15V, several Watts of puissance may be required to drive the switch. When astronomically huge currents are switched at high frequen ces, ( e.g. in DC-to-DC convertors of sizably voluminous electric motors ) , multiple transistors are sometimes provided in parallel, so as to supply sufficiently high exchanging currents and exchanging authority. The switching signal for a transistor is conventionally engendered by a logic circuit or a microcontroller, which provides an end product signal that typically is constrained to a few mill-amperes of current. Consequently, a transistor which is straight driven by such a signal would exchange really bit by bit, with correspondingly high power loss. During exchanging, the gate capacitance of the transistor may pull current so efficiently that it causes a current over draw in the logic circuit or microcontroller, doing overheating which leads to dateless harm or even masterful ravagement of the bit. To debar this from transpirating, a gate driver is provided between the microcontroller end product signal and the authority transistor Each MOSFET is bulwarked against dv/dt and di/dt rampart as shown below

Has Fast Food Changed My Eating Habits? Essay

Fast food has become more and more popular, and will continue to do so. There are more food chains being built in this area and the fast food restaurants have really thrived because of how many there are. There are plenty of types of food, and locations for you to get it. That is why my eating habits have changed. Eating habits are a struggle for everyone, whether it is how much you eat, or what you eat. It is hard to deny a $4 combo meal that includes, a hamburger, a drink, and an order of fries, especially if it is filling and satisfying your hunger. They are usually designed to reel you in by making it easy to get cheap good food, and that is why fast food restaurants are thriving in this era. The quick drive-thru lines, cheap food, and friendly service are just three of the many ways fast food restaurants are trying bring you and you’re money to their business. That is why personally I find it very hard not to eat fast food. There are four or five fast food restaurants within one mile, or so, of my house. That is why I find myself eating fast food two or three times a week depending on how much money I have. Its cheap, good, and you can almost get it at any time, and anywhere you want. It is not like eating fast food one time will kill you, but eating it two or three times a week for multiple years will. The main thing I keep asking myself is; how long am I going to keep this up? It has been a growing habit that continues to creep up on me. One year I am begging to get fast food because we don’t have it enough. The next thing I know I find myself becoming increasingly tired of it because I eat it way too much. My health plays a big part in what I do for fun, and my hobbies. For instance: How many sports I play, how much I play them, and how well I do while I play them. Eating fast food can’t help me thrive in any of these categories so why do I keep eating it? The main reason though has to be will power, if I simply can’t say no to a cheeseburger on the daily basis then how do I expect myself to change my habits for my entire life the better. A habit can’t be broken in one day, but you can start to break it in one day. Breaking a habit, or habits, cannot be done in one giant step. It takes time, patience, and plenty of fortitude. That’s what it boils down to. How badly do you crave to be healthy? What do you want more, a healthy lifestyle and future, or something satisfying to the stomach right away? Fast food is a great idea for the quick easy meal, but I need to change my habits for the better in order to be the healthiest I can be. My eating habits are holding back my abilities in sports and they need to be fixed.

The Relationship Between Delinquency and Drug Use

The Relationship Between Delinquency and Drug Use Free Online Research Papers By Roby Lynn Rice In my attempt to discover if delinquency and drug use, or the sale of drugs were correlated with one another, my research lead to a positive correlation, especially when there was gang membership involved. The theory I have chosen to tie in with my review of the articles I found is the social learning theory of Edwin Sutherland known as differential association theory. According to Britannica online, Sutherland’s differential association theory of delinquent behavior is learned from other persons who are also engaged in delinquent behaviors. Sutherland believes that a person becomes delinquent because of an access amount of exposure to the definitions of criminal behavior and the violation of the law (Britannica 2007). This particular belief is a good theory to use to explain juvenile delinquency. Orcutt (1983) explains that Sutherland states that everyone has social groups which influence each of us in the actions that we chose to engage in according to the norms and values o f that group. An example would be that most of our parents teach us that we should respect and obey the law. However, there are those that some people are associated with inside their social network that influence in negative ways, tempting and leading others into deviant behavior. Such as assuring those within a group that certain drugs should not be criminalized and that the chance of getting caught with them is very slim. With enough pressure and continued exposure to that mindset and behavior pattern, an individual whom has not been engaged in certain illegal behaviors becomes involved with those activities that promote the illegal and delinquent behaviors. The behavior referred to in this paper is the use or selling of drugs and its connection with juvenile delinquency and gangs. According to Orcutt (1983), Sutherland does point out that learning of social norms and values does not come from the mass population but for one’s own intimate connections with family and close peers. Orcutt (1983) also tells us that Sutherland states that the learning process of delinquent behavior is the exact same process as it is for the learning of accepted norms and values. When a child learns through his close peers or family members the definitions and techniques for delinquent behavior, that child is more likely than not to act on his/her acquired knowledge when he/she sees the benefits of delinquent behavior as outweighing the disadvantages. An example of this would be delinquency through gang involvement. A study was conducted in Arizona that used data from the Arizona Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring (ADAM) program that supported the hypothesis that current gang members were significantly more likely to use drugs (marijuana and cocaine) as compared with former gang members (Katz, Charles M., Vincent J. Webb and Scott H. Decker 2005). The ADAM program is designed to collect data from recently booked arrestees. This data was collected from two counties in Arizona, Maricopa and Pima Counties. It is important to note that only those juveniles that were detained by the police and held were the subjects of this study and not the juveniles that had been released to parents or other responsible parties (Katz et al.2005). According to Katz et al. (2005), the variable used for this study focused on gender, age, and ethnicity along with prior arrests, drug history of respondent and what the current school status of the respondent w as at the time of the study. The questionnaire included questions on the frequency of drug use that covered a 12 month, 30 day and 3 day period for 13 different types of drugs. The respondents were then asked to provide a urine sample that was calibrated to detect drugs ingested within a 72 hour period (Vishner 1991). After the urinalysis was obtained, the respondents were given another questionnaire about affiliation or participation within gangs. The questions asked pertained to level of gang activity in respondent’s neighborhood, organization and structure of gangs in neighborhood, what the characteristics and composition of the gangs are, gang membership and victimization. In order to determine if the respondent was an actual gang member as opposed to respondents that were members of informal gangs, the respondents was asked to reveal the name of the gang they were a member of. If the respondent did not answer with the name of the gang, that respondent was not considere d an actual gang member and therefore not counted (Katz et. al.). The sample consisted of 939 juvenile arrestees, 81% male and 19% female. Within the sample, 25.7% were 14 years of age or younger, 20.3% were 15 years old and 54% were 16 years old or older (Katz et. al.). Gang affiliation / participation were rather high at 52% of all respondents. The findings show that out of a total number of 451 from the sample size of 939, only 11.1% of the respondents that reported drug use or sale of drugs were not affiliated with any type of gang. Whereas 488, 52% of the sample size of 939 were members of, or affiliated with gangs. Of that 488, more than three-quarters reported using or selling drugs (Katz et. al. 2005) In a study conducted to measure the effects of the background and characteristics offenders, we can see how this study supports Sutherland’s theory. This study shows that background characteristics not only help to explain patterns of offending but also serve as a basis as important predictors of types of offending (Armstrong and Britt 2004). This study looks at many different socialization influences in the life of the offender. I am mainly concerned for the purpose of this paper with the correlation of family or peer influence in the participation of delinquency with the use of drugs. Armstrong and Britt (2004) reports that young people from families that are engaged in delinquent and criminal behavior are more at risk of learning and committing crimes at a younger age than juveniles from families that do not participate in delinquent behavior. This supports Sutherland’s differential theory in that a juvenile will do as others in his/her close social group does. Armst rong and Britt (2004) also point out that if a juvenile has just one friend that is involved in delinquent behavior he/she will be at greater risk of committing a delinquent act. According to Armstrong and Britt (2004) juveniles that are associated with a gang are at greater risk of several delinquent behaviors including but not limited to the use or selling of drugs as compared to non-gang members. One hypothesis within this study suggests that when crime is committed in a group (gang) a greater likelihood of specialization / escalation may occur (Armstrong and Britt 2004). The method used for the collection of data for this study was based on aggregate data using the Forward Specialization Coefficient ( FSC) or individual data comparing across demographic characteristics such as age or gender by using a heterogeneity index (Armstrong and Britt 2004). Juveniles held under the supervision of the California Youth Authority (CYA) in the 1980’s participated in this study. According to Armstrong and Britt (2004) two random samples were used. 2,000 wards released in 1981-82 and 2,000 wards released in 1986-87 from the CYA. The sources used for the gathering of the data were from four areas; Youth Authority electronically stored ward data files, the hardcopy ward master Files of the Youth Authority, the Criminal History files of the California Department of Justice and the California Vital Statistics (Armstrong and Britt 2004). It was found that out of the sample (N=2,294) 43.3% of respondents siblings were involved in criminal activity, 27.3% of respon dents caregivers were involved in criminality, 33.3% of respondents parents had an alcohol/drug problem, 41.9 % of respondents were involved with gangs, 80.4 % of respondents had a chemical or drug problem and 64.7% of respondents had a problem with alcohol according to table 1, Characteristics of the Sample (Armstrong and Britt 2004). This study found that gang association increased the odds that the respondent would be involved in violence, drug and alcohol offenses with the odds ratio of drug offense being increased by approximately 1.38. These finding support the hypothesis that juveniles who are gang members are more likely to be involved in drug related offenses than non-gang members. It also supports Sutherland’s theory of differential association. This study also found that characteristics of individuals that predict any criminal behavior also predict type of criminal behavior. The office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) publishes a bulletin called the Juvenile Justice Bulletin. Within that bulletin I was able to locate data that is relevant to delinquency. With concerns mounting about youth gangs, the OJJDP’s Youth Gang Series address many key issues concerning youth gangs which included but was not limited to youth gang drug trafficking (Howell and Gleason 1999). This study is relevant to juvenile delinquency because it is widely believed that gangs are involved in drug sales which lead to the commission of other crimes. Howell and Gleason (1999) used the responses obtained by the National Youth Gang Center (NYGC) in the 1996 National Youth Gang Survey. According to Howell and Gleason (1999) the sample size of 3,024 police and sheriff’s departments received the survey. 87% of the sample size responded with a total of 53% of the respondents reporting a problem with gangs. Respondents reported that 43% of drug sales were conducted by gang members in their jurisdiction, 57% reported that they had active gangs, and in jurisdictions that included drug gangs 41% of respondents said that more than half (or all) of drug distribution was managed and controlled by gangs (Howell and Gleason 1999). Howell and Gleason (1999) found that the largest age group of gang members was 15-17 years old. It was also found that in areas that respondents reported that gangs did not control drug distribution, 79% of gang members were juveniles, 17 years old or younger. And in areas that reported drug distribution being controlled by gangs, 42% of gang members were 17 or younger and 58% of gang members were 18 and older. Though this study found that when gang members were involved in the sale of drugs, they were also usually involved in the distribution as well and is widespread, according to Howell and Gleason (1999), however, it is central to a very small number of jurisdictions. In conclusion, it is very apparent that the people we are socialized by as children have a huge impact on the behaviors we adopt as individuals according to our learned norms and values. I have also found that while gang drug activity is relegated to a small number of jurisdictions, it does support the hypothesis that juveniles that are associated with gangs are more likely than non-gang members to be involved with the use, selling and distribution of drugs. I have also learned that while a juvenile’s drug activity was apparent as a gang member, which was not usually the case either before joining the gang or after departing from the gang. This again supports Sutherland’s differential association theory that we tend to adopt the norms and values of those we are being socialized with. References Armstrong, Todd A. and Chester L. Britt. 2004. â€Å"The Effect of Offender Characteristics On Offense Specialization And Escalation.† Justice Quarterly 21 (4): 843-876 Howell, James C. and Debra K. Gleason. 1999. â€Å"Youth Gang Drug Trafficking.† Juvenile Justice Bulletin. Retrieved November 15, 2007 (ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1 /ojjdp/178282.pdf) Katz, Charles M., Vincent J. Webb and Scott H. Decker. 2005 â€Å"Using The Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring (ADAM) Program To Further Understand The Relationship Between Drug Use And Gang Membership.† Justice Quarterly 22 (1): 58-88 Orcutt, James D. 1983. â€Å"Analyzing Deviance†. Pp 153-163. Retrieved November 18, 2007 (http://deviance.socprobs.net/Unit_3/Theory/DA.htm) Sutherland, Edwin. 2007. In Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved November 15, 2007, from Encyclopedia Britannica Online: britannica.com/eb/article- 9343984 Vishner,C. 1991. â€Å"A Comparison of Urinalysis Technologies For Drug Testing In Criminal Justice.† Washington DC : National Institute Of Justice, cited in Charles M. Katz, Vincent J. Webb and Scott H. Decker. 2005. â€Å"Using The Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring (ADAM) Program To Further Understand The Relationship Between Drug Use and Gang Membership.† Justice Quarterly 22 (1) 58-88 Research Papers on The Relationship Between Delinquency and Drug UseEffects of Television Violence on ChildrenThe Effects of Illegal ImmigrationMoral and Ethical Issues in Hiring New EmployeesUnreasonable Searches and SeizuresInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesRelationship between Media Coverage and Social andStandardized TestingResearch Process Part OneNever Been Kicked Out of a Place This NiceThree Concepts of Psychodynamic

Definion and Construction of a Consumer essays

Definion and Construction of a Consumer essays 1) A consumer is socially defined as someone whom is pressured into buying items forced upon them my capitalist methods. They are also people who believe that if they buy a particular item it will make their lives better. Society has forced consumerism unto people and it has increased over the last century. A consumer was not constructed until the 19th century, when the times emphasized moderation and self-denial. At this time workers were to be frugal and save their money. Most of the time the typical family produced most of what they needed and had few household possessions. The families had little arousal of desire because there were no prepackaged items with brand names and most of the items were displayed in bulk. The main creation of the consumer was the creation of advertising. The goal of advertising was to aggressively shape consumers desires and create value in commodities by imbuing them with the power to transform the consumer into a more desirable person. In the 1880s there was only about 30 million spent on advertising in the US, by 1910 it was up to about 600 million, and today 120 billion is spent on advertising in the US alone. Another way of making people consumers is the development of department stores, where they market goods in ways that arouse desire to the peopl e. They also use different display and presentation techniques to inspire purchases. They also try to create consumers by making buying easier with consumer credit, this give the consumer a charging account or the ability to pay over installments. There are many things that helped transform people in to consumers including the institutional transformation, which is a major social institution redefining the function to promote consumerism. Some of these institutions are education institutions, for example creation of business and fashion design schools that were developed in the early 1900s. Others include government institutions, which is ...

Capital Structure and Corporate Performance

The assignment deals with the financial analysis of ratios of Maldives Transport and Contracting Company (MTCC). Maldives Transport and Contracting company is engaged in marine and land transport business and also has a separate division which deals with marine and land constructions. The company was one of the first public sector company which was established. The financial performance of the company is to be analyzed with the help of significant ratios. The major ratios which are to be analyzed for the company are liquidity, profitability and efficiency ratios. The analysis will be containing an insight of the capital structure of the company and stock performance of MTCC. Liquidity ratios are used to measure the liquidity of the company which means whether the business has enough liquid cash to meet the short-term liabilities of the company or not (Higgins 2012). In the liquidity ratio sub-head, the most significant ratios are current ratio, liquid ratio and cash ratio. As per the calculation shown, the current ratio of the company has first declined from 1.34 in 2014 to 1.28 in 2015 and then again increased to 1.34 in 2016. This shows that the company is more than capable of handling the short-term business requirements. If the current ratio of the company is above 1 then it signifies that the company is able to meet with the current short-term expenses of the business which MTCC has as stated above (Ahrendsen and Katchova 2012). An ideal current ratio is however 2:1, which means that the current assets must be twice of current liabilities. The quick ratio of the company shows that the ratio is on an increasing trend from 2014. The ratio increased from 0.96 in 2014 to 1.08 in 2016 as per calculations. This is a favorable result as the higher the quick ratio the more liquidity the business has and ideally quick ratio should be greater than 1. However, the ideal results of a quick ratio vary from industry to industry. The cash ratio of the company has decreased and the ratio suggest the real cash of the company is falling. The ratio however does not take into consideration account receivable and inventory and only considers cash and asset which are close to cash. The profitability ratios of the company measure the overall profitability of the company considering the significant areas such as gross profit, net profit, operating profit and similar other areas (Al Karim and Alam 2013). These ratios depict whether the company is performing well in terms of profitability or not. The gross profit ratio shows that the gross profit of the company first increases from 18.73% in 2014 to 23.84% in 2015 and then again decreases to 22% in 2016. The gross profit for the year 2016 has decreased which the company needs to improve and also analyze why the gross profit of the company fall during 2016. The net profit ratio of the company also shows a fluctuating and a similar result when compared to gross profit ratio. The net profit ratio of the company for the year 2016 show a ratio of 8.80% which is even lesser than the ratio result which was calculated for 2014 which is 10.57%. This is not a favorable sign for the business and therefore the business needs t o improve the same. Net profit ratio is a financial indicator and the company needs to improve the overall net profit of the company (Tugas 2012). The operating profit ratio also depicts a fluctuating result and has a similar result and analysis as gross profit ratio and net profit ratio of the company.   The return on assets and return on equity also show unfavorable results for the company in the year 2016. The return on asset has decreased from 0.9 in 2015 to 0.8 which is shown in 2016. The return on equity also shows a decreasing trend which was 30.22% in 2015 which has reduced to 18.70% in 2016 which is even lesser than the estimate of 2014. The next group of significant ratios which are to be considered are the efficiency ratio of the company. Such type of ratios generally covers all types of asset turnover ratio of the company. The receivable turnover ratio of the company shows how efficiently the company is able to collect the credit allowed on sales by the company. an high account receivable ratio signifies that the company has a strong credit policy and all credit operations are running smoothly. The receivable turnover ratio of the company shows that the ratio has increased in 2016 which is 1.59 and the same was 1.44 in 2015. Therefore, it suggests that there has been improvement in the receivable turnover ratio or collection policy of the company as the case may be. The inventory turnover ratio shows that the ratio has significantly increased in 2016 in comparison with 2015 results. The inventory ratio of the company for the year 2016 is 4.28 which is much more than previous two years results. The higher the inven tory turnover ratio the more favorable for the business as it will then portray a strong sales structure and lesser inventory in stocks (Ehiedu 2014). While lower inventory turnover ratio shows poor sales structure and more inventory capacity at hand of the company which is being unused by the company. The asset turnover ratio of the company also shows that the ratio has increased from the previous years results (Tehrani, Mehragan and Golkani 2012). The asset turnover ratio for the year 2016 is shown at 0.89. Asset turnover ratio measures the capability of the company to generate revenue or sales in comparison to the assets of the company. The next group of ratios is the capital structure ratio which measures the components of the capital structure of the company. The debt ratio of the company shows that the company’s debt ratio has decreased from the result of 2015. The debt ratio for 2015 was 0.61 which has reduced to 0.58 in 2016. From the perspective of risks debt ratios of any company are preferred to be lower as the risk is also low. In this case it can be said that it is favorable for the business of MTCC. The equity ratio shows how much equity capital has the business incorporated in the capital structure of the company. The equity ratio of the company has increased from 2015 which was 0.39 to 0.42 which is shown in 2016. This signifies that the company is now using more of equity in comparison to last year. The gearing ratio of the company shows the total debt which is used by the business in comparison to the equity capital of the business. It is similar to Debt equity ratio however it contains more va riations which can provide different results. The gearing ratio of the company 7.07% in 2016 which is lower than previous year figure as the company has reduced the debts of the company. This shows that the company is payoff the debt capital and incorporating more of equity capital in the capital structure mix of the company (Babalola and Abiola 2013). The debt equity ratio of the company shows that the ratio has reduced from 1.59 in 2015 to 1.40 in 2016 which also shows that the company is reducing the debt capital of the company. With the analysis of the debt equity ratio it is evident that the company is trying to restructure the capital structure of the company and add more of equity capital in the mix. However, the full benefit of the capital structure can be extracted when a certain balance is attained between debt and equity capital funds. The stock performance ratios are related and measures the performance of the company on the basis of valuation of stock or earning per shares or market value of shares (Delen, Kuzey and Uyar 2013). Earning per share is the measure of the company’s profit per share which is earned by the shareholders of the company (Brigham and Houston 2012). The earning per share of the company has fallen sharply from 312.76 in 2015 to 23.076 in 2016 which is a drastic fall. This is a serious concern for the business as if it is not improved than the company’s stock prices and market valuation will repeatedly fall. The dividend payout ratio show that the ratio is much more than previous year’s measure which shows that the company has declared dividend in spite of low Earning per share. Price earning ratio is the measure of the price which the investor pays for $ 1 profit in the company. The price earning ratio of the company has increased from the previous year results. The following recommendations can be offered to the company for improvement in the key financial ratios: Any business which is planning to start or establish itself in the market needs to plan out the financial requirement which the business needs. In other words, there are certain expenses which initially which the business must incur in order to establish the business in the market (Lee, Sameen and Cowling 2015). The two most popular form of business which can be open are partnership form of business and private limited companies. A partnership form of business is a business where two or more parties cooperate together in order to run a business. In case of partnership the liability of the partners may be unlimited or limited as per the agreement in the Partnership deed (Allen and Kraakman 2016). Whereas in a Private Limited Company the shareholders are the owners of the company, however the company is operated by board of directors who are representatives of the shareholders of the company. The liability in a company is limited to the number of shares which is held by the shareholders of the company. Moreover, a company is regarded as a legal person whereas a partnership form of business does not enjoy such a right 9Burns 2016). Both the above forms of businesses require initial capital to start up the business and also long-term finances for smooth operation of the business. In case of partnership form of business, the various options of financing which are available are: Personal Savings: In a partnership form of business personal savings is an important source of finance. The partners of the firm contribute to the total capital of the firm and operates in a similar fashion whenever there is additional requirement of funds (Gbandi and Amissah 2014). In case of a startup partnership business, generally individuals resort to capital contributions which will be made by the partners of the firm to meet the start up cost of the business instead of taking a loan from banks. The amount which is contributed by the partners are the basis on which the profit which is earned by the firm is distributed among the partners unless otherwise agreed upon. Retained profits: The profits which are earned by the firm are reinvested in the business in many cases which is then used as reserves or retained earnings. However. such type of financing cannot be done in the initial years of the business but for long term financing purpose of the business (Fairfield and Jorratt De Luis 2016). This is the most productive type of financing as it does not create a burden on the business as in the case of debts and also the partners are not bringing in any capital into the business. Short term /Long term Bank loans: This is another mostly used source for financing of capital for the business. The partnership can take a loan as per the requirement of the business that is it can be short term as well as long term in nature. This source of financing can be used by the business at initial stages of the business and also in the pursuance of the long-term business objectives of the firm (Shin 2012). The financing which is done through bank loans can meet both the objectives which can be start up financing as well as long-term financing of the business. Additional Partner’s Capital: In many situation, there has been cases where the firm is requiring additional capital and the firm does not want to take a loan from banks then they use this technique. Whenever there is an admission of a new partner in the partnership firm, the individual brings in his share of capital for the purpose of investing in the firm and also determining the profit ratio which he is going to get. The additional capital which is brought by the new partners is used for financing purpose of projects and operation of the business. This type of financing is rarely used by firms as admission of a new partner means that the profit sharing ratio diminishes. However, it is commonly seen that a partnership business applies such techniques when a partner retires from a business so as to meet the capital requirements of the business. In case of a company form of business the most common sources of financing for a business are discussed below: Issue of Shares: The most important sources of financing for a business is through issue of shares which can be equity shares or preference share as per the requirement of the business. The company has the ability to issue shares in order to collect small amount of capital per share from potential investors (Engel and Stiebale 2014). The share capital as collected by the business is used in financing the projects of the company. Such sources of financing are useful in start up business as well as financing for the long-term business objectives. In addition to this, financing with share capital is a reliable source of financing for the business (Bobinaite and Tarvydas 2014). Bank Loan: This is another option which is available to the company which can be used for financing of the business. The company can take long- term as well as short term loans from banks for day to day operation of the business. However, lumpsum amount for loans as required by the company is not always available and the bank requires certain securities on the basis of which the bank will be allowing the loan to the company (Robb and Robinson 2014). In the startup phases of the business, company generally do not get any loan from the banks unless they provide ample amount of securities against the loan amount. Debentures: Another source of financing of the business is by issuing debentures for collecting capital. The capital which is collected with the issuance of debentures forms a part of the debt capital of the business. The capital which is collect by the use of debentures can also be used to finance projects and it can issued for collecting funds for start-up cost and also for long-term financial requirements of the business (Buigut et al. 2013). Retained Earnings. The company form of business also employs the concept of retained earnings. The company retains a part of the profit which is earned by the company during previous year and the business reinvest the profits in the business again (Serrasqueiro and Nunes 2012). The retain earnings method which is used by the business is known as plough back of profits in the business. Moreover, such method is advantageous to the company as it increases the internal strength of the company and makes the company financially strong. The retained earnings of the business depend on the amount of profit which was earned by the business in previous year. Moreover, the business cannot use such type of capital in start up financing of the business and has to resort to other means of sourcing of finance. Preference Share Source of Financing This refers to the funds which are raised by the business by issuing shares which are also known as equity (Elsas,   Flannery and Garfinkel 2014). Tis refers to the capital which is taken from a bank or financial institution This type of capital is similarly raised as equity sources of capital but such shares have rights of their own and are different from equity sources of capital (Gitman, Juchau and Flanagan 2015). This is regarded as own capital of the business This is regarded as borrowed capital of the business or also known as loan capital of the business. This also forms a part of the own capital of the business (Abdulsaleh and Worthington 2013). The risks which are associated with equity shares is high as equity shares are generally risky in nature (Bekaert and Harvey 2017). The risks which is associated with debts are low and debt capital are considered less risker than equity sources of capital. This type of shares are not as risky as equity shares but has certain risk factor. The return which is generated by equity share capital is in the form of dividends and such dividends depends on the profit which is earned by the company and also on the decision of the management. If the company is not earning profits than the company will not be paying any dividend. The return which is related to debt capital is interest which is fixed and regular in nature and generally depends on the agreement of debts of the business The return which is generated by such sources are fixed unlike equity sources of capital and they are need to be paid even if the company is earning losses. Thus, from the comparison of the above three sources of capital it can be said that the equity source of capital is very useful even though it is a risky source of capital. The consultancy business will be able to collect bulk amount of capital from equity sources and also there is no pressure of dividends in initial years even if the business earns losses. Abdulsaleh, A.M. and Worthington, A.C., 2013. Small and medium-sized enterprises financing: A review of literature.  International Journal of Business and Management ,  8(14), p.36. Ahrendsen, B.L. and Katchova, A.L., 2012. Financial ratio analysis using ARMS data.  Agricultural Finance Review,  72(2), pp.262-272. Al Karim, R. and Alam, T., 2013. An evaluation of financial performance of private commercial banks in Bangladesh: Ratio analysis.  Journal of Business Studies Quarterly,  5(2), p.65. Allen, W.T. and Kraakman, R., 2016.  Commentaries and cases on the law of business organization. Wolters Kluwer law & business. Babalola, Y.A. and Abiola, F.R., 2013. Financial ratio analysis of firms: A tool for decision making.  International journal of management sciences ,  1(4), pp.132-137. Bekaert, G. and Harvey, C., 2017. Emerging equity markets in a globalizing world. Bobinaite, V. and Tarvydas, D., 2014. Financing instruments and channels for the increasing production and consumption of renewable energy: Lithuanian case.  Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews,  38, pp.259-276. Brigham, E.F. and Houston, J.F., 2012.  Fundamentals of financial management . Cengage Learning. Buigut, K., Soi, N., Koskei, I. and Kibet, J., 2013. The effect of capital structure on share price on listed firms in Kenya. A case of energy listed firms.  European Journal of Business and Management ,  5(9), pp.29-35. Burns, P., 2016.  Entrepreneurship and small business. Palgrave Macmillan Limited. Delen, D., Kuzey, C. and Uyar, A., 2013. Measuring firm performance using financial ratios: A decision tree approach.  Expert Systems with Applications,  40(10), pp.3970-3983. Ehiedu, V.C., 2014. The impact of liquidity on profitability of some selected companies: The financial statement analysis (FSA) approach.  Research Journal of Finance and Accounting,  5(5), pp.81-90. Elsas, R., Flannery, M.J. and Garfinkel, J.A., 2014. Financing major investments: information about capital structure decisions.  Review of Finance,  18(4), pp.1341-1386. Engel, D. and Stiebale, J., 2014. Private equity, investment and financial constraints: firm-level evidence for France and the United Kingdom.  Small Business Economics,  43(1), pp.197-212. Fairfield, T. and Jorratt De Luis, M., 2016. Top income shares, business profits, and effective tax rates in contemporary Chile.  Review of Income and Wealth,  62(S1). Gbandi, E.C. and Amissah, G., 2014. Financing options for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Nigeria.  European Scientific Journal, ESJ,  10(1). Gitman, L.J., Juchau, R. and Flanagan, J., 2015.  Principles of managerial finance. Pearson Higher Education AU. Higgins, R.C., 2012.  Analysis for financial management. McGraw-Hill/Irwin. Lee, N., Sameen, H. and Cowling, M., 2015. Access to finance for innovative SMEs since the financial crisis.  Research policy,  44(2), pp.370-380. Robb, A.M. and Robinson, D.T., 2014. The capital structure decisions of new firms.  The Review of Financial Studies,  27(1), pp.153-179. Serrasqueiro, Z. and Nunes, P.M., 2012. Is age a determinant of SMEs' financing decisions? Empirical evidence using panel data models.  Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice,  36(4), pp.627-654. Shin, H.S., 2012. Global banking glut and loan risk premium.  IMF Economic Review,  60(2), pp.155-192.   Tehrani, R., Mehragan, M.R. and Golkani, M.R., 2012. A Model for Evaluating Financial Performance of Companies by Data Envelopment Analysis-A Case Study of 36 Corporations Affiliated with a Private Organization.  International Business Research,  5(8), p.8. Tugas, F.C., 2012. A Comparative Analysis of the Financial Ratios of Listed Firms Belonging to the Education Subsector in the Philippines for the Years 2009-2011.  International Journal of Business and Social Science,  3(21). Zeitun, R. and Tian, G., 2014. Capital structure and corporate performance: evidence from Jordan.

Healthcare Plan Issues Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

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Political Economy (Theories of Late Capitalism) Essay

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The success of the Singapore Education System Research Paper

The success of the Singapore Education System - Research Paper Example The lack of other natural resources left human resource as the only asset available for Singapore to achieve modern economy ambitions. These, therefore, left education as the only option for building both the economy and the nation through the delivery of human capital engine and in the creation of a sense of Singaporean identity. Nation building and the exploitation of the human resource was faced with a challenge of racial integration that sprouted as a result of the British colonial policies on education, language, and citizenship. In order to meet the needs, Singapore put a lot of focus in the education sector. According to the prime minister, the purpose of education at early days was to â€Å"provide a good man and a useful citizen†.This made the first phase of education which was dubbed â€Å"survival-driven† created in an attempt to expand the primary education and support the development of a literate and technically trained workforce. Schools that existed were merged into a single Singaporean education system, and a bilingual policy introduced so that children could learn their language as well as English. The expansion became so rampant that by early 1970, ’s universal primary and secondary education was attained, and a national system of public education established although the quality was not high. After the success of the first phase, the second phase of education based on shifting from the labor-intensive economy to capital and the skill-intensive economic country was formed.

Australian-Indian Relations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Australian-Indian Relations - Essay Example n this very arc of instability. As a result, Australia may be out of touch with the majority of issues in Southeast Asia, and because it has intervened but failed to cultivate these island nations toward a lasting peace, may have no bridge into the politics of South Asia or even the wonted East Asia region. From this perspective it may appear that Australia's relations with India and Pakistan are limited to the maximum. For decades, the reality has been just that, as the Cold War and Australia's association with the US have kept it at a distance from India. When India began testing nuclear weapons, it seems that Australia became even more opposed to deepening its relations with India due to India's failure to sign the non-proliferation treaty. However, India's relations with India at the present time due run much deeper than may be expected. For a brief period, the Australian government had agreed to supply India with uranium, which was an excellent deal for India considering Austral ia's vast holdings of uranium. Beyond simply cricket and uranium, the nations also shared a naval presence in the Indian Ocean as well as a shared diplomatic, economic, and political interest in the bulk of the Asian continent that lies to the east of India and to the northwest of Australia? region that neither country had given much attention to in decades past. Today, India's relationship with Australia falls into several areas. The first and foremost is a history of association with the British Empire, which in many ways paved the way for other aspects of the relationship. The English language is spoken in Australia, and probably spoken by even more people in India than the entire population of Australia combined. Furthermore, the two countries are the two largest democracies in the region surrounding East Asia, and particularly China as well as the Indian Ocean. Both have had growing ties with the United States during the years of the Bush administration and the War on Terror, a nd thus share many common military and defense goals? precursor for Australians brief increase of uranium supply for India. India and Australia are also economic partners, as both have strong and quickly developing economies. India, with its especially fast development, relies on Australia for the supply of raw materials, while Australia profits from such a supply and thus finds that its economy is strengthened by trade with India more than it is by other countries in South and Southeast Asia. Finally, India offers a democratic and secure alternative to trading with China, which has been known for nuclear proliferation. India and Australia also share an educational exchange, as many Indians look to Australia for English-speaking institutions of study, while Australians have sought to expand the existence of South Asian studies programs that focus on India. Indeed, the evidence exists to show that the relationship between India and Australia is one of note and great potential. The tw o countries recognize many common interests, and while they do not directly benefit one another's top agendas, they do have a mutually beneficial existence in regards to regional security, trade, immigration, education, and politics. Although these may be many aspects of an overall largely

William A. Shea and His Impact on New York Research Paper

William A. Shea and His Impact on New York - Research Paper Example He was honored by naming the stadium after him, and the team New York Mets played in the stadium for approximately 45 years (Wade 150). Shea had immense political connections as well as money in New York City, he weathered the pressure from the major league owners to come up with the third league after the Giants and Dodgers moved on. William Shea made significant contributions on the New York through making the Continental league a reality in the City. Moreover, Shea was revered for introducing a junior league that promoted the growth of talent in Baseball. Besides his career as a lawyer and huge interests in Baseball. Shea was involved in philanthropic activities. This paper discusses William A. Shea and his contributions toward New York. Discussion William A. Shea was born in Washington Heights in Manhattan on June 21, 1907. Shea attended various public schools after which he studied at New York University on a sports scholarship for basketball. Later, he transferred on another sp orts scholarship to Georgetown University. In 1931, Shea was admitted to the bar at District of Columbia after which he joined the New York bar (Margolick). While in New York University, Georgetown University and Harvard Law School, Shea had a huge interest in Basketball and was a team member in these institutions. Shea graduated from the Harvard law school and worked for insurance bureaucracies after which he entered into private practice. As a lawyer, Shea garnered political influence by working voluntarily on influential boards in Brooklyn. In his legal career, Shea was a lawyer who was trusted by powerful men due to his efficiency (Margolick). Career as a Lawyer Shea held close ties with political bigwigs although he never held an elective office (Margolick). Moreover, Shea was on numerous occasions cited bragging that he had never practiced his profession in a conventional sense. Nevertheless, his career, which spanned for a period of five decades, was a period when Shea became a confidant of mayors, governors and corporate chieftains. These ties enabled him to build Shea & Gould, which is New York’s most influential and largest law firm. Shea and Gould clients included the Apple, The Mets and The Yankees among others. For a large part of his career, Shea maneuvered around banquet halls and boardrooms and was only brought to a public role when the New York Mayor enlisted his help to return the league to its glory (Margolick). Shea obtained New York’s baseball franchise via a combination of street smarts, threats, bluffs and charm that he was particularly suited in given his career as a lawyer, and not as a zealous sports fan. Moreover, his credentials may have been ridden with official appointments, encomiums, affiliations and awards but they omitted his important attribute of bringing people’s interests together (Margolick). Caliendo(2010, 18) highlights that Shea was a power broker with huge experience and spent 40 years turning sit uations facing bankers, realtors, underwriters corporate heads, cement barons, sports impresarios and politicians into profitable cases. Moreover, Shea was labeled as the unofficial chairperson of the unofficial government, who had spent a significant part of his career laboring quietly in political twilight between the public good and private interest. Shea had survived many regimes at the Shea Stadium from the reign of Casey Stengel to the reign of Bud Harrelson and during the opening days of the leagues, he presented a flowery horseshoe to the manager as Mets. Similarly, he survived many political vicissitudes during his career at the City Hall. He became a close confidant of Mayors John Lindsay, Abraham Beame

BUSINESS ETHIC POSITION PAPER Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

BUSINESS ETHIC POSITION PAPER - Essay Example Ethics are not related to feelings of right and wrong nor are they related to a particular religion. They are not defined by law and they are not based upon the norms of a given culture group. Finally, ethics are not based upon scientific evidence of what constitutes ‘right’ or ‘wrong’. In order to try to determine what constitutes the concept of ‘ethics’, there are five general ethical standards by which one can compare personal and group ethics in prioritizing responsibilities. While corporation leaders have a responsibility to the shareholders who have entrusted them with their company, they also have a responsibility to their stakeholders, the common good of the people within the communities in which they work. From the viewpoint of three ethical standards, it is clear that the corporation must maintain a level of responsibility toward both their shareholders and their stakeholders if they wish to conduct business ethically. In general, most people understand corporate social responsibility as referring to the practice of corporate investment in community related projects, often projects that will bring no direct, quantifiable benefit to the corporation itself. In respect to these types of practices, it is often argued that the corporation is acting irresponsibly toward its shareholders when it elects to invest corporate funds into charities that do not directly benefit the shareholders themselves. â€Å"The company’s owners – its shareholders – can certainly donate their own assets to charities that promote causes they believe in †¦ But it would be irresponsible for the management and directors of a company, whose stock these investors purchased, to deploy corporate assets for social causes† (Atkins, 2006). Because shareholders don’t have direct control over how these funds are spent, which charities they contribute to or how much they wish to invest,

William A. Shea and His Impact on New York Research Paper

William A. Shea and His Impact on New York - Research Paper Example He was honored by naming the stadium after him, and the team New York Mets played in the stadium for approximately 45 years (Wade 150). Shea had immense political connections as well as money in New York City, he weathered the pressure from the major league owners to come up with the third league after the Giants and Dodgers moved on. William Shea made significant contributions on the New York through making the Continental league a reality in the City. Moreover, Shea was revered for introducing a junior league that promoted the growth of talent in Baseball. Besides his career as a lawyer and huge interests in Baseball. Shea was involved in philanthropic activities. This paper discusses William A. Shea and his contributions toward New York. Discussion William A. Shea was born in Washington Heights in Manhattan on June 21, 1907. Shea attended various public schools after which he studied at New York University on a sports scholarship for basketball. Later, he transferred on another sp orts scholarship to Georgetown University. In 1931, Shea was admitted to the bar at District of Columbia after which he joined the New York bar (Margolick). While in New York University, Georgetown University and Harvard Law School, Shea had a huge interest in Basketball and was a team member in these institutions. Shea graduated from the Harvard law school and worked for insurance bureaucracies after which he entered into private practice. As a lawyer, Shea garnered political influence by working voluntarily on influential boards in Brooklyn. In his legal career, Shea was a lawyer who was trusted by powerful men due to his efficiency (Margolick). Career as a Lawyer Shea held close ties with political bigwigs although he never held an elective office (Margolick). Moreover, Shea was on numerous occasions cited bragging that he had never practiced his profession in a conventional sense. Nevertheless, his career, which spanned for a period of five decades, was a period when Shea became a confidant of mayors, governors and corporate chieftains. These ties enabled him to build Shea & Gould, which is New York’s most influential and largest law firm. Shea and Gould clients included the Apple, The Mets and The Yankees among others. For a large part of his career, Shea maneuvered around banquet halls and boardrooms and was only brought to a public role when the New York Mayor enlisted his help to return the league to its glory (Margolick). Shea obtained New York’s baseball franchise via a combination of street smarts, threats, bluffs and charm that he was particularly suited in given his career as a lawyer, and not as a zealous sports fan. Moreover, his credentials may have been ridden with official appointments, encomiums, affiliations and awards but they omitted his important attribute of bringing people’s interests together (Margolick). Caliendo(2010, 18) highlights that Shea was a power broker with huge experience and spent 40 years turning sit uations facing bankers, realtors, underwriters corporate heads, cement barons, sports impresarios and politicians into profitable cases. Moreover, Shea was labeled as the unofficial chairperson of the unofficial government, who had spent a significant part of his career laboring quietly in political twilight between the public good and private interest. Shea had survived many regimes at the Shea Stadium from the reign of Casey Stengel to the reign of Bud Harrelson and during the opening days of the leagues, he presented a flowery horseshoe to the manager as Mets. Similarly, he survived many political vicissitudes during his career at the City Hall. He became a close confidant of Mayors John Lindsay, Abraham Beame

Explain the Sequence and Rate of Each Aspect of Development Essay Example for Free

Explain the Sequence and Rate of Each Aspect of Development Essay Holistic development: The first month Physical development The gross motor skills that the baby of 0-1 month old will develop is that the baby lies supine (on his or her back) and the fine motor skills will be the baby turns his or her head towards the light and stares at bright or shiny objects. Communication and language development Babies need to respond to sounds, especially familiar voices. And babies need to share language experiences and cooperate with others from birth onwards. From the start babies need other people. Intellectual development Babies explore through their senses and through their own activity and movement. Touch From the beginning babies feel pain. Sound Even a new born baby will turn to a sound. The baby might become still and listen to a low sound, or quicken his or her movements when he or she hears a high sound. Taste The baby likes sweet tastes, e. g. breast milk. Smell The baby turns to the smell of the breast. Sight The baby can focus on objects 20cm away. Emotional and social development A baby’s first smile in definite response to carer is usually around 3-6 weeks. Also the baby often imitates certain facial expressions. This is showing that the baby is starting to develop being able to respond to different things. Holistic development: from one to four months Physical development Some of the gross motor skills that the babies develop from four to eight weeks are: the baby can now turn from side to back, and can also lift its head briefly from the prone position. Some of the fine motor skills that the babies develop from four to eight weeks are; the baby turns its head towards the light and stares at bright or shiny objects. Some of the gross motor skills the baby develops form eight to twelve weeks are; when lying supine, the baby’s head is in a central position and it can also lift its head and chest off a bed in prone position, supported on forearms. Some of the fine motor skills the baby develops from eight to twelve weeks are; the baby moves his or her head to follow adult movements and the baby watches his or her hands and plays with his or her fingers. Communication and language development From four to eight weeks the baby recognises the carer and familiar objects, makes non-crying noises such as cooing and gargling and then moves on to often sucking or licking its lips when he or she hears the sound of food in preparation. From eight to twelve weeks the baby is still distressed by sudden loud noises and often sucks or licks its lips when he or she hears the sound of food in preparation. Intellectual development The baby recognises differing speech sounds and by three months the baby can even imitate low or high pitched sounds. Emotional and social development The baby will smile in response to an adult and the baby enjoys sucking. Then the baby shows enjoyment at caring routines such as bath time. Holistic development from four to six months Physical development Some of the gross motor skills; the baby is beginning to use a palmar grasp and can transfer objects from hand to hand. It is very interested in all activity and everything is taken to the mouth. Some of the fine motor skills; the baby now has good head control and is beginning to sit with support. It can roll over from back to side and is beginning to reach for objects. And when supine the baby plays with his or her own feet. Communication and language development The baby becomes more aware of others so he or she communicates more and more. As the baby listens, he or she imitates sounds he or she can her and reacts to the tone of someone’s voice. For example, the baby might become upset by an angry tone, or cheered by a happy tone. Intellectual development By four months the baby reaches for objects, which suggest they recognise and judge the distance in relation to the size of the object. The baby prefers complicated things to look at from five to six months and enjoys bright colours. The baby also knows that he or she has one mother. The baby is disturbed if he or she is shown several images of his or her mother at the same time. The baby realises that people are permanent before they realise that objects are. Emotional and social development The baby shows trust and security and has recognisable sleep patterns. Holistic development from six to nine months Some of the gross motor skills; the baby can roll from front to back. He or she may attempt to crawl but will often end up sliding backwards. Also the baby may grasp their feet and place them in his or her mouth. Some of the fine motor skills; the baby is very alert to people and objects. The baby is beginning to use a pincer grasp with thumb and finger, and can transfer toys from one hand to the other and looks for fallen objects. Communication and language development Babble becomes tuneful, like the lilt of the language the baby can hear. They become to understand words like ‘up’ and ‘down’, raising their arms to be lifted up and using appropriate gestures. The baby may also be able to repeat sounds. Intellectual development The baby understands signs, e. g. the bib means that food is coming. From eight to nine months the baby shows that he or she knows objects exist when they have gone out of sight, even under test conditions. This is called the concept of object constancy, or the object permanence test (Piaget). The baby is also fascinated by the way objects move. Emotional and social development The baby can manage to feed him- or herself using his or her fingers. They are now more wary of strangers, sometimes showing stranger fear. For example if a stranger comes close to the baby and it moves away towards another person, this shows that the baby is fearful of strangers and gains security from the person it moves to. Also the baby might show distress when his or her mother leaves. For example if the mother leaves the room and the baby starts crying, then this shows that the baby feels insecure when the mother is out of sight. Holistic development from nine to twelve months Physical development Gross motor skills; the baby will now be mobile- may be crawling, bear-walking, bottom shuffling or even walking. The baby can sit up on his or her own and lean forward to pick things up. Also the baby may crawl upstairs and onto low items of furniture and may even bounce in rhythm to music. Fine motor skills; the baby’s pincer grasp is now well developed and he or she can pick things up and pull them towards him or her. The baby can poke with one finger and will point to desired objects. They can also clasp hands and imitate adults’ actions. Communication and language development The baby can follow simple instructions e. g. kiss teddy. Word approximations appear e. g. ‘hee haw’ to indicate a donkey, or more typically ‘mumma’, ‘dadda’ and ‘bye-bye’ in English speaking contexts. Also the tuneful babble develops into ‘jargon’ and the baby makes his or her voice go up and down just as people do when they talk to each other. Intellectual development The baby is beginning to develop images. Memory develops and the baby and remember the past. The baby can anticipate the future. This give it some understanding of routine daily sequences, e. g. after a feed, changing, and a sleep with teddy. Also the baby imitates actions, sounds, gestures and moods after an event is finished, e. g. imitate a temper tantrum he or she saw a friend have the previous day, wave bye-bye remembering Grandma has gone to the shops. Emotional and social development The baby enjoys songs and action rhymes, still likes to be near to a familiar adult but will also play alone for long periods of time. Spiritual aspects of a baby’s development Even a tiny baby experiences a sense of self, and values people who are loved by them. Spiritually is about the developing sense of relationship with self, relating to others ethically, morally and humanly and a relationship with the universe. The baby can drink from a cup with help, and shows definite likes and dislikes at mealtimes and bedtimes. Also the baby will start to cooperate when being dressed and likes to look at him- or herself in a mirror (plastic safety mirror). Holistic development from one to two years Physical development Gross motor skills (15 months); the baby probably walks alone now, with feet wide apart and arms raised to maintain balance. He or she is likely to fall over and often sit down suddenly. The baby can also probably manage stairs and steps, but will need supervision. Gross motor skills (18 months); the child walks confidently and is able to stop without falling. The child can also kneel, squat, climb and carry things around with him or her. Fine motor skills (15months); the baby can build with a few bricks and arrange toys on the floor, can hold a crayon in palmar grasp and turns several pages of a book at once, and can also point to a desired object. Fine motor skills (18 months); the child can thread large beads, build a tower of several cubes and uses a pincer grasp to pick up small objects. Communication and language development The child begins to talk with words or sign language, and by 18 months, the child enjoys trying to sing as well as to listen to songs and rhymes. Action songs (e. g. ‘pat-a-cake’) are much loved. Intellectual development The child understands the names of objects and can follow simple instructions, the child also learns about other things through trial and error. Emotional and social development The child begins to have a longer memory and develops a sense of identity (I am me). Also the child expresses his or her needs in words and gestures and enjoys being able to walk, and is eager to try to get dressed – ‘Me do it! ’ Holistic development from two to three years Physical development Gross motor skills; the child is very mobile, can run safely and can climb up onto furniture. The child can walk up and downstairs, usually two feet to a step. The child then moves on to being able to jump from a low step, walk backwards and sideways and can stand and walk on his or her tiptoes and stand on one foot. In my workplace all of the children this age are able to do all of these things. But the girls are all more developed than the boys. For example, with have a boy that is three years of age, and a girl that’s the same. The girl is able to write her name, speak fluently, help other children who aren’t as well developed as her and she even tells me when someone is doing something wrong. Whereas the boy can hardly speak yet, and when he does no one can understand what he’s saying. Michael Gurian, a noted educator and author, has shown through research that â€Å"hard-wiring and socialized gender differences affect how boys and girls learn. † Simply put, male and female brains are equal but different. â€Å"Boys use the right hemisphere more, and girls the left,† (Gurian, M. 2007) Fine motor skills; the child can draw circles, lines and dots using preferred hand. The child can pick up tiny objects using a fine pincer grasp. The child then moves on to being able to build tall towers of bricks or blocks and can control a pencil using thumb and first two fingers (a dynamic tripod grasp).

Ticket Booking Indian Railways

Ticket Booking Indian Railways South Central Railway was formed on 2nd October, 1966 as the 9th zone of the Indian Railways. In its forty two years of committed service and path breaking progress, South Central Railway has grown to a modern system of mass transportation fulfilling the aspirations of the passengers/customers and carved a niche for itself in Indian Railways system. Strategically positioned in the southern peninsula, this dynamic organization with its headquarters at Secunderabad serves the economically vibrant state of Andhra Pradesh, Parts of Maharashtra, Madya Pradesh and Tamilnadu. From the days of steam hauled locomotives and wooden plank seats, South Central Railway has come a long way modernizing its system with the state of the art high powered Diesel and Electric Locomotives, high speed telescopic Passenger Coaches, and higher axle load wagons, higher capacity track in all important routes, multiple aspect color light signaling with solid state inter locking, and micro wave digital communication system etc. Over the years, South Central Railway has attained sufficient transportation output with adequate infrastructure development and technological upgrading to serve the regions in its jurisdiction. Safe operation of trains, expansion of net work, modern Passenger amenities, Punctuality of trains, courteous service and cleanliness in stations and trains remain always the thrust areas of this Railway. Being a service oriented organization, South Central Railway provided Computerized Passenger Reservation System at 85 Stations/locations covering 96% of the berths available. In the a rena of information dissemination to the rail customers, it has provided Inter-active Voice Response System (IVRS) for Reservation and train enquiry, National Train Enquiry System (NTES) for real time information on movement of trains, Passenger Operated Enquiry Terminals (POET) with information on availability of accommodation and confirmation and Close Circuit Television (CCTV) for real time reservation avail ability status at all important stations in its system. For mass movement of freight, S.C.Railway has introduced high horse powered Diesel and Electric Locomotives and high speed, higher Axle load Box-N-Wagons. Today, South Central Railway plays a pivotal role as a catalyst for agricultural and industrial development in the Southern peninsula apart from fostering the growth of trade and commerce including import/export through ports by connecting sea ports with their hinder land and inland containerdepots. Its reliable and comfortable Passenger Services for long and short distance travel by way introducing many super fast and intercity trains helps transform the society by catering their personal, business, educational and tourism purposes. Milestones South Central Railway was formed on 2nd October, 1966 by grouping Vijayawada and Hubli Divisions of Southern Railway and Secuderabad and Solapur Division of Central Railway. Jurisdictional adjustments were made in October, 1977 by merging Guntakal Division of the Southern Railway with South Central Railway and transferring Solapur Division back to Central Railway. Secunderabad Division was bifurcated in February, 1978 into two Divisions Secunderabad and Hyderabad to facilitate effective operational and administrative control. On 1st April, 2003, the newly formed Guntur and Nanded Divisions of South Central Railway became operational and Hubli Division was transferred to the newly formed South Western Railway. Presently, South Central Railway has six Divisions Viz., Secunderabad, Hyderabad, Vijayawada, Guntur, Guntakal and Nanded with 5752 Route KMs of which 1604 RKms are electrified. After its inception, SC.Railway laid 342.805 RKMs of new lines, converted 2676.19 RKMs from MG to BG and carried out doubling of track on 1272.453 RKms, constructed many major river bridges including the engineering marvels Viz., II Godavari Bridge and III Godavari Bridges at Rajahmundry. Towards customer Satisfaction, it had established the Computerized Passenger Reservation Systems at 85 Stations/locations and offer reservation by any train from any station in the Country. For gaining efficiency in freight operations, SCR established Freight Operations Information System (FOIS) in its jurisdiction and has already introduced Rack Management Systems at 23 Stations and Terminal Management System at 31 Stations. Its Passenger and Freight performance has met with stupendous leaps forward. The freight loading which was only 9.00 million tons in the year of its inception, i.e., 1966 has seen a quantum jump and touched 44.79 Million tons in the financial year 2003-2004. Passenger transport too has met with tremendous growth touching 195.65 millions in the year 2003-2004 as against 50 millions in the year of inception and the gross earnings from Rs. 58.00 Cr. to 3683.00 Cr in the year 2003-2004. Purposes: Alvesson (1996) claims that a situational approach enables leadership to be viewed and studied as a practical accomplishment (p. 476) rather than starting with a conceptualization of leadership as whatever the appointed leader does. This approach seems particularly well suited to networking professionals in which technical knowledge needs to be shared. In this project, I will explore how the booking system is made via wireless network without facing the hassles unlike standing in queue and tickets can be booked from any places or stations. In particular, I will focus on how online booking from the technical perspective members influence the direction of the team as well as the relationships and identities of individual members and the identity of the team as a unit, and how their interaction is enabled and constrained by social and cultural influences (e.g., organizational culture, national/ethnic culture, and gender). Such a study should give insights into the working standards of the Indian Railways, an organizational form that is rapidly gaining in popularity and acceptance. Also, the study will test the usefulness of a perspective (the situational approach) that is underdeveloped in the leadership literature. Background: I will conduct my study in a team that is restricted within a particular Division within the City Council. IRCTC has several online reservation counters, each of which is responsible for online ticket booking within one geographical section of the city. This particular team includes four men and a woman. Three of the men are in their thirties and one in his early 50s; the woman is in her thirties. They are assigned to an area around City. They start each day with a brief (15-45 minute meeting) on an agreed upon site, often just gathering around the back of a truck for their meeting. I will attend these three mornings a week for four weeks, and will stay on to observe their work for approximately 20 hours during the four week period. My primary focus will be on their interaction in meetings, although I will also observe (and perhaps enquires about) interactions during their other work. Scope: I will engage in participant-observation over a six-week period, for approximately four hours per week. I will typically observe the morning meetings and stay for an hour or so to observe their other work. On some days I may come at other times of the day for comparison. I will not schedule structured interviews, but will interview member staff at the reservation counters informally, as needed to clarify and provide insight into specific conversations. Theoretical framework: I will be guided most generally by the interpretive perspective, and more specifically by Indian Railways staff based situational approach. The interpretive perspective places the focus on interpreting the meanings and perspectives of cultural members, and how these meanings are negotiated (Trujillo, 1992). I am exploring the meanings the sales staff and customers have for themselves as individuals and for their relationships, as well as the meanings sales staff have for the organization, group, and profession of which they are working 247. The situational approach directs me to choose one or a few specific interactions to explore in depth. Thus, an appropriate means of investigating the topic from this perspective is observation of conversation, plus interviewing the interact ants to understand the meanings they have for their symbolic interactions. Method: 1. Conduct a literature review on leadership and communication in SMTs. 2. Observe the group four hours per week for six weeks, focusing mostly on conversations at team meetings, especially those conversations in which the group addresses changes to their work processes and issues of team relationships and identity (ies). 3. Interview team members to clarify and provide insight into conversations. I will attempt to conduct these interviews shortly after conversations of interest. While the interviews will not be formal or structured, the kinds of questions I will ask include the following. The general strategy for the interviews is to start off with broad questions and follow up on the interviewees responses, to capture her or his meanings and to avoid imposing my meanings on the interviewee. a. Tell me about the conversation you just had with X. b. What were you thinking during the conversation? c. What do you think she/he was thinking? d. What do you think she/he was trying to do (or accomplish) in the conversation? e. What did you mean when you said, ? f. What were you thinking when you said that? g. What do you think she meant when she said ? h. When you think about what you did and said in that conversation, how would you describe yourself? 4. Undertake a situational analysis of the field notes and interview notes, guided. 5. Write a research report that combines my understanding of the relevant theory and previous research with the results of my empirical research. Timetable: Prepare proposal by 15 October Complete literature review by 30 October Complete fieldwork by 10 November Complete analysis by 20 November Give presentation on 4 January Complete final report by 12 January Limitations: Time constraints of the semester require less time than may be ideal for an ethnographic study. By being in the organization for only four hours a week for five weeks, there are bound to be aspects of leadership practice, organizational culture and team communication that will not be revealed during my observations. Being an outsider may also limit what is revealed to me. The team members may be guarded in their conversations around me, especially in my initial observations. Delimitations: I am choosing not to observe multiple teams, even though such comparisons might be valuable, in order to allow more depth of understanding regarding the group on which I will focus. Additionally, I will not use structured interviews in order to minimize my obtrusiveness and my influence on the team members. Literature Review: Indias Railway network being one of the second largest all over the globe and anybody can travel at anywhere places through the train services. However in terms of tourists who want to visit places do not have any special mode or medium whereby tickets could be booked easily. In most of the trains special seats are reserved for the tourists. Which simplifies that if all the seats are completely booked things are assured that this tourists get to seat till others havent booked up the seats (Bruyn, Venkatraman and Bain, 2006). This is one of the main information that needs consideration as any agent would not be able to book seats on anybodys behalf or can booked from the everyday booking window. The main challenge that lies in the reservation system is supporting a huge range of database for holding information. Indian Railways over years has been the most considered user of IT in India. When it was first introduced into the market computerized passenger traffic and accounting of rail ways, operating statistics, and payroll and inventory management was started through using computers paled at all regional zones (Kamel, 2006). The Computer based Passenger Reservation System (PRS) was introduced by Central for Railway Information System (CRIS) whereby passengers had the privilege of booking tickets through PRS which were found in all major terminals who have their own local database. In this kind of circumstances reservations only covered trains that departed from local terminals. But in the later phase when CRIS introduced Country Wide Enhanced Reservation and Ticketing System (CONCERT) that was developed with the intention to connect five passenger reservation centers from any station or terminal of the Indian Railways so that reserved tickets could be provided from any reservation counter (Kamel, 2006). Later all the PRS were attached together where by the system would have the capability of handling a higher volume of reservation every day. It was one of the mo st aspiring initiatives by the Indian Railways that reduced the passengers time in terms of being held up at the queue for a long period of time. But situations have shown that till now passengers need to move to the station to book their railway tickets. In India since train is considered as one of the most convenient mode of communication so information regarding bookings, train availability, journey fares, accommodation availability and reservation of tickets is the crucial factor for the general mass. Earlier methods like enquiry at the help desk counter, information gathering through TV or through radio were the methods used earlier. In due later phase when internet booking and ticketing services through the e-commerce channel it gathered sufficient interest to the general public. In this regard IRTC in collaboration to CRIS launched its wholly owned website (www.irctc.co.in). This venture changed the whole image of Indian Railways ticket booking system. This helped passengers to get hold of their tickets from the departure station to the destination station without facing the hassles standing in long queue at the railway booking counters. Any passenger at this point of time can visit the website at get their desired information regarding train timings and ticket availability. Later on getting the train details and the suitability in terms of travelling tickets they just needed to fill in the online application form which contained about the details of the journey. During the payment stage the user was transferred to a suitable payment gateway where they need to furnish the details of their debit/credit card at it was certified by the VeriSign. When the transaction was completed the passenger would receive an e-mail that contained the Passenger Name Record (PNR). In this new technological world Indian Railways are considerably looking to get started with the new technological phase of wireless technology. In the discussion as embarked that mobile services has been picking up on a massive scale for the last couple of years. In todays date around 7 million text messages are sent by Indian counterparts everyday life and nearly 80% of Indians use the facility of SMS in major counterparts (Dutta and Shridhar, 2004). Most of the service providers in India have upgraded their mobile technology from 2G to 3G service which has processing speed of high data connection mechanism. Nowadays mobile handsets have the facility of GPRS and WAP that are flooded in Indian markets. With respect to matching and catching up with this technological advancement IRCTC introduced the option of ticket booking via mobile handsets. In present scenario tickets can be booked via mobile phone through voice recognition system. This proved flexibility in terms of passengers w ho could get hold of the tickets of any places sitting in any corner of the world. The project implementation of online ticket booking through internet and telephone prompted other service providers like telecom industries and broadband service providers to enable the payment process through their own systems. Through this project it has shown that if consumers are provided the much needed comfort and flexibility depending on the indented products or service that would sell, consumers are always likely to adapt the technology in other horizons. The Electronic Ticket system (ETS) is specifically designed software through which passengers would have the flexibility through which railway tickets could be purchased through usage of smartcard. In this the payment is made via wireless network with the connecting computer system at the Railway Company which is itself connected through clearing house and a trust centre (Wieringa, 2003).