Small and Medium Scale Mining

PROJECT TOPICÂ   :Â  SMALL AND MEDIUM SCALE ENTERPRISES DEVELOPMENT IN NIGERIA (A Case Study of Cassava Processing Industry) PROJECT PROPOSAL BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY Interest in the development of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and their contribution in the development process continue to be in the forefront of policy debates in developing countries.The advantages claimed for SMEs are various, including: the encouragement of entrepreneurship; the greater likelihood that SMEs will utilise labour intensive technologies and thus have an immediate impact on employment generation; they can usually be established rapidly and put into operation to produce quick returns. SME development can encourage the process of both inter- and intra-regional decentralisation; and, they may well become a countervailing force against the economic power of larger enterprises.More generally the development of SMEs is seen as accelerating the achievement of wider economic and socio-economic objec tives, including poverty alleviation. Staley and Morse (1965) identify a ‘developmental approach’ to SME promotion which has as its objective the creation of ‘economically viable enterprises which can stand on their own feet without perpetual subsidy and can make a positive contribution to the growth of real income and therefore to better living levels’.This approach emphasises the importance of efficiency in new SMEs. Small producers must be encouraged to adopt new methods, move into new lines of production and in the long-run, wherever feasible, they should be encouraged to become medium- or even large-scale producers. The presidential Initiative on Cassava Production and Export has increased the awareness amongst Nigerians of the industrial crop, popularly referred to as the ‘new black gold’.Started in July 2004, the initiative seeks to generate $5 billion in export revenue. Fortunately, Nigeria, according to the Food and Agricultural Organi sation, FAO, in its 2004 report, is currently the largest producer of cassava in the world at 34 million tons yearly, but with a poor yield of an average of 10 tons per hectare over an estimated cultivated land size of three million hectares.Nigeria is closely followed by Brazil and Thailand, which have a capacity to produce 24 million tons and 20 million tons and a yield of 13. 6 tons per hectare and 19. 4 tons per hectare respectively. Unfortunately, experts at the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture, IITA, Ibadan, Oyo State, believe that up to half of the harvested cassava is wasted by production and post-harvest inefficiencies while the rest is consumed as food.Brazil and Thailand, which rarely consume the cassava products directly, have fully developed the cassava industry for the export market. | | Nigeria should not focus on the exportation of cassava but develop the enormous local and regional markets for cassava that exist in the country, West African sub-regio n and Africa as a whole rather than start exporting the industrial raw material to Europe. Nigerians should be encouraged to add value and process them for industrial application.The main thrust of this research work shall focus on the development of small and medium scale enterprises in the cassava processing industry justifying the need for agro-processing industries that convert cassava fresh tubers into primary cassava-based commodities that are tradable in domestic and international markets. STATEMENT OF THE RESEARCH PROBLEM The Small Scale Industry is acknowledged to have huge potential for employment generation and wealth creation in any economy. Yet in Nigeria, the sector has stagnated and remains relatively small in terms of its contribution to GDP or to gainful employment.Activity mix in the sector is also quite limited – dominated by import dependent processes and factors. Although there is no reliable data, imprecise indicators show that capacity utilization in th e sector has improved perceptibly in the period since 1999, but the sector is still faced with a number of constraints with lack of credit availability as the principal constraint. Credit is the largest element of risk in the books of most banks and failures in the management of credit risk have led to the weakening individual banks and in some cases the banking system as a whole, have contributed, to many episodes of financial instability.OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY The main purpose of this study is to identify and consequently analyze the most effective and efficient way through which small scale enterprises could be financed and promoted, thereby taking into consideration various conditions such as economic, political, social, psychological e. t. c under which small-scale enterprises are encouraged to operate with particular reference to the cassava processing industry in Nigeria. In so doing, the researcher intends giving an in-depth information and analysis on the various strategie s through which small-scale enterprises can be developed and encouraged.In view of the above, the researcher intends to find out the following: (i) The role played by government towards promotion and development of small-scale enterprises in Nigeria. (ii) To identify the economic potential of small-scale enterprises in the cassava processing industry. (iii) To identify the constraints confronting the development of small-scale enterprises in the cassava processing industry in Nigeria. (iv) To examine the financial support given to SMEs in Nigeria. RESEARCH QUESTIONS The study would examine the following questions: 1.What role does the government play in the promotion and development of small-scale enterprises in the cassava processing industry in Nigeria? 2. What impact do small and medium scale enterprises make to Nigeria’s economic growth? 3. What are the constraints confronting the development of small-scale enterprises in the cassava processing industry in Nigeria? 4. Wha t is the trend of the financial support given to SMEs in Nigeria? RESEARCH METHODOLOGY AND SOURCES OF DATA The two main research methods to be used are survey research and content analysis.Survey research method is used to study variables and their relationship as related to human observation and opinions about their experience as it concerns the subject matter of study. Interview schedules shall be applied to some operators while the questionnaire schedule shall be applied to some small-scale entrepreneurs. The data, which would be collected from the questionnaire, will be analysed using the simple percentage method and chi-square, goodness of fit. This will make the analysis of the data more concise and simple. SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS OF STUDY This research covers the area of promoting small and medium scale enterprises n the cassava processing industry, paying attention to the role of the government and other external factors that can affect positively the development of small and medium scale enterprises in Nigeria. The research intends to study the essential problems encountered by small and medium scale operators in the cassava processing industry and suggest ways by which they can be adequately and efficiently financed and promoted. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY Small and medium scale enterprises in Africa rely largely on own savings, not only to grow but also to innovate.Firms often need real services support and formal finance assistance, failing which under-investment in long term capabilities (training and R & D) may result, (Oyelaran, 2003). Besides finance, there are critical elements (including: knowledge, skills and experience of staff; capacity and quality of internal facilities; information and knowledge of market; intellectual and managerial leadership; external infrastructure and the incentive system at the micro and macro levels) that are lacking within technology support institutions themselves.These undermine the effectiveness of their support to SMEs. This study is significant because it would help to evaluate the operations of a vital segment of the industrial sector – small and medium scale industries, which have been identified as having very high potential in promoting economic growth and development. The evaluation shall be done with special focus on the small and medium operators in the cassava processing industry in Nigeria thereby adding to the existing literature on the subject matter.OUTLINE OF CHAPTERS In Chapter one, which is the introductory part; the background of the study, the statement of the research problem, the objectives of the study and the methodology to be adopted shall be discussed. Chapter two will deal with the literature review. The methodology analysis and theoretical framework shall be examined in chapter three.Data presentation, analysis and interpretation will be covered in chapter four while the concluding part of the research work will be chapter five where in a nutshell the summa ry, the conclusion and the recommendations would be discussed. REFERENCES Staley E. and Morse R. (1965) Modern Small-Scale Industry for Developing Countries. London: McGraw-Hill Publishing. Oyelaran O. (2003) Financing and Development of Small-sale industries in Nigeria. Central Bank of Nigeria Economic and Financial Review. 24(4), December.

Abstracts Xue Chen Simulink Book Wiley

Starting from introducing various MUTUAL windows and on-line help facilities, the fundamentals of MAT LAB programming including data types, statements and matrix representation are explained first allowed by matrix manipulations, such as algebraic computation, logical and relationship expressions and data conversion. Then, flow charts in MAT LAB programming is illustrated, including loop structures, conditional structures, switches and trial structures.MUTUAL function programming and pseudo code processing are covered together with two-dimensional and three- dimensional graphics and visualization techniques. MATT_ABA graphical user interface (GIG) technique sues are explained so that the readers will gain new GUI programming skills to design user-friendly interfaces. Finally, programming kills for delivering high speed, high efficiency codes are introduced with special emphasis on commonly used tips, vectored programming methodology and MIX programming fundamentals for mixed-language programming.Exercises and chapter references cited are included. Programming, data types, program flow control, functions, matrix operations, GIG, code efficiency, vectored programming techniques, MIX (mixed-language) programming. Chapter-03 MUTUAL Applications in Scientific Computations This chapter covers both numerical computation and analytical problem solutions with MAT LAB. Topical parts included in this long chapter are linear algebra, calculus, ordinary differential equation, optimization, and data and signal processing.First, a general discussion about analytical solutions and numerical solutions to mathematical problems is presented with a dedicated argument why using numerical methods. We then start by first explain and illustrate how to solve various linear algebra problems, including the input of special matrices, matrix analysis, similarity transformation, decomposition, generally problems, algebraic equation solutions and matrix function evaluations. It is demonstrat e that the use of MAT LAB in the solution of linear algebra problems is very straightforward and reliable.How to solve calculus related problems in MAT LAB is presented next which includes numerical solutions to difference, differentiation, integration and multiple integral problems, as well as analytical (symbolic) ways in solving certain classes of calculus problems. Then, it comes to the fundamentals of dynamical system simulation techniques that are mainly based on numerical solutions to ordinary differential equations in MAT LAB via numerous examples to illustrate how to solve stiff differential equations, implicit differential equations, stochastic differential equations and differential algebraic equations.Integral transform methods and analytical solutions of differential equations are also dealt with. In particular, the numerical inverse Lovelace transform technique is introduced for solving some complicated differential equations. In the numerical solution methods in optim ization problems, a universal nonlinear equation solver is presented, for finding with ease the possible multiple solutions to nonlinear equations, together with other approaches.Unconstrained optimization problems are explored, followed by inner programming problems and quadratic programming problems as well as ordinary nonlinear programming problems. Dynamic programming techniques and their use in path planning problem applications are discussed as well in a separate section. Finally, this chapter ends with a section introducing data and signal processing methods, including one- and two dimensional interpolation problems and least squares curve fitting problems, data sorting, pseudo random number generating, fast Fourier series transformation and spectrum analysis.Exercises and chapter references cited are included. Key. Fords: linear algebra, numerical and symbolic calculus, ordinary differential equation, numerical inverse Lovelace transform, optimization, dynamic programming, c urve fitting, data interpolation, random numbers, signal processing Chapter-04 Mathematical Modeling and Simulation with Simulating This chapter opens with a historical recall of the evolution of Simulating and a simple explanation of the basic idea of Simulating. This chapter is prepared for those who have little to zero experience with Simulating.First, a brief introduction to various block libraries of Simulating is given, and some of the commonly used blocks are described. Basic manipulations of Simulating blocks such as rotating, connecting and block parameter modification, together with how to build Simulating models, are then introduced and illustrated at the mouse click level. TO grow the Simulating modeling skills, some essential tools are introduced, including the use of the model browser, model printing and simulation parameter settings. To put Simulating in actual use, modeling and simulation techniques are demonstrated with some detailed illustrative examples.Equipped w ith the necessary fundamental knowledge and prepared for more advanced modeling and simulation tasks, the readers are dead to learn linear system modeling and representation methods where L IT Viewer based linear system frequency domain analysis and numerical simulation methods are presented. Finally, simulation methods for continuous systems driven by stochastic inputs are discussed. Statistical analyses of simulation results are given such as probability density function, correlation and power spectral density of the signals in the systems with illustrative examples.Exercises and chapter references cited are included. Simulating modeling, Simulating library, Block-diagram manipulation, Linear time invariant (LIT), Frequency domain analysis, Time domain analysis, Stochastic signal Statistical analysis Correlation analysis Power spectrum analysis Chapter-SO Commonly Used Blocks and Intermediate-level Modeling Skills This chapter will take a closer examination of some commonly used S imulating blocks and their uses in Simulating modeling so in the end of this chapter, readers will be at the intermediate-level in Simulating modeling techniques.First covered is a simple example used to further demonstrate the model representation and modeling skills such as including vectored block modeling and model decoration techniques. Important problems such as the concept of algebraic loops and their elimination, and also the zero-crossing detection method are discussed. Then, Simulating modeling of linear multivariate systems is illustrated, where the L TTL block in the Control System Toolbox is recommended for simplifying the modeling process.Commonly used blocks important in Simulating modeling applications such as the lookup table and various switches are explored. General methods in constructing piecewise linear nonlinearities are introduced for both cases: memory's nonlinearities and nonlinearities with memories. Simulating modeling techniques for various kinds of diff erential equations are demonstrated in a dedicated section. These include ordinary differential equations, differential algebraic equations, delay differential equations, switching differential equations and even fractional-order (Nan-integer-order) differential equations.Simulation result visualization is essential in any simulation task so various visualization output blocks in Simulating are presented, such as scope output, workspace variable output and gauges output. More advanced Simulating output visualization methods are presented, including three- emotional animation methods with virtual reality techniques. Fundamental world modeling with VRRP is briefly introduced as well, and the VRRP models driven by MUTUAL and Simulating output are discussed. Finally, subsystem modeling is introduced using subsystem masking techniques.An illustrative example of Simulating modeling of a complicated system is presented in detail. Exercises and chapter references cited are included. Algebra ic loop, L TTL blocks, Nonlinear blocks, differential algebraic equations, delay differential equations, switching differential equations, fractional-order differential equations, VRRP, World modeling, subsystem masking Chapter-06 Advanced Techniques in Simulating Modeling and Applications Simulating offers powerful direct graphical based programming-free methods to get system simulation tasks completed.In practice, since graphical methods have some limitations, it may be necessary to use command-line based modeling and design methods together with graphical methods. In this chapter, advanced techniques of command-line modeling and application are presented by first introducing how to use MAT LAB commands to create Simulating models. By command-line drawing techniques, complicated Simulating oodles can be created. Then, issues to note during the execution of Simulating models is introduced are discussed. Elimination techniques of nonlinear systems are also addressed.In particular, t he Pad ‘ e approximation to pure time delays is further discussed. It can be seen that not all the models can be constructed with Simulating graphical methods alone. Some of the complicated models can only be created and analyzed using MUTUAL commands. Thus, using a dedicated section, advanced techniques are presented for creating complicated models. S-function programming techniques will be presented ND illustrated and their use in simulation of automatic disturbance rejection control (DARK) systems will be demonstrated as a case study.Finally, command-line based optimal controller design technique with Simulating models is introduced, and optimal controller design methods for nonlinear plants are also presented as an advanced Simulating modeling application example. Exercises and chapter references cited are included. Elimination, Delay approximation, S-function programming, Masking S-function block, Automatic disturbance rejection control, Optimal controller design, Global optimization,Chapter-07 Modeling and Simulation Of Engineering Systems Simulating models can always be constructed since low-level Simulating blocks can be used to model any dynamical system with arbitrary complexity. However, for complex engineering (and non-engineering) system simulation tasks, this chapter explains, promotes and demonstrates the multi-domain physical modeling strategy advocated and implemented in Simulating. Many well-established and specialized blockades in various disciplines have been developed for use with Simulating. Some of the blockades have been developed and integrated in the Simple framework.This chapter dedicated the first section in introducing the concept of multi-domain physical modeling and an introduction to the Simple bollocks. Then, in detail, electrical system modeling with Comportment's and other blockades is addressed. The rest of the chapter covers the modeling and simulation of electronic systems, motor drive systems and mechanical systems with a lot of examples. Multi-domain physical modeling Simple, electrical system modeling, electronic systems, Spice circuit model, motor drive systems, mechanical systems, mechanical CAD model Chapter- 08 Modeling and Simulation of Non-Engineering SystemsThis chapter serves as a showcase to demonstrate that MUTUAL/Simulating can also be used directly in modeling and simulation of many non-engineering systems. There are also a lot of third-party programs and blockades developed by scholars worldwide. This chapter is only a small showcase chapter. First, modeling and simulation of pharmaceutics systems are presented. Compartment modeling is briefly introduced, and physiology based pharmaceutics modeling methods and nonlinear generalized predictive control of anesthetic processes are shown.Then, a dedicated section is included for MUTUAL/Simulating based image and video processing. Image Processing Toolbox and Computer Vision System Toolbox bollocks are also presented, and real-time v ideo processing systems are explored. In many non-engineering systems, the finite state machine concept is important. How to use Stateless to model and simulate complicated supervision problems is presented. Stateless also generalizes the capabilities of logical or switched systems modeling, and we show that this can be used to describe systems with loops of conditional processes.Finally, this chapter ends with a section on modeling and simulation of discrete event systems and a queuing system s used as an example to demonstrate the use of the Sentiments bollocks. pharmaceutics systems Compartment modeling predictive control image and video processing finite state machine concept Stateless switched systems Sentiments bollocks discrete event systems queuing system Chapter-09 Hardware-in-the-loop Simulation and Real-time Control Simulation is mostly numerical. However, simulation could be analog.Yet, in this chapter, we will show that the simulation can be partly numerical and partly analog. Including the dynamic plant in the loop of simulation, is referred to as a hardware-in-the-loop simulation. Since this kind of simulation s often performed in real-time, it is sometimes referred to as real-time simulation. This has been made very simple in MUTUAL/Simulating due to the Real-Timekeeper's provided by Metaphors that can translate the Simulating models into C code, and the standalone executable files can also be generated using this tool, so that real-time control can be performed.

Company/ individual report on roles and responsibilities Essay

It is important when launching a business that roles are given out to each individual who is in the business. This can be done for any ownership weather it is a public limited, private limited, partnership, sole trader or a franchise. Looking at our business we also decided to give out roles and responsibilities to our members of the business. There are a few roles that should be in a business or are vital to be in a business. So we gave Nirozen the role of the human resources, I was elected the role of the chairman; Thomas was the vice chairman and Harsimran as finance/accounts. The role of the marketing was given to Eugene. Human resource Looking at each role the human resources are responsible for employing suitable employees. Human resources management are interested in the welfare, personnel management, industrial relations and employee relations and training and also the recruitment of staff in a business. The human resources would pursue with the following tasks: Recruitment Training and Development Termination Selection Retention Redundancy Induction Transfers At the point of recruitment, selection and induction the human resources will choose and interview the right applicant for the business. This will be a advantage because the human resources department will be experts in how and who to employ. They will then help the employee in the induction. The employee might then need extra training and development skills the human resources will train the employee and if the employee becomes a very skilled worker the department must sort out the needs and the requirements of the employee to retain him/her in the business. At the point when the employee has to exit the business or if he/she gets redundant the human resources department has to ensure that the processes are carried out in a satisfactory manner and that everything is done according to what the law states. Looking at the role of the human resources, the human resources centre should draw and design the job descriptions and job specification and also the job adverts. The human resources centre should know who are the best people to employ in the business therefore I think that Nirozen should and did design suitable job descriptions and job adverts, taking into account what the business does and sells. However I think that Nirozen works a bit slow in the role of the human resources I think that if he started to work a bit faster we could get the human resources part of the company to produce even more work. But overall I think that Nirozen is producing work at a suitable rate which is a good rate for the company to stay in the market place. Read more:  Essay on Individual Report on Roles and Responsibilities Marketing Manager The marketing of a company should be done in the best way possible as this could be the success of a business. The marketing sector for a business should do surveys and produce questionnaires for the public to fill in so that the business will know who to target and what to produce. Also a small amount of advertising should also be done in order for people to know about the business. I think that Eugene is doing the job well by doing the marketing side of the business. However if Eugene could produce more work it would be good for the business. However I think that the marketing side of the business is being well handled, and the work that is being produced is affecting the business in a good way. Also I think that census data should also be looked at in the market section as this will tell the business how many people are in the area and how many of them are our target market. Finance Manager Looking at the finance side of the business which is Harsimran , he thinks that the finance side of the business is going well however if he looks at more financial ways it will make a good affect to the business. However he thinks that the financial side of the business should look at the following: Cash flow forecast Balance sheet Profit/loss account Breakeven Bank account By looking at the above he thinks that the business will do well in the market place and will also survive in the market. Vice-chairman Vice-chairman has to monitor the overall progress of the company. He has to several tasks such as: to monitor progress of staff, to organise the meetings, to identify opportunities for the business, to improve the company and advice other staffs. The vice chairman will run some of the meetings and also assist the chairman with any doubts or problems. This will take some of the burden of my shoulder. Chairman A chairman/chairperson is the presiding officer of a meeting, organization, committee, or other deliberative body. Generally, there are two types of chairpersons: non-executive and executive. A non-executive chairperson will sit on and chair the main board of a company and be a part-time officer who usually provides support and advice to a chief executive officer (CEO). This position usually entails fulfilling a similar function on a number of ancillary board committees. An executive chairperson is a full-time position who typically not only leads the board but will also take a hands-on role in the companies day to day running. An executive chairperson frequently sits on the management executive board of the company, though this board may still be led by the CEO. As I am the chairman, I have to organise and run the meetings. I also have to set them tasks to do on regular basis and also monitor their progress. I also have to help them when there are in need of assistance. There were other roles we could have looked at and gave out to each member of the group e.g. supplier, however through the first meeting we had we looked at the most important roles/departments a company should have and gave out the roles according to the five important roles that we thought the company should have. Evaluation of the roles and responsibilities Human resource management – Nirozen was chosen as a Human resource management because of his communication skills with the employees. One advantage of choosing Nirozen as the HRM is that he is exceptional in selecting the right employees. However, disadvantage of choosing him is that he does not necessarily have lots of experience in working as the manager of HRM. Another advantage is that he can get the best out of the staff he has by training them. Another disadvantage of choosing him is that he can be sometimes lazy or forgetful in looking at all the CVs for example when recruiting. Overall, I believe we have made a right decision in appointing Nirozen as the HRM as he as all the necessary skills to do the job. He can, for example, be more cautious when looking at the CVs. Financial accountant – Harsmiran was elected as the financial accountant because of his exceptional maths skills and also mainly he is reliable with things. One advantage of choosing Harsimran as the finance manager is that he has had past experience in doing things like the cash flow, break-even, etc. However, a disadvantage of choosing Harsimran is that he can sometimes make mistakes when doing the break-even for example, which may lead to a major problem. Another advantage of choosing Harsimran is that he is very reliable so I can count on him to finish the task which was set. However, a disadvantage is that he can sometimes be forgetful in bringing the tasks which might be set for the meetings, so he might have done the work but he might not necessarily bring the work to meetings. Overall, I believe appointing Harsimran is a good choice because he is the most experienced in doing the financial things in our group and he is very reliable. However, he can try to make fewer m istakes because that will be a major help to our business, for example. Marketing Director – Eugene was appointed a marketing director because of his excellent managerial skills and his organisation. One advantage of choosing Eugene is that he is very good at promoting things, which will be big help to us when we promote our business. However, a disadvantage of choosing Eugene is that he does not regularly turn up to the meetings or tell us so we would not now whether he has done the work or not. Another advantage of choosing Eugene is that he knows what he is doing and he has the most knowledge in our group to take up this role as he has past experiences. However, another disadvantage is that he is not very organised so he might loose or forget the work which is set for example. Overall, I’m not extremely pleased with the appointment of Eugene in this role because he is unreliable and this role is a key role to our success as a company. However, I do believe if he, for example, improves his punctuality and doing the work set he will be the ideal person to this role. Vice Chairman – He was elected as vice chairman because he has the abilities to assist and manager staff. He can also attend meetings if the chairman is unable to attend. One advantage of choosing Thomas is that he has knowledge is most areas of the company so he is able anyone when they are in need, so for example, he can help them instead of me helping them. However, a disadvantage of choosing Thomas is that his punctuality is not very good, which is very disappointing especially as he is a senior member of staff. Another advantage of Thomas is that he is very good leader so if I could not make it for any meetings then he can lead the meetings instead of me. On the other hand another, a disadvantage of Thomas is that he is very reluctant to do the work set, so we have to keep on nagging him to do the work set. Overall, I am satisfied with the chose of Thomas as he has the ideal skills and knowledge for this role; however he could; for example, improve on his punctuality to be more efficient. Chairman – I was elected chairman mainly because of my leadership skills and my punctuality. One advantage of choosing me as the chairman is that I believe I am a good leader, so I can organise how the company is run. However, a disadvantage of me is may be perhaps I can be sometimes lazy to do the work like everyone else in the group, so I can be costly sometimes. Another advantage of choosing me is that I have knowledge of all the areas of this company so I can help others, so for example help the marketing manager in ways of promoting the business. Overall, my personal view of me is that I am suited to my role; however, I do believe that I can improve on my eagerness to do extra work for example, for the company to run more efficiently. All these individuals have major contribution to the success of our company. We know that team-work is the key to success of the company; one of the ways to improve teamwork is to motivate our staff. Ways of motivating our staff * Bonuses – give everyone certain % of the profit if they continue to work hard. This helps them motivated and to work harder to achieve the bonuses. I personally believe this is a good strategy of motivating the staff as bonuses acts like an incentive for them to work harder, however, when we give bonuses we have to keep in mind the side-effects. This could be that it might de-motivate them as they may just pretend to work hard just to get the bonuses. * Good condition at work – the staff can have flexible hours, reduced hours at work, etc. This could motivate them as they may believe that we are looking after them properly. However, we have to keep in mind that some staff might take this good condition at work as an advantage and not work properly. * Give praise – give praises if they have done a good job. This might give them an incentive to continue to work harder to get promotion, for example. However, giving praises might also de-motivate them as they may take the praise for granted and fell they know every thing and not do the job properly. * Give staff responsibility – we can give staff responsibility of making decisions about certain things. This might motivate them as they feel they are responsible so they work harder to keep up the pressure and responsibility. However, giving them responsibility might over pressurise them as they have extra work to do so they might not even do the original work which was set properly. * Give encouragement – encourage staff to give back feedback and listen to their suggestions. This could motivate the staff as they feel that I trust them and value their opinion so they could work harder. However, by giving them encouragement they could for example take this for granted and not do they work as efficiently as before. Team-work We can use several strategies to improve our team working. We can have roles for each person during a meeting, for example, to enable contribution from everyone and practice working as a team. For example Compromiser (Eugene) – Tries to maintain harmony among the team members. He has to change his own views to get a group decision. Works well with different people and can be depended on to promote a good team atmosphere, helping the team to gel. Pulls people and tasks together. A tolerant individual. A good listener who will listen carefully to the views of other group members. Good judge of people. Diplomatic and sensitive to the feelings of others, not seen as a threat. Able to recognise and resolve the development of conflict and other difficulties. Enables â€Å"difficult† team-members to contribute positively. We decided to choose Eugene as a Compromiser because he is very good at working with different people and mainly he has the respect of everyone so they are likely to listen to him. Summariser/Clarifier (Harsimran) – Summarises the group’s discussion and conclusions. Clarifies group objectives and elaborates on the ideas of others. Goes into detail about how group plans would work. We decided to choose Harsimran as the summariser because he has good listening skills and have the ability to summarise accurate what has been said in meeting, for example. Ideas person (Nirozen)- The ideas person suggests new ideas to solve group problem or new ways for the group to organize the task. He dislikes orthodoxy and not too concerned with practicalities. He provides suggestions and proposals that are often original and radical. He is more concerned with the big picture than with details. May get bored after the initial impetus wears off. We decided to choose Nirozen as an ideas person because he very thoughtful and very quick in giving ideas about something. Encourager (Thomas) – Energises groups when motivation is low through humour or being enthusiastic. They are positive individuals who support and praise other group members. They may use humour to break tensions in the group. We decided to choose Thomas because he is the ability to motivate people by using humour, for example. Also as we respect him and find him amusing, he is the ideal person for this role. Leader (me) – Good leaders direct the sequence of steps the group take and keeps the group â€Å"on-track.† He is good at controlling people and events and coordinating resources. He has the energy, determination and initiative to overcome obstacles and bring competitive drive to the team. He gives shape to the team effort. He recognises the skills of the individuals and how they can be used. Leaders are outgoing individuals who have to be careful not to be domineering. They can sometimes steamroller the team but get results. He may become impatient with complacency and lack of progress and may sometimes overreact. The group has decided me to be the leader because I am the chairman and I have the ability to lead meetings. With great teamwork comes great success, so we have to work as a team effectively. If we want to work as a team we need the following: TEAMWORK T is for Talent It is of course quite necessary for a member of a team to be knowledgeable about the work that his team is going to do. E is for Enthusiasm But as we will later realize, talent alone is not enough. A knowledgeable team member must also be enthusiastic. A is for Accountability Every member is accountable not only to his team but to all his other work mates. We are not responsible only of ourselves. M is for Management Every member must know his specialization relative to what his other team-mates can do best. W is for Work-able When a person has all the talents and the enthusiasm in the world and yet he doesn’t have free time to work, it all turns out useless. O is for Openness Understanding among team members is a necessity in every team for every member to be able to work in the best of his abilities. R is for Respect Every team member must be able to practice respect so that he can expect to be respected in return. K is for Keenness Keenness is the final key in working as a part of a team. It is more than enthusiasm. Enthusiasm comes before doing the actual work. Communication among each individual is very important if we want to be successful. So when we communicate we could exchange ideas and discuss major decisions thoroughly. We communicate to each other in the meetings, where we discuss any issues or problems we have. There are other ways we can communicate with each other, through: e-mail, face to face, letter, telephone, etc. If we communicate with each other we know how well we are doing and what to do and also we know who is doing what so that no mistakes happen. If we communicate effectively we would succeed as a business as we have great understanding among us.

EMPLOYER VS EMPLOYEE CONTRIBUTION HEALTHCARE WITH UNION WORKERS Thesis Proposal

EMPLOYER VS EMPLOYEE CONTRIBUTION HEALTHCARE WITH UNION WORKERS - Thesis Proposal Example evident that healthy humans or workers can only put in their best efforts and elevate organizations’ performance, their profits, their market share, and so on. This being the case, it is very crucial for the organizations, labor unions, and even government to adopt or come up with policies to safeguard and improve the health of the employees. Speaking of government’s role, although it is a joint federal/state system, the federal government has given the main responsibility of regulating health insurance policies regarding employees to the states. In addition, governments are encouraging organizations to come up with their own health insurance plans called employer contributed health insurance. under the McCarran-Ferguson Act. States regulate the content of health insurance policies and often require coverage of specific types of medical services or health care providersthey have The 1985 act of ‘The Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation’ required that every employer having twenty or more employees should provide nonstop access to health coverage to workers who leave their jobs. Moreover the 1996 Act of ‘Health Insurance Portability and Accountability’ (HIPA) guarantees the employees that their company authorized health insurance cover will not be revocable under any preexisting exclusions. (Patel and Rushefsky 2006). Based on this enticing factor and other necessities, the health insurance cover can be enlarged. Provide a tax credit to companies that maintain or increase the size of U.S. workforce relative to workforce outside the United States...prepare workers for retirement; provide health insurance (Sullivan, 2008). â€Å"Small businesses currently get a tax deduction for health insurance paid, and even this is limited to only an income tax deduction for the owner. Convert this deduction into a dollar-for-dollar credit. Let small businesses reduce their tax burden by how much they spend on health insurance premi ums and health savings account

Problem solving Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Problem solving - Research Paper Example According to Raj et al (2014), as most organizations embrace the technology they come to a realization that cloud computing only increases value to the organization but with little challenges during adoption. Some of the notable benefits recorded with this technology include greater scalability, availability, quick access to infrastructure and reliability (Raj et al, 2014). Vendors of the cloud computing services include dell, IBM, Amazon, google, Microsoft and Oracle. IBM, one of the pioneers of cloud computing technology has been offering cloud computing to all users of the technology for the last decade. They have several products that cater for the different levels of users such as IT leaders, developers and business leaders. For instance, the Infrastructure as a service (IaaS) for integrating the IT infrastructure and applications for the IT leaders. The Platform as a service (PaaS) such as Bluemix platform enables the developers to create apps very fast. IBM also allows business leaders to run their daily business processes more efficiently and effectively using their wide range SaaS business applications (IBM, 2015). Amazon has been another major player in the field of cloud computing, they are one of the most preferred providers of private, public and hybrid cloud services. Their services are widely used by the health care organizations particularly for next generation DNA sequencing. In a recent summit in San Francisco, the company announced new services and improvements to their existing cloud computing services (Amazon Web Services, Inc., 2015). These new services include the Amazon WAM for deployment and management of apps for Amazon work spaces. Amazon has been the lead providers of cloud computing services such as the AWS and EC2 cloud services. During the summit, they introduced the AWS market place for the desktop applications. Additionally, Amazon introduced an

Art History of Egyptian Painting Style Term Paper

Art History of Egyptian Painting Style - Term Paper Example In the Justinian mosaic, King Justinian is seen to be wearing the same imperial robes as Jesus Christ. The point of the mosaic is to evidently depict Justinian as Christ's envoy on earth, and to show him as a creditable successor to Constantine. This depicts his power both in the State as well as the Church. Justinian is seen in the main altar of the church, the most holy part, further depicting his authority. Justinian, thus, exercises his power over the priest, perhaps even signifying his holiness, which is seen through the halo. Giotto’s works exhibited a different spirit of realism. He broke away from Byzantine art.   His was a more personal and realistic way of viewing a painting. His concern was more human emotion and dramatic art. To make the latter more effective, Giotto placed his figures in space more practically conceived than painters before him. Also, he used shadows more efficiently to generate a sense of the figures. In the Madonna Enthroned Giotto produced depth by layering the attendant angels, with the angels in the fore blocking the vision of the angels behind. Leonardo’s stylistic innovations are more apparent in The Last Supper, in which he re-fashioned a conventional theme in a completely new way. He groups the apostles in units of three framing Christ in the center. Christ is calm while the others are gesturing animatedly. Through the weightiness of the figures and the magnitude of the scene, Leonardo da Vinci reintroduced a style founded a generation earlier by Masaccio. The Mona Lisa, easily Leonardo da Vinci’s most famous work, is known for the mastery of technical innovations as well as the mysteriousness of its celebrated smiling subject. Sfumato and chiaroscuro are evident here. Leonardo da Vinci is a master of both. Sfumato (smoked) is a deftly atmospheric haze or effect produced by delicate transitions between areas of color. This technique is particularly evident in the delicate gauzy robes worn by the subject and in her mysterious smile. Chiaroscuro (light and dark) is the skill of modeling and defining forms by the use of contrasts between shadow and light.

A Correction in Management and Leadership Style Research Paper

A Correction in Management and Leadership Style - Research Paper Example   The overriding external pressure is economic. The company is affected by a local, regional, and the national downturn in the economy. Additionally, winter weather in the northeastern United States paralyzes supply and finished product shipments. Discontinuity along the supply chain may disrupt production. For example, if suppliers fail to deliver, production is delayed.   Discontinuity along the supply chain may disrupt production. For example, if suppliers fail to deliver, production is delayed. If the suppliers produce substandard materials, customers will reject the finished product and the organization's reputation will suffer. The predominant internal factor contributing to recent financial losses is widespread mismanagement of human resources from the administrative level on to line supervision. Employee surveys have indicated that there is a general dissatisfaction with leadership at all three plants. In light of this information, the outlook for the future is good. Various motivation factors need to be considered in the implementation plan. Need theories (Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, Alderfer's ERG Theory, Herzberg's DualStructure Theory, and David McClelland's Need Theory) assume that need deficiencies cause behavior. Need theories to suggest that to motivate learning, trainers should identify trainees' needs and communicate how training program content relates to fulfilling those needs (Noe, 1999; Moorhead and Griffin, 1995). (Wentland) Technical Supervision: Hire and train the highest quality employees and then trust them to meet high standards.

LAW2112 European Single Market Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

LAW2112 European Single Market - Essay Example However, under Regulation (EEC) No 1612/68 issued on October 15 1968 on freedom of movement, which renders inapplicable statutory, administrative and regulatory provisions that have the effect of limiting the employment of nationals of other Member States and are not applicable to its own citizens or even if applicable but has the chief aim of hindering the employment of the nationals of other Member States, linguistic requirements are held exempted. Put differently, a Member State may require workers from other Member States certain linguistic competence if the same â€Å"is required by reason of the nature of the post† (Article 3 s[1]) without violating the rule on national discrimination. If Greta is going to teach music within UK providing music lessons to students eight hours a week, she has the right to enjoy freedom of residence albeit temporarily under the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU as a person providing services of profession. Under Article 56 of the said Treaty on the right of establishment, EU citizens have the right to provide services anywhere within the EU even beyond their respective national borders. Services under the Treaty context may refer to either one of the following: activities of an industrial character; activities of a commercial character; activities of craftsmen, and; activities of the professions (Article 57, Treaty on the Functioning of the EU). Greta may come within the ambit of one giving services involving activities of the music profession. Costas cannot be rejected on the ground that being a postman is an â€Å"employment of public service† because it does not entail an exercise, directly or indirectly, of public power or the protection of the interest of the state. Under the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU, the freedom of movement of workers from one Member State to other Member States within the EU is not applicable to public service employment. Article 45, s (d) specifically states that

American Indian Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

American Indian - Essay Example We do not want to hear what that man has to say. Be seated.†(Pope) That sealed the fate of the Medicine Man, and he meekly obeyed the order without protest. The women of the house had powers to get rid of an abusive man and a man with negative traits. Social rules and regulations were so liberal and the author writes, â€Å"A woman shouldn’t be ostracized if she has a baby out of marriage.† (Pope)This shows how progressive the society was and as such I think this is a great article, that gives the true picture of women in the Indian Society and how forward looking it was. In the second article, â€Å"Writing and Art by North American Indian Women,† it is explained, with the advent of colonial powers, how the Indian Society suffered and their traditions and social structure were adversely affected. When Attakullakulla, Cherokee chief reached out to the whites to negotiate a treaty, his first question to the white delegation was, â€Å"Where are your women?†(Awiakta) Issues have changed much, and the advent of materialism has deteriorated the conditions of women in the society in real terms. The author laments and asks â€Å"I turn to my own time (1983). I look at the Congress, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission . . . at the hierarchies of my church, my university, my city, my children’s school. †¦.Where are your women?†(Awiakta) Even the U. S. Constitution does not include equal rights for women. Both the articles throw light on the gender equality, how women enjoyed great powers in the Indian Society, before the advent of colonial powers and how the powers and status of women were on the wane gradually. A woman is an economic unit now, not the important social and spiritual entity that she was once upon a

Head Chef Essay Example for Free

Head Chef Essay If I wasn’t told to choose a career now, I wouldn’t have. Although I’ve had the question â€Å"what do you want to be when you grow up† constantly in the back of my mind for the past 4 years, I never really came up with a definite answer. Last September I started the culinary arts program at the North Olympic Peninsula Skills Center and since then I’ve realized that I really enjoy cooking so I started to consider being a chef as a career. In order to become an executive or head chef you must have a relevant education, training, and be willing to work hard. With all these attributes getting a position as a chef in a nice restraint is not difficult, and is very rewarding. After doing much research and talking to a few chefs I found out that higher education is not required to become a head chef, but it wouldn’t hurt either. Many people considering becoming a chef as a career decided to go to a culinary college. One of the most well-known culinary institutes is the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York. A full academic year at the CIA in 2011-2012 cost $39,440 (CCIA). There is no GPA requirement in order to apply to the CIA but you must have your high school diploma. According to the CIA’s web site before you can start classes it is required that â€Å"you gain relevant experience in one of two ways before enrolling: by working in a non-fast food establishment with a professional kitchen for six months or by completing culinary classes at either the high school or college level† (AR). Although education is important, proper training is even more essential. Some training a chef is expected to have are knife skills, food preparation and sanitation. Training of a chef usually consists of an internship, apprenticeship, or externship, during which time the aspiring chef will work in all areas of the kitchen, mastering all aspects of food preparation. Many culinary colleges have an internship program in place to experience the culinary industry while gaining skills and on the job experience. On top of education and training if you expect to go far as a chef there are certain skills you should have such as; high stamina, organization, flexibility, teamwork, customer focus, and the desire to learn (SPCTP). Chefs work really long days under high pressure and should be able to maintain a clear mind and continue to be productive. A really big part of being a chef has to do with the customers; after all, without them you wouldn’t have a job. â€Å"A good chef knows that customers want fresh, delicious food that’s presented attractively, and does his or her best to make sure that happens for every customer that enters the restaurant† (SPCTP). I did my job shadow with the head chef, Julie, at St. Andrews Place in Port Angeles, WA. When I asked her what the most important skill needed to be good at her job was she said, besides from knowing how to cook, time management. Having been in the culinary arts program and experiencing the pressure of getting done to get what needs to be done, I agree. Time management is a very important skill to have in the culinary industry. Most high schools have a culinary program that you could attend in order to obtain these skills, or you could simply learn through on the job training. A typical day for a head chef is different than that of an executive chef. An executive chef works in more of an office style; leading other chefs, doing more meal planning, and a lot of paperwork. Executive chefs are hardly on the line cooking except occasionally during dinner rush. Head chefs may be involved with the meal planning and some paper work but mostly work in the kitchen the majority of the time. Being a chef means working mornings, nights, weekends, and holidays. â€Å"Depending on the size of the restaurant or establishment, a head chef may arrive as early as 9 a.m. to begin planning the day’s menus and not leave until the dinner rush is over, sometimes at 10 p.m. or 11 p.m. Most chefs work at least 12-hour days and many times six days a week† (Buchan). Not only is the workday long, but the work itself is hard as well; almost the whole day is spent walking or standing. In order to be a chef you have to love what you do. â€Å"Passion. This is what is going to make all the sacrifice, low pay, and long hours worth it. You have to have a defined, passionate goal; something you want to work towards. And you need to have passion about food and someday being a professional chef. Without true passion, you will never succeed in a restaurant kitchen†. (WIAPK) Being a chef can be a very stressful job and take quite a mental toll as well as physical. Although the work is difficult, the rewards are well worth it. The level of pay for head chefs varies depending on where you work and who you work for. Those who get paid most often work in upscale restaurants and hotels. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, â€Å"the median annual wage of chefs and head cooks was $40,630 in May 2010. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $23,260, and the top 10 percent earned more than $70,960† (CHCP). â€Å"Seventy percent of chefs working for employers reported receiving health care benefits: 69 percent received medical care, 51 percent received dental care and 36 percent received vision care† (SBC). This does not apply to self-employed chefs. Although the pay is decent, if you are going to pursue a career as a chef you shouldn’t do it simply for the money. Being a chef has personally gratifying rewards as well as financial, such as the satisfaction you feel when people love the food you’ve created. The culinary industry is only expected to grow 14% in all occupations between now and 2020 (CHCJO). Although the projected growth isn’t a lot, the culinary industry is always in need of new employees. I feel like this would be a good fit for me because I have many of the skills needed to be successful in the industry already. I have been learning these skills though the Culinary Arts program I have been taking at the North Olympic Skills Center. I have been exposed to customer service, knife skills, food preparation, sanitation, HACCP logs, dish-pit, and have been told by my instructor that I have great time management skills. As you can see, with a proper education, training, and hard work, a career as a chef can be an extremely rewarding experience. The preparation of food is not only a job that satisfies peoples hunger, it is also an art, and the chefs are the artists.

How Could Demand Elasticity Lead To Pricing Decisions?

How Could Demand Elasticity Lead To Pricing Decisions? How Could the Knowledge of Demand Elasticity Lead to Make Pricing Decisions? Making pricing decisions Price sensitivity is not just about charging high prices to maximize revenue. It might also relate to cut prices sometimes dramatically to encourage people who may otherwise not be part of the market to use the services or goods being provided. In business, it is like business of education, learning of price elasticity of demand. This concept is a cornerstone in any discussion of microeconomic principles and pricing for marketing effectiveness. Practically, price elasticity of demand involves the idea that consumers are affected by manipulations of price. On the producer part of view, price represents a distinct reflection of the production and marketing costs incorporated in bringing the product to the marketplace as well as the beginning point in the calculation of revenue and profit. On the consumer part, price is a critical ingredient in the image and value-conceptualization of a product. Elasticity of demand is dependent on the knowledge of the determinants of demand and helps firms and policy makers plan of consumer behavior in the market place. Products that can be replaced are likely to have a positive cross price elasticity of demand because the change in price makes them relatively more or less expensive in relation to each other. Similarly co-relative goods will give rise to a cross price elasticity of demand value that is negative. Strategic pricing  clarifies the relationship between market segmentation and price, and delivers the tools your organization needs to stay focused on value as you determine break-even, define price elasticity, and analyze tradeoffs between features and price points. Using strategic pricing tools yields is a better positioning approach. What I want to bring out here is a company director isnt only concern about calculating numbers profits. The number is a meaning at the end; when taking about price elasticity of demand it is used to see how sensitive the demand for a product is to a price change. The higher the price elasticity, the more sensitive consumers are to price changes. The very high price elasticity suggests that when the price of a product goes up, consumers will buy a great deal less of it and when the price of that good goes down, consumers will buy a great deal more. The very low price elasticity infers the opposite, that changes in price have little influence on demand. When measuring elasticity, what is being measured is the responsiveness to demand to its determinants, such as income and other goods. This gives rise to income elasticity of demand and cross price elasticity of demand. Income elasticity measures the responsiveness of demand to a change in income. Cross price elasticity of demand measures the responsiveness of quantity demanded to a change in price of another good. Demand elasticity of make pricing decision will define how the market will react to changes in price. Understanding of this will allow companies to make informed decisions on how should approach the final sale of the good which is achieved through marketing. Background Historically elasticity of demand thinking has been primarily applied to the marketing mix variable of price. However, the concept can also lend meaningful insights into the administration of the other marketing mix and environmental variables in a context of causality. There exists a rich body of literature exploring the more extensive uses of elasticity of demand. However, basic marketing texts, and presumably introductory classes, typically do not feature the wider applications of the tool. At the beginning of 20 century, economist started to found out that demand consisted of more than simple purchasing power. It reverberate desire as well as ability to purchase, and new experiences with advertising and salesmanship were proving that desire could be increased and carved by factors other than the existence of supply. An extra idea of the market concerned its capacity to adjust itself automatically to an amicable balance. It had long been held that competitive forces would normally, in the long run, dissipate tendencies of unbalance, but as competition decreased in some industries and trades, the assumptions found in traditional economic theory became increasingly invalid. A third idea was that cost was the principal determinant of price, at least in the long run. Concepts of the elasticity of demand were still another influence upon the thinking of early marketing theory. Alfred Marshals concept of elasticity of demand has long been used by marketing writers as a theore tical basis for selling, advertising and the promotional work of marketing in general. (Fig 1. Price Elasticity of Demand (PED) It was devised by Alfred Marshall.) Content Price elasticity of demand is defined as the measure of responsiveness in the quantity demanded for products as a result of change in price of the same products. To say it in another way, its percentage change in quantity demanded as per the percentage change in price of the same products. In economics and in business, the price elasticity of demand is a measure of the sensitivity of quantity demanded to changes in price. It is measured as elasticity, which it is measures the relationship as the ratio of percentage changes between quantities demanded of a good and changes in its price. A price fall usually results in an increase in the quantity demanded by consumers. The demand for a good is relatively inelastic when the change in quantity demanded is less than change in price. Goods and services for which no substitutes exist are generally inelastic. Marketing strategy focus on the decisions marketers make to help the company satisfy its target market and achieve its objectives. Price, of course, is one of the key marketing mix decisions and due to all marketing decisions must work together; the final price will be impacted by how other marketing decisions are made. Every companies view price as a key selling feature, but some firms, for example those seeking to be viewed as market leaders in product quality, will de-emphasize price and concentrate on a strategy that highlights non-price benefits e.g. quality, durability, service, etc. Such non-price competition can help the company avoid potential price wars that often break out between competitive firms that follow a market share objective and use price as a key selling feature. Understanding how price changes impact the market requires the marketer have a firm understanding of the concept economists call elasticity of demand, which relates to how purchase quantity changes as prices change. Elasticity is evaluated under the assumption that no other changes are being made and only price is adjusted. The logic is to see how price by itself will affect overall demand. Obviously, the chance of nothing else changing in the market but the price of one product is often unrealistic. For example, competitors may react to the marketers price change by changing the price on their product. Despite this, elasticity analysis does serve as a useful tool for estimating market reaction therefore it leads to make pricing decisions. Price elasticity of demand elasticity plays an important part when it needs to make piecing decision Marketing Essentials: economics knowledge to pricing from a marketing perspective (supply, demand, price elasticity). And the knowledge of income elasticity of demand for different products helps firms predict the effect of a business cycle on sales as well. All countries experience a business cycle where actual GDP moves up and down in a regular pattern causing booms and slowdowns or even a recession. The business cycle means incomes rise and fall. Elasticity deals with three types of demand scenarios: (1) Elastic Demand, (2) Inelastic Demand and (3) Unitary Demand. For marketers the important issue with elasticity of demand is to understand how it impacts company revenue. Strategic Pricing  define the relationship between market segmentation and price, and delivers the tools to the organization needs to stay adjusted on value as determine break-even, define price elasticity, and analyze tradeoffs between features and price points. Using strategic pricing tools yields a better positioning approach. Opportunity cost is the cost expressed in terms of the next best alternative sacrificed. Opportunity cost is central to the whole study of both economics and business as it is at the heart of the decision making that characterizes the essence of both subject disciplines. Value helps to explain why the demand curve slopes downwards from left to right. At higher prices, consumers have to sacrifice more utility (the satisfaction gained) from consuming other products. For some in a market, the price they are being asked to pay does not represent value for money in other words they recognize that the sacrifice of other goods and services they have to make represents a negative impact on their utility. This is all very theoretical but it is what we do when we make decisions about spending every day. Elasticity varies among products because some products may be more essential to the consumer. Products that are necessities are more insensitive to price changes because consumers would continue buying these products despite price increases. Conversely, a price increase of a good or service that is considered less of a necessity will deter more consumers because the opportunity cost of buying the product will become too high. Price elasticity of demand is defined as the measure of responsiveness in the quantity demanded for a commodity as a result of change in price of the same commodity. In other words, it is percentage change in quantity demanded as per the percentage change in price of the same commodity. In economics and business studies, the price elasticity of demand (PED) is a measure of the sensitivity of quantity demanded to changes in price. It is measured as elasticity, which is it measures the relationship as the ratio of percentage changes between quantity demanded of a good and changes in its price. A price drop usually results in an increase in the quantity demanded by consumers. The demand for a good is relatively inelastic when the change in quantity demanded is less than change in price. Goods and services for which no substitutes exist are generally inelastic. Demand for an antibiotic, for example, becomes highly inelastic when it alone can kill an infection resistant to all other antibiotics. Rather than die of an infection, patients will generally be willing to pay whatever is necessary to acquire enough of the antibiotic to kill the infection. The primary objective of a business is to provide quality products and services to customers, and through this to make a profit as a strongly related objectives measure. Many organizations fail to make an appropriate profit because they do not know how to price their products or services. Pricing is the critical element in achieving a profit and is a factor that all firms should seek to control. In order to set prices appropriately, a firm must understand their products, the market for these, production and distribution costs, and the competition. Especially with the growth of the Internet and electronic commerce networks, the marketplace responds very rapidly to technological advances and international competition. Thus, the need to be continually sensitive to the many factors that affect pricing, and to be ready to adjust organizational behavior appropriately, is greater than ever. Here, we present a literature review and overview of this important subject and related pricing decis ion support issues. Conclusion In my opinion, the theory behind price sensitivity is based on an understanding of the aims of an organization and the concepts of price elasticity of demand and consumer surplus. Most private sector business organizations will need to make a profit to survive. This may not translate to a profit maximizing approach but nevertheless they will be looking to generate profits from activities. Part of this process will be looking at what happens to revenue. Revenue is the amount received from the sale of goods and services and is found by multiplying the price of a product by the quantity sold. Price has an important function in markets. It acts as a signal to both producers and consumers. For producers it gives them some indication about the returns they can expect from sales in relation to their costs in other words whether it is worth producing a good or not. For consumers it provides an indication about value. Value is a very important concept in economics and business. It is difficult to define because we all have a different interpretation of what value means. In essence, the value we place on a good or service is indicated by the price we are willing to pay to consume that good or service. Price sensitivity therefore is important to all businesses when considering their pricing strategies. They will need to have some understanding of how their market will react to changes in price and thus what the impact is on their revenue. Understanding of this will allow companies to make informed decisions on how should approach the final sale of the good which is achieved through marketing.

Science and nature is a very vital theme in volume I of Frankenstein. :: Free Essay Writer

Science and nature is a very vital theme in volume I of Frankenstein. Mary Shelly incessantly portrays science and nature. Science and nature is a very vital theme in volume I of Frankenstein. Mary Shelly incessantly portrays science and nature. At first Mary shelly illustrate the nature of life as distressing, sorrowful and frail. She does this by demonstrating illnesses, deaths and sorrow of the loved ones leaving and diseases. By doing this Mary shelly is representing life as a pathetic game, which has no other meanings than depression and grief, and how easily it could be vanished. Examples in volume I could be the death of Elizabeth’s parents, the sickness of Elizabeth, the sickness and death of Victor’s mother, murder of William and the beheading of Justine. But Mary shelly also represents nature and life as very pleasant and euphoric. This is done by the illustration of love, kindness and compassion. For example Victor’s mother who was a very kind, generous and a ‘benevolent’ woman, the love of Victor and Elizabeth and most of all the passion for knowledge. All these bases of nature and life contradict with science, since science merely bring about these features. Scientific development is usually from nature, even from destroying nature. On the other hand, nature in some way is protected and developed by science. Nature and science have a life and a death relationship. And so at one point Mary shelly actually depicts the contrast between science and nature. She does this by combining both life and death into a situation where death comes before life, when the monster is produced by parts of fresh dead bodies and brought to life. This totally changes the natural regulation of life. By doing this Mary shelly shows the power of science, but also combines it with nature using Lightning, and so proves that without nature science has no power. Mary Shelley also gives us an idea or a warning towards science and scientific knowledge (the belief of science being superior). As we know that Victor makes an extensive use of science and of his scientific experiments to create his monster, which then haunt him and leads to the killing of Victor’s younger brother William, Science can thus be regarded as the main motor to Victor’s self-destruction. This clearly presents science as evil and an awful thing. Looking at all these aspects of science and nature, I have also become aware of the character (nature) of Victor and his thirst for knowledge. His nature represents possession, anxiety, greed and the desire for supremacy. When Mary shelly represents him in this form,

Multiculturalism In the United States: Demographics, Diversity, & Divisions :: Race Culture America

Multiculturalism In the United States: Demographics, Diversity, & Divisions Introduction One of the most unique aspects of the United States is the diversity of its people. The Statue of Liberty states, â€Å"give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,† and America has indeed become an amalgam of people of different races, religions, and creeds. In order to better respond the needs of its assorted citizens, the American government has sought to learn about the characteristics of its people. To this end, the Census has been administered every ten years by the government since 1790. The Census provides the government with information ranging from household size to income; however, it is perhaps the statistics supplied by the Census on race that allow for the most interesting deductions. Although the Census has been in place for almost two hundred and fourteen years, it is only recently that it has been revised to allow for precise racial identification. The Census Bureau notes, â€Å"the questions on race and Hispanic origin,† have been modified and expanded â€Å"to better reflect the country’s growing diversity.† For example, it was not until 1980 that Asian Americans were able to specify their origin as Asian Indian as opposed to Asian in general. In addition, despite its growing proportion of the population, the option to indicate Hispanic origin was not added until 1970. While these modifications are significant, the most notable recent change to the Census was the option to mark off more than one racial group in 2000 and thus identify as multicultural or multiracial. As will be shown in this paper, analysis of the Unites States racial composition and relevant studies indicate that America has not become the â€Å"melting pot† of cultures and races that was once predicted. Through residential racial segregation, the continual influx of immigrants, and the emergence of a multiracial population, America has remained a â€Å"mosaic† of cultures – separate entities combining to create a great diversity. While indeed, some races have mixed through interracial marriages, cultural differences have be sustained and diversity in this country has actually increased. Shifting Racial Composition America is still a predominately white society despite the growing proportion of minorities in its total population. The percentages the each race comprised in 2000 were reported as follows: 75.1% White, 12.3% Black, 4.2% Asian, 5.5% Some Other Race, and 2.

rainforest destruction Essay -- essays research papers

Rainforest Destruction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Rainforests cover less than two percent of the Earth’s surface yet they are home to some forty to fifty percent of all life forms on our planet: as many as 30 million species of plants, animals and insects. The Rainforests are quite simply, the richest, oldest most productive and most complex ecosystems on earth. As biologist Norman Myers says, â€Å"Rainforests are the finest celebration of nature ever known on the planet and never before has nature’s greatest orchestration been so threatened.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Rainforests are very important to the world for many reasons, most of them being very simple. One of the major reasons is that the plants in the forest turn carbon dioxide into clean air, which helps us, fight pollution. Also, by absorbing carbon dioxide, the rainforests help deter the greenhouse effect.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The plants and animals of the rainforest also provide us with food, fuel, wood, shelter, jobs and medicine. â€Å"Imagine losing the potential cure for cancer or AIDS that might have been found in an undiscovered plant from the rainforest.† (Tropical Rainforest Coalition, 1996) â€Å"The vine Aucistrocladus koropensis may be effective in treating AIDS; we can only guess what other beneficial plants may be destroyed before we find them.† (Allo, 1996) It is repeated often that the rainforest contains important plants that will cure the worst diseases of today. Although there is scientific proof of its value, the rainforest continues to disappear. â€Å"In every sense, a standing rainforest supplies more economic wealth then if it were cleared†¦yet deforestation continues at an alarming rate.† (Tropical Rainforest Coalition, 1996)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Tropical rainforests are found in eighty-five countries around the world. â€Å"Ninety percent of these forests are concentrated into fifteen countries, each country containing over ten million hectares each.† (Malaysian Timber Council, 1995) Tropical rainforests are located around the equator, where temperatures stay above eighty degrees Fahrenheit year round. These forests are very dense and damp. â€Å"Although tropical rainforests cover just seven percent of the Earth’s surface, they can provide habitat for between fifty to ninety percent of its plant and animal species. In 1990, tropical rainforests totaled some 1.7 billio... ...ese rainforest species have never even been seen. â€Å"Scientist estimates an average of 137 species of life forms are driven into extinction everyday or 50,000 each year.† (Myers) While extinction is supposed to be a natural selection this is purely human induced. Quite simply when habitat is reduces, species disappear.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  All in all, the tropical rainforests are one of the Earth’s greatest assets. We need to preserve this valuable resource. It could provide the cure for cancer or AIDS but we’ll never know if we continue to deforest it. There are now ways to fight back against the destruction of our rainforests. Many people now boycott; for example not eating fast food because the meat come from rainforest cattle because they are cheap, or by not buying furniture made from rosewood, mahogany, ebony, and teakwood, because they most likely came from the rainforest as well. People can also adopt an acre of tropical rainforest for only 45 dollars. Rainforests are very complex ecosystems and have many untapped resources which we have barely scratched the surface on. Preservation of the rainforest is essential for our well being and the well being of the future.

Teachers Behavioral Attitude and Its Effect on Students Academic Performance

Section 1 1. 0 Introduction Learning is a lifetime process. Continues learning equips one as a student with a larger mastery of knowledge, a broader understanding of facts, a larger repository of wisdom, and a better insight on life that will make better individual responsible and upright human beings. On process of learning, students or learner is the center of education. Studying their different aspects of a student and their ways on attaining such goals will be of great impotance. As such, the extent of student’s learning in academics may be determined by the grades a student earns for a period of learning. It is believed that a grade is a primary indicator of such learning. If a learner earns high grades it is concluded that they may also have learned a lot while low grades indicate lesser learning. However, many experiences and studies found out that there are also several factors that would account for the grades. No single factor can be definitely pointed out as predicting grades. It has been interplay of so many factors – gender, daily allowance, social status, time and interest. In fact, almost all of existing environmental and personal factors are a variable of academic performance. Measuring of academic performance of students is challenging since student performance is a product of socio-economic, psychological and environmental factors. However, base on Bradley's (1978) hypothesis that the individual are motivated to take credit for their successes and to deny responsibility for their failures in order to protect or enhance their self-esteem. Hence Bradley notes that students’ rating is a function of both their attitude and the interaction between them and their teachers. This may be in the sense as suggested by Meighan (1978) that the students perceived teaching as more important than learning and teachers' activity as more central than pupils'. This of course contradicts the official rhetoric of educational writing and debate that makes the claims for the pupils' welfare as the central focus, Meicghan argues further(Meighan 1978,86). Goos (1982) also found out that many students over the years develop a negative attitude not only to school and subject materials, but also to teachers in general. Such students often find it difficult to relate to teachers and more often they attribute many of their difficulties to â€Å"poor teaching† and â€Å"rotten Instructors† (Goos 1982,121). Base on the above assertions, this study therefore aims at finding the factors, which are responsible for student’s inelastic behavior towards study along with identifying those factors, which help a student to make progress in his studies with specific emphasis on teachers’ behavioral attitudes as it affects students’ academic performance. . 1 statement of problem On attaining Independence status as a nation in 1960 what seemed a major concern to most Nigerian leaders then was how education would be accessible to all citizens of the newly created nation. Education was seen as the necessary instrument immediately and essentially for the consolidation of the independence, for securing the new nation against neocolonialism and for making workable the newly establishe d self government in a multi-ethnic society. Mass education, at least to the level of literacy, was also seen by the Nigerian leaders to be necessary to create a proper foundation for a democratic government (Best, 1984) The desire to use education for nation building was (and is still) very compelling and so much was the faith in education that the schools of the nation were not only meant for political socialization but also for other social functions like education and for economic growth. Despite the commendable motives which seemed to justify the very â€Å"high cost of the expanded education programmed of the late Nigeria, most Command schools in Nigeria are not really effective engines for the diverse functions for which they are set up. The performance of the schools as attested to by the academic performances of the students especially at the secondary school level have been rather very disappointing. The situation actually tends towards threatening the future of the schools. Apart from command schools, the reports of the many studies and surveys (for example, the 1980-1984 Statistics of Education by the Federal Ministry of Education, Lagos report published in the Times Publication (Nigeria) of September 15, 2006 and the one in the Nigerian Guardian of February 2, 2009) and the many recent editorials in many Nigerian dairy newspapers all point to the academic performances of Nigerian secondary school students which have been on the decline for some times now. This declining trend has become a concern for the researcher. As a matter of fact many soldiers living in the Barracks would rather prefer to enroll their children in to civilian schools than to send them to command schools at a relatively cheaper rate. The failure of command schools is thus indicating that the health and the well-being of the future of these schools may be in jeopardy. It therefore becomes a concern to the researcher as to the reason why students’ performance have been in continuous decline despite the improvements and advances learning facilities that are now available in our age. Although the researcher may not be able to cover a larger portion of the subject matter’ he however hopes that this study will expose him to a larger scope for future research. 1. 2purpose of study During the past several years a number of valuable studies have been added to existing body of knowledge developing various models to assess the student performance however most of the studies relied on the advanced developed societies as their setting. This study therefore aims at 1. Determining the factors that affect the academic performance of secondary school student specifically in our context and particularly in Command secondary schools. 2. Determining the effects of teachers’ behavioral attitude on academic performance of students. 3. Determine to prefer possible ways in which students’ academic performance can be improved through a healthy teacher-student relationship. 4. And finally to quantify the relationship between the different factors that are considered responsible or affecting the students’ performance and also providing bases for further researches regarding student performance. . 3scope of study This study focuses on investigating teachers' behavioral attitude and its effects on students’ academic performance. The scope of this work will be limited to three command secondary schools in Lagos. A survey will be conducted to collect information and responses of students, and teachers regarding factors affecting their p erformance. However it should be understood that the researchers would not by any means try to cover all the ariables that can influenced students’ academic performance hence the focus is on investigating teachers’ behavioral attitudes and how it can affect the education and performance of students according to needs and requirements. Literatures will also be reviewed on different factors that are expected to influence the student performance. 1. 4Significance The major contribution of this study lies in the demonstration of a large impact of the role of teachers on students’ performance. The researcher also believes that by focusing on different factors that influence students' performance, this will help teachers to improve on students’ academic performance by creating a healthy students-teachers relationship This study will also act as an antidote for the researcher who hopes to be a lecturer in command schools in future hence it will guide him on how to develop his character so as to make relevant impact on the students whom he will be opportune to teach. It will also serve as an addition to existing literatures in the library 1. 5Limitation of Studies As it is often said, â€Å"there is no perfect research† so it may likely be with this research work. It is important to note that there are several factors that can affect a students’ academic performance. To embark on such a scope of work is still beyond the researcher’s capacity at this level hence only a single factor among the numerous factors that affects students academic performance will be researched into. Base on this the researcher will have to recommend other areas for other people to research into or may have to further research into them in the future. It is also possible that some of the factors that have received significant attention in existing literatures will prove to be only weakly related to student performance in this study. Section 2 2. 0 Literature Review 2. 1 Introduction Education is the most essential factor and the pride of every nation. As such the future of any country is greatly determined by the quality of its educational sector. But it is rather unfortunate that the educational system of Nigeria today seem to have been just a caricature of what it ought to be. This has been blamed on a number of factors such as poor instructional strategies by the teachers. That is, the students probably perceived teachers' instructional strategies or generally the teacher-pupil relationship or inter action through the medium of instruction more importantly for their academic success than any other school-related factor presented to them. The emotional climate for learning provided by the teacher whether in the attitude or considered by the student will be more highly valued than any other factor in the school which may have effect on the academic achievement. Hence the researcher will in this chapter review literatures on factors that affect students performance. 2. 2 Students-Teachers Relationship and effects on Academic Performance All of the research reviews support the hypothesis that student performance depends on different socio-economic, psychological, environmental factors. The findings of research studies focused that student performance is affected by different factors such as learning abilities because new paradigm about learning assumes that all students can and should learn at higher levels but it should not be considered as constraint because there are other factors like race, gender, sex that can affect student’s performance. (Hansen, Joe 2000). Some of the authors even tried to explain the link between students achievements, economic circumstances and the risk of becoming a drop-out that proved to be positive (Goldman, N. Haney, W. , and Koffler, McDill, E. , 1989, Levin, H. , 1986) B. A Chansarkar and A. Mishaeloudis (2001), explained the effects of age, qualification distance from learning place etc. on student performance. On the contrary, Yvonne argue that the performance of students on the module is not affected by such factors as age, sex and place of residence but is associated with qualification in quantitative subjects. It is als o found that those who live near the school perform better than other students. Yvonne Beaumont Walters, kola soyibo,(1998) further elaborated that student performance is very much dependent on socio economic back ground as per their statement, High school students’ level of performance is with statistically significant differences, linked to their gender, grade level, school location, school type, student type and socio-economic background. Kirby, Winston et al. (2002) focused on student’s impatience (his time-discount behavior) that influences his own academic performance. Goethe found out that weak students do better when grouped with other weak students. As implied by Zajonc’s analysis of older siblings (1976,27) it shows that students’ performance improves if they are with the students of their own kind. There are often different results by gender, (Hoxby’2000, 96). Sacerdote (2001) finds that grades are higher when students have unusually academically strong room-mates. The results of Zimmerman (1999, 2001) were somewhat contradictory to Goethe idea but again it proved that students performance depends on number of different factors, it says that weak peers might reduce the grades of middling or strong students. (Alexander, Gur et al. 974; Fraser, Beamn et al. 1977) explained that some of the practices adopted by college administration in higher education like residential colleges or organized study groups also help to increases performance. Keeping in view all of the variables discussed by authors one discovers that they are just uncountable factors and projections that have been made regarding students academic performance. Again Maclean's (1966) claim is consisted with this view in the statement that poor teaching methods and too much emphasis on unrealistic curricular objectives and contents may cause emotional block to learning. . 3 School Characteristics that Affects Students Academic Performance School-related characteristics which seem to have been ranked more highly than any other, is inade quate resource materials for teaching. Although this group of characteristics was ranked as number one by the many authors this nevertheless is an indication that the respondents of this study perceived this group of characteristics as the one that affect pupil academic performance the most. Inadequate resource materials for teaching are indeed a major problem in Nigeria. A Nigerian Times Publication of September 15, 1990 reported findings of a research commissioned by the World Bank and the British Overseas Development Administration stating that many institutions in Nigeria do not make available to school pupils textbooks, appropriate reading materials, library and laboratory facilities. The perception of a situation of this nature as having the most effect on pupil academic performance or as responsible for the high rate of academic failures among students is supported by Maclean's (1966, 32) who claim that difficulties expressed by failing students may be due to lack of material information for learning. A supposedly learning environment devoid of necessary learning materials will definitely result into learning difficulty and hence failure by the learner. Section 3 3. 0 Methodology 3. 1Introduction In this chapter the researcher will present the method that will be used in the course of this work. Amongst which is the population, sampling, procedure, validity, methods of data analysis and the administration of instruments. The researcher will use the descriptive method to gather data on how the behavioral attitude of teachers can affects the academic performance of students. To achieve his goal, the researcher will employ both the primary and secondary methods of data collection. For the primary method, questionnaires will be developed and distributed amongst teachers and students of three selected school in the army command secondary schools. Meanwhile, the secondary method of data collection will be based on review of literature in the libraries. Views of various authors will be examined and analyzed so as to understand their opinions on the subject matter. 3. 2 Research Instruments In order to sample the opinions of the targeted audience, the researcher will employ the primary method of data collection. Interview questions will be framed and questionnaires designed by the researcher and modified by the supervisor to sort the desired goal. A total of 120 questionnaires will be designed to sample the opinions of respondents. The questionnaires will be distributed in equal proportion to both teachers and students of the three selected command secondary schools in Lagos. Meanwhile the oral interview will be conducted only among the principles of these schools. 3. 3 Research Designs The questionnaires will be divided into three major parts. The first part will aim at collecting personal data of the respondents. The second part will contain major questions demanding for the respondents’ opinions on the subject matter. The questionnaire will comprise both structured and unstructured questions. The unstructured (open-ended) questions will enable the respondents to freely express their own opinions without being guided by anyone. 3. 4Administration of the Instrument Being a soldier who has lived and served in some of these schools, the researcher has obtained permission from the authorities that are to carry out this research work in command secondary schools. The principles of these schools and some teachers have also promise to give their maximum support to enable the researcher achieve his goal hence; the researcher will personally with the assistance of the principles administer the questionnaires to the respondents. 3. 5 Validity and Reliability of the Instrument. To ensure the authenticity and credibility of the instruments, the researcher with the assistance of the supervisor will carefully and designed the instrument so as to enable the respondents to express their minds without biases. 3. 6 Population of Study The population of study in this work will constitute of three selected ommand secondary schools in Lagos among who are students, teachers, and the principles. It this these group of person whose opinions will be sample in this work. 3. 7 Population Sampling The researcher will target one hundred and twenty (120) persons from the three selected schools. Out of the total population, the researcher will sample the opinions of t en(10) teachers including the principal of each of the schools. Meanwhile the rest of the questionnaires will be served only to final class students of the schools- thirty (30) questionnaires to each class of the three schools. The researcher believes that these classes of persons are mature enough and so will be able to respond to the questions wisely. REFERENCES Bacharach, S. B. Bauer, 1986. The work, environment and the school. Teachers College Record. USA Winner Press. Best, J. H. 1984 Reforming America's schools: the high risks of failure. USA. Teachers College Bradley, G. W. 1978. Self-serving biases in the attribution process: a re-examination of the fact or fiction question. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology Chansarkar B. A. and A. Michaeloudis 2001. Student profiles and factors affecting performance New Jessie math. educ. sci. technol. Int. Gordon c. Winston, David 2000. Student Performance and Student Growth as measure of success: New Orleans, Louisiana. The American Educational Research Association, Little, L. F. and Thompson, R. 1983. Truancy: how parents and teachers contribute. ________ Lockheed, M. E. and Komenan, A. 1989. Teaching quality and student achievement in Africa: the case of Nigeria and Swaziland. Nigeria. Emann Press Ltd MacLean, I. C. 1966. Child Guidance and the School. London: Methuen & Co. Ltd. Marsh, H. W, 1985. Self-serving effect (bias? ) in academic attribution: its relationship to academic achievement and self-concept. Journal of Educational Psychology in Nigeria. Meighan, R. 1978. A pupils' eye view of teaching performance. Educational Review. Nigeria. National Open University. Okebukola, P. A. and Jegede, O. J. 1989. Determinants of occupational stress among teachers in Nigeria. Ilorin. Educational Studies Dpt Reinhart, M. H. 1976. Children -in conflict: education strategies for the emotionally disturbed and behaviourally disordered child. Mosby, St. Louis. Sacerdote, Bruce. 2001. Peer effects with random assignment: results for dartmouth roommates The Quarterly Journal of Economics, Vol12 Rowe, K. J. and Sykes, J. 1959. The impact of professional development on teachers self conception. Teaching and Teacher Education. Kenya. Max Inc. Thompson, S. and Standfort, D. (1975). Student attendance and absenteeism. The Practioner Wehlace, G. G. and Rutter, R. A. 1985 . Dropping out: how much do school contribute to the problem. Teachers College Record. U. S. A. Boxter Press