Adelphia Scandal and Worldcom Scandal Essay

Basic Questions 1. Rigas Entities were entities that shared a common cash management system with Adelphia and Adelphia subsidiaries, which Adelphia controlled and operated. Since the scandal broke, it is commonly referred as off-the-book entities. 2. EBITDA (Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortization) is essentially net income with interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization added back to it, and can be used to analyze and compare profitability between companies and industries because it eliminates the effects of financing and accounting decisions.-from Investopedia 3. Self-dealing basically refers to when directors of a company improperly uses company finances or resource for personal gain. This can include directors taking company loans that the directors do not intend to repay, using company money for extraordinary personal use, or using company property for personal gain. See more: Is the Importance of being earnest a satirical play essay Advanced Questions 1. Both Adelphia scandal and WorldCom scandal were not prevented by company’s external auditor, though Deloitte and Touche and Arthur Andersen both rated their client as high risk. As for the differences, Adelphia did not have an independent internal auditor. However, WorldCom had an independent internal auditor and blows the whistle. 2. I will say Deloitte and Touche is most responsible for not detecting and stopping. As an external auditor, they should pay attention to organization’s financial records and examine on any mistakes or fraud. At least, Deloitte and Touche should have stopped Timothy Rigas from serving as CFO and Director of Adelphia’s Accounting Committee. After all, it was obviously against the rules. 3. Timothy Rigas received a reasonable prison sentence as we can see from the WorldCom case; Bernard Ebbers was sentenced to 25 years. As for John Rigas, a former CEO who was guilty of more than 15 counts of fraud. Rationally speak ing, it seems to be a fair judgment. However, it sounds too rough to keep an old man who has been suffered from cancer in jail.

King Lear’s Journey of Finding Self-Knowledge Essay

In the play, we see King Lear going through a journey of self-knowledge. The play starts with King Lear who seems to be obsessed with honour. He divides his country, giving the one who honours him the most the biggest part. But the treachery of his daughters, Goneril and Regan, and the loss of the daughter who truly loved him, Cordelia, will make him see clear again. This will make Lear see himself and the world as they truly are. First I’ll show how Lear lacks self-knowledge at the start of the play. Then I’ll shortly discuss what political effects the lack of self-knowledge has on the country. Third I’ll show what causes Lear to regain his self-knowledge. In the beginning of the play, Lear seems obsessed with honour. He divides his country among his daughters based on who praises him the most. Giving the one who praises, or loves as Lear calls it, him the most the will receive the largest area of land. But the strange thing is that; immediately after one daughter speaks he tells her which part of the country she’ll receive. So that means that Lear supposedly knew already how he wanted to divide his country, and that the whole thing is just to boost his own ego. So when Cordelia and Kent, who truly love him, don’t want to play his game of praise, he reacts real strongly and banishes them from the country. He even threatens to kill Kent: â€Å"Thy Banished trunk be found in our dominions, the moment is thy death†. This shows that his hunger for praise and honour make him blind for what is really happening around him. We see this again when Kent, in disguise, decides to serve the King. Kent uses Lear’s hunger for honour to gain employment: â€Å"No, sir, but you have that in your countenance which I would fain call master†. Lear: â€Å"What’s that†? Kent: â€Å"Authority†. Lear is blinded by his hunger and doesn’t even know that the person, who he banished, is standing right in front of him. We see that Lear’s hunger for praise and honour make, him blind for what is really happening around him. He gives away his country to his daughters who are evil minded, and the daughter who truly loves him is banished. So the country is now divided and ruled by the evil daughters, Goneril and Regan. And Lear, even after he divided his country, wants to remain powerful and keeps a hundred knights. Goneril and Regan are unhappy with the way Lear is acting so they turn against him. This leaves the country divided and vulnerable, because Lear still owns a hundred knights. I guess that is why the French invaded, also the fact that Cordelia was banished and married France may have had something to do with it. So the decision of Lear to give Goneril and Regan his country and banish Cordelia seems to have caused a war. The great turning point for Lear is when he left Gloucester’s castle and ends up in a fierce storm. Through Lear’s anger over his last conversation with Goneril and Regan, and the power of the storm starts the process of the change within Lear. Lear starts to see the treachery of Goneril and Regan. Also from this moment, Lear no longer sees himself as a mighty king but as â€Å"a poor, infirm weak and despised old man†. All though Lear still doesn’t blame himself for all this: â€Å"I am a man more sinned against than sinning†. After this Lear goes through another change, it seems Lear starts caring for those around him and not just of himself. He thinks about the poor and how hard their live is, he says: â€Å"Poor naked wretches wheresoe’er you are, that bide the pelting of this pitiless storm, how shall your houseless heads and unfed sides, your looped and windowed raggedness, defend you†. Lear then gains the self-knowledge of how he never helped the poor. When Lear meets Cordelia again his journey of finding self-knowledge comes to an end. He now sees that he punished Cordelia while it should have been her sisters. He asks Cordelia for forgiveness for what he has done. Finally, when Lear returns carrying the body of Cordelia, he once again realizes that he is no different from other people. His life ends with the great words: â€Å"Pray you, undo this button†. So it seems Lear starts as a man who’s blinded by the hunger for praise and honour. Because of his lack of self-knowledge he makes the wrong decisions: banishing Cordelia and giving Goneril and Regan all the power. These decisions had great influence on the country. The country was now ruled by his two daughters, who were too busy with conspiring against him. During the play Lear goes through a long process of finding his self-knowledge. In the last seconds of his life he finds himself.

Argument of fact, the death penalty, is it more expensive than life in Essay

Argument of fact, the death penalty, is it more expensive than life in prison - Essay Example However, spending five million dollars from the pocket of the tax payer’s pocket for punishing a single criminal seems to be too much. Many Americans believe that even a small percentage of money spent for the execution of Bundy was enough for meeting the full expenses of keeping Bundy in jail for his entire life span. Taking the life of a criminal or giving capital punishment to a criminal is an easy act- just put the criminal in an electric chair for a while. However the lengthy criminal procedures till that period is the most expensive part of a capital punishment. Life is the most precious thing in this world and nobody, even the court, has the right to take it without adequate reasons. Under no circumstances, an innocent should be punished which is the core principle of criminal justice system. Under such circumstances double checking or triple checking is necessary before giving capital punishments to a criminal. The criminal can appeal against his punishment many times citing many reasons. All such appeals will result in the repetition of the court procedures many times. All these activities are highly expensive because of the expert services required for these procedures from professionals like, advocates, juries, investigating officers, forensic experts, witnesses etc. In this paper, I argue that death penalty is far more expensive compared to other means of punishments with the help of facts and figures. When initially looking at the costs involved in the actual execution of an inmate, the cost appears to be relatively cheap. In the state of Florida, an execution costs less than $1,000 dollars. So, why capital punishment cases are costing millions more than life in prison? The answer is simple; the actual execution of an inmate is quick and simple whereas the capital punishment system is far more complex. â€Å"The death penalty is much more expensive than life without parole because the Constitution requires a long and complex judicial proces s for capital cases† (The High Cost of Death Penalty). The very structure of capital cases is one reason why the cost greatly exceeds those of noncapital cases. In 1976 the U.S. Supreme Court approved the principles which, in its opinion, would make the death penalty constitutional. (The Supreme Court) specified that (1) the sentencing in such cases must be done in trials that are separate from the trials which determine guilt or innocence; ( 2) the sentencing hearing must examine both mitigating and aggravating factors, including pertinent features of the defendant's life and character as well as the conditions of the crime; and ( 3) each death sentence must be followed by an automatic right of appeal to the highest state court. Due to these U.S. Supreme Court mandates, capital cases will spend years, even decades in the courts and in appeals, all the while passing the bill on to the tax payers. If these sentences were commuted to life in prison without the possibility of par ole, these mandated additional trials and appeals would be eliminated, thus greatly lowering the burden to taxpayers. Before the finalizing of capital punishment, the criminal went through a series of expensive trial procedures to reconfirm the punishment. It includes complex and expensive appeal process, evidence gathering, investigations etc. Moreover, mandatory review of all the death sentences by the state supreme court is necessary. If the criminal

What factors explain the growth and interest in heritage tourism Essay

What factors explain the growth and interest in heritage tourism - Essay Example Accordingly, tourism associations have increased their efforts in conservation of biodiversity and ecosystems in order to foster natural heritage tourism (Anheier 2010). Conservation efforts have extended to cultural values and improvement of transport and communication infrastructure to historical sites and heritage areas (Staiff, Bushell & Watson 2013). At the same time, governments have increased their promotional and advertising campaigns on heritage tourism through publishing documentaries on heritage sites and historical development of various tourism attraction sites (Bushell & Eagles 2006). Most of the governments have increased conservation efforts of ecosystems such as coastal areas that include marine parks and wilderness areas that include rivers, lakes and forests (Anheier 2010). In addition, tourists have gained interest with tours in rural areas such as countryside retreats and small islands that offer mangroves, coral reefs, and sea grass beds. Technological changes T he recent advancements in technology have led to exploration of several heritage sites and discovery of rare species in the world (Misiura 2012). Accordingly, technological advancements have led to development of modern transportation methods that are suitable for heritage tourism. For instance, super ferries and cruise ships enable tourists to visit small islands in deep seas. Budget airlines like Ryanair and EasyJet have brought down the travelling costs to the historical and heritage sites thus increasing the tourist volumes. In addition, online booking and computerized reservation systems create convenience for the heritage tourists. Growth in income levels...Accordingly, there is considerable growth in the number of museums, art galleries and theaters that create high demand for heritage tourism. Emergence in heritage tourism partnerships The growth and interest in heritage tourism has been facilitated by growth in partnerships in tourism initiatives that aim at preserving heri tage assets and enabling tourists have a ‘passport package’ that allows them to visit various heritage sites such as museums, art galleries and historical sites. Accordingly, the partnerships have packaged both non-heritage and heritage tourism packages together through enabling tourism access bus tours, sports, resorts and amusement parks and enjoy the cultural heritage tourism in the historical sites and museums. Increase in cultural tourism and heritage education Increase in historical education, cultural heritage awareness and archeological studies have contribute to the growth and interest in tourism education. Colleges and Universities have established courses on heritage tourism and need to understand cultural diversity (Timothy 2011). Accordingly, heritage tourists are highly educated and broadly travelled across the globe thus heritage tourism offers unique tourism experience (Morgan & Pritchard 1998). The increase in the number of aged citizens has led to increase in interest in heritage tourism. The aged populations require more leisure and time to reflect on the historical happenings through visiting the art galleries and museums .

The Gap Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Gap - Case Study Example For every company, setting strategic directions require sales projections for such periods as one, three, five, and ten years ahead. These projections predict customer and competitor reactions; attempt to gauge acceptance for new products; and highlight economic, social, demographic, technological, psychological, and political changes, all of which are difficult tasks to perform -nor can they be performed with the degree of precision available in other more concrete situations A visit to a local Gap store allows to say that the majority of Gap's customers are women and girls from low and middle social classes. The average age of the consumers is 14-17 years old, and 17-24 years old. In the store, there were 4 middle-age women (40 years old) with teen daughters. I saw any men in two Gap's stores. Most of the young women are unmarried. All of the customers wore casual cloths and neither looked like a business woman. This information allows to say that age is not a major determinant of marketing influentials. Opinion leaders cross age lines, especially in fashions. Influence does not travel from the older to younger women. However, it reveals status homogeneity, and travels within a social stratum. When influence does cross status lines, there does not seem to be a discernible direction -- there is no more advice-giving coming down the status ladder than going up. In another sense ours is an age of mass change. Mass conformity, which exists within this dynam ic setting, results in the democratization of consumption, in the sharing of abundance. Marketing has had a hand in this process. Marketing programs are based on the existence of similar wants, motives, attitudes, opinions, and re- actions (Drejer 22). They are designed to furnish similar goods to diverse markets. Modern technology is the necessary and sufficient condition for the creation of mass culture. Our society with its mass culture emphasizes higher standards of living and expanding expectations. But this massification has been assailed. Ours has been termed the homogenized, Philistine society. The mass media, television, movies, newspapers, and magazines, which are among the tools of market communication, have been proclaimed the purveyors of a mass culture that has a relatively low common denominator. The Internet site allows to say that the merchandise is oriented to teen girls and housewives, who do not care about fashion and style. Their main criteria is price, simple d esign and subtle colons. Gap's consumer is a young woman who wants to look nice but does not care much about fashion and style (Dobson and Starkey 33; Gap Inc Home Page 2009). Gap's merchandise selection is based on traditional classification including top sales, classics, jeans, pants and accessories. A visit to the local store shows that Gap pays no attention to design of its premises: they look unattractive and even sad in contrast to such brands as the United Colors Benetton or T. J. Maxx. Gap follows a traditional method of products display when all goods are sorted by color. it is possible to say that sociological factors and forces are as important as any in determining and shaping buyer behavior. Society has a way of getting consumers to conform and make approved purchases. Group pressures are effective. Life style (the distinctive or characteristic mode of living), which is the

The Effect Of Light Intensity On Photosynthesis Of Pondweed Plant Coursework

The Effect Of Light Intensity On Photosynthesis Of Pondweed Plant - Coursework Example Limiting factors are the features, which affect the rate of reaction or control the process depending upon their presence or absence. The law of limiting factor states that,† Those reactions which depend on more than one factors to be favorable, then its rate is limited by least favorable value of its limiting factors. For the reaction to be at optimum speed, all... factors need to be at an optimum stage.† Concentration of CO2 is one of the main limiting factors of the process, after light intensity. Usual concentration of CO2 in the environment is 0.03%, and it does not change much. There are places where more CO2 is present and the rate of Photosynthesis is higher in those areas. The more concentration of CO2 in the surrounding faster will be the process. Temperature is another factor, which affects the rate of the process by influencing the efficiency of the enzymes working in the process. Optimum temperature for photosynthesis is between

The chunnel project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

The chunnel project - Essay Example The Chunnel Project case study has been structured in such a way that it is possible for one to carry out an evaluation of the project management methods as well as the various process that have been used in the project. This study actually makes an inclusive coverage of the various project management areas as catered for by the four project phases of inception, development, implementation and closeout (Anbari et al 12). So as to guarantee better management control- characterized by appropriate links to the performing organization’s ongoing operations, the institution (organization) or even the project managers can split the project into various phases. En masse, these phases are what are commonly referred to as the project life cycle (Anbari et al 15). Notably, it is the project lifecycle which is obliged with the definition of the phases connecting the commencement of a project to its completion. Nevertheless, it is worth noting that phases are ordinarily sequential and are at the same time defined by certain precise forms of technical information transfer. Alternatively, the phases may be so defined by technical component handoff. Despite the fact that majority of life cycles have shared phase names with like deliverables, only countable of the life cycles are identical. While some of them have four-if not five- phases, there are those having over nine phases (Anbari et al 19). As mentioned in an earlier paragraph, the Chunnel Project case study avails a discussion of the four project phases as will be discussed and evaluated in the preceding paragraphs. Inception phase The initial scope of the Chunnel, in the Inception phase, was constructing a fixed transportation link between the two countries; England and France. Through this transport link, it was expected that economic development will be spurred, European trade boosted as well as avail an alternative high-speed mode of transportation to the existing ones, including ferries, boats and planes. Th e Channel Tunnel Group/France Manche (which later re-branded to Eurotunnel) was the company that worn the 1986 project to create a 51.5 KM double-rail tunnel between England and France. This tunnel was to accommodate not only through-trains, but also special car-and-truck-carrying shuttle trains. The project had been cost at USD 5.5 billion (Anbari et al 3). Problems Viewed from a project management angle, both the high-level design and the corresponding rough-order-of-magnitude approximations may have been apposite. Nonetheless, there was no ample time provided for the completion of the detailed design studies that would have pinpointed the necessity of air conditioning within the tunnel thus bracketing in a USD 200 million increments not included in the very initial scope (Anbari et al 4).

A Web Site Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

A Web Site - Essay Example Once a user is logged in, he is presented an array of interests in the form of multiple pictures. Each picture contains a title word that relates to the interest that is depicted in pictorial form. Most photos contain deeply rich colors that are both appealing and relaxing to the eyes. Below this arrangement of pictures appears a bar that is indicator of the progress that a user makes while selecting the pictures to demonstrate one’s areas of interest. That background of the page is plain; a feature that ensures undivided attention of the user on the interests that are presented before him. Pinterest serves the purpose of keeping track of the interests that a user displays during his activities on the internet. User’s dashboard is divided into five columns which is an extremely clever arrangement as it allows presentation of maximum information on the display screen at any moment. However, the columns may not be scrolled up or down individually; a feature that may possibly add to convenience of use. On top of the page is a horizontal bar that provides the option to search for interests or people while using Pinterest. This bar is static / frozen and does not scroll when the user scrolls the page. The purpose is to make it readily available for use whenever the need arises. Since information in Pinterest is derived from multiple sources on the Web, no specific color scheme can be followed here. However, as the user moves around using his touchpad or mouse, three main options appear on each element of interest that is shown. These include ‘Pin It’, ‘Send’ or ‘favorite’. Since the purpose of website is to keep track of the interests of users, these options provide ease of use that is extraordinary. Overall, the site appears to be extremely dynamic; new interest related information is presented every time the page is refreshed. Additionally, Pinterest presents the source of information

The Case for Islamo-Christian Civilization Essay

The Case for Islamo-Christian Civilization - Essay Example The successor state and the Caliphate, the Munghalsand the Safavids, Islam law development and interest issues that come because of the confrontation of medieval with the ideas of Aristotelian (center). The second issue was that the author wanted to avoid using the word margin and periphery, since the two words are commonly perceived as geographical words. These words take into consideration the center. The third reason involved the fact that terminologies like edge and cutting edge will fit into the contention of the edge in Islam instead of the center which is a place where many new categories of things occur. The author also argues out that the lack of an ecclesiastical hierarchy, the Islamic narratives put the institutions of politics at the story center like those of the Caliphate followed by the plethora of the succeeding states all having juris consults, judges, and inspectors of the market as identified by the sheria. This means that like individuals having full faith the Isl am find vital identity elements and solace in observing those practices that they encountered first. The local custom fails to provide guidance for the people who consider a shift in the identity of religion through embracing a varied ancestral faith or rather by changing to different religions. Though parallel in other religions, the edgde situations display creativity in the Islamic history, since getting the answers of some questions that are raised by the converts and Muslims exposes the ambiguities that underlie the spiritual authority. The future. In this section the author identify the case and speed communication as the two things, which separate the today edge from the ones in the past, and the de-valuation or the disappearance of the institutions. It is easy to find Muslims from every conditions and land accessing the world wide audience in an easy way. The author uses examples like a preacher inside the Harlem a political leader residing in Kuala Lumpur, a terrorist in Mo mbasa, and a feminist living in Marrakesh accessing similar audience with Shaikh al-Azhar of Cairo. The old authorities devaluation through the regimes that are modernized of the twentieth and nineteenth century and the establishment of the mass literacy of the youth by the very government have made many Muslims on the edge believe that they have the freedom of choosing the type of Ismalic brand, which best satisfies their circumstances. The perspective of the edge regarding the history of Islam shows that the resolution of the crisis will be depended of minimum ideas than on institutions such those which convince a larger portion of the Muslim segment. The author also suggests that a free market of religion and the beliefs is combined with blessing, at that time when the clouds of war gather and the region voice heard by Luslims who struggle to uplift their families in the sinking countries. Sinking, according to the author implies those countries that suffer as a result of poverty or disorder. These are the individuals who go in a certain religion for their moral and spiritual sustenance, and comfort that is derived from the living in a supportive and caring community of religion. The author is inclined to doubting the current Islam religion, whether it would be fruitful in the future. In this case, the author discusses the challenges that face the new institutionalizing experiments authority. Part 2 According ot the author, the future is characterized by

Community College Visit Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Community College Visit - Assignment Example The Campus offers career training in more than 50 fields. The campus admits students of all ages as well as from all walks of life who are eager to utilize various programs that are offered there. The campus was the first of the DCCCD that offered nursing programs. The campus has recently established associations with various top-notch hospitals in the region. Moreover, it is the only campus within DCCCD that offers food and hospital programs. The campus is a Hispanic-serving institution as well as a member of the Hispanic institutions of universities and colleges. HIS university or college is a campus where the total Hispanic enrolment comprises a minimum of 25% of the entire enrolment. The campus has grown from just being a campus and it now has two sub-branches of the main campus. The sub-branches include El Centro down town campus, west Dallas campus, and Bill J. campus. The two sub branches are also located in the downtown region of Texas. The west Dallas campus is a one-stop location in down town Texas where students can meet with the college advisors, register for their course of choice, as well as speak to the financial aid advisors. This campus is the only college present in west Dallas. The college academic programs are stepping-stones for learners who want to transfer to four-year institutions, for education students who are looking for courses associated with personal development, high school students seeking to get a dual credit, that is for high school completion and college credit. Furthermore, the college offers programs for students seeking associate degrees or certificates to take on entry-level positions at the place of work. Whatever the need of the students, the college has programs that are designed to achieve it. For student seeking degree programs, the campus offers a variety of degrees, which include, associate in arts, associate in science, as well as associates in applied sciences. Moreover, the campus

Education and Life Chances in Modern Education Essay Example for Free

Education and Life Chances in Modern Education Essay Is there such thing as secret of finding meaning in life? That might some what answers me base on certain articles that I just read and as well as the video that amazed me while viewing. This first article defines life and it’s meaning which is â€Å"Meaning in Life [live the life that you want]† by Albert S. Wang, written on November 19, 1997. This article, questions you if you are really contented and happy of what you have and if this is really the life that you wanted. It is said in here that to be able to live a life that you want and to put a meaning on it; you must first know yourself from within because this makes you know of who you are, second is know where you want to go for it gives you direction in finding your happiness. These things are beginning of having a meaningful life. To find the meaning of your life, you must find it with action not just by waiting for it to come and you can also find this meaning in life not just in distant place but mostly it is found near you. Putting a meaning in your life is all about the choices and decisions that you made on where you want to go. Just live your will and you’ll see that each day you will grow in having a meaningful life. The second article that touches me is entitled â€Å"So What Will Matter? † sent by Leandro G. Cruz and shared by Joe Gatuslao of Bacolod City, Philippines. Its original title is A Life That Matters. This article is so inspiring because it stresses that all that you have got starting from yourself just like beauty, fame, wealth and all other things that you have are just in vain because these things are not forever yours, these are just passing things and you cannot bring these things when you leave earth but what really matters are the thing that you made that others will remember you of your goodness, the things that you gave not just in material aspects but in all, living your life with significance, teaching others and set yourself as an example to them. All of these things are living a life that matters. This third article has an unknown author which entitles â€Å"A Purpose†. The article speaks that all of us who are created by God has a unique and significant purpose. Each of us is given a chance to find our designated purposes but you must wait when the right time comes because God has set it for you at a time when you are equipped and ready. Most of the time you’ll experience the roughness of life but don’t be dismayed because there is always a helping hand that will take care of you, which is God who never leaves you. Just stay at the right path and do good deeds for in the end you will find your own way to the pearly white gate. The next article is the one that I liked most which is â€Å"The Journey of Our Life† shared again by Joe Gatuslao from Bacolod City, Philippines. This article actually tells a story about the Emperor who owned a huge land and he told his horseman that if he could ride on his horse and cover as much land area as he likes, then the Emperor would give him the area of land he has covered. The horseman did not stop riding and whipping the horse because he wanted to cover as much area as possible. Came to a point when he had covered a substantial area and he was exhausted and was dying. Then he asked himself, â€Å"Why did I push myself so hard to cover so much land area? Now I am dying and I only need a very small area to bury myself. † This story is really similar with the journey of our life because most of us are always striving for richness, properties, possessions, power etc. So we work harder and harder until we come to realized that all of these things are not necessary for living a happy and meaningful life; we must balance our way of living so that we could not missed something in life that might happen once. The next thing that I am going to share is all about the video clip that I watched; it’s about an old woman at the age of 47 and her name is Susan Boyle who joined in a certain show that searches for extraordinary talents namely Britain’s Got Talent. During her performance, a big shock was made by Susan because at the beginning when she first introduced herself, everybody was against her like they are judging Susan of joining the show where she looks like so ordinary and nothing to show up but when she start on singing all where stunned by her angelic voice and they gave her a standing ovation but most importantly the three big yes from the strict juries. This gives us an insight that we must not judge the person’s appearance because you’ll never know what’s the biggest surprise that comes from within. God created us with equal gifts and we must use this as an inspiration to others. This last article is a prayer entitled as â€Å"Mere Possessions†. It’s all about the prayer of a woman who asked a help from the Lord, asking that she might not put much stock in possessions because things don’t last and you cannot bring all of these things when you leave earth. That we come into the world with nothing, we leave with nothing. Having a meaningful life is about your choices and decisions that were made; just make sure you have chosen the right path because if you do then you’ll end walking along the pearly white gate and that is the fulfillment of having a meaningful life. There is really no such thing as a secret of finding a meaning in life; it’s just you who will make it meaningful by doing what is right and just; live happy and be happy all the time because life is just too short, you might missed something so let’s make the most of it. Public education, it can be argued, shapes society, instils social mores and indoctrinates the impressionable with those philosophies the elites value. This essay will focus upon three main areas intrinsic to the education system. These are the social reproduction of ideas, the life chances created and instilled through education, and the socialisation of the individuals undergoing the educational process. Two main sociological perspectives that are useful when studying the education system are Functionalism and Critical Theory, because they focus on macro issues and social structures more than the interactionist perspective. Functionalists believe that the school system is an agent of social reproduction, which operates to reproduce well integrated, fully functioning members of society (Webb, Schirato and Danaher, 2002: 114). Critical theorists, conversely, hold that education is the most effective mechanism for promoting social change and for giving opportunities to less privileged groups so that they can advance their social standing. However, education usually reproduces existing social divisions, maintaining the relative disadvantage of certain groups (Webb, Schirato and Danaher, 2002: 106). Munro (1994: 108) describes the different approaches by stating that, functionalists tend to see education as synonymous with socialisation, while a conflict theorist is inclined to view education as ideological- that is, reflecting the interests of particular groups. Functionalists hold that the major institution for social reproduction is the education system, whereas, from a critical perspective, teachers, who oversee this reproduction, have been made into administrators of programs that provide manpower capitalisation through planned and directed behavioural changes (Illich, 1973: 327). Illich (1973: 327) comments, from a critical perspective, that teaching and learning remain sacred activities separate and estranged from a fulfilling life. This is because the things being taught do not line up with the necessary knowledge needed for life outside of education, and that learning from programmed information always hides reality behind a screen (Illich, 1973: 324). This means that the knowledge provided is set to a secret agenda. The learning process, which supposedly passes on the values and mores necessary in society to students, is not, however, meeting these needs effectively. Relevant information, that is, knowledge, which will add skills to the labour market, is becoming less practical and more theoretical, expanding the gap between study and work. Regardless of this, employers and social elites have attempted to use the schools for the reproduction of compliant workers (Davis, 1999: 65). This double standard has been discussed in a best selling song, The Wall by Pink Floyd (1978) in which they stated that the reproduction received through the school system was set to a hidden agenda, and that society would be better off without it. Drucker (1973: 236) equates the influx of educated people to the potential for producing wealth in any given country. By stating this, educational socialisation and the development of educated people is the most important function education can have. He goes on to state that while this may be the case today, throughout history, being uneducated provided the wealth of a given nation, due to the class differences, and that education was for the rich and idle while the work was performed by the illiterate. This all changed with the Industrial Revolution, and the invention of moveable type in the 17th Century (Drucker, 1973: 232). The moveable type meant that education could be performed at a reduced rate, and words became a commodity that was necessary for improving the quality of the labour force. Education is purported to provide the best possible life chances for its graduates, yet in reality, in many ways education diminishes these chances. Heinz (1987: 132) points out that the life chances of graduates are in a state of flux, that when the labour market is depressed and work is difficult to find, then young people will opt for more education as a means of delaying their entry into a tight work force. The school then takes on the function of a warehouse; it is a place to mark time. At the same time school acts as a socio-political instrument for reducing social and political conflict, and this function gains predominance over its main function of educating young people. In many cases the academic credentials earned are unnecessary for working-class jobs (Furlong and Cartmel, 1999: 12), which changes the focus of education, making it oppressive and irrelevant (Davis, 1999: 83). Heinz (1987: 131) states secondary school-leavers face a worsening outlook when they want to start in working life, and joining a preparatory program is increasingly becoming the only alternative to unemployment. There are a growing number of young people who are finding it harder to find a place, whose prospects on the labour market are poor, being qualified but underemployed, or drifting between unemployment and occasional jobs (Heinz, 1987: 131). This increases social inequalities and the gap between rich and poor. By acting as a warehouse education is not preparing students for life but rather crippling their life chances. The alternative to this are to reassess the curricula and teaching methods, reintegrating skilled workers into vocational education, ensuring that knowledge will be of direct benefit to graduates in obtaining a place within the work force. There are fewer and fewer opportunities becoming available, and school leavers have to undergo more and more relevant vocational training. However, fewer school-leavers are able to go directly into the vocational training they want. Heinz (1987: 130) noted a growing trend 16 years ago that Depending on the region, only between one-third and one-half of these school leavers succeed in getting a training place, and in 1994 Munro (1994: 109) observed that the school-to-work transition had failed which had major ramifications for everyone involved, causing underemployment of school leavers (Munro, 1994: 116). The seriousness of this trend is made even more apparent by the fact that school-leavers are even ready to enter apprenticeships that lead them into dead-end occupations (Heinz, 1987: 129). Drucker (1973: 232) however, states that while this may be so, to be uneducated is an economic liability and is unproductive, even though education is producing an unemployable, overeducated proletariat. (Drucker, 1973: 233) According to Mehan (1973: 240) education is a major socialisation agency, which moulds the individuals self-concepts into a socially accepted format, allowing each individual to be slotted into a specific function (Sargent, 1994: 240). Sargent (1994: 240) points out that in the function of education values are essentially involved and are taught beside worldly knowledge. However, this knowledge interprets the world, but does not necessarily correspond with any external state (Sargent, 1994: 232). The transmission of knowledge, skills and values, helps to sort and rank individuals, that they might be better placed in the labour market (Munro, 1994: 96). This raises a paradox, however, where education is seen by many as the best possible means of achieving greater equality in society (Sargent, 1994: 233), yet it categorises the graduates into job specifications, personality types and the opportunities granted to each. Sargent (1994: 231) furthers this thought by explaining that the education system is an integral part of determining position and power in our society (Sargent, 1994: 231), and that through education the class structures are compounded, making it more difficult for those in the working classes from advancing in the social hierarchy. The education institution both absorbs and perpetuates the ideology, masquerading as knowledge, which legitimises inequality (Sargent, 1994: 231). Regardless of the inequalities produced, it has become the absolute prerequisite of social and economic development in our world to have a highly educated pool of people ready for the labour market (Drucker, 1973: 232). In conclusion, the failure of the education system to reduce social inequality and produce better workers, raises serious doubts as to its effectiveness. Life chances created through education appear to be diminishing, despite the extension of education. The knowledge taught seems to be ineffective in preparing students to cope with life. Functionalists need to reassess the structure of education, as it loses its ability to effectively provide for graduates, becoming dysfunctional in its goals to remove inequality and give a head start to people entering the work force. When looking at the education system, it is necessary to ask if the cost spent on educating people is being effectively used, considering the increasing number of educated poor. The gap between knowledge taught and life experience needs to be bridged, for education to effectively function. If, as it appears, schools are to socialise and reproduce effective and functioning members of society, the curricula has to be addressed. Bibliography Davis, Nanette J. (1999). Youth Crisis: Growing up in the High Risk Society. Praeger Publications, Westport Drucker, Peter F. (1973). The Educational Revolution, Social Change: Sources, Patterns, and Consequences (2nd ed) Amitai Etzioni and Eva Etzioni-Halevy (Eds). Basic Books Inc. , New York. pp 232 238 Furlong, Andy, and Cartmel, Fred (1997). Young People and Social Change: Individualisation and Risk in Late Modernity. Open University Press, Buckingham Heinz, Walter R. (1987). The Transition from School to Work in Crisis: Coping with Threatening Unemployment, Journal of Adolescent Research (Vol 2). pp 127 141 Illich, Ivan (1973). The Breakdown of Schools: A Problem or a Symptom, Childhood and Socialisation Hans Peter Dreitzel (Ed). Macmillan Publishing Co. Inc. , Canada. pp 311 336 Mehan, Hugh (1973). Assessing Childrens School Performance, Childhood and Socialisation Hans Peter Dreitzel (Ed). Macmillan Publishing Co. Inc. , Canada. pp 240 264 Munro, Lyle (1994). Education, Society and Change: A Sociological Introduction to Contemporary Australia Brian Furze and Christine Stafford (Eds). Macmillan Education Australia Pty. Ltd. , South Melbourne. pp 96 128 Pink Floyd (1978) The Wall, The Wall. Mushroom Records, California. Sargent, Margaret (1994). Education for equality? employment? emancipation? , The New Sociology for Australians. Longman Cheshire Pty. Ltd. , Melbourne. pp 231 256 Webb, J. , Schirato, T. and Danaher, G. (2002). Bourdieu and Secondary Schools, Understanding Bourdieu pp 105 106 (Reprinted in Sociological Reflections on Everyday Life: GSC 1201 Reader). Allen and Unwin, Sydney. pp 227 238.

Applications of Reference Checks in Selection Process

Applications of Reference Checks in Selection Process Discuss the reasons for carrying out reference checks and the effective ways to conduct it during the selection process. Based on numerous assessment methods available on hiring employees, reference checks are deemed vital as it is seen as a powerful tool that generates and gathers useful reports of knowledge on any applicant’s previous working history in terms of their accomplishment and history. A successful reference guiding process depends almost heavily on the principle which is based on behavioral consistency. This simply is because it is believed to be the most reliable principle based on analyzing and forecasting the future behavior of applicants in terms of job performance and also based on previous behavioral working history. Not only does this method guarantees choosing future candidates with a strong background of history in terms of previous history of job-related performances, referencing checking aids managers to determine and exclude future candidates that are known to have histories of inappropriate and unacceptable workplace related behaviors. References that are properly condu cted according to standard operating procedures aid organizationsin verifying successful job predictions and determining the right qualifications that helps put everything in place in order to make sure the selected organization manages to get the right person to fill in the job vacancy. This is important as by failing to obtain the right future employee will result in a lot of lost in terms of finance, time and the fact of maybe having to face a lawsuit for dismissing the candidate prematurely. A reference check which is well structured is a well-organized evaluation of a candidates previous job work-related performances. This is based upon exchanging dialogs with previous co-workers of the future candidate. Like any other pre-employment interviews, reference checking is at its optimum levels when it is coordinated to be structured perfectly along with the integration of thoughts into the potential hiring process. A well-structured check is almost a hundred percent, if not more successful than carrying out an informal conversation with the candidate’s previous co-workers. This is because it helps to gather useful information that will boost the hiring manager’s confidence based upon the results that he or she will obtain and at the same time, a well-organized referencing check will help to enhance any legal dispute that may occur in the near future. The following are the multiple options that can be structured besides the standard ‘having a casual conver sation’ .This can be shaped to be a successful tool that can easily be made to assess candidates with ease. But before that, what are some of the purposes of having to conduct references check you may ask? Well, one of the most important steps of planning process is to determine various purpose of having a reference check. This will help in 2 major ways; Firstly, this will help aid the various types of information that needs to be collected and stored and secondly, the process that will be conducted in order to obtain it . The data that is collected from reference checks may ultimately serve three different means. First and foremost, it helps to verify the truth behind the initial information that has been given by the candidates during their interview, on their application forms and lastly on their resume. Next, the data collected by reference checks helps in unveiling signs of undesirable and unacceptable previous history of behavioral work pattern. Last but not least, this method helps to determine the amount of development that the future candidate may require in terms of setting up future extra training to help fill in the ‘training-gap’ in order for the candidate to help achieve the goals and vision of the hiring organization. Now, back to the examples of various means of reference checks; Job related, the aim is to concentrate on the candidate’s abilities to perform the task and job that are stated along the lines from the statement of merit criteria. Organizing the check over this criterion gives a more detailed forecast of future job abilities .Observation, any information that is going to be provided by a referee has to be based on experience or observation or previously working with the candidate. This allows the referee to utilize his experience to further support the candidate by commenting on the abilities and performance of the candidate from their previous job. Standardize, A set of standard equal questions are asked toward all referees in all appointment procedures. This method ensures that there is a fair ‘playing field’ for all candidates and that they are respected and treated as one, equally. Behavioral focused, Almost all reference checks becomes more liberal and any jud gementing errors are greatly reduced simply by focusing on behaviors that are work-related. By asking proper questions and differentiating proper information with skills ensures that any fraudulent image pictured by the candidates is gunned down. Legal Defense, This has developed to become one of the greatest aspect that should be considered by all firms simply to be at the right side of the law and to be protected just incase of any unforeseen circumstances in the future. A detailed and proper reference check will help enable any organization to ensure that they uphold the requirements met by the government in their respective region. Reference checking is deemed as one of the final steps before actually considering hiring an actual candidate and it is important if not more important compared to the previous steps of the initial selection stages. It is vital that the outcome of this step is dealt directly with the ability of the candidate to perform the job required to do accordingly. It is important to plan basic questions that will allow you to ask the referee of the applicants and questions that will be directed directly to the applicants as well. Moreover, if the organization is dealing with more than 1 candidate, then specific questions should be prepared before hand as it will help to clarify any problems specifically towards each and every candidate respectively. As always, it is always better to prepare beforehand so that the time is saved and everything is checked before making the final decision. In order to conduct a proper standard of record keeping, its almost advisable to create a reference form that will include the name of the interviewer, the name of the candidate, the time and date , position that the applicant is applying for and last but not least, their previous workplace name. A standard set of questions should be included as well and the form should have sufficient space for addition notes that you will take down during their response to the questions that will be asked. One of the effective ways to conduct referencing checks is to conduct an interview with the potential candidates. Questions should be asked like they are asked in any other interviews regarding their pass experiences, ask questions regarding to their ability of carrying out the job given, their general thoughts on the job ,the output that they are willing to commit to , the ability to work with other employees regardless of their gender or race, their ability to get along with higher ranked employees who might not be easy going etc. Bear in mind that the reason is to extract vital information from the potential candidate. A clear picture of the candidate’s strengths and weakness should be gathered as the interview is conducted in order to finalized the referencing check. A referee that is brought in maybe interviewed as well in order to get a clear picture of the candidate’s pass job related experience and behavior. Another common step in conducting a referencing check is by verifying their education background. If the job scope requires a candidate with a strong education background, then it is almost required to firstly, contact the school register system in order to verify the validity of the certification. Next, it is important to contact the university or college of the candidate to verify their higher education degree. The last step to conduct a successful referencing checks is to hire an investigation team to conduct a criminal record search on the potential candidate. As mentioned earlier, a job with a higher job scope that will allow future employees to deal directly with customers definitely requires a proper security. Any applicant to the desired job should be required to sign off a waiver of any claims regarding the final outcome of the investigation. If say the background check comes back positive, then it should be forwarded to the organization’s legal counsel team for them to determine if the candidate is fit for the job or n ot . To summarize it, I feel that the importance of conducting referencing checks during any selection process is extremely vital. Not only will this allow any organization to employ the most suitable candidates for the job posting but it will help to prevent any organization from losing money in terms of facing law suits or time , in terms of conducting extra unnecessary training to fill In the training gaps that are require to carry out the initial job postings. There are several issues regarding this step in recent days and one of the main factors is that former employees especially in developed countries are almost reluctant to comment on their previous workers as they fear facing potential lawsuits. I believe, that in order to get the perfect candidate for the job, smaller companies , or in fact companies that works around their clients hand-in-hand which requires employees to enter their home , office etc. ( as in technicians, teachers , etc ) should consider outsourcing their refer ence checks to external companies in order for their future employees to be checked thoroughly from every aspect.

Ryanairs Corporate Culture

Ryanairs Corporate Culture 1. Summary This report attempts to analyse the corporate communication strategies currently employed by Irish budget airline Ryanair with respect to the various communication frameworks in place, whilst focusing on both external and internal stakeholders. Finally an analysis of Ryanairs corporate culture and HRM strategy with respect to their influence upon employees within the organisation. 2. Introduction Corporate communication distinguishes itself from other forms of communication such as management by the means in which it bases itself upon the organisations corporate perspective, the stakeholders it addresses and the management activities within its scope (Cornelissen, 2005) According to Argenti Foreman (2002) corporate communication can take the role of two forms; as a ‘function which may be dispersed across an organisation, or as a ‘process to reach all of its constituencies. An appropriate definition from Argenti (2002) avers Corporate Communication as â€Å"the corporations voice and the images it projects of itself on a world stage populated by its various audiences; corporate reputation, corporate advertising and advocacy, employee communications, investor relations, government relations, media management and crisis communications†. A consequence of these characteristics is that they are complex in nature especially when referring to multi-national organi sations (Cornelissen, 2005) such as Ryanair therefore effective communication strategies demand an integrated approach to communications management. Successful communication strategies clearly identify the organisations differentiating factor, or the profile which it wants to portray to its stakeholder groups. In the case of Ryanair its differentiating factor is its ability to consistently offer â€Å"lowest cost scheduled airline tickets† (Hagele, 2006). Micheal OLeary (CEO) says of his corporate strategy â€Å" Its the oldest, simplest formula; Pile‘ em high and sellem cheapWe want to be the Wal-Mart of the airline business. Nobody will beat us on price. EVER†. A powerful but contraversial message communicated by OLeary, which as the paper will discuss later synonmous with Ryanairs communications strategies. The objective of this paper is to identify what global communication framework/ s Ryanair are currently using; analysis of both internal and external corporate communication strategies and their subsequent impact with reference to engaging both internal and external stakeholders. Finally identification of Ryanairs corporate culture and its influence upon people within Ryanair. The aim of this paper therefore after discussing the objectives is to decide whether the frameworks and communication strategies Ryanair use are effective in maintaining their position as the European low-cost budget airline for both internal and external stakeholders. 3. Communication strategy Integrated Corporate Communication framework within Ryanair Corporate Communication as an integrated framework for managing communication (Cornelissen, 2005) Ryanair holistically combines both marketing, advertising, technology and public relations practitioners together in an integrated communications framework model (Cornelissen, 2005) drawing upon management strategy, consumer behaviour and organizational theory (see appendix) to manage the companys reputation and maintain brand equity. Integrated communication is created at the corporate brand level for Ryanair with the goal of enhancing its positioning within the market as Europes ‘lowest price airfares whilst maintaining its competitive strategy. Unlike other organisations that have placed corporate communications managers into executive teams (Cornelissen, 2005) OLeary does not follow this example, preferring instead to ‘council its head of corporate communications Stephen MacNamara and head of marketing Dara Brady, and rather instead maintaining control over Ryanairs communication strategy in its entirety. OLeary orchestrates Ryanairs communication strategy from the ma nagement team down with a hierarchical approach, enabling communication from a corporate strategic level which is reflected within its corporate culture. What makes Ryanair such a success is its inherent ability to consistently communicate the same ‘offering and its core strategy to stakeholders of ‘low price regardless of the ‘landscape it finds itself within. O Leary is able to leverage negative publicity associated with an event or incident at Ryanair and exploit this free opportunity to promote greater exposure of the brand and re-iterate how successful they really are. For example by utilising existing media channels such as an internet bloggers page who has posted a negative blog regards Ryanair, the companys integrated communication framework enables a quick response from MacNamara who instead re-enforces how successful their business model is in providing the cheapest fares around. What makes Ryanair unique within the airline industry is their ability not to waiver from their strategy of low cost, even if this means the ‘customer is not always right (O, Leary, 2007). This approach to communication strat egy is strengthened by the ‘Input-Output model of stakeholder management discussed later in the paper and shown in the appendix. 3.1. Internal Communications The organisation defines itself as a low-cost airline; the consequence of this is that unlike other airlines that can pass on additional cost increases to the customer such as increasing fuel prices Ryanair are unable to do so. Therefore their communication frameworks revolve around low-cost channels such as face-to-face, traditional print media and a heavy emphasis on technology and web-based communications system such as the Ryanair intranet, enabling employees such as flight crew, maintenance and ground staff, amongst others to access critical information and maintain quality management. Ryanair attempts to communicate with its employees (Annual Report, 2009) through a variety of communication channels; an internal staff newsletter called â€Å"The Limited Release† provides employees with up-to-date plans, issues and challenges within the aviation industry, where further daily news bulletins are broadcast on Ryanairs internal TV network. Additionally the organisations Employee Representative Committee (ERC) (one per department) liaises with Ryanairs European Works Council to provide guidance on current aviation issues pertinent to employees. Therefore using an integrated framework encompassing word-of- mouth, electronic channels, and periodical print media has enabled the organisation to minimise tangible costs. Only recently OLeary was quoted in the media for criticising employees for ‘stealing Ryanairs electricity by charging their mobile phones! (ref). 3.2. External communications As an entrepreneurial organisation Ryanair believes it possesses the right to play outside the box and follow its own path, challenging the status quo of corporate communication and pushing the aviation industry boundaries. As a result OLeary, MacNamara and Grady follow an external communications strategy which more often or not is designed to provoke the audience rather than to attract (see appendix). What is consistent is Ryanairs approach which is synonymous with ‘old school Public Relation strategy; in that it focuses on communicating the same message repeatedly; ‘low fares through online, print and . channels in an attempt to reinforce the notion of ‘good value with consumers. However, whilst it can be argued that this strategy may seem archaic it actually proffers the advantage that Ryanairs positioning strategy is absolutely clear to its stakeholders; in that its offering is ‘low priced airfares and absolutely nothing else. OLeary has a reputation as a hard-nosed businessman choosing his words carefully but with the intent to cause as much controversy as possible which ultimately creates a paradox of both artistic creativity and destruction. ‘Screw the share price, this is a fare war† â€Å"We bow down to nobody. Well stuff every one of them in Europe, we wont be second or third and saying: didnt we do well? In business, honesty is a dirty word. People say the customer is always right, but you know what theyre not, sometimes they are wrong and they need to be told so† (Michael O Leary, 2007) Using a provocative vocabulary ensures that during crisis management strategies in the event of negative publicity OLeary is able to leverage as much exposure as possible for Ryanair which ultimately leaves the company at the forefront of consumers minds. The most recent examples of these have been the (perhaps?) ‘faux-pas of Ryanair employee responses back to online bloggers regards disag reements in online content complaints about customer service (see appendix) 3.2.1 Values To complete 3.2.2. Key stakeholders According to (Johnson Scholes, 2008), organisational stakeholders are those individuals or groups who depend on the organisation to fulfil their own goals and on whom, in turn , the organisation depends. Furthermore (Wall Rees, 2004) and (Johnson Scholes, 2008) suggested that stakeholders are other societal groups who are affected by the activities of the firm and whom in turn, the organisation depends. This section identifies the major stakeholders of Ryan Air and how they are important to the firm however Ryanairs stakeholders encompass a wide range of groups which can be classified as both 1) societal 2) economic (organisational) with each group unique in their expectation as stakeholders of Ryanair. The former range from pressure groups, competitors, suppliers and customers, where for example customers are legally entitled to fair trading practices; differs from the latter (organizational) comprising of shareholders and employees, who are entitled to extra rights under the rul e of corporate governance. The model which aligns most closely within Ryanair for both internal and external stakeholders, if OLearys approach to corporate communications is followed is the ‘Input-Output model of strategic management (Cornelissen, 2005) (see appendix). This emphasises that power lies within the organisation, upon which other stakeholder groups are dependent in respect to their relationship with Ryanair; this is illustrated by OLearys clear disregard for stakeholder perception across all groups. Internal Stakeholders Employees within Ryanair are according to OLeary ‘a cost (2006) until they are able to contribute fully to the business, demonstrated by the corporate culture of reducing overheads by externally sourcing cabin crew and making new employees pay for their training with the organisation until fully qualified and an ‘asset to the company. Further to this a compensations structure following the premise of ‘pay on the basis of transactions undertaken; meaning sectors flown (Mayer, 2008) ensures that cabin crew absorb a lot of the cost impact to delayed flights creating an incentive through commission to market other Ryanair products. Further to this the absence of any trade union or regulatory body at the request of O Leary ensures that whilst these stakeholders are ruled under ‘fair corporate governance they are seen to be disposable commodities. External Stakeholders -to complete Unlike more conventional stakeholder models OLeary does not apportion importance to external governmental or regulatory influences rather choosing instead to challenge them .i.e. the European Union over competition policy in 2006 (ref) and British airport accusations over ‘unfair charging practices over recent years. This strengthens the notion that the ‘Input-Output model of stakeholder management is correct; in reference to the power lying ‘within Ryanair rather than with its stakeholders. However effective communication is a key success factor of this organisation is respect to its approach of its relationship with new airports. MacNamara uses a tactic which involves generating awareness of potential new routes by announcing instead the new jobs it will create and the anticipated increase in volume of passengers Suppliers bargaining power for fuel is high, medium for aircraft and medium low for airports; sourcing, purchasing and procurement is done face-to-face negotiation like most b2b business. 3.2.3 Corporate Culture, brand, image and identity Corporate Culture Melewar (2006), corporate culture is impacted by history of the company, the founder of the organization and country of origin of the organization. There is link between corporate culture and corporate history because the interaction among the group can develop culture. Melewar (2006) stated that the founder of the company can affect the corporate culture The corporate culture of Ryanair is very much influenced by OLeary, strengthening the notion that the CEO can dictate the corporate culture of the airline. Schein (1992) posits culture to be â€Å"accumulated shared learning of a given group, covering behavioural, emotional and cognitive elements of a group members total psychological functioning† addressing a shared understanding of culture; contrasting with Johnson and Scholes (2002) who aver that â€Å"the basic assumption and beliefs that are shared by members of an organisation, that operate unconsciously and define in a basic taken for-granted fashion an organisations view of itself and its environment† addressing instead repeated behavioural patterns. When attempting to analyse Ryanairs corporate culture the former analogy becomes more prominent. Ryanair corporate culture is more focus as an airline company based in Ireland, representing the Irish culture: Organise, reliable, and kindly (Ryanair.com, 2009). Corporate brand Balmer (1995), corporate brand refer to corporate reputation, corporate image and concern on perception. It focus on all internal and external stakeholders, and boarder mix than traditional marketing mix, and it require commitment from all staff, senior management as well as financial support. From Balmer (2001), the favorable corporate brand came from organizational identity. Ryanair brand core is the ‘low cost flights for all. This brand core is applied to focus on the cost of Ryanair brand which is available at different levels for differents types of customers (Ryanair.com, 2009). It also emphasizes on the promise that the brand communicate to the stakeholders. Furthermore, the effectiveness of the communication depends on the gab between the performance and promise although in Ryanair we see more students, leisure people than business people. Nevertheless people from any background can afford to use the service. Corporate image Abratt (1989), Grunig (1993), and Van Riel (1995), there are three approached of corporate image which include psychology, graphic design and public relation. From Balmer (2001), the corporate image came from managing business identity. Moreover, corporate image related to immediate mental perception to the organization held by individual group. Corporate identity Abratt (1989), Balmer (1998) Olin (1990) and Van Riel (1997), corporate identity focus on culture, strategy, structure, history, business activity and business scope. Corporate identity is the mix of elements which give the organization their distinctiveness. And the key questions are who are we, what are structure, strategy, business, reputation, performance, business and history. Ryanair corporate identity is based on ‘bleueness (The corporate colour): meaning they are ‘up for it, ‘passionate, ‘sharp ‘mad about safety and ‘mad about cost. Bleue is what make Ryanair different. 3.2.4 HRM Strategy -to complete 4. Conclusions To complete 5. Bibliography Abratt, R. (1989), â€Å"A new approach to the corporate image management process†, Journal of Marketing Management, 5(1), 63-76. Annual Report, Ryanair.com. (2009), ‘Annual report 2009, [Online] at: URL: http://www. Ryanair.com/ [Last accessed 22nd March 2010] Argenti, P. (2003) ‘Corporate Communication, 3rd edition; Mcgraw Hill Argenti,P. (2009) ‘Corporate Communication, 5th edition, McGraw- Hill Education. Balmer, J.M.T. (1995), â€Å"Corporate branding and connoisseurship†, Journal of General Management, 21(1), 24-46. Balmer, J.M.T. (1997), Corporate identity past, present and future, works paper, University of Strathclyde International Centre for Corporate Identity Studies, Glasgow. Balmer, J.M.T. (2001), â€Å"Corporate identity, corporate branding and corporate marketing: seeing through the frog, European Journal of Marketing, 35(3-4), 248-291. Cornelissen, J. (2005) ‘Corporate Communication, Theory practice; Sage Publications Davies, A. (2002) ‘Public relations Democracy Part 2; Guirham, M. (1999) ‘Communicating Across Cultures; McMillan Harris et al, (2003) ‘International HRM; CIPD Johnson, G; Scholes, K. (2002) ‘Exploring Corporate Strategy, Prentice Hall Mitchell, Aigle Wood. Johnson, G; Scholes, K; Whtittington, R. (2008) ‘Exploring Corporate Strategy, Prentice Hall Mitchell, Aigle Wood. Oliver S. (2001) ‘Corporate Communication; Kogan, Page Mayer, S. (2008) ‘RyanAir and its Low Cost Flights in Europe: Marketing Plan Akamdemische Schriftenriehe; GRIN Verlag Melewar, T.C. (2006) ‘Seven dimension of corporate identity: a categorization from practitioners perspective, European Journal of Marketing, 40(7/8), 846-69. Tourish D Hargie O. (2004) ‘Key issues in organisational Communication; Routledge Van Reil Cees.B.M. (1992) ‘Principles of corporate Communication; FT Prentice. Van Riel, C.B.M. and Balmer, J.M.T. (1997). â€Å"Corporate identity: the concept, its measurement and management†, European Journal of Marketing, 31(5-6), 340-350. Wall, S and Rees, B (2004) ‘International Business, 2nd Edition , Pearson Education Limited. 6. Appendix Proposed Stakeholder model with Ryanair Input Output Model of Strategic Management (Cornelissen, 2005) Ryanairs response to an Irish blogger Jason Roe who highlighted flaws over the website layout; rather than thanking Mr.Roe instead staff commented: (source: ‘ Ryanair calls blogger lunatic; The Telegraph, 25th February 2009)

How Volunteer Work Has Changed My Life Essay -- Community Service, Ser

"He who wishes to secure the good of others, has already secured his own." - Confucius   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Christmas in October Program is an annual event I participated in that helps someone who is less fortunate by fixing up their home. It is a two-day event where exterior and interior work is done on a home. The program requires a company to sponsor the project, and volunteers to do the actual work. It is called Christmas in October because it takes place in October, but feels like Christmas because of its memorable effect. Participating in the Christmas in October Program was the most meaningful work I've done because of its lasting effect on me.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Christmas in October was very meaningful to me because it changed my feelings about volunteering. Before I participated in the program, I didn...

MBA 820, Finance, Summer 2005, Final Exam :: OSU Ohio Business Finance

MBA 820, Finance, Summer 2005, Final Exam OSU Ohio State University Answer Key Included Part I: Multiple-Choice: [1 point each] 1. If the Markets Desk at the New York Federal Reserve Bank purchases T-bills, this will: 1. Increase the Federal Funds Rate 2. Decrease the Federal Funds Rate 3. Raise the value of the dollar on the foreign exchange market 4. Lower the value of the dollar on the foreign exchange market 5. Both a and c 6. Both a and d 7. Both b and c 8. Both b and d 2. Demand influences production according to (choose the answer/answers that does/do NOT apply): 1. Classical Economics 2. Keynesian Economics 3. Monetarists 4. New Classical Economics 5. New Keynesian Economics 3. For a country to peg its exchange rate, the country’s central bank must (choose the answer/answers that does/do NOT apply): 1. Keep monetary autonomy 2. Change the money supply 3. Buy short term bonds 4. Buy foreign exchange 5. Accumulate reserves 4. GDP in 1981 was $2.96 trillion. It grew to $3.07 trillion in 1982, yet the quantity of output actually decreased. This is because: 1. Prices increased 2. GDP is not the same as Real GDP 3. Statistical discrepancies caused in error in the 1981 reading 4.

Physics of the Sweet Spot on a Baseball Bat :: physics sport sports baseball

The focus of my research is isolating and locating the "sweet spot" on a baseball bat. I chose to avoid presenting raw data, but to examine the science that causes this reaction. Participants of this sport probably have first hand or an intuitive knowledge of this saying. Locating the "sweet spot" can be done at home. A simple experiment of your on can be done using either a wood or aluminum bat. The only apparatus required is a hammer. Gripping the bat by the handle suspend perpendicular from the floor. Using a hammer, tap in various places on the barrel of the bat. As you approach the center of the barrel, vibration from the force will diminish. Vibrational modes will be detected from the hand gripping the bat. Every baseball bat has a â€Å"sweet spot.† When a baseball hits a bat in the wrong place your hands â€Å"sting,† it means the force of the collision has excited waves or vibrations called modes. When the ball is hit at the node it will not sting your hands. A mode generates two nodes or a position of zero displacement. A baseball bat consists of two major nodes; this region is proverbially known as the â€Å"sweet zone.† Higher frequency modes affect the ball speed, but can hardly be felt by the batter. Baseball bat vary in lengths, but generally the â€Å"sweet spot† is approximately 17 cm from the end of the barrel of a major league baseball bat. A collision near the node reduces the vibrations felt by the hand. The existence of the â€Å"sweet spot† is mainly because the vibrations do not agitate at that particular node. Impact on the first node will not excite the first mode, but will affect the second mode. Thus is true for the second node’s relationship with the first mode. Close to where the point of percussion occurs is the â€Å"sweet spot.† According to a study done by H. Brody at the Physics Department of the University of Pennsylvania, â€Å"A bat of mass M and with initial velocity zero can be treated as a free-body that is hit by a ball whose momentum changes due to the interaction.† At the time of percussion the bat will oscillate which indicates a transferal of kinetic energy into vibrational energy and some kinetic energy is lost. When all this occurs it is an extremely aggressive action. The bat has a massive force on the ball changing the direction and speed. EQUATIONS Newtons Second Law of Motion "An unbalanced force causes an object to move in the direction of the force.

Learning environment Essay

10 Characteristics of a Highly Effective Learning Environment 1. The students ask the questions—good questions This is not a feel-good implication, but really crucial for the whole learning process to work. The role of curiosity has been study (and perhaps under-studied and under-appreciated), but suffice to say that if a learner enters any learning activity with little to no natural curiosity, prospects for meaningful interaction with texts, media, and specific tasks are bleak. Many teachers force students (proverbial gun to head) to ask question at the outset of units or lessons, often to no avail. Cliche questions that reflect little understanding of the content can discourage teachers from â€Å"allowing† them. But the fact remains—if students can’t ask great questions—even as young as elementary school—something, somewhere is unplugged. 2. Questions are valued over answers Questions are more important than answers. So it makes sense that if good questions should lead the learning, there would be value placed on these questions. And that means adding currency whenever possible—grades (questions as assessment! ), credit (give them points—they love points), creative curation (writing as a kind of graffiti on large post-it pages on the classroom walls), or simply praise and honest respect. See if you don’t notice a change. 3. Ideas come from divergent sources Ideas for lessons, reading, tests, and projects—the fiber of formal learning—should come from a variety of sources. If they all come from narrow slivers of resources, you’re at risk of being pulled way off in one direction (that may or may not be good). An alternative Consider sources like professional and cultural mentors, the community, content experts outside of education, and even the students themselves. Huge shift in credibility. And when these sources disagree with one another, use that as an endlessly â€Å"teachable moment,† because that’s what the real world is like. 4. A variety of learning models are used Inquiry-based learning, project-based learning, direct instruction, peer-to-peer learning, school-to-school, eLearning, Mobile learning, the flipped classroom, and on and on—the possibilities are endless. Chances are, none are incredible enough to suit every bit of content, curriculum, and learner diversity in your classroom. A characteristic of a highly-effective classroom, then, is diversity here, which also has the side-effect of improving your long-term capacity as an educator. 5. Classroom learning â€Å"empties† into a connected community In a highly-effective learning environment, learning doesn’t need to be radically repackaged to make sense in the â€Å"real world,† but starts and ends there. It has to leave the classroom because they do. 6. Learning is personalized by a variety of criteria. Personalized learning is likely the future, but for now the onus for routing students is almost entirely on the shoulders of the classroom teacher. This makes personalization—and even consistent differentiation—a challenge. One response is to personalize learning—to whatever extent you plan for—by a variety of criteria—not just assessment results or reading level, but interest, readiness-for-content, and others as well. Then, as you adjust pace, entry points, and rigor accordingly, you’ll have a better chance of having uncovered what the learners truly â€Å"need†. 7. Assessment is persistent, authentic, transparent, and never punitive Assessment is just an (often ham-fisted) attempt to get at what a learner understands. The more infrequent, clinical, murky, or threatening it is, the more you’re going to separate the â€Å"good students† from the â€Å"good thinkers. † And the â€Å"clinical† idea has less to do with the format of the test, and more to do with the tone and emotion of the classroom in general. Why are students being tested? What’s in it for them, and their future opportunities to improve? And feedback is quick even when the â€Å"grading† may not be. 8. Criteria for success is balanced and transparent. Students should not have to guess what â€Å"success† in a highly-effective classroom looks like. It should also not be entirely weighted on â€Å"participation,† assessment results, attitude, or other individual factors, but rather meaningfully melted into a cohesive framework that makes sense—not to you, your colleagues, or the expert book on your shelf, but the students themselves. 9. Learning habits are constantly modeled Cognitive, meta-cognitive, and behavioral â€Å"good stuff† is constantly modeled. Curiosity, persistence, flexibility, priority, creativity, collaboration, revision, and even the classic Habits of Mind are all great places to start. So often what students learn from those around them is less directly didactic, and more indirect and observational. 10. There are constant opportunities for practice Old thinking is revisited. Old errors are reflected on. Complex ideas are re-approached from new angles. Divergent concepts are contrasted. Bloom’s taxonomy is constantly traveled up and down, from the simple to the complex in an effort to maximize a student’s opportunities to learn—and demonstrate understanding—of content. THE CLASSROOMS TRADITIONAL centrally dictated Curriculum based teaching. teaching focuses on short term recall highly focused on measurability Traditional Curriculum is centrally dictated, content heavy and teacher-centric. /Rote of learning enables short term recall, allowing measurable performance in tests. /Teacher and system are happy because learning is measurable and organized/Students are bored, requiring strict discipline. /In long term, student secure less knowledge, have fewer skills and less are engaged, but there is the appearance of rigor and quality learning. / applications include building foundational knowledge in literacy and numeracy, and teaching passionate CONTEMPORARY teacher driven student-centric teaching teaching focuses on students taking ownership of their learning Using real, useful materials. Contemporary Curriculum is teacher driven, content and student-centric. / experiential learning means less content, slower and lower measurably. / teacher and system need to be knowledge, learning, open minded, passionate and committed: it is hard work breaking the mold. / students are more animated, independent and mobile, so learning seems chaotic. / in long term, students encounter less content but secure more knowledge, have more skills and more engaged. / requires students to take ownership of learning, and teachers to relinquish control The Physical Environment According to Jones (2007) and Savage (1999), the classroom environment has proven to change and influence behaviors among students. The design of the classroom allows for some activities to take place and for other to not. It is important that teachers take into consideration the influence their classroom arrangement can make on their students. The environment of a classroom sends out symbolic messages to those who enter the classroom. At times, these messages do not send the right message to the students. The environment should reflect the beliefs and values of the teacher. Therefore, it is vitally important that teachers see what message their classroom sends out. In order to properly design an effective classroom environment there are four goals that need to be considered. The four goals are: 1. Developing a sense of belonging and personal identity 2. Enhancing competence and security 3. Promoting intellectual growth and stimulation 4. Accommodating privacy needs Developing a Sense of Belonging and Personal Identity According to Savage (2007), â€Å"Feelings of ownership and personal identity are enhanced by allowing students to participate in decision making about the use of the space – the grouping of desks, room decorations, and organization and placement of learning centers. Allowing them the freedom to personalize their classroom helps students to develop a sense of belonging and pride† When a student is in a classroom where their personal identity is enhanced the student will then feel that they belong and have a sense of ownership. There are many hours that a student spends in their lifetime, so it is important that they are in an environment where they feel comfortable and in result will be more willing to want to learn Enhancing Competence and Security The students need to feel as though they have control of their own environment Giving the students the ability to arrange their own environment will enhance their ability to feel safe The functional purpose of a space is to provide a sense of security for those in the room. Most students have their own sense of security in their own home. This is the same level of security that should be taken into the classroom since the students are spending the majority of their time in school. The first step into helping making a safe environment is choosing furniture that is appropriate for the students in terms of size and their learning levels. Examples of this would include comfortable seating and stable work stations. Since every student is different some schools are now offering furniture that is flexible in meeting the student’s personal needs. Promoting Intellectual Growth and Stimulation. In order to accomplish intellectual growth inside the classroom this would require a rich and varied environment. The classroom needs to be a dynamic and changing environment for the students. Often times classroom become stagnant and do not change. This will result for the class to become boring and promote behavior problems by the symbolism it is sending to the students. Changes that need to occur in the classroom often include updating the bulletin board and display areas. This simple task is a great way to help promote intellectual growth within the classroom and give the impression that its a dynamic and changing environment. However, some often changes should be avoided such as room arrangement and student seating. This can cause the student to feel unsafe in an environment they are unfamiliar with. The room arrangement should be created for the student to feel secure. It is important that if changes are going to be made that the teacher has quick access to all the students. Accommodating Privacy Needs Privacy that is given to students in the classroom has a large impact on their learning behavior One way of accommodating the privacy need is to designate one corner of the classroom as a private work area. However, it is a difficult task to provide privacy for all students with the small space that is given and the amount of people inside the room. In the majority of classrooms, teacher design the layout to help accommodate group activities and social interactions. It is often that this type of layout does allow for the necessary privacy that students may need. . When the teacher designs the classroom it is important to remember this fact. Some students work better alone and away from other students. This area can be separated from the rest of the room by bookcases, file cabinets, or study carrels. Students move to that area to study or simply be alone. Providing this type of retreat for students communicates that you are sensitive to their personal needs Social environment Positive educational environments are necessary to facilitate optimally adaptive student outcomes, including learning, motivation, school adjustment, and achievement (Eccles, Wigfield, & Schiefele, 1998). Researchers (e. g. , Goodenow, 1992; Juvonen & Weiner, 1993) have been noting for some while that school success does not only involve academics — schools and classrooms are inherently social places, and students go about their work in the presence of many peers. It is comprised of students’ perceptions about how they are encouraged to interact with and relate to others (e. g. , classmates, the teacher) Four Dimension 1 Teacher support Teacher support refers to students’ beliefs that their teachers care about them, and value and establish personal relationships with them 2 Promoting mutual respect A focus on mutual respect in the classroom involves a perception that the teacher expects all students to value one another and the contributions they make to classroom life, and will not allow students to make fun of others. 3 Promoting student task-related interaction Teachers vary in the extent to which they Allow, or even encourage, students to interact with one-another during academic Activities. This interaction may encompass students sharing ideas and approaches during whole-class lessons, working together in small-group activities, or informal help-seeking and help-giving during individual seatwork 4 Promoting performance goal The promotion of performance goals concerns an emphasis on competition and relative ability comparisons between students in the classroom. Research from a goal theory framework has examined this dimension of the classroom and found that when students perceive an emphasis on performance goals they are more likely to exhibit beliefs and behaviors that are less conducive to, and often detrimental to, learning and achievement Emotional environment Emotionally safe schools can be established through creating environments where children feel safe, can take risks, are challenged but not overly stressed, and where play, pleasure, and fun are facilitated (Bluestein, 2001). Safety In order for trust to be established, children must feel safe (Bluestein, 2001). If a child goes to school with fear of being bullied, beat up, or murdered, personal intelligence (along with most other intelligences) is not going to develop appropriately. A safe environment is created by not allowing one child to invade another child’s body, space, and material boundaries. A safe environment is one which has clear expectations regarding the safety of all students. Bullying is not tolerated. Conflict resolution skills are taught and modeled by teachers. Risk Taking An emotionally safe school allows the child to fail without feeling he is a failure (Bluestein, 2001). Appropriate challenges are facilitated by teachers. Children are not pressured to receive a particular grade or obtain a particular score. Children are expected to debate, discuss, and problem solve. If they come to an incorrect solution, they are encouraged to try again or to try another method of problem solving. Children are not belittled, punished, or embarrassed when they do not succeed or meet their own goals. The child’s worth is not determined by his test score or performance. The child is valued because she is a member of the class. In an emotionally safe classroom, teachers make mistakes. They share these mistakes with children and sometimes elicit the children’s help in solving their problem. Stress Contemporary schoolchildren bring many forms of stress with them to the classroom. The stress can take the form of academic pressure, familial pressure to perform, being part of a single-parent family, hurried schedules, and pressure to grow up too fast (Elkind, 1988; Bluestein, 2001). The pressure can come from school, home, or the media. Stress causes wear on bodily systems and when one is overstressed, the immune system can be directly affected. Stress uses up energy reserves, demands a greater amount of energy, and forces the body to respond physically through aggression, outbursts, or illness (Elkind, 1988). Stress can be reduced by making sure children’s basic needs are met, they feel safe, and they are able to take risks without fear of failure; and by having appropriate expectations of children at specific ages. Play, Pleasure, and Fun. Part of developing intrapersonal intelligence is being able to freely engage in pleasurable experiences and recognizing that pleasure, fun, and play are a normal and healthy part of life. Play can encourage the personal intelligences in a variety of ways Puppetry can offer the child an opportunity to communicate feelings and emotions in a nonthreatening environment. The dramatic play area can have props available to encourage children to explore different familial and community roles. Children can begin to establish empathy through role-playing and risk-taking. The dramatic play and music area can also offer culturally appropriate props and instruments. In addition to stress, risk-taking, safety, and fun, teachers also have a responsibility for bringing experiences into the class that are emotionally relevant. Emotional relevance depends upon many factors. Culture, age, developmental level, interest, and experiences influence emotional relevance (Hyson, 1994). Hyson (1994, p. 84) advocates materials that â€Å"encourage children to talk about, write about, and play about emotionally important ideas. Clinical environment CLE is defined as complex network of forces that are effective on clinical learning outcomes. 5 In spite of classroom education, clinical education occurs in complex environment Learning in the clinical environment has many strengths. It is focused on real problems in the context of professional practice. . It is the only setting in which the skills of history taking, physical examination, clinical reasoning, decision making, empathy, and professionalism can be taught and learnt as an integrated whole. Campbell et al. believed that the quality of clinical education provided by nursing instructors and supports that students receive from clinical personnel is the most influential factors in clinical learning of nursing students Common problems with clinical teaching Lack of clear objectives and expectations Focus on factual recall rather than on development of problem solving skills and attitudes Teaching pitched at the wrong level (usually too high) Passive observation rather than active participation of learners Inadequate supervision and provision of feedback Little opportunity for reflection and discussion â€Å"Teaching by humiliation† Informed consent not sought from patients Lack of respect for privacy and dignity of patients Lack of congruence or continuity with the rest of the curriculum Challenges of clinical teaching Time pressures Competing demands—clinical (especially when needs of patients and students conflict); administrative; research Often opportunistic—makes planning more difficult Increasing numbers of students Fewer patients (shorter hospital stays; patients too ill or frail; more patients refusing consent) Often under-resourced Clinical environment not â€Å"teaching friendly† (for example, hospital ward) Rewards and recognition for teachers poor Many principles of good teaching, however, can (and should) be incorporated into clinical teaching. One of the most important is the need for planning. Far from compromising spontaneity, planning provides structure and context for teacher and students, as well as a framework for reflection and evaluation. Preparation is recognized by students as evidence of a good clinical teacher. Reference Department of education , Queensland gov Terry Heick;author of teach and thought. (CLASSROOM SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT ;Identifying Adaptive Classrooms: Analyses of Measures of; Dimensions of the Classroom Social Environment :Helen Patrick :Purdue University :Allison M. Ryan: University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign :Paper prepared for the Positive Outcomes Conference, March 2003 :Post-conference Revised Version, May 2003 Excerpt from Early Childhood Curriculum: Incorporating Multiple Intelligences, Developmentally Appropriate Practice, and Play, by R. A. Hirsh, 2004 edition, p. 126-128. Learning and teaching in the clinical environment ; BMJ2003; 326doi:http://dx. doi.org/10. 1136/bmj. 326. 7389. 591(Published 15 March 2003) Cite this as: BMJ 2003;326:591 Clinical learning environment in viewpoint of nursing students in Tabriz University of Medical Sciences Azad Rahmani, PhD, Vahid Zamanzadeh, PhD, Farahnaz Abdullah-zadeh, MSc,Mojgan Lotfi,* Soheila Bani, MSc, and Shirin Hassanpour, MSc, Department of Midwifery, Faculty Member of the School of Nursing and Midwifery, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran. Correspondence to: Azad Rahmani. Email: moc. oohay@sminamhardaza Research Article of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, No: 87112. Received January 23, 2011; Accepted March 11, 2011. Copyright :  © Iranian Journal of Nursing and Midwifery Research Website (http://deta. qld. gov. au/initiatives/learningandwellbeing/learning-environment. html) (http://www. teachthought. com/learning/10-characteristics-of-a-highly-effective-learning-environment/) http://www. edudemic. com/contemporary-and-traditional-learning-difference/ (http://www. childtrends. org/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Child_Trends-2003_03_12_PD_PDConfPatRyan. pdf) (http://www. bmj. com/content/326/7389/591. 1).