Identity Theft - 993 Words

Have you ever received a credit card bill at the end of the month with a ridiculous amount of money needed to be paid that you never spent? This is because of identity theft. The FTC estimates that each year, over 9 million people are affected by identity theft. According to Sally Driscoll, this is because almost anyone with a computer and a slight bit of computer knowledge can pull off identity theft. Experts also claim that identity theft is the fastest-growing crime in the world. Identity theft is a global problem that cannot be stopped without effective measures. The problem is, effective measures are very hard to come by when dealing with identity theft because almost any security protocol can be by-passed. According to Merriam†¦show more content†¦There is no â€Å"sure† way to stop identity theft from happening to someone. There are only measures that may make it harder for thieves to steal someone’s identity because nothing is foolproof. People can shre d their important documents after they’re done with them to help prevent their identity to be stolen via dumpster diving, but the thief may find all the shreds and put them together just like a puzzle. The odds of this happening are slim, but there is still a chance, a chance lower than just throwing it out. People should make sure to not use ATMs and not to do personal banking in public, but this will only slow down a thief who is determined to steal someone’s identity. Once a thief is determined to steal someone’s identity and only their identity, there are not many obstacles stopping him/her. Figuring out if an identity is stolen is not easy only because it can be unknown until damage is dealt. This is why identity theft isn’t easy to stop. When most people report a crime, police arrive on the scene before serious damage is dealt, but when a thief steals a person’s identity, the victim can be unaware for quite some time before they realize the a mount of money they lost. According to Tracey Whittaker and Anne Dilascio, in 2003, the average money lost from identity theft per person was $4,789, but in 2006 the average was less than $2000. The average out-of-pocket cost of identity theft victims in 2005 wasShow MoreRelatedIdentity Theft1365 Words   |  6 PagesThe Dangers of Identity Theft Sharae Ernst IFSM 201 – Summer 2012 8/3/2012 â€Å"Identity theft occurs when someone uses your personally identifying information (PII), like your name, Social Security number, or credit card number, without your permission, to commit fraud or other crimes.† (Fighting Back Against Identity Theft: Federal Trade Commission). According to the Federal Trade Commission, identity theft complaints have decreased since year 2008 (314,521 to 250,854). It is estimated by theRead MoreIdentity Theft964 Words   |  4 PagesRasmussen College | Identity Theft | The long term issue | | Caden Ross | 2/17/2013 | Authors Note: This research is for Professor Rob Paixao B234/BUL2241 Section 01 Business Law Course written by Caden Ross on 02/17/2013. | Jeffrey Gerald Jackson, otherwise known as Troy Lee Evans, was arrested on September 4,2012 for identity theft. Mr. Jackson used the identity of Troy Lee Evans to gain employment at Credit Concepts Inc. Mr. Jackson had worked at Credit Concepts Inc. underRead MoreIdentification Theft And Identity Theft947 Words   |  4 PagesOur identity is what makes us unique. It is the individual character or personality of an individual, and when a person is a victim of identity theft, it is this distinct characteristic that is stolen Therefore the victims of identity theft often feel a deep sense of violation as they struggle to reclaim their good names. The government must implement better regulations to help put an end to this crime which is affecting millions of innocent Americans. Until then there are three important waysRead MoreIdentity Theft3413 Words   |  14 PagesIdentity Theft + Fraud= Identity Crime 20 December 2007 There is a thief that lurks around us everyday; this thief can attack in brad day light or in the darkest hour, and just about anywhere you may find yourself. This thief has the power to act in your name, make unlimited purchases, open up credit accounts and ruin your good name and credit all in the matter of seconds; if you are vulnerable enough, you might become his next victim. In many cases all he needs is your name and a social securityRead MoreEssay on Identity Theft895 Words   |  4 PagesIdentity Theft This paper will cover the topic of identity theft via the internet, phone and several other schemes. It will identify various ways in which your identity is stolen and ways which you can safeguard yourself from being victimized. I will also report what the Department of Justice is doing and the penalties associated with these crimes. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Identity fraud is use of a persons name, social security number or other personal identifying information. Once armedRead MoreOnline Identity Theft1414 Words   |  6 PagesOnline Identity Theft What is identity? The word itself can have so many connotations, definitions, and subjects tied to it. However, the most basic definition of our identity would be the qualities, beliefs, and baggage that make up each person. An identity is something that each of us have a claim to from the moment we are born to even past our death. Through the recent technology surges however, our most basic claim is now threatened. We have all heard about crime on the streets but with theRead MoreIdentity Theft (Body)2176 Words   |  9 Pagesâ€Å"unneeded† documents. Three months later, when Bob was applying for a car loan, he found that his credit history had been destroyed. He was a victim of identity theft, a crime that often causes people debt, unjustified imprisonment, and murder, being one of the most dangerous, yet easiest, crimes to commit. Identity theft includes other types of fraud and identity related crimes. It is said that today’s society is now living in â€Å"The Age of Betrayal.† Since an incident with a busboy in Brooklyn, noRead More Identity Theft Essay966 Words   |  4 Pagespersonal information is safe on the internet. This is not to say that if you log online your identity will be stolen; however, there are some necessary things to learn to protect yourself. The purpose of my project is to help make people aware of these dangers on the internet and how to protect themselves to the best of their abilities. I chose to focus on â€Å"phishing† a new kind of internet theft where millions of e-mails are sent out to vulnerable consumers. This is a serious dangerRead More Identity Theft Essay2149 Words   |  9 PagesIdentity Theft Law enforcement officials have stated that identity theft crime has been one of the fastest growing crimes in the United States. Identity theft is also one of the fastest growing white collar crimes. This is a serious crime. Identity theft is the act of knowingly transferring or using without lawful authority, a means of identification of another person with the intent to commit, or to aid or abet, any unlawful activity that constitutes a violation of federal law, or that constitutesRead MoreIdentity Theft Essay1833 Words   |  8 PagesIdentity Theft What is identity theft? By definition â€Å"Identity theft n. the dishonest acquisition of personal information in order to perpetrate fraud, typically by obtaining credit, loans, etc., in someone elses name; fraud perpetrated in this way. † (dictionary.oed.com, 2007). It’s estimated that 9 million Americans have had their identities stolen each year. â€Å"According to the Secret Service, its investigations show a jump in potential losses due to identity theft, from $851

Short Story - 1313 Words

Inside the yellow plastic cage, a few mice laid down and looked like they were drifting off to sleep. Others rolled onto their backs and kicked their little legs frantically in the air. One snapped at the hunks of corncob bedding as if they were to blame. One slid bonelessly off the little plastic clubhouse inside and crumpled in a heap. The cage fogged with their dying respirations, and the air filled with the tang of urine. As one gasped for air, it thrust its paw, pink and hand-like, against the side of the cage and glared at her accusingly. Diane hated to watch them die. She glanced at the clock, the gas gauge, her own hands, and then at Joyce, her mentor. Joyce stared back at her, arms crossed, eyes narrowed, gauging her, judging her.†¦show more content†¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"You don’t.† Joyce frowned. â€Å"Only senior people get clearance for BSL. Ruth worked there before she retired, and now Margie had to move up and take her place.† Diane had assumed she was Ruth’s replacement, but apparently, she was Margie’s replacement. â€Å"Well, at least someone got a promotion out of the deal.† â€Å"Promotion?† Joyce smirked. â€Å"I guess you could call it that.† â€Å"What kind of research goes on in there? Is it scary stuff like smallpox?† â€Å"What goes on in there is none of your business.† Diane frowned. â€Å"Don’t I have a right to know, just in case?† â€Å"In case of what?† â€Å"I don’t know, you see it in movies all the time. An Ebola monkey gets loose--.† Joyce laughed. â€Å"You don’t have to worry about anything like that. And no, you don’t have a right to know. The research is top secret so no one can steal their ideas.† They disposed of the carcasses, washed up, and went to the break room for lunch. Two students, research assistants, wolfed their lunches, in a hurry to get back to their experiments. Four animal technicians sat nearby. Diane remembered the blonde one’s name, Jennifer, but couldn’t remember the names of the other two. The fourth one she had never met before. â€Å"I’m Diane,† Diane smiled at the unknown tech. â€Å"The newbie.† The unknown tech gave her a quick, irritated smile. â€Å"I’m Tina.† She turned back to the others. â€Å"Nice to meet you, Tina,† Diane’s smile faded. Tina ignored her. â€Å"So I startedShow MoreRelatedshort story1018 Words   |  5 Pagesï » ¿Short Stories:  Ã‚  Characteristics †¢Short  - Can usually be read in one sitting. †¢Concise:  Ã‚  Information offered in the story is relevant to the tale being told.  Ã‚  This is unlike a novel, where the story can diverge from the main plot †¢Usually tries to leave behind a  single impression  or effect.  Ã‚  Usually, though not always built around one character, place, idea, or act. †¢Because they are concise, writers depend on the reader bringing  personal experiences  and  prior knowledge  to the story. Four MajorRead MoreThe Short Stories Ideas For Writing A Short Story Essay1097 Words   |  5 Pageswriting a short story. Many a time, writers run out of these short story ideas upon exhausting their sources of short story ideas. If you are one of these writers, who have run out of short story ideas, and the deadline you have for coming up with a short story is running out, the short story writing prompts below will surely help you. Additionally, if you are being tormented by the blank Microsoft Word document staring at you because you are not able to come up with the best short story idea, youRead MoreShort Story1804 Words   |  8 PagesShort story: Definition and History. A  short story  like any other term does not have only one definition, it has many definitions, but all of them are similar in a general idea. According to The World Book Encyclopedia (1994, Vol. 12, L-354), â€Å"the short story is a short work of fiction that usually centers around a single incident. Because of its shorter length, the characters and situations are fewer and less complicated than those of a novel.† In the Cambridge Advanced Learner’s DictionaryRead MoreShort Stories648 Words   |  3 Pageswhat the title to the short story is. The short story theme I am going conduct on is â€Å"The Secret Life of Walter Mitty’ by James Thurber (1973). In this short story the literary elements being used is plot and symbols and the theme being full of distractions and disruption. The narrator is giving a third person point of view in sharing the thoughts of the characters. Walter Mitty the daydreamer is very humorous in the different plots of his dr ifting off. In the start of the story the plot, symbols,Read MoreShort Stories1125 Words   |  5 PagesThe themes of short stories are often relevant to real life? To what extent do you agree with this view? In the short stories â€Å"Miss Brill† and â€Å"Frau Brechenmacher attends a wedding† written by Katherine Mansfield, the themes which are relevant to real life in Miss Brill are isolation and appearance versus reality. Likewise Frau Brechenmacher suffers through isolation throughout the story and also male dominance is one of the major themes that are highlighted in the story. These themes areRead MoreShort Story and People1473 Words   |  6 Pagesï » ¿Title: Story Of An Hour Author: Kate Chopin I. On The Elements / Literary Concepts The short story Story Of An Hour is all about the series of emotions that the protagonist, Mrs. Mallard showed to the readers. With the kind of plot of this short story, it actually refers to the moments that Mrs. Mallard knew that all this time, her husband was alive. For the symbol, I like the title of this short story because it actually symbolizes the time where Mrs. Mallard died with joy. And with thatRead MoreShort Story Essay1294 Words   |  6 PagesA short story concentrates on creating a single dynamic effect and is limited in character and situation. It is a language of maximum yet economical effect. Every word must do a job, sometimes several jobs. Short stories are filled with numerous language and sound devices. These language and sound devices create a stronger image of the scenario or the characters within the text, which contribute to the overall pre-designed effect.As it is shown in the metaphor lipstick bleeding gently in CinnamonRead MoreGothic Short Story1447 W ords   |  6 Pages The End. In the short story, â€Å"Emma Barrett,† the reader follows a search party group searching for a missing girl named Emma deep in a forest in Oregon. The story follows through first person narration by a group member named Holden. This story would be considered a gothic short story because of its use of setting, theme, symbolism, and literary devices used to portray the horror of a missing six-year-old girl. Plot is the literal chronological development of the story, the sequence of eventsRead MoreRacism in the Short Stories1837 Words   |  7 PagesOften we read stories that tell stories of mixing the grouping may not always be what is legal or what people consider moral at the time. The things that you can learn from someone who is not like you is amazing if people took the time to consider this before judging someone the world as we know it would be a completely different place. The notion to overlook someone because they are not the same race, gender, creed, religion seems to be the way of the world for a long time. Racism is so prevalentRead MoreThe Idol Short Story1728 Words   |  7 PagesThe short stories â€Å"The Idol† by Adolfo Bioy Casares and â€Å"Axolotl† by Julio Cortà ¡zar address the notion of obsession, and the resulting harm that can come from it. Like all addictions, obsession makes one feel overwhelmed, as a single thought comes to continuously intr uding our mind, causing the individual to not be able to ignore these thoughts. In â€Å"Axolotl†, the narrator is drawn upon the axolotls at the Jardin des Plantes aquarium and his fascination towards the axolotls becomes an obsession. In

Nx448 Business Game Report Free Essays

string(77) " 2 forecast and results: \(1\) production \(2\) Sales \(3\) pre-tax profits\." Contents Part 1 Introduction3 1. 1 Business Objective3 Part 2 Company Performance4 2. 1 Round 14 2. We will write a custom essay sample on Nx448 Business Game Report or any similar topic only for you Order Now 1. 1 Discrepancy analysis4 2. 2 Round 26 2. 2. 1 Business Strategy6 2. 2. 2 Round 2 Forecast7 2. 2. 3 Discrepancy Analysis7 2. 3 Round 38 2. 3. 1 Business Strategy8 2. 3. 2 Round 3 Forecast9 2. 3. 3 Discrepancy Analysis9 2. 4 Round 49 2. 4. 1 Business Strategy9 2. 4. 2 Round 4 Forecast10 2. 4. 3 Discrepancy Analysis10 2. 5 Key Performance Indicators11 2. 6 Performance Evaluation Comments12 Part 3 Learning14 3. 1 Financial Management14 3. 2 Human Resource Management15 3. 3 Operation Management16 3. Marketing Management17 Part 4 Team Performance18 4. 1 Team18 4. 1. 1 Management Team18 4. 1. 2 Decision-making Process19 4. 1. 3 Leadership19 4. 1. 4 Team Role19 4. 2 Individual20 4. 2. 1 My Contribution20 4. 2. 2 My learning about effective teamwork and decision making20 4. 2. 3 Suggestions for Improving My Performance21 Part 5 Conclusion21 Part 6 Reference22 Part 7 Appendices23 7. 1 Design and Options23 7. 2 Warranty Cost24 7. 3 Other Key Performance Indicators25 Part 1 Introduction This report will give a clear analysis and explanation of the company performance during the business game. Learning about four main business functional areas (Finance, Marketing, Operation and Human Resource) will be discussed in part 3. Team performance and individual assessment will be critically evaluated in part 4. 1. 1 Business Objective Moon Star Motors aims to provide customers with the ability to own a car and lead the customers to experience comfort and quality at an affordable price. We intend to create a distinctive place in the market for our products and build up brand value of quality and reliability in the mind of customers. The initial business objectives set up by management team is: * Increase sales annually * Maximise our profit * Sell out 98% of our cars for every round * Obtain 16% return on investment by the end of round 4 | City Car – TIKI| Large Car – CRUISER| Total| Forecast Production (Units)| 85,000| 35,000| 120,000 | Sales Income (? m)| 850| 833| 1,683| Post Tax Profit (? m)| -| -| 20| Bank Balance before Loan (? m)| -| -| -74| Closing Bank Balance (? m)| -| -| 26| Table 1. 0 Forecast for year 1 Part 2 Company Performance 2. 1 Round 1 2. 1. 1 Discrepancy analysis Unsold stock In round 1, we forecast to sell out both TIKI and CRUISER. However, only 80% of TIKI is sold, with 17,393 units left. We concluded three main reasons as following: * Supply over demand. We are over confident to sell big volumes with low price, but the market actually reached saturation. * Unattractive and inflexible options. In order to maintain low material cost, we only offer two options for customers to select. It might affect the popularity of our TIKI and make it less competitive compared with other car manufacturers. * Not enough promotion. We invested 23 million on market promotion via television and internet, which is about ? 200for every single car. We didn’t invest too much for this round because we want to firstly evaluate the effect of advertisement. Net profit We forecast 20 million net profits and actual figure is minus 116 million. This is mainly due to the large amount of unsold stock and ineffective pricing strategy. The total contribution is unable to recover our fixed cost. In other words, the break-even point is set up too high and our sales volume did not reach BEP. Meanwhile, some overheads such as professional charges and warranty claims are not properly calculated. Gross margin The difference between forecast and result for gross margin of TIKI and CRUISER is 3. 21% and 7. 08% respectively. It is mainly caused by the unexpected extra direct cost. For example, the worker strike increase our labor cost of both models and the option take-up is more than our estimate. Market share Our target market share is 1. 5% for TIKI and 1. 2% for CRUISER. We sold out all our CRUIER and hit the large car sales target. However, market share for TIKI is around 0. % less than we expected due to our unsold stock. 2. 2 Round 2 2. 2. 1 Business Strategy New Pricing Strategy The management team decided to adapt average pricing strategy in round 2 for two main reasons: * We already access successfully to target market. * Low price high volumes strategy did not make profit. Sales income must be increased in order to recover all overheads in this round and most of the loss in previous round. Based on this, TIKI gross margin increased 2% to 14. 24%, while CRUISER gross margin increased 4. 3% to 25. 25%. Production Production for TIKI in this round has to decrease due to 17,393 units in stock, and we try to sell them out in round 2. Meanwhile, results of round 1 indicated that CRUISER won thepopularity in the market so we intend to increasethe production by 10,000 units. Based on the production adjustment and market predictions, the market share of CRUISER will increase from 1. 2% to 1. 5%, while TIKI maintains 1. 2% market share. Under this situation, our forecast sales will reach ? 2058 million in round 2. Redundancy The harshest decision made by management team is to cut down 574 workers. Even though we understand this have negative effects on industrial relations, it is far beyond our business objective to over produce the cars and keep unsold stock by the end of the year. Therefore, we forecast a 2. 4 million of redundancy cost within total overheads. 2. 2. 2 Round 2 Forecast round 2 forecast| TIKI| CRUISER| Total| production/ units| 51,000 | 45,000 | 96,000 | selling price ? | 11,800 | 27,800 |   | gross margin %| 14. 24%| 25. 25%|   | sales income ? m| 807| 1,251 | 2,058 | total overhead ? m|   |   | 262| post tax profit ? |   |   | 82| closing bank balance ? m|   |   | 12| 2. 2. 3 Discrepancy Analysis There are three main differences between round 2 forecast and results: (1) production (2) Sales (3) pre-tax profits. You read "Nx448 Business Game Report" in category "Papers" Production Production (units)| TIKI| CRUISER| total| Target| 51,000| 45,000| 96,000| Actual| 49,668| 44,467| 94,135| Difference| | | 1,865| Our target production is 96,000 unit s but we actually produced 94,135 units, with 1,865 units missing. This is mainly because the redundancy decision initiated serious worker strike, which is recorded as 41 days in our company report. Thus, the actual production did not hit our target. Sales Sales (? m)| Total| forecast| 2,058 2,058 | actual| 2,017 | difference| 41 41 | The discrepancy between forecast sales and actual sales is 40 million. We have 387 units CRUISER in stock which could increase our sales by 11 million if we can sell them out. And we will get 29 million more if we are able to hit the target production of 96,000 unites and sell them up. Pre-tax profit The actual pre-tax profit is less than the forecast due to wrong calculation on current account interest and loans interest. We have closing bank balance of minus 270 million last round. According to overdraft facility, we forecast to pay 11% of 270 million as overdraft interest which is around 30 million, but it actually is 15% of that amount and cost us 40 million. Besides, an extra 8 million is deducted as the interest of 100 million bank loans of round 1 and is ignored when we did financial forecast. 2. 3 Round 3 2. 3. 1 Business Strategy Personnel Decisions Management team decided to maintain the size of workforce and to increase wages by 8% and training investment by 25% in order to improve worker satisfaction and commitment, especially after we suffer a great loss caused by 41 days strike. We hope to effectively control the strike in this round and expect the improvement of productivity. Automation Investment Management team made a decision of doubling the automation investment due to two main reasons. Firstly, it is recognized that automation can effectively increase the productivity and decrease the high wage bill. Secondly, the profit we made in previous round increases our confidence and financial capacity to introduce new equipment. 2. 3. 2 Round 3 Forecast round 3 forecast| TIKI| CRUISER| Total| production/ units| 65,500 | 40,500 | 106,000 | selling price ? 12,270 | 28,600 |   | gross margin %| 15. 25%| 28. 98%|   | sales income ? m| 804| 1,169 | 1,973 | total overhead ? m|   |   | 281| post tax profit ? m|   |   | 118| closing bank balance ? m|   |   | 158| 2. 3. 3 Discrepancy Analysis Gross profit Gross Profit| forecast| actual| difference| Sales (? m)| 1,973| 1,973|    0| cost of sales (? m)| 1,512| 1,577|    65| gross profit (? m)| 461| 39 6| 65| The actual gross profit is 65 million less than our forecast, even though our sales reach the target. This is mainly caused by exceeded materials costs. It is indicated on company report that design and options cost for CRUISER is ? 7572 per unit, but we only count it as ? 6186 when we forecast. In this situation, we are charged ? 1386 more for producing every CRUISER. It reflects that the options we offer to customers are of great popularity and we should enlarge option take-up percentage when doing the material cost forecast for next round. 2. 4 Round 4 2. 4. 1 Business Strategy Sales target Encouraging by the good financial performance of last round, management team decided to increase the sales by 32% in round 4 in order to further satisfy our shareholders. However, we do not plan to increase the gross margin for both models because we guarantee customers of good value for money. Thus, we expect the high volumes sales bring us profit. Design and options To make our cars competitive, we add more options to both models for customers to choose based on the popularity indicators (see appendix). Since the very beginning, both 3/5 door hatch with small engine (city car) and MPV with diesel engine (large car) are most popular designs for our target age group. So, the adjustment is focused on the alternative options. Promotion Expenditure Promotion expenditure will increase by 34% to ? 40 million. This decision is made by management team with attempt to make our products sold better. Market predictions indicated that city car market and large car market will shrink by 12% and 9% respectively. That is to say, risk of keeping stock is high if we increase our production in round 4. Thus, we hope the promotion and advertisement could help reduce that risk. 2. 4. 2 Round 4 Forecast round 4 forecast| TIKI| CRUISER| Total| production/ units| 70,000 | 44,550 | 114,550 | selling price ? 13,900 | 26,800 |   | gross margin %| 15. 34%| 30. 73%|   | sales income ? m| 973| 1,639 | 2,612 | total overhead ? m|   |   | 308| post tax profit ? m|   |   | 235| closing bank balance ? m|   |   | 412| 2. 4. 3 Discrepancy Analysis Unsold Stock We expect to achieve zero closing stock but actually have 12,853 units unsold which worth ? 246 million. As a result, we are unable to reach target sales, post-tax profit and target mar ket share. Market Share| TIKI| CRUISER| round 3 result| 1. 20%| 1. 51%| round 4 target| 1. 46%| 1. 80%| After evaluation, we conclude two possible reasons which contribute to this result: * We over estimate our capacity and are hurry to expand the market share. As shown on the table, we increase 0. 26% for TIKI and 0. 34% for CRUISER. It seems better if we execute market expansion step by step. * The competitors’ price might have negative impact on our sales. In final round, in order to offer more alternative choices and high quality experience to customers, we added more popular and high cost options for both TIKI and CRUISER, which increase our direct cost per car and make it hard to decrease the selling price. . 5 Key Performance Indicators Performance indicators| round 1| round 2| round 3| round 4| Sales | 1509 | 2017 | 1973 | 2274 | Sales growth (decline) %| -| 34%| -22%| 15%| Cost of sales| 1333 | 1599 | 1577 | 1700 | Cost of sales ratio %| 88%| 79%| 80%| 75%| Profitability| Gross profit margin %| 12%| 21%| 20%| 25%| Operating profit %| -7%| 6%| 6%| 12%| Net profit %| -8%| 3%| 5%| 9%| Return on assets %| -24%| 12%| 14%| 26%| Return on investment %| -23%| 21%| 18%| 36%| Liquidity| Current ratio| 0. 64| 1. 26| 3. 52| 3. 24| Quick ratio| 0. 13| 1. 1| 3. 52| 1. 45| 2. Performance Evaluation Comments In general, sales increased from ? 1509 million in round 1 to ? 2274 million in round 4 – an increase of 51%. Over this period, we did not launch any new model and enlarge the sales volumes too much. The main reason for sales increase is the growth of our selling price. Direct cost of sales decreased yearly from 88% in round 1 to 75% in round 4. Even though inflation raises material costs and we offer a pay rise to our workers, we are still able to handle the cost/sales ratio efficiently by adapting smart and efficient pricing strategy. Profitability: Gross Margin % The gross margin has doubled from 12% (round 1) to 25% (round 4). In real money terms, our gross profit increased from ? 176 million to ? 574 million. This trend indicated that return on sales improved. Although direct cost of sales increased year by year, we adjust our pricing strategy in order to make our business more profitable. Operating Profit % Operating profit margin improved from minus 7% (round 1) to 12% (round 4) indicatingmore efficient operation management. To be specific, stock upkeep cost and redundancy cost are well managed. The RD investment and warranty costs are effectively controlled. Even though the investment on promotion and training increase yearly, this cost is balanced by the decreasing depreciation cost due to the book value of our fixed assets reduced yearly. Net Profit % Net profit margin shows an increasing trend from minus 8% (round 1) to 9% (round 4). Our company remains profitable since round 2. This indicated that our business is successful in consistency of earning. Return on Assets % The return on assets grows dramatically from minus 24% (round 1) to 26% (round 4). This indicates that management is more and more efficient in using business assets to generate profit. Return on Investment % The return on capital employed shows a similar trend, except a slight decline of 3% in round 3. The ROI is 36% by the end of round 4, which has actually achieved our business objective. Liquidity: From round 1 to round 3, the current ratio increase from 0. 64 to 3. 52 times, and the quick ratio increase from 0. 13 to 3. 52 times. The increasing ratio indicates that we have more cash flow to pay our creditors (quick settlement) and meet our short-term obligations. In round 4, the current ratio drop slights to 3. 24 times and the quick ratio drop greatly to 1. 45 times. This trend looks good because high ratio does not mean a healthy cash position of the business. It indicates that we do not use our capitals properly and efficiently. In conclusion, according to our current liquidity situation, our company is suggested to reduce the stock levels and to invest surplus cash in longer term investments. Market Share From round 1 to round 4, market share of TIKI increased from 1. 21% to 1. 35%, despite a slight decline in round 2. Market share of CRUISER increased sharply in round 2 compared with round 1, then showed a tiny increase trend year by year. It indicated that we are successful in persistently and steadily supplying products to the market. Overall, our company’s performance has been improved in several ways, (e. g. sales, profit, creditors, market share, etc. ) In addition, it would have been more helpful for the further financial performance evaluation if the industrial average figures and key competitors’ information had been made available (Behn 2003). Part 3 Learning 3. 1 Financial Management In the field of financial management, cost-volume-profit analysis is a powerful tool that helps managers identifies the relationships among cost, volume and profit (Banfield, Newcastle Business et al. 2008). It focuses on how profits can be affected by the following variables: selling price, sales volume, unit variable costs, total fixed costs, etc. (Banfield, Newcastle Business et al. 2008). Break even analysis and margin of safety is the important part of cost-volume-cost analysis. The formula is shown as following: Formula: BEP = Total Fixed Cost = (in Units) Contribution per unit Margin of Safety = Forecast Demand – BEP Forecast Demand In round 1, we forecast our total fixed cost and depreciation charge is 241 million, and the contribution per unit is 2316. By using formula, the forecast BEP is 104,000 units. So we decided to produce 120,000 units after evaluating market demand. Our forecast margin of safety is therefore around 13. 3%. However, we underestimated the total fixed cost and overestimated our sales volumes. Thus, we suffered a loss of 116 million in the first round. In round 2, we re-evaluate the cost, volume and profit, and then set up 32. % of margin of safety. Financial performance is improved in this round so we adapted the similar approach for round 3 and 4, in which our margin of safety is about 39. 1% and 52. 8% respectively. It has been proved that high margin of safety makes profit less vulnerable to demand drops (Jacobs 2002). Even though we have 12,853 units unsold stock, we still make a profit of 198 million in round 4. From the business game, we have practiced how to price products and how much volume of products we must sell in order to make a profit. 3. 2 Human Resource Management When we practice the Human Resource function in business game, we put emphasis on rewards, in particular worker wage. High wage will not always improve the work performance from long-term perspective, but annual pay increase works (Banfield and Kay 2008). Based on this learning, we decide to pay our worker ? 355 weekly in round 1 and to increase that wage annually. However, we suffered a loss due to bad company performance in round 1, so wage did not increase even though inflation rate is around 3%. In round 2, company performance is improved and we make profit. Thus, wage increase by 9% ahead of 4% inflation rate in round 3. In round 4, wage increase by 5% to ? 404. Overall, from round 1 to round 4, wage increase by 14%, but the strike days only reduced 1 day (8 days in round 1 and 7 days in round 4). It is indicated that a reward cannot help to improve work performance if the pay increase does not meet the employee expectation (Corby 2009). According to data on competition, EMPIRE, our key competitors, pays their worker ? 500 weekly in round 4 and the strike day is controlled as 2 days. From the business stimulation, we realized the importance of monetary rewards and the link between rewards and productivity. On the other hand, poor management of employee relations often end up with strikes (Blyton and Turnbull 1998). With this learning, we could have found another solution to allocate our workers instead of redundancy. There are some limitations of business game in terms of HR management. High wage and training investment seems to be the only way to motivate productivity. And some other important HR functions such as recruitment and selection, promotion and employee engagement are not covered in the game. Learning experience will improve if those issues are made available in the game. 3. 3 Operation Management Quality management refers to the management activities involved in determination of quality policy and its implementation through means such as quality planning and quality assurance (Gitlow 2005). High quality puts costs down and revenue up (Banfield, Newcastle Business et al. 2008). Based on this learning, in order to control product quality, we focus on the RD (Research and Development) and skills training when we practice the operation function during business game. From round 1, we keep investing on projects of fuel efficient engine and low emissions in order to detect and control the quality of engines. Both of them are successful after 3 years of research and development. This help to reduce our warranty cost efficiently (see appendix). Due to safety factor, we started to invest on the project of advanced safety systems. We expect the continuous RD investment bring us long term financial benefit. Meanwhile, we continuously invest on skills training based on the knowledge that investment in skills training can significantly improve product quality (Gitlow 2005). From the business game, I got better understanding about quality management and how quality influences customers’ buying decision. We also learn how to define the quality characteristics, set quality standard and measure the quality of our products. One of the limitations in stimulation process is that it is unavailable to evaluate and select the suppliers by ourselves. If this is made available, I believe that the operation cost would be controlled autonomously and learning experience of students about supply chain would be improved. 3. 4 Marketing Management Marketing management is the art and science of choosing target markets and getting, keeping, and growing customers through creating, delivering, and communicating superior customer value (Kotler and Keller 2011). In carrying out the marketing functions, the company needs to have a marketing program or strategy. This is known as the marketing mix (Marc 1997). The conventional view of the marketing mix consisted of four components: Product, Price, Place and Promotion. It is indicated that 4Ps constitute the cornerstone of any sound business (Marc 1997). Based on this learning, we tried to use the right marketing mix to reach our target market during the business game. Product: In round 1, 3/5 door hatch and small engine are chosen for city car (24-40 market), while MPV and diesel engine are chosen for large car (41-55 market). Options are selected due to the factors such as safety, comfort and style. From round 2, we detect the popularity index and aim to offer the most appropriate products to our customers (see appendix). Price: We use market penetration in round 1. In the next three round, we adapt average pricing strategy. The economic trend and income status of our target customers are also taken into account as well. Promotion: We keep increasing our promotion investment from 23 million to 40 million via various media. In round 1, we invest ? 200 for every car and it increase to ? 450 in round 4. Through business game, I got better understanding about marketing mix. However, innovation and new product strategy, as another important marketing strategy, is failed to be used in our game. We could have learned more about finding customer value opportunities and creating an innovation culture in our team if we had launched new model. Part 4 Team Performance 4. 1 Team 4. 1. 1 Management Team We distributed our team into four groups in order to cover the four main functional areas of business organization: Finance, Marketing, Operation and Human Resource. Based on personal interests and experience, I take the charge of Finance. Dorothy and Kira take the responsibility of managing marketing. Operation is taken charged by Michael and Jayson. Adetoro is responsible for HR. It does not mean that we make decisions and take responsibility separately. Actually, those functional areas are linked with and supported by each other. And everybody of the team is required to know exactly the whole process of our business. In reality, the main purpose of functional areas is to ensure that all important business activities are carried out efficiently. This is essential for a company to achieve its business objectives (Marcouse 2010). . 1. 2 Decision-making Process The overall decision-making was a collective process. During the business game, we discussed and evaluated all feasible solutions and make sure every decision is made to help settle the current problems and lead to business objectives. The controversy, however, is sometimes unavoidable. For instance, Dorothy, marketing manager, proposed to launch new model in rou nd 3 due to market attractiveness. I cannot agree with that because we are still experiencing financial difficulty. Our net cash position is minus ? 371 million with poor ability to pay our creditors. Adetoro is standing by my side, thinking from a long-term perspective. He suggested our team not to launch new model until we gain a reasonable market share. The further discussion and communication led to unanimous approval of the final decision. The similar situation happened when we discussed whether or not to adept price skimming strategy for our products. The dispute finally is settled properly. 4. 1. 3 Leadership I was nominated as the leader in business game due to my ability to manage market information and provide direction to my team members at the very beginning. Under my leadership, our company is driven to achieve business objectives (execution). I make clear that all my team members are enjoying the game and have learned how to run a business in a real world. 4. 1. 4 Team Role Through my observation, I have identified the strengths/weaknesses and work preference of my team members: * Jayson and Michael prefer to analyze the current situation and raise the issues that we have to face (analysis). Michael is a good team worker who communicates and cooperates effectively with others. Jayson, as a monitor evaluator, has a high critical thinking ability but lacking of expression. * Dorothy and Kira are intuitive about the market information, and they often give the creative ideas (plan). Both of them play as plant. Dorothy prefers change and innovation. She can work more effectively when cooperate with the people who are identified as implementer in Belbin team role framework. * Adetoro used to reflect all our decisions we have made for every round and make everything reasonable and explainable (reflection). He is enthusiastic and logic thinker. 4. 2 Individual . 2. 1 My Contribution I have little knowledge about car industry when I take this project, but I quickly realize that I have special interest on costing and budgeting due to my previous work experience. So, I went through the user menu and market research then finish the finance forecast sheet before attending the group meeting. In round 1, I am responsible for both Finance and Marketing. During the group m eeting, I proposed my ideas about cost/price, most of which are accepted by my team members and I therefore am nominated as manager of Finance. We suffered a loss in round 1. After analysing the discrepancy between forecast and results, I suggest to adapt new pricing strategy and set a higher gross margin. The strategy is adapted by management team and makes profit for our company by the end of round 2. I am nominated as team leader due to my hard-working, efficiency and reliability. And I actively build up team relation and motivate our team members. I play the role of implementer successfully. I monitor every process of the game and every detail of our decisions, and put emphasis on improving efficiency of every group meeting, and record the minutes. 4. 2. My learning about effective teamwork and decision making Through business game, along with the knowledge I learn from Developing Self module and the experience of residential weekend, I have better understanding about: * An effective teamwork involves in a group of people with common objectives and being able to build up trust and cooperate relationship with each other. * An effective teamwork involve s in a group of people who have complementary strengths/weaknesses with each other. * An effective team should have a leader who is able to provide direction, open mind to different opinions, ake right decision and take risks. * An effective decision should create the competitive advantage for organization and bring short term profit along with long term development. * An effective decision builds up the core competency of organization and turn competitive advantage into sustainable competitive advantage. 4. 2. 3 Suggestions for Improving My Performance * If the game could be played again, I would like to think twice before adapting market penetration strategy in round 1 and try to avoid that loss as much as possible. I would like to pay more attention on developing my leadership capability and making better use of the abilities of my team members in order to build up a powerful and effective team. Part 5 Conclusion Overall, our company is successful in the achievement of business o bjectives. By the end of round 4, our sales have increased by 50%, and our profit is showing a trend of growth. Even though the unsold stock percentage is larger than what we expect, we are still able to control the inventory and keep profitable. Return on investment in round 4 is 36% which is much more than our target. Part 6 Reference Banfield, P. and R. Kay (2008). Introduction to human resource management. New York, Oxford University Press. Banfield, P. , S. Newcastle Business, et al. (2008). Managing for competitive advantage, McGraw-Hill custom publishing. Behn, R. D. (2003). â€Å"Why Measure Performance? Different Purposes Require Different Measures. † Public Administration Review 63(5): 586-606. Blyton, P. and P. Turnbull (1998). The dynamics of employee relations. Basingstoke, Macmillan. Corby, S. (2009). Rethinking reward. Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan. Gitlow, H. S. (2005). Quality management. New York London, McGraw-Hill. Jacobs, T. (2002). â€Å"The margin of safety. † NATURE BIOTECHNOLOGY 20(12): 1191-1191. Kotler, P. and K. L. Keller (2011). Marketing management. Harlow, Pearson Education. Marc, L. (1997). â€Å"Marketing mix customization and customizability. † Business Horizons 40(6): 39. Marcouse, I. (2010). â€Å"BTEC First Business. † 1. 4 The main functional areas within business organisations Ed. Retrieved 06/01, 2012, from http://www. teachmebusiness. co. uk/page29/page16/page18/assets/Functionalareas. pdf. Part 7 Appendices 7. 1 Design and Options TIKI (City Car)  | | round 1| round 2| round 3| round 4| /5 Door Hatch| Y| Y| Y| Y| Small Engine (4 Cylinder)| Y| Y| Y| Y| Multi Location Airbags|   |   |   | Y| Alloy Wheels|   | Y| Y| Y| Parking Sensors| Y| Y|   | Y| Air Conditioning| Y| Y| Y| Y| Superior Sound System/iPod|   | Y| Y| Y| Security Package|   |   |   | Y| Safety Package|   | Y| Y| Y| CRUISER (Large Car)  | | round 1 | round 2| round 3| round 4| SUV| Y| Y| Y| Y| Diesel Engine| Y| Y| Y| Y| Multi Location Airbags|   |   | Y| Y| Alloy Wheels|   |   | Y| Y| Security Tracker|   |   |   | Y| Cruise Control| Y| Y|   |   | Automatic Transmission| Y| Y|   |   | Parking Sensors| Y| Y| Y| Y| Electronic Stability Control| Y| Y|   |   | Panoramic Sunroof| Y| Y|   |   | Heated Elec Wing Mirrors|   |   |   | Y| Electric Adjustable Seats|   |   |   | Y| Air Conditioning| Y| Y| Y| Y| Superior Sound System/iPod| Y| Y| Y| Y| Bluetooth Phone Preparation|   |   |   | Y| TV/DVD Player| Y| Y|   |   | Metallic Paint|   |   | Y| Y| Security Package|   |   | Y| Y| Safety Package| Y| Y| Y| Y| Luxury Package|   |   |   | Y| 7. 2 Warranty Cost Warranty Cost| round 1| round 2| round 3| round 4| TIKI per car ? | 173| 170| 140| 155| CRUISER per car ? | 400| 353| 295| 348| Total Warranty Claims ? m| 26| 27| 21| 23| 7. 3 Other Key Performance Indicators How to cite Nx448 Business Game Report, Papers

Crack and Cocaine Powder Sentencing Disparities Essay Sample free essay sample

Adjunct Majority Leader Dick Durbin ( D-IL ) introduced the Fair Sentencing Act of 2009. a narrowly-tailored measure that would extinguish the condemning disparity between cleft and pulverization cocaine and increase punishments for the worst wrongdoers. This would reconstruct equity to our drug sentencing policy and focal point limited federal resources on violent drug sellers. It has been introduced to Congress to equalise the sentencing for cleft and cocaine drug discourtesies. It started with the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986. which at the clip was designed to sharply aim the addition in ace cocaine offense. Under the jurisprudence. those convicted of offenses affecting â€Å"crack† cocaine were punished on a 100-to-1 ratio compared to those whose offenses involve cocaine in pulverization signifier. Therefore. a individual who dealt five gms of cleft cocaine could confront 5 old ages in prison. but individual had to cover 500 gms of pulverization cocaine for a similar senten ce. Worse. as the old ages went on. We will write a custom essay sample on Crack and Cocaine Powder Sentencing Disparities Essay Sample or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page some studies indicated that first-time wrongdoers caught selling five gms of pulverization cocaine typically merely received 6 months in prison. and would frequently be eligible for probation. while first-time wrongdoer selling the same sum of cleft faced the mandatary five twelvemonth prison sentence. Another disparity was that the bulk of traders convicted for cleft cocaine discourtesies were Black. while most convicted for pulverization cocaine discourtesies were White. There are many policy grounds behind the push for the new jurisprudence – chiefly to turn to the racial disparities mentioned. but besides to refocus jurisprudence enforcement attempts on drug king-pins instead than street-level traders. The crack-powder disparity disproportionately affects African Americans. While African Americans are less than 30 per centum of cleft users. they are 82 per centum of those convicted of federal cleft discourtesies. Law enforcement experts say that crack-powder disparity undermines trust in our condemnable justness system. particularly in minority communities. The bipartizan United States Sentencing Commission has said that repairing the crack-powder disparity â€Å"would dramatically better the equity of the federal sentencing system. † Under The Fair Sentencing Act. it would extinguish the crack-powder disparity and set up the same sentences for cleft and pulverization cocaine. a 1:1 ratio. It would besides extinguish the compulsory mi nimal sentence for simple ownership of cleft cocaine. The lone compulsory minimal sentence for simple ownership of a drug would be by a first-time wrongdoer. And eventually it would significantly increase punishments for drug discourtesies affecting vulnerable victims. force and other worsening factors. Mentions: â€Å"The Fair Sentencing Act Corrects a Long-time Wrong in Cocaine Cases. † Editorial. The Washington Post 03 Aug. 2010. The Washington Post: National. World A ; D. C. Area News and Headlines – The Washington Post. Web. 06 Nov. 2011. lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //www. washingtonpost. com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/02/AR2010080204360. hypertext markup language gt ; . â€Å"The Fair Sentencing Act of 2010. † FAMM Home Page. Web. 06 Nov. 2011. lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //www. famm. org/FederalSentencing/USCongress/BillsinCongress/TheFairSentencingActof2010. aspx gt ; . WashingtonWatch. com – P. L. 111-220. The Fair Sentencing Act of 2009. † WashingtonWatch. com. Web. 06 Nov. 2011. lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //www. washingtonwatch. com/bills/show/111_SN_1789. html # toc0 gt ; .

Crack and Cocaine Powder Sentencing Disparities Essay Sample free essay sample

Adjunct Majority Leader Dick Durbin ( D-IL ) introduced the Fair Sentencing Act of 2009. a narrowly-tailored measure that would extinguish the condemning disparity between cleft and pulverization cocaine and increase punishments for the worst wrongdoers. This would reconstruct equity to our drug sentencing policy and focal point limited federal resources on violent drug sellers. It has been introduced to Congress to equalise the sentencing for cleft and cocaine drug discourtesies. It started with the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986. which at the clip was designed to sharply aim the addition in ace cocaine offense. Under the jurisprudence. those convicted of offenses affecting â€Å"crack† cocaine were punished on a 100-to-1 ratio compared to those whose offenses involve cocaine in pulverization signifier. Therefore. a individual who dealt five gms of cleft cocaine could confront 5 old ages in prison. but individual had to cover 500 gms of pulverization cocaine for a similar senten ce. Worse. as the old ages went on. We will write a custom essay sample on Crack and Cocaine Powder Sentencing Disparities Essay Sample or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page some studies indicated that first-time wrongdoers caught selling five gms of pulverization cocaine typically merely received 6 months in prison. and would frequently be eligible for probation. while first-time wrongdoer selling the same sum of cleft faced the mandatary five twelvemonth prison sentence. Another disparity was that the bulk of traders convicted for cleft cocaine discourtesies were Black. while most convicted for pulverization cocaine discourtesies were White. There are many policy grounds behind the push for the new jurisprudence – chiefly to turn to the racial disparities mentioned. but besides to refocus jurisprudence enforcement attempts on drug king-pins instead than street-level traders. The crack-powder disparity disproportionately affects African Americans. While African Americans are less than 30 per centum of cleft users. they are 82 per centum of those convicted of federal cleft discourtesies. Law enforcement experts say that crack-powder disparity undermines trust in our condemnable justness system. particularly in minority communities. The bipartizan United States Sentencing Commission has said that repairing the crack-powder disparity â€Å"would dramatically better the equity of the federal sentencing system. † Under The Fair Sentencing Act. it would extinguish the crack-powder disparity and set up the same sentences for cleft and pulverization cocaine. a 1:1 ratio. It would besides extinguish the compulsory mi nimal sentence for simple ownership of cleft cocaine. The lone compulsory minimal sentence for simple ownership of a drug would be by a first-time wrongdoer. And eventually it would significantly increase punishments for drug discourtesies affecting vulnerable victims. force and other worsening factors. Mentions: â€Å"The Fair Sentencing Act Corrects a Long-time Wrong in Cocaine Cases. † Editorial. The Washington Post 03 Aug. 2010. The Washington Post: National. World A ; D. C. Area News and Headlines – The Washington Post. Web. 06 Nov. 2011. lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //www. washingtonpost. com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/02/AR2010080204360. hypertext markup language gt ; . â€Å"The Fair Sentencing Act of 2010. † FAMM Home Page. Web. 06 Nov. 2011. lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //www. famm. org/FederalSentencing/USCongress/BillsinCongress/TheFairSentencingActof2010. aspx gt ; . WashingtonWatch. com – P. L. 111-220. The Fair Sentencing Act of 2009. † WashingtonWatch. com. Web. 06 Nov. 2011. lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //www. washingtonwatch. com/bills/show/111_SN_1789. html # toc0 gt ; .

Rural Masculinity free essay sample

The men these boys look up to have shown the masculine qualities that are needed to encompass the guy code. Many Americans Like the qualities that make up the rural masculinity or a country boy. These country boys encompass many good qualities that make them popular. The stereotypical country boy is white 10-60, and usually is in the lower-middle class (blue collar). Being straight is the way to be in the cowboy culture. The large majority of rural masculinity comes from rural areas and theSouth. Their culture is a mix of mainstream and alternative. The cultural attitude is very laid back and personable; they have strong family values, hard workers, and are biased as being not very smart or rich. Religion Is also a factor when It comes to rural masculinity as that Is what your values and beliefs are based off of. I believe that the man with that embodies rural masculinity or the country boy attitude is Toby Keith. We will write a custom essay sample on Rural Masculinity or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page As he comes form a blue-collar family he knew what he had to do to achieve his dream. His hard work on the oil derricks took him up to operations manager by the time he was 20.On the side to help support himself him and a couple buddies made a band called the Easy Money Band. When the oil industry took a dive he went back to his roots and tried out for a semi-pro football team out of Oklahoma City. He never gave up on his dream of getting a record contract and finally caught his big break in the sasss and signed a record deal with Mercury Records. He had made it and had gotten his contract. After that his career took of and there was no stopping from there. Toby likes to show off his masculinity by always wearing a hat when he performs, and youll never see him without his signature goatee.The cowboy hat symbolizes the cowboy at heart. His goatee shows off his masculinity, as a beard or facial hair Is a staple for manhood. His sleeveless shirts are a staple at his concerts to show off his biceps, which the ladies cant get enough of. He has a thick southern accent, which embodies the manly image that many people enjoy. He is also a staunch family man. He has three kids and another one the way along with two grandchildren. Along with his country songs he has many patriotic songs. He goes on US tours overseas to motivate and keep the hopes of the troops up.One song in reticular Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue which was written after his dad was killed In an automobile accident and the attacks on 9/11. He wanted to pay homage to his dads service in the military and to the faith he had in the untied States. His patriotic songs are what got some people that have come back from the war through the day and keep them going through their physical therapy and down the road to recovery. The only downside to this song was when on of the Dixie Chicks publicly stated that this song was ignorant, and it makes country music sound Ignorant. He didnt let it bother him anymore.He incorporates this into his music as it is very laid back and relates to blue-collar folks. Having to work multiple Jobs to help support pursuer is something many upper class Americans cant really relate to. Some of his music is about him explaining the hardships that he went through. Many people in the upper class have never had to go through some of the hardships he has. Morning through the adversity that he had to go through like he did is what makes a man. Doing what he did to get to where is he today is what makes him a good person for rural masculinity. In the country music world he is thought of as very masculine.If you take a look at some of his music you wont be surprised to see that. His music is filled with party songs, beer songs, and his most recognized patriotic songs. Some of these songs encourage the drinking of a lot of beer and having a good time with friends. His patriotic songs make him look pro-war, but he has never came out and fully supported the war. He was a registered democrat and now he is registered in the Independent Party, but has pledged his support to both campaigns. He said he got out of the Democratic Party because he didnt have the same beliefs as they have.Even after his singing career is over Toby has something to fall back on. He started robs Kiths I Love This Bar Grill in 2005 and has since taken off. Being an entrepreneur like he his shows another sign of masculinity. He always has something that he can do to support his family if times get tough. Along with his restaurant he has appeared very rugged and masculine in many TV commercials for various companies such as Ford. Along with commercials he has made a couple TV appearances such as Comedy Centrals Roast of Larry the Cable Guy, The Collect Report, and Fox Channels Hackers where he did a duet at the end of the show withMike Hackers. Toby Keith is the image of what rural masculinity should look like. He has the cowboy hat, sleeveless shirt, and the facial hair. He likes to project his own image and tries to stay out of the tabloids as often as possible. He worked his Nay up from a helping hand on the oil derrick to operations manager to starting his own band, and eventually starting his own record label. His family is what drives him to keep performing and is one of the keys to rural masculinity. He is a role model to many younger people because of the way he carries himself and his beliefs.

Biography of William Travis, Texas Revolution Hero

Biography of William Travis, Texas Revolution Hero William Barret Travis (August 1, 1809–March 6, 1836) was an American teacher, lawyer, and soldier. He was in command of the Texan forces at the Battle of the Alamo, where he was killed along with all of his men. According to legend, he drew a line in the sand and challenged the defenders of the Alamo to cross it as a sign of their promise to fight to the death. Today, Travis is considered a great hero in Texas. Fast Facts: William Travis Known For: Travis became a Texas hero for his role in the defense of the Alamo.Also Known As: BuckBorn: August 1, 1809 in Saluda County, South CarolinaDied: March 6, 1836 in San Antonio, Texas Early Life Travis was born on August 1, 1809, in South Carolina, and grew up in Alabama. At the age of 19, while working as a schoolteacher in Alabama, he married one of his students, 16-year-old Rosanna Cato. Travis later trained and worked as a lawyer and published a short-lived newspaper. Neither profession made him much money, and in 1831 he fled to the west, staying one step ahead of his creditors. He left Rosanna and their young son behind. By then the marriage had soured, and neither Travis nor his wife was upset by his departure. He chose to head to Texas for a new start; his creditors could not pursue him into Mexico. Anahuac Disturbances Travis found plenty of work in the town of Anahuac defending slaveholders and those who sought to recapture runaway slaves. This was a sticky point at the time in Texas, as slavery was illegal in Mexico but many of the Texas settlers practiced it anyway. Travis soon ran afoul of Juan Bradburn, an American-born Mexican military officer. After Travis was jailed, the local people took up arms and demanded his release. In June 1832, there was a tense standoff between angry Texans and the Mexican Army. It eventually turned violent and several men were killed. The fighting came to an end when a high-ranking Mexican official arrived to defuse the situation. Travis was freed, and he soon found he was a hero among Texans who wanted to separate from Mexico. Return to Anahuac In 1835, Travis again was involved in trouble in Anahuac. In June, a man named Andrew Briscoe was jailed for arguing about new taxes. Infuriated, Travis rounded up a gang of men and they rode up to Anahuac, supported by a boat with a lone cannon. He ordered the Mexican soldiers out. Not knowing the strength of the rebel Texans, they agreed. Briscoe was freed and Travis’ stature grew enormously with those Texans who favored independence. His fame increased even more when it was revealed that Mexican authorities had issued a warrant for his arrest. Arrival at the Alamo Travis missed out on the Battle of Gonzales and the Siege of San Antonio, but he was still a dedicated rebel and anxious to fight for Texas. After the Siege of San Antonio, Travis, by then a militia officer with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, was ordered to collect up to 100 men and reinforce San Antonio, which was, at the time, being fortified by Jim Bowie and other Texans. The defense of San Antonio centered on the Alamo, a fortress-like old mission church in the center of town. Travis managed to round up about 40 men, paying them out of his own pocket, and arrived at the Alamo on February 3, 1836. Discord at the Alamo By rank, Travis was technically the second-in-command at the Alamo. The first commander there was James Neill, who had fought bravely at the siege of San Antonio and who had vigorously reinforced the Alamo in the intervening months. About half the men there, however, were volunteers and therefore answered to no one. These men tended to listen only to James Bowie, who generally deferred to Neill  but did not listen to Travis. When Neill left in February to attend to family matters, the differences between the two men caused a serious rift among the defenders. Eventually, two things would unite Travis and Bowie (and the men they commanded): the arrival of the diplomatic celebrity Davy Crockett and the advance of the Mexican Army, commanded by General Antonio Là ³pez de Santa Anna. Sending for Reinforcements Santa Annas army arrived in San Antonio in late February 1836 and Travis busied himself sending dispatches to anyone who could help him. The most likely reinforcements were the men serving under James Fannin in Goliad, but repeated pleas to Fannin brought no results. Fannin did set out with a relief column  but turned back due to logistical difficulties (and, one suspects, the suspicion that the men in the Alamo were doomed). Travis wrote to Sam Houston, but Houston was having trouble controlling his army and was not in any position to send aid. Travis wrote the political leaders, who were planning another convention, but they moved too slowly to do Travis any good. He was on his own. Death According to popular lore, sometime on March 4, Travis called together the defenders of the Alamo for a meeting. He drew a line in the sand with his sword and challenged those who would stay and fight to cross it. Only one man refused (an ailing Jim Bowie reportedly asked to be carried across). There is little historical evidence to support this story. Still, Travis and everyone else knew the odds and chose to remain, whether he actually drew a line in the sand or not. On March 6, the Mexicans attacked at dawn. Travis, defending the northern quadrant, was one of the first to fall, shot down by an enemy rifleman. The Alamo was overrun within two hours, and all of its defenders were either captured or killed. Legacy Were it not for his heroic defense of the Alamo and his death, Travis would most likely be a historical footnote. He was one of the first men truly committed to Texas separation from Mexico, and his deeds in Anahuac are worthy of inclusion on an accurate timeline of events that led to Texas independence. Still, he was not a great military or political leader. He was just a man in the wrong place at the wrong time (or the right place at the right time, some would say). Nevertheless, Travis showed himself to be a capable commander and brave soldier when it counted. He held the defenders together in the face of overwhelming odds and did what he could to defend the Alamo. In part because of his discipline and hard work, the Mexicans paid very dearly for their victory that March day. Most historians put the casualty count at around 600 Mexican soldiers to some 200 Texan defenders. Travis showed true leadership qualities and might have gone far in post-independence Texas politics had he survived. Travis greatness lies in the fact that he obviously knew what was going to happen, yet he remained and kept his men with him. His final missives show clearly his intent to stay and fight, even knowing he would likely lose. He also seemed to understand that if the Alamo were crushed, the men inside would become martyrs for the cause of Texas Independence- which is precisely what happened. Cries of Remember the Alamo! echoed out all over Texas and the United States, and men took up arms to avenge Travis and the other slain Alamo defenders. Travis is considered a great hero in Texas, and many things in Texas are named for him, including Travis County and William B. Travis High School. His character appears in books and movies and everything else related to the Battle of the Alamo. Travis was portrayed by Laurence Harvey in the 1960 film The Alamo, which starred John Wayne as Davy Crockett. Sources Brands, H.W. Lone Star Nation: The Epic Story of the Battle for Texas Independence. New York: Anchor Books, 2004.Thompson, Frank T.  The Alamo. University of North Texas Press, 2005.

Mixed-gender sports Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Mixed-gender sports - Term Paper Example In the past women had no opportunity or even a chance to improve and develop their bodies. It was not preferable for women. Now the situation has changed and women took part in the competitions, but the amount of them is much less than the amount of men. It would take much time to improve the situation (Bryant, 2003, 140). Feminist movements made many attempts in order to gain the same rights and conditions for women. Only at the end of the 20th century the world saw the results. The sport was not considered to be a male privilege and from that moment women received the opportunity to participate in almost every kind of sport. For sure we cannot say that the full equality has not been achieved and now feminists turned their attention to the problem of segregation (Bryson 350). At first sight in the world of sport the segregation does not provoke any disputes; it is just accepted by its participants. And there are a number of reasons for that. Due to the physical peculiarities, women have less opportunity to demonstrate their skills. The trouble is that sex segregation in sports seriously influences not only the issue of discrimination in sports circles, but also on the sexual hierarchy in the society in general. So, this issue is very important and worth-discussing as it refers not only to sport but to the everyday life as well. Mixed-gender sports could help defend the rights of women, so it must be introduced as much as it is possible. There is an opinion that the main aim of feminists concerning sport is to get rid of men, especially in those kinds of sports where women suffer from men’s athleticism. To say more such evidence as gender segregation in the team sport is accepted by both women and men. The basis for such statement is the myth that men have privileges over women, because they are stronger from the birth. So, gender segregation in the field of sport contributes to the common belief that women and men belong to the different worlds. Now man y scholars is concerned with the issue what role the gender plays in sport and how it influences the position of women in the modern world. In order to find the answer to this question it is enough to recall the participants of different kinds of sport. Just remember the Olympic Games, where women and men have different competitions. People can explain it due to different physical abilities and as a result women usually compete with women and men with men. An interesting thing was noticed during the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games. The German team had different colors of jackets for women and men and it looked like the indicators of gender that automatically demonstrated the differences between them (Bryant, 2003). And here the important question arises if such separation takes part in professional sport and if the professional sport tries to emphasize the differences between men and women. According to the official sources a great number of sports are gender-segregated at a p rofessional level. On the other hand, researches show that a great number of men already recognize that women as athletic as they are. Anderson came to the following conclusion in his research: â€Å"thus, in the sex-integrated sport of collegiate cheerleading, even once sexist and misogynistic men were able to witness the athleticism of women, befriend them in

Company Strategic Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Company Strategic Analysis - Essay Example Starbucks employed approximately 142,000 employees around the world including 111,000 people from US only, according to the statistics up to 27th September, 2009. (Annual Report, 2009) 2.0 Company Analysis Starbucks is in the Coffeehouse or Coffee Shop Industry. Sometimes, it is said to be in Leisure or Specialty Eatery Industry. The company owned an ROI of 22.80% and net income of 945.60 million USD in 2009. (www.marketwatch.com) Starbucks was ranked as Fortune magazine’s #1 most innovative company in the food services industry in 2001. (Fortune Magazine) The major competitors of Starbucks in the industry are Caribou Coffee, Tully’s, Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf and Java Centrale. (Student Resources) Starbucks is also facing the intense competition of coffee manufacturers such as Kraft and Procter & Gamble and distributers like Nestle. Moreover, the brewing battle with McDonald’s has been intensified in recent years. 2.1 External Environment Starbucks’ external environment can be learned better by analyzing its socioeconomic or macro environment covering political, economical, sociological and technological factors as well as opportunities and threats. Political Because of the growing tensions between the United States and the rest of the world, especially in the Middle East and Southeast Asia, the business environment has been becoming increasingly volatile. In July 2002, Arab students from five states initiated a boycott of American goods and service to the alleged close relationships between the US and Israel. (Fisk, 2002) That movement targeted mainly to Starbucks, Burger King, Coca-Cola and Estee Lauder. Moreover, Starbucks is facing class litigation against it. Economical Unfavorable economic situations in the market can negatively affect consumer spending. (Hill, 2008) Starbucks faced criticism from Non-governmental Organizations urging the company to acquire certified coffee bean to make sure that those coffee beans were grown and marketed under certain economic and social conditions. Trading in countries which were in economic recession such as Switzerland, Germany and Japan made Starbucks experienced sales and revenue declines. Social Social factors can also create opportunities or threats for Starbucks. For example, a regional or global health pandemic, an outbreak of infective diseases, could seriously have effects on Starbucks business. (Annual Report, 2009) But, the company’s willingness to make sure its effects on the environment to be as positive as possible can help in building a good name. Technological The company is dependent on its information technology system to perform functions of operational and management level tasks including supply chain, point-of-sale and other transactions. If failure of its system may occur, there are a lot of delays and losses in sales and business process which will finally drive to reduce the efficiency of the company. The technological advancements such as SAP systems offer Starbucks opportunities in managing and controlling its business processes while an abrupt technological shift or security attacks may play an adverse effect on its information system. Opportunities Opportunities are conditions in the external environment through which a company can get benefits to become more profitable. (Hill, 2008) For Starbucks, new products and services can be

Short Essay on Ethical Perspectives on Code of Conduct Statement

Short on Ethical Perspectives on Code of Conduct Statement - Essay Example The universitys Code of Ethical Conduct borrow heavily from the state, federal and domestic regulations, the institutions guiding policies and principles, grant and contractual duties and responsibilities and the generally accepted guidelines for ethical behavior (Communications, 2015). The Universitys Code of Ethical Conduct is divided into twelve sections, all equally important. The following is a summary of the New York Universitys Code of Conduct. Every member is expected to adhere to the highest ethical levels at all times. In this regard, every member is needed to understand the guiding laws and principles to avoid contravention of the Code of Conduct. In addition, every member of the University fraternity should comply with all the contractual regulations as well as terms and conditions of the grants. These conditions are stipulated in the contractual agreements set before commencement of any task. All members of the university are needed to offer support to the institutions objectives to avert a case of conflict of interest. This entails executing the required duties and tasks while strictly abiding by the institutions guidelines on reportage. Members of the universitys research and teaching teams are required to obey the rules of integrity and honesty. Every member is expected to respect each other within the school and outside the school boundaries. The individuals involved in the medical field are required to uphold the highest medical standards in giving care to the patients. Records are required to be kept and regularly updated as part of the institutions policy. Every member is also required to conduct the universitys business with utmost respect for each other, with integrity and honesty. In the line of duty, members of the school are supposed to observe the highest safety standards, especially in preserving the environment. The Code of Conduct is enforced by the school, and any violations are investigated and

Child Behavioural Problem Programmes Analysis

Child Behavioural Problem Programmes Analysis Antisocial behaviour Aggression and fighting are part of normal child development and can help children to assert and defend themselves. Persistent, poorly controlled antisocial behaviour, however, is socially handicapping and often leads to poor adjustment in adults (Scott 1998). It occurs in 5% of children (Meltzer et al 2000), and its prevalence is rising (Rutter et al 1998). The children live with high levels of criticism and hostility from their parents and are often rejected by their peers.3 Truancy is common, most leave school with no qualifications, and over a third become recurrent juvenile offenders (Farrington 1995). In adulthood, offending usually continues, relationships are limited and unsatisfactory, and the employment pattern is poor. Thelon term public cost from childhood for individuals with this behaviour is up to ten times higher than for controls and involves many agencies (Scott et al 2001b) Antisocial behaviour accounts for 30-40% of referrals to child mental health services (Audit Commission 1999). Most referrals meet general clinical diagnostic guidelines for conduct disorder from ICD-10(international classification of diseases, 10th revision), which require at least one type of antisocial behaviour to be marked and persistent. Rather fewer meet the diagnostic criteria for research, which for the oppositional defiant type of conduct disorder seen in younger children require at least four specific behaviours to be present (World Health Organisation 1993). The early onset pattern typically beginning at the age of 2 or 3 years is associated with comorbid psychopathology such as hyperactivity and emotional problems(Taylor et al 1996, language disorders, neuropsychological deficits such as poor attention and lower IQ, high heritability (Solberg et al1996), and lifelong antisocial behaviours (Moffitt 1993). As a result of its prevalence and significant consequences, the management of these childhood behavioural problems has received an increasing level of attention, research and theory over recent years. Two of the more prominent interventions for the behavioural management of children are health visitors and Group Parenting Programmes. Each of these approaches will now be outlined and will be the focus of the systematic literature review to be discussed. 1.1 Health Visitors and behaviour management The health visitors first task is to identify health care needs. Together with general practitioners, they provide the child health surveillance programme of immunisations, screening, and advice. They aim to identify those important conditions that parents might overlook and, for the rest, to help parents access professional expertise, voluntary agencies, and local facilities (NHS Executive 1996). Health visitors make key contributions regarding immunisation, breast-feeding, good nutrition and depression. This role can extend to help make appropriate interventions regarding the management of child behavioural problems through home visits. Health visitors can help to identify problem situations and refer the parent/child to the right agency. Furthermore, they can advise the parent and help to equip them with the skills needed to effectively manage and reduce the behavioural problems. If the health visitor can meet the parent when the child is under 10 days old, or even at the ante-natal stage, then a trusting and effective relationship can be formed (Beecham 1997) which can have positive effects. It has been suggested that this is of particular relevance to subgroups such as single parents. They have been shown tube less likely to attend health care environments for immunisations and their children appear to have more accidents around the home (Flemmingand Charlton 1998). These are clearly key issues within community service provision (Hall 1996). The health visitors can provide much needed support, particularly with the more vulnerable groups. This social support can have significant benefits during pregnancy/labour(Match and Sims 1992), after birth (Kumar et al 1993) and in reducing the probability that the mother will experience post-natal depression(Ray and Hornet 2000). The health visitor can therefore have a range of benefits for the parent and the child and the extent to which these benefits extend to the child’s behavioural problems merits consideration. 1.2 Group Parental Programmes Harsh, inconsistent parenting is strongly associated with antisocial behaviour in children (Rutter et al 1998), but whether this is a cause or consequence or is due to a common genetic predisposition has been less clear (Farrington 1995). The pioneering work of Patterson and colleagues showed that parents had a causal role in maintaining antisocial behaviour by giving it attention and in extinguishing desirable behaviour by ignoring it (Patterson 1982). Such findings have facilitated the development of group parenting programmes which aim to reduce children’s anti-social behaviour by working with parents. These programmes include the Webster-Stratton programme (Webster-Stratton and Hancock 1998) and the Solihull approach. They generally involve group sessions with parents of children who have behavioural problems. Sessions take place over a few months and involve the discussion of topics such as play, praise, limit setting, rewards and the handling of misbehaviour. The children do not attend the sessions. Video tapes aroused to provide examples of good and bad parenting behaviour and encourage the parents to talk about their experiences. This approach provides an alternative way of managing child behavioural problems rather than the need for health visitors to attend the parents’ homes. 1.3 Evaluating Health Interventions Before selecting any health-related intervention it is vital that theyare assessed on a number of grounds through empirical research which investigates their effectiveness and efficacy. Within the NHS, cost restraints pose a significant issue and hence any intervention needs to provide value for money relative to other potential options (Royal College of Paediatric and Child Health 1997). The Audit Commission(1997) reported that the annual maternity costs in England and Wales are  £1.1 billion. Hence, any savings, or more cost-effective approaches, could have significant impacts on the financial performance of the NHS. Both group parenting programmes and health visiting have been evaluated within empirical research. Most of this research has taken place within America (Deal 1994). The following review will consider this research in order to evaluate the use of group parenting programmes and home visits by health visitors with regards to their effectiveness and efficacy for managing child behavioural problems. The methodology employed within this research will now be outlined before ten relevant research studies are discussed and critically analysed. These findings will then be related to the research discussed in this introduction to the review before overall conclusions are drawn regarding the research question. 1.4 Method and search history A systematic review aims to integrate existing information from comprehensive range of sources, utilising a scientific replicable approach, which gives a balanced view, hence minimising bias (Clarke Oman 2001). In other words, a scientific approach will help to ensure that research evidence is either included or excluded based upon well-defined and standardised criteria. This should ensure that the possible effects of researcher bias should be kept to a minimum. Berkley and Glenn (1999) also states that systematic reviews provide a means of integrating valid information from the research literature to provide a basis for rational decision making concerning the provision of healthcare. Literature reviews are important as they can help to consolidate the knowledge which is available on a given topic. The main themes and findings can be highlighted and this information can inform the design, implementation and evaluation of future research. In this instance, the research evidence can be used to make recommendations and decisions regarding the use of health visitors and Group Parenting Programmes for behaviour management in children. 1.5 Reviewing process Whenever one reviews or compares research reports, it is important that clear set of criteria are established upon which the evaluations can be made. Table 1 below outlines the global process which was used to conduct the literature review. This process was based upon that employed by Berkley et al (1999) It is important that such a framework is identified and used to structure a literature review so that all of the relevant stages are addressed and that limitations which could be associated with the methodology employed can be reduced where ever possible. Table 1: Systematic Review (Summary of Framework)(Adapted from Berkley and Glenn 1999) Identify the need Rationale, background information, existing work Formulate problem and specify objectives Background, problem specification, objectives Develop review protocol Design, resources, refinement Literature search and study retrieval Sources, search strategy, documenting a search strategy Assessing studies for inclusion Defined criteria, minimising reviewer bias, tables of studies included and excluded Assessing and grading studies Appraising checklists, hierarchies of evidence Extracting Data Data collection forms, extraction methodology Synthesizing data Qualitative overview, quantitative synthesis Interpreting results Strength of evidence implications of results Disseminating and implementing results Methods of dissemination and implementation In terms of the process used to review the selected research, the guidelines used by McInnis et al (2004) were adopted. These are displayed in Table 2 below: Table 2: Core Principles Used in Reviewing Selected Research Articles (adapted from McInnis et al 2004) Systematic reviews Adequate search strategy Inclusion criteria appropriate Quality assessment of included studies undertaken Characteristics and results of included studies appropriately summarized Methods for pooling data Sources of heterogeneity explored Randomised controlled trials Study blinded, if possible Method used to generate randomisation schedule adequate Allocation to treatment groups concealed All randomised participants included in the analysis (intention to treat) Withdrawal/dropout reasons given for each group Cohort All eligible subjects (free of disease/outcome of interested) selected or random sample 80% agreed to participate Subjects free of outcomes on interest at study inception If groups used: comparable at baseline Potential confounders controlled for Measurement of outcomes unbiased (blinded to group) Follow-up sufficient duration Follow-up complete and exclusions accounted for ( 80% included in final analysis) Case control Eligible subjects diagnosed as cases over a defined period of time or defined catchment area or a random sample of such cases Case and control definitions adequate and validated Controls selected from same population as cases Controls representative (individually matched) 80% agreed to participate Exposure status ascertained objectively Potential confounders controlled for Measurement of exposure unbiased (blinded to group) Groups comparable with respect to potential confounders Outcome status ascertained objectively 80% selected subjects included in analysis Cross-sectional/survey Selected subjects are representative (all eligible or a random sample) 80% Subjects agreed to participate Exposure/outcome status ascertained standardized way Qualitative Authors position clearly stated Criteria for selecting sample clearly described Methods of data collection adequately described Analysis method used rigorous (i.e., conceptualised in terms of themes/typologies rather than loose collection of descriptive material) Respondent validation (feedback of data/researchers interpretation to participants) Claims made for generalizability of data Interpretations supported by data The results of this analysis will be presented via the CAST tool. Thesis available in two formats. The first concerns the evaluation of qualitative research studies and the second provides a framework forth evaluation of studies which have used a randomised and controlled approach within their methodology. The use of such a framework can provide structure within the results section and ensure that the data is presented in a way which is easily read and understood by the reader. 1.6 Sources of data The methodology employed within the research will involve obtaining data from three key sources: Computerised searches, Manual searches, and the Internet. Each of these data sources will now be considered in more detail. 1.6.1 Computer-based searches The methods used in this research will include a detailed computerised literature search. Multiple databases, both online and CD–Rom will be accessed to retrieve literature because they cite the majority of relevant texts. (Ford and Miller 1999) The computerised bibliographic databases are:- †¢ MEDLINE †¢ EMBASE †¢ CINAHL †¢ PSYCHINFO †¢ British Nursing Info BNI †¢ Cochrane †¢ Science Direct (All Sciences Electronic Journals) †¢ Asia †¢ DETOC †¢ HMIC However because articles may not be correctly indexed within the computerised databases, other strategies will be applied in order to achieve comprehensive search (Sindh Dickson 1997). 1.6.2 Manual searches A manual search will be performed to ensure that all relevant literature is accessed. The manual searches will include:- †¢ Books relevant to the topics from university libraries and web sites †¢ Inverse searching- by locating index terms of relevant journal articles and texts †¢ Systematically searching reference lists and bibliographies of relevant journal articles and texts 1.6.3 The Internet The internet will provide a global perspective of the research topic and a searchable database of Internet files collected by a computer. Sites accessed will include:- †¢ Department of Health †¢ National Institute of Clinical Excellence †¢ Google †¢ The British Medical Journal website (www.bmj.com) 1.7 Identification of key words Databases use a controlled vocabulary of key words, in each citation. To assist direct retrieval of citations techniques Boolean logic will be applied using subject indexing, field searching and truncation to narrow the topic focus (Hicks 1996, Goodman 1993). As part of this approach, key words will be based on the components of the review question. An imaginative and resourceful technique of searching electronic databases will be used including recognising the inherent faults in the indexing of articles. Misclassification and misspelling will be included in the searches with searches utilising keywords and the subheadings, (Hicks 1996). Based on these principles, the following search terms will be used in different combinations: †¢ Behaviour Management †¢ Children †¢ Anti-Social Behaviour †¢ Health Visitors †¢ Group Parenting Programmes †¢ Webster-Stratton †¢ Solihull †¢ Evaluation Further search terms may be used within the methodology if they are identified within some of the initial search items. Whenever one is searching literature ‘sensitivity’ and ‘’specificity’ are important issues when conducting searches of research on a database. The searches need to be as ‘sensitive’ as is possible to ensure that as many of the relevant articles are located. This may be a particularly salient issue with regards to the evaluation of behavioural management techniques for children as the number of appropriate entries may be limited. Thus an attempt to locate as many of these articles as possible becomes a more relevant and important objective. Furthermore, the search needs to be ‘specific’. In other words, it needs to be efficient where appropriates that a higher number of the articles identified through a database search can be included and hence the time allocated to reviewing articles which are ultimately of no relevance, can be kept at inacceptable level. 1.8 Inclusion/Exclusion criteria In order that a manageable quantity of pertinent literature is included in this study, it is essential that inclusion and exclusion criteria are applied. In order that a diverse perspective of the topic is examined broad criteria will be used. (Benignant 1997). However, it is important to note that a balance needs to be achieved through which the scope of the inclusion criteria is sufficiently wide to include relevant articles whilst also being sufficiently specific such that the retrieval of an unmanageable set of articles is avoided. 1.8.1 Inclusion criteria: The articles which are highlighted within the proposed searches will be assessed in terms of whether or not they meet the following criteria. Each article will need to be viewed as appropriate with regards to all of these constraints if they are to be included in the final analysis. †¢ A literature review encompassing all methodologies will be applied ( Pettigrew 2003) †¢ International studies will be included †¢ Available in English †¢ Relate to the evaluation of Health Visitors and/or Group Parenting Programmes †¢ Focus on the behaviour of young children 1.8.2 Exclusion criteria The articles highlighted by the searches will also be assessed in terms of whether or not they fulfil the following exclusion criteria. If a potential relevant article meets one or more of these criteria then they will be immediately excluded from the data set and will not be included within the analysis stage of the methodology. †¢ It is not the purpose of this review to discuss the development of behavioural management interventions so studies focusing on this will be excluded †¢ Literature in a foreign language will be excluded because of the cost and difficulties in obtaining translation. †¢ Research reported prior to 1990 will not be included within this review. 1.9 Consideration of ethical issues Any research involving NHS patients/service users, carers, NHS data, organs or tissues, NHS staff, or premises requires the approval of ankhs research ethics committee (REC).(DH 2001) A literature review involves commenting on the work of others, work that is primarily published or in the public domain. This research methodology does not require access to confidential case records, staff, patients or clients so permission from an ethics committee is not required to carry out there view. However, it is essential to ensure that all direct quotes are correctly referenced. Permission must be sought from the correspondent before any personal communication may be used. All copyrights need tube acknowledged and referenced. The researcher will also act professionally when completing this report and ensure that research is identified, reviewed and reported accurately and on a scientific basis. The analyses of the ten selected articles will now be summarised. 2.0 Results and CAST tool Based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria for this literature review, a set of ten research studies were selected. They will now be analysed using the CAST Tool. Article 1: Morrell and Walters (2000) TITLE Costs and effectiveness of community post-natal support workers: Randomised controlled trial AUTHORS Morrell CJ and Walters PS SOURCE British Medical Journal, 2000: 321, 593-598 QUESTION 1: FOCUS This research was sufficiently focussed on assessing the cost effectiveness of a series of home visits by a health visitor. It aimed to determine the cost of this intervention compared to that which would be normally incurred through the maternity process. It also aimed to investigate the health benefits of these individual home visits for the mothers and children involved. QUESTION 2: APPROPRIATENESS A randomised controlled trial was employed within the methodology of this research as it provided a group with which the results of the women in the intervention group could be compared. Therefore the progress of women who had recently given birth could be monitored and analysed to see if there were any significant differences as a result of the attendance of a Community post-natal suppor t worker. QUESTION 3: ALLOCATION A total of 623 women who had recently given birth were recruited for the study at a university teaching hospital. They were randomly allocated to either the intervention group (N = 311)or the control group (N = 312). The only requirement for inclusion in the study was that the participants were giving birth. Participants were not matched for factors such as their age, marital status or whether or not it was their first child. It was presumed that such individual differences would be controlled for by the random allocation of the participants within the relatively large sample. Subsequent analysis of the characteristics of those in the sample revealed that there was no significant differences in terms of age between the intervention and the control group. Neither did they differ on a set of88 socio-economic details. QUESTION 4: BLINDED The intervention participants were not blind to the fact that they were receiving help from a support worker. No de tailed information is given of the control group and of what their perception and knowledge of the research was. Inevitably the support workers themselves knew that they were in the intervention group. The potential, however, for observational bias was relatively small as the dependent variables were provided by the participant. As they had nuclear interest in demonstrating that the intervention had made appositive effect when it actually had not, this should have helped to ensure that the data given were accurate accounts of what had actually happened. . QUESTION 5: ACCOUNTED FOR Of the 623 participants who were recruited for the original study, a total of 551 participants completed the whole study through to the follow up stage. The cases of drop out were due tithe participants not wanting to complete the course of home visits or because they did not return the questionnaires at the follow up stage. QUESTION 6: FOLLOW-UP A range of questionnaires were completed by the participan ts at the six week and six month follow up stages. It would have been interesting to combine this approach with a more qualitative method, such as a focus group, such that a more in-depth data set could be gained to supplement the quantitative data. QUESTION 7: CHANCE The study employed a relatively large sample of 551 participants. QUESTION 8: FINDINGS Therefore were no significant health benefits associated with the intervention at the six week or six month follow up periods. The cost of the intervention to the NHS was  £815 for the intervention group and  £639 for the control group. There were no differences between the groups in terms of their use of the social services and in personal costs. QUESTION 9: PRECISE The study provides p values which indicates that there are no significant benefits associated with this intervention despite it being significantly more expensive. QUESTION 10: OUTCOMES As a result of the relatively large sample it would appear that these results co uld be generalised to other simple hospital situations in the UK. Based on the statistics provided, one would not recommend this intervention in terms of the health benefits. Having said this, it was a popular intervention with the women who received it and this may have value in itself. Article 2: Scott et al (2001a) TITLE Multi-centre controlled trial of parenting groups for childhood anti-social behaviour in clinical practice. AUTHORS Scott S, Spender Q, Dolan M, Jacobs B and Ashland H SOURCE British Medical Journal, 2001, 323, 194 QUESTION 1: FOCUS This research was sufficiently focused on the evaluation of a specific programme for a specific age group and set of behaviours. QUESTION 2: APPROPRIATENESS A sample of 141 3-8 year olds were allocated to either receive the intervention or to go on a waiting list(control group). Allocation was based on the date of referral This was an appropriate approach for this research study as it enabled the effects of the intervention programme to be evaluated. QUESTION 3: ALLOCATION The controlled trial approach was used as the allocation procedure should help to ensure that the children in the intervention and control groups exhibited equivalent anti-social behaviour and hence individual differences could be controlled for. QUESTION 4: BLINDED The particip ants were blind to the allocation stage of the methodology. The participants were aware that they were taking part in an evaluation study. The people who rated video tapes on the parent participants and their children was blind to whether the participant had been in the intervention group or in the control group. Therefore the ratters were blind to treatment and condition. QUESTION 5: ACCOUNTED FOR A total of 31 participants dropped out of the study as they did not attend a sufficient number of the intervention sessions. QUESTION 6: FOLLOW-UP Participants were followed up five to seven months after the base line stage. Six measures of child behaviour were taken as well as one measure of parenting behaviour. This is inacceptable follow up period for this form of study. A long term follow-up, however, would have helped to establish the permanence of any significant changes which result from the intervention. QUESTION 7: CHANCE A power calculation was reported in this study and the s ample size exceeds that which is recommended. Thus it could be argued that sufficient steps have been taken to minimise the possible influence of chance. QUESTION 8: FINDINGS The referred children who took part in the study were highly anti-social. A significant reduction was observed in taint-social behaviour of those within the intervention group. The behaviour of those within the control group was found to remain constant. The praise given by parents was found to increase three fold by those in the intervention group and to decrease by a third for those in the control group. QUESTION 9: PRECISE Confidence levels are provided within the statistical section of the study. Based on these it could be concluded that the parental group behavioural programme does have a significant impact on serious anti-social behaviour among children. QUESTION 10: OUTCOMES The large sample and sound methodology employed within this research would lead one to conclude that these results could be gene ralised to children of similar ages and with similar levels of anti-social behaviour. Article 3: Harrington et al (2000) TITLE Randomised comparison of the effectiveness and costs of community and hospital based mental health services for children with behavioural disorders. AUTHORS Harrington R, Peters S, Green J, Byford S, Woods J and McGowan R. SOURCE British Medical Journal, 2000, 321, 1047-1050 QUESTION 1: FOCUS The research focused on the evaluation of a community based versus a hospital based delivery of mental health services for children with behavioural disorders. The question set was relatively broad including both the costs and effectiveness of the approaches but it was sufficiently focused on specific programmes. QUESTION 2: APPROPRIATENESS The parent/child participant pairing were randomly allocated to receive the behavioural programme either at community location or at the hospital. This allocation was performed bay researcher who was independent of the study. The allocation was performed using stratified sampling between the two different health authorities involved in the research. Q UESTION 3: ALLOCATION This randomisation was performed such that no bias within the allocation procedure could have an influence on the results. The potential of parental expectations as a confounding variable was also acknowledged and assessed. No significant difference was found between the two groups on this variable. QUESTION 4: BLINDED At the observational stage of the research theatre was blind to the treatment group of the participants. This was demonstrated when they tried to identify the location which different participants had received the intervention. Their performance on this task was no better than chance. QUESTION 5: ACCOUNTED FOR A full set of data was available for 115 out of the 141 participants who took part in the research. The drop outs occurred through non-attendance to the programme sessions or no data being provided at the follow up stage. QUESTION 6: FOLLOW-UP The participants were followed up one year after the base line stage. QUESTION 7: CHANCE The sa mple size was selected based on the size of the effect which was required by the purchaser and the provider’s agreements regarding whether the programme would be accepted for wider implementation. QUESTION 8: FINDINGS It was reported that there were no significant differences between the intervention groups in terms of the parents’/teachers reports of the child’s behaviours, the parents ‘criticisms of the child and the impact of the child’s behaviour on the family. Parental depression was identified as a significant problem and variable which predicted the outcome of the child’s behaviour assessments. QUESTION 9: PRECISE The ultimate finding of this research was fairly specific in suggesting that the location in which a parental behavioural management programme was delivered did not have significant impact on the child’s behaviour. It appears more important that a range of services are made available, including those which address par ental depression. QUESTION 10: OUTCOMES The large sample and the use of two different health care authorities would lead one to conclude that these findings could be generalised to other areas of the UK. Article 4: Buts et al (2001) TITLE Effectiveness of home intervention for perceived child behavioural problems and parental stress in children with utero drug exposure AUTHORS Buts AM, Pulpier M, Marino N, Belcher M, Leers M and Royall R. SOURCE Archives of Paediatric and Adolescent Medicine, 2001, 155, 1029-1037 QUESTION 1: FOCUS This research project was specifically focused on evaluating a home intervention programme which aimed to educate and provide support for parents of children with perceived behavioural problems. QUESTION 2: APPROPRIATENESS Participants were mothers who had recently given birth at one of two urban based hospitals in Baltimore, USA. They were randomly allocated to either receive the home visits or to be given the standard care package which would usually be given. QUESTION 3: ALLOCATION Random allocation was used to overcome any potential bias which could have been present if the researchers had allocated the participants. This enabled an assessment of the relative benefits of the home intervention to be determined over and above that which would be associated with standard care. QUESTION 4: BLINDED The data obtained within the study was via questionnaires completed by the parental participants. They were blind at the allocation stage of the study but clearly they knew that they had been either exposed or not exposed to the home visit intervention. The child behaviour ratings were given by an independent observer. QUESTION 5: ACCOUNTED FOR A total of 100 participants took part in the study. A sample of 51 participants comprised the standard care control group with 49 being in the intervention group. The details of the dropout rates were not clear. QUESTION 6: FOLL