Assessment and Technology Essay

My mission statement for my classroom is to be able to incorporate technology into it as well as into the curriculum so that it is more challenging and demanding for the students. Also incorporating it will bring the students to want to learn and engage in a twofold environment that will join together traditional learning and technology centered instruction. Classrooms and students who have access and the ability to use different technologies such as computers, Smart-boards, digital cameras, digital recorders, e-tablets, smart-phones, iPads, ect will be able to have an advancement for designing, formulating, and organizing projects which will give the students a tremendous boost in the learning process. My intentions for the classroom is that I would like my students to comprehend the advantages of technology as well as how it will continue to develop and progress in their lifetime and assist in preparing them for the public in the 21st Century. Vision I foresee a classroom full of students that are properly equipped with several different uses of technologies that will allow me as a teacher to be resourceful with the students in the classroom along with the classroom curriculum. I visualize technology being applied in the classroom to allow students to be more involved with their coursework and encourage critical and creative thinking alongside with collaboration, communication, life, and career skills. Rationale I decided to involve in my mission statement the idea of preparing my students for the 21st Century as well as having a multitude of different technologies is because in the reading from Information, Media and Technology Skills, talks about the quickly changing technology tools and being able to collaborate which will help the students be efficient in the 21st century (Partnership for 21st Century Skills). Being able to use multiple technologies such as the mission statement states will help the students grow with the technology and make it more feasible for them to use technology in their projects. Also in the mission statement I stated technology such as laptops and ipads because students growing up with technology such as those everyday and using them for games or other activities, if students can use technology for that then they can use those types of technology in the classroom to learn (Teachers, technology and training). When it comes to my vision statement I chose this because I believe that all children as well as my students should be able to apply technology to their everyday learning environments (Unleash the power of technology in education). Communications Plan Incorporating technology into the classroom can either hinder the learning environment or help it depending on how the technology is used to teach as well as in communication with the students, teachers, and the parents. Communication should not be taken lightly. There are a few methods that can be used to communicate with parents that I intend to use in my class such as: contact list, phone calls, e-mail, letters, and a website. Not only is communication with parents important but communication within the classroom, with the students, has the same importance. With this communication a tremendous way of communication in the classroom is through collaboration. When a class first begins I will have my class fill out an emergency contact form so that I am able to have the phone numbers of their guardians to keep in contact with them. This will help me give phone calls to parents and guardians to keep them updated on grades as well as behavior. If a child is distracting the classroom and making it a poor environment for learning then the numbers will come in handy to give the parent a phone call and let them know that the child is having behavior problems within the classroom. Another good way for communication that I intend to use is email and letters to the parents. The emails and letters will have updates about what is going on at the school as well as the classroom. A letter will be sent out to the parents asking for emails and addresses as well as asking permission to send out weekly updates on what is going on in the classroom and the school. Finally, another way to communicate with parents is through a class website. Through the website the parents will be able to see what is going to be taught that week as well as grades for each child. This is an easy way for parents to check out what their child is learning and how well they are doing (School Community Journal). A superior way to communicate within the classroom is through collaboration. Collaboration has many forms such as groups within the classroom along with groups outside of the classroom. An example of that is collaborating with a different school by either going to the school or having another classroom come to mine. Also, there is using technology such as Skype and other Webcam-Ming programs to have another classroom from the opposite of the country on the smart-board or screen to communicate with each other for a few lessons (Multicultural Education). When it comes to students using the Skype, or any other program on the internet, students need to learn what is appropriate to use as well as when it is an appropriate time to use the program. Within the first week I will teach the students the proper way to go about using the internet and have a set of rules as well as consequences for the internet to maintain a proper learning environment (Internet Research). Integrating Technology Into The Classroom Educators are able to integrate technology into the classroom by using various technology devices. A good example that many classrooms have today is the Smart-Board. With the use of this technology the students are able to write on the board as well as learning games by touching the board with a finger or a special marker. Also with the Smart-board, teachers are able to show their students videos through the internet. Another great type of technology to use is a webcam-Ming source such as Skype or Tiny-chat which will be an advantage for the students as a tool to use to bond with other students around the world. In my Special Education classroom, my Comprehensive Classroom Technology Plan will consist of assistive devices. Assistive devices comprise any device that disabled kids and students can utilize to help them learn and function more effectively. The most current studies show that around 4,000 assistive technologies have been designed for students and teachers. Such devices include wheelchairs, hearing aids, glare reduction screens, screen magnifier, Braille note taking devices, voice recognition software, and devices that are simple by having the child follow letters and pictures on a screen. Children that contain special needs or a disability have an assortment of communication devices and have modifications for their every day life to help them get through everyday life (Education World). A familiar device is a small computer screen with pictures, letters, and words that help children that cannot communicate efficiently. The device helps the children to communicate with others with the screen because they have trouble speaking and making sentences to tell people if they may need something. Another device is a specialized wheelchair. For children who have no communication functions there is the advance technology of a special wheelchair that they can stare at a picture or words to communicate with others. Some might think that smart-boards are only for main stream students, however, in a special education class the smart-board is a very useful device to help the students engage with the classroom. There are activities and games that the students can go up to the smart-board and do such as answer questions that pop up on the smart-board. Over billions of dollars have been invested into wiring schools for desktop computers. A wireless network is able to present an engaging alternative that secures superior access for the student (Wired Versus Wireless). Nearly two thirds of institutions are using wireless networks. Also known as WLAN, wireless networks are defines as a â€Å"local area network, not connected by cables or wires† (The Journal). Wireless is what people see more in classrooms today. in the company of a wired classroom there are more benefits by being able to educate students on how equipments are to be connect together. Wired classrooms scamper the threat of the students tripping over the wires. It is said that wireless is less secure; however, either way information can be stolen or secured. In Conclusion, integrating technology into the classroom is the teacher way of the 21st Century. Technology in the classroom is a creative way of learning. Every year technology grows and brings about more opportunities for children to cultivate and learn with ease. Look back 20 years ago, children who were unable to communicate truly where unable to communicate. Now, children who cannot speak properly have a way to express themselves and learn with the technology integrating in the classrooms. Rationale I decided to talk about assistive technology with integrating technology in a classroom because from experience most special education classroom is all about technology being used. Many students use technology just to communicate in the classroom. The technology used helps the students learn at their own pace because they are able to look at pictures and words to create the best guess on either an answer to a question or a statement they need to make. I think it is so amazing on how more advance a special education students is rather then a main stream student. Technology for Assessments The use of technology in the classroom has grown abundantly within years with not only the effect of entertainment but also the result of learning. With technology being integrated into classrooms, the technology can also be used to enhance assessments such as formative assessments and summative assessments. Furthermore, teachers should use both traditional as well as technology to assess student learning. When it comes to assessing a student it entails viewing what the students can do and depicting conjectures on the student’s capability (Caacentre). Technology helps to assess students by giving them more learning tools in the classroom. Today’s advancements in technology offer more opportunities to teachers and students that were unfeasible before. Applying a variety of technologies in one lesson can facilitate the understanding to all students (Shelbyed). There are a few advantages that have been known and discovered in regard to technology being included in the classroom. One advantage is when technology is being used in the classroom its extensive range of utilizing has the prospective to reach students of all different learning capabilities along side with being more proficient. Another benefit is that due to the curiosity and motivation technology encourages in the students makes the use of technology in the classroom significant. Lastly, there is the advantage of enhanced preparation in the students for the future when it comes to using technology that is targeted at attending to each learning method (Shelbyed). Along side with advantages there are disadvantages. When it comes to the disadvantages of using technology a major one discussed is the cost of the technology being used with the pre and post tests given. Another disadvantage is that it becomes more summative rather then formative and becomes difficult to segregate what changes need to made. Finally, there is also the frustration of receiving results in a timely manner (Morningside). There are two assessments that are used in the classroom. First there is summative assessment which is intended to measure the achievement of each student at the conclusion of each unit. This assessment also gives a concluding grade. The next assessment is formative assessment which includes techniques that are deliberated to ascertain the progress of each student during the learning process and makes it possible to obtain feedback to the teacher as well as the student (Caacentre). Educators should integrate technology in the classroom; however, teachers should not only use technology to assess students. When there are multiple ways to assess students all methods should be looked upon and used to give the students the best education as well as get the most responsive feedback from the assessments. In conclusion, with the growth of technology in the classroom, it becomes more actively used not only in the learning process but is also used along side assessing the students. Summative and formative assessments are used to obtain the growth of the students during each lesson and technology can have a huge factor in assessing the students by encouraging them. The uses if technology can have a huge impact on the students and can help enhance the learning and assessment process. Rationale When coming up with the conclusion in my writing I used personal experience for the most part and how technology benefited when assessing me. I used clickers in my government class in high school to takes tests and when I put in my answer it would show up on the smart board if the answer was correct or not. Another way I formed my conclusion was reading an article about integrating technology as a teacher. In the article it talks about how intergrading technology in the classroom may be difficulty at times but it can give many students the encouragement they need to do well on an assessment especially when technology is used the way it was used in my government class. It gives the students an opportunity to get quick feedback in that instance; however, technology can have its hiccups which can result in a less timely manner of feedback (Beginning with a Baseline). Technology Ethics in the Classroom Throughout the past 10 years technology has grown significantly and began being used within the classrooms. Due to the elevated use of computers and the internet, fraud, plagiarism, and copyright becomes a higher risk in essays and assignments. Not only should firewalls be put on the computers to block certain sits, students should be taught the appropriate sites that should be used. Students ought to be educated on how to use citations in their essays to keep from plagiarizing. There are three ethical practices of technology that I would use to implement the classroom: resources, expression, and responsibility. Countless amounts of teachers dread having to deal with â€Å"academic dishonesty† within the assignments of the students due to the easy ability that it can be done (An Ethical Dilemma). However, with the proper teaching students can learn the suitable sites to use as well as how to prevent plagiarism. In most classroom settings it is told to the students never to use Wikipedia. Sites such as Wikipedia should be taught to students to use with care and never as a citation due to the fact that anyone can write on it and it could be false information. When students are asked to write an essay they may struggle because they lack the knowledge needed for the essay which then the internet then serves the person as a â€Å"real equalizer†. There are access to hundreds and thousands of sites that are available (Tech Talk). A good educator will take the time to teach the students useful sites to get research as well as not to copy what is said from the sites word for word. There should be an agreement signed by each student that if plagiarism is used there will be consequences such as having to rewrite the essay for less credit. Besides just educating the students on the sites, they should also begin to get educated on citing the sources used in their essays as well as quotations. Citations can be very difficult for students especially the younger grades. Plagiarism is the act of entailing that another individual’s work is in fact your own work. When teaching the students about citations it should first be known that even if they are going to cite where they obtained the information from do not copy and paste. When a statement is copied word for word it should be put in quotation marks (Avoiding Cut and Paste). Depending on how the school or classroom is run there are several ways of citing. For the younger kids it should first be taught in MLA style to make it easier to grasp as well as because students most of the time do not use APA format until the last couple years of high school or even until college. After the students are educated on citations, a good way to help guide them is by giving the students a website that can further assistant them so that there is less plagiarism. A site that I would recommend to my students is easybib. com, which helps all styles of citations. Three ethical practices of technology that I would implement in my classroom are resources, expression, and responsibility. With these three a teacher can put into the agreement that will be signed by the students that there needs to be proper use of resources such as using knowledge and skill, expression such as skills and practices, and responsibility such as values and ethics. These are to be more similar to guidelines when it comes to ethics in technology. In conclusion, with the advancement in technology throughout the years, technology has become more common in the classroom. Plagiarism has become an issue that teachers dread to have to deal with. I believe with the proper educating of this to the students the plagiarism in the classroom will become scarce. Students need to learn the rights and wrongs of technology. Reflection Technology growth has had a major impact at schools and within classrooms. With the growth of technology comes more ways of learning as well as more safety to be taught with technology. My comprehensive technology plan helps guide me with the learning process for my students with the use of technology; it increases both the productivity and efficiency for students  and teachers. When coming up with an efficient plan it should include the reduction of costs and making certain the compatibility with already accessible technology. With the plan should come five steps which consist of: Define the accessible technology strategy, Identify requirements, Design, develop and purchase technology, Implement and Train, and Maintain technology and continue learning. These steps make for a productive and efficient comprehensive technology plan. In the first step, define the accessible technology strategy; the educator defines how accessible technology can be put into the classroom by creating a mission and vision statement that will set the ground work. Knowing this will help me as a teacher integrate accessible technology into the classroom. Within the vision statement should be how accessible technology plays a role in the learning environment. My vision statement states how I foresee that students will be equipped with a multitude of technologies as well as how I visualize the technology will be applied. In the mission statement it helps to clarify the vision statement. The mission statement will help in step 5 when I as a teacher will measure the success. My mission statement includes incorporating technology into the curriculum and what incorporating technology into the classroom and curriculum will do for the students (Microsoft Accessibility). The next steps are more details of the mission and vision statement made into the actual comprehensive technology plan. Throughout my whole plan I describe how technology benefits the classroom and the different ways it benefits. One important way technology benefits is through communication. With the use of the internet, computers, and even smartboards, teachers are able to communicate easier with parents through emails, websites, and newsletters. Furthermore, students are able to communicate with other students in the same grade level and are able to work together through sources such as Skype. Also mentioned in my plan is internet security which is an important subject when it comes to technology in the classroom. Students should be taught the appropriate sites to use as well as how to  cite the sources they use for essays and assignments. It truly is amazing how technology has progressed and grown throughout the years and that students that are not only in main stream but special educations students as well are able to use technology to grow further in their education. There are several assistive technologies that have been specially designed for students and teachers such as hearing aids, screen magnifiers, picture software and voice recognition software. Some of these devices help these children with their everyday life along side learning. Another point put into the plan is the use of technology in assessments. Although technology and assessments combined can be a real pain in the butt at time, with time and work it is a very useful way for technology to coincide with assessments. It is easier for teachers to grade rather them going through several papers as well as make a students more interested in the assessment because they are using a computer or something they know how to work. Overall, the comprehensive plan is a very useful source to integrate technology into the classroom. Reference  Banister, S. , & Vannatta, R. (2006). Beginning with a baseline: Insuring productive technology integration in teacher education. http://search. proquest. com/docview/200006665? accountid=7374 Caacentre. (1993). Using Technology to Assess Student Learning. http://www. caacentre. ac. uk/dldocs/alter. pdf â€Å"Developing an Accessible Technology Plan. † Microsoft Accessibility. Microsoft, 2012. Web. 16 Aug. 2012. . Donlevy, J. (2005). Teachers, technology and training: Envisioning the future: The U. S. department of education’s national technology plan. International Journal of Instructional Media. http://search. proquest. com/docview/204262994? accountid=7374 Education World. (2011). Assistive Technology in the Classroom. http://www. educationworld. com/a_tech/tech/tech086. shtml/ Fielding, Randall. Wired Versus Wireless. (1999). Technology in School Computer Networks. http://www. designshare. com/Research/Wired/Wired1. htm. Graham-Clay, S. (2005). Communicating with parents: Strategies for teachers. School Community Journal. http://search. proquest. com/docview/195462342? accountid=7374 Green, T. (2002). Using classroom simulations and technology to expore multicultural issues in a middle school classroom. Multicultural Education. http://search. proquest. com/docview/216321225? accountid=7374 Loertscher, D. V. (2011). Unleash the power of technology in education. Teacher Librarian. http://search. proquest. com/docview/902627384? accountid=7374 Morningside. (2012). Adavantages and Disadvantages of Various Assessment Methods. http://www. morningside. edu/academics/research/assessment/documents/advantagesdisadvantages. pdf Morss, D. A. (1999). A study of student perspectives on web-based learning: WebCT in the classroom. Internet Research. http://search. proquest. com/docview/219859371? accountid=7374 Partnership for 21st Century Skills. (2011). Information, Media, and Technology Skills. http://www. p21. org/overview/skills-framework/61-imt-skills. Pennsylvania State University. (2012). Avoiding Cut and Paste Plagiarism with Citations. Teaching and Learning with Technology. Shelbyed. (2012). Technology in the Classroom. http://www. shelbyed. k12. al. us/schools/rms/faculty/wrodgers/technology%20int/students. html Street, Chris. (2008). ProQuest. Tech Talk for Social Studies Teachers: Writing about Nazi Germany and Leni Riefenstahl: Using Technology Information: a Journal for Readers, Students and History. The Social Studies. The Journal. (2012). Wireless vs. Hard-Wired Network Use in Education. http://thejournal. com/articles/2002/11/01/wireless-vs-hardwired-network-use-in-education. aspx Thomas, Ebony Elizabeth. (2011). ProQuest. An Ethical Dilemma: Talking about Plagiarism and Academic Integrity in the Digital Age. English Journal.

Story

Television is an inescapable part of modern culture. We depend on TV for entertainment, news, education, culture, weather, sports—and even music, since the advent of music videos. TIP: Create your own family TV-viewing traditions, such as watching Olympic coverage, the NHL playoffs, classic movies or a weekly comedy show. With the recent explosion in satellite and digital speciality channels, we now have access to a plethora of both good quality and inappropriate TV content.In this crowded television environment, the key for parents is to search out high quality TV programs for their kids, and whenever possible, enjoy them together as a family. Television offers lots of benefits to kids, including: * Because of its ability to create powerful touchstones, TV enables young people to share cultural experiences with others. * Shared viewing gives family members of all ages an opportunity to spend time together. * Parents can use TV as a catalyst to get kids reading—followin g up on TV programs by getting books on the same subjects or reading authors whose work was adapted for the programs. Great television can teach kids important values and life lessons. * TV programs often explores controversial or sensitive issues, which can make it easier for parents and kids to discuss them. * Educational programming can develop young children's socialization and learning skills. * News, current events and historical programming can help make young people more aware of other cultures and people. * Documentaries can help develop critical thinking about society and the world. *TIP: Whenever possible, choose Canadian programs for your family viewing time. TV can help introduce your family to classic Hollywood films and foreign movies that may not be available in your local video store. * Cultural programming can open up the world of music and art for young people. How to choose good TV How can you select viewing that is good for your children? David Kleeman, Director of the American Center for Children and Media, says ask yourself the following questions: * Does the program actively engage my child, physically or intellectually?Television watching doesn't have to be passive. It can prompt questions, kindle curiosity, or teach activities to pursue when the set is off. * Do I respect this program? Parents don't have to like every show their children choose—in fact young people need their own district culture. But parents should trust that a program's creators understand and respect how children grow and learn. * Does my child see others like himself or herself on television? Young children believe that television reflects the real world.To not see people like themselves—in race, ethnicity, or physical ability, for example—may diminish their self worth. A lack of role models should spark discussion about how TV portrays different types of people. * How do makers of this program regard my child? Some program creators see young people as consumers to be sold to. Others see them as students to be educated, as future citizens to be engaged in the community, or simply as children, whose work is play. Use the resources on the side bar to help you find good quality television for your kids. Story In this assignment, students will work independently to write a short formal report that analyzes a situation and provides recommendations. This course project will satisfy TCOs 4, 6 and 8. Overview In this assignment, students will analyze two possible career choices of their choosing, and then write a formal analytical report effectively presenting a recommendation to pursue one of the careers. This project has two parts: Part one, the Table of Contents and Introductory Section, is due at the end of week 6.Part two, he report in its entirety, is due at the end of week 8. Students are encouraged to begin work on this project no later than week 5, reading the project directions, reading Chapters 13, 14, and 15, and, if time permits, doing preliminary research. Formal Report Topic This assignment is based on you choosing two possible career choices you would recommend to an employee, client or professional contact. Here's the situation: You are to choose two possible career choices.Yo ur report should include the following: Information and background about your two career choices. Research from at least ix credible sources to inform your audience and to support the recommendation(s) APA citations for all researched information (in-text parenthetical citations and a reference list at the end of the report) Formal report formatting You will need to conduct outside research and cite your sources using APA citations. Conclude the formal report by making recommendations to your audience.Your report MUST be formatted as a formal report. Part One (Due Week 6) Table of Contents and Introduction Your assignment this week is to write your formal report's table of contents and introduction, using formal formatting. To complete this assignment, you will need to have a good plan in place for your formal report. I encourage you to use the three- step process we've been studying this session. (The formal report is due in its entirety at the end of week 8. In week 6, only the ta ble of contents and introduction are due. In week 6, your asslgnment snou10 Include tne Tollowlng: A table of contents using formal report formatting. (Note that page numbers are not necessary this week, as you will not have written the actual report yet. Page numbers should be added next week, though, when you complete the report. ) The table of ontents should include first- and second-level headings, like the example on page 437 in chapter 15. Include an introductory section featuring the following four parts (see page 439 in chapter 15 for an example.Introduction Purpose, Scope, and Limitations Sources and Methods Report Organization Identify at least six credible sources you will use in your proposal in the â€Å"Sources and Methods† section. Use formal report formatting. Be free of grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors. Part Two (Due Week 8) Formal Report in Full In week 6, you planned the formal report and wrote the Table of Contents and Introduction. In week 8, you will complete the formal report. (You may need to revise the Table of Contents and Introduction, based on the feedback you receive from your instructor. In week 8, your assignment should contain the following: Be formatted as a formal report, following the guidelines for formal reports in the text (including the guidelines for headings and subheadings found on pages 435-448); Include appropriate prefatory, text, and supplemental parts (The formal report should contain appropriate prefatory, text, and supplemental parts, including he following: a cover and/or title page; a letter of transmittal; a table of contents; the four-part Introductory Section from week 6; appropriately labeled body sections; and appendices, such as the client interview and list of references.Your report does not need to contain all of these parts, but should contain most of them. ); Fully answer the question of what career would you recommend to an employee, client or professional contact. The word count for the intro, body, and conclusion should be 1250-1750 words); Use at least six credible researched sources appropriately and ffectively; Include proper documentation using APA style (both in-text and end-of- text citations–please check your work using turnitin. om); and Be free of spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors. Note: Visual aids are entirely appropriate for this kind of report, but they are not requlrea. IT you aec10e to use visual alas, De ce rtaln to aanere to tne stanaaras we have studied previously in this course. How the Formal Report Assignment is Graded The Formal Report Assignment will be graded according to the criteria set forth in the Rubrics for weeks 6 and 7/8, located in Doc Sharing. Story In this assignment, students will work independently to write a short formal report that analyzes a situation and provides recommendations. This course project will satisfy TCOs 4, 6 and 8. Overview In this assignment, students will analyze two possible career choices of their choosing, and then write a formal analytical report effectively presenting a recommendation to pursue one of the careers. This project has two parts: Part one, the Table of Contents and Introductory Section, is due at the end of week 6.Part two, he report in its entirety, is due at the end of week 8. Students are encouraged to begin work on this project no later than week 5, reading the project directions, reading Chapters 13, 14, and 15, and, if time permits, doing preliminary research. Formal Report Topic This assignment is based on you choosing two possible career choices you would recommend to an employee, client or professional contact. Here's the situation: You are to choose two possible career choices.Yo ur report should include the following: Information and background about your two career choices. Research from at least ix credible sources to inform your audience and to support the recommendation(s) APA citations for all researched information (in-text parenthetical citations and a reference list at the end of the report) Formal report formatting You will need to conduct outside research and cite your sources using APA citations. Conclude the formal report by making recommendations to your audience.Your report MUST be formatted as a formal report. Part One (Due Week 6) Table of Contents and Introduction Your assignment this week is to write your formal report's table of contents and introduction, using formal formatting. To complete this assignment, you will need to have a good plan in place for your formal report. I encourage you to use the three- step process we've been studying this session. (The formal report is due in its entirety at the end of week 8. In week 6, only the ta ble of contents and introduction are due. In week 6, your asslgnment snou10 Include tne Tollowlng: A table of contents using formal report formatting. (Note that page numbers are not necessary this week, as you will not have written the actual report yet. Page numbers should be added next week, though, when you complete the report. ) The table of ontents should include first- and second-level headings, like the example on page 437 in chapter 15. Include an introductory section featuring the following four parts (see page 439 in chapter 15 for an example.Introduction Purpose, Scope, and Limitations Sources and Methods Report Organization Identify at least six credible sources you will use in your proposal in the â€Å"Sources and Methods† section. Use formal report formatting. Be free of grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors. Part Two (Due Week 8) Formal Report in Full In week 6, you planned the formal report and wrote the Table of Contents and Introduction. In week 8, you will complete the formal report. (You may need to revise the Table of Contents and Introduction, based on the feedback you receive from your instructor. In week 8, your assignment should contain the following: Be formatted as a formal report, following the guidelines for formal reports in the text (including the guidelines for headings and subheadings found on pages 435-448); Include appropriate prefatory, text, and supplemental parts (The formal report should contain appropriate prefatory, text, and supplemental parts, including he following: a cover and/or title page; a letter of transmittal; a table of contents; the four-part Introductory Section from week 6; appropriately labeled body sections; and appendices, such as the client interview and list of references.Your report does not need to contain all of these parts, but should contain most of them. ); Fully answer the question of what career would you recommend to an employee, client or professional contact. The word count for the intro, body, and conclusion should be 1250-1750 words); Use at least six credible researched sources appropriately and ffectively; Include proper documentation using APA style (both in-text and end-of- text citations–please check your work using turnitin. om); and Be free of spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors. Note: Visual aids are entirely appropriate for this kind of report, but they are not requlrea. IT you aec10e to use visual alas, De ce rtaln to aanere to tne stanaaras we have studied previously in this course. How the Formal Report Assignment is Graded The Formal Report Assignment will be graded according to the criteria set forth in the Rubrics for weeks 6 and 7/8, located in Doc Sharing.

Ba Finance

By 1985 Arthur had already sold his dairy herd to focus on cereal production when a fortuitous meeting with Lucy Bellingham at a business conference led him to reconsider the future of the family farm. Bellingham is a designer of bespoke fitted kitchens who had a business plan but little capital. The plan was to manufacture top quality fitted kitchen furniture and establish design studios/showrooms in high income areas. Having recently sold his dairy herd, Arthur had enough capital to fund the new business and also a number of large barns and outbuildings suitable for manufacturing the kitchen units subject to refitting and planning consent being obtained. Lucy’s business plan was so convincing that Arthur decided to get out of farming altogether (by leasing his arable land to a local co-operative) and focus on developing the new business. From this small beginning grew the now publicly quoted company of Bellingham plc. Initially, showrooms were established in Beaconsfield and then Kensington. Demand for their kitchens was brisk and â€Å"Bellingham Bespoke Kitchens† expanded rapidly but remained a partnership. The firms clients are mainly celebrities from the entertainment world and the cost of a Bellingham Bespoke Kitchen is now ? 40,000 – ? 150,000 or more. The firm was restructured as a limited company in 1990 and subsequently experienced rapid growth until 1999. In that year the then directors decided that the business had reached the limit of development in it’s present form. Future development required large-scale expansion of production facilities in order to provide the range of materials, furniture, quality and prompt delivery required by their discerning clients. This in turn needed an injection of capital that the directors were unable to generate themselves. The conviction that there was much money to be made from â€Å"quality fitted kitchens† † had been vindicated. They investigated a number of possibilities deciding eventually to expand production facilities by purchasing a modern production unit on an industrial estate in Aylesbury. The expansion was funded by a stock market floatation and raising the necessary capital in the name of Bellingham plc. As the market grew and to keep abreast of new production technology, the directors agreed to reverse the maxim so dear to the heart of the founders, Arthur and Lucy; â€Å"neither a (long-term) borrower nor lender be. † They financed updating of equipment and premises by means of issuing debentures. It is now October 2012 and the present directors of Bellingham plc believe that the long-term success of the company lies in future international diversification and expansion. They consider that the most beneficial action they could take is to investigate the acquisition of a subsidiary in the USA. The newly-appointed finance director, Bill Moneypenny, agrees with this opinion but insists that the company must first appraise its own current position and if necessary, make changes to strengthen its existing financial situation before embarking on new plans. He is particularly concerned that the company should preserve adequate liquidity and finance its assets in a beneficial manner. He is also concerned that too much emphasis has been placed on â€Å"pandering to the whims of the rich and famous† and not enough on running an efficient business operation. Lucy and Arthur still retain 30% of Bellingham’s equity and other long-standing directors own a further 20%; a change of control is unlikely to be welcome. During the last two years, the company has updated it’s design, production and showroom assets and, in what has been a difficult year, has been able to maintain sales and profit growth (see Bellingham’s accounts in appendix 1). There has been a great deal of uncertainty about world economic growth and stock markets have been extremely volatile resulting low returns. However the firm’s ordinary shares have made good progress during the year. Ordinary share dividends have achieved substantial growth over the last two years although this rate of increase is not expected to continue. Ordinary dividends have grown at an average rate of 14% per annum over the past 10 years and this rate is a more realistic growth rate for future dividends. The present market prices for Bellingham’s shares and debentures are: ?1 Ordinary shares? 7. 02 ex div ?0. 50p, 6% Pref shares? . 55 ex div 7% Debentures 2016? 100. 51 ex interest Any new venture would be expected to achieve a return on capital employed in line with that experienced recently by Bellingham plc. The finance director favours a payback period of 5 years. Bellingham would therefore need to agree a realistic acquisition price for such a new venture and its future cash flows in order to determine whether these criteria could be met. Although a number of investment projects are being considered, the main proposal currently being investigated offers an expansion into the US prime-property market which is forecast to grow faster than the UK market. Bellingham’s finance director has already calculated the trends in the financial ratios of American Creations, an unquoted US company, from its unaudited annual accounts (see appendix 2) and has concluded that the proposal is now worthy of further investigation. American Creations is a family-owned venture requiring further capital to repair it’s balance sheet after making losses on a property development in Nevada from which it has now withdrawn. Profits have suffered in the last two years due to write-offs associated with this development. The existing owners feel that the firm’s future lies in establishing wider international links and the retirement of senior family members, leaving the younger members active in the management of the firm. They are therefore considering selling a controlling interest of 60% to a suitable company. The firm has been established for 23 years, and is well respected in business circles. The average age of its fixed tangible assets is 3 years. The directors have indicated that they may accept part payment in Bellingham shares subject to negotiation. The firm’s nominal share capital is $2. m, and the directors have indicated that they value the firm at five times the year 2010 net profit. They consider this to be the firm’s â€Å"normal† level of profit excluding the â€Å"extraordinary† effects of the Nevada development. As the firm is at present family owned and run, there is no available price/earnings ratio. P/E ratios for the only two publicly-owned c ompanies in the same business sector, Harvey Wilkinson Designs plc and Cucci Lifestyle plc, are currently 10 and 8 times respectively although both of these firms, unlike Bellingham, operate internationally. Wilkinson has grown at a similar rate to Bellingham. The dividend yields of these companies have been as follows: WilkinsonCucci Year to 31 December 2011 8. 1% 7. 25% 2010 7. 2% 6. 9% 2009 5. 3% 5. 95% American Creations has its own manufacturing facilities and operates throughout the USA and Caribbean with design offices in New York, Miami, Los Angeles and Colorado Springs. Their main business, which is thriving, involves complete home furnishing and interior design for wealthy clients. In addition, the firm has a real estate office in each location and is thus able to offer a complete property service. The value of properties handled by the real estate offices is typically $5m – $20m. Bellingham is interested not only in extending its operations internationally but particularly in the possibility of diversifying into the real estate business. Whilst well aware of the existence of a number of competitors, the directors feel that there is a ready market in the US for their established name in terms of design flair, service and products. After discussions with the directors of American Creations, Bill Moneypenny has produced the following forecast. Under average economic growth conditions, the American Creations operating forecasts (in $*1000) for the next five years are based on the following: Income:from Sales: $7500 in 2013, rising by 12% per annum for the foreseeable future. from real estate sales commissions: $2850 in 2013 increasing by 15% per annum for the foreseeable future. Manufacturing variable costs: Labour: $1250 in 2013, expected to increasing by 8% per annum. Materials: $3800 in 2013, expected to increasing by 5% per annum. Fixed costs excluding depreciation: Manufacturing O/H: $2065 in 2013, increasing by 5% per annum. General O/H: $1850 in 2013, increasing by 2% per annum. Depreciation:Factory, machinery vehicles: $500 per year. Office/Design Studio fixtures: $200 per year. The beta of Bellingham plc is believed to be 1. 65 , the risk-free rate of return is 5. 5% and the return for the last year on the FT All-share index is 2%. UK corporation tax is currently 32% payable 9 months after the end of the accounting year in question (you may assume for the purpose of this case that accounting profit and taxable profit are identical. ) Bellingham’s directors estimate that the after-tax profits of American Creations could be allocated as follows: 70% as retained earnings and 30% as dividends. This has been the pattern under the under the present ownership. There would be no restriction on the transfer of the appropriate share of these dividends to the UK. The US corporation tax rate applicable is 20% payable in the year in which the profit arises. There is no double taxation of profits of US origin in the UK. (For the purpose of this case, ignore the possibility of any withholding taxes and the effects of foreign exchange risk. It is considered possible that, as the US economy develops further, even higher wages than those forecast may be demanded by the workforce. Required: Evaluate the American Creations proposal on behalf of Bellingham plc, supporting your arguments with relevant theory and calculations and indicating any non-financial matters you feel should be taken into consideration. Your report should consider the following areas: 1. An analysis of Bellingham’s current position using relevant financial ratios. You should show the calculation of the ratios and provide interpretation of the results. . Calculation of Bellingham’s cost of capital, using alternative methods and arriving at the most appropriate figure. 3. An investment appraisal of the American Creations proposal assuming the valuation suggested in the case, using a variety of methods and evaluation of the results. 4. A sensitivity analysis of the proposal and interpretation of the results. 5. Calculation and discussion of alternative valuations for acquiring the share in American Creations and how these would impact on the investment appraisal. 6. A discussion of the various available methods of financing the acquisition and consideration of which is the most appropriate. Your calculations and arguments should be supported by relevant theory, with evidence of wide reading around the subject. You should provide a complete bibliography with appropriate referencing in your report. Submission requirements: Your answer should take the form of a written report of approximately 2500 words excluding appendices and the reference list. Deviations from the word count exceeding plus or minus 10% will attract a penalty of 5%. The hand-in deadline for submission is 23. 0 on 25th November 2012. Submissions up to 24 hours late will attract a 10% penalty whilst those beyond 24 hours but less than 1 week late will be capped at 40%. Reports submitted more than one week late will attract a mark of zero. Submit one electronic copy via Studynet. This is an individual assignment and the report submitted should be entirely your own work. Appendix 1:B ellingham plc| | | | | | | Abridged Trading, Profit Loss Account for the year ended 30th June 2012:| All amounts are in thousands of pounds sterling| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 2012| | 2011| | 2010| | Sales| 9606| | 7564| | 6100| | Production Cost| 4034| | 3101| | 2240| | Gross Profit| 5572| | 4463| | 3860| | | | | | | | | Selling Expenses| 1467| | 1250| | 1080| | Installation Expenses| 1689| | 1300| | 980| | Administration Expenses| 960| | 630| | 597| | Operating Profit| 1456| | 1283| | 1203| | Debenture Interest| 53| | 53| | 53| | Profit Before Tax| 1403| | 1230| | 1150| | Corporation Tax| 449| | 394| | 368| | Profit After Tax| 954| | 836| | 782| | Dividends| 341| | 280| | 220| | Retained earnings| 613| | 556| | 562| | Balance Sheet at 30th June 2012:| | | | | | | | | | | | | Fixed Assets (net):| | | | | | | Land Buildings| 2300| | 2400| | 2500| | Plant Machinery| 1700| | 1186| | 552| | Fixtures Fittings| 700| | 600| | 402| | Motor Vehicles| 185| | 140| | 105| | Office equiptment| 250| | 185| | 100| | | 5135| | 4511| | 3659| | Current Assets:| | | | | | | Stocks: Raw Materials| 216| | 208| | 182| | Work in Progress| 200| | 205| | 190| | Finished Goods| 150| | 128| | 97| | Debtors| 1775| | 950| | 595| | Bank/Cash| 230| | 136| | 104| | | 2571| | 1627| | 1168| | Current Liabilities:| | | | | | | Trade Creditors| 1190| | 788| | 270| | Corporation Tax| 449| | 394| | 368| | Final Dividend| 171| | 140| | 110| | | 1810| | 1322| | 748| | | | | | | | | Net Current Assets| 761| | 305| | 420| | Net Assets| 5896| | 4816| | 4079| | | | | | | | | Long-term Liabilities:| | | | | | | 9% Debentures 2016| 750| | 750| | 750| | | | | | | | | | 5146| | 4066| | 3329| | | | | | | | | Shares reserves| | | | | | | ?1 ordinary shares| 1000| | 1000| | 1000| | 6% Preference shares of 50p ea,| 500| | 500| | 500| | Retained pr for yr| 613| | 556| | 562| | Profit loss| 3033| | 2010| | 1267| | Shareholders funds| 5146| | 4066| | 3329| | Ba Finance By 1985 Arthur had already sold his dairy herd to focus on cereal production when a fortuitous meeting with Lucy Bellingham at a business conference led him to reconsider the future of the family farm. Bellingham is a designer of bespoke fitted kitchens who had a business plan but little capital. The plan was to manufacture top quality fitted kitchen furniture and establish design studios/showrooms in high income areas. Having recently sold his dairy herd, Arthur had enough capital to fund the new business and also a number of large barns and outbuildings suitable for manufacturing the kitchen units subject to refitting and planning consent being obtained. Lucy’s business plan was so convincing that Arthur decided to get out of farming altogether (by leasing his arable land to a local co-operative) and focus on developing the new business. From this small beginning grew the now publicly quoted company of Bellingham plc. Initially, showrooms were established in Beaconsfield and then Kensington. Demand for their kitchens was brisk and â€Å"Bellingham Bespoke Kitchens† expanded rapidly but remained a partnership. The firms clients are mainly celebrities from the entertainment world and the cost of a Bellingham Bespoke Kitchen is now ? 40,000 – ? 150,000 or more. The firm was restructured as a limited company in 1990 and subsequently experienced rapid growth until 1999. In that year the then directors decided that the business had reached the limit of development in it’s present form. Future development required large-scale expansion of production facilities in order to provide the range of materials, furniture, quality and prompt delivery required by their discerning clients. This in turn needed an injection of capital that the directors were unable to generate themselves. The conviction that there was much money to be made from â€Å"quality fitted kitchens† † had been vindicated. They investigated a number of possibilities deciding eventually to expand production facilities by purchasing a modern production unit on an industrial estate in Aylesbury. The expansion was funded by a stock market floatation and raising the necessary capital in the name of Bellingham plc. As the market grew and to keep abreast of new production technology, the directors agreed to reverse the maxim so dear to the heart of the founders, Arthur and Lucy; â€Å"neither a (long-term) borrower nor lender be. † They financed updating of equipment and premises by means of issuing debentures. It is now October 2012 and the present directors of Bellingham plc believe that the long-term success of the company lies in future international diversification and expansion. They consider that the most beneficial action they could take is to investigate the acquisition of a subsidiary in the USA. The newly-appointed finance director, Bill Moneypenny, agrees with this opinion but insists that the company must first appraise its own current position and if necessary, make changes to strengthen its existing financial situation before embarking on new plans. He is particularly concerned that the company should preserve adequate liquidity and finance its assets in a beneficial manner. He is also concerned that too much emphasis has been placed on â€Å"pandering to the whims of the rich and famous† and not enough on running an efficient business operation. Lucy and Arthur still retain 30% of Bellingham’s equity and other long-standing directors own a further 20%; a change of control is unlikely to be welcome. During the last two years, the company has updated it’s design, production and showroom assets and, in what has been a difficult year, has been able to maintain sales and profit growth (see Bellingham’s accounts in appendix 1). There has been a great deal of uncertainty about world economic growth and stock markets have been extremely volatile resulting low returns. However the firm’s ordinary shares have made good progress during the year. Ordinary share dividends have achieved substantial growth over the last two years although this rate of increase is not expected to continue. Ordinary dividends have grown at an average rate of 14% per annum over the past 10 years and this rate is a more realistic growth rate for future dividends. The present market prices for Bellingham’s shares and debentures are: ?1 Ordinary shares? 7. 02 ex div ?0. 50p, 6% Pref shares? . 55 ex div 7% Debentures 2016? 100. 51 ex interest Any new venture would be expected to achieve a return on capital employed in line with that experienced recently by Bellingham plc. The finance director favours a payback period of 5 years. Bellingham would therefore need to agree a realistic acquisition price for such a new venture and its future cash flows in order to determine whether these criteria could be met. Although a number of investment projects are being considered, the main proposal currently being investigated offers an expansion into the US prime-property market which is forecast to grow faster than the UK market. Bellingham’s finance director has already calculated the trends in the financial ratios of American Creations, an unquoted US company, from its unaudited annual accounts (see appendix 2) and has concluded that the proposal is now worthy of further investigation. American Creations is a family-owned venture requiring further capital to repair it’s balance sheet after making losses on a property development in Nevada from which it has now withdrawn. Profits have suffered in the last two years due to write-offs associated with this development. The existing owners feel that the firm’s future lies in establishing wider international links and the retirement of senior family members, leaving the younger members active in the management of the firm. They are therefore considering selling a controlling interest of 60% to a suitable company. The firm has been established for 23 years, and is well respected in business circles. The average age of its fixed tangible assets is 3 years. The directors have indicated that they may accept part payment in Bellingham shares subject to negotiation. The firm’s nominal share capital is $2. m, and the directors have indicated that they value the firm at five times the year 2010 net profit. They consider this to be the firm’s â€Å"normal† level of profit excluding the â€Å"extraordinary† effects of the Nevada development. As the firm is at present family owned and run, there is no available price/earnings ratio. P/E ratios for the only two publicly-owned c ompanies in the same business sector, Harvey Wilkinson Designs plc and Cucci Lifestyle plc, are currently 10 and 8 times respectively although both of these firms, unlike Bellingham, operate internationally. Wilkinson has grown at a similar rate to Bellingham. The dividend yields of these companies have been as follows: WilkinsonCucci Year to 31 December 2011 8. 1% 7. 25% 2010 7. 2% 6. 9% 2009 5. 3% 5. 95% American Creations has its own manufacturing facilities and operates throughout the USA and Caribbean with design offices in New York, Miami, Los Angeles and Colorado Springs. Their main business, which is thriving, involves complete home furnishing and interior design for wealthy clients. In addition, the firm has a real estate office in each location and is thus able to offer a complete property service. The value of properties handled by the real estate offices is typically $5m – $20m. Bellingham is interested not only in extending its operations internationally but particularly in the possibility of diversifying into the real estate business. Whilst well aware of the existence of a number of competitors, the directors feel that there is a ready market in the US for their established name in terms of design flair, service and products. After discussions with the directors of American Creations, Bill Moneypenny has produced the following forecast. Under average economic growth conditions, the American Creations operating forecasts (in $*1000) for the next five years are based on the following: Income:from Sales: $7500 in 2013, rising by 12% per annum for the foreseeable future. from real estate sales commissions: $2850 in 2013 increasing by 15% per annum for the foreseeable future. Manufacturing variable costs: Labour: $1250 in 2013, expected to increasing by 8% per annum. Materials: $3800 in 2013, expected to increasing by 5% per annum. Fixed costs excluding depreciation: Manufacturing O/H: $2065 in 2013, increasing by 5% per annum. General O/H: $1850 in 2013, increasing by 2% per annum. Depreciation:Factory, machinery vehicles: $500 per year. Office/Design Studio fixtures: $200 per year. The beta of Bellingham plc is believed to be 1. 65 , the risk-free rate of return is 5. 5% and the return for the last year on the FT All-share index is 2%. UK corporation tax is currently 32% payable 9 months after the end of the accounting year in question (you may assume for the purpose of this case that accounting profit and taxable profit are identical. ) Bellingham’s directors estimate that the after-tax profits of American Creations could be allocated as follows: 70% as retained earnings and 30% as dividends. This has been the pattern under the under the present ownership. There would be no restriction on the transfer of the appropriate share of these dividends to the UK. The US corporation tax rate applicable is 20% payable in the year in which the profit arises. There is no double taxation of profits of US origin in the UK. (For the purpose of this case, ignore the possibility of any withholding taxes and the effects of foreign exchange risk. It is considered possible that, as the US economy develops further, even higher wages than those forecast may be demanded by the workforce. Required: Evaluate the American Creations proposal on behalf of Bellingham plc, supporting your arguments with relevant theory and calculations and indicating any non-financial matters you feel should be taken into consideration. Your report should consider the following areas: 1. An analysis of Bellingham’s current position using relevant financial ratios. You should show the calculation of the ratios and provide interpretation of the results. . Calculation of Bellingham’s cost of capital, using alternative methods and arriving at the most appropriate figure. 3. An investment appraisal of the American Creations proposal assuming the valuation suggested in the case, using a variety of methods and evaluation of the results. 4. A sensitivity analysis of the proposal and interpretation of the results. 5. Calculation and discussion of alternative valuations for acquiring the share in American Creations and how these would impact on the investment appraisal. 6. A discussion of the various available methods of financing the acquisition and consideration of which is the most appropriate. Your calculations and arguments should be supported by relevant theory, with evidence of wide reading around the subject. You should provide a complete bibliography with appropriate referencing in your report. Submission requirements: Your answer should take the form of a written report of approximately 2500 words excluding appendices and the reference list. Deviations from the word count exceeding plus or minus 10% will attract a penalty of 5%. The hand-in deadline for submission is 23. 0 on 25th November 2012. Submissions up to 24 hours late will attract a 10% penalty whilst those beyond 24 hours but less than 1 week late will be capped at 40%. Reports submitted more than one week late will attract a mark of zero. Submit one electronic copy via Studynet. This is an individual assignment and the report submitted should be entirely your own work. Appendix 1:B ellingham plc| | | | | | | Abridged Trading, Profit Loss Account for the year ended 30th June 2012:| All amounts are in thousands of pounds sterling| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 2012| | 2011| | 2010| | Sales| 9606| | 7564| | 6100| | Production Cost| 4034| | 3101| | 2240| | Gross Profit| 5572| | 4463| | 3860| | | | | | | | | Selling Expenses| 1467| | 1250| | 1080| | Installation Expenses| 1689| | 1300| | 980| | Administration Expenses| 960| | 630| | 597| | Operating Profit| 1456| | 1283| | 1203| | Debenture Interest| 53| | 53| | 53| | Profit Before Tax| 1403| | 1230| | 1150| | Corporation Tax| 449| | 394| | 368| | Profit After Tax| 954| | 836| | 782| | Dividends| 341| | 280| | 220| | Retained earnings| 613| | 556| | 562| | Balance Sheet at 30th June 2012:| | | | | | | | | | | | | Fixed Assets (net):| | | | | | | Land Buildings| 2300| | 2400| | 2500| | Plant Machinery| 1700| | 1186| | 552| | Fixtures Fittings| 700| | 600| | 402| | Motor Vehicles| 185| | 140| | 105| | Office equiptment| 250| | 185| | 100| | | 5135| | 4511| | 3659| | Current Assets:| | | | | | | Stocks: Raw Materials| 216| | 208| | 182| | Work in Progress| 200| | 205| | 190| | Finished Goods| 150| | 128| | 97| | Debtors| 1775| | 950| | 595| | Bank/Cash| 230| | 136| | 104| | | 2571| | 1627| | 1168| | Current Liabilities:| | | | | | | Trade Creditors| 1190| | 788| | 270| | Corporation Tax| 449| | 394| | 368| | Final Dividend| 171| | 140| | 110| | | 1810| | 1322| | 748| | | | | | | | | Net Current Assets| 761| | 305| | 420| | Net Assets| 5896| | 4816| | 4079| | | | | | | | | Long-term Liabilities:| | | | | | | 9% Debentures 2016| 750| | 750| | 750| | | | | | | | | | 5146| | 4066| | 3329| | | | | | | | | Shares reserves| | | | | | | ?1 ordinary shares| 1000| | 1000| | 1000| | 6% Preference shares of 50p ea,| 500| | 500| | 500| | Retained pr for yr| 613| | 556| | 562| | Profit loss| 3033| | 2010| | 1267| | Shareholders funds| 5146| | 4066| | 3329| |

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UK Constitutional Law (United Kingdom) - Assignment Example The legislations are however not without issues, as demonstrated in the Jackson v Attorney General [2005] case regarding the legality of the application of Parliament Acts of 1911 and 1949 to pass the Hunting Act, making it illegal to hunt wild animals using dogs, except in very limited circumstances. 6The case was heard by a Divisional court and later passed on the court of appeal. The court of appeal decision was that constitutional changes could not be passed under the parliament act of 1911. 2The legal issues raised in this case is that any legislation done under the parliament Act of 1911 was not primary, but a subordinate one. The legislative power wielded by the Act was not limited, and thus was open to statutory interpretation. Upon reaching the decision, the judges raised the issue that the Act did not authorize the House of Commons to change or remove any conditions on which the law-making power is based. 6 The judges observed that the 1911 Act was wide to authorize some am endments of the commons law making power, contrary to the 1949 Act, which was observed to be substantial and significant. 6The discussion by the judges was that it was highly unlikely that the House of Commons could contemplate to use the Act to enact a legislation that the House of Lords had not consented to or to abolish the House of Lords completely. 2 If however, the House of Commons had such intentions, then it would be seen as contrary to the intentions of the parliament, when it was enacting such legislations. This gives the opinion that the 1911 act was much ambiguous, and require situational interpretation for its effective applicability. The roots of the two legislations can be traced back to the Budgeting done in the year 1909, which proposed the taxation of lands, with the ideas that a land tax should be introduced to raise budget money. The conservatives, who were mainly the large landowners opposed the proposal and saw its downfall through the House of Lords where they wielded immense power. Consequently, there was a perceived need to limit the powers of the House of Lords, through granting the House of Commons more power, most significantly the power to pass legislations without seeking the approval of the House of Lords. 1The agenda of the refused budget proposal become the bottom-line of the 1910 elections, where the liberals sought to limit the powers of the House of the Lords, when they got back to parliament t after the elections. This was eventually to happen, a milestone that saw the power of the House of Lords, to control and scrutinize all legislations and give their approval before any legislation was passed to a law curtailed. The provisions of Parliament Acts of 1911 underlined the fact that the House of Lords no longer had powers to veto any legislation emanating from the House of Commons. The only exception granted was on the issue of extending the maximum term of the parliament from to over five years. 2 The effect of this was to scrap off the powers of the House of Lords, leaving them with only an authority to delay bills but not to reject

Why women should not be able to work in Law enforcement Essay

Why women should not be able to work in Law enforcement - Essay Example There are many colleges and universities in united state that are promoting the studies of law enforcement and related diplomas and degrees by indicating it as the best future job in the form of law enforcement and homeland security. As a result of such campaign, many people are attracting toward this profession including women too. The career of women in law enforcement is possible. It is the need of the hour to register more women as the law enforcers. The crime rate of women is rising high every day and drugs related matters have become the sole issue for the women to see the prison. Due to the drug law violation, federal prisons have more than 72% women prisoners and in state prisons, 31% of women are guilty of the crime. I in research of amnesty international USA, they have mentioned those in federal women’s correlation facilities, 70% of guards are male for serving female. All these statistics showed that there is a high need of female candidates in the law enforcement d epartment. Anyone who is interested must have an idea about the background of the law enforcement tasks and must have courage to face the people who don’t consider women as equal fellows. Since ancient times, several cultures and different beliefs have shaped the society and determined the roles and duties of women as different as men. In general way, women are considered as weak gender and therefore, their jobs are only associated with family, children and home. On the contrast, men are considered as strong gender and assigned the powerful positions not just in home but also at the place of work. With time, when women earned the equal rights, several opportunities arrived for women in different sectors of the society. One such example of the women opportunity place is affirmative action. With this, the never ending dispute of male and female position initiated. In this world, every person has its own concept and viewpoint regarding male and female workers. Many people believ e that women are not appropriate for jobs they select to work for. They feel that women are incapable of performing several tasks including the law enforcement jobs. There are few people who are against the women working for the homeland security and they consider home as their place of work. Moreover, there are others who say women and law enforcement are two separate entities. Since 150 years ago, the shifting of women towards the law enforcement took place. From that period, women are not free from the barriers like discrimination in jobs, sexual harassment, inappropriate treatment, low salary and double standards towards them. The job of law enforcement is known to be as the male dominated sector. Therefore, this sector has shown very slow pace in grabbing the women to the posts. The law enforcement task is male dominated due to the reason that this job needs power and strength that makes the women inappropriate for the job because they lack both. Women are known to be as physic ally and mentally incapable to handle the job. The same concept is very much in the today’s world of law enforcement departments and agencies. During the period of 1972, the Supreme Court passed the legislation recognized as Civil Rights Act, Title VII and according to this; all the agencies will be liable for lawsuit in case of any discrimination against the women qualified for the post (Stephens 500). With the help of several lawsuits and court orders regarding the problem, the agencies were forced to hire the women who are qualified for the job. However, there were many agencies of law enforcement that didn’t obey the rules and took all the steps to avoid the qualified women to get the post. The practice of the Supreme Court was halted in 1977. In

The essential features of prokaryotic replication or Transcription in Essay

The essential features of prokaryotic replication or Transcription in prokaryotes and eukaryotes - Essay Example The essential features of prokaryotic replication Cells are mainly differentiated into two classifications namely prokaryotic cells and eukaryotic cells. There are many differences in these two types of cells as well as the genetic processes that they undergo. Much research has been done on analyzing the genetic process in the prokaryotic cells and this paper will focus upon the prokaryotic cells with regard to the important features of replication in these cells. The prokaryotic cells are small in diameter and their size ranges from 1 till an average of 5 micrometer. The genetic material of prokaryotic cells is distinct in its own way. The DNA of these cells does not lie within a nuclear envelope and this DNA is also not bounded to histones. A distinct structure where the DNA is present in the prokaryotes is present which is known as nucleoid. These cells also possess only one chromosome which is folded many times for it to fit into the prokaryotic cells. Mitotic division is absent and thus mitosis is not a feature of prokaryotic cells. Specialized cell structures which are surrounded by membranes like mitochondria and lysosomes are also not present in the prokaryotes. The size of the ribosomes in these cells is small and is 70 S. The cell wall of prokaryotic cells is stiff due to the presence of peptidoglycans. Replication is a process whereby new genetic material is formed with the copying of the parent genetic material. It is basically the formation of daughter DNA from the parental DNA strand. It is considered to be a process for the production of offspring and this process needs to be carried out in a much regulated manner to maintain the stability of the gene line so that mutations do not occur as they can serve to produce grave consequences. Prokaryotic replication has mainly been studied and understood by carrying out extensive research on the organism E. coli which is a bacterium. This replication has served to open ways for understanding the mechanis ms that occur during the process of replication in eukaryotes as this process is more complicated in the eukaryotic cells. The DNA in prokaryotes is basically round and it has two strands. The initiation point where the replication begins is termed as ori which stands for origin of replication. In different prokaryotes there are different oris which are basically the points where certain double stranded DNA specific proteins attach to certain DNA sequences which are repeated. In E. coli the DnaA which is a specific protein comes and binds to the oriC which is the origin of replication. It is at this point that the unwinding of the double stranded DNA starts to occur. There are many important steps that are required during the separation of the two strands of DNA for replication and the formation of the

Strategy planning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Strategy planning - Essay Example However, the younger generation between the age of 18 and 28 seem to be comfortable with the brands from crystal fashion. The idea is to ensure that brand that resonates with them such as scarfs, sweaters and dresses. Crystal fashion in pursuit for a credible customer base needs to be more radical than the other competitors in the market (Wittmann & Reuter, 2008). The young professionals from either gender who have so far embraced the brands from the fashions talk of the products as being unique and classic effectively revealing who they are are in the society (Kurtz, 2012). The company should be more interested in the secrets of the young people as a strategy for producing future brands. Crystal Fashion is an organization that deals with production of garments and clothes for both men and women. In the recent past the company has sought to venture into new markets and to expand its market portfolio as appropriate. Most of the brands from the company have found favor with most of the consumers in Saudi Arabia region and the strategy is to position the clothing and garment brands in the market to attract more loyal customers. Crystal fashion is an organization closely held, for profit and is medium sized compared to other entities in the market (May, 2010). The company has a substantial customer base with earn a profit of one million turnovers. The idea is to have the young people share their stories concerning their preferred brands and fashion to enable the company factor such issues in the production of future brands. The strategy is to obtain the secrets from the target group as a basis for coming up better and improved brands that are accepted by a majority (Dillon, 2012). The company needs to come up with diverse channels that enable the target group share their secrets, learn from other people then use the input from the individuals to improve on the brands. The

Rise in Standards of Living Essay Example for Free

Rise in Standards of Living Essay Australian business centers, stock markets, economic revenues and different economic sectors from the latter centuries have always been striving to improving the economy channeling as well the improvements of society’s standards of living; however, with the current progression of such trends, standards of living have gone so far ahead from the average people coping up to the demands of the prevailing society. Consequently, imbalance, strain and economic disproportion occur as the primary results of the high standards of living and the coping average public. b. Australia: Economic Overview . Due to the great transition of United States, Canadian and Australian economies from the agricultural-based setup of 19th and 20th centuries to an economy based on industries in the current 21st century, living standards have indeed increased. Consequently, the shift of living standards have greatly affected crucial economic and societal elements, such as (a) laborers, (b) supply-demand chains, (c) purchasing power of the market, (d) social class and standards of living, and (e) general economy equilibrium . High labor costs, high taxation fees, crowded population, strict-regulatory boards on business establishments and small domestic market have consequently become the adverse effects of Australia’s high standards of living . Last 2004, Australian standards of living was ranked third place by the United Nations surveillance report. Currently, Australian economy, according to the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA), is experiencing GDP growth of 2. 7% quarterly as of 2008, GDP rate of approximately $1 trillion Australian dollar and GDP per capita of $33,000 as of 2006 statistics. Markedly, economic growth of Australia is slowly beginning its decline due to various economic components (e. g. high wage employment versus high standards of living, expensive supply versus average-earning market, etc. ) . Economic advancements may well influence the standards of living positively; however, high standards of living may negatively result to social tensions in areas of income balances . Australian economy is now experiencing a series of imbalances, especially in the relationships of market and suppliers, income generation and employment brought by high living standards. II. Discussion a. Living Standards of Australian Economy . Australians have always enjoyed the benefits of their country’s growing economy and high standard of living; however, continuous increase in the area of living stands may threaten the stability of their economy. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) rate obtained by a given economy commonly evaluates the country’s economic performance and growth. GDP assesses the level of supply-demand conditions, economic output capacity and welfare growth. GDP, together with household surveys on income – expenses, consumption-production and other associated components, measures the condition of economic welfare, which is viewed as an important indicator of standards of living . Currently, Australian GDP according to the Internal Monetary Fund has reached from the 2007 estimate of U. S. $ 718. 4 billion to U. S$ 1. 04 trillion nominally this year. In addition, annual GDP growth has always been maintained from 0. 4% to 1. 3% according to Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS); although, nominal records this year show a huge drop on GDP growth from 1. 2% in 2006 down to 0. 5%, which can still progress downward (max: approximately 0. 25% GDP growth) due to seasonal variations. On the other hand, according to ABS, employment statistics have increased dramatically from 10. 5 million in 2007 to 10. 73 million employed in 2008, while decreasing as well the unemployment rate from 4. 3% in 2007 to 4. 2% this year . . . Economic trends of Australia are in no question boosting and improving more evidently compared to the United States. These statistics relevantly show the increasing economic welfare of the country, which eventually may further increase in the standards of living. In the study of Gregory (2007), following the increase of living standards in the 1970s evidenced by the approximate 30% increase in Australia’s employment wages is the latter drop (approximately 25%) on employment earnings and rapid rise of employment offering low compensations . Evidently, the similar impact is slowly but progressively occurring based on the statistical input of Australian employment, inflation and household surveys under ABC statistical surveillance . Based from statistics, full-time employment earnings have dropped from 2003 to 2005 record of 1. 8% to 0. 9% only last May, while private sector earning trend has changed from 2% in 2005 down to 1% this year and public sector declines from 1. 5% last 2005 to 0. 5% for this year. Nonetheless, employment-earning trends are currently recovering from its great downfall last May 2006 to early 2007. On the other hand, salary sacrifices of Australian surveyed households have also increased from U. S $580 weekly in 2005 to U. S. $644 weekly last 2006 due to increased taxes, increased in Consumer Price Index and most factors attributed to high standards of living (e. g. costs of supplies, increase costs of services, etc. ). With the increasing level of living standards, initial employment decline in response to high level of living standards is motivated by higher compensations. Continuing employment with higher compensation results to increase in employment rates, which consequently reduces level of average earnings of these employed. Meanwhile, as the rise of living standards continues, another important consideration is effect of inflation rates towards the purchasing power of the people living in the high standard Australian environment . According to the general inflation rate of Australian economy, rate has indeed increased from 0. 7 to 0. 8% in 2005 to 1. 5% last June 2008, which consequently results to an average of 4. 5% price increase on all groups of products and services. Based on ABS inflation breakdowns, products and services most commonly affected by high living standards are also affected by the high inflation rates, such the increase of deposit and loan facilities to 9. 5%, rise of rents to 2. 2%, increase in health care costs of 4%, house purchases by 3. 1% and one of Australian delicacies, spirits, which increased to 6. 1%. High standards of living implicated by economic growth and expansion of economic welfare do not always provide significant benefits for majority of the economy’s recipients. With this analysis, the most affected individuals are the average employees striving hard to cope-up with the increasing prices of commodities brought by the rise of living standards b. Impacts of High Standards of Living Considering the high living standards of the Australian economy, an average household earning an income increasing only to 0. 9% per quarterly may not be able to accommodate the inflation increased commodities and supplies, which, if applied to the general average population, dramatically implies huge reduction of purchasing power among the average members of society . Following the rise of society’s standards of living is the extensive rise of financial expenses among households due to the market value increases brought by increased standards of available supplies offered (e. g. education fees, food expenses, etc. ) . The impact of price variations and economic adjustments are assumingly experienced more prominently by the average people living the high standard society. As the basic commodities and services increase due to inflation rise, average people employed with an average job may commonly find their earnings sufficient for their daily requirements. However, if economic welfare continuously grows and expand, as shown by the increasing trends of GDP from International Monetary Fund statistics, these average-working groups, despite of their high compensations, may find their income insufficient to supply their needs and cope up with the increasing requirements of their society. Relationships between employment – working members of society – and the actual high standard society are more direct compared to other economic elements; since, these average people are the general population acting as the prime recipients of the economic change . As supported by the survey study of Gaston (2002), employment levels have progressed downward during the early 21st century; hence, economic growth has surged to cope up leading the restoration of employment level . However, the advent of employment surge brings forth increase in manpower supply enabling reduction in levels of manpower, while increasing manufacturing levels. In the end, economic growth shall continue to progress leaving the average working people coping with the increasing living standards of the Australian society   c. Implications and Potential Problems Associated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . If the economic trends on Australian employment continue in relation to the high living standards of the society, average working groups may fail to cope up reducing the markets purchasing power; thereby, affecting chains of economic elements, such as inflation rates, consumer price index, etc . If these economic elements change, imbalance in the economic growth might occur unless wage increase is implemented to cope with the increasing living standards. Economic investments and purchasing power of the available market are considered at-risked if these trends continue. Since reduction on the living standards is not a considerable option, the best resolution is to keep track on all the changes in these elements and implement balanced raise and reduction depending on the economic variations and adjustments   III. Conclusion Economic trends in a high standard living society must be well monitored and tracked due to the many risks associated to the variations, element adjustments and fluctuations. As economic elements, such as GDP, GDP growth and overall economic welfare, increase, living standards in a given society are also expected to increase. If this happens, the demographics most commonly affected are the average people earning only the average income. If economic trends, such as employment rates, compensation levels, inflation rates, etc. , are not carefully monitored, this can immediately result to an imbalance in both economic growth and the capacity of employed recipients to cope up with the high living standards being imposed by the society. Consequently, long-term results, such as increase in poverty levels, etc, may occur affecting dramatically as well the living standards of the area. IV. Bibliography Anderso, K. and Pomfret, R. â€Å"Living Standards during Transition to a Market Economy: The Kyrgyz Republic in 1993 and 1996,† Journal of Comparative Economics 28, no. 3 (2000): 502-523 Australian Bureau of Statistics (2008), Statistics, retrieved October 2, 2008 from: http://www. abs. gov. au/ausstats/[emailprotected] nsf/web+pages/statistics? opendocument Brown, C. American standards of living, 1918-1988: 1918-1988. New York, London: HarperCollins. 1994 2-3 Campbell, I. and Burgess, J. â€Å"Casual Employment in Australia and Temporary Employment in Europe: Developing a Cross-National Comparison,† Work, Employment and Society 15, (2001): 171-184 Easterlin, R. A. â€Å"The Worldwide Standard of Living Since 1800,† Journal of Economic Perspectives 14, no. 1 (2000): 7-26 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gaston, N. â€Å"The Impact of International Trade and Protection on Australian Manufacturing Employment,† Australian Economic Papers 37, no. 2 (2002): 119 – 136 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Harding, A. â€Å"The Suffering Middle: Trends in Income Inequality in Australia, 1982 to 1993–94,† Australian Economic Review 30, no. 4 (2002): 341 358 Maglen, L. â€Å"Globalisation of the World Economy and Its Impact upon Employment and Training in Australia,† Australian Bulletin of Labour 20, no. 4 (1994): 298-319 McLean, I. W. , â€Å"Australian Economic Growth in Historical Perspective,† Economic Record 250, no. 80 (2004): 330-345 Mishra, R. , Kuhnle, S. , Gilbert, N. , and Chung, K. , Modernizing the Korean Welfare State: Towards the Productive Welfare Model. S. Korea, New York: Transaction Publishers. 2001 11 Nolan, J. , Hinkelman, E. G. and Shippey, K. C. Australia Business: The Portable Encyclopedia for Doing Business with Australia. New York, Australia: World Trade Press. 1996 8 Pusey, M. and Wilson, S. The Experience of Middle Australia: The Dark Side of Economic Reform. Cambridge, U. K: Cambridge University Press. 2003 8 R. G. Gregory, â€Å"Aspects of Australian and US Living Standards: The Disappointing Decades 1970–1990,†Economic Society of Australia 69, no. 1 (2007): 61-76 Simpson, M. , Dawkins, P. and Madden, G. â€Å"Casual Employment in Australia: Incidence and Determinants,† Australian Economic Papers 36, no. 68 (2008): 194-204 Sinn, E. The Last Half Century of Chinese Overseas. Hong Kong; Hong Kong University Press. 1998 356 Travers, P. and Richardson, S. â€Å"Living Decently,† Australian Economic Review 25, no. 3 (2008): 29-42

Truth and Honesty Essay Example for Free

Truth and Honesty Essay Honesty is defined as the quality or fact of being honest, uprightness and fairness also as truthfulness in speech and action. This term is very important as it is the simple basis of how we carry out routine activities. While this sounds simple, its surprisingly difficult to practice. Being honest implies the presence of an active conscience and a knowledge of ethics at the minimum. Being honest in everyday life means listening to, and obeying, the voice of our conscience. For example, last Monday, I rode past a traffic light that had just switched from green to amber. I should have slowed down and stopped instead I speeded away. Now this may not sound like a big fuss to some of us but the fact remains that it could have been fatal though nothing happened on that day. The consequences could have been very deadly if a pedestrian had darted across the road or an impatient motorist could have speeded away just like me leading to hospitalization or death. This is a simple act of honesty which we tend to forget in our everyday life. Everybody interacts with one another and when honesty is neglected, problems tend to arise, controversies spark like a match. Honesty is the important factor that supports every source of information. Without honesty nobody can understand the simple truth. Each time we hear a person talking, it is assumed that honest words are coming out. Principally, I believe honesty is important because it provides accurate information, reflects good character, and builds lasting, trusting relationships. For instance, the Police Department should be very honest as the population depends entirely on them for security reasons and also for the welfare of the family. Patients go to doctors, undergo operation since they trust these people. Therefore honesty is the root that needs to be strong in every domain. If history were full of lies and false information then we would only be expected to misinterpret details all because someone decided not to be honest. In reality the simple act of telling the truth is so influential because it affects all others around us somewhere down the line. Honesty reflects good character because when people know that someone is honest they feel that they can fully trust that person. It is always comforting and reassuring when you can count on that person no matter the circumstances. One important quality that is absolutely necessary if we are to be honest is courage. This is not about physical courage but courage that comes from conviction, an essential mental quality. For, as Khalil Gibran writes, If indeed you must be candid, be candid beautifully. That is, if you must speak honestly about your friends, speak honestly about their good points. Use words to uplift, not to tear down. Also, be sure to avoid rumors, for they are acts of betrayal. For many people honesty is the most important quality in a relationship. Being honest, even in difficult times, gives everyone the true information from which decisions can then be taken. It treats all involved parties with respect. Clearly there may well be times when some information should be modified, as with young children perhaps. But in most cases people appreciate being told the truth, even when it is painful. It helps cherish the good memories. Trust is a huge part of the honesty stable. It is often difficult to recover trust once someone discovers that they have been deceived or lied. It can take a long time to build trust in a relationship, and it can be wiped out in a moment. Living an honest life and being true to ourselves help to maintain a clear conscience and a healthy life, free from a lot of stress and tension. That is the value and importance of being honest.