Osteoporosis and Radio Ad free essay sample

Radio Ad We know many people worry about the risks of getting arthritis and osteoporosis, as well as injuries from falls as you start climb the latter called age. We are doing this radio ad in promoting a healthier Muscular system well in to your retirement age. Although some chronic disease risk factors such as (family history, age or sex) are not able to be modified and so cannot be incorporated into prevention strategies, these factors can help to identify people or groups at high risk of developing a disease, enabling a targeted approach. The modifiable risks factors are common to all chronic disease which includes diet, weight, exercise, alcohol intake and smoking. It is important to understand that adopting healthy lifestyle behaviors will reduce the risk of all chronic diseases, including arthritis and musculoskeletal conditions. A balanced diet will help to achieve a healthy weight and body. When increasing the intake of calcium also absorption of vitamin D will assist in reducing risks of developing arthritis and osteoporosis. We will write a custom essay sample on Osteoporosis and Radio Ad or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Regular exercise aids in the prevention of musculoskeletal conditions, and it helps to alleviate and reduce joint pain and stiffness and build strong muscle around the joints. People who are obese are at higher risk of arthritis or osteoporosis due to the increased load across the weight bearing joints, and increasing the stress on cartilage and ligaments. People who reduce their smoking and drinking will reduce the risks for low bone mass, low bone strength, and low body weight. Having a healthier life style gives you a fun filled days right into your retirement years.

How to have swag

How to have swag Elements to be proven by the crownRelevant section of the criminal codeMaximum sentencePossible defencesMurderKilledAnotherPersonUnlawfullyWith intentSect. 302 30525-lifeSelf defenceProvocationDiminished responsibilityManslaughterLack of intentTwo types of Manslaughter:Voluntary-Involuntary ManslaughterCriminally negligentUnlawful conduct or a dangerous actDuty of careHigh risk of very serious injury25 years- lifeDuressNecessitySelf DefenceGBH1. The accused did grievous bodily harm to the complainant; and2. That the doing of the grievous bodily harm was unlawful.According to QLD Law for the charge of Grievous Bodily Harm, The Maximum penalty for the offence of Grievous Bodily Harm is 14 years imprisonment.1. Lack of will2. Accident3. Compulsion or emergency (also known as duress or necessity)4. Insanity5. Intoxication6. Self-defence provided a reasonable person felt they were subjected to force which could cause death or grievous bodily harm.Torture1. The accused inflicted severe pa in or suffering in the complainant. To inflict pain and suffering is to cause it to be felt. The pain or suffering may be physical, mental, psychological or emotional and it may be temporary or permanent. Pain and suffering is subjective. One person may experience greater pain and suffering from the same pain invoking factor than another person.2. The accused inflicted the pain and suffering intentionally. That is, that the accused intended his or her act(s) to inflict severe pain or suffering on the complainant. It is not enough that such suffering is the consequence of the accused's act(s) and that the acts were deliberate. The prosecution must prove an actual, subjective, intention on the part of the accused to cause severe pain or suffering by his/her conduct.Sections 320AThe Maximum penalty for the...Franà §ais : Brain activation

Managing performance through training and development Essay

Managing performance through training and development - Essay Example The lectures indicate that there are numerous applicants received by employers for a single vacancy and work experience programmes for students and recent graduates number about 10,000 positions. Other employers are also offering industrial placements for graduates. Employers also prefer graduates with previous work experiences. Based on the above considerations, it is therefore important for me to undertake measures in order to improve my employability. I have yet to gain entry into the student and graduate training programmes or into the industrial placements for graduates. I believe that by gaining some experience and training, I can make myself stand out among the numerous applicants and thereby gain desirable employment. I understand that as early as now, as a student, I can already establish a reputation and a portfolio or profile which can later enhance my future employability. I need to first establish what I would like to be known for as a student, how wide my networks be, w hat I would like to achieve, and who will speak well of me. As a student, these are aspects of my academic life which would be formulated whether or not I would consciously seek to characterize these aspects. In effect, these elements would be the foundation for my employability. 2. Theoretical basis of the module In evaluating the various theories of the module, I noted that how I would perform in enhancing my employability is based on what I would say or do or what I would present; it is also based on the thinking and judgment of the employers I would like to impress. The theoretical basis of this module is basically the underpinning knowledge and understanding which would help me gain success in further enhancing my employability (theory). I believe that the career theory would help me first establish my personal assessment of what I would like to be, as well as settle other issues like where, when, where, who, why, and how I would like my employment chances to turn out (career t heory). The career theory also acknowledges the fact that careers go through cycles from their start-up, to their growth, then their settlement, their diversification, and their reduction (organisational cycles). There is also a right fit needed for a career to work. In order to enhance my employability, I would have to find the right fit for my skills, knowledge, goals, and interests (career fit). In applying the theories involved in enhancing my employability, I would be able to also understand that the career I would choose would have to match my requirements or needs and that my capabilities would also have to match the requirements of organizations (work adjustment theory). The vocational theory would also provide support and basis in enhancing my employability. The vocational theory is used in classifying individuals and jobs into vocational personalities (self-concept). This theory also provides tools and techniques in order to assist individuals into their distinctive identi ties and vocational personalities (vocational theory). In order to improve my employability, I would need to develop a set of skills and an identity which recruiters can use in order to easily identify my career fit and how I would fit into their own company requirements. 3. Management simulations Management simulations include the application of teamwork. Most businesses have a wide range of functions including marketing, logistics, operations, human resources, and

Billing Costs and Rates Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Billing Costs and Rates - Assignment Example †¦4 Key elements of Green Valley Medical Center’s strategy†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..4 Capital budgeting system needs a change†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦......4 Two projects†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..4 Acceptable project†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.......................6 Step three†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â ‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.6 Critiques of the methodology and findings of the benefit/cost analysis†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦...6 Level of Funding†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦...............6 Conclusion †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦......... The billing procedure involve: Enter patient details into an EHR software program; Entering ICD-9 and CPT codes from the main bill into the patient’s documentation; Automatically Transmit claims to cover providers; receive an audit statement, review and correct errors, resubmit discarded claims then post payment to patient account (Ferenc, 2013). Physicians must maintain correct and complete therapeutic records and documentation of the services they offer. They should ensure that the claims they present for payment are backed up with proper documentation. Physician relationship with patient, billing department and management would be reviewed. I think Bobcat Community Hospital is liable for poor billing practices and poor physician relationships. Actions recommended and corporate compliance plan The hospital has retained some physicians for more that 10 years thus compromising on services. The action that has been taken is to control the period a physician can stay within an i nstitution. Yes, corporate compliance plan is needed. Corporate compliance plan would detect and prevent violation of regulation by the physicians, agents, officers and director of the hospital. Physicians are under the same law no matter the location thus no breaks for rural hospital in dealing with physicians. Question 7 Medicare Initiatives on physician payments The two percent across-the-board cut to Medicare physician remuneration mandated by the centralized budget sequester has been an issue for a while; however implementation was to commence as from April. Physician would compromise service delivery in reaction to payments cut. Health-association infection and readmission payment Since 2009, it is true that Medicare stopped payment of medical

Dq-Sheila Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Dq-Sheila - Essay Example Case studies as well as phenomenological studies are both appropriate for qualitative research (Astalin, 2013). The two research designs start with research questions that direct the type of data to be collected. Interview and observations as well as review of documents are the main sources of information/data to both designs (Cheneli, 2011). Despite being similar in some aspects, case studies and phenomenological studies have differences that make them unique from each other. Phenomenological study gathers information on the life experience of research subjects (Kafle, 2011). This research design is used to illuminate the reaction of the subjects to a specific phenomenon. Case study on the other hand relates to an event or a program that have specific influence on the research subjects in a given environment (Cheneli, 2011). The data collected aim at investigating the exact benefits of a subject being in one environment compared to the other. Due to the nature of the research design, phenomenological study ask questions that aim at exposing inner perceptions of a subject on a particular issues (Kafle, 2011). The interpretation to such information paves way to attaching meaning to reaction. For example, a phenomenological researcher may ask a question like; what is the importance of going through formal education to an individual? This question gives room to the research subject to express their view based on experience. The person will respond to such questions using their live world. A case study on the other hand asks questions whose focus is evaluating the effect of the different surroundings to the research subjects (Hyett et al., 2014). A typical question in a case study could be; what is the best approach to addressing negative external influence in an organization? This question directs the subject to think in line with different

Pros And Cons Of Devolving HR Roles

Pros And Cons Of Devolving HR Roles Human Resource Management (HRM) has become more global and strategic and hence of higher importance to any organisation. Although many companies have recognised it, few are practicing many things in order to make their management of human resources more effective especially working more closely with the line managers. The success of an organization depends heavily on effective Human Resource Management practices and the competency of its human resources. Excellent companies recognize that human resources are their number one asset. This is true in the dynamic organization or industry. Therefore, employees must be adequately trained and retrained to ensure that their knowledge, skill and competency remain relevant and useful. It is a fact that the primary concern of an organization is its variability and hence its efficiency. One of the most distinguished management scientist, Tom Peters mentions in his book, In Search of Excellence using Hewlett Packard (HP) as a successful organisation that has implemented good use of line managers using HRM functions to become successful. He states, Although most top managements assert that their companies care for their people, the excellent companies are distinguished by the intensity and pervasiveness of this concern. He continues to describe this by giving various examples which are interesting to consider. According to him, eighteen out of twenty HP executives that were interviewed spontaneously claimed that the success of their company depends on the companys people-oriented philosophy. It is called the HP Way. It is the tradition of treating every individual with consideration and respect and recognising personal achievements. Dave (co-founder Packard) also believes in this philosophy. The dignity and worth of the individual is a very important part. A philosophy that has been a driving force in the organisations success is, First there should be highly capable, innovative people throughout the organisation second, the organisation should have objectives and leadership which generate enthusiasm at all levels. People in important management positions should not only be enthusiastic themselves, they should be selected for their ability to stimulate enthusiasm among their associates. The introduction to the revised corporate objective statement concludes: Hewlett-Packard should not have a tight, military-type organisation, but rather give people the freedom to work toward overall objectives in ways they determine best for their own areas of responsibility. In short, the most extraordinary trait at HP is uniformity of commitment, the consistency of approach and attitude. Wherever you go in the HP empire, you find people talking product quality, feeling proud of their divisions achievements in that area. HP People at all levels show boundless energy and enthusiasm (In search of Excellence Page 242 -246) To summarise, the philosophy behind this example is that the excellent companies emphasise the philosophy that says, in effect, respect the individual, make people winners, let them stand out, treat people as adults (In search of Excellence Page 277) Many researches in the recent years have highlighted the importance of line managers within HR processes. They carry out various duties of HR functions especially recruitment and selection and undoubtedly play a significant role in guaranteeing that employees are motivated, productive, competent and parallel with the business strategy as well as making sure that the organisation complies with the relevant laws and regulations. A line manager is responsible for an employee or a work group to a higher level of management line who is generally in the lower layer of the management hierarchy and the employees who report to him/her do not themselves have any managerial responsibility. One may find that occasionally a line manager may not have formal management education because he/she is generally promoted from within. The common management duties of a line manager may include as follows: People management Measuring operational performance Organising work allocation and rotas Monitoring work processes Dealing with customer/clients Line managers can play an important role and can assist the process of the revitalisation of an organisation with enhanced customer focus and staff performance. They ensure employees are motivated, productive and competent, and aligned behind the business strategy. They are also vitally important in making sure that the organisation complies with relevant laws and regulations. The people and performance research carried out for the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development (CIPD) by a team at Bath University (Hutchinson, 2003) found that the line managers played a vital role in terms of implementing and enacting HR policies and practices. They found that where employees feel positive about their relationship with their line managers they are more likely to have higher levels of job satisfaction, commitment and loyalty which are associated with higher levels of performance or discretionary behaviour. Discretionary behaviour is defined as that which goes beyond the requirement of the job to give extra performance which can boost the bottom line. Line managers also play the strongest part in structuring peoples actual experience of doing a job. According to an online survey of 121 organisations, collectively employing almost a quarter of a million people, shows that four in five (80.2%) organisations have devolved responsibilities such as managing flexible working requests and handling grievance and disciplinary procedures to line managers over the past few years. And two in three predict the role of line managers will take on even more HR functions over the next few years. (Williams, 2008) Also, another interesting finding was that the line managers claimed to be satisfied with the HR responsibilities that have been devolved to them and are keen to take on activities that relate explicitly to the development of their team. Most line managers report working closely with their HR counterparts and see the configuration moving towards a partnership. The line managers main concern is that a lack of support from HR during the delivery of the service can detract from the overall effectiveness. They also note that junior level line managers are likely to feel less supported by HR and comment that it is merely their high level position that drives the HR-line partnership in their situations. (Susan Whittaker, 2003). The role of line managers in both public and private organisations has changed quite significantly in recent years. The line managers have been allocated more responsibilities and are accountable not only for budgeting and allocating of resources, but most importantly for people management issues as per Hoogenboorn Brewster (1992.). According to some sources such as Storey (1992: 190), he argues that line managers may well be playing a far more central role in labour management than HR personnel. Whereas another source, Hales (2005) traces the greater involvement of line managers in HR issues to two developments. He argues that the line managers have been taking on the role of a coach , conductor or a leader of a highly motivated team as a result of the spread of Human Resource Management and the adoption of more participative forms of management concerned with securing high performance through commitment rather than control. Human Resource Devolvement has led to line managers acquiring middle management functions and becoming mini-general managers accompanied by the loss of supervisory functions downwards to work teams. It is hence more appropriate for line managers to take responsibility for people development since they operate alongside the people they manage and therefore it is argued that that their reactions are more immediate and appropriate (Whittaker and Marchington, 2003). Indeed, across Europe, Larsen and Brewster (2003: 229) suggest, there is now a widespread drive to give line managers more responsibility for the management of their staff and to reduce the extent to which personnel or HR departments control or restrict line management autonomy in this area. Initial research indicates some positive support for line manager HR involvement. Hutchinson and Purcell (2003) found that line manager involvement in coaching, guidance and communication positively influences organisational performance. Likewise, a case study of line manager involvement in HR in the NHS by Currie and Proctor (2001) found that line managers are important contributors to strategic change when provided with discretion in implementing HR strategies within their own work groups. Whittaker and Marchington (2003) maintain that line managers increasingly welcome HR responsibilities and are prepared to take them on as they add variation and challenge to their work. Gibb (2003) argues that requiring line managers to be more involved in the HR issues may also lead to a transformation of managers own attitudes towards HR, organisational change and thus a transformation of human relations at work (Gibb, 2003). By increasing line manager involvement in HR, it is argued that better workplace conditions will result as line managers have better understanding than specialists of the type and range of interventions needed. In this pursuit, line managers are assisted by more effective and user-friendly human resource information systems, new technologies and Human Resource call centres, making it possible for line managers to handle some HR work without the assistance of Human Resource Department. It is seen that a speedy resolution of conflicts and lower rate of employee turnover is possible by moving Human Resources responsibilities closer to employees through line managers. Indeed, providing greater authority to line managers and encouraging greater initiative taking may address a long-standing criticism levelled at HR departments; namely a lack of appreciation of the immediacy of the line managers problems (Harris, L, Doughty, D. Kirk, S. (2002). According to Maxwell and Watson (2006), business partnerships between HR specialists and line managers have emerged as the dominant model for Human Resources operations within organisations. Similarly, Ulrich (2005) outlines the role of HR Strategic Partners as working alongside line managers to help them reach their goals by crafting strategies to maximise productivity through alignment of corporate resources to these goals. We can hence understand that devolving HR responsibilities to line managers offers a number of benefits to organisations. A greater freedom to HR specialists to engage with strategic issues is provided enabling them to forge closer relationships with line managers and a partnership model towards managing employees is developed. Similarly, line managers understand and appreciate the complex nature of dealing with the employee issues and become more encouraged and involved in everyday workplace management tasks. However, line managers have pointed various issues concerning HR involvement despite the above mentioned benefits of participating in HR activities. It will obviously increase their workload by getting involved in HR tasks. Increased workload leads to feelings of incompetence among line managers and reluctance to take responsibility for devolved HR activities. Indeed, this has led to feelings amongst some line managers of being dumped upon (Renwick 2003: 265) or pushed upon to take new HR responsibilities (Harris, L, Doughty, D. Kirk, S. (2002):) due to a climate of fear and mistrust driven by HR. The experience and ability of line managers to take responsibility for HR issues may present a major barrier to devolvement. Both Whittaker and Marchington (2003) and Hailey, V.H., Farndale, E. Truss, C. (2005) suggest that line managers skills and competence in HR practices may be limited and a lack of training in this area will undoubtedly affect a line managers overall effectiveness. I ncapability and misunderstanding of HR practices on the part of line managers will prevent the organisation from developing a strong learning culture (McCracken and Wallace, 2000) with McGovern et al. (1997) arguing that a lack of training may lead to inconsistencies in implementing organisational HR policies potentially exposing the organisation to lawsuits and employment tribunals. Their research though, indicates that management development is not a priority for the top management and reliance on the notion of trial-and-error is prevalent in organisations. Furthermore, the failure of organisations to take a long-term developmental view is exposed by a reluctance to set aside a specific budget for training and the belief that management development is the individuals responsibility. Many line managers get under pressure to meet operational targets, and often struggle to fulfil their people management duties. This is partly because they are not equipped with the tools, skills and knowledge they need to be effective. As a result, managers sometimes effectively abdicate responsibility for aspects of people management. A commonly used phrase is thats HRs job often tends to be heard a lot in many companies whether relating to employee development, managing an individuals performance or dealing with absenteeism issues. Recent research involving nearly 3,000 employers by the Work Foundation and the Institute for Employment Studies found that organisations with a comprehensive, structured approach to people management, covering areas such as recruitment, development plans and employee appraisals, perform better than those without, as indicated by higher profits per employee, higher profit margins and ultimately higher productivity. Sometimes its easy to be critical of managers, but often theyre not properly equipped to be effective. Investment in management training requires clearly set-down policies and procedures. There appears to be lack of clear guidance and easily accessible information, its not surprising that many line managers response when an issue arises is either to pick up the phone to HR or to ignore the problem and hope it would goes away or transfer responsibility to someone else. It is interesting but to be fair to line managers, sometimes part of the problem may also lie with the HR department itself. For all the talk about wanting to devolve more responsibility to the line, in practice HR professionals are sometimes reluctant to trust line managers to manage. They are unwilling to give managers the tools and information they need to do the job effectively: after all, knowledge is power, and by being the gatekeepers of all information relating to employees, policies and processes, HR may feel that it has power. This is clearly not in the long-term interests of the HR function. HR teams must realise that if they are to fulfil their potential and be true partners to the business, then they need to trust their managers with the day-today stuff. This doesnt mean being unsupportive but continued support to line managers to assist them with responsibility for the way that people are managed. It does mean defining strategies and policies and then putting in place the frameworks and the systems that enable managers to take accountability for the day-to-day execution but in a controlled, informed and effective way. Line managers must aim to be more accountable whereas HR professionals being more strategic could assist when working together. Better solutions are needed to support key people management processes and its likely that intelligent use of technology is likely to represent at least part of the answer. Technology-based services offer organisations the potential to give much greater support to their line managers, but in a highly cost-effective way. Line managers can be given tools to walk them through common processes, access to comprehensive information about their employees, guidance on how to manage effectively, and prompts when tasks or actions are due all accessed via a single web-based service. In view of the above, making line managers responsible for the delivery of HR can be complex. Line managers may not possess the required skills needed to implement HR initiatives and may feel ill-equipped or insufficiently trained to accept responsibility for day-to-day HR tasks. Devolving HR responsibilities may also represent a lack of appreciation of the workloads, time pressures and overall priorities of line managers threatening the overall standards of HR delivery across the organisation and diminishing the value of HR. It is found that getting line managers involved in HR tasks is a step towards achieving a more strategic, value-added approach to managing employees. Line managers play an important position in the organisational hierarchy and can directly affect the quality of front-line services. It will greatly increase the existing pressures of excess workload and the need to deliver on short-term priorities by devolving line managers with HR responsibilities. It will also mean the requirement of display of a higher level of HR competency by the line managers which calls for the need for high-quality training programmes for line managers to ensure that they feel confident in discharging their new HR responsibilities. Such training may help organisations avoid costly litigation and damage to their public reputation. HR professionals must engage with line managers and develop a partnership to bring about a speedier resolution to workplace conflicts by allowing line managers to seek guidance and advice whenever required thereby making line managers more responsible for HR. Table 1: Pros and Cons of Devolving HR roles to Line Managers Pros Cons Increase speed of decision -making Line management responsibility for people issues Local management accountability Potential cost savings Strategic role for central HR/IR Short lines of communication Lack of time to perform HR duties Increase in line managers workload Additional costs of training managers Increase in grievances/tribunal cases Potential for HR/IR to be marginalized People management not considered to be part of the line managers job

College Admissions Essay: A Pivotal Time in My Life :: College Admissions Essay

A  Pivotal Time in My Life    My mother read The Yearling aloud to me when I was eight. I have always thought of that time - those nights when she read, seated in the hall outside the bedrooms, my sister listening from her room and me from mine - our rooms were dark, and the light was on Mother, and her voice was clear and expressive; she was a good reader - I have thought of that as a pivotal time in my literature life. Reading for me, until then, had been The Bobbsey Twins, Mary Poppins, Alice in Wonderland, Winnie the Pooh, and Nancy Drew: a combination of classics and schlock, and I loved it all. But it was separate from me. It was not real. They were stories, and they held my interest and made me laugh now and then - but they were never real. But now, with my own father far away on business, my mother sat quietly in that hallway and read of the boy named Jody whose father, bitten by a rattlesnake, is struggling to live. "He pressed his face into hanging covers and cried bitterly," my mother read of Jody (and I, listening, pressed my own face into my pillow in anguish for Jody). "He was torn with hate for all death and pity for all aloneness," she read. It was the book, The Yearling, and its effect on me, that directed my reading from then on. After I had met Jody Baxter, I didn't want to hang out with Nan and Bert Bobbsey ever again.

Distributed Deadlock Detection: Mobile Device Processes Essay

The increasing utilization of mobile devices for development in application usually emphasizes or breaches customary computing methods. A number of obtainable problem solutions, for instance deadlock prevention and avoidance or leader election, are not fitted to situations where clients and servers equally move without restraint all over the network. The free movement of these applications creates interfaces and new events for distributed algorithms and functions that are customarily of no concern. The basic structures of a number of conventional distributed algorithms depend on suppositions, such as location of information, message transmittal and static network properties. The mobility of clients and servers in mobile device systems undermine these basic assumptions. Merely imposing conventional methods of solving problems into the mobile device systems alters the dynamic character of their environments by enforcing limitations, such as restricting device mobility. In effect, new efficient and effective methods for solving distributed issues are needed affecting mobile device systems. In a number of distributed applications there are complicated links between services and information. Mobile devices usually condense services and information like objects in OO (object oriented) programming, expanding and augmenting information and service link by including movement to information and services. In general, mobile devices such as those engaging consensus, transfer of data and database processing distribution must be each other well coordinated to offer services and information access. The advanced synchronization needed in these mobile device-based applications can result to multifarious, complex deadlock scenarios that must be identified and given solution. Conventional deadlock distribution setups are not successful when device mobility and errors are included to the requirement of deadlock resolution. What is more, because of their assumptions, conventional methods such as edge chasing on the global wait-for graph, are insufficient solutions in a mobile device structure. A solution should be developed to address the customary problem of resolution and deadlock detection for mobile device systems. What is Deadlock Deadlock is formally defined as: â€Å"A set of processes is deadlocked if each process in the set is waiting for an event that only another process in the set can cause. † In other words, deadlocks can happen every time limited resources are being competed by processes and these processes are permitted to obtain and hold a lock to the resource. If a process is waiting for resources, the resources it holds will be inaccessible to other processes. If, therefore, process A waits on a resource held by process B, and process B is waiting on one of the resources held by A, a deadlock is occurring. A system obtaining this condition is practically dead and to resume operating it must resolve the deadlock. According to Tenenbaum (1992), the four conditions obtaining a deadlock are: (1) Mutual exclusion. A resource can only be consigned to precisely one resource; (2) Hold and wait. Processes can hold one resource and can request for more; (3) No preemption. Resources cannot be effectively detached from a process; and (4) Circular wait. A circular sequence of processes is required, each process waiting for a resource held by the subsequent member of the sequence. In dealing with deadlocks, there are also four methods generally applied according to Tenenbaum (1992): ignore, detect, prevent, and avoid. Ignoring the problem presents the simplest way to deal with deadlocks. Detection of a deadlock before it occurs is a method trying to identify and locate deadlocks and resolve them. Avoidance of a deadlock is a method that attempts to find out if a deadlock will take place whenever a resource is requested and respond to the request in a way that avoids the occurrence of the deadlock. Prevention of a deadlock is system structuring in such a way that any of the four conditions that permit the possibility of a deadlock cannot take place. Problems with Mobile Devices in Deadlock Detection Breakdown and movement have to be considered in approaching distributed deadlock detection for a mobile device system. For instance, resources and users in conventional distributed deadlock detection do not move about through the system and each server has information about the site of other points that make up the network. In a mobile device system, devices execute operations by going through the source of information and performing locally to gain advantage of locality of reference. The mobile device and the host server can carry on interacting with other resources in the network. In effect, transactions can be distributed over multiple host servers bypassing the node that set off the transaction. Device movement clearly results in problems for algorithms that rely on information of location. In approaches for distributed deadlock detection such as core server or edge chasing, assumptions of location cannot be precluded as data is centrally collected or structured through a sequence of evaluations and verifications. To be able to detect and resolve distributed deadlocks, the processes must be able to pinpoint the nodes initiating the transaction. In a mobile device system, a device’s movement and operations cannot be traced simply. Hence, the device that set off a transaction is not easy to identify, as well as the secondary devices that are involved indirectly. Assumptions regarding location must be applied if a process is to operate efficiently and effectively in a mobile device system. Approach to Distributed Deadlock Detection in Mobile Device Settings The following assumptions illustrate the approach to distributed deadlock detection in mobile device settings: – All types of mobile devices are detached from the structure of the network, and therefore, they cannot move through the network by bypassing the information of how the nodes are linked. – The configuration of the network is immobile or static when the process starts. Priority transactions or two-stage commit are being utilized in standard deadlock avoidance methods. These systems permit the detection and processing of resolution to make certain that a device will not, of its own, unlock or unblock a resource during the process of detection. This feature is important in preventing shadow deadlock detection. – Only a user device can lock or unblock resources when it is actually present at the same location as the resource it is trying to manipulate. This feature permits host servers to convey the particulars being requested by a user device’s resource to its linked deadlock detection complements. A level of coordination between devices or common resources is present. As the devices execute their tasks, resources can be locked. This indicates that they are made solely to an individual user device. – All through the locking process user devices must communicate with the host server. The host is the final validating authority and can permit or reject access to a resource. Given that the host server can disallow the lock request of a device, a respond is needed. Depending on the device’s task, it could block or wait on the resource or it could resume processing and moving through the system.  The validating authority does not instantaneously block the device, as this would restrict flexibility and restrict the dynamic feature of the mobile device setting. – Devices must inform the host server if devices block on the resource. This permits the server to convey the condition of a device to its deadlock detection complements and reject any further request made by the blocked device. Devices that are blocked cannot unblock until the host authorizes their requests. – Devices must be distinctly recognizable the moment they hold a resource. They can be indentified in the device system at the time of the deadlock detection process. The role of identifying nodes may be made before a user device blocks or at the moment they lock a resource only. Overview of the System The mobile device system employs device-adapted methods that are founded in conventional edge-pushing global wait-for graph systems. Particularly, the distributions of the global wait-for graph into in-house maintained divisions and the introduction of deadlock detection examinations are based by conventional solutions. The three kinds of devices occupying the mobile device system are: User Device.  It is the only device in the system that dynamically executes tasks and locks or uses resources. It represents a device that applies the systems. It has no participation in deadlock resolution and detection; Phantom Device. This device is created by host servers and takes charge for keeping the resources locked by a particular user device, tracking it through the network and for starting the deadlock detection point. It further determines the information collected by detection devices to introduce deadlock resolution and detects and retrieves from errors during the process of deadlock detection. It signifies a part of the global wait-for graph; and, Detection Device. Phantom devices create this device when communicated by the host server that their aimed at device has blocked. They are diminutive, very light mobile devices that are tasked for calling hosts and creating the global wait-for graph and for decoding the deadlock condition. Initiating a Deadlock As user devices accomplish tasks, they may of their own lock resources all over the mobile device system. When user devices are created initially, they are not dynamically tracked by the host servers for deadlock detection purposes. The new devices can move without restraint over the network and use resources. User device tracking is done via environment tokens. Every time a device, therefore, approaches at a host server it must submit a token. This token has no significance to the device, and is only utilized by the host servers to manage the process of deadlock detection. User device tracking operations start at the time a device requests a resource lock. Part of permitting the request process is checking for a phantom device by the host server that is linked with the requesting device. If no shadow is present, one is generated and linked with the user device. The user device’s server token is then finally brought up to date to indicate the presence of the newly generated shadow device. When a shadow device is generated for a user device, it enables the host servers to control the process of deadlock detection. Shadow devices are informed of new device locks by host servers through a classified message. The message contains information on deadlock detection, such as the priority and identifier of the resource locked. When a phantom device is created and linked with a user device, they move together all over the network. This harmonized movement is synchronized by instantaneously routing a user’s shadow once the user transmits a passage request to the host server. Notably, this pairing of devices puts limitations on user devices. A user device cannot execute these actions if its linked shadow device is non-existent: moving, locking, and unlocking. The user is informed of the breakdown and the request must be submitted again. This limitation makes certain that the phantom devices will include the precise condition of the wait-for graph, even if they are postponed at the time of sending. Once a user device requests a lock that is rejected by a host server, it could consider blocking and waiting for the resource to be resolved. If the consideration to block is decided, the user device must notify the host server. Host servers respond to blocking information by notifying the user device’s shadow to permit deadlock data to be verified. If the user has no lock held, a shadow device is not present and cannot be notified. This is acceptable since the user device has no other locks held and it cannot be a participant of a distributed deadlock. The host server notifies shadow devices that their target object has blocked or unblocked via a coded message. Blocking and unblocking activities start the process of deadlock initiation. Once the shadow devices have been informed of a block activity, shadow devices inquire the host server to ascertain who is holding the lock on the target object resource. When the host server transmits information to the device identifier on who is holding the lock, a subsequent inquiry is done to ascertain if the device is remote or local. If the locking device is remote, the shadow device initiates the sequence of distributed deadlock detection. If not, no particular processing is occurring. Distributed Deadlock Detection Phantom devices introduce the deadlock detection sequence by creating detection devices. In the creation process, detection devices are commenced with their parent phantom device’s listing of locked resources and the servers where they are situated. This generation of a committed detection device permits a shadow to search at the same time for deadlocks and accordingly respond to other shadow detectors. When initiated, detector devices visit the locked resources by their aimed at user device. By noting the location of the network of each locked resource, routing of detector devices is speeded up. Each visit of the detector device in a resource, they inquire the host server to ascertain if other devices on that resource are blocked. If there are blocked devices found, their linked shadow device is located by the detector and inquires for their deadlock detection data. The processing happens at the same time for every blocked device on a resource held by an offsite device. The deadlock detection response is a list of recorded deadlock detection data that could include the following: Name of the Device. The distinctive identifier information of the user device; Resource Blocked. The resource that the device is blocked with, that includes the unique name of the resource, the user device that has this resource being locked, the server’s name that holds this resource, and the resource’s priority; Basic Locks. The list of basic locks or resources as held by this device. Relevant data regarding a user device that is blocked on a resource is summarized in each deadlock detection record. This information is included at each resource to the deadlock detection table of the detector since the device is blocked on a resource that is held by the detector’s object target. Because these devices are blocked on a resource that is held by another device, their overall detection table is being held indirectly by that device. The secondary information is applicable because blocked devices cannot act to release resources at the same time waiting for the locked resource by a detector’s object target. At the time a detector device visits every resources that were put in its initial array of locks, it goes back to its initial host server. When it arrives, the detector device notifies its shadow that it has came back and conveys its assembled deadlock table. The shadow device ascertains this table, which depicts the global wait-for graph, to make certain the presence of a deadlock. Shadow devices employ their target user device as a key to deadlock detection. If their target device shows in the table communicated by the detector, the target device is waiting on a resource as held by itself. Apparently a deadlock is present because the target device is blocked and that resource can never be released. Shadow devices perform recovery from breakdowns at the time of a deadlock detection point. Detection of a failure is performed through a running cycle calculation delay. Each shadow device is initialized with a fixed cycle time delay depending on the network type and its features. Shadow devices assume that their detector devices will be able to determine all of the required locks in less than four times the optimum delay cycle. When a detector device does not give a response in the optimal time allowed, the shadow device expects that a failure occurs and creates a new device detector to carry on the process of the failed device. Conclusion The suppositions of conventional distributed deadlock systems prevent them from successful completion in a mobile device setting. A successful detection and resolution of a mobile device distributed deadlocks applies the advantages of the mobile device model. The principal features of the advanced method, in particular, that separate it from the conventional solutions could be: reference locality, structure independence, asynchronous process, unrestricted movement, and fault tolerance. These features are accomplished through an independent platform, mobile device distributed deadlock detection resolution. The devices that use resources in the mobile device system are differentiated from the deadlock detection process. This differentiation generates dedicated devices for deadlock initialization, resolution, and detection. These devices are totally fitted to the features of the mobile device setting and operate together to perform a comprehensive distributed deadlock detection resolution. Mobile device settings demand structure flexibility and tolerance of fault. Integrating these properties and features into a mobile device solution affects overall performance. The features need further developing and messages. Because of the congruent nature of mobile device settings, there is no definite fact that these further messages do significantly affect deadlock detection efficiency and effectiveness. In addition, the insufficiency of comparable device solutions poses comparison and examination non-conclusive.

Financial Analysis of Microsoft Corporation The WritePass Journal

Financial Analysis of Microsoft Corporation Financial Analysis of Microsoft Corporation IntroductionBACKGROUND OF MICROSOFTDESCRIPTION AND ANALYSIS OF MICROSOFT’ PERFORMANCE OVERTIME  Balance sheet for Microsoft Corporation as at 30th June 2011. (Annually)COMPARISON OF MOCROSOFT PERFORMANCE WITH SP 500 (MARKET) USING T-TESTConclusion:ANALYSIS OF MICROSOFT PERFORMANCE WITH CAPMBIBLIOGRAPHYRelated Introduction BACKGROUND OF MICROSOFT Microsoft is the most prominent technology corporation in the world that deals with computers according to posts from big history.net. ’’ With annual revenues of more than $32 billion, Microsoft Corporation is more than the largest software company in the world: it is a cultural phenomenon. The companys core business is based on developing, manufacturing, and licensing software products, including operating systems, server applications, business and consumer applications, and software development tools, as well as Internet software, technologies, and services’’. fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/Microsoft-Corporation-Company-History.html ‘’The name of the famous person – Bill Gates comes in one’s mind with mention of   the name of Microsoft. He is the founder of the company and is believed to be the smartest programmers ever.’’ bighistory.net/microsoft-a-short-history/. Led by him, Microsoft had witnessed its heydays and has been able to have its product on almost every personal computer in the world, and in the process creating standards in the technology industry as well as market re-definition. ‘’Gates was first exposed to computers at school in the late 1960s with his friend Paul Allen, the son of two Seattle librarians. By the time Gates was 14; the two friends were writing and testing computer programs for fun and profit. In 1972 they established their first company, Traf-O-Data, which sold a rudimentary computer that recorded and analyzed traffic data. Allen went on to study computer science at the University of Washington and then dropped out to work at Honeywell, while Gates enrolled at Harvard. Inspired in 1975 by an issue of Popular Electronics that showed the new Altair microcomputer kit just released by MITS Computer, Gates and Allen wrote a version of BASIC for the machine. Later that year Gates left college to work full time developing programming languages for the Altair, and he and Allen relocated to Albuquerque, New Mexico, to be near MITS Computer, where Allen took a position as director of software development. Gates and Allen named their partn ership Micro-soft’’. fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/Microsoft-Corporation-Company-History.html. The word Microsoft was developed from two different words, micro from microcomputer and soft from software. The name was registered in New Mexico with the secretary of state in November 1976. On November 1978, the first international office of Microsoft was established in Japan and its name was ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange). It is now known as Microsoft Japan. In January 1979 the company’s headquarters was moved to Bellevue Washington. bighistory.net/microsoft-a-short-history/. In the early 80’s, Microsoft witnessed a period of great success when IBM contracted the company to develop an operating system for its personal computers (PC), which was underway. In the late 80’s Microsoft issued IPOs (initial public offering) of over two million shares and in the space of one year the price or the shares tripled and in the process making Gates a billionaire at about thirty years of age. Nonetheless, the company had lots of critics and legal cases against it from competitors and the likes. Microsoft success was further heightened by the tech bubble of the 2000 following the release of the windows XP, windows 2000,the acquisition of Visio corporation which stood as the largest acquisition in the life of Microsoft so far   with transaction value of about One and half a billion dollars. The company also spread its tentacles into the world of gaming with their popularly known X-BOX which has remained a success till date. DESCRIPTION AND ANALYSIS OF MICROSOFT’ PERFORMANCE OVERTIME   Key Dates: 1975: Microsoft is founded by Bill Gates and Paul Allen; they sell BASIC, the first PC computer language program to MITS Computer, Microsofts first customer. 1981: Microsoft, Inc. is incorporated; IBM uses Microsofts 16-bit operating system for its first personal computer. 1982: Microsoft, U.K., Ltd. is incorporated. 1983: Paul Allen resigns as executive vice-president but remains on the board; Jon Shirley is made president of Microsoft (he later becomes CEO); Microsoft introduces the Microsoft Mouse and Word for MS-DOS 1.00. 1985: Microsoft and IBM forge a joint development agreement. 1986: Microsoft stock goes public at $21 per share. 1987: The Company’s first CD-ROM application, Microsoft Bookshelf, is released. 1990: Jon Shirley retires as president and CEO; Michael R. Hallman is promoted in Shirleys place; the company becomes the first PC software firm to surpass $1 billion of sales in a single year. 1992: Bill Gates is awarded the National Medal of Technology for Technological Achievement. 1993: The Company introduces Windows NT. 1995: Bill Gates publishes his first book, The Road Ahead. 1996: The Company acquires Vermeer Technologies and its software application, FrontPage. 1997: The Justice Department alleges that Microsoft violated a 1994 consent decree concerning licensing the Windows operating system to computer manufacturers. 1998: The U.S. Department of Justice files two antitrust cases against Microsoft, alleging the company had violated the Sherman Act. 2000: The Company acquires Visio Corporation, its largest acquisition to date. 2001: Microsoft Windows XP is released internationally. 2003: Microsoft launches Windows Server 2003. 2007: Microsoft launches Windows vista 2009: Microsoft launches windows 7 Source: fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/Microsoft-Corporation-Company-History.html Balance sheet for Microsoft Corporation as at 30th June 2011. (Annually) Assets [+] in Millions of Dollars 06/2010 06/2009 06/2008 06/2007 06/2006 Cash and Equivalents 5,505 6,076 10,339 6,111 6,714 Restrictable Cash Marketable Securities 31,283 25,371 13,323 17,300 27,447 Accounts Receivable 13,014 11,192 13,589 11,338 9,316 Loans Receivable Other Receivables Receivables 13,014 11,192 13,589 11,338 9,316 Inventories, Raw Materials 172 170 417 435 465 Inventories, Work in Progress 16 45 31 148 Inventories, Purchased Components Inventories, Finished Goods 552 502 537 544 1,013 Inventories, Other Inventories, Adjustments Allowances Inventories 740 717 985 1,127 1,478 Prepaid Expenses Current Deferred Income Taxes 2,184 2,213 2,017 1,899 1,940 Other Current Assets 2,950 3,711 2,989 2,393 2,115 Total Current Assets 55,676 49,280 43,242 40,168 49,010 Land and Improvements 526 526 518 428 362 Buildings and Improvement 8,187 7,824 6,030 4,247 3,146 Machinery, Furniture and Equipment 7,546 6,732 5,996 4,691 3,715 Construction in Progress Fixed Assets, Other Fixed Assets, Total 16,259 15,082 12,544 9,366 7,223 Gross Fixed Assets 16,259 15,082 12,544 9,366 7,223 Accumulated Depreciation (8,629) (7,547) (6,302) (5,016) (4,179) Net Fixed Assets 7,630 7,535 6,242 4,350 3,044 Intangibles 1,158 1,759 1,973 878 539 Cost in Excess 12,394 12,503 12,108 4,760 3,866 Non-Current Deferred Income Taxes 279 949 1,389 2,611 Other Non-Current Assets 9,255 6,532 8,279 11,626 10,527 Total Non-Current Assets 30,437 28,608 29,551 23,003 20,587 Total Assets 86,113 77,888 72,793 63,171 69,597 Liabilities [+] in Millions of Dollars 06/2010 06/2009 06/2008 06/2007 06/2006 Accounts Payable 4,207 5,008 4,034 3,247 2,909 Short Term Debt 1,000 2,000 Notes Payable Accrued Expenses Accrued Liabilities 3,283 3,156 2,934 2,325 1,938 Deferred Revenues 13,652 13,003 13,397 10,779 9,138 Current Deferred Income Taxes 1,557 Other Current Liabilities 4,005 3,867 9,521 7,403 6,900 Total Current Liabilities 26,147 27,034 29,886 23,754 22,442 Long Term Debt 4,939 3,746 Deferred Income Tax 229 Other Non-Current Liabilities 8,623 7,550 6,621 8,320 7,051 Minority Interest Capital Lease Obligations Preferred Securities of Subsidiary Trust Preferred Equity Outside Shareholders Equity Total Non-Current Liabilities 13,791 11,296 6,621 8,320 7,051 Total Liabilities 39,938 38,330 36,507 32,074 29,493 Preferred Shareholders Equity Common Shareholders Equity 46,175 39,558 36,286 31,097 40,104 Common Par 62,856 62,382 62,849 Additional Paid in Capital 60,557 59,005 Cumulative Translation Adjustments 149 Retained Earnings (16,681) (22,824) (26,563) (31,114) (20,130) Treasury Stock Other Equity Adjustments 1,505 1,229 Total Capitalization 51,114 43,304 36,286 31,097 40,104 Total Equity 46,175 39,558 36,286 31,097 40,104 Total Liabilities Shareholders Equity 86,113 77,888 72,793 63,171 69 Closing price =$25.51 Volume sold =25.16m Source:answers.com/main/dsdata?dsid=2940templateid=0cid=27590212qm_page=30703. [Accessed 4 April 2011]. With more descriptive statistics, we can also examine the performance of Microsoft on a monthly basis from the year 1988- 2009 using returns (unit%) See excel for descriptive statistics. Microsoft return (unit %) Market return (unit %) Mean 0.021622876 Mean 0.857870722 Standard Error 0.00618845 Standard Error 0.269942879 Median 0.022084196 Median 1.41 Mode 0.064221396 Mode 1.78 Standard Deviation 0.100359793 Standard Deviation 4.377737838 Sample Variance 0.010072088 Sample Variance 19.16458858 Kurtosis 1.421423202 Kurtosis 1.709578314 Skewness 0.366537791 Skewness -0.812673531 Range 0.751310392 Range 29.51 Minimum -0.343529412 Minimum -18.46 Maximum 0.40778098 Maximum 11.05 Sum 5.686816298 Sum 225.62 Count 263 Count 263 From the descriptive statistics above, Microsoft has a positive skewness unlike the market whose skewness is negative, this indicates that Microsoft has a better flow or return than the market. It could also be noted that Microsoft is (1) standard deviation away from its mean whereas the market is (4) standard deviation away from its mean, this means that the returns of Microsoft had not been too volatile over the years and return on stocks are less risky. COMPARISON OF MOCROSOFT PERFORMANCE WITH SP 500 (MARKET) USING T-TEST See t-test on Excel   Ã‚  Ã‚   H0: Microsoft did not outperform the market   Ã‚  Ã‚   H1: Microsoft outperformed the market t-Test: Paired Two Sample for Means    Variable 1 Variable 2 Mean 0.021622876 0.857870722 Variance 0.010072088 19.16458858 Observations 263 263 Pearson Correlation 0.539530773 Hypothesized Mean Difference 0 df 262 t Stat -3.136067434 P(T=t) one-tail 0.000953757 t Critical one-tail 1.650690284 P(T=t) two-tail 0.001907515 t Critical two-tail 1.969059657 Conclusion: From the t-Test above, since the t-stats is greater in value than the   t -critical (irrespective of the -ve sign), we need to accept the alternative hypothesis (H1) which says that Microsoft outperformed the market and reject the Null hypothesis (H0) which says that Microsoft did not outperform the market. We can also infer this conclusion by looking at the P- value, here we can see that the p- value is less than the significance level of .05, therefore we need to accept the alternative hypothesis (H1). ANALYSIS OF MICROSOFT PERFORMANCE WITH CAPM Regression Statistics Multiple R 0.258985259 R Square 0.067073365 Adjusted R Square 0.063498933 Standard Error 0.185690508 Observations 263 ANOVA    df SS MS F Significance F Regression 1 0.647027164 0.647027164 18.764764 2.11102E-05 Residual 261 8.999531777 0.034480965 Total 262 9.646558942    Coefficients Standard Error t Stat P-value Lower 95% Upper 95% Lower 95.0% Upper 95.0% Intercept -0.32415329 0.011530623 -28.1123831 6.17385E-81 -0.346858177 -0.30145 -0.34686 -0.30145 X Variable 1 0.011371441 0.002625088 4.331831484 2.11102E-05 0.006202393 0.01654 0.006202 0.01654 CAPM :- E(R)=RF+ÃŽ ²[RM-RF] By substituting the CAPM formula into the regression, we have Y= ÃŽ ±+ÃŽ ²x+e Y = dependent variable ÃŽ ± = intercept ÃŽ ² = co-efficient of independent variable e =error When x=0, ÃŽ ± is an estimate of Y, then excess return of Microsoft would be given as: Excess return= -0.32415329+0.011371441+0.185690508 Adjusted R Square = 0.063498933 The adjusted R Square indicates that 6.3% of the variability in the excess return of Microsoft is explained by the market. I.e. for every percentage change of return in the market, Microsoft’s return changes by 6.3%.    BIBLIOGRAPHY Andrews, Paul. How the Web Was Won: Microsoft from Windows to the Web: The Inside Story of How Bill Gates and His Band of Internet Idealists Transformed a Software Empire. New York: Random House, 1999. Consuming, Michael A., Microsoft Secrets: How the Worlds Most Powerful Software Company Creates Technology, Shapes Markets, and Manages People, New York: Free Press, 1995, 512 p. Desmond, Edward W., Microsofts Big Bet on Small Machines, Fortune, July 20, 1998, pp. 86-90. EU, Microsoft Clash Over Monopoly Ruling, Associated Press, April 29, 2004. Evers, Joris, Ballmer: Windows Server 2003 Does More with Less, IDG News Service (San Francisco Bureau). France, Mike, Microsoft: The View at Halftime, Business Week, January 25, 1999, p. 78. Hamm, Steve, No LetupAnd No Apologies: Antitrust Scrutiny Hasnt Eased Microsofts Competitiveness, Business Week, October 26, 1998, p. 58. Higgins, David, The Man Who Owns the Future, Sydney Morning Herald, March 14, 1998, p. 1. Iceboat, Daniel, and Susan L. Knepper, The Making of Microsoft: How Bill Gates and His Team Created the Worlds Most Successful Software Company, Rocklin, Calif.: Prima Publishing, 1991, 304 p. Ichbiah, Daniel, and Susan L. Knepper. The Making of Microsoft: How Bill Gates and His Team Created the Worlds Most Successful Software Company. New York: St. Martins, 1991. Isaacson, Walter, In Search of the Real Bill Gates, Time Magazine, January 13, 1997, pp. 44+. Kirkpatrick, David, He Wants All Your BusinessAnd Hes Starting to Get It, Fortune, May 26, 1997, pp. 58+. Kirkpatrick, David, Microsoft: Is Your Company Its Next Meal?, Fortune, April 27, 1998, pp. 92-102. Krantz, Michael, If You Cant Beat Em Will Bill Gates Bailout Save AppleOr Just Strengthen Microsofts Hand in the Web Wars?, Time Magazine, August 18, 1997, pp. 35+. Manes, Stephen, and Paul Andrews, Gates: How Microsofts Mogul Reinvented an IndustryAnd Made Himself the Richest Man in America, New York: Doubleday, 1993. Mardesich, Jodi, Whats Weighing Down Microsoft?, Fortune, January 11, 1999, pp. 147-48. McKenzie, Richard B., Trust on Trial: How the Microsoft Case Is Reframing the Rules of Competition, Perseus Publishing, 2000. Microsoft Corporation. Inside Out: Microsoft- In Our Own Words. New York: Warner Books, 2000. Moody, Fred, I Sing the Body Electronic: A Year with Microsoft on the Multimedia Frontier, New York: Viking, 1995, 311 p. Nocera, Joseph, High Noon, Fortune, November 23, 1998, pp. 162+. Pollock, Andrew, Media; Microsoft Makes Another Interactive TV Investment, New York Times, January 24, 2000. Schlender, Brent, What Bill Gates Really Wants, Fortune, January 16, 1995, pp. 34+. Stross, Randall E., The Microsoft Way: The Real Story of How the Company Outsmarts Its Competition, Reading, Mass.: Addison-Wesley Publishing, 1996, 318 p. Wallace, James, and Jim Erickson, Hard Drive: Bill Gates and the Making of the Microsoft Empire, New York: Wiley, 1992, 426 p. Source: International Directory of Company Histories, Vol.63. St. James Press, 2004. answers.com/topic/microsoft#ixzz1Ia9E8U5d answers.com/main/dsdata?dsid=2940templateid=0cid=27590212qm_page=30703 bighistory.net/microsoft-a-short-history/ fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/Microsoft-Corporation- Company-History.html

John Keats-ode to autumn Essays

John Keats-ode to autumn Essays John Keats-ode to autumn Paper John Keats-ode to autumn Paper This is the last poem Keats wrote and is an ode, which is a lyric poem addressed to a person or thing and deals with one main idea. The romantic poets like Wordsworth, Shelley and Keats used this form of poem a lot. The Romantics wrote of many things in their poems and believed their emotions and their imagination were very important. In this poem the main subject is autumn which Keats relates to love, death and immortality (Romantics were interested in these areas). He describes Autumns rich images and uses them as symbols for his own feelings. Keats uses a mature language to convey a Romantics view of Autumn and nature. In the first stanza we are straight away led into the idea of something which is warm, pleasant, smooth and full of richness autumn.. The word autumn is never used except in the title so we only know its autumn because of the way Keats paints us a picture with words. With words like mellow and fruitfulness being used. Keats then talks of the sun and how it ripens everything in a completed and full way, And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core.. This shows how Keats believes autumn begins and summer ends, with the growth and ripeness of fruit and plants. He uses detailed, complex and innovative language to describe a maturing and full Autumn. For example, when talking about the ripening fruit of autumn And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core and To swell the gourd and plump the hazel shells. The use of those words swell and plumpin this context presents a very real picture. He shows use a summer leaving and a Autumn entering in abundance and an idea of love. The line .. later flowers for the bees, Until they think warm days will never cease, shows how autumn can come slowly in with warm sun and late flowers such that the bees may think it is still summer. Maybe this all relates to Keats and shows he had reached the ripest point of his career. The second stanza is Autumn described in a very strong way and shows us very visual ideas. Keats in this stanza represents Autumn as a person or spirit using words such as seated, sleeping and watching which are all things one does. For example, in the lines Sometimes whoever seeks abroad may find. Thee sitting careless on a granary floor, Thy hair soft-lifted Keats clearly shows autumn as a person, using the pronoun thee and words such as careless which can only apply to people. Another example is when he writes: Steady thy laden head across a brook; Or by a cider -press with patient look with the word patient clearly a human quality. This personification is very good at getting across the feeling of an autumn day the furrows are half-reaped there is a winnowing wind but it is not cold and bitter like winter because he writes they hair soft lifted by the winnowing wind. In this second stanza, he also shows what Autumn has and brings its characteristics and occupations. This stanza has a feeling of contentment and yet impermanence, the cider reaches its last oozings and the harvest is finishing while thy hook spares the next swath . Autumn reaches its peak but the peak is slowly fading. Talk of drugs to ease pain was mentioned Drowsed with the fume of poppies. This was linking with one of the Romantics pastimes but maybe also the pain-relief for Keats. He describes corn being hooked and cider being pressed. All of this stanza may again relate to Keats life as he knew of his illness and death was beginning to enter his thoughts. The last stanza is important and uses brilliant and poetic language with Keats showing his joy in words. Music is an important topic here with with Keats claiming that, like spring, autumn has its own music .. thou hast thy music too and he used words such as choir, sing, soft, treble and twitter. The gnats are a wailful choir; the hedge-crickets sing and now with treble soft, The redbreast whistles. But also there is a contrasting and somewhat overpowering topic of death and winter. This is portrayed in lines such as While barred clouds bloom the soft-dying day, and Then in a wailful choir, the small gnats mourn telling us they are about to die. The stanza hints at eternal beauty present which Keats was interested in and searched for in the lines hedge crickets sing redbreast whistles gathering swallows twitter and full grown lambs bleat we are given a picture of life . I like his description of how the sinking sun touches the stubble-plains with rosy hue. The last five lines in the stanza stand out with sounds combining to give a low drone and feeling of time. The stanza gives a feeling of rising and falling in comparative ways as it leads into winter a cold and dark month. The swallows are gathering getting ready to leave for warmer countries and the clouds bloom the soft dying day . The winter relates to Keats as he was near death and Im sure he thought very deeply as he wrote the last stanza. The whole poem presents a different and very imaginative view of nature. The poem has a varied rhythm similar to a sonnet and it is very interesting how the poem is still full of richness even thought only one simile was used .. like a gleaner . This poem shows Keats as a Romantic and shows his skill at describing his life in terms of nature and at the same time bringing to life a picture of an English autumn. Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE John Keats section.

Environmental Issues Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Environmental Issues - Term Paper Example Mahli et al. (2008) support production of carbon dioxide by natural activities and the existence of a natural process for balancing the emission and removal of the gas into and from the atmosphere. The carbon dioxide produced by humans is minimal enough to be absorbed by the oceans. On the other hand, Turk and Bensel (2011) attribute the change in carbon dioxide composition to burning of fossil fuels by humans. It is believed that no one is sure why the climate keeps changing. The available information on climatic systems is minimal to attribute global warming to specific initiators. Therefore, since ancient climate was a natural event, even the modern changes could be attributed to natural factors. Opponents of this motion argue that the current warming greatly supersedes what was experienced in the ancient period. Hence, there could be some external influence – human activities. A new ice age had been predicted decades ago based on the previous alternation between about 100,000 years of ice age and about 10,000 to 30,000 years of warm interglacial periods. Despite the earth completing its 10,000th interglacial year, this appears elusive (Mahli et al., 2008). Global warming has been predicted to exist in many decades to come (Turk & Bensel, 2011). There has been no measure to prove that the current warming results from global warming. It could therefore be a result of a shift in the planetary reflectivity of the earth thus increased absorption; internal climatic system variation that causes the transfer of heat from one region of the earth onto the atmosphere; or the sun’s increased output (Zahran et al., 2007). However, direct observation negates these arguments. Human beings being the cause of global warming have the power to stop it. Governments have exhibited commitment to reduce emissions by between 50 and 80 percent by the year 2050 (Turk &

Definition Argument Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Definition Argument - Essay Example The thought of a private word used in my generation is awesome. If an older person gets online, they will not know what woot means. The term "w00t" (pronounced, and sometimes spelled, "woot"; IPA pronunciation: [wuË t]) is a slang interjection used to express happiness or excitement, most often expressed via the Internet. (Wikipeida 2006) An interjection similar to "YAYE!" or "Woohoo!" used to express joy or excitement, usually about some kind of accomplishment. Primarily used by gamers, spreading rapidly to anyone who chats online. (URBAN dictionary 2006) The current-day use of the word w00t stems from hackers in the early to mid 80s.While communicating with each other groups of hackers such as Razor1911 would need lingo which nobody else would be able to understand to express milestones in their hacking. One such milestone was gaining root access, but the term rooted or "gained root access" was easily understood so the term was changed to w00t to help disguise. Because of the difficulty of "rooting" many times the term w00t would be much in a celebratory tone. It later evolved to simply be a celebratory remark rather than a hacking milestone. (URBAN Dictionary 2006) One game on the Internet is â€Å"World of Warcraft†. I enjoy playing this game. Whenever someone wins, they furiously typed woot. Even though at first I did not know what it meant, I would reciprocate. Eventually woot has become part of my online vocabulary. Woot became a word with meaning to me. Even if it is not in the dictionary, woot is real to me. That makes it a word to me, but not everyone plays games online. The reason I chose and like woot is its conveyance of my exact emotion, even though it is absent from the dictionary. How do you explain the ecstasy of defeating unseen people on the Internet? I know all of my friends’ screen names, but most I only know online. That feeling cannot be articulated by the â€Å"real world’s† dictionary. All of gamers my age use this