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Monday, September 30, 2019

Finance Midterm

FINA300 Fall 2011 Benedictine University 100 points Name: ___________________________________________________ 1) Which of the following statements is CORRECT? a. The New York Stock Exchange is an auction market, and it has a physical location. b. Home mortgage loans are traded in the money market. c. If an investor sells shares of stock through a broker, then it would be a primary market transaction. d. Capital markets deal only with common stocks and other equity securities. e. While the distinctions are blurring, investment banks generally specialize in lending money, whereas commercial banks generally help companies raise capital from other parties. (2) Which of the following statements is CORRECT? a. A hostile takeover is the main method of transferring ownership interest in a corporation. b. A corporation is a legal entity created by a state, and it has a life and existence that is separate from the lives and existence of its owners and managers. c. Unlimited liability and limited life are two key advantages of the corporate form over other forms of business organization. . Limited liability is an advantage of the corporate form of organization to its owners (stockholders), but corporations have more trouble raising money in financial markets because of the complexity of this form of organization. e. Although the stockholders of the corporation are insulated by limited legal liability, the legal status of the corporation does not protect the firmâ€℠¢s managers in the same way, i. e. , bondholders can sue its managers if the firm defaults on its debt. 3) The retained earnings account on the balance sheet does not represent cash. Rather, it represents part of the stockholders' claim against the firm's existing assets. Put another way retained earnings are stockholders' reinvested earnings. a. True b. False (4) In finance, we are generally more interested in cash flows than in accounting profits. Free cash flow (FCF) is calculated as after-tax operating income plus depreciation less the sum of capital expenditures and changes in net working capital. a. True b. False 5) Other things held constant, which of the following actions would increase the amount of cash on a company’s balance sheet? a. The company repurchases common stock. b. The company pays a dividend. c. The company issues new common stock. d. The company gives customers more time to pay their bills. e. The company purchases a new piece of equipment 6) Ryngard Corp's sales last year were $38,000, and its total assets were $16,000. What was its total assets turnover ratio (TATO)? a. 2. 04 b. 2. 14 c. 2. 26 d. 2. 38 e. 2. 49 7) A new firm is developing its business plan. It will require $615,000 of assets, and it projects $450,000 of sales and $355,000 of operating costs for the first year. Management is reasonably sure of these numbers because of contracts with its customers and suppliers. It can borrow at a rate of 7. 5%, but the bank requires it to have a TIE of at least 4. 0, and if the TIE falls below this level the bank will call in the loan and the firm will go bankrupt. What is the maximum debt ratio the firm can use? (Hint: Find the maximum dollars of interest, then the debt that produces that interest, and then the related debt ratio. ) a. 41. 94% b. 44. 15% c. 46. 47% d. 48. 92% e. 51. 49% 8) Which of the following could explain why a business might choose to operate as a corporation rather than as a sole proprietorship or a partnership? a. Corporations generally face fewer regulations. b. Less of a corporation’s income is generally subject to federal taxes. c. Corporate shareholders are exposed to unlimited liability, but this factor is offset by the tax advantages of incorporation. d. Corporate investors are exposed to unlimited liability. e. Corporations generally find it easier to raise large amounts of capital. (9) You recently sold 200 shares of Disney stock, and the transfer was made through a broker. This is an example of: a. A money market transaction. b. A primary market transaction. c. A secondary market transaction. d. A futures market transaction. e. An over-the-counter market transaction 10) Below are the 2007 and 2008 year-end balance sheets for Tran Enterprises: Assets:20082007 Cash$ 200,000$ 170,000 Accounts receivable864,000700,000 Inventories 2,000,000 1,400,000 Total current assets$3,064,000$2,270,000 Net fixed assets 6,000,000 5,600,000 Total assets$9,064,000$7,870,000 Liabilities and equity: Accounts payable$1,400,000$1,090,000 Notes payable 1,600,000 1,800,000 Total current liabilities$3,000,000$2,890,000 Long-term debt 2,400,000 2,400,000 Common stock 3,000,000 2,000,000 Retained earnings 664,000 580,000 Total common equity$3,664,000$2,580,000 Total liabilities and equity$9,064,000$7,870,000 The firm has never paid a dividend on its common stock, and it issued $2,400,000 of 10-year, non-callable, long-term debt in 2007. As of the end of 2008, none of the principal on this debt had been repaid. Assume that the company’s sales in 2007 and 2008 were the same. Which of the following statements must be CORRECT? a. The firm increased its short-term bank debt in 2008. b. The firm issued long-term debt in 2008. . The firm issued new common stock in 2008. d. The firm repurchased some common stock in 2008. e. The firm had negative net income in 2008. (11) Chang Corp. has $375,000 of assets, and it uses only common equity capital (zero debt). Its sales for the last year were $595,000, and its net income was $25,000. Stockholders recently voted in a new management team that has promised to lower costs and get the return on equity up to 15. 0%. What profit margin would the firm need in order to achieve the 15% ROE, holding everything else constant? a. 9. 45% b. . 93% c. 10. 42% d. 10. 94% e. 11. 49% 11) Which of the following statements is CORRECT? a. Most rapidly growing companies have positive free cash flows because cash flows from existing operations generally exceed fixed asset purchases and changes to net working capital. b. Changes in working capital have no effect on free cash flow. c. Free cash flow (FCF) is defined as follows: FCF =EBIT(1 – T) + Depreciation – Capital expenditures required to sustain operations – Required changes in net working capital. d. Free cash flow (FCF) is defined as follows: FCF = EBIT(1 – T) + Capital expenditures. e. Managers should be less concerned with free cash flow than with accounting net income. Accounting net income is the â€Å"bottom line† and represents how much the firm can distribute to all its investors- both creditors and stockholders. (12) Last year Harrington Inc. had sales of $325,000 and a net income of $19,000, and its year-end assets were $250,000. The firm's total-debt-to-total-assets ratio was 45. 0%. Based on the DuPont equation, what was the ROE? a. 13. 82% b. 14. 51% c. 15. 23% d. 16. 00% e. 16. 80%

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Concussions Research

Every year â€Å"hundred of thousands college and high school student athletes receive sport related concussions† (Meadows 107-108). Not only do the athletes who play the hard hitting contact sports such as football and hockey receive concussions, the basketball players and soccer players receive them as well. Even though most of the concussions received were mild or grade 1 concussion â€Å"athletes still receive severe symptoms due to being able to participate too soon† (Solomos 2435-2436). In order to protect college and high school athletes, colleges and high schools have to take concussions more seriously and adopt new safety guidelines for concussions injuries. It is necessary for athletes to know the dangers of concussions. A concussion happen when an â€Å"impact to the head makes the brain move around in the skull† (Vance A36-A38). Due to the force of the impact concussions can cause minor or major head trauma. There are three different stages or grades of concussions â€Å"A minor concussion or grade one concussion may involve being dazed, head ringing, a minor headache, and a very brief loss of consciousness. A more severe concussion such as a grade 2 concussion may cause being blacked out, confusion, a pounding headache, and blurred vision. The most server concussion or grade 3 concussion may cause being blacked out, nausea or vomiting, loss of short term memory, and saying the same thing over and over†(Cunha 581-585). The most dangerous symptoms occur when a player is cleared to play before he/she has fully recovered from their concussion. When an athlete is cleared to play before he/she has fully recovered that is when death can occur. Not only are concussions common in college sports but concussions are more common and more dangerous in high school sports. In an experiment done by American Family Physician writer Richard Sadovsky found out many interesting facts about college and high school athletes who suffer from concussions. â€Å"According to Sadovsky college athletes had a higher rate of loss of consciousness than high school athletes, but at 24 hours after injury, longer memory impairment was higher in high school athletes†(171-172). Also Sadovsky found out that â€Å"post concussion symptoms lasted longer in high school athletes then in college athletes† (171-172). Sadovsky also concluded â€Å"that neuropsychological recovery was slower in high school athletes† (171-172). To explain the difference between college and high school, the author stated that there is â€Å"more prolonged cerebral swelling in less mature brains† (Sadovsky 171-172). Another reason why high school athletes have more dangerous symptoms is because not all athletes in high school are well trained or in shape for the sport they play. Male athletes aren’t they only ones who have to worry about concussions, according to Time â€Å"female athletes suffer from more concussions than male athletes do† (Gregory 69-70). Even though contact sports such as football and hockey have the highest rates of concussions studies show that female athletes actually suffer from concussions more then males do in sports that both males and females can play. One reason is that female athletes are more common to report a concussions then male athletes. But there are â€Å"anatomical reasons that explain why females are more likely to have a concussion diagnosed† (Gregory 69-70). The top reason why females receive more concussions then males is because research proves that men’s necks are 20% larger and 50% stronger then women’s necks†(Gregory 69-70). This is important because with bigger stronger neck muscles the athlete can balance the head during impact and lower the chances of brain being moved around during a collision. Another reason why girls suffer more concussions is because of the way they play. Kevin Guskiewicz, director of the Sports Medicine Research Laboratory at the University of North Carolina, â€Å"has found that female athletes are more likely than male athletes to land on the floor or field with their knees locked† (Gregory 69-70). This is important because with their knees lock they have less balance, and with less balance increases there chances of hitting the ground or another player. Reference http://www.emedicinehealth.com/concussion/article_em.htm

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Flexible Firm Hrm

Assignment 2 (a)Outline the main forms of flexibility as defined in Atkinson’s (1984) model of the flexible firm (b) What are some of the strengths and weaknesses of the Atkinson model? ANSWER PLAN: ?Introduction/Background oWhat are the aims of flexibility oGuest (1987) de-centralisation helps to create flexibility oWhat are the main forms of flexibility that modern organisation need ?Body: 4 types of flexibility oFunctional/Temporal/Numerical/Financial ?Body 2: Atkinson’s Model oCore group oFrist/Second peripheral groups How each of these differ oOutsourcing activities/ Agency / Self-employed/Sub-contracting ?Advantages / Disadvantages of Atkinson’s model ?Criticism ?Conclusion In highly competitive environment, organisations need to be able to react quickly and effectively to changes. David Guest (1987) in advocating de-centralisation emphasised the role it plays in increasing flexibility within an organisation. He cited flexibility as one of the keys to respo nding effectively to changes in the environment, and that it is essential for organisational success.The main forms of flexibility in modern organisation according to Blyton and Morris (1992) are four: Functional, Temporal, Numerical and Financial. Functional flexibility involves the task of multi-skilling where employees are required to possess one specific skill and many other generalist ones. This means a reduced specialisation of roles with individuals being trained to carry out a much wider range of activities than before. The purpose of numerical flexibility is to expand and contract the labour force according to specific demand for it.In times of expansion, more workers are required. Conversely a smaller workforce is needed if the business is decreasing. The third form is temporal flexibility. In this case the number and distribution of hours varies. It concerns different approaches to managing the time of employees, such as â€Å"annual hours contracts† where there is a total number of hours to be worked but actual hours will vary according to circumstances. Finally, financial flexibility involves the way that an individual’s payment varies in ways which best allow it to meet objectives.At the individual level this can mean pay-related-performance or multiple pay strategies such as bonuses, dividends and share options. Atkinson developed a model of what he called the flexible firm which brings together a number of aspects of flexibility. This model is shown below: The model consists of a core group, first and second peripheral groups and outsourcing activities. The core group include the full-time, generalist skilled workers who are expected to keep learning and adapting to changes.This is the permanent component of the firm’s workforce; they are the ones with the most job security, and they have better opportunities for training and promotion. They are relatively few in the organisation. This group provides flexibility through its commitment because they are the permanent ones. In contrast, peripheral workers provide a firm with numerical flexibility. The first peripheral group is normally full-time but does not have the same job security as the core workers. Their numbers increase or reduce with changing labour market conditions.The second peripheral group is employed on a part-time basis, with short-term contracts. They tend to be less well paid and have fewer rights and benefits than the first peripheral group. Less is invested in them as far as training and opportunities for promotion are concerned. As a final alternative if necessary, organisations can outsource functions as a means of generating flexibility. These are contracted to do specific work and are more expensive; outsourced flexibility comes at a premium price.An example of outsourcing services is office cleaning where an agency is contracted to carry out the cleaning of the office on a continuing basis. In times of recession, peripheral or no n-full-time workers are much more likely to be made redundant. The advantages of the Atkinson model for the organisation include: a more easily controlled and managed workforce; core employees being more committed due to enriched jobs (Soft HRM); the facility for bringing in skills as required and cost saving and low wage costs for part-time workers.The disadvantages include: risk of lack of specialist expertise due to multi-skilling and issues connected with loyalty and security. Firstly loyalty, because they are not bound by permanent contract, there is no guarantee that the worker will continue to be available. They may also lack necessary training as the organisation will be focusing more on the core workers because the more you move to peripheral workers the more you want to contain costs, therefore minimal training is offered.Atkinson’s model is criticised because many organisations will have core, peripheral and outsourced workers without having the Atkinson’s m odel in mind. In other words even when flexibility is practiced, it is not because of his model. The requirement for flexibility happened in organisations before he developed his model. In conclusion flexibility can take a number of different forms as proposed by Blyton and Morris. It helps the organisation react to changes faster and more effectively. The four types of flexibility link to The Atkinson’s model which illustrates how organisations are structured.Managers value the model to a degree of financial flexibility because it separates core workers from peripheral workers. It helps them taking decisions on who to contract. High level skills can be brought in when necessary and outsourced tasks can end up being less expensive, as the termination of the contract is simple. There are a number of potential advantages and disadvantages of workforce flexibility, depending on which group is considered. The flexible firm emphasises the need for organisations to be flexible and have the capability to adapt to constantly changing circumstances.

Friday, September 27, 2019

Evolution of Laboratory Quality Management Systems Assignment

Evolution of Laboratory Quality Management Systems - Assignment Example The origin of Quality Management Systems (QMS) as coordinated activities aimed at directing and controlling an organization about quality can be traced back to 1920s. During this period, Walter Shewhart developed a statistical process control (SPC) as a method of controlling quality in the manufacturing process. With time, quality has become an issue for only not the manufacturing sector, but also to the service delivery players such as laboratories. The concept of quality has gone numerous transformations with the input of different people like Edwards Deming who developed Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) and Phillip Crosby with his Quality by Requirement. The theoretical constructs of QMS included the Continuous Quality Improvement, the Six Sigma, and the Lean methods. In the 1980s, many laboratories adopted the laboratory information systems (LIS) with the necessary QC Softwares. Quality Control (QC) formed the basis of the first models of ensuring quality in these facilities. It depended on the statistical information and trend analysis of the of the QC results of the instrument used for the testing process. In addition, the performance measurement of the test method was critical to this course. Since QC depended only on the results, it could not meet the objective of quality management of detecting errors that may occur and preventing them from reoccurring rather than guaranteeing an error-free laboratory. As a result, the second model of quality management that involves the systems and processes was introduced. QA as a quality measurement system identifies the key components of the testing process as well as the established laboratory systems. These first two models formed the basis upon which other quality management systems such as cost qual ity management and total quality management were developed.

Thursday, September 26, 2019

The Effect of Defendant SES on Decisions Made Research Paper

The Effect of Defendant SES on Decisions Made - Research Paper Example Group data was analyzed using T - test. Results did not show any significant difference (p> 0.05) deviated from the null hypothesis of equal chance at the level of significant 0.05. There is no significant difference between ratings of guilt, responsibility and length of sentences proposed by participants in the two groups. Many persons look to the court or judicial system for justice. In lands where common law legal system prevails, juries are part of the judicial process. Possibly, it is the 'single most defining feature' (Decaire, n.d.) of this kind of legal system. A jury, composed of average citizens, hears the evidence and determines guilt or innocence. Then, depending on the type of case, the judge may sentence the guilty parties. Over the last decades, however, exploratory evidence implies that the jury system has been infiltrated by prejudice. Decaire (n.d.) noted the following: In a perfect, just world, the jury system would provide a fair and elaborate procedure through which a defendant's potential guilt in the violation of criminal laws would be determined in an unbiased manner. However, empirical evidence suggests that this "fair and unbiased" procedure is failing. Baldwin and McConville (1979) found that as many as 5 percent of jury trials in England came up with disturbingly questionable convictions. And this conclusion is not limited to investigators, Kalven and Zeisal (1966) noted that judges and jurors disagreed regarding the verdicts in as many as 20 percent of cases. An ever growing body of evidence suggests that juries may be, both consciously and unconsciously, using a number of extra-evidential factors in order to come to their decisions. Several psychological studies gave evidence that "extra-evidential factors" such as race or ethnicity, halo and devil effect and socioeconomic status of the defendant can influence jury's decision processes. Race or Ethnicity The connection between race and jury decision making has raved great controversy in recent years (Sommers, 2007). Researches, however, do not have an exclusively consistent result on how defendant's race and jury's decisions are linked. Surprisingly, though, 'several studies in the past two decades reveal evidence of White juror bias against Black defendants' (Sommers & Ellsworth, 2003). For instance, statistical review of fourteen studies by Sweeney and Haney (1992 as quoted in Sommers & Ellsworth, 2003) showed that White mock jurors advocated Black defendants with longer sentences than White defendants. Halo and Devil Effect Affect heuristic, 'the subjective impressions of goodness/badness act as a heuristic - a source of fast, perceptual

Discuss the causes and solutions for climate change Essay

Discuss the causes and solutions for climate change - Essay Example Carbon is a vital element for both human beings and the natural environment (Archer & Rahmstorf, 2010). Climate changes occur when particular elements in the atmosphere permit sunlight to penetrate freely. The atmosphere then traps the reflected light. It can be associated with an increase in greenhouse gases. Four main greenhouse gases that are common in the current atmosphere are methane, fluorocarbons, nitrous oxide, and carbon dioxide. The greenhouse effects include rise in mean surface air temperature, rising sea level, rise in global mean speed in evaporation and precipitation, and alterations in the biosphere. Most of these forecasts are based broadly on computer models that encourage basic geographical processes. Predictions in climate change designate that a rise in atmospheric concentration in greenhouse gasses can result in the earth’s average atmospheric temperature (Henson, 2011). Geological documentation suggests that greenhouse gases both contribute and respond to climate change. Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is perceived to be one of the central components of the climate system that interrelate in complex ways in a broad range of timescales. An alteration in these interactive structures is probable to affect other features of the global climate system. Such interactive relations between the climate and CO2 imply that the records in geology are not probable to disclose analogs of simple climate forces by anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions. The extra atmospheric greenhouse gases and burned fossils fuels induced into the atmosphere increase the energy of IR absorbed into the atmosphere, thus exerting an influence in warming on the surface and the lower atmosphere causing a cooling effect on the stratosphere. Climate model estimations show that the greenhouse influence of the numerous greenhouse gases is equally forcing giving support to the convenience of the idea of

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

New Curriculum from Teaching Tolerance Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

New Curriculum from Teaching Tolerance - Article Example informality incorporates more expression in the article and reflects the author’s ability to connect with the audience, which is primarily teachers in this case. Supporting the arguments with examples e.g. offering learning targets as an example to elaborate how the authors went beyond the literacy standards enhances the understanding of the audience. The article ends with a question for the audience which is an effective way of keeping the sound echoing in the minds of the audience after the article has been read. This article is fairly expressive and yet concise. The contemporary American society is made up of people that belong to a variety of backgrounds in terms of culture, race, religion, and beliefs. Traditionally, the curriculum in American schools has not been customized to address the needs of an ever-diversifying American society. Introduction of the anti-bias education at every grade level is the first and the foremost step to a truly diverse

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Analysis and Interpretation of the Research Data Dissertation

Analysis and Interpretation of the Research Data - Dissertation Example 4.2 Respondent’s Profiles Following is the detailed discussion on the profiles of the respondents that participated in the research and supported to collect data through different means i.e., questionnaire, interviews and focus groups. 4.2.1 Profile of Teachers Surveyed The perspective view of the teaching staff at Willowbrook Primary School regarding the issue of student’s behavior and discipline is of prime importance for this study as the teachers have a direct impact on behavior and its management. Thus these views need to be analyzed. In coordination with the school management, in order to to gain valuable teacher and carer knowledge, sentiment and experience associated with behaviour issues, a questionnaire was developed and distributed to 20 in-school teachers responsible for children ranging from five years of age to 11 years. The questionnaires were completed in the free time of the teachers without compromising their primary teaching and classroom management r esponsibilities. The objectives of the research were explained prior to handing over the questionnaire. However, of the 20 questionnaires distributed, 17 were returned and/or deemed valid based on required completeness. Another attempt was made to collected the data from the remaining staff; however, these were not returned. The purpose of the questionnaire was gain information on opinion of the teaching staff on aspects of student’s behaviour and strategies for the behaviour management at primary level. The profile of the respondents is shown below in table 4.1. Total Number of Staff Number of Teachers Surveyed Males Females Percentage of Teaching Staff Surveyed 20 17 7 10 85 Table 1 : Profile of Teaching Staff Surveyed Figure 1 : Percentage of Teaching Staff Surveyed Figure 2 : Gender Distribution of Teaching Staff Surveyed Besides the questionnaire, a total of six teachers were also interviewed, which included three teachers having experience of 10 years or more, one more than 5 years while two having experience less than 1 year. Figure 3 : Experience of Teachers Interviewed 4.2.2 Profile of Students Surveyed Six students of age ranging between six to eleven years, representing equal proportion of both males and females, were interviewed as part of the survey. The students were selected because it was deemed important to get their views on the discipline in schools and its management. The students were selected based on their age and developmental stage enabling them to provide reasonable and clear responses to the interview questions. The students were selected based on the advice of school management. The parental content was sought prior to conducting the interview. The responses of students during the interview have been made part of this study and were handed over to school management to continue with the study. The interview mainly focused in determining the student’s perspective on effectiveness of reward and punishment system and the r ole of teachers in managing the classroom behavior. Age of Students Surveyed Number of Students Surveyed Males Females 6 to 11 6 3 3 Table 2 : Profile of Students Surveyed Figure 4 : Gender Distribution of Students Surveyed 4.2.3 Profile of Parents Surveyed Although parents have no direct role in management of classroom and student’s behavior at school, they do play a major contributory and supportive role. They are involved in

Monday, September 23, 2019

Harlow's Observations in The Nature of Love Research Paper - 1

Harlow's Observations in The Nature of Love - Research Paper Example The conclusion is that â€Å"the baby, human or monkey if it is to survive, must clutch at more than a straw† (ibid). It has proved that â€Å"contact comfort might be a very important variable in the development of the infant's affection for the mother† (ibid). The experiments results lead us to the conclusion that â€Å"With age and opportunity to learn, subjects with the lactating wire mother showed decreasing responsiveness to her and increasing responsiveness to the nonlactating cloth mother, a finding completely contrary to any interpretation of derived drive in which the mother form becomes conditioned to hunger-thirst reduction† (ibid, p. 676). The nursing variable, Harlow’s team found that is no way an unimportant variable as â€Å"contact comfort was an important basic affectional or love variable, but we did not expect it to overshadow so completely the variable of nursing† (ibid). Harlow was primarily an experimental and comparative psychologist. Still, he has made substantial contributions to many areas of psychology such as cognition, behaviouralism, child development, animal intelligence, psychopathology treatment and so on. Harlow’s experiments on monkeys and social development fostered the cognitive revolution in the 1960s and took psychology away from the simplistic behaviorist explanations. The time period was dominated by behavioralism and psychoanalysis and both had many a priori assumptions on human attachment. Harlow’s experiments became instrumental in going beyond many of the assumptions of humanistic psychology, especially the hierarchy of needs paradigm developed by Abraham Maslov. Moreover, it rejected the deterministic aspects of behavioral analysis too. The article was path-breaking as it challenged not only some of the key assumptions of the existing psychology but also even the key concepts and keywords commonly used in psychological inquiries. His replacement of the word attachment with love as a keyword in psychology had a profound influence.

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Genocide is the deliberate killing of a large group of people, especially those of a particular ethnic group or nation. (Genocide) Essay Example for Free

Genocide is the deliberate killing of a large group of people, especially those of a particular ethnic group or nation. (Genocide) Essay Introduction In 1994 Rwanda experienced the worst genocide in modern times. The Rwandan Genocide was a genocidal mass slaughter of the Tutsis by the Hutus that took place in 1994 in the East African state of Rwanda. It is considered the most organized genocide of the 20th century. Over the course of approximately 100 days (from the assassination of Juvenal Habyarimana and Cyprien Ntaryamira on April 6 through mid-July) over 500,000 people were killed, according to a Human Rights Watch estimate. Estimates of the death toll have ranged from 500,000–1,000,000, or as much as 20% of the countrys total population. It was the culmination of longstanding ethnic competition and tensions between the minority Tutsi, who had controlled power for centuries, and the majority Hutu peoples, who had come to power in the rebellion of 1959–62. (Rwandan Genocide) History between the Hutu and Tutsi people In 1990, the Rwandan Patriotic Front, a rebel group composed mostly of Tutsi refugees, invaded northern Rwanda from Uganda in an attempt to defeat the Hutu-led government. They began the Rwandan Civil War, fought between the Hutu regime, with support from Francophone Africa and France, and the Rwandan Patriotic Front, with support from Uganda. This exacerbated ethnic tensions in the country. In response, many Hutu gravitated toward the Hutu Power(Rwandan Genocide), an ideology propounded by Hutu extremist, with the prompting of state-controlled and independent Rwandan media. As an ideology, Hutu Power asserted that the Tutsi intended to enslave the Hutu and must be resisted at all costs. Continuing ethnic strife resulted in the rebels displacing large numbers of Hutu in the north, plus periodic localized Hutu killings of Tutsi in the south. International pressure on the Hutu-led government of Juvenal Habyarimana resulted in a cease-fire in 1993. He planned to implement the Arusha Peace Agreement.(Rwandan Genocide) The assassination of Habyarimana in April 1994 set off a violent reaction, during which Hutu groups conducted mass killings of Tutsis (and also pro-peace Hutus, who were portrayed as traitors and collaborators). This genocide had been planned by members of the Hutu power group known as the  Akazu ( Hutu extremist ) , many of whom occupied positions at top levels of the national government; the genocide was supported and coordinated by the national government as well as by local military and civil officials and mass media. Alongside the military, primary responsibility for the killings themselves rests with two Hutu militias that had been organized for this purpose by political parties: the Interahamwe and Impuzamugambi, although once the genocide was underway a great number of Hutu civilians took part in the murders. It was the end of the peace agreement. The Tutsi Rwandan Patriotic Front restarted their offensive, defeating the army and seizing control of the country.(Rwandan Genocide) Overview of the Rwandan Genocide with International Response After the Hutu presidents plane is gunned down on April 6. Hutu gunmen systematically start tracking down and killing moderate Hutu politicians and Tutsi leaders. The deputy to the U.S. ambassador in Rwanda tells Washington that the killings involve not just political murders, but genocide. The U.S. decides to evacuate all Americans. Canadian General Romeo Dallaire, head of the U.N. peacekeeping force in Rwanda, is told by headquarters not to intervene and to avoid armed conflict. In the next few days, evidence mounts of massacres targeting ordinary Tutsis. Front page stories newspaper stories cite reports of tens of thousands dead and a pile of corpses six feet high outside a main hospital. Gen. Dallaire requests a doubling of his force to 5,000. Nearly 3,300 Americans, French, Italians and Belgians are evacuated by troops sent in from their countries. On April 15th Belgium withdraws its troops from the U.N. force after ten Belgian soldiers are slain. Embarrassed to be withdrawing alone, Belgium asks the U.S. to support a full pullout. Secretary of State Christopher agrees and tells Madeleine Albright, Americas U.N. ambassador, to demand complete withdrawal. She is opposed, as are some African nations. She pushes for a compromise: a dramatic cutback that would leave a token force in place. April 16th, The New York Times reports the shooting and hacking to death of some 1000 men, women and children in a church where they sought refuge. Day 12, By this date, Human Rights Watch estimates the number of dead at 100,000 and calls on the U.N. Security Council to use the word genocide.Belgian troops leave Rwanda; Gen. Dallaire is down to a force of 2,100. He will soon lose communication lines to outlying areas and will have only a satellite link to the outside world. By April 25th,Gen. Dallaire is down to 450 ill-equipped troops from developing countries. He works to protect some 25,000 Rwandans who are at places guarded by U.N. forces. He still hopes the Security Council will change its mind and send him forces while there is still time.(Ghosts of Rwanda) On May 1st a Defense Department discussion paper, prepared for a meeting of officials having day-to-day responsibility on the crisis, is filled with cautions about the U.S. becoming committed to taking action. The word genocide is a concern. Be careful. Legal at State was worried about this yesterday Genocide finding could commit [the U.S.] to actually do something.(Ghosts of Rwanda) Bureaucratic paralysis continues. Few African countries offer troops for the mission and the Pentagon and U.N. argue for two weeks over who will pay the costs of the APCs and who will pay for transporting them. It takes a full month before the U.S. begins sending the APCs to Africa. They dont arrive until July. Seven weeks into the genocide, President Clinton gives speech that restates his policy that humanitarian action anywhere in the world would have to be in Americas national interest:The end of the superpower standoff lifted the lid from a cauldron of long-simmering hatreds. Now the entire global terrain is bloody with such conflicts, from Rwanda to Georgia. Whether we get involved in any of the worlds ethnic conflicts in the end must depend on the cumulative weight of the American interests at stake.(Ghosts of Rwanda) Eleven weeks into the genocide, with still no sign of a U.N. deployment to Rwanda, the U.N. Security Council authorizes France to unilaterally intervene in southwest Rwanda. French forces create a safe area in territory controlled by the Rwanda Hutu government. But killings of Tutsis continue in the safe area.(Ghosts of Rwanda) By July 17th, Tutsi RPF forces have captured Kigali. The Hutu government flees to Zaire, followed by a tide of refugees. The French end their mission in Rwanda and are replaced by Ethiopian U.N. troops. The RPF sets up an interim government in Kigali. Although disease and more killings claim additional lives in the refugee camps, the genocide is over.(Ghosts of Rwanda) Day 100 An estimated 800,000 Rwandans have been killed. The Aftermath In anticipation of a Tutsi retaliation, approximately 2 million Hutus, participants in the genocide, and the bystanders, fled from Rwanda to Zaire (now called Congo), Burundi, Tanzania and Uganda. Thousands of them died in disease epidemics common to the squalor of refugee camps, such as cholera and dysentery. The United States staged the Operation Support Hope airlift from July to September 1994 to stabilize the situation in the camps.(Rwandan Genocide) The presence of 2 million refugees in eastern Zaire helped destabilize the already weak country, whose corrupt president, Mobutu Sese Seko, allowed Hutu extremists among the refugee population to operate with impunity. In October 1996, Mobutus continued support of the Hutu militants led to an uprising by the ethnic Tutsi Banyamulenge people in eastern Zaire (supported politically and militarily by Rwanda), which marked the beginning of the First Congo War, and led to a return of more than 600,000 Hutu refugees to Rwanda during the last two weeks of November. This massive repatriation was followed at the end of December by the return of 500,000 more from Tanzania after they were ejected by the Tanzanian government. Various successor organizations to the Hutu militants operated in eastern DR Congo until May 22, 2009.(Rwandan Genocide) Mobutu was overthrown in May 1997, and Zaires new leader, Laurent Kabila, renamed the country the Democratic Republic of Congo. Kabilas relationship with his Rwandan allies quickly turned sour, and in August 1998 Tutsi rebel forces, supported by Rwanda and Uganda, launched another rebellion. This led to the Second Congo War, killing 5 million people from 1998 to 2004. Rwanda today has two public holidays commemorating the incident, with Genocide Memorial Day on April 7 marking the start, and Liberation Day on July 4 marking the end. The week following April 7 is designated an official week of mourning. One global impact of the Rwandan Genocide is that it served as impetus to the creation of the International Criminal Court, so that ad hoc tribunals would not need to be created for future incidents of genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes.(Rwandan Genocide) Works Cited 1.) Rwandan Genocide. Wikipedia. N.p., 20 Apr 2013. Web. 4 Sep 2013. . 2.) Genocide. New Oxford American Dictionary. 2008. 3.) Ghosts of Rwanda. Frontine. PBS.org: PBS, Chapel Hill, 04 Apr 2004. Web. 10 Sep 2013. . .

Saturday, September 21, 2019

How to teach a dog to Stay

How to teach a dog to Stay How to teach a dog to Stay Training a dog involves the positive strengths and encouragement. To train a dog to stay when commanded is a useful advantage in many situations. It requires proper time, patience and determination though it is a simple process. This type of behavior of the dog is beneficial to the dogs owner. When the dog gets over excited or does not behave properly, then the owner can settle his dog by commanding him to stay. Effective training can be provided to the dog in a calm and quiet location so that the dog can concentrate on the owners training without any distraction. Do not try to train your dog when he is in the excited mood. The first thing to start with the training is to make your dog sit and get its attention towards you. Do not provide any reward to the dog before the training. Once the dog is seated in front of you, just say the word stay. After sometime, move to the side of the dog and behind the dog but do not move away from your dog. If your dog does not move then offer him a treat. You can try to go a bit away from the dog. But, he gets up from his place and moves around you, then place him in the original location and command him to sit. Repeat this process until the dog gets seated in his position even if you move away from him. In the initial stage, let your dog sit only for 15 to 20 minutes. Once the dog continues to sit and stay at the same place even if you are moving, then proceed further to the next step. Now start increasing the distance from the dog. Instruct the dog to sit at the same place as before and you try to move some yards away from your dog. Reward the dog as before if he does not move from its position. Start increasing the time as the dog understands the command to stay. Train your dog in such a way that he will remain in the seated position without a move when you are out of that room for some time. Here are some additional tips with basic techniques to successfully train a dog to stay. During the training session of a dog, you should remain generous in treating your dog as well as in giving the rewards. Try to keep the sessions of small duration at least in the beginning. You can take several sessions in a day of 10-15 minutes. Instruct your dog by making it as a game. The dog cannot immediately understand your commands. So, if it does not perform up to your mark, then instead of punishing him, just do not reward him. Remember that not to provide any kind of training when the dog is in dangerous situation or any bad circumstances. Try to get him out of that situation and make him feel relax by diverting his mind in playing his favorite games.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Sex Education As Intervention Against Teenage Pregnancy Social Work Essay

Sex Education As Intervention Against Teenage Pregnancy Social Work Essay Promotion of sexual health, and all Adolescence, the second decade of life, is increasingly recognized as a critical phase in the life course, especially from the health and social perspectives. The most challenging aspect of adolescence is sexual and reproductive health, as it is aspect of adolescence is sexual and reproductive health, the area that poses the greatest difficulty in maintaining adolescents health and implementing appropriate and effective interventions. For a start, there is a paucity of information and, if there is information, it is often uncoordinated and fragmented and not very useful for policy-making and programme interventions (WHO, 2005) Understanding human sexuality is a prerequisite to the promotion of sexual health, and all over the world sexuality remains one of the most problematic and dangerous aspects of person-hood (Wilson and Mcandrew, S, 2000). Professor Catherine Ingram of the school of Nursing at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has defined sexuality perhaps more succinctly than most authors in this field. She describes sexuality as an important dimension of the human personality and sees it as being inextricably woven into the fabric of human existence (Catherine Ingram, 1990) The belief prevalent in the early part of the twentieth century, that sexual education of the intelligent adolescent was best served by one short, sharp talk- in the fifth if the school was enlightened, in the sixth if it was felt to be an unpleasant but unavoidable duty-was perhaps typical of attitudes to education in many other disciplines. Facts were enough, and sex was put over in a way similar to that used when dealing with the maps of the coalfields. The only difference was the special atmosphere which surrounded the short, sharp talk. It must often convey to its victim that these matters were unspeakable and no well-bred pupil would either need or investigate them further. This method had at least one advantage- it did not attract unfavourable critic from parents or education committees large because all concerned were much too embarrassed to mention it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After the first World- war, pragmatic objectives in sex education become more apparent and by early 1930s several of our national agencies with the prevention the prevention of illegitimacy, the spread of knowledge about contraceptives and marriages guidance had begun. There was a small but interesting upsurge of intellectuals who nobly hid their embarrassments they discussed sexual matters with their children and solemnly left the bathroom door unlocked so that nudity could be rationally displayed. There were, however, even in those days, teachers in schools effectively relieving adolescent anxiety and ignorance about sex often under the name of human biology, wit equivocally worded syllabuses, and without a word to the head. Such strategies are still in use today.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The ironic evidence from research on the effects of fear-arousing information in connection with types of preventive health behaviour is that people tend to reject the information rather than change their behaviour (Radelfinger, 1965; Young, 1967) In 1936, Wilhelm Reich commented that sex education of his time was a work of deception, focusing on biology while concealing excitement arousal, which is what a pubescent individual, is mostly interested in. Reich added that this emphasis obscures what he believed to be a basic psychological principle: that all worries and difficulties originate from unsatisfied sexual impulse (Reich W, 1936) The existence of Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) has given a new sense of urgency to the topic of sex education. In many African nations, where AIDS is at epidemic level, sex education is seen by most scientists as a vital public health strategy. Some international organizations such as Planned Parenthood consider that broad sex education has global benefits, such as controlling the risk of overpopulation and the advancement of womens rights. According to the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States (SIECUS), 93% of adults they surveyed support sexuality education in high school and 845 support it in junior high school (SIECUS,1984). In fact, 885 of parents of junior high school students and 80% of parents of high students believe that sex education in school makes it easier for them to talk to their adolescents about sex. Also, 92% of adolescents report that they want both to talk to their parents about sex and to have comprehensive in-school examination. When sex education is contentiously debated, the chief controversial points are whether covering child sexuality is valuable or detrimental: the use of birth control such as condoms and hormonal contraception: and the impact of such use on pregnancy outside marriage, teenage pregnancy and the transmission of sexually transmitted diseases (STIs.) Increasing support for abstinence-only sex education by conservative groups has been one of the primary causes of this controversy. Countries with conservative attitudes towards sex education (including the United Kingdom and the United states ) have a higher incidence of STIs and teenage pregnancy (Monbiot, 2004) The proportion of women aged 20-24, who had a child before age 20 is a useful summary indicator that reflects the differences in teenage birth rates by country. This proportion is lowest in Sweden (4%), slightly higher in France (6%), much greater in Canada and Great Britain (11% and 15%, respectively) and highest in the United States (22%). Differences in the proportion giving birth by age 15 and by age 18 are also much higher in the United States than in the other four countries (Jacqueline et al, 2001) Teenage pregnancy is times is a factor of early sexual exposure. Immaturity, inexperience or risky sexual experience often results in the unplanned pregnancy. In the study carried, between 1980 and 1998, among men and women to determine the age of first sexual experience, women were found to be exposed earlier than men (figure 1). Figure 1.  Proportion of participants younger than 16 years at first intercourse, by year of first intercourse. Teenage pregnancy in Europe : The incidence of teenage pregnancy across Europe varies considerably. The United Kingdom has the highest rate in Western Europe and is lower only than Bulgaria , Russia , and Ukraine in Europe as a whole. Throughout most of Western Europe, teenage birth rates fell during the 1970s, 80s, and 90s, but in the United Kingdom , rates have remained high-at or above the level of the early 80s. http://www.bmj.com/content/330/7491/590.full Figure 2: showing teenage pregnancy in 6 European countries over a 25 year period. The graph shows the trend over a twenty-five year period (1973-1995) There is a sharp decline in the United Kingdom figures and then a near steady value in the late 70s and early 80s, before gradually reaching a crescendo in 1991 and then a sharp drop towards the end of the survey. The Netherland has the least and was fairly constant throughout the study period. Germany , France , Ireland ad Italy had fluctuating values, but generally, there was a decline towards the end of the study.   UNITED KINGDOM: In England and Wales , sex education is not compulsory in schools as parents can refuse their children take parting the lessons. The curriculum focuses on the reproductive system, foetal development and the physical and emotional changes of adolescence, while information about contraception and safe sex is discretionary and discussion about relationships is often neglected. Britain has one of the highest teenage pregnancy rate s in Europe and sex education is a heated issues I government and media reports. In 2000 study by the University of Brighton , many 14 to 15 year olds reported disappointment with the content of sex education lessons and felt that confidentiality prevents teenagers from asking teachers about contraception. In a 2008 study conducted by YouGov for channel 4 it was revealed that almost three in ten teenagers said they need more sex and relationships education. In Scotland , the main sex education programme is Healthy respect, which focuses not only on the biological aspects of reproduction but also on relationships and emotions.  Ã‚  Education about contraception and sexually transmitted diseases are included in the programme as a way of encouraging good sexual health. In response to a refusal bythe catholic school to commit to the programme, however, a separate sex education programme has been developed for use in those schools. Funded by the Scottish Government, the programme Called to Love focuses on encourage children to delay sex until marriage and does not cover contraception and as such is a form of  Ã‚  Abstinence-only sex education. It is important to recognise that for some young women, particularly from certain ethnic or social groups, teenage pregnancy can be a positive life choice. Rates of teenage pregnancy within marriage are high, for example, in some South Asian ethnic groups in the United Kingdom . However, for many other young women, the costs of teenage pregnancy can be very high, particularly when linked with poverty. These risks include poorer outcomes for the children of teenage mothers as well as for the mothers themselves.   Ã‚  http://www.bmj.com/content/330/7491/590.full Figure 3: showing the rate of teenage pregnancy in 17 European countries. A sex survey by the World Health Organization concerning the habits of European teenagers in 2006 revealed that the birth rate among 15-19-year-olds in the UK was 27.8 births per 1,000 populations. The graph shows, the United States with the highest rate of teenage pregnancy and Switzerland with the least. The United Kingdom has the highest rate in Europe, which is clearly above the average value in Europe   FRANCE: In France , sex education has been part of school curricula since 1973. Schools are expected to provide 30 to 40 hours of sexual education and pass out condoms to students in grades eight and nine. In January,2000, the French government launched an information campaign on contraception with television and radio spots and the distribution of five million leaflets on contraception to high school students GERMANY: In Germany , sex education has been part of school curricula since 1970. Since 1992 sex education is by law a government duty. It normally covers all subjects concerning the growing-up process, body change during puberty, emotions the biological process of reproduction, sexual activity, partnership, homosexuality, unwanted pregnancies and complications of abortion, the dangers of sexual violence, child abuse and sex-transmitted diseases, but sometimes also things like sex positions. Most schools offer courses on the correct usage of contraception. A survey by the World Health Organization concerning the habits of European teenagers in 2006 revealed German teenagers about contraception. The birth rate among under 15- to 19-year-olds was very low- only 11.7 per 1000 population, compared to the UKs 27.8 births per 1,000 population and in first place -Bulgarias 39.0 per 1,000. FINLAND: Sexual education is usually incorporated into various obligatory courses, mainly as part of biology lessons (in lower grades) and later in a course related to general health issues. The Population and Family Welfare Federation provide all 15-year-olds on introductory sexual package that includes an information brochure, a condom and to be most effective when a multifaceted approach is used, as the problem is multiple determined and multidimensional. The interventions cartoon love story should not only focus on sexual factors and related on sequences, rather Interventions that are designed to reduce teen pregnancy appears they should include non sexual factors such as skills training, and personal development as well. Further, stakeholders including pregnant teens, parents, health sector, schools and churches should work together to devise programs that are practical, evidence based, culturally appropriated and acceptable to the target population. Boostma writing on Sex Education: Preparing Instead of Prevention, surmise that the teenage pregnancy rates has been (one of) the Netherlands for years now. Asking the question if Netherlands are hardly sexual active or if the Dutch promote abstinence from sexual intercourse? He asserts that in the Netherlands , there is not one specific governmental programme for teenage sex education or contraception. There is however, a lot of information about sexuality and contraception that is coming from all directions. Boostma believes that the Dutch approach attitude towards sexuality is one of tolerance, open mindedness and pragmatism and that studies from many countries that giving the message to young people not to have sex are having the opposite effects. The same account for countries where the subject sex is more or less a taboo to talk about. The Dutch concluded that many young people will have sex anyway, so they should be prepared for sexuality than to be prevented from it. This preparing attitude is coming from different levels of the society: The government through the National Health insurance pay for the contraception. Parents talk about sexuality and its consequence. The Mass-media (Television, newspaper, magazines, radio) addresses sexuality and sexual health. Schools give sexuality talk/sex education.  There many accessible services for sexuality and contraception. These and other factors result in a tolerant and pragmatic attitude  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  towards sex make information and contraception accessible and explains the low rate teenage abortion or pregnancy. Sexual heath in the Netherlands means preparation instead of prevention. This preparation means that young people are stimulated to become sexually autonomous and can make their own sensible discussions. Up till now, the Dutch method has proven its effectiveness over and over again.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ian Sutherland, who was director in the Health department of Britain in the early 80s co-authored a book, Health Education, perspective and Choices which dwells on the several choices available to people and the choices they make based on the information they have. The book analyses the different areas where choice is inevitable and the ideological basis for which certain choices should be made. Various authors contributed various topics on the theme Health education. The book first published in 1979 is invaluable as it coincide with the transition period of balancing health needs in Britain . The increased rate in teenage pregnancies and the consequence rise in abortion rates. It was also a period Britain was trying to establish formal curriculum on sex education. In an effort to include as much as possible, the authors referred extensively to a literature which begins with Plato. The authors tried to draw  Ã‚  the readers attention to as many authorities as possible, and so made attempt at bringing together in  Ã‚  one book the extensive libraries of health, education, and health education.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Crosby et al (2008) in a study titled, The Protective Value of Parental Sex Education: A clinical-based exploratory study of adolescent females compared the impact of sex education provided by parents to female adolescents against the same education provided by formal settings to female adolescent. They sampled females aged 16-24 years, attending an adolescent medical clinic in urban area of the south were recruited prior to examination. Each patient completed an anonymous self administered questionnaire. Data from 110 respondents were analysed to compare those who indicating they had learned about each of 4 topics from parents to those not indicating learning about all 4 topics from a parent. The same process was repeated relative to learning about all 4 topics in a formal education setting. The result showed that in controlled, multivariate analyses, adolescent not communicating with parent on all 4 topics were nearly 5 times more likely to report having sex partners in the past 3 months. Further, adolescents were 3.5 times more likely to have low self efficacy for condom use, 2.7 times more likely to ever using alcohol or drugs or sex and about 70% less likely to have ever talked about HIV prevention with a partner before engaging in sex. Differences relative to learning about all 4 topics in formal settings were not found out. Looking at works done recently in the United Kingdom, (SHARE: Sexual Health And Relationships; Safe, Happy and Responsible) included 8400 pupils aged 13-15years in 25 secondary schools in east of Scotland (Wight et al,2002) Questionnaires was completed at base line and follow up done 2 years later. The intervention was a new 5-day teacher training programme plus a 20-session pack: 10sessions were delivered in the third year (at 13-14 years) of secondary school and 10 in the fourth year (at 14-15years). The primary outcome for the study was use of condoms at first intercourse. Similar proportions of both intervention and control groups used condom at first intercourse with less than 105 of pupils reporting first intercourse without condom. For all other behavioural outcomes (condom use after first intercourse, oral contraceptive use and unplanned pregnancy) there were no differences with the groups. However, as with Martiniuks study in Belize, published in this issue of the internatio nal journal of epidemiology, pupils in the intervention group were more knowledgeable than those in the control group.(Martiniuk,2003). The Belize study was well designed in allowing for the clustered nature of samples both when calculating and the sample size and analyzing the data. Publishing the intra-cluster correlation will be good for planning future research. However, there are a number of weaknesses with the randomized procedures discussed by the authors in their paper. The imbalance between groups in the number of classrooms could have been overcome by a block method rather than the simple coin toss employed here. (Schulz and Grimmes, 2002)  Ã‚  There were considerable differences between groups at baseline in terms of gender and sexual experience. These data were not available to the researchers prior to the study starting. It may have been appropriate to allocate classes to intervention and control groups when the results from pre-test questionnaires were available. At this time an alternative randomization procedure such as stratification or minimization may have reduced the chances of imbalance between groups in the study (Pocock, 1984) Anna Graham noted that the factor with the strongest influence preventing teenage pregnancy is educational opportunity. It is well-educated women who tend to delay childbearing. For women aged 20-24 years the longer a woman remains in school the less likely she is to have a child before the age of 20. Adolescents with little schooling are often twice as likely as those with more education to have baby before their 20th  birthday. For example, 46% of young Columbian women with less than 7 years schooling have their first child by the age of 20, compared with 19% of those with more education. The contrast is even greater in Egyptian, where 51% of less educated women have their first birth before the age of 20 compared with 9% of better educated women. She noted that the link between lack of education and early childbearing is also strong among adolescents in the US . Some 58% of young American women who receive less than a high school education give birth by their 20th  birthday, c ompared with 13% of young women who complete at least 12 years of schooling. The report from the Alan Guttmacher Institute, from which these data came, suggested that low level of education is not necessary a direct cause of early child bearing, however, the two characteristic of living in impoverished and rural environments. She further argued that when school is the main source of information about sexual matters, like the cross-sectional surveys in the UK , early and unprotected sexual intercourse is less likely, compared with when other sources such as friends and the media dominate. She surmised that, the greatest impact to be made in reducing unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections is to increase the time spent in education by young women worldwide. She believes this form of intervention is likely to change the role of women in society empowering them to avoid the adverse consequences of sexual activity.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     The author in her work tried to justify the need for a comprehensive education over and above the micro aspect of education-sex education. Believing that with increased time spent acquiring education, a women is more likely to avoid the bad aspect of sexual activity. She had looked into certain aspects of form of sex education and did not really weigh each on its own merit. She probably relied on her experience to draw a far reaching conclusion.   Boostma writing on Sex Education: Preparing Instead of Prevention, surmise that the teenage pregnancy rates has been (one of) the Netherlands for years now. Asking the question if Netherlands are hardly sexual active or if the Dutch promote abstinence from sexual intercourse? He asserts that in the Netherlands , there is not one specific governmental programme for teenage sex education or contraception. There is however, a lot of information about sexuality and contraception that is coming from all directions. He believes that the Dutch approach attitude towards sexuality is one of tolerance, open mindedness and pragmatism and that studies from many countries that giving the message to young people not to have sex are having the opposite effects. The same account for countries where the subject sex is more or less a taboo to talk about. The Dutch concluded that many young people will have sex anyway, so they should be prepared for sexuality than to be prevented from it. This preparing attitude is coming from different levels of the society. He noted that the government through the National Health insurance pay for the contraception. Also parents talk about sexuality and its consequence. The Mass-media (Television, newspaper, magazines, radio) addresses sexuality and sexual health. Schools give sexuality talk/sex education.There many accessible services for sexuality and contraception. These and other factors result in a tolerant and pragmatic attitude  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  towards sex make inform ation and contraception accessible and explain the low rate teenage abortion or pregnancy. Sexual heath in the Netherlands means preparation instead of prevention. This preparation means that young people are stimulated to become sexually autonomous and can make their own sensible discussions. Up till now, the Dutch method has proven its effectiveness over and over again.  Ã‚  Perspective and choices which dwells on the several choices available to people and the choices they make based on the information they have is important in tackling the issue of teenage pregnancy. The different areas where choice is inevitable and the ideological basis for which certain choices should be made should essentially be based on informed choices. Health authorities have proposed several methods of addressing Health education. This was very significant, particularly during the transition period of balancing health needs in Britain . The increased rate in teenage pregnancies and the consequence rise in abortion rates is significant, particularly going back to the period Britain was trying to establish formal curriculum on sex education. Abortion seems to be on the increase in the United Kingdom , according to the office of national statistics in the United Kingdom , the proportion of conceptions terminated by abortion among under 20-year-olds increased slightly from 36 per cent in 1990 to 39 per cent in 2000. Over half (51 per cent) of all conceptions among under 16-year-olds resulted in a termination in 1990 and this increased slightly to 54 per cent in 2000. Legal abortion rates were highest in London and the West Midlands in 2000 and 2001. Similarly, the data collected by the agency noted a corresponding decrease in conception rate, it noted that, In 2000, the conception rate among females under 20 years was 63 per 1,000 females aged 15 to 19 years. This marks a decrease in conception rates over the last decade that mirrors a general decrease among females of all ages. The exception however has been among females aged 13 to 15 years. Rates of conceptions in this group have remained consistent at between 8 to 10 p er 1,000 females from 1990 to 2000.  Ã‚  A likely consequence of abortion is decreased fertility and sexual infections, the agency equally noted a rise in sexual related infection within this time period, Genital infection with chlamydia trachomatis if untreated, is associated with pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) in women and infertility. The diagnostic rate of genital chlamydia infection in females aged under 20 years old has increased since the mid-1990s. In 2001, the highest rates of diagnosed chlamydia seen in GUM clinics, were among 16- to 19-year-olds (1,035 per 100,000 females). Genital warts are the most commonly diagnosed viral STI. In 2001, 29 per cent of females diagnosed with genital warts were under 20 years of age, compared with only 10 per cent of males in the same age group. Rates of diagnosis among females aged 16 to 19 years increased by more than 15 per cent during the last decade and reached 680 per 100,000 females in 2001. Intervention in teenage pregnancy, need to among other things focus on improving contraceptive use, and initiate attitudinal changes and life style  Ã‚  likely to prevent pregnancy and sexual transmission infection transmission. This should involve long-term services and interventions, which are tailored to addressing the major causes of teenage pregnancy. This should be spelt in information, which are clear and unambiguous and may involve ideas which the youths relate with. It should also be home grown, in that it should relate with the culture or practices inherent in the society. This will start with identifying the risk group. There are certain categories among this age, which appear to be vulnerable. Vulnerability may be by choice or imposed due to social economic reasons or accessibility to health care, such as contraception use. Interpersonal skills development is vital in achieving this objective. Programmes and other educational facilities, which allow interpersonal development, should be explored, this will allow productive engagement. Clinic service for education and information, will also serve a vital role in checkmating the trend. As teenage will not only benefit, but the society will be better for it as well. Information dissemination is vital and there is the possibility of teenagers accessing this on their own, if encouraged to talk to health personnel or attend clinics for advice and education. Education in this sense should be all encompassing and structured to the need at hand. Constructive engagement and participation of all and sundry are v ital. Periodic review of methods is important in our ever changing world. Therefore, interventions should not just be in theory, but clear goals which are practicable should be outlined to follow the strategies mapped out. Outcomes envisaged, need to be weighed in relation to the input. The delicate age, adolescence confers on teenage, makes it imperative, to address peer pressure and to make leaders of peer groups participatory in addressing the problems identified. All this need be done in an atmosphere of trust and confidentiality. It is often difficult to identify sexually active individuals, therefore, the scope of the intervention need be broad-based to cater for all and sundry. This can be achieved by recruiting experts or people trained in working with youths, who have enough experience to deal with the challenges teenage present. Catherine et al 2003, working on reviews which looked at teenage pregnancy and interventional means of check in the scourge, surmised the intervention on socio-demographics, which addressed the various health, education and psycho-social needs of teenagers and their environment in tackling the problem. They found out that, there is mixed evidence for the effectiveness of school-based and/or teacher-delivered sex education. They are of the opinion that, the best chance of interventions being successful in this setting is when they are multifactor and address a broad range of issues, including self esteem, vocational development, and access to services. In the area of Clinic/primary care as an interventional means, they equally believe that, there is mixed evidence for the effectiveness of interventions that take place in a clinic/primary care setting alone, and that it will be beat, based on the literature search, that they are linked widely to other community and school services, and evaluated as part of a broader programme. They are of the view that, confidentiality is of utmost importance considering the age group. They also surmised that in the UK context, particularly on UK-specific services and settings, such as doctors who may be the first to see these individuals. On Education and information dissemination, there is mixed evidence for the effectiveness of educational approaches. It was found out that, the more positive outcomes, have been found for education based approaches which link directly to services offered. This also includes a broad range of skills to help improve confidence and relationships among teenagers Vocational development may also be useful. It is said that, programmes should be long term, sustained across school years, and be in place before teenagers become sexually active. It is also suggested that, there is the need to support young parents to continue their education to enhance educational and employment opportunity for parents, mother/child interaction, and social outcomes for children. Early educational interventions for disadvantaged children can improve long-term. The family is foremost in checking the trend and this is dependent on teenagers getting support from parents and families. Neglect has always been attributed as a cause of teenage pregnancy. This could be deliberate or due to pressure from social responsibilities from parents to support the family, often leading to children not getting enough or desired attention from their parents. They further found out that, community interventions should be developed with regard to local needs and existing services. There is some evidence that multi-factor interventions involving a degree of community activity or service may be effective at improving contraceptive use. On  Ã‚  school-based clinics., it is noted that, although, more research is needed on these as the evidence covered by reviews here was methodologically weak, They may be effective as part of multi-factor programmes, but clinic-based healthcare programmes for teenage mothers and their children can improve their health outcomes, if taken as a priority at all stages.  The media and the Internet are often seen as social agents which are often not properly utilised, either as a child educator and form of entertainment, but also as a means of redeeming the problem. The study noted that much work has not been done in the United Kingdom , but again, further work is needed here for the UK . Skills, meant to give self-esteem are vital.  Ã‚  Ã‚  There is encouraging result for approaches that focus on these factors, particularly when they are part of a broad-ranging intervention. Peer education, is also important in addressing the core issues right from the onset. Abstinence, as an interventional means has actually, not been fully found to be effective, as there are little or no evidence for the e

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Commercials and Advertising Essay -- essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Analyze This   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Did you ever sit and analyze the kinds of commercials that are played on the television? At designated times, different people are targeted. Or how about the ways the grocery stores are set up with the candy, soda, and magazines near the check out area. Items in a store are put in certain places for a reason. These are all clever selling techniques that manufacturers come up with to get people to buy their products.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Around 2:30 until about 5:00, the kids come home from school, and the cartoons and other kids shows are on. So why not show commercials for the latest Barbie doll or hot wheels playset. Children see this, remember it and figure out how to co...

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

The Employability Paradigm Essay -- Denis O’Sullivan’s Cultural Politi

The Employability Paradigm Denis O’Sullivan’s Cultural Politics and Irish Education since the 1950’s (2006) makes the argument that early school leaving has traditionally been understood as a failure of the individual to succeed within mainstream schooling. This essay plans to outline and support O’Sullivan’s argument and also to show how the political and educational system in Ireland has created a criterion for success which guarantees a certain amount of failure. O’Sullivan’s (2006) argues that the Employability Paradigm which emerged in the 1970’s served to distinguish a group of students who were not achieving the standard needed to guarantee employment. Employability is the assessment of those with the lowest chance of success in an economically motivated nation. It posits that intervention is necessary to prevent those individuals who have failed within the system from being dependent on social welfare and subsequently from being socially excluded (O’Sullivan 2006). In the early 1970’s, Ireland’s entry into the European economy and the changing employment market combined to connect education attainment to employability. As a result, educational credentials became the accepted way of assessing ability and this served to focus attention on those leaving school early with little or no qualifications. O’Sullivan argues that while the policy of the state, on the surface, seemed to support equal opportunity with the provision of free access to secondary education, the reality for most working class students was far from equitable. There were limited interventions available for those who needed help to develop the skills needed to benefit from access to secondary education and these students became disenfranchised. The disc... ...ing and Youth Labour Markets: A Cross-National Analysis IN: Blanchflower, D. and Freeman, R.Youth Employment and Joblessness in Advanced Countries. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Mac Einri, P. 1997. Some Recent Demographic Developments in Ireland. [Online] Available from: http://migration.ucc.ie/etudesirlandaises.htm [Accessed 7th May 2012] O’Dubhslainà ©, A. 2006. The White Paper On Education: A Failure To Invest. Student Economic Review. 20 p 115 O’Sullivan, D. 2006. Cultural Politics and Irish Education since the 1950’s. Ireland: Cork University Press. Ronayne, T. 2004. Regions Without Work: Unemployment and Labour Market Policy in Ireland. [Online] Available from: http://www.wrc.ie/publications/regionsw.pdf [Accessed 7th May 2012] Stokes, D. 2004. Submission to the Youth Justice Agency. [Online] Available from: www.youthreach.ie [Accessed 7th May 2012]

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Continental Airlines

Case Study: Continental Airline? s Tech Strategy Takes Off Continental Airline’s Tech Strategy Takes Off Amrita Ranchhod 152109103 Amrita Ranchhod Pagina 1 Case Study: Continental Airline? s Tech Strategy Takes Off Company profile Continental Airlines is the world’s fifth largest airline. Continental, together with Continental Express and Continental Connection, has more than 2,750 daily departures throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia, serving 133 domestic and 132 international destinations. More than 750 additional points are served via current alliance partners. Continental has hubs serving New York, Houston, Cleveland and Guam, and together with its regional partners, carries approximately 63 million passengers per year. Based in Houston, Texas, the airline must provide an IT infrastructure to support its global reach. Its IT department delivers services for internal operations as well as for its customer service and external Web applications. 0. Make a small description of the case pointing out the main management issues. This case study demonstrates how Continental Airlines adopted new strategies and how they got successful when most of the U. S. based airlines were in risk of bankruptcy after the 9/11. The company wasn’t very highly regarded because of its organizational culture and it’s IT and Biz. Strategy weren’t aligned. Continental slowly reinvented itself by using new strategies, â€Å"Worst to First† which made them one of the most admired global airline in the world. They used IT as a service centre and aligned Biz. with IT. 1. Describe the external environment and Continental’s strategic goals After the 9/11, the nation’s airline industry struggled to regain altitude, because of the loss of billion of dollars since a smaller number of people wanted to fly which made thousands of people loose their jobs. But it is believe that the U. S. airlines were already struggling before the attack due to broader economic and competitive issues. Also, economics problems in the U. S. and Japan and the weakening of the dollar has not helped for the recovery of the airline industry. See appendix 1) The legacy carriers – American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United, Continental Northwest and US Airways had to face new lower-cost competitors entering their Amrita Ranchhod Pagina 2 Case Study: Continental Airline? s Tech Strategy Takes Off markets, and all airlines had to face soaring fuel prices over the last years. According to Phil Baggaley, the senior airlines credit analyst for rating agency Standard & Poor’s, â€Å"The legacy carriers were forced to pull back their capacity and that opened a vacuum that the low-cost carriers could fill. I think 9/11 made a material difference in that way -it accelerated a trend that was already occurring. † (www. money. cnn. com). This lead to an unused aircraft, demand for new planes went down which didn’t help the manufacturers and their suppliers. To understand better Continental Airline’s external environment I will use SWOT analysis: Strenghts ? Revenue : Revenues increased of 17. 1% from 2005 to 2006 ? Profits: Operating Profit: during fiscal year 2006 operating profit was $468 million, compared to operating loss of $39 in 2005. Net Profit: during fiscal year 2006, net profit was $343 million, compared to net loss of $68 in 2005. ? CEO: The CEO of Continental Airlines played and important role in stimulating the company. The â€Å"Go Forward Plan† made possible to focus on every aspect of the organization. ? Target Market: Having a well-defined target market, Continental provides services to upper-class and business travelers. ? IT Integration ? Clear Vision Amrita Ranchhod Pagina 3 Case Study: Continental Airline? s Tech Strategy Takes Off Weaknesses ? Financial Difficulties: The company had some financial problems with great amount of debts and operating at loss. ? High Operating Costs: Continental had a high operating cost because they decided to attract consumers by offering in-flight meals preventing them from going to other airlines. Opportunities: ? Reestablishing Customer Base: The airline industry is becoming â€Å"normal† as in returning to pre-9/11 status. ? Align new marketing strategy, more consumer oriented, with low cost strategies. Threats: ? September 11th: The public lost faith in the airline industry after the September 11th and for many companies this meant bankruptcy. Even after this, the majority of the airline industry had lower profits. ? Oil prices were getting high ? Increasing Rivalry As stated in the case study, Continental Airlines was ranked at the very bottom of the list of airlines and regularly received low marks for customer service. Its external environmental was very instable and each carrier was trying very hard to save the company from bankruptcy. The company had 45 different CRM systems and the carrier had no way to verify who the most important customers were. The company’s strategy was mainly to identify and increase the loyalty of continental’s most important customer and also to find new customers even outside the U. S. keeping prices stable and increasing routes. The way they implemented this strategy was basically creating and IT department which would improve customer services and operations. Bethune’s â€Å"Worst to First† business strategy made reorganize the Amrita Ranchhod Pagina 4 Case Study: Continental Airline? Tech Strategy Takes Off company’s structure by launching new service routes. But according in Teradata (www. teradata. com), Bethune’s â€Å"Worst to First† business strategy relied little on technology. Bethune began by reshaping the company with his â€Å"Go Forward Plan,† which still guides the business today. The Go Forward Plan has four interrel ated parts, dealing with the airline’s product, finances, market and people: ? Fly to Win: Understand what products customers want and what they are willing to pay for. ? Fund the Future: Manage costs and cash flow so the airline can continue to operate. Make Reliability a Reality: Get customers to their destination safely, on time and with their luggage. ? Work Together: Create a culture where people want to come to work. The second phase of Bethune’s strategy, â€Å"First to Favorite†, the IT team decided to transform the airline’s CRM systems into one which made possible to save around $6 million costs in operating costs. 2. What are the new management capabilities and business processes? Are they information-intensive? How they work? Continental’s success was due to the use of innovative technologies to improve internal operations and customer service. The real-time data warehouse provided data from 25 internal operational systems and two external data sources loaded into the data warehouse. The source systems included: schedules, inventory, employee and crew payroll, airline tickets, customer care, and others and it was applied to areas such as revenue management, customer relationship management, flight management dashboard and fraud detection. The CVM provided by Continental’s database, allowed them to Amrita Ranchhod Pagina 5 Case Study: Continental Airline? s Tech Strategy Takes Off know the most profitable customers which helped the marketing department in customer segmentation. Management understood that good quality information was critical. According to Jane Beeby, Continental’s Senior Director, as part of its strategy to optimize service, Continental maintains unique 800 numbers for various types of customers. For example, international fliers dial a different number than do customers booking domestic flights. Rewards Program members have their own toll-free line. To even more precisely identify individual customer needs, callers may also respond to a series of network-level prompts before being connected to an agent. (www. cisco. com). The new capabilities and business processes attained by the company made possible to know more about their customers which lead to more profit and consequently to a better customer service. 3. Does IT have a strategic role at Continental? (Apply Porter’s 5 forces model) As an early adopter of new technology, Continental Airlines uses the latest information technology allowing the company to progress. I believe that IT was a brilliant opportunity to invest in the future providing real-time business intelligence which made possible to save $500 million in costs and revenues produced a ROI (Return on Investment) of more than 1. 00% (See Appendix 2). One thing worth mentioning is that one of the key resources at Continental were the employees. More productive employees lead to better margins. The ability to deal with problems efficiently, in turn, created job satisfaction, as employee see their efforts give way results. According to Porter’s analysis, The Five Forces determ ine the competitive intensity and therefore the attractiveness of a market. Amrita Ranchhod Pagina 6 Case Study: Continental Airline? s Tech Strategy Takes Off Threat of New Entrants: Continental is implementing a unique strategy making hard for new companies to enter the market and uncrease barriers. Therefore, there is a low threat of new entrants because the service they are offering is difficult to copy ? Bargaining Power of Suppliers: The bargaining power of suppliers will decrease because as Continental is controlling more information about customers therefore they are offering exactly what costumers need which makes possible to build brand awareness – the bargaining power of the company increases. Threat of Substitutes: The IS strategy gives to Continental Airline a competitive advantage because they control customer’s information therefore they are able to capture loyalty of them and minimize substitutes. ? Bargaining Power of Buyers: Since there is a new IS th e company is increasing barriers for customers switching costs. The buyers are becoming more loyal and establishing a bound to the company services which makes difficult for them to change. Therefore the bargaining power of buyers is decreasing. Conclusion – The information systems at Continental have a strategic impact in because they have a major positive impact in: ? Increasing Industry Rivalry ? Lowering Customer Bargain Power 4. Regarding their business value analyse the IT systems mentioned positioning them in McFarlans’s Matrix. According to the McFarlan’s Matrix listed bellow, for example CRM (Customer Relationship Management) plays a strategic role in Continental’s Airline, because the existing and future expansion is vital to the firm’s success. CRM made possible the Amrita Ranchhod Pagina 7 Case Study: Continental Airline? s Tech Strategy Takes Off lose relationship between the company’s customers and each employee, giving these last ones better information about specific needs of their customers. Loyalty is very important for them, so by using the data warehouse with real time information ensured higher customer retention. The CRM system also facilitated crossselling (off ering customers complimentary products based on their previous purchases) and up-selling (offering customer’s premium products in the same category). Amrita Ranchhod Pagina 8 Case Study: Continental Airline? s Tech Strategy Takes Off 5. How the process of Biz and IT alignment should be performed at Continental? Make 3 recommendations. Alignment is always going to be a moving target. Business objectives are in change, while IT tends to move in more stable patterns. From my point of view the key recommendation is to focus on what can the company achieve now and take one step at a time. For them to be aligned there should be a balanced in terms of communication. Business people â€Å"speak in business language† and IT people in technical terms. To solve this problem, we should put this two together and â€Å"make them† find their own language and this involves communication, process alignment and value demonstration. These people must have the right tools and skills to work together so they can arise the best strategies. In my point of view, creating a new department, in theory is easy but they are always full of obstacles and always busy. For example, employees profiles can be created to gather information about their competencies. Also within the organization make audit objective as ensuring a strong coupling between the business operations and the IT operations and to ensure that both the operations align with the overall business strategy. Amrita Ranchhod Pagina 9 Case Study: Continental Airline? Tech Strategy Takes Off References Chris Isidore, (September 8th 2006), Airlines still in upheaval, 5 years after 9/11: www. money. cnn. com [Acessed at 15th November, 2009] Teradata Corporation, Case-Study – Data Warehousing: www. teradata. com [Assessed at 16th November, 2009] Cisco Systems, Inc, Soaring with Intelligent Contact Management: www. cisco. com [ Assessed at 16th November, 2009] Amrita Ranchhod Pagina 10 Case Study: Continental Airline? s Tech Strategy Takes Off Appendix 1: Amrita Ranchhod Pagina 11 Case Study: Continental Airline? s Tech Strategy Takes Off Appendix 2: Amrita Ranchhod Pagina 12 Continental Airlines Meagan Young Chapter 10 I believe that Lorenzo’s confrontation with Continental’s unions could have been conducted a different way. They could simply listen to each other’s viewpoint and not interrupt with one another is speaking. This way each other can hear their viewpoint and maybe understand one another better. If Lorenzo would have listened to what his employees were trying to say, he may have gotten ideas from them and used them for his company. Both these companies experienced commonalities and contrasts. Both Bethunes and Southwest Airlines experienced debt issues. Both companies were puzzled as how to deal with this situation. Both companies however had the similar approaches as how to deal with the debt situations. Bethune definitely has a better management style than Lorenzo’s. this is because Bethune was willing to come up with solutions to come out of debt. He also made dramatic changes. In 1995, through a â€Å"renewed focus on flight schedules and incentive pay,† he greatly improved on-time performance, along with lost-baggage claims and customer complaints. Better communications was also a key element in improving employee relationships and the spirit of teamwork. Information was shared with employees through newsletters, updates on bulletin boards, email, voice-mail, and electronic signs over worldwide places. As you can see Bethune really wanted to improve Continental Airlines because he wanted what was best for the company. Bethune proved a master at changing employees’ attitudes and their sense of pride. Few top executives ever faced such a negative workforce, reflecting the Lorenzo years. But Bethune changed all this, and in such a short time. is open-door policy and open houses to encourage employees to interact with him and other top executives was a simple gesture, but so effective, as was his opening wide the channels of communication about company plans. The incentive plans for improving performance, and the freeing up of employee initiatives by abolishing the rigidity of formal policies, were further positives. He enge ndered an atmosphere of teamwork and a personal image of an appreciative CEO. This goes to show that Bethune is a trustworthy man and cares much about his company and the employees. The paint issue shouldn’t be a big issue. It gave the company a new look I think. Giving employees some kind of reward such as a bonus or incentive seems ideal. When they reach a certain goal or percentage and show they are hardworking employees, they could receive one of these. Before doing this I would supervise how they are working to make sure they are doing what they are supposed to. After studying their work ethics I would then determine what kind of reward I would present to them. Lack of communication is one of the biggest issues with not only top executives but anyone in the company. I’m sure not all of the upper management had the same ideas for Continental, and because of this some were left behind. This could be a downfall because one of them could have had a really good idea to present to the company. Because workers are not getting paid what they should, you can offer them something else. You can offer them better company benefits. This can help the employee tremendously, especially if they have a family. You could also tell the workers that if they reach a certain percentage that they can receive a raise. All of these ideas can motivate an employee to work harder at their job.

Monday, September 16, 2019

Differnent types of document creating software Essay

Layering – when within the same file you place images stacked on top of each other   Template- a standard document with pre-set layouts and formats.   Justification – adding extra spaces to text to align the edges so that the lines begin / end at the same place on a page . You can left / right / centre / fully justified   Orientation – which way the page is orientated – landscape or portrait   Wizard- a user interface which presents the user with a sequence of dialogue boxes which guide the user through the task .   Font style- a set of printable /displayable text character/s in a specific style and size. Footer – an area set aside at the bottom of each page   Mail merge – a word processing feature that allows users to personalise letters with names/addresses from a database   Web-authoring software – a web authoring package that is designed to allow you to create web pages and web sites   Resizing – alter the size of an image   Rotating – moving   Shearing – putting two images together to make an optical illusion Cropping – removing parts you don’t want Editing- changing or correcting 5 features of a PPT that could NOT be used in a written report 1. Audio 2. Images. 3. Sound 4. Colours 5. Animations Spell check is used to highlight incorrect spellings so they can be corrected . Compares words entered with words in a dictionary. After spell check the documents like needs to be proof-read because even if the spellings are right , the sentence may not make sense. 3 features of web authoring software you could use to create a website   Creating headings and subheadings   Inserting links Views – standard (similar to word processor screen) , code view (HTML) , Split view (Both views) Ways to transfer images from a database to a website: Copy and pasting   Importing CAD – stands for Computer aided design . It is the use of technology for designs . It is usually used by architects . Buildings can be designed using it. CAD advantages:   You can be more accurate than hand drawing   You can save/ edit ideas so it’s easier/cheaper to modify   You can edit existing ideas which saves time. Describe 3 features of DTP software that could be used when designing a leaflet: 1. Text- can be styled using fonts and colours 2. Background colours- can be changed for blocks of text/images. 3. Page layout templates- each page can have the same layout. Describe 3 features of a website that enable customers to purchase goods online: There’s a shopping cart where you can add all your items and there’s a total sum   There’s an option to set up an account this is so returning customers do not need to re-enter information   Between the retailers website and the bank the payment is made , the data is encrypted. Describe 5 features of word-processing software you might use to make the information clearer   text wrapping – the text can be arranged an image so it’s easier to read. Bold   Italics   Underlining text   Colours Web 2. 0 – is the point at which the Internet became truly interactive, with users becoming the most important component of many sites. This benefits as they are able to get Greater knowledge and better marketing. Applications that use this are RSS and Twitter. Describe how you can use ICT to create and use charts when presenting data from a spreadsheet. You can enter all your information into an excel document with all the headings along the top and the information in rows below. Then you select all the cells containing information and go to â€Å"insert† and then select the chart you want. Once the chart has been added in you can go to â€Å"chart design† and modify the chart . What is the most suitable type of software for each of these task:   Write a letter to customers – word processing software   Create a leaflet about tennis lessons- DTP   Create a web page that allows customers to place orders online- Web Authoring Software   Editing digital images – graphics software   Storing student’s details- Data handling software Present information to sales staff – presentation software   Produce a mail-merged series of letters – Database CAM- Computer aided design is a software used by engineers and architects to control machine tools in the manufacturing of work pieces. You can create a precise drawing on CAD and then make that 2D design physical by using CAM to make the object. 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 Communications section.