Thursday, October 31, 2019

Statistics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 8

Statistics - Essay Example In fact, in all the home fires that were reported during the period of the survey, smoke alarms were installed in the respective homes. Nonetheless, there still remains much more to be done in order to meet the objective of making people safe in their homes. Considering the 4% of the households that do not have fire alarms, Ahrens (2014) places the count at about 5 million. This was the cause of 37% home fire deaths. Even aggravating the issue further is the finding that of all the reported fires during the period of NFPA study, only 52% of the fire alarms operated. The malfunctioning of these fire alarms was the cause of the 23% of home fire deaths. Therefore, fire alarms play a crucial role of saving human lives from home fires. However, statistics show that much more need to be undertaken to have more homes install these devices and have them function as required. Ahrens, M. (2014, March). Smoke alarms in U.S. home fires. National Fire Protection Association. Retrieved 1 July 2014 from

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Shared sacrifice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Shared sacrifice - Essay Example But staff left behind has had to absorb workloads or do without support from which they previously benefited, so unless they had previously been underemployed or were enabled to approach their work in a different, less labor-intensive way, these were definitely cuts. This is no way to approach efficiency savings. Efficiency requires a mindset that focuses on improvement, an emphasis on quality, a genuine concern to do the best for the customer. Cuts come from a manipulation mindset, a style that could be described as command and control. While cuts involve zero-sum thinking, in which it is assumed that there is a game to be played, in which if I win you have to lose (and vice versa), efficiency needs abundance thinking. This takes as its starting point the assumption that if we work together to try to meet all our aims we will probably find a way of doing so, or at least get much closer to it than if we fight. Efficiency needs a good understanding of the processes of providing a service and of the way costs are structured. Cuts just need a change in a budget. Cuts are much easier, but ultimately self-defeating. Efficiency is hard work but yields long-lasting positive results. It is a tragedy that, in my opinion, many politicians and managers in the 1990s could not tell the difference, and that it has led to alienation of clinical professionals in a way that was quite unnecessary. Managing resources, then, requires you to understand processes, understand the way costs change with different levels of activity and understand the dynamics at play between people within the system. It also requires the courage to prompt people of high status to think constructively about changes they can make in the ways they work – not at all an easy thing to do. We will start by looking at what we can learn from the strand of thinking that

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Reverend Martin Luther King Jr

Reverend Martin Luther King Jr German sociologist Max Weber (1968) made the first argument of charismatic leadership that a leader with charisma is able to convince people. He believed that the leadership of charismatic individuals with exceptional quality can size up the situation immediately and lead to a very profound influence on his subordinates. Moreover, charisma is an encouraging factor that leaders are available with the nature of interpersonal attraction, including personality, ability, experience and frustrations. Therefore, this essay is going to discuss the importance of charismatic leadership in two following aspects. The relationship between leaders and followers Jay (1998) noted that leaders charisma is a contagious indictor to help his follows. When a leader is considered to be very attractive, then their subordinates are more willing to take the leaders proposals to work. According to him, charismatic leadership often set an example for their employees in order to lead or influence them, which could disseminate the values and varied expectations according to their own action. Furthermore, Jean (2005) supported an example of how Reverend Martin Luther King Jr affected his followers can demonstrate the importance of charismatic leadership. On 1 December, 1955, Alabama in the United States, a black woman named Rosa Parker refused to obey an order form a bus driver who asked her to give her seat to a white passenger. Then the driver called the police, who arrested her for breaking the bus segregation laws. When the black community heard about that, they were engaged. Already some black people were collecting weapons to fight against whites. Th is matter raised Reverend Martin Luther King Jrs attention; he thought that violence was not the answer and the situation must be corrected. After that, King called a meeting at his church and appealed a mass movement to carry out bus boycott. While the boycott continued, the black leader encouraged his congregation to keep up their struggle and emphasized the need for non-violent action. Finally, the Supreme Court ruled that segregation was unconstitutional. Martin Luther King had played a leading role in the victorious Montgomery bus boycott for civil right. His talent and morality were deeply attracted by the majority of black supports, which made him become a charismatic leader in democratic rights movement. However, Edwin (2008) opposed that charismatic leadership can be a curse so that a leader charisma not always brings the benefit to followers. In his opinion, abusing charismatic leadership may bring a danger or risk to the organization, because it can be not only used for destructive purposes, but also it might be utilized for private purposes, which would result in deception, manipulation and exploitation of others.Leaders want their followers to share the same beliefs and values, which are strong models to employees. If their advocated beliefs and values are not correct, charismatic leadership would take followers into a wrong way, which may cause a disastrous consequence. In Hans (2000) research, Hitler accepted the idea of Benito Mussolini, who was the founder of Fascist Nazism. There were a lot of followers because of his attractive leadership during the World War 2. But he advocated using coercive power of fascist Nazism and guide people toward an extreme misfortune. Perspective of charismatic leadership    Andrew (2009) deemed that charismatic leadership helps entrepreneurs to strengthen and improve their leadership effectiveness.The charisma of a leader on the facet of interpersonal skills can bring big advantages for many reasons. In the first place, employees tend to seek charismatic leaders who they believe. Secondly, people perhaps are always influenced by the personal charm on their leaders because they feel that it will enhance their self-confidence and self-esteem which can produce a pleasurable sensation. Finally, staff wished to work for glamorous leaders who may stimulate their enthusiasm. Another case of Martin Luther King is that his speech of I have a dream deeply motivated black people fighting for civil rights and freedom. On the contrary, Martin (2005) argued that the external environment and situation has undergone tremendous changes, adverse psychological characteristics and values, which have not been expressed before, may happen on charismatic leaders. In another word, their original psychological tendencies have been suppressed due to the growth and expansion of external and inherent constraints. Consequently,various emotions complacency would expand on charismatic leadership in an organization after succeed in hard works. In order to seek compensation after hard works, leaders might often seek some illegal and immoral businesses as a spiritual compensation so that they seize the wealth and pleasure in irregular ways. There are also some leaders losing initiative and enjoying material life after success.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   On the other hand, Tudor and Murray (2006) pointed out that the charismatic leadership also exist dark sides in the organizational management, such as mismanagement in the network of members relationships (especially the staff in grassroots level and managers in supervisory level). Sometimes, leadership transition does not follow the usual practice, which may reflect on a phenomenon that organizational members misunderstand the leaders intent. Besides, charismatic leadership may result in alienation between leaders and employees in an organization. Leaders charisma might be formed a strong leadership and management style so that there would be an opposition among in-group and outside-groups members of the organization, even though the organization is in a tantamount splitting situation. Meanwhile, momentum that may be ascribed in leader charisma did not produce agreement in organizational members who are accustomed working in the traditional slow pace. Consequently, it is a negative effect that they deal with their managers courteously but without sincerity. These actions will certainly have a negative impact on employee performance. Conclusion In short, the charismatic leadership could process a strong charisma in both positive and negative sides. Therefore, grasping the dialectical relationship of charismatic leadership can play a positive role even if there would be some negative effects. Charismatic leaders, who experienced in the formation of overall quality, will have a profound emotional impact on their follows. Subordinates even treat them as an epic hero or model figure so that charismatic leaders should have great power, self-confidence, power, beliefs and moral steadfastness. Furthermore, they are good at setting up ambitious objectives and being examples of their own to express their belief and values in an organization. Bibliography Weber, M. (1968) On charisma and institution building: selected papers, Chicago:University of Chicago Press Conger, J (1998) Charismatic leadership in organizations, USA: SAGE publications, p 20 Darby, J. (2005) Martin Luther King Jr, USA: Lerner Publications Company, pp 24-48 Hollander, E (2008) Inclusive Leadership: The Essential Leader-Follower Relationship, United States of America: Taylor Francis Group, p 88 Slomp, H (2000) European politics into the twenty-first century: integration and division, USA: Praeger Publishers, pp 9-10 Dubrin, A (2009) Leadership: Research Findings, Practice and Skills, 6th edition, USA: South-Western, pp 92 Wood, M (2005) The Fallacy of Misplaced Leadership, Journal of Management Studies [J], 42:6(2005), pp1102-1112 Rickards,T. and Clark, M (2006) Dilemmas of Leadership, United Kingdom: British Library, pp 88-90

Friday, October 25, 2019

Inspector Goole in J.B.Priestley’s play, An Inspector Calls :: English Literature

What is the function of Inspector Goole in J.B.Priestley’s play, An Inspector Calls? An Inspector Calls was written in 1945 by John Boynton Priestley. The play was set in 1912 two years before the first world war so from this their would have been irony as the audience would know. The play is set in a dining room in the Birling’s residence in Brumley, North Midlands which was a fictional industrial city. At the time the play was set the world was a very class conscience place with higher and lower class depending on one thing: money. The country was set up in two categories with the socialists which consists of the Political System in which ways of community and sharing are promoted and capitalists which is the political system which values private ownership and the individual. The country really was involved around capitalist values. For example there was no welfare state. In this essay I will be focusing on the main functions of the inspector. The inspectors role is a key to the plot and conclusion and delivers morals and principles and how the functions of the inspector get used in specific places throughout the play. The play opens with the Birling family and Gerald celebrating the engagement of Gerald and Sheila. It is dramatically effective because you get to see all the characters in one room therefore seeing their personalities, instead of them being introduced one-by-one. They are celebrating and at ease which means they are a little bit drunk. The mood is very relaxed and everyone having a nice time. From the stage directions it says the mood is â€Å"pink and intimate†. We learn from Mr.Birling that he is selfish and a capitalist from his speech. He sums himself up within the opening of the play saying â€Å"that a man has to mind his own business and look after himself and his own-and-†(act one page 11) this indicates that he is a selfish man and cares for his family only (Mr.Birling is a capitalist). The mood is soon to change from relaxed and chilled to harsh when the inspector arrives. At the last word of Mr. Birlings speech the door bell rings at the right time to create tension, the doorbell ring was purposely put their to create tension and to stop Birling preaching about capitalist views. Its clever even how one word â€Å"and† can be such a tensional word as the door bell rings. In the stage directions â€Å"the lighting should be pink and intimate until the inspector arrives, and then it should be brighter and harder† it changes to as if all the characters were being

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Gulf Oil Analysis Essay

Statement of Problem & Alternatives George Keller of the Standard Oil Company of California (Socal) is considering how much to bid for Gulf Oil Corporation (Gulf), which is currently in the middle of a bidding war. Gulf is unwilling to consider bids below $70 per share even though their share price was $39 at the time Boone Pickens began purchasing shares in the hopes of a takeover. II. Statement of Facts and Assumptions Under the direction of James Lee, Gulf pursued a twofold strategy. First, Gulf renewed its focused on oil whereas in the past, Gulf had developed into an energy conglomerate through various acquisitions of coalmines, uranium mines, and synthetic fuel plants. These ventures would be de-emphasized going forward. For second part of the strategy, Gulf planned to implement a policy of increased expenditures on exploration and development (E&D). During the years leading up to the takeover attempt, Gulf more than doubled its exploration outlays. While Gulf was continuing with its ambitious E&D program, the real price of oil and natural gas declined from 1982 through 1983. As 1984 began, almost all industry experts were in agreement that the price of oil (in constant dollars) was not expected to change for the following 10 years. Lee trimmed exploration expenditures in 1983 in response to these changing fundamentals. Even at the reduced level, spending for exploration in real terms equaled or exceeded that of every year before Lee’s arrival except one. Based on this picture, Socal needs to value Gulf. There are several sources of value that can be considered: the value of Gulf’s petroleum reserves; the cost savings related to the immediate suspension of Gulf’s E&D program; the tax benefits associated with additional leverage; the value added by shortening the recovery lag; and the value of any adverse effe cts due to the acquisition of Gulf by a competitor1. In addition to calculating Gulf’s reserve value, Socal needs to be mindful of its competition. Both Atlantic Richfield Company (ARCO) and Kohlberg Kravis  Roberts & Company (KKR) are financially limited should Gulf’s share price continue to escalate. It would be difficult for ARCO to bid more than $75.00 per share given that its resulting debt-to-capital ratio would exceed 60% (historically high). KKR is in a similar situation. Mesa, led by Pickens, currently holds 13.2% of Gulf’s stock at an average purchase price of $43. In order to bid successfully, Mesa would have to borrow many times their net worth. With banks queuing up to lend money to support an $80 share price (or higher), Socal will have to take on a considerable amount of financial leverage. III. Analysis Although there are multiple sources of value, this analysis focuses on valuing Gulf’s reserves, assuming E&D activities will cease post acquisition (liquidation value). The critical elements that enter into the valuation of Gulf’s reserves are: Acquisition date: Since we are trying to establish why Gulf became so valuable within a short period of time from when their share price was $39 to when a minimum bid level of $70 per share was established, it’s appropriate to use January 1st, 1984 as the first year Socal assumed ownership of Gulf. Reserve life: Assumed a reserve-to-production ratio of 12:1. It takes approximately 4 years for the stream to come online and the field, once online, is productive for another 7-10 yrs. Based on this ratio, Gulf’s reserves are depleted at a rate of 192.75 million barrels per year over a 12-year period. Inflation rate: 4.67% based on the average inflation rates observed between 1982 and 1983. There was an unusually high rate of inflation between 1978 and 1981 so years prior to 1982 were not included. However, a sensitivity analysis was performed to observe the effects of a higher inflation rate based on historical averages (see Exhibit 1). Oil sales: Oil price is expected to stay at $22.42 in constant dollars (prices are adjusted for inflation). Production costs: Production cost per barrel is expected to stay at $6.48 in constant dollars (prices are adjusted for inflation). See Exhibit 2. Exploration costs: The capitalized portion of past extraction costs are recognized as depreciation when the corresponding oil is produced. These depreciation expenses vary from year to year based on historical costs. See Exhibit 3. Working capital: For this analysis, working capital is assumed to be negligible given that the analysis is geared towards determining Gulf’s reserve value. Capital  expenditures: For this analysis, capital outlays are assumed to be zero given that the analysis is geared towards determining Gulf’s reserve value. Gulf’s E&D program ceases post acquisition. Discount rate: Gulf’s weighted average cost of capital calculated to be 15.35%. See Exhibit 4. Utilizing a discount rate of 15.35% and the assumptions outlined above with a free cash flow model (see Exhibit 6), Gulf’s reserves are worth an estimated $80.73 share ($16,120.69M)2. Adjusting the inflation upwards to 8.37%, Gulf’s reserves are worth an estimated $96.16 per share ($15,895.35M). Since Socal would be taking on additional debt, it’s important to check whether or not future free cash flows cover the incremental interest expense. Exhibit 7 shows that future cash flows easily cover interest expense associated with up to a $90 per share purchase price. Additionally, taking the free cash flow derived in Exhibit 6 (basis for an $80.73 share price) and discounting based on Socal’s WACC (16.96% – see Exhibit 5), we arrive at a reserve valuation of $75.56 per share. Adjusting inflation upwards to 8.37% and discounting at Socal’s WACC, Gulf’s reserves are worth an estimated $89.65 per share.3 IV. Recommendations Based on the analysis, a bid of $75.56 per share for Gulf is appropriate. A bid above this price would result in a loss for Socal shareholders. This price is also above the $75 threshold, which if offered by ARCO or KKR would send their leverage above historical highs (greater than 60%). Given the valuations sensitivity to the assumed inflation rate, discount rate, and recovery lag, $75.56 represents a pessimistic valuation giving Socal management room to adjust its bid upwards if necessary. These estimates do not consider the possibility of recovering Gulf’s unrelated fixed assets. It’s important to note, the analysis is very sensitive to the discount rate assumed, recovery lag, and the inflation rate.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Choosing a Career in the Medical Field Essay

â€Å"A man who has never gone to school may steal from a freight car; but if he has a university education, he may steal the whole railroad.† ~Theodore Roosevelt (Graduation Quotes, Commencement Sayings, Advice For Graduates, 2012). Education is something one could say gives you a better understanding of the world. Without Education in this day and time you may find a job but a career is much harder to obtain. Although the job market and economy are still suffering quite a bit and there are worries of whether or not you will find employment after college, it is thought to be the best option for obtaining a great career. Choosing what to go to school for after graduation can seem challenging. The medical field is rapidly growing career field that is increasing in demand every year, with higher patient demands and growing technology. As long as we are here, the demand for medical field careers will continue to be here as patients need to be taken care of by medical personnel. The medical field has many careers to choose from and is not solely limited to nurses and doctors. Some examples of the career choices in the medical field are a Registered Nurse (RN), a Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN), a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN), a Medical Assistant, and a Certified Nursing Assistant. The growth in these careers all have grown in the last several years and is expected to continuously grow over the next four years, with some fields having more drastic growth than others. Registered Nursing jobs are expected to grow by 23% between the years of 2006-2016, with just an associate’s degree in this field. Registered Nurses assess incoming patient’s symptoms and the severity of them. They can also offer advice on care to stay healthy as well as administer some forms of treatment or care. They are often overseen or supervised by Physicians. LVN’s and LPN’s are expected to grow approximately 14% from 2006-2016. The schooling on average for a career as a LVN or LPN is anywhere from 10-16 months. The duties or tasks in this field involve taking care of sick or injured persons in many different facilities. They are often supervised by Registered Nurses (O*NET ONLINE, 2011).Medical Assistant jobs are expected to have a 35% increase over the next ten years. Programs to become a Medical Assistant can range from eight months to receiving an associate’s degree in medical assisting. Medical Assistants can work in the clinical part of a medical field or the administrative part. They are often supervised by Physicians but can also be supervised by medical office managers as well as registered nurses. Clinical duties in medical assisting may include but not be limited to taking vitals, getting a patient’s past medical history, assisting a physician in treatment, and drawing blood. Administrative duties in medical can include medical billing and coding, checking patients in and scheduling patient appointments to general secretarial duties (O*NET ONLINE, 2011). Certified Nursing Assistant Programs are expected to gain 265,000 jobs over the next 10 years. A certified nursing assistants daily duties can include bathing a patient, to dressing and feeding a patient, changing a patients bedding to even moving a patient to or from their bed. Certified Nursing Assistants are supervised by Registered Nurses and Physicians. Most Certified Medical Assistant programs range from 8-12 weeks and require no licensing or board certification (Lang, 2009). The medical career field is a very desirable field with continuous growth, short periods of training or school and also may have benefits with competitive wages. Advancement in technology continues almost daily in the medical field keeping patients healthy and alive longer. This increases the demand for health care and in turn increases the demand for qualified employees. As long as there are advancements in technology the medical field will continue to grow in technology and continue to have a demand for employment. With a steady career in the medical field you may have a better chance at benefits and may also be offered some kind of retirement or 401k plan. Average salaries in the medical field may also be something that is more desirable than the minimum wage employment that you may find without a college degree or trained education. The average median salaries for health care field careers can average from 28,860 yearly for a medical assistant to an LPN or LVN making an average of 40, 380 per year. Certified nursing assistants make an average of 24,010 a year and a Nurse makes an average of 64,690 a year (US Bureau of Labor Statistics,2012). Choosing a career in the medical field can be beneficial to your career future and your retirement future. There is not only job stability that is offered; there are also competitive wages and benefit packages with full time position within reach. The advancement in technologies that are continuing can help guarantee continuous job growth in the medical field industry. Health careers can also be a rewarding career field, when helping patients with a problem or illness they cannot overcome on their own you may have a feeling of self-accomplishment or fulfillment in your career. â€Å"Find a job you like and you add five days to every week.† ~ H. Jackson Brown, J.R (H. Jackson Brown, Jr. Quotes-BrainyQuote, 2012). References Graduation Quotes, Commencement Sayings, Advice For Graduates.(2012).The Quote Garden. Retrieved from http://www.quotegarden.com/graduation.html. H. Jackson Brown, Jr. Quotes-BrainyQuote.(2012). BrainyQuote. Retrieved from http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/h/h_jackson_brown_jr.html Lang, Janell.(2009). Academic Search Premier. The outlook in the health sciences. New Directions For Community Colleges, (146), 53-62. O*NET OnLine.(2011).O*NET. Retrieved from http://www.onetonline.org. US Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2012). United States Department of Labor. Retrieved from http://www.bls.gov/.