Event this week Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Event this week - Assignment Example This Greek government has fallen into conflict with other European countries after failing to honor previously set agreements. Moreover, there is a plunge in oil prices. This plunge will affect the British economy if it persists since the foreign exchange created by the sale of petroleum products will fall to low levels. The drop in the oil prices has brought a crisis in many oil-producing countries due to the low concentrations of income generated. It has also brought confusion in Futures markets and international stock exchange markets. Trading in oil and its products is becoming unpredictable and economically risky (Malcolmson, 2014). This collision with Greece implies that Britain will have one less trading partner. This change calls for urgent economic policy modifications and analysis to evaluate the best ways to move forward after the exit of such a crucial player in the Eurozone. An EU summit is expected to resolve this issue and come up with a reasonable solution (Fahrholz, 2007). This decision will affect the economic relationship of Greece with other countries that trade with Britain and other European nations. Some friends of Greece might decide to support them and break their trading ties with other European countries if Greece pulls out of the Eurozone. Others might decide to break their ties with Greece by weighing the benefits they will get when they trade with Britain, compared to trading with Greece only. This event helps students undertaking this course to understand the need of trading partners. It also touches on the effects of breaking trading ties due to failed contracts. The reading of a budget is essential in understanding and explaining a country’s current economic status. It also outlines future economic prospects and their intentions towards developing the country’s economy. Nick, F. (2015, March). Budget 2015: Oil Prices and Greece Threaten British Economy. The Guardian. Retrieved from

Case Analysis Memo Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Analysis Memo - Case Study Example The performance of employees is often found to be derailed by the threat of losing a job, but sometimes it may also prove as a driving force, for the employee to work hard and perform well for the survival. The status of the company mainly deals with it health, whether it has sufficient sources to balance the inputs and outputs, and does the company has enough revenue generation capacity to pay all the employees. Mistrust is another problem that was found prevalent among the employees of the company. The employees were often found complaining of problems with the pay bills and distribution of bonuses. They raised the issue of biasedness to be present among the ranks within the organization. The problem was of the transference. Employees were not aware of the proceedings that were carried out behind the scene, and the end of every month they found some discrepancy between what they expected to earn, and what they had actually earned. Another problem that was found closely associated with the level of mistrust among the employees was the absence of equality; rather the employees complained that there is unequal distribution of bonuses. Explicit rewards are those gains that can be measured. They are based on simple mathematics principles, where an individual is paid according to his or her performance. Further, a company can use an explicit reward scheme to motivate its employees, through setting clear bonuses, and defining the tasks. It is often observed that managers are too much occupied by traditional notions like presence and absence, they pay people for their regularity, but regularity is not always equal to productivity. The purpose of paying bonuses for regularity is to ensure the presence of individuals at the job site, and provide maximum output. However, employees may get regular but their productivity is found to be unsatisfactory. Giving autonomy to the employees can work in two ways it can work as a reward as well as motivator for better

Organizational change management

Organizational change management ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE MANAGEMENT Assessment Part A: Section 1: Introduction to the report: The forthcoming budget of 2013 is expected to open a financial trouble of  £153 million. Such high deficit is indeed threatening the council from the viewpoint of its strategic handling. The current newsletter that has been published by the council’s CEO, Andrea Hill clearly points out the organization’s drawback to effectively implement its developed policy: ‘A New Strategic Direction’ to tide over the impending financial crunch. Even the staffs is not paying enough heed to potential threat thinking that Louisiana would be one’s to be affected and not them. However, as the latter case is not to happen, the council acknowledged the significance to opt for job redundancies. Although the latter provision might seem to prevent the council from suffering such considerable financial trouble, yet in real the council could only save  £55m out of the total  £153m. Now, as a solution to the current issue, the council have planned to opt for strategies t hat would facilitate in: addressing and meeting the root cause of the root cause of the social problems and build social capital to make the social communities independent enough. However, the latter potential strategy was vehemently turned down by the opposition leader on the note that is actually an irrational judgement to switch off the service demand. The latter leader even criticised the way the council operated and rather deemed the necessity to alter its working pattern. Andrea Hill however, considered the latter leader’s comments to be true and thus deemed that change of the working pattern from slow and risk diverse to innovative, creative and leaner. Although, the council considered the importance to practise lean management, there is an impending danger of facing high job cuts. However, the job cuts are not considered to be a strategic solution to the financial trouble. Nevertheless, the redundancy solution is considered to reduce the potential cash deficit by at least a bare minimum ( £55m). Besides this, the potential resolution that the council intends to practise even involves pitfall in the process that it is not possible to switch over the service demand. However, the latter lean management practise seems to be effective in face of preventing excess cash outflow in the face of such trouble. Also the potential thought of altering the current work pattern of the council would help in gaining substantial profit from such activity. The purpose of the proposal is to critically analyse the current actions of the case study council. Though the council have opted for policies to tide over the impending financial trouble, concerns could be raised as to its actual effectiveness in real situation. In order to meet the potential deficit of  £153 million, the council would require opting for huge turnover that in real seems to be quiet an irrational judgement. However, to overcome the cash shortage, the proposed policy of the council seems to be near to rational yet having certain drawbacks. The proposed action to alter the current operating policies however seems to be quiet an effective solution. The report would thus detail the practise of lean management, effective service chain management and determine the need for the council to practise smaller, cheaper and innovative approach at workplace. The current study would thus detail the possible recommended policies for the council that is deemed to be effective to fa ce the potential financial threat of 2013. The entire study has been fragmented into three sections: background, limitations and recommendations. Within the background section, the researcher intends to subdivide the steps in two parts: problem findings and solution focus. The potential budget deficit issue would be highlighted in the problem section and subsequent solutions would be offered in the latter segment. The limitations of the proposed solution would analyse in section three: conclusion. In other words, the adverse impact of change on the performance and mindset of the staff would be detailed in the current section. As a strategic response to the limitations, the author would offer recommendations that might consider the effective usage of leadership development programs at the council’s workplace. Section Two: Background Problems: Findings As have already been discussed in the above report that Suffolk County Council is experiencing serious financial dearth as high as  £153m. The proposed job cuts even does not seem to redeem the issue as this specific council could be able to save only  £55m. The latest newsletter that stated that the council wishes to identify and fix the root cause of the social problems and build social capital to strengthen communities to be independent themselves, even is not considered to be rationale enough. Thus, in the face of being slow, risk averse and complex structure, the need arises to develop a coalition and convince the people that change is truly necessary. Kotter’s 8step change step model is basically a sequential step that facilitates in undertaking successful change within the organization (author). In face of the current financial trouble and the complex issue threatening the job sustainability of its staff, a step to form a powerful guiding coalition is required to be practised at workplace. The leader of the opposition as well as Mrs. Hill have already criticised the laid back attitude of the council staffs and have even identified that the council is yet not working on effective business lines. (Author) stated that framing powerful guiding coalition allows development of strong leadership to further the change process. However, the change could only be successfully brought about if there is viable support by some noted people of the organization. Unlike following the key traditional hierarchy mechanism, the coalition mechanism assist in integrating the apt people to forward the change process and even manage the change ini tiative to successfully attain the objective (author). Thus, in absence of member’s involvement within the coalition process, organizations undertaking change might not be able to attain desired benefit from the process. The following steps are required to be a part of the framing a coalition team in SSC: Recruiting a Coalition members: (Author) determined that the initial and an essential step in framing a collation group are to extend formal invitation to the leaders who would be able to carry forward the change process. However, the potential change managers are required to be told the exact reason behind the proposed change process. Also the reason for change should boost the morale and encourage the leaders to undertake the process. (Author) even added the coalition group should have a good mix of both experienced and fresh personnel. As a recommended action, the group should involve members that having prior experience in the activity and are able to identify others who could be effective leaders as well. Thus the team of SSC members vested to undertake the change should thus constitute efficient leaders having sound knowledge on the current activity. Developing a charter: Unlike the process of following the traditional hierarchy process, the coalition team building approach necessitates following top down and bottom up approach (author). Thus, post forming a team of efficient change leaders, the current step involves deciding a chairperson who would guide other’s activities and even vest separates roles and responsibilities to the members. (Author) added that in absence of a formalised structured of efforts, staffs are often not able to maintain an integrative approach towards work resulting in non-fulfilment of the change goal. Thus the responsible authority of SSC is required to frame a charter that would include team length, individual roles and an efficient chair-person. The chair-person is even required to offer leadership to the group and ensure ownership of the work. Frame a coalition team: After having completed the activity of developing a steering team and their respective roles and responsibilities, the present need is to support the group to become productive in nature (website). The provision for external support to the group would encourage confidence and morale so that the same is able to successfully further the change process. The team of SSC staffs who are the change managers of the business are required to set strategies that would prevent any occasion of deviation from the core purpose and attain failure as a result of issues within the system. (author) pointed out that planning a kick-off celebration is an effective way to build creativity and group cohesion at workplace. Besides involving in latter type of celebration, the council members of SSC could even brainstorm to identify the purpose and structure of the group. Staff involvement within the group development process would help in building conflict resolution and effective decision making approaches. Ensure stakeholder involvement: (author) pointed out that it is necessary to ensure involvement of all stakeholders within the change initiative process. Besides encouraging suggestions from the members who are not directly involved within the group, the need arises to vest the responsibilities of fulfilling discrete projects to rest of the staffs. The task to carry forward with the change efforts could even be furthered by the inclusion of the external governing body or taking help of the agency skills. The internal stakeholders of SSC could frequent in asking suggestions and opinions from the stakeholders on aspects of bettering the change and handle the current issues on financial dearth and in-appropriate operational procedure. The effective solutions could be practised at work. The latter strategies would thus serve as an effective approach to guide coalition to align the top down and bottom up change approach at SSC. Solutions: Considering that the operational success for organizations is dependent on several internal and external factors, the need arises to frequent the change management process over time. (author) attributed that change management process furthers the scope to undertake organizational development that is required to suit its operations as per the changing market and current business scenario. In the face of the impending financial threat and change issues that SC is currently facing, the same could follow the following two activities at workplace: Future Search: (Author) pointed out that the concept of future search relates to the activity of involving all the stakeholders to identify the issue, offer roles, develop action plans and vest separate roles and responsibilities to attain the venture. On occasion of current financial and change management issues currently hindering the progress and threatening the job sustainability of the staff of SSC, future search option of organizational development would assist in involving all the stakeholders in developing future strategic course of action that would successfully alter the current operational policy of the concern. During the course of six months time interval, the change managers of SSC could: Meet for conference Clearly outline and present the financial, job cuts and change management issues currently threatening them Try to develop a positive attitude towards settlement of the issue through framing constructive policies and Vest and engage all its members to fulfil their respective job performances. (author) mentioned that the future search strategy of organizational development goes beyond the traditional problem-solving approach instead ensure wider stakeholder involvement to carry forward with the course of constructive action. Within the proposed time interval of six months, the authorities of SSC could facilitate participation of members across all departments or key constituent groups. The current solution strategy is quiet effective to eradicate hierarchical issues instead be able to involve almost the entire organization in acknowledging the change requirement from global perspectives (author). Thus, the stakeholders of SSC would be able to invest their minds over dealing with current global perspective of financial budget on the proposed financial dearth of the business. By encouraging the participants to have a wider or global view of the present issue, they often develop greater commitment towards even better performnace. Likewise, the future search strategy of SSC would facilitate the stakeholders to feel encouraged to arrive at a common ground on determining the tools that would help in preventing job cuts, undertake require operational change and face financial dearth. Open Space method: (Author) stated that the open space initiative or organizational change and development are an effective tool to involve the appropriate skill set towards fulfilment of the issues. Following the current process, the responsible officials would be able to effectively utilise the collective wisdom and energy of its staff towards developing effective action plans to overcome the current issues. In order to maximise the involvement of all the staff of SSC, open space method could be employed at workplace. As the current strategy cannot be practised simultaneously with future search strategy, it could be used only after the practising the latter policy. Even considering the fact that the current policy involves sequential steps for performnace, SSC would allot another four months time frame to complete the process. Within this allotted four months time frame, the authorities of SSC would require to break the entire sessions into: Pre-design sessions Segment the group based on the expected responsibility Follow up and action plans (author). Within the pre-design sessions, the change authorities of the concern are required to identify the theme of the sessions and develop norms for the meetings. The current financial deficit that the council is facing as well as the operational inefficiency would be clearly outlined for the purpose of the arriving at a strategic solution. Post identifying the current issues, the group now requires breaking down the task in segmented portions and allotting specific responsibilities as per the expectations of the group. (author) acknowledged that the work segmentation and allotting specific responsibilities based on the likings of the staff would motivate them to better and faster solve the issue. The solutions of each group would then be analysed by maintaining a follow up of the activity. By maintaining a follow up, the change members of SSC would be able to be aware of the progress made to overcome the issue. Ultimately the most liable and rationale solution to the current trouble would be decided upon through joint consensus. Thus, through the process of coordinating the activity through information posting, the change leaders and staffs would be able to resolve the current critical issues and nurture improved level of team and personal responsibility. Section Three: Conclusions: Section four: Recommendations: The open strategy method and the future search solution mentioned above require tactful implementation process. In absence of having a proper course of undertaking solution action, SSC would not be able to involve all its stakeholders within the change activity and be able to volunteer joint response on the subject. (Author) pointed out the following process to effectively practise and implement future search at work: Step 1: integrating the entire stakeholders in a certain place, especially the ones who do not meet often. Step 2: clearly outline the current issue impacting successful operation of the organization Step 3: Identify possible strategic solutions rather than focus on past conflicts Step 4: Vest separate responsibilities to individuals. Following the above change management process, the stakeholders of SSC would be able to brainstorm to arrive an effective and strategic solution to the change management, financial dearth and staff turnover issues threatening the business. Open Space management process of the undertaking change could be undertaken following the under mentioned process: Step 1: Determine the issue, develop the norms and plan ways to undertake the sessions. Step 2: Segment the group on critical issues and appoint responsibility to each individual based on their desired preferability Step 3: Develop an action plan to undertake the process, volunteer suggestions and accept opinions (website). By conglomerating the opinions of the change managers and staff, SSC would be able to decide upon an effective and strategic change solution mechanism to facilitate in undertaking the process at workplace. The following change management programs could even be practised at workplace: Employee Assistance Program: (Author) reflected that it is basically work based program offering short term counselling sessions and follow-up of services to organizational staffs suffering from certain work related issues. Considering that the staffs of SSC is threatened from potential job loss and operational changes, EAP procedure would assist in addressing their issues and offer effective solutions. The managers could even gain knowledge as to ways to further the change process by making the staff accept its necessity and facilitate in its smoother undertaking. External Consultants and Envoys: (author) acknowledged that envoys are specialised management service firms that provides advice and training on aspects issues affecting the organization. SSC could appoint a specialised envoy having knowledge to effectively handle similar situations. With its appointment, the authorities of SSC would be able to optimally utilise their specialised knowledge on aspects to prevent from such massive financial trouble, job cuts and effectively undertake change to face the situation. Team working/building: SCC could even decide upon developing groups (basically T group structure) to ensure that it staff acknowledge the flow of information down the hierarchy and involve in an integrative approach to change. (Author) noted that staff often feels comfortable in a group and are motivated to involve even better performnace. The group work structure in SCC would thus drive the staff to work for innovation, product development, resolving issues and smoothen the change process. Management accounting frameworks: (author) elaborated that management accounting framework such as balance scorecard facilitates in the keeping a check on the progress of the current activities. In order to make sure that the leadership and people management practices are performed as expected, the authorities of SCC could periodically use balance scorecard approach to judge change such as leadership and people management. 1

Chemical Transport During Surface Irrigation :: Agriculture Farming Papers

Chemical Transport During Surface Irrigation Surface irrigation, the most prominent method used for irrigating agricultural crops, is the flowing of water across the field surface. As the water flows, it infiltrates into the soil. The amount of water applied to the field is regulated by the length of time that the water is allowed to flow. Surface irrigation can be subdivided into following four types based the amount of water flow control; wild flooding, graded boarders, level boarders and furrow irrigation. Wild flooding uses a series of field ditches running parallel or perpendicular to the fields' contour. Water is introduced into the field either be overflowing the ditches or by siphon. Once the water enters the field, the water is allowed to flow uncontrolled under the force of gravity. The water then infiltrates the soil as it moves across the field. The graded boarder method is similar to wild flooding except that the field is divided into a series of smaller narrower fields varying from 10 to 20 meters wide and 100 to 400 meters long. Each of these smaller fields is surrounded by a low ridge that keeps the water from spreading to much laterally. This method gives some control over the flow of water. Level boarder irrigation is similar to the graded boarder method except that the field is leveled within the low ridges surrounding it. Water can be introduced into the field at a faster rate so the field is covered much quicker. The water is then allowed to infiltrate into the soil. Furrow irrigation chanalizes the water into narrow furrows running the length of the field perpendicular to the contour of the field. This submerges only about one fifth of the soil surface. As the water flows down the furrow it infiltrates into the soil below and to the sides of the furrow. All four of these methods result in excess water being applied to the field to ensure that the far ends of the field are adequately watered. This means that there will be water running off the field on the downhill side of the field. A ditch is run along the side of the field to collect this water and remove it from the field. This excess water is of concern from a water quality standpoint. Almost all crops grown in the united states are done so under intense fertilization and pest control programs that result in large amounts of fertilizers and pesticides being applied to the soil and crop itself.

The Wound Dresser – John Adams

The second piece I reviewed was entitled The Wound Dresser. This is a composition for chamber orchestra and baritone singer. John Adams based this piece off of The Wound Dresser, a poem by Walt Whitman. The poem was written in in 1865 and was based on Whitman’s experiences working as a nurse in the American Civil War. John Adam’s is most often recognized as a minimalist, and well known for his pieces Doctor Atomic, and Short Ride in a Fast Car. You can hear examples of minimalism all throughout the piece.What I found interesting was that when Adams was working on this piece, his father was dying of Alzheimer’s disease. This gave Adams the ability to connect with Whitman’s poem on a much deeper level. Not just by having an awareness of dying, but by caring for people who are dying. Lyrically, this piece start out with a man reminiscing of caring for wounded soldiers in the hospital. It was his job do change the dressings on the wounded soldiers. What I noti ced most was how Adams reflected the mood and tone of the lyrics by using odd combinations of instruments, and unusual harmonic combinations.The bugle style trumpet, with a synthesizer, and some extreme ranges on the first violin produce a sense of misery or weakness that couples with the baritone’s lyrics perfectly. The first violin’s solo was beautiful but yet projected a somehow painful, sorrowful feel. When the strings all began to play, it was slow The piece starts out with just violins, and the first violin playing a solo in an usually high register. The double basses begin playing legato and slowly fading in and out. If pain and sorrow could be written through music, then John Adams did it in this piece.I heard them eventually playing pizzicato, with strings still sweeping in and out. That moment was beautiful. There was a trumpet solo, which somehow sounded distant. Upon reflection I realized that it had the same effect that Adams used in his piece Distant Trum pet written in 1986. The lyrics were shockingly disturbing. Not something that I was expecting to hear. They were many points in the baritone’s melody that it sounded atonal. It was dark, and miserable from every end. Lyrics like â€Å"come, sweet death† implying that death would be complete joy for him.I couldn’t quite pick a structure out of the piece, but at the end, I heard a returning theme in the first violin. All in all, this piece was beautifully miserable. Like always, I thoroughly enjoyed my time at the CPO. I heard the Chorus for the first time, I also heard a synthesizer be used for the first time. I hope to hear different versions of Ave Maria and Ode Joy as well. This experience was impacting and inspiring. It made me desire to strive to a new level in my musicianship that I have never been to before.

Counselors as companions and Ethnics in human Services report Essay

From Tragedy to Triumph: Counselor as Companion on the Hero’s Journey By: Richard W. Halstead The ethical standards for the human service professionals from the national organization of human service professionals. Some things that I believe that the counselor has learned from Steve are never say what a person with a disability can’t do. Also I think he learned that may impaired people tend to look at being normal like everyone else instead of pushing toward a goal in life and becoming successful with it. Another thing that I think the counselor learned from Steve was that never judge anyone by the disability of a person, because they can accomplish anything in life that they put their minds to. Some of the counselor’s behaviors that may have changed since working with Steve is that he learned that many people that have come in contact with a problem can overcome obstacles in many different way and that never thing a person with a disability can’t achieve something that he wants in life. Also after the talk with the psychiatrist, the counselor started using his thinking skills more. As it said in paragraph seven on the second page of this article,† The Psychiatrist had, unwittingly, provided me (The counselor) with what I thought might serve to propel Steve to the next milestone on his journey†. (Halstead Richard W. Pg2). It made the counselor want to encourage Steve even more to achieve his goal and prove the doctors wrong. I really do think that the people I come in contact with change me in some way by making me really see what is going on with them and make me determine to help them overcome that obstacle in life. Also it makes me want to be there for them more to help them, because nobody should have to go through a problem alone. When you help someone in life like it says on page one of this article, the counselor had met Steve who was struggling to regain a life taken a way, the counselor was confronted with trying to understand his role in the process, and over time they both found their way through the problem. (Halstead, Richard W. Pg1). We as people in the human service field will have several different problems that we run in to with our clients and we have to use our critical thinking skill and our references that we have to help that person through their problems as well as learn from our work. Steve was changed as a result of this relationship by determining that being normal wasn’t as important as achieving his goal of getting a college degree in his field that he had chosen. Everyone isn’t normal and we should try to work towards being normal, we should try and work towards our goals just like Steve can to realize. Steve has benefited from this relationship tremendously with the help of the counselor and the principle of the college he was able to finish school 5 years later, but he had his degree under his belt, as well as being offered a job writing and helping other people through their problems as well. One ethnical issue that may lead me as a human service professional to review the ethical standards would be that a client is recently diagnosed with the HIV virus. He is very upset and crying his eyes out wanting to commit suicide and threatens to kill the guy that he thinks gave it to him before he does. How I can resolve any ethical concerns is by looking in the ethical standards and look over what its say to do in a case like this, but on the other hand try to calm the client down and give him as much support and help needed by weighing out the outcomes of the situation. Also I would look up something using my reference skills that could maybe ease him a little about the situation and make him think different. On the other hand me as a psychologist I have to refer to the ethical standards for human services professions and take the stand. In the ethical standards for human service professionals it states under statements three and four that me as a human service professionals have to keep the clients information confidential with others that, but have to breech the confidentiality of the client and consider seeking supervision because the client is trying to harm himself as well as others. The national organization of human services ethical standards are very important to follow as I begin to work with individuals, families, groups, and communities, because it will tell me what I need to do if I feel there is something that could take place and how to go about doing it as well. References 1. Halstead, R. W. (2000). From Tragedy to Triumph: Counselor as Companion on the Hero’s Journey. Counseling & Values, 44(2), 100. 2. National Organization of Human Service Professionals.Ethical Standards for the Human Service Professionals.Retrieved from: http://www.nationalhumanservices.org/ethical-standards-for-hs-professionals.

PROPOSITION 218 Essays - Property Taxes, Politics Of California

PROPOSITION 218 Essays - Property Taxes, Politics Of California PROPOSITION 218 Introduction California voters have spoken again. On November 6, they passed (56%) Proposition 218, marking the continued fiscal conservatism of the state's electorate and their frustration with what has been characterized as the arrogance and inefficiency of government. (SF Chronicle Staff, SF Chronicle: 11/6/96). As Bob Therrien of Ventura stated in his letter to the LA Times "Prop 13 and Prop 218 are the direct result of taxpayer abuse by our elected officials. Its time for government to do some serious soul-searching as to its duties, including the right of the people to have minimum intrusive government." (Therrien, LA Times, 10/13/96). There are two primary political impacts of Prop 218. The first is to take the power to levy taxes and assessments out of the hands of local government and put it into the hands of the general populace, and the second is to strengthen the control of the State government over local affairs. In essence, combined with Prop 13, local government officials have been told by its citizenry - here's a level of taxes, fees, charges and assessments you can collect from us without asking our permission for more. Mechanically, this is somewhat debilitating because getting voter approval is a slow and, often, expensive process. The schedule of elections does not allow for a rapid enough response to deal with the speed of today's demands. A case in point has already occurred in the City of Inglewood where the City has pulled back its offer to help finance a sports arena because Prop 218 knocked out taxes needed to support this effort and it would not be able to go before its voters until April 1997. This has given the City of Los Angeles "a leg up in getting a new sports facility at its downtown Convention Center" and may cause Inglewood to lose both the Lakers and the Kings, which would result in a significant negative financial impact. (Belgum & Merl, LA Times: 11/8/96).! In another example, the City of South Pasadena decided to cancel a special election for a utility tax which was scheduled in December and would have cost $25,000. (LA Times Staff, LA Times: 9/20/96). The LA Times, in a post-election article raised an interesting point when it said " the legislature and the governor must come to terms with the huge new burdens put on local governments... Sacramento, now flush with revenues, should help solve the problem by restoring property tax revenues to local government." (LA Times Staff, LA Times: 11/7/96). Although a potential short-term solution, it does give the State government an additional level of control of local government action (the other golden rule - he who has the gold rules) and, in effect, directly contradicts one of the intents of Prop 218's sponsors of putting more control in the hands of the local citizenry. It is my opinion that Prop 218 is another aspect of a developing trend toward a realignment of American society away from a representative democracy toward a desire for a general democracy (whether or not this will really work is another matter altogether). It is part of the citizenry's way of saying to both elected and appointed government officials that government has lost its trust. Background In 1978, the California electorate passed Prop 13 which set property taxes at a maximum rate of 1% of the property's assessed value and limited annual assessment increases to 2% until the property is sold, at which time the assessment adjusts to sales price, or there is construction or improvements to the property. Prop 13 also requires approval of two-thirds of the Legislature to raise state taxes and two-thirds of the local voters to raise special taxes. Since the passage of Prop 13, local government and the State Legislature have devised a number of ways to finance their operations. These have included increasing the use of assessments from capital specific to revenue general, expanding the use of Community Facilities Districts to charge "fees" citywide, and charging user type fees and taxes (i.e. - utility, hotel occupancy). Although challenged a number of times in court, California courts have, generally, upheld these practices. According to lawyers at O'Melveny & Myers (a major California law firm which represents many local governments), after a

Alternate Dispute Resolution at Darden Restaurants and Hooters of America Essays

Alternate Dispute Resolution at Darden Restaurants and Hooters of America Essays Alternate Dispute Resolution at Darden Restaurants and Hooters of America Paper Alternate Dispute Resolution at Darden Restaurants and Hooters of America Paper ADR at Darden Restaurants and Hooters of America More companies are turning to alternate dispute resolution (ADR) as an alterative to the judicial system for settling employee disputes. There are some clear advantages and disadvantages to ADR for both employers and employees. The best-designed ADR programs are those that are fair and impartial. A good ADR program should seek to find the best possible outcome for both parties while saving time and money and preserving relationships. The least effective ADR programs tend to be unfair and perpetuate the imbalance and bargaining power discrepancy frequently found in employer-employee relationships. In this paper, I will compare the ADR programs of Darden Restaurants and Hooters of America. My basis for comparison will be measured primarily on how well they address the advantages of ADR equally for the employer and the employee. It should be noted that Darden’s is considered to be a model program due to its comprehensiveness and fairness. By contrast – perhaps unsurprisingly – it is disappointing to see that Hooters has constructed an ADR program that offers little justice to its employees. Advantages of using ADR ADR can save vast amounts of time and money. While lawsuits can take years and thousands of dollars to settle, through ADR, conflicts can often be resolved in a matter of weeks or months at a greatly reduced cost. There are potential savings in court costs, attorney fees, and expert witness fees when a dispute is settled through mediation, arbitration, or a combination of both. Potential disadvantages of ADR are the wasted time and increased cost that are incurred when a dispute goes through ADR but still ends up in court. At Darden, there are four ways to resolve workplace disputes – Open Door Policy, Peer Review, Mediation, and Arbitration. Each is designed to encourage settlement without litigation and each is promoted as an effective alternative to litigation that is fair to all parties. The first step toward resolving disputes at Darden is use of the open door policy. If the employee is not satisfied with the first three steps of the ADR program mentioned above, the matter can move on to the final step: arbitration. The court has determined that the Darden program appears to meet the legal tests for ADR. It is important to note that Darden does not expect to reduce expenses via reduction in the payout of damages and compensation to employees with legitimate claims; rather, their expected cost savings lies in reducing court-related fees. In stark contrast, Hooters’ ADR program is a one-sided agenda designed to help the company win arbitration cases and save time and money. The ADR program takes advantage of the company’s superior bargaining power: employees must sign the agreement to arbitrate disputes in order to be eligible for raises, transfers, and promotions. Employees are allowed only five days to review and decide if they will accept or reject the agreement. Hooters’ ADR agreement states that the company has the right to change the rules and procedures at any time – even while in the midst of an arbitration proceeding – without notice. In addition, the rules require employees to disclose their cases to the company, along with a list of witnesses and a record of facts known to each witness. Hooters, meanwhile, is not required to reciprocate by disclosing the details of its defense. The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit summed it up by stating that the Hooters rules are â€Å"so one-sided that their only purpose is to undermine the neutrality of the (arbitration) proceeding. † The basis for a workable ADR program is that it should guarantee neutrality; a neutral party is hired or retained to hear and decide on cases. At Darden, the choice of a neutral party is governed by outside rules preventing abuse in the selection of a biased arbitrator or mediator. The neutrals at the proceedings are experts belonging to the American Arbitration Association (AAA). AAA is a public-service, non-profit organization serving businesses and government. Meanwhile, Hooters’ mechanism for selecting a panel of three arbitrators is crafted to ensure a biased decision maker. The employee and the company each select an arbitrator. These two arbitrators in turn select the third arbitrator. The biggest problem with this process is that all of the arbitrators must be selected from a list created exclusively by the company. Hooters can nominate its managers or select arbitrators who have a financial interest in the company to be placed on the list. Anyone deemed as being against the company can be taken off the list. ADR is a legitimate and potentially highly beneficial alternative to litigation, and its use can save employers and employees both time and money. ADR can decrease the adversarial dynamic between parties and offer greater flexibility in settlements. Further, it provides the potential to preserve business relationships. Darden Restaurants has a good ADR program that addresses these issues.

Conjugation of the Spanish Verb Dormir

Conjugation of the Spanish Verb Dormir The conjugation of dormir, which usually means to sleep, is irregular in that the stem of -o- becomes -ue- when stressed and sometimes becomes -u- when unstressed. The only other verb that follows the same pattern is the rarely used adormir, which means to calm or to cause sleep. Irregular forms are shown below in boldface. Translations are given as a guide and in real life may vary with context. Infinitive of Dormir dormir (to sleep) Gerund of Dormir durmiendo (sleeping) Participle of Dormir dormido (slept) Present Indicative of Dormir yo duermo, tà º duermes, usted/à ©l/ella duerme, nosotros/as dormimos, vosotros/as dormà ­s, ustedes/ellos/ellas duermen (I sleep, you sleep, he sleeps, etc.) Preterite of Dormir yo dormà ­, tà º dormiste, usted/à ©l/ella durmià ³, nosotros/as dormimos, vosotros/as dormisteis, ustedes/ellos/ellas durmieron (I slept, you slept, she slept, etc.) Imperfect Indicative of Dormir yo dormà ­a, tà º dormà ­as, usted/à ©l/ella dormà ­a, nosotros/as dormà ­amos, vosotros/as dormà ­ais, ustedes/ellos/ellas dormà ­an (I used to sleep, you used to sleep, he used to sleep, etc.) Future Indicative of Dormir yo dormirà ©, tà º dormirs, usted/à ©l/ella dormir, nosotros/as dormiremos, vosotros/as dormirà ©is, ustedes/ellos/ellas dormirn (I will sleep, you will sleep, he will sleep, etc.) Conditional of Dormir yo dormirà ­a, tà º dormirà ­as, usted/à ©l/ella dormirà ­a, nosotros/as dormirà ­amos, vosotros/as dormirà ­ais, ustedes/ellos/ellas dormirà ­an (I would sleep, you would sleep, she would sleep, etc.) Present Subjunctive of Dormir que yo duerma, que tà º duermas, que usted/à ©l/ella duerma, que nosotros/as durmamos, que vosotros/as durmis, que ustedes/ellos/ellas duerman (that I sleep, that you sleep, that she sleep, etc.) Imperfect Subjunctive of Dormir que yo durmiera (durmiese), que tà º durmieras (durmieses), que usted/à ©l/ella durmiera (durmiese), que nosotros/as durmià ©ramos (durmià ©semos), que vosotros/as durmierais (durmieseis), que ustedes/ellos/ellas durmieran (durmiesen) (that I slept, that you slept, that he slept, etc.) Imperative of Dormir duerme (tà º), no duermas (tà º), duerma (usted), durmamos (nosotros/as), dormid (vosotros/as), no durmis (vosotros/as), duerman (ustedes) (sleep, dont sleep, sleep, lets sleep, etc.) Present Perfect Indicative of Dormir yo he dormido, tà º has dormido, usted/à ©l/ella ha dormido, nosotros/as hemos dormido, vosotros habà ©is dormido, ustedes/ellos/ellas han dormido (I have played, you have played, she has played, etc.) Pluperfect (Past Perfect Indicative) of Dormir yo habà ­a dormido, tà º habà ­a dormido, usted/à ©l/ella habà ­a dormido, nosotros/as habà ­amos dormido, vosotros habà ­ais dormido, ustedes/ellos/ellas habà ­an dormido (that I had played, that you had played, that he had played, etc.) Future Perfect Indicative of Dormir yo habrà © dormido, tà º habrs dormido, usted/à ©l/ella habr dormido, nosotros/as habremos dormido, vosotros habrà ©is dormido, ustedes/ellos/ellas habrn dormido (I will have played, you will have played, she will have played, etc.) Present Perfect Subjunctive of Dormir yo haya dormido, tà º hayas dormido, usted/à ©l/ella haya dormido, nosotros/as hayamos dormido, vosotros hayis dormido, ustedes/ellos/ellas hayan dormido (that I have played, that you have played, that he has played, etc.) Past Perfect Subjunctive of Dormir yo hubiera/hubiese dormido, tà º hubieras/hubieses dormido, usted/à ©l/ella hubiera/hubieses dormido, nosotros/as hubià ©ramos/hubià ©semos dormido, vosotros hubierais/hubieseis dormido, ustedes/ellos/ellas hubieran/hubiesen dormido (that I had played, that you had played, that she had played, etc.) Conditional Perfect of Dormir yo habrà ­a dormido, tà º habrà ­as dormido, usted/à ©l/ella habrà ­a dormido, nosotros/as habrà ­amos dormido, vosotros habrà ­ais dormido, ustedes/ellos/ellas habrà ­an dormido (I would have played, you would have played, he would have played, etc.) Progressive Tenses of Dormir The many progressive tenses use the appropriate form of estar followed by the gerund, durmiendo. Sample Sentences Showing Conjugation of Dormir La pequeà ±a ha decidido que quiere dormir en la cama conmigo. (The little girl has decided she wants to sleep in the bed with me. Infinitive.) No sà © lo que pasà ³;  estaba durmiendo. (I dont know what happened;  I was sleeping. Gerund.) Los nià ±os de ahora duermen menos que los de hace veinte aà ±os. (Todays children sleep less than those of  20 years ago. Present indicative.) Se durmieron mientras tomaban el sol. (They fell asleep while sunbathing. Preterite.) Espero que duermas bien, mi amor, y que pienses en mà ­ tambià ©n. (I hope that you sleep well, my love, and that you think about me too. Present subjunctive.)  ¿Habrà © estado durmiendo mientras los otros sufrà ­an? (Will I have been sleeping while there others were suffering? Future perfect progressive.) Me recomendà ³ que no durmiera en el suelo. (She recommended that I dont sleep on the floor. Imperfect subjunctive.)  ¡Duà ©rmete ahorita! (Go to sleep right now! Imperative.)

Marketing Plan Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

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ENTREPRENEURIAL SURVIVAL Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

ENTREPRENEURIAL SURVIVAL - Essay Example As a result of this, the paper focuses on the types of accounts and reports small and medium-sized companies deliver to Company House; showing the deadlines, methods of filing these and the consequences for failure to do the same. There are hundreds of millions of businesses set up each year globally. Starting ones business is always a very exciting experience filled with ambitions and expectations. However, statistics show that out of every 5 businesses set up, 4 will fall in a span of three years. This therefore calls for one to pay attention to the list of options at his disposal and the legal framework involving each and every one of them. This refers to an individual who runs by his/ herself an unincorporated type of business. This is always the easiest option that does not involve much framework. This individual incurs taxes under the system of Inland’s Revenue Assessment with income tax come to after deductions of legitimate expenses incurred by the business and one’s personal allowance. The sole trader is accountable for all the company’s debts and profits. This is a cooperation of at least two individuals solely bound with the shared vision of doing business together. They operate within the boundaries of the Partnership Act of 1890. However, this type of structure does not have its own legal personality hence the partners are to answer for any debts the business incurs. The partnerships agreement covers for: Incorporating what the business per takes of blows a new breath into the whole scene as the business is now viewed as legal person different from the directors. The profits and losses incurred are only limited to the company and it too has its obligations. This therefore means that upon the exit of the management or the shareholders, the company does not cease to be. This is also known as a limited â€Å"company†. A limited company has a higher probability of incurring less tax compared to the other types of companies.

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Seismic engineering - Research Paper Example The occurrence of earthquakes is mainly in the areas that happen to be on the edges of tectonic plates. As the brittle structure of the plates hit each other in its movement over the softer lower layers, the shock waves travel through the crust of the earth in the form of earthquakes (Walker 2007). This is now detailed event specific on how an earthquake happens. There might be a variety of ways that plates brush against each other causing an earthquake. This is directly in relation to the geological setting of these plates which will be described in the specific case ahead. http://www.cini.org.uk/progressreports/prkashmirearthquake.html Taking the 2005 Kashmir earthquake as an example, it is simple to understand how geological settings of plates influence the earthquake zones and the damage caused. Killing over 80,000 people in Pakistan and over 1,000 in India as well as leaving over 4 million people without homes, the earthquake was one of the devastating contemporary earthquakes ( Roza, 2007). Earthquake matching the size of this one impact human civilization at range of fronts (Roza, 2007). Pakistan has been labeled as being vulnerable to seismic events in general and has experienced earthquakes from time to time (Kakar 2008) because of its position over the edge of the Indian plate (Khan 2000). The Indian plate runs through the full length of the country (Khan 2000) making many areas of the region in the most affected zones of the earthquakes. Research alludes, the higher the presence of plates (and hence the plate boundaries) is, the higher the earthquakes occur in the region (Ford & Taylor 2006). This has been exemplified by the comparison that Pacific ocean has more earthquakes since it has more tectonic plates than the Atlantic ocean (Ford & Taylor 2006). The plate movement is slow enough to be measurable in centimeters a year yet the interaction, scraping and the hitting of plates even at that pace is enough to cause seismic events that have significan t effect on the earth’s surface (Ford & Taylor 2006). http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/KashmirEarthquake/ The Himalayan mountain range, which itself has been born out of the seismic instability from the plates’ interaction, has had the same reasons for its birth in that specific region as that of the plate tectonics. The geological tectonic setting is such that any plate collision results in earthquakes along the fault lines which go right through the length of the country (Khan 2000). Reports attributed more than 978 aftershocks to the earthquake on daily basis (ReliefWeb 2005) that were at times of greater magnitude than the earthquake itself. Sudden slip events at the plate edges cause the shocks that travel through the length of the fault lines (Hubenthal et. al 2008). The elasticity of the earth’s crust

BUS303 MODULE 2 LP Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

BUS303 MODULE 2 LP - Essay Example I actually commend the University for according students with the opportunity to make partial payments through accomplishing a Promissory Note form, which is to be secured from the Dean’s office prior to major examinations. Since my financial sources were not enough, I secured the form and lined up at the Cashier to make a partial payment. After about 30 minutes of queuing, the system experienced technical difficulties and those in line were told to either wait, try to pay through an authorized bank, or return the next day. The follow day, I directly went to the cashier; and true to her word, accepted my partial payment. I proceeded to the registrar to validate the payment and secure my examination permit, only to be told that the Promissory Note (PN) needed to be signed first at the Dean’s office. When I went to the Dean’s office, the line of students securing the signature on their respective PNs was longer than the eyes could see. After a patient wait and when one’s turn was due, the authorized signatory informed me that I needed to pay an additional $xxx amount; otherwise, I would not be given an exam permit despite the amount that I already paid. I had to go back to the Cashier, have the PN signed, return to the registrar and finally secure the exam permit. It would have been so much easier to have communicated all the payment protocols during orientation; or to have a flowchart of procedures posted near the Cashier and Accounting Offices. I hereby enjoin University personnel in charge of creating policies and procedures to publish payment protocols and avoid students queuing and being referred back to departments to secure signatures or make additional payments, which are fairly easy to comply with explicitly disseminated guidelines. This would likewise facilitate payment and collection and avoid unnecessary returns. Hoping for your immediate action in this regard. In writing the persuasive memo, the guidelines in writing persuasive

Handling the Dilemma over Community vs Institutional Corrections Essay Example for Free

Handling the Dilemma over Community vs Institutional Corrections Essay It is the first day of break and Jimmy wants to have a good time with his friends. Long story short, Jimmy decided to drive home drunk and crashed into another car. The driver of the other car passed away.What kind of punishment should Jimmy receive? It seems fair for him to spend time in prison. Should he see probation after the jail time? How much? This scenario helps introduce the dilemma we have today as a society about institutional vs. community corrections. Punishment for crime has always been an issue for debate. With the growth of the American colonies, the colonists needed a system of punishment for lawbreakers. Many methods developed in Europe meant to bring shame to those offenders were adopted. Around this time, the world saw a change in punishment ideology; some began to stress that humans are not perfect and make mistakes. Thus, there should be more reform as well as punish. In 1682, William Penn made a push for change. He limited the death penalty to cases of murder only and called for fines and imprisonment for most offenses. This is widely considered the beginnings of the prison system in the U.S. He also helped start the creation of jails, like the High Street Jail. The first federal prisons were established in 1891. Before this date, prisons were organized by states and territories. The establishment of parole and probation, or community corrections, began in the 1870s. There has always been and most likely always will be a huge social dilemma on what types and to what extent punishment should be laid out. Both institutional and community corrections have their pros and cons. One thing is for certain, however, that we do need a mixture of both. The current prison system has a number of advantages. Incarceration keeps criminals away from the public theoretically making the public safer. Imprisonment also punishes the convicted criminal by taking away, in a sense, their life at least for a short period. This type of punishment should have the effect of deterring the offender from repeat crimes as well as others from committing crimes. Current prison systems are meant to be rehabilitative. Structure and discipline is provided by the prisons so as to educate and provide therapy for inmates. With the good also comes the bad. Housing a large population of criminals together can lead to networking and an anti-social encouragement to continue crime. Probably the biggest knock on imprisonment is that there is a huge cost associated with housing an inmate. The public and law-abiding citizens essentially pay for the living accommodations of a criminal. The financial toll hits those families directly associated with the criminal. It is harder for a family to get by if an income is removed. If a family ends up needing government aid, the public is again paying for that. It can also be said that prisons lack the necessary resources to properly rehabilitate and to address the issues of how they got to prison. One last disadvantage is that every prisoner is treated the same. A murderer would be treated the same as a thief. This may not necessarily be fair. Community-based corrections, on the other hand, also have a number of advantages. It is usually said that community corrections are practical and less expensive alternatives to imprisonment. Keeping an offender convicted of a minor crime in the community and out of a jail filled with hardened criminals would theoretically do a better job at rehabilitating the person and keep them functioning socially. Community corrections mainly offer the solution to the tendency of inmates to learn anti-social behaviors. Families will largely stay intact. Supervision and restrictions can help the person learn to be a more highly functioning member of society. Training programs and job placement work along these same lines. Community corrections may also have negative outcomes. For one, criminals will still be walking the streets. If an offender is set to live in a halfway house, the community around the house could become undesirable. Nearby residents may feel threatened. Community corrections are not totally free either. Systems like halfway houses do cost money, although the overall cost of community corrections is appealing in comparison to institutional corrections. Many believe that prisonization is tantamount to socialization into a criminal culture. Therefore, being in a prison is thought equivalent to being in a school for crime (Tittle, 263). Research has shown that inmates will often grow loyalty each other and can develop a hostility towards prison officials. The society in a prison is largely based on putting value in things not as valuable otherwise. The overall effect is not one conducive to rehabilitation into society. Some do say, however, that attitudes and behaviors such as this become less salient as the time nears for return to the outside (Tittle, 264) This insight can show how many might simply adapt to prison culture and can readjust once freed. Still, the risk of anti-socialization is there. The argument can be made that prisons are not the greatest device for rehabilitation but that community corrections are not currently adequate. A push for improvements is being made. Prohibitive costs of constructing and operating jails make it impossible to get out of this corrections crisis even if the public wants toughness on crime (Rosenthal, 1). Policymakers are making a push towards more effective transition and community supervision. One large problem with this changing corrections climate, is that rehabilitation is being overshadowed by protection of the public and promotion of justice (Rosenthal, 1). One last important point to make about a need for more effective community corrections is that there is an increase in the number of drug and alcohol abusers and prisons are not the best place for these offenders. Innovations have been made in community corrections such as intensive supervision probation/parole (ISP), home confinement with or without electronic monitoring, and residential options in community corrections. It is encouraging to see developments but the system in general is ineffective.Unlike some countries, we have no national probation service to provide service uniformly across all parts of the country (Burrell, xv). There are federal, state, county, and even municipal level providers. It is hard to be efficient and effective with such a non-standardized system. A Canadian study showed that well-designed and well-implemented correctional treatment programs can produce significant reduction in recidivism (Burrell, xvii). The overarching factor in the correctional dilemma is that we should attempt to do what is best for society. Justice does need to be served and prisons are a necessary evil, but not always best at rehabilitation. Without proper rehabilitation, we will see repeat offenders. Community corrections offer better opportunities at re-entry but, of course, this is not always feasible or fair. An often overlooked portion of this dilemma is the families. Not only will the criminal be a lost cause if rehabilitation is a failure but often the families may fall into a state of failure as well. A study shows that two thirds of family members of incarcerated persons see substantial financial decline, general health decline, and damage to relationships with children and other family members (Arditti, 199-200). This certainly is not beneficial for society. In my opinion, there is a trend to be seen in this correctional dilemma. This trend appears to be that the main issue is a lack of effectiveness in rehabilitation. It is also very clear that institutional corrections is not usually conducive to widespread rehabilitation. This lends the idea that community corrections and the community in general provide the real hope. We also now know that the community system is fragmented and decentralized and needs improvement. This is not to say that we need to completely stray away from prisons. Surely, that is out of the question. It is a necessary evil. To better society as a whole, community corrections need to be improved. I believe that we should move towards a system where only the most severe of offenders see true hard jail time. Further, a focus and monetary support should be put towards a unified community corrections system that is more apt at rehabilitating offenders. This is no small task. My opinions can be expounded upon as such: For all violent offenders and those committing crimes with wide-ranging effects should see times behind bars without question. Data shows that there are large numbers of non violent offenders behind bars. Being that it is extremely costly to house a prisoner it would be beneficial to attempt to cut down on non violent offenders behind bars. The push would then be to turn to more social and community based ways of punishment. It would seem that this would be more conducive of rehabilitation. This group of offenders having committed non violent crimes may have more hope of becoming productive members of society once again. There is a certain level of toleration to be had. We must understand that there will always be criminals and some will never be fixed. Further, any system will never work perfectly. In my opinion, though, it seems there needs to a slight shift in momentum towards community corrections for economic, societal, and rehabilitative reasons. Works Cited Arditti, Joyce A., Jennifer Lambert-Shute, and Karen Joest. Saturday Morning at the Jail: Implications of Incarceration for Families and Children. Family Relations 52.3 (2003): 195-204. JSTOR. Web. 26 Nov. 2012. This scholarly article was originally published in the journal, Family Relations. This article is meant to explore the implications of criminal sanction policies on the families of felony offenders. More specifically, the article focused on the social, health, and economic characteristics of parents and children to these offenders under incarceration. I found the article to be interesting and thorough overall, but much of it was more than what I needed for the purposes of this paper. Still, I found the article to be helpful in my research and proved to be useful for anecdotes. As such, this source was used mainly for supplemental information. Burrell, William D. Community Corrections Management. Civic Research Institute (n.d.): n. pag. JSTOR. Web. 26 Nov. 2012. This article is part of the Civic Research Institute. The article is intent on discussing the Community-Based Corrections System in general. The author takes the point of view that it is a decentralized and fragmented system. The article further discusses probation and parole along with developments in these areas. Finally, it explores the future of the system. I found the article to be helpful to my understanding of the community corrections system and to see where it might be heading. I used this article mainly for informational purposes and general understanding. Inciardi, James A. Criminal Justice. 8th ed. Orlando: Academic, 1984. Print. This source is the textbook for our Introduction to Criminal Justice course. It is meant to provide an overview of the structure, processes, and problems of the criminal justice system in the United States. The book provides lots of basic and some in depth information and accompanying support, data, and analysis. I find the book to be helpful and capable ox offering explanations easy to comprehend. I have used this book mainly as a guide and a source for general information on the topic and not for more in depth purposes. Rosenthal, C. S. Opportunities in Community Corrections. National Criminal Justice Reference Service. National Council on Crime and Delinquency, 1989. Web. 25 Nov. 2012. . This article published in the National Criminal Justice Reference Service is focused on why there would be community based corrections, what they are, how effective they have been, and what is the future looking like. Similar to another article I have cited, this scholarly journal article does a good job of painting the big picture of community corrections. I particularly liked how this article was thorough in starting off with the basics and going into developments and then finally into some analysi s. This proved to be a helpful article in the formation of my opinion. Tittle, Charles R. Institutional Living and Rehabilitation. Journal of Health Social Behavior 13 (1972): 263-73. Web. 26 Nov. 2012. This source is an article published in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior on the topic of Institutional Corrections. The author of this article seeks to provide information and research on the extent to which incarceration is or can be rehabilitative. He finds and explains three characteristics thought to have anti-rehabilitative consequences. I found this journal article to be helpful at providing a detailed analysis of institutional corrections, both the presumed advantages and disadvantages. I used this mainly for more in depth conclusion drawing.

Business Plan For Candle Business In Nigeria Commerce Essay

Business Plan For Candle Business In Nigeria Commerce Essay Candles have been in existence for many years. At one time, people depended on them to light as well as heat their homes. Archaeologists have found proof of the existence of ancient candles in caves all over the world, most recently in France. The theory is that cavemen used candles as a source of light for etching their stories and charts on the walls of their homes. These candles were most likely created from fat derived from animals that were killed for food and fur. Even the ancient Egyptians created and used candles. Regardless of what material the candle is made of, to burn and provide adequate light and heat it has to have plasma, solids, gasses, and liquids. In todays modern world, we create candles for our own personal enjoyment, as crafts and hobbies for most people. Some people enjoy making candles so much that they turn their craft into a profitable business. With a little creativity, you can make some truly unique candles, simply by adding your own designs and skills. It is possible to make candles in every shape and size that you can imagine, and in any colours you can create. You can even add essential oils and fragrances to your candles, so that they not only provide decorative light, but a beautiful scent as well. Most of todays modern candles are made primarily out of paraffin wax, but some are also made of beeswax as well. Paraffin wax is a wax that is derived from plants, found naturally all over the world. Strict safety precautions should be followed when making your candles. It could be very easy to make a small mistake and suffer serious burns from the wax, not to mention the very real danger of fire, when using or creating candles. There should be separate area in your home or workshop especially for candle making, with fire extinguishers readily available in case of emergency. For a new candle making, it will be best to start with simple candle designs, then increase the difficulty as your skill increases. The basic techniques of candle making, have to be learn and setup your work area appropriately. Pay attention to temperatures, and make certain that you are careful to follow safety rules. Candle making is fairly easy once when understanding the basics and perfect techniques. The good news is that the supplies needed in candle making are fairly inexpensive, so no worry about wasting money if ruin along the way. 1.2 OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY The broad aim of the study is to introduce candle manufacturing business into Nigeria market in other to improve their standard of living. Along this broad aim emerges the following specific objectives which are: To determine the viability of Candle manufacturing business in Nigeria market. To determine the feasibility of Candle manufacturing business in Nigeria market. To determine the market trends for Candle business. CHAPTER TWO MARKET SURVEY / ANALYSIS 2.1 MARKET The end users of candle are mainly householders. It is their source of lightening during power outage. As earlier mentioned white garment churches (the celestial and cherubim and seraphim) are the other end users of candle for making supplication to celestial bodies. Survey of candle making businesses revealed that there are also other major manufacturer of candle such as Candle Royal, Chem.-Bold, BBC Candle, star candle, China candle, to mention a few. This is a plethora of small scale manufacturers. The market for candle stick is relatively large, given the frequency of power outage and the high cost of generating plants and fuel, which is a substitute for power supply. While power outage and interruption is common place in the urban centres, the rural electrification schemes of the government are gradually taking off but not yet sufficient to provide alternative power. Consequently, the market for candle sticks is a promising one while the project stands a good chance of success. Presently the types of candle stick produced by the aforementioned manufacturers have been found to burn out relatively faster than expected. From experience and research they take between 3 to 5 hours to burn- off. Reasons adduced for this is mainly the interior content/ concentration of the melt paraffin wax and the size of the candle sticks. This limitation and weakness has resulted in the inability to satisfy existing demand satisfactorily. The situation would be much more precarious when importation of candles is stopped and demand is now concentrated on local candles. To improve on these weaknesses, our own candle is being strengthened with high concentration of good, tested and quality melt paraffin wax. We are also planning to make varied sizes of these white and coloured candle sticks to cater for various users. Also, the effect of these competitors has been examined by sensitising the price of the products at 5 and 10 percent reduction. 2.2 MARKET TREND Given all the above it has been extremely difficult to determine accurately substantial data which could be interpreted to reveal the trend of demand for candle sticks at the range in this study for obvious reasons: One, the candle making industry in Ibadan, Oyo state is relatively young and competitors unwillingness to part with their company data Secondly, the type of candle we envisage both in size and content is different from other competitors. Nevertheless, estimated existing production figure for all these competitors for 2008 is 2,112,000 units in Ibadan However this figure is inconclusive if the object was for a detailed analysis. Because of these limitations, one is constrained to look at the consumption trend. 2.3 PROJECTION OF DEMAND As earlier stated, because of the power outage, high cost of generating plants and fuel used, candle has readily become a good alternative. Also considering the unique size and content of our candle, we are of opinion that the project will have no problem in gaining access to the market. Information of candle consumption revealed that in 1998, Oyo state with a population of about 3.5 million people has an estimated demand of 3 million candles There is therefore a shortfall of 888,000 units which if imported candle takes 300,000 units would leave an existing demand of 588,000 units. This project is therefore assured of patronage with adequate promotion of the product by the promoters. THE MICRO ENVIRONMENT OF BUSINESS LOCATION THE ECONOMY: The Nigeria economy was shaped, and greatly influenced by the character of the colonial economy which was purely exploitative. The major impulse of colonial rule was the search for cheap and steady supply of raw materials for the bargaining industries in Europe foreign market for the massively produced goods outlet for surplus capital and employment of cheap labour (Gann and Digman (eds), 1969). The raw materials in keen demand included cotton for textile factories, rubber for types and other products, palm oil, hides and skin or leather products, timber for furniture, as well as mineral resources like Tin, Bauxite, Coal to mention a few. The mineral and agricultural endowments of the colonial territories, Nigeria in particular, were massively tapped and exploited for use in Western Europe and North America, an exploitation rationalized in terms of the advantage in primary products.(Onimode, 1981).The a kind of symbolic relations between colonial territories and metropol is was enacted which favoured the metropolis. This process was further reinforced by the export of the surplus capital necessary by the need to sustain the rate of profit and capitalist accumulation in Europe. Consequently Nigeria large internal market became a major dumping ground for equipment and a host of other consumer goods (Dike 1956).Successive indigenous governments in the country have tried to grapple with the constrains created by the colonial economy. However the massive wealth generated from the sales of crude oil has made the economy monoculture depending as it were on crude oil. Since oil has become a major political tool in the hand of world powers the price per barrel of crude oil has become vulnerable. This trend has serious implications on national economic growth and development. The dependency on crude oil also gives rise to other economic adversities. Nigerian economy, which was agrarian and self-reliant, has become dependent on food baskets from Western Europe and North America. Thus the country has become a dumping ground for all sorts of goods consumers and capital goods from these foreign countries. It was against this backdrop that the structural adjustment programme (SAP) was launched in September 1986 by the Federal Military Government. The specific and major objectives of SAP are; (1). To restructure and diversify dependence on the oil sector and economy in order to reduce dependence on the oil sector and on exports. (2). To achieve fiscal and balance of payment viability over the period. (3). To lay the basis for a sustainable non inflationary or minimal inflationary growth. (4) To lessen the dominance of unproductive investment in the public sector improve the sectors efficiency and intensify the growth of the private sector. POPULATION AND LABOUR (MAN POWER) MATTERS Aside her strong economic base Nigeria is blessed with abundant human resources. Going by 1991 population Census Nigeria has a population of over 88 million with balanced demographic distribution. Nigeria population in absolute and qualitative terms is indeed appreciable compared to the rest of African. Thus there is abundant supply of semiskilled and unskilled in particular as well as skilled labour. This has downward implication for the cost of labour which has been one of the attractions for investors (both foreign and indigenous). However worth salary and wage regulation effected in 2007, which put the minimum basic salary at N8, 500.00 for federal employees and N9, 500.00 for state and local government employees the prices of various categories of labour are rising. 2.5 LEGAL AND SOCIAL MATTERS Candle making business is not in the list of prohibited or government monopolies. Therefore an investor is free to start off the business upon completing some legal requirement. Business premises registration levies which involved a minimum of =N=10, 000.00 and =N=5, 000.00 for renewal per annum have to be met. Similarly, women should be adequately represented in the firms employment given the campaign for gender equality following Beijin conference of 1991. Grassroots participation in the manufacture of candle sticks should be given a pride of place. 2.6 THE POLITICAL ENVIRONMENT The Nigeria political history is a chequered one, characterized by military intervention in the power politics of the country. The first republic which commenced in October 1, 1960, operated a parliamentary system headed by Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa. The government was sacked in January 15, 1966, paving way for military regime for some thirteen years regime that fought civil war (1967 1970) and marked by intra military change. On October 1, 1979 the military regime handed over political power to civilian political authority headed by Alhaji Shehu Shagari under a presidential system of government. By December 1983 the military junta intervened once again in the politics of the county and this lasted till May 29, 1999 when the political power was transferred to the civilian political authority headed by Chief Olusegun Cbasanjo under a presidential system of government in the model of Second Republic. The Nigeria masses are highly mobilized and militant which was a fallout of the annu lment of June 12 presidential election won by Late Chief Abiola of the south west Nigeria. The annulment of the election result created socio-economic even political crises in the country. Be that at it may Nigeria political climate is becoming predictable and stable and the national questions are being finally addressed. A regime of socio-political stability and economic progress is guaranteed under the democratic political dispensation. CHAPTER THREE TECHNICAL ANALYSIS ENGINEERING DESIGN AND FABRIACATION The engineering design and fabrication of candle making equipment can be handled locally. Indisputably, the cost saving element is a big advantage to a new entrants into the business, with modest capital. The design and fabrication can be raised in size and sophistication depending on the capital available to the buyer. Machinery and other equipment necessary for the manufacturing of candle sticks are listed below. Candle moulding machine Water pumping machine( electrical) Overhead water tank Melting pot Pail or container to pour the melted wax into the moulding machine Scrapper Parking table The materials required for candle making are as follows: Paraffin wax ( by- product of petroleum product) Candle thread Cooking gas or coal pot Vegetable oil Water Nylon Labels Empty cartons Tape/ tape cutter OTHER CAPITAL ITEMS office furniture and equipment and fittings pick up van ( car) Standby generator CHAPTER 4 4.1 RESOURCES PLANNING AND COST MANAGEMENT AND ORGANISATION In order to ensure effective management of operation, provision should be made for the following organisational arrangements: MANAGING DIRECTOR As the owner of the business, he co-ordinates all facets of the business and ensure the smooth running of the business in all ramifications. PRODUCTION / QUALITY CONTROL MANAGER He/ she is responsible for the production of candle sticks , to meet specification and standards. He/she should be able to undertake repair function if and when it breaks down. It is recommended that the holder of the position should have HND or B.SC in Mechanical Engineering COMPANY SECRETARY/ ACCOUNTANT The accountant will be the financial offer of the company as well as the company secretary. He will among other duties, be responsible for the following matters: Maintance of proper books of accounts Credit control Budget preparation, monitoring and review Banking and Assistance to auditors It is recommended that the holding of the position should hold a B.Sc. Degree or HND in Accountancy or a professional qualification with at least five (5) years corporate experience. CONFIDENTIAL SECRETARY Should possess certificate in secretarial Administration preferably Ordinary National Diploma (O.N.D) with proficiency in computer application software e.g. word processing etc and would be responsible for the typing jobs of the company and other assigned duties MACHINE OPERATOR Should possess certificate in production engineering preferably an Ordinary National Diploma (O.N.D). he would be responsible for actual production of the candle with adequate Supervision by the Production Manager. SALES MEN Should possess academic qualification in marketing preferably an Ordinary National Diploma with experience in selling same or related products. ORGANISATION CHAT MANAGING DIRECTOR COMPANY ACCOUNTANT SECRETARY PRODUCTION/QUALITY CONTROL MANAGER CONFIDENTIAL SECRETARY SALES MEN MACHINE OPERATOR CLERK DRIVER OPERATION OF THE COMPANY PRODUCTION: Production planning and control Production engineering Production design and Production auxiliaries ACCOUNTING AND FINANCE Accounting Policies Companys financial situation and Credit control system MARKETING: Product; Pricing system; Distribution system; Promotion; and Other processing PURCHASING: Raw material; Parts and components Work in progress Sub assemblies Maintenance and repair supplies and Other operating supplies PERSONNEL: Quality of staff Recruitment and selection Staff development and promotion Staff welfare Settling disputes/ complaint and Staff discipline 4.2 PROJECT COST AND FINANCING The estimated cost of candle manufacturing firm is =N= 2,087,000.00. This is inclusive of the cost of land and buildings, equipment, and other capital items and working capital. TABLE 1 PROJECT COST SUMMARY Land and Building COST IN NAIRA Land acquisition and development including Drainage, landscaping and other development 250,000 Office and Factory Building 400,000 Sub total 650,000 Plant and Machinery Machines, tools and equipment for manufacturing Water cooling system 250,000 Standby generator 120,000 Contingency cost 10% 37,000 Sub total 407,000 Other capital items Office furniture equipment and fitting 100,000 Motor van and Cars 600,000 Preliminary expense 80,000 Subtotal 780,000 Working Capital 250,000 GRAND TOTAL 2,087,000 LAND AND BUILDING Land requirement is approximately 1,200 sq.m for a building of 800 sq.m which provide for manufacturing, Office maintenance shop and raw materials plus finished goods storage. It is expected that the modest amount is expected to build the factory and office complex an inexpensive location. PLANT AND MACHINERY The cost of machinery to fully produce at 80% capacity has been approximated at =N=407,000. This includes the fabrication of the candle making machine, water pumping machine and overhead water tank and the melting pot and drum. Provision is made also for a standby generator to forestall the inadequacies in countrys power supply at =N= 120,000. A 10% contingency is also provided for to take care of increases in price. OTHER CAPITAL ITEMS Provision has been made for office furniture, equipment and fittings at a cost of =N= 100,000 and =N= 600,000 for the purchase of two vehicles i.e. =N= 350,000 for a second hand van and =N= 250,000 second hand car for running around. A provision of =N=80,000 is made for preliminary expenses like cost of registration of business with the government etc. WORKING CAPITAL Provision has been made for working capital to cover the following items Stock of raw materials 6 months Stock of finished goods 2 weeks Account receivable 2 weeks Operating Cost 1 month PROJECT FINANCING It is proposed that the total project cost of =N=2,087,000 be financed as follows NATURE STRUCTURE AMOUNT % Equity Shareholder 750,000 35.93 Working Capital commercial bank 250,000 11.97 Long term loan Development bank 1,087,000 52.10 2,087,000 100.00 SHAREHOLDERS EQUITY The required equity of =N= 750,000 represents 35.93% of the total project cost. This is expected to be contributed by the company promoters. WORKING CAPITAL The working capital requirement varies from =N=250,000 in the first year to =N=550,000 in the fifth year. This estimate is based on the following assumptions That 6 months stock of raw materials will be available That at any one time 2 weeks stock of finished goods will remain That accounts receivable will or average 2 weeks sales That operating cost for one month will be met. See calculation of working capital requirement. LONG TERM LOAN =N= 1,087,000 is the long term requirement which is expected to be obtained from a development bank for small scale enterprise (SME). This is expected to meet the cost of plant and machinery and to complete the factory and office buildings. INTEREST RATE Interest rate calculation was based on the notion that arbitrage will be =N=7.00 between deposit rate and lending rate coupled with the enforcement of senate motion that lending rate should come to 15% COMMERCIAL VIABILITY I have examined the proposals to establish the candle making factory in Ibadan, Oyo state and confirm that the company is economical and commercially viable as shown in the financial projections. The projection are based on the following assumptions Sale forecast and sales revenue Projected income statement Projected cash flow statement Projected balance sheet + The following are the highlights SALES REVENUE Net sales are projected to increase from =N=1,200,000 in the first year to =N=1,458,600 in the fifth year. In line with the increase in planned production from 480,000 units of candle in the first year to 583,440 units in the fifth year INCOME STATEMENT Profit before tax increases from =N=408,700 in the first year to =N=564,118 in the fifth year. This is a modest increase envisage in view of the newness of the business and stiff competition from other companies in the same business. TABLE 2 No. Required Recommendation =N= Production/Quality control manager 1 72,000 Coy Accountant/secretary/admin Mgr 1 60,000 Sales Men 1 36,000 Confidential Secretary 1 30,000 Machine Operator 2 48,000 Clerk 1 18,000 Driver 1 21,600 TOTAL 8 285,600 TABLE 3: SALES FORECASTS AND SALES REVENUE 4.3 ECONOMIC ANALYSIS I have been able to confirm that the project is economically viable based on my estimation and with economy condition of Nigeria. I have endeavoured to use the basics tools of economic analysis in the form of Benefit/ cost Ratio, Net present Value and internal Rate of Return ( IRR) sense but the actual net inflow of funds which will accrue to the firm as a result of undertaking this project i.e. all revenue from sales minus all cost, including any investment takes place. No deductions are made for depreciation. NET PRESENT VALUE The project shows a positive Net Present Value of when discounted at 15%. This shows that investment in this project gives profit greater than could be got by investing the same amount at the Firms Marginal Investment rate. (It is assumed that profit realised are withdrawn for use by the firm in any way it chooses) BENEFIT/ COST RATIO The benefit/ cost ratio which is the ratio of the discounts streams of benefit to the discounted streams of costs this shows that the benefits divisible from the project outweighs whatever costs incurred if all benefits and costs are discounted to present Values INTERNAL RATE OF RETURNS The internal rate of return on the other hand is the rate of return that is being earned on Capital tied up while it is tied up after allowing for recoupment of initial investment. This was found to be 24.6%. Given that we discounted at 15% i.e. we assumed the cost of Capital (interest) was 15%, the project would still earn a surplus of 9.6% over and above the cost of Capital while allowing for all the recoupment of the initial investment. In effect, if the rate of interest were increased by an additional 5%, the investment project will still be economically viable 5.3 SUMMARY, RECCOMMENDATION AND CONCLUSION From the five year projection made and analysis carried out, we have found that this investment in the candle making business here at Ibadan would be a worthwhile one. In the first instance, considering the consumption nature of the city of Ibadan coupled with the larger population of people in the city, the product is assured of a ready market. In the second instance, having made a market survey showing that despite the fact that many similar products are available in the market, there is still an untapped market of about 25%. The acute power outage and interruption in the face of assurances by the power and steel Minister to rectify it, not withstanding, the product is assured of regular demand Meanwhile we have designed some marketing strategies like increasing the number of candles in the packet to 12 instead of the number 8 or 10 while still proposing to sell at N20.00, a price considered very cheap compared to other substitutes going for N40 or thereabout Other strategy is to use the company sales van to go round the state in the sales promotion, i.e. going from one town to the other with mounted speaker to create awareness and sensitise the public. We are equally envisaging going on air using the state media e.g. Television, radio and Newspaper to promote the product. On the return aspect of the project, the promoters and the financiers of the project e.g banks are assured of adequate and compensating returns on their investment. With a constant cash flow coupled with profit every year for the next five years, the company is projected to be on the right pedestal to carve a niche in the sector and be a potential leader in the candle making business. RECOMMENDATION We are however recommending that government give incentives to cottage industries like our own by providing the enabling environment e.g. provision of good network of roads, free flowing un-interrupted water and electricity supply to enable constant and peak production at all times. The interest rate could also be reviewed down through good fiscal policies by the financial regulatory bodies to reducing cost of financing. As usual, government should enforce the strict adherence to lending houses commitment to small scale manufacturing concerns Inflation rate should also be reduced or regulated to ensure growth of small companies CONCLUSION This candle making project from the foregoing study no doubt is a worthwhile investment and is recommended for financing.