Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Influence on the Adolescents Behavior

Nowadays more and more children are diagnosed ADHD. Many researchers accentuate the fact that the consequences of children’s hyperactivity and attention-deficit can influence the peculiarities of their mood and behavior in the period of adolescence.Advertising We will write a custom article sample on Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Influence on the Adolescents’ Behavior specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More That is why the problems connected with ADHD are widely discussed by psychologists today. Catherine L. Bagwell, Brooke S. G. Molina, Todd B. Kashdan, William E. Pelham, and Betsy Hoza conducted the study the main objective of which was to examine the association between childhood ADHD and anxiety and mood disorders in adolescence in 2006. The results of the study were presented in the form of the article named as â€Å"Anxiety and Mood Disorders in Adolescents with Childhood Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Di sorder† which was published in Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders. The researchers developed the study in order to support their scientific hypothesis. Thus, they were inclined to examine the dependence of the peculiarities of the adolescents’ behavior characterized with different levels of anxiety on the effects of ADHD symptoms which were diagnosed for these adolescents when they were children. Moreover, the researchers determined two more aspects for the observation. That is why the investigation was developed to prove or disprove such hypotheses as the dependence of higher rates of anxiety of adolescents with ADHD on their diagnosis, the dependence of ODD and CD in adolescence on ADHD in childhood, and the influence of externalizing and internalizing disorders on the level of anxiety in adolescence (Bagwell, Molina, Kashdan, Pelham, Hoza, 2006). The study was realized with the help of the observations and interviews which were conducted according to defi nite questionnaires and analyzed with the help of diagnostic interview schedules. The results of the study were presented in the form of the tables. The researchers examined and compared two groups of adolescents. The first group included 142 adolescents with ADHD, and the second group included 100 adolescents without ADHD (Bagwell, Molina, Kashdan, Pelham, Hoza, 2006). Moreover, the parents of the adolescents also participated in the interview. The questionnaires contained the questions about the peculiarities of adolescents’ typical behavior and their mood. The difficulties with the study were connected with the analysis of the inappropriate answers to the questions of the interviews.Advertising Looking for article on psychology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Having analyzed the results of the study with the help of schedules and logistic regressions, the researchers concluded that those adolescents who have ADHD a re at risk for developing higher rates anxiety and mood disorders such as depression because of externalizing disorder symptoms and social problems which they experienced during their childhood (Bagwell, Molina, Kashdan, Pelham, Hoza, 2006). Moreover, the problems with parents or peer problems which were typical for their childhood can become more severe in adolescence. That is why clinic-referred children can face more problems in social communication and suffer from depressions more often in comparison with the representatives of a community-recruited group (Bagwell, Molina, Kashdan, Pelham, Hoza, 2006). The findings of the research allow speaking about the influence of ADHD diagnosis on the peculiarities of the adolescents’ behavior, their predilection to depressive states and higher levels of anxiety. Moreover, the researchers concentrated on the role of the relations with parents in overcoming negative effects of ADHD and its externalizing symptoms. That is why parents should pay more attention to their children’s problems affected by ADHD in childhood in order to prevent them in adolescence. This issue requires its further investigation as well as the problems of the adolescents’ depressions and social disorders of adolescents which can be connected with the effects ADHD diagnosis. Reference List Bagwell, C. L., Molina, B. S. G., Kashdan, T. B., Pelham, W. E., Hoza, B. (2006). Anxiety and mood disorders in adolescents with childhood Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, 14 (3), 178-187. This article on Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Influence on the Adolescents’ Behavior was written and submitted by user Danny Garrett to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Major Medical Center Case Study

Major Medical Center Case Study Red flags raised in the opinion letter External auditors play the role in providing independent opinion on the true and fair view of the financial statements of an organization. Reflectively, â€Å"an auditors opinion can either be unqualified, qualified, adverse, or disclaimer† (Finkler 2010, p. 25). The opinions are arrived at after reviewing the financial statements of the organization. The reviews are carried out on a sample basis.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Major Medical Center Case Study specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More It reviews the standards applied when preparing the financial statements. The auditors have the opinion that financial statements of an organization, the results of the operations, changes in net assets and cash flows presented fairly in all material, respects the true financial position of the company. They further give the view that the statements are in conformity with the GAAP. Despite the favorable comments, the auditors do not give a straight unqualified opinion on the true and fair view of the financial position of the organization though there are no major concerns raised in opinion letter. This could raise concern on the financial condition of the organization (Finkler, 2010). Review of the financial statements Upon review of the statement of the financial position, it was observed that the Center had amount due from the third part reimbursement program amounting to $6,539,000 in 2012. This amount was not present in 2011. Further, long term investment increased from $618,000 to $1,132,000. Further, the amount of accrued salaries and accrued expenses increased from $20,096,000 to $25,572,000. Further, inventory and pledges receivable declined by close to 50%. These are major areas of concern. Review of statement of the operation reveals that there was a decline in the amount of interest expense from $5,253,000 to $4,456,000 despite the increase in the amount of long term debt. Further, increase in unrestricted net assets increased from $897,000 to $2,568,000. In the cash flow statement, operating income increased from $751,000 in 2011 to $2,429,000 to 2012. Review of notes to financial statement In general, notes to financial statements is expected to provide details of amounts reported in the financial reports. The notes also â€Å"give additional information on amounts that are not reported in the financial statements† (Finkler 2010, p. 31). The notes to financial statements does not give detailed explanations on significant changes in the financial statements highlighted above.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More For instance, the notes on third party reimbursement programs does not give details and a breakdown of the amount involved I the program. On property, plant and equipment, the notes do not give d etails of the amount of depreciation for each category of assets. Also, the notes to financial statements do not give details of the amount in excess of $1,900,000. This could create an indication of fraud. The notes did not provide the makeup of other income amounting to $731,000 in 2012 and $1,566,000 in 2011. Finally, the notes to financial statements do not provide an estimation of the amount of contingent liability from the litigation cases. It is necessary to have such information to enable he organization plan adequately for the loss (Finkler, 2010). Analysis of financial status The common size financial statements revealed some areas which require some in depth investigation. Examples of the items that require investigation are receivables for government grants, the amount due to third-party reimbursement programs, net assets released from restrictions, operating income and increases in unrestricted net assets. These areas changed significantly from 2011 to 2012. A review of these balances needs to be done so as to ensure that the changes can be supported (Finkler, 2010). Liquidity ratios or the company were relatively favorable. Both current and quick ratios were greater than one. This implies that the institution is in a position to pay the current obligation using current assets. However, the liquidity position of the company declined from 2011 to 2012. The efficiency ratios for the company are relatively fair. For instance, accounts receivable turnover increase from 7.76 to 8.10. Fixed asset turnover ranged between 4.12 and 4.09. Total asset turnover ranged between 2.10 and 2.05. Considering the nature of the organization, the level of activity of the organization is fairly high. Times interest earned ratio shows the ability of the organization to pay for the cost of borrowing funds using earnings before interest and taxes. Times interest earned ratio for the two years is less than one. This implies that the Center cannot pay for the interest expen se. However, the value increased from 0.14 to 0.55.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Major Medical Center Case Study specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More It gives a bad indication to potential debt providers. Profitability of the Center is relatively low. The total margin of the institution ranged between 1.88% and 5.17%. Return on assets were quite low at 0.51% and 1.31%. Also, return on net assets ranged between 0.92% and 2.5%. It is evident that the profitability of the institution increased between 2011 and 2012. The low profitability can be attributed to the fact that the medical center is not a profit making institution. Therefore, it is evident that ratio analysis gives an in depth view of the financial statement of the center (Eugene Michael, 2009). References Eugene, B., Michael, J. (2009). Financial management theory and practice. USA: South-Western Cengage Learning. Finkler, A. (2010). Financial management for public, health, and not-for-profit organizations. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.

Salesforce.com - community - ERP, CRM, Business Intelligence, and Essay

Salesforce.com - community - ERP, CRM, Business Intelligence, and Intranet and Portal Development - Essay Example The portal is provides employees with a one stop shop for all their policy, HR, content needs. Allow customers to be capable of login to their account place and observe their orders and consignment information, log cases for matters they are experiences, update their profile, converse in groups about the products. Allow suppliers to be capable to communicate and work together with the XYZ engineers and leaders at XYZ Industries around their orders; monitor the status of the orders (Kao 22). Customers: account login, attain shipment information, view orders, update profile, log compliments and feedbacks and converse in groups. Suppliers: connect with XYZ engineers, leaders, monitor order status, view payment details and monitor order movement. Employees: log in to assess HR, Policy and content needs (Kao 22). System Diagram (High Level): Develop system diagram to demonstrate the key workings of the Architecture. ERP System: assess all of XYZ customers and forecast information is consolidated in the CRM resolution, so business owners can receive current forecasts and create reports automatically (Mall 178). In addition, through consolidation of this data, management can get a more international view of the issues driving real purchase decisions. CRM-Improved contact and rapid liberation of information will decrease the time essential to close even the principal of deals (Satzinger 208). Fast liberation of requested in sequence would consequence in the competitive benefit that may just push those explanation sales over the top (Mall 178). System Context Diagrams represent every external entity that may interrelate with a classification. Such an illustration pictures the organization at the middle, with no issues of its interior organization, bordered by all its interacting environments, systems, and activities (Mall 178). Security Protocols: A security protocol is an abstract or tangible protocol that executes a security-oriented operation and

The Bank of America Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Bank of America - Essay Example Presently, the bank is the biggest institution of finance services globally. The Bank of America is the second largest commercial bank globally, continuing to record the best credit ratings despite the credit crunch in the 1970s (Johnston, 1990). The Bank of America has a variety of leadership and talent programs which enable it to nurture and promote talent among both the existing employees and upcoming and promising talents. As a result, the bank has put in place various talent management programs that have led to its success in the industry. This paper will evaluate the strength of the talent management program, assess available opportunities for growth and recommend the best approaches in dealing with the challenges in the talent management program. Talent Management Programs That Led to Success for the Company Bank of America has for a long time been a leader in talent management, especially in the financial services sector. The main philosophy of the bank in connection to manag ement and development of talent is steered by a number of principles which guide the company in creating the way forward that is supported across the executive ranks of the bank. According to Effron, Greenslade and Salob (2005), some of the principles include: Leaders are important people in the process of managing and steering accountability, output and tradition. Rules of performance where excellent performers have high ability. The most precious resource is the person’s talent. The current excellent performers are not fundamentally future top performers. A wide set of experience and exercise is the preeminent lesson; but a mutual approach is essential for growth. Venture in the top talent and spotlight the rest. The current best 100 performers leave a heritage of potential talent by training, guiding and being the exemplars to others on features of success. In putting this philosophy into practice, the efforts of talent management and growth of the bank are modeled on the main set of systems consisting of the core values of the bank which have a common 70-20-10 growth framework. When broken down, the model represents 70% of experience based growth, 20% of training and response and 10% of learning (Goldsmith, 2006). The main objective is to have a transitional growth for the leaders at every phase of the leadership development and a constant evaluation to have an intense in-depth analysis into the knowledge, leadership potentials, susceptibility and aspiration for top executives. This joint philosophy and system give room for an incorporated approach to management of talent and development of leadership that centers on promoting the current performance and shaping the future leaders. With this kind of firm foundations for the growth of leaders already in place, the Bank of America has shifted its attention to upgrading the top team’s line of sight to the bank’s high ranking 50 executives and selecting leaders with the ability to take up positions at the top level of the bank for the next five years of operation. The action program has been named Next Generation Leadership forum which comprises intensive evaluation program as a section of the experience in learning process (Goldsmith, 2006). Using these evaluations, every member is assessed based on experience, inspiration and leadership potentials by use of a multifaceted evaluation tools, observation and interviews. The merging of intensive evaluat

Genetically modified foods Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Genetically modified foods - Essay Example Although the use of genetically modified foods may have certain shortcomings, the global population should embrace the technique fully to ensure sustainable food production and hence global food security. Essentially, genetically modified foods are foods that have undergone genetic engineering aimed at altering their DNA in order to improve their overall productivity (Freedman 45). Since the process completely changes the DNA, the resulting crop is extremely resistant to drought and diseases in addition to producing high yields when compared to the original crop (Teitel and Wilson 36). While the process started long ago, the commercial selling of GMOs commenced in 1994. Currently, the genetically modified foods are majorly from the plant origin although there are prospects of coming up with such kinds of animals species soon. Perhaps it is important to note that during the genetic modification, a new gene from another species is introduced into the plant species in order to come up w ith a completely new combination of genes in the new crop (Santaniello, Evenson, and Zilberman 51). Despite the fact that genetically modified organisms (GMOs) have numerous advantages, it faces sharp criticisms from various quarters who claim that it has adverse effects on both the environment and human health (Freedman 44). Indeed, the genetically modifies organisms interfere with the natural environment thereby causing imbalance in the ecosystem (Forman 27). Due to their drought and disease resistant nature, the genetically modified foods consume all the nutrients form the soil thus depriving the surrounding natural crops the required amounts on nutrients to flourish. In this regard, it is vital to weigh the effects against the benefits of the genetically modified foods before any concrete decision is made on a new crop (Teitel and Wilson 37). Owing to the rapid trends in climate change, the world has been on a constant lookout for any threats to food security and available optio ns of increasing the crop yield. Luckily, genetic engineering has provided the solution to the constant droughts in various parts of the world that more often accentuate the hunger situation (Teitel and Wilson 46). The technique of genetically modified foods is intended to change the genetic structure of the natural crop to be able to survive the harshest of growing conditions. In this case, there is no need of using such natural methods as mutual and selective breeding. In essence, the commercial exploitation of genetic engineering began in the year 1994 with the main cash crops being soybeans, cottonseed oil, and corn (Santaniello, Evenson, and Zilberman 51). Although experiments are currently ongoing to modify the animal species to be drought and disease resistant, none of the genetically modifies animals is in the market (Carter, Moschini, and Sheldon 28). Perhaps the first advantage of using the genetically modified foods is the fact that they can be used to cleanse the environ ment through phytoremediation. In this case, it is vital to understand that some genetically modif

Effective Leadership: Implementing change

Effective Leadership: Implementing change In todays volatile economy landscape, changes are inevitable and necessary. Continuous organisational developments and restructuring are vital for survival and growth. Therefore, it is important to identify growth opportunities in order to ensure the organisations sustainability and at the same time overcoming their weaknesses (Cranfield University School of Management, 2010). However, organisational change generates resistance in employees, making it challenging for successful implementation. Moreover as organisation expand, the challenges of implementing change will be greater due to diverse environment. Leaders can lead/motivate employees towards the achievement of goals in time of change. They process the quality traits which create vision and direction to motivate employees to strive harder towards goals. Also, they can facilitate employees in overcoming challenges and resistance induced by change. Leaders also have power to communicate, influence and negotiate employees away from the harmful cashes of conflicts (Robbins Judge, 2008). The objective of this report is to determine how the modern day organisation in this research can make use of effective leadership to implement and achieve successful change. It will provide more insights on how leaders can identify factors that bring about change. Discussion will be carried out on how to diagnose change factors and identify threats/opportunities. Next, the report sets to determine the impact of communication styles of the leaders on organisational cultural values. Communication plays an important role in the change process as it helps employees to see the need for change. It also highlights the importance of the affected parties role in the whole change process. The report will also examine suitable leadership style which will help with transformational change. Effective leadership translates to effective communication and overcoming resistance. Furthermore, leadership is crucial to identify, lead and manage change. Lastly, this report will set to understand how leaders overcome employees resistance within the organisation. It is of paramount importance for leaders to implement appropriate solutions in order to minimize resistance and maintain sustainability of new change. BACKGROUND OF ORGANISATION The organisation in this research is an Indonesian IT firm specialising in the importing/exporting of self-manufactured laptops. The Singapore regional office was established four years ago and has staff strength of twenty five direct employees. It has a local regional manager in-charge of running Singapores daily routine operations. Since its establishment, the regional office has been experiencing deficits in their income statements. The organisation emphasizes on a tall organisational structure, where top-down hierarchical authority is being practised. Decision-making is made by the head office in Indonesia without any effective communication with the regional office. Quarterly review meetings are held with regional manager to only report on business performance that the regional office is currently experiencing. Owing to a lack of demand for IT peripherals due to the worldwide economic meltdown in 2009, the regional office had recently carried out a retrenchment exercise as a cost-cutting measurement. Prior to the recent downsizing exercise, each of the thirteen departments was led by a supervisor. Each employee is expected to keep to his/her individual job scope and is held accountable for all his/her actions. Strict protocols for individuals are laid out and upward interactions are usually not encouraged. The decision for the recent exercise came straight from the head office without any consultation with the regional manager. The retrenchment announcement was made through email and did not state any future plans for the remaining employees. After the downsizing exercise, the remaining employees have low morale, little sense of pride in their work and are alienated from the management team. Employee absenteeism and turnover rate has been increasing. This change has lead to further deterioration of productivity and quality of the products that are offered by the regional office. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 3.1 Sampling Schedule In order to define situation concisely and to gather comprehensive information on objectives for the study, the research design methods of interview and personal observation is carried out for this case study. Before primary research is conducted, a group of respondents from regional office is selected for an interview to obtain their opinions. For this selection, non-probability sampling (Quota Sampling) is carried out. The sample audiences (quota) are to be made up of potential leaders of the regional office. They have direct and regular interaction with head office. They are someone of a seniority level, with leadership capabilities and have the power to influence subordinates. The sample audiences are identified to be the regional manager (whom is accountable for the operations of regional office) and the human resource officer (who is responsible for the linking of employees-related policies and organisational strategies). For personal observation, it will be done by researcher of this study in her course of work as a regional sales executive (In charge of generating sales revenue). 3.2 Methods of Gathering Data (*There is limitation of the research design as it all measures information entirely from the regional offices prespective. This might result in possible biasness/prejudices from common method variance. Primary and secondary research time-frame is in Appendix B) 3.2.1 Observation Observation is done by researcher to obtain informal visual assessment of the regional office. Events associated with the objectives are monitored, accessed and recorded. Structured observations are carried out in her course of work for the visual assessment of the organisation as a whole so that the behavior is carefully documented to ensure its validity/reliability. 3.2.2 Interview For this study, direct interview is more efficient and accurate due to small staff strength of only twenty-five. An interview study is held in order of the initial development of interview questions, the conducting of interviews, followed by data analysis. Two identified interviewees whom have interactions with the head office would be interviewed. The interviews (Appendix A) are carried out in the research direction to comprehend actual work practices, procedures, structure and embedded problem/issues faced by the organisation. 3.3 Secondary Data In order to provide in depth assessment, there is also the collection of secondary data. Besides using the online search engines for obtaining information on objectives and findings; books and journal databases (existing articles on literature review and case studies) are the main sources of references. Frameworks obtained are verified using different sources in order to validate the research findings without subjecting them to any form of prejudices. The results from the interviews and personal observation are analyzed with comparisons to secondary data. 4.0 LEADERSHIP AND CHANGE 4.1 External Macro Environment As head office is unfamiliar with Singapores working environment, leaders do not have proper business strategic plan and this would bring about disastrous consequences. Decision making are based on day-to-day responses by the head office. They have no sense of urgency to develop a long term strategic planning as they lack an external consultative opinion on how to operate the business. They also do not have good leadership skills to develop effective strategies as they had only focused on the situations at-present and eventually lost sight of main objectives. Perhaps this could be due to the differences in the cultures, where Singaporeans being highly efficiency is a stark contrast with the more laid-back mindset that most Indonesians possess. The need for change encompasses within all organisations in order to cope with the rapid environmental influences. The business environment is defined as a concept whereby external forces play a major role in the successes/failures of any organisation. By paying attention to the wider environment, leaders can identify threats/opportunities to ensure effective planning and implementation of change (Brooks Weatherston, 2000; Griffin Ebert, 2006). 4.2 PEST Analysis Hayes (2007) and Robbins Judge (2008) agree that PEST analysis will allow leaders to examine the external macro environment in which a business operates and search for evidences of change. Understanding the impact and situation of external forces would help identify factors that could possibly bring about change within the organisation. Political Griffin Ebert (2006) and Hayes (2007) concur that political change will pose threats or create opportunities for any organisation. It has a huge influence upon the regulation of businesses and the possible spending power of consumers. It is important for organisations which are exposed to international risks as the political stability of different countries will affect operations and ultimately, revenues. It consists of elements like regulations set by the government on business practices, acceptable business conducts within an economy, environmental management legislations, labour law, international trade regulations, tariffs and political stability. Economic Economic factors refer to the condition of the trading state in which the business operates in. It includes exchange rates, money supply, changing consumption patterns and power and trade cycles. All these factors will impact the operation and decision making of an organisation. For example, in an economy in which the organisation is in is experiencing economic growth. The organisation would expand leading to change and leaders must establish control during the transition period. Leaders must develop a new vision, direction, new plan and to allocate resources properly to deal with the change (Hayes, 2007). Socio-Cultural Socio-cultural factor consists of having the elements of customs, moral values and demographics of the society where the organisation operates in. It affects business ethics and operations across countries so leaders must be mindful of the different customer preferences within national boundaries. For example, MacDonalds do not sell pork items in its menu in Singapore due to the differences in religious practices in the multi-racial environment; whereas in Thailand this acceptable. Change in employees attitude towards education, work and leisure which will impact on labour force and consumption demand. Leaders should produce a working environment that is conductive enough to motivate them and improve efficiency (Hayes, 2007; Griffin Ebert, 2006). Technological Technology is defines as innovations applied into society and organisations to carry out tasks. Some examples are level of investment in Research and Development (RD), availability of new materials and new production process. Technology is constantly changing and hence staying ahead of competitors has been increasingly difficult. Organisation must have the latest equipment, processes and resources to deal with technology change. Leaders must make sure that organisational structure, vision and resources align with technological aspect. Leaders must ensure that sufficient funds are allocated on RD for better technology to improve competitiveness and gain competitive advantage (Griffin Ebert, 2006; Hayes, 2007). 4.3 Findings: Implication of PEST and SWOT Analysis The interview findings (Appendix C) show that the organisation adopts a top down approach management style by the head office in Indonesia. PEST analysis is recommended so leaders in Indonesia will be able to improve on its decision-making process as it allows them to assess Singapores market potential, situation and business development. It encourages proactive thinking and allows them to plan ahead. With the analysis, leaders will know their present position, environment and how they can develop in the future. As they do not understand the impact and situation of external factors; they will need PEST to understand Singapores regulations, labor market, economy, customers, competition and technology. The analysis at external level helps to identify opportunities and threats of the external environment. With PEST, there will be detailed preparation and formulation of strategic plans, good leadership skills can be deployed to anticipate change and align businesss vision. The regional office will have better decision making process, productivity, competitive advantage and sense of belonging in employees. An example of the PEST analysis of the organisation is as follows: Singapores Regional Office -PEST Analysis * Data adapted from Morrisons website (2009) External Environment Factors Potential Impact: (+) / (-) Relative Importance Political Strict Government Legislation in Singapore High Opportunity Critical Labour Law (Singapore) Medium Opportunity Critical Political Instabilities in Indonesia High Threat Critical Economic Economic Downturn High Threat Critical Decrease in Consumers Demand and Investments High Threat Critical Stable Money supply Medium Opportunity Critical Social Demographic Trends Low Opportunity Unimportant Consumers Change in Preference and Attitudes High Threat Critical Attitudes towards Work and Employment High Threat Critical Technological Technology Revolution and Development High Opportunity Critical R D High Opportunity Critical New Production Processes/Ideas/Innovation High Opportunity Critical 5.0 LEADERSHIP AND COMMUNICATION 5.1 Communication Barriers The lack of communication, especially in terms of feedback from employees whom are familiar with the local demands of customers, coupled with stringent cost cutting measures could said to have contributed to poor sales performance. Many consumers are unaware of products that the regional office is offering due to lack of budget in generating brand awareness. Comparing to the bigger players whom have higher levels of economies of scale, it would definitely lose out in terms of its revenues. The regional office does not hold any weekly meeting within departments and there are no consultative approaches. Head offices quarterly meetings are only held with regional manager to obtain report solely on its current business performances. There are no established channels to voice employees feedback to the head office and it often results in a lack of information for proper accomplishment of tasks. Without proper communication structure, there is no room for improvement and employees will commit the same mistakes repeatedly. This would also mean that the head office would be unfamiliar with Singapores working environment, which would result in ineffective communications amongst the employees. Robbins Judge (2008) stated that communication is the life support for any organisation and it plays a vital role in the change process. Communication links people who believe in a common cause and unites them with a common vision to achieve goal congruence for the organisation. 5.2 Styles of Communication 5.2.1 Downward and Upward Communication Leaders would engage in top-down communication to disseminate information/goals, inform job procedures and highlight problems (Robbins Judge, 2008). Gilley et al. (2009) argued that in times of change, leaders must provide employees with abundant and value-added information with regards to change. Leaders must give justifications for rationale for change and also address employees concerns. Well-developed rationalizations are more likely to be accepted as employees acceptance and participation depend on their perception of personal benefits associated with the change. Hence, proper explanation and feedback is important for leaders to work on in areas of change to increase employees acceptance. Upward communication is used by employees to provide feedback, inform progress and issues towards goals to leaders. It is important for leaders to know about how employees feel and to allow for opportunities for growth and improvement. Upward communication has its limitation whereby leaders are overwhelmed and distracted. Employees morale would be affected as it would be time-consuming and demoralizing if it is difficult to get their leaders attention (Robbins Judge, 2008). Hayes (2007) exclaims that without proper upward/downward communication, it will lead to organisational silence which is a major barrier to change. One illustration within the cited organisation Due to Indonesias culture, leaders like to be respected and will disregard negative feedback from subordinates as a form of attack on their credibility. A culture might be cultivated whereby employees might be afraid to voice out the truth to their leaders. It is a double-edged sword when employees do not highlight issues to leaders and leaders will find it tough to get employees to accept change. In times of change, leaders must acquire a diverse set of effective communication techniques to convince employees to embrace a new breakthrough (Robbins Judge, 2008). In contrast, leadership ambivalence reduces acceptance to change and increases resistance. Communications should be regular, motivating and yet achievable. Unfulfilled vision will weaken leadership credibility leading to employees feeling a sense of injustice. Gilley et al. (2009) explain that employees whom experienced unjust treatment would be resentful towards their superiors, thus destroying commitment. Being honest and fair when things go wrong enables employees to accept an undesirable outcome. Therefore, there is a need for realistic and truthful communication that includes communicating negative aspects of change implementations when necessary. 5.2.2 Communication Strategy In every change process, communication plays a big part for leaders to ensure a smooth transition. There are five basic communication strategies (Hayes, 2007): Spray and Pray Showing all the information and hope others can understand and share the vision. The effectiveness is low as it depends on employees perspective of what is important. One major drawback is that the employees would be overloaded, thus increasing resistance. Tell and Sell Leaders would only communicate the core issues that relate to the change and pushes the idea for acceptance. This strategy is a one-way-communication process without any channels for meaningful feedbacks to express concern. Employees will tend to feel uncommitted as little input is required from them. Underscore and explore Similar to the Tell and Sell, but the sender listens to the receivers feedback to prevent misunderstanding. This is a very effective communication method as leaders would listens to employees concern to clear embedded doubts/queries. Identify and reply This is a reactive approach as leaders will listen and respond to the employees concerns which would guide employees out of complexity. One short-coming is that employees might not be aware of the critical issues currently hence, it might be time-consuming. Withhold and uphold Most of the information are withheld and employees are unaware of the real situation. Leaders who adopt this strategy are power-oriented and think that employees are not capable enough to handle core issues. This strategy will lead to dissatisfaction and mistrust amongst employees. Communication can be an effective tool in shaping organisational cultural value in motivating employees, providing feedback and reinforcement during the change. This would foster an environment with better decision making process to deal with obstacles (Gilley et al., 2009). 5.3 Findings: Implication towards Effective Communication Base on the interview findings (Appendix C), the organisation adopts the Withhold and uphold strategy to deal with the downsizing exercise. As leaders in head office are power-oriented due to Indonesias culture, they make decisions without consultation with regional office. Subordinates are expected to carry out requests of the retrenchment in exacting detail. As there are no justifications for the change and unable to express concern, employees are feeling resentful and thus causing the high turnover. There is also lack of proper downward/upward communication between the two offices. It leads to the improper sharing of information which results in inefficiency. One recent incident that happened that illustrates this effectively. The Head office had instructed the dealers to return an outstanding consignment of laptops and they had made arrangements to ship it back to Indonesia. However, this message was not communicated to the regional sales executive. She was unaware of this agreed communication, continued to send e-mails, reminding the dealers about the outstanding consignment. Such miscommunications inevitably tarnish the organisations reputation as the dealer was very unhappy and spread this among other dealers. She was made responsible for this miscommunication and feedbacks by her were rebuked. As remaining colleagues felt unjust for the sales executive, the miscommunication drove conflict between head office further and aggravated the misunderstandings and hostilities. In t he long run, with only top down communication and no feedback, it will lead to organisational silent with disastrous consequences. As the main problem lies with the internal communication of the organisation, leaders needs to resolve the problem by setting up basic structures to promote effective communications. For the head office to improve relationships with employees, internal communications must consist of the personal touch. Electronic communications cannot be a substitute for personal interactions. Going forward after the retrenchment, leaders should convey messages personally to their employees as this allow opportunities to clarify complex or sensitive issues. Leaders must foster an open environment, using underscore and explore strategy which allows feedback as communication is a two-way street in any change process. Leaders must have an open-mind to be more receptive to new ideas from employees. Regional manager should hold weekly meetings within departments to gather information and feedbacks. It would help employees to understand and follow up with the outstanding issues and for the managers to establish their authority. Constructive feedback from employees would help to identify problems which help the organisation to improve. By keeping employees informed and involved with the implementation of change programs; it would help increase the commitment levels and increase productivity. 6.0 STYLES OF LEADERSHIP 6.1 Leadership Role in Change Process The organisational structure emphasizes on top-down hierarchy authority and major decisions are made by the head office. The top-down leadership approach and strictly-defined job scopes reduces the employees into becoming merely cogs of the machines, where they would merely perform the bare minimum within their stated job scopes, with minimal dedication to what they do. As such, everyone will only specialize in what they are doing, without a clear picture of the main business objectives, which impedes innovation and quality improvements. Weak leadership is also shown by the surprise retrenchment exercise, which caught many employees in the regional office off-guard. Without proper leadership to establish/lead new direction after the retrenchment, it eventually might be a possible factor that would lead to the downfall to the organisation. Kotter (Senior Fleming, 2006) emphasise that in all change process, effective leadership is needed to establish direction (develop vision/strategy), align members (communication to gain cooperation/acceptance), motivate and inspire (leading members to overcome various barriers) and overcoming change. 6.2 Transactional Leadership Robbins Judge (2008) indicated that transactional leadership would ultimately influence employees into the direction of achieving pre-established organisational goals by being task-oriented. Transactional leaders aim to maintain the status quos by making use of contingent and monetary rewards for effort and good performances. They would state their expectations; establish rules and procedures, and emphasize a fair deal with their employees. When work is allocated to employees, the leaders would expect them to take full responsibility. If the tasks are not performed to expectations, employees would be held liable. Hence, it is important for leaders to engage in open forms of communication to bring about mutual trust between employees and themselves. Contributions should be acknowledged and rewarded by the leaders towards their employees according to the industry standards, so as to bring about job satisfaction. However, Hoogh et al. (2005) argued that stringent goals, rules and procedures due to transactional leadership would only promote stable work environment with high degrees of structures. It results in employees having little ambiguity in pursing the goals. The lack of ambiguity would help ensure fairness and set straightforward guidelines. Moreover, with stability, it would not promote inducements or opportunities for change. Employees would not be motivated to perform beyond expectations. They would not be flexible and innovative enough to response quickly and effectively to environmental change; it would be difficult for the transactional leaders to bring about change. 6.3 Transformational Leadership Kotter (Senior Fleming, 2006) Robbins Judge (2008) agree that transformation leaders goes beyond transactional leadership by inspiring members to achieve goals, paying attention to their needs and encouraging new breakthrough in goal attainments. They will make use of charisma (providing vision, direction and gaining trust), inspiration (using communication/symbols to get things done), intellectual stimulation (promoting participation and problem solving) and individualized consideration (treating individual members equally/individually) to handle change. Transformation leaders will encourage followers to be more innovative and creative to increase efficiency. Hence, Followers would push beyond boundaries to pursue ambitious goals/vision of organisation, be more committed and will pursue it with due importance. Transformation leadership is able to induce higher levels of motivation and satisfaction leading to higher performance. There will also be lower turnover, higher productivi ty and lower stress levels. Transformational leadership is critical in helping mangers to identify change, which would in turn aid them with leading and managing change by ensuring effective communications and encouraging acceptance. Transformational leadership will ensure vital planning and design assumptions to allow leaders to recognise change by paying attention to the external environment, financial resources, and company staffing. In addition, it ensures proper management of formal and informal relationships between members to increase change momentum and improve managerial change interventions. Finally, it helps to overcome employees resistances when the organisation is disturbed by initiatives to change (Karp Helgo, 2009). 6.4 Leaders Checklist for Leading Change Every leader can adopt a process perspective on change management on top of the above-mentioned leadership approaches by adopting a checklist to control the change process and ensure smooth transitions (Kotter, 1999). Establishing Sense of Urgency Leaders must alert employees to need for change by creating a sense of urgency. They should begin examining the organisations external environment and communicate these findings to induce aggressive cooperation of employees and motivate them to change. Forming Powerful Coalition Leaders should form a competent strong team with expertise and have sense of urgency to kick start the change process. Leaders must lead the team to assess the problems, identify opportunities and change the mind of oppositions. Creating Vision The coalition team would need to create a shared vision to clarify the possible attainable directions, thus providing a guideline about organisations future to the employees. It must be flexible to encourage involvement and develop strategies to deal with the change. Leaders must allocate ample time to develop the shared vision so that it would be ingrained as a strong set of shared values. Communicating the Vision Leaders should communicate the vision as it would establish the direction, commitment and learning within the organisation towards the structural changes. They must use every method to communicate the new vision and strategies to ensure that employees understand and make short-term personal sacrifices in order to help the organisation achieve its goals. Empowering Others to Act on Vision through Leadership Good leadership skills are needed to lead transformational change and raise demands that are consistent with overall change effort. Leaders must remove obstacles and encourage risk taking to generate more creative actions to support the vision. Leaders must make use of compensation to encourage employees acceptances of new vision. Planning and Creating Short Term Wins Leaders should plan, and create visible performance improvements and reward employees involved in the change improvements. As changes cannot take place overnight, it should be implemented in phrases, allowing time for maturity. The short-term goals in phases would act as a source of motivation in continual efforts for change. Consolidating Improvements and Producing More Changes Leaders should capitalize on early wins but should not declare victory too early should there be any possible amendments to the winning efforts; and use that as further motivation for continued and subsequent changes. Next, leaders should use increased creditability due to short term improvements to overcome the current structures that are not in alignment with the vision. Institutionalizing New Approaches Leaders need to ensure that change is consolidated by showing employees how change has produced optimal performance. Every opportunity should be taken to demonstrate the benefit Cervical Cancer: An Action Plan Cervical Cancer: An Action Plan INTRODUCTION Cervical Cancer also recognized by ‘cancer of the cervix’ occurs from the tissue of the cervix. The cervix is a component of the female reproductive system, which also encompasses the uterus, ovaries, fallopian tubes, vagina and vulva (Australian Government-Cancer Australia, 2014). The cervix is the lower part of the uterus that connects to the vagina. It is sometimes called the neck of the uterus. Cervical Cancer affects the cells of the lower part of the uterus that joins the inner end of the vagina also known as the uterine cervix (Cancer Council Victoria, 2014). In Victoria 179 women were diagnosed in 2010 with cervical cancer (Department of Health 2014). This is considered to be the twelfth most common cancer in Australia (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare Canberra, 2013) and has a much greater impact on indigenous women than non-indigenous complements. An indication of evidence shows that 59% of the women population died from this disease. According to Vic toria Health, 85% of women developed cervical cancer and either never had conducted a Pap smear test or failed to follow the recommended two yearly screening programs therefore leaded to a lack of participation in cervical screening which is one of the main risk factors for cervical cancer and is common against Indigenous women. Due to the inadequate time frame and the availability of health services such as the Bunurong Health service, Dandenong and District Aborigines Co-operative Limited to contribute in the project, the Indigenous population in the City of Greater Dandenong is the focus of this assignment. The objective of this is to reduce the occurrence of cervical cancer rates among Indigenous women in the City of Greater Dandenong over a three year plan. The strategies conversed in the project involvement plan by engaging the broader participation of indigenous people and their culture imparting a holistic approach to addressing this specific issue. Intensifying cultural awa reness and cultural safety is also a significant component. This realization plan will focus mainly on two detailed strategies: to familiarize and educate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women in the City of Greater Dandenong by 50% informing about the new and easy technology use for cervical screening to reduce the pain and discomfort by 2015-2017. Another significant strategy is to ensure that the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women diagnosed with cervical cancer are met physically, culturally, spiritually and medically within the timeframe of three years 2015-2017. This curriculum will provide two-yearly Pap tests to women aged 18-69 for the early detection of cervical cancer. This implementation plan will initially present an action plan and next it will discuss about methods that have been used to encourage sustainability. Then methods of communication, which will be developed to connect stakeholders involved in the assignment, will be conversed along wit h the supply of resources. ACTION PLAN STRATEGY 1:To familiarize and educate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women in the City of Greater Dandenong by 50% informing about the new and easy technology use for cervical screening to reduce the pain and discomfort by 2015-2017. STRATEGY 2: To ensure that the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women diagnosed with cervical cancer are met physically, culturally, spiritually and medically within the timeframe of three years 2015-2017. SUSTAINABLITY Attention to the sustainability in a community based cervical cancer; controlled program over a 3 year period must have extensive experience in planning implementing and evaluating a program which engage the indigenous aboriginal women, to educate women in City of Greater Dandenong. To sustain the program of prevention of cervical cancer, various steps must be put in place to maintain that the sustainability in the implementation scheme (Shediac-Rizkallah Bone, 1998, p.87-108). For instance, an entire program may be continued under its original or an alternative organizational structure, parts of the program be institutionalized as individual components, or there may be a transfer of the whole or parts to the community ownership (Shediac-Rizkallah Bone, 1998, p.87-108). In 2013 an study conducted by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare identified the main changed that would be needed to occur and which stakeholders would be likely to be impacted. Projects with training (p rofessional and paraprofessional components are more likely to be sustained than those without: those trained can continue to provide benefits, train others and form a constituency in support of the program. As strategy 1 states that it is aimed to familiarize and educate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women in the City of Greater Dandenong by 50% informing about the new and easy technology use for cervical screening to reduce the pain and discomfort. Therefore; by having general community and professional monthly and or yearly meetings and follow ups will help the project be sustained for a longer period of time and this will be evident with the use of data towards the participation of Pap screening tests for the population of Indigenous women. The results of this data in future within the 3 year time frame will help to detect whether more education and support implants are needed to be put in place culturally, physically and mentally or whether the results show an increase towards the population of Pap screening tests for cervical cancer in Indigenous women specifically. Topromote ongoing skills, development in health promotion and training/education, by allocating half a day to train the leadership skills and furthermore; being qualified to maintain their relationship with the Indigenous women for better health. It is important to train the trainers to help health services and programs to be sustained, patient-centered care, self-management support and behaviour change within their organisations therefore will be structured to be continued for the management and progress (Practice change requires staff skills development and systems implementation planning, 2013). For that reason, where the team will identify a reliable person who will be appropriate for the subject of leadership in future and have a greater understanding of the vision and management skills about health project towards the Aboriginal culture. Managing the culturally supportive environment for the Indigenous women will encourage the team to promote and achieve the sustainability and health promotion goals. COMMUNICATION To build a therapeutic relationship among indigenous women is quintessential; Health workers must gain trust and build rapport and considering their cultural background. There are various stakeholders one needs to consider while promoting health. For instance; while developing and delivering Aboriginal specific cervical screening health promotion training to health professionals, health promotion workers, aboriginal health workers and others who are working within the project. However; to establish organizational supports, such as local advisory committees, and in order for the project to develop effective relationships, within the Indigenous women committee (Gruen et al., 2008, p, 1579-89). One of the key strategies to achieve in this project is to train local clinicians to provide education and awareness about Pap screenings and cervical cancer to Aboriginal women in a form of considering their cultural background. Public is the first and prime stakeholders as the implementation of health promotion plan deals within the public domain (Hetzel, Glover, Gruszin. 2012). Apart from public, local councils and local councilors, Australian Health department and party workers were in the middle stakeholders (Gruen et al., 2008, p, 1579-89). Medical expert’s dealing in the treatment and research institute where diseases are the first lane resources, therefore; is vital to be included in any plan in prevention for cervical cancer (Anne F.Rositch, Michelle I. Silver, Patti E. Gravitt, 2014). CONCLUSION In conclusion, cultural barriers prevent Aboriginal women from seeking for their sexual and reproductive health and creative strategies are needed to encourage Aboriginal women to attend for Pap screens. For example: Information needs to be presented to the community in a format and language that is understandable to the target population. Services need to be provided in a safe and confidential environment and services need to be available on a â€Å"walk up basis† to avoid the need for appointments which can lead to a fear of loss of privacy and confidentiality. Due to cultural impediments, past research has proven that the establishment of women’s advisory committee was/is a strong scheme as a strategy to facilitate the promotion of the project within the community by engaging respect within the community and the women who are involved in the project so they could promote to the targeted group. In order to continue the momentum started by the project, community awareness of the need for cervical screening, needs to be maintained and raised contained by the Aboriginal women. This will require ongoing consultation with the community and ongoing health promotion activity which has been mentioned above. Ongoing involvement and collaboration with other community stakeholders such as Bunurong Health Services, Local Government – Victoria, Victorian Aboriginal Health Service, Cancer Council- Victoria, Royal Women’s Hospital Aboriginal Advisory Unit, Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation and City of Greater Dandenong are also seen as dominant too long term success in increasing awareness and promotion of cervical screening in the City of Greater Dandenong among Aboriginal and Indigenous women.

Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock Essay: Inability to Love

Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock - Inability to Love    T. S. Eliot's "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" is not a poem about love, at least in any traditional sense. Rather It is a collection of the fragmented thoughts of a man without self-esteem. Far from being about love, it is about one man's inability to love (himself or the world around him.) It is the cynical statement of a man who does not believe good things will ever happen to him, or that the world has anything to offer him. The title is bitterly ironic; Prufrock does not love any body, least of all himself, (no matter how much he might aspire to the ideal of romance and passion), nor does he believe that any one could ever love him. His own life is devoid of love, so in his bitterness he brands his work a "love song". Although the poem addresses the reader directly, saying, "Let us go then, you and I,"1 Prufrock is really just talking to himself. His is a tale of shame and insecurity that he would never dare share with another human being. The epigraph graphically illustrates this; being a passage from Dante's "Inferno".... "If I thought my reply would be to someone who would ever return to earth, this flame would remain without further movement; but as no one has ever returned from this gulf, if what I hear is true, I can answer you with no fear of infamy."2 When one considers the poem in the light of this prologue, one must see that Prufrock is basically telling the tale of his isolation and living hell, but without shame because he believes his words will never be heard. He speaks to himself, and poses questions to himself as many do when they are grappling internally with issues and problems of their own. I wish to discuss two main thread... ...nse it is indeed a song about love, but it is not a "love song" in the traditional sense. "The Lovesong of J. Alfred Prufrock" is not radio friendly mainstream love. Bibliography Eliot, T. S., "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock", in Leonard, John, Ed., Seven Centuries of Poetry in English, Third Ed., Melbourne: Oxford, 1994, pp.128-31. End Notes 1 Eliot, T. S., "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock", in Leonard, John, Ed., Seven Centuries of Poetry in English, Third Ed., Melbourne: Oxford, 1994, pp.128-31, l. 1. All subsequent line numbers refer to this text. 2 Leonard, p. 128. 3 ll. 13-14, 35-36. 4 ll. 32-33. 5 ll. 38, 45, 122. 6 ll. 45-46. 7 l. 122. 8 ll. 97, 110. 9 l. 55. 10 ll. 73-74. 11 l. 34. 12 l. 51. 13 l. 60. 14 l. 81. 15 l. 85. 16 l. 84. 17 ll. 87, 99. 18 ll. 129-131.

Financial Analysis of Lockheed Martin

A Financial Analysis of Lockheed Martin Corporation Colby Scott LeTourneau University A Financial Analysis of Lockheed Martin corporation The world of finance in today’s market is one of numerous ups and downs. With the global economy in constant flux, it is more important than every for companies to examine their financial status and compare their position to that of the relative market as well as their fellow competitors.In order to better understand the ways in which today’s managers examine their position on the market and evaluate their current value as a company we will examine the financial data of Lockheed Martin Corporation and perform a detailed financial analysis on the company. In this analysis we will examine financial rations of Lockheed Martin and in turn compare these rations to that of fellow market competitors.Upon completion of our financial analysis we will be able to understand the financial position of Lockheed Martin as well as the position of Loc kheed Martin in their respective market, and in turn we will be able to fully comprehend the methods and data used by companies in order to evaluate their company. Before going into an in depth analysis of our company, let us first examine the history behind Lockheed Martin. The Lockheed Martin Corporation traces its roots all the way back to the earliest days of flight. In 1909 aviation pioneer Glenn L.Martin organized a company around a small airplane construction business and transformed it into a major airframe supplier to U. S. military and commercial customers. In 1961 the Glenn L. Martin Company became the Martin Marietta Company after the completion of a merger with American-Marietta Corp. , a leading supplier of building and road construction materials. In 1982, Martin Marietta was subject to a hostile takeover bid by the Bendix Corporation which bought the majority of Martin Marietta shares and in effect owned the company.However, Martin Marietta's management used the shor t time separating ownership and control to sell non-core businesses and launch its own hostile takeover of Bendix (known as the Pac-Man defense). The end of this extraordinarily bitter battle saw Martin Marietta survive and forced Bendix to be sold off. In 1913, Allan and Malcolm Loughead (name later changed to Lockheed) flew the first Lockheed plane over San Francisco Bay. The brothers later established their own corporation known as the Alco Hydro-Aeroplane Company which was later renamed the Loughead Aircraft Manufacturing Company.In 1926, following the failure of Loughead, Allan Loughead formed the Lockheed Aircraft Company in Hollywood, California. In 1929, Lockheed sold out to Detroit Aircraft Corporation. The Great Depression ruined the aircraft market, and Detroit Aircraft went bankrupt. A group of investors headed by brothers Robert and Courtland Gross, bought the company out of receivership in 1932. The syndicate bought the company for a mere $40,000. Ironically, Allan Lou ghead himself had planned to bid for his own company, but had only raised $50,000 which he felt was too small a sum for a serious bid.The first successful aircraft built in any number by the Lockheed Corporation was named the Vega and was best known for its use in several first- and record setting flights by, among others, Amelia Earhart, Wiley Post and George Hubert Wilkins. In the 1930s, Lockheed spent $139,400 to develop the Model 10 Electra, a small twin-engine transport which sold 40 units in the first year of production. Amelia Earhart and her navigator, Fred Noonan, flew this plane on their failed attempt to circumnavigate the world in 1937.The Lockheed Model 12 Electra Junior and the Lockheed Model 14 Super Electra expanded their market. The Model 14 also formed the basis for the Hudson bomber, which was supplied to both the British Royal Air Force and the United States military before and during World War II. In 1995 the these two companies, Lockheed and Martin Marietta, jo ined together in a merger which created the modern Lockheed Martin corporation, and further expanded with the acquisition of Loral, a defense electronics and systems integration business, in 1996.Today, the Lockheed Martin Corporation is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland and employs 126,000 people worldwide. The company is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration, and sustainment of advanced technology systems. Lockheed also serves both domestic and international customers with products and services that have defense, civil, and commercial applications, with their principal customers being agencies of the U. S. Government. In 2011, 84% of their $45. billion in net sales were made to the U. S. Government, either as a prime contractor or as a subcontractor. Lockheed’s U. S. Government sales were made to both Department of Defense (DoD) and non-DoD agencies. Sales to foreign governments (including foreign military sales funded, in whol e or in part, by the U. S. Government) amounted to 15% of net sales in 2011. The remainder of net sales was attributable to commercial and other customers. In 2011, net sales at Aeronautics of $13. 2 billion represented 29% of their total net sales.Aeronautics has three principal lines of business and the percentage that each contributed to its 2011 net sales was 68 percent combat aircraft, 20 percent air mobility, and 12 percent in other aeronautics programs. At December 31, 2011, we operated in 545 locations (including offices, manufacturing plants, warehouses, service centers, laboratories, and other facilities) throughout the United States and internationally. Of these, we owned 43 locations aggregating approximately 30 million square feet, and leased space at 502 locations aggregating approximately 26 million square feet.We also manage or occupy various government-owned facilities under leases and various other arrangements. The U. S. Government also furnishes equipment that we use in some of our businesses. We operate in four principal business segments: Aeronautics, Electronic Systems, IS, and Space Systems. Lockheed organizes their business segments based on the nature of the products and services offered. The following table presents net sales and operating profit of their four business segments.Net sales exclude intersegment revenue, as these activities are eliminated in consolidation. Intercompany transactions are generally negotiated and accounted for under terms and conditions similar to other government and commercial contracts. Operating profit of the business segments includes the equity earnings or losses from investees in which certain of their business segments hold equity interests, because the activities of the investees are closely aligned with the operations of those segments. In Millions |2011 |2010 |2009 | |Net Sales | | | | |Aeronautics |13,235 |12,201 |11,473 | |Electronic Systems |14,363 |13,532 |12,803 | |Information systems & Gl obal Solutions |9,959 |9,608 |9,069 | |Space Systems |8,246 |8,654 |8,027 | |Total 45,803 |43,995 |41,372 | | | | | | |Operation Profit | | | | |Aeronautics |1,502 |1,577 |1,433 | |Electronic Systems |1,712 |1,660 |1,583 | |Information systems & Global Solutions |890 |895 |919 | |Space Systems |972 |972 |953 | |Total Business Segments |5,076 |5,104 |4,888 | |VESP and other charges |220 |- | | |Other unallocated Corporate income net |759 |689 |161 | |Total |4,097 |4,415 |5,049 |Now that we have established the background of the Lockheed Martin Corporation, let us now analyze the ratios which provide us insight into the financial status of the corporation. The first ratio which we will look at is the current ration of Lockheed Martin. Using the current ration, we will be able to determine if Lockheed will be able to satisfy the amount of current liabilities based upon their current assets. When looking at the Lockheed’s balance sheet for 2011, we see that they have 11. 157 mil lion dollars in current liabilities and 12. 851 million dollars in current liabilities. In order to compute the current ratio of Lockheed we then take the current assets of 12. 51 million and divide this number by the current liabilities of 11. 157 million thus giving Lockheed a current ratio of 1. 15% for 2011. When looking at this ratio over a period of 2 years we began to see that the ratio calculated for 2011 has decreased . 01 percent from 2010. In examining this ratio, we are able to conclude that Lockheed has a fairly constant liquidity rate which could tell us that the company is relatively stable at this point in time. The second ratio which will help us in evaluating the financial status of Lockheed Martin Corporation is the inventory turnover ratio. This ration will allow us to examine how efficiently Lockheed manages its assets and uses those assets to create income.In order to calculate this ratio we must find the companies net sales and divide this figure by the invent ories that the company has on hand. After examining Lockheed’s financial statements, we find that they reported 45. 803 million dollars in net sales and 2. 378 million dollars in inventories for 2011. After plugging these figures into our equation, we find that Lockheed had an inventory turnover ratio of 19. 26. This tells us roughly that Lockheed’s inventory is sold out and restocked roughly 19. 26 times per year. When examined over a two year period, we find that the ratio of sales to inventories when compared to the 20. 15 ratio calculated in 2010, had only fallen by . 89.When compared to the rival Boeing Company, we find that Lockheed’s inventory turnover ration is considerably higher than the 1. 386 that Boeing reported over the same period. This could lead to the conclusion that Lockheed Martin is in considerably better position than the majority of the other companies with in the same market. The next ratio that we will examine is referred to as the debt ration. This ratio allows us to examine the percentage of funds provided by current liabilities and long term debt. In order to calculate this ratio, we will need to take the total liabilities and divide this figure by the total assets. When examining the financial documents provided by Lockheed, we find that Lockheed reported a total liability of 31. 59 million and a total asset of 35. 067. As we plug this data into our equation we find that Lockheed Martin has a debt ratio of 89. 43 percent for 2011. When interpreting this outcome we must remember to examine the data from two separate perspectives. From the perspective of a creditor, a high debt ratio allows for less cushion against losses in the event that liquidating occurs. This could discourage creditors from lending to the company due to the fact that it poses a greater risk to the creditor. On the other hand, stockholders generally like to see a higher debt ration due to the fact that it magnifies the amount of return that t hey receive.Therefore, it would be wise for a company to maintain a debt ration which is fairly close to 50 percent due to the fact that it allows creditors to feel comfortable while satisfying the desires of the stockholders. Another ratio which provides valuable insight into a company’s financial status is the Gross Profit Margin. When calculating this ratio we must first find the amount of sales, then subtract this number by the cost of goods sold and divide this number by the amount of sales during that period. As we examine the financial data using our Gross Profit Margin formula, we find that Lockheed had a gross profit margin of 10. 2 percent. This number tells us that Lockheed had a gross profit of 10. 2 percent per dollar of sales before any other expenses are deducted.When compared to rival aeronautical company Boeing, we find that Boeing had a gross profit margin that was 11. 9 percent higher than Lockheed. This suggests that Boeing is turning a higher profit margi n than Lockheed and thus does not need to sell as much product in order to generate the same amount of income as Lockheed. By having a lower profit margin than their competitor, Lockheed must have a higher amount of sells in order to keep their place within the market. The final ratio which we will examine is the Price per Earnings ratio or the P/E Ratio. By looking at this ration we are able to identify how much investors are willing to pay per dollar of reported profit.Looking at Lockheed’s current price per share and earnings per share data we find that they are able to maintain a ratio of 28. 67. When viewing this data, we are able to conclude that Lockheed has a fairly strong growth prospect when other things are held constant. When we compare this number to the smaller rival Northrop Grumman and find that Lockheed has a P/E that is 19. 69 higher. When looking into the reasoning behind this difference, we can conclude that Northrop is regarded as being a much riskier com pany than Lockheed and thus could receive less support for creditors. This places Lockheed Martin at an advantageous position due to the fact that they are viewed as a more stable company.This allows them to control more of their respective market and in turn secures their market share for future years. Now that we have viewed the financial ratios of our company and have interpreted the data based upon Lockheed’s market and past financial data, let us now look at the Beta coefficient. When stockholders examine which companies they wish to invest in, they generally seek to invest in companies with the smallest amount of risk possible. In doing so, Stockholders greatly minimize the amount of risk that they themselves accrue and in turn provides confidence within the market. However, we must have a way in order to evaluate the relative risk of a particular companies stock and for that we use the Beta coefficient.In order to calculate the Beta coefficient we will need two sets of data, the closing price for the stock we are examining and the closing prices for the index we’re using. As we look at the Beta value of . 98 for Lockheed Martin and compare it industry rival Boeing’s 1. 31 and Northrop Grumman’s 1. 08 we find that Lockheed has a lower Beat value than both of its major competitors. This suggests that Lockheed is a less risky company to invest in and thus could create greater capitol available through the sale of stock for the company. In addition to drawing potential investors to the company, having a lower Beta value could cause creditors to be more willing to lend money to the company.This would allow a greater possibility for Lockheed’s future expansion in the industry and could serve to propel them to the top of the Aeronautic market. If this were to occur, I forecast that the dividend structure within the company would increase due to the increased amount of wealth that the company is generating yearly. By having mo re funds available for allocation to stockholders, the company would be more willing to pass this added revenue to the stockholders thus promoting more investors to purchase stock. Upon examining the numerous financial data available on Lockheed Martin we are able to determine that the financial status of the company is sound. Lockheed Martin maintains a current ratio of 1. 5 percent which tells us that the company is able to cover the cost of their current liabilities 1. 15 times using their current assets. This tells us that the company does not have any problematic debt at the current time and therefore generates a profit at the end of every operating period. The second indicator of Lockheed’s current and future success is their ability to turn over inventory. In our calculations we discovered that Lockheed had an inventory turn over ratio of 19. 26 percent which told us that they were able roughly able to sell all of their products and restock at least 19. 26 times per ye ar. When viewing this from a financial standpoint this figure is encouraging because it represents a steady profit within the company.The next ratio analysis performed, the debt ratio, informed us that the company had a debt ratio of 89. 43 percent. This high number could serve costly to the company if they ever need seek loans from creditors, but it does satisfy the shareholders by providing a higher amount of leverage. Another ratio that we analyzed for Lockheed Martin was the gross profit margin. After computing this ratio, we found that Lockheed had a gross profit margin of 10. 2 in 2011 which means than Lockheed earned retained 10. 2 percent of every dollar earned. The final ration analysis that we performed on Lockheed’s financial statements was a profit per earnings ratio.After performing this ratio, we found that Lockheed had a better profit per earnings than its rivals thus making it a more desirable company to invest in. This could attract future investors and in tu rn create more profit for the company. From this analysis, I have concluded that Lockheed Martin could not handle much more debt in the near future due to the fact that their debt ration is already considerably high. If the company were to take on much more debt, creditors would become unwilling to provide financial support for the company and the company could risk taking on more debt than their assets could cover. This would cause the overall value of the company to fall and cause the Beat coefficient to ri se to a much higher level.In order to further improve the company from the position that it is in, I believe that the company should take steps to lower the debt ratio. This would cause the creditors to be more willing to invest in the company as well as keep the stockholders satisfied with the amount of leverage the company has. Also, by lowering the debt ratio, the companies eat coefficient would fall even further making the desire to invest in the company even higher. If Loc kheed were to take this step, I believe that the companies stock would continue to rise and the company could in turn increase the amount of dividends that it provides. Bibliography 1. Free SEC Filings Email Alerts – SECFilings. com. (n. d. ). Free SEC Filings Email Alerts – SECFilings. com.Retrieved April 26, 2011, from http://secfilings. com/searchresultswide. aspx? TabIndex=2=7752072=convpdf=11373=%2fdefault. aspx%3fticker%3dLMT%26amp%3bformgroupid%3d1%26amp%3bauth%3d1 2. Free SEC Filings Email Alerts – SECFilings. com. (n. d. ). Free SEC Filings Email Alerts – SECFilings. com. Retrieved April 26, 2011, from http://secfilings. com/searchresultswide. aspx? TabIndex=2=7704986=convpdf=11757=%2fdefault. aspx%3fticker%3dBA%26amp%3bformgroupid%3d1%26amp%3bauth%3d1 3. Ehrhardt, M. C. , & Brigham, E. F. (2011). Corporate finance: a focus approach (4th ed. ). Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning.

Storytelling Improv Games to Improve Actor Skills

Storytelling Improv Games to Improve Actor Skills Most theater games are improv-based. Theyre intended to give actors an opportunity to expand and stretch their skills in a low-risk, no-stress, collegial situation. At the end of a session, however, actors will have improved their ability to imagine themselves in new situations and respond appropriately. Some improvisational exercises focus on a performers ability tell stories off-the-cuff. These activities are often stationary theater games, meaning the actors are not required to move about very much. With this in mind, a   story-telling improv game might not be as entertaining as other more physically dynamic games but is  still an excellent way to sharpen ones imagination. Here are a few easy-to-perform story-telling improv games, each one ideal for a class activity or a warm-up exercise at rehearsal: Story-story Known by many other names, Story-story is a circle game for all ages. Many ​grade school teachers use this as an in-class activity, but it can be just as fun for adult performers. The group of performers sits or stands in a circle. A moderator stands in the middle and provides a setting for the story. She then points to a person in the circle and he begins telling a story. After the first storyteller has described the beginning of the story, the moderator points to another person. The story continues on; the new person picks up from the last word and tries to continue the narrative. Every performer should get several turns to add to the story. Usually the moderator suggests when the story comes to a conclusion; however, more advanced performers will be able to conclude their story on their own. Best/Worst In this improv activity, one person creates an instant monologue, telling a story about an experience (either based upon real-life or based upon pure imagination). The person begins the story in a positive way, focusing on terrific events and circumstances. Then, someone rings a bell. Once the bell sound, the storyteller continues the story, but now only negative things occur in the plot. Each time the bell ring, the storyteller shifts the narrative back and forth, from the best events to the worst events. As the story progresses, the bell should ring more quickly. (Make that storyteller work for it!) Nouns From a Hat There are many improv games which involve slips of papers with random words, phrases or quotes written on them. Usually, these phrases have been invented by audience members. Nouns from a Hat is one of these types of games. Audience members (or the moderators) write nouns on a slip of paper. Proper nouns are acceptable. In fact, the stranger the noun, the more entertaining this improv will be. Once all of the nouns have been collected into a hat (or some other container), a scene begins between two improv performers. About every thirty seconds or so, as they establish their storyline, the performers will reach a point in their dialogue when they are about to say an important noun. Thats when they reach into the hat and grab a noun. The word is then incorporated into the scene, and the results can be wonderfully silly. For example: BILL: I went to the unemployment office today. They offered me a job as a... (reads noun from the hat) penguin.SALLY: Well, that doesnt sound too promising. Does it pay well?BILL: Two buckets of sardines a week.SALLY: Maybe you could work for my uncle. He owns a... (reads nouns from the hat) footprint.BILL: How can you run a business with a footprint?SALLY: Its a Sasquatch footprint. Oh yeah, its been a tourist attraction for years. Nouns from a Hat can involve more actors, as long as there are enough slips of paper. Or, in the same manner as Best/Worst, it can be delivered as an improvisational monologue.

Free Essays on Valeriano Weyler

General Valeriano Weyler was born in Palma de Mallorca, Spain. He was also educated there. Weyler followed his father’s footsteps. His father was a military doctor, so he started a military career. Weyler graduated from the Infantry school in Toledo and by age 20 he had attained the rank of lieutenant. He served in Cuba and organized a group of volunteers for some sort of reason. In 1878 Weyler was made a general. In 1895 he was given the Grand Cross-of Maria Cristina (?) for his command of troops in the Philippines. In 1896 when rebellion was very popular at the time for in Cuba, Weyler was named governor with full powers to suppress the insurgency and return the island to political order and the sugar industry to greater profitability. First, Weyler was greatly frustrated by the same reasons that had made victory difficult for all generals of traditional standing armies fighting against an insurgency (rebellion). While the Spanish troops marched in regulation and req uired a good amount of supplies, their opponents practiced hit-and-run tactics and lived off the land, blending in with the non-combatant (No intent for war) population. He came to the same conclusions as his predecessors (People from the past) as well that to win Cuba back for Spain, he would have to separate the rebels from the civilians by putting the latter in safer areas, protected by loyal Spanish troops. By the end of 1897, General Weyler had relocated more than 300,000 into such reconcentration camps. Although he was successful moving vast numbers of people, he failed to provide for them. Of course, these areas became areas of hunger, disease, and starvation where thousands died from it. Even though I couldn’t find out when Weyler died, I think he died in the late 1920’s.... Free Essays on Valeriano Weyler Free Essays on Valeriano Weyler General Valeriano Weyler was born in Palma de Mallorca, Spain. He was also educated there. Weyler followed his father’s footsteps. His father was a military doctor, so he started a military career. Weyler graduated from the Infantry school in Toledo and by age 20 he had attained the rank of lieutenant. He served in Cuba and organized a group of volunteers for some sort of reason. In 1878 Weyler was made a general. In 1895 he was given the Grand Cross-of Maria Cristina (?) for his command of troops in the Philippines. In 1896 when rebellion was very popular at the time for in Cuba, Weyler was named governor with full powers to suppress the insurgency and return the island to political order and the sugar industry to greater profitability. First, Weyler was greatly frustrated by the same reasons that had made victory difficult for all generals of traditional standing armies fighting against an insurgency (rebellion). While the Spanish troops marched in regulation and req uired a good amount of supplies, their opponents practiced hit-and-run tactics and lived off the land, blending in with the non-combatant (No intent for war) population. He came to the same conclusions as his predecessors (People from the past) as well that to win Cuba back for Spain, he would have to separate the rebels from the civilians by putting the latter in safer areas, protected by loyal Spanish troops. By the end of 1897, General Weyler had relocated more than 300,000 into such reconcentration camps. Although he was successful moving vast numbers of people, he failed to provide for them. Of course, these areas became areas of hunger, disease, and starvation where thousands died from it. Even though I couldn’t find out when Weyler died, I think he died in the late 1920’s....

The Development of Humanity in Imago Dei Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

The Development of Humanity in Imago Dei - Essay Example Human-Kind's knowledge of God or the theorization of Imago Dei ultimately brought about the concept of humanity, as was hinted at in the initial phase of this research (Meta Press 2006). When God created man kind, following Imago Dei, humanity was undoubtedly born but man-kinds ability to hold onto that form of humanity has been sorely tested throughout history. Furthermore, this ideology of humanity was conceptualized by the fact that human beings are the more vulnerable of God's creations and therefore there is a need to try and be humane to one another due to this fact. Also, there is a view that human beings are considered to be the well-being and fate of nature so this is another philosophical reasoning that was born through the concept of Imago Dei and of which stretched into the philosophy of humanity (Fern 2002). This makes perfect sense as the true meaning of "Imago Dei" is actually an interpretation of a mirror image of God. In fact, the terminology in itself is uniquely meant for the human race, as history has shown through biblical times up to present day even. The way in which humanity did actually form has been already stated to be from man-kind's religious perspective and their creation but there is a direct relation to this theory from a passage in the bible which states, "God created man in his own image" (Meta Press 2006). It was of course this pertinent passage which had an incredible influence on man-kind's interpretation of what goodness and humanity should be and they oftened turned to God to guide them and help them in making the right choice to stay on the correct path. Because man-kind developed the rationalization that they were created in God's image they realized that all that they had been endowed with had a form of goodness and humanity about it. For example their freedoms of "self-centeredness, creative freedom, and the option of self-actualization" led them to come to an understanding that having good qualities within their being and expressing a sincere sense of humanity to one another was important in order to stay in God's image (Meta Press 2006). However, human beings can not be equal to God because they are not wholly perfect, although they try to overcome those tendencies that bring in the adverse elements into the human race which affects the idea of humanity (Fern 2002). Karl Barth was an existentialist who believed that humanity developed by man-kinds way of trying to exhibit an idea of goodness in order to be one with God. However, the human race already had an idea of humanity due to the fact that they were created through the theology of Imago Dei. This has been emphasized in this literature and found to hold factual truth throughout periods of history. Furthermore, this is pointed out because Barth taught that man-kind developed a responsibility towards God, again through the ideology of Imago Dei. Also, the freedoms born for man were directly from the idea that God granted them these various freedoms due to the human goodness that they exhibited (Cochrane 1956).However, when man sinned they lost some of the ability to be good due to the fact that the concept of religious belief and the essence of God does not contain the idea of sin, and therefore it was and is an

The Importance of Branding in Google and Lego Case Study

The Importance of Branding in Google and Lego - Case Study Example Branding is so important in every industry and computer and communications industries are also not an exception. â€Å"Brands need to find a voice that resonates, that surprises and that entices. This means understanding better your client, which clearly means listening more to your client base† (Social Search: Getting Personal is Getting Evermore Important for Brand Marketers). In the case of search engine business, Google has a voice that resonates, but in the case of social networking, Facebook enjoys that voice. Google is facing stiff competition from many others such as Microsoft, Yahoo, Amazon, Apple, Facebook etc. In order to counter the threats from such huge companies, effective branding strategies are necessary for Google. Even though Google is the number one player in the search engine business, they are not so in social networking industry. Facebook holds the number one spot in social networking. Lego on the other hand is one of the prominent toy makers in the worl d. Even though they were the fifth largest toy maker in the world, they suffered lot of setbacks in the recent past because of the increased competition. â€Å"The Lego Group’s vision was to inspire the children to explore and challenge their own creative potential† (Lego Group: An Outsourcing Journey, p.2). However they failed to do so in a consistent basis and suffered severe setbacks recently. In order to regain its lost brand image, Lego is currently implementing many strategies. â€Å"The framework for LEGO’s branding effort expanded from its initial marketing focus into a company-wide reorganization that involved several change management programs and an ongoing initiative to create and manage global brand coherence†(Schultz & Hatch, p.6). Role of branding in the Business strategies of Google and Lego Branding holds an important place in the business strategies of both Google and LEGO. Globalization has brought immense challenges in the global marke t and it is difficult for even huge companies to survive in the market with the help of traditional brand building strategies. Diversification of business is inevitable at present and better brand image in one market segment may not help a company in other segments. For example, Google failed to become the number one in social networking or ecommerce even though they are so in search engine business. Same way Lego also failed drastically to hold their top spot in toy market because of their inability to diversify in to other areas. â€Å"The name LEGO is a combination of Danish words â€Å"leg† and â€Å"godt,† meaning â€Å"play well†Ã¢â‚¬  (Lego Group: An Outsourcing Journey, p.7). Lego was committed to deliver quality products to its children based clients. They concentrated too much on toy market alone which caused problems to them. Both Google and Lego should concentrate more on product diversification and brand development strategies in each segment. The y should realize that better image in one business segment may not help them in other segments. For each business segments, they need separate brand building strategies. Threats to the brand equities of Google and Lego When started Google plus, Google thought that they can utilize their brand equity in search engine business in social networking also. They failed to realize that both search engine and social networking businesses are entirely different businesses and it is difficult to convince the customers using the brand image alone. At present the