Religious Beliefs and Practices In A New Era Essay

Assess the view that religious beliefs and practices are changing to reflect a new era of diversity and choice. Current religious beliefs and practices are very different in Britain from 100 years ago. No longer do the masses attend the established church, attendance is down to 6% of the population and the 2001 Census identified 170 distinct religions in Britain. 72% claim to be Christian but less than half of the population believe in God and only 18% claim to be a practicing member of an organised religion. Clearly today’s patterns are very different from those of the past. How then to explain them? There are two fields of thought here. Secularists take the simple opinion: lack of attendance and reduction of belief means a lack of interest and a decline in interest and influence of religion. However, opponents of secularisation claim it is not as simple as that. Society itself has changed dramatically in recent years but that does not mean a decline in society, just a change. Religion, therefore, can not be expected to stagnate in a changing society but must also change with the times. Religion then must met the needs of a late modern or postmodern society which offer levels of diversity and choice which have not existed before and can not do this by behaving as it did in a modern or pre-industrial society. Grace Davie is a proponent of this point of view. For her, religion has simply become more privatised, that is: it is now a private matter of personal preference. This is more appropriate for a society which emphasises individualism and simply echoes what is happening in other institutions in society: the family, for example, is no longer a simple traditional nuclear family, other groupings are now widely accepted. People are then free to decide whether they wish to attend church, worship on their own or even use modern technologies to help them worship, whereas in the past the norm was to attend church and people felt obliged to do so. Davie describes this new pattern as believing without belonging and believes it is a new form of religion. As evidence of this, she points to wider attendance or reliance on religion in times of crisis. People are content to practice vicarious religion where a small number of professional clergy practise religion on behalf of a much larger number of p eople until times of national or personal tragedy. However, if Davies is correct then this would mean high levels of belief and low attendance which Voas and Crockett point out is not the case. Bruce argues that if people are not willing to get involved then their belief must not be sincere or strong so Davie’s defence is unrealistic. Hervieu-Leger points to an increase in individualism and a decline of tradition in society, ideas associated with late modernity, as reasons for a decline in institutional religion. Parents are reluctant to tell their children what to believe so traditional ideas can not be passed down, what Hervieu-Leger calls cultural amnesia. Churches can not be authoritarian and impose beliefs. This leaves people without a fixed religious identity or knowledge of traditional beliefs and thus they are forced to choose or create new religious beliefs and practices for themselves, whereas their ancestors simply repeated patterns of their forebearers. Fortunately having to select one’s own religion is not too demanding for people living in a postmodern society as one of its defining characteristics is consumerism, where we construct our identities through what we consume. H-L describes us now as ‘spiritual shoppers’: without a traditional fixed identity, we must select our own and we do this to best suit ourselves, choosing the beliefs which give most meaning to our lives and suit our interests and aspirations – an individualised religion. Thus instead of merely going to the church our parents went to, today we can take our own personal journey and this explains the wide range of organisations we can join from church to sect to cult. Some H-L describes as pilgrims focusing on self-discovery who join NAMs that concentrate on personal development and others are converts who want a religious group which offers a strong sense of belonging, to re-create a sense of community. Lyon, a postmodernist, supports the idea that traditional religion is giving way to a variety of new religious beliefs and practices because we are living in a postmodern society. In this society globalisation, the increased importance of the media and communications and the growth of consumerism all create a new era of diversity and choice in all aspects of life. Lyon demonstrates how these have affected religion. We are now exposed to a wider range of religious ideas than ever before and these have become ‘disembedded’ from their original local contexts so we can now adapt ideas and beliefs to suit our own purposes. Much new religious belief is simply a watered down version of Eastern religions, adapted to suit Western tastes. Practice of worship is also different because it is no longer necessary to attend a local church. Instead the ‘electronic church’ on the internet and televangelism allow us to stay at home. However, if it is difficult to get convincing statistics of how many people attend church and what effect this has on them, it is even more difficult to research the numbers involved in and the influence of this new form of worship. The very diversity of religions on offer forces a change in religious belief. People become sceptical that any one religion can offer the truth and are, therefore, willing to ‘sample’ any of the new NRMs on offer. Again this is a reflection of postmodern society where we no longer trust in any kind of expert, and have rejected ‘meta-narratives’ which seek to explain the world. This can even be seen in politics where the old certainties of left and right politics have been reduced to the centre ground – one could argue here that their beliefs have also become less strict. This means that new ideas will continue to flourish as we become increasingly disenchanted with the world.

Leadership Post Bureaucracy Essay

Leadership is at the forefront to success of any organizational model, and twentieth-century research has clearly examined its role in the managing of individuals both in the bureaucratic and post-bureaucratic eras. The turn of the millennium also brought about with it a shift in the nature of the workplace, now regarded as a dynamic, ever changing and self-motivating avenue where leadership practices encourage individuals to express their intuitive and creative thinking [Rego, Sousa, Marques 2012]. In light of this, post-bureaucratic approaches to leadership are regarded as being more in sync with today’s working business environment, where success of an organization is commonly attributed to the methods in which leadership practices can positively influence the psyche of individuals within an organization [Meindl, Ehrlich, Dukerich 1985]. This paper aims to deconstruct and critically evaluate the specific leadership traits and styles post-bureaucracy, examining how the natural evolution in the physiological and psychological understanding of human behaviour has influenced the way in which organisations are managed. Notions of trust, empowerment and the shared responsibility of employees in a post-bureaucratic workplace will all be explored, and the contrasting effects of bureaucratic practices examined. In order to make this argument one must acknowledge that this seemingly utopian environment presents itself as merely another dimension in which leaders can conduct the processes within their organizational model, with it being necessary to consider that leadership style and effectiveness is largely determined by situational and contingent factors influencing the ways in which organisations are managed. In analyzing the socio-economic considerations of the organization, Max Weber conveyed the idea of bureaucracy through the concept of transactional leadership. This style of thinking is characterized by the enforcing of normative rules and regulations, strict discipline and systematic control [Nikezic, Puric & Puric 2012]. There is a clear focus on preserving the  existing state of affairs, where control is maintained and power established through autocratic processes dictating what is required within organisations. Transactional leadership provides high levels of stability within organisations, often mirroring the economic conditions of the time, and alternative approaches to the ways in which individuals were managed were not often considered [Nikezic & Markovic 2011]. Bass 1985 extended upon this concept, highlighting the presence of contingent reward or punishment as the basis for employee motivation and productivity. Although it ensures the efficient completion of organization al objectives, this approach to leadership fails to promote high levels of employee satisfaction and devotion required to achieve feats that extend beyond the realms of customary workplace goals. Post-bureaucracy theorists highlight the breakdown in traditional modes of managerial authority proposed by Weber within organisations as a result of the increasing pressures the workplace is faced with due to globalization and technological advancements [Johnson et al. 2009]. Organisations experienced a paradigm shift, where in order to continually evolve, develop and remain competitive in a volatile economic marketplace, were forced to adopt new ways of thinking that inspired resourceful and innovative methods to problem solving. [Burns 1978] introduced the complex notion of transforming leadership in his explanatory research of the political leaders of the time. In this model, common perceptions and understandings of the traditional leader and follower relationship are challenged. Leaders are characterized by their ability to motivate individuals through their idealized influence generated through charismatic tendencies, in turn establishing feelings of trust, admiration and a desire to truly engage themselves in the organizational objectives [Browning 2007]. In transcending the boundaries of the symbiotic relationship between leader and follower, organisations experience a redesigning of traditional beliefs concerning leadership formerly focused on power and authoritative methods. Post-bureaucratic approaches to leadership allow for the establishment of defining roles that concentrate on the support of individuals and honoring open methods of communication, where  leader and follower are focused on a comm on purpose and receive fulfillment working together in a synergized environment to achieve organizational goals [Chaleff 2003]. Although this newfound approach to leadership encourages the greater commitment of workers to the organization, the effects in regards to increased efficiency within the workplace and improved individual well being need to be considered. A leaders behavioral characteristics and principles form the impetus for success as a transformational leader, and contingency theories suggest that to improve the effectiveness, leaders can align their style to meet the requirements of the group based on situational factors, as depicted through Browning’s recount of Shackleton and his crews arduous journey on the Endurance [Browning 2007]. The success of Shackleton’s transformational leadership style required the presence of definitive charismatic, inspirational and communicative qualities [Dutton et al. 2002], however in circumstances where these traits are absent of the individual, no amount of technical skill or experience will assist the leader in achieving organizational objective s through increased employee motivation and performance. Leadership style in the post-bureaucratic era has been adapted to mirror the multifaceted ideas concerning human behaviour, and reflects how a change in perspective resulting in the empowerment of individuals within the workplace has allowed for businesses to incessantly improve their output and contribution to society. McGregor, in his 1960 work titled â€Å"The Human Side of Enterprise† discusses a number of preconceived connotations detailing assumptions of the nature of human beings. His philosophies provided the underlying basis in which organisations began to implement a new approach to leadership, whereby he formulated two distinct theories regarding the human approach to work. Bureaucracy is represented by Theory X, which can be likened to a transactional leadership style. The emphasis is on an individual’s lack of ambition, motivation and desire to succeed, noting how it is only through autocratic methods of leadership will organizational objectives be reached [Stewart 2010]. In stark contrast, the post-bureaucratic concept proposed as Theory Y, encompasses a more holistic  approach to leadership, focusing on the self-realization of individuals in the workplace. McGregor ascertains that humans are active shapers of the organizational objectives they are presented with, and flourish when given the opportunity to assume a higher responsibility within their role. In challenging the existing paradigms that focused on the human desire to satisfy their physiological needs, the research supported a shift that was now centralized around self-actualization and esteem [Maslow 1943]. This new interpretation of the working environment enabled leaders to implement strategies that promoted creativity and innovation amongst employees in their pursuit to achieve higher states of psychological satisfaction. The transference of power within organisations between leader and follower facilitated a restructuring of the workplace. There was now a clear avenue that better sup ported employee and organizational goals, allowing for the objectives of both parties to coincide, ultimately leading to higher levels of effectiveness and productivity required by the onset of economic globalization. The relationship between leader and follower can be described as a complex reciprocal understanding between parties that require clear and distinct channels of communication. Successful leadership forms the basis in which businesses achieve desired results that mirror the continued growth and development of the firm. Organizational objectives will only be met when leaders can effectively articulate a vision amongst employees that assists in synchronizing the goals of the individual and organization. Post-bureaucracy has allowed for the practices and styles encompassment of the paradox that is leadership to be examined from another dimension, where we have witnessed a shift from a focus on the importance of specific leadership characteristics to a newfound analytical appreciation highlighting the interactions between leader and follower. In light of the ideas conveyed throughout previous research and the arguments presented within this paper detailing leadership in both the bureaucrat ic and post-bureaucratic eras, we can rationalize that there is no definitive approach to leadership that can be regarded as being more precise than another. Transactional leadership has long been steadfast and continues to thrive in organisations that regard stability and efficient modes of  production paramount to their success, whilst transformational leadership concerns itself with satiating the psychological needs of the individual. Further research lends itself to exploring the consolidation of methods from both eras, analyzing the effects of implementing styles and traits often regarded as mutually exclusive. Reference List Bass, B.M. 1985, ‘From transactional to transformational leadership† Learning to share the vision’, Journal of Organizational Dynamics, vol. 18, pp. 19-32. Browning, B.W. 2007, ‘Leadership in desperate times: An analysis of endurance: Shackleton’s incredible voyage through the lens of leadership theory’, Advances in Developing Human Resources, vol. 9, no.2, pp.183-98. Chaleff, I. 2003, The Courageous Follower: Standing up to and for our leaders’, Berrett-Koehler Publishers, San Francisco. Dutton, J.E., Frost, P., Worline, M.C., Lilius, J.M. & Kanov, J.M. 2002, ‘Leading in times of trauma’, Harvard Business Review, vol. 80, no. 1, pp. 54-61. Johnson, P., Wood, G.T., Brewster, C.J. & Brookes, M. 2009, ‘The rise of post-bureaucracy: theorists’ fancy of organizational praxis?’ Journal of International Sociology, 24 (1). pp, 37-61. ISSN 1461-7242 Lievens, F., Van Geit, P., Coetsier, P. 1997, ‘Identification of transformational leadership qualities: An examination of potential biases’, European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, vol. 6, no. 4, pp. 415-430. Maslow, H.A., 1943, ‘A Theory of Human Motivation’, Psychological Review, vol. 50, no. 4, pp. 370-396. Meindl, J.R., Ehrlich, S.B. & Dukerich, J.M. 1985, ‘The romance of leadership’, Administrative Science Quarterly, vol.30, no.1, pp. 78-102. Nikezic, S., Markovic, S. 2011, ‘Transformational leadership as a factor profound changes’, 11th Conference for research and development in mechanical industry’, RaDMI 2011, SaTCIP (Scientific and technical center for intellectual property) Nikezic, S., Puric, S., Puric, J. 2012, ‘Transactional and transformation leadership: Development through changes’, International Journal for Quality Research, vol. 6, no. 3, pp. 285-296. Rego, A., Sousa, F. & Marques, C. 2012, ‘Authentic leadership promoting employees’ psychological capital and creativity’, Journal of Business Research, vol. 65, no. 3, pp. 429-37. Stewart, M. 2010, â€Å"Theories X and Y, Revisited’, Oxford Leadership Journal, vol. 1, no. 3, pp. 1-5. Weber, M., 1947, â€Å"The Theory of Social and Economic Organization†, Translated by A. M. Henderson & Talcott Parsons. New York: The Free Press.

Evaluating rule based and principle based accounting approaches

In this essay, the two different attacks of accounting have been discussed. One attack is being followed by FASB and the other attack is being followed by IASB. These two attacks are Rules – based attack and Principles – based attack. Rules – based attack says that accounting rules and criterions should alter with the environment, fiscal conditions, and as new issues arises in the field of accounting. On the other manus, Principles – based attack says that accounting rules and criterions should be made harmonizing to the already set rules. All the rules are predefined and it works with a set of laid down system. This belief is named as rule – based attack. Further in this essay, these two attacks have been critically analyzed on some selected points. The stances, pros and cons of each attack have been discussed in item. And based on the analysis, decisions about the favourable attack or manner have been made. An recommendation has besides been made in the terminal that nonsubjective attack should be followed which means that alternatively of following either of these two attacks entirely, a mixture of both of these attacks should be followed so that the defects of each attack could be minimized. There are fundamentally two chief criterion puting organic structures i.e. FASB ( Financial Accounting Standard Board ) and IASB ( International Accounting Standard Board ) . These standard scene organic structures have their ain models. Models are used to paraphrase current accounting criterions and to bring forth new accounting criterions. is by and large followed in United States of America whereas IFRS is followed by most of the other states of the universe. Since 2001, more than one 100 states around the Earth have been permitted / required to utilize IFRS ( IASB construction ) . In add-on to these two criterion puting organic structures, there are besides other little and local criterion puting organic structures present. But IFRS are by and large followed by most of the states particularly by large economic systems. Apart from the â€Å" models † there are besides other differences every bit good. One of these differences is the â€Å" attack † that each one of t hem has used to construct criterions and models. GAAP uses the Rule – based attack whereas IFRS uses the Principles – based attack in constructing accounting criterions. Harmonizing to one belief accounting rules and criterions should alter with the environment, fiscal conditions, and as new issues arises in the field of accounting. This belief is named as regulation – based attack. Whereas, IFRS believes that accounting rules and criterions should be made harmonizing to the already set rules. All the rules are predefined and it works with a set of laid down system. This belief is named as rule – based attack. Each of these attacks has its ain pros and cons. The stances of each of these attacks have been discussed and critically analyzed in item below ; The deduction being, that if anyone in the society believes your patterns to be manipulating the job, or non-genuine, and immoral so the job of assurance in your actions id arises. This would so coerce, and should act upon everyone to endeavor for a high criterion of pattern, as minimum conformity and criterions would non truly be tolerated and plenty for the point of view of investors and community. The comptroller and hearers have to trust on their judgement, so the more conservative attack they adopt, it would be much better for the investors. So rigorous regulations should be followed and they should seek to run into the highest criterions instead than minimum. Following the regulations necessitate all members of a society to show minimal values and criterions of pattern. The criterions have to be in kernel meeting the minimally acceptable pattern degree in order to acquire approved by a bulk of members. Due to minimal required degree, the consequences could be less-than-excellent criterions. The rules-based patterns besides encourage those people to play around with the regulations, to happen loopholes and ambiguity in the regulations, and to calculate out ways to do uses. This has been evidenced in the last decennary in major economic sciences like Canada and the USA by their political leaders every bit good as celebrated concern leaders and companies ( Doug Macnamara & A ; Banff, 2004 ) Principles-based attack basically has no minimal criterion of pattern and they keep on turning over clip. Principles-based model influence a broad set of patterns run intoing the demands to a degree of outlook by the society at big ( McGladrey & A ; Pullen, 2009 ) . Principles promote organisations to follow directly off raising their current patterns in-line with the Principles based attack, endeavoring for uninterrupted betterment over clip ( Doug Macnamara & A ; Banff, 2004 ) . Principles-based are really utile in leting house ‘s to modify their apprehension of how to implement concern patterns of the highest criterions for every changing and alone conditions, and operational worlds of the industry. This should therefore ensue in better, more appropriate administration actions compared to minimum conformity with a set of basic regulations. Even though the constitution of fiscal accounting criterions and auditing has conventionally been founded upon a rule-based construction, the theory of a principle-based attack has been from clip to clip advocated since being incorporated and due to recent high profile dirts in which the fiscal comptrollers and hearers have been involved and made monolithic uses do to rule-based ethical point of view and hold failed to protect investors, stakeholders and general public involvement raised concerns for the populace to still believe on rule-based theory ( George J. Benston, Michael Bromwich, Alfered Wagenhofer, 2006 ) . In Accordance to a normally position, U.S. accounting criterions are more rules-based than principles-based model.[ 1 ]This observation brought in big portion from the emphasis put on two features of the diction of the typical confirmation statement: ‘the fiscal statements present reasonably, in all stuff respects, the fiscal place of Ten Company as of Date, and the consequences of its operations and its hard currency flows for the twelvemonth so ended in conformance with by and large accepted accounting rules ‘ ( accent added ) .2 ‘Present reasonably ‘ , which indicates a principles-based attack, is fundamentally converted to a rules-based attack when it is ‘defined ‘ in SAS 69 ( .05 a ) by mention to Rule 203 of the AICPA Code of Professional Conduct. This regulation states that ‘present reasonably ‘ â€Å" implies that the application of officially established accounting rules about ever consequences in the just presentation of fisc al place, consequences of operations, and hard currency flows † .4 GAAP is specified by SAS 69, paragraph AU 411, as a hierarchy of conventions, regulations and steps propagated by peculiar important organic structures, peculiarly the Financial Accounting Standards Board and precursor houses ( e.g. , the Accounting Principles Board ) .4 Thus, if the itemized and statute GAAP have been followed as specified, most likely the certifying CPAs have done their occupations decently and sufficiently in the eyes of the Securities and Exchange Commission and ( likely ) the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board ( PCAOB ) . The standard compositors do non look to take into sufficient history that the format of criterions and their contents are mutualist. In peculiar, the more judgement an accounting rule requires, the more hard is it to project it into a criterion without plentifulness of counsel and, possibly, exclusions. These events have encouraged principal-based theoreticians to show and they standpoint which is more ethical and concerned to the investors and stakeholders ( George J. Benston, Michael Bromwich and Alfred Wagenhofer, 2006 ) . The rule-based imposts of scrutinizing became a trouble-free tool that was responsible for the unethical and immoral behavior of companies like Enron and Arthur Andersen due to which 1000s of people lost their every penny in pocket and their places ( David Satava, Cam Caldwell, Linda Richards, 2006 ) . The comptrollers and hearers should work to re-establish public assurance and to acquire enhanced the ethical behavior. Principle-based attack is necessary to significantly alter the ethical behaviour of the fiscal coverage and auditing. The comptroller and hearers must demo a preparedness to measure them critically and follow principle-based attack and demo committedness to alter house ‘s civilization, if they want to reconstruct their lost credibleness and trust with the populace. To carry on periodic cultural audi ts of accounting houses could be effectual tool. ( Bean and Cunningham, 2004 ) The comptrollers and hearers have moral certain duties in order to warrant with their profession self-respect that includes duties, purposes, moralss, principals, values and committednesss to honour these imposed duties ( Paine, 2003 ) .The hearers must integrate and incorporate both a rule-based rating of the fiscal wellness of an audited house and a principle-based appraisal of the fiscal status of an entity as an on-going concern and as a possible investing chance. The basic duties implicit in that undertaking is to unite proficient expertness and professionalism necessary to accomplish meticulosity, preciseness in supplying adequate information to do cent per centum sure that transparence sing the audited house ‘s fiscal status, and completeness, objectivity and independency in carry oning an audit comprehensive to indemnify the unity of the audit study and hence increased the creditability of the audit house ethical and professional attitude. Recent accounting dirts have raised the concern that regulation – based attack has become excessively vulnerable and there is sky-scraping demand of principles-based government. There is a great argument sing the effectivity in the Governance universe these yearss about how to better the degree of assurance and trust in our communities refering the Governance organic structures of both for net income and non for net income organisations. While many treatments are taking topographic point, the highest profile 1s are playing out in the assorted planetary securities communities, with other organisations taking their lead from at that place. However to some Board members might happen these arguments and statements rather detached and isolated from their daily administration responsibilities and duties. This is truly of import to understanding the different places and stance in this argument of administration, and the implicit in logic and principles should be considered by the Boa rd to break develop policies and best patterns to better administration & A ; transparence. This would take to heighten community assurance & A ; trust in your organisation ‘s leading. To hold a trust on leading and the direction is one of the most of import things for the investor point of position before puting in any company. A fall-out from the continued litany of error of our senior leaders and participants has exposed in the media, which has led to overall aggravation & A ; impairment in assurance and trust of the general public towards those in the privileged place of power and control ( Doug Macnamara & A ; Banff, 2004 ) . As each one of these revelation criticizes into the populace ‘s scruples, the trust and perkiness in Governors and Governance took another monolithic hit. Governors and managers should reflect watchfulness and due diligence in their act before choosing any accounting model and should endeavor to do certain the transparence and effectual control system. The principal based model has shown its importance over clip and raised many inquiries on regulations based system. Governors and managers should utilize a blend of both Rules and Principles that are relevant to the organisation, and formulate and develop new Governance By-Laws, processs, policies and patterns to wake up their organisation ‘s leading behaviour. We are still meeting more and more struggles of involvement jobs at the Governance degree and Following the best patterns and Self-disclosure of these new patterns can better the society trust in organisations. ( George T. Tsakumis, 2009 ) After being analysing the fact and the difficult nucleus worlds of both the rule-based and chief based attack, it is being concluded that comptrollers every bit good as governors should follow the regulations based attack because the principal based model strives for uninterrupted betterment and by following the principal based attack we could achieve the highest degree of transparence and investors assurance. Due to recent dirts accounting criterions are already under terrible unfavorable judgment. The regulation based attack has batch of loopholes because it merely requires the minimal criterions to fulfill it ‘s objectively as comparison to principal based attack which keep on puting new criterions and mileposts. The hearers besides have to hold to demo high criterions of ethical pattern and should identity the malpractices being done by the direction. They should work independently and objectively and should non come under any force per unit area by direction. They work sho uld be run into the aim of the investors and stockholder alternatively of direction. It has besides being witnessed that over the old ages the administration mechanism has non being what it used to be, so that board of managers and governors need to look into the matter of the direction and should prosecute themselves in arguments so that they continuous come up and better the control system and should fasten the cheque and balances on the direction. The system which needs to be now incorporated in the houses should be blend of both regulation based and chief based model ( AAA Financial Accounting Standards Committee, 2003 ) . Together both the model would be a better option for the accounting criterions in order to accomplish highest ethical criterions and best patterns. It would besides assist the comptrollers to re-gain their lost creditability which they have lost and general populace is now loath to swear them.

My Personal Capital Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

My Personal Capital - Essay Example Reading has helped me in so many ways. My good reading habits help me easily understand and consequently recall what has bean read. Having gone through a number of projects involving research, I could ably help the team go through a company’s records and database to be able to arrive at an honest description of its historical data, present financial position as well as its potentials for growth. Writing skills, on the other hand, which benefits a writer professionally and personally, is one of a few other technical capabilities that I possess (Nordquist 2008). It being one of my passions, my ability to write effective essays, reports and other forms of correspondence vis-Ã  -vis grammar and composition will undoubtedly help the team come up with a very good written output. My knowledge in the use of software for word processing, spreadsheets and other financial applications, could significantly help the team come up with an honest, comprehensive and workable business plan for the company. Likewise, my experience in communicating, handling and utilizing e-mail as a method for seeking advice from mentors, could make the writing job easier. My modest technical know-how in troubleshooting simple problems on computer systems and application may also be of great help to the team. Moreover, my background in the preparation of financial reports, such as income statements and balance sheets and cash flow statements will make computing for the company’s financial less difficult.

African-American History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

African-American History - Essay Example In case they went for war both white and black soldiers fought side by side at times for the sovereignty of the United States2. Post-war period therefore brought with it huge and significant changes that are worth researching and elaboration. USA for centuries now has been dragging a huge burden of racial criticism and such periods in history as WWII have come to make the racism aspect more pronounced. This paper will look into the history of African Americans during and after the World War II while shedding light on the ideological shifts regarding racial segregation after the war together with white racial perspectives. Historians and researchers alike have come to offer their sentiments regarding World War II in a rather convergent manner. They have stated in a collective approach that this war was tyrannical and at the same time representing liberty. This war is analysed to have been between fascism and totalitarianism on one side and democracy on the other on a rather simple scale but its complexity in respect to American perspective was interesting. On one hand United States fought the Germans and Japanese because of their evil despots related to their lack of recognition for equality and freedom. This is where the complexity and irony creep in as far as United States is concerned. Right in their battle fields and within the armed forces, African Americans were hugely segregated in favour of white soldiers. The freedom and equality being fought for was being given by one hand and taken with the other by the United States from the African Americans. The reality that dawned on the African America ns was that they were in battle fighting two fronts at the same time; Jim Crow laws on one side (internally) and Axis powers on the other (externally)3. Racism and segregation were what the African Americans faced from their countrymen. For the black soldiers at war different living conditions which were obviously lower than those of the rest were in the offing.

Reflection and Refraction Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Reflection and Refraction - Essay Example On the other hand, when light moving in one direction meets a transparent substance, it is deflected and changes the angle of direction. The properties mentioned above represent reflection and refraction respectively. Reflection is visible when the direction of light is obscured by an opaque substance. Although some light may be absorbed by the substance, most of it bounces off the substances and moves in the opposite direction. The laws of reflection explain that both the angle of reflection and incidence are equal (Stille 37). However, this depends on the nature of the surface that lights bounces off. A smooth surface will produce an equal angle of reflection as that of incidence. However, a rough surface will produce multiple rays reflected at different angles. The laws of reflection were visible during the lab experiment where rays of light were shone on a mirror. In addition, the laws explain how images are formed by mirrors. Snell’s law explains how light behaves when it moves from one form of matter to another. When light travels from one medium to another, it produces transmitted rays that appear to be bending (Stille 38). Refraction is influenced by both the densities of the two media and the angle of the incident ray. The laws of refraction were visible in the lab experiment where students viewed a coin immersed in a glass

Hermes watches-segmentation targeting and positioning Research Paper

Hermes watches-segmentation targeting and positioning - Research Paper Example Markets are made up of numerous segments. Consumers portray different preference, characteristics and buying behaviour. The varying mindset of consumers is determined by many market-based factors. Marketers refer to the heterogeneous market characterised by customer behaviour to divide markets into segments; a process referred to as market segmentation. Therefore, market segmentation can be defined as the division of market into homogenous groups of consumers, in reference to the variables reflected in the marketing mix (West, Ford and Ibrahim, 2006). Marketing strategies are determined by product, price, place, promotion, people, processes and physical evidence. The difference between customers belonging to different market segments is minute. Individual segments should be evaluated through reference to a targeted marketing mix. Market segmentation helps in taking care of the homogenous groups of buyers. The key variables used in segmenting the watch markets include demographic segm entation, geographic segmentation, psychological segmentation, and psychographic segmentation (Dibb and Simkin, 2001). Geographic segmentation involves dividing the market into geographic units such as neighbourhoods, cities, regions and counties. Geographical segmentation factor is crucial in the marketing of the luxurious Hermes watches as customers are located in distant locations. The most strategic location for the marketing stalls for Hermes watches is urban areas. The immense population density creates the required marketing potential. Geographical segmentation of customers will involve the consideration of factors such as region i.e. district, state and city; size of the area; population density that considers various segments depending on population size e.g. urban versus rural neighbourhoods; and climate that considers the weather of the segment. Involves evaluation of factors such as age e.g. the watches have been designed to

External and Internal Environmental Analysis of Bayou Inn Essay - 3

External and Internal Environmental Analysis of Bayou Inn - Essay Example Success in the hospitality industry can only be achieved if a company models its vision statement to target the customers it intends to provide services (Briggs, 1999). The vision statement must be brief, clear and concise. It must indicate the general direction the hotel aims to head, while capturing the dream of the founders of the company. Therefore, the recommended vision statement must highlight the high regard in which customers are held by the employees, management and shareholders of the hotel (Briggs, 1999). In the case of Bayou Inn, the vision statement can highlight how the business intends to look in a specified duration of time. In such a scenario, the capturing of Bayou Inn’s aspirations occurs. An analysis of vision statements of the biggest hotels in the hospitality industry indicates that these statements capture the aspirations of their founder; for example, Conrad Hilton’s vision statement for the Hilton chain of luxurious hotels, â€Å"To achieve ex traordinary things, you must first dream magnificent dreams† (Briggs, 1999). Therefore, an example of Bayou Inn’s vision statement could be, â€Å"Taking care of you by giving you a home when you are away from home† (Briggs, 1999). The mission statement is considerably different from the vision statement in that it provides a description of what the organization intends to do after reaching its target mark (Briggs, 1999). Druker (1954) explains that the mission statement outlines the purpose of an organization by providing realistic and clear business objectives. Drucker also emphasizes that the customers rely on the mission statement to figure out the services it provides (Briggs, 1999). Rarely do people look at the statutes, articles or names of an organization to determine the role it plays.

As you suggest Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

As you suggest - Movie Review Example Piketty programs significance of wealth in contemporary economies is reaching levels only previously seen during World War I. From this, Piketty formulates a outstanding hypothesis about capital and inequality, it’s and that wealth increases quicker than economic productivity or growth. A proposition to assure every citizen an annual salary of Fr.30,000 is underway in Switzerland. The salary is paid irrespective of the citizen’s employment starters or wealth. The proposition has gone a sufficient number of supporters to prompt a referendum in the country. Paul Solman, an Economics columnist, speaks about this proposition in the fast rate at which it is acquiring traction across political party margins outside Switzerland in developed economies such as the United States. However, Solman says views on this idea vary on, if, and how and assure the basic salary would be practical (Solman, 2014). Solman, P. (2014). Idea of paying citizens a yearly stipend is gaining support in Switzerland. PBS. Retrieved from

Impact of Microfinance on Developing Countries Literature review

Impact of Microfinance on Developing Countries - Literature review Example With no access to financial systems, the poor have to define new informal ways through which they have to guarantee their financial survival while at the same time obtaining seed capital for development. Such informal community based institutions are meant to meet their daily and long-term financial needs, a gap that is perfectly filled by the micro financial institutions (Jegede, Kehinde & Hamed, 2011). Consequently, micro financial institutions are organizations developed towards promoting economic activities among the poor and low-income earners, where formal financial institutions have not offered similar services. To these people, banking services are impossible or almost impossible and they have to get a new way of bridging the gap left by the banks, which makes micro financial institutions prominent in poor countries particularly in the African continent. Micro financial institutions will lend small amounts of capital to members and other poor individuals in the locality towar ds poverty eradication, in addition to providing the poor communities the same services that are available in banks, and which are enjoyed by the rich (Jegede Kehinde & Hamed, 2011). In fact, microfinance institutions do not only provide capital for the poor but will go an extra mile to alleviate poverty from the basic individual level and at the community level (Anyanwu, 2004). Consequently, as Anyanu asserts, in Africa and other developing countries, microfinance institutions are considered the main source of funding for the poor towards creating projects that alleviate poverty and educate the poor on wealth creation. Due to the important role played by these institutions in poverty eradication, the government of Nigeria adopted micro financial institutions as the main route towards poverty eradication with the central Bank of Nigeria developing the necessary policies to facilitate operations of these institutions. This is despite the fact that the number of people benefiting from these institutions is still lower than required, with more people targeted through expansion of microfinancial institutions throughout the rural areas in the country. More than 70% of Nigerians live below the poverty line with microfinance banks serving about one million clients across the country that has a population of more than 140 million people (Irobi, 2008). Considering these facts, it is important to investigate how microfinance institutions affect the poor in developing countries with a close focus on Nigeria. Microfinance institutions have a role to correct an imperfect market in answering the various shortcomings of imperfections in the credit market (Armendariz & Murdoch, 2010). Making it easy for people to obtain capital has been shown as the best way to increase output, profits and net income among the poor, which improves their individual and communal welfare. However, the borrowing capacity is mostly dependent on the amount of information in the market, the vulnerab ility of the business being funded and the amounts of uncertainties in the business setup (Duvendack et al, 2011). Moreover, credit facilities continue to be used for gender empowerment among the poor where microfinance institutions targeting women have continued to sprout. Such credit facilities and education on members are aimed at promoting the status of women in the society and empowering them to handle more roles in the society and their families in general (Duvendack et al, 2011). There is a general simplified assumption that credit is an exogenous mode of treatment on borrowers that represent the wellbeing of the affected individuals through changing their livelihoods and other relations between individuals (Duvendack et al,

Bilbo Baggins Fake Facebook Essay Example for Free

Bilbo Baggins Fake Facebook Essay Bilbo Baggins on Fakebook! Create a Fake Facebook Profile Wall using this generator Tw eet 0 Disclaimer: This tool is for educational purposes. It is NOT affiliated with Facebook or any other social networking site. Bilbo Baggins Edit Profile Friends [add] Gandalf Thorin Hello all! My life has been a very calm, peaceful life that has been cozy and comfortable. I come from a noble ancestry and a happy, content family. I live in a hole called Bag End in a snug little village under a hill. I loved my life, even though it was a quiet life. Not much thrill in my daily experience of eating, cleaning, smoking, and relaxing, but that is how I liked it,in my own little world you could say. This all changed one day when an experience I had started a domino affect on my life with many adventures involved. It all started that one day while sitting on my porch, smoking a pipe, looking into the landscape when a mysterious man with a long beard, great staff, and massive dark blue cloak approached me. I recognized him as Gandalf, the famous wizard of the country . He asks me if I want to go on an adventure, but I quickly dismiss this question and excuse myself back into my house. I thought this would be the last time I would see him in a long period, but the next day, Gandalf plus 13 other dwarfs burst into my house clearing out my pantry during the process. Apparently I was chosen to be a burglar in this huge adventure to go to a dragons den and steal all the treasure that Smuag, the dragon, was guarding. The treasure originally belonged to Thorins grandfather dwarf, Thror who was the King at that time. Smuag the dragon killed and scattered all the people of Thrors village and has been at the mountain guarding the treasure ever since the incident. I then am basically forced to go on this mission but it was technically not forced because hey, who doesnt want an occasional adventure instead of the usual daily life? So I go on this adventure and fight off goblin, wolves, find secret rings, fight off extremely large spiders,travel miles and miles, get rescued multiple times, rescue others multiple times, find the treasure with a mad dragon to go with it, and start a war. You could say I had a pretty interesting experience. In conclusion, when I came home I found out people thought I had died because I had been gone for so long, so in reaction to my presence, people were completely shocked to see me. I lose many of my possessions because they were being auctioned off, but in the end, Im back at my cozy home at Bag End after a crazy, exciting adventure ,that was all worth it in the end. That was my experience. [Add Post] Thorin Friend Explanation- Thorin is chosen to be a friend of Bilbo because over the journey, they started to trust each other more and have a friendly relationship near the end of the journey. In the beginning when Thorin first meets Bilbo, he doesnt have much faith and belief in him and doesnt really communicate with him at first. Then when the story starts to go on, Thorin gets more respect for Bilbo and becomes more friendly to him. earlier today | comment. Gandalf Friend Explanation- Gandalf was chosen as a friend of Bilbo Baggins because first, he started the whole adventure by choosing Bilbo to be the burglar in the first place. He then helped Bilbo throughout the story giving him wisdom, teaching him lessons, and making a friendly relationship with him. They helped each other when needed, backed each other up, had conversations, and bonded with each other which are all things friends do. earlier today | comment Smaug the Dragon Non-Friend Explanation-Smaug would not friend Bilbo and Bilbo wouldnt want to friend Smaug for many reasons. First, Bilbo stole the treasure that Smaug was guarding. Second, when Bilbo and the others reached the dragon and the mountain where the treasure was, Bilbo and Smaug didnt really start off on the right foot with each other, you could say. Last but not least, Smaug wanted to kill Bilbo and i dont think you would want to be friends with someone trying and wanting to kill you. These are some main and obvious reasons why Bilbo wouldnt friend Smaug. earlier today | comment www. classtools. I than had to free all of them and fight off swarms of giant spiders wanting us to be there next meal. Another adventure I had in my journey was when me and my accomplices were trying to get away from the goblins and wargs at the same time. They were both chasing after us looking for revenge for deeds we had done earlier to them, like kill their leaders. We didnt know anywhere else we could go when we were in a forest so we decided to climb into the trees so nobody could reach us. This didnt necessarily work because once the goblins came, they lit the bottom of the trees on fire so basically, we were in a pickle. We were about to be ripped to shreds by the wargs and goblins eventually because the fire was slowly reaching up the tree, when suddenly the Lord of the Eagles and many other eagles swooped down and saved us from the terror that awaited us. My last adventure that was also very interesting was escaping the elves and having to save my friends then escape. I had to slip everyone out by secretly going to everyones cell with my magic ring on,which made me invisible. I then said that I will make sure nobody is left behind, and this is what i made true. We all escaped into barrels that were being released downstream for a party the elves were having later on and even though it was bumpy ride, it got us where we needed to go. I will never forget these experiences I had and have never wished that these events didnt happen since. earlier today | comment Carter Brydon Likes This I like his story and how he went through many challenges and achieved his final goal. This story seems like a fun, entertaining book that will hook the reader with its many exciting events and sequences. earlier today | comment Paige Brydon Likes This I thought that this experience that Bilbo was a very interesting adventure. I havent read the book but based on the summary and main idea of the book, I am drawn into reading the book because of the fantasy world but with amazing detail as well. After I will have read the book, I feel it would satisfy my want to read it and I will enjoy the book while reading it. earlier today | comment Bilbo Baggins FOR MORE INFORMATION- One cultural aspect of the life of Hobbits is that since we are small, we like to be in small, compact areas that are cozy and comfortable for our size. We dont like to be out in the open because of our size. We then feel too vulnerable out in the open because we arent the strongest race, you could say. This then leads to my second cultural aspect of being very peaceful and not having much tension with others. Since we are very vulnerable and small, we like to be on the good sides of others because even though we can put up a fight if needed, there arent many guarantees we will be on the winning side of these fights. We like having a simple, farming and calm life. The last cultural aspect is that we are very unique. We are normally very shy but under the right circumstances we can achieve great things. We look and act different then other species like humans. We are very social and caring for others but like to keep to our own business. We are short ans stout but we are proud of ourselves . earlier today | comment _ www. classtools. net/fb/96/NCMPe2 2/3 10/2/12 Bilbo Baggins on Fakebook! Create a Fake Facebook Profile Wall using this generator www. classtools. net/fb/96/NCMPe2 3/3

Factors Influencing Customer Loyalty Essay Example for Free

Factors Influencing Customer Loyalty Essay The financial services and banking facilities industry has seen a growing intensity of competition within the market place over the last decade. A bank is a financial intermediary that accepts deposits and channels those deposits into lending activities, either directly or through capital markets. A bank connects customers with capital deficits to customers with capital surpluses. Banking is generally a highly regulated industry, and government restrictions on financial activities by banks have varied over time and location. Today, CIMB serves close to seven million customers in over 600 locations through over 36,000 staff. Nowadays, financial services and banking facilities has force to pass by intense competition by other bank that growth from inside also outside this country because of the regulation for financial institution to establish was deregulation by government, and causing the adding in growth of the bank in Malaysia. Thus, people also have various banks to choose and directly give the big impact to manager of bank to search the way to enhance the loyalty of current customer from switching to other bank. They are many strategies that have been attempted by managers of the banks to retain customers in order to increase customer loyalty. It is costly than to attract new customer compared to retain the current customers. Thus, many banks have introduced innovative products and services (Alam and Khokhar, 2006) in order to retain current customers. Another strategy is to understand the factors influencing customer loyalty. Figure 1: Graph profit of Agrobank Seri Iskandar branch in April 2009 until April 2010 1. 2. Background of the organization Agrobank is an institution which provides holistic financial services and banking facilities. It give their utmost priority to the needs of their customers by providing attractive products and services such as savings activities, banking services, loan facilities, insurance coverage and advisory services. Agrobank is a Government-linked-Company (GLC) under the Minister of Finance Incorporated (MFI). The bank’s financing of the agricultural sector is driven by a policy set forth by the Ministry of Agriculture and Agro-based Industries. Agrobank is a continuity of the former Bank Pertanian Malaysia which has 40 years of experience in agricultural banking and an excellent track record in shaping and developing successful entrepreneurs. With a wide network of branches throughout Malaysia, they are confident of providing the best services to all. The rebranding of Bank Pertanian Malaysia to Agro Bank was done on 8 April 2008. The move is taken as an initiative to make the bank more competitive by fostering a fresher outlook, and enable it to provide a broader range of services to the market and cater the whole segment of the agriculture industry. An external consultant was deployed to carry out the public relation (PR) and rebranding exercise for Agrobank, penetrate the market and create awareness among the public. The solutions include Agrobanking, Business Banking, and Personal Banking. 1. 3. 1 Agrobanking Loan facility / financing offered under Agrobanking are open to agropreneurs clients carry out primary agricultural activities such as fisheries, forestry, livestock and any other related agro-based industry. Financing utilizing fund from the government and related agencies which is offered at a very competitive and special rate to help stimulate economic growth. This includes; i. Fund for Food (3F loan) ii. Skim Kredit Pengeluaran Makanan (SKPM) iii. Skim Kredit Padi (SKP) iv. The researcher was interested in predicting what the factors influencing customer loyalty toward AgroBank Seri Iskandar. Variables such as satisfaction, switching cost, trust and commitment might all contribute towards customer loyalty. When using multiple regressions in psychology, researchers use the term â€Å"independent variables† to identify those variables that they think will influence some other â€Å"dependent variable†. Thus, in as an example above, satisfaction, switching cost, trust and commitment would emerge as significant predictor variables, which allow researcher to estimate the criterion variable. As have pointed out before, human behavior is inherently noisy and therefore it is not possible to produce totally accurate predictions, but multiple regressions allows researcher to identify a set of predictor variables which together provide a useful estimate of a participant’s likely score on a criterion variable. Multiple regression analysis is done to examine the simultaneous effect of several independent variables on dependent variables. Multiple regression analysis can be used in order to determine whether the independent variables explain a significant variation in the dependent variable which is whether a relationship exists.

Impact of Malaysias Recession on Undergraduate Start-up

Impact of Malaysias Recession on Undergraduate Start-up Chapter 1 1.0 Introduction This part contains research background which illustrates basic knowledge for readers to understand better on the research. Problem statement and objectives tell the reasons why this research is done. Basically this part is significance for introducing the whole research. Other information includes scope and assumption, definition and abbreviation, limitation and significance of the research and research outline. 1.1 Research Background Recession occurs when the GDP (Gross Domestic Product) of a country falls below 5-10 per cent, lasting for two or more quarters consecutively. The GDP is the total market value of services, goods, investment and labour created within a country in a given period of time, which is usually one year. Frankly speaking, it is said that a recession is a less severe downturn in the economy, and it has a tendency of getting resolved faster compare to the great depression. The differences between a recession and a depression is, recession is a regular economic downturn that lasts for about 6 months to 1Â ½ years, and a depression is a sharp downturn lasting a number of years. Generally a recession occurs when there is more than 5% people are unemployed for a period of 6-18 months, whereas a depression occurs when more than 10% people are unemployed for a longer period of time lasting years. Different people had different perception towards a recession. For example, it means a recession for a retailer when his sales drop from 5% to 20%. To stockbrokers, it means a fall in the prices of stocks. The fall of demand and production means a recession for manufacturers. For normal people, recession can happened in two ways either a significant increase in prices, known as inflation, or a decrease in prices, known as deflation. If there is a decrease in prices, it caused by people that are having less money to spend or chooses not to spend as much money; it leads to the lowering of the GDP. Whereas, when there is an increase in the prices it will reduce of public as well as private purchase power and it causes the GDP to decrease. (Makhsudul Islam, n.d.) As a highly open economy, Malaysia has been affected by the deepening global economic recession. After growing by 7% in the first half of 2008, the Malaysian economy recorded a growth of 0.1% in the fourth quarter of 2008, and contracted by 6.2% in the first quarter of 2009, as a result of a sharp decline in exports. Given the expectation of a more pronounced global recession, the Malaysian economy is projected to contract by 4 5% in 2009. Conditions are expected to improve in the second half year particularly in the fourth quarter and going into 2010. Amidst the unfavourable external conditions, support to the economy will be from domestic demand, following the implementation of a significant fiscal stimulus, the cumulative accommodative monetary policy actions and the continued access to financing. The Malaysian economy is expected to experience the full impact of the global economic downturn in 2009. In response, several policy measures have been put in place with a primary focus on supporting domestic demand as well as mitigating the impact of the global slowdown on the affected segments of the economy A great deal of emphasis has been placed on nurturing the next generation of Malaysian entrepreneurs with programmes and initiatives that expose youth to business culture and cultivate entrepreneurship. This was designed to prepare youth to be independent and self employed later in life, if they choose this career path. In 2008, the Small and Medium Industries Development Corporation (SMIDEC) in collaboration with the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) introduced the SME University Internship Programme to train and develop budding entrepreneurs among graduates. The programme links SMEs to universities, thus enhancing the synergy between industry and academia to upgrade the capacity and capability of SMEs. Under this Programme, final-year students under the tutelage of their lecturers, SMIDECs SME Business Counsellors and the SME Expert Advisory Panel (SEAP) provide consultancy, advisory and mentoring services to SMEs with the aim to upgrade the companies operations in packaging, branding, marketing, accounts and technical areas. As for the graduates, the programme provided exposure to industry and real-life day-to-day issues faced by SMEs, enabling them to make practical applications of their studies and sharpen their interests to venture into business. Meanwhile, to facilitate unemployed graduates and school leavers to venture into the retail sector, the Ministry of Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism (MDTCC) conducted the Train and Work Programme benefiting 1,000 individuals. The programme was aimed at providing training and career development in operating hypermarkets, exposing participants to the retail sub-sector and inculcating entrepreneurial culture. To assist start-up businesses, the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) continued to provide Matching Grant for Business Start-ups via its agency, SMIDEC which benefited 1,400 SMEs. (SME AR, 2008) In this paper, we are going to discuss factors that affecting undergraduates start-up decision in entrepreneurship point of view. During the recession, most of the start-up is a necessity entrepreneurship. The 2004 Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) report shows that there is great variability in the relative distribution of opportunity and necessity entrepreneurship across the 34 countries in the GEM sample. GRM 2004 had distinguished between necessity entrepreneurship, and opportunity entrepreneurship. According to GEM 2004, a necessity entrepreneurship is which has to become an entrepreneur because no better option and an opportunity entrepreneurship is an active choice to start a new enterprise based on the perception that a unexploited, or underexploited business opportunity exists. The opportunity entrepreneurs are more prevalent in high-income countries (such as France, the United Kingdom and the United States), while necessity entrepreneurs are more common in the low-incom e countries (such as Hungary and Poland). Accordingly, it may be argued that in developed countries opportunity entrepreneurship is linked to economic growth, while in most developing countries necessity entrepreneurship exists because of low growth. It may be that because richer countries are characterized by a more developed labour market or access to stronger safety nets (social welfare), there is a lower need for starting up a business and that therefore these countries exhibit lower necessity-based entrepreneurial activity rates. (Reynolds, Bygrave Autio, 2004) 1.2 Problem Statement The factors that affecting undergraduates start-up decision was chosen to be area of study with due of the following reason: Malaysia is having recession, various policies had been made to counter this crisis and we could see that government is stressing on the role of entrepreneurs in helping Malaysia to come out from the recession. We need to identify undergraduates perception and their supportiveness to entrepreneurship as they maybe the pool of unemployment in this crisis. Graduates unemployment rate had keep increasing; it is believe to reach a critical high rate in this long recession. Start-up can be a good ways for them in overcoming this problem. Now we need to recognize what are the forces that push undergraduates to start-up in despite of recession. Basically the main problem statement and research direction is to answer this question: 1) What are the factors that influence undergraduates to start-up during recession? 1.3 Research Objectives The objectives of this research are: 1) To understand how undergraduates perceive the role of entrepreneurship and start-up in stimulating Malaysia economic during recession. 2) To identify factors that influence undergraduates to start-up in despite recession 1.4 Significance of the Research This research is significant because it distinguish undergraduates perception on entrepreneurship role in this economic crisis. Economists had clarified the importance of entrepreneurship in economic recovery, but many people didnt realise it. Most of the people are fear to start their business in the downturn even they are jobless. In their view, start-up during recession is too risky and couldnt create enough benefits for them to try it compare to the loss possibility. This perception is negative in helping Malaysia economic recovery and relief jobless people from the unemployment. In this paper, undergraduates are tested on their willingness to start-up and what are the causes that may influence them to make such decision. This is significance as undergraduates unemployment rate had being an issue in Malaysia for many years. A large number of undergraduates will jobless in the recession and this incident could be solve by start-up. 1.5 Limitation of the Research Some of the respondents may not have sufficient background knowledge about this research so they may not understand or misunderstand the question asked. There are a lot of economics terms which maybe unfamiliar and create confuse for the respondents. It also cannot be discounted that the respondents might have completed the questionnaire without giving serious review on the question in the survey as they could try to be compassionate and sympathetic to assist the undergraduate to complete the project. As this research is a non-sponsor research, the limited expense budget has significant influence on the population sample size. Therefore, there were some limitations with respect to the analysis and data that may affect the accuracy of the results. 1.6 Outline of the Research This study is divided into 5 chapters. Chapter 1: Introduction It introduces general information of this research, especially in the Malaysia context. It also briefly discussed the background of the study. This is followed by a brief on problem statement and objectives of the study, which is the most important section of this chapter. In addition, the, limitations of the research, the significance of the study, the scope and assumption are described. Chapter 2: Literature Review Literature review presents some basic knowledge and theories relating to the research variables. This chapter will provide the information needed to answer the research question. The review is the foundation for developing a conceptual framework in the next chapter. Chapter 3: Methodology This chapter is an important chapter of this study. It includes the research variables, conceptual framework, hypothesis and the research methodology. This chapter describes the conceptual framework which is the basis for designing questionnaire. The hypothesis formed will be tested too by the result of the questionnaire. Chapter 4: Results and Discussions This chapter presents and statistical analyses the raw data collected from the survey. The statistical relationship of the data is logically interpreted, discussed and argued to make sense on the findings. The results and findings will be discussed deeply on the consequences and effect for each variable. Chapter 5: Conclusions and Recommendations This section will precede an overall summary of the study and propose discussion after conducting the entire research. Moreover, in this chapter it will also stated the limitation of the study and yet it will propose the suggestion for future research. A conclusion is made and which must answered the problem statement propose before. 1.7 Definition and Abbreviations Definitions used by researchers are often not conform, so it is important to define the positions and views taken in this thesis in regards to some key concepts. Definitions of core constructs will also be dealt with in more depth when the various literatures are discussed. Providing an overview here will give readers a clearer understanding of important concepts. Recession: A period of general economic decline; typically defined as a decline in GDP for two or more consecutive quarters. A recession is typically accompanied by a drop in the stock market, an increase in unemployment, and a decline in the housing market. Entrepreneurship: The assumption of risk and responsibility in designing and implementing a business strategy or starting a business. Start-up: A new business venture SME: Small Medium Enterprise GEM: Global Entrepreneurship Monitor Fiscal Policy: The use of government spending and revenue collection to influence the economy Monetary Policy: The process by which the government, central bank, or monetary authority of a country controls (i) the supply of money, (ii) availability of money, and (iii) cost of money or rate of interest, in order to attain a set of objectives oriented towards the growth and stability of the economy Market concentration: Is a function of the number of firms and their respective shares of the total production (alternatively, total capacity or total reserves) in a market FRB: Federal Reserve Bank 1.8 Scope and Key Assumptions The scope of the population sample covers undergraduates majoring in Bachelor of Business Administration in Malaysia. The sample is selected from the final year student of a university. All of the respondents are assumed to have basic business knowledge and some acquiring knowledge on entrepreneurship, economic recession and government policy implemented in Malaysia. Most of the population samples are chosen from Malacca region. Assumptions on the respondents are as follows: l Respondents have basic business knowledge and understand economic terms used in the questionnaire l Respondents are familiar with current economic condition and policy implemented in Malaysia l Respondents are honest in their responses to the survey and are not influenced by hearsays in completing the questionnaire. 1.9 Conclusions This chapter has laid the foundation for this research. It introduced the research objectives and raise up the research question.. The research was justified, definitions were presented, the scope and assumption was briefly described, the report was outlined, and the limitations were given. On these foundations, this paper can proceed with a detailed description of the research. Chapter 2 2.0 Literature Review This chapter gives an overview of literature that is related to the research problem presented in the previous chapter. This chapter will introduce the factors that affecting undergraduates start-up and how this factor influence their decisions. Besides, it still covers some definition and experts opinion about the variables in order to give a clear idea about the research area. 2.1 Job Opportunity Tay (2009) point out that in Malaysia, traditional medicine company Hai-O has successfully helped thousands of ordinary Malaysian bumiputeras becomes millionaires through its entrepreneurship development business model. In times of economic slowdown, Malaysian companies should emulate Hai-Os example to create opportunities and employment for the people. The government should also quickly initiate an entrepreneurial development campaign for all races based on merit, since this is one of the measures to create self-employment and counter the economic crisis. In the midst of record unemployment, a new Kauffman Foundation-funded U.S. Census Bureau study reports that startup companies are a major contributor to job creation. The Business Dynamics Statistics (BDS) also indicate that while business startups decline slightly in most of the cyclical downturns, startups remain robust even in the most severe recession over the sample period (in the early 1980s). Job growth is essential for our economy to rebound, and this study shows that new firms have historically been an important source of new jobs in the United States, said Robert E. Litan, vice president of Research and Policy at the Kauffman Foundation, which funded the BDS. Our research into the early years of business formation consistently shows how vital new firms are to our economy, and this data should give policymakers and budding entrepreneurs alike great hope for how we can solve our current crisis—create and grow jobs through entrepreneurship. (Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, 2009 Jan) The BDS data show that employment accounted for by U.S. private-sector business startups over the 1980-2005 period was about 3 percent per year. While still a small fraction of overall employment, these jobs from startups reflect new jobs, which is a large percentage compared to the average annual net employment growth of the U.S. private sector for the same period (about 1.8 percent). This pattern implies that, if you exclude the jobs from new firms, the U.S. net employment growth rate is negative on average. Micro firms (firms with one to four employees) accounted for a large percentage of new jobs in any given year—about 20 percent on average. Although substantially larger startup firms (those with 250 to 499 employees) created a considerably smaller percentage of jobs in any given year—about 1.3 percent of employment in this firm-size class—their numbers still are substantial relative to net growth. Although the overall business startup rate in the BDS does not exhibit much of a trend, the data do reveal a declining trend in the micro-firm business startup rate. This may reflect compositional changes in sectors such as retail trade, where there is ample evidence of substantial shifts away from small, single-establishment firms to large, national firms. (Haltiwanger, Miranda, Jarmin, 2009) Entrepreneurs will be the foundation of our nations economic recovery because they start and grow businesses that create jobs. Research indicates that former employees are often receptive to starting a new business during a recession. A Kauffman Foundation-funded U.S. Census Bureau study released in January reports that startup companies are a major contributor to job creation. The Business Dynamics Statistics (BDS) also indicate that while business startups decline slightly in most of the cyclical downturns, startups remain robust even in the most severe recession over the sample period .( in the early 1980s) (Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation,2009 Feb) The relationship between entrepreneurship and unemployment is analyzed by Audretsch, Carree, Thurik (2001) in an econometric model covering 23 OECD countries between 1974-1998. They find a complex relationship between the two variables. Defining entrepreneurship as firm start-ups there is both a positive effect of unemployment on entrepreneurship (the shopkeeper or refugee effect) as well as a negative relation (the Schumpeter effect). The GEM (2000) concludes that there is a strong relationship between entrepreneurial activities, defined as start-up activities, and economic growth. In the study, this definition of entrepreneurship is claimed to constitute the singularly most important factor for economic growth. In an econometric analysis of Sweden 1976-95, FÃ ¶lster (2000) finds significant support for the hypothesis that an increase in self-employment has a positive effect on overall employment. Another study of Sweden by Davidsson, Lindmark, Olofsson (1994) finds that 70 % of the new net jobs are generated in the small business sector in the period 1985-89. A further emphasis is that most of the new firms are not growth oriented, but are founded on a hobby or subsistence motive. Thus, small firms are important to the economy because of their large number but a vast majority of the upstarts will remain micro firms. Blanchflower (2000) does not support the hypothesis that increases in the level of self-employment increase the real growth rate. Furthermore, making a comparison of the level of self-employment in 23 OECD countries 1966, 1976, 1986 and 1996, Blanchflower finds that the level of non-agricultural self-employment has decreased in most of the countries. The relative importance of small firms is not undisputed as Davis, Haltiwanger, Schuh, (1996) and Bednarzik (2000) remark in their studies. Although important, entrepreneurship through start-ups is claimed to make a smaller contribution to job growth than expansion within existing firms in the U.S., Davis et al draw their conclusion from a study of data from the U.S. Census Bureau during 1972-1988, whereas Bednarzik has studied the mid-1990s. Although smaller firms have a higher gross job creation rate, large firms supply more in terms of net job creation. In a comment on Davis et al, Carree and Klomp (1996) contest its conclusion, arguing that small firms created more net jobs in the 1972-1988 periods relative to their employment share. Davidsson et al (1998) empirically test the regression fallacy, one reason for overestimating the importance of small firms according to Davis et al. The test by Davidsson et al covers Sweden 1989-96 and concludes that the bias does not imply a qualitative change on the overall result. Baldwin and Picot (1995) have studied the Canadian manufacturing sector 1970-90 and in order to avoid a regression-to-the-mean bias three different methods of estimation are used. A consistent finding is that small firms have a higher gross volatility in job growth and destruction but also a higher net employment growth than large firms. While an international comparison of the relative importance of small firms with respect to net job creation is interesting, the results are likely to differ between countries due to ins titutional reasons. For example, Davis and Henrekson (1999) show that the Swedish institutional environment prior to the economic crisis in the beginning of the 1990s significantly disfavored Swedish intensive-intensive, small, and/or managed-owned family businesses as well as entry of new firms compared to similar types of firms in the United States and other European countries. Using data from the U.S. manufacturing sector 1972-93 Haltiwanger and Krizan (1999) find that young firms exhibit high average net employment growth rate but also high volatility compared to mature establishments. Furthermore, among newly started firms there is no evidence of any systematic pattern by employer size of net employment growth. The conclusion is that in the context of employment growth, the age of firms appears to be more important than size, with the caveat that attributing a principal role to a single factor might be misleading. The survey, conducted by pollster Schoen, reveals that 63 percent to 23 percent, survey respondents prefer giving individuals the incentives they need to start their own businesses as opposed to allowing the government to create new jobs directly or through big corporations. Further, as a means of leading the country out of the economic crisis, 63 percent of respondents say the United States government needs to encourage the creation of new businesses, which will create sustainable, long-term employment opportunities and economic growth, while only 22 percent favor the government creating new jobs in the public and private sector. 79 percent of respondents say entrepreneurs are critically important to job creation, ranking higher than big business, scientists and government.Besides, Americans think the government does little to encourage entrepreneurship, despite its importance; 72 percent of respondents say the government should do more to encourage individuals to start businesses. Almost half of respondents think the laws in America make it more difficult to start a business.(Schoen,2009) 2.2 Innovation Tay (2009) study illustrate (cited from Professor Russell Sobel of West Virginia University), that infusions of venture capital funding do not necessarily foster entrepreneurship. Funding does not create new ideas — it is people who create new ideas. Funding merely follows and flows to those with new ideas and helps to commercialise the venture. In Malaysia, the government encourages ideas and provides seed funding through Cradle Sdn Bhd for commercially viable ideas. FRB of Dallass publication Entrepreneurs and the Economics say that the market system rewards those who create opportunities for employment and further innovation. When new products, processes and services are introduced by the entrepreneur, and when customers vote favorably with their dollars, even more opportunities arise. New products or service lines develop to further enhance the recently introduced products. The computer, for example, paved the way for the Internet, which, in turn, paved the way for search engines and software to explore the World Wide Web, which, in turn, created a new way for people to shop and obtain valuable information, and on and on. A wealthy economy is one teeming with superior contributions and the entrepreneurial opportunities created by them. The director of the U.S. Patent Office during 1899 was wrong when he said that everything that could be invented had already been invented. But the actual is most of the modern conveniences we take for granted today did not exist 100 years ago. According to FDB of Dallas in its publication Entrepreneurship and the Economics, the progress sparked by entrepreneurs ideas does not simply happen. A tremendous amount of work and a great deal of risk go into every new idea that eventually makes its way into the marketplace. And even though entrepreneurs create wealth and opportunity with their ideas, they are not always appreciated for what they do in the economy. One reason for this is that entrepreneurs can be extremely disruptive. When entrepreneurs take bold leaps and break contact with the familiar, they often leave behind a clutter of obsolete products and processes. This force is called creative destruction. For example, manual typewriters used to be in great demand, because they ser ved a useful function. Now, one would be hard-pressed to find a manual typewriter, or even an electric one, at work in a business. The same fate awaits countless other products, processes and services. New technologies replace old ones, and entrepreneurs spark the change. A healthy economy is one that allows creative destruction to occur because, overall, more people benefit than lose. Each act of creation brought about by entrepreneurs more than offsets the losses associated with products or processes becoming obsolete. (Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, n.d.) Sobel stated that a vibrant, growing economy depends on the efficiency of the process by which new ideas are quickly discovered, acted on, and labeled as successes or failures. Just as important as identifying successes is making sure that failures are quickly extinguished, freeing poorly used resources to go elsewhere. This is the positive side of business failure. Successful entrepreneurs expand the size of the economic pie for everyone. Sam Walton, the founder of Wal-Mart, was an entrepreneur who touched millions of lives in a positive way. His innovations in distribution warehouse centers and inventory control allowed Wal-Mart to grow, in less than thirty years, from a single store in Arkansas to the nations largest retail chain. Shoppers benefit from the low prices and convenient locations that Waltons Wal-Marts provide. Along with other entrepreneurs such as Ted Turner (CNN), Henry Ford (Ford automobiles), Ray Kroc (McDonalds franchising), and Fred Smith (FedEx), Walton significantly improved the everyday life of billions of people all over the world. Schumpeter stressed the role of the entrepreneur as an innovator who implements change in an economy by introducing new goods or new methods of production. (Sobel, nd) In the Schumpeterian view, the entrepreneur is a disruptive force in an economy. Schumpeter emphasized the beneficial process of creative destruction, in which the introduction of new products results in the obsolescence or failure of others. The introduction of the compact disc and the corresponding disappearance of the vinyl record is just one of many examples of creative destruction: cars, electricity, aircraft, and personal computers are others. (Schumpeterian, 1911) In contrast to Schumpeters view, Kirzner focused on entrepreneurship as a process of discovery. Kirzners entrepreneur is a person who discovers previously unnoticed profit opportunities. The entrepreneurs discovery initiates a process in which these newly discovered profit opportunities are then acted on in the marketplace until market competition eliminates the profit opportunity. Unlike Schumpeters disruptive force, Kirzners entrepreneur is an equilibrating force. An example of such an entrepreneur would be someone in a college town who discovers that a recent increase in college enrollment has created a profit opportunity in renovating houses and turning them into rental apartments. Some empirical studies have attempted to determine the contribution of entrepreneurial activity to overall economic growth. The majority of the widely cited studies use international data, taking advantage of the index of entrepreneurial activity for each country published annually in the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor. These studies conclude that between one-third and one-half of the differences in economic growth rates across countries can be explained by differing rates of entrepreneurial activity. Similar strong results have been found at the state and local levels.(Kirzner, 1997) Entrepreneurship and competition fuel creative destruction. Schumpeter summed it up as follows: The fundamental impulse that sets and keeps the capitalist engine in motion comes from the new consumers goods, the new methods of production or transportation, the new markets, the new forms of industrial organization that capitalist enterprise creates. (Schumpeter, 1939) Entrepreneurs introduce new products and technologies with an eye toward making themselves better off—the profit motive. New goods and services, new firms, and new industries compete with existing ones in the marketplace, taking customers by offering lower prices, better performance, new features, catchier styling, faster service, more convenient locations, higher status, more aggressive marketing, or more attractive packaging. In another seemingly contradictory aspect of creative destruction, the pursuit of self-interest ignites the progress that makes others better off. (Alm Cox, n.d.) Romer, a leading scholar of Economic Growth, has explained that innovation results from a combination of growth-fostering social institutions and new ideas. Because ideas, unlike objects, can be shared by many at the same time, they greatly increase the speed of technological advancement. Capital, social institutions, and new technology, therefore, do not alone cause growth; they must be combined with the ability and willingness to think and act creatively, which in turn means that innovation, has philosophical and psychological requirements. (Sandefur, n.d.) Novus ordo seclorum, characterized by greater uncertainty, asymmetry, and reliance on knowledge as a factor of production, has increased the importance of small entrepreneurial firms. Acs and Audretsch (2001) conclude that there are significant differences in the importance of small firms regarding innovative activity across sectors. Specifically, they mention computers and process control instruments as industries where new entrepreneurial firms are an important part of the innovation process. This adds to a list of Baldwin and Johnson (1999), who mention the importance of small firms regarding electronics, instruments, medical equipment, steel, and biotechnology. Acs (1996) presents an innovation measure, defined as the total number of innovations per 1000 employees in differe

Katherine Sheppard Essays -- Katherine Sheppard

"A great woman has gone whose name will remain an inspiration to the daughters of New Zealand, while our history endures". This quote was read at the funeral for Katherine Sheppard. The political advancement of women in New Zealand was brought about by a handful of courageous women, particularly Kate Sheppard. Kate Sheppard was born on March 10, 1847 in Liverpool, England. Her full name was Katherine Wilson Sheppard, but she preferred the name Kate. After her father's death in 1862 when Kate was only 15, Kate's mother, took her and her two older brothers over to New Zealand, in 1868 and settled in Christchurch. Then in 1871, Sheppard got married to a merchant named Walter Allen Sheppard. Together they had one son, named Douglas who was born in 1880. She was an active member in her church and was very religious. Later in her life she became a big leader in the fight for Women's rights. Three heroic traits that a hero should possess are being a leader, strong, and devoted. Leadership s kill because lacking this skill will keep people from knowing what is expected for them to accomplish. Strong will power would allow the hero to get things done. And lastly the hero needs to be devoted to their cause, while having the mindset of not giving up until something is accomplished. Katherine Sheppard portrays great leadership, a strong will for what's right, and a devoted mindset; all of which signifies that she deserves the title of a hero. Telling people to accomplish something without a purpose is one thing, but being able to lead a vast amount of people with a purpose to succeed their goal is a whole other story. Katherine Sheppard has proven that with great leadership skills, she was able to band together many organizations and peo... ...and. Kate should always remembered not only for her work to bring change to New Zealand women by gaining the right to vote, but for her pride of being a woman, at a time where being a woman was seen as a weakness, which is inspiring to me. Work Cited "Kate Sheppard, 1847-1934." Kate Sheppard 1847-1931. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Dec. 2012. "Lightner, Barb. "Kate Sheppard." Kate Sheppard (2009): 1. Biography Reference Center. Web. 5 Dec. 2012. "Sheppard, Katherine Wilson." - Biography. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2012. Sheppard, Kate." Britannica Biographies (2012): 1. Biography Reference Center. Web. 5 Dec. 2012. Sheppard, Kate (1847-1934)." Dictionary of Women Worldwide: 25,000 Women Through the Ages. Ed. Anne Commire and Deborah Klezmer. Vol. 2. Detroit: Yorkin Publications, 2007. 1713. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 5 Dec. 2012

Steroids in Sports Today Essay example -- Athletes Athletics Drugs Per

Steroids in Sports Today   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The United State is a country that thrives on competition. We idolize our sports stars and practically make major athletic events holidays. Children grow up with their favorite athletes plastered to the wall of their bedrooms and dream that one day they will be the next Barry Bonds, Shaqullie O'Neal, or Tom Brady. Professional athletes train year-round to be in ideal psychical shape in order to perform their best. But what happens when their best just isn't good enough? We expect our sports stars to be perfect, upstanding citizens and role models but this isn't always the case. The recent exposure of athletes using steroids has exploded into a phenomenon involving athletes all around the world. It has cheapened sports and cast doubt on the integrity of our athletes. Steroid use is not exclusive to professional sports. More and more college and high school athletes are beginning to use steroids for many of the same reasons that the pros do; to enhance performance, get an edge on the competition, and improve personal appearance.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Non-medical use of anabolic steroids is illegal and banned by most, if not all, professional, intercollegiate, and interscholastic sports organizations. No matter what justifications are given for using steroids, one cannot overlook the fact anabolic steroids can cause serious physical and psychological side effects. So what exactly is this substance that appears in the headlines of our newspaper?s sport section? Anabolic steroids ?are the synthetic derivatives of the naturally occurring male anabolic hormone testosterone? (Wadler 1). Testosterone?s natural effects help a boy going through puberty grow hair, develop a deeper voice, and retain dietary protein, which aids in the development of muscles. Athletes take the drugs ?to primarily increase muscle mass and strength? (Wadler 2). Steroids do not, however, improve agility, skill, or cardiovascular capacity. Steroids can be taken orally or they can be injected. Most recently, the steroid of choice has been the k ind that is injected and is short-lasting and water-soluble. Many steroids that come in the oral form have proven to be hazardous to the liver, but as Dr. Wadler explains, ?injectable steroids aren?t free of side-effects either. There is no free ride and there is a price to be paid with either form.? Some effects in men of frequent ... ...bout the steroid controversy, the reasons behind the phenomenon is basically universal. Athletes are always striving to be the best and to take their game to the next level. Steroids may drastically enhance their performance and give them a valuable competitive edge. Because so much attention and money is directed towards professional athletics, athletes are now more than ever in the public?s spot light. Today, like it or not, the athletes that take steroids get most of the attention. Children dream of being the next superstar, but will future superstars be clean or will steroids continue to dominate professional sports? Only time will tell. Bibliography Barczy, Jason ?Olrich Centers Study on Steroids.? Central Michigan Life 8 April 2005 ?Drugs and Sports: Anabolic Steroids.? Sept. 2004   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  URL http://espn.go.com/special/s/drugsandsports/steroids.html Fahey, T.D. ?Anabolic-androgenic steroids: mechanism of action and effects on performance.? Encyclopedia of Sports Medicine and Science 1998 Farmer, Sam ?Haslett: steroid use rampant in old NFL.? Los Angeles Times 24 March 2005 Straka, Mike ?Grrr! ? Steroids Not the Issue.? Dec. 2004   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  URL http://www.foxnews.com

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and the Student Essay

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and the Student Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common obstacles that some students face in the process of learning. ADHD is often confused with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). It is very important to understand the difference between ADHD and ADD. It is also very important to understand the symptoms and behaviors associated with ADHD, as well as the causes and treatments available. After a complete understanding of the basics of ADHD, a closer look at the education system is essential. The education of children relies on the teacher’s knowledge of ADHD, as well as parent student teacher relationships. There are also some important teaching tips that teacher can utilize in their teaching experiences of ADHD students. ADHD versus ADD There is one very distinct difference between Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) is no longer the correct terminology. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) has ‘replaced’ Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) based on the fact that no two cases are alike. The medical professionals now use the term ADD to describe a set of symptoms and behaviors that are associated with ADHD, but these symptoms are not exclusive to ADHD. With the understanding that ADD is no longer correct terminology, it is essential to understand the symptoms and behaviors that were associated with ADD, and how they relate to ADHD. Symptoms and Behaviors With five percent of the children in the world affected by ADHD to some degree, there is much variance in the severity and occurrence of symptoms and behaviors (Zeigler Dendy, 2000, â€Å"Teachin... ...de Web: http://www.add.org Department of Education (2002, August). IDEA’97: Individuals with disabilities educational act amendments of 1997. Retrieved March 23, 2003 from the World Wide Web: http://www.ed.gov/offices/OSERS/IDEA Glock, M., Jensen, P., and Cooper, J. (1998). Diagnosis and treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Retrieved March 23, 2003 from the World Wide Web: http://odp.od.nih.gov/consensus/cons/110/110_statement.htm White, T. (2003, April). CHADD: Children and adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Retrieved April 22, 2003 from the World Wide Web: http://www.chadd.org Educational Dictionary: Mosby's Medical, Nursing, & Allied Health Dictionary (1998). Edition 5. Mosby-Year Book, Inc. Retrieved April 2, 2003 from Infotrac Towson University Health Reference Center-Academic an online database.