The Plato of the Apology - 517 Words

Western philosophy, beginning with the dialogues of Plato, is premised upon both the rejection of the artform of tragedy and the rejection of experiences and events considered to be tragic. This general and far-reaching exclusion of the tragic originates from Plato’s dissension made in The Republic of the normative claims defined by nearly all tragic and epic poetry regarding the question of how a human being should live. Tragedy, merely by being tragedy, expresses the following evaluative commitments regarding human life: One, events beyond the agent’s control have the ability to play a major role in her ability to lead an ethical and moral life. Two, tragedy validates forming emotional attachments to people and objects beyond the agent’s control. And three, sympathy, fear, and pity for the tragic hero demonstrate the recognition of certain ethical truths, truths which may be applied to everyday life of the audience members. Plato flatly denies all three of thes e claims. The Plato of The Apology states that a good person cannot be harmed. The good person is self-sufficient. Both uncontrollable events and the fate of external objects or people have no effect on the virtuous person. She remains virtuous no matter the circumstances. Additionally, returning to The Republic, Plato denies the cognitive value of emotions. Thinking connected to the emotions necessarily focuses on the immediate, the finite, and the uncontrollable, and, therefore, the false. Poetry must be bannedShow MoreRelatedPlatos Apology1219 Words   |  5 PagesPlato’s Apology, is by far one of the most logical yet critical thinking text that I have ever read. Plato describes Socrates, the accused atheist and corrupter of youth in ancient Athens, as a true beacon of ethics and morality. The method that Plato uses to depict Socrates on trial gives us a look back on how the trial of a man who encourages one of sound mind to ask questions even to those who are deemed wis e in the eyes of others. Despite facing odds that are stacked highly against him, and thisRead MorePlato s Apology And The Apology1591 Words   |  7 PagesIn this paper I will discuss how Plato s Apology and Phaedo have difference ideas of what it means to be a philosopher. I will explain how in the Apology, the philosopher is wise in how he/she understand that they are wise because they know that they don t know, and in Phadeo the philosopher knowledgable and are concern in gaining more knowledge. In Plato s Apology we learn about Socrates life and who he really is. In platos Apology a philosopher is a wise person because he understands thatRead MorePlato Apology2098 Words   |  9 PagesCritical Analysis of The Apology of Socrates by Plato Socrates was an orator and philosopher whose primary interests were logic, ethics and epistemology. In Plato’s Apology of Socrates, Plato recounts the speech that Socrates gave shortly before his death, during the trial in 399 BC in which he was charged with corrupting the young, and by not believing in the  gods  in whom the city believes, also being a busybody and intervene gods business. The name of the work itself is not mean what it isRead MoreThe Apology Of Plato s Apology982 Words   |  4 Pages In the â€Å"Apology,† Socrates seems disobedient, disrespectful and even boastful as he speaks to the magistracy. In â€Å"Crito,† however, Socrates is found sleeping soundly as he patiently awaits his punishment – death. It seems that Plato’s works paint two entirely contradicting portraits of his mentor. Yet, it was not a contradiction for Socrates to refuse Crito’s help to leave Athens and avoid punishment, because the alternative pe nalties or escape would compromise Socrates lifestyle, and since he failedRead MoreApology, By Plato s Apology1298 Words   |  6 Pagesknowing you know nothing.† In â€Å"Apology,† written by Plato, this ethical belief makes a bold appearance demonstrating that true ignorance only revolves around those who think that they know everything. In â€Å"Apology,† Socrates learns that the wisest men are those who do not think of themselves of wise, and rather make an approach of going beyond an authentic method of inquiry and helping others seek their personal philosophies which may result in conflict. In Plato’s â€Å"Apology,† Socrates demonstrates thatRead MorePlato And Plato s The Apology1623 Words   |  7 Pagesmore interested in determining how the world worked and its origins/cosmology, as oppose to philosophers such as Plato And Socrates who focused more on ethics or morality. Plato’s conception of God and religion can be depicted in his literatures â€Å"Euthyphro† and â€Å"The Apology† which he expresses through his writings of Socrates in dialogue formation. While one may assume that both Plato and Socrates shared analogous notions of God and religion it is impossible to truly know given the Socratic problemRead MoreThe Apology Of Plato Apology983 Words   |  4 PagesAt the beginning of The Apology, Socrates is directly speaking to the jury in Athens. In the beginning of the apology Socrates speaks of accusations that have been made against him throughout his life. There seems to be two different kinds of accusations. The first being biases accusations that have been made on throughout his past and the other being recent accusations. Socrates explains he was accused of being, â€Å" a wise man, a student of all things in the sky and below the earth, who makes theRead MoreSocrates Apology Of Plato s Apology981 Words   |  4 PagesPart I: Essay Outline Question #2 At 23b of Plato s Apology Socrates claims to be wiser than his interlocutors because, unlike them, he does not think he knows what he does not know. Question: Is this self-assessment genuinely meaningful or is it merely clever word play? Thesis Statement: I think Socrates’ message behind his speech to his interlocutors was to both state his superior wisdom and gain the attention while doing so. Outline I. Introduction A. Opening Statement 1. What is wisdomRead MoreThe Apology And Phaedo By Plato Essay1682 Words   |  7 Pages The Apology and Phaedo by Plato are two different books describing what is like to be a philosopher per Socrates believes. These two books take place in two different scenarios in Socrates’ life, The Apology takes place in a court room where Socrates is to defend himself from false charges brought to him by Meletus who is acting as the prosecutor. Phaedo, on the other hand, takes place in a prison cell post judgment on the day of Socrates execution. Hence, The Apology and Phaedo appeared to displayRead MoreThe Reading Of Apology By Plato1282 Words   |  6 Pagesso many trials, but in the end, he stayed true to his faith and never doubted the Lord. Another example of this fortitude is in the reading of Apology by Plato. This story is great because it shows how wise Socrates actually was, and despite the fact that he was put on trial he lived by his teachings and never faltered. Even though the Book of Job and Apology were written during different eras in history both teach those bad things do happen to good people and when they do, it’s admirable to stand

Ergonomics Is A Scientific Discipline That Deals With...

Ergonomics is a scientific discipline that deals with the research and understanding between the interaction of humans and other elements of a socio-technical system. It involves conducting research into human: social, psychological, physical and biological characteristics, and using this information to optimize human performance, safety, habitability and health with regard to the design and evaluation of tasks, products, environments and jobs in a performance system (James H. and Stramler, 1993) to make them compatible with humans abilities, needs and limitations. The ergonomics discipline promotes a human-centered and holistic approach to system design, which considers physical, cognitive, social, organizational, environmental, and other†¦show more content†¦According to Carroll (cognitive view), there are two aspects of system design (Carroll, 1991). The first is â€Å"the process† of the design. Ergonomists want to determine how it is that people devise new system s, and what individual/group factors were involved in making all the decisions involved in the construct of a system (Paul R. Martin, 2011). Secondly, design requires innovation, and requires ergonomists to â€Å"proactively† supply empirical data for the future design of systems, thus improving the levels of human performance and acceptance of new artefacts (Paul R. Martin, 2011). User-centred design in technological innovation The concept of user-centred design was developed during the 1980 ÃŒ s in the design of technologies (The Oxford Handbook of Cognitive Engineering, 2013). The aim of user-centred design is to describe how a human will interact with a system from a cognitive science view. These characteristics will then be shared between the cognitive ergonomists and engineers in the design process of new systems. Six important aspects of technological system design (ticket machine): (1) Visibility This system is usually placed in an area, which is crowded, and â€Å"busy†, thus it must be easily seen. People in crowded placed are usually placed under stress. If the system isn’t seen on first glance, the user will rather go to the ticket desk. (2) Physical Design The look and shape

Critical Analysis of Diverse Information Needs Of the Managers

Question: Explain Critical Analysis Of Diverse Information Needs Of The Managers? Answer: Introduction This report has emphasised on management accounting and information related to this field of study for providing facts and applications in practice. The report has described the major processes and techniques of the management accounting system, which are used in practice by the managers internally for gathering information of the organisation. The report has explained the application of management accounting system to use the organisational resources effectively and efficiently. Further, this report has presented a critical analysis of diverse information needs for decision-making of the managers in the firms. The report has described the application of management accounting to enhance the customers and shareholders' value. The report has provided a real life example by evaluating the same of BHP Billiton. Description of major processes and techniques used in management accounting system Management accounting is applied as an accounting system for delivering specialised information to drive the resource of the business appropriately (Macintosh Quattrone, 2010). The author has defined that management accounting system is capable of capturing internal organisational information for the managerial decision-making activities. In this regard, Drury (2013) has argued that there are several tools and techniques are used by the managers to gather information accurately. Further, the author has observed that management accounting system allows the managers functioning properly by communicating with meaningful economic and financial information. The tools of management accounting system are as follows: Financial planning Financial planning is an important tool for resource utilisation and progressive results in future. The significance of this tool is high as finance has a role to play in the decision-making of the managers (Fleischman et al. 2010). This is a process of projecting the financial outcome in advance by the managers for balancing the fund flows of the operation. Statistical analysis According to Agbejule (2011), accounting data can be large enough for a company. Hence, the managers need to arrange this information in a systematic and logical order for drawing reliable and valid conclusions for a population of data. Such analysis helps the manager to make the decision easily confronting each difficulty of the operation. Cost accounting Cost accounting of a company provides all the cost classification and analysis of the same (Malmi Granlund, 2009). The author has stated that this system helps the manager to control and reduce the cost of the optimum profit margin of the business. Standard costing Management accounting of a company can control the operation through standard costing technique where major activities can be operated within the estimated cost. Cinquini and Tenucci (2010) has argued that standard costing technique provides a target cost of the departments where the managers have to check the variance of the actual cost with the projected cost of important activities of the business. Marginal costing The process of marginal costing helps the manager to determine the unit cost of the production and other important activities. Such technique helps to control the variable cost of the operation for determining the price of the products (Etemadi et al. 2009). Budgetary control This control refers to control the major activities of the business (Hopper et al. 2009). The author has stated that budget is prepared in advance for every major activity of the business so that managers can obtain a fresh target for the future. Fund flow analysis The fund flow analysis of the business can deliver the changes in financial analysis of the business from time to time. The information of fund flow shows the deficiency of financial control of a business. Management reporting Management reporting of a business helps the decision-makers with controlling the financial system (Ajibolade et al. 2010). The author has stated that management accountant can communicate through the management reporting to all the stakeholders. Analysis of financial system The financial statement analysis provides the advantage of evaluating the actual performance of the business. Further, financial statement analysis provides the accumulated information regarding the business from the basic sources. There are many financial statement analyses such as ratio, common size, comparative financial statement, trend analysis and fund flow statement (Li et al. 2012). Application of management accounting information system to use organisational resources The management accounting system has the access to all the information of the business operation. Therefore, such access helps the management to create a managerial accounting information system in practice for controlling and utilising the resources efficiently (Woods, 2009). The author has observed that majority of the companies have developed enterprise resource planning for maximum application and utilisation of such resources. The objective of such enterprise resource system is to efficiently use all the resources in the company (Ward, 2012). According to the author, the management accounting helps the managers to design the enterprise information system as well as helps the managers in decision-making activities effectively. The management accounting provides information on resources, costing and the financial details of the managers. Therefore, this accounting system feeds an enterprise resource system with all types of business information such as the cost of the resources, q uality of decision-making and controlling the inventories of the operation (Sori, 2009). The management accounting helps the managers to contribute with information such as the cost of the raw materials, activities of the operation and others. In such way, a manager can decide on resource planning by controlling the inventories. According to Horngren (2009), the managerial accounting system contributes to reducing the time of ordering new inventories. Thus, a company can order unlimited numbers of orders about a raw material within a period of operation. Moreover, such accounting information helps to reduce the cash utilisation due to over ordering of the inventories. In such way, the management accounting system helps to reduce the working capital cost of the business (Chapman Kihn, 2009). Further, this accounting information system provides the opportunity of utilising the inventories in an efficient way so that optimum outcome of the resources can be obtained in production. Critical analysis of diverse information needs of the managers The information can be classified by three different constructs classification by characteristics, by application and by management hierarchy. The managers need all of this information for decision-making in different levels. The classification of information can be segregated into three categories again strategic, tactical and operational information. Hall (2010) has argued that the characteristics of information provide strategic information to the top management of the business whereas tactical information helps the middle-level managers to control the operation. The strategic information helps the managers to make a decision regarding policy making for a long duration. However, Grabski (2011) has stated that tactical information is necessary for the business as such data provides deep insights to the target of the business from time to time, budgeting, quality control, controlling inventory and production. Another characteristic of information is operational information, which is used for implementing all types of plan to meet the business objectives and goals. Ward (2012) has found that classification by application is necessary for the managers for decision-making in business activities. These are planning, controlling, knowledge, organisational, functional and database information. Planning information is required for the managers in a different level of activities such as strategic, tactical and operational planning. The controlling information is necessary for the attainment and utilisation of important process of a system. Malmi Granlund (2009) has argued that knowledge is information that helps the companies to build the new leaders as well as evaluate the trend of the business. However, the author has said that the management can use the organisational level information for enhancing the knowledge of the managers for internal evaluations. Functional information helps to make a decision on daily activities of a business (Woods, 2009). Li et al. (2012) has found that different types of information help the managers from different hierarchies for making decision about the business. Therefore, the managerial accounting information system acquires all these types of information of a business for the internal managers. According to Hopper et al. (2009), management accounting system can capture and present the diversified information regarding strategic, tactical and operations of a business to all the hierarchies of the management. Therefore, the managers of every level can make a useful decision in business activities to meet the objectives of the firm. The accounting system is connected with the resource management as well as other activities of the business. Therefore, an accounting system delivers the diverse information to the managers for planning and executing properly (Horngren, 2009). The managers obtain information related to production, supply chain, inventory control, costing of materials, operational cost, capital expenditure and working efficiency of different departments in this information system. The author has argued that management information system contains diverse information for integrating activities of different departments of a firm. Description on enhanced customer and shareholder value The managerial decisions are based on three activities investment, business and financing decisions. According to Shih et al. (2010), investment decision and financing decisions are based on value drivers, which have no direct impact on operational activities. However, the author has observed that business decisions are based on the value drivers of sales, profit, pricing, cost management, inventory management and operational efficiency. The value drivers of investment decisions are working capital, capital investment, expansion and others whereas the same for financing decisions are capital structure, dividend policy, tax rate and interest rate. Hence, a company must seek for all these information to maximise the shareholders value. As opined by Anandarajan et al. (2012), information regarding all of these value drivers is present in management accounting system as this system allows the manager to obtain strategic, tactical and operational data. Therefore, management information s ystem helps the managers to take the right decision at different points of business both for long and short-term. The operational and investment decisions influence the cash flow of the business whereas financing decisions guide the cost of capital. Mara et al. (2010) have observed that accounting information system can track and indicate important aspects to the managers for enhancing the impact on cash flow and cost of capital. Thus, change in the impact on the cost of capital and cash flow change the shareholders value at the end. The customer value is created by adding values to the products or the service. The author has expressed that management must look after the desires of the customers as meeting these desires are the main offer in the customers value. Therefore, the goal of the management accountant becomes to enhance the quality of the product for adding values for the customers. further, the management must consider changing the design of products and services for creating customers' values. The management accountant must provide the details in the financial report regarding the impact of the innovations on the business (Simons, 2013). Moreover, this accounting system can monitor the enhanced values to the customers by applying the tool, quality function deployment on daily basis. Improvement of customer value and shareholders value of BHP Billiton BHP Billiton is an Australian mining company that is creating values for the shareholders and customers consistently. The annual report of the company presents the operational, financial and financing values created for the shareholders throughout the year. The financial statements of the company are presented in a comparative manner with details analysis of the top management so that investors can understand the current situation as well as the future condition of the firm. Additionally, the performance summary of the business indicates the safety issues by measuring the recordable injuries in operational fields. The report also provides the current capital structure and business decision by disclosing the dividends, revenue and profit loss of the periods ("BHP Billiton | Downloads", 2017). The company is in the business of mining iron ore, coal, gold and other minerals. Therefore, the quality of these minerals and natural elements are creating essential infrastructure, energy suppl ies and other factors for contributing towards higher living standards of many people in all over the world. Further, the management has strong supply chain network globally for supplying these natural ores to the customers on time. Accuracy in the supply chain is creating values for the customers in the B2B business model. Conclusion The report concludes that management accounting system is important for decision-making of the managers. The managers have to apply some of the techniques and tools for gathering all the information related to the business. Further, this report has explained the application of management accounting system for resource allocation and inventory controlling effectively. The critical analysis of diverse information of a company has provided brief understanding on types of information is required for a manager for decision-making in different levels of the business. The accounting information system is helpful in creating values to the shareholders and customers of a business by reporting the accurate information in the annual report. References Agbejule, A. (2011). Organizational culture and performance: the role of management accounting system. Journal of Applied Accounting Research, 12(1), 74-89. Ajibolade, S. O., Arowomole, S. S. A., Ojikutu, R. K. (2010). MANAGEMENT ACCOUNTING SYSTEMS, PERCEIVED ENVIRONMENTAL UNCERTAINTY AND COMPANIES'PERFORMANCE IN NIGERIA. International Journal of Academic Research, 2(1). Anandarajan, M., Anandarajan, A., Srinivasan, C. A. (Eds.). (2012). Business intelligence techniques: a perspective from accounting and finance. Springer Science Business Media. BHP Billiton | Downloads. (2017). BHP Billiton. Retrieved 20 May 2017, from https://www.bhpbilliton.com/investor-centre/annual-reporting-2016/downloads Chapman, C. S., Kihn, L. A. (2009). Information system integration, enabling control and performance. Accounting, organizations and society, 34(2), 151-169. Cinquini, L., Tenucci, A. (2010). Strategic management accounting and business strategy: a loose coupling?. Journal of Accounting organizational change, 6(2), 228-259. DRURY, C. M. (2013). Management and cost accounting. Springer. Etemadi, H., Dilami, Z. D., Bazaz, M. S., Parameswaran, R. (2009). Culture, management accounting and managerial performance: focus Iran. Advances in accounting, 25(2), 216-225. Fleischman, G., Walker, K., Johnson, E. (2010). A field study of user versus provider perceptions of management accounting system services. International Journal of Accounting Information Management, 18(3), 252-285. Grabski, S. V., Leech, S. A., Schmidt, P. J. (2011). A review of ERP research: A future agenda for accounting information systems. Journal of information systems, 25(1), 37-78. Hall, M. (2010). Accounting information and managerial work. Accounting, Organizations and Society, 35(3), 301-315. Hopper, T., Tsamenyi, M., Uddin, S., Wickramasinghe, D. (2009). Management accounting in less developed countries: what is known and needs knowing. Accounting, Auditing Accountability Journal, 22(3), 469-514. Horngren, C. T. (2009). Cost accounting: A managerial emphasis, 13/e. Pearson Education India. Li, X., Sawhney, R., Arendt, E. J., Ramasamy, K. (2012). A comparative analysis of management accounting systems impact on lean implementation. International Journal of Technology Management, 57(1/2/3), 33-48. Macintosh, N. B., Quattrone, P. (2010). Management accounting and control systems: An organizational and sociological approach. John Wiley Sons. Malmi, T., Granlund, M. (2009). In search of management accounting theory. European Accounting Review, 18(3), 597-620. Mara Dez, J., Lizet Ochoa, M., Begona Prieto, M., Santidrin, A. (2010). Intellectual capital and value creation in Spanish firms. Journal of intellectual capital, 11(3), 348-367. Shih, K. H., Chang, C. J., Lin, B. (2010). Assessing knowledge creation and intellectual capital in banking industry. Journal of intellectual capital, 11(1), 74-89. Simons, R. (2013). Performance Measurement and Control Systems for Implementing Strategy Text and Cases: Pearson New International Edition. Pearson Higher Ed. Sori, Z. M. (2009). Accounting information systems (AIS) and knowledge management: a case study. American Journal of Scientific Research, 4(4), 36-44. Ward, K. (2012). Strategic management accounting. Routledge. Woods, M. (2009). A contingency theory perspective on the risk management control system within Birmingham City Council. Management Accounting Research, 20(1), 69-81.

Laugh and Be Merry free essay sample

Laugh and be merry for the world is a much better place with a happy song and to live in a world that is ready to blow in the teeth of wrong; we must not only rejoice but also be active in attacking evil. Laugh and give no place to sorrow or to worries for the time is brief, a thread a length of span; about nine inches: the distance between the tip of the thump and the tip of the little finger when the hand is fully spread out, i. e. life is short and like a thread is easily lost. Laugh sincerely and hopefully to be proud enough to belong to the old pageant of man; procession with a spectacular display in celebration of a holiday. Recall the ancient times, when God made Heaven and Earth for joy he took in a rhyme; identity in sound of some part: a word agreeing with another in terminal sound: verse or poetry having correspondence in the terminal sounds of the lines: a poem or piece of verse having such correspondence; He made them both and filled them with the strong red wine; a common symbol of joy in most poetry; of His mirth; gaiety or jollity, esp. We will write a custom essay sample on Laugh and Be Merry or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page hen accompanied by laughter: amusement or laughter; because of the splendid joy of the stars and the earth, we must laugh and drink from the deep blue cup of the sky; get all the enjoyment we can by watching the sky, the birds, clouds, stars, etc. , and enjoying all of life which passes under the sky. The sky is bent over us like an inverted cup and is blue in color; hence ‘blue cup’. All are welcome to join the jubilant; showing great joy, satisfaction, or triumph; rejoicing; exultant: the cheers of the jubilant victors; song of the great stars sweeping by. During the outpouring of the Heavenly wine we can continue to laugh, battle, work and drink for the Good-Lord shows His sign of joy on His dear green earth. Like brothers akin; of kin; related by blood (usually used predicatively): of the same family; Guesting; staying as guests; awhile in the rooms of a beautiful inn; the inn symbolizes this world. Glad till the dancing stop; be glad till you die; and the lilt; rhythmic swing or cadence: a lilting song or tune; of the music ends. Laugh till the game is played and be merry till the end.

Review Questions Solutions Essay Example

Review Questions Solutions Paper Structuring and refining the requirements are completed independent from the users, although you may need to occasionally contact users to clarify some issue overlooked during analysis. Finally, you ask users to review and evaluate the prototype. After reviewing the prototype, users may accept the design or request that changes be made. If changes are needed, you will repeat the construction-evaluate-refinement cycle until the design is accepted. Usually, several iterations of this cycle occur during the design of a single form or report. The major deliverables produced from the process of signing forms and reports are the creation of design specifications. A design specification includes a narrative overview, a sample design, and a testing and usability assessment section. Some specification intimation may be irrelevant when designing some forms and reports. For example, the design off simple ;yes/No selection form may be so straightforward that no usability assessment would be needed. Also, much of the narrative overview may be unneeded, unless it avgas used to highlight some exception that must be considered during implementation 2. To which initial questions must the analyst gain answers to in order to build an initial prototype of a system output? The initial questions are listed in Table 8-1; these questions include: (I) who will use this form or report; (2) what is the purpose of the form or report; (3) when is the form or report needed and used; (4) where does the form or report need to be delivered and used; and (5) how many people need to use or view the form or report? 3. How should textual information be formatted on a help screen? The guidelines for formatting a help screen are based on the general guidelines for formatting text. We will write a custom essay sample on Review Questions Solutions specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Review Questions Solutions specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Review Questions Solutions specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer The general guidelines for formatting text are presented in Table 8-4; these guidelines govern case, spacing, justification, hyphenation, and abbreviations. 4. What type of labeling can you use in a table or list to improve its usability? The following labeling guidelines can improve the usability of a table or list: (1) all columns and rows should have meaningful labels; (2) labels should he separated from other information by using highlighting: and (3) redisplay labels when the data extends beyond a single screen or page, S. What column, row, and text formatting issues are important when designing tables and lists? The guidelines for formatting columns, rows, and text in a table or list include: (l) sorting in a meaningful order (e. G. , ascending, descending, or alphabetic); (2) placing a blank line between every five rows in long columns; (3) sorting vertically similar information displayed in multiple columns (that is, read from top to bottom, not left to right); (4) placing at least two spaces between columns; (5) allowing white space on printed reports for the user to write notes; (6) using a single typeface, except for emphasis; (7) using the same family of typefaces within and cross displays and reports; and (8) avoiding overly fancy fonts. Describe how numeric, textual, and alphanumeric data should be formatted in a table or list. The guidelines for formatting numeric, textual, and alphanumeric data in a table or list include: (1) right justifying numeric data and aligning columns by decimal points or some other delimiter; (2) left justifying textual data and using a short line length, usually 30-?40 characters per line (this is what newspapers use, and it is easier to speed read); and (3) breaking long sequences of alphanumeric data onto small groups of three to four characters each. 7. Provide some examples where variations in user, task, system, and environmental characteristics might impact the design of system forms and reports. User-related concerns include experience, skills, motivation, education, and personality. Task-related concerns include time pressure, cost of errors, and work duration, The system platform is a system-related concern, and lighting, sound, and task interruptions are environment-related concerns, 8. Describe the process of designing interfaces and dialogues. What deliverables are produced from this process? Are these deliverables the same for all types of system projects? Why or why not? The design process is a user-focused activity that typically follows a prototyping approach. First, you must gain an understanding of the intended user and task objectives by collecting initial requirements during requirements determination. After collecting the initial requirements, you Structure and refine this information into an initial prototype. Structuring and refining the requirements are completed independent from the users, although you may need to occasionally intact users to clarify some issue overlooked during analysis. Finally, you ask users to review and evaluate the prototype. After reviewing the prototype, users either accept the design or request changes. If changes are needed, single interface or dialogue. Design specifications are the primary deliverables; these documents include a narrative overview, sample design, testing and usability assessment, and dialogue sequence outline. 9. List and describe the functional capabilities needed in an interface for effective entry and navigation, Which capabilities are most important? Why? Will this be the same for all systems? Why or why not? The functional capabilities include cursor control capabilities, editing capabilities, exit capabilities, and help capabilities: Table 8- 6 summarizes these capabilities, When designing the navigation procedures within your system, flexibility and consistency are primary concerns. Users should be able to freely move forward and backward or to any desired data entry fields. Consistency extends to the selection of keys and commands. Each key or command should have only one function, and this function should be consistent wrought the entire system and across systems if possible. The most important capabilities will vary from system to system. For a given system, consistency is the most important capability. System capabilities will, unfortunately, vary from system to eastern II_Describe the general guidelines for structuring data-entry fields. Can you think of any instances when it would be appropriate to violate these guidelines? Table 8-?7 summarizes the guidelines for structuring data entry fields. Some of the design guidelines may be violated in certain circumstances. Gore example, a help system might be omitted from a very impel system or a system designed to be used by a single user or small group. II. Describe four types Of data errors. Sources of data errors include appending, truncating, transcription, and transposing. Appending adds additional characters to a field; truncating loses characters from a field; transcription errors enter invalid data into a field; transposing reverses the sequence of one or more characters in a field. Describe the types of system feedback. Is any form of feedback more important than the others? Why or why not? Three types of system feedback are issued in the chapter; these include status information, prompting cues, and error or warning messages. No single method can be deemed most important because each is critical to an effective design. 13,Describe the general guidelines tort designing usable help. Can you think of any instances when it would be appropriate to violate these guidelines? Table 8-12 presents the general guidelines for designing usable help. Some of the design guidelines may be violated in certain circumstances. For example, a help system might be omitted from a very simple system or a system designed to be used by a single user or mall group. 14 What steps do you need to follow when designing a dialogue? Of the guidelines for designing a dialogue, which is most important? Why? The three major steps in dialogue design are: (I) design the dialogue sequence; (2) build a prototype; and (3) assess usability. A case could be made for the importance Of all steps. Yet, designing the dialogue (With the input Of the user) is likely the most important step because this is where you collect and structure the users requirements. 15. Describe What is meant by a cookie crumb. HOW do these help prevent users from getting lost? A cookie crumb is a technique for showing users where they are in a Web site: a series of tabs are placed on a Web page showing the users where they are and where they have been. By showing users where they are in a Web site, cookie crumbs keep users from getting lost; users can just click on a hyperlink to return home. 16,Describe why you might want to use lightweight graphics on some Web pages and large detailed graphics on others, Often users do not want to wait for large, color images to download, especially if they have a slow modem. If the time is excessive, the users will often leave the site, Lightweight graphics download much faster and give the user a thumbnail sketch to the product.

Common app Essays

Common app Essays Common app Essay Common app Essay 523205 Lang p. 2 October 13, 2013 Common Application Option #2: Recount an incident or time when you experienced failure. How did it affect you, and what lessons did you learn? When I heard the news, my stomach turned I felt like everything I worked for shattered right in front of me, and there was nothing that could fix it. During the summer I experienced a tragic injury. It all happened the final half of a soccer tournament with five minutes left in the game. This is when I experienced failure; I had thrown every opportunity away. Failure indicated no more scholarships, or laying the one sport I loved, and it also meant throwing all my hard work away. As I pulled up to the doctors office nervous of what the doctor was going to tell me. I knew I fgured Id only be out for a short amount of time, and then Id be back on the field. Well, unfortunately that wasnt the case. I was told I pinched five nerves in my back and partially slipped a disc, this injury was critical and I could potentially make it worse, which led to no soccer for at least six months. This then meant I wouldnt be able to touch the ball, to work on my skills or to gain scholarships, and lay the game I loved. This meant recovery, and therapy and a fast comeback even if the doctor said no soccer for six months I was determined to come back within the next few weeks. Months passed, and they passed slowly. My passion for the game was gone because I wasnt able to play it. I lost my skill, I gave up. I failed to do what I told myself I would, to comeback within the next couple weeks and to be okay. I ended up quitting soccer, I didnt think I was good enough my scholarships were gone; no one knew my name anymore. And the worst part about it was I didnt care. I was okay with letting go of my passion because I hadnt interacted with it in so long. Playing for 12 years and giving up was hard at the beginning but it slowly got easier to do. My grades slipped because I didnt have any motivation. I became depressed and soccer was stored in the back of my mind. I didnt think or care about the game anymore. Then summer came along I was stressing already about my post high school plans, and what school to attend. As I was sitting on the patio at the beach taking in the view, watching the neighbor kids kick the ball around made me reminisce on the ast. It made me miss my passion, my love and the one thing that got me through everything. There were exactly three days till I was home from my vacation and there were four days till senior year high school soccer tryouts. I hadnt touched a soccer ball in a whole year, I had Joked with my family all week about how funny itd be if I played again. That had me thinking. What if I decided to give it a try and comeback? I came to decision on the last night of vacation. That I would go back and I would try out and give it everything I had. I fully understood that I hadnt played in over a year and I wasnt going to be nearly as good as I once was. But that Wednesday I came back I put my cleats on, I pulled my hair back, and I put a smile on my face, I stepped fingers being pointed at me I had overcame my failure. I had pushed passed the fact I wasnt the same player, I had looked beyond the fact that I wasnt going to be as good as I once was, and I worked hard for what I wanted. And at the endof that week everything I had worked for had paid off, I was a new member of the varsity soccer team.

Preparing Principals for Leadership in Special Education Essay

Preparing Principals for Leadership in Special Education - Essay Example Adhering to such components face challenges based on the requirements of the district education standards, demand, and supply of qualified faculties, special education teachers and principals (Palladino 2). Currently, the requirements and demands for qualified individuals for each area are high while the supply for personnel is low. Inadequate personnel to cater for the needs of special education directly influence the achievement of educational success among special needs students. Special education has distinct tendencies including its diverse, complex and unique nature because of the nature of the student it serves. This educational division has roles, responsibilities, and duties that differ from those found in non-special needs educational systems. Additionally, these aspects change rapidly and they follow the trends of changing budgets, policies, systems of accountability and best practices that govern their ability to serve this educational system (Palladino 3). In addition, t hese individuals face challenges as they strive to address the inadequacies amongst such students. In my opinion, special schooling leadership occurs as a multifaceted enterprise governed by the notions of social justice (Cooner, Tochterman and Garrison-Wade 4).Special education has four interweaving, but distinctive categories that include district leadership, site leadership, higher education leadership and special education teachers (Palladino 2). These components have different and unique roles in administration, education, and preparation of students with these disabilities. However, they are intertwined based on the influences of academic preparation in administration. For instance, district administration influences site administration influencing the retention of the special education teacher. Special education administration has a distinct place especially at crossroads of the discipline of education administration and special. This crossroad resembles the disciplines of ge neral education, special education and education administration. In such an environment, educational leadership plays a crucial role because they typify crucial concepts associated with effective schooling. The principal of an effective educational system must have the leadership capabilities to manage components of special education administration. The school principal should presume liability for the programs within the school especially in a special education context. This means that the principal must manage these programs including special education services to attain the ambitions of the teachers, education program, and student. According to Cooner, Tochterman, and Garrison-Wade (2005), educational leadership is a crucial variable that determines how effective a school runs. Experience is a crucial factor in ensuring effective educational systems and management of the special education program. For instance, a district may replace 60% of its principals leading to inexperienced management of the schools.  

Philemon Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Philemon - Essay Example Paul is therefore writing against the backdrop of Onesimus willing to return to Philemon, and thus, the need for this personal appeal to Philemon to accept Onesimus as a Christian brother (1:16) (Jason, 2010). Just as Betz (2004) observes, Apostle Paul writes with a lighthearted tone, but tactfully and with clever wordplay (1:11), to win Philemon’s willingness. Paul organizes the appeal as was prescribed by ancient Romans and Greeks by: building a common ground (1:4-21); persuading the mind (1:11-19); and appealing to emotions (1:20-21). It is interesting that Onesimus’ name is not mentioned until rapport is built between Paul and Philemon (1:10). The appeal is also made at the end (1:17). As has already been roughly mentioned in the introduction, Apostle Paul is writing to Philemon who is a Christian in the church in Colosse. It is plain that Philemon is a slave master and that there are others in the church with similar status in the same church, according to Colossians 4:1. Onesimus, one of Philemon’s slaves, had stolen from Philemon his master and ran away (v. 18). The import of Onesimus’ act is that it amounts to capital offence under Roman law. As a fugitive, Onesimus happens upon Paul in his ministry and becomes a Christian (v.10). After his stint with Apostle Paul, Onesimus is willing to return to his master, Philemon. For this purpose, Paul makes a concerted appeal to Philemon to accept back Onesimus as a Christian brother (1:16). According to Gromacki (2008), the main addressee in the epistle is Philemon, Onesimus’ master. Again, as already stated, the main intention or purpose of Paul’s address to Philemon is to have him accept Onesimus, his runaway slave back as a Christian brother (v. 16). Paul does this by using several logical strategies which are also subthemes of Paul’s address. One of the underlying themes that Paul uses to convince Philemon is that just as

Culture Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Culture Development - Essay Example A few examples include the learning a belief, way of doing things, even if they do not share a biological relationship which has led to development of the human "instincts". According to anthropologist, culture is not a product of biological evolution, but it is rather a mean of human adaptation to the world. Culture enables humans to change rapidly to the physical changes in the earth. The cultural phenomena is universal however, cultural adaptations changes from place to place with different set of meanings from place to place and people to people. As the culture has a symbolic system, it meanings also differs from place to place with changing beliefs, myths, rituals, tools making, house design, living and eating habits. A few anthropologists differentiate between symbolic and material culture, however since 1980 majority of archeologists agree, that the symbolic culture and material culture are interwoven and symbolic culture is expressed through material culture. Culture normally has certain unique characteristics such as: (a) symbols, which is an abstract way of referring to objects, ideas and feelings with the help of language;(b) culture is shared with in a group; (c) culture is not hereditary, but learned, even though people differ biologically, culturally they can have similar habits and behaviour; and Human being compr(d) Culture is adaptive. People use culture to quickly adjust and adopt to the changes in the world. Culture as a symbol Human being comprehends and communicates in symbols. It is these symbols, which allow people to develop complex ideas and thoughts with other people and language and arts are symbolic in nature, which makes it easier than gestures to express human emotions through symbols. A symbol some times has a relation or may not have any association with an object or idea. For example for Americans, the combination of white, blue and red colour has special meaning, the people in China consider red colour sacred one. In reality such colour may not have any practical purpose, but if these colour are combined in a shape of flag, people are willing to die for it as it stands as a symbol of honour for a nation. In order to convey, new ideas, human being has to constantly create new symbols and add more meanings to their expressions and feelings. Sometimes, one word is used to convey an idea, and some times combination of words are used to convey some deeper meaning. Human beings right from birth are able to construct and comprehend such complex symbols. Language provides a mean to store and communicate such expression, but some times it exceeds the capacity of the non-human animal. For example Chimpanzees, which are the closest genetic relative to human have few unique calls and gestures to communicate with each other. Chimpanzee in the lab experiments have been taught to communicate in sign language and were able to master a vocabulary of few hundred words, however chimpanzees do not have developed vocal tract like human beings. Culture through Learning Human beings are not born with culture, it is rather learned by living in a society. In all human societies children learn culture by imitating adults through the process of enculturation, which takes years to complete. In all human societies, children learn culture from adults and this process is called enculturation, or cultural transmission. However, it is not only

Planning Issues In The Construction Industry Construction Essay

Planning Issues In The Construction Industry Construction Essay Construction is an everlasting activity across the globe. Its profitability like of any other business fluctuates according to the law of demand and supply. In most countries, construction activity constitutes 6-9% of the gross domestic product (GDP) and constitutes more than half of the fixed capital formation as infrastructure and public utilities capital works required for economic development. Construction activity contributes to the economic development of a country. The GDP per capita and the investment in the construction per capita generally follow a straight line relationship, that is construction activity increases with the increase in per capita income. Construction projects are intricate and time-consuming tasks. For the total success of any particular project a wide chain of specialized services is necessary for the timely completion of the project. During the construction process, itself even a project of small or medium proportions requires many attributes, materials a nd involves many different types of operations. The assembly process must follow a natural order of events that, in total combination, constitutes a complicated pattern of individual time requirements and restrictive sequential relationships among the many segments of the structure (Project Quality Management in Construction, K. Lambrou, G.J. Besseris and C. Alafodimos, MSc in Quality Management, TEI of Piraeus and University of Aisley).Mismanagement of resources has become a prevalent problem in many construction firms. This mismanagement of resources contributes to numerous construction firms ineffectiveness and frequent failures each year. Hence, it is necessary to take appropriate steps and follow the process to improvise the output of construction industry by using proper planning methods and techniques. This can be done through adoption of modern and improvised planning techniques in construction industry such as CPM, PERT, Supply Chain Management etc, which will be discussed in detail in main dissertation work. In the literature review of planning issues in construction industry, different aspects of social-cultural-economic importance of planning and modern planning techniques has been highlighted. This dissertation focuses on analyzing the major hindrances caused by the positive and negative issues in planning and execution phase of the project. 2. Background Planning is a key ingredient in the successful completion of any construction project. It provides the road map for the project to follow and the milestones by which its progress is measured. To understand the loopholes in the planning process it is necessary to dismantle the planning objectives, so that all the aspects regarding the project could be thoroughly capitalized. Four planning objectives which characterize the whole of the planning process are execution of work, coordination of all the activities, control over the materials and manpower and forecasting. Safety is a major concern to every successful construction project because of humanitarian concern for the workers and the cost ramifications of a poor safety record. Major construction firms had proposed the usage of network planning techniques, mainly because of owners demand. The relationship between project planning and construction safety is sometimes subtle, and the impact it has on the project is not as readily apparent as the importance of planning and safety as separate entities. A comprehensive planning and scheduling specification system can aid in the planning of job sequence, financial needs, workforce needs, material needs, and equipment needs. It also can aid the scheduling of actual activity start or completion and provide feedback to control the schedule, cost, and use of resources. A critical step in the execution of any construction project is the selection of planning and scheduling specification clauses to be included in the construction contract. Numerous project characteristics should be taken into account when determining which planning and scheduling clauses to be included. Project is a mission, undertaken to create a unique facility, product or services within the specified scope, quality, time and costs. With the emerging global opportunities, projects cross geographical boundaries, corporate channels, traditional systems and cultural diversities. The knowledge areas needed to manage such projects comprise project management techniques, general management practices and technology-related subjects. The project management techniques of planning, scheduling and controlling are the tools and devices that bind the subjects knowledge areas. These techniques can be applied to all types of projects. This research focuses on the application of all these techniques in the construction industry. It is widely recognized that effective planning can play a major role in the success of projects. Whether project success is based on the traditional measure of time, cost and quality or newer measures of critical success factors (Westerveld, 2003), effective planning can also contribute to the prevention of accidents and ill health of site personnel (Duff and Suraji, 2000; HSE, 2003). These objectives become increasingly difficult to achieve, however, in construction projects. Construction sites can be extremely busy places where the working environment is ever changing. Unfortunately, in addition to this, the construction industry tends to be under resourced and under planned in relation to other industries (Egan, 1998), which can lead to a crisis management approach to production risk, a feature of construction culture which can impact heavily on health and safety. Despite this, activities requiring intensive planning as those required in a temporary rail possession, almost invari ably run smoothly. There is little chance of an unsafe incident, due to the heightened risk awareness resulting from the meticulous planning. 3. Aims and Objectives To study various minute details affecting the process of planning. The objective of this research is to assess the modern methods of planning and scheduling a construction contracts which can be applied in todays construction industry and to also discuss the issues involved in the application of those tools. To compare and analyze a planning strategy which has a solution for various issues in the planning process. 4. Research Methodology The research methodology is the approach through which the researcher collects the data useful for the chosen topic and then the analysis is done on the basis of that. In my dissertation, I will be using qualitative research as means to study planning and scheduling in construction contracts. 5. Scope and Limitations of Dissertation The limitations of the dissertation are: This research targets only construction industry, hence the results cannot be implied on the others sectors. This analysis will be done for Indian and UK industry. However, the study done on India and UK is not necessary applicable for other nations as well as because of cultural differences. Planning techniques for different countries is different which adds to more misery. The unavailability of proper planning and management techniques, which could possibly solve the issues of planning even when proper resources are not available. Construction Industry has flourished domestically as well as globally over the years. Economic development of any particular country also largely depends upon the construction projects. Major factors that affect the overall result of any project would be size, complexity, quality, productivity, completion time and cost. These factors would be achieved only when proper planning is done, which forms the base of construction management. A project plan is always formulated during the planning phase. Planning in its broader perspective, involves advance thinking as to what is to be done, what are the activities, how it is to be done, when it is to be done, where it is to be done, what is needed to do it, who is to do it and to ensure that it done. A project plan would be adversely affected if cost overruns and delays take place. The effect of past construction experience, on the quality of management in general and on planning effectiveness in particular, is addressed only rarely in const ruction-management research; the few studies doing so explicitly are in agreement with the findings of the present study. NEDO (Faster 1983) reports the contractors inexperience in similar projects as a major source of difficulty in construction [Faster building for industry (1983). NEDO-Building EDC, National Economic Development Office, London, England.]. All the perseverance put into the invention of new techniques did not gave the satisfying results in the construction planning sector (Choudhury 1981, Mason 1984, Morton 1983). Sometimes people fail to recognize the difference between planning and scheduling. Progress in the usage of new computer techniques has resulted in the misconception of standardization of project scheduling. Projects have been a part of our society for quite a long era. Indication of total efficiency would be seen by completing project on time, but construction process is subjected to too many fluctuations and unforeseeable factors which results from many sources (Sadi. A. Assaf, Sadiq Al-Hejji, (2005)). Construction organization lives in the ever-changing and their effectiveness depends on their ability to adapt to new demands and opportunities. This industry needs to adjust itself to the changes occurring in its working environment in order to become effective. Construction projects are intricate and time-consuming tasks. The total development of a project normally consists of several phases requiring a diverse range of specialized services. In progressing form initial planning to project completion, the typical project passes through successive distinct stages that demand inputs from such disparate groups as financial organizations, government agencies, engineers, architects, lawyers, surety companies, contractors, and building trade-persons. Most challenging part of these modern techniques is implementing these methods to achieve a particular goal or task. Construction Industry faces a lot of problems because of the working patterns and inefficient planning techniques to reach to complete a particular function. Following the modern planning techniques reduces the dilapidation of resources and economically strengthens the company. A constant focus should be given on the improvisation techniques which include mutually collaborating one or more techniques which would lead to a profitable project and reduce the loss due poor performance and cost overruns. The constructions industry in India and UK has realized the importance of the proper usage of modern planning techniques which has improvised the margins of profits and truncate the overall project cost. In India planning is an open process (Planning in India RICHARD S. ECKAUS MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY ).If design completion is not done at proper time it would prove to be costly, as it would lead to construction delays. In India a prevalent method to planning is not sufficient as there are many situations which includes Limitation or inexpertness of human beings in there respective fields (Human Errors). Influence of external factors beyond human control (E.g. Natural Hazards: this could have an adverse effect on the planning process). The external components interact with the construction firm from outside of the organizations environment. Such external components are material suppliers, financial institutions, and surety companies, end users of products, owners, and architects. The project is also influenced by external causes due to scarce availability of resources in the market (Techniques and Technology). The project covers important framework of an integral system; therefore considerable economic or technical consequence could result from faulty usage. (An approach to planning and control of advanced projects Giorgio Caroni, Roland0 Matteelli and Alfred0 Berti) In order to have a competitive edge over other construction companies, perfectly planning techniques should be used. Main Body CASE STUDY: Even though India is one of the developing countries the approach towards planning is comparatively more advanced as compared to other developing countries. (Planning in India, RICHARD S. ECKAUS, MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY). In India, for small scale project ranging between 1million £-10million £ specific planning techniques cannot be implemented, as a lot of unavoidable problems usually arise due to many reasons. Comprehensive survey of the location of the project clearly marks the project area and its boundaries. Soil investigation is to be done to ascertain the soil strength so as to decide the type and other specific details of the foundation. Depending upon the soil investigation reports, finalize the type of foundation i.e., pile foundation or open foundation up to hard strata strength. Necessary approvals, clearances, no objection for all the concerned government departments, local or self governing authorities should be obtained before starting the project. To ascertain whether any public utility service lines like Water pipe lines, sewage pipe lines, electrical cables or over head lines, telephone line or any other Public/Private items or assets are crossing /passing through the designated project area. Specific measures must be taken to relocate the service lines or public assets before starting the project. Drawings incorporating all the specific details, dimensions and other specifications must be accurate and must be got approved from all the relevant authorities before starting the work If any of the above fundamental issues are neglected at the planning stage, you are steadily heading for a project period over run and project cost overrun. TYPICAL CASE STUDIES FROM INDIA BUILDING PROJECT OF CBI(CENTRAL BEAURAU OF INVESTIGATION) BUILDING 1) Name of Work : Construction of Administrative Building including all infrastructure Amenities for C.I.D Pune. at Pune 2) Client : Maharashtra State Police Housing Welfare Corporation. Limited, Mumbai 3) Tender Work Order No : PHC/TB/CID PUNE/1152/2005 Dated 15.07.2005 from General Manager 4) Contractor : M/s. Deepa Engineers, 42, Welfare Chambers, 1st Floor, Sector-17, Vashi, Navi Mumbai 400 705 5) Architect : M/s. Arc-Aids. Pune 6) P.M.C : M/s PP Ventures, Pune 7) Tendered Amount : 5, 43, 04,161/- 8) Date of Starting : 02.09.2005 9) Stipulated period of completion : 31.05.2007 10) Area as per tender : 5483.57 Sq.Mtr 11) Area as per actual construction : 7217.19 Sq.Mtr. Including Common Facility. 12) Common Facility Area : 109Sq.Mtr 1) Septic Tank = 36 Sq.Mtr 2) Meter Room = 19 Sq.Mtr 3) Pump House = 54 Sq. Mtr 13 Area Constructed : 7108.19 Sq.Mtr (7217.19-109 = 7108.19 Sq.Mtr) 14) Actual date of completion/ : 31.03.2009 Taking over 10.07.2009 15) Difference in Area : 1669.62 Sq.Mtr. 16) R.A. Bill No. 21st (pending) : 30,70,629.00 17) Final Bill yet pending : 26,01,169.00 18) Security Deposit : 13,57,604.00 19) Retention money deducted From 20th R.A. Bill : 1,38,747.00 20) Retention money deducted From 21th R.A. Bill : 1,52,052.00 21) Extra Items Amount : 1,83,210.00 22) Inauguration Expenditure : 3,10,000.00 23) Bank Guarantee En cashed : 13,57,604.00 Total Claims overdue : 91,71,015.00 + Difference in Constructed Area amount Conclusion Departmental interaction between various service agencies of the state, like the police housing Department and PUNE Municipal Corporation must have been initiated at the planning stage of the tender itself. Though the project is commissioned successfully on 10th July-2009 and the C.B.I has occupied the Administrative Building, with all the proposed amenities the Contractor has suffered huge financial losses. Presently the case is under arbitration Justification for the delay of work 1) M/s. Arc-Aids, (Architect) M/s. PP Ventures, Pune (PMC) were new to the department lack of coordination between them with Police Housing and the contractor resulting in bad delay in furnishing the requisite drawings and other relevant details for the timely execution of the work. 2) Delay due to the shifting of approx One Meter Diameter Water pipe line of Pune municipal corporation which was not shown in the layout drawing of the tender, passing through the site feeding water supply to Pune City Delay 10 Months. The work was coordinated by Deepa Engineers and executed by Pune Municipal Corporation without any financial obligations to PHC. Drawings must incorporate all the details accurately, after carrying out proper survey of the project area. 3) Non releasing of the payments in time by holding of Running Bills payment by imposing heavy penalty as given below, which was against the terms conditions of the Tender, since the delay was caused by reasons beyond the responsibility control of the contractor Sr.No. Particulars No. of days Amount to be recovered from Bill in Rs. 1 Rs. 1000/-per day w.e.f. 1/6/07 to 15.01/08 229 2,29,000/- 2 Rs. 5000/-per day w.e.f. 16/01/08 to 15/02/08 31 1,55,000/- 3 Rs. 10000/-per day w.e.f. 16/02/08 to 12/05/08 87 8,70,000/- 4 Rs. 15000/-per day w.e.f. 13/5/08 to 30/06/08 49 7,35,000/- 5 Rs. 65000/-per day w.e.f. 1/7/08 to 10/07/09 375 2,43,75,000/- Total 771 2,63,64,000/- This holding of payment was waived and released by Hon. S.S. Virk after joining as M.D. of Police Housing Corporation and assured that the penalty will be waived and the difference in area constructed will be consider after completing the work. Accordingly the work is restarted and completed on 31.03.2009 and handed over on 10.07.2009. Month wise requirement of funds if predicted during the plannings stage itself, the payment schedule flow of money will not be hampered. B) Name of Project: 1) Construction of three storeyed of 300 seated Post Graduate Hostel including internal Water supply, Sanitary installation, Drainage wok and internal electrification work for Vishweshwarayya National Institute of Technology, Nagpur, India Name of Contractor : M/s. DEEPA ENGINEERS, 42, WELFARE CHAMBERS, 1ST FLOOR, SECTOR-17, VASHI, NAVI MUMBAI Estimated Cost : 5,33,56,856/- Tendered Amount : 9,34,63,099.00 Time allowed : 16 Months including monsoon Period Commencement Date : 12.07.2007 Stipulated date of completion : 11.11.2008 Security Deposit : 46,73,155.00 (Bank Guarantee) Project Management : Central Public Works Department, Superintending Engineer, Central Circle, Nagpur. Architects : do B) Name of Project: Construction of Additional storey (100 seated) over proposed 300 seated Post Graduate Hostel at Vishweshwarayya National Institute of Technology, Nagpur. Name of Contractor : M/s. DEEPA ENGINEERS, 42, WELFARE CHAMBERS, 1ST FLOOR, SECTOR-17, VASHI, NAVI MUMBAI Estimated Cost : 1,78,70,130.00 Tendered Amount : 2,36,39,902.00 Commencement Date : 28.11.2008 Stipulated date of completion : 27.05.2009 Security Deposit : 11,82,000.00 (Bank Guarantee) Time allowed : 6 Months Project Management : Central Public Works Department, Superintending Engineer, Central Circle, Nagpur. Architects : do Actual date of Completion : 31.03.2010 Parameter adopted for mix design for RCC works Ready Mix Concrete Nominal maximum size of aggregate : 20 mm angular as per C.P.W.D. description Degree of quality control : Good Type of Exposure : Moderate Maximum water cement Ratio : 0.50 Cement Content : 410/Kg/cum of concrete Type of Cement used : OPC 43 grade Conforming to IS: 8112 Sand : Coarse sand as per CPWD Specification Approved Admixtures conforming to I.S. 9103 permitted Fly wash shall not be used in R.C.C The Contractor shall submit the Mix Design Report from Approved Laboratory and get it approved from the Engineer-in-Charge Causes for the delay in completion of the project. Inaccurate Soil Investigation Report. The Original depth of Excavation, for Foundation fixed as 5ft(1.52 m) as per tender. At the time of actual execution the depth upto loft which resulted in huge quantity variation in excavation, quantity of steel and other items necessitating further approvals from all competent authorities. This project cost overrun and period overrun could have been avoided if proper soil investigation was carried out before tendering A Major defect in planning was the decision to have an additional floor with 100 seats after the completion of the hostel building up to 3rd floor by the contractor. The right decision to have a Four storied 400 seated Hostel building initially would have saved the Project period by at least 4 months Also there could have been a saving of the total Project cost by at least 03 % TABLE OF MILESTONE (S) CASE B(1) S. No. Financial Progress Time allowed (from date of start) Amount to be withheld in case of non achievement of milestone 1 All P.C.C. and brick works up to plinth level 120 days In the event of not achieving the necessary progress as assessed 1% of the tendered value of work will be withheld for failure of each milestones 2 Complete R.C.C structure up to terrace level 240 days 3 All brick work , flooring, internal plaster, fixing of door frames and windows etc along with all related items 355 days 4 Water proofing to terrace slab, external plaster and painting, fixing of all electrical and water supply, sanitary fitting etc. complete along with handing over of building including external service connections complete. 16 months TABLE OF MILESTONE (S) CASE B(2) S. No. Physical Progress Time allowed (from date of start) Amount to be withheld in case of non achievement of milestone 1 All R.C.C. Columns 30 days In the event of not achieving the necessary progress as assessed 1% of the tendered value of work will be withheld for failure of each milestones 2 Complete R.C.C and brick work up to terrace level 90 days 3 All brick work , flooring, internal plaster, fixing of door frames and windows etc along with all related items 150 days 4 External plaster and painting, fixing of all water supply, sanitary fitting etc. complete along with handing over of building including external service connections complete. 6 months Results from the Case Study: IN GENERAL VIEWS Table 1 List of causes of delay which may affect the overall planning is categorized below (Causes of delay in large construction projects, Sadi A. Assaf *, Sadiq Al-Hejji) No. of. Causes of delay affecting the planning process Group 1 The Original contract duration is very short Project 2 Disputes between various parts Project 3 Inadequate definition of substantial completion Project 4 Ineffective delay penalties Project 5 Type of construction contract (Lump sum contract, construction only,) Project 6 Type of project bidding and award ( lowest bidder) Project 7 Delay in payments by the owner Owner 8 Delay to furnish the site to the contractor by the owner Owner 9 Revision orders by the owner during construction phase Owner 10 Late in changing and approving the design documents by the owner Owner 11 Delay in approval of drawings and the sample materials Owner 12 Improper communication by owner and other parties Owner 13 Unwillingness to make proper decisions Owner 14 Disagreements occurring between joint-ownership of the project Owner 15 Absence of incentives for contractor for finishing the work ahead of schedule Owner 16 Discontinuation of work by owner Owner 17 Financial problems faced by contractor Contractor 18 Problems in sub-contractors schedule in execution work Contractor 19 Alterations during construction due to some minor errors Contractor 20 Affray between contractor and other parties Contractor 21 Inappropriate site management by the contractor Contractor 22 Inappropriate communication by contractor with other parties Contractor 23 Poor planning of project by the contractor Contractor 24 Improper construction techniques implemented by contractor Contractor 25 Postponement in sub-contractors work Contractor 26 Inadequate standard of work by contractor Contractor 27 Periodic changes of sub-contractors Contractor 28 Poor qualification of technical staff Contractor 29 Mobilization problems at site Contractor 30 Postponement in inspection and testing by consultant Consultant 31 Delays in the approval of major changes in the scope of work by consultant Consultant 32 Inflexibility shown by the consultant Consultant 33 Improper coordination between consultant and other parties Consultant 34 Slow to review and approve the documents by the consultant Consultant 35 Issues between the consultant and the design engineer Consultant 36 Inadequate experience of consultant Consultant 37 Mistakes in the design documents Design 38 Delay in delivering the design documents Design 39 Imperfect details in drawings Design 40 Complications in understanding of the project design Design 41 Incomplete data collection survey before design Design 42 Confusion in owners requirements by design engineer Design 43 Insufficient design-team experience Design 44 Low amount of usage of advanced engineering design software Design 45 Shortage of construction materials in market Materials 46 Alterations in the type of materials and specifications during the construction Materials 47 Immobilization of material Materials 48 Damage of sorted material while they are needed urgently Materials 49 Delay in manufacturing special building materials Materials 50 Late procurement of materials Materials 51 Late in selection of finishing materials due to availability of many types in market Materials 52 Equipment breakdowns Equipment 53 Shortage of equipment Equipment 54 Low level of equipment-operators skill Equipment Equipment 55 Lack of high-technology mechanical equipment Equipment 56 Shortage of labours Labours 57 Unqualified workforces Labours No. Causes of delay Group Labours 58 Nationality of labours Labours 59 Low productivity level of labours Labours 60 Personal conflicts among labours Labours 61 Effects of subsurface conditions (e.g., soil, high water table, etc.) External 62 Delay in obtaining permits from municipality External 63 Hot weather effect on construction activities External 64 Rain effect on construction activities External 65 Unavailability of utilities in site (such as, water, electricity, telephone, etc.) External 66 Effect of social and cultural factors External 67 Traffic control and restriction at job site External 68 Accident during construction External 69 Differing site (ground) conditions External 70 Changes in government regulations and laws External 71 Holding up the work from the important utilities i.e., water, electricity etc External 72 Final inspection has been delayed by a third party External Literature Review: Definitions and Concepts of Planning and Planning issues Planning can be defined as any one of the following: 1. A decision-making process. 2. A process of anticipatory decision-making to decide what and/or how to perform actions due at some point in the future. 3. A process of integrating interdependent decisions into a system of decisions. 4. A hierarchical process evolving from general guidelines to objectives, to the elaboration of means and constraints that lead to a detailed course of action. 5. A process that includes part or all of a chain of activities comprising information search and analysis, development and design of alternatives, analysis and evaluation of alternatives and choice making. 6. The systematic employment of procedures (standardized and formal to varying degrees). 7. Documented presentation, in the form of plans. (Is construction project planning really doing its job? A critical examination of focus, role and process, A. Laufera; R. L. Tucker, Department of Construction Management, Technion IIT, Haifa, Israel b Construction Industry, Institute, The University of Texas at Austin, TX, USA) Social-Cultural-Economic Importance of Planning(POSTIVE AND NEGATIVE) Cultural Aspects: (International Measurement of the Economic and Social Importance of Culture, Prepared by John C. Gordon and Helen Beilby-Orrin) . The Australian statistical office

The Legal Atmosphere Essay -- Literary Analysis, The Woman in White

Throughout the novel The woman in White, the novelist Wilkie Collins makes evident the weight of British Due Process in the life of the characters and the happenings of the story. A series of civil wrongs dictate the turning points of the novel. The law and its execution are presented to the reader from the beginning, in the style of witnesses testimonies , that as been collected and brought to court by Walter Hartright in what we could call the legal arena of Glyde v. Glyde. â€Å"the events which fill these pages might have claimed their share of the public attention in a court of justice† (9). The legal atmosphere in The Woman in White, as described before, consists of narrative lines as if they were presented in front of a jury, and that shape what and how the events are perceived by the reader. In that sense readers become judges and jury. The narrative of the novel is one rational and structured as the one used in the atmosphere of a court of justice. For instance, after the death of supposed death of Mrs. Glyde, four key witnesses certify it. Among them a doctor, Alfred Goodricke. In his statement we can appreciate the technicality that requires his profession: â€Å"I hereby certify that I attended Lady Glyde [†¦] and that the cause of death was, Aneurism. Duration of disease, not known† (405). The jargon of a practitioner of medicine is clear, which provides credibility. He also strengthens the legal authenticity of the certificate by signing it accordingly, by leaving proof of his expertise in medicine: â€Å"Prof. Title. M.R.C.S. Eng. L.S.A. (405), f irst thing that is required of and expert in a tribunal. The legal veracity of The Woman in White is not only portrayed in the way the characters speak to the reader, but in the interac... ...le. In Collins narrative the Victorian law is presented in its true form: a blind set of strict procedures in which a law-abiding attorney will not risk his own neck in a case where evidence proves to be insufficient. As stated by Mr. Kyrle â€Å"As a lawyer, and as a lawyer only, it is my duty to tell you, Mr. Hartright, that you have not the shadow of a case... The evidence of lady Glyde's death is... clear and satisfactory† (441). The reader soon suspects that there are testimonies that contain obvious lies as Fosco's or that are just simply unreliable because the memory of the â€Å"witness† is not the best or because we are told that they are insane. A lot of suspense created by this lost of objectivity. But at the same time the credibility of the story itself suffer. However, Collins is very skillful to counter this unreliability by the veracity and realism of the law.

How do Larkin and Abse present the idea of disappointment and loss? Essay

Both Larkin and Abse write poems about disappointment and loss but both having a different idea to how it is presented In ‘Home is so sad,’ by Philip Larkin, the idea of disappointment and loss is presented through a home. The form and structure gives off spontaneous thoughts and written in two quintains and each stanza containing 5 lines. Each line contains ten syllables with a basic iambic metre and containing internal full stops. The poem has a basic rhyme scheme of A,B,A,B,A and contains enjambermont in points throughout. The title in the poem is a bit ironic because ‘home’ is associated with a warm, safe, pleasant place and shouldn’t be associated with sadness. In the first quintain, Larkin writes about when a family leaves the house to go out, â€Å"Instead, bereft of anyone to please,† meaning the house feels lost and has nobody to please and â€Å"Having no heart to put aside the theft.† The noun ‘theft’ associates w ith robbery. This metaphor is that the house has been robbed of people, and not robbed in literal. In the second quintain the poet writes â€Å"long fallen wide,† this suggests hopelessness, the term â€Å"shot† is an attempt to make things how they ought to be. Through this poem we can see that Larkin doesn’t associate loss and disappointment with serious matters like family and relationships but a house and objects. However, Abse writes his poems to do with disappointment and loss about serious matters. In ‘A Winter Visit,’ by Dannie Abse, the poet writes about his mum who has now died. The rhyme scheme in the poem goes A,B,A which creates disharmony and is made up of five tursets with three lines. In the first stanza the poet says â€Å"neighbouring lights come on before it’s dark† which is a preparation for nightime when it goes dark which would mean a preparation for his mother’s death. In the third stanza the poet starts off with â€Å"I would die† which suggests loss and possibility which is then followed by â€Å"This winter I’m half dead, son† which signals to us that she is aware death is near. The fourth stanza is then started with a modal verb ‘Yet’ which suggest certainty that the poet can’t cry at the situation and then continued with parenthesis â€Å"(although only Nothing keeps)† which shows that everything changes. These show disappointment and loss because Abse is aware of his mother’s death and understands that his mother has come to terms with it but wants to stay strong for her sake. Which then goes on to describe â€Å"white coat not a black† the poet has deliberately stated ‘not a black’ because black is the colour associated with death and would be the ideal colour under these circumstances but the poet is wearing white because he is a doctor but he isn’t behaving like he’s at a funeral. The poet then goes on to finish the fourth stanza with â€Å"even here – and am not qualified to weep† meaning Abse is qualified as a doctor but isn’t qualified to cry in this situation, which a doctor is a job associated with death every day. In the last stanza we get the sense of disappointment when Abse writes â€Å"approximate things† which is something that is not specific when you’re talking generally, but meaning he doesn’t know how long she has left so he is avoiding the issue. Through this one poem we can see that unlike Larkin, Abse writes his poems with the themes of disappointment and loss about serious matters to do with family and beloved members to him which actually have a point. However, in ‘Reference Back,’ by Philip Larkin, he starts to use the theme of disappointment and loss but writes about a serious point, his mother. But to no surprise, we get the negative view as usual through his poems and his negative style of writing in his poems. The form and structure of the poem are made up of 3 stanzas; a sestet, 9 lines and 7 lines. The fact this poem has no usual symmetry creates a sense of disharmony which is unsatisfactory. The rhyme scheme is A,A,B,B which is made up of rhyming couplets and some half rhymes which brings regularity to the poem, and filled with enjambermont â€Å"you / looked so much forward to†. In the first stanza we get the repetition of the term â€Å"unsatisfactory† which is not positive as visiting his mum is becoming a bit of a chore to him and he doesn’t enjoy it. This is then followed by â€Å"Played record after record† which is almost like a routine and does this instead of communicating w ith his mum but does it â€Å"idly† meaning he put no effort in. The adverbial of place â€Å"Wasting my time at home† is juxtaposition and â€Å"you looked so much forward to† meaning his mum looked forward to it. This presents the idea of disappointment because Larkin isn’t entirely happy about having to go and spend time with his mum before she dies which any normal person would be happy about spending time with family and having memories whereas Larkin feels as though it is a chore and has no choice that he is ‘wasting his time.’ In the second stanza at the end, we get an oxymoron â€Å"unsatisfactory prime† which means he is unhappy ‘unsatisfactory’  but prime means positive. However, in the last, third stanza, we get the sense of disappointment mainly about memories for the future and in the past. Larkin starts off with â€Å"our element is time† meaning you can’t escape time no matter what and they are â€Å"not suited to the long perspectives /open at each instant of ou r lives.† This shows a point of view and that the poet is not comfortable for them to look too far ahead because he knows his mother will pass away and doesn’t want to look back on memories due to a broken home and being full of disappointments. We get the sense of loss in the last few lines through the plural noun ‘losses showing he had a boring life and the adverb ‘blindingly’ meaning you don’t see reality. Larkin then goes on to end the poem with â€Å"By acting differently we could have kept it so† which tells us that you can never keep the same no matter what you do. Through these three poems we can clearly see that both poets use the themes disappointment and loss in different ways and both with different views.

One basic assumption of Black-Scholes model Essays

One basic assumption of Black-Scholes model Essays One basic assumption of Black-Scholes model Essay One basic assumption of Black-Scholes model Essay One basic assumption of Black-Scholes model is that the stock price is log-normally distributed with constant volatility. However, in option market, does this assumption hold? In our paper, we try to show how wrong Black-Scholes is by challenging this assumption and illustrate the difference between Black-Scholes and real world. Method used to exam mispricing problem of Black-Scholes model About Mixlognormal: The probability distribution of the stock price might be made up of a mixture of two lognormal distributions, one for the possibility of an increase in share price and the other one of a decrease. In this way, we can capture the empirical distribution of stock price; its shape must be more accurate and accordingly more likely to be the same as the distribution of the companys share price in the real world. (Precisely, if we can employ more lognormal distributions to obtain the possibility for the movement of share price, we would get better distribution to describe real world.) Therefore, we could simply test the accuracy of Black-Scholes model by comparison. About Data: We chose Six Continents as our target company to do our analysis and made a comparison between its mixlognormal distribution and Black-Scholes lognormal distribution. We chose Feb 19th as the big event date for the company, because there was a takeover bid from the management of Pizza Express on that day. The share price of Six Continents jumped more than 10% on Feb 19th and the trading volume increased more than 200%. The dates before and after the big event date are Feb 18th and Feb 20th respectively. Following this way, the mispricing drawback of Black-Scholes might be detected more easily due to the noise of big event. Interpretation of the results Using the Excel VBA programme, we got the Black- Scholes lognormal distribution and mixlognormal distribution for these two particular days. The lognormal distribution of Black-Scholes is shown in blue and the mixlognormal distribution is shown in pink. Figure 1 Mixlognormal distribution and lognormal distribution for Six Continent options on 18th, Feb 2003. Figure 2 (Figure 1 and 2 are consistent with each other. Both illustrate the option is mispriced by Black-Scholes.) Comparing these two distributions (i.e. figure 1) of the date of Feb 18th, we find that: 1, the mixlognormal distribution has a fatter left tail and thinner right tail than the lognormal distribution (This phenomenon is also supported by empirical evidence when some people analysed the S;P 500 index), and 2. Both sides of the tails in mixlognormal distribution are longer as well. 3. The right tail is longer than the left tail. For the first finding, it means that in the more accurate scenario, the volatility used to price a low strike price option (i.e. a deep-out-of-the-money put or a deep-in-the-money call) is higher than that used to price a high-strike-price-option (i.e. a deep-in -the-money put or a deep-out-of-the-money call). The second finding means that the Black-Scholes lognormal distribution chops some small probability events, but in fact, these small probability events do exist in real world. The explanation of the third finding is that the bid proposal for Six Continent leaked before the announcement date. Investors have taken the probability of takeover into consideration and predict the price will go up. The probability of the share price going up is bigger than the probability of its going down, the right tail is longer. Figure 3 Mixlognormal distribution and lognormal distribution for Six Continent options on 18th, Feb 2003. Figure 4 Comparing the mixlognormal figure with the lognormal one (i.e. figure 3) of the date of Feb 20th, we find that: 1. This relationship of the two distributions is similar to those of the date of Feb 18th. 2. The left tail is still a little bit fatter and the right side a little thinner in the mixlognormal than that of lognormal. 3. The right tail is longer than of the left tail. The interpretations of this figure are the same to the above ones. From the above comparison and analysis, we can find the reason that Black-Scholes model is often shown to misprice out-of -the money and in-the-money options relative to their at-the-money counterparts: the assumption, which states that future stock price have a lognormal distribution and equivalently future returns have a normal distribution (which both results from the assumption of stock prices following a geometric Brownian motion.), is invalid. If this assumption is neglected, the risk neutral probability density does not necessarily fall into the family of lognormal distributions but can be shaped differently. This implies, that lognormal parametric estimation of risk-neutral probabilities leads to wrong result. When we move the two mixlognormal distributions (i.e. figure 6) together and also the two Black-Scholes distributions (i.e. figure 5) together, it is obvious to find that beside the mean of the share price moving to high level, the volatility shape changes a little. The left tail of figure before the big event dates is much fatter than the left tail of the figure after the big event date. Figure 5 Lognormal distributions of Six Continent options on 18th and 20th of Feb 2003. Figure 6 Mixlognormal distribution of Six Continent options on 18th and 20th of Feb 2003. This is understandable if we accept the explanation for the volatility smile when concerns leverage. It says that as a companys share price declines in the value, the companys leverage increases. Thus the equity of the company becomes more risky and its volatility increases. When the companys share price increases, leverage decreases, then the equity become less risky and its volatility decreases. Since the bid for the Six Continents was accepted as favourable news for the shareholders, the share price had a big jump. According to the above explanation, its shares become less risky and thus lower volatility, so the left tail becomes thinner. Conclusion We estimated risk neutral density of equity option prices and compared mixlognormal distribution and lognormal distribution before and after big event. We found that the assumption (stock prices are log-normally distributed) of Black-Scholes does not hold in the real world and this hole can make the options mispriced. Appendix 1: The raw data of lognormal distribution for Six Continent options on 18th, Feb 2003. Trade 18-Feb-03 Maturity 16-Apr-03 r 0 T 0.1561644 F 554.5 sigma 0.4091905 mkt call strikes BS theory Sq Error moneyness weigted sq error 196 360 194.58 2.01 194.5000 0.0103 166.5 390 164.89 2.59 164.5000 0.0157 138 420 135.86 4.57 134.5000 0.034 101.5 460 99.5 3.98 94.5000 0.0421 69 500 67.93 1.14 54.5000 0.0211 38 550 37.88 0.01 4.5000 0.0032 17.5 600 18.77 1.62 45.5000 0.0356 7 650 8.34 1.8 95.5000 0.0188 2.5 700 3.36 0.75 145.5000 0.0051 1 750 1.25 0.06 195.5000 0.0003 0.5 800 0.43 0 245.5000 0 18.53 0.1862 Appendix 2: The raw data of lognormal distribution for Six Continent options on 20th, Feb, 2003. Trade 37672 Maturity 37727 r 0 T 0.15068493 F 615.5 sigma 0.36813434 mkt call strikes BS theory Sq Error moneyness weigted sq error 256.5 360 255.5013903 0.997221354 255.5 0.003903019 227 390 225.5132704 2.210364876 225.5 0.009802062 197 420 195.5835263 2.006397745 195.5 0.010262904 157.5 460 156.0819138 2.010968563 155.5 0.012932274 119.5 500 118.0715084 2.040588233 115.5 0.017667431 76.5 550 75.70383997 0.633870793 65.5 0.009677417 42.5 600 42.91727918 0.174121912 15.5 0.011233672 21 650 21.38061239 0.144865789 34.5 0.004199008 9 700 9.401761762 0.161412513 84.5 0.001910207 3.5 750 3.688784898 0.035639738 134.5 0.000264979 1 800 1.308782808 0.095346823 184.5 0.000516785 0.5 850 0.425705755 0.005519635 234.5 2.35379E-05 10.51631797 0.082393295 Appendix 3: The raw data of mixlognormal distribution for Six Continent options on 18th, Feb, 2003. Trade 18-Feb-03 Maturity 16-Apr-03 r 0 T 0.1561644 F 554.5 F1 613.42684 sigm1 0.0050015 F2 545.13413 sigma2 0.4331614 p 0.1371431 Cmarket X Cimplied (Cmarket-Cimplied)^2 Implied sigma by BS 196 360 194.6650299 1.782145105 0.605651935 166.5 390 165.1475618 1.82908915 0.53766516 138 420 136.4577704 2.378472184 0.502173454 101.5 460 100.7421585 0.574323782 0.454991983 69 500 69.60810609 0.369793012 0.424942163 38 550 38.86792249 0.753289445 0.410555737 17.5 600 17.00376787 0.246246324 0.393289282 7 650 6.928636732 0.005092716 0.38547187 2.5 700 2.914632833 0.171920386 0.382378979 1 750 1.14301875 0.020454363 0.394114927 0.5 800 0.422795028 0.005960608 0.417111769 8.136787075 Appendix 4: The raw data of mixlognormal distribution for Six Continent options on 20th, Feb 2003 Trade 20-Feb-03 Maturity 16-Apr-03 r 0 T 0.1506849 F 615.5 F1 631.64945 sigm1 0.005 F2 613.47651 sigma2 0.3942533 p 0.1113462 Cmarket X Cimplied (Cmarket-Cimplied)^2 Implied sigma by BS 256.5 360 255.5039835 0.992048772 0.684121728 227 390 255.5291768 2.163320768 0.634591317 197 420 195.6487533 1.825867624 0.544725925 157.5 460 156.3364319 1.353890697 0.457835271 119.5 500 118.6654525 0.696469529 0.411053745 76.5 550 76.50974266 9.49E-05 0.380098628 42.5 600 42.7445391 0.059799374 0.363618501 21 650 20.42471433 0.330953606 0.363939585 9 700 9.572591543 0.327861075 0.362150688 3.5 750 4.077689599 0.333725272 0.363395708 1 800 1.597153827 0.356592693 0.351554917 0.5 850 0.581926491 0.00671195 0.376206304 8.447336279

Increasing of Medicaid Cost

Increasing of Medicaid Cost Introduction Medicaid cost has been increasing gradually in the past four decades and projection shows that, the trend might overtake growth of the United States’ economy. Since the inception of the Medicaid program in 1965, its cost has increased from 0.4% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to 2.7% of GDP in 2009, which is quite alarming given that economic growth is slow and susceptible to economic crises.Advertising We will write a custom proposal sample on Increasing of Medicaid Cost specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Although increased Medicaid cost is attributable to expansion of eligible beneficiaries, medical care and services have increased significantly, thus causing Medicaid cost to increase faster than the growth of GDP. According to Truffer, Klemm, Wolfe, and Rennie (2010), projection shows that, annual growth rate of Medicaid cost is 8.3%, which is unusually high when compared to the annual growth rate of GDP that stan ds at 5.1% (35). The federal and state governments are now grappling with the increasing Medicaid cost for it consumes significant part of already constraint budget in the face of economic difficulties. The increasing cost of Medicaid is unsustainable and, thus threatens the livelihood of the 60 million beneficiaries who entirely rely on Medicaid to access health care and medical services. Given that there is a high growth rate of Medicaid cost as compared to GDP growth, it is predictable that Medicaid expenditure is unsustainable; therefore, program evaluation is necessary to give appropriate recommendations that are robust in enhancing the sustainability of the Medicaid program. Problem Statement The increasing cost of Medicaid relative to GDP predicts that, Medicaid program is quite unsustainable if there are no effective reforms to change its legislations and policies as means of enhancing its sustainability. The gradual increase in Medicaid cost, in the past four decades since its inception, indicates that, the cost is going to increase exponentially in future unless appropriate comprehensive reforms are in place to reverse or slow the trends. Even though the increasing trends of Medicaid cost are attributable to expansion of eligible beneficiaries, health care and medical services are also increasingly becoming expensive, thus placing an extra burden on health care system, state, and federal government.Advertising Looking for proposal on health medicine? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Zommorrodian and Matei (2010) argue that, program evaluation is necessary as it helps many organizations to formulate and implement programs that are cost-effective and efficient in delivery of services people (979). Hence, for the state and federal government to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of Medicaid program, recommendations of program evaluation are central in conducting comprehensive refor ms. Therefore, this research paper seeks to conduct program evaluation with a view of increasing cost of Medicaid to enhance effectiveness, efficiency, and accountability of Medicaid program. Purpose of Study The purpose of the study is to evaluate Medicaid program to ascertain its effectiveness, efficiency, and accountability in delivery of health care and medical services to the poor people. The study seeks to assess and evaluate roles of Medicaid in providing health care and medical services to the poor people in health care system with a view of formulating appropriate recommendations to enhance effectiveness, efficiency, and accountability of Medicaid program. Given that, since its inception in 1965, medical costs have been increasing gradually and are threatening to overtake the annual growth rate of GPD, the study will examine factors that contributed to the steady increase in Medicaid costs in the past four decades. Even though increasing Medicaid cost is seemingly proportio nal to expansion of eligibility criteria of beneficiaries, there may be other confounding variables, which contribute to the skyrocketing cost of Medicaid. Hence, the study will assess whether current policies and legislations are functioning effectively and efficiently in a cost-effective. Since Medicaid is a long-term program that helps the poor to afford and access health care and medical services, the study will also assess its sustainability.Advertising We will write a custom proposal sample on Increasing of Medicaid Cost specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Although Medicaid is currently serving over 60 million poor people, DeParle (2000) argues that, sustainability is a serious challenge because it requires a substantial deal of resources that federal and state government cannot offer in future due to increasing Medicaid cost that gives escalating pressure on economic resources (26). Thus, the study seeks to examine whether curren t policies and legislations of Medicaid provide for long-term utilization of health care and medical services by the poor as a way of determining sustainability of the program. Moreover, the study will assess if eligibility criteria of selecting beneficiaries is fair and objective to prevent unnecessary recruitment of the rich people who are able to access and afford health care and medical services. Thus, the study needs to establish if eligibility criterion is effective and efficient in selecting appropriate beneficiaries of Medicaid. The study will also conduct a survey to examine whether Medicaid beneficiaries receive health care and medical services, which are commensurate to the state and federal funding of Medicaid. In the survey, the study will assess if health care services that beneficiaries receive are proportional to medical cost that Medicaid pay. Assessment of health care services is critical as it depicts how Medicaid spends money and how beneficiaries receive health care services. Existence of inconsistencies will indicate that Medicaid is not using its funds effectively and efficiently in providing medical services to the poor. Thus, the study will carry out a comparative analysis of funds and medical services that Medicaid beneficiaries receive in health care system. Moreover, the study will evaluate the quality of medical services that Medicaid beneficiaries get from health care system relative to medical services that the rich obtain from health care system. Disparity in medical services that the poor and the rich get from the health care system will indicate the effectiveness and efficiency of Medicaid program.Advertising Looking for proposal on health medicine? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Hypotheses The study hypothesizes that increasing cost of Medicaid is partly due to expansion of eligibility criteria, which has some deficiencies and thus requires appropriate reforms to streamline it. The inclusion of unnecessary beneficiaries into Medicaid overstretches the budge, which is already constrained by the economic meltdown. Furthermore, the study hypothesizes that federal and state funding of is ineffective because there is differential expenditure on Medicaid across states. Truffer, Klemm, Wolfe, and Rennie (2010) argue that the federal government spends about 7% of its budget on Medicaid, while the state government spends about 21% of its budget on Medicaid (33). Hence, government spending does not consider the disparity in the needs of poor people in various states, thus a challenge in the provision of health care services by Medicaid and health care system. The study also hypothesizes that, there is poor provision of health care and medical services by health care system despite the fact that Medicaid spends billions of dollars yearly. Thus, overall, the study assumes that there are inefficiencies in Medicaid program that need evaluation and assessment to obtain recommendations, which will form the basis of comprehensive reforms essential in enhancing efficiency and effectiveness of Medicaid and delivery health care services to the beneficiaries. Limitations of the Study The study will have a general assessment of policies and legislation of Medicaid to establish the extent of their implementation in Medicaid program; thus, the findings will be more of generalization rather than specific. Concerning the eligibility criteria, the study examines the eligibility of the poor and low-income earners, and this factor limits the application of the findings because it does not consider eligibility of disabled people, pregnant women, and people living with HIV. The study also assess and evaluate Medicaid from both federal and state level without exami ning specified state; thus, the findings may not reflect specified disparities that exist in various states. Since study will collect data from one state, the findings will have limited application within the state, for they have low external validity that makes extrapolation of the findings impossible. Ultimately, the findings have limitation because the study will only assess effectiveness and efficiency of Medicaid based on data from beneficiaries, Medicaid records, and health care system. Delimitations The study will not examine specified policies and legislations that different states employ when implementing Medicaid program. Given that there are different groups of Medicaid beneficiaries, the study will not assess people living with HIV, pregnant women and people with severe disability because they do not forma significant part of beneficiaries relative to the poor people. The study will not also evaluate effectiveness and efficiency of Medicaid in different states, but rat her examines one state as a model of other states. Moreover, the study will seek to assess quality of health care services that Medicaid beneficiaries receive, but will not examine disparities that exist from one state to another. Importance of the Study Due to the increasing Medicaid cost, assessment and evaluation of Medicaid program, in terms of its efficiency and effectiveness, in delivery of health care services to the poor, is crucial in the formulation and implementation of policies and legislation in a cost-effective manner. Given that increasing cost of Medicaid depicts that Medicaid program is unsustainable with its current policies and legislations, program evaluation is going to give appropriate recommendations that are essential in conducting comprehensive reforms that enhance sustainability of the program. The formulation and implementation of comprehensive reforms are critical because, unsustainable Medicare spells doom to the over 60 million beneficiaries most of wh ich are poor people relying on Medicaid to access and afford health care services. Thus, it is imperative to conduct a study to assess efficiency, effectiveness and accountability of Medicaid program with a view of giving robust recommendations that will reverse or slow trends of increasing cost of Medicaid and improve the quality of health care services that the poor obtain from health care system. Literature Review The Congress established Medicaid in 1965 as a health program to enable the poor people access and afford quality health care services that they require. Given that significant number of the poor did not have the capacity to access and afford quality health care services, congress established Medicaid as a social and health program that promotes health of the poor and elderly. From 1965, Medicaid has been expanding gradually because criteria for eligibility has expanded and included distinctive groups such as people living with HIV, pregnant women and people with disabi lities amongst other exceptional groups. Expansion of eligibility criteria has caused tremendous increase in the number of Medicaid beneficiaries, which consequently resulted into increasing cost of Medicaid. Increasing cost of Medicaid is detrimental to state and federal budgets because it constitutes about 7% and 21% of their respective budgets. Egert (2003) asserts that, Medicaid cost has increased exponentially in the past five years and severely strain state budget, making every state experience fiscal crisis (4). Thus, reforms are essential to provide means of alleviating the impact of the increasing number of Medicaid beneficiaries on state and federal budget. Medicaid started as a health program with noble objectives of helping the poor to afford and access quality health care services, and has currently expanded and included other notable groups, which are also unprivileged in society. Although the expansion of Medicaid has helped many people to afford and access quality he alth care services by creating equality in health care system, it has cost the state and federal government a fantastic deal of resources since Medicaid cost is increasing faster than the rate of economic growth of the United States. According to Dorn (2004), conservative policymakers are against expansion of Medicaid because it will not only increase pressure on state and federal budget but also increases share of the federal government on health care system that has increased from 9% to 33 % within a period of four decades (2). Thus, conservative policymakers want Medicaid to benefit only the poor because expansion will create many complications in terms of policy formulation and implementation as well as funding. Moreover, after the expansion of Medicaid criteria for eligibility, it caused unprecedented increase in the number of beneficiaries and concomitantly increased the cost of Medicaid. Expansion of the eligibility criterion to include people living with HIV has helped about 44% of their population in that; about 90% of children and 55% of adults are Medicaid beneficiaries. Therefore, it means that children form a significant part of beneficiaries who are living with HIV. Moreover, the eligibility criterion has expanded and included people with disability. Sheldon (2005) argues that, people with a disability are eligible to become Medicaid beneficiaries in spite of their levels of income because Medicaid is their primary health care insurance (5). Thus, a significant population of people with disabilities is eligible for Medicaid. Overall, expansion of eligibility criteria has impacted negatively on efficiency and effectiveness of Medicaid program in delivering quality health care services to its beneficiaries, particularly to the poor as anticipated early during the inception of the program. Therefore, Medicaid program is experiencing challenges in terms of formulation and implementation of policies and legislations to keep in tandem with increasing n umber of beneficiaries as well as cost of Medicaid. Since the cost of Medicaid seems to be unsustainable, comprehensive reforms are essential to streamline policies and legislations regarding eligibility criteria, management of funds and delivery of quality health care services to the increasing number of beneficiaries. Currently, it is predictable that Medicaid cost is going to overtake the growth of the United States economy unless appropriate reforms are in place to reverse or slow the ever-increasing cost of Medicaid (Levy 2008: 7). Thus, evaluation of Medicaid program is timely to provide robust recommendations that are essential in averting predictable health care crisis that may affect Medicaid beneficiaries. Methodology Scope and Purpose The purpose of the study is to evaluate Medicaid program by determining its efficiency, effectiveness, and accountability in delivering health care and medical services to the poor. To achieve its purpose, the study will examine the extent t o which Medicaid has implemented its policies and legislations towards achieving its objective of helping the poor to afford and access quality health care and medical services. Thus, to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of Medicaid program, the study will explore and collect primary data from Medicaid officials with a view of assessing the extent to which they have implemented relevant policies and legislations relative to expectations of the program. Moreover, the study will assess whether program activities are still in the program theory by evaluating process indicators of Medicaid program. Given that, Medicaid program is experiencing a challenge of increasing cost that seems to threaten its sustainability; the study will assess cost-effectiveness of its activities in delivering quality health care to the poor. To ascertain the impact of the program, the study will assess outcome indicators by collecting primary data from the poor, who are Medicaid beneficiaries. Evaluat ion Questions The study will conduct a survey, which targets two kinds of participants: Medicaid officials and beneficiaries. Medicaid officials will give information that is necessary in evaluating the extent to which Medicaid has implemented its policies and legislations. Moreover, they will also provide information that will enable researchers to examine process indicators and evaluate their effectiveness and efficiency in delivery of quality health care and medical services to the poor. Medicaid officials will also provide data regarding cost-effectiveness of Medicaid given that its cost is increasing gradually while threatening sustainability of the program. Hence, the following questions target Medicaid officials: Has Medicaid program implemented its policies and legislations according to its objectives? Is Medicaid program keeping in tandem with the program’s theory of helping the poor to access and afford health care and medical services? What are the recent reforms that Medicaid has done to improve delivery of health care and medical services to the poor? Since Medicaid cost is increasing gradually and is threatening the sustainability of the program, what are the cost-effective measures that are in place to reverse or slow increasing trends of cost? Is an eligibility criterion reliable in selecting beneficiaries who are low-income earners? Does Medicaid has contingency measures of coping with unprecedented increase in beneficiaries and subsequent Medicaid cost? What reforms are essential to enhance sustainability, effectiveness, and efficiency of Medicaid program? Additionally, the study will target Medicaid beneficiaries to collect formation that is necessary to assess outcomes or impact of Medicaid program on the poor. Thus, the study seeks to answer the following questions. Do you obtain quality health care and medical services through Medicaid Program? Does heath care system gives you quality health care and medical services as the rich p eople who have other insurance covers. Are you happy being a beneficiary of Medicaid? Has Medicaid effectively relieved your financial expenditure on medical bills? Since you became a beneficiary, has Medicaid improved or degraded quality of services that it offered with time? Since Medicaid expanded its eligibility criteria, has quality of health care and medical services changed for better or for worse? If you were in a position of influence, what are the recommendations that you would give to improve the delivery of quality health care and medical services? Target Populations The study will target Medicaid officials who are at the state level, who have vast experience regarding the formulation and implementation of policies and legislations that critical in enhancing Medicaid program to achieve its objectives. Medicaid officials are appropriate participants of the study because they can provide critical information concerning formulation and implementation of policies and legisl ations. Moreover, Medicaid officials know challenges that Medicaid is experiencing, for instance expansion of eligibility criteria, increasing number of beneficiaries and the rising cost that threatens the sustainability of the program among other related challenges. Fundamentally, Medicaid officials are appropriate participants because they can offer firsthand information to study that is critical in assessing and evaluating the efficiency and effectiveness of Medicaid program in providing quality health care and medical services that are not only accessible, but also affordable to the poor. Thus, the study will target Medicaid officials who manage Medicaid program at state levels. To assess outcome or impact of Medicaid program, the study will target Medicaid beneficiaries who obtain health care and medical services from local health centers. Medicaid beneficiaries will provide relevant information concerning quality of health care and medical services, which health care system of fers to them as beneficiaries of Medicaid. The quality of health care and medical services is a parameter that measures whether Medicaid program is delivering services to the poor as envisaged by its objectives. Since the Medicaid objective and program theory is to help the poor access and afford quality health care and medical services, Medicaid beneficiaries have relevant feedback, for they are consumers of services that Medicaid program offers. Therefore, Medicaid beneficiaries are appropriate participants of the study because they know quality of health care and medical services that Medicaid provide to the poor, and thus provide reliable information that is robust in assessment of Medicaid outcomes. Sampling Frames The study will sample 50 participants from Medicaid officials who are managing Medicaid program at the state level. A criterion of sampling is that the participants must be in managerial positions with experiences of more than 10 years when serving under Medicaid. Si nce Medicaid officials are remarkably few compared to Medicaid beneficiaries, 50 participants will give sufficient information that is critical in assessing the extent of implementing policies and legislations, program theory and other process indicators. Since there are various Medicaid offices within a state, the study will ensure that at least every office gets a chance to participate in the study. Sampling of participants from every Medicaid office within the state will enhance representation of Medicaid officials and improve external validity of the findings. The 50 participants are significant for the study to collect primary data, which is reliable and can give robust recommendations that are applicable to other states through extrapolation. Thus, the study will rely on primary data from the sample of 50 participants who represent Medicaid officials. Since the study also targets Medicaid beneficiaries, it will sample 150 participants. The study will sample 150 participants to enhance external validity of the study as well as considering the availability of resources to conduct an extensive survey. The study will sample participants based on the number of years that they have benefitted from Medicaid as eligible beneficiaries. The study will sample beneficiaries who have more than five years in utilizing Medicaid services in various health care centers. Medicaid beneficiaries, who have been relying on Medicaid services for over a period of five years, are appropriate because they understand long-term variation in quality of health care and medical services. Moreover, the study will also sample Medicaid beneficiaries who are married so that they can give essential information regarding how their family members have been receiving health care and medical services. Hence, 150 participants must be having over five years as Medicaid beneficiaries and must be married. Program Design To assess process indicators of Medicaid program, the study will conduct a qua litative study by administering open-ended questionnaires to 50 participants, who are Medicaid officials. The questionnaires will contain evaluation questions that seek to assess the effectiveness and efficiency of Medicaid program in delivering quality health care and medical services to the poor. Researcher will visit various Medicaid offices within the state and administer questionnaires to participants. The study will continue for a period of one week to ensure that all participants answer their questionnaires effectively. The questionnaires have evaluation questions that will enable researchers to collect robust data for assessing the efficiency and effectiveness of Medicaid program through process indicators. The study will also conduct a qualitative study to assess outcome indicators of Medicaid program by administering open-ended questionnaires to 150 participants derived from Medicaid beneficiaries. Given that the 150 participants have more than five years in utilizing Medi caid services, their vast knowledge regarding variation in quality of health care and medical services is an asset to assessment of Medicaid outcome or impact on the poor. Hence, open-ended questionnaires are appropriate in assessing quality of health care and medical services that Medicaid deliver to the poor. Hence, feedback from 150 participants is reliable in assessing quality of Medicaid services and their impact on the lives of the poor, who entirely rely on it as the only medical insurance available to them. Data Collection and Processing The study will collect qualitative data using open-ended questionnaires by administering them to 50 participants. The 50 participants are Medicaid officials sampled from various Medicaid offices. These participants have extensive experience of over 10 years serving under Medicaid, and currently, they hold managerial positions where they influence formulation and implementation of policies. To collect appropriate data, researchers will visit numerous Medicaid offices to administer open-ended questionnaires to the 50 participants. The researchers will have a period of one week to administer the questionnaires to participants and ensure that they complete their questionnaires appropriately. After administering questionnaires and collecting relevant data, the researchers will then analyze the data and provide it in summary form. Likewise, the study will collect qualitative data from 150 participants, who are Medicaid beneficiaries. To collect qualitative data, the study will employ open-ended questionnaires, which seek to answer evaluation questions that are critical in assessing quality of health care and medical services, which Medicaid offers to the poor. To access 150 participants who are married and who have been relying on Medicaid for more than five years, the researchers will visit various health care centers where participants usually obtain health care and medical services. As in the case of Medicaid officials, t he researchers will administer the questionnaires for a period of one week to ensure that all participants complete their questionnaires and eventually summarize the data for further analysis. Data Analysis The study will analyze data in terms of process indicators and outcome indicators. To assess the effectiveness and efficiency of Medicaid policies and legislations in delivery of quality health care and medical services, the study will analyze qualitative data by examining whether Medicaid have achieved significant progress through process indicators. The study will assess whether Medicaid policies and legislations are in tandem with program theory, and logic model of helping the poor to access and afford quality health care and medical services in the health care system. Additionally, to assess whether Medicaid is delivering quality services to the poor, the study will analyze and summarize questionnaires to derive relevant information regarding Medicaid impact using outcome ind icators. Outcome indicators will show if Medicaid beneficiaries are receiving quality health care and medical services as per the program theory. Thus, comprehensive analysis of the data will give robust recommendations that are critical in reforming Medicaid to achieve its noble objectives in providing quality health care to the poor. Conclusion Medicaid is a health program established by the Congress in 1965 to enhance accessibility and affordability of health care services to the poor and unprivileged in the society. It has gradually grown with time due to expansion of eligibility criterion of selecting beneficiaries. The eligibility criterion has included pregnant women, people living with HIV and disabled people among other distinct groups who need medical services. Due to increase in beneficiaries, Medicaid cost has been increasing faster than growth of GDP, hence threatening the sustainability of the program. Thus, to enhance sustainability, the study proposes to evaluate Med icaid program by assessing effectiveness and efficiency of implementing policies and legislations. Moreover, the study proposes to assess the quality of health care and medical services that Medicaid offers to the poor. Reference List DeParle, Nancy-Ann. 2000. A Profile of Medicaid. U.S. Department of Health and  Human Services, 1-87. Dorn, Stan. 2004. Medicaid Coverage for Poor Adults: A potential Building Block for Bipartisan Health Reform. Economic and Social Reform Institute, 1-25. Egert, Beau. 2003. Medicaid Issues and Challenges. Texas Public Policy Foundation, 4-11. Levy, Elliot. 2008. Gifted and Medicaid. Journal of Finance and Accountancy, 1-8. Sheldon, James. 2005. Medicaid and Persons with Disabilities: A Focus on Eligibility, Covered Services and Program Structure. School of Industrial and Labor Relations Employment and Disability Institute, 1-24. Truffer, Christopher, John Klemm, Christian Wolfe, and Kathryn Rennie. 2010. Actuarial Report on the Financial Outlook for Medicaid. Centers for Medicare Medicaid Services, 1-39. Zommorrodian, Asghar, and Lucica Matei. 2010. Program Evaluation: Its Significance and Priority for Shaping and Modification of Public Policies: A comparative Analysis. American Society of Business and Social Sciences 17, no.1 (February): 979-996.