Asian American History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Asian American History - Essay Example The paper explores Southeast Asian migration to the US in the wake of the Southeast Asian crisis and their subsequent experiences in the alien land and how they coped up in a given situation. Early Migrations Takaki dates Asian migration back to 1835 when a sugar mill owner began his sugar business in Hawaii. Local workers were not efficient enough to carry on his sugar mill operations. When he replaced them with Chinese workers, he found them more efficient. Perhaps, that was the first time when Chinese or Asian workers got its due recognition so much so that during laying of transcontinental railroads in 1834, it was decided to employ Chinese workers. By 1867, there were more than twelve thousand Chinese workers employed at the Central Pacific Railroad Soon stories of Hawaii were reaching to other shores. Between 1903 and 1920, in their bid to escape from the clutches of Japanese, more than eight thousand Koreans migrated to the US. The migration to the U.S. from other Asian countr ies such as Korea, Philippines, and India continued unabated (Takaki 21, 53). The Global Cold War and Hot Wars of Southeast Asia The end of World War II marked a new beginning of Asian migrations in the US. The global cold war between the Soviet Union and the US intensified after the end of World War II and Asia became a battleground in a process to leave an imprint on many underdeveloped and poor Asian countries by the two diametrically opposite economic and political ideologies – namely the USSR and the US. Cambodia which was a French colony until 1953 had a major political upheaval thereafter. Chandler mentions the radical thinking of Pol Pot: â€Å"We all carry vestiges of our old class character, deep-rooted for generations† (44). He believed in destroying these things in order to achieve socialism. The fight between Lon Nol's Khmer Republic supported by the U.S. and the Khmer Rouge supported by communists from North Vietnam brought an extraordinary turmoil within the country. Communism was exported to Cambodia via Vietnam during the time when both were under French rule. The Civil war in 1970-75 took the toll of more than 500,000 people and displaced more than three million people from its place. Khmer Rouge's ideology had several facets. As Chan puts it, "Fearing pollution or contamination, they savagely went about eradicating all those whom they deemed impure" ("Cambodia’s Darkest Hour" 14). Khmer Rouge believed more in the concept of race overthrowing the concept of class. It was neither a peasant revolution nor a revolution meant for working class. That is why Khmer Rouge began evacuating Phnom Penh on the same day after capturing it. In a most pathetic incident, the patients from the largest civilian hospital from the Phnom Penh were evacuated first. In a few days, the city's entire population was asked to move on the plea that Americans might bomb. In a bizarre and well-thought out move, approximately 2.5 million people were as ked to leave their houses and places. Some of the Khmer leaders, such as Hou Yuon who opposed the evacuation, were removed from the scene. The citizens were completely baffled and wandering without shelter and food. Thousands of them died of illness, thirst, and starvation. The former military officers and government officials who were called to take specific instructions never returned.

The Global Significance of the Middle East Essay Example for Free

The Global Significance of the Middle East Essay Middle East, a term for an indefinite region centered on southwest Asia and extending into North Africa. According to the most widely accepted definition, the region includes Turkey, Cyprus, Syria, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Israel, Jordan, Egypt and all the countries of the Arabian Peninsula. According to other definitions, it includes various adjacent countries. The term originated in the early 20th century and came into popular use during the World War II. The older term Near East, now becoming obsolete, sometimes was also used to include the Balkan countries as well as the lands around the eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea. Much of the Middle East is desert or semidesert, and most of the people are clustered in oases or river valleys, where water makes the land productive. It was in these centers that some of the world’s earliest known civilizations flourished. From the Middle East, also, came three major religions—Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Today, the people are predominantly Moslem (Islamic); about half use the Arabic language. The regions principal assets today lie in its rich oil fields, mainly in the Persian Gulf region, which have more than half of the world’s proven reserves. This wealth has placed new importance on Middle East’s position at the junction of three continents, where it controls vital links in the international transportation system. There has scarcely been any period in the history, however, when significant developments did not center on the Middle East. Middle East is a very rich country basically because of its oil reserves and other resources. But lately it has been a source of chaos and tragedy among the individuals living in it. Other countries are envious of what they have and therefore are doing things that could ruin the reputation and stand of Middle East. Some citizens also of Middle East, specifically the â€Å"armed groups† makes it hard for their own country to be more affluent and be well- developed because peace and order is one of the factors that has to be considered. Hence, the government itself within Middle East should take proper actions for the amelioration of their country and for their people as well. References: 1. â€Å"Middle East†. New Standard Encyclopedia. Volume 11. Pages 342-348. 2. Armajani, Yahya, and Thomas Ricks. The Middle East. Prentice Hall, 1986.

Their Common Enemy :: essays research papers

Their Common Enemy It is known that a number of students dislike school. School is a big topic of conversation in every student's life. Some students enjoy the work but most talk about how horrible it is. Take a random group of students; have an open discussion on school work and you will find that students will be agreeing with each other about how stressed they are. The students found a common enemy and it brought them closer because they could talk bad about school and agree with each other. Just like the students who bond when talking about schoolwork, Linda and Willy from Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller, bond when they discuss money. "Well it makes 70 dollars and some pennies, That's very good (35)." Linda says this to Willy after she found out that his pay wasn't as expected. Whenever they talk about paying their mortgage they seem to compromise and have a healthy conversation. Usually when they talk about other important issues, they end up arguing because Willy has a short temper. "You shouldn't have criticized him, Willy, especially after he just got off the train. You mustn't lose your temper with him (15)." Willy has no shame because he will talk about anyone and not care. Talking about their mortgage helps them to stay together by agreeing with one another. Whenever the topic comes up, their moods totally change and even though they might not know it; they act as if paying their mortgage is their favorite thing to discuss. "WILLY: `Well, that's a great thing. To weather a twenty-five year mortgage is ------ .' LINDA: `It's and accomplishment.' (73). When they are almost done paying they are very happy and even Willy makes a comment; but he stops himself from expressing his true feelings. Why? Why does Willy prevent himself from being happy with the good things that he has in his life? He tries to live a life that doesn't exist and ends up agonizing. He should just enjoy what he already has and work with it. What ends up happening is that Willy becomes his own enemy so it's not about the mortgage or money anymore. He is the enemy and Linda, Biff and Happy are the one's that come together to help Willy be content. LINDA: `He's dying Biff.' BIFF: `Why is he dying?' LINDA: `He's been trying to kill himself.' (58)" Linda and Biff come together even more because of Willy trying to commit suicide. Willy is destroying himself because he is too much of a dreamer. Linda talks to Willy realistically and tries to break up his dreams.

Anaemia

Abstract Background: Anaemia is common worldwide specially in developing countries where nutrient deficiencies are prevalent. It is a common problem in the outpatient set but it’s always neglected and taken lightly which can cause hyperdynamic circulation disturbances and raise the rate of morbidity and mortality. Aim: To determine the prevalence of microcytic Hypochromic anaemia in medicine emergency room casualty in academy teaching hospital. Method: This is a descriptive cross-sectional study which was done in the Academy Teaching Hospital in which 75 of the emergency room patients participated in the study.The state of nutrition of the patients was evaluated by a questionnaire answered by the patients. Chapter One Introduction and Literature Review 1. 1 Introduction Anaemia Anaemia is defined as the reduction in the oxygen-transporting capacity of blood, which usually stems from a reduction of the total circulating red cell mass to below normal amounts. Blood haemoglobi n level is below 13. 5 g/dl in an adult male and below 11. 5 g/dl in an adult female. (1) Classification: Classified according to: 1. Causes: a. Inadequate production of RBC. b. Blood loss anaemia: * Acute: due to acute hemorrhage. * Chronic: due to GIT bleeding, menorrhagia. . Excessive destruction of RBC (haemolysis). 2. Morphology: a. Microcytic: * Iron deficiency. * Thalassemia. * Sideroblastic. b. Microcytic: * Folate deficiency. * B12 deficiency. c. Normocytic: * Aplastic anaemia. * Myelodysplastic anaemia. There are many undiagnosed cases of anaemia that if left undetected can lead to several complications, those include: (2) 1. Infections: people with the anaemia are more susceptible to getting infections from viruses and bacteria. 2. Severe bleeding: if bleeding is severe, internal and excessive then death can ensue if a blood transfusion is not given and the cause of the bleeding is not treated. . Stroke: if haemoglobin is defective, it can damage the walls of the red bloo d vessels and this can result in narrowing or even blockages in the brain, which can lead to serious, life threatening strokes. (2) Microcytic Hypochromic Anaemia Microcytic anemia is a blood disorder characterized by small red blood cells (erythrocytes) which have insufficient haemoglobin and hence have a reduced ability to carry oxygen through the body. The red blood cells are small due to a failure of haemoglobin synthesis or insufficient quantities of haemoglobin available. (3) Classification: 1. Iron deficiency anaemia . Sideroblastic anaemia. 3. Thalassemia. Iron deficiency anaemia It’s estimated to be the main cause of anaemia affecting about 10% of the population in developed countries and 25-50% in developing countries. The prevalence of iron deficiency anemia in the United States was 2 percent in adult men, but was found to be more common in child-bearing women age. (4) Total body iron content is about 2gm for females, and 6gm for males. Most of the iron within the body is found in hemoglobin within erythrocytes (80%), with the remainder being found in myoglobin and iron containing enzymes.Iron is stored in liver, spleen, bone marrow and skeletal muscle. This iron storage pool contains on average 15-20% of total body iron. (4) Iron is transported in the plasma by an iron binding protein called transferrin. In normal individuals, transferrin is about 33% saturated with iron. Dietary iron is obtained either from inorganic sources or animal sources. Dietary iron enters intestinal cells via specific transporters. The iron is then used by the cell, stored as ferritin or transferred to the plasma. (4) Erythropoiesis is the development process in which new erythrocytes are produced, through which each cell matures in about 7 days.Through this process erythrocytes are continuously produced in the red bone marrow of large bones, at a rate of about 2 million per second in a healthy adult. The blood's red color is due to the spectral properties of the he mic iron ions in hemoglobin. The red blood cells of an average adult human male store collectively about 2. 5 grams of iron, representing about 65% of the total iron contained in the body. (5)(6) Causes: * Poor intake. * Decreased absorption (celiac disease, gastrectomy). * Increased demand in growing adolescents and pregnancy. * Blood loss from GIT due to: * Hookworm infestation. Erosions associated with NSAID, peptic ulcer or neoplastic disease. * Hemorrhoids. * Blood loss from irregular or excessive menstruation. Symptoms and signs (7) Symptoms may include: * Fatigue. * Shortness of breath * Lightheadedness. * Palpitations. * Dizziness. * Chest pain. * Blurred vision. * Sleep disturbance. Signs may include: * Rapid heart rate. * Low blood pressure. * Rapid breathing. * Pale conjunctiva. * Cold skin. * Enlargement of the spleen. Diagnosis of iron deficiency anaemia: * Complete blood count and color: with iron deficiency anaemia red blood cells are smaller and paler in color than n ormal. Hematocrit: This is the percentage of blood volume made up by red blood cells. Normal levels are generally 41% for adult women and 47% for adult men. These values may change depending on your age. * Haemoglobin: Lower than normal hemoglobin levels indicate anemia (12-16 g/dl in an adult male and 13. 7-17. 5 g/dl in an adult female). * Ferritin: This protein helps store iron in your body, and a low level of ferritin usually indicates a low level of stored iron. Some tests might be done to detect the underlying cause, like: * Endoscopy: Often to check for bleeding from a hiatal hernia, an ulcer or the stomach. Colonoscopy: To rule out lower intestinal sources of bleeding. * Ultrasound: Women may also have a pelvic ultrasound to look for the cause of excess menstrual bleeding, such as uterine fibroids. (8)(9) Sideroblastic anaemia It is a disease in which the bone marrow produces ringed sideroblasts rather than healthy red blood cells (erythrocytes). [10] In Sideroblastic anemia , the body has iron available but cannot incorporate it into hemoglobin, which red blood cells need to transport oxygen efficiently.Sideroblasts are atypical, abnormal nucleated erythroblasts (precursors to mature red blood cells) with granules of iron accumulated in perinuclear mitochondria. [11] Sideroblasts are seen in aspirates of bone marrow. Causes: * Failure to completely form heme molecules, This leads to deposits of iron in the mitochondria that form a ring around the nucleus of the developing red blood cell. * Toxins: lead, copper or zinc poisoning * Drug-induced: ethanol, isoniazid, chloramphenicol, cycloserine, Oral Contraceptives * Nutritional: pyridoxine (Vitamin B6) or copper deficiency * Diseases: Rheumatoid arthritis, or multiple myeloma Genetic: ALA synthase deficiency (X-linked, associated with ALAS2)[12] Symptoms and signs: * Pale skin, eyelids and lips. * Fatigue and weakness. * Dizziness. * Enlarged liver and/or spleen. Diagnosis: Ringed sideroblasts are seen i n the bone marrow. Laboratory findings: * Increased ferritin levels * Normal total iron-binding capacity * Hematocrit of about 20-30% * Serum Iron: High * High transferrin saturation * The mean corpuscular volume or MCV is usually normal or low. * With lead poisoning, see coarse basophilic stippling of red blood cells on peripheral blood smear * Specific test: Prussian Blue stain of RBC in marrow.Shows ringed sideroblasts. * can also cause microcytic hypochromic anemia. (12) Thalassemia It is a group of inherited autosomal recessive blood disorders that originated in the Mediterranean region. In Thalassemia the genetic defect, which could be either mutation or deletion, results in reduced rate of synthesis, or no synthesis of one of the globins chains that make up hemoglobin. This can cause the formation of abnormal hemoglobin molecules, thus causing anemia, the characteristic presenting symptom of the Thalassemia. (13) Symptoms and signs: * Fatigue and weakness. * Shortness of brea th. * Pale appearance. Irritability. * Yellow discoloration of the skin. * Facial bone deformities. * Slow growth. * Abdominal swelling. * Dark urine. (14) Diagnosis: * Blood tests. * Prenatal screening. (14) Laboratory findings: * A low level of red blood cells * Smaller than expected red blood cells * Pale red blood cells * Red blood cells that are varied in size and shape * Red blood cells with uneven hemoglobin distribution, which gives the cells a bull's-eye appearance under the microscope. (14) 1. 2 Literature Review A study was done in Italy about prevalence and incidence and types of mild anaemia in the elderly.The objectives of this study were to estimate the prevalence and incidence of mild grade anemia and to assess the frequency of anemia types in the elderly. Design and Methods: This was a prospective, population-based study in all residents 65 years or older in Biella, Italy. Results: Blood test results were available for analysis from 8,744 elderly. Hemoglobin concent ration decreased and mild anemia increased steadily with increasing age. Mild anemia (defined as a hemoglobin concentration of 10. 0-11. 9 g/dL in women and 10. 0-12. 9 g/dL in men) affected 11. % of the elderly included in the analysis, while the estimated prevalence in the entire population was 11. 1%. Before hemoglobin determination, most mildly anemic individuals perceived themselves as non-anemic. Chronic disease anemia, Thalassemia trait, and renal insufficiency were the most frequent types of mild anemia. (15) A study was done in emergency ward, Mulago Hospital, Uganda. Anaemia is a common problem in Africa, with prevalence ranging from 21. 1% to 64. 4% 16-21 and a significant impact on morbidity and mortality. 22,23 in patients with AIDS low haemoglobin levels are associated with poor outcomes. 4-27 However, anaemia in Africa has multiple causes, with infectious diseases such as HIV, tuberculosis and malaria contributing significantly to the anaemia burden. 28 Hookworm is a major contributor to anaemia and even light hookworm loads are associated with low haemoglobin levels, 29-33 although Lewis et al. reported that hookworm was not a common cause of anaemia among medical patients in Malawi. In a cross-sectional descriptive study 395 patients were recruited by systematic random sampling and their socio-demographic characteristics and clinical details collected.A complete blood count and peripheral film examination were done and stool examined for hookworm ova.. Of the patients 255 (64. 6%) had anaemia. The prevalence was higher among males (65. 8%) than females (63. 7%). Fatigue (odds ratio (OR) 2. 1, confidence interval (CI) 1. 37 – 3. 24), dizziness (OR 1. 64, CI 1. 07 – 2. 44), previous blood transfusion (OR 2. 83, CI 1. 32 – 6. 06), lymphadenopathy (OR 2. 99, CI 1. 34 – 6. 66) and splenomegaly (OR 5. 22, CI 1. 78 – 15. 28) were significantly associated with anaemia. Splenomegaly, low body mass index (BMI) (

Letter To Kenya Airways Papa Nestor And Mama Marie

Congo believe you would not be being socially responsible in any sense, but would be complicit in any harm that would come to them. Papa Nester Will be 70 years of age in November 2011 and Mama Marie is 63 years old. Their immediate family here in the UK fear for their lives if they are returned to DRY. The Home Office Policy states that it is the decision of the carrier as to whether they carry people who are being forcibly removed. In view of this I urge you not to allow Papa Nester and Mama Marie to embark upon the flight QUOI on Kenya Airways todayMonday the 11th of April 201 1 at 20:00 hrs. Since 2003 Papa Nester and Mama Marie have been living in the UK and have a loving and sustained relationship with their son and their daughter, their respective families, their 10 grandchildren and one great grandchild born on 29/03/11 whom they may never see if returned to the DRY Congo. Having both fled the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRY) because of the persecution that Papa Nester suff ered due to his participation in political activities as an active member Of the Union for Democracy and Social Progress (SIDES) they sought and have been refused refuge here in the UK.Papa Nester has also participated in various Congolese Resistance groups in the K, such as Prepare (Alliance des Patriot's pour la Reformation du Conch), CRY (Congolese Resistance Council) with whom he has attended various demonstrations. If this information is known to the authorities then they fear for their life as there are often reprisals for such actions by the Government in the DRY.The fact that the DRY government could easily arrest and kill members of UDP, Prepare or CRY means that Papa Nester and Mama Marie face clear and present danger if they are returned to DRY. If this planned removal goes ahead then their family seriously doubt that they will ever be able to see their parents and grandparents again as their health is not good and it is thought that following the recent death in February of this year of their beloved son in the DRY and the stress of this removal they may both deteriorate rapidly.Since the untimely death of their son they have spent time in Slough with their daughter trying to recover from what is a difficult period in both their lives. To lose a parent is hard but for a parent to lose a child as a parent is often unbearable! Coupled with this is the fact that without the access they need to not only the support of their immediate family but also to the practical support they are offered by the health and care services here they will be unable to survive in the environment which currently exists within the DRY for older people.Having their parents sent to DRY is not something that their children want as both their son and daughter and their families are willing and ready to support them fully and take them into their homes and have them living with them without the need for recourse to public funds. We the undersigned now ask your company to act as a socially expansible organization and keep Papa Nester and Mama Marie safe in the UK within the loving bosom of her family.

Professional MBA Essay Writing Service

Professional MBA Essay Writing Service Medical school essays arent the only admissions papers on which you can get help through a professional editor. From MBA essays to nursing essays, professional proofreaders help student hopefuls will all sorts of admissions essays. If you are someone who is interested in hiring a professional editor to help with your essay, I encourage you to read on! The best place to find professional editors, in my opinion, is the Internet. With just one quick search via an Internet search engine, youll be amazed at how many options there are. Finding the editor who is right for you will depend on your personal writing style and, of course, the type of composition with which you need assistance. Searching online for an editor is much easier than trying to do it by foot or by phone. Most professional editing websites, for instance, post their client approval ratings as well as feedback and sample texts. Additionally, such websites have a clear breakdown of the services offered as well as the affiliated costs. The process of writing an MBA essay can be made much easier with the help of a professional editor. For more information about graduate school entrance essays and/or if you would like assistance in finding an editor/proofreader to help, please dont hesitate to access the adjacent link. Good luck!

buy custom The Medicare essay

buy custom The Medicare essay The US health care system continues to impose an additional burden of the taxpayers. Statistics have projected that, in the next ten years, this burden is likely to increase by seventy nine percent. This implies more than three quarters higher of its current sizes, thus exceeding five hundred billion dollars a year. Such an astronomical increase would certainly force the government to redirect funds from other crucial areas to cater for the mandatory Medicare. Twenty nine percent of the Medicare costs goes for inpatients medical costs. It is estimated that the cost will continue to increase with an annual projection growth rate of six percent. Most of these funds are spent for payment of medical expenses for a small number of patients with chronic conditions. These patients, who comprise mostly the elderly, tend to have multiple conditions such as diabetes and coronary diseases. Among the many challenges encountered in the health care system, are quality problems. According to Stone Goeffrey (2010) in their report to congress, one in every five patients discharged from US hospitals become readmitted within thirty days after being discharged. Most of the patient affected are those with multiple chronic diseases or conditions. This accounts for the increasing rates in usage of medicare funds among this group. The chronically ill patients also make up the highest percentage of te readmission cases. Stone Goeffrey (2010) further claim that most of the readmission cases can be prevented. This assumes that there is a higher readmission rate among the elderly inpatients after they are discharged from hospitals. This according to Stone Goeffrey (2010) is an indication of poor health care services and lack of proper coordination during the discharge process. Among the many factors that contribute to readmission of avoidable cases, include poor coordination in transition between the different care providers. This means that there is poor link between the hospital and the subsequent care providers after discharge. More appropriately, there is a lack of effective communication between the hospitals and community based care givers. Hospital readmission can affect the patients morale and prolong the recovery process (Ryan, Aloe, Mason-Johnson, 2009). In addition, readmission is a strain on the medical care providers as well as the hospitals. As such, it is a problem that needs to be researched and addressed. Problem Statement Most of the chronically ill patientsarereadmitted thirty days after being discharged. These readmissions can be avoided if hospitals improved their coordination with the community based care givers. Hypothesis Improved coordination between hospitals and community based care givers can drastically reduce readmission of the elderly chronically ill patients. Rationale for the research Many studies have shown that the health care system is burdened by unavoidable hospital readmissions. Available literature, indicates that one in every five patients discharged from hospitals get readmitted, within thirty days after being discharge (Struinin, Stone, Jack, 2007). Additionally, statistics indicate that the Medicare costs continue to increase exponentially, with a projection of over seventy percent gain within the next ten years. Such an increase already overburdened health care system and can impose serious quality issues if not checked and corrected. The research, therefore, is intended to develop alternative health care policies, which can adequately address the problem. Research Design The research will mainly address the problem of readmission among the elderly chronically ill patients. The admission data will, therefore, be required to determine whether individuals can be classified in this group. In addition, discharge data will be required to determine the coordination between the hospitals and community based care givers. Buy custom The Medicare essay

The Pros and Cons of Assertiveness 3 Real Life Examples

The Pros and Cons of Assertiveness 3 Real Life Examples For several weeks, I’ve had the May 2016 issue of Success Magazine open on my desk. I had gotten about half-way through the issue when I  stalled in the middle of an article by Sophia Dembling about assertiveness. More pressing papers piled on top of it. In fact, I forgot it was there until today, when I set out in search of material for my weekly blog. I’ve been looking a lot at my own methods of assertiveness lately, so the article jumped out at me this morning. Just last weekend, I participated in a workshop called â€Å"Group Process.† There, I was part of a group that spent 14 hours on Saturday and six hours on Sunday simply being with each other to see what we would create in our interactions. The feedback I got from the group is that I have a tendency to want to dominate the conversation. This did not surprise me. It’s not that I talk more than other people in the group, but I do like to get attention, sometimes by stirring things up. Being assertive often requires not being nice, and I am starting to accept the fact that I am not a â€Å"nice† person. I am willing to hurt people, and to be hurt myself, in service of telling the truth and getting satisfied. Here are some examples, along with the attendant advice offered by Ms. Dembling: 1.) Accept the Learning Curve. In our Group Process group, the topic came up of how each of us sees ourselves as functioning in a group. Someone spoke about himself, and I wanted to spend more time with him, with each group member giving him feedback before moving to the next person. So when another group member started sharing about how she saw herself in the group, I interrupted her and said I’d like to spend more time on the first person. She was hurt and angry with me for doing that. I did end up getting part of what I wanted: I shared my thoughts with the first person. But then the conversation got derailed as the second woman and I worked through what had just happened. Frankly, we did not do the best job of resolving the conflict, despite my strong desire to do so. My assertiveness had created a rift in my relationship with this woman that will take more work to repair. 2.) Control Thyself. In another group, we were voting on who would fill a particular role. One person enthusiastically went for the role and was quickly voted in with no opposition. I did not trust that he was the best person for the job, so I asked someone else if he wanted the position, which he did. We then had a vote between the two of them. Person #1 still won, and I still was not satisfied, so I asked for further consideration and discussion. As you can imagine, Person #1 had some feelings about my behavior. But in the end, the group made a much more considered decision. Person #1 still got the role, but we were all much more clear about why he was chosen and what value each member of our team could have brought to the role. As the Success Article pointed out, we can’t control people. We can only control ourselves and our own behavior and words. I felt good in this instance that I spoke up and went for my full satisfaction, and maintained the respect of my group in the process. 3.) Pick a Delivery Mode. With the first group, we have eight more weeks of work to do together. I wrote an email suggesting that we assign roles within our group so we have specific people designated to organize our calls, take notes for the group, and support our members in various ways. I immediately got pushback on this idea, with three out of four members saying no, that they did not want to take on any more work. When I tried to explain that I wanted to make things easier, not harder, by having clear lines of responsibility for the things we were doing anyway, I was told that I was making things harder than they needed to be and that I was trying to control the group. As predicted by Randy J. Paterson, author of The Assertiveness Workbook: How to Express Your Ideas and Stand Up for Yourself at Work and in Relationships, things got worse. Obnoxiousness went up. And I began to question whether I ever did what I did. Ouch. These are the times where I wish I had thicker skin – and that I had not used email, where misinterpretation is so easy, to express myself. I felt hurt, not seen, and even persecuted. But thankfully I am good at reaching out for support, which I did (by telephone!), and I was able to get more perspective. One group member was able to see things more the way I saw them and to talk through what could address my concern and the concerns of everyone else. I’m feeling confident that we will come to a solution that works for the whole group. In all of these situations, what I truly wanted in the end was to be heard and understood. Yes I take a lot of risks and,   someone observed, often â€Å"throw myself under the bus† when I see what I think is a better way to do things. As stated by Diana Bacon, a financial planner who coaches women entrepreneurs on their assertiveness, being assertive doesn’t mean people will do what you want. But it does â€Å"give you the confidence of knowing you can stake out your space in the world.† I’m encouraged by Randy Paterson’s assertion that assertiveness is a set of skills that can improve over time. I definitely have room for growth, and I look forward to what’s possible.

Environmental Scanning Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Environmental Scanning - Assignment Example Strategic partners are now tasked with the duty of revisiting the policies that they have established to fight bullying and taunting both on the field, and out of the field by its players. This is more so because the report sanctioned by the league in February showed that Martin had been bullied and taunted by his teammates in multiple instances (Associated Press, 2014). Though the Miami Dolphins are on the spot, they are not the only club which has been involved in cases of bullying and taunting. Other teams also have to keenly go through their policies as well, to ensure that all their players maintain proper behaviour that does not discriminate against any other players they are in contact with. As the Wall Street Journal reported in February, League executives are in agreement that steps need to be taken to ensure that similar incidences are curbed, and change the culture of football (Associated Press, 2014). Stakeholders in the sport have had to re-evaluate the efforts they have in position to mitigate the form of violence that bullying and taunting is. As a football club, Miami Dolphins needs to enforce stricter measures in order for the players in their club to feel safer while they play the game. Legal constraints and protections would help other players who might be sourced after to join the club. Stricter measures will also give their players better chances of advancing their careers since they will not be stigmatized as a team that tolerates violent

Need to add more on the paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Need to add more on the paper - Essay Example Such students pose future detrimental effect to employers in a sense that they tend to enter the job market half-baked. Managers looking to outsource competent fresh and innovative minds who with a little coaching can be on top of their game, risk ending up approving candidates with the little cognizance of their expected performance. On the other hand, employers are vulnerable to making unintended decisions with respect to higher education in the event of other better options that could have been given first priority. The managers looking to recruit in the same way suffer the propensity of having to deal with the rigorous task such as micromanaging its employees. Such situations could emerge in the occasion of hiring uneducated staff as opposed to educated individuals. It is known that the human resource would tend to be inclined in reasoning and equally efficient in service delivery and resource management to yield targets. In summary, operations managers looking to hire could best consider devising a benchmark for assessing incumbent candidates when outsourcing employees as they stand to benefit from future prospects that come with dealing a manageable team that is goal-inclined and better placed in developing logical ideas in strategic marketing options. Higher education presents the need for better scrutiny on how educational institutions should reform their learning standards with the view of the current situations present that operational managers have to deal with when recruiting personnel in the diverse job

Relationship Marketing and Customer Service Article

Relationship Marketing and Customer Service - Article Example Repeat orders will go to those sellers who have done the best job or nurturing these relationships." The changes in the global business environment necessitates relationship marketing in order for business organizations to compete more efficiently, attract potential, and retain current customers. According to the words of the marketing guru Philip Kotler (2005), the current business arena is turning "hypercompetitive" characterised by the presence of more intense competition among industry rivals and more bargaining power from customers. Thus, in order to survive and succeed in their markets, companies are required to rethink and revamp their current strategies and put their customers into center (Kotler 2005). These trends and developments in the market put strong pressure on companies and put into spotlight relationship marketing. Relationship marketing is an idea which dates back as far as 1960s evolving from direct response marketing during the period. Its reemergence in the 1980s is prompted by the initial research done by Leonard Berry and Jag Sheth at Emory which states that, "What is surprising is that researchers and businessmen have concentrated far more on how to attract customers to products and services than to retain them" (Pressey and Matthews 2000, pg. 272) Relationship marketing has been elaborated and broadened by the marketing theorists Theodeore Levitt in 1983. Relationship marketing is defined as "a philos... Relationship marketing thereby marks a transition from the traditional marketing approach of finding more customers for a product. In essence, relationship marketing is in recognition that a customer contributes to an organization his lifetime purchases of the company's product if it is able to design marketing strategies which can cultivate loyalty and develop good relationships (Kotler 2005). From its origin, relationship marketing has introduced a radical change on how business organizations think and conduct their operations. Traditionally companies have focused on attracting customers thereby facilitating only one-time transactions. However, the loyalty of a customer for a product and brand will facilitate repeat sales transactions thereby enhancing the firm's total profit and revenue. Thus, it becomes imperative for companies to long-term relationship with customers rather than on individual transactions by understanding the needs of the current customer as they go through their life cycles (Relationship Marketing 2007). Developing strong relationship with customer is strongly dependent on ensuring the delivery of satisfaction and delight. Levitt likens company's relationship with its customers into marriage: "The sale, then, merely consummates the courtship at which point the marriages begins The quality of marriage determines whether there will be continued or expan ded business, or trouble, or divorce" (Berger 2006). The expansion and facilitation of this new strategic approach to marketing can be directly credited to the advancement in technology specifically the establishment of customer relationship

Demography Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Demography - Essay Example I am going to compare average SAT scores, parent’s education, and family income level across different races in California. Also, in this paper I am going to compare the proportion of each race in California, UC Berkeley, and CSU East Bay. The reason why I included CSU East Bay is that I want to compare UC Berkeley with other public schools that have different qualifications in admitting students. My hypothesis is that UC Berkeley is not following the proportion of each race in California since it is a very competitive school with higher tuition fees compared to CSU East Bay. In this paper, I limited the types of race into five categories: White, Black, Asian, Hispanic, and Others. I did this because they are the majority in California so that I can have consistency when gathering data. I began my research by comparing the proportion of each race in California, UC Berkeley and CSU East Bay. In figure 1, I made a clustered histogram that represents the percentage of each race. Here, I gathered the data from US National Census Bureau, UC Berkeley’s official website, and CSU East Bay’s official website.According to the data, White, Black, and Others are well represented in UC Berkeley as their proportions are not significantly different compares to their proportions in California. What captures an attention from this data is that Asians are the majority group in UC Berkeley with up to 43% from the total students compared to California population where it only takes up to 13%. Also, another highlight from this histogram is that Hispanic is unde r represented in UC Berkeley. California has 37.2% of Hispanic and UC Berkeley has only 13% of them. Different things appeared when we compared the race proportion in CSU East Bay. The proportions of White, Asian, Hispanic, and Others are almost equal which is around 20% while Black has lower proportion but not slightly different with its proportion in California

Healthcare dashboards and metrics Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Healthcare dashboards and metrics - Assignment Example The economic burden that the condition places on people and the government also establishes importance of the metric for preventive purposes. Effects of high blood pressure such as stroke, heart failure, and weak blood vessels also identify significance of the metric for knowledge development into monitoring the condition. It is therefore necessary to identify at-risk populations (with pre-hypertension) and to ensure prevention of hypertension (The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2015). Two benchmarks will be used, 120 mmHg for systolic blood pressure and 80 mmHg for diastolic blood pressure, and levels above these, but bellow values for hypertension diagnosis, will be considered pre-hypertension condition. Significance of hypertension requires preventive measures. In order to ensure effective prevention, I would include incidence of pre-hypertension as a healthcare metric with 120 mmHg and 80 mmHg as benchmarks for systolic and diastolic blood pressure respectively. Any blood pressure above their respective benchmarks would require aggressive prevention measures. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2015). High blood pressure fact sheet. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved from:

Destination Marketing and Branding Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Destination Marketing and Branding - Essay Example According to the research findings, destination marketing is a phenomenon used by most authority or players in the hotel and hospitality industry to lure tourists and other clients into demanding services from respective firm within the locality. Heavy capitalization of the resources available within the area of destination plays a key role in destination marketing. Clients are expected to visualize the tranquility of the destination being marketed and desire to travel. Tourists are at liberty to visit other coastal resort not only in England but other parts of the world. Destination marketing and consumer marketing or the other forms of marketing are very distinct. Key aspect in the designing of the destination marketing is the tourists; tourist will travel several miles and expect to enjoy the tranquility being promoted. Since the tourist is not captives, they will move around different hotels, restaurant and anything that fall short their expectations will result to dissatisfactio n. Bournemouth coastal resort identifies the demand from their tourists over the years, with that it has differentiated its product and services to meet the diversity in tourism. Tourism cannot be defined by the traditional thought, because of the dynamics that the industry has undergone. In Bournemouth strategy, tourists should not receive anything less than what they anticipated through the destination marketing. To meet the diversity of tourists growing demand, Bournemouth has the following services for their clients to do while they are within the coastal resort; walking, attraction, cycling, garden, and shopping. Destination marker has the responsibility to spot tourists need and match with the resources available within the marketed destination.

Healthcare dashboards and metrics Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Healthcare dashboards and metrics - Assignment Example The economic burden that the condition places on people and the government also establishes importance of the metric for preventive purposes. Effects of high blood pressure such as stroke, heart failure, and weak blood vessels also identify significance of the metric for knowledge development into monitoring the condition. It is therefore necessary to identify at-risk populations (with pre-hypertension) and to ensure prevention of hypertension (The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2015). Two benchmarks will be used, 120 mmHg for systolic blood pressure and 80 mmHg for diastolic blood pressure, and levels above these, but bellow values for hypertension diagnosis, will be considered pre-hypertension condition. Significance of hypertension requires preventive measures. In order to ensure effective prevention, I would include incidence of pre-hypertension as a healthcare metric with 120 mmHg and 80 mmHg as benchmarks for systolic and diastolic blood pressure respectively. Any blood pressure above their respective benchmarks would require aggressive prevention measures. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2015). High blood pressure fact sheet. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved from:

Macro Economic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Macro Economic - Essay Example However, later a twin debt blow has been considered as one of the most prominent reasons behind the debt crisis. The twin blow came out of the banking crisis together with the previously mentioned extremely high sovereign debt. The European Central Bank (ECB) launched the single currency (euro) in 1999 along with the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU), aiming to gain monetary efficiency. An Economic and Monetary Union offers a series of monetary efficiency gains in forms of accounting ease among the member states that in turn reduces opportunity cost of transforming one currency into another, development among member states would be at par owing to reduction of any possible economic shock (that are often regional in nature), member states under an Economic and Monetary Union following a common currency would also abstain from intra inflow and outflow of speculative capital, furthermore policy formation among member states would be coherent and coordinated in nature that will eventuall y usher better economic growth and development. While fiscal irresponsibility on the part of periphery countries has been considered by many analysts as the root of the ongoing crisis, this paper argues that the impact on capital flows within the euro-zone of financial deregulation and liberalization and of the adoption of the common currency was critical in exacerbating a growing competitiveness gap between core and periphery countries and explaining the evolution of the crisis. Debt crisis unfolds- credit failures The crisis in Europe began when financial markets lost confidence in the creditworthiness of PIIGS countries (Portugal, Ireland, Italy, Greece and Spain) and interest rates on government bonds soared to astonishing levels that forced the governments of these countries to seek bailouts from the international community, including the European Community, the IMF and the European Central Bank (ECB), collectively known as Troika. This was the period of the great financial cri sis of 2007-08 which also affected the US economy. All began with the credit markets and spread to the other sectors of the economy owing to large scale defaulters of loans (ch 31). As determinants of growth, one can say that demand is important for supply or production to expand. The ongoing debt crisis began with defaults of mortgage loans the demand for which led to a rapid boom in the housing sector which led to the final illusion when defaulters began to rise (ch 25). It is often been opined that the utopia of a welfare state amidst the current era of globalization that fuels on competitiveness (both are diametrically opposite in nature) and populist policies like raising the wage of the public sector employees in turn cumulatively burdened the governments with high level of debt. This phenomenon is most evident among periphery countries and can only be reckoned as fiscal recklessness. It is evident from the above argument that fiscal disciplines on behalf of the periphery coun tries would restore Euro its previous status without any additional measures and to be precise further fiscal incentive. What lies beneath? – Expectations and mal-adjustment A deeper analysis of the dynamics underlying the current Euro crisis exhibits that financial deregulation and liberalization was a major cause of the crisis in periphery countries in the euro-zone. Driving up expectations owing to a sudden boom can

Setting and hardening of hydraulic cements Essay Example for Free

Setting and hardening of hydraulic cements Essay In August 2004, Adriatic IV was on location over the Temsah gas production platform, off Port Said, Egypt in the Mediterranean. During the drilling of natural gas well by rig, a gas blowout occurred during the drilling operation. Due to this blowout, the whole Petrobel platform was burnet out. This platform was owned jointly by BP, Italys ENI and Egypts General Petroleum Corporation was damaged beyond repair and Egypt’s petroleum minister ordered its destruction. An engineering firm Tacon designed the platform. Tecon developed the basic structural design along with offshore structure SASP, of the platform jacket for Petrobel Egypt. Tecon was responsible to perform the foundation design and all naval and installation analysis. Tacon also developed all A. F. C. structural drawings. [Tecon] The blowout on the offshore of the platform was the consequence of annular flow after cementing using spooled wellheads. Following part of case study shows why blowout occurred with all analysis. TEMSAH: Temsah is a gas production platform owned jointly by BP, Italy’s ENI and Egypt’s General Petroleum Corporation located in the off port said, Mediterranean Sea. On 10th August 2004, the Adriatic IV was working as usual on the Temsah platform. The rig was drilling natural gas well when a blowout occurred during the drilling operations. Reports and various other sources stated that there was an explosion followed by fire, which was initially contained on the jack-up. [JWC] The fire then spread to the Petrobel-run platform where it continued to rage for over a week before being brought under control. There were more than 150 workers on the jack-up as well as on the platform. All the workers on the jack-up and platform were evacuated with no casualties, due in part to the prior recommendation that production activities be ceased as a precautionary measure. The firefighters battled for almost a week to control the fire burning on a rig pumping natural gas out of the Mediterranean Sea as reported by Egypt’s semiofficial news agency. Oil Ministry officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the Middle East News Agency (MENA) that workers were drilling holes in a leaking well to release gases to contain the fire, while firefighters are dousing the platform with seawater. [JWC] It took almost a week to control over the fire. According to the, Global Santa Fe, Adriatic IV was sunk and not salvageable. The platform, owned jointly by BP, Italys ENI and Egypts General Petroleum Corporation was damaged beyond repair and Egypt’s petroleum minister ordered its destruction. Almost one year after this accident, the Temsah was fully repaired and production at Temsah field started in a full-fledged manner. It was back on stream at full production rates. 2. Cement types and cementing structure The above blowout caused due to the cementing structure and method. Discussed here is the cementing process that probably caused the blowout. After running 9 5/8 Casing to 2754 meters, performing a cement job, waiting on cement for 14 hours, and setting the casing slips, the well started to flow from the 9 5/8 by 13 3/8 annulus, while installing the primary packing (sealing element). The flow consisted of salthingyer and gas. The wells on the Temsah NW platform were shut in and the gas lines to and from the platform were depressurized. Thus the wells on the W. Akhen platform were shut in, as the gas, production lines go through the Temsah NW platform. On-essential personnel were evacuated from the rig. Nipped up the BOP and space out riser. Shut in pressures were 1480 psi. Shortly thereafter the flange between the wellhead B section and the riser below the BOPs started leaking salthingyer and gas. Since the initial incident, the flow had continued through the leaking flange and increased. Remedial efforts to date had not been successful in containing or controlling this flow. When cement casing is done in the well, Blowout Preventers are usually picked up to set the slips on the casing to hold it in place. Due to this, well is open to the world. Cement is counted on to hold any gas down hole, but if the cement is lighter than the bottom whole pressure, the well will come in. The way to avoid this is to wait longer on the cement to set and monitor any gas migration to surface. This process was not done, which would have probably prevented the blowout on the platform. Facilities for placing cement: Wellheads are nothing but the end connection to concentric well casings, which are cemented into the ground. The critical purpose of this wellhead is to provide a base onto which safety equipments (blow-out preventers) is installed throughout the drilling phase of a well and to which production flow control equipment is attached, before a well can safely put into the production. To confine the downhole pressure to the smallest inner casing and eventually the production tubing, wellheads contain annular seals, which serve to isolate the last casing into the high pressure resistant wellhead housing body. [UNEP] Type of cement: The type of cement used in the well was Hydraulic cement. Hydraulic cements are materials that set and harden after being mixed with water, because of the chemical reactions with the mixing water. After hardening, the Hydraulic cements retain strength and stability even under water. The key requirement for this strength and stability is that the hydrates formed on immediate reaction with water be essentially insoluble in water. Most construction cements today are hydraulic, and most of these are based on Portland cement, which is made primarily from limestone, certain clay minerals, and gypsum in a high temperature process that drives off carbon dioxide and chemically combines the primary ingredients into new compounds. Setting and hardening of hydraulic cements is caused by the formation of water-containing compounds, which are formed as the result of reactions between cement components and water. The reaction and the reaction products are referred to as hydration and hydrates or hydrate phases, respectively. As a result of the immediate start of the reactions, a stiffening can be observed which is initially slight but which increases with time. The point at which the stiffening reaches a certain level is referred to as the start of setting. Further consolidation is called setting, after which the phase of hardening begins. The compressive strength of the material then grows steadily, over a period that ranges from a few days in the case of ultra-rapid-hardening cements to several years in the case of ordinary cements. Non-hydraulic cements include such materials as (non-hydraulic) lime and gypsum plasters, which must be kept dry in order to gain strength, and oxychloride cements, which have liquid components. Lime mortars, for example, set only by drying out, and gain strength only very slowly by absorption of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to re-form calcium carbonate through carbonatation. [Wikipedia] 3. Time scale The time scale for the cement specifies the amount of time in years the cement will provide the strength to the structure. Time scale of cement structure truly determines the quality of the cement structure. Time scale for the cement structures must be longest it can be. The time scale for the Egypt Temsah was more than hundreds of years. It was a building structure into the Mediterranean Sea with very strong and rigid foundation. Mediterranean sea, Port Said, well of Temsah was built with concrete materials. Wellheads were also made with the same kind of cement materials. [UNEP] Cement Success: Cement success is nothing but the successful completion of a cement structure in the various testing methods. Cement is assumed to be successful when any benchmark for the structure is completed. For-example in Egypt Temsah the platform was destroyed after many decades. This total age or decade specifies the cement success.

I am Committed to Pursue Medicine as a Career :: Medicine College Admissions Essays

I am Committed to Pursue Medicine as a Career My palms began to sweat profusely as I sat in the admission's office chair looking down at the white space on the application form asking for my major. This was the moment of truth: I would finally have to reveal to the world that I had absolutely no idea what I wanted to be when I grew up. At seventeen and with only limited exposure to the medical field, I believed doctors were people in lab coats with test tubes who gave orders and cared only about science and money, not humanity. Becoming a doctor was one of the furthest things from my mind. I peered at the "undecided" box and checked it sheepishly. That action seemed to announce such failure. All that I was certain of was that one-day I wanted to have a family. At 19, fate stepped in and I was fortunate to meet the right person to marry. We immediately started our family. Then reality hit. Two weeks after our son was born, my husband was "downsized" out of his position. The bills mounted, as we fell deeper in debt. To support us, my husband took a position that required us to move frequently. Every semester I found myself on a new campus, trying to acclimate, transferring as many courses as I could, starting over, determined to get a degree so I could help support my struggling family. Finally, six universities later, I graduated and found a job as an accountant. Slowly, we got on track and out of debt. Our hard work and perseverance had its rewards. Because of the number of moves we had made and my broad academic exposure, I had become very flexible and learned to absorb new concepts very quickly. These strengths combined with my hard work helped me get promoted rapidly. Inside of four years I was a top manager, making good money. However, I had become very aware that I still had not answered the question on my college application of what I wanted to do with my life. While I was good at what I did, at the end of the day, even a good day, I rarely felt like I had accomplished something worthwhile. Before I could begin to explore any of my alternatives further, tragedy struck. I had a miscarriage.

Women in Alien 3 :: essays papers

Women in Alien 3 This morning I was struck by the realization that I've beengoing to movies for fifty years now; starting when I was eighteenmonths old, my mother would take me on a streetcar every Thursday togo shopping, have lunch, and go to a matinee and stage show at thePantages or the Orpheum in downtown Los Angeles. Clearly I likemovies and I usually find something enjoyable even about bad ones.I can hardly remember a time when I have seriously consideredwalking out of a film. But I considered it yesterday afternoon asI was watching "Aliens 3"; I was thinking it was the mostunremittingly unpleasant film viewing experience I could remember. This reaction has to be seen in the context of my own tastes andbiases. Science fiction and horror films are my least favoritegenres. I don't enjoy being frightened in the movies, as somepeople clearly do. Nonetheless, knowing that nearly every memberof the women's community in Tallahassee where I lived at the timewas wildly enthusiastic about Sigourney Weaver's Ripley, I didbring myself to see "Aliens" the second film in this series, and Ihave to admit, I too, was entertained and pleased by the sight ofthis powerful female hero doing her Rambo number against whatfeminist theorist Lynda Zwinger called "the uncanny alien bugmother." Since Ripley's ongoing battles against this monster and againstthe greedy machinations of "the Company" back home, which wants tocapture the monster and use it as a biological warfare weapon, havebecome sort of feminist cult films, I figured I'd better be amongthe first to check out "Aliens 3" and see what happened to Ripleyand Newt (the little girl she rescued from the monster at the endof "Aliens"). Well, they've fallen on hard times. They crash landnear an island used as a prison for 25 of the hardest corecriminals on earth--murderers, rapists, etc.--all of whom havebecome members of a kind of Christian fundamentalist cult thathasn't done a thing to temper their rampant misogyny. Everyoneelse on the space capsule bringing the sleeping survivors of theNostromo back to earth has died except Ripley. She's been asleepfor 50 years or so and has been shaken up in the crash, so she'slooking a little the worse for wear with a black eye and deathlypallor. Furthermore in this latter day version of a medievaldungeon she's landed they dress her in convict gray and shave herhead which makes her fit right in with the inmates.

National Territory of the Philippines Essay

The Constitution of the Philippines (Filipino: Saligang Batas ng Pilipinas) is the supreme law of the Philippines. The Constitution currently in effect was enacted in 1987, during the administration of President Corazon Aquino, and is popularly known as the â€Å"1987 Constitution†.[1] Philippine constitutional law experts recognize three other previous constitutions as having effectively governed the country — the 1935 Commonwealth Constitution, the 1973 Constitution, and the 1986 Freedom Constitution.[2][3] Constitutions for the Philippines were also drafted and adopted during the short-lived governments of Presidents Emilio Aguinaldo (1898) and Josà © P. Laurel (1943). †¢Ã‚  Background of the 1987 ConstitutionIn 1986, following the People Power Revolution which ousted Ferdinand Marcos as president, and following on her own inauguration, Corazon Aquino issued Proclamation No. 3, declaring a national policy to implement the reforms mandated by the people, protecting their basic rights, adopting a provisional constitution, and providing for an orderly translation to a government under a new constitution.[4] President Aquino later issued Proclamation No. 9, creating a Constitutional Commission (popularly abbreviated â€Å"Con Com† in the Philippines) to frame a new constitution to replace the 1973 Constitution which took effect during the Marcos martial law regime. Aquino appointed 50 members to the Commission. The members of the Commission were drawn from varied backgrounds, including several former congressmen, a former Supreme Court Chief Justice (Roberto Concepcion), a Catholic bishop (Teodoro Bacani) and film director (Lino Brocka). Aquino also deliberately appointed 5 members, including former Labor Minister Blas Ople, who had been allied with Marcos until the latter’s ouster. After the Commission had convened, it elected as its president Cecilia Muà ±oz-Palma, who had emerged as a leading figure in the anti-Marcos opposition following her retirement as the first female Associate Justice of the Supreme Court. The Commission finished the draft charter within four months after it was convened. Several issues were heatedly debated during the sessions, including on the form of government to adopt, the abolition of the death penalty, the continued retention of the Clark and Subic American military bases, and the integration of economic policies into the Constitution. Brocka would walk out of the Commission  before its completion, and two other delegates would dissent from the final draft. The ConCom completed their task on October 12, 1986 and presented the draft constitution to President Aquino on October 15, 1986. After a period of nationwide information campaign, a plebiscite for its ratification was held on February 2, 1987. More than three-fourth of all votes cast, 76.37% (or 17,059,495 voters) favored ratification as against 22.65% (or 5,058,714 voters) who voted against ratification. On February 11, 1987, the new constitution was proclaimed ratified and took effect. On that same day, Aquino, the other government officials, and the Armed Forces of the Philippines pledged allegiance to the Constitution. Significant features of the 1987 Constitution The Constitution establishes the Philippines as a â€Å"democratic and republican State†, where â€Å"sovereignty resides in the people and all government authority emanates from them†. (Section 1, Article II) Consistent with the doctrine of separation of powers, the powers of the national government are exercised in main by three branches — the executive branch headed by the President, the legislative branch composed of Congress and the judicial branch with the Supreme Court occupying the highest tier of the judiciary. The President and the members of Congress are directly elected by the people, while the members of the Supreme Court are appointed by the President from a list formed by the Judicial and Bar Council. As with the American system of government, it is Congress which enacts the laws, subject to the veto power of the President which may nonetheless be overturned by a two-thirds vote of Congress (Section 27(1), Article VI). The President has the constit utional duty to ensure the faithful execution of the laws (Section 17, Article VII), while the courts are expressly granted the power of judicial review (Section 1, Article VIII), including the power to nullify or interpret laws. The President is also recognized as the commander-in-chief of the armed forces (Section 18, Article VII). The Constitution also establishes limited political autonomy to the local government units that act as the municipal governments for provinces, cities, municipalities, and barangays. (Section 1, Article X) Local governments are generally considered as falling under the executive branch, yet local legislation requires enactment by duly elected local legislative  bodies. The Constitution (Section 3, Article X) mandated that the Congress would enact a Local Government Code. The Congress duly enacted Republic Act No. 7160, The Local Government Code of 1991, which became effective on 1 January 1992.[5] The Supreme Court has noted that the Bill of Rights â€Å"occupies a position of primacy in the fundamental law†.[6] The Bill of Rights, contained in Article III, enumerates the specific protections against State power. Many of these guarantees are similar to those provided in the American constitution and other democratic constitutions, including the due process and equal protection clause, the right against unwarranted searches and seizures, the right to free speech and the free exercise of religion, the right against self-incrimination, and the right to habeas corpus. The scope and limitations to these rights have largely been determined by Philippine Supreme Court decisions. Outside of the Bill of Rights, the Constitution also contains several other provisions enumerating various state policies including, i.e., the affirmation of labor â€Å"as a primary social economic force† (Section 14, Article II); the equal protection of â€Å"the life of the mother and the life of the unborn from conception† (Section 12, Article II); the â€Å"Filipino family as the foundation of the nation† (Article XV, Section 1); the recognition of Filipino as â€Å"the national language of the Philippines† (Section 6, Article XVI), and even a requirement that â€Å"all educational institutions shall undertake regular sports activities throughout the country in cooperation with athletic clubs and other sectors.† (Section 19.1, Article XIV) Whether these provisions may, by themselves, be the source of enforceable rights without accompanying legislation has been the subject of considerable debate in the legal sphere and within the Supreme Court. The Court, for example, has ruled that a provision requiring that the State â€Å"guarantee equal access to opportunities to public service† could not be enforced without accompanying legislation, and thus could not bar the disallowance of so-called â€Å"nuisance candidates† in presidential elections.[7] But in another case, the Court held that a provision requiring that the State â€Å"protect and advance the right of the people to a balanced and healthful ecology† did not require implementing legislation to become the source of operative rights.[8] Historical constitutions Constitution of Biak-na-Bato (1897) The Katipunan revolution led to the Tejeros Convention where, at San Francisco de Malabon, Cavite, on March 22, 1897, the first presidential and vice presidential elections in Philippine history were held—although only the Katipuneros (members of the Katipunan) were able to take part, and not the general populace. A later meeting of the revolutionary government established there, held on November 1, 1897 at Biak-na-Bato in the town of San Miguel de Mayumo in Bulacan, established the Republic of Biak-na-Bato. The republic had a constitution drafted by Isabelo Artacho and Fà ©lix Ferrer and based on the first Cuban Constitution.[9] It is known as the â€Å"Constitucià ³n Provisional de la Repà ºblica de Filipinas†, and was originally written in and promulgated in the Spanish and Tagalog languages.[10] Malolos Constitution (1899) The Malolos Constitution was the first republican constitution in Asia.[11] It declared that sovereignty resides exclusively in the people, stated basic civil rights, separated the church and state, and called for the creation of an Assembly of Representatives to act as the legislative body. It also called for a Presidential form of government with the president elected for a term of four years by a majority of the Assembly.[12] It was titled â€Å"Constitucià ³n polà ­tica†, and was written in Spanish following the declaration of independence from Spain,[13] proclaimed on January 20, 1899, and was enacted and ratified by the Malolos Congress, a Congress held in Malolos, Bulacan.[14][15] Acts of the United States Congress The Philippines was a United States Territory from December 10, 1898 to March 24, 1934.[16] As such, the Philippines was under the jurisdiction of the federal government of the United States during this period. Two acts of the United States Congress passed during this period can be considered Philippine constitutions in that those acts defined the fundamental political principles, and established the structure, procedures, powers and duties, of the Philippine government. 1.The Philippine Organic Act of 1902, sometimes known as the â€Å"Philippine Bill of 1902†, was the first organic law for the Philippine Islands enacted by the United States Congress. It  provided for the creation of a popularly elected Philippine Assembly, and specified that legislative power would be vested in a bicameral legislature composed of the Philippine Commission (upper house) and the Philippine Assembly (lower house). Its key provisions included a bill of rights for the Filipinos and the appointm ent of two nonvoting Filipino resident commissioners to represent the Philippines in the United States Congress. 2.The Philippine Autonomy Act of 1916, sometimes known as â€Å"Jones Law†, modified the structure of the Philippine government by removing the Philippine Commission as the legislative upper house, replacing it with a Senate elected by Filipino voters. This act also explicitly stated that it was and had always been the purpose of the people of the United States to withdraw their sovereignty over the Philippine Islands and to recognize Philippine independence as soon as a stable government can be established therein. Though not a constitution itself, the Tydings-McDuffie Act of 1934 provided authority and defined mechanisms for the establishment of a formal constitution via a constitutional convention. Commonwealth and Third Republic (1935) The 1935 Constitution was written in 1934, approved and adopted by the Commonwealth of the Philippines (1935-1946) and later used by the Third Republic of the Philippines (1946-1972). It was written with an eye to meeting the approval of the United States Government as well, so as to ensure that the U.S. would live up to its promise to grant the Philippines independence and not have a premise to hold onto its â€Å"possession† on the grounds that it was too politically immature and hence unready for full, real independence. The original 1935 Constitution provided for unicameral National Assembly and the President was elected to a six-year term without re-election. It was amended in 1940 to have a bicameral Congress composed of a Senate and House of Representatives, as well the creation of an independent electoral commission. The Constitution now granted the President a four-year term with a maximum of two consecutive terms in office. A Constitutional Convention was held in 1971 to rewrite the 1935 Constitution. The convention was stained with manifest bribery and corruption. Possibly the most controversial issue was removing the presidential term limit so that Ferdinand E. Marcos could seek election for a third term, which many  felt was the true reason for which the convention was called. In any case, the 1935 Constitution was suspended in 1972 with Marcos’ proclamation of martial law, the rampant corruption of the constitutional process providing him with one of his major premises for doing so. Second Republic (1943) The 1943 Constitution was drafted by a committee appointed by the Philippine Executive Commission, the body established by the Japanese to administer the Philippines in lieu of the Commonwealth of the Philippines which had established a government-in-exile. In mid-1942 Japanese Premier Hideki Tojo had promised the Filipinos â€Å"the honor of independence† which meant that the commission would be supplanted by a formal republic. The Preparatory Committee for Philippine Independence tasked with drafting a new constitution was composed in large part, of members of the prewar National Assembly and of individuals with experience as delegates to the convention that had drafted the 1935 Constitution. Their draft for the republic to be established under the Japanese Occupation, however, would be limited in duration, provide for indirect, instead of direct, legislative elections, and an even stronger executive branch. Upon approval of the draft by the Committee, the new charter was ra tified in 1943 by an assembly of appointed, provincial representatives of the Kalibapi, the organization established by the Japanese to supplant all previous political parties. Upon ratification by the Kalibapi assembly, the Second Republic was formally proclaimed (1943-1945). Josà © P. Laurel was appointed as President by the National Assembly and inaugurated into office in October 1943. Laurel was highly regarded by the Japanese for having openly criticised the US for the way they ran the Philippines, and because he had a degree from Tokyo International University. The 1943 Constitution remained in force in Japanese-controlled areas of the Philippines, but was never recognized as legitimate or binding by the governments of the United States or of the Commonwealth of the Philippines and guerrilla organizations loyal to them. In late 1944, President Laurel declared a state of war existed with the United States and the British Empire and proclaimed martial law, essentially ruling by decree. His government in turn went into exile in December, 1944, first to Taiwan and then Japan. After the announcement of Japan’s surrender, Laurel formally proclaimed the Second Republic as dissolved. Until the  1960s, the Second Republic, and its officers, were not viewed as legitimate or as having any standing, with the exception of the Supreme Court whose decisions, limited to reviews of criminal and commercial cases as part of a policy of discretion by Chief Justice Josà © Yulo continued to be part of the official records (this was made easier by the Commonwealth never constituting a Supreme Court, and the formal vacancy in the chief justice position for the Commonwealth with the execution of Chief Justice Josà © Abad Santos by the Japanese). It was only during the Macapagal administration that a partial, political rehabilitation of the Japanese-era republic took place, with the recognition of Laurel as a former president and the addition of his cabinet and other officials to the roster of past government officials. However, the 1943 charter was not taught in schools and the laws of the 1943-44 National Assembly never recognized as valid or relevant. The 1943 Constitution provided strong executive powers. The Legislature consisted of a unicameral National Assembly and only those considered as anti-US could stand for election, although in practice most legislators were appointed rather than elected. The New Society and the Fourth Republic (1973) The 1973 Constitution, promulgated after Marcos’ declaration of martial law, was supposed to introduce a parliamentary-style government. Legislative power was vested in a National Assembly whose members were elected for six-year terms. The President was ideally supposed to be elected as the symbolic and purely ceremonial head of state from the Members of the National Assembly for a six-year term and could be re-elected to an unlimited number of terms. Upon election, the President ceased to be a member of the National Assembly. During his term, the President was not allowed to be a member of a political party or hold any other office. Executive power was meant to be exercised by the Prime Minister who was also elected from the Members of the National Assembly. The Prime Minister was the head of government and Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces. This constitution was subsequently amended four times (arguably five depending on how one considers Proclamation No. 3 of 1986). On October 16-17 1976, a majority of barangay voters (Citizen Assemblies) approved that martial law should be continued and ratified the amendments to the Constitution proposed  by President Marcos.[19] The 1976 amendments were: †¢an Interim Batasang Pambansa (IBP) substituting for the Interim National Assembly †¢the President would also become the Prime Minister and he would continue to exercise legislative powers until martial law should have been lifted. The Sixth Amendment authorized the President to legislate: Whenever in the judgment of the President there exists a grave emergency or a threat or imminence thereof, or whenever the Interim Batasang Pambansa or the regular National Assembly fails or is unable to act adequately on any matter for any reason that in his judgment requires immediate action, he may, in order to meet the exigency, issue the necessary decrees, orders or letters of instructions, which shall form part of the law of the land. The 1973 Constitution was further amended in 1980 and 1981. In the 1980 amendment, the retirement age of the members of the Judiciary was extended to 70 years. In the 1981 amendments, the false parliamentary system was formally modified into a French-style semi-presidential system: †¢executive power was restored to the President; †¢direct election of the President was restored; †¢an Executive Committee composed of the Prime Minister and not more than fourteen members was created to â€Å"assist the President in the exercise of his powers and functions and in the performance of his duties as he may prescribe;† and the Prime Minister was a mere head of the Cabinet. †¢Further, the amendments instituted electoral reforms and provided that a natural born citizen of the Philippines who has lost his citizenship may be a transferee of private land for use by him as his residence. The last amendments in 1984 abolished the Executive Committee and restored the position of Vice-President (which did not exist in the original, unamended 1973 Constitution). In actual practice, while the 1973 Constitution was ideally supposed to set up a true parliamentary system, the late President Marcos had made use of subterfuge and manipulation in order to keep executive power for himself, rather than devolving executive powers to the Parliament, as headed by the Prime Minister. The end result was that the 1973 Constitution – due to all amendments and subtle manipulations – was  merely the abolition of the Senate and a series of cosmetic text-changes where the old American-derived terminologies such House of Representatives became known as the â€Å"Batasang Pambansa† (National Assembly), Departments became known as â€Å"Ministries†, cabinet secretaries became known as â€Å"cabinet ministers†, and the President’s assistant – the Executive Secretary – became known as the â€Å"Prime Minister.† Ultimately, Marcos’ so-called â€Å"Parliamentary System† therefore functioned as an authoritarian-run Presidential System due to the series of amendments and other modifications put in place after the 1973 Constitution was ratified. 1986 â€Å"Freedom Constitution† Following the EDSA People Power Revolution that removed President Ferdinand E. Marcos from office, the new President, Corazon C. Aquino issued Proclamation No. 3 as a provisional constitution to would prepare for the next constitution. It adopted certain provisions from the 1973 constitution and granted the President broad powers to reorganise the government and remove officials from office, and mandated that the president would appoint a commission to draft a new constitution. refference/source; # a b â€Å"The 1987 Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines†. 15 October 1986. http://www.thecorpusjuris.com/laws/constitutions/8-philippineconstitutions/70-1987-constitution.html. Retrieved 2008-04-03. # ^ Isagani Cruz (1993). Constitutional Law. Quezon City, Philippines: Central Lawbook Publishing Co., Inc.. pp. 19. ISBN 971-16-0184-2. # ^ Joaquin Bernas, S.J. (1996). The 1987 Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines: A Commentary. Manila, Philippines: Rex Book Store. pp. xxxiv-xxxix. ISBN 971-23-2013-8. # ^ â€Å"1986 Provisional â€Å"Freedom† Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines†. 25 March 1986. http://www.thecorpusjuris.com/laws/constitutions/8-philippineconstitutions/69-1986-constitution.html. Retrieved 2008-04-03. # ^ â€Å"Local Government Code of 1991†. 1 January 1992. http://www.chanrobles.com/localgov.htm. Retrieved 2007-06-09. # ^ â€Å"People vs. Tatud (G.R. No. 144037)†. Supreme Court of t he Philippines. 26 September 2003. http://www.supremecourt.gov.ph/jurisprudence/2003/sep2003/144037.htm. Retrieved 2007-06-09. # ^ â€Å"Pamatong vs. Comelec (G.R. No. 161872)†. Supreme Court of the Philippines. 13 April 2004. http://www.supremecourt.gov.ph/jurisprudence/2004/apr2004/161872.htm. Retrieved 2007-06-09. # ^ â€Å"Oposa et al. v. Fulgencio (G.R. No. 101083)†. Supreme Court of the Philippines (requoted by Lawphil.net). 30 July 1993. http://www.lawphil.net/judjuris/juri1993/jul1993/gr_101083_1993.html. Retrieved 2007-06-09. # ^ Wikisource-logo.svg 1897 Constitution of Biak-na-Bato (Philippines) at Wikisource. # ^ â€Å"1897 Biac-na-Bato Constitution†. Corpus Juris. 1 November 1897. http://www.thecorpusjuris.com/laws/constitutions/8-philippineconstitutions/300-1897-biac-na-bato-constitution.html?showall=1. Retrieved 2009-01-25. # ^ Tucker, Spencer C. (2009). The encyclopedia of the Spanish-American and Philippine-American wars: a political, social, and military history. ABC-CLIO. p. 364. ISBN 9781851099511. http://books.google.com/?id=8V3vZxOmHssC # ^ Guevara, Sulpico, ed (2005). The laws of the first Philippine Republic (the laws of Malolos) 1898-1899.. Ann Arbor, Michigan: University of Michigan Library (published 1972). pp. 104–119. http://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=philamer;iel=1;view=toc;idno=aab1246.0001.001. Retrieved 2008-03-26 . (English translation by Sulpicio Guevara) # ^ Guevara 2005, p. 88.

What is Microeconomics

In Incentives, Commitments, and Habit Formation in Exercise: Evidence from a Field Experiment with Workers at a Fortune-500 Company study a wellness incentive program implemented at a large corporate headquarters office. Three groups of employees were given different types of financial incentives to visit the on-site fitness center, and their gym-going behavior was monitored for many months afterward. The incentives were that a set of employees received $10 per gym visit over 1 month. After the month was over then they were offered a 2 month contract to continue going with a little bit of a twist, to see the effect of it. How does a commitment contract work? The employee puts down a certain amount of money, they get to choose the amount. If they don't stick to their commitment, they lose the money. They need to be able to go to the gym every 2 weeks over the next 2 months. It is all about risk vs commitment. How much do you really want this, do you want to see personal growth in yourself, are you doing it just so you don't lose the money, it is all in your hands the way you decide to play it. Why would anyone want to take up this offer, the best possible result is breaking even? This was made to differentiate between your long-term preferences vs the short-term preferences. You may set a schedule saying I'm going Monday and Friday every week. You go Monday and you feel great after going and are excited to continue on Friday. You make it to Friday and you make plans with your friends instead of having your gym time. It was a long week so you want to have a good time. You should be able to reward yourself after a long week but do you think that you would feel even better and have a better time out if you went to the gym beforehand. With having this contract, say you know you haven't been to the gym in 13 days and you need to go tomorrow or you lose your money. That might push people to get to the gym, not just for the money but that specific trip could make them want to keep going back in the long run. So the best-case scenario for a commitment contract is not just breaking even: its changing behavior in a positive way. About 1 out of every 8 employees offered a chance to create a commitment contract decided to do it (Royer, Stehr, & Sydnor, 2015). Below are the results of the commitment contract subjects. It was shown that there was a spark in the gym visits more for the group who signed the contracts than when they were offered the $10 per visit. With the contract you are putting your own money on the line. You have something to lose if you don't hold up your end of the bargain. In the long run it is not about the money, it is about your lifestyle and goals. You have things you want to achieve and sometimes you just need a little nudge to get you going. After the 2 month commitment ended, it was wanted to be known the long term effects of the subjects. It was shown that they had noticeably more frequent gym visits on average. Main Hypothesis:Does linking incentives to fitness really help you get to the gym more?Why is it that after the free trial period ends that most of the memberships decline? Why do people not continue on? See no results? Have no incentives?Commitment devices (Fitbit/ Apple Watch) may be the best way to achieve long-term changes New Year's resolutions for most seem to be about Eating healthier, go to the gym more, and cut out sugar, most of health/Fitness related. Get statistics on the New Year's resolutions. How may are making this there resolution and how many actually keep this resolution. 45% of people said that there 2018 resolution was to lose weight/get in shape Fitbit (27.4 million users) and My Fitness Pal (19.1 million users) are 2 of the most used fitness trackers in 2018 Only 8% of people keep their resolutions. People tend to over set goals. When they are too big to reach, you tend to fail. You also don't want to under set your goals because you may be able to reach them too easily and not get the results out of them that you had really hoped. If you fail at your goal, that doesn't mean you should give up. You just have to reevaluate the goal. You want to get back out there achieve your goals. Ex. You said you wanted to go to the gym 4 days a week, but that was too much with your schedule, you shouldn't quit all together just go 2 days a week instead. Sources:https://www.statista.com/statistics/378105/new-years-resolution/https://www.statista.com/statistics/650748/health-fitness-app-usage-usa/https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/new-years-resolutions-psychology_us_5862d599e4b0d9a59459654cEconomic Concepts: Everything is in the incentives, put it all out there.54864132751300Supply describes the total amount of a specific good or service that is available to consumers (Something needed or wanted) available to someone. (Market driven)People want a membership, they want to achieve their fitness goals, and they want to be a better version of themselvesDemand consumer's desire and willingness to pay a price for a specific good or service.Cost of membership may increase as more member sign up In the study- they had to put up their own money, they were able to risk for their goals45720036575900 Cost – (of an object or an action) require the payment of (a specified sum of money) before it can be acquired or done. The money they had to put up, their time, their energy, their commitment Benefit -an advantage or profit gained from something. Better body, feel good about themselves, achieved goalsBottom linehttps://www.investopedia.com/articles/economics/11/five-economic-concepts-need-to-kno w.aspConcluding thoughts Reading articles, writing this essay has got me thinking about my fitness goals and lifestyle. I own a Fitbit and I do enjoy it but I need to get back to using it for all of its features and feeling proud of what I have accomplished in a day. You need to be persistent and have goals. You can't just decide one day to start working out. You need a plan and be physically and mentally ready to conquer the task you set up for yourself. You need an incentive first, that is what gets your foot in the door, and then you continue going because you want to better yourself. Once you start the drive to better body helps keep going back.

Holly Fashion

cASE 6 HOLLY FASHIONS RAT I O A N A LYSI S Billion-dollal a pparel c ompanies s uch a s C alvin K lein a nd L iz C laiborne a re unusual i n t he g arment i ndustry, w hich c onsists p rimarily o f m uch s malier apparel m akers. O ne s uch f irm i s H olly F ashions ( HF), l ocated i n C herry F lill, New J eriey. H F w as s tarted 1 4 y ears a go b y W illiam H amilton a nd J ohn W hite, who b etween t hem h ad o ver 2 5:yearso f e xperiencew ith a m ajor g arment m anufacturer.A nd t he p artnership i nitially b lended v ery w ell. H amilton, r eserved and i ntrospective, i s e xtremely c reative w ith a r eal f lair f or m erchandising a nd trend s potting. M ainly a s a r esult o f h is g enius, t he H F l abel i s s ynonymous with q uality a nd † tn† f ashions. ‘ h ite, o Utgoing a nd f orceful, h as c ontributed important m erchandising a nd m arketing i deas, b ut h as m ainly a ssumed t he duties o f t he f irm's c hief o perating o fficer.Hamilton h as h a d l ittle i nterest i n t he f inancial a spectso f t he c ompany, m uch preferring t o w ork o n d esigning n ew f ashions a nd t he d evelopment o f m arketing s trategies. A f ew m onths a go, h owever', h e d ecided t hat h e h ad b etter' become m ore i nvolved w ith t hd c ompany's f inancials. His m otivation i s t wofold. F irst, h e i s c onsidering t he s ale o f h is 5 0 p ercent interest i n H F. T hough h e m joys t he c reative s ide o f t he b usiness,h e i s t ired o f the c ash c runches t hat t he f irm h as e xperiencedi n r ecent y ears.P eriodically, t he retailers H F d eals w ith h ave e ncountered f inancial p loblems a nd h ave s tlung out t heir p ayments, w hich o ften c aused a m ad s cramble f or c ash a t H F A nd i f Hamilton d ecides t o s ell, h e k nows t hat h e i s l ikely t o b e i nvolved i n s ome stressful n egotiations s urrounding t he c ompany's v a1ue. T hough h e w ould h ire a c onsultant t o a id h im i n a ny,negotiations,h e d ecides i t i s a g ood i dea t o e ducate h imself a bout H F's f inancials.Another r eason t hat H amilton i s i nterested i n t he f irm's f inancials i s s o h e can b etter j udge t he m anagerial c ompetence o f l Alhite. Ahen I IF w as s mall Hamilton t hought W hite d id a f ine j ob, b ut n ow h e w onders w hether / hite i s capable o f r unning a f irm a s l arge a s H F. A ctually, i f H amilton w ere c onvinced that W hite i s a c ompetent m anager, h e w ould n ot c onsider s elling o ut s ince h e 36 PARTI I F INANCIALA NALYSIS genuinely e ntoys b eing a n o wner o f a n a pparel f irm.B ut h e t hinks t he a pparel industry w ill f ace e ven t ougher t imes i n t he n ext f ew y ears, a nd w onders i f ltrhite i s t alented e nough t o s uccessfullym eet t hese c hallenges. BORROWING CONCEB. NS A4rite's p ersonality i s s uch t hat h e m akes v irtually a ll m ajor o perating a nd financial d ecisions. A n i mportant e xample o f t his w as h is d ecision t hree y ears ago t o r etire a ll l ong-term d ebt/ a m ove t riggered b y W hite's f ear t hat H F's b usiness r isk w as i ncreasing.H e c ited t he d ifficulties o f s eemingly r ock-solid r etailers l ike B loomingdale's a nd C ampeau t o s upport h is c laim. I M-Lite i s a lso concerned t hat f irms t he s ize o f H F h ave h ad d ifficulty m aintaining s table b ank relationships. D ue t o i ncreasingly s trict f ederal r egulations, s ome b anks h ave called i n l oans a t t he s lightest t echnicality, a nd m ost a re s crutinizing n ew b usiness l oans v ery c arefully. C onsequently W hite v iews b ank d ebt f inancing a s â€Å"unreliable† a nd t hinks t hat l oan o fficers a re c apable o f † chewing u p m y t ime. Harnilton isn't sure what to make of these arguments, but he is concerned that this debt avoidance has significantly reduced FIF's financial flexibility because it means that all protects will have to be equity financed. In fact, over the past five years t here h ave b een n o d ividends b ecausea ll e arnings h ave b een r einvested. And two years ago each of the partners had to contribute $15,000of capital in order to m eet t he c ompany's c ashn eeds. A nother i nfusion o f c apital m ay b e n ecessary sincet he f irm's p resentc ashp osition i s l ow b y h istorical s tandards. ( See xhibit 2 . E More j mportantly, h owever, H amilton f eels t hat t he c ompany i s n ot b enefiting f rom t he l everage e ffect o f d ebt f inancing, a nd t hat t his h urts t he p rofitabiiity o f t he f lrm t o t he t wo o whers. WORKING CAPITAL CONCERNS Hamilton s uspectst hat F {F'si nventory i s † excessive† a nd t hat † capital i s u nnecessarily t ied u p i n i nventory. † n/hite's p osition i s t hat a l arge i nventory i s n ecessary t o p rovide s peedy d elivery t o c ustomers. H e a rgues t hat † our c ustomers expect q uick s ervice a nd a l arge i nventory h elps u s t o p rovide i t. Hamilton is skeptical of t his argument and wonders if there isn't a mole efficient w ay o f p roviding q uicker s ewice. H e k nows t hat a c onsultant r ecommended t hat H I † very s eriously† c onsiderb uilding a s tate-of-the-artd istribution center. T he p roposed f acility w ould a liow F {F t o r educe i nventory a ld a lso handle big orders from retailers such as Kmart and Wal-Mart. VVhite rejected the suggestion a rguing t hat t he e sttnated $ S-million t o $ 8-mi11ion ost i s e xcessive. c Hamiiton a lso q uestions / hite's c redit s tandards a nd c ollection p rocedures.Hamilton t hinks t hat / hite h as b een q uite g enerous i n g ranting p ayment extensions t o c ustomers, a nd a t o ne p oint n early 4 0 p ercent o f t he c ompany's receivablesw ere m ore t han 9 0'davs o verdue. F urther. / hite w ould c ontinue t o . C ASE6 H OLLYF ASHIONS 37 accept and ship orders to these qetailers eyen when it was clear that their ability t o p ay w as m arginal. l hite's p osition i s t h at. he d oesn't w ant t o l ose s ales and that the rough times these retailers face are only temporary. Hamilton also wonders about the wisdom of passing up trade discounts. HF is frequently offered terms ol 1. 1. 0, net 30. That is, the company receives a l-percent discount if a bill is paid in ten days and in any event full payment is expected within 30 days. ffiite rarely takes these discounts because he â€Å"wants t o h old o nto o ur c ash a s l ong a s p ossible. † H e a lso n otes t hat † the d iscount isn't especially generous emd 99 percent of the bill must still be paid. † FINAL THOUGHTS Despite ill of Hamilton's concems, however, the retationship between the two partners has been relatively smooth over the years. And Hamilton admits that he may be unduly critical of y'hite's management decisions. After al1,†he concedes, † the m an s eems t o h ave r easonsf or w hat h e d oes, a rd w e h ave b een i n the black every year since we started , which is an impressive record, really, for a f um i n o ur b usiness. † Further, Hamilton has discussed with two condultants the possibility of selling his half of the firm. Since FIF is not publicly traded, the market value of the company's s tock m ust b e e stimated. T hesec onsultants b elieve t hat H F i s w orth between $55 and $55 per share, figures that â€Å"seem quite good† to Hamilton. QUESTIONS 1 Calculate the firm's 1995ratios listed in Exhibit 3. . P art o f H amilton's e valuationw ill c onsisto f c omparingt he f irm's r atios t o . the industry numbers shown in Exhibit 3. (a) Discuss the limitations of such a comparative financial analysis. (b) In view of these limitations, why are such industry comparisons so frequentlym ade? 3, Hamilton thinks thai the profitability of the firm to the owners hasbeenhurt by White's reluctanceto use ftuch inteiest-bearing debt. Is this a reasonable position? E xplain. 4. The case mentions that {hite rarely takes trade discounts, which are typically 1 /10, n et 3 0.D oest his s eeml ike a w ise f inancialm ove? E xplain. 5. C alculatet he c ompany'sm arket-to-book dV/BV) r atio. ( Therea re 5 ,000 O shares f c ommons tock. ) o 6. Hamilton's position is that White has not competently managed the firm. Defend this position using your previous an. swers nd other information in a the c ase. 38 PARTII FINANCIAL ANALYSIS 7. Vy'hite's position is that he has effectively managed the firm. Defend this position using your previous answers and other information in the case. 8. Play the role of an arbitratoi.Is it possible based on an examination of the firm's r atios a nd o ther i nformation i n t he c aset o a ssessW hite's m anagerial competmce? Defend your position. 9. ( a) A re t he r atios y ou c alcul:ited b ased o n m arket o r b ook v alues? E xplain. (b) W ould y ou p refer r atios b ased o n m arket c ir b ook v alues? E xplain. EXHIBIT 1 Holly F ashions'I ncome S tatements:1 993-1996 ( 000s) 1993 Sales Costo f g oods Grossmargin Adrrinistrative Dq)reciation EBIT lnterest EBT Taxes Net income 1994 1995 1996 $985. 0 748. 6 236. 4 169. 4 10. 8 56. 1 7. O 49. 1 19. 7 $1,040. 0 n4. $1,236. 0 $1,305. 0 978. 8 202. 8 1 14 51. 0 4t. 0 18. 0 $27. 0 a7a', 307. 8 236,I 13. 6 58. 1 53. 1 21. 7 _-$3L9 249. 3 '14 4 62. 6 58. 5 23. 5 ___$99! EXHIBIT 2 BalanceS heetso { t he H olly F ashionsC ompany: f 993-1996 ( 000s) 1993 ASSETS Cash $40. 4 Receivables r53. 2 Inventory 117. 0 5. 9 Other cwrent Current assets ‘u. 8 Grossf ixed Accumulaied depreciation (12. 0) 32. 8 Net fixed Totala ssets $349. 3 1994 1995 1996 $s1. 9 158. 9 121. 1 6. 2 338. 0 58. 9 (23. 4) __35t $38. 6 ‘t75. 1 $10. 6 224. 8 19L. 9 7. 8 435. 1 96. 4' (s1. 4) 45. 0 $480. 1 193. 4 7. 4 414. 5 78. 1. _a;l continued) C ASE6 H OLLYF ASHIONS 39 EXHIBIT 2 (Contirwed) t993 LIAB]LITIES & NET WORTH Accounts payable Debt due Accruals Current liabilities Long-term debt Common s tock Retained e arnings Total L &NW $53. 8 10 . 0 | 1 9. 7 , 8 3. 5 60. 0 150_0 1994 1995 r996 $v. f $85. 2 10. 0 24. 7 120. 9 40. 0 180. 0 114. 6 $u. 2 10. 0 26. L 120. 3 30. 0 180. 0 149. 8 $48q. 1 10. 0 26. 0 90. 7 50. 0 150. 0 82. 8 $349. 3 $455t EXHIBIT 3 Financial R atios { ot t hb H olly F ashionsC ompany: 1 993-1996 Ind*r11 (Presen] r993 r994 1995. 3. 7 3. 4 2. 6 ‘L7 1. 8 1. 3 1. 6 .8 r996 1993-19961. Liquidity RatiosCurlent Quick Leverage atios R Deb(%) 41.. 1 37. 7 35. 3 8. 0 8. 5 11. 6 6. 4 6. 4 4. 8 FixedA sset Turnover 30. 0 29. 3 30. 1 TotalA sset Turnovet 2. 8 2. 8 2. 7 Timesinterest eamed Activity Ratios lnventory Tulnover (CGS) 47 57 71 3. 9 1. 3 8. 1 6. 0 40 25 72 3. 5 2. 8 2. 0 (continued) P ARTI I F INANCIALA NALYSIS DGIIBIT 3 (Conrinued) Ifld – r) 1993 1994 1995 AverageCollection Period Days Pulchases Outstanding** (Present) 1996 1993-1996+ 50 68 18 31 25 32 ProfitabilityR atios M Gross argin ( %) 24. 0 25. 5 24. 9 Net Profit Margin (%) 3. 0 2. 6 2. 6 Return on Equity (%) 14. 3 11. 6 0. 8 8. 4 7. 2 7. 0 5. 8 6. 0 6. L Retum on Total ( Assets %) Operating Margin*** (%) 26 3. 1 ‘1. 2 27. 3 19. 5 7. 8 11. 8 8. 7 9. 9 7. 2 3. 1 iThe thrâ‚ ¬e numbers for each ratio arc comPuted in the following wsy. Ratios for all firms in dre indushy are arranged in what is considerâ‚ ¬d a strontest-to-weakest order' The middle number rePlâ‚ ¬senis the median ratioj that is, half the firms in the industry had mtios better than the median ratio and half had ratios that werâ‚ ¬ worse The top nunlber represents the uPPer qua4ile figure; meaning 25 Pelcent of the firms had ratios befter tlran this.The lower number represents the lowest quaftile, that is, 25 Percent of the firms had ratios worse than this. *†This shows the average lentth of time that trade debt is ouhtandint. AIso caled the averate Paymeni Period. Calculated ; is A /P – ( CGS/360). 1**Calculateda s ( EBIT + D ep)/Sales.