Free Essays on Essay on Grades

In the essay, â€Å"A Young Person’s Guide to the Grading System,† Jerry Farber argues his points of view about the effectiveness of giving grades. Farber, first, begins with discussing how grades reflect the gaining of knowledge.. He starts with stating the obvious, â€Å"Academic success, as everyone knows, is something that we measure not in knowledge but in grade points† (333). Just because someone received an â€Å"A† in a class does not necessarily mean that they are anymore knowledgeable on that subject than someone who failed. Much too often, grades are given for accomplishments that really have no relevance to what a person has actually learned on a subject. For instance, my health teacher graded us on the organization of our notebooks and, as a result, I received â€Å"A’s† for it. However, I couldn’t tell someone what foods contain what vitamins and what those vitamins do for the human body. Furthermore, I have received good grades for my attendance and my ability to keep a calendar and at the same time I scored poorly on tests proving that I knew little of the subject. I see many of the grades I’ve earned as pointless and having no reflection on what knowledge I have actually gained. At the same time, cheating can get a person an â€Å"A† without them even having to know the material. Whether it is copying a friend’s homework assignment or looking over at a neighbor’s test, as long as it is done correctly, that person will receive an â€Å"A† and, consequently, be noted as knowing the material. Nonetheless, there are many instances where people get by with decent grades and have actually retained very little of what the instructor taught.... Free Essays on Essay on Grades Free Essays on Essay on Grades In the essay, â€Å"A Young Person’s Guide to the Grading System,† Jerry Farber argues his points of view about the effectiveness of giving grades. Farber, first, begins with discussing how grades reflect the gaining of knowledge.. He starts with stating the obvious, â€Å"Academic success, as everyone knows, is something that we measure not in knowledge but in grade points† (333). Just because someone received an â€Å"A† in a class does not necessarily mean that they are anymore knowledgeable on that subject than someone who failed. Much too often, grades are given for accomplishments that really have no relevance to what a person has actually learned on a subject. For instance, my health teacher graded us on the organization of our notebooks and, as a result, I received â€Å"A’s† for it. However, I couldn’t tell someone what foods contain what vitamins and what those vitamins do for the human body. Furthermore, I have received good grades for my attendance and my ability to keep a calendar and at the same time I scored poorly on tests proving that I knew little of the subject. I see many of the grades I’ve earned as pointless and having no reflection on what knowledge I have actually gained. At the same time, cheating can get a person an â€Å"A† without them even having to know the material. Whether it is copying a friend’s homework assignment or looking over at a neighbor’s test, as long as it is done correctly, that person will receive an â€Å"A† and, consequently, be noted as knowing the material. Nonetheless, there are many instances where people get by with decent grades and have actually retained very little of what the instructor taught....

Fixed Mindset Will Destroy More Than Your Wardrobe

Fixed Mindset Will Destroy More Than Your Wardrobe Everyones Talking About Fixed Mindset vs. Growth Mindset On Saturday I went to an expo for Lu La Roe, a women’s fashion company that sells dresses, skirts, and leggings at home parties and online. I hadn’t been planning to go, mind you. I was actually headed to a different event – but something told me I should wander in and explore. I didn’t realize I was about to get a lesson in fixed vs. growth mindset – a topic that seems to be popping up everywhere in my life lately. First, there was a conversation at the Wright Foundation on what keeps us from training people to be better than we are. Then, fixed vs. growth mindset arose as the main focus of the ActionCOACH workday I attended on Friday. The next day, I was not surprised to see an article posted via LinkedIn by Susan Howington, My Best Career Advice to You, extolling the virtues of a growth mindset. Fixed mindset, just as it sounds, is a stuck frame of mind that will keep us exactly where we are. It tells us there are no options, that things won’t work, that we can’t do it or learn new things. People living in a fixed mindset are rarely the type of leaders we look up to or who triumph over adversity. They are more likely to be the people complaining. With a growth mindset, in contrast, we see possibilities. We know we can grow and change. We keep getting better and taking risks. People with a growth mindset are open to the ideas other people have for them. It is satisfying to contribute to them. Growth Mindset for My Wardrobe Back to Lu La Roe. I walked into the exhibition hall and my brain immediately told me I would not fit into anything there. I am 4’10† and when I looked at some of the XS tops and they looked huge to me. Instead of keeping my opinion to myself, I said to one of the vendors, â€Å"It seems like there aren’t a lot of things here that would fit me.† That was my first good move. I recognized my fixed mindset and voiced it. The woman immediately called over reinforcements, â€Å"Hey Tiffany! This lady thinks there’s nothing here that will fit her!† Tiffany pulled a dress from her rack and began to show me how wrong I was. Soon, not only was I trying on dresses, but I was learning how to MAKE them fit me! There’s a trick that worked on the first dress, bunching it up from underneath and tying it with a hair band to create a nice diagonal look. And another method worked on a dress that I initially saw as way too long (it was as tall as I am)! I was so excited to have gotten past my fixed mindset that I bought three items from this miracle worker, plus one from another vendor she referred me to. It was pretty easy to get past my fixed mindset about clothing. And it was fun! Creating a Growth Mindset Everywhere Will blasting through my fixed mindset about certain things in my business be as easy? I have some challenges I’m facing and I’ve been pretty hopeless about some of them. But my coaches have helped me see some possibilities there too. In fact, the email you may have received from me today about my college essay price increase came out of one of those conversations. To help understand fixed mindset, I invite you to watch this video clip from Facing the Giants: Brock’s coach literally had to blindfold him to get him past his fixed mindset so that he could not see his own perceived limits. And since Brock was a leader on the team, once he broke through his fixed mindset, his team could break through theirs as well. Note: Brock did not get past his limiting beliefs by himself, as many of us fool ourselves into believing we can do. He needed his coach to believe what he did not believe, just like I needed Tiffany and the coaches at ActionCOACH to get me past some of my stuck thoughts. I have a lot more work to do, and I know I will have to keep stretching my comfort zone. This week I’m taking new actions on my business, including reaching out to executive recruiters and past leads. As for my new Lu La Roe friend, we are talking about going shoe shopping together. Believe it or not, I have a fixed mindset about how I can’t wear dresses in the winter because I wear orthotics and don’t have decent shoes to wear with dresses. I’m ready to have that thinking blown out of the water too. Where do you see you have a fixed mindset that you want to shift? Please share in the comments! 🙂 Log in to Reply Carol says: June 20, 2017 at 9:40 am Thank you for this great article Brenda. It came just when I needed to hear it. I am a writer and am 61 years old. I work part-time for a wonderful nonprofit, but Im struggling to make ends meet. I know I view my age as a big limitation regarding work. I like your idea of receiving coaching as I tend to try to do everything on my own. Any ideas of where I can find low-cost coaching options? I live about an hour north of San Francisco. Than you. Log in to Reply Brenda Bernstein says: June 20, 2017 at 12:42 pm Thanks so much Carol. Im glad my article was so helpful! You might look for coaches trained through the Coaches Training Institute (CTI). Sometimes new coaches have lower rates. For career coaching, I would recommend contacting Thea Kelley! https://www.linkedin.com/in/theakelley/ Log in to Reply Susan Thomson says: June 20, 2017 at 9:44 am I am a work in progress on this! Its been an interesting journey to seek out opinions that are different than mine, question my fixed beliefs about how I invest my time and even how I see other people. Carol Dwecks book MINDSET has helped a lot on self-awareness. Log in to Reply Brenda Bernstein says: June 20, 2017 at 12:40 pm We are all works in progress right? Otherwise wed be in a fixed mindset! Thanks for the book recommendation, and for inspiring this blog!! Log in to Reply Dolores Priegnitz says: June 21, 2017 at 4:49 pm Excellent advice thanks for sharing. I will practice a growth mindset as I pursue new learning opportunities. Log in to Reply Brenda Bernstein says: June 21, 2017 at 5:05 pm Great Dolores! Make sure to have a coach its hard to keep a growth mindset when youre relying on your own mind :-). Log in to Reply

Linguisitcs- Empirical findings Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Linguisitcs- Empirical findings - Essay Example Hypothesis 3 predicted that both corpora would provide more dependent noun clauses than other types of dependent clauses and is confirmed within the interview corpus but not within the linguistic corpus, which contained an even number of adverbial, noun and relative clauses. Hypothesis 4 predicted that the extract taken from a transcribed interview would contain more contractions than the linguistic extract, and is borne out by the results. This study compares two small corpora, each comprising 300 words, taken from a linguistic journal and a transcribed interview. The texts are therefore diverse in terms of content, style, register and their proposed audience, and are compared and contrasted in terms of the linguistic properties pertaining to the number and length of sentences, the number and type of dependent clauses, and the use of contractions. The focus on sentence constructions begins by ascertaining the number of sentences within each corpus. The purpose of this is that the number of sentences will provide insight as to the length of the sentences, which is measured in terms of the number of words within a punctuated sentence. The higher the number of sentences found within a 300 word corpus, then the shorter the sentences would have to be. The fewer the number of sentences therefore, would realise longer, compound and complex sentences and thus would be expected to render more dependent clauses. The second property to be measured in this study is the number and type of dependent clauses used within each text. A dependent clause does not convey a complete idea and therefore is unable to stand by itself; in other words a dependent clause relies on an independent clause for meaning. Tallerman (2005) refers to dependent clauses as subordinate clauses and the independent clause, which must contain a finite verb, as the matrix clause. She also tells us that subordinate clauses are often considered as embedded clauses because

Problems with Genetic Manipulation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Problems with Genetic Manipulation - Essay Example In Wood's society of predetermination through genetic alterations, no one has to take any measure of personal responsibility. In the introduction of Better Living through Genetics, James Wood uses persuasive speech (logos) as well as a somewhat morally appealing argument (ethos) to convince the reader of the benefits of genetic engineering. An example of this is the sentence "Genetic analysis during in vitro ("test tube") fertilization enables couples to eliminate sickle cell anemia and a host of other diseases from their offspring.". What parent to be would not wish to ensure the healthiest of offspring There is certainly a sense of moral fiber behind wanting to make sure that one has healthy, disease free children. This statement is therefore supported by both logos and ethos. Logos is the part of Aristotelian argument that specifically deals with persuasive argument through speech. As the essay continues, Wood tried to convince his readers of the boundless benefits of literally designing and predetermining their offspring in an almost Hitler like ideology. The statement that follows is an example of something one would assume came straight out of the holocaust ".Nevertheless, society will still have to protect itself from criminals. The only practical solution, until defects are purged from the species, is mandatory genetic testing and preemptive action, including putting people with "criminal genes" in prison before they commit crimes." The fact that the reader cannot escape the notion that Wood's "utopia" is an almost genocide or ethnic cleansing of sorts, allows one to determine that both pathos (appealing to one's emotions) and ethos (moral competence) are completely abandoned. Although, a few statements such as the above idea that one can prevent one's offspring from genetic deformities and disease, may be arguably an example of either pathos or ethos. The overall essay however, deviates from both. In addition, the essay is somewhat choppy and therefore lacking in logos (argument through speech). If the piece had been more eloquently written, one may be able to find it more persuasive. This is not to say that some of the statements here and there are not worded reasonably well and therefore slightly convincing. For example, Wood discusses that the process of creating his genetically engineered "utopia" would take place in stages and eventually appeal to everyone "Almost every one of the myriad incremental steps toward utopia appeals to some value such as competitive advantage or convenience". This causes the reader to wonder if perhaps they are not being open minded enough or perhaps they have missed the greater picture. This is an example of logos (argument and persuasion through speech. The summary of Wood's essay sums up the "utopia" he desires as essentially a planet with robotic organisms devoid of any spirit or autonomy. This is the absolute opposite of the very nature of humanity and is therefore very amoral. Therefore, ethos is not an element of argument used overall in Wood's essay. The following statement in Wood's summary explains this machine run "utopia" void of humanity"In sum, the new technologies

Carl Robins Essay Example for Free

Carl Robins Essay This case study pertains to an employee by the name of Carl Robins. He has been employed by ABC, Inc as a Campus Recruiter for six months. In early April, during Mr. Robins first six months of employment; he successfully recruited 15 new hires. The new trainees were to report to Monica Carrolls, the Operations Supervisor, as they would be working under her. (University of Phoenix, 2014) This case study analysis of Mr. Robins is in relation to the numerous issues that transpired between April and June 15th. To obtain a clear understanding of the complications that transpired, the company believes that it would be in their best interest to consult a firm to look into the company’s issues and to help solve the problems that have emerged; this may be the most effective method to identify and recommend ways to improve ABC, Inc.’s recruiting of new trainees. I. ISSUES THAT TRANSPIRED The consulting firm came into ABC, Inc. and thoroughly examined background information on the situation. There were many key problems that had been identified during the evaluation. The issues that ABC, Inc. was facing were centered on Mr. Carl Robins, ABC, Inc.’s Campus Recruiter and also on the company ABC, Inc. To begin, Mr. Robins has been with the company merely a short six months. The consulting firm believes that Mr. Robins lacks experience, training and supervision. The firm also believes that ABC, Inc. did not train him properly nor did it provide him with the knowledge he needed to proceed properly with the hiring process. He lacked experience and knowledge of the hiring process and he was still allowed to hire 15 new  trainees for the Operations Supervisor, Monica Carrolls. Although hiring 15 new trainees is great accomplishment for a new employee, this might have been too many employees to be hired at once for a first recruitment. Because he is still new to ABC, Inc., learning about day to day operations, the hiring of 15 new trainees can be overwhelming, even to the most experienced of people. Another issue Mr. Robin’s was facing, was the lack of communication between him and the other employees in the office. On May 15th, he was contacted by Monica Carrolls about the following issues: the training schedule, orientation, manuals, policy booklets, physicals, drug tests, and a host of other issues, which Carl would coordinate for the new hires. Once again, Carl assured the Operations Supervisor, Monica Carrolls, that he would have everything completed and arranged by the June 15th orientation. After further review, Carl had realized that when going through the new trainee files to finalize all the paperwork for the June 15th orientation; applications for some of the new trainees had not been completed. Also, there were no transcripts on file and none of the 15 trainees had been sent for the mandatory drug screen. Another problem Carl had was that the orientation manuals were missing several pages from each of them and he only had three copies of the manuals. Lastly, upon checking the conference room to confirm the date of the orientation, he had not realized that the conference room had been booked for the whole month of June by the Technology Services Department. There are several concerns or issues that need to be addressed and that Carl and ABC, Inc. need to rectify. Below are the listed issues of these concerns that will be discussed. Review of addressed issues: 1. Incomplete employee applications 2. Mandatory drug screens were not scheduled 3. Employee transcripts were not on file 4. Incomplete orientation manuals 5. Shortage of orientation manuals 6. Resource scheduling conflicts II. PROBLEM SOLVING SOLUTIONS After the case review of Carl Robin’s, discussion of possible solutions available to rectify the situations at hand and the proposed solutions that Mr. Robin’s should take have been reviewed. Starting with concerns and issues, numbers one through three, the incomplete employee applications; Carl needs to contact the 15 new hires and make them aware of the absence in their records and have them complete the applications that need to be submitted to the Human Resources Department along with a transcript; they also have to complete a mandatory drug screen prior to orientation. Carl needs to set a deadline for the mandatory drug screens to be completed prior to the June 15th orientation training. On the concerns and issues, number four and five, the incomplete orientation manuals and the shortage of the orientation manuals. The orientation manuals were short by 12; Carl needs to make arrangements with company in house copy person to finish completing the orientation manuals he needs or he must contact an outside company to help rectify the need for the orientation manuals. Carl needs to have a â€Å"Main Copy Manual† made for himself or the next person that is in his position. A hard copy manual is something that should be kept on file, so that pages will not be misplaced and there will always be one on file. Carl seems to lack knowledge of ABC, Inc.’s policies and procedures. He must get to know the material in the company’s orientation manual prior to the July orientation. Reading over the material prior to the orientation and also going over what he will be saying to the new hires with his own supervisor or another staff member might be a good way to go about this. Mr. Robin’s can also make key notes to have for himself during the orientation so he can be prepared prior to the training. Lastly, on issue and concern number six. ABC, Inc. must make arrangements to find a better way to coordinate the availability of the conference room or rooms. By not having arrangements in place for this, Carl currently does not have a place to hold orientation that is to take place on June 15th; due to the Technology Services Department holding training for the whole month of June. Whether the system that they choose be a calendar type paper based or web based, ABC, Inc. should have something in place so errors like these do not occur again. A recommendation of a web based calendar and have one person take control of it is suggested. III. PROPOSED COMPANY SOLUTIONS The proposed company solutions that should take place are: refer all applicants to the Human Resources Department and also for all new employees establish bimonthly or monthly start dates to coincide with the company’s pay periods. Have orientation manuals printed either by an in house copy person or have orientation manuals completed by an outside company. Lastly, ABC, Inc. must set up a calendar system for reserving the conference room and Carl needs to go ahead and reserve this room on a reoccurring basis. It will be easier to cancel the reserved room rather than to go scrambling looking for a room to hold orientation in. A web based calendar controlled by one person is what is recommended. Having upper management hold a meeting to discuss implementing the proposed solutions should be an additional step to take for all corporate management. Also, upper management should meet on a monthly basis to discuss issues that may be happening within the company and use critical thinking skills to help determine what steps they need to take to help their employees better themselves at their jobs. This will bring good morale to the company and will make for a better work environment. CONCLUSION In conclusion, Carl Robins is an employee of ABC, Inc. and has been working for the company for just six months. He holds the position of Campus Recruiter and on his first recruitment hired 15 new trainees. Carl lacked supervision, knowledge and experience and was not ready for such a large task. He was missing applications and mandatory drug screenings that were needed to complete employee records. Carl also did not have proper completed orientation manuals. These issues led to a case study of Carl and ABC, Inc. and proposed solutions were recommended. The recommended solutions are as follows: 1. Refer all applicants to the Human Resources Department 2. All new employees to establish bimonthly/monthly start dates to coincide with pay periods 3. Orientation manuals to be printed in house or by outside company 4. Have a â€Å"hard copy manual† made of orientation manual 5. Set up a web based calendar system for reserving conference room or rooms It is not impossible to overcome these issues, the proposed solutions if set in place should make for a better work environment for the employees of ABC, Inc. References (2014). Case study: carl robins. University of Phoenix.

Revolution in Cosmology Resolves Dispute over Universes Age Essay

Revolution in Cosmology Resolves Dispute over Universe's Age Just under seven years ago, astronomers using the Hubble space telescope presented results they hoped would help answer one of the most contentious issues in astronomy of the 20th century – the question of the distance scale of the universe. But there was some unease when the result was announced. According to the report, other galaxies were close enough that, extrapolating backwards from their current rate of recession and making adjustments for the influence of gravity, they all would have been together (that is, the Big Bang would have occurred) as recently as 8 billion years ago. Unfortunately, there was strong evidence already in place that some stars were at least 12-15 billion years old – apparently predating the origin of the universe itself! While these two highly irreconcilable values for the universe's age certainly posed a serious challenge to astronomers, most simply assumed that better measurements would place the distance scale back in line with the older age. What no one expected is that resolution to this problem would lie not in corrected measurements but a revolution in cosmology, and the apparent discovery of what amounts to a mysterious new essence of the cosmos – a "fifth element" that hides in vacuum and drives the expansion of the universe. The scientific study of the age and origin of the universe is intimately linked with the measurements of extragalactic distance, and consequently the science did not even exist until measurement techniques accurate to such scales were invented. Distance measurement has always been difficult for astronomers – until the 1800s, no one knew even the distance to the nearest star (other than the Sun), and th... ...pressure and a whole host of other strange properties that gravitationally repel all surrounding space, expanding the universe in absence of any physical substance. Furthermore, by expanding the universe, more empty space is created, creating even more antigravitational force and making the universe expand ever faster, leading to a runaway expansion that will eventually culminate in the dilution of all remaining matter into nothingness. And in this lies the solution to the long-standing age issue. If the universe's expansion is constantly getting faster, it must have been slower in the past, pushing the age of the universe upward to around 13 billion years, right in line with the ages of stars. So without any major revision to the distance to nearby galaxies or the ages of stars, the question of the true age of the universe has been solved in a way no one expected.

Logic on a New Level Essay

In 1995, a talk show host, by the name of Rush Limbaugh was quoted while responding to a newspaper article written about a study completed by the NCEA (National Center for Economic Alternatives). According to this newspaper article, the study done by the NCEA claimed that American farmers use chemical fertilizers, and that due to our large economy, small businesses, and families, America is a waste generating country. Therefore, the purpose of this essay is to analyze the logic of Rush Limbaugh’s speech, given to argue against this study. In the first segment of Rush’s speech he refers to the NCEA as â€Å"environmentalist wackos† which is a common fallacy made throughout his statement. This is referred to as a tu quoque fallacy, which shows that just because you are connected with a certain group of people does not mean you apply to commonly used stereotypes. The NCEA may have done a study relating to the environment but that doesn’t mean they are environmentalists. When Rush refers to the NCEA as â€Å"wackos†, this is attacking personal character that is not directly relevant to the issue at hand, this fallacy is know as ad hominem. Rush argues with the study, by first defending American farmers and exploiting the fact that farmers â€Å"never† receive praise for feeding the world. We can conclude two fallacies from this accusation, one being over-generalizing( using such words as never can easily be proven wrong) and ignoratio elenchi, which is an irrelevant response. Feeding the world and using chemical fertilizers are two different topics that cannot be compared logically. If you consider the statement closely you will also know that farmers do receive praise, their paycheck is the reward. When the NCEA concluded their study, they stated that America was waste generating. Rush attacked the NCEA for not considering our â€Å"economy a beckon of hope†. He argued that people from all around the world want to come to America. This is again a ignoratio fallacy because it is simply irrelevant information. Rush is also attempting to appeal to a certain popular  prejudice, he stated â€Å"American families have worked generations for a high standard of living, no they’re not held up for praise. No! Instead they’re all trashed†. This statement is an ad populum fallacy, because he is appealing to a certain group without any connection to America being a waste generating society. He continues on during his speech to sarcastically suggest that the NCEA would rather us give up our technology and â€Å"live more like the Soviets†. This is an ad poplum statement appealing to people that fear communism. Rush is attacking the personal character of Soviets, which is ad hominem and he is committing a tu quoque, which is stating that just because someone is a Soviet does not make them primitive. This statement can be simply concluded as a ignoratio statement and a slippery slope(just because one event takes place does not place any connection to another event) because it is completely irrelevant to America and its waste. In Rush’s conclusion he tells the â€Å"environmentalist wackos† to shut up and stop speaking their opinion. Rush is familiar of the rights of every American, their freedom of speech, and is violating other peoples views and is being unconstitutional. Rush thinks that by shutting up the environmentalists and asking them to turn to more constructive work like himself, he will eliminate the problem. This is a straw-man fallacy, because he is twisting the issue around. After learning about fallacies and there use in proving someone to be illogical, I have determined that Rush Limbaugh has a very biest view point and does not always use the correct solutions for a problem. He comes across like a very strong assertive person with a convincing argument but does not use logic to strengthen his beliefs.

Cheat Sheet Finance Essay

One year ago, you purchased 1,200 shares of Berry, Mayell, and Wheeler (BMW) stock for $21.20 per share. You have received dividend payments equal to $0.60 per share. Today, you sold all of your shares for $22.20 per share. What is your total return (dollar and percent) on this investment? (4 points) [pic] Castella, Norwood, and Ngoc (CNN) stock had returns of 8%, -2%, 4%, and 16% over the past four years. What are the mean and standard deviation of this stock for the past four years? (6 points) The long term inflation rate average was 3.2% and you invested in long term corporate bonds over the same period which earned 6.1%. What was the average risk premium you earned? (3 points)[pic] Use the following information to answer questions 11 and 12. You purchased one of Fan, Igli, Sherrill, Harper, Evans, and Rashid (FISHER) Corp’s 8% coupon bonds one year ago for $1,028.50. These bonds make annual payments and mature six years for now. Suppose you decide to sell your bond today, when the required return on the bond is 7%. The inflation rate was 4.8% over the past year. What would be your total (i.e., nominal) rate of return on the investment? (7 points) To find the return on the coupon bond, you first need to find the price today. The bond now has six years to maturity, so the price today is: [pic] You received the coupon payments on the bond, so the nominal return was: [pic] What would be your real rate of return on the investment? (4 points) And using the Fisher equation to find the real return, we get [pic] Return and Risk: Statistics and CAPM (various points each) If the covariance of Caroline and Oberkrom (CO) Inc. stock with Van, Aleksandra, and Richter (VAR) Co. stock is0.0065, then what is the covariance of VAR Co. stock with CO Inc. stock? (3 points) Answer: -0.0065 Suppose the risk-free rate is 6.3% and the market risk premium is 8.5%. The market portfolio has a variance of 0.0498. Blagg, Elizabeth, Tendler, and April (BETA) Portfolio has a correlation coefficient with the market of 0.45 and a variance of 0.1783. According to the CAPM, what is the expected return on BETA Portfolio? (8 points) First, you need to find the standard deviation of the market and the portfolio, which are: [pic] [pic] Now, you can use the equation for beta to find the beta of the portfolio, which is:[pic]; or [pic] [pic] [pic] Assume that you are interested in acquiring the exclusive rights to market a new product. You estimate that it will cost you $500 million upfront. You also believe that the product will generate an NPV of -$165. You expect to operate without serious competition for the next five years. Use the following inputs to the Black-Scholes options pricing model: S, the current PV of the project’s E(CFs): $335 million ÏÆ'2, the variance of the project’s E(CFs):0.422 = 0.1764 X, the initial investment in the project:$500 million T, the period of exclusive rights to the project:5 years t, the number of years delayed:1 – 5 years rf, the 5-year risk-free rate:5% DY, the cost to delay [pic]:0.20

Nike Debate Essays

Nike Debate Essays Nike Debate Essay Nike Debate Essay Case:Â   Nike:Â   The Sweatshop Debate 1. Should Nike be held responsible for working conditions in foreign factories that it does not own, but where subcontractors make products for Nike? Yes, Nike is not only responsible but also accountable for the working conditions of foreign countries that it does not own. Nike should realize that it is a Global Organization and working globally does not only mean that taking advantage of low cost destination but also taking responsibility of the contractors/employees working in other countries. For example: Pepsi was recently in the news for allegations of having pesticides in the cold drink in India. Pepsi ensured that it has same standard of water purification across the world and not just meeting standards in the Indian Market. Similarly, Pepsi should realize that while they are getting cheap labor in low-cost destinations but at the same time they need to be socially responsible to ensure that the workers get minimum wages and work in conditions that are acceptable in respective countries. 2. What labor standards regarding safety, working conditions, overtime, and the like should Nike hold foreign factories to: those prevailing in that country, or those prevailing in the United States? There need to be combination of standards for Nike. If Nike follows only the standards (wage rates) prevailing in Unites States, it might not be able to enjoy the cost advantages that they are realizing by off shoring manufacturing of shoes. However, if Nike adopts the standards prevailing in the country of manufacturing then it is not able to comply with some of the Human Rights related issues that global organizations should comply with. Hence, it is very important that Nike designs a combination of standards that ensures that workers get at least the minimum wages in the respective country but the working conditions should be acceptable enough for workers to work and the minimum age limit of workers should also be enforced strictly. 3. An income of $2. 28 a day, the base pay of Nike Factory workers in Indonesia, is double the daily income of about half the working population. Half of all adults in Indonesia are farmers, who receive less than $1 a day. Given this, is it correct to criticize Nike for the low pay rates of its subcontractors in Indonesia? The daily wage rate in different countries is fixed by the labor laws in that country. The daily wage rate also differs by the skill of workers, type of city the worker lives/works in and the prices of essential commodities in the city/state. Hence, the daily wage of workers in factories manufacturing Nike shoes may be higher than farmers in the same city/state. If Nike’s contractors are not abiding the minimum wages for the type of skill and working conditions in which these workers work in, then Nike need to be criticized. If Nike’s contractors abide by the minimum wages set by a class of workers depending upon their skill and working conditions, then Nike cannot be criticized and comparing wages of one set of workers with another set of workers like farmers may not be correct. 4. Could Nike have handled the negative publicity over sweatshops better? What might it have done differently, not just from a public relations perspective, but also from a policy perspective? Nike could have handled the negative publicity over sweatshops better from a policy perspective. Nike could have enforced norms for all the contractors, who are manufacturing either shoes or apparels for Nike across countries, to abide by the local rules and also created some new norms that would apply to all the factories that manufacture Nike’s products. Nike should have published the names of all the contractors across countries abiding by the local working conditions and wages. They should have also requested the local labor inspectors in different countries to do an audit of their factories on a regular basis to ensure that contractors comply with the local laws in their respective countries. 5. Do you think Nike needs to make any changes to its current policy? If so what? Should Nike make changes even if they hinder the ability of the company to compete? Nike needs to ensure that all the contractors comply with the wages and local working conditions in respective countries. Nike can do this either by appointing a labor inspector in each of the factories for all the contractors and asking them to report the details of all the workers working in their respective factories and this report need to be reviewed by legal experts at the country level and worldwide level to ensure that all the laws are in compliance by contractors of Nike. Any non-compliance should be considered seriously and serious actions should be taken against all such contractors, which might result in termination of contracts with such factories. In fact, Nike should go ahead and open schools for children of workers working in their factories across different countries to take care of the developments of its workers across the globe. Nike should make such changes even if this means termination of contracts with non-compliance factories or more expenses for development of workers in factories. This is because all organizations in today’s world affect the society and hence they need to be sensitive towards the conditions of the employees and the society. Thus, Nike should engage in Cause Related Marketing (CRM) by ensuring that working conditions are made better in all the factories and also ensuring that developments of workers happen so that they are not devoid of good working conditions, food and respectable wages. 6. Is the WRC right to argue that the FLA is a tool of industry? WRC has claimed that FLA is tool of the industry as they found certain evidence, which were not being followed in Nike’s factories. It may be possible but WRC should provide some time to FLA to ensure that all the factories of Nike are compliant with the local labor laws in respective countries. WRC should audit some of the factories which FLA has declared as compliant with local labor laws to ensure that it is not a tool of the industry. The change management across all the factories of Nike for ensuring compliance will take some time and hence WRC need to ensure that FLA does its job of creating compliance in a foolproof manner. 7. If sweatshops are a global problem, what might be a global solution to this problem? Sweatshops are a global problem as organizations have started working in a global environment. The Organizations need to be sensitive to the laws of different countries and also accountable toward the workers / employees / contractors of low cost destinations to ensure that they work in better working conditions and abide by the rules and regulations of countries in which they operate in. b. Next summarize the strategic and operational challenges facing global managers illustrated in your selected case. Also comment on recent global developments affecting the company in this case. Strategic Challenges Identifying low cost destinations for ensuring cost efficiencies Ensuring synergy of product specifications across different manufacturing locations Ensuring consistent quality across manufacturing locations Operational Challenges Ensuring consistent wages across different manufacturing locations across countries Ensuring similar working conditions across different manufacturing locations across countries Ensuring development of employees across regions

Spaceship Earth - More than a Disney Attraction

Spaceship Earth - More than a Disney Attraction Visionary and designer, poet and engineer, R. Buckminster Fuller believed that we must work together as a crew if we are to survive on our planet, spaceship earth. How did the dreams of a genius turn into a Disney World attraction? When Buckminster Fuller (1895-1983) conceived the geodesic dome, he dreamed that it would house humanity. Constructed of a complex framework of self-bracing triangles, the geodesic dome was the strongest and most economical structure ever designed for its time, first patented in 1954. No other form of enclosure covered so much area without internal supports. The larger it is, the stronger it becomes. Geodesic domes have proven durable in hurricanes that have flattened traditional homes. Whats more, geodesic domes are so easy to assemble that an entire house can be built in a single day. Spaceship Earth at Disney World The enormous ATT Pavilion at Epcot in Disney World is perhaps the worlds most famous structure modeled after Fullers geodesic dome. Technically, the Disney pavilion isnt a dome at all! Known as Spaceship Earth, the Disney World attraction is a full (although slightly uneven) sphere. A true geodesic dome is hemispherical. However, theres no question that this Disney icon is Buckys brainchild. EPCOT was envisioned by Walt Disney in the 1960s as a planned community, an urban development of the future. Disney allotted 50 acres of his newly purchased Florida swampland to be what I remember to be called an Environmental Prototype Community of Tomorrow. Disney himself presented the plan in 1966, explaining the Celebration-like development as an Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow, a climate-controlled bubble community, with, perhaps, a geodesic dome atop. The dream was never realized at Epcot- Disney died in 1966, shortly after he presented the master plan and shortly before Buckminster Fuller had great success with Biosphere at Montreals Expo 67. After Disneys death, amusement prevailed, and living under a dome transformed into being entertained inside a sphere representing Spaceship Earth Built in 1982, Spaceship Earth at Disney World encloses some 2,200,000 cubic feet of space inside a globe that is 165 feet in diameter. The outer surface is composed of 954 triangular panels made of a polyethylene core sandwiched between two anodized aluminum plates. These panels are not all the same size and shape. Geodesic Dome Homes Buckminster Fuller had high hopes for his geodesic domes, but the economical designs didnt catch on the way he envisioned. First, builders needed to learn how to waterproof the structures. Geodesic domes are made up of triangles with many corners and many seams. Eventually builders became skilled in geodesic dome construction and they were able to make the the structures resistant to leaks. There was another problem, however. The odd shape and appearance of geodesic domes proved to be a hard-sell for homebuyers used to conventional houses. Today, geodesic domes and spheres are widely used for weather stations and airport radar shelters, but relatively few geodesic domes are built for private homes. Although you wont often find a one in a suburban neighborhood, geodesic domes do have a small but passionate following. Scattered around the world are determined idealists, building and living in the efficient structures Buckminster Fuller invented. Later designers followed in his footsteps, creating other types of dome housing such as sturdy and economical Monolithic Domes. Learn More: Movies About Famous Architects, Including Buckminster FullerWhat is a Geodesic Dome?From our architecture glossary, illustration and definition of the geodesic dome, conceived by Buckminster Fuller.Build A Geodesic Dome ModelStep by step instructions, with diagrams, by Trevor Blake.Buckminster Fuller: BiographyFast facts about the life and works of Buckminster Fuller.Buckminster Fuller: InventionsAn extensive collection of resources from your Inventors Expert.Buckminster Fuller Bibliography by Trevor Blake, 2016Walt Disneys Epcot Center: Creating the New World of Tomorrow by Richard R. Beard, 1982

A Case for an Intergrated Criminal Court and Against an Independent Research Paper

A Case for an Intergrated Criminal Court and Against an Independent Juvenile Justice System - Research Paper Example They dispute that there are important differences between the development of adults and young individuals or that rehabilitation remains different from sentencing and persuade legislators to sustain the differences between offenders and antisocial or deviants. Some stress psychological insufficiency or physical helplessness. Others argue that juvenile courts safeguard young lawbreakers from further corrective criminal justice rules. Yet, there are those who argue that juvenile courts furnish the sole opportunity in which to take into account all the official and legal issues, such as abuse, neglect, felony, and dependency, which impinge on families and children (Corriero, 2006). Finally, advocates of an independent juvenile justice system call upon the contingency argument of Progressives (Feld, 1999): in spite of the procedural defects and evident impoverishment of juvenile courts, criminal courts represent more unpleasant locations to try and sentence juvenile delinquents. Juvenile courts try to integrate criminal social control and social welfare in a single organization and unavoidably perform both poorly due to the innate conflict in both functions. In contrast, a juvenile adaptation of an adult criminal justice system is a body devoid of any justification (Culbertson, 2000). Since there are already existing criminal courts, with no social welfare basis, a juvenile adaptation of an adult criminal justice system would only be unnecessary. The Arguments for an Independent Juvenile Court and Against an Integrated Criminal Court An independent juvenile justice system needs a more defined, refined justification than crude punishment versus rehabilitation arguments. In fact hardly any observable differences are present between these two functions. However, if it is recognized that juvenile courts penalize young delinquents, we then take the responsibility of granting them criminal procedural protections since â€Å"the condition of being a boy does not justify a kangaroo court† (Barkan & Bryjak, 2010, 520). It has been argued by the McKeiver Court that obliging procedural similarity with adults would terminate the juvenile court trial, yet took for granted the fact that refusing to do so reinforced bias and injustice (Feld, 1999). To perceive and deal with equally positioned criminals differently, to sentence young offenders for the sake of rehabilitation, and to strip them of essential protections cultivate a kind of injustice that frustrates any attempts towards reform. The present juvenile court does not offer justice or rehabilitation and cannot be reformed. The other policy alternatives are to pattern juvenile courts to the adult criminal justice system or vice versa (Roberts, 2004). Regardless if young delinquents are tried in an integrated criminal court or in an independent court, we should reevaluate fundamental principles and deal with procedural and substantive matters. Substantive justice issues comprise forming and exec uting a doctrinal basis, such as shortened temper, psychological immaturity, weak disposition, or reduced conscience, to sentence juvenile delinquents dissimilarly, and more mildly, than adult criminals or suspects (Myers, 2005). Procedural justice