Handmaid’s Tale †the character of Offred Essay

Margaret Atwood’s novel The Handmaid’s Tale houses a very authentic range of characters, in a complex world. Set in the Republic of Gilead, a totalitarian and theocratic state, where a reproduction rate is rapidly decreasing, some women are labeled as handmaids and assigned to elite couples that have difficulty conceiving. The personality of one character in particular, however, may seem hasty and misunderstood at first glance. But given the circumstances, she proves to hold the values of humanity: she has her own set of opinions, flaws, and habits; has regrets; and a balance of courage and fear. Furthermore, the setting this character must survive in is not much different from today’s society. The government is deemed corrupt, fear of punishment is instilled, and the leaders ensure that the citizens adhere to the law. Finally, the aid and support that she receives, the faith and hope she has, and the development of friendships she makes also has a likeness to ordinary relationships in our world. Hence, the novel’s protagonist, Offred is a relatively relatable individual, especially in terms of her character, her surroundings and her supporting roles. Offred conveys a sense of reality in her personality as she is not perfect and has her own set of opinions, flaws, and habits. For instance, Offred has many moments and flashbacks where she reminisces about her past. This implies that she has regrets and obstacles in her life, just as every human being does. When Offred describes her appearance, albeit briefly, it signifies the insecurities that she keeps bottled up inside â€Å"I am thirty-three years old. I have brown hair. I stand five seven without shoes. I have trouble remembering what I used to look like. I have viable ovaries. I have one more chance† (Atwood, 143). Had she been proud of what she looked like, she most likely would have gone into more detail, but the lack of words plainly states that she thinks nothing special about herself. At one point that she mentions that she does not like to look at herself in the mirror. This shows that she does not look at her self as superior and she is also self-conscious of her own appearance. She also possesses a certain attributes that any person would possess; she is rebellious and disobedient in constricting situations. This is what makes her more interesting and what sets her apart from the rest. Although Moira, Offred’s best friend, was an even more revolutionary character, she seemed too daring to be true. A real life person would not be likely to pull off stunts that Moira had accomplished, for example escaping from the Red Centre â€Å"She had both hands on the lid when she felt something hard and sharp possible metallic jab into her ribs from behind. Don’t move, said Moira, or I’ll stick it all the way in, I know where, I’ll puncture your lung†, â€Å"I couldn’t believe how easy it was to get out of the Center. In that brown outfit I just walked right through. I kept going as if I knew where I was heading, till I was out of sight† (Atwood, 130, 244). Offred had just enough courage and just enough fear to seem realistic. Keeping these points in mind, it is clear that Offred could have been an ordinary character in our society. The Republic of Gilead, as strange as it may seem, actually has some similarities to the modern day and this is primarily seen by Offred’s response to its laws and regulations that they instill. To her, the government appears as corrupt as most governments in this world, and dictators still thrive, just as they do in Offred‘s society. Offred responds to this by doing nothing, which would be the decision of most people if forced to live under these conditions. The leaders of Gilead, after all, employ obedient enforcers to make sure that citizens abide by their laws. She mentions this in the book when she retells how the changes in her nation started. She describes in full length that she, along with all women in the U. S. , were forced from their jobs by men in uniform carrying machine guns â€Å"Not fired, he said. Let go. You can’t work here anymore, it’s the law† (Atwood, 176). The fear of punishment is instilled, akin to the terrors of being imprisoned or given a death sentence in our world. Penalties are dreaded so much in Gilead, for most of the time they are unjustly given out and they vary from hanging to ‘Salvaging’; which is being beaten to death â€Å" The three bodies hang there, even with the white sacks over their heads looking curiously stretched, like chickens strung up by the necks in a meat shop window; like births with their wings clipped, like flightless births, wrecked angels† (Atwood, 277). Offred ultimately responds passively, on account of this fear, and because liberal ways are shunned in Gilead. Margaret Atwood was right in not giving Offred any extraordinary abilities to surpass or overthrow the tyrants that ruled over her life as it would result in a loss of Offred’s relatable self. Relationships with other people are a necessity of life that defines human existence. As Offred progresses with day-to-day life, she develops these friendships, which ensure that she exists. The friends and allies that she made were essential for keeping her sanity intact because without any shoulders to lean on in times of sorrow, a person’s mental capacity could break. Amongst her friends were Cora, whom Offred was not very close with but did not have any tension with, Ofglen, Moira, her best friend, and Nick, the Commander’s chauffeur that Offred opens up to and confides in towards the closure of the story. Offred frequently finds herself seeking support and knowledge in people who share the same beliefs and opinions as her, most significantly from Ofglen and Moira. This portrays the doubts about her world that she holds: another human quality. From Ofglen, she realizes that she is not alone in thinking that their country is corrupt and that something must be done to change things â€Å"At last Ofglen speaks. â€Å"’Do you think God listens,’ she says, ‘to these machines? ’ She is whispering: our habit at the Center†(Atwood, 168). However from Moira, Offred finds out that escaping from their strict nation is not as easy as she had thought, as Moira could not even arrive at such a courageous feat. Without her supporting roles, Offred could have been an ignorant citizen in Gilead that was brainwashed into believing every word that the government fed them. If that were the case, Offred’s connection to the readers would have been lost. Furthermore, Offred turns to hope and faith to console her and help her to move on with life. Just as her friends helped her, these virtues aided in protecting her wellbeing; though forced, since she had nothing else to look to. The hope that Offred’s husband is still alive is very similar to the feelings of families in modern day society that pray for the safe return of their lost, loved one from war or other degrees of separation. Faith is introduced to Offred when she acknowledges the pillow in her room with the word ‘faith’ printed on it â€Å"There’s a hard cushion on it, with a petit point cover: FAITH, in square print surrounded by a wealth of lilies† (Atwood, 57). The fact that it is something she can read implies that there is still hope, as not everything has been taken away from her. This knowledge strengthens her belief that change will come, though subconsciously since Offred never mentions it. The faith that she puts into the Commander also ties into the trust she gives him when playing games, reading magazines and when he brings her to Jezebel’s â€Å"He wanted me to play Scrabble with him†, â€Å"He sits me down, and sits himself down beside me. He puts an arm around my shoulder† (Atwood, 144, 236). Trust is a very common issue that people have trouble giving out. But in examining these elements it is clear Offred’s confidantes have impacted her life and how they make her into a real character. The Handmaid’s Tale is appealing due to its main character, Offred, who shows a great deal of realism in a world of impossibilities. Her character itself is strong-willed, but moderate, and is the perfect mix of what it is to be human. Through her, many of the readers can see a bit of themselves in Offred. She is an excellent example of how a regular person would behave if they were thrust into the world of The Handmaid’s Tale.

Stock and Debt

CHAPTER 12 QUESTIONS 12-1Operating leverage affects EBIT and, through EBIT, EPS. Financial leverage generally has no effect on EBIT—it only affects EPS, given EBIT. 12-2Because Firm A has a higher fixed operating costs, its operating income will change by a greater percentage than Firm B’s operating income if sales change. Firm A has a higher degree of operating leverage than Firm B. 12-3If sales tend to fluctuate widely, then cash flows and the ability to service fixed charges also will vary. Consequently, there is a relatively large risk that the firm will be unable to meet its fixed charges.As a result, firms in unstable industries tend to use less debt than those whose sales are subject to only moderate fluctuations. 12-4The tax benefits from debt increase linearly, which causes a continuous increase in the firm’s value and stock price. However, bankruptcy-related costs begin to be felt after some amount of debt has been employed, and these costs offset the benefits of debt. See Figure 12-5 in the textbook. 12-5Carson does have leverage because its EPS increases by a greater multiple than its sales when sales change. According to the information that is given, Carson’s DTL is 4 = 20/5.Because we have no information about either the firm’s operating fixed costs or its fixed financing costs, we cannot state whether the firm has operating leverage, financial leverage, or both. 12-6EBIT depends on sales and operating costs that generally are not affected by the firm’s use of financial leverage, because interest is deducted from EBIT. At high debt levels, however, firms lose business, employees worry, and operations are not continuous because of financing difficulties. Thus, financial leverage can influence sales and cost, hence EBIT, if excessive leverage causes investors, customers, and employees to be oncerned about the firm’s future. 12-7Expected EPS generally is measured as EPS for the coming years, and we typically do not reflec t in this calculation any bankruptcy-related costs. Also, EPS does not reflect (in a major way) the increase in risk and ks that accompanies an increase in the debt ratio, whereas P0 does reflect these factors. Thus, the stock price will be maximized at a debt level that is lower than the EPS-maximizing debt level. 12-8A firm can change the proportion of debt it uses in its capital structure. If the firm has too much (little) debt, it can reduce (increase) the proportion of debt in its capital structure.Such as change should decrease the firm’s WACC, and thus increase its value. 12-9Absolute’s optimal capital structure is 40 percent debt (= $20,000,000/$50,000,000), because the market price of the company’s stock ($130. 75) is maximized at this point. 12-10With increased competition after the breakup of AT&T, the new AT&T and the seven Bell operating companies’ business risk increased. With this component of total company risk increasing, the new companie s probably decided to reduce their financial risk, and use less debt, to compensate.With increased competition the chance of bankruptcy increases and lowering debt usage makes this less of a possibility. If we consider the tax issue alone, interest on debt is tax deductible; thus, the higher the firm’s tax rate the more beneficial the deductibility of interest is. However, competition and business risk have tended to outweigh the tax aspect as we saw from the actual debt ratios of the Bell companies. The Bell companies and the new AT&T lowered their debt ratios, for reasons along these lines. 2-11Several possibilities exist for the firm, but trying to match the length of the project with the maturity of the financing plan seems to be the best approach. The firm might want to finance the R&D with short-term debt and then, if the project’s results are successful, to raise the needed capital for production through long-term debt or equity. Another possibility would be to issue convertible bonds, which can be converted to common stock—a lower interest rate would be paid now, and in the future (presumably the stock price will increase with the new process) investors would trade in the bonds for stock.One also should keep in mind that this project, and R&D in general, is extremely risky and debt financing might not be available except at extremely high rates. For this reason, many R&D companies have low debt ratios, instead paying low dividends and using retained earnings for financing projects. Under Debt financing the expected EPS is $5. 78, the standard deviation is $1. 05, the CV is 0. 18, and the debt ratio increases to 75. 5%. (The debt ratio had been 70. 6 percent. Under Equity financing the expected EPS is $5. 51, the standard deviation is $0. 85, the CV is 0. 15, and the debt ratio decreases to 58. 8 percent. At this interest rate, debt financing provides a higher expected EPS than equity financing; however, the debt ratio is significan tly higher under the debt financing situation as compared with the equity financing situation. Because EPS is not significantly greater under debt financing, but the risk is noticeably greater, equity financing should be recommended.INTEGRATIVE PROBLEMANSWER: Business risk is the uncertainty associated with a firm’s projection of its future operating income.It also is defined as the risk faced by a firm’s stockholders if the company uses no debt. A firm’s business risk is affected by many factors, including: (1) variability in the demand for its output, (2) variability in the price at which its output can be sold, (3) variability in the prices of its inputs, (4) the firm’s ability to adjust output prices as input prices change, (5) the amount of operating leverage used by the firm, and (6) special risk factors (such as potential product liability for a drug company or the potential cost of a nuclear accident for a utility with nuclear plants).ANSWER: Oper ating leverage is the extent to which fixed operating costs are used in a firm’s operations. If a high percentage of the firm's total operating costs are fixed, and hence do not decline when demand falls, then the firm is said to have high operating leverage. Other things held constant, the greater a firm’s operating leverage, the greater its business risk. [pic] ANSWER: Financial leverage refers to the firm’s decision to finance with fixed-charge securities, such as debt and preferred stock. Financial risk is the additional risk, over and above the company's inherent business risk, orne by the stockholders as a result of the firm's decision to finance with debt. [pic] ANSWER: As we discussed above, business risk depends on a number of factors such as sales and cost variability, and operating leverage. Financial risk, on the other hand, depends on only one factor—the amount of fixed-charge capital (financing) the company uses. [pic] ANSWER: Here are the f ully completed statements: The expected TIE would be larger than 2. 5x if less debt were used, but smaller if leverage were increased. [pic] ANSWER: The optimal capital structure is the capital structure at which the tax-related benefits of leverage are exactly offset by debt’s risk-related costs.At the optimal capital structure, (1) the total value of the firm is maximized, (2) the WACC is minimized, and the price per share is maximized. [pic] ANSWER: Here is the sequence of events: 1. CDSS must first announce its recapitalization plans. 2. The company’s stock would have some market price before the announcement, in this case, $20 per share. The company would have to estimate (a) the price it would have to pay for the repurchased shares and (b) the method to be used for the repurchase (open market purchases, or a tender offer). 3.For simplicity, we assume that the firm could repurchase stock at its current price, $20, which also happens to be its book value per share. In actuality, investors would probably reassess their views about the firm’s profitability and risk under the new capital structure, and the stock price probably would rise. No current shareholder would be willing to sell at a price very far below the expected new price, although some would be afraid the recap plan might not go through, and those stockholders would sell out at a lower-than-expected price.Therefore, the stock price would adjust quickly to a new equilibrium that reflects the recapitalization. 4. CDSS would purchase stock, then issue debt and use the proceeds to pay for the repurchased stock. After the recapitalization, the company would have more debt but fewer common shares outstanding. A new EPS could be calculated, and the price would settle into its new level. [pic]4. ANSWER: The analysis for the debt levels being considered (in thousands of dollars and shares) is shown below: At Debt = $0: [pic] At Debt = $250,000: Shares repurchased = $250,000/$20 = 12,5 00.Remaining shares outstanding = 100,000 – 12,500 = 87,500. Note: EPS and TIE calculations are in thousands of dollars. ) [pic] At Debt = $500,000: Shares repurchased = $500,000/$20 = 25,000. Remaining shares outstanding = 100,000 – 25,000 = 75,000. (Note: EPS and TIE calculations are in thousands of dollars. ) [pic] At Debt = $750,000: Shares repurchased = $750,000/$20 = 37,500. Remaining shares outstanding = 100,000 – 37,500 = 62,500. (Note: EPS and TIE calculations are in thousands of dollars. ) [pic] At Debt = $1,000,000: Shares repurchased = $1,000,000/$20 = 50,000. Remaining shares outstanding = 100,000 – 50,000 = 50,000. (Note: EPS and TIE calculations are in thousands of dollars. [pic] [pic] ANSWER: We can calculate the price of a constant growth stock as DPS divided by rs minus g, where g is the expected growth rate in dividends: [pic] Because in this case all earnings are paid out to the stockholders, DPS = EPS. Further, because no earnings are plowed back, the firm’s EBIT is not expected to grow, so g = 0.Here are the results: Debt Level DPS rs Stock Price $ 0 $3. 00 15. 0% $20. 00 250,000 3. 26 15. 5 21. 03 500,000 3. 56 16. 5 21. 58* 750,000 3. 86 18. 0 21. 44 1,000,000 4. 8 20. 0 20. 40 * maximum ANSWER: A capital structure with $500,000 of debt produces the highest stock price, $21. 58, hence it is the best of those considered. ANSWER: We have seen that EPS continues to increase beyond the $500,000 optimal level of debt. Therefore, focusing on EPS when making capital structure decisions is not correct—while the EPS does take account of the differential cost of debt, it does not account for the increasing risk that must be borne by the equity holders. ANSWER: Currently, Debt/Total assets = 0%, so total assets = initial equity = $20 x 100,000 shares = $2,000,000.WACC = ($500,000/$2,000,000)[(11%)(0. 60)] + ($1,500,000/$2,000,000)(16. 5%) = 1. 65% + 12. 38% = 14. 03%. NOTE: If we had (1) used the equilibri um price for repurchasing shares and (2) used market value weights to calculate WACC, then we could be sure that the WACC at the price-maximizing capital structure would be the minimum. Using a constant $20 purchase price, and book value weights, inconsistencies might creep in. [pic] ANSWER: If the firm had higher business risk, then, at any debt level, its probability of financial distress would be higher.Investors would recognize this, and both rd and rs would be higher than originally estimated. It is not shown in this analysis, but the end result would be an optimal capital structure with less debt. Conversely, lower business risk would lead to an optimal capital structure that included more debt. ANSWER: The three degrees of leverage are calculated below: S = $1,350,000 New debt = $500,000 @ 11% VC = 0. 6S F = $40,000 (Note: Calculations are in thousands of dollars. ) [pic] [pic] DTL = DOL x DFL = 1. 08 x 1. 12 = 1. 21. The degree of operating leverage is defined as the percent age change in perating income (EBIT) associated with a given percentage change in sales. Because our company’s degree of operating leverage is 1. 08, this means that a given percentage increase in sales will lead to an 8 percent greater increase in EBIT. For example, if sales increased by 100 percent, then EBIT would increase by 108 percent. The degree of financial leverage is defined as the percentage change in EPS associated with a given percentage change in EBIT. Because CDSS’s degree of financial leverage is 1. 12, this means that if EBIT increased by 100 percent, then EPS would increase by 112 percent.The degree of total leverage shows the combined effects of operating and financial leverage on the firm’s earnings per share. It is defined as the percentage change in EPS brought about by a given percentage change in sales, and it is calculated as DOL x DFL. Because CDSS’s DTL is 1. 21, a 100 percent increase in sales would produce a 121 percent increa se in EPS. The degree of leverage concept is useful for planning purposes, as it gives an idea of what will happen to earnings as sales vary. Investors can use the concept to consider firms with different leverages if they expect sales to rise or fall. [pic]ANSWER: Because it is difficult to quantify the capital structure decision, managers consider the following judgmental factors when making capital structure decisions: (1)The average debt ratio for firms in their industry. (2)Pro forma tie ratios at different capital structures under different scenarios. (3)Lender/rating agency attitudes. (4)Reserve borrowing capacity. (5)Effects of financing on control. (6)Asset structure. (7)Expected tax rate. ANSWER: The following figure presents a graph of the situation: [pic] The use of debt permits a firm to obtain tax savings from the deductibility of interest.So the use of some debt is good; however, the possibility of bankruptcy increases the cost of using debt. At higher and higher leve ls of debt, the risk of bankruptcy increases, bringing with it costs associated with potential financial distress. Customers reduce purchases, key employees leave, and so on. There is some point, generally well below a debt ratio of 100 percent, at which problems associated with potential bankruptcy more than offset the tax savings from debt. Theoretically, the optimal capital structure is found at the point where the marginal tax savings just equal the marginal bankruptcy-related costs.However, analysts cannot identify this point with precision for any given firm, or for firms in general. Analysts can help managers determine an optimal range for their firm’s debt ratios, but the capital structure decision still is more judgmental than based on precise calculations. ANSWER: The asymmetric information concept is based on the premise that management’s choice of financing gives signals to investors. Firms with good investment opportunities will not want to share the benef its with new stockholders, so they will tend to finance with debt. Firms with poor prospects, on the other hand, will want to finance with stock.Investors know this, so when a large, mature firm announces a stock offering, investors take this as a signal of bad news, and the stock price declines. Firms know this, so they try to avoid having to sell new common stock. This means maintaining a reserve of borrowing capacity so that when good investments come along, they can be financed with debt. 12-17Computer-Related Problem a. If the outstanding debt has to be refunded at the new higher interest rate, expected EPS would decline under either financing plan. However, EPS would decline more if debt financing were used. Therefore, ebt financing has become relatively less attractive than stock financing. The output generated by the model is given below:ETHICAL DILEMMA A BOND IS A BOND †¦ IS A STOCK †¦ IS A BONDOCK?Ethical dilemma: Wally is evaluating whether to use a new (to the United States) financial instrument to raise funds to finance Ohio Rubber & Tire’s (ORT) expansion plans. The new instrument, which is called a bondock, has some characteristics of traditional debt and some characteristics that are similar to common equity. The cost of capital associated with bondocks is slightly higher than traditional debt, but significantly lower than common equity.If ORT’s expansion plans are successful, both its bondholders and its stockholders will receive handsome returns. However, if the expansion plans are not successful, then it appears that stockholders can still benefit but at the expense of bondholders. ORT’s executives are some of the company’s major stockholders, so it appears that they would be in favor of issuing bondocks. Discussion questions: ?Is there an ethical problem? If so, what is it? The question here is whether it is appropriate to use a new financial instrument called a bondock to raise funds needed for expansi on.Because the cost of capital associated with a bondock is slightly higher than the cost of debt but significantly lower than the cost of equity, management thinks that it might be appropriate to use this medium to raise funds to invest in risky ventures. If the expansion investment is successful, both the bondholders and the stockholders will benefit. Of course, the benefit to stockholders will be greater than the benefit to bondholders. On the other hand, if the expansion investment is unsuccessful, both bondholders and stockholders will suffer financial losses.But, because the market values of the bondocks will decline significantly, the firm could benefit by repurchasing these financing instruments in the capital markets. In this case, stockholders would benefit at the expense of bondholders. As a result, the ethical question is whether ORT should raise funds using bondocks knowing that there is a possibility that its stockholders will gain at the expense of its bondholders. ?I s it appropriate for ORT to use bondocks to raise funds that are needed for expansion? Is there an ethical dilemma here? Maybe not. Remember that investors take risks when purchasing the stocks and bonds of firms.In this case, ORT would be wise to use bondocks if the purpose is to raise funds for expansion while trying to lower the cost of capital associated with â€Å"going to† the financial markets. It might be argued that it is unethical for ORT to use bondocks if the intent is to benefit executives who receive bonuses and incentives in the form of the company’s stock. It also might be argued that it is unethical if the intent is to harm the position of bondholders.However, if the primary objective is to increase the value of the firm, then it is difficult to argue that issuing this new financial instrument is unethical. What would you do if you were Wally? It seems that the best solution is for Wally to try to get more information about the new financial instrument called a bondock. Because little is known about bondocks and they appear to be rather complex financial instruments, Wally should gather more information about the risks as well as the benefits to ORT associated with using this medium to raise funds for expansion. Once he has performed his due diligence, Wally should determine whether using bondocks will benefit the firm and its investors in general.If the answer is â€Å"no,† then bondocks should not be used. References: The following articles might be assigned for background material: Emily Thornton, â€Å"Gluttons at the Gate,† BusinessWeek, October 30, 2006, pp. 58-66. David Henry, â€Å"Cross-Dressing Securities,† BusinessWeek, March 13, 2006, pp. 58-59

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Innovation and Technology Management - Essay Example Compared to recent decades, the current business environment has become highly dynamic and unpredictable. It has customers that are highly demanding and operate in a highly competitive environment. In order to counter these challenges, businesses have been developing new products and services the offer better experiences for its respective consumers. It is important to realize that the success of a business depends on a multiplicity of factors, besides human resource management, technology and innovations (Kleinman 2009, 13). This paper examines the importance of innovation and technology in businesses with emphasis on how these two processes have influenced the success of Apple, a company that has been known for its success in the design and sale of various consumer technologies. Businesses are started with an aim of achieving the set goals and objectives. In this case, the owners and managers have to be creative and devise strategies that can enable them to produce and distribute their goods to their identified markets in the most effective way. Many successful businesses in the world have been founded on carefully developed strategies and approaches that understand the market needs of the people. One of the ways of managing this is having a market research, which is essential in providing information on competitor strategies and the various ways in which the business can satisfy the needs of its market (Thompson 2008, 65). Developing market-oriented products and services is important for the business in order to avoid wastages in the production and distribution of its goods and services. Human resource management is critical in the success of businesses since, it empowers human capital in the business to develop policies and strategies to increase the business’ competitive advantage and market position. Human resource management involves the processes concerned with recruitment, hiring and development of business employees to make it

The performance of Saudi Aramco Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

The performance of Saudi Aramco - Essay Example Analysis of Saudi Aramco Against Major Performance Structures Abdullah Adnan Algamdi, 220078861 MM324, Organisational Leadership and Performance Length: 2,563 Dr. ... The research therefore employs the model prescribed by Hillgren & Morse to analyse the internal systems and structures of Saudi Aramco that enables the company to maintain its current capacity of producing 12 million barrels of petroleum (Saudi Aramco Annual Report, 2010 p6) each day and also refine, transport and market a similar volume of oil each day. The paper draws on information from the Saudi Aramco website accessed on the date of completing the paper. The main source of information for the analysis was taken from the Saudi Aramco Annual Report of 2010 which is available on the Saudi Aramco website. Research Question: What elements of high performance as prescribed by Hillgren & Morse are employed by Saudi Aramco to maintained sustained high performance in their operations and strategy? 2- Hillgren & Morse Model Hillgren & Morse (1998 p2) identify that there are some common elements of high performance businesses. In other words, they appear to have identified some common stru ctures and systems that exist universally in consistently high performing businesses. These structures, according to them are responsible for the generation of high results and the sustained generation of high performance year after year. In defining high performance, the areas of high performance they identified were â€Å"financial results, employee morale and customer care & satisfaction† (Hillgren & Morse, 1998: 2). This shows that in order to attain positive financial results and other stakeholder needs, particularly the needs of employees and customers, the structures they identified in their studies will have to be employed to ensure that optimum results are attained and maintained

The relationship between Cooperative Learning and Social Emotional Case Study

The relationship between Cooperative Learning and Social Emotional Learning in a Elementary mixed ability learning environment - Case Study Example materials and ask them to learn the topic on their own at an individual level, without discussing, and then administer a test at the end of the learning. Secondly, the teacher can apply the teaching methodology of teaching the whole topic to the students, while the students take notes, after which a test is administered at the end of the topic to establish their understanding. Thirdly, the teacher can teach the students the topic differently, by teaching the whole topic to each student alone, and then turning on the other student until he is through with all of them. Fourth, the students can ask the students to pick each sub-topic of their interests to learn on their own, and then come teach the sub-topic to the rest of students in a classroom forum moderated by the teacher. Which option is suitable for teaching the living cell topic to the students? In a science class, the teacher has a group of six students of mixed learning abilities. Some of the students have low learning abilities, understanding the content of the teaching very slowly and at times lagging behind in performing the required tasks for the lessons. On the other hand, there is another group that has a high learning ability, being able to learn the content of the science lesson easily, and thus managing to undertake the learning activities and practical tasks very easily. The teacher is highly concerned about the inability of the students with low learning ability to move with the pace he has set, and is therefore worried that such students may inconvenience the students with the high learning abilities, by making the learning process slow, and thus affect the time that the scheduled science lessons should be completed. Thus, the teacher is contemplating various measures to address this problem. First, the teacher is contemplating teaching at the pace that the high ability students are able to adapt, while ignoring the needs of the group with low-learning abilities. Secondly, the teacher is

Top ten recommendations and justification Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Top ten recommendations and justification - Essay Example More than 120 gallons of paint should not be stored in any one storage cabinet. More than three such cabinets shall not be kept in a single storage area. Such storage is against security norms; such storage will make rescue operations difficult. 5. Quantities in excess of this shall be stored in an inside storage room. Containers over 30 gallons capacity shall not be stacked one upon the other. This may lead to damage to the containers and spilling of paint. 6. Within 200 feet of each pile of containers, there shall be a 12-foot-wide access way to permit approach of fire control apparatus. This is necessary for agile and easy execution of fire control operations. 9. Materials which will create fire when they react with water shall not be stored in the rooms where paint is stored. Water is so commonplace a substance that it may be casually and carelessly handled by people, thus reacting with such substances and causing fire hazard. 10. Electrical wiring and equipment located in storage rooms shall be approved for ‘Class I, Division 1, Hazardous Locations’. This is elementary guard against short circuits that may lead to fire

Roles and Governance Models Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Roles and Governance Models - Research Paper Example The roles are disintegrated for each professional and have to execute it diligently to ensure that the project becomes a success. The basic role of a software engineer is to build and develop software according to the specifications that will serve the purpose as documented in paper work. When a project is proposed, it is always in a paper work, it then calls for a software engineer to interpret the information by programming (Dickens, 2006). Through programming language, the software engineer is able to come up with a system that does exactly what is proposed in the paper work. The engineer must be good in data structures and algorithms for this stage of the project to successfully be realized. The software is varied and only conforms to the purpose to which it is planned; a software engineer must therefore be good in programming to produce quality work. A system architect plays more or less the same role as software engineer; he is responsible for the development of the design of the software given that he understands best the customer’s specifications. Software must be designed first before actually it is developed, the analogy here is the plan of the hours, the architect has to draw the plan of the house before engineer can come in, the same principles applies in the development of the software. System analyst is a guru in the development of software and that is why they are able to work out architectural design of very complex systems for the developers to execute the remaining development. In this regard, it explains how close the team operates in the achievement of the purpose (Dickens, 2006). Business analyst is responsible for the dealing with the customers to identify the taste of the customers so that he can provide specification of the software project. Business analyst is responsible for knowing what the customers want so that he is able to provide the same

Leave Your Name at the Border by M. Munoz Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Leave Your Name at the Border by M. Munoz - Essay Example Another reason the Mexicans prefer to adopt the English names when they get to America is to make it easy for people who cannot easily pronounce Spanish names. However, Munoz feels that the main reason is the attempt to hide their identity. Munoz argues that it has now become a custom for Mexican parents to give their children English names. He emphasizes on this point by giving an example of how her nephews, as well as second cousins and other children in his hometown, have evaded their Spanish name in favour of English ones. This paper is an analysis of Manuel Munoz essay, which attempts to demonstrate how Mexican Americans are increasingly deserting their culture particularly their names to assimilate English ones. As Munoz argues, Mexicans appear not to be proud of their culture. As much as they argue that they change their names to make it easy for other people to pronounce, it is not understandable why they would do so even in their own hometown. It is for sure a cultural problem when people completely alter their own way of life to assimilate another one. Names are very crucial since they are used for identification. Most names tell where a person comes from hence his or her culture. Altering one's name is thus a sign that one does not want to be associated with his or her culture. However, I think that the Mexicans have a reason for this. It happens that a lot of stereotyping against the Spanish h speakers exists such that people tend to generalize when they speak of Spanish speaking people. A name being a way of identifying one as Spanish, then those who do not want to be associated with anti-Mexican stereotypes have no choice but to assimilate new culture and avoid being viewed as illit erate (Munoz, 2007). Self-identification is very crucial and the fact that some Mexican Americans cannot even pronounce their names well and are astonished when some do it correctly, demonstrate the extent to which they have run away from their own culture.