Internal Control Over Financial Reporting Essay

Internal Control Over Financial Reporting - Essay Example The editing paper "Internal Control Over Financial Reporting" talks about the internal control over financial reporting and performing an integrated audit of Ford Motor Company and Toyota Motor Corporation. According to the Securities and Exchange Commission, disclosure procedures and controls includes those procedures and controls put in place to ensure that the information required to be availed in financial reports is processed, recorded, summarized and reported within the required timeframe as stipulated in the SEC rules. These procedures and control policy have an organized framework that enables an issuer to disclose the information required in the Exchange Act reports. The accumulated report is presented to the management of the issuer who include financial and principal executive officers within an appropriate time limit that enable implementation old decisions on the required disclosures. Despite their differences, internal controls and disclosure control overlap over financial reporting. Therefore, inherent limitations are those unintentional errors or intentional misstatements that may reflect in financial reports despite proper design and monitoring process. Comments on these limitations on financial report and statements aim at highlighting the impossibility of a 100% assurance control system, and that the information in the statements is material-error free. And the assurance that internal control does not contain any material weaknesses is essential to a management team.

General Mills Essay Example for Free

General Mills Essay On December 8, 2000, management at General Mills proposed a plan to acquire Pillsbury, a baked-goods producer. Pillsbury is currently controlled by Diageo PLC, one of the world’s leading consumer goods companies. The deal specifies that General Mills is to create and thus issue additional shares of common stock to Diageo in exchange for complete ownership of the Pillsbury subsidiary. If the deal is executed, Diageo will become General Mills’ largest shareholder. The consideration to Diageo would include 141 million shares of the companys common stock and the assumption of . 142 billion of Pillsbury debt, making the deal worth over $10 billion. In addition, the agreement will contain a contingency payment, as up to $642 million of the total transaction value may be repaid to General Mills at the first anniversary of the closing, depending on its average stock price at that time. In this report, we will calculate and analyze various costs and benefits associated with the transaction to determine whether or not General Mills’ shareholders should vote for the proposed acquisition. If approved, General Mills will become the fifth largest food company in the world 2. OVERVIEW OF GENERAL MILLS, INC. General Mills manufactures and markets branded consumer foods worldwide. It has a strong presence in the United States, as it is the nation’s largest producer of yogurt and the second largest producer of ready-to-eat breakfast cereals. The company owns many product segments that are marketed under high-profile brand names, such as Betty Crocker, Yoplait, Cheerios, and Big G. Each of these businesses in the United States was mature and offered relatively low organic growth. Because of this reason, the firm has pursued numerous expansion opportunities that have successfully positioned General Mills as a market leader. Its expansion efforts have proved successful, as General Mills had annual revenues of about $7. 5 billion in the fiscal-year 2000. Although highly profitable, General Mills is facing increased competition in the food industry, as rivals are consolidating and becoming more difficult to compete against. Therefore, General Mills must be able to recognize and thus act on potentially high-yielding investments that will allow the company to expand despite the slow-growth food industry. Through a program of aggressive share repurchases in the 1990s, General Mills had increased its book value debt-to-equity ratio dramatically compared with its peers. Despite this fact, General Mills still maintains an investment grade bond rating from the rating agencies. 3. OVERVIEW OF DIAGEO PLC AND PILLSBURY COMPANY Diageo is one of the world’s leading consumer goods companies formed in 1997 through the merger of GrandMet and Guinness. Its product portfolio consisted of prominent alcoholic-beverage brands such as J;B, Johnnie Walker, Smirnoff, Gordon’s, Tanqueray, and Guinness as well as the Burger King fast food chain and Pillsbury. Pillsbury is a baked goods company that operates under Diageo. Pillsbury is one of America’s best-recognized names in the food industry. Marketing its goods under the popular Dough Boy character, Pillsbury has successfully positioned its brand and has created a longstanding platform for success in the food industry. The company also controls several other high-profile brands, such as Green Giant, Old El Paso, and Progresso. Not too far behind General Mills, in 2000, Pillsbury generated annual revenues of $6. 1 billion. 4. OVERVIEW OF GENERAL MILLS’ ACQUISITION OF PILLSBURY On December 8, 2000, management of General Mills recommended that its shareholders authorize the creation of more shares of common stock in order to acquire Pillsbury. The transaction between Pillsbury and General Mills will involve a stock-for-stock exchange that would pay Diageo over $10 billion; 141 million shares of common stock in addition to the assumption of $5. 142 billion in debt. This debt figure includes Pillsbury’s existing debt of $142 million, along with $5 billion in new borrowings that will be distributed to Diageo in the form of a special dividend before the deal is closed. After the transaction is completed, Diageo will own about 33% of General Mills’ outstanding shares. If approved, the transaction would result in Pillsbury operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary of General Mills. This essentially means that Pillsbury is completely controlled by General Mills, as General Mills would own 100% of Pillsbury’s stock. Diageo is primarily divesting its holding in Pillsbury in exchange for a substantial holding in General Mills. The transaction also includes a rare contingency payment, which specifies that $642 million of the transaction cost will be set aside by Diageo in an escrow account for one year following the closing of the deal. If General Mills’ average stock price is above $42. 55, Diageo is to transfer the $642 million back to General Mills. If General Mills’ average stock price is below $38, Diageo will only pay $450,000. If the stock price is between these two values, the escrow fund will be split on a pro-rated basis. It is important to note that there are two main constraints involved with the transaction. First, General Mills does not want Diageo to own in excess of 33% of its stock. Second, General Mills does not want to lose its investment-grade bond rating. 5. GENERAL MILLS’ STRATEGIC MOTIVES FOR ACQUIRING PILLSBURY Acquiring Pillsbury can provide General Mills with two main potential benefits. The first potential benefit for acquiring Pillsbury is growth. The acquisition of Pillsbury gives General Mills the opportunity to double the size of its empire. If the transaction is approved, General Mills will become the fifth largest food company in the world. By acquire Pillsbury, General Mills would create value for shareholders by providing opportunities for accelerated sales and earnings growth. These opportunities would be exploited through product innovation, channel expansion, international expansion, and productivity gains. In addition to growth, the transaction would also create positive synergies for General Mills through cost savings. General Mills’ management is motivated to close the deal because they believe that the two companies will grow faster together than either would alone. In other words, General Mills hopes to increase the value of the combined enterprise through synergy, which will benefit Diageo as well as the other shareholders of General Mills. The acquisition should accelerate earnings more quickly than if GM remains smaller and continues to focus solely on its core products. If General Mills acquires Pillsbury, it will be able to combine the capital, resources, and technology of both firms, resulting in greater efficiencies and increased capacity for future expansion efforts. The transaction would also result in at least $645 million in pretax savings between fiscal year 2001 and 2003 ($25 million in fiscal 2001, $220 million in 2002, and $400 million in 2003). These savings are the results of supply chain improvements, efficiencies in selling, merchandising, and marketing, as well as the streamlining of administrative activities. 6.   The deal would be economically attractive if the benefit is greater than or equal to the cost of the acquisition. In other word, the deal would be considered economically attractive if: Value of Pillsbury + Synergies + Clawback Stock Paid + Debt Assumed If the benefit is greater than or equal to the cost of the acquisition, value will be created for the shareholders. In other words, General Mills’ shareholders, which will include Diageo, will be benefit from the transaction. 6. 1. VALUATION OF PILLSBURY (WITHOUT SYNERGIES) Pillsbury was valued by both Evercore Partners and Merrill Lynch using three valuation methods: comparable firms (LTM EBITDA and LTM EBIT), comparable transactions (LTM EBITDA and LTM EBIT), and discounted cash flow (With and Without Synergies). Since synergies will be calculated separately in our discussion, it is important to value Pillsbury without synergies first (in other words, we need to find the value of Pillsbury by itself). The values that Evercore Partners and Merrill Lynch came up with are between $8. 4 billion and $13. 21. For our analysis, we will use these numbers as our estimated standalone value for Pillsbury with $8. 4 billon as the low value and $13. 21 as the high value. 6. 2. VALUE OF SYNERGIES (COST SYNERGIES) If the transaction is approved by shareholders, General Mills’ management team believes that the deal would create cost savings of $25 million, $220 million, and $400 million in 2001, 2002, and 2003 respectively. These savings are the results of supply chain improvements, efficiencies in selling, merchandising, and marketing, as well as the streamlining of administrative activities. However, through positive synergies between General Mills and Pillsbury, we believe that the cost savings will last longer than three years. Below is the discounted cash flow valuation of cost synergies given the following assumptions: a. WACC = 9. 3% b. Annual Inflation = 2% c. Free Cash Flow Perpetual Growth Rate = 2. 5% d. Tax Rate = 40% Based on the analysis above, the net present value of cost synergies is about $3. 24 billion. This number is very significant considered the valuation of Pillsbury itself is only worth between $8. 4 billion and $13. 21 billion. Synergies will be an important factor in our consideration when we provide our recommendations later in the report. 6. 3. VALUE OF CLAWBACK As part of the agreement between General Mills and Diageo, a contingent payment clause is included in the transaction. The terms of this payment specify that up to $642 million of the total transaction value may be repaid to General Mills at the first anniversary of the closing, depending on its average stock price for the 20 trading days prior to that date. If General Mills’ average stock price is above $42. 55, Diageo is to transfer the $642 million back to General Mills. If General Mills’ average stock price is below $38, Diageo will only pay $450,000. If the stock price is between these two values, the escrow fund will be split on a pro-rated basis. Exhibit 1 shows the payoff diagram for this contingent payment. With the stock price on the x-axis and the payoff amount on the y-axis, we are able to show the payoff amount (according to the terms in the contingency plan) with respect to the price of General Mills’ stock. As shown in the graph, the payoff is flat at $450,000 when the stock price is in between $0 and $38. However, the payoff begins increasing when the stock price is between $38 and $42. 55. The closer the stock price comes to $42. 55, the higher the payoff amount to General Mills. Once the stock price reaches $42. 55, the payoff is flat again, as General Mills is to receive a fixed amount of $642 million regardless of the price increase after it reaches the point of $42. 55. Some financial professional called this contingent payment â€Å"claw-back† provision because it would reclaim some value for General Mills if its share price rose. This contingent plan serves an important purpose in this transaction. Since General Mills and Diageo had differences in opinions with regards to the value of General Mills’ stock, the contingency payment serves as a â€Å"deal saver†. The entire transaction was about to fall apart over a price disagreement. General Mills didn’t want to pay more than $10 billion, whereas Diageo didn’t want to accept anything less than $10. 5 billion. Therefore, the contingency payment established the â€Å"bridge the gap† in purchase price. In addition, General Mills believes that its stock is undervalued, whereas Diageo believes the stock price will stay the same or decrease within a year. In other words, General Mills thinks the stock is worth more than it is trading for. It serves as an opportunity for General Mills to take advantage of its perception of the strength of its stock. From General Mills’ point of view, the contingent payment is equivalent to a bull spread: a long call with exercise price of $38. 00 and a short call with exercise price of $42. 55. Using Black Scholes option pricing model, the analysis below shows the value for this combined position. From the analysis above, the present value of the contingent payment (Clawback) is between $195. 43 million and $331. 63 million. If the deal is approved by shareholders, Diageo will own 141 million shares of General Mills’ common stock. To determine the value of General Mills’ stock payment to Diageo, it is important to note that General Mills’ board of directors approved the merger in July of 2000 but General Mills’ executives did not ask the shareholders for creation of more shares of its common stock until December of that year. Due to this reason, the average stock price of July and December will be used to calculate the value of General Mills’ stock payment to Diageo. Using the average price of the July stock price ($35.50 per share), the value of General Mills’ stock payment to Diageo is $5. 006 billion (141 million shares x $35. 50/share). Using the average price of the December stock price ($41. 00 per share), the value of General Mills’ stock payment to Diageo is $5. 781 billion (141 million shares x $41/share). 6. 5. VALUE OF DEBT ASSUMED If the deal i s approved by shareholders, General Mills will take on $5. 142 billion in new debt. This debt figure includes Pillsbury’s existing debt of $142 million, along with $5 billion in new borrowings that will be distributed to Diageo in the form of a special dividend before the deal is closed. This is one of the factors that shareholders should consider when making the decision to whether or not to vote for the deal. It is important to note that General Mills already have a higher increase in debt to equity ratio compared with its peers due to aggressive share repurchase back in the 1990s. General Mills may lose its investment grade bond rating if it has too much debt on its balance sheet. Now that we have all the components of costs and benefits for the acquisition, let’s put it all together to see if the acquisition of Pillsbury will be economically attractive to shareholder. In other word, will the acquisition of Pillsbury create value for shareholders? The table below summarizes the costs and benefits of Pillsbury Acquisition. Based on the analysis above, the benefits for both low and high end of the acquisition are higher than the costs of the acquisition. Due to this reason, the acquisition of Pillsbury is economically attractive to both General Mills’ managements and shareholders. 7. RECOMMENDATION FOR GENERAL MILLS’ SHAREHOLDERS Based on the cost and benefit analysis, the acquisition of Pillsbury is a promising investment. Acquiring Pillsbury can help General Mills create synergies through both income / earning growth and cost savings. One key information that all shareholders should keep in mind when making decision is synergies. As shown in the calculation above, synergies account for a large part of the benefit side of the acquisition. If shareholders vote for this deal, they are making a big bet on the creation of synergies between the two companies. If synergies cannot be created between the two companies, no value will be created for the shareholders. Exhibit 1: Payoff Diagram for the Contingent Payment (Clawback) Payoff $38 $42. 55Stock Price

The Character of Cholly in The Bluest Eye Essay -- Bluest Eye Essays

The Character of Cholly in The Bluest Eye Morrison has divided her portrayal of a fictional town of blacks, which suffers from alienation and subjugation, into four seasons. I believe that her underlying message is to illustrate the reality of life's travails: the certain rhythms of blessings and tragedies. Some blacks understand and acccept this philosophy and Morrison's use of the seasons portrays and echoes the bible verse, "To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven"(Ec. 3.1). Perhaps this is a fatalistic approach or as Darrow says, Man is the product of heredity and environment and that he acts as his machine responds to outside stimuli and nothing else, seem amply proven by the evolution and history of man. Every process of nature and life is a continuous sequence of cause and effect (156). This theory is particularly evident in Morrison's development of Cholly, the man who raped his daughter. She could have portrayed him as a degenerate akin to Soaphead, a slimy character, who leaves us with a feeling of revulsion. Instead, step-by-step, she leads us through Cholly's life and experiences; so in the end, instead of hating him, we feel his pain. Cholly is introduced in the first chapter. He is the father of Pecola. Because of his actions, the whole family has been put out of their home. It was a miserable apartment, as ugly in appearance as the family. Except for Cholly. In his youth he had been big strong long limbed and full of his own fire. Now his behavior was his ugliness. Years of despair, dissipation and... ...ft pregnant with his child, and pushed to madness by these terrible circumstances: she finds her beauty in the bluest eye. I said in mine heart, God shall judge the righteous and the wicked; for there is a time for every purpose and for every work (Ec. 17). Morrison draws a sympathetic picture of Cholly. She blurs the reality and covers him with emotional longing for the love he knew in the past. Cholly has nothing more to lose. His life is a tragedy. Works Cited Darrow, Clarence."Crime and Free Will". Introductory Readings in Philosophy. Ed. Marcus G. Singer and Robert R. Ammerman. New York: Scribner, 1962. 156-57. Morrison, Toni. The Bluest Eye. New York: Plume: 1994. The New Chain Reference Bible. Ed. Frank Charles Thompson. Mt. Morris, N.Y: Chain Reference Bible Publishing. 1929.

The Doryphoros

Can you hear it, the mumbles of children everywhere at the just the mention of year around school, while the parents of these kids start to jump for joy. Would a year round school year help not only our nation but Oklahoma’s concerns about school performance? It is this simple question that starts the debate and battle of the school year. Should we or should we not have longer school days or just go for the gold to say and make school a year round institution. There are many who argue for year round school. They believe that more is always better. United States President Barack Obama is among them. The challenges of the new century demands more time in the classroom. † he stated. I for one think that more hours would not only help American but Oklahoma schools as well. We have all been there, coming in from a long summer break when out of the blue a teacher ask the dreaded question, do you remember how to work this problem? I can still see my blank stare at the chalk boa rd wondering who is going to save me. Shorter summer breaks means students are less likely to incur learning loss, and it may decrease the number of students being sent to remedial classes or to tutoring for help.Oklahoma’s kids are falling below average in science and math. We say that some kids just don’t test well, but it is not the case. The long summer breaks mean less time in the class room to keep their heads in the game. Without a long summer break that leaves less young minds in summer school and more time in the classroom and where the action is. School systems that are already year round have an advantage over the other states that are not. This would provide Oklahoma children with the ability to have a more global educational experience.Countries like Japan, China, and Korea already have this system in effect. Their children test higher, have a more developed level of learning, and they graduate College at a higher rate. The average test scores for U. S 4th grader in math was (539), whereas China’s average was well into the (800). They test better due to them retaining the knowledge learned during the year and years before. Students who test lower cost not only time but money to be spent on the longer educational process. We should not look at it as if it should happen but as in when to start.Before you think man is this person crazy, what about all the vacation plans we made during the summer. With the year round school program it will be easier to schedule family vacations and it will give students opportunity to rest their brain more frequently. It will also help cut down the need for these bright minds of our future to need the re-teaching of skills already learned. Allowing teachers to use classroom time more efficiently not only benefits the teachers but the kids as well. They will be learning more and keeping up with the rest of the world.We fail to realize our children are crying out for help. When we have seniors leavi ng high school with only the reading skill of a 5th grader can we say that as citizens of Oklahoma we did our best to help them achieve their best? I for one believe it is time for us to stand up and say no our children need and deserve more. A family with both mother and father working, that leaves who to care for the kids. Child care is expensive costing more during the summer break. Parents who are just making end meat to supply the house hold with enough to just get by would have more room to breathe.Families would be able to save as much as $750 per month. Families struggle pay the bills, put food on the table, and supply kids with clothing, why add another expense on the already tight budget. With all that being said there are some who believe that year round school would be more of a burdened than a source of help. The budget for food and other bills also raise a question with them. They even go to state that budgets and staffing issues simply may not allow for extended schoo l programs to happen. They say that school maintenance, day to day upkeep and the utilities do not justify the means.You may even hear that students who have difficulty with attention, due to disability are not ready to attend longer periods of time and that it will create some disorder in the classroom. Many budgets and staffing issues have been brought forward as well. How are we to pay qualified teachers the competitive way and it is hard to keep them as well. With all this information being said I for still believe that the pros out way the cons. We need to build a better foundation and it all starts in the classroom. Without the proper education our kids will not secede in the world.We as Oklahoma’s should care more about the education we are sending these children out with than the dollar amount. So as we sit down to listen to the children as they are against this we need to ask do they really know what is good for them. As adults and Oklahomans it is our job to ensure the children grow up with the knowledge need to advance in life. Without the proper education we are saying that we as parents, educators, and adults do not care about the education of our next president, teachers, doctors etc. It is time to take a stand and say yes our education system in Oklahoma needs a change and to place it into action. Before you decide look at the statics of all the other countries that go all year round. There are fewer drop outs, more college graduates and higher achievement in life. We all just want our children to be the best they can be and that starts in the classroom. Works Cited CNN. â€Å"Obama wants to overhaul education from ‘cradle to career' – CNN. com. † CNN. com – Breaking News, U. S. , World, Weather, Entertainment & Video News.Kristi Keck, 10 Mar. 2009. Web. 20 Nov. 2012. . â€Å"Fast Facts. † National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Home Page, a part of the U. S. Department of Education. The National Center for Education Statistics, n. d. Web. 20 Nov. 2012. . Oklahoma. Oklahoma City: Oklahoma State Dept. of Education, 198. Print. Williams, Mary E.. Education: opposing viewpoints. San Diego, Calif. : Greenhaven Press, 2000. Print.

Substance misusers

Identify and act upon immediate risk of danger to substance misuse's 1. 1 – Describe the range of different substances subject to misuse and their effects There Is a whole range of different substances and they all create different effects. Substances fit Into three different categories, with more than one category fitting some substances. The three categories are: Stimulants, Depressants and Hallucinogens. I will proceed to list the main substances, their effects, how they are taken and the category they fit into: Alkyl Nitrates (poppers, amyl nitrate, butyl nitrate, gibbously nitrate): Category:Hallucinogens Effect: Brief but intense head rush, flushed face and neck, effects fade after 2-5- minutes Form and how taken: Vapor which is breathed in through the mouth or nose or from a small bottle or tube. Amphetamines (speed, waltz, poet, belly, sulfate, crystal meet): Category: Stimulants Effect : Excitement, the mind races and users feel confident and energetic, suppresses app etite, smoking crystal meet will produce a more intense rush Form and how taken: Grey or white powder that is snorted, swallowed, smoked, injected or dissolved in a drink.Base is a strong version of the powder form and is white or yellowish in color and is usually swallowed or injected. Tablets which are swallowed. Crystal meet is crystalline and is smoked or injected. Anabolic Steroids (rods): Category: Users say the drugs make them feel more aggressive and able to train harder, helps build up muscle with exercise, helps users recover from strenuous exercise Form and how taken: Tablets that are swallowed or liquids that are injected BGP – Phenylalanine (BIZ, pep, pep love, pep twisted, pep stones, the good stuff, exodus, frenzy): Category:Causes effects similar to amphetamine but not as strong. When combined with other types of prissiness the effects seem to be compounded which gives a greater sense of euphoria – (effects can differ from pill to pill due to the nature of the chemical make-up) Form and how taken: Pills – many shapes, forms and colors – Often have Imprints such as fly, crown, heart and can often be sold as ecstasy Cannabis (Marijuana, weed, puff, skunk, blow, phonic, draw. Soapbox): Category: Users feel relaxed and talkative. May cause hilarity. Usually brings on cravings for food.Strong skunk can cause hallucinations. Form and how taken: A solid dark lump known as resin/hash or leaves, buds, stalks and seeds, or a sticky dark oil. Can be rolled either with or without tobacco in a Joint or smoked in a pipe, or eaten in a cake or biscuits. Cocaine and Crack (Cocaine, Charlie, coke, crack, wash, rock, white): Category: Sense of well-being alertness and confidence. For cocaine the effect can last for around 30 minutes, users are often left wishing for more. Crack has the same effects as cocaine but is much more intense and a much shorter high with a ore intense craving for more.Form and how taken: Cocaine – white powder that is snorted up the nose, dabbed on gums, swallowed and sometimes dissolved and injected. Crack – small raisin sized crystals which are smoked in a pipe Heroin (smack, gear, brown, H): Depressants Strong feeling of warmth, contentment and well-being (happy bubble) Form and how taken: Usually brown, sometimes white powder. Either smoked on foil or prepared for injection and injected. Ecstasy (E, doves, pills, burgers, disco biscuit, maturities, MADAM): Category: Users feel alert and in tune with their surroundings.Sound, color and emotions seem more intense. Users may dance for extended periods. Effects may last for 3 to 6 hours. Form and how used: Tablets of different shapes, size and color – often with some kind of logo on. Pure MADAM (the main ingredient in ecstasy pills) is a brown colored crystal and is crushed and snorted. Gases, glues and aerosols (lighter gas, aerosols containing products such as hairspray, deodorants and air fresheners, tins or tubes of glue, some paints, thinners and correcting fluids): Category:Hallucinogens Similar to being very drunk, also thick headed, dizzy, giggly, dreamy, and hallucinations Form and how used: Sniffed or breathed into the lungs from a cloth or sleeve. Gas products are sometimes squirted directly into the back of the throat. Alcohol: Disinherited, euphoria, loss of coordination and unconsciousness Form and how used:Drunk as a liquid Astatine (K, special K, vitamin K): in severe cases Form and how used: Legally produced as a liquid, illegally produced as a pill or grainy white powder – usually snorted or prepared for injection ND injected.Painlessness's (Valid, digamma, tempera, neutralize, planetarium, yellows, blues, smarmiest, bonzes, reopen, trains, Jellies, valise, mommies, roofers, downers): Long acting bonzes such as valid/digamma are commonly used for stress and anxiety management. Short acting ones such as tempera are often used for help with sleep. Used in detoxification w here there is risk of fitting. All cause a calm relaxed feeling or bring on sleep. Form and how used: Either swallowed as a pill, injected or used in a suppositoryOpiates (Methadone, codeine, Dehydrogenate (DIF 18), Diction, Petitioned, Opium, Morphine, Playful, Subtext – partial opiate): Category: Can be divided into long acting and short acting. SHort acting can depending on dose, give feelings of contentment and relief of distress that is also offered by heroin. Longer acting opiates such as methadone cause less euphoria and are mainly used to relieve symptoms of withdrawal. Form and how used: Pills – swallowed, linctuses – swallowed, enunciable preparations. GHB (GHB, Liquid Ecstasy, gammahydroxybutyrate, RE, rib, blue Juice, roofless, liquid E):Small amounts may cause happiness and distribution. Increasing amounts brings out depressant effects. Sometimes used for bodybuilding. Induces sleep and is often associated with rape. Form and how used: Odorless slig htly salty liquid. Concentration is variable so may be difficult to measure dosage – often mixed with a drink LSI (Acid, trip, tab, blotter, stars): Time distortion, perceptual changes, visual colors and patterns Form and how used: Usually a small tab of paper with a colorful pattern on – usually eaten or wiped around gums

Maritime Students Perception on School Related activities Essay Essay Example

Maritime Students Perception on School Related activities Essay Essay Example Maritime Students Perception on School Related activities Essay Paper Maritime Students Perception on School Related activities Essay Paper School activities are really of import for the pupils and for the school. For the pupils. because they gain new accomplishments and motive. It’s a existent opportunity for them to bask school and take to make something they are truly interested and passionate about. and therefore their motive for larning and their motive for their instructors and the school addition. It makes them associate academic cognition to the practical experience. which leads to a better apprehension of their ain abilities. endowments. and calling ends and for the school because as surveies shows that such engagement provides fringy pupils an chance to make a positive and voluntary connexion to their school besides. Engagement in extracurricular activities may back up the at-risk pupil by keeping. heightening. and beef uping the student-school connexion therefore lessenings dropout School activities at St. Therese MTC – Colleges are frequently held when there is a jubilation it’s either a school jubilation ( like foundation twenty-four hours ) . national or international. These were held most particularly for the enjoyment of the pupils and for them to carry through their potencies. But these activities frequently cancels categories. We can non conceal the fact some pupils are non take parting in the school activities therefore. they take the cancellation of categories as an chance for them to travel out and make whatever they want that normally consequences into bad things like imbibing intoxicants. taking drugs and other frailties. While some considers it as a load for it adds to there payment. Some consider it chiefly as a break of categories and a hold to their acquisition. While some consider it really of import and take the chance to show and detect themselves. bask and hike their potencies. Every individual have changing perceptual experience on things particularly on things that they truly do non cognize about. And everytime there is an activity pupils make a different perceptual experience about it. Either good or bad. These perceptual experiences are really of import in the portion of the organisers and to the facilitators for it makes them cognize if the activity was successful or non and what will they make to do it more successful so that they could use it the following clip they conduct the same activity. Maritime Courses here in the Philippines are at high cost. Though many are still taking it because of high demand in the market and higher salary rate particularly on international ocean trips where one earns dollar. many of the maritime pupils are coming from households holding low Socio Economic Status ( SES ) . Still they prosecute even though they get through loans and depts trusting that when their kids alumnus and acquire onboard ships they can easy pay all their depts and raise their life’s state of affairs. Every centavo and Peso is of import. It is a merchandise of blood and perspiration of those who earned it. That’s why in every centavo and a peso addition in the histories of the pupil adds to the load of their household. Rumors were heard every clip there is an activity and everytime the statement of history were released. Some say that another payment is added to the school fee. While some say that the payment was deserving it. For these grounds that triggered the research workers to carry on this survey to foster happen out and discourse the existent perceptual experience of nautical pupils on school related activities and make a guidelines on what and how to carry on the activities the maritime pupils want. Statement of the Problem This research aims to happen out what are the perceptual experiences of nautical pupils towards school related activities.Consequently. this research survey seeks replies to the undermentioned inquiries:1. What are the school related activities of ST-MTCC engaged by Maritime pupils when classified as to class and twelvemonth degree?2. What are the perceptual experiences of Maritime pupils on school related activities when classified as to class and twelvemonth degree?3. How to carry on the activities that the pupils want?4. Is there a important difference on the perceptual experience of the maritime pupils to school related activities when classified as to class and twelvemonth degree?Aims of the surveyThis research chief aims is to find and discourse the chief perceptual experience of Maritime pupils about the school related activities. Furthermore it aims to: 1. Determine the school related activities of ST-MTCC pupils when classified as to class and twelvemonth degree. 2. Determin e the perceptual experience of Maritime pupils on school related activities when classified as to class and twelvemonth degree. 3. Determine how to carry on the activities that the pupils want. 3. Find out the important difference of the pupils on school related activities when classifies as to class and twelvemonth degree. HypothesissBased on the foregoing statements. the hypotheses are advanced: H0There is no important difference on the perceptual experience of the Maritime pupils on school related activities when classifies as to class and twelvemonthdegree. H1There is a important difference the perceptual experience of the Maritime pupils on school related activities when classifies as to class and twelvemonth degree. Definition of FootingsActivities – things being done for leisure. merriment or acquisition ( Meriam Websters Dictionary )In this survey activities refers to the school related activities participated by the ST-MTCC Maritime pupils.BSMar E – ( Bachelor of Science in Marine Engineering ) In this survey BSMar E refers to the Maritime class that focuses on analyzing the plants and duties of the Engine Department onboard ship. BSMT – ( Bachelor of Science in Marine Transportation ) In this survey BSMT refers to the Maritime class that focuses on analyzing the plants and duties of the Deck Department onboard ship. Maritime Students– in this survey nautical pupils refers to pupils taking up Bachelor of Science in Marine Transportation ( BSMT ) and Bachelor of Science in Marine Engineering ( BSMar E ) courses. Perception – the act or module of comprehending. or groking by agencies or of the head ; apprehension. In this survey perceptual experience refers to the apprehension of the pupils about the school related activities. School – an establishment for the instruction of kids ( Meriam Websters Dictionary ) In this survey school refers to St. Therese MTC- Colleges ( ST-MTCC ) . Tigbauan Site. Year degree – in this survey. twelvemonth degree refers to the degree achieved in school by which the respondents are enrolled in. Significance of the surveyThe behavior and consequence of this survey will convey benefits to the followers:School Administration – the important consequence Made from this survey will function as usher to the Student Affairs Office. Office of the Students Services. Student Executive Council. and other activity implementing sections and organic structures of the school. Students – The important consequence of this survey would assist the pupils enjoy the activities and fulfill their outlooks as the consequence of thisresearch were applied.Future Researches – this survey was extremely recommended to hold a farther survey on the same subject. Scope and Restrictions of the StudyThe descriptive survey will be conducted to happen out the perceptual experience of the nautical pupils on school related activities.This survey will affect 310 pupils who are taking Bachelor of Science in Marine Transportation ( BSMT ) and Bachelor of Science Marine Engineering ( BSMarE ) SY 2012-2013. The participants will be selected indiscriminately and will be classified harmonizing to class and twelvemonth degree. The information to be used in this survey will be gathered by the research workers. The Antecedent Variable will be the respondents’ class and twelvemonth degree and the School Related activities classified into in and out campus activitiesThe dependant variable to be treated in this survey will be the perceptual experience of the nautical pupils on school related activities.This survey will be conducted at St. Therese MTC-Colleges in Tigbauan. Iloilo on June-October 2013. The descriptive statistics to be used in this survey will be the mean and intend standard divergence. The illative statistics to be used will be the Mann Whitney U trial for independent samples. Kruskal Wallis H Test. and Spearman Rho to find the perceptual experience of the pupils in school related activities. All degrees of significance will be set at 0. 05 alpha. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences Software ( SPSS ) version 16. 0 will be used to treat the information. Chapter II Review of Related Literature Key Concepts on Benefits of Co-curricular ActivitiesActivities Support the Academic Mission of SchoolsSchool Activities are non a recreation but instead an extension of a good educational plan. Students who participate in activity plans tend to hold higher grade-point norms. better attending records. lower dropout rates and fewer subject jobs than pupils by and large. Activities are inherently Educational Activity plans provide valuable lessons for practical state of affairss –teamwork. sportsmanship. winning and losing. and difficult work. Through engagement in activity plans. pupils learn self-discipline. construct assurance and develop accomplishments to manage competitory state of affairss. These are qualities the public expects schools to bring forth in pupils so that they become responsible grownups and productive citizens. Activities Are Privileges. Attendance Is Required School territories typically define extracurricular activities as privileges ; pupils earn the right to take part by following with school regulations and ordinances. These typically include regulations on school and category attending. Annandale High School in Virginia. for illustration. has an extracurricular activities engagement policy that requires pupils to go to all scheduled categories on the twenty-four hours of a competition or activity to be eligible to take part in extracurricular activities on that twenty-four hours Outreach Activities Outreach activities are designed to beef up the relationship between a school system and the environing town groups or concerns. Outreach activities invite pupils to go more active members of their community every bit good as encourage community members to go portion of the school community. Activities Foster Success in Later Life Engagement in school activities is frequently a forecaster of ulterior success – in a calling and going a conducive member of society. Students who spend no clip in extracurricular activities are 49 % more likely to utilize drugs and 37 % more likely to go adolescent parents than those who spend one to four hours per hebdomad in extracurricular activities. Extracurricular school activities are frequently of import to adolescent pupils. and they have many benefits. Students learn how to take through student authorities or how to play a musical instrument. or take on the duty of teamwork in athleticss. while keeping their faculty members. The challenge of equilibrating these viing duties is an chance for pupils to turn and maturate. Educators have studied the relationship between category attending and extracurricular activities. and many schools set policy in these countries. Foreign Studies A 2010 survey of a western Nebraska school territory found a correlativity between a student’s extracurricular activities and her attending record. The survey concluded that pupils who participated in extracurricular activities had a higher rate of school attending than pupils who did non take part. It used informations from 2007-08 and 2008-09 pertaining to 275 of the district’s high school alumnuss. A University of Massachusetts pedagogue studied in-between and high school pupils and how certain school-related factors - including extracurricular activities and school attending - affected their eventual completion of a college grade. The survey concluded that a student’s good attending - non jumping categories or school - had a positive correlativity to college degree completion. Additionally. the survey concluded that the more a pupil participated in school-sponsored extracurricular activities. the more likely he was to finish a bachelor’s grade. The survey besides tested these consequences across racial lines and found that attending was every bit of import to future completion of the bachelor’s degree regardless of the student’s race or ethnicity. A Harvard Educational Review article in 2002 found that engagement in extracurricular activities in high school appears to be one of the few intercessions that benefit low-status. deprived pupils – those less good served by traditional educational plans – every bit much or more than their more advantaged equals. In telephone interviews of a national sample of teens in 2001. more than half ( 54 % ) said they wouldn’t watch so much Television or play video games if they had other things to make after school. The same study found that more than half of teens wish there were more community or neighborhood-based plans available after school. and two- tierces of those surveyed said they would take part in such plans if they were available. Bonnie Barber and her co-workers. subscribers to the 2005 book. Organized Activities as Developmental Contexts for Children and Adolescents. concluded that doing diverse nines and activities available to a broad scope of pupils is of import. The chance to implant one’s individuality in multiple extracurricular contexts and to see multiple competences facilitates attachment to school and accommodation. Activity engagement is besides linked to association with equals who are academically focused. Adolescents can profit from this interactive system when they have chances to take part in diverse activities. A Minnesota State High School League study of 300 Minnesota high schools showed that the mean GPA of a student-athlete was 2. 84. compared with 2. 68 for the mean pupil. and that student-athletes missed an norm of merely 7. 4 yearss of school each twelvemonth. compared with 8. 8 for the mean pupil. ( Trevor Born. High Standard for GPA. in Minneapolis Star Tribune. May 14. 2007. ) Engagement in extra-curricular activities provides all pupils – including pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds. minorities and those with otherwise less than distinguished academic accomplishments in high school – a mensurable and meaningful addition in their college admittances trial scores harmonizing to research workers Howard T. Everson and Roger E. Millsap. composing for the College Entrance Examination Board in 2005. In a 2006 research undertaking published by the Center for Information A ; Research on Civic Learning A ; Engagement ( CIRCLE ) . it was found that 18-25 old ages old who participate in athleticss activities while in high school were more likely than nonparticipants to be engaged in volunteering. regular volunteering. registering to vote. vote in the 2000 election. experiencing comfy speech production in a public scene. and watching intelligence ( particularly sport intelligence ) more closely than non-participants. An extended survey commissioned by the Alberta Schools’ Athletic Association found. in that Canadian state in 2006. an norm of 78. 3 % of Alberta’s top corporate CEOs and Members of the Legislative Assembly had participated in interscholastic athleticss. About 80 % indicated that being involved in school athleticss significantly. extensively or reasonably complemented their calling development and/or academic 5 chases. This same survey pointed out that normal engagement rate of pupils in high school athleticss is about 30 to 35 % . The corporate and political leaders surveyed in Alberta ( see above ) cited the following benefits associated with their engagement in high school sports: teamwork. subject. end puting. leading. independency. ego assurance. emphasis alleviation. character development and personal growing. just drama. and credence of others. From a cost point of view. activity plans are an exceeding deal when matched against the overall school district’s instruction budget. Researcher Richard Learner. composing in Promoting Positive Youth Development through Community After-School Programs. found that informal educational and developmentally supportive experiences offered to immature people in the context of after-school or community-based plans are a powerful beginning of resources increasing the chance of positive development among young person. In 2003. the Journal of Adolescent Research reported that extracurricular activity engagement is linked to lower rates of dropping out of school. greater civic engagement and higher degrees of academic accomplishment. Furthermore. research tracking engagement from 8th through 12th classs and analyzing results in the postsecondary old ages concluded that consistent engagement has positive effects that last over a moderate length of clip. Extracurricular activities stand out from other facets of adolescents’ lives at school because. harmonizing to the Winter 2005 issue of the Journal of Leisure Research. they provide chances to develop inaugural and allow young person to larn emotional competences and develop new societal accomplishments. A survey conducted by Boston University. and published in Adolescence. Winter 2001. reported on a study of 1. 115 Massachusetts high school pupils. Survey consequences indicated that jocks were significantly less likely to utilize cocaine and psychedelics. and less likely to smoke coffin nails. Research workers composing in 2004 in the American Journal of Health Behavior conducted an scrutiny of cross-sectional informations from a nationally representative sample of high school pupils enrolled in public high schools in the U. S. They showed that pupils take parting in organized athleticss were 25 per centum less likely to be current coffin nail tobacco users Stephanie Gerstenblith and her fellow research workers. composing in the 2005 book. Organized Activities as Developmental Contexts for Children and Adolescents province. â€Å"Just as schools with efficient processs and construction have been found to hold positive results. our findings indicate that participants in after school plans with these qualities experience decreases in rebellious behaviour and additions in purposes non to utilize drugs. † In 1985. the NFHS sponsored a national study of high school principals and about 7. 000 high school pupils in all 50 provinces. The study. funded by a grant from the Lilly Endowment in Indianapolis. was conducted by Indiana University in cooperation with the National Association of Secondary School Principals. Following are the consequences of that study. 10 95 per centum believed that engagement in activities Teachs valuable lessons to pupils that can non be learned in a regular category modus operandi. 99 per centum agreed that engagement in activities promotes citizenship 95 per centum agreed that activity plans contribute to the development of â€Å"school spirit† among the pupil organic structure. 76 per centum said they believe the demand made on students’ clip by activities is non inordinate. 72 per centum said there is strong support for school activity plans from parents and the community at big. Students who compete in high school activity plans make higher classs and have better attending.A survey of about 22. 000 pupils conducted by a University of Colorado professor for the Colorado High School Activities Association which was released in the autumn of 1999 indicates pupils who participate in some signifier of interschool activities have â€Å"significantly higher† grade-point norms than pupils who do non. Datas obtained from the spring 1997 survey by Dr. Kevin J. McCarthy revealed pupil participants in Jefferson County high schools had an overall grade-point norm of 3. 093 on a 4. 0 graduated table. while the GPA for non-participants was 2. 444. Jefferson County School District. the state’s largest school territory. has matched the academic success of its pupils with success on the playing field. The 16 territory schools have won a combined 39 province titles in the 1990s in athleticss. while its music plans systematically bring place â€Å"superior† evaluations. Nancy Darling. et Al. . composing in the 2005 Journal of Leisure Research notes that extracurricular activities allow youth to organize new connexions with equals and get societal capital. They are one of the few contexts. outside of the schoolroom. where striplings on a regular basis come in contact with grownups to whom they are non related. Students who spend no clip in extracurricular activities are 49 % more likely to utilize drugs and 37 % more likely to go adolescent parents than those who spend one to four hours per hebdomad in extracurricular activities ( United States Department of Education. No Child Left Behind: The facts about 21st Century Learning. Washington. DC: 2002. ) On June 23. 2000. so President Bill Clinton issued an Executive Memorandum directing the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Secretary of Education to work together to place and describe within 90 yearss on â€Å"strategies to advance better wellness for our nation’s young person through physical activity and fittingness. † The ensuing study entitled â€Å"Promoting Better Health for Young People through Physical Activity and Sports was released in November 2000 and stated that â€Å"enhancing 7 attempts to advance engagementin physical activity and athleticss among immature people is a critical national precedence. † Of the 60 pupils listed in the May 14. 1998. USA Today’s All-USA High School Academic First. Second and Third Teams and the 51 who earned honest reference. 75 per centum were involved in athleticss. address. music or argument. The 29th one-year Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup Poll of the Public’s Attitudes toward the Public Schools of September 1997 reflects an addition in perceptual experiences about the value of co curricular activities. In 1978. 45 per centum of the populace. judged extracurricular activities to be really of import. That figure fell to 31 per centum in 1984. In 1985. the figure was 39 per centum and jumped to 63 per centum in the 1997 canvass. The 1997 canvass besides asked about the accent placed on such athleticss as football and hoops. Fifty-three per centum of the respondents believed the current accent was approximately right. In a study of 4. 800 high school pupils in March 1995. the Minnesota State High School League found that 91 per centum of them said pupils who participate in school activities tend to be school leaders and function theoretical accounts ; 92 per centum said that engagement in school activities provides an chance non found in a regular schoolroom puting to develop self-discipline. Adolescent Time Use. Risky Behavior. and Outcomes: An Analysis of National Data. issued in September 1995. by the Department of Health and Human Services found that pupils who spend no clip in extracurricular activities are 57 per centum more likely to hold dropped out of school by the clip they would hold been seniors ; 49 per centum more likely to hold used drugs ; 37 per centum more likely to hold become adolescent parents ; 35 per centum more likely to hold smoked coffin nails ; and 27 per centum more likely to hold been arrested than those who spend one to four hours per hebdomad in extracurricular activities. A survey by Search Institute in 1995 indicates that carbon monoxide curricular activities play a cardinal function in students’ healthy development. Yet excessively many schools are happening it necessary to cut these plans for budgetary grounds. With plus edifice as a focal point. these plans are non peripheral to the school’s mission. but of import constituents of a comprehensive scheme. In the March 1997 issue of School Counselor. 123 pupils involved in interschool association football are analyzed. Consequences indicate that activity engagement does non harm and may heighten academic public presentation. Male athletes showed in-season betterments in academic public presentation. Ralph McNeal ( 1995 ) showed that different sorts of activities have changing abilities to command school dropout rates. He concluded that pupils who participate in sports. fine-arts activities. and academic organisations were an estimated 1. 7. 1. 2. and 1. 15 times. severally. less likely to drop out than those who did non take part. Athletic engagement reduces the chance of school dropouts by about 40 per centum. For illustration. the chance that the typical individual in the sample would drop out of school is. 0487. but if this same individual participated in sports. the estimated chance would be. 0299. The impact of fine-arts engagement for the typical person’s estimated chance is reduced from. 0487 to. 0415. or 15 per centum. Silliker and Quirk ( 1997 ) investigated the academic betterment of pupils who participated in extracurricular activities. In this instance. they looked at male and female high school pupils who participated in interschool association football and who did non prosecute in another athletics or major activity at the decision of the association football season. They discovered that female participants in season maintained a GPA of 87. 7 mean ( M ) with a 5. 6 standard divergence ( SD ) . Out of season these statistics dropped to 87. 5 M with a 6. 4 SD. The male participants in season maintained a GPA of 84. 7 M with a 7. 5 SD. and out of season their GPAs dropped to 83. 8 M with an 8. 7 SD. These informations show that participants had significantly higher GPAs in season than out of season. The misss earned higher GPAs than did the male child. but the boys’ GPAs rose significantly in season versus out of season. The survey supports the belief that engagement in sports for high school pupils does non jeopardize. and may heighten. academic public presentation. Susan Gerber ( 1996 ) besides found that extracurricular engagement is non damaging to student public presentation and that engagement in these types of activities promotes greater academic accomplishment. In add-on. she discovered that engagement in school-related activities was more strongly associated with accomplishment than was engagement in activities outside of school. Herbert Marsh ( 1992 ) compared predicted results for pupils who did non take part in extracurricular activities with those of pupils who were reasonably active. He found that this difference in engagement degree is associated with outcome differences of. 582 SD in societal self-concept and. 390 SD in academic self-concept. He concluded that the effects of engagement on societal and academic self-concepts are important. Obviously. engagement in extracurricular activities. even those non evidently associated with academic accomplishment. leads to increased committedness to school and school values. which leads indirectly to increased academic success. William Camp ( 1990 ) studied the effects of engagement in activities on overall pupil success in school. as measured by classs. while commanding for the effects of other variables that could moderately impact those classs. He used the symbol b* to stand for standardised arrested development coefficients calculated in his structural analysis. He found that students’ activity degrees produced a positive. important consequence on academic accomplishment ( b* = . 122 ) . Particularly interesting in his survey was the fact that this consequence was more than twice every bit great as that of survey wonts ( b* = . 055 ) . which are by and large regarded as an of import causal variable of academic accomplishment. John Mahoney and Robert Cairns ( 1997 ) indicated that battle in school extracurricular activities is linked to diminishing rates of early school dropouts in both male childs and misss. They discovered that such engagement provides fringy pupils an chance to make a positive and voluntary connexion to their school. Conversely. other schemes typically used to turn to the demands of at-risk pupils. such as school dropout bar plans and remedial instruction. concentrate on the shortages of pupils and serve as a accelerator in the formation of aberrant groups. The research workers strongly believe that engagement in extracurricular activities may back up the at-risk pupil by keeping. heightening. and beef uping the student-school connexion. Theoretical Model This survey is anchored to the Theory of Involvement that has been proposed by Astin ( 1984 ) . Harmonizing to the theory. pupils learn more the more they are involved in both the academic and societal facets of the collegiate experience. An involved pupil is one who devotes considerable energy to faculty members. spends much clip on campus. participates actively in pupil organisations and activities. and interacts frequently with module. Based on the 1984 study. Involvement in Learning. pupil engagement takes the signifier of engagement in academically related activities. out of category activities. and interactions with module. staff. and equals. Activities related to faculty members could include: go toing category prepared for treatment and the day’s lesson ; take parting in survey groups ; and/or rank in academic award plans or societies. career-related organisations. and public presentation groups in the humanistic disciplines. Engagement in outside-of-class. or co-curricular activities. could include campus based pupil organisations. college athletic or intramural athleticss. employment on-campus. and unpaid service experiences. Engagement with equals and faculty/staff include those relationships where larning takes topographic point beyond schoolroom scenes: helping as a instruction or research helper. speaking with module during office hours. helping in a research lab or a all right humanistic disciplines production. Different from the function of the pupil in Astin’s before â€Å"input-process-output† theoretical account ( Pascarella. 1991. P. 50 ) . where the pupil is passively developed by the module and by university plans. this theory posits that the pupil plays an built-in function in finding his or her ain grade of engagement in college categories. extracurricular activities and societal activities. Of class. the more choice resources available. the more likely those pupils who are involved will turn or develop. Therefore. module interaction both inside and outside the schoolroom and high quality university plans and constabularies reflective of institutional committedness to pupil larning are necessary for pupil growing. Astin states that the quality and measure of the student’s engagement will act upon the sum of pupil acquisition and development ( Astin. 1984. p. 297 ) . True engagement requires the investing of energy in academic. relationships and activities related to the campus and the sum of energy invested will change greatly depending on the student’s involvements and ends. every bit good as the student’s other committednesss. The most of import institutional resource. therefore. is student clip: the extent to which pupils can be involved in the educational development is tempered by how involved they are with household friends. occupations. and other outside activities ( p. 301 ) . There are several practical applications ensuing from this theory. but Astin states that the most of import to learning is that teachers are encouraged to take the focal point off the class content and their ain technique and put it on their pupils. Astin states that the intended terminal of institutional and pedagogical patterns is to accomplish maximal pupil engagement and acquisition ; to make that teachers can non concentrate entirely on technique but must besides be cognizant of how motivated pupils are and how much clip and energy they are giving to the acquisition procedure ( p. 305 ) . Harmonizing to Astin. his theory of engagement has an advantage over traditional pedagogical attacks because it focuses on the motive and behaviour of the pupil. Therefore all institutional policies and patterns can be judged by the grade of engagement they foster in pupil. Besides. all module. from teachers to counsellors. can work with the same end in head. uniting their energies into doing the pupils more involved in the college environment and hence better scholars ( p. 307 ) . Astin besides discusses the benefits to pupils of remaining connected to the campus environment by populating in campus-related lodging. go toing college full-time instead than part-time. analyzing with other pupils on campus. and working at occupations on campus. Based on the declared theories. the survey is conducted and has the undermentioned variables as shown in Figure 1. ( The research paradigm ) The research paradigm of the survey is presented in Figure 1. Figure 1. Research Paradigm. The paradigm shows the relationships of the ancestor variable. Course and twelvemonth degree and the in and out campus activities to the dependant variable. Percept of the nautical pupils on school related activities. Chapter 3Research Design and Methodology Research DesignThis survey will utilize descriptive method of research consisting of qualitative research as it seeks to find the perceptual experience of the nautical pupils on school related activities Respondents/Sample This survey will affect 310 pupils who are taking up Bachelor of Science in Marine Transportation ( BSMT ) and Bachelor of Science in Marine Engineering ( BSMar E ) . S. Y. 2013-2014. The trying method to be used for this survey will be the simple random sampling because pupils from each class with changing twelvemonth degrees will be included as respondents of the survey. Table 1. Profile of RespondentsCourse and twelvemonth degreeEntire populationNumber of respondentsPercentageBSMT 11954423 %BSMT 21924323 %BSMT 31844223 %BSMar E 12996823 %BSMarE 22555823 %BSMar E 32435523 % 13683102. 3 % Table 1 shows the figure of respondents every bit classified as to class and twelvemonthInstrumentThis survey will utilize the researcher-made questionnaire based on the paradigm of this survey that the research worker has gathered and capable for proof by the experts. There will be two parts of the instrument: Part One will be the personal information of the respondents such as class and twelvemonth degree. Part Two is the questionnaire which will garner informations comparative to the perceptual experience of the nautical pupils on school related activities. Data-Gathering ProcedurePermission to carry on the survey will be secured from the Dean of Maritime Studies of St. Therese MTC – Colleges Tigbauan. The research workers will personally administer the questionnaires which will be filled out by the respondents in their several schoolrooms. After which. these will be retrieved and reviewed fro completeness of informations. The information obtained will be culled. encoded. analyzed. and taken. Data Analyses Procedure All informations gathered will be computer-processed utilizing the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences package ( SPSS ) . The descriptive statistics to be used will be the mean and standard divergence to find the perceptual experience of the pupils on school related activities. The illative analytical tools to be utilized will be the t- trial for independent samples to find differences that would be in class and twelvemonth degree with the outreach activities ; analysis of discrepancy ( AnoVa ) for ancestor samples to find differences that would be in class and twelvemonth degree with the school activities ; Spearman Rho the perceptual experience of the nautical pupils on school related activities Finally. the degree of significance for the analysis was set at 0. 05 alpha. The bases for reading of the preparations ( SSO/SSA ) . company support. self-preparedness. onboard readying and steps and national/international coordinationand steps will be as follows: Average ScaleQualitative Description 3. 25 – 4. 00Highly effectual2. 50 – 3. 24effective1. 75 – 2. 49moderately effectual1. 00 – 1. 74less effectual

How to make a non-alcoholic cocktail essayEssay Writing Service

How to make a non-alcoholic cocktail essayEssay Writing Service How to make a non-alcoholic cocktail essay How to make a non-alcoholic cocktail essayIt is not a secret that cocktails are very popular today. According to researchers, â€Å"people have been mixing drinks for hundreds of years† (Page 6). If you are going to organize a party, you should find the most suitable recipes of cocktails to impress your guests. Today there are many young people who take care of their health. They do not smoke and ignore alcoholic drinks. Experts suggest that â€Å"non-alcoholic cocktails are exciting, attractive and safe† (Biggs 116). You should make the best non-alcoholic cocktail in order to satisfy your non-drinking guests. There are millions of recipes of non-alcoholic cocktails. Actually, it is not an easy task to find the best recipe among millions, but you are to do it! Some of the most popular cocktails are rather easy to make. Among the most popular and highly recognized cocktails are the Screwdriver, the Tom Collins, the Blood Mary, the Harvey Wallbanger, which contain only 2- 4 ingredients! Although these cocktails are rather easy to make, they â€Å"have been around for years and are still enjoyed immensely today† (Page 6). You can use similar ingredients, but without alcohol. Let’s discuss the process of making a premium class non-alcoholic cocktail.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Making non-alcoholic cocktails is a rather simple task. You need special equipment that will facilitate the process of making a cocktail. To start with, you need a cocktail shaker. Today there are two types of cocktail shakers available on the market: the European cocktail shaker and American cocktail shaker. The former is made of metal or glass, with a metal top and lid, while the latter consists of two cones of the same size. Both types are appropriate for premium quality cocktails. Second, you need a glass jigger to measure your spirits.   Finally, you need a muddler in order to bash up leaves, ice and other ingredients. You may also use ice cr usher and electric blender.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Now, it’s high time to make a cocktail. The Virgin Mary cocktail is the best choice! The original name of this cocktail is the Bloody Mary. However, we’ll take the non-alcoholic version.   Experts suggest that â€Å"this drink is full of spice and perfectly served with breakfast or lunch† (ODochartaigh). You need the following ingredients:3 ounces Tomato Juice ½ ounce Lemon Juice ½ teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce2-3 drops Tabasco SauceLime, Lemon or Pickle SliceThe process of making the Virgin Mary cocktail is very easy to remember. You should take a tall glass and combine tomato juice, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce and Tabasco sauce, mixing all ingredients well. Do not forget to use special equipment that will facilitate the process of making the cocktail. You should serve cocktails in the right glass. Use fancy umbrellas and straws to impress your guests! You may serve the Virgin M ary cocktail chilled with ice. Do not forget to garnish the cocktail with lemon, lime or pickle slice.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Thus, non-alcoholic cocktails are tasty and easy to make. According to experts, â€Å"by eliminating the cost of alcohol, these cocktails become a perfect drink appropriate for anyone at any age and can be served any time of the day† (ODochartaigh). You may use your imagination to create new recipes of non-alcoholic cocktails.

Disappearing Colorsâ€Easy Bleach Project for Kids

Disappearing Colors- Easy Bleach Project for Kids Let kids see for themselves how bleach works with this easy disappearing colors experiment. Disappearing Colors Project Materials food coloringwaterhousehold bleachdropperglass or jar Procedure Fill a glass or jar about halfway full with water.Add a few drops of food coloring. Stir the liquid to make it colored.Add drops of bleach until the color starts to disappear. You can stir the contents of the glass if you like. Continue until the color is gone.Add a few drops of another color. What happens? The color doesnt spread out the same way as it did when coloring was added to pure water. It forms swirls, which may disappear if there is enough bleach in the water. Why It Works Bleach contains sodium hypochlorite, which is an oxidizer. It oxidizes or reacts with the chromophore or color molecules in food coloring. Although the pigment molecule remains, its shape changes so that it cant absorb/reflect light the same way, so it loses its color as a result of the chemical reaction. Safety Information Be careful to avoid spilling bleach on skin or clothes. Rinse any spills immediately with lots of water.Make sure young experimenters dont drink bleach or the contents of the glass. Diluted bleach is not particularly dangerous, but not good for you either!When you are done with the project, its safe to dump the contents of the glass down the drain and to re-use the washed glass for food.

Cultural Impacts of Industrial Revolution on the People of China Assignment

Cultural Impacts of Industrial Revolution on the People of China - Assignment Example Mao Zedong is the leader who led to the significant drawback. Mao did not support the learning process because he believed that the process was tedious for the children and the students needed the first hand experience in agriculture. The ideology of Mao Zedong was based on the principle of simplicity. The country experienced significant problems with the approach developed by Mao Zedong. The drought experienced at the end of the period led to serious catastrophe. The impact of the cultural revolution by Mao Zedong Cultural Revolution took place from 1966 to 1976 under the leadership of Mao Zedong. The goal of Mao was to establish a more effective bureaucracy. Mao employed the young people to spread the idea of socialism around china. The impact of the Cultural Revolution was so adverse that it affected the industrialization of the country. It had a negative impact on the people and the economy a major drawback affecting even the foreign countries. The Cultural Revolution was based o n the concept that the schools did not offer proper learning because of the complexity. The complexity was the major issue the group highlighted in the education system (McCarty 67). Mao’s plan was to brainwash the Chinese citizens in order for them to uneducated and mindless. During the Cultural Revolution May Chinese students were not able to study because they were forced to farm and do manual labor. The values of the Cultural Revolution were taught in schools because it was a requirement of the government. Additionally, during 1966 and 1967, the students were required to complete a course covering the ideals of the Cultural Revolution in order to graduate. The process blocked many students making the completion of the school impossible and increased school drop outs. Over four million high school and college graduates were sent to farm land where they ended up being working in the farms instead of industries. The success of the move was evident because many talented stude nts were wasted by sticking and working in the fields. The ten years of Mao Zedong leadership brought with it significant challenges and affected the economy of china by changing the educational system. The impact of the change was handled for very many years later (McCarty 89). Mao’s philosophy led to adverse problems in all the sectors of the economy leading to serious problems. The industrialization era was postponed to after the end of the Cultural Revolution. Therefore, the country's industrialization was postponed until 1970s. The industrialization of china occurred later on compared to the western world. Industrialization and the Chinese culture Industrialization affected the Chinese culture significantly. The major change occurred in the social values of the community. The industrial revolution brought with it the several challenges including the creation of a great divide in the classes and class warfare. The new culture created the rich in the society with their foc us being on the acquisition of wealth and greed. The poverty gap increased after the end of the Cultural Revolution. The Cultural Revolution helped in creating a balance between the rich and the poor through the use of equity. The change from the agrarian revolution came to an end with the start of the industrial revolution with the Chinese citizen. The citizens were forced to take up jobs in the companies with the

Macro Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Macro - Essay Example Normally the PPF does not shift inward. Theoretically PPF can shift inward if there is a decline in the factor endowment or a decline in technology or both. But in reality it is possible in the abnormal situations such as disaster or war when the endowment declines. The above statement can be explained by using an example. We consider a country having two sector agriculture and industry. Here we consider that the maximum of the industries are small scale and cottage industries. If the country engages itself in free trade then it would certainly be an exporter of agricultural product. The producers of agricultural product would enjoy better price in the global market. On the other hand the foreign industries are more cost efficient so they can supply industrial products at a lower price. The consumers of the domestic economy would be benefitted and the income of the country would also rise. But the small scale and the cottage industries would face foreign competition. That would hamper the interest of the owners of such industries. Hence the economy would face welfare gain while the owners of industry would be worse off. Absolute Advantage: Let us consider that in country i the amount of labor required to produce 1 unit of j is given as Lij. For all i=A,B and j=X,Y. Now if we find LAX LBY we can say that country A enjoys absolute advantage in production of X and B in Y. If the countries are subject to perfect competition, full employment and perfect mobility of factors within the domestic boundary A should specialize completely in production of X and Bin Y. Free trade would be mutually beneficial. Comparative Advantage: Theory of comparative advantage emerged to answer the question â€Å"If one of the two countries enjoys absolute advantage over the other in both lies of production should there be any chance of mutually

Integrated Marketing Communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Integrated Marketing Communication - Essay Example The Path Model demonstrated by Reid & Et. Al. , suggests the nexus between market orientations, brand orientations, and IMC have been depicted with the cohesion of brand identity. This model explains the importance of IMC in the organization. Camano (2006) conducted a research on branding as a communication tool and presented the importance of IMC in creating brand identity. IMC is seen as a step forward towards satisfying customers and company needs. The idea behind IMC is coordination of messages for maximum impact. IMC enhances the relationship that occurs due to company’s effort. Section 3: Significant Problem IMC is a powerful tool that leads practitioners in conducting and implementing marketing communications program. IMC is viewed as the effective integration of all communication tools that provide effective modes of creating the long-term relationship with the stakeholders. According to Luxton & Reid, there is a positive significant relationship between the factors of branding and IMC that an efficient mingling of the elements results in success for the organization. Tuominen & Laukkanen (2009) conducted a study on a structural equation model that produced the result which implied customer orientation along with inter-functional coordination affect brand orientation. According to Kliatchko (2008), IMC will continue to be an important area of research as the concept progress from time to time and hence different forms of its explanatory areas also evolve (Kliatchko, 2008).

GEMOLOGY AND MATERIALS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

GEMOLOGY AND MATERIALS - Essay Example The crystals were of high quality and displayed dramatic color changes and vivid hues. The mineral also caught people’s attention as it reflected the imperial Russian flag. It became a national stone and was thought to have mystical powers. The Ural mountain deposits, however, did not last long and was later sourced from countries such as Brazil, Sri Lanka, and East Africa. Russia, however, remains as the primary source of the Gemstone (Schreiber, 2003). As stated above, Alexandrite is sourced from several regions apart from Russia. The Ural deposits were thought to be no more in 1980 and interests in the Gemstone decreased gradually. The situation, however, changed in 1987 when its deposits were found in Minas Gerais, Brazil. The Brazilian Alexandrite also showed distinctive color changes. The Gemstone is also sourced from Sri Lanka, but its hues are not of high quality. Since 1990, Tunduru area in Tanzania has also been a source of outstanding Alexandrite Gemstones. Other sources include areas in Zimbabwe, Burma, India, and Madagascar (Schreiber, 2003). Although all Alexandrite Gemstone is elegant, its value lies on its ability to change color. Just like other colored stones, its value is also tied to it color’s degree of saturation and clarity. A stone with modest color changes having attractive and saturated colors is valuable than one who’s colors are browned or grayed and less dramatic. Alexandrite’s low availability, supply, and rarity are all indications of its high value. There are no established price tags for the gemstones because their availability is limited and are hardly found in stores. Starting with India, about 160 locations have been identified and mapped as Alexandrite Gem producing areas. Areas near the Araku Valley, for example, are very rich reserves of Alexandrite. Lack of funding, control by tribesmen and sanctions from the government have hindered mining activities and

English class Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 6

English class - Essay Example Thus, the article finds that a general apprehension exists that video games cause violent behavior in children. However, the article challenges this contention as it does not seem tenable, though it concedes to the notion that to a certain extent, video games may impact children’s behavior. The article focuses on the premise that video games contain a lot of violence, bloodshed, objectification of females and sexual content. However, it emphasizes a more significant concern that viewing experience in the media, in terms of audio visual components, are â€Å"extraordinarily life like, and these effects can be particularly striking in violent games† (1). It also concedes to the fact that despite the existence of rating systems by the ESRB, children disregard the classification and even those below 13 years watch the content that is permissible to those in the age group of 17. The article also refers to research studies that â€Å"lend credence to concerns about the impact of violent video games† (3). However, this does not prove that games such as GTA cause violent behavior in children. The article, further, challenges this concept by arguing that there is â€Å"little or no evidence to support any of these theories† which purport that violence in th e video games such as GTA can provoke violent behavior in children (2). I believe that exposure to violent media or video games alone cannot make children to indulge in violent behavior. My research premise is based on the concept that many factors such as genetic framework, social circumstances, psychological reasons etc cause violent behaviors in humans. Therefore, children who possess any such specific traits or who remain exposed to any of the causative elements, stand the chance of displaying violent behavior. I do not agree with the evidence based on a study among 1254 students, which indicates that violent games cause aggression in children. It claims that those who play games are â€Å"more likely than their

Merger and Acquisition of Ford Motor Company Essay

Merger and Acquisition of Ford Motor Company - Essay Example Mergers can take place only when there are healthy relations between both companies. Mergers also depend on the percentage of shares acquired from the firm. If the company to be acquired has good standing in the market, high share value and high points in the share market then we can say that a company is worth to be acquired or suitable for acquisition. Merger or acquisition sure has its impact on the employees and shareholders who are the unforeseen assets of the company. It is well known that any merger will have its pro's and cons. Some mergers happen for profit and some not to incur losses. Employees may or may not be benefited by the merger. The new mangemen6t may not provide all the facilities, unlike the earlier owner. The new company will definitely try to curb miscellaneous expenses and cut management costs. In order to cut costs, they may reduce the number of employees working per department. After merger employees may be asked to change their shift timings, move from one department to another etc. employees need to co-operate with the new management. Ford Motor company one of the oldest car manufacturing companies, if intending to acquire an ancillary unit or a vendor's factory, any company will be more than glad because of the whopping amounts on the deal. Ford has the best facilities to offer to its employees.  Ã‚  

English class Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 6

English class - Essay Example Thus, the article finds that a general apprehension exists that video games cause violent behavior in children. However, the article challenges this contention as it does not seem tenable, though it concedes to the notion that to a certain extent, video games may impact children’s behavior. The article focuses on the premise that video games contain a lot of violence, bloodshed, objectification of females and sexual content. However, it emphasizes a more significant concern that viewing experience in the media, in terms of audio visual components, are â€Å"extraordinarily life like, and these effects can be particularly striking in violent games† (1). It also concedes to the fact that despite the existence of rating systems by the ESRB, children disregard the classification and even those below 13 years watch the content that is permissible to those in the age group of 17. The article also refers to research studies that â€Å"lend credence to concerns about the impact of violent video games† (3). However, this does not prove that games such as GTA cause violent behavior in children. The article, further, challenges this concept by arguing that there is â€Å"little or no evidence to support any of these theories† which purport that violence in th e video games such as GTA can provoke violent behavior in children (2). I believe that exposure to violent media or video games alone cannot make children to indulge in violent behavior. My research premise is based on the concept that many factors such as genetic framework, social circumstances, psychological reasons etc cause violent behaviors in humans. Therefore, children who possess any such specific traits or who remain exposed to any of the causative elements, stand the chance of displaying violent behavior. I do not agree with the evidence based on a study among 1254 students, which indicates that violent games cause aggression in children. It claims that those who play games are â€Å"more likely than their

The Gay and Lesbian Movement Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The Gay and Lesbian Movement - Research Paper Example According to the research findings, it can, therefore, be said that politically, the gays and lesbians have been given a chance to lead other groups of people as they have been elected in some of the elections were carried out in the United States. These people have been elected as state legislators and as congressmen, and thus they have been able to get into high positions in the country. There are also communities which help in ensuring that the gays and lesbians needs are met. There has also been an establishment of businesses that helps in the making sure that the needs of these people are met and they live well and satisfied. The gays and lesbians have made a mainstream on the media such as television, in the music industry, and have also appeared in films which every other member of the society watches (Rimmerman 2). However, society does not consider gays and lesbians to be vital, and some of the public issues which the society may need to address are not addressed by the peop le who are in this movement. For example, the gays and lesbians are not allowed to carry out some activities such as adopting children, teaching in the public schools, and also taking care of foster children and serving in the public arena such as in the armed forces and as guards. During the early times, the gays and lesbians believed that they would progress if only they involved themselves in the media and had a connection with the public. Therefore, they would protest and fight for their rights and involved in political activities in order to ensure that they get attention from the other members of the public, and thus they believed they would get to progress in all their undertakings as the movement was being established. They did all that they did in order to ensure that they no longer hid from the public, and nether would they be afraid of getting to the public with their status. They would not live in silence any longer and thus would ensure that they have become visible and everyone else knows of their existence (Rimmerman 84). The issue of gay and lesbian movement has been controversial to the social life of the community. This means that there are factors which have to be considered in ensuring that the message of the existence of the movement is received well by the social community. Conflicts exist between the rights of the Christians and the rights of the gays and lesbians (Rimmerman 122). The Christian community in the United States is said to be composed of people who are anti-gay, and thus the two movements cannot come together either socially nor politically to bring out a notion of power. Differences between gay and lesbian, on one hand, and queer, on the other Gays and Lesbians are those people who are sexually attracted to people of the same sex. This means that a man may be sexually attracted to another man or a woman may be sexually attracted to another woman. On the other hand, the word queer explains an individual who is attracted to a nother individual of the same sex, but it does not have to be sexual attraction. Queers can be bisexual meaning that they are not content with the type of relationship that they involve themselves in.  

Project Risk Management Essay Example for Free

Project Risk Management Essay I.Introduction I am the Project Manager developing the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. The development of this state-of-the-art airplane will include an international team of aerospace companies led by Boeing. The advances in this airplane will reduce the use of fuel by 20%, increase cargo capacity, increase nautical miles in a mid-range airplane, and improve passenger comfort. Boeing expects sales of 3,500 units over the next 20 years. (Norris Wagner, 2009) To really understand the impact of multiple providers, along with the logistics to coordinate assembly, I will illustrate, discuss, and provide a conclusion using two decision tree analyses. The first fault tree will detail the delivery system and identify the failure that could result in delivery failure. The second fault tree details the lack of labor to assemble the airplane. Both pose results that have the potential to financially impact the project. The fault tree diagram will provide a visual representation of the risk and help analyze the cause by looking backwards to identify the root cause. II.Fault Tree One III.Discussion of Fault Tree One There are over 40 Companies/Business Units contributing to the success of developing the 787 Dreamliner. Nine of the Companies/Business Units are located outside of the United States. Given these two elements alone there are a number of faults that could cause the final assembly and completion date to be impacted. The first probable cause for missing the completion date is the supply chain. The supply chain flow ensures the material is available according to the inventory levels to continue building. Supply chain push systems help keep inventory levels set according to contractual agreements. When the quality throughput of the component is less than 95%, the demand is increased. Quality measures are in place to alert the supplier when the throughput is less than 95% as desired but additional demands with reduced quality requirements keep the supplier from delivering. Original plans called for specific manufactured items for each component yet the supplier elected to use a less expensive alternative which isn’t meeting quality requirements. To help mitigate the supplier risks, determine the supplier’s attitude to safety, quality, and environmental aspects to delivering components. Another treatment would be to appoint an onsite supplier liaison manager responsible for signing off on any supplier and/or design changes. It would also be helpful to have back to back contracts with sub-contractors. IV.Fault Tree Two V.Discussion of Fault Tree Two In the second fault tree I illustrated the impact of labor on the delivery of the 787 Dreamliner. The labor to assemble the airplane components at the Boeing facility in Everett is critical to ensure the on-time delivery of the airplane. The union labor to assemble the Dreamliner is under contract review, the contract will expire two months prior to the first assembly. The expiration of the machinist contract and failure to arrive at a new mutually acceptable contract would lead to a possible strike. Discussion between the labor union and the company would be required to mediate the dispute. The lack of a compromise would cause a significant impact on the scheduled completion date. However, negotiations to resolve this dispute are required to ensure employees feel fairly compensated and do not walk out during assembly. The use of risk treatment should provide a minimum of efficient operation of the organization, internal controls, and compliance with the laws and regulations. To assist with labor treatment risk, re-allocate internal staff and cross train non-union members to complete the assembly of the airplane. Assess the technical skills required, develop a skill requirement profile for assembly, and identify other critical skills required for replacement. Treatment could also include the establishment and maintenance of an internal/external skill profile of current, previous, and potential employees to assist should a labor strike occur. VI.Conclusions Above I only identified one risk analysis technique however there are many others available. Many are qualitative and don’t show the dependencies between events. The tree technique I used above takes into consideration the logical combination of causes that contribute to the identified failed event. The fault tree technique brings sufficient understanding to the nature of the failure and how to manage the failed event(s). Fault tree one helped me identify that an onsite supplier liaison manager would have eliminated the failure along with standard work, forms and signatures to authorize such changes to the bill of material for the component. Similarly, fault tree two identified adequate compensation as the root cause of the delivery/labor failure. Treatment of the risk could have included managing the risk earlier in the contract and/or establishing a contract bridge or extension to avoid a strike. VII.Works cited Cortez, A. (2010). The complete idiots guide to risk management. New York, NY: Penguin Group. Fraser, J., Simkins, B. (2010). Enterprise risk management. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley Sons, Inc. Kerzer, H. (2011). Project management metrics, kpis, and dashboards. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley Sons, Inc. Norris, G., Wagner, M. (2009). Boeing 787 dreamliner. Minneapolis, MN: Zenith Press. Schuyler, J. (2010). Risk and decision analysis in projects. (2 ed.). Newtown Square, PA: Project Management Institute, Inc. Turner, A. (2011). The birth of the 787 dreamliner. Kansas City: Andrews McMeel Publishing.

Ethical Issues in Forensic Psychology

Ethical Issues in Forensic Psychology 1.0 Introduction Forensic psychology refers to the professional application of specialized knowledge in psychology to aid in solving legal problems. Since forensic psychology straddles two great fields- study of human behaviors (psychology) and correctional measures that can deter wayward behaviors (law), its guide on ethics should be two-throng. Robert Wettstein agrees: â€Å"Given the interdisciplinary work of forensic psychiatry, questions arise about what principles of ethics should guide forensic psychiatry and what theory of ethics should underlie those principles,† When it comes to ethics, forensic psychology is one field of professional practice where a very delicate balance must be created. This is so because a forensic psychologist is more interested in the inner feelings of the offender, then the displayed characters. Further, the forensic psychologist must understand the legal requirements and the judicial system under which he operates. So, the expert is required to bridge the wide gap between two very diverse, and even opposing faculties. Since his analysis informs the outcome of the case, forensic psychologists can easily abuse the great influence of the work. This is where ethics come in. It’s not enough to have rules and statutes. Professionals must practice adherence to particular code of conducts without the need for monitoring. That applies to forensic psychologists too. 2.0 Ethical issues in forensic psychology There are a number of dilemmas that a practicing forensic psychologist deals with in his day-to-day professional activity. However, I can easily bet that half of them involve ethical questions. Issues such as juvenile incarcerations, mental capability of the accused to stand trial, discrimination, confidentiality, objectivity, payment for his service and so many others, come into consideration for the expert in a big way. Sometimes the expert’s findings even contradict personal views. Kalmbach, Karen C. and Lyons, Phillip M, say that, these ethical issues must always be given a special attention. Since the forensic psychologist often acts as an expert witness, he must set for himself the highest possible ethical standards. Kalmbach Karen C. and Lyons Philip M. â€Å"Professionals who choose to participate in the legal forum must ensure that their performance meets not only the standards of general practice for their profession, but also those pertaining to the forensic specialty†. Given the dynamism of legal field, the expert should also be well up-to-date with the current standards and the changes in it. This means that he must keep reading, both in the legal and psychological fields. However, extensive studying is just half of the job. The elephant in the room is a matter of life and death-quite literally, sometimes. â€Å"A fundamental responsibility of forensic psychologists is to provide treatment, assessment, research, and training in an ethical manner†, (Walden University). To ensure that you adhere to the highest standards of ethical practice, Robert M. Wettstein writes that the following steps should be followed: identify the problem; consider the significance of the context and setting; identify and use ethics and legal resources; consider personal beliefs and values; develop possible solutions to the problem; consider the potential consequences of various solutions; choose and implement a course of action; and assess the outcome and implement changes as needed. All these steps, if followed properly, would ensure that the highest possible ethical is not only adhered to, but also maintained in the forthcoming and subsequent cases. It is often said that the first step to solving a problem is by acknowledging that the problem exists. By identifying the problem, it means that you are already acknowledging that a problem exists. Then follow this by knowing the magnitude of the problem. The third part now is where you start using your expertise to help you solve the problem. Personal beliefs may lead to biases and prejudices. If this happens to be the case, then it is only wise not to be engaged in the case of the client. If you pass all these self-assessment tests, then it is time for you to formulate answers to the problem at hand. Check all your resolutions to see what outcome they would have. Select the one that is most suitable- the one with the least negative outcome and the best positive outcome. After you are done, identify where you may have fallen short of expectations and make appropriate changes. â€Å"Ethics has been described as beginning where the law ends. The moral conscience is a precursor to the development of legal rules for social order. Ethics and law thus share the goal of creating and maintaining social good and have a symbiotic relationship†, (Lisa V. Brock, J.D., and Anna Mastroianni). As an expert witness who is relied upon to provide information to help in convicting, or setting free a suspect, the forensic psychologist should uphold the highest standards of integrity. He should be honest, sincere, and very straightforward. A renowned psychologist, Margaret Hagen, had long dismissed forensic psychologist as â€Å"witchdoctors† who are only after the â€Å"almighty dollar†. This is a damning report which clearly shows that some of these experts deliberately lie and twist the course of justice for financial gain. Thus, a change of heart and thinking is necessary if this profession still values its popular will amongst the populace. Impartiality and fairness is another area where the expert should place a huge premium. Almost everybody has his own biases, although we often suppress them in the interest of decency. However, a forensic psychologist should shut down all his wells of prejudices so that he can look at the issues with relatively undistorted lenses. Only this way can he proclaim the truth with the authority it requires. Any deviation can lead to a repetition of the wrong until it becomes the norm. â€Å"A profession does not genetically produce the next generation of practitioners; instead, the ethical practices of subsequent generations of practitioners are established through socialization†, (Practicing Forensic Psychology). It is well known that often, impartiality is a result of conflict of interest. This interest may be financial, political, social, or any other. If such a case occurs, it is best for the forensic psychologist to withdraw, and let someone else take over. Personal interests are not necessarily mistakes. However, they could be a mistake if a professional decides to twist facts to protect own interests. An expert of forensic psychologist’s nature should avoid deception at all cost. Accurate information from him is required to make a legal judgment and set trend for future litigations. Any deception, thus, coming from him would be utmost injustice to the larger society. Of equal importance, if not more, is the expert’s ability to differentiate between what he sees and what he has inferred. Personal biases have a peculiar way of clouding judgment. Therefore the expert should be fully convinced that there is a strong relationship between what he has seen, and the conclusion he is making. This psychology expert is also required, and should be obliged, to disclose sources of their information so that everybody can know how he arrived at a particular conclusion. Moreover, he should also present his findings and opinions in a well-researched report. A clear and concise report on the inference of the forensic psychologist would give people a glimpse at how he arrived at the conclusions he is making. It also clears away any whiff of favoritism as a result of financial gain. Forensic experts should avoid issuing statement about a legal proceeding that is in a court of law. Such statements may lead to a breach of confidentiality, and privacy of a person. However, this can happen when consent has been obtained from the person holding any privilege, or when the statement is already in the public domain, (Lyons, Phillip M, and Kalmbach, Karen C). Still, even here, the expert still has to strike a delicate balance of the amount of information that he can release to the public without compromising on the confidentiality of the concerned party. The expert should be aware of the influences that may deal a blow to his impartiality. If there is anything that stands in the way to impartiality, it is in his best interest to step aside, and let someone else take the role. â€Å"Many question whether MHPs can produce an impartial and unbiased clinical forensic evaluation while simultaneously providing input to the legal team on defense strategy†, (American Psychological Association) The issue of payment given to the forensic psychologist is clear cut. Forensic psychologist should not take contingency fee. This may compromise his honesty. The payment he should receive is the retainer fee. Money has been at the centre of many of the botched court cases. Therefore, to ensure that it does not cloud one’s judgment, it is best to keep it at an arm’s length. Forensic psychologist can allow attorneys to change the structure of his report, but he should not allow them to change the content. The content of the report belongs to the forensic psychologist. It serves to give the client best service, thus, if it is objective, let it remain as it is. The role of a forensic psychologist as an expert witness is very critical in a legal proceeding. This is why, as a matter of ethics, the forensic psychologist should be competent enough to handle the concerned issues. If you are not competent enough, do not get into this delicate profession and obstruct the course of justice. Lack of specialized psycho-legal knowledge, and a number of others, should be enough disqualification. As an expert, do not advocate for any other agenda, whether it’s the client’s or otherwise. Always remain objective and very neutral. A forensic psychologist should not enter into multiplicity of alliances-like being the expert witness and an advisor to the client. This would create a huge conflict of interest which will not allow him to be impartial. Like any other human being, a forensic psychologist may assume a lot helpful facts and even fail to write down proper notes. This will easily pass for a professional negligence. But for this expert whose work influences justice, it is also very unethical. Again, personal competence matters a lot. However, in most cases, it is the practitioner who knows the limit of his competence. If there is a case whose legal competence demand is way above yours, it is better you let it go, or pass it to a superior expert. If you have taken a case, meet the client fast and get the details from him. This would help you to clarify the lingering questions early enough in preparation for the legal battle. In the same breath, ensure that the client knows about the protection to his privacy; confidentiality and; other rights that are clearly spelt out in the law. The testimony of a forensic psychology expert has a powerful influence on the court. It directs the sails of justice. Therefore, the expert involved should use this influence to help in unveiling the truth, and not hiding it. Keep a clear documentation of your interview of the client. Do not get carried away by the case. Always maintain a professional detachment from your client. This would ensure that you can observe issues objectively. Make your client aware of your role as a forensic psychologist prior to the start of your evaluation. Also, as an expert, know the legal grounds on which the case is built. This would help you know what is expected of you; and collect enough of what is needed to present in the court when called upon to do so. Deliberations on ethics cannot be wrapped up without discussing one of the most critical issues-sex. It occurs in all professions, and forensic psychology is by no means an exception. But the truth is, as a professional, the moment you gotten into a sexual relationship with a client, or a student, your objectivity flies right out through the window. That is why it is strongly advised that you keep away fro it like HIV/AIDS. The forensic psychologist should provide a conducive environment for the evaluation, and tell the client, in advance, the time and length of the evaluation. This allows the client to prepare psychologically. This will give both of them a free atmosphere to interact freely, without the client feeling that he is being pushed to do things against his will. Many evaluators prefer relative anonymity. As a forensic psychologist, preserve that. Also in line with this, ensure there is no past, current, or future personal relationship with the examinee. This would ensure that your objectivity is not in question. â€Å"Forensic psychologists have an obligation to provide services in a manner consistent with the highest standards of their profession. They are responsible for their own conduct and the conduct of those individuals under their direct supervision,† (Committee on Ethical Guidelines for Forensic Psychologists). In order to meet these high ethical standards, the expert forensic psychologist should do the following: The forensic psychologist should assess the mental state of his client for insanity. If he proves that there are chances that the client is not mentally sound, then he can enter an insanity plea. This way, he will help to the mentally-ill out of a trial meant for sound-minded persons, thus keep the integrity of the profession. There are clients who can fake signs of insanity quite effectively. Check for such an occurrence so that you don’t enter an insanity plea for a person who is perfectly normal. A polygraph is, in plain terms, a â€Å"lie detector†. Depending on the expertise of the person handling it, the machine can give be fairly accurate in detecting whether a person is telling the truth, or lying. Use it and interpret its data accurately to know more about the examinee. Conclusion Ethics is one of the guiding principles in any profession the world over. It ensures that one sets the standards for himself and strives to reach them. The infusion of ethico-legal issues into a single field called forensic psychology makes this profession a particularly challenging one. Just reading the ethical guidelines and standards is not enough. As a professional, your adherence to them should show in the applications. In special cases, use your own unbiased judgment and intuition to get to the root of the problem. The various ethical issues outlined above are: impartiality, honesty, fairness, and non-sexual contact with a client. Others are objectivity, making the client aware of his rights, respecting the privacy and confidentiality of the client, and not receiving payments that may compromise the forensic psychologist’s objectivity. These ethical guidelines, and, any other more, should inform any interaction a clinical psychologist should have with a client. The moment one is breached, then it becomes easier to follow suit with a breach of the rest. This would automatically lead to lack of objectivity, partiality, deception, and even breach of the client’s basic rights. A Code of Ethics for Psychology summarizes it thus: At its heart, an ethics code should reflect the moral principles underlying the values of the profession. For most professions, ethical behaviors are generally those that fulfill the fundamental moral obligations to do good, to do no harm, to respect others, and to treat all individuals honestly and fairly. For some, statements of gen ­eral principles are sufficient to guide the ethical behavior of persons devoted to the ideals of their profession. For others, however, statements describing specific types of behaviors that meet these ideals are necessary to maximize the code’s utility and to provide a means of evaluating its efficacy. References Wettstein, Robert M. (2008). Ethical Practice in Forensic Psychology: A Systematic Model for Decision Making Forensic Ethics and the Expert Witness, Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and Law Online.Web. 29, April, 2014. American Psychological Association. Specialty Guidelines for Forensic Psychology. Lyons, Phillip M, and Kalmbach, Karen C. Ethical Issues in conducting Forensic Evaluations (2006). Sam Houston State University. Hagen, Margaret. The Fraud of Psychiatric Testimony and the Rape of American Justice. Wettstein, Robert. Ethics and Forensic Psychiatry. Practicing Forensic Psychology: Some Legal, Ethical, and Moral Considerations Walden University. Ethical Issues and Professional Responsibilities in Forensic Psychology. Brock, Lisa V., Mastroianni, Anna (2013). Ethics in Medicine: Clinical Ethics and Law   Committee on Ethical Guidelines for Forensic Psychologists (1991). Law and Human Behavior:Specialty Guidelines for Forensic Psychologists, 15 (6). A Code of Ethics for Psychologist: How Did We Get Here?