Portfolio management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Portfolio management - Assignment Example The company is reconstructing till now. It transacts majorly in chemical products. It makes chemicals majorly for all forms of industrial use. It has excellence in all of the F-Score criteria but faults on the asset turnover, which measures productivity. Seemingly, the company is gradually turning more unproductive (Anari & Kolari 2010, p.201). From the recommendations of Piotroski, the two scoring the bottom 20% of the market in the aspect of price to book value and then working from there. The model shows that suppose the expected winners were bought and expected losers shorted, the Piotroski score could be 23% in returns yearly, in a span of 20 years. According to (Brennan & Murphy 2013, p.56), the F-score screening criteria with a low P/B value would have returned 3.4%. In the previous five years, this return would yield 33.9%. The ten-year yield would be 26.7%.â€Æ' It has come to my concern that the results of the expected general election in the UK are very uncertain, and could lead to a period of extreme economic uncertainty for UK investors. An unexpected clear mandate for a strong government could lead to a resurgence in markets; whereas if no party can form a government there could be a prolonged period of instability for markets and interest rates. Our UK client discretionary portfolios have been admired by many lately for bringing remarkable income levels. It is, however, unknown if they will stay strong after the forthcoming elections. I recommend that you consider searching for other income sources widely. I urge you to consider diversification of our UK client discretionary portfolios (Vinod & Reagle 2005, p.48). The risk premiums all over the world are now becoming more expensive. There may be more volatility in the equity and bond markets. You should encourage people to diversify the risks they are running within their portfolios. I suggest that you focus more on delivering an optimal yield level instead of

Hoosiers Essay Example for Free

Hoosiers Essay ‘Hoosiers’ was a film released in 1986 and is one of very rare hits in the series of sports films. The film is set in the year 1952 in a small town in Indiana and this was the time when in Indiana each high school has the goal of winning one or the other states championship. It is based on a true story but with strong characterization, a story with its own logic and aspects of motivation and inspirational scenes as well along with characters having specific and distinguished qualities. 1. On his first night in Hickory, Coach Dale was provided with lots of suggestions by the town’s men but he was very sure that all these suggestions were not going to work. He had his goals and decisions firm and assertive and on the very first day of practice, he tells the temporary coach that his days of coaching were over and also dismisses Buddy. 2. Jimmy Chipwood is considered as the star player with experience and the team members too needed him but Coach Dale tried to ignore him initially and focused on the whole team because he believed that the team that plays collectively preventing selfish play, only has a chance to succeed. But he unintentionally convinces Jimmy to play and it seemed he persuaded him to play for him alone, which encourages the team and they finally win the state championship. 3. At the first prep rally, Coach Dale exhibits the authoritative style of leadership and dismisses a player because he doesn’t follow his instructions word by word. He believes that games when played on fundamentals could win and the most important thing was discipline. 4. During the first game, Coach Dale felt that his team was not able to make a shoot and he decided to make a speech in half time and tried to calm down his players as also give them hints so that they play accordingly after half time. He also makes Ray stay out of the game. 5.â€Å"Shooter† in the movie, ‘Hoosiers’ has the real passion for the game, basketball and of course knows about the game very well. The only thing lacking in him is self-esteem because he had missed an important shot during his playing days and is also the victim of ostracism. Treating these kind of people in the way Coach Dale does is very important because the real thing is how important one is for the purpose i.e., the basketball game here. Promoting the Shooter reveals that personal drawback can be overcome by the knowledge. 6. During sectionals, Coach Dale keeps himself cool and firm and applies the authoritative style of leadership because the team still believed that they could not do without Jimmy. Coach Dale wanted each and every player to perform their best and remember the fundamentals of the game. 7. Coach Dale tries to moderate the pressure of the game of the State Championship among the players but he himself is under pressure because winning this championship meant a lot for him. The pressure is because he was put out of this game for more than a  decade and that guilt stayed in his mind and had made his soul cover with a thick skin of wisdom. The reminder of this incident every now and then makes Coach Dale cynical and of course his arrogance can also be related to the same thing. At the back of the mind he is nervous and wants his players to not to face any such kind of situation, which would make them have regrets throughout their lives. This is what is made clear by Ronald Heffeitz when his work depicts that leading with an open heart needs a lot of courage and writes that it is first and foremost important for ones own identity and spirit. And this Coach dale does during the state championship game and encourages each player to perform his best.

Prohibition in the United States Essay -- Drugs and Alcohol, Legal Iss

Prohibition created more crime because it was leading to corruption and the â€Å"cure† was worse than the original problem (Sifakis 725). The number of crimes increased during the Prohibition which caused organized crime to be very â€Å"popular†. Many criminal groups had a regular income of money through illegal actions such as drinking and selling alcohol (Organized Crime and Prohibition 1). Alcohol increased the organized crimes during Prohibition through loopholes in the 18th Amendment, speakeasies, doctor’s prescriptions, and bootlegging. Bootleg alcohol was one of the main reasons organized crimes began (Organized Crime and Prohibition 1). Bootlegging was when alcohol was brought into the country illegally from outside the borders. Although, sometimes the illegal alcohol was obtained within the United States (Sifakis 725). Organized crime can be defined as unlawful activity for profit on a city, interstate, and even international scale (Beehner 1). The crime rate went up because the profit motivated people to get involved with illegal activities (Organized Crime and Prohibition 1). Prohibition helped organized crimes because, even though alcohol was illegal, it’s availability through these crime groups, gangs, were satisfying the peoples’ want of alcohol (Sifakis 725). Bootlegging was a major pastime in America especially during the Prohibition. A bootlegger was someone who engaged themselves in illegal alcohol deliveries. The criminals used bootlegging activities as a business to gain as much profit for themselves as a person possibly could gain. They thrived the most during the Prohibition period, January 16, 1920 until the repeal of the 18th Amendment on December 3, 1933. Most of the bootlegged alcohol was brought... ...ifty-four gallons of methyl alcohol to produce a huge batch of moonshine. This alcohol was sold all over Atlanta and even to an Auburn Avenue nightclub. A man named Eliza Foster went to an Auburn Avenue nightclub and drank a couple shots. A half hour later he dropped over dead. The same night both a man died in his car with a bottle of the same batch next to him and a little old lady died in her rocking chair with a bottle of the bad alcohol lying spilled at her feet. From that bad alcohol, thirteen people died that night with hundreds of other people feeling miserable, sick, and even blind, in the Grady Memorial Hospital. In the end forty-two people had died from the bad alcohol although over five hundred were affected by it (112). After the mass poisonings the scale of legal alcohol went up 51.2 percent in Atlanta (113).

Analysis of: Guy Montag :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Analysis of: Guy Montag   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  His full name is Guy Montag. People call him Montag though. Montag is married to a depressed lady named Mildred Montag. But Montag is a fireman of ten years and is thirty years old. He also has black hair and black eyebrows. He takes pride in his job with the fire department. He enjoys dressing in his uniform and playing the conductor as he directs the fire hose toward burning illegal books. In his first few years working at the fire department, Montag had and even joined the firemen’s sport of setting animals loose and betting on which ones the Mechanical hound would demolish first.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The last years, however, have caused some sort of emptiness and alienation. Maybe it’s because his wife is so depressed that he can’t really focus. Montag is very unsure of himself and requires drugs to make him sleep. He returns home daily to a loveless marriage. He always draws towards the lights and conversation of the McClellan family next door. But he forces himself to remain at home, yet he watches them and wishes that he had that same happiness. Even though he is unhappy because of his marital status, he becomes a friend with his neighbor Clarisse McClellan who shows him the meaning of things. Clarisse always teases Montag about not being in love. Finally, Montag comes to terms that he’s not in love with his wife. He suffers guilt because he hides the books in back of the ventilator grille and for failing to love his wife. Interested in books, Montag forces Mildred to read with him. His enjoyment for knowledge drives him to Professor Fa ber who he can trust to teach him.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  While Montag faces the burning of the old women, his company’s first human victim, he faces a dilemma of keeping his job or leaving it.

Succubus Revealed Chapter 4

â€Å"But I don't know what it is I'm doing!† I cried. â€Å"Do you?† â€Å"I've told you all I can for now,† said Carter, that sadness returning. â€Å"The most I can do now is buy you a drink.† I shook my head. â€Å"I don't think there's enough whiskey in the world.† â€Å"There isn't,† he said bleakly. â€Å"There isn't.† Despite Carter's pessimism, I still tried calling Hugh to see if he knew anything. He didn't, but his incredulity was so similar to mine that I took some comfort in it. â€Å"What? That's ridiculous,† he told me. â€Å"It was a mistake. It has to be.† â€Å"Will you try to get ahold of Jerome for me?† I asked. â€Å"I mean, I'll keep trying too, but maybe if we're both calling, he'll eventually notice the phone.† Even though it was still early for the demon, I also had this strange feeling that he could very well be avoiding my calls if something was afoot. Hugh might sneak in where I couldn't. I was fast approaching the time when I was supposed to meet Seth at the twins' school. I had wanted to run home and try talking to Roman about my potential transfer, but it didn't seem as important now, not until I had the story confirmed or denied by Jerome. So, after a few more errands that seemed hopelessly mundane compared to the greater supernatural workings of the universe, I drove up to Lake Forest Park and arrived at the school just as Seth did. Ian got out of the car too, and Seth flashed me a quick look that said he wasn't thrilled about having brotherly company. Ian was wearing the jacket Seth had mentioned, a brown wool peacoat that fit him well enough to be tailored and had strategically placed patches meant to give it a vintage appearance. Ian completed the look with a carefully knotted striped scarf and fedora. He also had on glasses, which I'd seen no sign of at Seth's. â€Å"I didn't know you wore glasses,† I told him. He sighed. â€Å"They go with the scarf.† Seth was carrying two huge containers of white-frosted cupcakes that were liberally and sloppily dusted with green and red sparkles. I took one batch from him and walked inside with the brothers, where we signed in and were given directions to the classroom. â€Å"Looks like you were productive,† I said with a smile. â€Å"No thanks to Mom,† Seth replied fondly. â€Å"It took her forever to leave. She kept offering to help and double-check my work, make sure the oven was set and all that. It was a boxed mix. There wasn't that much I could mess up.† Ian muttered something about preservatives and high fructose corn syrup. The classroom was pleasant, organized chaos. Other parents and family friends were there to help with the party, distributing food and running games. The twins ran up to the three of us with quick, fierce hugs before scurrying off to play with their friends. I didn't see Morgan and McKenna outside of the family very often, so it was neat to watch them so active and outgoing with their peers. They charmed their friends as much as they charmed me, and it was clear the two girls were leaders of sorts. Tiny, adorable blond leaders. The knot I'd carried inside me since getting the HR memo began to soften as I allowed myself the small joy of observing them. Seth slipped an arm around me, following my gaze as we maintained our post near the food table. He nodded toward where Ian was trying to pitch his own cupcakes – organic, vegan, gluten-free creations from a local bakery – to some of the twins' classmates. To be fair, the cupcakes were beautiful. They were vanilla, topped with elaborately swirled chocolate icing that was in turn adorned with perfect white frosting flowers. They made Seth's cupcakes look like something the girls might have made, but I knew better than to be fooled. When you made cupcakes without most of the ingredients found in traditional baked goods, the truth came out in the taste. Pretty or not, Ian wasn't doing so good a job moving them. â€Å"These are so much better for you than all this other junk food,† Ian was telling a wide-eyed boy named Kayden. Despite the fact we'd been inside the warm classroom for almost an hour, Ian was still completely clad in his scarf and wool coat ensemble. â€Å"They're made with brown rice flour and garbanzo bean flour and sweetened with maple syrup – none of that processed white sugar crap.† Kayden's eyes grew impossibly bigger. â€Å"Those have beans and rice in them?† Ian faltered. â€Å"Well, yes . . . but, no, I mean. It's flour derived from those ingredients in a way that's totally fair trade and nutritious. Plus, I picked a brown and white color scheme, not only to save you from artificial dyes but also to show respect for all holidays and tradition, rather than giving into the mainstream domination of the Judeo-Christian machine.† Without another word, Kayden grabbed a red-frosted snowman cookie from the snack table and wandered off. Ian gave us a long-suffering look. â€Å"I fear for today's youth. At least we can take the leftovers back to Terry's.† â€Å"We'd better,† said Seth. â€Å"Those cost me a small fortune.† â€Å"You mean they cost me a small fortune,† said Ian. â€Å"They're my contribution.† â€Å"I paid for them!† â€Å"It was just a loan,† said Ian imperiously. â€Å"I'll pay you back.† The party didn't last too much longer – seven-year-olds didn't need to slam drinks for hours like my friends did – but I still kept checking my phone whenever Seth wasn't watching. I had it set to vibrate in my pocket but was afraid I would miss Jerome's call. But no matter how many times I looked, the phone's display remained the same. No incoming calls or texts. With things winding down, McKenna made her way back to me and wrapped herself around my leg. â€Å"Georgina, are you going to come to our house tonight? Grammy's cooking. We're going to have lasagna.† â€Å"And cupcakes,† piped in Ian, carefully packing up his goods. By my estimation, he'd given away exactly one cupcake, and that was to a boy who'd taken it on a dare from his friends. I lifted McKenna up, surprised at how big she was getting. The years didn't alter my immortal friends or me, but mortals changed by leaps and bounds in such short time periods. She wrapped her arms around me, and I pressed a kiss into her blond curls. â€Å"I wish I could, baby. But I have to work tonight.† â€Å"Are you still helping Santa?† she asked. â€Å"Yes,† I said solemnly. â€Å"And it's very important work. I can't miss it.† Without me, there was no telling how sober Santa would stay. McKenna sighed and leaned her head against my shoulder. â€Å"Maybe you'll come over when you're done.† â€Å"You'll be in bed,† I said. â€Å"I'll see what I can do for tomorrow.† This earned me a tighter hug, and I felt my heart ache. The girls always had this effect on me, triggering a mix of emotion that was both love for them and regret for the children I myself would never have. Children had been something I'd wanted as a mortal, something denied to me even then. The pain of that reality had been driven home last year when Nyx, a primordial chaos entity, had visited me in my sleep and used tantalizing dreams to distract me while she stole my energy. The one that had recurred the most had shown me with a little girl – my own daughter – stepping outside into a snowy night to greet her father. He'd been shadowy at first, later revealed as Seth. Nyx, in a desperate bid for help later, had sworn the dream was true, a prophecy of things to come. It had been a lie, however. An impossibility that could never be mine. â€Å"Maybe you'll come by my house after you're done with work,† Seth said to me in a low voice, once she'd wriggled away. â€Å"That depends,† I said. â€Å"Who's going to be in your bed?† â€Å"We had a talk. He knows to stay out of my room.† I smiled and caught hold of Seth's hand. â€Å"I would, but I've got some things to do tonight. I've got to hunt down Jerome about . . . business.† â€Å"You're sure that's it?† he asked. â€Å"You're sure my family's not scaring you off?† I'll admit, I didn't relish the thought of seeing Margaret Mortensen's disapproving gaze, but I also couldn't imagine I'd be very good company for Seth if I still didn't know what was going on with my transfer by tonight. The transfer. Looking into his kind, warm eyes, I felt a pit open in my stomach. Maybe I should be jumping at every chance I could get to be with him. Who knew how many more we had? No, I scolded myself. Don't think like that. Tonight you'll find Jerome and clear up this mess. Then you and Seth can be happy. â€Å"Your family has nothing to do with it,† I assured Seth. â€Å"Besides, now that you have extra help, you can use your free time to get some work done.† He rolled his eyes. â€Å"I thought self-employment meant not having a boss.† I grinned and kissed him on the cheek. â€Å"I'll come by tomorrow night.† Kayden, passing by for one last cookie, caught sight of my kiss and scowled disapprovingly. â€Å"Ew.† I parted ways with the Mortensens and headed off to the mall. It was often a surprise to mortals to learn immortals like me purposely chose to take day jobs, so to speak. If you were around for a few centuries and semiwise with your money, it wasn't that hard to eventually build up enough to comfortably live off of, making human employment unnecessary. Yet, most immortals I knew still worked. Correction – most lesser immortals I knew did. Greater ones, like Jerome and Carter, rarely did, but maybe they already had too concrete of a job with their employers. Or, maybe, lesser immortals just carried over the urge from when we were human. Regardless, days like today were clear reminders of why I chose gainful employment. If I'd had nothing but free time on my hands, I would've spent the rest of the day ruminating about my fate and the potential transfer. Assisting Walter-as-Santa – as absurd as it was – at least gave me a distraction while I waited to hear from Jerome. Vocation gave purpose too, which I'd found was necessary to mark the long days of immortality. I'd met lesser immortals who had gone insane, and most of them had done nothing but drift aimlessly throughout their long lives. A new elf – one whom Walter had christened Happy – had joined our ranks today, one who was certainly helping pass the time if only because of how much she was grating on my nerves. â€Å"I don't think he should be drinking at all,† she said, for what felt like the hundredth time. â€Å"I don't see why I have to learn this schedule.† Prancer, a veteran elf, exchanged glances with me. â€Å"None of us is saying it's right,† he told Happy. â€Å"We're just saying it's reality. He's going to get a hold of liquor one way or another. If we deny him, he'll sneak it in the bathroom. He's done it before.† â€Å"If we're the ones giving it to him,† I continued, â€Å"then we control the access and amount he gets. This?† I gestured to the schedule we'd drawn up. â€Å"This isn't much. Especially for a guy his size. It's not even enough to get buzzed.† â€Å"But they're children!† Happy cried. Her eyes drifted off toward the long line of families trailing through the mall. â€Å"Sweet, innocent, joyful children.† Another silent message passed between Prancer and me. â€Å"Tell you what,† I finally said. â€Å"Why don't you make them your priority. Forget about the liquor schedule. We'll handle that. You go trade places with Bashful at the head of the line. She doesn't really like working with the public anyway.† When Happy was out of earshot, I remarked, â€Å"One of these days, someone's going to report us all to the mall's HR office.† â€Å"Oh, they have plenty of times,† said Prancer, smoothing out his green spandex pants. â€Å"I've worked with Walter for three years now, and Happy's not the first elf to have moral qualms about Santa getting lit. He's been reported lots.† That was news to me. â€Å"And they haven't fired him?† â€Å"Nah. It's harder to fill these jobs than you might think. As long as Walter doesn't touch or say something inappropriate, the mall doesn't seem to care.† â€Å"Huh,† I said. â€Å"Good to know.† â€Å"Georgina!† Beyond the gates leading to Santa's pavilion, I saw someone waving at the edge of the crowd. Hugh. My heart rate sped up. This mall was actually right around the corner from his office, so he'd come by before for lunch. In light of recent events – and the look on his face – something told me he wasn't here for a casual meal today. â€Å"Hey,† I said to Prancer. â€Å"Can I take my break now?† â€Å"Sure, go for it.† I cut through the crowd and met up with Hugh, trying not to feel self-conscious about wearing the foil dress. Hugh had come from the office and was dressed impeccably, playing up the role of successful plastic surgeon. I felt cheap beside him, especially as he and I walked farther from the holiday mayhem toward some of the mall's more upscale shops. â€Å"I was on my way home from work and thought I'd stop by,† he said. â€Å"I figured you weren't taking many calls while on the job.† â€Å"Not so much,† I agreed, gesturing to the tight dress and its lack of pockets. I caught hold of his arm. â€Å"Please tell me you heard something. The transfer's a mistake, right?† â€Å"Well, I still think it is, but no, I haven't heard anything back yet – not from HR or Jerome.† He frowned slightly, clearly not liking the lack of communication. Underneath that, I also sensed another emotion in him – nervousness. â€Å"I've got something else for you. Can we talk somewhere . . . kind of private? Is there a Sbarro or Orange Julius around here?† I scoffed. â€Å"Not in this mall. There's a sandwich place we can go to.† â€Å"Sandwich place† wasn't entirely accurate. They also sold gourmet soups and salads, all of which were made fresh and packed with enough prissy ingredients to make Ian happy. Hugh and I snagged a table, my appearance gaining the attention of some children there with their parents. I ignored them as I leaned toward Hugh. â€Å"What's up, then, if not the phantom transfer?† He eyed the watchers uneasily and took several moments to begin speaking. â€Å"I was calling around today, trying to work connections and see if I could find out anything about you. Like I said, I couldn't. But I got caught up on all sorts of other gossip.† I was kind of surprised Hellish gossip was what he wanted to discuss, more surprised still that it had apparently warranted him coming in person. If he'd heard a rumor about a mutual friend, it seemed like a phone call would've sufficed to pass the news. Even e-mail or text. â€Å"Do you remember Milton?† he asked. â€Å"Milton?† I stared blankly. The name meant nothing to me. â€Å"Nosferatu,† he prompted. Still nothing, and then – â€Å"Oh. Yeah. Him. The vampire.† A month or so ago, Milton had visited on vacation, much to Cody and Peter's dismay. Vampires were territorial and didn't like outsiders, although Cody had been able to use Milton's presence to impress his macabre loving girlfriend, Gabrielle. Or so I'd heard. â€Å"I never actually saw him. I just knew he was in town.† â€Å"Yup, and it turns out last week, he was in Boulder.† â€Å"So?† â€Å"So, first of all, it's weird that he'd have two ‘vacations' in that short time. I mean, you know how it is for vampires. You know how it is for all of us.† It was true. Hell didn't like to give us vacations very often. When your employers owned your soul, they really didn't feel any need to make your life pleasant. That wasn't to say we didn't occasionally get time off, but it certainly wasn't a priority for Hell. The business of souls never rested. For vampires, this was doubly true because they didn't like to leave their territory. They also had various complications with traveling, say, like with sunlight. â€Å"Okay, so, it's weird. How does that affect us?† Hugh dropped his voice low. â€Å"When he was in Boulder, a local dark shaman died under mysterious circumstances.† I felt my eyebrows rise. â€Å"And you think Milton was involved ?† â€Å"Well, like I said, I had time to make some calls and do some research today. And it turns out that even though he's based in Raleigh, Milton travels an awful lot for a vampire – and every place he goes, some mortal in the supernatural community ends up dead.† â€Å"You're saying he's an assassin,† I said, intrigued but still not seeing the point. As part of â€Å"the great game† we all played, angels and demons weren't supposed to directly influence mortal lives. That's where lesser immortals came in, with our offers of sin and temptation. Now, we weren't really supposed to kill either, as far as the game went, and we certainly weren't supposed to do it on behalf of a greater immortal's instructions. We all knew it happened, however, and Milton wasn't the first assassin I'd heard of taking out inconvenient mortals. â€Å"Exactly,† said Hugh. He frowned. â€Å"He goes to places, and people disappear.† â€Å"How does that affect us?† Hugh sighed. â€Å"Georgina, he was here.† â€Å"Yeah, but nobody – † I gasped, freezing a moment in shock. â€Å"Erik . . .† The world reeled around me for a moment. I was no longer in an elite mall's food court but instead was looking down on the broken, bleeding body of one of the kindest men I knew. Erik had been a longtime friend in Seattle, using his many years of occult and supernatural knowledge to advise me on my problems. He'd been investigating my contract with Hell when a freak robbery at his store had resulted in his death by gunshot. â€Å"Are you saying . . .† My voice was barely a whisper. â€Å"Are you saying Milton killed Erik?† Hugh shook his head sadly. â€Å"I'm not. I'm just laying out the evidence for you, which is compelling – but not enough to form a hard link to Milton.† â€Å"Then why tell me at all?† I asked. â€Å"You don't like to get involved with anything that questions the status quo.† It was true, and it had been a constant point of contention with Hugh and me. â€Å"I don't,† he said. I understood now why he was so uneasy. â€Å"Not at all. But I care about you, sweetheart. And I know you cared about Erik and wanted answers.† â€Å"Key word: wanted. I thought I had them.† My heart still mourned Erik, but I had begun to heal from his loss, moving on with life the way we all must after losing a loved one. Knowing – or, well, thinking – he'd been killed in a robbery didn't exactly give me peace, but it did provide an explanation. If there was any shred of truth to Hugh's dangerous theory, that Milton – a potential assassin – might have been responsible, then my whole world was suddenly knocked offkilter. And in that scenario, the big issue wasn't that Milton had done it. What became important was why he had done it. Because if he was one of those Hellish assassins lurking in the shadows, then someone higher up had given him his orders, meaning Hell had a reason to want Erik dead. â€Å"You okay?† Hugh's hand on mine made me jump. â€Å"Jesus, Georgina. You're like ice.† â€Å"I'm kind of in shock,† I said. â€Å"This is big, Hugh. Huge.† â€Å"I know,† he said, not sounding happy at all. â€Å"Promise me you won't do anything foolish. I'm still not sure I should have told you.† â€Å"You should have,† I said, squeezing his hand and making no such promises about the foolish part. â€Å"Thank you.† I had to leave shortly thereafter, returning to assist Happy. A little of her zeal about the pure, magical nature of children had faded in that time. I think it was the six-year-old who asked for a nose job that might have cracked her. As for me, I was in a daze, stunned over what Hugh had told me. Erik murdered. His dying words to me had implied something more was going on, but there'd been no evidence to prove it. Or wait . . . was there? I vaguely remembered the glass pattern of his broken window, the suspicion from the police that it had been broken from within. But what did I do with this theory? How did I get the answers I needed? Equally amazing to me was the concession Hugh had made in telling me this. He valued his job and his comfortable position. He really wasn't the type to try to upset Hell or ask questions about things that didn't concern him. Yet he'd pursued his hunch about Milton and passed on the news to me, his friend. Hell made desperate, soulless creatures out of its employees – and most certainly liked it that way – but I doubted any of the higher-ups had imagined the levels of friendship we were still capable of managing. Naturally, only one other thing could have distracted me from this new development, and that was Jerome's presence in my condo later that night. I was returning home after work and sensed his aura coming from within as soon as I put my key to the door. My fears and theorizing about Erik and Milton moved to one part of my brain, replaced by all the old speculation about the mystery transfer. When I entered, I found Jerome sitting in the living room with Roman, both at their ease and barely acknowledging my presence. â€Å"And so,† Jerome was saying, â€Å"that's why you need to do this. As soon as possible. Nanette's people have been at it for a long time, so you've got a lot of ground to cover. Set up a schedule – I don't care how rigorous it is – and make those slackers start putting in their time at the alley.† I stared incredulously. â€Å"You're here about the bowling competition?† Both men looked at me, Jerome seeming irritated at the interruption. â€Å"Of course. The sooner you start practicing, the better.† â€Å"You know what else might be better the sooner it happens ?† I produced the well-worn HR memo with a flourish. â€Å"You telling me if I'm being transferred or not. My money's on it being a mistake because surely, surely you wouldn't put off telling me. Right?† Several heartbeats of silence hung in the room. Jerome held me in his dark, dark gaze, and I refused to look away. At last, he said, â€Å"No. It's real. You're being transferred.† My jaw wanted to drop to the ground. â€Å"Then why . . . why am I only just now hearing about it?† He sighed and made an impatient gesture. â€Å"Because I just found out about it. Someone jumped the gun and delivered the memo to you before telling me.† His eyes glinted. â€Å"Don't worry, I wasn't too thrilled about that myself. I made sure they know my feelings on the matter.† â€Å"But I . . .† I swallowed. â€Å"I was so sure there was a mistake. . . â€Å" â€Å"There was,† he agreed. â€Å"Just not the kind you were thinking of.† I wanted to sink to the floor and melt away but forced myself to stay strong. I had to ask the next most important question, the question that would shape the next phase of my life. â€Å"Where . . . where am I going?† Jerome studied me once again, this time I think just to drag out the suspense and agony. Bastard. At last, he spoke. â€Å"You're going to Las Vegas, Georgie.†

Free Essays on Sexual Abuse (Rape)

Sexual abuse plagues people of all shapes, sizes, ethnicity’s, and backgrounds. It can include anything from making a sexual reference, to someone feeling uncomfortable and even rape. In this project, we will break down the different types of sexual abuse and explain why they occur all over the world, every single day. First it is best to define the most violent kind of sexual abuse, which is rape. Rape is the forceful or non-forceful attempt or action of a sexual act done to a person, without their consent. Rape is a non-consensual penile penetration of the vagina, anus, or mouth. Rape can also be described as sexual intercourse with a person, without their permission. Rape is accomplished by use of force by the assailant. Force can consist of many different things. It may refer to the use of verbal coercion, in order to coax the victim into sexual acts. It could also refer to actual physical restraint, in which the victim is restrained and unable to resist. Other examples of force are intimidation by verbal and physical threats, and in some cases, actual physical violence. These acts of force make it very difficult to a victim to resist sexual abuse such as rape. There are many myths that try to justify rape as a normal sexual act. One myth is that rape is actually just sex. In fact, rape is a life-threatening act of violence. The rapist is never expressing a love or sexual desire; instead a need to feel powerful and dominating in a sexual context, is displayed. Another myth or stereotype about rape, is that most rapes occur on the street, by strangers or by drunken or out of control men. The fact is that fifty percent of rapes occur in the home. About eighty percent of the adult women that are raped are done so by close family or friends, not by strangers. Rapists can be anyone, from doctors, teachers, and bosses, to a partner, a friend, or even a date. Sexual assault is one of the most serious and fastest growing crimes that fa... Free Essays on Sexual Abuse (Rape) Free Essays on Sexual Abuse (Rape) Sexual abuse plagues people of all shapes, sizes, ethnicity’s, and backgrounds. It can include anything from making a sexual reference, to someone feeling uncomfortable and even rape. In this project, we will break down the different types of sexual abuse and explain why they occur all over the world, every single day. First it is best to define the most violent kind of sexual abuse, which is rape. Rape is the forceful or non-forceful attempt or action of a sexual act done to a person, without their consent. Rape is a non-consensual penile penetration of the vagina, anus, or mouth. Rape can also be described as sexual intercourse with a person, without their permission. Rape is accomplished by use of force by the assailant. Force can consist of many different things. It may refer to the use of verbal coercion, in order to coax the victim into sexual acts. It could also refer to actual physical restraint, in which the victim is restrained and unable to resist. Other examples of force are intimidation by verbal and physical threats, and in some cases, actual physical violence. These acts of force make it very difficult to a victim to resist sexual abuse such as rape. There are many myths that try to justify rape as a normal sexual act. One myth is that rape is actually just sex. In fact, rape is a life-threatening act of violence. The rapist is never expressing a love or sexual desire; instead a need to feel powerful and dominating in a sexual context, is displayed. Another myth or stereotype about rape, is that most rapes occur on the street, by strangers or by drunken or out of control men. The fact is that fifty percent of rapes occur in the home. About eighty percent of the adult women that are raped are done so by close family or friends, not by strangers. Rapists can be anyone, from doctors, teachers, and bosses, to a partner, a friend, or even a date. Sexual assault is one of the most serious and fastest growing crimes that fa...

what are nuclesr weapons essays

what are nuclesr weapons essays What exactly are nuclear weapons? How do they work? Who thought up the concept of nuclear weapons? When have they been used? Why have they been used? Most people don ¡t know the answers to all these questions, but would really like to understand the reasons behind nuclear weapons. Nuclear weapons are small reliable ways to cause mass destruction. Being that the explosion of the weapons is in a large part due to very small elements such as uranium and plutonium the weapons can be very small and still cause damage on a large scale. When a bomb explodes part of the mass that the elements contains is converted into energy and if this happens quickly enough there will be a nuclear explosion (Campbell 10). Nuclear weapons have been used to end wars and have since then caused a large amount of mistrust between countries. The idea for using nuclear weapons came about in the August of 1940. The potential of these weapons was discovered by several scientists in a laboratory called the  ¡Virus House ¡ located in Berlin, Germany (Campbell 36). Nuclear weapons were starting to be developed in 1943 by Americans and Europeans. These studies were done under the supervision of Robert Oppenheimer. By the summer of 1944 Oppenheimer ¡s team had developed a device 10 feet long and weighing 9,000 pounds that could be dropped from a plane. In this  ¡9,000 pound destruction device ¡, only a few pounds of either uranium or plutonium could cause a blast that had never been seen before. This weapon had the force of 20,000 tons of TNT and could cause major damage over thousands of square miles (Macksey 174). The testing of nuclear weapons has taken place at numerous locations. Sometimes bombs have been dropped that had little or no explosion and others have exploded with great force. The first successful explosion of an atomic bomb was on July16, 1945 in Alamogordo, New Mexico. In the 1950 ¡s nuclear weapons called H - Bombs were beginning to...

Five Tips for Writing a Great Speech

Five Tips for Writing a Great Speech Five Tips for Writing a Great Speech Five Tips for Writing a Great Speech By Guest Author As the founder of a speech writing firm, Inkwell Strategies, Ive gotten used to drawing a certain amount of interest from new friends and acquaintances when asked what Ido for a living. After working in this somewhat niche profession for a number of years, I have come to expect questions about what the job entails, and even more frequently, inquiries about how to write a strong speech. There are a lot of different ways to answer that question, but after crafting remarks for leaders in government, nonprofits, and the private sector, I’ve learned that there are essentially five rules that all writers should follow in order to write a winning speech: 1. Read your speech out loud Unlike almost all other forms of writing, speechwriting is designed for listeners. So, when reviewing your text, read it to yourself, and pay attention to how the words sound and feel. Do they flow off the tongue, or are they clunky and awkward? If your phrases make you stumble, they are guaranteed to make your boss stumble as well. Just remember that good writing is not necessarily good speech writing. 2. Simple phrases are your friend Keep your sentences short and sweet. Compound phrases with multiple clauses may look great on paper, but are likely to confuse your audience and decrease the effectiveness of your speech. Limit yourself to one or two ideas per sentence, and express them as clearly and powerfully as possible. 3. Do your research Before beginning a speech, make sure to familiarize yourself with the subject, so that you can write about it with confidence and authority. The creative aspects of speech writing are only effective when backed by a strong foundation of knowledge by acredible speaker. The audience must trust your words in order for their meaning to sink in. If you’re well-prepared, it will show. 4. Mind the time A man once said that the key to crafting a great speech is writing a good beginning and a good ending, and making the two as close together as possible. That might not always be true, but consider this: Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg address,arguably the most famous speech in American history, lasted less than three minutes. Compare that to the two-hour speech given directly before Lincoln by Edward Everett. If I gave you four-score and seven guesses, could you tell me what he said? 5. Know your audience Your listeners should be a strong determining factor of the content, tone and style of your speech. Before drafting remarks, think about who you’re speaking to, the venue you’re speaking at and the timing of your speech. There’s a time and a place for every type of remarks. It’s your job to figure out when and where you are. These are just a few tips to get you started, but there is alot more to speech writing than that. If you’re interested in learning more, make sure to check out my website for commentary and analysis about the world of speech writing today. This is a guest post by David Meadvin, President of Inkwell Strategies, a professional speech writing and strategic communications firm located in Washington, DC. He was chief speech writer to the U.S. Attorney General and U.S. Senate Majority Leader. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Business Writing category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:7 Classes and Types of PhrasesAwoken or Awakened?40 Words Beginning with "Para-"

Women & Narrative Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Women & Narrative - Term Paper Example However, what makes American literature during this period remarkable are those written by Latin women authors, who have crossed bravely the boundaries of a well-established masculine culture not only by engaging into the literary world believed worthy only for men, but more so for what they write – â€Å"... their transgressive and contestatorial nature, and their critical reconsideration of hierarchical opposition, that make their texts revolutionary, conflictual, and dialectical...† (xi). Two Latin women authors worth of critical attention are Maria Lusia Bombal (1910-1980) – a Chilean fiction writer, who towed the dangerous literary path of revealing women’s innermost desires and power defiant of the realistic tradition in Latin America (Maria Luisa Bombal, par. 1), and Maria Luisa Bemberg (1922-1995) – an Argentinian self-professed feminist, whose critically acclaimed films had consistently depicted untraditional women, making her one of Latin America’s most significant female filmmakers (Maria Luisa Bemberg, par. 1). Though both writers tackled femininity from entirely different angles, indeed, both have contributed to a better understanding of women, as they have shaped a new consciousness that brings readers to confront long-ignored problems confronting women, such as ‘sexual abuse, abandonment, oppressive marriages, and the pressure of new-found independence’ (Mujica 44). To which Griselda Gambaro remarks, â€Å"... a w ork is feminist insofar as it attempts to explain the mechanics of cruelty, oppression and violence through a story that is developed in a world in which men and women exists† (qtd. in Jehenson xiii). But more than this, they were able â€Å"to change taken-for-granted views† (xiii). Silence is consent to abuse, as the famous saying goes. However, this is not the case in Bombal’s second novel The Shrouded Woman originally titled La

President Kennedy and Civil Rights Research Paper

President Kennedy and Civil Rights - Research Paper Example Author Shelly Sommer presents John F. Kennedy in his book, â€Å"John F Kennedy: His life and legacy† in many roles such as a boy, a young adolescent, a hero of wars, a husband, a great politician, and finally the youngest President of America. But the question should be raised that whether John F. Kennedy really cared about civil rights or it was just to defeat Nixon in office and be the President of America? The votes of African American people were as much important for him as the whites and so President Kennedy has to make his way to the office anyhow. When two African American students, Vivian Malone and James Hood decided to take admission in the University of Alabama in summers of 1963, President John F. Kennedy- a spirited and energetic leader of that time led the movement of Civil rights to let these students enter the university. He challenged the southern courts to take notice of the situation and take into consideration this issue to grant equal rights to African A mericans as well. On the evening of September 30, 1963, President delivered a speech in which he issued a declaration that Mississippi should abolish segregation and let African American students attend the college. ...   He asked for a federal legislature for the rights of African Americans and thus his words were transformed into actions after his death when the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was enacted. ( Blaustein, Albert P, and Robert L. Zangrando. Civil Rights and the American Negro: A Documentary History). Critics of Kennedy Supporting Civil Rights’ Some people, however, believed that John F. Kennedy was not much interested in civil rights; rather he was famous for Cold War issues and Cuban Missile Crisis. This belief was not pointless. Kennedy’s attitudes towards Civil Rights before the election campaign proved it to be true. He voted against the Civil Rights Act of 1957 by Eisenhower. Kennedy wanted to serve the Democrats in the elections of 1960s, and to do so he has to oppose the bill as Democrats were in the opposition to the bill at that time. Finally, Kennedy won the elections as leader of the Democratic Party in 1960 and defeated Nixon. This act of Kennedy proves that all h e did was his personal gains and he has no interests in the rights or equality of African Americans. Kennedy suddenly converted or changed his point of view when he was nominated as a candidate from Democratic Party for the Presidential Elections of 1960. He delivered speeches promising equal rights to African Americans and preserving their dignity and sovereignty. Historians are confused over this abrupt change in the attitude. Supporters of Kennedy see the antagonism toward the Civil Act of 1957 as a political necessity.

Hitler's Rise to Power Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Hitler's Rise to Power - Research Paper Example This loss of focus also made him lose the support of other students, who always elected him in leadership positions and to compensate this, he formed a tendency of creating friendship with younger pupils, whom he could command and influence (Kershaw 18). However, his time in school was limited as he managed to convince his mother at the age of fifteen to quit school instead of repeating, after which he moved to Vienna, at the age of 18, to pursue his career interest, which was in artistic work with the money he had received as his father’s pension, who had died in 1903 when Hitler was 13 years old (Hant 16). This ended up frustrating him as no institution was ready and willing to receive him owing to the fact that he had no academic certificates to prove that he had completed secondary education. Despite being an Austrian, Hitler disliked his country of birth to the extent of refusing to enroll into the military service, which was compulsory for every youth and according to re ports, it took the authorities close to 4 years to track him so he can fulfill his obligations but by then, his poor health could not meet the minimum standards required to join the military. During his early life, Hitler had shown a lot of admiration for Germany and indeed, he held his history teacher, who was a German, and the then German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, with high regard and as some of his role models (Hant 20). The start of the First World War opened a new opportunity for Hitler to enter Germany, his country of choice, after he made a choice to join and fight for the German army instead of the Austro-Hungarian forces, which he despised. This also gave him the chance to prove his worthiness as a fearless fighter, especially in his position as a dispatch-runner, which was one of the most dangerous positions as it involved acquiring and delivering messages from the command center to the forces on the frontline and which earned him the Iron cross rewards in 1924 and 191 8 (Kershaw 45). According to reports, it is during this time of the war that Hitler began his hatred towards the Jews and Marxists, whom he always described as cowards and a liability to German’s quest for victory. However, in 1918 just before Germany conceded defeat, Hitler suffered injuries in a mustard gas attack orchestrated by the British forces after which he was hospitalized in a German military hospital. With the war gone, Hitler suffered from severe cases of depression whereby it is reported that he spent most of his time crying, mostly because he could not accept the fact that Germany had lost the war. In addition, he had no academic papers to help him acquire formal employment and this meant that his future in Germany hanged in the balance and this was definitely more than he could bear (Kershaw 56). As stated earlier, Hitler was an outspoken person and he always made it clear that he was a strong proponent of anti-Semitism, anticommunism and Pan-Germanism (Toland 37). In addition to this, he never believed or subscribed to the school of thought that everyone was equal and as such, he was against any group or organization, which was trying to promote socialism. These qualities attracted the attention of German leaders, who shared the same opinions and they gave

There are many projects known to the public, which have received Essay

There are many projects known to the public, which have received attention by the media because of their perceived failures. Select a well-known project and conduct research into its perceived failures - Essay Example This particular project aimed at the modernisation of the corporation’s production by designing a connected network between the digital productions along with the media assets to assist staff members when sharing, developing and using videos and/or audio materials (BBC, 2013). Unfortunately, due to the lack of proper planning and confusion, the project was eventually closed in the year 2013 even before being completely functional, owing to BBC’s management board’s perceived failure (Charette, 2013). Emphasising this particular instance of project failure, this study intends to discuss about the reasons behind the failures of project management by comparing with the various relevant literature studies based on the similar aspect. Additionally, the study will also reflect about the recommendations on the basis of the effective project management theories. The study will also focus on the implementation of the effective project management for deriving positive outcomes and reduce the increased rate of project management failures. BBCs DMI project failure depicts managerial confusions along with the improper planning framework as the principle reasons for project breakdown. Accordingly, it has been observed that failure in having a proper understanding of the project, but the execution team as well as the manager was another reason accountable for the failure of the DMI project. On further note, the BBC’s Chief technology officer, Mr. John Linwood was dismissed due to the failure of the DMI project, indicating a major proportion of liability to be held by the management team of the project for the loss company had to bear in consequence. The project, DMI, was developed with a view to reduce the inefficient use of video tapes by BBC staff, which required new in-house tools to be developed. The entire plan concentrated on the formulation of a new in-house tool to support the system,

Are Cheaters and The 5th Wheel obscene television shows and should be Essay

Are Cheaters and The 5th Wheel obscene television shows and should be fined if not prohibited from airing - Essay Example With the sudden rise in popularity of reality television shows, many business moguls have ventured into this industry which has given American television channels a lot of shows to choose from; and many of these channels are showing shows which literally lack value either politically or scientifically. This paper aims to focus on television media, particularly looking into the reality television shows Cheaters and The 5th Wheel, and identify whether the shows are offensive, indecent, inappropriate, violent and meaningless. In so doing, this paper would also present a five-point plan on how to handle the violations that these shows have in the areas of language, script and over-all impact on the general viewing public. To be able to do this, a brief description of how the shows are done to have an idea what it is. The 5th Wheel is a reality television show about blind dating. Many viewers view it as an "augmented version" of the Blind Date. Only that in this show there will be four strangers, two of which are males and the other two are females, and they all would get together on a date to see who 'gels' well with whom. At the onset of the show, a guy and a girl will be partnered together to spend sometime to get to know each other. The same thing happens to the second couple. After which, the guys would exchange girls and try to spend sometime with the new girl. In the middle of this 'getting to know' each other stage, another girl (or guy) comes in to charm the guys away from the girls. Meaning, the guys now have three girls to choose from. This situation seems to be innocently normal, as all people experience blind dating and enjoy it. The only problem is that, the girls don't only wear super 'revealing clothes' (although some would dress up like a mummy) they would also end up kissing the guy 'intimately' on national television, plus the fact that the show has a 15-minute room where a guy and a girl comes in either to talk or get really intimate with each other. Kissing is a natural phenomenon and it is a beautiful thing; but kissing and petting on national television is another story. Cheaters is another reality television show about couples in which either the guy or the girl is cheating on the other. The set-up is like an investigation where in the cheating partner is tracked and videoed without his or her knowledge. Couples could either be seriously dating, divorced or married. We all know that this is a very private matter and doing your dirty laundry on national t.v. only sends one message - that nothing stays private and sacred anymore. After all the stalking and video recording, all information gathered are then shown to the 'crying victim of infidelity'; after which confrontation takes place, with all cast and crew: the couple, the third party, the host of the show and the camera men with the other crew members, not to mention the millions of viewers watching. During the confrontation, all obscenities are said as a result of anger and embarrassment. Just imagine how humiliating and embarrassing the situation is. The show is aired to encourage people to ren ew their temperance and virtue and it is also said that this show is dedicated to the faithful couples. Well, the goal is good but the effect is not. Marital or relationship problems such as this one happens everyday. Although it is not a good

There are many projects known to the public, which have received Essay

There are many projects known to the public, which have received attention by the media because of their perceived failures. Select a well-known project and conduct research into its perceived failures - Essay Example This particular project aimed at the modernisation of the corporation’s production by designing a connected network between the digital productions along with the media assets to assist staff members when sharing, developing and using videos and/or audio materials (BBC, 2013). Unfortunately, due to the lack of proper planning and confusion, the project was eventually closed in the year 2013 even before being completely functional, owing to BBC’s management board’s perceived failure (Charette, 2013). Emphasising this particular instance of project failure, this study intends to discuss about the reasons behind the failures of project management by comparing with the various relevant literature studies based on the similar aspect. Additionally, the study will also reflect about the recommendations on the basis of the effective project management theories. The study will also focus on the implementation of the effective project management for deriving positive outcomes and reduce the increased rate of project management failures. BBCs DMI project failure depicts managerial confusions along with the improper planning framework as the principle reasons for project breakdown. Accordingly, it has been observed that failure in having a proper understanding of the project, but the execution team as well as the manager was another reason accountable for the failure of the DMI project. On further note, the BBC’s Chief technology officer, Mr. John Linwood was dismissed due to the failure of the DMI project, indicating a major proportion of liability to be held by the management team of the project for the loss company had to bear in consequence. The project, DMI, was developed with a view to reduce the inefficient use of video tapes by BBC staff, which required new in-house tools to be developed. The entire plan concentrated on the formulation of a new in-house tool to support the system,

Interconnection of Parental Psychological Support, Self-Efficacy and Dissertation

Interconnection of Parental Psychological Support, Self-Efficacy and Self-Regulated Learning for Elementary School Students - Dissertation Example They are able to take decisions that would help them achieve the said goals and turn to adults when they need inputs. Children are not born with such internalized educational goals, and it is necessary to provide them with the appropriate environment that will help them to internalize the desire to succeed and the ability to set personal goals (Ryan & Deci, 2000). Such an environment may be provided by parents and the school, though parents play a more important role as compared to the teachers or the school (Soenens & Vansteenkiste, 2005). Children learn to respond to rules and targets set down by parents early in their lives. Parents are a primary source of information, discipline and appreciation for young children, and they quickly learn to internalize the goals and attitudes that gain them appreciation and affection form the parents. This makes it important that parents present the child with experiences that help to develop the qualities that they require in order to succeed. O ne such set of behaviors and attitudes have been discussed by the Self Determination Theory, a macro theory that attempts to explain human decisions, choices and behaviors in terms of the source of motivation. 2.1 Self Determination Theory The term self – determination was initially coined to describe political and philosophical perspectives on the nature of the State and it’s governance (Price, Wolensky, & Mulligan, 2002)and the attributes of the Person and was used to some extent in Psychology to describe the way humans viewed themselves (Wehmeyer, 1999). The Psychological perspective was developed through the late 20th century by Deci and Ryan (1985), who have defined Self Determination as â€Å"A quality of human functioning that involves the experience of choice, in other words, the experience of an internal perceived locus of causality; it is the capacity as well to choose and to have those choices, rather than reinforcement contingencies, drives, or any other f orces or pressures, be the determinants of one’s actions.†(p. 38). Self Determination Theory has been studied by a number of researchers, and has been developed as an explanation of human motivation, behavior and personality (Niemiec & Ryan, 2009; Ryan & Deci, 2000). It assumes that a human being is by nature active, curious, interested in events, self motivated and desirous of success since the experience of success is a satisfying and rewarding experience that reinforces itself (Deci & Ryan, 2008a). Initial work on Self Determination Theory started in the 1970’s and was refined by Deci and Ryan (1985; 2008b) in the 1980’s. The last few decades have seen tremendous work in Self Determination Theory, and various researchers have applied it’s principles to various areas of human functioning like health (Deci & Ryan, 2008b), parenting (Joussemet, et al., 2008), work (Frederic Guay, Senecal, Gauthier, & Fernet, 2003), sport (Standage, Duda, & Ntoumanis , 2005), education (Deci, Vallerand, Pelletier, & Ryan, 1991), psychotherapy (Ryan & Deci, 2008). Although Self determination is neither absolute control, nor to be confused with success (Wehmeyer, 1998); it does involve the person’s ability to make choices that is autonomous of the influence of others. It is important not to confuse self determination with either self sufficiency or self reliance as Self Determination

History of Childcare Essay Example for Free

History of Childcare Essay History of Childcare Institutions and Qualifications During this essay I will be outlining the history of childcare institutions and qualifications and how they have developed in relation to the needs of the country, family needs and society. I will be looking at the following occupations wet nurses, governesses, nannies and nursery nurses and how qualifications have developed within these roles. I shall them to the qualifications of the present day and how gender and social class have impacted on these professions. Also I shall consider how the curriculum content has changed to meet the demands of the ever changing role of the childcare worker and how it relates to my teaching practice currently and in the future. When focusing on childcare a fundamental starting point is considering the role of the wet nurse and why she was popular and in demand. Wet nursing can date back as far as Moses. When the princess found baby Moses floating down the Nile she asked Miriam to find a wet nurse. In Ancient Egypt poor women used to supplement their income by becoming wet nurses for the upper class citizens or mothers who could not produce enough milk. Contracts were drawn up between them to â€Å"ensure the wet nurse provided good milk; preventing the wet nurse from nursing other children, having sex, or becoming pregnant† (history-wet-nursing, 2011). In many cultures wet nurses were an ancient tradition, for example within the Chinese culture, before the Second World War, wet nursing was common practice. The Communists tried to outlaw the practice but in the 21st century it has become a status symbol and due to the melamine milk scandal this ancient profession has seen a revival. Wet nurses in China today must leave their own children, maintain a special diet, and undergo training in certain cases. Furthermore, if the babies that they nurse do not grow 20 grams each day, the wet nurses are fined by their employers. † (history-wet-nursing, 2011) During the Victorian era it was common place for the upper classes to employ a wet nurse as once more this was seen as a status symbol. Other reasons were that women of this era were usually married to authoritarian husbands who believed that breast feeding interfered with sex and the women themselves assumed that it would disfigure their breasts. Furthermore, during this time infant mortality was high and upper class families were encouraged to have large families to ensure the survival of an heir. Breast feeding provided a form of contraception and prevented ovulation thus, spacing out pregnancies. It wasn’t uncommon for babies to be sent to a wet nurse’s home for 18 to 24 months in order for the mother to become pregnant again. Often a wet nurse could be feeding many children including their own (sometimes to their detriment) and was either paid as well as a labourer or received nothing at all. Morisot, The Wet Nurse (1880) According to Valerie Fildes there were three types of wet nurses â€Å"the parish nurse who took in parish infants and was usually receiving poor relief herself; the nurses of the London Foundling Hospital who worked under the supervision of inspectors; the privately employed nurse, for whom wet-nursing was a significant and continuing occupation for which she received a good wage both in money and in kind: often she was cared for by her nurse-children in later life and received the occasional bequest from them. † (Fildes, 1988, p. 43) The qualities required for a wet nurse by the Victorians were worked out in enormous detail. She should have an attractive face, clear eyes, well made nose, red mouth, white teeth and a deep chest. The shape of her breasts was very important and their size shape and colour were all taken into account. She should also have a good personality, speak well, not be pregnant or desire the company of her husband. The reasons for these specific qualities were that it was thought that they would be transferred through the breast milk to the child (Fildes, 1988). By the middle of the 19th century wet nurses had virtually disappeared although isolated examples still existed (Churchill had a wet nurse). Surprisingly, wet nursing is making a reappearance in society today, there are wet nursing agencies where mothers can employ a wet nurse. Within society today, a woman may choose this option due to health reasons for example extreme illness or disease such as AIDS, an inability to produce breast milk or multiple births. What is more, this privilege is still confined to the upper and middle classes of society who have the means to pay. However, during the Victorian era this may have been seen as common practice but during this century it is quite often seen as a taboo subject,as pregnant mothers are given information about the benefits of breastfeeding from health professionals who actively encourage new mothers to conform with this practice. Alongside this there is the pressure from government initiative and more detailed research, that are changing the ideology of society thinking dismissing the Victorian idea of wet nursing as a status symbol. When comparing the person specification of the wet nurse in the 19th century to today’s wet nurses, it appears that there are some similarities such as being in good health, not smoking or consuming alcohol. Today, they are also vetted and tested for transferable diseases due to the fact more is understood about these by society and health professionals. Furthermore, wet nurses need to have a baby of a similar age in order for the milk to be of the right constitution and they would usually live or work in the employer’s home whereas previously they would have been taken to the wet nurses home. Following on from the wet nurse there is the emergence of nannies. The history of nannies can be traced back as far as the seventeenth century. The English nanny was an institution and was most popular during the 18th century. She is often portrayed in books and films as a kind, gentle woman who children adored; in fiction such as Jayne Eyre, Mary Poppins and more recently Nanny McFee. Before training developed nannies were often what were known as â€Å"gentlewomen† who had fallen on hard time and had to support themselves. They saw being a nanny as a solution to their predicament. Not all nannies were kind, some were extremely cruel. The nanny usually had a great deal of power and responsibility within the home; she had her own quarters to look after the children usually at the top of the house. The upper classes, employed nannies in order for them to continue their leisurely life style. Children at the time were also viewed as they should be â€Å"seen and not heard† and parents left it to the nanny to have total care and responsibility for their upbringing. Parents only spent a short time in the day with them accompanied by the nanny. The nanny would usually have a nursery maid to assist her who would do the menial tasks such as preparing meals and laundry. On the whole, nannies learned from other nannies and progression was usually nursery – maid, nursemaid or under nurse, sometimes a period of working as a second nanny, and then finally a nanny in her own right. In 1892 the first training college was set up by Emily Ward. She ran a school for young children in Norland Place and recognised the need for training. She was one of the earliest advocates of the Froebel system of teaching which was based on the approach â€Å"that all children are born good, and that to help them develop, adults need to provide the right environment and activities. These protect the child from learning bad habits of â€Å"evil tendencies†(Tassoni, 2006, p19). Emily Ward found that many of the students who went to her for training were not academic and found the Froebel examination too difficult despite her students being very practical and having a great love of children. Emily Ward recognised that if the students could be trained, not only would it benefit the children but would provide a new profession for girls of the educated classes. Students were charged a fee of thirty six pounds which covered six months training. The students were also expected to wear a uniform which Emily Ward thought would identify them as professionals and not have them mistaken for housemaids. This leads me to believe that originally the role the nanny was seen for women to earn a respectable living when they found themselves to be in a financial predicament rather than needing a formal qualification. However, during the latter stage of the 19th century the introduction of a formal qualification and fee for training transformed nanning into a profession, but still only allowed educated middle class, girls the opportunity. The students training was broken down into the following:- â€Å"Three fortnights for cooking, laundry, and domestic work, and six weeks spent in the Norland Place School, looking on at lessons, and giving help to the teachers. † (Gibbs, 1960, pg 178) Lectures given in the morning and the afternoons were spent exercising (walks in the fresh air), the evenings were for learning needlework. The second three months were spent in hospital training and the students were then given one month’s holiday before taking a post in a private family as a children’s nurse. If the employer was happy with the student she would continue for another three months and only then would the Norland Certificate be awarded. By today’s standards training was centred around domestic science rather than understanding the child and how they develop, which would confer with the ideology of woman’s role within society at that time as the traditional housewife. However, at a glance nanny’s of today are still required to fulfil domestic duties such as cooking and laundry but this is not curricular based but, has more emphasis on the development of the child. By 1904 the training changed slightly as it was realized that students needed to gain practical experience to do their job and a small nursery was set up overseen by experienced children’s nurses with the students acting as under-nurses. This practice was highly regarded by employers when the students obtained posts, and is seen favourably and useful by employers today. By 1924 fees had risen to eighty pounds and the college expanded. During the Second World War the college and nursery evacuated to Devon, but many of the students gave up their training and joined the women’s services. After the war the college relocated to Chislehurst and students began training again. The course itself was extended from six months to twenty one months and included â€Å"domestic science, educations training, residential nursery training and a hospital nurse course. Students were also taught story-telling and games for the under-fives. (Gibbs, 1960, pg 180) Great emphasis was placed within the training on the needs of the small child, students gained experience of this from working in the nursery attached to the college and nursery schools and infant welfare centres outside of the college. An examination was also introduced at the end of the twenty one month’s the National Nursery Examination Board qualification or NNEB. However, the Norland Certific ate was only awarded to students who had completed one year’s satisfactory work in post which had been agreed by the Principal. Only two years were allowed from the end of training to obtain the full certificate. The college also encouraged students to stay in touch with them for at least three years after completing their certificate. They did this to ensure they could follow the career of each student and ensure that the standard of the college could be maintained. Norland nannies were well respected and there was a constant demand in private posts, nurseries and for posts as school matrons. Norland College was the first training college to open in 1892 and later other colleges began to appear. The Princess Christian Training College for Nursery Nurses opened in Manchester in 1901 under the direct patronage of the Princess Christian (third daughter of Queen Victoria). She suggested that instead of hospital training, a course of home nursing should be introduced. She also felt very strongly that a nurse should be forbidden to punish children herself. The need for training colleges was recognised by the Gentlewomen’s Employment Association (1891), Princess Christian was one of its patrons. Like the Norland College it provided employment for gentlewomen who needed to earn a living at a time when it was not generally acceptable. The Princess Christian College’s training duration was nine months unlike Norland’s six months and was hard and rigorous. Students had to be on duty at six and complete washing and cleaning before breakfast at seven. They had evening lectures and sewing after supper, no holidays and half a day off each week. The college also had testimonial books which recorded each nurse’s career, including a principal’s report and at the end of her training and a reference from her last employer. There is a stark contrast to the training that was provided in 1904 to the qualification we see today. Although there is still a strong emphasis on work based training the standard of the qualification is not as robust as in the 19th and early 20th century and this could be because students are being accepted onto courses with a required level of education and the demands of the role have changed. During the First World War The Princess Christian College ran into financial difficulties and in May 1918 closed. The college reopened again in 1919 in new premises but closed again at outbreak of the Second World War in order for children to be evacuated. After the war the college reopened and reorganised its syllabus and training to cover the changes in social conditions. Training was extended to eighteen months and covered the NNEB requirements (Gibbs, 1960). At the time Mary Ann Gibbs wrote her book â€Å"The Years of the Nannies† (1960) the fees for the eighteen month course at Princess Christian College was ? 270 for a resident student and ? 140 for a non-resident student. Bursaries and local authority grants were available for less well off students. The syllabus in 1960 included:- daily nursery work with babies and small children, instruction in the planning and preparation of infant diets, training in the milk kitchen, general cookery and nutrition, laundry and housewifery, needlework with design and care of children’s clothes, hygiene and physiology and the model nursery. † (Gibbs, 1960, Pg 190) The college awarded three certificates to students the first being a Probationers Certificate on completion of satisfactory training and a Nurse’s Certificate for two years satisfactory work, dating from the ranting of the Probationers Certificate. Finally, the student would be awarded The Special Certificate with Badge for three year’s satisfactory work, dating from the granting of the Nurse’s Certificate. After a student had completed her training she had quite a wide range of employment opportunities such as working as a nanny, working in day and residential nurseries, working with disabled children, school matron, nursery nurses on maternity wards and in passenger liner nurseries. A Night Nurse at The Princess Christian Training College Students who completed their training at the training colleges usually found employment through the college or through advertisements in women’s journals, or professional journals. One of those journals was â€Å"Nursery World† which was first launched in 1925 and is still used by our students today. The other was â€Å"The Lady† first published in 1885 which advertised many employment opportunities for nannies. Nannies are still very much in demand today, their role has changed in that they work closely with parents respecting their views and wishes and are more usually employed by working parents. They are required to be trained to Level 3 and most will have had experience with babies. In contrast, nannies back in the eighteenth century would always live with the family, whereas nannies now can live out. They also have the opportunity to work for families abroad and can command high salaries and additional benefits such as holidays and use of a car. [pic] Advertisements’ from Careers and Vocational Training 10th Edition The role of the nanny was important but you cannot overlook the role of the governess in the eighteenth and nineteenth century. She is portrayed in fiction as a lonely, somewhat stern figure yet many women entered this profession. She would have been a well educated middle-class woman who like the nanny had to provide a living for herself. In Victorian times women were seen as the responsibility of men her husband, father or brother. When they were unable to provide financially for her, working as a governess was seen as socially acceptable. There was a high demand for governesses in he Victorian era (despite the expansion of public school education for boys and public school for the masses) especially if they were competent in teaching math’s and science. â€Å"The census of 1851 showed that there were 24,770 governesses in England and Wales. † (Hudson, 1970, p45) The greatest qualification of the governess was having a good background fitting in with the correct social class. She was required to write a letter of application in order for the family to consider her suitability. Many families l isted subjects they required their governess to teach. â€Å"Wanted, a Governess, on Handsome Terms. Governess – a comfortable home, but without salary, is offered to any lady wishing for a situation as governess in a gentleman’s family, residing in the country, to instruct two little girls in music, drawing, and English; a thorough knowledge of the French language is required. †( Advertisement, The Times. (London: 27 June, 1845). The upper class families still continued to educate their children at home and it was down to the family to decide when their children would enter the school room. In order to ensure their employability they sought to improve their education and this lead them gaining a footing in higher education. During the nineteenth century, professional books and journals were printed for governesses to use. These were read among other teachers and concerned parents to share educational practices and lessons, and keep The Governess them informed of the changing educational reform in the Victorian era. In 1843 The Governesses’ Benevolent Institution was formed and it helped educate governesses and provided aid for retired or out of work governesses in and around London. It also provided a registry for governesses and families seeking a governess to place their information. This was similar to an employment agency today. Along with this and pressure from the governesses the institute expanded and included a college for governesses to study and improve their education. A donation from the Prince and Princess of Wales enabled funding for free night classes. The Queens College was founded in 1848 and its goal was to provide qualifications for governesses, it provided â€Å"Lectures for Ladies† from which at the end of study they received a Diploma. Almost all the lectures were given by men from Kings College, and older women known as â€Å"Lady Visitors† attended to act as chaperones to the female students. It is clear that despite considerable changes from the era of the wet nurse there is still a vast divide between what is considered beyond the realms of the woman as it is the man that is considered able to lecture in the core subjects whilst the woman is only expected to understand and deliver to her charges. The Queens college was seen as an institution offering higher education for women. In the last decade of the nineteenth century the Queens College and The House of Education developed a curriculum specifically for the training of governesses and this saw a drastic change in the profession of the governess. Families now wanted to employ governesses with certificates and training in education rather than, be qualified solely by their family background. We must take into account that at this time education for girls was seen as less important and it was not until the 1900 that attitudes changed when girls started to enter public high school and boarding schools and this resulted in the decline of the governess. Governesses are still employed today but their role has changed. Today they need to hold a degree and at least two years experience as an educator. They may live with the family or live out. They usually have sole charge of the children’s education although in some cases they may just supplement the child’s education. This could be coaching a child to obtain their eleven plus, or providing additional help for specific subjects, or in all subjects, with the goal of preparing students to apply to and be accepted into good colleges. They may also be employed if a family moves to another country so that children can learn the language or maintain the education that correlates to their native country. The profession is still largely female orientated despite the pay and conditions being good. This could be due to several factors such as living in the employer’s home and societies view of a male in a governess role. The Second World War saw an increase in day nurseries as men went away and women were called upon to take over the work left to do at home. The Ministry of Health organised and supervised this provision. In view of this more nursery nurses needed to be trained and in January 1944 The National Nursery Examination Board was formed and they established an examination for all nursery nurses. The first examination was taken in 1946. The syllabus and training has changed considerably over the years, notably in 1965, the age range was extended to seven years of age, before this students trained to work with children up to five years. This decision was prompted by the increase use of classroom assistance in primary schools and the Plowden Report’s (1967) recommendation that nursery nurses should be used for this position. â€Å"In 1975 the Bullock Report, A Language for Life made the same recommendation that nursery nurses should be used as trained assistants and work alongside teachers in helping language development in young children. (Herrman, 1979, p. 21). After the Second World War provision that was put in place for childcare was not expanded further. This was partly due to men needing jobs that women had done in the war, and society’s view that women should be in the home looking after their children. The 1950’s saw the beginning of Playgroups, these were parent co-operatives formed in private homes or community halls. They started in order to fill the gap in nursery provision for three and four year olds. â€Å"In 1961 Belle Tutaev wrote to the Guardian offering help to anybody who wanted to start up a playgroup. She received letters from all over the country and playgroups burgeoned and grew. † (Dean, 2005, Pg 13) The Pre-School Playgroup Association (PPA) was set up in 1962, â€Å"the aims of the organisation at first were two-fold: mutual support for those running groups and also the lobbying of government to emphasise the importance of pre-school provision and to seek the withdrawal of Circular 8/60 which prevented state nursery expansion. † (PLA Factsheet) Playgroups relied heavily on voluntary staff and on mothers to provide play activities for the children. Many of these volunteers were untrained due to lack of funding. This restricted their work opportunities and workers were given little recognition. An additional reason for unqualified staff was that until the Children’s Act 1989 playgroups had little statutory guidance or regulation. Those playgroups that were affiliated with the PPA did have access to training (short courses in play work) if they were able to fund it. The PPA in 1991 established themselves as training providers under the National Council for Vocational Qualifications. Other childcare provision between 1946 and 1990 such as private nurseries and local authority nurseries continued to employ NNEB qualified staff or equivalent. In 1990 there were various childcare qualifications that students were able to study. The main qualifications for nursery nursing were the NNEB, BTEC National Diploma and the Certificate in Post-Qualifying Studies (CPQS). The NNEB being the longest established and well known was still a requirement for some posts but it did not give a valid entry into higher education. However, the BTEC National Diploma was thought to be more academic and allowed students to progress onto more advanced education and training being the equivalent of â€Å"A† Levels. When you look back at the history of the NNEB it was not set out to be a qualification that would allow progress to higher education although comparing it to today’s CACHE Level 3 Diploma it was a lot more rigorous. The selections of qualifications were many and in 1991 a system of National Accreditation was introduced to link qualifications. NVQ’s were introduced in 1991 in attempt to give experienced staff without a qualification a chance to achieve a Level 2 and 3. The NVQ syllabus involved students showing competence in the workplace through assessment whilst building a portfolio of knowledge evidence. This qualification in theory did fill a training gap but funding still remained an issue along with adults having to study around family commitments and also if they had the academic confidence to study. Due to the Start Right Report of 1991 by Bell in which he identified numerous routes into teaching, this was an attempt to provide a standardized route into comprehensive training and also of helping workers to progress through the qualification system. Up until 1999 qualifications remained unchanged in what were available and it left employers and students confused as to what qualification was at what level. In 1999 a new training framework was introduced (QCF) and this mapped out the levels of each qualification. This gave clear guidance for students, employers and training establishments to assess their current qualifications. In 2002 the new NVQ Level 4 was introduced *they were to provide a route for those working in senior management level or advanced practitioners† (Pugh,2001, P. 190) they were academically and practically demanding qualifications and carried 120 CATs points. This was a way of gaining entry to the Early Years Foundation Degree. In 1994 CACHE was established and merged with The National Nursery Education Board and The Council for Early Years Awards. In 2001 the National Association for Maternal and Child Welfare (NAMCW) merged with CACHE, and Her Majesty the Queen became the patron. CACHE at this point became the awarding body and offered various Childcare qualifications from Entry Level to NVQ 4. Since joining Canterbury College in February 2006 the qualifications have changed twice, with a third change is about to take place. The delivery of the courses has not changed in that students still attend placements and have to show competence. The only difference to the NNEB is that the students don’t work with children attached to the college. We have placement visitors that visit the student in their placement who assess their competence and report back to their course tutor. Level 3 students up until 2007 still had to sit an end of course exam in order to qualify as well as passing unit assignments. The qualification carried UCAS points to allow entry to university depending on the overall grade achieved. It was quite clear at the time that the grades students achieved were quite low and very few went onto university. I believe this to be for the following reasons (a) students were not properly assessed at interview and were on the wrong level of course, (b) there was a high level of turnover of staff which affected the teaching of the students and causing disaffection. There was also a big drop out rate. I remember well, my first day in the classroom, being bombarded with complaints. In 2007 CACHE reviewed the content of the syllabus as the previous syllabus was quite dated and childcare practice had changed considerably. The new syllabus carries the same format of placement and academic work and still continued to carry UCAS points. The grading of the assignments changed into a point system instead of the previous system of pass or refer. The students also have to complete a research task and a short seen scenario exam. This I feel has led to students achieving higher grades and more have gone onto university. The department has been running this Level 3 Diploma for the past three years but last year we were advised that the qualification would hange along with NVQ’s being discontinue. This has had a big impact on the department as a whole. The introduction of the Level 3 Diploma for the Children and Young Peoples Workforce will be the only qualification available for students to study to become childcare workers. The delivery of the course is very much based on the NVQ delivery of observed assessment and a knowledge portfolio. We have started to run a pilot group for this new qualification an d it has involved various changes in the department and in the teaching. Students now have to be allocated an assessor who has an A1 qualification and students only attend three days a week every other week. Already, this has posed problems in that the course is designed to be taught holistically and not unit led as the previous qualifications. It is designed so that the assessor and tutor work closely together. This does not work in our department as assessors are constantly out observing students leaving little time for feedback to the tutor. This makes it very difficult to support students and ensure that they are progressing. However, we have recently been informed that due to the qualification not meeting the needs of the employers and students the previous qualification will continue running for at least another year while they review the course. In conclusion, childcare and qualification has developed in line with the needs of the family and society starting with the wet nurse through to nannies and governess. It has also developed in line with government policy and the social and economic needs of the country along with current thinking of child development at the time. Childcare roles have not disappeared but still exist in a modernised way as can be seen in the reappearance of the wet nurse. The status of childcare however still remains low and this is reflected in pay and conditions. Many nurseries still don’t pay above minimum wage or provide sick pay, and often only the minimum holiday requirement. Until this is addressed the status and moral of childcare workers will not rise. There is still a culture of thinking that â€Å"anyone can look after children† and it is still a predominantly female role despite campaigns to attract male candidates. The calibre of students that is seen during interviews are on the whole, students from lower class backgrounds which could have contributed to the introduction of EMA. The fact that students don’t have to pay fees for childcare courses and its workplace element, adds to the perception that they are easy courses. The college funding system makes it very difficult to decline students who we feel not appropriate to the course, and the system makes it difficult to withdraw students who prove to be unsuitable. This does not lead to providing the best possible care for young children. Significantly and in contrast to this is that to train as a Norland Nanny today requires a student to pay full fees and this only attracts the more affluent students who want to train in the profession. Also, to employ a Norland Nanny, is seen as a status symbol by families, thus highlighting social status despite it’s qualification being the same as achieved at college. The only difference being that the Norland Certificate is achieved at the end of the course on top of the qualification and seen as a â€Å"stamp of excellence† The old range of qualifications enabled students to access the qualification that best suited their learning and training needs such as on the job training or a full time college course. The new qualification does not take these needs into account. The new qualification does not fit with young students who have no experience. This is one of the issues that has been highlighted along with the course only being a year in duration. It is quite worrying that a sixteen year old could become a fully qualified level 3 in a supervisory position with only one year of training. There are also wider issues in that the government has reduced funding, (currently there is no funding for over nineteen’s) along with the demise of EMA, making access to college less accessible for less well off students which causes a social divide. The next year will provide interesting times in childcare qualifications and a review in our own department in the teaching and delivery will provide its own challenges in that e-learning is being introduced along with apprentiships. This will mean training in the use to technology as well as new assessment methods. Staff will have to adapt their delivery of lessons as well as developing a closer working partnership with assessors, which at the current time is fragmented. There will need to be changes in the current systems in place and this will no doubt cause frustration to some staff who find adapting to change difficult. On a more positive note the updating of skills for staff will only improve the range of teaching techniques available to them, hopefully providing better outcomes for students.

Financial Analysis Tools for SMEs

Financial Analysis Tools for SMEs CHAPTER FIVE DISCUSSIONS, RECOMMENDATIONS AND CONCLUSIONS INTRODUCTION The SME sector development is seen as a key strategy for economic growth, job generation and poverty reduction (Agupusi, 2007:2). This study endeavored to explore and describe the financial performance measures currently used by manufacturing SMEs in Mauritius. It was undertaken due to the fact that many studies were conducted on obstacles faced by SMEs in obtaining finance, but it appeared that not enough were undertaken on how these SMEs manage their finances; whereas some studies found that small businesses fail because more often than not cash flow is not properly managed (Mbonyane, 2006:18). In this context the Z-score model is presented as a useful bankruptcy model for SME. This chapter concludes the research project by summarizing the previous chapters and highlighting the results of the empirical study in Chapter Four with respect to the objectives of the research. It also includes comments on the contribution and limitation of the study as well as recommendations and suggestions for future research. SUMMARY AND OVERVIEW OF THE RESEARCH Chapter One presented the background of the study, followed by problem statement, rationale and objectives of the research, a preliminary literature review, research methodology and layout of the Chapters. Chapter Two presented a literature review regarding SMEs and their role in the Mauritian Economy. It was shown that the development of a sound SME sector is a key factor in job creation and economic growth for Mauritius. Many obstacles were pointed out as causes of SME failure, including financial performance skills, which were the focus of this study. Moreover, an international comparative analysis was presented. A brief discussion of non-financial measures was given as well, followed by financial performance measures that included financial ratios and bankruptcy prediction models. Chapter Three presented the research plan including sampling, data collection, and data analysis. Chapter Four presented the results of the empirical research findings on financial performance measures currently used by manufacturing SMEs in Mauritius. Thematic content analysis was used in presenting the results, taking the themes in the literature of the topic as basis for comparison. Chapter Five is the final phase of the study and aims at using the information from the literature study and the empirical findings to provide solutions to manufacturing SMEs’ financial performance measurement according to the findings and through recommendations. DISCUSSIONS OF FINDINGS FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT The first objective of the study was to identify financial tools currently used by manufacturing SME’s in measuring their financial performance. This objective of the study was achieved during the field study with semi-structured interviews at SME premises that helped gather information on the financial performance measures used by each. The findings revealed the following ratios as the most widely used by respondents: Cash flow to total debt (used by six respondents); Current ratio (used by six respondents); Working capital to total assets (used by five respondents); Cash flow to average total current liabilities (used by five respondents); Gross profit margin ratio (used by four respondents); and Inventory turnover (used by four participants). Gross Profit Ratio The level of satisfaction was measured using a likert scale. The conversion of the 5- point Likert- type scale for the satisfaction with current financial performance scale to illustrate the total score was as follows: (not satisfied at all = 1 (1), not satisfied = 2 (2), somewhat satisfied = 3 (3), satisfied = 4 (4), very satisfied = 5 (5)). The higher the mean score indicates a higher level of satisfaction. Upon computing the mean for this scale,, it was found that the mean was 2.4000, this implies that there is a relative low level of satisfaction prevails with the owners of the SMEs concerning their current financial performance. It can be seen that all of the participants felt that measuring financial performance is important. However, despite the fact that measuring financial performance is important, none of the SMEs used a finance officer or an external consultant to evaluate their financial performance. It can be observed that financial ratios (100%) is the only used tool by the SMEs sampled as compared to tools such as Scoreboards (0%), the Bankruptcy Prediction Model (0%) and other models(0%). Based on the results of the analysis, it was found that even though the owners of the SME used financial ratios, only 39 percent of them found the ratios to be useful in helping to improve their financial performance. BANKRUPTCY PREDICTION MODEL The use of bankruptcy prediction models (another financial tool in the literature) was totally absent among the respondents. In fact, almost all the participant SMEs knew nothing or very little about bankruptcy prediction models. The limited use of ratios and non use of bankruptcy prediction models raises the issue of objective number two which is to recommend necessary improvements on financial performance measurement of SMEs which will be part of the recommendations. Also, the lack of knowledge of bankruptcy prediction models by interviewees at different SMEs may necessitate relevant training for the financial officers of SMEs; that is the issue of objective number three of the study, which will be part of the recommendations section as well. The last objective of the study was to recommend necessary improvements on financial performance measures used by manufacturing SMEs. The study found that most manufacturing SMEs used financial ratios to measure their financial performance, but to a very limited extent. Very few ratios were used by individual SMEs and most of the ratios used were not the best indicators mentioned in the literature. Though, some of the interviewees acknowledged that they need to use more ratios. This objective will be part of the recommendation section below. Another objective of the study was to recommend necessary training interventions that would be needed for manufacturing SMEs’ successful financial performance measurement. The research findings indicated that none of the respondents used any of the available bankruptcy prediction models; whereas it was proven in the literature that the models could be used successfully by SMEs as well as big businesses. SMEs could use the models not necessarily for predicting failure, but as a tool to constantly assess how they are doing financially so as to take necessary measures anytime they feel threatened. It was found that most of the respondents knew nothing or very little about the models, and it seemed quite obvious that relevant training is needed. LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY These results can only be seen as a trend and further studies need to be conducted for any attempt at generalization. For this study for example, either emails were not responded to at all, or potential participants kept postponing, suggesting that the researcher call the following week. In the end, respondents had to be approached at their business premises and requested to participate. It is costly if it is taken into account that many SMEs would decline to participate, but works better as procedure; and should be considered in future studies. Also, it was noticed that more small businesses (70%) participated in the study because most medium business that were approached declined the invitation. Therefore, for a bigger study that would seek to generalize the results, researchers should endeavor to have a more balanced number between small and medium businesses that participate. There was very limited literature on the topic of financial performance of SMEs as well. This resulted on the study having to be built on theory. RECOMMENDATIONS It is recommended that SMEs use more ratios, especially those in the literature study (Chapter Two) as improvement of their financial performance measures. SMEs should probably consider the use of the six most used ratios as summarized in section 5.3 above, since they seem to be working well not only for the majority of participants, but for businesses in general. It is also recommended that SMEs owners/ managers request and enroll their financial staff for training on bankruptcy prediction models at relevant institutions such as universities. The few models presented in this study may be used by SMEs as well, since they are simple and cheap, and should not pose problems to trained financial staff. Another recommendation would be for those SMEs that can afford it, to try the use of specialized software (e.g. PASTEL or PRO ACC5), which were indicated as effective by the few participants who use them. The SMEs would be able to use ratios that are computed from the software. The Z Score is also a critical business tool managers utilize to make informed business decisions to improve the financial health of the business. The Z Score helps managers assess the factors contributing to poor financial health. Z Score factors that contribute to under-performance; working capital, earnings retention, profitability and leverage can be isolated. This enables managers to initiate actions to improve the score of these factors contributing to financial distress. Targeting actions to specific under-performing stress factors allows managers to make capital allocation decisions that mitigate principal risk factors and produce optimal returns. Focus areas for managers to improve Z Score are transactions that effect earnings/ (losses), capital expenditures, equity and debt transactions. The Z Score provides a quantitative measurement into a company’s financial health. The Z Score highlights factors contributing to a company’s financial health and uncovers emerging trends that indicate improvements or deterioration in financial condition. The Z Score is a critical tool business managers use to assess financial health. It helps managers align business strategies with capital allocation decisions and provide transparency of financial condition to lenders and equity capital providers. Business managers use the Z Score to raise capital and secure credit. The Z Score is an effective tool to demonstrate credit worthiness to bankers and soundness of business model to investors. The Z Score is based on actual financial information derived from the operating performance of the business enterprise. It avoids biases of subjective assessments, conflicts of interest, brand and large company bias. The Z Score employs no theoretical assumptions or market inputs external to the company’s financial statements. This provides users of the Z Score with a consistent view and understanding of a company’s true financial health. SMEs should have proper financial planning. They should undertake both financing and investment program according to financial planning. SMEs should keep all records of financial transactions in a system way. This will provide accurate accounting and financial information for making both routine and non-routine managerial decisions by the management of SMEs. This will also enable lending agencies to conduct credit risk analysis; and rating agency to carry out the rating job for the SMEs. SMEs should introduce internal audit to restore effective financial control in the SMEs. SMEs need to have an effective management system as well as skilled manpower. This is expected to exert a positive influence in efficiency as well as productivity of SMEs. Good culture in the firm develops leadership in the organization who can be able to trace the financial distress early and thereby prevent SMEs from the exposition to financial and operating risk. SUGGESTIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH Further research could be conducted on a wider scale in an attempt to generalize the findings to manufacturing SMEs in Mauritius; and in different regions of Mauritius. Further research could also be done to determine whether the findings of the study are consistent across different sectors. Financial performance measurement of larger enterprises could be another subject of study as well. CONCLUSION It is fair to say that, contrary to what one may think, many manufacturing SMEs (with respect to the number of studied SMEs) in Mauritius, use financial ratios (one of the financial tools in the literature study) to measure their financial performance. Though, this use of ratios by the studied SMEs is limited, because only a few ratios are being used by the respondents. Yet again, out of the ratios used, few are among those in the literature that were found to be the best financial measures or good financial distress predictors. None of the respondents used any of the available bankruptcy prediction models. In fact, most of the respondents knew nothing or very little about the models. Some of the participants have opted for the use of computer software and are getting satisfying results from them. Although most of the respondents have performed fairly well so far, to improve their financial performance, SMEs should use more of the recognized ratios identified in this study. Six ratio s were identified to be widely used by the various SMEs interviewed, and because most of the respondents indicated that their financial performance has been satisfying (even though some said there is a need to improve), these ratios should be taken into consideration. SMEs need also to train their financial staff on other financial tools such bankruptcy prediction models that are quite easy to use. It was also pointed out in the literaturereview that ratio analysis and bankruptcy prediction models (since they consist of a group of ratios with variables of different weights) have their shortcomings as well. Therefore they should only be used as an indication. This study will contribute toward filling the gap in the literature of SME financial performance measurement; and if taken seriously by SMEs, will help them in effective financial performance measurement by drawing attention to the various tools that are available to them for that purpose and the necessity of training financial staff on various measures as well.