Final on Evaluation of an Short Story Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Final on Evaluation of an Short Story - Essay Example Unfortunately, Tim O’Brien is unable to secure himself from the works of the Living God and his country. He sets up for the war field where he finds majority of those in the battle field with mixed emotional experiences such as love, hate and guilt. At the same time, they use tough language in an effort to reduce the impact of the war to the public and the knowledge of having been alive when their buddies have died as they continuously wonder what the war is meant for (O'Brien, 2009). Basically, the book revolves around the writer who is the main character and protagonist. His main role entails the experience he has towards bringing a sense of redemption after the tussle with his conscious on what to do. Similarly, the antagonist in the book happens to be himself, Tim O'Brien, especially when he fights back with the feelings of hatred, blame, and fear emanating from within. He is portrayed as a character who inwardly blames himself for having accepted the draft notice to go to war and having lived through the war even when many of his colleagues had died in the same war (O'Brien, 2009). In a general sense, the story reaches its peak when the main character (Tim O'Brien) is said to return to the war field where he finds out that his friend Kiowa has passed on but manages to find his daughter. It is here where he is seen to figuratively take down the anguish and anger that he is said to carry for a long time. Analysis It is apparent that, the story has been written by the main character with the main aim of expressing three themes that have vividly been utilized. These primary themes incorporate memory, imagination and the chance for mental escapement. For instance, the main character is seen to dwell on another character that is portrayed as a close friend through imaginations of been close to the character (Martha). Moreover, Tim O'Brien uses pretence as a form of telling the story. This story telling form is most prevalent to Tim O’Brien as he is seen to mostly tell stories to himself (O'Brien, 2009). Similarly, the main character who happens to be the author of this book has continuously used artifacts to put more emphasis on the actions of his character and that of the other characters. For instance, Martha, a character portrayed as Tim O’Brien close friend and lover has letters and photograph which are carried around by the author as a sign of love for her. Apart from the description that is given through the use of physical artifacts, the author uses the main characters. In essence, the description given in term of what the main characters are carrying, is meant to give more details on the foreshadow necessary in understanding what the novel is all about. In fact, the technique emphases on the full composite of the story’s characters where the audience seem to view them as real people (O'Brien, 2009). Of importance to note is that the author has been able to connect with the audience in a unique way by mak ing sure that some of the physical and emotional processes in the book are easily captured by the audience. For instance, the weight of a weapon, the weight of a grenade among other descriptions. In this regard, the unfolding of this story of Vietnam war introduce the characters one by one as their roles as portrayed according to their entry. Judgement The Things That They

Ethical Standards For Human Services Professionals

Ethical Standards For Human Services Professionals Human services are developed in anticipation and response of human needs. The profession is characterized by positive reception of human needs taking into account all of their diversity. In context of community and environment, Human services professionals offer assistance to their clients and serve their particular needs. Need of ethics in human services profession is of substantial importance (Sinclair et al., 1987). Ethics are guidelines which represents set of standards of conduct that is considered ethical by professionals and educators. Ethics although not legal document but help to assist in settlement of problems and issues related to ethical issues in human services profession. A brief overview of Ethical Standards for human services professionals: Human service professionals are key players in Human services sector. In this highly customized profession, human service professional interacts frequently with families, individuals and groups etc, all these are their clients. Human services professionals are case managers, they are caregiver, teacher, doctor, consultant, lawyer, and psychologists etc. in the following section, some ethical standards are defined for human services professionals. My ethical statement: As a ethical human services professional, I will endeaver to meet or exceed the statement below in day to day practices of my professional life. My code of ethics as a Human service professional: As a Human service professional I would like to talk with the clients the goals, purpose, and nature of helping relationship before onset of relationship and also inform the clients about limitations of relationship. In my opinion, clients should be treated with respect, dignity and trust. As a Human service professional I will take care for protection of customer rights and confidentiality. Except some special cases, when this confidentiality can be harmful for customer. As Human services professional I will try to take integrity, security and safety of client records. I would like to have prior written consent by customer when there is need to share client information with other professionals. As a Human services professional, I will try protect the self-determination right of clients. I would like to be well aware of legal, federal, local and state laws related to human services. I will keep myself informed about current social issues that can affect community and clients. I will act as advocates that help to address the unmet needs of society and individuals. As a Human service professional I would like take it as my responsibility to disclose my qualifications accurately. As a Human service professional, I will work with the aim of helping people and for accomplishment of goals of human service organizations. My basic goal in human services will be to help people in living more satisfied life, more productive and autonomous life, by utilizing the resources and knowledge of society and technological innovation. These ethics are core values of human services professionals: Above mentioned set of ethical practices serves as set of core values of ethics in human services profession, every professional who selects human service as profession must have strong passion to serve society and individuals. As this profession is all about humans, the main concern of this profession is providing individuals solution of their personal and social problems. When dealing with and serving humans, ethics become more important (Sinclair et al., 1987). A human services professional can deliver its services in better way if he is well aware of importance of ethics in his profession. Code of ethics in human services profession helps to promote trust, confidentiality, recognition and negotiation of clients right of self-determination and informed consent. Healthcare professionals and other people involved in human services process should respect right of privacy of their clients. In human service, clients are sharing their very confidential information and problems with professionals, because they want from professionals to solve their problems. It becomes ultimate responsibility of these professionals to develop the relationship of trust and integrity with clients and keep their information confidential, and do not share it with others regardless some exceptional situations when need to discuss it with their team or other professional in order to solve out the problem of their client. Even in this case, information should not be shar ed without written consent of client. Evaluation To make the individual a productive part of society, is also an ultimate goals of human services professionals. Sometimes, clients dont know the real issue he/she is facing, this may be a psychological or health related issue, in this situation, human services professionals first find the real cause and then goes for its solution. Each state and country has some legal framework and laws for society, these laws are made for members of society which are human beings, so the awareness and knowledge of local and federal laws of state or country is critical for human service professionals as their profession is all about humans. The professionals need to be ethical ideals, while respecting for all cultures, beliefs and relationships (Seitz, ONeill, 1996). Ethical standards for human service workers require passion and dedication by professionals and workers as well. Integrity, following the laws, compliance with policies and rules, maintaining the client records and case files etc. all include professional ethics requirements. Apart from their direct service to clients, human service professionals also have responsibility to protest against social injustice and community empowerment. If the code of ethics is not employed and practiced in human services profession, it will bring destruction to society. There will be no relation of trust and integrity can be developed among professionals and society. People will feel reluctant to share their problems with their consultants as they will have no surety that their information will be kept confidential. As a result, society will suffer at large as people will live lives full of problems and worries because human services works with aim of better lives of their clients and to make all the members of society productive and active part of society (Seitz ONeill, 1996). Without ethical practices and commitment of professionals to follow these practices, mission of human services cannot be achieved. Admitting the importance on ethical practices, every human services organization has code of ethics all members are encouraged to follow. So if we develop and practice our personal code of ethics to excel in our profession, it w ill be a good strategy to follow that will pave the way for success in future.

Teaching Writing :: Reflective Writing Education Feminism Essays

Teaching Writing As I look back over the course of this semester, the image that I get is one of the murky variety. It is difficult to identify although I have felt its presence for almost four months now. There have been many moments when I have waited for the insights to come, for the reading and the writing to mesh. And instead, I felt like I was lost in a fog that was sometimes dense, other times only misty. The worst part is that the fog is pervading a familiar place and once it clears I will be disappointed with myself because I should have known exactly where I was. What troubles me is why I do not know where I stand, after a semester of studying concepts I believe in. My hopes for myself in this class have not been met (for which I hold myself entirely responsible). I spent the last few months searching for answers in the material, in my dialogues with my classmates and coworkers, in my writing and through my thinking. As a feminist and a critical pedagogue I thought I would surely come to some grand conclusions, with all these theories as my bedfellows. But instead I feel like I have abandoned and failed my agenda: to better learn the theory and grow because of it. This is not to say that I have not learned anything, or not grown from the experience of this class. I know and feel that I have been changed; I am just not certain how. I look back at my reaction papers and I only see doubts. Questioning the people whose projects I admire, whose goals are not so different than mine, who know so much more than I do. And yet each paper that I have written criticizes and tries to poke holes. This sense of being lost, of not knowing is my own fault. I did not allow myself to engage with the writers. It has only been at the end, by doing my research paper and reading the articles about race that I finally felt like there was a place for me this course. It has been an alienating experience to see my peers thriving with our coursework while I felt like a grumpy old dwarf, shouting à ¬What about me?!à ® And then, a couple weeks ago, when we started reading Race, Rhetoric, and Composition, I felt like the fog was beginning to shift.

Feminism in Post-war United States

The construction of a just and humane society, just like other social and institutional facts is a long and tedious process, nevertheless, the task needs to be done. Within the United States, the construction of such a society stands as a result of the various historical changes within the country, an example of which can be seen in the changes within the country after its participation in the Second World War. The country’s participation in Second World War proved to be beneficial for its citizens on certain aspects as it enabled what Reinhold Niebuhr would state as the emergence of the ‘children of light’.In line with Niehbur’s argument in his book The Children of Light and the Children of Darkness, the ‘children of light’ emerged within the post-World War II United States as the conditions within the country enabled the development of a society which opted for unity within the conditions of freedom and order (20-21). An example of this is ev ident in the development of the feminist movement in post-World War II United States. The feminist movement in the United States stands as a result of the nationalist and cultural movements in post-World War II United States.Feminist movements within the United States during this period took the form of either socialist feminism, radical feminism, or liberal feminism. Each of these strands of feminism focuses on issues pertaining to women’s exclusion from the political sphere; they differ however in their view as to what enables such an exclusion. Socialist feminists argue that such an exclusion stands as a result of the moral order of social organizations.Radical feminists, on the other hand, argue that such an exclusion stands as a result of the prevalent sex or gender system in society. Finally, liberal feminists argue that such an exclusion stands as a result of the inequality amongst the sexes. Despite the differences of these three strands of feminism mentioned above, t he development of these three strands shows the manner in which post-World War II United States opted for the development of equality between the sexes through the ascription not only of rationality but also agency upon women.Amongst the strands of feminism mentioned above, it is the initial strand [radical feminism] which proved to be significant for the development of the feminist movement during the initial period of post-World War II America as it highlighted the development of the second wave of feminism in the United States. Betty Friedan (1968), in her book The Feminine Mystique, specifies the difference between the first and second wave of feminism.She argues that as opposed to the first wave of feminism which was characterized by the creation of the ‘feminine mystique’ which enabled the discovery of women’s selves within the context of their initial roles in their careers, families, and relationships; the second wave of feminism was characterized by the deconstruction of the ‘feminine mystique’ as a result of women’s recognition of the continuously oppressive character of their initial ‘freed’ position in society (33-34). Since the second wave was influenced by the civil-rights protests and peace protests, it became more activist in character.An example of this activist character of the second wave of feminism is apparent in Kate Millet’s radical strand of feminism in her book Sexual Politics. Kate Millet (2000), in her book Sexual Politics, discusses one of the main issues of the feminist movement in post-World War II United States. Within her book, Millet argues that inequality between the sexes stands as a result of the unequal distribution of power amongst the sexes in society. She argues that women’s subordination stands as a result of the ideological indoctrination of women by a patriarchal society.She states that the â€Å"essence of politics† as power involves seeking to prove that â€Å"however muted its present appearance may be, sexual dominion obtains nevertheless as perhaps the most pervasive ideology of our culture and provides its most fundamental concepts of power† (Millet 25). The title of her book Sexual Politics thereby aims to present her view of how women’s subordination stands as a result of the continuation of patriarchal politics within both the private and public spheres of life.Millet divides her book into three parts. The first part entitled â€Å"Sexual Politics† presents Millet’s thesis regarding the nature of power relations between the sexes. The second part entitled â€Å"Historical Background† presents a survey of the feminist struggle within the United States during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Finally, the third part entitled â€Å"The Literary Reflection† presents Millet’s views as to how the power relations between the sexes are visible in the literary works of D.H. Lawrence, Henry Miller, Norman Mailer, and Jean Genet. Millet’s argument that the content of literary works mirrors the power relations between the sexes is based on the assumption that literature has a mimetic character. In other words, for Millet the content of literary works mirror reality and hence the content of literary works may be used as a means of gauging how women have been continuously subordinated by men through their indoctrination of a patriarchal ideology.Within this context, the importance of Millet’s aforementioned book may thereby be ascribed to its existence as a socio-historical text which takes literature as a source material for a hypothesis about the relationships between men and women in the non-literary world from the late nineteenth century to the present time. In addition to this, Millet’s book stands as the first text which uses a feminist approach in reading or interpreting literary works.In line with Niehbur’s claim re garding the emergence of the ‘children of light’, one may note that the development of the feminist movement in post-World War II United States showed an example of the emergence of the ‘children of light’ since the movement enabled the development of a United States which opted for the equality between the sexes thereby creating a free and orderly society through the emergence of works that not only subverted the predominant ideology in society during that period but also created a new perspective in understanding reality.In the case of Kate Millet’s Sexual Politics, this is evident in her creation of a feminist standpoint for assessing literary works.

Drug Abuse within University Students in Ottawa Essay

The term drug abuse refers to any use of any drug for something else a part from its planned medical or psychiatric purpose. The use of such drugs may involve using prescription drugs for wrong purposes or using illicit drugs. For instance, research has shown that in Ottawa many university students take drugs not for the intended medical use but mainly to get high. Most students from Ottawa who abuse the drugs in most cases obtain the drugs illegally from unlawful sources. This puts their lives in danger as they engage in dangerous methods of use of drugs that swerve from the accepted medical practice or scientific knowledge and they take drugs for reasons that they are not meant for (Weibe, 1994). The Ottawa integrated drugs and addictions strategy community network have been holding several meetings in an attempt to identify the issues related to prevention, treatment, harm reduction and enforcement among the Ottawa university students engaging in substance abuse. In this regard, the community network is therefore preparing to consult the public on related issues. The consultation from the public by the community can only be done conveniently through research, studies and surveys. Thesis statement The abuse of drugs such as cocaine, marijuana, heroin and other illicit drugs has been on the rise among university students in Ottawa. Several attempts have been made by different groups including the Ottawa integrated drugs and addictions strategy community network to come up with preventive measures and health promotion strategies but the drug abuse by these students is still on the rise. The current studies however have raised more concern on the female student abusers since in the recent past, less attention has been given to them and this as a result has exposed them to excessive abuse of these drugs and therefore facing severe suffering as compared to their male counterparts who are abusing the same drugs (Single, Robson, Xie & Rehm, 1996). Research questions Some of the questions prepared for the phenomenological research included; do the university students in Ottawa use or abuse drugs? If they do abuse the drugs then what are the most commonly abused substances among the students? What percentage of female student’s abuse drugs in relation to the percentage of the male students who abuse the same drugs? Is there any difference in the level of consumption between the genders? What effects do the student abusers suffer from the consumption of these drugs? Do the drug abusers suffer the same effects? Interviewing For our interview we are not going to inquire about the name of the student being interviewed but we are rather going to refer to the students as student one up to student six respectively. Our interview questions are going to be based on the research questions mentioned above. This being a phenomenological research whatever is reported in this paper is going to be exactly as it appeared to the observer during the research (Rocheleau, 1995). Student one Researcher: as one of the university students in Ottawa, do you think university students in Ottawa are using drugs or are they abusing the drugs? Student one: the of drugs use by university students in Ottawa is growing at a very high rate and therefore fits to be referred to as drug abuse since in most case are used for purposes other than the intended ones, for instance most students take drugs to get high. Researcher: what are the most commonly abused drugs by the university students within Ottawa? Student one: the most commonly used drugs are cocaine, marijuana and at times heroin and many others. Researcher: how would you approximate the number of female students abusing drugs relative to the number of male students in percentage? Student one: it is a fact that the number of male students abusing the drugs is higher than that of the female students abusing drugs and it can be approximated to about 50% of the female population and 70% of the male population. Researcher: what effects do the drug abusers suffer after consuming the drugs? Student one: most students suffer depressive disorders and mood disorders. Student two Researcher: as one of the university students in Ottawa, do you think university students in Ottawa are using drugs or are they abusing the drugs? Student two: actually the drug consumption by university students in Ottawa only fits to be described as drug abuse. Researcher: Why do you think the description best fits ‘abuse’? Student two: the use of drugs has become too much and also the drugs used by students are addictive and not meant improve health. Researcher: which drugs do the university students in Ottawa used most? Student two: the drugs commonly used are cocaine and marijuana but others like heroin and alcohol are also used. Researcher: which group is most affected by the addiction habits, is it the male students or the female students? Student two: the male students seem to be more affected than the female students since they seem to consume in large numbers compared to the female students. Researcher: what effects do they suffer after consuming the drugs? Student two: the effects mostly suffered include mood disorders and depressive disorders. Researcher: do both the female and the male students suffer the same effects? Student two: other than the already mentioned disorders, female students do suffer a lot of stigma and confrontation from their family members and friends unlike male students who do not experience the same (Pauline, 1997). Student three Researcher: as one of the university students in Ottawa, do you think university students in Ottawa are using drugs or are they abusing the drugs? Student three: the drugs that are consumed and as they are consumed by university students within Ottawa are definitely abuse. Researcher: which drugs do the university students in Ottawa use most? Student three: the drugs commonly used are cocaine, marijuana, heroin and alcohol. Researcher: how would you approximate the number of female students abusing drugs relative to the number of male students in percentage? Student three: the number of female students using the drugs is usually lower than that of the male students abusing the drugs so according to my approximation it is 48% for female and 65% for male. Researcher: what are the effects of drug abuse by the students? Student three: students who abuse the drugs in most cases seem depressed and out of mood and usually fail to perform normally. Researcher: which group do you think is most affected by the drugs? Student three: the female students seem to be more affected since they tend to suffer more long term effects than male students. Student four Researcher: as one of the university students in Ottawa, do you think university students in Ottawa are using drugs or are they abusing the drugs? Student four: the drugs as consumed by the students are more abuse that use. Researcher: why do you say so? Student four: the rate, the purpose and the frequency of drug consumption by university students cannot be termed as usage. Researcher: which drugs do the university students in Ottawa use most? Student four: the drugs commonly consumed are marijuana, cocaine, alcohol, heroin among others. Researcher: how would you approximate the number of female students abusing drugs relative to the number of male students in percentage? Student four: the percentage of male students consuming drugs is usually higher than that of the female students consuming drugs. Researcher: what are the effects of drug abuse by the students? Student four: the effects of drugs includes stigma which is mostly suffered by female students, others effects are mood disorders and depression. Student five Researcher: as one of the university students in Ottawa, do you think university students in Ottawa are using drugs or are they abusing the drugs? Student five: the rate and quantity at which drugs are consumed is said to be abused. Researcher: which drugs do the university students in Ottawa use most? Student five: the drugs commonly used include cocaine and alcohol. Researcher: how would you approximate the number of female students abusing drugs relative to the number of male students in percentage? Student five: the number of female students consuming the drugs when compared to the male students is 45% to 65 %. Researcher: what are the effects of drug abuse by the students? Student five: the effects are hangover, failing to perform properly, dizziness and depression. Researcher: which group do you think is most affected by the drugs? Student five: those who abuse the drugs suffer the same effects. Student six Researcher: as one of the university students in Ottawa, do you think university students in Ottawa are using drugs or are they abusing the drugs? Student six: the students do abuse the drugs. Researcher: which drugs do the university students in Ottawa use most? Student six: mostly they consume cocaine and at times alcohol, marijuana, heroin and many others. Researcher: how would you approximate the number of female students abusing drugs relative to the number of male students in percentage? Student six: the percentage for male students abusing drugs is higher than those of female abusing drugs. Researcher: what are the effects of drug abuse by the students? Student six: drug abuse causes depression, malfunctioning, mood disorders and many others. Purpose of the study The main objective of the study on drug abuse by university students in Ottawa was to find out if the students do use or abuse the drugs, to establish the motivations behind the consumption of these drugs, to clarify the rate of drug abuse by university students in Ottawa, to identify the drugs mainly abused by university students in Ottawa, to verify the relationship between the female students consumption and male students consumption, to identify how the abuse of these drugs affect the lives of the students, to identify some of the measures that can be taken to prevent drug abuse by the students and to treat the already affected students (Pauline, 1997). Delimitations of the study The main advantage enjoyed during the study was that it was easy to find and interview different students on the issue of drug abuse among them since the study was conducted during school session when all students were in their respective learning institutions therefore it involved less cost around looking for students to interview. In addition, enough private rooms for interviews were provided where students felt free to share their ideas on the topic of discussion. Limitations Even though the students were available, most of them proved so unreliable. This is because most of the students were not ready to be interviewed. Those who were ready for the interview however tended to give inadequate information since most of them did not want to disclose full information regarding their drug use status as they considered it something private and therefore wanted to preserve it. In addition, most students who were given capsules to treat their drug abuse related disorders were not willing to take them, which resulted, to a lot of wastage. Consequently, it was not easy to get urine samples for test from drug abusers since most of them could not allow it. (El-Guebaly & Hodgins,1992). Research strategies Having a topic of study, the phenomenological research strategy involved, first developing the topic. â€Å"In case, it is a drug abuse among university students in Ottawa, What effects does the use illicit drugs such as cocaine, marijuana and many others have on the health of students? † needed to be asked before proceeding with the research. The next step involved finding the background information on drug abuse by university students in Ottawa. This was done by looking for the key words of the topic from encyclopedias with the subject. From the encyclopedia, several articles were read which set the context for the research. Additional background information was found from textbooks and other reserved materials, which involved research, conducted on the same topic by different researchers in different years. It also involved finding out for how long this has been going on and what has been done to prevent it (Ogborne, Braun & Schmidt, 1996). The research further involved finding books and articles to find out what other researchers who conducted their study on the same topic found out. It was from here that a comparison was made to find out if the statistics on the drug abuse by university students in Ottawa has changed. The past studies were of great significance since different ideas on what should be done to prevent the practice were suggested without having to repeat the measures that had been implemented and which did not work. In concluding the research, different sources of information were evaluated and cited in relation to how comprehensive the information got from them were. Role of the researcher The main role of the researcher in this study was to interview different students to be able to verify their opinions and perception of the use of illicit drugs within or outside their learning institutions. The researcher was also to find out the major motivations behind the students’ drug abuse behavior and the effects they suffer after consuming the drugs. In addition, the researcher was to administer some drug abuse disorder related capsules to find out how effective they could be in reducing drug samples in blood. Furthermore, the researcher was to carry out some random tests on some of the drug abusers to find out the drug that is most commonly abused by university students in Ottawa (Weibe, 1994). Strategies for ensuring trustworthiness During the study, it was not easy to convince the students to reveal information regarding their drug abuse behaviors. This was because the students were more concerned about preserving their privacy, which they were not willing to make known to the institution authorities, their parents and even friends. It was therefore upon the researchers to explore different strategies to convince the students that whatever they were going to discuss was to remain a secret between the student and the interviewer. This was done by ensuring that the involved only two people i. e. the researcher and the student in a private room where no any other party could steal the topic of discussion (Christensen, Jacobson, 1997). Literature review The phenomenological research on drug abuse by university students in Ottawa found out that the drugs possibly abused by these students are mainly prescription drugs. Such drugs are usually opiate based for pain relief, tranquilizers, stimulants and amphetamines. Others also include sedatives and barbiturates. The study however found out that the most seriously abused drugs by the students of Ottawa University are cocaine and marijuana. Most students who abuse drugs such as the barbiturates were found to do so with the intention of getting rid of anxiety and sleep disorders. On the other hand, the abusers of tranquillizers consume them with an intention of reducing stress and panic attacks. Studies on drug abuse by students since 1970s has shown that male students consume more drugs than their female counterparts. The frequency of drug usage was also found to be high in males than in females. For example, a study conducted on Ottawa University students on drug abuse confirmed that about 74% of male students compared to 53% of female students consumed more than one to two standard drinks in the previous year (Corbett, 1994). Very recent studies on drug abuse among university students however showed that there was a smaller gender difference in levels of drug consumption. A recent survey of Ottawa university students showed that 83. 3% of female students and 84. 9% of male students had abused drugs in the past one year. Most Ottawa university male and female students are assumed to consume drugs moderately. Nevertheless, a clear gender difference is confirmed from self-reported by the students of excessive drug consumption. The excessive consumption especially alcohol consumption is defined by four or more drinks by female students on a single occasion and five or more drinks by male students on a single occasion. The rate for harmful consumption for female students is however higher than that of male students. Almost a half of the total female students (42%) who had engaged in drug abuse were reported to have had harmful abuse as compared to 46. 3% of all the male students who had abused drug that year reported to have had harmful abuse (Ogborne, Braun & Schmidt 1996). Harmful consumption of drugs as was identified included those who felt in the wrong after consuming the drug, those who could not remember anything after taking the drug, those who suffered drug abuse related injuries and those whom after consumption of the drugs suggested reduction in drug abuse among students (El-Guebaly, 1990). Other than those who suffered harmful abuse, there are those who were found to be dependent abusers. Dependent abusers involved approximately 28. 6% of female students and 30. 5% of male students. It was noted that the dependent abusers could not stop using the drugs, could not perform expected activities after the consumption of drugs or needed some morning consumption of the drugs. The table below shows the percentage of university students by sex who were reported past year for harmful and dependent drinking. Sex Harmful drinking Dependent drinking Female 42% 28. 6% Male 46. 3% 30. 5% On further survey, 56 percent of all the female abusers were found to be taking at least five drinks on a single occasion in the course of the year. On the other hand, 26. 1% were found to be taking at least eight drinks on one occasion during the same period. In addition to the above surveys, a research conducted indicated that 30. 4% of male students were reported to have taken alcohol beyond the low risk guidelines for alcohol consumption as compared to 15. 2% of the female students (Ogborne, Smart& Rush 1998). According to the research, in a situation where the harm got from drug abuse is as a result of substance abuse, there occurs very small gender difference quoted by male and female students. For instance a study conducted in 2004 confirmed that 6. 9% of female students and 9. 1% of male students reported that there occurred at least harm in their lives during the past year as a result of their drug consumption and 30. 4% of female and 30. 7% of male students reported harm as a result of another person’s consumption(Corbett, 1994) In 1994 a survey recent reports showed an increasing drug abuse for illicit drugs such as cocaine, heroin and others by male and female students. Generally, male students were found to be on the front line when it comes to reporting the use of illicit drugs as compared to their female counterparts. Nevertheless, the most recent reports point to an increasing self-reports by both female and male students in the use of cannabis although a significant gender difference remains. On alcohol and other drugs abuse, 10% of male students and 5% of female students were reported to be abusers of cannabis while a same study conducted in 2004 indicated an increment to 18% for male students and 10% for female students. In addition, the same study in the 2004 indicated that 7. 35% of female students and 14. 1% of male students were abusers of cocaine. The study conducted in Ottawa University provided enough evidence that the difference in gender in relation to illicit substance use is getting smaller. Alarm on this situation has attracted international attention especially from Australia, united sates and other European Union countries. In the year 2004, 15. 8% of female students and 18. 1% male students reported harms from their own cannabis consumption. Research has shown that approximately 25% to about 33% of all students using injection drugs in Ottawa University are female students. This has been identified as a major factor for HIV infection in female students. It has been noted that of the entire positive tests of HIV in women from the year 1985 to 2002, between 33% and 48% have been as a result of injection drug use. Reports from the study revealed that there is consumption of the ketom plant leaves by university students in Ottawa as a drug because the leaves of ketom plants contain hallucinogens, which are as intoxicating as marijuana. The increased abuse of drugs in university colleges is blamed on the difficulties in enforcing laws in such institutions, which speeds up the spread of such drugs. (Corbett, 1994). A further research showed that many drug users do suffer mood disorders. For instance among those abusing cocaine, the most commonly detected disorders are depressive disorders. The analysis revealed that the association between mood disorders and drug abuse among the abusers is usually very complicated. Most drug abusers do build up depression that comes as a result of physical and psychological endurance connected with the use of drugs. The study showed that most students who suffered mood disorders after abusing cocaine became drug dependent after making attempts of self-medication. Initially it was not easy to handle the conditions of students who were suffering from both mood disorders and drug abuse but it became possible after a research revealed that a treatment on mood disorders alone could have a positive effect on drug abuse (Boyd, Millard & Webster 1985). A research that was conducted on students involved urine test whereby unsystematic weekly examinations indicated a significant high use of cocaine as compared to marijuana by different students. Most of the students who tested positive for drug abuse however, were found to have come from families with a history of substance abuse, which in most situations reached, back to several generations. All students from such families had started abusing the drugs long before enrolling in the institution. All students who participated in the study and who happened to be drug abusers were given packets of capsules which they were to take two times each day during the four week study. For most of the students, the capsules included lithium prescription that had shown its effectiveness in treating adult bipolar patients. Bipolar disorder in most students was found to have been caused by substance abuse disorder including the use of marijuana, alcohol, cocaine and other multiple drugs. During the study, a number of students were also treated as outpatients and given weekly therapy sessions in addition. In the course of the study, blood vessels of lithium were tested at least twice every week to ensure that the participants were taking the capsules given to them. Samples of urine were also taken on a similar basis to scrutinize the use of drug (Christensen & . Jacobson, 1997). The percentage of the students taking the lithium capsules, the drug positive samples changed from 38% to approximately 8% indicating a significant reduction. Four random tests were conducted during the study and the urine samples that were tested revealed the students self reports. They were definitely a noteworthy reduction in the use of drug. In addition to reduction in drug use, the students receiving lithium capsules progressed in the symptoms of bipolar disorder. The improvement was mainly noted in their ability to function properly in school activities as compared to how they could function before the study. Chronically drug dependent students who were suffering from primary and secondary depression were recognized in the course of the study and treated. Most students who experienced a drop in depressive symptoms and those who noted improvements confessed that they had noted a reduction in their crave and use of drugs mainly cocaine and marijuana. The research that was conducted indicated that there has been almost forty years of trying to prevent drug abuse among university students in Ottawa. This has been done by conducting youth counseling especially to those who have developed drug addiction. In addition to youth counseling a treatment centre for youth who are suffering from drug abuse related disorders have been opened to help treat the youth. In an evaluation of the best measures to put forward in trying to find treatment to substance abuse in Canada, a study showed that female students do suffer a lot of stigma in connection with their substance abuse problem as compared to the male students. In addition, the research has established that the female students do suffer much confrontation from their families and friends and most negative consequences in treatment center (El-Guebaly, 1990). The female students do suffer the negative consequences in treatment centers as a result of problems from family members, neglect by friends, lack of finances to cater for the treatment bill and other unfavorable effects related to the well-being of females. It has been demonstrated in different researches that advertising of drugs has a very strong influence on the way university students in Ottawa perceive some of these drugs and can therefore be a source of motivators to these students to engage in their consumption. Furthermore, female students as compared to male students experience sexual abuse and physical abuse, which in most cases have a strong relationship with substance abuse. Research has demonstrated that female students who had at one time in their lives suffered sexual assault in most cases do use or misuse drugs at early ages and in most cases, they use them in large quantities (El-Guebaly & Hodgins, 1992). For According to the research conducted, the effect of abusing drugs and especially the illicit drugs such as cocaine and marijuana have been found to diverge among female students and also between female and male students depending on the drugs that are on hand for use. The effects of the drugs however do depend on the type of drug consumed, how regular the abuser use the drug, the amount of drug consumed and the general health condition of the person consuming the drug (Smart, 1983). Example a review on the effect between male and female students established that female students are affected very much differently from male students with rapture. The analysis of the study showed that female students with rapture unlike male students do experience more severe sensitive changes and difficulties in making decision. In addition, the female students suffer more long lasting effects such as mood swings, depression, paranoia and anxiety than their male counterparts who engage in the consumption of similar drugs. Consequently, the death rate from substance abuse among university students in Ottawa seems to be high for female students as compared to that of the male students. Findings From the study on the causes of drug abuse by university students in Ottawa its has been found that there is inadequate education and prevention measures that look into the needs of different individuals and especially university students over their life span. It has been pointed out that there is an immense distinction between what is said and what is done as far as prevention of drug abuse among university students in Ottawa is concerned. According to the planners, prevention measures should be long term and lasting, however most prevention measures put across are always short term due to poor funding. In addition to this, there is lack of treatment centers for people suffering from drug related disorders thus causing long waiting lists for university students (El-Guebaly, 1990). The study has also revealed that advertisements of different drugs and lack of implementation of policies regarding drug abuse in the universities in Ottawa are some of the major motivators behind the students’ drug abusing behavior. The drugs found to be more accessible as a result and therefore most commonly abused by the students were the cocaine and marijuana. The findings from the research have also indicated that the female students are the major sufferers from drug abuse and addiction even though the male students seem to consume drugs at higher rate and more frequently than the female students. The death rate from drug abuse of female students has also been found to high as compared to that of male students. Conclusion Despite the fact that drug abuse among university students in Ottawa is still high, research has proved that most of the students involved in the practice are willing to drop the idea and promote their health status when appropriate measures are put in place. It is therefore upon the authorities concerned to take necessary actions to ensure that students are provided with enough information and resources to help them overcome the drug addiction (Ogborne, Smart $ Rush 1998). Significance of the study The study conducted on Ottawa university students has proved to be of great significance since several suggestions on how this problem can be solved have been suggested. The study was also of significance since different students were given an opportunity to express their feelings as far as drug abuse among university students is concerned and from that, it was realized that most students are willing and are ready to abandon the practice. In addition, most students were able to receive different tests on their blood and urine samples to verify the extent of drug level in their blood. Finally, most students were given capsules, which proved to be very effective in treating, and reducing drug abuse related disorders in their blood. Lessons learned From the studies and researches conducted it was clear that until recently very little attention was paid to female abusing drugs as compared to the attention given to male abusers both within the society and within the learning institutions. This is because female’s substance abuse has never been as high as that of male up to the recent past. Nevertheless, we are currently seeing some matching in the levels of drug consumption among female and males. The studies have also revealed that in making efforts to promote drug abuse prevention measures and health of the drug addicts in learning institutions, professionals, addiction system planners and public policy makers have not given any attention to motivations for use of drugs by students and the speeding up consequences of use of drugs by female students in colleges (Boyd & Webster 1985). Future direction From the lessons learnt from the study it was recommended that instead of exploring a system, that involves drug abuse prevention, programs for health promotion that includes males and females, the planners and the programmers should attend to differing needs of different students in relation to their gender, and other problems related to drug abuse. The high rates of heavy drug abuse by female students raised a lot of concern and recommendations such as low risk drinking guidelines for female students were made which required every female student involved in drug abuse to take at most three drinks in a single occasion or less than three in other circumstances depending on the type of drug being used. A further recommendation suggested that male students should limit their drinking to a maximum of fourteen drinks per week and the female students should limit their drinking to a maximum of nine drinks per week. (Abrams, et. al 1993). References Abrams & D. B. et. al. (1993). Integrating Individual and Public Health Perspectives for Treatment Of Tobacco Dependence under Managed Health Care: A Combined Stepped Care and Matching Model. Tobacco Control 2 (supplementary) Boyd, N. , Millard, C. J. & Webster, C. D. (1985). Heroin Treatment in British Columbia. 1976-1984. Thesis, Antithesis and Synthesis? Canadian Journal of Criminology 27(2), Christensen, A. , Jacobson, N. S. (1997). HIV, AIDS and Injection Drug Use: A National Action Plan. Ottawa. 5(1, Jan) Corbett, G. (1994). Addiction Education and Training: Bringing the Field Together. Report of the Ontario Addictions Coordinating Group’s Education and Training Working Group. Ontario Ministry of Health, Toronto. El-Guebaly, N. (1990). Substance Abuse and Mental Disorders: The Dual Diagnoses Concept. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry El-Guebaly, N. , Hodgins & DC (1992). Schizophrenia and Substance Abuse: Prevalence Issues. Can

University of Mary Washington Costs and Admissions Data

University of Mary Washington Costs and Admissions Data The University of Mary Washington has an acceptance rate of 74  percent, making it   accessible to the majority of applicants. Those interested in attending Mary Washington will need to submit an application (the school accepts the Common Application), along with scores from the ACT or SAT, high school transcripts, and a letter of recommendation.   Admissions Data (2016) University of Mary Washington Acceptance Rate: 74%GPA, SAT and ACT graph for UMWTest Scores 25th / 75th PercentileSAT Critical Reading: 510 / 620SAT Math: 500 / 590SAT Writing: - / -What these SAT numbers meanTop Virginia colleges SAT comparisonSAT scores for public Virginia collegesACT Composite: 22 / 27ACT English: 21 / 28ACT Math: 21  / 26What these ACT numbers meanTop Virginia colleges ACT comparisonACT scores for public Virginia colleges University of Mary Washington Description Named after the mother of George Washington, the University of Mary Washington was the womens college of the University of Virginia before going co-ed in 1970. The University of Mary Washington is one of the rare  public liberal arts colleges  in the country, and it provides students with the access to faculty one would expect at a small private college, but the cost is significantly less. The primary campus is located in Fredericksburg, Virginia, midway between Richmond and Washington, D.C. UMW also has a branch campus for its graduate programs located in Stafford, Virginia. In athletics, popular sports include basketball, equestrian, volleyball, soccer, field hockey, and lacrosse. Enrollment (2016) Total Enrollment: 4,726 (4,357 undergraduates)Gender Breakdown: 36% Male / 64% Female89% Full-time Costs (2016 - 17) Tuition and Fees: $11,630  (in-state); $26,220  (out-of-state)Books: $1,200 (why so much?)Room and Board: $10,104Other Expenses: $2,892Total Cost: $25,826  (in-state); $40,416 (out-of-state) University of Mary Washington Financial Aid (2015  - 16) Percentage of New Students Receiving Aid: 87%Percentage of New Students Receiving Types of AidGrants: 80%Loans: 50%Average Amount of AidGrants: $5,363Loans: $7,410 Academic Programs Most Popular Majors:  Biology, Business Administration, English, History, Interdisciplinary Studies, Liberal Arts, Political Science, Psychology. Graduation, Retention and Transfer Rates First Year Student Retention (full-time students): 83%Transfer-out Rate: 24%4-Year Graduation Rate: 62%6-Year Graduation Rate: 72% Intercollegiate Athletic Programs Mens Sports:  Baseball, Basketball, Riding, Lacrosse, Swimming, TennisWomens Sports:  Field Hockey, Riding, Tennis, Volleyball, Soccer Data Source National Center for Educational Statistics If You Like UMW, You May Also Like These Schools: Christopher Newport University:  Profile  |  GPA-SAT-ACT GraphJames Madison University:  Profile  |  GPA-SAT-ACT GraphRoanoke College:  Profile  |  GPA-SAT-ACT GraphFerrum College:  Profile  Marymount University:  Profile  College of William Mary:  Profile  |  GPA-SAT-ACT GraphGeorge Mason University:  Profile  |  GPA-SAT-ACT GraphSweet Briar College:  Profile  |  GPA-SAT-ACT GraphVirginia Wesleyan College:  Profile  Radford University:  Profile  |  GPA-SAT-ACT Graph Mary Washington and the Common Application The University of Mary Washington uses the  Common Application. These articles can help guide you: Common Application essay tips and samplesShort answer tips and samplesSupplemental essay tips and samples

If UK accept Euro it is good or worst for UK economy

If UK accept Euro it is good or worst for UK economy Free Online Research Papers After the Second World War Europe was really devastated economically and politically and created a deep divide among the people. In general election of 2001 in United Kingdom discussed about its future participation in the European Monetary Union paying attention on issues concerning to the loss of political identity and national sovereignty. The Labour party stranded neutral wait and see policy and strong anti-euro policy by conservative party. The business community of United Kingdom such as Confederation of British Industry also expressed their attitude towards euro zone membership. EUROPEAN UNION In 1950 the six European countries Belgium, Germany, France, Italy the Netherland and Luxemburg began to join for secure peace. Then the nations took away the excise and custom duty and made a better business relation between each other. In 1973 the countries like United Kingdom, Ireland and the Denmark joined in European Union. Then in 1980 Spain, Portugal and Greek joined in European Union. In 1989 the west and East Germany were decided to join and form united Germany. The collapse of communism across the Europe results to reduce the distance between eastern and central Europe. The emerging of single market for four freedom, they were a movement of services, goods, money and people. In 1995 three new countries, Austria,Sweden and Finland were joined in European Union and they decided to open their boarders for exiting and entering the citizens of European Union without passport checking. Because of the development of new technology like internet and mobile phone, and many students came to Union countries for their higher education. Now Euro is the common currency of many European nations. These time every part of world faced problem with terrorists and the European Union countries took more precautions to prevent that .And in 2004 European Union is developed with ten new members. EURO In 1992 the Maastricht treaty agreed the plan to start a new currency. It was launched as an electronic currency and used by bank only. And in 1st January 2002 the first notes and coins were issued and became legal tender in Germany, Austria, Belgium, Italy, Ireland, Luxembourg, Portugal, Netherland and Spain. And members like United Kingdom, Sweden and Denmark did not adopted. The countries like The Czech republic, Poland, Slovenia, Cyprus, Hungary, Estonia, Slovakia, Latria, Lithuania and Malta were joined in 2004 and accepted euro as their currency. Now almost 300 million people using single currency across the European Union. The European Central Bank (ESB) based in Frankfurt, Germany controls and regulates the interest rate of euro. According to the supporters of euro because of more transparency the competitiveness is increased significantly. Increased foreign investment reduces the cost of business and results price down in the shops. On other view this causes a significant i ncrease of unemployment. One euro is divided in to 100 parts called cents. Euro notes are available in 5,10,20,50,100,500 and coins are available in 1 and 2. And cent are available in 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, and 50 cents. From its introduction onwards euro is the second used reserve currency in the world after the United States dollar. As an international reserve currency euro increased its position from 17.9% to 26.5% from 1999 to 2008 ,at the same time the share of the United States dollar fell from 70.9% to 64% and the Japanese Yen fell to 3.3% from 6.4%. The rise status of euro as reserve currency was not gradual. It shows a 4.4% rise in 2002, it was the outcome of the launch of euro coins and notes. Now euro remains as a major reserve currency in both developed and developing countries. According to the International Monetary Fund the total amount of euro as a reserve currency in 2008 was equal to $1.1 trillion and a share of 22%.And 31% share of the currency reserve of developing economies. According to the former chairman of Federal Reserve Mr. Alan Greenspan it is clear that euro should replace the dollar as a reserve currency or would be trade as an one and the same vital reserve currency a s United States dollar. THE EUROPEAN MONETARY UNION The single currency (euro) was introduced as a vital currency on 1999.All members of European monetary union replaced their currency in to euro. Now Euro is the official currency of 16 European countries. The key players of European monetary union are Germany, Italy, France, Spain and Netherland. The euro is managed and controlled by the German based European Central Bank and Euro system. PERFORMANCE OF EURO AGAINST US DOLLAR After the introduction of the single currency ,its exchange rate fells heavily against other currencies including United States dollar also. But after the launch of bank notes and coins on 1st January 2002 and the all members of European Monetary Union replaced its national currencies to euro, it starts to increase steadily. The euro surpassed the initial exchange value for first time on 23rd may 2003($1.18).And in 2004 euro achieved $1.366 against United States dollar. In 2005 it temporarily weakened against United states dollar and after November began to rise steadily. The euro achieved its all time high against United States dollar of $1.599. U.S. dollars per 1 euro 1999-2009 Year Lowest ? Highest ? Date Rate Date Rate 2009 05 March $1.259 02 January $1.386 2008 27 October $1.243 15 July $1.599 2007 12 January $1.286 27 November $1.487 2006 02 January $1.181 05 December $1.333 2005 15 November $1.164 03 January $1.350 2004 14 May $1.184 28 December $1.363 2003 08 January $1.032 31 December $1.263 2002 28 January $0.859 31 December $1.048 2001 06 July $0.834 05 January $0.954 2000 26 October $0.823 06 January $1.038 1999 03 December $1.002 05 January $1.179 Source: Euro exchange rates in USD, ECB after effect of two world wars and the elimination of Ireland from the union affected the economy in a bad way. The United Kingdom is the one of the major financial power in the world. This is the sixth largest economy in the world. The economy mainly depends on service and oil production industry and less depend on agriculture. Bank of England is the national authority to set base rate and regulate the economy. United Kingdom has strong business links with many nations particularly the United States and all deal are based in United States dollars. The economy has more relation with United States than Europe. United kingdom is the biggest European investor in United states and vice versa. The current economic recession and credit crunch harshly affected the economy. The Gordon Brown government offered huge package to retain the economy which includes reduction of taxes, nationalisation of banks and so many. The Bank of England reduced the base rate from 2.5% to 0.5% which helps to re duce the banking interest rates. ADVANTAGES OF PARTICIPATION IN EURO 1.Exchange Rate stability If United Kingdom joining the Euro it helps to reduce the volatility of exchange rate with the main European Union trading partners .By the use of single currency results the enhancement of European single market .The single currency would decrease uncertainties and risks experienced by exporters and investors in their business dealings all over the zone. However the pound is very volatile. The pound lost almost one third of its value against the German Mark between 1989 and 2000, although it recovered. But if UK does not join in euro it will be very difficult to recover if the pound will lose more value against single currency. 2. Inward Investment Joining the Euro results a significant increase in Inward investment. Foreign investment is one of the essential part of every economy. But last some years show a significant decrease in the foreign investment in UK. Some of the major foreign investors are expressed their interest to United Kingdom to join the euro, so if United Kingdom not joins it will lose much foreign investment. After the introduction of euro the foreign investment increased in Euro zone countries at the same time the percentage of foreign investment decreased in United Kingdom. Ireland attract more inward investment because of they are the only English speaking countries in the eurozone If United Kingdom joins they can enjoy the benefit also. 3. Economizing foreign currency reserves More economizing of foreign currencies would beneficial to finance sector. It will be easier to perform insurance and banking sector with this single currency. It could be very easier to buy or sell German shares in the stock market of United Kingdom. 4. Low inflation The participation in euro helps the country to make a strong framework of anti inflation. 5. Increasing value of euro The participation of many countries in a single currency will make a great challenge for the dollar. This results an increase in the investment in participating countries and more countries move forward to take euro as their reserve currency. This trend would tend to raise the value of euro. And the participation of United Kingdom in to the Eurozone also helps the euro to increase the value. 5. Free from conversion charges If UK joins single currency, the economy can enjoy reduced or no currency exchange charges. This will help to save a huge amount in every year. People would be able to get euro to other countries with in the European Union and this currency would be accepted. 6. Price transparency The usage of single currency results to increase price transparency, it means a product price in European Union members is almost equal. There would not be much difference in price for a particular product in all members. So it will be very easily to compare the price of a product because of single currency. 7. Trans National Corporations Adopting euro in UK will create more establishments of Trans National Corporations. This provides more job opportunity and increases the income and help to reduce the effect of credit crunch. DISADVANTAGES OF UK TO JOINING EURO On other hand participating euro is a discouraging aspect of loosing tradition, freedom and independence. If UK joins Euro the control of economy will be handed over to European Central Bank situated in Brussels. And affect the economy and economic policies like monetary, fiscal and exchange rate, all of these provide control and balance and with in the economy. 1. Independent monetary policy loss Which involves restrict of growth in total demand by the increase and decrease of base rate. For example if government increase the base rate because of the higher demand and raising prices , will reduce the demand and it results to lower consumer expenditure and there would be a high motivation to save and more cost of borrowing. On joining the Euro-zone the interest rate would be decided by the European Central Bank. This rate is based on the economic situation of all EU member countries. There are very clear economic structural differences within the members of European Union. So the decrease or increase of aggregate demand results a positive impact on an economy at the same time negative to another one. UK would not able to make any change in their monetary policy based on their economic situation if they join in Euro. 2. Fiscal policy Fiscal policy is used to control aggregate demand and it is closely related to monetary policy. Fiscal policy regulates the amount of taxation and government spending. Expansionary fiscal policy involves an increase in taxes or government expenditure and deflationary policy involves the opposite. Increase in taxation results lower income which causes to go down consumer expenditure and results decrease in aggregate demand. Adoption of euro severely affects fiscal policy means after that UK cannot raise the amount of government spending to boost total demand. 3. Exchange rate policy It is the revaluation and deflation of a currency in order to contract with equilibrium of payment deficit. After the membership this right changes from the British government to European Central Bank. History shows that care selected devaluations can help an economy to overcome difficulties. The lack of exchange rate affects the method for adjusting inequality between the nations that can come up from various shocks to their economies. 4. Instability of External Economy The effect is same as like in sole trading. In a sole trading death of a one partner would lead the whole business to loss or face more difficulties to run. Likewise there is a partnership between European Union members in the use of single currency. The European Union economy as a sizable significance when compared with the United States and Japan, they gained an vast success because of the integration of overall region. This makes sure that the integration of overall region has a vital role in economic development of any country. So any problem with economies of member states will affect the development of British economy also. 5. Difficulty to recover from recession It is very difficult to getting out from a recession because if UK is unable to reduce interest rates, it will be not easy to boost demand. 6. Sensitivity to interest Rates The nature of the housing market of UK shows the economy is too responsive to changes in interest rates. Unlike other countries of Europe most of UK residential has their own house and the variable mortgage is a high proportion of their returns. So a minute change in interest change can dramatically influence disposable income. 7. The cost of replacement There will be huge expenses to replace or alter the present systems and machineries like IT system, coin machines and the training cost for staff training. 8. More Fraud rate Detecting forgeries would be highly complicate because euro notes are come in more varieties compare with pound. BRITISH GOVERNMENT VIEW ABOUT JOINING THE EURO ZONE The government of United Kingdom proposed a five economic test, depends upon the results only they will decide to join or not in euro 1. Flexibility Ensure the ability of the economy of United Kingdom to response to the economic changes will be efficient and quickly. And also make sure that shock would not last for long. 2. Convergence By this test they need to ensure that it is practical that a single interest rate is good for a long period of time for all the members of European Monetary Union. 3. Financial services It is test for analysing the financial position of eurozone before and after the participation. 4. Investment To ensure that there no problem for any investors they are willing to invest for a long term for eurozone. 5. Growth, stability and employment If joining in eurozone, how affect the stability, growth and employment for public. They need to sure that all these will be secu Based on this analysis the government of United Kingdom decided to not join eurozone until the five test will pass in the future. CONCLUSION To conclude there is a lot of positive and negative aspects if United Kingdom joins the European Monetary Union. It is sure that euro would be the most important currency in future. Consider with the current financial crisis no one can predict the future of world economy and how it will recover from the recession. So there will be a chance to euro replace the United States dollar as a trade currency and reserve currency. And it is a true that euro shows more stability than pound sterling. At the same time If United kingdom joins with euro it will face so many problems, mainly because of the current economic recession. United Kingdom would loss its right for independent policies. And country is completely suffering due to the recession so it is not practical to take any decisions which affect the economy. If there is any change in base rate the reaction of highly sensitive mortgage market is unpredictable. The participation of single currency will give some more benefit to the bigger business mans and investors at the same time it will not be good for whole British market in present situation. The results of government’s five economic test also suggest this not good time to join with euro. And the government also take a ‘wait and see’ policy. To analysing all advantages and disadvantages it is clear that If United Kingdom joins with single currency it will face a lot of difficulties. And it is not a good decision whether United Kingdom decide to participate single currency now. . REFERENCE http://wiki.w2n.net/pages/Euro.w2n economicshelp.org/europe/benefits-euro.html economicshelp.org/europe/costs-euro.html economicshelp.org/europe/benefits-euro.html managementjournals.com/journals/finance/article87.htm historylearningsite.co.uk/euro.htm http:// rope.eu.int/comm./economy_finance/euro/benefit_2en.htm Research Papers on If UK accept Euro it is good or worst for UK economyAssess the importance of Nationalism 1815-1850 EuropeAppeasement Policy Towards the Outbreak of World War 2Definition of Export QuotasPETSTEL analysis of IndiaTwilight of the UAWAnalysis of Ebay Expanding into AsiaBringing Democracy to AfricaThe Effects of Illegal Immigration19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraNever Been Kicked Out of a Place This Nice

How Conservatives Would Reform Education

How Conservatives Would Reform Education The biggest obstacle to education reform is the existence of teachers unions. Unions act to protect the interests of teachers at any cost, even at the expense of students. Unions often work to minimize teacher accountability, protect low-quality teachers, and support the unsustainable expansion of retirement and health benefits. Labor unions once played a crucial role in ensuring fairness in the workplace. Unions were initially formed to protect workers against brutal employers who abused laborers, refused adequate breaks and time off, and did not ensure safe working conditions. Labor unions were never really intended for government workers or employees. For the most part, private labor union membership continues to fall as right-to-work reforms grow in strength in many states. When it comes to public sector unions, and specifically teachers unions, conservatives favor putting students needs first once again and ending the union-dominated culture that has prevented educational reforms in public education. As American students continue to lag in key areas and drop-out rates in major cities remain at unacceptable levels, it’s clear that the policies of the past have failed. Teachers have long enjoyed being portrayed as overworked and underpaid public servants who only go into the teaching field â€Å"for the children.† While that may have once been very true, union dominance has changed the this and, perhaps, the chief motivation for entering the profession. Unions have little to do with helping children. When teacher’s strike, it usually hurts the children they claim to have entered the profession for. Teachers arent in education for the money, they will tell us. In reality, unionized teachers typically strike for pay, preventing accountability, and enhancing already generous (and publicly paid) benefits. Support Merit Pay and Promote Standards Conservatives support ending the union-dominated contracts that oppose merit pay and advancement and places longevity of teaching over the quality of teaching. Conservatives support a merit-based system for public school teachers, and holding teachers accountable has been one of the most difficult things to do. Unions oppose most measures to determine whether teachers are effective and work to make it impossible to get rid of those who are not. Education is one of the few fields where a lack of results has no consequences, and length of teaching is of greater importance than the quality of teaching. In general, conservatives would support a bottom-up approach, and these standards would be local and statewide based. Applying the concepts of  federalism should apply to education, just as it should for most government-related agencies. Local school districts should have the greatest power to determine effective and acceptable standards without interference from the heavy hand of either a large bureaucratic federal government or unions. Common Core is designed to be a national standards program but is disguised as a voluntary program. Support School Choice Not surprisingly, the biggest obstacle in enacting favorable school-choice legislation has been the opposition of well-funded labor unions. Polls have consistently shown that parents and communities overwhelmingly support school choice. Parents should have the ability to select the school that is the best fit for their child. Unfortunately, protecting the jobs and salaries of government teachers - no matter how ineffective they may be - is the main goal of unions. Unions rightly fear that an open and competitive atmosphere would deplete the ranks of people who would voluntarily send their children to public schools, thus reducing the need for public teachers, and the need for unions themselves. Recent History: The 2012 Chicago Teachers Union Strike In 2012, the Chicago Teachers Union went on strike over pay and accountability. As they forced the cancellation of classes for hundreds of thousands of students – leaving families in a bind – they took to the streets carrying signs about how the strike was for the sake of the kids. While this was untrue, continuing the myth of the abused, underpaid public school teacher is of utmost importance. Hiding behind children is an unique advantage teachers have over other â€Å"public servants† like DMV processors or meter maids. (Imagine the amount of sympathy the drivers license clerk would get over a strike about increasing pay and benefits).​ With an average salary of $76,000, the typical Chicago teacher makes more money than roughly 3/4 of the country. Citing such teacher benefits as weekends off, nights off, long summers, and extended holidays are usually met with cries of â€Å"burnout.† Most jobs have a pretty big degree of burnout and teachers aren’t the only ones who get tired of their jobs and leave for something else. But teachers are special. They work with children. This supposedly makes teachers free from criticism. The major problem with the unions is that it becomes hard to find out who teaches for the children and who is there for the high-end government benefits. Unions have ensured teachers are among the most well-compensated, vacationed, and job-protected workforces in the country, all without true concern for what best helps students.

Macroeconomics. Unexpected changes in the money supply Essay

Macroeconomics. Unexpected changes in the money supply - Essay Example In that case, however, a monetary disturbance has large effects on relative prices and induces different responses of output in different sectors of the economy. Monetary shocks, in this way, may contribute to sectoral shifts in the economy. Nominal price sluggishness also affects the short-run response of the economy to real disturbances (e.g., to changes in technology), even in sectors of the economy with flexible prices. We begin with a simple flexible-price equilibrium model that we have also examined in Ohanian and Stockman (1994) and (in a two-country framework) in Stockman and Ohanian (1993). The model has two consumption goods, X and Y, and labour. We introduce money through a cash-in-advance constraint, intended to stand in for a more general transactions model of money. We assume, for simplicity, that there are complete asset markets. The representative household maximizes utility: each period. Equation (2) is a budget constraint for period t asset markets and is the cash-in-advance constraint which applies to period t product markets (which immediately follow period t asset markets as in Lucas [1982]). ... The terms x and y refer to consumption of goods X and Y, LX and Ly refer to labour hours producing goods X and Y, 0 is less than or equal to delta First, alpha is a parameter describing tastes. Because Alpha helps determine the equilibrium share of good X in total output, we will vary it in "The Size of the Sticky-Price Sector" subsection of Section 2 to discuss changes in the relative sizes of the X and Y industries. Next, p is the inverse of the intertemporal elasticity of substitution; an increase in p means households are less willing to trade current consumption for future consumption (that is, they are willing to pay more for a more constant consumption stream). The subsection "The Size of Intertemporal Substitution" explains how the size of p affects our results. Third, Sigma is the elasticity of substitution between goods X and Y; a larger sigma means the goods are better substitutes. The impact of the size of sigma on our results is the subject of the subsection "The Size of Intratemporal Substitution." Finally, delta determines the curvature of the production function, with

Death Dying - Final Exam Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Death Dying - Final Exam - Essay Example My negative perception of death possibly roots back to the folklore I have learned as a child as well as how the media portrays death as something gruesome and painful. Religious beliefs are also factors that contributed to my personal definition of death. Uncertainty on my destination in life after death and the fear that I may be destined to the lake fire shaped my insight of death. After studying the readings and conducting further research on the topic, I have learned that death does not solely pertain to the expiration of the flesh but may also mean spiritual death. Worrying about death of the soul is more of a concern than the death of our flesh. Though our flesh dies, our souls will continue to exist, it is not just death of the flesh that we should worry about but more of the spiritual death or decadence. As my outlook on death changed, my notion about birth remained to be based on the fact that we came from a Creator and after dying we will go back to our Creator. The course about death, dying and religion taught me as well that life is truly in the decisive hands of the Almighty. In examining the teachings of different religions pertaining to death, I have encountered some obscure beliefs and practices while some are unnecessary for the dead since the people left behind by the deceased cannot make amends for the mistakes committed by the dead as with the practices of the Chinese and Catholics (Handbook of Death and Dying 62). The differences and similarities on religious practices on death prodded me to research more on the subject in the Biblical perspective. The Bible speaks of two kinds of death, the physical and the spiritual. The physical death pertains to the state when the body ceases to exist (Lizza 37) while spiritual death concerns the dissipation of morality and corruption of the human soul. When an individual dies, the soul cannot come back and do the usual things a living human performs or haunt the living (Soriano, â€Å"Adam Died Long Before His Flesh Did†). This is contrary to beliefs of many countries and cultures where the souls of the dead people were thought to linger in this world and perform daily tasks as if they are still alive. Another popular belief in cultures is the notion that souls of dead people immediately goes to a specific destination such as hell, heaven and purgatory or limbo. Biblically, purgatory and limbo do not exist. Purgatory is a place where souls that are not fit for heaven or hell while Limbo is where babies not baptized by the Catholic Church end up when after they die. The centuries-old belief of limbo was later on declared null by the previous Pope Benedict XVI (Soriano, â€Å"Learn a Little Mathematics†). These additional readings has somehow changed my views and reduced my fear of death and dying because some of the vague destinations after dying such as Limbo and Purgatory that causes uncertainties are eliminated. The various approaches to death and dying made me r ealize that I should live sensibly by not wasting time on hating, arguing and finding other people's faults. After reading The Death of Ivan Illych, I have learned that I should be spending my life building good relationships with people and extend help to those who are in need. Tolstoy’s character was not well-received by the people he worked with thus the news of his death was not devastating (Tolstoy 12) I have also learned that it would be best to alleviate the pain and sufferings of

Teamwork Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Teamwork - Essay Example However, when there is a team of say 5 members, there is again one goal but 5 minds to discover and handle the same work with 5 times the effort and time which of course will give better and more innovative results. The more awareness that surrounds the human brain, the more it widens and functions towards its goal. Shaina, age 25, works in a large telecom service provider company. She was always in charge of billing funds and employees' salary distribution part. She always came to office the same time of the morning and left at the same usual hour of the afternoon. The eight hours of her stay were mostly with her computer making estimates and doing calculations and the day would end with all reports being sent to the supervisor. Often he had to spend hours going through the details sent by her and sorting out differences between reports generated by all departments. All was fine and life went on until one day the supervisor realized the work was increasing and they must hire another person with Shaina. And, in the next two months, the work done by both of them together was much more than anticipated earlier. Also, the striking difference observed that not only did the daily, weekly and monthly reports reach his desk but Shaina and her teammate visited him often to discuss over billing details and any discrepancies in funds. Work was going on at a much faster rate and moreover, he had to no more spend time re-checking all calculations and fighting with billing discrepancies as everything was discussed and sorted out before the final report was sent to him. This was an example which depicts very clearly how teamwork can enhance not only work but the enthusiasm towards work and also generate comradeship between peers which in turn gives better results. Not only was his work redused but the bond shaared by the members made it easier to complete any work. There are various factors related to teamwork viz. How should teamwork be assessed, how can one develop and benefit from personal team skills and team awareness, what role does communication play in teamwork etc. Team performance assessment can be done by first checking whether they followed the right approach towards work. The characteristics of effective teams that were identified by Larson and LaFasto in their book titled Teamwork: What Must Go Right/What Can Go Wrong (Sage Publications 1989) are that the team must have a clear goal, results-driven structure, competent team members etc. Now to assess whether team member are competent, it is first required to assess the individual members. Personal team skills play important role. For example, for a team that works together in a construction based company, the individual members should all have a graduate degree in civil engineering or any equivalent. In case few members are more involved with the topic than the others, the others can build their awareness about the team and its activities. Any organization always works at its best if the employees work in teams and have mutual awareness about their peers. Getting any work accomplished with quality and efficiency is possible with maintaining competitive air around the employees. Another example that we can see is of the floods that happened in county

HR case study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

HR case study - Essay Example It is generally accepted that this high rate is due to the above-average aptitudes of the personnel in the department has its own in-house set of training courses and purchases â€Å"space† in various seminar classes. These programs are geared to making the employee significantly more valuable to the department. The managers in the programming department have been very proud of the development of their personnel and feel that education from all sources has improved departmental performances. Recently, however, the system seemed to backfire in the programming department. Ezra Brooks, a very bright and aspiring young programmer for whom management had high hopes, quit. Ezra had found that the extensive intraorganization training, the invaluable work experience, and a newly awarded college diploma represented a fairly lucrative portfolio of credentials, which he took to a large national accounting firm. Ezra had expressed a desire to stay, but he was told that there were no anticipated openings at managerial levels in the computer area. Ezra’s manager had a dilemma. Loss of Ezra meant a ten-month setback for the project Ezra was working on. He also felt that the extensive training Ezra had received at the company’s expense was little utilized compared to what Ezra would have contributed had he remained with the company. However, the manager’s greatest concern was that Ezra was the first in a group of several employees who would graduate from college under company sponsorship in the near future. Ezra had shown to the remaining group that if the firm would not recognize his achievement and aspirations, other employment could be easily found. The case clearly reveals that Ezra Brooks is a valuable employee for the organization. He has been given training to improve his computer programming skills such that he could easily secure his aspired job in some other big firm. Since he seems to be under no obligation to say back and complete the ongoing

Enrichment Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Enrichment - Research Paper Example It challenged America’s notion of an immigrant nation. It reflected the racist views of the time when European visitors, the whites, were welcomed through Ellis Island but the non-whites coming through the Angel Island in the Pacific coast who were seen as criminals and delinquents who had to be deported or detained. The Angel Island station was operational for thirty years from 1910 -1930 within which time it came to be known as a detention facility and sought to exclude the Chinese after the passing of the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act. The number of people coming in through Ellis Island was far greater than those entering through Angel Island. In the present day both Angel Island and Ellis Island immigration stations have undergone preservation and restoration. Ellis Island is being projected as a symbol of America’s immigration tradition and hospitality which has a strong support group for its restoration. The Ellis Island Immigration Museum opened in 1990 and till today evokes a sense of hope. Angel Island on the other hand does not have a strong support group as many people do not know about it and it stands as a symbol of America’s racist past. After a closure of four years it was opened to public on 15th February 2009 and serves to remind them of the pain and agony undergone by the people who migrated

Discussion Q Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Discussion Q - Assignment Example in the organization through changes in the cultures as there are more interactions that occur in all levels of departments in the organization (Hiriyappa, 2009). There are problems that are brought out by management behaviors. Among the problems in the organization is that experienced as more co-workers speak to individuals in a condescending manner (Ivancevich & Matteson, 2000). The problems in the organizations are contributed as a result of technical aspects in management which is important for understanding the management process in an organization. Some behavioral skills that are undermined by management result to problems in communication with the subordinate, peers and bosses (Ivancevich & Matteson, 2000). Management behavior problems are as a result of education that managers have on people, groups that are encountered and interaction that occur in the organization. Problems in management behaviors are also as a result of lack of critical thinking and analysis capabilities. Change agent skills and leadership capabilities in organizations are able to undergrad some members of the organization resulting to problem in communication and handling the skills (McShane & Von Glinow, 2000). Knowledge of the current organizational culture is important during a change initiative. The knowledge that is in an organization ensures that the changes are made in improving management in the organization. There are measurements that have affected achievement of change initiatives (Robbins, 2001). One of the abilities that impact the changes is ability to influence. In change initiatives, there is need to influence decision making in the organization to comply with the changes. The comfort is with the changes that occur due to uncertainties. Most management is not comfortable and holds onto the cultures of the organizations as they are not comfortable with the uncertainties and taking of risks (Robbins, 2001). Achievement orientation is also affected with organization

Enrichment Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Enrichment - Research Paper Example It challenged America’s notion of an immigrant nation. It reflected the racist views of the time when European visitors, the whites, were welcomed through Ellis Island but the non-whites coming through the Angel Island in the Pacific coast who were seen as criminals and delinquents who had to be deported or detained. The Angel Island station was operational for thirty years from 1910 -1930 within which time it came to be known as a detention facility and sought to exclude the Chinese after the passing of the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act. The number of people coming in through Ellis Island was far greater than those entering through Angel Island. In the present day both Angel Island and Ellis Island immigration stations have undergone preservation and restoration. Ellis Island is being projected as a symbol of America’s immigration tradition and hospitality which has a strong support group for its restoration. The Ellis Island Immigration Museum opened in 1990 and till today evokes a sense of hope. Angel Island on the other hand does not have a strong support group as many people do not know about it and it stands as a symbol of America’s racist past. After a closure of four years it was opened to public on 15th February 2009 and serves to remind them of the pain and agony undergone by the people who migrated

Network security Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Network security - Essay Example Technical security controls are made of three components: detective, corrective and preventive, which all work to mitigate risks within a system. The first step I will access the router through the web interface. This will allow me to configure encryption using the WPA2 or the pre-shared key. This will ensure that anyone who all devices must provide this key before joining the network. There are three IKE policy choices message encryption, message integrity hash algorithm and peer authentication method. The policies are satisfied by various encryption methods that are dependent on a number of factors such as type of hardware in place. The key length available when using encryption algorithm allows the definition of key length used in terms of bits. When it comes to choosing message encryption algorithm, 3des is the strongest when compared to DES. The sha encryption offers a better encryption type as compared to md5 when it comes to message integrity has algorithm. For the peer authentication method, the rsa-sig offers a stronger encryption. An intrusion detection system has powerful features that provide notification when an attack occurs. On the other hand, a detective prevention system only uses limited functions to thwart attacks from taking place. Detection system is also limited because it relies on copies of network packets, which must be received from another switch. This makes sensors operating in intrusion mode to be said as running in promiscuous mode. Compared to detection system, intrusion prevention is more robust and has better features because it operate in inline mode where it checks as packets flows in teatime. Therefore, it can prevent traffic from entering a given network in

Management Control System of a Commercial Bank XY

Management Control System of a Commercial Bank XY This paper attempts to examine the management control system in a Pakistani commercial bank. The commercial banking sector in Pakistan is very competitive. The majority of commercial banks have customer retention on its top priority. Commercial banks are encouraging employees to upgrade their knowledge and skill. The working environment is also congenial in Pakistani commercial banks. Management control systems are essential tool to help management to steer an organization towards its strategic objectives. Designing and implementing an appropriate management control system based on Pakistani national culture can improve both the short and long term performance of commercial banks. This will make commercial banks more efficient and cost effective in extending banking services to all the customers. However, the future research needs to examine the relationship between management control system and effectiveness of the commercial banks of Pakistan. Introduction The introduction part begins with historical background of management control and management accounting. This leads further to an establishment of the purpose of the study and its limitations. 1.1 Historical Background The Management Control and Management Accounting The need for management control arose after the Industrial Revolution and gave companies the opportunity of greater growth and expansion than what had been possible earlier. Larger parts of the value chain were situated within these new and greater companies instead of being spread on different locations in smaller companies or single persons. After these great changes, companies started to require financial measures as business ratios and transfer pricing, and from that point the development of different types of management controls and accounting controls began ( Kaplan Johnson 1987). The Dupont Company is often considered to be the inventor of the modern management control (Kaplan 1984). In the early 1900s, DuPont decided to organize itself by dividing the organization into separate functions, e.g. manufacturing, sales and purchasing. Every single one of these functions had their own manager who could be very specialized in how to manage the specific function. Hence, the senior managers did not have to be involved much in those activities and could fully focus on things as long- term strategies. It was this type of decentralized organization that made Dupont realizes that they needed a performance measurement system. They launched a new accounting measure, return on investment (ROI), because they thought it would be more accurate to use than the old measures which measured earnings and profits as a percentage of sales or costs. Dupont along with General Motors are considered as the pioneers in this area and were also involved in creating different types of decent ralized organizations, budgeting and planning cycles (Kaplan, 1984). In an article from 1984, Kaplan discussed what had happened in the development of the area from 1925 to that point. He considered that not as much as expected had happened between 1925 and 1984. Of those new ideas that had been presented, many were just academic theories which had little or no influence on the real organizations, who should be the beneficiaries. As of today the opposite problem from what Kaplan said in 1984 can be spotted. Today there are almost too many choices in accounting and management control, and they are not as well studied as the older theories and tools (Malmi and Granlund, 2009). There is also another problem with the new theories and tools, companies and organizations seem to have too much faith in them and use them in an uncritical way. They are considered as the solution of all management problems. Examples of these new theories and tools are, activity- based-costing (ABC), business process reengineering (BPR), balanced Score cards (BSC) and total quality management (TQM). These systems are often expensive to acquire and use, and companies perhaps, do not evaluate the relation between costs and benefits of the systems they use, or why they use it at all. Are they used just because they are modern and all the competitors use it, or do they really create value for the company (Siverbo and Akesson 2009). 1.2 Contribution of the Study The banking sector serves as the main source of resource mobilization in developing economies. Commercial bank play significant role in the economic development. Today and more precisely in future, companies, organizations (banks) and other decision making entities whether profit making or not, will face major management challenges. Irrespective of whether the main goal of the organization is to make profit or not, it becomes necessary to institute a mechanism in those entities to control the activities of managers so that they remain on track of the proper routes as established by management. In order to keep activities of the organization in track a management control system is essential (Rijal S., 2006). With the background just proposed I find it interesting to see how a company like a commercial bank XY has commenced its banking operations from November Ist, 1997 as a public limited company is currently operating a large network through 223 branches in Pakistan, with the registe red office at B.A. Building, I.I. Chundrigar, Karachi. The bank perceived the requirements of customers and matches them with quality products and service solutions. During the past five years, bank has emerged as one of the foremost financial institution in the region endeavoring to meet the needs of tomorrow as well as today. To continually upgrade the quality of service to the customers, training of team members in all the integral aspects of banking, customer service and MCS was specially focused. The portfolio concentrates on all aspects of conventional banking as well as the financial needs of corporate sector. Dynamic and high value product includes Car Financing, Home Financing, Rupee Travelers Cheques, Credits Cards, Debit Cards, Online Banking, ATM and consumer Durables. In addition to this, Islamic Banking Division is a recent initiative, which operates as separate branch. With such a huge expansion of branches network, the importance of a well-functioning management cont rol system becomes crucial for their success. People have different beliefs and goals that they want to achieve, which makes it challenging for the management of the company to make every employee take actions in line with what is desirable(www.scribd.com). In this case study author aim to describe the management control systems of a commercial bank with its virtual name XY from Pakistan, since it is expanding and growing with good speed as compared to other banks due to its good MCS system. 1.3 Problem Formulation Bank XY is a commercial bank in Pakistan that is growing rapidly and expanding its branches network in the country. Bank XY has had a huge success and uses almost the same control systems in every branch all over the country (Telephone Interview, 2010), which makes it interesting for me to describe and analyze one of them. My principal research question is that, What management control systems are used at different levels of the commercial bank XY in Pakistan? 1.4 Purpose of Study The main objective of this study is to analyze and describe the management control system of commercial Bank XY in Pakistan. I shall also try to explain how the different management control systems are used in the bank. 1.5 Limitation of the Study The focus of this study is to describe the management control systems used by managers to direct employees, behavior. Considering the size of Bank XY,s organization and the time I have deliberated to this study, it is reasonable for me to limit the study to include few bank branch and the management control systems controlling these branches from higher levels of the organization. I shall also focus on the internal environment, which means I shall not consider most of the external environment that is not crucial to the understanding of the management control system within the bank branch. Data and Methodology This case study will be written by the qualitative school of thought, since author aim is to understand the management control system of the certain company he has chosen. Author has no ambitions to make any general assumptions based on this single study, in contrast to if he had chosen to do a quantitative research study on several companies. The type of case study he has chosen to use is the abductive ase study, since he wanted to have the opportunity to return to the theory even after empirical materials had been collected (alvesson Skoldberg, 1994). The paper is based on both primary and secondary data. Primary data have been collected by phone interview developed for branch manager and employees at different branches. The responses were received from the 12 managers and supporting employees of 12 bank branches. Secondary data have been collected from the website of Bank XY, Pakistan. The data, collected from various sources have been analyzed with the support of previously developed theory. Theory In this chapter, I shall examine the main theories of management control. Before explaining the definitions of management control systems (MCSs), Author shall try to explain management and management control. 3.1 Management and Management Control Literature written on the subject, management is defined in several ways, but all have something to do with the process of allocating resources and direct activities to fulfill the organizations overall objectives. Management is a broad subject and can be divided into smaller elements such as operations, finance, marketing/sales and product development. The management process can also be separated into smaller parts that are objective setting, strategy formulation and management control. Objective setting is a necessary process to formulate and sometimes reconsider the direction and destination of the company. If the objectives are not set it is impossible to determine if the resources are allocated in the right way and if the right activities have been performed. Strategy formulation is the process where organization finds out how to use their resources to meet their objectives. The management processes of objectives setting, strategy formulation and management control is a process of continuum (Merchant and Van der Stede, 2007). 3.2 Merchants Management Control Alternatives According to Merchant and Van der Stede (2007) companies and other organizations have four management control alternatives i.e., result control, action control, personnel controls and cultural controls. 3.2.1 Result Controls The basic idea of results controls is that you do not tell your employees how to do things but what you want them to achieve and how they will benefit if they achieve it. For example, a manager tells an employee that he wants him to produce ten units a week, and if he succeeds he will receive a reward of $50. By these actions the manager may control his employees to do what he desires without interfering too much in their work practices. The process of result controls include four steps, the first is defining the dimensions on which results are desired, the second is measuring performance on these dimensions, the third is setting performance targets for employees to strive for and the last is providing rewards to encourage the behaviors that will lead to the desired results. Results controls are usually used on professional employees who are considered to be able to work effectively without being told how to do things, but instead work efficiently towards targets (Merchant and Van de r Stede, 2007). 3.2.2 Action Controls Action controls are somewhat the opposite of results controls, employees are told what to do and how they should do it, e.g. by rules and procedures. The difficulty with this is that the rules and procedures must be optimized, or else the employees will do everything wrong, despite their doing what they were told by their managers (Merchant and Van der Stede, 2007). 3.2.3 Personnel Controls Personnel controls refer to the assumption that employees by nature want to control themselves. Managers do not have to tell employees what to do and then monitor their every moves to be sure that they do the tasks that that where intended. The assumption is that employees like to perform well for themselves and this should result in a well performing company. Unlike, or at least not as much as results and action controls, these types of controls require more careful selection of employees. Everyone have to fully qualified for the position they occupy on the organization to make it possible to use personnel control. Motivation is another important aspect to make this work; managers have to keep their employees constantly motivated. This may be achieved by training, further work related education or different types of rewards (Merchant and Van der Stede, 2007). 3.2.4 Cultural Controls When personnel controls trust the ability that people want to perform well, cultural controls rely on the ability that group to keep up the values and approaches the organization aims at. In the group organization everyone is supposed to take responsibility and care of everyone else and the peer pressure is important. The idea is that the group should motivate itself; the assignment of the managers is in this case to instruct the group in what to be motivated to do. To their help managers can use things as codes of conduct or group rewards and if the group performs well the group will receive a reward. If only group rewards are provided the individual employee will try to do his/her best to make the group perform well, instead of just caring about themselves (Merchant and Van der Stede, 2007). 3.2.5 Control System Tightness The benefit from any well functioning MCS is that the likelihood that the company will achieve its objectives increases. This benefit can be described in terms of MCS tightness (or looseness), where a tight MCS increases the probability that the employees will take actions that is desirable by the organization. Managers often use more than one kind of management control alternative to tighten control. Sometimes these controls overlap and sometimes they are complementary, which enables the combination of them to create tight control over all of the factors critical to the organizations success (Merchant and Van der Stede, 2007). Whether a results control is tight or loose depends on the characteristics of the definitions of the desired result areas, the performance measures, and the reinforcement or incentives provided. According to Merchant and Van der Stede (2007), for management control to be considered tight in a results controls system, the results dimensions must be congruent with the true organizational objectives, the performance targets must be specific, with feedback in short time increments, the desired result must be effectively communicated and internalized by those whose behaviors are being controlled, and if results controls are given exclusively in a given performance area, the measures must be complete (PP 118 119). Congruence problems can exist because the management does not understand the organizations true objectives or the measure dimensions do not reflect the organizations true objectives (Merchant and Van der Stede, 2007). For a results control system to be tight, the performance measures also have to be precise, objective, timely and understandable. If the performance measures used do not possess these characteristics the control system cannot be considered tight since behavioral problems are likely. Furthermore, if rewards (or punishments) are directly and definitely linked to the accomplishment or non-accomplishment of the desired targets, the MCS is more likely to be tighter (Merchant and Van der Stede, 2007). Action control systems can be considered tight only if it likely that employee will consistently perform the actions desired to achieve the companys objectives and not take any undesirable actions. The tightness of the action accountability controls depends on characteristics of the definitions of desirable and undesirable actions, the effectiveness of the action-tracking system and the reinforcements (rewards and punishments) provided. An effective action tracking system is where employees can be certain that their actions will be noticed relatively quickly. Punishment is more common in action control contexts than in a result control context, since they often include employee violation of rules and procedures (Merchant and Van der Stede, 2007). Tight personnel/cultural controls are most likely to be found in charity and voluntary organizations where employees feel some kind of satisfaction by doing good, in family businesses, where the interest of the family employees are same as the organizations (Merchant and Van der Stede, 2007). Empirical Data The first section of this chapter includes history and other essential facts of a commercial bank XY, Pakistan. The next section includes the empirical information author obtained during his telephonic interviews with the managers and employees at Bank. 4.1 History and facts about Commercial Bank XY Bank XY was founded in June 21st, 1997 its banking operations started from November1st, 1997. The bank engaged in commercial banking and related services. The bank is currently operating through 223 branches. Bank XY target market conceits of individual client as well as number of business organization. Bank XY has segment the market on demographic, psychological and behavioral style to target maximum number of segments with different varieties of products suitable for each segment. Dynamic and high value product includes Car Financing, Home Financing, Rupee Travelers Cheques, Credits Cards, Debit Cards, Online Banking, ATM and consumer Durables. In addition to this, Islamic Banking Division is a recent initiative, which operates as separate branch. This facilitates their commitment to a culture of innovation and seeks out synergies with clients and service providers to ensure interrupted services to its customers. The bank perceived the requirements of customers and matches them wit h quality products and service solutions. During the past five years, bank has emerged as one of the foremost financial institution in the region endeavoring to meet the needs of tomorrow as well as today. To continually upgrade the quality of service to the customers, training of team members in all the integral aspects of banking, customer service and MCS was specially focused (www.scribd.com) 4.2 Telephonic Interviews at Bank XY All the empirical material in this section was obtained during the telephonic interviews. Author interviewed managers at different levels with involvement in personnel, sales, financial and business related areas at Bank XY. Author also made phone interview with an employee at the Bank XY Head Office. 4.3 MCS in Commercial Bank XY 4.3.1 MCS for Selection of Employee Every new employee is carefully selected to fit the profile of how Bank wants them to be and the employees need to know how important the core values are for the bank. The education and banking experience have important consideration during selection of new employees. The personality and which values you have are also important. Hence, selection of employees is important and tries to employee people that already have the right values and beliefs to fit the culture. They also think it is important that the applicants have an interest for bank job. They believe that if the applicant has visited their own website to look for employment, they have taken the first step to show to show interest in bank job. When a new person is employed he or she undergoes an introduction education and training for few days. 4.3.2 Generic Strategy of Commercial Bank The generic strategy of commercial bank XY is divided for two main areas of business, deposit and lending. The different branches of the same commercial banks at the different geographical location are adopting result, action, personnel and culture controls jointly. In case of lending majority of branches uses result and action control simultaneously. 4.3.3 Marketing of New Services Most of the commercial bank branches promote their products/services very aggressively by using result and action control. The majority of the commercial bank branches are concentrating in maintaining customers and only some branches are competing for customer acquisition. 4.3.4 Target setting Practice The commercial bank set target for their branches for the purpose of planning and controlling the activities. In most of the branches target is fixed in terms of number of clients, amount of deposit and the amount of lending. Individual target are also set and properly communicated to them. 4.3.5 Performance Measurement The commercial bank compares actual performance with predetermined target of their branches frequently. 4.3.5 Reward System In commercial banking sector, benefit/reward/salary/promotion is mostly determined by performance followed by education, experience, new relationship/ customer marketed in deposit or lending and factors respectively like majority get benefit for better performance and some did not get performance benefit. The commercial bank provided bonus to their employees out of profit. The amount of bonus is based on the amount of salary the employees are getting. Some bonuses are related to outstanding performance also. 4.3. 5 Encouragement to employees to learn new Skills The commercial bank is encouraging his employees to discharge better performance and enhance educational qualification and attain trainings. The majority of employees working in the bank get leave sanctioned from their bank to attain training related to their jobs. It also supports that the commercial bank is encouraging employees to learn new skill and knowledge. 4.3.6 Cooperation Majority of the employees feel they get complete cooperation from their coworkers. It indicates the working environment is very conducive in the bank to discharge better performance. Analysis In this chapter author has analyzed the empirical data collected at the interviews on the basis of the theories described in the theory part. 5.1 The Combination of Merchant,s Control Alternatives at Bank XY As described by Merchant and Van der Stede (2007) the benefit from a MCS can be expressed by the tightness or looseness of the MCS. As specified, a tight results control system must include results dimensions that are congruent with the organizations true objectives, performance targets that are specific, feedback in short time intervals, effective communication of the desired result and complete measures if the results control system is used exclusively (Merchant and Van der Stede, 2007). As author shall argue below, he thinks that all these factors are met at the Bank branch. First, the measures that the branch working seem to be congruent with the true organization objectives since they measure advances/loans, deposits and costs such as personnel, branch office and operational cost very carefully. They also use non-financial performance measures such as the customer satisfaction index which enables them to overcome the shortcoming of the financial performance measures. Since they take customer satisfaction into consideration they decreased the possibility of increasing result at the expense of decreasing customer satisfaction, which is congruent with their true organizational objectives. Secondly, the targets they use seem to be specific since they use detailed measures to evaluate their performance, e.g. they not measure the number of borrower and depositor, but also borrowed and deposited amount per each customer. Furthermore they set specific targets of how high percentage of customers should be satisfied with their services e.g. the turnaround time for loan application, the waiting time in the counters. Thirdly, the employees get feedback in short time intervals since performance is communicated on a daily basis as well as more detailed feedback weekly at meeting, and yearly when they e.g. see the target achievement report. Lastly the desired results are communicated effectively through their regular meetings and the process of setting the business and action plans. According to Merchant and Van der Stede (2007), a tight results control system also have comprise performance measures that are, precise, objective, timely and understandable. Furthermore they argue that the results control system is likely to be tighter if rewards or punishments are directly and definitely linked to the accomplishment or non-accomplishment of the desired targets. I think that the performance measures of Bank Alfalah meet the characteristics described by Merchant and Van der Stede (2007). The salary system used by the bank is also linked to their performance on the desired targets. Hence, it seems like the results control system of the bank can be considered as tight. The action control systems of a commercial bank does not include as many rules, but instead they have a quite strict organization and governance structure. They also use daily, weekly, monthly performance follow up sheets and manuals to control the actions of employees. According to Merchant and Van der Stede (2007) examples of action controls are behavioral constraints, preaction reviews and action accountability. They further argue that the action control systems can be considered tight only if it is likely that employees will consistently perform the actions. Bank branch does not use as many physical constraints but rather more administrative constraints such as restricting some decisions making to higher levels of the organization. However, in general, the bank branch managers and supporting employees have quite a high influence on their own department of the branch and can make many decisions on their own. The employees actions are supervised by their closest manager and since bank has many different organization levels and each has their own manager it is likely that the managers can track their subordinates actions quite carefully. Furthermore, since the results control system is tight it is also reasonable to believe that undesirable actions will be discovered fairly quickly. Reinforcements used are group rewards such as one basic or two basic salaries that will be paid if the bank employees have achieved the targets. To sum up, there is no doubt that bank uses action controls and action control systems but I would not consider them either tight or loose, but rather moderate or average. As concluded by Merchant and Van der Stede (2007) the personnel/cultural control systems are rarely tight, except in organizations whose corporate cultures are strong. Bank culture includes customers care-consciousness, equality, advances/loans and deposits target focus. These values are prominent and present in their vision, mission as well as in everything they do. They also emphasize the importance that every employee should share their values to fit in. This implies that bank corporate culture is strong which enables me to conclude that their personnel/cultural control is tight or at least moderately tight. Conclusion The Pakistani commercial banking sector is very competitive. The commercial banks are competing mainly in services in order to put in competitive position, to retain customers services at top priority. The majority of the commercial bank branches have been using results control system. All the commercial bank branches are applying the concept of management control system by setting targets for their branch and at individual and comparing it with actual performance. The target for a branch is fixed in terms of number of clients, amount of deposit and lending. Target is also fixed for the majority of the individuals employees. The target of the branches and individuals level is frequently monitored against their performance. The manager of the different branches of the commercial bank desire to evaluate the performance of the branch. According to individual employees responses, their financial and non financial benefit is based on performance followed by education and training and experience respectively. But the yearly bonus is based on salary they are getting. The managers of different bank branches encourage employees to participate in decision-making process. The commercial bank encourages employees to upgrade their knowledge and skill as the benefit is based on educational qualification and training after performance, they provide paid leave to participate in training and for further education. The working environment in commercial bank is very congenial as the majority of the employees felt that they get very much cooperation from their coworkers. However, the future research needs to examine the relationship between management control system and effectiveness of the commercial banks in Pakistan.