No topic based on scenario and questions to be incorporated Essay

No topic based on scenario and questions to be incorporated - Essay Example Indeed, I will extend my warm welcome to my partner in the Community Based Organisation (CBO) who will be bringing a potential funder to the Saturday Academy the following day. There is every need to meet this funder as a way of showing appreciation to this rare opportunity since he will need to catch the 11.30 am flight. Compared to attending the daughter’s basketball tournament, this opportunity to meet the potential funder will go a long way towards development of my career as both administrator and leader. Indeed, there is every need to be devoted to work and show commitment especially during the period of crisis where the institution you are running is facing critical challenges such as budget cuts instead of choosing to pursue personal luxury activities which will leave you exposed once you miss the perfect opportunity of getting the much needed assistance. I will also take the opportunity to engage the parents who represent the graduation committee since these are very important stakeholders in the running of the school and cannot in any way object to their proposal but would happily give them a nod to engage the photographer. The occasion of graduation is historic such that it has to be recorded in true fashion. It can be suicidal to delegate my second assistant principal to attend to such important scheduled meetings as this would reflect a negative attitude of my leadership qualities. Such important business which affects the overall running of the institution requires the head to be present as this would show commitment to the school as well as reflect positive leadership traits. In this particular case, the issue of great concern to me is the need to get funding for the institution since this would make it relatively easier to run it. Almost all activities at school require some funding to ensure its smooth running. The first three things I need to do as the principal include the following: instil discipline among students and members of staff,

Lessons 13-16 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Lessons 13-16 - Essay Example The winds should also be a light wind with an approximate of under 15 knots. Additionally, the water needs to be of lower temperatures, which are some of the ideal conditions for surfing. The 9.0 Japan earthquake of March 11, 2011 was indeed a surprise to many. Scientists, despite having predicted the earthquakes occurrence, never expected its large size. Additionally, the earthquake resulted in the death of approximately 18,000 people, even though warnings were issued especially in people’s cell phones. The earthquake also shifted the earth from its normal axis of rotation through the redistribution of mass. Question 2: Looking at the Ring of Fire, name 8 other countries, besides Japan, that are familiar with frequent earthquakes. Tell me about 1 of them that made headlines in the news within the past year. In the ring of fire, other countries familiar with frequent earthquakes besides Japan include Canada, United States, Costa Rica, Mexico, Bolivia, Chile, Guatemala, and Russia. One of the nations that has made headlines in the past year is Costa Rica, in which a powerful earthquake of a magnitude of up to7.6 shook the nation and a wide swath of Central America early in the morning in mid-2013, making substantive news headlines. Pacific Ring of Fire refers to an area with frequent occurrences of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, contributed to by tectonic shifts in the earth’s plates. Because of such factors, the pacific ring of fire experiences an increased number of tsunamis considering the frequent movement of the earth’s plates. There exist three major types of tides, semidiurnal tides, mixed tides, and diurnal tides. Semidiurnal tides involve the existence of two high tides of equal heights and two low tides of equal heights. Mixed tides on the other side have two periods of high water and two periods of low water each day; however, the tidal heights are not equal.

Information Technology Management Emphasis Essay Example for Free

Information Technology Management Emphasis Essay The Master of Business Administration—Information Technology Management is specifically designed for experienced business professionals and managers seeking upward career mobility in the information technology arena. The program prepares you for a mid-level to upper-level information technology management position in business, industry, and non-profit organizations. MBAITM Understanding the Competency-Based Approach Practically speaking, what does it mean when we say that WGU programs are competencybased? Unlike traditional universities, WGU does not award degrees based on credit hours or on a certain set of required courses. Instead, students earn their degrees by demonstrating their skills, knowledge, and understanding of important concepts through a series of carefully designed assessments. Progress through your degree program is governed, not by classes, but by satisfactory completion of the required assessments that demonstrate your mastery of the competencies. Of course, you will need to engage in learning experiences as you brush up on competencies or develop knowledge and skills in areas in which you may be weak. For this learning and development, WGU has a rich array of learning resources in which you may engage under the direction of your mentor. You will work closely with your mentor to schedule your program for completing the assessments. (We discuss assessments in much more detail later in this guide.) You will work closely with additional faculty members as you proceed through courses of study that are designed to lead you through the content you must master in order to pass individual assessments. The benefit of this competency-based system is that it makes it possible for people who are knowledgeable about a particular subject to make accelerated progress toward completing a WGU degree even if they lack college experience. You may have gained your skills and knowledge of a subject on  the job, accumulated wisdom through years of life experience, or, indeed, took a course on a particular subject. WGU awards a degree to you based on the skills and knowledge that you possess and can demonstrate, not the number of credits you have on your transcript. Accreditation Western Governors University is the only university in the history of American higher education to have earned accreditation from four regional accrediting commissions. WGUs accreditation was awarded by (1) the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, (2) the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, (3) the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, and (4) the Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. The university’s accreditation status is now managed by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU). The university is also accredited by the Distance Education and Training Council (DETC), and the WGU Teachers College is accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). The nursing programs are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). The Health Informatics program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM). The Degree Plan The focus of your program is your personalized Degree Plan. The Degree Plan is a detailed blueprint of the learning resources and assessments that comprise your program. The length of your program depends on both the amount of new information you need to learn and the amount of time you plan to devote each week to study. Students will vary widely in the specific skills and information they need to learn. For example, some may be highly knowledgeable in a subject matter and would not need to engage in new learning opportunities. Others may find that portions of the program require completely new learning and that they may need to take an online class or participate in a study module to acquire the knowledge and skills needed to pass the program competencies in that area. Some individuals may be able to devote as little as 15ï€ ­20 hours per week to the program, while others may have more time. For this reason, you will complete pre-assessments to help your mentor form a profile of your prior knowledge and experience for use in creating your Degree Plan. WGU’s Mentoring Approach ]Our mentoring approach is a powerful component of the WGU educational experience. When you enroll at WGU, you will begin interacting with your personal mentor, course mentors, and support staff. Your mentor takes an active role and a personal interest in your success. Whether by e-mail or phone, your mentor will be your ―point personâ€â€" of communication throughout your program. Your mentor will help motivate you to work hard to complete your program. When you have questions or concerns, your mentor team will help you resolve them. You and your mentor will work together to evaluate your educational background, strengths, and weaknesses. With this analysis, your mentors will help determine in which areas you are already competent (and can move quickly to assessment) and areas you need to work on; this will become your personalized Degree Plan. Your mentor will direct you to the Courses of Study that contain the best learning resources for you (courses, texts, independent study modules, etc.) and are supported by course mentors that serve as your content experts for each area of study. As you proceed through your academic program, you and your mentor will determine when you are ready for the required assessments. If you are ready, your assessment will be scheduled. You will follow this same process as you proceed through each domain. Connecting with Other Mentors and Fellow Students As you proceed through your Degree Plan, you may also have direct contact  with other faculty members. These communications can take a variety of forms, including participation in learning communities, office hours via the courses of study, and webinars. As a WGU student, you will have access to your own personal MyWGU Student Portal that will provide a gateway to courses of study, learning communities, and program communities where you will have interactions with faculty and other students. Courses of study and communities are specifically designed to support you as you develop competencies in preparation for your assessments through the utilization of threaded discussions, blogs, and chats that are guided by content experts. You will access your program community during the Education Without Boundaries introductory course to network with peers who are enrolled in your program and to receive continued support through professional enrichment and program-specific chats, blogs, and discussions. WGU also provides a Student Services Associate to help you and your mentor solve any special problems that may arise. Education Without Boundaries Orientation Education Without Boundaries (EWB) is a required orientation that focuses on acquainting the student with WGU’s competency-based model, distance education, technology, and other resources and tools available for students. You will also utilize tutorials, message boards, online MBAITM chats, and other activities to connect with other students in your program. This orientation is completed before you start your first term at WGU. Transferability of Prior College Coursework Because WGU is a competency-based institution, it does not award degrees based on credits but on demonstration of competency. However, if you have completed college coursework at another accredited institution, you may have your transcripts evaluated and may be able to have some lower-division or co-requisite assessments cleared. The guidelines for determining what will  Ã¢â‚¬â€¢clearâ€â€" through transfer vary based on the degree program. The following transfer guidelines generally apply to graduate programs: Graduate domains (i.e., subject areas) cannot be cleared through transfer. Requirements in the domains that can be considered the degree major cannot be cleared through transfer. Furthermore, WGU does not clear any requirements based on the students professional experience and does not perform a resume review or portfolio review that will automatically clear any degree requirements. Degree requirements and transferability rules are subject to change in order to keep the degree content relevant and current. Remember, WGUs competency-based approach lets you take advantage of your knowledge and skills, regardless of how you obtained them. Even when you do not directly receive credit, the knowledge you possess may help you accelerate the time it takes to complete your degree program. Continuous Enrollment, On Time Progress, and Satisfactory Academic Progress WGU is a ―continuous enrollmentâ€â€" institution, which means you will be automatically enrolled in each of your new terms while you are at WGU. Your terms are six months long. Longer terms and continuous enrollment allow you to focus on your studies without the hassle of unnatural breaks between the shorter terms that you would experience in a more traditional environment. At the end of every six-month term, you and your mentor will review the progress you have made and revise your Degree Plan for your next six-month term. WGU requires that students make measurable progress toward the completion of their degree programs every term. We call this On Time Progress – denoting that you are on track and making progress toward on time graduation. As full-time students, graduate students must enroll in at least eight (8) competency units each term, and undergraduate students must enroll in at least twelve (12) competency units each term. Completing at least these minimum enrollments is essential to On Time Progress and serves as a baseline from which you may accelerate your program. We measure your progress based on the assessments you are able to pass, not on your accumulation of credit hours or course grades. Every time you pass an assessment, you are demonstrating that you have mastered skills and knowledge in your degree program. For comparison to traditional grading  systems, passing an assessment means you have demonstrated competency equivalent to a ―Bâ€â€" grade or better. WGU has assigned competency units to each assessment so that we can track your progress through the program. A competency unit is equivalent to one semester credit of learning.

Tragedy And The Common Man :: essays research papers

In Arthur Miller’s 1949 essay, "Tragedy and the Common Man," Miller began by saying, "In this age few tragedies are written." This particular essay was published in the New York Times, was also the preface that was prepared for "Death of a Salesman" in 1949. Before Miller’s "Death of a Salesman," there was only one type of tragedy—that which fit Aristotle’s definition. For Aristotle, plays of tragedy had to revolve around kings, gods, or people of high class. In these classic tragedies, the diction must be elevated and fitting of the characters.Arthur Miller challenged just about every belief and convention that had previously been accepted about tragic plays, as in Shakespeare’s "Hamlet"—which could be considered the paragon of tragedies. In claiming, "The tragic mode is archaic," Miller explains "that the common man is as apt a subject for tragedy in its highest sense as king s were." This very notion that regular people are just as fit to be main characters in a tragedy as royalty was also applied to the audience’s understanding of a tragic play. If the play was supposed to be about upper-class people, and was spoken in a vernacular that was only known to the high-bred, how were the common people who saw these plays supposed to comprehend their meaning? The only way for this problem to be solved, according to Miller, was to present a character to whom the audience will readily relate. Miller did this by presenting Willy Loman, the main character of "Death of a Salesman," who was a common workingman with a wife and two kids.The reason that there is such an absence of tragedies in this day and age, is that "the turn which modern literature has taken toward the purely psychiatric view of life, or the purely sociological," has been one that creates skepticism. With so much thinking involved, and analyzing, no one can really enjoy a play for what it is—pure entertainment. By constantly trying to figure out a reason for why something happened, the audience can no longer accept tragic action, let alone heroic action. This, along with the societal belief that in order for a protagonist to be recognized as a character he must be faultless, has made tragedy nearly impossible. Every person has his/her faults, even the great Hamlet had his downfall; his ambivalence and indecisiveness brought him down. Just as Willy Loman’s lack of self-esteem and feelings of inadequacy are what destroyed him.

Detailed analysis of school safety

Safety is an important factor in any learning institution that is focussed to achieving its mission, vision and goals in the future. So the most important thing to be enforced in such institutions is thus safety. Although there are other factors that contribute to the success of students in learning, safety form the core foundations for all activities that are undertaken by any learning institutions. The need to provide better learning environment to students begins with the provision of physical safety that leading to the provisions of emotional well being to the students. Atkinson, 1996) However, in the recent past years, many schools within the country have been faced with a number of problems which led to the compromising of schools safety. During last year’s perilous event that took place in our school, many of us as part of the school community were affected. Follow such consequences, the school administration formed a committee to research on the safety conditions and control measures in our school. The following is the report that was hand over to the administrators:- Outline of the issues: The rising indiscipline behaviour among the students The misuse of drugs and the utilization of illegal drugs within the school compound The rampant violence act among students and teachers The movement of outsiders and non- students as well as students within the school compound (Trump, 1997) While the above four issues were tackled into detail, it was clear that in the first matter, students were becoming uncouth and rowdy. There were many cases that involved students fighting in classes and outside classes. Furthermore, some of the sources indicated that some students had even blackmailed the name of our school to the outside communities by misbehaving in public. Some students have been alleged not to respect the elders and those in authorities while they are in public places. The second issues of using drug and illegal drugs indicated that most students have been caught by watchmen either drinking or drunk of alcohol, beer, or they have been found smoking cigarettes, marijuana and others addict able materials that may stimulates and affects the normal functioning of body or nervous systems. I think the applications of these substances are the consequences of the first and the third issue of rampant violence among the students and to the teachers. The most important matter that perhaps has lead to all these scaring actions is the lack of school fence. This has paralysed the efforts of the guards to regulating and control the movement of all the people getting in and out of the school ground. In fact this has given a great opportunity to drug traffics to access the clients within the school without much struggle or impairment while the same applies to the addicted students who would like to sneak out to go and obtain their materials. (Huff, 1996) Control measures To alleviate to the crooked ways of the students’ behaviour, the administrators being the closes guardians to the students should be taught guidance and counselling courses. They will then help them to mould the students and even rescue those who are drug addicts from the scathing killer drugs. While this is being implemented, the school can invite sociologists and religious leaders to give words of advices to the students periodically. Moreover, to accomplish their mission, there is need for the administration to coordinate with the parents and the local communities as well as the public in general to act as role models and to give corrective measures and check the behaviour of students. Final the school requires to be provided with a physical fence to check the intruders and students movements. (Trump, 1993)

What Speed Actually Means in Physics

Financial Analysis on Severn Trent PLC, being compared with United Utilities - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 6 Words: 1931 Downloads: 6 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Finance Essay Type Analytical essay Did you like this example? Financial Analysis on Severn Trent PLC, being compared with United Utilities Trend Analysis Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Financial Analysis on Severn Trent PLC, being compared with United Utilities" essay for you Create order The annual reports indicate that Severn Trent has experienced a steady rise in revenue over the period, with the exception of 2006 to 2007, when revenue fell by a third. This fall in revenue was due to the demerger of Biffa Plc, the waste collection and management company; as well as the sale of Severn Trent Property and US Laboratories. In addition, over the period from 2004 to 2007, the companys total equity fell by around 50% as a result of the demergers, as well as the decision to make a 575 million special dividend payout to shareholders in 2006. Over the period of the study, United Utilities has had much smoother performance, with revenue increasing steadily by up to 12% per year, with a small contraction from 2006 to 2007. United Utilities total equity has also risen by around 50%, to the point where it is now more than two and a half times that of Severn Trent, although United Utilities has only twice the post tax profit. This could imply that Severn Trents restructuring and demerging has made it more efficient when compared to its competitor. However, over the period of the study, the company has greatly expanded its balance sheet, taking on an additional 470 million of current assets and around 1.3 billion of long term debt. Most of the current assets were added from 2007 to 2008, as was most of the long term debt. This is due to the issue of new long term debt by Severn Trent to finance a major investment program to improve efficiency and meet its government KPIs. Severn Trents strategy of using long term debt for investment seems to be different from United Utilities, which has also increased its net assets by around 50%, but this has led to an 800 million increase in short term debt, with a 500 million reduction in long term debt over the course of the period. This could indicate that United Utilities current investments are more focused on short term gains and improvements, which Severn Trent is focusing on long term improvements to finance the long term debt. In terms of revenue and profits, Severn Trent has managed to raise its post tax profit by around 25 million, or around 14%, over the period, in spite of the loss in revenue due to the Biffa disposal. This represent significant financial efficiency gains, largely driven by the fact that operating costs have fallen by an even greater amount than the companys revenue. This indicates that the companys demergers and investments have been very effective at increasing the companys efficiency, even with the payout of a 575 million special dividend. In contrast, United Utilities has only seen a 15% rise in profit after tax in spite of seeing an increase in revenue of 11%, and not making any significant dividend payouts to investors. This indicates that, over the period of the study, Severn Trent has been more efficient than United Utilities in producing returns for its shareholders. Indeed, United Utilities has failed to even grow its revenues at the same rate as the overall UK water industry , which increased in size by a CAGR of 3.5% from 2002 to 2007 (Datamonitor, 2008a). Finally, Severn Trent has managed to reduce both its trade receivables and inventory over the period, indicating greater efficiency. However, it has only managed to reduce trade receivables by only 4%, in spite of a 23% fall in revenues. This implies that the company has not actually been effective at reducing receivables, particularly considering receivables fell by 100 million with the Biffa demerger. However, given that United Utilities saw a 37% increase in receivables over the same period, and a 22% increase in inventory, it seems that Severn Trent has performed better than its competitor. Ratio Analysis In this section; I will be analysing the ratios for Severn Trent Plc over the period 2004-2008 to determine the companys performance, and comparing them with United Utilities to gain an idea of the performance relative to industry peers. The main limitation to this analysis is that as Biffa, which was demerged in 2006, was a waste management company, it will have a different cost base to Severn Trent, and results from before this period may not be comparable to those after. In addition, the change in accounting standards from UK GAAP in 2004 and 2005 to IAS in 2006 (Severn Trent, 2009) may have caused inconsistencies in the ratio calculations. Unfortunately, without detailed management accounts, it will be impossible to determine the exact impact these changes will have. Liquidity Ratios Over the period from 2004 to 2005, Severn Trent maintained a very low current ratio of just 0.6, with an acid test ratio of around 0.55. This indicated that the company was in serious danger of liquidity problems should its creditors have decided to call in any loans. Indeed, in 2006 the current ratio fell to 0.44, and the acid test ratio to just 0.4. At this point, the company only had enough liquid assets to cover two fifths of its total short term liabilities, which could have been a cause for significant concern, particularly given that United Utilities maintained current and ratios of at least 1.15 over the same period. In 2007, both Severn Trents ratios rose slightly to 0.48 and 0.47; however this still placed the company in potential difficulties. However, from 2007 to 2008 the additional long term the company took on allowed Severn Trent to boost its cash reserves by around 500 million, boosting the current ratio to 1.15 and the quick ratio to 1.12. This action, which was pos sibly in response to concerns around the liquidity of short term credit during the credit crunch, brought both liquidity ratios up to a comparable level to United Utilities; which stood at 1.30 for the current ratio and 1.28 for the quick ratio respectively. Gearing / Solvency Ratio Over the period, Severn Trents debt ratio has increased from around 56% to 77%. This increase has generally been steady, but there was a significant jump from 2006 to 2007, from 62% to 74%, probably due to the disposal of the Biffa group and other assets. In terms of long term debt only, there was also a jump from 69% to 75% from 2007 to 2008, as a result of the additional long term debt taken on for restructuring and to raise cash. In contrast, over the same period United Utilities has steadily paid down its debts and reduced both debt ratios from both being around 68% in 2004 to the total ratio being 59% and the long term only being 54% in 2008. This could indicate greater prudence from United Utilities, or it could indicate that United Utilities is less efficient, and cannot find good places to invest its debts. Both companys debt to equity ratios have mirrored their debt ratios, with Severn Trents going from 129% in 2004 to 339% in 2008, whilst United Utilities has fallen from 213% in 2004 to 145% in 2008. In addition, Severn Trent has seen its interest cover fall from 9.6 in 2004 and 2005 to just 3.9 in 2008, whilst United Utilities has risen from 5.5 to 9.2 over the same period. This could indicate that, in spite of the greater efficiency discussed above, Severn Trents high debt levels could now be a cause for concern, and could cause the company to post losses if revenue falls or costs rise. Activity Ratios Severn Trents net asset turnover ratio and the non-current assets turnover ratio has remained fairly steady over the period 2004 to 2006, however it dropped quite sharply as the revenue generating assets of Biffa and the other demerged parts of the business were sold in 2006, going from 0.42 in 2006 to 0.29 in 2007. However, as of 2008, both ratios stand at around 0.25, which is very similar to United Utilities where they are 0.28 and 0.3 respectively. This indicates that Severn Trents demerging has brought its asset turnover ratios back to the standard level for the industry. Inventory turnover ratios for both companies are very high, however given that both companies primarily trade water, this is to be expected. Severn Trents inventory turnover has increased significantly since the Biffa demerger, and it now turns over its inventory around every six days. However, United Utilities turns its inventory over around every 3.5 days, indicating that it is either more efficient, or holds lower levels of inventory relative to its customer base. Both companies have high receivables days, which again could be expected given that the companies must work out flexible payment plans with their customers according to their charters. As such, any late payment generally needs to be treated more flexibly than in most businesses (Datamonitor, 2008b; Datamonitor, 2008c). However, Datamonitor (2008c) reports that Severn Trents asset and receivables turnover ratios are much lower than its peer companies, indicating a lack of operational efficiency. Profitability Ratios Severn Trents ROCE saw a quite significant increase from 7.7% in 2004 to 9.4% in 2006, with the ROCE on long term debt only going from 8.5% to 11.3%. However, following the Biffa demerger ROCE fell back to 7.57% and 8.29% respectively, which is likely due to the additional debt the company took on. This is mentioned in the 2008 accounts, where the Chief Executive discusses maintaining the debt ratio (Severn Trent, 2009). This is lower that Severn Trent, which has a ROCE of 8.4% and ROCE on short term debt of 9.5%. However, these figures have fallen from 11.6% and 11.7% respectively, which may indicate that United Utilities is moving towards where Severn Trent is. However, Severn Trents return on equity shows a significant and decisive move from 8.3% in 2004 to 17.5% in 2008. This is consistent with the companys strategic goal of increasing its return on equity to its shareholders, and indicates significant shareholder value creation. In contrast, over the same period United Utilities has fallen from 17.6% to 13% respectively, indicating that United Utilities is becoming more inefficient and creating less value for shareholders. Over the same period, Severn Trent has increased its gross profit margin from 19.4% to 25.8%, and net profit margin from 9.2% to 13.6%. This again indicates significant efficiency gains, mainly from the disposals which occurred in 2006, with gross margin going from 20.6% to 25.3% and net margin going from 9.9% to 16.8% from 2006 to 2007, before falling back in 2008. In contrast, United Utilities has witnessed more stagnant performance, with its gross profit margin falling from 35.3% to 28.1% and net profit margin rising slightly, but only from 17.1% to 17.6%. This implies that, as discussed above, United Utilities is performing poorly, and failing to create value through efficiency and gross profits. As such, it is forced to resort to paying down debt to maintain its net profit margins. Segmental Analysis Segmenting Severn Trents business is extremely simple: over 80% of the companys revenue comes from its core business of water and sewage, operated in the area from mid Wales to Rutland and from the Bristol Channel to the Humber (Severn Trent, 2009). Other important areas of business generally fall under water purification and operating services; pipeline rehabilitation; pipeline repair; and metering services. This is combined with a diversified portfolio of environmental services, giving Severn Trent a broad base to operate within water services. Prior to the demerger of the Biffa group and other business groups, Severn Trent had interests in other sectors including household waste management. However it has now concentrated its business in the water segment, with significant financial benefits. If this focus can allow its operating efficiency to reach that of its competitors, it may be able to improve yet further. References Datamonitor (2008a) Water Utilities Industry Profile: United Kingdom. Datamonitor Industry Profiles; September 2008. Datamonitor (2008b) United Utilities Plc. Datamonitor Company Profiles; April 2008. Datamonitor (2008b) Severn Trent Plc. Datamonitor Company Profiles; January 2008. Severn Trent (2009) Severn Trent PLC. https://www.severntrent.com/ Accessed 6th January 2009.