Managemen: a case study of wb engineering limited

The flexible nature of management of small and medium scale firm has made the management style in this structure of organization to be difficult. The structure and the size of resources available to small and medium scale organizations these have jointly constituted a factor that makes the management styles in small firms to be at variance with what is obtainable in large-scale organizations. In the view of Slatter (1992:159) cited Collins & Ram, 2003, â€Å"managing fast growth in entrepreneurial firms is one of the most difficult challenges that exists†. Owners often struggle to balance the flexibility required to keep pace with customers demands, with the stability needed to provide employees with a sense of continuity and security. Hence management essentially comprises a careful balancing act between strong leadership and decentralized task-oriented management; and processes involving organizational cohesion and those promoting individual responsibility (Collins & Ram, 2003). As a small and medium scaled firm expands and begin to transform into a large sized organization there is the need for such transformation to be commensurate to changes in management style that hitherto had being practiced; this need be done so that a lacuna would not be created and a lost of touch and proper control of the expanding resources. There is also the need to be awoken to current trend in our everyday dynamic business environment. The non-adherence to these little but significant facts has rendered many well to do but poorly managed organizations to die a premature death. This write up would be looking at those factors that had imposed the difficulty our case study (WB Engineering Limited) is passing through. WB Engineering Limited is a small firm having the aim to develop into a medium scale firm. The coordination of the firm’s human resource portends an impending difficulty to the moving forward of the firm to its next developmental level. Adrian and Grey are both managers of the small firm. Adrian’s relocation to Spain from US where the business located, kept Grey in a tight corner on how to effectively manage the firm’s resources. The immediate cause of the firm’s problem and recommended solutions on how to curtail this problem would be proffered. CONCEPTUALIZATION AND CHARACTERISTICS OF SMALL AND MEDIUM ORGANIZATION The term ‘small’ is a relative one it is not absolute. The line separating small from large is in a continuum and an issue that is inevitably arbitrary. According to Odaka & Sawai (1999), â€Å"small business is a generic concept. Being the antonym of big business, its social significance becomes clearer when placed in the historical context where the latter first appeared in the world economy†. Bolton 1971, cited in Bannock (2005), he identified three characteristics in its economic definitions of a small firm: A small market share, that is not large enough to influence national price or qualities (even though a village shop may be the only one, its prices cannot get too far out of line from those of major national retailers in the nearest town, even though people will pay something for local convenience) Managed in a personalized way: the owner actively participates in all aspects of the business unlike in a large firm where the shareholders and management are usually almost entirely separate. Independence or the exercise of ultimate management responsibility. A small subsidiary of a large firm, which has a head office to report to, does not share these characteristics. The above characteristics are usually identified with vast majority of business, which are inherently small in size. The study of small firms revolves around it five major features which include {1} Existence {2} Survival. {3} Success {4} Take-off {5} Resource maturity.   And these are regarded as the five stages in small business growth (Churchill & Lewis, 1983). These five stages go a long way to influence and determine the success that trails the small business historical growth. ADDUCED REASONS LEADING TO THE FALL OF WB ENGINNEERING LIMITED Transition from a small or medium size of business organization to a large entity, it requires the need to restructure the organizational structure and also the organizational strategy should be enhanced to be in tune with the new status the organization is attaining. Managing a fast growing entrepreneurial firm as that of WB Engineering is a onerous task that requires adequate managerial dexterity in balancing the flexibility required to keep pace with customer demands, alongside with the stability needed to provide employees with a sense of continuity and security in the transitional organization. One way of doing this is through a strong leadership in the organization that provides a key role in overcoming the confusion that usually accompanies growth and is necessary to build and maintain the cohesiveness of the organization. According to Collins & Ram (2003), â€Å"management essentially comprises a careful balancing act between strong leadership and decentralized task- oriented management; and processes involving organizational cohesion and those promoting individual responsibility†. Looking at the case study, WB Engineering Limited had missed the mark in a cohesive management of its expanding business and the leadership style adopted had being one of a centralized and undemocratic. The WB Engineering organization started well as a small entrepreneurial firm that adequately managed its resources and put in that individual- centralized managerial skill required at this stage of the business. But as the organization expands and transforms into a conglomerate status; integrating on a vertical level and diversification of resources and operations level, it then requires that at this developmental and transitional level in the organization that a cohesive maintenance of the organization is adopted through a strong leadership that exhibit a decentralized and democratic leadership style. The focus here is that WB Engineering Limited failed to give room for experts trained in specific managerial skills to assist in managing the growth of the organization. This became visible when Adrian moved to Spain, Gary felt totally abandoned and helpless. Assuming there is a decentralized structure in place, the absence of Adrain would not have constituted a big effect. His absence would have being adequately covered. It thus invariably signifies that the management has being one that is centralized even in this assuming state of the expansion of the organization. This had helped in the collapse of the organization. The no cohesive management of the organization again is reflected in the disconnected and autonomous management of the specialised units within the company as a group of satellites. The uncoordinated nature of the management of the organization shows the lapses in management style; which is another factor that has contributed to the fall in WB Engineering Limited. The lapses in managerial style adopted by Gary and Adrain is the lack of consultation with specialist before embarking on projects and also the lack of proper forecasting and research before venturing into a new business environment. Though, the WB Engineering Limited spent a whooping sum (2million pounds) in consulting professional and legal fees, this was done after the deal has being signed and as a way of restructuring the organization, after the acquisition of ESR, to be floated as a public organization. Assuming a little part of the sum had being spent in managerial consultancy and proper forecasting and research work, prior to the time the deal of acquiring ESR, this would have enable WB Engineering Limited to foresee the possibility of the acquisition as a dead trap, and an alternative measure would have being taking to avert the impending consequences. It is seen that the management style of the WB Engineering Limited had failed to grow out of its old shell and imbibe current management techniques and adopting strategic planning for the transitional organization. As it is a noticeable fact, management style in small firms have been more on operational plan than strategic plan. While strategic plan is conceived as â€Å"a written long-range plan, which includes both a corporate mission statement and a statement of organizational objectives operating planning on the other hand is defined as the setting of short-term objectives for specific functional areas such as finance, marketing, and personnel† (Shrader, et al 1989). A strategic planning needs adequate forecasting and researching. The embarking on projects without proper forecasting and re searching on consequences and building alternatives plan had being the waterloo of WB Engineering Limited when it acquired ESR. According to Orpen, â€Å"strategic planning benefits small firms by causing them to explore new alternatives for increasing sales and improving their competitive advantages (ibid). The management of WB Engineering Limited failed to recognize the significance of business environment in influencing the outcome of business operation. The preference for racing car in the UK market is different from what is obtainable in the US market. First impression matters a lot. The first introduced model of racing car in ESR by WB Engineering Limited, with a lesser quality in comparison with its other produce had beclouded the mind of prospecting customer, even when a winning model was reengineered by the company best engineering hands; little was done to safeguard the already battered image of the immerging firm (WBE-ESR organization) in US. Another factor that had contributed to the fall of WB Engineering Limited is the lack of concentrating all its resources directly at the operation it is having an upper hand. The organization had no specialized operation area; it is thus becoming Jack of all trade and master of none. Since the organization had cut an ace for itself in technical expertise and project engineering skill to mainstream automotive market, it ought   to have concentrated its resources in consolidating its operation around this   area, rather than dabbling into other areas like   owning a car racing team, and other project that is unrelated to it core area of operation. Concentrating and being specialized in a function makes the organization the master in such operation, hence competitive advantage over its rivals, even in this modern dynamic business world. From the given extract of WB Engineering Limited historical antecedents, it is observed that the organization ha a poor human relationship with its workers. They are not adequately informed and carried along in the organization scheme of operation. This is reflected where senior employees of the organization began to question the strategic direction of the organization. This shows that initially the senior employees were not partakers to the strategic planning. This also goes back to support the centralized and non consultative pattern which the management of the organization operates. The non involvement of workers especially the senior workers in the organization strategy planning, this had given them no sense of belonging in the organization, hence the lack of zeal to pursue the organizations objectives and goals. According to Marlow & Patton (1993), â€Å"the effective management of employees is also emerging as a key variable in the survival of mall firms†. The management of workers and non-consultation attitude of the management had contributed to the poor relationship of human resource in the organization with the management. CHANGES TO BE DONE IN ORDER TO IMPROVE THE ORGANIZATION EFFECTIVENESS The WB Engineering Limited need to adopt changes in ways it operates and the organizational structure for it to improve on its effectiveness. The under listed are ways the organization can achieve its effectiveness. First, there is a need that the organization restructures its management structure, which hitherto had been a centralized and undemocratic one. A decentralized organizational structure permits room for participation and workers contributing their innovative ideas in ways that would spur the organization ahead and make it compete vigorously with its rivals and attaining greater customer satisfaction. Thus, there is the need that the management of WB Engineering is decentralized, the strategic planning of the organization should not be left to only Adrain and Gary; workers involvement would go a long way to effect a positive change in the organization. Also, the need to adopt a formal structure in the organization would also aid in bringing an effective management structure where each worker knows who to report to and the responsibility expected of him. There is also the need for the organization to build a more beneficial relationship between the organization’s human resource and the management. Since the WB Engineering Limited is becoming vast in its operations, it should imbibe those strategic operations adopted by large organization; thus there is the need to carry out a strategic human resource management. According to Bacon et al (1996), cited in Wagar (1998), â€Å"small business managers are increasingly aware of new management ideas, and a number of organizations have implemented initiatives traditionally identified with large firm†. Thus the strategic human resource management has to do with the organization using its human resource in jointly drawing out strategies on which the organization would operate on. In modern times† firms were most likely to report sharing business information with employees and rapid change, keeping employees informed is important† (Wagar, 1998). The WB Engineering Limited should do more to incorporate more effective forecasting and consultative research prior to embarking on projects. This would not only   safe the organization from engaging in wrong business and project deals, but also enable it know how to manage its resources in the most rewarding   way. There is also the need for a well coordinated chain of the organization’s satellites businesses. This should be synchronized toward achieving same goal. The different group of satellites and other operational areas of the WB Engineering conglomerate should be coordinated in a fashion to jointly work towards achieving the goal of the organization. As earlier stated, the organization should concentrate its resources in the area of technical expertise and project engineering which over the years had being its major profit maximizing venture. It is also suggested that the acquired ESR in U.S. since this has being the waterloo and the immediate cause of the impediment to the growth of WE Engineering Limited; this should be made to enter into a strategic alliance with other thriving organization in the United States. Instead of a full merger, the organization resources and managerial know-how can form an alliance with other effective organization in strategizing a way of moving the organization through a symbiotic relationship. This will give the organization the ability to take advantage of the environment in which it operates. Lastly, it is suggested that in this ever dynamic contemporary business world, the organization should follow the trend of the time and adapt to modern management techniques; such as strategic human resource management, Total Quality management (TQM), having competitive advantage through product differentiation. When these are adopted it would give the organization an edge over its rival and make the WB Engineering Limited regain its lost glory in the race car construction industry. REFRENCES Bannock, Graham (2005), The Economic and Management of Small Business: An International Perspective. New York: Routledge Publisher. Collins, L. & Ram, M. (2003), â€Å"Managing the Entrepreneurial Firm† Stream 9: Critical realist in Perspectives on Entrepreneurial Organization and Discourses. June http://www.mngt.waikato.ac.nz/ejrot/cmsconfrence/2003/proceedings/criticalrealist/collins.pdf (06/03/06) Neil C Churchhill and Lewis, V. L. (1983), the Five Stages of Small business Growth. Harvard Business Review, 61, 2-11 Shrader, C.B. et al (1989), â€Å"Strategic and Operational Planning, Uncertainty and Performance in Small Firms† in Journal of Small Business Management Vol. 27, No. 4 Odaka, K. & Sawai, M. (1999), Small Firms, Large Concerns, The development of Small Business in Comparative Perspective. Oxford: Oxford University Press. P1. Wagar, Terry H. 91998), â€Å"Determinants of Human Resource management Practices in Small Firms: Some evidences from Atlantic Canada† in Journal of Small Business Management Vol.36, No.2.            

Economics Terms and Health Care History Essay

Introduction The healthcare economics have changed so much over the years. The changed was because of the evolutionary changes that happened in the United States which cause the dramatic change in the economics medical technology. One of the main reasons that moves all things are by health care economics is the money and the money help keeps an organization to established and be stable and it is the key to success. One way that the organization is using to help run the business is the cash flow system. It run the business and somehow help in making a decision in the future and also learning the healthcare economics. â€Å"Economics is the science that deals with the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services or the material welfare of human kind.† (Getzen & Moore, 2007). There are some factors that contributed to the evolution of healthcare and these are technology and medical advancement. If somebody understand the flow of funds and the health care economics started, it will be easier task of planning for the future. Like what I mentioned earlier it’s the money is the driving force at health care economics. In the past most people paid privately for health care. The funding began over the years that come more from the health care insurance. That way the individuals are only paying a portion of the cost of the health care insurance the private insurance will pay the rest. (Getzen & Moore, 2007) The United States technology change because of the supply and demand and new technology system are continuously upgrading and updating to help the  increasing population in United States. Before our time people who needs to be treated by a doctor will trade things that they own in exchange for the payment of the health service, they did not have any money or they couldn’t afford the cost of the health care services. There are times the doctors would trade treatment for some things such as cotton, livestock, grain and jewelry as the patient form of Economic Terms and Health Care History3 payment. These doctors were tradesmen, the patient was paying one hundred percent cost for health care services rendered. As the United Stated progress with the technology and other historical factors, such as The Great Depression, a new health care system was made to aid the American population in purchasing medical services. Microeconomics and Macroeconomics Microeconomics is how the individuals and organizations make a decision on how to allocate the resources that are available so by allocating the resources they can meet their own or the consumer demands. Macroeconomics is the general population or the health care system as a whole, rather than the individual consumers or organizations. Both Microeconomics and Macroeconomics explained that the supply and demand of the population. Microeconomics concentrate on the product costs in any given market. Macroeconomics explain the price of the product that are sold. Macroeconomics are influenced by inflation, consumer consumption and employment rates. In Microeconomics, the individual that need medical are but do not have health care insurance may continue the treatment until it finish. The health care system that can assist this individual are through Medicaid or Medicare. However Microeconomics affects Macroeconomics. For the patient or the organization with the demands that are not met, the whole system becomes stained. Economic Terms and Health Care History4 Gross Domestic Product Gross Domestic Product are consists of total market value of all services  and goods that produced during the specific period of time. (Apollo Group, 2010). This comprises the services and goods that are produce with the market values over a year. The three ways gross market value determined are expenditures, product approach and income approach. Despite with all approaches the outcomes are identical. Elasticity and Inelasticity The consumers determined the elasticity same as the cost of the products by supply and demand. If the consumer agreed that the product is important or essential, then the cost of the product may be higher, most of the time consumer will continue to purchase the product out of necessity and still willing to play a higher price. So if the product or service is in such a great demand and consumer still willing to purchase regardless of its costs, then it is considered inelastic. Supply and Demand The Supply and Demand played an important role in the society. It has influenced the prices and the quantities of the product available. This is where microeconomics and macroeconomics get affected. If there are no demand of the products then the supply of the product gets affected. The supply of the product will be limited if there are no demands. If the demands is a lot, then the supply would be limited as well, it is because of how much the product is sold and the quantity of the supplier can sell the product. The consumer always consider the cost of the products, by this it determine the supply and demand of the product. Economic Terms and Health Care History5 Conclusion Economics is part of our health care industry, it can be used to predict the costs in the health care world by supply and demand, microeconomics and macroeconomics, service elasticity and inelasticity. Economics Terms and Health Care History6 References: Getzen and Allen 2007, Healthcare Economics http://www.investopedia.com/ask/answers/110.asp

The Matrix Fear of Technology in a Dystopian World

The Matrix: Fear of Technology in a Dystopian World Millions of people flock to the movie theater year after year on a quest to be entertained. Even a mediocre movie has the ability to take the audience to another place, escaping the realities of their own life, if only for a mere two hours. Some movies are simply pure entertainment. And then, there are those movies that provoke conversation long after the film has been viewed. Dystopian themes are not new, and have historically provided a template to gage the course of human existence. The Matrix portrays a society where humans exist without freedom. The film is not only entertaining, but also thought provoking. It paints a world with two different dimensions, one with the mind numbing†¦show more content†¦They are literally imprisoned by the program; plugged in like a socket. The disruption of natural order in the world has stifled nearly the maturation of the human species. Neo is shocked when Morpheus reveals the true c ondition of the planet, â€Å"There are fields, endless fields where human beings are no longer born. We are grown.† Technology has annihilated their nature habitat and replaced it with their mechanical breed. Through the war against AI and humans, machinery replaced natural resources and Earth became a barren wasteland. This is a slow building mimic of the world today. Machines and technology control the natural resources in the world: water flow, electricity, and natural gas. If and when there is a major failure, society has become so dependent upon the technology that controls these resources that the result would be catastrophic. The fear of technology is another recurring theme throughout the film. The â€Å"unplugged† humans have retreated into hiding. Neo takes refuge on the ship, Nebuchabnezzar, but constantly needs attempts to avoid detection by the Sentinels, an electronic pulse-seeking, computer-generated robot The Matrix also asserts its control by tracing telephone calls in order to find the rouge human. This is one way the Matrix is able to fight against the human resistance movement. Once a human is located, the Matrix program eliminates its threat, affirming its dominance over humans. Like the film,Show MoreRelatedThe Matrix: Technology Fears of a Dystopian World630 Words   |  3 Pagesrecent films The Hunger Games and Divergence, the dystopian theme in film is not a new one. The Matrix shows a society where humans exist without any freedom. The film, not only entertaining but thought provoking as well, paints a world with two different dimensions, a world very much like today’s when the film is closely examined. The Matrix questions the benefit of technology and influence over society. Like today’s world, in The Matrix technology dominates society. There are two dimensions in theRead MoreThe Wasteland and The Matrix Essay1481 Words   |  6 Pagesof world has always been called into the question. The same is true of commentaries on the state of mankind. T.S. Eliot’s The Wasteland is considered by many to be the greatest poem of all time. During Eliot’s time, the world was beginning to place more value on pop culture than high culture. Gone were the days where most were familiar with the works of the greats. The Wachowski Brothers’ film, The Matrix, deals with similar themes as The Wasteland . The science fiction film set in world thatRead MoreRay Bradbury s Fahrenheit 4512323 Words   |  10 PagesPicture a world where one must meet the expectations of being normal, where diversity is not accepted, or even worse, a detached society where emotions no longer exist. By reading the first few pages of Fahrenheit 451, readers immediately ge t the feeling of a dystopian society. Firemen creating fires, instead of extinguishing them, and technology that has taken their society to a whole new level of entertainment. These are exaggerated ideas right off the bat, yet Ray Bradbury carries the readersRead MoreEssay on An Analysis of Cypher’s Betrayal and the Problem of Evil1608 Words   |  7 PagesThe Matrix, written and directed by Lary and Andy Wachowski, is a 1999 science-fiction action film that has been regarded as one of the most igneous and highly imaginative films of all time. It depicts the complex story of a dystopian future in which the reality perceived by most human beings is actually a simulated one created by AI machines who use the suppressed humans as energy sources. Though the main characters of the story have freed themselves from the matrix, one character named Cypher (aRead MoreAnalysis Of The By William Shakespeare4012 Words   |  17 Pageshad one main value instilled in her mind while she was growing up, which was typical for majority of the teens in all factions, Beatrice’s is classified as, Divergent.† Due to this, Tris has to face many more challenges than most teens in this dystopian society, and readers depict her as strong-willed, daring, and averse to showing weakness, mostly during her initiation into Dauntless. However, despite how heroic and brave Tris is majority of the time, like any teen, she still has moments of inordinateRead More Facing Our Fears in Science Fiction Essay3400 Words   |  14 PagesFacing Our Fears in Science Fiction The dead are walking. They lumber and limp, feet scraping against the asphalt. Suddenly, they lunge and tear down into soft, warm, vulnerable flesh with startling speed. Not far behind, oozing inside-out hellhounds growl around razor fangs, stalking with murderous intent. All because of an innocent little airborne chemical weapon†¦This can’t be happening, this would never happen, right? It may sound far fetched, and it is. These horrifying creaturesRead MoreMovie Analysis : The City And Suburb 1785 Words   |  8 PagesMatthew Alavanja SOC224 Urban Sociology- Professor A. Howell The City and Suburb in Film Paper December 16, 2015 Sources; Movies Watched- In Time, Elysium Movies Referenced- Blade Runner, Matrix Article Used- Decent People Shouldn’t Live Here A common theme in literature, television, and cinema, are societies and their drive to reach perfection. Strives towards building a utopia are the basis for most science fiction works. However, no such perfect true utopia may ever really exist. Even if things

The Lottery by Shirley Jackson - 823 Words

Throughout the work of Langston Hughes, and the documentary film, â€Å"The Lottery†, you find many similarities, and differences from today’s society and acceptance of black Americans. In today’s society these works and many others of the Harlem Renaissance era still hold true, but the most important is the African Americans reliance on God. In, â€Å" I too†, by Langston Hughes wrote in 1922 is about a presumably young black man is stating that he too is an American and one day everyone will treat him as such. â€Å"I am the dark brother, they send me to eat in the kitchen but I laugh, and eat well and grow strong.† (Hughes, 1922). This work shows how even through diversity, enslavement, discrimination, and torture the black man one day will prevail, and has held onto the hope that his reliance on God will bring him and his people through that one say they will be treated as equal. â€Å"Besides they’ll see how beautiful I am and be asha med- I too, am America.† (Hughes, 1922). This fight is still prevalent today because the â€Å"presumably† a black man is considered dangerous because of his neighborhood, upbringing, or because of the past told to them from long ago. When in all actuality that black man is just one that was raised in a rough neighborhood just trying to find a way to climb up the economic ladder so that he and his family will not have to same life he did. But though all of that black Americans still cling to God in hope that one day he will truly be seen as equal. â€Å"TheShow MoreRelatedThe Lottery, By Shirley Jackson1195 Words   |  5 PagesOn the surface, Shirley Jackson’s short story, â€Å"The Lottery,† reads as a work of horror. There is a village that holds an annual lottery where the winner is stoned to death so the village and its people could prosper. Some underlying themes include: the idea that faith and tradition are often followed blindly, and those who v eer away from tradition are met with punishment, as well as the idea of a herd mentality and bystander apathy. What the author manages to do successfully is that she actuallyRead MoreThe Lottery by Shirley Jackson757 Words   |  4 Pagessucceed but many fail just like the main character Tessie Hutchinson in Shirley Jackson’s short story â€Å"The Lottery†. When someone hears the word â€Å"lottery†, he or she may think that someone will be rewarded with prize. But â€Å"The Lottery† By Shirley Jackson is different than what one thinks. In the story, a lottery is going to be conducted not like Mega Million or Powerball one play here. In the story, the person who wins the lottery is stoned to death instead of being rewarded with the prize. TessieRead MoreThe Lottery By Shirley Jackson931 Words   |  4 PagesIn 1948 Shirley Jackson composed the controversial short story â€Å"The Lottery.† Generally speaking, a title such as â€Å"The Lotteryâ⠂¬  is usually affiliated with an optimistic outlook. However, Jackson’s approach is quite unorthodox and will surely leave readers contemplating the intent of her content. The story exposes a crude, senseless lottery system in which random villagers are murdered amongst their peers. Essentially, the lottery system counteracts as a form of population control, but negatives easilyRead MoreThe Lottery By Shirley Jackson1504 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"The Lottery† by Shirley Jackson In The Lottery Shirley Jackson fills her story with many literary elements to mask the evil. The story demonstrates how it is in human nature to blindly follow traditions. Even though some people have no idea why they follow these traditions. The title of the story plays a role in how Shirley Jackson used some literary elements to help mask the evils and develop the story. The title â€Å"The Lottery† serves as an allegory. When people think of the lottery majorityRead More`` The Lottery `` By Shirley Jackson894 Words   |  4 Pagesshort story â€Å"The Lottery†, author Shirley Jackson demonstrates Zimbardo’s concepts in three different areas: Authority figures, Tradition and Superstition, and Loyalty. The first concept Jackson portrays in â€Å"The Lottery† is the authority figures. Jackson indicates that the lottery is being held in the town center by one authority figure, Mr. Summers, annually on June 27th. Every June 27th, without fail, townspeople gather in the town square to participate in the annually lottery even though mostRead MoreThe Lottery, By Shirley Jackson1510 Words   |  7 PagesShirley Jackson’s â€Å"The Lottery† illustrates several aspects of the darker side of human nature. The townspeople in Jackson’s â€Å"The Lottery† unquestioningly adhere to a tradition which seems to have lost its relevance in their lives. The ritual that is the lottery shows how easily and willingly people will give up their free will and suspend their consciences to conform to tradition and people in authority. The same mindless complacency and obedience shown by the villagers in Jackson’s story are seenRead MoreThe Lottery By Shirley Jackson8 11 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"The Lottery† was published by Shirley Jackson. The story was true expression of Jackson’s genuine thoughts about human beings and their heinous competence in an annual village event for corn harvest . First, her used to word symbolized main point of the story. Second, Jackson was inspired by few historical events happened in the past and a life incident in her life. Lastly, She was able to accomplish the connection between historical and biographical with the story. Therefore, Shirley Jackson’sRead MoreThe Lottery By Shirley Jackson934 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"The Lottery† by Shirley Jackson signifies the physical connection between the villagers and their unwillingness to give up their tradition. â€Å"The Lottery† is very unpredictable and quite misleading. The black box has no functionality, except every June 27th. Shirley Jackson depicts the black box as an important and traditional tool. Although the villagers in â€Å"The Lottery† are terrified of the goal of the lottery and the black box, they are unwilling to let go of the tradition. Shirley Jackson portraysRead MoreThe Lottery by Shirley Jackson799 Words   |  4 Pagesthe mood and to foreshadow of things to come. The Lottery by Shirley Jackson is a story in which the setting sets up the reader to think of positive outcomes. However, this description of the setting foreshadows exactly the opposite of what is to come. In addition, the theme that we learn of at the end leads us to think of where the sanity of some human beings lies. The story begins with the establishment of the setting. To begin, Shirley Jackson tells the reader what time of day and what time ofRead MoreThe Lottery by Shirley Jackson1764 Words   |  7 Pagesfilled with excitement and eeriness, leaving the reader speechless. The Lottery , a short story written by famous writer Shirley Jackson, created an uproar on June 26, 1948, when it was published in the magazine The New Yorker (Ball). The gothic thriller, set in an unknown time and place, shares the tradition of a small town, a little larger than three hundred people, in which a drawing is held once a year. In this â€Å"Lottery,† each family’s husband draws a slip of paper from a black box. The husband

Stress and Troubled Adolescents Essay example - 757 Words

Adolescents today are growing up in a totally different setting than the generation before them. New problems and choices are entering these young, and influential kids lives. There are a lot of different factors in children’s lives that weren’t as common one generation ago. Adolescents today are filled with stress due to everyday problems in their lives. There are many factors that are playing into all of this stress put on children. One of these factors is divorce, one-parent families. Since 1960, the divorce rate has almost doubled. Almost one half of all marriages end in divorce. With this, about one quarter of all births are to unmarried women. Adolescents growing up in a single parent family are more likely to try†¦show more content†¦It makes them vulnerable to peer pressure. They tend to be more daring and experimental, and they fail to think about the physical attributes that come into play. Like having unprotected sex, doing drugs, smoking, and drinking alcohol. These could have a major affect on their physical, and even mental state of being. The really sad thing is that the kids don’t even understand what they are doing to themselves. They are caught up in a world of separation, and aggression. Adolescents with all of these problems and aggression have been known to bring on some of the most violent crimes in the country. This is a very scary scenario, as we are still in the wake of the Columbine shooting. Many children are taking out there stress by bringing guns to school; this is a major problem in our society. If kids aren’t feeling safe at school, there is something very wrong. According to our â€Å"Searching For Great Ideas† book, the homicide rate among adolescents with firearms doubled from 1985 to 1992. (23) There is a very simple solution to these adolescent’s problems, and it’s parents. It is easy for everyone to point the finger at violent movies, video games, or television. These wouldn’t even be a factor if they had loving and caring parents to let them know what is right and what is wrong. By giving these kids attention, they begin to feel a sense of importance and reason in life. It suppresses the feeling of loneliness, and also lowers theShow MoreRelatedPsychosocial Factors That Affect Adolescent s Behavior876 Words   |  4 Pages Psychosocial Crisis in Adolescents Adolescence is an interesting stage of development and is the fifth stage of Erikson stages of development .According to Erikson adolescence is a time of searching for one’s own identity and developing a sense of autonomy. Trying on different â€Å"selves† is a common mental and behavioral activity of adolescents who are in the process of developing an internally anchored sense of who they are, rather than defining themselves by what others think or expect of themRead MoreDepression in Our Youth682 Words   |  3 PagesMany teenagers and adolescents experience major depression in America today. 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Dog of Dow Strategy

Question: Discuss about the Dog of Dow Strategy. Answer: Introduction: The current research examines the popular Dog of the Dow strategy by evaluating the risk and return. This is made through application of the principles behind the strategy to the Hang Seng Index (HSI) and Hang Seng China Enterprises Index (HSCEI) from the years 2003-2012. The back-testing outcome signifies that this particular strategy has been conventionally famous amongst the community of investment by outperforming the benchmark successfully, which is the Dow Jones Industrial Average. The outperformance in Dogs of HIS has been only observed. By comparison, the Dogs of HSCEI have failed to overrun the standard in the previously mentioned time horizon. The discrepancy of outcome has been attributed to the fact that the mainland counterparts (A-shares) highly affect the constituents of HSCEI. It is observed that the mainland market of China is a growth play, which has restricted the progress of the principle of value investment underlying the strategy of Dogs. History of Dogs of the Dow: The Dogs of the Dow has gained the polarity among the investment community because of its straightforward, understandable and prudent performance (He 2014). In addition, the long outperformance in comparison to the index of benchmark, The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) is another reason behind the growing popularity of the Dogs strategy. Dogs strategy is an application of investment value, which criticises that the undervalued stocks have purchasing opportunities, which are probable to bring back to their fair prices. This provides the investors with an opportunity of earning favourable returns. However, hrberg, Schnknecht and sterberg (2014) argued that using dividend yield is an efficient measure to track the undervalued securities among the constituents of DJIA instead of price/earnings and price-to-book ratios. This is primarily because of the following three reasons: A high stock of dividend yield is probably to be a dawdler with a depressed share price over the last year and it is more likely in contrast low dividend yield shares for regaining value and catches the peers, which has outperformed DJIA. The investors tend to select defensive shares, which are relatively less subject to the poor economic cycle and fetch stable income for the investors in a struggling market. A cushion effect could be developed with the help of dividend, which receives greater appreciation from the investors in a sluggish market. During the time of economy recovery, the investors could make both gain in dividends and appreciation of capital. The other multiples of trading could not provide any protection level, which indicates the superiority of dividend yield in choosing undervalued stocks. Price/earnings and price-to-book ratios are highly subject to accounting manipulating and short-term profit fluctuations. On the contrary, dividend data avoids accounting manipulation, since it is more predictable. The concept Dogs imply that these securities have underperformed considerably and therefore, they could be termed as unfavourable investments. Coming to construction of portfolio, the advocator of Dogs strategy chooses the beginning ten largest stocks in terms of dividend yield. These stocks are selected on the final trading day of each accounting year to construct a uniformly weighted portfolio for the purpose of simplicity. The developed portfolio is kept for a year until the last day of the upcoming accounting year. During that time, the investors need to select the same criteria for reassessment of new Dogs securities in order to rebalance the portfolio. Henceforth, the portfolio is comprised of ten securities, which is overhauled yearly to consist of the current greater dividend yield securities amongst the constituents of DJIA. With the help of such portfolio construction, the investors do not need to invest all funds on a specific security; however, they could invest in a diverse group of stocks from DJIA. These are some of the securities of reputed organisations, which are large and liquid in nature. In addition, these securities have undergone many economic crises and managed to survive over the years. Thus, the Dogs portfolio could be considered as conservative investment due to flourishing operating history. In the words of Qiu, Song and Hasama (2013), despite the undervaluation of some firms due to complicated business issues like the oil spill of Exxons Valdez in 1984, they have overcome the situation to maintain business sustainability. However, there is an exception, in which Manville Corporation has become insolvent in 1984 due to legal suits, which has resulted in elimination from DJIA. Dogs strategy is planned for making long-term investments and ample time horizon is needed for accomplishing the desired outcome. After investigating the Dogs portfolio and the performances of DJIA for 17 years from 1973-1989, it has been found that the portfolio has made an annual return of 17.9%, while the figure is 11% for DJIA constituents. However, review of the current performance is necessary to assess the effectiveness of the Dogs portfolio. The below-mentioned chart supports the efficiency of the strategy, since it has outrun the market by 17.74% starting from 2010 to 2013. In case, the risk is high to beat the market, the strategy might not be convincing for the investors. Hence, it is feasible to contrast the outcomes relative to both risk and return. According to the research results of Tissayakorn et al. (2013) from 1928 to 2001, it has been found that the Dogs have outperformed DJIA, since the return achieved is 12.9% with a standard deviation of 12.8%. On the contrary, the return of DJIA is 11.4% having standard deviation of 22.4% based on risk adjustment. Therefore, it could be inferred that the strategy of Dogs have outrun the market with a lower level of risk, as laid out by the values of standard deviation. In simple words, it could be inferred that the Dogs strategy has a greater Sharpe ratio in contrast to the set benchmark. The investors planning to invest for longer periods prefer steady growth instead of changed dividend payout. In addition, the firm maintaining the growth in its dividend policy could achieve certain requirements to increase the value of the shareholders. Based on this viewpoint, Ghouse, Nadrah and Ahmad (2014) named ten securities, which have the greatesr dividend yield with never reduced dividends from 1998 to 2003. These have been categorized as the Dow Core 10. The portfolio has an average half-yearly return of 14.9%, which is 0.47% more in contrast to the Dogs portfolio. This is because of the lower rebalancing need, which minimises the requirement of realisation arising from capital gains tax. Hence, it could be inferred that the fall in transaction cost makes the portfolio of Dow Core 10 highly cost-effective for the investors. References: Ghouse, M., Nadrah, S.H. and Ahmad, N., 2014. Conceptual Paper of the Trading Strategy: Dogs of the Dow Theory (DoD).Noryati, Conceptual Paper of the Trading Strategy: Dogs of the Dow Theory (Dod)(June 4, 2014). He, J.J., 2014.Can Alternative Dogs of the Dow Beat Hedge Funds?(Doctoral dissertation, Princeton University). hrberg, T., Schnknecht, P. and sterberg, E., 2014. Dogs of the Dow. Olsson, D. and Necander, A., 2016. Beating the market through dividend yields: Dogs of the Dow in the Swedish context. Qiu, M., Song, Y. and Hasama, M., 2013. Empirical Analyses of the/dogs of the Dow Strategy: Japanese Evidence.International Journal of Innovative Computing, Information and Control,9(9), pp.3677-3684. Tissayakorn, K., Song, Y., Qiu, M. and Akagi, F., 2013. A Study on Effectiveness of the" Dogs of the Dow" Strategy for the Thai Stock Investment.International Journal of Innovation, Management and Technology,4(2), p.277. Yan, H., Song, Y., Qiu, M. and Akagi, F., 2015. An empirical analysis of the dog of the dow strategy for the Taiwan stock market.Journal of Economics, Business and Management,3(4), pp.435-439.

Vick and Ben Essays - National Football League, American Football

Its been almost 3 weeks since Ben Roethlisberger had a tragic MCL sprain (4-6 weeks) while facing the St. Louis Rams. What have we learned about the Steelers (3-2) since Big Bens accident? The obvious conclusion is that Roethlisberger, like the last 11 seasons, in the main facilitator of this offense. An offense, which many say, is the most dangerous in all of the NFL. With LeVeon Bell, last years leader in yards from scrimmage, Antonio Brown, one of the best (if not the best) wideouts in the game, and Martavis Bryant, the Steelers #1 deep threat, all being orchestrated by last years passing leader, Ben Roethlisberger, the Steel Citys offense is the fiercest it has been since the 70s dynasty. The 4 Bs, as well as a renewed offensive line, were going to lead Pittsburgh in the contention for the Lombardi Trophy. Then in Week 3, Rams safety Mark Barron sacked Big Ben, hitting him just below the left knee, leading to the MCL sprain. Who was to come in after this devastating injury? None other than Michael Vick. After Bruce Gradkowski suffered a dislocated finger during preseason, and the confidence in Landry Jones became a figment of their imagination, the Steelers signed stay-at-home dad, Michael Vick. Upon his arrival, Vick was placed into the 2nd-string slot, ahead of Landry Jones. Vick was the best option, and even after his showing in his first 2 starts, he still is the best option because no one wants to witness Landry Jones starting a game in the NFL. Steelers fans would rather see punter Jordan Berry start before Landry Jones. Thus, the need for Vick was dire. So far, Vick has gone 1-1 with a disappointing Week 4 loss against Baltimore, and a jaw-dropping Week 5 win against San Diego. His record should be 2-0, but thanks to the leg, or lack thereof, of Josh Scobee, missed field goals cost Pittsburgh a win against their then winless archrivals (Scobee is now a free agent). As we all know, the Steelers were Saved by the Bell in their win against the Chargers. LeVeon Bell scoring from 1 yard out as time expired saved a very poor outing by Michael Vick. Seeing this, one may think that the Steelers are faring well, but in fact every snap with Vick at quarterback causes a nationwide cringe. There is an obvious lack of chemistry between Michael Vick and the Steelers Pro Bowl wide receiver, Antonio Brown. Browns stats have plummeted in the past couple of games. His streak of 35 regular season games of having at least 5 catches and at least 50 yards was snapped in Vicks first start. After averaging 10 catches, 145 yards, and 15 yards/catch through the first 3 games (all Ben starts), Brown has been held to averaging 4 catches, 43 1/2 yards, and 12 yards/catch in the past 2 games (Vick starts. The past couple of games, Antonio Browns stats have dropped 50-60%, giving him the numbers of a 3rd string slot receiver. Brown has even told the media that he thinks he [doesnt] get the ball enough [Vick is] playing conservative to make sure [the Steelers] get the win. Vick has only had a total of 227 passing yards in his 2 starts. In Bens first tw o games this year, he had a total of 720 passing yards (not counting Week 3 due to injury). The Steelers passing game is producing 69% less with Vick than with Ben. With offensive coordinator Todd Haley using more of a passing philosophy, many other Steelers have had to step up. LeVeon Bell has had to take the majority of the workload, and is thriving with 240 yards through Vicks two starts. Stephon Tuitt, Cameron Heyward, and Bud Dupree have risen up on defense, accounting for more than 50% of the teams total sacks. Also, Ross Cockrell, one of the biggest surprises for this young defense, has been playing lockdown coverage throughout the season. An interception and a fumble recovery add to this 4th year veteran out of Dukes stat sheet. Overall, the Pittsburgh secondary, which brought many concerns due to the lack of experience, has stepped up since Big Bens absence. Final Thoughts