Cultural diversity in a Danish MNC Essay

Introduction Workforce diversity is a complex phenomenon and a major challenge for HR managers in MNCs. The case presents a Danish MNC, Danvita (not its real name)that has committed to pursuing a diversity strategy. The essence of a diversity strategy is a commitment to providing equal opportunities for employees regardless of their gender, age, nationality, disability and political and sexual orientation. In this case our focus is on cultural diversity. Drawing on individual perceptions of Danvita employees this case explores how Danvita’s diversity strategy in relation to national culture is experienced by Danvita’s employees. Diversity as a strategic resource It has been argued that MNCs that are able to draw on a diverse mix of employees can develop a strategic advantage (Richard, 2000). This is because workforce diversity establishes the potential for diverse perspectives that in turn facilitate creative thinking and effective problem solving (Cox, 1991; Cox & Blake, 1991). Understanding and valuing diversity can enable constructive conflict resolution, reduce miscommunication and lead to lower employee turnover and result in cost savings (Robinson & Dechant, 1997). A diverse workforce that can draw on a variety of cultural insights can also have a positive impact on international marketing and sales (Blake-Beard, Finley-Hervey & Harquail, 2008; Robinson & Dechant, 1997; Cox & Blake, 1991; Cox, 1991). However, workforce diversity can also have negative effects. Some researchers have observed that groups characterized by high degrees of cultural diversity have lower levels of employee satisfaction, lower levels or performance, high levels of miscommunication, conflicts and turnover than more homogenous groups (O’Reilly, Caldwell & Barnett, 1989; Watson et al., 1993; Richard, McMillan, Chadwick & Dwyer, 2003). Diversity as perceived by organizational members The focus of this case is in on the issue of how Danvita employees experience the company’s strategy of achieving cultural diversity. ‘As with many things in life, perception is reality’claims Allen et al. (2008: 22). Individual perceptions influence the way individuals interact with their colleagues and participate in the life of organization. Based on their perceptions, organizational members participate actively or passively in the implementation of the company’s strategies as well as support or oppose organizational change. Knowledge of how organizational members perceive diversity opens a possibility for improvement if necessary. The case data were obtained by means of seventeen qualitative interviews with seven Danish and ten international employees. Their narratives, however, should not be understood separately from the environment where the stories and events take place. Thus the narratives were supplemented with direct observations of diversity trainingsessions and with documents containing the new diversity strategy, managerial speeches and company annual reports. In this way information about the social context in which the employees’ perceptions of cultural diversity are constructed and re-constructed on an everyday basis was obtained. Denmark and Danish The context in which the diversity case is unfolding contains elements of both national and organizational culture. Although there is a considerable overlap, it is important to distinguish them. Despite its commitment to diversity and inclusion of international employees the head office of Danvita is still operating in a broader context of Denmark. In Denmark historical and religious development of the society led to formation of a very particular institutional environment in which the state plays a significant role. Denmark has a well-developed welfare state that redistributes wealth and that ensures inequalities are relatively limited (Andersen and Svarer, 2007). The role of the Danish language as a uniting and protecting mechanism in Danish society must be acknowledged. Historically the Danish language is an indicator of membership of and belonging to Danish society. Its significance for inclusiveness means that it may alsofunction as a mechanism of exclusion of non-Danish speakers. This factor co-exists with Denmark’s membership of the European Union and its policy of welcoming well-qualified professionals to work in Denmark. Danvita and the HR challenges it is facing The aim is to create a culture where all employees feel valued and have the opportunity to reach their full potential(Diversity strategy, Danvita) Briefly about Danvita Danvita is the company that has been a leader in the industry in which it operates. Annual reports indicate increased profits for 2009-2011. In March 2012 Danvita had more than 32,800 employees worldwide distributed across affiliates and offices located in 75 countries. Just over 40 per cent of its employees are located in Denmark. In order to function successfully as a MNC Danvita believes that it has to attract, develop and retain competent people from any location in the world. In 2009 it started a diversity initiative. At the core of this initiative is the operational guideline for HR which states that the company will provide: â€Å"(†¦) equal opportunities to all present and future people, regardless of gender, age, race, religion, nationality, cultural and social origin, disability, political or sexual orientation and family status† (Danvita). In 2009 when diversity strategy was launched about 700 of Danvita’s employees in Denmark were foreigners. Although 68 nationalities were represented it should be noted that half of the foreign employees were from a handful of countries, the UK, the US, Germany and Sweden. The highest percentage of the international employees was among the professionals and specialists. An effort was necessary to be made to make these employees feel welcome and willing to stay. The turnover rate for international specialists was 3 times higher than that among the specialists from Denmark. These numbers do not have to be as alarming since employees change jobs and employers frequently and international employees return home after rotations and expatriation. Nevertheless, feeling welcome and happy with their working environment, international employees can contribute to higher retention rates in the organization which claims to be in need of workforce. Thus the diversity strategy was developed. The diversity strategy The current diversity strategy has an ambition that by 2014 all senior management teams will include employees of both genders and different nationalities. In pursuing this objective the company insists that all positions are filled by the best candidate. â€Å"All management teams or the senior VPs teams will have to have at least a representation of non-Danes and gender diversity. They will have to have. It is not a wishful thinking. That means implementation and they will have to do something with it.†(Respondent 2) At the end of 2011, diversity in terms of gender and nationality was reflected in 18 of the 29 senior management teams, compared with 15 of 28 at the end of 2010. Guiding principles The guiding principles of Danvita’s diversity strategy attempt to lay the foundation for equal treatment of all the organizational members. These principles highlight the strategy’s focus on providing equal opportunities and selecting the best-qualified candidates in order to attract and keep talents from all over the world. Supporting initiatives A number of supporting initiatives contribute to the creation of a culture of inclusion. There is an International Club which is run on a voluntary basis and which aims at creating a network for foreign employees. The idea is that foreign employees have the opportunity to meet in a non-work atmosphere and to experience the traditions and leisure activities of the host country. It also provides an arena to talk through their frustrations with more experienced colleagues. Corporate way of speaking about diversity Drawing on company documents we now present three company discourses on diversity. Business and business needs One discourse emphasizes the business needs of the company. Diversity is a way of dealing with these needs. The discourse portrays the company as ‘a global company’, having an ‘expanding presence in the world’. The key issue is:‘as we expand where are we going to find the people (we need)?’A representative of top management team emphasizes the current growth and success of the company which is going to be ‘even larger and more global’and articulates the need for attracting talent: ‘We want to be among the most attractive companies so that we can continue to attract – and retain – the talent we need’. The business discourse constructs diversity as the necessary attribute for sustainable growth with satisfying the needs of international recruits as the means to this end. Equality A second discourse emphasizes diversity as an expression of equality. This discourse views diversity as a product of emphasizing talent regardless of any other considerations. We need to make a greater and more systematic effort to identify women and non-Danes with leadership potential when we are filling a management position (†¦). The company will never use either negative or positive discrimination. We will always choose the best individual for a vacant position. (Interview with top management team representative Employee magazine) The discourse sees selection of the ‘best’ individuals for positions as the guiding principle with the provision of equal opportunities to all as the means to this end. In practice this means that: ‘We need to re-evaluate who it is that we are hiring’(Diversityadvisor). Inclusion The third discourse involves how the company talks about diversity as inclusion.This discourse presents inclusion as a precondition for achieving diversity: ‘Inclusion is an integral element of the diversity strategy, as this is about how to value and utilize all the differences among our people.’(Danvita Diversity strategy). While emphasizing inclusion this way of talking about diversity constructs diversity in terms of differences. In the annual report for 2008: (†¦) inclusion of men, women, locals and non-locals must be considered for succession list for all key positions. Mentorship will be offered and supportive network initiatives including expatriate networks and a ‘family-buddy’ system are being set up. (Annual report 2008) These three main corporate ways of speaking about diversity coexist in the organizational space of the company. Of the three the business discourse is the most pronounced discourse and the inclusion discourse by far the least pronounced.

Great by Choice Essay

Many times entrepreneurs ask themselves, â€Å"Why my competitors are able to succeed and go through catastrophe after catastrophe yet my business is crashing? What makes that person better than me? Am I, not the chosen one? † Jim Collins and Morten T. Hansen answer these common questions and many more in their educating novel entitled, Great by Choice. One of the main characteristic of a great leader is being prepared for every trail and tribulation that may come while running a business. It is a true fact that every business go through some type of chaos whether it’s enormous or petite; therefore, business owners must be ready to handle chaos in order to maintain the business. It is a common saying that states, â€Å"It is easy to start a relationship, yet, it is hard to maintain it. † Although this statement relate to relationships, it also relates to owning a business. â€Å"It is easy to start a business, yet it is difficult to maintain a business. † Jim Collins identifies three core behaviors in his novel that enabled companies to become truly great over an extended period of time which will be discussed later in the paper. At the beginning of the novel, Collins asked his self, â€Å"Why do some companies thrive in uncertainty and chaos and others do not? † After interviewing successful business owners and studying ancient history of successful leaders, Collins was able to answer that question and his answer was,† It’s not that they thrive on chaos, but they can thrive in chaos and uncertainty. † He created this illustration through a true story about two leaders name Amundsen and Scott: In October 1911, exactly 100 years ago, these two teams of explorers left the coast of Antarctica to try to be the first people in history to reach the South Pole. The Norwegian team, [led by] Amundsen, got to the South Pole first. [British naval officer Robert Falcon] Scott and the British team reached the pole second, 34 days later. Amundsen and his team made it back to their base at Polheim on the exact date that Amundsen had put in his planning journals when he was making his plans in Norway. Meanwhile, Scott and every member of his team died on the way back, about 10 or 11 miles from a supply depot. (Collins and Hansen, 2011) A great philosopher once stated, â€Å"In order to understand your future, you must first understand your past. History repeats itself. The tools that successful leaders used during ancient periods are the same tools that current leaders may retain. Therefore, it is vital for business owners to study and educate themselves on effective leaders in the past, so they may duplicate some of their leadership styles and be successful in the future. Amundsen and Scott story is the evidence of Collins answer at the beginning of the novel, Collins states: â€Å"It turns out that the way that Amundsen led his team maps very directly to the way our leaders led their companies. This is especially true in how he was different in his behaviors from the way Scott led his team, which is more like our comparison leaders. It was an almost perfect metaphoric mapping. † Hansen further emphasized, â€Å"When we looked at Amundsen, the fascinating part is that he had, literally, a 15-mile march target. He was going to go 15 miles every day toward the South Pole†¦ .He built a system around that. On the good days, he held back; he didn’t go the distance he could have gone. He just stopped in the early afternoon and rested. On the very difficult days, he made maybe five, six, seven miles, but nevertheless, he traveled on those days where Scott and the other team would sit in their tents. Both of them had a very interesting approach. Underlying that is what can only be described as fanatic discipline. Amundsen was extraordinary in his discipline, preparing his whole life for this particular moment. † After reviewing these two leaders style of leadership, in result, they basically â€Å"reap what they sowed†. Amundsen created a plan that not only met his goal but helped him survive while meeting his goal. Whereas Scott only did enough to get by and at the end he and his team died. Companies that have phenomenal leaders, usually plan carefully, every â€Å"I† is dotted and every â€Å"t† is crossed, therefore, they can take any hit and still be successful. Scott could not do that because he rush on the planning stage of his journey and ironically he rushed his time on earth. On the other hand Amundsen demonstrated the â€Å"three distinctive behaviors† that Collins and Scott discussed in their novel: productive paranoia, empirical creativity and fanatic discipline. Like Amundsen, Bill Gate is a good example of productive paranoia. Bill Gates sat down and thought of all the things that could possibly go wrong with his company and then he prepared for those obstacles ahead of time. Gates allowed his fear to drive him to productivity. Many leaders get comfortable in their success and fail to realize that thousands of businesses are created every day, therefore, leaders should always be informed about the companies that surrounding them because if they become too comfortable then other developing companies can take their clients or buy out their business. Running a business is like a running competition. Some runners know that they are good at running and they feel like no one else could catch up or out run them. Yet they lose because they get so comfortable at the speed that they were running and their competitors eventually catch up. Winning does not matter if you are good at the beginning yet lose at the end. A leader does not only succeed through fear but they also create a plan that is unique and creative to survive through the impossible. A successful leader is a risk taker and a risk taker display empirical creativity. During Amundsen planning he stated, â€Å"I am not going to bet our expedition and bet our life on an unproven technology, so I’m not going with motor sledges. I am going with skis and dogs and sleds because we know they work. † Technology is very popular and the average person would have chosen the motor sledges because many people believe that technology is reliable and convenient. Yet, Amundsen did not want to go the easy route out he wanted to stick with the fundamentals of traveling on snow and his plan worked. Why? Because he thought outside the box and he took a risk. In addition Amundsen, put his base on Bay of Whales, which was known as a dangerous area. However, Amundsen decided not to listen to everybody and do his own research on Bay of Whales. In result, Bay of Whales was not as dangerous as others believed, therefore he choose that area to house his self and his team. Good leaders believe none of what they hear and half of what they see. After fear comes creativity and after creativity comes consists. Every great leader own the character trait of fanatic discipline which is the essential consists of action. Hansen better explained fanatic discipline, he states, Number one, you set a progress standard for yourself. Secondly, you have a lower boundary, what you must hit, and an absolute commitment to hitting it in bad times and good times. Then there is an upper boundary, and you have the discipline to hold back and not just maximize growth because you can, because that is going to expose you to possible storms coming your way down the road. Then the fourth characteristic is that you must hit it. It’s not about good intentions: They don’t really count here. It is about hitting it. † Hansen calls this theory the principles of a 20-mile march. In the novel, Hansen and Collins used John Brown, who was the CEO of Stryker as a good example. When Brown became the CEO of Stryker he set a goal for the company net income to grow 20% every year. As the market fluctuated, Brown still focused on his target goal and him and the company managed to survive through the industry downturn. When you look at Bill Gates, Amundsen and John Brown, you are looking at the epitome of dynamic  leaders. All three leaders were visionaries and they all worked hard towards a goal regardless of their surroundings. They were discipline. Jim Collins once stated, â€Å"A culture of discipline is not a principle of business, it is a principle of greatness. † While other companies were crashing, they were progressing and sticking to their plan of action. The purpose of the novel â€Å"Great by Choice† is to educate leaders on how to set a strong solid foundation that can survive during the storms. Every human being in this world is given choices, however it is up to an individual to choose to be great or choose to be a failure. At the end of the day, a person will always be remembered by the choices that they make in life, therefore my choice is to be great!

The Female Archetype in Shakespeare: Marriage and Love

The thesis for the following paper will be presented as marriage as a theme in Shakespeare’s play as it is applicable to character development in female characters.   Shakespeare’s   portrayal of women in A Midsummer Night’s Dream will be one focus of the paper.   Another theme and thesis supporter of the paper will be presented in the fact that in Shakespeare’s play the theme of love is integral to the plot for both a comedy and a tragedy, as such the presence of love in women will be examined as a transitional tool. Other avenues of discussion in this analytical paper will include mothers, female prophecy, and virginity, and as Rackin states, â€Å"No woman is the protagonist in a Shakespearean history play.   Renaissance gender role definitions prescribed silence as a feminine virtue, and Renaissance sexual mythology associated the feminine with body and matter as a opposed to masculine intellect and spirit.† (329), thus, women could not be considered even a main character in these plays unless she became married, or as in A Midsummer Night’s Dream the woman sacrificed herself for her male counterpart. Shakespeare’s play A Midsummer Night’s Dream is not only an allegory, but within the story there exists another allegory.   Shakespeare creates a play in which events take place as they would in the real world, or seemingly so, but juxtaposed with this storyline Shakespeare includes a second story with Oberon and Titania thus presenting to the audience a layered story.   Aristotle wrote that art is an action which is defined through mimesis; as such, the play A Midsummer Night’s Dream is written partly as a dialogue of the possibilities of life (as can be witnessed with the humans of the story) and partly as a dialogue for the fantastical (as is written pertaining to the faeries of the play). The argument then arises from, Jacobus, that offers, is drama an imitation of life, or is life an imitation of drama, and in Shakespeare’s play, the answer is cleverly disguised between his layering of reality in fantasy in which the real becomes so engrossed in the fantasy, as if the scenes set in the forest are each under the spell of Puck.   It is in Puck’s reality that all of the protagonists exist and thereby the answer to Jacobus’ question may be analyzed. The theme of Shakespeare’s play can aptly be stated as ‘love in idleness’ since this is also the name of the flower Robin Goodfellow or Puck uses to cause the characters to fall in love with each other (Lysander with Helena then Demetrius with Helena and as Oberon uses it to cause Titania to fall in love with Bottom) Yet mark'd I where the bolt of Cupid fell: It fell upon a little western flower, Before milk-white, now purple with love's wound, And maidens call it love-in-idleness. (Shakespeare 2004; Act 2 Scene 1) In this plot, it is revealed that drama in part is imitating life.   Love in idleness is a circular event in life that seems abysmal in its foreplay, and desperate in its reality.   As each character falls in love with the wrong character, or is forced to fall in love with another person, Jacobus’ claim that characters are the building blocks of allowing the audience to identify with the actions of the play as they relate to their life, is succinctly pandering to Aristotle’s concepts of drama in imitation of art. The characters frolic around the wood, hopelessly in love with one another, and loved by the wrong person, as is shown in the four couples Lysander, Hermia, Demetrius and Helena while the faeries in turn present the audience with how ridiculous this love in idleness is defined in showing Titania in love with Bottom who has been transformed into a donkey.   Aristotle’s definition for a tragic hero is one who is not in control of his own fate, but instead is ruled by the gods in one fashion or another (Jones 1962). The theme of Shakespeare’s play delves into the morality of his intent to present the audience in stride with how to perceive their own lives and loves in relation to the events that transpire in the woods.   In context of the play, Aristotle’s mimesis gives the audience a chance to pause and consider the motive of love both in terms of the reality that Shakespeare delivers with Lysander, Hermia, Demetrius and Helena and the motivation of love when it is juxtaposed with Titania and Bottom. As Jacobus states, although drama has the ‘capacity to hold up an illusion of reality like the reflection in a mirror: we take for granted while recognizing that it is nonetheless illusory’ (Jacobus 2005; 1-2).   Thus, it may be extolled from this statement that illusion transforms the allegory of the play into applicable terms whereby the audience becomes not only immersed in the play and its actions and characters, but also takes those actions and characters to stand as testaments to their life experiences. The fact that the characters lose themselves in a maze of darkness and fog and awake approached by Theseus and Hippolyta who are likened to the gaurdians of the play or the characters of reason, stand in testement to the actions of the characters and it is accepted that Lysander and Hermia are united and Demetrius and Helena join together in a group wedding. Shakespeare’s play however does not end there but continues with the theme of love in idleness with the mechanicals performing the myth Pyramus and Thisbe in which both lovers kill themselves because each assumes the other is dead.   This is Shakespeare’s way of contributing both the graceful and loving end of one story, with the humans in the forest, as well as showing with this play, how love may go awry and become a tragedy.   The love in idleness theme is subsequently debunked in Shakespeare’s play merely by the endings in which even Oberon and Titania reunite. Jacobus states, â€Å"The action of most drama is not drawn from our actual experience of life, but from our potential or imagined experience† (Jacobus 2005; 1-2), thereby exhibiting the idea that a play can give the audience different proscenium displays or possibilities by which they may lead their life, or a review of what life may become.   The subject of drama as it applies to life then becomes more focused on avenues of probability and possibility. Thus, in Shakespeare’s play A Midsummer Night’s Dream the audience envisions three different chances of love; with the humans, with the faeries and with the doomed lovers as performed by the mechanicals. Drama then is a way in which a person may identify with fictitious characters and design their own possibility of pleasures through that character.   Often times drama leaves an audience member questioning life, be it positive or negative and thereby adhering to Aristotle’s ideas of reflection, and it is this reflection that makes us human.   In being given these different paths of love in A Midsummer Night’s Dream the audience is given the oppurtunity to envision life differently and vicariously through these characers. In fact that is the purpose of drama, to present the audience with a vicarious option of examining life.   Although there is no ritual or religious interpretation associated with drama today (unless the playwright intends it) the genre of drama is best described as not only entertainment but a tool by which reality may be examained through make-believe characters in real life situations and themes. In the theme that is present in Shakepeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream love in idleness is a very prevalent topic.   Although each character in the play has a deep devotion to another character such passion is lost in the woods when the characters are left to the devices of Puck, and his chicanery.   The guiding light of love in this play may best be seen with Oberon and Titania as they are the ruling factors of love.   Their love however has been thwarted due to the presence of an Indian child and the jealousy of Oberon and the bullheadedness of Titania.   The theme within the theme in this context may best be described as compromise. The relationship between Oberon and Titania my be defined as a quintessential part of the character develoment between male and female, â€Å"†¦Shakespeare depicts male protagnosts defending masculine†¦projects against both female characters who threaten to obstruct those projects and feminine appeals to the audience that threatedn to discredit them.   IN shakespeare’s later†¦plays thos rfeminine voice become more insistent. They both threaten to invalidate the great, inherited†¦myths that Shakespeare found in his historiiographic sources and imply that abefore they masculine voice†¦can be accepted as valid,it must come to terms with women and the subversive forced they represetn.   However, as soon as Shakesperae attmpts to incorporate those feminine forces, marryign words and things, spirit and matter†¦(it) becomes problematic†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Rackin 330). This statement suggests that if Shakespeare did not marry off his female characters the audience would believe it as possible nor would they accept it.   In the case of Titania and Oberon, it is Oberon’s masculinity that must make Titania’s will submissive to him and to give him what he wants (in this case her Indian).   In this case, the two characters are already married and this struggle of wills suggests that a man must constantly be domineering and gain what he wants through force and trickery. This shows that the dynamic of marriage in Shakepseare’s plays is exhibited with force.   In the other characters in the play, the one’s who are not yet married, that is Hermia and Helena, they are full of anticipation to get married but both had to first experience what it was like to not have their counterpart and suffere through the period of not being love; neither of the men truly suffer in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, which suggests that Shakespeare’s female characters must prove their love, while the men of the play have no such duties. The difference then between the marriad and the unmarried woman in A Midsummer Night’s Dream is that the unmarried women must convince the men that they are loved while the married woman, Titania, must re-learn obedience. The theme of love is envisioned well in this play as Shakespeare chooses to focus on the power of love through marriage as a tool of union.   In union is found the relevance of transisiton.   The characters in A Midsummer Night’s Dream only become fully aware of their own intentions and feelings after they are given the drug from Puke and spend the night in the forest.   When awakened each character realizes their true desires.   In these desires in the morning the women are quieted because they feel as though they have seen the measure of their desire reflected in their male counterparts and as such it is only through marriage that they may be tamed.   Thus, Shakespeare’s female characters are revealed to be counterparts. This essay has argued for the interpretation of Shakespeare’s characters in A Midsummer Night’s Dream to be the classical female archetypes such as wife, or lover.   The plan in the play reveals how women are induced to persuasion and almost hypnotized by love and desire as is seen with Titania, Hermia, and Helena.   Each character is in love, and at the end of the play this love becomes true instead of the farce of the beginning and middle of the play.   Love is the conquering power over women in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Work Cited Jacobus, L.   The Bedford Introduction to Drama.   Bedford St. Martins.   2005. Jones, John. On Aristotle and Greek Tragedy. New York: Oxford University Press, 1962. Levin, R.   Feminist Thematics and Shakespearean Tragedy.   PMLA, Vol. 103, No. 2 (Mar.,  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   1988), pp. 125-138. Price, J. R.   Measure for Measure and the Critics: Towards a New Approach. Shakespeare Quarterly, Vol. 20, No. 2. (Spring, 1969), pp. 179-204. Rackin, P. Anti-Historians: Women's Roles in Shakespeare's Histories. Theatre Journal, Vol. 37, No. 3, Staging Gender. (Oct., 1985), pp. 329-344. Shakespeare, W.   A Midsummer Night’s Dream.   Washington Press.   2004.

Leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Leadership - Essay Example On the other hand, an ineffective and unsuccessful team may be witnessed from a group of people who are greatly focused on gratifying self-interests and are often engaged in unnecessary arguments with one another. Members of such team assert themselves to no avail and exercise ‘crab mentality’ where individual functions and the task of decision-making seem unclear. For instance, in the event that members keep complaining about not meeting personal expectations yet lack the responsibility to follow the leader and contribute to the productivity of the team, there only emerges poor performance with no sense of fulfillment. Sources: AchieveMarketing. â€Å"Effective and Successful Teams: Is It Teamwork or Performance that Matters?† HubPages. Retrieved from http://achievemarketing.hubpages.com/hub/Effective-and-Successful-Teams-Is-it-Teamwork-or-Performance-that-Matters on July 9, 2012. Hager, Timothy D. â€Å"Effective and Ineffective Team Characteristics.† Enr ichment Journal. Retrieved from http://enrichmentjournal.ag.org/200304/082_stf04_teamchar_sb.cfm on July 9, 2012. (2) Scenario: Given that I am managing a team of eight members whose major task involves architectural design of a commercial site, I have 4 individuals (group A) assigned to come up with one particular scheme while the other 4 (group B) ought to create an alternative so that our client can decide based on the project design that suits their requirements well. In the process, people consult me for further insights besides their resources and group A consists of members who have tenured as much as my length of stay in the organization, being colleagues who are within my circle of intimate relations. Group B, on the other hand, is composed of members who have just been regularized in the company and compared to group A, they are younger, competitive, more dynamic, and most of all, are highly eager to obtain promotion and pay increase. With the first 2 quarters, the client has consistently expressed satisfaction with the progress report of group B and yet on the third quarter, the client wavers decision between the two designs, rationalizing that they also perceive huge potentials from the work of group A, considering future systems. Both divisions worked hard and persevered creatively in my regular assessment, it is just that while group B delivers optimum results, they rarely share ideas to group A though the latter encourages open communication within the team. Then I am about to evaluate performances per group where only one group is entitled to appraisal and one group to receive award after the site project is through. To resolve my ethical dilemma as a manager, I suppose it would be fair for group B to have the award and for group A to be appraised, thinking that people who are focused on obtaining personal achievements should be rewarded right away whereas those who are greatly concerned about teamwork and are more disposed to keep healthy soci al relations and behavior within the entire organization must be found deserving of appraisal. Source: â€Å"Ethics Dilemmas – Hypothetical Scenarios.† Retrieved from http://www.ccat-ctac.org/downloads/2004_Felter_Juteau_e.pdf on July 9, 2012. (3) Diverse organization, as I see it, pertains to an organization consisting of members of various

Using and interpreting statistics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Using and interpreting statistics - Essay Example Statistics and biostatistics enabled medical practitioners to take apart authenticity from randomness and fiction as it steered organized reasoning, evaluation and decision-making, a vital component in the scientific sphere of medicine. Coupled to this are the advances in informatics' which made possible the treatment of huge quantity of data by highly developed and multifaceted analytical methods, refined samplings, or superior medical data linkage.Informational data from a study associated with childhood diabetes, informational data from a heart and lung surgery, and informational data from transfusion orthopaedic surgery were collected, tabulated and statistically treated with 95% confidence interval, risk ratio, probability, chi square, mean, standard deviation, standard error, regression.No category have a value of 4 or 13.33 percent gene A present while Yes category have a value of 14 or 46.67 percent. This means that there are minimal numbers of diabetics with gene A. The Sens itivity study of gene A is equal to 0.22222, which means that respondents with gene A and true gene A rate is quite low. Specificity is equal to 0.38095. This is almost one third of the probability of without gene A in health and true negative rate. The findings reveal that there is a 30% or 0.30 probability of gene A. This is also called the risk of gene A or the estimated probability.The probability of the exposed cases is equal to 0.4667 while the probability of the exposed in control is equal to 0.1333. The overall or total exposed has a value of 0.3000. With 95% confidence, the interval 1.410185 to 27.15574 contains the unknown mean . a) Based on the given informational data, the study design used is randomized controlled trial design. This is because it involved the random allocation of different interventions (or treatments) to subjects . b) The risk of childhood diabetes for individuals with gene A compared to those without gene A can be calculated using proportion statistics treatment of the data on Table 2. c) Yes, the data suggest evidence to support Ho: gene "A" is associated with childhood diabetes because 14 or 46.67 percent though indicating minimal numbers of diabetics with gene A, the Sensitivity study of gene A is equal to 0.22222. Thus, despite the low number of respondents with gene A its Specificity is equal to 0.38095. This is almost one third of the probability of without gene A in health and true negative rate. The findings reveal that there is a 30% or 0.30 probability of gene A in childhood. This is also called the risk of gene A or the estimated probability. d) This study aimed to find out if gene "A" is associated with childhood diabetes. The findings revealed diabetics under the No category have a value of 4 which is 13.33 percent gene A present while the Yes category have a value of 14 which is 46.67 percent. This means that there

5th Hour Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

5th Hour - Essay Example It was appealing to learn that Teach for America aims at solving educational problems associated with population diversity. The organization would provide efficient pathways to leadership and service to all citizens within America. Matt Kramer presented Team for America objectives and mandate with zeal and authority. I liked his oratory skills. He talked fluently and vividly throughout the session. His transformative skills depicted the breed of leaders Team for America purposes to develop. He coordinated his activities with ease and involved all existing members of Team for America in his decisions. I appreciated the recruiting process Team for America adopted. The organization recruiting process seemed transparent and accommodative. The organizations’ teachers would consist of individuals from different cultures. Team for America would engage recent college graduates and other professionals in teaching programs for a minimum of two years. Recruits would teach various disciplines in rural and urban communities throughout America. Team for America would aim at transforming students to attain their full potential and develop into leaders that advocate educational equity. It was quite appealing to learn that Team for America teachers would receive monthly salary and benefits similar to government district salary for tutors. I learnt about the various benefits that exist for Valparaiso University graduates who will opt to join Team for America. They would explore numerous opportunities including learning and appreciating cultural diversity. Joining Team for America is a lifetime opportunity for participating in life transforming

Art History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Art History - Essay Example Gauguin’s ia orana Maria (Hail Mary) of 1891 and Osamu Tezuka’s Astro Boy character derived from his popular manga series in Japan which was first released in the year 1952 but has been followed by a series of renditions over the years as the character grew more popular (Gordon 52). These two pieces of art can be said to be as different as they can get from one another and portray the various changes that have occurred in the world of art over the years. P. Gauguin, Ia orana Maria (Hail Mary), 1891. Astro Boy by Osamu Tezuka Cultural Context The cultural context of P. Gauguin’s painting is quite clearly based on the Christian religion as the name itself suggests and is based on the holy mother Mary and her son Jesus in a Tahitian setting. The angel on the left of the painting revealing these two characters to two onlookers (two women) further depicts the religious inspiration that was used to bring this piece of work into being. The garb won by the characters in the painting (that is, pareus which are made of cotton with printed design and is draped around the waist) also exhibits the traditional nature of the painting. The background shows no modern influence and focuses clearly on an inspiration from past events. The Astro boy art work on the other hand is very different from the first painting and depicts a largely transformed society from the one that individuals are used to where robotic boys flying around the place is the order of the day. The piece of art which was done years after P. Gauguin’s tries to display how the artist sees the future will be like. The background content depicting various other planets shows how high the main character (Astro boy) has flown thus in a way displaying the level of technology that will be in place at that time. Stylistic characteristics The stylistic characteristics that are used art works can also be used to define the category of the art work as well (Gordon 68). The first point of note t hat can be made is the material that was used in the creation of the art works. In P. Gauguin†s Ia orana Maria (Hail Mary), oil paintings and a canvas were the basic materials used while the creation of Astro boy’s image relied mainly on computer graphics and other modern technology. This can be seen in the various characteristics of both art works such as the lines, in the Ia orana Maria there is a smoothness and sense of curvature in the lines used to paint the characters while the lines in Astro Boys depiction are sharper and clearly structured giving it a more defined looked. The same goes for the colors in both illustrations as Ia orana Maria’s colors have a warmer tone as compared to Astro boy whose colors have more depth and are clearly defined from one another unlike the older painting which exudes a sense of blending in. The shapes are more defined in the Astro boy illustration as well thanks to the clearer lines used in the drawing. Subject matter The s ubject matter is another topic where these two pieces of art greatly defer from one another. Whereas in P. Gauguin’s Ia orana Maria the subject is based on religion shown by the depiction of the son of God and his holy mother, the Astro boy art is mainly based on the future and progressing technology shown by the depiction of a flying robotic boy. The older painting can be said to display a sense of the author’s beliefs while the second more recent art work can be said to di

Veteran Benefits Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Veteran Benefits - Research Paper Example These problems include excessive use of alcohol and very aggressive behaviors. The research even shows that the problems become worse instead of being better as time passes. The same research states that these army officials experience the issue of post traumatic stress as they try to refit in the normal civilian life. This is because they not have co-soldiers to help them settle in their civilian lives. The research shows that out of 1800 veterans, 23 to 33 percent of them presented signs of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. The activities they presented included very aggressive behaviors such as slamming doors, punching walls and starting fights without any reason ((Paulson, 2007). The research even showed that national guards were experiencing issues with settling in normal civilian life as they did not had the support of other soldiers and the standard of their health coverage was inferior than the health coverage provided to active military personnel. Another problem faced by vete ran soldiers is that they have to wait for a very long period of time to gain medical coverage or attention. The research showed that veterans were getting medical coverage after 110 days of claim have passed and there were a huge number of veterans that needed medical attention. Other health problems experienced by these veterans include muscular pain. Many soldiers have reported pain in their back, neck, shoulders and knees. Environmental elements and exposure to toxic chemicals have left the veterans with life taking diseases such as heart diseases. Veterans have even experienced infections when they returned from war. Although they have been injected with various vaccinations but these vaccinations cannot control all the infections. US military does not have vaccines for various infections. Other health issues faced by veterans include loss of hearing or problems with hearing such as vibration and ringing in the ears. These issues are experienced due to continuous exposure to gu n fire. Many veterans have presented brain injuries also known as Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI). These have been caused due to any injury to the head. The effects of TBI includes loss of short and long term memory, loss of eye sight, depression, decrease in span of attention, and various other issues. Unemployment – Almost every year more than three hundred thousand military officials return home to start their lives as normal civilians. Almost all of them face various problems and one of the major problems experienced by these Vets is unemployment. The war returnees are experiencing difficulty in getting employment. According to a statistical data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics states that the rate of unemployment amount those who have returned from Afghanistan and Iraq war is higher than the rate of unemployment faced by the civilians of America. Many military officials have complained that they have failed to find a job that pays well and has good benefits. Th e data produced by the Bureau even states that the younger veterans or returnees of war face a higher rate of unemployment. This includes individuals aging between eighteen and twenty four (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2011). The question asked by most is the main reason for the unemployment rate of veteran soldiers. These soldiers develop various important skills during war

Write your own recommendation. What makes you different from other Essay

Write your own recommendation. What makes you different from other applicants - Essay Example Good communication skills are an indispensable asset (Buzzle). I possessed great verbal and written communication skills. Throughout my high school tenured I have excel in exercises or problems in which I had to demonstrate verbal skills. I have always been very good at oral presentations. I love to write and my technical writing skills are excellent. College prepares a person for the ultimate goal of becoming a part of the workforce. A trend that has influenced the behavior of people in the workforce is a shift from individualism to teamwork. â€Å"The concept of teamwork is very important to the success of any team† (Brianmac). I am a team player. My team skills will enable me to succeed in college. I am an outgoing person and I listen well to people. I like helping people and cooperating in order to get the job done. During my future college career I plan to use these skills to help out my fellow classmates in any way I can. Another attribute or skill that I possess that ma kes me an excellent candidate is my leadership skills. When I have worked in team projects I typically served the role of team leader. I am a hard worker and a dedicated student. Work Cited Page Brianmac.co.uk. 12 December 2010. â€Å"Understanding the Importance of Teamwork.†

From your perspective and your experience, what do you think your Article

From your perspective and your experience, what do you think your culture can offer an American How can you contribute to the development of a cross-cultural perspective - Article Example The thirst of learning and the respect of teachers can be the most inspiring factor for an American. The elongated feathers of social values embedded in the Middle Eastern culture can never leave any American untouched. The system of upbringing a child with moral values, blend of provincial, official and national languages and in the beam of religion can be another captivating sight for any American. From a lullaby to national songs, from classical to pop, Middle Eastern music is enriched with melodies and rhythms an American might not have imagined. One of the most different experiences for any American can be found in literature, art and drama is the concept of love which demonstrates the true eastern values of soul. This will be true to say that Middle Eastern culture can give an American the secret to live a healthy and happy life. When it comes to my potential to serve for the development of cross culture, I tend to follow the same steps of my cultural and historical values: teaching and learning. I can create awareness about the fruitfulness of cultural exchange programs by writing and talking. I can give services to the foreigners visiting my country of origin by providing them deep and profound secrets of my land. If I get any chance to visit foreign country either on exchange program or not, I will be exhibiting my own customs and tradition in dressing, events and celebration to help the people of that country understand my culture. This way I would contribute in the development of cross cultural activities. In contrast to this, for the contribution in development of cross cultural perspective, I would also be inquisitive, appreciating and absorbing the values, customs and tradition of the other land. I would like to know the historical and cultural dome and the values upon which that nation is standing. It will be a great experience to explore the art, literature and cinema of that country and know the sense of

Energy Drinks, the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly Essay Example for Free

Energy Drinks, the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly Essay Energy drinks, also known as power boosters, are soft drinks that contain nutrients and good flavor. The name of some energy drinks are Red Bull, Rockstar, and Monster. These drinks help improve and boost energy levels. People who drink power beverages experience decrease in stress, muscle strain, and fatigue. Power beverages also help improve speed and reaction. Energy drinks should remain on the market because they help athletes, workers, and students maintain performance, endurance and momentum. The most accepted energy drink is Red Bull. Red Bull contains caffeine and sodium. Caffeine acts as a pick-me-up, giving people the feeling of being awake and alert. Sodium helps to prevent the body from losing water. These ingredients work together to increase energy levels in the human body. Red Bull commercials often feature athletes, students, and workers drinking its products. Some people prefer to drink diet energy drinks. Red Bull is the only brand that offers power drinks in diet, making it the most popular energy drink on the market. Monster Energy, second in popularity, is highly favored by the adult community. It is the energy drink of choice for most athletes. Monster largely relies on a high dosage of sugar and caffeine to boost the users energy level. After drinking one can of Monster, users experience a feeling that is similar to drinking three cups of coffee. Rock Star is available in fourteen different flavors and is preferred by the younger generation. People that like to party prefer Rock Star because it prevents them from getting tired. The increased amounts of sugar and vitamins in Rock Star help prevent low energy. This gives party goers power to keep going. Energy drinks are good for people because they keep the human body alert. Most brands can be purchased in any store. Power drinks contain nutrients; good flavor, and increases energy levels. Many people seek energy boosters to improve metabolism and strengthen immune system when dieting. These drinks help people to stay alert in everyday life functions such as working, playing sports, and school. Red Bull and Monster both contain Vitamin B. Vitamin B is important to the body. It improves the function of red and white blood cells. Cells are instrumental in ridding the body of impurities and promoting healthy liver function. Energy drinks should not be taken off the market because they help athletes, workers, and students to maintain performance, providing momentum during times of stress and strain.

Reflection on Hostage Crisis Essay Example for Free

Reflection on Hostage Crisis Essay Physics prof. Peralta Hostage taking in Quirino Grandstand is another major problem that our country should face. It was a very traumatic experience for all Chinese and Filipino hostages inside the bus. This tragedy was the result of injustice made by the wrong decision of higher officials. Is there any person that should be blame for this hostage drama? Is it the hostage taker? Or the people behind of his back who pushed him to do this violent hostage aking? For the side of hostage taker: The family, relatives, friends and neighbors told that Police Inspector Ronaldo Mendoza was a kind person and a police who is sincere in his duty and responsibility. As a matter of fact, according to their chairman that Mendoza will be the next chairman in their barangay for the coming election this October. It only shows that he has the characteristic of a good leader. He received many awards as an excellent police but unfortunately there was a case that cause for is termination as a police and without receiving any benefits from the government. The hostage taker wants to review his case by the ombudsman for the clearing of his name. I think this is the reason why he made a wrong decision to hostage people for the immediate response of his request. For the side of the policeman: When I watched the hostage drama, I noticed that there are a lot of mistakes done by the policemen who are surrounding the bus. One of the police and snipers took a gunshot without assurance that no hostage victims will be hurt and causing the ostage taker to get angry. They didnt use a device like periscope that will view the interior of the bus without seeing them by the hostage taker. Other police that was trying to break glass window using big hammer but in disgrace, the police made it throw inside the bus because its heavy. Another mistake done by the policeman is that after they broke the glass of the door of the bus, they pull the door of the bus instead of pressing the button inside the bus could open the door. For the side of media:

Unhealthy Lifestyles And Obese Children Physical Education Essay

Unhealthy Lifestyles And Obese Children Physical Education Essay The figure of obesity children is rapidly increasing due to their unhealthy lifestyle and eating habit such as addicted to fast food, video games, and online games which occur in most of the children community nowadays. Unhealthy lifestyle caused most of the children dislike physical bodily movement and lack of physical fitness. A number of researchers involved in teaching physical classes always emphasize the relationship between decreasing of participation in physical activity towards increasing of health-related risks such as obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease (Domangue, 2009). We as physical teachers have to understand factors leading to children physical inactivity. It is very important to understand why youngsters withdraw themselves from physical activity as they get matured. In physical education classes, fitness testing act as a very crucial component which help to create awareness of health concerns on physical inactivity cases especially among children (Domangue, 20 09). Physical activity is defined as any type (mild, moderate, vigorous) of bodily movement for instance jumping rope, soccer, weight lifting, running, walking, taking stairs and others which can be our daily routine activities, recreational activities, as well as sport activities. Literally, health-related physical fitness means physical activity that involved mild or adverse physical body movement that contribute to their general body health (Karinharju, 2005). School-based physical class explains when participant is physically active, heart pumping rate increases and produces heavier breathing than normal breathing. Unfortunately, a lot of schools neglected physical education class and only focus on physical class. In fact, physical education and physical activity are equally important elements that contribute towards children health development. In Silverman et.al. (2008) paper stated youth fitness testing was designed to embarrass those children who are less capable in physical activity. Those children who cannot perform well especially those obese children will be insulted by their peers and eventually they will withdraw themselves from involving in physical activity. We should not turn children down in physical activity by right as a school teacher we should help children to cultivate interest in physical activity. For instance, a plump children will feel embarrass while doing stretching. They might unable to reach the desired point and will be laughed by their peers. Girls might not like to play soccer, running around the field fighting for a ball. They might prefer jumping rope. So while designing fitness testing, more consideration should be taken such as gender, body size and fitness. As a physical teacher, we should help students to learn more about fitness and physical activity in order to promote positive attitudes on physical activity. I further belief if fitness testing was used in positive and appropriate ways it will enhance students physical educational experience as well as promote good attitudes and interest. There is few discussion on fitness testing has been done in recent years and the discussions were basically taken in three forms. First, some researchers suggest discontinuing school-based youth fitness testing in physical education program. Because school teachers are more focus on students activity performance instead of health-related fitness (Silverman, 2008; Rowland, 1995; Corbin et al., 1995). Second, researchers suggested that school-based physical classes should emphasize on educational aspects. Tests and teaching should carried out together to help to improve students fitness and knowledge (Silverman, 2008; Cale Harris, 2002; Corbin Pangrazi, 1993). Lastly, thorough examination of student fitness achievement testing is needed before designing and making decision on the future of physical class context and tests. (Silverman, 2008; Cale et al., 2007; Corbin et al., 1995; Keating Silverman, 2004). To be physically fit, one has to be physically active. Definition for physical fitness is an adaptive state that varies with the individuals growth and maturity status and with habitual activity and lifestyle (Domangue, 2009; Malina, Bouchard Bar-Or, 2004). Furthermore, physical fitness can be categorized into two categories which is health-related fitness and performance-related fitness. Health-related fitness is fitness that everyone needs which contributes to maintain and improve health status of our body. Performance-related fitness refers to skilled athletes or performers who need to be success or excel in their performance in sports activities. Basically, health-related fitness is assessed by measuring cardiovascular fitness, flexibility, muscular endurance, strength, and body fat content or body mass index (BMI) (Hale, 2005; Corbin, 2005). Rowland, 1995 drew a conclusion that physical teachers should not stop fitness testing, but should implement fitness tests in the physical education curriculum. Children and adults have different used of fitness test. So, while planning physical activities, this should be taken in concern. Children cannot decide whether to participate in fitness testing or how to use the results of those physical assessments. Whereas, adults are able to decide and choose whether to use fitness testing as a summative assessment to check their current health-related fitness levels of how fit they are at the period of time or as formative assessment to continuously assess health-related fitness level in order to modify fitness program as part of program planning. Adults who decided to go for either formal (with trainers) or informal training (self-training) already ready and have some commitment to do physical activity. But children do not have such commitment and do not know how to make decision. There fore, youth fitness testing can have opposite result if it is not perform appropriately, and will have consequences to develop negative attitude and patterns of physical activity among children. But, youth fitness testing should play an important role in school physical education setting in order to enhance students fitness (Silverman, 2008; Bar-Or, 1993; Cale Harris, 2002; Whitehead, Pemberton Corbin, 1990), and implementation of fitness testing should be examined often to prevent any deviation that will result in the misuse of fitness tests (Silverman, 2008). In order to have positive impact of physical testing in school, silverman has suggested some guidelines to implement a positive impact fitness test. First, youth fitness testing should be integrated as a part of fitness instruction in curriculum. Although assessment is important goal of teaching but without a solid curriculum it is merely testing (Stewart, Elliot, Boyce Block, 2005). Second, fitness testing result should be used by teachers to assess their fitness instruction and enhance students learning (Corbin, 1981) while physical classes. Long-term and short-term outcomes of fitness testing of children should be taken into concern by teachers and curriculum planners planning for future activities. Third, the point of having physical class is for students to improve their body fitness and towards meeting their healthy zone standard. We should teach students not to assume that fitness testing will automatically increase their physical activity levels but it is just to test their body fitness. It is important to understand their body fitness and help to design future activities. If fitness testing was used appropriately and used as an educational tool, it has the potential to promote physical activity and also help to improve health-related fitness. In many schools in Malaysia, students are only required to be tested on fitness test once in a year. Compare to academic tests physical test is far lesser. During fitness tests, Instructional time spent on fitness testing should not be ignored. Without positively increasing youngsters physical activity levels and health-related fitness does not make sound use of fitness tests. Health-related fitness testing should be carried out in school, and it is important to include both physical activity and also health-related fitness in physical education class so that student will able to understand the difference and complementary nature of the concepts (Silverman, 2008). Health-related fitness has to be taught as part of curriculum so that student able to understand the concept and the purpose of the test. Health-related fitness testing also can be used as a tool to examine concepts and components of health-related fitness and physical activity. For example, while teacher introducing the sit-up test, teacher can discuss on the anatomy of the body and the function of the muscles involved and how the body perform the activity and how to improve their strength and endurance. Provide important information and knowledge while doing the activity, student can understand better the purpose of having each test and also prevent to get injured. Without proper knowledge, stu dents are more tend to get injured, due to lack of knowledge of proper posture undergoing particular activity. Teacher has to educate students the correct posture and way to perform those activity to protect our body muscle and anatomy. Lacking important knowledge might influence students performance, motivation and interest as well. Eventually, they will cultivate negative attitude and their bad experiences in physical education will influence their attitudes towards future assessment and physical activity and eventually cause them to withdraw from physical activity. Another reason why teaching both health-related fitness and physical activity is important, because the current examination of physical activity assessment program may mislead students into thinking that regular participation in any mild to moderate physical activity for 30-60 minutes is sufficient to maintain their health. NASPE recommends those children aged 5 to 12 years should be physically active for at least 60 minutes to several hours of per day (Domangue, 2009). As children get matured, the recommended duration for physical activity varies. Adolescents need lesser hour to be physically active compare to children. They need only 30-60 minutes daily (Yesalonia, 2009). Unfortunately, many school-aged students have too little opportunity to participate in these recommended physical activities during school hour. In this situation, students are required to balance their physical activity levels outside the school as extra-curriculum. Outside the regular school hours, many children could be physically active in sedentary activities such as homework, computers and video-games which children only required to sit on chair. This can affect activity levels of school-aged children. Perhaps the most important time for children to be active is after school is between three and six p.m. But often children nowadays are not, they will rather spend time on sedentary activities or their academic curriculum. Parents have press more on their academic rather than their physical achievements and also safety issues parents stop letting children to involve in physical activities. . As a school teacher, we should encourage parents to allow their children to be physically active instead of filling all those active hours with tuitions, piano classes and homework. Children can have opportunity to be active after school hours by participating in extra-curricular activity programs, such as basket ball, soccer, as well as community-based a ctivity programs. Remember, physical activity and health-related fitness is both equally important. We should not too emphasize on physical achievement and ignore the basic understanding on health-related fitness. Through the health-related fitness testing, teacher is responsible to educate students the purpose of participating in a variety of physical activity form and methods to improve corresponding health-related fitness components as well as the recommended duration in performing physical activity. Health-related fitness testing is an excellent context to teach students to examine on both health-related fitness and physical activity concept. Students can understand health-related fitness not only improve their health level (Silverman, 2008; Simons-Morton et al., 1988) but also their cognitive skills (Hillman, Castelli, Buck 2005). School-based physical classes may not done an adequate job in teaching students on the importance of health-related fitness or have taught separately with physical activity. If health-related fitness testing is done separately, there is no way that student will develop the knowledge that can be developed from an understanding of both health-related fitness and physical activity assessment. Teacher should teach assessment skills to students. If student able to use fitness test for self-assessment, they are able to use the understanding of health-related fitness learned during physical class and able to plan their own physical activity programs according to their desired target. Students were taught that fitness testing can be used as formative assessment to develop and modify their physical activity routines to help them have the knowledge to start an appropriate level. Assessment skills also able to help students keep participating in physical activity if they know what their expected goal is. The formative testing experience will reinforce fitness gains and also enhance additional motivation for students to continue involved in physical activity (Silverman, 2008). Students learn to compare the scores with their previous performance and to design a suitable goals and activity according to their body level. Applications of appropriate use of fitness tests taught in clas s equip students with the knowledge and skills to participate and to select appropriate physical activity and help them to perform self-assessment. To incorporating health-related fitness assessment into fitness education, teacher should teach students the purpose of doing the fitness test or other fitness-based activity. Student should understand the instructional content before performing the test. Then, fitness testing should be formative. Teacher should plan the educational experience to use fitness testing results to design future activity for students while also teaching students that health-related fitness can be improved and assessment is integral to that process. Another way is to conduct fitness education by infusing fitness lessons into curriculum. This can be done by relating each activity done to fitness. So, student will have better understanding on how those activities related and improve their body fitness, why that aspect of fitness is important. With that knowledge, students are able to understand and eventually improve their performance on that activity. For example, students participate in school gymnasium sh ould know that gymnasium activity are exercising their heart and will help make them healthy and good for their heart. They should know the health-related fitness component is called aerobic fitness and helps to prevent heart disease. With this understanding, students were being more motivated on physical activity. The use of fitness test helps students to understand health-related fitness and how testing can be used to improve and enhance fitness. Infusing health-related fitness test in physical education can increase student knowledge, attitudes and fitness. In primary schools students, teacher will help students in assessment and plan their future physical activity, but in secondary school, after fitness testing, students could provide an analysis of their strengths and weaknesses and develop a fitness program suitable to them. Teacher could use variety of teaching strategies such as reciprocal teaching, self-check against predetermined rubrics and assessments such as using the analysis and plan for providing feedback to the students (Silverman, 2008) to help students to improve and also to monitor their program. Planning and assessment of physical activity is necessary in order to improve students learning experience and to meet the goals of instructions (Silverman, 2008). Without assessment, we are unable to know our standard and level. Teachers act as a reflection as a form of assessment to assess fitness education the result of the assessment is for the teacher to do self-assessment and reflect on the lesson. Teacher means act as a problem solvers (i.e., design the content or lesson to achieve goal and to assess achievement of the goal, and whether there are other better ways to enhance instruction). Second step is student learning. Fitness testing result is to examine student learning from multiple perspectives (increase various component of health-related fitness, increases in physical activity, attitude toward fitness and physical activity). This health-related fitness test may tell how fit students are, ignoring the fitness improvement, physical activity and attitude development. Next is the appropriate use of accountability for assessing fitness education. Principals should be aware that fitness testing may lead negative consequences. Always ensure that the test is use appropriately and must be used within the context and perform a complete fitness education program if we want students to live in physically active lives. Assessment and accountability program should design appropriately and examine from time to time being as one aspect of student assessment and physical grading. As a school physical education teacher, I strongly believe that health-related fitness tests that are used in an appropriate educational manner can be a useful tool to enhance student learning and also health level. Although there is wide variation in the capabilities of students, the main purpose of fitness instruction should be that every student can work towards being fit and reach healthy level. While designing the test, physical class teachers should consider those less capability students and help them to improve by educating health-related fitness. The main focus on physical education should be on evolving fitness process, students participation regardless on performance and result achieved. A well-planned physical fitness program with a positive classroom environment is very crucial to yield positive attitude, interest and motivation of students on physical activity especially for those less capability. Teachers should put more efforts on those students who may feel fitness t esting is an embarrassment. Silverman (2008) suggested that assessment methods can move from group administration of test to pairs testing or self-assess. It can help to utilize time better, develop self-assessment skills and less embarrassing for most students. In a nutshell, I agree to infuse health-related fitness in physical class. Both physical activity and health-related fitness is equaled important to enhance body fitness and health. In order to have positive outcome, physical educator should designed an appropriate program for students in order to improve their fitness and encourage them to participate in physical activity and not to emphasize on performance achieved. Educators have to alert those students who are less capable in physical activities and encourage them, support them to involve in physical activity and educate them on health-related fitness. So that they can understand why they need to do that particular activity and what is the benefits of doing that. Educators should stress more on health-related fitness rather than performance-related fitness. Cale, L., Harris, J. (2002). National testing for children: Issues, concerns, and alternatives. British Journal of Teaching Physical Education, 33 (1), 32-34. Cale, L., Harris, J., Chen, M.H. (2007). More than 10 years after The horse is deadà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦: Surely it must be time to dismount?! Pediatric Exercise Sciences, 19, 115-131. Corbin, C.B. (1981). First things first but dont stop there. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation and Dance, 52(1), 36-38. Corbin, C.B. (2005). Keynote address: Promoting active living: The key to shaping up for a lifetime. Vermont Association of Health, Physical Education, Dance, and Recreation Fall Conference. November, 2005. Killington, Vermont. Corbin, C.B., Pangrazi, R.P. (1993). Physical fitness: Questions teachers ask. Journal of Physical Education, Research and Dance, 64 (7), 14-19. Corbin, C.B., Pangrazi, R.P., Welk, G.L. (1995). A response to The horse is dead: Lets dismount. Pediatric Exercise Science, 7, 347-351. Domangue, E.A. (2009). A critical examination into motivation and gender in youth physical fitness testing (Doctoral dissertation), Louisiana State University, LA. Hale, D. (2005). An invitation to health. (11th ed.). Belmont, CA: Thomson Learning, Inc. Hillman, C.H., Castelli, D.M., Buck, S.M. (2005). Aerobic fitness and neurocognitive function in healthy preadolescent children. Medicine Science in Sports Exercise, 37, 1967-1974. Karinharju, K (2005). Physical fitness and its testing in adults with intellectual disability. (Master dissertation), University of Jyvaskyla, Finland. Keating, X.D., Silverman, S. (2004). Teachers use of fitness tests in school-based physical education programs. Measurement in Physical Education and Exercise Science, 8, 145-165. Malina, R.M., Bouchard, C., Bar-Or, O. (2004). Growth, maturation, and physical activity. (2nd ed.). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics. Rowland, T.W. (1995). The horse is dead; Lets dismount. Pediatric Exercise Science, 7, 117-120. Silverman, S., Keating, X.D., Phillips, S.R. (2008). A lasting impression: A pedagogical perspective on youth fitness testing. Measurement in Physical Education and Exercise Science, 12: 146-166 Simons-Morton, B.G., Parcel, G.S., OHara, N.M., Blair, S.N., Pate, R.R. (1988). Health-related physical fitness in childhood: status and recommendations. Annual Review of Public Health, 9, 403-425. Yesalonia, S. (2009). Understanding school students perspectives regarding physical activity and fitness (Doctoral dissertation), Available from Dissertations and Theses database. (UMI No. 3352936)

Porphyria’s Lover and The Laboratory Essay -- English Literature

Porphyria’s Lover and The Laboratory â€Å"Porphyria’s Lover† and â€Å"The Laboratory† both deal with crimes of passion. Explore ways Browning explains ways of obsessive nature of his character and analysis the effects of literary techniques. â€Å"Porphyria’s Lover† is a poem about a crime and passion. Porphyria is a young, wealthy girl who seems to have abandoned her family’s tradition of choosing wealthy men as lovers. Her lover remains anonymous, this could be because he has murdered her and does not want his name releasing. There is no actual reference as to why he committed this crime we can only make suggestions. Perhaps it was because she would not forsake her affluent companions for him, or because he felt she did not share his love for her. This poem is in the lover’s point of view only, so we can not really know how Porphyria is feeling, we can only guess from her body language and her actions mentioned and her actions. It is a Victorian poem and Browning uses sexual references, which is very unusual because sex was a taboo and was not discussed openly in Victorian times. At the beginning of the poem, there is a storm brewing which is mirroring the lover’s feelings. He is angry at Porphyria and desperately wants her love â€Å"The sullen wind was soon awake, It tore the elm tops down for spite,† The wind has been personified which is particularly effective because it heightens the anger the lover is feeling and soon realises this. Browning cleverly set's the scene by using strong word such as "sullen", "tore" and "vex". Already we can see that this man, the lover, desperately craves the love of Porphyria, and leads us to question why he is so angry and what happened previous to this as to make him ... ...eless of body, and he wants her, he possesses her. This time it is she that needs him, she was not strong enough before but now it is she that needs him. He is trying to make comparisons from before and now, he wants to go back to that moment and hold it. â€Å"I propped her head up as before,† We see that, in death, the head is extremely heavy now because he now has to hold it in place; she has now been reduced to a limp corpse. The lover depersonalises her by thinking for her, and now she truly is, his possession. He feels he has won the battle with her wealth family and friends â€Å"And I, its love, am gained instead!† He now believes that he has evaded the law and has her forever now, unwilling to share her with anyone else. He feels God is condoning his actions, and will not be punished, he is arrogantly believing he has escaped charges of murder.

Close reading of the Poem Casey at the Bat :: essays research papers

1) Poetics: a. & b. Rhyme/ Rhythm A/14 A/14 B/14 B/14 C/14 C/14 D/14 D/14 E/14 E/14 D/14 D/14 F/14 F/14 G/14 G/14 H/14 H/14 D/14 D/14 I/14 I/14 D/14 D/14 J/14 J/14 K/14 K/14 L/14 L/14 M/14 M/14 N/14 N/14 O/14 O/14 P/14 P/14 Q/14 Q/14 R/14 R/14 S/14 S/14 T/14 T/14 U/14 U/14 V/14 V/14 W/14 W/14 c. No Real Meter d. Title: The title is linked to the figurative meaning because it shows the hope the team has of Casey. e. 4 lines per stanza f. 13 Stanzas with 4 lines each g. No italics h. No Bold i. There are quotes on lines 32, 35, 40, and 41 that just explain what people are saying literally j. The tone is reminiscing 2. Literal Meaning The Mudville team was predicted to lose They were losing without much time left Two players named Cooney and Barrows are out at first The crowed went quiet A few people in the crowed leave The rest stay with hope for the losing team The crowed thinks Casey is the last hope The team is gaining hope and confidence in Casey But before Casey was Flynn and jimmy Blake After casey came Lulu and the next player wasn?t very good There was a loosing feeling about There was no hope that Casey would ever get to bat Flynn hits a single every one is shocked Even though Blake wasn?t liked he hit the ball hard After the dust lifted the other team saw what happened Jimmy was on second and Flynn on third The crowed went wild The roar was so loud it was heard from far It Rang off the mountain and in the flat lands Because Casey was now at bat Casey seemed calm as he stepped up to bat He was very proud and showed a smile He tipped his hat as a response to the cheers Every one knew that is was Casey at bat The whole crowds eyes were on Casey as he rubbed his hands in the dirt They crowed watched as he wiped his hands on his shirt The pitcher rubbed the ball against his hip Casey sneered at the pitcher The ball was pitched Casey stood proudly watching the ball The ball sped past Casey Casey said ?that ain?t my style? and the umpire said ?strike one? The crowed roarded Like the roar of the ocean A person from the crowed exclaims Kill the umpire And the might have if Casey didn?t raise his hand Casey?s face showed a Christian like smile He quieted the crowed and let the game go on He signaled to the pitcher and the ball was thrown But Casey didn?t swing taking a second strike The crowed is unhappy with the call Casey looked at the crowed sternly and they were silenced His face grew stern and cold and his muscles tight Casey would swing at the next pitch Casey sneered and clinched his teeth He hit his bat against the plate The pitcher held the ball and let go

Common Man as Tragic Hero in Death of a Salesman Essay -- Death Salesm

Common Man as Tragic Hero in Death of a Salesman What is tragedy? While the literal definition may have changed over the centuries, one man believed he knew the true meaning of a tragic performance. Aristotle belonged to the culture that first invented tragic drama – the ancient Greeks. Through this, he gave himself credibility enough to illustrate the universally necessary elements of tragic drama. In The Poetics, Aristotle gives a clear definition of a tragedy, writing that it is â€Å"an imitation, through action rather than narration, of a serious, complete, and ample action, by means of language rendered pleasant at different places in the constituent parts by each of the aids [used to make language more delightful], in which imitation there is also effected through pity and fear its catharsis of these and similar emotions.† Basically, Aristotle thinks a tragedy should be witnessed rather than related, use poetic imagery instead of dry language, and have a logical flow with an inevitable conclusion at the end tha t evokes a heightened emotional response from the audience. Ever since Aristotle applied logic to art in The Poetics, playwrights from all time periods and cultures have attempted to prove him wrong. Utilizing intuition and writing from the soul, many have succeeded and many have failed. However, the most commercially successful theatrical performances have tended to follow Aristotle’s rules of drama. Aristotle maintained that all tragedies be driven by plot and that the characters simply be plugged into the story line. Leading the charge is the Tragic Hero, the man (not woman) who ultimately suffers the tragic fate. As defined in The Poetics, the Tragic Hero is, â€Å"the man of much glory and good fortune... ...oman’s world and demonstrated the tragic possibilities that exist within a common man’s universe. In so doing, he expanded the definition of Tragic Hero and helped to revolutionize tragic drama beyond the twentieth century. Works Cited Epps, Preston H. (trans.). 1970. The Poetics of Aristotle. Chapel Hill, N.C.: The University of North Carolina Press. Guth, Hans P. and Gabriel L. Rico. 1993. Discovering Literature. â€Å"Tragedy and the Common Man† by Arthur Miller. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Murphy, Brenda and Susan C. W. Abbotson. Understanding Death of a Salesman: A Student Handbook to Cases, Issues and Historical Documents. The Greenwood Press â€Å"Literature in Context† series, Claudia Durst Johnson, series editor. Westwood, CT, London: 1999. Miller, Arthur. Death of a Salesman. 50th Anniversary ed. New York: Penguin Books, 1999. Common Man as Tragic Hero in Death of a Salesman Essay -- Death Salesm Common Man as Tragic Hero in Death of a Salesman What is tragedy? While the literal definition may have changed over the centuries, one man believed he knew the true meaning of a tragic performance. Aristotle belonged to the culture that first invented tragic drama – the ancient Greeks. Through this, he gave himself credibility enough to illustrate the universally necessary elements of tragic drama. In The Poetics, Aristotle gives a clear definition of a tragedy, writing that it is â€Å"an imitation, through action rather than narration, of a serious, complete, and ample action, by means of language rendered pleasant at different places in the constituent parts by each of the aids [used to make language more delightful], in which imitation there is also effected through pity and fear its catharsis of these and similar emotions.† Basically, Aristotle thinks a tragedy should be witnessed rather than related, use poetic imagery instead of dry language, and have a logical flow with an inevitable conclusion at the end tha t evokes a heightened emotional response from the audience. Ever since Aristotle applied logic to art in The Poetics, playwrights from all time periods and cultures have attempted to prove him wrong. Utilizing intuition and writing from the soul, many have succeeded and many have failed. However, the most commercially successful theatrical performances have tended to follow Aristotle’s rules of drama. Aristotle maintained that all tragedies be driven by plot and that the characters simply be plugged into the story line. Leading the charge is the Tragic Hero, the man (not woman) who ultimately suffers the tragic fate. As defined in The Poetics, the Tragic Hero is, â€Å"the man of much glory and good fortune... ...oman’s world and demonstrated the tragic possibilities that exist within a common man’s universe. In so doing, he expanded the definition of Tragic Hero and helped to revolutionize tragic drama beyond the twentieth century. Works Cited Epps, Preston H. (trans.). 1970. The Poetics of Aristotle. Chapel Hill, N.C.: The University of North Carolina Press. Guth, Hans P. and Gabriel L. Rico. 1993. Discovering Literature. â€Å"Tragedy and the Common Man† by Arthur Miller. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Murphy, Brenda and Susan C. W. Abbotson. Understanding Death of a Salesman: A Student Handbook to Cases, Issues and Historical Documents. The Greenwood Press â€Å"Literature in Context† series, Claudia Durst Johnson, series editor. Westwood, CT, London: 1999. Miller, Arthur. Death of a Salesman. 50th Anniversary ed. New York: Penguin Books, 1999.

How Thomas presents war in As the Teamâs Head-Brass Essay

In the poem, Thomas makes quite a few references and allusions to war. He uses the nature and weather described in the poems as metaphors for various aspects of the war. The blizzard that is mentioned in the poem could be interpreted as a metaphor for either death or war. â€Å"In France they killed him; it was back in march, the very night of the blizzard, too.† He chose blizzard due to the nature of them, violent, and hard to see through, possibly a reference to the â€Å"Fog of war†. The elm tree can be interpreted as an allusion to the dead soldiers, which have been killed by the metaphorical blizzard, the fact that Thomas mentions that the friend was killed on the night of the blizzard reinforces this allusion, and he uses words that are normally associated with dead combatants, such as â€Å"fallen† to reinforce this idea. â€Å"By a woodpeckers round hole† this could be interpreted as a bullet wound adding to the interpretation that the elm tree represents a dead soldier, also the way he specifically mentions that it’s a woodpecker hole, instead of just a normal hole could be a reference to machine guns, which were said to sound like woodpeckers. The way he has described the way the elm tree has fallen also brings images of dead soldiers, he describes it â€Å"strewed† which gives the image of the tree being messily felled and destroyed, almost like it’s a corpse in the field that’s just been left there, like the way bodies were just left to rot in No Man’s Land. He alliteratively likens the war and weather â€Å"about the weather, next about the war† which are common themes in his poems, normally using weather as a metaphor for things such as war, rather than directly stating it. Another allusion to the war is what the plough is doing; it’s making trenches in the field, and these were everywhere in mainland Europe during the First World War, another trench allusion â€Å"screwed along the furrow till the brass flashed; once more† the flash could be a reference to the muzzle flash that was made by the occasional rifle that was shot over no man’s land. The way the â€Å"once more† was placed in its own line instead of the end of the sentence could be to reinforce the repetitiveness of it, which continues day in and day out. This poem has many things that are related to his other poems. His use of nature is one. However, the poem can be interpreted alternatively as a commentary on the effects of the war on the English countryside, and in general the destruction of the English countryside, which is a recurring theme throughout most of his poems. The effects of the war can be seen in the poem. The lone ploughman who has been left to tend to the fields by himself because his friend has been killed in the war, and can also be a comment by Thomas on how the ploughman is becoming rarer and rarer as the mechanization of agriculture is becoming much more widespread as time passes, especially during a time of war where all able bodied people were wanted to fight in the trenches. He uses black humour as a coping device â€Å"If I could spare an arm, I shouldn’t want to lose a leg, If I should lose my head, why, so, I should want nothing more† He doesn’t mind if he loses a limb because he still has to endure the pain of it all, but if he loses his head, which can be interpreted as either going insane (this was the first war in which psychological disorders caused by the war were widespread) or literally losing his head, he would not mind because he would not have to suffer the problems of the world any longer. His specific use of a plough, instead of the countless other farming tools that he could have used in the poem could be a biblical reference â€Å"they shall beat their swords into ploughshares† – Isaiah 2:4 he references this bible passage because it shows the connection that weapons of war have with tools that are meant to be used to cultivate the means to sustain life. In the poem there is a theme of continuity, the poem bookended with the lovers going into the forest, and ends with them coming back out. The whole theme of ploughs also contributes to this theme of continuity, as they are constantly just going round and round in the field. The way the poem is structured also plays with the theme of the plough, with most sentences ending mid line instead of at the end of the line, giving it a plough like shape. Another bit of continuity seen in the poem is the amount of syllables in a line, more or less every line in the poem has 10 syllables, and it also written in iambic pentameter.

Beginning the Audit Process

Beginning the Audit Report Peter Serunjoji ACC546 January 15, 2012 Arlette Peoples Beginning the Audit Report MEMORANDUM TO: Larry Lancaster, Chairman, President, and CEO of Apollo Shoes, Inc. FROM: Matrix Certified Public Accountants (MCPA) Inc. , DATE: January 15 2012 SUBJECT: Beginning the Audit Report (Engagement letter, Engagement checklist, Outline of timeframes and milestones of the audit) Dear Mr. Lancaster, This letter is to confirm the understanding of the arrangements for the objectives and terms of the upcoming auditing procedure for Apollo Shoes, Inc. Our firm is pleased to continue to work with your company and perform the audit of the year ending on December 31, 2011. Our PCA staff members would like to confirm the audit objectives, terms, limitations, and nature of the services provided for this engagement. The highlight of our services will cover auditing financial statements that include the income statement, balance sheets, statement of retained earnings, and the statement of cash flows. The financial audits will make sure that financial statements are presented according to General Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP). Since investors, creditors, managers, and government agencies use these statements, it is very important for the auditor to ensure all financial statements conform to GAAP (Arens, Elder, & Beasley, 2006). The audit team will also examine and measure the operational performance by studying specific parts of the organization and evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of operation activities on the financial statements. Our firm will gladly provide reasonable, but not absolute, assurance services that are performed by professional auditors to enhance the credibility of nternal controls, IT systems, financial statements, compliance with regulation and human resource practices. Our auditors will express conclusion reports that will enhance the confidence of users, creditors, bankers, and management. One of the assurance services provided by our firm is attestation services. â€Å"An attestation service is a type of assurance service in which the CPA firm issues a report about the reli ability of an assertion that is made by another party. Attestation services fall in to four categories: audit of historical financial statements, effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting, review of historical financial statements, and other attestation services that may be applied to a broad range of subject matter† (Arens, Elder,    & Beasley, 2006, p. 9). Our team will help to define material weaknesses in the internal controls that can occasionally create material misstatements in the financial statements. With the experience of our team, it is possible to determine whether deficiencies in the reports are significant enough to be considered material weaknesses. The team will first work with the high-risk areas that require additional attention. These areas are sales and sales allowances, accounts receivable, inventory, expenses, property and equipment purchases. We will report our opinion after we are done with all the tests. We will discuss our opinion with you if the result is qualified opinion or if we have any concerns with continuing this engagement. Auditors will obtain documentary evidence to support their testing for the internal control and the examination of all transactions to verify the sufficiency of the information. Our team will need to gain an understanding of your control structure and perform assessments to determine any control risks. However, auditors are not responsible for providing assurance on internal control or identifying significant deficiencies. In addition, auditors are not responsible for detecting errors or frauds that are immaterial to the financial statements. Auditors can provide a detailed examination of all transactions that are performed under a high risk of material errors and can notify the audit committee if any significant deficiencies are deducted. Apollo’s management is responsible to maintain effective internal control over financial reports and make sure the company complies with the laws and regulations. Our team demands that the management provide us with all financial records and related information. We will require that your management team provide us with a letter to confirm management responsibility for the preparation of a financial statement in conformity with GAAP and provide all information necessary in a timely basis for our audit process. The timing of the auditing process and the schedules are listed below for your review. The timely completion of this work will be at the end of our audit work. Our firm’s fees of the auditing process are to be estimated on a base of hourly rates. Our initial estimate of total fees, $250,000. 00, will be billed as work progresses. In the case of unusual circumstances, the fees may be adjusted to the new expansion of the engagement. Unless terminated, amended or otherwise superseded, this letter remains effective for the future years. If your company agrees to the terms and conditions of this engagement, we would like to ask you to sign this letter and return it to us and keep a copy for your references. We appreciate providing you with our services. Accepted: Sincerely Acknowledged on behalf of Apollo shoes Company By: ________________ Name and title Date: ______________                                                                                        Audit/Engagement Checklist | Processes | Yes | No | Initial | Date | Deciding    to accept the new client, Apollo | | | | | Find out why the client wants or needs an audit | | | | | Make sure that the client understands the terms of the engagement to avoid misunderstandings | | | | | Selecting the required audit specialists staff for the engagement | | | | | Deciding on a time for a meeting with the client to explain the objectives of the auditing process | | | | | Perform    investigation about the company to determine if there is any potential liability to work with them | | | | | Specify the service that is provided by the firm to the company | | | | | Assigning the appropriate staff to the engagement to meet the Generally Accepted Auditing Standards | | | | | The staff that are assigned to the engagement must have a good Understanding the client's business and industry | | | | | Make a visit to the client’s facilities to gain more understanding of its business | | | | | Find out if there is a related party to the client which has a combined business transactions | | | | | Request for the official record of the meetings of the board of directors and stockholders | | | | | Assess the risk that the business can face in the future | | | | | Make analyses and compare all the ratios to compare the client    to industry | | | | | Prepare all documents and paper work for all the steps and procedures that was done by the auditing team | | | | | Prepare final audit reports | | | | | Outline of Timeframes and Milestones for the Audit | | | | Start Date | Expected Completion date | Activity | | | | 1/17/2012 | 1/18/2012 | Meeting with the company board and discus the engagement objectives | 1/21/2012 | 1/23/2012 | Visit the facility | /25/20 12 | 1/31/2012 | Collecting information about the company’ structure including internal control | 2/2/2012 | 02/08/2012 | Requesting management report | 02/10/2012 | 02/15/2012 | Assess client business risk | 02/17/2012 | 02/27/2012 | Perform preliminary analytical procedures | 02/29/2012 | 03/115/2012 | Prepare audit reports | The 90 days time period may be adjusted to offset any delays beyond a contracting officer’s control. Some examples of these delays are delays in receiving the results of technical evaluation and delays in receiving reports from DCAA Reference Arens, A. A. , Elder, R. J. , & Beasley, M. S. (2006). Auditing and Assurance Services (11th Ed. ). Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prestice Hall.