Resources Worksheet free essay sample

Worksheet Student resources include a variety of helpful sites and tools that can be of assistance when completing assignments, connecting to other students, and searching for careers. Complete this table regarding student resources provided by the university. In the first column, identify where the resource can be found. In the second column, summarize each resource in at least one sentence. When you are finished with the matrix, answer the follow-up question in part B. Part A: Resources Scavenger Hunt Student resource Where found Summary of the resourceSyllabus Course Materials It lets u no what, when, and where your work has to be done Class Policies Main Forums Tell about attendance and participation University Library Library Allows you to search for articles University Academic Catalog Program/My Programs Tells the most current academic programs and policies University Learning Goals Course Outline Helps on goal setting Life Resource Center Quick Links provides you free, confidential 24/7 online and telephonic support through a variety of services. We will write a custom essay sample on Resources Worksheet or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Phoenix Career Services resource to help you identify and prepare for success in the career that fits o best.

International Trade Policies of Campaign 2000 essays

International Trade Policies of Campaign 2000 essays Although international trade policy has not been one of the major points of debate in this years presidential race, determining the role which the United States will play in the rapidly expanding global market will be a fundamental issue for the next administration. The next president will be forced to deal with a number of important, and in many cases delicate problems, that may change the direction of international trade for the next century. Among these, is the acceptance of China into the World Trade Organization (WTO). The United States has taken a leading role in pushing for the admittance of China into the WTO, but there have been technical problems, preventing the deal from being closed. Of concern also, will be the demands of developing nations, who wish to reach a more equitable trading relationship with the industrialized countries. (Economist) It will be the responsibility of the next president to find working solutions to these dilemmas. The two major party candidates this election cycle are Republican Governor George W. Bush of Texas and Democratic Vice President Al Gore. The two share similar positions within some aspects of foreign trade policy, but differ significantly on others. II. International Trade Policy of Vice President Al Gore Vice President Gore is an advocate of free trade. His support for the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which created an open market system between Canada, Mexico and the United States, was the key reason it was passed into law on January 1, 1994 (North American Free Trade Agreement). He believes that open markets spur technological innovation on a worldwide scale, and create tremendous growth and job opportunities domestically (Voter). In a speech delivered to the Washington Council on International Trade, Vice President Gore remarked that foreign barriers to trade hurt the people they were intended to protect, at the cost of American jobs. An exa...

Small Business Appraisal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Small Business Appraisal - Essay Example However, there have been a number of Indian start ups in the domain, with quite a few bigger Indian business houses too throwing their hat in the fray. One of the most prominent start ups in foods and services retailing domain is Lite Bite Foods (LBF). LBF operates in the high growth segment of Quick Dining Restaurants (QDR) and Quick Restaurants (QR). It was founded by a group of High Networth Individuals and industry professionals, and has been funded by an Institutional Venture Capital firm. The firm has entered into strategic tie ups with a number of well known food brands, and is presently in the roll out phase. As per the company website, it already about half million square feet of retailing space under is management and is aggressively looking at adding more space. This small business was started to cater the need for fast food in Indian population. In the given project, the business as well as management of the business will be discussed after undertaking the theory of small business and entrepreneurship. ... ble for developing small businesses which were started by a single person, later on other family members like sons, relatives and friends might join with the owner which results in increase in the size of business. Many famous multinational business of today had started as a small business by a single owner. These examples act as motivations for millions of people to start their own small business. Even today the small business plays a vital role in gross domestic production in developed countries like US. As per a report published in September 2010, the multinational companies in US buy goods and services from more than 6,000 American small businesses that amount to $3 billion. This represents approximately 24 percent of the total buying done in US. Thus, these small enterprises are important partners of the US multinational companies. The government policies of US are also concerned for development of small business in America. As for example, the resent agreement of $ 1 billion fo r increasing new export by US firms will boost demand for goods and services and this will benefit the SMEs. As per the data, the small businesses are responsible for 99.7 percent that is $29.6 million business in US during 2008. Almost 49.6 percent of total payroll employment done in US is offered by small business. The young small business are important for creating new jobs as small business within the age of two years are accounted for creating 25 percent of new jobs in last few years (Business Roundtable, 2010, p.1-2). Not just in developed nations, even in emerging nations, the small businesses are important for the economy like China and India. There are several factors that influence small business growth in these markets. Among these factors, socio-economic condition, availability

FINANCIAL STATEMENT RATIO ANALYSIS CASE Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

FINANCIAL STATEMENT RATIO ANALYSIS - Case Study Example Financial ratio analysis is the calculation of harmonized relationship of figures that appear in the financial statements. These relationships are known as ratios and they are very useful in analyzing the financial performance and financial position of a business. The financial ratios enhance the comparison of different companies in the same industry since the financial statements alone cannot play this role due to the difference in size of businesses. These ratios measure the ability of a firm to make profit to its owners. They indicate the financial performance of a firm. The main profitability ratios are net profit margin, operating profit margin and gross profit margin. The calculation of net profit margin is (net profit/ sales) * 100%. The calculation of operating profit margin is: (operating profit margin/sales) * 100%. The calculation of the gross profit margin is (gross profit margin/ sales) * 100% (Bragg 54). These ratios indicate the level of efficiency in a business. The main management ratios are return on equity, return on assets and the inventory turnover. The calculation of return on equity is (net profit/ total equity) * 100%. The calculation of return in assets is (net profit / total assets * 100%). The calculation of inventory turnover is (inventory/ sales) * 100% (Bull 87). These ratios indicate the ability of a firm to finance its current debts using its current assets. The main liquidity ratios include; quick ratio, current ratio and the net working capital. The calculation of the current ratio is current assets/ current liabilities. The calculation of the quick ratio is (current assets - inventory) / current liabilities. The calculation of the net working capital is current assets – current liabilities. These ratios measure the going concern or the viability of a firm and its ability to meet its long-term debts. The main

Reflection of Groupwork for Self-Awareness

Reflection of Groupwork for Self-Awareness INTRODUCTION: â€Å" Coming together is a beginning Keeping together is progress working together is success.† †¦Henry Ford This report describes the successful application of reflective learning to promote critical self-awareness and improve both individual and team performance, in a group project work assessment for MSc in International Business Management at LJMU. Boyd and Fales (1983) defined reflection as: â€Å"The process of internally examining and exploring an issue of concern, triggered by an experience ,which creates and clarifies meaning in terms of self and which results in a changed conceptual perspective.† According to the suggestions of Kolb learning cycle, i.e. Reflective observation (watching) Abstract conceptualization (thinking) Active experimentation (doing) Concrete experience (feeling) The team members engaged themselves in reflective practice of â€Å"Assimilating, Organizing, Implementing and Executing† the assessment on Burberry case study. (Jennifer Annoon, 2000) GROUP WORK ANALYSIS: Many professional bodies and educational quality institutions now require that students have proven â€Å"experience of working in groups or teams† (Blease, 2006 in Kelly 2007). Hence forth we formed a group to invigilate the challenges and issues that the Trafford group was confronting. To compliment this, catholic youth council (1980) also stated that ‘when examining the relative success and failure amongst group works, the selection process may be a key variable in establishing criteria for successful group work. 1. GROUP FORMATION: For this particular assessment, the group was christened by choice and acceptance i.e. students were given the liberty to select a peer and later on were clubbed with another team to form a clique. A group becomes a team when each member is sure enough of himself and his contribution to praise the skills of the others. Initially group was formed with low level of conflicts and high level of group cohesion. The presentation was due in 3 weeks; the roles were assigned, norms were laid and work was divided as a part of group contract. Scheduled meetings were altered at regular intervals considering team members availability and preferences. The members in the group had 4 attributes namely activist, reflector, pragmatist and theorist. Honey and Mumford linked Kolbs learning cycle with the personal attributes. 4 Members A(reflector)- reviewing and observation B(theorist)- developed thought process and conclusion C(pragmatist)- applied theory in practice with the existing ideas D(activist)- application through action in a new circumstance with new ideas. 2. GROUP DEVELOPMENT Effective teamwork plays a vital role in group development. The key factors which effect the group are conflict management, personality traits, individual performance and time management Shaw and Barrett Power (1998) explained group development and the creation of a productive working /learning with the help of a model showing the effect of diversity and small group processes on performance. The model reflects that a successful group work requires open communication, symbiosis, effective conflict management discussion of strategy and the appropriate weighing of individual inputs into decisions. Bruce Tuckman (1965) developed a four stage model of group development. He labeled the stages forming, storming, norming, performing and ten years later added a fifth stage called adjourning. In the first week, our group was in the forming stage. Initially all members were confused and uncertain in assessing the assigned work. We did the ‘Big Five Locater (Kelly) personality test to assess the personality trait clusters of each individual in the team. This helped each member to analyze each other. Group contract helped us to overcome these barriers by defining the goals, establishing rules and getting acquainted to the task in hand. During the first week of discussion, time consensus was a big issue, as couple of members had their vocations. There was constant atoning of the schedule, which had spilled the beans for a conflict. However according to Maddux R.B., (1998) conflict is healthy when it causes the group to explore new ideas, test their standards and beliefs and stretch their imagination. When conflict is dealt constructively, people can be stimulated to great creativity, which will lead to a wider choice of action and better results. Another important aspec t was that the group was more into planning than execution (Schon, 1983). In the later part of the second week the group progressed well by understanding each other and got settled down as an appeased group. A whole brained approach for development and execution is an essential constituent to stimulated long term productivity (Eales-White,2005). This approach was taken by the group members by applying a variety of different learning abilities towards common objectives which was more focused and integrated, which helped in enhancing the Burberry case study. With a combination of formal and informal practices group gained a potential competitive advantage while performing. 3. CRITICAL EVALUATION AND REFLECTIONS: Group conflict is essential for a groups cohesion. It helps groups identify areas of common values; provides group stability through shared beliefs, helps to balance the difference between extreme ideologies and helps to clarify roles and structures frequently. â€Å"If managed constructively, conflict can be a strong indicator of the groups effectiveness† (Mary Holz-Clause, 1996) Issues: Time Consensus: One of the serious hurdle faced by the members during the discussions were meeting the time requirement. Although all had opined to meet on an agreed time. The attendance was really an impeding factor. There was constant atoning of the schedule which resulted in frequent feuds between the members giving rise to clouds of disharmony amid group. Cold war: â€Å"The transmission of information and exchange of meaning between two or more people is communication† and lack of which can lead to ambiguous situations, where people may differ in the reception of intended meanings (Buchanan and Huczynski ). We were initially distracted by the pall of uncertainty that was prevailing due to profuse interpersonal misconceptions. The group was deprived of amiable and cordial environment as none were gelling together. The varied attributes and behavioural differences among the members of the group proved to be significance for the meetings but at the same time, differences in ideologies and perceptions lead to clashes. Personal Commitments: Another persistent worry was the prior commitment of the members. Couple of them were employed and we found it really challenging to have their presence in the meeting during the initial stages of the discussions. They had irregular shifts which aggravated the situation furthermore. Lack of Acceptance: Members were too much into there own findings that they gave less importance to others work. REFLECTIONS: The recurring issues had to be solved and the garbage can model (Cohen, March and Olsen, 1972) was used which suggests a scenario where decisions have a random element to them. For an effective decision to be reached, the problems and solutions had to come together. Bringing them together was a challenge. Developing the ability to identify relevant problems and seeking radical solutions by bringing the right people together at the right time. In order for them to reach the sometimes radical decisions that will be needed in often turbulent environment (Ian Brooks, 1999). Conclusion REFERENCE: BROOKS, Ian and Cohen etal.(1999).Decision making.Organisational behaviour-individuals, groups and the organisation,Pearson Education.edi.5.p.32 BUCHANAN, David and HUCZYNSKI, Andrzej(2004).chapter6Communication.Organisational communication- commitment and propaganda,Pearson Education.p.207 CLAUSE Mary Holz.(1996), http://www.extension.iastate.edu/agdm/wholefarm/html/c6- 55.html, date accessed 23/03/08

The Extinction of Penguins

Emperor Penguins have been around for millions of years. Although they are a type of bird they can not fly. They walk, slide on their stomachs, or swim. They can swim up to nine kilometers an hour. That is faster than an average person can run. Emperor Penguins can hold their breath over twenty minutes and dive over eighteen hundred feet. Another interesting fact about them is that they show no aggression towards humans. The real question is though whether or not Emperor Penguins are on their way to extinction? Some of the reasons why we may think this would be climate change, depletion in food supply, pollution, tagging, and their predators. Climate change is the reason for the Emperor Penguin population to decline by fifty percent over the past fifty years. Penguins use the ice to escape from predators, and to raise their chicks. A temperature increase of 2. 1 degrees Celsius will jeopardize forty percent of the world’s Emperor Penguins. When the ice melts before the chicks have matured and grown their waterproof feathers, chicks that are swept into the ocean are likely to die. If the ice isn’t sturdy enough to last until when the chicks are ready to head out to sea, they aren’t going to be able to raise them. The loss of sea ice for adult penguins can lead to lower food availability, which can result in increased mortality. In Antarctica an Emperor colony has declined from 250 pairs to 10 pairs since 1960, due to rapid loss of the sea ice. Since global climate change has been causing the rapid melting of sea ice, the amount of krill in the southern oceans has decreased in recent years. Krill in which many penguins feed upon, survive by feeding off the algae which forms on the underside of the sea ice. So the reduction in sea-ice which has resulted from climate change has meant there has been much less food for penguins to eat. If this continues to happen the Emperor Penguin population is going to keep on declining. Over fishing of krill, and fish is another factor in helping penguins become extinct. It is putting pressure on food chains and food availability for penguins. Industrial fisheries deplete the penguins’ food supply and entangle and drown the penguins in longlines and other destructive fishing gear. The more fish and krill being caught by humans the less food there is for penguins to be able to eat. Ocean acidification which is caused by the absorption of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide into the oceans is also harming penguins. Plankton is a major part of the food chain for many fish on which penguins feed. As gases are absorbed into the oceans, they become less hospitable places for plankton and other organisms to live which is less food penguins have to eat. Oil pollution kills tens of thousands of penguins annually. The oil destroys the natural water repellent on their feathers, causing the birds to become vulnerable to hypothermia. Penguins also consume the oil while trying to groom, poisoning them and causing internal organ damage. The oil also kills the penguins’ food and poisons the penguins when trying to eat contaminated fish. The banding of penguins is another issue contributing to the declining population of penguins. The first evidence that flipper bands might be causing damage to penguins came in the 1970s. Zoos reported that the bands would wound penguins’ flippers, especially during the yearly molt, when flippers enlarge. Over a ten year period, banded penguins produced thirty-nine percent fewer chicks and had a sixteen percent lower survival rate than unbanded birds. Banded penguins also had less time and energy to reproduce and care for their young because they spent more time searching for food and provisions and arrived more than two weeks late to breeding areas. The penguins wearing bands expend twenty-four percent more energy while swimming and attract the attention of predators. Rory Wilson, an ecologist at Swansea University said the extra baggage likely increased the drag penguins experienced and impaired their athletic ability.

Participant-Observer Exercise Essay

First of all, I am grateful to all class members and our instructor for the experience that I was able to acquire during this course. This is a good example of experiential learning – here we all had opportunities to transform our theoretical knowledge into real life experience. It really proved effective. I may also note that the last group engagement exercise did not disprove my previous hypotheses: with time and the experience of joint work we all got more confident about the tasks, and with the raise of confidence our productivity increased. I think we all got to know each other better and it increased the level of confidence. My hypothesis for this week is: â€Å"Group work gets real meaning and becomes more productive when group members bring in their personal insights and personal experiences instead of confining themselves to theorizing and relying on common sense. † At first, we knew each other too little to be open and share our personal experience. With time, we got to know each other better and gradually became more relaxed about sharing our thoughts. I think it had a positive impact on our performance. It helped to provide more examples of the concepts we presented. Our task was to discuss experiential learning and how it assists in exercising leadership and understanding group dynamics. We focused on several chosen principles in our presentation, and each of us was able to vitalize theory by referring to specific examples. This level of openness was quite impossible during the first exercise. Personal insights helped us all better understand theory and make a more interesting presentation. In fact, this experience once again proves Principle 9 that we discussed in our presentation: â€Å"The more supportive, accepting, and caring the social environment, the freer a person is to experiment with new behaviors, attitudes, and action theories† (Johnson & Johnson, 2009, p. 51). Since all were open and ready to introduce a personal insight, we felt the environment to be rather supportive and accepting. As a result, we felt more confident and could communicate our thoughts freely. It provided greater value to our group work and helped to fulfill our task more successfully. References Johnson, D. W. , & Johnson, F. P. (2009). Joining together: Group theory and group skills. 10th ed. Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.