Thursday, October 31, 2019

Adult Education in America Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Adult Education in America - Term Paper Example Adult education as a concept had undergone a systematic evolution in the history of education in the United States of America. The adult education programs are made available to the interested populations through varied avenues and are designed in consonance with the academic background and the language proficiency levels of the specific adult learners. Technology has made adult education more accessible in the current times. I am interested in the field of adult education, because it is in consonance with my personal philosophy and vision pertaining to education. Adult Education in America Since I have been actively engaged as a single parent and a full time executive, and that at present I am student pursuing a Masters in Education with a specialization in Family/Community, adult education is a concept that has always been close to my heart. It goes without saying that since I joined the 1st Class; I have emphatically come to the realization that my previous experience as a full ti me employee and a mother has aided me with ample insights as to the relevance and value of adult education in the contemporary societies. I have a deep seated conviction that in case of the adults dealing with family and professional responsibilities, adult education is sometimes not merely a viable option, but rather a chance to excel and move ahead in life. While I was pursuing my undergraduate level degree in social work, back in the early 80s, it was my innate passion and zeal to be able to help others. Now, my resolve as to pursuing a career oriented around working with families and communities, while aiding an empowering the individuals and groups through enhancing awareness pertaining to adult education has strengthened and bolstered with each passing day. Both in a present and past perspective, in the United States of America, adult education are the most potent and feasible tool to augment and upgrade the quality and potential of the local human resources. Enabling people t hrough the medium of adult education manifold enhances the possibilities as to what they know and what they can do with that knowledge, information and skills. The people who are not educated and skilled are increasingly finding it difficult not only to earn a decent living, but also to navigate their way through a system that increasingly requires them to engage in complex paper work and formalities pertaining to healthcare, social security, and everyday finance and retirement benefits. Besides, the United States of America being an immigration friendly country, with the changing demographics, things could get more stressful, if the programs oriented around adult education are not encouraged and pursued with ample zeal and commitment. Going by the fast changing technologies and the high frequency, with which people tend to change jobs, adult education is an issue that could be expected to accrue much importance, not only to enable the adults to seek access to and succeed in the nat ional work force, but also to empower them to serve as the worthy and well informed members of the society. Just because in the present context, so much stress is being laid on the education of children and teenagers, people often do tend to ignore the fact that most of the illustrious personalities in the Western history, be it Jesus, Socrates or Benjamin Franklin, happened to be the teachers of adults. It was way back in 1826, when the first lyceum at Millbury, Mass was organized by Josiah Holbrook, that envisaged the organization of the local adult study groups (Knowles, 1994). In 1911 America witnessed the setting up of The State Board of Vocational and Adult Education in Wisconsin (Knowles, 1994).

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

The Resistance of a Wire Essay Example for Free

The Resistance of a Wire Essay Steps 1 to 5 were repeated but the number of wires between the crocodile clips was increased by one each time until the total number of wires was The diammeter of the Constantan wire was measured using the Micrometer Screw Gauge. The diammeter was measured at two different places along the wire and the average value used in the calculation of the area. Measurements;   The length of wire between the crocodile clips was measured (L) using the metre rule.   The Potential Difference across the wire (V) was measured using the Voltmeter. The Current through the wire was measured twice and the average taken. This measurement was made using the Ammeter.   The diammeter of the wire (d) was measured using the Micrometer Screw Gauge. Results and Calculations Resistance (R) Resistance was calculated using each pair of values of V and Iaverage using the relationship R = V/Iaverage Cross-Sectional Area (A) The cross-sectional area was calculated using the relationship A = ? d2/4 d1 d2 daverage A = ? (daverage)2/4 mm mm mm x 10-2 mm2 0. 26 0. 26 0. 26 5. 31 The total area is given by A = Cross-sectional area of one wire x the Number of Wires Resistance and Length Potential Difference (V) Current (I1) Current (I2) Current (Iaverage) Length (L) Resistance (R) Volts Amps Amps Amps cm Ohms 3Resistance and Area Potential Difference Number of Wires Current Current Current Area 1/Area Resistance (V) (I1) (I2) (Iavge) (A) (1/A) (R) Volts Amps Amps Amps x10-2mm2 mm-2 Ohms Graphs of Results A Graph of Resistance against Length A Graph of Resistance against Area This graph is obviously not a straight line through the origin. A Graph of Resistance against 1/Area Conclusion Resistance and Length The graph of Resistance against the length of the wire is a striaght line passing through the origin. This means that the Resistance is directly proportional to the length of the wire as long as the cross-sectional area is constant. Resistance ? Length R ? L Doubling the length of the wire causes the Resistance to double. This agrees with the prediction that I made using my scientific background knowledge. Resistance and Area The graph of Resistance against cross-sectional area is NOT a straight line through the origin. The graph of 1/(cross-sectional area) is a straight line through the origin. This means that the Resistance is inversely proportional to the cross-sectional area of the wire as long as the length is constant. Resistance ? 1/(cross-sectional area) R ? 1/A Doubling the cross-sectional area of the wire causes the Resistance to halve. This agrees with the prediction that I made using my scientific background knowledge. Evaluation Justification of the Conclusions Resistance and Length All of the experimental measurements of resistance and length lie on or close to a straight line through the origin on the graph. Resistance and Area All of the experimental measurements of resistance and 1/(cross-sectional area) lie on or close to a straight line through the origin on the graph. Uncertainties Measurement of Voltage The Voltage was measured using a 0-5 Volt d. c. Analogue Voltmeter. The smallest scale division on this scale was 0. 2 Volts This gives an uncertainty of + or 0. 2 Volts allowing for an uncertainty in the setting of the zero on the Voltmeter. Measurement of Current The Current was measured using a 0-1 Amp d. c. Analogue Ammeter and a 0-5 Amp d. c. Analogue Ammeter. The smallest scale division on the 0-1A scale was 0. 02 Amps. This gives an uncertainty of + or 0. 02 Amps allowing for an uncertainty in the setting of the zero on the Ammeter. The smallest scale division on the 0-5A scale was 0. 1 Amps. This gives an uncertainty of + or 0. 1 Amps allowing for an uncertainty in the setting of the zero on the Ammeter. Changing from one scale to another is bad practice as the two scales may not have been similarly calibrated. Measurement of Length The length of the wire was measured using a metre rule. The smallest scale division on the rule was 1mm. This gives an uncertainty of + or 1mm. There is an uncertainty of + or 0. 5mm at each end of the length of wire. It was difficult to ensure that no kinks occurred in the wire. Kinks in the wire would have meant that the wire was actually longer than the measured value. Measurement of Diammeter The diammeter was measured using a Micrometer Screw Gauge The smallest scale division on the Micrometer Screw Gauge was 0. 01mm. This gives an uncertainty of + or 0. 01 mm allowing for an uncertainty in the setting of the zero on the Micrometer Screw Gauge Resistance The contacts between the crocodile clips and the wire may have introduced extra resistance into the circuit. The amount of extra resistance cannot be estimated and will have changed during the course of the investigation. Temperature The resistance of a metal wire does change with temperature and despite keeping the voltage low, the temperature of the wire will have changed during the investigation. Constantan wire was selected for the investigation because its resistance does not change very much as the temperature changes. The wire was laid out on the desk so that any heating effect would be minimised. The heat generated would have been lost to the surroundings. The resistance of a metal wire increases as the temperature goes up. Anomalous Results All of the values plotted on the graphs of Resistance against Length and Resistance against 1/(cross-sectional area) were close to the straight line (the line of best fit). This was certainly true within the limits of accuracy of the experiments. There were no anomalous results. Improvements Contact Resistance at the Crocodile Clips. It should be possible to develop a technique for connecting the wires into the circuit which would eliminate any uncertainty due to the contacts. This might involve soldering connections to the wire under test. This would involve quite a lot of extra work which would not be justified by the increase in accuracy obtained. Increased Number of Values of Cross-Sectional Area Because the final graph used was Resistance against 1/(Cross-Sectional Area) the points plotted were not evenly spaced. Keeping the Temperature of the Wire Constant There are two ways in which the temperature of the wire could have been kept more nearly constant. Using much smaller values for the applied Potential Difference and therefore the current through the wire. This could have been achieved by placing a large value resistor in series with the wire say 0-5000 Ohms. We would have needed to use a much more sensitive ammeter and voltmeter.   Placing the wire in a water bath as shown in the diagram below. The temperature of the wire would have been the same as the water bath. A large amount of heat energy is needed to change the temperature of the water bath because of the high value for the Specific Heat Capacity of water. Extension of the Investigation. Different Materials Different metals have different values for their resistivity ? . A series of experiments could be carried out to measure the resistivities of different metals and alloys. Change of Resistance with Temperature A series of experiments could be carried out to measure the change in resistance of a fixed length of Constantan wire as the temperature of the wire is changed. This could be done by placing the wire under test in a water bath and changing the temperature of the water bath by heating it with a Bunsen burner. The length and cross-sectional area of the wire would be kept constant.

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Sexual exploitation of children: Issues in treatment

Sexual exploitation of children: Issues in treatment Social Work and Criminal Justice: Victims of Violent Crime Analysis Abstract This report explores many factors of sexual abuse, specifically sexual exploitation of children. Ethical and policy issues that may affect practice with this population as well as the nature of the violent crimes are some of the factors explored in this report. The sexual exploitation of children is widespread and exists worldwide. Many of these children have long-term effects from sexual abuse that follow them into adulthood. In order to provide the adequate and appropriate treatment to sexually abused and exploited children, one must understand the magnitude of this heinous epidemic that is steadily increasing. Introduction The role of a generalist social worker who works with victims of violent crimes is of extreme importance. This is significantly true for social workers working with children who are victims of sexual exploitation. When generally recognized standards do not exist with respect to an emerging area of practice, social workers should exercise careful judgment and take responsible steps to ensure the competence of their work and to protect clients from harm (Reamer, 2010). A generalist social work base provides an existing foundation on which direct intervention, policy formation, advocacy, and networking may be implemented (Herrmann, 1987). Social workers confront child sexual exploitation as school social workers, at runaway shelters, at counseling agencies, and within the court system. The history of the profession provides the precedent for social work’s involvement in ending child sexual exploitation. Sexual abuse is any sexual activity with a child where consent is not or cannot be given. This includes sexual contact that is accomplished by force or by threat of force, regardless of the age of the participants, and all sexual contact between an adult and a child, regardless of whether there is deception or the child understands the sexual nature of the activity (Zastrow Kirst-Ashman, 2013). The sexual exploitation of children includes sex trafficking, child pornography, and child prostitution. Exploited children carry the effects of sexual abuse for many years in an agonizing struggle with sexual dysfunction, depression, insomnia, suicide attempts, and self-mutilation. The population mostly affected by child exploitation is usually children from infancy to adolescence. These children often live in poverty or live in low-income environments. Often, these children lack parental guidance or have parents who are involved in substance abuse. This population is usually the target of sexual abuse. Because of the anxiety most people harbor about sexuality in general, children have little information about sex. They have limited life experience upon which to base judgments. Thus, children can be easily misled or tricked (Zastrow Kirst-Ashman, 2013). Those who sexually abuse children are referred to as pedophiles. Many pedophiles report a history of sexual victimization as adolescents. Occasionally, many children find themselves blackmailed into adulthood by their exploiters. Not all victims become victimizers. All, however, may experience guilt, confusion, shame, and anger as a result of exploitation (Herrmann, 1987). Risk Factors of Child Sexual Abuse Risk factors associated with sexual abuse and the exploitation of children includes the facts that suggest that girls are more likely to be victimized than boys. However, boys are equally as vulnerable as girls. The average age for the abused is between ages 4 and 6 years for boys and ages 11 and 14 years for girls. Children who have disabilities are at greater risk for sexual abuse. These children are more vulnerable and less likely to defend themselves (Zastrow Kirst-Ashman, 2013). Nature of Violent Crime The nature of this particular crime can be heinous. This includes physical abuse, sexual abuse, and power of manipulation. Often, children are profiled and sought for their openness to trust others. The children are misled and manipulated into thinking the perpetrator will provide conditions that are better than their current situation. Children are often beat and drugged then sold into human trafficking. These children are forced in prostitution and forced to participate in horrible sexual acts. This includes intercourse, fondling, pornographic photography, and other unthinkable acts. Scenario Angel is a 14 year old African-American girl living in an inner-city neighborhood. Angel has four siblings and both parents are incarcerated for substance abuse. Because of the absence of her parents, Angel and her siblings are cared for by their elderly grandmother. The family does not have much money and often goes without basic needs such as food and clothes. Angel dropped out of school due to the constant judgement and bullying from other students. Without anywhere to go, Angel would often walk the streets to pass away the time. While hanging out in the neighborhood, Angel was approached by an older man who mentioned he had taken an interest in her. He complimented Angel on her looks and told her that she should not be walking the streets, but pampered instead. Daily, the man would complement Angel and showered her with gifts. She had never been shown this kind of love before and felt she was in love. She was invited to the man’s home for dinner. Although the man was much older, Angel was eager to receive his charm. She agreed to dinner at his home. On the following evening, Angel met the older man around the corner from her family’s home. She was instantly swept off of her feet. The man arrived in a shiny, red convertible sports car with a bouquet of roses in hand. When she arrived to the man’s home, she was greeted with more flowers, candles, and wine. Although she had never had wine before, Angel felt a sense of maturity and drank the wine. During the dinner, the man told Angel that he was aware of her conditions at home. He promised her that he would make all of her sorrows go away if she allowed him to take care of her. He promised to provide all of her needs and that she will never have to go without any of her basics needs anymore. He promised to shower her with gifts and to show her the world. Angel felt all of her prayers had been answered and that she had met her knight in shining armor. Although the room began to spin and she felt slightly ill, Angel agreed to spend the night with the man. He insists tha t she should not go home in her condition. The next morning Angel awoke feeling very ill and confused. She could not remember where she was. Angel’s clothes had been removed and she was chained to a bed at her wrist and ankles. She is in a lot of pain and begins to cry out for help. Angel is aware that her body has been violated and wonders who could do this to her. Although she has been crying for hours, no one answers her cries for help. Eventually, a man she does not recognize enters the room and begins to yell and curse at her. He tells her that no one is going to help her and threatens to hit her if she does not stop crying. Although she tries to control her sobbing, Angel continues to cry. The man kept his promise and began to violently beat her. The violent beating left Angel unconscious and she never saw her knight in shining armour again. On the following afternoon, again, Angel awoke dazed and confused. She noticed that she was chained to a radiator and had been moved to another location. She was later approached by two men who informed her that she now works for them. She was promised shelter and protection in return for following their orders. Daily, Angel found herself in different locations servicing men for money. Often, Angel would be transported from state to state and advertised on the internet. Although Angel wants to escape the life she was forced to live, she often finds herself drugged, beaten, and far from home. She has no resources and is not allowed to make calls or befriend anyone. Angel feels trapped. She often contemplates suicide and feels that taking her life is the only way out of her lifestyle. Although Angel’s family attempted to find her, they had no luck. She was reported missing to the police, but dismissed as a delinquent runaway. Months began to pass and Angel became another statistic. Angel is now a part of the child sex trafficking ring. Daily, she is forced into prostitution and forced into a life she should not have to live. This commercial exploitation is the result of the lack of importance given to human rights around the world, the disregard of children’s needs, and the vast amount of money involved (Herrmann, 1987). Ethical Issues There are several ethical issues that may affect practice with this population. Although social workers are mandated to report sexual abuse of children, ethical and legal considerations for treatment of sexually exploited children remains an issue. Before treatment begins with the victim, is it appropriate for a practitioner to directly inquire and/or process information with a victim about an alleged offense in a pending criminal matter? To what degree can such inquiry, recounting, or processing of the events in question alter the child’s recollection of what took place (Branaman Gottlieb, 2013)? Social workers must consider ethical issues of the effects of questioning, retelling, and suggestion on perceived personal experience. These processes operate in all therapeutic settings, but when they arise in the context of treating a child witness, they may influence, if not dramatically alter, a child’s memory (Branaman Gottlieb, 2013). Also, social workers should be cau tious when considering introducing a new treatment approach to these children. New approaches to the profession usually generate controversy among social workers because many unknown issues may arise. Social workers should attempt to locate empirical literature documenting the effectiveness of new approaches. Most social workers will conclude that using a controversial new treatment approach is too risky, ethically and clinically (Reamer, 2010). Policy Issues Often, policy issues may affect practice with this population. Child sex abuse issues are handled by state and local authorities, and not by the federal government. This is because of the relationships between the states which have broad authority within their jurisdictions. Unfortunately, the federal government has constitutional limitations on its authority. Because of this matter, the Department of Justice generally has no authority over child sex abuse issues. However, if a child is sexually abused or sexually exploited on federal land, the offender may be prosecuted under federal law in addition to state law. Another policy issue is the statute of limitations in child sexual abuse cases. Every state has a standard suspension of the statute of limitation for legal actions while a person is a minor. Most states have adopted additional extensions for cases involving sexual abuse of children. In the state of Mississippi, victims must file their claim within 3 years of the sexual abu se and/or within 3 years of the victims release from incarceration. Assessment and Evidenced-based Practices Treatment and assessment of child victims of sexual exploitation has several objectives. According to Zastrow Kisrt-Ashman (2013), the first objective is to provide a safe environment where the survivor feels comfortable enough to talk. The survivor must learn to identity, express, and share feeling, even when they are negative and frightening. A second treatment goal is to have the survivor acknowledge that the abuse was no fault of theirs. The third objective involves teaching the child new ways to express their feelings. A fourth treatment goal is to address and special treatment needs of the child. These needs may include medical treatment or behavioral modification programs. The fifth goal is to enhance family communication, support, and understanding of the abuse. On a micro-level of intervention, practitioners have been known to use several evidence-based treatment modalities when treating sexually abused children. Often, the psychodynamic theory and treatment is used. Psychodynamic theories emphasize the importance of stages of psychosocial development and the unconscious mental processes of human behavior. According to Walsh (2010), in ego psychology, problems or challenges may result from conflicts within the person or between the person and external world. Also, crisis theory and intervention is used. A crisis is defined as the perception or experience of an event as an intolerable difficulty. Crisis intervention represents a strengths approach because it underscores the possibility of client growth, even in horrible situations. The social worker must build upon clients’ strengths in order to help them adapt to, and grow from, the experience (Walsh, 2010). On the mezzo-level of assessment and intervention, structural family theory (SFT) and intervention is often used. This theory attempts to bring structure back to the family. The focus of the theory is family structure. Family structure is a concept that refers to the invisible and often unspoken rules that organize how family members interact. In this intervention, the social worker is highly directive and directly leads the family’s process of problem resolution. During the intervention of SFT, role plays and role reversals are often employed by practitioners. The role plays are enactments of possible family situations that aim to adjust family interactions. The goal of role reversal is to sensitize family members to the feelings of other members in the family. Also, the Family Emotional Systems Theory is used. The theory provides a comprehensive conceptual framework for understanding how emotional ties within families of origin influence the lives of individuals in ways the y often fail to appreciate and may tend to minimize (Walsh, 2010). The theory offers broad intervention strategies with which the social worker can utilize techniques in accordance with a family’s particular concerns. On a macro-level of assessment and intervention, the ideal way to treat sexual abuse of children is to prevent the events from happening. Information and education are significant factors of prevention. In the community, parents need both education about how to raise children and knowledge that in the event they are in crisis resources are available to help. Special programs could be readily available in the community to help parents with these issues ((Zastrow Kirst-Ashman, 2013). These programs would be beneficial to the community on many levels. Diversity Issues There are diversity issues that affect this population. Minorities from different backgrounds are at higher risk of child sexual exploitation. Many children from low-educational backgrounds are also at higher risk for exploitation. Most of the children that are misled into sexual exploitation are from impoverished areas of the world. In some cases, racial disparity has become an issue in the matter of child sex trafficking. Often, cultural difference must be taken into account when working with sexually abused children. In some countries, touching of a child’s genitals is accepting. In the Philippines, it is culturally accepting to touch a child’s private area and not seen as deviant behavior. In the Korean culture, touching a child’s genital area is also an acceptable behavior. This behavior is considered an expression of adoration and pride for a male child who is to carry on the family name and tradition. In the Vietnamese culture, this behavior is thought of as an expression fondness, not a crime. The cultural differences of the world suggest that some cultures do not view the sexual abuse of a child in the same context as others. Although most societies view these behaviors as deviant and unacceptable, others view these behaviors as normal and accepting. These accepting views can be related to family pride or superstitions. It is of the most importance for practitioners and other health professionals to be aware of the cultural difference in order to provide adequate and effective treatment to children in need. This knowledge will help to ensure that social justice is granted to those who need it the most, sexually abused and exploited children. References Branaman, T. Gottlieb, M. (2013). Ethical and Legal Consideration for Treatment of Alleged Victims: When Does It Become Witness Tampering? Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 44(5). 299-306. Herrmann, K. (1987). Children Sexually Exploited for Profit: A Plea for a New Social Work Priority. National Association of Social Workers, Inc., 523-525. Reamer, Frederic. (2010). Ethical Standards in Social Work: A Review of the NASW Code of Ethics. (2nd ed.) Baltimore, MD: Port City Press. Walsh, J. (2010). Theories for direct social work practice. (2nd ed.) Belmont: Wadsworth Cengage Learning. Zastrow, C. Kirst-Ashman, K. (2013). Understanding Human Behavior and the Social Environment. (9th ed.) Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole Cengage Learning.

Friday, October 25, 2019

jimhf Huck and Jim’s Relationship :: Adventures Huckleberry Huck Finn Essays

Huckleberry Finn and Jim’s Relationship Throughout The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain illustrates the bond formed between Huck, the young white protagonist, and Jim, Huck's black companion. Huck's father Pap, while he was still alive, had beaten Huck repeatedly, kidnapped and scared his son to the extent, that Huck, out of fear, feigns his own death to escape Pap's grasp. While Huck and Jim travel down the river it becomes apparent that Jim is more of a father figure to Huck than his biological father. Pap teaches the virtues of a life not worth living, while Jim gives Huck the proper fatherly support, compassion, and knowledge for Huck to become a man. Although Huck and Jim come from separate racial backgrounds their time together allows them to surpass their ethnic segregation and become true friends, and family. A father's attributes are meant to be examples for which his offspring can base their own lives. Pap attains non-of these attributes. Pap is an ignorant drunkard who attempts to swindle and scam any possible person. He goes so far as to even filch from his-own son. Pap views Huck as someone upon whom he can assert himself. He attempts to drain Huck of all characteristics that would make Huck superior to himself. "You're educated, too, they say; can read and write. You think you're better'n your father, now, don't you, because he can't? I'll take it out of you... Ain't you a sweet-scented dandy, though? A bed; and bed-clothes... and your own father got to sleep with the hogs... I bet I'll take some o' these frills out o' you before I'm done with you."(21-23) Pap is no father to Huck, he berates, kidnaps, and beats his own son with no remorse. The only lessons that Huck learns from Pap are what not to do with his life. He's seen the draw-backs of alcohol, stealing, and other such elicit actions that his father has performed. Pap is a low down dirty scoundrel who wishes nothing but the worst for his-own son. While Pap acts as an anchor on Huck's heel, Jim opens up a new world for Huck, and becomes his companion and a resource of knowledge.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Intuition and Decision-Making Essay

This paper basically talks about intuition and leadership and takes into account the intuitive decision making that the leaders take into account while making decisions where adequate knowledge is not available or where there are time constraints. There are a lot of arguments regarding this intuitive decision making by leaders where some people argue that it should not be like that as they may turn out to be wrong and others hold to the fact that at times intuitions lead to the right decision as leaders have this ability to analyze all the available information and make the decision on it along with using their past experience and expertise. The paper will first start by defining what actually intuition is and what makes leaders to promote or prevent decision making using intuitions. Then the paper will take a leaders point of view regarding decision making and how they bring in account all the available information to come up with a decision. In the end, the report will compare decisions made on intuitions with the decisions made upon logical reasoning in order to give a better knowledge to the readers regarding the two concepts and terminologies. Defining Intuition Starting with the report, we all know what decision making is, however, it will be helpful for us to know what exactly intuitions are on which leaders tend to make their decisions on. Intuitions are basically the ability of a person to actually judge or perceive an appropriate outcome without using reasoning and adequate information for that. The word is actually derived from a Latin word that means to â€Å"look inside† and that is exactly what we are talking about in this report. While using intuitions, leaders are able to look into the matters, problems or situations without even making an effort to gather or probe into the matter or its complexities (Aqor, 1986). With intuition, leaders actually tend to break into the thickness of the surface reality through their gutt-feeling, a feeling from inside that may be based on their past experience, a fear based interpretation or the actual leadership quality in their personality. What promotes or prevent leaders from using intuitions Moving on, as we have realized that intuitions are feelings, emotions or responses that are based on your own abilities, thus, it is not always true that they are right, they can also be wrong. A leader may be good in doing so in a lot number of instances but still, he is not sure whether his next intuitive decision will actually lead to the same positive results. Every important matter has its own requirements to mitigate risks and probing into complexities, thus for that purpose leaders do need appropriate information in order to come up with their decisions. However, many leaders fear this because of the fact that there personal bias in shape of their previous good or bad experience to a similar problem can actually influence their decision to a great extent. This personal bias or personal judgment that we are talking about is basically based on personal abilities or past experiences and has very less to do with analyzing the current information that is available (Williams, 2001). Thus, leaders do fear with their intuitive decision making that it can actually make them make a wrong decision. On the other hand, there are instances, where leaders have to take charge of the matter and make decisions on just a small amount of information or at times no information. These are situations where there time and resource constraints and decisions have to be taken. There, the best thing a leader can do to save time and resources in gathering all the relevant information and risk factors is to use intuitive decision making approach. A leader is a qualified team member who is chosen because of his ability to look at things with a broader and a next level thought process, thus team members also tend to conform with their this ability and promote them to take such decision. An example of such decisions can be taken as sales predictions after a natural calamity or a sudden fall in the stock market. Although, the demand would fall due to these circumstances, but it might be the other way round for a leader who is looking at the matter with a different approach using his intuitive decision making ability. Role of decision-making to a leader’s position Moreover, a leader is the person who is actually held responsible for all the actions of his team. His team basically conforms to his decisions and relies on his orders and directions because they also accept him as more capable in decision making and his abilities to solve problems and handle situations. Thus, with all this responsibility, a leader has to make sure that his decisions are correct and the best interest of the project and the team he is looking after. Any false decision can cost him and his team a failure of project. When we talk in management terms, we see that one thing that is always argued is the fact that decisions made upon inadequate information are mostly wrong. However, when we look into the practical world of leaders, can we say that leaders always have the right amount of information at the right time and at the right place? Obviously not is the answer to this question because of the fact that if all information would have been made available to the team, then there was no need of a leader to make decisions. In that case just a checker or manager would have done the job of a leader (Aqor, 1986). But, when we look at the decision making role of a leader, he has to make a large number of decisions everyday for which he might not have all the information and which won’t allow him much time to think upon them otherwise he will have to compromise all other important things that he and his team has to complete. A leader, as we have already discussed is chosen because of his special abilities, and this intuitive decision making skills is a part of them. Although on the surface we might say that while intuitively making decisions, a leader does not takes into account all the information, but he is actually thinking with a different angle and approach using his abilities that other team members cannot(Bealer,1998). Difference between decisions made with logical reasoning and decisions made with intuition In the last part of this report we will now discuss the difference between logical decision making and intuitive decision making. Logical decision making involves a high level of reasoning and data that is analyzed in order to come up with a decision. this approach is mostly advocated by most of the critics because of the fact that through this type of decision making, a leader tends to take into account and mitigate a large number of threats and risks which he might not through intuitive decision making. However, this type of a decision making approach may require more time and resources to come up with the decision (Williams, 2001). Also these decisions are mostly based on the theoretical knowledge and proven facts. For example, as we have seen in a number of stock markets that when people with logical reasoning were un-holding their stocks with losses, there were some others as well who were actually earning by using their intuitive knowledge. On the other hand, as we have discussed above that while making intuitive decisions, a leader might not take much time to make those decisions as they are usually made in circumstances where there are time constraints. Moreover, a leader uses his abilities to reconcile his past experiences and trends to come up with the decision rather than core number, figures and theoretical knowledge only.  Another major difference between the two is that both the types of decisions can actually go in the opposite directions as well as we have already discussed above in the stock market example(Giannini & Rhodes,1978). Conclusion Thus, the report will conclude the discussion with an argument that no one can actually say whether intuitive decision making is good or bad. It all depends on the situation. Yes, it is true that when there is adequate time and resources, the leader should also take into account the other approaches as well but in constraints of time, a leader may take these decisions depending on his abilities. Also we cannot also say which one of the two types of decision making is good or bad for the project because it again depends on the situation that the organization is in. however, as we know that intuitive decision making involves personal bias of leaders as well and may also reflect their personality traits such as risk taker or risk averse, it is recommended that whenever possible, a leader should take into account the logical reasoning approach and compare it with his intuitive perspective before taking any decision as it might make him realize a number of risks that he may have ignored in the first thought.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Dupont Analysis Essay

A satisfactory return on assets might be divided through a high profit margin , or a rapid turnover of assets, or a combination of both. The Du Pont system causes the analyst to examine the sources of a company’s profitability. Since the profit margin is an income statement ratio, a high profit margin indicates good cost control, whereas a high asset turnover ratio demonstrates efficient use of the assets on the balance sheet. Different industries have different operating and financial structures. For example, in the heavy capital goods industry the emphasis is on a high profit margin with a low asset turnover—whereas in food processing, the profit margin is low and the key to satisfactory returns on total assets is a rapid turnover of assets. Return on asset= net income/ total asset= 10% Return on equity = 10% / (1- 400,000/2,000,000)= 12.5% There are many advantages of Dupont analysis; the Dupont method allows an investor to see which particular components of the business are profitable or efficient, as well as those that are not. The Dupont ratio equation also allows the analyst to see the overall strategy for a company. For example, a company with a high asset turnover and a low profit margin is a company whose strategy depends upon the bulk selling of cheaper products.