The leading founders of the United States of America

Explain why you think one of the following made a significant contribution to American political thought prior to 1800: Benjamin Franklin, James Madison, George Mason, Abigail Adams, Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, or Tom Paine. Explain his or her role in these important deliberations and why you think it was significant to the process, and may have influenced final outcomes. BENJAMIN FRANKLIN Benjamin Franklin was born on January 1, 1706 In Boston Massachusetts; he was the youngest child and the tenth boy in a family of 17 children.He was one of the leading founders of the United States of America, a member of the committee that draft6ed the declaration of independence and was one f its signatories. Despite the fact that his formal education ended early, this never terminated his education, he believed that the doors of wisdom are never shut, in connection, he learned simple algebra, navigation, logic, history, science, English grammar and a wide knowledge of several other languages.A s will be discussed below, Benjamin Franklin’s contribution or role or influence on the American political thought prior 1800 was and still remains significant both in America and in all the other parts of the world. To begin with his contribution is shown or rather confirmed in his belief in the fact that good citizenship included an obligation of public service. He himself served in United States of America in one way or the other for most of his life, for him there was no greater purpose in life than to live peacefully.Again, Benjamin as a political activist and writer, more than anyone, invented the idea of an American nation; furthermore, he was an early proponent of colonial unity. He also founded the roots of American characters and values, a marriage of the practical and democratic Puritan values of thrift, community spirit, self government institutions and opposition to authoritarianism both political and religious with the scientific and tolerant values of enlighten ment.Benjamin Franklin also spearheaded the effort to have parliament repeal the unpopular stamp act, this was in the American governing body. He became involved in politics after which he was selected as a council man then he became a justice of the peace for Philadelphia. Later on after being appointed the deputy master general, his most noticeable services in domestic politics was his reform of the postal system (Woolman, 2004). He also affected diplomatic service in connection with the relations of the colonies with Britain and later with France.He also protested against the political influence of the Pennsylvania family in England who were the proprietors of the colony. Another factor which shows contribution politically is that he was a member of the club of honest Whigs alongside other thinkers like Richard Price; this is when he became involved in active politics. He is also the founding father to four of the major documents of the United States; the declaration act, the tre aty of Paris, the treaty of Alliance and the United States constitution and all these form a very vital part of the American political system.The other significant thing he did that helped to tighten the American political system was that he advocated for the abolition of slavery which in turn led to stable political government. Among his many political roles there are some of the most evident ones which are discussed below; he was a representative in the Pennsylvania assembly, a colonial agent at London and a representative to the continental congress at Philadelphia in 1776 and the United States ambassador at Paris in 1783. At each of these pints, his political and social roles had changed.He was well situated and well positioned in his area of leadership that he was able to participate directly in the formation of government policies, by worship1785, he was on the periphery of the forums of political power and social privileges Although Benjamin Franklin’s use and discover ies in science and innovation are well rounded accomplishments, he is most credited for his action in the political office. Benjamin’s ethical mind and thoughts helped make the nation of America what it is today. He believed that America had to separate itself from its control under Great Britain.It is therefore a justifiable conclusion that perhaps his most heroic act is the work he contributed to make America the free nation it is today. Benjamin stood firm in his ground and belief that the Americans had to branch off from England even if there was strong opposition. He had to take the risk to as great depths as compromising with his fellow politicians yet he proved really heroic in the time of the political turmoil in the land for his ability to reason with others, stand true to his belief and the courteous nature at all time. Precisely, his work as a politician paid off greatly, more than he may have expected (Tomasi, 1999).Benjamin Franklin was truly the first American t o live the American dream, the dream that everyone, regardless of gender, race or background can be anything they desire through honesty and hard work. To cup it all, Benjamin Franklin was and still remains a hero in that through the voice he had in America, he has since brought hope to so many a people and through him, everyone seems to be having a bright future in the United States of America. He is truly a hero. Works cited Woolman, J. Autography of Franklin. Harvard: Kessinger Publishing, 2004. Tomasi, M American History. NY: Oxford, 1999.

Reimbursement and Pay-for-Performance Essay

Introduction As we come into the 21st Century, we find Healthcare is at a crisis level. Every agency is working on healthcare reform from policymakers to the public and private sector, as well as federally funded Medicare and Medicaid. The business of Medicine is greatly influenced by the government (federal, state and local levels) and private health sections that initiate policies. Pay for Performance is a reimbursement method where physicians and hospitals can receive a higher reimbursement for duplicate services based on the fact that they deliver better quality care with better results and outcomes. This payment reform offers initiates intended to improve efficiency, value, and quality of health care (Hood, 2007). If all doctors receive the same dollar amount as a doctor with poor outcomes, then the doctor with great outcomes should receive a little more and there will be patients that do not mind paying a higher deductible for better medical services (Mayes, 2006). Definition for Pay for performance Kimmel (2005), â€Å"Pay for performance is a payment approach used in healthcare that is based on clinical information-driven reform. The fundamental concept is to tie payment to how well providers adhere to practice standards. The practice standards are evidence-based and tied to clinical outcomes. The primary areas of focus are preventive care delivery and disease management for chronic illnesses†. Effects on Reimbursement Pay for performance (P4P) is literally a group of performance indicators that are coupled with an incentive. The performance indicators supports the performance aspect of P4P while the incentive indicator is the pay component. Measuring patient outcomes and understanding the variances that  they have, has in part lead to the increasing rise in how pay for performance reimbursement is looked at. This style of reimbursement allows health plans and employers to pay increasing reimbursements to medical providers that have the better outcomes, give average outcome medical providers a chance to improve, and pay those medical providers with the lowest outcomes the least amount of money or not pay them at all (Cromwell, Trisolini, Pope, Mitchell, & Greenwald. 2011). In order to have a pay for performance system in place, you must decide what domains or areas you wish to track, measure, and reward. Some areas in this domain are clinical process, quality and patient safety, access to and availability of care, cost efficiency or cost of care, cost-effectiveness, administrative efficiency and compliance, adoption of information technology, and reporting of performance indicators. These can be set up as a single performance tracker or a multi-domain performance tracker and the measure needed for improvement, importance, and cost. Performance indicators should be valid, reliable, and informative (Cromwell, Trisolini, Pope, Mitchell, & Greenwald. 2011). The Incentive Schemes reward the performance measures, and is another important part of a pay for performance system. Funding proves to be another important part of this type of a reimbursement system. Types of funding include redistributing existing payments where additional funds will not have to be made and the quality of service is already high; however, medical providers with a lower quality of service will receive lower reimburs ements. Generated Savings and New Money are other sources of funding for performance measures. Generated savings claim that an increased quality of service will generate savings, although there are others who feel that new money should be used to fund the performance system. (Cromwell, Trisolini, Pope, Mitchell, & Greenwald. 2011). Impact of System Cost Reductions on the Quality and Efficiency of Health Care The Medicare Physicians Group Practice (PGP) was the first physician pay for performance model used by the federal government. The PGP believes that higher quality and better cost efficiency could be achieved by managing and coordinating patient care and by engaging in wider choices of care management that are able to improve cost efficiency and quality of health care. Interventions include; chronic disease management, high risk and higher cost care management, transitional care management, end-of-life and palliative care programs. If there were a more  successful payment and delivery method to increase the value of health care and improve quality of care, the cost would grow at a slower pace. The American people would be more likely to purchase health insurance coverage that is affordable and more valuable. (Kautter, Pope, & Trisolini, 2007). More progress toward effective delivery and system reform is one of the key elements to achieving the goals to push expanded coverage. Information technology is one of these key elements and a major part of pay for performance system. Information systems uses electronic medical records and patient registries have been created to improve the efficiency and quality of health care delivery. These type of initiatives that are being tested to see if cost savings are generated by reducing avoidable hospital stays, cutting down on readmissions and emergency room visits, while simultaneously improving quality of care (Kautter, Pope, & Trisolini, 2007). Effect of Pay for performance on Health Care Providers and Their Customers Meredith B. Rosenthal states, â€Å"Pay for performance will not replace the existing payment structure in either system, but it does allow payors to take into account a set of quality indicators, in addition to volume of service (as fee-for-service does now) or the nu mber of covered lives (in the case of capitation). In this view, pay for performance can be viewed as a mechanism to correct some of the distortionary incentives that already exist in the reimbursement system†. Physicians in the United States are paid on a fee-for-service basis. This encourages high volumes of services, where there is no regard to the value of services in regards to a patient. When services are reimbursed more generously than others it allows the payment system to influence additional medical services with a heavy emphasis on procedure-based care. Since the physicians pay is not attached to medical services provided, there is really no direct incentive to provide any services (How Will Paying for Performance Affect Patient Care?. (2006, March). Virtual Mentor, 8(3), 162-165). Effects of Pay for performance on the Future of Health Care Goldberg lists three points regarding the most significant implications of the movement toward paying for quality outcomes. These are that the quality and value become real parts of contractual reimbursement, the differences based on quality outcomes will be more evident grouped with provider tiers,  and quality metrics evolve to outcome-based and chronic disease management (Goldberg 2006). P4P is an incentive-based reimbursement system that rewards the best players. This pay for performance system is currently active in health systems, managed care settings, and private and group physician’s practices. P4P is likely to impact the entire health care environment and will provide yet another opportunity for pharmacy to become an active role player and leader with improving quality and efficient health care. The focus is not on value but on quality and cost. Pay for performance is not a new program, but in the age of informed choice, evidence based medicine, and patient safety, it can become the solution to our current health care dilemma (Pay for performance (P4P): Evaluating Current and Future Implications). Conclusion These pay for performance systems and programs will lead expansion across the United States health care industry in the near future. With the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, there has been a great amount of provision made to encourage continued improvement with quality of care. â€Å"Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) are groups of providers that agree to coordinate care and to be held accountable for the quality and cost of the services they provide† (James, 2012). There needs to be a consensus as to how much of an incentive will have to be given in order to affect the needed change and how should these incentive’s be paid out monthly, quarterly, or yearly; and how can these improvements be sustained over time. Continued experimentation with the pay for performance model should begin to incorporate monitoring and evaluation in identifying design elements that will also affect outcomes in a positive way. Variations in health care markets should be evaluated and include comparison groups to isolate pay for performance from other types of factors. Pay for performance has some great attributes to it and could definitely be the beginning to improvements in quality of service. If physicians are receiving patients and referrals based on their ability to provide quality of service with reduced readmissions and more satisfied consumers, then the care they take in providing services to patients from admission to discharge will create positive change. References Cromwell, J., Trisolini, M. G., Pope, G. C., Mitchell, J. B., and Greenwald, L. M., Eds. (2011). Pay for Performance in Health Care: Methods and Approaches. RTI Press publication No. BK-0002-1103. Research Triangle Park, NC: RTI Press. Retrieved June 15, 2014, from http://www.rti.org/rtipress Goldberg, L. (2006). Paying for performance a call for quality health care. Deloitte Center for Health Solutions. Retrieved from http://www.deloitte.com/assets/Dcom-UnitedStates/Local%20Assets/Documents/us_chs_p4p_032806%281%29.pdf Hood, R. (2007). Pay-for-Performance-Financial Health Disparities and the Impact on Healthcare Disparities. Journal of the National Medical Association, 99, 1-6. James, J. (2012). Pay-for-Performance. New payment systems reward doctors and hospitals for improving the quality of care, but studies to date show mixed results.. Health Policy Brief, 1-6, Retrieved June 15, 2014, from http://www.healthaffairs.org/healthpolicybriefs/brief.php?brief_id=78. Kautter, J., Pope, G., & Trisolini, M. (2007, Fall). Medicare physician group practice demonstration design: quality and efficiency pay for performance. Health Care Financing Review, 29(1), 15-29. Retrieved June 15, 2014, from http://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Demonstration-Projects/DemoProjectsEvalRpts/downloads/PGP_ Demo_Design.pdf Kimmel, K. (2005). Pay for Performance: An Economic Imperative for Clinical Information Systems. Retrieved June 15, 2014, from http://www.himss.org/content/files/PayForPerformance.pdf Mayes, R. (2006). The Origins of and Economic Momentum Behind â€Å"Pay for Performance† Reimbursement. Health Law Review, 15, 17-22. Pay for performance (P4P): Evaluating Current and Future Implications. Retrieved June 15, 2014, from https://www.ashp.org/DocLibrary/Policy/QII/Pay for performance.aspx Rosenthal, M. (2006). How Will Paying for Performance Affect Patient Care?. Virtual Mentor, 8, 162-165.

E-commerce and Auditing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

E-commerce and Auditing - Essay Example These are: It is not viable for auditors to take leave of work and go back to school to learn the mechanisms needed to serve the new auditing scope. To deal with this aspect of the transformation on-the-job training is the strategy employed by the audit executives. The authors recorded that ,"Some audit executives are using external contractors to "off load" some of the regular work. Freed up internal resources are then being used to get in-house auditors trained in the use of technology." (pg 91). Nikoloyuk et al: further related that Audit executives use the strategy of increasing "audit teams with external specialists." These teams are used to train "internal resource" to become "internal specialist." Changes: Like many other businesses auditing has had to change and modify its practices to best adopt to the growth of technology. Businesses have moved away from the traditional methods and are becoming more and more technologically advanced. If auditing is to remain alive it too will have to adopt to these changes. More so, as their main clients are in fact businesses. Kumar in his work 'The Technological Auditor', noted that, "Accountants and Auditors are not always on the cutting edge of technology." Auditing by nature is not a very transparent job. The process of the job relied on a lot of paper work . This goes against the very nature of E-commerce where the paper work is almost non-existent. Auditing stands a chance of becoming obsolete if adaptations are not made. Companies were disgruntled by the former auditing process as they 4 viewed the as being too expensive and burdensome. In response to these and other concerns Kumar relates that the "US Public Company Accounting Oversight board (PLAOB)" responded to these concerns by "encouraging auditors to become more consistent and transparent in the way they conducted audits." This discontent among businesses and the realization that e-commerce was always moving away from the traditional were indicators that change was on the horizon for the auditing profession. These changes would include; more transparency. The maximizing of special auditing skills on a global basis. Rationalization of the controls. Increased focus on value-added services by auditors. Formerly businesses would schedule the auditing of their firm based on their "point-in-time" system where they would carry out internal assessments to "identify high risk areas of the business." This system soon become redundant as companies sought to comply to the Sarbanes-Oxley. The regulation stipulated that firms would now have to make their financial statements readily available for auditing. (Kumar pg1). Audit Risk: The switch to automated auditing comes with added risk and challenges. The risk that an e-commerce business faces are many

Not yet chosen Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Not yet chosen - Essay Example She also argues that a person can be Utilitarian in his beliefs, reflecting the loving saint or a Kantian who on the other hand manifests the rational saint. In addition, the writer displays to the view of the readers several real-life examples of what may be considered as saints. The argument of Wolf is valid because she did not simply make a conclusion but took one which could really make her readers reconsider their perceptions about moral saints. She validates her argument by defining what a moral saint is and further expounds by dissecting what loving and rational saints are. Then, she lets her readers take a look on the lives of people such as Katharine Hepburn, Paul Newman, Natasha Rostov and Lambert Strether, people who are known for some characteristics which may not all be morally regarded but at the same time not considered immoral as well. She suggests that people choose to appreciate them and become like them as compared to the morally perfect characters. This is because she says that when one turns his eyes â€Å"toward lives that are dominated by explicitly moral commitments, one finds one’s self relived at the discovery of idiosyncrasies or eccentricities not quite in line with the picture of moral

General George S. Patton Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

General George S. Patton - Essay Example As a way of expressing his feelings and thoughts he was also writing poems. General to be George Patton was born in 1885 in San Gabriel California to the wealthy family of an attorney. His parents, being well educated themselves, were also giving good education to their son from an early age, main subjects being classic literature and history. The other subject his father grounded him in was the Bible, which Georgie, as he was known later throughout his life, knew mostly by heart. Christianity became a guiding light in his life, along with his passion for battles and war. Though he had an early start with the education and was very intelligent, he did not know how to read or write until the age of 11. It seems Patton suffered from dyslexia, which could not be diagnosed at that time. It manifested itself in George’s inability to spell properly, and his problems in mathematics. George Patton Jr. attended Virginia Military Institute just like his father and a grandfather. He had a blood of a military officer running through his veins. His grandfather was a colonel in the Confederacy in the War Between the States, and was killed in one of the battles; many of George’s uncles were also participating in the war. After the war has ended, many war heroes were visiting Patton’s house and George was listening to stories told by the battle veterans themselves. Patton’s father also told his son many stories about the war and battle heroes; he took his son to visit battlefields of Civil War. All this had such a great influence on George Jr. that at the age of 10 he set a goal of becoming a hero and a famous general. He was very determined to reach this goal, and spent most of his childhood in studying what he thought a general needs to know. Entering Virginia Military Institute was a next step toward his dream. His problems in mathematics continued so much so that he had to have a permission to repeat the first year. However, his learning disabil ities did not hinder him from graduating successfully. Being good at sports also helped him in obtaining his diploma. His sport achievements were so great that Patton represented the United States in the Olympics of 1912 in Stockholm. He placed 5th out of 46 in the first modern Pentathlon. Patton really liked physical competitions, and believed in the fair play. Also, when in army, he was initiating forming teams for different sports such as football and polo. While at Cavalry School in France, he also learned how to fence. While still a student, he designed and taught a course in swordsmanship. Later he received orders to return to Kansas, and continued teaching fencing. The title of â€Å"Master of Sword† that he received was his rightfully. During all these years Patton never engaged in the real battle. Pursuing his dream of becoming a hero, Patton asked General John J. Pershing to accompany him in the Mexico Border campaign, in 1915. During this time Patton got recognitio n from the general and notoriety back in United States. This campaign became the first real war combat Patton had engaged in. When the WWI began, Patton was accompanying General Pershing, the commander of Headquarters Troop, in his trip to France. Patton was promoted to Captain, then, temporarily, to the Major. He was given a command of the Army Tank Corps – a novelty in the Army at that time. The Battle of Cambria was the first battle where large number of tanks was used. Patton attended this battle only as an observer, but, after what he had witnessed, he was convinced

A multinational company maximises its competitive advantage by Essay

A multinational company maximises its competitive advantage by controlling its own supply chain. Discuss - Essay Example According to Caves (2007) any business, which has showed potentiality of having varied number of chain stores located in different parts of the world is capable of achieving adequate economies of scale such as timeliness, humble use of global resources and market dominance amongst other aspects, which can only be relevant to the maintenance of supply chain. Globalization and FDI The globalization of commerce has a major impact on modern business (TOMAR, 2009). Globalization affects the way business is carried out and the geographical area where a business can operate. With globalization, even small businesses are able t operate in the global arena, which then leads to Foreign Direct Investment. Foreign Direct Investment affects and in turn is affected by the supply chain. It also affects the supply chain decisions which a firm is likely to make with regard to whether they are going to manage their entire supply chain or if they are going to outsource the supply chain to a third part. With regard to choosing a supply chain model, businesses look for the model which will offer them strategic edge over their competitors. It is therefore not a matter of choice, but it is a matter of choosing the most efficient way of survival in a marketplace that has been made even more competitive by the existence of globalization. Issues of competitive advantage simply entail an organization being able to dominate the market over other firms who trade in the same line of product. Firms that have numerous numbers of chain stores in different countries have got potentials of achieving increased sales volume. Besides proper choice of the location of an industry is the most practical way of distribution of production cost. Therefore, with very minimal cost of production a company can easily enjoy the competitive advantage. Moreover, with several advantages associated with supply chains, the company would be left with principal mandate of concentrating on other internal aspects of pr oduction, and this makes appropriate benefit to the maintenance of supply chain by an organization (working mother, 2001). The Coase Theory of Transactions Costs and Decisions Making The Coase theory postulates that in the absence of transactional costs, businesses would be able to share the property space without having to worry how resources are allocated (Jager, 2008). In regard to the supply chain, what this means is that if there are no negotiation costs between two firms which are at different levels in a single supply chain, the two firms would not mind continuing to depend on each other to complete the supply chain. The Coase theory was developed by Ronald Coase who tried to understand the free markets and why regulations are not necessary. According to the Coase theory, an organization would only then choose to control all its supply chain if there were costs of negotiating the terms of service with other firms in the supply chain. If these costs of negotiation do not exist , the costs of outsourcing some of the supply chain would not hinder a firm from outsourcing. In fact, according to the Coase theory, where transactions of negotiations do not exist, the two (or more) firms in a supply chain would naturally gravitate to the most efficient relationships with the most efficient supply chain. This implies that in the abs

Business Structure Advice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Business Structure Advice - Essay Example Companies are large corporations with a huge composition of members and partners. They have complex legal requirements and not suitable first time ventures. In addition, their creation requires large financial resources and is exposed to numerous business risks (Besley & Brigham, 2008). This makes it a bad business venture for an amateur business creation. Sole proprietorships are less complex corporations. Their formation requires only the existence of the owner. In this form of business, the owner may receive aid from family members. This form of business is preferred for a first venture if the owner has enough resources or can receive financial aid enough to create a business venture (Besley & Brigham, 2008). In regards to taxation, a sole proprietorship is only taxed on the business venture. A person’s personal properties are not liable for taxation. However, the business venture is mandated to pay an annual tax for its operations (Besley & Brigham, 2008). Partnerships, on the other hand, are business ventures created with the collaboration of two or more persons. They are referred to as partners. They are easy to create as a person may seek a partnership from a person or persons who share similar business incentives (Besley & Brigham, 2008). The main advantage of this business form is that the capital contribution is shared among partners. In addition, operations are divided among the partners. This makes it easy to operate. In a situation where a person lacks enough capital and business knowledge, a partnership is the most appropriate business venture (Besley & Brigham, 2008). Taxation in partnerships is only liable on the business. However, the tax to be paid by the business is shared among the partners. In addition, personal properties are not taxed on the behalf of the business. In regards to capital generation, a business may have numerous options to consider. One possible way of capital

Progressive Movement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Progressive Movement - Essay Example A loosely defined movement was formed from the progressive reformers. Progressives were individuals or groups of people who were concerned about the state of society, impacts arising from urbanization and industrialization, poverty, social issues and political corruption (Foner, 2014, p.678). Progressives as businessmen were ambitious to include the laborers and workers for their rights in decision making and economic improvement. Women were part of progressive movement who sought their right of protection of their children from exploitation. Journalists as progressives had exposed the major ills of urban as well as industrial lives with expectations to encourage reforms. Social scientists also took part in progressive era with their beliefs of solving the social problems through the academic research. Middle class individuals were more fearful about the rise of big businesses that could threat their social as well as economic status. Progressivism was defined through currents and tr ends of counterculture, challenges to authorities, cultural liberation and sexual revolution. Other currents and trends include the steps towards the equal rights, civil rights and establishing the women’s organizations.Socialists advocated that economy’s state control and laborers’ voices must be accorded in their decision making. Many civil and political organizations recognized that inequality could threat the democracy, so they considered that political struggle was essential to defend the interests of workers.

Software Development Best Practices, Vision & Goals Statements Essay

Software Development Best Practices, Vision & Goals Statements - Essay Example The researcher states that after deployment of the state of the art matching system, it is expected that the company would get a huge number of benefits that include: the enhanced productivity, increased efficiency, high security, improved quality, more system usability, high performance, lower maintenance costs and efforts of the in-house software development team of the company hence achieving employee satisfaction and fewer bugs as compared to the existing matching program software application. These benefits would ultimately lead the company to achieve its goals, the value of the market share would be increased and the company would continually get more profits. As far as the cost of replacing the matching system is concerned, there are following costs of the items that need to be considered. Cost of procuring the computer hardware items including the servers, desktops, LAN development equipment etc. On the other hand, the second cost item is the software applications including t he Operating Systems, antivirus, Microsoft applications etc., moreover, the cost for development of software application – the Valentino matching system. And the last cost item is the human resources involved to facilitate the development, moreover, the operating expenses or the miscellaneous cost. Project Scope Diagram Requirement Catalogue The requirements of the Valentino matching program can be divided into functional and non-functional requirements which are given below: Note: Priority 5 = Top, 1 = Least Functional Requirements ID Req. Name Priority Description vm1 Register 5 The applicants (new clients) would have to register themselves with the company to avail the services by provision of required information in the form/questionnaire. vm2 Fee 5 An amount of ?150/- would be charged from the client upon new registration per year and it could be paid either by credit card or cheque. vm3 Contacts 5 The client would be provided a list of six (6) most compatible matching m embers to contact either by telephone or letter/email. vm4 List 5 The clients can demand as many lists as they desire and the subsequent (or add to the first list) lists would be charged ?5 each. vm5 Confidential 5 The Valentino service is completely confidential and applies the rules of the Data Protection Act, however, upon request of the clients their names can be shown to the other members’ list. vm6 Update 5 The clients would be given functionality to update their profile information including location, photograph, payment method, and matching requirements. vm7 Control 5 The clients would be facilitated to control their personal information either to show or not to the other members of the company. vm8 Profile 5 The clients can update their relevant information whenever and as many times they want free of charge. vm9 Free 5 A list of compatible members would be provided to the client free of charge, if and only if, the client got less than three (3) members in the previo us list. vm10 Login 5 In order to use the system, the clients need to log into the system by providing username and password provided to them after completing the process of registration.

Conflict in friendships Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Conflict in friendships - Research Paper Example Such love, care and understanding the relationship is based on the knowledge and trust on each other (Damon, 1977; Selman, 1980). It has also been observed through research, that close relationships play a key role in the socialization process during adolescence which in turn helps in an individual’s overall development of self. Friends become an integral part of people, during adolescence, when their dependence on their parents lessens, and that on their peers or people their own age, grow over time. However, interpersonal conflicts between friends are common, and given the high amount of reliance and interdependence on each other, such conflicts can prove to be devastating to their mental and physical health. This paper aims to study, analyze and discuss the normative aspects of such interpersonal conflicts among friends. Review Findings: Interpersonal conflict can be defined as a dynamic process which takes place between individuals or groups in co-dependent or interdepende nt relationships. The chances of occurrence of such an event are directly dependent on factors such as situational or personal i.e. where there is a personal history of conflicts between the individuals concerned, or differences between the individuals; or it may be on account of their positions (Fink, 1968; Pondy, 1967; Wall and Callister, 1995). The term conflict on the other hand, can be described as one which includes the presence of one or more of the following factors – disagreements over various issues; interference; and / or negative emotion (Barki and Hartwick, 2001; Pondy, 1967; Wall and Callister, 1995). These above mentioned factors can also be described as cognitive factors, behavioral factors or affective factors influencing interpersonal conflicts. Although there are various other key reasons behind the occurrence of interpersonal conflicts between friends, one of the most researched topic is the one related to disagreements. Friends often tend to argue over a number of things. These arguments tend to be over various issues on which they disagree and stems from various factors such as differences in their personal values and attitudes, perspectives and notions, needs; interests, opinions and goals etc among others. Interpersonal conflict is associated with certain typical behavioral traits or reactions which include excessive arguments and debates over certain issues; constantly trying to compete with each other; attempts to manipulate the situations or friends; backstabbing – which is considered one of the most common reasons leading to interpersonal conflicts among friends; often leading to aggressive and hostile reactions and repercussions. Furthermore, it must also be noted that despite these traits being closely associated with interpersonal conflicts among friends, the mere existence of one or more of such behavioral traits does not necessarily imply the existence of a conflict. The conflict is known to exist / occur only whe n one friend tries to interfere or argue / debate / question the other friend’s behavior or motives, and prevents them from attaining their desired goals. Furthermore, apart from factors which are known to be the cause of conflicts between friends, there are a range of overwhelming emotions, which are also closely related with interpersonal conflicts. These include a series of negative emotions such as fear, hatred, agony, anger, frustration, anxiety etc among others.

Discipline in the Classroom Essay Example for Free

Discipline in the Classroom Essay Youre nothing but a wuss. Your mama aint here to help you now so why dont you stand and fight me like a man†¦. Thats right, saying nothing is going to make the situation better. You gonna go cry to Mrs. Wilson about it now? This type of harassment in the classroom distracts the students from their main objective-to learn. Disciplinary problems in the classroom interrupt the atmosphere of the classroom, a place where learning takes precedent above all else. A tense environment detracts from learning and everyone loses. Mrs. Wilson got upset, the other school children endured constant harassment, and the children responsible for this harassment got lost in the system. Although experts cite many responses, multicultural education remains an answer that benefits both the teacher and all of the students. Disciplinary problems not only disrupt the serenity of the classroom, but if left untreated, manifest into societal problems. Violence grows as Americas answer to any problem. This trend has been growing steadily in our nations classrooms, and recent incidences like that of Columbine High School remind us that angry children become everyones problem if no one reaches out to them. cal1966, please do not redistribute this work. We work very hard to create this website, and we trust our visitors to respect it for the good of other students. Please, do not circulate this work elsewhere on the internet. Anybody found doing so will be permanently banned. Detention, suspension, and expulsion remain popular methods for dealing with discipline, but these methods serve only to remove rather than to solve the problem. Multicultural education stimulates the children to incorporate their own life experiences into what they learn and makes them active participants in their own learning process. Multicultural education serves to help bridge gaps between different classes, races, and genders. Not a seemingly easy task, drastic measures are imperative when the future of our country rests on the futures of our children. Take an eighth grade classroom located in a rural district with only three middle schools servicing the entire county. Mark and Jake, two white boys, constantly disrupted Mrs. Wilsons Social Studies class. The situation distracted the teacher from her lesson plan, meaning that the other childrens learning fell behind their peers. Also, Mark and Jake jeopardized their own academic careers and threaten to become societal menaces. If left untreated their problems might develop into larger societal ills that hurt members of the population at large through their abuse of welfare or filling up the jails. Previously detention failed to help Mark and Jake correct their behavior, but Mrs. Wilson felt that the rest of the class should not suffer because of two members of the class. Disciplinary problems usually stem from some deeper anxiety that the children are facing. Marks parents work in an assembly line of a car manufacturer and net $40,000/year combined. They work long hours and spend little time with Mark after school. He takes the school bus to and from school, and he lives in a poor area of town where the houses are run down. Neither of his parents finished formal high school, although they both received GEDs. He has several younger siblings that look up to him as an example, but education is not stressed in his family. This hypothesis from studentcentral. o. uk Part of his disciplinary problem could be that he resents the fact that the state requires him to go to school. Mark sees that his parents struggle to get by, but no connection between improving his situation and education in his mind exists. People who succeed in class and come from upper-middle class backgrounds receive the brunt of his harassment. He feels resentment towards these students because he feels that he tries hard but society and good fortune still shun him. Jakes parents come from working class backgrounds, and he lives in an area that is close to Marks house. His parents experienced marital problems lately. They fight constantly, and his one younger sister also experienced problems in school. His father graduated from technical school and works as a mechanic in a local garage, and his mother works at Kroger. His disciplinary problems relate to the fact that his parents fight a lot and offer to get into screaming matches. With so much tension in his home he feels the need to lash out at someone, and conveniently finds other students to harass-students who he already resents because of their higher social status. His disciplinary problems started about the time that his parents started having problems. However, his parents failed to communicate their problems on to Mrs. Wilson, so she understands little about the reason for Jakes disciplinary problems. cofb fbr sefbfbw orfb fbk infb fofb fb. Mrs. Wilson, a 35-year old white teacher, became exasperated because Mark and Jake refused to respond to what she viewed as adequate attempts to reach them. They reserve their harassment for children who identify with the pper-middle class or excel in schoolwork. Because she experienced no contact with either set of parents, she remained unaware of the home problems that contribute to Mark and Jakes frustration with the school system. Her training also left her unprepared to deal with types of children who shrink away from contact with other people. The boys consistently under-perform in all their subjects. Although they received extra help in the past, they refused to take an active interest in learning, and instead tried to disrupt class time. Mrs. Wilson gave them extra help by working with them during class, and also assigned group partners to them, but the hostility the boys exhibited towards their partners made the working environment tense. They also disrespected Mrs. Wilson, and she felt like she lost all control because they refused to listen to anything she said. They removed themselves from the social scene of the school and appeared to not trust anyone but themselves. The harassment of other students needs to stop because everyone suffers in this situation. All the students fail to get to as much information as other classes with no disciplinary problems. These students will then experience a disadvantage next year when they compete against students from other classes. Also, Mark and Jake acted out and created this disturbance in class for some reason. If Mrs. Wilson fails reach them then their class disturbances might turn into societal disturbances. The importance of the situation remains for all involved to receive some help. This hypothesis from studentcentral. co. uk Mark and Jakes harassment needs to stop for the benefit of all involved. Multicultural education ensures that every child receives a proper education and an equal chance of success later in life. Like a runaway effect, the problems snowball setting students back and preventing them from attaining success in schools and jobs. In a multicultural setting ideally all the students express their individual voices in the class and its pedagogy. Multicultural education address typical disciplinary problems because the themes that of the process builds around active thinking by the students themselves about the world around them. Multicultural education helps remedy this situation, because everyones culture needs to gain acknowledgement by the teacher. However, since limited diversity exists in the classroom, Mrs. Wilson tries to incorporate other cultures as well to make all her students more accepting and understanding of everyones lifestyle. Although the classrooms contain relatively new textbooks, they should be discussed critically in class so that the students feel like active participants in their own education. Mark and Jake may be acting out because they feel a lack of control over their own education and their situation in life. Mrs. Wilson realized she had failed to stimulate stimulating them enough, and so they act out to try to grab attention. Rather punish these students, Mrs. Wilson tries to understand their motives and then to try to help them in whatever way the teacher deems possible. This hypothesis from studentcentral. co. uk Nieto writes, all teachers can become role models for all students as long as they are understanding, caring, and informed. One way in which teachers can build substantial relationships with students is by offering help to those who do not seek their aid (331). Mark and Jake try to get attention by lashing out. Mrs. Wilson must dig deeper than usual to get at the root of the problem if she wants to help them. Mrs. Wilson reaches her students through multicultural education. Her determination to reach students who have been labeled as problem children determines the rest of their scholastic careers. For her first step, Mrs. Wilson reevaluates whether her accusations about the childrens behavior warrants concern. Her actions could stem from her preconceived notions of lower, working class families since the children causing the disturbance are poorly dressed and do not have the best hygiene. If Mrs. Wilson holds any bias then she needs to address her own personal bias so that the children do not suffer from her one-sidedness. coce cer sececew orce cek ince foce ce! Once Mrs. Wilson ascertains that these children pose a serious disturbance in her classroom, then her objective reworks itself into new inventive ways. The benefits of conventional negative reinforcement seem to not pose any threat to Mark and Jake, so perhaps she can try positive reinforcement. Also, if she practices what Nieto outlined as a multicultural classroom (p. 05) then she creates an environment where the children feel comfortable approaching her. Perhaps by gaining their confidence she then determines the root of their discipline problems. Before implementing multicultural education, Mrs. Wilson first identifies the reason for Mark and Jakes outbreaks in class. Until now she treated them as regular problem children, but since none of the conventional disciplinary methods worked, she needs to sort out the root of the problem. Their problems at home cause their harassment of their peers. However, since the parents fail to return phone calls, Mrs. Wilson writes them and requests that they come in for a parent/teacher conference. If this measure fails to get the parents to school, then she plans to go visit them in their home. Because the parents are usually busy, there do not often communicate with the school. If the school approaches the parents in a non-threating manner, then perhaps the parents shed some light on their sons behavior problems. With more parental involvement, the boys feel more pressured to shape up. The home environment remains difficult to overcome, especially without the parents help. However, Mrs. Wilson needs to make the effort to at least try to contact them so that she has more input to correctly identify the reason Mark and Jake are acting out. Nieto writes teachers can encourage parents to give their children jobs at home, and then support them when they do (328). Maybe if Mark and Jake feel more important at home then they lose the urge to act out at school. Another method Mrs. Wilson employs to draw in outside resources for her classroom involves meeting with Mark and Jakes other teachers. Outside input also influences learning because if she experienced disciplinary problems in her class the boys probably act out in all of their classes. By calling a meeting with everyone involved, the teachers might be able to trace commonalties between all of the disciplinary outbreaks. If they see what sets the boys off then they prevent cause of the harassment, or at least create an opportunity to talk to the boys about their behavior. If the teachers pinpoint the cause of the boys disciplinary problems within the classroom, then they know how to solve the problem more effectively. A reason for their frustration within the classroom stems from the fact that Mark and Jake feel left out of the education process. If Mrs. Wilsons teaching style revolves around lectures they become bored and act out because of their boredom. The difficulty lies in making students pay attention in the classroom if their families devalue education at home. The teaching style induces no stimulation for them to want to learn. By using multicultural education, Mrs. Wilson aims to instill a love of learning in the students. Perhaps if Mrs. Wilson incorporates other methods of learning like hands on learning, group projects, or presentations by students for the rest of the class then she receives more positive behavior from all her students. If she can relate the students life and how education increases knowledge, then she makes not only Mark and Jake realize the importance of education in their lives but the importance of education to all of her students lives. Mrs. Wilson tries to incorporate other multicultural ideas in her lesson plan in order to accommodate the behavior of Mark and Jake. When they cover the holocaust she shows them Schindlers List to illustrate its impact on the Jewish people. Movies help show history in vivid detail, and the brutality of the film helps bring this terrible period in history to light. This helps her students realize that other people endure suffering, and by showing them a real example of suffering they might feel more compassion for others. She also shows that other groups have suffered more than her students. The suffering that their class endures pales in comparison to the plights of other ethnicities. When Mark and Jake see the brutality of war and the horrible consequences of fighting, they realize other methods for solving their internal conflicts exist. Mrs. Wilson also engages the students in a unique manner that tries to draw their attention onto examples that shape our modern day world. Examples that relate to the students lives impact students more forcefully instead of assigning them reading and expecting them to pick up all the material. By relating the assignments in class to their every day lives she shows them examples of how education better their own situation. The learning becomes much more personal and effects them more. Mrs. Wilson also changes the structure of her class. If she includes more history about the working class and their importance in situations like the Industrial Revolution, then she makes all the students from working class backgrounds feel more important and a sense of pride in their heritage. Nieto writes that teachers can use the experiences and understandings her students bring to class rather than an exotic or irrelevant curriculum (338). She needs to uphold and validate their culture because Mark and Jake feel like their culture contains no importance and that could be a reason for their lashing out. The punishments that the boys get assigned could take a more inventive twist in order to quelch their behavior. If assigned community service Mark and Jake see that many others in their community undergo more hardship then their families. Nieto also writes opportunities for after-school work or community service can be provided in much more substantial ways than they currently are (328). The boys gain a perspective on their own problems by comparing them to others less fortunate. Such epiphanies might improve their behavior in the classroom. Multicultural education starts in the classroom but affects a wide array of social problems. Discipline, if left untreated, expands into larger social ills, where the perpetrators leech off of everyone. The plague on society takes the form of welfare and jails where taxpayers bear the responsibility for those who refuse to help themselves. This societal failure can be avoided by trying to reach these children earlier in their academic careers so that they experience success later in life. Multicultural education remains the best way to retain those borderline students who otherwise get lost in the system. Mrs. Wilson employs many methods to try to reach Mark and Jake before they lose complete interest in school. First she tries to determine the root of the problem so that she knows the exact problem she is dealing with. Talking to the parents and other teachers gives a more comprehensive view to the situation. Once the boys frustration surfaces, Mrs. Wilson incorporates different teaching aspects into her lesson plan. Engaging the students makes them more interested in their education and lessens their tendency to act out. Relating the real world to their own lives makes them more involved members of society. Mark and Jake symbolize children whose problems generally run deeper than most teachers suspect. Multicultural education helps make these boys and all of the students in the classroom more productive members of society. If the boys stay off welfare then our tax dollars go towards improving other facets of life. The boys also become taxpayers who contribute to the solution rather than the problem. Without some intervention, children like Mark and Jake plague American society and benefit no one, including themselves. Hatred makes a disastrous problem that needs to be solved immediately, and multicultural education is one answer to that problem.

Ambiguity of a Written Contract in Australia

Ambiguity of a Written Contract in Australia Do you think that a written contract must be ambiguous before an Australian court may hear surrounding circumstances evidence? In order to answer the question, I think it fit to discuss the principles for interpreting written commercial contracts. Principles of Interpretation Interpretation of a written contract involves establishing the parties bargain. This involves an understanding of express and unexpressed terms in contracts and is of the utmost importance as these interpretations will impact a partys legal rights and obligations. An objective approach must always be used in the interpretation of a commercial contract and the meaning of terms determined by what a reasonable businessperson would have understood those terms to mean if it was in the position of the parties at the time the contract was made.[1] The process of interpretation may require an investigation of the text, the context and the purpose of the transaction in order to establish the bargain between parties.[2] In the event that a contract is unambiguous, the process of interpretation may be concluded by an investigation of the text alone; however, this is not always possible or indeed the case, and the process of interpretation requires an understanding of the context, commercial purpose and object of the transaction.[3] As to the question of text, the exact meaning of the words used and their legal effect on the parties must be established. The contract must be given its natural and ordinary meaning unless that meaning would create an absurdity or inconsistency[4]. The interpretation of text may involve a review of the contract itself, the language used, including definitions and grammar, and maxims or cannons of interpretation which, amongst others, include interpreting the contract document as a whole, giving effect to all parts of the contract, and precedence of special and terms and conditions over general provisions. An investigation of the context of a transaction has been described as the matrix of fact[5] and it requires an understanding of the transactions genesis, background facts and ultimate purpose. I will discuss below the admissibility of evidence of surrounding circumstances external to the contract. The Debate and Uncertainty There has been considerable debate in Australian courts regarding the extent to which recourse may be had to evidence of surrounding circumstances in construing contracts, in light of Mason Js true rule in Codelfa. Much controversy exists in Australian courts in relation to the decision in Codelfa Construction Pty Ltd v State Rail Authority of New South Wales (Codelfa)[6] and recent Australian High Court decisions, namely Electricity Generation Corporation v Woodside Energy (Woodside)[7] and Mount Bruce Mining Pty Ltd v Wright Prospecting (Mount Bruce)[8] in respect of the extent to which a court may hear evidence of surrounding circumstances evidence without there being ambiguity. Perhaps as a consequence of the conflict raised in respect of Mason Js judgement in Codelfa, it is also arguable whether the judgment advocates a literal (the text being dominant) or contextual (requires background against which words are used) approach to contract interpretation. Codelfa Construction Pty Ltd v State Rail Authority of New South Wales Is evidence of surrounding circumstances admissible in the interpretation of a contract without there being any ambiguity in the language of the contract? A logical starting point for any inquiry as to the above question and the role of ambiguity as a possible threshold or gateway should start with that said by Mason J in Codelfa Construction Pty Ltd v State Rail Authority of New South Wales (Codelfa):[9] The true rule is that evidence of surrounding circumstances is admissible to assist in the interpretation of the contract if the language is ambiguous or susceptible of more than one meaning. But it is not admissible to contradict the language of the contract when it has a plain meaning. At first glance, Mason Js true rule appears to affirm a common view and often cited reason by the judiciary that any use of evidence of surrounding circumstances to assist in the interpretation of a contract is strictly banned unless ambiguity can be shown in the language of the contract. This view supports the proposition of an ambiguity gateway[10], that gateway existing to condition the admissibility of evidence of surrounding circumstances where there is ambiguity. Codelfa an alternative interpretation An alternative interpretation lies in the suggestion that what in fact Mason J stated as the true rule at page 352 of Codelfa is in fact in unison with the rest of his analysis. A careful review of Mason Js judgement (with whom Stephen and Wilson JJ agreed), specifically at pages 347 to 352 reveals that in the preceding paragraphs to the deliberation of the true rule, Mason J endorses and accepts the admissibility of evidence of surrounding circumstances to aid in the proper construction of a contract, as words are rarely ever isolated from the context in which they were set.[11] Mason J quotes from various passages of previous judgments, repeatedly emphasising the admissibility of whilst confirming that evidence of surrounding circumstances cannot be used for ascertaining a partys subjective intentions. The true rule could therefore be interpreted as simply confirming Mason Js view that evidence of surrounding circumstances can in fact be admitted to: Identify the meaning of a descriptive term;[12] Clarify the genesis and purpose of the transaction;[13] and Aid in clarifying ambiguous language in the contract[14] so long as the surrounding circumstances are not used to contradict and change the plain meaning of the contract language used. In summary and based on the above, the true rule is better interpreted as meaning that evidence of surrounding circumstances is admissible when the language is ambiguous. Electricity Generation Corporation v Woodside Energy Ltd The case involved an obligation by one of the parties to use reasonable endeavours and the High Court confirmed that reasonable endeavours are not absolute or unconditional in nature and stated that some contracts expressing an obligation to use reasonable endeavours contain their own internal standard of what is reasonable, by some express reference relevant to the business interestsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦[15] This meant that Woodside recognised the fluid nature of reasonable endeavours which would inherently require an investigation of all background facts and thereby allowing or even requiring the inclusion of evidence of surrounding circumstances. Whilst the High Court did not directly address the controversy surrounding the true rule it has recognised the objective approach to contract interpretation and affirmed the mandatory[16] nature of the requirement to consider the text used and the surrounding information, as well as the context and genesis of the transaction, including the market conditions in which the parties are operating.[17] Construing a commercial contract so as to avoid it making commercial nonsense andintended for the contract to produce a commercial result.[18] I interpret this statement as confirming that all relevant information is admissible, will require consideration and therefore does not rule out evidence of surrounding circumstances to either resolve or establish an ambiguity. Mount Bruce Mining Pty Ltd v Wright Prospecting Pty Ltd The most recent authority of the High Court dealing with admissibility of evidence, delivered in 2015. It was common ground that the contract was ambiguous and the judgment did not directly tackle or resolve the ambiguity gateway question.[19] Instead, it reiterated previously agreed contract interpretation approaches that include reference to objective background information, setting and context in order to interpret a commercial contract so as to avoid it making commercial nonsense or working commercial inconvenience.[20] Judgments made confirm that the commercial purpose of a transaction is a primary consideration of contract interpretation. It reveals that whilst, the ambiguity gateway question was not directly resolved, it nevertheless reaffirms that resolution of ambiguity may be achieved by reference to all background surrounding circumstances. The judges affirmed that nothing in their deliberation was intended to state any departure from the law as set out in Codelfa and Woodside.[21] Conclusion Codelfa made an authoritative statement which, properly construed, illustrates a contextual interpretation of contracts in which, beyond the simple grammatical interpretation of words devoid of context, the interpretation of the contract is informed by evidence of surrounding circumstances and an interrogation of the context and relevant background to find the objective purpose of the transaction. I regard Woodside and Mount Bruce decisions as being consistent with Mason Js true rule and overall judgment in Codelfa (with whom Stephen and Wilson JJ agreed) as well as Brennan Js views and judgment[22] in the same case. The supposed requirement in Codelfa which prevents the admission of evidence of surrounding circumstances unless there is ambiguity, the so called ambiguity gateway has not been confirmed by the High Court. An alternative interpretation of Codelfa also reconciles with the decisions in Woodside and Mount Bruce. Mason Ls comments in Codelfa where he stated that a distinction between reliance on surrounding circumstances to raise or resolve an ambiguity is perhaps more apparent than real[23] may shed light in respect of where Australian law is or should be heading in respect of admission of evidence of surrounding circumstances. Finally, until the High Court affirms its position it will no doubt lead to continuing controversy. Word count 1520 [1] Electricity Generation Corporation v Woodside Energy Ltd (2014) 251 CLR 640 at 35 [2] Ibid [3] Mount Bruce Mining Pty Ltd v Wright Prospecting Pty Ltd [2015] HCA 37 at 47 [4] Sir Kim Lewison David Hughes, The Interpretation of Contracts in Australia, Thomson Reuters, 2012, 5 [5] See Mount Bruce Mining Pty Ltd v Wright Prospecting Pty Ltd [2015] HCA 37 at 108 and Codelfa Construction Pty Ltd v State Rail Authority of New South Wales (1982) 149 CLR 337 at 351 [6] Codelfa Construction Pty Ltd v State Rail Authority of New South Wales (1982) 149 CLR 337 [7] Electricity Generation Corporation v Woodside Energy Ltd (2014) 251 CLR 640 [8] Mount Bruce Mining Pty Ltd v Wright Prospecting Pty Ltd [2015] HCA 37 [9] Codelfa Construction Pty Ltd v State Rail Authority of New South Wales (1982) 149 CLR 337 at 352 [10] Daniel Reynolds, Construction of Contracts after Mount Bruce Mining v Wright Prospecting (2016) 90 Australian Law Journal 190 [11] Codelfa Construction Pty Ltd v State Rail Authority of New South Wales (1982) 149 CLR 337 at 347-352 [12] Ibid at 351 [13] Ibid [14] Ibid 352 refer to Mason Js true rule statement [15] Electricity Generation Corporation v Woodside Energy Ltd (2014) 251 CLR 640 at 41-43 [16] See mandatory requirement it will require considerationà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ in Electricity Generation Corporation v Woodside Energy Ltd (2014) 251 CLR 640 at 35 [17] Electricity Generation Corporation v Woodside Energy Ltd (2014) 251 CLR 640 at 35 [18] Ibid [19] See Mount Bruce Mining Pty Ltd v Wright Prospecting Pty Ltd [2015] HCA 37, at 52, 113 and 118 [20] Mount Bruce Mining Pty Ltd v Wright Prospecting Pty Ltd [2015] HCA 37 at 50-51 [21] Mount Bruce Mining Pty Ltd v Wright Prospecting Pty Ltd [2015] HCA 37 at 52 [22] Codelfa Construction Pty Ltd v State Rail Authority of New South Wales (1982) 149 CLR 337 at 401 [23] Codelfa Construction Pty Ltd v State Rail Authority of New South Wales (1982) 149 CLR 337 at 350

The Acquisition Strategy Of Bankinter Marketing Essay

The Acquisition Strategy Of Bankinter Marketing Essay Bankinter is a small independent national bank, positioning itself as an innovative, multichannel, low-cost financial services provider. The bank uses various customer acquisition networks and distribution channels (brick-and-mortar branch, virtual banking and agents, telephone, internet). The firm realized that the Internet is a low-cost channel suitable for a smaller bank like itself, and launched its online site, e-bankinter.com in 1997, which ranked as the best online financial site in Spain. The Internet branch of the bank is called Branch 8700. In 2001, the Internet was the main source of entry of new consumers, so it was important part of the customer acquisition strategy of the firm. The Internet acquisition strategy of Bankinter was based on three channels: alliances, e-collaborators and 8700. I prepared a table to describe the advantages and disadvantages of the alliances and e-collaborators acquisition strategies. As from the table can be seen, the e-collaborator strategy was much more efficient in terms of acquiring new customers and it resulted in lower acquisition costs, so Bankinter decided to terminate the alliances with the portals and focused on e-collaborators. Alliances E-collaborators Pros High trafficked portals Co-branding High traffic sites Difficult to copy by competitors (customer-based CRM-system) Lower acquisition costs Higher number of new customers Cons Co-branding (brand was hidden, adaptation) High costs: Replication of systems Creation and maintenance costs Customer acquisition costs (promotion, advertising, fee/each customer acquired) Up-front annual fee Ease to copy by competitors Sites regardless of content No targeting High number of nonformalized customers Number of new customers/year 2000: ~5,000 clients 2001: 2,096 clients 2001: 43,433 clients 1st table: Pros and cons of the different Internet acquisition strategies of Bankinter The following table shows the performance of the three online channels in terms of new customers. The Branch 8700 acquires the most customers, followed by e-collaborators and alliances. The nonformalization rate is the highest in case of e-collaborators (76%, 33,003 clients). The acquisition rate is not only the highest in case of 8700 but this option has the lowest nonformalization rate (47%), as well. 8700 Alliances E-collaborators Total clients 68,175 2,096 43,433 Formalized clients (active) 35,859 1,015 10,430 Nonformalized clients 32,316 1,081 33,003 2nd table: Customer acquisition rate of the different acquisition strategies and channels at Bankinter 2) Which channel (8700, alliances, e-collaborators) performs better for the bank, and why? To analyze the performance of the three online channels, I computed the customer lifetime value for each channel. The excel tables containing the detailed analysis can be found in the Appendix. Due to the lack of information on interest rates, I used a 10 % interest rate in all scenarios to make the calculations transparent and the results easily comparable. I used two decimals at the calculations, except for the retention rates, where I used rounded numbers. When calculating the retention rates I used the first years retention rate as a base to calculate each years retention rate. I assumed a short-term and long-term period to show the results: 5 years and 10 years period also because at some scenarios the expected years in bank exceeds the 5 years period. By adding the first five years discounted values (including year 0 with the acquisition cost), or by adding the first ten years discounted values we arrive at the customer lifetime value. Based on the customer lifetime value, the 8700 is the best performing channel, because in this case the profitable clients have the highest customer lifetime value among the three scenarios. However, the customer lifetime value of the nonprofitable clients is also the highest in case of 8700, which means the highest costs. As there are only slight differences among the customer lifetime values of the nonprofitable clients of the three channels, it is less important. I mentioned in the previous part that the rate of the nonformalized and formalized customers is the best in case of 8700 (47% to 53%). Based on these calculations the 8700 is the best performing channel. E-collaborators is the second best option, as it has the second biggest customer lifetime value in case of profitable clients. 3) What (acquisition) strategy would you recommend to Bankinter? What actions should be taken by Ana Peralta? Bankinter is a multichannel bank known as the leader in online banking in its respective country. As both the traditional brick-and-mortar and online channels are essential for the bank, it should keep both focusing on the Internet branch. The brick-and-mortar channel still plays an important part, because of customer loyalty and cross-selling opportunities, as well as the high number of branch transactions (36% Exhibit 5). However, Bankinter could persuade customers to reduce the branch transactions and use Internet banking instead; it would result in lower transaction costs for the bank. Focusing on the Internet branch is also important because in 2001 it is the main source of entry, which means that it is an acquisition strategy of great relevance. Moreover, the Internet marketing campaign of the bank was successful, as the acquisition costs dropped and the number of new customers increased exponentially. I would suggest continuing the campaign, however changing some elements. Bankinter should focus on 8700 customers as their customer lifetime value is the highest. Among 8700 customers e-brokers and e-mortgage customers are the most valuable; Bankinter could try cross-selling to them. As for the other customers, finding new ways through introducing new services and attractive packages can help them turn into profitable clients. Drop alliances (as Bankinter did), and use e-collaborators instead. The problem with e-collaborators is the high number of nonformalized customers and the fact that the rate of the new customer acquisition strategy was correlated to the amount of incentives offered. By using the CRM system of the bank, it can recognize which marketing segments are the most valuable, and it enables the bank to use targeting. By using targeting in the e-collaborators channel Bankinter can attract more valuable customers. Finding the appropriate target groups also reduces the drawback of incentives. Bankinter should also find out what factors are behind the high number of nonformalization by conducting surveys, analyzing information on the nonformalized customers and the process itself. This way, they can introduce new services or alter their registration process.

Media Violence Essays -- essays research papers

Kenny Fuller Health The Impact of Media Violence I was reading in some of my information and it was talking about how â€Å"monkey see, monkey do† is a popular saying now days. Sixty years ago the television was invented. People looked at it as a technological curiosity (I got that part from the info). For some people now days TV is there best friend. Most of them are little kids. TV shows the news, tries to make us buy certain things, and it also shows violence. The only thing that it can do is replace written materials (Got that to). The bad thing is that these violent shows are dangering our society. Certain things on TV and movies have inspired people (I could think of any other word to use so I used theirs) to set their wives on fire, lie down in the middle of the roads, rape, steal, murder, and to do shootings. Out of 1,000 studies it is proven that media violence can have a negative affect on adults and even children. When people watch these shows it makes them more ag gressive and anti-social. After a few days of watching these shows people become less sensitive to violence and to victims of violence. After that happens they begin to have a hunger for more violence in entertainment and in real life. Media violence is especially damaging to young children between ages 8 and under. The reason for that is because they cannot tell the difference between the real life and their dreams. Some images on the TV and movies may seem so real to them that is might traumatize them (I go...

Courtesy in Sir Gawain and the Greenknight Essay -- Sir Gawain and the

Courtesy in Sir Gawain and the Greenknight In modern society, Martha Stewart and Miss Manners are authorities in the social amenities of community gatherings, and they promote their ideas in television programs and books. But in the Middle Ages, elegant behavior is illustrated in the Middle English poem, â€Å"Sir Gawain and the Green Knight,† in a detailed account of a holiday celebration at King Arthur’s castle. In this text, the idea of courtesy is shown as the foremost attribute of a knight, and King Arthur is introduced as the â€Å"most courteous of all† (26) rulers. In a mealtime setting, the lives and customs of â€Å"[t]he most noble knights known under Christ† (51) are displayed, and courteous behavior is established as the hallmark of knighthood. By showcasing the common experience of eating, the narrator reveals the significance of courtesy in courtly life and discloses the customs of this era. Indeed, the sequence, kind, and presentation of foods at the feast provide a framework f or the courteous demeanor in this adventurous tale. When the feast begins, servants enter wi...