Critical Thinking Part 4 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Critical Thinking Part 4 - Assignment Example The authors clearly and openly recognize the subjects of the research, but have failed to indicate whether their Human Rights were protected. However, I feel that the subjects’ Human Rights were protected to prevent them against any exploitation or discrimination. Yes, the authors have acknowledged that they were given the permission to carry out this study which was approved by local university and hospital moral review committees. Also, the authors obtained informed consent from all the participants (Wilkins & Woodgate 458). In interpretive account, participants’ conscription focused on persons having the knowledge under study. In view of that, the insertion standards were as follows: cancer survivors who were out primary cancer diagnosis for 5 or more years, 19 years of age at the time of interview, taking residency in the region where the interviews were to be conducted, and fluent speakers of English. Research participants were conscripted from hospital based catalog and regional cancer registry. The regional cancer registry was consulted to exclude persons with malignant tumor diagnosis, second cancer diagnosis, amid others. Although the authors tell us that the participants were recruited, they have not indicated that the subjects received any money. There was no unseemly conflict of interest during recruitment. Most of the participants were from the vulnerable cancer survivors. Ideally, after one is diagnosed with cancer, the danger of developing a second cancer is an ingredient of day after day life. All the research subjects accounted that they had the full knowledge of their second cancer. Second cancer was expressed in terms of probable danger features for cancer, providing detailed information to the cancer survivors with a view to preparing them to conceptualize the theoretical nature of danger. This information forms the bulk of the argument that the subjects came from the vulnerable population (Wilks &

The Library Organisational Project Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Library Organisational Project - Case Study Example Different data-gathering methods were used, such as conducting interviews, distributing questionnaires and searching information from various sources, to gather as much information as the project requires. Team members were assigned to conduct interviews with each senior manager. I was responsible for interviewing Mr. Antony Brewerton, Head of Academic Support. Initially, I asked Mr. Brewerton to fill out questionnaires with the intention to analyse his perspective against his employee's perspective. Afterwards, I proceeded to interview him on leadership and management so as to analyse his leadership style and how he manages his department. Organisational Diagnosis Questionnaire (ODQ) designed by Robert Preziosi (1980) was used and the questionnaires were distributed to cover the five departments in the library. Using this questionnaire, a variety of dimensions of an organisation could be studied-such as purpose, structure, leadership, relationships, rewards, helpful mechanisms and attitude toward change. The questionnaire was used the in the analysis because of its benefits, as enumerated below- With the data gathered from the questionnaires, I conducted the qualitative analysis. ... b) Questionnaires: Organisational Diagnosis Questionnaire (ODQ) designed by Robert Preziosi (1980) was used and the questionnaires were distributed to cover the five departments in the library. Using this questionnaire, a variety of dimensions of an organisation could be studied-such as purpose, structure, leadership, relationships, rewards, helpful mechanisms and attitude toward change. The questionnaire was used the in the analysis because of its benefits, as enumerated below- Relatively easy to analyse, People familiar with the questionnaire, A large sample of the given population can be conducted, Information is collected in a standardised way, The questionnaires can be used for sensitive topics, which users may feel uncomfortable speaking about to an interviewer, and Respondents have time to think about their answers because they are not usually required to reply immediately. After finishing the interview with Mr. Brewerton, I asked for his cooperation to distribute the questionnaires among his staff through emails and to kindly forward the responses to me. c) Various sources: To get acquaintance with the organisation, I searched the information from different sources such as library websites, articles and documents provided by the Librarian. 2. Data Analysis The findings were divided into two categories, which are qualitative analysis and quantitative analysis- a) Qualitative analysis With the data gathered from the questionnaires, I conducted the qualitative analysis. The ODQ questionnaires were grouped under the seven dimensions and I calculated the average ranking for each of the dimensions. I plotted graphs in MS

Good bye Greek Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Good bye Greek - Assignment Example The Council also has a broader perspective, which is to build partnership between the school and the community with service. Ultimately, the Council’s overall spirit is creating activities for campus pride and participation. On the other hand, the MU’s Greek Leadership Council main goal is to strengthen a sense of com ­mu ­nity within our campus as well as foresee a perfect value founded institution. In partnership with the Greek Council, the students are in a position to strengthen their identities and as such live in harmony during their campus life. To bring order and discipline within or outside the university, both the Councils should come together and be one towards advocating for respect for each other and developing good values. The Council should have one agenda: providing a student perspective in deciding and implementing the goals as well as the initiatives of the University. The two Councils should bread the boundaries in terms of representation thus having one ideology. This ideology should aim at creating and overseeing a university with good values that provide an opportunity for both personal and professional growth. To arrive at solutions during the negotiation, both the two teams should nominate two representatives, who will take part in the negotiating process. Further, the VP should be the moderator since he will be a neutral (Kinzie & Kuh, 2004). Additionally, each team should come up with their own solution after which the best solution will be arrived at. Through nominating two representatives, time will be properly

Critical Thinking Part 4 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Critical Thinking Part 4 - Assignment Example The authors clearly and openly recognize the subjects of the research, but have failed to indicate whether their Human Rights were protected. However, I feel that the subjects’ Human Rights were protected to prevent them against any exploitation or discrimination. Yes, the authors have acknowledged that they were given the permission to carry out this study which was approved by local university and hospital moral review committees. Also, the authors obtained informed consent from all the participants (Wilkins & Woodgate 458). In interpretive account, participants’ conscription focused on persons having the knowledge under study. In view of that, the insertion standards were as follows: cancer survivors who were out primary cancer diagnosis for 5 or more years, 19 years of age at the time of interview, taking residency in the region where the interviews were to be conducted, and fluent speakers of English. Research participants were conscripted from hospital based catalog and regional cancer registry. The regional cancer registry was consulted to exclude persons with malignant tumor diagnosis, second cancer diagnosis, amid others. Although the authors tell us that the participants were recruited, they have not indicated that the subjects received any money. There was no unseemly conflict of interest during recruitment. Most of the participants were from the vulnerable cancer survivors. Ideally, after one is diagnosed with cancer, the danger of developing a second cancer is an ingredient of day after day life. All the research subjects accounted that they had the full knowledge of their second cancer. Second cancer was expressed in terms of probable danger features for cancer, providing detailed information to the cancer survivors with a view to preparing them to conceptualize the theoretical nature of danger. This information forms the bulk of the argument that the subjects came from the vulnerable population (Wilks &

Good bye Greek Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Good bye Greek - Assignment Example The Council also has a broader perspective, which is to build partnership between the school and the community with service. Ultimately, the Council’s overall spirit is creating activities for campus pride and participation. On the other hand, the MU’s Greek Leadership Council main goal is to strengthen a sense of com ­mu ­nity within our campus as well as foresee a perfect value founded institution. In partnership with the Greek Council, the students are in a position to strengthen their identities and as such live in harmony during their campus life. To bring order and discipline within or outside the university, both the Councils should come together and be one towards advocating for respect for each other and developing good values. The Council should have one agenda: providing a student perspective in deciding and implementing the goals as well as the initiatives of the University. The two Councils should bread the boundaries in terms of representation thus having one ideology. This ideology should aim at creating and overseeing a university with good values that provide an opportunity for both personal and professional growth. To arrive at solutions during the negotiation, both the two teams should nominate two representatives, who will take part in the negotiating process. Further, the VP should be the moderator since he will be a neutral (Kinzie & Kuh, 2004). Additionally, each team should come up with their own solution after which the best solution will be arrived at. Through nominating two representatives, time will be properly

Effective People, Communication and Information Essay Example for Free

Effective People, Communication and Information Essay Legoland is a group of Lego themed adventure parks that offer an assortment of Lego themed attraction, mainly targeted at young children and families. Legoland is based in many different places in the world. At the moment there are four main Legoland parks. Legoland Billund in Denmark, Legoland Deutschland in Germany, Legoland Windsor in England and Legoland California in America. They also employ for a number of jobs including, catering, admissions, rides and attractions, security, finance, nursing etc. These jobs are normally seasonal as Legoland is only open in the summer and some holidays. This job can be part time or full time during the working season. In this section of the assignment I will describe Legolands rigorous recruitment process. They start the process in December during which time they send out invitations to previous staff and to local advertising to attract attention. They send invites to previous staff as they may want to work again and the company can save money on training new staff. While advertising is going on, all applications are shortlisted to the few that employers think have more potential. In January and early February, the successful candidates are then called for interviews. In Mid-February and March staff training starts so new employees are taught how to use the equipment properly and get to know the safety rules. Training is done during this time of year so staff are fully trained before Legoland opens to families. From april to august the recruitment is ongoing with staff turnover. This is because when some staff start, they may not like the job and decide to leave so Legoland need to be prepared to replace those that leave. Legoland also try to attend as many careers fairs as possible where feasible. This depends on staff availability. When Legoland staff arrive at these fairs, they set-up recruitment stands and models. They also provide job descriptions, applications and employment advice that relates to qualifications and experience that specific departments look at. Legoland attracts potential employees in many different ways: * Website to attract national and international employees. * Local newspaper to attract local audiences. * Careers Fairs held in schools and colleges to attract younger members. * Job centres. * Word of mouth. This section of the assignment is mainly about how Legoland attract potential employees. In order to find the right people they have to support their brand image to find a quality employee. The selection techniques are very strict as managers have to be very professional in choosing the right employees. Their advertising is focused and emphasises their culture and personal qualities. Their relationships with local employment bodies and educational establishments are very close so as to give everyone a chance to work there. You can apply by undergoing a screening interview on the phone or in person. This is good as Legoland employers can see aswell as get to know possible future employees. You can also apply online for any available jobs. By doing this and having overseas agents and employment organisations Legoland have internationalism. Legoland try to ensure that staff turnover is kept as low as possible by doing many different things. They try to get as many past workers as possible to save money on training which keeps the turnover low as less money is spent and less people are expected to leave as they have previously worked there. Appraisals are held to keep track of employees targets and the way they are working. Departments can get certain goals and targets to help achieve certain things. Legoland staff are given rewards and awards to help keep up their good work so there is less chance of them leaving the job as they may enjoy it more and decide to stay on further. Legoland look closely at NVQs and cross-reference them with other assessment schemes

Pigovian Tax: Analysis and Overview

Pigovian Tax: Analysis and Overview Neo-classicals uphold perfect competition as the ideal state of the market. But in truth, the economy is fraught with market failures. Therefore, we need government interference to correct many of these market failures. Pigovian Tax imposed by the government is one such course of intervention. It helps to curb negative externalities (e.g. pollution) and reduce the burden on the society caused by the externalities (social costs of production and consumption). Moreover, it attacks over-consumption, bringing it closer to the socially optimal level of production and/or consumption. The paper examines the effects of Pigovian tax and analyses its degree of effectiveness on an economy. What is Pigovian Tax? Pigovian tax is a kind of tax, which is levied to correct a negative cost that is created by the actions of any business firm, but that is not considered in a firms private costs or profits. Also known as sin tax, it is a tax placed on an action with a  negative externality,  to correct market failure (Mankiw, 2010). In the presence of negative externalities, the  social cost  Ã‚  of a market activity is not covered by the private cost of the activity. In such a case, the market outcome is not  efficient  Ã‚  and may lead to over-consumption of the product. A Pigovian tax equal to the negative externality is thought to correct the market outcome back to the level of efficiency. For example, a factory does not financially take into consideration the damages caused to the environment by their emissions. By imposing Pigovian Tax, the government can artificially make the firms bear the cost of the damages, which will ideally be equal to what the price would have been if a market for such an activity existed. In a country like Canada with a publicly funded health care system, that is, where the medical service of every patient is funded from government revenues, the cigarette tax acts as a Pigovian tax it raises the revenue necessary to offset the expenses towards the health care system, as a consequence of smoking. Pigovian Tax in Implementation This idea was first put forward by Arthur Cecil Pigou in the year 1912. In his book, The Economics of Welfare, he argued that industrialists seek their own marginal private interest, while not taking into account the social costs of their activities. Pigovian tax is the difference between marginal social cost and the marginal private cost, which is equal to the marginal external cost, shown as Tax in the diagram. The tax level may not equal the marginal external cost at quantities other than the socially optimum equilibrium level. The diagram indicates that marginal external cost increases with increase in quantity produced or consumed. After imposition of the Pigovian Tax, the new supply curve intersects demand (the marginal benefit) at the socially efficient quantity. As a result, the new competitive equilibrium, taking into account the amount of the tax, is efficient. Although this tax works perfectly in theory, its practical implementation is very difficult due to a lack of complete information on the cost of the damages to the environment. When Arthur Pigou first came up with the concept, he laid down a set of assumptions, one of which is a perfectly competitive market. Yet, perfect competition is an unrealistic situation. Monopoly, monopsony and oligopoly markets are commonplace. To internalize the external cost, the government needs to intervene by way of imposing taxes. Pigovian tax can be applied to all spheres of production, be it production of a good (automobile) or service (transportation, banking etc). Baumol and Oates (1975) argue that if Pigovian tax is set equal to the level of marginal damage (external cost) at the Pareto-optimal level of pollution, the industry will move towards its optimal pollution level. The tax is applied to the production of a good that has an externality. Overhead: Pigovian Tax Anatomy from Diagram 2- i. Unregulated result (Q, P) ii. Socially efficient level of production = Q iii. Efficient Pigovian tax = P-P iv. Tax payment to government (shared by consumer and producers = PACP v. Gross benefit from decrease in externality = ADBC vi. Foregone consumption benefits i.e., the social cost of abatement = ABC vii. Net benefit to society = ADB Pigovian tax enhances welfare of the society; restricting over-consumption. It also generates additional revenue for the government. Roland Coase (1960) propounded that if markets may not secure the optimal amount of externality, they can be very gently nudged in that direction without the necessity for full-scale regulatory activity. Yet again, the coarse theorem faces criticism. Property rights are not as strictly defined as required by the coarse theorem. Coarse argued that social costs are even worse if only the offender pays for the social harm and not the consumers for whom the goods and services are produced. Under the Pigovian Tax, it is only the firms who pay for the externalities. Moreover, it is difficult to calculate the right tax in a world of imperfect Coarsian bargains. The concept has evolved through time and many similar ideas were developed such as the Coarse theorem, emission trading i.e. cap and trade (Europe), Environmental Protection agencies (U.S.) formed with the idea of command and control, carbon tax, and tradable permits. The principal problem remains that of quantifying the externality. There is some debate about whether to quantify externalities if the methods are imperfect. The usual response is that as long as we are honest about the flaws in the numbers, it is better to have some numbers than none (Phillips, Carl V, 1999). The benefits accrued by taxing externalities are more than that without taxing the externalities as shown with the game theory approach. The co-ordination game consists of two players, Company A and Company B, with two strategies: Subject to Pigovian Tax and Not Subject to Pigovian Tax. The payoffs of each player are given in the matrix. Nash equilibrium occurs at 2 points, when both companies are subject to Pigovian taxes and when both companies are not subject to Pigovian taxes. If both the companies are ready to bear the social costs, the benefits of sustainability accrued to the companies and society as a whole are more than if the costs are not borne by either company. The many forms of Pigovian Tax Since players dont always come to a socially efficient negotiation, there is a traditional way of limiting externalities command and control. This approach sets quantity limits on activities that have external effects. However, the method is cumbersome. While this method has been undertaken by the US government, the economies of Europe consider cap and trade as a better solution. It causes the least polluting firms to do the majority of the production since their social cost of production is the lowest. Rajeev K. Goel and Edward W. T. Hsieh laid down a two-period model in their research (Durable Emissions and Optimal Pigovian Taxes) where a social planner minimizes social damage by setting the per-unit Pigovian tax on a polluting monopolist. Results show that for a given level of production, the durability of emissions and the socially optimal Pigovian tax are negatively related. Mike Moffatt, in his article named Pigovian Taxes Joining the Pigou  Club; Promoting Economic Growth and Reducing  Externalities, wrote in favor of Pigovian Tax, stating, One of the uses of taxes is to discourage activity that has negative externalities, or we believe is otherwise economically/socially harmful. The benefits accrued versus the inherent failings In addition to correcting social disequilibrium, these taxes also raise revenue for the state. In 2004-2005, the Canadian government collected $16.7 billion in other taxes, which were largely Pigovian taxes such as energy taxes and excise taxes on cigarettes and alcohol (Moffat, 2006). In theory, using Pigovian taxes to correct what economists call market failures is simple. But in practice, its not so. The important problem often ignored by advocates of Pigovian taxes is what might be called the measurement problem or the Knowledge Problem. Pigou himself also declared that it must be confessed, however, that we seldom know enough to decide in what fields and to what extent the State, on account of [the gaps between private and public costs] could interfere with individual choice (Pigou, 1954). Pigou and  Friedrich Hayek  point out that the assumption that the government can determine the marginal social cost of a negative externality and convert that amount into a monetary value is a key weakness in the framework of the Pigovian tax. The economists blackboard model assumes knowledge we dont possess its a model with assumed givens, which are in contrast with real-world happenings.  Friedrich Hayek  would argue that this is knowledge which could not be prov ided as a given by any method, yet could be discovered, due to insuperable cognitive limits. However, the key difficulty with this tax is calculating what level of applied tax would counterbalance the negative externalities. Even when a Pigovian tax is charged to correct the market imperfection in a world with regulations and efficient transfers, the observed amount of the externality (e.g., pollution) is unlikely to be zero since we will still observe some externalities as a consequence of the exchanges and transfers. The rate of tax best set should be equal to the per-unit external cost that spills over into the society. A tax imposed without such calculations may well be inefficient and redundant. There is also political influence on the levied tax, in such a way that lobbying of government by the polluters may tend to reduce the level of the tax levied and which would ultimately reduce the mitigating effect of tax and lead to increase in production. Instead of accomplishing the goal of the tax imposed, the burden shifts to the society. Thomas A. Barthold (1994) argued that in the US in the year 1994, the actual policy decisions often came from budget requirements, and not concern for the environment. The taxes do not always comply with economic theory because social benefits and costs are hard to measure. He uses the 1989 Montreal Protocol as an example. President George H. W. Bush signed this protocol that allowed either a permit auction or a tax on ozone-depleting chemicals. Barthold attributes the decision to implement the tax to the pressure on the Ways and Means committee to come up with more consistent revenue. Like the other taxes imposed by the government, Pigovian tax gives air to malpractices like black marketing, smuggling and child labour, especially if they create large differences in the prices of products, which are popular, and if the demand for the product increases in spite of the increase in production. Pigovian Tax imposed by the government is a complex mechanism. It has its societal merits and elementary de-merits. While it covers the cost of negative externalities and eliminates the burden of society, on the same page, it may also hamper the growth of industries leading to inefficiency of small industries. In a monopsony market, where there is only one buyer, it is difficult to impose Pigovian tax since the burden of the tax will be borne by one entity. This may consequently lead to rise in the prices of the commodity. When Pigovian tax is imposed, in a monopolistic competitive market, the tax will be borne by a large number of consumers and hence, the burden of tax is divided. While it can be said that imposing Pigovian tax would lead to a reduction in the level of quantity produced of a commodity by an industry, it can also cause the industries to look upon to new advancements in technologies. This will open doors to research and innovation in the field. For example, the company AkzoNobel Industrial Chemicals is always trying to innovate and make a leap forward in its development to achieve its target to reduce CO2 emissions. Its production facility in Mariager in Denmark uses wood to generate electricity. Wood and other plant-based materials are also used to produce chemical building blocks. Moreover, this shift in technology by commodity producers will cause the externality to be automatically internalised. Whatever benefits Pigovian taxes might be able to provide, it will usually give diminishing returns past a certain point, where the government might fail to achieve their objectives of meaningfully reducing the excess social costs. Instead, these kinds of taxes would appear to simply become a vehicle by which politicians may raise tax revenue by imposing a discriminatory tax policy aimed at an undesirable minority. Therefore, only where  institutional and trade solutions are not efficient, the government should consider whether specific  interventions, regulation or specific  taxes are appropriate to address externalities. These measures are preferable when the net efficiency gains from the  intervention are larger than the associated administrative and compliance costs. This suggests that intervention is desirable when externalities are reasonably large.