College loans and who is borrowing Essays - Loans,

College loans and who is borrowing College loans and who is borrowing England-Siegerdt, (2011) writes on a current study found that the following types of students are less likely to borrow: first generation college students; females; students considered financially dependent on their parents; and students who are Asian/Pacific Islanders, Hispanic, or American Indian. The purpose of the study was to determine which students are likely to borrow from a federal student loan program. Therefore, the dependent variable was dichotomous based on whether the student borrowed from any of the following federal student loan programs: Perkins, Subsidized Stafford, Unsubscribed Stafford, or Parent PLUS. The variables included race and ethnicity, income, first generation status, age, gender, and dependency status. The independent variables were selected based on prior research on the impact of loans on college access and borrowing trends over time. Binary logistic regression analysis was used to determine if there were relationships between the six independent varia ble and student borrowing from federal loan programs. The six independent variables were a combination of continuous, categorical, and dichotomous variables. Since there were varying relationships to a dichotomous dependent variable, BLR was selected because of its ability to accommodate these conditions. The results suggest that some students are less likely to borrow from federal student loans programs than others. Being a first generation college student loan decreases the likelihood that a student will borrow. The same is true for students who are female and for students who are financially dependent on their parents. Students who are Asian/Pacific Islanders, Hispanic, or American Indian also have less likelihood of borrowing than white students. The results also show that certain students are more likely to borrow than others. For instance, older students have greater odds of borrowing from federal student loans programs than younger students. In addition, students from higher income families are more likely to borrow from a federal program. For those students, every $1000 of additional income increases the odds of borrowing 2.5%. African American students are also more likely to borrow than white students. England-Siegerdt, (2011) article results indicate that students who are White, older, male, financially independent of their parents, or have a higher family income are most likely to borrow. However, even though the current study also found that students who are first in their family to attend college, students from lower income families, and students from certain groups are less likely to borrow England-Siegerdt, (2011). Perna, (2008) study develops a better understanding of U.S. high school students perception of loans and the forces that shape these perceptions in particularly important, given the pervasiveness of loans as a means to finance the accelerating prices find that although virtually all students are aware of loans, willingness to borrow varies based on characteristics of the school attended. The study also describes how parents and school personnel influence students perceptions of loans. To better understand students perception of loans and the forces that contribute to these perceptions, this study relies on a multi-level conceptual model. The conceptual model draws on multiple theoretical perspectives and situates the college-enrollment decision-making process within several layers of context. The conceptual model assumes that students college-enrollment decisions are shaped by four nested contextual layers: the student and family context; the school and community context; the higher education context; and the broader social, economic, and policy context. Data collection and analyses research teams completed the protocols using multiple sources, including the demographic and academic school profile, a review of the federal, state and local policies, and individual and focus group interviews. At each school, a research team conducted focus groups with 9th and 11th grade students and 9th and 11th grade parents and semi-structured interviews with teachers and counselors. Between 20 and 58 students, teachers, counselors and parents participated in the study, for a total of 596 participants Perna, (2008) findings have several implications, first all participating students indicated that they are aware that loans are uses to finance postsecondary education expenses. Many acknowledge the ubiquity of loans and express a preference for other forms of aid, but are resigned that loans may be necessary to attend college. The primary and consistently articulated reason for wanting to minimize the use of loans pertains to the need to replay the

star trek essays

star trek essays Television programs provide one of the most popular forms of entertainment today. From The Simpsons to The X-Files, television shows amuse, shock, sadden, and excite us by turns. Television does more, however, than simply entertain. Television shows are cultural products, and as such, they reflect, reinforce, and challenge cultural ideas. It acts as a mirror and a model for society. In examining and understanding those cultural messages and popular appeal of certain television shows, we should understand something about the society that has created and sustained them. Arguably, Star Trek is one of the most popular television shows ever produced. Today Star Trek includes four television series and nine motion pictures . Like some of the other television shows, Star Trek has been subject to the vagaries of producers and writers so it is difficult to generalize about the intent of the authors of Star Trek or the viewpoint of the readers. Yet, it is also clear that Star Trek has at various times been reflective, informative, and critical about the culture -American culture- that produced it. Star Trek has addressed a wide variety of issues, including war, capitalism, individualism, technology, race, gender, prejudice, religion, etc. The list can be extended to many other issues but here I will focus on race, gender, prejudice and religion only. As portrayed on television such issues are representations of socio-cultural perspectives on broad human concerns. For taking a closer look to those issues, in the continuing parts I will give some exam ples from a number of Star Trek episodes that had written in different times. The portrayal and treatment of religion in the Star Trek television series and films provides an important cultural commentary on the place of religion in society. Although no single coherent approach to religion appears in Star Trek, the series is nevertheless variously reflective of, informed by, an...

Night by Elie Wiesel Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Night by Elie Wiesel - Essay Example The grave question of Elie Wiesel is how can the Nazis throw the babies into gas chambers and spray bullets to kill them in the most heinous options? The horrid conditions in the concentration camps baffle any sane individual. He and his father are often shifted to different camps and each time they think that it is the last journey and they are not sure of reaching another destination. With each shifting, the count of internees decline. They are killed like animals in a slaughterhouse. Animal slaughter has an economic perspective. Killings human beings with whom the killers have no previous personal enmity are heinous acts. Wiesel is just a boy of fifteen when he is separated from the rest of the family, but his father is with him. He finds inner strength to absorb the effect of such tragic events that engulf one after another only because his father is with him during the most critical phase of his life. Finally they are liberated by the Allied Forces. Wiesel is a writer by compulsion, not by choice. He candidly says that it is not his intention to describe the nature of brutalities and the main purpose of the book are committed to a hearty prayer that such gory incidents shall never be repeated by humanity. The commitment to world peace is possible, not through political philosophies, but change of heart of each individual. Religious tenets as they are practiced today by the followers will not herald the changing process. Not the blind following but practice of true spirituality can bring about the desired change. Spirituality is something that transcends the mind. At that level, all differences cease; conflicts are no more there. We need to give such an orientation to human beings, right from childhood. When the thought process of the individuals changes, the action process also changes! With such noble human beings, universal peace becomes an attainable reality. Notwithstanding his experiences at the portals of near death, wher e survival is a matter of chance, Elie Wiesel remains an optimist. He says in his Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech delivered in Oslo on December 10, 1986, â€Å"Thank you for building bridges between people and generations. Thank you, above all, for helping humankind make peace it’s most urgent and noble aspiration.†(117) He cautions people about complacency, why one must strive one’s best in performing one’s duty to humankind, â€Å"That I have tried to keep memory alive, that I have tried to fight those who would forget. Because if we forget, we are guilty, we are accomplices.†(118) The book is written straight from the heart by Wiesel. It value is, therefore, more than that of a well-researched document. Human heart is the best research laboratory. The devastating circumstances that he encounters as a young boy will turn any individual cynical and one’s belief systems will shatter. But Wiesel gradually draws strength from his inner world to reaffirm his belief that some Supreme Power runs the world. At the same time he lays much importance to the secular efforts that must continue without intermission to build

Michelangelo and Bernini Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Michelangelo and Bernini - Essay Example Before one can fully appreciate Michelangelo’s contribution to the Baroque style, more must be known about Michelangelo’s particular style as an architect. Michelangelo (1475-1564) is perhaps most famous for his frescoes painted on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. He is also well-known as a sculptor, having created numerous famous pieces such as David and the Pieta. However, he was also an accomplished architect. Having won fame and admiring support from the Pope to many other leaders of Renaissance Italy through his painting and sculptural talents, Michelangelo turned architect in his later years, smoothly incorporating his sculptural ideas of communicating through the stone with his natural ideas concerning his paintings to create unique works of art in things as utilitarian as a set of stairs for the Laurentian Library. While impressive and highly decorative, modern interpretations of this staircase criticize it for its massive use of space and for the nearly unusa ble aspects of the two outer lower stairways. However, Michelangelo’s architectural work demonstrates that he wasn’t as firmly entrenched in the Classical ideals of his time as his contemporaries. â€Å"Michelangelo generated sculptural detailing that marked the beginning of the Baroque and the end of purely classical architecture. Michelangelo emphasized visual effect over the structural logic of a design. He always subordinated invention to the needs of overall composition†.The way he accomplished this occurred.

Managing for the future Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6250 words

Managing for the future - Essay Example A detailed analysis of the management efforts put by the organizational leaders in the past decade would be presented later on. Additionally, the company’s management competence in the three chosen spheres would be examined by contrasting their past performances against their present proficiency in these aspects and by developing the scenario of the future in which the company would operate. This paper in no way presents a business report of ExxonMobil or its market analysis. It aims at successfully achieving the objective of this study, i.e., to make a historical analysis of the company, to study the management’s competence and to make a forecast of the company’s stand in the near future. The study is initiated with the key concepts in relation to the company background. Then the current achievements of the company will be discussed in light of these concepts and the critical view of the activities of the company would be presented in accord with the theoretical models and existing public opinion that affects the operations of the company. ExxonMobil: Company Profile Exxon Mobil Corporation, known as ExxonMobil, is a multinational corporation based in America (Exxonmobil, 2013a). It is the largest international publicly traded oil and gas company in the world with its headquarters located in Irving at Texas in the United States (Fleminggulf, 2013). The company came into being in its present form after the two companies Exxon and Mobil merged on November 30 in the year 1999. After the merger of Exxon and Mobil, the company has become a powerful organisation globally. The industry is becoming increasingly more competitive with the passing of each day and ExxonMobil is now considered an efficient global competitor. The performance of the company affects the world economy to a great extent. In 2012 ExxonMobil and Rosneft (a Moscow based oil and gas company) forged a joint venture for materializing a sweeping plan of exploring the massive shale formation in the Arctic and Siberian region. Exxon has announced that once this objective becomes successful the joint venture between the two companies would yield up to US $500 billion in different investments to be made by the companies in the future years. Presently, the company along with the â€Å"state owned Turkiye Petrolleri AO (TPAO)† (Fleminggulf, 2013) of Turkey is negotiating with the Turkey government to explore the estimated â€Å"15 trillion cubic feet of recoverable shale gas† (Fleminggulf, 2013) reserves located in Turkey. Currently, the company supplies energy to the other countries. It helps these countries particularly the growing economies in advancing themselves and improving the living standards in their countries (Exxonmobil, 2013b). The company goals are aligned with their social responsibilities and it utilizes its business strengths to establish an example of corporate citizenship that might be emulated by other companies. Defining the conc epts In this section the different concepts related to the three chosen areas for this study would be defined and explained. Every business operation is run with a profit motive. Popular belief holds that success is measured in business through measurement of the company’s financial returns, amount of dividend pay-outs and also the company’s liquidity standings. These are the financial measures of busines performance that concentrates mainly on the

The Production Of An Alternative Construction Material Economics Essay

The Production Of An Alternative Construction Material Economics Essay To prepare an industry study of all the construction materials currently being used in housing and commercial developments. To review the waste management system in the Philippines and look for areas that are sustainable sources of PET materials. To identify the current drivers and trends of the real estate and construction industry, as well as the Non-government Organizations (NGOs) in order to explore the viability of introducing the EHB products for their construction needs. To prepare a business model for each market segment, namely: (1) Non-government Organizations (NGOs) and (2) Real Estate Developers and Contractors. This MRR is focused on the following market segments: real estate developers, construction companies and NGOs. The study is limited to the Philippines specifically the National Capital Region (NCR) and provinces within a 130 km radius. Other construction materials that have the potential to be used with PET flakes aside from the concrete hollow block are excluded from this study. This MRR focuses on the Ecoblock venture into the Philippine market through the NGOs specifically on housing and development programs; and eventually cater to the local real-estate developers and contractors. Hence the desired outcome of this MRR would be a venture strategy considering the economic conditions, market outlook, competitive analysis, risks analysis and capital sourcing. President Aquinos State of the Nation Address (SONA) last July 2010 highlighted the importance of Public-Private Partnerships (PPP).  [1]  The PPP was seen as an important strategy for infrastructure development. It has also been estimated that the pipeline of PPP projects (infrastructure projects for transportation, water, power, health, and agriculture) for the year 2012 will amount to USD 5.49B. Another factor that can have an effect on these projects is the upcoming election in the year 2013 that can increase government spending on infrastructure developments. Lastly, the issue of corruption (specifically in government infrastructure projects) is seen as an important political factor in the construction industry of the Philippines. The corruption issues of the Philippines regarding infrastructure was discussed during Finance Secretary Cesar Purisimas meeting with Ernie Bower, the senior adviser and director of the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington DC.  [2]  In this meeting, it was cited that the PPPs program of the Philippines will be able to address the current issues on corruption. According to Purisima, the right infrastructures should be accompanied by forward-looking policies for the Philippines to be competitive through highly-viable and promising ventures. It was also made clear that corruption is a major factor that will hinder the gov ernment to increase spending for infrastructure projects. As shown in Figure 1, the Philippines gross domestic product (GDP) decreased from 7.6% in 2010 to 3.7% in 2011. This is due to the negative export growth rates in 2011 that was influenced by the global economic conditions particularly the economic and financial crises in US and Euro countries  [3]  . The domestic factors on the other hand include the decreasing demand and negative growth rate in agricultural production and the under spending of the government in infrastructure projects. Based on the GDP projections of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Asian Development Bank (ADB) and World Bank, the Philippine economy will slightly improve in 2012 due to the support of growth in private consumption (higher OFW remittances), investment, and government spending  [4]  . However, if the debt woes in Europe will worsen and the recovery of the US economy will not be sustained, the Philippines will experience lower exports and foreign investment that may lead to lower GDP growt h. Considering these factors the Philippine government must be able to increase government spending on infrastructure projects to prevent the economy to slow down further. As shown in Figure 2, even if demand in the economy is lower in 2011 due to the lower GDP growth rate, overall prices still increased which was brought about by the increase in prices of petroleum in the global market.  [5]  Looking at the disposable income of Filipinos, if the overall prices increase, the purchasing power will tend to decrease. This might affect the amount of disposable income that might be allocated for house purchase. Based on Figure 2, inflation is lower in the 1st quarter of year 2012. Meanwhile, the 91-day Treasury bill interest rate decreased when the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) attempted to stimulate economic growth. The peso-dollar rate remained stable due to the increase in inflow of remittances. The stability of the peso-dollar rate is very important in the construction industry due to the fact that some of the materials being used in construction are imported. The instability of the peso-dollar rate will affect the price of these materials. As shown in Figure 3, construction output in 2011 went down. This is due to the under spending of the government in infrastructure projects.  [6]  The construction-to-GDP ratio decreased from 5.7% to 5.2%. The increase in government spending can increase the GDP for the coming years. Growth of other industries will also open opportunities for the construction industry. As shown in Table 1, the tourism industry, the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO), and the mining industry are continuously experiencing growth which may lead to more construction projects. For the tourism industry alone, 47 hotels with 14,000 rooms will be constructed by the year 2013.  [7]   Due to the Philippines stronger financial position, the Standard and Poor raised the Philippines international debt rating to one notch below investment grade (BB+).  [8]  According to the DBS Group, the Philippines can achieve investment-grade credit rating with a year or two. Once this is achieved, more investments will flow to the country. The social factors that we will be considering in this study will give emphasis on the population growth rate, age profile, and housing backlog in the Philippines and try to correlate them with the construction industry in the country. As of July 2011 the Philippines has an estimated total population of 103.775 million and out of this, 11.86 million reside in the National Capital Region (NCR). The Philippines has an average population growth rate of 1.9% and the NCR has an average population growth rate of 1.78%. The majority of the population in the Philippines belongs to the working class (15-64 years: 61.1% or 62,201,170 as of 2010). This is the portion of society who are about to start their own families until those who are about to retire from their respective careers. People in this segment are also the ones who have the capacity to invest in residential developments. As of 28 December 2011 Philippines housing backlog is currently 3.6 million.  [9]  The government will tap shelter agencies like the Housing and Urban Development Coordination Council (HUDCC), the Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board (HLURB), the Pag-ibig Fund, the Social Housing Finance Corporation, the National Housing Authority, the Home Guaranty Corporation, and the National Home Mortgage Finance Corporation to reduce the housing backlog by 50% with an annual target of 350,000 housing units. To achieve this, the Aquino administration highlighted the need for more PPP programs to use the underutilized government lands. The insufficiency of available funding resulted to this housing backlog. The government needs Php 1.7 trillion to address the Philippines housing needs. In 2011, several typhoons and flash floods occurred in the Philippines between May and September. The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) will develop recovery and rehabilitation projects for victims of flash floods in NCR and other provinces with a total of 187,008 families. Also, projects will be developed for the victims of typhoons that entered the country, which affected 1.4 million families  [10]  . Last June 28, 2012, the general membership meeting of the Philippine Constructors Association (PCA) was held to discuss the current issues that the industry currently faces. In this meeting, innovation was considered as a driver of productivity. According to Executive Director Cosette V. Canilao, the players of the industry must be able to re-evaluate their resources and processes to make it more efficient, responsive and relevant to the present stringent requirements of the industry.  [11]  Regarding PPP for infrastructure projects, the government must demand from its private partners new technologies that will accelerate delivery time while ensuring public safety. However, Canilao also recognized the fear of being the first to try something different. With this, he emphasized that those players who will not invest in technological innovation might be left behind at bidding time. According to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), the Philippines may adopt new construction trends in Japan, particularly on the latest technology on roads and bridge construction.  [12]  The construction and engineering technologies from Japan through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) will help the Philippines build disaster-resilient infrastructures that would mitigate the effects of climate change. Technological innovation in the Philippines doesnt only happen with government projects, private manufacturers of construction materials also try to innovate the products and processes to improve the product offering. Cement manufacturers like the Holcim Group created a green sustainable solution for cement.  [13]  The company is trying to minimize the impact of cement manufacturing in the environment. The company focuses on bringing down carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by reducing the clinker factor by using mineral components as alternative materials.  [14]  Innovation on the use of raw materials was accompanied by improvement in the process namely: (1) use of alternative fuels; (2) co-processing; and (3) quarry habilitation policy. Co-processing is considered as a globally accepted technology that helps the company process water streams in the cement kilns to properly dispose hazardous industrial wastes.  [15]  The quarry habilitation policy would ensure that the quarry sites can be used productively by the community before they are completely mined out. Holcim Philippines was the first company to submit a Final Mine Decommissioning and Rehabilitation Plan to the Department of Natural Resources (DENR), which will serve as a blueprint in restoring quarry sites. Land development and construction have a direct impact on the environment wherein land conversion from agricultural to urban and residential greatly reduces bio-capacity (ability of the land to produce food and other resources for the society).  [16]  Because of this, sustainable land development is becoming more important in the construction industry. The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and Ayala Land, Inc. (ALI) developed an ALI Sustainability Framework to chart, monitor, and report the companys progress in sustainable land development. The increasing awareness about environmental impact of construction activities will eventually affect the way residential and commercial developments are built. In 2006, the Philippine Green Building Council (PHILGBC) was formed as a national non-profit organization through the alliance of building and construction industry leaders from the private and public sector.  [17]  This organization was formed to ensure an ecologically and economically sustainable industry. This resulted to a local green building rating system that is now called Building for Ecologically Responsive Design Excellence (BERDE). The BERDE scheme will serve as a benchmark for all property developers in the country. Last August 17-19, 2011, the first Philippine International Total Green Movement Exhibition and Conference was held at the SMX Convention Center, Mall of Asia Complex in Manila. The joint venture of the Philippine Constructors Association, Inc. (PCA), Global-Link Exhibitions Specialist, Inc. (GESI), Philippine Society of Ventilating, Air-conditioning, Refrigerating Engineers, Inc. (PSVARE), Philippine Center for Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development, Inc. (PCEPSDI), and Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) Manila, created the Green Philippines 2011.  [18]  This event featured four exhibit segments on construction (Green Construct), manufacturing (Green Manufacturing), lifestyle (Green lifestyle), and energy (Green Energy). Also, last August 16-17, 2011, the 2nd Sustainable Building Technology Conference was held that invited international sustainability experts to discuss the best practices for a green industry. These events would show that the players in the c onstruction industry are already leaning towards environment friendly development projects. The construction industry is one of the most hazardous and risky occupations in the country. With this, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWG), the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), and the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) signed a Memorandum of Agreement last May 4, 2011 to strengthen the campaign to minimize accidents in construction activities. This MOA aims to promote the welfare of construction workers and prevent the recurrence of construction-related incidents, notably the ones that recently killed or severely injured workers early 2012.  [19]  Also, this MOA is an off-shoot of DOLE Department Order No. 13 (which provides the Guidelines Governing Occupational Safety and Health in the Construction Industry) and aims to intensify the holistic and extensive execution of the policies and programs set forth in D.O. No. 13 in construction sites. The construction industry in the Philippines is currently leaning toward ecological friendly materials due to the global campaign to save the environment. The materials that are available range from pre fabricated walls and blocks to bricks that is considered to be the oldest building material used. The pre-fabricated walls and blocks use polystyrene as an aggregate that is added to the concrete mixture to produce a lighter and insulating product. Reinforced fire bricks are also one of the common construction materials that are used in construction of homes. Reinforced bricks are made of industrial wastes such as rice hull, coal ash, silt, mud and clay. The existing market for pre-fabricated walls and blocks are the contractors for commercial buildings and high-rise residential buildings. There are also some contractors that use pre-fabricated materials for home construction but the homeowners still prefer to use concrete hollow blocks (CHB) because of the high cost of the pre-fabricated material. The walls are pre-ordered by the contractor and are sometimes manufactured on site to avoid delivery expenses. On the other hand, the reinforced firebricks are used in home construction. This material is usually specified by the people who belong to the higher class of society mainly because of the price of this construction material. Pre-fabricated walls are used in exterior and interior applications in building construction. The lighter wall means that the foundations of a building project could be smaller due to the reduction in weight that the foundation needs to support. Installation time for the pre-fabricated wall is shorter compared to using conventional materials in wall construction. The product is smoother and does not need additional plastering (only the joints require additional concrete) because of the smooth finish that these walls generally have. The pre-fabricated walls also serve as good insulators that result to less energy consumption. A notable disadvantage of using this product, aside from the cost, is that the sizes that are available are only limited and could not be cut to size. The advantages of using reinforced fire brick in construction is that it uses less cement and is stronger than concrete. Bricks are also weather resistant and are considered to be ideal in tropical countries like t he Philippines because it slowly absorbs heat to keep the inside of the house cooler. Bricks do not need cement plastering and the walls do not need to be painted. The disadvantage of using this material is the high cost. Even if it requires less cement and no paint the cost of the material is still higher compared to common construction materials used. In the Philippines, CHB remains as a backyard industry because it is easy to produce, especially the non-load bearing CHB. The CHB can be produced manually by using an improvised mold. In producing a non-load bearing CHB, a mixture of sand, gravel, cement, and water can be manually compressed using the improvised mold. There are three reasons why CHB is still being used in construction, namely: (1) cost; (2) availability; and (3) ease of installation and handling. CHB still remains as the a cheaper choice in construction of a concrete house. As a backyard industry, CHB is available nationwide with similar product specifications. Lastly, CHB is a traditional product. With this, majority of the laborers or construction workers are familiar with CHB in construction. The familiarity of the laborers with a product is the main reason why CHB is still being used. The demand for quality, economy, and completion time are the major considerations for all construction projects that usually dictate the choice of technology  [20]  . The traditional construction material currently being used for construction projects is the CHB. Based on the interview with key players in the real estate industry, another alternative is the pre-fabricated walls. For fabricated walls, the entire wall is built off- site or on-site before installation as compared to CHB that are stacked one on top of another. In the Philippines, only 5% are using prefabricated building material in housing construction  [21]  . Over the years, different types of construction materials have been offered containing recycled plastic, such as PVC pipes. Recycling is especially important for thermoset polymers since this form of plastic cannot be reheated and melted back to liquid form. In the Philippines and in other countries, shredded plastic has been used as aggregates for bricks and construction blocks. Most of these, however, are not widely offered commercially and are not load bearing. The demand for this product is readily accessible in most areas and the market is sensitive only to the price relative to the quality of the product they receive. At present the 4-6inchconcrete hollow blocks prices are standard for all and vary only between the volume suppliers and the backyard suppliers because of their respective approach to the business. The buyers of the product favor the suppliers who are nearer to them (because of transportation costs) and if satisfied with the quality they retain their suppliers. However there are instances where the buyer changes suppliers in lieu of quality issues for this reason, industry rivalry will be considered medium. The technical skill and labor required isnt advanced nor does it require highly specialized machines to deliver the product, the only obstacle is the cash required to: 1) purchase the hollow block maker and; 2) to secure working capital requirements. The cost of a concrete block mixer is between Php30,000-P40,000, and a mold container would be approximately Php5,000 per piece. Normally a block maker can start a small-time business with 6 molds which is equivalent to Php30,000 therefore a backyard business can start at a Php60,000 investment excluding working capital. The disadvantage of this practice is it sacrifices the quality/durability of the blocks due to the lack of compression of the block being formed thereby resulting in a lower PSI rating. The difficulty in securing funding for this particular business is high because the business is not unique while the returns in this type of business do not instantly translate to high growth profits. The local venture capitalists who provide seed capital to startups look to sunrise industries such as the BPO sector and IT services delivery, or the next big website investment. The prospects of a potential participant to capture market share will primarily be on their ability to reduce the cost of their concrete hollow block while maintaining a reasonable quality and service. In order to achieve this, the potential participant must have a large base of clients in order to achieve economies of scale in their production of quality products and a person who will provide assistance to the client to ensure proper delivery and satisfaction, a backyard hollow block maker will not be able to be competitive and for this reason the threat of new entrants is rated as medium taking into consideration these factors. Some projects outsource their hollow block while others make it onsite. While it is preferred to buy the product in order to avoid the cost of investment and taking into consideration that there is abundant supply for this product (but at varying prices depending on which type of supplier: backyard supplier, volume supplier or a wholesaler, and depending on the volume purchase of the buyer the bargaining power of buyer is medium given the availability of a quality product in the market. The demand for reasonably priced hollow blocks are assumed to be growing at 10.5% and construction materials 5.4% which supports the argument that demand is good. Another consideration is that the real-estate residential development is in the form of condominiums and they make use other products such as pre-fabricated walls instead of hollow blocks. The construction boom doesnt directly translate to increased hollow block use and the prices of hollow block are generally stable therefore for these reasons the suppliers bargaining power is low. The bargaining power of cement and sand suppliers remain low since there are abundant sources for these suppliers. The PET flakes suppliers have a medium bargaining power since they are less abundant than the cement and sand suppliers. Moreover, the local PET suppliers have different methods in shredding and cutting the plastic such that those suppliers that have the ability to shred PET flakes at a certain size have a stronger bargaining power than others. For the low cost housing sector and other housing projects hollow blocks are still preferred. The emerging sector of high-rise residential projects make use of pre-fabricated products and gypsum boards however the market share of these products is only 5% for construction materials, therefore the threat of substitutes are rated medium. The success in this industry will be in the costing of the product and the quality. In order to reduce the overall cost of the product there is a need to meet operation efficiency and effective marketing in order to achieve economies of scale that will bring down overall costs for our firm while producing a good quality product. Opportunities Emphasis on PPP programs for government infrastructure projects Good forecast for the tourism, BPO, and mining industry Movement towards sustainable community development The use of plastic as an aggregate is not yet widely introduced in the Philippines The high amount of investment on PPP programs is seen as a good opportunity for the construction materials industry. For year 2012, several PPP projects are in the pipeline, namely: (1)14 projects on transportation; (2) 2 projects on utilities-water (3) 2 projects on power; 1 project on health; and (4) 2 projects on agriculture that amounted to USD 5.49B will increase the demand for construction materials. These PPP programs will also serve as an opportunity for private companies to increase their annual construction projects. The growth of three industries, namely: (1) tourism industry; (2) BPO; and (3) mining industry will also contribute to the growth of the construction materials industry. The increasing annual foreign tourist arrivals and domestic travelers opted for the increased in resorts, hotels, and condominiums. The increase in number of accommodation facilities was accompanied by the Republic Act of 9593 or Tourism Act of 2009 wherein the roads that are not initially classified as national but lead to tourism sites, airports, and seaports will be improved which will be included in the DPWH budget for 2012.  [22]  For the BPO, construction of commercial buildings is also expected to increase to meet the demand of the industry. The investment of the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) would show that the mining still remains as a promising industry (Table 1). Investment on mining would result to more office sites and barracks for mining companies. The movement towards building more sustainable developments is seen as an improvement for the construction industry. New technologies for products and processes will help improve the viability of construction projects in the Philippines. By focusing on the impact of construction of the environment, the need for environment-friendly products may increase as the industry try to include the societys welfare in planning construction projects. The use of plastic as an aggregate is currently being used in Germany. However, this new aggregate is not yet widely introduced in the Philippines. This is seen as an opportunity for the company to introduce a product with more benefits than the existing products in the market. Threats Competition (large companies) Emergence of new products Competition especially against large competitors is seen as a major threat because these companies are already established in the industry. New companies that may introduce new products in the market may face difficulties especially if these products are not patented. Large companies can simply launch the same product at a larger scale. The availability of funding for these large companies will give them an advantage to produce more products. The more products a company manufactures, the opportunity to capture a larger market is bigger. Also, large companies can be seen as good suppliers for developers and contractors who want a steady supply of materials. Even if CHB currently remains as the primary choice for wall construction, emergence of new products as a substitute may pose as a threat for the CHB market. Even if only 5% in Philippines uses prefabricated building components in housing construction, the boom in the construction industry may increase the market for pre-fabricated walls. Across time, if more housing developments will be built using pre-fabricated walls, the demand for CHB may decrease. The cost of the EHB is at P5.90 per unit. The cost of direct labor is the largest at P2.52 per unit, followed by raw materials at P2.12 and factory overhead at P1.26. The key assumptions for these figures are assuming that 2,991,150 units of hollow blocks will be manufactured for the year. The hollow blocks will be used for 5,175 houses which represent only a conservative 5% of Gawad Kalingas projected housing projects. The cost of EHB at the end of the third year of operations will be at P4.94 assuming that quantity manufactured has grown to 4,307,206 units. The cost savings is achieved mostly on the labor side at P1.91 per unit (24% savings from P2.52per unit) brought about by more productivity. The hollow block machines full capacity for one year is 9,000,000 of hollow blocks, therefore as long as quantity improves to no greater than this amount, economies of scale can be achieved since there is little reason for labor and overhead costs to increase. Currently the market price for concrete hollow blocks is at P13.30 per unit which is 56% more than the cost of our EHB, the EHB is projected to sell at the CHB market price therefore we feel this cost is competitive enough to be in business. The pricing of EHB will not be lower since the EHB is a superior product compared to the CHB nor will be priced higher since the market may still be critical of the product in its launching phase therefore the best entry strategy is to price it aggressively at par with the CHB market price There is a 21% cost savings per square meter with the use of EHB versus CHB. This is based on Table 2. The addition of PET flakes lessens the requirement for both cement (27% less cost) and sand (32.7% less cost). Additional savings is realized from the labor cost on painting, layering and plastering in hollow block aggregate components, which lead to an overall reduction in cost per square meter. The Filipino construction materials market experienced an annual growth of 6.54% but is expected to witness a more sustainable growth of 5.36% until year 2015  [23]  . Being a supply-driven industry, supply of construction materials come from local suppliers based on the location of the project. However, with the boom in the construction industry (10.5% average annual growth rate), smaller projects like GK projects experience sh

Essay --

The Fathers of Science Fiction One hundred and forty three years ago, on May Day science fiction was created (May). Some people consider H.G Wells, and Jules Verne to be the Fathers of science fiction. Many people have been influenced by both of the writers work and Stories. Science fiction has changed and adapted through time, but the classics have still remained. H.G wells and Jules Verne have astounded many people with their imagery and how the plot is simple but has little twists here and there to keep the reader on edge. they had both created many famous works such as The Time Machine, War of The Worlds , 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, and Journey to the Centre of the Earth. Both of these famous authors have many influences, awards, novels and an interesting biography with some hidden twists. British Author H.G Wells wrote a famous book known as the Time Machine that had been described as an overnight literary sensation (Zohar). When Wells published the novel War of the Worlds Orson Wells broadcasted the book on the radio claiming aliens landed in New Jersey and caused a massive...

Leadership and Management: a Comparative Essay Essay

Over the years there has been a lot of debate on the similarities and differences between management and leadership. Weathersby (1999) argued that â€Å"management is the allocation of scarce resources against an organization’s objective, the setting of priorities, the design of work and the achievement of results† whereas leadership â€Å"focuses on the creation of a common vision†. Schruijer and Vansina (1999) proposed that management is about â€Å"doing things right† and leadership is â€Å"doing the right things†. Both studies appear to view the management function as an administrative role while placing the leadership function as a visionary role. Locander, Luechauer, and Pope (2007) support this notion by arguing that leadership is like theater and that the leader is the visible manifestation of an organization’s or project’s success or failure. Therefore, he or she must engage the followers to believe in and achieve a desired outcome â€Å"By paying attention to what people want and expect, and by searching for solutions to problems, the leader can act appropriately and fulfill the desired role† (Locander, et. al, 2007). Lichtenstein, Bien, Marion, Seers, Orton, and Schreiber (2006) added a relational dimension to their definition of leadership stating that â€Å"leadership is an emergent event, an outcome of relational interactions among agents†¦leadership emerges through dynamic interactions†. Having a background in Communication Studies, I also look at how relationships affect the definition of both leadership and management. Effective leadership and management results in the achievement of goals; quality leadership and management builds and sustains working relationships in the process of achieving those goals. Having this understanding, I define leadership as creating and maintaining relationships in such a way that it motivates people to achieve personal and shared goals. Management, in turn, nurtures those relationships and bridges the vertical gap in organizational structure. â€Å"The critical resource of most businesses is no longer capital but the people a company hires, motivates and develops† (Karp, 2006). Good leaders should inspire people to want to better themselves first and then use that esteem to better their external environment (i.e. the organization or the task at hand). Chen (2006) states â€Å"Business is often a roller coaster of highs and lows. Therefore it is to be expected that high performance leaders are more skilled at motivating themselves and others in challenging situations†. Here, Chen alludes to a key factor in good leadership and that is the leader’s self esteem. Malhotra, Majchrzak, and Rosen (2007) propose that a leader is responsible for â€Å"articulating a vision for the team, communicating the vision with passion, setting an execution plan so the vision can be accomplished, forming coalitions of believers, aligning others behind the vision, and shaping a team culture by articulating operating values†. In order for a leader to do the above-referenced items, he or she must have high moral standards and a positive self-image to exact such duties. The Bible affirms that good leadership is rooted in high moral standards. Peter 3:8-11 reads â€Å"Finally, [be ye] all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, [be] pitiful, [be] courteous: Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing. For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile: Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it†. REFERENCES Chen, J. (2006). International Corporate Highfliers: What Makes Them Tick. British Journal of Administrative Management, 52, 26-27. Karp, T. (2006). Transforming Organisations For Organic Growth: The DNA of Change Leadership. Journal of Change Management, 6, 3-20. Lichtenstein, B., Uhl-Bien, M., Marion, R., Seers, A., Orson, J., & Schreiber, C. (2006). Complexity Leadership Theory: An Interactive Perspective On Leading In Complex Adaptive Systems. Emergence: Complexity & Organization, 8, 2-12. Locander, W., Luechauer, D., & Pope, J. (2007). Leadership Is Like Theater. Marketing Management, 16, 45-47. Malhotra, A., Majchrzak, A., & Rosen, B. (2007). Leading Virtual Teams. Academy of Management Perspectives, 21, 60-70. Schruijer, S. and Vansina, L. (1999). Leadership and Organization Change: An Introduction. European Journal of Work & Organizational Psychology, 8, 1-8. Weathersby, G. (1999). Leadership vs. Management. Management Review, 88, 5.

enders game essays

enders game essays The force and empathy are both representations of the power the main characters, Luke and Ender, use to defeat their enemy. The force helps Luke to stay focused and maintain poise when fighting his enemy. Enders ability of using empathy helps him to understand his enemy better and allows him to make decisions based on how the enemy would act on them. Luke uses the force to overcome great challenges. This will make him more focused and he will learn how to control his fears, using them against him. This will also make him more confident when fighting with his enemy. Ender also uses a special ability to overcome challenges. He uses empathy. When fighting with the Stilson boy Ender made a decision to end the fighting then by making the Stilson boy not able to fight back. He did this because he knew that the Stilson boy would keep coming if he didnt. Empathy for Ender was a big tool in outsmarting the enemy. It also makes Ender one step ahead of his enemy. Another example of Luke using the force is when he sensed that Leah and Han Solo were in trouble and came to their rescue. This was a sign that Lukes ability to use the force was getting stronger. It also meant that he could sense danger. Ender used empathy when he was in the battle room. He would always predict what the opposite team was going to do, because he knew how they thought by getting inside of their head. Ender was able to detect traps because of this, like when the Salamander team got in the battle room 5 minutes before they did and he knew how to handle the situation because he knew that if he were Bonzo he would have done that. Ender became more flexible to his ideas through empathy. Ender destroys the whole bugger species, because he knew that they would not be able to detect what he was going to do. Empathy made him quick in making decisions as it is shown in the part of the book when he attacks the buggers. Luke fights Darth Vader a...

Anti Flag essays

Anti Flag essays Government Intervention For many nations, it is essential to choose a system of organization that successfully and thoroughly meets the needs of all the people. While some countries have supported the idea of communism and strong government intervention in the economy, others have limited the role and power of their governing body in the marketplace. For instance, in the United States, the government has a small role in the planning and monitoring of their economy. Individuals compete heavily against one another to receive the maximum profit for themselves in an sufficient manner. The former USSR, on the other hand, used large amounts of government control to restrict competition and control the output and distribution of the goods they produced. While each country attempted to form a successful economic system for their nation, the systems that they chose to use and the amount of government intervention within these plans varied greatly. By looking at the difference in the amount of government involvement and economic success of various nations, it is apparent that limited state control is most beneficial. For instance, while the former USSR developed an economic system that contained large amounts of government intervention and regulation, it did not successfully deal with the nation's recession, grant individual freedom to its citizens, or promote competition and individual initiative among its people. The United States, on the other hand, has been recognized for its successful solutions to economic crisis, and national promotion for individual growth and competition, all with little government intervention. As demonstrated by the United States, compared with Russia's former command economy, a successful economy is one in which there is little government involvement or restriction. While every nation has experienced a period of economic crisis, the United States is an example of a nation that has dealt with many of them with limited...

Barriers Impeding Technology Integration in Education Dissertation - 1

Barriers Impeding Technology Integration in Education - Dissertation Example The research question that directed the whole research is What are the barriers hindering teachers in adopting technological integration in their classroom pedagogy? From this issue, several sub-questions have been posed to clarify the various concepts embedded in the research. These questions are 1. What is technological integration? What are the stages of technological integration? 2. What are the effects of technological integration to students learning process? 3. What are some of the current best practices used for the integration of technology in classroom pedagogy? 4. How does the issue of funding affect the integration of technology in classroom pedagogy? To answer these questions, both primary data and secondary data have been generated and collected. For the collection of primary data, a qualitative research using in-depth interview of nine participants and group discussion/sharing with four participants have been conducted. The collected data collected data have been exami ned, coded, evaluated, assessed and analyzed several times to find themes, patterns and relationships in each case and across other cases. Moreover, to ensure the validity, reliability and integrity of all the data the following strategies have been used. These are the ethical consideration in securing the consent of the participants have been rigorously observed. Triangulation, member checking, thick rich description, and management of the researcher’s personal bias have been adopted. For the collection of secondary data, which includes scholarly journals, notes from the interviews and reflection, a library research had been performed. Meanwhile, for the notes and reflection, a journal had been maintained in the course of the research. The themes that have emerged in the study are teaching ethos, benefits of technology in education, approaches to integration of technology in classroom pedagogy, concept of barrier clarified, and identified existing barriers to integration of technology in classroom pedagogy. Some of the findings of the research includes: a table and list of identified existing barriers, the categorization of existing barriers, the study offers conceptual clarifications of ideas embedded in the issue and finally it proffers the supposition that there is no one penultimate reason for the problem, but that the issue is a result of the combination of various factors. Section 4 Findings In response to the challenges and demands of the contemporary period to education, the research has looked into one of the most challenging and invigorating demands of the time – the integration of technology in classroom pedagogy. Challenging, because, the necessity for the integration of technology in classroom pedagogy is a response to the current human condition. Likewise, it is a reflection of the initiative to improve the educational institution towards academic excellence and a drive towards enabling children in becoming responsible global citiz ens. In this regard, integration of technology in classroom pedagogy is invigorating for it requires innovation, creativeness and a new approach in classroom pedagogy. In the face of these challenges and changes in education and technology, both scholars and the teachers agree that technology in edu

Text Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Text Analysis - Essay Example Nye’s article is very persuading to the audience. To make it more persuading and interesting, Nye uses a unique poem style. The author attempts to make the audience view the Arab population from a different perspective. To do this, she first explained how the Arab population has been criticized and then makes the audience aware of the fact that not all Arabs are involved in the violence. The author manages to convince the audience by providing reasons that should not be forgotten such as the idea that the violent portion of the Arabs does not represent the entire population. This implies that the act of violence should not be generalized as an issue undertaken by the entire Arab community. Most of them are peaceful and condemn the acts carried out by the violent ones. The author achieves this purpose since she persuades the audience successfully. The audience intended for the text is the entire U.S population as the author attempts to change the perception of the Arab individual on the eyes of Americans who have suffered various attacks perpetrated by individuals from this community. The text has a sharp focus, which is maintained appropriately. The author manages to maintain the focus by reminding herself and the audience of the main issue that she is intending to pass, which is the contempt that the Arab population in the U.S has to live with every day of their lives. In one instance, she stated, â€Å"I refuse to let that hope go† (Par. 8). This implies that she is hopeful that the lives of the Arab people in the U.S would improve and that the other races would stop viewing them as the perpetrators of September 9, 2011 attacks on the Americans. Nye also manages to persuade the audience by acknowledging that a portion of the Arab population is to blame for various attacks on the U.S. She then uses this to let the au dience know that it is not the responsibility of the entire Arab population. This can be seen as she states, â€Å"Because men