Race in America since the 1960s Essay Example for Free

Race in America since the 1960s Essay America has come a long way since the dark days when slavery marred the continent. The journey to equality was not always a smooth one, and only in the last half-century have African-Americans been granted their complete rights and freedoms. Now that they have these equal rights, they are taking their place to take advantage of their equal opportunities, but there still seems to be a glass ceiling preventing their further progress. White Americans still cite racial progress in many areas, while the reality remains that much of this progress is illusion. With the election of Barack Obama as the President of the United States, it seems safe to say that racial relations in the country have certainly improved in the past fifty years. In the 1950s, many African-Americans could not even vote in many parts of the country, with racist leaders and citizens doing everything in their power to deny this most basic of rights. Once desegregation took effect and was enforced by the federal government, it seemed that African-Americans had finally achieved equality. However, this was largely a myth based on the horrible conditions they once faced, and the current conditions still often view them as a marginalized race. Couple this with the massive influx of Latin Americans into the U. S. , and race relations are just as explosive as they were in the 1960s. One program designed to aid racial equality is affirmative action, which has been both a blessing and a curse for minorities. Originally conceived as a means to redress discrimination, affirmative action has created racial preferences that have instead promoted discrimination. And rather than fostering harmony and integration, these preferences have divided many businesses and college campuses across the country. In no other area of public life is there a greater disparity between the rhetoric of preferences and the reality than with affirmative action. Many have cited lesser qualified applicants hired or accepted to colleges based on race, not qualifications or need. If preferences were truly meant to remedy disadvantage, they would be given on the basis of disadvantage, not on the basis of race, so that a poor, qualified white student would stand a better chance of being admitted than the under-qualified son of a black doctor. This illustrates a problem with the idealism of affirmative action and how remedying some racial issues have merely created unfairness in other areas. Instead of a remedy for disadvantage, many supporters now claim that preferences promote diversity. This same push for diversity also has led colleges like Stanford University to create racially segregated dormitories, racially segregated freshman orientation programs, racially segregated graduation ceremonies and curricular requirements in race theory and gender studies (Sacks Thiel, 1996). But if diversity was really the goal, then preferences would be given on the basis of unusual characteristics, not on the basis of race. The underlying assumption—that only minorities can add certain ideas or perspectives—is offensive not merely because it is untrue but also because it implies that all minorities think a certain way. While affirmative action is a noble effort, it is perhaps antiquated. Today, while African-Americans enjoy greater freedom and equality, Latinos have come to represent the current racial crisis. Many conservative Americans demand that they learn English, adopt American culture, and assimilate or leave. Additionally, Middle Eastern Americans are finding life equally difficult and face often violent retributions for crimes that they did not commit. This xenophobic behavior may be largely from the scares encouraged by global terrorism, but may also be representative of the fact that not much has really changed except the language used to discuss race. The only way to truly understand the state of race in America and make a balanced assessment is to measure the equality of each race. The sad state is that many of the minorities in America are still marginalized, make less money, and have far less influence politically than the dominant white culture. Progressive and liberal legislation may continue to chip away at long held racial prejudices, but Americans cannot achieve complete equality unless it is an endeavor equally valued by all. Unfortunately, as history has shown, those in power will be reticent to relinquish that power, and those in power in America are still largely male, largely white, and largely though subtly fearful of difference. With a president with parent that are black and white, much of the racial future of America rests with a man that represents better than anyone the progress made in the past fifty years, as well as the distance left to travel until true racial harmony is achieved.

Corporate Financial Analysis Of Pfizer Finance Essay

Corporate Financial Analysis Of Pfizer Finance Essay Pfizer, is the worlds largest research-based pharmaceutical company, founded in 1849. The company is headquartered in Midtown Manhattan, New York, with its research headquarters in Groton, Connecticut. Ian Read is the president and CEO of Pfizer. And other important officers are these following people. (Table 1) The Company manages its operations through five segments: Primary Care; Specialty Care and Oncology; Established Products and Emerging Markets; Animal Health and Consumer Healthcare, and Nutrition. The Companys diversified global healthcare portfolio includes human and animal biologic, small molecule medicines and vaccines, as well as nutritional and consumer healthcare products. Pfizer produces many house hold famous medicine like Lipitor, Viagra and Celebrex. Pfizer has 103,700 employees and in No. 81 of Carbon Disclosure Rating. And here are some important data. (Table 2)In the highly competitive pharmaceutical industry, Pfizer has these main competitors: Ankur Drugs and Pharma Ltd. and Bayer. 1.2 Analyst Coverage 1.2.1 Analyst Opinion This table (1.1) shows the analyst opinion to recommendation trends. We can see strong buy and buy both have a high score while the other three have a very low score. It suggests that investors to buy this stock but do not suggest long-term hold. 1.2. 2 Analyst Estimate Here these two tables show the analyst estimate on Pfizer. They are just a part of the analyst estimate. Earnings history (1.2) shows that the difference between EPS Estimate and EPS actual is very small. So the estimate was quite accurate. 1.2.3 Price Target Summary The recent stock price of PFE is about $22.56. This price is a little lower than the price target in table (1.3). It does not mean it is not good. At least this price is higher than its low target. Pfizers stock is not bad and still have chance to perform better. 1.3 Analysis of Pfizers financial statements 1.3.1 Balance Sheet Analysis In general, the total amount of the assets of Pfizer decreased from 212.949 million (in 2009) to 188.002 million (in 2011). This may because Pfizer wanted to give up unattractive investments and focused on its innovation core. Total liabilities decreased continuously. It indicates Pfizers ability of repayment of debt was not bad. Current liabilities decreased 1.98% from 2010 to 2011 and 23.1% from 2009 to 2010. Changes of total liabilities were similar. On stockholders equity, its total number also decreased as the result of its decrease of total assets. Due to the decrease in total assets, the stockholders equity decreased 6.4% from 2011 to 2010 and 2.4% from 2010 to 2009. (Graph 1) We can calculate Debt-Equity Ratio, Current Ratio, and Quick Ratio in 3 years. (Table 3) As we can see from the table 1, Pfizers financial situation in 2011 was not bad. 1.3.2 Income Statement Analysis In 2011, total revenue was 67.425 million, a 0.54% increase over 2010 and a 36.85% increase over 2009. Operating income in 2011 was 12.762 million and net income was 10.009 million, both of them increased. Gross profit was not very obvious but we can find a sharp increase from 2009 to 2010. (Graph 2) In 2011, ratio of gross profit and total revenue was 77.63%. Operating expenses of total revenue proportion in three years were around 60%. It shows Pfizers ability of controlling in operating expenses was better in 2010 and 2009. (Table 4) Graph 3 shows that changes in gross margin, operating margin, net profit margin, ROA and ROE. The companys operating conditions were very stable. (Graph 3) 1.3.3 Cash Flow Analysis Here is a table shows that three years cash flows of three kinds of activities. (Table 3) In 2009, cash flows from operating activities were 16.587 million and in 2010. If investing activities cant bring enough money to make up cash outflows, cash flows from investing activities would be negative. In 2011, Pfizers cash flows from investing activities were 2.2 million. Pfizers investments were effective and they created a positive cash flow and can create profit. (Table 4) Generally speaking, the larger the cash flows from financing activities the more pressure of debt the company will be faced with. We can see in 2010 and 2011, Pfizers was under huge pressure. All in all, Pfizer has a good financial situation. 1.4 Summary of Pfizers Challenges 2011 was generally a good year for Pfizer, Inc. Revenues increased 1%, Net income also had significant gains. However, the company still faces diverse challenges from many aspects, which can have a long term impact on Pfizers performance. U.S. Healthcare Legislation Enacted Since 2010 It brought two negative influences: 1. A $648 million reduction to Revenues, related to higher, extended and expanded rebate provisions and the Medicare coverage gap discount provision. 2. An extra $248 million expense in informational, sales and administrative, related to the fee payable charged by the federal government. Loss of Expiration of Intellectual Property Rights It can be an adverse factor and decline total revenues. When the patent protection has expired, Pfizer loses exclusivity on these products and generic pharmaceutical manufacturers can produce similar products and sell them for a lower price. Problems in Productivity and Regulatory Environment Pfizer devoted significant resources to research and development; these activities involve a high risk and may take many years to transfer research achievements into products. Besides, there is no assurance that the development of any particular product will achieve desired clinical success, be approved by regulators and commercially. If Pfizer failed, sunk costs lost, which can be a huge loss. 1.4.4 Pfizer is Under Pressures of Pricing and Access Governments, healthcare organizations and other payer groups implement price controls and require price cuts in order to pay less in purchasing Pfizers products. There were government regulated price reductions for certain products beginning in 2011. Whats more, health insurance and social welfare plans continue to limit access to some of Pfizers medicines by setting restrictions in the increased use of generics. 1.4.5 Challenges from Poor Macroeconomic Environment We believe that with high unemployment rate and increases in co-pays, patients tend to buy generics, delay treatments, skip doses or use less effective treatments to reduce costs. During 2011, portions of the revenues are exposed to fluctuations in foreign exchange rate. Pfizer need to seek appropriate management in foreign exchange rate risk as it operates in multiple foreign currencies 2. Stock Price Analysis 2.1 Track Pfizers Stock Price in the Last 3 Years 2.1.1 2009(Graph 4) We can find that the stock price continued going down from Jan. to Mar. However, it went up until the end of the year. Stock price in Mar is the lowest all the year and the stock price at the beginning of the year and the end of the year are almost the highest. The highest is nearly $19, and the lowest is less than $12. 2.1.2 2010(Graph 5) The chart show us that the stock price in 2010. Generally speaking, the stock price went down from Jan to Jul. We can see the stock price in Jul is the lowest number throughout the year, and it was 14.14 dollars per unit. After Jul, the stock price gradually rose. But between Aug and Sep, the stock price experienced a decline within a narrow range. This circumstance also happened between Nov and Dec. The highest price occurred in Jan, and it was 20.00 dollars per unit. 2.1.3 2011(Graph 6) It seems that the chart of 2011 was a little complex. From Jan to Jun the general momentum of the stock price was up though a few small declines. From Jun to Aug, the number experienced a decline by a large margin after Aug, the statistics generally rose up though some declines. The highest price was 21.83 dollar per unit in Dec, and the lowest price was in Aug, and the number was 16.66 dollar per unit. 2.2 Calculate Stock Price of the Company To calculate the stock price of the company, I will use the formula EPSÃÆ'-P/E=P. EPS=NI/ SO. I will calculate the stock price of the company in 2012. (Graph 7) 1. Highest and lowest PE Ratio in 2009 are 14.79 and 11.45, so the average ratio is 13.12. 2. The 2 ratios in 2010 are 23.52 and 13.58, so the average is 18.55. 3. The 2 ratios in 2011 are 19.34 and 12.28, so the average ratio is 15.81. (Graph 8) The EPS in 2009, 2010 and 2011 are 1.235, 1.205, 1.255. According to P=EPSÃÆ'-P/E, stock price in 2009, 2010, 2011 are 16.20 ¼Ã…’22.35 ¼Ã…’19.84. 2.3 Assessment of the Current Stock Price According to the Income statement, PFE has earnings per share of 1.27, the average P/E is $17.81, estimate a value of PFE using P/E as a valuation multiple. Thus, P=$1.27*17.80=$22.6060B It assumes that PFE will have similar future risk. Assuming NVS is comparable to PFE in term of its underlying business NVS has earnings per share of $3.55, the average P/E is $15.39, under the same assumption, P=$3.55*15.39=$54.6345B. Compare to the two major competitors, PFE share price is relatively low. According to Income Statement, PFE has EBITDA of $27.56B and has an enterprise value to EBITDA multiple of $6.71, shares outstanding of 7.54B and debt of $38.96B Enterprise value would be V=$27.56B*6.71=$184.9276, estimate PFEs share price: P=(184.9276-38.96)/7.54=$19.2361. As this estimation is based on enterprise value, it is more reliable than the first one. It is overvalued obviously when its stock price being $22.66 per share. Similarly, NVS has EBITDA of $17.05, enterprise value to EBITDA multiple of 8.81, shares outstanding of $2.42 and debt of $24.59. NVS share price would be: P=(17.05*8.81-24.59)/2.42=$51.9093 As Comparables only provide information regarding the value of a firm relative to other firms in the comparison set, using multiples will not help us determine if an entire industry is overvalued. According to the research, PFE share price is much less than NVS, I would suggest that PFE is relatively less deserving investment. According to the Balance Sheet, dividend paid is $6.234. , it is easy to get the dividend paid annually: Div=$6.234/7.54=$0.8268 The share price is $22.66, suppose investors hope the constant dividend growth model would based on a 4% growth rate, we would estimate a stock price of P=0.8268/(0.4811-0.04)=$1.8744 We can calculate the growth rate: g=r-Div/P=0.4811-o.8268/22.66=1.16%. Investors would feel disappointed if invest in PFE as the growth rate is relative lower than he/her expectations. 2.4 Value of Pfizers Stock Price Compared with Competitors From statistics online, we can know that the 52week range of Pfizer is 16.63-23.3, Roches is 115.1-169.2, and Eli Lilys is 33.75-42.03. Obviously, the stock price of Roche changes the most, the changed absolute amount of 54.1. A risk lover may prefer this kind of stock because it can change by a larger scale, and if we can seek this opportunity well, huge profits can be achieved. Compared with Roche, Pfizer stock has a large advantage. The change scope of Pfizer stock is not big, which indicates that it is relatively stable, and a risk-averse may prefer this kind stock. The perceived benefit of any gain is outweighed by the perceived cost of an equivalent loss. Most people are risk-averse, so Pfizer stock has an excellent competitive advantage and suitable to hold for a long time. Besides, to compare the value of the stock price, analyzing the P/E ratio is the most traditional method. Pfizer earned $1.24 per share last year and the stock is trading at 22.38, so the stock has a P/E ratio of approximately 18.05-to-1.Similarly, the P/E ratio of Roche is 15.04, the P/E ratio of Eli Lily and Company is 10.7. Generally, the lower the P/E ratio, the better value the stock represents. Thus, in this case Pfizer is less competitive than his competitor, Roche and Eli Lily and Company. 2.5 Beta of Pfizer and Comparison with Its Competitors The beta of Pfizer is 0.64, the beta of Roche is 0.66, and the beta of Eli Lily and Company is 0.37. Beta is a risk index, can be used to measure fluctuation of one stock price relative to the whole stock market. The bigger the absolute amount, the larger the change of profit .The stock of Pfizer and its competitors, Roche and Eli Lily and Company, all can be regarded as low risk stocks. 3. Summary 3.1 Major Developments of Pfizer during 1Q of 2012 During the 1st quarter of 2012, Pfizers revenues were $15.4 billion, a decline of 7% compared with $16.5 billion in the year-ago quarter and the unfavorable impact of foreign exchange of $57 million, or less than 1%. Established products unit revenues increased 17% in comparison with prior year period, obviously driven by recent launches of generic versions of some products. Revenues of Lipitor were $383 million, which made a great contribution to the company. In addition, revenues were positively influenced by the entry of multi-source generic competition in the U.S. Emerging markets unit revenues grew 9% due to continued demand growth in China, Russia and Mexico. In animal health unit, revenues increased 6%, primarily due to the purchase of King Pharmaceuticals. Nutrition unit revenues gained 8%, created by making benefits from the launch of successful new products, increased marketing activities and overall strength in emerging markets, especially China. Pfizers first-quarter 2012 financial performance is pleased; however, it still faces fierce competition from other companies. Pfizer need to focus its problems in exclusivity and financial management. 3.2 Summary of All We Have Learnt About Pfizer Pfizer is better than others. It could be name recognition, innovation, market share or any other attributes that makes a company stand out from the herd. From what has been discussed, we may draw the conclusion that there are three ideas to contribute the success of Pfizer. Innovation creates success and being innovative in your business is one of the keys to being successful. Innovation is the introduction of new processes, new ways of doing things and revolutionizing how things have been accomplished previously. The most surprising thing is Pfizer cannot research an influential drug independently in the past 10 years of 20 century. Although it invested huge amount of money in R D, it seems more like a marketing company. Throughout Pfizers development in recent years, its success can be summed up that use the advantage of large-scale and well-capitalized to strengthen the ability in value chain in marketing. Through buying mature technology, products and combination new companies, building alliance with competitors to consolidate its market share. Giving full play to the enthusiasm of its medical representatives, integrating the advantages of its marketing network, and enhancing core competitiveness, thus achieve a leading position in the industry. In conclusion, Pfizer is a rare example of successful combination of R D and marketing strategies in international pharmaceutical companies. 3.3 Should We Buy Pfizers Stock or Not Pfizer has a good ability in finance, improved control in operation. For big investors, I would recommend Pfizer, which requires low risk, stable growing dividends, and long term return. Despite Pfizer stock price is relative lower than its competitors, big investors can gain large amount of cash by purchasing large amount of shares. However, I will not recommend Pfizer to retail investors. It would not be wise to invest in a company which may take years to transfer research investments into product profits. Higher return indicates higher risk; it would be too risky for retail investors to take the gamble. Quick money never stays too long. Appendices Table 1: Table 2: Table 3: 2011 2010 2009 Debt-Equity Ratio 0.563 0.550 0.577 Current Ratio 2.057 2.131 1.657 Quick Ratio 1.780 1.842 1.323 Table 4: 2011 2010 2009 Operating activities 20,240,000 11,454,000 16,587,000 Investing activities 2,200,000 (492,000) (31,272,000) Financing activities (20,607,000) (11,174,000) 14,481,000 Graph 1: Graph 2: Graph 3: Graph 4: Graph 5: Graph 6: Graph 7: Graph 8: Tables: (1.1) (1.2) (1.3)

Matthew Arnolds Dover Beach Essay -- Matthew Arnold Dover Beach Essay

Matthew Arnold's 'Dover Beach' Matthew Arnold's 'Dover Beach' employs the sounds of language in three ways, through onomatopoeia to aurally represent the actions occurring on the beach, a varying meter which mirrors the varying heights of the waves on the beach, and a rhyme scheme which searches for its identity. In each stanza of the poem when the sounds of language are chaotic, the visual descriptions in the poem are tranquil, but when the visual descriptions are chaotic, the sounds of language become tranquil. This never resolved struggle represents the struggle the speaker finds himself in, which is about looking for something in his world which sounds and looks agreeable with his beliefs. The first stanza of the poem visually describes a tranquil ordinary beach scene, but through the sounds of language the reader learns the speaker sees the beach in more chaos than the visuals suggest. Passive verbs that dominate the first five lines of the poem such as ?is? (line 1) and ?lies? (line 2), as well as describing the sea as ?calm? (line 1) and the moon as ?fair? (line 2) contribute to the tranquil visual image of the beach. However, onomatopoeia, rhythm and rhyme do not agree with the tranquil beach scene. For example, onomatopoeia serves to aurally represent the violent action of the waves on the pebbles. The pebbles are already in a chaotic state with their ?grating roar? (line 9). Then the waves come and, ?draw back, and fling? (line 10) the pebbles to create more chaos. ?Fling? ends the line on a chaotic note. This process is aurally represented by, ?begin, and cease, and then again begin? (line 12). The line presents the reader with a beat that further emphasi zes the chaotic pattern of the waves and pebbles. T... ... until the darkness leaves and light can enter. The poem ends with the speaker finding what he wants to hear to put him at peace, silence. His loved one has listen to him throughout the poem and has not once spoken. The speaker wants someone he can talk to that will listen to him during the faith crisis. There may be more than a crisis of faith in the speaker?s life, but faith is the most important problem he wants fixed, since the entire third stanza is devoted to ?The Sea of Faith? (line 21) However, the speaker still sees the world as a chaotic lie, which over shadows seeing his loved one with him listening to him. Aural peace has been achieved while visual peace has not. Works Cited: Arnold, Matthew. Dover Beach. Perrine's Literature: Structure, Sound, and Sense. Ed. Thomas R. ARP. 7th ed. Forth Worth: Hartcourt Brace College Publishers, 1998. 715-716.

Spanish Influenza Outbreak, 1918 :: American America History

Spanish Influenza Outbreak, 1918 In the midst of perfect health, in a circumscribed community... the first case of influenza would occur, and then within the next few hours or days a large proportion- and occasionally every single individual of that community- would be stricken down with the same type of febrile illness, the rate of spread from one to another being remarkable... Barrack rooms which the day before had been full of bustle and life, would now converted wholesale into one great sick room, the number of sick developing so rapidly that hospitals were within a day or two so overfull that fresh admissions were impossible. -Dr. Herbert French to the British Ministry of Health (Hoehling,18)    Between the months of August and November of 1918, Spanish influenza spread quickly across the United States and around the world in epidemic proportions. The disease was thought to have been brought from country to country by sea-faring vessels passing through major port cities around the world, with illness striking men of French troops, the British Royal Navy, civilians in America, and more. The Public Health Service sanitation officer and member of the First Navy District, Dr. William M. Bryan, was aware of the conditions in Boston and was worried by them, where hot, dusty, and dry conditions exacerbated the problem, forcing sailors and soldiers into crowded conditions in Boston, where the close conditions and poor housing aided in the quick spread of influenza from person to person (23). Although influenza itself did not cause the deaths, but caused the pneumonia which did cause deaths, the number of deaths were still striking and rising. The deaths of three men in one afternoon in Quincy, Massachusetts caused the public to take notice. Bostonà ­s church closed on September 22 to keep the public separated from each other (33). The disease proceeded to cause death in large numbers throughout the country. At one point, Philadelphia was stricken with 289 deaths within 24 hours(71). If the problems involving the quick spread of the disease could have been foreseen, it would have been wise to take precautions concerning the close quarters in the major port town of Boston. There may have been a way to separate people to a greater degree and not allow them to be on such close terms that they could have passed the virus so quickly from one to another. A larger number of available places to board, though impractical, would have been helpful because the disease would have had more difficulty spreading than in the close confines that existed. Spanish Influenza Outbreak, 1918 :: American America History Spanish Influenza Outbreak, 1918 In the midst of perfect health, in a circumscribed community... the first case of influenza would occur, and then within the next few hours or days a large proportion- and occasionally every single individual of that community- would be stricken down with the same type of febrile illness, the rate of spread from one to another being remarkable... Barrack rooms which the day before had been full of bustle and life, would now converted wholesale into one great sick room, the number of sick developing so rapidly that hospitals were within a day or two so overfull that fresh admissions were impossible. -Dr. Herbert French to the British Ministry of Health (Hoehling,18)    Between the months of August and November of 1918, Spanish influenza spread quickly across the United States and around the world in epidemic proportions. The disease was thought to have been brought from country to country by sea-faring vessels passing through major port cities around the world, with illness striking men of French troops, the British Royal Navy, civilians in America, and more. The Public Health Service sanitation officer and member of the First Navy District, Dr. William M. Bryan, was aware of the conditions in Boston and was worried by them, where hot, dusty, and dry conditions exacerbated the problem, forcing sailors and soldiers into crowded conditions in Boston, where the close conditions and poor housing aided in the quick spread of influenza from person to person (23). Although influenza itself did not cause the deaths, but caused the pneumonia which did cause deaths, the number of deaths were still striking and rising. The deaths of three men in one afternoon in Quincy, Massachusetts caused the public to take notice. Bostonà ­s church closed on September 22 to keep the public separated from each other (33). The disease proceeded to cause death in large numbers throughout the country. At one point, Philadelphia was stricken with 289 deaths within 24 hours(71). If the problems involving the quick spread of the disease could have been foreseen, it would have been wise to take precautions concerning the close quarters in the major port town of Boston. There may have been a way to separate people to a greater degree and not allow them to be on such close terms that they could have passed the virus so quickly from one to another. A larger number of available places to board, though impractical, would have been helpful because the disease would have had more difficulty spreading than in the close confines that existed.

Grapes of Wrath Jim Casy The Silent Philosopher :: essays papers

Grapes of Wrath Jim Casy The Silent Philosopher Jim Casy: The Silent Philosopher It is a widely accepted theory, in numerous areas of study, that a whole is the sum of its parts. It has also been acknowledged that the reaction formed by a combination of forces is greater than the sum of the individual forces. Such a synergistic principle has become a strong motive behind many incidents in history, in which individuals have assembled into a group to become an increasingly powerful and influential force. This is the case in John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath, in which thousands of farmers are affected by the economical, climatic, and agricultural crises of the 1930’s and forced to migrate to the promising valleys of California. As these migrants make their long, arduous journey across the deserts of America, they are faced with numerous predicaments, most of which place them on the brink of survival. In the end, they learn that it is their love for one another and their togetherness that will allow them to complete the journey and fulfill their lon g-lived dreams. As the story progresses, a marked growth becomes evident among each character as they make the transition from an â€Å"I† level of thinking to a â€Å"we† level of thinking. One such character is the itinerant preacher, Jim Casy. Although his actions are not directly influential to the story’s plot, it is his philosophies and outlooks on life and religion that affect the events, as well as the other characters, in the story. Perhaps the most significant theme interpreted from the journey of the Joad family is that of the shift from the â€Å"I† to the †we† mentality. This concept results mainly from the mutual relationships formed between the migrants and their willingness to help one another. As the migrants progress on their journey, their concern for the well being of others overshadows their concerns for themselves. Their actions become completely altruistic and intended to protect the functionality of the migrant force as a whole. They readily make sacrifices to one another and work to create mutual bonds that help one another survive. Another aspect of the â€Å"I† to â€Å"we† transition is that of the togetherness of the migrant families and the unions formed between them. As the migrants begin to face the all the same hardships and dilemmas, they begin to organize and function as a single unit. The individuals among this unit are capable of helping one another a nd advancing the progress off the whole unit.

Developing Yourself as an Effective Human Resources Essay

The Human Resources Profession Map was created by the Chartered Institute of Personnel & Development (CIPD) together with Human Resources (HR) practitioners. The aim was to highlight and explain what HR personnel need to know, do and how to deliver the highest standards of knowledge, skills and behaviour required for growth and success within an organisation. The HR Map is a very important tool to help personnel identify areas that need to be developed within their career. The HR Professional Map is created for any type of organisation (small or large) and is based around areas of professional competencies to help those just starting their careers as well as seasoned professionals. The Map is structured around ten professional areas, eight behaviours and four bands of professional competence. It holds two professional core areas, which are ‘insights, strategy and solutions’ and ‘leading HR’. These areas are essential for any worker who needs to develop skills to the best possible level. Firstly, s/he needs to understand the company’s values and have a thorough knowledge of what the company does. The basics need to be covered before the employee can proceed within the other training and development parts of the profession map. After learning about insights, strategies and solutions, the HR practitioners should be aware of any arising problems that could effect their work place. The knowledge that comes from the gained behavioural skills should be good enough for HR practitioners to be able to come up with solutions and adapt it to new situations, helping an employee gain confidence and become a better leader. Another eight professional areas that professionals need to know are; service delivery and information; organisation design; organisation development;  resourcing and talent planning; learning and talent development; performance and reward; employee engagement and employee relations. The eight behaviours show what kind of attributes HR practitioners should implement, which are; being curious; a decisive thinker; skilled influencer; personally credible; collaborative; driven to deliver; having the courage to challenge and being a role model. All of those areas and behaviours are covered by four bands of competence. Band one would be for beginners who start their career and have a basic understanding of the HR role and band four would be for senior professionals who have the most experience within a company. The key area for me to focus on within my company would be employee engagement at band one of professional competency. For the last six years I have been working at the cinema where I have learnt everything about the company’s values and goals, through starting as a staff-member to becoming a duty-manager. Employee engagement is a very important level of commitment to any company; an engaged employee should always have pride in what s/he does and work hard to achieve success. In order to have motivated and positive staff who deliver outstanding results, I need to know how to communicate, listen, train/coach my team members, setting aspirational targets through meetings, appraisals and one-to-one sessions. I am sent for various training sessions which provides me with the ability to provide the best support and training for my personnel. After observing and listening to my staff I have noticed that people learn in various ways and I need to adopt different methods in training s essions to get the best out of them and to make them feel valued and motivated. ACTIVITY 2 Understanding Customer Needs. It happens very often in my professional role that certain customers come to me asking for some data, advice or requiring assistance. Not so long ago I had three customers simultaneously come to me with individual problems. They were: Staff Member Emma, who wanted to find out how many hours of holiday she earned so far and when would be the best time to book her holidays. Operational Assistant Ben, who wanted me to add the new starters which would  be starting from the beginning of next week to the system and send a ‘new starter form’ to the Head Office HR Manager. General Manager Paul, who asked me to check our monthly payroll which just got sent through and needed to be replied to by the end of the working day. It is essential that I always try to prioritise my tasks according to the customer needs and the impact it would have on the company. At the beginning I told Emma that I was unable to focus on her query at that specific moment, but would make sure that tomorro w I would have more time to talk through her holiday requests. My priority was checking the monthly payroll. The task was set by my General Manager and I had only till the end of the day to check it. I need to have enough time to thoroughly check the payroll as if there are any mistakes I need to create a report with all the faults found and send it to the HR manager to investigate. Adding new staff to the system was my second priority. The staff’s data did not go live until the week after and therefore was lacking any real pressure in terms of time, and the system we use is simple and straight-forward. Nevertheless, it took priority over Emma in case there were mistakes that would later delay this important and timely process. As stated, Emma was my last priority because her query was not as pressing as the previous two. However, I still made her feel important and valued by informing her that I would have everything ready for the meeting the next day. Effective Communication Effective communication is important in every work place. It is essential for employees to build the appropriate level of trust and understanding, to help create strong working relationships and therefore solve any arising problems with more ease. The three most common ways to communicate in my company are: Face to face. The most efficient and common within my role, it is used when I want to delegate jobs to staff members, within team meetings etc. This type of communication cannot be ignored and is particularly successful in motivating staff to do their jobs effectively. Although sometimes face-to-face can be difficult and cause problems; when dealing with a difficult situation it is sometimes hard to stay calm or always see eye-to-eye. Emotions can become visible which may cloud communication and further exasperate an event. E-mails. These are used on a regular basis. Most contact with external customers is through e-mail and so we need to make sure they are always answered swiftly. They are easy, effectively free and a very fast form of communication. For my internal customers I use an e-mail service for sending out rotas and other staff requests, therefore it is important to check it daily. Unfortunately, sometimes e-mails may be misread and people could feel offended by its content due to miscommunication. Also, some messages may be misplaced and sent to a customer’s ‘spam’ folder and therefore treated as unsent and ignored, causing negative experiences. Feedback Forms. A very popular method that is used for one-to-one meetings, probation reviews and appraisals. These forms provide to customers a clear and concise outline of their positive/negative behaviour, and acknowledge, with their line manager, what kind of changes need to be made, creating a clear plan that could help with their development. Feedback can also help staff feel appreciated and increase their self-esteem. A disadvantage of feedback forms may be the subjective nature of feedback (as anyone within the management team can choose to provide a form without first going through any procedures or checks) leaving open the possibility of personal opinions clashing with a customer’s work ethic. Effective Service Delivery To be able to meet all customer needs the company should have an effective service delivery. Good working relationships and team work should be key to creating a good service delivery for our customers. Everyday I have to deliver satisfactory service on time. Whether it is with our external customers by replying to their e-mails or phone calls on a daily basis or for my internal customers when writing rotas and meeting deadlines set by Management or Head Office. It is essential for a HR practitioner to be able to deliver a service within a timely manner because that will help build trust with customers. Delivering a service on budget is essential in my work place as I have to deal with it on a daily basis. I am mostly responsible for payroll and, within my company, payroll is the biggest controlling cost. Every week we have to schedule staff according to expected business levels. On top of this, everyday we have to control our forecast and act accordingly to set hours, which may incl ude sending staff home when it is quiet or  calling more people in when it is busy. Dealing with difficult customers and handling complaints is not easy, especially external ones. Whenever I have to deal with one I am always focused, listen to the person’s complaint, apologise for the problem and try to explain why certain situation have happened. I’m always trying to put myself in their position and empathise with them. Sometimes just explaining things may resolve the problem because a customer may not understand something, be confused or simply be agitated and in need of assistance. I asses the situation and decide how best to resolve it (whether with a mere apology or free guest passes etc). If the customer is still not happy with the outcome and would like the complaint to go further, I pass the situation onto head office to be dealt with more formally. When handling and resolving complains it is important to stay calm, communicate and be aware how serious the complaint is. Sometimes is okay to to resolve it in an informal one-to-one meeting but if it’s something serious like Gross Misconduct, then the complaint must be dealt with form ally which could result in dismissal. Looking at the Associate Membership criteria I would need to develop ‘practical and technical HR knowledge’ and ‘collating, analysing and interpreting data’. These two areas stand out the most from the associated membership criteria because I know I could develop these skills better throughout my personal development plan and become a more skilled HR practitioner. Learning more about practical and technical HR knowledge will expand my awareness and make me a more rounded, proficient professional. And learning how to properly collate, analyse and interpret data is something I have yet to really learn and so will give me a crucial grounding for further development. In order to be able to grow within developing practical and technical HR knowledge I would have to gain a lot of experience by shadowing my HR manager and fellow colleagues. In my organisation it is very important to know as much as possible about the human resources department because we do not hav e many people on site with HR skills. After learning about HR development I could focus on one or two key areas, such as disciplinary procedures or maternity leave, which would add key areas of knowledge to my  current HR capabilities. I believe that developing yourself practically and technically is essential for an individual who wants to become a good HR practitioner within his/her company as this is a core grounding to any career in HR. Collating, analysing and interpreting data is connected to developing practical and technical knowledge within my HR area. By getting support from my line managers I can be trained in creating weekly analyses of all payroll reports such as sickness submissions, lateness tracker and breaks. That skill would teach me how to work on our workforce payroll and I would get to know the rules and disciplinary procedures. With that in mind, I would be able to implement visible data and make staff responsible for their absences. Continuous Professional Development (CPD) is a â€Å"combination of approaches, ideas and techniques that will help you manage your own learning and growth†, focusing â€Å"firmly on results – the benefits that professional development can bring you in the real world† (CIPD website). It can be defined as a life-long learning project that describes the actions of an individual professional who is continuously planning, managing, reviewing and developing his/her skills within their professional or private life. The main aspect of CPD is the Personal Development Plan (PDP) which is structured to help and support individuals to be able to plan and organise their objectives or values in their personal or career development. It identifies what skills and knowledge you need to develop to progress further. I believe that CPD is important to me and my organisation because it gives me and my employer a chance to grow and progress within my career. It sets clear objectives and provides an opportunity to widen any knowledge and skills which are important to succeed within the organisation. By planning my PDP I am able to understand my strengths and weaknesses and learn how to improve them day by day. It keeps me interested therefore I feel motivated and positive. The company can also benefit from having the structure of CPD in place as it helps the company move forward by having motivated and happy personnel, as well as better working relationships due to managers spending more time with staff through one-to-one meetings and appraisals. The two options that I chose from my personal development plan are having practical and technical HR knowledge and completion of my CIPD course. Personally, advantages of having practical and technical HR knowledge would be the ability to implement my new skills on site and be able to use more of my own initiative on day to day basis. By shadowing my HR manager and having support from my head office team I would be able to learn about all procedures very quickly. In having those skills I would know how to run the HR department and by doing so I would be very well prepared for HR audits. The only disadvantage for this area would be time organisation, in making sure I can travel to London (and therefore needing cover) and that my HR manager has time to coach me, although this would only be for a set amount of time. The reason why I chose to study an online CIPD course is because I wanted to get my qualification while I was still working a full-time job. It provides great flexibility and no daily travel saves a lot of time and money. I find studying online is less stressful than face-to-face college as it allows me to work within my on surroundings and at a pace I am comfortable with. All lessons are available via a website and the tutors are always quick in responding to e-mails. A disadvantage to studying online is the lack of visible pressure from tutors to push me to work between my regular weekly shifts at work, although this at least helps improve my self-motivational skills.

A Regression Model

Introduction A regression model with one explanatory variable is called a Simple linear regression, that is it involves 2 points: single explanatory variable and the response variable which is the dependent variable Y and independent X, in the graph of two axis y and x coordinate and finds a linear function, as precisely as it can to explains the response variable values as a function of the expanatory variables. The term simple means in statistics that the response variable y is related to one predictor x. The linear regression is given as Y=?0+?1 + ? and they are two parameters that are used estimate the slope of the line ?1 and the y- intercept of the line ?0. ? is the error term.Background Linear Regression has played a vital role in assisting in the analysis of medical data. It makes it possible for the recognition and grouping associated multiple factors. It as well also allows the recognition of anticipating related dangerous factors and the counting of dangerous scores for a single person's prediction, this was made possible by English scientist Sir Francis Galton (1822–1911), a family member of Charles Darwin, made sufficiently benefaction to both in the study of genes and in the study of behaviour and mind . He is the one that came with regression and introduced statistics in a study of living organism.In his study the data sets that he regarded persistent was the heights of male parent and male child (father and son). He wanted to find out whether he can predict the height of a male child based on the male parent's height. Glancing at the results and scatterplots of the heights, Galton noted the relationship which was increasing and it was linear. After drawing a line to these results using the statistical tools, he observed that for male parents whose heights were more than the normal, the regression line anticipated male parents whose heights were more than the normal tended to have male children that have less height than the normal and male parents that have a height which is less than the normal tended to have male children that have a height that is more than the normal . Purposes Simple linear regression could be for example be purposefully in the instance of a an association among weight and height, Weight being the dependent variable y measured in kilograms and height being the independent variable x in centimeters, where the expected value of weight at a specified height is (X) = 2X/4 – 45 for X > 100 for example. Because of natural changeability, the weight could differ for example, it might remain normally distributed with a still ? = 4. The change between an experimental weight and mean weight at a specified height is denoted as the error for that weight. To realize the association that is linear, we might take the weight of three personalities at each height and relate linear regression to model the mean weight as a function of height using a straight line, ?(X) = ?0 + ?1X . The most general way to guesstimate the parameters, (pronounced beta not) ?0 and gradient ?1 (pronounced as beta not) is the least squares estimator, which is derived by differentiating the regression model with respect to ?0 and ?1 and solving for ?0 and also solving for ?1. Let (x i , y i ) be the Ith coordinates of Y and X. The least squares estimator, guesstimates the intercept and the slope reducing the residual sum of squared errors ?ei2= ?(y i – ? i)2= SSE where yi is the experiential value and ?i = b0 + b1xi is the estimated regression line and is called the fitted or â€Å"hat† values. The estimates are given by b0 = – b1 then b1 = SSXX / SSYY and where and are the samples means X and Y, SSXX and SSYY being standard deviations and r = r(X,Y) Pearson correlation coefficient. It is also denoted as Pearson's r, the Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient, is a measure of the linear associate amongst two variables X and Y. The Pearson correlation coefficient, r takes a variety of values from -1 to +1. A value of 0 recommends that there is no relationship amongst the variables X and Y. A value greater than 0 recommends a positive relationship that is, as the value of the other variable rises, so does the other variable. Before making use of the simple linear regression it is always vital to follow the steps below:1. Select an explanatory variable which is more possible to make the changes in the response variableBe convinced where the previous quantity for the explanatory variable transpire in the precise same period as the quantity of the respone variablePlot the interpretations on a graph making use of the y axis for the respone variable and the x axis for the predictor variable 4. Analyse the plotted interpretations for a linear outline and for any outliersKeeping in mind that there could be correlation without cause and influence. Importances Simple linear regression is considered to be widely valuable in many real-world applications and practises. Simple linear regression functions by assuming the independent and dependent variables have a association that is linear in the certain set-of-data.As expectations are and outcomes are interpreted, the individual handling the analysing role in a such data will have to be precarious since it has been premeditated before that there may be some variables which hinder minimal changes to occur while others will not consider being seized at a stationary point. Although the concept of linear regression is one that is more composite subject, it still remains to be one of the most vital statistical approaches being used till date. Simple linear regression is important because it has be wildly being used in many biological, behavioural , environmental as well as social sciences. Because of its capability to define likely associations among known variables which are simple independent and dependent , it may have assisted in the fields of finance, economics and trend line in describing major data that have proven to be of crux in the selected areas. Above all simple linear regression is vital since it has provided a clue of what desires to be predicted, more specially in regulatory functions involved in certain disciplines. In spite of the complication of simple linear aggression, it has been recognized to be sufficiently valuable in numerous day-to-day applications of life.