Servant Leadership free essay sample

A few famous examples of servant leaders are George Washington, Gandi and Caesar Chavez. Key Principles In a publication released by Nova Southeastern University, 10 principle characteristics were identified of servant leadership (Leadership development -, 2007). 1. Listening Listening skills are vital for all leadership styles. Servant leaders make a deep commitment to intently listen to others. They seek to identify the will of a group or individual and listen to what is being said. 2. Empathy It is important to understand and have compassion for others. People need to feel accepted and recognized for their unique qualities. Leaders must assume the good intentions and not reject them as people. 3. Healing Learning to heal is a powerful force for transformation and integration. A greatest strength of servant leaders is the potential to heal one’s self and others. 4. Awareness General awareness, especially self-awareness, strengthens the servant leaders. 5. Persuasion Leaders rely on persuasion rather than positional, authoritative, decision making. We will write a custom essay sample on Servant Leadership or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Seeking to convince others, rather than coerce, is a goal of the leader. 6. Conceptualize Dreaming great dreams† is an ability that must be self-nurtured in a leader. The ability to look at a quandary from a conceptualizing perspective means a leader must think beyond everyday realities. Leaders must seek balance conceptualization and day to day focus. 7. Foresight Foresight enables a leader to capitalize on lessons learned from the past, realities of the present and a likely outcome of a decision. 8. Stewardship Greenleaf’s view of all institutions was one in which CEO’s, staff, directors and trustees all play significant roles in holding institutions in trust for the greater good of society. . Commitment to the Growth of People Leaders believe people have an intrinsic value beyond tangible contributions as workers. As a result, genuine interest in the spiritual, professional and personal growth of all employees is demonstrated. 10. Building Community Leaders se ek to identify a means for building a sense of community among those who work in a given institution. Differences from Other Styles In the approach on general leadership characteristics, the fundamental difference is authentic leaderships strive to be â€Å"real†, whereas servant leaders strive to be â€Å"right. Servant leadership is a style that lays down a set of characteristics that all leaders are supposed to emulate to attain success, and tries to shape the character and personality of the leader. On the other hand, authentic leaders tend to rely on their own unique set of experiences and style that has been learned and developed throughout their career. The main difference between servant and authentic styles, when applying into practice, is the serving of others. One of the primary applications is to give priority to the interest of others. Servant leaders exercise their duty by fulfilling needs, aspirations and duties of those in their organization. Authentic leaders don’t put much emphasis in responding to the needs or desires of others. Servant leaders’ style recommends listening, persuading, and empathy when approaching difficult situations, even in times of crisis. Authentic leaders are proactive and adapt their style to the situation. These leaders can be inspiring in one situation and tough about people related issues in another (Nayab, 2010). Strengths/Weaknesses (Nayab, 2011) Strengths 1. Contribution to organizational development. Leaders proactively set the way, and will inspire subordinates to perform by empowering them to follow. Such inspiration leads to collective efforts, creating a synergy. 2. Contribution to the all-around development of the employee. The leader helps employees attain physical and intellectual vitality and fitness, allowing them to lead balance lives. 3. Servant leadership’s value based approach helps organizations in the business environment where values, empowerment, and commitment play a big role in success. Weaknesses 1. The soft approach does not fit well into a competitive environment. Servant leaders may lag behind those other styles better suited for a competitive environment. Accountability and responsibility may get diluted. 2. Does not always work or resolve issues related to employee-organization fit. A primary function of all leaders is to match candidates with organization objectives. Servant leaders put the individual’s goals/needs as the primary concern. 3. Building a sense of â€Å"community† among team members may not fit well for all members. Many wish not to share personal lives or aspirations with others at work. Personal Reflection Servant leadership may apply best in certain situations such as politics or association management. But in its purest theory, I am not convinced servant leadership is a practical leadership style 100% of the time, for any type of business. It does have many qualities that I agree with, and practice a large extent of the time. For example, I view everyone I work with as a customer. I see it as my responsibility to help them achieve success in their role. It is my duty to provide them with every resource needed in order to succeed, and it is their duty to tell me what they need. Sometimes, that includes a holistic approach, and sometimes it is as simple as acquiring a printer for them. I tread lightly when personal life problems present themselves, however. I will assist in providing direction for an employee to get the help they need, such as an EAP program, or a Pastor in our ministry development initiative. On the other hand, it is also my duty to provide corrective action, redirection, or other forms of performance feedback when employees stray from goals, objectives, vision, mission or values. As I mentioned, a part of my management style is to serve the needs of subordinates. I can’t deny it isn’t entirely for unselfish reasons. I use it as a motivational tactic to achieve positive outcomes. However, I am sincere in my communications in order to build trust. Good managers put the needs of others ahead of their own. However, good managers cannot put subordinate needs ahead of customers, organizational needs or stakeholder needs. Blending all styles of leadership and adapting to unique situations or people will produce positive outcomes in the long run. However, it is my opinion holding true to only one style of leadership may cause problems for the organization, or an individual manager. References: 1. What is servant leadership?. (n. d. ). Retrieved from http://www. greenleaf. org/whatissl/ 2. Leadership development Servant Leadership. (2007, August 1). Retrieved from http://www. nova. edu/studentleadership/development/servant_leadership. html 3. Nayab, N. (2010, June 8). Servant leadership vs. authentic leadership: What are the differences?. Retrieved from http://www. brighthub. com/office/home/articles/73574. aspx 4. Nayab, N. (2011, May 25). Servant leadership theory strengths and weaknesses. Retrieved from http://www. brighthub. com/office/home/articles/73511. aspx? cid=parsely_rec

Leonardo Da Vinci1 essays

Leonardo Da Vinci1 essays Leonardo Da Vinci was born in 1452 on his fathers estate in Vinci, Italy. He received his education on the estate until the age of fifteen. Which is when his father had noticed Leonardos potential and had decided to send him to be an apprentice to the artist Andrea del Verrocchio in Florence. There he studied sculpture and the mechanical arts. This was also when he first developed an interest in anatomy. In 1472 Leonardo was accepted into the painters' guild at Florence, where he remained for the next ten years. In 1482, Leonardo was hired by the duke of Milan, Ludovico Sforza, to be artist and engineer in residence. During his stay in Milan, he started to compose a unified theory of the world and to illustrate it in a series of voluminous notebooks. Unfortunately due to his pursuit of scientific knowledge he had to leave many of his artistic creations unfinished. He stayed in Milan for seventeen years. There he completed six paintings: two portraits of the 'Last Supper', two ver sions of 'The Virgin of the Rocks', and a decorative ceiling painting in the Castello Sforzesco. Other paintings were either unfinished or have disappeared. In the early 1500s, Leonardo returned to his home city. In Florence, he was commissioned to do a number of paintings, but other interests and tasks kept him from finishing them. The most well known piece to survive from this time period was the famous "Mona Lisa", which is now in the Louvre in Paris. For ten months during 1502, Leonardo served as military adviser and engineer. During the years 1513 to 1516, Leonardo was in Rome at the invitation of Cardinal Giuliano de' Medici, brother of Pope Leo X. Some of the greatest artists of the time were at work in Rome for the church. In May 1506 Charles d'Amboise, governor of Milan for the king of France, invited Leonardo to return to that city. His work in painting and sculpture over the next seven years remained mostly in the plan ...

Main Functional Metrics Employed to Measure ShareHolder Value Essay

Main Functional Metrics Employed to Measure ShareHolder Value - Essay Example Many firms calculate the profitability in their own method of calculation where as investors take a different method to do the same, and it makes a hard time for the management of the firm to coordinate the results. An investor always focuses on the economic profits of the firm as well as looks at the extent of debt and equity that is invested in the business. Some of the important financial metrics employed to measure shareholder value are given below; 1. Shareholder Value Analysis (SVA) The shareholder value analysis (SVA) approach was developed by Alfred Rapport during 1980s and is used to estimate the value of the shareholders’ stake within a company or business unit which can also be adopted as the fundamental measure to formulate and evaluate strategic decisions (CIMA, 2004. p.10). The estimation of the value of a firm’s operations is usually carried out through the process of discounting anticipated future operating â€Å"free cash flows† at a suitable cos t of capital. Here, the free cash flow shows the cash flow derived from a business for a specified period, i.e. the cash flow before extracting any financial-related cash flows associated with share or debt. For the purpose of calculating the shareholder value, the value of â€Å"marketable securities and other investments† must be added to, and the value of debt must be subtracted from the business valuation (CIMA, 2004. p.10). The advantage of shareholder value analysis is that it can be used to value a business, and also to value alternative strategic decisions, by contrasting the pre- and post-strategy positions of the firm. Moreover, it is a simple most common method of calculation by considering the seven key value drivers, which can be broken down into comprehensive practical measures in order to encourage the managers to act on the ultimate objective of generating shareholder wealth. 2. Economic Profit (EV) Economic Profit (EP) is another method for evaluating the sha reholder value which is also known as â€Å"residual income† as a method of measuring divisional performance. It determines how well a firm is performing. The EP evaluates the surplus return gained by the business in a specific period after deducting all expenses, including the cost of using investor’s capital in the business (Encyclopedia of Business, 2011). The measure of net profit cannot be used for analysis even though the interest charged on debt capital is deducted, as its cost related with using equity funds is omitted. So many opt for the EP, arguing that net profit would be mislead and would erroneously exhibit a firm to be profitable based on net profit, where as the actual economic profit would describe it as economically unprofitable. We can state that economic profit is the variance between the return on capital and the cost of capital which can be computed using the following two methods: EP = Invested capital x (return on capital – WACC) EP = Ope rating profits after tax less capital charge 3. Economic Value Added (EVA) According to Bennet and Stewart (p.40, 2007), Economic Value Added is the financial performance evaluation method which is able to accurately capture the true economic profit of an organisation, and is the performance measure most directly associated with the creation of shareholder wealth over time. EVA is an evaluation of finding out

The effect of mass media on children Research Paper

The effect of mass media on children - Research Paper Example Thesis Statement; The proliferation of the elements of the mass media has positive as well as negative consequences. It is important for children to be taught how to make the most out of the more positive aspects in order to benefit their own intellectual development. Different aspects of the Mass Media One of the reasons why the mass media elements can be detrimental to the psychological development of children is because they present a reality that does not really exist. For example, television is not an agent that encourages viewers to be interactive (Strasburger, Jordan, and Donnerstein, 2010). Adults may understand this; however, children are easily deceived into imagining that they are interacting and not just consuming. This can be viewed as being a negative aspect because watching television will fill the social needs of the children without giving them the chance to acquire new social skills that will help them in real life situations with other people. According to Keating (2011) the average child in developed nations watches 4 hours of television on a daily basis. Given that the child will also have to attend school and possibly perform a few chores in the home, this means that the time for playing with other children and socializing with them is drastically reduced (Romer, Jamieson, and Aday, 2003). While reading newspapers and magazines or watching entertaining programs helps a child to develop good literary skills, it may also cause he child to acquire the values and principles that are extolled on his or her favorite programs. This is particularly likely if the child in question is isolated from other children and does not really communicate with others on a regular basis except in school. This is why there is a need for a balance to be struck between watching television, playing videos, or reading popular magazines, and playing outside with other real life people (Keating, 2011). There are different theories that seek to explain how elements of the mass media affect the way that children communicate. Some of these include: The Social action theory According to this theory, when engaged in the media, children form a part of a system of mediated communication which allows them to take new meanings from the content they are watching or reading about. The theory holds that communication includes aspects such as the receivers’ interpretation, the actor’s objective, and the inherent message (Meirick, Sims, Gilchrist, and Croucher, 2009). This means that the process of communication perceived by children when they are engaged in mass media elements is not about gaining meaning, but creating it according to an individual’s understanding. Many children today do not hone their reasoning abilities through engaging in rational discussions about platonic ideas, but model them according to what mass media elements say. Even by adults, the media is greatly trusted; and presumed to be saying the truth whenever they re port on different things. For example, during campaigns leading to national or local elections, it is quite easy for a media station or major newspaper to subtly influence the decision of prospective voters in the choice of candidate to opt for by emphasizing on one candidate’

The Melon grower by Alice Oswald Essay Example for Free

The Melon grower by Alice Oswald Essay The Melon grower by Alice Oswald explains the slow decline in a couples marriage. The melon grower is the man, Oswald uses his care for the melons to demonstrate the mans disinterest in his wife and his lack of emotion towards her. As the poem leads on through the twelve stanzas it becomes increasingly sad and disfunctional however in parts showing a comical side. The frequent use of the pronouns he and she in the poem proves the disfuntion and seperation of the couple as their marriage falls apart. The 12, 3 line stanzas are biographical. The story has been told to the author from the prospective of the wife who is clearly unhappy in her marriage. We dont know fully how her husband is feeling about the disintigration of his marriage, only of his obssessive interest in his melons.We are given a brief insight into his emotions when he was in church and he sang O Lord how long shall the wicked.? and then, He prayed, with his thumbs on his eys. Were we given a glimpse of his own dispair? In the first few opening stanzas there is a sense of seperation through the pronouns he and she there is no they showing that they no longer spend time together. The wife seeks the husbands attention as he spends the majority of his time out of the house with his plants She threw a slipper at him this domestic item contrasts with the plants and highlights the difference between their seperate lives, it is almost as if she is physically throwing the house at him in despiration. The poem doesnt just describe the end of the friendship and communication of the couple but also the end of their sexual realtionship If I can sex he said the flowers, very gently ill touch their parts with a pollen brush made with rabbit hairs. this qoutefrom stanza 5 highlights the abscence of sex within their relationship, he is more intimate with the melons. Stanza eight shows us the passing of time, the relationship still limping on, with him remaining ever neglectful of his wifes even his daughters, feelings, burying his head and hiding in his green house. He cares for his melons with the utmost care and gentleness which is at odds with the decay  of his home and his l I feel that Oswalds sympathy lies with the wife. I feel as a reader, sympathy for both charaters. The misunderstanding, the lack of communication, her anger, his apparent apathy toward the problem, all leading to the slow crumbling of their relationship. Within the last two stanzas Oswald creates a contrast between the two, first of all she paints an image of softness with the nets and fruits big at ease but then writes the last stanza about the wifes final despair with the melony aroma suffocating the whole place becoming sinister.

A report on dry bulk shipping

A report on dry bulk shipping Shipping is indubitably one of the fascinating industries in the world. It requires vast knowledge and skill to cop up with the day to day operations because of the complexity of the industry and its dependence on world economics. Dry Bulk ships carry dry cargoes in bulk from one port to another and can be categorised into handysize,  handymax,  panamax,  capesize, and very large bulk and ore carriers according to their sizes. The performance of the bulk shipping market depends on the demand for and supply of bulk shipping services, as well as the characteristics of the market structure. The importance of shipping cycle in case of dry bulk carrier is that they plays a vital part in the economics of shipping industry by managing the investment risk in an industry ,where there is large uncertainty about the future (Stopford,2009) Section 1 Literature Review One of the major aspects affecting the future of dry bulk shipping is the quality and the safety perspective. Nominal freight differentiation between quality and other tonnage has been observed occasionally and much services has been paid to promoting the need for younger and safer ships (Tamvakis  and Thanopoulou,2000) Another factor that can influence maritime flows of dry bulk commodity is seasonality patterns .Spot rates for bigger vessels shows higher seasonal variations compared to smaller vessels, although differences in seasonal fluctuations between sectors are removed as the contract duration increases.   (Kavussanos and Alizadeh,2001) Investing in shipping industry has an entirely new aspect by the introduction of private equity and the development of a hedging strategy, now this can be treated as a portfolio optimization problem. The freight futures provide a comparatively novel medium for hedging risk in  dry bulk  shipping markets. New uprising financial strategies in dry bulk shipping in future can revolutionize the entire market.( Cullinane,1995) Duration analysis done by Bijwaard G.E and Knapp.S provides an insight to the effectiveness of prolonging ship lives and the empirical data solidifies the idea about the life span of dry bulk carrier. Life span is an important aspect in predicting the ship cycle(Bijwaard and Knapp,2009)Scrapping of ship is done at a particular time and this is done when the ship is retired from the current use or when shipping cycle demands it. Gain and losses after the scrapping of a ship . entirely depends on the market condition. Demand of Dry bulk shipping is always related to the scrapping industry.(Knapp,2008) The Government is proposing that the UKs CO2 emissions should fall by at least 80% by 2050 . Release of exhaust gases and particles from oceangoing  ships is an important and growing provider to the total emissions from the transportation sector. New strategies like slow steam, alternate fuel and new logistic approach like jumbo ore carriers etc will be used in future to make the shipping sector more eco friendly(Eyring et al,2010) Research Hypothesis Marine flow of dry bulk goods in 2050 will be largely influenced on numerous factors and the background study done above concretes this statement. From the background study done above following hypothesis are made. The changing investment strategy like private equity and development of hedging strategy in worlds dry bulk shipping can promote the ship owners to invest in new ships and it can also attract new ship owners to the industry .If the scrapping doesnt goes in proportion with the production ,it could affect the supply and demand of dry bulk goods and there would be frequent interference of shipping cycle The design, tonnage and operation of dry bulks ships in 2050 can vary a lot from the present. Carriers like jumbo ore carriers and trend to containerisation can be the future of dry bulk shipping .Seasonality and size issues at present might be totally vanished in the future. Developed countries like United Kingdom are concentrating more on environmental issues caused by shipping industries and UKs target to reduce CO2 emission by 80% in 2050 can have great influence in marine transportation of dry bulk commodities. This is mainly because in future government may bring controls to ships having co2 emission more than 80% which can result in restricting ships entering into UK ports. Now this can lead to change in the flow of dry bulk goods in and out of UK. Both the demand for shipping services and shipping rates in 2050 will be positively related to the shipping cycle. Section 2 Data Analysis Origin of the data used in this research was mainly collected from Thomson Reuters Datastream, OECD.stat, Shipping Intelligence Network by Clarksons Research and United Nations Statistics Division.The other data source used in this research is Lloyds Shipping Economist The Shipping Intelligence Network according to Clarksons Research is one of the top on line commercial shipping database and almost all related data required for this research like Baltic Freight Index and the fleet size were collected from this source. Data required for shipping cycle are collected from Thomson Reuters DataStream which is according to their webpage the largest financial database in the world. Some data were also collected from OECD(Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) and United Nations Statistics Division The data for the supply and demand are accessible from a centralised table called Supply and Demand Data in Lloyds economist. The data required for supply and demand of dry bulk carrier were collected from those tables for the current analysis of the bulk carrier market The time series that were taken from Lloyds shipping are stated below Total demand and supply of bulk carrier fleet in million DWT Total size of bulk carrier fleet adapting slow steaming strategy Total number of bulk carriers order book in million DWT The number of bulk carriers order book should be taken serious as there is an interval of two years from the order to the delivery. The data for supply and surplus of the fleet following slow steam strategy is either laid up or in-active are calculated in tons of dead weight To analyse the dry bulk shipping cycle it is useful to study how the key variables in this market have developed over time. It is very difficult to find the accurate measures of cycles ,representing the demand for shipping service and hence it not easy to find a relationship between dry bulk shipping and shipping cycle in general .To measure the freight rates in dry bulk shipping BFI(Baltic Freight Index) can be used (Glen and Rogers1997) Even though the BFI (Baltic Freight Index) ceased to exist when Baltic Exchange Dry Index was introduced, till today it has been calculated and reported by Clarksons Research Shelley (2003), As demonstrated in the Figure some striking changes are recorded in the freight rates of dry bulk shipping in recent years. The BFI reached at its maximum level in October 2007, followed by a dramatic fall in 2008.Figure(b) shows that the volatility of the freight rates have increased significantly after 2002-03 If a Comparison is done between figure 1 and figure 2 some similarities can be observed like increased freight rates in 2003-04 are matched by increasing total bulker sales and similarly the vice versa in the year 2005 and 2008 and hence a co-relation between freight rate and bulker sales can analysed from the above figures. Figures also expose a trend in increased volatility in total bulker sales during the period 2003-2008.c(Clarkson,2010) The augmented volatility in current years point towards that the fleet is almost equal to the current capacity limit. During the high capacity period, demand shocks have a great impact on freight rates. This can be a logical explanation of the hugely increased freight rates in the recent periods of boom in the world economy GDP for OECD, USA, Japan and China can be used to determine shipping cycles. The GDP of OECD is used as a alternative variable for world production, while the GDP of the US, Japan, and China represents the economic activity and demand for shipping services in three very important countries in world trade.(OECD,2010) The figures are based on data from the Shipping Intelligence Network by Clarksons Research and Thomson Reuters DataStream -2 All quarterly variables, the GDP of OECD, USA, Japan, and China from OECD stat helped us in finding that, these variables are non-stationary, as is the relevant time series for the Baltic Freight Index. The BFI from Clarkson led to the conclusion that all the shipping cycle are co related with the BFI.The sources that are used in this research gave us a larger perspective of the research objective and found out that, identifying the shipping cycle is a difficult process because there is much less previous researches done on this topic. Section 3 Demand and Supply Model for Dry Bulk shipping In present day there are number of models which have been developed to forecast and explain freight rate by examining the factors influencing the demand and supply of the respective services..Tinbergen(1934) model is considered to be one of the oldest econometric application.(Beenstock and Vergottis,1993).In new models the basic concept and idea are similar but the models have become more sophisticated by the application of new techniques . In 1980 a model was developed and presented in Strandenes and Wergeland which was named as NORBULK model. This model is considered to be one of the important econometric technique in predicting the freight rate in dry bulk shipping. The NORBULK model is based on the assumption that the demand for transportation of dry bulk commodities is determined by the freight rates, the trade patterns, and variables reflecting the macroeconomic situation A Graphical illustration of NORBULK model is shown above. From the illustration it is clear that demand and supply of dry shipping services are assumed to be influenced by the freight rate and at the same time equilibrium freight rates reflect the demand and supply of the shipping services. The model also explains the fact that macro economic conditions (the product capacity and cycle situation)influence the trade of bulk commodities which can alter the demand for transportation of dry bulk commodity. The speciality of NORBULK model from other models is that the other models are concentrated on major bulk commodities separately. The relation between trade and aggregated macroeconomic condition is one of the distinct features of NORBULK model. Supply part of the NORBULK model accounts for the size of the fleet, the fuel price, and the freight rates. The shape of the supply curve in a specific market reflects the relationship between the freight rate and the supply of shipping services, while, for instance, changes in the size of the fleet cause shifts in the supply curve. A characteristic shape of a supply curve in dry bulk shipping Ton miles is the measurement for supply and demand in sea transport and this is equal to the average haul multiplied by the tonnage of cargo (Strandenes and Wergeland, 1980) Shipping cycles are not cyclical or regular and hence in true world shipping predicting the shipping cycle are a loose sequence of up and downs and hence predictions in ship cycle is always a tough task. According to Cufley it is totally impossible to predict when the market will move upwards or fall. NORBULK is an example of a model based on the assumption that demand is inversely related to the freight rate. The relationship was estimated to be very inelastic, however. Still, Strandenes and Wergeland (1980) argue that it is potentially important to account for the price elasticity in both supply and demand. There are 10 variables in the demand and supply model which affect the demand for shipping and the supply of ships for the carriage of goods. The variable in the demand for ships are: The world economy, seaborne commodity trades, average haul, political event and transport cost. The variables for supply of ships are: World fleet, fleet productivity, ship building productions, scrapping and losses and freight rates.(Stopford,2010).Difficulty of analysing the above variables is daunting. The world economy is complex and sometimes we have to wait for years for the availability of the detailed statistics for accurate evaluation .Many of the variables mentioned above are highly un predictable and hence the forecasting must be considered as a process to clarify the risk rather than creating certainty. Working of NORBULK model is not focused on a particular commodity and it gives a general result which can be applicable to all the dry bulk carriers. New developed models used in dry bulk shi pping concentrates more on a specific commodity and there is always possibility that when modelling a particular commodity bulk carrier new models might be more accurate than NORBULK model. Assumptions made in developing the model sometimes can be far away from the reality and this can always result in wrong forecasting or prediction. Conclusion: It is always interesting to follow the future development of the dry bulk shipping market. In our opinion to understand the basic forces controlling the development of freight rates and shipping volume both econometric and theoretical analysis are very significant . On analysing the economic market we were able to understand the relations that are believed to exist between factors. We were also able to discover that the reason for shipping cycles to exist are the inelasticity of supply in shipping market which disables supply to meet the demand in the short run. Journals Bijwaard,G.E and Knapp,S (2009) Analysis of ship cycles The impact of economic cycles and ship inspections Journal on marine Policy, Vol 33, Issue 2, pp-(350-360) Cullinae,K(1995) A portfolio analysis of market investments in dry bulk shipping Transportation Research Part B: Methodological(June)Vol 29, Issue 3, pp 181-200 Eyeing,V(et, al)(2010) Transport impacts on atmosphere and climate: Shipping The ATTICA Assessment Report (Dec)Vol 44,Issue 37,pp 4735-4771 Kaussanos,M.G and Alizadeh,A.H(2001) Seasonality patterns in dry bulk shipping spot and time charter freight rates Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review (December) Vol 37, Issue 6, pp 443-467 Knapp.S (et, al) (2008) Econometric analysis of ship demolition market Journal on Marine policy,) Vol 32, Issue 6, pp-( 1023-1036) Tamavakis,N.T and Thanopoulu,H.a(2000) Does quality pay? The case of the  dry bulk market Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, (December) Vol 36, Issue 4,pp 297-307 Books Stopford, M., 2009, Maritime Economics, 3rd edition, London, Routledge pp 64,424-427,512 Section 2 Clarkson (2010) Available from http://www.clarksons.com/services/overview/?serviceId=418 Accessed on 21st November 2010 Glen, D. R and Rogers, P(1997),Does weight matter? A statistical analysis of the SSY capesize index, Maritime policy and management,pp 24, 351-364 Lloyds Shipping Economist magazines London 2005-2010 Available from http://www.lloydslist.com/ll/sector/markets/lloyds-shipping-economist/ Accessed from 18th November 2010 O.E.C.D (2010) Available from http://oberon.sourceoecd.org/vl=6310340/cl=19/nw=1/rpsv/dotstat.htm. Accessed on 1st December 2010 Shelley, T( 2003) Chinas rapid expansion boosts world shipping industry, Financial Times, 25 November, pp 3 Thomson (2010) Avaialble From http://online.thomsonreuters.com/datastream/ Accessed on 5th December 2010 UNStats(2010) Available from http://unstats.un.org Accessed on 7th December 2010 Section 3 Beenstock, M., Vergottis, A., 1993, Econometric Modelling of World Shipping, london, Chapman Hall Stopford, M., 2009, Maritime Economics, 3rd edition, London, Routledge Wergeland, T. (1981). Norbulk: A simulation model of bulk freight rates. Working Paper 12, Norwegian School of Economics and Business Administration, Bergen, Norway

Family Guide to Prescription Drugs Essay

The five rights (5 Rs) need to be followed when administering any medications: right patient, right medication, right dose, right time and the right route. Venipuncture procedure for the purpose of establishing peripheral venous access and for obtaining blood sample for laboratory tests follow the standards of practice framework. It is mandatory that health care professionals have and sustain in good status, all licenses, permits, and certificates required by law as well as follow the standards of practice imposed. (2) Explain the repercussions that could arise from violating these standards. Violating these standards will lead to adverse patient reactions to the drug administered; worst case will be death to the patient involved. Investigations regarding the medication error will result to fines/penalties, license revocations and even jail time (Sen, et al, 2005). Sadly, accidental deaths due to medication errors as a result of failure to follow these standards are not unusual cases in health care practice (Medical Mistakes 1999). (3) What are the responsibilities of a person in your health care position during a code arrest? If signs of patient’s condition/ state is worsening rapidly (i.e. increased respiratory distress and decreased oxygen saturation, call a code. The person who found the unresponsive patient should call the code right away and initiate CPR. It is important to know the status code of the patient before anything else, whether the patient has a full code, partial code or has a DNR status (Do Not Resuscitate) (Turjanica, 1998). (4) Discuss the repercussion that could arise, both for the patient and you, in regards to injection of contrast media. Intravenous injection of contrast media will be done/ administered by a qualified physician or trained radiologic nurse. An informed consent will be obtained from the patient prior to the said procedure. This consent has to be signed by the patient, the guardian or patient’s power of attorney. Severe reactions to the procedure leading to cardiopulmonary arrest/ death are beyond the health care team’s capacity. As long as there were no mistakes when the procedure was done, there will be no repercussions. Emergency apparatus and pharmaceuticals are available for any emergencies that may arise during the after the procedure.   (5) Explain the organization of the information supplied in the Physicians Desk Reference (PDR). PDR provides information regarding prescription medications, over-the-counter medications, herbal medications, health conditions, types of surgeries and even treatment options for a number of health issues. They also provide drug to drug interactions when one is taking a number of medications for different health problems.   (6) What are the benefits of physicians using PDAs in ordering prescriptions for their patients? Physicians will gain advantage when using PDRs as it will provide and supply them with the latest medication/ drug products available, concise drug information and multi-drug interaction checker. Daily news updates are also available thru these PDRs. (7) Compare the ratings of addictive drugs on the controlled drug standard. Give an example of each category. Examples of addictive drugs are nicotine, heroines and cocaine. Controlled drugs are medications taken illegally when not being prescribed by physicians. Examples of these drugs are analgesics like Tylenol with Codeine, Oxycontin and Morphine. Presently, all these controlled drugs are addictive.   Research is ongoing nowadays for the new compound ACV1 which is more powerful than Morphine but is not addictive at all (Good, 2002). (8) What are some reasons the imaging professional should chart carefully? In which ways is charting accomplished? Imaging professionals need to chart carefully and completely for legal purposes. Documentation on any health related procedures will be used in court if something happens to the patient. Reactions of patient after any procedure are also documented in patient care notes and on the occurrence form. (9) Which examinations require charting and how is this done? Any procedure pertaining to health care needs to be documented/ charted. As much as possible, the documentation needs to be clear and concise. It should also be reflecting the interventions done and the patient’s reaction/ responses to it. The type of contrast media, the amount given, the site and the time should be documented. The timing of events and the treatments/ interventions done in any emergencies during and after the procedure should be documented concisely as well. To time events, the use of one timepiece is necessary in order to establish consistencies. Reference Good, Brian (2002). Something for the pain. Men’s Health, 17.9, p 36. Medical Mistakes. (1999). KRT Interactive Hot Topics. Sen, S., Chini, E, Nunes, E & Brown, M. (2005). Complications after unintentional intra-arterial injection of drugs: risks, outcomes and management strategies. Mayo Clinic Proceedings, Vol 80, 783. Turjanica, M. A. Anatomy of a code; how do you feel at the start of a code blue? Nursing, Vol 27, p34.

Curleys wife throughout Essay

In 1937, John Steinbeck wrote Of Mice and Men a novella about friendship during the Great Depression. The novella offers a unique and vivid insight into the lives of all social groups during the horrific collapse of the American economy. We’re given a comprehensive insight into the life of woman; a minority group in the American society. During the novella we only meet two women, Curley’s wife is one of them, a very naive young girl. In the novella, Steinbeck uses status to make us the reader feel compassionate towards Curley’s wife and the minority group of women. Curley’s wife has limited status and to some extent freedom on the ranch because she is a woman, a social minority. â€Å"Why can’t I talk to you? I never get to talk to nobody, I get awful lonely† Steinbeck uses Curley’s wife’s loneliness to make us the reader feel compassionate towards her as no one wants to participate in conversation with her. Candy regards her as â€Å"Jailbait† indicating she is a young female seeking to get men into trouble. Jailbait is slang for a minor who is younger than the legal age of consent for sexual activity, with the implication that an older person might find him or her sexually attractive. â€Å" I never get to talk to anyone† on the ranch there is a strong prejudice towards Curley’s wife, the men of the ranch have some very strong opinions however Candy is rather cruel about her throughout the novella and even when she is dead he verbally abuses her; â€Å"You god damn tramp, he said viciously† throughout the novella we have been aware of a bazaar tension between Curley’s wife and Candy, Candy and Curley’s wife are both regarded as a members of social minority groups. This relationship is perhaps very unequal because Candy is scared of the power Curley’s wife has. Her strength arises from her membership of being a female on the ranch, she has neither mental or physical strength but she has the ability to get Candy or any other ranch occupant lynched or sacked, which is possibly one of the reasons why he hates her. â€Å"Then-it’s all off? Candy said sulkily. † during this tragic time of Curley’s wife’s death, all Candy can think about is his and George’s agreement to buy their own ranch. â€Å"I get awful lonely† Steinbeck makes the reader develop a sympathetic feelings about Curley’s wife as no one wants to talk to her, her own husband doesn’t want to be with her and when he does conversation isn’t on his mind. Curley’s wife urges for attention and status on the ranch. Curley’s wife views herself higher than other people on the ranch, â€Å"they left all the weak ones here† Curley’s wife ironically insults herself by mistake during a dispute in Crook’s bedroom. â€Å"All the weak ones† the irony is that Curley’s wife is in essence calling herself weak. She views herself as an occupant of the ranch with high importance but in reality she is as weak if not weaker than anyone else on the ranch. Her lack of status is because she is a woman and acts in rather provocative way, whilst reading Of Mice and Men it is obvious that she carves attention. The use of the word â€Å"weak† is interesting as it means to lack the power to perform physically demanding tasks; having little physical or mental strength. This is ironic as she is an attention-seeking child. Steinbeck uses foreshadowing to make the book feel more like a piece of readable art. The effect of this in the novella is to make the book interact with emotions and thoughts; in some instances it can appear rather predictable but as enjoyable if not more than any other book. The effect on the reader is that they read on to see if their opinions and thoughts which were sparked by the effect of foreshadowing, are true. In chapter two we meet Curley’s wife for the first time, â€Å"both men glanced up, for the rectangle of sunshine in the doorway was cut off. A girl was standing there looking in† as the reader this is our first encounter with Curely’s wife, she is presented as a source of danger, but there is a deeper meaning to this. Steinbeck uses light as hope and it enters the bunkhouse until Curley’s wife stands in the doorway and blocks light from entering the bunkhouse. Immediately Curley’s wife is presented as trouble, this scenario is an example of foreshadowing. Curley’s wife dies because of her innocence, when we first meet her in the novella she appears in a rather innocent but provocative manner. â€Å" Her hair hung in little rolled clusters like sausages. She wore a cotton house dress and red mules, on the insteps oh which were little bouquets of red ostrich feathers. † She appears to dress much older than she really is. Steinbeck allowed us to know this by â€Å"A girl was standing there†¦Ã¢â‚¬  which indicates that she is quite young but dresses as an older lady which portrays to us the reader that she is really innocent and rather lost in a world she doesn’t quite understand. When we first meet her we see her as a rather flamboyant, confident young woman but towards the end of the novella her persona changes. Before Curley’s wife’s tragic death she confides in Lennie and we see her youth and innocence open up to Lennie. â€Å" He says he was gonna put me in the movies. Says I was a natural. Soon’s he got back to Hollywood he gonna write to me about it. † Curley’s wife opens up to Lennie about an experience she had with a man who worked in Hollywood, who promised her a career in the movies. Curley’s wife’s innocence and naivety were her own weapons of disaster. It was her innocence that sneakily leads her to her death but Steinbeck warned us about this cataclysmic event from our first introduction to Curley’s wife.

Generational buying motivations for fashion by Laura Portolese Dias

Generational buying motivations for fashion by Laura Portolese Dias Summary of the article As it was stated in the introduction part of the article under analysis, a study was conducted to test one hypothesis whether buying motivations of representatives of generation X and generation Y are identical when they reach a particular age.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on ‘Generational buying motivations for fashion’ by Laura Portolese Dias specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Providing clear definitions of the two generations, the article discusses the differences in lifestyles and perceptions of jobs and consumer goods in representatives of both generations and marketers’ strategies applied to these age groups. The study combined three research methods, including those of a survey mailed to high school teachers and college tutors, several day observations conducted by one person at the local mall and interviews with experienced marketers. The results retrieved from the sur vey and discussed in this article focused mainly on the demographic characteristics of the participants with only a few sentences devoted to the clothing brands preferred by representatives of different generations. The discussion of the results of observation and interviews was fragmented and included only a few remarks of particular individuals without detailed summary and critical analysis of the collected data. The article discussed the research limitations which mainly focused on the specifics of the research design. The two tables included into the article contained the summarized information on the survey results. The discussion of the research results focused mainly on attitudes of representatives of generation X and generation Y to different criteria in making a choice of certain clothing items and a place for shopping. The conclusions drawn by the author from these results were rather unexpected because they touched upon the dominant personal characteristics of generations and even their attitudes to purchasing the real estate. The following discussion of the advertizing strategies used for each generation were not linked to the research results and based mainly upon the author’s personal opinion.Advertising Looking for essay on communications media? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Even though the author concluded that the hypothesis included into the introduction regarding the identical needs and motivations in representatives of different generations is valid, the rest of the discussion does not support this claim. Positioning of the paper within the academic area As it is stated in the title of this article, it was intended to be a practitioner paper and to have certain practical implications. Regarding the positioning of this paper within the academic area, it can be stated that it may be relevant for marketers developing advertizing strategies for clothing companies and c lothing malls. However, analyzing the choice of the hypothesis for this study as well as the discussion of the research findings, it can be stated that the research findings of this paper cannot be readily used by marketers in their professional practice. This article can be of little value for the marketers because of its limitations and lack of evidence for drawing the conclusions which were made by the author. Dias did not discuss the main motivations for conducting this study which could include the lack of research of certain problems or certain limitations of similar studies which were conducted previously. The disparity between the research goals, methods, results and conclusions significantly reduces the value of this paper. Its findings could be of potential value for the marketers if the author had aligned the discussion of the research results with the main hypothesis and research objectives. Critique of the paper: the six strengths of the article Analyzing the research d esign, methods and manner of representation of the achieved results, it can be stated that the article under analysis has a number of strengths and weaknesses. The first strength of this article is the use of the statistics data and precise definitions of the age groups of generation X and generation Y. This characteristic enables the potential readers of this article to obtain a clear understanding of the research question and the main characteristics of the participants. The second strength of this paper is the use of in-text citations.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on ‘Generational buying motivations for fashion’ by Laura Portolese Dias specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The parenthetical citations show the amount of preliminary research conducted by the scholar and support the claims made by the author with assumptions of other researchers working in the same domain. The third strength of this article is a detailed description of the research methods, sampling and research participants involved into the study. This description enables the target audience of this article to evaluate the relevance of the chosen research methods and validity of the received results and conclusions. The fourth strength of this paper is the combination of three research methods. The combination of different approaches might be helpful for comparing the achieved results to ensure their validity and compensating for particular limitations attributed to each of them. This complex design could have improved the reliability of the study. The fifth strength of the article is the discussion of limitations of each of the three research methods. According to Bryman and Bell (2007, p. 105), the awareness of limitations of the topic area and research methods can lead the researchers and readers towards better understanding of the research problem. Therefore, the discussion of limitations included into this artic le demonstrates the author’s broad understanding of the research problem and the potential value of her findings. The sixth strength of the paper under analysis is a substantial discussion section which was intended to interpret the research findings. The discussion section is valuable for explaining the main conclusions made in the study and pointing out at the major premises making the author to draw such conclusions. Therefore, the organization of the paper under analysis as well as the research in general has a number of strengths which increase the significance of this paper. The six weaknesses of the article and suggestions for improvement Apart from the limitations of the study design discussed by the author, this paper has a number of weaknesses which offer a potential for improvement in case if a similar study is conducted in the future.Advertising Looking for essay on communications media? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The first weakness of this study is the disparity between the reference list and the in-text citations. For instance, in the introduction part Dias (2003, p. 78) mentions a book Generation X by Coupland and even provides particular examples from this book but does not include in-text citations and does not include this source into the reference list. The same goes for the statistics data retrieved from the US Census Bureau which is not properly cited either. Additionally, in particular episodes the author makes claims without supporting them with citations of certain reliable sources that is inadmissible for a scholarly article. As to the reference list, it contains only four sources which are not enough for conducting a profound research. Even though these sources are relevant and significant, they are insufficient for a scholarly research. The recommendation for improvement is to include a more detailed literature review, add up to twenty sources to the reference list and use in-t ext citations when making certain claims for which support of legitimate sources is necessary. The second weakness of this paper is the disparity between the research goals and methods. The three research methods are aimed at collecting the data which is irrelevant for supporting the main claim made in the introduction part of the article. According to Adams, Raeside, and Khan (2007, p. 32), to evaluate the quality of a particular research, one should answer the question whether the conclusions made by the author make logical sense in their relation to the hypotheses formulated at the beginning. Analyzing the initial hypothesis and the conclusions drawn by the scholar, it can be stated that they make logical sense. However, taking into consideration the methods used in this research, the survey and observation results, it can be stated that the conclusions concerning the identity of the buying motivations in representatives of different generations could not be drawn from the resear ch results discussed in this article. Therefore, even though the conclusion is linked to the initial hypothesis, it does not have logical sense, taking into account the research results and the argumentation provided by Dias. The recommendation for improvement of this point is to align the research methods with the main hypothesis and objectives. The third weakness of this paper is the use of observation method for defining the consumers’ buying motivations. Cooper and Schindler (2011, p. 215) noted that one of the main limitations of the observation method is its inappropriateness for gathering information on such topics as preferences and attitudes. Therefore, the method of observation is not suitable for the research question. The suggestion for improvement would be to replace the method of observation with a more appropriate technique. The fourth weakness of this article is the inappropriate distribution of surveys for gathering the information on the attitudes of generat ion X and generation Y. By sending these surveys to colleges and high schools, the scholar could not access the representatives of both generations. Though the age of college students can vary, the majority of college population is no older than 23. Consequently, taking into account the year 2003 when the survey was conducted, it can be stated that both groups of participants belonged to the generation Y who were born between the years 1981 and 2002. The suggestion for improvement of this significant weakness is to send a part of surveys to enterprises and ask the employees to answer them. The fifth weakness was discussion of limitations before the discussion of the research results. This feature can reduce the validity of the research results. The recommendation for improvement is to include this section before the main conclusion. The section of limitation is valuable but it should be one of the final parts of the scholarly article because it offers the improvements and directions for further research of the topic. The sixth weakness is the tables on page 84 which are difficult to interpret and are not the best way for presenting the research results. The improvement of this point can be achieved by changing the structure of these tables and their graphical layout. Consequently, this article has a number of significant weaknesses which substantially decrease the value of this paper. Validity and reliability of the research findings Judging from the weaknesses of this article which were discussed in the previous section, it can be stated that the findings of this study cannot be regarded as valid and reliable. The inappropriateness of research methods for exploring this topic, the inconsistency of the research goals, methods and outcomes, not to mention the overall organization of report and insufficient references decrease the value of this article and do not allow making any generalizations. Not to mention the convenient sampling that was mentioned by the a uthor as one of the limitations of the study, the sample was not representative and even did not include the required number of representatives of the generation X. Additionally, the results of the recent studies have presented conclusions opposite to the conclusion made by Dias (2003). Van Den Bergh, Behrer and Kerkstoel (2011, p. 11) noted that generation can be defined as a product of current times and people cannot become identical to their parents when reaching a particular age. The assumption made by Dias (2003, p. 85) concerning the same categories of products as their parents bought, including cars and baby clothing does not mean that generation Y will select the same products and the same brands. Therefore, this claim cannot be a basis for generalization. In general, the findings of this article could be of practical value for marketers, but further research is required for investigating this question and minimizing the limitations. Conclusion As it can be seen from the cri tique of the main strengths and weaknesses of the article by Dias, the study of generational buying motivations had significant limitations which reduce the validity, reliability and practical value of its findings. Due to the inappropriate research methods and the discrepancy between the research goals and methods, on the one hand, and the research results and conclusions, on the other hand, the argumentation provided by Dias (2003) cannot be regarded as sufficient for supporting her hypothesis. References Adams, J., Raeside, R., Khan, H. (2007) Research methods for graduate business and social science students. Thousand Oaks, Sage Publications. Bryman, A. Bell, E. (2007) Business research methods. New York, Oxford University Press. Cooper, D. Schindler, P. (2011) Business research methods. 11th edition. New York, McGraw Hill. Dias, L. P. (2003) Generational buying motivations for fashion. Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management, 7 (1), pp. 78 – 86. Van Den Bergh, J., Behrer, M. Kerkstoel, G. (2011) How cool brands stay hot: Branding to generation Y. Philadelphia, Kogan Page Limited.

Delivering Employability Skills Essay Example

Delivering Employability Skills Essay Example Delivering Employability Skills Essay Delivering Employability Skills Essay Explain and justify the need to continually update your own knowledge and skills to reflect the changing sector and job market requirements. (6. 1) Part 3: Describe and evaluate a range of appropriate creative and constructive feedback techniques that underpin persuasive employability skills training (2. 2, 2. 3). (Write apron. 000 1500 words) Assignment guidance Part 1: You should include a definition of employability skills and give some examples, such as communication and interpersonal skills; problem solving kills; using own initiative and being self-motivated; working under pressure and to deadlines; organizational skills; team working; ability to learn and adapt; innumeracy; valuing diversity and difference; negotiation skills. You could contrast these with employment skills, giving a definition and some relevant examples such as, what makes effective C.v.; effective applications; forms and supporting letters; interview techniques; relevant experience. What do you think might be the advantages and disadvantages of each of these two types of training given the current economic situation? Part 2: Next you need to talk about the different skills a teacher needs to enable them to deliver employability effectively, such as knowledge and understanding of different employability skills; active listening; questioning skills; building rapport; giving clear and constructive feedback and showing empathy. What skills and personal qualities do you think you have that would help you to deliver employability as part Of your specialist area? For example, consistency, diplomacy, efficiency, enthusiasm, flexibility, honesty, ability to lead and titivated, observant, patience, persistence, responsiveness, sincerity. Why might they be useful? What competencies do you think you have? For example, effective planning and preparation, ability to set SMART targets, ability to use a range of teaching and learning methods, resources and assessment activities to engage and motivate learners, ability to monitor and record progress towards identified targets, ability to evaluate own delivery and identify areas for improvement. Continuing Professional Development (CAP) is a vital part of delivering employability skills in any vocational area. Discuss why it is so important to ensure that you keep up with changes in policy, practice and legislation.

Designer Research Project Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Designer Project - Research Paper Example His talent and professionalism enabled him to work for a variety of companies, like IBM and NeXT. While working as a consultant for these corporations, he was responsible for conceiving detailed communication systems. The systems varied from logos, building signage, packaging and a variety of other designs that are still used to date. Consequently, I think that is why I chose him for this project. His work on IBM and NeXT revolutionized the marketing strategies adopted by technological companies, and as a Computer Science major, I was drawn to his work. The growth of NeXT as a company and as a corporate identity, can be partially attributed to Paul’s work on the company’s logo and brochures. Paul’s work was not only visually stimulating, but evoked emotions of admiration. He adopted a problem-solving method to graphic design and in turn, it earned him devoted admirers on a global scale, even ten years after his death. His work was essential in swaying consumers to certain brands, because it was trusted by many consumers to communicate an essential truth via the brand’s visual cues. Indeed, he was skilled in brand identity. For Paul Rand, he was motivated by modest expectations and good ideas. He was on various occasions quoted saying that, in order to comprehend what a logo was capable and incapable of accomplishing, then a person’s designs would always need to achieve the simplicity that all people crave for. He emphasized that simplicity was not the aim of a project, but was a by-product of modest expectations and a good idea. In addition to his affinity for good ideas and modest expectations, presentation was key to him. He was adamant that for every design a designer is involved with, he should strive to tell a story that is unique and tailored in accordance with the wishes of the client. The quality of work produced for a client and the clarity with which it conveys the

Quantitative Research Methods Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Quantitative Research Methods - Essay Example There are a number of factors that can be expected to have important role in determining the cognitive ability of individuals in their childhood. These factors include various characteristics of a child including gender, birth weight, breast feeding, etc., parental factors like parent qualification, parents’ social class etc. socioeconomic issues of family including ethnicity, religion, income, housing etc., other family related issues like childcare, bedtime, ability to read, etc. and geographical factors. This study will make an attempt to find which of these factors have significant effect on cognitive ability of children in UK. The thesis statement for this research can be stated as follows: Various children specific, parental, family specific and geographic factors affect cognitive ability of individuals at early age. Against this thesis statement the following research questions can be made: How do children specific factors like gender, birth weight, breast feeding etc a ffect the cognitive ability of a child? How do various parental factors like parents’ qualification, social class, etc. affect the cognitive ability of a child? How do socioeconomic factors related to a family, like ethnicity, religion, income, housing, etc. ... hypothesis: Children specific factors like gender, birth weight, breast feeding etc do not significantly affect the cognitive ability of a child Alternative hypothesis: children specific factors like gender, birth weight, breast feeding etc significantly affect the cognitive ability of a child. Hypotheses related to second research question: Null hypothesis: Various parental factors like parents’ qualification, social class, etc. do not significantly affect the cognitive ability of a child. Alternative hypothesis: Various parental factors like parents’ qualification, social class, etc significantly affect the cognitive ability of a child. Hypotheses related to third research question: Null hypothesis: Socioeconomic factors related to a family, like ethnicity, religion, income, housing, etc. do not significantly affect cognitive ability of a child. Alternative hypothesis: Socioeconomic factors related to a family, like ethnicity, religion, income, housing, etc. significa ntly affect cognitive ability of a child. Hypotheses related to fourth research question: Null hypothesis: Family related factors like bedtime, ability to read, childcare, etc. do not significantly affect cognitive ability of a child. Alternative hypothesis: Family related factors like bedtime, ability to read, childcare, etc. significantly affect cognitive ability of a child. Hypotheses related to fifth research question: Null hypothesis: Geographical factors do not significantly affect cognitive ability of a child. Alternative hypothesis: Geographical factors significantly affect cognitive ability of a child. In order to test these hypotheses a statistical test of regression will be conducted. The data and method for the test will be discussed in the next section. Data and Method: Sample data: For