Eval 4 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Eval 4 - Essay Example The data collection process has various steps that require expertise in formulation and implementation and this is done best by properly trained data collectors. Regardless of the preference for defining data whether qualitative or quantitative, accurate data collection is important to ensure that the integrity of the research is maintained. Data collection by improperly trained data collectors leads to the inability to accurately answer the research questions, distorted findings therefore wasted resources, inability to validate or repeat the study, compromising decision in regard to public policy, misleading of other researchers pursuing the same or related research topic and causes harm to the participating agents. Improperly trained data collectors lead to poor results and if the results are used to support recommendations of public policy, it will cause disproportionate harm. Improperly trained data collectors will not comply to the research questions and may collect data that is not a true reflection of the natural situation. The goal of a research is to help improve a situation or come up with amicable solutions to a problem. This involves accurate data collection and carrying out a relevant data analysis through careful planning and thorough thoughts (Bedi, Bhatti , Gine, Galasso, Goldstein and Legovini, 2006). Collection of sub standard information and data implies that the evaluator will arrive at the wrong conclusion and that the wrong recommendations will be implemented. Outcome evaluation seeks to establish the effectiveness of the research, reaching at an accurate conclusion from the collected data and making recommendations. Thus if the data collected is inaccurate, the analysis and conclusion will be wrong. To overcome these problems, the evaluator is required to design the needs of the data collectors especially where there are multiple data collectors. The evaluator

The Economic Role of R & D Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Economic Role of R & D - Essay Example However, behind all these, Canada seems to have been a very quiet spectator seeming lagging on the development bandwagon. The country seems to have been a very quite neighbour, dwarfed by the gigantic research and development machinery of the United States. Sancton1 abhors the seemingly backwardness and lack of initiative on the Canadian government to invest in research and development comparing the cities’ innovations that are left wanting as well as the seemingly lack of political will to support such investments that will lead to economic development. However, it is quite unfair to match the two nations evenly since there is a large difference between the dollars allotted by Americans to research and development than Canadians. Hence, it is only fair for any country with lesser resources to allocate these much more intelligently and therefore focus of the much needed improvements that are essential for the betterment of their constituents. Thus, even governments and non-pro fit organizations have adopted the use of the balanced scorecard (BSC) postulated by Kaplan and Norton in order to be able to have a more strategically planned allocation of these resources. Of course these institutions work on a limited funding whereby there are the limitations of taxes and grants respectively2. Hence, in light of the aforementioned limitations, Canada cannot go toe-to-toe with its giant neighbour in terms of research spending. However, as Clark brings forward, the country has more consciously focused their research efforts in order to have more impact and to be able to bring in more economic developments given the limited amount of funding available3. A Parallel Flux There has been an increasingly similarity though on the forces that affect the two countries. The impact of the forces has steadily been having the same effect on the US and Canada whereby there has been an increasing similarity in the responses of the two countries as the effects of such forces affec t the two countries in almost the same way. However, as mentioned, the capability of the latter seem wanting as compared to the former4. Indeed, Canada needs to step up on the research and development area since the competition globally has likewise become stiffer. Of course Canadians will want to enjoy the same economic prosperity by the other countries, especially its peers among the advanced economies. There have been improvements that have crept at towards the close of the last century5. However, these changes have not moved fast when the speed of the global economy shifted to a higher gear when the technological innovations kicked in during the past decade. Indeed, the only effect of the housing crisis of the US in Canada was the dampening in the demand for housing needs, particularly lumber, which goes to show the extent to the disparity between the neighbouring economies. Focused Improvement In effect, the country has to really focus its efforts to improve their research and technology. Basically, economics is about allocating scarce resources and Canada knows that compared to its giant neighbour, their resources are indeed lacking. However, research truly involves more than funding since it also involves the intelligence of researchers and of course their creativity which cannot always be calibrated. But, given the realities, the

Value Creation - Mergers and Acquisitions in the Banking Industry Thesis

Value Creation - Mergers and Acquisitions in the Banking Industry - Thesis Example The dominance of the US and Europe in the current global financial services landscape means that most European and American banks enter new markets outside their region through transatlantic M&As. These developments are not lost on bank CEOs, who must keep a watchful eye on competitors’ strategies and assess what these acquisition moves mean to their own bank’s position. With their massive increases in market capitalization due to mergers, leading banks are in a strong position to invest heavily in new products or services and to make even larger acquisitions. This would pose a significant competitive threat that would require other banks to respond. Indeed, all acquisitions will result from value enhancing unless there exists some element of market inefficiency, i.e., imperfect competition in either the product and/or labour market and/or agency conflicts. Most large mergers and acquisitions fall short of achieving the desired synergies. In January 1999, The Economist reported that study after study of past merger waves has shown that two of every three deals have not worked. And at least 50% of major mergers since 1990 have eroded shareholder returns. Reasons for failed mergers are diverse and complex, but most can be attributed to losing something: critical people, customers, market confidence. Uncontrolled costs, hidden losses, unrealized benefits, avoiding decisions, cultural barriers, and power struggles can also undermine the most promising unions. Despite the high failure rate, M&As that succeed can pay large dividends. The most successful acquiring firms have clearly established and well-understood acquisition processes, both for ensuring good strategic decisions before the acquisition decision is made and for integrating the acquired firm once the deal is complete. This has created an interest amongst other banking firms to make a research on the M&As and the reasons behind their success or failure.  Ã‚  

Price Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Price Analysis - Essay Example However, among the various methods, a consumer should choose the one that suits the important facts of his purchases. If I would be allowed to select only one price analysis method throughout the course of my career, I would select the price competition method for price analysis Price Competition is the most popular and the widest used technique of price analysis. It is very handy and easy to conduct. Also, it does not involve much in depth research. All a consumer needs to do is to consider the prices quoted by several other suppliers in the market and evaluate them closely. A price competition normally exists when prices quoted by different suppliers differ by 15% (Murphy 2009). The lowest price may not always be the most reasonable price for you. There may be chances of errors in the quotation and also the quality of the good or service provided may also not be up to the required level. Also, there may be costs associated with the product to make it a better one that may have not been incurred, and thus resulting in a lower price. Hence, when using the price competition technique, it is important that the consumer demands a statement on why the quoted price has been set by the

Evocative Production about Aging Care Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Evocative Production about Aging Care - Article Example Gaugler et al. observed that the test for civilization in any society is the manner in which it takes care of its frail members. The policy for the aged in Australia safeguards old people in the society from fearing the young as well as feeling misplaced. If the aged are offered the necessary attention and care, their life is prolonged and opportunistic ailments in old age may be avoided thereby reducing the cost of care as well as the workload of the caregivers. It is important to teach children and the youth that the aging was young just like them and that they too are headed for old age. Sometimes the old might be perceived as having little contribution to the society’s advancement in terms of wealth creation and social development. Nevertheless, the young need to appreciate the efforts of those who came before them in the maintenance of an enabling environment for them to act. For example, if the aged polluted the environment and caused the depletion of natural resources available at this particular time, the youth could not enjoy living on earth as they do. Naturally, an old person who is ill-treated in the society visualizes it as the young population taking advantage of the weak. Baxter cautioned that the society should not let their aging population regret their own existence. Rather, they should be made to feel loved and useful in community affairs. Furthermore, their experience is critical in molding and instilling good morals to the young. The natural wisdom they possess as a result of having interacted and worked with diverse people for a long time may have a significant impact on the conduct of future generations. Stigmatization of the aged may result in the loss of a resourceful component of the society since their capacity to actively participate in communal activities.

Marketing transportation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 3

Marketing transportation - Essay Example However, cross-docking is even faster than this. Cross-docking is a process that receives a product and then ships it straightaway, without the need for storage. For space, even though things may look neat and tidy with a spacious design, it actually means that takes longer to retrieve and store items. The best scenario is to follow the example of PDI Logistics. This company maximized the use of space by providing very cramped aisles. Money was saved from using existing space available, and these savings were used to pay for specialized trucks to track and store goods. Because technology was utilized, labor costs subsequently went down. Warehousing security can be improved by carefully selecting security guards that have previous experience of the job. For facilities, a mix of fences and cameras should do the job. For processes, the handling process should be as quick and efficient as possible so that the chance for damaged goods is

Practices prevent the abuse of school funds Essay Example for Free

Practices prevent the abuse of school funds Essay The education of students and the welfare situation of the staff are paramount issues in addressing school finance. The nature of the education cadre in high schools is an important part of the formal education of the young child who has in between the childhood and adolescent stages of human development. It is therefore important for he head teacher who is saddled with the responsibility of promoting education within the school to commit the available resources to the right channels to achieve the intended results of infrastructure development and provision of facilities to ensure continuity of education in the school. Some of the Infrastructure development- that needs be upheld include library, art and technical studios, computer rooms, music room; environmental sanitation, provision of teaching and learning aids, game centre and kits, award ceremony for staff and students In this age and time, it is needful to realize that education is a social and economic good; this implies that it is an avenue to build viable human capital which would contribute to , national economic wealth and health alongside the effective utilization of material, capital and natural resources within the environment. This economic good also contributes to individual health by establishing an individual as a positive force within the community where he resides. Although education does not preclude evil but its positive impact apparently outweighs its negatives. This issue is important because it informs the decision of the principal of head teacher of the high school about the judicial use of the funds available to him from various sources. What are these sources of funds to the high school? These include the federal allocation to public schools, the state allocation to schools within the jurisdiction. These two forms the socio-political source of funds, while there is the local source from payments by the attending students. Besides, there could also be internally generated funds from projects, programs and economic activities approved for and/or by the school. Realizing the economic good in education and the source of funding of schools are important tools that can contribute to stemming abuse of funds in schools especially high schools. While it is illegal to misuse funds for personal goals, aspirations like acquisition of political power or savings towards retirement, it is necessary for head teachers to realize the role of education in the growth and development of the adolescent child that attend high schools. If they realize the import this can have on the morals and social development of these kids, the propensity to embezzle schools funds would diminish in our schools. One of the practices that prevent abuse of funds includes fiscal accountability. Realizing that for every allocation by the government or payment by the attending students would be accounted for contribute to stopping the abuse of funds. This fiscal accountability is achieved by tracking fund though the means of revenue and expenditure track, monitoring of accounting transactions and auditing. As part of this measure, auditing is an inevitable tool; it includes internal and external audit. While the former uses local staff, the latter adopts using the appropriate institutions within the society which can rarely be influenced the caprices of a local head of high school. In any situation there is inconsistency in the tracking of the funds, which shows that there is need for more scrutiny of such heads. If this auditing can be effectively carried out at all levels of education especially at high schools, it would drastically change the shape of funding and spending within schools by their principals. Another equally important tool is Budgeting: this includes organizing financial transactions, balancing them through stipulated revenue and expenditure plan with a view to meeting staff needs, fund student activities and attain social and local goals. Organizations can incremental, use of school site, outcome-focused or tailored towards program planning. Balancing includes planning revenue and expenditure in such a way as to achieve a balance, deficit or surplus. The aim of budgeting is basically to draw a financial plan to meet specific needs. This gives rooms for identifying challenges and tackling them within the limit of available resources. A comprehensive budget would meet staffing needs which covers recruitment and selection, compensation, and continuous training and retraining on advancements in technological and teaching practices. It would also make provisions for student’s activities and embark of appropriate programs that can meet school and district missions. There would also be allocations for infrastructure development to cover construction works, architectural lay-out and provision of necessary education facilities. Such a budget would encompass all areas that need improvement within the school; when these goals are outlined and there is institutional will to meet them, it would be difficult to abuse funds. Usually available funds may not even be sufficient to meet needs driving fund-raising and capital programs for increased revenue generation. When purpose is not known, abuse is inevitable. This is the essence of the budget. Realizing the importance of good governance with respect to financial prudence on the morals of staff and students makes a leader a judicious custodian of available financial resources. Fiscal accountability through auditing by internal and external outfits dampens the propensity to divert school funds towards personal goals. Since knowledge does not preclude this evil, strict disciplinary measure meted to offenders who are convicted of this white collar crime is another practice that militates against abuse of school funds. These are measures that prevent misuse of school funds. REFERENCES Safeguarding School Funds by Henry Linn. 4th edition. †¢ Review of Educational Research, Vol. 3, No. 5, 399-408 (1933) 1933 American Educational Research Association Chapter VI: School Finance †¢ Does money matter? GT Burtless Policy Studies Journal, 1997 †¢ Pritchett, Lant Filmer, Deon, 1999. What education production functions really show: a positive theory of education expenditures. Economics of education review. Elsevier, vol. 18(2), pages 223-239, April. †¢ Goldhaber, Dan D. , 1996. Public and private high schools: Is school choice an answer to productivity problem. Economics of education review. Elsevier, vol. 15(2), pages 93-109, April.