Athletic Training and Writing Studies

Genre Analysis This paper will take an in depth look at two articles that are representative of two different discourse communities. It will also analyze features that are different amongst the two discourse communities so that people have a better understanding of the different characteristics that discourse communities possess. It will explore the different styles that each discourse community utilizes, including but not limited to writing, citation styles and organizational styles. Keywords: Discourse Community, characteristics, organizational style, citation style writing style Many people do not understand that to be considered a discourse community, a group must have certain attributes. These attributes represent the way that the discourse community read, write, or communicate with one another. It is important that these attributes are done on a level that will be understood by those within the discourse community they are a member of. Although each genre typically has their own way of communication, whether it is via writing, email, or another form of communicating, some utilize the same ways and other genres utilize different ways. Regardless of the choice of communication, the goal is the same throughout discourse communities and that is to have effective communication. The differences and similarities are apparent when analyzing two articles from two different discourse communities, Athletic Training and Writing Studies. The first peered reviewed article accessed from the Athletic Training Education Journal titled â€Å"Redefining Professional Knowledge in Athletic Training: Whose Knowledge Is It Anyway?† examines the way that Athletic Training has defined it body of knowledge and how to secure that body of knowledge in the Athletic Training discourse community. The second peered reviewed article titled â€Å"Rhetorical Reading Strategies and the Construction of Meaning† not only discusses reading and writing at a college level, however also discusses the role of rhetorical reading while writing and reading. Identification Identifying the differences and similarities between the two peered reviewed articles, â€Å"Redefining Professional Knowledge in Athletic Training: Whose Knowledge Is It Anyway?† by Patrick O. McKeon, PhD; Jennifer M. Medina McKeon, PhD; Paul R. Geisler, EdD and â€Å"Rhetorical Reading Strategies and the Construction of Meaning† by Christina Haas and Linda Flower gave more clarity on the different and similar writing styles of the two different discourse communities. The first difference that was apparent was the formatting of the two articles. The first article by McKeon et al. appears to use an APA format for their article. APA format typically includes an abstract as well as a reference page that list the sources that were utilized throughout the paper, this paper included both. The APA citations are also different than the MLA citations. The Haas and Flower article is done in an MLA format, it does not include an abstract, title page and the source page is referenced as a â€Å"work cited† page which is typical of MLA formatting. The citations in MLA formatting are presented differently on the â€Å"works cited† page than a reference page of the APA format. What was observed in both articles that was similar, although using the different formats, was that both articles were 1-inch margins and 12-point font which is adhering to both the MLA and APA formats. To attract a reader typically organization of an article is important. These two articles differed in how they were organized, for instance the article â€Å"Redefining Professional Knowledge in Athletic Training: Whose Knowledge Is It Anyway?† is organized by headings that clearly represent the facet of the information that is to follow the heading. Haas and Flowers article â€Å"Rhetorical Reading Strategies and the Construction of Meaning† does not include headings to present information, the information is sporadically placed within the article, including data represented by the study itself. A prominent similarity between the two articles was that they were both evidence-based articles. The article â€Å"Redefining Professional Knowledge in Athletic Training: Whose Knowledge Is It Anyway?† the study shows that by clearly relating the Professional body of knowledge and the evidence that is utilized in the evidence-based practice helps to secure that there is, in fact, authority and legitimacy to the Athletic Training Profession body of Knowledge. (McKeon, el.at.) The article â€Å"Rhetorical Reading Strategies and the Construction of Meaning† was based on studies done with college students. These studies represented primarily the different ways that college students read and write. These studies were performed in hopes that undeniable proof would indeed help to strengthen the abilities of college students in the aspects of reading and writing. There were similarities to the stylistic form of writing of both the articles. The Haas and Flower article was more of an active voice rather that a passive voice. This was noted mainly because of wording and sentence structure. An active voice basically describes what the subject is doing or going to do, which in this article could be clearly defined throughout. The article by McKeon el. at. also used an active voice throughout the article. Suggesting what could be done as well as what is being done to secure their Professional Body of Knowledge in the Athletic Training field. Using an active voice in both articles helped to validate the strength of the articles which is important to the reader. Regarding the convention of the two articles they differed in how information was conveyed through visual illustration. It was clear that the authors Haas and Flower utilized multiple illustrations to identify the results and convey important information a manner that was visually understood. This allowed for information to be conveyed faster and accurately with different visuals, i.e. graphs, figures. In the article â€Å"Redefining Professional Knowledge in Athletic Training: Whose Knowledge Is It Anyway?† the authors chose to not utilize many visuals, instead they utilized the grammar convention, which made deciphering the article slightly more time consuming that when visuals are incorporated. In short, the common goal of both articles was to communicate information to help advance their specific discourse community. In the Writing Studies community the information relayed, no matter how, was to improve the reading and writing skills of college students. In the community of Athletic Trainers, it was to facilitate a better understanding of the Professional Body of Knowledge and the relation to their stature in the healthcare field. The common goal simply stated was to advance each discourse community with the studies that were performed. Analysis Reading both articles, it was clear the active voice was representative of both the Writing Studies and Athletic Training discourse communities. Using the active voice defines a characteristic of both communities and the way they communicate, making sure that information is conveyed, clearly, concisely and straight to the point. This is an important attribute to these discourse communities simply because to advance it is important to understand and communicating efficiently is important. Utilizing the active voice also relays the strength and validation to the article which is important to the reader also. These two articles are clearly written as evidence-based articles, this is another important characteristic of the discourse communities of which the authors belong. It shows that both discourse communities rely on data that has scientifically evident and data that proves the facts. This information is made available in both articles through concise experiments that resulted in a conclusion that was beneficial to both discourse communities. This is an important attribute in the discourse communities because the reputable proof that is determined through these experiments reflects that the discourse communities require information that is only factual and based by scientific evidence. Organizational manner of both articles as stated was different. The article by McKeon, el. at. chose to structure the paper with an introduction, method, result, analysis and discussion format. This type of structure can be a representative characteristic of the discourse community Athletic Training by suggesting the discourse community relies mainly on scientific evidence and factual data. Utilizing headings helps the reader follow and have a clearer understanding of the material that is being discussed. The article by Haas and Flower chose to take a more laxed approach to the structure of their article. The authors used very little headings and left the article with points that could be further discussed. Even know results were apparent this article was left more open-ended, maybe to leave the reader no choice but to ask questions? This type of structure demonstrates the discourse communities will to speak freely and offer any elaboration that is needed. The different formatting of the articles APA and MLA represent the different characteristics that both discourse communities possess. The Athletic Training discourse community utilized an APA format in this article, this is representative of the concise, reliability and validity that is expected when writing in this discourse community. The authors of the Writing Studies article utilized the MLA format for the structure of their paper which is typical of the discourse community. This type of format demonstrates the discourse community's openness to further discuss and elaborate on the subject at hand. The difference in the formatting of the citations on both the reference and works cited pages represent the discourse communities' differences of what they stress importance on when using multiple sources. MLA citations always begin with the title name and APA citations usually begin with author first. The Athletic Training discourse community, using the APA format prefers to emphasize the importance of the author (writer) contrary to the discourse community of Writing Studies who choose to emphasize the importance of the subject in their citation. The conventions that were apparent in the articles displayed the discourse communities' differences in respect to conveying information. The Haas and Flower article had multiple visual illustrations that conveyed precise information in a quick manner. This is standard of the Writing Studies discourse communities will to open minded for elaboration. Presenting a graph or figure can reflect the need for more discussion. The McKeon el. at. article used only one display of visual illustration to convey information which is contrary to the discourse community who is usually under time constraints. The authors chose to use more grammar conventions such as mechanics, usage, and sentence structure to convey their message. This is also typical of the discourse community of Athletic Training and their continued effort to communicate in a fashion that is easily understood, straight to the point, concise and efficient. The last noted similarity in both articles was the fact that the articles were written in a manner that provided information to improve their discourse communities. Knowledge is power, and this was reflective in both articles with the information that was conveyed. This makes sense as both discourse communities have common goals and that is to better the community to which they belong by further research and continued communication. Reflection This Genre Analysis has given me the opportunity to explore and examine the different writing styles of the discourse communities of Writing Studies and Athletic Training. Despite that the discourse communities are from completely different realms, I analyzed both articles which later proved to achieve one common goal and that was communication through writing. After analyzing the two articles it was clear that the discourse communities had different as well as similar writing styles that they utilized to convey their messages. I was able to gain an understanding that the overall goal of conveying information effectively and concisely. Of which, ironically, was a common goal among both discourse communities. This analysis has also given me a better understanding of how writing, or the type of writing used can identify the characteristics of a discourse community. For example, the Athletic Training discourse community writes in a fashion that is straight forward and to the point to communicate the outcome. The Writing Studies discourse community tends to leave some information open ended, up for discussion they are a little laxer in their approach. No matter the approach in writing among the discourse community the bottom line will always be the same, to write in a manner that is concise and effective. Another very important aspect that was observed was the importance of adapting to the writing styles of the discourse community you belong to. Adapting will ensure that you can communicate effectively within the discourse community and most importantly be respected by fellow members. ReferencesHaas, C., ; Flower, L. (1988). Rhetorical Reading Strategies and the Construction of Meaning. College Composition and Communication, 39(2), 167-183. doi:10.2307/358026Patrick O. McKeon, Jennifer M. Medina McKeon, and Paul R. Geisler (2017) Redefining Professional Knowledge in Athletic Training: Whose Knowledge Is It Anyway?. Athletic Training Education Journal: April-June 2017, Vol. 12, No. 2, pp. 95-105. https://doi.org/10.4085/120295

Dow Pbb

Dow Chemical By Kai Draaisma Laurens de Blij Diedrik Oost Eva Sloff Lesley Flohil 13-11-2012 Duisenberg School of Finance Executive summary 1. Summary of Facts. With an annual revenue of $20. 2 billion Dow held the leading market position worldwide in ethylene and polyethylene (exhibit 1b). To consolidate all of Bahia Blanca’s polyethylene activity under Dow’s control a three-stage plan was developed. The first stage involved taking control of PBB, the second stage involved acquiring Polisur’s two polyethylene plants, and the third stage involved building a new ethylene cracker.To determine a proper risk premium Dow had to consider possible country risks. Currency and government policy risk may have had an impact because of possible future crises and changing government policies relevant to foreign investments. Furthermore, because of the ending of the convertibility law Dow also had to consider a possible exchange-rate risk. Dow created a holding company, Dow In vestment Argentina, to invest in the project, then they had to decide whether they will use general corporate funds or raise debt for the PBB bid. 2. Statement of problem . 1General analysis Rational for Acquisition of PBB Dow Chemical’s corporate strategy is to look for horizontal- and vertical integration, achieve technological leadership and gain international presence. Dow will benefit from a more integrated production process by lowering their cost of production. PBB will also create stable supplies of ethane for Dow allowing them to achieve operating rates near 100%. Cracking ethane in the region will result in lower operating risk for Dow meaning the supply/input risk for the production of Polyethylene.An increase in the production output of Dow will allow them to benefit from economies of scale. Overall Dow will gain technology leadership and operational excellence from adding PBB to their company and enhance them with a costleader position in the market required to c ompete with the government-subsidized chemical complexes. Risk measurement In this section we provide a brief risk analysis. Table 1 is designed to give a compact overview of the different risks, possible mitigating actions and whether the risks are integrated in the cash flow or discount rate.Not every risk was applicable in the acquisition of PBB. The risk that influenced our cash flows the most is the currency risk caused by a possible liquidity crisis in Argentina. Argentina has experienced eight major currency crises (tijd/reference)and there is a risk of a new currency crisis in the future. When this happens, Dow will not be able to sell its output to the home country and will have to increase its export. Revenue de We have also taken into account that the convertibility law that now provides stability could eventually stop. This will also have a significant impact on inflation.Operating risk is the second risk with a large impact on projected cash flows. This is mostly the ri sk of not meeting the full operating capacity. For the first 3 years we keep the operating rate of the plant at 65% and from 1995 we increase the operating rate by 5% each year. Other risks had less of an impact on our cash flows. Information risk was less of an issue because Dow was already present in Argentina and PBB was important to the government of Argentina. Corporate Governance risk in Argentina is not expected to have a significant additional impact on cash flows.This risk is already included in the discount rate for similar projects in the US. Table 1: Risk overview| Risk| Mitigating actions| Cash Flow (CF) or Discount rate (DR)| Corruption risk| 1. Have a large bank loan from a national bank. 2. Government stake of 49% here is a mitigating factor | DR| Expropriation risk| Same actions as for corruption risk| CF (tax wil increase 5%)| Operating risk (only post/ completion risks )| n/a| CF| Sovereign risk| Through the convertibility law, the peso has been anchored to the US D to prevent hyperinflation. | DR| Currency/ Foreign exchange risk| 1.Dow is a well diversified investor, therefore this should be mitigated. 2. Buy put options on the Arg peso. | CF| Corporate Governance risk| Give shares to management to align incentives. | DR| Repatriation risk| Current political climate is stable, not likely that Arg will impose limits on fund outflows. | DR| Information Risk| Dow Chemical already has presence in Argentina, therefore are more likely to receive high quality information. | n/a| Adjusted discount rate All risks that are not used for adjusting cash flows are integrated in the adjusted discount rate.These risks include but are not limited to corruption risk, information risk, hyperinflation, sovereign risk, repatriation risk and other residual risks. These risks are partly mitigated, however all the different risks combined constitute a premium which we will add on to the the given discount rate for similar projects in the US of 8%-10%. A reasonable assumption for the combined premium will be [ ]. The auumed premium results in a discount rate of [ ] which we will use in our further valuation. 4. Recommendation Bidding decisionCompeting bidders need to comply with certain covenants (exhibit 6). Competitors Perez Companc S. A. and Copesul do not comply with the requirements of having a statement of net worth of at least 5 billion. Even if the two companies would merge they do not meet the the requirements. This makes Dow the sole bidder for PBB. This has a profound impact on the internal valuation. Appendix 1 Risk Information risk. When you are doing a cross-border valuation you have to take into account that there may be information risk.This includes the risk of outside investors getting the wrong information because of poor disclosure in the financial statements. However since Dow entered Argentina in 1957 we assume they are familiar with the market and accounting rules, therefore information risk for this project is low as Do w chemical has already collected country experience in Argentina via Dow Quimica. Because this is difficult to quantify we have taken this into account in our discount rate. Corruptionrisk. The risk of corruption includes the illegal payments and favors outside the rule of law.Corruption exists to some extent in all countries, but there are large differences across countries. According to the Global Corruption Index by Transparancy international, the level of corruption for Argentina in 1995 was given a 5. 24 out of a possible score of 10. This gave them a ranking of 24 out of 42 countries surveyed. All of which were assumed to be developed countries. However, Dow somehow secured itself thanks to PBB’s importance and the Argentine government’s intention to keeps 49% which is an advantage and not a disadvantage.The Argentine government will also appreciate the jobs being created in the later project stages, if successful, and a good relationship with the government will likely also be beneficial when discussing with YPF about long-term ethane supply. Mitigation: Part of this risk can be mitigated by taking a loan in Argentina to finance the project as the government will not want Dow to default on their debt resulting in an overall bad outcome for Argentina’s economic situation. Furthermore part of this risk is mitigated as the government has a stake in the company so it is also in their interest to keep the company strong.Currency risk: As Argentina has experienced 8 major currency crises in the past there is the risk of a new currency crisis occuring in the future. Even though the convertibility law took away some of the risk, Dow will still have to bear in mind that when a crises happen, they will not be able to sell their output to the home country and will have to increase its export. This risk is taken into account in the cashflows. Expropriation risk. Political instability or expropriation is small as they company has had a stable dem ocratic government past 12 years.However, changes in the policy of the government will cause a risk for Dow and their foreign investments. At that moment there were no restrictions on borrowing abroad and there were no limits imposed on payments of foreign loan principal and interest. If something changes in this regulations it may have an effect on the acquisition of Dow. For this reason we will also include this risk in our discount rate. Furthermore the government has no limits on cash flows going out of their country but can eventually decide to do so.We consider the risk of the government taking over the company to be low as the production of polyethylene and deriving ethylene from hydrocarbon crackers is complex. This is a process for skilled people and not just anyone can therefore run the company properly. The risk of expropriation is therefore low. As the production of ethylene and derivatives such as polythylene is a highly complicated process, requiring large captial inve stment and a high operating leverage, not many companies will be able and willing to take over the business.Furthermore as Polythylene is a commodity product that trades globally with a narrow price range. Mitigation:Dow can decrease the risk exposure by taking on a loan in Argentina to finance their project. This will decrease the risk exposure as Dow can only default on their debt when the government decides to raise taxes, which will not lead to a company default. Foreign Exchange Rate Risk. Foreign Exhange rate risk will be low because of Dow Chemical’s international presence and the assumption that shareholders are sufficiently diversified. The convertibility law which ensured a fixed Argentine peso and U.S. dollar at exactly one already decrease the foreign exchange rate risk. However we need to take into account the risk that the convertibility law might come to an end. Mitigation: The risk can be decreased by setting up binding financial contracts with the governmetn to make sure the deal will happen. Furthermore Dow could decide to place a put option on the peso to protect themselves when the peso collapses. Operating risk Pre-completion: as the project is already completed there is no risk concerning the technology risks or other completion risk.Post-completion: we have included the post-completion risk in our cashflows as we run the risk of not meeting the full operating capacity. For the first 3 years we keep the operating rate of the plant at 65% and from 1995 we increase the operating rate by 5% each year. As the company provides their own input this risk does not need to be taken into account. Operating risk would likely matter but we handled that risk by adjsuting down our casfhlows in stage 1 so we do not take it into account for adjusting our cost of capitalSovereign risk Politcal events suchs as wars, labor strikes, terrorism and changes in laws can happen in any country you work with and therefore needs to be taken into account. Sinc e it is hard to quantify this risk we have handled it through the discount rate. Appendix 2 | | Source: Erb, Harvey Viskanta, ‘Poltical risk,Economic risk and Financial risk’, Fuqua School of Business Working Paper No. 9606, 1996. | ——————————————– [ 1 ]. For broader explanation of the different risks see Appendix 1 [ 2 ].According to the Global Corruption Index by Transparancy international the level of corruption for Argentina in 1995 was given a 5. 24 out of a possible score of 10. This gave them a ranking of 24 out of 42 countries surveyed. All of which were developed countries more or less. Source: http://archive. transparency. org/policy_research/surveys_indices/cpi/previous_cpi [ 3 ]. See Appendix 1 for an explanation of the mitigating factors of the before mentioned risks [ 4 ]. This conclusion was reached byTaking the ‘total assets’ as net worth on the financial statements of Perez on Copesul (exhibit 8a &8b).

New businesses Essay

Consistent findings have imperatively indicated that the correlation between firm entry and survival is negative. Out of every one hundred new businesses introduced in the UK, 50 percent of them become obsolete before their third anniversary. Such high attrition levels are not only evident UK in alone but also in most modern economies and can be said to be a generic ‘rule of thumb’. Just why is it that so many nascent firms end up accomplishing little or nothing before they finally become extinct? Is it that their owners do not put enough efforts into the business development or are there other internal and external causes of this prevalent occurrence of business failure? Many theories have been put forth to explain the possible causes of the high rates of new business failure. It is not surprising that major diagnoses of the root causes of low survival rate in new businesses identify management inefficiency as one of the causes of the high attrition levels. Policy makers have also been blamed for recommending entrepreneurship as the solution to rejuvenating the economy yet little is done to educate people on what to expect amid globalization pressures, competition and technological changes that are likely to impact on the business survival. Other theories put forward include the supportive environment thesis, nature of activity and industry theory. Firm survival can however be properly classified in three explanatory dimensions: The firm’s specific characteristics; Operational factors and the business cycle. This paper explores the characteristics of business failure under these three dimensions and at the same time introduces a discussion on how entrepreneurs can enhance their business’s chances of survival by providing possible solutions to the low levels of survival witnessed in infant businesses. II. Analysis a) Definitions Birth of the firm: The introduction of a business marks the birth of a firm. This may actually start when the idea of the business is borne. Consequent activities such as registering the company, acquiring premises and capital are secondary elements in the birth of a business. Survival of the firm: Survival of the firm refers to its ability to withstand internal and external pressures to meet the objectives for which it was established. Survival determines whether a firm makes it through its lifetime or whether it fails and consequently exits the market. Death of the firm: This denotes the final stage in a business at a point where nothing can be done to revive the business and the only solution is complete closure. Termination of the firm as a legal entity: This means that the business is no longer recognized by the law. It means that a business in the context of the law is no longer operational and it is therefore not liable to debts, taxes among other liabilities to stakeholders. b) New Firms Survival Literature New businesses in the UK have in the past shown high levels of business failures witnessed within the first three years of inception. According to Caliendo and Fossen (2009: 154) at least fifty out of every one hundred new businesses introduced did not make it to their third birthday. A study by the DTI Small Business Service from 1995 to 2004 reveals that these failures are actually vary with industries which could be attributed to the various conditions that exist in these sectors (DTI, 2007: 13). On average, 82% of new businesses established survived the first year in business. Improvement has been recorded and by 2004, an average of 58% of new businesses survived the first three years over all the sectors. Detailed survey results are shown in table 1 and 2. c) Why Half of Nascent Firms Fail: The Survival Explanatory Dimensions 1) Firm Specific Characteristics i)Managerial Organization Discernible management errors and high incidents of poor management highly contribute to the low survival rates of newly established firms. The death of many firms is mostly characterized by management which has turned out to be reactionary. Inefficient decision making and inadequate or non-existent planning will have contributed to the failure of the business in at least 30 percent of nascent firms (Phillips, 2004: 68-70). Veronique and Wever (2000: 138) note that manager’s inability to react to various forces affecting the business operations such as competition, technological advancements, economic trends and money issues could lead to the ultimate downfall of a business. Inadequacy in management expertise is essentially attributable for the business’ failure to explore alternative financing options leading to bankruptcy. ii)Inadequacy of Cash Reserves Inadequate financing comes in as a close second after poor management. New owners with little or no prior experience in business may fail to effectively predict cash flow. Miscalculation of amounts required to sustain the business before it picks up and underestimation of the costs associated with borrowing money are the major causes of financial strain (Lane and Schary, 1991: 101-103). Exhaustion of cash reserves is also likely to be influenced by poor pricing, over-investment in fixed assets and uncontrolled growth. Uncontrolled growth occurs when the owners want to take up every opportunity that comes so that at the end of it all they cannot satisfy all their customers. In this case, firms end up borrowing large amounts to meet the high demand and when the loans cannot be paid effectively, what results is collapse of the firm (Audretsch and Keilbach, 2004: 423). Other causes include over dependence on a few customers, fraud and uncontrolled drawings by the owner. iii)Poor debt management and Over-borrowing This is closely associated with cash inadequacy and it results where managers are ill-equipped in financial management. Small business owners are likely to obtain the wrong type of financing and worse still take more than the business can afford to pay (Jostarndt, 2007: 139). This may lead to borrowing loans to clear existing ones which is not a good debt management strategy. Inability to pay debts on time and lack of coordination between incoming cash and outgoing cash may lead to the business finally going bankrupt and consequently causing its death. iv)Ownership Status There are two ways of looking at this perspective: the legal ownership and the reasons for starting the business. A sole proprietorship business is more likely to fail due to financial and management problems than a partnership or a limited company. The reasons for starting the business can highly influence a firm’s survival. Moore and Gooderl (2008: 8-10) name two types of entrepreneurs: the opportunity entrepreneur and the necessity entrepreneur. The former establishes a business to exploit available business opportunity while the latter may start up a business for the purpose of sustaining himself probably if he cannot find a job. According to Moore and Gooderl (2008: 16-17) the opportunity entrepreneur is likely to succeed while the necessity entrepreneur may not exert enough efforts towards the business. The increased number of necessity entrepreneurs in the UK has highly increased the failure levels in new businesses. v)Personal Characteristics of the owner This mostly has to do with the attitude of the owner and the manner in which he or she applies these in the business context. Owners make a mistake of taking up all responsibilities without making use of delegation to junior employees as a result of fearing that they may not do it perfectly. Jensen (1976: 335) describes this as the ‘challenge of letting go’. Owners normally find themselves exhausted from overwork and yet do not find time to address important issues facing the business. Use of business funds by the owner can also cause detrimental effects on the business. Personal attitudes such as aggressiveness and lack of concern for the employees may cause high rate of employee turnover as well as keep away customers (Daily et al, 2002: 398-343). vi)Innovation and reaction to technological changes The world is advancing at a high rate and technology is one of the areas that a business needs to keep up with. Many new businesses fail due to being left behind in technological advancements such that they are overtaken by their competitors who take with them all the customers (Agarwal, 1996: 103-106). Innovation is one of the major tools for a successful business and this is one area that new businesses have not been able to address mainly due to lack of enough capital to come up with new products and services. viii)Poor knowledge of the market Most business owners enter the market with little knowledge about what to expect. Failing to conduct market feasibility studies limit the owner’s knowledge on the competitors in the market and their influence; the customers’ characteristics and behaviour and various market fluctuations they are likely to encounter (Covin et al, 2000: 199-206). 2) Operational factors i) Competition New businesses are often overwhelmed by the efforts required to counter competition from already existing firms. This is considering that these firms have already established their customer base and winning loyal customers could prove quite a challenging task for new businesses. Usually, dominant competitors may even device ways of putting new entrants out of business such as lowering prices and offering discounts (Covin et al, 2000: 200). Their aim is to push the new competitors until they cannot keep up with the situation such that they eventually quit. ii) Location The location of a business is a major determinant for its survival. New businesses in rural areas are likely to fail due to limited local markets and isolation. On the other hand high costs, presence of large firms and regulatory barriers pose challenges to businesses located in the urban areas (Sutaria and Donald, 2004: 250-253). 3)Changes in Business Cycle i)Macroeconomic growth and economic pressures New businesses are usually unable to handle economic shocks that may result from high interest rates, fluctuations in exchange rates and general inflation. According to David and Mahmood (1995: 89-93) not many businesses survive an economic surge or a recessionary period which may lead to skyrocketing of supply prices and high costs of borrowing. ii)Entering Cohorts’ exit rate Cohorts refer to groups with similar characteristics. The result of exit of similar businesses can either have a positive or negative effect on a new business. Exit may mean less competition which is an advantage. New firms however rely on one another for inspiration. A person operating a business where everyone is quitting due to one reason or another is bound to get disillusioned and have the attitude that his business may fail too (Phillips, 2004: 69-71). iii)Changes in legal environment When the laws of a country change, new businesses are likely to suffer since they are not yet stable enough to cushion themselves from such changes. Amendment of tax laws and business requirements may cause a new business to go bankrupt. d) Increasing Survival Chances Strategies to increase the chances of survival for a business entail addressing the leading causes of failure. The most fundamental requirement is the improvement of the management capabilities. When there is good management in a firm, other factors will follow suit because every operation of the business is determined by the management (Sutaria and Donald, 2004: 253-255). Improvement of communication within the business and proper sharing of duties are skills that the owners of the business need to acquire. This can be done through attending management and entrepreneurial seminars and conferences so as to learn secrets of firm survival from professionals. Proper planning is the ideal solution to financial problems. Veronique and Wever, 2000: 139-141) refers adequate anticipation of cash flow as the secret to overcoming financial problems for starters. This could be done through the help of an expert if the owner is not in a position to do so. Finding alternative sources of finance apart from the usual ones is key in preventing the collapse of a business due to lack of funds. There are many available sources of finance including bank loans, credit card advances, sale of assets among others (Moore and Gooderl, 2008: 298-299). Care should then be taken to make sure the finances are properly utilized. The firm should avoid relying on a few customers because huge losses can be felt if the customers suddenly withdraw. Instead, they should aim at a large customer base. Over-borrowing can be reduced through making proper cash forecasts and using the limited resources that the business has. In essence, the firm can adopt a steady growth over time instead of rushing to expand at once (Daily et al, 2002: 399-401). Finally, the management should be keen in managing the debts of the business keenly balancing the income and expenditure so as to cover all liabilities and debts in time. A business must clearly identify its customers and establish whether they can sustain the business effectively considering the level of competition. This can be done prior to the business establishment through a market feasibility studies while answering the following questions: How many competitors are in the area you plan to establish your business? Who will be the business’s customers and what are their buying habits? What is the level of loyalty of these potential customers to the current suppliers? Are they likely to buy your product? Is the product seasonal? Is it possible to make profit out of the business? Once these questions are answered, the likelihood of failure can be minimized as specific strategies to address the issues can be formulated (Audretsch and Thurik, 2007: 113-141). Business owners must realize that they cannot do everything by themselves. Employers can delegate and allow employees to make certain decisions. Consequently, owners will have ample time to concentrate on more important business issues such as finding new customers, getting more funds for the business as well as solving the current issues facing the business (Daily et al, 2002: 403-405). The need for long-term planning is inevitable. This involves planning for growth and transition in the future. It also involves planning for uncertainties such as loss of employees, customers and suppliers. In the wake of the high global trade advancement and changes in the market, businesses should always be alert to avoid being taken unaware by advancements in technology, innovation and changes in customer preferences and culture (Zoltan, 1988: 321). Legal changes and changes in tax systems should be catered for in the long-term business plan. The state of the economy is bound to change from time to time which is why firms must anticipate for any future economic shocks through investing in stocks, futures, options among others. Insurance is also an option for more larger firms. III. Conclusion No environment can be said to specifically favour new firms in all angles hence the need for those starting new firms to be overly cautious. Firms are most definitely exposed to numerous risks that may lead to their extinction as indicated in this discussion. Management is identified as the root cause of low survival rates among nascent firms and its improvement could work to solve the predicament presently being witnessed in new firm survival. Proper balancing of the firm’s cash reserves; being generally alert to any changes in the business environment; making informed decisions to deal with these changes coupled with excellent management practices is exactly what is needed to save young firms from their predicament and promote their longevity.

Disability and Sport: Hypermasculinity Explored

Whether you prefer â€Å"the Blade Runner†, â€Å"the Man Without Legs†, â€Å"the Fastest Man on No Legs† or Oscar Pistorius, this young man's story will serve as a case study of mainstreaming in ‘disability sports', specifically in the film Murderball. Pistorius is a 21-year-old South African below the knee amputee who won gold in the 100, 200 and 400 meter events at the 2006 Paralympic Athletics World Championships. Pistorius was regarded as being fast enough to earn a spot for the 200- and 400-meter sprints on South Africa’s Olympic team.Pistorius asked to be allowed to run in the Olympics if he would qualify for his country's Olympic team. The world governing body for track and field (IAAF) ruled on 14 January 2008 – invoking its rule 144. 2 which deals with technical aids – â€Å"that double-amputee sprinter Oscar Pistorius is ineligible to compete in the Beijing Olympics because his prosthetic racing legs give him a clear compet itive advantage† (IAAF, 2008).The story of Pistorius well serve as the example of attempted mainstreaming of disability in sports, on the elite international front. Does the film Muderball make progress in mainstreaming disability through sport? The merits of the film will be analyzed through the lens of the relationship sport and disability, as well as its connotations for mainstreaming in disability. Murderball presents a unique opportunity to reflect on representations of disability in the contemporary North American context.The narrative of the film constructs a rugby wheelchair rivalry between Team U. S. A. , captained by Mark Zupan, and Team Canada, coached by Joe Soars. Murderball does exceptionally well in muddling the notions of people with disabilities as fragile and helpless, countering ableist assumptions about what persons with quadriplegia can accomplish. However, based on a close reading of the film, it is suggested that Murderball accomplishes this disruption t hrough the celebration of ableist, sexist and heterosexist tropes.The following is a critique the film’s construction of the relationship between competitive international sport settings, disability, and masculinity by drawing on anti-normative politics. It is proposed that recuperations of normative identity in Murderball rely on a jingoistic and violent moral authority, while subjecting themselves to the constraints of normalcy. Due to its popularity and its subject matter, the film presents a unique opportunity to reflect on representations of disability, through the unique lens of sport, in the contemporary North American context.In portraying disabled men participating in a highly risk involving contact sport in intensely belligerent nationalist settings, the film differs from the majority of North American cinematic portrayals of disability. As Irving Zola, in his Missing Pieces: A Chronicle of Living With a Disability, points out that â€Å"the use of the concept of d anger was questionable, for a basic human right  is the right to take  risks†, a right which a quadreplegic does not surrender. Murderball serves to humanize disability in this regard.It was compelling to undertake a critical examination of the film that Murderball works exceptionally well to disrupt notions of people with disabilities as fragile and helpless, and that disability was humanized through the story presented. Kurt Lindemann and James Cherney (2008) similarly argue that: â€Å"wheelchair rugby is itself a communicative act that sends a complex message to both the community of sport and our broader social collectives that counters ableist assumptions about what persons with quadriplegia can accomplish† (p. 08). Within the discipline of disability studies, premises of disability have evolved in the last several decades. Nigel Thomas and Andy Smith (2009) note that there has been â€Å"a shift from medical, individualized definitions and ideologies of disa bility to more socially constructed explanations of disability, which place more responsibility for disability on mainstream society† (p. 23). The medical model, however, is not without its merits. Disability has become a topic in sport sociology with increasing depth in recent years.Themes that have commonly been addressed include: disability sport policies, governing bodies, and the opportunities for participation they provide; media portrayals of disability sport; the ways that athlete’s identities are negotiated through medical and social models of disability; and the role sports play in managing the stigmatization of athletes with disabilities. Within the study of the sociology of sport masculinity has become a dominant topic of discussion. David Howe and Carwyn Jones (2006) consider the classification of disabled athletes into competitive classes in amateur associations and Paralympic competition.They claim that the International Paralympic Committee has marginali zed the disability sports community by controlling classification systems and imposing restrictions on opportunities for equitable sports practice. Their justification is, that this threatens the ideology of Paralympism while ignoring the empowerment of non-elite athletes (Howe & Jones, 2006, p. 44). While providing an analysis of sport’s structure, choices, and fairness for participants of all abilities, Howard Nixon (2007) advocates for the creation of diverse sports opportunities for people with disabilities.My critique of Murderball does not extend to the sport’s governing body, or policies that effect the sport, however the case study of Oscar Pistorius serves this exact purpose. How do individuals with disabilities negotiate their identities through sport? Both social and medical models of disability affect disability sport participants’ identity formation, while success in international disability sport may lead to positive subjectivity, changed self-unde rstanding, and an increased sense of personal empowerment.Much research of participation in disability sports at the school age indicates that physical activity is a normalizing experience for these children as it facilitates friendships and social identity (Taub & Greer, 2000). The problems of normative aspects of the representation of athletes with disabilities in Murderball demonstrates that people with profound disabilities can be aggressive and athletic. It must be noted that all of the people with disabilities depicted in Murderball are elite athletes in international competition who are shown making aggressive plays on the court and whose off court commentary is full of macho bravado.The limited representation of people with disabilities in popular films may be partially attributed to the pursuit of profit. In attempt to appeal to the largest audience possible and to increase box office and rental sales, narratives are filed with homogenizing representations and saleable them es. Normative narratives allow the maximum projected audience to relate to the story, by relaying common themes such as normative masculinity Murderball subscribes to this familiar scheme by placing the athletes at the center of a very conservative political project.The film positions quad-rugby players as worthy subjects of the documentary according to their ability to participate in a sport that requires affirmations fitting with normative masculinity such as power, violence, hypersexuality, and strength. Meanwhile, The players’ contentions with stereotypes associated with disability is unfortunately overtaken by a seemingly constant reiteration of the athletes' capacity for athletic competition, and this is demonstrated through their sport participation and physicality.This situates the athletes’ conformity to hegemonic masculinity in that â€Å"the athletic male body has been a mark of power and moral superiority for those who bear it† (Dutton in Dworkin ; W achs, 2000, p. 49). The opening scene effectively illustrates the ethos of the film in this respect. Mark Zupan undresses and gets himself ready for a workout. As he begins to dress in athletic shorts, he removes his shirt revealing a defined white, muscular torso, his physical presence doesn't seem weak or fragile. He is clearly capable of dressing himself, the absence of a sound track is noted as uncharacteristic for contemporary North American cinema.This leaves an uncomfortable silence as accompaniment for an intimate moment rarely depicted on camera. The mere fact that he has an obvious impairment and uses a wheelchair is also atypical for popular cinema. This silent visual representation provides context for the film’s opening credits and sets up the primary subject of the film. The uncomfortable image is contrasted with Mark Zupan’s capacity to be independent and fill the screen with his presence. His large bold tattoo is featured in the center of the picture as he lifts his leg with his hands.Zupan assembles a wheelchair highlighting its mechanical efficiency with close up shots of nuts, bolts, spokes and a battered metal surface covered with an American flag sticker. An electric motor makes noise, as the wheels are pumped up. The name Zupan is affixed to the pump with athletic tape. Although he does not represent completely normative masculinity as a man with a disability, the other aspects of his presence in this scene – his strength, his ability to perform complex technical tasks self sufficiently, and his loud tattoo and goatee – are symbolic of a strong masculine physicality.His embodiment also works to code his non-conformity as marketable. On a surface level, then, the film’s popularity can be considered a success for disability cultural activist movement. It is an authentic portrayal of a disabled subculture that avoids the traditional narrative traps of many mainstream disability films. The audience is immedi ately directed to check their well- intentioned sympathies at the door, along with any preconceived notions about the fragility of the disabled body. Disability sexuality, a taboo and uncomfortable ground for many non-disabled viewers, is reclaimed with a vengeance.Indeed, one of the difficulties in analyzing Murderball is that its most radical features are simultaneously its most conventional. Thus, while non-disabled viewers may find their assumptions and stereotypes challenged by the masculine sexual bravado of Murderball’s quadriplegic rugby players, there may be a simultaneous sense of relief at the ironclad endurance of male heterosexual privilege. Heterosexuality no longer functions as evidence that a disabled masculinity has finally been ‘cured’; instead, it is the masculinization of disability that holds the power to rehabilitate heteronormativity from its own gender trouble.Therefore, Murderball serves as an interesting case study of the intersection be tween disability studies and masculinity. The popularity of this film demonstrates a powerful cultural backlash against representational histories that have conflated feminization, male homosexuality, and disability. The film successfully remasculinizes its subjects, celebrating disability and strength, resulting in the inevitable hypermasculine body. Ironically, the rhetoric of masculinity in Murderball is also the source of its anatgonism. The film's ‘crip' critique of able-bodiedness relies on repeated heteromasculine performances.A close reading of the film reveals masculinity as the visual mechanism through which disability is beginning to find its place on the contemporary cultural stage. Murderball harnesses the normalizing powers of masculinity, presenting a narrative of gender that helped to generate mainstream appeal in the box office and, more importantly, mainstream approval of a stigmatized social identity. A question that must be mentioned is what does the film M uderball mean for quadripelegic women? The same logic that masculinizes the quadriplegic or paraplegic man also functions to both masculinize and desexualize the quadriplegic or paraplegic woman.Disabled women, and particularly disabled female athletes, are not celebrated as having been liberated from oppressive conventions of gender, nor are they given access to normative femininity. Indeed the few images of disabled women that the documentary presents function more as a set of brief snapshots that, while easy to miss, momentarily interrupt the temporal, and often verbal, logic through which these ‘boys’ become ‘men’. These more or less static images haunt the film’s perimeter, a subtle threat to the coherence of a narrative that celebrates quadriplegia as the natural outcome of the hypermasculine male body.The concept of mainstreaming has been prominently constant in the world of disability for many years, while its definition has evolved substanti ally. Mainstreaming, initially referring to merely placing individuals with disabilities in regular classes with able-bodied individuals, was introduced in the 1960s (Reynolds, 1962). The majority of professionals in the disability field did not accept mainstreaming. It was mostly regarded as â€Å"a statement of what could or should be possible† (Aufesser, 1991).Initially, the premise of mainstreaming only included integrating those with ‘mild disabilities' and definitely not those with physical disabilities. During the movement of deinstitutionalization in the 1970s, the definition of mainstreaming underwent a significant shift. The ‘new' interpretation of mainstreaming is highlighted by the Cascade System, a model first proposed by Reynolds in 1962 and amended and reintroduced by Deno in 1970. This revolution, of sorts, gave way to new terms such as ‘normalization', ‘least restrictive alternative', and ‘continuum of service'.The Cascade System can be characterized as a two-box system in which parallel but separate educational programs for regular and special education operate within school buildings. The implementation of the Cascade system was difficult at best, and nonexistent a lot of the time. The model helped create understanding and support around a better system that â€Å"facilitates tailoring of treatment to individual needs rather than a system for sorting out children so they will fit conditions designed according to group standards not necessarily suitable for the particular case† (Deno, 1970, p. 35). The philosophy behind this model is commendable and is the only logical framework within which to develop a system of mainstreaming. Therefore, Murderball has already been mainstreamed in some regards. The excitement and intensity of the sport attract a large following, able-bodied and disabled alike. The stories of Pistorius and Mark Zupan extend beyond bionic runners and wheelchair rugby. Several other issues arose as a result of the Pistorius controversy.Can the UN Convention on the rights of persons with disabilities, the newest human rights instrument for people with disabilities, give some guidance? By invoking the rule 144. 2 and dealing with technical aids for Olympic, Paralympic, other-lmypic, and international sport, it opened the dialogue for further progress. The future of ‘enhancements' and their impact on the Olympics, Paralympics, other-lympic, and international sport has not been thoroughly researched, and it is expected that an increase work into this issue will emerge.Another interesting dynamic that is touched upon is the relationship between the Olympics, Paralympics, other –lympics and international sports. Will we be exposed to any changes in the relationship between the ‘lympics' due to the Pistorius case? Bottom of Form Deno, E. (1970). Special education as developmental capital. Exceptional Children, 37, mildly retarded—Is much of i t justifiable? 229-237. Works Cited Dworkin, S. , ; Wachs, F. (2000). The Morality/Manhood Paradox. In J. McKay (Ed. ), Masculinities, gender relations, and sport. (pp. 47—65).Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Gramsci, A. (1971). Selections from the Prison Notebooks. Hoare, Q. ; Nowell Smith, J. (Trans. ; Eds. ). New York: International Publishers. Howe, P. D. , ; Jones, C. (2006). Classification of disabled athletes: (Dis)empowering the Paralympic practice community. Sociology of Sport Journal, 23(1), 29—46. â€Å"IAAF Oscar Pistorius – Independent Scientific study concludes that cheetah prosthetics offer clear mechanical advantages†, International Association of Athletics Federations, 14 Jan 2008, available at:http://www. aaf. org/news/newsId=42896,printer. html; Kurt Lindemann and James L. Cherney. â€Å"Communicating In and Through â€Å"Murderball†: Masculinity and Disability in Wheelchair Rugby. †Ã‚  Western Journal of Communication  (2008): 107-25. Lead Article. Taub, D. E. , ; Greer, K. R. (1998). Sociology of acceptance revisited: Males with physical disabilities participating in sport and physical fitness activity. Deviant Behavior, 19(3), 279—302. Thomas, N. , ; Smith, A. (2009). Disability, sport and society: An introduction. New York: Routledge.

Review on ang lihim ng pamilya rizal Essay

That documentary was quite intriguing especially the thing about Saturnina and her uncle Jose Maria.It got me thinking for an hour or two because if it was true it would be a disgrace to the family. The events links together; Saturnina got pregnant, her mother, Theodora took her on a long vacation and then they’ve returned with Soledad the baby that Theodora claimed to hers and Soledad was meztisa just like Jose Maria. Some questions run through my mind like how did that happen? Was it planned?does Theodora did not raised saturnina like the way she have raised rizal?.Another interesting issue is that the Alonzo family was a bastard because Theodora’s mother, Brigada Quintos was not a legal wife of her father,Lorenzo and the only legal child was Jose Maria. It was cleared to me why Rizal did not live in the alonzo mansion. Also, that’s why the Alberto mansion wasn’t recognized as a landmark because family Rizal wasn’t really connected to the mansion. Today the Alberto ancestral Mansion in Bià ±an laguna is being torn piece by piece for it will be moved to another location. Many people are against it because that is the house that Theodora grew with and it should be treated as a national landmark. I’m against it too because Theodora was an important person in history and she’s the one who mold Rizal into what he’d become. Despite the fact that Theodora wasn’t a legal child, she is still one of the people that have a right to it. The mansion is full of Filipino history and to be destroyed just for a foreign coffee shop? That’s not right. At the end of the documentary, the most important thing I’ve learned is everyone can be a hero. You don’t need to have a good family background; you just need to prove yourself worthy, care for your country and countrymen just like our national hero.

INCLUSION Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

INCLUSION - Essay Example Inclusion is the complete recognition of all school children and clues to a sense of being in the right place within the school room community. Inclusion is an exertion to ensure students with debilities go to school alongside their friends and fellow citizens whereas also getting all that jazz, â€Å"particularly intended teaching and provision† they require to accomplish high principles and to prosper as students. Inclusion is not what we usually refer to as mainstreaming or integration. Mainstreaming challenges to move school children from special schooling classrooms to systematic education school rooms only in circumstances where they are capable to sustain their characteristically emergent peers minus specially planned lessons or support. Integration delivers only â€Å"part-time† inclusion, which stops the pupils from being full fellows of the schoolroom community. (Ainscow, 2000) Inclusive education takes along all students together in one schoolroom and communi ty, not withstanding their strong point or feebleness in any zone to strive to capitalize on the potential of all learners. Inclusion is an exertion to certify that assorted students – those with incapacities, unlike languages and ethos, dissimilar families and family lives, not the same happiness and customs of book learning are exposed to schooling strategies that touch them as separate apprentices. Inclusive schools ask instructors to make available apposite personalized provisions and facilities to all school children without the stigmatization that arises with separation. Instructors in inclusive teaching space show a discrepancy in their classes to add to learning for all schoolchildren. Inclusive Education all around the world follows several principles, like instructors should take more than a few changed methodologies to schooling the similar material so that material becomes more thought-provoking and perceptible to a bigger number of learners. Students who are full of pride of themselves and enthusiastic by the flora and fauna around them will be more empathetic and thoughtful people; the alike is factual for instructors. Educators should take a hands-on tactic to throw light on predetermined pigeon holes and avoid them from accelerating into predispositions and destructive preconceived notion. Students are upright judges of what is just, specifically when they are thrown with thought provoking questions. Teachers should talk to them about concerns of social justice and unfairness in terms of reasonable versus unreasonable, courteous versus discourteous. Inclusive schoolrooms use books and resources that mirror precise images of miscellaneous peoples and encounter typecasts. Instructors also create inquisitiveness and increase students’ vanishing point by lessons about others in an optimistic fashion. Students should have the prospect to learn from their nobles along with other ethos. Lastly, it is essential that the educationalists sh ould be flexible when using and acclimatizing lessons in the prospectuses, over and above in prearranged syllabuses on the whole. Numerous of the utmost teachable moments are unexpected and off-the-cuff. In an inclusive schoolroom, immobilized children get the chance to feel like the other kids who are not disable in any way. They are less

Classical Islamic Modernism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Classical Islamic Modernism - Essay Example However, Islamic dispensations experienced a myriad of occurrences that were characterised by serious philosophical disagreements and spiteful deliberations that preceded socio-political catastrophes. Moreover, this terminated in revolutions and transformation levying or military coup d'etats. Furthermore, one of the chief quandaries in creation of an agreement was that the crisis between the Islamic orthodoxy and the worldly discourse. This discourse greatly spread into the Islamic dispensation either failed to elicit a new synthesis or eliciting one that was not immensely institutionalized. Furthermore, in the 19th century, Muslim learners initiated serious endeavours to fill the gap between Islam and the renowned Euro-Enlightenment. This prospect resulted into Islamic modernism. Furthermore, associated with this revolutionary group to some extent was noninterventionist patriotism, whose chief prospect was to create the contemporary state. ... In this study, we aim at uncovering the fundamental parameters of the social statuses that levied for the upsurge of the Islamic modernism, noninterventionist and Arabism among others. To this prospect, we extend a sociological design to explicate on the proximate statuses of ideology. Moreover, we then include our sociological explication in a historical account of the progression of chief occurrences that happened in the Islamic dispensation, the inculcation of a Europocentric commencement of the widespread advancement in this progression, the way secularism was perceived by the original logical directors, the way in which it moulded the strategies of the contemporary state, and how this particular prospect elicited its retribution in the mode of Islamic fundamentalism. In the course of the 19th century, a new and widespread cultural occurrence began between the Islamic world and the West. Virtually, all aboriginal scholars aimed at conceptualizing the state of this occurrence, its involvement to the distressing waywardness of their homeland and its position in offering resolutions to the quandary of Muslim down surge. Moreover, the highbrow ethnicity producers went ahead to formulate notion to address the detriment of their society. Additionally, they strove to create a design that would restructure the system of the leadership, for offering groundwork to craft a new society, and for constructing the fundamental ideologies of stipulation making. This occurrence was versatile, and the aboriginal philosophical resolutions were definitely diversified, though religion remained one of the occurrence’s most disputed scholarly divisions. Additionally, Islamic modernism was the initial