MATHEMATICS REFLECTIVE PAPER Term Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

MATHEMATICS REFLECTIVE - Term Paper Example Especially in the realm of mathematics, a field perceived by a lot of people as exigent and demanding, it requires a lot of innovative and creative thinking on the part of educators to provide ways and means to make this subject a more rewarding course to teach in the elementary school setting. In this regard, the essay aims to proffer a reflection that synthesizes the major concepts addressed in this course. Likewise the following concerns would be addressed, to wit: (1) a summary of the major mathematical concepts of this course; (2) an explanation of how the concepts learned in this course are relevant to the characteristics of a professional mathematics teacher; and (3) a determination of how the course concepts have influenced one’s own ideas and philosophy of teaching. ... The topics on Algebraic Thinking and Problem Solving, Number Theory and Rational Numbers, as well as their applications are crucial in improving skills in applying critical analysis and developing structured patterns that assisted in enhancing problem solving skills. The final topic on Mathematical Connections were most stimulating and thought-provoking as it provided the opportunity to navigate various Web links to heighten one’s awareness on the vast amounts of information that teachers can access and avail on the topic of mathematical concepts and applications. Through this module, one was reminded that there are qualities and characteristics that must be observed and adhered to by teachers to be classified and categorized as belonging to the professional level. Link of the Concepts to the Development of a Professional Mathematics Teacher Consistent with the Mathematics Professional Development Brief published by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), the c ourse modules are required to achieve four critical goals that would assist in development of traits and characteristics needed by teachers to professionalize their field of endeavor. These goals focus on developing: â€Å"(1) teachers’ mathematical knowledge and capacity to connect it to practice; (2) teachers’ capacity to notice, analyze and respond to student thinking; (3) the beliefs and dispositions that foster teachers’ continued learning; and (4) collegial relationships and learning structures that can support and sustain teachers’ learning† (NCTM, 2011, par. 19). Further, and concurrently significant, the discourse emphasized that â€Å"three

Strategic Management (DAVIS Case study) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Strategic Management (DAVIS Case study) - Essay Example On the other hand Berendsen is involved in laundry, textile rental and maintenance etc in almost twelve countries in the continent (Davis-a, n.d.). This paper conducts a comprehensive SWOT analysis of the group. The paper also includes porter’s five forces analysis and BCG matrix in the context of Davis group. SWOT analysis is one of the major tools which is used to identify and analyze an organization’s internal strengths, weaknesses and external opportunities and threats which are likely to come up in near future or already has came up. It is useful strategic planning tool for the purpose of strategic decision making at different level in an organization. SWOT analysis tool was actually founded in 1960 by Robert Stewart, Albert Humphrey and their coworkers at the Stanford Research Institute. Strength: Strengths of Davis group is actually the strengths of two of its strategic business units namely Sunlight and Berendsen. Both Berendsen and Sunlight are the market leaders in their respective operating region and this is the major strength of the Davis group. Both Sunlight and Berendsen cover almost entire Europe. As a result market coverage of Davis group is huge. Further more both the units have strong network as there are large number of processing sites. Employee strength is also a major strength of Davis group. In Sunlight there are almost 9000 employees and in Berendsen there are 7000 employees (Sunlight, n.d.).The group needs to utilize this employee strength to achieve higher economies of scale. Weaknesses: Since both Sunlight and Berendsen are two companies working under the Davis group, it would be difficult to make Berendsen operate in UK and Ireland. Similarly the group would face problem to expand Sunlight in regions outside UK and Ireland. Since both the companies are involved in various textile maintenance service they might come to compete among themselves. This is a major weakness for

Comparison-Contrast Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Comparison-Contrast - Essay Example Traditionally, husband serves as the bread-earner for the family while the wife manages the household. In the contemporary age, both may be working partners and yet fulfill their respective responsibilities with respect to home. Cohabitation, on the other hand, does not associate any responsibility to any partner because it has no religious or social significance. Just like an individual is not lawfully responsible for a stranger’s needs in the society, a partner living with another does not have to earn for him/her. Marriage is a much more stable relationship as compared to cohabitation. This is because in marriage, the contract between the two partners is publicly announced and the two have to respect religious teachings regarding marriage. Therefore, married people think a million times before proceeding towards a divorce. Cohabitation is not made with any announcement and most religions deny the followers right to make love in a relationship without marriage. So the cohabiting partners do not really have any solid reason to be together and they may part ways any time. From a religious perspective, marriage is a noble thing to do while cohabitation is an evil thing to do. When marital partners make love, there is no accountability in the religion for their act. Instead, the religion appreciates their intimacy and promotion of love. On the other hand, when two cohabiting people make love, they practice adultery and commit a heinous sin. They invite God’s wrath and will be held accountable for their act in the world hereafter. Children born to married parents are happier and more contented psychologically as compared to children born to cohabiting parents. Children of married parents can confidently introduce themselves to the society and associate openly with their parents. They derive their confidence from the fact that their parents are living together in a marital contract that is not only lawfully approved but is also

Rational-Emotive Behaviour Therapy Theory Essay

Rational-Emotive Behaviour Therapy Theory - Essay Example The fundamental premise of the theory is based on the fact that almost all emotions and behaviors are caused by what people believe about the situations they face. The theory posits a bio-psychosocial explanation of how individuals come to feel and behave. This stems from the belief of Ellis that both biological factors and social factors are involved in the experiencing and action processes. This idea is important, for it proposes that there are limits to the extent that a person can change (Ellis A. , 2003). Ellis argues in his theory that all humans have the ability to interpret reality in a clear, logical and objective manner and avoid unwanted emotional behavioural disturbances. Furthermore, he argues that in addition to these abilities, humans are also predisposed to irrational interpretations (Collard & OKelly, 2011). They are predisposed to twisted or illogical thinking, draw illogical conclusions that are impartial and are cognitive distortions of reality (Levinson, 2010). Ellis identified four standard characteristics that represent an irrational interpretation of reality. These four standard characteristics are demands of something that is not of the real world, other people or the individual; amplification of the awfulness of something an individual dislikes (Macinnes, 2004); conclusion that one cannot tolerate the thing they dislike and finally condemnation of the world, other people or the individual (Dryden, 2003). The characteristics identified above are expressed in speci fic irrational ideas and beliefs (Macinnes, 2004). Ellis suggested that the targets for change in psychotherapy are those thoughts, attitudes beliefs and meanings that cause emotional-behavioural disturbances and then goes ahead to present the rational emotive behaviour therapy (REBT) (Windy & Neenan, 2004).   REBT teaches individuals how to identify their own self defeating ideas, thoughts, beliefs and actions and replace

Do police reduce crime(Know how to use stata) Research Paper

Do police reduce crime(Know how to use stata) - Research Paper Example After a terrorist attack that took place in July 1994, Argentina, the main Jewish center in Buenos Aires, it led to all Jewish institutions receiving police protection. Hence, this hideous event initiated a police force geographical allocation that can be presumed exogenous in a crime regression. Using data on the car thefts after and before the attack, the study found out a significant effect of police on crime. The impact was observed to be local, with no impact outside the small area where the police were deployed. Introduction In the study a different approach has been presented to estimate the police on crime causal effect. Terrorists exploded a bomb on July 18, 1994 that brought down the Asociacion Mutual Israelita Argentina (A.M.I.A.), which is the key Jewish center in Argentina. This saw 85 persons dyeing and at least 300 were injured in the attack. The federal government had to assign police one week later in order to protect every Muslim and Jewish building in the country. These were done because the institutions’ geographical distribution was presumed to be ‘exogenous in a crime regression,’ this hideous event is composed of a natural experiment where the simultaneous determination of police presence and crime might be broken. The motor vehicle thefts number per block information was collected in 3 neighborhoods in Buenos Aires after and before the terrorist attack. The information includes a period of 9 month starting April 1 to December 31, 1994. Information on each Jewish institution location in these neighborhoods was also collected. There was then an estimation of the police presence effect on car theft. The estimates indicated that blocks which received police protection had substantially fewer car thefts as compared to the rest of the neighborhoods. There was no evidence that the presence of police in a certain block reduced car theft one or two blocks that was away from the buildings which were protected. There has been a major interest to identify the mechanisms where presence of police reduces crime. Is it that the presence of police results to criminal activity to be less attractive or is it that police men arrested criminals and few of them were left around to com- on car thefts? The total number of car thefts per block was used as the dependent Variable; this gave a panel with nine observations for every given block. This data on blocks without and with protected institutions enabled us to define a control and treatment group. Month fixed effects were included that controlled any aggregate shocks in the crime evolution. The main procedure utilized in this study was regression analysis. It was utilized to explain the total variation of the dependent variable, Car theft. The dependent variable was accompanied by 9 variables, which were tested against the dependent variable to determine how much of the total variation is explained. The analyses also discussed the comparison of the different regress ion models, and determine which model is the most effective. In regards to the regression analysis results, it is clearly evident that model 2 is the strongest. The independent variables including street, dummy Jews institution one block away, block distance to closest institution and dummy gas station were omitted and not included in the second model because there P value was greater than 0.05 implying the data collected was either not valid or there was no enough evidence to make

Soft Drinks India Essay Example for Free

Soft Drinks India Essay According to the ‘Product Insights: Soft Drinks in India’ report, The global soft drinks market grew at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3. 45% from 2005 to 2009 and was valued at $494. 5 billion in 2009. New product launches in the global soft drinks market increased by 8. 59% in 2009. The US was the top country by retail sales as well as by number of new product launches, followed by Japan which ranked second in both categories. Globally, India ranked 25th in terms of retail sales and 13th in terms of the number of new product launches in the soft drinks market in 2009. In spite of India’s huge population and the fact that around 47% of the population is composed of persons below 30 years of age, the per-capita consumption of soft drinks in India remains very low, at approximately at 5. 2 liters against the world average of nearly 85. 22 liters. Developed countries such as the US, Germany, Italy and Spain all have per-capita consumption in the range of 280-400 liters, showcasing the huge potential for market growth in India. Coca-Cola remains the market leader in the carbonates category with a market share of more than 60% in the Indian market, followed by Pepsi with around 35%. In the bottled water category, Parle’s Bisleri and Kinley from Coca-Cola are the leading players. The packaged juices market in India continues to be dominated by Maaza and Frooti, followed by brands such as Slice, Tropicana and Real which have registered good growths in their market shares in the past few years. Red Bull with its strong dominance of the energy drinks’ category, which is the largest segment in the functional drinks category, is the market leader in the functional drinks market. Considering the overall development of the Indian soft drinks market, a comparison can be drawn between various soft drink categories based on the major consumer segment for each category using age and economic status as the two judging criterion. For instance, while carbonates are consumed by consumers from almost all economic segments and ages in the India, considering the various packaging sizes and price points for these products, segments such as energy drinks and sports drinks are mainly consumed in the age group of around 24 years who are on the higher side in terms of economic status, i.e. working executives and the affluent class. Based on these trends, a comparison chart can be drawn between the different soft drink categories in India as given below: 60 years Juices 40 years Carbonate Nutraceutic al Drinks Carbonate X-Axis: Consumer Economic Segment Y-Axis: Consumer Age Group Juices 24 years Carbonate 15 years Middle Working Executives/Upper Middle Class Energy Drinks and Sports Drinks Affluent. Current Situation: According to the ‘Product Insights: Soft Drinks in India’ report from Datamonitor, With improving literacy rates, consumers have become increasingly aware of health and fitnessrelated issues. Additionally, due to greater disposable incomes, particularly in urban areas, consumers are seeking healthier beverages even if they are relatively more expensive, due to their positioning. Raising awareness levels with regard to obesity and other weight related health issues in the last decade, especially amongst teenagers and young adults, has helped push sales of non-carbonates. Sales of noncarbonated drinks also got a boost from the pesticide controversy which led some consumers to switch loyalties from carbonates to juices, functional drinks etc. Products such as Juice are now fast becoming as an essential part of breakfast table with urban families. Leading beverage corporations such as Cocacola and PepsiCo have identified this trend and are adopting strategies to benefit from this development. Previously, product strategy of these large corporations was largely Cola based; given that a large part of their product volumes would come from the carbonates segment. However, in the last few years, with the strong growth in the non-carbonate sector and tapering of growth within the cola segment companies such as PepsiCo have announced plans of moving towards a well diversified portfolio by increasing the volume share of other soft drink segments including juices, functional drinks and other products with health benefits etc. This is evident from the strong marketing campaigns which preceded the launch of brands such as Tropicana and Minute Maid. Growing consumer awareness about the harmful effects of artificial ingredients in food and beverages has fueled the demand for ‘natural’ or ‘free from’ products over the last few years. According to Datamonitor’s latest consumer survey, 62% of respondents globally are influenced by the claims of ‘no artificial additives including colors, flavorings and preservatives’ when making food and beverage choices. The survey further reveals that the ‘natural/organic’ claim influences the major proportion of consumers in developing countries like Brazil and China, and a significant proportion in developed economies like the US and the UK. In line with the trends as reflected in the report, several new brands such as Nimbooz, Minute Maid Nimbu Fresh, and Cocojal (from Jain Agro) have been launched in the past few years in the Indian market. These recent entrants have used the ‘natural’ claim to market their product with consumers, with products being modeled on traditional Indian drinks. For instance, Nimbooz is based on the traditional lemon drink consumed in homes and the ads reflect the natural flavors and the ‘homemade like’ taste of the product. Product Launches/Marketing Strategies: As per the ‘Product Insights: Soft Drinks in India’ report from Datamonitor, US, followed by Japan were the top countries in terms of new product launches as well as by market value. India was ranked 13th by new product launches and 25th by market value. India had the third highest percentage growth (11%) in global soft drinks market in 2009 in terms of value. The figure below depicts the top 10 countries based on number of new products launched in the soft drinks market in 2009. Figure 1: 2009 20% 18% 16% 14% 12% % contribution 10% 8% 6% 4% 2% 0% Top 10 countries based on number of new soft drinks product launches, Rank 1 Rank 2 Rank 3 Rank 4 Rank 5 Rank 6 Rank 7 Rank 8 Rank 9 Rank 10 US Japan China UK Germany Russia France Canada Italy Brazil Rank 13 India Source: Datamonitor’s Product Launch Analytics DATAMONITOR In addition to health related product launches, manufacturers are also using innovative marketing strategies to reach out to a larger consumer base. For example, Real juices used Disney characters for the promotion of its fruit juices amongst school going kids. Booster Juice, an international company which manufactures smoothies has used an innovative marketing initiative by signing the only Indian ‘Ultraman’ athlete (Ultraman is a title conferred for completion of a combination of high endurance athletic events such as long-distance triathlon etc. ), Anu Vaidyanathan as its brand ambassador for its smoothies promoting the importance of nutrition and fitness through its brands. Similarly, Dabur has signed Zaheer Khan, a leading Indian cricketer as the brand ambassador for its energy drink brand, Dabur Glucose. Coca-Cola in its recent Ad campaign used a traditional Indian art form, Warli to capture the mood of the festive season of Diwali. It also has several marketing initiatives such as offers of free home trips to participants from any part of the country etc. Considering that the soft drinks sector in India is seasonal and sales pick up a bit after during the festive season, most players in the market are actively campaigning to capture this demand. On-Trade: Apart from the retail market, foodservice or on-trade sector appears to be another lucrative avenue for manufacturers to cash in on the growing demand for soft drinks in India. Segments such as carbonates, energy drinks, bottled water etc. already enjoy a high share from the on-trade segment. However, for categories such as juice, which is in its nascent stage in the country, the on-trade sector promises a huge potential for growth. The juice bar model is similar to the cafe outlets such as Barista and Coffee Day chains and these enterprises aim to replicate the success of the latter to provide a healthier alternative. Figure consciousness being the latest fad, these juice bars appears to be the ideal place to visit after a grueling work-out at the gym for students and executives. This model is already a big hit in the western markets with players such as ‘Jamba Juice’ and ‘Smoothie King’ garnering good volumes in the US market. Currently, places with large footfalls such as shopping malls, office complexes and convention centers have juice bar joints in India. Apart from these, there are a few independent juice bar chains that are coming up in different parts of the country. Retail outlets such as ‘Amorettos’ in Delhi, ‘HAS Juice bar’ in Mumbai and ‘Bloom Juices’ in Mohali and multinational chains such as ‘New Zealand Naturals’ fall under the juice bar category. Apart from offering the regular fresh fruit juices, these outlets also offer exotic options such as ‘Fresh Wheat Grass’, ‘Fat Free Smoothies’ and ayurvedic herb based natural fruit juices in their menu. The benefits with each of these different juices are clearly explained so that the customers have greater awareness about the ideal juices for themselves. Similarly, other categories such as RTD teas, coffees etc. can be a hit with consumers in the on-trade sector. While the foodservice establishments offer the advantage of more information and hygienic conditions they are still far behind when it comes to price competition with the unorganized sector outlets such as road side juice shops. The price in these outlets as compared to the unorganized sector for a product like juice is higher by 3-4 times. This becomes a critical factor for the success amongst the price conscious Indian consumers. This sector has to come up with initiatives which increase awareness levels amongst consumers regarding the health benefits etc. offered through their products in order to gain acceptance in the Indian market. ENDS – This is based on Datamonitor’s analysis and inputs from Datamonitor’s latest report ‘Soft drinks in India. ’ For further information on this title, please contact Aartee Sundheep on +91 40 6672 9586 or [emailprotected] com.

Quantitative Research in Health, Safety, and Environment

Quantitative Research in Health, Safety, and Environment Casey Bird Abstract In this article, quantitative research in the health, safety, and environmental (HSE) field will be discussed. The primary quantitative tool utilized is the safety committee. With the safety committee, direct communication lines with management on issues in the field can be achieved. Quantitative research provides the ability to understand other peoples safety needs or perceptions (Austin Sutton, 2014). It allows an organization to become a safety-first culture. In order to achieve this type of culture the organization needs to be aware of needed enhancements. This is why quantitative safety research is vital to an organization. This paper will discuss the methods utilized for quantitative research, and how the effectiveness is measured in that research. MGs safety committee will be utilized to reflect other quantitative tools. This includes Stop Work Authority (SWA), Core Values policy, and regular HSE meetings. This paper will also inform the reader on the importance of quantitati ve research to enhance any organizational programs. Quantitative Research in Health, Safety, and Environment (HSE) A vital primary tool utilized in the health, safety, and environmental (HSE) field is the safety committee. The committee is required to provide input on incidents, recommendations, and better practices to enhance the overall organization (Kellerman, 2012). A safety committee is one way that management and frontline employees can disseminate share knowledge opinions. This sharing of information can be vital as there are different levels of insight from the employees on this committee. By having different levels of insight, an organization is able to grow and expand. The safety committee is also utilized in workplace inspections to provide insight as well as to increase production levels. A supervisor is may be busy supervising employees and production levels which could compromise safety. With a designated committee performing safety inspections, it allows the supervisors to fully perform tasks safely. A safety committee is also paramount as another tool for quantitative research. Quantitative research is a systematic process that examines relationships and interactions (Burns Grove, 2005). In order to be more proactive towards accident prevention, an organization should work towards becoming a safety-first culture. In becoming a safety-first company, an organization should initially understand the needs of the employees. This can be accomplished by utilizing questionnaires. Every safety committee member is given a questionnaire at the beginning, middle, and end of the time served on the committee. It is required each member serve a tenue of one year on the committee. So each questionnaire provides a starting point to understand individual views and on-going needs for the organization. Questionnaire results could show other immediate needs of an organization, such as more support from management.  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚   It also reveals various best practices to utilize in specific opera tions that keep people safe, and increase profit margins. These best practices allow for a much higher successful implementation rate, due to employee buy-in. With safety committee providing quantitative research to the organization, it truly provides direct money-saving tasks to an organization (Kellerman, 2012). In addition to the safety committee, all employees are issued Stop Work Authority (SWA). A SWA gives any employee the right and obligation to stop any unsafe tasks or condition. As cited in Morrison (2015), if employees utilized SWA every time an issue arises, majority of incidents and fatalities would be eliminated. However, a gap commonly seen in SWA is employees do not utilize it as often due to fear of retribution from the employer (Morrison, 2015).   To overcome this issue, MG Resins has implemented a Core Value policy. MG Resins is a polymer production plant that is under construction. The Core Value policy defines employee roles and responsibilities, including the safety committee. It outlines that all employees have the right and obligation to utilize a SWA for any individual or group tasks without any retribution. If any retaliation occurs, it should be reported to management immediately. In order to effectively and efficiently close any gaps involving HSE issues, management holds regularly scheduled meetings with employees. These meetings include weekly, monthly, and quarterly held review meetings with employees. During these meeting with management top HSE issues are presented and discussed with employees. Employees are constantly encouraged to engage in the discussion. With employees feeling that their insight is needed and approved, the more proactive effects an organization will achieve. This increase in employee involvement also increases employees morale to work in a safe, healthy, and environmentally friendly workplace. MG Resins has greatly improved since implementation of these quantitative research tools. With these quantitative methods of the SWA, Core Value policy, and regular HSE meetings more employees are freely voicing opinions and reporting incidents. There were zero recordable injuries, zero environmental spills, and only two first-aid cases this year to date. Management has also fully supported and embraced proactive solutions to reduce and eliminate future incidents. With this quantitative involvement, management is now able to effectively document and understand HSE issues directly via employees. With more proactive employee involvement, the more likelihood the organizations goals and visions should be achieved. As a matter of fact, one employees quantitative feedback allowed MG to increase production rates by eliminating human involvement and establishing robotics. One production line required employees to physically bag and tie-off the final product. To complete only one order could take up to four hours. During an HSE meeting this topic was brought up not only for safety reasons, but for production as well. This proactive action of implementing robotics allowed employees to perform other critical tasks, while the robotics completed this one lengthy task. In my opinion, as a safety professional, quantitative research is a required necessity to improve any organization. The future use of quantitative research is solidified in the MG organization as well as in the HSE field. Without quantitative research employers and safety professionals would not be able to be as proactive in their programs. The future of quantitative research should include researching newer technologies. The newer generations are becoming more tech-savvy, and this may be an opportunity to get in-touch with a bigger audience. The more input an organization can receive, the greater the potential for the organization to succeed. Management needs to grasp this opportunity to support the employees and customers in order to enhance the organization. However, a roadblock with many safety professionals is the ability to convince upper management that quantitative research is vital in supporting production operations. It is my opinion, that at times, management disregards safety at employees detriment and well-being. It is only when a tragedy happens, that management will then seek out safety. A good safety professional must find common ground for proving to management that quantitative research and production go hand-in-hand. Before tragedies occur, it is my opinion, that implementing a quantitative safety program can be an asset for any organization. Any organization, including MG, would do well in finding a balance between implementing quantitative safety and production. When all levels of management and employees equally understand that no safety will be sacrificed for production, it is then that the companys goals will be achieved. References Austin Z. Sutton J. (2014). Qualitative research: getting started.Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4275140/ Burns N., Grove S.K. (2005). The practice of nursing research: conduct, critique, and utilization. Retrieved from http://www.health.herts.ac.uk/immunology/Web%20programme%20-%20Researchhealthprofessionals/definition_of_quantitative_resea.htm Kellerman M. (2012). Safety committees: Just hype or do they really benefit a company.Retrieved from http://www.usfsafetyflorida.com/Resources/Consultant-s-Corner/Safety-Committees-Just-Hype-or-Do-They-Really-Benefit-a-Company Morrison K. (2015). Stop-work authority: Empowering workers to halt a dangerous situation can help prevent injuries, experts say. Retrieved from http://www.safetyandhealthmagazine.com/articles/12346-stop-work-authority