Evidence-based practice Essay

Evidence-based practice (EBP) is a system of incorporating research findings into nursing practice so as to improve the therapeutic outcomes. (Polit, F. D & Beck, T. C, 2010). â€Å"The evidence based practice places particular emphasis on the use of evidence, in particular research findings, in clinical decision making†. (Parahoo, K, 2006). During past clinical exposures, the issues regarding post natal depression were found as a less explored one because of the complex involvement of both mental health nursing and maternal and child health nursing. â€Å"Postpartum psychosis is a manifestation of a life time vulnerability to affective disorders with child birth as the precipitating factor† (Spinelli, M. G, 2009).The focused clinical question discussed here, which is an important element in an evidence based practice is as follows; How effective is the education of nurses about postpartum depression in helping to identify and reduce postpartum depression among new moth ers in a maternal ward or community?. According to the PICOT strategy for formulating EBP questions, here, the population is ‘new mothers’, the intervention is education of nurses about postpartum depression and outcome is ‘identify and reduce postpartum depression’. The clinical settings chosen for this focused clinical question is maternal ward in a hospital as well as community settings. It is based on the general assumption that initial care will be given in a Hospital maternal ward followed by contact care given in community settings. Having a baby is a joyous moment, but for some women it also brings worries as well as stress. Many recent study reports highlight alarming rates of occurrence of post natal depression. About 10% of new mothers suffer from the most severe form of post natal depression.(Science Daily, 2010). It is evident that, being the closest aid of a post natal delivered woman, maternal and child health nurse can do a lot in identifying and reducing post natal depression. Here, an attempt is made to explore and analyse the educational aspect of nurses in alleviating the said problem. The online databases chosen for this assignment is CINAHL (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature) . A systematic search stra tegy has been carried out using key words such as postnatal depression, postnatal emotional disturbance, puerperal depression, perinatal depression, psychosis, nursing care, nurse knowledge, nursing care, and education. More than 700 results were yielded initially when postnatal depression used as the key words. The  results were narrowed by choosing the publication dates between January 2000 and December 2010. Results were further sorted by re arranging them in a date descending order and a suitable article titled ‘Detection, treatment and referral of perinatal depression and anxiety by obstetrical providers’(Goodman ,J,H, Tyer-Viola, L, 2010) obtained. Key words were combined by using Boolean operator ‘AND’. The combination of key words postnatal depression and nursing interventions generated 4 results, and among them, two results with titles, ‘Improving the postnatal outcomes of new mothers’ (Morse C, Durkin S, Buist A, and Milgrom J, 2004) and Comparison of effects of nursing care to problem solving training on levels of depressive symptoms in post partum women’ (Tezel, A and Gozum, S, 2006) were found relevant for the focused clinical question.

Brief History of Shaheed Udham Singh Essay

Udham Singh, a revolutionary nationalist, was born Sher Singh on 26 December 1899, at Sunam, in the then princely state of Patiala. His father, Tahal Singh, was at that time working as a watchman on a railway crossing in the neighbouring village of Upall. Sher Singh lost his parents before he was seven years and was admitted along with his brother Mukta Singh to the Central Khalsa Orphanage at Amritsar on 24 October 1907. As both brothers were administered the Sikh initiatory rites at the Orphanage, they received new names, Sher Singh becoming Udham Singh and Mukta Singh Sadhu Singh. In 1917, Udham Singh’s brother also died, leaving him alone in the world. Udham Singh left the Orphanage after passing the matriculation examination in 1918. He was present in the Jallianvala Bag on the fateful Baisakhi day, 13 April 1919, when a peaceful assembly of people was fired upon by General Reginald Edward Harry Dyer, killing over one thousand people. The event which Udham Singh used to recall with anger and sorrow, turned him to the path of revolution. Soon after, he left India and went to the United States of America. He felt thrilled to learn about the militant activities of the Babar Akalis in the early 1920’s, and returned home. He had secretly brought with him some revolvers and was arrested by the police in Amritsar, and sentenced to four years imprisonment under the Arms Act. On release in 1931, he returned to his native Sunam, but harassed by the local police, he once again returned to Amritsar and opened a shop as a signboard painter, assuming the name of Ram Muhammad Singh Azad. This name, which he was to use later in England, wa s adopted to emphasize the unity of all the religious communities in India in their struggle for political freedom. Udham Singh was deeply influenced by the activities of Bhagat Singh and his revolutionary group. In 1935, when he was on a visit to Kashmlr, he was found carrying Bhagat Singh’s portrait. He invariably referred to him as his guru. He loved to sing political songs, and was very fond of Ram Prasad Bismal, who was the leading poet of the revolutionaries. After staying for some months in Kashmlr, Udham Singh left India. He wandered about the  continent for some time, and reached England by the mid-thirties. He was on the lookout for an opportunity to avenge the Jalliavala Bagh tragedy. The long-waited moment at last came on 13 March 1940. On that day, at 4.30 p.m. in the Caxton Hall, London, where a meeting of the East India Association was being held in conjunction with the Royal Central Asian Society, Udham Singh fired five to six shots from his pistol at Sir Michael O’Dwyer, who was governor of the Punjab when the Amritsar massacre had taken place. O’Dwyer was h it twice and fell to the ground dead and Lord Zetland, the Secretary of State for India, who was presiding over the meeting was injured. Udham Singh was overpowered with a smoking revolver. He in fact made no attempt to escape and continued saying that he had done his duty by his country. On 1 April 1940, Udham Singh was formally charged with the murder of Sir Michael O’Dwyer. On 4 June 1940, he was committed to trial, at the Central Criminal Court, Old Bailey, before Justice Atkinson, who sentenced him to death. An appeal was filed on his behalf which was dismissed on 15 July 1940. On 31 July 1940, Udham Singh was hanged in Pentonville Prison in London. Udham Singh was essentially a man of action and save his statement before the judge at his trial, there was no writing from his pen available to historians. Recently, letters written by him to Shiv Singh Jauhal during his days in prison after the shooting of Sir Michael O’Dwyer have been discovered and published. These letters show him as a man of great courage, with a sense of humour. He called himself a guest of His Majesty King George, and he looked upon death as a bride he was going to wed. By remaining cheerful to the last and going joyfully to the gallows, he followed the example of Bhagat Singh who had been his beau ideal. During the trial, Udham Singh had made a request that his ashes be sent back to his country, but this was not allowed. In 1975, however, the Government of India, at the instance of the Punjab Government, finally succeeded in bringing his ashes home. Lakhs of people gathered on the occasion to pay homage to his memory.

A brief for an awareness campaign

For my project, I have chosen to create an awareness campaign, about child abuse, which can come under the marketing and advertising part of the course. My campaign is going to be mainly focused on sexual abuse, as it is quite a sensitive topic and not many people choose to do it. I am aware that it is going to be challenging, and that I would have to use some very effective techniques in order to give out the right message. The main aim is to educate people and inform them about what is going on in the world, as well as marketing for the charity organisation. These are very covert marketing techniques, as it is quite subtle and focused on the organisation's activities rather than the organisation itself. The project is going to be consisted of 4 posters that could be used in either magazine pages or on billboards. They will all have the same layout as well as the same idea, to make it as simple as possible for readers yet effective. Enigma will play a big role in my posters, as they will all be linked, as if it is like a series of pages and they all complete each other. By looking at advertisements by organisations such as NSPCC, I have realised that the use of dull and dark colours are very common, same as the close up shots. However, my use of innovative ideas will make the campaign more appealing, and the enigmatic factors will attract many readers. I will use the idea of including a child's picture in the poster, however unlike the others I will use as much bright colours as I possibly can, that will then be contrasted with the background. The main background is going to be an old diary opened, in quite gloomy and dark colours. The wordings â€Å"dear diary†¦ † are going to be used on the first three posters. The diary connotes that it is real life events, and just like how the book is opened, a person is opening their life for us to look at and go into it. Diaries are usually symbols of truth, as they are very secretive and owned by one person, so the fact that it is the main background connotes that the organisation is very honest about its activities, and that it is simply showing the viewers nothing but the reality. In the middle, there is going to be a very simple, yet colourful picture of a child, each one showing the situation developing, and then followed by short sentences beneath it, symbolising the child writing in their diaries. It shows a sequence of events as it starts by a picture of a girl happily sleeping in her bed, with the word â€Å"My first night in my new bed. he said I was a princess†. The enigma in the text makes the audience wonder who the â€Å"he† is and what the advert is about. The second poster shows a little boy at the park smiling and enjoying his time, however this time there is a hand holding onto his hands. It is then followed by the words â€Å"went to the park today, he played with me on the swings†. There we can immediately feel the enigmatic meaning of the next, where the audience feel the worry and almost know what it really wants to show, especially with the pun on the word â€Å"playing with me†. Even though it builds up tension, the readers would still want to get to the end and know what it is about. The third one is a picture of a little girl with two man hands on her shoulder, and again with the words â€Å"He said no one would understand†¦ he is my only best friend†. Now, it gets clearer to the readers, as the point would have been successfully showed. The last picture consists of the organisations name, followed by some facts, a helpline and then the slogan which is â€Å"This smile†¦ this child†¦ ead between the lines†. The slogan refers back to the smiles of the children in the pictures, and the appearance of a diary supports the idea of reading between the lines, in order to find the truth. The logo of the organisation is going to be placed on every single poster, adding to the confusion and enigmatic effect, but also helping the readers to understand. The advert is very disturbing to readers, as they are seeing innocent childhoods being taken away without realising, and how brainwashed the children get. The contrast in colours shows the active and bright life of children however surrounded by the gloomy colours connoting the dangers around them. The idea is targeted to a more educated, and clever audience, as it is based on challenging the readers to get to the point instead of giving it to them. This means that the advert is targeted at ABC1 audience from both genders, however since it is common for children to get abused in the lower class if society, then the advert is very important to appeal to them too. So overall it appeals to both ABC1 and C2DE audiences, with a very wide range, starting from young children to old grandparents both reporting the same problem. The billboards are going to be created using the same pictures, however with all of them stitched together, making it seem like a storyboard. It could be placed anywhere, however it would be best put at a place such as a shopping centre where viewers can stand and read all of the writing. Stickers are also going to be created with the logo of the campaign and distributed around. I am working in a pair with Kirstie Browne, and we have both decided to equally divide the work, and use a program called â€Å"Easy media creator 10 Suite† to help us create our posters, and make them seem professional. We will start by taking the pictures we need on digital cameras then use them for our final piece. The organisation that we will most probably choose is going to be â€Å"NSPCC† as it is mainly focused of the sexually abused children.

Nutrition Related Diseases Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Nutrition Related Diseases - Essay Example The presence of these nutrients in the adequate amounts is essential for proper functioning of the body. Mudambi (2007) lists out the major nutrients as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins and minerals. Each of these nutrients performs their unique function, and various processes takes place through their unified functioning (p. 4). Each group of these nutrients altogether constitute over 40 essential nutrients which again produce over thousands of other substances that are essential for various body processes. As Ridgwell (1996) describes, among the various nutrients, carbohydrates and fats provide us with energy; proteins are used for growth and repair, vitamins and minerals help to protect our body and are also needed for maintenance. A diet can be considered as a balanced diet if it includes variety of healthy foods which supplements all the nutrients in the right proportion. Due to unhealthy eating habits world is now witnessing a rise in food borne illnesses and diet relate d disorders like obesity, diabetes, cancer, hypertension and heart diseases. Food borne illnesses are caused due to the consumption of contaminated food infected by microorganisms like bacteria, viruses or parasites or due to some chemicals in the food (NDDIC). Person suffering gets infections or irritations in gastrointestinal tract which result in symptoms like vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea and fever. Food borne illnesses can affect a person suddenly after eating contaminated food. If food is highly contaminated, food borne illnesses may become severe which can even lead to death. Thus if a person is severely affected with food borne illnesses, immediate medical attention should be provided. The people who are most susceptible to food borne illnesses include infants, pregnant women, elderly persons or individuals with weak immune system. Thus extra care should be given for keeping food safe for people belonging to this risky category. Nutrient

A Program Evaluation to Determine if the United States Military Research Proposal

A Program Evaluation to Determine if the United States Military Support to Civilian Law Enforcement Agencies Is Adequate in Curt - Research Proposal Example Among the sources used for research purposes are Congressional Research Services reports, RAND Arroyo Center and the Homeland Security journal. During the searches certain keywords and phrases were used including, â€Å"military and police merge,† â€Å"securing Americas borders,† â€Å"posse comitatus,† â€Å"border surveillance including military,† and â€Å"drug trafficking organization capabilities.† Various available texts were also included as a result of the searches committed. The approach taken will look at the information requested, briefly describe each approach and why it was taken, and show its validity as applied to the goals outlined in the paper. The law governing the use of the military in direct conjunction with domestic based law enforcement agencies is the Posse Comitatus Act, which prohibits federal personnel (i.e. military) from being directly involved in local law enforcement matters. This however, only applies to local matter s affected and affecting the local populace, as the interdiction of illegal drugs and the crime accompanying that interdiction affects the populace as a whole the Posse Comitatus Act may not necessarily apply.

Interaction design Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Interaction design - Assignment Example levant parts of the system are visible by use of suitable affordances that include; buttons, links, dropdown arrows, mouse cursor and highlight on mouse over. The scrollbars provide moving up and down affordances while the icons provide clicking on affordances (Rogers 115). Feedback implies sending information back to the user about what has been done like highlighting and animation and combinations of these. When login button is clicked on a â€Å"depressed† look is evident .Also constraints provide users with a range of usage possibilities e.g. Date time picker for birthday date. Efficiency on the other hand is evident in status updates and comments. When users write comments and post updates, the feed is immediately brought up to date. As a result the users get the feeling similar to natural result of typing. Facebook responsiveness truly encourages interaction among pals. Facebook has personalisation options that allow users to personalise pages and manage different features of their accounts. This flexibility attracts greater attention from the users and gives a more delighting user experience. Facebook tabbed chat feature gives users firmer sense of control and organization over their chatting actions. This feature also allows the users to perform more  than one task at the same time and use other Facebook features while chatting. Locus of attention is predominant in Windows with a darkened background. Upon selecting a picture a modal window with a dark background opens. The system is designed to block all the contents in the background, by doing this the users attention is drawn to the picture. The overall effect is to enable the user to view and interact with the picture with little effort. Errors and error recovery mechanism is proper. This help users recognize and diagnose errors. The place for displaying error messages is at the centre and is highlighted to get the users attention. The Error messages indicate what went wrong, where, and what the

Business plan Miami Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Business plan Miami - Essay Example With a good distribution of the medicines in the city hospitals and pharmacies, a new company can eye the fierce competition that is being faced in the industry. Baptist hospital is an important part of the health care system in Miami and is given the favorable demographics of the area. The hospital treats more than 75,000 patients every year and has more than 550 beds. There has been a high demand for aged care services in the hospital because of the change in demographics. The patient population comprises of 60% adults and 40% pediatrics. The average length of stay in the hospital is 3.4 days. There are 412 beds in Columbia Kendall Medical Center, 37 respiratory therapists and 561 other full time employees. Most of the patients arriving are of the age 55 and above and the child patients are about only 20 percent of the total patients arriving. The Mercy Hospital with 221 certified beds and employs 230 registered nurses, 27 respiratory therapists and 857 other full time employees. Significant number of patients arriving at Mercy Hospital is self-pay patients and many arrive without a proper documentation. The average length of stay in the hospital is 3.5 days. From 1993 onwards, there has been a decrease in the trend of hospitalization in the age bracket of 15 to 34 in Miami. However, the trend for the hospitalization of the older people has been significantly rising since the past several years in Miami. In 1993, the hospitalization rate of the age bracket of 45-54 was almost 8,000 and in 2002, it was roughly 11,500. The median age of the population has been almost 38 years. Elderly individuals make up a significant portion of population, as the number of people above the age of 60 is 80,000, which is 23% of the total population in Miami. The population has been getting more and more diverse with increasing

Legal Analysis Memo Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Legal Analysis Memo - Case Study Example Did police officers uphold the 4th amendment of the United States constitution, when they entered Mr. Smith’s home without a warrant, simply after investigating an noise complaint and observing what were thought to be illegal activities through the window, then seizing Marijuana, Cocaine and unregistered firearms? Do police have enough evidence to convict him of distribution? The state should be allowed to use the evidence gained, because Mr. Blake does not have a reasonable expectation for privacy within Mr. Smith’s home. They do not have enough evidence to convict Mr. Blake with possession of firearms because the firearms could have belonged to anyone. They also do not have enough evidence to convict him with distribution of cocaine, because the act of him transferring a white bag to someone else is ambiguous, and there is not enough evidence to corroborate the crime. Rule: The 4th amendment of the United States Constitution provides: The right of the people to be sec ure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and Warrants shall not be issued, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized (US Constitution). However, the owner of the property may consent to the search. Also the person must have a reasonable expectation of privacy. In Minnesota Vs. Carter, the courts ruled that a guest at another person’s residence does not have a reasonable expectation of privacy (unless they are spending the night), and thus are not protected under the forth amendment (Minnesota vs. Carter). Also, officers are allowed to seize anything in plain view during lawful observation. Analysis: On the grounds that police officers made observations through the window before Mr. Smith authorized a search of his property, Mr. Blake could file a motion to have all evidence stemming from thos e observations to be discarded under the 4th amendment. However, if the court grants that motion the evidence will stand, because as seen in Minnesota Vs. Carter, if you are a guest in another person’s home, you do not have a reasonable expectation of privacy and you are not protected under the fourth amendment (Minnesota vs. Carter). Even though Mr. Blake runs a business with Mr. Smith in the basement of the home, it still is not technically his home, and according to Minnesota vs. Carter, you are given a significantly less expectation of privacy in the commercial arena anyhow (Minnesota vs. Carter). Thus the evidence observed from the window as well as the evidence found after Mr. Smith consented for the officers to enter the home can be used in court. The firearms were in plain view when the police entered the home, so those can be used as well. Even though the evidence must stand, there is not enough evidence to convict Mr. Blake of all of the crimes he is being charged w ith. The police report states they â€Å"observed Mr. Blake hand a baggie of white powder to someone standing near the couch.† They then found a large amount of cocaine in Blake’s possession, cash, and a small amount of cocaine in a stranger’s possessions. While the law states that the government need not prove he received anything of value in return, the fact that they didn’t see him receive anything makes it tough to prove he was actually distributing the cocaine. While not the most intuitive explanation, it’

Research Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 2

Research Project - Essay Example tz, 2002), one of the greatest accomplishments at the onset of the 21st century is the continuous pursuit of fitness since the beginning of our existence. Fitness remains to be paramount to health and well-being. In cognizance of the recognized importance of fitness in the life of everyone, fitness centers or health clubs commonly known as a gym emerged almost everywhere. Fitness gyms cater to almost all age groups but usually to teens, adults and even elderly. The Fitness Center is a health, recreational and social facility geared towards exercise, sports and other physical activities. It may be for a for-profit commercial facility or a community or institutionally supported center. A successful facility will accommodate both the serious athlete and the casual recreational user. (Mion, E.G. 2010) It was found that fitness centers in the past 20 years have not only proven to be popular and very much in demand by fitness conscious consumers but also a very profitable business opportunity. There are many aspects to carefully consider prior to starting a fitness center. However, with careful research and proper planning fitness center can be a fabulous business to start, operate, and own not to mention that it also has the potential to be very profitable. Opening a fitness center requires careful planning and research and the following are some aspects of the business that should be considered: Where will the fitness center be located, how much square footage would be required/ focus of the business (caters to all people or one specific group, service (Will the center be full service meaning optional aerobic classes and one-on-one personal training for clients, staff, marketing, competition(How much does the competition charge?). ( Business Idea Center: Fitness Center) The fitness centers shall continue to be a profitable business venture. It may also important to know that top fitness trends for 2011 include fitness programs for older

The Good Faith Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Good Faith - Essay Example Pain helps the body system to make necessary adjustments for the well being of the body. Embracing Pain Pain helps the body to physically withdraw from something that is hurting and therefore makes it possible for more damage not to be done. When a person touches something that is hot, say a hot coal, simultaneously as the pain is felt, the part of the body that is in contact with the hot substance is withdrawn very fast (Goldstein 258; Martinez-Lavin 1). This helps to avoid more damage to the part of the body that was in contact with the hot substance. This literary happens when a body is confronted with something that is hurting – if one sits on a needle accidentally, the pain felt as a result of being pricked will make the person to jump up. People who suffer from Hansen’s disease (leprosy) are insensitive to pain (Launer 467). This negatively impacts on them because they hurt their bodies without knowing – say they may touch a very hot substance without reali zing it is burning them. Some forms of radiation are not painful but are very dangerous to the body (Ozner 1). Because these radiations do not cause pain at the very moment one gets in contact with them, it is not possible to realize that one is exposed to danger. It is clear therefore that pain enables the body to sense danger and engage a physical withdrawal to avert more damage. The next paragraph examines how pain helps in a case where physical withdrawal is not possible, for instance when danger is within the body. Pain alerts the body of a physiological process going on in the wrong direction. Pain which originates from inside the body is an indication of something going on wrong which needs to be corrected. Pain in this case acts as an alarm to the body system to make adjustments to correct the wrongs (Gatchel and Dennis18; Butler and Moseley 10). For instance, abdominal pains are often an indication of stomach infections (Sartelli 1). It will be almost impossible or too late to realize that one has stomach infections or ulcers if no abdominal pain has ever been experienced. This is actually the reason why physicians more often than not do not treat pain but rather are more interested with the location of the pain. The location of pain helps them to diagnose the cause (Cohn and Cohn 530). It is the cause that is treated after which pain goes away – it is not pain that is treated. Therefore, pain sounds the alarm and further points to the direction of trouble. It is only after a person feels some form of pain that a physician is consulted. Therefore, if pain is absent, the problem will build up and will lead to a sudden death. Pain, as shown in the next paragraph, is a medicine of its own. Feeling pain keeps us strong and is a medicine of its own. It has been shown that pain plays a crucial role in triggering healing processes (Richard, David and Lucy 26). British scientists at Bristol University have discovered that the intense pain felt in the c ourse of heart attacks may be very significant in saving lives. They have shown that pain helps to heal heart attacks and prevents arthritis break outs (Richard, David and Lucy 26). They have argued that reducing this pain fades the survival chances of the patients. They have noted that the pain signals felt at the cardiac nerves act as an attraction for stem cells located in the bone marrow. The stem cells move to the heart to repair any damage done by blood clots (Richard, David

Women and Work Annotated Bibliography Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Women and Work - Annotated Bibliography Example This article demonstrates the implementation of a successful Quality Management System (QMS) by written and controlled procedures. A QMS prevents failures involving the supply chain, the brand, and customers, since it forms a basis for major company audits. The authors discuss four main steps involved in development of an effective QMS. First, statistical tools, and preferably a flow chart or a process map, is vital as it provides information on the path a product follows from the manufacturing stage. This becomes a control plan after its approval by quality assurance department. Secondly, a Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FEMEA), is an advanced stage of product quality planning, which helps in identifying possible failures, and a FEMEA team may oversee the process. Systems validation protocols work to eliminate defects and lower the level of variation in the process of manufacturing. Finally, current good manufacturing practices (cGMP) is necessary for manufacturing companies to ensure their products meet the market requirements, as this will develop their product identity and quality. Therefore, companies must be develop and sustain a cGMP. Nonetheless, an effective QMS may fail or succeed, depending on the level of commitment of employees and management of a company.  This article demonstrates the implementation of a successful Quality Management System (QMS) by written and controlled procedures. A QMS prevents failures involving the supply chain, the brand, and customers, since it forms a basis for major company audits.

Nostra Aetate Essay Example for Free

Nostra Aetate Essay 1. What contemporary reasons would cause mankind to draw â€Å"closer together† and to strengthen â€Å"the ties between different peoples†? (2) Culture, common beliefs, sports, births, deaths, celebration, tragedy, reunions, weddings, music and war are all contemporary reasons that would cause mankind to draw closer together. Regardless of age or gender, one can still love a sport. When Steve Jobs passed away, the world mourned. Though tragic, death can bring many people together and teach them not to take everything for granted. Also, recently, the marriage of Prince William and Kate Middleton brought together many people all across the world – everyone was watching. Of course, war. Though war isn’t really recent, when soldiers died for Canada, people were brought together at the time, they were safer, closer in numbers. Also, protests bring people together to fight for a common belief. In this sense, all the reasons that bring people together and strengthen the ties together are because EVERONE has been affected. When something happens and EVERYONE is affected, it causes people to come closer together. 2. According to the Church, what three things draw people to fellowship? (3) i) â€Å"One is the community of all peoples, one their origin for God made the whole humans race to live over the face of the earth.† Basically, we are all human, and our origin is God, and we all share and live on the Earth together. ii) â€Å"One also is their final goal, God. His providence, His manifestations of goodness, His saving design to extend to all men.† – This means that the final goal of mankind is to reach God through Salvation, and that He will be our Saviour. ii) â€Å"Until that time when the elect will be united in the Holy City, the City ablaze with the glory of God where the nations will walk in His Light.† – That this glorious city of God, heaven will come to the people who are good. These are the three reasons that draw people to fellowship. 3. List the questions that are examined by all religions. What is the basis of the universal need to recognize a Supreme Being? (3) Some common questions that are examined by all religions are: What is man?

Disney and Pixar: Partnership Agreement

Disney and Pixar: Partnership Agreement Introduction In January 2006, the US based media and entertainment company Walt Disney announced that it would acquire its animation partner Pixar for US$ 7.4 billion in stock. The deal was expected to be finalized by mid-2006. Disney had already been in partnership for producing and distributing animation films with Pixar since 1991. However, in January 2004, owing to differences with Disneys then CEO Michael Eisner, Pixar had announced that it would partner with another distribution company in 2006. But Robert Iger, who took over from Eisner on September 30, 2005, revived talks with Pixar and finally succeeded in acquiring it. Our project will examine the partnership agreement between Disney and Pixar and the incidents that led to the break-up of ties. We will discuss how the new CEO Robert Iger, who succeeded Michael Eisner, went on to re-establish ties with Pixar and Steve Jobs, who held 50.6% equity stake in Pixar. The questions we seek to answer through this case are: 1. Is there a synergy between Disney and Pixar? 2. Did Disney pay too much to acquire Pixar? 3. Is the Pixar acquisition in the best interest of Disneys shareholders? 4. Will the difference in corporate culture allow Disney and Pixar to work effectively together? 5. Will this acquisition be successful? History The Disney Story Walt Disney Animation Studios is the subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company. It was founded in 1934 when Walt Disney initiated the production of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, which was Walt Disneys first feature length animation film. The move however started in 1937, when selected animators from the ‘shorts division were moved into the features division. Snow White was an unprecedented success when it was released in February 1938. It moved critics and audiences alike and is considered one of the true animation classics of all times. After, the viability of feature length animation was firmly established with the success of Snow White, WDAS would go on to make a series of critically acclaimed and successful animated features like Dumbo, Cinderella. They would also expand into new segments like live action features, television and theme parks. Since its founders death in 1966, The Walt Disney Company had narrowly survived takeover attempts by corporate raiders. Its shareholders Sid Bass and Roy E. Disney brought on Michael Eisner and former Warner Brothers chief Frank Wells to replace Ron W. Miller in 1984 and turn the company around. During the second half of the 1980s and early 1990s, Disney revitalized. Beginning with The Little Mermaid (1989), its flagship animation studio enjoyed a series of commercial and critical successes that helped reinvigorate the American animation industry. Disney also broadened its adult offerings in film when then Disney Studio Chairman Jeffrey Katzenberg acquired Miramax Films in 1993. Disney acquired many other media sources, including ABC and ESPN. However, by this time, the competitive scenario changed again. Many new studios had risen up and were producing high quality animated features. Also there was significant tiredness and indifference from the audience who had had enough of Disneys storytelling and animation styles. The rise of new studios also increased demand for artists and stencillers, driving salaries up, causing the budgets of hand drawn animation features to inflate. The rise of Computer Generated Imagery (CGI) was also eating into Disneys market share. Starting from 2000 onwards, massive layoffs had reduced staff to 600. Also the Studio decided to focus on CGI animation for future releases instead of the traditional animation methods to compete with Pixar, Dreamworks and Blue Sky Studios. This led to the shutdown of the Paris Studio in 2003 and the conversion of the Orlando Studio into a theme park attraction in 2004. Michael Eisner Story In 1976, the Chairman of Paramount Pictures, recruited Michael Eisner from ABC and made him president and CEO of the movie studio. During his tenure at Paramount, the studio turned out such hit films as Saturday Night Fever, Grease, the Star Trek film franchise, and Beverly Hills Cop, and hit TV shows such as Happy Days, Laverne Shirley, Cheers and Family Ties. Diller, the Chairman of Paramount, left in 1984, and Eisner expected to assume Dillers position as studio chief. But he was passed over. Eisner then lobbied for the position of CEO of The Walt Disney Company. Michael Eisner took over as CEO of the Walt Disney Company in 1984 and turned it into a media giant whose interests included movies, sports franchises, theme parks and television networks. During the early part of the 1990s, Eisner and his partners set out to plan The Disney Decade which was to feature new parks around the world, existing park expansions, new films, and new media investments. While some of the proposals did follow through, most did not. These included the Euro Disney Resort (now Disneyland Paris), Disney-MGM Studios (now Disneys Hollywood Studios), Disneys California Adventure Park, Disney-MGM Studios Paris (eventually opened in 2002 as Walt Disney Studios Park), and various film projects Frank Wells, COO of Walt Disney. died in a helicopter crash in 1994. When Jeffery Katzenberg was passed over for Wells post, he resigned and formed Dreamworks SKG with partners Steven Spielberg and David Geffen. Dreamworks would go on to become one of the biggest and most successful movie studios of all time and a big competitor to Disneys animation features. Instead, Eisner appointed Michael Ovitz, one of the founders of the Creative Artists Agency, to be President, with minimal involvement from Disneys board of directors, which included many influential and respected members. Ovitz lasted only 14 months and left Disney in December 1996 via a no fault termination with a severance package of $38 million in cash and 3 million stock options worth roughly $100 million at the time of Ovitzs departure. The Ovitz episode left a bad taste in the mouth and people were very disappointed with Eisners high handedness and autocratic style of working. By 2003, Disneys fortunes had flagged and Roy E. Disney, the son of Disney co-founder Roy O. Disney and nephew of Walt Disney, resigned from his positions as Disney vice chairman and chairman of Walt Disney Feature Animation, accusing Eisner of micromanagement, flops with the ABC television network, timidity in the theme park business, turning the Walt Disney Company into a rapacious, soul-less company, and refusing to establish a clear succession plan, as well as a string of box-office movie flops starting in the year 2000. On March 3, 2004, at Disneys annual shareholders meeting, a surprising and unprecedented 43% of Disneys shareholders, predominantly rallied by former board members Roy Disney and Stanley Gold, withheld their proxies to re-elect Eisner to the board. This effectively ended Eisners stint at Disney. On March 13, 2005, Eisner announced that he would step down as CEO one year before his contract expired. Eisners replacement was his longtime assistant, Robert Iger. The Pixar Story Pixar started in 1979 as the Graphics Group, a part of the Computer Division of Lucasfilm.It is based in Emeryville, California. It was launched with the hiring of Dr. Ed Catmull from the New York Institute of Technology (NYIT), where he was in charge of the Computer Graphics Lab (CGL).. The team at Pixar under Dr. Catmull worked on creating Motion Doctor, which allowed traditional cel animators to use computer animation with minimal training. Initially, Pixar started off as a computer hardware company whose core product was the Pixar Image Computer, a system primarily sold to government agencies and the medical community. One of Pixar Image Computers biggest customers was Disney Studios. However, The Image Computer never sold well. In a bid to drive sales of the system, Pixar employee John Lasseter—who had long been creating short demonstration animations, such as Luxo Jr., to show off the devices capabilities—premiered his creations at SIGGRAPH, the computer graphics industrys largest convention, to great fanfare. This would begin Pixars journey into the world of animated feature films. Poor sales of Pixars computers threatened to bankrupt the company, And Lasseters animation department began producing computer-animated commercials for outside companies to bring in much needed revenue. Early successes included campaigns for Tropicana, Listerine, and LifeSavers. The team began working on film sequences produced by their parent, Lucasfilm or worked collectively with Industrial Light and Magic, ILM is another Lucasfilm company, on special effects. In 1986, Steve Jobs purchased Pixar from Lucas Films shortly after he left Apple Computer. Jobs paid $10 million as capital into the company. The newly independent company had 45 employees and was headed by Dr. Edwin Catmull, President, and Dr. Alvy Ray Smith, Executive Vice President and Director. Jobs served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Pixar. Pixar has made 10 feature films beginning with Toy Story in 1995 and each one has achieved critical and commercial success. Pixar followed Toy Story with A Bugs Life in 1998, Toy Story 2 in 1999, Monsters, Inc. in 2001, Finding Nemo in 2003 (which is, to date, the most commercially successful Pixar film, grossing over $800 million worldwide), The Incredibles in 2004, Cars in 2006, Ratatouille in 2007, WALL-E in 2008, and Up in 2009 (the first Pixar film presented in Disney Digital 3-D). John Lasseter Story Lasseter was born in Hollywood, California. When he was in college., he heard of a new program at California Institute of the Arts and decided to leave his current college to follow his dream of becoming an animator.. Lasseter was taught by three members of Disneys Nine Old Men Eric Larson, Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston. On graduation in 1978 , Lasseter joined The Walt Disney Company, as a Jungle Cruise skipper at Disneyland in Anaheim. He later obtained a job as an animator at Walt Disney Feature Animation, Since the release of 101 Dalmatians in 1961, Lasseter felt WDFA had hit its creative peak and there was no innovation coming through in either the animation or the storytelling. In 1980 or 1981 he came across some video tapes from one of the then new computer-graphics conferences, and he experienced as a revelation.He saw the huge potential of this new technology in revitalizing the creative juices at WDFA. Lasseter realized that computers could be used to make movies with three dimensional backgrounds where traditionally animated characters could interact to add a new, visually stunning depth that had not been conceived before. During this time, Lasseter tried to sell his ideas to Disneys top bosses and he got the approval to do a short test film on the famous story Where the Wild things are. However,he unknowingly stepped on some of their direct superiors toes by circumventing them in their enthusiasm to get the project into motion. One of them, the animation administrator Ed Hansen disliked it so much that when Lasseter and Wilhite tried to sell the idea to him and Ron Miller, which they at that time were already aware of, they turned it down. A few minutes after the meeting, Lasseter was summoned by Hansen to his office, where John was told that his employment in the Walt Disney Studios had been terminated. While putting together a crew for the planned feature for Disney, he had made some contacts in the computer industry, among them Alvy Ray Smith and Ed Catmull at Lucasfilm Computer Graphics Group. After being fired, Lasseter visited a computer graphics conference at the Queen Mary in Long Beach, where he met and talked to Catmull again. Before the day was over, Lasseter had made a deal to work as an interface designer with Catmull and his colleagues on a project that resulted in their first computer animated short: The Adventures of Andrà © and Wally B. Lasseter oversaw all of Pixars films and associated projects as executive producer. He also personally directed Toy Story, A Bugs Life, Toy Story 2, and Cars. Lasseter has won two Academy Awards, for Animated Short Film (Tin Toy), as well as a Special Achievement Award (Toy Story). He was also nominated on four other occasions in the category of Animated Feature, for both Cars (2006) and Monsters, Inc. (2001), in the Original Screenplay category for Toy Story (1995) and in the Animated Short category for Luxo, Jr. (1986), while the short Knick Knack (1989) was selected by Director Terry Gilliam as one of the ten best animated films of all time. Corporate Culture at Pixar At most studios, a specialized development department generated new movie ideas. Pixar assembles cross-company teams for this purpose. Teams comprise directors, writers, artists and storyboard people who originate and refine ideas until they have the potential to become great films. Pixar believes in finding people who will work effectively together and ensures a healthy social dynamics in the team and this, they believe helps the team solve problems. Another important tenet in Pixar is the creation of a peer culture, where employees encourage people throughout the company to help each other produce their best work. At Pixar, daily animation work is shown in an incomplete state to the whole crew. This process helps people get over any embarrassment about sharing unfinished work, so they become even more creative. It enables creative leads to communicate important points to the entire crew at once. And sometimes a innovative piece of animation sparks others to raise their game. At Pixar, the belief is that, the most efficient way to resolve the numerous problems that arise in any complex project is to trust people to address difficulties directly, without having to get permission. So, everyone is given permission to communicate to anyone. Within Pixar, members of any department can approach anyone in another department to solve problems without having to go through proper channels. Managers understand they dont always have to be the first to know about something going on in their realm, and that its okay to walk into a meeting and be surprised. Special attention is given to craft a learning environment, this reinforces the mindset that everyone is learning and that its fun to learn together. â€Å"Pixar University† trains people in multiple skills as they advance in their careers. It also offers optional courses (screenplay writing, drawing, sculpting) so people from different disciplines can interact and appreciate what each other does. While many people dislike Post-Mortems of projects as they would rather discuss what went right than what went wrong and after investing extensive time on a project, theyd like to move on. So post-mortems at Pixar are structured to stimulate discussion. Pixar asks post mortem participants to list the top five things theyd do again and the top five things they wouldnt do. The positive-negative balance makes it a safer environment to explore every aspect of the project. Participants also bring in lots of performance data including metrics such as how often something had to be reworked. Data further stimulates discussions and challenges assumptions based on subjective impressions. Corporate Culture at Disney Under autocratic former CEO Michael Eisner, control rather than collaboration was the norm and unit heads became afraid or unable to make decisions. With Disney vying for a share of digital market, the timing of the upheaval could hardly have been worse. Fortunately, new chief executive Bob Iger is a completely different animal to Eisner and immediately set out to restore harmony. Achieving this involved transforming the culture rules almost beyond recognition. Unlike his predecessor, Iger: * Rules by consensus * Shows faith in his subordinates * And is willing to keep a low profile and let others take the plaudits. No longer shackled by central control, key players in the organization now enjoy greater freedom to call the shots. And while Eisner overtly pooh-poohed any ideas he did not like, Iger values and encourages the contributions of others. Consequently, during weekly meetings the dialogue no longer flows just one way. The CEO visits rank and file to show them that their efforts are appreciated and has made his office a more welcoming place. This might seems as trivial gestures to some but the effect on morale can be priceless. But perhaps Igers most significant attribute is the trust he places in his people to get the job done. In contrast, Eisner cramped the style of others by insisting on being involved in anything and everything. In time, Disney gained a reputation of being slow to react. But Iger tells his people to go for it and will only get involved when it is absolutely necessary. Igers back seat style of leadership has allowed scriptwriters more freedom and the studio chief greater decision making power. Disney and Pixar: The Partnership During the 90s there was an explosive growth in the use of CGI in animation and live action feature films. Soon CGI animation came to dominate special effects in both kinds of features. The barrier between animation and special effects were shattered and the enhancement of Hollywood films using CGI became second nature and often went unnoticed. In 1991, due to losses suffered from their computer hardware business, there was serious financial strife at Pixar. This resulted in substantial layoffs in their computer department. Pixar made a $26 million deal with Disney to produce three computer-animated feature films, the first of which was Toy Story. Despite this, the company was losing money and Steve Jobs was thinking about divesting his shares in Pixar. Only after confirming that Disney would distribute Toy Story for the 1995 holiday season did he decide to give it another chance. The film went on to gross more than $350 million worldwide. Disagreements started to crop up between Disney and Pixar from their next project together, Toy Story 2. Originally intended as a straight-to-video release (and thus not part of Pixars three-picture deal), the film was eventually upgraded to a theatrical release during production. Disney refused to consider this feature film as part of the three picture deal as demanded by Pixar. Pixars first five feature films have collectively grossed more than $2.5 billion, equivalent to the highest per-film average gross in the industry. Though profitable for both, Pixar later complained that the arrangement was not equitable. While Pixar was created and produced, and Disney only handled marketing and distribution, Profits and production costs were being split 50-50, and not only that, Disney exclusively owned all story and sequel rights and also collected a distribution fee. The lack of story and sequel rights was perhaps the most onerous aspect to Pixar and set the stage for a contentious relat ionship. The two companies attempted to reach a new agreement in early 2004. The new deal would be only for distribution, as Pixar intended to control production and own the resulting film properties themselves. The company also wanted to finance their films on their own and collect 100 percent of the profits, paying Disney only the 10 to 15 percent distribution fee. More importantly, as part of any distribution agreement with Disney, Pixar demanded control over films already in production under their old agreement, including The Incredibles and Cars. Disney considered these conditions unacceptable, but Pixar would not concede. Disagreements between Steve Jobs and then Disney Chairman and CEO Michael Eisner made the negotiations more difficult than they otherwise might have been. They broke down completely in mid-2004, with Jobs declaring that Pixar was actively seeking partners other than Disney. Pixar did not enter negotiations with other distributors. After a lengthy hiatus, negotiations between the two companies resumed following the departure of Eisner from Disney in September 2005. In preparation for potential fallout between Pixar and Disney, Jobs announced in late 2004 that Pixar would no longer release movies at the Disney-dictated November time frame, but during the more lucrative early summer months. This would also allow Pixar to release DVDs for their major releases during the Christmas shopping season. An added benefit of delaying Cars was to extend the time frame remaining on the Pixar-Disney contract to see how things would play out between the two companies. Acquisition by Disney Disney announced on January 24, 2006 that it had agreed to buy Pixar for approximately $7.4 billion in an all-stock deal. Following Pixar shareholder approval, the acquisition was completed May 5, 2006. The transaction catapulted Steve Jobs, who was the majority shareholder of Pixar with 50.1%, to Disneys largest individual shareholder with 7% and a new seat on its board of directors. Jobs new Disney holdings exceed holdings belonging to ex-CEO Michael Eisner, the previous top shareholder, who still held 1.7%; and Disney Director Emeritus Roy E. Disney, who held almost 1% of the corporations shares. As part of the deal, Pixar co-founder John Lasseter, by then Executive Vice President, became Chief Creative Officer (reporting to President and CEO Robert Iger and consulting with Disney Director Roy Disney) of both Pixar and the Walt Disney Animation Studios, as well as the Principal Creative Adviser at Walt Disney Imagineering, which designs and builds the companys theme parks. Catmull retained his position as President of Pixar, while also becoming President of Walt Disney Animation Studios, reporting to Bob Iger and Dick Cook, chairman of Walt Disney Studio Entertainment. Steve Jobs position as Pixars Chairman and Chief Executive Officer was also removed, and instead he took a place on the Disney board of directors. Lasseter and Catmulls oversight of both the Disney and Pixar studios did not mean that the two studios were merging, however. In fact, additional conditions were laid out as part of the deal to ensure that Pixar remained a separate entity, a concern that analysts had had about the Disney deal.Some of those conditions were that Pixar HR policies would remain intact, including the lack of employment contracts. Also, the Pixar name was guaranteed to continue, and the studio would remain in its current Emeryville, California location with the Pixar sign. Finally, branding of films made post-merger would be Disney†¢Pixar (beginning with Cars). EXHIBITS Name of Feature Film Studio Total Gross 1 The Lion King(1994) Disney $783,841,776 2 Finding Nemo(2004) Disney/Pixar $864,625,978 3 Shrek(2001) Dreamworks $484,409,218 4 Monsters Inc(2001) Disney/Pixar $525,366,597 5 Toy Story 2(1999) Disney/Pixar $485,752,179 6 Aladdin(1992) Disney $504,050,219 7 Snow White(1937) Disney $184,925,486 8 Ice Age(2002) 20th Century Fox $383,257,136 9 Incredibles(2004) Pixar $631,442,092 10 The Little Mermaid(1989) Disney $183,355,863 Exhibit 1 : Top Grossing Animated Feature Films DIS 1-yr chart Exhibit 2 Disney Stock Price from Aug 06 to Jun 07 We start off our analysis using Porters Five Forces of Competition to understand Disneys situation in the industry and the rationale behind its actions. * Threat of New Entrants * Bargaining Power of Suppliers * Bargaining Power of Buyers * Threat of Substitutes * Rivalry among competing firms Threat of new entrants: CGI animation movie industry is a robust industry which is urdergoing a period of phenomenal growth. This is an attractive segment for movie studios to venture into as revenues from live action movies are falling while their budget rises ever higher. CGI animation movies are an interesting option for many movie studio to increase their toplines without hurting their bottomlines. In this regard, we have seen many established movie studios partner with independent animation studios from within and outside the United States in creating CGI animation movies. While, these movies have not been able to garner the critical or commercial acclaim of that of Pixar, the quality and quantity of such ‘outsourced CGI animation movies are increasing YoY and represent a significant threat to the market pull of existing players in the segment. So we would rate the threat of new entrants as high. Bargaining Power of Suppliers: Resources needed for making CGI animation are the technology behind the animation, the story and the animators. Pixar has been a pioneer in creating the technology for animation and with its acquisition, Disney has backward integrated with its supplier, hence reducing the uncertainty in its environment. Both Disney and Pixar have a large team of dedicated scriptwriters and animators, all of whom work under short or long term employment contracts, the loss of a few of the talent will not reduce the quality of the output of either Studios. However, scriptwriters in US are unionized and have in the past gone on strike against major studios to renegotiate revenue sharing agreements from movie revenue. The strike cost studios hundreds of millions of dollars in lost opportunities, movie shooting delays and cost overruns. So the employees cannot be taken for granted and Disney will have to strike a fine balancing act to please both it employees and shareholder s if it wants to get the best work of the employees. We would rate the bargaining power of suppliers as medium. Bargaining Power of Buyers: While in the past, almost the entire revenue receipts from movies came from the theatergoing public within the US, due to the effects of globalization and technology diffusion, the receipts can now be classified on basis of geography and the mode of delivery of content. Worldwide movie market outside United States have become big movie spinners for Hollywood movies, sometimes receipts from offshore markets exceed that of the US market. The important markets outside of US for Hollywood movies are: * Japan * United Kingdom * China * Europe Studios sells distribution rights of their movie to other studios, who are often better placed to reach out to these markets. Since Disney and Pixar have a large brand following and pull, they are better placed that most other studios to negotiate for more favourable distribution contracts. Since all movies made by Pixar till now have been movie spinners for everyone associated with it, Disney has considerable clout in negotiating for contracts. The mode of delivery of movie content can be classified into: * Theatrical Release * DVD Release * Internet Release * Satellite TV Release Other than a theatrical release, the release of DVDs and the Satellite TV rights of the movie are a significant revenue stream. The reasons stated earlier regarding Disney and Pixars unique brand placement help them negotiate the best contracts in both types of releases. Internet release is a new phenomenon and is not a significant enough part of the revenue to affect the dynamics. Overall, we would rate the bargaining power of buyers to be low. Threat of Substitute Products: A big threat facing movie studios in general is movie piracy. Piracy is causing a meltdown in both movie and the music industry causing many studios to fail and others to change their business model. Piracy initially started off with CDs and DVDs, but with the advent and diffusion of broadband internet, online piracy is on the rise. Piracy since the 80s has been the biggest threat to the survival of movie studios as they lose billions of dollars worth of revenue receipts because of it. Since CGI movies appeal to all demographics, live action as well as traditional animated movies can be thought of as substitute products. However, historical data suggests that there is considerable cross selling between these genres and it is unlikely that somebodys interest in a different genre is going to prevent him from watching CGI movies. Overall, We would rate the threat of substitute products as medium. Intensity of Competition among existing players: The existing players in the segment are very aggressive and spend a lot on advertising and media to promote their movies. Further consolidation within the industry looks unlikely in the short term future as most studios in the segment have backers with deep pockets. Looking into the future as the frequency of CGI movie releases by major studios increases, the intensity of competition and one upmanship between studios will rise inflating budgets and reducing margins. So, we would rate the intensity of competition between existing players as high. We will summarize the competitive scenario in this grid. Threat of New Entrants High Bargaining Power of Suppliers Medium Bargaining Power of Buyers Low Threat of Substitutes Medium Rivalry among competing firms High As you can see, Disney is functioning within a dynamic environment with a fairly high degree of uncertainty. We have tried to analyze the reasons behind Disneys acquisition by breaking down the reasons of why companies go for MA. Given below is a pictorial representation of the same, Reason 1: To Increase Market Power When a firms size, resources and capabilities increase, it increases its ability to compete. With the acquisition of Pixar, Disney gains access to Pixars pool of talented artists and creative and technical teams. These artists and content developers are big assets in this industry as good talent is hard to find and harder to replace. With the increase in resources, Disney Pixar combine can create more movies per year potentially resulting in a significant value addition to Disney. Reason 2: Horizontal Acquisition Companies go in for acquisitions of firms competing in the same marketspace for obtaining: * Cost Based Synergies * Revenue Based Synergies This is an obvious case of the latter. Pixars last six movies have reportedly earned more than $ 2.5/3.2 billion in total whereas Disneys last movie Chicken Little was only a moderate success. Disney plans to exploit Pixars creative and technical teams in combination with its well established and huge distribution system to increase its revenue. Disney in recent years have been unable to connect with its audience and hence create movies that ha

McDonalds 4 Ps of Marketing Analysis

McDonalds 4 Ps of Marketing Analysis McDonalds Corporation since its start in 1955 has remained consistently as well known brand name worldwide. In order to achieve this status the company has used marketing strategies that have covered every aspect of the business and social world. From advertising and competitors to public relations and charity, McDonalds has a goal and for what they want to achieve and has found ways of achieving those goals. Throughout this paper you will find descriptions of how McDonalds used the four Ps of marketing in order to create a successful and well known worldwide company. The four Ps of marketing include price, product, promotion and place. Marketing strategies are created through a process of conducting research, which provides the information for deciding the correct product/service, appropriate pricing structures, and the effective placement and promotion for establishing the proper position in the marketplace for achieving optimal return on investment. (investopedia.com) The marketing strategies that have been created through this research by McDonalds Corporation have served them well ever since they opened their doors in 1955. The founder of McDonalds Corporation, Ray Kroc, started the company with the mindset of expanding his business by using franchising. Since 1955, McDonalds has become one of the most valuable brand names in the world. (Rowley, 2004) Expanding the corporation globally is the marketing strategy that has allowed McDonalds to become one of the worlds largest fast food retailers. In 1958, owner Ray Kroc made a statement, The basis for our entire business is that we are ethical, truthful and dependable. (McDonalds.com, 2010) The McDonalds mission statement lists the four Ps of marketing as the basics of providing an exceptional customer experience. The first of the four Ps is price. McDonalds overall pricing objective is to increase market share. (Vignali, 2004) With the original research that was done to create a successful marketing strategy, McDonalds Corporation researched the demand, competitors position in the market and the cost of creating the product and created a price that will create a customer demand. When the recession hit, a vast majority of businesses began to lose customers and in return income. McDonalds was one of the few that cashed in on the recession by creating a value menu. The value menu, which features select items sold for one dollar each, has helped McDonalds bring in customers consistently and this steady income has helped increased market share. The second of the four Ps is product. When McDonalds first opened in 1955, they were the first business to provide burgers, fries and milk shakes in a convenient family dining atmosphere. The competitors in the area provided no competition and McDonalds sold its one hundred millionth hamburger in 1958. As time went on and technology advanced, the market became more competitive and a healthy lifestyle trend began to unfold in society. But even with all this change, McDonalds kept to their philosophy, providing quality food and a quality service in a fast and easy environment and with this philosophy they maintained their place in the market. Two years after their tenth anniversary in 1965, McDonalds began opening operations in Puerto Rico and Canada and currently they now have operations in one hundred and eighteen countries, including China, Japan, UK and Australia. (Mcdonalds.com, 2010) Each country has their own unique menu items, but a few of the classics are on every menu worldwi de. These include the Big Mac, Quarter Pounder, French Fries and Happy Meal. When Starbucks began offering coffee and a breakfast sandwich combo, it provided competition to McDonalds already well known and loved breakfast menu. McDonalds response to this competition was to create a new line of products called the McCafe. The McCafe was a premium coffee beverage that came hot, cold or blended and in a variety of flavors at a reasonable price. The third of the four Ps is promotion. There are four ways to promote a product in the world of marketing; advertising, direct marketing, sales promotions and public relations. Advertising is used worldwide and usually involves the use of a celebrity praising the quality, value and affordability of the product. McDonalds advertising is different in each of the one hundred and eighteen countries they have locations in. To date, McDonalds has used twenty three different slogans in US advertising and a few other slogans in other countries worldwide. Television, radio and newspaper are not the only ways in which McDonalds advertises their product. They have begun to use billboards and sponsoring sporting events such as the Olympics. But even with all these extra advertising connections, television has been the key advertising strategy for McDonalds. Direct marketing is most commonly achieved by the use of websites. McDonalds website provides detailed information about menu items, company policies and the company story. The information that is provided to the viewer allows them to get a better understanding at how McDonalds became what it is today. Sales promotions are an important key in any marketing strategy. The most common sales promotion that McDonalds run is their Happy Meal. The food content has remained the same over the years, but the toy changes all the time. The toy that comes in the Happy Meal usually corresponds to a movie or event that popular at that time. The current Happy Meal includes toys that are themed to DreamWorks Megamind movie. Public relations are a very important aspect to McDonalds. Their website alone provides information for a variety of people. There is an entire section on the website dedicated to students who need information for writing term papers. The website even provides a place for customers to provide feedback for the company. McDonalds feeds of this feedback and uses it to help maintain their quality service. In Beijing, McD onalds hires individuals to be public relation agents in the community and provide information and receive feedback to be given back to corporate headquarters. Beyond their website, McDonalds is well known for their contribution to the community. The Ronald McDonald House was created in many communities to help children and their families with special needs. A study conducted by a program called A Cause that Counts in 2009 states, Research shows that 92% of Americans have a more positive image of companies that support a cause. And, 87% of Americans are likely to switch brands, when price and quality are equal, to support a cause. These trends are consistent around the globe. In 1977, McDonalds sponsored a High School basketball team and gave them the opportunity to play an exhibition game against the Washington Nationals. McDonalds has also been a proud sponsor of the Olympics for many years, donating money to help maintain the quality of the event. The final P of the four Ps is place. Place mainly consists of the companys distribution channel. This marketing strategy is important, so that the company can make sure that their product is available at the right place, at the right time and with the right quantity. Nearly 50% of Americans are within three miles of a McDonalds drive thru and good majority of those are located either near large housing developments or schools. Each McDonalds provides their own unique experience for the both the children and the adults. Every McDonalds includes a childrens play area, which usually includes a slide and various other playground equipment for the children to play on. For the adults, McDonalds has started to offer an internet facility at select locations. These allow the adults to access the internet on their laptops while their children are playing in the kid zone. Using these marketing strategies and maintaining the goal of providing quality service and food in an inviting environment at a fast and easy pace, will allow McDonalds to remain on top of the market of fast food retailers. Their environments and prices will continue to have people saying, Im Loving It.

Jane Eyre :: essays papers

Jane Eyre When Jane Eyre is introduced to Reverend St. John Rivers, she has already had a lifetime of experiences, but she still does not have a good sense of self. By the time that Jane leaves St. John, she is a newly self-assured woman who knows what she wants in life, and is determined to achieve her goals. When St. John is first introduced in the book, he finds Jane completely destitute with nowhere to go and no one to rely on for help. Despite her refusal to reveal her true identity, St. John takes Jane in to live with him and his two sisters, Diana and Mary. Once she has been nursed to health, St. John gives Jane a job as a school teacher at a girls school as well as a small cottage in which to live (339). At this point in the novel, word reaches the Rivers family of their Uncle's death. Unfortunately, another relative was favored for the large inheritance over them. While living in Moore House, Jane begins to feel like she is part of the Rivers family. She regards their home as her home (360), and its inhabitants as her brothers and sisters. Soon, Jane is informed that St. John has been told to whom their Uncle's estate was left- one Jane Eyre. It seems that St. John was christened St. John Eyre Rivers (366). St. John, Diana, and Mary are actually Jane's cousins. This gives Jane the family that she has always wanted, she finally has people to love her. One day, St. John announces to Jane that he will be going to East India to be a missionary, and that he wants Jane to go with him as his wife (383). Jane is reluctant to appease him, and he tries to convince her to come by telling her that it is God's Will that she do this (391). Many times Jane has done things that she did not want because it was God's Will. She was sent out of her Aunts house, suffered punishments at Lowood Institution, and did not marry Mr. Rochester, all for God's Will. But this time she realized that this was not God's Will. The next day while trying to reconcile with St. John, Jane hears a voice on the wind calling her name much like the story of Damascus in the bible that she had studied for so long.

A Developmental Study Of Alex In Kubricks A Clockwork Orange Essay

A Developmental Study of Alex in Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange Synopsis of A Clockwork Orange In A Clockwork Orange, the main character is that of a mildly young child of 15 who, along with his fellow friends, or "Droogs", partake in evenings of Ultra-Violence. Ultra Violence consists of random beatings, theft, destruction, and rape. The main character, Alex, is the self-proclaimed leader of the pack, and makes judgment on their actions pending on his mood. His Droogs eventually find themselves under his direct rule, following his every word, and decide to challenge his authority. The three Droogs (Dim, Georgie, and Pete) join Alex on his romp to a local "fat farm" to pillage the goods therein. Inside, Alex stumbles upon the owner of the resort, and after a length scuffle with her, ends up giving her a blow to the head with a rather large, ceramic replica of an erect penis. When he leaves the outer gates of the complex, Dim surprises him by smacking a milk bottle against his face. His counterparts escape while little Alex is left bleeding and blinded to deal with the police. Upon interrogation of Alex, he discovers that the blow he delivered to the young lady was a fatal one. He is charged with first-degree murder and sentenced to 14 years in prison. While there, he befriends the resident minister and becomes a helper to his service. The minister, Alex soon discovers, is a part in a new form of treatment that is trying to be implemented prisons to help "cure" inmates from committing acts of violence. Through luck and discussion with the higher officials in the prison, Alex is chose to be a guinea pig for the experiment, and is sent to become "inoculated from violence". The treatment consisted of Alex being strapped down to a chair in front of a cinema screen, having electrodes attached to his head, and being kept focused by small pairs of clamps used to disable his ability to blink. This, along with the injection of an experimental serum, is monitored whilst he views movies of UltraViolence. The serum leaves him vulnerable to his surroundings, which are destructive films, and induces such feelings of helplessness, fear, and near-death paralysis, similar to that of drowning. Alex soon associates thi... ...sounds of Beethoven were not intentional, thus not needing reinforcement. However, Alex's trauma could also be referred to as a Skinner approach to treatment. Skinner's theory was that one could achieve a conditioned response by giving the subject positive or negative reinforcement. In his experiments, a mouse was put in a cage with nothing but a pressable button and a light. When the bar was depressed, the light flashed and food was delivered into the cage. If the mouse were dropped into a similar cage, it would be safe to assume that it would retain the reaction to hit a bar and receive food. The conditioned response was to hit the bar when hungry. The reinforcement was the food that was provided by completing the response. In Alex's case, the reinforcement would be the metal satisfaction of not going through with his violent needs when he is subjected to violent surroundings. In conclusion, the theories used as a basis behind Stanley Kubrik's A Clockwork Orange, resemble that of the theories that came from the greater thinkers of modern time. Alex, the guinea pig in this tale, is a classic example of many psychologist's case studies, and could be analyzed differently from each.

Which agents of socialization are most important at certain stages of human development?

There are basically various agents of socialization within the different stages of human development. Such different stages accrue diversity in attributes which helps in creating different models of concern in defining the outlay of importance in such different stages of human development. They may include the family and the peer members. Since the human development is compounded by various stages of concern, such different agents play different roles at such different times of human development.Generally, the family is entrenched with a diverse scope of importance in creating standards for moral development for the person at different stages. The family structures are indebted to creating a lucrative environment with which a person is modeled into good morals. The foundations of the family are entrenched in diversity of moral foundations that makes in to cohere with the general societal structures. The principle structures of the family are therefore important in creating standards that promote strong moral development for its members (Jared, 2005).The influence of peer members is important in shaping the nature of personality of an individual. Since an individual interacts cohesively with his/her peer members, such an environment is persuasively important in creating a condition with which the person emulates and copies the behavioral conception of the peer members. This is therefore an intrinsic process of creating strong environment for personality development (Jared, 2005). Which theoretical perspective best supports your viewpoint?Erikson’s theory of human development may perhaps be the most conventional in defending the rationale for these agents. He argued of human psychosocial development as entrenched within the environment that a person operates in. He has argued that the family is a complimentary facet that models the states of moral behavior of a person at early stages of development. Elsewhere, he has pinpointed the role of peer groups in d elivering qualitative attributes in shaping the scores of human personality at varied lengths (Jared, 2003).

Security Manager †Working with and leading people

Task 1: Teamwork mini project The teamwork mini project demonstrates its main target to discuss the role play of a selection day at St Patrick’s College. The conduct of this role play is done by a team of three students. The job title introduced for this selection day is the post of a security manager.One of the most important responsibilities of a security manager is to monitor the security operations in the college environment. A security manager is usually responsible for maintaining and implementing of a wide range of security policies, rules and regulations. It is important to ensure that the college environment is safe for students, college staff and visitors. Another significant responsibility of a security manager is related to recruiting new security staff and delegating specific tasks. The security manager should be able to keep track of various events as well as create emergency response plans. It is also significant to conduct regular security evaluations. There are two main roles typical to a security manager: managerial role and administrative role. In terms of demonstrating his managerial role, a security manager is expected to supervise security team on issues related to sickness and absence. Other important aspects of the managerial role of a security manager include coordination of all contacts with the emergency service providers in case a serious incident occurs; contacting external contractors regarding fire system and access to security systems; and ensuring safety of the entire building at all times. In relation to the administrative role, a security manager should carry out and record daily security checks in an appropriate manner as well as manage staffing levels including rotas. Reports of daily activities and problems with equipment, property and theft issues have been identified. The duties and responsibilities of a security manager are provided below: Monitor security junior staff to patrol college premises and detect signs of intrusions and ensure security doors, windows and gates are secured; Answer alarm bells and assigns officers to investigate disturbances and also to present a list of potential problems; Ensure that the fire call points, intruder alarms, emergency lighting are tested weekly and results recorded; Ensure security alarms are set and working correctly as well as gas and electrical appliances are turned off at the end of the day; Monitor and authorise entrance and departure of students and staff, visitors and other persons to guard against theft and to maintain security of premises; Coordinate with the reception staff and provide support and cover as required; Coordinate with facility management on health and safety matters; Liaise with the borough security and supersee the transfer of any accused person to the custody of the local law enforcement personnel; Act as the main key holder for the college on all call outs and liaise with other emergency services In terms of person specification, the following aspects have been outlined: EssentialDesirable Education and qualificationHigh diploma level (HND); Bachelor’s degree in business management/ managing people; Bachelor’s degree in security management; Complete senior management security programme; Hold a recognised training certificateDegree in criminal justice/ public administration Experience and knowledgeCandidate must be 21 years and over; One year post degree; Work with security systems including CCTV and access control and producers to promote effective security operations for the protection of assets, people and data; Knowledge of CCTV codes of practice, data protection act, British standard 7499; Static guarding and mobile patrol; Experience of managing teams; Knowledge of fire safety and health and safe procedures in the workplace; Knowledge of the equality act and its relevance to the collegeWork with the police force, national guard, voluntary service; Work at an operational management level delivering security service ideally with stu dents and within a high large profile; 2 years in security force Task 3: Self-reflection Having taken part in the project at St Patrick’s College, related to a selection day, I have had an experience which has given me an exciting opportunity to experience an active process of building strong leadership skills. Teamwork usually involves various individuals and groups working together to optimise their efficiency and reach common goals, as in the case with the project performed in St Patrick’s College (Sohmen, 2013). The benefits of team working on this project are numerous. First, teamwork leads to improved morale because team members learn to take sufficient responsibility for their actions, which may result in a significant improvement of the entire project. It is important that individuals gain authority and ownership over the project (Reevy, Chamberlain and Stein2013). A second benefit of team working on the project relates to greater flexibility. This means that people have an opportunity to become more flexible as result of working together on a project. They may also solve certain problems in an efficient manner considering that they unite their efforts to achieve common objectives (Sohmen, 2013). Another benefit associated with teamwork is that of increased innovation. Every team member can share important insights into developing the project successfully. Innovation is linked with creativity, implying that team members can demonstrate solid creative skills when providing suggestions to the project (Pacios and de la Fuente, 2013). As indicated in research, teamwork contributes to increased levels of motivation, which in turn positively affects one’s creativity. My role as leader and member of the team has developed due to my active participation in the project. Conflicts and difficulties are an inevitable part of any project, including the one at St Patrick’s College, but I have been determined to solve any challenges. I have demonstrated the skills of listening to others and considering their point of view regarding important stages of the completion of the project (Reevy, Chamberlain and Stein, 2013). Research places importance on the development of empathic skills, which are important in the process of bringing a project to successful completion (Tiffan, 2014). My role as team leader in managing conflicts has mostly involved the adoption of preventative strategies focused on the idea of preventing or minimising conflicts. As a result, I have contributed to the development of ground rules for the project at its beginning, as research also considers the relevance of systematic preparation in projects (Tiffan, 2014). Moreover, I have succeeded in developing a team agreement on the precise way in which the group could resolve any problems that may appear. Another strategy is to present details on the critical resolution process in which every team member is assigned specific roles. My role as leader and member of the team also included a solid focus on reactive strategies. In other words, I have thoroughly considered my responsibility to enhance the resolution of conflicts pertaining to the project (Sohmen, 2013). For instance, I implemented a form of authoritarian approach by informing the group about the scope of the resolution. Such strategy was more formal in the sense of adhering to strict rules of project communication. As an example, I directly informed the group that the major goal of the project is to focus on recruitment strategies used in the selection of employees. This fostered a sense of enhanced teamwork based on the urgency to resolve any conflicts and difficulties as quickly as possible. However, I also included a process of flexible discussion while trying to find solutions to conflicts (Tiffan, 2014). As a whole, the effectiveness of the team in achieving the projects goals was adequate. The team members were skilled and motivated to bring the project to a successful end. In addition, the group ensured that they had complementary skills (Stupans, 2013). They were able to relate to one another in terms of technical proficiencies. The aspect of mutual accountability was present at all stages of the project. They were all responsible for the creation of a strong culture of responsibility. Each team member illustrated the presence of clearly defined roles and responsibilities (Tiffan, 2014). As part of the process of achieving the project’s goals, productivity of team members has been properly recognized and rewarded. In addition, the effectiveness of the team reflected the regular tracking of individual and group progress. In case the team members exhibited any signs of struggling with completing the project, the team has been always ready to provide support and guidance which previous research has found to be important (Sohmen, 2013). The team was able to create a positive pressure to achieve the initially projected goals. Such goals have emerged in an attempt to guide the important decisions made by team members. This shows that the team has maintained a focus on the project’s mission related to the selection of a professional to work at St Patrick’s College (Stupans, 2013). The aspect of collective responsibility has been dominant in guiding the team working while completing the project of St Patrick’s College. My role within the team especially during the selection process was quite flexible because I had an opportunity to explore various aspects of that particular process. What I have done well was to outline briefly the personal qualities required for the position of a security manager/supervisor (Adams, Cain and Giraud, 2012). I demonstrated a proper knowledge of the job role as well as presented specific skills in organising important job roles and responsibilities. Moreover, I illustrated adequate communication and teamwork skills that have contributed to the successful completion of the project. I was able to work with culturally diverse individuals and lead them accordingly (Sohmen, 2013). However, I could have done better in improving my knowledge of specific aspects of security policies, rules and regulations pertaining to the job position. I could have taken my time to explore each of these aspects in detail in order to provide a better understanding of the specificity of the profession, which could have helped me focus on selecting the right candidates (Adams et al., 2012). Although I believe I have good skills in assessing people’s potential in a particular field, I need to do more research on this topic to improve my own capacity of working with and leading culturally diverse individuals (Tiffan, 2014). I could have also improved my cultural awareness considering the highly diverse workforce of the educational institution. In conclusion, this task has been completed successfully because of the focus on teamwork at all stage of the process. Task 4: Discussion of the main financial statements of a company There are three key components involved in the financial statements of a company, which are a profit and loss statement, balance sheet, and cash flow statement. All the key components are used as a whole, to provide a clear picture of the financial position and financial results of a company (Parker, 2009). A structure designed for each of the financial statements is considered the most important element, though the influential decision depends on the requirements of the user. The key point supporting the importance of the profit and loss statement is that it is one of the most important financial statements and users like to observe the financial statements of a company, since it has the capability to help users or businesses generate profit by examining the over financial report (Buffett and Clark, 2008). In addition, the information inserted in the profit/loss statement is mostly released in the applicable currency, so it can provide a reasonable level of accuracy. Though, profit/ loss does not show the amount of assets and liabilities required by a company to generate a profit (Parker, 2009). Moreover, its financial results are not necessarily associated with the total cash flows generated by a company. The accuracy of this statement can be suspected when the cash basic of the accounting method is used. It is important to focus on ensuring accuracy as part of the broad purpose of accounting. Thus, the profit/loss statement, when utilised, can be fairly misleading. Balance sheet is expected to be positioned at a second place by many users, since it does not provide the financial results of business operations, and some of the information provided in it may be based on past business costs (Kalsyte and Verikas, 2013). This makes the balance sheet report less instructive or informative. However, the balance sheet is considered to have importance when compared with the profit/loss statement, since this sheet provides the amount of investment requirement to maintain the sales and profits shown on the profit/loss statement (Buffett and Clark, 2008). The third most important component of financial statement is cash flow, because it mainly focuses on recording cash inflows and outflows (Parker, 2009). This financial report provides a clearer analysis of a company’s cash flows than the profit/loss statement, which can sometimes present unbiased results, particularly when accruals are authorised under the growth basis of accounting (Palea, 2014). It is essential to understand the concept of the balance sheet, as it provides a company’s financial situation at any period of time, while a profit/loss statement provides a company’s overall financial performance within a set period of time. The profit/loss statement normally shows a company’s financial performance over a period, such as being released every year or after six months (Parker, 2009). On the other hand, the balance sheet gives a snap shot of the financial position accurately at the year-end or month-end. Finance managers rely on the balance sheet statements to examine whether purchasing certain equipment on debt is the right choice for a company at that time (Palea, 2014). The balance sheet also provides the owner’s equity; for instance, it indicates the total value of the inventory and the number of a company’s shares identified as outstanding. The profit/loss statement is one of the most important documents because it plays a significant role in a company’s decision making process. The profit/loss statement is an end result of the financial information that is provided in the journals and ledgers, and then changed into brief, summarised, compiled revenue and expense structures (Bao, Li, Wu, Zhu et al., 2014). This statement shows the overall revenues and expenses of a company for a set period of time. Senior managers and shareholders can find prosperity of valuable information on the profit/loss statement including the company’s overall sales, profits, retained earnings, net profits, and operating earnings. From this information, finance experts can determine and distinguish vital information about a company’s performance. Profit/loss statements usually give information for more than one period, for example two successive years (Buffett and Clark, 2008). It is simple to compare the financial results fr om one period to the next and conclude trends in earnings and expenditures. Whereas, cash flow statement is considered to be the most crucial element for any enterprise’s financial performance. It calculates the amount of capital that enters into a company and out of it over a specified time period. In this way, an enterprise is able to analyse and control how much capital it has in inflow to pay expenses and purchase assets. There is a difference existing in the structure of financial statements (profit/loss statement and balance sheet) for different types of business, such as sole trader, partnership and private/public limited company. Each company has different financial and economical positions so they use different financial statements with different structures that satisfy their financial positions (Bao et al., 2014). The financial statements gather the financial information from the sales and services provided and include the net taxable profit or loss for each month. Different types of business use different structures. For a sole proprietor, the financial statement is easy and simple because the financial report is just provided for the proprietor of the company. This means that it does not have to provide any balance sheet and profit/loss statement (Parker, 2009). The report just needs to provide or to show profit and loss financial information, whereas a private limited and public limited comp any, which has to organise its’ report based on accounting standards. There are two types mostly used by companies: international financial reporting standard (IFRS) and generally accepted accounting principle (GAAP). If financial statements are not structured based on standards it is complicated to evaluate and compare performance with that of other companies. For a partnership, the financial structure is focused on providing the profit/dividend and total contribution by partners in the investment capital of a company (Ronen, 2006). The objective of the financial statement is revealed in the balance sheet, profit/loss, cash flow and loss statement. When creating financial statements, the profit/loss statement would typically be structured first because the net profit or loss becomes a part of the statement in the balance sheet, or in a partners’ capital. Moreover, the end of a partner’s capital statement becomes a part of the balance sheet (Parker, 2009). The financial statement is focused on examining the total capital and profits of a company that are distributed inside its structure. For a public and private limited company, the financial statement must provide the following components: current assets, non-current assets, current liabilities, total sales, total profits, payable, dividends, and share prices (Ronen, 2006). References Adams, B. L., Cain, H. R. and Giraud, V. (2012). ‘Leadership, Motivation, and Teamwork Behaviors of Principal Investigator’s in Interdisciplinary Teams: A Synthesis of Research’. Journal of Leadership Education, vol. 11(2), pp. 176-191.Bao, C., Li, J., Wu, D., Zhu, X., Liang, C. and Liu, C. (2014). ‘Optimization of Integrated Risk in Commercial Banking Based on Financial Statements’. Procedia Computer Science, vol. 31, pp. 501-510.Buffett, M. and Clark, D. (2008). Warren Buffett and the Interpretation of Financial Statements: The Search for the Company with a Durable Competitive Advantage. New York: Scribner. Kalsyte, Z. And Verikas, A. (2013). ‘A Novel Approach to Exploring Company’s Financial Soundness: Investor’s Perspective’. Expert Systems with Applications, vol. 40(13), pp. 5085-5092. Pacios, A. R. and de la Fuente, G. (2013). ‘Teamwork and Leadership in a Virtual Learning Environment’. RUSC: Revista de Universidad y Sociedad del Conocimiento, vol. 10(2), pp. 358-374. Palea, V. (2014). ‘Are IFRS Value-Relevant for Separate Financial StatementsEvidence from the Italian Stock Market’. Journal of International Accounting, Auditing and Taxation, vol. 23(1), pp. 1-17. Parker, R. H. (2009). Understanding Company Financial Statements. New York: Penguin Books. Reevy, G. M., Chamberlain, C. J. and Stein, J. (2013). ‘Identifying Collaboration, Teamwork, and Leadership Practices on Campus’. Currents in Teaching & Learning, vol. 6(1), pp. 4-17. Ronen, J. (2006). ‘A Proposed Corporate Governance Reform: Financial Statements Insurance’. Journal of Engineering and Technology Management, vol. 23, pp. 130-146. Sohmen, V. S. (2013). ‘Leadership and Teamwork: Two Sides of the Same Coin’. Journal of Information Technology & Economic Development, vol. 4(2), pp. 1-18. Stupans, I. (2013). ‘Development of Contemporary Leadership Capacity through Teamwork in an Online Environment: A Pilot Study’. International Journal of Teaching & Learning in Higher Education, vol. 25(2), pp. 262-268. Tiffan, B. (2014). ‘The Art of Team Leadership’. Journal of Health-System Pharmacy, vol. 15, pp. 799-801.