Financial strength and developments of Lonmin Plc Essay

Financial strength and developments of Lonmin Plc - Essay Example Headquartered in Britain, Lonmin Plc’s selling is extended worldwide and the company’s flagship possessions is located in Marikana mine in South Africa. It has its effective operations in Canada and the group has total employees over 28,276 (Lonmin Plc Annual Report, 2014). The business also has joint ventures with Vakle and Walbridge. The company searches for PGM mineralization in Ontario and Northern Ireland project which is an initial stage exploration opportunity for the company (Lonmin Plc Annual Report, 2014). 1.3. Turnover of Lonmin Plc As indicated from Lonmin Plc’s annual report, the yearly turnover produced by the business in the year 2014 is observed to be 582.4 billion (Lonmin Plc Annual Report, 2014). The revenue of the company is observed to be decreasing over the past five years as the operating expense of the company is increasing. The platinum sales of the group accounted for 701,831 ounces and for PGM sales it was 1,383,945 ounces. Asset turnover of Lonmin Plc is found to be $4,384.5 Million which deceased over the past five years (Lonmin Plc Annual Report, 2014). The consensus forecast amongst 20 polled investments analysts who covers the company advised the investors to grip their position in the group. The forecasts of the analysts indicate that the company in the near future is expected to outperform the market. Lonmin Plc is listed in the London stock exchange and Johannesburg stock exchange and has been observed to major shares in the market.

ECommerce Course Work Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

ECommerce Course Work - Case Study Example In this report I will access and analyze the security issues and concerns regarding the online Globetrotting Hotels system. I will discuss about the handling of the customers’ personal information and payment details on the online web. Then I will also talk about the installation of the better facilities for the customers like customer care services, physical security, online information preservation, etc. Harry Smith has planned to present the matchless group of the local self-governing hotels. These local self-regulating hotels will be combined through the worldwide chain and will proffer very friendly high quality services and local knowledge. Here in this global chain of the globetrotter will be very useful and effective through the implementation of one-stop web site. This website will be a common platform where the customers are able to fine deeper and wider information regarding the online world wide hotels chain. This also facilitates the Globetrotting for the effective management and customer services.1 In this section I will talk about the better e-payment system that will facilitate the effective online business management of the Globetrotting Hotels system. The main reasons behind this idea is to critically analyze, compare and contrast the different ways of the e-payment systems and choose a better way for the Globetrotting Hotels system. This system should have the potential of assessing more enhanced and fraud less online payment services. The first type that is mostly used for the e-payments is the credit card payment system. Through this system we will ask the credit card number and payment details from the customer for the online transaction. This information will be used for the online transaction. This method of the online payment is very useful, but in earlier few years we have seen massive number of online credit card frauds. For this reason most of the people hesitate to carry out an online transaction (e-payment, 2008). In our

Comparison between Japanese and Canadian Central Bank Policies Essay Example for Free

Comparison between Japanese and Canadian Central Bank Policies Essay The present paper is an investigation of the central bank policies in the countries of Japan and Canada. The paper takes into examination Bank of Japan and Bank of Canada and explores the grounds on which similarities and differences, if any, can be noted. This study is a comparison between the central banks’ policies of both the countries. The structure of the paper overviews the banking system of both the countries then furthers with individual analysis only to bring a major comparison at the second last section. The paper discusses findings in the conclusion section and makes recommendations for future policy making and development. 2- Overview This section overviews the past, present of the two banks in the concerned countries. This is in the attempt of creating a base of the later sections that would be dealing with specific policy issues of the two banks. 2.1- Japanese Banking System Today Japanese banking system finds its foundational roots in the aftermaths of World War II and is still continuing to grow support for the financial and industrial organizations of the country. Ever since World War II, Japanese banking system has gone through a number of changes and adaptations in corporate behavior as well as in the shaping of economic and regulatory policies. The period that can be said to be the golden time for the development of the Japanese banking system is regarded to be from the early 1950s to the early 1970s. This was the time when Japanese firms were growing rapidly and needed financial backing and monetary assessment to hold solid on the corporate grounds. However, from the 1970s, some changes were experienced by this banking system and that solid position was shaken. Of the major reasons, international paradigm change in financial transactions, corporate behavior with regard to investment of funds both internal and external, (firms started issuing securities rather than borrowing from banks) and other such reasons can be said to be the causes for the shaking of such a strong banking system as was in Japan once especial up to the early 1970s. Up to the present day, in the Japanese financial system, bank loans still possess the dominant place as the external financing source for the corporate sector which is non-financial – until 1986 the borrowings done from private institutions were recorded to be more than seventy percent. Other such common services as issuance of bonds, client monitoring, cost monitoring for different services, and so forth are also found to be in practice in the Japanese banking system. As such, there is much more that is needed to be examined in this country’s banking system that makes it notable on the international horizon (Aoki, Patrick, Sheard, pp. 1-15, 1994). 2.2 – Canadian Banking System The central banking system of Canada is also with its typical issues and challenges and up to the present time, these challenges have been multiplying for a number of factors. For example, nowhere in history general public was so much conscious about the evil unemployment and is now showing a hyper attitude which simply put the government and its financial institutions up front to the criticism. As such, the challenges are to make such financial policies as can help confront these challenges and move over them. Although the central bank of Canada did go through a long period of adjustments, say the depression period of the 1930s and later, Neufeld (1958) notes that â€Å"The constitutional adjustments experienced by the Bank of Canada were not as great as those of some older central banks† (p. 4). There are noteworthy reasons for this observation. For instance, beginning in the market, the bank was sponsored by the government leading to a stable position. However, political interventions and the bank’s responsibilities to cater for the needs or demands of the political party government continued to exist. The bank went through war crisis, financial instability, and social pressures like unemployment, all along its birth becoming an adult from an immature youth. At present the Bank is in a more favorable position to serve for the purposes of the government and perform its multifarious purposes with regard to financial activities along with the challenges. Some of the challenges that the bank faced during its stability periods were â€Å"serious foreign exchange outflows and phenomenal capital inflows† (212). The three areas, back in the stability phase, i.e., bond market, stock exchanges, and foreign exchange markets, have been tactfully established by the bank to create a positive picture of the overall economic situation of the country. Presently, the Bank holds a primary position in the decision making process of these three areas. Today, as a successful bank, the expert opinion about this bank is that it has dealt in the time of difficulty more with technique which was versatile than conservatism (213). The banking system of Canada is in a constant process of up gradation for better output; one such instance is the use of geographic information systems (GIS) technology â€Å"for a wide range of applications† (Macdonald, 2001, p. 419). Therefore, it is important to have a deep examination of the policies and practices of this bank so that the insider’s view can help others form such a system in any other country. 3-Policies of the Bank of Japan There are a number of policy issues that need to be revisited but for the limited space of the paper, only a few major are discussed. First of all, policies of the Bank of Japan (BOJ) have been central to critics’ attention due to a number of reasons but the most important is that it is one of the three G-3 central banks that have been reviewed in the past decades. The special features of BOJ are numerous. The most apparent, however, is its stance on deflation. Although BOJ was forced to take â€Å"a highly leveraged position† in local financial environment, it has taken no risk to fight the challenge. Moreover, it might have been possible for the bank to give in to a number of challenges that were created by deflation, however, the bank continued to survive with a number of different policies and measures (Cargill, 2005, p. 311). BOJ’s approach to monetary policy is pragmatic. The overall focus of this monetary policy is to maintain stability in price and encourage economic development. To meet these ends, the Bank monitors such areas as exchange rates, the aggregates of money, the indices of consumer and wholesale rates, growth of the GDP, production taking place in the industry, on-going interest rate in the market, prices of assets, and a number of other factors. It is also notable that in the functions of the Bank, international policy association and coordination can also play a role in the Bank’s domestic policy making. It is important to note that throughout its existence the BOJ has never come to stand as hardcore monetarist. Instead of this, the Bank has been treating the policy making of money more like a form of art. There are a number of methods by which the Bank lets its policies become public. The implementation of policies also takes a number of forms, for instance, â€Å"discoun t window† guides other financial institutions through loans etc. (Miller, 1996, pp. 1-47). By the late 1980s, BOJ held its position as positive in the eyes of the critics due to a number of policy making issues since WWII. Up to then the bank had gone through a number of remarkably shaky times coping up with such challenges as industrialization and establishment of it. By that time major characteristics of BOJ were its commitment to price stability and positive outcomes that came out of its policies. The most important point is that since its establishment, its legal position did not go through a change. Then it was the only bank rated as the most dependent of all the central banks in the world. Hence the notable feature is its keeping price stability instead of being a dependent bank. It also contradicted the widely acclaimed view that the more independent a central bank, the more price stability would be extended (Cargill, 2005, p. 311).   May 1989 is the period called the low point policy period of BOJ which continued through the year 2004. Here the bank increased the rate of discount in a number of steps that included historically low rate of 2.5 percent to 6.0 in the first stage of 1991. It was sternly a reaction against the asset inflation of the 1980s. However, the sharp recession and diminishing asset rate backed the bank to move for ease of policy in 1991 and the call and discount rates came down to 0.05 percent by the early 1995. Until it obtained the first â€Å"0 rate of interest† policy in 1999, the bank went on lowering call rate discount. It was drawn to a close in 2000. It came back to zero rate policy again in 2000 and moved on to a statistical easing down of policy in 2001 because declining economy alerted the authorities; moreover, it needed to adopt a different framework of operation for short-term rates on interest which had to be fundamentally zero (Cargill, 2005, p. 311). Although internationally, it is the reputation of the Bank of Japan that it has been moving too gradually in terms of the formation of monetary policy, fiscal policies, and resolving the issues present to it, there are important areas where this criticism becomes void. For example, Japan is often compared with the USA without considering the fact that former faced a great many more problems than the latter. Additionally, there are such instances as Japan’s tighter economic policy in 1996 that has much to discard this criticism (Browne, 2001, p. 3). 4- Policies of the Bank of Canada The Bank of Canada (BOC) is often criticized for influencing the level of price, jobs, and the development of its country’s economy. However, in the recent years the Bank has acquired a reputation that it is very concerned with keeping the inflation rate low so that it can make other ends meet for broader goals of economy. The Bank has also been charged with its acute concerns to inflation rate only and looking over such challenges as unemployment and economic growth. However, there are proponents of the Bank’s policies who come forward to defend the policies of the bank as they are presently in practice stating that if the focus of the Bank shift to the vice versa perspective, there would be no growth in economy and inflation rate will increase causing devaluation of the dollar. Vanderhart (2003) conducted an in-depth analysis of BOC’s response to inflation rate and other such concerns as unemployment, growth of economy, and other factors. The author found that there is insufficient evidence to suggest that the Bank of Canada’s response to economic data available on inflation is direct, â€Å"inflationary precursors as raw materials and intermediate goods prices are only significant when other important factors are omitted† (p. 357). But the author does not make it a remark that the Bank does not follow the procedures to pursue anti-inflationary policy. What the BOC has successfully achieved with regard to keeping control over inflation is that it responds to those factors which are other than â€Å"the releases of price level data†. Moreover, the recent policies also prompt to the suggestion that the Bank is taking measure to fight the challenge of unemployment. Two factors also came up to the author’s analysis that determined the actions and responses of the BOC. These are exchange rates and federal fund rate. The bottom line that the author draws is the there is little doubt about the health of the Canadian economy and the BOC is actively involved in the process of keeping this health stable. However, if some out-of-Canada issues are present, there may be some criticism on the Bank for example, its interconnection with the U.S. monetary policy because there are voices that might want a Canada which is independent of U.S. related economic policies (Vanderhart, 2003). If we review comparative analysis of Canadian economic growth with other countries (say Australia), there is sufficient evidence to mark the above observation that the Canadian economy has grown stronger than before and that such challenges as labor utilization has been carefully handled in the favor of the country. Harchaoui, et al. tell us that the growth of Canada’s real average income has large credit to a magnificent improvement in the way labor has been utilized, i.e. â€Å"the combination of high average hours worked and a high rate of employment in the total population†. In addition to this, capital deepening effect has also played an important role in the present stability of the Canadian financial outlook (Harchaoui, et al., 2005, p. 36). 5- Bank of Japan and Bank of Canada Comparing the policies of the central banks of Japan and Canada each gives us more insight. There are a few studies that have been done on the comparative analysis. In one such study, Tomljanovich (2007) informs that the central banks of these two countries (including banks of other countries, as well) are on a constant pursuit of having open dialogue with the general public and this is in the efforts of increasing efficiency and reducing volatility in financial markets. In the case of Canada, which comes in the category of a majority of interest rate maturities, it is found that there is greater predictability in terms of market functions because there is a high flow of information to Canada and this flow coincides with sub-periods simultaneously to lower interest volatility rate. However, Japan (as well as Germany in this study) appears to be the only country in which there is no such evidence of lower interest volatility. Moreover the study shows that the central Bank of Japan and the central Bank of Canada both moved to greater transparency measures in the 1990s which shows that both these banks want to progress on the modern lines (p. 791). As for the policies of Canadian central bank, it is evident that there is inclination of these policies to those of the U.S. There is no doubt that Bank of Canada has greater interests in keeping these ties with the financial environment of the U.S. monetary and fiscal policies. However, Bank of Japan has stood on a very different turf that is of independence with dependence and of unique regulatory framework of all policies handled ever since World War II. There is no doubt that government like Canada and Quebec recognize China and Japan for their strategic partnership in the region of Asia. For this the credit goes to Japanese ever-growing economic curve which in turn holds credit for the policies that the central banking system of Japan for a long time formulated, ran, and implemented successfully (Inomata, 2002, p. 259). 6- Conclusion Examination of the policies of central Bank of Japan and the central Bank of Canada in detail reveal that both countries have to face challenges that emerge from their specific environment. There are similarities and differences in the approaches of the Banks of both the countries. One acute similarity is that both countries have moved to greater transparency and are considered successful banks on the international horizon. Another is that Banks of both these countries are focusing more on interest rate and inflation level stability. For this purpose, however, the approaches of the two banks are different; both are putting efforts to fight the challenge of unemployment. As for the differences, Japanese bank is legally dependent, whereas, Canadian bank is independent; yet there is this sharp observation that Bank of Canada looks at the U.S. financial environment for policy making, whereas, Japanese Bank looks at its own typical challenges that need to be tackled on the international f ront. Another important thing which comes out from this study of the two banking systems in two different countries is that both function in their own environment and that it is not possible to find acute similarities in both the systems because of different financial and social outlook of the countries. This is important to look into more details in these central banks and banks of other countries as well so that a sound analysis about policy making and other measure against present and upcoming challenges can be met.

Organisational Structures in Social Work

Organisational Structures in Social Work Organisations Working Separately and Individuals Working in Isolation are no Longer an Option Introduction This paper will consider the key ideas and theories underlying organizations. In doing so there will be particular concentration on the areas of mental health and social services. There will be an examination of the legislative context and policy changes as they apply to the chosen areas. Since the 1990 NHS and Community Care Act there has been considerable emphasis on partnership working and the importance of this to mental health and social services will be examined. Attention will also be paid to the experiences of users and carers, particularly as it relates to issues of power and inequality. The paper will begin with a general introduction to the areas under consideration. It is no longer an option for organizations to work in isolation, this is particularly the case with organization concerned with services to the public. The organizations which come under the umbrella of what is known as human services operate in both the public and the private arenas. The introduction of market principles into areas that were once the sole responsibility of the state welfare system, has meant that an increasing number of human service workers are employed in the private sector. Human Service organisations are comprised of medical staff and others such as administrators, cooks and cleaners employed by the NHS or in private practice, the police and probation services, the prison services, social services, and to a limited extent those working in education. Certainly the pre-school sector could be described as a human service organisation because of the many different services the sector performs. Many of these are voluntary organisations. The voluntary human services might also include organisations that help the disabled, organisations such as Adaction which work with alcoholics and people with drug problems, and Mind, a voluntary sector organisation which caters for people with mental health problems. Social Services People seeking to work in the human services usually do better if they have had some prior experience. This might be through undertaking work placements or by undertaking voluntary work for a time. In social work, this is likely to be even more the case because prior community involvement is seen as a valuable asset. This may be a result of the fact that the social services has its roots in the voluntary charity work of the late nineteenth century. The role of a social worker is primarily defined by what used to be known as personal social services. This is because on the whole social workers are concerned with individuals and the care they may need. In the field of human services social work may be seen as both typical, and untypical , firstly its aim is to provide a personal service that benefits other people, social workers are more likely than other human service workers to be involved with people on an individual basis, often for a prolonged period of time. In other areas of the human services contact with the public is usually more fleeting. As a result of current Government policy a social worker who may be involved with clients with mental health needs, may find themselves in partnership with the NHS (or community mental health team) and a voluntary organisation such as Mind. More importantly, Government expects social care and health professionals to work closely and collaboratively with service users. What social work consists of is decided by Parliament. This is because the Government defines the statutes that outline social workers responsibilities and the people towards whom they have that responsibility, also the ma nner in which such responsibilities should be undertaken, and the legislative framework that underpins the professional practice of social work (Brayne and Martin, 1995).[1] Social workers have to abide by the code of practice set by the General Social Care Council, and are bound by the 1970 Social Services Act as it applies to local authorities. Since the Human Rights Act of 1998 social workers are bound by law to respect the inherent rights and dignity of every human person. Social workers are bound by the 1990 Community Care Act and subsequent legislation. Local Authorities are also by the Disability Discrimination Act and social workers whose clients who have mental or physical disabilities Social workers have to be familiar with this Act as well as the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act of 1970. Social workers also need to be aware of what defines a person with mental or physical or disabilities and how their needs might best be addressed. Local authorites have to regulate services to deal accommodate both their own financial restraints and people’s needs and disabilitie. The social worker is bound by the same terms as their employer. Local Authority Social Service Departments have a legal duty to find out if there are people with disabilities in their area, what the number is, and what help the Department is able to offer. Details of services should be published and the department has a duty to inform clients of their rights in relation to the services they provide.[2] The Local Authority and also the social worker have to take into account the major implications of the 1995 Disability Discrimination Act when dealing with people who have mental or physical difficulties. Disability is defined under this Act disability as: Disability is defined as a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities (Brayne and Martin, 1999:460). Social workers have a duty to assess the service needs that disabled service users may have and decide whether they can help the person with that need. There is also a considerable emphasis within social services on encouraging the user to participate in decisions regarding their care. At the same time social workers are encouraged to lessen the power differential between themselves and service users, this means engaging in anti-oppressive practice e.g. accessible language, and doing what they can to empower individuals. Policy Changes Changes in Government social policy during the 1970s and 1980s resulted in significant changes to those organizations which provided services for people with disabilities, people with learning disabilities, and older people (Kirk, 1998). As a result of Government spending cuts numbers of institutions were closed and this resulted in care being increasingly focused on the community. The Griffiths Report (1988) was commissioned by the Government and it recommended that local authorities should be enablers, who organized and directed community care. Local authorities would no longer be the sole providers of care, but would have their own budgets to purchase care from the private and voluntary sector. This policy became a matter of statute under the 1990 NHS and Community Care Act. The Act stipulated that individual care packages would be organised by local authorities with input from voluntary and charitable organisations. The terms of the Act resulted in an increase in the burden of care for the social work profession. Under the 1990 Act social workers are required to make initial assessments and then refer clients to the appropriate services. The Act emphasized partnership working in all areas and social workers now have to consult with professionals from all walks of life in order to adequately provide for their clients needs. The Government has been committed to this idea of partnership working and has regularly updated the terms since coming to power, and produced a white paper on the delivery of integrated health and social care in July of last year.[3] When it comes to clients with mental health needs many social workers may find themselves working in conjunction with the organization known as Mind. Mind Mind is the leading mental health charity in both England and Wales.[4] Mind has over 200 local associations which run drop in centres, help lines, give housing advice and work with mental health professionals and social workers to improve the lives of people with mental health difficulties. The aims of Mind are as follows Advancing the views, needs and ambitions of people with mental health problems Challenging discrimination and promoting inclusion Influencing policy through campaigning and education Inspiring the development of quality services which reflect expressed need and diversity Achieving equal rights through campaigning and education.[5] Their aims demonstrate that Mind is geared towards the minimalisation of inequalitites and the promotion of the needs and rights of people with mental health difficulties. Mind aims to empower its users and to encourage their participation in assessing and providing for their needs. Mind campaigns to improve the lives of those with mental health problems and to raise awareness in the wider community so that the public and the Government are more accepting of people with these needs. Mind also advises Government, Health Authorities, and Social Services Departments on what is best practice for addressing mental health needs. In this way Mind might be said to be a good advertisement for partnership working which, as Molyneux (2001)[6] reminds us can sometimes be problematic. Social Services and Mind Mind is aware of the contribution that social workers make and points out that the right kind of social care can go a long way to alleviating the stress that mental health difficulties may bring. At present mental health users receive only a small amount of social care and are often referred for medical help alone. However, this course of action neglects the enormous social consequences that mental health difficulties can have and how it affects family units. Greater availability of social care would go a long way to alleviating such difficulties. The increasing Government emphasis on partnership working should lead to a greater connection between those who work for social services and the staff of mind. The two of them together could be of considerable help in assisting sufferers to reintegrate back into society after a long hospital stay. Conclusion This paper has examined some of the theories and structures underlying social service departments and the charity called Mind. It has looked at the legislative and policy contexts as they apply to people who need social care and who may also have mental health problems. It has looked at partnership working and how the responsibilities that are incumbent upon social workers are intended to minimalise inequalities and to substantially lessen the power differential between service users and service providers. Bibliography Banks, S. 2003 From oaths to rulebooks: a critical examination of codes of ethics for the social professions European journal of Social Work Volume 6 No. 2 July 2003 p. 133-144 Brayne and Martin 6th ed. 1999 Law for Social Workers London, Blackstone Press http://www.dh.gov.uk/PublicationsAndStatistics/PressReleases/PressReleasesNotices/fs/en?CONTENT_ID=4116486chk=zOTHS/ Molyneux, J 2001 â€Å"Interprofessional team working: What makes teams work well?† Journal of Inter-professional Care 15 (1) 2001 p.1-7 http://www.dh.gov.uk/PublicationsAndStatistics/PressReleases/PressReleasesNotices/fs/en?CONTENT_ID=4116486chk=zOTHS/ http://www.mind.org.uk/About+Mind/ p.1 Disability Discrimination Act 1995 http://www.drc-gb.org/thelaw/thedda.asp http://www.after16.org.uk/pages/law5.html http://www.after16.org.uk/pages/law5.html 1 Footnotes [1] Brayne and Martin 6th ed. 1999 Law for Social Workers London, Blackstone Press [2] http://www.after16.org.uk/pages/law5.html [3] http://www.dh.gov.uk/PublicationsAndStatistics/PressReleases/PressReleasesNotices/fs/en?CONTENT_ID=4116486chk=zOTHS/ [4] http://www.mind.org.uk/About+Mind/ [5] http://www.mind.org.uk/About+Mind/ p.1 [6] Molyneux, J 2001 â€Å"Interprofessional team working: What makes teams work well?† Journal of Inter-professional Care 15 (1) 2001 p.1-7

Eugenics in America Essay -- Sociology Essays Research Papers

Eugenics in America Eugenics profoundly impacted the culture of the twentieth century. Coined in 1893 by Sir Francis Galton, it studied the heredity and selection of favorable traits. Born out of the social tumults of the late nineteenth century, it represented the Western elite’s attempt to protect itself from so called â€Å"inferior† cultures of the colonies and â€Å"new wave† immigration. The late eighteenth century was a turbulent time throughout America. An influx of immigrants packed into massive cities such as New York and Chicago. As opposed to previously northern European immigration, a wave of â€Å"new† immigration in the 1890’s brought immigrants from southern and eastern Europe, who vastly differed culturally and religiously from their northern European counterparts. Some immigrants brought radical ideologies with them such as Marxism, anarchism, and monarchism, which completely differed from the American ideals of free markets, elections, and democracy. The massive influx of people crowded into sordid city blocks brought a slew of social problems such as alcoholism, poverty, murder, rape, and violence. Coupled with falling birth rates among the elite and rising birth rates among immigrants, Anglo-culture sought out an answer to defend itself against the â€Å"siege† of â€Å"inferior† cultures. The late nineteenth century saw the rise of â€Å"eugenics† throughout academia. Founded by Francis Galton (the word came into existence in 1893), eugenics was the study of the selection of favorable traits in society. Deeply influenced by Darwin, Galton published his first eugenicist tract in 1865 Hereditary Genius, which posited that man’s strength, talent, and skill is passed down genetically fr... ...â€Å"degenerate† or â€Å"inferior.† Popularized in the early twentieth, it manifested itself throughout American culture from textbooks to advertisements for household goods. Eugenics represented American culture’s vain attempt to grapple with non-western European cultures and cope with a quickly evolving social landscape. Bibliography Dolan DNA Learning Center, Cold Spring Laboratory, http://www.eugenicsarchive.org/eugenics/ School of Mathematics and Statistics at St. Andrew’s University http://www-gap.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/Mathematicians/Galton.html Pucker, Johnathan, History in the Influences of Intelligence Theory and Testing http://www.indiana.edu/~intell/galton.html Linden, Jeremy http://students.vassar.edu/jelinden/galton.htm McCleymer, Professor at Assumption College http://www.assumption.edu/users/McClymer/his394/contagion.html

Desensitization therapy for allergy: theory and practice Essay

Allergies are one of the most common complaints for which patients seek medical attention. They disrupt patients’ lives and can even make others uncomfortable. While symptomatic relief can be obtained with antihistamines and similar medications, most patients would rather live completely symptom free and thus they turn to desensitization therapy. Here, I will explain the mechanism behind allergies and the different forms of desensitization therapies that are available today. An allergy is a hypersensitivity reaction by the immune system that occurs to certain antigens for which the body perceives as a threat and has an overreaction to. Patients generally experience inflammation of the airways, among other symptoms caused by the inappropriate release of histamine. The purpose of desensitization therapy in the allergic patient is to induce tolerance to the allergens that cause the patient to have symptoms.1 Several methods of desensitization therapy exist, the more prominent being subcutaneous injections and sublingual administration, and the less popular methods of intralymphatic and transcutaneous immunotherapy.2 Before desensitization can begin, however, it has to be determined what the patient is in fact allergic to. This is done by using purified antigen from the suspected allergen and doing either a skin test or a blood test. In the skin test, the suspected allergen is scratched into the skin and is positive when a wheal develops.3 In the blood test, the patient’s blood is mixed with the allergen in order to observe the presence of antibodies—specifically IgE. Therapy can only begin when the appropriate allergen is determined because the immunotherapy is allergen specific. Allergens work by inducing a Type 1 ... ...lege of Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology. Aug 2006;97(2):126-137; quiz 137-140, 202. 12. Ohashi Y, Nakai Y, Murata K. Effect of pretreatment with fexofenadine on the safety of immunotherapy in patients with allergic rhinitis. Annals of allergy, asthma & immunology : official publication of the American College of Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology. Apr 2006;96(4):600-605. 13. Larsen JN, Houghton CG, Vega ML, Lowenstein H. Manufacturing and standardizing allergen extracts in Europe. Clinical allergy and immunology. 2008;21:283-301. 14. Moingeon P, Mascarell L. Induction of tolerance via the sublingual route: mechanisms and applications. Clinical & developmental immunology. 2012;2012:623474. 15. Iglesias-Cadarso A, Hernandez-Weigand P. Risk factors for systemic reactions to allergen immunotherapy. Current opinion in allergy and clinical immunology. Dec 2011;11(6):579-585.

Mba Syllabus

Master of Business Administration (MBA) – 2 Years (Syllabus 2007) SEMESTER I DBA 1601 MANAGEMENT CONCEPTS UNIT I INTRODUCTION TO MANAGEMENT – Evolution of Management thoughts – Contribution of Selected Management Thinkers – Various approaches to management – contemporary management practice – Managing in global environment – Managerial functions. UNIT II PLANNING – Importance of planning – TypesImportance of planning – Types of planning – decision making process – Approaches to decision making – Decision models – Pay off Matrices – Decision trees – Break Even Analysis.UNIT III ORGANISING – Departmentation – Span of ContDepartmentation – Span of Control – Delegation – Centralisation and Decentralisation – Commitees – Line and Staff relationships – Recent trends in organisation structures. eading – Leadership styl es and qualities – Communication – process and barriers. UNIT V CONTROLLING – Managements control systems – techniques – Types of control. TEXT BOOKS: * Stephen P. Robbins and David A. Decenzo, Fundamentals of Management, Pearson Education, Third Edition, 2001. *   J. S.Chandan, Management Concepts and Strategies, Vikas Publishing House, 2002. REFERENCES: * Tim Hannagan, Management Concepts and Practices, Macmillan India Ltd. , 1997. * Hellriegel, Jackson and Slocum, Management: A Competency-Based Approach, South Western, 9th edition, 2002. * Stewart Black and Lyman W. Porter, Management – Meeting New Challenges, Prentice Hall, 2000. * Koontz, Essentials of Management, Tata McGraw-Hill, 5th Edition, 2001. * Bateman Snell, Management: Competing in the new era, McGraw-Hill Irwin, 2002. DBA 1602 STATISTICS FOR MANAGEMENT UNIT I PROBABILITY -Basic definitions and rules for probability, conditional probability, independent of events, Bayeâ€⠄¢s theorem, random variables, Probability distributions: Binomial, Poisson, Uniform and Normal distributions. UNIT II SAMPLING DISTRIBUTION AND ESTIMATION – Introduction to sampling distributions, sampling techniques, sampling distribution of mean and proportion, application of central limit theorem. Estimation: Point and Interval estimates for population parameters of large sample and small samples, determining the sample size. UNIT III TESTING OF HYPOTHESIS -Hypothesis testing: one sample and two samples tests for means and proportions of large samples (z-test), one sample and two sample tests for means of small samples (t-test), F-test for two sample standard deviations, Chi-square test for single samples standard deviation. Chi-square tests for independence of attributes and goodness of fit. UNIT IV NON-PARAMETRIC METHODS – Sign test for paired data. Rank sum test: Mann – Whitney U test and Kruskal Wallis test. One sample run test, rank correlation. UNIT V CORRELATION, REGRESSION AND TIME SERIES ANALYSIS – Correlation analysis, estimation of regression line.Time series analysis: Variations in time series, trend analysis, cyclical variations, seasonal variations and irregular variations. TEXT BOOKS: * Levin R. I. and Rubin D. S. , â€Å"Statistics for management†, 7th edition, Prentice Hall of India Pvt. Ltd. , New Delhi, 2001. * Aczel A. D. and Sounderpandian J. , â€Å"Complete Business Statistics†, 5th edition, Tata McGraw – Hill Publishing Company Ltd. , New Delhi, 2004. * Anderson D. R. , Sweeney D. J. and Williams T. A. , â€Å"Statistics for business and economics†, 8th edition, Thomson (South – Western) Asia Pte. Ltd. , Singapore, 2002. REFERENCES: Levine D. M. , Krehbiel T. C. and Berenson M. L. , â€Å"Business Statistics: A First Course†, Pearson Education Asia, 2nd edition, New Delhi, 2002. * Hooda R. P. , â€Å"Statistics for Business and Economics†, 2nd edition, Macm illan India Ltd. , 2001. * Morse L. B. , â€Å"Statistics for Business and Economics†, HarperCollins college Publishers, New York, 1993. * Bowerman B. L. , Connel R. T. O’ and Hand M. L. , â€Å"Business Statistics in Practice†, 2nd edition, McGraw-Hill / Irwin, 2001. * Gupta S. C. and Kapoor V. K. , â€Å"Fundamentals of MathematicalStatistics†,Sultan Chand & Sons, New Delhi, 2002.DBA1603 ECONOMIC FOUNDATIONS OF BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT UNIT I NATURE AND SCOPE OF MACRO ECONOMIC ISSUES – Macro economic variables – national income, investment, savings, employment, inflation, balance of payment, exchange rate – circular flow of income – national income concepts – measurement of national income – role of economic planning – Indian economic planning. UNIT II ANALYSIS OF NATIONAL INCOME – Determination of national income – Keynesian perspective – multiplier – accelerator – busi ness cycle – the role of fiscal policy – Indian fiscal policy and experiences.UNIT III ANALYSIS OF MONEY MARKET – Demand and supply of money – money market equilibrium – the role of money – monetary policy – Indian perspectives. UNIT IV INTEGRATION OF COMMODITY AND MONEY MARKET – Analysis of inflation and unemployment – the role of economic policies – Indian experiences. UNIT V ANALYSIS OF EXTERNAL SECTOR – International trade – trade multiplier – linkage model – the role of trade policy – analysis of performance of Indian economy in external sector. TEXT BOOKS: * Ahuja H. L. , Economic Environment of Business, Macroeconomic analysis, S.Chand & Company Ltd. , New Delhi, 2005. * Gupta, G. S. Macroeconomics, Theory and Applications, Tata McGraw-Hill publishing company Ltd. , New Delhi, 2001. REFERENCES: * Samuelson, Paul A. , and Nordhaus, W. D. , Economics, Tata McGraw-Hill pu blishing company Ltd. , New Delhi 2004. * Ruddar Datt and K. P. M. Sundharam, Indian Economy, S. Chand & Company Ltd. , New Delhi, 2003. * Government of India (Ministry of Finance), Economic Survey (Latest issue), New Delhi. DBA1604 ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOUR UNIT I FOCUS AND PURPOSE -Definition, need and importance of organizational behaviour – nature and scope – frame work – organizational behaviour models. UNIT II INDIVIDUAL BEHAVIOUR – Personality – types – factors influencing personality – theories – learning – types of learners – the learning process – learning theories – organizational behaviour modification. Attitudes – characteristics – components – formation – measurement. Perceptions – importance – factors influencing perception – interpersonal perception. Motivation – importance – types – effects on work behavior. UNI T III GROUP BEHAVIOUR -Organization structure – formation – groups in organizations – influence – group dynamics – emergence of informal leaders and working norms – group decision making techniques – interpersonal relations – communication – control. UNIT IV LEADERSHIP AND POWER – Meaning – importance – leadership styles – theories – leaders Vs managers – sources of power – power centers – power and politics. UNIT V DYNAMICS OF ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOURS – Organizational climate – factors affecting organizational climate – importance. Job satisfaction – determinants – measurements – influence on behavior.Organizational change – importance – stability Vs change – proactive Vs reactive change – the change process – resistance to change – managing change. Organizational development †“ characteristics – objectives – team building. Organizational effectiveness – perspective – effectiveness Vs efficiency – approaches – the time dimension – achieving organizational effectiveness. TEXT BOOKS: * Stephen P. Robins, Organisational Behavior, Prentice Hall of India, 9th edition, 2001. * Hellriegel, Slocum and Woodman, Organisational Behavior, South-Western, Thomson Learning, 9th edition, 2001. REFERENCES: Schermerhorn, Hunt and Osborn, Organisational behavior, John Wiley, 7th edition, 2001. * Jit S. Chand, Organisational Behavior, Vikas publishing House Pvt. Ltd. 2nd edition, 2001. * Fred Luthans, Organisational Behavior, McGraw Hill Book Co. , 1998. * New Strom & Davis, Organisational behaviour, McGraw Hill, 2001. * Jaffa Harris and Sandra Hartman, Organisational Behaviour, Jaico, 2002. DBA1605 COMMUNICATION SKILLS UNIT I COMMUNICATION IN BUSINESS – Systems approach, forms of business communication, managemen t and communication, factors facilitating communication. UNIT II COMMUNICATION PROCESS -Interpersonal perception, selective attention, feedback, variables, listening, barriers to listening, persuasion, attending and conducting interviews, participating in discussions, debates and conferences, presentation skills, paralinguistic features, oral fluency development. UNIT III BUSINESS CORRESPONDENCE – Business letter. Memos, minutes, agendas, enquiries, orders, sales letters, notice, tenders, letters of application, letter of complaints. UNIT IV TECHNICAL REPORTS – Format, Choice of vocabulary, coherence and cohesion, paragraph writing, organization. UNIT V PROJECT REPORTS – Project proposal, project reports, appraisal reports.TEXT BOOKS: * Sharan J. Genrson and Steven M. Gerson – â€Å"Technical Writing – Process and Product† – Pearson Education – 2000. * Raymond V. Lesikar, John D. Pettit and Mary E. Flatley – Lesikass Bas ic Communication Tata McGraw Will 8th Edition – 1999. * Stevel. E. Pauley, Daniel G. Riordan – Technical Report Writing Today – AITBS Publishing & Distributors, India 5th edition – 2000. * Robert L. Shurter, Effective letters in business Thrid Ed. 1983. REFERENCES: * McGraith – Basic Managerial Skills for all Prentice Hall of India – 6th Edition 2002. * Halliday, M. A. Ky R. Hasan, Cohesion in English, Longman, London 1976.DBA1606 ACCOUNTING FOR MANAGEMENT UNIT I FINANCIAL ACCOUNTING 1. 1 Introduction to Financial, cost and management accounting, generally accepted accounting principles, conventions and concepts. The balance sheet and related concepts, the profit and loss account and related concepts/ Introduction to inflation accounting, introduction to human resources accounting. 1. 2 Accounting Mechanics – Basic records, preparation of financial statements, revenue recognition and measurement, matching revenues and expenses, In ventory pricing and valuation, Fixed assets and depreciation accounting, intangible assets. . 3 Analysis of financial statements – Financial ratio analysis, cash flow and funds flow statement analysis UNIT II COST ACCOUNTING AND MANAGEMENT ACCOUNTING 2. 1 Cost Accounts – Accounting for manufacturing operations, classification of manufacturing costs, Accounting for manufacturing costs. Cost Accounting Systems: Job order costing, Process costing, Activity Based costing, Costing and the value chain, Target costing, Cost-Volume – Profit Analysis, Standard cost system. 2. 2 Management Accounting:Relevant Cost for decision making, Incremental analysis, Special order decision, Production constraint decisions, Make or buy decisions, sell, scrap or rebuild decisions, Joint product decision, Responsibility accounting and performance evaluation. Budget: As a planning and control tool. TEXT BOOKS: * M. Y. Khan & P. K. Jain – Management Accounting, Tata McGraw Hil l publishing company Ltd. , 2004. * M. A. Sahaf – Management Accounting (Principles & Pratice): Vikas Publishing House Pvt. Ltd. , New Delhi, 2004. REFERENCES: * R. S. N. Pillai & Bagavathi – Managemnt Accounting S. Chand & Co.Ltd. , New Delhi, (2002). * R. Narayanaswamy – Financial Accounting – A managerial perspective Prentice Hall India Pvt. , Ltd. , New Delhi. * Bhattacharya S. K. John Dearden Accounting for Managemnt text and cases – Vikas publishing house, New Delhi, 2000. * Charles T. Hornegren – Introduction to management accounting Prentice Hall, New Delhi, 2001. DBA1607 LEGAL ASPECTS OF BUSINESS UNIT I MERCANTILE AND COMMERCIAL LAW The Indian Contract Act 1872 – Essential of a valid contract, Void Agreements, Formation of a contract, performance of contracts, breach of contract and its remedies, Quasi contracts.The Sale of Goods Act 1930 – Sales contract, transfer of title and risk of loss, warranties in s ales contract, performance of sales contracts, conditional sales and rights of an unpaid seller. Negotiable instruments Act 1881 – Nature and requisites of negotiable instruments, transfer of negotiable instruments and liability of parties, enforcement of secondary liability, holder in due course, special rules for cheques and drafts, discharge of negotiable instruments.Agency – Nature of agency – How created, Agent’s authority and liability of principal and third party: Rights and duties of principal, agents and Third party, liability of principal or agents torts, termination of agency. UNIT II COMPANY LAW – Major principles – Nature and types of companies, Formation, Memorandum and Articles of Association, Prospectus, Power, duties and liabilities of Directors, winding up of companies, Corporate Governance. UNIT III INDUSTRIAL LAW – An Overview of Factories Act, Payment of Wages Act, Payment of Bonus Act, Minimum Wages Act, Industri al Disputes Act.UNIT IV INCOME TAX ACT AND SALES TAX ACT – Corporate Tax Planning, Overview of Sales Tax Act, including Value Added Tax. UNIT V CONSUMER PROTECTION ACT AND INTRODUCTION OF CYBER LAWS. TEXT BOOKS: * N. D. Kapoor, Elements of mercantile law – Sultanchand and company, New Delhi – Latest edition. * Sen & Mitra – Commercial and Industrial law – The world press, Pvt. Ltd. , Calcutta – 1996. REFERENCES: * P. P. S. Gogna, Mercantile Law, S. Chand & Co. Ltd. , New Delhi, 1999. * Dr. Vinod K. Singhania Direct Taxes Planning and Management (Latest edition). * Respective Bare Acts.