Online Registration Reservation System

Chapter I INTRODUCTION Project Context The presence of Online Registration and Reservation system of Dalton Academy help the students as well as the school to fasten their system of enrollment as well as reservation. At present, the Dalton Academy has three sections of each year level. The enrollment and reservation process is done in a first come per serve basis, thus if you are early to enroll even you are belong in the first section however if you are late enrollee then you are place in the last section. This policy is there to all year level from first year to fourth year.There are certain problems also have been encountered such as the process of registration in which all year level are piled up in the registration booth. Conflict of date for the registration and reservation. The filing-up of information in the registration forms. In order to resolve this, we create an online registration. This will be indicate a registration procedure in the online registration and reservation system. It reserve in the section, create an account to register in the form in order to reserve in the section.Purpose and Description of the project Purpose This study covers the registration and reservation process of enrollment the respondents is easy to resolved enrollment process problem. It is not difficult for them even if how many students reserve from the online registration reservation but it also limited because three section every year level and per section consist of fifty students only and also much better easy to look if how many students are reserve for enrollment every day.This study will help the teacher’s with this enrolling period because they easy to see on the internet, even are they in other places. Anytime, anywhere they can easily to take a look at that online registration reservation system. Description The study covers the features in this room to show the Registered user under this covered the home, about us information, the administration, the ph oto gallery to show some features of the school, the registered students account. This register page here it show the sign up if you are willing to reserve for registration.The sign up contains the Fname, Mname, Lname, Address, Birthdate, Birthplace, Age, Gender, the username and the password, you can also browse picture if you have. And after that click the register personal information to complete the registration, after you register to sign up the registration form which has a step to be followed of your personal background, under the guest user you can update your profile, your personal information in enrollment and they recognized if what year level and school year you are in the enrollment registration, you can also post a comment on blog and of course the log out.The present of administrator side show the login user account and after that show the Dalton Academy list which is the Manage announcement, Gallery, Registered students, Join blog, School year, manage about us inform ation and the administration setup. Through this is easily to take a look with our system covers. Objectives of the Project This study aims to design, develop and implement an Online Reservation Registration System to be able to: 1. Registered User to: a. log in to connect and communicate with the system. . View the information about the Dalton Academy. c. Registration/ Reservation process. d. Open for slot for the students, first come first serve (Fifty students per section). e. Close no slot, limited only. 2. Guest User to: a. View information about Dalton Academy. 3. Administrator to: a. Update (Add, Edit and Delete) different information about Dalton Academy. b. Filter Registration of reserve students for this coming school year. c. Restrict guest users in accessing the different services of the system

Valuating & Financial Prediction of Fortescue Metals Group Ltd

| Valuating & Financial Prediction of Fortescue Metals Group Ltd| AFX9540 BUSINESS FINANCE| | | | Executive Summary This report is written to offer a business analysis of Fortescue Metals Group Ltd (FMG) where there will be a discussion on the background of the company, its return on the pre-post announcement of raising funds, the capital structure during the global financial crisis in comparison to its peers and the estimation on the share valuation in comparison to the actual share value. Fortescue Metals Group (ASX:  FMG) is an Australian iron ore mining company.The company has holdings of more than 87,000 km? in the Pilbara region of Western Australia making it the largest tenement holder in the state. It is listed as FMG on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX). In 2008, the group loaded its first iron ore shipment bound for China. Fortescue have at least 10 Chinese steel mill contracts lasting for around 10 years. Baosteel was the first company to receive their iron ore. F or the share valuation, the report uses the CAPM model to determine the prevailing cost of capital and also uses the dividend discount multistage model to predict the share price for the company.The components of the CAPM model (i. e. risk free rate, company beta, Market return and growth rate) are calculated and predicted on historical data. The valuation data is then compared with the actual market price of the shares for the corresponding years and a brief analysis is then performed on the economic and internal reasoning behind any variance encountered. Table of Contents Executive Summary2 1. 0Brief overview of the company4 2. 0Capital Structure4 2. 1Funds raised by the company4 2. 2Usage of the fund5 2. 3Announcement date for the issue5 2. 4Share-return pre and post announcement5 2. Market return same period6 2. 6 Market Perception6 2. 7 Effect of recent financial crisis7 3. 0 Valuation of FXJ shares7 3. 1Risk free rate calculation8 3. 2Market rate calculation8 3. 3Beta calculat ion9 3. 4CAPM Calculation10 3. 5Growth rate calculation10 3. 6Share valuation11 3. 7Comparison of valuation vs. actual data12 3. 8 Evaluation of the variation13 4. 0 Conclusion13 Appendix 1: Cash rate target14 Appendix 2: Market data for beta calculation14 Reference & Bibliography†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 16 . 0General background of the Firm Fortescue Metals Group Ltd is the New Force in Iron Ore and has joined the world's leading producers of iron ore. Since the Company was formed in 2003, its extraordinary growth has been unparalleled. Listed in the S;P/ASX 50 share index, Fortescue has firmly established itself as one of the world's largest producers and sea-borne traders of iron ore. From Construction to Production Construction of Fort escue's port, rail and mine project commenced in February 2006 with the turning of the first sod at the Company's port site at Anderson Point in Port Hedland.Just two years later in 2008, the open-access rail infrastructure was complete and  operations were underway  at the Fortescue Herb Elliott Port and at the Company's first minesite, Cloudbreak. Shipping started on 15 May 2008 and Project Completion was achieved within months. On 18 July 2008, Fortescue's fifth anniversary, the Company successfully mined, railed and shipped at a rate of 24mtpa (Million ton per annum) for a one month period. In the first full year of operations, Fortescue mined, railed and shipped more than 27 million tonnes of iron ore to customers in China. FinanceFortescue's project was founded on the raising of A$3. 7 billion capital, including A$1 billion equity, during two finance road shows in August 2006 and July 2007. The August 2006 raising was the largest single high-yield Asia-Pacific transaction, the largest high-yield bond project financing ever, one of the largest corporate bonds out of Australia and one of the largest global bond issues in the sector. Since then Fortescue has grown to become an S;P/ASX 50 company. Over 55,000 Australians have become shareholders in the proudly Australian founded and managed company.A substantial increase in Fortescue's Resource Inventory to 10. 03 billion tonnes in March 2011, including 1. 6 billion  tonnes of Reserves,  positioned the company as one of the world's major resource houses. This massive Resource Inventory was achieved in record time and was delineated from approximately 10 per cent of  Fortescue's 88,000 square kilometres of Pilbara tenements. 2. 0Capital Structure of the Firm 2. 1Funds raised by the company 1,326,316 number of Ordinary Shares were issued to generate A$6. 3 million. 2. 2Purpose of Fund 1,326,316 number of Ordinary Shares were issued as payment for a distribution of A$6. million due under the A$140m, R edeemable Preference Share issued with maturity on or before February 2017. 2. 3Announcement date of the issue The initial announcement date for this issue of the Ordinary Share was 15th September 2010. 2. 4Share return from two days before the announcement date to two days after the announcement. Holding Period Return=Ending Price-Beginning PriceBeginning Price ? 100 Holding Period Return=p1-p0p0 ? 100; P1 = Ending Price, P0 = Beginning Price | Date| Open| High| ow| Close| Volume| Adj Close*| 17 Sep 2010| 4. 87| 4. 92| 4. 83| 4. 84| 25,307,700| 4. 82| 16 Sep 2010| 5. 2| 5. 02| 4. 85| 4. 86| 15,360,000| 4. 84| 15 Sep 2010| 5. 03| 5. 08| 4. 99| 5. 03| 11,614,800| 5. 01| 14 S p 2010| 4. 99| 5. 07| 4. 97| 5. 02| 10,319,500| 5. 00| 13 Sep 2010| 4. 91| 5. 01| 4. 90| 4. 97| 14,643,800| 4. 95| | Closing price adjusted for dividend and splits Before the Announcement Date: Holding Period Return=p1-p0p0 ? 100 So, HPR=5. 02-4. 914. 91 ? 100 = 2. 24% After the Announcement Date: Holding Period Return=p1-p0p0 ? 100 So, HPR=4. 84-5. 025. 02 ? 100 = -3. 59% 2. 5Market Return same period | Date| Open| High| Low| Close| Volume| Adj Close*| 17 Sep 2010| 4,657. 70| 4,692. 50| 4,657. 0| 4,685. 10| 1,523,846,600| 4,685. 10| 16 Sep 2010| 4,703. 00| 4,707. 70| 4,648. 90| 4,650. 00| 1,813,657,000| 4,650. 00| 15 Sep 2010| 4,670. 10| 4,710. 50| 4,669. 90| 4,702. 70| 1,644,565,600| 4,702. 70| 14 Sep 2010| 4,661. 40| 4,688. 90| 4,661. 10| 4,669. 10| 1,422,233,600| 4,669. 10| 13 Sep 2010| 4,613. 30| 4,660. 90| 4,612. 70| 4,654. 20| 1,433,713,600| 4,654. 20| Closing price adjusted for dividend and splits Holding Period Return=Ending Price-Beginning PriceBeginning Price ? 100 Holding Period Return=p1-p0p0 ? 100; P1 = Ending Price, P0 = Beginning Price Before the Announcement Date:Holding Period Return=p1-p0p0 ? 100 So, HPR=4669. 10-4613. 304613. 30 ? 100 = 1. 21% After the Announcement Date: Holding Period Return=p1-p0p0 ? 100 So, HPR=4685. 10-47034703 ? 100 = -0. 38% 2. 6Market Perception From the above analysis it can be seen that the share performance of the company and the market was stable during the pre and post two days of the announcement. Previously before the announcement the performance of both is going the similar path (upward movement). On the other hand post announcement illustrated negative result (-3. 59% against -0. 38%) for Fortescue Metals Group Ltd.There might be two causes behind this; one, the share price have been over estimated for which the price had to be adjusted. Secondly, the investors did not take the fund raising issue positively as they might think it would not generate much fund for the company’s growth and thus unable to generate enough wealth for them. 2. 7Effect of recent financial crisis | | BlueScope| Fortescue Metals| Mount Gibson| OneSteel| Net Gearing| 2007| 0%| 0%| 0%| 46. 65%| | 2008| 0%| 0%| 25. 42%| 56. 72%| | 2009| 0%| 9%| 6. 29%| 28. 22%| | 2010| 14. 82%| 169. 90%| 3. 97%| 21. 45%| | 2011| 24. 43%| 183. 43%| -| 38. 36%|Table 1: Gearing ratio-peer analysis of Fortescue Metals Group Ltd. We can conclude that the recent financial crisis did not affect the industry’s capital structure. As of now the mining industry is going boom. In the time of recession, most of the companies will not have enough profit to repay a debt so; investors are more interested in investing in mining industry rather than some other industry. By using the gearing ratio, it can be seen that Fortescue’s degree of leverage is higher, the more higher the  company is considered risky. However Fortescue Metals Ltd is very strong with their high growth rate compared to its competitors.For them paying off the debt would not be a big issue as they are enjoying three benefits which are; one, mining industry is going boom; two, Australian dollar (AUD) getting stronger; and three, Fortescue’s operations are well placed to maintain the 55mtpa rate across the 2012 financial year while development to 155mtpa conti nues in a mixture of brownfields and greenfields projects, scheduled to take place through to June 2013. 3. 0Valuation of shares The dividend discount multistage model is a procedure for valuing the price of a stock by using predicted dividends and discounting them back to present value.The idea is that if the value obtained from the dividend discount multistage model is higher than what the shares are currently trading at, then the stock is undervalued. Formula P0 = D11+R The required return can be calculated using the CAPM (capital asset pricing model) model, which becomes the cost capital of the project. Formula CAPM: E(r)= Rf+[? i (Rm-Rf)] 3. 1Risk free rate calculation The benchmark interest rate in Australia was last reported at 4. 75 percent. In Australia, interest rates decisions are taken by the Reserve Bank of Australia's Board.The interest rate needs to be adjusted yearly using the Effective Annual Rate. EAR = (1+in)n-1 EAR| 2011| 2010| 2009| Calculation| (1+. 0475/365)36 5-1| (1+. 0396/365)365-1| (1+. 0479/365)365-1| Rf| 4. 86%| 4. 03%| 4. 90%| Table 2: Risk Free rate 3. 2Market rate calculation The calculation of market return will include statistics from 5 years to counteract any data abnormality from recession or seasonal spikes. | 2005| 2006| 2007| 2008| 2009| 2010| 2011| Calculation| 4,229. 93,546. 1-1| 5,034. 04,225. 9-1| 6,310. 65035. 4-1| 3,947. 85,345. 8-1| 3,947. 85,345. 8-1| 4,324. 83,934. 4-1| 4,659. 84,309. -1| Return| 0. 1928| 0. 1912| 0. 2532| -0. 1549| -0. 2615| 0. 0992| 0. 0811| Average Market return based on five years performance is: Rm2011 = (0. 2532-0. 1549-0. 2615+0. 0992+0. 0811)5 = 0. 0034 = 0. 34% Rm2010 = (0. 1912+. 2532-0. 1549-0. 2615+0. 0992)5 = 0. 0254 = 2. 54% Rm2009 = (0. 1928+0. 1912+0. 2532-0. 1549-0. 2615)5 = 0. 04416 = 4. 42% 3. 3Beta calculation: The beta is taken from FinAnalysis. Beta (? ) is a number describing the relation of its returns with those of the financial market as a whole. The beta coefficient is a key parameter in the capital asset pricing model (CAPM).It measures the part of the asset's statistical variance that cannot be removed by the diversification provided by the portfolio of many risky assets, because of the correlation of its returns with the returns of the other assets that are in the portfolio. Formula for Beta is: i=1n[Ri-ER]2n-1 Data from 2009 to 2011 has been used and a data of 3 years is used to calculate the beta. | 2009| 2010| 2011| ?| 0. 91| 0. 80| 0. 88| A beta of greater than 1 indicates that the security's price will be more volatile than the market. Fortescue Metals Ltd has a beta of 0. 88; therefore it is less volatile than the market. 3. CAPM Calculation: Hence, using Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM) as Required Return E(r)= Rf+[? i (Rm-Rf)] | 2009| 2010| 2011| Calculation| 4. 90% + [0. 88(4. 42%-4. 90%)]| 4. 03% + [0. 88(2. 54%-4. 03%)]| 4. 86% + [0. 88(0. 34%-4. 86%)]| Return| 4. 48%| 2. 72%| 0. 88%| Table 4: Cost of Capital 3. 5Growth Rate Calcula tion Growth rate calculation represents the  compounded annualized rate of growth of a company's revenues, earnings, dividends, etc. The formula for growth rate = Return on equity X Plowback ratio = ROE ? (1-DividendEPS) This growth rate will be used for the calculation of share prices for the last three years.ROE, DIV and EPS from 2009 to 2011 are shown below: | 2009| 2010| 2011| ROE| 13. 62%| 51. 57%| 75. 36%| DIV ($)| -| -| 7. 0| EPS ($)| 21. 90| 22. 12| 31. 88| Table 5: Financial data g2011 = ROE(2011) (1- Div(2011)/EPS(2011)) = 75. 36%(1-7/31. 88)= 58. 81% g2010 = ROE(2010) (1- Div(2010)/EPS(2010)) = 51. 57%(1-0/22. 12)= 51. 57% g2009 = ROE(2009) (1- Div(2009)/EPS(2009)) = 13. 62%(1-0/21. 90)= 13. 62% Below is the summary of the data discussed: Components| 2009| 2010| 2011| Er| 4. 48%| 2. 72%| 0. 88%| Rf| 4. 86%| 4. 03%| 4. 90%| Rm| 4. 42%| 2. 54%| 0. 34%| ?i| 0. 91| 0. 80| 0. 88| | 13. 62%| 51. 57%| 58. 81%| Table 6: Summarisation of component 3. 6Share Valuation To calculat e the value of the shares, we need to determine the method of valuation so; mixed stage dividend model can be used to calculate the value of the share. Bearing in mind the business nature, we can see an average of 41. 33% growth which is abnormally high. For the purpose of calculation we will presume this high growth rate will continue for another 40-45 years at least. As it is a new mining company and as we know that the return comes late so, the growth rate is high even after a long term.From 2053 onwards we assume that the business will grow at 7% rate, which we believe is a conservative approach, as because by then there will be many mining companies opening both domestically and internationally. China is progressing very fast and by next 15-20 years they will level up, not just China; India, South Africa, South America etc are also catching-up fast, so due to the high competition the market would not remain the same and it will change consecutively as forecasted. The valuation calculation will take this assumption towards establishing the model. P2009=i=20092012D0 (1+g)i(1+Ke)i + Pi(1+Ke)iP2010=i=20102012D0 (1+g)i(1+Ke)i + Pi(1+Ke)i P2011=i=20112012D0 (1+g)i(1+Ke)i + Pi(1+Ke)i | Growth Rate| Net Cash Flow| Cost of Capital| | D2009| | -13,643| 4. 48%| | D2010| | 1,877,963| 2. 72%| | D2011| 41. 33%| 4,206,365| 0. 88%| | D2012| 50%| 4,906,922| 0. 92%| | D2013| 55%| 6,767,080. 65| 0. 99%| | D2014| 60%| 10,435,594. 64| 0. 99%| | D2015| 60%| 16,587,385. 22| 0. 96%| | D2016| 60%| 26,477,415. 36| 0. 98%| | D2017| 60%| 42,346,454. 77| 1%| | D2018| 60%| 67,743,188. 44| 0. 95%| | D2019| 60%| 108,379,297. 7| 0. 96%| | D2020| 60%| 173,398,415. 1| 0. 98%| | D2021| 60%| 277,429,356. 2| 1%| |D2022| 60%| 443,881,664. 5| 0. 98%| | -| -| -| -| | D2052| 8. 19%| 13,101,273,811| 0. 98%| | D2053| 7%| 22,933,861. 67| 0. 98%| | | P2009| 3. 89| | P2010| 3. 61| | P2011| 5. 46| Table 7: Summary calculation 3. 7Comparison of valuation vs. actual data From the valuation calculated thr ough the process, now we will compare that with the actual data from the market. Year| Valuation Data| Actual Data| Variance| Comment| 2009| 3. 89| 3. 64| -6. 40%| Undervalued| 2010| 3. 61| 3. 96| 9. 64%| Overvalued| 2011| 5. 46| 5. 98| 9. 43%| Overvalued| Table 8: comparison of actual and calculated data 3. Evaluation of the variation The valuation of the shares seems to be in the right track compared with the market trend. Nevertheless, post state gives a more variable scenario. Dividend was replaced by using the net operation Cash Flow per share. The operation cash flow only represents the cash flow in the company’s operation activities; whilst the company also have investing activities and financing activities. Thus, only use of the operation cash flow in the valuation has a high percentage of uncertainty. According to the table above, the actual price is undervalued.The valuation can be endorsed to the lower than expected risk premium in the market resulting from the con trolled risk free rate determined by the government. Another issue can be AUD getting stronger compared to USD, resulting additional dent on the nominal cost of capital for the company. In the later part of the table, the actual price is overvalued. In order to illustrate this phenomenon, one possible reason is inflation. Inflation is an overall general rise in prices. As we know, global financial crisis happened few years back, the effect of the financial crisis was significant on the whole market and caused inflation.Therefore, due to inflation, the market prices are higher than the actual prices. Another possible reason is some unpredicted economic/natural events happened during this period and lead to movements of the market price. On the other hand the factors can be attributed to the assumptions and predictions using the calculation components. CAPM formula and Beta calculation has its own risk and de-merits. The growth rate is strongly manipulated by the industry’s lan dscape, economic status and political issues.The information available could also affect the actual share prices in the market which will impact on decision making for share buyers/sellers. The share price valuation will be varied from one investor to another depends on their information. As there is an existence of asymmetric information in the market, one cannot estimate the share price exactly the same with the actual share price. Besides, the investors behaviour are different between one another, hence, the pattern of the actual share price is not only based on market returns in general, but also depends on whether the level of the risk that the investors are willing to bear. . 0Conclusion In conclusion, we need to consider about inflation and unpredicted events when we investigate the market price. In addition, we need to distinguish nominal interest rate and real interest rate when we calculate. Appendix 1: Cash rate target: Effective date| New cash rate| Adjusted cash rate| | | 2011| 4. 75| 5 May 2010| 4. 75| 2010| 3. 96| 7 Apr 2010| 4. 50| | | 3 Mar 2010| 4. 25| | | 2 Dec 2009| 4. 00| | | 4 Nov 2009| 3. 75| | | 7 Oct 2009| 3. 50| | | 8 Apr 2009| 3. 00| | | 4 Feb 2009| 3. 25| 2009| 4. 79| 3 Dec 2008| 4. 25| | | 5 Nov 2008| 5. 25| | | 8 Oct 2008| 6. 00| | | 3 Sep 2008| 7. 00| | |Appendix 2: Market Data for beta calculation: Date| Open| High| Low| Close| Volume| Adj Close| 3/10/2011| 0. 81| 0. 94| 0. 79| 0. 89| 18267300| 0. 89| 1/09/2011| 0. 85| 0. 9| 0. 74| 0. 82| 16091200| 0. 82| 1/08/2011| 0. 87| 0. 92| 0. 68| 0. 85| 15948300| 0. 85| 1/07/2011| 0. 98| 1. 01| 0. 86| 0. 88| 11603100| 0. 88| 1/06/2011| 1. 09| 1. 09| 0. 94| 0. 98| 17479100| 0. 98| 2/05/2011| 1. 32| 1. 33| 1. 03| 1. 08| 21843500| 1. 08| 1/04/2011| 1. 29| 1. 37| 1. 25| 1. 32| 17067200| 1. 32| 1/03/2011| 1. 29| 1. 3| 1. 17| 1. 29| 18402900| 1. 29| 1/02/2011| 1. 34| 1. 46| 1. 28| 1. 3| 14583200| 1. 3| 4/01/2011| 1. 4| 1. 42| 1. 33| 1. 35| 10259000| 1. 5| 1/12/2010| 1. 37| 1. 46| 1. 36| 1. 4| 1 8060000| 1. 4| 1/11/2010| 1. 44| 1. 49| 1. 32| 1. 37| 15254000| 1. 37| 1/10/2010| 1. 45| 1. 55| 1. 4| 1. 45| 12209300| 1. 45| 1/09/2010| 1. 47| 1. 57| 1. 44| 1. 47| 10714700| 1. 47| 2/08/2010| 1. 48| 1. 52| 1. 33| 1. 44| 12983000| 1. 43| 1/07/2010| 1. 3| 1. 51| 1. 29| 1. 48| 10254300| 1. 46| 1/06/2010| 1. 52| 1. 52| 1. 26| 1. 32| 17287600| 1. 3| 3/05/2010| 1. 72| 1. 76| 1. 4| 1. 51| 19697600| 1. 5| 1/04/2010| 1. 79| 1. 83| 1. 72| 1. 73| 12311100| 1. 71| 1/03/2010| 1. 62| 1. 86| 1. 62| 1. 8| 16808300| 1. 78| 1/02/2010| 1. 7| 1. 88| 1. 64| 1. 65| 17412500| 1. 63| 4/01/2010| 1. 74| 1. 88| 1. 7| 1. 73| 13261300| 1. 71| 1/12/2009| 1. 63| 1. 75| 1. 56| 1. 74| 8904800| 1. 72| 2/11/2009| 1. 55| 1. 77| 1. 52| 1. 63| 11449600| 1. 62| 1/10/2009| 1. 72| 1. 8| 1. 52| 1. 61| 14759100| 1. 59| 1/09/2009| 1. 46| 1. 75| 1. 42| 1. 72| 18761900| 1. 7| 3/08/2009| 1. 49| 1. 55| 1. 4| 1. 47| 18455600| 1. 46| 1/07/2009| 1. 19| 1. 48| 1. 07| 1. 48| 15136300| 1. 46| 1/06/2009| 1. 15| 1. 35| 1. 15| 1. 22| 156 24600| 1. 21| 1/05/2009| 1. 18| 1. 18| 0. 99| 1. 14| 15047200| 1. 13| 1/04/2009| 1. 01| 1. 19| 1. 01| 1. 18| 16260500| 1. 17| 2/03/2009| 0. 95| 1. 08| 0. 8| 1. 01| 18923300| 1. 01| 2/02/2009| 1. 35| 1. 39| 0. 92| 1. 08| 9490000| 1. 07| /01/2009| 1. 64| 1. 76| 1. 25| 1. 4| 5383300| 1. 39| 1/12/2008| 1. 4| 1. 67| 1. 33| 1. 63| 7776700| 1. 62| 3/11/2008| 1. 94| 2. 09| 1. 12| 1. 35| 8740000| 1. 34| 1/10/2008| 2. 75| 2. 76| 1. 85| 1. 92| 6877000| 1. 9| 1/09/2008| 2. 82| 3. 11| 2. 59| 2. 64| 7193700| 2. 62| 1/08/2008| 2. 65| 3. 05| 2. 58| 2. 82| 10400800| 2. 79| 1/07/2008| 2. 9| 3. 2| 2. 57| 2. 75| 8612800| 2. 72| References & Bibliography * http://www. asx. com. au/asx/research/companyInfo. do? by=asxCode&asxCode=FMG * http://www. investsmart. com. au/shares/asx/Fortescue-Metals-Group-FMG. asp * http://www. fxj. com. au/shareholders/Fairfax_AnnualReport_2011. df * http://www. fmgl. com. au/IRM/Company/ShowPage. aspx/PDFs/2147-13354473/Appendix3 bAllotmentofShares * http://au. finance. ya hoo. com/q/ao? s=FMG. AX * http://datanalysis. morningstar. com. au. ezproxy. lib. monash. edu. au/af/company/issuedcapital? ASXCode=FMG&page=1&resultsperpage=25&xsl_predicate=&xsl_start_year=1999&xsl_end_year=2011&active=ISU_Sec1&xsl_start_date=1999-01-01&xsl_end_date=2011-12-31&xtm-licensee=dat#Active_ISU_Sec2 * http://www. asx. com. au/asx/statistics/announcements. do? by=asxCode&asxCode=fmg&timeframe=Y&year=2010 * http://www. specthuntley. com. au. ezproxy. lib. monash. edu. au/af/company/mainview? ASXCode=FMG * http://au. finance. yahoo. com/q/hp? s=FMG. AX&a=06&b=1&c=2008&d=05&e=30&f=2011&g=m * http://www. asx. com. au/research/market-statistics. htm ——————————————– [ 1 ]. http://www. fmgl. com. au/IRM/Company/ShowPage. aspx/PDFs/2147-13354473/Appendix3bAllotmentofShares [ 2 ]. http://au. finance. yahoo. com/q/hp? s=FMG. AX&a=08&b=13&c=2010&d=08&e=17&f=2010&g=d [ 3 ]. http: //au. finance. yahoo. com/q/hp? s=%5EAORD&a=08&b=13&c=2010&d=08&e=17&f=2010&g=d [ 4 ]. ttp://www. bluescopesteel. com/investors/annual-reports [ 5 ]. http://www. igo. com. au/IRM/content/investor/annualreports. htm [ 6 ]. http://www. mtgibsoniron. com. au/pages2/InvestRelations. aspx? PageID=IR_AR [ 7 ]. http://www. aspecthuntley. com. au. ezproxy. lib. monash. edu. au/af/company/annualratios? ASXCode=OST&xtm-licensee=finanalysis [ 8 ]. http://www. investopedia. com/terms/d/ddm. asp#axzz1aBqlpkfj Table 3: Market return [ 9 ]. http://www. tradingeconomics. com/australia/interest-rate [ 10 ]. http://www. aspecthuntley. com. au. ezproxy. lib. monash. edu. au/af/company/annualps

Finance and Portfolio Management Assignment 4 Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

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What are the roots of the present crisis of the euro Essay

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Hispanics, African-Americans and other cultural Term Paper

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Law Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

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What is faith Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

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Assignment Internal Cash Control Essay Example for Free

Assignment Internal Cash Control Essay The weaknesses in the internal control over cash disbursements are, there should be only one person in charge of writing the checks for each task, and there should be numbered checks for both people so that the funds spend can be tracked easier, the cabinets were the checks are stored should be two locked cabinets, one for each person who writes the checks. Memo: I would recommend that to have a better control over money paid and items purchased, that you start having numbered checks in two separate accounts, one account for the treasurer and one account for the purchasing agent. This method will make it easier for moth parties to avoid mistakes, and it will also be easier to verify money spent and received. P4-1A The internal control principles implemented by the Guard Dog Company are, numbered checks so that the company has a number trail to monitor cash dispersment. Each check must have approval from Jane Bell, and Dennis Kurt before a check can be issued, this is an establishment of responsibility to ensure that not just anyone ion the company can write checks. Checks must be signed by either Tom Kimball, the treasurer, or Karen Thews, the assistant treasurer. Before signing a check, the signer is expected to compare the amounts of the check with the amounts on the invoice, this is also a form of establishment of responsibility and both of these procedures are a use of documentation procedures. After signing a check, the signer stamps the invoice â€Å"paid† and inserts within the stamp, the date, check number, and amount of the check. The â€Å"paid† invoice is then sent to the accounting department for recording. By doing this it is a way of verifying company cash dispersment and documentation control. Blank checks are stored in a safe in the treasurer’s office. The combination to the safe is known by only the treasurer and assistant treasurer. By locking the checks in a safe it establishes responsibility for the checks, and uses a Physical, mechanical, and electronic controls to narrow down any check problems to one source. Each month the bank statement is reconciled with the bank balance per books by the assistant chief accountant. By doing this it establishes document control, this way any discrepancies in the amount paid can be verified. Indicate the weaknesses in internal accounting control in the handling of collections. The weaknesses in the handling of collections are the way the money is deposited, the way the checks are made out and the way the money is verified and deposited. P4-2A List the improvements in internal control procedures that you plan to make at the next meeting of the audit team for (1) the ushers, (2) the head usher, (3) the financial secretary, and (4) the finance committee. The improvements the ushers need to make is that after each offering they should individually count their own collected baskets and log there amount in an offering log book, so that there is less room for error in the next step. By handing all the baskets to the head usher without counting the money themselves, the head usher can offer any amount on his final deposit. The improvements the head usher needs to make is to make sure that each usher counts their baskets, and that the head usher counts all the baskets and checks for discrepancies to make sure that no one is pocketing any money. The head usher should also check the amount given to him/her against what is written in the offering log. Have a book to log the amount of money that is put into the safe so that it is logged in a way that can be verified by the committee, a note is not a safe method because it can be thrown out, by logging in a book it is easier to find were the discrepancies came from. The improvements the financial secretary should make is that he/she should have a list of what needs to be paid and make a log of the amounts that need paid and to make sure the receipts are logged along with whatever bills or services that needed to be paid that week. The financial secretary should also verify the amount of money in the safe against the log that is kept by the ushers. The financial committee should show a more detailed list of what expenditures are needed each month so that the financial secretary knows what is needed for payment that month. They should also be involved in verifying the churches income. To improve internal control the church should have a log for money received during offerings, they should tell the congregation to make the checks payable to the church or to the account holder that the checks are deposited into, because anyone can cash a check made out to â€Å"cash†. The church should also verify that any money not deposited from the offering was spent properly and not used for personal things. Include how a company could use the five basic principles of cash management to increase accuracy for a business. A company can increase the collection of receivables by offering incentives for quick payment from their customers. A company can delay the payment of liabilities and bills to close to the due date of the liability or bill, so that if any expenditure is needed before the due date they will not have spent the money too early. A company can keep inventory low on the merchandise that does not sell quickly, so that the company has money for the merchandise that is popular and selling fast. A company that wish to expand should wait until they have excess money in a slow season so that they can expand their business and have new locations open in time for their busy season. A company should invest money that is sitting idle into low risk companies’, the most common form of liquid investments is interest-paying U. S. government securities.

Music therapy

Music therapy Music and Medicine Music is heard in many places we go. We hear it while watching television at home. We often turn in on in the car. We hear it while shopping, riding elevators, sitting in waiting rooms, and in many areas as we go about daily life. It has the ability to incite great passion, make people angry, or break a heart and bring one to tears. William Congreve, a playwright and poet, wrote the Mourning Bride. In Act I, Scene I he said, Music has charms to soothe a savage beast. If one believes that to be true, it is easy to conclude that music is intentionally used to control mood in various venues in our life. For purposes of this paper, we will explore how music is used in the healthcare setting. We will, based on research, determine if music has an effect on patients and the healing process. The writings of Plato and Aristotle were some of the early indicators that suggested music could improve health. For those of us who believe the Bible, we know that theory was in practice long before these writers. The Bible says in I Samuel 16:23, Whenever the Spirit of God came on Saul, David would take up his lyre and play. Then relief would come to Saul, he would feel better, and the evil spirit would leave him. From the beginning, music has been used to soothe the soul. Modern music therapy formally began in the twentieth century after World War II. Musicians would travel to hospitals across the United States to visit veterans who were suffering from shell shock. It only makes sense that the healthcare field would catch up and deliberately incorporate music into the healing process. Medicine relies on evidence-based practice. This means that there should be significant research to support putting that practice into place. There have been multiple studies to support using music therapy as part of a holistic approach to healing. Music therapy is defined as, the clinical and evidence-based use of music interventions to accomplish individualized goals within a therapeutic relationship by a credentialed professional who has completed an approved music therapy program. Currently, there are college curriculums dedicated to training music therapists, and the American Association of Music Therapists is in existence. Therapists are trained to assess and identify patients needs based on physical, social, and emotional factors, as well as, their cognitive abilities. While one knows that music is used by many people, it is documented that patients have improved outcomes when a trained, professional music therapist is in control of this portion. This is based on their ability to determine what is in the patients best interest due to their assessment findings. There is no beginning or ending age where music is a benefit. Expectant mothers often play music to their unborn babies. It is said to release endorphins in the mothers bloodstream causing her to have happy feelings. These feelings are transferred to the baby. Music is also often played in a hospice setting where people are dying. It is thought to foster peaceful feelings with the patient and family during this difficult process. Obviously, most people have preferences as to what kind of music they like. Some studies suggest, based on MRI findings, that although we may differ in our preferences, our brains receive different kinds of music in much the same way. A couple of particular areas of the brain were looked at under MRI while participates listened to music that they had never had before. Those areas suggested that although the auditory experience may have been pleasing to some and not others, the brain highlighted increased activity in the same regions. So, even listening to something one does not particularly like, does not necessarily mean it will facilitate negative feelings. Which leads us to health benefits of music. Dr. Daniel Levitin, a psychologist who studies neuroscience of music at McGill University, performed several studies to determine the chemical reaction of listening to music. In one particular study, he was looking to see if patients who were waiting on surgery and listening to music were less anxious than those who were not, and which group required anti-anxiety medications. He found that music listeners were less anxious, required less medication, and had decreased levels of cortisol. Cortisol is a stress hormone. Music listeners also had higher levels of immunoglobin A, which is an antibody related to immunity and having higher counts of cells that fight bacteria. The American Cancer Society also utilizes music therapy in treating oncology patients. They have additionally done research on its benefit. They found that, along with traditional treatment, music could help relieve pain, as well as, reduce nausea and vomiting associated with chemotherapy drugs. It also reduced depression, heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing rate. All of this seems incredibly important when one is in a fight for his life against cancer. One of the most promising areas of music therapy is seen in children. According to the American Psychological Association, from pre-term babies to older children, the studies have been promising as to the effects of music on healing. Babies in an intensive care unit are surrounded by intense and intimidating equipment. It can assault their senses twenty four hours at a time. Playing music to drown out the constant noise of that equipment has been shown to improve their sleep and eating patterns, and it can decrease the stress level of the parents there with the children. As with adults, children fight various illnesses. However, adults, most often, cope with difficult procedures better than children. The sheer idea of having a procedure will overwhelm a child more violently. They often react even before the procedure is started. One particular music therapist, at Boston Hospital, began working with a child who had to go for an x-ray and was extremely anxious. He followed the child th roughout the process, constantly engaging her with instruments and music, and only stopped after the procedure was over. She never realized her x-ray was done, because she was so engaged in the activities. Autistic people have a difficult time engaging others, expressing their feelings, and some have problems with language development. Studies have shown music can cause improvements in these areas. Autistic children often are found to have incredible abilities related to music, and it helps reinforce positive behaviors. Our brain often associates memories with music. That is an important fact in treating Alzheimers and dementia patients with music therapy. It has been shown to improve thought processes, memory and emotions. Another promising area of treating with music is in Parkinsons patients. It is not necessarily the sound of the music, but the vibrations from the music. The American Psychological Association has seen improvement of symptoms in these patients. It seems low frequency vibrations improve gait, reduce tremors, and make them less rigid. Hospitals and doctors offices play music in hallways, waiting rooms, and in most procedure rooms. It has a calming effect on patients, visitors, and staff alike. It reduces stress and anxiety, and makes an unpleasant situation, bearable. And the list goes on and on. While there will always be some who do not see the benefit, there is countless research supporting the use of music to improve healing. There continues to be research done on this subject daily. While conventional medicine makes leaps and bounds in countless areas, we should not discount holistic treatments. What was good enough for Saul in the Old Testament, is still good enough today. References Berkeley Wellness. Music as Medicine. Berkeley University of California. Web. 10 Feb. 2014. Landau, Elizabeth. This is Your Brain on Music. CNN. Web. 15 April 2013. Landau, Elizabeth. When Patients have Music Emergencies. CNN. Web. 23 August 2013. Novofney, Amy. Music as medicine. American Psychological Association. Web. Nov. 2013. n.p. I Samuel 16:23. Bible Hub. Web. n.d. n.p. 4 Ways to Use Music as Medicine. Aging Care. Web. 21 March 2013. n.p. How to Play Music for Your Baby while Pregnant. Smarter Baby. Web. 16 Dec 2008. n.p. Music Therapy. American Cancer Society. Web. n.d. n.p. William Congreve. Answers. Web. n.d. Ridenour, Annette and Sadler, Blair. Improving Healing Through Art and Music. Healthcare Design. Web. 31 October 2007.

Theories in group work

Theories in group work Reflection on group task This essay is going to reflect on learning gained from a group task carried out in the unit lectures. I will explore the theories which inform group work, inter-disciplinary and collaborative working and the application of these theories in relation to the group work. I will also identify how I will develop my practice in relation to my current skills and areas for development. Finally, I will also reflect on how I have developed my self-awareness, professional values and professional development, in relation to group work task and how this will inform my future professional practice. Toseland and Rivas (2008) define group work as a goal directed activity aimed at accomplishing tasks. Members of the group have the opportunity to share ideas, feelings, thoughts, beliefs, engage in interactions and also share experiences. The group members develop feelings of mutual interdependence and a sense of belonging. Martin and Rogers (2004) define inter-disciplinary working as a team of individuals with different professionals working collaboratively with a shared understanding of goals, tasks and responsibilities. This collaborative working is needed when the problems are complex, a consensus decision is required and also when different competencies are needed. According to Cheminais (2009), the approach to the collaborative working requires clarity on roles, power, accountability and strategic planning. Salas et al. (2012) states that, group work was developed from a philosophy of people working together for mutual gain and theories later emerged to provide clarity regarding the dynamics of groups and to provide an understanding of human behaviour. A group or team can be understood by looking at Tuckman and Jensen’s (1977) model of group formation which comprise of forming, storming, norming, performing and later adjourning. According to Tuchman and Jensen (1977), the forming stage of a group involves clarifying common interests and roles to be played. Martin and Rogers (2004) states that, in an inter-disciplinary team this is the stage where membership is established, team purpose is clarified, roles and boundaries are decided and interpersonal relationships begin. According to Tuchman and Jensen (1977), the storming stage may involve the problem-solving processes and this is usually where conflict emerges. If the conflict is unresolved, it can inhibit the team’s prog ress. The norming stage usually involves the clarification of the task and establishing the agenda. This stage involves belonging, growth and control. The performing stage involves the allocation, implementation, and evaluation of the task. Finally, the adjourning stage can include the celebration of task completion. Reflecting on the unit group task, I think my group went through Tuckman and Jensen’s (1977) model group formation which included the â€Å"forming†stage in which the group purpose was clarified. The group went through the â€Å"stormimg† stage and at that point, there were disagreements on what should be included and how the task will be presented. One of the group members suggested that a role play was ideal for the presentation and I was not comfortable with the idea, as I thought that all of the information was not going to be included in the role play. I was anxious, as I had not get the general picture of exactly what the role play was about. I alsofeltanxious as other members elected me to take the lead role as I had experience in working with psychiatrists. At that time I felt that the team wanted me to do most of the task and I rejected their ideas they were putting forward. I think I did this unconsciously because I realised my actions later on when my group members gave feedback. The group also decided that we give ourselves time to research on the topic given (norming stage) and then meet the following week. I was very frustrated to find the following week that some of the group members did not bring the material they had researched. As I have worked with psychiatrist before and had researched I took on the lead role and shared the information I had. Belbin’s (2010) work identified roles in teams which each offer positive contributions to team working. The roles include innovator, implementer, completer, evaluator, investigator, shaper, team maintainer, co-ordinator and expert. Reflecting on Belbin’s (2010) group roles, each team member brought strength and perspectives grounded in their discipline and experience. During the group work task, I had the experience and knowledge in relation to the task and I found myself leading the group on sourcing information. I got positive feedback from my group colleagues such as, â€Å"goal oriented, researched well on the topic, contributed well and very good ideas on the role play†, however I was criticised for being inflexible with ideas of others. I think I took the role of an implementer who turns ideas and decisions into tasks and actions but inflexible and reluctant to change plans. However from my previous placement I think I took the role of an investigator in a proposed group project of working with young mothers to enable them to gain independent skills. The project failed because I lost interest as a result of constraint in obtaining the resources. In Belbin’s (2010) model, an investigator explores opportunities and resources from many sources however can jump from one task to another and lose interest. Looking back at it, I think this was because I tend to do things in a structured way and task oriented. The resources in the organisations did not allow me to do the task in time and I end up losing interest. I later understood the situation of working in an organisation team by looking at the group system theory. According to Connors and Caple (2005), group systems theory provides an understanding and working with teams or groups in an organisation as it goes beyond a focus on the individual or interpersonal exchanges. They suggested that, a group systems theory is influenced by the interactions within the group and by the external environment. All the group members influence group dynamics however, the organisation in which the group work may impacts the group work with its boundaries, power structures that make decisions and the resources it allocates for group work. The environment impacts the group and the group can impact the larger social environment. I abandoned a project which was going to benefit the young mothers and in a way the community as well. In group systems theory, a change in any part of a system creates change in that system and in the other systems in which it is embedded. Another form of group theory emerged from Bion (1989) who viewed the group working as a collective entity and was concerned with overt and covert aspects. Bion (1989) suggested that overt aspects are the task and purpose of the group. The covert aspects are the unconscious emotions and the basic assumptions of group functioning. Bion (1989) also proposed three basic assumptions in group working. He suggested that there is the dependency group, which assumes that security and protection can be obtained from the group leader. Members expect the leader to have all the answers. As a result, individuals may act helpless and incompetent in the hopes that the group leader will carry the responsibilities. This was evident in my group as they assumed that as I am a mental health nurse and had worked with psychiatrist before, I will have all the information at hand. When this did not occur, group members become angry or expressed their disappointment by acting incompetent and not doing enough research. Bion’s (1989) other basic assumption is the fight-flight group. Examples of flight include absences and fight is demonstrated by resisting reflection and self-examination. In inter-disciplinary working, flight is demonstrated by blaming management for the failure of team work. The final basic assumption identified by Bion (1989) is the pairing group where two group members form a bond. The rest of the group may become inactive as the pair rely on each other and exclude other group members. Salas et a.l (2012) state that, it is necessary to develop a theoretical framework to guide group practice and to support my techniques and interventions. I am responsible for formulating my own theoretical framework that is derived from the synthesis of theories and that is aligned with my natural views and inclinations. To achieve this it is imperative that I be self-aware and grounded in theories of small group work, including the strengths and limitations of the theories. Only then I can select theories and interventions that are advantageous and appropriate fit for the client. The Health and Care Professions Council (HPCP) (2012) also states that, I should understand the key concepts of the knowledge base relevant to social work so as to achieve change and development. Gilley et al. (2010) suggested that the purpose of a group is to accomplish the task and for the practitioner to develop problem-solving skills. As a social work student, in order to work collaboratively, I need to develop skills, knowledge, and attitudes in conflict resolution, problem solving, communication, organisational understanding, decision making, and task coordination. This is imperative as I will be working in teams with other professionals or agencies. From the unit group work, I have learnt that co-operation is vital for effective teamwork. Acknowledging and respecting other opinions and viewpoints while maintaining the willingness to examine and change personal beliefs and perspectives are some of the skills I have learnt. I also now have an understanding of the importance of accepting and sharing responsibilities, participating in group decision-making and effective communication. I have also developed skills in exchanging of ideas and discussion and also how to relay and support my own viewpoint with confidence. As a future social worker, specific leadership skills are required to manage an inter-disciplinary team, so I need to develop skills in the ability to recognise the challenges inherent not only in group dynamics, but in trying to blend the different professional cultures represented in the team. According to Crawford (2012), to work effectively and confidently with other professionals, I need to understand my own professional identity as a social worker. The HCPC (2012) states that, I need to be able to engage in inter-professional and inter-agency communication and work in partnership with other agencies as part of a multi-disciplinary team. It is also vital that I develop self awareness of my behaviour and values. According to Hall (2005), values are internalised, therefore they can create obstacles that may actually be invisible to different team members. Therefore the professional values must be made apparent to all professionals involved. Through experiences in group work feedback received from other group members and self observation, I have learnt about my maladaptive style of interacting with others and perceptual distortions. I have also learnt that I need to acknowledge and appreciate the differences and adjust, adapt, and mirror interpersonal interactions when interacting with others. If faced with the same situation again I would try to take into consideration other people’s ideas and also take into consideration that, as people we are different and we have different approaches to tasks. References Belbin, R. M. (2010) Management teams. 3rd edn. Oxford: Elsevier Limited Bion, W. R. (1989) Experiences in groups and other papers. New edition. London: Routledge Cheminais, R. (2009) Effective multi-agency partnerships : putting every child matters into practice. Dawsonera [Online]. Available at: https://www.dawsonera.com/readonline/9781446203514/startPage/38 (Accessed: 13 January 2014) Connors, J. and Caple, R. (2005) â€Å"Review of group systems theory†,Journal for Specialists in Group Work, 30(2), pp. 93-110, SocINDEX [Online]. Available at: http://0-ehis.ebscohost.com.brum.beds.ac.uk/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=5sid=a5e06866-f590-4862-bcbb-3dea9991c6f0%40sessionmgr4005hid=4108 (Accessed: 30 December 2013) Crawford, K. (2012) Interprofessional Collaboration in Social Work Practice. London: sage Publications Limited Gilley, J.W., Waite, A.M., Coates, T., Veliquette, A. and Morris, M.L. (2010) Integrated theoretical model for building effective teams,Advances In Developing Human Resources12(1) pp. 7-28.SCOPUS [Online]. Available at: http://0-ehis.ebscohost.com.brum.beds.ac.uk/eds/detail?sid=a5e06866-f590-4862-bcbb-3dea9991c6f0%40sessionmgr4005vid=10hid=4108 (Accessed: 30 December 2013) Hall, P. (2005) â€Å"Interprofessional teamwork: professional cultures as barriers†,Journal of Interprofessional Care19 pp. 188-196. CINAHL [Online]. Available at: http://0-ehis.ebscohost.com.brum.beds.ac.uk/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=13sid=a5e06866-f590-4862-bcbb-3dea9991c6f0%40sessionmgr4005hid=4108 (Accessed: 12 January 2014) Health and Care Professions Council (2012) Standards of proficiency. Available at: http://www.hpc-uk.org/assets/documents/10003B08Standardsofproficiency-SocialworkersinEngland.pdf (Accessed: 20 January 2014) Martin, V. and Rogers, A. M. ( 2004) Leading interprofessional teams in health and social care. Dawsonera [Online]. Available at: https://www.dawsonera.com/readonline/9780203505359/startPage/139 (Accessed: 10 January 2014) Salas, L. M., Roe-Sepowitz, D. and Le Croy, C. W. (2012) â€Å"Small group theory†, in Thyer, B. A., Dulmus, C. N. and Sowers, K. M. (eds) Human behavior in the social environment: theories for social work practice. Dawsonera [Online]. Available at: https://www.dawsonera.com/readonline/9781118227251/startPage/363 (Accessed: 15 January 2014) Toseland, R. W. and Rivas, R. F. (2008) An introduction to groupwork practice. 6th edn. Harlow: Pearson Education Limited. Tuckman, B. W. and Jensen, M. A. (1977). â€Å"Stages of small group development revisited†, Group and Organizational Studies, 2(4) pp. 419- 427. Available at: http://www.freewebs.com/group-management/BruceTuckman(1).pdf (Accessed: 30 December 2013)

Is the Gilgamesh Flood the Basis of the Biblical Flood in the Book of G

Is the Gilgamesh Flood the  Basis of the Biblical Flood?  Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚   Genesis of the Old Testament records a worldwide Flood early on in the history of human civilization. Tablet 11of the Sumero-Babylonian version of the epic of Gilgamesh also records a total Flood of the entire earth very early in mankind’s development. Let’s examine the two to determine if one could be the basis for the other.    Nels M. Bailkey in Readings in Ancient History: Thought and Experience from Gilganesh to St. Augustine, comments on the likenesses and lack thereof   between the two versions:    The striking similarities with the later Hebrew story are quite evident, but the great gulf between them needs to be emphasized: the Hebrew version has been completely moralized. In the Hebrew account the Flood is sent because of sin, and the hero is saved because he is righteous. In the Sumero-Babylonian version the hero is saved out of mere favoritism and the gods send the Flood, as we learn from a separate account, because their sleep has been disturbed: â€Å"oppressive has become the clamor of mankind, by their uproar they prevent sleep.† Above all, the one supreme righteous God of the Hebrews contrasts with the gang of weak, quarrelsome, greedy gods who â€Å"cowered like dogs† in the presence of the Flood and who later â€Å"like flies gathered around the sacrificer.† (10)    Alexander Heidel in his book, The Gilgamesh Epic and Old Testament Parallels, provides a background for the survivor of the Sumero-Babylonian Flood, Utnapishtim:    Utnapishtim was the son of Ubara-Tutu, the Otiartes, or, rather, Opartes of Berossus. According to Berossus, the deluge hero was the tenth Prediluvian king in Babylonia. Also in the Sumerian inscription he i... ...its acceptance by God – these are repeated in both accounts of the Flood.    WORKS CITED    Bailkey, Nels M. Readings in Ancient History: Thought and Experience from Gilganesh to St. Augustine. Third edition. Lexington, MA: D.C.Heath and Co., 1987.    Gardner, John and John Maier. Gilgamesh: Translated from the Sin-leqi-unninni version. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1984.    Harris, Stephen L. â€Å"Gilgamesh.† The Humanist Tradition in World Literature. Ed. Stephen Harris. Columbus, OH: Charles E. Merrill Publishing Co., 1970.    Heidel, Alexander. The Gilgamesh Epic and Old Testament Parallels. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1949.    Ignatius Holy Bible. Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1966.    Sandars. N. K. The Epic of Gilgamesh. New York: Penguin Books, 1972.      

Best Man Speech Delivered by the Brother of the Groom :: Wedding Toasts Roasts Speeches

Best Man Speech Delivered by the Brother of the Groom Firstly, on behalf of the bridesmaids, I'd like to thank the groom for his kind words, and I have to say they have done an excellent job today and look absolutely wonderful. I am very proud that I was chosen to be the best man today. It’s often said at weddings that being asked to be the best man is like being asked to kiss the Queen. Its a great honor but nobody wants to do it. I have a large library of stories to tell you that will leave the groom embarrassed and humiliated, but out of respect for him on his big day I have decided not to tell them. So I'm not going to tell you about the time he vomited over a taxi driver's head or ended up in hospital on his stag do. The groom was born on November 13, 1972. Coincidentally, this was also the year that the first Mr. Alen books were published, and if you know him or know anyone that has lived with him, you'll easily be able to guess which Mr. Man he takes after. No, its not Mr. Topsy-Turvey or Mr. Bump, it’s Mr. Messy. Even though he stopped reading the Mr. Alen books last year, I doubt he will ever loose his natural ability to make a mess. (To the bride) If you need any tips on getting him to tidy up, don't ask my mom or dad as they were unsuccessful for twenty years. After leaving school, the groom had a brief career as an accountant but soon saw the light and decided that cleaning a swimming pool would be more interesting. After a few other career moves he decided that he was missing something, so decided to go to university to study sport science. Before he'd gone away to university, the groom was extremely fit, as skinny as a rake, and very serious about his cycling. It was on the following Christmas holiday when I saw he was starting to put on a bit of weight that I realized - he'd fallen in love with beer. I hear he had an excellent time at uni, living in a house of like-minded people who also had this great love. The stag do was a couple of weeks ago in Brighton and on the Saturday evening we went to a club called The Event.

Blind Children :: essays research papers

Blind children, if given a chance, can play and learn right alongside their sighted peers. An open mind, a positive attitude, and a little creativity are usually all it takes to integrate blind students into regular preschool programs. The blind child can learn the same concepts that are taught the other children. The only difference is the method of learning. The blind child must make more use of the other senses. They also need parents and teachers who will allow lots of hands-on experiences. Blind children can learn the same concepts as other children. They may just need to learn it in a different method such as hands-on. Concepts such as big and little, same and different, prepositions (over, under, in, out, behind), shapes, number concepts, and others are easily taught with concrete objects as an alternative to pictures on paper. Parents of blind children are used to helping their children get accustomed to new places and will guide you in doing so. Usually, one or two visits to the classroom when the other children are not present will be enough to orient the child. Children will use many things to find their way around. The sound of the wall clock or heater may be a way for them to locate themselves. They quickly learn that the story time area is carpeted and that the dress-up area is next to the windows where they can feel the sun or hear the rain. Blindness does not mean that the child is totally without usable vision. Most of blind children have varying amounts of vision, which can be quite helpful. â€Å"Legal blindness† is a term you may hear. It means that a child has 10% or less of normal vision. Teachers need to know that many factors affect what, and how much, a child may see at any particular time. Type of eye condition, fatigue, lighting, excitement, etc. all affect a partially sighted child’s vision. There is little need to worry about the comfort the blind child will have with its peers in the classroom.

Analysis of Ode on a Grecian Urn Essay

Keats’ ode could be approached from two perspectives – a literal and a figurative one. As long as the poem belongs to a style of writing known as ekphrasis (poetry that concerns itself with the visual arts), and the speaker describes several scenes he observes on the urn, we can just follow his eye. In doing so, we could say that the end of the first stanza introduces us to a number of young men and women involved in a scene of sexual passion: â€Å"What mad pursuit? What struggle to escape? † Stanza II and III offer a marked contrast to this atmosphere of intense desire. The speaker depicts here a scene of romantic courtship (a young man piping songs to his beloved). The temptations of the flesh are suppressed and the relationship has a platonic character: †Bold Lover, never, never canst thou kiss†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Importantly, the speaker devotes two stanzas to this scene, which could serve as evidence that it is of key importance to him. In stanza IV the ritualistic scene of a pagan sacrifice is depicted. Stanza V, most probably, takes us back to the first scene of passion. The speaker refers to â€Å"men and maidens† again and we could assume that â€Å"the trodden weed† is an image meant to remind us of the â€Å"mad pursuit†. So we could claim that the poem comes full circle and actually repeats the circular form of the urn. As far as the figurative perspective is concerned, it is first important to note that the urn bears two different identities: historical and aesthetic. In other words, it is both an object that can provide some knowledge about the past and a work of art which should be appreciated for its beauty only. If approached as a historical object, the urn will speak about particular moments in time; if approached as a work of art, it will speak about eternity. Throughout the poem, the speaker is divided between these two identities and only in the final stanza does he manage to achieve some kind of synthesis between them. In other words, the poem could be read as representing the dramatic conflict in the speaker’s mind between the desire to know the facts and the realization that beauty is more fundamental than factual knowledge. At the very beginning of the ode the reader is confronted with a paradox. The urn is referred to as a â€Å"historian† but at the same time its key attributes are said to be â€Å"quietness† and â€Å"silence†. A historian who refuses to speak seems to be a contradiction in terms. The paradox begins to be resolved with the awareness that that this â€Å"sylvan historian† has a â€Å"flowery tale†, a â€Å"leaf-fringed legend† (â€Å"leaf-fringed† also literally refers to the fringe of leaves depicted on the urn, see picture above) to tell. In other words, the realization that the urn speaks through its beauty the way Nature speaks to us begins to take shape in the speaker’s mind. However, he is not, as it were, ready for this revelation and the second part of the stanza presents his frantic obsession with factual knowledge. The series of syntactically identical questions, and the very repetition of the pronoun â€Å"what†, reveals an overwhelming desire to learn about the specific circumstances of a particular historical scene. What also reveals this ambition is the reference to geographical locations (â€Å"In Tempe or the dales of Arcady†) as well as the repetition of â€Å"or†, which tells us that the speaker wants to go beyond the uncertainty of alternative and acquire a reliable knowledge of what really happened. Importantly, the questions lack predicates, which lends them a staccato rhythm. This conveys both the intensity of the speaker’s uncertainty and the intense passion of the â€Å"mad pursuit† depicted on the urn. The opening line of the second stanza presents the reader with a philosophical insight. After the hectic series of questions concerning historical fact, the speaker seems to have found the right words to give shape to the conclusion that the urn has a more fundamental message to communicate to its modern observer. The message lies beyond the physical and that’s why it cannot be expressed in the form of words or sounds. It is not a message addressed to â€Å"the sensual ear†; the urn â€Å"pipe[s] to the spirit ditties of no tone. † The scene of platonic love seems to be in harmony with this realization. What matters for the young lover is not the consummation of his passion but his love’s eternity as well as the eternal beauty of his beloved (â€Å"For ever wilt thou love and she be fair! †). In other words, the transcendence of the physical in the young lovers’ relationship opens the speaker’s eyes to the more essential, aesthetic identity of the urn. Actually, in stanza III the speaker seems to be in a state of mind close to ecstasy. All questions are now gone and what remains is the readiness to experience a fundamental unity with a beautiful object. The speaker is, as it were, at a loss for words. The whole stanza centers around the obsessive repetition of a mantra: â€Å"More happy love! More happy, happy love! † This reveals the poet’s difficulty in speaking about the unspeakable beauty of the urn as well as about his empathy with it. However, at the end of the stanza he manages to shape a coherent statement about the value of the urn. It presents us with an eternal ideal world lying beyond our earthly passions, which leave us suffering: â€Å"A burning forehead and a parching tongue. † Somewhat surprisingly, in stanza IV the speaker lurches back to the historical pole. The ritualistic inscrutability of the sacrifice revives his desire to learn more about the particular circumstances surrounding the event. The rhetoric of the first stanza returns: the questions, the repetition of â€Å"or†, the reference to particular sites. The stanza ends in a rather pessimistic note. The fact that the link between past and present has been irrevocably lost fills the speaker’s heart with disappointment: And, little town, thy streets for evermore Will silent be; and not a soul to tell Why thou art desolate, can e’er return. In an abrupt transition, disappointment recedes and makes room for elation in the opening line of the final stanza. The solemn tone of the apostrophe (â€Å"O Attic shape! Fair attitude! †) prepares the synthesis that the speaker is now able to achieve. The urn is here referred to as a â€Å"cold pastoral†. In other words, it combines in a dialectical unity the coldness of a historian who refuses to speak and the warmth of the tale of beauty and love that it will carry through the ages. It seems, however, that one of these poles prevails in the speaker’s relationship with the urn. The aphoristic closing lines of the poem suggest that factual knowledge does not give humanity access to truth. The only truth that matters is beauty.

The Silver Linings Playbook Chapter 17

Tiffany's Head Floating over the Waves When Ronnie picks me up in his minivan – which has three rows of seats – Tiffany is already buckled in next to Emily's car seat, so I climb into the very back, carrying the football and the bag my mother packed me, which contains a towel, a change of clothes, and a bagged lunch, even though I told Mom that Ronnie was bringing hoagies from the local deli. Of course my mother feels the need to stand on the front porch and wave, as if I were five years old. Veronica, who is riding in the front passenger's seat, leans over Ronnie and yells to my mother. â€Å"Thanks for the wine and flowers!† My mother takes this as an invitation to walk to the minivan and have a conversation. â€Å"How do you like the outfit I bought for Pat?† my mom says when she reaches Ronnie's window. She ducks down and takes a long look at Tiffany, but Tiffany has already turned her head away from my mother and is looking out the window at the house across the street. The outfit I am wearing is ridiculous: a bright orange polo shirt, bright green swimming shorts, and flip-flops. I did not want to wear any of this, but I knew Veronica was likely to make a fuss if I wore one of my cutoff T-shirts and a pair of workout shorts. Since Veronica and my mother have pretty much the same taste, I allowed my mother to dress me – plus, it makes Mom really happy. â€Å"He looks great, Mrs. Peoples,† Veronica says, and Ronnie nods in agreement. â€Å"Hello, Tiffany,† my mother says, sticking her head into the car a little more, but Tiffany ignores her. â€Å"Tiffany?† Veronica says, but Tiffany continues to stare out the window. â€Å"Have you met Emily yet?† Ronnie asks, and then he is out of the car and Emily is unbuckled from her car seat and placed in my mother's arms. Mom's voice gets all funny as she talks to Emily, and standing next to Mom, Veronica and Ronnie are all smiles. This goes on for a few minutes, until Tiffany turns her head and says, â€Å"I thought we were going to the beach today.† â€Å"Sorry, Mrs. Peoples,† Veronica says. â€Å"My sister can be a little blunt sometimes, but we probably should get going so we can have lunch on the beach.† My mother quickly nods and says, â€Å"Have a good time, Pat,† as Ronnie buckles Emily back into her car seat. Again I feel like I am five. On the way to the shore, Ronnie and Veronica talk to Tiffany and me the same way they talk to Emily – as if they are not really expecting a response, saying things that really don't need to be said at all. â€Å"Can't wait to get on the beach.† â€Å"We're going to have such a good time.† â€Å"What should we do first – swim, walk the beach, or throw the football?† â€Å"Such a nice day.† â€Å"Are you guys having fun?† â€Å"Can't wait to eat those hoagies!† After twenty minutes of non-talk, Tiffany says, â€Å"Can we please have some quiet time?† and we ride the rest of the way listening to the yelling noises Emily makes – what her parents claim is singing. We drive through Ocean City and over a bridge to a beach I do not know. â€Å"Little less crowded down here,† Ronnie explains. When we park, Emily is put into what looks like a cross between a stroller and a 4Ãâ€"4 vehicle, which Veronica pushes. Tiffany carries the umbrella. Ronnie and I carry the cooler, each of us grabbing a handle. We take a wooden walkway over a sand dune covered with sea oats and find that we have the beach all to ourselves. Not another person anywhere to be seen. After a brief discussion about whether the tide is coming in or out, Veronica picks a dry patch and tries to spread out the blanket while Ronnie begins digging the umbrella spike into the sand. But there is a breeze, and Veronica has some trouble, as the wind keeps folding the blanket over. If it were anyone but Veronica, I would grab a corner and help, but I do not want to get yelled at, so I wait for instructions before I do anything. Tiffany does the same, but Veronica fails to ask for help. Maybe some sand gets kicked up or something, because Emily starts screaming and rubbing her eyes. â€Å"Nice,† Tiffany says. Veronica immediately attends to Emily, telling her to blink, demonstrating what to do, but Emily only screams even louder. â€Å"I can't take a crying baby right now,† Tiffany adds. â€Å"Make her stop crying. Veronica, would you please make her – â€Å" â€Å"Remember what Dr. Lily said? What did we talk about this morning?† Veronica says over her shoulder, shooting Tiffany a serious look before turning her attention back to Emily. â€Å"So now we're talking about my therapist in front of Pat? You fucking bitch,† Tiffany says, shaking her head, and then she is walking away from us quickly. â€Å"Christ,† Veronica says. â€Å"Ronnie, can you handle Emily?† Ronnie nods solemnly, and then Veronica is running after Tiffany, saying, â€Å"Tiff? Come back. Come on. I'm sorry. I'm really sorry.† Ronnie flushes Emily's eyes with bottled water, and after ten minutes or so, she stops crying. We get the blanket spread out under the shade of the umbrella, weighting the corners down with the cooler, our flip-flops and sandals, and Emily's super stroller – but Veronica and Tiffany do not come back. After every inch of Emily's skin is coated with sunscreen, Ronnie and I play with her down at the water's edge. She likes running after the waves as they recede. She likes digging in the sand, and we have to watch to make sure she does not eat the sand, which seems weird to me, because why would anyone want to eat sand? Ronnie carries Emily out into the ocean, and we all float over the waves for a time. I ask if we should be worried about Veronica and Tiffany, and Ronnie says, â€Å"No. They're just having a therapy session somewhere on the beach. They'll be back soon.† I don't like the way he emphasizes the word â€Å"therapy,† as if therapy were some sort of ridiculous idea, but I don't say anything. After we dry off, we all lie down on the blanket – Ronnie and Emily in the shade, and me in the sun. I doze off pretty quickly. When I open my eyes, Ronnie's face is next to mine; he's sleeping. I feel a tap on my shoulder, and when I roll over, I see that Emily has walked around the blanket. She smiles at me and says, â€Å"Pap.† â€Å"Let Daddy sleep,† I whisper, and then pick her up and carry her down to the water. For a while we sit and dig a small hole in the wet sand with our hands, but then Emily stands and chases the foam of a receding wave, laughing and pointing. â€Å"Want to go swimming?† I ask her, and she nods once, so I scoop her up into my arms and begin to wade out into the water. The surf has picked up some and the waves have a lot more height, so I quickly walk past the breakers to where the water is up to my chest. Emily and I begin to float over the swells. As the waves grow in size, I have to jump and kick really hard to keep both of our heads above water, but Emily loves it and begins squealing and laughing and clapping her hands every time we float up. This goes on for a good ten minutes, and I am so happy; I kiss her chubby cheeks over and over. Something about Emily makes me want to float over waves with her for the rest of my life, and I decide that when apart time is done, I will make a daughter with Nikki ASAP, because nothing has made me even close to this happy since apart time began. The swells get even bigger. I lift Emily up and put her on my shoulders so she will not have her face splashed by the waves, and her squeals seem to suggest that she likes being so high in the air. We float up. We float down. We are so happy. We are so, so happy. But then I hear someone screaming. â€Å"Pat! Pat! Paaaaaaat!† I turn and see that Veronica is running very quickly down the beach, with Tiffany trailing far behind. I worry that maybe something is wrong, so I start to make my way in. The waves are pretty big now, and I have to take Emily down from my shoulders and hold her against my chest to ensure her safety, but soon we are able to negotiate our way back to Veronica, who is now running into the surf. When I get closer, Veronica seems to be very upset. Emily starts to scream and reach for her mother. â€Å"What the hell are you doing?† Veronica says to me when I hand Emily over to her. â€Å"I'm just swimming with Emily,† I say. Veronica's screaming must have woken up Ronnie, because he has run down to meet us. â€Å"What happened?† â€Å"You let Pat take Emily out into the ocean?† Veronica says, and by the way she says my name, it's obvious she does not want Emily to be left alone with me, because she thinks I am going to hurt Emily somehow, which is unfair – especially since Emily only started crying when she heard Veronica screaming, so really Veronica was the one who upset her own daughter. â€Å"What did you do to her?† Ronnie says to me. â€Å"Nothing,† I say. â€Å"We were only swimming.† â€Å"What were you doing?† Veronica says to Ronnie. â€Å"I must of fallen asleep, and – â€Å" â€Å"Jesus Christ, Ronnie. You left Emily alone with him?† The way Veronica says â€Å"him,† Emily crying, Ronnie accusing me of doing something awful to his daughter, the sun burning my bare chest and back, Tiffany watching now – suddenly I feel as though I might explode. I definitely feel an episode coming on, so before I blow up, I do the only thing I can think of: I start running down the beach away from Veronica and Ronnie and Emily and the crying and the accusations. I run as fast as I can, and suddenly I realize that now I am crying, probably because I was only swimming with Emily and it felt so right and I was trying to be good and thought I was being good and I let my best friend down and Veronica screamed at me and it's not fair because I have been trying so hard and how long can this fucking movie last and how much more do I need to improve myself and – Tiffany passes me. She runs by me like a blur. Suddenly, only one thing matters: I need to pass her. I start running faster and catch up to her, but she picks up her speed and we run side by side for a time until I find that gear women do not have, and I blow by her and maintain my man speed for a minute or so before I slow down and allow her to catch up with me. We jog side by side on the beach for a long time, neither of us saying a word. What feels like an hour passes before we turn around, and what feels like another hour passes before we see Ronnie and Veronica's umbrella, but before we reach them, Tiffany veers into the ocean. I follow her – running directly into the waves – and the salt water feels so cool on my skin after a long run. Soon we are in too deep to stand, and Tiffany's head is floating over the waves, which have calmed down considerably. Her face is a little tan and her hair hangs dark and wet and natural and I see freckles on her nose that were not there earlier that morning – so I swim over to her. A wave lifts me up, and when I come down over the other side, I am surprised that our faces are very close. For a second Tiffany reminds me so much of Nikki, I worry we might accidentally kiss, but Tiffany swims a few feet away from me before this happens, and I am thankful. Her toes come up out of the water, and she begins to float, facing the horizon. I lean back, stare at the line where sky meets water, allow my toes to rise, and float next to Tiffany for a long time, neither of us saying anything. When we walk back to the blanket, Emily is sleeping with a fist in her mouth, and Veronica and Ronnie are lying down, holding hands in the shade. When we stand over them, they squint and smile at us like nothing bad had happened earlier. â€Å"How was your run?† Ronnie asks. â€Å"We want to go home now,† Tiffany says. â€Å"Why?† Ronnie says, sitting up. â€Å"We haven't even eaten our lunch. Pat, you really want to go home?† Veronica says nothing. I look up at the sky. No clouds at all. Nothing but blue. â€Å"Yeah, I do,† I tell him, and then we are in the minivan driving back to Collingswood.