Ten Ways to Create Shareholder Value Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Ten Ways to Create Shareholder Value - Essay Example Throughout his work, Rappaport emphasizes the need to capitalize on long-term growth strategies at the expense of realizing short-term benchmarks. The writer asserts that those corporations involved in responding to short-term strategies will eventually fail because of dynamics within modern commercial environments. Managers running such companies are obscured about the future prospects of an organization. Inasmuch as they concentrate on maximizing the momentary strengths of a company, they fail to take a glance at emerging opportunities and imminent threats. Since consumer preferences are bound to change and competition intensifies, then short-sighted company executives will have limited choices when trouble arrives. In order to enhance the aspect of practicability, Rappaport postulated 10 principles suitable for creating shareholders value in any given investment. Upon thorough appraisal, all these ten principles are based on ways in which companies can be made to realize increased future cash flows. In order to ensure competence, CEO’s must be thoroughly conversant with aspects of stock markets and forces influencing the value of securities traded within those markets. Thorough conversance on such microeconomic aspects will enable managers to become value-conscious and develop value-maximizing behavior in their professional undertakings. In most of the principles proposed by Rappaport, the main theme remains that managers should be encouraged by stakeholders, especially shareholders, in implementing long-term growth strategies. Encouragement can be achieved through reward mechanisms for both top and middle-level managers who demonstrate the strong commitment towards maximizing the value of the company.

Health Organization Case Study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Health Organization Case Study - Essay Example In the year 2011, UnitedHealth Group Incorporated showed total net earnings of $5.142 billion. UnitedHealth Group is the holding company of the UnitedHealthcare, and is the largest and chief health carrier all over the United States of America. The company was formed in the year 1977 and was initially called the United HealthCare Corporation. The name was changed again in the year 1998, but even the new name has its origin based in a firm that the UnitedHealth Group acquired back in the year 1977 which was called the Charter Med Incorporated and was formed in the year 1974. It was in 1979, that the UnitedHealth introduced their first network-based health plan targeting the seniors citizens in America the company became a publicly traded one in 1984. UnitedHealthcare was very recently given the highest rating in the area of employer satisfaction for all self-insured health plan companies by J.D. Power and Associates. The company also received top ratings in 2011 from the American Medi cal Association (AMA) in the National Health Insurance Report Card published by the AMA. This fourth annual report card published by the American Medical Association assessed seven different national health insurance companies on the criterion of both timeliness as well as the accuracy of their claims basing their evaluation on different metrics like the assortment of payment made to the companies, and some process metrics. UnitedHealthcare also moved to the top spot amongst all of its industry peers on the two metrics: concerning Contracted Fee Schedule Match Rate and Electronic Remittance Advice (ERA) Accuracy. Contracted Fee Schedule Match Rate basically is an indicator of how often the insurer's claim payment tallies the fee schedule put down in the initial contract. Electronic Remittance Advice (ERA) Accuracy is the measure of the rate at which the amount allowed by the insurer actually equals to the expected allowed payment of the physician’s services. In a more recent publication of the health insurance industry called the ‘Business Insurance’, UnitedHealthcare was called the "readers choice" winner for the year 2010 in the category of "Best health plan provider". In contrast to all these ratings, UnitedHealthcare was given a 65% unfavorable rating by a group of hospital executives who had on several occasions dealt with UnitedHealthcare on previous occasions. Though this number is quite good and up by about 33% from the rating in 2010, UnitedHealthcare still is at the bottom of all the companied included in the list. As already mentioned, UnitedHealthcare is a recognized leader in the health insurance claim business and it strives to constantly improve on the quality of the services they are offering to their customers and the overall effectiveness of the notion of healthcare for every American citizen. They want to enhance every individuals reach to health perks and benefits offered by the health insurance companies like theirs. Th ey are striving to constantly create new and innovative health products and services that will make the entire concept of healthcare more affordable to American citizens. They also tend to use technology to make the entire health care system easier to manage and navigate around. The different subsidiaries of the company are constantly coming up with a line up for innovative services and products for an approximate 70 million of its

School Behaviour Policies For Children Education Essay

School Behaviour Policies For Children Education Essay Student behaviour has always been a key issue in any school. Pupils go to school primarily to interact with other pupils in an environment that is well suited for study and play. However true, pupils seem to be more motivated in the playground than in the classroom. Behaviour suffers very often when these students are not as motivated as the others. Class behaviour becomes problematic at the very worst as kids direct their attention away from the actual academic demands of being in school. Teachers and staff of schools are bent in solving such issue extending their control of student behaviour to heights that may not be beneficial to the students, as well as the school. Disciplinary actions, punitive in every sense, are the most likely to be used to correct student misbehaviour. Sir Alan Steer (2009) in his report found that in the UK, in its schools, there is no need or desire to give schools and its staff wider powers but there is a need for a dissemination strategy to be aware and to understand the existing powers in school. In his 2005 report, he proposed wider options of legitimate rewards and sanctions must be at hand, all of which properly, fairly and consistently applied by all concerned staff. Same has been suggested four years later (Steer, 2009). Findings have been remarkable in his 2009 report. He reiterated that clear rules and the consistent application of rewards and sanctions are vital. He rejects punitive solution to bad behaviour. Tough love is accept able but punitive methods are immoral and socially destructive. Several suggestions have been earmarked so as to implement the relevance of the findings. Steer (2009) reports: A reward system that is effective and tied to performance in the classroom ensures pupil engagement and better behaviour. Good behaviour needs to be learned. It is very imperative to teach kids to behave well so schools must adopt procedures and practices that will help students on how to behave. All staff must be good role models of good behaviour. Schools do have policies that reward good behaviour and good work as well. Sanctions are in place to streamline the need for better behaviour but what is left out is how to create and implement appropriate reward systems. Simple sanctions proved to be more effective than excluding the child from class. Statistical data on behaviour improvement must be at hand to trace changes and complement future actions. Praise can be used to motivate students and encourage better behaviour. Using pupil tracking system to recognise positive and negative behaviour is also efficient. Motivation and Incentives Motivation has been long considered as a very important factor in teaching. It is the precursor for successful comprehension of the students. Getting incentives from good work after a motivating discussion is highly recommended. Student motivation is the interest of students in learning or doing academic work; incentives are methods used to motivate students in learning academic materials (Slavin, 1984). Central to this researchà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s objective is to use the motivational effects of rewards or incentives in teaching. It is long known that motivation plays a key role in student achievement. So, specific in this analysis is the role of motivation in behavioural changes of a student in a classroom setting. Self-worth and Self-Efficacy In educational psychology, it is standard operating procedure to analyse the intrapersonal behaviour of a learner. His or her perceptions of the self must be taken into consideration in order to find the appropriate solutions to behavioural problems. Self-worth is linked to the self-concept of ability in any school setting (Ames, 1990). It is how a student considers his own capacities with respect to othersà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢. Self-efficacy is expectation or belief that one can possibly carry out a task. It is task-specific or situation specific. Often, self-efficacy serves as a barometer on a childs willingness to learn, his set of options in learning and actual performance (Ames, 1990). However, age play a role in how students understand ability. Younger kids are more positive or optimistic. They have high expectations are resilient after a failure. They tend to assume effort and ability as the same. Older kids are more negative in evaluating themselves. Effort for t hem gives them higher chances to succeed but ability is a set of limits. Trying hard and failing are actually threats to their self-concept of ability (Ames, 1990). Pupils determine self-worth and self-efficacy in relation to their environment. To behave poorly means self-worth and self-efficacy are dampened by the rigidities in the classrooms setting. Otherwise, the pupils are able to cope with its demands. It is here where motivation plays its role. Giving rewards or incentives is one motivational tool. To keep on relaying good behaviour and its corresponding benefits, a repetition of good behaviour is expected to occur. This is what we call operant conditioning or response reinforcement behaviourism. It is the gratifying of a partial or random behaviour that which eventually leads to the desired behaviour (PBS, 1998; Phillips Soltis, 2004). This molds future behaviour. If a reward succeeds a response to a stimulus, then that response is likely to be repeated. Interlinking the concepts discussed, this paper plots motivation and the self-concept of students in the classroom through the use of a reward/incentive system. Changes from their behaviour, primarily their self-worth and self-efficacy will be carefully studied. Methods Based on the premise above that rewards play a role in motivating student behaviour, this research is proposing the efficacy of a reward system (that is reinforcing) in different classroom setting and student age groups. With the concepts of operant conditioning, this study is specifically poised to determine how studentà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s self-worth and self-efficacy significantly changes (or not) when treated with rewards or incentives. The Steerà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s reports confirm the value of applying such consistently. The research will be using questionnaires and interviews as the primary mode of data collection (Anderson, 1998). The questionnaires will both target teachers and students as its respondents. Data analysis will be primarily descriptive and correlational (Runyon et al, 2000; Kirk, 2007). Descriptive data from socio-demographics will provide the initial analysis. Correlation analysis on student and teacher information from the questionnaires will follow thereafter. The main portion of this analysis lies on the significant changes of student self-concept as changes in the reward systems are put into place. An analysis of variance (ANOVA) will do a series of significant tests on changes of perception by the students, i.e. self-worth and self-efficacy (as dependent variables) before and after a reward system is placed (Kirk, 2007). Also, the age-groups and classroom setting will be used as independent variables treated against changes in self-worth and self-efficacy.

Zoos: Pitiful Dirty Prisons Essay -- essays research papers fc

Zoos: Pitiful Dirty Prisons If you have ever stepped into a zoo, you have stepped into a prison in which the inmates are defenseless and innocent, the sentence is long, and the penalty is cruel and severe. Zoos are not made for educational purposes but for entertainment, they do not benefit animals but push them toward extinction. "Zoos range in size and quality from cage-less parks to small roadside menageries with concrete slabs and iron bars." (Zoos: Pitiful Prisons.) The larger the zoo and the greater the number and variety of the animals it contains, the more it costs to provide quality care for the animals. Although more than 112 million people visit zoos in the U.S. and Canada every year, most zoos operate at a loss and must find ways to cut costs (which sometimes means selling animals) or add gimmicks that will attract visitors. (Zoos: Pitiful Prisons.) Zoo officials often consider profits over the animals' well- being.(Zoos: Pitiful Prisons.) A former director of the Atlanta Zoo once rem arked that he was "too far removed from the animals; they're the last thing I worry about with all the other problems." (Zoos: Pitiful Prisons.) Zoos are nothing more than animal prisons maintained for human amusement, not for education. ("Zoocheck".) Most zoo enclosures are quite small, and labels provide little more information than the species name, diet, and natural range. (Zoos: Pitiful Prisons.) The animals' normal behavior is seldom discussed, much less observed, because their natural needs are seldom met. Birds' wings may be clipped so they cannot fly, aquatic animals often have little water, and the many animals who naturally live in large herds or family groups are often kept alone or, at most, in pairs. (Zoos: Pitiful Prisons.) Natural hunting and mating behaviors are virtually eliminated by regulated feeding and breeding regimens. (Zoos: Pitiful Prisons.) The animals are closely confined, lack privacy, and have little opportunity for mental stimulation or physical exercise. Animals forced to endure such confinement often display abnormal and self-destructive behavior called "Zoochosis".(Zo os: Pitiful Prisons.) Zoochosis is a mental illness; symptoms include pacing, neck twisting, and other repetitive behaviors.("Zoocheck".) &... ...oadside zoos at all costs. If no one visits these substandard operations, they will be forced to close down. Contact PETA and start your own "Zoocheck" program in your local zoo. Zoos claim that they are good for research, but the purpose of most zoos' research is to find ways to breed and maintain more animals in captivity. If zoos ceased to exist, so would the need for most of their research. The key to saving exotic animals lies in saving their habitat, not removing them from it only to be placed in an unnatural and abusive environment.("Zoocheck".) Works Cited Zoo Target of "Bloody" Protest Over African Elephants PETA News Release http://www.peta-online.org/news/basel199.htm Zoocheck PETA's Action for Activists http://www.peta-online.org/library/actionideas/zoo.htm 21, Nov. 1999 Zoos:Pitiful Prisons Campaigns http://www.peta-online.org/cmp/ccircfs3.-html 21, Nov. 1999

Women’s Rights in the Middle East

This is focused on women in the middle east, in places such as China, Egypt, Turkey, Afghanistan, etc. Women’s rights in this part of the world is very different than in the United States. Women are forced to live by the men’s rules. In China they throw little girls on the streets, leaving them starving to death because they think that there are too many women already, it’s part of their culture. Or they make the women abort the baby if it’s a girl, that’s called genocide.This topic is really interesting because it’s not what you see everyday in our country. It’s a different side and there are different concerns. Women live in the shadow, they don’t have a right to speak, sometimes they have to do demeaning things because it’s what it was intended that they should do according to their country’s rights. There are women that fight for their rights and to be treated equally. Some people approve that, others donâ€⠄¢t.Some women are sick of being treated like slaves and they try to fight for what they want, but some of them get killed in the process because the men take that as rebellion. I’m in favor of those women who fight till the end, who want to make a difference. If I could help change the way people think in these countries, I would. In Afghanistan women try to fight for their freedom because it’s a society where mainly the men are in charge. And it is believed that men have to be deciding everything in the women’s lives, including marriage.

Fredrick Jackson Turner Seminar

Frederick Jackson Turner, â€Å"The Significance of the Frontier in American History,† Annual Report of the American Historical Association for the Year 1893. CONTENT: Turner’s article overviews the American past as it were in a transition period of expanding west. He reviews the significance of this move and evaluates the various results of the expansion on different groups in America. THESIS: The expansion resulted in crucial advancements/ building blocks for American society as it created significant economic, social, and culture transformations; although this period eventually ended. THEMES: . Although Indians played a large part in assisting Americans find/ inhabit new land, many were not treated with peace and respect as the white man instead on remaining as the dominant power. While the Indians showed Americans the way (literally), Americans ungratefully followed. 2. As New England was strong on maintaining their religious values, they made sure to carry their sa me ideas west. Therefore, the western frontier was built with a strong influence of religion from the east. 3. Because of the continuous expansion, American gov’t buckled down and held stronger regulations and rules.Following the Louisiana Purchase, that area was proclaimed land where there could be national jurisdiction and must obey the constitution. The idea to spread land throughout the Union states had been suggested but President Johnson rejected the idea. REACTION: Although Turner’s paper was informative, I feel that it could have been better synthesized still make the same point. HISTORIOGRAPHY: Progressive School— The paper covers the crucial aspect of the evolution of the American people during the expansion and the various hurdles that they had to overcome.

Key Performance Indicators in Alliances essays

Key Performance Indicators in Alliances essays Strategic alliances are formal relationship between two or more parties that meet critical business needs while allowing organizations to retain their independence. While retaining their individual independence, firms gain access to specific resources, manufacturing capabilities, project funding, capital equipment, knowledge, expertise, and intellectual property. However, if these alliances are to succeed, they must have established means to track and measure organizational performance, this requires establishing negotiated key performance indicators that will improve open communication while reducing organizational friction. Key Performance Indicators in Alliances It is no secret that the world is becoming a global market place and that organizations that wish to remain competitive are forming strategic alliances. Described as a formal relationship between two or more parties, strategic alliances are meant to meet critical business needs while allowing both organizations to retain their independence (Brown The Importance of Negotiating Key Performance Indicators Organizations that choose to partner, create a unique competitive advantage that is built on trust and commitment (Gibbs, 2009). Furthermore, once the alliance is established, it is hoped that each partner will learn from each other, thereby creating a benefits multiplier that is advantageous to both partners. Therefore it is essential that each organization negotiate KPIs that will attract custo...