Multinational enterprises and their CSR initiatives in Nigerian oil sector The WritePass Journal

Multinational enterprises and their CSR initiatives in Nigerian oil sector Abstract Multinational enterprises and their CSR initiatives in Nigerian oil sector AbstractIntroductionResearch QuestionResearch ObjectivesLiterature ReviewResearch MethodologyReferencesRelated Abstract Nigeria is a country which is endowed with considerable energy reserves. The oil and gas reserves found are some of the largest in the entire world. Multinational companies have been involved in the exploration and transportation of crude oil and gas in the country. The Niger delta region is the main area where the country’s rich energy reserves are found. The conduct of multinational enterprises in the region has been criticized because of allegations that corruption, bribery, environmental mismanagement, environmental contamination, and human rights abuses are being perpetrated towards indigenous communities. As a consequence, multinational enterprises have engaged in corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives in order to create a better image while serving the needs of local communities. Introduction Nigeria is one of the leading producers of oil and gas in the world. It has oil reserves that are estimated to be around 35 billion barrels while it has 5 trillion cubic meters of gas reserves (Amaeshi et al, 2006: p. 67). Nigeria is a country that has more than 250 ethnic groups with over 500 languages being spoken in the country. Despite its huge energy reserves, the country remains poor with over two thirds of the people living in abject poverty. A total of six multinational organizations are operating in the Nigerian oil and gas sector. These companies are the Royal Dutch Shell, Chevron, Exxon-Mobil, Agip, Total, and Texaco.   The Niger Delta region is the main area where the oil exploration and production is being carried out by foreign enterprises (Beauchamp, 2003: p. 92). These foreign enterprises have been criticized for failing to take adequate measures that can alleviate the poverty and suffering of indigenous communities. There have been accusations of corruption, misman agement, environmental degradation, oil spills, contaminated water, and other problems in the region. As a consequence, there have been attempts by multinational enterprises to implement corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives in the region. However, the existing literature does not comment upon the different CSR practices of MNCs in Nigeria with respect to the local stakeholders and communities. This study will seek to investigate and assess the efficacy of the ethical practices by the multinational enterprises as they related to the empowerment and betterment of indigenous communities. Research Question The following research questions will be answered in this dissertation: What are the CSR strategies of multinational enterprises in Nigeria? What are the practical implications of CSR as it relates to improving the standards of living for local communities? Is CSR a genuine attempt to empower communities or is it a marketing strategy by multinationals? Research Objectives To study the similarities and differences of the CSR initiatives implemented by multinational enterprises in Nigeria To determine the efficacy of CSR initiatives with respect to community empowerment and development To study whether multinational enterprises in the Nigerian oil sector are genuinely concerned about empowering communities or such initiatives are simply marketing tools to improver the image of multinational enterprises Literature Review Corporate social responsibility is a term used to denote the actions and policies implemented by business organizations that are in accordance with ethical and legal principles. The goal of organizations is to implement self-regulation and align it with the overall business model. The goal is to ensure that organizations can integrate ethics into their business model (Carroll, 2006: p. 76). A series of high profile business scandals in the past decades has meant that governments are now seeking to regulate the business environment through legislation that promotes transparency and accountability. Additionally, the customer segments are highly conscious about the business activities of enterprises because the latter must be able to demonstrate ethical behaviors in accordance with their actions. Alternatively, organizations are seeking to reduce the costs of complying with legislation by implementing CSR initiatives so that they can achieve efficiency and effectiveness. A number of theoretical approaches towards CSR have been developed in order to help organizations take responsibility for their actions while encouraging positive impact upon the environment, consumers, employees, and other key stakeholders. Corporate philanthropy is a CSR theoretical model which calls for providing monetary donations and aid to different communities. Such donations can come in specific areas like social welfare, environment, housing, health, and others (Carroll, 2006: p. 71).   The limitations of such a model are that it does not address the root causes of poverty and other problems in local communities. Another theory is that CSR should be combined with the overall business strategy. This theory seeks to help local communities by recruiting locals and training them so that they can upgrade their skills. Enterprises create support for local industries through mutually beneficial relationships. Another theory focuses on creating shared value because it believes that social welfare is directly linked with business success. It recommends organizations to focus on sustainable development as well as a skilled workforce so that efficiency can be attained (Carroll, 2006: p. 79). There is still a gap in the existing literature as to whether CSR can really bring positive benefits to local communities and other key stakeholders. The Nigerian oil sector has been dominated by multinationals which have been accused of environmental degradation, corruption, human rights violations, and other abuses. As a consequence, they have sought to improve this by focusing on corporate social responsibility initiatives. Some studies argue that CSR is a process which involves organizations taking responsibility for their actions and ensuring that they can create a positive impact through their activities on th e environment (Blunt Richard, 2006: p. 169). Other studies have disputed this as they argue that organizations operate on the principle of profit maximization. Research Methodology Qualitative research has been selected for this dissertation because it helps to investigate the reasons behind any particular phenomenon. This is suitable for this dissertation because the aim is to study corporate social responsibility and its efficacy in Nigeria. Quantitative research has not been selected because there is no need for statistics and figures in this dissertation. The data will be collected from primary and secondary sources. Primary data will be collected through a survey that will be sent to top managers of multinational companies working in the Nigerian energy sector. The secondary data will be collected through studies that focus on CSR and its efficacy. References Amaeshi, K, Adi, B, Ogbechie, C Amao, O. (2006) †Corporate Social Responsibility in Nigeria: Western Mimicry or Indigenous Influences?†. No. 39-2006, ICCSR Research Paper Series – ISSN 1479 – 5124, The University of Nottingham. Beauchamp, T. (2003) â€Å"Case studies in Business, Society and Ethics†. 5th ed†. Pearson, Prentice Hall. Blunt, P, Jones, M Richard , D. (2006) â€Å"Managing organizations in Africa†. Walter de Gruyter, pp.169-171. Carroll, A. (2006) â€Å"The Pyramid of Corporate Social Responsibility: Toward the Moral Management of Organizational Stakeholders†. Business Horizons, July-August 1991.

How To Set Deadlines To Make Your Team More Efficient

How To Set Deadlines To Make Your Team More Efficient Youre blogging for obvious reasons: Your  blog is a really powerful tool. On one hand, it acts as an SEO tool to bring your business website more traffic, while on the other, it provides useful information that helps establish your brand and build trust. And that helps turn your readers into paying customers. But blog posts are comprised of multiple components, so they require multiple people- or for one person to wear many hats- in order for the right keywords, ideas, text, images, and marketing to come together and work  as a cohesive unit. So how to set deadlines and work as a collaborative team to create awesome content is a challenge. But heres exactly how you can rock a content creation process that works for your team- from how to set deadlines and assign  roles to actually creating  the collaborative blog post. How To Set Deadlines To Make You (And Your Team) More Efficient via @titanwebagency1. Establish Blogging Goals And Guidelines Before you start blogging, you need to establish goals for your blogging team so they have some guiding principles that will inform their work. What do you hope to accomplish with your blog? Some examples of good goals for a blog are: Increase organic traffic to website as part of a comprehensive content marketing campaign. Build your organization’s reputation as a trusted source of information in your industry. Connect with potential customers in your target audience. Create original material to publish to social media outlets. In addition to establishing some broad goals, such as getting more Web traffic, you should also have some specific blogging guidelines for your team. Some examples of these might include: How many words each post should have. How many links/images/keyword uses/etc. each post should have. How often blog posts need to be published (editorial calendar). Where to find appropriate images for the blog. Writing tone/grammar/style guidelines. Information about the target audience you are writing for. By establishing goals and guidelines for your blog, you create a foundation that will help shape your blog and ensure that all team members are on the same page. If everyone on the team understands what you hope to accomplish with your blog and how you want them to do it, this will eliminate the need for extensive rewriting, editing, and other issues down the road. Start #blogging by turning your goals into #blog posts. #contentmarketing2. Make Sure Everyone Knows Their Role When you imagine how a blog post is created, you might think of a single person, typing away in solitude- the blogger. However, effective business blog posts often require several people to work together in a collaborative environment. Usually, it’s most effective for the roles to be split between two or three people, though sometimes one (very busy!) person may fulfill all roles. Here are some of typical roles that go into blog post creation: Project manager: This person assigns all tasks and sets deadlines. Topic and keyword generator: This person is responsible for finding blog topics and doing research to determine the best keywords and title to use. This person may also be the project manager. Content writer: This person is responsible for writing the content, which should incorporate the ideas, keywords, title, etc., as given to them by the project manager or topic/keyword generator. Content editor: This person checks and fixes the content’s grammar before the post is published. Image-finder and blog publisher: The accompanying images (and image tags) are essential for a good blog post. Someone must be responsible for finding these images and securing the necessary copyrights. This same person is often also in charge of actually posting the blog (typically using a content management system  like  WordPress) and making sure everything looks as it should. Promoter: A blog post is not worth much if no one ever reads it. Someone needs to promote your blog on social media, posting links to it across different sites and social media platforms. These marketing team roles may differ somewhat from one team to the next, but the point is that everyone involved is responsible for a particular task so that nothing gets left by the wayside. Make sure everyone involved in #blogging is responsible for a particular task so nothing is missed.It’s also good to have team members that can fulfill multiple roles if needed. For example, if your main writer is out of town one week, the editor should be able to step in and fulfill her role. 3. Set Deadlines Your Team Can- And Will- Actually Meet Everything youve done so far- setting goals, guidelines, and roles- has led up to how to set deadlines that are realistic and achievable for your team. Once everyone knows their role in creating a blog post, you need to set deadlines to make sure each team member actually completes their assigned task, and that they do so in a timely matter. After all, you should be publishing a new blog post every one to two weeks, so timeliness is key. In today’s mostly virtual workplace, the best way to set deadlines and make sure everyone is on task is by using  a project management tool like . With , you can manage all communications regarding the blog in one place, and ensure all tasks and subtasks are completed on time. helps teams collaborate together on content marketing projects like blogging, social media, and events. The tool allows teams to assign different tasks to multiple people working on a given project, while minimizing the use of email. You can use to assign tasks and deadlines to your entire team.  This is an actual example of the workflow we use at ! Based on role, you can customize your workflow, set deadlines for each team members unique tasks, and comment back and forth to the team right in . What Does A Successful Collaborative Blog Post Look Like? So, you’ve put together a team and they’ve started to publish blogs. But how do you know if these blogs are any good? Well first, you’ve got to make sure they have specific instructions. All of our writers know exactly what is expected with each blog post, including, but not limited to: Word count Tone of article Number of inbound and outbound links Types of images to use And more†¦. Think of the things youd have to include in a perfect Write For Us page. Let’s dive into it a bit deeper. Okay, so, what qualities do effective blog posts have? Good blog posts have multiple visuals. Custom images, illustrative screenshots, and photographs of real people are best (as opposed to stock photos). The guidelines for our writers specify how many images, and the types of images that are appropriate for the blog post. Good blog posts are easy to read. Content should be broken down into multiple sections with multiple headers and sub-headers. Bullet points and numbered lists are much easier to read than a big wall-o-text. Good blog posts are optimized for SEO. Posts will integrate keyword research in a natural, organic way. Good blog posts have links. Make sure your blog post links to other resources for further reading, including previous blog posts you’ve published. Where possible, you should also link to studies and statistics that reinforce the points you make in your blog. Good blog posts are original and engaging. This means that they shouldn’t have any re-hashed content from other blogs. They need to have original ideas and be written in a fresh, engaging manner. Good blog posts have proper grammar. If you want your blog to be successful, a blog post with bad grammar is simply unacceptable. Make sure all writers and editors are up to par and don’t have sloppy writing habits. Good blog posts have great titles. Having a catchy title is crucial if you want your blog to do well on search engines. If you need help you can use a headline analyzer or a blog topic generator. Don’t Forget About Guest Blogging While not every blog post will require a guest blogger, this is another important role that makes your blog a group effort. As a guest blogger- someone who writes a post for a website other than their own- I am able to gain exposure and Web traffic for my business through new outlets, and allow new audiences to get to know me. Another great thing about guest blogging is that it is a two-way street, meaning that I often receive a guest blog post from the site I’m writing one for. This helps me meet my own content needs and also get some fresh and interesting perspectives for my blog. This is a great way to divvy up the work for your team, which puts a little less strain on some of your deadlines. Remember: Your Blog Is A Work In Progress Having one good blog post is certainly an accomplishment, but in order for your blog make a lasting impact that furthers your organization’s goals, you need to publish great blog posts on a regular basis. That means knowing how to set deadlines each team member meets.

Innocence and Experience Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Innocence and Experience - Research Paper Example Innocence asks of a man to remain aloof of the different things that take place around him. However this innocence could be taken in an entirely negative way if the individual does not quite understand the norms and procedures around him. Experience teaches him to comprehend how innocence could be turned into a point where the individual become mature and therefore represents maturity on a consistent basis. Innocence and experience form essential ingredients of a psychological domain that is closely tied in with the thread that derives the basis of life (of a man). Psychology asks of the person to understand the innate characteristics that basically hamper the very basis of his life time and again. These issues can also benefit him in the long run if he gets the hang of following the set dictum in a methodical manner. Therefore it is important to understand how life can be represented in a manner that entails both innocence and experience within it in an abundant capacity. Innocence is usually associated with individuals who are known to be immature or lack the authority to have their say. However this could be held in a very negative way as well. Children are usually known to be innocent because they lack the freedom to make sound decisions and assert their own selves in an out and out fashion. This is essentially true because children are indeed very innocent and they do not actually get the hang of a lot of things that are happening around them (Bridges 1993). Children look up to their elders so that the latter could offer them with the muc h needed experience in order to change the course of their lives, for the better. Experience is deemed as important as it can be decisive in understanding the life’s crucial decisions. Experience is also pivotal because it can differentiate the innocent feelings of the different people from a rational discourse which they might have within the distinctive undertakings of their lives.

Aniconism and the Multivalence of Emblems Assignment

Aniconism and the Multivalence of Emblems - Assignment Example Huntington has her own view on this question. She believes that many of the images associated with Buddha's absence—such as an empty throne—are in fact intended to mean something else. The empty throne, for example, was intended to represent the â€Å"sacred nuclei of worship† at religious sites and not the fact of Buddha's absence on that throne (Huntington, 402). Her new research suggests that inscriptions on these images indicate that many of the so-called images are more quotidian representations of sacred sites. Vidya Dehejia has a different view of these questions. He believes that scholars have overlooked the double-meanings of many words in the ancient scripts. He thinks that someone like Huntington has been too literal. He admits that some scholars have gone too far in their interpretations, but that some images do indeed depict the absence of Buddha. He suggests that the emblems of many images â€Å"may carry different meanings in varying contexts† and that scholars should be sensitive to this (Dehejia, 64). The debate over the absence or presence of Buddha in early Buddhist art is a fascinating one. Both scholars present convincing arguments. Whether we will ever know the truth remains an open question.   

Dividend Policy at Fpl Essay Example for Free

Dividend Policy at Fpl Essay In 1994, Merrill Lynch published a report that disclosed the change in their investment rating for the FPL Group, Inc. . They had downgraded this rating as they expected the directors would choose not to raise the annual dividend. This also happened to be the first time in 47 years that the FPL Group had not raised dividends. This tweaked the interest of a certain electric utilities analyst at the First Equity Securities Corporation, Kate Stark. She now was faced with the decision whether or not to amend her own recommendation of â€Å"hold† on FPL Group, Inc.’s stock (her recommendation of hold was based on the assumption that FPL will keep its dividend at $2.48 per share, or increase this slightly). James Broadheld, chairman of the FPL Group, understood the issues of an ever changing marketplace, and knew that the industry was on the verge of being deregulated, and thus implemented a strategy that focused primarily on a strong commitment to quality as well as customer service, while focusing on the utilities industry and expanding capacity in order to improve its own cost position. He believed that this approach to business would result in a future of â€Å"full and open† competition amongst all competitors. As a result, as of May 1994, the FPL Group was faced with a critical question – to decrease their dividend payout ratio or not? Prior to Broadheld’s entry to FPL, chairman Marshall McDonald expanded the types of industries FPL were involved in during the 70’s and 80’s, leading to extensive diversification. Examples of such industries include real estate and insurance, just to name a few. As Broadheld stepped in, FPL’s diversification decreased and as a result the firm saw an improved efficiency. Exhibit 7 revealed that FPL’s capacity margin is 8.6%, which is alarmingly low in comparison to the other provided companies. The overall average is approximately 11.39%. This lower capacity margin shows that not much growth is to be expected of the firm, and this is of course relative to other firms. The same exhibit illustrates cost-management problems. More specifically, FPL’s transmission cost of $0.0019/kWh is significantly greater than the other firms provided with an average of $0.0010. Also, considering the fact that the company purchases 30% of the power used from foreign firms, FPL’s respective power costs can be high as they are exposed to the risk of changing (and increasing) power prices. The case presented a wide variety of changes in the industry’s regulatory standards. For example, 1992’s Wholesale Wheeling allowed companies to buy power from another with the help of a third party. In addition, the Retail Wheeling of 1994 allowed actual customers to not only buy from the monopoly, but from other utility firms (again through third parties). Also, many firms have lost of a substantial amount in market value, including the SP Electric Utilities Index with a decline of 20%. Turning to an evaluation of the firm, many concerns have been raised over FPL’s ever-increasing interest expense since 1993. Analysis Total earnings are the sum of dividends paid and retained earnings. Dividend-paying firms attract investors. Generally speaking, shareholders either look for growth and/or income when purchasing shares. The former tends to pay less attention to dividend payments and more on the capital gain, whereas the latter prefers a regular income for the investment made. If Kate Stark wishes to revise her current suggestion, she needs to consider the pros and cons in doing so. Focusing first on the negative effects of cutting back on dividends, signalling is undoubtedly one of the biggest issues at hand. Since lower dividend payments may be perceived as a red flag in the company’s finances, this information will likely cause a negative reaction in the market. Therefore, concerns in a decreasing stock price are justified. As for the benefits of lowering the company’s dividend policy, the company can now use a larger amount of funds that would have normally been kept aside for dividend payments. This definitely makes changes to the firm’s financing sources. The money can thus be used for value-increasing projects. From the point of view of an investor, it may not be such a bad idea, considering that dividends are taxed more than capital gains. This results in a potentially large amount of savings for the investors. Also, one of the main benefits of reducing the dividend policy is to lower the risk of market volatility and deregulation.

Dale v. Boy Scouts of America Essay -- Homosexual Rights Court Papers

Dale v. Boy Scouts of America This case deals with the Plaintiff's expulsion from his position as Assistant Scoutmaster in a Boy Scouts of America (henceforth called "BSA") troop due to his status as an active homosexual. Dale, the Plaintiff, was serving as an Assistant Scoutmaster in 1990, when, due to a local newspaper article, it was discovered by officials in the local Monmouth BSA Council that he was an active homosexual. A letter was sent to Dale by the Council, notifying him of their decision to revoke his membership in the organization. Dale sent a letter in response, asking why this action was taken. The Council then notified Dale that his homosexual activities made him ineligible for membership in the BSA, as well as making him ineligible to serve as an adult leader. In September 1990, Dale contacted the BSA Regional Director, requesting a review of the expulsion decision. The Regional Director's office responded to Dale via letter, notifying him of the Director's decision to support the Council's actio n, and also notifying him of the National BSA Council's pending review of the case. New Jersey Superior Court Analysis Rather than wait for the National Council's decision, Dale filed a lawsuit in the New Jersey Superior Court against the BSA in July 1992. In the lawsuit, Dale claimed that the BSA is a place of public accommodation, and as such, violated the New Jersey Laws Against Discrimination (LAD). LAD states the following: "All persons shall have the opportunity to obtain employment, and to obtain all the accommodations, advantages, facilities, and privileges of any place of public accommodation, publicly assisted housing accommodation, and other real property without discrimination because of race, creed... ...significant precedent. It is also quite conceivable that Dale will last no longer than the current class of Supreme Court Justices. Assuming a few more years, it is doubtful that Dale would have been decided the same. One never knows. Perhaps this case will be seen as another Plessy v. Ferguson. Works Cited New Jersey Supreme Court. Dale v. Boy Scouts of America et. al. URL: http://lawlibrary.rutgers.edu/courts/supreme/a-195-97.opn.html Superior Court of New Jersey-Appellate Division. Dale v. Boy Scouts of America et. al. URL: http://lawlibrary.rutgers.edu/courts/appellate/a2427-95.opn.html United States Supreme Court. Boy Scouts of America et. al. v. Dale. URL:http://usgovinfo.about.com/newsissues/usgovinfo/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://caselaw.findlaw.com/cgi%2Dbin/getcase.pl%3Fcourt=US%26amp%3Bnavby=case%26amp%3Bvol=000%26amp%3Binvol=99%2D699

Disadvantages of Watching TV

We require some kind of etiquate to educate the human beings for watching TV execessively without getting the advantages of the same. We have lost all our old heritage to socialise the environment. Watching TV does not involve the person participation actively. In sub-conscious mind we just go on watching the subject without involving our active mind. We are also loosing the social activites as well as outdoor activities which gives boosting effect on human mind. We should generate awareness among the people about the disadvantage of watching the TV. Although this great invention of science has played major role in human life to give more comfort as well as information human requires for his development but in my view disadvantages has also played vital role to destroy of old age heritage which in fact scientifically proven that outdoor as social activites gives metal and physical satisfaction. As we are well our that our encestors have develop sense of visualizing the events happening at far distant places. This has happend because human has practiced his body in such a that they can see adn visualise the thing before the events take place. But TV may not give this opportunity to develope the human mind. Watching TV has become habbit and some time we do not prefer to visit relatives and friends house and also do not prefer to be visited by them. We would like to generate the awareness in the human being to visulaise this drawback in order to avoid untoward incident to happen in futre and repent on this activity at later date. We must develope and generate a group who can devote the time to make people aware about the outcome of this activity.

Descriptive Statistics Essay

In research, the need to accurately produce results is imperative to efficient research. Team C’s hypothesis of what generates champion teams needs many tools provided in research to achieve a true answer. Team C has further simplified the meaning of champion team to any team whose team dynamics cause the team to have a winning season. With that being said, this paper will be focused on the research tools needed and the results provided by the tools to answer what stats are important for teams in the MLB to win games and eventually be champions. Measures of Central Tendencies Even when dealing with enormous sets of data it is important to get an idea by looking at the measures of central tendency. The first three that will be looked at are mean, median, and mode. Mean is â€Å"a measure of central tendency that offers a general picture of data without inundating one with each of the observations in a data set† (Sekaran, p. 396, para 3). A more common term for mean is average. The median is â€Å"the central item in a group of observations when they are arrayed in ascending or descending order† (Sekaran, p. 396, para 5). Mode is the â€Å"most frequently occurring phenomenon† (Sekaran, 396, para 6). The following table shows the mean, median, and mode for the four sets of data that Team C will be researching: Wins, Salary, Total Season Attendance, and Team Earned Run Average. Although the chart has shown detailed information, the need for dispersion will aid in achieving more precise data collection. Dispersion Dispersion is a critical part of statistics because of the accuracy factor. In team C’s hypothesis, the stats the team are searching for are the stats  that generate wins for a Major League Baseball team. In dispersion, four subsets can help develop a more accurate picture of Team C’s hypothesis. The four are range, average deviation, variance, and standard deviation. The four tools of dispersion help to paint a clear picture of how the four identified stats help develop winning teams. Measure skewness will help to make sure the data collected is uniform. Measure of Skew Skewness is a measure of symmetry, or more precisely, the lack of symmetry. A distribution, or data set, is symmetric if it looks the same to the left and right of the center point (NIST/SEMATECK, 2010). The skewness for a normal distribution is zero, and any symmetric data should have skewness near zero. Negative values for the skewness indicate data skewed left and positive values for the skewness indicate data skewed right. Skewed left is defined as the left tail is long in comparison to the right tail on the histogram. Skewed right is defined as the right tail is long in comparison to the left tail histogram. Wins Team C’s research demonstrates a champion Major League Baseball team success is a result of the number of wins, salary of players, season attendance, and the team’s earned run average. The average wins for 30 teams, or the mean is 81, whereas the median is equal to the mean at 81 wins. The mode or most recurring number of wins is 95. The skewness of the applied wins data results in a negative number, resulting in a negative or data skewed to the left. In this case the variance is so minimal that the histogram for wins would look symmetrical rather than negatively skewed. Salary The salary of a Major League player can be closely tied to the quality and quantity of the player’s ability and results. The team salary mean is $73,063,563 and the median is $66,191,417. The skewness for this data is a 2.17, positively skewed to the right which means that the mean exceeds the median. This dramatic difference in data is a result of the variation in the highest team salary compared to the mean. The mean is $73,063,563 and there are extremes in excess of 200 million dollars for a team salary pulling the mean in excess of the median. Attendance Attendance in a Major League game directly impacts the budget and ability to pay higher salaries for better players. The data researched shows a mean of 2.4 million and a median of 2.5 million. The skewness is displayed as positively skewed or skewed to the right. The variance is very minimal resulting in a symmetrical histogram. The slight pull to the right is a result of increased attendance at 3.5 to 4 million at a handful of stadiums. Team ERA Measurement of Central Tendency and Dispersion of Data Mean, median and mode are used to measure central tendency and the dispersion of data. â€Å"In general, the mean is the descriptive statistic most often used to describe the central tendency of a group of measurements.†(Science Buddies, 2010) However, the mean is not always the best measure of central tendency and dispersion when there is a presence of extreme values in the data. â€Å"Of the three measures, it is the most sensitive measurement, because its value always reflects the contributions of each of the data values in the group. The median and the mode are less sensitive to â€Å"outliers†Ã¢â‚¬â€data values at the extremes of a group.†(Science  Buddies, 2010) The mode measures the highest recorded frequencies of data measures, and it helps to determine where most of the data lies. The mode is very useful when the data is overly skewed. The median helps to determine the quartile range and the skew of the data. The median is not affected much by the sma ll proportion of the data with very high or very low values. The median is a good measure of the central tendency and dispersion of the data when considering what makes a Major League Baseball team successful team. After reviewing all data collected, Team C has derived that the combination of these stats gives the solution for the hypothesis posed. Solution After extensive research, Team C has discovered that the factors the team focused on do have an effect on the wins for a Major League Baseball team. In the case of attendance, a successful team needs a minimum of 2.4 million fans to be able to pay quality players. In addition, this high fan base can help generate the 73 million needed to pay quality players and operate the team. These quality players need to provide a minimum of 4.28 for the ERA. Although this stat is based on a pitcher, the team as a whole has to be good enough to aid the pitcher in this goal. If the teams can achieve this goal, their average wins would be well over 81 wins for the season. This is a winning season, and eventually, as numerous teams that have fallen into these categories have shown, the championship could be the reward. Conclusion A team that plays smart and efficient will win games and championships. The number of wins, salaries, attendance, and earned run average (ERA) contribute to this success. ERA is the average number of runs allowed by the pitcher. The lower number of runs the better. The ERA stats tell us that the most number of wins by a team is 95. The overall team salaries indicate that the player salaries are indicative of player quality, ability, and results thereof. The attendance of the fans and public plays a major role in the success of the team. The monies generated from attendance make it possible for owners and management to hire quality talent. Owners and management must be consistent when hiring and managing the players. Team C has concluded through its research that these are the major factors for winning games and championships. References NIST/SEMATECH. (2010). e-Handbook of Statistical Methods, retrieved from http://www.itl.nist.gov/div898/handbook eda/section3/eda35b.htm. Science Buddies. (2010). Summarizing Your Data. Retrieved from http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair- projects/project_data_analysis_summarizing_data.shtml Sekaran, U. (2003). Research Methods For Business: A Skill Building Approach. (4th ed.). John Wiley & Son, Inc. New York, NY. *Histogram and other charts located on attached Excel Spreadsheet*

Why Choose a Single-Sex School

Why Choose a Single-Sex School No single educational environment is right for every student. From varying learning styles to different interests, education has become an incredibly diverse and customized experience for students. For some children, the best learning environment is one that removes students of the opposite gender from the equation.  Research has shown that single-sex education offers benefits for both girls and boys. While it has long been known that girls do better academically in all-girls’ environments, more recent research has shown that boys may fare even better than girls in single-sex classrooms. The research fairly overwhelmingly and  consistently points to the advantages of single-sex schools. For example, a study at Stetson University  in Florida showed that among fourth graders at a public elementary school in the state, 37% of boys reached proficiency levels in co-ed classes, while 86% of boys in single-sex classrooms did (the boys in the study were matched so that they were statistically equivalent). While 59% of girls reached a proficient level in co-ed classrooms, 75% did when they were only with girls. This type of research has been carried out and substantiated among students of different economic, ethnic, and racial backgrounds in many different industrialized countries around the world. Part of the magic of single-sex schools is that the teaching methods can be adjusted to the students. Well-trained teachers at girls’ and boys’ single-sex schools can take advantage of the specific ways in which girls and boys learn. For example, boys often need a higher level of activity, while girls might need more reassurance that they have something to offer to the classroom discussion. In a typical co-ed classroom, it is difficult for one teacher to use these specific strategies for all the students. Here are some other advantages of single-sex schools: Girls Gain Greater Confidence CRC Health studies show that one-quarter of the female members of Congress and one-third of the female board members of Fortune 100 companies attended girls’ schools. This staggering statistic might be in part because girls in single-sex schools learn to feel confident about their ideas, and they more readily jump into class discussions when they are not self-conscious. In a girls’ school, students are not worried about what boys will think about them, and they shed the traditional idea that girls should be demure or quiet. Boys and Girls Feel Comfortable in Non-traditional Subjects Boys in boys’ schools feel comfortable in areas that they learn to avoid in co-ed schools, such as literature, writing, and foreign languages. Many boys’ schools emphasize these subjects, and the teachers in these schools are able to plan the curriculum so that the themes in the books the boys read are geared towards their concerns and interests, as opposed to the usual â€Å"girl-centered† books in many co-ed schools. For example, boys may read stories about boys coming of age, such as Homer’s The Odyssey, and the students’ analyses of these works can be centered on boys’ concerns. Girls in girls’ schools, on the other hand, tend to feel more comfortable in areas that they traditionally shy away from, such as math and science. In all-female schools, they can have female role models who enjoy these subjects, and they are encouraged to be interested in these areas without competition from boys. Students Unlearn Gender Stereotypes In boys’ schools, boys fill every role- whether it’s a traditional role such as captain of the basketball team or whether it’s an untraditional role such as the editor of the yearbook. There are no stereotypes about which types of roles boys should fill. Similarly, in a girls’ school, girls are the head of every sport and organization and can comfortably take on such untraditional roles as head of the student body or head of the physics club. In this way, students in these schools unlearn traditional stereotypes and do not tend to think of roles in terms of gender. Single-Sex Classrooms Often have Better Discipline While sometimes all-girls’ and all-boys’ classrooms have a certain relaxed quality borne of freedom to express themselves, single-sex classrooms have been shown overall to have fewer discipline problems, particularly for boys. Students are no longer busy impressing or competing against the opposite sex but can get down to the true business of learning. Many parents who attended co-ed schools may feel uncomfortable at first exploring the single-sex school option for their children, but there is no doubt that many students learn better in these types of schools.

How To Make a Dry Ice Balloon

How To Make a Dry Ice Balloon You usually blow up balloons with air or helium, but did you know you can get a balloon to inflate itself using dry ice? Heres how you perform this simple science project: Dry Ice Balloon Materials BalloonsDry Ice PelletsFunnel (optional) Its easiest to work with a funnel because it holds the neck of the balloon open. If you are working with dry ice pellets, you may find it easier to break or crush them so you can pour them into the balloon. However, if you wear gloves, its pretty simple to do this project with just your hands and a balloon. If you have a carbon dioxide fire extinguisher, you can even make the dry ice yourself. What You Do Hold open the mouth of the balloon.Place or pour dry ice into the balloon.Tie off the balloon so that the gas wont escape.The balloon will inflate as you watch. Youll see water freeze on the outside of the balloon where the dry ice is cooling the air across the surface of the latex. How much the balloon inflates depends on how much dry ice you added. A small amount of dry ice will slightly inflate the balloon, while a large amount ultimately will make it pop. How It Works Dry ice is the solid form of carbon dioxide. At normal atmospheric pressure, dry ice sublimates from a solid directly into a gas. As the gas warms, it expands. Carbon dioxide is more dense than air, so if you drop a dry ice balloon, it will fall to the ground rather than float like a helium balloon. Dry Ice Safety Dry ice is cold enough that it can give you frostbite after a very brief exposure. Its best to wear gloves for this project and to let the balloon inflate on a countertop and not in your hand. Also, dont eat the dry ice. Keep it away from children and pets.

Business questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Business questions - Essay Example As Jones & George say, consumption and investment rates are highly dependent on the economic aspects and the political scenario respectively (128). The political force, in my opinion, is the major determinant of successful business transactions. Political forces determine whether a society will be peaceful and stable enough to allow for investment. As Lynch indicates, the Chinese would benefit from venturing into the U.S markets as there are fewer trade barriers, alternative energy sources are in plenty, as well as the Chinese are better placed to learn new technologies that could benefit their home markets (1). With the Chinese shifting a lot of focus in the U.S markets, Lynch is of the opinion that U.S.A. will gain from job creations by the Chinese. The Chinese companies have sustained investors with loans, which is shifted to U.S economy (Lynch, 1). With the IMF expecting the Chinese outward investment to augment, the U.S assets are slowly gaining prominence among the Chinese buyers. The U.S markets and economy will automatically grow, while back at home, the Chinese manpower is grabbed by the world’s superpower (Lynch,

Corporate Productivity and the New Economy Personal Statement

Corporate Productivity and the New Economy - Personal Statement Example And, I learned that the unique educational program of the Graduate School of Computer and Information Science at Nova Southeastern University is one of the many features why many students study and research here. For, one of the main reasons for my selection of Nova Southeastern University is its Cluster classroom format. Since I am a firm believer in the concept of teamwork, I believe the cluster meetings will be beneficial for me as I network and team with others in my field with the guidance and wisdom of my instructors. Further, I believe I will also be able to make a formidable contribution to my classmates and professors as we exchange prior experiences, expertise, and hopes in a bond that will last a lifetime. Furthermore, the online aspect of the program is equally as attractive to me as the cluster meetings. I am no stranger to online learning since at least 50% of my undergraduate courses and 90% of my Master's courses took advantage of the online format. For, the schoolâ⠂¬â„¢s unique learning environment is the missing link that will help me maximize my current skills and capabilities in the field of Information Technology in my zeal to improve the lives of people using information technology. Evidently, my entire life has been seriously focused on the complex but rewarding world information technology.