Development of a Web-Based Student Information System for Secondary Schools in Nigeria Essay Example for Free

Development of a Web-Based Student Information System for Secondary Schools in Nigeria Essay School Management System In most Nigeria secondary schools, the storage, access and management of information is very poor. Information regarding students, their respective classes, and subjects taught in these classes, performance assessment records, grade entry and other forms of data manipulation are generally carried out manually using pen and booklets, in rare cases Microsoft Excel. Access to information can be cumbersome, irritating and frustrating due to poor storage and inaccessibility. Parents, officials and staff of these schools find it very difficult to get certain information that could enhance their decision-making and completion of an assigned task. I was asked by my instructor to analyze, design, develop and implement a practical solution that will alleviate these problems in a typical secondary school. The purpose of this report is to: 1) Provide details on the functional requirements and design specification of a typical solution. 2) Demonstrate that the requirement that will be stated in (1) above have been satisfied by implementing the solution. ) Provide details of the development process and critically appraise the solution. The objective of this project is to design, develop and implement a computerized system that will enhance access, storage, processing and management of information regarding E-Student Management System student, their studies, teachers and subjects including student performance assessment records. I have designed, developed and implemented a web-based system using technologies in Microsoft . Net framework 4. 0 and Microsoft SQL Server 2008 software. A brief detail description of theories and techniques of the design and development of this solution is appraised in this report. Furthermore, an attached appendix explains the models, workflow and the architecture of the application. Users will be able to have access from any computer that has a browser and is connected to the internet. With a graphical user interface, this system is simple, user friendly and intuitive to use. It is not uncommon to find that many learning institutions in Nigeria, including secondary schools, still keep records in files and tucked them away in filling cabinets where they accumulate dust. Many of these files are often eaten up by rodents and cockroaches thus rendering them irretrievable. A great deal of routine administrative work in schools is still done manually with the state and the Federal government, including the administrators of this institutions showing little or no interest in embracing ICT. The administrative drudgery in secondary school institutions an be better managed through ICT. Secondary education administrative functions include a wide variety of activities such as educational governance, supervision, support services, infrastructure, 5 E-School Management System finance, budgeting, accounting, personnel selection and training system monitoring and evaluation, facilities procurement and management, equipment maintenance, and so on (Thomas, 1987). In most N igerian schools, officials and staff still go through the laborious exercise of manually registering students, maintaining records of students? erformance, keeping inventory list of supplies, doing cost accounting, paying bills and printing reports. The huge man-hour spent on these exercises can be drastically reduced with IT technologies to enhance overall management procedure. Thomas (1987), said that â€Å"Computers bring great speed and accuracy to each of these tasks, along with the convenience of storing large quantities of information on „small disks or tapes? (P. 5). For the purpose of this project, problems related to the management of information regarding student and their academic work, including teachers and subjects is the matter of concern.

How Useful Is Robert Mertons Anomie Theory?

How Useful Is Robert Mertons Anomie Theory? This essay is about how Robert Merton theory accounts for crime and deviance within a contemporary society. I will look at how he believes crime is a result of an ambitious society, and whether or not we can blame crime on the wider society and not on the deviant themselves. I will show how Merton and also Durkheim (1958-1917) construct their theories of crime from different principles, However, both use the theory of `anomie (also referred to as strain theory) in their bid to explain the negatives of society and the effect it has on the individuals who live here in retrospect to crime. I will look at the different approaches each functionalist uses to explain anomie, and how it fits in with their theories of contemporary society. I will also look at how they both agree on this theory, but differ on its initial causes. I also investigate how both believe that crime at some stage is a normal integral part of a contemporary society, and a result of ones self, but they differ on it valu e to society. Emile Durkheim, a French sociologist and functionalist, introduced the concept of anomie in his book The Division of Labour in Society, published in 1893. He used anomie to describe a lack of morale that was occurring in society. Durkheims book was first published 119 years ago however astonishingly his theories can still be applied to todays contemporary society. Anomie is a state were social norms are in crisis. They are vague and confused or even perhaps not present. Durkheim strongly felt this was a cause of deviance. In 1897 Durkheim used the theory again in his study on suicide. http://www.criminology.fsu.edu/crimtheory/week8.htm Durkheims One Cause of Suicide, Barclay D. Johnson, American Sociological Review, Vol. 30, No. 6 (Dec., 1965), pp. 875-886, Published by: American Sociological Association Merton works within the overall functionalist perspective which puts a great deal of emphasis on the role of society, particularly its merging aspects, it states that crime and deviance is a positive attribute to society due to many aspects which I will delve into further on in this essay. Merton now adapts a concept he adopts from the book suicide written by the functionalist, Durkheim in 1897. Durkheim strongly suggested that it is not the individual but culture that creates deviance. He stated that Crime is an integral part of society. He went on to further say that a deviant could also be viewed as a visionary to society and that deviance strengthens society by bringing communities together in times of crisis. In order to illustrate the importance of collective forces on the individual, Durkheim examined the subject of suicide. In Durkheims work, anomie referred to a situation in which cultural norms in a society break down because of sudden rapid change. He stated that rapid social change disrupts such norms and controls producing anomie, characterised by agitation, dissatisfaction, anxiety and a myriad of other characteristics relative to suicide and other deviance. Anomic suicide, for example is a result of the economic cycle. This can occur during a major economic depression such as the much recent recession, when people are not able to achieve the goals that they have learned to pursue, but it can also occur when the economy experiences a sudden and peoples once reasonable aspirations are now easy to achieve if not already achieved and they no longer have goals or something to work towards, also people do not know how to limit their aspirations and be satisfied with their achievements. Merton however changes Durkheims theory slightly, to refer to a situation in which there is an apparent lack of adequa cy between the cultures norms about what constitutes success in life, goals, and the cultures norms about the appropriate ways to achieve those goals otherwise known as the means. Durkheim, E, Spaulding, j, Suicide: A Study in Sociology, Free Press; Reissue edition (11 May 2010) Mertons take on anomie became the explanation for extremely high rates of deviant behaviour occurring in the United States compared with other societies, and also gave an explanation for the spread of deviant behaviour across groups defined by class, race, ethnicity and gender. Merton views the United States as a polar example of a society in which aspiration and goals are an integral part of society and pressure is put upon the people of America to aim towards a goal, however the goal is already set, The American Dream. The social structure in America, is however, characterised by major divisions and harsh economic inequality. Along with this huge division in social classes, people are also criticised as being quitters if they diminish their goals. On the other hand, however, the culture is at best indecisive in its norms about the appropriate means of being successful. Hard work in school and then in the economic workplace are favoured and are the culturally approved means of succe ss, but theres also an element of appreciation for the successful rogue who breaks the rules using immoral or illegal avenues and still achieves success. The end result is more appreciated then the journey to get there, so sometimes a blind eye can be turned to certain corners that may be cut in order to achieve success. A highly successful billion pound American company has recently been exposed for how it cuts corners to obtain high revenues; nobody asked how they were so successful until it was challenged. Some people saying Starbucks had a very good financial advisor as they were actually not doing anything illegal but morally it was wrong. Starbucks were very happy to continue their tax avoidance practices knowing it was probably immoral, however slightly this has tarnished Starbucks they are still a success story and whatever measures they are doing now is only to protect the brand, not because they feel they have a moral duty. In America, in other words, success is probably rated a lot more highly than virtue. http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2012/dec/03/amazon-google-starbucks-tax-avoidance A Critical Look at Mertons Anomie Theory, Alex Thio, The Pacific Sociological Review, Vol. 18, No. 2 (Apr., 1975), pp. 139-158, Published by: University of California Press. The Legacy of Anomie Theory: Advances in Criminological Theory, Freda A. Adler, William S. Laufer, Robert King Merton, Transaction Publishers, 1 Nov 1999 In addition, the United States, along with all other countries has minority groups whose access to success by conventional means is clearly limited. In the period in which Merton was writing, Society as a whole was a clearly racist. Black Americans were severely limited when it came to education and the workplace. Even so, the same goals were not just emphasised to the white middle class American however to all of their society, Thus therefore creates an influx in crime as people fight by any means to achieve their dreams, the collective American dream. http://www.criminology.fsu.edu/crimtheory/merton.htm Tony Sopranos America: The Criminal Side of the American Dream, David R. Simon, Perseus Books Group, 2 Mar 2004 In order for people to respond to this disjunction of goals and means, Merton created a typology of adaptations. The first of these being a conformist. Most individuals in society are conformists, they accept the culturally defined goals and choose these within their means, they then go on to pursue them using legitimate means of achieving them through the socially-acceptable avenues of educational and occupational advancement and work diligently. An example of this being University students wanting a degree and successful job in the workplace, however using their available means to pay for the study and achieve these goals. Although many citizens; majority being working class and lower middle class, are unlikely to attain the desired, unrealistic ends, they obey social rules anyway and grin and bear it (Winfree Abadinsky) without deviation or grievance. When unable to achieve their goals or to achieve success, they claim responsibility for such failures themselves (I didnt work as hard as I could have at school), and continue to conform to social expectations. The second possible reaction to Mertons anomie is that of innovation. Merton believed that much of criminal behaviour could be categorised as innovative. Innovators are people who tend to accept the goals of society for success and social status however lack the means of achieving such goals and therefore turn to immoral, illegal and deviant techniques in order to achieve these. Gomme stated that a good example of an innovator was a drug dealer or a gangster who perhaps come from a working class background who wish to attain wealth and success however lack the intelligence and money which is needed to achieve such goals, so therefore they maintain their goals but use socially unacceptable means to accomplish these aspirations. Innovators, however, are not necessarily violent or serious offenders: people who lie about their work experience or educational background on a job application can also fall into this category, These acts are not criminal or illegally wrong however these indiv iduals are trying to achieve success through immoral socially unacceptable means. Another of Mertons possible explanations to anomie is called ritualism. The ritualist accepts a lifestyle of hard work and ambition, but rejects the cultural goal of deferred gratification. This individual goes through the avenues of getting an education and working hard, and therefore has the means, yet is not committed to the goal of accumulating wealth or social status. Ritualists ease the strain of anomie by lessening their own aspirations of success to a point where goals are more attainable. They accept their social position, and consistently obey the path they are required to follow. Ritualists tend to avoid taking any risks and are comfortable living within the confines of daily routines, for example a mundane job etc. without complaining or striving for better. Ritualists are fearful of rejection and failure, so therefore do not set themselves up for one in order to not get hurt. As Gomme describes, for ritualists, the means become ends in themselves, A tele marketer for exa mple may be comfortable with the knowledge of not attaining wealth or status within their field of work, they are almost fearful of having to base their life on prospects and a dream and therefore almost make do with their current situation. The fourth explanation is retreatism. Retreatists make a more dramatic reaction to the stress of anomie, which is usually a permanent procedure. The stress and anxiety of the forced upon expectations of social success through conventional and traditional avenues forces the individual to essentially give up. They almost withraw from society as the individual rejects both the cultural goals of success and the socially legitimate means of achieving it. . The retreatist removes themselves or retreats from society and may become an alcoholic, drug addict, or vagrant. They have no means and no goal and have no ambition to change this.. As Durkheim observed, suicide can be seen as the ultimate retreat. The fifth type of adaptation to anomie outlined by Merton is rebellion. Rebellion can be seen as the most threatening and dangerous reaction to society. Rebellion occurs when an individual rejects both culturally defined goals and means and substitutes new goals and means. For example, gang members may make a new goal of gaining power in their gang and using violence and other illegal activities to achieve this. When alienated from society and social structures, rebels propose new goals and means for success. Their view of success differs from the usual law abiding citizen. Rebels may advocate new groups and work together to attain success, perhaps by radical terrorist attacks; suicide bombings. Society however may not be to blame for such radical movement as religion is at the forefront of terrorism. Siegel, L, Criminology: Theories, Patterns, and Typologies, Cengage Learning, 18 Jan 2012 Lauri Taylor however criticises Mertons typology and compares it to her own theory of a fruit machine what Is rigged. She stated that Conformists play the fruit machine and delude themselves thinking that it is fair. She stated that we are fooling ourselves having dreams that are more catered to society and not an indivual dream for our own self. Although a criticism of Taylors approach is perhaps there needs to be a protocol for quickness of time and economical reasons. Whether this is because we want to be accepted by society or for a consistent easy life without any trauma. Taylor stated that the second reaction to anomie, innovators, try to rig the fruit machine in their advantage. Perhaps this is an alternative approach to gaining success but can still ultimately fail as we are trapped in the confines of society. Although the people who judge what acts are illegal are those in the bourgeoisie, were crime is being committed daily; corporate veil, however it goes unseen. Perhaps the goals and the means are not consistent with one another and this is purposely set out as the upper classes wish to restrain those of a less social position from achieving success and wealth. The third approach, ritualism, as stated by Taylor is played blindly and obsessively by the ritualist. Ritualists do not like taking risks and therefore play the fruit machine blindly. They therefore never win any prize and do not have any expectation of winning any prize. They are quite content with their life and do not wish to be burdened with any goals or aspirations which they must base their life or work on. There is no end goal, they are ultimately like a hamster in a wheel working and not getting any reward. Retreatists as stated by Taylor, ignore the existence of the fruit machine. They almost live a day to day life with no sight of a foreseeable future. They have no end goal and wish to not any persue any dreams. Lastly, rebels. These individuals smash up the fruit machine and re build it in their favour according to Laura Taylor. They have the same goals; receiving a prize from the fruit machine, however lack the means of attaining such success so therefore use an alternative route; re building the machine, in order to gain a prize, there is however, no certainty of a prize at the end of it. Page 192, Durkheim and Modern Sociology, Steve Fenton, CUP Archive, 19 Jul 1984 Page 101, Understanding Deviance: A Guide to the Sociology of Crime and Rule-Breaking, David M. Downes, Paul Elliott Rock, Oxford University Press, 2007 This essay has discussed whether Mertons theory of anomie can give an understanding for the reasons behind crime in a contemporary society. It has established that the goals and aspirations set up by society have a big effect on the individual and also that in a lot of cases the means do not coincide with the goals and therefore people take a different avenue to achieve success, whether this being legal or illegal. Contemporary society has made wealth, education and success achievable for all classes, genders, races and ages. Because these goals are now available to everybody, this has created an influx in crime due to more competition and more people aspiring for the acceptable goals. Furthermore with the new coalition governments abolishing of the education maintenance allowance and the hiking up of University fees has meant there is more stream lining and again only the wealthy can be perceived as achieving their goals which could result in an increase in anomie amongst the indivi duals who lack the money and are at a disadvantage who are unable to access higher education. Mertons Anomie Theory however has come under criticism due to the overlook of Richard Quinneys conflict theory, crime in the suites. Crimes by the wealthy and powerful seem to not be discussed. Merton also seems to turn a blind eye to Cloward and Ohlens research on illegitimate opportunities and labelling theory and how this perhaps gives an understanding on individuals committing crime. This essay therefore concludes that anomie is a reasonable explanation for crime in contemporary society. A Critical Look at Mertons Anomie Theory, Alex Thio, The Pacific Sociological Review, Vol. 18, No. 2 (Apr., 1975), pp. 139-158, Published by: University of California Press

Interbrand Brand Valuation

Interbrand Brand Valuation The Interbrand method is extremely popular for valuation of brands and has been adopted in several practical purposes such as brand valuation of various food-related and beverage brands such as Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Kelloggs, Cadbury, Wrigleys and Nestle. This method majorly discusses about the extra earnings an associated brand can generate for a company or companies over a considerable period of time. The brand value is then calculated to be the present value of these discounted additional earnings which the brand generates. The method indicates the need for choosing the target markets by segmentation of the markets through various parameters such as geographic, demographic and psychographic variables. After analysing the markets and performing a proper financial analysis in the form of estimated revenues, units of sales, associated costs and forecasts, we need to analyse what are the demand drivers of the brand. For example, in this case of evaluating the Kingfisher brand, some of the parameters of demand drivers would be related to the level of need of the brand, the elasticity of pricing the brand, the number of competitors and substitutes in a given geographical region, etc. A competitive benchmarking analysis is done to recognize the gaps associated with the branding processes and strategies adopted by Kingfisher in comparison to its competitors. Finally, the brand earnings are calculated and the brand discount rate in different specific periods for the relevant time horizon to find the brand value which is the net present value of forecasted brand earnings of Kingfisher. Determination of Kingfisher brands weighted average differential EBIT We will calculate the additional EBIT by using the formula:- Differential EBIT = (EBIT) branded (EBIT) unbranded Where EBIT i.e. Earnings before interest and taxes is the operating profit of the company. It is equal to Net Sales Total Expenditure. In order to calculate the differential EBIT, we have used a similar brewery company in India, called Mount Shivalik Breweries Industries (MSBL), which is a public listed company which has been in existence since 1972. The company is primarily into the business of manufacturing and supplying draught beer in the Union territory of Chandigarh. It caters to both the strong beer segment as well as the mild beer segment, with the flagship brands being Thunderbolt and Golden Peacock. Although, 95% of the beer supplies to the pubs and bars in Chandigarh are being catered from MSBL, it still doesnt match to the brand quality of Kingfisher which is globally recognized. Hence, we have preferred to use MSBL as an unbranded company. Hence, Kingfishers differential EBIT is:- (EBIT) Kingfisher (EBIT) MSBL We have calculated the differential EBIT for the last three fiscals and then the present value has been found out by compounding them with the discount rate used as average inflation rate. The calculations are shown below:- We have taken a conservative approach of considering the brand horizon to be around three years because efforts of brand building like heavy investment in marketing of the brand, R D efforts for inventing new technologies, etc have an effect of at least 3 years after which there is a need for change in business process restructuring. The EBITs are proportionately weighted according to the standard amortizing schedule of 1:2:3, with the most recent year getting the highest weightage of 3. The relevant calculations are shown below:- Average Inflation Rate for the past 3 years = 10.5 % Determination of brand differential earnings The formula for brand differential earnings is given below:- Brand differential earnings = Weighted differential EBIT capital charge Tax The capital charge is estimated by multiplying the weighted average cost of capital (WACC) with the amount of capital employed by the Kingfisher brand (part of United Breweries Limited group). The average WACC is estimated by using a period of past five years and forecasting the data for next five years. The WACC calculation for the United Breweries Limited (UBL) company is shown below:- The Beta for the United Breweries industry has been taken from capital for the years 2005 to 2010. The forecasted years data i.e the beta for years 2011 to 2015 has been estimated by using the 3-year moving average method, wherein the beta for year 2011 is the average of the betas for the preceding three years 2008-2010. Similarly, the D/E ratio for future years has been calculated by using the 3-year moving average method. The cost of equity for each year has been calculated by using the CAPM formula given below:- Ke = Rf + Beta*Market Risk Premium The average WACC is calculated by using the 3-yr moving average method of the forecasted years 2013-2015. The calculations are shown below:- The brand differential earnings calculations are shown below:- Determination of Brand Strength and Brand Multiplier The assessment of brand strength takes into account the following factors:- Leadership ability to influence the market Stability ability to maintain a consumer franchise Market vulnerability of market demand to changes in tastes or technology International Scope cross national/cultural potential Trend long term appeal to consumers Support strength of communications Protection security of the brand owners legal or property rights The greater is the brand strength of a company, the higher is its associated brand multiple. Typically, brand multiple ranges from 6 to 20. We have tried to quantify the factors of brand strength by relating each factor with the quantifiable variables related to the operational performance of the UBL company in general and the Kingfisher brand specifically. They are shown below:- Leadership factor of the brand can be estimated by looking at the market share, net profit margin (NPM) it generates, market capitalization (Mkt. Cap.), and investor returns (ROE), estimated revenue growth (Rev. CAGR) and estimated profit growth (NP. CAGR) over the years. Stability factor can be measured by the volatility of the net profit margin (NP Var%) of the Kingfisher brand over the years We have compared the Kingfisher brand to its top ten competitors in the breweries industry and hence we did not incorporate any distinguishing factor of the brand in terms of distinct market conditions. International scope of the brand can be measured by the level of exports it generates The Trend factor of Kingfisher brand or any brand in general can be estimated by correlating with the change in return on assets. Typically, return on assets would be higher for high-quality assets. Brands tend to perform better with quality assets available for production, sales and marketing and consistent research and development. The level of Support for a brand would be reflected by additional investments to maintain the goodwill of the brand. The brands Protection could be quantified by analysing its threats against acquisition, bankruptcy and other financial distress costs related to management. The most efficient measure we could use to quantify the protection is interest coverage ratio (ICR). We have assumed that all the above seven parameters have an equal weight to the brand strength of Kingfisher, except the market factor which we have taken as zero. Brand Strength = Leadership + Stability + Market + Internationality + Trend + Support + Protection The operational performance of the top seven companies (current data available for seven companies only) of the breweries industry in India has been compared to that of Kingfisher in order to estimate the brand strength of Kingfisher. The relevant data has been extracted from Capitaline. The columns highlighted in yellow contain negative values and needs to be normalized as shown by the data below. The remaining columns have already been normalized. The seven companies have been ranked from top to bottom on the basis of market share they hold which is equal to company net sales as a percentage of industry net sales. Similarly market capitalization has been normalized as a percentage of total industry market capitalization. Export revenues and S A (Selling and Administration) expenses are a percentage of the total net revenues and total expenses of the company respectively. The Revenue CAGR and NP. CAGR are calculated by averaging the growth rates of revenues and net profit respective ly for the past three years i.e. 2008-2010. The columns in yellow are normalized by the process of assigning highest weights to the maximum value and assigning lowest weights to the minimum value. For example, in order to normalize the net profit margin (NPM), we have assigned a weight of 6 to Globus Spirits followed by a 5 to Mount Shivalik and finally going on assigning weights of 4, 3, 2 and 1 in the descending order to the remaining companies with a weight of 0 being assigned to SKOL Breweries, which has the minimum NPM of -10.39. All the other negative values are also given weights ranging from 0 to 1 depending on their proportion i.e. a higher negative value of -3.93 would be given a lower weight of say 0.1 compared to a lower negative value of -2.54 which would be given a weight of say 0.5. The method of assigning weights to negative values has been purely done on a subjective basis and there is scope of further improvements. The other columns have also been normalized in the same fashion. The normalized table is shown in the next page:- We can now calculate the consolidated brand strength based on the measured values of the quantifiable variables which relates to the seven factors responsible for brand strength. The consolidated values of each of the seven factors are shown in the next page below. The brand strength factors such as leadership and trend which are measured by more than one quantifying variables are consolidated and then the average of the consolidated value is taken to reflect the corresponding factor. This is shown in the next page. The next step which we need to incorporate is to find out the relationship between brand strength and brand multiplier. The Interbrand S-curve is shown below. The S-curve function is approximated using a sigmoid function wherein we have the relation, brand multiplier = f (brand strength). From the paper Valuation of Brands and Intellectual Capital written by Pablo Fernandez, we have estimated the brand multiple of Kingfisher brand by interpolating its corresponding brand strength using the source as the four values of brand strength and corresponding brand multiples mentioned in the paper. From the S-curve above, we can roughly estimate that the brand multiple for a brand strength of 1 would be equal to 0.7. A brand strength of 38 has a brand multiple of 6.3 as shown in the table beside. Hence, the brand multiple of Kingfisher brand for a brand strength of 16.63 % would be equivalent to:- Brand multiple = 0.7 + {(6.3 0.7)/ (38-1)}*16.63 = 3.217 Hence brand value of Kingfisher brand is estimated to be equal to:- Brand Value of Kingfisher = brand multiple*Kingfisher brand differential earnings = 3.217*72.87 = 234.42 crores Royalty Relief Brand Valuation Method This method is one of the most efficient methods currently used for brand valuation as per industry practises. In this approach, a royalty rate is estimated by the brand owner/licensor, which needs to be paid by the third party/licensee for using the brand defined under the guidelines of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) usage. The brand value would then be determined by the present value of the royalty stream after taxes. The methodology used in the royalty savings method or the royalty relief method comprises of the following steps:- Estimate the branded net sales for the planning horizon (generally three to five years) Determine a reasonable royalty rate that the two unrelated parties would have set for the transfer of comparable brands in an arms length transaction Multiply the estimated royalty rate by the projected sales of the brand over its economic life. The result represents annual royalty savings Apply a fiscal charge in each period to estimate the after-tax royalty savings for each Estimate the brands perpetual growth rate, economic useful life and discount rate Discount the royalty stream after taxes at present value The royalty rate used for estimating the future royalty streams in the planning horizon, depends on several factors. They are:- The brand strength The duration and termination provisions of the agreement The licenses exclusivity The parties negotiating power The products life cycle The local market conditions, particularly the margins earned in the local market The level of operating margin or licensees sales. Generally, the 25% rule and the 5% rule are associated with this factor. The 25% rule states that the royalty rate is estimated to be 25% of the operating profit of the licensees sales whereas the 5% rule states that the royalty rate is estimated to be 5% of sales. We have tried to estimate the royalty rate by comparing with the brand strength we obtained from the Interbrand brand valuation method. The relationship table between brand strength / brand scores between 0-100 and royalty rates has been taken from a paper whose source is mentioned below the table:- The formula for calculating the royalty rate for brand strength of 16.63 from the above table is shown below. It is a basic method of interpolation. Royalty rate = 1.0 + {(7.0 1.0) / (50 0)}*16.63 = 2.996 % of net sales We have assumed that the economic life of a brand is approximately around three years after which the branding of the product (in this case Kingfisher) needs to be changed in the form of better RD efforts, operational excellence, advanced innovative campaigns, etc. The calculations of brand value using the royalty rate method is shown below:- Thus, using the royalty relief method we see that the brand value of Kingfisher is 224.52 crores which is almost equal to the brand value we have obtained from the Interbrand brand valuation method. Here we have assumed that the economic life of the Kingfisher brand is 3 years. Its a subjective assumption; however the assumption is based on the industry practises of brand valuation methodologies used.

Pro-Death Pentally Essay example -- Capital Punishment

Pro-Death Penalty There are many studies which show the death penalty as a non-deterrent to the serious crime problem that is faced in the United States. The death penalty continues to be the most controversial sentence with over half the states re-instituting capital punishment laws since the Furman v Georgia decision in 1972. Nevertheless, even if the death penalty were no greater a deterrent than a life sentence, some people would still advocate is the only way to get rid permanently society of dangerous criminals who deserve to die. Being that the death penalty is considered a deterrent to criminal activity does it make the execution morally right or just brutal? The death penalty is the highest capital punishment, which serves as a strong deterrent for serious crimes. While capital punishment could probably not deter mentally unstable criminals, it could have an effect on the cold, calculating murderer, such as a hired killer or someone who kills for profit. With the capital death punishment sending red flags to potential criminals, the fear of death might convince felons not to risk using handguns during armed robberies. The deterrent effect of an execution can produce a substantial decline in the murder rate. Although, some believe that a death sentence is a deterrent, others believe that it is cruel, and unusual punishment. There is not enough evidence to prove that the treat of a death sentence can convince potential murderers to forgo their criminal activity. Most murders involve people who knew each other, very often friends, and family members. Since murderers are often under the influence of alcohol or drugs or suffering severe psyc hological turmoil, no penalty will likely be a deterrent. Som... ...ource=bl&ots=nf5duzwmfa&sig=IhQeXxqd8ChN_rlsZ5Lt3kDu1LY&hl=en&ei=yaOaTbDmO4vVgAfgzOGgBw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&re Richard C. Dieter, E. E. (1998, 06). Retrieved April 03, 2011, from The Death Penalty in Black and White: Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Decides: http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/death-penalty-black-and-white-who-lives-who-dies-who-decides Siegel, L. J. (2009). Retrieved April 2011, 2011, from Essentials of Criminal Justice: http://books.google.com/books?id=22eNtpc6On0C&pg=PA355&lpg=PA355&dq=.+Racism+was+particularly+blatant+when+the+death+penalty+was+invoked+in+rape+cases+90%25+of+those+receiving+death+for+rape+in+the+South+and+63%25+of+those+in+the+North,+and+West+was+black STEWART, P. S. (1976 , March 31). Retrieved April 2, 2011, from Proffitt v. Florida (No. 75-5706): http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/historics/USSC_CR_0428_0242_ZO.html

The Impact Of Ethics On The Enron Corporation Essay -- Business Ethics

Ethics is something that is very important to have especially in the business world. Ethics is the unwritten laws or rules defined by human nature; ethics is something people encounter as a child learning the differences between right and wrong. In 2001, Enron was the fifth largest company on the Fortune 500. Enron was also the market leader in energy production, distribution, and trading. However, Enron's unethical accounting practices have left the company in joint chapter 11 bankruptcy. This bankruptcy has caused many problems among many individuals. Enron's employees and retirees are suffering because of the bankruptcy. Wall Street and investors have taken a major downturn do to the company's unethical practices. Enron's competitors and the industry have also both been affected by the bankruptcy. The U.S. economy took a sudden downturn for the worse, do to just this one company's unethical behavior. Employees Ethical decisions are guided by the underlying values of the individual. "Values are principles of conduct such as caring, honesty, keeping of promises, pursuit of excellence, loyalty, fairness, integrity, respect for others, and responsible citizenship" (Bateman, 2004). Numerous employees lost their jobs and retirement funds because of Enron's bankruptcy situation. While top executives were cashing in their stock options, knowing the company was going to fall, employees and shareholders were the ones who would take the biggest hit. One of Enron's principles was to offer their employees fair compensation through wages and other benefits; yet that did not end up being the case. While executives were selling their stock options, employees were going to be losing the money in their 401K policies since most of the emplo... ...volume (9), p. 29. Retrieved September 20, 2005, from Proquest database. Enron's Missed Opportunity. Retrieved September 19, 2005 from, http://brie.berkeley.edu/~briewww/publications/WP152.pdf Flood, M. (2005, April 26). The Fall of Enron. Houston Chronicle. Retrieved September 19, 2005 from http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/special/enron/broadband/3153199 Kadlec, Daniel. (2002, January 13) Enron: Who's Accountable? Retrieved on September 23, 2005, from http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,193520,00.html Lashinsky, A. (2001, July 13) Enron's Own Dot-Com Bubble Finally Popped. The Street. Retrieved September 19, 2005 from http://www.thestreet.com/comment/siliconstreet/1489696.html Malveaux, J., (2002). Enron serves as wake-up call. Retrieved on September 20, 2005 from http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/2002/01/25/ncguest1.htm

Buju Banton :: Essays Papers

Buju Banton His voice is thunderous and piercing. With each lyric, he pounds away at our psyche and makes our bodies shake with rhythm. He has become the crown prince of Dancehall reggae in Jamaica, and is a force to be reckoned with in the Jamaican music scene. He is young, but mature and powerful, and his name is Buju Banton. Born Mark Anthony Myrie on July 15, 1973, Buju Banton has used his lyrical skills and pounding voice to take Dancehall by storm. He combines his own musical influences with those of Burro Banton and Bob Marley to achieve a sound and beat that is bringing generations of reggae listeners together for an enjoyable experience. He owns the audience with his lyrics and his stage presence, and is forming both a musical and cultural movement that is taking over Jamaica. (www.bujubanton.net) One of 15 children born to a street vendor inside Trenchtown, Banton lived in poverty for most of his upbringing. A direct descendant of the Maroons, his chubby appearance earned him the nickname of Buju, the Maroon name for breadfruit. His last name is a tribute to another reggae legend, Burro Banton, as well as the name for talented storytellers, from which much of his influence is derived. Buju entered the Jamaican music scene at age 12, where he was known as the â€Å"Lambada Man† of the Dancehall, working with the Sweet Love and Rambo Mango sound systems. In 1986, DJ Clement Irie introduced Banton to producer Robert French, who produced his debut single, â€Å" The Ruler.† At the age of 15, Banton had already worked with artists like Bunny Lee and Red Dragon. He was destined for success in the Dancehalls. In 1991, he met producer Dave Kelly of Penthouse Studios, and debuted on the label with 1992’s Mr. Mention, which broke all sales records on the island, including those of Bob Marley. With songs like Love Mi Browning, where he professed his attraction to light-skinned women, caused an uproar among the dark-skinned Jamaican women who viewed such comments as an insult towards their looks. He made up for his remarks, however, with the song Love Black Woman, and demonstrated that he had love for everyone in his repertoire.

Wa Student Duty of Care Policy

Memo for The Department of Education and Training, Western Australia (DETWA) To: All School Principals within the DETWA. Subject: A GUIDE TO HELP PARENT’S UNDERSTAND, THE WESTERN AUSTRALIAN DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION & TRAINING, DUTY OF CARE POLICY FOR STUDENTS. Please find enclosed a detailed guide to helping your parents / caregivers understand the â€Å"Duty of Care Policy for Students†. This guide is an analysis of the policy document noting the key points that are easily understood by parents.The report will also detail two scenarios providing examples of situations that can occur at any school and an action plan response to each scenario by following the duty of care policy guidelines. TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. 0 Introduction 2. 0 Background regarding the policy & Part 1 -Document Analysis 3. 0 Duty of Care explanation 4. 0 Reasonable Care explanation 5. 0 Key points to note 6. 0 Part 2 -Action Plans 7. 0 Scenario 1 & action plan response 8. 0 Scenario 2 & action plan res ponse 9. 0 Conclusion / Personal Reflection 0. 0 References 1. 0 Introduction As parents, the â€Å"Duty of Care† policy is more than likely decidedly foreign. From here many questions, no doubt will arise? Why did the Western Australian government put this in place for their Department of Education and Training? What significance does this document have towards my children, parents may also be thinking? So many thoughts and questions have no doubt once or twice crossed a parents mind. I am sure some may not even be aware of this documents existence. 2. Background regarding the policy & Part 1 – Document Analysis To answer these imminent questions above, the significance of this report is to offer the Parents of Western Australian students attending primary and secondary schools, a further understanding. The Western Australian Government wrote the policy so that it would be implemented within the Department of Education WA and then handed down to all teachers. The docu ment became effective on the 26/06/2007 and updated 02/08/2012. (Department of Education and Training, Western Australia (DETWA), 2012,1). As noted by the Department of Education and Training, Western Australia (2012,3)† this policy was created to ensure that all teaching staff, non teaching staff and volunteers know their legal responsibilities in ensuring reasonable care occurred to maintain the safety and wellbeing of all students whilst in their care and avoid acts that may result in injury. This policy is not just limited to within the school grounds but also outside school grounds, excursions and activities that fall under the care and guidance of school teachers, regardless of where the activity or lesson may occur. 3. 0 Duty of care explanationWhat is the Duty of Care? Newnham (2000, 2) describes the Duty of care as a legal concept that was put in place under the Common Law, and it is well established in education regulations. 4. 0 Reasonable Care explanation with key points to note What is Reasonable Care? The Department of Education and Training, Western Australia, (2012, 3) also describe reasonable care as a situation that will always vary according to the overall circumstances involved. Teachers are to assess the â€Å"reasonableness† of the level of care needed by noting the following probabilities that can interfere or affect the outcome of care.These probabilities are; * The school activity and its nature. * The environment upon which the activity will occur in, therefore the teacher must assess the risk, if any, involved. * Pre-existing medical conditions, like allergies, epilepsy, diabetes. * Ages and skills of the students. * Physical or Intellectual impairments & Behavioural issues 5. 0 Key points to note There are some other key points that the Duty of Care policy would acknowledge. These include that a principal or teacher must ensure that all department employees must hold the necessary identification and qualifications requi red including non teaching staff.Also, volunteers and the like must also possess a working with children check card. The details of this policy and how this check can be completed is found via the following government website, http://www. checkwwc. wa. gov. au/checkwwc The importance of having such a policy is to protect both student and teacher and offer the teacher clear, concise guidelines on what â€Å"duty of care† is expected of teaching staff to reduce the chance of negligence and possible legal implications.A highly topical direct quote included below is from abstract, Newnham, (2000, 1) is particularly pertinent to this report and extremely beneficial to take note: â€Å"The law is increasing affecting the practice of education. The most likely reason a teacher or school will face legal action is in negligence where a student has been injured while under the school’s protection. This may occur in a variety of settings.To satisfy the elements of the tort of ne gligence the student who becomes in law the plaintiff must prove that a duty of care was owed, that the duty was breached, by not maintaining the appropriate standard and that the injury was a reasonably foreseeable consequence of that breach of duty. It would be rare for a teacher to face criminal charges but it could happen if a teacher had an intention to harm or acted recklessly. † (Newnham 2000, 1) The policy document also offers guidelines for parents and caregivers and their responsibilities for their children before and after school care time slots and whilst on school grounds.This will clearly advise the parent / caregiver the times for when their children will and will not be supervised and offer a guide as to whether the student is protected or not under the school’s duty of care policy. 6. 0 Part 2 – Action Plans Below are action plans that a teacher in the following scenarios could note and introduce to ensure that the teacher is consistently adherin g to the Western Australian Government and the Department of Education & Training’s, Duty of Care Policy. 7. 0 Scenario 1 & Action Plan A student is consistently interrupting other students during a classroom lesson.In dealing with this student’s interruptions, the teacher sends the student out of the classroom for ‘timeout’. The teacher tells the student to wait outside the classroom door until asked to return to the room. This reprimanded student is no longer in the teacher’s view. The scenario above notes that the teacher involved has not exercised her duty of care and could be seen to be negligent as the student was no longer in the teachers view. As per notes from Newnham, (2000,46) the teacher has a duty of care to ensure that they are providing adequate supervision and no longer being in view is detrimental to this.The teacher was no doubt disappointed in the student and his associated behaviour but asking the student to leave for timeout cou ld have been handled in a more appropriate way. As per the teachers duty of care policy (Department of Education and Training, Western Australia, 2012, 3) the teacher needed to provide a suitable disciplinary action that ensured the student remained in full view. Otherwise by no longer being in view, the student could have harmed or injured, himself and the teacher would possibly be held responsible for not following the act of reasonable care and therefore classed as being negligent.The teacher could have opted for a variety of disciplinary actions from as painless as giving the timeout punishment and asking the student to remain in the far corner of the classroom until notified or the teacher could have phoned the principal’s office and asked that the principal come and escort the student to the office to remain in timeout whilst in a supervised environment. 8. 0 Scenario 2 & Action Plan A first year student teacher accompanies a supervising teacher out on duty at lunch tim e.While on playground duty, an incident occurs that requires the supervising teacher to accompany a student to the administration block, which is not within the supervision area. The supervising teacher asks the student teacher to remain on duty for her as she tends to the dilemma. This would mean the student teacher would be the only teacher supervising the designated play area at this time. Firstly Newhman, (2000, 49) notes that if the incident was indeed severe enough, ensure that the nature of the incident was documented.Other details that would need to be included in the incident report would be with who was present at the time in the events leading up to and when taking place. This will ensure that if further issue is raised, the teacher can be at ease that they have completed the right steps to ensure that negligence did not take place. Secondly, under the Duty of Care policy (Department of Education and Training, Western Australia, 2012, 3) the teacher should have clarified with the student teacher if they were comfortable to be left to undertake the primary care of the remaining students and be given the right to refuse.If refused, the student teacher would have been best to escort the student to the administration block or even more so the student teacher could have quickly alerted another teacher to come and assist the situation at hand and escort the student or takeover the supervisory role. 9. 0Conclusion & Personal Reflection Whilst reading through the DETWA Duty of Care Policy for Students, I was certainly not aware of the importance of one component of the policy document.The component I was not aware of was that as a teacher, I should be ensuring that any student teacher, non teaching staff or volunteer who may assist in my classroom, has the right to refuse the role of undertaking primary care of the students. If I had to leave the classroom or area where the class was being conducted, I must first ask this pertinent question of â€Å"Are yo u comfortable if I leave the room for said period of time? † This question was simply was not something that I gave much thought to.When I thought about this more, I realised it actually is common courtesy, to simply, ask first and then I will ensure the level of comfort of the other person helping is ascertained. I know that this element of the Duty of Care policy will be something I personally will take on board and remember to use within my classroom. In summary, the Western Australian Government’s, Duty of Care policy is undoubtedly a particularly crucial document. It’s a crucial document that all Western Australian Teacher’s who are employed within the Department of Education & Training, need to follow. As I ecome a teacher, this policy is simply another tool that I as a teacher, must concur with and abide by at all times, whilst the students are under my care. A Student’s safety is one of the most respected trusts that a caregiver / parent wil l ask of me as their child’s teacher. To ensure that I do not lose that vital trust placed in me, it will be essential that I follow these set guidelines from this document. I should also consistently using common sense, adhere to school policy and I then should never have to be concerned with the legalities of negligence and that my students should always be cared for well. Word count 1744) 10. 0 References The Government of Western Australia, (2012) Department of Education & Training: Duty of Care for Students. Western Australia: Retrieved from http://det. wa. edu. au/policies/detcms/policy-planning-and-accountability/policies-framework/policies/duty-of-care-for-students Department of child protection, (2008) Working with children check: Retrieved from http://www. checkwwc. wa. gov. au/checkwwc Newnham, Helen (2000) â€Å"When is a teacher or school liable in negligence? † Australian Journal of Teacher Education: Vol. 25: Iss. 1, Article 5. Available at: http://ro. e cu. edu. au/ajte/vol25/iss1/5