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ACCOUNTANCY 301 ACCOUNTING MEASUREMENT & DISCLOSURE FALL 2011 COURSE SYLLABUS Po-Chang Chen University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 434 Wohlers Hall [email  protected] edu 217-333-4527 Syllabus Content Content Course Overview & Objectives Course Materials Prerequisite Learning (Teaching) Philosophy Getting Help Class Procedures Assessment Written Assignments Balanced Scorecard Project Measurement Project Examinations Professionalism Potential Extra Credit Opportunities Potential Course Problems Special Accommodations Preliminary Course Calendar Page No. 1 1 1 2 2 3 4 4 4 5 5 5 5 6 7 Important Note: Changes to the syllabus will be announced in class and posted to the website. Students are responsible for checking the web regularly ACCY301 Course Syllabus—Po-Chang Chen Course Overview & Objectives ACCY301 provides an introduction to measurement and reporting of organizational performance for strategic and operational purposes with a focus on a variety of financial and non-f inancial performance measures suitable for both internal and external decision-making. The course will help you develop the accounting knowledge and a variety of professional skills and attitudes through inclass interactions, projects, and a series of labs. More specifically, the course is designed to achieve the following objectives: 1. To demonstrate the role of accounting as an information system that measures business value creation and supports economic decision-making. 2. To develop your understanding of the conceptual foundation of accounting measurement. 3. To develop your knowledge and skills to prepare and interpret information in financial statements by helping you learn how to analyze business activities and make accounting choices. For instance, you are expected to be able to understand the consequences of accounting choices for assets such as inventory, PPE, and intangible assets. 4. To demonstrate the role of subjective judgments in accounting measurement and disclosure and lead you to critically think about ethics issues in the accounting profession and accountants’ responsibility in society. 5. To develop your ability to use accounting as a business language to communicate effectively. 6. To foster team spirit among you and develop your ability to work well in teams. Course Materials 1. Revsine, Collins, Johnson and Mittelstaedt, Financial Reporting & Analysis, 5th Edition (McGraw-Hill/Irwin, 2011); 2. Course packet of readings published by XanEdu (available at TIS Bookstore); 3. FASB publications downloadable from the FASB website (http://www. fasb. org/); 4. Other readings in required readings folders on the Compass course website, including FASB pronouncements required for the course; 5. Cases and individual assignments in a folder on the Compass course website; 6. Other supplemental materials in designated folders on the Compass course website. Prerequisite You must have completed ACCY 201 and 202 (or the equivalent), and must have completed or be concurrently enrolled in ACCY 302 if you are an Accountancy major. Concurrent enrollment is strongly recommended for non-Accountancy majors. Learning (Teaching) Philosophy Learning is a process of construction. That is, knowledge is a state of understanding in the mind of the individual knower and must be constructed by each individual through iterative processes of experimentation (application) and reflection on the outcomes of such experimentation. Thus, learning is a process involving interaction among students and between students and the instructor. To achieve efficient and effective learning, I will strive to provide: 1. Personal concern for your education and development as a professional, 1 ACCY301 Course Syllabus—Po-Chang Chen 2. Fair and honest learning environment, 3. Openness to your ideas and opinions, and 4. Personal commitment to excellence in scholarship. Correspondingly, I expect the following from you as my student: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Thorough preparation of assignments (both reading and written) for each class, Class attendance and active class participation, Active participation in and contribution to group projects, Fairness and honesty, Openness to the ideas and opinions of others, and Personal commitment to excellence in scholarship. Getting Help If you have any questions regarding the course, you can get help either from me or from my TAs during our office hours or by appointment. If you wish to set up an appointment with me, please send me an email at [email  protected] edu suggesting three possible 30-minute time slots we could meet. Please avoid Mondays and Wednesdays from 12pm to 4pm, as these are my teaching time slots. I will confirm the time and date of the appointment via email. My contact information: Po-Chang Chen Office: 434 Wohlers Hall Phone: 217-333-4527 Office Hours: Monday and Wednesday 4pm –5pm Teaching Assistants: Office hours location: BIF 2056 or BIF 2062 Ben Ger Email: [email  protected] edu Office hours: Thursday 2pm-3:30pm Michelle Erb Email: [email  protected] du Office hours: Tuesday 2pm-3:30pm Class Procedures The class format includes a mixture of lecture, group activities, and class discussions of assignments. The assigned cases, problems and activities represent practical illustrations and applications of the concepts presented in the readings. Cases, problems and activities are meant to stimulate inductive reasoning à ¢â‚¬â€œ the reflective reasoning from observations and particulars to concepts and theory that we can utilize more generally. That is, knowledge that we can use in situations other than the specific situation in which it arises. The inductive risk, however, is that such knowledge is only probable and thus, contains an element of falsity. Student Groups I will assign students to four- or five- person groups. These groups are assigned for the entire term and group members should sit together in class. Each assigned group should accomplish the assignments designated as group assignments. The assigned groups also should accomplish 2 ACCY301 Course Syllabus—Po-Chang Chen the balanced scorecard and measurement projects. Class Preparation and Participation I encourage students to prepare for class within their assigned groups. Appropriate class preparation is both an individual and a group responsibility. I may call on either groups or individuals to present assignment solutions and contribute to class discussion of the issues and problems contained in the assignment. The keys to successful problem- and case-based learning are preparation, attendance, participation, and attitude. While I encourage preparation within study groups, each student is responsible for daily preparation and participation in class when called on. I seek to engage the class in a mixture of activities. During class discussion you should discuss, challenge, and criticize ideas. You should express your thoughts and defend your beliefs using reason and logic. Assessment The course grade is determined based on the following components. Assigned points (percentage) Professionalism Assignment write-ups Group write-ups1 (25 points each for best four) Individual write-ups (20 points each for two) Balanced Scorecard and Measurement project (12% report, 4% presentation)2 Three examinations (15% each midterm, 20% final exam) Lab participation and assignments4 Total 1 2 00 (10%) 140 (14%) 100 40 160 (16%) 500 (50%) 100 (10%) 1000 (100%) For group assignments, 75% content and 25% grammar and style. For the report, 75% content and 25% grammar and style. For the presentation, 25% content and 75% presentation skills. 4 Lab participation and assignments grade is 100% based on the lab grades from the lab instructor. I scale the distribution of major elements of the course (see below) to the grading scale below. Overall course grade also employs the same grading scale. †¢ 100 to 96. 67% of possible points = A+; †¢ 96. 66% to 93. 33% = A; †¢ 93. 32% to 90. 00% = A–; †¢ 89. 9% to 86. 67% = B+; †¢ 86. 66% to 83. 33% = B; †¢ 83. 32% to 80. 00% = B–; †¢ 79. 99% to 76. 67% = C+; and so forth. 3 ACCY301 Course Syllabus—Po-Chang Chen Written Assignments All written assignments should be handed in at the beginning of class on the case due day. Papers deemed late are subject to a score of zero. Group-based assignments: There are five group-based written assignments. All group-based written assignments are graded for both content and communications. For communications grading, you are encouraged to seek help from the Department’s communications graders before submitting your work. Written and oral communications support is available through the Department of Accountancy. Please refer to the following website for the support information: http://www. business. illinois. edu/accountancy/programs/communications/. For the final grade assessment, one group-based assignment that has the lowest combined grade of content and communications will be dropped. Note that any written assignment that has a grade of zero due to no submission or late submission is not considered for grade. You should prepare all group-based written assignments in compliance with the following guidelines: 1. Unless otherwise specified, assignment write-ups should be in memo format (see both ACCY Memo Guidelines and Project Discovery Communications Handbook on the course website for additional guidance). 2. You should type the assignment using 12-point Times New Roman font, with double spacing and one-inch margins on all sides. 3. Unless otherwise specified, your memo should not exceed five pages of text including any attached or embedded tables, graphs and exhibits. 4. Unless otherwise specified, you should submit two (2) copies of the assignment, one for content grading and the other for communications grading. If in addition, you would like to use the memo and attachments to refer to during the day’s discussion, bring a third copy to class. Individual-based assignments: There are two individual-based cases that involve primarily numerical analyses and short answers. The individual-based cases are graded for accounting content only. Therefore, you do not need to prepare them in memo format. You should submit one copy of each individual assignment. Balanced Scorecard Project In this project, you will choose an extracurricular organization to which one or more of your group members belong. You will then design a Balanced Scorecard for the organization chosen by your group. More details of this project can be found in the Balanced Scorecard Project Guidelines on the course website at a later point of time. The outputs of your efforts will be (1) a written report and (2) a presentation to the class of your balanced scorecard design. Th e Balanced Scorecard Project Guidelines will also contain additional information about the written report and the class presentation.. Measurement Project In this project, I will assign a company and a specific reporting period f o r yo u r gr o u p to evaluate. You should download the company’s annual report from its website. In addition, groups should use other reports and information disclosed by the company, and/or other entities, in 4 ACCY301 Course Syllabus—Po-Chang Chen conducting its research of the company. Groups will research their assigned company using the research and analysis guidance in the Measurement Project Guidelines on the course website. The outputs of your research and analysis efforts will be (1) a written measurement project report and (2) a presentation to the class of the most important results of your research. The Measurement Project Guidelines will also contain additional information about the written reports and the class presentations.. Examinations There are two midterm exams and one final exam for this course. The two midterm exams are non-cumulative. The final exam is comprehensive (cumulative). Each exam will include multiple choice questions, short essay (one or two paragraph) responses, and problems. All examinations are closed-book and closed-notes. Professionalism As a student preparing to enter the profession of accountancy, you have a responsibility to conduct yourself in a professional manner. Fulfilling this responsibility helps to prepare you for the obligations you will assume as a professional accountant. The IFAC fundamental principles of professionalism are adopted in this course as a guide to our conduct in the accountancy measurement and disclosure course. Please refer to the Professionalism Contract and Professionalism Evaluation Report Guidelines for more details. Potential Extra Credit Opportunities You will have opportunities to earn potential extra credit by participating in professional learning or service activities. Please refer to the Professionalism Evaluation Report Guidelines for details about those extra credit opportunities. Potential Course Problems Academic Integrity The Business Faculty at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign expects students who are preparing to enter the business profession to exhibit the same qualities of honesty, integrity, responsibility, and respect for others that society demands from business professionals. The primary responsibility for complying with the standards of academic integrity rests with each individual student and with the student body as a whole. By your enrollment in this course, you pledge on your honor that: 1. You will neither give nor receive unauthorized assistance on any academic or related professional assignment or activity. 2. You agree that all provisions of the UIUC Student Code related to student conduct and academic integrity bind all students matriculating to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. 3. You acknowledge that you have the obligation to report apparent violations of academic integrity and the Student Code in a non-anonymous manner to the course instructor or the Head of the Department. Missing Classes and Examinations and Failing to Turn In Assignments I expect students to attend classes. Midterm examinations are in scheduled class times and thus, the only acceptable reasons for missing an exam are sickness and other extenuating circumstances. You 5 ACCY301 Course Syllabus—Po-Chang Chen must provide me with adequate documentation of your reason for missing an exam. There are no make-ups for failing to turn in an assignment by its due date or missing an exam for other than an acceptable reason. In the case of a conflict with the final exam (defined as three university course exams scheduled within a twenty-four hour period, or two university course exams scheduled at the same time), I will arrange for a make-up exam only when approved by the department. A conflict exam approval form can be found on the course Compass website close to the final date. No make-up exams will be given for conflicts that arise from travel plans. You will need to provide documentation to support the conflict; the staff in the Department of Accountancy will then verify the conflict and you will be notified of your eligibility. You will not be allowed to take the conflict final exam if your request is denied by the Department of Accountancy. The instructor will request the Dean of the College to drop any student from the course who: †¢ Misses both midterm exams, for whatever reasons; †¢ Misses too many classes, particularly in sequence; †¢ Fails to contribute adequately to group assignments (i. e. , class presentations, case writeups and measurement project research and reports). Group Conflicts and Problems Group members should attempt to resolve all conflicts and problems among themselves in a timely manner. If such resolution is not satisfactory, group members should consult immediately with the course instructor. In any event, groups should not allow problems to continue beyond a one-week period. At the end of the semester, students will evaluate each fellow group member’s cooperation and contribution to group assignments. Such evaluations will be included as part of the Professionalism element of course grades. Grading Dispute While TAs and I make every effort to grade all of your work accurately, grading errors can occur. If you believe there is an error, you may request a regarding of the assignment or exam. Be aware, however, that grading errors can occur in both directions – errors can make grades too high as well as too low. Therefore, if you request a re-grading, your entire assignment or exam will be regarded, and all grading errors will be corrected. By requesting a re-grade, you accept the possibility that your grade may go either up or down as a result. To request a re-grade, you must submit a written request to me within one week from the class period in which the assignment or exam was first returned to students. The request must be accompanied by the graded original and must state the area of dispute, your recommendation for change in grade, and an explanation or justification for your recommendation. Special Accommodations If you have a condition, such as a physical or learning disability, which will make it difficult for you to carry out the work as I have outlined it or which will require academic accommodations, please notify your Teaching Assistant or me during the first week of the course and we will strive to accommodate. 6 ACCY301 Course Syllabus—Po-Chang Chen Preliminary Course Calendar Date 1 Topic Readings Before Each Session COMP: Course syllabus Assignment Due Mon 22-Aug Course introduction 2 Framework for Accounting Measurement and Disclosure Revsine et al. , Ch 1 Economic and Institutional Setting for Financial Reporting Objectives & economics TIS: Sunder, Ch 1 Introduction to the Theory of Wed 24-Aug of accounting Accounting and Control (skim) FASB: SFAC 8 Ch 1 Objectives of Financial Reporting by Businesses (skim pg 1-14; use as reference) (Compass) Mon 29-Aug Accounting measurement FASB: SFAC 8 Ch 3 Qualitative Characteristics of Useful Accounting TIS: Brown, An Accountant's Measurement Primer (pp. 1- 8) COMP: IMA Statement, Value Chain Analysis for Assessing Competitive Advantage; TIS: Porter, What is Strategy? Labor Day No Class! Case day TIS: Kaplan & Norton, Transforming the Balanced Internal performance measurement Scorecard from Performance Measurement to Strategic Management: Part I Revsine et al. , Ch 2 Accrual Accounting and Income Determination Financial statements 1 FASB: SFAC 6 Elements of Financial Statements (skim, use as reference) Group Case 1 3 4 Wed 31-Aug Business strategy and accounting Mon Wed 5-Sep 7-Sep 5 6 Mon 12-Sep 7 Wed 14-Sep 7 ACCY301 Course Syllabus—Po-Chang Chen 8 Mon 19-Sep Financial statements 2 Revsine et al. , Ch 4 Structure of the Balance Sheet and Statement of Cash Flows FASB: SFAC 5, Recognition & Measurement in Financial Statements (skim, use as reference) (on Compass) FASB: FAS 157, Fair Value Measurement (para. 1-39) Group Case 2 9 Wed 21-Sep Recognition and measurement Recognition and Measurement – Selected Events/Transactions 10 Mon 26-Sep Revenue recognition-1 Revsine et al. Ch 2 Accrual Accounting & Income Determination (re-read) FASB: Research revenue recognition in FASB Codification Revsine et al. , Ch 3 Additional Topics in Income Determination (pp. 137- 156) Group Case 3 11 Wed 28-Sep 12 Mon 13 Wed 3-Oct 5-Oct Revenue recognition-2 Case day Midterm Exam 1 Accounts receivable & doubtful accounts Trade notes receivable Case day and usefulness of accounting estimates Retail inventori es and cost flow assumptions BSC Presentation Day Manufacturing inventories Case day Midterm Exam 2 4 Mon 10-Oct 15 Wed 12-Oct 16 Mon 17-Oct 17 Wed 19-Oct 18 Mon 24-Oct 19 Wed 26-Oct 20 Mon 31-Oct 21 Wed 2-Nov Revsine et al. , Ch 8 Receivables (pp. 411-421) Revsine et al. , Ch 8 Receivables (pp. 421-436) TIS: Brown, Time Value of Money TIS: Lundholm, Reporting on the Past Revsine et al. , Ch 9 Inventories (pp. 481-507) BSC project presentation and report Revsine et al. , Ch 9 Inventories (pp. 476- 481) TIS: Maher et al. , Ch 3 Activity-Based Management Group Case 5 Group Case 4 8 ACCY301 Course Syllabus—Po-Chang Chen 22 Mon 7-Nov Fixed assets 23 Wed 9-Nov Intangible assets Revsine et al. , Ch 10 Long-Lived Assets & Depreciation (pp. 545-558; pp. 563 -576) Revsine et al. , Ch 10 Long-Lived Assets & Depreciation (pp. 558- 563) Individual Case 1 TIS: Siegel & Borgia, The Measurement and Recognition of Intangible Assets Revsine et al. , Ch 4 Structure of the Balance Sheet and Statement of Cash Flows (re-read pp. 196-207) Revsine et al. , Ch 17, Statement of Cash Flows Revsine et al. , Ch 5 Essentials of Financial Statement Analysis (pp. 267-271) TIS: Bergevin, Ch 11 Advanced Cash Flow Analysis Thanksgiving Break. No Class! 4 Mon 14-Nov Statement of cash flows – I 25 Wed 16-Nov Statement of cash flows -II Mon 21-Nov Wed 23-Nov 26 Mon 28-Nov Statement of cash flows case and Final exam review Individual Case 2 27 Wed 30-Nov Measurement Project Presentation 28 Mon 2-Dec Measurement Project Presentation Final Exam Measurement Project Report 29 Wed 7-Dec TBD Readings legend: TIS – Measurement and Disclosure course packet from XanE du Revsine et al. – Revsine, Collins, Johnson & Mittelstaedt textbook, 5th edition COMP – â€Å"Required readings† folder on Compass website FASB – Financial Accounting Standards Board website 9

Managerial Accounting Essay

Accountants and auditors help to ensure that firms are run efficiently, public records kept accurately, and taxes paid properly and on time. They analyze and communicate financial information for various entities such as companies, individual clients, and Federal, State, and local governments. Beyond carrying out the fundamental tasks of the occupation— providing information to clients by preparing, analyzing, and verifying financial documents—many accountants also offer budget analysis, financial and investment planning, information technology consulting, and limited legal services. Managerial Accounting: Managerial accounting is concerned with providing information to managers – that is, people inside an organization who direct and control its operation. Managerial accounting provides the essential data with which the organizations are actually run. Managerial accounting is also termed as management accounting or cost accounting. Standard costing is an important subtopic of cost accounting. Standard costs are usually associated with a manufacturing company’s costs of direct material, direct labor, and manufacturing overhead. Rather than assigning the actual costs of direct material, direct labor, and manufacturing overhead to a product, many manufacturers assign the expected or standard cost. This means that a manufacturer’s inventories and cost of goods sold will begin with amounts reflecting the standard costs, not the actual costs, of a product. Manufacturers, of course, still have to pay the actual costs. As a result there are almost always differences between the actual costs and the standard costs, and those differences are known as variances. Standard costing and the related variances is a valuable management tool. If a variance arises, management becomes aware that manufacturing costs have differed from the standard (planned, expected) costs. * If actual costs are greater than standard costs the variance is unfavorable. An unfavorable variance tells management that if everything else stays constant the company’s actual profit will be less than planned. * If actual costs are less than standard costs the variance is favorable. A favorable variance tells management that if everything else stays constant the actual profit will likely exceed the planned profit. Use in Business: Managers rely on cost accounting to provide an idea of the actual expenses of processes, departments, operations or product which is the foundation of their budget, allowing them to analyze fluctuation and the way funds are used socially for profit. It is used in management accounting, where managers justify the ability to cut expenses for a company in order to increase that company? s profit. As a tool for internal use, versus a tool for external users like financial accounting, cost accounting does not need to follow the GAAP standards (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles) because its use is more pragmatic. It is a very important part of the management accounting process. In order for managers to determine the best methods to increase a company’s profitability, as well as saving a company money in the future, cost accounting is a necessary system in the management of a company’s budget, providing important data to analyze fluctuation in company production expense.

A Critical Analysis of Ground Handling Service Benchmarking at European Hub Airports Essay

This paper will critically analyze a paper published in the International Journal of Production Economics in January 2009 (Volume 117, Issue 1) (Schmidberger, Bals, Hartmann, & Jahns, 2009) concerning the development and application of a Performance Management System (PMS) for air-side crews in some of the major European hub airports. This study is valuable in that the benchmarking principles established here are relevant to other industries since the same process for developing this holistic benchmarking process can be adapted and applied to generic business processes. See more: how to write an analysis This critique will focus on three major components of this discussion of the benchmarking process, first the conditions that increase the demand for benchmarking considerations prior to benchmarking, and the problems benchmarking can be used to fix. Second, this paper will analyze Schmidberger’s discussion of the development of the PMS including its integration with the business strategies of associated corporations. The third and final section of discussion will be concerning the discussion of the post-validation of the PMS and recognition of performance gaps and potentially under-emphasized sections of the study. The Under-Emphasized Demand for Benchmarking Performance in the aviation industry is extensively studied and evaluated on quite a routine basis. Due to the high levels of competition and often relatively slim profit margins enterprises in aviation are constantly seeking ways to cut costs and increase efficiency (SAS Group, 2005). Ways of increasing efficiency are often classified into two major categories, vertical and horizontal integration (Sitkin & Bowen, 2010). Horizontal integration involves taking a firm’s existing business processes to a new market to expand market share, this can be difficult for airlines, and often they will elect to enter into code-sharing agreements with competitors in the new markets rather than complete expansion into these potentially saturated areas. This leaves vertical integration as a very attractive option for expansion and efficiency improvements, the process for this integration involves the analysis of both upstream and downstream components of the value chain. This is where ground handling should be considered, however both airlines and airports tend to focus on other areas such as overall airport performance with very little emphasis on such a critical component of the airline industry (Francis, Humphreys, & Fry, 2002). Deregulation has also had a large effect on the demand for airport comparisons and benchmarking. Opening the market for airside ground services up to a wider range of firms is excellent in terms of encouraging healthy competition and an open market; however it also introduces choice to airlines and airport authorities. For these choices to be made effectively there must be more research done into the ability of firms to replace traditional ground handling service providers (such as government or airport supplied entities). The research currently done in the post-deregulation era of European aviation has focused on several key areas such as financial, qualitative, political, or ecological perspectives (Murillo-Melchor, 1999). While these studies are useful from an overall airport efficiency standpoint, they do not place sufficient focus on ground handling to allow entities to decide who should provide their services. This is a specific division of aviation that has a larger impact on overall efficiency than the majority of current studies indicate, Schmidberger’s critique does a good job of recognizing this and discussing developing benchmarking processes accordingly. Developing a Standardized PMS in a Non-Standardized Industry A difficulty with a standardized PMS of airside airport services stems from variations in the management and governance of ground services. While major airports often have several firms operating the ground services, others may use a department integrated with the airport authority itself. Still others may simply allow for airlines to establish their own corporate ground service bases to work independently of other generic airport services (Fuhr & Beckers, 2006). Applying any standardized measurement system to something so non-standardized presents quite a challenge, if the PMS is too flexible or broad it will not be able to adequately express enough detail to be useful, if it is too rigid it simply won’t apply to all of the airports and doesn’t allow for change in an inherently volatile industry. Schmidberger’s critique of the PMS established throughout European airports is very positive, though it does not place a very high emphasis on establishing this need for balance between detail and flexibility. Schmidberger’s report contrasts his proposed PMS with the usual methods of evaluation currently in use at several airports. Most of these measurement systems define airside ground services as subsets of other larger firms (such as airport authorities or airlines) (Chow, Heaver, & Henriksson, 1994), this is not necessarily an accurate representation of these ground service entities seeing as in many cases they are quite separate from associated parent companies or completely separate entities wherein logistics are a primary function. While the establishment of this contrast in Schmidberger’s report certainly has value, it fails to note that in some cases these logistics divisions are quite heavily influenced by and even directly run by airport authorities or other enterprises (Francis, Humphreys, & Fry, 2002). This results in the aforementioned problem concerning applying a standardized measuring system to a highly diverse environment. The study should certainly consider the potential for ground handling entities to operate as separate entities placing logistical goals as their highest priority, though it should also make allowances for those entities that rely on collective corporate resources and function as a division of a company with a non-logistic primary focus. Post-Validation of New Benchmarking Systems Schmidberger’s report transitions into the application and post-validation of the new benchmarking systems with an identification of performance gaps as a result of the measurement phase in accordance with a study by (Jarrar & Zairi, 2001). This section quickly becomes difficult to analyze as a whole seeing as the hub-based focus of these benchmarking tactics involved a diverse use of ground handling entities for loading various types of aircraft. Schmidberger begins by dividing the results according to general aircraft size: wide body, narrow body, or regional jets. While this is an effective way of summarizing results it contrasts to the FAA and ICAO methods of classifying aircraft according to weight and/or seating capacity. The gaps identified using the new benchmarking systems and analyzed by Schmidberger’s report are concerning labour costs, overhead structures, net-availability of employees, procurement quality, and process quality. These categories result in quite a holistic summary of the efficiency of these ground service entities, a point that Schmidberger explains early and often throughout the entirety of his report. This being said, certain areas studied such as overhead and labour costs are not appropriately weighted to offset the benefits of smaller operations working on lower weight and/or capacity aircraft, at the same time revenue differences resulting from working with larger aircraft are not discussed. An interesting analysis would be a discussion of the potential for larger scale operators to use increased revenues to offset costs of damaged unit load devices, as the number of devices damaged (another measured factor in the benchmark) is not a very accurate measurement statistic if greater revenues more than offset the cost of devices. This benchmarking process takes steps to increase the transparency of ramp service providers, whether they are affiliated with airlines, airports, or independent entities. This increased operational transparency could be considered a major threat to any competitive advantage that firms had established through proprietary practices. Schmidberger recognizes the potential for this problem and addresses it by stating that the entry of new market entities presents a greater threat than the sharing of information between existing airside ground handlers. While this may be true, Schmidberger presents it as a fact without any justification. This leads to a potential for further research into whether or not new entrants to the market have taken advantage of the results of this study or if previous leaders in efficient airside ground services are seeing practices they have developed being used by their competition. Unfortunately this study would depend on the integrity of studied entities to truthfully disclose whether they used this study to discover new competitive strategies or if they developed them in-house. Conclusion The report analyzed by this article presents a comprehensive, holistic perspective on the planning, development, and post-validation of new benchmarking processes in the major European airport hubs. Schmidberger accounts for several shortfalls of the benchmarking process, effectively emphasizes the importance of this benchmarking and discusses the implications benchmarking has upon the dynamic aviation industry. Another key strength of this paper is that it successfully synthesizes the results of the study and the literature review of existing summary quickly and clearly, allowing greater focus on why benchmarking is necessary, how it is established, and how well it performed. This analysis discusses a number of shortfalls of Schmidberger’s report, while these shortfalls do not detract from the value of his analysis; they leave room for improvement of future discussion. Firstly Schmidberger does not go into very significant detail concerning the level of detail the PMS should strive for; he mentions that the study may not be applicable to many airports due to the generalizability of the study, though doesn’t discuss ways of varying the weighting and specifics of the study to account for a more flexible range of variable resulting in more reproducible results at a wider range of airports. Secondly this report could factor in the level of integration airside ground handling units have with parent companies or larger non-logistic-based firms, or at least discuss that this level of involvement could greatly influence the results of the study by varying the amount of capital and resources available to the entities. Schmidberger defines the classification of aircraft in the study, though a more comprehensive study could have discussed further the reasoning behind these classifications, such as why a deviation from general ICAO and FAA classifications was chosen and how this selection benefits or detracts from the study. A final consideration for the improvement of future studies in this field would be to establish and cite original research that supports Schmidberger’s claim that the participants in the study were not negatively affected by the increased operational transparency associated with the benchmarking process. A concise, engaging, and well-informed piece, Schmidberger’s Ground handling services at European hub airports: Development of a performance measurement system for benchmarking discusses many general benchmarking and competitive advantage issues in a specific industry environment. This allows for direct application of the lessons learned in the studies analyzed to the aviation industry but also provokes thought of the application of these principles and considerations to other industries through a balanced and reflective approach.

Violent Video Games Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Violent Video Games - Essay Example Playing video games has adverse effects especially to the players. This is because they spend most of their time sitting down playing video games. It may result to cases of obscenity because the children are not involving themselves in physical activities (Jamieson, Patrick & Daniel 425). Research has shown that, young men are affected more health wise than girls because they spend most of their time playing video games than girls do. Video games are easily accessed on the internet so young people play online with unknown adults and peers. According to the National Institute on Media and the Family, their research on violent video games effect on children shows that, video games make the kids impressionable. This is because these children involve themselves in playing video games at an age in which teenage brains are in the midst of growing. In this stage, the teenagers are wiring the circuits of relationship, self control and responsibility. This means that, what they acquire from t he violent video games they carry it to adulthood. This becomes their way of life and they do not see anything wrong in practicing what they see in the violent video games.   Research has shown that, video games activate the anger of the young kids this is as a result of playing the violent video games (Anderson et al 39).Video games dampen the brain conscience and children only think violence is the only way to survive. Thus do not even care about hurting people because their brain is dampened by the violent video games.... According to the National Institute on Media and the Family, their research on violent video games effect on children shows that, video games make the kids impressionable. This is because these children involve themselves in playing video games at an age in which teenage brains are in the midst of growing. In this stage, the teenagers are wiring the circuits of relationship, self control and responsibility. This means that, what they acquire from the violent video games they carry it to adulthood. This becomes their way of life and they do not see anything wrong in practicing what they see in the violent video games. Research has shown that, video games activate the anger of the young kids this is as a result of playing the violent video games (Anderson et al 39).Video games dampen the brain conscience and children only think violence is the only way to survive. Thus do not even care about hurting people because their brain is dampened by the violent video games. Another research gro up the American Psychological Association after their research, they observed that, playing video games makes the children less caring and helpful especially towards their age mates. Children play violent video games at a stage in which they are supposed to learn how to relate to the members of the society positively or in the correct manner. At this stage they are also supposed to learn how to solve conflicts once they arise, but when they dedicate most of their time playing the violent video games they do not even learn how they should learn to leave peacefully with the members of the society. As a result of this, even in their adult life they do not even know how to solve conflicts once they arise leading to

Just in Time (JIT) today Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Just in Time (JIT) today - Essay Example Two companies, one automobile and one glass manufacturer who have adopted JIT & TOC technologies were analyzed. As the automobile company is in the niche market, JIT it very much the answer to its specific needs. In case of the manufacturer its manual operations went in favour of the TOC. It is an established fact that the Just-in-Time (JIT) based System is the answer to manufacturing assembly operations. JIT has lead to the development of what is known as Lean Manufacturing. It offers scope for reducing inventories and introducing ways and means to improve productivity by planning optimal use of resources. By elimination of all activities that do not add value and/or are safety nets, maximum use of scarce resources like capacity, manpower and capital becomes achievable. It also results in value addition for the customer, improved bottom line and enhanced productivity of employees. This is the ultimate objective of Lean Design While there are a variety of softwares available, the most suitable are those that have been adopted and perfected by the larger Automobile companies like Toyota Corporation. They are the pioneers of the Just-in-Time concept and have perfected it to an extent that has made them world class competitors to larger companies in the world. In contrast, other methods try to automate current business process and while implementing, there is a risk of simply automating the waste. With them quality is an issue that is left for other standards like ISO etc. For these reasons, Just in Time is now a widely adopted philosophy for focusing on customer value adding activities through eliminating wastes and striving towards continuous improvement. Lean Designs are based on JIT methods and are most popular today. An ARC Groups’ strategy report authored by Simon Bragg (2004) suggests that today 36% of US manufacturers and 70% UK manufacturers â€Å"are today using Lean as

Analysis of an Ethical dilemma part #3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Analysis of an Ethical dilemma part #3 - Essay Example The role of nurses is to assist patients recover in line with the principle of beneficence. As such, assisting in euthanasia is in contrary to bioethics. In cases of a severe chronic disease, nurses should invoke personal values and professional ethics and propose palliative care rather than assisted euthanasia. Such moves show a pro-life policy that all nurses subscribe to. Severely ill patients have no capacity to make rational decisions regarding their health. Thus, the nurse should take the role of advisors to show the patients the most rational method of dealing with their situations. The interview shows that the society is also against assisted euthanasia due to the wider effects. Social problems arise as a result of a voluntary death of family members. The nurses are also members of the society and share the same views. In this regard, they should strengthen the societal reliance and trust on the healthcare system. This can be done by abstaining from assisted euthanasia. American Nursing Association. (2013). Position Statement: Euthanasia, Assisted Suicide and Aid in Dying. Retrieved from ANA website:

The develoment of Arab Nationalism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The develoment of Arab Nationalism - Essay Example Arab nationalism called for a political and cultural rejuvenation of the Arab world, an intense celebration of the Arab civilization and the Arab literature and language, and called for a political unification of the Arab world (Dawisha, 2005). The premise that encouraged the Arab nationalism was the firm belief that the Arab people tended to share a common linguistic heritage, cultural values, historical past and religious belief system (Dawisha, 2005). Genesis of Arab Nationalism In that context it is imperative to unravel the genesis of Arab nationalism. Since the 16th century the Ottoman Empire exercised a formal sovereignty over the Arab lands (McCarthy, 2006). For quiet a time the Ottoman Empire tended to be cautious in its approach towards the Arab tribes, choosing to garrison the key ports and cities, exercising little influence in the local Arab politics and tribal affairs (McCarthy, 2006). The Arab residents of Syria, Mesopotamia (Iraq) and Palestine appreciated this arrang ement and actually started dominating the local Ottoman administration (McCarthy, 2006). However, as in 1914 the Ottoman Empire entered the I World War, it no more afforded to take the Arab loyalty for granted. It was first owing to the rise of a nascent Arab nationalism that drew inspiration from the Western ideas (McCarthy, 2006). Many Arabs started to appreciate the nationalist Slavic movements of the Balkans, most of which managed to secure independence from the Ottoman Empire (McCarthy, 2006). The other factor was the rising clout of the educated Arab elites, which included former or serving officers affiliated to the Ottoman administration and army, Arab civil servants and intellectuals (McCarthy, 2006). The completion of Hejaz railway in 1908 was the other bone of contention for the Arabs who believed that it tightened the Ottoman stranglehold on them (McCarthy, 2006). This particularly enervated the Hashemite clan that claimed descent from the Prophet and was led by Sharif H ussein ibn Ali in 1914 (McCarthy, 2006). The disgruntled Arab tribes of the interior resented the stringent approach of the Ottomans and gradually started to enter arrangements with the British, to initiate a revolt against the Ottomans (McCarthy, 2006). This revolt was further incited by the nationalist al-Fatat movement in Syria (McCarthy, 2006). In the post World War I period, the establishment of the French and the British mandate saw varied Arab uprisings like the uprisings in Iraq and Syria (Jankowski, 2002). Besides the relative independence of North Yemen, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Iraq incited the Arab nationalists in the neighbouring regions to overthrow the imminent Western colonial powers (Jankowski, 2002). The ensuing anti-Zionist uprisings in Palestine and anti-colonial activities in Syria further encouraged the nationalist movements in Iraq and Egypt, which gave way to the modern Arab nationalism that led to the independence of varied Arab nations in the period followin g the World War II (Jankowski, 2002). The Role Played by Intelligentsia There is no denying the fact that Arab intellectuals do played a pivotal role in the genesis, encouragement and dissemination of Arab nationalism. Abd al-Rahman al-Kawakibi was a prominent Syrian intellectual

How has the global financial crisis affected the international economy Coursework

How has the global financial crisis affected the international economy - Coursework Example The main cause of this subprime crisis was the securitization in which the banks converted their loans into sellable assets with the intention of putting risky loans on others’ shoulders. For this, banks started borrowing more money to be given out as loans in the form of securities, which meant more securitization. Lehman Brothers, which collapsed on September 2008, is an example of such investment banks which got into mortgages by buying those securities and selling them on. When there was no one left to be given out loan to, banks decided to loan to the poor which was the riskier business. But they thought it was not that risky as bad loans would lead to the possession oh high priced property owned by the people. Thus, without proper management, bank got involved into a risky trading business of buying and selling loans. So when they wanted their money back, the riskier loans made them collapse. The banks asked the government for compensation which gave them new capital, bu t the confidence was lost (Shiller 2008). According to Professor Joseph Stiglitz (2010), the economist and the Nobel Prize Winner in economics, the US financial market was in a weak economic bubble before the crisis occurred. Most of the financial growth depended on the real estate. Housing was becoming expensive but the income was decreasing, which led to the fact that most of the growth was sustained by a few top people which meant that â€Å"we were consuming beyond our means†, states Stiglitz. He points out an important issue that when the governments put in more liquidity in the markets and banks to save them, the latter started thinking that they were saving themselves. As mentioned above, when the banks started running out due to bad loans, governments bailed them out using complex financial derivatives, like Credit Default Swaps (CDS) and Collateral Debt Obligations (CDO), which strengthened their habit of bad

The Concept of Health Literacy in Promoting and Maintaining Adolescent Essay

The Concept of Health Literacy in Promoting and Maintaining Adolescent Health - Essay Example Factors affecting the concept of health literacy in adolescents are discussed. Recommendations to develop and enhance adolescent health literacy are included. Keywords: health literacy, adolescent, health promotion. The Concept of Health Literacy in Promoting and Maintaining Adolescent Health A young diabetic man, aged 14, learns about a new clinical trial on a new diabetic medicine. He goes to the study site to learn more about the trial. The adolescent is asked to sign an informed consent form; he must also have this form signed by his parents. However, once his mother sees the informed consent form, she realizes that her son’s participation in the trial will put him at high risks of health complications, since his current medicines and health state are in conflict with what is required for and being tested during the trial. This is a routine situation that exposes the role of health literacy for promoting and maintaining adolescent health. Adolescents must be able to read a nd understand health information. They should be able to use this information in ways that empower them to take proper health decisions. It goes without saying, that the adolescent health literacy is affected and mediated by a multitude of internal and external factors. In this sense, the concept of health literacy in adolescents can be defined as the degree to which young people are capable of accessing, reading, processing, and comprehending health information and use this information to take proper health decisions, promote and maintain their health, based on continuous interactions with their social and cultural environments. Literacy and Health Literacy among Australians Health promotion has long been one of the primary goals of health care; yet, it was not before the 1990s that the importance of health literacy was officially recognized. In the early 1990s health literacy was included in Australia’s health targets and goals (Keleher & Hagger, 2007). These goals and targ ets include improving language skills, population literacy, and public knowledge of health and health literacy, to ensure that individuals have the information and knowledge required to take informed health decisions (Keleher & Hagger, 2007; Borzekowski & Rickert, 2001). Unfortunately, less than one-fifth of Australians have high levels of literacy, which impedes the development and implementation of health promotion policies (Keleher & Hagger, 2007). Only every third Australian possesses functional literacy to cope with their everyday tasks (Jorm et al., 2006). Thus, just about one half of all Australians have the skills and potential to affect health decisions and promote their own health. This raises the question of bringing up health literacy from a young age. Why care about health literacy among adolescents? The answer is simple: there is no health without health literacy. Limited health literacy is associated with increased utilization of health care services (Keleher & Hagger , 2007). Poor health outcomes are direct results of low health literacy (Farrer et al., 2008; Keleher & Hagger, 2007). Low health literacy predicts poor verbal communication with health care providers and poor medication compliance (Keleher & Hagger, 2007). Therefore, it is imperative that adolescents have the level of health literacy needed to promote and maintain their health. Undoubtedly, superior health literacy is one of the foundational elements of improved health in adolescents and adulthood. The long-term effects of literacy on

Plato Apology Essay Example for Free

Plato Apology Essay The Apology is Plato’s accurate depiction of the Socrates’ own defense at the trial provoked by Meletus. However, besides current accusers, Socrates has to speak out to defense against former accusers who have created prejudices of him for long time. Former accusers prosecute Socrates for â€Å"studying things in the sky and below the earth† and â€Å"[making] the worse into the stronger argument† (Plato 18b-c). Moreover, Meletus, who is one of recent accusers, charges Socrates of â€Å"[corrupting] the young and not believing in the gods in whom the city believes, but in new spiritual things† (Plato 24c). The dialogue between Socrates and the jury as well as Meletus describes the true personality of Socrates and answers the question if Socrates is guilty or innocent of those charges. First, Socrates is accused of studying â€Å"things in the sky and things below the earth† (Plato 23d). In this time period, Athenian people believe that gods are the ones who create and rule the world. Everyone must believe in and worship with no doubt. Therefore, if anyone tries to study and explain matters in terms of natural phenomenon instead of religious belief, he or she is immediately charged of not believing in gods and receives punishments from whole society. In this case, older accusers believe that what Socrates is doing is as same as other philosophers who trying to oppose religious belief and negatively impact the society. This is reflected by the comedy of Aristophanes depicting Socrates as a person who has ability to â€Å"walk on air† and present â€Å"a lot of other nonsense† matters (Plato 19c). However, Socrates proves that he is not that type of person and he does not have any knowledge of those matters by saying â€Å"I do not speak in contempt of such knowledge† and asking if anyone has ever heard him discussing about these subjects (Plato 19d). In fact, Socrates’ occupation is a wisdom searcher who dedicates his life to find wise men and to discuss about virtues (Poage). Therefore, the first accusation is not true, and Socrates is not guilty because Socrates does not â€Å"[study] things in the sky and things below earth† to oppose the trust of gods. Second, the earlier accusers prosecute Socrates for â€Å"[making] the worse into the stronger argument† as many Sophists do (Plato 18b-c). The accusers claim that Socrates is one of many Sophists who are â€Å"very good speakers. Indeed, they [have] reputations for being able to convince a crowd that up [is] down, that day [is] night, that the wrong answer could be the right answer, that good [is] bad and bad is good, even that injustice is justice and justice would be made to appear as injustice† (Pecorino). Furthermore, Sophists are paid for delivering speech and only care about winning debates and lawsuits more than anything else. Thus, most of them are feared and hated by Athenian people. Nevertheless, Socrates distinguish himself from Sophists by giving evidence that he â€Å"live[s]in great poverty because of [his] service to the god† (Plato 23b). While Sophists such as Gorgias of Leontini, Producs of Ceos, and Hippias of Elis charge fee for their services, Socrates never asks or receive money from anyone whom he approaches and asks questions regarding to wisdom and virtue. Unlike Sophists who are wealth and famous, Socrates is so poor because of his free service. In addition, Socrates’ intention is to help other people understand virtue and become wiser rather than teaching them how to become good speakers as Sophists do. Therefore, Socrates is not guilty of â€Å"[making] the worse into the stronger argument† (Plato 18b-c). Another charged brought by later accusers against Socrates is â€Å"corrupting the young† (Plato 23d). Socrates teaches his young men be wiser and think about themselves. This annoys the Athenian government and officials because they think those young could break the laws and create rumor among the society. Hence, Meletus prosecutes Socrates for teaching the young to go against the government and emphasizes that all the Athenians make the young become better except Socrates (Plato 25b). In order to reverse that accusation, Socrates uses example of horse breeders who are trained and have experience to take care of horses and make them better while the majority lacking of skills and knowledge cannot. As a result, it is impossible for all the Athenians to know what benefits the young. Only Socrates who has knowledge and skills is able to teach the best for the young. Moreover, Socrates indicates that no one wants to harm oneself; neither does Socrates. If he intentionally corrupts the young, he is putting himself at risk because â€Å"the wicked people do some harm to their closest neighbors while good people do them good† (Plato 25e). Therefore, it is impossible for Socrates to teach the young in the way to harm him. After Socrates disproves Metelus’ charge, he criticizes Metelus’ prosecuting procedure. If Socrates harms the young unintentionally, Metelus has to â€Å"get hold of [Socrates] privately, instruct and exhort [Socrates]† (Plato 26). In contrast, Meletus brings Socrates straight to the court â€Å"where the law requires one to bring those who are in need of punishment, not of instruction† (Plato 26). As a result, Socrates again shows that he is not guilty. The last accusation brought against Socrates is â€Å"not believing in the gods in whom the city believes, but in other new spiritual things† (Plato 24c). In order to prove that Socrates does not trust in gods, Meletus states that Socrates â€Å"says that the sun is stone, and the moon earth† (Plato 26d). If Socrates does say this statement, he denies the presence of Apollo the god of the sun and the presence of Selene the goddess of the moon. Nevertheless, Socrates claims that Anaxagoras of Clazomenae is actually the one who said those matters. Moreover, Socrates catches Meletus’s contradiction when he claims that Socrates does not trust in gods. To make Meletus admit his contradiction, Socrates asks Meletus â€Å"[d]oes any man believe in spiritual activities who does not believe in spirits? † and Meletus answers there is no one (Plato 27c). Socrates believes in the Oracle of Delphi which is related to spiritual activities, and everyone in Athens including Meletus knows that. This means that Meletus agrees that Socrates also believe in spirits which are â€Å"either gods or the children of gods† (Plato 27d). Now, Meletus contradicts himself by saying Socrates believe in gods. Consequently, Socrates successfully shows Meletus’s false and prove that he not guilty of the charge. In conclusion, Socrates is not guilty of the charges from the earlier accusers as well as the recent ones. Socrates provides many evidences and uses his excellent argument skill to prove that he is innocent, but the jury still is not convinced and sentences him to death. What Socrates does is not harmful to anyone in Athens; he only try to question about wisdom and discuss about ethics in order to find the answer for the Oracle. Socrates teaches his students to realize that they are not wise as they thought and show them the way to better themselves by seeking more wisdom. Unfortunately, jealous people and conservative culture does not understand his divine destiny and fallaciously accuse him like a criminal. Works Cited Pecorino, Philip A. An Introduction to Philosophy: An Online Textbook. Study Web. n. d. Web. 13 July 2013. Plato. Five Dialogues: Euthyphro, Apology, Crito, Meno, Phaedo. 2nd ed. Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing Company, Inc. , 2002. Print. Poage, Nathan. Apology Outline. Behavioral Social Sciences Department. Houston Community College. n. d. Web. 13 July 2013.

Business Plan For Candle Business In Nigeria Commerce Essay

Business Plan For Candle Business In Nigeria Commerce Essay Candles have been in existence for many years. At one time, people depended on them to light as well as heat their homes. Archaeologists have found proof of the existence of ancient candles in caves all over the world, most recently in France. The theory is that cavemen used candles as a source of light for etching their stories and charts on the walls of their homes. These candles were most likely created from fat derived from animals that were killed for food and fur. Even the ancient Egyptians created and used candles. Regardless of what material the candle is made of, to burn and provide adequate light and heat it has to have plasma, solids, gasses, and liquids. In todays modern world, we create candles for our own personal enjoyment, as crafts and hobbies for most people. Some people enjoy making candles so much that they turn their craft into a profitable business. With a little creativity, you can make some truly unique candles, simply by adding your own designs and skills. It is possible to make candles in every shape and size that you can imagine, and in any colours you can create. You can even add essential oils and fragrances to your candles, so that they not only provide decorative light, but a beautiful scent as well. Most of todays modern candles are made primarily out of paraffin wax, but some are also made of beeswax as well. Paraffin wax is a wax that is derived from plants, found naturally all over the world. Strict safety precautions should be followed when making your candles. It could be very easy to make a small mistake and suffer serious burns from the wax, not to mention the very real danger of fire, when using or creating candles. There should be separate area in your home or workshop especially for candle making, with fire extinguishers readily available in case of emergency. For a new candle making, it will be best to start with simple candle designs, then increase the difficulty as your skill increases. The basic techniques of candle making, have to be learn and setup your work area appropriately. Pay attention to temperatures, and make certain that you are careful to follow safety rules. Candle making is fairly easy once when understanding the basics and perfect techniques. The good news is that the supplies needed in candle making are fairly inexpensive, so no worry about wasting money if ruin along the way. 1.2 OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY The broad aim of the study is to introduce candle manufacturing business into Nigeria market in other to improve their standard of living. Along this broad aim emerges the following specific objectives which are: To determine the viability of Candle manufacturing business in Nigeria market. To determine the feasibility of Candle manufacturing business in Nigeria market. To determine the market trends for Candle business. CHAPTER TWO MARKET SURVEY / ANALYSIS 2.1 MARKET The end users of candle are mainly householders. It is their source of lightening during power outage. As earlier mentioned white garment churches (the celestial and cherubim and seraphim) are the other end users of candle for making supplication to celestial bodies. Survey of candle making businesses revealed that there are also other major manufacturer of candle such as Candle Royal, Chem.-Bold, BBC Candle, star candle, China candle, to mention a few. This is a plethora of small scale manufacturers. The market for candle stick is relatively large, given the frequency of power outage and the high cost of generating plants and fuel, which is a substitute for power supply. While power outage and interruption is common place in the urban centres, the rural electrification schemes of the government are gradually taking off but not yet sufficient to provide alternative power. Consequently, the market for candle sticks is a promising one while the project stands a good chance of success. Presently the types of candle stick produced by the aforementioned manufacturers have been found to burn out relatively faster than expected. From experience and research they take between 3 to 5 hours to burn- off. Reasons adduced for this is mainly the interior content/ concentration of the melt paraffin wax and the size of the candle sticks. This limitation and weakness has resulted in the inability to satisfy existing demand satisfactorily. The situation would be much more precarious when importation of candles is stopped and demand is now concentrated on local candles. To improve on these weaknesses, our own candle is being strengthened with high concentration of good, tested and quality melt paraffin wax. We are also planning to make varied sizes of these white and coloured candle sticks to cater for various users. Also, the effect of these competitors has been examined by sensitising the price of the products at 5 and 10 percent reduction. 2.2 MARKET TREND Given all the above it has been extremely difficult to determine accurately substantial data which could be interpreted to reveal the trend of demand for candle sticks at the range in this study for obvious reasons: One, the candle making industry in Ibadan, Oyo state is relatively young and competitors unwillingness to part with their company data Secondly, the type of candle we envisage both in size and content is different from other competitors. Nevertheless, estimated existing production figure for all these competitors for 2008 is 2,112,000 units in Ibadan However this figure is inconclusive if the object was for a detailed analysis. Because of these limitations, one is constrained to look at the consumption trend. 2.3 PROJECTION OF DEMAND As earlier stated, because of the power outage, high cost of generating plants and fuel used, candle has readily become a good alternative. Also considering the unique size and content of our candle, we are of opinion that the project will have no problem in gaining access to the market. Information of candle consumption revealed that in 1998, Oyo state with a population of about 3.5 million people has an estimated demand of 3 million candles There is therefore a shortfall of 888,000 units which if imported candle takes 300,000 units would leave an existing demand of 588,000 units. This project is therefore assured of patronage with adequate promotion of the product by the promoters. THE MICRO ENVIRONMENT OF BUSINESS LOCATION THE ECONOMY: The Nigeria economy was shaped, and greatly influenced by the character of the colonial economy which was purely exploitative. The major impulse of colonial rule was the search for cheap and steady supply of raw materials for the bargaining industries in Europe foreign market for the massively produced goods outlet for surplus capital and employment of cheap labour (Gann and Digman (eds), 1969). The raw materials in keen demand included cotton for textile factories, rubber for types and other products, palm oil, hides and skin or leather products, timber for furniture, as well as mineral resources like Tin, Bauxite, Coal to mention a few. The mineral and agricultural endowments of the colonial territories, Nigeria in particular, were massively tapped and exploited for use in Western Europe and North America, an exploitation rationalized in terms of the advantage in primary products.(Onimode, 1981).The a kind of symbolic relations between colonial territories and metropol is was enacted which favoured the metropolis. This process was further reinforced by the export of the surplus capital necessary by the need to sustain the rate of profit and capitalist accumulation in Europe. Consequently Nigeria large internal market became a major dumping ground for equipment and a host of other consumer goods (Dike 1956).Successive indigenous governments in the country have tried to grapple with the constrains created by the colonial economy. However the massive wealth generated from the sales of crude oil has made the economy monoculture depending as it were on crude oil. Since oil has become a major political tool in the hand of world powers the price per barrel of crude oil has become vulnerable. This trend has serious implications on national economic growth and development. The dependency on crude oil also gives rise to other economic adversities. Nigerian economy, which was agrarian and self-reliant, has become dependent on food baskets from Western Europe and North America. Thus the country has become a dumping ground for all sorts of goods consumers and capital goods from these foreign countries. It was against this backdrop that the structural adjustment programme (SAP) was launched in September 1986 by the Federal Military Government. The specific and major objectives of SAP are; (1). To restructure and diversify dependence on the oil sector and economy in order to reduce dependence on the oil sector and on exports. (2). To achieve fiscal and balance of payment viability over the period. (3). To lay the basis for a sustainable non inflationary or minimal inflationary growth. (4) To lessen the dominance of unproductive investment in the public sector improve the sectors efficiency and intensify the growth of the private sector. POPULATION AND LABOUR (MAN POWER) MATTERS Aside her strong economic base Nigeria is blessed with abundant human resources. Going by 1991 population Census Nigeria has a population of over 88 million with balanced demographic distribution. Nigeria population in absolute and qualitative terms is indeed appreciable compared to the rest of African. Thus there is abundant supply of semiskilled and unskilled in particular as well as skilled labour. This has downward implication for the cost of labour which has been one of the attractions for investors (both foreign and indigenous). However worth salary and wage regulation effected in 2007, which put the minimum basic salary at N8, 500.00 for federal employees and N9, 500.00 for state and local government employees the prices of various categories of labour are rising. 2.5 LEGAL AND SOCIAL MATTERS Candle making business is not in the list of prohibited or government monopolies. Therefore an investor is free to start off the business upon completing some legal requirement. Business premises registration levies which involved a minimum of =N=10, 000.00 and =N=5, 000.00 for renewal per annum have to be met. Similarly, women should be adequately represented in the firms employment given the campaign for gender equality following Beijin conference of 1991. Grassroots participation in the manufacture of candle sticks should be given a pride of place. 2.6 THE POLITICAL ENVIRONMENT The Nigeria political history is a chequered one, characterized by military intervention in the power politics of the country. The first republic which commenced in October 1, 1960, operated a parliamentary system headed by Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa. The government was sacked in January 15, 1966, paving way for military regime for some thirteen years regime that fought civil war (1967 1970) and marked by intra military change. On October 1, 1979 the military regime handed over political power to civilian political authority headed by Alhaji Shehu Shagari under a presidential system of government. By December 1983 the military junta intervened once again in the politics of the county and this lasted till May 29, 1999 when the political power was transferred to the civilian political authority headed by Chief Olusegun Cbasanjo under a presidential system of government in the model of Second Republic. The Nigeria masses are highly mobilized and militant which was a fallout of the annu lment of June 12 presidential election won by Late Chief Abiola of the south west Nigeria. The annulment of the election result created socio-economic even political crises in the country. Be that at it may Nigeria political climate is becoming predictable and stable and the national questions are being finally addressed. A regime of socio-political stability and economic progress is guaranteed under the democratic political dispensation. CHAPTER THREE TECHNICAL ANALYSIS ENGINEERING DESIGN AND FABRIACATION The engineering design and fabrication of candle making equipment can be handled locally. Indisputably, the cost saving element is a big advantage to a new entrants into the business, with modest capital. The design and fabrication can be raised in size and sophistication depending on the capital available to the buyer. Machinery and other equipment necessary for the manufacturing of candle sticks are listed below. Candle moulding machine Water pumping machine( electrical) Overhead water tank Melting pot Pail or container to pour the melted wax into the moulding machine Scrapper Parking table The materials required for candle making are as follows: Paraffin wax ( by- product of petroleum product) Candle thread Cooking gas or coal pot Vegetable oil Water Nylon Labels Empty cartons Tape/ tape cutter OTHER CAPITAL ITEMS office furniture and equipment and fittings pick up van ( car) Standby generator CHAPTER 4 4.1 RESOURCES PLANNING AND COST MANAGEMENT AND ORGANISATION In order to ensure effective management of operation, provision should be made for the following organisational arrangements: MANAGING DIRECTOR As the owner of the business, he co-ordinates all facets of the business and ensure the smooth running of the business in all ramifications. PRODUCTION / QUALITY CONTROL MANAGER He/ she is responsible for the production of candle sticks , to meet specification and standards. He/she should be able to undertake repair function if and when it breaks down. It is recommended that the holder of the position should have HND or B.SC in Mechanical Engineering COMPANY SECRETARY/ ACCOUNTANT The accountant will be the financial offer of the company as well as the company secretary. He will among other duties, be responsible for the following matters: Maintance of proper books of accounts Credit control Budget preparation, monitoring and review Banking and Assistance to auditors It is recommended that the holding of the position should hold a B.Sc. Degree or HND in Accountancy or a professional qualification with at least five (5) years corporate experience. CONFIDENTIAL SECRETARY Should possess certificate in secretarial Administration preferably Ordinary National Diploma (O.N.D) with proficiency in computer application software e.g. word processing etc and would be responsible for the typing jobs of the company and other assigned duties MACHINE OPERATOR Should possess certificate in production engineering preferably an Ordinary National Diploma (O.N.D). he would be responsible for actual production of the candle with adequate Supervision by the Production Manager. SALES MEN Should possess academic qualification in marketing preferably an Ordinary National Diploma with experience in selling same or related products. ORGANISATION CHAT MANAGING DIRECTOR COMPANY ACCOUNTANT SECRETARY PRODUCTION/QUALITY CONTROL MANAGER CONFIDENTIAL SECRETARY SALES MEN MACHINE OPERATOR CLERK DRIVER OPERATION OF THE COMPANY PRODUCTION: Production planning and control Production engineering Production design and Production auxiliaries ACCOUNTING AND FINANCE Accounting Policies Companys financial situation and Credit control system MARKETING: Product; Pricing system; Distribution system; Promotion; and Other processing PURCHASING: Raw material; Parts and components Work in progress Sub assemblies Maintenance and repair supplies and Other operating supplies PERSONNEL: Quality of staff Recruitment and selection Staff development and promotion Staff welfare Settling disputes/ complaint and Staff discipline 4.2 PROJECT COST AND FINANCING The estimated cost of candle manufacturing firm is =N= 2,087,000.00. This is inclusive of the cost of land and buildings, equipment, and other capital items and working capital. TABLE 1 PROJECT COST SUMMARY Land and Building COST IN NAIRA Land acquisition and development including Drainage, landscaping and other development 250,000 Office and Factory Building 400,000 Sub total 650,000 Plant and Machinery Machines, tools and equipment for manufacturing Water cooling system 250,000 Standby generator 120,000 Contingency cost 10% 37,000 Sub total 407,000 Other capital items Office furniture equipment and fitting 100,000 Motor van and Cars 600,000 Preliminary expense 80,000 Subtotal 780,000 Working Capital 250,000 GRAND TOTAL 2,087,000 LAND AND BUILDING Land requirement is approximately 1,200 sq.m for a building of 800 sq.m which provide for manufacturing, Office maintenance shop and raw materials plus finished goods storage. It is expected that the modest amount is expected to build the factory and office complex an inexpensive location. PLANT AND MACHINERY The cost of machinery to fully produce at 80% capacity has been approximated at =N=407,000. This includes the fabrication of the candle making machine, water pumping machine and overhead water tank and the melting pot and drum. Provision is made also for a standby generator to forestall the inadequacies in countrys power supply at =N= 120,000. A 10% contingency is also provided for to take care of increases in price. OTHER CAPITAL ITEMS Provision has been made for office furniture, equipment and fittings at a cost of =N= 100,000 and =N= 600,000 for the purchase of two vehicles i.e. =N= 350,000 for a second hand van and =N= 250,000 second hand car for running around. A provision of =N=80,000 is made for preliminary expenses like cost of registration of business with the government etc. WORKING CAPITAL Provision has been made for working capital to cover the following items Stock of raw materials 6 months Stock of finished goods 2 weeks Account receivable 2 weeks Operating Cost 1 month PROJECT FINANCING It is proposed that the total project cost of =N=2,087,000 be financed as follows NATURE STRUCTURE AMOUNT % Equity Shareholder 750,000 35.93 Working Capital commercial bank 250,000 11.97 Long term loan Development bank 1,087,000 52.10 2,087,000 100.00 SHAREHOLDERS EQUITY The required equity of =N= 750,000 represents 35.93% of the total project cost. This is expected to be contributed by the company promoters. WORKING CAPITAL The working capital requirement varies from =N=250,000 in the first year to =N=550,000 in the fifth year. This estimate is based on the following assumptions That 6 months stock of raw materials will be available That at any one time 2 weeks stock of finished goods will remain That accounts receivable will or average 2 weeks sales That operating cost for one month will be met. See calculation of working capital requirement. LONG TERM LOAN =N= 1,087,000 is the long term requirement which is expected to be obtained from a development bank for small scale enterprise (SME). This is expected to meet the cost of plant and machinery and to complete the factory and office buildings. INTEREST RATE Interest rate calculation was based on the notion that arbitrage will be =N=7.00 between deposit rate and lending rate coupled with the enforcement of senate motion that lending rate should come to 15% COMMERCIAL VIABILITY I have examined the proposals to establish the candle making factory in Ibadan, Oyo state and confirm that the company is economical and commercially viable as shown in the financial projections. The projection are based on the following assumptions Sale forecast and sales revenue Projected income statement Projected cash flow statement Projected balance sheet + The following are the highlights SALES REVENUE Net sales are projected to increase from =N=1,200,000 in the first year to =N=1,458,600 in the fifth year. In line with the increase in planned production from 480,000 units of candle in the first year to 583,440 units in the fifth year INCOME STATEMENT Profit before tax increases from =N=408,700 in the first year to =N=564,118 in the fifth year. This is a modest increase envisage in view of the newness of the business and stiff competition from other companies in the same business. TABLE 2 No. Required Recommendation =N= Production/Quality control manager 1 72,000 Coy Accountant/secretary/admin Mgr 1 60,000 Sales Men 1 36,000 Confidential Secretary 1 30,000 Machine Operator 2 48,000 Clerk 1 18,000 Driver 1 21,600 TOTAL 8 285,600 TABLE 3: SALES FORECASTS AND SALES REVENUE 4.3 ECONOMIC ANALYSIS I have been able to confirm that the project is economically viable based on my estimation and with economy condition of Nigeria. I have endeavoured to use the basics tools of economic analysis in the form of Benefit/ cost Ratio, Net present Value and internal Rate of Return ( IRR) sense but the actual net inflow of funds which will accrue to the firm as a result of undertaking this project i.e. all revenue from sales minus all cost, including any investment takes place. No deductions are made for depreciation. NET PRESENT VALUE The project shows a positive Net Present Value of when discounted at 15%. This shows that investment in this project gives profit greater than could be got by investing the same amount at the Firms Marginal Investment rate. (It is assumed that profit realised are withdrawn for use by the firm in any way it chooses) BENEFIT/ COST RATIO The benefit/ cost ratio which is the ratio of the discounts streams of benefit to the discounted streams of costs this shows that the benefits divisible from the project outweighs whatever costs incurred if all benefits and costs are discounted to present Values INTERNAL RATE OF RETURNS The internal rate of return on the other hand is the rate of return that is being earned on Capital tied up while it is tied up after allowing for recoupment of initial investment. This was found to be 24.6%. Given that we discounted at 15% i.e. we assumed the cost of Capital (interest) was 15%, the project would still earn a surplus of 9.6% over and above the cost of Capital while allowing for all the recoupment of the initial investment. In effect, if the rate of interest were increased by an additional 5%, the investment project will still be economically viable 5.3 SUMMARY, RECCOMMENDATION AND CONCLUSION From the five year projection made and analysis carried out, we have found that this investment in the candle making business here at Ibadan would be a worthwhile one. In the first instance, considering the consumption nature of the city of Ibadan coupled with the larger population of people in the city, the product is assured of a ready market. In the second instance, having made a market survey showing that despite the fact that many similar products are available in the market, there is still an untapped market of about 25%. The acute power outage and interruption in the face of assurances by the power and steel Minister to rectify it, not withstanding, the product is assured of regular demand Meanwhile we have designed some marketing strategies like increasing the number of candles in the packet to 12 instead of the number 8 or 10 while still proposing to sell at N20.00, a price considered very cheap compared to other substitutes going for N40 or thereabout Other strategy is to use the company sales van to go round the state in the sales promotion, i.e. going from one town to the other with mounted speaker to create awareness and sensitise the public. We are equally envisaging going on air using the state media e.g. Television, radio and Newspaper to promote the product. On the return aspect of the project, the promoters and the financiers of the project e.g banks are assured of adequate and compensating returns on their investment. With a constant cash flow coupled with profit every year for the next five years, the company is projected to be on the right pedestal to carve a niche in the sector and be a potential leader in the candle making business. RECOMMENDATION We are however recommending that government give incentives to cottage industries like our own by providing the enabling environment e.g. provision of good network of roads, free flowing un-interrupted water and electricity supply to enable constant and peak production at all times. The interest rate could also be reviewed down through good fiscal policies by the financial regulatory bodies to reducing cost of financing. As usual, government should enforce the strict adherence to lending houses commitment to small scale manufacturing concerns Inflation rate should also be reduced or regulated to ensure growth of small companies CONCLUSION This candle making project from the foregoing study no doubt is a worthwhile investment and is recommended for financing.

‘Medicalization’ in Current Health Policy

‘Medicalization’ in Current Health Policy Changing Public Health Priorities From Medicalization to Improving Built Communities Laura Schultz, Brett Weed, Ashini Fernando, Carolyn Moore,  Andrea Andersen, David Garcia Medicalization has greatly increased the emphasis on the delivery of clinical services to individuals, often at the expense of population-based solutions. We examine this phenomenon and offer an alternative that promotes public health by improving social, environmental, and physical determinants of health[HS1]. ‘Medicalization’ in Current Health Policy ‘Medicalization’ is the tendency for the practice of medicine to view a greater proportion of human behavior through a clinical lens (Zola, 1986). Among the examples of medicalization is the direct-to-consumer solicitation of prescription drugs for an arguably ever-increasing repertoire of conditions and afflictions (Frosch, Krueger, Hornik, Cronbolm, Barg, 2007) and increasing access to medical care as is evident through the initiatives implemented by the ACA[HS2]. Ever increasing amounts of money are being invested in treatment of chronic diseases, while a comparatively much smaller proportion is invested in preventing the same conditions (HHS, 2003). The United States spends more than 17% of their GDP on healthcare[HS3]. This per capita health expenditure is more than twice the average of countries of the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (Balding, 2014[HS4]), yet these numbers have translated not into better health but instead, a worsening trend in chronic diseases. US citizens also have significantly lower life expectancy in comparison (Woolf Aron, 2013). Despite these considerable investments in health care delivery, the costs associated with treating the manifestations of poor health continue to rise unabated. Over the last five years in North Carolina alone, approximately USD 80 million of the federal budget for public health was appropriated for primary care for the underserved populations (Trust for America’s Health, 2014[HS5]). Public Health Spending In contrast, public health only receives approximately 3% of the government budget and is underfunded (Balding, 2014). Nationally, 95% of health spending is for the apportionment of clinical services, while only 5% is invested in population-based solutions (Lantz, Licthenstein, Pollack, 2007). In North Carolina this division is even more extreme, with less than 1% of health spending dedicated to public health operations (Table 1[HS6]). Table 1. North Carolina Public Health Appropriations as a Percentage of Public Health Care Spending (Trust for America’s Health, 2014; Chantrill, n.d.) It is worth[CDL7] noting that the leading cause of mortality in the US, cardiovascular disease, accounts for annual healthcare costs that exceed USD $312.6 billion (HHS n.d.), yet when diagnosed early, disease progression can be addressed with non-pharmacological interventions[HS8]. In North Carolina, a mere 0.81% (~ USD 15 million, 2013) of the federal budget for public health was appropriated for prevention measures of all chronic diseases (Trust for America’s Health, 2014). These funding trends appear to support medicalization of health instead of prevention through public health efforts. Rather than continue to invest in a stopgap strategy of mitigating the impact of illness, we propose to instead invest in the prevention of illness[HS9]. Addressing Social Determinants Population health investments within corporate environments have shown considerable financial success and value beyond return on investment (ROI). One corporate wellness program saw a ROI of close to 300%; another company saved an estimated $224 per employee in 2003 dollars from promoting health rather than treating a lack of it (HHS, 2003[HS10]). Applying this same per capita savings rate to North Carolina, shifting funding to prevention and health promotion could yield savings of $2.2 billion annually[3], more than offsetting the annual increases in health services expenditures. Value beyond ROI includes physical and mental health, quality of life, perceived health status and functional capacity. Workplace well-being also promotes other intangibles such as increased social cohesion (Pronk, 2014). There is an established correlation between positive social relationships and health. As Robert Putnam wrote in 2000 in Bowling Alone, â€Å"social capital† conveys the essential health promoting value of communities[HS11]. It is defined as â€Å"the social networks and interactions that inspire trust and reciprocity among citizens† (as cited in Leyden, 2003). Social isolation, independent of other lifestyle factors, is linked to premature death and decreased resistance to disease (Cohen, 2001). Beyond individual health, social capital is associated with political engagement, volunteerism, decreased crime rates and economic development (Leyden, 2003). Research has shown that when we design our communities to encourage social engagement there is a positive effect on the psychological and physical health of the residents (Leyden, 2003[HS12]). Since the advent of the automobile, the design of our communities has included limited transportation choices. Most individuals choose to travel by car because urban design has made most options for pedestrians unsafe (Vandergrift, 2004). The US, compared to other high income European countries with better health measures, have at least 25% more automobiles per 1000 people (Woolf Aron, 2013). European Countries also have policies which limit sprawl and prioritize â€Å"urban centralization†. Though difficult to quantify, these environmental factors are likely to contribute to the health disparities and disadvantages in the US (Woolf Aron, 2013). Political and social conditions and constructs, racism for example, also results in poor urban design that compound health disparities including limited access to businesses and markets, exposure to environmental toxins, and lack of opportunities for social participation. Specifically, infrastructure investment decisions, such as libraries, parks, public safety and maintenance are likely to be allocated to geographic areas populated by citizens with greater socioeconomic status and political power, which further marginalize disadvantaged socioeconomic groups (Schulz Northridge, 2004). Alternatively, mixed use, pedestrian friendly communities are based on thoughtful design and include intact town centers, multiple income residences and well linked streets that are designed for people, not automobiles (Walkable Communities, n.d.). Prioritized determinants of health, which we expect to improve because of innovative planning include increased social engagement, improved economic status and increased physical activity (Walkable Communities, n.d.). As of 2012, approximately 50% of the US adult population has been shown to suffer from chronic diseases. However, adequate physical activity has been scientifically proven to prevent or improve these chronic disease conditions[HS13]. Yet, according to a 2011 statistic from the CDC, 76% of adults did not meet the recommendation for muscle-strengthening physical activity which is a known risk for heart disease (CDC, 2014). There are states where the built environment is viewed as worthy of significant investment to improve population health. Specifically, in Massachusetts there are two examples of lower than average socioeconomic status communities where health impact assessments indicate that built environmental improvements would improve social factors and likely decrease expenses in medical intervention. In Somerville, there is a community driven planned change to a bisecting interstate. This plan, made with consideration for social health determinants of the residents includes multi use bike and walking paths with increased access to all areas of the community[HS14]. Community-wide access will provide opportunities for social interaction, physical activity and increased choices for employment (MassDOT, 2013). A community with similar demographics, Fall River, has proposed common trails for recreation and pedestrian and bicycle travel that connect residents to businesses. This is predicted to improv e every health determinant the HIA evaluated (MAPC, 2013). Based on a review of state sponsored health impact assessments in other communities, there is a significant relationship between communities with walkable pathways and health (Rails to Trails Conservancy, 2013). We propose that thoughtful environmental structure enhancements such as multi-use walking and biking paths will connect neighborhoods and businesses. In turn, we believe these changes will positively affect social cohesion, economic viability and physical activity, which are all key determinants of health that can improve with innovative public policy implementation[HS15]. Conclusion and Recommendations Evidence from state sponsored health impact assessments in other communities, indicates that there is a positive correlation between communities with walkable pathways and health (Rails to Trails Conservancy, 2013). Environmental structure enhancements such as multi-use walking and biking paths that connect neighborhoods and businesses could positively influence population health in North Carolina. We believe these changes will positively affect social cohesion, economic viability and physical activity, which are all key determinants of health that can improve with innovative public policy implementation. In North Carolina there are 31 completed Rails to Trails programs (NC Rails-Trails, 2014). This national program improves the built environment by converting former railroad routes to pedestrian and bike friendly paths. However, only 2 of the 31 completed trails are located in counties with the poorest health scores (RWJF 2014; NC Rails to Trails, 2014). Eastern North Carolina, where 9 out of 10 of the most poorly rated counties for health outcomes are located, also have the fewest trail initiatives (NC Rails-Trails, 2014). This skewed distribution of environmental improvements further demonstrates the way in which populations within poor socioeconomic communities are financially neglected, and thus likely to continue to suffer from worse health outcomes. Using Massachusetts as an example, the state’s Department of Health and Human Services has initiated a program to identify communities with the lowest socioeconomic status and assist them to â€Å"build policies, systems and environments that promote wellness and healthy living† (MassDOT, 2013). In partnership with state and county planning officials, public health leaders, and state demographers, our plan is to target lower socioeconomic communities, initially focusing on a county with the poorest health indicators, to plan and build multi-use trails. We request priority funding allocated through the US Department of Transportation via the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century ACT (MAP-21), as well as private foundation grants that prioritize state population health improvements like the Annie E. Casey and Doris Duke foundations. Our plan for advocacy is to engage community members in the trail project as stakeholders. Specifically we will encourage our members to influence policy decisions through community informational meetings, including letter writing assistance intended to exert pressure on local politicians. We intend to host community or health center â€Å"coffees† with opportunities to meet county commissioners and planners. Media coverage in the lo cal newspaper is another part of our advocacy plan. Specifically, we will engage local media in an effort to â€Å"frame† the problem of poor environmental design and how it impacts health by profiling one citizen with health risks and limited transportation options who lives on a pedestrian unsafe street, visually depicting the social isolation inherent in this environment though a photo layout[HS16]. By engaging our most vulnerable North Carolina citizens to take part in improving their quality of life and ultimately their health and longevity, we will have the best chance at community environmental improvement as a long term effort. The time is now to refocus our priorities on health investment through prevention and promotion of public health efforts rather than treatment of diseases. References Blanding, M. (2012). Public Health and the U.S. Economy. Retrieved from http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/magazine/public-health-economy-election/. Chantrill, C. (n.d.). North Carolina Government Spending Chart. Retrieved from http://www.usgovernmentspending.com/spending_chart_2003_2019NCb_16s1li111mcn_13l14t Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2014, October). Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/overview/index.htm. Cohen, S (2001). Social relationships and health: Berkman syme (1979). Advances in mind-body medicine. 17(1):5-7. Frosch, D. L., Krueger, P. M., Hornik, R. C., Cronbolm, P. F., Barg, F. K. (2007). Creating Demand for Prescription Drugs: A Content Analysis of Television Direct-to-Consumer Advertising. Annals of Family Medicine, 5(1), 6-13. Lantz, P. M., Licthenstein R. L., Pollack, H. A. (2007). Health policy approaches to population health: The Limits of medicalization. Health Affairs, 26(5), 1253-1257. Leyden, K. (2003). Social Capital and the Built Environment: The Importance of Walkable Neighborhoods. American Journal of Public Health, 93(9), 1546-1551. Massachusetts Department of Transportation. (2013). Health Impact Assessment of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) McGrath Grounding Study. 2013. Retrieved from http://www.massdot.state.ma.us/groundingmcgrath/HealthImpactAssessment.aspx. Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) (2013). Health Impact Assessment: Quequechan River Rail Trail Phase 2. Retrieved from http://www.mapc.org/quequechan-river-rail-trail-hia. NC Rails-Trails (2014, September). Resources. Retrieved from http://www.ncrailtrails.org/web/resources. Pronk, N. P. (2014). Placing Workplace Wellness in Proper Context: Value Beyond Money. Preventing Chronic Disease 11, 1-4. http://dx.doi.org/10.5888/pcd11.140128 Putnam, R. (2000). Bowling Alone: The collapse and revival of American community. New York: Simon Schuster. Rails to Trails Conservancy. Health and Wellness Benefits. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.railstotrails.org/ourWork/trailBasics/benefits.html. Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (2014). County Health Rankings and Roadmaps, Building a Culture of Health County by County; 2014 Rankings; North Carolina. Retrieved from http://www.countyhealthrankings.org/sites/default/files/state/downloads/CHR2014_NC_v2.pdf Schulz, A., Northridge, M. E. (2004). Social determinants of health: Implications for Environmental Health Promotion. Health Education and Behavior, 31(4), 455-471. Trust for Americas Health (2014). Key Health Data about North Carolina. Retrieved from http://healthyamericans.org/states/?stateid=NC#section=3,year=2009,code=undefined US Census Bureau (2014, July 8). NC quick facts. Retrieved from http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/37000.html US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) (2003, September). Prevention makes common â€Å"cents†. Retrieved from http://aspe.hhs.gov/health/prevention/. US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) (n.d.). About Heart Disease Stroke. Retrieved from http://millionhearts.hhs.gov/abouthds/cost-consequences.html#cost. Vandergrift, D., Yoked, T. V. (2004). Obesity rates, income, and suburban sprawl: an analysis of US states. Health Place, 10, 221-229. Walkable Communities, Inc. (n.d.).Walkable Communities FAQ. Retrieved from http://walkable.org/faqs.html. Woolf, S. H., Aron, L. Y. (Eds.). (2013). U.S. Health in International Perspective: Shorter Lives, Poorer Health. Washington DC: National Academies Press. Zola, I. K. (1986). Medicine as an institution of social control. In P. Conrad R. Kern (Eds.), The sociology of health and illness. New York: St. Martins Press. [1] Rounded to nearest million [2] Rounded to nearest ten million; represents NC state and locality public health care spending [3] Based on 2013 NC Population Estimate of 9,848,060 (US Census Bureau 2014). [HS1]Nice introduction to your paper [HS2]Good examples [HS3]Is this from your Balding reference? This statement needs to be referenced. [HS4]This is listed as Blanding on your reference list. [HS5]Very nice section, your reader will have a good understanding of medicalization after reading this section [HS6]Great reference and statistics that support your premise [CDL7]Do not use this construct in this class, â€Å"it is†, â€Å"there are†, etc. [HS8]Such as implementing lifestyle changes with diet exercise. [HS9]Very good! [HS10]Impressive! [HS11]Very interesting, I will be reading this. [HS12]Great examples and points being made, excellent references. [HS13]You need a reference here [HS14]This entire section isn’t referenced. Unless this information is considered to be â€Å"common knowledge† e.g. it came from your own brain or was information you were aware of prior to writing this paper, it needs to have a citation. Please review when to cite from UNC library http://www2.lib.unc.edu/instruct/citations/index.html?section=why_we_cite [HS15]Great ideas [HS16]Great ideas and plan of action