David Walker Appeal Paper Essay

Before David Walker’s Appeal to the Colored Citizens of the World during the 1800’s, there had not been any other type of anti-slavery documents published. Although the Appeal is directed to black slaves, its powerful moral message and indictment of white America’s hypocritical society and oppressive, brutal system of slavery is a moral message that resonates to all audiences, including whites. Walker’s Appeal calls for slaves to rebel against their masters as the means of reacquiring their humanity. Walker relies heavily upon religious values of Christianity, communicating strongly with free and enslaved blacks: The man who would not fight under the Lord and Master Jesus Christ, in the glorious and heavenly cause of freedom and of God, to be delivered from the most wretched, abject and servile slavery, that ever a people was afflicted with since the foundation of the world, to the present day, ought to be kept with all his children or family, in slavery, or chains, to be butchered by his cruel enemies. (Walker Article 1) The Appeal sent out fear and terror throughout the white community as some states even passed laws that would sentence blacks, or even whites, to severe punishment if caught with the pamphlet. Finzsch cites to Eaton who points out that â€Å"in Georgia, Virginia, North Carolina, Louisiana and South Carolina anyone be it slave, free black or white who was caught with the pamphlet was tried and usually found guilty of inciting insurrection† and it also inspired enslaved blacks to fight for their freedom regardless of the consequences (Finzsch, 5). Walker’s purpose is a call for unity amongst slaves and to educate them as to their immediate need to fight back against their masters. In order to communicate his ideas, Walker attacks the values and the veracity of the United States history by pointing out the hypocrisy of the institution of slavery in a self-proclaimed nation that pretended to stand for constitutional equality, democracy and freedom. Walker powerfully challenges these notions by raising views that were being brought up mostly as a result of scientific racism and the idea that religion justifies slavery. Any discussion of abolition was always a radi cal, dangerous, and illegal conversation during the times of slavery. Slavery was the horrific social, political and economic system that allowed the United States to rapidly accumulate wealth, thus unjustly elevating whites to positions of immense power and privilege. When Walker  published his Appeal his document traveled throughout a political terrain that was controlled by whites, and these whites relied upon anti-black racist documents such as the Declaration of Independence, the United States Constitution, and Thomas Jefferson’s Notes on the State of Virginia. All of these documents systematically deemed blacks as un-human, excluding blacks from political protection, and condoned chattel slavery. Walker’s message in his Appeal resonates in the white community of that time because it directly challenges the myths relied upon by those whites in their â€Å"mythical† documents. The historical opening lines of the Declaration of Independence read â€Å"we hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.† This opening statement did not include black people, but rather it excluded them under the term that all â€Å"men† were not human. As the rest of the United States Constitution eventually clarified enslaved black people were not recognized as human beings and therefore were not entitled to the rights, privileges, and protection of the law. Furthermore, slavery was a legal institution under these sets of beliefs. Another one of the most influential documents of the time was Thomas Jefferson’s Notes on the State of Virginia of 1781. Although Jefferson owned slaves, he considered himself to be an opponent of slavery. Within the document Jefferson compared blacks to whites and concluded by holding that black people were inferior to whites on multiple levels. Have they not, after having reduced us to the deplorable condition of slaves under their feet, held us up as descending originally from the tribes of Monkeys or Orang- Outings? (Walker Article 1) Jefferson believed that emancipation for blacks should mean the removal of them from the United States based on the hostility that blacks would harbor to whites, Jefferson’s Notes on the State of Virginia further entrenched the practice of the dehumanization of black people, something that Walker’s Appeal deeply emphasizes and a message that whites and bla ck could easily understand. In order to support his call for slaves to unify and revolt against their masters Walker challenges the ideas of political documents relied upon whites. Walker effectively uses religion to pursued whites and blacks that the institution of slavery was massively unjust. Walker states that God and religion actually discouraged all forms  of slavery. For example he states, Are we MEN!! I ask you, my brethren are we MEN? Did our creator make us to be slaves to dust and ashes like ourselves? Are they not dying worms as well as we? Have they not to make their appearance before the tribunal of Heaven, to answer for the deeds done in the body, as well as we? Have we any other Master but Jesus Christ alone? Is he not their Master as well as ours? What right then, have we to obey and call any other Master, but Himself? (Walker, Article 1) Walker states that God is the lone master to which all humankind must obey. On these grounds Walker shuns the idea that black people must obey a white human master. Walker stands by the fact that the only master black people have are God himself and not the white man. Furthermore, he brings light to the fact that the white community will also have to answer to God for their acts of violence. Both blacks and whites can und erstand this religious and moral message. Not only did Walker challenge racism and the idea of religion to justify slavery, he also confronted Thomas Jefferson. Walker states:Mr. Jefferson said, when a master was murdered, all his slaves in the same house, or within hearing, were condemned to death, Here let me ask Mr. Jefferson, but he is gone to answer at the bar of God, for the deeds done in his body while living, I therefore ask the whole American people, had I not rather die, or be put to death, than to be a slave to any tyrant, who takes not only my own, but my wife and children’s lives by the inches? Yea, would I meet death with avidity far! Far!! (Walker, Article 1) Walker uses vial language to get others to understand the grotesque acts of violence that the white society inflicted on the black body and states that he would rather die fighting for freedom than be a subject to slavery. He was speaking for others who were afraid and did not have a voice, and for others who just needed a backbone and needed to be supported. Douglass’s rebellion narrative, The Heroic Slave, clearly important in its own right, is vastly diff erent from Walker in many ways. Douglass bases his work on the mutiny led by rebel slave Madison Washington on the Creole in 1841. The narrative is powerful, but the organizational intent and style is vastly different from the approach taken by Walker. Douglass uses a â€Å"storytelling† method to make his points. For example, the international sea and Britain are used by Douglass in The Heroic Slave to symbolize freedom (see Sweeny generally) And, unlike the aggressive and direct language used by Walker,  Douglass uses softer language to make his points in a more sublime manner. For example, in describing Washington as a self-emancipating figure, Douglass states, Washington is â€Å"standing erect, a smile of satisfaction . . . upon his expressive countenance, like . . . one who has just . . . .vanquished a malignant foe, for at that moment he was free . . . The future gleamed . . . .before him . . . his fetters lay broke at his feet. His air was triumphant (Douglass, Part 1). Works Cited Finzsch, Norbet. â€Å" David Walker and The Fight against Slavery † 2012. Douglas, Frederick. The Heroic Slave. Sweeney, Fionnghula. â€Å"Visual Culture and Fictive Technique in Frederick Douglass’s The Heroic Slave,† Slavery and Abolition, June 2012: 305-320. Walker, David. â€Å"Appeal to the Coloured Citizens of the World †1830.

Ethnicity, Race and Culture: Austria

Essay Topic I: Ethnicity, Race and Culture: Austria Austria is not a big country; it’s ranked on 115th place in total area and 92nd in total population. But not so long ago the Austrian-Hungarian Empire was one of the â€Å"big players† by the end of the 19th century in Europe. That Empire has been a mixture of many different and strongly varying cultures and ethnicities, which remains as one of the reasons why it probably fell apart and got divided into different nations.So what is it now, that makes an Austrian an Austrian and why is he so much different than somebody from Hungary, Czech Republic or Germany; this is the main topic of this essay. The first part of the essay will give a short overview of what ethnicity, race and culture in general stands for. Therefor I will give a short introduction about these topics and try to explain how they are used today.Later on, my focus and the main part of this work will include aspects in which Austrian Culture influences pe ople (in Austria and in general) and try to find answers to the question: â€Å"What is typically or specific for the Austrian culture and the national identity? â€Å" To make this essay a little bit more thought-provoking, I will divide the main part into two parts. The first will consist of features which I perceive from being an Austrian citizen; the second part will attempt to give an indication of features that caught the attention of people who were not born or raised in Austria.Before I start with my major writing, first a short anecdote about the Austrian dialect, which is, let us say, an indicator for Austria’s culture and race: â€Å"The Austrian dialect is about as pretty because the talk resistant changes between self-indulgence and pulling oneself together back and forth play. It thus allows an irreplaceable wealth of right projecting temper. † This short quote from the German author and poet Christian Morgenstern gives already very precise and helpful â€Å"informations† about culture in Austria.To understand what the author was trying to say with this quote you have to appreciate the remarkable gap that lies in between Austrian and German culture. Even though most people in the world (if they even know where Austria is located! ) think of Austrian Culture as a very similar to the German culture, which might be not even so far away from the truth but indeed, there are important and noteworthy differences. One of them is that Austrians can be projected with the adjectives â€Å"cozy†, â€Å"comfy† and â€Å"unhurried† compared to the adjectives Germans are illustrious for in the world, such as â€Å"detailed†, â€Å"precise† and â€Å"hardworking†.From my point of view it is quiet right to say that a big part of the Austrian Culture lies somewhere in between, and that is what Christian Morgenstern was trying to say with his quote. But before I go too deep, let us start from the very beginning: What is culture? Well, this is not an easy question to answer because there are various definitions for this word. I will state here two different definitions of culture. Geert Hofstede defined a very common set of models for international cultures.For him culture â€Å"is the collective programming of the human mind that distinguishes the members of on human group from those of another. Culture in this sense is a system of collectively held values. † (Hofstede 1990, p. 20) Whereas Edgar Schein, who was written one of the best and informative books on organizational culture, defines culture â€Å"as the deeper level of basic assumptions and beliefs that are shared by members of an organization that operate unconsciously and define in a basic `taken for granted? fashion an organization’s view of itself and its environment. † (Schein 1994, p. 7) From these two definitions it is already quite obvious that culture has very much to do with groups. A basic need of groups is the ability to communicate, both at a superficial level (for which ordinary language largely suffices) and also at a deeper level of meaning. At this deeper level, words, actions and things can become filled with special and specific meaning for the group, such as group-specific jargon and language, rituals for greetings, meetings and other group processes and last but not least artwork and artifacts that symbolize and remind the group of their history (cf.Schein 1994, p. 24;25). And Austria has a long history with a rich tradition. Austria’s geographical location at the crossroads of Europe determined its historical multiethnic makeup. As Austria is comprised with nine provinces and bordered by eight countries with their own distinctive cultures, the people of each province tend to be different. Surrounded by so many other cultures, Austria has often been subjected to cultural â€Å"invasions†, which are the source of the differences among the provi nces. Another source of the diversity is the Alps, which cover 62 percent of the country.The distinctions also occurred because different groups settled in Austria. In addition to the Celts, Romans, Hungarians, and Germanic groups, many groups from central Europe arrived during the Middle Ages. Now we have defined Austria’s conditions of culture and its heritage. Let us move to the next important topic: â€Å"National Identity†. According to the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, identity is defined as â€Å"those attributes that make you unique as an individual and different from others† or â€Å"the way you see or define yourself†.Identity can therefore be seen as the positioning of the â€Å"self† as opposed to the â€Å"others†. This concept refers to individual rather than to collective identity and may be determined by the gender as well as the territorial, cultural, social, religious, ethnic, linguistic and national identity (cf. Sm ith 1991, p. 15). Going beyond individual identity to collective identity and approaching the concept of national identity, the definition gets more complex. It is not about identifying a single individual, but about detecting characteristics of a whole center of population.In another approach, the second construct, the nation can be defined as â€Å"an extensive aggregate of persons, so closely associated with each other by common descent, language, or history, as to form a distinct race or people, usually organized as a separate political state and occupying a definite territory† (The Oxford English Dictionary 1933, p. 30). So now we have well-defined the terms culture and national identity and these definitions leave very much space open to examine the Austrian lifestyle and culture. Therefor it is very difficult to answer questions like â€Å"What is typically Austrian? † without generalizing excessively.The struggle lies in the problem, that if you have grown up i n a place, you perceive many things differently than foreigners would and, which makes the situation even more complicated, you don’t notice things foreigners might consider odd. To me, the situation is a little bit easier; I was born in Croatia and moved to Austria when I was 5 years old, so I am able to take both sides of observation, the inside and the outside. My first part of observation about the â€Å"Austrian soul† precedes me to the baroque and catholic legacy that, I think, goes hand in hand with Austrian Culture and National Identity.This means that Austrian society is strongly influenced by a baroque, Catholic tradition that is fairly subtle in terms of actual religious life (only 7 percent of all Austrians attend a weekly service, which is Western-European standard; in Poland it is 20 percent, in the United States of America 40 percent! ). Nevertheless, the tradition of strong family ties, opulent architecture, food and feasts, as well as celebrations and ceremonies is something I see as concerned with the Catholic legacy of the country.Formality and certain ways in which you engage with people socially is very hierarchical and much stricter regulated than in English speaking countries. Families receive significant public benefits for staying with newborn babies for two years and employees are required to secure a mother? s (or father? s, but that is still very uncommon in Austria) job for three years. This leads directly to the very next shaping factor in Austria, the socialist tradition. The socialist tradition of the country is mostly based on the reforms of the1970ies.Education is more or less free from primary school to university (when a conservative government started charging about 700 Euros in fees per year, there were many demonstrations all over Austria). Health care is public. Transportation, culture and arts, libraries and other infrastructure is heavily funded by the public. That has significant social implications: Aus tria? s university graduates are among the oldest in Europe (in 2005, the average age of receiving the first degree was 27) and its retirement age is among the lowest. For several years, the political trend is to cut the social system down and liberalize the country economically.Many Austrians find the sheer thought of responsibility and initiative distressing, though. Austrians also have a reputation for being conservative and xenophobic, especially Germans like to think of us as a hostile, grumpy bunch (which we might well be with respect to Germans). The political spectrum of Austria is in fact shifted slightly to the right compared to Germany: The German conservatives are the â€Å"rightest† party, whereas Austrian populists standing clearly right of the conservatives have pioneered populist political movements in Europe.To understand this, I think it is necessary to distinguish between political contents on one hand and political style on the other. In terms of actual co ntent, the rightwing populists of Austria (and of other European countries) are not necessarily more radical than the Tories in the UK or even the democrats in the US. In terms of style, Austrians have very little constraints when it comes to being straight-forward and public statements are often made by Austrians that would be regarded as being highly politically incorrect in many other countries, despite of being wide-spread views.Another mechanism that came up my mind while writing this essay is that Austrian people have original views in foreign things. I think that there are several reasons for this. Partly it? s the Austrian mentality to rant openly about whatever bothers you. Partly – especially with rightwing issues – it is also that Austria defined itself with the aid of Western nations as the first victim of Nazi Germany, completely failing to acknowledge the role as a major culprit, which it also had, until into the 1980ies. There was much less of a progress ive turnover than in Germany after the war.But the key-question remains: Are Austrians more xenophobic, racist, Semitic than the rest of Europe? Drawn from own experiences and those of friends from other countries, I would say â€Å"most likely not†. As everywhere, cities are more open and cosmopolitan than rural communities. As everywhere, education makes people more tolerant. But just because it is quite likely to hear from an Austrian a grumpy complaint about Eastern-European burglars, Turkish youngsters molesting people on the street or Nigerian asylum seekers selling drugs does not mean that such stereotypes don? t exist in other countries.Enforcing political correctness (socially or legally) fights symptoms, not causes. In terms of causes of intolerance, I don? t think that Austria is doing significantly better or worse than other Western countries. And the openness in talking about pretty much anything will at least allow you to listen to people and get a direct handle on what they honestly think. Another important aspect of the Austrian culture and its soul is the priority of domestic life. Austrians love to build, repair, extend, maintain, refurbish or modernize their houses. They also love gardening and spend ours in garden centers. Houses and gardens are important social stages for dinner parties, BBQs or occasionally just staying in and watch TV. Garden-culture is something you find everywhere in Europe, the obsession with house-building and fixing is a more continental or even Germanic manner (a variation of the same principle is â€Å"washing the car†). The priority that homes and families have for Austrians might contribute to the stereotype of the bourgeois mountain people. Speaking of mountains: The natural beauty of the country gave rise to a pronounced outdoors culture.Mountaineering, skiing, rock climbing, paragliding, cycling, skiing, camping, skiing, swimming, just strolling and – of course – skiing are really big in Austria and we love to spend our weekends climbing pretty much any hill-resembling thing pointing out of the landscape. Then we sit on top of it, drink beer and watch the valleys. From my point of view, I don’t think there? s a rational reason why we are doing this. A colleague of mine once tried to explain it with a nation-wide UV light addiction; others think it? s coffee and â€Å"Red Bull† that drive us up the hills.Probably all nonsense. In the end, and I am only guessing here, we climb mountains simply because we can. This was the first part as to give my perspective of what is typically Austrian from the view of an Austrian. My next part should be seen as a form of an outside view of how Austrian people and their behavior are seen in the rest of the world. However, I am often amused by the little things that foreigners notice as typically Austrian. Having grown up in the country myself, I often take things as natural or granted that are somewhat odd to an outsider? s eye.From talking to people that have been to this country before, I have learned about the Austria-specificity of a range of features. Long conversations with a friend from Germany revealed a lot of Austrian culture to me that I had previously been unaware of. This included one of his observations on the way people in Austria attribute certain habits and features to the origin on a person: If somebody is Tyrolean, he is expected to like hiking, be conservative and hate Italians. Carinthian accents are immediately associated with ski- and surf-instructors, alongside with their stereotypical courtship behaviors.If somebody acts provincially in Vienna and it turns out that he is Upper Austrian, everybody goes â€Å"Ah, that? s why†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . According to my friend, the â€Å"tribal affiliation† of the Austrians is much more pronounced than in Germany. Something that I have been already aware but not considered as typically Austrian is the love to their titles a nd degrees. Austria has an impressive list of 819 titles and degrees. Many people get their title or academic degree included in their passports and they even a master (â€Å"Magister†) degree is written before the name.Most titles are used instead of a name when referring to a person directly, for example â€Å"Herr Magister† or â€Å"Frau Doktor†. Recent years saw the arrival of the Anglo-American â€Å"MA†, â€Å"PhD† or other â€Å"new† degrees. Most elderly Austrians are confused by these and try to translate them. This leads me to my last feature of Austrian behaviors that I concluded while talking to foreign friends of me. If you ask Austrians about an upper-class, it is likely that they will look at you somewhat confused and refer you to the wide middle-class and the longstanding socialist traditions that effectively eliminated at least the most pressing poverty.Upper-class as a concept is something strange to Austria – and ye t there are few countries that have a stronger correlation in education or income and life expectancy, income of children, social status, and so on, than the German-speaking countries. I am always fascinated how well the upper-class is ignored in Austria and yet maintains its behavioral and social rituals that often date back to the days of the monarchy. If an Austrian tells you that there is no real upper-class in this country, ask how many friends he has that went to one of Vienna? international schools; ask about the last time he went to the Salzburg Festival; if he would feel comfortable dining and using the correct cutlery in one of Salzburg? s top-restaurants; or if he has heard of the â€Å"Adelsclubs† of Vienna (associations for Austria? s ex-nobility). Austria has a long history with a long tradition. For the development of Culture and National Identity this is a very significant aspect, also when talking about what is typically for Austrians. Even to myself, as I al ready ive here for 20 years, there are facets about the Austrian culture that have not been revealed to me so far. Through attending numerous sociological classes and talking to friends from Austria but also from foreign countries, I was able to get a profounder and closer look on what makes an Austrian an Austrian and that there are reasonable explanations for certain aspects and behaviors. This will be important for further investigations, because I think that Austria’s culture (and every culture worldwide) is just about to experience major changes.Factors like immigration, migration and especially the immense changes we are going through thanks to globalization and all the issues that come with it, will show if historically grown cultures have the capability to survive such a thriving and lavish lifestyle, as we are experiencing right now in the western Words: 2. 965 Words: 2. 965 hemisphere. References: Austrian Culture. Hephaestus Books, 2011 Brown, Andrew;  Organizati onal Culture. Pitman, London, 1995 Culture of Austria-Hungary. General Books LLC, 2010Lichtenberger Elisabeth; Austria: Society and Regions. Austrian Academy of Sciences, 2000 Schein, Edgar; Organizational Culture and Leadership. Jossey-Bass Psychology Series, 1994 [Paperback] Simpson, John; Weiner, Edmund; The Oxford English Dictionary. Oxford University Press, 1989 Stein R. Conrad; Austria. Enchantment of the World Series. Children’s Press, 2000 Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy Available from: http://plato. stanford. edu/entries/Nationalism [Accessed April 2012] Culture and quality: an anthropological perspectiveAvailable from: http://intqhc. oxfordjournals. org/content/16/5/345. full [Accessed April 2012] Wikipedia, Austria, last modified on 21 April 2012 Available from: http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Austria [Accessed April 2012] ——————————————– [ 1 ]. Wikipedia, Au stria [ 2 ]. Christian Morgenstern, German author and poet (1871-1914) [ 3 ]. Brown, Andrew,  Organizational Culture. Pitman, London, 1995 [ 4 ]. Schein, Edgar, Organizational Culture and Leadership. Jossey-Bass Psychology Series, 1994 [ 5 ]. Wikipedia [ 6 ].Lichtenberger Elisabeth; Austria: Society and Regions. Austrian Academy of Sciences, 2000 [ 7 ]. Stein R. Conrad; Austria. Enchantment of the World Series. Children’s Press, 2000 [ 8 ]. Lichtenberger Elisabeth; Austria: Society and Regions. Austrian Academy of Sciences, 2000 [ 9 ]. Austrian Culture. Hephaestus Books 2011 [ 10 ]. Austrian Culture. Hephaestus Books 2011 [ 11 ]. Culture of Austria-Hungary. General Books LLC 2010 [ 12 ]. Culture of Austria-Hungary. General Books LLC 2010 [ 13 ]. Culture of Austria-Hungary. General Books LLC 2010

Memorandum-Statement of Cash Flows Essay

Memorandum To:Stockholders of Carpino Company CC:Ms. Lydia Money, Chief Executive Officer From:W. E. Count, Financial Analyst Date:10/5/13 Re:Corporate Financial Position/Statement of Cash Flows I have been charged to examine the Financial Statements of Carpino Company for the purpose of providing an objective opinion regarding organizational capacity to generate sufficient cash to continue as a going concern. Toward that end, I have examined financial statements and have prepared the attached Statement of Cash Flows for the Year Ended January 31, 2007. I am pleased to inform Carpino Company stockholders that your company has successfully begun the transition from the introductory phase to the growth phase of operations and your prospects for continued financial growth are excellent. Carpino Company’s Statement of Cash Flows confirms that the organization enjoyed a high performing first year of operations with a net increase of cash of $105,000. Substantial investments were made in the purchase of productive assets during Year One totally an amount of $410,000. These assets will support and facilitate growth efforts going forward. Rest assured that expenditures for inventory will decrease significantly beginning with Year Two, with primarily repair and upgrade expenditures being incurred. Stock issues were made for the purchase of productive assets in the amount of $10,000. Carpino used $325,000 in investing activities in the hopes to create higher capital in the future. This financing debt has likewise peaked during Year One. In spite of the cash outlays required to sufficiently introduce and sale your brand. Carpino experienced a net increase in cash of $105,000.00 at the end of Year One. Doing so speaks of outstanding management of company resources and is highly commendable. Carpino Company is now positioned for tremendous growth and the generation of increased cash flows. As stockholders, you should be pleased with the foundation on which Carpino Company has been built. The organization is poised for great success in the foreseeable future. By closely monitoring financial operations and analysis of the Statement of Cash Flows, you should expect to experience stable and profitable operations for many years to come. Thank you. Sincerely, W. E. Count, Financial Analyst Carpino Company Statement of Cash Flows For the year ended January 31st, 2007

International Scholarship Candidates Selection Essay

International Scholarship Candidates Selection - Essay Example Further, RasGas may choose candidates who will fail to complete their chosen educational programs and create a sunk cost loss for RasGas. The use of an objective rating scale linked to organizational goals and future performance can limit these potential losses and increase the chances of securing productive employees post graduation. In order to create a winning proposition, one of the focus areas for RasGas is the 'development of its employees and the organisation', which can only be realized when the company is in a position to objectively rate the performances. Motivational factors arouse a need, propelling a person to channelise his efforts and energies in the direction of fulfilling those needs. These needs are aroused in the employee of an organization to increase the output, provide quality, increase efficiency, maintain industrial peace etc. An effective management must understand the fact that there are at least two ways by which the behavior of employees could be directed towards the productive pursuits in the organization. One is by changing the personality, i.e. the internal psychological structures of the person, which is a long-drawn and uncertain process. Another strategy is to modify the characteristics of the situation prevailing around the employees. These situational factors have tremendous influence in shaping one's personality. Providing suitable ambience and opportunities for career development and education hold the key in setting the process in motion. 2. Aim: To design a Success Predictability Scale for scholarship candidates Objectives: Analysis of the present policies of RasGas to encourage the talent. Analysis of the levels of motivation and urge for pursuing higher studies amongst the existing staff by conducting interviews and by observing them on the job. Analysis of the internal reports and other data about RasGas available in the public domain. Establishing a documentary link between scholarship awards and degree fields that supports the long-term goals and objectives of the organization. 3. Benefits to the Organization: The benefits to RasGas for using an objective success potential scale linked to organizational objectives for scholarship candidates are: Enhance the reward potential of opportunity costs associated with a scholarship candidate. Lower potential and actual economic losses associated with the scholarship program. Increase the chances of successful degree completion by scholarship candidates. Saving of as much as $500,000 US on candidates who are less likely to complete their assigned programs and make contributions to the organization that exceed the organization's investment in their education. Motivated employees, who in turn help the company more efficient and competitive. Motivation and encouragement leads to lesser attrition rates and turnover ratios, which in turn saves lots of costs associated with recruiting a team of new person time and time again. RasGas considers its workforce as one of its greatest assets and with people from over 36 different nationalities working together within the organisation, encouraging career development

Colonial Latin American History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Colonial Latin American History - Essay Example Gender and family of the Andean nun I have the notion that the society in this colony is having a big change in the direction of the gender and family ties. The Spanish America is experiencing the change in the way nuns try to empower themselves as they were presenting themselves as the brides of Christ in the community. I see that they take the scene with the dowries, which is then pooled together and managed by salaried men. This act was instigated by the colonial administration of the government where the promotion of Catholicism created a safety haven for the orphans and single mothers. Marriage is permitted, tied by the destinies of the two involved individuals, which is contrary to their own cultures. The government has mandated the instigation of the catholic religion to the population. Despite the introduced religion, stipulate the marriage system be done under the influence of consent from the involved parties the families of the elite were made in the fashion of arranged marriages. Initially the societies in the region were more compact and observant of to the ideas and norms the cultures they had presented. The case of the Andean nun is more specific as many in the convents went to escape the atrocities that came with marriage. The native race being wiped out by the fornication and interracial relations created the new races in the Latin America. Being a member of the Spanish troops, it was clear to view of plight of the woman in the Andes came as derogatory and nerve wrecking. The way the husbands treated, the so-called wives made the women run for the convent to escape the humiliation. They resulted into the comfort of the convents where they devoted their lives to religion. As the elite focused on retaining the wealth in their circles, arranged marriages made the women want to feel as independent people instead of a person’s property (Bethell, 1995). This was instrumental in the shaping of the family ties in a different perspective. The core of the marital denotation of the elite colonial society entailed a sex/gender structure of honor therefore meaning not only to distinguish women from men but also to divide people by class.   The colonial elite were notable amid people who had honor, gentle decent, and people who did not show lack of latency.   Therefore, when a woman opted or accepted a connection of prostitution, she lost her reputation and reinforced her lower-class standing.   The society here was of the dual standard embedded in this masculinity structure, as the upper-class men would not recede their honor when they had mistresses of a lower class or race, simply if they married them. This was infuriating to some of the Andean women who opted to revolt in their own way. The convent was a good way to escape the chauvinist world and get a good life in the convents. Caste/class/race Another aspect of change I experienced in the society that experienced change was the paradigms in the class, social order and the race. The colonial governmen t the Mexico was very strict in the depiction of class and racial status. The laws were stringent to the miscegenation but the society was not

Information technology project management Assignment

Information technology project management - Assignment Example iew, variance analysis, Schedule compression, Resource leveling   Decomposition shall help the Project activities timed better, expert judgment will be required to budget time for various activities, dependency determination shall help sequence activities such that project delays can be minimized or mitigated, floats shall be determined to ascertain the flexibility in the project to makeup for any unwanted delays, Three point estimation shall help in arriving at more realistic estimates of project activity duration Project Cost Management    Expert judgment, Cost of quality, Three point estimates, Variance analysis Expert judgment shall be required to determine the activity and project costs and make cost budget, Cost of quality must be determined to make cost benefit decisions when faced with conflicting cost heads, Three point estimates shall give better estimates of costs, Variance analysis will help in keeping the project costs on track Project Quality Management   Cost ben efit analysis, Quality Audits, Control Charts   A cost benefit analysis will help balance activity cost with activity quality and will help us choose between two activities and their extent and scope, Quality audits will keep the quality levels for the activities on track, Control charts shall give an overview of the project quality performance and help keep a check on the same Project Human Resource Management   Organizational charts, Virtual teams, Training, Team building activities, Recognition and awards, Project performance appraisal, Conflict management   Organizational charts will be required to have a clarity as to the project roles and responsibilities, Virtual teams need to be created since the project covers more than one distant geographic company locations, Team building activities will be required to keep the project team bond better and develop work based understanding to help prevent any confusions and bottlenecks owing to the same, Project performance appraisa l shall serve as a tool to encourage good performance and will be crucial in control project progress, Conflict management might be required in order to keep any interpersonal problems from threatening the project performance Project Communications Management   Expert judgment, Communications requirement analysis, Stakeholder feedbacks, Face to Face meetings, Performance reports   Expert judgment will be required to make the formal as well informal communication effective, communications structure shall be determined through a requirement analysis, stakeholder feedbacks shall be sought to help improve their knowledge about project progress and find a realistic thrust of their

Organizational Managment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Organizational Managment - Essay Example In this regard, it has been observed that the organizational change usually brings a change in the quality, cost and satisfaction of the product or service that the organization manufactures or produces, respectively. For instance, Reid et al. (2010) undertook a detailed study of the health care organizations to evaluate the change in the quality, cost and satisfaction in the organization after the incorporation of patient-centric medical home model. The model required that the healthcare policies and regulations should be re-written with the focus on patient care, requirements, needs and wants instead of management’s point of view. As a result, the study showed that after the implementation of the model, the patient’s burnout cases, their experiences at the hospital and the costs of the facility have improved substantially within the lapse of twenty four months since the incorporation. This shows that there is a positive relationship of the cost, quality and satisfacti on of organization and its customers with the organizational change. Reid, R.J., et. al. (2010). The group health medical home at year two: cost savings, higher patient satisfaction, and less burnout for providers. Health Affairs, 29 (5): pp. 835-843. Retrieved 29 July 2012 from

Social Worker Skills Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Social Worker Skills - Essay Example As the report declares self-awareness is major requisite for every individual. People who are successful in their occupations know themselves. Successful people recognize their own abilities and their areas of weakness. Successful people are also self-confident. Because they see themselves as capable people, able to do a number of things well, employers and co-workers also tend to see them in this way. This paper stresses that social work is emotionally and intellectually demanding and being comfortable with oneself is vital in order to deal with clients. In this field, they will encounter more individuals who are stressed and often act as sounding boards and shock absorbers. It is imperative that the social worker is able to understand what creates stress for them and develop means of reducing stress where they can. This involves self- assessments of their own physical and mental health, and establishing a lifestyle that promotes their personal well-being. Part of this process is to understand one's own personality characteristics. This would enable the workers to conduct a personal self-assessment and determine how their own identities, beliefs and prejudices may affect their social work practice. The social worker must know how his/her values, attitudes, beliefs, emotions and experiences and how they cloud her judgement of his/her thinking, behaviour and relationships. The worker must be retrospectively be willing to examine and amend her attitude if it will be an impediment to effectively getting the job done.

Skullcandy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Skullcandy - Essay Example The aim of this report is to highlight the team structure used in the development of new products at Skullcandy. In addition, the report would also highlight the reasons for adopting such a team structure along with the size and growth of the company. The team structure applied for the new product development at Skullcandy was a mixture of topologies. It was observed that from senior management to employees, every single employee was involved in the development process. This indicates that the team structure applied was a mixture of lightweight and heavyweight topologies. Types of developments teams include; functional teams, lightweight teams, heavyweight teams and autonomous team structures. At Skullcandy, the team structure that was applied for the new product development was a combination of lightweight and heavyweight team structures. But because the company’s size was small, the company was focusing more on lightweight team structure and generally smaller firms rely on lightweight team structure.... The aim of this team was to gain initial sales contracts based on the prototypes provided by the designers. d) The last team that was involved in the new product development was for design refinement. This evidence proves that the team structure used in the development of new product was lightweight. On the other hand, the heavyweight team structure was also involved in the development of new product. Some of the evidence for the involvement of heavyweight teams area as follows; a) Josh Poulsen was responsible for handling the lightweight teams so that they could meet their deadlines effectively. b) Dan Levine was responsible for taking major decisions regarding the product. c) Before the manufacturing of the product, the last decision was taken by Rick Alden, the founder of the company, as tooling of the product entails large irreversible investment. Growth and Size Influencing Development Process The company that came into existence to provide the customers with headphones that could serve dual purpose was smaller in size but the company was growing at a very fast pace. In its initial years, the company broke its $1 million in sales in 2005 and in the following year, the company was able to increase its sales up to $10 million. In 2007, the company was able to attract most of the customers and the revenues of the company accounted for $35 millions. In the following year, the company was able to double its sales figures and revenues. The sales figure for 2008 was $86.5 million followed by over $100 million. This indicates that the company was doubling its sales figures which eventually led to the growth of the company but was unable to enhance its size. To meet the demands of the

Perspectives on Inequality and Poverty Essay Example for Free

Perspectives on Inequality and Poverty Essay Our society today is currently experiencing a widening of the gap between the rich and the poor. As the saying goes, â€Å"the rich is getting richer and the poor is getting poorer,† our society attests to such truth, where the wealthy is gaining more money while the poor’s case is getting worse by the minute. Poverty is a big problem ever since the dawn of man. In an ideal world, the number of resources produced could feed more than any of the hungry mouths all over the world. But in reality, wealth is not distributed properly to every living individual. There are those who get more as compared to those who get less or get nothing at all. The sad reality If you take into consideration every living individual in a certain community, only a small fraction of its population enjoy living a well-off life, and a majority suffer from lack of resources or doesn’t have enough to fill their stomachs. A fraction of imbalance in the distribution of resources and wealth affects a greater number of people, wherein the sad reality lies on whom are the ones getting much and who are the ones gaining a lot. This is the sad reality in our society, where people thrive in a world filled with inequality and sadly, majority of the people suffer from the extra gains of some people (Besley Cord, 2007). Class inequality can be traced way back in the history of men, when people learned to classify themselves, making some superior and some, well, rather inferior. Another sad reality is that the ones who are in the higher echelons of the society are the ones who are not doing actual hard labor. These people are the one’s capitalizing from the hard work of the poor working class, sweating their lungs out, literally giving their sweat and blood just to make money. This labor force is the one who is actually earning the money; it is their effort and strength that makes the real cash, not the ones bossing them around. But the harshness of life is reflected in this situation: the ones working hard gets paid less, barely enough to make a living out of it, while the ones bossing everyone around gets a much bigger share, wherein they have exerted minimal or no real effort in doing so (Kohl, 2003). This is the present situation of the working class of the past, the present, and maybe of the future. There are some great thinkers who have pondered on these things so to speak. This people, though separated by different views, expressed their opinions about how inequalities in the classes happen and why poverty exists, depending on how they see the situation. Their take on the realities are reciprocated by approval or by rejection from the people looking at their ideas. Some may seem radical to others, but some deem that is the necessary thought for that certain specific topic. These great thinkers include Karl Marx, Max Weber and Oscar Lewis.

The High-Protein, Low-Carb Diet: An Analysis

The High-Protein, Low-Carb Diet: An Analysis High-Protein, Low-Carb Counterattack Carbohydrate-restrictive or ketogenic diets that are rich in animal products can help some people to lose weight because they offer some short-term improvement in glucose control. But because these diets are too rich in animal products, they incur significant risks such as cancer, heart disease, and kidney disease. They are especially dangerous for diabetics because a meat-based diet increases the risks of atherosclerosis and accelerates kidney failure in people with diabetes.   In a recent study, researchers found that every 5 percent increase in calories consumed from animal protein increases the risk of diabetes by 30 percent. But vegetable protein was not associated with the increased diabetes risk. How Much and What Type of Animal Products Are Permitted? A maximum of only one or two (two- to three-ounce) servings of animal products a week is recommended: One or two servings of fish per week; or One or two servings of fish plus one small serving of white meat fowl, totaling less than six ounces per week. Studies show that people eating more than two servings of fish per week have higher incidence of type 2 diabetes. There is no significant benefit from using fish in your diet; you can get omega-3 fats from supplements. No other animal products are recommended. Red meats are to be avoided completely. Studies show diabetics with high red meat intake have 50 percent higher incidence of heart disease, probably because higher level of the heme iron in red meat. Facts About Eggs and Diabetes Studies show that people eating five eggs a week or more have an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Diabetics who eat more than one egg a day double their heart disease or death risk. Get Protein from Your Vegetables Human protein requirement studies in the 1950s showed that adults require 20 to 35 grams of protein per day. People who eat a vegetable-based diet have been found to consume 60 to 80 grams of protein a day, well above the minimum requirement. Protein Content from Selected Plant Foods FOOD GRAMS OF PROTEIN Almonds (3 ounces) 10 Collars (2 cups) 8 Banana 1.2 Broccoli (2 cups) 10 Brown Rice (1 cup) 5 Chick Peas (1 cup) 15 Corn (1 cup) 4.2 Lentils (2 cup) 18 Peas, frozen (1 cup) 9 Spinach, frozen (1 cup) 7 Kidney Beans (1 cup) 13 Soybeans (1 cup) 29 Sunflower seeds (1/2 cup) 13 Sesame seeds (1/2 cup) 12 Tofu (4 ounces) 11 Whole Wheat Bread (2 slices) 5 Green vegetables, legumes, and beans have more protein per calorie than meat does. They are also rich in miconutrients. Animal protein is low-nutrient food because it does not contain antioxidants or phytochemicals. So eating more plant protein is the key to increasing our micrnutrient intake. The Dangers of IGF-1 Insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) is produced by the liver in response to the pituitary-derived growth hormone. It is one of the bodys important growth promoters during fetal and childhood growth. However, in adults, higher levels of IGF-1 promote cellular replication that can accelerate the aging process and promote cancer. Elevated IGF-1 levels are associated with increased risk of all major cancers, including breast cancer, colon cancer, and prostate cancer. Lower levels of IGF-1 are associated with enhanced insulin sensitivity and enhanced life span. Protein Intake Promotes IGF-1 The composition of protein and the amount consumed also affect IGF-1 levels. Animal protein causes a larger increase in IGF-1 compared to plant protein because animal protein is more biologically complete. For people with diabetes, a relative low amount or animal protein could raise their IGF-1 level. This is the main reason why we restrict animal intakes to only six ounces per week. Plant proteins are less biologically complete. The body has to combine the amino acids for biological completenss, so they do not raise the IGF-1 level like animal proteins do. Refined Carbohydrates Promote IGF-1 Excess intake of refined carbohydrates can also have an effect on IGF-1. Insulin regulates energy metabolism and affects IGF-1 signaling by increasing the production of IGF-1 and decreasing the IGF-1-binding proteins.

Leadership Styles of Middle School Principals

Leadership Styles of Middle School Principals PART 1 Introduction of the Problem The main aim of Professional Development is influencing the students’ results. From the thesaurus of the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) database, professional development involves the activities tha enhance the growth of a career professionally.This is effected by impacting the teachers level of practice and their level of knowledge (Robinson and Carrington, 2002). With its implications on learning skills, professional development is beyond teacher training since it encompases formal and informal means of assisting teachers in their development of new insights into their own as well as in the exploration of new and advanced resources that aid them in improving students performance. From the above statement it is clear that professional development requires the principals to support the teachers as they deal with the challenges that come along with new needs of their work. This support help the teachers to continually grow in their understanding of their nature of work as well as professional skills. According to Fullan (1991), it has been observed that in the last decade, the role of a principal has been increasingly involving, become more complicated and the roles are not clearly defined. He also noted that the principles roles have been through a kind of metamorphosis. Initially, the roles of the principle were limited and involved instruction leadership or a master teacher. With time these roles changed to transactional leadership and, most recently, to transformational leadership. This brings out the importance of examining the way principles deal with professional development of teachers, being one of the most pressing issues. The extent to which the quality of professional development of middle school teacher is influenced by their administrators’ leadership styles is not known.   According to Jackson and Davis (2000), one of the most important components in accomplishing great achievements in schools and ensuring high quality teachers is instructional leadership. For a high achieving school, an administrator should be able to supply instructional leadership. To make this possible, the administrator should have specific leadership characteristics which ensure effectiveness in professional development of teachers and also heip in sustaining an educational environment that fosters high achievement   vision in students (Jackson Davis, 2000). In the past few years, middle schools have become more and more all-encompassing (Hoy et al, 1996). In the American education systems, the notes being appear to be a replacement of the traditional junior high schools.   According to the Maryland State Department of Education (2008), the academic, social and emotional progress of a student is greatly influenced and evident in middle school. This requires educators to be highly equipped when it comes to addressing the changes undergone by students in middle school and this makes the professional development of the teachers a very critical and sensitive process.   According to (Robinson and Carrington, 2002).   Ã‚  In cases where progressive and extensive involvement of the schools administration and teachers is emphasized, their results of professional development are likely to be effective. During this stage, an adolescent’s process of education is characterized by a change in the line of thought, and also developments wh ich are both psychological and physical, and these changes may influence the student in terms of their achievement.   For example in middle school, students have more academic responsibilities than in the elementary school. There is involvement in extracurricular activities and restructuring after school may be required. There is also a change in the educational environment which is brought about by the fact that the environment is more structured and not as nurturing as the elementary school environment. This means that the students have to adopt to the riles and regulations set and that they are held responsible for their actions. Therefore, it is very important to equip the middle school teachers with   quality leadership skills as well as quality professional development so that they meet the advers social,educational and emotional needs of all their students. (Maryland State Department of Education, 2008). Most studies done on the impact of the principal-teacher relationship show that there is a possible correlation between supportive leadership style and the involvement and dedication of teachers.(Theo Wubbel, Jack Levy, 1993).   Leithwood and Montgomery say that the approval and a support of a teacher from the administrator were positively related to the satisfaction of the teacher. In a later study, (leithwood 1990) repoted tjhat a principals support and the teachers professional development were highly correlated. It is therefore very important for the principals to be involved in the activities of the teachers so that they can be able to provide the support the teachers when they need. This will aid in motivatimg teachers which will improve their commitment amd this will lead to improvement of the performance of the teachers and consequently, the students. Johnson (1986) noted that discovering the most important thing to teachers as well as motivating them to improve their work was a very complicated task and has not yet been figured out. He also wrote that the specific contribution of instructional leadership styles to professional development was not fully explored. Stepans, 2001 stated that the role of the principal was to support the professional development activities appeared to be crucial ti the   crucial professional growth of teachers since it assisted in its success. When there is a full discussion on issues and problems in a school between the teachers and the principal, the process contribute a lot in the carrer development   and professional expertise.(Hopkins 1990) This study will discuss the specific characteristics   instructional leadership styles necessary in the enhancement of quality professional development in middle schools. It will also look at the ways that the principals can try and motivate teacher by researching on what teachers find important and using it to motivate them. The research is also geared towards the evaluation of the relationship between the   characteristics leadership styles and the overall teacher performance   and higher student achievement improvement in middle schools. Further research may be done in order to evaluate whether or not the characteristics of leadership have a direct correlation to overall improvement in teacher performance and higher student achievement in middle schools. Background of the study Wiles (1983), notes that the quality of leadership that a principal exhibits determines the   success of a school system. Previous research has been carried out to determine if there was a relationship between principals leadership styles and the teachers motivation. Brown-Howard’s research carried out in 2007, identified the teachers   motivation levels were determined by teachers by age, gender and experience. He also indicated that principals leadership styles has little to no impact on motivation based on the age, gender or experience of the teachers (Brown-Howard, 2007). According to Raines (2004) the overwhelming responsibilities and demands of the   principals   professional positions   are constant challenge. In this age of increased accountability, he adds, principals are expected to manifest exemplary performance in an ever-increasingly number of fronts. One such front is the area of professional development of teachers under their command. Jurasaite-Harbison (2009) in a study of the way teachers learn it was found that teachers are put under immense pressure by the current edicational policies.thse pressurs involved the teachers having to concurrently modify their practices.   For such changes to be effective, it is very important for the professional development to enlarge areas of scope so that it can capture a wider range of areas that are within their unique epistemology that is teaching resources and instructional practices(Elmore, 2000).   On the other hand, Jurasaite-Harbison (2009) stresses that for the reforms to to be a success, various learning opportunities continuous professional growth is necessary for the teachers. According to Jurasaite-Harbison (2009)   Within schools context, this professional growth takes place under the schools administrators guidance and is part of daily workplace learning. Other researches including (Maehr and Midgeley, 1991; 1996; Maehr and Anderman, 1993; Maehr and Fyans, 1989) have come up with a considerable empirical evidence that suggest that the culture of a school can motivate both the teachers and students to learn by instilling a positive feeling in the teachers about their work.   High achieving and motivated students as well as improved teachers attitude towards their jobs and collaboration amongst themselves are factors that are highly associated to a positive school culture(Stolp and Smith, 1995). Research done by (Sashkin and Sashkin, 1990; Sashkin and Walberg, 1993; Ogawa and Bossert, 1995; Leithwood, 1994) proposed that for a school culture to operate effectively and for its creation and maintenance, the principals leadership practices used are very important. Further, evidence obtained from several studies (Leithwood and Jantzi, 1990; Sashkin and Sashkin, 1990) provides a strong base in supporting the suggestion that transformationa l leadership leads to relatively more desirable school cultures. There are other concerns ot teaching teaching principals that have been focused on in research. These concerns are; inadequate professional preparation and support, inadequate time for instructional leadership, isolation, and few opportunities for career advancement (Murdoch and Schiller, 2002). It was further discovered that principals are often overwhelmed and frustrated by the usual heavy workload and felt guilty about it to an extent that these frustrations adversely affect their family relationships and also their physical health. According to(Lashway, 2003; Lester, 2003; Wildy and Clarke, 2005) it was realized that most teaching principals lack the necessary skill to deal with the challenges, tensions and dilemmas that result from and those related to instructional leadership and management, the high system and local community expectations as well as personal and community values. However, Southworth (2002) discovered that success in principal ship came along with some signific ant development and growth in confidence and an individual’ sense of self.   These findings clearly show that a principles ability to cope and survive the challenges and trials of organization leadership helped in building their self esteem. Findings suggest a positive correlation between principals’ transformational leadership and the presence of school social organization associated with effective schools (Evans, T.J 1996).   Research studies strongly support the fact that the leadership of the school principal impacts directly on the climate of the school and, in turn, on student achievement (Norton 2003). From these findings, it is evident that   the leadership stlyles of a principal are very important in defining the success of a school and also that these styles describe the kind of climate that will be prevalent in the school. Mickey (2000) in a case study of a middle school on institutional leadership found that the principal as an instructional leader used an approach to leadership that was systematic. According to more finding, the principals realize their roles’ importance and use the position and positional power to in influencing change. The study also discovered that organizations that are successfully restructured insisted on and practiced shared leadership.   As Mickey (2000) writes, shared leadership involves a lot of teamwork and collaboration between the principle and the staff and also among the the staff themselves. In this case, the principal has to realize the need for a safe and disciplined environment. From the case study it was revealed that in shared leadership, the teachers professional development was highly facilitated. From the principals point of view ,such professional development is perceived to be an important means to an end. The end results that were intended, impleme ntation of change and teachers were found to be a useful vehicle of such change, as â€Å"empowered leaders†. The study revealed that principals provided the teachers with extensive professional development to enable the them to be empowered leaders. In 1995, a study by Kristine Hipp and Paul Bredson was published and it was about the relation ship betweenthe self efficacy of teachers and leadership styles of principals. The basic assumption of this study and two more that were done later (Hipp 1996,1997) was that the leadership style of a principle and the self efficacy of teachers were linked directly. From this study, there was empirical evidence that connected the aspects of transformational   leadership and principle teacher efficacy. This led to the conclusion that transformational leadership led to self efficacy of teachers. The importance instructional leadership responsibilities of the principal   has been emphasized in research done(Brookover Lezotte, 1982; Duke, 1983; Edmonds, 1979 and Kroeze, 1984). On the other hand, according to (Flath, 1989), literature has seemingly come to a consensus that instructional leadership is rare practice.   Stronge (1988) found out that most time of the principal is concentrated on school management and only a few of their hours are allocated to program issues. In reference to his computation,62.2% was the time used in school management , and only 6.2% of the time was allocated to program issues. He adds that in a principals typical day, out of the many tasks carried out,only11% of those tasks is instructional leadership related. Berlin, Kavanagh, and Jensen (1988) say that for schools to progress ,principals should be able to plan their tasks in a way that their daily activities come in between their leadership role in the curriculum.   McNally (1992) argues t hat there are certain middle-school principals who are effective but   Fullan (1991) says that effective institutional leaders are a rare group to find. The above cases try to identify the various attempts that have been made to explain and clarify the various relationships that exist between the principal and the teachers. Mickey (2000) case study that aimed at provide empirical evidence about a specific approach to leadership and the resulting effect on the teachers, this paper has not identified any study that focused on the leadership styles and their impact on quality professional development of teachers. The study therefore, by presenting empirical evidence, seeks to find the impact of administrators leadership styles on the professional development of teachers, focusing on middle schools. In a study by leithwood 1990, it was conluded that a principals support and the teachers professional development were highly correlated. Statement of the Problem According to the Maryland State Department of Education (2008), middle school marks a significant change in the way in which a student progresses in learning.   In order to equip the teachers to properly address the school students changes, their preparation needs to be extensively and professionally addressed.   This is a stage where adolescents change how they think   and view thinking, and there are also developments that are both psychological and physical and these changes influence the students achievements. Therefore, it is very important that the middle school teachers undergo extensive and quality professional development in order to meet the educational needs of the middle school population (Maryland State Department of Education, 2008). It is not known however, to what extent the leadership styles of middle school administrators have an impact on quality professional development of teachers in middle schools.   According to Jackson and Davis (2000), the instructional leadership in middle schools is one of the most essential components to accomplish a high achieving school and quality teachers.   This leadership in high achieving schools is supplied by an administrator who has specific characteristics which assist in effective professional development of teachers as well as the sustainment of an educational environment fostering a vision of highest student achievement (Jackson Davis, 2000). This paper therefore seeks to explore the link between middle-school administration and professional development and high student’s achievement by addressing the following questions: To what extent do leadership styles of middle school administrators affect quality professional development of teachers in middle schools? Which specific leadership style or styles contribute to effective professional development for middle school teachers? What are the experiences of middle school administrators during the process of teacher professional development? Wiles and Bondi (1994) observed that most research carried out has been directed towards gaining knowledge about and understanding leadership styles. Yet, despite the considerable thought, extensive writings and a large body of empirical research, leadership remains a rather mysterious concept. This study is aimed at contributing greatly to understanding the specific characteristics of instructional leadership styles that have influence on the quality of professional development in middle schools.   Further research may be carried out to evaluate whether thecertain characteristics of leadership have a direct or indirect correlation to overall improvement in teacher performance and higher student achievement in middle schools. Purpose of the study In 1995, a study by Kristine Hipp and Paul Bredson was published and it was about the relation ship betweenthe self efficacy of teachers and leadership styles of principals. The basic assumption of this study and two more that were done later (Hipp 1996,1997) was that the leadership style of a principle and the self efficacy of teachers were linked directly. From this study, there was empirical evidence that connected the aspects of transformational   leadership and principle teacher efficacy. This led to the conclusion that transformational leadership led to self efficacy of teachers. Continued professional development of middle school educators and their quality preparation is imperative for middle school educators.   Fo adolescents, this timeframe within the educational process is marked by changes in how student’s think about thinking, as well as other physical and psychological development that may affect students’ achievement.   Therefore, it is crucial that middle school teachers receive quality professional development in order to meet the educational needs of the middle school population so that these students are prepared to progress from middle school to high school (Maryland State Department of Education, 2008). Findings suggest a positive correlation between principals’ transformational leadership and the presence of school social organization associated with effective schools (Evans, T.J 1996).   Research studies strongly support the fact that the leadership of the school principal impacts directly on the climate of the school and, in turn, on student achievement (Norton 2003). This study will contribute to understanding the specific characteristics of instructional leadership styles that are most likely to enhance the quality of professional development in middle schools.   This research will identify high achieving schools characteristics as well as the instructional leadership styles that contribute to their success as evident from the students achievement.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In a study by leithwood 1990, it was conluded that a principals support and the teachers professional development were highly correlated.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Rationale This study will use qualitative research methods in the identification of   instructional leadership of middle school administrators in the Guam school district.   Guam,is an island in the western Pacific Ocean and is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States. It is the largest, in terms of size, of the Mariana Islands. It also has an organized established civilian government (DOI Office of Insular Affairs, 2007). In the United states, education is to a large extent provided by the public sector. The federal government, state and local government. are responsible for the funding and the control of schools. It is compulsory for all children to attend primary(elementary school) and secondary (high school.)levels. At these school levels there are locally elected school boards that se the school curricula, funding and teaching and these boards also have juriction over school districts. The School districts have distinct jurisdictions from other local bodies, and have independent budgets as well as officials. The governments are left with the role of making educational standards and standardized testing decisions.. Different states have different ages for mandatory school attendance, and mostly the beginning ages are five to eight and ending ages are between fourteen to eighteen. Increasingly, states are now requiring school attendance until the age of 18 years (U.S. Network for Education Information: U.S. Department of Education). Attending a public school, a state-accredited private school, or a certified home school program meets the requirement for compulsory education.. In most public and private schools, there are rhee levels of education;; elementary school, junior high school and high school. The junior high school level is the one that is usually referred to as middle school. Children are divided by age groups into grades, starting from the kindergarten for the youngest children in elementary school. The kindergarten is followed by first grade. The last grade is the twelfth grade which should correspond with the final year of school. However, the exact age range of students in these grade levels varies slightly from state to state (U.S. Network for Education Information: U.S. Department of Education). The entire island of Guam is served by the Guam Public School system. High rate of school dropouts and poor performance in test is a problem common in Guam Public Schools. Guam has a very diverse student body which includes many students from backgrounds that do not use the traditional United States education. In addition Guams educational system has always faced other unique challenges as a small community located 6,000  miles (9,700  km) from America mainland. The island went through an economic downturn in the mid-1990’s and this led to the education problem (Pacific Stars and Stripes, 1993; DOI Office of Insular Affairs, 2007) The U.S. Department of Defense initially partnered with the Guam Board of Education but in September 1997 the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) opened its own schools which were initially for   the children of military personnel but later started serving the children of some federal civilian employees. DoDEA schools had an attendance of 2,500 in 2000. In Guam, there are three elementary/middle schools and one high school   that are operated by DoDEA.(http://www.gdoe.net) This study will discuss two out of the three middle schools on study in the Department of Defense Education Activity in Guam and which both are in close proximity.   The participants are two male administrators with 35-40 teachers.   One middle school is on a Navy base, while the other is on an Air Force base.   Both schools follow the same district professional development, face to face interviews and observation will form the basis Research Questions 1 According to Bennis Nanus (2003) an organization a vision and the mechanism for translating the vision into a reality is given by leadership.. This study will examine the impact tht a principal’s style of leadership has on professional development of teachers which is   aimed at ensuring high achievement of students. The following research, grounded on the leadership literature, the educational institutions’ organization culture–highly focusing on middle school and professional development. Specifically, the study will require answer to the following questions; To what extent do leadership styles of middle school administrators affect quality professional development of teachers in middle schools? Which specific leadership style or styles contribute to quality professional development for middle school teachers? What are the experiences of middle school administrators during the process of implementing quality professional development? Is there a relationship between the principals leadership stlles and teachers motivation? If there is a relationship between the leadership style and teachers motivation, what is the extent of the relationship? What is the impact of teachers motivation on their performance at work and also in their professional development process. What is the impact of techers professional development on their performance and the performance of the students. What is the impact of an schools culture on professional development of teachers and their relationships in the school. Significance of the Study According to the Maryland State Department of Education (2008), middle school marks a significant change in the manner in which a student progresses in learning.   Quality preparation and continued professional development of middle school educators is imperative in order for middle school educators.   For adolescents, this timeframe within the educational process is marked by changes in how student’s think about thinking, as well as other physical and psychological development that may affect students’ achievement.   Therefore, it is crucial that middle school teachers receive quality professional development in order to meet the educational needs of the middle school population so that these students are prepared to progress from middle school to high school (Maryland State Department of Education, 2008) Other researches including (Maehr and Midgeley, 1991; 1996; Maehr and Anderman, 1993; Maehr and Fyans, 1989) have come up with a considerable empirical evidence that suggest that the culture of a school can motivate both the teachers and students to learn by instilling a positive feeling in the teachers about their work.   High achieving and motivated students as well as improved teachers attitude towards their jobs and collaboration amongst themselves are factors that are highly associated to a positive school culture(Stolp and Smith, 1995). From this research principals will know the importance of mitivating teahers as well as the ways that best motivate the teahers and student so as to improve the performance of a shool. Research done by (Sashkin and Sashkin, 1990; Sashkin and Walberg, 1993; Ogawa and Bossert, 1995; Leithwood, 1994) proposed that for a school culture to operate effectively and for its creation and maintenance, the principals leadership practices used are very important. The principals leadershot stles that are necessary in the creation and operation an effective school culture will be discusssed in this study. Further, evidence obtained from several studies (Leithwood and Jantzi, 1990; Sashkin and Sashkin, 1990) provides a strong base in supporting the suggestion that transformational leadership leads to relatively more desirable school cultures. Southworth (2002) discovered that success in principal ship came along with some significant development and growth in confidence and an individual’ sense of self.   The study will also focus on a principals individual characteristcs that help them in their leadership of the school as well as in their role of proffesionaly devoloping the teachers. These findings clearly show that a principles ability to cope and survive the challenges and trials of The importance instructional of leadership responsibilities of the principal   has been emphasized in research done(Brookover Lezotte, 1982; Duke, 1983; Edmonds, 1979 and Kroeze, 1984). On the other hand, according to (Flath, 1989), literature has seemingly come to a consensus that instructional leadership is rare practice. Findings suggest a positive correlation between principals’ transformational leadership and the presence of school social organization associated with effective schools (Evans, T.J 1996).   Research studies strongly support the fact that the leadership of the school principal impacts directly on the climate of the school and, in turn, on student achievement (Norton 2003). Previous research has been conducted to determine if there was a relationship between leadership styles of principals and the motivation of teachers. In 2007, Janet Brown-Howard’s research identified the motivation levels of teachers by age, gender and experience and indicated that leadership styles of principals has little to no impact on motivation based on the age, gender or experience of the teachers {{221 Brown-Howard,Janet 2007}} the relationship between the principles leadership styles and teachers motivation will be expounded and the extent to which it influences the techers professional development and the overall performance of the teachers.   Definition of terms3pages   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Through out the research, the following key words will be used and their meanings are expressed below. These words include: Instructional leadership styles of principals; These are the directional forms of authority that the heads of middle schools use. transformational leadership styles. Middle school student; any scholar in the middle school is refer to as a middle school student Middle school teacher; these are the untrained or trained instructors of academics in middle school. Their involvement with the middle school students is usually direct. Middle school administrator; this is an office bearer in middle school and is charged with the responsibilities of administration of the middle schools Professional development; this refers to the growth in knowledge of an individual in a certain field or profession Quality professional development; excellent development of   an individual in middle school in terms of   a particular professional skill The process of implementing quality professional development: these are the method(s) used in seeing through development of quality professional development motivation teachers satisfaction correlation school culture school climate leadership literature educational institutions adolescents physical development psychological development empirical evidence   Assumptions Some assumptions have to be laid in place to assist in tackling the above questions.. These assumptions are just as a result of the common issues that are found within several middle schools namely; most middle schools are faced by similar shortcomings, most principals of middle school use similar educ[‘ational policies to oprete, students, teachers and parent in most middle school experience similar limitati

A Wind from a Foriegn Sky :: essays research papers

A Wind from a Foriegn Sky A Wind From a Foreign Sky is a very interesting novel. It is full of magic, knights, witches and all sorts of unknown evil. In the beginning of the novel, Gaultry, the heroine, is in the town on market day, she's attacked on her way home, but is saved by a knight, sent by her father. Martin, her rescuer, was sent by Gaultry's father to protect her and her sister, Mervion. Gaultry soon finds out that the Chancellor is set to kill Mervion on their holy night, they decide to rescue her. Their travels were plagued by many mishaps, some of which Gaultry's powers provoked. Gaultry begins to notice a strong feeling for Martin, who is also feeling the same for her. They have fallen in love with each other. After many days of travel, they reach the Prince's kingdom in the town of Princeport. Gaultry uses her Magic powers to save her beloved sister, and like any good story, everyone lives happily ever after.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I think if I could meet anyone of the characters in the novel, I would like to meet Gaultry. Gaultry reminds me of myself in many ways. She is smart, but she does not always think until it is too late. She always gets herself into trouble by not thinking before acting. Like in the near beginning of the novel when she was attacked by a group of men, instead of using her cunning, she ran. She was almost raped and beaten because of her quick reaction to a situation that might have been avoided. Gaultry is really an everyday hero, she is not stronger, smarter, or braver than any other character in the novel.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I think I would like to live in the time and setting of this novel. It does not exactly state what time everything occurs, but from passages like the following, I was able to assume it was during a medieval time and place. The worn leather of the scabbard had gone clear as glass and the mighty sword that lay beneath the battered casing could be clearly seen. Six runes power winked out along its blade embossed into the metal like evil, shifting eyes.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Although this passage does not clearly state what period, using text clues I figured it had to be medieval. The place where everything occurs is not anyplace that ever existed, but a place very similar to England or Ireland.

The Oppression of Women Exposed in The Yellow Wallpaper -- The Yellow W

The Oppression of Women Exposed in The Yellow Wallpaper    Charlotte Perkins Gilman is remembered today principally for her feminist work "The Yellow Wallpaper."   It dramatizes her life and her experience with Dr. S. Weir Mitchell's now infamous "rest cure."   Commonly prescribed for women suffering from "hysteria," the rest cure altogether forbade company, art, writing, or any other form of intellectual stimulation.   When Mitchell prescribed this for Gilman, he told her to "'live a domestic life as far as possible,' to 'have but two hours' intellectual life a day,' and 'never to touch pen, brush or pencil again' as long as I lived" ("Why I Wrote . . . n.p.). It nearly drove her insane.   She began to recover only when she returned to her art and writing, and subsequently wrote "The Yellow Wallpaper" to alert others to the perils of the rest cure and its attempt to stifle creativity.   It raises the question, stated by Conrad Shumaker, "What happens to the imagination when it's defined as feminine   (and thus weak) and has to face a society that values the useful and the practical and rejects anything else as nonsense?" (590).   The answer provided by Gilman is that it becomes uncontrollable and has the potential to destroy a person's sanity. In "The Yellow Wallpaper," the narrator suffers from postpartum depression, diagnosed by her husband John as "hysteria."   He recommends the rest cure for her and arranges for them to spend the summer in a country mansion.   Although his wife wants to take a downstairs room which opens out into the garden, John forces her to live upstairs in a nursery with barred windows and hideous yellow wallpaper.   She is not permitted to write, except for a journal which she keeps surreptitiously, an... ...William Day, and Sandra Waller.   New York:   Addison Wesley Longman, 1997.   299-312. "Why I Wrote 'The Yellow Wallpaper.'" The Forerunner October 1913:   n.p. Golden, Catherine.   "The Writing of 'The Yellow Wallpaper':   A Double Palimpsest."   Studies in American Fiction 17 (1989):   198-201. Johnson, Greg.   "Gilman's Gothic Allegory:   Rage and Redemption in 'The Yellow Wallpaper.'"   Studies in Short Fiction 26 (1989): 521-30. Kasmer, Lisa "Charlotte Perkins Gilman's   'The Yellow Wallpaper':   A Symptomatic Reading."   Literature and Psychology 36.3 (1990):   1-15. MacPike, Loralee.   "Environment as Psychopathological Symbolism in 'The Yellow Wallpaper.'"   American Literary Realism 8 (1975):   286-88. Shumaker, Conrad.   "Too Terribly Good to be Printed:   Charlotte Perkins Gilman's 'The Yellow Wallpaper.'"   American Literature 57 (1985):   588-99. The Oppression of Women Exposed in The Yellow Wallpaper -- The Yellow W The Oppression of Women Exposed in The Yellow Wallpaper    Charlotte Perkins Gilman is remembered today principally for her feminist work "The Yellow Wallpaper."   It dramatizes her life and her experience with Dr. S. Weir Mitchell's now infamous "rest cure."   Commonly prescribed for women suffering from "hysteria," the rest cure altogether forbade company, art, writing, or any other form of intellectual stimulation.   When Mitchell prescribed this for Gilman, he told her to "'live a domestic life as far as possible,' to 'have but two hours' intellectual life a day,' and 'never to touch pen, brush or pencil again' as long as I lived" ("Why I Wrote . . . n.p.). It nearly drove her insane.   She began to recover only when she returned to her art and writing, and subsequently wrote "The Yellow Wallpaper" to alert others to the perils of the rest cure and its attempt to stifle creativity.   It raises the question, stated by Conrad Shumaker, "What happens to the imagination when it's defined as feminine   (and thus weak) and has to face a society that values the useful and the practical and rejects anything else as nonsense?" (590).   The answer provided by Gilman is that it becomes uncontrollable and has the potential to destroy a person's sanity. In "The Yellow Wallpaper," the narrator suffers from postpartum depression, diagnosed by her husband John as "hysteria."   He recommends the rest cure for her and arranges for them to spend the summer in a country mansion.   Although his wife wants to take a downstairs room which opens out into the garden, John forces her to live upstairs in a nursery with barred windows and hideous yellow wallpaper.   She is not permitted to write, except for a journal which she keeps surreptitiously, an... ...William Day, and Sandra Waller.   New York:   Addison Wesley Longman, 1997.   299-312. "Why I Wrote 'The Yellow Wallpaper.'" The Forerunner October 1913:   n.p. Golden, Catherine.   "The Writing of 'The Yellow Wallpaper':   A Double Palimpsest."   Studies in American Fiction 17 (1989):   198-201. Johnson, Greg.   "Gilman's Gothic Allegory:   Rage and Redemption in 'The Yellow Wallpaper.'"   Studies in Short Fiction 26 (1989): 521-30. Kasmer, Lisa "Charlotte Perkins Gilman's   'The Yellow Wallpaper':   A Symptomatic Reading."   Literature and Psychology 36.3 (1990):   1-15. MacPike, Loralee.   "Environment as Psychopathological Symbolism in 'The Yellow Wallpaper.'"   American Literary Realism 8 (1975):   286-88. Shumaker, Conrad.   "Too Terribly Good to be Printed:   Charlotte Perkins Gilman's 'The Yellow Wallpaper.'"   American Literature 57 (1985):   588-99.

Capital Structure within Ford Essay

Abstract The purpose of this paper is to analyze Ford Motor Company’s capital structure to understand the financial risks and companies financial make up. The research paper will also discuss the Modigliani and Miller capital structure theory including common criticisms. To understand Fords profitability we will take a close look at their financial ratios including stock rates and future analysis of the company’s assets. Research was done by reading news articles, online periodicals and stock references including Fords own annual reports and website. In conclusions we will understand the optimal structure for Ford Motor Company and what should be done to ensure continued success within an ever changing industry. Overview of Ford Motor Company Henry Ford founded Ford Motor Company on June 16th, 1903 with several partners in Dearborn, Michigan. During the early years the company produced several vehicles ranging from the Model A in 1903 to The K, in 1907. The most notable of the Ford motor company vehicles is the Model T in 1909. Ford built over 18,000 Model T’s in 1909, by 1912 they were producing over 170,000 which required a move to a larger plant. By this  time Ford Motor Company was international and within the next few decades it would expand overseas to include Austria, Argentina, Ireland and Australia to name a few. Henry Ford was in control of the company until his wife and daughter demanded that he give over control of the company to his grandson in 1943. Ford died in 1947, attracting over 7 million viewers at a national level. Ford Motor Company would go on to be the largest and most profitable companies in the world. They would ultimately own 5 other brands including Lincoln, Mercury, Land Rover, Jaguar , Volvo and Aston Martin, by 2008 all would be sold except Lincoln. Ford Motor Company Capital Structure In 2012, pre-tax operating profit excluding special items, was $8 billion, or $1.41 per share. Record results of $8.3 billion in North America, continued solid performance from Ford Credit of $1.7 billion, positive results in South America, continued investment in Asia Pacific Africa and began a challenging transition in Europe. 2012 ended with automotive gross cash of $24.3 billion, exceeding debt by $10 billion. A strong liquidity position of $34.5 billion, an increase of $2.1 billion over 2011. With an eye to the future, Ford continued the largest and fastest manufacturing expansion in more than 50 years, adding capacity to support growth plans in North America and Asia Pacific Africa. (Ford, 2012) Although Ford has debt of over $14 Billion they are still positioned to continue to be the top automotive maker in the US. Their debt can be attributed to the decision made by CEO Alan Mulallys decision to borrow $23.6 Billion in 2006 to avoid the recession and ultimately causing others to require government assistance (Taylor, 2009). This decision has afforded Ford the room to make decisions to better their market share in the future. Business and Financial Risks at Ford Ford Motor Company has multiple revenue streams including Ford Motor Company as well as Ford Financial services. Ford Motor can be impacted not only by economic recession or the public’s review of American made vehicles including trucks that have high gas mileage. With the current increasing gas prices Ford must ensure they are investing in the development of the cost and gas efficient vehicles within its portfolio. Fords decision to  increase debt may have given them positive public relations but has put them in a difficult position with limited cash flow needed to continue to grow products. During 2011, global economic growth slowed to about 2.5% from 4% in 2010, as the worsening debt crisis in Europe, regime changes in North Africa, natural disasters in Japan and Thailand, and moderating economic growth in several key newly-developed and emerging markets all contributed to slow growth. Global growth in 2012 remained at the relatively low level of about 2.5% due to the Eur opean debt crisis, slowing of Chinese economic growth, and moderate pace of recovery in the United States. During 2013, global economic growth is expected to remain in the 2% – 3% range. The European debt crisis remains a key risk to economic growth. The current economic performance in many European countries, particularly Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Spain, is being hampered by excessive government debt levels and the resulting budget austerity measures that are contributing to weak economic growth. The EU, the European Central Bank, and the International Monetary Fund have provided important support for many of these countries undergoing structural changes. During 2013, economic growth is likely to remain weak in these markets, even though financial markets have begun to stabilize. The U.K. government has implemented budget cuts and tax increases that will depress growth, although the labor market has stabilized in recent months. Uncertainties associated with the Eu ropean debt crisis, and policy responses to it, could impact global economic performance in 2013. (Yahoo, 2013) Below is the capital structure as of September 2013. Equity is represented by the Orange equaling 20.5 Billion, with company debt of over 110 Billion. The Modigliani and Miller Theory of Capital Structure The Modigliani and Miller theory of capital structure has two propositions: 1) A firm’s total value is independent of its capital structure, and 2) the return on equity will rise and the debt to equity ratio rises in order to compensate investors for the additional financial risk. The first proposition relies on the assumptions that before tax-operating profits are not affected by capital structure neither are taxes themselves, and the firm’s capital structure choices do not convey important information to the  market. What the Modigliani and Miller means to the Ford and its investors is that since the company was able to get a large amount of cash through taking on debt, to increase the value of the company it needs to use this capital to generate more revenue. Investors will not respond to a rise in the debt levels of the company until they become excessive, what will increase the value of the company is a rise in sales revenue. This is not to say that there is no a dverse effects of the company taking more debt and the shareholders will not be any worse off as debt levels go up. There is considerably more risk as the company becomes more and more leveraged. This is the basis for the second proposition to Modigliani and Miller’s theory, which says that as risk increases the investor’s expected return also rises to compensate for the additional exposure to risk. The second theorem is what dictates that Ford use its additional capital to generate more income. Without a significant rise in demand for automobiles, Mulally’s only choice was to shed assets that were costing too much money and take market share. Optimal Capital Structure at Ford Ford Motor Company has seen a large increase in their debt to equity ratio since their decision in 2006 to borrow against their assets. Currently they are seeing a decrease in that ratio to 5.4 as of Sept 2013. According to company disclosure Ford Motor Co has Debt to Equity of 5.4 times. This is 550.0% higher than that of Consumer Goods sector, and 355.56% higher than that of Auto Manufacturers – Major industry (axis, 2014). Data for this Date Range Sept. 30, 2013 5.405 June 30, 2013 5.624 March 31, 2013 6.102 Dec. 31, 2012 6.588 Sept. 30, 2012 4.586 June 30, 2012 5.031 March 31, 2012 6.051 Dec. 31, 2011 6.620 Sept. 30, 2011 15.06 June 30, 2011 17.56 March 31, 2011 39.71 Dec. 31, 2010 -147.79 Sept. 30, 2010 -65.94 June 30, 2010 -32.93 March 31, 2010 -23.84 Dec. 31, 2009 -16.36 Sept. 30, 2009 -15.29 June 30, 2009 -12.42 March 31, 2009 -8.303 References axis, M. (2014). Ford Debt to Equity. Retrieved from macro axis: http://www.macroaxis.com/invest/ratio/F–Debt-to-Equity Ford. (2012). 2012 Annual Report. Retrieved from Corporate.ford.com: http://corporate.ford.com/doc/ar2012-2012%20Annual%20Report.pdf Taylor III, A. (2009). Fixing Up FORD. (Cover story). Fortune, 159(11), 44-52. Retrieved from EBSCOhost. Yahoo. (2013, Feb). Form 10-K for FORD MOTOR CO. Retrieved from Yahoo! Finance: http://biz.yahoo.com/e/130219/f10-k.html