Building Effective Service Learning Programs in Local...

Kids these days have a bad rap. Adults who don’t regularly interact with high school students may only see the negative side of the adolescents in their community. In fact, â€Å"sixty-one percent of American adults are convinced that today’s youth face a crisis in their values and morals, look at teenagers with misgiving and view them as undisciplined, disrespectful, and unfriendly† (Latham, 2003). One way to help change the attitudes of adults and also encourage youth personal development is service learning programs in local communities. By participating in service learning programs, students learn how to navigate group dynamics, diversify their peer group to include adults and people from different backgrounds and begin to feel a sense of†¦show more content†¦(Middleton Kelly, 1996). One of the biggest issues stems from a lack of facilitation on the larger social issues involved with community service. When there is a proper forum to discuss the exp eriences they receive while volunteering, students are given a chance to understand how policies and civic involvement play a direct role in the lives of people in their communities. (Lakin Mahoney, 2006). Another issue is content involved in the community service activities. â€Å"If teenagers are thrust into a volunteer situation they don’t understand or feel that they are simply being assigned made-up work, it can actually have a detrimental effect† (Tugend, 2010). One way to make the most of volunteer opportunities is to specifically design the content around areas of student development. By focusing on key content areas, students learn how to use their current skill set to navigate new experiences and difficult situations. (Lakin Mahoney, 2006). A well organized and thoughtful volunteer opportunity has proven time and time again to be a positive experience for youth. There are many studies that discuss the character building benefits of service learning. Students who participate have higher academic achievements, develop critical thinking, problem solving, decision making, planning and organizing skills and expand their social circles. A student who volunteers is mo re likely to volunteer and vote as adult. (Latham, 2003). â€Å"There are severalShow MoreRelatedCounseling And Parent Support Workers At Together Lives Change ( Tlc )1236 Words   |  5 Pagesassisting and resolving all community based needs. 2. Board of Directors: Mrs. Tiffany Hassell-Gregory is the founder and Director of TLC. 3. Sources of Funding: Each program within TLC funds itself. The only program funded by Medicaid is Therapeutic Day Treatment (TDT). All the programs within TLC are funded through the Family Assessment and Planning Team (FAPT) or the Community Assessment Team (CAT) which is Child Service Act (CSA). The Virginia Comprehensive Services Act provides for the poolingRead MoreEvaluation of School Improvement Essay1547 Words   |  7 Pagescommunication and building-level concerns to be address in this response. School Climate and Social Norms The school principal, other staff leaders, and personnel set the tone and the climate of the organization. Dr. Hunter indicated the learning environment should be positive, inviting, friendly, clean, and safe. Visitors should feel welcomed as they enter the school building. Dr. Hunter noted positive learning environment celebrates the diversity of the school population. The positive learning environmentRead MoreAnnual Performance Report Essay956 Words   |  4 Pagesin our staff for their professional success. We use our Community School Accountability Rubric to assist our team in identifying areas for growth in the Community School Model implemented at the four schools. This rubric also helps us in identifying areas in which our staff excel and need improvement on. Once areas of common need are identify, we seek for strategic training and resources to increase productivity and enhance quality of services. To address these needs our staff participated in a two-dayRead MoreStress Management (Children) Essays1225 Words   |  5 Pagesschool health programs may promote stress management. THE COMPREHENSIVE SCHOOL HEALTH PROGRAM (CSHP) A recently conceptualized model (Allensworth, Lawson, Nicholson, Wyche, 1997) describes four key elements of CSHPs: community participation and focus, school environment, education, and services. Each of these areas is linked to enhance the well-being of the entire school and community. Examples of how stress management can be promoted through these components follow. COMMUNITY PARTICIPATIONRead MoreThe Role Of Ngo s Impact On Poverty Essay1430 Words   |  6 Pagesdeveloped countries into developing ones so that they can fulfil the second element of their function: to initiate empowerment programs, offer relief and other basic amenities to individuals who are suffering from extreme poverty; bring about some viable and effective, skill based livelihood programs; provide various public services and implement some viable development programs which are extremely handy for the poverty stricken individuals. While NGO projects individually reach many people living underRead MoreAn Evaluation Of An Instructional Leader1423 Words   |  6 PagesAn effective, cotemporary superintendent not only has to be an instructional leader, he or she must also be a strong manager. As such, they are required to have knowledge and understanding of fiscal management, facility management, pupil transportation, and food services. According to the text, management and lea dership are interdependent roles and are needed to for effective education. There are several challenges for superintendents as it relates to their ability to efficiently and effectivelyRead MoreThe Vision Development Plan Provided An Amazing Opportunity968 Words   |  4 Pagesof evidence that demonstrates the benefits that family and community participation have on student achievement as well as catalyzing and sustaining school improvement and building school culture that support all students. It is our responsibility to keep the community members informed and seek their participation. We should show the community that we value their input and service. We should also implement programs that require community involvement. In addition, school leaders need to participateRead MoreHuman Capital Accumulation And Reducing Inequality1270 Words   |  6 Pagesfundamentally connected to building human capital accumulation and reducing inequality. However, the previous examination of Bolsa Familia has shown there is no significant improvement in indicators of nutrition, growth, anaemia and cognitive development among the recipients of Bolsa Familia. Thus, to assure CCT programmes will contribute to eventual outcomes of human capital accumulation requires an extension of CCT programs towards the quality of provision in social services, particularly those whichRead MoreThe Effect Of Extracurricular Activities On Academic Success1130 Words   |  5 Pagesperformance. As the director of student engagement, my role is to manage extracurricular and intramural athletics for the district. I work to develop and implement accessible programs and services while ensuring compliance with district policies as well as state and federal laws and regulations. I use student achievement data to gauge program effectiveness and ensure that renewal is continual and responsive to student needs. Part I Extracurricular activities provide experiences that are not included inRead MoreAdult Literacy and Community Development Essay1724 Words   |  7 Pagesexplore the intersection of adult literacy and community development. Through research, I hope to learn more about the connection between research and practice in writing for adult learners; through working with a community based organization I hope to deepen my knowledge and understanding of the impact and challenges of working in a literacy program and how this translates into overall goals of improving livelihoods and building a stronger community. Throughout the semester, I have realized more

Hamlet and Gatsby Comparison Free Essays

Love is an essential part of life. Every individual wants to be loved, and needs someone to love. It is an element that is fundamental to the well-being of all human kind; it is that magic that can heal wounds. We will write a custom essay sample on Hamlet and Gatsby Comparison or any similar topic only for you Order Now However love also has the capacity to traumatize a person if it is extracted from their life. While we all wish to experience love, many of us tend to find the often inevitable detachment to be quite painful. In the novel The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby’s longing for Daisy Buchanan leads him to his own downfall. Similarly in the novel Hamlet, Hamlet’s extreme love for his father and his hatred towards his mother play a major role in his tragedy. In these works, there are a number of motivating factors that contribute to the downfall of the main characters- obsession, hatred, and the wanting to be accepted – but ultimately it is love that leads to the demise of Gatsby and Hamlet. Hamlet loved his father, King Hamlet, and it was his death that broke young Hamlet’s heart. It is the love he had for his father that brought him to his doom. After King Hamlet’s death he appeared as a ghost moving through the castle at one o’clock every morning. When the guards and Horatio, Hamlet’s best friend, noticed this ghostly figure, Horatio quite intelligently believed that he could get the ghost to speak with Hamlet. The next day the two guards, Horatio, and young Hamlet were present to speak to the ghost of King Hamlet. The ghost told Hamlet that he was murdered by Claudius, his brother, who had been sworn in as the new king and married his wife, Hamlet’s mother, Gertrude. After hearing this, young Hamlet was asked to avenge his father’s death, but in doing so his mother was to remain unharmed. Hamlet, being the loving and devoted son he was, and unable to accept Claudius as the leader to replace his father, accepted King Hamlet’s request. After this encounter, young Hamlet refused to tell the guardsman and Horatio what happened but made it known that he would act like a madman and they were not to say why. Claudius soon became suspicious of young Hamlet’s moodiness and began to spy on him through Guildenstern and Rosencrantz. They believe it is because Ophelia, his former lover, left upon words of her father. Hamlet procrastinated in the killing of Claudius as he waited for his confession. Hoping to inspire a confession, Young Hamlet puts on a play that resembles what truly happened to King Hamlet to catch the conscious of Claudius. But more truthfully, Hamlet sought to prove to his mother that she was wrong in her actions after her husband’s death. Hamlet later sees Claudius alone praying, and although he would have been an easy target, Hamlet refrains from killing him then because he believed that Claudius should be able to make peace with God and go to heaven upon his death. In reality, Claudius was not indeed praying, and thus Hamlet missed his only opportunity to avenge his father’s death. This event ultimately led to Hamlet’s own death when Claudius realized Hamlet’s motives and wanted to get rid of him. Hamlet’s love for his father drove him to lose his love, Ophelia, his friends, and his life. Hamlet and Gatsby are similar in that they are willing to go through so much to the point where it leads to their death, so as to bring happiness to those whom they love. Being accepted by â€Å"old money† was very important to Jay Gatsby. He thought that if he was accepted by this elite group he will be able to win over Daisy, the woman he had come to love. Yet his unwillingness to trust himself and to be proud of who he was lead to his downfall. Despite his efforts to fit in, the elites knew that he was nothing more than a bootlegger. They would make mock him behind his back, talk about how he did not actually attend Oxford, and laugh at how he really became rich. Gatsby would try to impress them with his luxurious weekly parties, which he hoped would help him fit in while attracting Daisy. Gatsby shows off his wealth to demonstrate his influence and luxurious lifestyle, while demonstrating that he has plenty of money to spend on Daisy. All the while, he does not see what other truly think of him. For example, Tom once stopped by Gatsby’s house with his friends for some drinks at which Gatsby became nervous and agitated. He tells Tom awkwardly that he knows Daisy, and invites Tom and the Sloan’s to dinner. Rejecting his invitation, they ask insincerely if he would like to join them to which Gatsby unknowingly accepts, not realizing that they have no interest in him at all. Gatsby is so eager to be with them, fixated on his goal to be a part of the â€Å"old money† group of East Egg in order to show Daisy that he is worthy of her and able to support her. He is so in love with Daisy that it is blinds his judgement. If Gatsby had focused on being himself instead of trying to be accepted he would have made fewer enemies, and perhaps won over Daisy. Gatsby was driven by his love for Daisy, and was single-minded about how to get her. He did not realize that loving Daisy is all that he became concerned with and that it consumed him. Gatsby truly believed that if the â€Å"old money† of East Egg accepted him he would win her over but it was this unhealthy single focus, and his inability to trust that he could simply be himself, which caused his downfall. Meanwhile, Hamlet loved his father and when he found out he died it hurt him deeply. But moreover, it hurt young Hamlet’s heart more when he found out his mom married Claudius. It his Hamlet’s undying love for his father and his lost love for his mother that brought about his madness, and ultimately his death. In conclusion, Hamlet and Jay Gatsby are very similar to one another in that they both let their emotions control them. They have no sense of self control and die because of it. Tragically, they could have gotten what they wanted if they just were themselves and if they were able to not let their emotions get the best of them. How to cite Hamlet and Gatsby Comparison, Papers

Financial Stability Analysis of Wesfarmers Limited

Question: Discuss about the Financial Stability Analysis of Wesfarmers Limited. Answer: Introduction The current study deals with detailed financial analysis of Wesfarmers Limited, giant retail corporation in Australia listed under the Australian Stock Exchange. In the present study, key ratio has been calculated for detailed scrutiny as well as understanding of various facets of profitability, efficiency, liquidity, solvency of the company Wesfarmers Limited. The current report elucidates in detail the background of the company Wesfarmers and analytically examines the financial statements of the company. Background of the company Wesfarmers is a well-known publicly traded Australian conglomerate that mainly functions in the retail industry of both Australia as well as New Zealand. Furthermore, the corporation Wesfarmers also functions in the business divisions of chemical products, coal mining, diverse fertilizer products in addition to different industrial as well as safety products. Wesfarmers is considered as the largest firm of Australian from the perspective of revenue and the business concern has outdone the performance of another retail giant, named Woolworths Limited as well as the mining corporation BHP Billiton (Wesfarmers.com.au, 2017). Analysis: Ratio Analysis of the financial statements of Wesfarmers Limited for the period 2014 and 2015: Profitability Ratio: As rightly indicated by Easton (2015), profitability ratio assists in carrying out comparison between different items of the income statement and at the same time helps in pointing out the potential of the firm to generate profits from daily business functionalities. Gross Margin Ratio: Gross margin ratio indicates the profitability condition of a particular corporation and requisite information can be acquired from the annual report of the firm for the financial period 2014 and 2015. Business concern having high gross margin ration indicates that the corporation will have greater amount of money for disbursement of diverse operating expenses, namely salaries and wages, rent as well as payments for utilities among many others (Pervan Kuvek, 2013). From the above table and graph, it can be hereby ascertained that Wesfarmers Limited has a gross margin ration of 31% both during the year 2014 as well as 2015. This shows that the profitability has remained at identical position with no significant change during this particular period of two years 2014 and 2015. However, the high gross margin ratio points out towards the fact that the company Wesfarmers will have higher amount of money to pay off its different operating expends such as the salaries and wages, rent, rates and taxes along with payments for utilities. Furthermore, this ratio also assists in enumerating profits from the sale of firms inventory and helps in calculating overall sales percentage for financing other business actions for analysis in the future. Net Profit Margin: Henderson et al., (2015) opines that the net profit margin assists in predicting a clearer picture of the profitability of a corporation as it is enumerated after adjustments of different non-operating expends incurred by a specific corporation. Table 2 of Appendix illustrates the net profit margin of Wesfarmers during the two financial year 2014 and 2015. During the year 2014, Wesfarmers has registered a net profit margin of 0.044 whereas during the year 2015, Wesfarmers has recorded a net profit margin of 0.040. This ratio indicates the overall sales percentage that is required to make up the specific net income of the firm. As such, it enumerates profits at diverse level of sales and measures the companys potential to manage the expenses in association to the sales (Weygandt et al., 2015). However, the net profit margin of Wesfarmers has decreased during the year 2015 although by an insignificant amount. This indicates an unfavourable financial condition for the company as higher the ratio it is better. Liquidity Ratio: As correctly indicated by Muscettola (2015), liquidity ratio assists in analytically evaluating the potential of a business concern in making payments for the current liabilities as and when they become current. In addition to this, the liquidity ratio also points out towards the cash in a corporation along with the capability of the corporation to transform diverse particularly assets into business cash for repayment of the liabilities in addition to other current obligations (Collier, 2016). Current Ratio: This particular ratio refers to the potential of a firm as regards their ability to repay the short term obligations (Kaplan Atkinson, 2015). However, the ideal standard of current ratio is 2:1 as this indicates adequate current assets for meeting the short term requirements of the corporation. Table 3 of Appendix represents the fact that Wesfarmers registered a current ratio of 1.13 in 2014 as well as 0.93 in 2015. The current ratio of the corporation Wesfarmers Limited has declined during the period 2015 as compared to the previous years figure indicating an undesirable financial condition for the firm. However, the management of the corporation needs to strive to augment the ability of the firm to pay off all its short term obligations in a most suitable way and get it closer to the benchmark ratio of 2:1 (Hoskin et al., 2014). Quick Ratio: This particular ratio refers to the capability of the business concern to convert its available assets into cash for repaying its current obligations or else liabilities (Petty et al., 2015). Table 4 of Appendix reflects the fact that the Wesfarmers recorded a quick ratio of 0.48 during the period 2014. However, the figure for the quick ratio decreased although insignificantly to 0.28 during the period 2015. A decline in the quick ratio witnessed during the period 2015 as compared to the year ago period indicates an unfavourable financial condition as higher ratio indicates a better liquidity condition of the firm. Efficiency Ratio: As rightly indicated by Besley Brigham (2013), the efficiency ratio is a key ratio that indicates the capability of a particular business concern to generate income from the resources or else assets available to the firm. Particularly, the efficiency of a .business concern can be assessed using the ratio of the accounts receivable turnover and the ratio of asset turnover (Adrian et al., 2015). Accounts Receivable Turnover: The accounts receivable ratio indicates the efficiency of a firm and can be calculated by dividing the average sales of the firm in credit by the mean accounts receivable (Lasher, 2013). Table 5 of Appendix replicates that Wesfarmers recorded an accounts receivable turnover ratio of 37.99 during the year 2014 and 42.44 during the period 2015. Therefore, the accounts receivable turnover ratio of the firm Wesfarmers has increased during the period 2015 as compared to the previous years figure. This essentially indicates a favourable financial condition as higher receivable turnover ratio also replicates higher frequency of the overall collection of the firms receivables (Needles et al., 2013). Asset Turnover Ratio: Asset turnover ratio indicates the efficiency or in other words capability of the firm to generate higher figure for sales out of the assets available to the business concern (Delen et al., 2013). Table 6 of Appendix shows that the asset turnover ratio for Wesfarmers is 1.51 as recorded during 2014 and 1.53 during 2015. This figures for this efficiency ratio reflects the fact that the asset turnover of the corporation has augmented during 2015 in comparison to previous years figure although trivially. Nevertheless, higher ratio reflects better financial condition of the business concern as this implies increase in efficiency of the firm to generate greater amount of sales from the available assets (Anwar et al., 2016). Solvency Ratio: Wahlen et al., (2014) mentions that the solvency ratio assists in enumerating the capability of a business concern to sustain business functionalities by means of carrying out comparisons of levels of debt of the firm with the equity as well as assets. Particularly, this ratio intends to identify diverse issues of a going concern along with the abilities of the firm to make payments for long term bills (Weil et al., 2013). Debt to Equity Ratio: Table 7 of Appendix indicates the fact that Wesfarmers has registered a debt to equity (D/E) ratio of 0.34 in 2014 and 0.38 in 2015. The decrease in the debt to equity (D/E) ratio of Wesfarmers during the year 2015 as compared to the year 2014 can be considered to be a favourable financial condition for the firm. This is so because lower debt to equity ratio represents a financially sound business where the company has lowered the levels of debt in comparison to its equity (Brigham Ehrhardt, 2013). Investment Ratio: The price during the year was 36. 57 as recorded during the year 2014 and the price was recorded to be 37.82. The earnings was recorded to be 2689 in the year 2014 and 2440 in the year 2015. Thus, the P/E was registered to be 0.013 in 2014 whereas the P/E was recorded to be 0.0155 in the year 2015. Conclusion: The ratio investigation of the financial statements of Wesfarmers Limited in 2014 and 2015 reveals the fact that net profit margin has decreased in 2015 as compared to the previous year 2014 slightly. Thus, the company needs to strive to generate higher revenue by maintaining the expenses of the company at a constant or else lower level simultaneously. The current ratio of the corporation Wesfarmers has also declined in 2015 as opposed to the figure of 2014. Therefore, the management of the corporation needs to enhance the capability of the firm to settle all its obligations for short period of time and strive to reach the benchmark current ratio of 2:1. In addition to this, the figure for the quick ratio also decreased although insignificantly during the period 2015. Consequently, the management needs to focus on generation of greater quick assets for the working capital requirements of the firm and stabilise the liquidity position of the firm. Furthermore, the company has registere d increase in the accounts receivable turnover ratio during the period 2015 as compared to the previous years figure that in essence indicates a favourable financial condition. The assets turnover ratio of the firm of the firm has also increased during the period 2015. Accordingly, it can be hereby inferred that the company records higher efficiency during the period 2015. In addition to this, the solvency of the firm has also improved as is evident from the lower levels of debt in comparison to equity of the firm. References Adrian, T., Covitz, D., Liang, N. (2015). Financial stability monitoring.Annual Review of Financial Economics,7, 357-395. Anwar, S. M., Rahmawati, R., Rismawati, R., Rukmini, R. (2016). FINANCIAL RATIO ANALYSIS USING ADDED VALUE, INCOME STATEMENT.Qualitative and Quantitative Research Review,1(3). Besley, S., Brigham, E. F. (2013).Principles of finance. Cengage Learning. Brigham, E. F., Ehrhardt, M. C. (2013).Financial management: Theory practice. Cengage Learning. Collier, P. (2016). Accounting For Managers Interpreting Accounting Information For Decision Making 0470845023. Delen, D., Kuzey, C., Uyar, A. (2013). Measuring firm performance using financial ratios: A decision tree approach.Expert Systems with Applications,40(10), 3970-3983. Easton, P. (2015). Financial reporting: An enterprise operations perspective.Journal of Financial Reporting,1(1), 143-151. Henderson, S., Peirson, G., Herbohn, K., Howieson, B. (2015).Issues in financial accounting. Pearson Higher Education AU. Hoskin, R. E., Fizzell, M. R., Cherry, D. C. (2014).Financial Accounting: a user perspective. Wiley Global Education. Kaplan, R. S., Atkinson, A. A. (2015).Advanced management accounting. PHI Learning. Lasher, W. R. (2013).Practical financial management. Nelson Education. Muscettola, M. (2015). Predictive Ability of Accounting Ratio for Bankruptcy.Journal of Applied Finance and Banking,5(1), 13. Needles, B., Powers, M., Crosson, S. (2013).Financial and managerial accounting. Nelson Education. Pervan, I., Kuvek, T. (2013). The relative importance of financial ratios and nonfinancial variables in predicting of insolvency.Croatian Operational research review,4(1), 187-197. Petty, J. W., Titman, S., Keown, A. J., Martin, P., Martin, J. D., Burrow, M. (2015).Financial management: Principles and applications. Pearson Higher Education AU. Wahlen, J., Baginski, S., Bradshaw, M. (2014).Financial reporting, financial statement analysis and valuation. Nelson Education. Warren, C. S., Reeve, J. M., Duchac, J. (2013).Financial managerial accounting. Cengage Learning. Weil, R. L., Schipper, K., Francis, J. (2013).Financial accounting: an introduction to concepts, methods and uses. Cengage Learning. Wesfarmers.com.au. (2017). Wesfarmers.com.au. Retrieved 23 January 2017, from https://www.wesfarmers.com.au Weygandt, J. J., Kimmel, P. D., Kieso, D. E. (2015).Financial Managerial Accounting. John Wiley Sons.