Decision-Making Case Study Essay Example for Free

Decision-Making Case Study Essay The current grave state of the economy has had a significant impact on health care across The United States. Massive budget cuts, reduced services, and limited access to care significantly have affected Medicaid patients. Hennepin County Clinic (HCC), a facility that provides health care to Medicaid patients, is dealing with an additional 15% budget cut that will force management to make decisions about which services must be changed or eliminated while still meeting the basic needs of the clients. Stemming from consumers’ increased demands for enhanced quality of care and greater accountability from health care organizations, leaders must engage in decision-making that incorporates evidence from well-conducted research whenever possible. The Informed Decisions Toolbox (IDT), a process of evidence-based decision-making, involves six steps in the decision-making process (Rundall, et. al, 2007). While every step is consequential, step two, the process of gathering evidenced-based sources of information, is the most important tool in decision-making. The IDT plays an important role in increasing organizational accountability, facilitating knowledge transfer within a facility, and contributing to a questioning organization. Step One The first step in the IDT is formulating a question or questions behind the decision. This is done in such a way that will increase the likelihood of uncovering useful research studies. As a manager, one must discover what information is needed to make the best decision. When investigating the needs of Medicaid clients and deciding which clinical services to change or eliminate, it is vital to research information regarding the various services used by these patients. The manager must ask several questions. Do individuals enrolled in Medicaid have unique health needs that differ from the larger population? What are the services most utilized within HCC at any given time? In what ways will service cuts and elimination of resources   affect the clients? What services can be outsourced to other facilities that accept Medicaid? Can the current physician staff be reduced, and the use of nurse practitioners and physician’s assistants be implemented? Step Two After the questions are formulated, step two involves identifying credible sources of information to answer these questions. In an age of abundant technological resources, a large percentage of sources may be found on research-based websites, bibliographic databases, online academic and peer-reviewed journals, books or other publications, and government reports, to name a few (The Center for Health Research, 2011). It may also be helpful for the manager to locate internal information available within the clinic that will tailor to the unique needs of HCC. While the IDT mainly focuses on evidenced-based sources of information, the manager may also utilize supportive colloquial knowledge from and opinions of colleagues, employees, patients, and other health care professionals (Rundall, et. al, 2007). Steps Three, Four, and Five Steps three through five take the collected research and evaluate its accuracy, applicability, and â€Å"actionability.† First, step three emphasizes the accuracy of the research presented. The manager must question if the research is of high-quality, originates from a credible source, presents complete and balanced viewpoints, and comprises reliable and valid measurements (The Center for Health Research, 2011). Step four highlights the applicability of the research. The manager must ask if the research is relevant to his or her question at hand and whether or not it applies specifically to HCC. Step five focuses on the â€Å"actionability† of the research. The manager needs to know how the research is going to be implemented and who exactly is going to do it. Step five also pertains to the implications and importance of the research studied (The Center for Health Research, 2011). Step Six Finally, step six allows the manager to look at his or her organization’s needs and values to determine if the research fits the context of its unique situation. The manager must question if the collected research is adequate to make a useful decision and if there is a single best option, multiple  practical options, or even inadequate evidence to make a decision (The Center for Health Research, 2011). Most Valuable Tool Although every step in the IDT has much significance and step one builds the foundation on which to define the problem at hand, the tool that would be the most valuable is step two, identifying credible evidenced-based sources of information. Health care workers who provide care based on knowledge from evidenced-based studies deliver significantly better care and produce better outcomes (Melynk Fineout-Overholt, 2005). Because of this, the process of identifying these studies is vital to the survival of an organization. The knowledge discovered during research can be a valuable source of strength to the organization by combining it with the unique employee and patient opinions and preferences. This process of searching for information can also contribute to organizational growth through the sharpening of knowledge and skills of decision makers. With regard to HCC, step two is very valuable in deciding which clinical services need to be eliminated primarily because locating appropriate research studies is the foundation of finding the solution to the question. Through the selection of evidenced-based articles, the manager can compare and contrast how other organizations dealt with budget cuts and the solutions they implemented. Accountability Utilizing the IDT greatly affects organizational accountability. Hospital organizations and clinics have to function according to the strict rules and regulations of such agencies as JCAHO and CMS, and at the same time, respond to the ever increasing needs demands of consumers for improved quality of care (Rundall, et. al, 2007). These added pressures force management to make comprehensive, precise, and influential decisions that they cannot formulate with personal knowledge and experience alone. Because of this, management needs to apply the best evidence available in making these consequential decisions. Knowledge Transfer Knowledge transfer aims to deliver research-based information and guarantee its availability for future members within an organization (Pentland Forsyth, 2011). Within health care facilities, it is important for newfound  research evidence to be transferred into clinical practice and policy development. Management and decision makers must communicate clearly to the health care team and make them aware of decisions that are made and how the decisions will affect them. Team members are encouraged to share their understanding with others to expedite knowledge transfer within the facility. Knowledge transfer facilitates shared intelligence, improved employee performance, higher levels of innovation within the organization, and economic growth (Rundall, et. al, 2007). Questioning Organization The IDT affects an organization in a number of positive ways. Most important, it allows the decision-maker and the health care team to reflect on what was learned, what questions still need to be asked, and what should be done differently next time, which is critical to innovation (Buchen Rowley, 2000). Building a questioning culture within an organization inspires team members to search for answers within evidenced-based research studies and improving the lines of communication among members as well. Conclusion The IDT is an exceptional set of tools that assists management and decision-makers in utilizing evidenced-based research in confronting and responding to pressing questions that significantly affect an organization. The IDT plays an important role in increasing organizational accountability, facilitating knowledge transfer, and contributing to a questioning organization. In the case of HCC, the manager utilized the IDT by formulating questions to determine which clinical services to change or eliminate based on the various health care needs of Medicaid clients. The manager identified various credible sources of information to answer these questions, which has been determined the most valuable tool within the IDT. The research evidence was examined to determine its accuracy, applicability, and â€Å"actionability.† Finally, the manager assessed to see if the collected research was both adequate and met the specific needs of HCC, which is what the IDT was designed to do. References Buchen, I, Rowley, L. (2000). The questioning culture: Perpetual state of the art. Performance Improvement, (39)5, 26-30. Melynk, B., Fineout-Overholt, E. (2005). Evidence based practice in nursing and healthcare. Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams Wilkins. Pentland, D., Forsyth, K. (2011). Key characteristics of knowledge transfer and exchange in healthcare: integrative literature review. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 67(7), 1408-25. Rundall, T., Martelli, P., Arroyo, L., McCurdy, R., Neuwirth, E., et al. (2007). The informed toolbox: Tools for knowledge transfer and performance improvement. Journal of Healthcare Management, 25(5), 325-341. The Center for Health Research. (2011). The informed decisions toolbox. Retrieved from http://www.toolbox.berkeley.edu/overview.

Sulas Wines Essay Example for Free

Sulas Wines Essay Question 1: The Indian wine industry presents some interesting characteristics that can be analysed using the Porter’s five forces framework to understand to what extent it is a profitable one, and why it is attractive or not. Let us get started with Rivalry: here it is important to differentiate between the Indian and the global market. In fact, at the time the case was written, the Indian market was expanding so rapidly (25/30% per year) that business opportunities were flourishing and all the existing participants could easily sell their products without the need to attack others’ customer base. However, if we broaden our point of view to the global industry, rivalry is way fiercer and exports are likely to be a less profitable business than the domestic one. Overall, LOW/MODERATE. Buyers’ power: in this industry, it is incredibly difficult to â€Å"lock in† a solid customer base made of individual consumers that face virtually zero switching costs and have different tastes for wine. Additionally, wholesalers and retailers can exert significant pressure on wine producers for what concerns shelf space and wine selection. Therefore, it seems that buyers’ power is HIGH compared to producers’, thus lowering profitability. Suppliers’ power: if we think in terms of the raw materials needed to produce wine, i. e. grapes and juice, we can state that, being them commodities, these are subject to the seasonal fluctuations in price, quantity and availability typical of agricultural products. In periods of excess supply, high quality grapes could be purchased for lower prices and vice versa. Also, regulatory changes in 2001 reduced both sales taxes and the costs of imported bottling items, thus increasing profitability. However, India has a major issue that turns out to be of crucial importance to farmers and producers, i. e.the lack of stable electricity supply; this could in principle give some bargaining power to suppliers of diesel and generators. Thus, suppliers’ power is LOW/MODERATE. Threat of substitutes: although the Indian government has recently granted several concessions and liberalizations for both sale and consumption of wine, the threat of substitutes is still HIGH, especially for cultural reasons whereby whiskey, for instance, is traditionally preferred by the majority of Indians to wine. However, given the rapid expansion of the industry, there seems to be more than a hope that this mind-set will change in the near future. Barriers to entry: wine is definitely no easy business to start. There are several reasons to justify this point; first of all, as Sula’s case clearly shows, it takes time to obtain the various licenses; also, the knowledge and know-how required are extremely sophisticated and specific; additionally, wineries are capital intensive businesses and the initial investment to set them up is substantial. However, as we can see from the case, the Indian wine industry has benefited from governmental liberalizations that have encouraged many new wineries to enter the business. We can conclude that BTE are MODERATE/HIGH. The Porter analysis provides us with a moderately profitable scenario, in which it is not easy to start a successful business unless the exact skills and capabilities needed are present. In the following answer, these resources will be analysed in the context of Sula’s activity. Question 2: The biggest challenge that Samant faced when he returned to India to produce wine was that of changing the â€Å"alcoholic tastes† of consumers. To do so, he had to rely upon a strategy that would leverage on the core resources and competencies he had brought back from California. Also helped by a specialized consultant friend, Samant meticulously configured his piece if land in order to exploit the good potential of its location; additionally, he successfully realized that an unconventional growing/harvesting schedule had to be adopted if they wanted to take advantage of the seasonal characteristics of the weather, such as monsoons. He managed to earn a solid and valuable reputation, refusing to bribe officers to obtain the necessary licenses and took care of promoting its products, through marketing campaigns and wine tasting events, in the attempt of changing Indians’ culture towards wine. For what concerns the type of wines to start production with, Samant successfully identified those that could best accompany the spicy flavours of the Indian cuisine and, subsequently, he diversified the firm’s portfolio by introducing more varieties of white and red wines. Finally, he has secured the unique and valuable expertise of some of the brightest players in the financial sector, who have enthusiastically joined him in the firm’s activities. This combination of factors have allowed Samant to put Sula’s. Vineyards in a very comfortable position to exploit the huge growth that everyone expects from the Indian wine market; right now, the firm seems to have a competitive advantage to further develop in the near future, if the right strategy will be pursued. Question 3: Looking at the numbers, Sula has been extremely profitable in 2007, with net profits that increased more than six fold since the year before; also, sticking to market forecasts, it seems that an explosive growth has just begun in India, an opportunity that should definitely be exploited. Now that the business is well established and generates a steady stream of revenues, Samant may consider to raise additional debt to finance the long-term challenge of producing premium red wines in a separate winery, something that, if successful, would give Sula’s business a major boost both in sales and in reputation. In the meantime, revenues from national sales would provide the capital necessary to feed the already existing business. Moreover, it could also be worth it to â€Å"attack† the global market with initially lower prices to gain some market share also in Europe and in the U. S.; at first, relationships with touristic targets such as hotels and restaurants would be established and, if this strategy worked out, then Sula would face an ever-growing demand for its products, at least for the next 10 years, that could be met by working together with other local producers of premium wine. The idea of a â€Å"consortium† of Maharashtra firms could be attractive for many reasons, among which a significant increase in bargaining power towards the government when it comes to requesting the necessary improvements of regional infrastructures, such as roads, electricity supplies, etc.

PR1MA Group Housing Affordability

PR1MA Group Housing Affordability AFFORDABILITY RATE AMONG PR1MA RECIPIENTS IN PUTRAJAYA, MALAYSIA Nur Aini Syafawani Binti Umar1 ,Shirley Tan2 and Mohd Zairul bin Mohd Nor3 Master of Architecture (M. Arch) Faculty of Design and Architecture University Putra Malaysia, 43400 Serdang, Selangor Abstract A house is one of the basic important needs for humans. According to Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), Article 17, Everyone has the right to own property alone as well as in association with others. Affordable housing is housing that balance with the average household income and as the rule of thumb, housing is considered affordable if the costs is less than 30% of gross household income. The increasing in housing prices cause imbalance between housing affordability and household income which has becomes the dilemmas for the young starters to buy their first house. Malaysian government has introduced several affordable housing policies to facilitate home ownership among different groups of household income. However, the policies which only benefit the low-income household group have neglected the needs for affordable housing for middle income group. PR1MA housing policy is one of the methods of policies aimed at ensuring that all eligible Malaysians are given chance towar ds home ownership. Therefore, this study is to investigate the rate of affordability among young home owner of PR1MA in Federal Territory of Putrajaya using the survey method; pilot survey, a preliminary survey to gather information in smaller scale and personal interview survey to explore the responses of the respondents to gather deeper information towards understanding factors influencing rate of affordability. The findings establish that the main housing issue faced by the middle-income groups are housing price and household expenditure. Hence, it is recommended to address these issues in designing an affordable scheme for the middle-income groups based on the findings of the study. Keywords: housing, affordability 1.0 INTRODUCTION In the recent years, rapid economic development has leads to population growth and this has resulted in the increasing demand for residential housing at urban city in Malaysia. The increasing of housing prices has become the dilemma of the young starters which falls under middle income group to buy their first house. Most of the young starters are having difficulties to secure a mortgage from the final institution. Despite many assistance from the government to assist the young starters to own their dream house, the affordable issue still haunting the target group for realizing their dreams. The main purpose of this paper is to study the rate of affordability among eligible young starters for PR1MA program. The Government of Malaysia aware that housing is a basic need for every citizen and is an important element in contributing for the urban economy. PR1MA housing policy is one of the methods of policies aimed at ensuring that all eligible Malaysians are given chance towards home ownership. According to general PR1MA guidelines, those eligible to apply for PR1MA homes are Malaysians owning not more than one home and having a gross household income of not more than RM7, 500 per month. The PR1MA apartments in Putrajaya were certainly popular with over 7,000 applications received for 560 apartments (PR1MAs website, 2017). As a result, PR1MA housing in Putrajaya was chosen as our pilot study and this study aims to investigate the rate of affordability among the young starter who are eligible for the PR1MA housing program. Therefore, the objectives of the present study are: To identify the average household income expenditure among young starter who are eligible to apply PR1MA houses. To identify the affordability issue over PR1MA housing price among young starter 2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW Affordability means differently to renters and owners. Although every group in the housing market is affected by the mortgage rates, owners are affected much more as compare to the renters (CVRDs Regional Growth Strategy, 2016). Several studies or research have been done to understand what does affordable housing mean in this context. The definition of affordable housing is the subject of different analyses and debates among experts (Baqutaya, 2016). Upon the debates, definition of affordable housing is a housing that is considered affordable if the debt service ratio is 30% of the income expenditure (Zairul, 2017). Families that pay more, especially lower and medium income families, are considered cost burdened because they may have difficulty paying for non-housing needs such as food, clothing, transportation, childcare, and medical care (Gary Pivo, 2013). Rate of affordability was measured by house price to income ratio according to Median Multiple methodology (Cagamas, 2013). The definition of affordability is essential before further analyzing the root cause of housing affordability. Issues relating to affordable housing has becomes a dilemmas among low and middle income group. The root cause of affordability among the group was due to the increase of non-housing expenditure by 4.7% based on the Consumer Price Index (Cagamas, 2013). Affordability is mainly defined by the relationship between household expenditure and income. Many authors (Yates and Gabriel, 2006; Carney and Boyle, 2004) argues that housing affordability is affected by the distribution of house prices, household incomes and the structure of financing costs.  Based on the growth of current housing scenario in Malaysia, the issue has been underpinned by the interface of three forces; growing population, high rates of urbanization and growing economy. The imbalance between demand and supply, particularly in the affordable housing segment, has contributed to a high increase in housing prices. This has compounded housing affordability issues, particularly for the low and middle income population (Eco nomic Developments, 2015). Malaysian government has introduced several affordable housing policies to facilitate home ownership among different groups of household income. However, little is done to attend the needs of the middle income group. Despite economic growth, 60% of the middle income group is young starters and majority of their income level falls under lower middle category (Dr. Azriyati, Dr. Rosly and Dr Kuppusamy, 2013). The increasing in housing prices, household expenditure and the lacking of more affordable housing policies AFFORDABILITY RATE AMONG PR1MA RECIPIENTS IN PUTRAJAYA, MALAYSIA Nur Aini Syafawani Binti Umar1 ,Shirley Tan2 and Mohd Zairul bin Mohd Nor3 Master of Architecture (M. Arch) Faculty of Design and Architecture University Putra Malaysia, 43400 Serdang, Selangor Abstract A house is one of the basic important needs for humans. According to Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), Article 17, Everyone has the right to own property alone as well as in association with others. Affordable housing is housing that balance with the average household income and as the rule of thumb, housing is considered affordable if the costs is less than 30% of gross household income. The increasing in housing prices cause imbalance between housing affordability and household income which has becomes the dilemmas for the young starters to buy their first house. Malaysian government has introduced several affordable housing policies to facilitate home ownership among different groups of household income. However, the policies which only benefit the low-income household group have neglected the needs for affordable housing for middle income group. PR1MA housing policy is one of the methods of policies aimed at ensuring that all eligible Malaysians are given chance towar ds home ownership. Therefore, this study is to investigate the rate of affordability among young home owner of PR1MA in Federal Territory of Putrajaya using the survey method; pilot survey, a preliminary survey to gather information in smaller scale and personal interview survey to explore the responses of the respondents to gather deeper information towards understanding factors influencing rate of affordability. The findings establish that the main housing issue faced by the middle-income groups are housing price and household expenditure. Hence, it is recommended to address these issues in designing an affordable scheme for the middle-income groups based on the findings of the study. Keywords: housing, affordability 1.0 INTRODUCTION In the recent years, rapid economic development has leads to population growth and this has resulted in the increasing demand for residential housing at urban city in Malaysia. The increasing of housing prices has become the dilemma of the young starters which falls under middle income group to buy their first house. Most of the young starters are having difficulties to secure a mortgage from the final institution. Despite many assistance from the government to assist the young starters to own their dream house, the affordable issue still haunting the target group for realizing their dreams. The main purpose of this paper is to study the rate of affordability among eligible young starters for PR1MA program. The Government of Malaysia aware that housing is a basic need for every citizen and is an important element in contributing for the urban economy. PR1MA housing policy is one of the methods of policies aimed at ensuring that all eligible Malaysians are given chance towards home ownership. According to general PR1MA guidelines, those eligible to apply for PR1MA homes are Malaysians owning not more than one home and having a gross household income of not more than RM7, 500 per month. The PR1MA apartments in Putrajaya were certainly popular with over 7,000 applications received for 560 apartments (PR1MAs website, 2017). As a result, PR1MA housing in Putrajaya was chosen as our pilot study and this study aims to investigate the rate of affordability among the young starter who are eligible for the PR1MA housing program. Therefore, the objectives of the present study are: To identify the average household income expenditure among young starter who are eligible to apply PR1MA houses. To identify the affordability issue over PR1MA housing price among young starter 2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW Affordability means differently to renters and owners. Although every group in the housing market is affected by the mortgage rates, owners are affected much more as compare to the renters (CVRDs Regional Growth Strategy, 2016). Several studies or research have been done to understand what does affordable housing mean in this context. The definition of affordable housing is the subject of different analyses and debates among experts (Baqutaya, 2016). Upon the debates, definition of affordable housing is a housing that is considered affordable if the debt service ratio is 30% of the income expenditure (Zairul, 2017). Families that pay more, especially lower and medium income families, are considered cost burdened because they may have difficulty paying for non-housing needs such as food, clothing, transportation, childcare, and medical care (Gary Pivo, 2013). Rate of affordability was measured by house price to income ratio according to Median Multiple methodology (Cagamas, 2013). The definition of affordability is essential before further analyzing the root cause of housing affordability. Issues relating to affordable housing has becomes a dilemmas among low and middle income group. The root cause of affordability among the group was due to the increase of non-housing expenditure by 4.7% based on the Consumer Price Index (Cagamas, 2013). Affordability is mainly defined by the relationship between household expenditure and income. Many authors (Yates and Gabriel, 2006; Carney and Boyle, 2004) argues that housing affordability is affected by the distribution of house prices, household incomes and the structure of financing costs.  Based on the growth of current housing scenario in Malaysia, the issue has been underpinned by the interface of three forces; growing population, high rates of urbanization and growing economy. The imbalance between demand and supply, particularly in the affordable housing segment, has contributed to a high increase in housing prices. This has compounded housing affordability issues, particularly for the low and middle income population (Eco nomic Developments, 2015). Malaysian government has introduced several affordable housing policies to facilitate home ownership among different groups of household income. However, little is done to attend the needs of the middle income group. Despite economic growth, 60% of the middle income group is young starters and majority of their income level falls under lower middle category (Dr. Azriyati, Dr. Rosly and Dr Kuppusamy, 2013). The increasing in housing prices, household expenditure and the lacking of more affordable housing policies  for the middle group declining the rate of affordability for home ownership. Towards resolving affordable housing issues, the National Housing Policy (NHP) has been established to outline the direction and form the basis for the planning and development of the housing sector at the federal, state, and local levels (10th Malaysia Plan, 2009). The NHP is introduced to provide sufficient and affordable houses to improve the well-being of the people as well as tackling the issues and challenges faced by the housing industry today (Dato Ahmad, 2009). However, the NHP targeting on the affordability issue for all level of income group which is the low and middle income group. Targeting on the middle income group, the type of available affordable housing scheme by the government is as follows: Table 1: Schemes for middle income group in Malaysia. Adapted from: Zairul (2017) My First Home Scheme (SRP) PR1MA PPA1M Eligibility Income limit for individual loans from RM 3,000 to RM5,000 per month or joint household incomes for up to RM10,000 per month. Eligibility to own property costs up to RM400,000 Malaysian citizen Total individual or household income (husband wife) between RM2,500 to RM15,000 monthly Single or Married Owns no more than 1 property between the applicants and applicants spouse, if any RM90,000-RM120,000 (joint income and not more than RM6000) RM150,000-RM220,000 (joint income not more than RM10,000) RM221,000-RM260,000 (joint income not more than RM10,000) 18-35 years old and first-time buyers 21 years old and above 18-60 years old (for government servant only) Table 1 shows the available schemes for middle income group in Malaysia. Most of the middle income group consists of young starters who could not afford to buy their first house and at the same time, they are not eligible for low cost housing. This study will focus on the PR1MA housing policy which is aimed at ensuring the middle income group are given chance towards home ownership. In conclusion, affordability expresses the challenge each household faces in balancing the household income and household expenditure. Affordable housing schemes launched by the government was to promote affordability in all levels of income group. Towards realizing of home ownership, little has been done to cater the needs of housing for the middle income group. Even though the middle income group are eligible for purchasing affordable house from the affordable housing scheme, but their affordability does not depends only on the eligibility but also influenced by the household expenditure. It is important for the government to revise the term affordability to ensure the affordable housing scheme is able to balance with the income level of the group. 3.0 METHODOLOGY The study was conducted by three methods: 1) desk review; 2) process analysis; 3) in-depth interview. This paper started by first understanding the definition of affordability through the method of desk review by searching relevant information on the meaning of affordability in local context. The definition of affordable housing is the subject of different analyses and debates among experts (Baqutaya, 2016). The source of reading materials was also searched through desk review. Types of affordable housing scheme available, the eligibility of the policies related, and the current issue of housing affordability was focused in this method. The second method was process analysis which involves the collection of data through questionnaire survey and in-depth interview. The questionnaire survey were done among the young home owners of PR1MA in Putrajaya to determine age, occupation, and income bracket. In-depth interview was carried out to further study and is essential to review on factors influencing housing affordability among young starters. Thus, the questions were more detail and specified on the household expenses and in-depth understanding about affordability. 4.0 DATA ANALYSIS This survey divided the study into two sections; The income category of current young starters as home owners of PR1MA affordable house unit and, The category household size of the young starter. The survey with young starters involved two sessions, starting with a pilot study conducted among the young home owners of PR1MA house in Putrajaya. The next session involved an in-depth interview with the young starters to study the factors that would influence the rate of affordability. The pilot study was conducted to determine age, occupation, and income bracket. Criteria for the selection of the respondents included the following: 1) young professionals age between 21 to 35 years old; household income or combined income not exceeding RM7500 monthly; 3) home owner of PR1MA house in Putrajaya. Total number of young starter respondents from the current PR1MA home owners according to income category surveyed is as shown in Table 1. From the survey conducted, 60% of the respondents with household income range from RM2500 to RM4000, 20% range from RM4001 to RM6000, 10% with income ranging RM6001 to RM7000 and 10% from RM7000 to RM7500. Table 2: Distribution of Young Starter Survey PR1MA Respondents by Household Income Income Category Number of response Percentage RM2500-RM4000 6 60% RM4001-RM6000 2 20% RM6001-RM7000 1 10% RM7001-RM7500 1 10% Total 10 100% The second session with the young starters involves an in-depth interview. During the interview session, the emphasis was on the factors influencing the rate of affordability. The category of household size of the young starter determines the percentage of household expenses from household income monthly. The interview feedback was used to study 1) the price of PR1MA house bought, 2) types of household expenses involved monthly, 3) alternative used by the young home owners to lessen mortgage burden. Table 3 shows the household size of the current young starter of PR1MA home owners. 50% of the young respondents are single, 20% of them are married without having children and 20% are with married status and blessed with one children. Only 10% of the respondents with higher household size with two or more children in a family. Table 3: Distribution of Young Starter Survey PR1MA Respondents by Household Size Household Size Number of response Percentage Single 5 50% Married with no children 2 20% Married and have 1 children 2 20% Married and have 2 or more children 1 10% Total 10 100% 5.0 FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS According to a study from Azriyati (2013), middle income households can be categorized into three sub-categories; Low-Middle Income, Middle-Middle Income and Upper-Middle Income. Table 4: Categorization Income for Middle Income Group. Extracted from Azriyati (2013) City Income Category Lower-Middle Middle-Middle Upper-Middle Kuala Lumpur RM2001-4000 RM4001-RM6000 RM6001-RM8000 Table 4 shows the sub-categorization of middle income group. The income category for lower-middle group is RM2001 to RM4000; middle-middle group is RM4001 to RM6000; and upper-middle is RM6001 to RM8000. In relation to table 1, 60% of the respondents falls under lower-middle income category; 20% falls under middle-middle income category; and the remaining 20% falls under upper-middle income category. It can be concluded that majority of the young starters income category falls under lower-middle income category which is near to the bottom line of low income group. Table 5: Calculation of affordability rate among Malaysians. (Source: flexZhouse, Zairul (2017)) CASE 1 CASE 2 CASE 3 CASE 4 PROPERTY PRICES RM500,000 RM400,000 RM280,000 RM150,000 Net pay (household) RM7,500 RM7,000 RM8,000 RM5,500 Less: statutory deductions Income tax RM225 RM210 RM240 RM165 EPF contributions (8%) RM825 RM770 RM880 RM605 Net take-home pay RM6,450 RM6,020 RM6,880 RM4,730 Less: monthly commitment Mortgage Installments (6% for 30 years) RM2,700 RM2,160 RM1,512 RM810 Utilities RM300 RM300 RM300 RM300 Car hire-purchase (one car) RM800 RM800 RM800 RM800 Petrol and maintenance for one car RM1,000 RM600 RM600 RM600 Food and other expenses RM1,000 RM1,000 RM1,000 RM1,000 Childcare (one person) RM800 RM800 RM800 RM800 Insurance plan (RM200 per pax) RM200 RM200 RM450 RM450 Parents (RM200 per pax) RM400 RM400 RM400 RM400 Net savings (-RM600) (-RM490) RM1,018 RM430 Household to income ratio 5.56 4.76 2.92 2.27 From the table above, the calculation was based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI), 2013 which has increased by 4.7% (Cagamas,2013). The calculation above illustrates the typical monthly expenses of young starters in Malaysia. Against this scenario, the acceptable range for affordability current middle income home owners is between RM150,000 and RM280,000 (Zairul, 2017). Table 6 shows the price to income category determining the affordable rate. Table 6: Ratio of House Price to Household Income (Source: Cagamas Berhad, 2013) Category House Price to Income Ratio Severely Unaffordable 5.1 Above Seriously Unaffordable 4.1 to 5.0 Moderately Unaffordable 3.1 to 4.0 Affordable 3.0 Below The house price for PR1MA house unit at Putrajaya are based on two prices, RM120,000 for 815 sqft and RM150,000 for 1,006 sqft according to the feedback through interview conducted. Table 6 shows the calculation of affordability rate among young home owners of PR1MA house in Putrajaya based on the data analysis section. It was learned that 60% of the young home owners income range falls under lower-middle income category. From table 7, both case shows negative disposable income of the PR1MA young home owners which is -RM1,174 and -RM1,218. In relation to data obtained and showed in table 3, the household size of the respondents contributes to household expenditure base on the feedback from the interview. As the rule of thumb, the housing is considered affordable if the debt service ratio is 30% of the income expenditure (Zairul,2017). Table 7: Calculation of affordability rate among young home owners of PR1MA house. Adapted from Zairul (2017) CASE 1 CASE 2 PROPERTY PRICES RM120,000 RM150,000 Net pay (household) RM2,800 RM4,000 Less: statutory deductions Income tax RM120 EPF contributions (8%) RM224 RM288 Net take-home pay RM2,576 RM3,312 Less: monthly commitment Mortgage Installments (6% for 30 years) RM670 RM810 Utilities RM80 RM300 Car hire-purchase (one car) RM800 RM800 Petrol and maintenance for one car RM600 RM600 Food and other expenses RM1,000 RM1,000 Childcare (one person) RM800 Insurance plan (RM200 per pax) RM200 RM200 Parents (RM200 per pax) 400 RM400 Net savings (-RM1,174) (-RM1,218) Household to income ratio Figure 1: Non-Affordability Rate among Young Starter of PR1MA Figure 1 shows data analysis derived from the relationship between income category (table 1) and affordability rate calculation (table 7). Based on the results obtained, 60% of the middle-income group falls under lower-middle income category and the rate of affordability was calculated based on the income range of this category which is between RM2500 to RM4000. The results show the non-affordability for this income category. Figure 1 demonstrates the PR1MA young home owners under income range from RM2500 to RM4000 shows the highest percentage of non-affordability whereas the income category from RM6001 to RM7500 shows the least percentage. Figure 2: Types of Alternative to Increase Household Income Figure 2 demonstrates different alternatives taken by the young owners of PR1MA despite the non-affordability burden. Freelance is the most common way to increase household income and shows the highest percentage which is 70%. Other alternative such as renting out room, part-time insurance agent, and overtime stands 10% respectively. Base on the findings, the rate of affordability was affected by the monthly household income. However, based on the survey conducted, the household expenditure which has incl

Discipline In The Classroom: Past And Present Essay -- corporal punish

Discipline in the Classroom: Past and Present Throughout the history of classroom education, many different types of disciplinary systems have been applied by teachers and other authority figures in schools for the sole purpose of controlling student behavior. These systems include corporal punishment, psychological abuse or neglect, and assertive discipline. Although two of these three topics are illegal at this time, they were all widely used in schools across the country a short time ago. Corporal punishment in general can be defined as the infliction of pain or confinement as a penalty for an offense committed by a student. During the time that corporal punishment was used by schools all over the United States and Canada, parents did not have any say in school discipline. It was completely up to the school authority figures on the type of punishment and the severity of the punishment given to the student. The classroom teacher had the most say in the matter since it was the teacher who usually administered the punishment to the students. Because of this, some teachers (who especially liked the idea of physical punishment) took advantage of the minor guidelines set by the principal to protect students from excessive physical beatings. These guidelines varied from school to school, but often included length, width and thickness of the paddle or any other weapon used, the amount of times the student may be struck by the weapon, and other minor details about other types of physical punishment. The list of weapons that were acceptable for teachers to use include long: rubber hoses, leather straps and belts, sticks, rods, straight pins, hard plastic baseball bats, and arrows. If at the time a teacher did not have his/her weapon, they would often resort to punching, kicking, slapping and shaking as ways to "get children's attention". Besides these common manoeuvres of punishment, other and often more painful techniques were used by teachers. Children in a class for the learning disabled claimed that their teacher, and her aide banged their heads into their desks until some students were unconscious, twisted their arms, and even tried strangulation. Another teacher shook hot tabasco sauce in the mouths of the troublesome student and smeared it in their faces. When parents found out about this specific act of cruelty, they we... ...hment. This includes writing certain things out 1000 times, to copying a page of a dictionary for homework. This is an all around unpleasant thing to do, and is probably one of the better systems used. Throughout all the different discipline plans, each teacher must be positive but stern while punishing students. Verbal apprehensions in private also may have a positive effect on misbehaving students. Of all the different types of discipline studied, Assertive discipline has the most positive results on students. It has been proven to be better at stopping students from unacceptable behaviour, as well as not damaging them emotionally, or physically. Both Physical and emotional abuse have a very negative effect on students at the time, and the emotional scars created last a life time. Bibliography Canter, Lee and Marlene Canter. Assertive Discipline. Santa Monica, CA: Lee Canter and Associates, 1992 Hyman, Irwin A. Reading Writing and the Hickory Stick. Toronto: Lexington Books, 1990. McManus, Mick. Troublesome Behaviour in the Classroom. New York: Nichols Publishing, 1989. "World Book Encyclopedia". Toronto: World Book Inc, 1991 edition. pp.88- -89

International Criminal Court Essay -- United Nations Papers

International Criminal Court Allegations of war crimes, genocide, and crimes against humanity have undoubtedly received unprecedented press coverage in recent years – more than at any time since Nuremberg. This is not because the incidences of such barbarities have increased, but simply because those crimes are brought to us more rapidly these days by the electronic media. Since the early 1990’s the international community has witnessed of a variety of criminal tribunals that were meant to promote peace-making and political transition in situations of gross violations of human rights and armed conflict among ethnical or religious groups. This tendency led to the establishment by the UN of two ad hoc Tribunals-for the former Yugoslavia and for Rwanda-and of the International Criminal Court (ICC). There was also a proliferation of 'mixed' judicial bodies-in Cambodia, Sierra Leone, Kosovo and East Timor-composed of both national and international judges and enforcing domestic as well as international criminal law. It is perhaps most cynical to assert that transitional societies, convalescing from conflict or moving from oppression towards democracy, have developed a variety of ways of dealing with past war crimes and human rights abuses. Irrefutably they have united the short-term and long-term goals of ending the conflict and preventing its recurrence, and achieving social stability and reconciliation. Almost a century after the idea for such a body had first been mooted, on 17 July 1998, to the acclaim of many; a permanent International Criminal Court (ICC) was born at last in Rome. The adoption on that day of the Court's Statute... ...rnatives to prosecution it is difficult to express a preference among them, other than the vague notion that "perhaps the challenge is to meet a basic need for balance and wholeness." Neither the "one size fits all" prosecutorial strategy, nor a uniform preference for amnesty or some non-juridical alternative in every case, would be justifiable. Circumstances differ, and circumstances matter. Atrocities, whether committed abroad or at home, are almost by definition highly unusual. For precisely that reason, their resolutions should be too. Ironically, perhaps, a court that is very similar to these from a legal point of view is likely to soon be established in Iraq. You make some good and thought-provoking points, but your language is not always as clear as it might be. Clarity is of supreme importance in law!

The Need For Federal Government Involvement In Education Reform :: essays research papers

The Need for Federal Government Involvement in Education Reform by____________ Political Science 2301 Federal and State Government OVERVIEW For centuries, generations of families have congregated in the same community or in the same general region of the country. Children grew up expecting to earn a living much like their fathers and mothers or other adults in their community. Any advanced skills they required beyond the three R's (Readin', Ritin' and Rithmatik) were determined by the local community and incorporated into the curriculum of the local schools. These advanced skills were taught to the up- and-coming generation so they could become a vital part of their community. The last several decades has greatly expanded the bounds of the "community" to almost anywhere in the country or anywhere in the world for that matter. Advances in transportation and communication has made the world a much smaller place then the world we knew as children. The skills our children need to realize parents' perpetual dream of "their children having a better life" are no longer limited to those seen in the local area. It is becoming more and more apparent that the education system of yesterday cannot adequately prepare students for life and work in the 21st Century. These concerns have prompted people across the country to take a hard look at our education system and to organize their efforts to chance the education system as we know it. WHAT'S HAPPENING OUT THERE? There are two major movements in recent years whose focus is to enhance the education of future generations. The "Standards" movement focuses on educational content and raising the standards of traditional teaching and measurement means and methods. The "Outcome Based Education" (OBE) movement is exploring new ways of designing education and changing the way we measure the effectiveness of education by focusing on results or outcomes. STANDARDS MOVEMENT In September 1989, President Bush and the nation's governors called an Education Summit in Charlottesville, Virginia. At this summit, President Bush and the nation s governors, including then-governor Bill Clinton, agreed on six broad goals for education to be reached by the year 2000. Two of those goals (3 and 4) related specifically to academic achievement: * Goal 3: By the year 2000, American students will leave grades 4, 8, and 12 having demonstrated competency in challenging subject matter including English, mathematics, science, history, and geography; and every school in America will ensure that all students learn to use their minds well, so they may be prepared for responsible citizenship, further learning, and productive employment in our modern economy. * Goal 4: By the year 2000, U.S. students will be first in the world in science

Relationships and Breakup

* When two parties disclose personal information with each other the consensus is that the two persons will like each other more. (Rowland Miller, 2012) * Disclosure within a relationship is beneficial by raising intimacy, trust and closeness levels between two partners (Dindia & Fitzpatrick, 1985: Duck, 1994a) * Strangers who open up to each admire each other more than couples who reveal less personal information to each other (Slatcher, 2010) * That being said, this shows that there is a very strong bond when disclosing personal information to each other and that it plays a large role when building a relationship. * Social penetration theory (Altman & Taylor,1973) * New relationships have a large breadth of topics discussed, while the depth of the topics is very shallow. Self-disclosure is rare to be found at this level of relationship. Break ups * If a person’s past relationship was broken off early within the relationship, that is the depth of the topics discussed was very shallow and little self-disclosure occurred, than it would be safe to say that within a new relationship they would seek that acceptance and self-disclosure earlier on. They never really got to disclose personal information with their ex, therefore they may pursue that self-disclosure more ambitiously within the new relationship. * If a person’s past relationship was broken off at a later stage where self-disclosure between two partners was a common occurrence the parties may misattribute the separation with rejected disclosed information. Within new relationships it may take longer for them to disclose information with their new partners. Revised Filter Theory New Relationships Hypotheses/Questions we want to ask: * Does the denial of disclosed information from previous relationships have an outcome on newly formed relationships? That is, is it harder to disclose information to new partners? Does it take longer? * If past the past relationships ended early on before self-disclosure could occur. Do people pursue self-disclosure earlier on in the newly formed relationship?