Financial statements Patton

Cyrus McCormick essays

Cyrus McCormick essays Cyrus McCormick was born in 1809 at Willow Grove, the McCormick family farm near Steeles Tavern, Va. The farm operated a sawmill, a cider mill, a distillery, two grain mills and a smokehouse. Cyrus McCormick's father, Robert, had worked on a horse-drawn reaper off and on from 1815, but was never able to get his designs to work In 1831, Robert McCormick abandoned his efforts to perfect his reaper. Working in the farm's blacksmith shop, his 22-year-old son, Cyrus, took up the challenge of the reaper. He took his father's design as a starting point and added several new features. Within six weeks, they had built a successful demonstration model of the reaper and conducted a public trial of the machine at Walnut Grove. The reaper used a reciprocating knife, much like today's sickle bar mower, to cut the grain. Metal fingers guided the stalks into the knife and a revolving reel pushed the grain into the knife for a clean cut. A master wheel which carried most of the weight of the machine rolled on the ground and drove the knife through gears and linkages. The cut grain fell onto a platform behind the knife where it was raked off into windrows or piles. A horse pulled the machine through the field. With McCormick's reaper, two people could cut as much grain in one day as four or five men with cradles, or a dozen with After the successful trial in 1831, McCormick continued to improve his design, and applied for a patent in 1834. By 1841, he was finally satisfied with his machine, and began offering the reaper for sale. Sales were slow at first; farmers had been harvesting wheat for generations with hand-tools and were skeptical of this new-fangled invention. McCormick advertised his machine with a guarantee. If the reaper was not as strong and durable as he claimed, and would not cut 15 acres a day and save one bushel of wheat per acre, the reaper could be returned for a refund. McCormick's use ...

Theory and Practice in Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Theory and Practice in Management - Essay Example The levels of authority given to different individuals in an organisation are mainly determined by the structure of the organisation and the type of power used in any given organisation often determines the overall performance of the employees as well as its productivity levels. There are mainly six types of power that are popular and these include: coercion, position, reward, support, knowledge and interpersonal (Krausz 1986). Coercion is based on fear or punishment where the responsible authorities would seek to ensure that all the members comply with the given instructions while position is related to the status of a person in the hierarchy of the organisation. Reward is based on the capacity to offer incentives on good performance while support is concerned with influencing the involvement of peers or workmates. Knowledge is based on the skills possessed by an individual and interpersonal is mainly concerned with communication skills by a particular individual. Adaptive organisations which emphasize the flexibility to adapt to change can enhance creativity while bureaucratic, mechanistic or rigid structures will inhibit creativity Woodman (1995). An organisation which has a flat structure often promotes creativity and it helps promote easier communication and information sharing. In some cases, the appropriate reward system is essential for motivating employees to become innovative. When the employees have freedom and authority to participate in decision making process, they will have a positive attitude towards creativity and innovation. Open systems that promote participation and interaction also allow the free flow of information which in turn promotes mutual understanding among the employees. For instance, a case study of Ernest and Young showed that the organisation managed to increase employee retention level by about 9 % after the company began introducing open systems that gave autonomy to the workers while at the same time offerin g rewards

Seasonal Decomposition Output Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Seasonal Decomposition Output - Essay Example 1. An insurance company is examining its automobile collision claims in order to understand what factors might contribute to the size of a claim. It analyzes data from 40 claims, including the year and model of the car, the age of the driver, the weather conditions, and other information from the police report. Considering what you have studied so far in BUS 305, suggest an analytical process that would be appropriate for the insurance company to use to predict the size of a claim. Support your suggestion with explanations.   Regression analysis is the most appropriate analytical process that would help predict the size of the claim. The analytical process is appropriate since it estimates the relationship between the variables   2. Exhibit 3 provides time series data. Create a time series plot of this data. In your essay, describe the features you find and explain which of these four forecasting methods—linear trend, nonlinear trend, seasonal decomposition, or simple exponential smoothing—would be best suited for forecasting.   The values of Y exhibit an upward trend i.e. the values have maintained a steady increase thus the linear trend would be more appropriate to be used for the forecasting purposes. The forecasting equation for the linear trend model is given as:   Where  is the time index? The parameters  and  (the "intercept" and "slope" of the trend line) are usually estimated via a simple regression in which Y is the dependent variable and the time index t is the independent variable.

Answer questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 12

Answer questions - Essay Example Here, issues of bank overdraft are nonexistent and the business is in a good business shape. An example of when underlying circumstances may be such that the accounts receivable turnover increases one period to the next and is favorable is when the accounts receivable turnover has a high value, which shows that there is an improvement in the process of collecting cash on credit sales. An example of when underlying circumstances may be such that the accounts receivable turnover increases one period to the next and is unfavorable is when the accounts receivable turnover has a lower figure that indicated inefficiencies in collection of credit sales. A example of when the underlying circumstances may be such that the accounts payable turnover increases from one period to the next is favorable is when a company is paying its suppliers longer than it should take. This means that the company is taking advantage of discounts that come with early payment. Credit analysis refers to the method used to investigate whether a company has the financial ability to repay its obligations. It is done through the development of classification-based approach that seeks to differentiate potential defaulters from non-defaulters. The basics of credit analysis can be understood through five C’s that include character, capacity, capital, collateral and conditions. The first C, character, refers to the general impression the customer has on the prospective investor or lender. The lender comes up with a subjective opinion regarding whether the company or client can be trusted to repay a loan or generate a return from the funds that are invested into the firm. The background of the company and the experience in its particular field of business are issues that must be considered including issues of employee experience, and the quality of the references given

Innovations In Continuous Internal Assessment English Language Essay

Innovations In Continuous Internal Assessment English Language Essay The present system of one-shot summative evaluation by means of the course end examination has been criticized (and also supported by some) by some of the stakeholders of education system. The purpose of evaluation is to see if a given programme is working, an institution is successful according to the goals set for it, and the original intent is being successfully carried out. It means to determine social utility, desirability or effectiveness of a process, product or a programme and includes recommendation for some better future course of action. Evaluation does not just mean measurement of the level of learning outcomes but more so an approach for further improving the system. It needs to be diagnostic and formative in nature to provide remedial help to the students. It is also agreed by all academicians that evaluation should act as a positive input for improving the teaching learning process and not as a deterrent. The report card of evaluation should reflect not only the schola stic aspects of the learner, but also Life Skills acquisition, personality attributes, behaviour interests, attitudes, values and proficiency in indoor as well as outdoor co-curricular activities. It should facilitate in unravelling the latent talent and reflect a true picture of the growth and profile of a young learner (Vineet Joshi, Chaiman Secretary, CBSE, 2009). One consequence of the global influences, such as changes in the world economy, the information revolution, environmentalism, and cross-national health threats, is the move away from the heavy use of traditional, more judgmental approaches to assessment toward alternative, more inclusive means of determining what learners know and can do. Along with this move is a thoughtful re-examination of just what we want from our learners in classrooms worldwide. (Carol A. Puhl, 1997). Realizing the flaws in the present system of evaluation and importance of comprehensive continuous assessment, a country has to not only reform but also transform the process of evaluation in the current education system. With this objective (for improving the quality of education), Government of India also has planned to put in place a system of continuous assessment in few months time (PM,s address to the nation on the occasion of the countrys 65th Independence Day). Different forms of continuous assessment can be used by different subject teachers for different levels of learners. Though broad guidelines can be laid down, exact procedure to be followed cannot be explicitly stated for a specific course or programmes. Every individual tutor may be trying within the limitations of resources and his experience different ways of evaluating the students continually over a semester or academic year. The effectiveness of this process can be determined only through the learners performance after the course. In this paper, I have made an attempt to share my experience in comprehensive continuous assessment of the students at tertiary level in English language/ literature class rooms. Changing Role of Teachers Modern Indias system of education expanding as never before with graduation as the minimum entry level qualification for a job and Masters degree a mere gateway for a career, the need of the hour is far beyond the degrees in paper. What matters most is attitude and varied skill sets in order to sustain ones place in the competitive and challenging global job market. To fulfill these requirements, our democratic nation shoulders the huge responsibility of modifying its past principle, Survival of the fittest to suit the current needs as fit all of them to survive. This present principle being our goal, all the universities and academicians play a vital role in transforming this goal into action. The function of tertiary and higher education institutes and the quality of students produced by them requires not only a thorough scrutiny but also a major revision and a complete reformation to address the challenges in todays changing education environment. Our country needs not just gradua tes but intellectual dynamites to think locally and act globally, individuals with thinking minds, responsible citizens to lead India in the path of progress as a developed nation. In the branch of tertiary and higher education today, semester pattern is largely being followed by most of the universities, India and abroad. With such practice in vogue, an academic year comprising two semesters, Spring and Fall, should contain relevant topics, both significant in content and interesting in variety thus fulfilling the knowledge function. True to the saying that knowledge is power, only if applied, such knowledge-gain has to be tested in practice. Testing is nothing but practicing the power of learning. From times immemorial, examination, either oral or written has been in vogue only to check the comprehensive level of the receiver. We should keep in mind the fact that checks and balances are part of any established system. Contrary to this ancient belief, testing of knowledge, in a way, also helps both the learner and the teacher to know more from each other which can further lead to self-scrutiny and betterment. To smoothen this process, as a first step, appropri ate modern teaching methods have to be applied along with the essential pedagogical resources for the knowledge transfer to happen successfully. Again the teaching-learning process remains partial if there is no training function. Implementation of practical methods has become the need of the hour not only for science subjects even for humanities. Due to such changing trends in the field of modern education, a classroom, meant for knowledge-sharing, is no longer an exclusive teacher-cantered domain for delivering lectures based on theory. As the dimension of learning process includes in its fold different types of experimental learning techniques using technology as teaching aid, the classroom becomes a world in itself. The suggested place also serves as a continuous learning-cum-testing ground to know more and more: starting from critical thinking to presentation skills, personality enrichment to behavioural science, verbal to non-verbal communication methods, subjective to objective approaches, so on and so forth. With these wide-ranging benefits, continuous internal assessment paves way to self-development, knowledge upgr adation, creativity, innovative thinking , problem-solving, strategic planning, time management etc. thus leading further to the road not taken. Thus learning and assessment go hand in hand as a continuous process. Obviously, to match the changing trends, the learning outcome tested by means of assessment is undergoing a sea-change as well. Now, to focus on the teaching of English language and literature in the present century, a teacher cannot sit back to play the conventional role of merely teaching and assessing the students performance and publishing their results. There is no denial of this public-service function performed by a teacher which in addition to this mandatory task demands an extension of role as a trainer to identify and hone the skill of students. Therefore, a multi-level learner-centered training programme has to be incorporated as part of the regular teaching method in the form of activities and games to develop language skills and literature study. As a result, a new job-description evolves for a teacher in order to match the rising professional standards. To bridge the existing gulf between the old and new standards, the teaching faculty has to be made aware of the ever-c hanging roles and responsibilities across the world. Teaching profession expects the teacher to emerge in a new avatar of multi-tasking. As a result, a new job-description evolves for a contemporary teacher to suit the rising standards. For equipping the teachers, orientation programmes and training workshops on tech-savvy teaching can be organized at regular intervals thus helping the tutors do justice to this new avatar. Learning journey takes a new route: With the increase in population and universal primary education becoming one of the seven millennium development goals proposed by the United Nations, the class room size is increasing and paying individual attention to each and every learner becomes extremely difficult even for the most dedicated tutors. Evaluation of continuous assessment components becomes even more time consuming and labourious. In such circumstances, Virtual learning environment eases the work of the tutor and reaches the door steps of the learners who have access to the internet. Among the present generation of students, there is hardly a person without a laptop and in some states in India, government offers free laptops to the student community at the tertiary level. Thus the changing times and emerging trends bring technology to our service for fulfilling the demanding educational needs in a much more effective way. Many open source software (Moodle is one) are available which needs just customization to suit the needs of the institution/ programme. With VLE, students and teachers can work on the same platform as per their convenience in many ways having scheduled activities over a semester with a time frame for every activity. Semester work plan/ weekly teaching schedule, learning resources such as power point slides, videos, lecture notes, reading or course material, assignment and presentation topics, links to files or websites having learning resources, quiz questions, or anything you name can be added and uploaded, periodical online tests can be conducted. This tool also provides extended facilities for grading, report generation (best results are achieved with MCQ based tests), backup and restoring of files. The actual constraint may be the resources and training provided to the tutors by the institutions they work with. Access to the computers during off-class hours in the college, stable and fast internet connection and necessary software should be available to the faculty. Ther e may be resentments at the beginning as it involves extra labour on preparation, over the years the tutors will have the ease of using it effectively even for a large group of students. Researched Assignment: From east to west, assignments are the best methods to inculcate research practices in students, as research at graduate, masters and doctoral level has proved to be application oriented. The general framework/ sequential task involves gathering relevant information through research, understanding and interpreting the collected details by applying critical thinking, planning and outlining the draft, coherent organization of details, structuring the paragraphs with appropriate thesis statement and topic sentences and thus presenting the thought-inductive ideas in a refined written form. Such series of steps can be worked together in pair. Even for this task, innovative measures can be applied right from the beginning by posting the assignment topics over VLE along with the necessary guidelines and time frame to monitor the progress and submission. Assignment submitted after the deadline will not be accepted by the system. Also, the question of being unaware of the task never arises as the assigned task glows with the tag NEW and its mandatory for both the teacher and the taught to access this link very often for exchanging their views in the discussion forum , for the announcement of academic activities etc. One another advantage of this soft copy assignment submission is that the whole write up can be scrutinized for on line plagiarism by using software (Viper is one such software which is an open source software). This feasible method can curb plagiarism, an academic dishonesty, to a possible extent. Moreover, students can submit hard copy as well to proceed with the usual evaluation pattern. For systematic evaluati on, following a specific preset marking criteria encompassing content, critical analysis(inclusive of quotations), referencing (in-text and end-text) and language can help in setting a standard evaluation procedure thus enhancing the skill set of the learners with a better end-product. Power Point Presentation: The main objective of this internal component is to enhance the spoken communication of the students. Other inherent aspects looked at are the style of presentation, fluency and flow of speech, pronunciation and choice of words, use of right terms, intonation, body language, the level of confidence and above all the ability to reach out to the listeners and tackling the questions at the end of the session. The presentation purpose listed above is quite common for all. Therefore, let me move on to the presentation tool. Since Chart is the most familiar tool used even at school level , todays young students whose lifestyle keeps moving from screen to screen (from television to mobile to computer) can be trained to present the topic as ppt slides. The constructive use of technology as an aid in academics not only makes the presentation interesting and informative but also kindles the creativity of students. Coming to the assessment part, an exclusive grading sheet for the presentation can be formulated to evaluate the performance. To ensure a cohesive presentation, prior planning is required which includes a brief outline of the presentation schedule with the group division of students and their topics along with the grading criteria. The planned schedule can be uploaded over VLE well in advance so that students can start preparing their topics. Usually the presentation can be conducted a few weeks before the semester draws to a close and using this method one particular text a play or a novel can be assigned for the students to prepare and present. A model presentation plan has been chartered for practice. Grading Criteria Group Names [ Group division] Presentation Topic Marks Total Content: In-depth subject knowledge Proper use of textual lines adequate explanation Critical analysis Group 1: A , B C Text assigned: Ben Jonsons The Alchemist- a play A: The Age of Jonson BJ as a playwright. B: Intro. To the play concerned with a briefing on the plot structure characters. C: The origin and application of Js theory Presentation Style: Clarity in presentation Coherent flow of ideas Unique method of representing the concept Voice modulation Group 2: Each group can have 4 or 5 presenters Presenter 1: Act I-sc.i, ii P 2: sc. iii iv, an analysis P 3: On character sketch, traits and major events. P 4: Overall critical analysis of Act I with the comments of critics Language Fluency Appropriate choice of words Pronunciation -The pattern continues for a week or for 7 lecture hours. The method continues for all the acts of the play done by the subsequent groups Body Language Eye contact Confidence Last Group: Sums up the whole task P 1: Revisit the play as a whole highlighting the major events and their significance. Interaction Independent tackling of the queries -Task to be continued and completed. P 2: Focuses on the method of characterization with the classification of major and minor chrs The prime objective of this presentation model is to promote independent learning and individual thinking. End purpose: Students gain knowledge through self-learning and practice. P3:Traits and disposition of the chrs, highlighted. P 4 5: on Thematic concerns. Action Spread Sheet Method: This unique method is also a proven success when implemented in my teaching career. Its feasible for a small group of learners with a student strength ranging up to 25 and can be applied in the II or III semester after establishing a friendly familiarity with the attitude and aptitude of the group involved. The uniqueness of the mode of assessment for this method lies in the fact that its purely based on text-based activities performed by each group throughout the semester. For instance, I applied this method for the II semester English Literature group comprising 24 students. The module title and the recommended texts for this module are: English Poetry Drama: C14 17. Texts: 1.Chaucer : General Prologue to Canterbury Tales 2.Marlowe: Doctor Faustus 3. BenJonson: The Alchemist 4. John Milton: Paradise Lost, Bk.I 5. Metaphysical Poets: 3 Poems of John Donne 2 poems of Andrew Marvell. Continually assessed semester activity plan: A Sample Product When a text is being taught, either in the middle of the weekly schedule or at the end, students should perform a group-based activity. The one and only condition is that, all the members in the group should contribute, so that they can be marked. Otherwise everything is left to the creative imagination of the students. This fun learning exercise happens in the classroom within the class hours and that too with minimum properties. Group 1: Activity 1: A mime show on Chaucers pilgrims. Gp.2 : Activity 2: Literary parade of seven deadly sins and its contemporary relevance. Gp.3 : Activity 3: Choose one gulling scene involving Subtle, Face and any other victim or Quiz programme can be conducted by the group on this particular text. Gp.4 :Activity 4: Famous speeches of Satan, Beelezebub and the epic similes: to be recited and their significant meanings pointed out. Gp.5 :Activity 5: A slideshow or an album of the major metaphysical poets, their contribution, and the rules devised by the metaphysical school of poets for their poetry construction with examples from the poems studied. Gp.6 : Activity 6: Definition and explanation of the metaphysical conceits, wits and symbols appearing in the prescribed poems. This method provides ample room for fun and creative learning with enthusiastic participation from the students thus creating a better learning environment. For this activity, the assessment record has to be maintained throughout the semester as it can be finalized only at the end. Portfolio Assessment for Creative Writing: The Creative writing module containing short fiction and non-fiction writing has submission of portfolio for assessment. All the drafts, workshop materials, activities done individually, in pair and group and the research work done has to be filed in order with the date and topic and has to be submitted along with the final draft of the story and an essay. Short fiction comprising story writing is taught through varied activities . They are developing story from a poem, writing a scene, lottery story-writing focusing mainly on character sketch by drawing lots, collaborative dialogue writing, completing a given story, sketching a captivating scene, developing conflicts both internal and external etc. Well trained on all the aspects of story-writing, the student is expected to create an original story. Marks are awarded based on Plot structure, characterization, technical aspects, language and theme. For non-fiction the assessment is based on content, organization, language and methodology. This portfolio pattern, which practically includes everything done by a student from beginning till the end, trains youngsters to remain well-organized. Conclusion Any method adopted by teachers in any classroom for comprehensive continuous assessment also has obstacles like classroom size, workload for the teacher and other responsibilities shouldered by the teachers in the institute. The support and encouragement rendered by the institution to the teachers and the receptivity of the students to the initiatives are some other factors that affect the success of the process. An institution may have the best infrastructure and curriculum but the ultimate success lies in the hand of the teacher and the learner specially on their attitude towards teaching and learning. To conclude, the success of any innovation in the academic circle rests on two factors. On the one hand, the larger picture matters and on the other the connectivity enjoyed between the teacher and the taught.

Assessing Learners Needs in Education Essay example -- essays research

Units 101 &105 In this essay I shall be examining the importance of accurate initial assessment of learner’s needs. In order to do this it is necessary to correctly identify my learners so that appropriate teaching methods can be structured for them. From there, I shall explore how to best support learners throughout their period of study, both in terms of educational support, and in terms of developing their self confidence. The students I teach are studying toward a 2 year diploma in Creative Sound Engineering & Music Technology at Deep Blue Sound (DBS). It is common for the learners to come from a fairly narrow section of society. Broadly speaking, learners are male, and fall into the 16-25 age range, although there is also at least one learner in his late forties. Group sizes average between 8 and 14. The learner’s first point of contact, and assessment, comes through their application. This will provide us with clues to the potential needs of the student, including their age (and need for supervision), current understanding of the subject, and any appropriate experience or qualifications they may have. From here candidates are invited to an interview, where they are given a full tour of the facilities along with an overview of the structure of the course. The interview stage allows us to assess both their suitability for the course, both in terms of attitude and ability, and gives us an insight into their expectations and requirements, and their potential barriers to learning. For example, those who are not school leavers may well have obstacles to learning that their school-leaving counterparts do not share. As Armitage (1999) observes: â€Å"(Having a continuous learning experience from the age of 5) is generally not the case for the adult learner who may not have been involved in a formal education experience for some time and whose knowledge and expectations of education may only be based on their own school experience. Equally, the adult re-entering the education system at any level has many more outside responsibilities and pressures than the younger FE or HE student.† Applicants will also be tested at this stage for computer literacy. During the enrolment procedure, learners are assessed for literacy using the Smog Readability Formula (McLaughlin, G. 1969: 639-646), in order to bring to light, amongst other things, potential learning dif... ...o all handouts and project briefs in electronic format, so that his computer is able to read them back to him. Once this trust has been established, the line of communication between student and teacher becomes much more free-flowing, effectively facilitating the tutor’s ongoing assessment of the class. In conclusion, in order for us to guarantee a successful and enjoyable learning experience for the student, we must accurately assess the individual needs of the learner, and be aware of how dynamic these needs can be. Through maintaining open channels of communication between students and staff, and by providing the student with a safe place to learn, we can adapt our teaching styles to grow with the changing needs of the learner, as well as providing helpful and meaningful support for them, ensuring they receive the most effective training possible whilst studying on the course. Bibliography Armitage, A. (1999) Teaching and Training in Post-Compulsory Education, 2nd Ed, King’s Lynn: OUP. P63 McLaughlin, G. (1969), SMOG grading: A new readability formula. Journal of Reading, 12 (8) 639-646 Petty, G. (2004), Teaching Today, 4th Ed, Cheltenham: Nelson Thornes Ltd. P201