The War on Drugs is a Failure. So What Can Be Done About it Research Paper

The War on Drugs is a Failure. So What Can Be Done About it - Research Paper Example In addition, 60% of the total violence in the United States is related to drug prohibition which means that the prohibition of drugs only induces violence (Maginnis) The violence that resulted in the prohibition of drug is not new. It is usually the case when something is banned. The same was the case when alcohol was still prohibited. It was only lifted during the Great Depression when the government adopted a pragmatist approach to the problem due to the escalating violence associated with its prohibition and instead opted to make money out of it to help lift the country out of the depression by taxing it. As a result, violence associated with alcohol became almost non-existent. The same is also the case in gambling. Violence becomes the norm when it becomes illegal and so is with prostitution when it is outlawed. Violence becomes a natural consequence of a prohibitive policy because it creates black markets where the law cannot supervise but would become otherwise if the industry is legalized. The problem of violence in prohibiting drugs is compounded by the fact that a prohibitive policy corrupts institutions. Since a prohibitive policy threatens the industry of illegal drugs, it is inevitable that bribery, extortion, threat and other undesirable practices will sprout for the industry to survive. It is worsen by the fact that the enforcement of banning drugs comes with a price that drains public purse. â€Å"Federal, state and local governments spend roughly $44 billion per year to enforce drug prohibition. These same governments forego roughly $33 billion per year in tax revenue they could collect from legalized drugs, assuming these were taxed at rates similar to those on alcohol and tobacco† (Miron). ... The prohibitive policy against drugs does not only forgo the government income from taxing it but instead make it spend to enforce a policy that is futile. The strange thing about rabidly banning drugs with draconian measure is that countries which prohibits it such as United States has the highest rates of cocaine and marijuana abuse compared to countries which has a liberal drug laws such as E.U. and Portugal which has the lowest. In a study conducted by Cato Institute early April this year, it reported that policies that prohibit the use of drug is usually â€Å"based on speculation and fear mongering rather than empirical evidence on the effects of more lenient drug policies† (Szalavitz). The fear that legalizing illicit drugs will only exacerbate the drug problem did not actually happen. It showed that the legalization of drugs in Portugal has neutralized its ill effects which used to be its problem that is now pervasive in countries that ban illicit drugs. Consider the r esults of the Portugal’s policy of decriminalizing drugs. What was feared that the country will become a nation of drug addicts did not actually happen but in fact, helped solved the drug problem. Just when it was anticipated that drug use will rise, Portugal in fact â€Å"had the lowest rate of lifetime marijuana use in people over 15 in the E.U†. The use of the former illegal drugs among seventh through ninth graders also fell from 14.1% to 10.6% and the drug use in older teens also declined. Lifetime heroin use among 16-to-18-year-olds also fell from 2.5% to 1.8%. This development had a positive side effect on the curbing new HIV infection because it fell 17% because needles do not need to be shared anymore with legalizing the drugs (Szalavitz). Also,

Pelican Stores Essay Example for Free

Pelican Stores Essay Pelican Stores Management From: Michael Pitz Date: February 12, 2012 Subject: Pelican Stores Coupon Promotion Results Coupon Promotion Results I have prepared specific descriptive statistics regarding the results from the coupon promotion day. These descriptive statistics such as the relationship between net sales and descriptive statistics on net sales by various classifications of customers, as well as the descriptive statistics concerning the relationship between age and net sales can help us further understand our target audience and ultimately boost total sales for Pelican Department Stores. By identifying our mean, median and mode regarding each variable (marital status, type of customer, gender and age), we can further understand the relationships between our variables. Descriptive Statistics on Net Sales: Descriptive Statistics on Net Sales by Various Types of Customers Descriptive Statistics Concerning Age and Net Sales Correlation Between Items Sold and Net Sales   * Regular customers had a mean of $61. 99 and the customer using a coupon had a mean of $84. 29. There is a difference of $22. 30 between the average Net Sales of the two types of customers. This shows that customers receiving the promotional discount spent more money on average than the regular customers at Pelican Stores. The promotion coupons were a great way to bring in a higher volume of customers and raise the average ticket price for each sale * There is no positive or negative correlation between age and net sales. No particular age group spent more money than any other, though it is clear that women spend much more money at Pelican Stores than men. * There is a positive correlation between the number of items sold and net sales. Customers who purchased more items spent more money.

Evidence based practice and the reflective practice

Evidence based practice and the reflective practice From my point of view, I believe that the two main sorts of research evidence that could inform educational practices are the evidence based practice and the reflective practice. I still have on my mind the words of Ravitch, I am deeply grateful that my treatment was based on medical research and not education research. Otherwise, I would not be here to tell my tale (Ravitch, 1998, p.33) and her insistence from her experience that educators have something to learn from physicians as she was also educators. The evidence based practice was first introduced on medical research as evidence-based medicine. Their main source was the development of a particular kind of medical research the randomised controlled trial (RCT) which was designed as a way to assess the value of new drugs in order to check the claims of their manufacturers (E891 Educational Enquiry, Study Guide, p.18). However, there is a movement in the late 1990s, in several countries and also in the UK, for both educational practice and educational policy to become more evidence-based-or at least evidence-informed (E891 Educational Enquiry, Study Guide, p.15). From my own experience of teaching prof essional practice has always been informed by evidence. What we teach on the class is based on evidence. It is a fact that reliance on a body of scientific knowledge has been treated as a defining feature of any profession, and has figured largely in the attempts by many occupations to gain this status. Looking back, in the beginning of the twentieth century it was taken to be one of the traits that marked professions off from other occupations (Flexner, 1915). The movement for evidence-based practice does not repeat the ideas of the definition of a profession, it does involve distinctive requirements. It proposes that practice should be guided much more directly by research evidence than previously. Furthermore, education as a profession, or a collection of professions, has always been a complex and contested one. It is well known that, in most countries, schoolteachers have never gained any autonomy and power achieved by other professions such as lawyers and doctors. In addition, the main body of knowledge on which their practice was supposed to be based was very often subject knowledge. Thus, in recent decades, in the UK and some other societies, a weak grasp of subject knowledge on the part of primary-school teachers, especially in the areas of science and mathematics, has been held responsible for what has been identified as poor levels of educational performance (Traianou, 2007, p.11). In contrast to this, research knowledge has been shaping the educational practice well before the evidence-based practice began. Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky, the two famous educational researchers have worked a few decades ago and their ideas have been generated diverse recommendations for educational practice. It is obvious since Piagets name often has been invoked by advocates of discovery learning and progressive education two approaches that strongly emphasise the autonomy of the learner. Furthermore, his work also highlights the important role that cognitive structures play in childrens learning, and, more generally, that what learners learn will depend on where they are starting from (E891 Educational Enquiry, Study Guide, p.18). At this point, it is also important to mention that Vygotsky drew on Piagets work, and they both believed that learners should actively construct their understanding of the world. They both denied that learning is a passive response to external stimuli but it has implications well beyond the contex t of childrens learning. Indeed, it carries an important message about all forms of education. In addition, Hargreaves literally mentions Teaching is not at present research-based profession and he continues I have no doubt that if it were, teaching would be more effective and more satisfying (Hargreaves, in Hammersley, 2009, p.3). The medical profession has gained a lot of prestige lately due to the growth of its research which mainly is based on evidence based practice. In contrast, the teaching profession did not take such a step. Very rarely, teachers would look on other professional fields to examine and learn from their structure (Hargreaves, in Hammersley, 2009, p.4). As a teacher, I certainly understand that even though we heavily rely on what we learn from our own experiences which are private trials which might be right or wrong. In contrast, in the evidence based medicine process they convert the information needs into answerable questions, track down with the maximum efficiency the best evidence with which to answer, critically appraise that evidence for its validity and usefulness, apply the results and evaluate performance (Hargreaves, in Hammersley, 2009, p.13). Reflective practice can be traced way back before the twentieth century, while much of what is involved in the notion, for example the idea of phronesis outlined by Aristotle. However, the statement by Schà ¶n that In recent years there has been a growing perception that researchers, who are supposed to feed the professional schools with useful knowledge, have less and less to say that practitioners find useful(Schà ¶n, 1987, p. 10) does really disturb a lot since the reflective practice was happened a long before and has not just developed. Furthermore, Schà ¶n stated that it is modified by reflection-in-action (the ability to think about what one is doing while doing it) and reflection-on-action (the capacity to reflect after the event on what has happened and on its implications for ones practice) (E891 Educational Enquiry, Study Guide, p.41). Developing these abilities, these forms of reflection that professional skill and wisdom can be built up in the course of experience, an d these capacities are important because real-world problems do not usually present themselves in ways that would match the technical knowledge produced by research. The notion of reflective practice has been under different names in the early 1970s, came to the fore in the 1980s through the works of Schà ¶n, Valli and Elliott. This notion places as much emphasis on teachers own evaluation of their practices as on the planning and management skills into which such evaluation feeds( Moore, in Hammersley, 2009, p.122). One of the recent recommended techniques in the reflective practitioner discourse is the developing of teachers own diary or journal that can systematically reflect. With this method, teachers can improve themselves and develop their own valid teaching method. As usual, the introduction of new ideas was accepted by less experienced teachers rather than more experienced ones. As Mitchell and Weber (1996) stated experience teachers suggest that they are just likely to cause concern, confusion and misguided behaviour through their over-personalization of teaching activity (Mitchell and Weber, 1996, p.34). Up to this point, I have described the two main sorts of research evidence that could inform educational practice. Furthermore, I will mention differences and significant similarities. Hargreaves and others who have concerned how research serves evidence based practice are not simply putting forward a particular view of the relationship between research and practice. It is clear that they think educational research needs to change in character, although neither Ravitch nor Hargreaves insists that it must take the form of randomised controlled trials (E891 Educational Enquiry, Study Guide, p.26). However, from the point of view of advocating evidence-based practice, the practices of professionals are based on knowledge that must be eliminated in favour of procedures determined by sound, scientifically validated research evidence. In contrast, Schà ¶ns perspective, those traditional practices are seen as skilful and principled strategies that cannot be bettered by the substitution of research based knowledge; rather, they can only be improved by further reflection in and on professional practice (E891 Educational Enquiry, Study Guide, p.41). In addition, Moore sugge sts that, the reflective practitioner discourse was not influential in official circles during his times. He insists that there are connections between each model and particular approaches to educational research. In a sense, the competences discourse has an affinity with quantitative method, and the reflective practitioner model with qualitative method (Moore, in Hammersley, 2009, p.127). In my opinion, I believe that there could be another similarity due to the fact that both are considered to be unrepresentative. It cant be presumed that all subjects taking part in RCT trials are representative of the people who will eventually be taking the drug or treatment and the data that a teacher personally gathers from his/her own classroom conditions cannot be presumed to apply to all conditions. Both of them have the same goals which are to enrich the corpus of knowledgeand to inform educational practice. Also, they both rely on philosophical grounds positivist one and interpretivist (E891 Educational Enquiry, Study Guide, p.79). On the other, it cannot be presumed that all subjects taking part in RCT trials are representative of the people who will eventually be taking the drug or treatment and the data that a teacher personally gathers from his/her own classroom conditions cannot be presumed to apply to all conditions. Nevertheless, it seems to me that they share a lot o f points in common, such as theirposition with theory, which they dont question as both tend to look at teaching strategies rather than the sense of teaching and what is taught. To sum up, I would not disagree that RCTs provide measurable outcomes, and the reflective discourse emphasises the practitioners experience, this doesnt mean that it ignores the skills and techniques needed but that it tries to look at the wider picture. so if their spectrum of research and practice is limited what part does critical theory of research play as I see it to be connected to reflective practice. The Cyprus educational system unfortunately has been very weak as far as the new teachers are concerned, especially the ones that teach in secondary and high schools. A lot of them enter the teaching classrooms without any educational experience apart from the fact that they are graduates of universities. The same fact has happened to me also. Suddenly, I found myself from the hotel industry to teach in the school hotel labs and classrooms. From that day on I had to find a way of how I could become more effective within the classroom and be more efficient with my students. Having studied part one of the study guide for the course I am more confident to explain which methods I use during my teaching courses. However, I remember that I always mention to my colleagues that the teaching plans I have, are never stable. Every time I conclude with the lessons, I keep change them. I used to judge myself (reflective) what went right and what needed a change and I was doing it. Without realisi ng, I was using the reflective method and in a sense I was improving myself. However, as a teacher in a technical and vocational school, I spend most of my teaching hours in the lab rather than in the normal classrooms. From what I have studied up to now, I find myself that I used both educational methods of teaching, i.e. evidence based practice and reflective methods, not only for improving my teaching methods but also for the benefits of my students. The evidence-based practice, I use it a lot when I teach Food technology, Wine making or Food and Drink cost course. In all these courses the results from previous statistics which can be found through research are very useful not only for the teacher but for the students also. For instance, in order to produce good quality wine the evidence shows that there are certain parameters which are very essential such as the % of the sugar on the grapes, or how many days they should stay for fermentation, and e.t.c. This is happening with all the above mentioned courses and believe me students understand better when I use evidence-based practice because I can claim that throughout the years the research experience on developing the course has never been wrong. On the other hand, reflective practice is mostly used in the labs. Since a lot of the students work is done within the lab with practice on the lab exercises. I usually teach cooking and baking. All the other vocational teachers as well as I, were using reflective practice even though we could not understand that we were using it. What do we usually do? We explain to our students how things should be prepared, cooked and be ready to be served. As a teacher, I know from the beginning how the final product should be since I have worked through the reflective practice many times. I explain to the students the process and the directions needed to be followed and I guide them throughout the lesson. A single mistake or a small misunderstanding from the students, results are off truck. This can happen not only with cooking and baking but also with carpentry, electricians and any other specialization existing in the technical and vocational schools. References E891 Educational Enquiry, Study Guide, (2007), The Open University Flexner, A. (1915) Is social work a profession?, paper presented at the National Conference of Charities and Corrections, Proceedings of the National Conference of Charities and Corrections at the Fortysecond Annual Session held in Baltimore, Maryland, May 12-19, Chicago, Hildmann. Hargreaves, D. (2007) Teaching as a research-based profession: possibilities and prospects (The Teacher Training Agency Lecture 1996) in Educational Research and Evidence-based Practice By in Hammersley, M, 2009, Sage Publication, London. Mitchell, C. and Weber, S. (1996) Reinventing Ourselves as Teachers: Private and Social Acts of Memory an Imagination, London: Falmer Press. Moore, A. (2007) Beyond reflection: contingency, idiosyncrasy and reflexivity in initial teacher education in Educational Research and Evidence-based Practice By in Hammersley, M, 2009, Sage Publication, London. Ravitch, D. (1998) What if research really mattered?, Education Week, 16 December, vol. 18, no. 16, p. 33. Schà ¶n, D. (1987) Educating the Reflective Practitioner, San Francisco, Jossey Bass. Traianou, A. (2007) Understanding Teacher Expertise in Primary Science: A Sociocultural Approach, Rotterdam, Sense Publishers.

Student Athlete Recruiting :: Recruitment Sports Essays

Student Athlete Recruiting Lamarr Monterio, a sophomore wide receiver at Northeastern University, propelled his high school football team, Oliver Ames, into a winning team. â€Å"I was the first player to be recruited for a Division I school in years,† Monterio said. He broke numerous state records and received a lot of publicity as a corner back at Oliver Ames High School in Easton, Massachusetts. He said that he started to receive letters from recruiting schools right before he started his junior year. â€Å"I probably got 12 shoe boxes full of letters. Senior year is especially hectic because coaches call and visit a lot,† said Monterio. The NCAA has a set of rules, which universities follow for recruiting, and it states that a Division I college recruiting a high school player can start sending printed materials on September 1st of an athlete’s junior year. This can include official academic, admissions and student information, any publications or videotapes published by the college, and any general correspondence. The general rules by the NCAA state that the activities by coaches or boosters that cause a player to become a recruited prospective student athlete are: †¢ Providing an official visit †¢ Placing more than one telephone call to the recruit or other members of the family; or †¢ Visiting the recruit or any other member of the family anywhere other than the college campus. The universities that sought interest in Monterio were the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Northeastern University, University of Rhode Island, University of Connecticut, and the University of Maine. They sent him many letters and videotapes during his junior and senior year at Oliver Ames. The coaches from these universities also visited Oliver Ames to watch him play. Recruits are allowed five visits, official and unofficial, to colleges. The college covers the expenses on an official visit. The recruits have to provide their own transportation on an unofficial visit. Monterio chose two universities for an official visit, which were Umass-Amherst and the University of Maine. â€Å"During the day I spent time with the coaches, administrators, and advisors, and from then on I spent time with my host,† said Monteiro. Prospective Student Athletes (PSA) are often given a host, usually someone who has something in common with the PSA, to show them the school’s campus and other places in the area where the school is located. Monterio said after discussing his visits with his family and comparing Umass-Amherst to the University of Maine, he decided to go to Umass-Amherst.

Investment Management Exam Paper

Sample (Easy/Medium level of difficulty) Midterm Exam, FINE441- Fall 2012 – Answer KEYs are attached in the end! THIS IS THE EXAMPLE OF MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS. THE NUMERICAL PROBLEMS WILL BE SIMILAR (NOT IDENTICAL) TO THE END OF CHAPTER PROBLEMS POSTED ON My Courses and Assignments 1. You purchased a share of stock for $20. One year later you received $1 as dividend and sold the share for $29. What was your holding period return? A) 45% B) 50% C) 5% D) 40% E) none of the above Use the following to answer questions 2-3: You have been given this probability distribution for the holding period return for XYZ stock:State of the Economy Boom Normal growth Recession 2. Probability . 30 . 50 . 20 HPR 18% 12% – 5% What is the expected holding period return for XYZ stock? 3. What is the expected standard deviation for XYZ stock? 4. A T-bill pays 6 percent rate of return. Would risk-averse investors invest in a risky portfolio that pays 12 percent with a probability of 40 perc ent or 2 percent with a probability of 60 percent? A) Yes, because they are rewarded with a risk premium. B) No, because they are not rewarded with a risk premium. C) No, because the risk premium is small. D) Cannot be determined.E) None of the above 5. In the mean-standard deviation graph, which one of the following statements is true regarding the indifference curve of a risk-averse investor? A) It is the locus of portfolios that have the same expected rates of return and different standard deviations. B) It is the locus of portfolios that have the same standard deviations and different rates of return. C) It is the locus of portfolios that offer the same utility according to returns and standard deviations. D) It connects portfolios that offer increasing utilities according to returns and standard deviations.E) none of the above. 6. Assume an investor with the following utility function: U = E(r) – 3/2(s2). To maximize her expected utility, she would choose the asset with an expected rate of return of _______ and a standard deviation of ________, respectively. A) 12%; 20% B) 10%; 15% C) 10%; 10% D) 8%; 10% E) none of the above Consider a risky portfolio, A, with an expected rate of return of 0. 15 and a standard deviation of 0. 15, that lies on a given indifference curve. Which one of the following portfolios might lie on the same indifference curve? A) E(r) = 0. 15; Standard deviation = 0. 20 B) E(r) = 0. 5; Standard deviation = 0. 10 C) E(r) = 0. 10; Standard deviation = 0. 10 D) E(r) = 0. 20; Standard deviation = 0. 15 E) E(r) = 0. 10; Standard deviation = 0. 20 An investor can choose to invest in T-bills paying 5% or a risky portfolio with end-of-year cash flow of $132,000. If the investor requires a risk premium of 5%, what would she be willing to pay for the risky portfolio? A) $100,000 B) $108,000 C) $120,000 D) $145,000 E) $147,000 7. 8. 9. You invest $100 in a risky asset with an expected rate of return of 0. 12 and a standard deviation of 0 . 15 and a T-bill with a rate of return of 0. 05.What percentages of your money must be invested in the risky asset and the risk-free asset, respectively, to form a portfolio with an expected return of 0. 09? A) 85% and 15% B) 75% and 25% C) 67% and 33% D) 57% and 43% E) cannot be determined 10. Beta is the measure of A) firm specific risk. B) diversifiable risk. C) market risk. D) unique risk. E) none of the above. 11. The efficient frontier of risky assets is A) the portion of the investment opportunity set that lies above the global minimum variance portfolio. B) the portion of the investment opportunity set that represents the highest standard deviations.C) the portion of the investment opportunity set which includes the portfolios with the lowest standard deviation. D) the set of portfolios that have zero standard deviation. E) both A and B are true. 12. Consider two perfectly negatively correlated risky securities A and B. A has an expected rate of return of 10% and a standard deviation of 16%. B has an expected rate of return of 8% and a standard deviation of 12%. 12. 1. The weights of A and B in the global minimum variance portfolio are _____ and _____, respectively. A) 0. 24; 0. 76 B) 0. 50; 0. 50 C) 0. 57; 0. 43 D) 0. 43; 0. 57 E) 0. 76; 0. 24 12. 2.The risk-free portfolio that can be formed with the two securities will earn _____ rate of return. A) 8. 5% B) 9. 0% C) 8. 9% D) 9. 9% E) none of the above 13. Portfolio theory as described by Markowitz is most concerned with: A) the elimination of systematic risk. B) the effect of diversification on portfolio risk. C) the identification of unsystematic risk. D) active portfolio management to enhance returns. E) none of the above. 14. According to the Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM) a well diversified portfolio's rate of return is a function of A) market risk B) unsystematic risk C) unique risk. D) reinvestment risk.E) none of the above. 15. The risk-free rate and the expected market rate of return are 0. 06 and 0. 12, respectively. According to the capital asset pricing model (CAPM), the expected rate of return on security X with a beta of 1. 2 is equal to A) 0. 06. B) 0. 144. C) 0. 12. D) 0. 132 E) 0. 18 16. Which statement is not true regarding the market portfolio? A) It includes all publicly traded financial assets. B) It lies on the efficient frontier. C) All securities in the market portfolio are held in proportion to their market values. D) It is the tangency point between the capital market line and the indifference curve.E) All of the above are true. 17. Your personal opinion is that security X has an expected rate of return of 0. 11. It has a beta of 1. 5. The risk-free rate is 0. 05 and the market expected rate of return is 0. 09. According to the Capital Asset Pricing Model, this security is A) underpriced. B) overpriced. C) fairly priced. D) cannot be determined from data provided. E) none of the above. 18. According to the index model, covariances among security pa irs are A) due to the influence of a single common factor represented by the market index return. B) extremely difficult to calculate. C) related to industry-specific events.D) usually positive. E) A and D 19. In the single-index model represented by the equation ri = E(ri) + ? iF + ei, the term ei represents A) the impact of unanticipated macroeconomic events on security i's return. B) the impact of unanticipated firm-specific events on security i's return. C) the impact of anticipated macroeconomic events on security i's return. D) the impact of anticipated firm-specific events on security i's return. E) the impact of changes in the market on security i's return. 20. Suppose two portfolios have the same average return, the same standard deviation of returns, but portfolio A has a higher beta than portfolio B.According to the Sharpe measure, the performance of portfolio A __________. A) is better than the performance of portfolio B B) is the same as the performance of portfolio B C ) is poorer than the performance of portfolio B D) cannot be measured as there is no data on the alpha of the portfolio E) none of the above is true. 21. An arbitrage opportunity exists if an investor can construct a __________ investment portfolio that will yield a sure profit. A) positive B) negative C) zero D) all of the above E) none of the above 22. Consider the one-factor APT. The variance of returns on the factor portfolio is 6%.The beta of a well-diversified portfolio on the factor is 1. 1. The variance of returns on the well-diversified portfolio is approximately __________. A) 3. 6% B) 6. 0% C) 7. 3% D) 10. 1% E) none of the above 23. Consider the single factor APT. Portfolio A has a beta of 0. 2 and an expected return of 13%. Portfolio B has a beta of 0. 4 and an expected return of 15%. The riskfree rate of return is 10%. If you wanted to take advantage of an arbitrage opportunity, you should take a short position in portfolio _________ and a long position in portfolio __ _______. A) A, A B) A, B C) B, A D) B, B E) none of the above 4. You sold short 300 shares of common stock at $55 per share. The initial margin is 60%. At what stock price would you receive a margin call if the maintenance margin is 35%? A. $51. 00 B. $65. 18 C. $35. 22 D. $40. 36 E. none of the above 25. You purchased 1000 shares of CSCO common stock on margin at $19 per share. Assume the initial margin is 50% and the maintenance margin is 30%. Below what stock price level would you get a margin call? Assume the stock pays no dividend; ignore interest on margin A. $12. 86 B. $15. 75 C. $19. 67 D. $13. 57 U = E(r) – (A/2)s2, where A = 4. . 26. Based on the utility function above, which investment would you select? A. 1 B. 2 C. 3 D. 4 E. cannot tell from the information given 27. Analysts may use regression analysis to estimate the index model for a stock. When doing so, the slope of the regression line is an estimate of ______________. A. the ? of the asset B. the ? of the as set C. the ? of the asset D. the ? of the asset E. the ? of the asset 28. Analysts may use regression analysis to estimate the index model for a stock. When doing so, the intercept of the regression line is an estimate of ______________.A. the ? of the asset B. the ? of the asset C. the ? of the asset D. the ? of the asset E. the ? of the asset 29. The index model for stock A has been estimated with the following result: RA= 0. 01 + 0. 9RM+ eA If ? M= 0. 25 and R2A= 0. 25, the standard deviation of return of stock A is _________. A. 0. 2025 B. 0. 2500 C. 0. 4500 D. 0. 8100 E. 0. 5460 Answer keys for the Sample Midterm, Fall 2012, FINE441. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 1 12. 2 13. B 14. A 15. D 16. D 17. C 18. E 19. B 20. B 21. C 22. C 23. C 24. B 25. D 26. C 27. B 28. A 29. C B C E B C C C C D C A D C

Educator Role Plan Essay

Envisioning my future and creating my personal strategic plan addressing my professional development needs for my career is imperative as I face changes in my career post-graduation. Realizing my strengths and weaknesses will allow for development in the areas of need. Faculty educators may perform different roles such as advisors and mentors. A strategic plan with set goals and sub-objectives will allow for prioritization and planning in meeting the requirements of the different roles. Professional organizations such as the National League of Nursing (NLN) also allow for networking opportunities, resources, and tools to meet the goals. Strengths and Weaknesses â€Å"Preparing new nurse educators, nurse educator curricula must address the core knowledge and skills essential for effectiveness and excellence in the nurse educator role† (Kalb, 2008, p. 217). Identifying strengths and weaknesses will enable the nurse educator to address and develop areas that are considered weaknesses and flourish in areas of strength. My primary weakness is that when work is slow, I tend to become less motivated. While some nurses would take that extra time on the floor to catch up on menial tasks, I would take the time to relax. I realized that early in my career as a floor nurse, so I would always ask for the first admission or look for ways to assist the team. With that being said, my strength from that is that I work well under stress. The closer I get to a deadline, the better my thought process seems to work. In order to develop my weakness, it is important that I manage the down time appropriately. Strategic Plan The nurse educator role, whether it is as faculty, school nurse, or public health, is essential to the development of the profession. â€Å"Nursing faculty drive the work that occurs in schools of nursing† (Milone-Nuzzo & Lancaster, 2004, p. 506). Nurse educators are the key to preparing a workforce that will provide quality care for the communities in which they serve. There is a core of skills and knowledge that the nurse educator will require, regardless of his or her particular role. The responsibilities of educators in various settings may differ in certain aspects, but the main role of any educator is to facilitate learning. â€Å"One method of future planning is to reflect on several possible scenarios and create a vision to support the desired outcome† (Hinojosa, 2012, p. 34). Faculty educators may perform roles such as advisors, lecture and clinical education sessions, skills labs, faculty committees, mentoring, maintaining competencies and accreditations. Faculty is responsible for curriculum development, student assessment and evaluation, and integrating appropriate teaching styles where necessary (Finke, 2009). To meet the objective to perform the roles, goals should be set with clear sub-objectives to identify the plan over the three to five year setting. Goal #1 To become an active member in the profession of nursing faculty at the local community college. Sub-Objective #1 In order to meet my goal, my first sub-objective would be to complete my education in the Master of Science in Nursing in education (MSN/ED) with the University of Phoenix. Sub-Objective #2 After graduation, I would develop a resume indicating educational and career background. Sub-Objective #3 I will apply, interview, and accept employment at the local community college, thereby meeting my goal. Goal #2 To commit myself to continual and lifelong learning to ensure I am knowledgeable and qualified to teach. Sub-Objective #1 After completion of the MSN/ED program at University of Phoenix, determine if more education for either nurse practitioner or Doctorate will be indicated for career advancement. Sub-Objective #2 Continue my education through continuing education units that will enhance and develop previous learning. Sub-Objective #3 Increase knowledge of culturally diverse students to better assist them in their learning experience. Professional Organization The NLN is an organization that addresses the academic spectrum of nursing programs. The NLN includes nurse faculty members and is â€Å"committed to delivering improved, enhanced, and expanded services to its members and championing the pursuit of quality nursing education for all types of nursing education programs† (National League of Nursing, 2014, para. 2). The NLN provides tools, activities, and resources to ensure the success of nursing educators. This organization offers career development and networking opportunities. Conclusion The NLN is a professional organization that provides resources for the members to be successful in nursing education. As new nursing faculty, a strategic plan with set goals will be key to meet the demands of a nursing educator. Development of strengths and weaknesses will allow for professional growth and development and I face the changes in my career post-graduation. References Finke, L.M. (2009). Philosophical foundations of the Curriculum. In D.M. Billings, & J. A. Halstead (Eds.), Teaching in nursing: A guide for faculty (3rd ed., pp. 3-17). St. Louis, MO: Saunders/Elsevier. Hinojosa, J. (2012). Personal strategic plan development: Getting ready for changes in our professional and personal lives. The American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 66(3), e34-8. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1017693193?accountid=458 Kalb, K. A. (2008). Core competencies of nurse educators: Inspiring EXCELLENCE in nurse educator practice. Nursing Education Perspectives, 29(4), 217-9. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/236656695?accountid=458 Milone-Nuzzo, P., & Lancaster, J. (2004). Looking through the right end of the telescope: Creating a focused vision for a school of nursing. Journal of Nursing Education, 43(11), 506-11. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/203966935?accountid=458 National League for Nursing. (2014). Faculty pr ograms and resources. Retrieved from http://www.nln.org/