Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation - Essay Example The decision of â€Å"do not resuscitate† is made by the patient if he is functionally able to convey it. If otherwise, the family members may have to make the decision when it is called surrogate decision (Torke, 2011). The subject has been the topic of discussion along with other end-of-life decisions due to the ethical and legal bearings (Sham et al, 2007). The decisions on the withholding of the treatment for the sustenance of life would be relaying the message that the patient accepts the progression of the disease and that he trusts the healing physician. There will be an underlying desire to reduce the burden on others. The wish to live and die naturally could also be influencing his decision (Sham et al, 2007). Research has elicited various factors influencing the doctors when the DNR (do not resuscitate) orders are made. These are based on the themes of a probability of survival, the desire of the patient, the quality of life prior to present illness and the quality e xpected after it (Sham et al, 2007). Federal and State policies in the US advice advance care planning where the patient may be encouraged to make his decision for other end-of-life decisions but DNR has been excluded (Sham et al, 2007). The BBC News has reported that the British Medical Association and the Royal College of Nursing in the UK have issued guidelines which indicated that the DNR orders could be issued only in consultation with the patients and families (BBC Ethics Guide, 2011). In Australia, the not-for-resuscitation (NFR) orders formed part of the medical practice but policies have still not yet provided a fool-proof method of implementation (Sidhu et al, 2007). Researchers indicate that current policies showroom for improvement: there are no standardised forms or patient information leaflets (Sidhu et al, 2007). A clinical audit had been conducted by Salins and Jansen as a retrospective study to determine the accuracy of documentation of NFR orders in patients who had died at the Lyell McEwin Hospital (2011).   This hospital was part of a teaching hospital in South Australia in 2007.   Eighty-eight files could be accessed for information.  

David Abram Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

David Abram - Essay Example Abraham goes ahead to state that once human beings accept their bodies, they perforce recognize that they are also animals. Despite the uniqueness in mankind, its place is not above the animated world but instead in its midst. He also disagrees with the view that perception is the act of hearing, being aware or seeing something as perceived remains static, but instead its an interaction between one body and others or things, where there is a sympathetic or symbiosis relationship. He then discusses language which is rooted in the experience of senses. In a nutshell, Abram’s work presents a complex, detailed and good work that defines the existence of humanity. It throws a spanner on the complacency of the perceived truths and replaces them with thoughts that if they are not understood, they will remain open questions. He refers to it as a turning inside out resulting to loosening of the psyche from the confinement of human sphere. Simone de Beauvoir In her study, Ethics of Ambi guity, Simone de Beauvoir begins by presenting the characteristics of oppression, which includes; it removes the oppressed from community members believed to be in authority and can influence decisions and also aims towards the reduction of the oppressed to the status of an object. In his work, he believes that manipulation desire is one of the main ways through which oppression is exercised. Just like Sartre, she holds that the destruction of passion or desire will have a negative consequence for the creation of life and have a purpose in it.

Criminology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 10

Criminology - Essay Example How is it possible, for example, to justify the actions of a criminal, who killed a little child? It is absolutely impossible to let this person exist further, moreover to give him a chance to appear among other members of the society again one day. Such people should be eliminated, they should not exist, because their behavior can’t be corrected anyhow. So, death penalty is very helpful here and should be used. On the other hand modern world is trying to follow democratic principles. Notwithstanding that the majority of European countries and many states of the US cancelled death penalty, in some countries death penalty is still widely used. For example, in China it is applied every day to any kinds of crimes (Evans, 2012). Is it right? No, it is absolutely wrong because it contradicts humanistic and democratic principles. The best way is to use death penalty only sometimes for the most severe crimes. However, cases are rarely considered separately, the law is the same for everybody, and many innocent people are still in risk. Thus, the issue remains

The Matthew Effect Essay Example for Free

The Matthew Effect Essay The Matthew Effect chapter of Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell states that a person’s success s attributed to the timing of their birth date as it relates to the cut-off dates of sports and education. He believes that this one random date is the start of a series of advantages that can ultimately lead to success. Although timing of a birth date and opportunities can play a significant factor in one’s success, they are not the sole determination of success. Gladwell fails to acknowledge the vital role an individual’s ambition and natural born talent play in creating success or the crucial impact family influences can have on one’s success. Over-Simplified Since Biblical times, groups of people were separated by the haves and the have not’s. Matthew 25:29 states â€Å"For unto everyone that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance. But from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. † (Gladwell, 2008, p. 15) In chapter 1, of the Outliers (2008), Malcolm Gladwell has a similar argument in â€Å"The Matthew Effect†. He argues that personal success is attributed to hidden advantages, such as someone’s birth date, which in turn, creates opportunity through accumulative advantages. (pg. 19) Gladwell calls these successful people â€Å"outliers† which he defines as â€Å"men and women who do things that are out of the ordinary† (pg. 17). Although timing of a birth date and opportunities play a significant factor in one’s success, Gladwell’s theory that those are the sole determination of success is over simplified because it does not take into consideration the impact of one’s individual ambition, talent, and family influences. Ambition In Outliers, Gladwell states that â€Å"people don’t rise from nothing† (pg. 19) and completely discounts the role an individual’s ambition plays in achieving success. When a student, or an athlete, possesses a strong desire for success, regardless of their age or birth date, it drives them to excel beyond the normal range. A perfect example of this would be a young girl named Stephanie Bradley. She wanted to be a doctor. Stephanie grew up in a small blue collar community in rural Texas. Her parents were not college educated and lived just slightly above the poverty line. She attended a small, public, 2A high school, with average teachers. In addition, she was the youngest in her class, in cases, by more than a year because of a mid-July birthday. What set her apart from the other students was her desire for success and her passion for medicine. This ambition drove her to work hard and smart, stay focused, and never take her eye off her ultimate goal. Along the way, she made sacrifices, but never veered off course. She didn’t have any opportunities above and beyond ones she created on her own. Born With It Sheer talent is another key factor responsible for success and lies with the group of athletes that achieve success without the benefit accumulative advantages. These are the athletes who are born with a talent that supersedes the skill of other athletes. There is a difference between skill and talent. Skill is something that requires training and experience to do well, whereas, talent is a natural ability to compete with exceptional ability. (Bing dictionary, 2014) While this talent is rare to find, when it exist, these athletes can find success regardless of where their birthday falls on a calendar. One such athlete exists right now on a local high school swim team. Taylor is a high school freshman who didn’t compete in little league sports, since his parents were more artsy than athletic and they never had the financial resources to pay for extracurricular activities. In his freshman year, a friend asked him to join the swim team. Having never competed athletically, Taylor was hesitant but agreed. To everyone’s amazement, he medaled at his first swim meet. Not just in one event, but two. The next week, more success, more wins. His very first year swimming, he won at district, regional’s and is ranked 4th in the state. There is now talk of Olympic trials. He has competed and won against athletes who have been swimming since the age of four, have logged thousands of hours in the pool, and whose parents have spend enormous amounts of money on private coaches. However, Taylor wins having never received those types of opportunities. He wins because of his natural born talent. Family An individual’s family influences can also have a crucial impact on one’s success. While Gladwell acknowledges that heritage and culture plan a role in success or failure as illustrated in the Harlan, Kentucky and The Ethic Theory of Plane Crashes chapters, he doesn’t credit directly, the parents, grandparents, as well as, siblings that can provide a fundamental element in creating success. For example, if a parent has a strong desire to pass along their knowledge or skills in a particular sport, they are likely to start that process at a very early age which results in increased practice time developing the child’s skill. This parent might also supply additional training above and beyond what a typical coach would provide. The family could also have connections with coaches or teachers that allow for added instruction. Siblings can also push individuals to a higher level of performance. For example, having an older brother who plays baseball with a younger sibling will be providing further exposure that can develop their skills. All this additional training and experience can develop a child ahead of the curve, regardless of their birth date. The Other 32% Gladwell’s example of the roster of hockey players on the Medicine Hat team showed that â€Å"seventeen of the twenty-five players on the team† (pg. 23) had the perfect birth month for the sport. He credited their January, February, March and April birthdays for their success. However, that means that eight out of the twenty-five players (32%) on the team were successful, without the benefit of the perfect birth month. This group isn’t the largest percentage of players on the team but it does show that success isn’t based on just one factor. Gladwell’s argument that success stems from hidden advantages and opportunities created by those advantages is true in some cases; successful people are not created from one formula, such as what month their birthday falls. That is just one piece of the picture of success. There are a multitude of factors i. e. ambition, talent and family that play a role in determining why someone is successful and they all need to be encouraged and promoted.

Modernism as an Impact in Society Essay Example for Free

Modernism as an Impact in Society Essay Modernism is a modernist movements in the art, its set of cultural tendencies and associated cultural movements, originally arising from wide-scale and far-reaching changes to Western society in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Modernism also reject the idea of enlightenment thinking as a well the idea of god as a powerful person. Modernism movement is focus on traditional activities such as; art, architecture, the religious faith, social organization and daily life, those things were become obsolete in the economic system, social and political implication that were presented the fully industrialized world. An example of modernism was â€Å"Sophistication† by Sherwood Anderson in (1876-1941). â€Å"Sophistication† has several controversial ideas that suggest negative consequences on society; insolation, and individuality of people. Tendencies about modernism presented in â€Å"sophistication† could be cause impact in depression. Depression is a mental state or chronic mental disorder characterized by feelings of sadness, loneliness, despair, low self-esteem, and self-reproach (Leonard). Modernism considers that exist a barrier that divides past from the present. It is an impassible barrier in the imagination of modernity. It? s cause the experience of disillusion which make it possible to capture the innocence of early days. Modernism suggest that all people have disillusion for any reason, this disillusion helps people to overcome the problem and also sees the world as an option to improve their live. Besides an idea of modernism is the disillusion of people. Sherwood Anderson in his story â€Å"Sophistication† suggest that: The mood that had taken possession of him was a thing known to men and unknown to boys. He felt old and a little tired. Memories awoke in him. To his mind his new sense of maturity set him apart, made of him a half-tragic figure. He wanted someone to understand the feeling that had taken possession of him after his mother’s death. (422) It means that George Willard is growing up into manhood but, he wants to have a person that can comprehend some feelings that had taken possession of him because he felt totally different in his new stage. On the other hand, James Leonard makes contrast about believes that Sherwood Anderson has with regard to puritanism. He suggest that disillusion cause spiritual depression: â€Å"Almost any disappointment, disillusionment, failure, or collapse-of-hopes might cause us to tumble into an emotional slump† In this perspective, disillusion cause a spiritual depression in which people that are facing problems like adaptation into society. When Elizabeth, his mother, finally dies, George Willard is oddly unaffected at first. He decides that now he will definitely leave Winesburg. â€Å"Sitting with his mothers corpse, he begins to think of kissing Helen White. Having this thought while sitting next to his dead mother makes him feel guilty, and he begins to weep again. He leaves the room, still crying, overcome by a combination of fright and uncertainty. † (Anderson) However George remember things such when his mother death for that reason he felt loneliness and maybe in some moments he was depressed for both reason; his mother and Helen White. Sherwood in his story â€Å"Sophistication† arguments: â€Å"The sadness of sophistication has come to the boy. With a little gaps he sees himself as a merely a leaf blown by the wind through the streets of his villages†( p 423). That means that he has fair to confront the new world. He felt alone and his thoughts are that he is going to die uncertainly. Moreover, when people in society are facing situations that can affect their life like remembering of past, thing like this was difficult to overcome for them or accomplish some rules that society is show them such; aptitude related with sex, being part of fully industrialized world. Those thing can affect themselves. Also, if they do not accomplish those rules, they are discriminate or they cannot be part of the world. In some moment they are called stranger person or rare. The ideologies Modernism presents in Sophistication cause several impact on society. Modernism has its own relation with individualism. Subsequently, they belief are not shared by the religion. Modernism belief that individualism has association with liberty. On the other hand, â€Å"Sophistication† presents a corrupt interest on money as a form of refuse to obtain materials things. The point of view epitomized by Sherwood Anderson in his story â€Å"Sophistication† with an insignificant quotation: Helen arose and went into the house. At the door leading to a garden at the back she stopped and stood listening. Her mother began to talk. â€Å"There is no one here fit to associate with a girl of Helen’s breeding,† she said. Helen ran down a flight of stairs at the back of the house and into the garden. In the darkness she stopped and stood trembling. It seemed to her that the world was full of meaningless people saying words. With this example Anderson in his history try to demonstrate what important are the material things for Helens mother, saying to instructor that do not exist a man that can be compere with the status of Helen White. However, Helen felt sad because she thinks that in the word there are people who say stupid things. But, the mother does not take into account Helen’s feelings because people who are materialist do not care about people who are around them. Moreover Helen was thinking in George when she went to fair with the instructor. Besides, Anderson affirm that Helen’s thought was regard to George: Helen White was thinking of George Willard even as he wandered gloomily through the crowds thinking of her. She remembered the summer evening when they had walked together and wanted to walk with him again. She thought that the months she had spent in the city, the going to theaters and the seeing of great crowds wandering in lighted thoroughfares, had changed her profoundly. She wanted him to feel and be conscious of the change in her nature. That means that Helen is thinking in her love and also. And she also was remembering things when they were in the city, those things she cannot forget because they were like phantasy for her. Also, Helen White wants that George about some changes in her nature, those changes have to be with her growing up into womanhood. However, religion disagree with this point of view that modernist present in â€Å"Sophistication†. Religion has some fundaments related with love as important pillar in humans being. On the other hand, the religion criticizes the ambition for materials thing because God teach them in his bible that material things do not have anything to do with happiness. Reina Valera makes a contrast about belief of modernism: Make no store of wealth for yourselves on earth, where it may be turned to dust by worms and weather, and where thieves may come in by force and take it away, But make a store for yourselves in heaven, where it will not be turned to dust and where thieves do not come in to take it away: For where our wealth is, there will your heart be. (Matthew 6:19, 20, 21) God counsels to make our best things the joys and glories of the other world, those things not seen which are eternal, and to place our happiness in them. Furthermore, God tries to teach that if we die all materials things we are going to stay in this earth, for that reason materials things are not related with happiness. To sum up, the vision of Sherwood Anderson as a modernism believer has about the connection that exist between past and present when children are suffering some changes when they are growing up how is present in â€Å"sophistication† Helen White was change her childhood into womanhood at the same time of George was change his childhood into manhood. But, it is also important to take into account that those changes could affect their life because some children want not to be part of adult and some moments those changes could be the first cause of depression. After all, it is necessary to respect the perception that the religion has, it is in contrast of the ambition of material things or to get money. However, it is necessary to respect those beliefs that every person has about religion. Moreover Reina Valera teach us that material things do not have anything to do with happiness because God teach us that it is more important love because materials thing is going to stay in the earth when we die.

Financial Performance of BRALIRWA

Financial Performance of BRALIRWA This chapter presents the theoretical framework used to evaluate the financial performance of BRALIRWA and the influence of corporate governance on the firm performance; and the research methodology followed throughout the research basing on the different aspects discussed in literature review. 3.1 INTRODUCTION As discussed in chapter one, the main focus for many companies is to create the best possible value for their owners and to secure excellent financial performance. The sound financial health of a company is one of its major goals and to maintain it, companies at one point of time have to look at the past and current performance to plan for future prospect. The most objective way to evaluate the financial performance of a company is through financial statement analysis. Financial analysis involves the assessment of a firms liquidity, its operating performance, its risk profile and its growth potential using financial ratios. Ratio analysis is an important and powerful analytical tool used for measuring the performance of a business entity (Van et Al., 2003). It helps stakeholders (shareholders, investors, creditors, managers, government etc) to make an evaluation about the profitability and financial soundness of the business entity (Bardia, 2008). Different types of investors expect different types of returns, if you are a stockholder, you expect an increase in the value of the stock you hold; if you have invested in a company with a history of paying dividends, you also expect a dividend; if you have loaned the firm money, you expect to receive interest and the return of loan principal. Although the types of returns they expect are different, equity investors and creditors both risk not receiving those returns. Therefore, both stockholders and creditors use financial statement analysis to predict their expected returns and assess the risks associated with those returns (Hongren, Sundem, Elliot and Phil brick, 2003). Analysis of financial performance allows comparison of practice performance from one year to the next, benchmarking of a practice against industry standards, and preparation of financial information for lending institutions or directors (Stallwood, 1996). The financial performance of a company can be influenced by many different aspects or factors and for the purpose of this study, corporate governance was taken into consideration and specifically the aspect of board characteristics. The board of directors is an important entity in a company creating a link between shareholders and managers and therefore playing an important role in the governance of the firm (Dehaene et al., 2007). Therefore, boards of directors are charged with the task of monitoring the performance and activities of top management to ensure that the latter acts in the best interests of the owners (Jensen and Meckling, 1976; quoted by OConnell and Cramer, 2010) 3.2 PROBLEM DEFINITION After the 1994 genocide many companies in Rwanda were destroyed and some of them have not recovered up to today. Among the companies affected by the genocide include manufacturing companies out of which some tried to recover and restart their activities progressively and the country is providing a good environment for business but this does not guarantee good performance on behalf of companies. Standard financial reports provide basic information on the current profit level of investment in assets but do not give information on whether profit is adequate, how efficiently the assets are being used to generate sales, how efficient the overall operation is, and whether there are short-term financial problems facing the business. Ratio analysis provides some answers to these questions by calculating the relationships between various figures on the balance sheet and the income statement and comparing the movements in these ratios over time and against industry averages can provide additional information about whether the organization is performing well or whether remedial action is needed (Stallwood, 1996). Ratio analysis is an important and powerful analytical tool for measuring the performance of a business entity. It helps stakeholders to make an evaluation about the profitability and financial soundness of the business entity (Van et al., 2003). Some key companies in the manufacturing sector do not have thorough financial analysis which makes it difficult for stakeholders to know how these companies are performing; BRALIRWA will be used as representative case study to exemplify the financial performance of companies in the sector and the way this performance is influenced by corporate governance. The way companies are directed and controlled can influence their performance (Berle Means, 1932), in some companies there is lack of consistency in reporting operating and financial activities as well as governance activities to shareholders in a fair, accurate, timely, reliable, relevant, complete and verifiable manner. Manufacturing companies in Rwanda contribute to the economic development of the country and hence a need to evaluate their performance in other to detect their likely future and take appropriate measures accordingly, as well as the influence of corporate governance on their performance. 3.3 RESEARCH OBJECTIVES This study has one general objective and five specific objectives. 3.3.1 General objective The general objective of this study is to assess the financial performance of BRALIRWA s.a (2005-2008) and the influence of its corporate governance on the performance 3.3.2 Specific objectives To analyze the operating efficiency and profitability of BRALIRWA to know its level of operating performance. To analyze the sales and earnings variability in order to measure the risk that BRALIRWA may be exposed to. To analyze the internal liquidity of BRALIRWA in order to measure its ability to meet financial obligations in the short-term. To assess the impact if any of BRALIRWA governance on its performance. To analyze the sustainable growth potential of BRALIRWA. 3.4 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK The theoretical framework adopted in this study was developed based on different literature on the analysis and evaluation of financial performance and literature on corporate governance and firm performance. 3.4.1 Dependent variable According to Jones, Wahba and Heijden (2007), the dependent variable is the one main research issue you are studying, on which other variables in theoretical framework are assumed to have an impact. Creswell (2002), defines dependent variables as the outcomes or results of the influence of the independent variables. For this study, financial performance stands for the dependent variable. Financial performance is usually measured by ROE and ROA, for this study financial analysis is used to analyze the financial performance of BRALIRWA and the analysis is conducted in three categories; the analysis of internal liquidity, operating performance and risk. When analyzing internal liquidity, the intention is to indicate the firms ability to meet its future short-term financial obligations, this may be an indication over a certain period of the likely performance of a company because if a firm is not able to meet its short-term financial obligations for a long period, definitely this will affect its performance but the analysis of this may help the organization take necessary actions. The analysis here is based on current ratio, quick ratio, cash ratio, receivables turnover and inventory turnover. The analysis of operating performance, examines how management uses its assets and capital by measuring the sales generated by various categories of assets or capital and analyzes the profits as a percentage of sales and as a percentage of the assets and capital employed (Brown and Reilly, 2009). The ratios used are the asset turnover, equity turnover, profit margins, return on equity and return on assets. Concerning the risk analysis, both business and financial risks are measured and analyzed, here the emphasis is on the sales variability, operating leverage which consists of the variability of a firms operating earnings and then the debt-equity ratio to measure the financial risk. 3.4.2 Independent variables Independent variables are the variables impacting on your main research problem. They are called independent in a sense that those variables are affecting the amount of dependent variables and do not affect each other, so they are independent of each other (Jones, Wahba and Heijden, 2007). Corporate governance stands for the independent variable for this study. Corporate governance is the mechanism by which a corporation is managed and monitored. It determines a power-sharing relationship between corporation executives and investors by providing structure through which the objectives are defined; policies and procedures are established to ensure achievement of these objectives; and activities, affairs, and performance are monitored (Rezaee, 2004). Based on this definition and other definitions of corporate governance, it can positively or negatively influence the performance of a company and for the purpose of this study, the influence will be analyzed based on board characteristics which are treated as the moderating variables in this study and considered as one of the aspects of corporate governance. 3.4.3 Moderating variables Moderating variables are included in the theoretical model to modify the way that the independent variables will affect the dependent variable. They might act as a catalyst of these relationships and strengthen them or perhaps they just inhibit the relationship and weaken it (Jones, Wahba and Heijden, 2007). For this study the moderating variables are the board characteristics, and the following characteristics were taken into consideration the board size, board composition, CEO duality, board diversity and frequency of board meetings. The board size is the number of members on the board and as boards are considered to be large decision-making groups, size can affect the decision-making process and effectiveness of the board (Dwivedi and Jain, 2005). Talking about the board composition, the board may be composed of directors who may be executive meaning that they are employees of the firm, or non-executive meaning they are not employees of the company; and this may have an effect on firm performance. CEO duality consists of having the same person holding both the board chairman and CEO positions or having the CEO and board chair positions separate, this also may have an impact on firm performance. When it comes to board diversity, the consideration is that there may be some diversification in the board members which may or may not have an influence on firm performance; diversity for this study is seen as gender diversity, racial diversity and experience/background diversity. Board meeting frequency consists of how frequently the board meetings are scheduled and the board activity is measured by the frequency of board meeting, this frequency may impact on the performance of the firm. Figure 3.1: Theoretical Framework Source: Research, 2010 3.4.4 Research assumptions Based on the various corporate scandals due to the manipulation of financial statements, the researcher made an assumption that the information provided in the audited financial statements of BRALIRWA for the period 2005-2008 are true and accurate. It was assumed that the respondents would be willing to fill the questionnaires and that the staff in the finance department of BRALIRWA would cooperate in providing any necessary information regarding the financial statements. 3.4.5 Research limitations The study uses BRALIRWA as a case study, which may provide little basis for generalization on the performance of other manufacturing companies The study only use a time-series analysis because there are no competitors in the industry to compare with The financial statements analyzed were the balance sheet and income statement because the company does not prepare cash flow statement The study only used board characteristics as the aspects of corporate governance due to time and logistics constraints the researcher could not use other aspects. The study was limited to a period of four years from 2005 to 2008 3.5 RESEARCH QUESTIONs To achieve the research objectives of this study; the study has to answer the following major and minor research questions. 3.5.1 Major research questions How is BRALIRWA financially performing for the period under study and what is the implication for future performance? How is BRALIRWA governance influencing its performance? 3.5.2 Minor research questions How well is the management of BRALIRWA doing to generate operating profits on companys assets? How well is BRALIRWA management using the capital invested? How is BRALIRWA financing its assets and how variable its earnings are? How well is BRALIRWA doing to meet its maturing financial obligations? The above mentioned research questions will help in analyzing the financial performance of BRALIRWA and the influence of its corporate governance on performance. 3.6 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 3.6.1 Research type This study is basically quantitative with a small portion of qualitative and descriptive in nature and is using a case study method. The study is using the computation of different ratios to analyze the financial performance of BRALIRWA and statistical measure like mean, standard deviation and correlation are also used; and it is also qualitative in the sense that it is looking at the perceptions of staff on the influence of corporate governance on the performance. The purpose of quantitative research is to determine the quantity or extent of some phenomenon in the form of numbers (Zikmund, 1994). 3.6.1.1 Case study methodology This study is using BRALIRWA as a case study representing other manufacturing companies in Rwanda. BRALIRWA was chosen as a case study because of its long stay in the business and as being one of the manufacturing companies that were operating before the 1994 Rwandan genocide and which has continued operating and the major motivation for the researcher to take it as a representative case study is that the manufacturing sector in Rwanda is mostly made of food and beverages companies where BRALIRWA is dominating. According to Robson (2002:178) cited by Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill (2007), a case study is a strategy for doing research which involves an empirical investigation of a particular contemporary phenomenon within its real life context using multiple sources of evidence. Yin (2009) defines a case study as an empirical inquiry that investigates a contemporary phenomenon in depth and within its real life context, especially when the boundaries between phenomenon and context are not clearly evident. According to Yin (2009), the case study inquiry copes with the technically distinctive situation in which there will be many more variables of interest than data points, and one result; relies on multiple source of evidence, with data needing to converge in a triangulating fashion, and as another result; and benefits from the prior development of theoretical propositions to guide data collection and analysis. 3.6.1.2 Descriptive research This study is descriptive as it is describing and evaluating systematically how BRALIRWA has been performing for the period under study. According to Kumar (2005), a descriptive research attempts to describe systematically a situation, problem, phenomenon, service or program, or provides information about something or describes attitudes towards an issue. 3.6.1.3 Quantitative and qualitative research As discussed early, this study is a mix of quantitative and qualitative, it is evaluating the performance of BRALIRWA by quantifying it through different ratios to analyze the internal liquidity, operating performance and risk and most of the information is gathered using quantitative variables (through financial statements). On the other hand, the study is qualitative in the way that it has some variables which were analyzed without being quantified. The study is qualified as quantitative if one wants to quantify the variation in a phenomenon, situation, problem, or issue; if information gathered using predominantly quantitative variables; and if the analysis is geared to ascertain the magnitude of the variation. On the other hand, a study is qualified as qualitative if the purpose of the study is primary to describe a situation, phenomenon, problem or event; the information is gathered through the use of variables measured on nominal or ordinal scales; and if analysis is done to establish the variation in the situation, phenomenon or problem without quantifying it (Kumar, 2005). 3.6.2 Data collection instrument and source For the purpose of this study, both primary and secondary data were collected. To collect primary data questionnaires were distributed to the staff of BRALIRWA to know and analyze their perceptions on the influence of board characteristics on firm performance, the questionnaires were given to different staff but the most targeted were the managers and directors (management team) and heads of department and then some of the officers in different departments; interviews were also used with the staff in the finance department to get some clarifications on the content of the financial statements. And to collect secondary data, different literature on the evaluation of financial performance and those on the relationship between corporate governance (board characteristics) were reviewed through books, journals, articles and websites; and the financial statements of BRALIRWA for a period of 2005-2008 were consulted and analyzed through financial ratios. 3.6.3 Sampling methods Sampling is the process of selecting a few (a sample) from a bigger group (the sampling population) to become the basis for estimating or predicting the prevalence of an unknown piece of information, situation or outcome regarding the bigger group; a sample is a subgroup of the population one is interested in (Kumar, 2005). For the purpose of this study, judgmental sampling technique has been used to select the sample in order to collect primary data. Purposive or judgmental sampling enables you to use your judgment to select cases that will best enable you to answer your research question(s) and to meet your objectives. This form of sample is often used when working with very small samples such as in case study research and when you wish to select cases that are particularly informative (Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, 2007 quoting Neuman, 2000). According to Kumar (2005), the primary consideration in purposive sampling is the judgment of the researcher as to who can provide the best information to achieve the objectives of the study; the researcher only goes to those people who in his/her opinion are likely to have the required information and be willing to share it. For the respondents to fill the questionnaire it required a certain degree of information about the board of directors and the judgmental sampling is the appropriate technique to this study. 3.6.4 Sample size A sample of 25 respondents was selected from the staff of BRALIRWA which is the population of the study; as stated early the sample was selected using judgmental sampling. The respondents were selected from different departments of the company and from top management to senior officers and the sample is the representative of the population. 3.6.4 Data analysis methods The study is based more on the secondary data as the evaluation of financial performance is based on the financial statements of the case company (BRALIRWA) and on primary data which were collected using a questionnaire to analyze the influence of the board characteristics on the financial performance of the company as perceived by the company employees. In the process of data analysis, the information from the financial statement were first presented according to the research objectives and research questions and based on the theoretical framework and literature review; then they were analyzed using appropriate ratios and the analysis was based on time series analysis, some statistics were used such as mean and standard deviation for the researcher to analyze the data and come up with conclusions and recommendations. To analyze the data collected from questionnaires, the following process was followed; first the data were edited, then coded and frequency distribution were used. To analyze, the open-ended questions, content analysis was used whereby different themes were identified from the answers given by the respondents and then verbatim responses were examined and discussed with reference to literature to come up with research findings, conclusion and recommendations. 3.7 CHAPTER SUMMARY This chapter discussed the research problem by highlighting that in Rwanda some key companies do not have thorough financial analysis and that the performance of companies may be influenced by the way they are managed and monitored where this may depend on the characteristics of the board. The chapter also discussed the theoretical framework that was used for this study and the dependent, independent and moderating variables were identified; financial performance is the dependent variable which is determined through the analysis of internal liquidity, operating performance and risk and the summarizing indicators of financial performance for the purpose of this study were identified as ROE and ROA. The chapter goes on discussing the research objectives, research questions, the assumptions and limitations of study. Then the chapter concludes with the discussion of the research methodology that was used to conduct the research and to achieve the research objectives and to answer the research questions that were put forward; the study is a mix of quantitative and qualitative, both secondary and primary were used and financial statements and other sources were used to collect secondary data and the questionnaire was used to collect primary and the questionnaires were sent to a sample of 25 respondents, the sample was selected using judgmental sampling.

We Must Ban MTBE Gasoline Use in Cold Climate Areas :: Argumentative Persuasive Argument Essays

We Must Ban MTBE Gasoline Use in Cold Climate Areas Several years ago doctors told us that because butter contained a lot of cholesterol it would be healthier to use margarine instead. Yet just recently it was discovered and told us by doctors that although butter has more cholesterol, overall it is healthier than margarine (Kamen 1). Margarine had some unseen negative effect on the human body, and human health. A similar yet distinct situation is happening today in the gasoline industry. In order to reduce the pollution that vehicles emit oxygenates are added to gasoline. Oxygenates reduce the amount of toxins released. The most common used oxygenate is methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE). MTBE like margarine has had some unexpected and previously unseen harmful effects on the human health when used in cold climate areas. It has caused respiratory problems, nausea, headaches, and tissue inflammation and irritation (Cong 2). In an effort to protect all aspects of human health I propose that the use of MTBE as a gasoline oxygenate be banned in cold climate areas of the United States of America. When the United States was founded, Congress, the legislative branch of government was established to pass laws and legislation for the betterment of the people. Due to an increase in the number of vehicles, pollution from their emissions has become an increasingly large problem. Vehicle exhaust emissions contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) that when combined with sunlight create ozone. Ground level ozone is harmful to plants and to the human respiratory system. It causes chest pain, headaches, nasal congestion, sore throats, and reduced breathing capacity. Cars also emit carbon monoxide (CO) which is toxic to the human body (ADEQ 1). In order to better ensure and maintain clean air Congress passed the Clean Air Act of 1990. As part of this Act the cities in the United States where the set limit of carbon monoxide (CO) had been exceeded were required to sell oxygenated gasoline at the gas pumps to help reduce the CO level (Cong 2). In all there are over thirty areas in eighteen states that use oxygenated gasoline (EPA other 1). There are several different oxygenates, but in the U.S. 84% of the oxygenated gasoline uses MTBE as the oxygenate (EPA other1). MTBE must make up 15% of the gasoline mixture in order to meet federal standards (EPA 19).