Mitigating Market Entry Barriers The WritePass Journal

Mitigating Market Entry Barriers Introduction Mitigating Market Entry Barriers ). McLaren Electronic Systems (MES) creates electronic control systems for the McLaren Racing team. The company’s electronic systems are used in formula one vehicle for various telemetry and sensory systems. The company also creates electronic control units for other teams in the motorsport industry to use across Europe and North America. (McLaren, 2013) McLaren Applied Technologies (MAT) focuses on supplying the best technology to boost the technical support in world of sports and to enhance the performance of McLaren’s formula one vehicles. McLaren Applied Technologies has continued to boost McLaren’s reputation as the ‘forefront of British engineering and technology’ (McLaren, 2013). MAT has helped worldwide sports by providing technology to help improve the efficiency of the participant’s performance in the best way possible. This could be something as simple as providing mountain bikes that weigh less without hindering the efficiency of the bike. Absolute Taste is engaged in hospitality and event management business. It serves food to McLaren’s customers and fans at formula one race. Absolute Taste also provides a catering service and hospitality to upper class customers around the world. They also organise events and the serve various cuisines to cater its global customers (McLaren, 2013). McLaren’s Horizontal Diversification The aforementioned diversification strategies of McLaren can be categorized as either related or un-related diversification strategies. Related diversification strategies can be further divided into three categories as horizontal, vertical and cross-sector diversification (Charles et. al, 2010). These related diversification strategies differ due to their different combination of industry similarity and value chain similarity (see fig 2).   Horizontal diversification pertains to a business’s venturing into a new field which uses the same value chain as its core business and falls within the same industry. Considering this definition, McLaren has not diversified horizontally as it has not acquired any other formula one racing teams. Fig.2   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   (Source: Charles et, al. 2010, p. 296) McLaren’s Vertical Diversification Vertical diversification refers to a diversification initiative within the same industry, but one which uses a different value chain than that of the company’s core business.   (Charles et, al. 2010). McLaren diversified vertically through its automotive business as it operates within the same industry but has different customers and marketing channels. Likewise, McLaren’s electronic systems and applied technology business can be termed as vertical diversification as it operates within the same (formula one racing) industry, but it requires a distinct value chain i.e. production, distribution and customer network (McLaren, 2013). McLaren’s Cross Sector Diversification Cross sector diversification occurs refers to diversification within a different industry, but one which has a same value chain (Charles et, al. 2010). McLaren’s venturing into the catering, hospitality and event management business (Absolute Taste) can be classified as cross-sector diversification. Absolute Taste share’s the same value chain as McLaren’s core business as it is an extension of the company’s own marketing activities and thus uses the same managerial and other resources. However, Absolute Taste also operates in a complete different hospitality industry; a field completely different from car racing business. Similalry, McLaren’s applied technologies can be termed as cross-sector diversification in that it also operates in other industries such as medical science apart and sports (other than car racing). McLaren’s Unrelated Diversification Unrelated diversification is referred to a firm’s engagement in a completely un-related business (Charles et, al. 2010). McLaren, diversification strategies so far do not include any un-related diversification as the company achieves economies of scale and synergies through all of its diversification strategies. McLaren has developed this portfolio of companies to boost the Group’s reputation and to expand. The development of the production centre improved McLaren’s chances of increasing economies of scale. By having so many of the McLaren companies being managed under the same roof, it allows each company to make the most of tangible and intangible resources and materials that wouldn’t have been used otherwise (McLaren, 2013). The joint use of inputs means that different McLaren subsidiaries share the transaction cost of machinery and other possible production costs for the vehicles that are produced. Once the McLaren production centre was built, it meant that the internal process of vehicle production would change. Within the production centre research is continuously gathered on how to improve the general performance of McLaren’s Racing and Automotive vehicles. As the car is built they can then send it off to be spray painted by hand within the same facility which not only saves time but reduces errors that may have been made on the paint work by machines. Managerial ambition is the drive of many businesses. McLaren has a reputation to withhold as the ‘forefront of British engineering’ (McLaren, 2013). McLaren are always attempting to produce the best. By diversifying into so many subsidiaries it creates new targets for the groups as a whole. The diversification strategy allows the company to increase its business profile and spread risks accordingly. McLaren’s Diversification strategy as a Reflection of Historical Trends in Corporate Strategy Throughout the midst of 20th century till the early 1990s, there were several dominant logics of strategic management. During 1950s, there was an emphasis on general management skills, along with widespread un-related diversification moves by corporates. It was followed by the prevalence of requiring specific management skills for different industries in the 1970s and 1980s. This was coincided with the requirement of portfolio planning. It was not until 1990s, that the focus of management practitioners and academics was led to prevailing themes of core competencies and dominant management logic view to achieve synergies through growth and diversification strategies (Goold and Luchs, 1993). During this time (i.e. 1990s) McLaren embarked upon its diversification initiative as part of its growth strategy. McLaren’s growth strategy precisely coincided with the prevailing business view of achieving synergies through diversification. Once the new McLaren production centre was built it allowed McLaren Automotive to increase their daily production and enabled them to introduce new road cars such as the MP4-12C sports car. The production centre has not only boosted the production rates but has also got a production line which allows McLaren to test its vehicles (Fosters plus partners, 2013). The production centre is also connected to the McLaren technology centre which is ‘connected by a subterranean walkway, lined with interactive exhibition spaces’ (Fosters plus partners, 2013). This connection allows the technology centre to provide for the McLaren Automotive department by coming up with new McLaren electronic systems for their vehicles. With the producti on centre in place it allows the diversification of the McLaren industries to take advantage of the ability to share machinery. With the connection of the Production centre and the Technology centre it allows McLaren to develop new technology to be used by MES for McLaren Automotive and McLaren Racing to use in their formula one vehicle. To either improve the vehicle performance in some way or to generally improve the safety of the racing car. Absolute taste provides food for the McLaren racing team and other clients such as Mercedes-Benz at all grand Prix races worldwide (McLaren, 2013). Igor Ansoff defined synergy as ‘Exploitation of similarities between different lines. Two plus two equals five’ (Ansoff, 1957). This analogy is saying that when similar industries combine such as McLaren Racing and McLaren Automotive it increases the production levels beyond the predicted rate. This synergy was improved greatly once McLaren has built the new Production centre. It allow ed the McLaren group to all operate in the same vicinity roof which inevitably improves synergy amongst the different industries. All of each other’s resources are at the disposal of whoever wishes to use it. References Ansoff, I. (1957) Strategies for Diversification. Harvard Business Review. Vol. 35 Issue 5. Charles E.,   Bamford, G. and West, P (2010). Strategic Management. Cengage Learning. Fostering plus Partners, (2013) Projects:McLaren Technology Center   Available from fosterandpartners.com/projects/mclaren-technology-centre/ (cited on 5th, March, 2013) Goold, M. and Luchs, K. (1993) Why Diversify: Four Decades of Management Thinking. Academic of Management Executive. Vol. 7 No. 3 McLaren (2013) Vodafone McLaren Mercedes. Available from mclaren.com/formula1/page/mclaren-group (cited on 5th, March, 2013) Nye, D. (1988) McLaren: The Grand Prix, Can-Am and Indy Cars. Guild Publishing. Porter, M.E. (1979)  How Competitive Forces Shape Strategy,  Harvard Business Review, March/April 1979. Terpstra, V. (1994). International Marketing, USA: The Dryden Press William, T. (2009).   McLaren  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ The Cars 1964–2008. Coterie Press.

Why Diverse Teams Are More Successful

Why Diverse Teams Are More Successful Diverse teams are smarter, deeper and more effective than usual ones. The secret is on the surface. Diversity is the condition of being composed of different elements and is often referred to people. The types of diversity can vary according to the age, religion, race, culture, and abilities. Recently Credit Suisse conducted the research â€Å"The CS Gender 3000: Women in Senior Management†. Since 2012 the company’s research team has been analyzing the gender diversity and corporate management. The report shows that the companies with more women in the boardroom bring better results on stock markets. â€Å"Why Diversity Matters†, another report on diversity prepared by Mckinsey in 2015, shows that companies committing themselves to diversity in leadership are more effective and successful. The non-homogenous staff is believed to improve their customer orientation and decision making. The report found that ethnic and racial diverse managers are 35% more likely to have financial returns above the industry mean. A BETTER WAY TO UNDERSTAND TEAMS AND ROLES Why Is Diversity Important? Employees with diverse backgrounds may change the behavior of the whole group. This change may be different, positive and negative. In the USA even mentioning the word â€Å"diversity† may lead to conflict. It’s because a strong idea of inclusion that everyone should be able to use the same facilities, enjoy the same experiences and take part in the same activities. American companies tend to spend millions to manage workplace diversity issues, but yet they still having lawsuits on discrimination. But it is reasonable to dig into what importance of diversity is and what good it does. If you want to create a team capable of outside-the-box thinking and innovating you should bring a diversity in it. Diversity is considered to change the way a group of people thinks. When different people are brought together to solve the problem, they express their opinions and thoughts on the matter. And there may be the difference in these opinions as to the ways of solving the problem. Diverse teams are more objective and are constantly reexamining the facts. Analyzing Information Diverse teams process and analyze facts and information more accurately to make the right decision. In the study published in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin in Northwestern University by Katherine Phillips, a team was divided into 2 groups of members: the first one with the out-group newcomers and the second with newcomers. Both groups were to read the interviews conducted by the detective who investigated a murder and to find out who the suspect was. It turned out that the second group was more accurate of a joint decision. This research showed that diverse groups may outperform the homogeneous ones in discussing, problem-solving and decision making. Teams with any, gender, racial or cultural diversity work harder both socially and cognitively. Diverse groups of people exchange a wider range of data, they are better at considering the facts, they assume that they need to work harder to come to a consensus. Globalization demands more interaction among people from diverse backgrounds. Since the diversity in the workplace shows strong potential to improve collective work and yield productivity, bringing it to the companies become a key to effective management. A diverse team in your company may become the reflection of the rapidly changing marketplace and the world. MANAGING CONFLICT IN GROUPS If you are assigned to write an essay on any type of diversity this sample essay will be useful to read and determine the main issues to focus on. If you have no time to write on your own feel free to contact our professional writers and place an order.

Gay-lesbian should allowed to become foster parents or adopted Personal Statement

Gay-lesbian should allowed to become foster parents or adopted - Personal Statement Example Allowing gay-lesbian adoption helps in two main ways i.e. it enables the state to reduce the amount of tax payers money used to support this system and also gives the child a chance to grow up in a family where he or she is loved. In this context, the child acquires the right to inheritance thereby guaranteeing him a brighter future than that which he could have under the system. It is important to note that in a year such as 2000, the US government spent approximately $20 billion to support the program, money which could have been spent on other important sectors such as provision of quality healthcare (Shirk 45). A significant number of children in the child welfare system come from families which administered torture and discrimination to them maybe due to disability or other types of health defects. As such, they feel rejected by the society and therefore would do anything only to make them feel loved. Having undergone the same predicaments in a society that tends to shun same se x relationships, gay couples are in a better position to understand these children and offer them emotional support based on their first hand experiences (Hicks 27). It is therefore not a wonder to find such children excelling much more than those adopted by heterosexual couples.

Dakota men and the Pictographic Style Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Dakota men and the Pictographic Style - Essay Example Dakota men had painted in what is called the pictographic style for centuries, usually to record tribal histories and personal exploits. The arrangement of these points was usually according to one of a few traditional designs, one of the most popular being the Tahokmu or spider-web design. The Museum’s collection of over 6000 objects consists of paintings, drawings, prints, photographs, textiles, sculptures, and Native American artifacts and art. The objects are a cultural reflection of the work of local, national, and international artists. The emphasis however, is on the work of artists from South Dakota and the surrounding region. Dakota men had painted in what is called the pictographic style for centuries, usually to record tribal histories and personal exploits. Howe learned that Dakota artists frequently contemplated the painting surface, often for days, until and arrangement of â€Å"aesthetic points† appeared, the intersections for all lines subsequently drawn or painted in making the picture. The arrangement of these points was usually according to one of a few traditional designs, one of the most popular being the Tahokmu or spider-web design. (South Dakota Art Museum. Oscar Howe. Oscar Howe Biography. South Dakota State University).

Hispanic and Latino Americans Essay Example for Free

Hispanic and Latino Americans Essay The poem â€Å"Legal Alien† by Pat Mora is in the open poem form, it has no stanzas. It does have a few words that rhyme which are â€Å"English† (5) and â€Å"Spanish† (6) and also with â€Å"Mexicans† (14) and then with â€Å"Americans† (15). The poem also has rhythm, it is a low steady beat. It is a straightforward poem about how life is for a person with the same race/ethnicity as others and at the same time, different from others. The poem â€Å"Legal Alien† is about a woman of Mexican parents, who is born and raised in America. An American citizen established by law, but at the same time this person feels like an illegal alien because of how some people treat her. She is fluent in both, English and in Spanish. Feels American because she is, but at the same time she doesn’t. She is looked at by Americans (Anglos) as inferior, and looked at by Mexicans like she doesn’t belong. They make her feel like she is not one of them, like she doesn’t fit anywhere. â€Å"An American to Mexicans a Mexican to Americans a handy token sliding back and forth between the fringes of both worlds† (14-18). – What this means is that she feels like she could be from both places and at the same time from neither, but on the border of each. Happy, sad, confused, lost but at the same time she tries to cover all her feelings and what she is thinking â€Å"by masking the discomfort† (20) is that she has to grin and bear the fact that she is being condemned for having two nationalities. After reading this poem over and over I can say that I have felt what the speaker mentions in the poem, I have been in her shoes. Yes it’s hard to believe but if you think about it we are all different and at the same time we are all the same. For some people it is hard to accept people of different nationality, but the only thing we can do is to move on. I am Mexican American, also bilingual, with two different cultures, born in America with Mexican parents. I think this poem â€Å"Legal Alien† is a little about racism which is everywhere and it has been around for a long time. I have felt looks from Mexicans and Americans, and to be honest it doesn’t feel that good. But I think that the only thing we can do is to just let it go and live life at the fullest and accept everyone as they are. Race, color, religion, or even language should not matter. In the end, and underneath of it all, we are all the same.

New York City Essay examples -- Descriptive Personal Narrative Essays

When you associate anything with New York City it is usually the extraordinary buildings that pierce the sky or the congested sidewalks with people desperate to shop in the famous stores in which celebrities dwell. Even with my short visit there I found myself lost within the Big Apple. The voices of the never-ending attractions call out and envelop you in their awe. The streets are filled with an atmosphere that is like a young child on a shopping spree in a candy store. Although your feet swelter from the continuous walking, you find yourself pressing on with the yearning to discover the 'New York Experience'.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Upon arrival into the jungle of vast buildings, the first thing noticed is the mobbed streets filled with taxi cabs and cars going to and fro in numerous directions, with the scent of exhaust surfing through the air. As you progress deeper into the inner city and exit your vehicle, the aroma of the many restaurants passes through your nostrils and gives you a craving for a ?NY Hot Dog? sold by the street venders on the corner calling out your name. As you continue your journey you are passed by the ongoing flow of pedestrians talking on their cell phones and drinking a Starbucks while enjoying the city. The constant commotion of conversing voices rage up and down the streets as someone calls for a fast taxi. A mixed sound of various music styles all band together to form one wild tune.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After a few hours of bustling through the streets, you realize that...

American Airlines Strategy Paper Essay

Currently the airline industry as a whole seems to be on the road of recovery. We, American Airlines, the fourth largest carrier recently avoided bankruptcy, but had a summer full of pressure due to ongoing union struggles and questionable executive compensation packages. After having incurred such big losses, this recovery has come about because of the government bailout and many of our large competitors’ abilities to survive the turbulence in the industry. So far, the prospects look promising. Revenue has improved across all regions of the business. Domestic unit revenue was up almost 10 percent and Latin American revenue has increased by close to 11 percent in the last quarter of 2012 compared to the same period the prior year. We are performing better than other airlines that have filed for protection and have done so without slashing capacity. In short, American is doing the right things to return to business efficiency and customer effectiveness. In order to establish a sustainable position for the future, American Airlines must adopt a three-pronged strategy moving forward. First, we should focus on low priced operations and increased marketing strategies to improve customer demand. We have to enhance customer experience and our volume of loyal customers to build a stronger presence in Airline Industry. Second, we must focus on increasing and improving the routes to cater to large customer base. Lastly, we must address the difficulties our company might face in integrating with the culture of US Airlines. Our future success is highly dependent on these two entities efficiently operating as a single organization. Industry Analysis Current Position US Airline industry today is dominated by five major domestic carriers. United, Delta and Southwest each has more than 15 percent market share. American is fourth, with around 12 percent and US Airways is fifth with around 10 percent. Four of these five are profitable — all but American. We lost $2 billion in 2011 and $1.7 billion in the first quarter of 2012. Future Strategy Our emphasis in 2013 is on operational flexibility, international growth through alliance and selective network expansion, and domestic partnerships to reduce operational and balance sheet risks. American’s market differentiation is based on emphasizing and meeting the needs and expectations of high value customers (particularly large global corporates) and better alignment with the one world airline network and value proposition. Also, being the lead carrier between not only the United States and Latin America but, increasingly, the world and Latin America—connecting through Dallas, Los Angeles, or Miami. This strategy makes sense; if they can get all labor work groups on board, they should be able to make it happen. That is still the main challenge, as is competitor contestation, particularly from larger traditional rivals like Delta and United. Improve Customer Demand Lower Operational Costs American passenger division which already has 57 fewer planes in service than an year ago, should further shrink by another 57 planes this summer. This would improve operational efficiency. Current service levels include 275 cities with a fleet of over 1000 aircraft. American carries about 80 million passengers daily and receives more than 329,000 reservation calls, handles more than 293,000 pieces of luggage and flies more than 4300 flights in one typical day. In order to reduce costs further over 27000 jobs will have to be eliminated. Because of high competition in the industry, substantial price fluctuations occur related to fares. Enhance Customer Base Increase value added services offered through our interactive website, AA.com. Any differentiation that convenience added capabilities offer is the center of focus. Busy hiub systems and schedule patterns need to be looked at to improve efficiency and routing effectiveness, thereby enhancing customer experience. We need to do rigorous marketing to attract more customers. Our marketing is currently focused on seasonal and business travelers and much analysis is taken in order to optimize peak travel seasons as well as frequent flier miles programs and pints systems. The Making More Room in coach program is the original marketing ploy of American to project a perception of higher passenger comfort levels. As increased advertising and intense market share is gained, we will continue to remain a key player assuming passenger demand goes up as projected. We will focus on upgraded in-flight entertainment systems, football game special fares, and buy-on board meal options to further enhance customer experience. Improve Network American Airlines’ new network strategy is designed to improve profitability by offering the routes and schedules that attract and retain not only their own high value customers but also those of alliance partners, an important source of revenue through codeshare agreements and closely aligned loyalty programs. The network is the core product that works in concert with lie-flat seats, onboard amenities, and customer service. Latin America is a prominent focus, due in part to our strong presence in key hubs to Latin America such as Dallas and Miami. This is where the profits are. Passenger growth forecasts for Latin America for 2013-17 are 6 percent for Latin America North (Central America and the northern rim of South America) and 8 percent for Latin America South (southern cone countries such as Brazil and Argentina). This compares with 3.6 percent for Europe and 4.4 percent for Asia. Increase International Routes To follow the growth markets, we must change our portfolio mix to focus more on international rather than domestic routes. This is a gradual process, moving from 38 percent international and 62 percent domestic capacity in 2013 towards a 44/56 percent balance by 2017. As we refocus more of our flying towards international opportunities, it is likely to look towards increased code-sharing with domestic carriers like Alaska Airlines, jetBlue, and others to further enhance our network in places like Los Angeles and New York City. This is likely to have initial teething problems, due to terminal colocation and product disparity issues. For instance, the business passengers that we are pursuing may be disgruntled by jetBlue’s more restrictive carry-on baggage policies or by extra time and added security checks if they are required to change terminals. Refurbish domestic feed Our plan is also to diversify our domestic feed by increasing the number of regional carriers with which we do business to reduce operational and balance sheet risk. Today, we primarily get a feed from our wholly-owned subsidiary, American Eagle, which has higher costs than some other regional carriers. American Eagle is going through its own restructuring to lower its costs, and it may ultimately be spun off. Synergies with US Airlines Merger with US Airways will result in the largest carrier in US. It would create roughly $1.2 billion in financial benefits.

Future of Educational Finance Essay

Gary Marx stated â€Å"identifying, monitoring and considering the implications of trends is one of the most basic processes for creating the future† (Stevenson, 2010 p. 1). The world of education is forever changing at a pace that gets more rapid as the years go on. The decisions made in the past have laid the foundation of education today, as will recent changes affect the future. Programs such as choice schooling and No Child Left Behind will impact school funding. Rulings such as the Lemon Test and separation of church and state will impact decisions that can potentially result in litigation and court rulings dictating educational decisions. In his work regarding educational trends, Kenneth Stevenson (2010) stated, â€Å"a continuing recession, escalating political polarization, rising racial/ethnic tensions, a growing national debt, and a widening divide between the haves and the have nots portend a future fraught with unprecedented challenges to and clashes over the form and substance of public education in America† (p.1). Analysis of the Lemon Test The Lemon Test was created by Chief Justice Warren Berger as a result of the court case Lemon v. Kurtzman (1971) and is based on the principles stated in Everson v. Board of Education. The case of Lemon v. Kurtzman (1971) centered on Rhode Island’s Salary Supplement Act. This act approved a salary supplement of up to fifteen percent for teachers who taught secular subjects in private religious schools or non-public elementary schools. The courts determined that approximately twenty-five percent of Rhode Island’s students attended non-public schools. Furthermore, ninety-five percent of the parochial schools were Roman Catholic. Pennsylvania offered a similar program that reimbursed non-public schools for expenses related to secular education and required schools to account for the expenses separately. Approximately twenty percent of Pennsylvania’s children attended non-public schools and ninety-six percent of the schools had a religious affiliation. The high courts looked at its own precedents and determined that, in order  for a law to be in compliance with the Establishment clause it, â€Å"must have a secular legislative purpose; second, its principal or primary effect must be one that neither advances nor inhibits religion; finally, the statute must not foster â€Å"an excessive government entanglement with religion† (Barnes, 2010, p. 2-3). The Lemon test was created to, â€Å"determine when a law has the effect of establishing religion† (The Basics, 2014, p. 3). The court applied the Lemon test to the Pennsylvania and Rhode Island supplemental funding programs and deemed that the programs in both states were unconstitutional (The Lemon Test, 2009). Both programs met the first requirement of the Lemon test as they had a secular purpose. However, the court determined that it was unclear if the programs met the second set of criteria as â€Å"while the aid was intended for secular use, it was not entirely secular in effect† (The Lemon Test, 2009, p. 1). The court decided that it did not need to establish if the programs met the second part of the Lemon test as they failed to meet the third criterion as both programs â€Å"excessively entangling state administrators with the operations of parochial schools† (The Lemon Test, 2009, p. 1). The Lemon test has â€Å"become an extremely influential legal doctrine, governing not only cases involving government funding of religious institutions but also cases in which the government promoted religious messages. Over the years, however, many justices have criticized the test because the court has often applied it to require a strict separation between church and state† (The Lemon Test, 2009, p. 1). The test has been the foundation for many of the court’s ruling regarding the establishment clause since 1971. The â€Å"choice†Ã‚  The idea of vouchers for education was first introduced in early 1950 in a move to privatize education. In that same year, as a result of Brown v. Board of Education, the southern states put the first voucher program into action as a way to â€Å"enable white students of all income levels to attend the segregation academies and continue receiving a publicly-funded, all white education† (Save our Schools NJ, 2014). In 1989, Wisconsin’s more modern voucher programs, focused on poor children of all races. (Save our Schools NJ, 2014). Regardless of the nature of the voucher program, the impact is the same- taxpayer funds being diverted from public school funding. In 2002, the Supreme Court ruling of the case of Zelman V. Simmons-Harris  stated that it was not a violation of the Establishment Clause to provide scholarships for so me students to attend private or parochial schools. This ruling had a subsequent impact on the development of S1872, also known as the Opportunity Scholarship Act. This act allowed for vouchers to go to private or religious schools. Changes from S1872 resulted in an almost $1 billion dollar revenue loss for school funding by the end of its fifth year (NJEA, 2011). In addition to the government revenue lost, a 100% tax credit is given to companies who donate to these funds thus losing additional revenue. The children given these scholarship vouchers are children from targeted failing school areas, which then result in that already failing district to lose additional weighted funding for those children. â€Å"Shifting a handful of students from a public school into private schools will not decrease what the public school must pay for teachers and facilities, but funding for those costs will decrease as students leave† (NCSL, 2014). A study by the American Federation of Teachers in 2011 looked at the revenue lost in several states as a result of money being diverted to voucher programs. In most cases, these programs obtained funding by either increasing taxes or by reducing state aid to local school districts. Both the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program and the Cleveland Scholarship and Tutoring Program did just that. The Milwaukee program, in 2009, cost taxpayers roughly $130 million and the Cleveland program reduced Disadvantaged Pupil Impact Aid to the Cleveland public schools by $11,901,887 in 2007 (American Federation of Teachers, 2011). One of the most significant issues with voucher programs is the fact that they do not have the same monitoring and regulations as public schools in order to obtain funding. â€Å"Perhaps the biggest critique of market-based reforms, such as school choice and performance based accountability is that they will further exacerbate inequalities in education† (Fusarelli and Young, 2011, p. 92). Not all program funding is distributed in the programs based on poverty. Parents of special education students are not guaranteed special education services. In addition, many programs are not monitored for the way they appropriate money. When a review of the Arizona tax credit programs was conducted, it was discovered that â€Å"almost two-thirds of all voucher orga nizations kept more funds for overhead than allowed under state law† (AFT, 2011, p. 7). Per student revenue that local districts lose to  these programs is not guaranteed to be 100% applied to the students attending the private school. In 2011, the U.S. Department of Education had a budget cut of $5 billion (The Education Trust, n.d.). In 2013-2014, over 35 states are providing less funding per students, more than 10% in fourteen of them. (Leachman & Mai, 2014). With decreasing numbers such as these, voucher programs only continue to threaten to take limited funding away from local districts. Continued funding cuts will have an impact on the economic future of our country. As stated by Brimley et al. â€Å"the more education provided, the more wealth developed; the more wealth created, the more funds available for investment; the more investment undertaken, the more wealth available for investment in physical and human capital: (Brimley et al., 2012, p. 3). The Impact of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) is the largest federal funding program in the history of the United States. No Child Left Behind is a, â€Å"reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), which originated in 1965 as part of the War on Poverty† (Braden and Schroeder, n.d., p. 1). While NCLB provides additional funding from the federal government it also imposes mandates that states must follow. The supplementary funding provided under the No Child Left Behind Act is not necessarily enough for states to meet the standards required by the act. The main focus of NCLB is Title I funding which the federal government allocates to states to help provide an education to economically disadvantaged students. No Child Left Behind includes eight other forms of Title funding such as school safety, teacher quality, assessments, and American Indian education (Braden and Schroeder, n.d., p. 1). Title I funds are the most important part of No Child Left Behind as the majority of the funds are earmarked for Title I purposes and Title I funding holds states accountable for student achievement as evidenced on state assessments. The move towards holding states accountable for student achievement began prior to the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. Most states included accountability in their education reform acts during the 1990s (Ladd, 2001). By the year 2001, the same year as NCLB, more than forty states published a school report card, more than half had some type of school achievement rating, and numerous states offered assistance or sanctions to schools with low student  performance (Meyer, Orlofsky, Skinner, & Spicer, 2002). In January of 2002, No Child Left Behind was signed into law and for the first time in history the federal government was involved in, â€Å"setting broad parameters, implementation timelines, and sanctions for state accountability systems† (Du ncombe, Lukemeyer, &Yinger, 2006, p. 1). States began to implement NCLB in 2002 during a time of financial difficulties. This created concerns based on the cost involved in funding a program of its magnitude as well as questions regarding the extent to which the NCLB program was funded. Most estimates concerning the cost of implementing the program were far from accurate. This prompted states, such as Connecticut and Utah, to pass legislation which allowed them to either ignore the parts of NCLB that required funding from the state or sue the federal government for a lack of funding (Duncombe et al., 2006). While NCLB involves many federal education programs, the act’s requirements in regards to school improvement, accountability, and testing are a priority. No Child Left Behind required states to test students in grades three through eight yearly in math and reading. Students in grades ten through twelve must be tested once. In addition students must be tested in science once in grades three through five, six through eight, and tenth-twelfth. In addition, states, school districts and individual schools are to â€Å"publicly report test results in the aggregate and for specific student subgroups, including low-income students, students with disabilities, Eng lish language learners, and major racial and ethnic groups† (New America Foundation, 2014). Another requirement of NCLB is that all teachers must be highly qualified. Teachers must pass a licensure exam and be certified by the state they teach in. Teachers who teach a specific subject area must demonstrate their subject knowledge by passing the subject knowledge portion of the licensure exam. NCLB specifies that states develop a plan â€Å"to ensure that low-income and minority students are not taught by teachers who are not highly qualified at higher rates than are non-minority and low-income students† (New America Foundation, 2014). In addition, NCLB give parents and guardians the right to know the qualification of their child’s teacher and if their child is receiving instruction from a paraprofessional and if so the qualifications of that individual. NCLB requires that school district’s notify parents in writing if their child will receive instruction from a teacher who is not highly  qualified for longer than four weeks (New America Foundation, 20 14). No Child Left Behind stated that all school districts in the United States were to guarantee that each child enrolled in their district would score proficient in the state’s reading and math assessments by 2014. Each state was given the freedom to define what grade level proficiency meant in regards to their state standards. NCLB required that schools make â€Å"adequate yearly progress† (AYP) towards achieving their goal. Proficiency rates increased yearly up to 2014 and individual states were allowed to choose their rate of increase. In order for a state to make AYP they must meet their goal for student achievement in reading and math every year (New America Foundation, 2014). Forty-three states, Washington D.C., Puerto Rico, a group of California school districts as well as the Bureau of Indian Education applied for waivers exempting them from being required to meet their targets and other requirements of NCLB from the Department of Education. In September of 2011, President Obama and Arne Duncan, Secretary of Education, announced that the Obama administration, â€Å"would allow states to request flexibility in meeting some of the requirements under NCLB in the absence of the law’s reauthorization† (New America Foundation, 2014). For a state to qualify to receive flexibility throu gh a waiver, the state needs to show they have adopted or will implement reforms to their, â€Å"academic standards, student assessments, and accountability systems for schools and educators† (New America Foundation, 2014). According to No Child Left Behind schools that do not make AYP for two consecutive years will be identified for school improvement, and will have to create a school improvement plan (SIP), and apply a minimum of ten percent of their federal Title I funds to professional development. Schools that do not make AYP for a third year will be under corrective action, and will be required to apply interventions to improve school performance, â€Å" from a list specified in the legislation† (New America Foundation, 2014). If a school fails to make AYP for a fourth year they will be, â€Å"identified for restructuring which requires more significant interventions† (New America Foundation, 2014). If a school fails to make AYP for a fifth year, â€Å"they must implement a restructuring plan that includes reconstituting school staff and/or leadership, changing the school’s governance arrangement, converting the school to a charter, turning it over to a private management company, or some other major change†Ã‚  (New America Foundation, 2014). Specific school districts that have a high percentage of schools that fail to make average yearly progress for multiple years could be, â€Å"identified for school improvement, corrective action, and restructuring† (New America Foundation, 2014). The Future of Church-State Relations As religion continues to hold influence on the American culture the U.S. judicial system remains the authority for interpreting the constitutionality of matters of religion. The separation of church and state comes as a result of America not having an established religion for all of the residents to follow; the people were given freedom of religion. According to Thomas Jefferson, God is acknowledged as the creator of mankind and government is not a divine organization therefore it is the responsibility of the citizens to oversee the institution of government. In 1791 the government discontinued support or promotion of any religion. The decisions made so long ago continue to greatly impact organizations such as schools today. In the classroom teachers are held accountable to the state that they will remain neutral on the subject of religion while on school grounds (The Boisi Center, n.d.). Cases such as Committee for Public Education and Religious Liberty v Nyquist (1973) and Mueller v Allen (1983) have kept the courts busy on the subject of funding religion in the educational system (Pew Research Center, 2008). The Free Exercise Clause permits students to practice their faith privately on campus as long as it does not cause disruptions to the academic day and students are not being persuaded to follow his/her beliefs. School vouchers and tax credits that were distributed from 1983-2002 were considered constitutional under the Establishment Clause as they approved a parent’s choice to have their child attend a religious school. The courts accepted these practices because they did not show intent to persuade on the side of religion (The Boisi Center, n.d.). During this time all over the country courts were hearing cases to oppose the allowance of vouchers to religious organizations as they felt it went against the separation of church-state. In some states courts ruled that vouchers could only be used for parents that wanted to move their child to a higher performing public school so that private religious schools did not receive state education funds. Now and in the future the United States  will continue to permit religious liberty to the people, the government will not be accountable nor will it dictate ones religious practices (The Boisi Center, n.d.). With the increased cases that continue to build against religion in schools and educational funding to religious private schools it is predicted that the future of church-state relations in educational funding will give more authority to the state education departments on the placement of funds. The state will seek more control of religious private schools, as the voucher program seems to be here to stay. The state is going to want more control of curriculum if they will be providing financial support (Pardini, 1999). Tax credit programs are also popular and seem to offer a compromise of church-state relations. Tax credits provide financial support to families that choose to place their child in private schools. As time progresses state government will advocate for an increase in charter schools, this will allow for state funds in the form of vouchers and tax credits to support schools that do not have a religious focus (Pardini, 1999). This battle will continue until a decision is m ade by the U.S. Supreme Court on the constitutionality of the Blaine Amendments. These amendments were established in 1875 to disallow states to financially support private schools that teach religion. At this time there are approximately thirty states that incorporate Blaine language in their constitution, which disrupts the success of vouchers being used by parents that wish to relocate their child to a higher performing and/or religious private school (DeForrest, 2003). Future Trends in Court Decisions and Power over Educational Financing The courts have had a hand in education dating back to the creation of the United States Constitution. Although there was no specific mention in the Constitution as to who was responsible, who carried the power in terms of financing education, education was valued in the early days, and many early settlers used the Bible to teach the young to read. As time went on people challenged the use of teaching the Bible in Public Schools. People used the First Amendment of the United States Constitution to argue about the intermingling of church and state and the use of direct government support for parochial, and private schools (Brimley, Verstegen, & Garfield, 2012). The courts found themselves hearing cases of people challenging the use of government funds in schools other than public schools and, in the case of Pierce v. Society of Sisters  (268 U.S. 510-1925), the courts ruled for using public funds for church-relate d schools. Because of this ruling financing public schools has seen some great changes, and will continue to see changes. This court ruling could potentially change the makeup and the system of education in the United States. States will implement more stringent guidelines as to what they expect from schools in regards to performance standards since they are the ones providing the funds. These guidelines are the result of schools continuing to fail to meet state requirements, running low on funds due decreased income from property taxes, or the need for states take over more schools or shut them down, To date there has not been a proven method that will solve the problems of educational financing. Politics have a large influence in financing education. This was evident during the Bush administration, when money went into funding Laura Bush’s library after other school programs were cut. For nearly forty years the constitutionality of the way schools are financed has been scrutinized. There have been one hundred thirty-nine lawsuits in forty-five states promoting finance reform after the ruling of Serrano v. Priest (Education Next, 2010). The states are required by their individual state constitutions to provide an adequate education to all students. Currently there is no solution to the challenges of financing public schools so that all individuals feel like they are being treated equally. The debates and challenges have been going on for decades and will continue for years to come. Responsibility is placed on the states to ensure that their State Constitution requirements are being met and to provide funding for local schools. Conclusion As previously stated education as it is known today continues to change at a rapid rate and will continue to change forever as the world that we all reside in is ever changing. Technology has had a major influence on education, and the world in general. â€Å"If students are not being taught to use technology, and not being taught adequate math, science, and communication skills, the United States will continue to lose its superiority to other countries† (A Nation at Risk, 1983). In order for the United States to keep up with the competitive commerce, today’s students need to be pushed a little more to achieve more and not just be satisfied with mediocrity. There was a time when funding private and/or parochial  schools was not even an issue, as it was clearly understood that government monies was allocated for public schools. As time went on, needs changed, be it individual needs such as students with disabilities, or families of low income. With these needs came reasons to challenge the norm. Attorneys were contracted, and the status quo was challenged. Nobody could have predicted the changes that would happen nor is it possible to predict the future from today. It is impossible to guess the future of financing education because no one knows what the needs will be in fifteen to twenty-five years from now. It is crucial that past rulings be thoroughly examined to assist with preparing for future financial direction, although that is not the magic solution. References A Nation At Risk: The Imperative For Educational Reform (1983). American Federation of Teachers (2011). School vouchers: The research track record. Retrieved September 29, 2014 from: http://www.aft.org/pdfs/teachers/vouchertrackrecord0211.pdfBarnes, M. (2010, September 13). The Lemon Test and the Establishment Clause: A Proposal For Modification. Retrieved September 29, 2014. Barry, C., and Wysong, C. 2010. School-Finance Reform in Red and Blue. Where theMoney Goes Depends on Who’s Running the State. Retrieved Summer 2010 / Vol. 10, N0. 3 from: educationnext.org/school-finance-reform-in-red-and-blue/ Braden, J., & Schroeder, J. (n.d.). High-Stakes Testing and No Child Left Behind: Information and strategies for Educators. Retrieved September 29, 2014, from http://www.nasponline.org/communications/spawareness/highstakes.pdfBrimley, Vera R., Verstegen, Deborah A., & Garfield, Rulon R. (2012). Financing education in a climate of change (11th ed.). Boston: Allyn and Bacon DeForrest, M. (2003). An Overview and Evaluation of State Blaine Amendments: Origins, Scope, and First Amendment Concerns. Harvard Journal Of Law & Public Policy, 26(2), 551.Duncombe, W., Lukemeyer, A., & Yinger, J. (2006, September). The No Child Left Behind Act: Have Federal Funds Been Left Behind? Retrieved September 29, 2014, from http://cpr.maxwell.syr.edu/efap/Publications/costing_out.pdfFusarelli, Bonnie and Young, Tamara (2011). Preserving the â€Å"public† in public education for the sake of democracy. Journal of Thought. 46(1) p. 85-96 Ladd, H. 2001. â€Å"School-Based Educational Accountability Systems: The Promise and Pitfalls.† National Tax Journal 54 (2): 385-400. Leachman, Michael and Mai, Chris (2014). Most states funding school less than before the recession. Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. May 2014. Meyer, L., G. Orlofsky, R. Skinner, and S. Spicer. 2002. â€Å"The State of the States.† Quality Counts 2001. January 10.. National Conference of School Legislatures (2014). School Vouchers. Retrieved September 28, 2014 from: http://www.ncsl.org/research/education/school-choice-vouchers.aspxNew America Foundation. Background & Analysis. (2014). Retrieved September 28, 2014, from http://febp.newamerica.net/background-analysis/no-child-left-behind-overviewPardini, P. 1999. Church/state complexities. Retrieved from www.rethinkingschools.orgSave our Schools NJ (2014) School Voucher Basics. Retrieved September 27, 2014 from: http://www.saveourschoolsnj.org/vouchers/The Basics of Separation. (2014). Retrieved September 29, 2014, from http://candst.tripod.com/tnppage/tnpidx.htmThe Boisi Center. Date Unknown. Separation of church and sta te. Religion and American Public Life. Retrieved from www.bc.eduThe Lemon Test. (2009, May 14). Retrieved September 28, 2014.

My Immortal by Evanescence essays

My Immortal by Evanescence essays In the late 1990s, Amy Lee and Ben Moody formed the band Evanescence, after meeting at a Christian Youth Retreat in Arkansas. Evanescence remained a duo until fellow Arkansas natives John LeCompt and Rocky Gray joined the group in 2000. That same year, Evanescence was signed to Wind-Up records, a Christian label based in Nashville Tennessee who also had signed the band Creed the year before. Their first big break was The Daredevil Soundtrack in 2003, a major motion picture with Ben Affleck as a comic book hero, where they submitted two tracks. They gained notoriety with their song My Immortal, written by Amy Lee, which immediately shot to the tops of the charts. Later released on the groups freshman release, Fallen in 2003, My Immortal went Double Platinum as a single and stayed in the Top Ten in the United Kingdom and the United States for over sixteen weeks. It is still getting a lot of airplay on the radio, even a year after its release. (MTV.com) When I first heard the song My Immortal, I was moved. I originally thought that the song was about a woman who has lost her husband or boyfriend, but found out otherwise. Amy Lee, the lead singer, wrote the song about the death of her younger sister. She died when she was six years old, and the tragedy deeply affected Amy. She has said in interviews that she has been haunted by her sisters ghost ever since. To me, this song meant holding onto a lost love. It expressed every persons fear of losing someone you love, and dealing with the memories that never seem to fade when they are gone. This song makes me remember people that have passed that I loved, and helps me to remember the reasons why I loved them. ...

Garza Surname Meaning and Origin

Garza Surname Meaning and Origin Garza is a surname with several possible origins: Meaning heron in Spanish, the Garza surname usually translates as dweller at the sign of the heron or dove. It may have been given as a descriptive nickname for someone with long legs like a heron. It could also be a habitational name for someone from one of several places named Garza.Garza is sometimes a variation of Garcia, the Spanish form of Gerald, meaning ruler of the spear. Garza is the 26th most common Hispanic surname. Surname Origin:  Spanish Alternate Surname Spellings:  DE GARZA, DE LA GARZA, GARZO, GARZON, GARCI, GARCEZ, GARCIA Famous People With the Surname Garza Alana de la Garza - an American actressTony Garza - Mexican American politician and former United States Ambassador to Mexico (2002-2009)Madison De La Garza - American child actress, best known for her role in the television hit Desperate Housewives. Where Do People With the Garza Surname Live? The surname distribution data at  Forebears  puts the Garza surname as most popular in Mexico, where it ranks as the 47th most common surname. Outside of Mexico, Garza is most common in the United States- found in large numbers in Texas, followed by California, Illinois, Washington, Arizona, Michigan, and Florida. WorldNames PublicProfiler also puts the largest number of individuals named Garza in Texas, by over six times as great as the next state, New Mexico. In Spain, Garza is most common in the  Aragà ³n region. Genealogy Resources for the Surname Garza 100 Common Hispanic Surnames Their MeaningsGarcia, Martinez, Rodriguez, Lopez, Hernandez... Are you one of the millions of people sporting one of these top 100 common Hispanic last names? How to Research Hispanic HeritageLearn how to get started researching  your Hispanic ancestors, including the basics of family tree research and country-specific organizations, genealogical records, and resources for Spain, Latin America, Mexico, Brazil, the Caribbean, and other Spanish speaking countries. Garza Family Crest - Its Not What You ThinkContrary to what you may hear, there is no such thing as a Garza family crest or coat of arms for the Garza surname.  Coats of arms are granted to individuals, not families, and may rightfully be used only by the uninterrupted male-line descendants of the person to whom the coat of arms was originally granted.   Garza Family Genealogy ForumSearch this popular genealogy forum for the Garza surname to find others who might be researching your ancestors, or post your own Garza query. FamilySearch - Garza GenealogyAccess over 1.5 million free historical records and lineage-linked family trees posted for the Garza surname and its variations on this free genealogy website hosted by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. GeneaNet - Garza RecordsGeneaNet includes archival records, family trees, and other resources for individuals with the Garza surname, with a concentration on records and families from France, Spain, and other European countries. Garza Surname Family Mailing ListsThis free mailing list for researchers of the Garza surname and its variations includes subscription details and searchable archives of past messages. DistantCousin.com - Garza Genealogy Family HistoryExplore free databases and genealogy links for the last name Garza. The Garza Genealogy and Family Tree PageBrowse family trees and links to genealogical and historical records for individuals with the last name Garza from the website of Genealogy Today. References Cottle, Basil.  Penguin Dictionary of Surnames. Baltimore, MD: Penguin Books, 1967. Dorward, David.  Scottish Surnames. Collins Celtic (Pocket edition), 1998. Fucilla, Joseph.  Our Italian Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 2003. Hanks, Patrick and Flavia Hodges.  A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1989. Hanks, Patrick.  Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press, 2003. Reaney, P.H.  A Dictionary of English Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1997. Smith, Elsdon C.  American Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 1997

Block sox scandal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Block sox scandal - Essay Example Consequently, the eight players were banned from professional baseball (Maas). The events that led to the conspiracy have traces that lead to the club house. The proprietor of the Chicago white sox baseball club, Charles Comiskey, is depicted as a person who had issues in the financial dealings with the players thus more dislikes from all stakeholders in the club. The owner took advantage of the MLB clause of reserve that made it clear for every player to accept any remuneration that is given any player otherwise could not play for any other major team unless the contract ends and subsequent transfer results. The owner also made a fortune since the club was one of the major clubs then and on top of the series (Peter). In addition to the underpayments made to the players, the team had two divisions that were not legal in the genuine structure of the team. One of the side later on known as the Clean Sox went to the extent that mere communication with the other partition of the team was not possible. The conspiracys exposure was by the third baseman known as George Weaver commonly known as Buck. The baseman did not comply with the plan and later on went against the persons taking part and went on to play for the team. The player also experienced punishment under the fact that he never spoke about the conspiracy. Rumors of leaking in the series were already spreading prior to the particular season. However, the propaganda was popular especially among the gamblers. After some time, the rumors spread to the press courtesy of some communicators. On the contrary, the gamblers continued to place their bets on the ongoing games regardless of the rampant anecdotes. Most importantly, most of the fans took the results that each game gave as legit and thus the rumors to them were just false propaganda. Thus, even after the game between Chicago White Sox and Cincinnati Reds, no claims had been put forward that the game was a conspiracy. In other words,