Analysis of Hp Financial Statement Essay Example for Free

Analysis of Hp Financial Statement Essay Kenneth Lay formed Enron in 1985, when InterNorth acquired Houston Natural Gas. It was once the seventh largest company the United States of America. Enron branched into many non-energy-related fields over the next several years, including such areas as Internet bandwidth, risk management, and weather derivatives (a type of weather insurance for seasonal businesses). Although their core business remained in the transmission and distribution of power, their phenomenal growth was occurring through their other interests. Fortune Magazine selected Enron as Americas most innovative company for six straight years from 1996 to 2001. Then came the investigations into their complex network of offshore partnerships and accounting practices. The Enron scandal was revealed in October 2001 that eventually led to the bankruptcy of the Enron Corporation and the de facto dissolution of Arthur Andersen, which was one of the five largest audit and accountancy partnerships in the world. In addition to being the largest bankruptcy reorganization in American history at that time, Enron was attributed as the biggest audit failure. Several years after it inception when, in 1992, Jeffrey Skilling was hired as the President of the company, he developed a staff of executives that, by the use of accounting loopholes, special purpose entities, and poor financial reporting, were able to hide billions of dollars in debt from failed deals and projects. Chief Financial Officer Andrew Fastow and other executives not only misled Enrons board of directors and audit committee on high-risk accounting practices, but also pressured Andersen to ignore the issues. From the early 1990s until 1998, the stock prices of Enron rose by 311%, only slightly higher than the rate of growth in the Standard Poor’s 500. But, after which the stocks shot up. They increased by 56% in 1999 and another 87% in 2000, compared to a 20 percent increase and a 10 percent decline for the index during the same years. As on December 31, 2000, Enron’s stock was priced at $83.13, with market capitalization exceeded $60 billion, that was 70 times earnings and six times book value, an indication of the stock market’s high expectations about its future prospects. Enron was rated the most innovative large company in America in Fortune magazine’s survey of Most Admired Companies. Despite of which within a year, Enron’s image was in tatters and its stock price had tanked nearly to zero. The Enron Scandal was a legend of document shredding, restatements of earnings, regulatory investigations, an unsuccessful merger and Enron filling for bankruptcy. Notwithstanding an elaborate corporate governance network, Enron was able to magnetize large sums of capital to source a moot business model, masking its actual performance through a series of accounting and financing ploys, and increasing its stock prices to unmaintainable levels. Shareholders lost nearly $11 billion when Enrons stock price plummeted to less than $1 per share, by the end of November 2001, from a high of US$90 per share during mid-2000. As the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) initiated an investigation, rival Houston competitor Dynegy bid to purchase the company at a very low price. The deal failed, and on December 2, 2001, Enron filed for bankruptcy, with $63.4 billion in assets made it the largest corporate bankruptcy in U.S. history. How it happened? Enron had a rather complicated business model, stretching across many products, incorporating physical assets and trading operations, and crossing national borders. This element stretched the limits of accounting. Enron took full advantage of accounting limitations in managing its earnings and balance sheet to portray a rosy picture of its performance. The trading business of Enron involved complex long-term contracts. The accounting rules then, used the present value framework to record these transactions, requiring management to make forecasts of future earnings. This approach, known as mark-to-market accounting, was significant to Enron’s income recognition and resulted in its management making forecasts of energy prices and interest rates well into the future. Enron relied expansively on structured finance transactions that involved setting up special purpose entities. These transactions shared ownership of specific cash flows and risks with outside investors and lenders. Traditional accounting that focuses on arms-length transactions between independent entities faces challenges in dealing with such transactions. Unconscious resolutions were used to record these transactions, creating a discrepancy between economic realities and accounting numbers. (Healy Palepu, 2003) Financial Reporting Issues Trading Business and Mark to Marketing Definitions: * A measure of the fair value of accounts that can change over time, such as assets and liabilities. Mark to market aims to provide a realistic appraisal of an institutions or companys current financial situation. (Investopedia) * The accounting act of recording the price or value of a security, portfolio or account to reflect its current market value rather than its book value. (Investopedia) In Enron’s original natural gas business, the accounting had been fairly straightforward: in each time period, the company listed actual costs of supplying the gas and actual revenues received from selling it. However, Enron’s trading business adopted mark-to-market accounting, which meant that once a long-term contract was signed, the present value of the stream of future in flows under the contract was recognized as revenues and the present value of the expected costs of fulfilling the contract were expensed. Unrealized gains and losses in the market value of long-term contracts (that were not hedged) were then required to be reported later as part of annual earnings when they occurred. Enron’s primary challenge in using mark-to-market accounting was estimating the market value of the contracts, which in some cases ran as long as 20 years. Income was estimated as the present value of net future cash flows, even though in some cases there were serious questions about the viability of these contracts and their associated costs. â€Å"Mark to market† was a plan that Jeffrey Skilling and Andrew Fastow proposed to pump the stock price, cover the loss and attract more investment. But it is impossible to gain in a long-term operation in this way, and so it is clearly immoral and illegal. However, it was reported that the then US Security and Exchange Commission allowed them to use â€Å"mark to market† accounting method. The ignorance of the drawbacks of this accounting method by SEC also caused the final scandal. Thus, an accounting system, which can disclose more financial information, should be created as soon as possible. Reporting Issues for Special Purpose Entities The accounting rule, then, allowed a company to exclude a special purpose entity (SPE) from its own financial statements if an independent party has control of the SPE, and if this independent party owns at least 3% of the SPE. Enron need to find a way to hide the debt since high debt levels would lower the investment grade and trigger banks to recall money. Using the Enron’s stock as collateral, the SPE, which was headed by the CFO, Fastow, borrowed large sums of money. And this money was used to balance Enron’s overvalued contracts. Thus, the SPE enable the Enron to convert loans and assets burdened with debt obligations into income. In addition, the taking over by the SPE made Enron transferred more stock to SPE. However, the debt and assets purchased by the SPE, which was actually burdened with large amount of debts, were not reported on Enron’s financial report. The shareholders were then misled that debt was not increasing and the revenue was even increasing. (Li, 2010) Enron had used hundreds of special purpose entities by 2001. Many of these were used to fund the purchase of forward contracts with gas producers to supply gas to utilities under long-term fixed contracts. Other Accounting Problems Enron’s accounting problems in late 2001 were compounded by its recognition that several new businesses were not performing as well as expected. In October 2001, the company announced a series of asset write-downs, including after tax charges of $287 million for Azurix, the water business acquired in 1998, $180 million for broadband investments and $544 million for other investments. Enron’s gas trading idea was probably a reasonable response to the opportunities arising out of deregulation. Conversely, extensions of this idea into other markets and international expansion were unsuccessful. Accounting games allowed the company to hide this reality for several years. The capital markets largely ignored red flags associated with Enron’s spectacular reported performance and aided the company’s pursuit of a flawed expansion strategy by providing capital at a remarkably low cost. Investors seemed willing to assume that Enron’s reported growth and profitability would be sustained far into future, despite little economic basis for such a projection. Governance and Intermediation Failures at Enron Most of the blame for failing to recognize Enron’s problems has been assigned to the firm’s auditors, Arthur Andersen, and to the analysts who work for brokerage, investment banking and research firms, and sell or make their research available to retail and professional investors. Role of Top Management Compensation As in most other U.S. companies, Enron’s management was heavily compensated using stock options. Heavy use of stock option awards linked to short-term stock price may explain the focus of Enron’s management on creating expectations of rapid growth and its efforts to puff up reported earnings to meet Wall Street’s expectations. Role of Audit Committees Corporate audit committees usually meet just a few times during the year, and their members typically have only a modest background in accounting and finance. As outside directors, they rely extensively on information from management as well as internal and external auditors. If management is fraudulent or the auditors fail, the audit committee probably won’t be able to detect the problem fast enough. Enron’s audit committee had more expertise than many. But Enron’s audit committee seemed to share the common pattern of a few short meetings that covered huge amounts of ground. Enron’s Audit Committee was in no position to second-guess the auditors on technical accounting questions related to the special purpose entities. Nor was it in a position to second-guess the validity of top management representations. However, the Audit Committee did not challenge several important transactions that were primarily motivated by accounting goals, was not skeptical about potential conflicts in related party transactions and did not require full disclosure of these transactions. (Healy Palepu, 2003) Role of External Auditors Enron’s auditor, Arthur Andersen, had been accused of applying lax standards in their audits because of a conflict of interest over the significant consulting fees generated by Enron. In 2000, Arthur Andersen earned $25 million in audit fees and $27 million in consulting fees. It is difficult to determine whether Andersen’s audit problems at Enron arose from the financial incentives to retain the company as a consulting client, as an audit client or both. However, the size of the audit fee alone is likely to have had an important impact on local partners in their negotiations with Enron’s management. Enron’s audit fees accounted for roughly 27% of the audit fees of public clients for Arthur Andersen’s Houston office. When the credit risks at the special purpose entities became clear, the auditors apparently succumbed to pressure from Enron’s management and permitted the company to defer recognizing the charges. Two major changes in the 1970s in the legal system, created substantial pressure for audit firms to cut costs and seek alternative revenue sources. In response to the changes, the audit firms lobbied for mechanical accounting and auditing standards and developed standard operating procedures to reduce the variability in audits. This approach reduced the cost of audits and provided a defense in the case of litigation. But it also meant that auditors were more likely to view their job narrowly, rather than as matters of broader business judgment. Furthermore, while mechanical standards make auditing easier, they do not necessarily increase corporate transparency. Role of Fund Managers Investment fund managers failed to recognize or act on Enron’s risks because they had only modest incentives to demand and act on high-quality, long-term company analysis. These managers are typically rewarded on the basis of their relative performance. Flows into and out of a fund each quarter are driven by its performance relative to comparable funds or indices. If the manager reduces the fund’s holdings of Enron and the stock falls in the next quarter, the fund will show superior relative portfolio performance and will attract new capital. However, if Enron continues to perform well in the next few quarters, the fund manager will underperform the benchmark and capital will flow to other funds. In contrast, a risk-averse manager who simply follows the crowd will not be rewarded for foreseeing the problems at Enron, but neither will this manager be blamed for a poor investment decision when the stock ultimately crashes, since other funds made the same mistake. Role of Accounting Regulations Many U.S. accounting standards tend to be mechanical and in flexible. Clear-cut rules have some advantages, but the downside is that this approach motivates financial engineering designed specifically to circumvent these knife-edge rules, as is well understood in the tax literature. In accounting for some of its special purpose entities, Enron was able to design transactions that satisfied the letter of the law, but violated its intent such that the company’s balance sheet did not reflect its financial risks. The Sarbanes Oxley Act In 2002, President Bush passed the Sarbanes-Oxley Act into law to re-establish investor confidence in the integrity of corporate disclosures and financial reporting. The act was brought in as a result of the large number of corporate financial fraud cases (such as those of Enron, WorldCom, Tyco, Adelphia, AOL, and others) and by the end of the boom years for the stock market. The Act requires all public companies to submit both quarterly and annual assessments of the effectiveness of their internal financial auditing controls to the Securities and Exchange Commission. Each companys external auditors must also audit and report on the internal control reports of management and any other areas that may affect internal controls. The companys principal executive officer and principal financial officer must personally certify that the financial reports are true and that everything has been disclosed. Many of the Acts provisions apply to all companies, United States and foreign. However, some provisions apply only to companies that have equity securities listed on an exchange or NASDAQ. While refocusing public company management on shareholder interests was the central purpose of the Sarbanes-Oxley corporate governance reform law, years later there are sharp disagreements on both sides as to whether the effort has been a success. Did it help? Considering foreign firms that listed on either New York or London exchanges in addition to their home markets between 1990 and 2006, the researchers found that those firms were six percent less likely to choose New York over London after Sarbanes-Oxley was implemented. This suggests that foreign executives, accustomed to laxer regulatory environments at home, were convinced that the act’s deterrents against self-dealing and fraudulent accounting were serious. Those who criticize the Act claim that the Act is unnecessary and too expensive to implement. The most ardent criticizers of the bill claim that not only has Sarbanes – Oxley failed in its mission to ensure honest financial recordkeeping and disclosure but that it has also stifled new business development in the United States. Some criticizers point to the Madoff scandal as an example of the failure of the Sarbanes – Oxley Act. Yet, not all analysts share in this type of criticism. Many analysts believe that more precise financial statements are now being prepared for public companies and that shareholders have greater confidence in their investments as a result of Sarbanes – Oxley. In order for these benefits to be realized, however, the S.E.C. must ensure that all of the requirements of the Act are carefully and universally followed and that exceptions, such as those for certain accounting firms, are not permitted. Bibliography * Wikipedia. (2012, December 18). Enron Scandal. Retrieved December 26, 2012, from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enron_scandal * Obringer, L. A. (n.d.). How cooking the books works? Retrieved December 26, 2012, from How Stuff Works?: http://money.howstuffworks.com/cooking-books7.htm * Healy, P. M., Palepu, K. G. (2003). The Fall Of Enron. Journal Of Economic Persepectives , 9. * Investopedia. (n.d.). Mark to Market MTM. Retrieved December 26, 2012, from Investopedia: http://www.investopedia.com/terms/m/marktomarket.asp#axzz2G9qt6COE * Li, Y. (2010). The Case Analysis of the Scandal of Enron. International Journal of Business and Management , 37-41.

Effects of Sedentary Lifestyle on Obesity

Effects of Sedentary Lifestyle on Obesity Introduction Currently, obesity and overweight is a main global health problem plaguing almost the whole planet. Studies show that in 2005 1.6 billion adults were overweight and 400 million adults were obese. As it is portrayed, obesity and overweight is a problem of the contemporary societies that cannot be confronted. According to a recent study of the World Health Organisation, it is predicted that there will be 2.3 billion overweight adults by 2015 in the world and more than 700 million of them will be obese. Also it is important to realise that obesity and overweigh are modern problems of the societies since statistics referring to these problems did not exist 60 years ago. Therefore, it is clear that obesity and overweight apart from genetic predisposition and psychological disorders might derive as well from the modern sedentary lifestyle that is highly affected by the recent technological development and from poor nutrition as there is an increase in convenience food. However in order to understand the extent and significance of the problem it is important to define and analyse overweight and obesity. Obesity can be defined as a medical condition in which body fat has accumulated to the extent that it has a negative effect on health. A healthy body requires a minimum amount of  fat  for the proper functioning of the  hormonal,  reproductive, and  immune  systems, as  thermal insulation, as  shock absorption  for sensitive areas, and as  energy  for future use. But the accumulation of too much storage fat can impair movement and flexibility, can alter the  appearance of the body and cause health problems. Obesity increases the likelihood of  various diseases like heart disease,  type 2 diabetes,  breathing difficulties during sleep (pulmonary diseases), hypertension, certain types of  cancer, and  osteoarthritis. In particular, cancer of the colon as well as prostate in men and cancer in breasts, ovaries and cervix in women have been found to be related to obesity. Furthermore, hypertension has been found to be related CHD and strokes. As a result, obesity has been found to reduce  life expectancy and be one of the leading  preventable causes of death  worldwide. Investigators have estimated that if everybody had the optimal body mass there would be 3 years added to life expectancy, 25 percent less coronary heart disease and 35 percent less congestive heart failure and brain infection. Overweight is generally defined as having more  body fat  than is optimally  healthy, without reaching the body fat value for obesity. The generally accepted view is that being overweight causes similar health problems to obesity, but to a minor degree. It is estimated that the risk of death increases by 20 to 40 percent among overweight people and that being overweight at age 40 reduces life expectancy by three years. Being overweight or obese has been identified also as a cause of  cancer. Psychological well-being is also at risk in the overweight individual due to social  discrimination. However, children under the age of eight are normally not affected. The prevalence of obesity and overweight is strongly related to age. The 16 to 24 years age group (for both men and women) is substantially less at risk of  becoming obese than older age groups. Those aged between 25 and 34 have the second lowest rates of obesity and overweight. Middle aged people are those who are in the most risky position of becoming obese or overweight. In order to further understand obesity and overweight it is important to analyse the methods used in order to classify and tell the degree to which a person is overweight or obese. The most popular method used is that of  the Body Mass index  (BMI), or  Quetelet index. The Body Mass index is a statistical measure of body weight based on a persons weight and height. Though it does not actually measure the  percentage of body fat, it is used to estimate a healthy  body weight  based on a persons height. Due to its ease of measurement and calculation, it is the most popular diagnostic tool to identify weight problems within a population, usually to classify adult underweight, overweight and obesity. Body Mass Index is found by dividing the body mass in kilograms by the square of height in meters. This technique can also act as a health since it appears to provide relative results concerning the degree of risk associated with overweight or obesity. Mortality and morbidity start increase at high rates at a BMI of more than 25. Therefore the desired levels of BMI are those below 25. Below there is a table of the BMI classification according to the World Health Organisation confirming what was previously stated. Classification BMI(kg/m2) Underweight

Why Businesses Exist :: Business and Management Studies

Why Businesses Exist A business gets started when somebody decide that they can earn a profit by making a good or providing a service and selling it to people who are willing to pay for it. All Businesses have the same Main Objective An objective is anything that the business wants to achieve. The most important objective is to make a profit in order to survive. If a business does not make a profit it will go bankrupt and have to closedown. The Public Sector Owned by the Government: Army, Police, Schools and Hospitals. These are benefits for everyone. The Private Sector Owned by Private Individuals. Of Benefit to the people who own them. Key Terms Entrepreneurship: means being prepared to take risks and having the flair and skills needed to set up and run a business or other organization. Sole Owner: is an individual who runs a business and is personally responsible for any losses incurred. A Limited Company: is an organisation, which gives its owners or shareholders protection so that they can lose only the money that they have already put in. Innovation: is the introduction of the new ideas. It may affect products or the way in which they are made. Developing Relationships: is Architecture with customers, employees & businesses. Businesses, which look carefully at the way it works with customers, employees, and other businesses are more likely to be successful. Reputation: A reputation of a company can be achieved through developing a particular image:  · Low Prices  · Appealing to the affluent  · Ensuring top quality Competitive Advantage: Is a distinctive feature that makes a business successful. A business must carefully identify the people who will buy the product to gain an competitive advantage over others. A Market: Is any location or process that brings buyers and sellers together. Price: is the amount of money that is given in exchange for a product. Goods: are anything you buy which are natural or manufactured for a products. Services: involve buying the skills o another person. Profit: is the difference between the price and the cost of making a product available. Reward Revenue – Cost = Profit Profit is the difference between a firm’s revenues from its trading activities and its total costs. It is a reward for the risk and a return on capital invested. There are 3 factors of production:  · Land  · Capital  · Labour Entrepreneurs use these 3 factors to make a profit. Sole Traders Company Legal ----- No legal formalities. A legal structure with a separate identity from those who run it.

Condition of the heart :: essays research papers

Condition of the heart. Heart disease continues to be one of the leading causes of death in the United States, and because of this, a variety of conditions tend to occur over time. One of these conditions is atrial fibrillation that, according to the American heart association, â€Å"an estimated two million Americans have an irregular heartbeat† (MNN, 2005). It can be seen at times in apparently healthy people, but generally happens in persons older than 65 years of age, and if they are younger than 65 years old, they may suffer conditions such as hypertension, or coronary heart disease. Atrial fibrillation is â€Å"a common heart rhythm problem† (CNN,2005). People with this condition may have symptoms such as palpitations, which is usually the â€Å"classic symptom†. Some others may complain of shortness of breath, fatigue, dypnea, chest discomfort and lightheadedness (Yee and Rozewicz, 2003). A fib is not commonly life threatening; however, it could lead to complication if not treated properly. Atrial fibrillation may be sporadic or chronic. In sporadic atrial fibrillation, a person may have symptom that comes and goes, don’t last long, and stopped by themselves. However, with chronic A Fib, it lasts until is treated. Some people may have this condition and do not even know it until they go to the doctor for a physical exam. The causes of atrial fibrillation may be difficult to tell. However, in cases such as cardiac surgery, hyperthyroidism, long standing- hypertension, ischemic heart disease, rheumatic heart disease, tachy-brady syndrome, holiday heart syndrome or moderate to heavy intake of alcohol, and other such as electrolytes imbalance, can increase the risk of atrial fibrillation (Hiller, 1999). An according to the American Heart Association, 15% of strokes occur in people with atrial fibrillation. As a result treating, A Fib is an important way to prevent stroke. (MSNBC, 2005) Normally, in order to pump blood, the heart muscles must contract and relax in a coordinated rhythm; these are controlled by electrical signals that travel through the heart muscle. The heart consists of four chambers, two upper chambers (atria) and two lower chambers (ventricles). The upper right chamber has a group of cells called the sinus node, the hearts natural pacemaker. The node produces impulses that initiate each heartbeat. During normal rhythm, the impulse goes first to the atria, and then passes to the connecting pathway, which is located between the upper and lower chambers of the heart and is known as atrioventricular node.

Extended Family Vs Nuclear Families Essay

I remember having a carefree and joyful childhood among several uncles, aunts, grand parents and parents. I remember the playful times that lasted for days at a stretch with my cousins. There was always one of the several older cousins ready to help me with my studies and the homework. Dinner time was a noisy and delightful occasion where a big group of us would enjoy anything being served. Bed time meant wonderful stories told by grandfather or grandmother ! Having been born in an extended family in Vietnam, I had a very pleasant childhood. But of course there were some not so good times too†¦ for instance when a big box of chocolates still meant only one each . Our parents would not buy anything and everything that we asked for, as it meant that the other children would be dissatisfied. A new set of clothes , however strongly desired, would be purchased only for a special occasion or a festival. Getting a toy meant having to share it too! From such an extended family, we had to move out of the country as my father’s job required it to be so. We had to literally break away from the family bonds and set up a nuclear ( broken part of the ) family in a far away country. Initially we found ourselves lost. We had no elders to whom we could turn to for our guidance. The wisdom and experience of the family elders which was so easily and freely available earlier was not to be found. Parents were busy trying to make decisions and make us more comfortable. Every small issue seemed to a big hurdle to tide over. Slowly we got used to this life style and started enjoying its advantages. A requests to parents for a new toy or a box of chocolates or a new dress would be met almost immediately. Sharing of chocolates and goodies was on a much lower key ! We started gloating in the undue attention of our parents. But as we grew up we found that the bonding in the extended family was not there and we had to constantly make an effort to keep the family together. We became less adjusting and more independent. Tolerance was conspicuous by its absence! Both my parents and we the children, were becoming less patient and living in a big group slowly started becoming very difficult. Our individualistic thinking gave us some predominance in the society and our personal achievements remained so . We had freedom from the traditions which were strictly followed in the joint family. But it also meant that festivities were listless days with lots of good food and clothes and nothing to celebrate. The gaiety was missing on such occasions. We got our individual identities †¦ but lost a part of ourselves back home. So as a person who has seen both sides of the grass, I strongly am inclined to the advantages of a joint family. It nurtures a person into a wholesome and one who is capable of caring and sharing. The love and respect shown towards all the other members of the family seemed to be too vague to imagine. The nuclear family was a bonding only between the parents and their children. Despite some distinct disadvantages the extended family would be my choice any day and in any place.

Negative Aspects of the SAT

The SAT requirement should be completely phased out from the college admission. The SAT has been used as the primary means of assessing students. The SAT is commercially published test that contain a number of items and have a uniform procedure for administration and scoring. The problem with the increase in SAT is that the tests present many challenging obstacles for students and teachers. The message being sent to students is that the only thing that matters in their whole educational experience is their test score. Rather than attacking the ‘root problem’ of academic failure, attention is being focused on comparing scores among schools. Fratt (p. 17) found that 62 percent of the states in which the SAT exams have been adopted to assess the students’ abilities have experienced a high and continuously increasing drop out rate. The high-scoring schools become models, and the low-scoring schools are seen failure (). As test scores are relied on for important educational decisions such as college admission, questions need to be raised about the validity of the SAT. Negative Aspects of SAT The SAT provides worthwhile information, but lacks realism and undermines the educational process. The U.S. is the only nation that relies upon SAT for college admission. Countries such as Europe and Asia use essays, oral exams and exhibit of students’ work. These assessment measures tend to measure students’ skills and knowledge in a more meaningful way including high-order thinking and problem-solving skills, whereas the SAT tend to focus on concrete, isolated skills (Black & Duhon, p. 90-98). An assumption of the SAT is that if a student is able to perform a skill in the test, he or she is able to perform that same skill in his or her own work. For example, if a student can perform de-contextualized editing on a SAT exam, he or she will be able to edit his or her own work. The SAT tends to focus on isolated skills, encourage low-level comprehension, rely only on multiple-choice formats, and produce scores at times that are not useful in planning instruction. Students are not involved in their own assessment. Labels may cause educators or parents to inappropriately alter the treatment towards these children. Children who receive low scores usually are placed in special classes wher the curriculum involves drill and skill worksheets. They fail to learn what their advantages peers are learning. School personnel often have lower expectations for students placed in lower tracts or remedial classes due to low-test scores. These children are more likely to receive an inferior education and they do not get admission in good colleges (Buell & Kralovec, p. 17-18). Using test results can be harmful to students receiving low scores as well as high scores. The SAT exams are used to identify the academically gifted and talented. Children identified as such as usually given additional material and resources in school. The students who score high on standardized tests show stress-related symptoms and a fear of failure. This heavy emphasis on scores can devalue teacher judgment and seriously affect a student’s self-esteem. Test-induced stress can lead to increased anxiety in all students. Low performing students especially feel that they have already failed, and the test just adds to their feelings of low self-worth. The greatest disservice a formal test can have on a student is the depletion of a student’s self-esteem. Students perceive themselves as failures when they receive labels such as ‘behind’, ‘at-risk’, ‘immature’, and ‘remedial’. Children who do poorly on tests tend to feel poorly about themselves and possess negative images. When students are labeled slow learners because of the SAT exams, their educational opportunity becomes narrowed and unchallenged. These students begin a lifetime of drill and skill worksheets. High portions of these students come from minority groups or special classes. Every test reflects the background of the people who construct the test, who are mostly white, upper to middle class professionals. Most of the experiences they are questioning come from their background leaving out the background of many of the potential test-takers (Heriot & Wonnell, p. 467-483). The SAT exams are also biased in favor of English-fluent pupils only. Many limited English proficient (LEP) students are improperly assessed and decisions about their placement are made incorrectly. Language dominance seems to have a negative effect for students of different cultural backgrounds, and non-English speaking students have trouble with interpretations of test language. Tests are written with complex grammar and oftentimes are hard to understand. As test results are shown, students who are more likely to fail include the disproportionately poor and African American students, which undermine the mission of offering all students an opportunity to learn. Children from low income and minority groups are often harmed for life because of low test scores. The curriculum is ‘dumbed-down’ for these students because the educators feel they cannot handle the regular curriculum. This leads to a boring curriculum for these students (Stahlman, p. 242). Civil rights and parent advocacy groups are challenging that these tests penalize minority and at-risk students who have been short changed education. African Americans and Latinos are usually forced into the bottom tracks solely based on their low test scores. Another negative impact to low-income students is the fact they have not had some of the experience as other students. If children come from affluent families and stimulus-rich environments, they are more apt to score higher on the SAT exams. On of the chief reasons that a student’s socioeconomic status is highly correlated to scores on the SAT exams and college admission is because many questions on the tests measure what is learned outside of school. Some students are offered more experiences than others, thus affecting their scores (Ullman, p. 18). Conclusion Assessment is needed in the public schools that benefit all students and focus on improving learning instead of ranking and labeling students into specific categories. The SAT exams are not perfect or absolute measures of what individual students can or cannot do. For instance, paper-and-pencil tests give teacher only part of the picture of a student’s strengths and weaknesses. A student’s scores on a particular test may also vary from day to day, depending on whether the student guesses, received clear directions, follows the directly carefully, takes the test seriously, and is comfortable in taking the test. School personnel must not limit assessment to the SAT exams or allow them to dominate the assessment. Assessment is definitely multidimensional and must take into consideration multiple measures to evaluate a person’s full capabilities. Without a more inclusive assessment process, those who can contribute to and benefit from society will be forever excluded from the opportunities to do so. The researcher after reviewing the literature that has been published in past and that has been discussed in this paper that the SAT requirement to get admission in a college should be phased out in order to make the process of college admission fair and transparent. Works Cited Black, H. T. & Duhon, D. L. Evaluating and improving student achievement in business programs: The effective use of standardized assessment tests. Journal of Education for Business, 79 (2) (2003), 90-98. Buell, J., & Kralovec, E. High-stakes testing, homework, and the gaming system. Humanist, 65 (3) (2005), 17-18. Fratt, L. Graduation exams under the microscope. District Administration, 41 (4) (2005), 17. Retrieved May 17, 2007, http://www.districtadministration.com/page.cfm?p=1052. Heriot, G. L. & Wonnell, C. T. Standardized tests under the magnifying glass: A defense of the LSAT against recent charges of bias. Texas Review of Law and Politics, 7 (2) (2003), 467-483. Stahlman, R. Standardized tests: A teacher's perspective. Childhood Education, 81(4) (2005), 242. Ullman, E. Study: High-stakes tests have no effect on achievement. District Administration, 41 (11) (2005), 18. Â  

School Uniforms Good Only for the Lower Grades - 3213 Words

School Uniforms: Good Only for the Lower Grades The debate over school uniforms has been ongoing for years throughout the United States. Those advocating for school uniforms believe that one’s individuality is not determined by the style of clothes a student wears and that uniforms will build a sense of community. They also believe that students will care more about their education if they are dressed as if they are heading off to work instead of off to play. The opposition for school uniforms feels that uniforms squelch the students’ individuality and therefore violate their First Amendment right. It is also believed by the opposition that uniforms will not stop the students from acting out in the classroom. Does requiring students†¦show more content†¦lt;http://712educators.about.com/cs/schoolviolence/a/uniforms_2.htmgt;. Kendrick, Carleton, Ed.M., LCSW. Reviewing School Uniforms. Family Education. FamilyEducation.com, 29 jun 2010. Web. 18 Nov 2010. lt;http://school.familyeducation.com/educational-philosophy/individuality/38675.htmlgt;. Svensen, Ann. School Uniforms: Pros and Cons. Family Education. Family Education, 19 Nov 2008. Web. 18 Nov 2010. lt;http://school.familyeducation.com/educational-philosophy/individuality/38676.htmlgt;. Common Ground exercise Student name: Kelly Payton You have a good topic, but you still need to focus your thoughts on the central issue of the debate. 45 points Date: November 16, 2010 1) Summarize the issue including the proponents’ point of view and the opponents’ point of view. End with a rhetorical question. The debate over school uniforms has been ongoing for years throughout the United States. Those advocating for school uniforms believe that one’s individuality is not determined by the style of clothes a student wears and that uniforms will build a sense of community. They also believe that students will care more for their education if they are dressed as if they are heading off to work instead of off to play. The opposition for school uniforms feels that uniforms squelch the students’ individuality and therefore violate their first amendment right. It is also believed by the opposition that uniforms will not stop the students fromShow MoreRelatedCan Uniforms Help Students Become Peaceful Equals? Essay611 Words   |  3 Pageswere forced to wear uniforms, would self-expression be taken away or would students suddenly become peaceful equals? The clothes students wear today in schools are a form of self-expression. Other ways students are able to express themselves include the way they fix their hair or the accessories incorporated in their outfits. Parents often believe the introduction of school uniforms would take away from the students’ right of self-expression. While some debate that school uniforms take away a student’sRead MoreHow Clothing Has A Impact On People And Their Behavior1718 Words   |  7 Pagesto consider. For example, school. School, in which students are surrounded by teachers and peers. Peers who will make fun of others if the clothing is not from a specific store or if it does not parallel the â€Å"in† style. These hurtful comments can drag down self-esteem and confidence and affect how well they are able to participate and focus on their studies. Implementing a school uniforms in public school can benefit the school and the students academically in their grades, behavior in the classroomsRead MorePros And Cons Of School Uniform Essay834 Words   |  4 PagesAre School Uniforms a Good or Bad Idea? School uniforms has been the cause of debate for many years now. Most students like to wear school uniforms because they believe uniforms make schools (â€Å"safer for students†) and create â€Å"level playing fields† where every student has equal opportunity to succeed and they all apply the same set of rules. However, students and even most parents don’t agree with the enforcement with school uniforms; stating that uniforms take away the right of (â€Å"self-expression†)Read MoreSchool Uniforms And The American Civil Liberties Union Of Nevada1053 Words   |  5 Pagescharter and private schools, and institutions of the like, school uniforms are being introduced to public schools at an increasing rate. The First Amendment of the United States Constitution guarantees all citizens the right to express oneself; The American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada states that having a choice in clothing is â€Å"†¦Crucial form of self-expression.† The ACLU also argues that â€Å"allowing students to choose their clothing is an empowering message from the schools that a student is aRead MoreSocial Impacts Of School Uniforms1550 Words   |  7 PagesSchool uniforms may seem like a thing of the past for many, but they are slowly becoming more used as time goes on. They have been found to improve the lives of students, parents, and teachers. Surprisingly, the people most against uniforms are parents; they worry about their children’s individuality and rights. For many parents, it is a struggle to pay for brand new uniform attire. In a recent case, Major Libby Blair found herself having trouble paying for each garment. She founded Libby’s ClosetRead MoreSchool Uniforms And Its Effects On People And Their Behavior1537 Words   |  7 Pagesto wear to school every single day impacts their lives more than most realize for example, in school. What students choose to wear to school can affect how well they are able to parti cipate and focus on their studies. The clothing that students choose to put on their backs affects their self-esteem, what class level their classmates perceive them as, and their behavior. Implementing a school uniforms in public school can benefit the school and the students academically in their grades and their behaviorRead MoreEssay on The Advantages of School Uniforms530 Words   |  3 Pagespiercings, this is not a good view early in the morning. That’s why the school should implement a uniform policy. Uniforms should be mandatory in school. Uniforms make the school appear more professional. Also with uniforms students won’t compare themselves with each other. Moreover uniforms can help students save time. Additionally parents won’t have to waste so much money on clothes hence will have a better budget. A major reason that schools should have uniforms is because students willRead MorePros and Cons School Uniform1515 Words   |  7 PagesPros and Cons of School Uniforms Trina Warren Liberty University Professor Mink GRST 500/501 June 17, 2013 Abstract The decision for school district to enforce school uniforms has been in existence since the 16th century. School uniforms were originally created for poor children; however, over time, schools saw uniforms as a way to bring students together. There has been debate whether uniforms improve academic success while reducing affiliation of violence. There is opinion and study thatRead MoreReturning to College as an Adult Essay1008 Words   |  5 Pagesyears—returning to school to earn a degree. Returning to school has always been achievable; however, as each year of my life sped by and I got older, I always came up with more and more excuses as to why I should not return to school. One day I received a course catalog in the mail showing online classes at the college. I decide that an online class would be the first step to my future. I am so grateful for the first day of that class. All the excuses and delays regarding returning to school were in vainRead More Supporting Sc hool Uniforms Essay1569 Words   |  7 PagesSocialization and You: Students in Uniform Uniforms have helped develop many children socially into the people they are today. Presented in argument form is how the role expectations, social control, and values of being in uniform have helped me succeed. Being in school uniforms at an early age has centralized me to this idea. High school was the first time without being in uniform for me. It was a culture shock. People made fun of what you wore some days, or would look at you wrong. You were no

Parenting - 1116 Words

Colleen McFadden English 12 One of the wonders in the world is when two people become parents. Parenting comes with much responsibilty. It is a learning experience, and though some skills of parenting come natural, others do not. People believe that if we require people to pass a driving test before licensing them to operate a car, we should require them to pass some kind of parenting test before allowing them to have children. As an American, I believe in the unalienable rights that were set down and stated in the Declaration of Independence, and truly think there should not be a parenting test. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain†¦show more content†¦Their kids see this behavior and think its normal, so they too grow up to be incompetent members of society. We had to fill out an application and have an interview to adopt from the humane society, so YES people should have to pass a test to have kids. We say thi s to each other all the time...(Miss T.). In the adoption process, one has to fill ou a series of applications have interviews and have time to spend with the children to figure out whether or not this person (or people) are fit to adopt, because they do not want the children to end up in a bad situation or place. They are weeding out the bad seeds from the good seeds. They are taking those simple rules and regulations of the adoption process and taking a step forward to make a better Nation. Another blogger on Answers.yahoo.com says: This day in age.. YES!! There are so many people who have their parents raising their kids.. Its time to grow up people.. Close your legs if you cant handle what may come! I am so tired of seeing these heartless, drug addict parents just give up on their kids!(Baby # 3 On The Way). Crime rate; including rape, murder, burglary,viloence, and others; has increased drastically with a cumulative number of 14,052,520 in 1960 to 25,916,946 in 2009. Thats an increase of 11,864,426. It is understandable why people believe there should be a Parent Qulification test with these numbers. As of now there is no ParentShow MoreRelatedParenting4330 Words   |  18 Pagesfind themselves lashing out. But many feel guilty afterwards and want to find better ways of handling difficult behaviour. We’ve collected the best advice from professionals, as well as some top tips from parents, to help you understand positive parenting and positive discipline, and that using physical punishment is never a good idea for children of any age. Which type of parent are you? Read the following three descriptions and decide which one you think is closest to you: â€Å"Raising children isRead MoreParenting980 Words   |  4 PagesParenting; It’s Harder Than We Thought ENG/147 5/19/2016 Parenting; It’s Harder Than We Thought Parents are often lost when it comes to raising their children to inevitably {hopefully} produce respectable adults. Often parents will emulate the style of discipline they experienced growing up. It is important to know the effects discipline may have emotionally on children. A few techniques that can be utilized in positive parenting are discipline, a child’s growth mentally andRead MoreSingle Parenting1619 Words   |  7 PagesSingle parenting ALGhaliya AL-dowaiki English Composition 2 Mr.James Philip Date :1/4/2014 Single parenting Introduction Single parenting is one of the most important issues in world. People were not except the idea of single parenting, that one of the parents has the responsibility to take care of the child. They believe that one hand cannot clap. They see that the child should live with his parents not one of them. Nowadays, single parenting become the phenomenon of the time , which meanRead MoreParental Parenting And Child Welfare Parenting Program908 Words   |  4 Pagesdifferent stressors and attitudes given by the parents in a child welfare-parenting program. Program files and interviews were used to conclude the statistics of the different stressors that could cause ineffective parenting to children. The second main purpose was to get a better understanding of the different issues, so there can be better involvements growth in the parenting. Sample The participants in this study are parenting dyads that have completed the Nurturing Parents Program (NPP) betweenRead MoreParenting Style Of Parenting Styles1772 Words   |  8 PagesPin pointing a specific parenting style that I was raised by was quite difficult. I believe that most parents use different styles throughout the raising of their children. Of course, I do understand that this paper is to select the dominate style of parenting used for my upbringing, but I was raised in two different households. Each household had its own dominate parenting style, however most of my life I was raised by my mother, so I’ll focus on her parenting style. As I stated above, I believeRead MoreParenting Styles And The Parenting Style Essay1594 Words   |  7 PagesIntroduction Parenting style used by caregivers plays an important role in the child’s development and learning, specifically social emotional learning. Parents play a big role in their child’s academic achievement, especially depending on the parenting style use. The parenting style where the parents are involved and monitor their children is related to academic achievement and educational accomplishment (Spera, 2005). Parenting styles comprise of two dimensions, demandingness and responsivenessRead MoreThe Superior Parenting Style Of Parenting1578 Words   |  7 PagesThe Superior Parenting Style In society, a child’s character can often be a direct reflection of his or her parents. Not the parents themselves, but rather their style of parenting is what is often seen as wrong or sub par to other parenting styles. An example of this would be the differences between opposite techniques utilized by Chinese and Western parents. However, neither the Chinese nor the Western style of parenting provides the maximum amount of happiness and structure in a child’s lifeRead MoreParenting Vs Today s Parenting1334 Words   |  6 Pagesan improvement in students, the simple answer is the way those students are being parented and what type of example students parents are setting. If we can identify and isolate bad parenting styles, we could improve our education, social skills, and our future as a country. Past Parenting vs Today’s Parenting Parenting styles are always changing. Recently mostly due to technology. Back not too long ago, children would actually go outside and met up with their friends. They had a sort of free rangeRead MoreAuthoritative Parenting : The Importance Of Authoritative Parenting1018 Words   |  5 PagesParenting can be challenging for most parents, and we don’t always get it right. Parenting takes time, unconditional love and understanding. Balswick and Balswick, (2014) suggests that â€Å"authoritative parenting† is more efficient. The development of a child is a very important and impacts their life overall into becoming a mature reciprocating self. I believe that good parenting starts with prayer, commitment and loving your children unconditionally. Authoritative parents do not let their childrenRead MoreParenting Practices Essay1002 Words   |  5 PagesJanet Michelle Lewis Parenting Practices April 12, 2014 PARENTING PRACTICES Parenting a child is a very important role. Parents teach a child how to behave and they provide the needs for the child. Parenting practices varies from generation to generation. In the chart below I have described parenting practices over generations in my family.    | Generation 1: Years (1960-1970) | Generation 2: Years(1980-2000) | Generation 3: Years(2000-2014) | Parenting Practice 1: Education | Medium