Paper : Presenting Proposals: The Problem/Solution Argument The uses and abuses of technology and media—from smart phones to social networks—seem to be on everyone’s mind. Write a proposal argument about some pressing dilemma caused by the digital age that is changing (ruining?) our lives. The majority of the paper should focus on the specific solutions you propose to solve the problem.You might want to explain how to bring traditional instructors into the digital age or establish etiquette for people who walk in traffic using handheld electronic devices. Or maybe you want to keep parents off of social networks. Or maybe you have a great idea for separating professional and private lives online.
SAMPLE ANSWER
“The Use and Abuse of Technology and Media”
One powerful dynamic that is shaping our social, intellectual, and moral spheres is the Internet. The internet technology resulted to social media, whereby millions of people interact, gather, and share information or experiences on various subjects. Social media has managed to attract many users within just a very short period. Although the use of social media has some benefits, it has also created room for abuse of technology. For example, with the availability of technology and social media, under age individuals have been exposed to disruptive contents that affect their psychology and eventually their whole lives. This paper champions the thesis that technology and media use also results to abuses that can ruin the lives of many people.
Most social media websites do not take precautions to make sure young individuals are protected (Macafee and J.J 579). Therefore, without these precautions, any visitor is able to connect and take part on the interactions. Young people are not well developed, and their judgments may still be crowded. Therefore, they form the best prey for criminals who are look to exploit people on the internet. This is where you find that individuals over share their personal information, share nude photos, and even get to view nude photos of other without expecting to(Macafee and J.J 581).
To ensure that social media and technology are not abused, the websites should take steps to ensure only people of the right age can view its content. This can be done by ensuring that the process of verification of age is strict. It should mimic the steps taken by online banking websites, whereby an individual is expected to provide a scanned valid identification, which is first approved before being able to view the content. Parents should also make it their responsibility to ensure children do not have access to such sites by always monitoring their web activity.
Description
This is a continuation of the health promotion program proposal, part one, which you submitted in Unit 6. Please approach this assignment as an opportunity to integrate instructor feedback from part I and expand on ideas adhering to the components of the MAP-IT strategy. Include necessary levels of detail you feel appropriate to assure stakeholder buy-in.
This paper below is a continuation of a previous paper you guys completed for me , and all what is require this week is to make corrections on the graded paper base on the comments of the prof and then respond to the following questions in 4 pages adding it as another section B to the revise paper. This section alone should contain a minimum of 4 pages. Follow the instructions below to complete this paper.
For this assignment add criteria 5-8 as detailed below: and label that section on your paper PART TWO
5. Propose a health promotion program using an evidence-based intervention found in your literature search to address the problem in the selected population/setting. Include a thorough discussion of the specifics of this intervention which include resources necessary, those involved, and feasibility for a nurse in an advanced role. Be certain to include a timeline
6. Thoroughly describe the intended outcomes. Describe the outcomes in detail concurrent with the SMART goal approach
7. Provide a detailed plan for evaluation for each outcome
8. Thoroughly describe possible barriers/challenges to implementing the proposed project as well as strategies to address these barriers/challenges.
Paper Requirements
• Your assignment should be 7-8 pages (excluding title page, references, and appendices)
• Remember, your Proposal must be a scholarly paper demonstrating graduate school level writing and critical analysis of existing nursing knowledge about health promotion.
The health problem is obesity in Washington, District of Columbia. In the United States, obesity and overweight are today so prevalent considering that 66 percent of Americans are either obese or overweight. In Washington DC, the number of those who are obese exceeds those who are overweight. Obesity remains one of the main public health problems, and is even regarded as a long-standing epidemic by health officials. In 2012, the prevalence of obesity in District of Columbia was 21.9 percent(Trust for America’s Health & Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, 2014). In essence, Washington, D. C. is presently the 2nd least obese state countrywide. The purpose of this proposal is to address existing nursing knowledge related to health promotion of childhood obesity in Washington, D.C. A health promotion program is developed in this proposal to meet the need of obese children in Washington, D.C.
Vulnerable population and setting: the vulnerable population is children and the setting is schools and at homes. Currently, as regards childhood obesity in Washington, DC, and the current obesity rate is 21.4% and it ranks 3rd out of 51 states in the U.S. This rate is for 10 to 17 year old children (Trust for America’s Health & Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, 2014). In my proposed health promotion program, what I will specifically address is diet and lifestyle. I will seek to alter the diet of the 10-17 year olds and promote lifestyle changes by recommending healthier lifestyles such as exercising and doing physical activity.The proposed outcome is to reduce the rate of childhood obesity in Washington, D.C. to 12.5% or less within the next 12 months from the current 21.4%.
Risk factors for childhood obesity
The risk factors for childhood obesity include the following: (i) diet: consuming foods with high-calories like vending machine snacks and baked foods, is a key risk factor in addition to desserts, candy and soft drinks that have sugar (Pratt et al., 2013). (ii) Lack of physical exercise: in essence, a child who does not exercise has a higher chance of gaining weight since he/she does not burn calories by doing physical exercise. Playing video games and watching TV are some of the inactive leisure activities which contribute to this health problem (Voigt, Nicholls& Williams, 2014). (iii) Family history: a child is at a great risk of being obese if she/he comes from a family of overweight children. The child might also have a higher likelihood of becoming overweight particularly within an environment in which foods of high calorie are available all the time and doing physical activity is not encouraged. (iv) Psychological factors: it is notable that some children eat too much in order to deal with problems or cope with emotions for instance stress, or just to deal with boredom (Schaub, 2014). (v) Socio-economic factors:Pratt et al. (2013) stated that foodstuffs that will not spoil very fast, for instance cookies, crackers and frozen meals usually have a lot of fats and salts. These types of foods are typically less costly relative to healthier foods. They are also an easier option compared to healthier foods.
Literature Review – evidence-based interventions
Interventions for childhood obesity include the following: (i) weight-loss surgery: this procedure could be an effective and safe option for very obese children who have not been able to reduce their weight with the use of conventional methods of weight-loss. Nonetheless, just as with any sort of surgery, there are possible long-lasting complications as well as risks associated with weight-loss surgery (Schaub, 2014). This procedure is essential especially if the weight of the child poses a greater threat to his/her health compared to the possible risks of surgery. (ii) Healthy eating:parents are the people who purchase food, cook it and decide the place wherein the food would be eaten. Even small changes in diet could make a significant difference in the health of the child. Pratt et al. (2013) pointed out that vegetables and fruits should be chosen when purchasing groceries, sweetened beverages should be reduced, the number of times a child eats should be limited, the number of times the family eats out particularly at fast-food eateries should be limited, and appropriate portions of food should be served.
(iii) Doing physical activity: physical activity is an essential part of weight for children. This is primarily because it burns calories, builds strong muscles and bones, and assists the child to sleep well during the night. In essence, these kinds of habits established when the child is still young will help them to maintain healthy weight regardless of the social influences, hormonal alters, as well as rapid growth that usually result in overeating (Davison et al., 2013). (iv) Medications: the prescription medicine for weight loss available in the United States presently is orlistat/xenical. This drug is approved for children who are older than twelve years, and it serves to prevent fat absorption in the intestines. In case the child has a high level of cholesterol, it is recommended to provide him/her with a statin medication (Sung-chanet al., 2013).
Review of the strengths and weaknesses of the sources used
See Appendix 1
Implementation Plan
The proposed project would be carried out over a period of three months starting August 15, 2014 and ending October 25, 2014. The implementation will entail the following: (i) communicating with partners in my state to support the provision of much healthier and high-quality foods in schools; (ii) initiate promotional and marketing programs to encourage parents to get their children physically active. (iii) Recommending to policy makers to reduce advertising and marketing to children; and (iv) Providing resource opportunities and education for primary care providers and other healthcare practitioners to promote prevention of childhood obesity. The specific implementation plan table is included in Appendix 2.
Health promotion/disease prevention conceptual or theoretical model
The health promotion/disease prevention theoretical model applied is the Relapse Prevention theoretical model. As per this theoretical model, people who are starting regular physical activity as well as exercise programs may be helped by interventions which assist them to expect factors or barriers that could contribute to relapse. The key concepts of this theoretical model include lifestyle rebalancing, cognitive reframing, and skills training (Davison et al., 2013). Relapse Prevention theoretical model is applied in the implementation and evaluation of this proposal in that through training programs that would be offered to parents in Washington, D. C, parents would obtain the skills necessary to promote health and prevent obesity in their children and change their lifestyle. For instance, they will know which physical activities their children can do or which foods and beverages to avoid in order to stay healthy.
PART 2
In this second part of the proposal, a health promotion program is proposed using an evidence-based intervention found in the literature search to address the problem in the selected population/setting – childhood obesity in schools and at homes. An in-depth discussion of the specifics of the this intervention is provided which comprise resources necessary, those involved, as well as the feasibility for a nurse in an advanced role. The intended outcomes are described comprehensively concurrent with the SMART goal approach along with a detailed plan for evaluation of each outcome. Lastly, the potential challenges/barriers to implementing the proposed project in addition to strategies to address these barriers/challenges are thoroughly described.
Health promotion program: lifestyle changes
The health promotion program for addressing the obesity in children is lifestyle changes, which basically includes encouraging (i) health eating; and (ii) doing physical activity and exercises in children.
Resources necessary
The key resources include: (i) personnel, 6 people would be hired to help me implement this project; (ii) materials such as computers to prepare PowerPoint presentations to be used during training programs; (iii) time, this project will take 12 months to complete; and (v) money. This project proposal is estimated to cost $120,627 over the course of its implementation. This figure is broken down as shown in Appendix 3.
People involved
To effectively address the problem of childhood obesity requires a multi-sectoral, sustained response that involves the general public, non-governmental and health professional sectors. It also includes visible leadership from ministers in Washington D.C. working together (Gollust, Niederdeppe& Barry, 2013). Nonetheless, the key people who would be involved include parents and caregivers in Washington, DC especially those with obese children. They will be involved by taking part in symposiums that my 6 colleagues and I will hold to educate them on appropriate diet and physical activity to prevent childhood obesity. In essence, caregivers and parents would be provided with nutrition education which will help develop and awareness of health eating habits and nutrition.
It is of note that caregivers and parents could help in preventing obesity in children simply by providing healthy snacks and meals, as well as daily physical activity (Rudolf, 2013). They will be encouraged to reduce sedentary activities of children by limiting amount of time that children play video games and watch TV. School heads in Washington D.C would be encouraged to increase the amount of time children engage in active play and to provide healthier foods.This strategy is essential considering that children spend a significant amount of their time in schools.
Feasibility for a nurse in an advanced role
An advanced practice nurse would be required in order to provide preventative care, treatment, as well as management of obesity in children with the use of advanced diagnostic reasoning, clinical skills, and advanced therapeutic interventions. It is of note that an Advanced Practice Nurse assesses and documents progress of the patient towards achievement of anticipated outcomes and offers consultation to other healthcare providers in order to optimize the plan of care and effect system of change (Pearson, 2011). The Advanced Practice Nurse will be a Nurse Practitioner who will address the weight of the patient and encourage them to lose weight.
Timeline
This program would be implemented over a period of 12 months. See the table showing timeline in Appendix 4.
Intended Outcomes
The following are the intended outcomes of the health promotion program:
Intended Outcome 1: To reduce the overall rate of childhood obesity in Washington, D.C. to 12.5% or less within the next 12 months from the current 21.4%.
Intended Outcome 2: to increase the accessibility of nutritious foods and reduce the marketing, accessibility and availability of beverages and foods which are high in sugar, fat and/or sodium to children by February 2015.
Intended Outcome 3: To make physical and social environments in Washington, D.C. wherein children learn, play and live more supportive of healthy eating and physical activity by April 2015.
Plan for evaluation of each outcome
Evaluating Intended Outcome 1: the first intended outcome would be evaluated by analyzing it to determine whether or not the overall rate of childhood obesity in Washington D.C has actually reduced to at least 12.5% by August 2015.
Evaluating Intended Outcome 2: analyzing to determine the extent with which beverages and foods high in sugar, fat and/or sodium are accessed, available to, and marketed to children in Washington, D.C by February 2015.
Evaluating Intended Outcome 3: ensuring that there are more physical and social environments in Washington, D.C in which children live, play and learn that are more supportive of healthy eating as well as physical activity by April 2015.
Barriers to implementing the proposed project and strategies to address them
Resistance and lack of cooperation from some parents and schools: this project will entail suggesting to schools, as well as parents and caregivers to provide healthier, nutritious meals and physical activity to children. School heads and parents may resist this project citing high costs of foods which are more nutritious. Generally, more nutritious and healthier foods are more costly compared to less healthy foods such as cookies, crackers and frozen meals which usually have a lot of fats and salts. As such, some parents and schools may find healthier foods to be cost-prohibitive (Phillips, 2012). To address this barrier, I will inform them of the benefits of providing healthier foods and physical activity to children by informing that it is imperative in fighting the epidemic of childhood obesity.
Inadequate financial resources: this proposed project is estimated to cost a total of $120,627, which is a substantial amount and I cannot raise the whole of this amount by myself. Personally, I can only raise $2,043 leaving a huge deficit. I will overcome this challenge by seeking financial assistance from friends, family members, government and non-governmental agencies, as well as corporate and individual sponsors.
References
Davison, K. K., Jurkowski, J. M., Li, K., Kranz, S., & Lawson, H. A. (2013). A Childhood Obesity Intervention Developed by Families: Results from a Pilot Study. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity; 10: 3.
Gollust, S. E., Niederdeppe, J., & Barry, C. L. (2013).Framing the Consequences of Childhood Obesity to Increase Public Support for Obesity Prevention Policy.American Journal Of Public Health, 103(11), e96-e102. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2013.301271
Phillips, F. (2012).Facing up to childhood obesity.Practice Nurse, 42(11), 14-17.
Pratt, C. A., Boyington, J., Esposito, L., Pemberton, V. L., Bonds, D., Kelley, M., & … Stevens, J. (2013). Childhood Obesity Prevention and Treatment Research (COPTR): Interventions addressing multiple influences in childhood and adolescent obesity. Contemporary Clinical Trials, 36(2), 406-413. doi:10.1016/j.cct.2013.08.010
Rudolf, M. (2013). Tackling Obesity Through the Healthy Child Programme: A Framework for Action. Leeds Community Healthcare.
Schaub, J. P. (2014). Childhood Obesity: Solutions to a Growing Problem. Integrative Weight Management, 123.doi:10.1007/978-1-4939-0548-5_9
Sung-Chan, P. P., Sung, Y. W., Zhao, X. X., &Brownson, R. C. (2013). Family-based models for childhood-obesity intervention: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials. Obesity Reviews, 14(4), 265-278. doi:10.1111/obr.12000
Trust for America’s Health & Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. (2014). The State of Obesity: Washington, DC.Available at http://www.fasinfat.org/states/dc/ (Accessed July 20, 2014).
Voigt, K., Nicholls, S. G., & Williams, G. (2014).Childhood Obesity Interventions, Equity, and Social Justice.Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199964482.003.0005
Appendix 1: Review of the strengths and weaknesses of the sources used
Source
Strength
Weakness
1
Davison, K. K., Jurkowski, J. M., Li, K., Kranz, S., & Lawson, H. A. (2013). A Childhood Obesity Intervention Developed by Families: Results from a Pilot Study. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity; 10: 3.
Source is up-to-date and relevant
Does not describe the causes or risk factors
2
Pratt, C. A., Boyington, J., Esposito, L., Pemberton, V. L., Bonds, D., Kelley, M., & Stevens, J. (2013). Childhood Obesity Prevention and Treatment Research (COPTR): Interventions addressing multiple influences in childhood and adolescent obesity. Contemporary Clinical Trials, 36(2), 406-413. doi:10.1016/j.cct.2013.08.010
Source is up-to-date.
Properly describes the interventions for childhood obesity
It is research-based
Does not describe pharmacological interventions
3
Schaub, J. P. (2014). Childhood Obesity: Solutions to a Growing Problem. Integrative Weight Management, 123. doi:10.1007/978-1-4939-0548-5_9
Source is up-to-date and provides a clear description of the health problem along with apt interventions
Does not specify what policy makers can do to prevent the health problem
4
Sung-Chan, P. P., Sung, Y. W., Zhao, X. X., &Brownson, R. C. (2013). Family-based models for childhood-obesity intervention: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials. Obesity Reviews, 14(4), 265-278. doi:10.1111/obr.12000
Source is up-to-date
Is research-based
Does not describe what schools can do to provide healthier meals for children
5
Voigt, K., Nicholls, S. G., & Williams, G. (2014). Childhood Obesity Interventions, Equity, and Social Justice. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/acprofoso/9780199964482.003.0005
Source is up-to-date
Clearly describes the interventions for childhood obesity
Does not clearly describe the causes or risk factors
Appendix 2: The implementation plan is as follows:
Communication idea
Timeline
1
Communicate with partners in Washington, DC about increasing meal reimbursement in order to support the provision of high-quality and much healthier foods in Washington DC schools
August 15, 2014 to August 22, 2014
2
Begin and expand promotional and marketing programs to encourage parents in Washington DC to get their children physically active.
August 23, 2014 – August 30, 2014
3
Encourage the increase of healthy and fresh foods in Washington, DC by supporting farmers markets in Washington DC through advising relevant authorities to create a farmer’s management network.
September 3, 2014 – September 10, 2014
4
Create a statewide childhood obesity prevention social marketing campaign that will provide families in Washington DC tools and information for preventing childhood obesity.
September 11, 2014 – September 16, 2014
5
Launch a healthy living challenge to the children of Washington DC that would incorporate obesity prevention social marketing campaign.
September 18, 2014 – September 28, 2014
6
Recommend to policy makers in Washington DC to improve physical activity as well as nutrition policies within child care settings in Washington, DC.
October 2, 2014 – October 7, 2014
7
Provide resource opportunities and education for primary care providers and other healthcare practitioners to promote prevention of childhood obesity.
October 10, 2014 – October 17, 2014
8
Promote healthier environments in pre-school and school settings
October 18, 2014 – October 23, 2014
9
Recommend policy makers to reduce advertising and marketing to children
October 24, 2014 – October 25, 2014
Appendix 3: budget for this project showing the financial resources required
Budget Item
Cost ($)
1
Recruiting 6 personnel who will help in the implementation each costing $ 2,105 per month for 12 months
$75,780.00
2
Hiring conference room to train parents on ways to prevent obesity in their children costing $877 per month for 12 months
$10,524.00
3
Materials such as flyers, brochures, magazines and handouts which contain text that encourage parents in Washington DC to ensure physical activity and healthy eating for their children
$905.00
4
Running campaigns and promotional activities on radio and television in Washington, DC that encourage parents to ensure physical activity and healthy eating for their children
$33,418.00
5
Total cost of project
$120,627.00
Appendix 4: Timeline
Communication idea
Timeline
1
Communicate with partners in Washington, DC about increasing meal reimbursement in order to support the provision of high-quality and much healthier foods in Washington DC schools
August 15, 2014 to October 22, 2014
2
Begin and expand promotional and marketing programs to encourage parents in Washington DC to get their children physically active.
October 23, 2014 – December 30, 2014
3
Encourage the increase of healthy and fresh foods in Washington, DC by supporting farmers markets in Washington DC through advising relevant authorities to create a farmer’s management network.
December 3, 2014 – February 10, 2015
4
Create a statewide childhood obesity prevention social marketing campaign that will provide families in Washington DC tools and information for preventing childhood obesity.
February 11, 2015 – April 16, 2015
5
Launch a healthy living challenge to the children of Washington DC that would incorporate obesity prevention social marketing campaign.
April 18, 2015 – May 28, 2015
6
Recommend to policy makers in Washington DC to improve physical activity as well as nutrition policies within child care settings in Washington, DC.
May 6, 2015 – June 20, 2015
7
Promote healthier environments in pre-school and school settings
June 18, 2015 – July 23, 2015
8
Recommend policy makers to reduce advertising and marketing to children
July 24, 2015 – August 25, 2015
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1. HR Analysis
a) As Coke and Pepsi move forward from this point, are there any important human resource issues that should be considered as part of their corporate and business strategies?
SAMPLE ANSWERS
Cola Wars Continue: Coke and Pepsi 2010
Introduction
Pepsi and Coke have dominated the carbonated soft drinks (CSD) market since the founding of the companies in 1889 (Coke) and 1898 (Pepsi-Cola) with stiff competition between them as they tried to become market leaders in the beverages market. However, the competition between the two companies is taking a new direction as they realize that the future lies not only in selling more products, but more so in having the right people on their team. The two companies are looking for new ways to boost their HR so that they can secure their present and future prospects.
Future HR practices
Crucial HR issues
The future of HR will be greatly impacted by some current issues such as finding the right talent for the complex tasks related to international beverage marketing and production given the stiff competition within the industry. Once the companies have found and selected the people with the right skills and capabilities, the next step is to ensure that they stay committed to their roles within the global corporations, which can be best achieved through giving meaning to their contribution within the organization. Companies are also struggling to reshape their identities through their people and not just their products as it was in the past, which means that they are investing more resources in their people now than ever before (Accenture, 2014). It is also crucial that companies have the right leaders who understand and believe in the values of the company and are focused on doing the right things that move the company closer to achieving its mission. HR professionals are crucial in this process as they work with line managers in efforts to ensure that they deliver on their mandate through nurturing talent, promoting the right culture and through delivery of transformational leadership.
Dealing with generational diversity
The current marketplace is composed of about three to four generations of workers with baby-boomers being the oldest group and generation Y being the youngest of the working generations, which poses a difficult challenge for HR professionals as all these groups of workers have different needs (Boudreau, Gibson & Ziskin, 2014). This challenge will still be present even in the future as the millennials start joining the workforce and as such, HR should come up with proper strategies to accommodate both the younger workers and the older workers as well. What is becoming clearer is that the younger generations are more adventurous than the older generations and as such, they do not want to be restricted by the old workplace rules. This trend has forced HR professionals to rethink how best they can accommodate them, yet at the same time increase the efficiency of operation and not lose out on productivity. Technology is also an important aspect of the lives of the younger generation as they are constantly on social media where they network and chat with friends, which might be quite detrimental to their productivity at work. HR professionals in coordination with line managers should work hand in hand to ensure that workers do not spend time on social media while on company time.
The workforce of one
This trend is gaining popularity among HR practitioners as they grapple with the diverse needs of their employees having realized that each employee has unique needs and it is no longer viable to treat the workforce as a single homogenous unit, but focus should be on individuals and their needs. This means that each employee is treated as a workforce in himself and his needs are addressed individually, but in accordance with the organizations culture. This trend has emerged out of the need to retain their talent for as long as possible given the prohibitive costs incurred in training such talent, especially those in top positions or those highly skilled professionals. Companies are finding it harder to keep replacing their talented employees who are being poached by other companies whether they are competitors or even companies from different industries. In the global marketplace where both Pepsi and Coke operate, there is stiff competition between international corporations and the number of professionals who understand the global marketplace and how to achieve the best results for companies is limited, which is driving the move towards talent retention and training.
The extended workforce
As both Pepsi and Coke operate globally, the need to use an extended workforce is increasing and will keep rising as more franchises are created where it is more efficient to use contractors instead of full-time employees of the company. The use of contractors is usually a good move for the company as it narrows down on employee administration tasks as the company only has to deal with the contractor and not his entire workforce, which saves time for the company, but may be detrimental in the long run. Most of the contracted workers are usually manual laborers who are employed in the bottling plants and manufacturing facilities of the company, without close supervision of the contractors activities most contractors have been known to underpay their workers. Therefore, it is vital that both companies set HR standards for their outside contractors and have an oversight team, which monitors the activities of contractors and ensures that the working conditions of manual laborers and their wages are commensurate with those stipulated by the companies. The companies should not forget to monitor the skilled professional who they contract in order to ensure that their work meets the set standards.
Integrating talent management activities
For global corporations such as Coke and Pepsi there is nothing more important than managing the careers of talented professionals who contribute greatly to the key strategies that move the company forward in the highly competitive global food and beverage industry. One of the key talent management strategies is through training of employees on the key skills required to work in the corporation and also providing guidance on how these individuals could move up the ladder within the organization. This need for talent retention has seen both companies launch management trainee program that prepare young graduates for top management positions within the company through training them on all aspects of the companies’ operations so that they understand exactly how the company operates. This means that the trainees get to spend significant amounts of time within the various departments in the organization and they are in daily contact with line managers to get a deeper understanding of not only how the department operates, but also to understand the key managerial challenges in each department. These programs are working extremely well, but more needs to be done in refining the programs for future challenges.
Conclusion
The above HR issues and trends are crucial to both Pepsi and Coke as they strive to continue being market leaders in the food and beverages industry against a backdrop of stiff competition from new entrants and the rapidly changing technological environment. HR practitioners within these two companies have to implement all the strategies analyzed above in order to stay competitive and ensure that they retain the right talent within their organization, as this is the key to a profitable future for both companies. Finally, as the HR function transforms in the global environment, HR practitioners will also need to invest time in learning new skill that will increase their effectiveness in future.
Policemen of the World Thesis and Outline
Due Week 7 and worth 70 points
After the Civil War and by the mid-20th century, the United States had become the dominant force in international relations. Some have argued that the United States’ military functions as the world’s “police.” This assignment covers the manner in which this shift occurred and the consequences the United States faces as a result of its status as “policemen of the world.” Using the Internet, research two (2) real-life international incidents from the past five (5) years in which:
The U.S. used military action abroad.
Controversy existed within the American public regarding U.S. involvement.
Controversy existed within the country or countries affected by U.S. involvement.
For the first part of this assignment you will create a thesis statement. A thesis statement is usually a single sentence somewhere in your first paragraph that presents your main idea to the reader. The body of the essay organizes the material you gather and present in support of your main idea. Keep in mind that a thesis is an interpretation of a question or subject, not the subject itself. (Note: Students please consult Stanford University’s Website with tips on how to construct a proper thesis, the webpage can be found at: http://www.stanford.edu/~steener/handouts/thesis.htm
For the next part of this assignment you will create an outline of the main points you want to address in this paper. This will serve as the basis for your Assignment 2.2 Final Draft. (Note: Please use the Purdue Owl Website to assist you with this assignment; this website can be accessed at: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/engagement/2/2/55/
Part 1
1. Write a thesis statement that is one to two (1-2) sentences long in which you:
State your opinion on the significance of the two (2) real-life international incidents that you have researched. Justify your response.
Part 2
2. Write a one to two (1-2) page outline in which you:
Determine two to three (2-3) international events from the past five years that can be traced back to a foreign policy created after the Civil War.
List three(3) aspects of US history since 1865 that has led to the US’s rise as a world super power policeman.
List three to five (3-5) international incidents since World War II where America has taken on a policing role.
List three to five (3-5) driving forces that fueled international policy decisions involving the international incidents you outlined previously. (Consider treaties, exit strategies, elections, wars, etc.)
Use at least three (3) quality references. Note: Wikipedia and other Websites do not quality as academic resources.
Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:
Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.
Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment page length.
The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:
Identify and discuss the different ways that the Civil War, Reconstruction, and Industrialization after the Civil War have shaped America’s history.
Summarize and discuss the ways that formal policies of government have influenced the direction of historical and social development in the United States.
Recognize the major turning points in American history since the Civil War.
Use technology and information resources to research issues in contemporary U.S. history.
Write clearly and concisely about contemporary U.S. history using proper writing mechanics.
SAMPLE ANSWER
Policemen of the World Thesis and Outline
Two international events from the past five years that can be traced back to a foreign policy created after the Civil War include the 2011 U.S. military intervention in the Libyan crisis and the invasion of the Jordan-Syria border during the 2011 Syrian civil war (Ziadeh, 2011). In these two incidents, the United States operated in line with the premise that it is entitled with the duty to restore order and ensuring that democracy prevails.
Since 1865, various developments have taken place in the United States that have caused the country to rise to a world super power policeman. The country amassed a lot of power during the early 20th century which made it to influence other countries (Paul, 2011). The growth of the economy was one of the top aspects that facilitated the rise of the United States to a world super power policeman. The economic strength of the country made it to grow in superiority both regionally and in international politics. The economic power set the pillar and compelled leaders into pursuing major policies to boost it. The second aspect that led to the rise of the U.S. to a world super power policeman was the Spanish-American war of 1898. The U.S. explored and implemented various strategies in defense and driving the Spaniards out of Cuba. The U.S. demonstrated its superiority in defense and military by crushing the Spanish fleets at the Santiago Harbor. This triumph over Spain made the U.S. to be confident that no other country could afford to stop it from achieving anything. The third aspect that facilitated the rise of the U.S. to rise to a world power was the strategies adopted by the country’s leaders (Paul, 2011). For instance, President Theodore Roosevelt adopted deterrence and diplomacy strategies while advocating for war. He always chose preventive strategies rather than aggressive strategies in times of war. This made the United States to emerge as a country with the ability to solve disputes, and hence earned trust across the world.
There are various international incidents since World War II where America has taken on a policing role. One remarkable incidence was the military intervention in Korea between 1950 and 1953. The U.S. assisted South Korea when it was invaded by North Korea. This intervention was facilitated by the United Nations Security Council Resolutions. Approximately 300 U.S. forces were deployed to Korea to bring the conflict to an end. The second incident was the 1967 military intervention in the Congolese revolution where three military aircrafts were sent to help the Congolese central government in tackling logistics (Allan & Maslowski, 1994). The third incidence was the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 after a terrorist event in an operation referred to as Operation-Enduring Freedom. The U.S. took an active role in fighting the Al-Qaeda and Taliban terrorists and supporters respectively. The U.S. has also take an active policing role in other countries such as Syria and Libya.
Various forces are attributed for fueling international policy decisions involving the international incidents such as the ones discussed in this paper. The intervention in Syria was facilitated by the desire to promote democracy. Another aspect that fueled the United States’ involvement in military intervention was the United Nations Security Council resolutions. The NATO treaties also played a significant role in propelling the U.S. to intervene in international issues. For instance, the intervention in Korea was driven by the desire to prevent war between Southern Korea and Northern Korea.
References
Allan, R., & Maslowski, P. (1994). For the Common Defense: A Military History of the United States. Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing Group.
Paul, A. (2011). Power and Connection: Imperial Histories of the United States in the World. American Historical Review, 116(5): 1348-1392.
Ziadeh, R. (2011). Power and Policy in Syria: Intelligence Services, Foreign Relations and Democracy in the Modern Middle East. London: I. B. Tauris.
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Imagine that you want to argue that advertisements should not include demeaning representations of chimpanzees and that the use of primates in advertisements should be banned. You’re encouraged to find out that a number of companies such as Honda and Puma have already agreed to such a ban, so you decide to present your argument to other companies’ CEOs and advertising officials.
SAMPLE ANSWER
Banning the use of primates in advertisements
Television commercials and ads should stop including demeaning representations of nonhuman primates such as chimpanzees. In essence, the use of primates in advertisements should be banned and companies should stop using nonhuman pirates in their future advertisements. These primates are usually mistreated off-screen. They are also treated badly after their useful life is ended. Animal actors should not be filmed in a studio setting, but instead only primates undisturbed within their natural habitats at credited sanctuaries and zoos. Better still, advertisers can utilize computer-generated imagery (CGI) instead of live animals in adverts or movies. It is of note that this technique was effectively utilized in the remake of King Kong as well as Jurassic Park.
Primates usually suffer much abuses before they are used in advertisements. They are often wrestled from their mothers when they are babies, beaten and hit horribly for the duration of training, and then stored at warehouses when they are roughly 8 years old when they become too physically powerful for human handlers. Smith (2008) stated that there is no way in which orangutans and chimpanzees could be trained without fear and domination. Most of the chimpanzees seen in advertisements wind up living in dirty and cramped cages. Renowned companies including Honda, Puma and Subaru have already agreed to the ban of such adverts. For instance, Subaru of America Inc. promised to never feature orangutans and chimpanzees in its TV commercials (Smith, 2008). Subaru received the Compassionate Business Award presented by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. The automaker’s spokesman reported that the company held a meeting of executives and chose to stop using primates in promotional campaigns owing to concerns regarding abuses in the industry. It is noteworthy that this automaker had earlier cast a chimpanzee outfitted in trunks and carrying a clipboard in a limited-edition spot for is Big Event, Small Tent Sale (Smith, 2008)
Can you please tell how the types of data collection or instruments used could have influenced the outcomes of the data for Cooperative Agreement for AIDS Community-Based Outreach/Intervention Research Program,? such as self report or survey Also, what were the greatest threats to the validity of this study
SAMPLE ANSWER
Survey: Impacts on the Outcome
Survey is a data gathering instrument that is used in collecting information from a population through the use of same procedures for each and every individual in the entire population. This method may take the form of electronic media, face-to-face or even telephone communication (Creswel & Plano, 2009).
The size of the population is very critical in determining the accuracy of the outcome. This is so because, in case the population is large, there will be need to use a sample to represent the entire group after which the outcome will be generalized; and in case the population is small, all the items in the group may be used, hence, higher accuracy level. However, at the same time, a smaller sample to represent an entire population is more effective since it gives the chance of further follow ups through the use of contacts (Gilbert, 2005). The key factors affecting the survey outcomes include the timing – a proper survey should be in such a way that it may be conducted at all the times; and mode – this implies the approach that is given to the survey, which influences the general outcome and time taken to come up with the outcome.
The designing of the questions used for the survey is a second most important factor in the coming up with satisfactory outcomes. This is so because, the use of simple and uncomplicated questions is very advantageous as the respondents will give very accurate responses. At the same time, the choice of whether to use open ended or closed questionnaires is also a very crucial decision to make (Denscombe, 2010). For the open ended questions, there is a chance of getting more information, though this may also be misleading due to respondents being out of line. On the other hand, the closed ended questionnaires are good for getting accurate data, though, the responses will be limited to the questions asked.
Scenario 1:
The atmosphere at a small technology firm in California is always confusing and chaotic. Employees are under constant pressure to meet deadlines, and expectations frequently and suddenly change. Despite the lack of clarity, supervisors frequently reprimand employees for failure to perform. Supervisors often give these reprimands publicly. Employees constantly compete for supervisor attention.
Scenario 2:
Workers at a business-consulting firm in Massachusetts do the same job they have done in the same way they have done it for the past ten years. Employees receive almost no supervision or feedback. Leadership does little to promote change or foster creativity. Employees rarely communicate with those outside of their departments. Employees work quietly in an orderly manner but receive little stimulation.
It is likely easy to identify which of the scenarios is less stressful. But is either environment desirable or indicative of a healthy organization?
Normally, the term organizational stress is a negative concept. The majority of stress researchers have focused on personal distress rather than on examining the positive aspect of stress called eustress (Gibbons, Dempster, & Moutray, 2008). Scholars and practitioners need to give more attention to the question of if and when organizational stress can be beneficial.
To prepare:
•Consider your experiences with stress in organizations and how you as a leader would address organizational stress.
By Day 3 of Week 5, post an evaluation of the impact of organizational stress. Explain whether you think organizational stress can be positive, negative, or both.
Then, given your proposed nature of stress, explain how you as a leader of an organization would assess and manage organizational stress. Identify tools you would use to assess organizational stress. Explain how you would promote or minimize stress within an organization.
To support your position, be sure to include references to personal experience and two scholarly resources.
SAMPLE ANSWER
Organizational Stress: Positive or Negative?
The Impact of Organizational Stress
Given that the employees in scenario 1 were always under stress because of the confusing and chaotic environment that exists at the firm, it is evident that organizational stress had a negative effect on the company. However, just as scenario 1 indicates that organizational stress is negative, scenario 2 indicates that a lack of organizational stress is not entirely positive and that it can also have a negative impact on organizations given the lack of employee motivation. According to my work experience in several high pressure environments with highly skilled employees, I noticed that there was a lot of pressure and stress at these organizations, yet this did not affect employees negatively as they were performing way above the expectations of their employers (O’Sullivan, 2010). Although, these employees were under significant stress when doing their jobs, they did not mind the stress and it actually motivated them to work harder and achieve more success (eustress). Therefore, I conclude that organizational stress cam be both positive and negative depending on the existing conditions at the workplace.
Eustress
As the leader of my organization, I would strive to increase positive organizational stress (eustress), while at the same time limiting negative stress mainly by setting challenging goals for employees and encouraging them to work collaboratively to accomplish the work goals (Fullagar, Knight & Sovern, 2013). However, I will also keep in mind that chronic stress whether negative or positive is not good for the organization or its and its people, therefore, I will also include periods of relaxation and fun in the activities of employees at the organization (Hargrove, Nelson & Cooper, 2013). By implementing breaks and fun time within the workers’ daily routines where they suspend their projects and engage in fun activities such as playing indoor games, playing video games, or listening to music, the employees relieve stress and are able to work effectively.
References
Fullagar, C. J., Knight, P. A. & Sovern, H. S. (2013). Challenge/Skill Balance, Flow, and Performance Anxiety. Applied Psychology: An International Review,62(2), 236–259.
Hargrove, M. B., Nelson, D. L. & Cooper, C. L. (2013). Generating eustress by challenging employees. Organizational Dynamics, 42(1), 61-69.
Nursing risk
Project description
1. What are the different types of risk that must be managed in healthcare settings? Refer to the “Failure to Obtain Consent” and “Hospital Nightmare” simulations in your answer.
2. Review the “Customer Service” simulation. Is there any correlation to a perception of or actual poor customer service in a healthcare organization and risk management?
Required text: Youngberg, B.J. (2011).Principles of Risk Management and Patient Safety. Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett.
“You must use a citation and reference in your initial post and in at least one of your response posts, using proper APA 6th edition format.”
SAMPLE ANSWER
What are the different types of risk that must be managed in healthcare settings? Refer to the “Failure to Obtain Consent” and “Hospital Nightmare” PDF’s in your answer.
Different types of risk require proper management in healthcare setting. These risks include informed consent, customer care services, and hospital nightmare issues that may include incidences of negligence on the parts of the nurses. One of the risks that nurses face relates to hospital nightmare as evidenced in this movie. Mrs. Smith complains of receiving a deadly infection because of negligence on the part of the health facility (Health Care Law, 2012). Even though she recovered, she complains that she contracted autoimmune disease after the incidence as a result of the complication caused by the infection. This, therefore, means that nurses must execute their mandate with keenness and professionalisms to avoid such incidence. The incidence is unfortunate but requires further interrogation to ascertain if the nurse caused the negligence.
Informed consent is as well important in nurse care and is a legal doctrine that endeavors to protect the right of patients. Patients have a right to give consent and to expect that the physicians’ honor their wishes (Health Care Law, 2012). The case of Mr. Davis filing a suit against Bright Road in the movies qualified as a breach of informed consent. During a cardiac catheterization, the act of the cardiologist extending the procedure without the consent of Mr. Davis is a breach that attracts charges, and should be avoided.
Review the “Customer Service” PDF. Is there any correlation to a perception of or actual poor customer service in a healthcare organization and risk management?
Customer care is essential in improving the quality of service provided. There is a correlation to perception of or actual poor customer services in a healthcare organization (Youngberg, 2011). Concerns of Bright Road CEO about the poor customer care are important (Health Care Law, 2012). Through Total Quality Management, customer care can be improved in streamlining administration, reducing length of stays of patients, and boosting clinical outcome and patients’ satisfaction. Without better customer services, the level of confidence of patients diminishes.
References
Health Care Law. (2012). Landscape. Ones & Bartlett Learning.
Assignment :Health Organization Case Study
Research a health care organization or a network that spans several states within the U.S. (Example: United Healthcare, Vanguard, Banner Healthcare, etc.).
Harvard Business Review Online and Hoover’s Company Records, found in the GCU Library, are useful sources. You may also find pertinent information on your organization’s webpage.
Review “Singapore Airlines Case Study.”
Prepare a 1,000-1,250-word paper that focuses on the organization or network you have selected.
Your essay should assess the readiness of the health care organization or network in addressing the health care needs of citizens in the next decade, and include a strategic plan that addresses issues pertaining to network growth, nurse staffing, resource management, and patient satisfaction.
Prepare this assignment according to the APA guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is not required.
This assignment uses a grading rubric. Instructors will be using the rubric to grade the assignment; therefore, students should review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the assignment criteria and expectations for successful completion of the assignment.
THE DEADLINE IS ON SUNDAY, WE TOOK 7 DAYS
SAMPLE ANSWER
United Healthcare Organization
The United Healthcare Organization is a nonprofit making organization, which traces its roots in the early 1977, when Dr. Paul Ellwood, a health professional, and Richard Burke founded the company. It all started in the 1960s when it used to be called the Health Maintenance Organization until 1977, when the two decided to change its name to United HealthCare Corporation. Its core agenda by that time was to help people live healthier lives and create innovative thinking in provision of better healthcare services. The business was based on the use of the recommended medical practices in healthcare and the use of management skills in better service provision to patients while strengthening the health care system. By the early 1990s, the organization had grown and registered numerous members (Strang 1997, p. 166)
Growth
Together, the United Healthcare and its partner Optum serve more than 85 million people worldwide with more than 160,000 workers in all the 50 states of the United States and more than 125 other countries (UnitedHealth group, 2014, p.3). Since the organization started, it has grown so big and has diversified the provision of its services. It now runs a series of healthcare groups such as the Optum, United Healthcare Children Foundation, and United Health Foundation. In order to increase the number of health service providers, the organization has opened up a series of nursing schools to provide nursing training to students so that it can increase the number of healthcare service providers. One such school is the Park Lane Elementary School in Philadelphia. The services that they are providing have been greatly advanced form simple medical service delivery to the more complex surgery delivery services.
The use of online forums in managing its growth has been very effective. The use of online management has also led to delivery of quality services to the patients at their own comfort. The patients can get advisory services at the online platforms
Management
The organization is managed in such a way that it has branches all over the country with distinct administrators. It has its headquarters at Minnesota and the president of the United Health Group organizations heads it. All the other administrators at the various branches around the country report to the headquarters (Strang, 1997).
As said earlier, the organization is a not-for-profit, which basically runs on member contributions and donor funding. The money is also collected through the membership subscription fee through the use of the healthcare insurance scheme where the members are taxed. It is collected from the various branches and then its use is managed at the headquarters. Here, any money that is required for spending is sent to the specific branch after approval by the necessary budgetary authorities (United Health group, 2014, p. 6-7).
Nurse staffing
The organization entirely runs on donor funding and contributions from the local societies in America. The employment of staff workers ranges from nurses to physicians, and doctors. The health care centers are located in every part of the United States. The employees sacrifice their time in order to ensure proper and quality service delivery to the patients.
According to Spetz et al. (2013), they observed that United Health Groups Center for Nursing Advancement has been in the forefront encouraging the nurse practitioners to engage in higher licensed programs so that they can practice with full authority. A report carried out by the center identified that nurse practitioners practicing in retail clinics have a very high potential to deliver quality services to patients. The study recommended that scope of practice by the qualified and trained nurses should go beyond what it is at now. The Health Group has carried out several researches in the healthcare system for America, which help equip the nurses with the right knowledge that they need in dealing with their patients. The organization has also organized several nurse-training conferences in which the nurses are given training on the current trends in the healthcare service provision. Through such forums, the nurses are able to acquire knowledge that helps them improve their skills in the healthcare system.
Advancements in Service Provision and Patient Satisfaction
The world of today is moving towards the era where people shall be accessing services at the comfort of their home without much manual work. In the year 2011, the United Health Center for Health Reform & Modernization in collaboration with YMCA launched the JOIN for ME Initiative. This was designed to engage young overweight kids between the age of 6 and 17 in an evidence-based program to achieve a healthier weight through a reduction of calories and TV and computer time screens. The initiative was also to encourage enough sleep and physical activity as one of the strategies of reducing weight. In the same year, the organization also invented hi-tech, lower cost hearing devices for the 36 million Americans with hearing loss. The initiative also included new testing in order to identify those who had developed the hearing problem (United Health group, 2014)
In the year 2012, the organization launched My Healthcare Cost Estimator, an online resource that provides a comprehensive analysis of costs of over 116 diseases and gives the comparison from various service providers. This helps the citizens in making informed decisions on their medication cost based on the different healthcare providers.
In 2013, the organization launched the Easy Book, an online healthcare shopping in which customers can book appointments online and pay upfront for quality care, often at discounted rates. In the same year, the Optum in collaboration with the United Healthcare group, launched a Diabetes Prevention Programme (DPP). The programme was run all over America encouraging change of lifestyle as a way of dealing with the diabetes problem among the millions of Americans in a convenient way. In addition, they launched the Optum 360, a new strategy to simplify patient billing and enhance transparency in the cost of medication of the patients by the various health service providers. The system also incorporates a technique, which enhances progressive delivery revenue management, and medical record documentation services to large hospitals and health systems.
This year, the organization has launched the Optum One, which is an analytics platform that helps the professional healthcare providers engage the patients, coordinate the patient care services, and improve health outcomes. The care providers can analyze and take direct action on conclusions deducted from data Optum One extracts from personal medical records and provides an avenue of claims.
Conclusion
The United Healthcare Organization is one of the very vibrant healthcare organizations in the whole of America whose service provision is aimed at satisfying its customers. Provided the organization advances technologically, new inventions will see it through its continuous growth and survival in the next decade.
Strang, D. 1997. Health maintenance organizations. pp 165-179. New York, free press.http://www.soc.cornell.edu/faculty/strang/articles/Health%20Maintenance%20Orga nizations.pdf
1. By doing the optimisation using Excel Solver, you are required to construct a mean variance efficient portfolio frontier for any 10 randomly selected ordinary shares listed on a stock market. For all your calculations, you should use the 60 monthly returns, sample means, standard deviations, and covariance and correlation matrices. Plot the portfolio frontier and comment on the weights of the portfolios along the portfolio frontier including in your discussion the correlations among the 10 shares.
2. Identify a risk-less asset and provide the rationale for your choice of the risk less asset.
3. By combining the risk-less asset with the 10 shares, plot the straight line efficient portfolio frontier and select the tangent portfolio on the portfolio frontier.
4. Assume that the short selling is not allowed, how your efficient frontiers would differ from those with short selling allowed in questions 1 and 3 above.
5. Identify the appropriate benchmark index and justify your choice of the benchmark index.
6. Evaluate the performance of the tangent portfolio selected above using:
a) Sharpe’s Measure
b) Treynor’s Measure
c) M2 Measure
d) Jensen’s Performance Measure
e) The Appraisal Ratio.
8. Critically evaluate the gains in the performance of the identified portfolio along with the associated risks from investing in other asset classes, for instance, investment in gilts (including index linked), corporate bonds, convertible bonds, commodities, real estate, hedge funds and exchange traded funds.
NB
This is a portfolio optimization assignment.
It has to be done with excel after the report writing on word.
SAMPLE ANSWER
Introduction
Investing in the stock markets is highly dependent on the performance of the portfolio in which a certain investor has put his/her money. This principle of portfolio optimization was popularized by Markowitz who developed an appropriate method through which an investor could devise the most important stock portfolio for investment by avoiding risky stocks and prioritizing on investing in the stocks with the highest potential for maximum returns. Therefore, Markowitz portfolio indicates that it is necessary to increase assets and/or stocks in an investment portfolio the where the total risk of that portfolio is considered to be low or as measured by the standard deviation (or variance) of total return declines continuously, whereas the envisaged portfolio return is a weighted average of the expected returns of the individual assets. This implies that investing portfolios instead of individual assets and/or stocks, investors have a chance of significantly lowering the total risk of investing without necessarily sacrificing returns on their investments.
Therefore, the Markowitz’s mean-variance theory is usually implemented through the Excel Solver spreadsheet calculations meaning that it always optimize allocation of assets by finding the stock distribution through which there is minimization of the standard deviation or variance of the portfolio while at the same time sustaining the desired return on the stocks and/or assets. The origin of modern portfolio theory was in the 1950s with Harry Markowitz’s pioneering work in mean-variance portfolio optimization. However, prior to Markowitz’s innovation, heuristics were the ones who significantly influenced finance more than mathematical modeling. Mean-variance optimization is currently considered the core technique used by pension funds and hedge funds for portfolio diversification.
Most investors trade risk off against the envisaged return on their investments. Mean-variance optimization plays a crucial role in the identification of the investment portfolio responsible for the minimization of risk (i.e. standard deviation) for a given return. In most cases the line which is formed when the envisaged returns are plotted against the minimized standard deviation becomes the most efficient frontier for determining the most appropriate investment portfolio.
Background of Stock Portfolio Optimization
There is a certain return for every stock in the market and it is assumed that a normal distribution is portrayed by this return. This implies that the distribution for these returns for the stock can be completely described using the mean which represents the expected return as well as variance of the returns. Moreover, between any pair of stocks covariance of the returns can be computed whereby the stocks that show positive covariances, it means that they move together while the stocks that show negative covariances move in the opposite directions. Therefore, if the envisaged returns for a certain stock return or a group of stock’s returns are known, a portfolio of these stocks can be put together because of their desired variance (risk) in the stock market as a result of their envisaged return. Thus, solver, excel is mainly used for the purpose of picking the portfolio in possession of the least variance for an envisaged return meaning that the investor is likely to gain profits from his/her investment.
However, the expected return as well as the portfolio’s variance can be calculated using the method that was developed by Harry Markowitz which is crucial in the computation of portfolio return in terms of the sum of individual stock covariances and variances between stocks’ pairs in a certain portfolio. This is definitely the right thing to do from a mathematical standpoint, even though all covariances between any portfolios pair of stocks is considered meaning there would be so many calculations that would be required to accomplish this task. Alternatively, another method was devised by William Sharpe for the determination of the envisaged return and variance for a certain portfolio. This is a simpler method compared to the previous one because it assumes that any stock’s return has two parts such as the beta part which depends on the entire market performance, and the second one which is independent of the market. These two methods have been extensively used to determine the performance of specific groups of stock portfolios in the stock markets across the world for a considerable period of time.
Discussion
In our considered example, the optimal portfolio in stock market provides a risk-return trade off for superior to investing in all the shares within the UK stock exchange market. For instance, through the computations of the Excel Solver it has been determined. For instance, the portfolio optimization analysis began with the analysis of descriptive aspects of the considered 10 stock returns over a period of 60 months including means, standard deviations, and median. Moreover, the correlation and covariance matrix as well as correlation coefficient all seem to indicate that there is significant relationship between the 10 stocks considered over the 60 months.
Moreover, there are also other performance ratios such as the Treynor’s measure, Sharpe ratio, Jensen’s Performance Measure, and the appraisal ratio. For instance, Treynor’s measure of 0.4 which is relatively low considering that it is below the half mark, this implies that selected portfolio is not that better since the higher the Treynor’s measure. The Sharpe ratio is almost identical to the Treynor measure, with exception of the fact that the risk measure is the standard deviation of the portfolio rather than only considering the systematic risk, as represented by beta. Therefore, the Sharpe ratio of 1.6 is indicative of a portfolio that is not performing better. This may be attributable to the selected stock with lowly performing returns, except a few which show considerable performance.
Jensen’s Performance Measure analyses the performance of an investment by not only looking at the overall return of a portfolio, but also at the risk of that portfolio. For instance, when two mutual stocks, rationally an investor would go the one that is less risky meaning that the obtained value of 0.2 is and indicative of considerable performance of the stocks.
Finally, the Appraisal Ratio of 0.5 shows that it is necessary to attempt to beat the returns of a relevant benchmark or of the overall market. The appraisal ratio measures the portfolio performance by comparing the return of their stock picks to the specific risk of those selections, hence the higher the ratio, the better the performance of the portfolio in question.
This implies that two step must always be taken prior to determining where to invest in the stock market, where the first one regards the determination of the allocation of stocks/assets between the riskless portfolio and the risky assets and/or stocks. The second step is the determination of the allocation of resources between the risky and riskless portfolios.
However, considering that all the portfolios of riskless and risky assets have a similar Sharpe ratio, all investors do not have one optimal portfolio, but their allocation is often determined by specific factors that are individual like the objectives of the investor or risk aversion of the investor, taking into account factors like the investor’s horizon, wealth, etc. Furthermore, the extent to which the volatility of the portfolio can be decreased is highly dependent on the correlation whereby, the lower the average correlation of the stocks within a certain portfolio, then it implies that that is the lower an investor can decrease the volatility of the portfolio. This is a clear indication that this has provided the author of this assignment with succinct knowledge of determining the optimal allocations in stock markets.
Conclusion
Through this assignment it has been shown that, it is possible to use specialized spreadsheets for the calculation of important risk and return related portfolio statistics in the stock markets as well as minimizing the overall risk or maximizing the expected return of a multi-stock portfolio. However, it is essential to know that irrespective of these calculations being useful when creating investment portfolios, they rest on the assumption that historical relationships between asset classes and individual assets will hold in the future. This means that it is always crucial for investors to choose a period that they feel is representative of a “typical” market cycle, in order to avoid a capturing a repetitive cycle that is not relevant.
Moreover, the mean-variance portfolio optimization has its limitations, despite the fact that it is very helpful in choosing appropriate portfolios. For example, using standard deviation (or variance) as a proxy for risk can only be considered valid for normally distributed returns, and not any other returns which is not always the case in the stock markets. In addition, the premise of the Markowitz theory means that investors are not likely to make any alterations to their asset allocation after it has been optimized. Finally, fund managers or investors may not necessarily be interested in the minimization of risk (i.e. standard deviation or variance), but instead they may be interested in reducing the correlation of a fund to a benchmark. These are the limitations of the used method, even it is very crucial in determining portfolio optimization.
Reference List
Arnold, G. (2008), Corporate Financial Management, Third Edition, New York, NY: Pearson Education Limited.
Craig, W. H. (2008), Excel Modelling and Estimation in Investments, Third Edition, Indiana University, Prentice Hall, Inc.
FTSE Website http://www.ftse.com/products/indices/uk
Goldfarb, D. and Iyengar, G. (2003), “Robust Portfolio Selection Problems”. Mathematics of Operations Research, Vol.28 Issue 1, pp. 1-38.
Jackson, M. and Staunton, M. (2001), Advanced Modelling in Finance using Excel and VBA. Chichester, England: John Wiley & Sons.
Markowitz, H.M. (1959), Portfolio Selection: Efficient Diversification of Investments. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons.
Markowitz, H.M. (1952). “Portfolio selection” The Journal of Finance, Vol. 7 Issue 1, pp. 77-91.
Sharpe, W.F., (1964), “Capital asset prices: A theory of market equilibrium under conditions of risk”. Journal of Finance, Vol. 19 Issue 3, pp. 425-442.
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