Tuesday, January 28, 2020

General psychology Essay Example for Free

General psychology Essay Introduction ALMOST CERTAINLY YOU WILL PROBABLY HAVE COME ACROSS THE IDEA OF PLAGIARISM ALREADY. PLAGIARISM IS ABOUT THE PRESENTATION OF OTHER PEOPLES’ WORK AS IF IT IS YOUR OWN, FOR YOUR GAIN. THE IDEAS AROUND PLAGIARISM ARE PRESENTED TO STUDENTS IN MANY DIFFERENT WAYS SOMETIMES PLAGIARISM IS SEEN AS A DREADFUL CRIME. WE WANT TO PRESENT IT HERE IN THE CONTEXT OF AN UNDERSTANDING OF ACADEMIC HONESTY AND WHAT IS TERMED ‘ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT’. YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THESE THINGS BECAUSE THEY SHOULD GUIDE YOUR MANNER OF WORKING IN HIGHER EDUCATION. PLAGIARISM AND CHEATING ARE SERIOUS ISSUES IN HIGHER EDUCATION, AND PLAGIARISM, IN  PARTICULAR, IS INCREASING A GREAT DEAL AT PRESENT. WE WANT YOU TO HAVE THE KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS AND THE GOOD WORKING HABITS THAT ENABLE YOU TO MAKE EFFECTIVE AND APPROPRIATE JUDGEMENTS IN YOUR WORK. THIS UNIT IS DESIGNED FOR STUDENTS NEAR THE STARTING POINT OF HIGHER EDUCATION STUDIES. IT PROVIDES THE INFORMATION AND SKILLS THAT YOU NEED AT PRESENT – AND YOU WILL HAVE MORE MATERIAL ON THIS TOPIC AT A LATER STAGE, WHEN YOU NEED TO KNOW MORE ABOUT IT. The aim of this unit is to: -HELP YOU TO GET A CLEAR IDEA OF ACADEMIC HONESTY AND ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT -CLARIFY THE MEANINGS OF ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT CHEATING AND  PLAGIARISM AND COLLUSION -PROVIDE YOU WITH INFORMATION THAT YOU NEED IN ORDER TO BE ACADEMICALLY HONEST; -IDENTIFY AND HELP YOU TO ATTAIN THE SKILLS THAT YOU NEED FOR ACADEMIC HONESTY AND GOOD PRACTICE 1 AS WELL AS PROVIDING SOME EXERCISES TO HELP YOU TO LEARN FROM THIS MATERIAL, THIS UNIT IS INTENDED TO BE A RESOURCE TO WHICH YOU MAY WISH TO RETURN FOR GUIDANCE. THE ANSWERS TO THE EXERCISES ARE AT THE END OF THE UNIT. Some points to think about AS A STUDENT YOU SHOULD LEARN ABOUT ACADEMIC HONESTY BECAUSE IT IS AN IMPORTANT ELEMENT OF HIGHER EDUCATION BEHAVIOUR. THERE ARE SEVERAL ASPECTS TO IT. IT INVOLVES: -ENSURING FAIRNESS TO THOSE WHO HAVE PRODUCED NEW KNOWLEDGE AND IDEAS; -ENSURING THAT THE WORK THAT A PERSON SAYS IS HER OWN IS INDEED HER OWN; -THE DISCOURAGEMENT FROM CHEATING TO GAIN UNFAIR PERSONAL ADVANTAGE. THE INTENTION TO DECEIVE STAFF OR THE INSTITUTION IS CENTRAL TO THE ACTIVITY OF THE PLAGIARIST OR CHEAT. HOWEVER, IT IS NOT FAIR ON YOU, AS A STUDENT, IF YOUR FELLOW COLLEAGUES CHEAT AND PLAGIARISE AND THEREBY GET BETTER MARKS. SAM, SUZANNE, IZZY, AND KATRINE ARE IN A LEVEL 1 CLASS AT SOMOUTH UNIVERSITY. THEY ARE ALL STUDYING PSYCHOLOGY AND ARE IN A CLASS OF OVER A HUNDRED AND EIGHTY STUDENTS. THEIR SEMINAR SESSIONS ARE THIRTY IN NUMBER AND SO FAR THEY DO NOT FEEL KNOWN AS INDIVIDUALS BY STAFF. SUZANNE HAS BEEN STRUGGLING BECAUSE SHE, UNLIKE THE OTHERS, DID NOT STUDY PSYCHOLOGY AT SCHOOL. SHE HAS BEEN QUITE DEPRESSED ABOUT IT AND HAS ASKED THE OTHERS FOR HELP. THEY DID WHAT THEY COULD, BUT SHE DID NOT SEEM TO BE ABLE TO TAKE IT IN. AT TIMES SHE TALKS ABOUT LEAVING UNIVERSITY. THEY COME TO THE COURSEWORK ASSESSMENT AT THE END OF LEVEL 1 AND TO EVERYONE’S SURPRISE, SUZANNE COMES OUT WITH ONE OF THE HIGHEST MARKS IN THE CLASS. THE TUTOR PRAISES HER WORK AT THE NEXT SEMINAR AS BEING WELL CONSTRUCTED, AND PARTICULARLY WELL WRITTEN. SUZANNE IS CLEARLY HAPPY AND THEY ALL GO OUT FOR A DRINK IN THE EVENING. UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF A FEW PINTS SHE LETS SLIP THAT SHE PAID ANOTHER STUDENT IN HER HOUSE (FROM LEVEL 2) TO WRITE IT. AFTER THE TIME AND EFFORT THE OTHERS HAVE PUT INTO HELPING SUZANNE, AND DOING THEIR OWN WORK, THE OTHERS FEEL CHEATED BY HER ACTION. THE ATTITUDE TO PLAGIARISM CAN DIFFER IN DIFFERENT CULTURES, FOR EXAMPLE SOMETIMES IT CAN BE CONSIDERED TO BE AN HONOURABLE ACT TO REPRODUCE THE EXACT WORDS OF THE EXPERT TEACHER. IN THE UK THE NORM IS TO EXPECT STUDENTS TO PRODUCE THEIR OWN WORK. THEY WILL, OF COURSE, USE THE WORK OF OTHERS WITHIN THEIR WORK AND WHERE  THIS OCCURS THE OTHERS’ WORK NEEDS TO BE CITED AND WHEN QUOTED, MARKED AS A QUOTATION. SOME INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS MAY NEED TO ADJUST TO UK NORMS WHEN STUDYING HERE. 2 LAU COMES FROM SOUTH EAST ASIA. HE WAS ENCOURAGED TO GIVE GREAT RESPECT TO HIS TEACHERS, THERE AND TO REGARD THEM AS EXPERTS WHOSE WORK WAS TO BE EMULATED. HE IS VERY TAKEN ABACK WHEN HE IS TOLD THAT HIS EXAMINATION PAPER SHOULD EXPRESS MORE OF HIS OWN IDEAS AND SHOULD NOT CONTAIN MATERIAL THAT HE MUST HAVE LEARNT BY HEART FROM HIS LECTURE NOTES. HE FINDS IT HARD TO UNDERSTAND HOW HE, HIMSELF COULD HAVE ANYTHING WORTHWHILE TO SAY AT THIS STAGE. IF YOU ARE AN INTERNATIONAL STUDENT AND FEEL THAT YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND THE MATERIAL IN THIS UNIT, ASK A TUTOR OR STUDY ADVISOR FOR MORE HELP. Some definitions and explanations WE HAVE SAID THAT THE AVOIDANCE OF CHEATING AND PLAGIARISM IS A MATTER OF HAVING INFORMATION AND A SET OF SKILLS THAT BECOME GOOD HABITS OF WORKING. WE START BY LOOKING AT A SET OF EXPLANATIONS AS PART OF THE INFORMATION, AND THEN YOU WILL BE GIVEN SEVERAL DEFINITIONS. YOU DO NOT NEED TO MEMORISE THESE DEFINITIONS, BUT YOU ARE EXPECTED TO HAVE A WORKING KNOWLEDGE OF THEM. TO START WITH, WE INTRODUCE THE TERM ‘ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT’ TO MEAN THE USE OF  DISHONEST ACADEMIC BEHAVIOUR TO ONE’S OWN BENEFIT. THE TERM INCLUDES CHEATING, PLAGIARISM AND COLLUSION. CLEARLY, SUZANNE ILLUSTRATES ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT IN HER BEHAVIOUR – AND THAT WAS PLAGIARISM. CHEATING IS OFTEN SEEN AS A BEHAVIOUR THAT OCCURS IN EXAMINATIONS, BUT IT IS BROADER THAN THAT. HERE ARE SOME EXAMPLES OF CHEATING BEHAVIOUR. SIMON KNEW THAT OTHERS NEEDED A BOOK IN ORDER TO COMPLETE THE ESSAYS THAT THEY HAD BEEN SET. HE USED THE LIBRARY BOOK HIMSELF, THEN HANDED IT BACK IN (IT WAS A SHORT-TERM LOAN) AND THEN WHEN HE WAS IN THE LIBRARY THE NEXT DAY, TOOK THE BOOK FROM ITS PROPER LOCATION AND PUT IT IN ANOTHER AREA OF THE  LIBRARY. JAMIE WENT INTO THE EXAMINATION WITH TEN KEY NAMES WRITTEN ON HIS ARM IN BALLPOINT PEN JULIETTE WAS DOING A CHEMISTRY DEGREE. HER EXPERIMENT IN CLASS DID NOT GO TOO WELL AND THE DATA SHE ACHIEVED WAS INCOMPLETE. SHE HAD A LOOK AT HER FRIEND’S BOOK AND GOT AN IDEA OF THE APPROPRIATE KIND OF DATA AND MADE SOME UP. CHRISTINA HAD NOT DONE ENOUGH REVISION FOR THE CLASS TEST. SHE TOOK THE DAY OFF, SAYING THAT SHE HAD ‘FLU AND KNOWING THAT SHE WOULD THEN HAVE A BIT MORE TIME TO LEARN FOR THE TEST WHICH SHE WOULD DO LATER. 3 ED HAD A PROJECT IN ENGLISH TO WRITE UP, TO BE HANDED IN AT A PARTICULAR TIME. THERE WAS OTHER ACADEMIC WORK TO BE HANDED IN AT THE SAME TIME AND HE KNEW HE COULD NOT DO ALL OF IT. HE LEFT THE ENGLISH PROJECT UNTIL LAST. AFTER A SESSION IN THE GYM HE COMPLAINED OF A VERY SORE WRIST, PUT A BANDAGE ON IT AND WENT TO SEE HIS TUTOR TO ASK FOR MORE TIME TO COMPLETE THE PROJECT ON THE BASIS THAT HE COULD NOT WRITE VERY QUICKLY AT PRESENT. HIS TUTOR TOLD HIM TO GO TO THE MEDICAL CENTRE AND GET A NOTE. HE CAME BACK TWO DAYS LATER WITH THE PROJECT NOW COMPLETED AND THE WRIST UNBANDAGED AND ‘HEALED’. THE TWO DAYS HAD BEEN VERY USEFUL. ABI WAS ONE OF A GROUP OF STUDENTS WHO WERE WORKING TOGETHER ON A PROJECT  THAT WAS TO BE SUBMITTED JOINTLY. SHE HAD GONE INTO HIGHER EDUCATION PARTLY BECAUSE SHE WANTED TO ENJOY A GOOD SOCIAL-LIFE, AND THE PROJECT WAS NOT GOING TO GET IN HER WAY. WHEN THE OTHER STUDENTS IN THE GROUP MET TO WORK ON THE PROJECT, SHE WOULD CONSTANTLY SAY THAT SHE COULD NOT MAKE IT. THEY GOT ON WITH THE PROJECT, COMPLETED IT AND HANDED IT IN WITH ABI’S NAME ON IT AS WELL. THEY RESENTED HER BEHAVIOUR, BUT BEING IN THE EARLY STAGES OF THEIR PROGRAMME, DID NOT KNOW EACH OTHER VERY WELL AND DID NOT KNOW HOW TO INDICATE ABI’S LACK OF CONTRIBUTION. PLAGIARISM, AS WE HAVE SAID, IS ANOTHER FORM OF ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT AND IT  REQUIRES A RATHER SPECIAL EXPLANATION WHICH IS AS FOLLOWS: THOSE WHO WORK IN HIGHER EDUCATION AND RESEARCH CAN BE SEEN AS WORKING IN A COMMUNITY – THE ACADEMIC COMMUNITY. THIS COMMUNITY HAS A SET OF RULES TO WHICH IT WORKS. ACADEMIC CONVENTIONS ARE THESE RULES AND ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT IS THE BEHAVIOUR THAT CONTRAVENES THESE AGREED RULES. THESE RULES, OBVIOUSLY IDENTIFY CHEATING AS A CONTRAVENTION HOWEVER, THERE ARE ASPECTS OF THESE RULES THAT REFER TO THE ‘OWNERSHIP’ OF IDEAS. ACCORDING TO THESE RULES OR CONVENTIONS, NEW IDEAS ARE TREATED LIKE PROPERTY THAT SOMEONE OWNS. ONE REASON FOR THIS IS THAT THERE ARE REWARDS AND AWARDS (GRANTS, PRIZES, QUALIFICATIONS, DEGREES ETC) GIVEN TO PEOPLE FOR THE QUALITY OF THEIR IDEAS. FOLLOWING FROM THE NOTION OF NEW IDEAS AS PROPERTY, WE CAN CONSIDER THE USE OF UNATTRIBUTED IDEAS FOR THE GAIN OF ANOTHER PERSON, AS A FORM OF THEFT. BY ‘UNATTRIBUTED’, WE MEAN THE LACK OF ATTACHMENT OF A NAME AND SOURCE TO THE IDEA SO IT IS AS IF THE IDEA IS THAT OF THE WRITER. OTHER WORDS FOR ‘ATTRIBUTE’ ARE REFERENCE, ACKNOWLEDGE AND CITE. YOU USUALLY REFERENCE THE IDEA OF ANOTHER IN THE TEXT (WHERE YOU HAVE REFERRED TO THE IDEA, OR QUOTED FROM IT) AND IN A REFERENCE LIST AT THE END OF YOUR WORK. PLAGIARISM IS THE TERM FOR PASSING OFF ANOTHER’S WORK AS ONE’S OWN FOR ONE’S OWN BENEFIT. IT USUALLY THAT OTHERS’ IDEAS HAVE BEEN ‘BORROWED’ WITHOUT BEING REFERENCED TO THE ORIGINAL CREATOR OF THE IDEA. PLAGIARISM OCCURS WHETHER THE ‘PASSING OFF OF THE WORK AS ONE’S OWN’ IS INTENTIONAL OR UNINTENTIONAL. WE HAVE TO SAY THAT PLAGIARISM MAY BE UNINTENTIONAL BECAUSE ANYONE CAN ALWAYS CLAIM THAT ‘S/HE HE DID NOT KNOW ABOUT PLAGIARISM’. 4 CORRESPONDINGLY THEREFORE, TEACHERS AND INSTITUTIONS HAVE TO BE CLEAR THEMSELVES THAT THEY HAVE ENSURED THAT STUDENTS HAVE RECEIVED APPROPRIATE OPPORTUNITIES TO  UNDERSTAND ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT AND TO HAVE LEARNT THE NECESSARY SKILLS TO BEHAVE WITH ACADEMIC HONESTY. BELOW ARE SOME EXAMPLES OF PLAGIARISM: EMMA WAS DOING A LAW DEGREE AND FOUND THAT HER FLAT-MATE HAD DONE THE SAME MODULE THE YEAR BEFORE AND WAS WILLING TO LET EMMA LOOK AT HER ESSAYS – BUT INSISTED THAT SHE SHOULD NOT COPY ANY OF IT. EMMA COPIED A LARGE CHUNK OF ONE OF THEM BECAUSE SHE DID NOT UNDERSTAND THE SUBJECT AND ALTERED A FEW WORDS HERE AND THERE. UNFORTUNATELY FOR HER, SHE DID NOT NOTICE THE FONT WAS DIFFERENT ON THE COPIED CHUNK AND HER PLAGIARISM WAS DETECTED. ANNA HAD WORK TO DO IN CHEMISTRY THAT SHE DID NOT UNDERSTAND. IT WAS ABOUT THE NATURE OF A PARTICULAR REACTION. SHE LOOKED ON THE INTERNET AND FOUND A PIECE OF WRITING THAT WAS EXACTLY WHAT SHE NEEDED – AND CUT AND PASTED IT, ADDING A FEW WORDS OF INTRODUCTION AND CONCLUSION. ANTONIO PHONED HOME TO HIS FRIEND FOR HELP WITH AN ASSIGNMENT IN CIVIL ENGINEERING. HIS FRIEND FOUND A PIECE OF WRITING IN SPANISH. ANTONIO HAD IT TRANSLATED FROM THE ORIGINAL AND SUBMITTED THAT. BILLIE FOUND THAT AN OLD TEXTBOOK ON MODERN HISTORY AT HIS HOME THAT SAID EXACTLY WHAT HE NEEDED TO SAY IN AN ESSAY. HE COPIED IT. THE CHANGE IN STYLE WAS NOTICED BY HIS TUTOR, WHO CHALLENGED HIM. COLLUSION IS A FORM OF PLAGIARISM TOO. SOME EXAMPLES OF COLLUSION ARE: JOANNE WAS STRUGGLING IN HER EDUCATION DEGREE. HER FRIEND WAS DOING A SIMILAR DEGREE AT ANOTHER UNIVERSITY. THEY DECIDED TO CHOOSE THE SAME TOPIC FOR THEIR DISSERTATION AND TO WORK TOGETHER ON IT ASSUMING THAT THEY WOULD NOT BE FOUND OUT BECAUSE THEIR RESPECTIVE DISSERTATIONS WOULD NEVER BE SEEN TOGETHER. STUDENTS IN BUSINESS STUDIES WERE ASKED TO DEVELOP MARKETING STRATEGIES FOR A GIVEN PRODUCT. THEY WERE TOLD THAT THEY SHOULD WORK TOGETHER TO DO THE NECESSARY RESEARCH AND TO DEVELOP A PRESENTATION, BUT THAT THEY SHOULD THEN WORK ALONE IN THE PREPARATION OF THE WRITTEN WORK THAT THEY WOULD HAND IN. KAY WAS IN ONE OF THE GROUPS. SHE HAD NOT DONE HER FAIR SHARE OF THE INITIAL RESEARCH, AND WHEN IT CAME TO THE WRITTEN WORK SHE ASKED ONE OF HER GROUP TO HELP HER. THE COLLEAGUE LEANT KAY HIS COMPLETED WRITTEN WORK, AND SHE COPIED IT, THEN WROTE HER ACCOUNT, VERY HEAVILY BASED ON HIS. SHE SHOWED HIM HER VERY SIMILAR ACCOUNT BEFORE SHE HANDED IT IN – AND THANKED HIM BEFORE HE COULD OBJECT. BOTH OF THEM WERE DEEMED TO HAVE COLLUDED. 5 THE DEFINITION OF COLLUSION STARTS THE SAME AS FOR PLAGIARISM. COLLUSION IS THE  PASSING OFF OF ANOTHER’S WORK AS ONE’S OWN FOR ONE’S OWN BENEFIT AND IN ORDER TO DECEIVE ANOTHER. HOWEVER, IT GOES ON TO SAY THAT WHILE IN THE USUAL DEFINITION OF PLAGIARISM, THE OWNER OF THE WORK DOES NOT KNOWINGLY ALLOW THE USE OF HER WORK, IN A CASE OF COLLUSION, THE OWNER OF THE WORK KNOWS OF ITS USE AND WORKS WITH THE OTHER TOWARDS DECEPTION OF A THIRD PARTY. ON OCCASIONS, TWO PEOPLE MIGHT COLLUDE IN PLAGIARISING ANOTHER PIECE OF WORK. WHEN WE DEFINE COLLUSION, WE NEED TO BE CLEAR WHERE THE BOUNDARIES OF UNACCEPTABLE AND ACCEPTABLE CO-OPERATIVE OR COLLABORATIVE WORK ARE. CO-OPERATION IS SEEN AS OPENLY WORKING WITH ANOTHER OR OTHERS FOR MUTUAL BENEFIT WITH NO DECEPTION OF THE OTHER(S) INVOLVED. CO-OPERATIVE BEHAVIOUR IS A COMMON AND IS USUALLY WELCOMED PRACTICE IN HIGHER EDUCATION. RESEARCH TEAMS RELY ON IT. OFTEN YOU WILL BE TOLD THAT YOU SHOULD WORK TOGETHER TO THE POINT OF WRITING UP AN ASSIGNMENT, AND THEN WRITE IT UP SEPARATELY. HOWEVER, THERE MAY BE LOCAL ‘RULES’ OR DESIGNATIONS OF ACCEPTABLE PRACTICE AND OCCASIONALLY VOCABULARY USE WITH REGARD TO COLLUSION, COOPERATION AND COLLABORATION MAY VARY. IT IS IMPORTANT TO FIND OUT FROM YOUR TUTORS JUST WHAT IS  EXPECTED IN YOUR LOCAL CONTEXT. WHAT IS ACCEPTABLE MAY DIFFER FROM ASSIGNMENT TO ASSIGNMENT. IT IS POSSIBLE THAT ON OCCASIONS YOU WILL BE ASKED TO WORK JOINTLY ON A PIECE OF WRITING – AND CLEARLY, THAT IS ALL RIGHT. RATHER THAN TALKING IN THE NEGATIVE ABOUT THE AVOIDANCE OF COLLUSION OR PLAGIARISM, IT IS USEFUL TO USE THE IDEA OF WORKING WITH ACADEMIC HONESTY. ACADEMIC HONESTY IS WHERE YOU UNDERSTAND ACADEMIC CONVENTIONS AND WORK WITHIN THEM. IN THIS INDEPENDENT STUDY UNIT, WE PUT THE STRESS ON PLAGIARISM. THIS IS BECAUSE PLAGIARISM TAKES MORE EFFORT IN UNDERSTANDING THAN OTHER FORMS OF ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT. THIS IS NOT BECAUSE PLAGIARISM IS NECESSARILY MORE SERIOUS. THE FABRICATION OF DATA – OR MAKING UP OF EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS CAN BE FAR MORE SERIOUS AND HAVE FAR GREATER CONSEQUENCES THAN PLAGIARISM. SO THAT YOU CAN RETURN TO THIS MATERIAL EASILY ON FUTURE OCCASIONS, WE GATHER UP THESE IDEAS AS A SERIES OF DEFINITIONS AND PUT THEM INTO A GLOSSARY IN APPENDIX 1 OF THIS UNIT. Exercise 1: Thinking that you know about plagiarism does not mean that you can always decide what is right YOU HAVE NOW LOOKED AT THE EXPLANATIONS OF ACADEMIC HONESTY AND MISCONDUCT AND HAVE READ ABOUT THE JUSTIFICATION FOR CITATION. IT IS TIME TO TEST YOUR UNDERSTANDING. YOU WILL FIND, IN THE NEXT EXERCISE, THAT THINKING THAT YOU KNOW WHAT PLAGIARISM IS MAY NOT MEAN THAT YOU ACTUALLY KNOW WHAT IT IS WHEN IT COMES TO THE DISTINCTIONS OF RIGHT AND WRONG IN YOUR WORK OR THE WORK OF ANOTHER. SOME 6 OF THE EXAMPLES ARE PLAGIARISM, SOME ARE COLLUSION, SOME ARE CHEATING AND SOME ARE ALL RIGHT. REMEMBER THAT PLAGIARISM OCCURS WHEN THE WORK OF SOMEONE ELSE IS PRESENTED AS ONE’S OWN AND IS NOT ATTRIBUTED TO THE OTHER. ONE OF THE THREE ANSWERS GIVEN (A, B AND C) IS CLOSEST TO THE ANSWER. THE ANSWERS ARE AT THE END OF THE UNIT. 1. JOE HAS AN ESSAY TO PREPARE. HE METICULOUSLY READS BOOKS IN THE LIBRARY, BUT IS NOT SURE FROM WHICH TEXT THE IDEAS HAVE COME, AND WHICH IDEAS WERE HIS OWN. HE LISTS THE RANGE OF BOOKS HE THINKS HE USED IN HIS REFERENCE LIST. a) Not plagiarism but he should have cited the books in the text b) Plagiarism – he should have cited the books in the text c) Not a problem – he cited the books in the reference list 2. JAYNE DOES NOT KNOW HOW TO GET STARTED WITH AN ESSAY – SHE IS IN HER FIRST SEMESTER. SHE DELAYS STARTING IT AND THEN PANICS AND HER FRIEND SHOWS HER HOW SHE CAN BUY AN ESSAY FROM A PAPER MILL WEBSITE. SHE BUYS ONE AND SUBMITS IT (‘ONLY THIS TIME’ SHE SAYS). a) This is not all right but it is cheating, not plagiarism b) Plagiarism – and it is not all right c) Plagiarism but it is all right at this stage, but not later in the programme 3. TERRY AND FRAN LIVE IN THE SAME HOUSE. THEY ARE ON THE SAME COURSE AND HENCE HAVE TO PUT IN THE SAME ASSIGNMENTS. FRAN HAS DIFFICULTIES WITH WRITING BUT SHE REALLY WANTS TO DO WELL IN HER DEGREE. TERRY WOULD LIKE TO GET TO KNOW FRAN BETTER AND SEES THIS AS A WAY OF INCREASING THEIR FRIENDSHIP. HE SUGGESTS THAT SINCE THE CLASS IS LARGE, THEY COULD PUT IN THE SAME ESSAY AND NO-ONE  WOULD NOTICE – AND IN THIS WAY HE ‘HELPS’ OUT FRAN, WHO IS VERY GRATEFUL. a) Fran colluded. Terry did not. b) Terry colluded and Fran did not c) They colluded. 4. MIKE USES THE LIBRARY TO FIND THE RELEVANT LITERATURE TO THE ESSAY THAT HE HAS TO WRITE, THEN, USING ONE OF THE ESSAY SITES, BUYS A SIMILAR ESSAY AND INTEGRATES INTO IT THE MATERIAL THAT HE HAS READ. a) It is certain that Mike plagiarised b) Mike did not plagiarise if he cited the sources and paraphrased appropriately c) Mike has plagiarised because he bought the essay 5. MALACHY FOUND THAT HER FRIEND, WHO HAD DONE THE MODULE LAST YEAR, HAD DONE THE SAME EXPERIMENT. HER FRIEND SUGGESTED THAT MALACHY COULD READ THROUGH 7 WHAT SHE HAD WRITTEN BUT SHE WARNED HER NOT TO COPY IT AS THAT WOULD BE COLLUSION. WITHOUT HER FRIEND KNOWING, MALACHY DID COPY PART OF IT AND PRESENTED IT AS HER OWN. a) Malachy plagiarised her friend’s work b) Malachy and her friend colluded c) Malachy and her friend plagiarised 6. DAMION FINDS THAT AN ESSAY THAT HE HAS DONE IN SCHOOL IS VERY SIMILAR TO ONE HE HAS TO WRITE AT UNIVERSITY. HE USES HIS SCHOOL ESSAY – BUT UNFORTUNATELY HE DOES NOT HAVE THE REFERENCES PROPERLY RECORDED. HE HAS NAMES CITED IN THE TEXT, BUT NOT DETAILS OF THE SOURCES. HE MAKES UP ONE OR TWO AND THINKS THAT  HIS TUTOR WILL PROBABLY NOT WORRY ABOUT THE REST. a) Because it was school work – from a different place, it was all right b) It was all right because it had already been marked c) Damion plagiarised 7. SUE IS A LECTURER. SHE GIVES A LECTURE TO FIRST YEAR STUDENTS ON CELL BIOLOGY AND TALKS A LOT ABOUT CURRENT DEVELOPMENTS IN RESEARCH, BUT DOES NOT GIVE THE REFERENCES TO THE RESEARCH IN THE LECTURE OR ON HANDOUTS. a) Technically Sue plagiarised b) It is all right. If this had been written work, Sue should have cited correctly – but it was oral c) It is all right not to cite if your are a teacher / lecturer in the process of teaching. 8. TIM AND OONAGH ARE WORKING ON THE SAME ESSAY FOR THEOLOGY. OONAGH FINDS A GOOD WEBSITE THAT IS VERY HELPFUL. IT PROVIDES GOOD MATERIAL ON THE SUBJECT ON WHICH THEY ARE WRITING. SHE TELLS TIM ABOUT IT. THEY BOTH DOWNLOAD CHUNKS OF IT. OONAGH CUTS AND PASTES INTO HER ESSAY AND PUTS A REFERENCE TO THE SITE IN HER REFERENCE LIST. TIM PARAPHRASES FROM THE MATERIAL, ACKNOWLEDGES IT IN THE TEXT AND IN HIS REFERENCE LIST. THE TUTOR WOULD NOT HAVE NOTICED THE SIMILAR MATERIAL BUT FOR THE FACT THAT THE TWO ESSAYS WERE ADJACENT TO EACH OTHER IN THE PILE. a) Tim and Oonagh colluded b) Tim and Oonagh plagiarised. c) Only one of them plagiarised 9. IN STATISTICS, GEMMA HAS A PROJECT THAT INVOLVES USE OF A QUESTIONNAIRE TO FIND OUT WHAT TELEVISION PROGRAMMES HER FRIENDS WATCH AT A PARTICULAR TIME IN THE EVENING. THIS WILL GENERATE DATA FOR STATISTICAL ANALYSIS. SHE IS ILL FOR A FEW DAYS AND IS RUNNING LATE. SHE MAKES UP SOME OF THE RESPONSES AND USES THEM. a) Gemma plagiarised 8 b) Gemma cheated c) Gemma colluded 10. HARRY INTEGRATES INTO HIS ESSAY, A CHUNK OF HANDOUT MATERIAL FROM HIS LAST YEARS WORK. HE ALTERS SOME WORDS TO FIT BETTER AND SPLITS THE MATERIAL WITH TWO SECTIONS OF HIS OWN WRITING. a) Harry plagiarised. b) It is all right to quote from handout material without citation c) It would have been all right if Harry had rewritten it more in his own words 11. JAMIE HAS AN ESSAY TO WRITE IN PHILOSOPHY. HE IS NOT VERY GOOD AT WRITING AND HAS DEVELOPED A STYLE WHEREBY HE COPIES DOWN APPROPRIATE QUOTATIONS (CITING THEM APPROPRIATELY) AND THEN PARAPHRASES THE CONTENT OF THE QUOTATION IN THE NEXT PARAGRAPH AS A KIND OF SUMMARY, STEERING THE MEANING TOWARDS ANOTHER QUOTATION AND SO ON. a) So long as Jamie paraphrases appropriately, he is not doing anything wrong b) Jamie is plagiarising c) Jamie should be using appropriate methods of referencing 12. FOR SOPHIA, ENGLISH IS A SECOND LANGUAGE. SHE WANTS TO SUCCEED AND GOES TO A FRIEND WHO SPEAKS BETTER ENGLISH. HER FRIEND GOES THROUGH HER WHOLE ESSAY, CORRECTING THE LANGUAGE ALL THE WAY THROUGH. a) What Sophia is doing is understandable. It is all right b) What Sophia and her friend are doing is not all right. It is a form of collusion c) What Sophia is doing is not all right. It is cheating 13. BILLIE, ED AND JAKE LIVE ARE FOLLOWING THE SAME MODULE. THEY HAVE A PIECE OF WORK TO DO AND GET TOGETHER TO DISCUSS IT. THEY TALK ABOUT THE CONTENT AND DECIDE EACH TO FOLLOW UP TWO REFERENCES AND THEN TO MEET AGAIN TO TALK ABOUT. WHAT THEY HAVE FOUND. THIS REDUCES THE VOLUME OF READING THEY WILL HAVE TO DO. THEY MEET AGAIN, LISTEN TO EACH OTHER’S DESCRIPTIONS AND WRITE NOTES AND THEN WRITE THE ESSAY SEPARATELY. THEY REFERENCE THE MATERIAL, WHETHER IT IS WHAT THEY HAVE READ OR WHAT THEY HAVE HEARD DESCRIBED. a) Billie, Ed and Jake are colluding b) They are not doing anything wrong if co-operative study is acceptable to the tutor c) Billie, Ed and Jake are deceiving their tutor and therefore cheating 14. LUI FINDS SOME INFORMATION AT A WEBSITE THAT SAYS EXACTLY WHAT HE WANTS TO SAY. IT IS SIX LINES OF TEXT WHICH HE PUTS INTO QUOTATION MARKS. HE CUTS AND PASTES IT BUT BY MISTAKE LEAVES THE ORIGINAL FONT. HE CITES IT IN THE TEXT AND PUTS THE WEBSITE ADDRESS IN THE REFERENCE LIST WITH THE DATE OF ACCESS. HIS TUTOR CALLS HIM IN†¦ 9 a) Lui cheated b) He plagiarised c) What Lui did is all right. 15. CHARLIE KNOWS A REALLY GOOD WEBSITE THAT WILL HELP HIM A GREAT DEAL IN THE PROJECT WORK THAT HIS HAS BEEN SET. HE IS WORKING IN A TEAM, BUT THE WORK THAT THE TEAM DOES MUST BE WRITTEN UP SEPARATELY. INITIALLY HE MENTIONS THE WEBSITE, BUT GIVES NO ADDRESS – AND THEN REALISES THAT HE WOULD PREFER TO USE IT AS A REFERENCE FOR HIS INDIVIDUAL WORK. WHEN THE OTHERS ASK FOR DETAILS OF THE SITE, HE IS VAGUE AND THEN GIVES THE WRONG WEB ADDRESS TO THEM. a) Charlie is rightly not colluding with his team b) Charlie is not working co-operatively in his team c) Charlie is plagiarising – and it is just as well he did not pass on the information 16. AARON IS WRITING UP A REPORT. HE FINDS A TEXT BOOK THAT IS NOT THE ONE USED IN CLASS AND USES IT TO GET MUCH OF THE INFORMATION THAT HE REQUIRES. HE REFERS TO THE WORK OF JONDA (1998) THAT IS DESCRIBED AND REFERENCED IN THE TEXTBOOK. ARON CITES JONDA IN THE TEXT AND THEN REFERENCES IT TO THE TEXT BOOK IN HIS LIST OF REFERENCES. a) Aaron is behaving with academic honesty, his citations are fine b) Aaron is technically plariarising – he should have cited the original source, not the textbook c) Aaron is colluding with the writer of the textbook 17. TOM FINDS A HELPFUL ARTICLE IN A JOURNAL. HE PHOTOCOPIES IT AND COPIES FROM IT INTO HIS ESSAY, ALTERNATING SENTENCES OF THE ARTICLE WITH HIS OWN WORDS, AND NEVER COPYING MORE THAN A LINE WITHOUT ADDING HIS OWN WORDS OR ALTERING WORDS FROM THE TEXT. HE CITES THE ARTICLE IN HIS BIBLIOGRAPHY, BUT NOT IN THE TEXT BECAUSE HE DOES NOT FEEL THAT HE MAKES A SUFFICIENTLY SPECIFIC REFERENCE TO IT. a) Tom is cheating. b) Tom is plagiarising c) Tom is writing a good essay. He has properly cited the reference in his bibliography 18. AMY OMITS TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE MATERIAL THAT SHE HAS QUOTED. IT WAS A MISTAKE. a) Amy made a mistake and because she is a first year that is all right b) Amy plagiarised. c) Amy did not plagiarise because not referencing was unintentional 10 Exercise 2: What reasons do students give for academic misconduct? THINK OF FIVE EXCUSES THAT STUDENTS MIGHT MAKE FOR PLAGIARISING, COLLUDING OR CHEATING. SOME EXCUSES ARE UNDERSTANDABLE BUT THEY ARE AGAINST THE ACADEMIC CONVENTIONS THAT WE MAINTAIN WITHIN AN ACADEMIC COMMUNITY. THERE IS A LIST OF POSSIBLE RESPONSES AT THE END OF THE UNIT – THOUGH YOU MAY HAVE THOUGH OF OTHERS. The further information and skills that you need for academic honesty WE HAVE SAID THAT YOU NEED SOME INFORMATION, A SET OF SKILLS AND ASSOCIATED GOOD HABITS FOR YOUR ACADEMIC WORK. WE HAVE DESCRIBED ABOVE THE BASICS OF WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT, PLAGIARISM AND COLLUSION BUT BEFORE WE LOOK AT THE SKILLS AND GOOD HABITS, THERE IS MORE TO SAY ABOUT WHY WE REFERENCE MATERIAL (REMEMBER REFERENCING, ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND CITATION MEAN THE SAME THING). Further reasons for referencing. WE SAID ABOVE THAT WHEN WE USE THE IDEA OF ANOTHER, WE REFERENCE IT AND INDICATE THE SOURCE OF IT. IN TERMS OF PLAGIARISM, THIS IS IN ORDER TO DEMONSTRATE THAT IT IS AN IDEA THAT WAS GENERATED BY ANOTHER PERSON – AND TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT PERSON FOR THE IDEA. HOWEVER IT IS ALSO IMPORTANT TO REFERENCE AN IDEA IN ORDER TO SHOW ANOTHER PERSON HOW TO FIND THAT IDEA SHOULD S/HE WANT TO SEEK READ MORE OF IT. IN ACADEMIC WRITING, IN ORDER TO FURTHER YOUR OWN THINKING, IT IS USUAL TO FOLLOW UP REFERENCES THAT SOMEONE ELSE HAS GIVEN IN THEIR REFERENCE LIST. SEEKING AND FINDING INFORMATION BECOMES A KIND OF TRAIL. SO A SECOND REASON FOR REFERENCING IS TO ENABLE OTHERS TO FIND THE IDEAS FOR THEMSELVES IN ORDER TO SEEK MORE INFORMATION. THE THIRD REASON FOR REFERENCING IS SO THAT ANYONE READING YOUR WORK (SUCH AS A TUTOR) CAN SEE HOW YOUR THINKING HAS BEEN DEVELOPED. WHEN YOU DO ACADEMIC WRITING YOU WORK WITH YOUR OWN IDEAS AND THOSE OF OTHERS IN ORDER TO RESPOND TO THE TASK SET. IT IS NOT USUALLY JUST A MATTER OF ‘WRITE AS MUCH AS YOU CAN ABOUT†¦(SOMETHING)’ IN HIGHER EDUCATION, BUT THE QUESTION OR TASK WILL REQUIRE YOU TO ‘MANIPULATE’ WHAT YOU KNOW – TO EXPLAIN, TO COMPARE OR COMPARE AND CONTRAST AND SO ON. WHEN YOU USE THE IDEAS OF OTHERS, IT IS IMPORTANT FOR YOUR TUTOR TO BE ABLE TO SEE HOW MUCH YOU HAVE READ, WHAT YOU HAVE READ AND HOW YOU HAVE USED AND MANIPULATED THE IDEAS IN ORDER TO MEET THE TASK SET IN THE ASSIGNMENT. LOOKING AT A REFERENCE LIST FOR THIS PURPOSE IS A FORM OF EVALUATION 11 YOU MAY THINK THAT SUCH EVALUATION ONLY HAPPENS WHEN YOU ARE A STUDENT. THIS IS NOT THE CASE. ACADEMIC AND RESEARCH WRITING IN JOURNALS AND BOOKS IS ALSO SUBJECTED TO EVALUATION – THIS TIME BY PEERS. SUCH RESEARCH WRITING USUALLY DEVELOPS NEW KNOWLEDGE. ONE OF THE WAYS IN WHICH THIS NEW KNOWLEDGE CAN BE. JUDGED BY THOSE WHO MIGHT USE IT, IS BY LOOKING AT THE LIST OF REFERENCES TO SEE WHAT KIND OF IDEAS HAVE FORMED THE BASIS TO THE NEW KNOWLEDGE. SOMETIMES THIS ‘BASIS’ IS IN THE FORM OF WHAT WE WOULD CALL ‘EVIDENCE’. MANY ACADEMICS WILL TURN TO THE REFERENCE LIST AS SOON AS THEY ARE GIVEN SOMETHING TO READ – IN ORDER TO SEE WHAT WORK THIS IS BASED ON. What do you not have to reference? NOT ALL IDEAS ARE CONSIDERED TO BELONG TO OTHERS. MOST OF WHAT WE KNOW IS ‘COMMON KNOWLEDGE’. THIS IS KNOWLEDGE THAT IS IN ‘EVERYDAY’ USE, OR IS IN THE COMMON DOMAIN OR IT IS KNOWLEDGE ABOUT WHICH WE COULD SAY THAT MOST PEOPLE. AGREE. IT IS THE SORT OF KNOWLEDGE THAT IS FOUND IN REFERENCE BOOKS IN ENCYCLOPEDIAS OR DICTIONARIES. WE DO NOT NEED TO REFERENCE COMMON KNOWLEDGE, THOUGH USUALLY, IF YOU DO TAKE A DEFINITION FROM A DICTIONARY, YOU WILL CITE ITS SOURCE SO THAT OTHERS CAN FIND IT. WE DO NOT NEED TO REFERENCE IDEAS THAT ARE GENUINELY OUR OWN EITHER. IF THE IDEA IS ONE GENERATED BY YOU, BUT THAT YOU HAVE DESCRIBED IN YOUR OWN WORK ELSEWHERE, THEN IT IS GOOD PRACTICE TO REFERENCE IT TO THE FIRST OCCASION ON WHICH IT HAS BEEN USED (IE TO YOUR OWN NAME). THIS MAY BE MAINLY SO THAT OTHERS CAN FIND IT FOR INFORMATION PURPOSES. THE RULES ABOUT CITATION OF LECTURE AND HANDOUT MATERIAL ARE MORE FUZZY – TECHNICALLY YOU SHOULD SAY WHERE YOU HEARD ABOUT AN IDEA AS MUCH AS WHERE YOU READ ABOUT IT. HOWEVER, SOMETIMES THAT WOULD GET RIDICULOUS. IMAGINE HOW YOU WOULD MANAGE A QUESTION IN AN EXAM THAT ASKS YOU TO DESCRIBE SOMETHING THAT HAS BEEN DESCRIBED IN THE LECTURE. IT COULD BECOME VERY DIFFICULT. YOU NEED TO ASK YOUR LECTURERS AND TUTORS WHAT PRACTICE TO FOLLOW HERE. THEY MAY FEEL THAT YOU DO NOT NEED TO CITE LECTURES, BUT THAT YOU SHOULD CITE HANDOUT MATERIAL – AND THEY MAY NOT ALL AGREE ON THE SAME RESPONSE. IN ALL OF THIS YOU MAY NOT ALWAYS BE SURE WHETHER OR NOT TO CITE. A RULE BY WHICH TO WORK IS – IF IN DOUBT, CITE! SO – TO SUMMARISE: THERE ARE AT LEAST THREE REASONS WHY WE REFERENCE MATERIAL – -TO DEMONSTRATE THAT WE HAVE USED ANOTHER’S IDEA; -TO SHOW ANOTHER WHERE TO FIND THE SOURCE OF THE IDEAS USED; -TO ALLOW ANOTHER TO EVALUATE THE QUALITY OF OUR REASONING. The skills that you need 12 IN TERMS OF SKILLS, YOU NEED TO BE ABLE TO: -DIFFERENTIATE MATERIAL THAT NEEDS CITATION FROM THAT THAT DOES NOT NEED CITATION; -USE IN-TEXT REFERENCING; -WRITE AN APPROPRIATE REFERENCE LIST AND UNDERSTAND THE DIFFERENCE. BETWEEN THIS AND A BIBLIOGRAPHY; -DEVELOP GOOD HABITS OF RECORD-KEEPING; -WORK APPROPRIATELY WITH QUOTATIONS; -MANAGE THE PRESENTATION OF OTHERS’ IDEAS IN WRITTEN WORK. (THE LIST IS MODIFIED FROM CARROLL, 2002) The ability to differentiate material that needs attribution from that that does not need attribution; YOU NEED TO KNOW AND TO BE ABLE TO DISTINGUISH BETWEEN WHAT DOES AND DOES NOT REQUIRE CITATION – THE FOLLOWING DO NOT NEED TO BE CITED: -COMMON KNOWLEDGE – WHICH WE HAVE DEFINED AS THAT IN EVERYDAY USE, IN THE COMMON DOMAIN; -FACTS THAT ARE GENERALLY AGREED, OR THAT ARE COMMON TO A VARIETY OF SOURCES; -PERSONAL IDEAS, SUGGESTIONS ETC. THE FOLLOWING NEED TO BE CITED: -DIRECT QUOTATIONS; -REFERENCES TO OTHERS’ IDEAS EXPRESSED ORALLY OR ON PAPER OR WEB-BASED MATERIALS ETC; -REFERENCES TO A REFERENCE ALREADY CITED BY ANOTHER IN A TEXT; -PARAPHRASES, PRECIS AND SUMMARIES OF OTHERS’ QUOTATIONS OR IDEAS; -OTHERS’ STATISTICS, FIGURES, CHARTS, TABLES, PICTURES GRAPHS ETC; -REFERENCES TO MATERIAL WITHIN AN EDITED TEXT. CLEARLY IT REQUIRES JUDGEMENT TO DECIDE WHAT DOES AND DOES NOT NEED TO BE CITED – AND IF IN DOUBT, CITE! Use of in-text referencing THIS IS A MATTER OF UNDERSTANDING HOW TO CITE IN TEXT AND HOW TO CONSTRUCT A  REFERENCE LIST. THERE ARE DIFFERENT CONVENTIONS, AND SOMETIMES THERE ARE VARIABLE INTERPRETATIONS OF THE CONVENTION ADOPTED. SOME USE REFERENCE LISTS AT THE END OF THE TEXT, SOME WORK WITH FOOTNOTES OR ENDNOTES THAT ARE LINKED FROM THE TEXT BY NUMBER OR LETTER. 13 E. G. (1) OR (A). IN THESE CASES, THE DETAILS OF NAME, DATE AND SOURCE ARE EITHER AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE OR LISTED BY NUMBER OR LETTER SEQUENCE AT THE END OF THE ARTICLE OR BOOK. REFERENCES MAY BE MIXED WITH NOTES. HARVARD IS A VERY COMMON SYSTEM IN HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS. E. G. †¦IN THE HARVARD SYSTEM THE NAME AND DATE IS PUT IN THE TEXT (E. G.DIPPIDY, 1999) AND IN THE REFERENCE LIST AT THE END OF THE ARTICLE OR THE BOOK, THE REFERENCES ARE LISTED ALPHABETICALLY WITH THE FURTHER DETAILS OF SOURCE. DIFFERENT DISCIPLINES TEND TO ADOPT DIFFERENT CONVENTIONS, AND ACADEMIC JOURNALS AND PUBLISHERS OFTEN DIFFER IN THE CONVENTIONS ADOPTED, SO YOU WILL COME ACROSS DIFFERENT STYLES IN YOUR READING. USUALLY IN UNDERGRADUATE STUDIES, YOU WILL BE TOLD TO WORK TO A PARTICULAR CONVENTION BUT YOU MAY NEED TO LEARN TO BE MORE FLEXIBLE. IT IS NOT WORTH REBELLING IN THIS MATTER. THERE ARE USUALLY HANDOUTS OR BOOKLETS THAT PROVIDE ILLUSTRATION OF THIS. IF YOU DO NOT KNOW WHAT SYSTEM OF REFERENCING TO  USE, ASK. MAKE SURE THAT WITHIN THE SYSTEM YOU USE, YOU KNOW HOW TO DEAL WITH THE FOLLOWING: QUOTATIONS (SEE BELOW ALSO); DIRECT REFERENCES TO WRITTEN AND SPOKEN WORD; REFERENCES CITED WITHIN ANOTHER TEXT – TO WHICH YOU WANT TO REFER; PARAPHRASES OR SUMMARIES OF OTHERS’ IDEAS; THE CITATION OF STATISTICS AND FIGURATIVE MATERIAL; REFERENCES WITHIN EDITED TEXTS, WEB-BASED MATERIALS, CD-ROMS. THERE MAY BE OTHER SOURCES THAT YOU WANT TO CITE. YOU DO NOT NEED TO KNOW ALL THIS ‘BY HEART’, BUT HAVE ACCESS TO A GOOD GUIDE TO REFERENCING AS YOU WORK AND MAKE SURE THAT IT USES THE APPROPRIATE STYLE. IF YOUR FEEL THAT YOUR GUIDE-BOOK IS  NOT HELPFUL, LOOK AT STUDY SKILLS BOOKS OR LOOK ON THE WEB FOR THE SYSTEM YOU NEED. THE AMERICAN UNIVERSITIES OFTEN HAVE USEFUL MATERIAL The layout of a reference list and its distinction from a bibliography A REFERENCE LIST IS A LIST OF THE REFERENCES TO WHICH YOU HAVE REFERRED IN YOUR TEXT. A BIBLIOGRAPHY IS A REFERENCE LIST TO WHICH IS ADDED ANY EXTRA MATERIAL THAT MIGHT PROVIDE GENERAL OR FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT THE TOPIC. IN ACADEMIC WORK, MOSTLY IT WILL BE REFERENCE LISTS WITH WHICH YOU WORK.

Monday, January 20, 2020

The Servant Leader Essay -- Isaiah, Jesus Christ

Leadership! What is it that truly distinguishes one as a leader? Is it leadership style or possessing certain skills and abilities to lead? Is it one’s character or is it one’s ability to develop and resolve complex strategies? Are leaders born or are they made? Warren G. Bennis, an American scholar, Distinguished Professor of Business Administration, and Founding Chairman of The Leadership Institute at the University of Southern California once said: The most dangerous leadership myth is that leaders are born -- that there is a genetic factor to leadership. This myth asserts that people simply either have certain charismatic qualities or not. That's nonsense; in fact, the opposite is true. Leaders are made rather than born. (ThinkExist.com, â€Å"Quotes by Warren G. Bennis on Leadership.† http://thinkexist.com/quotes/warren_g._bennis/. Here in America our entire Armed Forces is built on the premise that leaders are made. As well, many of America’s Fortune 500 corporations believe that leaders are made as evidenced by their annual expenditures on countless resources developing leadership training materials and holding training and development seminars, all in hope of creating the â€Å"à ¼ber† leader. Notwithstanding the quest, what the past two years have confirmed for us, as history has repeatedly revealed to us, man’s understanding of leadership and God’s design of leadership vastly differ. At the heart of man’s leadership and at the head of man’s leadership is himself and as a result man’s leadership ultimately leads to failure. This failure in human leadership is not without consequences and humankind, in her despair and hopelessness, rebels against God. In direct contrast, God’s design for leadership begins and ends wit... ...ity,† http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/person-personality. The Greek Bible Study Online: Read, Word Study, Translate, â€Å"Paraklete,† http://www.greekbiblestudy.org/gnt/main.do. NOTES Burrell, Dan, Dr. DSMN 605 Class Notes, Lesson 4. Lynchburg, VA: Liberty University. (APA Style - Merriam-Webster's collegiate dictionary (11th ed.). (2005). Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster. Song of Roland. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, [1959]. 9. Tim Lynch, DS9 Trials and Tribble-ations Review, 1996, [online], available from http://www.bradley.edu/campusorg/psiphi/DS9/ep/503r.html, 8 October 1997. B Lynch, Tim. DS9 Trials and Tribble-ations Review. 1996. [Online]. Available from http://www.bradley.edu/campusorg/psiphi/DS9/EP/503r.html. 8 October 1997.

Sunday, January 12, 2020

Glenmark Pharma Private Limited

Glenmark Pharma Private Limited Case Study Introduction * The company is headquartered in Baroda. * Mr. Ranjit Deshmukh holds the position of the Vice President. * Plants set up in Tamilnadu, Hyderabad and Gurgaon. * Markets bulk and cancer drugs and formulations. * Strong sales force of 700 people, supervised by 85 sales managers. * Salespeople have to compete with multiple competitors in different markets. * Competitors are from local manufacturers to large multinationals. Factors affecting sales effort * Sales effort is largely affected by the personal attitude of sales force towards the organization, job and the profession. In pharma sector, success largely depends on the growth in market share. * A negative attitude is more detrimental to the organization rather than to the individual. * Moreover it leads to low morale- this creates more problems to the organizations and also to the sales managers.Results of low motivation level * Such salespeople are mere order takers. * They d o not think creatively to increase sales. * They have a tendency to blame the marketing programme for poor sales. * They will never accept the lack of effort on their part. * They talk against the company. * They hardly give confidence to customers on the company’s products. Become argumentative with supervisors. * Also start giving credit to the competitor’s firm for their own sales failure. * Highlight the products of the competitor as being far better than that of their firm. * Complain that the salary paid to them is low. * Sales expenses are lower than other companies and it is restricting them from their goal achievement. * Some of them even quit the company and join other firms in the same sector.Problem Identification * Sales policy was altered considerably by the time product reaches to the customer level. * Sales people were not able to give their best to the company. People felt that there is something rotten happening in the field. * There was something tha t was grossly wrong with the sales staff. Means to identify the problems * Conducting a formal study to identify the problems of the sales staff. * They agreed upon hiring an independent consultant who can really talk to the salespeople to identify the problem. * They prepared a questionnaire containing 115 items covering 26 attitude areas. * Respondents had to give their opinion on a five point agreement scale. To make any remedial plan it is very essential to know what went wrong. 1.Issues related to security- I. Not a satisfactory compensation package. II. Fear from competitors. III. Inferiority Complex. IV. Below average attitude towards the company. 2. Issues related to achievement- I. No recognition or rewards for path breaking ideas II. No response on suggestions 3. Issues related to approval- I. Low status of job II. No rewards or recognition from higher management. III. 4. Issues related to advancement- I. No plan for growth or advancement from company’s side. II. In sufficient salary structure- lower than industry average. 5. Issues related to leadership- I.Dissatisfactory leadership. II. Failure of middle management to lead the salespeople and to give creative ideas. III. Higher management doesn’t want to listen to the problems of salespeople. IV. No cross functional co-ordination in the organization. 6. Issues related to Human Behaviour- I. Very high dissatisfaction among employees. II. Less coordial relationship with finance and account departments as the problems related to advances & expenses are knowingly created by these departments. REMEDIAL ACTION- 1. A compensation package directly related to the performance should be developed. 2.The training should be given regarding superiority of the products over competitor’s products 3. The Need Hierarchy Theory should be followed by sales supervisors where they access the need of every salesperson and motivators can be provided by deciding at what level of need hierarchy the s alesperson lies. 4. Sales managers should follow a role of motivator. 5. Middle management and top management should act as faciliatator for growth and self fulfillment. 6. A clear carrier path should be developed. 7. Proper communication of growth prospectives should be mentioned. 8. Appreciation of sales force on achievement of sales targets. . Proper training has to be imparted from time to time. 10. Disputes related to advance & expenses should be solved as quickly as possible. 11. There should be more inter-departmental coordination. LONG TERM MOTIVATIONAL PLAN FOR THE ORGANIZATION- SECURITY RELATED ISSUES:- 1. A compensation package directly related to the performance should be developed 2. The training should be given regarding superiority of the products over competitor’s products 3. An induction of new joinees should be conducted explaining the culture of the organization. ACHIEVMENT RELATED ISSUES:- 1.Non financial motivators should be used more. 2. The Need Hie rarchy Theory should be followed by sales supervisors where they access the need of every salesperson and motivators can be provided by deciding at what level of need hierarchy the salesperson lies. 3. Appreciation of sales force on achievement of sales targets should be done. APPROVAL RELATED ISSUE:- 1. Sales managers should follow a role of motivator. 2. The middle management should take a keen interest in providing approval of good work. 3. A strong communication policy oriented towards employees should be followed. LOYALTY RELATED ISSUE:- 1.A strong organisational culture backed by equity an opportunity for all should be followed. 2. Middle management and top management should act as faciliatator for growth and self fulfilment. 3. Aim at binding employees with organization ADVANCEMENT RELATED ISSUE:- 1. A clear carrier path should be developed. 2. Proper career anchors should be developed. 3. Proper communication of growth prospectives should be mentioned. LEADERSHIP RELATED ISS UE:- 1. Top management should emerge as role model to employees. 2. A conducive culture has to be followed where each employee is free to say what he feels & have a trust on leadership. . A right path should be shown to employees to have a pride on their leadership & their company. HUMAN BEHAVIOUR RELATED ISSUES:- 1. Employees should be treated as resource to the company rather than just a revenue generation tool. 2. Proper training has to be imparted from time to time. 3. Problems regarding sales pitching & sales presentation should be heard & resolve by experts. 4. Disputes related to advance & expenses should be solved as quickly as possible. 5. There should be more inter-departmental coordination.

Saturday, January 4, 2020

Animal Farm Study Guide

Published in 1945, George Orwells Animal Farm tells the story of a group of farm animals who stage a revolution and take over their farm. The revolution begins with principled idealism, but its pig leaders become increasingly corrupt. They soon turn to manipulation and propaganda in order to maintain power and control, and the farm becomes a totalitarian regime. With this narrative, Orwell creates a searing political allegory about the failures of the Russian Revolution. Fast Facts: Animal Farm Author: George OrwellPublisher: Secker and WarburgYear Published: 1945Genre: Political allegoryType of Work: NovelOriginal Language: EnglishThemes: Totalitarianism, corruption of ideals, the power of languageCharacters: Napoleon, Snowball, Squealer, Boxer, Mr. JonesFun Fact: Inspired by the cynical donkey in Animal Farm, George Orwell’s friends gave him the nickname Donkey George. Plot Summary Old Major, an elderly boar living on Manor Farm, gathers all the other farm animals for a meeting. He tells them about a dream in which all beasts are free, and he encourages them to organize and rebel against humans. A few days later, when the the cruel and incompetent farmer Mr. Jones abuses the animals, the animals organize a revolt, led by two pigs named Napoleon and Snowball. They succeed at driving Mr. Jones off of the farm. Initially, Snowball and Napoleon work together. Snowball establishes the philosophy of Animalism, and the seven animal commandments (including All animals are equal) are painted on the side of the barn. When Mr. Jones returns with some human allies in an effort to reclaim the farm, the animals, led by Snowball, drive them away in a glorious victory. The power-hungry Napoleon begins to undermine Snowball and eventually chases him away altogether. Napoleon slowly takes on the corrupt behaviors and habits of the humans that the revolution once opposed. Squealer, Napoleons second-in-command, alters the commandments painted on the barn to reflect these changes. A simple-minded, hardworking draft horse named Boxer works so hard to support the revolution that he collapses. Napoleon sells him to a glue factory. The other animals are upset until Squealer, a skilled propagandist, convinces them that what they saw with their own eyes (the glue factory truck) isnt true. Life gets worse for the animals living on the farm. Meanwhile, the pigs move into the old farmhouse. They begin walking on their hind legs, drinking whiskey, and negotiating with human farmers. By the end of the novel, the animals cant tell the difference between the pigs and the humans. Major Characters Mr. Jones. The incompetent and cruel human owner of Manor Farm. He represents Czar Nicholas II of Russia. Napoleon. A pig who becomes an early leader of the revolution. Napoleon is greedy and selfish, and he slowly abandons any pretense of revolutionary fervor. He represents Joseph Stalin. Snowball. Another pig who becomes an early leader of the revolution, as well as as the intellectual architect of Animalism. Snowball is a true believer who attempts to educate the other animals, but power-hungry Napoleon drives him away in order to consolidate power. Snowball represents Leon Trotsky. Squealer. A pig who serves as Napoleon’s second-in-command. Squealer is skilled at lying, creating altered historical accounts, and disseminating propaganda. He represents Vyacheslav Molotov. Boxer. A strong, powerful draft horse who is dedicated to Animal Farm and the revolution. He works himself to death for the cause. He represents the workers of Russia who supported Stalin. Major Themes Totalitarianism. The revolution begins with principled ideas, but it is quickly co-opted by a power-hungry leadership. The pigs frequently lie and spread false historical accounts in order to increase their power. Ultimately, they rely on the ignorance of the masses in order to stay in control. Orwell uses this narrative to argue that without an informed and educated population, tyranny and despotism are inevitable. Corruption of Ideals. There are two kinds of corruption on display in Animal Farm. The first kind is the overt corruption of Napoleon and the other pigs, who become increasingly greedy as they acquire more power. The other kind is the corruption of the revolution itself, which loses any semblance of principle due to the other animals worship of Napoleon’s cult of personality. The Power of Language. Animal Farm  explores how language can be manipulated to control others. The pigs invent stories, spread false historical accounts, and popularize propagandistic slogans in order to remain in control of the other animals. Literary Style Animal Farm is an allegorical novel about the Russian Revolution. Nearly every element of the novel represents a person, group, or event from the Russian Revolution. Within this political allegory, Orwell infuses a great deal of humor. His use of animals as stand-ins for historical figures sometimes has a comical, caricature effect (i.e. the representation of Stalin in the character of a pig). In addition, Orwell uses irony to demonstrate the ridiculousness of propaganda when viewed from an informed perspective. About the Author George Orwell was born in India in 1903 during the period of the British Raj. He was one of the most influential writers and thinkers of the 20th century and beyond. Today, Orwell is best-known for his novels Animal Farm and 1984, as well as his voluminous essays on politics, history, and social justice. Orwell’s influence is so significant that the word Orwellian is used to refer to anything thats dystopian and totalitarian in a similar way as the setting of 1984. Many of the concepts Orwell introduced have also entered the common vocabulary, including the well-known term Big Brother.

Friday, December 27, 2019

Theories of Philosophy - 2533 Words

When we view the philosophy of mind we encounter many problems, the main being that although there are many theories on this topic it is impossible to prove any of them and thus this problem is still unresolved. How is it that we can understand more about the universe and science than ever before but do not understand what it is that enables us to understand, that is the mind? To answer this rather complicated problem there are many solutions, or theories, each with their good points but none which are totally convincing, though some seem more though than others. These theories are Dualism, the belief that mind and matter are different substances, behaviourism, the belief that for every mental state you can observe a behaviour,†¦show more content†¦Strong behaviourists on the other hand claim there is no such thing as mental sensations or consciousness. The argument behaviourists use to support their theory is the fact that it is virtually impossible to describe a mental lif e to someone without mentioning behaviours, how can you describe happiness without describing what makes you happy? In connection to this is the principle of verification, which says something is only meaningful if it can be verified by a logical relation to other words or concepts. And as the only way to talk of the mental that makes sense is in terms of behaviour then surely it is correct to say that the mental is simply behaviour. As behaviourism has its attractions its easy to see why it may have supporters but it also has some powerful counter-arguments. Those opposed to behaviourism believes it fails because it leaves out a defining feature of mind, qualia, the way things feel or appear to us. Once against the weak behaviourists are against denying this, but they do claim that it has no part in the meaning of mind. But how can the defining feature of something have nothing to do with what it means? Perhaps it is a more compelling argument to ask what the behavioural manifestations of imagining a square or day dreaming are? As there are none behaviourists would behaviourists would tell us that it is impossible to imagine a square. Yet theyd have to have some pretty to strong arguments to convince usShow MoreRelatedThe Theory Of The Philosophy1354 Words   |  6 PagesKantian is regarded as one of the perfect theories ever as far as an issue of morality is concerned. The theory is based on the concept of what is morally permissible by many. This means that the theory defines whether an action is morally right or wrong by evaluating h ow it is permissible by many in the society. Kant, a German philosopher argued that what is accepted in the society is what makes people’s lives good and that is what is moral. 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Today’s organizations face ever-increasing change, which includes increased patient demands and work needs, which requires a more adaptive flexible leadership that is becoming increasingly important in the 21st century. Leadership theory and philosophy can be divided into several well-known styles. Within this paper, we will discuss the basis of autocratic, democratic, laissez faire, servant, charismaticRead More Leadership Theories, Approaches, And Philosophies1172 Words   |  5 Pages Leadership Theory Assessment Maxx Godfrey ALED 440 Dr. Bobbit June 18th, 2015 Leadership Theory: Trait Approach to Leadership After reading and sitting through class discussion, I have learned a lot of leadership theories, approaches, and philosophies. The one that stuck out most to me was the, Trait Approach, because it is a great place to being your leadership journey, it can be developed or honed, and it has worked well in my life. The Trait Approach is a leader-focused approach.

Thursday, December 19, 2019

Corporate Health Case Study - 1454 Words

Health in employee is important depending on the circumstance. If the employee is physically and mentally able to perform the required tasks they should not be discriminated against or barred from a specific job. Corporate health is the new trendy expression. It isnt another idea, yet one that has moved into the bleeding edge in the psyches of numerous organizations today. Since medicinal services costs keep on sky rocketing and the economy stays testing, entrepreneurs and directors are being compelled to take a gander no matter what identified with their main resource their workers! The advantages of fit workers are various for both the business and the representative. There are many advantages from a money related†¦show more content†¦Contingent upon the kind of the job, those exams might incorporate pill and mental tests. Doctors alternately interview medicinal organizations, taking care of your examination. They would not be permitted to reveal clinical data with your manager without your consent. However, laws might urge them to follow the rules for the wellbeing of your co-workers alternately general population wellbeing purposes. Discovering work is winding up progressively troublesome for smokers. Twenty-nine U.S. states have passed enactment precluding managers from declining to enlist work applicants since they smoke, yet 21 states have no such confinements. Numerous human services associations, for example, the Cleveland Clinic and Baylor Health Care System, and some vast nonsocial insurance managers, including Scotts Miracle-Gro, Union Pa cific Railroad, and Alaska Airlines, now have an approach of not employing smokers — a training restricted by 65% of Americans, as indicated by a 2012 survey by Harris International. 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Wednesday, December 11, 2019

Financial Analysis Newmont Mining Corporation

Question: Discuss about the Case Study for Financial Analysis of Newmont Mining Corporation. Answer: Chapter 1: Accounting function of Newmont Mining Corporation William Boyce Thompson is the founder of the Newton Mining Corporation. Newton Mining Corporation (NMC) is the largest gold producers in the world. Consequently, the company has active mines in Nevada, Australia, Indonesia, New Zealand, Ghana, and Peru. Along with this, NMC is the leader in safety and sustainability in the mining industry. The company has been included in SP 500 Index and Fortune 500 (Newmont, 2016). However, high standard and performances of the firm create the value for their shareholders. In this way, the company creates value through portfolio optimization and effective cost optimization for the firm. In current scenario over 28,000 employees are working in the organization. At the same time, the company has delivered the sustainability value for their shareholders and communities, which helps them to make the strong strategy of the firm (Sagebien and Lindsay, 2011). Though, company has an objective to create the value through sustainable mining. Furthermore, Com pany has created the safe environment by focusing on four keys aspects i.e. safety leadership, injury prevention, fatality prevention and health that helps to achieve zero harm workplace (Henisz, 2014). Additionally, Newmont acquired the California empire star mine for increasing their gold production. On the other hand, the company has merged with American gold producers firm Santa Fe Pacific Gold Corporation and Battle Mountain Gold Company. However, Newmont was operating 12 mines in the North America. Earlier company has invested in various resources such as gold, copper, silver, lead, zinc, lithium, uranium, coal, and nickel as well as oil and gas also. Along with this company maintains the strong relationship with the stockholder that helps in economic development (Kotler and Maon, 2016). Nevertheless, the company traded since 1940 on New York stock exchange. Apart from this, key resources of the organization i.e. better workforce, effective technology, physical resources like machinery, financial resource, etc, are helpful in providing a competitive edge (Ennew, et al., 2013). Whereas, the organization has many stakeholders like employees, shareholders, banks, regulatory bodies, tax authority, etc that is helpful in the growth of the business. In this way, the company protects the interest of their shareholder. As a result, an objective of the shareholder is to provide the all legal right in the company decision making, which helps to grow the organization. In addition, the company has followed the corporate governance rules and regulation, which helps them to control the internal activity of the company. Hence, the company increases its productivity. On the other hand, Newmont has achieved their objective effectively with the help of corporate governance. Along with this, effective corporate governance policy also helps to ensure sustainability for the company (Dignam and Galanis, 2013). The Role of accounting is very important for Newmont. It is because it identifies the business activity, financial information, etc. Thus, it is helpful to take effective decision making. Whereas, financial and management accounting play an important role in Newmont business activities, while, financial accounting identifies the financial statements that provide the financial information for the third parties such as stockholders, financial analyst, lenders, etc. Along with this, financial accounting is helpful for Newmonts audit process (Bazley, et al., 2014). Simultaneously, financial accounting is more precise, which follows the Newmont for their effective work. As a result, managers run the business effectively through financial accounting. On the other hand, management accounting provides the Newmont information related to policies, plan, and strategies for effective running the business. As well as, management account is helpful for the company to take a current and future deci sion. However, Newmont managers are provided the financial information of budget, sales, cost, and profit. Therefore, both accounting methods are separated it is because management accounting provides the information and financial accounting prepares the financial statement through financial data. As per above analysis accounting role is more effective for Newmont Mining Corporation. It is because accounting provides the accurate data of companys financial statement. Though, Newmont accounting system is well organized in mining. Consequently, it can be improved through feasibility in company financial data. Newmont has used Ellipse accounting software, which was quite helpful to provide the visible data, global financial reporting, etc. along with this, this software delivers the services like budgeting for distribution, manufacturing, facilities management, which is relatively effective for organization accounting. This software fulfills the unique needs of the organization. At the same time, this software supports the regulatory compliance with the help of SOX, IFRS, and GAAP (Rodgers and Lucas, 2011). Along with this, it is also helpful in corporate, mining and operation communication. Thus, this software is effective for the organization. On the other hand, AMT software determines the precise cost and management capabilities, which is helpful to reduce the risk of the organization. Simultaneously, this software is allocating the resources in different activities for efficient utilization of resources. Moreover, in future AMT software should provide the relevant information regarding strategic management that is helpful to achieve the objectives of the firm. Apart from this, accountants interact with a manager in the annual general meeting of the company. Thus, in meeting an accountant interacts with the manager and third parties, where he discusses the company financial statement and their goals. Similarly, an accountant also interacts with managers at the end of month or year. Apart from this, external accounting increases the feasibility of the organization (Chapman, et al., 2011). It is because external accounting provides the accurate financial statement without any misstatements. Thus, Newmont increases their corporate images through external accounting advice. Similarly, the company also get take the advice through many external accountants for increasing the fairness in financial reports. Chapter 2: A financial accounting analysis of the organisation NMC operates on a global scale and is also listed on New York stock exchange. Hence, to perform well to meet its shareholders expectations is one of its prerequisites. On the basis of financial statements the business is growing as well as performing well as compare to previous year. While a close look into its financial data states that even though the companys net income has decreased to $220 million from $508 million in 2014, it earned good revenue in the year 2015. While balance sheet states that the companys performance has slightly improved as the total assets increased to $25,136 million from $24,916 and total liabilities decreased to $13,786.00 from $14,642.00. This indicates an improvement in companys liquidity performance. Similarly net cash flows of the company decreased to $379 million from $848 million. Companys operating and financing activities is slightly improve and Investing activities has declined. Overall company performance is not good (Google Finance, 2016). The company finances itself through its reserves, cash inflows from operations, loans and issue of shares (AFM, 2016). Capital gearing ratio of NMC declined in 2015 to 53.22% from 63.07%in 2014 as a result of repayment of debt amounting to $454 million. It seems that the companys structure and financial analysis is good and maintaining good level of dividends for stockholders even in times of low profits (Accounting Tools, 2016). Additionally, the company follows an efficient working capital management policy for sound operations. Working capital is the difference between the current assets and current liabilities. As per the financial statements, the working capital management of company is good. The current assets amounting to $4,983,000 and current liabilities of $1,416,000 in the year 2015 indicates that the company has enough assets to pay off its liabilities at the time of risk. Trends in liquidity ratios reveal that the liquidity position of company is better as compared to pr evious year and company is capable enough to pay off its short term debts. And profitability ratio is good as company has earned good profits as compare to previous year (Nasdaq, 2016). Recent profitability trends suggests that the company is earning gross margin of 44% and operating margin of 15% indicating that the financial health of the company is normal and company is paying enough to all its expenses and debts. On the basis of gross margin ratio company can make pricing strategy in future. Similarly profit margin of the company seems less it shows that the company is not derived good net profits from total sales. Pretax margin is normal as company needs to generate more profits before tax. Return on equity seems not so good which shows that the company is not using their investments well to generate greater earnings (Newmont, 2016). Other key ratios calculation below: Hereby, above liquidity ratio of the company indicates that it is increased as compare to previous year like company has a good liquidity and it is capable to pay off its liability. Liquidity position of company has increased as compare to previous year. Gross profit margin of the company is increased as compare to previous year it means that the company is going to earn more profits and its manufacturing and distribution process is improved. Return on total assets indicates decrease as compare to previous it means that the company has not generating more returns on assets this it will lead to the financial loss and affect to the growth of the company. Similarly gearing ratio is low in this year it shows that the financial condition of the company is stable and it will give the good returns to its investors (Google Finance, 2016). If the companys performance is compared to its competitor AngloGold Ashanti Ltd., it can be seen that market capitalization of company is 18.78 billion. It has good market value of its equity compared to its competitor but compared to industry average is 54.67M it is much higher. In terms of revenue, NMC generates higher revenues as compared to its competitor. But overall industry average it is very low. Similarly, net income of the company is higher than its rival indicating that companys financial growth is good and it will give adequate returns to its shareholders (Yahoo Finance, 2016). The company seeks to maintain transparency in its operations and as a result also uses non-GAAP measures to access its performance. It uses All-in sustainable costs evaluate operating performance and also adjustments in net income (loss), free cash flow to analyse the position of company to its competitors. Financial statements are required by the many people for information like directors require statements for making strategies and decisions in management. Shareholders or investors required for the profits and dividends. Auditors requires for the reconciliation of the data for transparency. So, there is no misleading or fraud can be generating in the company. Financial institutions requires for granting loans and credit on the basis of company financial position. Government requires statements to check the authenticity of tax returns whether it is correct or not (Accounting-Simplified, 2016). Additionally, the company gets its accounts audited by Ernst Young LLP and Pricewaterhouse Coopers LLP to assess the accounting principles used and check the authenticity of financial information provided to various decision makes. As per the auditors opinion, the financial information disclosed by the company is fair and conforms to U.S. GAAP (Annual Report, 2015). Not only financial measur4es but qualitative factors like safety of employees, environment safety, etc. also require NMC to invest its time and money. Qualitative factors like cost is associated with sales like extracting of metal and convert into ore. It should be consider on statements. Project exploration cost should be including like expenses related to explore the resources for production of gold it should be included. General expenses like, as a public company to support the structure of the corporate and treatment and refining cost for produce the metal. Yes it affects on resources like land is use for mining which is affected similarly air and water is polluted due to whole operations. Also NMC is dedicated to CSR towards environmental policies. They are taking care into water management like they recycle the most of the water, waste management, Bio diversity, and cyanide management and reduce the impact on air quality and climate. They also work on ethical and governance norms and follows code of conduct (Newmont, 2016). Chapter 3: A management accounting analysis of the organisation For any organization to function properly, it is necessary to manage its accounts to generate reliable and usable information for different stakeholders like managers, suppliers, shareholders, employees, etc. This further generates a need to have a structured accounting system in place to meet the information requirements. At Newmont Mining Corporation, there exists a structured accounting system consisting enterprise resource planning (ERP) software that links the corporations financial, accounting, human resource and asset management functions. Additionally, it is also helpful in reducing the transaction costs of the firm and improving its productivity, and profitability (Beheshti and Beheshti, 2010). Newmont Mining Corporation uses SAP ERP in its organizational structure to carry out a structured and effective management of its financial and other related data. The NMC replaced Ellipse in the year 2011-12 with SAP to integrate AMT software as a value added offering to complement SAP that provides specialized budgeting and decision support asset management functions that was not provided by their earlier ERP, Ellipse (iSolution, 2011). Budgets at NMC are prepared regularly for overlooking the maintenance of the fixed assets of the firm, life of mine, project feasibility and planning for acquisition of new mining sites and firms. The company uses ATM Focus: Maintenance Budgeting along with its ERP to assist in achieving time and money bound targets. The budgeting helps NMC to review its maintenance, finance and operations to optimize cash flow, identify cost saving opportunities, highlight its potential risks and cost centers, forecast future expenses and improve profit generation opportunities for the firm (iSolutions, 2013). To ensure accuracy and quality in its budgeting process, NMC uses participative approach to budgeting to streamline all the objectives of all the functional areas of the organisation by using updated information from the enterprise accounting system. Additionally, the firm uses dynamic life cycle costing to create sophisticated zero-based maintenance budgets from ERP maintenance plans that are fed all the relevant data pertaining to the organisation. Thus, aligning the budgeting process with SAP ERP enables NMC to produce up-to date budgets that are both effective and efficient. Being in the mining industry, it is difficult for the company to exactly estimate the total budgeted production as the extraction of the exact quantity of metal is subject to many constraints. Thus, the company uses three-dimensional Resource models that represent the mineral deposits form in the mines and are also used to support exploration decisions, project evaluation and business plan development. However, the data so generated may be subject to errors due to uncertainties. To reduce these risks and uncertainties, Newmont has developed a systematic process of identifying, analyzing and addressing resource risk which is now embedded into their business planning cycle. The process allows the company to narrow the gap between the estimated and actual tonnages, grades, metallurgical recoveries, costs and productivity. Moreover, the management with the help of financial information so generated plays a crucial role in bringing projects online, on time, on budget and meeting project e xpectations thereby providing a major competitive advantage for the company (Newmont, 2016) Newmont uses a mix of GAAP and Non-GAAP measures for identifying and reporting its financial data. The historical data forms the basis for various accounting based assumptions and estimates (Annual Report, 2015). Additionally, the organisation uses a Non-GAAP metric of All-in sustaining cost framework as suggested by The World Gold Council (WGC) to bring transparency into the costs associate with gold production. The presently used framework expands on the GAAP measures like cost of goods sold and non-GAAP measure like costs applicable to sales per ounce, to provide better understanding of the mining operations and costs, profitability and cashflows related to it (Annual Report, 2015). Thus, the new framework is helpful not only from accounting perspective by also for providing adequate and relevant information to stakeholders like investors, government, local communities, etc. in understanding the economics related to mining operations (Whelan, 2013). In addition to using budgeting and costing practices, the company also uses break-even analysis to identify the production scale at which its total expenditures are equal to its revenues obtained from the sale of its extracted metal. The production costs consists of fixed costs that are assumed to be constant per ton on metal extracted and variable costs that varies in direct proportion to the volume of metal extracted. Additionally, to determine the break-even point, the cost data taken from the accounts are subject to sorting and processing to clearly demarcate different types of costs into direct costs, fixed cost of production, fixed cost of administration, etc. Once the costs and revenues are clearly identified, the break-even point can be calculated using arithmetic or graphical method during the planning stage. Additionally, the breakeven can be calculated at the level of mining operation, the place of expenditure or cost centre-production sector, at product group level or for each product (Briciu, Capusneanu, Boca, and Topor, 2014). Earlier, the companies operating in the mining industry segment have had business to business mentality around communications but this attitude is shifting as the world is becoming more transparent and driven by digital age. The company recognizes the need to establish a two-way dialog with its stakeholder including shareholders, government, local community, etc. Thus, the company in addition to publishing its annual reports and quarterly information for financial results has also setup communication teams to serve as nerve centers to coordinate and integrate information along with disseminating information to its stakeholders through investor road shows, mine site tours, analyst days, annual meeting and websites and mailings. These teams also manage the companys business to customer relationships. Additionally, NMC also invites its stakeholders to a mining boot camp where people are engaged and made to work on site for week. This helps in disseminating information of not just financ ial relevance, but also informs them about the work ethics and culture followed at NMC (IFC, 2014). Along with this, the employees at different levels of the organisation are well equipped with the information that is required for their day-to-day activities through a proper chain of command followed by the organisation. Additionally, they have an access to a company specific internal communication platform for timely sharing of required information. Overall the management accounting system used in NMC is very effective in generating and disseminating the required information to its important stakeholders. It seeks to effectively collect data and produce reliable results that can be further used for decision making process. As NMC has recently adopted SAP ERP, it seems rather distant thought to bring about any changes in its systems. However, the company can improve its systems by continuously identifying the gaps in its processes, especially resource mapping, so as to eliminate waste in terms of time, material and efforts. This will help in improving the efficiency of its operations and effectiveness of its management accounting systems (Needles, Powers and Crosson, 2010). Chapter 4: A financial management analysis of the organisation Being a global company, NMC aims to create shareholder value by improving its underlying business and delivering profitable growth. One of the aspects of achieving this aim is strengthening its portfolio of assets. NMC engages in exploration and acquisition of gold and copper properties to replenish its depleting reserves. It also ventures with other well-established companies to diversify its area of work (Annual Report, 2015). NMC has a strong pipeline of projects that consists of recently acquired Cripple Creek Victor (or CCV) mine while Merian, Long Canyon Phase 1, and Tanami Expansion, are in their execution phase. There are additional projects, such as the Ahafo mill expansion, Subika Underground, and NW Exodus, which are in their feasibility stage and could be approved by later half of 2016 based on their feasibility results (Gilroy, 2015). To successfully and profitably undertake these acquisitions and diversification strategies, NMC needs to effectively manage its financial strategies. Financial management is an approach that links financial tools to strategic decision making to ensure profitable growth and sustenance of the company. The companys financial management strategies relate to its investment decisions and working capital management decisions. Additionally, its financial management is also aimed towards maintaining a balance between its cost and capital structure, accelerate debt repayment to reduce the cost of capital and pay higher dividends in line with its shareholders value creation policy (Gilroy, 2015). As a part of its financial management policy and owing to the latest revisions in its credit rating by Standard Poors Rating Services or Moodys Investors Service, NMC has successfully reduced its financial leverage by 35% by repaying $330 million of debt out of a target of $750 million for 2015. This has helped in increasing the amount of free cash flow and to maintain a comfortable liquidity profile (Gilroy, 2015). Capital budgeting forms a crucial part in taking investment related decisions for the company. The company uses financial tools like net present value (NPV), internal rate of return (IRR), payback period, cost-benefit analysis, real option, etc. to assess the value and identify the feasibility of its investment projects. The rationale behind using these methods is that NPV takes into account the time value of money, while IRR is helpful in ranking the projects based on the cashflows that will be generated throughout the life of the project and payback period is used owing to the fact that it is simple to understand and calculate (Maroyi and van de r Poll, 2012). Additionally, the Company has an independent third-party appraiser to assist in the valuation. In valuing acquired assets and assumed liabilities, fair values were based on market prices, expected future cash flows; current replacement cost for similar capacity for certain fixed assets; market rate assumptions for contractual obligations; and appropriate discount rates (Annual Report, 2015). As a part of exercise to strengthen its portfolio, the company timely examines investment opportunities for acquisitions. The success of any acquisition depends of factors like identifying suitable candidates, negotiating terms and conditions, obtaining an approval from regulatory authorities and shareholders, implementing the control, procedures and policies in the acquired firm, etc. in addition to financial profits and synergies expected from them (Annual Report, 2015). On the risk side, the management assesses the social and economic risk, political and geopolitical risk, and technical risk associated with the projects to determine their attractiveness (Gilroy, 2015). The company funds its projects through various resources available at its disposal including cash generated from its core activities, issue of shares, companys reserves and cash proceeds from divestments like Waihi, Midas, Jundee and Penmont (Gilroy, 2015). The management of the company aims to allocate its funding to the projects with highest returns, reducing its debt and shareholders dividend. This will provide the company with the advantages associated with using internal sources of fund like reduce cost and obligations (Atrill and McLaney, 2012). Additionally, the company was able to increase its operating cash flows by practicing all-in sustainable costs and other productivity improvement (Annual Report, 2015). NMC being a large company has many options available that are suitable for investment purposes. It selects projects that have positive NPV and return of capital employed. However, it faces problem where the company has insufficient funds available to undertake all those options that possess a positive NPV. Under such conditions, the company follows capital rationing wherein a budget ceiling or market constraint is imposed on the amount of funds that can be invested during a particular period of time (Drury, 2011). While accounting for capital rationing, the company has to take care of the costs not only for investing in the project but also that is being incurred during its normal course of operations and from its financing activities. The company has to ensure that it invests its profits in a fruitful manner. In such a case, the company evaluates and ranks its projects of the basis of its NPV, IRR and profitability index. It then selects the project in descending order of their prof itability till the capital budget exhausts. Finally, the results of each technique are compared with total NPV and the best project out of the available options is selected. The unfunded projects are considered later when funds are available (Warren, Reeve and Duchac, 2013). Thus, the financial management system of NMC is very efficient in meeting the goals of the company by managing its portfolio and assets. Its system employs the industry best practices for determining the feasibility of proposed investments and is effectively integrated with its cost and profit centers to ensure that the investment decisions do not interfere with the day-to-day operating needs of the company. Additionally, it also implements risk minimizing strategies that acts as a cushion for NMC from financial shock and surprises. Chapter 5: Conclusions and SWOT analysis Thus, it can be concluded that the company has in place a strong structure to manage its accounting and financial data. This helps the company in effective decision making taking into considerations the financial risks, costs and benefits. The company uses ERP software like SAP, AMT Focus, etc. to manage its data. Also, the company makes sure that the data so generated is disseminated to the relevant stakeholders for decision making. However, the company can still improve its system structure by identifying the gaps and working to reduce it for efficient and effective decision making. In addition to its accounting and financial management system, NMC has in place a strong corporate structure with best in industry corporate social responsibility practices. The company very well understands the social and environmental impact of its operations on its immediate surroundings and hence aims to achieve sustainability in all its endeavors. This is also reflected in its purpose, mission and vision. The company aims to minimize and mitigate environmental impacts by better water management, reducing energy consumption and managing the discharge of waste and effluents in the environment. Its corporate governance structure address six key areas that include health and safety, operations and resource development, asset value protection, business integrity, people and sustainability and stakeholder engagement (Newmont, 2016). Additionally, as a part of its corporate governance, environmental stewardship and community engagement initiative, NMC participates in organizations like International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM) Sustainable Development Framework, United Nations Global Compact, Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), International Cyanide Management Code (ICMC), Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), etc. to inform its sustainability programs and improve its performance (NMC, 2014). These practices on the part of the company exercise a strong influence on its stakeholders by positioning the company as ethically and socially responsible business unit. However, the scope of the companys CSR practices will keep of increasing with increase in its assets and resources. Thus the company will need to maintain a vigilant stance on the impact areas and keep improving for effective operation of its corporate governance structure. From the discussions, it can be concluded that Newmont Mining Corporation is one the worlds leading gold and copper producer. The scale of its production provides it with economies of scale advantages, while its reserves amounting to 73.7 million ounces of gold places it in a strong position to take advantage of rising demand. The following is the NMCs SWOT analysis: Strengths NMC has competitive advantage in terms of its high quality assets viz. resources, machinery, technology and employees. Its operations span over major continents including America, Australia/New Zealand, Africa, and Indonesia allowing it to expand its operations and develop its business. Additionally, its strong and well structured financial and accounting systems provide efficiency in its operations and taking well planned decisions at right time considering the risks. Also, its strong hold on its corporate governance and CSR practices positions it as sustainable and responsible company. Weaknesses NMCs weakness stems from its heavy dependence on contractors undertaking its operations and construction projects. This exposes the company to the third party risks that arise from its contractors actions and negligence. Additionally, the loss of control on operations may also land NMC in trouble. Along with this, different credit rating agencies have downgraded NMCs credit ratings that can adversely affect the availability of new financing and increase their future borrowing costs. Opportunities NMCs goal of strengthening its portfolio is backed by a strong strategic project pipeline. This will help the company to not only replenish its depleting metal reserves but will also help to maintain flexibility in the operations to increase its productivity and address the development risks associated with the projects. Over all these projects will help in increasing the production and enhance the companys market position on a global scale. Moreover, the companys expansion projects will help it to leverage the growing demand for gold and increase its revenues. Also, the reduced fuel price is beneficial in reducing the companys cost thereby increasing its cashflows. Threats NMCs mining and operations are regulated in all the countries of its operations under various federal, state and local laws. These laws related to protection of environment and local people. Any delay in obtaining permission from the government bodies poses an adverse impact on its operations. Additionally, stringent regulations negatively impact the companys profitability. Moreover, security risks impact companys operations while currency risks impact the companys cost of operations. References Accounting-Simplified (2016) Purpose of Financial Statements. [Online]. Available at: https://accounting-simplified.com/purpose-of-financial-statements.html (Accessed: 4 June 2016). AccountingTools (2016) Gearing Ratio. [Online]. 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