Exam Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Exam - Essay Example Ultimately, it should be understood that within the current juncture in time, needle exchange programs are carried out almost exclusively by nonprofit organizations and are not directly linked to any type of taxpayer funding. From even a cursory level of research, the reader can come to the realization that needle exchange programs around the nation, and around the globe for that matter, or originally intended as a means of providing drug addicts a fresh injection mechanism that would not have the risks traditionally associated with shared needles; to include HIV, hepatitis, and a litany of other blood-borne pathogens that were shared between drug users as they shared needles (Kalo & Racz, 2013). In order to understand the mentality behind needle exchange programs, it is necessary to understand the fact that the drug users themselves working to maximize the level of money that they could spend to get high; without the added expense of purchasing fresh needles as a means of effecting such an end. In such a way, each and every one of the needle exchange programs serves as a means of providing the drug user with fresh needles without the requirement that the drug addict/user will be required to pay for these clean needles. An unintended effect of such an approach is the fact that this approach often furthers a level of discretionary spending on the part of the drug user which is in turn used to purchase more drugs. As the drug users are no longer responsible for providing themselves with clean, fresh needles, the amount of discretionary spending which can be directed solely and entirely towards the drug itself is increased; at least in small part. Ultimately, determining whether or not needle exchange programs are effective is a question of which determinate it is being measured. What is meant by this is the fact that if one seeks to measure whether or not needle exchange programs have been effective with regards to curbing drug abuse, the answer is an obvious and resounding no (Xing, 2012). However, if one seeks to measure whether or not needle exchange programs have been effective with regards to reducing the overall levels of blood-borne pathogen infections among drug users, the answer would necessarily have to be a resounding yes. A number of studies that conducted the past years have definitively indicated that lower levels of blood-borne pathogen related diseases exist among communities of drug users that are reliant upon clean fresh meal supplies via needle exchange programs as compared to those who do not. 2. Scare tactics have long been employed as a means of effecting a particular goal within a particular group of individuals. One does not have to think back very far to realize the means by which scare tactics were used even within one’s own high school with respect to sexually transmitted diseases. In almost each and every health class within the United States, students were shown a series of horrifically distorted genitali a as a means of providing a stark warning with regards to the dangers of unprotected sexual intercourse (Twonbly et al, 2011). In much the same means, scare tactics have been utilized with regards to seeking to prevent drug use among children by integrating the most horrific images of what drug usage ultimately portends for the life

Business Planning and Forecasting Research Paper

Business Planning and Forecasting - Research Paper Example 2008 48 51 21 34 i. Scatter Diagram: As the data describes sales for each season for a particular year, with no sign of any multiplicative or exponential jump, therefore the additive model should be used to analyze the data. The main reason is the progression, which is quite straight-forward, as compared to multiplicative plotting, which is more exponential, with later figures of comparatively much higher values. ii. Moving Average for Calculation of Trend: For the calculation of moving averages, the process is done in a way such that each season's moving average has been calculated with the data provided of the past 3 years. The moving averages for each season are as follows. iii. Seasonal Indices: Year Quarter Original Values(Y) 4 Figures Moving Total 4 Figures Moving Average 2 Figures Moving Total 2 Figures Moving Average(T) Ratio-to-Moving Average(%)(Y)/ (T)*100 (Seasonal Indices) 2006 1 46 2 53 3 18 4 33 150 37.5 2007 1 52 156 39 76.5 38.25 47.05882353 2 47 150 37.5 76.5 38.25 86.2745098 3 20 152 38 75.5 37.75 137.7483444 4 39 158 39.5 77.5 38.75 121.2903226 2008 1 48 154 38.5 78 39 51.28205128 2 51 158 39.5 78 39 100 3 21 159 39.75 79.25 39.625 121.1356467 4 34 154 38.5 78.25 39.125 130.3514377 iv. Trend Extension: The trend for 2009 is calculated by first formulating a regression formula for the new values using the given data. The methodology used is the Method of Least Squares, as follows: Quarter(X) Original...The main reason is the progression, which is quite straight-forward, as compared to multiplicative plotting, which is more exponential, with later figures of comparatively much higher values. For the calculation of moving averages, the process is done in a way such that each season's moving average has been calculated with the data provided of the past 3 years. The moving averages for each season are as follows. The initial scatter plot suggested that the autumn sales are the lowest of all the seasons. Also when we calculated the moving averages the result came that the seasonal variations in sales are smothered in the overall run. On this base the new sales figures for 2009 were calculated which were as given above. When the real values of the sales of the three brothers are seen and compared, taking one year at a time, then its is observed that when we take 2006 as a base year, we find that the sales figures for Dick was higher than his two brothers'. Also Rick's sales were better than Mick's, although the actual figures are lower. Mick's sales real values have been going continuously down, while those of Rick's have gone down only in 2008. For Dick, the real value of sales has been going up continuously.