Saturday, December 28, 2019

Islam And Modernity Annotated Bibliography - 1377 Words

ISLAM AND MODERNITY: COURSEWORK 1 The document is an extract taken from the book al-Mar’a al-Jadida (The New Woman, 1900) written by Qasim Amin (1863-1809), an Egyptian lawyer ‘renowned for his support of women s liberation in the Islamic world’. Amin’s strong will to stand up against public opinion in Egypt s contemporary society as well as his aristocratic background and attitude toward the masses and politics, led him to see reform from a special position. Although Amin despised politics in general, he makes mention of authoritarianism in the extract, which he believed was a root of Muslim decline in Egypt. The majority of the extract focuses instead on the reform of social and ethnic conditions. However In summation, he did not approve of the grasping and manipulative nature of colonialism yet chose not to focus his attention or his audience s on resisting it. He believed that government oppression was the root of all oppression in society, and he believed that ending oppression would spread a culture of ethics and rights. In this regard, Amin was very critical of the Muslim governments in general and of Mohamed Ali’s regime in particular. Rather, he believed in gradual change through spreading education and moral philosophy and that empowerment would arise only when ideas were ‘nurtured’, enabling a path to a reformed and advanced culture. So instead, he introduced social and cultural ideas that were taboos of his time and hoped that the succeeding generationsShow MoreRelatedA Critical Review of â€Å"the Ambiguities of Football, Politics, Culture, and Social Transformation in Latin America† by Tamir Bar-on.14147 Words   |  57 Pagesalienate La tin Americas popular sectors: The end of the Cold War and a triumphant global capitalism without a systemic communist challenge and balance; the New World Orders search for novel scapegoats to replace the communist threat (Saddam Hussein? Islam? China? Cuba? Colombian drugs?); the homogenized version of reality presented by corporate mass media giants like CNN and Telemundo throughout the Latin American continent; and the growing pauperization of the areas population as a result of so-called

Friday, December 20, 2019

Essay on The Downside to Standardized Testing - 1022 Words

The Downside to Standardized Testing After 1965, preparation for mandatory standardized testing began to take over traditional teaching techniques and curriculum plans in the classroom. These tests are designed to measure a students skill level in relation to other students who take the same test. Schools are being transformed from centers of learning to centers of test preparation.(Wetzel,Bill) Teaching to the test has caused an uproar between teachers, students, and administrators globally, nationally, state-wide, and locally. There are many positive and negative perspectives when it comes to standardized testing and teaching solely to the test. Is maintaining a good reputation for schools such a priority that valuable class†¦show more content†¦A Flour Bluff high chool teacher exclaimed I do not spend a great deal of time talking about current events; we have a timeline,and each class has to cover so much material every six weeks(Gowens, Jenny) in order for our students to be successful academically and co mpete with other students in the state, they have got to know the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills test. The only way to get this goal accomplished is for teachers to spend hours and hours a day teaching what students should already know. Its up to the individual schools and teachers, Assistant Superintendent Arturo Almendarez said. In Texas, principals can lose their jobs if their schools standardized test scores dont measure up; superintendents can be fired and school boards can be dissolved if districts perform poorly. But by teaching to the test, they take care of this problem. I am extremely pleased so many students exceeded expectations, Gov. Rick Perry said. Our students have risen to the challenge with help from a strong curriculum and dedicated teaching professionals. If all time is being devoted to test taking skills, there is no variety to learning. Once the year is over, the only proof of acquired knowledge is your test results, which does not show what you have lea rned, only what you have memorized. A 1999 state law requires third graders to pass the reading test and meet local promotion requirements before they can move on to the fourth grade. After interviewing someShow MoreRelatedStudent Testing Needs a Revision721 Words   |  3 PagesFor more than 50 years standardized tests have been a bane of student life in America. With the initiation of the No Child Left Behind law there is more pressure being put on students and teachers to do well on these tests. Unfortunately, the standardized testing only gives a small look into what a student is learning. Standardized testing is ineffective, and there are other options out there that can be used to evaluate the American education system. Standardized testing is used in every schoolRead MoreStandardized Testing Is Not Be Completely Honest I Do Not Know About Standardized Test1151 Words   |  5 PagesStandardize Testing Being completely honest I do not know much about standardized test. I remember having to take them as a student in elementary and junior high. I knew that I would not be receiving a letter grade on these test. I remember never stressing about taking the test. To be honest if I did not understand the question I was the kid that just made a design on the answer sheet. I absolutely was not aware of the reasoning or purpose of test. As a parent, I see my kids stress out about takingRead MoreUsing Standardized Testing Within Our Education System1455 Words   |  6 PagesFilling in Bubbles is Useless Standardized testing is used excessively in the United States to determine where a student should be placed. It determines what classes a student should take, how the school is scoring as a whole, and even provides information on how well a teacher is teaching the material. However, there seems to be a huge argument on whether this type of testing is actually beneficial. One controversial argument is that it only proves how well a student is able to memorize the materialRead MoreStandardized Testing Is Not Be Completely Honest, I Do Not Know About Standardized Test1363 Words   |  6 Pages Standardize Testing Being completely honest, I do not know much about standardized test. I remember having to take them as a student in elementary and junior high. I knew that I would not be receiving a letter grade on these tests. I remember never stressing about taking the test. To be honest if I did not understand the question I was the kid that just made a design on the answer sheet. I absolutely was not aware of the reasoning or purpose of tests. As a parent, I see my kids stress outRead MorePros And Cons Of Standardized Testing1400 Words   |  6 PagesEven though there are many downsides to standardized testing there are still viable reasons why they are still being used today. One of the main reasons includes the easy and quick access of testing students. Standardized testing allows schools to quickly access a large amount of students at one time. This is also one of the cheapest ways to tests such a large crowd due to machinery that grades which results in low tests costs for students. These tests also help by setting a national curriculum forRead MoreThe Problem Solving Brain And Learning955 Words   |  4 Pagesstrategy that was identified was standardized testing. Standardized testing is great because teachers are able to compare their students with other students in other classes. This allows teachers to find topics that their classes are struggling with. They are able to do this because if twenty students answer a question wrong they are able to pinpoint that they need to go over that concept. This is why I would use standardized testing. However, a downside to standardized testing is the limitations the wayRead MoreCommon Core And The American Education System881 Words   |  4 Pagesis destroying the American school system by doing the following: pushing standardized tests on students, defunding schools that do not support common core or test too low, and miseducating students on an everday scale. For starters, Common Core is defined as an academic outline that specializes in Math and the English Language that every student should know before moving on to higher grades. Common Core has various downsides. In order for states to recieve funding from the government they must adhereRead MoreComparing Informatics And Clinical Informatics866 Words   |  4 Pagesinitiation of these smart pumps, IV fluids and medications ran by gravity and the rates were determined by the drop set of the IV tubing being used. The downside of this type of infusion is that the patients constant repositioning of the arm that the fluid is infusing in can cause a major increase or decrease in the rate of flow. Another downside is that there are no alarms in place to alert staff that the infusion is complete or if it is not infusing as it should be or if the site has infiltratedRead MoreEssay on Standardized Testing Is Counterproductive2010 Words   |  9 PagesExcessive testing has been integrated in t he public school system to measure student intelligence, observe teacher proficiency, and distribute federal funds since the passage of the No Child Left behind Act (NCLBA) of 2001. The (NCLBA) ‘‘called for 100% of the nation’s public school students to become proficient in mathematics and reading by 2014’’ through the usage of standardized testing (Hanson 3). Since the inception of this policy there have been numerous issues involved in these tests. ‘‘InsteadRead MoreShould a Computer Grade Your Essays?1499 Words   |  6 Pagesof colleagues, Les Perleman, Mark Shermis, and Ben Hamner, introduced over 16,000, K7-12 standardized school tests to the AES (automated essay scoring software) to compare results of hand-scored essays; the results appeared to produce a more accurate grade, however, no official statistical studies were performed to accurately maintain the claim. Essay Raters (e-Rater), developed by the Educational Testing Service (ETS), allowed Perelman to access, and analyze the technology. ETS uses vocabulary

Wednesday, December 11, 2019

Monetary Policy Process

Question: Discuss about the Monetary Policy Process. Answer: Introduction The four asset classes in Table I are Australian shares, Australian Bonds, Cash rate and International stocks. The first asset class is the Australian shares. This consist the companies listed on ASX and the returns are the year on year return on these stocks. The next asset class is the Australian Bonds which are the bonds issued by the Australian Government. The next asset class is the Australian cash rate also called the official cash rate (OCR). This is the Australian base rate. Banks pay this interest rate when they take out a loan with a maturity of 1 day from another bank.(RBA, 2016) The next asset class is the international stocks which are scrips listed on exchanges all over the world other than Australia. Using the data from the table which is the 25-year year on year return on these asset classes Arithmetic mean, Geometric Mean and Standard deviation has been calculated. A spreadsheet has been used to calculate the various measures. The table below summarises the results. Asset class Australian Shares Australian Bonds Cash Rate International Stocks Arithmetic Mean 15.98571429 11.51429 9.257143 14.88571 Geometric Mean 14.38 10.14 8.32 13.14 Standard Deviation 21.4592035 6.855883 4.332224 22.08374 Arithmetic mean of returns is simply the average of returns over a given period of time. While it is a simple and handy tool for calculating average returns the problem arises when there are negative returns in a given year. In that case arithmetic mean doesnt necessarily give the best estimate of a risk-return on an asset. Geometric mean on the other hand is a better estimate of a risk return on an asset. Arithmetic mean would tend to overstate the growth and not give a fair estimate of risk return, it does provide an average performance measure over multiple holding periods. Well-known in statistics, AM is more sensitive to outliers than is GM and as such GM may be preferred in such cases. From the perspective of risk averseness, AM might not be preferred. (Yang, Hung, Zhao, 2013)If we consider an asset with returns of 10%,20% and 6% over three years, the AM would be 12% whereas the GM would be 10.62%. Hence we observe that AM across all asset classes is more than the geometric me an. Standard deviation is the square root of the variance which in turn is the difference between the mean and the actual return. Hence standard deviation is a good tool to measure the volatility of an asset.(New York University, 2013) Generally, a stable asset would have less standard deviation compared to a risky and a volatile asset. AM for Australian shares is roughly 16% while the GM is 14.4% and the standard deviation is 21.45 from the Arithmetic Mean. This would indicate a highly volatile asset. AM for Australian Bonds is 11.5 and the GM is 10.14 and the standard deviation is 6.85 from the mean. This would indicate a relatively stable asset. AM for cash rate is 9.25 and the GM is 8.32 while the deviation is 4.33 indicating that across all assets this is the most stable. AM for international stocks is 15 whereas GM is roughly 13 whereas the SD is 22 indicating that this is the most volatile asset. Construction of A Portfolio Fiscal Vs Monetary Policy Fiscal policy refers to the government policies regarding expenditures and tac levels through which it monitors and controls a nations economy. Summing it up it can be described as the framework for tax rates and government expenditures. Through the means of these the government can change(increase or decrease) aggregate demand and level of economic activity. It can also bring about changes in savings and investment patterns. When the economic growth is slow, government can use the fiscal policy to decrease the tax rate thereby increasing aggregate demand and conversely use it to the opposite effect as well to slow down the pace of strong economic growth and stabilise prices.(Caballero, 2013) On the other hand, Monetary policyis the process through which the monetary authority of a country, generally a central bank controls the supply of money in the economy by its control over interest rates in order to maintain price stability and achieve high economic growth. By controlling the supply of money to the economy the central banks can either induce increased demand or slow up an economy growing at a pace faster than anticipated in order to stop inflationary trends. The three factors that would determine how sensitive a firms earnings are to the business cycle are: Nature of product: The sale of non necessary goods such as show pieces, collectibles will decline whereas that of necessary items such as groceries etc would be stable. Operating leverage: A company having a low ratio of fixed costs to variables costs will be more flexible in adjusting to price cuts as compared to a company with high fixed costs. Debt-equity ratio: A firm having more debt in its capital structure is said to be leveraged. Debt although decreases the WACC(Weighted Average Cost of Capital) and increases profitability when the firm is in high growth phase, but it also increases the burden of fixed expenses. Hence having the leverage of debt in a capital structure is a two edged sword as it makes the firm less sensitive to recessionary trends. Valution of Options The value of a call option in the Black-Scholes model can be written as a function of the five variables: S = Current stock price; in this case 39 K = Strike price of the option; in this case 35 t = Life to expiration of the option; in this case given as 6 months or year r = Riskless interest rate corresponding to the life of the option which is given as 5.3% in the given scenario ^2= Variance in the ln(value) of the underlying asset; in this case given as square of 0.3 Value of call = S N (d1) - K e-rt N(d2) where d1 = ln(S/K) + (r + ^2/2 ) t/ *t^1/2 Note that e-rt is the present value factor and reflects the fact that the exercise price on the call option does not have to be paid until expiration. N(d1) and N(d2) are probabilities, estimated by using a cumulative standardized normal distribution and the values of d1 and d2 obtained for an option.(Damodran, 2005) Using the values on a spreadsheet d1 is obtained as 1.86 and d2 is obtained as 1.66. Using the normal distribution table from the prescribed textbook then N(d1) and N(d2) is obtained as 0.9686 and 0.9515 respectively. Using the formula then value of the call is obtained as $8.83. Similarly, value of put option is given by P=Xe^-rT[1-N(d2)]-S[1-n(d1))] (Damodran, 2005) Putting the values in the formula the put option valuation is arrived at $1.01. Mark to Market Settlements The daily mark-to-market settlements for each contract held by the long position has been calculated and tabulated as follows. The values in the second column obtained by subtracting that days price with the starting price and the total proceeds calculated by multiplying the total quantity with the second column which in this case is 100 ounces. Day profit/loss per ounce Total proceeds 0 1197.9 1 1198.7 0.8 80 2 1194.7 -3.2 -320 3 1247.9 50 5000 4 1239.1 41.2 4120 5 1239.1 41.2 4120 6 1207.9 10 1000 7 1211.1 13.2 1320 8 1226.1 28.2 2820 9 1230.4 32.5 3250 10 1209.5 11.6 1160 Basis is the difference between the spot price and the future price. For example, if the spot price for a ounce of gold is $195 and the future price for delivery after 10 days is $198. In that case the basis is 3 dollars. Suppose the next day the spot price decreases to 193 dollars and the future price for delivery becomes 195. In that case the basis reduces to 3 dollars from 2 dollars. In any hedging strategy there is a risk that the two investments used to offset each other wont move in the same direction. This exposes the investor to a position wherein he/she can make excess gains or losses arising from the fluctuations. This risk is called the basis risk.(Ankirchner, Kratz, Kruse, 2013) For example an investor hedges a two-year bond with purchase of govt bills. The risk that the two wont move in the same direction is always there and forms the foundation for the basis risk. Futures and options are financial contracts and both are examples of derivatives as their value is derived from that of an underlying asset. Future is an example of a financial contract Futures are much similar to forwards but are a more evolved product in the sense that they are flexible and give the option of removing the obligation before the expiry of the contract. Future contracts are widely used by the banks to hedge currency risks.(Meera, 2002) Options are similar financial contracts but the main point wherein they differ from futures is that entering into an option contract gives the buyer of the option right but not the obligation to buy or sell an asset. A call option is for buy, whereas a put option is for sell. Risk Adjusted Return Mesaures Sharpe ratio was a tool developed by William Sharpe and since its inception has become the most widely used measure for evaluating risk adjusted return. It is given by (Return on the Asset-Risk free rate)/Standard deviation.(Pav, 2016) For the given example, Sharpe ratio of the portfolio is calculated as (0.12-0.055)/0.33 which is obtained as 0.19 or in other words for every point of return the investor is carrying 0.19 units of risk. Similarly, the Sharpe ratio for the market using the same method is obtained as 0.1. Hence what Sharpe ratio deduces is that the portfolio is giving more return per unit of risk and hence outperforms the market. Treynor ratio is a tool quite similar to Sharpe ratio in a lot of aspects and again is a widely used measure to evaluate how much return an investor gets per unit of risk. It is given by the formula (Risk premium)/beta. For the given example the risk premium for the portfolio is 6.5% whereas that for the market is 2.5% since the risk free rate is given as 8% and hence the premium is obtained by subtracting this from the average return ion each respective asset. Hence Trey nor ratio for the portfolio is obtained as 0.056 whereas that for the market is obtained as 0.025. Simply put this implies that for every unit of risk the portfolio gives a return of 5,6% whereas the market gives a return of 2.5%. Hence quite alike to the Sharpe ratio Treynor ratio too indicates at a similar result.(Lan, 2012) The Jensens is a risk adjusted performance measure and evaluates the return of a portfolio over and above that as predicted by the CAPM model. It is given by Expected portfolio return-((risk free rate beta(market return-risk free rate))(Gerber Hens, 2009) Hence for the given example the Jensens alpha for the portfolio is obtained as 0.03625. The higher the alpha the better performing it is. That for the market is obviously 0. The information ratio is a variation of the Sharpe ratio and is again used to evaluate from the investors point of view as to how much excess return is generated from the amount of excess risk taken relative to the benchmark. The information ratio measures a portfolios excess return relative to its benchmark tracking error. It answers the question of how much reward a manager generated in relation to the risks he or she took deviating from the benchmark. The information ratio is used for measuring active managers against a passive benchmark.(KIDD, 2011) The information ratio is calculated by dividing the portfolios mean excess return relative to its benchmark by the variability of that excess return. For the given portfolio the information ratio is obtained as 0.5. This can be interpreted as an above average result.(Clement, 2009) The M2 measure also known as the Modigliani Miller risk adjusted performance(RAP) measure is a performance measure for portfolios. It is given by(Rp-Rf)/Beta of the portfolio*benchmark beta+risk free rate.(Scholz Wilkens, 2005) Using the values from the example M2 measure is obtained as 11.58% or 0.1158. References Ankirchner, S., Kratz, P., Kruse, T. (2013). Hedging forward positions: basis risk versus liqquidity costs. Bodie, Kane, Marcus. (2014). Investments. McGraw Hill. Caballero, G. (2013). Effects of Fiscal and Monetary Policy in the Great Recession. Clement, C. (2009). Interpreting the Information Ratio. Damodran, A. (2005). Option Pricing Theory And Models. In A. Damodran, Corporate Finance. New York: Stern. Gerber, A., Hens, T. (2009). Jensens Alpha in the CAPM with Heterogeneous Models Financial Valuation and Risk Management. National Centre of Competence in Research. KIDD, D. (2011).Investment Performance Measurement. Lan, Z. J. (2012). Measuring Risk adjusted return. AAII. Meera, A. K. (2002). Hedging Foreign Exchange Risk with Forwards, Futures,Options and the Gold Dinar: A Comparison Note. New York University. (2013). Standard Deviations. In Stern. New York: New York University. Pav, S. E. (2016). Notes on the Sharpe ratio. RBA. (2016). Cash rate. Retrieved from RBA: https://www.rba.gov.au/statistics/cash-rate/ Scholz, H., Wilkens, M. (2005). A Jigsaw Puzzle of Basic Risk-adjusted Performance Measures. The Journal of Performance Measurement. Yang, C. W., Hung, K., Zhao, Y. (2013). A Comparison of Risk Return Relationship in the Portfolio Selection Models. ISI World Statistics Congress, 3495-4500.

Wednesday, December 4, 2019

Implications for Management Skills Business Stakeholders

Question: Describe about the Implications for Management Skills for Business Stakeholders. Answer: Introduction The article reports about a survey that was conducted in New Zealand in 2012. 265 chief executives who represented 27% of the largest organizations in the country participated in the survey. The aim of the study was to analyse the most critical challenges which were present in the environment of the country and discuss what implications they were having on the management skills of the nation and also consider how the development of skills could be supported by the practitioners of human resource. The outcome of the survey indicated a complex environment comprising changing markets as well as technologies wherein the support which was provided by the stakeholders was highly conditional and guarded. There was a continuous war in terms of talent and there was a necessity of reframing the business models for responding to the changes that were not only fast paced but also ambiguous. It was suggested that there is a requirement for three significant management skills that include manageme nt of limited resources and people, management of business partners and stakeholders and management of uncertainty and renewal. This required the focus of the HR specialists on developing managers and also themselves participate in the process of development (Hutchison Boxall, 2014). This essay will be critically analyzing the article. Relevant Thesis Statement A thesis statement is considered to be a sentence which provides a summary of the papers key idea or ideas and expresses in a clear way what is going to be said with respect to the topic. It identifies topic that is to be discussed and the purpose that the paper serves (Purdue University, 2016). On the basis of the above definition a relevant thesis statement that has been identified from the article is as follows Examination of what the chief executives belonging to private, public as well as not-for-profit organizations regard as the most crucial issues existing in their present environment, figuring out the implications that these issues have for management skills and on that basis find out the important managerial capabilities and the way in which their development can be supported by the HR specialists. Strengths and Weaknesses of the Article On the basis of the thesis statement the following strengths as well as weakness of the article can be identified Strengths The literature review was conducted by the author to find out the current scenario that was existing in New Zealand and how the changes were taking place particularly in view of the global economic crisis. A comparison has also been made with the nations like its neighboring country Australia, the USA and the UK. It takes into consideration the sectors where the country has been performing well and the sectors where it is lagging behind. It also considers the challenges that the country has been facing given the small scale that the countrys industry has, challenges which are being faced by the country in order to retain its educated workforce and what caliber does the management of the country have and is it what is required by the nation. The literature review is focused and the gaps in the literature have been identified by the author as it is mentioned that the previous literature has not taken into consideration the opinions of the chief executives who understand the challenges better (Randolf, 2009). These gaps have been addressed in the study by conducting an in-depth survey of the chief-executives of the country and their perception of the context so that their opinions can help in the development of implications for the capabilities of the managers. The method used is appropriate as it carries out a survey of the chief executives who for any organization are the major decision makers. All the three sectors that is private, public as well as the non-for-profit organizations were covered for the purpose of conducting the survey. Hence the sample was a representative one which attempted to take into consideration the views of all the three sectors of the countrys economy and the challenges which are being faced by them (Floyd Fowler, 2009). A large range of industries as well as organizational sizes were selected from these sectors for taking part in the survey. Both quantitative and qualitative analysis was a part of the survey. Use of mixed method encouraged using multiple worldviews on the topic which improved the outcomes and a more practical solution to the problem was made possible (Lislie, 2011). The first section provided the respondents with lists of challenges and risks that were kept separate and with the help of the Likert scale they had to rate the intensity which according to them each of the item had. Likert scale is best suited for measurement of such data (Boone Boone, 2012). Open ended questions were also added in case anyone of the respondent wanted to add something besides the given options. This would ensure that all the aspects were covered. This is a very practical approach that the author has adopted. The directions for future research have also been taken into account by the author. Weaknesses The survey considered only the 1000 biggest organizations from the different sectors while the smaller organizations were not considered. The survey to get the opinion of only the top executives meant that the response rate was 27% as people of this level are generally difficult to survey because of their time constraints. It would have been a better idea to include some people from the other management levels also. My Viewpoint I believe that the author is correct in adopting both the qualitative as well as the quantitative methods for the survey as this method provides is able to provide comparatively more evidence than the study which uses either quantitative or qualitative research. The options that the researcher had in mind and also the ones that the chief executives could add were both taken into consideration. However, according to my perspective it would have been appropriate for the researcher to include the other executives from the senior management and middle management also in the survey. That would have led to a better representation of the situation under study and also their perspectives would have been obtained as they are the ones who will be in direct contact with the employees and providing them the required training. I completely agree with the thesis statement of the article as according to me in order to face the situation of economic downturn and the other critical challenges that are being posed by the environment, it is absolutely necessary to know their implications on the managerial skills so that the appropriate steps can be adopted by the HR practitioners for facilitating the development of the required skills. This will be helpful for the organizations of New Zealand to face the current situation in a better way and be prepared for changes that occur in the dynamic environment. Additionally, availability of better opportunities in the country will take place and this will control the increasing migration of the countrys workforce to Australia in search of better jobs. This will make the climate of business more innovative, creative, flexible and stable. Managerial skills include sets of attributes as well as qualities in the managers personality which assists them in managing effectively the organisations working. Several studies have also supported the significance of good managerial skills for improving organizational efficiency as well as performance (Kamble, 2011). Encouraging and facilitating change is crucial in the environment that exists currently. The relevant behaviours comprise collective learning, fostering innovation, envisioning and also advocating change (G.A. Gordon, 2002). The capabilities that help managers in creating, extending and modifying the ways by which the organizations can survive help in providing explanations to the relationships that exist between decisions of managers, strategic change and performance of the organization (Helfat Martin, 2014). I also consider that it is very essential for the HR managers to consider management of people as well as limited resources, management of stakeholders and management of renewal as well as uncertainty as their main focus because they will provide the organization with the capability of facing challenges that the environment poses. Conclusion The article has a relevant thesis statement and on the basis of that the author has conducted an appropriate literature review. It has been observed that the article has a number of strengths and also possess certain weaknesses. The strengths are mainly visible in the use of the mixed methods approach which is more practical for the research. All the sectors of the economy have been taken into consideration in order to find out the most critical issues or challenges that the organizations face so that their managerial implications can be discussed and would become easier for the HR management to develop these critical skills in the employees through proper training and ensure that the organization is able to tackle the situations arising out of the dynamic environmental conditions. However, there are also certain weaknesses in the article as the number of people who finally responded to the survey are less and hence it would have been more appropriate if the author had included the o ther senior and middle level managers in the survey apart from the chief executives. This would have provided the author with other important implications. Bibliography Boone, H.N. Boone, D.A., 2012. Analyzing Likert Data. Journal of Extension, 50(2). Floyd, J. Fowler, J., 2009. Survey Research Methods. 4th ed. Nashville: SAGE. G.A., Y. Gordon, T., 2002. A hierarchical taxonomy of leadership behavior. Journal of Leadership and Organizational Studies, 9(1), pp.15-32. Helfat, C.E. Martin, J.A., 2014. Dynamic Managerial Capabilities: Review and Assessment of Managerial Impact on Strategic Change. Journal of Management, 41(5), pp.1281-312. Hutchison, A. Boxall, P., 2014. The critical challenges facing New Zealands chief executives: implications for management skills. Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources, 52, pp.23-41. Kamble, R.R., 2011. Managerial Skills for Organizational Performance :An Analytical Study. Indian Streams Research Journal, 1(1), pp.23-27. Lislie, J.D., 2011. THE BENEFITS AND CHALLENGES OF MIXING METHODS AND METHODOLOGIES:Lessons Learnt From Implementing Qualitatively Led Mixed Methods Research Designs in Trinidad and Tobago. Caribbean Curriculum, 18, pp.87-120. Purdue University, 2016. WRITING A THESIS STATEMENT. [Online] Available at: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/print/general/gl_thesis.html [Accessed 16 September 2016]. Randolf, J.J., 2009. A Guide to Writing the Dissertation Literature Review. Practical Assessment, Research and Evaluation, 13, p.14.