In 1885 Woodrow Wilson, having not yet completed his doctoral program at Johns Hopkins University, began his teaching career at the newly founded Bryn Mawr College for Women. While reportedly a lecturer of genius, he resented having to teach women. As he told an associate, such an activity “relaxes one’s mental muscle.” In 1887 he summed up his life by saying, “Thirty-one years old and nothing done!” In retrospect, Wilson seems to have been like many other ambitious academics seemingly stuck in a post that did not do justice to talent. And he chose as the way out the now traditional road to high academic fame, fortune, and position: he wrote and published and was saved! American public administration as a field of study traditionally traces its origin to an 1887 Political Science Quarterly article by this frustrated young academic. In “The Study of Administration,” Wilson attempted nothing less than to refocus the newly emerging field of political science. Rather than be concerned with the “lasting maxims of political wisdom,” he argued that political science should concentrate on the more generally neglected details of how governments are administered. This was necessary because “it is getting harder to run a constitution than to frame one.” Wilson wanted the study of public administration to focus not only on the problems of personnel management, as many other reformers of the time had advocated, but also on organization and management in general. The reform movement of the time had an agenda that did not go beyond the abolition of the spoils system and the installation of a merit system. Wilson regarded civil service reform “as but a prelude to a fuller administrative reform.” He sought to push the concerns of public administration into investigations of the “organization and methods of our government offices” with a view toward determining “first, what government can properly and successfully do, and secondly, how it can do these proper things with the utmost possible efficiency and at the least possible cost either of money or energy” (Wilson, 1887 in Classics of Public Administration, 2012, p. 16). He was concerned with overall organizational efficiency and economy—that is, productivity in its most simplistic formulation. What could be more current—then or now? In his essay, Wilson also proclaimed the existence of a major distinction between politics and administration. This was a common and necessary political tactic of the reform movement because arguments that public appointments should be based on fitness and merit, rather than partisanship, necessarily had to assert that “politics” was out of place in public service. As Wilson said, “Although politics sets the tasks for administration, it should not be suffered to manipulate its offices.” In reinforcing what became known as the “politics–administration dichotomy,” Wilson was really referring to “partisan” politics. While this subtlety was lost on many, Wilson’s main themes—that public administration should be premised on a science of management and separate from traditional politics—fell on fertile intellectual ground. The ideas of this then obscure professor eventually became the dogma of academic public administration. And what happened to the young Bryn Mawr professor who plaintively wrote in 1888, “I have for a long time been hungry for a class of men”? Shortly thereafter, he took up an appointment at Wesleyan University in Connecticut. From there he went to Princeton, made good, and became president of that university. In later life he found a job in Washington. But if Wilson had not found that job in Washington, had not become president, his now seminal article would have continued to enjoy the obscurity its verbosity warrants. The article’s significant influence came only after World War II—more than half a century after it was published. Administrative historian Paul van Riper found that none of the early public administration scholars, Wilson’s contemporaries, cited the article in their otherwise heavily referenced works. “In reality, any connection between Wilson’s essay and the later development of the discipline is pure fantasy! An examination of major political and social science works of the period between 1890 and World War I shows no citation whatever of the essay” (Van Riper, 1983, p. 477). So how did it get rediscovered and become required reading for generations of students? According to a historical analysis by Daniel W. Martin, “The simple answer . . . is the glowing reprint of Wilson’s article in the December 1941 Political Science Quarterly. It was a masterwork of public relations, complete with a photostatic copy of Wilson’s tentative letter of submission” (Martin, 1988). Thereafter, Wilson’s essay, cited only modestly in the interwar period, grew to its current influence.

Read the short case study above and answer the questions below.

1) Briefly describe Woodrow Wilson’s early career and how it influenced his theories on public administration.

2) Then explain Woodrow Wilson’s views on the definition and scope of activities of public administration. How did he see public administration best utilizing tools, techniques, and theories from business administration?

3) Evaluate Woodrow Wilson’s major contributions to the field of public administration. To what extent were concepts like the “politics administration dichotomy” and “efficiency and economy” in administration significant at the time? To what extent are they still relevant today?

With double-digit annual percentage increases in the cost of health insurance, more and more workers are likely to lack health insurance coverage (USA Today, January 23, 2004). The following sample data provide a comparison of workers with and without health insurance coverage for small, medium, and large companies. For the purposes of this study, small companies are companies that have fewer than 100 employees. Medium companies have 100 to 999 employees, and large companies have 1000 or more employees. Sample data are reported for 50 employees of small companies, 75 employees of medium companies, and 100 employees of large companies.

1. Conduct a test of independence to determine whether employee health insurance coverage is independent of the size of the company. Use  = .05. Use Table 12.4.
   
   Compute the value of the x² test statistic (to 2 decimals).?
   
   
   The p value is ?
   
   What is your conclusion?
   Conclude health insurance coverage is not independent of the size of the company/Cannot reject the assumption that health insurance coverage and size of the company are independent
2. The USA Today article indicated employees of small companies are more likely to lack health insurance coverage. Calculate the percentages of employees without health insurance based on company size (to the nearest whole number).
   

   Small	%
   Medium	%
   Large	%

   
   
   Based on the percentages calculated above, what can you conclude?

Recent trends in globalization have forced businesses around the world to more keenly focus on profitability. This trend is also present in Japan, where historical links between banks and businesses have traditionally blurred the goals of firms. For example, the Japanese business engineering firm, Mitsui & Co. Ltd., recently launched “Challenge 21”. A plan directed at helping the company emerge as Japan’s leading business engineering group. According to a spokesperson for the company.” [ This plan permits us to] create new value and maximize profitability by taking steps such as renewing our management framework and prioritizing the allocation of our resources into strategic areas. We are committed to maximizing shareholder value through business conduct that balances the pursuit of earnings with socially responsible behavior.” Ultimately, the goal of any continuing company must be to maximize the value of the firm. This goal is often achieved by trying to hit intermediate targets, such as minimizing costs or increasing market share. If you as a manager- do not maximize your firm’s value over time, you will be in danger of either going out of business, being taken over by other owners (as in a leveraged buyout), or having stockholders elect to replace you and other managers. Source: “Mitsui & Co., Ltd. UK Regulatory Announcement: Final Results.” Business Wire, May 13, 2004.

Questions

1. What is (Challenge 21 ) plan of Mitsui & Co., Ltd.

2. What were the objectives of the management of Mitsui & Co., Ltd

. 3. What are the threats of not maximizing a firm’s value.

Recent trends in globalization have forced businesses around the world to more keenly focus on profitability. This trend is also present in Japan, where historical links between banks and businesses have traditionally blurred the goals of firms. For example, the Japanese business engineering firm, Mitsui & Co. Ltd., recently launched “Challenge 21”. A plan directed at helping the company emerge as Japan’s leading business engineering group. According to a spokesperson for the company.” [ This plan permits us to] create new value and maximize profitability by taking steps such as renewing our management framework and prioritizing the allocation of our resources into strategic areas. We are committed to maximizing shareholder value through business conduct that balances the pursuit of earnings with socially responsible behavior.” Ultimately, the goal of any continuing company must be to maximize the value of the firm. This goal is often achieved by trying to hit intermediate targets, such as minimizing costs or increasing market share. If you as a manager- do not maximize your firm’s value over time, you will be in danger of either going out of business, being taken over by other owners (as in a leveraged buyout), or having stockholders elect to replace you and other managers. Source: “Mitsui & Co., Ltd. UK Regulatory Announcement: Final Results.” Business Wire, May 13, 2004.

Questions

1. What is (Challenge 21 ) plan of Mitsui & Co., Ltd.

2. What were the objectives of the management of Mitsui & Co., Ltd .

3. What are the threats of not maximizing a firm’s value.

Should You Eat Farmed Salmon?

My teacher sent me Statcrunch data file which gives us information collected from a random sample of 150 farmed salmon from different parts of the world. The data was collected in 2004 and the results were published in the prestigious journal Science.

https://www.statcrunch.com/app/index.php?dataid=3432505

The file contains where the salmon was farmed and the level of mirex found in the salmon. Mirex is a banned pesticide that can be cancer-causing. The units for the Mirex are in parts per million (ppm).

Here are the questions I need help with.

1) Create some comparative graphs which show the concentrations of mirex in salmon sorted by location. (Hint: if choose your graph correctly and use the “group by” feature in Statcrunch, you can get these all on one graph.). Paste the statcrunch graph and indicate which regions have lower levels of mirex.

2) Construct a 95% confidence interval to estimate the proportion of farmed salmon which comes from Chile. Include a sentence about the interval.

3) The Environmental Protection Agency’s recommended “screening value” for mirex is 0.08 ppm. Do farm-raised salmon appear to be contaminated beyond the level permitted by the EPA? Using a 5% level of significance, complete a hypothesis test to answer that question. Follow all the steps, include Statcrunch output, and express your decision clearly. Based on your results, would you have concerns about eating farm-raised salmon?

On December 31, 2013, the Mallory Corporation had the following activity in its fixed assets

record. Assume all assets were purchased on January 1.

REQUIRED:

· Compute the depletion, amortization, and depreciation expense on December 31, 2013 for each asset listed above.

· Record the entries for the assets above

· Suppose that we sold machine 2 for $50,000, record the entry

· Suppose that the building life increased from 25 years to 30 years, revise the depreciation and prepare the entry.

· Suppose that the corporation spent $20,000 in 2013 to defend the patent.  Record the entry.

Used Cars - Actual Data: Below are the scatterplots, regression equations, and corresponding statistics for mileage, model year, and price for 15 different Honda Civics found on craigslist in May 2012.

Suppose you see a 2004 Honda Civic with 140 thousand miles on it. Estimate a reasonable price for this car via the following methods.

(a) Estimate the price using the mileage. Round your answer to the nearest dollar.
$

(b) Estimate the price using the year. Round your answer to the nearest dollar.
$

(c) Estimate the price using the multiple linear regression equation given by

ŷ = 716.9x₁ − 42.9x₂ − 1,424,349

where x₁ is the model year and x₂ is the mileage (in thousands). Round your answer to the nearest dollar.
$

(d) Which of the following statements are valid?

The estimate based only on mileage (part a) is too low because it doesn't consider the model year.

The estimate based only on the year (part b) is too high because it doesn't consider the mileage.     

The estimate from part (c) considers both variables (year and mileage) to produce a better estimate.

All of these are valid statements.

1. In an imaginary economy, consumers buy only hot dogs and hamburgers. The fixed basket consists of 15 hot dogs and 8 hamburgers. A hot dog cost $2.25 in 2006 and $5.40 in 2007. A hamburger cost $5.75 in 2006 and $7.86 in 2007. Calculate the CPI for both years and then find the inflation rate.

2. In an imaginary economy, consumers buy only sandwiches and magazines. The fixed basket consists of 25 sandwiches and 40 magazines. In 2006, a sandwich cost $4.50 and a magazine cost $3.99. In 2007, a sandwich cost $5.75. If the inflation rate in 2007 was 21 percent, then how much did a magazine cost in 2007?

3. When Anders took out his first two-year membership with Maxima Gym in 2004, the fee was $525.00. He renewed his membership three times; in 2006 for $580.00, in 2008, for $600.00, and again in 2010, for $699.00. What is the OVERALL rate of inflation for Anders' gym membership?

4. In 1949, Sycamore, Illinois built a hospital for about $500,000. In 1987, the county restored the courthouse for about $2.4 million. A price index for nonresidential construction was 12 in 1949, 96 in 1987, and 117.5 in 2000. Calculate the value of the courthouse in 2000 dollars and the value of the hospital in 2000 dollars and compare your answers. Which one cost more?

5. Ruben earned a salary of $60,000 in 2001 and $80,000 in 2006. The consumer price index was 156 in 2001 and 227.25 in 2006. What is Ruben's 2006 salary in 2001 dollars? What does this mean about how his purchasing power increased or decreased?

Understanding how the American university culture affects students requires analyzing the cultural norms that students bring to college and how these norms interact with the norms institutionalized in university settings. Cultural models of self—implicit understandings of oneself in relation to others and the social context—are one important source of these individual and institutional norms (Cross & Madson, 1997; Markus & Kitayama, 2010). Research conducted in a variety of cultural contexts has identified two common models of self that provide culture-specific norms for how to think, feel, and act (Markus & Kitayama, 1991). The independent model of self assumes that the normatively appropriate person should influence the context, be separate or distinct from other people, and act freely based on personal motives, goals, and preferences (Markus & Kitayama, 2003). In contrast, the interdependent model of self assumes that the normatively appropriate person should adjust to the conditions of the context, be connected to others, and respond to the needs, preferences, and interests of others. The independent and interdependent models both constitute sets of social norms, each providing a different guide or blueprint for how people should relate to others and to the social world (Adams, Anderson, & Adonu, 2004).

1. The above passage indicates two different sets of social norms. What are they?

2. Compare and contrast each set of social norms with the axiology of economics.

3. Which set of social norms is less similar to that axiology?

4. What would that predict the success of first-generation college students who study economics?

In the Clean Air Act as amended, Congress allowed California, which has serious problems with air quality, to adopt its own standards for emissions from cars and trucks, subject to the approval of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) according to certain standards. The Act also allowed other states to adopt California’s standards after EPA approval. In 2004, California adopted emissions standards for all new passenger vehicles and lightduty trucks sold in California beginning in 2009. The standards imposed decreasing limits on emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases (GHG) through 2016. While EPA approval was pending, other states adopted the California standards. A group of industry associations, automakers, and new car dealerships filed suit to block state adoption of the standards (including California). (a) Under the Environmental Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA), a designated federal agency sets fuel economy standards for new cars. The plaintiffs argued, among other things, that the EPCA, which explicitly prohibits states from adopting separate fuel economy standards, preempts states from adopting their own emission standards. Is the plaintiffs’ argument valid? Discuss. (b) Do the state emissions rules impose on the efforts of the federal government to address global warming internationally? Who should regulate GHGs, the states or the federal government? Both? Neither? Discuss. (c) The plaintiffs also argued that they would go bankrupt if they were forced to adhere to a different GHG standard for each state. Should they be granted relief on this basis? Does history support their claim? Discuss.