Final Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Final - Coursework Example In order to determine the feasibility of a project and to allow for comparisons between those that are mutually exclusive several very useful and highly recognised techniques are available. They include: I. Net present value (NPV) II. Internal rate of return (IRR) III. Accounting Rate of Return (ARR); and IV. Simple payback There are three (3) machines that the firm is considering as an investment. They are the Alumier which it currently uses; Big EZ and Cial. The objective of evaluating these investments is to determine which would be more beneficial to the firm. Evaluating Capital Budgeting Tools The NPV, IRR, ARR and simple payback. The advantages and disadvantages of using these methods are noted weaknesses and the relevant calculations to aid in the decision process are noted. Net Present Value (NPV) The net present value takes the time value of money into account and so the cash flows are discounted over the useful life of the asset. A NPV of zero means that the cash flow from the project would be sufficient to repay the initial investment only but would not contribute anything extra. A NPV that is less than zero (negative) would indicate that the funds generated from the project cannot generate sufficient funds to repay the initial investment and therefore should not be undertaken. On the other hand a positive NPV indicates that the project would be able to repay the initial investment and also allow some returns to shareholders (Brigham and Ehrhardt 2005). A positive NPV therefore means that the project under consideration is a worthwhile investment and should be undertaken. This method is very popular but has a number of shortcomings. Titman et al (2011) indicates that in case of capital rationing the NPV is not the deal method as choosing the projects with the highest profitability but not the highest NPV overall when compared to a number of smaller projects. Additionally some of the budget may be left unused. The formula for calculating the NPV is: N PV = CF0 + ((CF1/(1 +

Assessment & Special Education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Assessment & Special Education - Essay Example According to the report findings Special Education is a multi-faceted domain and consists of a highly diverse population of both teachers and pupils. Teaching in the area of special education requires appropriate qualifications and experience as it can often prove challenging to engage with people having disabilities. As such, teachers often specialize in any particular category of special education or may instead gain experience in multiple disciplines based on the provisions of local legislation.From this study it is clear that the validity and significance of assessment in special education cannot be underestimated. Teaching children with disabilities requires a multi-faceted approach and depends on collaboration among a number of professionals in an appropriate environment. A typical assessment is thus undertaken by a multi-disciplinary team that examines a student from many different perspectives to identify the existence of any special needs and disabilities. The role of the te am is extremely important during an assessment as it helps evaluate the extent and progress of any identifiable disability and develop a suitable special education curriculum that can help the individual. As such, an evaluator must possess comprehensive, accurate and real-time knowledge on the evaluation in order to offer the best support to the student. These skills can only come with experience and must be supplemented with regular on-the-job learning. There are, however, some issues associated with current assessment methodologies. Critics like Giuliani (2009) have alleged that students identified as being at-risk (i.e., those not having any disability) are often pooled together with students having special needs (p. 34). They argue that combining students in this manner inhibits the progress of the latter group as they may not be able to develop the required confidence and motivation in the presence of other students with better learning capabilities. Pierangelo (2007) also blames curriculum