Two Approaches Of Leadership And Leadership - 1743 Words

Leaders throughout history have displayed many characteristics and traits which make them who they are, and influence the decisions they make. Whether or not the leader was born with these traits has never been scientifically proven. However, it is within human nature that we learn through trial and experience to improve our mental cognitive ability, and therefore leaders are, until proven otherwise, made not born. Whether a leader is born a leader, or made a leader is not relevant to the end result. What is relevant is if one of the two approaches of leadership produces a better leader. Leaders play a large role in society, and great leaders play a large role in history. Trying to hypothesise whether leaders are born or made is ironic, as by studying that topic, you are effectively helping to make future leaders. Leaders are crucial to the continuing development of the human race. Without leaders, the world would hardly change from when humans first inhabited it. Leaders inspire change, with goals and aims in place to further develop the human race. While not all leaders have the same ideology as others, they are still reaching to enhance the population. Leaders have been present throughout all history, and many have played a large role in how society operates today. Leaders usually show many similar characteristics to each other, and for this reason, many believe that a leader must have these same qualities or traits to be a successful leader. Of interest however, isShow MoreRelatedLeadership, Transformational Leadership And Leadership Approaches Essay1738 Words   |  7 Pages When one thinks of leadership, they think of just one thing but there are different types of approaches to leaderships that one would not know. These types of approaches are broken up to two groups that of traditional approach and that of contemporary approach which is then broken down to smaller groups of leadership approaches. The traditional approach is broken down to three different approaches such as trait, behavior, and contingency approach in which these approaches are based upon a leader’sRead MoreApproaches to Contemporary Leadership Essay1114 Words   |  5 PagesContemporary Leadership: The concept of leadership is an issue that has elicited considerable debate in the recent past to an extent that there is an extensive body of research and literature that addresses the issue. Some of the most common issues in the wide range of literature on this issue include scientific investigation, fiction, and biographies (Truckenbrodt, 2000, p.233). This concept has generated such concerns because leadership influences politics, academics, organizations, militaryRead MoreLeadership Theory And Situational Leadership1621 Words   |  7 PagesLaFeve AS 301 30 October 2015 Midterm Paper Leadership is one of the human traits that are looked up to the most. When a task is at hand many people look around for someone to lead them and take charge. Leadership has been a part of The Air Force since it was created in 1947. Recently more emphasis and researching went into leadership and scholars provided leadership theories. Two of the theories are the Full Range Leadership model and the Situational Leadership model. Both of these theories provide ideasRead MoreLeadership As A Good Leader1319 Words   |  6 Pagesprocess of leadership at its core can be discerned whereby an individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a common goal. (pg.5) In all paths of life some application of leadership can be observed though the best version is never certain depending on the circumstances. Leadership should be situational depending on whatever is happening or the needs of the team are at the time. In this paper, I will discuss my experience in years past in a setting of bot h transformational leadership. My leadershipRead MorePersonal Leadership Qualities And Qualities788 Words   |  4 PagesThere are many different theories and approaches developed, that help determine personal leadership qualities and actions. Each approach holds valuable information in relation to leadership styles and qualities, yet you must find the approaches that appeal to you when attempting to determine your own leadership qualities. The skills approach and authentic leadership approach were the most appealing for me. I choose these two approaches because I believe that it is very important to be an authenticRead MoreLeadership Theory And The Path Goal Theory Essay1456 Words   |  6 Pagesways in which the field of leadership is developing along with the importance of its evolutionary path for theories, models, and different methods. Leadership focuses not only on the leader, but also on subordinates, peers, supervisors, work setting, and culture. Leadership has evolved over the years and we’re go ing to explore a few updated leadership approaches. There are a few different leadership approaches that were discussed in this course. The leadership approaches I’ll be discussing are theRead MoreLeadership Strategies For Leadership Development1336 Words   |  6 Pagesskills needed for leadership have also changed—more complex and adaptive thinking abilities are needed. The methods being used to develop leaders have not changed (much). The majority of managers are developed from on-the-job experiences, training, and coaching/ mentoring; while these are all still important, leaders are no longer developing fast enough or in the right ways to match the new environment† (Future Trends, 2014, p. 5). In Mr. Petrie’s review â€Å"Future Trends in Leadership Development,† heRead MoreLeadership Styles And Philosophies Of Leadership Essay1434 Words   |  6 PagesLeadership and You Leaders play a crucial role in the society and organizations, especially with regards to helping the organization achieve its objectives and purposes. These individuals use varying approaches to leadership that inform their practices in motivating organizational members towards the accomplishment of common objectives. Through their practices, leaders not only influence the behaviors of their followers or subordinates but also help in shaping organizational culture. The useRead MoreDifference Between Character And Characteristics, Situational Theory And The Path Goal Theory1254 Words   |  6 Pagesthe Contingency approaches, the difference between character and characteristics, situational theory and the Path-Goal Theory. I will give an assessment of how the application of each can enhance my leadership effectiveness. I will cover how it has made me rethink preconceived ideas about what it means to be a leader to flowers. I will focus on the relationship between leader, follower and situations. Contingency approaches Daft (2014) defines the Contingency approaches as approaches look at the leadershipRead MoreThe Situational Approach And Contingency Theory1617 Words   |  7 PagesThere are many dissimilar leadership approaches leaders can employ when working toward meeting goals and in situations. But the two approaches, I will be discussing are the situational approach and contingency theory. These two approaches are the same, but yet they are dissimilar. According to Hanks (n.d), â€Å"the situational approach and contingency theory describes how different approaches to leadership can help owners and managers reach their goals.† The situational approach was developed in 1969

Indian History Geography And A Formative Period

Indian history had a lot of differences then China in the classical period, and most of them lasted. In China they had most of their focus on things such as politics and philosophic teachings and ideas, while in India their focus was more towards religion and the social structure. While we know less about them, there were other distinctions that India had in their science, economy, and family life. India, like China, was able to leave lasting impulses that are still in India to this day. India was pretty different from China, but they also had some things that were in common. Both India and China were agricultural based societies, in which most of the common people were framers. Both places had strong unity in their peoples. In India males were the more powerful of the sexes because they were allowed to own land while the women were treated more like property. THE FRAMEWORK FOR INDIAN HISTORY: GEOGRAPHY AND A FORMATIVE PERIOD: *India was distinctive from other places most likely because of its geography and eventful experiences it had early on. India was a lot closer to other civilizations, and was very open to influence from other places/cultures (such as the Middle East and Mediterranean). Some such influences were brought by the Persians when they spilled into India and brought with them different/new art and political concepts. This caused India to be a lot more adaptable than isolated China. *India’s topography also aided in shaping this society. For you see, whileShow MoreRelatedWhat Part Did Geography Play During Rome s Ability Of Build An Empire?1112 Words   |  5 PagesHistory Discussion Questions Answer each of the following questions as you reach the lesson they relate to. You will submit the completed work file with lesson 7.08 1. (05.03) What part did geography play in Rome s ability to build an empire? Rome is located on the River Tiber, so from it has good trade access. It expanded to cover the Italian peninsular the Alps in the north formed a natural barrier against the French. It provided easy access to the southern part; it allowed trade to flourishRead MoreSituational Analysis: 7th Grade Language Arts6569 Words   |  26 Pagesapartments. Of those 10 students, 4 have changed homes since the end of last year, moved or evicted to a different part of town. Racial/ethnic classroom makeup: 11 students are of Caucasian background. 5 students are African-American. 6 students are East Indian. 3 students are Asian. 2 students are Russian. Special Education students: No special education. Additional considerations: There 2 students who are part of a religious group who do not want their children learning about other creational myths.Read MoreEssay on Maya2969 Words   |  12 PagesMaya The ancient Maya were a group of American Indian peoples who lived in southern Mexico, particularly the present-day states of Chiapas, Tabasco, Campeche, Yucatan, and Quintana Roo, and in Belize, Guatemala, and adjacent Honduras. Their descendants, the modern Maya, live in the same regions today, in both highlands and lowlands, from cool highland plains ringed by volcanos to deep tropical rain forests. Through the region runs a single major river system, the Apasion-Usumacinta and itsRead MorePhilosophical Basis of Education6031 Words   |  25 Pagesimplications for education in curriculum, role of the teacher and the nature of discipline. While explaining the ideas advocated by different schools of philosophy on above concepts, this unit will also incorporate the views of both Western as well as Indian thinkers. PHILOSOPHY, EDUCATION AND THEIR INTER-DEPENDENCE The inter-dependence of philosophy and education is clearly seen from the fact that the great philosphers of all times have also been great educators and their philosophy is reflectedRead MoreThe Birth of Civilization18947 Words   |  76 Pages5 HOW DID control over water resources influence early Middle Eastern civilizations? ANCIENT NEAR EASTERN EMPIRES page 14 HOW DID conquest and trade shape early empires in the Near East? EARLY INDIAN CIVILIZATION page 16 WHAT INFLUENCES did the first Indus valley civilization have on later Indian religious and social practices? EARLY CHINESE CIVILIZATION page 23 WHY DID large territorial states arise in ancient China? THE RISE OF CIVILIZATION IN THE AMERICAS page 27 HOW DID agricultureRead MoreGlobalization or Glocalisation? Networks, Territories and Rescaling12782 Words   |  52 Pagesabundantly clear in the same way as a more sober statistical comparative analysis would illustrate. Of course, many of these accounts have always prioritised time and history over geography. The latter was usually understood as contextual and passive. Spatial or geographical strategies were rarely considered as vital and formative in explaining the dynamics of internationalisation. At best, the feeble attempts to take space seriously really resulted in replacing the process of class exploitationRead MoreHyundai Case Study8390 Words   |  34 PagesEmail: r.lansbury@econ.usyd.edu.au 1360-2381 Print/1743-792X Online/06/020131-17 q 2006 Taylor Francis DOI: 10.1080/13602380500532180 132 R. D. Lansbury et al. Globalization of the Korean auto industry has occurred in a very short period of time. It began as a repair industry for vehicles released during and after the Korean War in the early 1950s. The ï ¬ rst assembly plant in 1955 had an annual capacity of 1,500 units. When the Korean government launched the ï ¬ rst Five Year Economic Read MoreEu, Nafta, Asean12786 Words   |  52 Pagesgenerated the largest nominal world  gross domestic product  (GDP) of 17.6 trillion US dollars, representing approximately 20% of the global GDP when measured in terms of  purchasing power parity.[23] ------------------------------------------------- History:  History of the European Union Robert Schuman  proposing  the  Coal and Steel Community  on  9 May  1950. After World War II, moves towards European integration were seen by many as an escape from the extreme forms of nationalism that had devastated theRead MoreOne Significant Change That Has Occurred in the World Between 1900 and 2005. Explain the Impact This Change Has Made on Our Lives and Why It Is an Important Change.163893 Words   |  656 PagesBrier, and Roy Rosenzweig Also in this series: Paula Hamilton and Linda Shopes, eds., Oral History and Public Memories Tiffany Ruby Patterson, Zora Neale Hurston and a History of Southern Life Lisa M. Fine, The Story of Reo Joe: Work, Kin, and Community in Autotown, U.S.A. Van Gosse and Richard Moser, eds., The World the Sixties Made: Politics and Culture in Recent America Joanne Meyerowitz, ed., History and September 11th John McMillian and Paul Buhle, eds., The New Left Revisited David MRead MoreI Love Reading Essay69689 Words   |  279 Pagesentrepreneur Highest motivation – Variations according to region Motivation – Variations according to gender Motivation – Variations according to age Motivation – Variations according to family background Motivation – Variations according to time periods Motivation – Variations according to level of work experience Positive factors Positive factors – Variations according to gender Positive factors – Variations according to age Family support to entrepreneurs Family support – Variations according to

Smartphone and Tablets Development †Free Samples to Students

Question: Discuss about the Smartphone and Tablets Development. Answer: Introduction Blackberry is a multinational company based in Canada that specializes in the internet of things and enterprise software. Formerly the group was identified as Research in Motion (RIM). The Company was well known to the public for smartphone and tablets development branded as Blackberry. Under the management of chief executive officer John S Chen, the company transitioned to production of enterprise software and services (En.wikipedia.org, 2017). The product under enterprise software is used by business owners globally. Some of its softwares include, blackberry UEM, QNX real-time operating systems and AtHoc crisis communication platform. When John S Chen took over the company, he had a different strategy for the company which included concentrating on software technology and contract out manufacturing to Foxconn. Currently, the business model strategy involves coming up with authorizing partnership with device producer such a TCL Communication and amalgamating Blackberry software coll ection. Over the years the company had a different achievement that comprises of: It was the first developer to come up with wireless technology.it was the first company outside Scandinavia to develop Mobitex wireless products connectivity. The company introduced its first Mobitex protocol converter. In September 2011, the company suffered a massive outage, affecting many of its consumers. The sluggish growth pressed the company to adopt a strategy that laid off 2000 of its employees in 2011.The outage happened during that time that Apple was preparing to for its iPhone 4S launch, this triggered qualms of mass defection from the policy. By October 2011, the RIM uncovered, prospect blackberry smartphone new platform that would be based on similar QNX as a play book (Editorial, 2017). The platform was renamed blackberry after the RIM had been accused of brand breach regarding name BBX. Blackberry has placed more emphasis on its complete strategic refurbishment. First, the company is targeting the niche market as opposed to its previous focus on mass customer market. The company has presented long track record in the high competency of its security systems and skills. The company is shifting its focus to targeting enterprise and enterprise facility as opposed to safeguarding its spo t in a competitive and saturated smartphone market. With regards to this market perspective, Blackberry services and products are valued and well differentiated from competitors brands. When blackberry released blackberry enterprise service 12, it was enough evidence of the strategic shift taken by the company (Guides.library.ubc.ca, 2017). The product is software that allows mobility management to manage the mobile devices securely. Strategic direction promises the company good return for the various reasons. First, the original success of blackberry was built on its relevance and security within a business context. Secondly, with security becoming a major issue of concern recently, with the growth of data connectivity, it becomes harder to ignore security measure to curb cyber-attacks. However, the market being very competitive, blackberry requires to identify trends, adapt quickly and innovate ways it can meet the consumer demand, for it to maintain a competitive advantage, Blackberry operates in an industry that covers a broader number of sectors that is technology industry. Technology industry relates to the company that provides communication services to the consumers. Computer service and enterprise resource planning, computer hardware and software, internet and telecommunication have impacted ion people lives either on the positive or the negative (Anon, 2017).These industries are the backbone of the technology industry. Blackberry operates in communication tools industry. The industry caters to consumers demand in services and electronic apparatuses to enhance communication. The products range from the mobile handset to telephone network infrastructure .these products may operate through wired connections or in wireless connection to the public communication network. Blackberry holds a market share of 5% (Moorman). The company has highly secure phone that is its main strength. This has enabled the company to be on the competitive edge. The company has a mobile phone that offers highly encrypted secured network that has provided a secure plat for communication without fear of cyber-attacks. Secondly, the company strength has been its focus on the small consumer segment (Jurevicius, 2017). Contrasting its competitors the company has placed its emphasis on the narrow consumer segment. This approach is to ensure that the demands of the customer are met. The company has reduced marketing strategies of its products. Before the lunch of Apple product iPhone 4S, Blackberry had its brand in the market performing well with a more significant market share. However, the company was overtaken by its competitors due to its reluctance in the marketing of its name. Secondly, playbook tablet launch was not well received in the market, and it only had a smaller market share which made the company go through loss. This decreased blackberry chances to compete with its competitors Apple or Samsung who received the more significant income and profit growth due to tablet increase sales and demand (Jurevicius, 2017). The blackberry can seize the opportunity for growth in mobile advertising. With the increase in cloud-based service demand; The Company can benefit from the growing demand for expansion of its services that are cloud-based. The company has a lot of risks to keep a close watch. First, the rapid change in technology is posing a significant threat to the technology world. The company is inconsistent production of the new product that will keep up with the competition. This becomes a significant challenge when the company wants to introduce a new product that is innovative and successful. Second threat is the saturation of the smartphone market in the developed countries. This has led to slow growth. Due to this factor, the blackberry has not been able to expand its market share in Canada and USA.Lastly.is the increased competition on contracts offered by the government. Government goes through a process of contract renewal after few years; Blackberry has to compete with its competitors Samsung and Apple for government contract renewal (Jurevicius, 2017). A detailed description of cost and benefit of blackberry device is discussed as follow. To begin with a price: The cost of deploying a blackberry enterprise server is costly. Ranging from 75% to 59% of value is because of the data expense and voice expenses. Corporate liability policies drive this cost for smartphones. While some organization allows their staff to ask for a refund from the organization if they incur these charges, others only pay a certain percentage. An organization enjoys a lot of benefits on blackberry deployment in the organization. These benefits have been classified into: blackberry devices, allows employees to be more efficient and effective in their work production.as an organization evolve through the deployment of blackberry initiative across a range of employees, and chose an implementation that is more integrative, additional efficiency is obtained in some processes of the workflow. Costs: Benefits: New computer equipment: Cost each: Totals: Per year Totals: 10 network-ready PCs with supporting software $2,450 24500 Tripling of mail shot capacity - estimate: $40,000 40000 1 server $3,500 3500 Ability to sustain telesales campaigns: estimate $20,000 20000 3 printers $1,200 3600 Improved efficiency and reliability of follow-up: estimate $50,000 50000 Cabling Installation $4,600 4600 Improved customer service and retention: estimate $30,000 30000 Sales Support Software $15,000 15000 Improved accuracy of customer information: estimate $10,000 10000 More ability to manage sales effort $30,000 30000 Training costs: Each: Totals: Computer introduction 8 people $400 3200 Keyboard skills 8 people $400 3200 Sales Support System 12 people $700 8400 Other costs: Lost time: 40 man days $200 / day Lost sales through disruption - estimate: $20,000 Lost sales through inefficiency during first months estimate $20,000 Total Benefit per year 280000 Total Costs: $106000 Calculate the payback time: 280000/106000 =2.6 YRS Based on an article in the linked professional network blackberry failure can be traced to its adoption of the wrong business model to be measured. The company core business was not what the market share assumed. Blackberry has lost its market share to its competitors due to some reasons. First, the company management had a lot of ignorance and pride. Pride is a hindrance to the growth of any business. Ignorance of consumers changing needs and complains will quickly shift their attention to competitors. Secondly, blackberry was reluctant on innovation. In the technology industry, innovation should not stop. These provide a loophole that was filled by its competitors Apple and Samsung through continuous innovation. Thirdly the company lacked proper marketing strategy for its products. It is an advertisement that consumers are made aware of the company products. Lastly, the company was overconfident about its outcome. Overconfidence is a threat to any business since it can bring defeat from its competitor who is continually working their win. References Anon, (2017). [online] Available at: https://www.asianentrepreneur.org/blackberry-or-badberry/ [Accessed 15 Nov. 2017]. Anon, (2017). [online] Available at: RIM (Blackberry) Provides 9 Lessons in best turnaround strategies https://www.bizcoachinfo.com/archives/9072 [Accessed 15 Nov. 2017]. Anon, (2017). [online] Available at: RIM changes name to BlackBerry as BB10 launches - Toronto - CBC News https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/story/2013/01/29/business-rim-blackberry.html [Accessed 15 Nov. 2017]. Editorial, R. (2017). ${Instrument_CompanyName} ${Instrument_Ric} Company Profile | Reuters.com. [online] U.S. Available at: https://www.reuters.com/finance/stocks/companyProfile/BB.TO [Accessed 15 Nov. 2017]. En.wikipedia.org. (2017). BlackBerry Limited. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BlackBerry_Limited [Accessed 15 Nov. 2017]. Forbes.com. (2017). Forbes Welcome. [online] Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/robclarfeld/2017/10/18/dont-let-cyber-thugs-keep-you-from-digitizing-key-documents/#903f0644d155 [Accessed 15 Nov. 2017]. Guides.library.ubc.ca. (2017). Research Guides: Company Profiles A-C: BlackBerry. [online] Available at: https://guides.library.ubc.ca/companies-A-C/companies-a-c/blackberry [Accessed 15 Nov. 2017]. Jurevicius, O. (2017). BlackBerry SWOT analysis 2013. [online] Strategic Management Insight. Available at: https://www.strategicmanagementinsight.com/swot-analyses/blackberry-swot-analysis.html [Accessed 15 Nov. 2017]. Moorman, James. "BlackBerry: Current Environment." Standards Poors. N.p., 18 Oct 2012. eb. https://www.netadvantage.standardandpoors.com.proxresearchport.umd.edu/NASApp/NetAdvantage/cp/companyIndustrySurvey.do?task=showIndustrySurveyByTicker.

Rising Textbook Prices Essay Example

Rising Textbook Prices Essay Our group has conducted valid research and all agree that the high price and ever-rising cost of textbooks in the state of New Mexico has become an issue. Luis Argon Castro, Catherine Ponce, Mathew Hagman, Saul Velez, and Hannes Harmon have conducted thorough research to bring this problem to the forefront of issues in New Mexico. We wish to open the public’s eyes to the knowledge and information produced by us on this matter. It feels as if commercial companies, publishers, and authors are taking advantage of students statewide in order to collect high profits, which happen to be increasing yearly. The prices have been substantially climbing every year since 1994 and have now surpassed the rise of inflation. Higher education is becoming more and more expensive for students. Not only is tuition continuing to increase in cost, college textbook prices are drastically increasing as well. We as students are curious as to why the prices of textbooks are so high, and why they increase at the rate they do. It is becoming more difficult for students to pay for college along with their everyday living expenses. Students are concerned as to if New Mexico colleges and universities have the students’ best interest in mind, or are they simply interested in profit. We have identified what is behind the price of textbooks as far as their actual worth, and how much is profited by the companies providing the books. Moreover, we have explored alternative solutions for students when purchasing textbooks. We are presenting fellow students all the different alternatives, both legal and illegal; they currently have in order to save money on textbooks. Our objective is to significantly impact the way students and government look at textbook’s rising prices. We will write a custom essay sample on Rising Textbook Prices specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Rising Textbook Prices specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Rising Textbook Prices specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer The desired outcome would be to drive down the price of textbooks required for college students in the state of New Mexico. We have presented rules/legislation that would benefit the students. Among the major steps in our solution, we intend on exposing those responsible for absurd prices on textbooks, which are used to form tomorrow’s leaders and fellow citizens. By exploring and analyzing the facts, we have proven that the rising cost of books has no correlation with inflation or rising tuition. Higher cost textbooks are definitely an issue that affects not only the state of New Mexico, but also the whole nation. A vast amount of students are reaping the high expenses of these textbooks prices. Here in New Mexico more and more students are complaining about the high priced textbooks. Even more complain of the small amount of money refunded to them when the â€Å"buy-back† begins. It does not make sense that a student makes less than half of what was paid at the end of a semester when re-selling a book. It especially doesn’t make sense when the book is then put up for sale the next semester for more money than the student made back. This is a serious problem, and is unfair. Who is really benefiting from this? Obviously someone other than the students is. Students already pay an average amount of five to six thousand a year before purchasing textbooks. Students who do not receive scholarships resort to taking out large unsubsidized and subsidized loans to pay for tuition, and at least $900 out of these loans goes to purchasing textbooks every year. Additionally, if a student does not drop out due to financial problems, they could potentially resort to working long hours, thus detrimentally affecting their grades and performance. This is most definitely not beneficial to the state, let alone the university or the student. If a student is forced to drop out due to their financial needs, how does that reflect on the University. This is a financial factor that definitely can be controlled by the University to prevent drop out rates. We firmly believe that action must be taken before the prices continue to get out of hand. Textbook prices are raising four times the rate of inflation. Since 1994 the cost have jumped 62 percent. The most common textbooks for college students are republished every 3 years. The cost is then raised 45 percent more than the previous textbook at a used price, and 12 percent more expensive than the previous new text. The availability of the used textbook is limited for following years. Studies showed that this new release of the textbook was only justified half the time, mostly because of a bundle wrap with a textbook, CD-ROM disc, and additional information. Publishers also charge the American student more for the textbook than students outside the states. A calculus textbook that cost 100 dollars in the United States goes for 38 dollars in the United Kingdom. A chemical principles textbook priced at 185 US dollars cost 88 dollars in the United Kingdom. An increasing amount of students and faculty are becoming more aware of this issue, and some are standing up to question the motives of publishers and ect. As well as seeing the impact high priced textbooks are having on student here in New Mexico. From a poll taken here at New Mexico State University 75 percent of student felt that textbooks were to expensive while 15 percent said they were acceptable. Over the past 25 years, the overall price of textbooks used by college students has dramatically increased throughout the United States. Aside from the statistics, the consensus about this matter is overwhelming not only by students, but also by professors and parents. It is no secret that higher education in the nation is becoming more and more exclusive as the amount of money required for it skyrockets. According to the website Inflationdata. com from 1984 to 2008 the overall inflation was 78. 47%. Contrastingly, a 2005 report from the GAO, the Government Accountability Office, showed that for the period from 1986 to 2004 the cost of tuition increased 240%. ttp://www. gao. gov/new. items/d05806. pdf Alarming enough as this is, the issue that concerns and affects us the most as â€Å"mid-way† college students, is the rate at which the price of textbooks required for classes is voraciously increasing. Additional findings, like the ones made by Charles Pekow, illustrate how due to auxiliary products accompanying the books such as: CD-ROMs, solution manuals, website passkeys, and others; the price of textbooks is actually increasing faster than tuition. (http://diverseeducation. om/article/4852/) A study by the California Student Public Interest Research Group states that the practice of â€Å"bundling† books with non-required materials rose 21 percent between consecutive editions. (http://www. washingtonpost. com/wp-dyn/articles/A30151-2004Sep17. html) In 2004, the textbook industry accounted for more than $6 billion in the United States alone (National Assoc. of College Stores). The students who suffer the most due to the rising cost, are often community college and public universities Associate Degree seeking ones. This is because they tend to be from a low-income sphere and therefore attend schools with the lowest tuition. According to James V. Koch, a professor of economics and president emeritus at Old Dominium University, most professors do not know the cost of the textbook they recommend or require, thus causing the demand for such to be â€Å"price inelastic†. Furthermore, he argues how universities become passive accomplices to high book prices, as they tend to earn more money as students spend more on textbooks; thanks to their bookstore contracts. After discussing several factors on how companies drive the prices of textbooks up in his article, he finishes by adding: â€Å"If that doesn’t work, they’ll bring out a new edition and with the help of bookstores, render obsolete the old copies. † Which leads us to the ultimate gimmick, a highly obnoxious one, and common nowadays among the industry. A 2004 study by the California Student Public Interest Research Group found that textbook publishers release new editions every 3. 8 years on average, regardless of changes in information and/or problems with the textbooks context. Furthermore, of the textbooks surveyed in such study, it was found that new editions cost $58. 00 more than the older version. This puzzles us as students as we find it absurd that books on well-established, centuries-old disciplines such as calculus, electricity/ magnetism, history and such; need to be updated every 40 or so months. When we talked about the high price of textbooks with people, whether 5 or 20 years older than us, they all had the same view. They agreed that what we pay currently for a textbook is â€Å"insane†. So evidence suggests that textbook publishers are simply pursuing greater profit margins now than they did in the past. Several decades ago, the market used to be dominated by reasonable textbook companies that we assume, really cared about scholarly texts, and not so much about being uncontrollably profitable. Naturally they would seek some line of profit, but in the past, such line could be comfortable and modest thus satisfying the owners/directors. However, today’s market is significantly different. Now, traditional textbook companies have been bought up by gigantic conglomerates, which are plainly concerned about obtaining massive profits. This is dangerous and needs to be acted upon, otherwise textbooks will continue to turn into â€Å"one more† product line, just like toilet paper or tires or shoes, on which to profit out of. An additional remark that can be make is the fact that many formerly independent textbook companies are being bought up and merged under the same corporate umbrella, which in turn reduces competition, therefore hindering Adam Smith’s â€Å"invisible hand†. We created and conducted a survey and gave it to college students, we asked them various questions about their opinions on the current state of textbook pricing. When we asked students what is the most you have spent on an individual textbook to date 59. 1% of those surveyed said the textbook cost them over 200 dollars. Additionally we asked how much money they had spent on textbooks this semester and 45. 5% of the student surveyed said they have spent 400 to 500+ dollars plus in textbooks (Figure1). Over a student’s college career this could add up to around 4000 dollars, which could be two extra semesters worth of tuition at a school like New Mexico State University. When this money for textbooks is paid for with student loans at the current federal subsidized rate of 5. 6% according to the U. S. Department of Education’s web site (2010) this 4000 dollars in books will earn roughly around an additional 900 dollars in interest at the end of 4 years. Figure 1: Amount Spent on Textbooks Survey Results: How do students typically pay for their books. Our survey found that about 59. % pay for books with their own personal savings and additionally 27. 3% use a combination of personal savings and federal and private loans to pay for textbooks. With this we then asked students if they thought their textbooks came with unnecessary supplemental materials such as cd-roms, online access codes, etc and an astonishing 85. 7% of those surveyed said yes. The Government Accountabil ity Office (2005) report found this to be true as well. Regulators working for the Government Accountability Office spoke with publishers who said prices have increased due to the additional supplemental materials. With this in mind students may become more apt to get jobs and or take out more loans to pay for college. With loans and the cost of both books and college tuition exceeding the rate of inflation every year students are faced with more and more debt every year which contribute to drop out rates and low grades. A study by the Government Accountability Office (2005) found that the costs of textbooks exceeded the rate of inflation two times and prices of textbooks have been rising at about six percent a year ( para. 1 p. ) There may be relief to the problem of increasing textbook prices according to an article in Diverse Issues in Higher Education (July 2010) the 2008 Higher Education Opportunity Act which took effect July 1, 2010 would make publishers provide more information to colleges about pricing before book selection and would put restrictions on bundling books with the additional supplemental materials. This in effect would help students find alternatives to the exploitation of the textbook market. A solution that has been increasingly popular has been textbook rentals. For example the book Technical Communication Today (3rd Edition) is available from the New Mexico State University Book store (Barnes Noble) new for $77. 15 or used for $55. 55. You can purchase this book for as low as $49. 00 on amazon. com. This same book is available from chegg. com for $33. 59 a semester, and from campusbookrentals. com for $36. 24 per semester. These rental sites may be a good alternative to buying pricy textbooks but for some websites various editions and selection can be somewhat limited. According to (Salazar, 2010) despite solutions and legislation that has been enacted to help curb the prices and give students more choices, the selection of books is decided ultimately by college faculty and the prices are set by the publishers. There are possible solutions that could be implemented by New Mexico community colleges and universities to help make textbooks more affordable to students. Faculty should consider possible alternatives available such as custom editions of books tailored to universities and unbundled books as well as digital editions. Universities should consider book trading events and swaps as possibilities and alternatives to buying books. Universities and colleges should also consider the use of â€Å"older† editions of books for fields and classes that do not change much between editions such as mathematics, chemistry and physics. It must be ultimately realized that the most up to date information can be taught from the use of peer reviewed academic journals to show latest discoveries and findings in certain fields rather than relying on information condensed in these pricy textbooks. There may be relief to the problem of increasing textbook prices according to an article in Diverse Issues in Higher Education (July 2010) the 2008 Higher Education Opportunity Act which took effect July 1, 2010 would make publishers provide more information to colleges about pricing before book selection and would put restrictions on bundling books with the additional supplemental materials. This in effect would help students find alternatives to the exploitation of the textbook market. Five companies publish nearly 80% of college textbooks (Thomson, McGraw-Hill, Houghton-Mifflin, Wiley, and Pearson). There are four major wholesalers that dominate the market and own or operate some college bookstores: Follet, Barnes and Noble, Nebraska Book Company, and College Bookstores of America. These companies are very active with unused and used books. For example, they can typically buy unneeded new books from bookstores for 15%-25% of the original cost and resell them for about 50% of the original cost In December of 2008, the NMSU bookstore was sold to Barnes N Noble. The store is a privately owned company that has locations across universities around the United States, as well as an online store. Luckily, the students of New Mexico State University have a second option, witch is an off campus bookstore and has a lower prices for textbooks to compete with Barnes Noble’s prices. â€Å"A book that the bookstore is selling for $180, I would normally sell for $120,† said Miller, who is a general manager at the off campus bookstore. Textbook sales are profited by more than just the retailer store supplying them even though they take 40% of each sale. Publishers take between 45%-55% plus the author’s royalty’s, which is 8% to 15%, and then the distributor gains 10% off sales. So on a book that cost $27. 95, the retailer would make $12. 58(45%) author royalties make $4. 19(15%) the wholesaler would make $2. 80(10%). Publishing breaks down to pre-production at $3. 55(12. 7%) printing at $2. 83(10. 125%) and marketing at $2(7. 15%), which totals $8. 38 and a total of 30%. Now considering that a textbook cost much more than $28. 00 and sells more than one textbook, these profiteers make a significant amount. In 2008, college book sales reached 4. 3 billion dollars, meaning the people who profit off textbooks aren’t doing so badly. Obviously, it cost money to create a book, but one reason these book prices are raising is because of quality of paper and illustrations used. Hard back or soft back books makes a difference in cost. Considering that books are reprinted every 3 to 4 years, it seems that making a less quality book could work perfectly fine. The feeling of cracking a new book open is one of the many pleasures enjoyed by students who still buy paper books. Paper book buyers are becoming a dying breed. The book industry, like the movie and music industries, has changed greatly with the advent of new technologies like the Kindle, and the iPad. Applications that make electronic digitized versions of almost any book available at your fingertips. The e-book is lighter and cheaper, and since it is paperless, it is also awfully environmentally sociable. For students in particular, more and more textbooks are being made available in this electronic format, and at times saves students as much as 70% off the price of the textbook. One downside of this is that you cant re-sell e-books. However, being cheaper and not taking up shelf space, you may not be so desperate to get rid of them. One thing that cannot be overlooked is e-book piracy. This is likely to increase exponentially as more students buy e-readers, and look for the cheapest way to up load textbooks. The music industrys history with piracy will be repeated as piracy is becoming more widespread with students. Book publishing houses are forced to come up with better models of distribution, like cheaper prices for textbooks. One Web site, Textbook Torrents, promises more than 5,000 textbooks for download in PDF format, complete with the original books layouts and full-color illustrations. Users must simply set up a free account and download a free software program that uses a popular peer-to-peer system called Bit Torrent. Other book-download sites are even easier to use, offering digital books at the click of a mouse. In the article On the Web, a Textbook Proliferation of Piracy the author Young consults a creator of a piracy textbook website â€Å"The founder of the site, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of legal action against him, said in an interview that he considers his actions civil disobedience against the monopolistic business practices of textbook publishers. He said he views the 64,000 registered users of his textbook-download site as votes against a system that charges students too much and continually raises prices. †(Young 2008)Whatever they come up with, it needs to be done soon so students can avoid high prices without having to become an internet pirate and repeat of the ridiculous litigation. Students also are sharing textbooks with classmates to save money on textbooks. All a student needs to do is establish a study group, total the amount of money needed for textbooks for one student, and have everyone in the study group pitch in the same amount of money needed for the books, and procure one copy of each required book. The next step would be to distribute the book in a way so that everyone in the study group gets a copy of the textbook. Electronic version of textbooks can also be purchased, copied and then emailed to classmates. Some digital photographs of physical textbooks have even been found on the internet, then made copies of those files and electronically transfer the scans or photographs to classmates. Sharing textbooks is a very straightforward approach to solve the problem. Just like prescription medicine is cheaper internationally, textbooks are much cheaper internationally than in the US. An International Edition Textbook is simply the international counterpart to a US Edition. Most international editions have slightly different covers and many have different ISBNs on the outside covers (although some have the same ISBN as the US edition on the nside), but are still printed on high-quality paper. Renting is a tempting option for the reason that many textbooks depreciate quickly or become difficult to sell after professors discontinue using them or publishers release new editions. In the article, Renting can cut textbook costs, it gives a valuable percentage, â€Å"With the annual cost of buying college textbooks averaging $1,000, a growing number of college bookstores, publishers and online providers are offering students the chance to rent out their books at a savings of as much as 70%, according to The Wall Street Journal. (Diverse Issues in Higher Education 2009) Renting textbooks is a way for students to obtain the book they require at cheaper price, and without the negative possibility of their textbooks becoming worthless by the end of the semester. In the last few years there has been an increase in online businesses that have started to rent out textbooks, this makes it very convenient and also cost efficient for students at any university. Piracy of e-books, sharing textbooks with classmates, students buying international books and renting textbooks, are several of the tactics being used by students to try and combat unreasonable textbook prices. With our economy today students are usually living from pay check to pay check, money is tight which in turn causes the tendencies of students trying to save as much money as they can, and if that means pirating a textbook, sharing, renting or buying internationally, is cheaper then students don’t hesitate. Textbooks enclose numerous positive effects on the academic lives of students. Unfortunately, this may affect the student’s life finically as well. The ease in finding information relevant to studies is its primary benefit to readers. Along with this, the ability to add side notes or highlight key points makes textbooks a great study guide. For students who are self-motivated and wish to integrate textbook work with other sources, the companion websites, DVDs, workbooks and other supplements offered in addition to most textbooks give students additional methods to learn the same information. Furthermore, the ability to review what is learned in any course using the textbook in conjunction with other course materials makes this an invaluable tool in any educational setting. While often seen as a one-time-only tool, textbooks also provide an acceptable reference for most academic writing (for instance, term papers, essays, and thesis), and may be resold online or at the campus bookstore. Some textbooks can also be returned without charge if borrowed from the campus library. All these benefits are negated if it is unaffordable to the student. Why should the student have to immediately sell the textbook back to the bookstore just to make ends meet? Especially, when those books could later help the students in other classes and even after college. Textbooks should be a pleasant item, not something most college students perceive to be unaffordable. Textbooks are supposed to be a tool to help students succeed. They should not to be a deciding factor in some poor college student’s career because of their ability to purchase required textbooks. New Mexico, being such a poor state should place as a very high priority to safeguard and regulate the state’s educational institution and ensure college students do not have to pay an unreasonable amount for their books just so a bookstore can make a 25% profit. Instructors and textbooks work together to enhance student comprehension of course materials. The difficulty level of the information provided inside a textbook increases gradually, making retention of key points easier. Since chapters from the book are usually presented as course topics, textbooks also make it easier for instructors to organize tests and structure lectures and classroom activities. As new editions are published, new insight to old topics is provided, in order to keep readers current with new technologies and other findings related to the subject matter. The more students understand about a subject, the more effective lectures and other course-related activities tend to be. College administrators should work closely with instructors to ensure that students have access to all necessary textbooks. If New Mexico can make it easier for a student to afford textbooks, students will not find as many obstacles as they currently do to graduate college and succeed. New Mexico State provides many benefits to the city of Las Cruces. When there are more students enrolled at NMSU it has a positive affect on the cities economy. For instance, the students who decide to live off campus are beneficial to the real estate market. Apartment owners are more likely to fill their complexes when more students attend the university. Homeowners also are more prone to rent out their houses during the academic school year. Coldwell Banker reality found that more parents are buying homes instead of paying rent fees for their student. More then half of their realtors are seeing purchases coming from student parents. The hotel and tourism market also is reaping the benefits provided by New Mexico State University students. When families and friends come to visit the student, hotels are able to reserve rooms for these guests. Furthermore, the restaurant industry makes a profit, from the visitors eating out for their meals. It is economically in the cities best interest to keep student enrollment high at NMSU. When NMSU loses students due to dropping out, Las Cruces essentially loses money. If students are unable to pay for college expenses, drop out rates will increase. New Mexico State University and other New Mexico colleges will see a negative affect financially. It is very simple, less students’ equals less money for the university. Universities should be working to keep students, and increase enrollment; by doing so the university will obviously be making more money. Lowering the cost of textbooks will make college more affordable for students, benefitting the students, city, and university. Below is a table that displays the expenses for an out of state student, and an in state student. Undergraduate In-State Budget For NMSU DescriptionCost Tuition and Fees$5,400 Room and Board$8,038 Books and Supply$1,038 Personal Expenses $2,253 Transportation Expenses$1,734 Total$18,463 Undergraduate Out-of- State Budget for NMSU DescriptionCost Tuition and Fees$16,680 Room and Board$8,038 Books and Supply$1,038 Personal Expenses $2,253 Transportation Expenses$1,734 Total$29,743 The high cost of textbooks is an extensively deliberated problem without a popular solution. To ease the burden of textbook prices on students, we propose firm requirements for colleges and publishers to have regulations and legislation concerning the cost of textbooks. Textbooks are a significant piece of the overall expense in higher education and must be regulated. When it comes to education we cannot let profit be a factor in obtaining an education at a public University. Publishers should have to promote conventional textbooks, which are repeatedly economical, and unbundle materials like workbooks and CD’s that are normally wrapped up with textbooks, which increase the cost, even more. They should have to make their textbooks wholesale prices. Make transparent the revision dates of earlier editions, and a summary of the significant content revisions. Make available supplementary formats, such as e-books, paperback books or unbound books in which products are available in all. There is a National Higher Education Opportunity Act that was put into action July 1, 2010 that does implementing a few of this regulation on colleges and publishers. In the article Results for Students may see some gains through new textbook rules: rules provide greater transparency on pricing and restrict publishers from bundling books with supplemental materials. The author Dervarics writes â€Å"With college textbooks costing an estimated average of $900 a year, student and consumer groups say new federal rules taking effect this summer could generate savings for low-income students in the years ahead. †(Dervarics 2010) the article information on the act is a good start to the solution to this problem. Colleges should have to include lists of the necessary and recommended materials for each course in their published catalogs. Also Professors should be required to make reading lists available in time for students to shop around and find the most affable price. In addition the institute should set up advisory committees focusing on textbook expenses to try and create campus specific solutions and publicize heavily on the options that student have in finding textbooks. Students if educated and informed properly would then have plenty of options in finding the proper textbook materials needed to do well. If Publishers and Colleges can give their target consumer (College Students) what they want which is affordable and reasonable priced textbooks, it would help to create a more attainable cost for higher education, affording more students the ability to attend, become more successful in class and obtaining a college degree. In conclusion there are many solutions to the problem of rising textbook costs. Some obvious solutions to the rising prices are the elimination of supplemental materials such as CD-ROMS and access codes which have been deemed unessential by many college students. More can be done in the way of regulating industry practices, like making edits and â€Å"new† material in books more transparent to the consumer. Regulations must be put in place to control prices of books to improve fair profits. We would like colleges and universities to consider options like custom editions priced lower, and things like non-profit bookstores introduced to campuses to insure fair pricing. By lowering textbook prices public institutions become more attractive to both parents and students. More options such as rental websites and rental facilities at college bookstores should be available to students. Regulation must be made to insure that bookstores do not put profits in front of educational success. By making these books more affordable we may be able to lower college dropout rates and help reduce student loan debt for college students. By doing this we may be able to help stimulate the economy by reducing graduate debts and enabling these students to secure credit to buy homes, vehicles, and other property. This will bring the state more money in taxes and improve the lives of students. We must lower textbook costs and regulate the money hungry practices of the publishing industry.