My Career Coach Career For A Nonprofit Agency - 1695 Words

When we first started this course, I was not quite sure what leading organization change meant and what we would accomplish during this time together. Over the next two months, this course presented us with different resources about the process of developing a leadership philosophy regarding organizational change, plus integrating our own workplace organizational context with concepts of vocation, organizational culture, differentiation, and progress. My favorite thing about this course was the many ways I was able to apply what we learned to my vocation and our agency’s organizational culture. As this course comes to a close, I am impressed about all topics we were able to cover. I have identified the use of emotional triangles and the†¦show more content†¦Working for a nonprofit agency, I serve a diverse group of clients, but some come from low socioeconomic background, some our ex-offenders who have recently been released from jail, some military veterans, some are new graduates recently out of high school, or community college, or a four-year college. Part of my role is connecting individuals to resources in our community to help them cope with their situation. Helping families find access to food pantries, shelter, gas and bus fare, and childcare makes me realize the pivotal role I play in their lives. I am supposed to help break down obstacles for them as they progress down the career and financial path. Prior to Luther, vocation typically referred to a special calling to religious life, as a priest or as a member of a vowed order. The reference to kingdom is from the Lutheran idea that God governs the world through two different â€Å"kingdoms† or governances. The first is the kingdom of Christ while the second is the kingdom of the civil realm. God governs both, but in different way. Christian vocation is theology for living. It informs how we earn our daily bread and how we live our daily lives. It shapes our sense of identity and our relationships with others. Viewing my career more as a Christian vocation changes my whole outlook of my work. There is a constant reminder that my work is the work that god wants we me to do, and so your approach

The Asean Regional Centre For Biodiversity Conservation

I. Introduction Since its formation in 1967, the member states of The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have struggled with transboundary environmental challenges. Unsustainable logging, haze pollution, and the illegal wildlife trade are but a few of the crises facing the biodiverse region. Although formed to promote cooperation between member states, ASEAN’s ability to effectively coordinate member states to manage these urgent problems has been called into question (Leviter, 2010). Criticisms include that ASEAN’s commitment to consensus building and non-interference in other member states’ domestic affairs – known as the â€Å"ASEAN way† – makes implementation of policy too slow, causing ASEAN to take a reactive, rather than†¦show more content†¦The definition encompasses ideas such as open access, open collaboration, citizen science, research efficiency, and research understandability (OECD, 2015); this paper will largely focus on th e aspect of open science that relates to open data, in which data is available to the public (Pampel Dallmeier-Tiessen, 2014; OECD, 2015). The main rationale for open science is that the sharing of information will increase transparency in data collection and analysis, communication, and collaboration, thereby increasing education and innovation (OECD, 2015). Open science platforms are becoming more commonplace as digital technologies improve, but there is very little information on: 1. potential successes and pitfalls of open science in the context of conservation, and 2. how these platforms could be modified to suit regional realities and needs, resulting in enhanced engagement by local populations and better informed decision-making. Borneo Hub Borneo Hub is an open science platform for transboundary information sharing across the Southeast Asian island of Borneo, which is divided between the nations of Malaysia, Indonesia, and Brunei Darussalam. Developing innovative means of promoting sound conservation practices in this region – described as â€Å"the last remaining place where the Indo-Malaysian forests of Southeast Asia can be conserved on a scale large enough to be permanently viable† - is a major concern (Hardiono, Alfred and WWF-Malaysia, 2005). TheShow MoreRelatedAsean Concord 1 Summary862 Words   |  4 PagesASEAN Leaders also signed the Declaration of the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC). The declaration called on concerned parties to resolve sovereignty and jurisdiction issues in the South China Sea through peaceful means, and urged them to explore cooperation in such areas as safety of maritime navigation and communication, protection against pollution at the marin e environment, efforts to combat piracy and campaign against illegal drug trafficking. OctoberRead MoreThe Tropical Rainforest of Malaysia- Sarawak5131 Words   |  21 Pages it causes global warming, soil erosion, decline in biodiversity, degraded ecosystem and water- cycle.[1] Economically and ethically, the deforestation caused by logging and commercial agriculture by the developed countries, like the U.S. The people in developing countries lose their long term profits when the rainforests disappear.[2] In our opinion, it is unfair for the developing countries to lose their long-term income and the biodiversity of the forests in order to satisfy the needs and the

Review Of Platos Suddenness The Symposium As A Tragic...

â€Å"Suddenness†: The Symposium as a Tragic Comedy â€Å"All of a sudden he will catch sight of something wonderfully beautiful in its nature; that, Socrates, is the reason for all his earlier labors.† (210E) â€Å"Then, all of a sudden, there was even more noise. A large drunken party had arrived at the courtyard door and they were rattling it loudly†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (212C) â€Å"You always do this to me  ¬Ã¢â‚¬â€œ all of a sudden you’ll turn up out of nowhere where I least expect you!† (213C) â€Å"And then, all of a sudden, while Agathon was changing places, a large drunken group, finding the gates open because someone was just leaving, walked into the room and joined the party.† (223B) All of sudden. A noise, a sight, a Form, a drunken group. In the world of Plato’s†¦show more content†¦But then one must consider the very end of the Symposium: the Final Dialogue. The party is effectively over. The main event is finished. The dawn is just about to break, and the roosters are crowing. In effect, Socrates and his two listeners have just pulled an all-nighter, and as many college students can attest, there is nothing quite like the feeling of buzzed haziness that arises as the sun creeps up and the world springs to life. Yet the ineffable Socrates still has something to say: â€Å"that authors should be able to write both comedy and tragedy: the skillful tragic dramatist should also be a comic poet† (223D). Even as he says this, â€Å"Aristophanes fell asleep in the middle of the discussion†¦Agathon also drifted off.† So the Symposium ends, not on a grand oration or a rousing round of applause, but on a quiet comment to a barely awake audience. What then, is the connection between comedy/tragedy and â€Å"suddenness†? To laugh or to cry. To mock or to exalt. Many people like to separate these actions into two distinct genres of comedy and tragedy. Take, for example, the Golden Globes, an award ceremony that has two categories for Best Motion Picture: â€Å"Drama† and â€Å"Musical or Comedy†, which in effect restricts all movies to one singular tone or lens. But as many others have pointed out, there can be tears in laughter and laughter in tears, as is evident in genres such as dark comedy.

Physician Assisted Dying Cases Essay - 644 Words

Tony Nicklson, a father of two, starves himself to death after the Supreme Court rejects his request to â€Å"die with dignity† with the help of medical professionals. A graduate student faces ten years in jail for shooting his dying brother after the court refused his plea to die. A retired magistrate, suffering from multiple sclerosis, refuses to take any medication or palliatives to help the fight to change the law on physician assisted dying. These are some of the recent headlines telling stories of people fighting to legalize physician aid in dying (PAD). Currently, PAD is illegal in most states except for Oregon, Washington, Montana and Vermont. I believe that PAD is an essential constitutional right, and should be legalized in all†¦show more content†¦Legalizing PAD doesn’t mean legalizing euthanasia. The key difference between these two practices is who administers the lethal dose; Euthanasia requires the physician or other party to administer the leth al dose, which places the responsibility of the physician, whereas PAD requires the patient to take the dose him/herself. In other words, with euthanasia the physician is in control, while with PAD the patient is in control of his own destiny. Advocates for â€Å"the right to die† have been attempting to legalize PAD since 1906. Oregon was the first state in the U.S. to pass the law in 1994. Since then there have been more than 135 legislative proposals in 27 states, most of these bills were either defeated, withdrawn by sponsors, languished with no action taken or are pending like in Pennsylvania, Maine, Massachusetts and New Jersey. To advance the implementation of PAD laws, I suggest establishing several educational programs to raise the public awareness of this matter. Also, to ensure proper compliance with the guidelines, a medical legal committee should be established to investigate the underlying facts of each case reported. Such committee should also keep records and stats for each doctor, hospital and state performing PAD. Opposing parties to PAD usually argue that this practice lowers the value of life and might lead to a higher number of patients giving up on their treatment; however,Show MoreRelatedThe Ethics Of Physician-Assisted Suicide1381 Words   |  6 PagesPhysician-assisted suicide can be the withholding of essential care, but it can also be the administration of lethal drugs either by the patient themselves or by a medical professional to end suffering from incurable diseases (Richmond, 2014). Is it fair to make someone live in chronic pain for the rest of their life when there are options? If someone has tried all options to live and have come to terms with no more options, is it okay to help them end their life? The choices do not come easy andRead MoreThe Case Of The Hippocratic Oath1269 Words   |  6 Pagesdoes not give the patient the right to die with dignity. With advances in medicine, physicians are able to extend a person s life. Unfortunately, medicine is not able to accept t he patient to die as they choose. Hospices are able to make a patient comfortable and feel no pain but again the patient is left to die as the body systematically shuts down. Careful consideration should be given when assisted dying should be instituted and counseling of the patient and the family should be an integralRead MoreEuthanasia And Physician Assisted Suicide1629 Words   |  7 Pagesillnesses or major health problems, assisted suicide creates options to reduce the amount of suffering the patient must enduring. Dying with dignity could be beneficial for not only the person who is dying, but also the person’s family and loved ones. This option, however, is often viewed as unethical and immoral throughout society. Physician-assisted suicide offers an option for those with health issues but poses various ethical and social issues. Assisted death is practiced in two differentRead MoreAssisted Death And Voluntary Euthanasia1586 Words   |  7 PagesLAW BE REFORMED TO ALLOW ‘ASSISTED DYING’ FOR THE TERMINALLY ILL? To begin with, assisted dying remains highly topical and debated, both in the public and medical arena. Assisted death, incorporates both physician assisted suicide and voluntary euthanasia. It gives the freedom to a terminally ill person or a mentally competent adult, to choose on their own free will and after meeting strict legal safeguards, takes prescribed medication which will end their life in dying. There are two types of EuthanasiaRead MoreThe Death Of Physician Assisted Suicide1731 Words   |  7 Pagesthose who think it could be immoral. For physician-assisted suicide to even be considered the patient must be of sound mind when they are requesting the physician-assisted suicide. To guarantee that the process is carried out correctly a doctor or a witness should be there to prove consciousness. The patient must be diagnosed with a terminal illness, if they are not then there is a possibility for a life. There are many pro’s and con’s to physician-assisted suic ide. If a person is terminally ill theyRead MoreThe Legalization Of Physician Assisted Suicide1720 Words   |  7 PagesIt is obvious discussing physician-assisted suicide is a very controversial issue that is discussed daily by those who wish to die to avoid loss of dignity and also by those who think it is unethical. For physician-assisted suicide to even be considered, the patient must be of sound mind when they are requesting death with dignity. Physician-assisted suicide should be a legal option for people who are unable to end their own lives. However, there should be safeguards to prevent any sort of abuseRead MoreWhy Physician Assisted Suicide Should Be An Available And Accessible Option For Patients1551 Words   |  7 Pages Dying On Your Own Terms Jenell Mote Mohave Community College Nursing I NUR 121 Ms. Goss March 30, 2016 Dying On Your Own Terms Dying on your own terms is a very controversial topic. It seems that both sides of the argument feel very strongly about their position. In this paper, I will argue that physician assisted suicide should be an available and accessible option for patients that are opting to end their lives on their own terms. Choosing to utilize physician assisted suicide can decreaseRead MorePHI 103 Final1311 Words   |  6 Pagesï » ¿ Should Physician-Assisted Suicide Be Legal? Eileen K. Cordova PHI 103 Instuctor James Hardy July 11, 2013 SHOULD PHYSICIAN ASSISTED SUICIDE BE LEGAL Physician-assisted suicide has been a controversial topic for over a decade now. In today’s society, physician-assisted suicide brings so many ehtical questions as such, who is the true owner of our lives? Should releiving pain and suffering always be the highest priority, or does it occure for a reason?Read MoreThe Debate Of Assisted Suicide1747 Words   |  7 Pages The topic of assisted suicide is very controversial and is heavily debated upon all around the world. While physician assisted suicide is only legal in the Netherlands, Switzerland, and a few states in the U.S., it is illegally practiced widely by physicians and nurses, such as Dr. Jack Kevorkian. I first heard of physician assisted suicide when the death of Dr. Kevorkian, an assisted suicide advocate and a suicide aid, was on the news in 2011. Kevorkian assisted in the suicide of many patientsRead MorePhysician Assisted Suicide For The Terminally Ill Essay1554 Words   |  7 Pages Physician assisted suicide for the terminally ill is one of the most debated policies in America. Physician assisted suicide (PAS) is only considered a when a patient has a terminal illness and expresses their right to end their life with a physician. This scenario typically takes place when a patient is suffering severely from a terminal illness and it is only a matter of time before they will die. Advocates for PAS have typically had a loved one who is or was suffering through their final stages

Different sides of Clive Linley Free Essays

Which in this case makes him cold hearted and selfish human being who clearly does not have his priorities straight. This came as a big surprise to me after I had read how good of a friend he was. The book is mostly about two men who have been brought together again after their close friend dies. We will write a custom essay sample on Different sides of Clive Linley or any similar topic only for you Order Now The way how Clive treats his friend differences a lot from how he reacted in the situation mentioned before. In fact he is there for his friend in every situation no matter how difficult it might be. â€Å"When Vernon was laid up with a rare viral infection of the spine, Clive visited almost every day, bringing books, music, videos and champagne†(Mclean 1998:43). This is one of many examples what Clive had done for his friend, without asking anything in return. It shows that he still cares and knows how to treat people but maybe Just close ones. On the other hand, he was still palpable of arranging his best friend’s death and the other way around. The thing is, this part of the book came as a shock. He arranged the death of his best friend. That alone says something about him. He could be a self-centered and egotistic man. After having disagreed on a subject with Vernon and Vernon not taking his advice maybe he Just could not have let it go. Or he thought he was being a good friend and ending one’s life because that was what he thought the one had wanted. In that case it would make him in some eyes loyal and committed. Clive had asked his friend to end his life if he would start to lose It. Yes, on one condition only: that you’d do the same for me. V. â€Å"(Mclean 1998:57) Maybe In Clime’s eyes he was already losing It and he did what had to be done. In the end I think the book Is purposely ended with a mystery. It leaves a lot of questions about the characters as well. As to Clive Lintel- he Is a genius who does not let anything get In the way of his Inspirations, a person who knows how to treat his loved ones and a man who Is capable of doing terrible things either out of fury or to keep his word. Mclean, Ian. (1998). Amsterdam. Great Britain. Jonathan Cape How to cite Different sides of Clive Linley, Papers

Journal Of Economic Development IT Finance â€Myassigtnmenthelp.Com

Question: Discuss About The Journal Of Economic Development IT Finance? Answer: Introduction: Founded in the year of 1995, the Philippine Daily Inquirer, popularly referred to as the Inquirer, managed to establish itself as one of the most recognized newspapers, operating in the Philippines. The companys dedication to report the most authentic news, to the public, instead of shaping and distorting the political discourse, had helped it becomes the most widely read broadsheet newspaper in the entire country. However, with the growth and expansion of the organization, the employees became more detached, and differences cropped up amongst the former and new employees. Most importantly, as the editor, Letty started embracing the Micromanagement style of leadership, things got even worse. The style is more is about control, and while having control as a manager is essential, using it as a permanent management strategy is bound to fail, as it has happened in the case of Inquirer. As the newspaper publishing company started encountering cut-throat competition from the online news si tes, the survival of the organization became questionable. Hence, the report intends to critically analyse the problem/s infesting the organization and offer suitable recommendations for the same. Problem Identification: Apparently, the problem that the Inquirer is encountering at present time, is that it is encountering huge competition from the online news media, which provides fast and accurate news to anybody and everybody, at free of cost, provided the reader enjoys access to internet. While the profitability of print journalism is at stake, Inquirer does move to online news media as well, though with little prospect in future. The very reason why the organization is able to compete successfully, is that it is infested with various organizational problems, identified below: The first problem identified, is the inability of the leaders of the organization to combat the problem, by actively engaging themselves with the subordinates, and trying to find a comprehensive solution. Secondly, as hinted above, the organizational culture of the company is also a chief problem. As new employees started coming in, differences started cropping up amongst the existent and the new employees. Aversion of Change of the company impedes its ability to adapt to the new world of technology and innovation. The micromanagement style of leadership as adopted by the Editor is highly erroneous. Root Causes of Symptoms: Lack of Employee Engagement: While there exists a sense of complacency amongst some, others are confused about which platform (print or new media) to invest on. The employees are not coming up, collaborating with each other, and trying to solve the problem. The lack of team-spirit amongst its members has dampened the organizational culture, and impeded the growth of plans. Poor Organizational Culture:. The old ones refused to discuss the problem with the juniors, and even though the new employees were adequately competent, they were being kept away from managerial decisions. In absence of a positive, collaborative workplace culture, the senior employees refused to work with greater dedication (Alvesson and Sveningsson 2015). Aversion of Change: Change is an essentially important aspect that facilitates organizational progress of any company. Any organization that needs to sustain itself for a longer time, must adapt to change and innovate itself. However, change must come with effective communication of the plan to the relevant stakeholders (Hayes 2014). In case of Inquiry, as observed here, the problem is, although the company did move to an online platform, it failed to engage its journalist and editors in understanding what the next big leap they should take is. Ineffective interpersonal communication within the organization is thus the next hurdle here. Wrong Leadership Style: The micromanagement style of leadership as adopted by the Editor is highly erroneous, as it prevents the engagement of the employees in the management decision, and thus they stay de-motivated and less productive (Ertureten et al. 2013). Now, once the problems are identified, each problem has to be analysed in the light of the organizational theory. Organizational Culture Theory of Goodall: The organizational culture of a company determines the commitment of the employees towards the organization and job satisfaction. As per Goodall, the organizational theory relies heavily on a sense of shared meaning amongst the employees of the company, who are like the shared members of the society. While the leaders of the organization should act as mentors, guiding and supervising the work of the subordinates, the subordinates should never be denied rights to engage actively in the managerial decision-making process (Alvesson 2016). However, the problem with Inquirer has been that the company follows a hierarchical organizational culture. The presence of a highly structured and formalized work environment certainly prevents the possibility of efficiency-based coordination amongst the employees (Hogan and Coote 2014). While Letty, the Editor, despite being highly efficient, is indecisive and unpunctual herself, she does not invite and ask for the ideas of the equally competent juni or journalists, who might offer innovative strategies that can help the company thrive. Lewins Change Management Model and Resistance to Organizational Change within Inquirer: Although Inquirer has moved to the online new media channel as well, the company is unable to decide which platform to invest in, and resistance to change is a major problem here. Lewins Change Mangement Model states that three specific steps must be followed while implementing a change- Unfreeze, Change and Refreeze (Shirey 2013). The first stage states that the management authority, before implementing a change, must essentially communicate the purpose, scope, cause and benefits of the change to its stakeholders. Since Inquirer management authority failed to communicate the need for change to its employees, it was unable to break the status quo. It is important to explain to the employees why is it important to change and how it can bring in profit (Longo 2013). In absence of proper communication, the senior journalists also exhibited reluctance to work for longer hours. Lewins model states it is only after an organization unfreezes the problem, it can implement the change (change phase) and get things finally back to normalcy as before (refreeze phase). Micromanagement Leadership Style: A Wrong Approach in Inquirer: Micromanagement leadership style is an organizational style which relies on exercising proper control on the employees. Although exercising control on the employees is highly important, transferring all power from the employees is certainly equivalent to taking away accountability from the employees. In case of Inquiry, this leadership style failed to be a failure, as it failed to involve the attention of some of the most competent employees in its decision-making process, while the leader Letty herself is not very responsible in the first place. Despite all the skill and professional expertise she possesses, it is undeniable that by reviewing and approving each employee activity, she is slowing the output of the department leaving a queue of work undone (Boykins et al. 2013). She has vision, but no execution as far as the shift to new media platform is concerned, and the absence of employee engagement in the implementation of management decisions worsens the situation (Hazen 2015). Centralized Organizational Structure: Owing to the centralized organizational structure of the company, the management authority relies on the senior managers only, to provide direction to the company. Lack of initiative to engage the younger employees not only de-motivates them, but also prevents the organization implement an effective strategy, that in a changing business scenario (Ashkenas et al. 2015). Due to the hierarchical structure, even if the junior employees are competent enough to recommend innovative strategies, they are discouraged to do so. While decentralized organizations can struggle with multiple individuals having diverse opinions on a particular business decision, the centralized structure weakens the decision-making procedure (Guadalupe et al. 2013). Recommendation: First of all, it is recommended that Inquirer gives up its hierarchical organizational culture, and instead embraces the clan culture. Consequently, the senior managers can always supervise the performance and activities of the subordinates and act as mentors, the employees will also be allowed to participate to enjoy freedom to recommend actions and undertake individual initiative. In order to switch to the new culture, which in itself being a change, will be subject to employee resistance, the company will need to communicate the benefits of the new culture. Greater autonomy at workplace, faster decision-making process, and less pressure on the senior leaders can be cited as the common benefits of the new culture, and this should be communicated to the employees via discussions and interactive sessions organized over a period of 3 weeks. In course of the discussion sessions, it is important to mention how the new organizational culture will help the company align its culture with i ts strategic priorities. Next, the leadership style and the organizational structure need to be changed as well. The organization needs to embrace the Transformational Leadership style, as it will allow active participation and increased engagement of the employees in the decision-making process of the organization. The hierarchical structure has to be transformed into a flexible organizational structure. Further, the employees, especially the senior employees should be asked to participate in seminars and a conference, discussing the importance of working collaboratively, as shared work is both convenient as well as effective way of accomplishing goals. During the initial phase, some of the employees may exhibit reluctance to work collaboratively, and at this stage, the company should organize interactive activities, such as team outings, family gatherings that can improve the bond and employee interrelation within the organization. Reference List: Alvesson, M. and Sveningsson, S., 2015.Changing organizational culture: Cultural change work in progress. Routledge. Alvesson, M. ed., 2016.Organizational culture. Sage. Ashkenas, R., Ulrich, D., Jick, T. and Kerr, S., 2015.The boundaryless organization: Breaking the chains of organizational structure. John Wiley Sons. Boykins, C., Campbell, S., Moore, M. and Nayyar, S., 2013. An empirical study of leadership styles.Journal of Economic Development, Management, IT, Finance, and Marketing,5(2), p.1. Ertureten, A., Cemalcilar, Z. and Aycan, Z., 2013. The relationship of downward mobbing with leadership style and organizational attitudes.Journal of Business Ethics,116(1), pp.205-216. Guadalupe, M., Li, H. and Wulf, J., 2013. Who lives in the C-suite? Organizational structure and the division of labor in top management.Management Science,60(4), pp.824-844. Hayes, J., 2014.The theory and practice of change management. Palgrave Macmillan. Hazen, S.M., 2015.A qualitative research study influence through leadership-motivating leadership styles for contract security officers(Doctoral dissertation, Colorado Technical University). Hogan, S.J. and Coote, L.V., 2014. Organizational culture, innovation, and performance: A test of Schein's model.Journal of Business Research,67(8), pp.1609-1621. Longo, R., 2013. Is Lewins change management model still valid.A review article on Lewins change management model. Accessed on,24. Shirey, M.R., 2013. Lewins theory of planned change as a strategic resource.Journal of Nursing Administration,43(2), pp.69-72.

Natural Monopolies Price Regulation-Free-Samples for Students

Questions: Explain how and why Governments may want to regulate the Price setting of a Natural Monopoly. Answers: Introduction There are different types of market structures; perfect competition, monopolistic competition, oligopolies and monopoly markets. It is argued by most economists that competition is present in the perfect competitive markets because the number of sellers are many, small in size and price takers. However, when we consider the case for monopolies, this is a market whose supplier is a sole supplier who is large in size. There is no competition in the monopoly markets and the sole supplier is the price maker. The government is always against the presence of oligopoly and monopoly markets since they are inefficient in price and outputs. The role is promoting competition in an economy by the government is achieved through monopoly pricing regulation. Being driven by the objective of maximizing profits, monopoly markets produced less output than would be for a competitive case and then sell this at a high price. The goods produced by the monopolies allow for the higher price charges since there are no close substitutes; the consumers have no other option than to accept the price offered no matter how high it becomes (Textbook Equity Edition, 2014). The natural monopoly is a special kind of monopoly existing due to the presence of high startup costs and fixed costs. Hillman (2007) noted that all pure public goods fall under a natural monopoly and it shall be seen on the analysis that its more efficient to supply pure public goods through a natural monopoly than by duplication (Economicsonline.co.uk (2017). There are two important theories that explains price regulation for a natural monopolist. These are the Average cost pricing and the marginal cost pricing (Greer, 2012). The first one is the pricing made on the basis of average c ost while the other one is the pricing made on the basis of marginal cost whether regulated or unregulated. It is expected that the natural monopolies should be maintained in the economy for some goods to be provided at a lower price. Analysis A pure public good like water is best supplied by the natural monopoly because the production costs associated to the supply falls as the number of users increase. These natural monopolies have increased economies of scale (Linfo.org, 2006). Duplication would lower the economies of scale and the competitors would fight for prices which would make the prices charged to be higher (Textbook Equity Edition, 2014). Natural monopolies are present in the case of electricity distribution. The production of electricity is not such expensive and can be done by many investors. However, the infrastructure used to get the electricity to the final users is very expensive. There are many examples of natural monopolies like the water distribution and the postal services. According to Hu?tcher (2011), the pressure on pricing on natural monopolies is very high which makes it difficult for competitors to survive in this market. According to Regulationbodyofknowledge.org (2017), natural monopolies have market powers and when a business recognizes that it falls under a natural monopoly, it limits its output level and raises its prices; the prices are set above the marginal cost. This unlike in the competitive markets results in a reduced social welfare (Tutor2u, 2017). Since most of the times the commodities offered by a natural monopolists are basic goods, such as water, electricity and communication, people cannot avoid their consumption even if prices were raised. Social welfare is lost in that the extra income used could be used in the demand for some other goods or services. The role of the government therefore is to make sure that such prices are not charged and that the monopolists charge fair prices. However, scale economies prevents this marginal cost pricing from being the optimal choice (Mankiw, 2011). The price for a natural monopoly is set by the government at the best-price for a single product; it is set equal to the marginal cost (MC) of production. Hu?tcher noted that the setting of the price by the government is with an aim of ensuring that the social welfare is maximized. However, the first-best price which is equal to MC will not apply in all the cases; sometimes the fixed costs may be higher compared to the variable costs. This would mean that Average cost (AC) would exceed the marginal production cost. For this reason, the government is forced to set the second-best price at a level higher than the first-best price, at the point where it is equal to the AC. Many natural monopolies produce many goods and services and these are priced differently. This creates a challenge for the AC to be the optimal basis for pricing; the challenge is on determining the optimal combination that would result in the lowest dead weight loss. There therefore has to be another optimal basis fo r pricing. This bring about the idea of Ramsey pricing. Ramsey noted that the reason by the government regulate natural monopoly prices is to prevent the consumers from suffering from the high monopoly prices. His idea therefore was to maximize social surplus by reducing the prices for the monopolys unique goods. Fig: Dead weight loss for unregulated Monopoly Source: Faculty.winthrop.edu (2017) The graph shows that unregulated monopolistic strategy of producing at MR = MC is resulting in a high level of deadweight loss equal to the shaded region. This is interpreted to a reduced consumer surplus and an increased producer surplus. However, deadweight loss cannot be avoided in the case for natural monopolies since the consumers are charged a price higher than the competitive price would be. The governments interest is to ensure that the smallest dead weight loss is incurred. QUN is the quantity produced from free operation, QOPT is the maximum (optimal) output that could be produced at the competitive level. Fig: Pricing options for a natural monopoly The competitive level of production is 14 units and at a price of $4; this is at the intersection of demand and the MC; this is if the natural monopoly is regulated to produce at this point. At this point, the AC can be observed to be very high and the monopoly could only make losses. The maximization of profit level for a natural monopolist is at 6 units at a price of $10; this is at the intersection of the MR and the MC; then where this solution level cuts the demand curve; this happens if the natural monopolist is left alone without any regulation (Haworth, 2017). At this point, it is also observed that the AC is below the price charged. So this natural monopoly is making abnormal profit. The breakeven point for a natural monopoly is thus at producing 10 units and selling at a price of $8; this happens if regulated to produce at a price equal to the AC. This is the point where the social surplus is maximized and the price charged is lower than what would otherwise be offered by th e unregulated monopoly; the output level is also higher (Welker, 2013). Thus at this level, the resources are allocated efficiently. The reason for regulation is observed from the graph; lets assume that the regulators allowed the division of the market into two such that each firm produces 3 units, at 3 units, the AC of production rises and thus the price for the goods rise to $11. The natural monopoly is producing at a lower AC than it would be the case for many suppliers. The price charged should be regulated to be on maximum equal to the average cost. Any price below the Ac even if the regulators push for it is not achievable unless the regulators could offer subsidies for the losses to be incurred. The subsidies help in ensuring that even after selling at the lower price below the AC, the supplier is able to break even. There is no way a regulator with an aim of improving social surplus can push for the price to be above the AC; therefore all prices above the AC are not possible unless the supplier was let to operate with no regulation. Under regulation by the government, the quantity produced is higher than for the unregulated monopoly and lower than for the competitive market. One of the solution proposed by many economies on resolving the problem of pricing the natural monopolies is to ensure that all the private natural monopolies transfer their ownership to the government. This could improve efficiency as the losses the government makes will be catered for in its budget. This would help in skipping all the pricing challenges for natural monopolies. The other solution is fragmenting the markets and then allowing for marginal costing. This is the realization of the fact that consumers ability to pay are different. Price discrimination would ensure that lower prices are charged in the markets for low income consumer brackets with no profit interest; the compensation for this is achieved by charging higher prices in the markets for high income bracket consumers. Through this, the government goal of improving social surplus is achieved. The government need to ensure that there is sufficient supply of the good produced by the natural monopoly. This is why the government do not allow these firms to charge a price equal to marginal cost since losses would put these firms to a risk of closing down. For a single-product monopolist, average pricing is the best regulation strategy as it ensures a breakeven point for the natural monopolist in addition to improving the consumer surplus. Conclusion The government has to consider all the production costs in setting their prices for a natural monopoly. The first-best price is not always the best price for a natural monopoly as it could lead to the natural monopoly making losses if the variable cost is small and a very high fixed cost. The average cost is the cost that determines the breakeven point of a natural monopoly; at the price where the price is equal to the average cost. There should be no natural monopoly that could be making losses. Social welfare is maximized at the price which is equal to the marginal cost. Since the natural monopoly is not able to break even at this price, the government should subsidize the difference between average cost and marginal cost for the price equal to the marginal cost to make the monopoly breakeven and at the same time maximize social welfare. It is difficult for the government to determine the true AC for a natural monopoly and thus misinformed decisions may be made by the government since these supplier report more than the true value of AC so as to be allowed to sell at a higher price and gain some profit. This can be resolved by introducing a proper strategy of estimating such costs by the government. Otherwise the goal of maximizing social welfare cannot be reached. The natural monopolists are only expected to make normal profits at the price that is equal to AC. 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