Reasoning Economy for Planning and Replanning - Essay Example

Books acquisition policy at Arizona Introduction The core aims of academic s are tofoster the acquisition of high standard education to their student fraternity. The quest of achieving quality teaching that will give a direct proportion to high quality education has continued to face a range of challenges and/or obstructions. Institutions desire to bump into meeting the expectation of students’ and that of employees both in the present and in the forthcoming future. To meet the exceptional educational requirements, the academic institutions must strive in developing policies that are essential in fostering and upholding academic integrity (Doyle p.106). Policies in academic institutions remain to be central in molding students through providing them with responsible conducts essential for life. However, formulating academic policies that foster pleasant interaction between policy makers and students, faculty, staff and administrators has continued to face challenges hence hindering the achievement of educators’ mission. This paper shall candidly and comprehensively review the library policies used by Arizona State University (ASU), to ascertain the practicability of such policies and recommend necessary policy-changes that can help transform the university. Current situation Arizona University formulated rule and regulation that are fundamental in guiding students toward accessing and utilizing the library resource. The library is known as a treasure-house of knowledge acquisition as it helps in stimulating the mind with its resourceful material. The library can be unpleasant to unlucky learners who cannot afford to buy the book or other reading material to enhance their learning (Doyle p. 148). Therefore, the school libraries should be easily accessible and do not exploit its users through heavy fines and inconvenient policies. ASU library is vital toward the student and the staff in general. Therefore, the policy guiding the library must be made in their interest. However, the university has continued to formulate exploitive policies towards this vital department that act like the source of knowledge. Arizona State University has made and implemented these policies: student must pay for the books they require for their studies; student, staff and faculty also must be charges an overdue of $10.00 cost of learning and teaching material replacement after 90 day (Melnick p. 179). The university also implements other fines such as recall for the material at $10, reserves cost at $1.00 per hour to $20 per item, community card holder at $10.00 billing fees and should be renewed after 91 days. There are other charges such as lost or damage of the materials which the cost varies by the item. Moreover, the university reserves the right to make adjustments to the charges provided the modification is consistent with and authorized by the Arizona Board of Regents, and in most cases, the charges have been escalated making it exceedingly grim for needy students to complete a semester in ASU. Problem Noteworthy, fulltime students have had to spend more than $1000 every school year and this has been termed by many students as a shock to the wallet and senses too. The negative perceptions that students might develop about ASU might in the long run prove to be too costly for the university. Apparently, considering the current tuition fee amounts that students have to part with, it is upsetting that the university does not provide free books to the acclaimed students fraternity. The tuition fees amounts upto $13,368 for 12 hours subscription while the cost of purchasing or borrowing a book from the bookstore and library vary significantly. What’s more, students are charged an overdue charge of upto $10, and in extreme cases, they are forced to replace the book after the expiry of the call date. According to Doyle, “Ownership is such a big part of our society that we tend to focus on what we may lose rather than on what we may gain” (p. 129). Students scorn the expensive price of owning the books, oblivious of the positive contribution that the books make in their academic life. The current policies that stipulate that no books are to be offered for free only stimulate scholars to purchase books from online services such as Google books. Seemingly, many students are inclined against the universities comparatively partial policies requiring them to pay some high amounts to procure books even after paying huge amounts in form of tuition fees, a factor that many perceive to be a bureaucratic deceit. From a business perspective, a successful organization should operate by plummeting discretionary costs which increases its operational expenses and reduces the contribution margin. Recommended solutions The Arizona State University will conveniently and efficiently meet the expectations of its learner, staff and faculty through striving in developing policies that are fundamental in fostering and upholding academic integrity and increase students’ interest in learning. ASU has to try its level best in reducing standard fines, fees for books and educational video charges. While it might be uneconomical for the university to provide free books to students, the current charges imposed on students are rather too high. Instead of charging a belated amount of $10.00 for replacement of learning and teaching resources after 90 days; it should be lowered to $2. The university also can exempt some understandable charges such as fines for recall of the material cost $10, reserves cost at $1.00 per hour to $20 per item. Community card holder costing learners $10.00 should not be renewed after 91 days the university can adjust the time to 1 year (Doyle p. 254). Arizona State University can achieve greatly its vision and mission if it sticks and abide with these recommendations and beyond this the university will be more economical appeasing toward learners and university staff. To encumber effects of the policies, the university has to review these policies and take into account the needs of all students and more importantly the needs of students who are in school since they obtained financial aid from donors and other financiers (Kiwan p. 197). For instance, Federal Pell Grant beneficiaries should be allowed to obtain textbooks from the university’s bookstores and the book charges should not be billed to their personal accounts as such will only obstruct their quest to attain the epic of knowledge despite the major financial constraints. While this might be a costly undertaking to the university, the government can chip in some financial aid to enable the university meet the extra charges of providing free books to extremely needy students. In so doing, students from needy backgrounds will be in a better position to acquire the prerequisite books, their performance will improve, and the overall reputation of ASU will improve (Tollefson p. 76). However, resounding the government and sponsors to commit their resources into this scheme might be upsetting. Is it not the responsibility and obligation of the state government to ensure that a smooth, positive transition exists in school and all materials required to facilitate learning are available? The university should compose a convincing proposal to the government to indicate the viability of the project while outlining both its social and economic implications. The triumph of such a scheme will eventually empower the university to formulate and implement policies that guarantee free books to comparatively deprived students. While ASU might perceive imposing charges on students in need of books as a way of raising extra income and reducing the operating expenses, such an act only leads to loss of revenues in form of students who quite studies due to lack of fees, transfer to other affordable universities or completely fail to join the institution that is regarded as the epitome of knowledge. Such a detrimental act will in the long run disadvantage the university since consumers; students in this case, have a tendency of going for comparatively cheaper products and services that guarantee them greater satisfaction (Melnick p. 113). The university environment can be made more exhilarating, stunning and attractive by revising the policies to allow students to purchase and use used/secondhand books rather than compelling them to purchase new books which are apparently luxurious, classy and out of reach for many. Implementation of such rules will ominously plummet the cost of acquiring education in ASU and save students the dollars spent on online subscriptions and purchases. There is every reason to believe that the university is driven by a nonprofit motive and should focus more on the students’ welfare rather than striving to abridge committed costs, which are impracticable. While the university will be left contemplating some small loss in proceeds, such a move has a greater socio-economic implications and absolutely contribute towards the creation of a just, sophisticated and nurtured student community (Doyle p.217). The perpetual effects of the formation and existence of such a society offsets the inconsequential damages that will be incurred by the university. Moreover, the university will avert the mayhem and unconscious regurgitations between students and staff members as students strain to refuse paying for the expensive books. A harmonious, well integrated and accommodating ASU community will eventually be countersigned. Alternatively, the university should place the books on the blackboard rather than placing the books in bookstores where students must pay part with several dollars to access or obtain the book. Virtually every student can access the blackboard on their student portal. Placing soft copies of the books onto the blackboard is, therefore, one of the best approaches that the university can use to stimulate and augment learning, save students from spending on books, reduce staff and other clerical expenses while at the same time increasing ASU’S proficiency and effectiveness (Doyle p. 183). Sensitizing the students about the presence of books on the blackboard will lead to a creation of a pool of students who are well acquainted with the course material and content since they would be able to access and familiarize themselves with the books in advance. Moreover, after sensitization, students will be very willing to compensate the University for the Cost incurred in posting the books onto the blackboard since the cost will noticeably be smaller than the existing costs that students incur to obtain books from the bookstore. Consequentially, all students will be able to access books and their performance will eventually improve, their productivity upsurge and eventually lead to growth of ASU’s competitiveness. Additionally, ASU should involve parents and students in the formulation of imperative policies. Such diversity and inclusion will enable the university formulate better library policies. It should extensively consult parents, students and sponsors to arrive at policies that are more conventional and concrete. It should consider the specific needs of various students and analyze their capability and aptitude. While it might seem naive and impractical, such an initiative will enable the university formulate and implement better library policies after taking students’ wellbeing and needs into deliberation (Tollefson p.209). It is axiomatic that the different policies presently maintained by ASU are unpleasant and somehow obstructs the students from attaining their determinations and goals. While it might be inefficient for ASU to provide free books to students, the present dollars imposed on students are rather unfriendly to the students (Kiwan p. 166). The charges for accessing and procuring books should be abridged. This will unsurprisingly reduce the cost of education and hordes of students will be able to straightforwardly access indispensible learning materials, including and most vitally textbooks. Alternatively, plummeting the tuition fees may also work since students will be left with some greenbacks to pay for books. Subsequently, Arizona State University will be more conspicuous and prominent the world over and the students’ population will indubitably upsurge. Works Cited Doyle, Jon. "A Reasoning Economy for Planning and Replanning." 1.2 (1994): Print. Kiwan, Dina. Naturalization Policies, Education and Citizenship: Multicultural and Multination Societies in International Perspective. N.p., 2013. Print. Melnick, Rob. Vocational Education and Economic Change in Arizona: Policies for a Prosperous Future. Tempe, Ariz.: The Institute, 1988. Print. Tollefson, James W. Language Policies in Education: Critical Issues. Mahwah, N.J: L. Erlbaum, 2002. Print. Read More