College Preparedness Essay

Today’s students face a world influenced by a global economy, technological advances and rapid changes in the way we share information, communicate and conduct business. It has never been more critical to help them build the knowledge, skills, behaviors and awareness necessary to succeed in college and beyond. Improving postsecondary success for all our citizens, but most urgently for low-income and minority students, is vital to our nation’s economic and social health, and global competitiveness. Yet, college remediation and completion rates suggest that many students leave high school without the skills and knowledge required to succeed in postsecondary education. (media. collegeboard. com/Feb. 26,2013) College today means much more than just pursuing a four- year degree at a university. Being â€Å"college-ready† means being prepared for any postsecondary education or training experience, including study at two- and four-year institutions leading to a postsecondary credential (i.e. a certificate, license, Associates or Bachelor’s degree). Being ready for college means that a high school graduate has the English and mathematics knowledge and skills necessary to qualify for and succeed in entry-level, credit-bearing college courses without the need for remedial coursework. Although students have ambitious educational and career aspirations, many lack basic information about how to fulfill their postsecondary goals. Many students and their parents fail to plan because they do not have the essential information resources, personal support networks, and structured programs they need to effectively perform educational and postsecondary planning activities (Cabrera & La Nasa, 2000; Hrabowski et al. , 1998; McDonough, 1997). Some students and their parents have a vague understanding or hold misconceptions about high school course requirements for college admission, the importance of teachers in college planning, and college tuition costs (Choy, Horn, Nunez, & Chen, 2000; Hrabowski, Maton, Greene, & Greif, 2002; Schneider & Stevenson, 1999; Venezia et al., 2003). (www. aypf. org/ Feb. 27,2013) There are multiple steps that students and their parents can take to successfully plan for postsecondary education and become college ready. These steps build upon one another to help students make the transition from secondary to postsecondary education and training (McDonough, 1997). The early stages of postsecondary planning can include, but are not limited to: 1) Considering postsecondary education, 2) Deciding to attend college, 3) Maintaining good  grades, 4) Gathering information about the college admissions process (including college admissions tests), 5) Discussing educational and career goals with counselors, teachers, and parents, 6) Obtaining information about colleges and academic programs, 7) Obtaining information about financial aid opportunities, and 8) Exploring college major and career interests. (www. act. org/Feb. 27,2013) Schools should provide the tools, information, and resources to guide students and their parents through the postsecondary planning process and make successful educational transitions. And it is important for schools to initiate this planning process by the middle school years. This early educational planning can guide students’ experiences in middle and high school and help them make informed educational decisions. A key aspect of early educational planning involves the exploration of educational and work options. Students have many postsecondary choices, including two-year colleges, certificate programs, four-year colleges, the military, and employment. They often begin taking steps to make their educational goals a reality by taking college preparatory courses, maintaining good grades in these courses, participating in extracurricular activities, and learning about ways to finance postsecondary education (Cabrera & La Nasa, 2000). And they may regularly engage in conversations about their futures with their friends, parents, teachers, and counselors (McDonough, 1997). College Costs. Most parents believe that a college education is the best investment they can make for their children (Miller, 1997). Developing a plan to pay college costs is an essential part of early educational planning, often leading students and parents to discuss college costs, research various colleges and their academic programs, and explore financial aid opportunities (Hossler, Schmit, & Vesper, 1999). However, many parents neglect or are unable to save money, or do not have a plan to pay for college when their children are young. These families may perceive that they cannot afford college. Many students and parents also lack knowledge and information about college costs and options of paying for postsecondary education. Even among high school juniors and seniors who plan to attend college, few have accurate information about college costs. Schools can help students develop educational goals by providing career and postsecondary planning information, beginning in the middle school. Counselors, teachers, principals, and other school personnel often influence students’ educational goals and postsecondary planning. Throughout their school years, most students take standardized achievement tests and complete career interest measures to assess academic performance and assist in postsecondary planning. Schools can integrate test information into the course selection process to show students how test results align with classroom performance and what academic skills they need to develop through future courses. Counselors and teachers can review assessment results with students and parents to guide course selection and placement in the proper course level to fit the students’ academic preparation and achievement (Wimberly, 2003). Low-income parents and students often report that they do not receive adequate information about financial aid. They often lack knowledge about the application process and what financial aid is available to them. Consequently, low-income parents and students may not develop a college finance plan (Cabrera & La Nasa, 2000). Many high achieving low-income students are more likely to enter the military than college because of failing to develop a plan to pay for college costs (Choy, 2000). Popular media stories about rising tuition costs and budget cuts at colleges and universities may compound the issue by making it seem that a college education is unaffordable. This, in turn, may cause many students and their families not to seek college finance information. Students often enter their senior year of high school believing they are ready for college because they have completed required courses. This leads to the development of particularly bad study habits and skills during the senior year (Conley, 2001; Kirst, 2000; National Commission on the High School Senior Year, 2001). In this fashion, the lack of a coherent, developmentally sequenced program of study also contributes to deficiencies in other key areas, including study skills and time management. In fact, it is difficult to imagine a preparation program that emphasizes time management and study skills but does not sequence challenge levels that develop these skills progressively from year to year. What does it mean to be college ready? Previous research suggests that being ready for college means having the academic content knowledge and skills needed to pass college level courses (Conley 2007; Roderick, Nagaoka & Coca 2009), including course grades, standardized test scores, and the degree of rigor of courses taken. Additional research suggests that motivational or non-cognitive factors can be important determinants of success in college (Dweck, Walton & Cohen 2011). These factors include tenacity: maintaining a positive attitude toward learning and being able to persist when the going gets tough. Being college ready also encompasses having â€Å"college knowledge† that includes knowing how to apply to college and for financial aid (Conley 2007). Because college is truly different from high school, college readiness is fundamentally different than high school competence. Students fresh out of high school may think a college course is very much like a similarly named high school class taken previously only to find out that expectations are fundamentally different The college instructor is more likely to emphasize a series of key thinking skills that students, for the most part, do not develop extensively in high school. They expect students to make inferences, interpret results, analyze conflicting explanations of phenomena, support arguments with evidence, solve complex problems that have no obvious answer, reach conclusions, offer explanations, conduct research, engage in the give-and-take of ideas, and generally think deeply about what they are being taught (National Research Council, 2002). College is different from high school in many important ways, some obvious, some not so obvious. College is the first place where we expect young people to be adults, not large children. Almost all of the rules of the game that students have so carefully learned and mastered over the preceding 13 years of schooling are either discarded or modified drastically. The pupil-teacher relationship changes dramatically as do expectations for engagement, independent work, motivation, and intellectual development. All of this occurs at a time when many young people are experiencing significant independence from family and from the role of child for the first time. No wonder that the transition from high school to college is one of the most difficult that many people experience during a lifetime. At the same time, college faculty consistently report that freshman students need to be spending nearly twice the time they indicate spending currently to prepare for class (National Survey of Student Engagement, 2006) These students do not enter college with a work ethic that prepares them for instructor expectations or course requirements College freshmen who are most successful are those who come prepared to work at the levels faculty members expect. Those who do not are much less likely to progress beyond entry-level courses, as witnessed by the high  failure rates in these courses and the significant proportion of college student who drop out during the freshman year. Finally, the relationship between teacher and student can be much different than in high school. An oft-cited example by college faculty is the first-term freshman who is failing the course, shows up at office hours near the end of the term, and requests â€Å"extra credit† in order to be able to pass. College instructors are often mystified by such requests. The students are equally mystified by the instructor reaction, since this strategy has worked very well for the student throughout high school In other words, the cultural and social expectations about learning and performance that students encounter tend to be vastly different as well. The scores students receive on state tests may not be good indicators of college readiness, but students may believe that passage of the state test is just such an indicator. Recent data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) suggest a fundamental disconnect between trends and scores on state tests and on NAEP tests, which has triggered a federal study of state definitions of â€Å"proficiency† (Cavanagh, 2006) When performance on state tests is compared to NAEP performance, significant differences exist from state to state, and students can show improvement on state tests and not corresponding improvement on NAEP In other words, it is very difficult to know what successful performance on a state test really means. A student who meets all aspects of the college readiness definition would gain in several ways. One is, the student would be comfortable in essentially any entry-level general education course. This is an important level to attain because failure to succeed in one or more general education courses during the first year is closely associated with failure to continue in college (Choy, 2001; Choy, Horn, Nunez, & Chen, 2000). A definition of college readiness must also address the issue of how students combine the various facets of college readiness. For students, the combination is more complex because it includes the elements under the school’s control along with those that are not. In particular, students need to understand what it really means to be college-ready. They need to understand what they must do as well as what the system requires or expects of them. They must, first and foremost, understand that college admission is a reasonable and realistic goal that can be attained through planning and diligent attention to necessary tasks. Successful academic preparation for college is grounded in two important dimensions—key cognitive strategies and content knowledge Understanding and mastering key content knowledge is achieved through the exercise of broader cognitive skills embodied within the key cognitive strategies. With this relationship in mind, it is entirely proper and worthwhile to consider some of the general areas in which students need strong grounding in content that is foundational to the understanding of academic disciplines The case for the importance of challenging content as the framework for developing thinking skills and key cognitive strategies has been made elsewhere and will not be repeated in depth here (Bransford, Brown, & Cocking, 2000). Our study clearly shows that many students and their families are not considering college finances as part of their early educational and postsecondary planning. As early as sixth grade, schools can help reverse this trend by encouraging families to explore college finance options. School personnel should be knowledgeable about financial aid and scholarship opportunities, the financial aid process, and how students and parents can obtain financial aid. Schools should also partner with local college financial aid officers, bank representatives, and other community resources to provide financial aid information and help with early postsecondary planning. Students need to take the responsibility to utilize the information presented to them on college academic and financial requirements and to discuss this information with adults in their lives who may be able to help them. Not all students have supportive family environments, but support can come from other quarters as well, and students need to be encouraged to reach out to and interact with adults who can help them navigate the college readiness gauntlet, whether these adults are relatives, community service staff, or adults at the school who may be paid staff or volunteers. Young people need personal contact and guidance to know how to become, and believe they are capable of being, college-ready.

Andy Warhol’s Dracula Painting Essay

Understanding the artwork of Andy Warhol is something akin to figuring out a Zen riddle. That is, and people will look for something extraordinary when all they need to do is understand the simplicity of what they are viewing. Andy Warhol’s concept of pop art involved taking the very common images in presenting them in such a way that the commonality was elevated. But can you really elevate something that is common? Apparently so; Warhol did this quite effectively in his earlier works. However, in later years, Warhol’s work started to look a little tired. Perhaps the novelty of pop art was wearing off and Warhol’s creativity had stretched thin. There were, however, some interesting pieces of art produced by Warhol in the last decade of his life. This return to inspired creativity is evident in 1981’s painting Dracula  , one of his most underrated works. What was the inspiration for the Dracula  painting? Was it Bram Stoker’s novel? Was it the classic Bela Lougosi interpretation? Was it the popular play passion of  Dracula  that proved very successful at the time? To a degree, they may have all had their influences in prompting Warhol to use Dracula as subject matter. But, do not let be fooled: Warhol was probably very influenced by a film he produced entitled blood for  Dracula  . blood for Dracula  was an odd dark, tragic satire that saw the aging Count travel to the Catholic country of Italy to find virgin blood. Unless he can find such a victim, he will (finally) die of old age. Of course, his search for a virgin proves fruitless and his days are numbered. While the obvious satire of morality is evident, not so evident is the notion that Dracula represents the old world of the aristocracy. Dracula remains the last of the aristocrats having seen the world he previously knew disappearing to the expansion of Marxism. It is this same subtle theme that is also present in the Dracula  painting and that is what makes it so striking. With fangs bared, cape cowl turned upwards, and eyes wide open it would seem that this is a frightening picture of Dracula. Upon close examination, it really isn’t. Yes, in a previous generation the image of Dracula recreated by Warhol would be considered terrifying. However, by 1981, said to image really is – for lack of a better word – corny. Economic woes, foreign policy strife, and social upheaval had driven horror movies to become more violent and more graphic. The classic monsters simply became a casualty of the era. They were no longer frightening. And, as the painting infers, Dracula knows this. If you look closely into the eyes of Dracula (in the painting) you will notice decidedly out of place emotions. The eyes simply do not appear menacing or frightening. Actually, they appear more confused than anything else. They are wide open and â€Å"glassey† and seemingly have a dual expression of shock and boredom. Perhaps Dracula is shocked that he is no longer frightening. Or, perhaps, he is simply bored of his role as King of the Vampires. Either way, this would indicate a character that understands time has passed him by. This is clearly not the Count Dracula of bygone eras. This is a crucial point because it is this â€Å"past him prime† appearance that Warhol apparently wanted to capture. This is interesting since he opts not to elevate a character from pop culture; but, instead, decides to deconstruct one. In a way, there is a melancholy sadness found in Warhol’s Dracula  painting. This would seem to make sense, however, since the true role of pop art is to depict things as we really see them. In 1981, we were no longer looking at Dracula as a character as much as a tired caricature.

A Survey of Biometric Fusion

A SURVEY OF BIOMETRIC FUSION The Article â€Å"A SURVEY OF BIOMETRIC FUSION† is Taken from Journal IJ-ETA-ETS ( International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Applications in Engineering, Technology and Sciences ) which is written by Ratnasukamal Mohurle ( Prof. , Dept. of Electronics & A ; Telecom. , Vishwakarma Institute of Technology, India ) and Milind Rane ( Student, Master Degree Program in Signal Processing at Vishwakarma Institute of Technology, India ) . Biometric systems are agencies by which the physical ( or sometimes behavior ) characteristics are used to place a individual or verify the individuality of an machine-controlled individual. It is based on fingerprints, flags, facial images, manus geometry, and talker acknowledgment, among others. The successful executing of biometric systems requires turn toing a figure of issues, including truth, efficiency, hardiness, pertinence, and catholicity. To better the public presentation of biometric system we use of multiple types of biometric in formations or method of processing. Fusion methods are used in such diverse Fieldss as Internet hunt engines, analysis of satellite imagination, and analysis of medical trial consequences. Fusion, it is based on uniting informations at assorted degrees. The chief intent of Fusion has been used successfully for old ages in designation systems automated fingerprint graduated table ( AFIS ) , which combine informations from multiple fingers and multiple processing methods ; so. Now a twenty-four hours, assorted signifiers of merger are used in a figure of different types of biometric systems. It can be used to turn to a figure of issues faced by the interior decorators, implementers, and operators of biometric systems as FirstAccuracyin this Fusion can be used really efficaciously to better the overall truth. The truth of biometric system is normally expressed in footings of maximising the True Accept Rate1 ( TAR ) and minimizes the False Acceptance Rate ( FAR ) . SecondEfficiencyin this Fusion can be used to increase efficiency, or to let tradeoffs between efficiency and truth. ThirdRobustnessit refers to the ability of a system to go on to work every bit accurately as p ossible despite the jobs. FourthlyApplicabilityit refers to the suitableness of a system for a undertaking, the demand to work with bequest informations frequently dictates biometric modes that can be used. it can be used in concurrence with multiple bing information beginnings. And in conclusionUniversalityit can be used, for grounds such as amputations, hurts or unwellness. Multimodal systems and multiple cases can offer options so that all people can utilize a system. A sample is converted in characteristic extractor package into a templet ( machine representation, characteristic set ) . The agencies by which informations can be fused are known as thedegreesof merger, which correspond to the phases of treating first phase isDetectoraˆ?degree mergerit involves consolidating the grounds presented by multiple beginnings of natural informations before they are subjected to have extraction. it can profit systems that gaining control multiple snapshots of the same multi-biometric sample.second phase isFutureaˆ?degreemergerit converts samples ( images ) into simplified computing machine representations known as templets or characteristic sets. Third phase isMarkaˆ?degreemergerit refers to methods in which multiple samples, cases, or modes are compared, and the resulting similarity tonss ( or chances ) are combined to organize a individual fused mark. Fourth and last phase isDecisionaˆ?degreemergerit is used in the same instances as scorea ˆ?level merger, but the tonss are turned into match/nonaˆ?match determinations before merger. Now discoursing about the restriction of biometric merger, of class, merger comes at a monetary value. Roll uping extra informations takes clip, adds complexness and cost to the aggregation procedure. Collection of an increased sum of biometric information is likely to increase public concerns about privateness issues and meddlesomeness. Finally I can reason that Biometric merger is defined loosely as the usage of multiple types of biometric informations or processing methods for bettering the public presentation of biometric systems. Fusion works by uniting information from multiple beginnings. This is done to better the truth, efficiency, and hardiness of biometric systems. These documents gives an debut to biometric merger, and intentionally address the assorted ways that merger can be used, the complexnesss of operational utilizations of merger, proficient accounts of the assorted methods of implementing merger, and include extended empirical consequences. Journal Article ( 2 ) : – Comparative Analysis of IEEE 802.11 DCF The Article â€Å"Comparative Analysis of IEEE 802.11 DCF† is Taken from Journal GGGI Journal of Engineering & A ; Technology which is written by Er. Saurabh Mittal and Er. Ankita Mittal. Now a twenty-four hours, wireless local country webs ( WLANs ) have played a of import function in the information communications & A ; networking countries, holding witnessed a important development. In the 802.11 protocol specification, specifies two basic mechanisms of entree, i.e. distributed coordination map ( DCF ) and Point coordination map ( PCF ) . DCF is the most widely used mechanism is a random entree strategy, based on the way of running multiple entrees with hit turning away CSMA / CA protocol. Retransmission of collided packages is managed through binary exponential back off regulations. DCF describes two techniques to be used for package transmittal i.e. indispensable entree mechanism and petition to direct ( RTS ) / ( CTS ) mechanism-clear-to-send. If there is no on-going tra nsmittal to an internal short ( DEFI ) manner can convey its package. If the medium is busy, a manner has to wait until the terminal of the current transmittal. The back hold is chosen to be a random figure of slots between the channel 0 and the window size contrary ( CW ) . In this paper, we focus on the development of system public presentation DCF, presuming ideal channel conditions and finite burden conditions. In the literature, the output of 802.11 development was carried out by agencies of simulation or by agencies of analytical theoretical accounts with the premises of simplified regulations transporting hold. Now I am discoursing about patterning for IEEE 802.11 DCF, Markov theoretical accounts in distinct clip have been summarized by 802.11 DCF standardized protocols. This theoretical account is so used to deduce the end product channel which is defined as the fraction of clip the channel that is used for existent informations transmittal. In this paper, we focus on the â€Å" public presentation impregnation † , define as the bound range by the being throughput by increasing the offered burden. The fake bing burden has been created harmonizing to a Poisson arrival procedure of fixed size packages ( equal to 8184 spots ) , where the reac hing rate was varied throughout the simulation to fit burden offered ideal. The chief function of this attempt is the analytical appraisal of transmittal channel, presuming ideal channel conditions and finite burden conditions. During the analysis, a fixed figure of Stationss and obtained the stationary chance that the station transmits a package in a generic clip slot is assumed. We express the public presentation of basic methods and RTS / CTS entree based on the deliberate value. In IEEE 802.11 DCF, there are two options for medium entree, viz. 1 ) the basic entree strategy and 2 ) the request-to send attention of the line uping behavior based on the M/G/1/K theoretical account, and 2 ) the â€Å"service subsystem† that characterizes the service clip distribution. Finally from above given article we have understood an analytical theoretical account to analyze the public presentation of IEEE 802.11 DCF in footings of impregnation conditions and finite burden. The chief part of our survey is that we consider the impact of different realistic factors together, including binary exponential back off, assorted incoming traffic tonss, line uping system at the MAC bed, and imperfect radio channels, which has ne'er been addressed in a comprehensive mode before. In the analysis, we derive some public presentation prosodies common web, such as package transmittal chance, the chance of hit and channel public presentation. We should detect that the maximal accomplishable capacity is the same burden conditions as for finite impregnation status after which goes into impregnation. Besides with increasing arrival rate of packages from nodes postulating public presentation remains the same. Extensive analysis and simulation consequences show that our analytical theoretical account can accurately foretell the hold and throughput of IEEE 802.11 DCF under different channels and traffic conditions. Journal Article ( 3 ) : – The importance and development of nucleus route web The Article â€Å"The importance and development of nucleus route network† is Taken from Journal GGGI Journal of Engineering & A ; Technology which is written by Praveen Aggarwal and Saurav Jaglan. Road conveyance is the lone manner that can give the best service to each and every one. This manner besides has maximal flexibleness to go with mention to the path, way, clip and velocity through any agencies of route vehicle. Door to door service is possible merely on the route. The other manner to state, Air, H2O and rail has to trust on route conveyance service to and from their several terminuss. Therefore, it is necessary The route web non merely to function as a eating system for other manners of conveyance and to finish them, but besides to supply independent travel route by a well planned route web f. It has been shown that a paved surface in moderately good status can lend to salvaging of 15 to 40 per centum in vehicle. The route web of 3.34 million kilometres of India is the 2nd largest in the universe and consists of different classs of roads. Now on the nucleus web is the web of all rural roads that are necessary to supply basic entree to all shops. Identified out of the entire route web and bing roads, and this must be kept in good status at all times. The ground of taking nucleus web is because it helps in optimising the demands, upgrading and care of roads at lesser cost, integrated route web facilitates, provide an inducement to husbandmans to bring forth more marketable excess and besides helps in societal development of rural countries as schools, infirmaries & A ; authorities services. There are four major stairss involved in set uping the nucleus web ; first readying of block maps as per the territory rural route be aftering manual, 2nd is placing the market centres, third is totaling the roads and tabular matter of informations, 4th or concluding is placing the nucleus web. To making the se type of undertaking there are some utile tools used the first 1 is MapInfo it enables to execute complex geographic analysis such as redistricting, accessing informations, dragging and dropping map objects, making thematic maps and much more. Second one tool is Microsoft Excel it is a portion of MS Office used for the readying of stock list, and last & A ; really of import Turbo C it is a simple codification used in picturing the footing of our undertaking. Finally we can state that India has a web of rural roads of about 2.70 million kilometers which constitutes over 80 % of the entire route web. Centrally funded â€Å" Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojna † ( PMGSY ) was launched in December 2000, with the end of supplying all-weather route connectivity more than 45 % of families are still non connected by route all the clip. To accomplish the nonsubjective the nucleus web construct is introduced. The nucleus web is composed of bing roads and main roads which are non connected lodging constructed. Primary web is non all bing roads since the end is to set up â€Å" basic entree â€Å" , i.e. , one all-weather route connectivity to each flat. In the present survey attempts have been made to develop the route web nucleus or to place the roads that constitute the chief route web. a rapid method of placing roads in the computing machine nucleus web was developed. Mentions: – Degree 0Asia Pacific Institute of Information Technology 2014

Japanese and centralization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Japanese and centralization - Essay Example However, in tandem with an understanding that centralization establishes and upholds a natural order, the piece also indicates that the â€Å"unsettled† minds of the people and the doubt that they have for the future is likely to create a significant hardship for any that would attempt to establish a further level of centralization or control over the territories. Likewise, the second document, entitled â€Å"The Capital, Taxes, and the Army†, written in 646 AD also compounds the importance and need for centralization. In such a way, the author focuses on the need to maintain a national army and the importance of subservience and loyalty that this army will have to the emperor. Yet, rather than focusing on how this could be established, the article returns to the competing interests of tribal warlords and those that might wish to have a disproportionately large say in the affairs of the newly created state. The undertone of the entire article is one that leaves the reader with little question that these types of individuals cannot be won over to the cause and must ultimately be coerced by force to engage in the process of centralization. Similarly, the third document, entitled â€Å"The Corruption of Local Officials†, focuses, not surprisingly, on the high levels of corruption being a stumbling block to further levels of centralization. With these local officials withholding money and tribute for themselves, the degree and extent to which a central emperor can raise taxes and have sway over a given region was obviously

Hovey Insurance & Financial Services Final Report Research Proposal

Hovey Insurance & Financial Services Final Report - Research Proposal Example The company is adopting a new approach that is the technology approach which will help the company to fulfill and achieve the objectives that it wants to achieve. It hired a designer to create their company website which would inform the people of all the products and services that the company provides. Along with the new marketing strategy, the company faces a number of challenges that it has to overcome in order to create awareness about their website. The company is using different approaches which would help them to achieve a greater market share and also increase their sales (Admin 2010). 1.1 Purpose I was asked to perform two tasks by the company. Firstly, I had to search for a website designer who would make a plan to create a website for the company. I was responsible for creating the contents of the website and also work with the designer so that there exists collaboration between both of us. Secondly, I had to create a marketing plan which would attract the consumers toward s the website of the Hovey Company. I was given a time of two months at the most for the completion of the tasks. In order to complete the work in the given time, I took out time every week in order to see the amount of time that the execution can be carried out and also check if the plan needed any kind of reform or change(Nijssen & Frambach 2001). The New Brunswick province is considered to be a niche market and is the main target of the company. Huestis Insurance Group is the parent company of Hovey company which manages the Atlantic Provinces and the Hovey company can also be understood to be an agent or the broker for the Huestis Group (Nijssen & Frambach 2001). A road map was constructed which would help to complete the work and fulfilling the major objectives and plans of the tasks. The first task as mentioned before was to design the company’s website. For this, I selected the three major areas of the company namely life, personal and commercial insurance. Each of the topic had a different color different than the others and consisted of all the information about that type of program of insurance. Every category would have a sub-category for example liability insurance and commercial insurance under it. I also added some details about every category of insurance in order to motivate and attract people to buy the insurance(Nijssen & Frambach 2001). The home-page of the website will consist of the slogan of the company which is ‘Insurance is the Solution’ that will give an overall idea of the company to the people. The website will also consist of the contact numbers of the company as well as their toll free number. The next step was to meet different designers and claim the best design and offer for the website. These steps were important in order to create the marketing strategy for the company on the internet. The first task for me to fulfill was the online marketing for the company (Berry & Wilson 2001). The next objective that i had to fulfill was to create a plan by attracting potential consumers so that they go through the website of the company and come to know about the current services and products(Berry & Wilson 2001). Once to website is fully constructed, I would need to look for different strategies on how to let the customers know about the website and its services. 1.2 Stakeholders The insurance agencies and the brokers mostly sell similar services and prod

International Financial Markets Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

International Financial Markets - Essay Example They lend such surplus fund to the borrowers like households, businesses, governments who want to finance their personal expenditures like purchase of houses, cars and furniture. This kind of flow of funds form the lenders to the borrowers follows two ways known as direct finance and indirect finance. In the former concept the borrowers have access to the finance from the lenders directly. They do this by selling their fiscal tools which represent a claim on the potential proceeds and assets of the borrower. Financial instruments are assets for individuals who buy them and are liabilities for individuals who sell them. Through this process of buying and selling of securities the flow of money is occurs in the economy which is very vital for the economy. Hence financial markets are the medium through which such transactions happen. The financial markets comprises of equity market, debt market, derivative market and foreign exchange market. Each of this market acts as the medium of flo w of fund in the economy. This report will analyse the importance of the financial markets and the role which they play in the development of international trade and economic development. Discussion Financial System Structure The financial system of an economy comprises of three components Financial markets Financial institutions Financial regulators Each of the above components has a specific role in the economy. The financial institutions are important players in the financial markets since they perform the role of an intermediary and hence they determine the flow of funds. The financial regulator’s role is to monitor and regulate the participants of the monetary system. At the heart of this is the fiscal market. It facilitates in the flow of funds in the economy (Cho, 1989, pp. 88-92). Figure 1: Structure of Financial System The financial institutions use financial instruments to regulate the flow of funds in the economy. Financial assets or financial instruments are intan gible assets that are expected to provide future benefits to the owner of the instrument in the form of future cash. Some financial instruments are known as securities which include bonds and stocks (Fry and Maxwell, 1995, p. 282). Financial markets and their economic importance Financial market is a place where there is exchange or trading of financial instruments. The major economic functions of the financial markets are Liquidity Price discovery Reduction of transaction costs. Liquidity The financial markets provide an opportunity to the investors to sell their financial instruments. Liquidity means the ability of an investor to sell an asset in the market at its fair market value anytime he wants. Without this liquidity, an investor had to hold on to the financial instrument till the conditions arise to sell it or the issuer of the asset is contractually obligated to clear the obligation (Stiglitz, 1989, pp. 55-61). The liquidity of an equity instrument is until the company is l iquidated voluntarily or involuntarily. For a debt instrument liquidity comes when it matures. All international financial markets provide some liquidity to the investors though they have different degrees of liquidity associated with it (King, Robert and Ross, 1993, pp. 717-723). Price discovery It denotes to the determination of the price of a traded asset in a financial market by means of transactions between

Learning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Learning - Essay Example Learning experiences present themselves to people in everyday activities through the things they engage in. We encounter different situations in the course of our daily chores helping us learn without our realization. Once one reflects on the occurrences in his/her past life, one can be able to analyze the learning experiences in his life, and appreciate those moments. Throughout the academic semester, for example, I have been able to learn numerous things which have enriched my life immensely. Though some occurred subconsciously, others were instigated by the class assignments I undertook. The English class has offered me numerous opportunities to improve my life through the learning experience. The exchange of materials written by myself and others has profoundly enhanced my perspective of sharing. Sharing can be used as a way of analyzing oneself to find the strengths and weaknesses that exist. Finding the weaknesses in oneself can be an extremely difficult task to achieve. Throug h the criticism, and comments of other people on can be able to analyze himself or herself in a very objective manner. Objectivity in analyzing oneself reduces the probability of becoming paranoid. Critical analysis of oneself can make an individual substantially appreciate the positive and negative comments made by others concerning ones personality or activity. Throughout the semester, I have been exchanging my articles with other students so that they can present to me their views on the articles. The criticisms I received from my colleagues have been essential in developing my writing ability. New ideas have come to my attention through the reviews offered by friends concerning my writing. I have also been able to offer my reviews of others’ style of writing. Through reading their articles, I have been able to get their line of thoughts. This has helped develop my own ability to generate ideas presented in articles I normally write. While interviewing one of my friends ca lled Gideon Park, I came across an intriguing issue which he raised. He believed that structures for essays limited the ideas and creativity for a writer. He believed that the writer at high school level should not be limited to the structure of essay, they should be allowed to write about the topic issued without being restricted by the structures. The issues raised by my friend helped open up my mind. I realized that the issues should be addressed comprehensively to achieve improved creativity of writers. The creativity of writers should be utilized by allowing them to write in their own style. This can also create new writing styles in the English comprehension. Development of the English language can be immensely enhanced by the liberalization of writing styles. Through this discussion, I learnt that, at the university level, this restriction to essay structures was minimal (Tomasello, pg 16). Professors showed more liberalization in the marking of English assignments they issue d than teachers in high schools. Writers were allowed to follow a style of their own liking as long as they handled the topic comprehensively. Professors mark the quality of writing and not the structure as it was the case in high schools. I have been able to interact with people from different places in the world and learn their ways of life. I have realized that the American culture does not only comprise of American. The culture can be termed as a global one since there are extremely many people living in America who are not natives in the country. The effects of increased immigration and emigration have caused people to interact and share cultures. I have been able to learn that the outcome of these interactions has been the phenomenon described as globalization (Bhagwati, pg 156). The effects

Coconut Groove Fire Incident Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Coconut Groove Fire Incident - Research Paper Example This, among other design flaws and failures to take safety measures into consideration, led to the tragic incident. This paper seeks to give an in depth analysis of the events that led to the fire, and changes executed by fire and safety departments across America to avoid a repeat of the tragedy. The Cocoanut Grove Fire and Potential Causes To understand why the Cocoanut Grove fire was not easily contained, and why it claimed so many lives, it is imperative to get an idea of its original layout. This facility had three exits, on the Shawmut, Piedmont and Broadway sides (Boston Fire Historical Society, n.d). The building’s main entrance comprised of a single revolving door on the Piedmont Street side. The entrance opened into Cocoanut Grove’s lobby, while the way into the Melody Lounge, in the lower level, was through a single stairwell from the reception area. There were no other entrances or exits from this part of the Night Club. The exit to Shawmut Street was positi oned centrally along the main club area’s wall. Another entrance along this wall, and bordering the performance stage was closed at all times. The third exit was on the side of the new Broadway Cocktail Lounge. This exit comprised of just one door, which unfortunately opened inward. Another contributory factor, to the massive loss of life, was that all other exits that could have enabled patrons to escape were either obscured or locked. For instance, had the door on the side of Piedmont Street been open during the incident, Melody lounge patrons could have exited without having to go back to the reception area (Beller & Sapochetti, 2000). Another imperative safety flaw noted was that, exit points from the upper level dressing areas were through stairs, which ended at the Shawmut side door that was always locked. Additionally, windows on the Shawmut and Piedmont building sides were obscured, making them virtually invisible for patrons inside the facility. Further, the night cl ub’s interior had numerous decorations, made of flammable materials. Some of these materials included fabrics on the ceiling as well as artificial leather used on bars and walls. To make matters worse, the facility had false walls and suspended ceilings throughout, covering the building initial fixtures. There were also artificial palms, for decorative purposes and these were not only in the night club, but also in the Melody Lounge at the basement level. The palm trees’ capacity to burn was accentuated by incorporation of electrical lighting and its affiliated wiring. The lower leveled Melody Parlor also had highly flammable rattan wood coverings on the walls, and most of the furniture in the entire facility had artificial leather covering (Beller & Sapochetti, 2000). Allegedly, a mere eight days prior to the tragic fire, inspectors from Boston’s fire department had scrutinized the facility. In their report, these inspectors indicated that there were sufficient exits, no combustible decorations and enough fire extinguishers to put out a fire, in case of one. Apparently, the only deficit found by the inspectors was the absence of a steel fire barrier between the dining area and the Broadway Lounge. It is crucial to note that, following the facility expansion through inclusion of the Broadway Lounge, the club’s management sent an application for a restaurant license to the town council. Under the new terms of operation, the Cocoanut

Organizational Behavior (1) Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Organizational Behavior (1) - Assignment Example This paper will describe the 21st century manager and discuss how various organizational cultures influence such managers. The 21st century manager is faced with the duty of managing people in this era of change. This era is characterized by technological innovation, deregulation, globalization, new political systems, a new workforce mentality, more service-oriented jobs and a new emphasis on "knowledge work† (Hofstede, 1980). These are the changes that managers and their organizations ought to progressively respond to in order to achieve effective organizational structures (Gomez-Mejia, Balkin & Cardy, 2008). To discuss how organizational culture influences the 21st century manager, it is important to define organizational culture. Organizational culture is a set of shared mental suppositions that guide action and interpretation in organizations by outlining apposite behavior for various situations (Hofstede, 1980). Cultures develop in organizations due to internal integration and external adaptation. External adaptation mirrors an evolutionary tactic to organizational culture and proposes that cultures exist since they assist an organization to subsist and flourish. If the culture is useful, then it embraces the prospective for engendering constant competitive advantages. Internal integration, on the other hand is a valuable function because social structures are requisite for establishments to exist. Organizational practices are cultured through socialization at the workplace. Work environments strengthen culture on a daily basis by encouraging workers to exercise cultural values (Gome z-Mejia, Balkin & Cardy, 2008). Organizational culture influences managers to embrace behaviors that persuade employees to embark on tasks in a constructive and empowering way. Managers in the 21st century have learnt to embrace the contingency approach to management in a business world that is faced with diverse and ever growing pool of management techniques and

Employment law 5 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Employment law 5 - Essay Example minating potential employees especially with the belief that those involved in unions has a better and strong voice when it comes to airing their grievances. Moreover, it shows that the employer does not respect the employment law at all cost. The Labor Management Relations (Taft -Hartley) Act of 1947 dictates that employees should be allowed to join labor organizations with a collective bargain. Moreover, it does not permit the employers and unions from involving themselves in specific labor practices that are unfair hence, ensures and pursued employers and unions in engaging in collective bargaining, in good faith. In essence, the employers are proscribed from intimidating, coercing or even firing employees for exercising their rights to form unions or even become members of various unions especially when hiring them (Goldman, and Corrada 74). State â€Å"sunshine† laws require the release of all documents relating to state business. Are employees’ personal emails subject to public disclosure? Or do state employees retain privacy in personal emails? Although the sunshine laws of the United States dictate that all documents relating to state business should be released. Employee’ personal emails are not subject to public disclosure not unless the emails are related to a criminal offence that should only be handled by the Law enforcement act. In essence, Goldman, and Corrada 87 argues that, the federal and state law does not allow employers to ask or compel the employees to give details that are not related to work or state business. This is seen as a way of intimidation or intrusion of private life. Hence, state employees’ have a right to retain privacy in personal emails away from their state business a fact that has been echoed by the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 all based in the United States of

Human resource development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Human resource development - Essay Example The company employs about 50,000 personnel, in 34 countries and worldwide branded returns in 2011 were approximately ?13bn ($21bn). All the success of Virgin Group can be attributed to Richard Branson effective leadership. Branson dropped out of school at the age of 16 and yet he has managed to build a business empire through his ability to influence his employees towards achievement of his vision and the set goals. Some of the quality leadership traits of Richard Branson are extravert; he is charismatic, loves being around people and fun. Secondly, he respects people and as a result provides great value to the people who work under him. Thirdly, time management; he has managed to build many companies in a short-duration of time- there are always new projects undergoing in the company (Zacharo, 2001). Fourthly, delegation- Branson portrays willingness to step back and allow others to take on key positions in the company. Branson argues, â€Å"For as much as you need a strong persona lity to build a business from scratch, you must also understand the art of delegation. I have to be willing to step back now," he admits. "I have to be good at helping people run the individual businesses – it can’t just be me that sets the culture when we recruit people† (Crush, 2010, par. 4). Branson also encourages people to generate ideas and then he backs them up. He connects with employees across all levels and verticals. He has also build trust among the top management as he gives stakes and does not interfere. Branson is also a leader who always has a vision; he has more than 400 companies yet he is still looking out for more: he sees opportunities for growth everywhere. In spite of his prosperity, he has not let go his profit-making objectives and sometimes he appears to initiate new undertakings on a nearly daily basis (Dearlove, 2007). Lastly, Branson is a friendly and outgoing person, as portrayed in the book â€Å"Business the Richard Branson Wayâ⠂¬  by Des Dearlove (2007). He captivates the employees and public through the unexpected prospect of making the grey world sparkle with fun as well as excitement. He creates an exciting work culture in order to motivate and retain good people (Dearlove, 2007). Richard Branson is a great leader and his unique leadership style has been quite effective; he has shown that any person can get very far in life in spite of the type of background they have and the kind of history they have. He has many leadership abilities and an electric personality, which makes him one of the most influential and effective business leaders in the world. Training and Development for Increasing Branson Attributes Development of the right people- The Virgin Group has developed rapidly because of a clear focus on the development of the right people, using the right systems, the right organizational structure and motivating the groups’ new projects. Leaders should have a clear leadership strategy like Sir Richard Bryson in which the key to build business shrewdness is developing a work environment that enables the employees to use their ideas as well as let go of their pent-up frustration which can build when people have ideas but experience difficulties realizing them

Accounting as a Language Essay Example for Free

Accounting as a Language Essay Accounting is often referred to as the language of business. It is a special-purpose tool for communication about the financial statements and the performance of a company. This can happen through written, natural language by selecting words from a standard vocabulary combining them in meaningful ways. These words are then organised into financial reports according to relatively flexible rules of presentation. Accounting dates back to 1494 when Luca Pacioli published a book called Summa de Arithmetic. It Around the 15th century, accounting records were found amongst ruins of ancient Babylon, Assyria and Sumeria. It is suggested that people relied on accounting methods to record the growth of crops and herds. During the Roman Empire, accounting was quantified and listed as a public expenditure which included grants of land and religious offerings. Money to army veterans was also given. Current Issues affecting Accounting as a language The decline of the U. S dollar is a perfect example of an issue that affects accounting as a language. The objective of accounting theory is to provide a basis for the prediction and to explain accounting behaviour and its events. This theory assumes that a stable monetary unit is present. See more: Social process essay Further decline in the purchasing power of the dollar has affected all realities and its associated languages. Events like this play a vital role as to whether a new language of bookkeeping needs to be implemented. Accounting language must develop theories which are rational. There may be instances where a procedure does not appear to be reasonable. An example of this can be seen with the determination of joint product and by-product costs. The reason why this raises doubts is because it is difficult to allocate costs in a way that accurate costs can be obtained. In addition to accounting language theories being rational is its usefulness. Theories and conclusions are constantly being tested to measure the usefulness of the research provided. According to Harold G Avery, many systems have been neglected as it was not useful in expressing the relevant information to management. It is safe to say that no language will receive acceptance if it cannot be used to an advantage, as this information is relied upon to make sound business judgements and needs to be readily available. So how is this information translated to the users? Ac as a language- Financial data is used to communicate the financial positions of a entity and then translates this to its various users. It is pertinent that in order to evaluate the financial results of the entity, it is necessary that the financial statements of that particular company with either its financial results of the industry or the past results. Ratio analysis is used to determine the status of the company’s ability to pay its short and long term debts. It can also analyze to determine the company liquidity and debts levels, these indicators are critical in determining the business ability to continue operations into the future. IAS 1 prescribes the basis for presentation of general purpose financial statements intended to meet the needs of users who are not in a position to require an entity to prepare reports tailored to their particular information needs. IAS 1 does not specifically apply to the form, structure, and content of an interim financial report but many of the overall considerations as the need for fair presentation and consistency. Globally accounting is recognized as the tool for communicating the financial statements and performance. Without a clear structure for accounting language, businesses and users alike would suffer economically as the financial statements would not be fair and true, which would be costly to us all. Accounting data is used to produce financial statements which depict a picture of entities profitability. This information enables accounting to translate this ‘foreign language’ into one that is understood by its users. This purpose of this translation is to aide sound business decisions. Users who benefit from this can be shareholders, management, government, financial institutions and prospective investors.

Prejudice And Discrimination In Social Care

Prejudice And Discrimination In Social Care As human beings, we socially categorise people as members of social groups rather than as individuals. The reason why we do so is because it provides useful information that cannot immediately be perceived and it allows us to ignore unnecessary information (Bruner 1957 cited in Smith and Mackie: 145). The danger of this social categorisation is that it makes a group seem more similar to each other than they would be if they were not categorised. (McGarty et al cited in Smith E and Mackie D: 165) The process of seeing ones self as a member of a group or self categorisation can have positive effects for individuals within a group. Tajfel (1972) argues that people seek to derive positive self-esteem from their group memberships. (Smith E and Mackie D: 189) As social care practitioners, we work with various social groups such as people with disabilities, the travelling community, young offenders, children in care, the elderly and many others social groups. These groups have been socially categorised and can often be considered as outgroups by society. They are often considered by society to be vulnerable groups and are often pushed to the margins of society and excluded from the mainstream. (Thompson: 2003) The definition of social care is the provision of care, protection, support, welfare and advocacy for vulnerable or dependant clients, individually or in groups (Joint Committee on Social Care Professionals cited in Share P and Lalor L: 5) Each individual who is in need of social care can socially identify themselves as part of a group. Tajfels Social Identity theory suggests that members of a group gain a self-concept and self-esteem as a result of their group membership. Seeing oneself as a group member means that the groups typical characteristics become norms and standards for ones own behaviour. (Turner et al cited in Smith and Mackie: 195). This, therefore results in members of the group acting in group typical ways. This theory can help us to understand the behaviours of various groups we are working with as social care practitioners. For example, a group of young adults who are engaging in criminal activity may be doing so as this behaviour is a norm within their group. It also enables us to see why these groups are considered as outgroups in society and can help us to understand why these groups are seen as oppressed by mainstream society. Tajfel s theory also tells us that often the individuals who make up the group are seen as uniform and their diversity is underestimated. This is certainly common with people who have intellectual disabilities. The ingroup, which in this case is the group who does not have intellectual disabilities, often views the outgroup, or the people with disabilities as all being the same. The individuals who have disabilities are categorised because of their disability rather than their individualistic characteristics and are therefore stereotyped due to their disability. Stereotypes can be described as over generalised sets of beliefs about members of a particular social group. (Schultz and Oskamp: 63) They are the views we form about groups as a result of social categorisation and reduce the complexity of the world into a few simple guidelines that suggest how members of certain groups should be treated (Schultz: 63) They act as generalisations about a group of people in which identical characteristics are assigned to virtually all members of the group, regardless of actual variation among members. (Aronson et al: 2004:466) These stereotypes can lead to both positive and negative evaluations being made about the members of the group. They can also lead to the target group acting in stereotypical ways, for example, one of the reasons why a group of young offenders may be engaging in criminal activity could be a result of stereotype threat. This refers to being at risk of acting in a manner consistent with a negative stereotype about ones group. (Schultz: 69) The group of offenders are seen as an out-group and may feel their offending behaviour is justified because they have been oppressed, but their treatment must be disproportionately severe (Harrower J, 2001:4) Prejudices, hostile or negative attitudes towards a distinguishable group of people, based solely on the membership in that group.'(Aronson et al: 2004:467) can have extremely adverse effects on the individuals within these categorised social groups. Any group that shares a socially meaningful common characteristic can be a target for prejudice (Smith and Mackie: 143) Prejudices against people in marginalised and vulnerable groups are prevalent in the society in which we live. By virtue of their role and the social groups they engage with, social care practitioners witness the impact of inequality on the everyday lived experience of people affected'(Share and Lalor: 110) Ethnic groups such as the travelling community are constantly subjected to prejudices. Much research has been carried out in recent years in relation to this. One survey found that 42 percent of the population held negative attitudes towards the travelling community (Behaviour and Attitudes in Ireland 2000) and another revealed that 72 percent of the settled community did not want the travelling community to live amongst them. (Lansdowne Market research 2001). People with disabilities are another group in society which are subject to prejudices. Often society has the assumption that disability is a form of illness (Oliver: 1990 cited in Thompson: 128) People with disabilities have also been viewed as not fully human, or even subhuman (Brandon: 4). Despite the fact that societys attitude towards people with disabilities has improved over time as a result of moving away from the medical model to the social model of disability which involves the integration of people with disabilities into our communities, people with disabilities are still not regarded as complete human beings of an equal status to the remainder of society. (Share and Lalor: 334) Research suggests that prejudice is learned from the groups in which we belong. Racial and ethnic identity is a major focal point for prejudiced attitudes. (Aronson: 457) Discrimination can be defined as unequal or unfair behaviour toward an individual based on his or her membership in a particular group (Schultz: 63) and is commonly seen in the area of Social Care at many levels. Thompson (2003) outlines many processes closely linked with discrimination. He refers to Invisibilzation, a type of discrimination whereby dominant groups are constantly presented to us, for example through the media, and are strongly associated with power, status, prestige and influence, while other groups are rarely, if ever seen in this light'(Thompson: 2003.13) This is true of many social groups in social care. People with disabilities are rarely seen in the media. Infantilisation, which Thompson refers to as ascribing a child-like state to an adult (Share and Lalor: 2009:278) is also common in social care. Society tends to regard people who are elderly or who have a disability as child-like and dependant, unable to interact in their own right. (Thompson: 88) Thompson also argues that discrimination occurs in other forms such as marginalisation, welfarism, medicalization, dehumanization and trivialization. The Experience of discrimination in Ireland (2004), a piece of research carried out by the Equality Authority, found that people with disabilities reported one of the highest rates high rates of incidents of discrimination both while accessing services and at work. Various theories in the area of social psychology focus on the ways to minimise prejudice and discrimination within society. Allports theory known as the Contact Hypothesis, suggests that intergroup contact can lead to reducing prejudice but only under a number of suitable conditions. These conditions are that (a) the groups in the situation have equal status, (b) are not competitive and (c) have support from the relevant authorities for the contact and (d) have common goals. As social care practitioners, we can promote Allports theory through the work we do with the various vulnerable groups we are involved with. This can be done by promoting social inclusion within the community. Although attitudes towards groups such as people with disabilities have changed over recent years, there is much work needed in order to ensure that this group has equal status within our society. The same can be said for the other vulnerable groups we work with as social care practitioners. The subject of prejudice and discrimination is highly relevant to the area of social care and with the help of research carried out in this particular area of social psychology, we can have a clearer understanding of the reasons why, as human-beings, we develop and utilise these actions and behaviours. By having this understanding, we can develop skills and mechanisms to help reduce prejudice and discrimination, and combat the damaging effects that they can have on vulnerable groups in society.

Making Sense of a Change Management

Making Sense of a Change Management Change management is a systematic approach to dealing with change, both from the perspective of an organization and on the individual level. A somewhat ambiguous term, change management has at least three different aspects, including: adapting to change, controlling change, and effecting change. A proactive approach to dealing with change is at the core of all three aspects. For an organization, change management means defining and implementing procedures and/or technologies to deal with changes in the business environment and to profit from changing opportunities. Successful adaptation to change is as crucial within an organization as it is in the natural world. Just like plants and animals, organizations and the individuals in them inevitably encounter changing conditions that they are powerless to control. The more effectively you deal with change, the more likely you are to thrive. Adaptation might involve establishing a structured methodology for responding to changes in the business environment (such as a fluctuation in the economy, or a threat from a competitor) or establishing coping mechanisms for responding to changes in the workplace (such as new policies, or technologies). This book review is an attempt to understand the theoretical background for the changes that occur on individual as well as on organizational basis. The book Making Sense of Change Management: A complete Guide to the Models, Tools Techniques of Organizational Change written by Esther Cameron and Mike Green, highlights and explain different theories presented by the renowned businessmen, economists and educationists regarding different changing phenomenon appearing on the horizon of business world. Cameron and Greens objective for writing this book is to help their reader understand why change happens, how change happens, and what needs to be done to make change a more welcoming concept by carefully reviewing a wealth of resources that provide models, tools, and techniques of organizational change. Their purpose is not to explain how to plan and then implement a change initiative program. Rather the material presented in this book assist the readers to comprehend the change, its natu re, how it can be assessed and related to a particular situation and what type of outcomes can be carved out of the responses received on individual and organizational basis. Introduction of the Book The book Making Sense of Change Management: A complete Guide to the Models, Tools Techniques of Organizational Change is written by Esther Cameron and Mike Green. This book is about making sense of change management. The world we live in is continuously undergoing rapid changes at an intense rate. Each day dawns with a new invention, with an important discovery emerging from almost every field of life. The rate of change and discovery outpaces our potentials to keep up with them. The organization we work in or rely on to meet our needs and demands are also changing dramatically in terms of their strategies, their structures, their systems cultures, their boundaries and of course their expectations and responses to their stakeholders. This book and its writers Cameron and Green seems to hold the objective of helping their readers understand why change happens, how change happens, and what needs to be done to make change a more welcoming concept by carefully reviewing a wealth of resources that provide models, tools, and techniques of organizational change. Their purpose is not to explain how to plan and then implement a change initiative program instead of this their focus is on developing an understanding among their readers. The material in this volume is carefully organized within two parts. Part one, of this book is named as The Underpinning Theory and is comprised of first four chapters. Individual change is at the heart of everything that is achieved in organizations. Once individuals have the motivation to do something different, the whole world can begin to change[Individuals] are to some extent governed by the norms of the groups they belong to, and groups are bound together in a whole system of groups of people that interconnect in various habitual ways. So the story is not always that simple. Individuals, teams, and organizations all play a part in the process of change, and leaders have a particularly onerous responsibility: that is, making all this happen. Part Two The Applications is comprised of last four chapters (Chapters 5-8): In this Part, having looked at change and change management from three different perspectives (i.e. individual, team, and organization) and the roles, styles, and skills needed to become a successful leader of change, Cameron and Green apply this learning to specific types of change. They claim: We have identified four generic change scenarios, and we look at the particular management challenges involved in initiating and implementing each type of change. These change scenarios are structural, mergers and acquisitions, cultural, and IT-based process. Summary of the Book The very first chapter of the book draws together the key theories of how individuals go through change, using various models to explore the phenomenon. This chapter aims at providing managers and policy makers an insight and understanding of the change process and how it affects individuals and what strategies can be used to help the people to go through transition or transformation process without bearing a stress. Many of the change scenarios that you find yourself in require you to learn something new, or to adjust to a new way of operating, or to unlearn something. Buchanan and Huczynski (1985) define learning as the process of acquiring Knowledge through experience which leads to a change in behavior. Learning is not just an acquisition of knowledge, but the application of it through doing something different in the world. But learning to do something new usually involves a temporary dip (downfall) in the performance. When learning something new we tend to be more focus on that and become conscious of that change in our learning resulting in a change of our behavior. But once we have learnt that skill or has become habitual of that change our attention to that factor decreases and we are less conscious of it in other words we are unconsciously competent on that skill. There are four key schools of thought when considering individual change: The behaviorist approach is about changing the behaviors of others through reward and punishment. This leads to behavioral analysis and use of reward strategies. The cognitive approach states that the desired results can be achieved through positive reframing or the reinforcement of some desired attitudes. The writers believe that by setting goals and providing guidance and coaching to the employees or the people who are being affected by the change can ease the process of implementation of change. This approach link goal to motivation. The psychodynamic approach is about understanding and relating to the inner world of change. This is especially significant when people are going through highly affecting change. This approach treats people as individuals and understand their emotional states. The humanistic psychology approach in the personal development and growth of the employees by providing them a healthy atmosphere and fair chances to improve their skills to adapt to changing environment. The individuals history, the organizations history, the type of change and the consequence of the change are also key factors in an individuals response to change. Schein identified two competing anxieties in individual change: survival anxiety versus learning anxiety. Survival anxiety has to be greater than learning anxiety if a change is to happen. He advocated the need for managers to reduce peoples learning anxiety rather than their survival anxiety. The individuals in an organization work together sometimes in the form of groups or sometimes in the form of a team. Teams and groups have been differentiated in this book on the basis of their different characteristics and reasons for existence. Teams are considered more important for the organizations for accomplishing large or complex tasks. There are many types of organizational team, each with their significant benefits and downsides. Teams can be more effective by addressing five elements: Team mission, planning and goal setting; Team roles and responsibilities; Team operating processes; Team interpersonal relationships; Inter-team relationships; Teams relationships with the management. Teams are not built overnight. It takes time to develop as a team and have goal oriented affiliation among the team members. Tuckmans forming, storming, norming and performing model is useful for understanding the process. The team development process involves different leadership challenges at each stage. This book has made use of Bions work that highlights four possible pitfalls that need to be worked through. These are as follow: dependency fight or flight pairing cosiness The composition of a team is an important factor in determining how it can be successful. According to Belbin well-rounded teams work best. The Myers Briggs profile allows mutual of team members preferences for initiating or adapting to change whereas Belbins team types offer a way of analyzing a teams fitness for purpose and encouraging team members to do something about any significant gaps. The writers insist that the leaders should be aware of the type of team that can best suit the change process and how to manage that for effective and efficient achievement of the desired goals. Organizational behavior and assumptions how things really work are really important in determining the organizational response to change. This book deeply reviews the range of models and approaches developed by the significant authors in the field of business and socio-dynamics. The writers state that it is very important for the leaders and the individuals to understand their own assumptions about managing change, in order to challenge them and examine the possibilities offered by different assumptions. Comparisons of assumptions held by the employers and employees are very useful and increased understanding of each others perspective help to reduce frustration. Gareth Morgans work on organizational metaphors provides a useful way of looking at the range of assumptions that exist about how organizations work. The four most commonly used organizational metaphors are: The machine metaphor The machine metaphor is deeply ingrained in our ideas about how organizations run. According to it the project management and planning oriented approaches can be used to tackle the change. The political metaphor The political map of organizational life is recognized as vital key factor to organizational change. The organism metaphor This model is very prevalent in the human resource world, as it underpins much of the thinking that drove the creation of the HR function in organizations. The organism metaphor views change as a process of adapting to changes in the environment. The focus is on designing interventions to decrease resistance to change, and increase the forces for change. The metaphor of flux and transformation The metaphor for flux and transformation appears to model the true complexity of how change really happens. If we use this lens to view the organizational life it does not lead to a neat formulae or concise how to approaches. To be an effective manager we need to be flexible and select appropriate models and approaches for particular situations. Some of these models suggested in this book are as follow: Kurt Lewin three step model Bullock and Battens planned change approach Philip Kotters eight steps to change Beckhard and Harris change formula Nadler and Tushman Congruence model William Bridges model for managing the transition Carnalls change management model Senge systemic model Stacey and Shaw complex responsive processes. Different metaphors of change lead to different assumptions about what good leaders do. The writers of this book believe that the most effective ideas about change combine a number of metaphors, bringing the maximum benefits and avoiding the pitfalls of blinkered thinking. A popular notion of leadership is of the hero leader who leads from the front with determination, great vision and independence of mind. Bennis distinguished leadership from management and placed visionary leadership high on the agenda. Heifetz and Laurie and Jean Lipman-Blumen all argue against the need for visionary leadership. They advocate adaptive leadership which is about taking people out of their comfort zones, letting people feel external pressure and exposing conflict. Jean Lipman-Blumen instead emphasizes the need for leaders to ensure connectivity. Different metaphors of the change process imply different leadership roles. Senge advocates dispersed leadership, identifying three key types of leaders in an organizational system. If these three roles are in place and are well connected then change will happen naturally. Mary Beth ONeil names four key roles. Thoughts and actions i.e inner and outer leadership are both important for achieving organizational change. According to Kotter the hard work in the earlier stages of change process are vital for the success whereas Rosabeth Moss Kanter suggests that the harder part comes in the middle and the perseverance is necessary for success. Covey lists a set of principles and guidelines to help leaders to develop positive thinking pattern. The writers believe that the leader of change has to be courageous and self aware. He has to choose the right action at the right time and to keep a steady eye on the ball. However the leader cannot make the change happen alone. A team needs to be in place wit well thought out roles, and committed people. In this book the writers have identified four generic change scenarios and has looked at the particular management challenges involved in initiating and implementing each type of change. These change scenarios are: Structural change Mergers and acquisitions Cultural change IT- based change. Restructuring is an ever present phenomenon in todays organizations, though it could be highly unrewarding for those who initiates and those who experience it. But the leader needs to define the new changes with a clear vision and describe the objectives and goals of new structure, roles, and responsibilities, work processes for the individuals, interpersonal relationships in and out of the organization and new organizational and departmental strategies for the successful achievement of goals of organizational change. Mergers and acquisitions are another modern trend iof combating emerging environmental and technical changes. There are usually five main reasons for undertaking a merger or acquyisition: Growth Synergy Diversification Integration Deal doing Writer have suggested five golden rules for leaders to follow for effective mergers and acquisitions , which are as follow: communicate constantly get the structure right tackle the cultural issues keep customers on board use a clear overall process Culture is not just about induction programmes, it is everywhere in organizational life. Culture is vitally important for the organization because of its impact on performance. If the culture has to be changed we need to first develop an understanding about how it evolves. Schein (1999) suggests that there are six ways in which culture evolves. Some of these can be influenced by the leader and some cannot. A general evolution in which the organization adapt to its environment. A specific evolution of teams and sub-groups within the organization to their different environments. A guided evolution resulting from cultural insights on the part of leaders. A guided evolution through encouraging teams to learn from each other A planned and managed culture change through creation of parallel systems of project oriented task forces. A partial or total cultural destruction through new leadership. The writers suggest guidelines for achieving successful cultural change which is as follow: Always link to organizational vision, mission and objectives Create a sense of urgency and continually reinforce the need to change Attend to stake holder issues Build on the old and step into the new Generate enabling mechanisms create a community of focused and flexible leaders Insist on the collective ownership of the change. For having an IT-based change the organization needs to align organizational strategy with IT strategy other wise such changes will cause some major problems for the organization. My opinion about the book The book Making Sense of Change Management: A complete Guide to the Models, Tools Techniques of Organizational Change written by Esther Cameron and Mike Green, is about making sense of change management. The world we live in is continuously undergoing rapid changes at an intense rate. Each day dawns with a new invention, with an important discovery emerging from almost every field of life. The rate of change and discovery outpaces our potentials to keep up with them. The organization we work in or rely on to meet our needs and demands are also changing dramatically in terms of their strategies, their structures, their systems cultures, their boundaries and of course their expectations and responses to their stakeholders. This book and its writers Cameron and Green seems to hold the objective of helping their readers understand why change happens, how change happens, and what needs to be done to make change a more welcoming concept by carefully reviewing a wealth of resources that provide models, tools, and techniques of organizational change. Their purpose is not to explain how to plan and then implement a change initiative program instead of this their focus is on developing an understanding among their readers. The material in this volume is carefully organized within two parts. This book is a great resource for managers thrown into the midst of change, who need to gain understanding of what happens when you try to make significant changes in a business, and how best to manage people through it. This book is really helpful for leaders and managers in organizations to make sense of change management, providing insights into different frameworks and describing ways of approaching change at an individual, team, and organizational level. This book can be a guideline for any organization that needs to understand why change happens, how it happens and what needs to be done to make a change a welcome, rather than an unwelcome, visitor. It offers considered insights into the many frameworks, models and ways of approaching change and helps the reader to apply the right approach to each unique situation. This is a book that lives up to its titleit really does provide a toolkit to make sense of change. Every theory or main concept is accompanied by Stop and Think section where questions are listed to help the reader to reflect about what they have read in that section of the book. They also provide a chance to apply their theoretical knowledge to the real world situation and in this manner; way for cognitive and constructive learning is paved. The only thing which seems to be missing from this book is the case study. If each section or chapter is supplemented with a real world case study, this toolkit will become more effective and sharpen problem solving skills of the readers at one hand and an instant application of their learned skills on the other. Overall its an impressive practical book that will help managers who are looking for ideas rather than instruction. This is theoretically underpinned book on change which recognizes a multiplicity of perspectives.

Attitude Towards Women in Virgils Aeneid :: Aeneid Essays

Attitude Towards Women in Virgil's Aeneid In Susan Wiltshire's essay, she accuses Virgil as being a woman-hater. "Vergil is seen to portray female characters on both the human and the divine levels as irrational and subordinate, while male characters are rational and hierarchially superior" (Wiltshire) While trying to prove her conviction of Vergil's epic, she goes on to say, "for example, Perkell hypothesizes that Vergil altered the traditional stories about Creusa and Dido expressly in order to portray women as victims of the Roman mission and Aeneas's inattention." (Wiltshire) While she does admit that Vergil did not only discredit women, but men too, she felt that his feeling towards women was much more prejiduce than men. While women are labeled to be quite unstable, Virgil gives us such an indepth look at the private lives of these characters that you can't help but wonder if he was merely trying to capture what is "real" in society. "It is extraordinary that Vergil takes any account, much less the extensive account he does, of the struggles, pains, hopes, and diappointments of relationships in the private realm." (Wiltshire) I have to agree with this statement because it is quite abnormal to see this type of intamacy between characters in an epic. You can truly relate to this story. These characters are not seen just as heroic, but human. You see jealousy between women because of looks, much like we see today. Women, as sad as it is, really can be quite shallow when it comes to physical appearance. We see it all over the media with women paying thousands of dollars for cosmetic surgery so they can "feel better about themselves", but really, they are just trying to win some type of competition. We also see in the story what someone must sacrifice in order to fulfill their goals. Though Aeneas's destiny was much more grand than many of our own, we still must make choices that can sometimes hurt others. I really thought that Vergil captured our inner emotions with the affair between Dido and Aeneas.

John Stuart Mills Essay -- Essays Papers

John Stuart Mills John Stuart Mill was one of the most well regarded and widely renowned philosophers and economists in history. He was considered a philosophical genius by the age of 20, and was mainly taught only by his father. His father believed that he should be educated and be taught many different languages and philosophies to become a well-rounded individual. When he had to end his studies early in life because of a mental breakdown at the age of 20, he soon recovered and was something different than when he first studied. Not long after he recovered he showed how different he was than his father and began writing in the Westminster review. He has widely been known for his views on liberalism that he showed in On Liberty. Mill believed that the individual was essentially sovereign over his own mind and body, a belief known as individual autonomy. The only thing individuals could do justifiably to violate other individuals' autonomies was in pursuit of self-protection, where the other individuals had broken into theirs first. Millsian philosophy was completely against negative liberty, or the absence of restraint, chaos. However, on the other end of the spectrum, Mill also opposed the tyranny the majority could impose on any minority, particularly the individual, by way of legislative control. Mill strongly believed in the practice and respect of law, and that minorities of any sort should be protected and only suppressed if the greatest good for...

Coffee and Starbucks Essay

Starbucks has been the most successful coffee chain using their aggressive expansion strategies to surpass its competitors. Through its expansion, Starbucks has focused on creating a dense network of stores all around US, while also opening up new locations all around the world. However, Starbucks’ aggressive expansion strategies have posed major threats to its financial health such as tight cashflows, increase debts, poor liquidity ratios and etc. In addition, this approach can exacerbate competition among close Starbucks stores. Due to the aggressive expansion, Starbucks has lost its internal focus in its core business coffee and its unique â€Å"Starbucks Experience – third place†. The issues are how Starbucks can stay profitable in the future and at the same time sustain its dominant position in the gourmet coffee industry. We have examined the industry analysis that focuses on the industry trends, the firm competitive environment and followed by a SWOT analysis on Starbucks. Finally, we look at the company strategy analysis that focuses on the Starbucks’ strategic intent and its strategic position. From these analyses, we recommend a few options where Starbucks should pursue moving forward in order to avoid further decline and sustain its dominant position. .:Company Background & History:. Starbucks Coffee, Tea and Spice was established in 1971 by Jerry Baldwin, Zey Siegel and Gordon Bowker in Seattle to sell roasted coffee beans and coffee machines. (See Exhibit 1 for timeline) At that time, the founders’ philosophy was to provide high quality coffee and educate the public the art of appreciating fine coffee. It was the founders’ passion and strong commitment on educating the public that attracted Howard Schultz to join Starbucks in 1982 as the head of the marketing department, overseeing the company’s retail stores. On one of his business trips to Milan, Italy, Schultz stumbled upon an opportunity to revamp Starbucks and shift its focus from its original business activities. Schultz’s new business proposition for Starbucks was to serve freshly brewed coffee at their outlets which he sold to the founders without success. After many unsuccessful attempts, he left the Company. In 1987, Schultz acquired Starbucks from the founders and changed its name to the more abbreviated ‘Starbucks’ and modified her logo to what we see today. After the acquisition, he introduced the idea of ‘The Starbucks experience’ to all Starbucks’ outlets; that is to create a comfortable atmosphere for patrons to relax. From then on, every Starbucks outlet was the perfect duplicate of this concept. In 1992, Starbucks had launched an IPO and its common stock was being traded on the Nasdaq. In 1995, Starbucks venture overseas and formed a joint venture with SAZABY Inc to open Starbucks stores in Japan. In 1996, Starbucks first oversea outlet was opened in Tokyo. Today, Starbucks has a total of 7,087 Company operated stores and 4,081 License stores in US. Additionally, it has 1,796 Company operated stores and 2,792 Joint Venture and License store operating in other 43 countries. .:Definition of the Industry, Competitors and Scope of Analysis: Generally, Starbucks is in the Food and Beverages industry. However for the purpose of this paper, we would define Starbucks to be in the gourmet coffee industry with the following competitors : †¢Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf; †¢Costa Coffee; †¢Caribou Coffee (See Exhibit 2 for a brief write up on reasons for the choice of these competitors and some background information of them) For the purpose of this paper, our analysis will be focusing on Starbucks in US and Australia. The next section provides an overview of the gourmet coffee industry and the competitive environment in US and Australia. .:Overview of the Industry:. .:Political Forces:. Generally both the US and the Australia political situation appeared to be well established and stable. This will provide a good platform for both current businesses and new businesses to operate in. In US, despite the current verge of recession, the political mood is still likely to favour increased regulation of businesses. In addition, even though international tensions are likely to remain but their impact on political stability and economy will remain minimal. Similarly in Australia, the political climate is likely to remain relatively stable. Although the relationship between the federal government and the states had been rocky in the past; it has improved after the introduction of a more stable formula for revenue distribution. .:Economical Forces:. US: Real economic growth is expected to slow from an estimated 4% in 2008 to 3. 8% in 2009. The modest slowdown reflects the impact of lower demand from its trading partner. As these exists imbalances in the economy and the poor short-term outlook for growth, it is assumed that conditions in the US are now recessionary and that growth will remain very weak in 2009. This will in turn affect the GDP and the disposable income of its residents. Australia: Traditionally, rapid growth in Australia has been slowdown recently due to recession. Improved monetary and fiscal management have reduced macroeconomic volatility, but risks and imbalances are present. The low domestic savings rate renders the banking system dependant on foreign financing. The current account deficit is large, and international financial markets may start to worry about the underlying causes. Bubble conditions also seem to exist in the housing market. .:Socio-cultural Forces: Consumers’ Perceptions and Disposable Income:. US: There had been an increase in coffee consumption in the US market though the rate had slowed down in 2005 posing threats to coffee retailers. Recently, US consumers had increasingly opt for healthier hot drinks such as tea and RTD beverages which affect coffee consumption rate. The trend is likely to continue, leading to decline in coffee consumption. Australia: Coffee sales had experienced quite lukewarm growth from 2000 to 2005. The culture of cafe had caused more people to opt for on-trade sales coffee at the cafe instead of home-brewed coffee. According to BIS Shrapnel, people increasingly tend to go to cafes for their coffee and there is an increase of 50% within 2 years in coffee consumption. .:Technological Forces: Technological Developments:. Technological changes have created many new products and processes. It helps to reduce costs, improve quality and lead to innovations which in turn benefits consumers as well as organizations. Many organizations in the gourmet coffee industry had recognized the importance of providing wireless internet access and Wi-Fi hotspots to its patrons. These technology advances had created a leisure place for patrons to surf net or hang out after home and work. Most of the organizations had also introduced automated coffee machines to speed up the brewing process so as to shorten waiting time. To further improve business operations and efficiency, some organizations have also make use of information technology systems to help them run their businesses more smoothly. .:Environmental Forces:. With major climate changes occurring due to global warming, many organizations in the gourmet coffee industry had increased their environment awareness by reduced the usage of disposable cups to serve coffee and increased the use of ceramic mugs. Furthermore, the organizations had also reduced the size of their paper napkins, paper bags and in store garbage bags. The organizations were also encouraged to purchase Fairtrade certified coffees so as to promote responsible environmental and economic efforts. The following section presents our analysis of gourmet coffee industry with the aid of Michael Porters 5 Forces model. .: Analysis of Gourmet Coffee Industry- Porter 5 Forces:. Please refer to exhibit 3 for the criteria used for the scoring of each forces and an analysis of each forces. Force #1: Threat of New Entry:. †¢Threat of new entry is high. †¢High start up cost involved in purchasing equipments, sourcing for coffee beans and training barista. †¢Strong brand identity leading to high switching cost for consumers Score: 10 Force #2: Threat of Substitutes:. †¢Substitutes are gourmet coffee of a different brand †¢Current gourmet coffee industries is saturated †¢High switching cost. †¢Threat of substitutes considered to be relatively high Score: 6 Force #3: Bargaining Power of Suppliers:. †¢Majority of commercially available coffee beans come from a few industrializes countries. †¢Increase the cost of coffee houses in sourcing and gaining access to these high quality coffee beans. †¢Bargaining power of suppliers is relatively high Score: 5 Force #4: Bargaining Power of Consumers†¢Bargaining power of customers is relatively neutral. †¢Current player gained brand loyalty †¢Product differentiation helps to retain current customer and attract new customers. †¢However price sensitive customers might seek for cheaper alternative. Score: 0 Force #5: Rivalry between Competitors:. †¢Intensity of rivalry is moderate. †¢Brand identity and high switching cost is relatively unfavorable to new player that has just entered the market. Score: 3 Conclusion:From the above analysis, we noted that the threat of new entry, the bargaining power of the supplier and threat of substitutes are relatively high. On the other hand the bargaining power of the consumers is neutral and the intensity of rivalry is moderate. Hence from the above.