Advice to Future Students Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Advice to Future Students - Essay Example Consequently, more efficient teaching strategies are developed. In the class setting, the student is required to develop a learning relationship with other students. The course requires training for an effective learning experience. Training can be done through personal effort of the in groups (Jennings 26). A student should, however, develop both training mechanism. Personal training entails personal studying and practice. This is done effectively in a private location. In addition, a student may reflect on the previous classes or focus on the future classes. This enables the students to transition one learning experience to another. Moreover, this provides student with sufficient knowledge of the classroom content. The course also requires practice in both oral and writing skills. Oral skills are acquired through communication with other student. Writing skills may be developed without aid. A student should also be able to access classroom resources such as reading and writing materials. This ensures a student keeps track of course development. With access to reading materials, a student is enabled to practice and refer to notes from previous lessons. In addition, learning resources improve the participation of students in the classroom setting. This significantly improves their learning

HRIS Vendor Analysis Essay Example for Free

HRIS Vendor Analysis Essay Competition is the hallmark of the modern market place and facilitating availability of information has become the tool with which to develop a competitive edge. As a result, the area of human resource information system has been enjoying enormous demand in the US. The popular drive to adopt human resource information systems comes from the need to develop a position of cost leadership. Because the human resource information systems facilitate the availability the information, it reduces costs of operations at the companies adopting the methods. However as the products and services of the five companies profiled here show, these systems, in addition to making the necessary information available, also automate some of the repetitive HR functions. As the profiles also demonstrate, the human resource information system is not just a question of automation, it is also a question of partnering with HR consultants to outsource tasks to more capable hands. For example, client organizations can outsource their payroll processing tasks to Paychex so that these organizations can free up resources to devote to strategic management. The question as to why human resource functions were among the first among business functions to be automated is easily answered. Relative to other business functions, the human resource functions have a more structured framework. For example, the function of payroll processing does not vary from time period to time period. Thus it is a waste of human talent to have human capital spending time in this area. In fact, due to the repetitive nature of the tasks of this sort, human error is all too likely. That is the reason companies like Trinet are offering total human resource solutions built on a platform of integrated technologies so that the part of human resource that is repetitive can be left to the digital prowess of computers. This frees up employee creativity and develops more human capital, giving the companies a competitive edge. However human resource management is not all repetitive. The task of strategic human resource management is the motivation of employees and that cannot be automated. However CheckPoint has a solution in this area in the form of self-service applications for employees and managers. Using these applications, the employees and the managers can answer their own questions. Thus this is a very good empowering tool. Using these applications, the employees and the managers can also evaluate different company benefits on their own and enroll as they see fit. Administaff offers a different business model according to which the company partners with client organizations to share HR functions. This is of strategic importance to the client organizations because by outsourcing HR functions, these organizations can focus on their core competencies and thus further hone their strategic focus. When it comes to adopting a human resource information system, the management of the organization contemplating this move has a major investment in its hands. Therefore it has to conduct an exhaustive cost benefit analysis which will indicate whether the benefits of adopting the system will outweigh the costs. Automation does not always pay off because the process of adoption is out of alignment with the strategic focus of the company. Therefore the management has to make sure that it is automating the human resource functions not just for the sake of automating, but for greater focus of resources on management of strategies for developing a competitive edge. Maintaining competitive edge means that the client organization will continue to change in terms of its work processes. At some point in its operations, the management might have to automate supply chain management as well. In that case, the human resource information system already existing must be integrated into the supply chain management system. Otherwise the company will end up with two different systems maintaining which will be prohibitive in terms of cost. Therefore if I were the management in the market for HRIS, I would want to know from the vendors whether the systems they are selling are flexible and scalable to accommodate different organizational structures. Profiles Name of Organization: Paychex, Inc. Website: http://www. paychex. com Key products and/or services provided: The company provides payroll processing services which allow client organizations to submit their payroll details via phone or web to local payroll specialists in the employ of Paychex. At the end of each period Paychex sends payroll packages containing all processed checks to the client organizations. The company also helps clients in the area of tax services and administration of employee benefits. Customer profile: the products and services described above are customized towards both small organizations with 49 or less employees and large organizations containing 50 or more employees. Indications of organization size: The company has offices all over the US and also in Germany. Currently it is serving approximately 561,000 businesses all over the US. Brief company history and background: It was founded in 1971. At the time there had been other payroll processors in the market. However none of them had been paying attention to smaller organizations with fewer than 100 employees. Yet these organizations constituted the majority of American businesses. Primary focus of operations: To offer outsourcing solutions for administrative tasks so that client organizations, both large and small, can free themselves of administrative hassles and focus on the bottom line. Recent financial performance: revenues in the year 2007 exceeded $1. 9 billion. Name of Organization: Administaff, Inc. Website: http://www. administaff. com/index. asp Key products and/or services provided: Administaff is a professional employer organization that in the form of strategic alliances with client organizations offers services in the areas of training and development, employer liability management, benefits and performance management, recruitment and selection, government compliance and employment administration. Administaff also has an e-business model which facilitates availability of information. Customer profile: the company provides these services mostly for white-collar and skilled blue-collar workers in industries where unemployment risks are low, such as technology, engineering, real estate, light manufacturing, banking, insurance etc. Indications of organization size: The company has 47 offices in 23 markets and is publicly traded on the NYSE. Brief company history and background: the company was established in the year 1986 in April. The current chairman and CEO is Paul J. Sarvadi. In 2003, Administaff was named in Fortune’s Most Admired American Companies for the fifth consecutive year. Primary focus of operations: Sharing of human resource management with client organization in the form of a co-employment relationship. Recent financial performance: 2006 revenues: $1. 4 billion. Name of Organization: TriNet. http://www.trinet.com/

Ethics In Law Enforcement Philosophy Essay

Ethics In Law Enforcement Philosophy Essay Character and ethics are the societys basic tenets. Without these tenets, human relations would become arbitrary and disorderly (Landauer Rowlands. 2001). They assist in interpersonal interactions, the creation of agreements and law enforcement. As such, the issue of ethics is a significant issue for people all over the world, more so in law enforcement. Law enforcers are anticipated to be above accusation in the sense that they should not act in a manner to open them up for accusations (Mignone, 2005). The public expects police officers to be excellent, to exhibit such disposition like being above all the actions that would make a lesser person corrupt. I carried out separate interviews with two police officers as the respondents in my hometown. Not many officers were willing to participate in the interview. I was lucky to have the pleasure of interviewing two law enforcers but on condition of anonymity. For that reason, the said officers will be herein referred to as respondent on e and respondent two. This paper tackles their responses to precise questions alongside my personal understanding of their replies. From my interviews, I got the impression that the two cops were somewhat proud of the ethical choices they make in their line of duty and were confident of always doing their best as law enforcement officers. The Significance of character and Ethics in the area of Law Enforcement When interviewing the first respondent, the following was found to be his perspective of the police force generally. On the importance of ethics and character in the field of law enforcement, he was of the opinion that ethics and character are inseparable. In law enforcement, the officer opined that there are numerous motives for doing the right thing. The first reason he offered was based on the public opinion, and this included their influence on young people who are growing to be citizens of the state and country. The respondent was of the opinion that if the law enforcers fail to have an excellent character they will fail in being a good role model. In fact, he postulated that if they set a bad example, the young citizens would grow to believe their actions are tolerable. For him, in order to enforce the law, it is necessary, first, to examine the things that possibly will sway them to conduct themselves in a poor manner. A law enforce should never allow anyone to alter their vie wpoint in an unconstructive way. According to this respondent, doing so would be falling short of exhibiting good character. When I asked the respondent what between ethics and character is more important, he retaliated that they are both inseparable, but ethics leads to character. However, it was not lost to the officer that one can present an impeccable character but when it comes to following the rules of ethics, fail miserably. According to the officer, the lure of small favors from honest citizens has the capability of influencing the choice of an officer. This can easily impair their judgments. For instance if a person gives a gift to an officer, then the cop is covertly anticipated to return the favor in the form of forms of safety, extra presence of officers, or even disgraceful actions such as letting someone off with a caution and not a ticket. When I asked the second respondent the same question, he presented me with insight into his position on the importance of good character and ethics. According to him, the field of law enforcement primarily involves numerous possible corruption situations. As such upholding of ethics and having a good character is paramount. An officer who catches a suspect with drugs on them can choose to do the ethical thing and show good a good character, which is turn the criminal in, or can let the criminal walk and confiscate the drugs, sell them and make money. An officer arresting a very abusing suspect can get mad and beat silence into him or show good character by doing the ethical thing, which is ignore him, cuff him and turn him in. The second respondent echoed the first one by opining that ethics and good character are so important in that law enforcers are meant to be role models for other citizens. He pointed out the double standards in doing what you are supposed to stop others from do ing. He pointed out the folly of arresting a person who does a crime that you (the officer) commit when off duty. To him police officers are assigned the duty of enforcing the laws and protecting the people. To him they are, and rightly so, held to a higher standard than the citizens are held. They should show others that they are not above the law and demonstrate, by their deeds, how to coexist in the society. The cops, according to him, should follow the laws alongside upholding ethics. Do the interviewees feel that in today, police have more ethics than they had ten years ago? When I presented this question to the first respondent, he seemed to feel that cops are more ethical today than they were a decade ago. This he attributed to extra and improved learning alongside improved leadership. According to him, police officers are nowadays armed with more apparatus and information that enables them to work in a more ethical way and uphold a good character. He points out the fact that a decade ago, law enforcers were not as closely monitored as they are today and were never expected to uphold the ethical standards they are presently expected to uphold. For example, then, a free gift like a cup of coffee was acknowledged by the law enforcers as freebies that they merited for offering services to a society. These small gifts are now recognized as bribes. More stress is being placed on ethics. Delattre, on the slippery incline of corruption, opines that it all starts with a minute thing, which leads to bigger acts until the acts, turn unlawful (2006). The second respondent had a similar response to this question to that of the first respondent. To him, the law enforcers are more ethical nowadays than a decade ago. This, he believes, is for the reason that the public is more watchful of the law enforcers than they were ten years ago. The cops know they are always being recorded on a camera, monitored, or reviewed. His contention, in my view, is that new technology has introduced novel methods of policing everyone. It ensures that officers stick to acceptable standards by introducing checks and balances that were non-existent ten years ago. Everybody, police included, is being watched. According to Delattre, (2006) the main shortcoming with this motivation for ethical conduct is that it is driven by apprehension for being discovered rather than the general ethics and character of the police force. Why do police officers become involved in misconduct? On the question of the reasons why law enforces get caught up in misconduct, the first respondent remarked that the cops he has known to be caught up in misconduct did so out of discontent. Discontent with their life and family alongside their work were cited. Niederhoffer, (1969) opines that loss of faith by the law enforcers in human kind normally generates private and departmental corruption. Cops find themselves not capable of making ends meet with their earnings. In high crime metropolis in which the cost of living is astronomical, police are incapable of paying their bills. The cops also discover that in such metropolis, they can get away with vices such as brutality, or skimming cash from drugs raids. This is so because no one will be willing to castigate an officer for beating up someone who has been selling drugs to their kid or notice a few dollar bills missing from cash from a drug bust as no one knew the original sum to start with. This respondent also hypothesizes that o fficers put in long hours among the worst elements society produces. They see their lifestyle, the money, and the trappings that crime comes with. Slowly they realize that they work more for far less and with their jobs, they will never achieve the material wealth the criminals have. When the second respondent is accosted with the same question, he was of the same opinion with the first officer. According to him, the police swear and desire to offer a safe environment for the society but at times things go haywire in his private life and that could affect his professional life. Personal feelings can, though should not, impair judgment. An officer just having a bad day or with some prejudice acquired in his private life could get themselves caught up in misconduct. This respondent also held the view that an officer can get involved in misconduct for the same reason others do. Officers are after all human. It was also not lost to this officer that the force screening procedure for new recruits is not perfect. A few less-than-ethical elements sneak through the fissures into the force. When they get into the force, they feel protected by the badge to do their misdeeds. The second respondent opined that the societys offhand approach towards unlawful acts at times rubs off on the law enforcers. The moment such an attitude is entrenched in mentality of the officer; it is only a matter of time before the officer commits the criminal acts. Do the interviewees feel that police are trained enough in ethics at the level of the police academy? If not, why is that? The first respondent, replied in the affirmative. The respondent pointed out that there is a recent upsurge in the teaching of Ethics for police officers in Police Academies in the country. This he attributed to a greater media and public awareness of allegations of Police Misconduct. He confirmed that there are both Recruit and In-Service level training for officers in ethics. In the officers opinion it was necessary to equip officers with all the laws and ethics, and train them on how to maintain character traits that are needed to become an excellent officer. When queried on the same issue, the second respondent had an opposite opinion. According to this officer, police in the country are loosing it. Their seniors need to sit back and reflect on the training methods in existence. The methods require either a complete overhaul, extension or a revamp as, in his opinion; they are not working. He went on to assert that some gangsters behave in a more ethical ways than some officers in the country do. He pointed a case of an officer dismissed from the force for molesting female victims of crimes. For him, this was a testimony that training on character traits and how to deal with ethical dilemmas was not effectively offered. Anson, (1983) states that instruction in ethics for police has to be more specific and considerate of time limits. It is however important to note that this respondent was a veteran in the force and therefore may have not been aware of the new methods of training in the force colleges. Should ethics training be offered as continual process for law enforcement officers? The first respondent indentified the need to provide ethics training as a continuous process for law enforcement officers. In his view, an officer can never can never know a lot neither can he or she know it all. He impressed on me the need to learn or refresh novel methods to manage every day unique challenges. Officers must progress their awareness continuously; they must endeavor to uphold a high level of knowledge. The respondent suggested formal sittings as excellent method of teaching new ideas to solve new problems that may crop up. The respondent, in my view, was open-minded, could do whatever is necessary to advance his awareness of ethical conduct, and would recommend the same for the force. Unfortunately, as Delattre (2006) correctly points out scholars are not automatically people of good disposition. Ethics can be taught and drilled; however, the scholars must be of good character and ready to accept the teachings. They must be willing to act in the ethical behavior in w hich they are being trained. The second respondent opined that ethics training should be offered as a continual process for police officers, however, it is important to understand no matter for how long you teach people of bad character they will never take in the teachings. He was on the opinion that there were persons in the job merely for the power. The veteran cop recalls seeing individuals who appeared to be of excellent character at the time when they began work only to disgrace the badge later in their career. These officers started swashbuckling around acting in a manner that is an embarrassment to the force instead of working to improve the relations between the police and the citizens. Officers like those were re-trained and assigned to a desk or some other non-public responsibility. If they were for another time unable to exhibit good disposition and ethical conduct, they were stripped of their budges and guns and expunged from the police force. This is also mentioned in Delattre (2006) where he says that police with uninhibited negative character traits ought not to be part of the police force. Do the interviewees feel that training in ethics would reduce cases of corruption? The first respondent communicated after a moment that he supposes that training would help to diminish the incidents of corruption. He was of the opinion that most of corruption is rooted into the unavailability of knowledge. According to him, unless law enforcers are provided with relevant training or education from others concerning how they are expected to conduct themselves, their single basis of information will be their own conviction that is based on their individual experiences. According to this respondent, a law enforcer who is endowed with ethical understanding will have good basis from which to build up ethical conduct. The respondent though points out that some individuals are simply crooked, and will always be crooked regardless of the education and guidance that is provided. He concluded that officers who are corrupt and irresponsible must be removed from their respective forces as fast as they are proved so. The second respondent agreed in a similar fashion that educating the police in ethics would reduce, occurrence of police corruption. He held that since the late 50s and early 60s the levels and value of education for kids has been deteriorating. He remembers the initial norm that was allowed to deteriorate to nothingness, the Citizenship Class. This was the daily one-hour class from first graders to graduation. Students were actively persuaded and indoctrinated with ethics and morality ideas. This was to integrate them into a law-abiding community. He passionately talked about how the class taught decorum, law and why it is necessary, critical thinking, diplomacy, and judgment, among others. He opined that there was a need to incorporate education regarding ethics to the law enforcement team. He went ahead to lament that there is an apparent raise of instances where ethics have been overlooked among a minor group of law enforcers. This happens despite ethics training having been inte grated into all forces academies, he pointed out. He concluded that there was some inconsistency. This he attributed to the absence of ethical training at early stages. This has affected the ability of some individuals to obey the law even when they are enforcing it. He hypothesized that these crooked cops might perceive an apparent lack of role models for ethical conduct (within the police force and in the community as a whole) and deciding that to hold on to their role in the society is not only pointless, but also insignificant. The respondent was very passionate about this issue. He was of the opinion that early education is weakening the foundation of ethical and moral tenets. Adults with no ethical and moral foundation cannot at all time act decorously, civilly, or with an acknowledgement of the fact that ethics and morals are more desirable than anarchy. During the interview with the first correspondent, I perceived him to be of an extremely fine character. He was patient and considerate. He took time to respond to questions thoughtfully and in an interesting manner. He exhibited a great character, and even politely declined a soda I offered him while I was interviewing him. Through out the time, he did not refer to anyone he has had the joy or misfortune to meet with contempt. He gave the notion that he considers that most human beings are intrinsically good and have the potential for greatness. Aged in his twenties, he is considerably fresh in the force and I perceived him to be a bit idealistic. I thought that either he is yet to be corrupted by bad mind-sets, or he really does exhibit the perfect quality that all law enforcers ought to be exhibiting. In the two interviews, I was able to establish that both officers had been educated in ethics in the course of their service in the law enforcement agency. I sampled these two law enforcers since the two were from dissimilar training generations and dissimilar years. The second respondent had fifteen years of service under his belt while the first respondent had just five years of service under his belt. Ethics and good character are gradually becoming more significant in law implementation. To be able to make and sustain a good working relationship with the society, and secure, professional working with suspects and criminals, it is paramount that an officer be able to manage all circumstances with a level of calm that will guarantee that everybody will come out of any situation alive and healthy. An officer devoid of the entrenched good ethics and character makes errors that can proof to be dangerous to a citizen, the officer or to the standing of the police department. If the public looses the trust and respect for the police, no citizen is secure. The police will not be capable of managing cases as they arise without the public support. Nothing can be more destructive to the police departments and the entire law enforcement profession than acts of officer misconduct and unethical activities. The impacts of unethical acts and conduct are many. One effect of unethical conduct is that it exposes the police department to civil lawsuits. Setting up a defense against accusations not only drains an agency financially but also has a lasting reputation outcome. The second consequence is the individual harm suffered by the supervisors. People loose their jobs or stagnate in their career progress. The involved officers and their family also suffer a devastating public humiliation. Any allegation of unethical behavior in a police person tends to make them to be stigmatized by the community and this can persist in their lifetimes. Thus, by avoiding unethical acts, an officer will be helping a great deal.

Overcoming My Fear of Public Speaking :: College Admissions Essays

Overcoming My Fear of Public Speaking I could barely hold a pen. There was this faint, yet distinctly audible, buzzing in the room; I suspected only I heard it. My hands were shaking convulsively and the writing on the blackboard was blurrier than usual. My economics teacher called out my name several times before I acknowledged her. â€Å"Carol, if the GDP per capita of Argentina falls, what is the most likely outcome? Carol?† she said, in her stereotypical teacher like tone. â€Å"I’m sorry, what was the question?† I asked. I was hardly in the state of mind to be answering questions about GDP and South America. â€Å"Are you sure you’re all right? You look a bit pale. Maybe you should get a glass of water,† she said. What she said scarcely registered. All I heard were the words â€Å"water† and â€Å"pale†. My lack of focus was reaching a comical point; I’m sure my fellow ninth-graders attributed my stupor to either sleep deprivation or a certain plant with intoxicating properties. Unfortunately, my daze was brought on naturally. I soon began to feel my heart pounding faster. I noticed how moist the palms of my hands were, and how cold the room had suddenly grown. My economics teacher, Miss Loyd, went on relentlessly. She was one of my favorites, but I still itched to dart from the class room. I kept repeating to myself, â€Å"stay calm, you’ve got nothing to worry about,† but emotions are never easy to control. The school bell rang, echoing throughout the building. In my ears, it was the sound of an executioner sharpening his sword. I felt my knees give way; I was, however, determined in my resolve. I would conquer my fears – nothing would stand in my way. I made my way out of the class room, and with a shaky hand, pulled out the speech I would soon deliver. I smile as I write this, for I am now quite the orator. This episode of my first speech in front of a large audience will always humble me; unfortunately, I have an ego the size of a small planet when it comes to public speaking.

Chains and Sustainable Development Essay

Those of us who preach the gospel of agriculture with evangelical zeal find the text compelling and convincing. We are regularly possessed by the spirit only to look around and see out colleagues, in other sectors, in country management, or even our senior management doubting, yawning or subtly edging towards the door. We face the implicit query, â€Å"If agriculture can do such great things, why have they not yet happened? †1 The past decade has been one of agro-pessimism. The promises that agricultural development seem to hold did not materialise. This pessimism seemed to coincide with pessimism about Sub-Saharan Africa. Especially for Sub-Saharan Africa the hope was that economic development would be brought about by agricultural development. After the success of the green revolution in Asia, the hope was that a similar agricultural miracle would transform African economies. But this hope never materialised, agricultural productivity did not increase much in SSA (figure 1), and worse, the negative effects of the green revolution in Asia became more apparent, such as pesticide overuse and subsequent pollution. Also in Asia the yield increases tapered off. The sceptics put forward several arguments why agriculture is no longer an engine of growth2. For instance, the liberalisation of the 1990s and greater openness to trade has lead to a reduction in the economic potential of the rural sector: cheap imported Chinese plastic buckets out compete the locally produced pottery. On the other hand, it does mean cheaper (imported) supplies. With rapid global technical change and increasingly integrated markets, prices fall faster than yields rise. So, rural incomes fall despite increased productivity if they are net producers3. The integration of rural with urban areas means that healthy young people move out of agriculture, head to town, leaving behind the old, the sick and the dependent. It is often also the men who move to urban areas, leaving women in charge of the farm. This has resulted in the increased sophistication of agricultural markets (and value chains) which excludes traditional smallholders, who are poorly equipped to meet the demanding product specifications and timeliness of delivery required by expanding supermarkets. The natural resource base on which agriculture depends is poor and deteriorating. Productivity growth is therefore increasingly more difficult to achieve. Finally, multiplier effects occur when a change in spending causes a disproportionate change in aggregate demand. Thus an increase in spending produces an increase in national income and consumption greater than the initial amount spent. But as GDP rises and the share of agriculture typically decreases, the question is how important these multiplier effects are, especially when significant levels of poverty remain in rural areas, which is the case in middleincome countries. The disappointment with agriculture led many donor organisations to turn away from agriculture, looking instead to areas that would increase the well-being of poor people, such as health and education. Those organisations that still focused on agriculture, such as the CGIAR, were put under pressure to focus more on reducing poverty, besides increasing agricultural productivity. However, since the beginning of the new century, there seems to be a renewed interest in agriculture. A review of major policy documents5, including the well-publicised Sachs report and the Kofi Annan report, show that agriculture is back on the agenda again. The most influential report, however, has been the World Development Report 2008 of the World Bank6. This report argues that growth in the agricultural sector 1 contributes proportionally more to poverty reduction than growth in any other economic sector and that therefore alone, the focus should be on the agricultural sector when achieving to reach MDG 1. A reassessment of the role of agriculture in development seems to be required. This policy paper addresses several timely though complex questions: †¢ First, how can or does agriculture contribute to economic development, and in particular how does it relate to poverty? †¢ Second, the agricultural sector has changed considerably in the past decades: what are the main drivers of this change? †¢ Third, what is the relationship between economic or agricultural growth and pro-poor development? †¢ Fourth, how does agriculture relate to other sectors in the economy? †¢ Fifth, who is included and who is excluded in agricultural development, specifically focusing on small farms? †¢ And finally, if agricultural development is indeed important to economic development, then why, despite all the efforts and investments, has this not led to more successes? 2. Agriculture and economic growth This section presents a number of factual observations describing how the agricultural sector changed in terms of productivity, contribution to economic growth, and indicating the relevance of the agricultural sector for poverty alleviation in different regions. Background: some facts In the discussion of the role of agriculture in economic development, a leading question is how agriculture contributes to economic growth, and especially to pro-poor growth. There seems to be a paradox in the role of agriculture in economic development. The share of agriculture contributing to GDP is declining over the years (see figure 1). At the same time, the productivity of for instance cereal yields has been increasing (see figure 2). It seems that as agriculture becomes more successful, its importance declines in the overall economy. Of course, other sectors in the economy can be even more successful, such as the Asian Tigers.

Dont Ask. Dont Tell policy essays

Don't Ask. Don't Tell policy essays The  ¡Don ¡t Ask, Don ¡t Tell, Don ¡t Harass policy on homosexuals in the military should be completely revised. Foundation of  ¡Don ¡t Ask, Don ¡t Tell ¡ On January 29, 1993, President Bill Clinton directed Secretary of Defense, Les Aspin, to submit a draft executive order  ¡ending discrimination on basis of sexual orientation in determining who may serve. ¡ On July 19, 1993, Secretary Aspin announced a new policy for gays in the military, stating that  ¡sexual orientation is considered a personal and private matter ¡Kand is not a bar to service entry or continued service unless manifested by homosexual conduct. ¡ The DoD policy was enacted on November 30, 1993 by Congress ordering the Secretary of Defense to revise the department of defense regulations. On February 28, 1994, after extensive hearings in Congress, the Department of defense instituted its current policy on homosexual conduct in the military. The DoD policy provides that engaging in one or more of the following acts shall be cause of removal from the military: 1. If the member is found to have engaged, attempted to engage, or solicited another to engage in homosexual acts; 2. If the member has stated that he or she is a homosexual or bisexual or words to that effect; and/or 3. The member has married or attempted to marry someone of the same sex.1 Under the policy, applicants for military service may no longer be asked about their sexual orientation and the service may not initiate investigations just to determine a member ¡s sexual orientation. The general population, including military personnel, has had strong opinions on this issue. In Chapter 37 of Title 10 in the United States Code, it states that success in combat requires military units that are characterized by high morale, good order and discipline, and unit cohesion, and that the long-standing prohibition of homosexual conduct continues to be necessary in the circu...

The Cost of Living Essays

The Cost of Living Essays The Cost of Living Essay The Cost of Living Essay Ronda Braxton Public Speaking The Cost Of Living In the early nineteen seventies the cost living was affordable for the American families, As a child I remembered my mother sending me to Pete’s Confection Store, I would put to the items in my little red wagon and bring them home for my mother. The items that Id shop for were eggs, a loaf of bread, milk, and a six pack of seven-up sodas. There is a major difference in the price of these items then compared to now, a carton of eggs use to cost $. 25 cents per carton, a loaf of bread $. 25 cent, milk $1. 5 a gallon, and a six pack of soda was $. 70 cent per pack. Now, the cost of eggs per carton is $2. 50, a loaf of bread is $2. 00, a gallon of milk is $3. 50, and six pack of soda is $3. 00 depending on the brand. In today’s economy the cost of living is even on the rise, this explains the recession that has took over our nation. Some people in the American society barely have enough finances to liv e on the every day necessities to survive in this economic dilemma; as a result, the loss of jobs has lead to poverty in the United States for American people. Basically, people cant afford to buy food, afford adequate housing, or dont have enough money to pay their utility bills. Many people have to seek help through different agencies to help them with their essential needs. First off, the cost of food in the grocery store is very high; the average family of four is spending five hundred dollars a month on groceries consisting of bread, diary products, meats, and poultry. The cost of a loaf of bread is two dollars, milk is costing two dollars ninety five cents, a family sized pack of hamburgers is eleven dollars, and family pack of chicken wings is ten dollars, the cost of food in todays market is ridiculous. Secondly, the cost of utilities has sky rocketed, American families cant afford in this economy in the average family spent on monthly bills in the seventies and present time on their utilities. Electricity around about thirty dollars and gas was thirty – six per gallon for your car even to heat your house and now the electricity can cost you a month roughly $85. 3 and the winter months your gas bill cost is at $125. 00 that is a big difference from the past and present what the cost of energy and gas. Third, In the nineteen seventies the average new house would cost you about thirty two thousands-five hundred dollars even though the average made twelve thousand nine hundred a year in yet that was still high for some people; accordingly to the housing market an average how will cost a family about one hundred ninety five thousand dollar in middle class neighborhood. Prices relate to this economic crisis, many companies had to shut their doors on American society, some went over seas, so unemployment increased were people could not find good paying jobs or out of work; in the same matter, people were losing their homes and some them had to live with other relatives in the same token other’s hand to live on the streets or in shelter because they became homeless. People didnt know how they were going to feed their children because the cost of food was so high, they had to go to out reaches to feed their families on the other hand could not afford to feed their family on their salaries because the economic crush; In addition, high cost of utilities a person could not afford costly prices of electric or gas so they had to go energy assistance for help paying their bill’s. In conclusion, the cost of living has took a turn in history with the unemployment rate that cause many American people to go into poverty in the United States, but we do have more resources now than we had in the past; In contrast, we have numerous of food pantries, energy assistances center, shelters for families or individual person, and we have loan modification programs to lower interest rate to keep our homes going into foreclosure.

The Best AP Style Cheat Sheet Every Writer Needs (Free Download)

The Best AP Style Cheat Sheet Every Writer Needs (Free Download) Clarity and consistency are building blocks of great content. When your writing is crisp, clear, and easy to understand, audiences are more likely to leave your site with a positive impression. Unfortunately, many brands forego style guides, and choose to wing it instead. This isn’t necessarily a fatal mistake by any means. However, it does often lead to content that looks sloppy. Without guidelines to enforce consistency, it’s easy to allow your content to become a formatting free-for-all where commas roam free and nothing follows a  clear logic. The results leave your blog or website looking the Wild West of basic grammatical conventions. If this sounds hyperbolic, consider this: newspapers are written to be as effortless to read as possible. Concise writing and consistent style go a long way toward achieving this goal. There’s a reason why your daily paper sounds how it does. It isn’t just a stubborn commitment to rules for their own sake. Does your content need to be perfect to be effective? Not nearly, no. But, everything you can do to enforce consistency and clarity will help your cause. The Best AP Style Cheat Sheet Every Writer Needs (Free Download) Table of Contents: Free Download What is AP Style? Who Uses AP Style? Ages Abbreviations and Acronyms Cities States Dates, Days, Months, Times, and Years Datelines Numbers Sizes, Dimensions, and Distances Punctuation Peoples Names Hyphens Quotes and Quotations Technology Terms Book, Movie, and Song Titles AP Style Checking Tools, Plugins, and Apps Bonus InfographicDownload Your Free AP Style Guide Cheat Sheet If you’d prefer to keep this guide handy in a portable format, you can download the entire thing as a PDF below. This is a good option for reading on tablets, e-readers, or simply keeping on file on your computer.What is AP Style? The Associated Press Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law  official style guide of the Associated Press, a not-for-profit news agency that’s been around since 1846. It’s often used by news organizations, magazines, and web publications, but brands often use it to form the basis of their own style guides, too. The official Associated Press style guide gets updated year to year. Here’s a look at some changes from back in 2016: Arguably, these changes have led to bloat. Detractors say the guide is excessively detailed, beyond the point of being necessary, or even useful. This author doesn’t disagree with this criticism (hence the creation of this simplified blog post). If following this specific style is important for your situation, though, consider buying the official version. It’s available in both digital and hard copies. NOTE: It’s important not to confuse AP style with APA style. Who Uses AP Style? Associated Press style is generally used by journalists, but they aren’t alone in using it. Here’s a short list of folks who might need to get familiar with it: Journalists Editors PR Professionals Marketers How Do You Denote Ages? A person’s age should always use numerals. When using age as an adjective (using their age to describe an individual), then use hyphens. Examples: The 20-year-old was arrested for underage consumption of an alcoholic beverage. At 34-years-old, Larry Fitzgerald remains impressively athletic. The five-year-old dog greets its owner every morning. Abbreviations and Acronyms Use abbreviations for well-known organizations. Acronyms for Organizations Ex: FBI, NASA, IRS, NFL, MLB, NHL, FIFA. For other organizations, spell it out on first mention, then use abbreviations for subsequent mentions. Use your best judgment. If people are unlikely to understand an abbreviation, then don’t use it. Examples: The FBI agent was assigned the case.NASA announced plans to visit Mars. The MLB has not announced hot dog price restrictions for this year. Abbreviations for Formal Titles Make sure your writing respects people’s formal titles. Some examples include political and medical titles. Follow these guidelines: Political titles should be abbreviated before full names outside of direct quotes. Examples: Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Rep. John Lewis. Medical titles follow similar format: Example: Dr. Michaela Quinn. Which Cities Stand Alone in AP Style? Some American cities are considered well-known enough they don’t need a state abbreviation. This makes sense, since most people know where they’re located. Here’s the full list of U.S. cities that fall under this criteria: Atlanta Baltimore Boston Chicago Cincinnati Cleveland Dallas Denver Detroit Honolulu Houston Indianapolis Las Vegas Los Angeles Miami Milwaukee Minneapolis New Orleans New York Oklahoma City Philadelphia Phoenix Pittsburgh St. Louis Salt Lake City San Antonio San Diego San Francisco Seattle Washington The same goes for the following international cities and country abbreviations: Amsterdam Baghdad Bangkok Beijing Beirut Berlin Brussels Cairo Djibouti Dublin Geneva Gibraltar Guatemala City Havana Helsinki Hong Kong Islamabad Mexico City Milan Monaco Montreal Moscow Munich New Delhi Panama City Paris Prague Quebec City Rio De Janeiro Rome San Marino Sao Paulo Shanghai Singapore Istanbul Jerusalem Johannesburg Kuwait City London Luxembourg Macau Madrid Stockholm Sydney Tokyo Toronto Vatican City Vienna ZurichHow to Format State Abbreviations Every state in the United States has a specific abbreviation. Some of these may not seem obvious. Follow this list to get them right. Alabama: Ala. Arizona: Ariz. Arkansas: Ark. California: Calif. Colorado: Colo. Connecticut: Conn. Delaware: Del. Florida: Fla. Georgia: Ga. Illinois: Ill. Indiana: Ind. Kansas: Kan. Kentucky: Ky. Louisiana: La. Maryland: Md. Massachusetts: Mass. Michigan: Mich. Minnesota: Minn. Mississippi: Miss. Missouri: Mo. Montana: Mont. Nebraska: Neb. Nevada: Nev. New Hampshire: N.H. New Jersey: N.J. New Mexico: N.M. New York: N.Y. North Carolina: N.C. North Dakota: N.D. Oklahoma: Okla. Oregon: Ore. Pennsylvania: Pa. Rhode Island: R.I. South Carolina: S.C. South Dakota: S.D. Tennessee: Tenn. Virginia: Va. Vermont: Vt. Washington: Wash. West Virginia: W. Va. Wisconsin: Wis. Wyoming: Wyo.Formatting Dates, Days, Months, Times, and Years in AP Style Dates and times have a number of formatting considerations. Dates: Follow this format: Monday (day), July 1 (month + date), 2018 (year). Times: Don’t use colons for times on the hour. Ex: 3 p.m., 8:30 a.m. Days: Omit st., th., rd., and th. Ex: July 1, not July 1st. Months: Abbreviate Jan., Feb., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov. and Dec. when writing out a specific date. Spell out names of months when not used to indicate a specific date. Ex: Aug. 3, 2018. Years: Use numerals rather than spelling them out. Ex: 2018, not twenty-eighteen. Other Considerations For Dates and Times a.m. and p.m. should use periods and lower case letters. Never say â€Å"yesterday.† Use the day of the week instead. Formatting Datelines News articles often start with a dateline indicating the location, month, date, and year a story took place. Include city (and state if necessary in the U.S.). Examples: FARGO, N.D. (July, 1, 2018) MILWAUKEE (July 1, 2018) LONDON (July 1, 2018) Numbers Spell out numbers one through nine, and use digits for numbers 10 and higher. The following exceptions, however, should always use digits: Addresses Ages Monetary values. Dates and times. Sizes and dimensions. Percents. Speeds. Temperatures. When Should Numerals Be Used? Use numerals when referring to a sequence of events or people. Examples: Super Bowl XLV Queen Elizabeth II World War I What About Percentages? Always use the full word â€Å"percent.† The % sign shouldn’t be used. That key might feel neglected, but it’s okay. Example: The analyst predicted a 100 percent increase in site traffic. Sentences Starting With Years Avoid starting sentences with a number, unless referencing a year. Example: 1977 was the last year the Minnesota Vikings went to the Super Bowl. Sizes, Dimensions, and Distances Sizes and dimensions should use numerals and spell out units of measurement. The same goes for distances. Examples: The party sandwich was 10 feet long. The delivery driver traveled 12 miles during harsh weather. Bill Smith is 6-foot-5 and plays basketball in his spare time. Punctuation in AP Style You learned everything you needed to know about punctuation in high school English class, right? Well, maybe or maybe not, but this style has quirks of its own to consider. General Punctuation Here are some general punctuation guidelines: Use a single space after a period. Commas should go inside quotation marks. Serial Commas In AP style, commas are not included before conjunctions. However, they should be used to separate each item in a list. Example: I ate a hot dog, pizza slice, burger, and an entire pie. Using Periods Lean toward using periods in abbreviations where applicable. Example: Examples: U.N., M.A., U.S.A. Singular Nouns Ending in S When proper nouns end in an S, add an apostrophe at the end. Example: Sally Jones’ red stapler has been stolen. People’s Names Use their first and last name on first mention. Then, use only their last name on subsequent mentions. Example: David Johnson is a professional running back. Johnson plays for the Arizona Cardinals. Using Hyphens Correctly Use hyphens to connect words in compound adjectives. Example: The larger-than-life performer juggled seven swords. Formatting Quotes and Quotations Here are two points about quotation marks: Periods and commas always go within quotation marks. Use single quotations for quotes within quotes. Example: â€Å"The candy truck spilled all over the highway,† said the driver. â€Å"It’s a real ‘sticky situation’ on I-94.† Technology Terms There are more tech terms and brand names to consider coming out every day. Here’s a list of some common ones you may encounter. Google hashtag Internet Apple â€Å"i† products: iPad, iPod, iPhone, iMac, unless the word starts a sentence. Then, capitalize the I. e-book email Facebook LinkedIn Twitter tweet website Web page YouTube social media cellphone World Wide Web Android AppleUsing Correct AP Style for Book, Movie, and Song Titles Your favorite author, director, or musician isn’t likely to write you an angry letter over incorrect style usage when it comes to their art. An editor probably will, though. Here’s how to get it right every time. Books, Movies, and Song Titles Use quotation marks rather than italics. This goes against what likely feels right, and how you’d normally format them, but those are the rules. Examples: J.K. Rowling is the author of â€Å"Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.† â€Å"Party in the USA† does not make me feel like partying. It turns out that â€Å"Total Recall† was not a documentary. Newspaper, Magazine, and Website Names Use capitalization but no quotation marks nor italics. This blog post uses italics to highlight examples, so the publication names below have been rendered in normal paragraph text. Examples: The Guardian is a well-respected newspaper. Wired is a popular magazine for tech enthusiasts. Bob Jones is unsure where his Cat Fancy subscription came from. Other Considerations Capitalize formal titles before people’s names. Do not capitalize job titles before names. Use quotation marks for titles of books, movies, albums, and TV shows. AP Style Checking Tools, Plugins, and Apps Keeping all of this information straight can be a hassle (and this post only covers the majority of the most important elements to consider). Fortunately, there are several tools and plugins on the market that can help. Here are some worth checking out: AP Style Dates and Times (WordPress Plugin) AP Lingofy (Browser Extension) AP Style Guard (Desktop App) Bonus: AP Style Infographic That’s a Wrap Are there any details we missed? Drop a comment below and share with other readers.

What contribution does human resource management brings towards its Literature review

What contribution does human resource management brings towards its employee related performance - Literature review Example Properly designing and measuring performance is one of the basic and decisive steps that HR can do to affect performance. Performance can also be effectively raised by considering the intersections between individual, team, and organisational motivations. Some studies agree that HR can influence performance, primarily through affecting employee attitudes and behaviour (Tsai, Edwards, & Sengupta 2010), but the causal relationship between the two is said to be more complex (Nishii, Lepak, Schneider 2008). Niishi et al. (2008) explore the right interpretation of HR efforts from the individual perspectives of employees, in order for the target attitudinal and behavioral changes to be achieved. This paper seeks to explore how HR affects employee performance. After carefully reviewing literature, findings showed that HR practices can impact individual performance through an effective performance management system and it can raise team and organisational performance through mediating factor s, such as performance management, emotional intelligence building, collaboration, and affecting organisational culture and employee engagement and satisfaction. Performance of the individual, teams, and the whole organisation Human resource management has evolved to strategic HRM, which designates HR manager as strategic allies to managing performance (Zink 2008). In particular, it is engaged in management development, organisational culture, appraisal system, discipline, environmental issue, diversity, culture, and HR policy dimension (Nemiro et al 2008). Though some still assert that HR should only focus on human resource performance, there is growing evidence that HRM can directly affect performance across different levels, by creating different systems that can impact organisational performance (Tsai et al. 2010; Nishii et al. 2008). Sources argue that HR practices can impact individual performance through mediating effects on perceptions of the connection between reward and pe rformance and management skills. Properly designing and measuring performance is one of the basic and critical steps of performance management. HR can create an effective performance management system to impact individual, team, and organisational performance (Chuang & Liao 2010). Tsai, Edwards, and Sengupta (2010) build on and test an alternative view of the association between HR and organisational performance. Their model argues that organisational performance affects employee attitudes and that the performance-attitude relationship is mediated by HRM practices. To test their model, they conducted management interviews and employee surveys for thirty-two small firms in the Midlands of England that come from diverse industries. Findings showed that HRM practices are directly related to two measurements of employees' attitudes: â€Å"perceptions of management skills and the perceived link between reward and performance† (Tsai et al. 2010, p.15). This provides evidence that H RM can impact links between reward and performance. Chuang and Liao (2010) and Zhang and Li (2009), however, specifically argued for the importance of high-performance HR practices, which focus on concern for internal and external customers to achieve better market performance. In improving team performance, the rewards system must rationally inspire team performance measures (Nemiro et al. 2008). An appropriately-designed reward and pay system can motivate individual members to work as a team (Nemiro et al. 2008, p.63). This means that HR performance management efforts and tools must promote collectivity among individual members, so that each member values and respects each other’s impact on the total team performance. Rajagopal and Rajagopal (2008) investigate team performance in the article, â€Å"Team performance and control process in sales organizations.† The researchers observe that the main characteristics of a good team are that they

To gain insights to some of the factors that will help movie investors Assignment

To gain insights to some of the factors that will help movie investors in making better decisions - Assignment Example Various factors such as budget allocated, market positioning, release timing, and the type of the content are important in addressing the research problem. The results of the model are aimed at predicting the success and failure of movie release in the initial opening week box office. Multi-linear regression and regression tree analysis of the data signified error in data interpretation. The percentage of error ranged from 37 to 43 percent. Therefore, it was important to improve data analysis accuracy in order to provide reliable research result. Data analysis of various variables included release time, type of content played, inclusion of an Oscar actor or producer, and genre. The model used in the research study did not bring out the intended accuracy, resulting into recommendation for a further research. There are myriad ways through which the research model can be improved in order to enhance accuracy. For instance, the inclusion of major variables in the research design such as marketing budget, channels, and running the model on a larger database platform. The research study discusses significant effects of various variables and how they determine success of a movie release. The movie industry is one of the industries that have gained prominence due to prevailing dynamism. Movie investors put into consideration a wide range of factors in the determination of a successful movie. The opening week box office performance has a significant role in predicting fruitful movies. The BIDM report focuses on business prediction model, by carrying out multi-linear regression and regression tree, in addressing the situation. Variables such as budget, the presence of Oscar actor, type of content, release timing, and MPAA ratings have all been put under scrutiny in exploring the success of a movie in its opening week. The return on capital analysis of

Analyzing the Cinematic Element of Suture in the Dick Van Dyke Show Essay

Analyzing the Cinematic Element of Suture in the Dick Van Dyke Show Episode of the Bank Book - Essay Example In support of this concept, Silverman also discusses that for suture to have success, there are three tools that must accompany its use. These tools are shot relationships, narrative progressions and the sexual difference portrayed through the shots taken. By comparing the aspects of sexual difference with the often desexualized nature of the characters in the Dick Van Dyke show, the purpose of this essay is to determine how sexual difference or lack thereof affected the suture used in the episode entitled â€Å"Bank Book #6565696.† In order to complete this analysis, this essay will first establish the principles of sexual difference within suture, give a background on the Dick Van Dyke show as well as an episode summary and then analyze how these cinematic organization tools are seen throughout the chosen episode itself. Upon the completion of these steps, this essay strives to demonstrate how suture and sexual difference influences a viewer’s impression of the Dick V an Dyke Show episode of the Bank Book. Defining Suture As mentioned in the essay’s introduction, Silverman defines the concept of suture as a cinematic technique that when used properly helps viewers forget that the camera is the source of what they are seeing (Silverman). In addition to the overall definition of suture, Silverman also discusses the three supporting tools that can bolster the efforts of this film tool. The first of these tools is the notion of shot relationship. This aspect of suture is comprised of the shot/reverse formation. The basis of shot/reverse formation includes two or more shots that are edited together to simulate what happens when a character looks around or when multiple characters exchange glances (Silverman). The second tool is narrative progression which Silverman defines as a film technique that leads the audience through the story by providing them film shots which literally tell the story. Because of this notion, narrative progression essen tially follows its name as the story line is told through the way the film shots are compiled. The final tool to be used with suture is that of sexual difference. The main crux of the concept of sexual difference is that the footage is based on either the excess of the female body in film footage or the lack thereof (Silverman). By determining the level of female involvement is featured in filming, one can decipher the intent of how the suture is being used. In regard to the Dick Van Dyke Show episode of the â€Å"Bank Book,† the tool of sexual difference is the most appropriate to use to develop the argument of how the filming of the characters of Rob and Laura demonstrates the major variations of presence on film between the male and female characters. Evidence Background As the basis for this essay’s argument, the evidence for this analysis is an episode of the Dick Van Dyke Show. Before discussing the episode in detail and how it can be linked to the sexual differe nce aspect of suture, it is essential to first provide some background information on the show itself. According to the Museum of Broadcast Communications, the immensely popular and iconic Dick Van Dyke Show ran from 1961 to 1966 on CBS. During its five year tenure, the Dick Van Dyke Show helped to bridge the gap between the more vaudeville-style television shows of the 1950’s to the socially-driven comedies of the 1970’

Executive Compensation and Employee Benefits Term Paper

Executive Compensation and Employee Benefits - Term Paper Example A company with a number of products, clear vision and unique ideas stands to lure the most competent candidates in each and every level but to maintain this momentum of better performance, it is imperative that the top executive level secures the best talent. A compensation package which is attractive to ensure these talents are maintained at the top management level of the company since they enjoy significant negotiating power and as such additional incentives up and above the compensation package can be impacting in luring an executive to join an organization. Challenging and unique opportunities do sway employees and thus in addition to an appealing compensation package, employee benefits have been applied so as to supplement it. Employee benefits has been very helpful in enhancing economic security of the employees thus curtailing labor turnover, increasing employees loyalty and improving productivity. Compensation is any kind of remuneration that is received by a person in return for his/her performance of the company's or organizational tasks. There are four common methods of compensation: performance related pay (PRP) such as commission, bonus, time rate and piece rate; fixed basic pay; non-economic benefits such as house, car etc and finally ownership benefits where employees are awarded shares (Reid, 2004). Several factors influence the wage and the salary structure, these include: pressure from trade union, lowest wage rates, existing market rates, supply and demand for a particular job, the employee's qualification and the ability of the organization to pay. Compensation in the form of wages is normally given to a worker while compensation in the form of a salary is normally given to an employee. Executive compensation refers to the way senior executives for the business corporations or firms are paid. Executive compensation comprises of the basic salary, options, shares, b onuses plus additional company benefits (Bagley & Savage, 2006). Forms of Executive compensation There are a number of types of executive compensation which offers numerous performance incentives and tax benefits. They include: Stock options -Refers to the privilege sold by a buyer to a seller that gives the latter a right rather than an obligation either to call(buy) or put(sell) the stock at an agreed price on a particular date or within a specified period (Bagley & Savage, 2006). Stock options ensures the CEOs interests are kept at par with that of shareholders since their value is subject to the price of the stock remaining above the strike price/exercise price (price upon which a stock will be sold or bought upon the exercise of the option) of the option. However stock options are open to abuse through options backdating and excessive risk seeking (Lawrence, 2002). Restricted stock - These are stocks awarded to an executive but can only be sold once a specific conditions are arrived at and it carries a similar value to the stock's market price during time of the grant. Deferred compensation -This is normally applied for taxation purposes and involves postponing compensation up to a certain future date. Executive perks compensation includes travel reimbursements, private jet and extra rewards given to the executives. Retirement packages awarded to executives following their retirement from the organization; this is open to abuse as corrupt executives can attach "golden

Article Review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 4

Article Review - Essay Example The aim of this research was laid out as to understand how the participants for the project triumph over the perceived obstacles to their progress and what methodologies do they adopt for learning in their schools. While this tries to identify the reason behind how a few of the boys perform well and why they do not move to a better school once their talent is identified. The paper takes a qualitative approach. Two schools are taken as samples, which are considered best among the academically unacceptable schools. Eleven students, two teachers and two principals participated in the survey. The survey consisted of a questionnaire with ten open ended questions that would bring about qualitative reasoning to the fore. In this case of data collection, quantitative is certainly the best option and the author has selected the same for the purpose. The inferences drawn by the author during the course of interviews both audio and a form filling one, has been directed more at the target of the research. The methodology adopted and the nature of the questionnaire is the best suited for this purpose. Though, a quantitative methodology analysing the status of the students and the relative observations would have helped in providing large database.

E-commerce Marketing Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

E-commerce Marketing Plan - Essay Example Market Summary â€Å"FISH FIELD LLC is a fishing tackle manufacturer, importer and wholesaler in Oregon.† (Fish Field, 2011) The company is a specialist in fishing equipments. Fish Field focuses more on ocean fishing though the company has significant presence in fresh water fishing too. What started as just a small company is now an established fishing equipment brand in the region. Being located in Oregon, the major market of the company is Oregon itself. But the company also has reasonable sales from other major states through its online sales of the equipments. The current customer groups of the company include both professional fishermen as well as hobbyists. But the larger portion consists of professional fishermen. The company has a huge portfolio of products that cater to the various needs of the customers. The products of the company are currently classified under categories such as fly fishing, general fishing, sea fishing, centerpin fishing and outdoor sport. The co mpany sells around sixty three products through these categories. Fish Field is planning to expand its market by targeting more customer groups. In order to increase the sales of the products, the company will have to expand to other markets outside Oregon through its online presence. ... This marketing plan is also intended to target more of students of the age group 10 – 20. This is a very lucrative market segment for the company. Competition Some of the major fishing equipment suppliers in Oregon are Anglers Manufacturing Inc, Bandon Bait & Tackle Sea Food, Caddis Fly Angling Shop, Cascade Anglers, Cascade Crest Tools, Charlton Deep Sea Charters, Dan Craft Enterprises, Englund Marine Supply Company, Fish Rite Inc Boats, and Glenn Struble MFG. Most of these players have fishing boats in their product portfolio compared to that of Fish Filed. Though Fish Field does not have boat among its product categories, the fishing equipment portfolio of Fish Field is very large than most of these players. This is where the company differentiates itself from other major players in the market. Fish Filed also differentiates from its competitors through its sophisticated online sales presence. Most of the products of Fish Field are sold through its online portal. Most of th e competitors maintain their own websites. Some of the competitors’ websites are just informative in nature. Such companies don’t sell products online. Caddis Fly, Bandon Bait, Cascade Anglers, Englund Marine and Fish Rite are the companies that just maintain informative websites. All other players listed above sells their merchandise online. If Fish Field is able to leverage more on its existing online presence, it can generate more sales than that of its competitors. Most of the competitors are not established brands in fishing equipments though there are few companies that have years of experience. Therefore, to generate better sales, Fish Field should first establish its brand name or make its brand name visible to the prospective customers. Since Fish Field

Executive Compensation and Employee Benefits Term Paper

Executive Compensation and Employee Benefits - Term Paper Example A company with a number of products, clear vision and unique ideas stands to lure the most competent candidates in each and every level but to maintain this momentum of better performance, it is imperative that the top executive level secures the best talent. A compensation package which is attractive to ensure these talents are maintained at the top management level of the company since they enjoy significant negotiating power and as such additional incentives up and above the compensation package can be impacting in luring an executive to join an organization. Challenging and unique opportunities do sway employees and thus in addition to an appealing compensation package, employee benefits have been applied so as to supplement it. Employee benefits has been very helpful in enhancing economic security of the employees thus curtailing labor turnover, increasing employees loyalty and improving productivity. Compensation is any kind of remuneration that is received by a person in return for his/her performance of the company's or organizational tasks. There are four common methods of compensation: performance related pay (PRP) such as commission, bonus, time rate and piece rate; fixed basic pay; non-economic benefits such as house, car etc and finally ownership benefits where employees are awarded shares (Reid, 2004). Several factors influence the wage and the salary structure, these include: pressure from trade union, lowest wage rates, existing market rates, supply and demand for a particular job, the employee's qualification and the ability of the organization to pay. Compensation in the form of wages is normally given to a worker while compensation in the form of a salary is normally given to an employee. Executive compensation refers to the way senior executives for the business corporations or firms are paid. Executive compensation comprises of the basic salary, options, shares, b onuses plus additional company benefits (Bagley & Savage, 2006). Forms of Executive compensation There are a number of types of executive compensation which offers numerous performance incentives and tax benefits. They include: Stock options -Refers to the privilege sold by a buyer to a seller that gives the latter a right rather than an obligation either to call(buy) or put(sell) the stock at an agreed price on a particular date or within a specified period (Bagley & Savage, 2006). Stock options ensures the CEOs interests are kept at par with that of shareholders since their value is subject to the price of the stock remaining above the strike price/exercise price (price upon which a stock will be sold or bought upon the exercise of the option) of the option. However stock options are open to abuse through options backdating and excessive risk seeking (Lawrence, 2002). Restricted stock - These are stocks awarded to an executive but can only be sold once a specific conditions are arrived at and it carries a similar value to the stock's market price during time of the grant. Deferred compensation -This is normally applied for taxation purposes and involves postponing compensation up to a certain future date. Executive perks compensation includes travel reimbursements, private jet and extra rewards given to the executives. Retirement packages awarded to executives following their retirement from the organization; this is open to abuse as corrupt executives can attach "golden

E-commerce Marketing Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

E-commerce Marketing Plan - Essay Example Market Summary â€Å"FISH FIELD LLC is a fishing tackle manufacturer, importer and wholesaler in Oregon.† (Fish Field, 2011) The company is a specialist in fishing equipments. Fish Field focuses more on ocean fishing though the company has significant presence in fresh water fishing too. What started as just a small company is now an established fishing equipment brand in the region. Being located in Oregon, the major market of the company is Oregon itself. But the company also has reasonable sales from other major states through its online sales of the equipments. The current customer groups of the company include both professional fishermen as well as hobbyists. But the larger portion consists of professional fishermen. The company has a huge portfolio of products that cater to the various needs of the customers. The products of the company are currently classified under categories such as fly fishing, general fishing, sea fishing, centerpin fishing and outdoor sport. The co mpany sells around sixty three products through these categories. Fish Field is planning to expand its market by targeting more customer groups. In order to increase the sales of the products, the company will have to expand to other markets outside Oregon through its online presence. ... This marketing plan is also intended to target more of students of the age group 10 – 20. This is a very lucrative market segment for the company. Competition Some of the major fishing equipment suppliers in Oregon are Anglers Manufacturing Inc, Bandon Bait & Tackle Sea Food, Caddis Fly Angling Shop, Cascade Anglers, Cascade Crest Tools, Charlton Deep Sea Charters, Dan Craft Enterprises, Englund Marine Supply Company, Fish Rite Inc Boats, and Glenn Struble MFG. Most of these players have fishing boats in their product portfolio compared to that of Fish Filed. Though Fish Field does not have boat among its product categories, the fishing equipment portfolio of Fish Field is very large than most of these players. This is where the company differentiates itself from other major players in the market. Fish Filed also differentiates from its competitors through its sophisticated online sales presence. Most of the products of Fish Field are sold through its online portal. Most of th e competitors maintain their own websites. Some of the competitors’ websites are just informative in nature. Such companies don’t sell products online. Caddis Fly, Bandon Bait, Cascade Anglers, Englund Marine and Fish Rite are the companies that just maintain informative websites. All other players listed above sells their merchandise online. If Fish Field is able to leverage more on its existing online presence, it can generate more sales than that of its competitors. Most of the competitors are not established brands in fishing equipments though there are few companies that have years of experience. Therefore, to generate better sales, Fish Field should first establish its brand name or make its brand name visible to the prospective customers. Since Fish Field

Cool Quest Video and Reflection Essay Example for Free

Cool Quest Video and Reflection Essay Psychology could influence consumer behavior in many ways. Based on the video, I learned that the brain responds accordingly to what one perceives as â€Å"cool†. With that being said, I’m pretty sure that there are studies that gear towards tis feature of the mind. And companies like Apple use these studies when inventing their newest products. For example, technology has evolved immensely in recent years. When Apple began inventing their latest IPhone, I’m pretty sure that they thought about what would appeal to their consumers. And I’m positive that psychology had a huge impact on their decisions. In my opinion, there a lot of other areas of society that could be impacted by psychology. Such areas influenced are career choices, fashion, and social habits like drinking and smoking to name a few. All of these societal aspects described can be influenced by different areas of the mind. And we all know that in general today’s societies seek to be accepted by all. I know for me the nature versus nurture theory is a huge influence on different aspects of my life. I was raised by a single parent in a poverty stricken neighborhood. My mother didn’t graduate high school. So education is big for me, which would lead to a better career choice. What is fashionably acceptable or not can be related to the video because everyone has a different perception of what is cool or not.

Alternative Careers in Law

Alternative Careers in Law Having a law degree offers a world of opportunities. You dont have to be solely a solicitor. One area you can choose to look at is become a barrister. Barrister If youre not too fond of working with the public and just want to specialize and work mostly in the court room, then being a barrister would be a good choice. Barristers are usually hired by solicitors to help them in creating legal arguments that will convince the juries to side with case of the solicitor. The way barristers summarize the reasons why the court should rule in favor of their client can also be a big help in supporting the case of the solicitor they are assisting. Another thing that barristers do is to cross-examine witnesses. Great barristers can sway or influence the courts decision towards their perspective. Another task that barristers do is to do legal research and turn them into opinions, legal documents, and legal briefs that solicitors can use to strengthen their cases. To succeed in being a barrister, youll need to be very detail oriented, highly analytical and logical. These skills will serve you well in building a career in this niche. Paralegal Another field to look at is being a paralegal. Youll be working closely with solicitors and carry out administrative and support work. This includes preparing documents and doing research for the client cases. Depending on the size of the law firm you work with, your responsibilities could vary. In smaller firms, youll play bigger roles such as client interviewing and casework. Being a paralegal can lead you to a training contract if being a solicitor is ultimately you decide to become. So while youre still not sure about being a solicitor, you can start small and be a paralegal first. Legal Information Professional If you love law and books, you can work in the libraries of the solicitors, or specialist libraries that cater to lawyers. You can also choose to work in the libraries of law schools or colleges. You will do legal research and manage the resources of the library. It will also involve training of lawyers who want to understand how to maximize the use of the library. This work will need some technological know-how as libraries of today maximize technology to make research and support services more efficient. This role would also be perfect for you if youre more introverted and dont want to deal too much with the public or the dramas of the court room. Your role as a legal information professional might also include managing the website of the law firm and their social media platforms like Twitter. Tax consultant Another area you could explore would be to become a tax consultant. There are so much rules and legal information about taxes that you could maximize your law degree especially if you specialized in commerce law. The advantage of getting some mastery of taxation in the UK or Europe is that you become more versatile. You can do work related to mergers and acquisitions and wealth management planning. Your skills would also be needed by businesses when they do tax planning structures, especially now that Brexit is on the horizon. You will also become more indispensable as accountancy firms will find your skills attractive and hire you knowing that you have both legal and taxation specializations. Licensed Conveyancer If you like dealing and specializing in properties, then becoming a licensed conveyancer will be ideal for you. As a licensed conveyancer, your work delves in the legal parts of property transactions. Your work will entail giving legal advice to your clients and preparing contracts and leases. In this field of work, you work with other professionals in the property market such as real estate agents, bank lending officers and other lawyers. Your law degree would definitely be useful in the property market as you can work in the legal department of banks, building societies and housing associations. Trade mark attorney This one is perfect for those who who wants to specialize in something very relevant and in demand right now plus being exposed to the broad side of business rather than just strictly focusing on legal matter. As a trade mark attorney, you need to have sufficient knowledge on areas such as copyright, unfair competition, common law and industrial designs. Your work will involve on providing advisory work in the registration of trade marks of your clients. Copyright infringement is so widespread these days that your services will be very important as you can provide advisory on how your clients can prevent infringing the rights of other companies or if other companies are liable for copyright infringement of your clients brands. If there is, you can work with solicitors on pursuing litigation to get some damages from the culprits. Trade mark attorneys can also work in mergers and acquisitions when there are transfers of ownership, licenses, trade marks and brand names involved. Court Clerk If you want to work closely with justices and magistrates, you might want to become a court clerk. They ensure the efficient running of the courts and justice administration. You also need to do court related admin work such as arranging court time and payment of fines. If you persevere in this niche, you can eventually become a justices chief executive. Arbitrator Another field you can explore is arbitration. There are often a lot of industrial and commercial disputes where your services as an arbitrator would be very useful. As an arbitrator, you act as an impartial third party judge to create resolutions that will be accepted by both parties. You will need to be good at interviewing the parties and witnesses so that you can get the necessary facts to create a fair judgment on the dispute. A law degree is indeed a very versatile degree as it offers you many choices for your career. You dont need to be stuck in one area. If you want to grow and explore other niches, a law degree offers you significant opportunities to do so.

Computers and Society :: Technology Essays

Computers and Society More often than not in today’s world you will tend to use computers. Directly or indirectly they have been increasing their influence on our lives from their invention in the 50’s, until the current state of their presence in every aspect of our lives. What before was done on paper, today is done on the same paper, a computer, a copy, and a form to input the data into the computer. The paperless revolution has turned sour. The very purpose of the computer as a business machine -- to reduce clutter, to organize data better and faster, and mostly to reduce the paperwork, has been abandoned for a system dictated to us by the needs of our computers. This is only one way that computers are being misused in our society. Think for example of the regular answer you would get if you call up any beuracratic agency, such as a bank or a government agency, with any problem. The first response would probably involve something like: â€Å"Our computer doesn’t show that record†, or â€Å"The computer doesn’t say you did so and so.† That is also probably as far as you will get to solving that problem. The computer is the perfect cover-up for the clerk on the other end of the phone line. If the computer says so, how can anyone argue? The computer shows no record of such and such a paper, and therefore it must not exist, and that is the end. The clerk need not involve himself in though as to why the record is not in the computer, or how did it get out of the computer, but what the almighty computer tells him is certainly enough. There is not a thing in our lives anymore that is not governed by computers. The computer handles our paperwork, calculates our salaries, grades, our car’s mileage. It is almighty, all-powerful, and definitely not to be argued with. What we do forget in this line of though is that computers and all the information therein is produced and entered by humans, is subject to human mistakes and errors. We do not see it that way. For example, the phrase â€Å"the computer made a mistake,† is commonly used, although everyone knows that computers cannot make mistakes, and the mistake was made by a human. But we believe that the computer is a separate entity, and thus we could say something like â€Å"the computer made a mistake.

The Relevance Today of A Jury of Her Peers Essay -- A Jury of Her Peer

In "A Jury of Her Peers," Susan Glaspell illustrates many social standards women experienced at the turn of the century. She allows the reader to see how a woman's life was completely ruled by social laws, and thus by her husband. Glaspell also reveals the ignorance of the men in the story, in particular the sheriff and the county attorney. I think some examples are rather extreme, but in Glaspell's day, they would have probably been common. Women did not have many rights at the turn of the century. What few rights and freedoms they did have were dominated by social standards. They were expected to cater to their husbands' wishes and commands. I think their society oppressed them more often than their own husbands did. A good example of this in "A Jury of Her Peers" is Martha Hale. Lewis Hale treats his wife as an equal privately, but does not treat her as an equal in public. When Mrs. Hale attempts to interrupt her husband as he tells the county attorney what he experienced in the Wright household she does not treat him as a master, but as an equal (Glaspell 260). Clearly she is not afraid of him. Many women at this time would have never even attempted to distract or interrupt their husband while they talked. Clearly defined gender roles are prevalent throughout "A Jury of Her Peers." Men are supposed to work outside of the home, and women are supposed to work inside the home. Neither the men nor the women seem to appreciate the other's wo...

Chemistry of Coffee Essay

Before coffee is roasted, it is referred to as â€Å"green coffee†. The green coffee is primarily made up of caffeine, lipids, carbohydrates, proteins (amino acids), and organic acids (although inorganic acids exist in coffee as well). These groups are quite stable in the green phase, and it is the carbohydrates, proteins, and acids that will undergo significant reactions during roasting to produce coffee. The important groups of carbohydrates in beans are from the monosaccharides and the polysaccharides found in beans. The disaccharide Sucrose (C12H22O11) also plays a vital role later on in coffee. Generally speaking, Monosaccharides represent the simplest forms of sugars, such as glucose and fructose, and usually follow the formula Cx(H2O)y. These sugars serve as building blocks for polysaccharides like starches and cellulose, which are usually long repeating chains of a basic unit or monosaccharide. All together, carbohydrates represent about 50% of green coffee’s base. Amino acids are present in green coffee at levels of about 10-13% of dry matter. Amino acids are molecules containing an amine, a carboxylic acid group (an organic acid that contains at least one carboxyl group of COOH) , and a side chain (a chemical grouping that is attached to the main group and is specific to each compound). Lipids represent around 11-17% of coffee. They do not play a huge role in the chemical processes of creating coffee- rather, they act as conductors of aroma and taste later on in the coffee process. Caffeine, an astringent stimulant, develops in coffee as a defense mechanism in the coffee plant. Its content remains stable throughout roasting and brewing. It is highly water soluble. Finally, green coffee beans contain numerous acids. Chlorogenic , Citric, Phosphoric, and Quinic Acids represent some of the most important acids in the green coffee bean. A small amount of acetic acid is also present before roasting. It forms when the coffee cherry is fermented to remove the outer pulp. Other than Phosphoric acid, the major acids at work in coffee are organic. Roasting Coffee Overview: In the first phase, the addition of coffee beans drastically drops the temperature of the roaster. The process is endothermic as the beans absorb heat to give off moisture. Around 100 degrees Celsius the temperature stabilizes as water turns into steam. This leads to an increase of pressure. Once the moisture content has been brought down, temperature increases rapidly again, and the reaction goes exothermic as sucrose begins to decompose at around 190-205 degrees C- forming steam and CO2. The increase in pressure from this reaction bursts the cells of the bean as the bean â€Å"cracks†. This crack causes the bean to almost double in volume. The process goes endothermic again until about 225 degrees C and beans â€Å"crack† once again. This increases volume again. Subsequent roasting pushes lipids through the cells to the surface of the bean, and as the bean roasts farther pst the second crack, the volume of the bean decreases due to decomposition. Chemical Processes during Roasting: Caramelization- Caramelization occurs when sucrose begins to decompose and causes the first mechanical crack of the coffee bean. The sugars produce water and carbon dioxide during the reaction, but also color and aromatics like furans (responsible for caramel- like aromas) and HMFs (hydroxymethylfurfural) (responsible for pure, sugar aromas). As the sugar caramelizes further, the aromas increase, but the original taste of sweetness decreases. The Maillard Reaction- The Maillard reaction (discovered in 1912) is the reaction that takes place during the browning of any food. This reaction varies wildly depending on the specific reactants- It happens in seared meat and toasted bread as well as roasted coffee beans. Despite the fact that the reaction comes out with too many variants (and too many unknowns) to go into extreme detail, basic principles govern the reaction for all variants. At its most fundamental form, the Maillard reaction is the reaction that occurs between a reducing sugar and an amino acid. Proteins are all made up of amino acids, so all proteins have the potential to undergo the Maillard reaction. The reducing sugar required for the reaction is any sugar with an aldehyde group. Sucrose is not a reducing sugar, so it’s numerous other sugars like fructose, lactose, and glucose that undergo the process. The sugars and amino acids react to form molecules called melanoidins that have the brown color characteristic of the reaction. The process is complicated because different sugars and different amino acids produce different compounds. Futher complicating the browning process, the new compounds (melanoidins) react even further creating new substances. The Maillard reaction is the cause for many of the volatile aromatic compounds characteristic to coffee, as well as other non-volatile compounds. Strecker Degredation-Strecker Degradation falls under the scope of the Maillard reaction. It is an intermediate step in the overall process, and involves amino acids. Rather than reacting with reducing sugars like the basis of the Maillard reactions, it requires a carbonyl compound as a reactant. The reaction yields CO2, an aldehyde, as well as an amino-ketone. This process is a significant intermediate step because it yields two products that are hugely responsible for the different smells of coffee. The Formation and Decomposition of Acids- From the four predominant acids found in green coffee beans- Chlorogenic, quinic, citric, and phosphoric – two decompose and two increase. Chlorogenic acid (C16H18O9) decomposes by 60% to form caffeic (not to be confused with caffeine- not the same thing! ) and quinic acid. The decomposition of chlorogenic acid in the coffee bean is directly proportional to the length of roasting. It also occurs later on in solution once the coffee has been brewed. Citric acid decreases as a result of the roasting process, it is is unable to withstand the roasting process, however its content does not change after it has been roasted (it doesn’t change with brewing). The acid diminishes quickly as roasting levels pass the light roast stage. Phosphoric acid increases with the length of roasting, however scientists are still unclear as to why the phosphoric acid increases rather than simply remaining stable throughout the process. Other notable acids that are formed when coffee beans are roasted are lactic acid and acetic acid, these acids form due to the decomposition of polysaccharides during and following the first crack stage. Coffee Brewing and Taste. Approximately 28% of the components in roasted coffee beans are water soluble. 72% are insoluble. Brewing a cup of good coffee depends on the balance of extraction of these components. Extraction below 16% is associated with weak, peanuty coffee, while extraction over 24% leads to a bitter brew. Taste of coffee depends on the degree of carmelization the coffee went through during roasting, the acidity of the cup, and the aromatic compounds such as aldehydes, ketones, and furans. As mentioned before, carmelization increases the aroma of the coffee, but lowers the overall sweetness of the cup. The overall â€Å"body† or â€Å"weight† of coffee simply has to do with the number of dissolved particles in the cup. Darker roasts generally have more body to them because the lipids have been brought to the surface of the bean, and are therefore more readily brewed into the coffee. A more â€Å"acidic† brew (not a literal term- it depends on the acids types present in the brew, the pKa, anions species present, and the buffering capacity) lends a â€Å"brightness† to the mouth. Below are some common acids associated with the different flavor notes that accompany an â€Å"acidic† taste in the cup. -Phosphoric acid has been associated with enhancing the brightness of the coffee, although there is still dispute over which acid contributes the most to the overall â€Å"acidity†, especially because the majority of phosphoric acid is neutralized with the presence of potassium once it’s in solution. – Quinic acid provides a cleanness to the brew in low quantities, but in excess leads to bitterness and astringency -Caffeic acid is generally bitter and harsh. -Citric is bright and floral in moderation, but excess is overly sour -Acetic acid can taste fermenty and vinegary in excess but in small amounts give the coffee a â€Å"winey† flavor -Lactic acid is associated with a less prominent â€Å"bright† flavor, but like citric acid, excess tastes sour -Malic acid is a less prominent acid that is known for its apple flavor As for the various volatile aromas in coffee a few of the predominant components include: – Furans which are sweet , nutty, fruity, and caramel smelling -HMFs give off a clean sweet smell. -Ketones are floral, buttery, caramel, vanilla-y, and milky -Phenols in lower levels are spicy, vanilla-y, clove, and anise flavored, excess are associated with a woody, medicinal flavor. Lipids in coffee play a significant role because many of the aromatics in the coffee bean are fat- soluble rather than water soluble. The higher the lipid content, the stronger the taste of the coffee is likely to be. This is why dark roasts generally have a stronger flavor than the light roasts (although it is also due to the increase in overall flavor compounds versus sugars and intact amino acids). Espresso brewed coffee also has a stronger flavor not only due to the increase of dissolved particles relative to the water content, but because it is brewed using emulsion rather than extraction. Emulsion involves pressure as well as water to extract the elements within the bean. The high pressure brewing gets more lipids into the shot than a traditional extraction of pouring water over the coffee grounds would. Finally- caffeine has a mildly astringent flavor. It was not discussed much in this paper because caffeine is relatively stable and doesn’t change from green coffee to roasted coffee. Caffeine level is merely dependent on the caffeine present in the coffee cherry when it was picked and the amount of coffee brewed in ratio to the water. Contrary to popular belief, it is not actually the presence of caffeine that contributes most to the bitter flavor of coffee. Rather, it is a compound called trigonelline (C7 H9NO3), an alkaloid, and its products after degradedation during roasting, that are given the most scientific credit for coffee’s bitterness.