Collegiate Sports Should Players Get Paid - 3146 Words

The biggest question in collegiate sports right now is should players get paid to play? Some argue it would destroy the amateurism in collegiate sports. If they are paid then they should be considered professionals. Others say it would help the students be able to support themselves while they are in college. They are getting a free education from a top university isn’t that enough? No and that’s why I say yes and that collegiate athletes should get paid to play sports because money is being made from the use of their talents and exploitation of their likeness. There is a lot of money being made by the NCAA and schools that have major programs in any sporting event. There are 460,000 students that participate in collegiate sports†¦show more content†¦Its purpose was to be a rules and regulating body for intercollegiate sports. Also to establish rules for recruiting and financial aid to athletes. And control the amount of money going to each school and various organizations. As television began to broaden our horizons and collegiate games were being able to be seen around the world the NCAA saw a major influx in money it was receiving after the 1980’s. Now almost every sports and championship is shown on networks such as ESPN, Fox Sports, CBS, and ABC. As of 2013 the NCAA made 912.8 million dollars in revenue from March Madness according to Indystar.com. NCAA.com shows that only 532 million was reimbursed to between the 3 collegiate divisions. With Division 1 receiving $497,600,000 while division 2 received 22 million and division 3 receiving 13 million to split between each of its number of schools in each division. This money is to be disbursed between 5 different categories: 39 % to the basketball fund, 26 % to grants and aid, 15% to student assistance, 13% to sports sponsorships, and 5% to academic enhancement. That leaves almost 380.8 million dollars left. 280 million goes to association programming, management, and surplus. That still leaves close to 100 million dollars of unused funds that the NCAA has left over. Even more considering that the NCAA make around $6 billion annually just from March

Capetian Kings of France - 2066 Words

What factors promoted the authority of the Capetian Kings of France in the Twelfth century? France in the eleventh century had been a fragmented land, divided into federal principalities, or mini-states ruled by princes or dukes. Though they recognized the King of France’s authority they did not expect him to exercise it in their individual territories. Feudalism increased the power of these mini-states in the twelfth century, and was the tool used by the Capetian Kings of France to advance their influence and wealth. Why and how the Capetian dynasty sought to establish and then successfully utilize this particular system will be the main focus of my essay. Feudal law was the customs and relations between lord and vassal in regards to†¦show more content†¦This made way for another advance in solidifying royal power by helping to make the crown hereditary. The king’s son was permitted to be crowned during his father’s lifetime in order to preserve the healing touch. The church gave the monarch a higher degree of moral credibility and in return the church gained more prestige. One therefore increased the standing of the other in medieval France. Louis VI’s chief minister and ecclesiastical advisor was Abbot Suger of St Denise. He held his prestigious office from 1122 to his death in 1155, during which time he recorded a history of his king, The Life of Louis the Fat. As a result of this great power he held in France, he was very much involved in French politics and â€Å"virtually ran the Kingdom while King Louis VI was away on crusade.† This aspect of Suger’s career would explain his proximity and involvement in the monarch’s progress in gaining a more prominent role in European affairs, and as a result of this proximity, why he was in a position to chronicle Louis’s life. He seems to play a significant role in promoting Capetian authority in how he portrays Louis as a most pious and worthy king to serve under. He states in the introduction of his biography that â€Å"with my pen I describe his devotion to the churchs worship of God† and implores his contemporaries and readers not t o forget Louis VI’s â€Å"marvellous zeal for the good of theShow MoreRelatedA Brief Look at France1710 Words   |  7 PagesII. Essay One The state which we today call France has undergone significant change since its origins as the territory of Gaul. Between the years 480 and 1780, this territory was reshaped in terms of both its physical boundaries and its inhabitants and rulers, creating a rich history of the nation of modern France. First, in order to analyze the evolution of the state of France, it is necessary to define the concept of the state. A ‘state’ is a territory, defined by physical or imagined boundariesRead MorePhilip Augustus s Success Of The Angevin s Failure1502 Words   |  7 Pagesideological changes that had taken place in Capetian France, which were the real driving force behind Philip s success. John’s comparative weakness and poor leadership credentials made Capetian success even more likely, but did not make it inevitable. Philip had to harness the French economy and win the support of his nobility. He was so successful in these endeavors that he would have been a match for any 12th century European power. The strength of the Capetian economy was one of the most importantRead MoreThe Time Before The First Millennium1827 Words   |  8 Pagesto defend Rome against invaders. The first dynasty of France after the fall of Rome was the Merovingian dynasty. Clovis was the first ruler of the dynasty and united Gaul and established Paris as the capital of his kingdom. Clovis died in the year 511 and divided his dominion equally between his four sons (in the Germanic custom of inheritance). Unfortunately the brothers quarreled among themselves until 558 when Chlotar became the sole king of the Franks. While the Merovingians wielded much powerRead MoreThe Kingdom Of England Versus Valois Capetians For Control Of The French Throne518 Words   |  3 PagesWhy Did This Conflict Begin and Why Was It Fought? The Hundred Years War Was A Group Of Battles From 1337 – 1453. The Kingdom Of England Versus Valois Capetians For Control Of The French Throne. This War Has Been Divided Into Three Separate Phases: 1. The Edwardian Era War (1337 – 1360) 2. The Caroline War (1369 – 1389) 3. The Lancastrian War (1415 – 1453) It Was During This War That Saw The Burning Murder Of St Joan Of Arc. The Key Battles Of This Conflict. The War Of Two Peters WasRead MoreEssay about Chapter 11 Outline and Summary Ap European History917 Words   |  4 PagesUpheaval 1. Noble Landlords and Peasants 2. Peasant Revolt in France 3. An English Peasant Revolt 4. Revolts in the Cities II. War and Political Instability A. Causes of the Hundred Years’ War B. Conduct and Course of the War 1. Early Phases of the War 2. Renewal of War 3. Joan of Arc 4. End of the War C. Political Instability D. The Growth of England’s Political Institutions E. The Problems of the French Kings F. The German Monarchy 1. Electoral Nature of the GermanRead MoreThe Middle Ages : A Time Of Despair, Disease, And Death961 Words   |  4 Pagesbetween the king of England and the king of France after the Capetian monarchy crumbled. (Spielvogel 281) After the Hundred Years’ War, Europe was put under a period of adversity in terms of their political stability. In England, â€Å"Parliament increased in prominence† and even the king came to â€Å"rely on Parliament to levy new taxes.† (Spielvogel 285) The English monarch no longer had absolute power; he had a â€Å"commitment to levy no direct tax without Parliament’s consent.† (Spielvogel 285) In France, absoluteRead MoreThe Hundred Years War1503 Words   |  7 PagesThe Hundred Years War began in May, 1337. It was a series of wars in Europe. France and England had been old enemies. The war was started for many reasons. The first reason is that King Phillip VI tried to seize the English territories in the duchy of Aquitaine. England tried to take the French throne. The second reason is that because of their historical feudal orders, France and England broke away from one another (Allmand 7). The third reason was The Battle for Flanders. Flanders was theRead More The Late Middle Ages Essay960 Words   |  4 Pagesbetween the king of England and the king of France after the Capetian monarchy crumbled. (Spielvogel 281) After the Hundred Years’ War, Europe was put under a period of adversity in terms of their political stability. In England, â€Å"Parliament increased in prominence† and even the king came to â€Å"rely on Parliament to levy new taxes.† (Spielvogel 285) The English monarch no longer had absolute power; he had a â€Å"commitment to levy no direct tax without Parliament’s consent.† (Spielvogel 285) In France, absoluteRead MoreKing Philip Regime and Go vernment in Paris 1200 by John W. Baldwin1302 Words   |  5 PagesKing Philip Regime and Government In the novel, Paris 1200 by John W. Baldwin, King Philip (Philip Augustus), was an important contributor to the growth of the French Monarchy. He was able to increase the Monarchy better then any other King before him. He defeated many enemies, sought to overtake the British crown and embarked on a third crusade. King Philip Augustus brought financial stability to the country and was very popular amongst his subjects. King Philip when assigned King had many goalsRead MoreThe Expansion Of The Roman Empire866 Words   |  4 Pagesestablished himself as king of northern Germany. He campaigned in lands east of the Elbe River known as now eastern Germany, western Poland, and the Czech Republic. In appreciation of his aid in the church, Pope John XII proclaimed Otto emperor in 962 C.E. Emperors and popes argued over their conflicting interests in Italy and over the appointment of church officials. There were regional monarchies in France and England. When the last of Carolingians died, the lords of France elected a minor noble

Dropout Rate among High School Students Free Essays

Every year there are thousands of high school students who dropout of school for different reasons in the United States. The data’s statistics regarding the dropout rate of high school students in America since 1990 showed that it diminishes slowly and the problem has been continuing up to this present time. That is why; researches, campaigns and law have been promulgated to help on preventing students to dropout of school. We will write a custom essay sample on Dropout Rate among High School Students or any similar topic only for you Order Now However, the greatest thing to be done is the support of every individual on preventing and helping high school students to stay on schooling. Since the issue is not just pertaining to a dropout student but also with the society as well so every high school dropouts affects society on its economic status. Dropout Rate among High School Students Since the past years, the rate of high school dropouts was considerably higher and has been one of the great issues pertaining to education and to the society. Every time the clock ticks there is one student who drops out of school. And, this dropping out of school affects not only the individual’s life, career or future; but also the community and the economic status of the country as well. That is why it has been a great concern of every policymakers and educational institutions to resolve the problem which continually acts like a terrible disease, a â€Å"silent epidemic† of a country, taking into consideration the dropout rates in the past years in the United States. This paper will show the following information: 1. Dropout rate of high school in America. 2. Effects of high school dropouts to education and to the society. 3. How does dropout rate could be best resolved in both policy and innovative practices. Dropout Rate of High School in America From the early years of individuals’ education, students were compelled by parents to continue studying as much as possible. Because it is said that education is one of the major assets which one can keep for the whole lifetime. Education is a treasure which will give future career and better life. However, many high school students dropped out of school even if parents had given advice and thoughts regarding a better life with the help of standard education. The dropout rate of high school students never diminishes worldwide. In the United States’ rate of dropout, it shows a little change in the past years from 1990 to 2000 (Table 1). â€Å"Data compiled by NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) indicates that the percentage of 16-through 24-year-olds who were dropouts ranged between 10. 9 and 12. 5 percent† (General Accounting Office-GAO, 2002, p. 7). NCES’s dropout rates, of America, in percentage of 16- Through 24 yrs. old who were dropout from Oct. 1990 through Oct. 2000 (cited in GAO, 2002, p. 7) Although, region’s dropout rate shows a discrepancy wherein â€Å"[t]he highest dropout rates occurred in the South and West, while the lowest rates occurred in the Northeast and Midwest† (GAO, 2002). It’s visible in table 2, â€Å"while the national portion of 16 through 24-year-olds that were dropouts was 10. 9 percent in October 2000, the regional averaged ranged from 12. 9 percent in the South to 8. 5 percent in the Northeast† (GAO, 2002, p. 8) How to cite Dropout Rate among High School Students, Papers

AMEX Company

Question: Task 1 a. Evaluate your own development needs and the activities required to meet them to be in a position to contribute to Amexs history of continuous innovation and collaboration as well as the specific job requirements. b. Devise a personal and professional development plan based on your identified needs. c. Reflect on own developmental progress against the original aims and objectives set in the personal and professional development plan. Task 2 a. Identify the Communications needs within an organizational context and come up with the appropriate communication methods that Amex can adopt. b. Demonstrate in writing how effective time management strategies will help your small team of three become efficient and comply with the clear desk policy (All work completed by the day). Task 3 A project oriented organisation makes use of teams to generate synergy. With your knowledge and experience of team dynamics: a. Describe how you select and maintain a team that is fit for purpose. b. Discuss alternative ways to complete tasks and achieve team goals. Task 4. a. Review tools and methods for developing solutions to problems b. Develop an appropriate strategy for Amex that will help its IT helpdesk respond to its high volume of IT queries on time. c. Evaluate the potential impact the above strategy will have on the company in the long term. Answer: Introduction: The case study is related to the matter of AMEX Company. The case study reflects the analysts personal skills and competencies. The analyst also describes the development needs of him and also about the developmental progress. The task two the analyst also indentifies communication needs and time management strategy of AMEX. In the task 3 the analyst of the study analyses the team management strategy nd alternative ways of achieving the goal of the team. The 4th task analyses the methods of problem solving and appropriate strategy for responding to the query. The last part shows the impact of those strategies in long term. Task 1: A: Personal skills and competencies for the post in AMEX: Programming skills: As the AMEX organization is related to the IT industry and the organization provides solution for IT purpose the programming skills would be the prime skill that would be required by the organization. I have the skill for this requirement. Project management: Project management is a major activity of this company so the experience of project management would be very essential for the post of AMEX. Technical support: I have the ability to help desk and support technical problem as per the requirement of the organization. B: Developmental needs: The following are the development needs that would be required for me to give more to the AMEX: Web development: I have a little bit experience in the development of web so I need to develop the skills of web development. The organization provides training that would be helpful in gaining the skills. Programming language: I have full knowledge of C and C++ programming knowledge. But I have little experience in JAVA and SAP. So I have to learn this language from the institutes providing these learning. Handling critical software: I am not that much able to handle critical software so in order to gain experience in handling critical software in need to take training from the organization. C: Personal development plan: I would take training from the organization about the web development program. The organization is helpful in providing training to the new employees of the organization. However I have to take training about the programming language and software from the outside organization. D: Development progress: The training program provide by the organization helped me progress in my career development (Hattke and Blaschke, 2015). By these training I am now able to develop web page. Outside training helped me to develop program using high level language like JAVA and SAP. Task 2: A: Communication needs of the AMEX: As the AMEX organization is an IT industry they provide software solution to the customers. A project has no meaning if it is delivered in delay (Safari and Meskini, 2015). So communication is essential for the organization. The communication needs are explained below: Clear expectation: The organization should deliver the expectation to the employees of the organization in order to get the project done in right time. Strong relationship: Effective communication helps to build strong relationship among the employees of the organization (Kaza, 2015). In order to build a project effectively strong communication between the employees are needed. Ideas and innovation: there are many software industries in todays market. So AMEX faces a lot of competition in the market. Open channel communication help to get the innovative idea of employees of the organization. Communication method that the AMEX Company can adopt: Face to face communication method: In order to make a strong academic background the AMEX needs a face to face communication (Liang et al. 2015). Face to face communication will help this company in meeting and conference purpose. Email: In order to communicate mass information about the technology they use in their project the AMEX needs to email their employees (Thongyen, 2015). Video conferencing: Video conferencing will this company in meeting purpose with the employees. It allows the company to see the employees over a TV screen who is not physically present in the organization premises. B: Time management strategy of AMEX: Preplan: The AMEX company needs to preplan the work before starting the work. They also need to prioritize the group of work. Work time: The company need to decide how much time the employees will take to complete the task. Flexibility: As this an IT industry it needs to be flexible in their work. So the team members of the project need flexibility in their work (Light and Mcnaughton, 2015). Delegation: Delegation means assigning the task to one employee and the employee should freed up some time in order to expertise in those activity. Task 3: A: Team management strategy of AMEX: Common goal: In order to select and maintain a effective team the AMEX should set a common goal first. The goal will direct the team members of the team to achieve the goal. Clarity of the goal: Not only setting goal is enough. The set goal should have a clarity in achieving this in a better way (Costa et al. 2015). The team members should understand the core purpose of the project. Commitment from the member of the project: In order to achieve the common goal commitment from the tem member should be needed by AMEX. B: Alternative way to achieve goal: 1) The company should try to write the plan on a checklist for its feasibility. 2) AMEX should create small doable steps in achieving the goal of the organization. 3) The compelling reason for wanting the goal should also be written down. 4) They should visualize what it will like having achieving the goal of the tem. 5) A daily routine should be written down. 6) The company should enlisting support in order to keep the members of the team accountable. Task 4: A: Tool and Methods of solving problem: Find the appropriate problem: The AMEX Company should find the appropriate problem of finding employees having strong academic background (Majamaki and Hellman, 2015). Defining problem: The organization should define the problem in a right manner. Analyze problem: The AMEX should analyze the problem of finding technically educated employees. Developing possibilities: The organization should develop the possibilities of getting right people in the organization. Selecting best solution: The organization should select the best method of sourcing and hiring the technically educated employees (Fadiana, 2015). Implement: After selecting the best solution the organization should try to implement that solution. Evaluation the solution: The organization should try to evaluate the impact of alternative solution on order to achieve the common goal. B: Strategy for responding to the quick queries of AMEX: Listening to the IT queries: The organization should listen to the IT query of the customer properly in order to give answer in time. Understand the queries: If the employees are worried about the questions, the employees should understand the question properly (Watson and Cavanah, 2015). Respond: The employees should be focused on the responses they are giving. The answer to the question should be appropriate to the question. C: Impact of strategies in the long term: As the organization is related to IT activities and they are also involving in outsourcing the IT project responding to the IT queries of the customer would be an effective way for sustaining in the market (Riggio and Saggi, 2015). Listening to the IT queries would be helpful in satisfying the customers in long term. It shows the derivativeness of the organization to the customers (Meder and Wegner, 2015). Understanding the question properly would symbolize that the organization has right employees for right purpose. It increases the reputation of the company. Responding to the quick queries symbolizes the promptness of organization in responding to the IT queries. Conclusion: The study has been concluded that AMEX believes in collaboration and innovation in IT issues. They provides graduate technology (GT). The analyst of the study has enough knowledge in getting the job of the organization. The study concludes the effectiveness of time and team management of the organization. The study also concluded the strategy for responding to the quick query of IT and impact of those strategies in the long term. References Costa, P., Passos, A. and Barata, M. (2015). Multilevel influences of team viability perceptions.Team Performance Management, 21(1/2), pp.19-36. Fadiana, M. (2015). Math Learning Model that Accommodates Cognitive Style to Build Problem-Solving Skills.Higher Education Studies, 5(4). Hattke, F. and Blaschke, S. (2015). Striving for excellence: the role of top management team diversity in universities.Team Performance Management, 21(3/4), pp.121-138. Kaza, N. (2015). Time dependent accessibility.Journal of Urban Management. Liang, H., Shih, H. and Chiang, Y. (2015). Team diversity and team helping behavior: The mediating roles of team cooperation and team cohesion.European Management Journal, 33(1), pp.48-59. Light, J. and Mcnaughton, D. (2015). Designing AAC Research and Intervention to Improve Outcomes for Individuals with Complex Communication Needs.Augmentative and Alternative Communication, 31(2), pp.85-96. Majamaki, M. and Hellman, M. (2015). "When sense of time disappears"--Or does it? Online video gamers' time management and time apprehension.Time Society. Meder, A. and Wegner, J. (2015). iPads, Mobile Technologies, and Communication Applications: A Survey of Family Wants, Needs, and Preferences.Augmentative and Alternative Communication, 31(1), pp.27-36. Riggio, R. and Saggi, K. (2015). Incorporating Soft Skills Into the Collaborative Problem-Solving Equation.Industrial and Organizational Psychology, 8(02), pp.281-284. Safari, Y. and Meskini, H. (2015). The Effect of Metacognitive Instruction on Problem Solving Skills in Iranian Students of Health Sciences.GJHS, 8(1). Thongyen, T. (2015). Development of PM0.1 Personal Sampler for Evaluation of Personal Exposure to Aerosol Nanoparticles.Aerosol and Air Quality Research. Watson, B. and Cavanah, S. (2015). Community Information Needs: A Theory and Methodological Framework.Mass Communication and Society, p.150707135144006.

Words free essay sample

Im nearly certain that all people have shared the glorious experience of scolding. I fondly recall my fathers frequent demands, Tahirah! Dont write on the wall! I still cant quite comprehend why, since I was so highly skilled with crayola at six years old, my father wouldnt want my lovely multicolored words upon the otherwise dull, white walls. When I discovered books, the admonishment was usually, Turn out the light! Put that book down and go to bed! Thank goodness book lights can be easily hidden under blankets. The most recent reprimands have regarded my mothers strange desire that I turn my music off; apparently wearing earphones isnt good enough (unfortunately quite often her voice doesnt seem to make it to my ears). Ive noticed that the chastisements have maintained a similarity in purpose, for they continually insist that I neglect my health. We will write a custom essay sample on Words or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Its horrid to think about what could happen if I didnt have the three necessities of life: music, books, and writing. Though Ive transitioned from writing on the walls to using one of my numerous notebooks or Steve, my beloved computer, the intent has remained the same: to get out as many of my thoughts as possible before my mind overflows. Regrettably, this almost always leads to more scolding: Turn off that computer, you have school in the morning! My mind doesnt seem to value sleep as much as my parents do; even when Im safely tucked away beneath the covers, I still feel the urge to reach through the darkness to grab a pen and paper. If not kept awake at night by my need to write, Im kept awake by my need to read (guess thats why Im not a morning person). Numerous authors have been responsible for preventing me from getting the requisite rest. It shouldnt come as any surprise that one of my favorite locations is sitting in one of the black comfy chairs within Borders Books and Music. My three basic needs all generally involve the same thing, which is that they express something using words. Whether theyre sung or written, I admire the use of words to take the pieces of a thought and form them into something comprehensible. No doubt, this is the cause of my extensive quote collection. As described by Anna H. Branch, God wove a web of loveliness, of clouds and stars and birds, but made not any thing at all so beautiful as words.

How to Create Editorial Guidelines the CoSchedule Way - CoSchedule Blog

How to Create Editorial Guidelines the Way Blog Creating great content consistently isn’t easy. That’s especially true when you’re always juggling multiple projects. Time gets tight. You start cutting corners. Performance declines accordingly. It’s a downward slope. Stay on it long enough, and you might find content marketing axed from your company’s budget. Yikes. So, what’s the solution? How do you make sure every piece you publish is like your best? And how do you enforce quality across a team of in-house and guest writers? Start by developing strong editorial guidelines. You might call them something else. Our friends at Help Scout call them â€Å"editorial values.† Here at , we call them our standards of performance. Whatever word you use, the goal is the same: document standards every piece you publish has to follow. That’ll help make sure you never cut corners again. Read on and let’s make missed steps in your content creation process a thing of the past. The Best Way to Develop Effective Editorial Guidelines What Are Standards of Performance? Standards of performance are concrete guidelines every piece of content you publish is required to meet. They make sure nothing goes out the door without hitting every point on a detailed checklist. When applied consistently, they make sure you never publish anything subpar. Why Are Standards of Performance Important? â€Å"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.† That’s a quote from writer and historian Will Durant. You’ve probably heard some variation of this same idea somewhere before. The takeaway is that people will know you for what you do on a regular basis. As a marketer, that means if you consistently publish quality content, that’s what your audience will come to expect from you. If your stuff is hit or miss (or, worse, consistently poor), they’ll either ignore you or think your brand sucks. If stats from a recent Conductor webinar are accurate, though, most content creators aren’t holding themselves to a high enough standard. Consider this quote: â€Å"†¦ only 0.1% of all content gets more than a thousand shares, and the conversion rate is well under 1%.† That †¦ isn’t great. But, there is an upside. Since the bar is set low, clearing it shouldnt be difficult. Do the work your competition won’t and you’ll succeed. And your standards of performance are what will guide you to that success. Do the work your competition won’t and you’ll succeed.How We Developed Standards of Performance at Back when first started, our marketing team was just one person (Nathan Ellering, who is now our Director of Demand Generation). When you’re a team of one, it’s easy to know what you think content should look like. You try different things, see what works, and do more of what proves to be effective. Then, our team started to grow. Now, we have multiple team members crafting content. Even if creating content isn’t their first focus, a lot of our team members create some kind of content, at least every once in a while. Naturally, managing expectations and maintaining content consistency got harder once more team members got involved. When you add guest authors into the mix, it only gets more complicated. Instead of allowing writers to run wild, we decided it was time to establish quality standards. These would be simple data-driven guidelines that would help us make sure every piece we produce lives up to the same standards as our very best content. We called them our Standards of Performance, and they’ve been our guiding light ever since. Heres how to set standards of performance like @.First Standard of Performance: Comprehensiveness Our aim is to publish the most complete content we possibly can. Ideally, our readers shouldn’t have to read another post on a given topic. If we’ve done our job correctly, you’ll be able to find all the information you need to get a job done or learn a new skill in one place. That often means our content runs long. There’s a reason for that, though. If you want to go more than just puddle-deep into a topic, you’re going to provide something substantive. When we reviewed our top performing content, we discovered our best performing content adhered to this principle. Stuff that went short or cut corners underperformed, while posts that dug deep into research and provided all the actionable steps the reader needed to solve a problem excelled. How Do We Implement This? We’re big fans of the Skyscraper Technique. You’ve probably heard about it before. If not, it’s a simple process coined by Brian Dean that entails. Heres how to implement it in two steps: Read the top ten pieces of content on Google for a given topic. Create one piece of content that’s better and more resourceful than whats already out there. Simple enough, right? Well, from a research perspective, it is. Actually executing that kind of content is (perhaps obviously) substantially more difficult. One way to make this process easier is to start with a simple spreadsheet. Add columns for the following things: Primary keyword. What is the primary keyword being targeted? Check the URL and headline for clues. Secondary keywords  (as best as you can tell). Title tag. This appears as the blue highlighted text in search results. Meta description. This appears as the short (160 character or less) description underneath the title tag in search results. Length. How long is this content? # of Images. Are images present, and if so, how many? Is video present? Does the page include a video? If so, is it an original video, or one from another site? Downloadable assets. Are there any bonus materials included that people can download (PDFs, templates, ebooks, etc.)? H2 and H3 subheadings. Is the page properly formatted with H2 and H3 subheadings, and which keywords (if any) are present? Missing details? Is there any important information about this topic that the page is missing? Documenting your findings along the way can make it easier to keep track of what your content needs to compete. Here’s what your spreadsheet might look like (plus a free copy via Google Sheets you can use here): Second Standard of Performance: (Smart and Strategic) Keyword Targeting We also noticed every post we published targeted a clear keyword. Not only that, but they also incorporated strategic secondary (or LSI) keywords. Those additional long-tail terms tie into comprehensiveness by covering all the most important details about a topic (and proving it both to search engines and real human readers). So, we decided we’d never publish a post without a strong keyword (with rare exceptions). We’ve experimented with that route before. The results have always been underwhelming. How Do We Implement This? Content planning (at least for the Blog) always starts with a heavy amount of keyword research. We’re not just looking for any keywords, though. They have to meet the following criteria: Relevancy. Are these topics or problems that professional marketers are researching? Volume. We consider relevancy most important, but we also want to target terms that a sizeable portion of our audience will care about. Theme. Does the keyword relate to a task that an existing or upcoming feature helps people complete? Before we start searching for specific keywords, though, content ideas might come from any of the following sources: Conversations with our sales team. What do customers (and prospective customers) say their top challenges are? Social media chatter. What are topics people seem interested in on social media? Feature launches. What content could we create to help people get more value from recently added features to ? Personal skill development. What’s something we’ve recently learned how to do that we can share with our audience? Rants. What are things about the industry that frustrate us? Are there ways we think marketers could get certain things done more easily (than the way they’re typically told)? Seasonal topics. Are there certain things that are most relevant at a certain time of year? Brainstorming sessions. Every once in a while, we’ll conduct a team-wide brainstorming session. This process usually nets a month’s worth of ideas in under an hour. This video breaks down how it works: Once we have some idea of what content we need, we’ll fire up our keyword research tools. A few of our favorites include: Ahrefs Keyword Explorer: Part of their growing feature suite, this powerful keyword research tool is by far our favorite. It provides an awesome amount of data to help us determine the best keywords to include. Google Adwords Keyword Planner: They say the classics never go out of style. This tool is free and ubiquitous with keyword research. Ubersuggest: This tool is great for spinning off tons of ideas based on one keyword. Feed it a topic and it’ll return a spate of long-tail variations based on Google autocomplete suggestions. (Tip: try exporting that list and pasting it into the Keyword Planner). These are far from the only options out there. However, they’re the options we use the most. Once we’ve narrowed down ideas we want to run with, we add them onto our internal calendar: If we have ideas we might want to create in the future, we’ll drag them into our Drafts folder (click an item on the calendar and drag it all the way to the right): Recommended Reading: Your Ultimate Content Marketers Guide to Keyword Research Third Standard of Performance: Make Every Piece Actionable Lots of content tells you what to do. Not enough shows you how to do it. This is a major source frustration for us (and the inspiration behind a lot of internal rants). So, we do our best to practice what we preach  and make every piece we publish actionable. What does â€Å"actionable† mean, though? And what does â€Å"actionable content† really look like? Those are common questions we get asked. For us, actionable content shows you how to get stuff done. If it tells you to do something, it either goes through the process step-by-step, or includes a video or link to another resource that does. How Do We Implement This? We make sure our content is actionable by always including  step-by-step breakdowns with whatever visual aids a reader needs to understand what to do. To make your own content more actionable: List the steps required to complete a task. And if you’re going to ask someone to do something in your content, show them exactly how to do it. Add in screenshots or photos. If it’s possible, give readers some visual guidance. Infographics, charts, and graphs can also be helpful. Consider adding video. If you can show how to do something more easily with video, go for it. Sometimes, a minute-long clip is easier to get the point across than 1,000 words and 25 screenshots. Whatever you do, include actionable follow-through in your content. Depending on your industry or niche, this will almost certainly put you ahead of 90% of your competitors. Taking the time to do this right will take time. However, one single actionable piece of content is probably more valuable to your readers (and therefore, your business) than ten pieces that only scratch the surface of any given topic. One single actionable piece of content is probably more valuable to your readers than ten piecesFourth Standard of Performance: Relevancy The best content on a topic your customers don’t care about is useless. You’ve got to make sure what you’re publishing is going to bring in not just a large audience, but the right audience. That’s why we pay close attention to topical relevance when selecting what to write about. The marketing world is big, and there’s a lot of stuff we could cover. However, if we’re going to get the most from our limited resources, we want to make sure we spend the majority of our time writing about the things our audience cares about most. How Do We Implement This? Anytime we publish a piece of content, we ask: Would our target audience care about this? If not, it’s time to scrap that idea and move onto the next one. No time to waste. Does this topic tie into our product’s purpose? If not, is it really something our audience would expect us to publish? Is this something we can speak authoritatively on?  If not, why would anyone listen to us? A more concrete means of determining relevance is to check who else is covering that topic. If sites or companies we consider peers, friends, or competitors are covering it, then that’s a strong indicator it’s relevant. Of course, we take things on a case by case basis though, using our best judgment. Recommended Reading: The Best Way to Document Your Brand Voice Guidelines (Free Template) How to Establish Your Own Standards of Performance This is what works for us. However, every company (and marketing team) is different. Your standards of performance should reflect what’s unique about your company, philosophy, and approach.

Companies with low on diversity Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Companies with low on diversity - Research Paper Example There is a realization that diversity can be a source of immense creativity and innovation. In the new light, American companies are doing their best to embrace and harness the value of diversity in all their aspects. This paper will explore ways in which these companies are embracing diversity. It will also highlight companies that are leading in embracing diversity as well those lagging behind. An understanding of the American diversity is crucial (Johnson 9). The workforce comprises Whites, African American, Hispanics, Latinos, Indians, Asians, and Africans. The Whites form the majority while the others are the minority groups. From a different angle, the minority group also includes women, and all disabled people. The American people are adherents of different religions (Wuthnow 130). The society has varying cultures and belief systems. The people grow up in different backgrounds and neighborhoods. The American society is greatly diverse. In addition, each individual has a unique personality and abilities. For companies, embracing diversity means more. Most of the companies are operating on a global front. Their markets are from different races and backgrounds. A good example is McDonalds that operates in many regions of the world (Harris 6). They realize the need to satisfy their clients. One of the strategies of survival has been to recruit a heterogeneous workforce. Such a workforce is a representation of the society. This workforce produces ideas that can address the needs of the market (Harris 58). In this sense, diversity results in innovation. Most of the companies who understand the need for diversity have a diversity officer in place. This officer ensures that the company maintains diversity and inclusion at all levels. Companies are working hard to ensure that there is inclusion in all offices and departments. Most of the companies are proving gender sensitive. A remarkable percentage of women sits in boards in many companies and indulges actively in decision-making and formulating practices at the workplace. Appreciating diversity in the American society has not been an easy venture. There are numerous challenges and the companies need to have a great deal of commitment. Such commitment drives the companies to lay down strategies that can help the company improve in appreciating diversity. Many of the companies have made remarkable progress in embracing diversity.

World civilization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

World civilization - Essay Example First and foremost, he goes fearlessly into battle to liberate the world and walks miles away to find answers that would benefit the people of his city. He believes in God for his strength especially in battles. He respects people he meets along his journeys. Gilgamesh has loyalty to people. For example, his friendship with Enkidu illustrates his loyalty to people who respected himself and his city (Danny 24). Is a strong to perfection.† He is also described as an awesome beast with unmatched strength. In addition, Gilgamesh leads his tribe into battle fearlessly. In fact, they defeat everybody they battle with. His people have all confidence in him to an extent of being aroused by small insults with a belief that, through his awesome leadership ability, they would definitely win the battle and that he would not let them down. He also portrayed his great strength by fighting the mighty beast Humbaba. In fact, even Urok’s gentle people feared Humbaba and even warned Gilgamesh to be careful when fighting with him. However, this did not deter him from battling with him although he was nervous about the battle as it is noted in Colum VI of Table II (Danny 19). Gilgamesh always returned home safely. Even after fighting with great enemies, Gilgamesh, always defeated them and returned home safely. Again, he portrays his fighting skills when he makes Ishtar mad at him and as a result, she directs Anu to release the might bull to fight Gilgamesh. However, Gilgamesh was again successful in the battle. When he manages to reach at the top of Mt. Mashu, the scorpion guard is astonished by his daring courage to go that far. Just to show how brave Gilgamesh was, the scorpion guard said that if Gilgamesh happened to fall from the top of the mountain, he would fall all day and night. However, the guard allowed him to pass through the gate. He then rowed the boat himself across the sea

Details of Facilities Management Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Details of Facilities Management - Coursework Example If we analyze then we come to know that the impact of metropolitan enlargement throughout the United States has established a flow of growth for the electric helpful which serve this growth. For many of these similar cooperatives, this enlargement is exacerbated by trying to meet all the needs by means of fracturing operations, insufficient consumer access, and cramped and crowded labor conditions and, in one case, the roof caving in. This has caused further co-op managers to take a fresh look at the sufficiency of present services, facilities, and the helpful aptitude to meet the ever-increasing requirements of today's electric customer. For many managers, this appraisal has been long tardy.Let’s take some examples of the case of Pioneer Electric Cooperative of Ulysses, Kansas. Located in the heart of the Hugoton Gas Field and bounded by acres of land ripe for augmented rural growth, Pioneer Electric found itself serving one of the best rising areas in Kansas. In 1991, kilowatt-hour sales greater than before by 2.23%; though, by 1994, the percentage of increased sales grew to a whopping 14%. Pioneer presently serves 12,000 customers by means of 40 employees and more enlargements are in sight. This enlargement presented a quandary. The current office, garage, and storehouse facilities fully made use of and there was no space for adding staff or placing the wanted computer equipment for the process.Accordin g to the company General Manager Dave Jesse who explained the theory of facility management that, "When I started my career as manager of Pioneer on January 1, 1991, I never dreamed that the 20-year-old structure that housed our head office wouldn't be enough. The planned planning procedure we embarked on at the end of 1991 pointed out the requirement for more space to give our helpful the aptitude to grow and assemble the changing requirements in our service area. That's like 'fine news, bad news' narrative to a fresh manager."Â  

Vodafone Is A UK Based Telecommunications Marketing Essay

Vodafone Is A UK Based Telecommunications Marketing Essay In this case report we will provide two detailed strategic options for Vodafone as a telecommunications provider to sustain its growth internationally. We will give reason for our recommendations and evaluate the VRIO Framework of the organization and provide a clear Five Forces Analysis. Vodafone is a UK based telecommunications giant that has been a part of shaping the wireless phone industry as we know it today. Vodafone is present is most European and Asian markets. The company failed in Japan and has yet to enter the American market successfully as an independent company. We have developed two strategies for management to consider. Our first option is highly innovative and requires the company to utilize technology that already exists by forming alliances with providers of internet connections and with phone manufacturers. Our second option suggest that Vodafone should enter the American market as soon as possible providing wireless phone service in the American market place using many aspects of its existing business model. Suggesting the first option involves higher risk than option two. There is however room for sustainable growth with both options. Case 3-11: Vodafone; E Pluribus Enum Mission and objectives of Vodafone: Vodafone is the worlds largest provider of voice and data communication services to consumers and enterprise customers. The company employs about 66,000 people around the world. The company headquarter is situated in Berkshire, UK. Vodafone operates through single reportable business segment: supply of communications services and products. At the end of March 2007, the company had 206 million customers world wide. (Vodafone, 2007) Vodafones strategic objectives: Revenue stimulation and cost reduction in Europe Innovate and deliver on our customers total communication needs Deliver strong growth in emerging markets Actively manage our portfolio to maximize returns Align capital structure and shareholder returns policy to strategy Key issues and problems; Key issues and problems for Vodafone include how the company manages to coordinate its growth and to maintain its competitive advantage in the dramatically changing market environment of the dynamic telecommunication sector. VRIO: Table 1.1 The VRIO framework Value Rarity Imitability Organization Competitive implications Network infrastructure Yes No No Yes Competitive parity Diversified revenue base Yes Yes No Yes Temporary competitive advantage Leading market position Yes Yes Yes Yes Sustained competitive advantage Network infrastructure One of Vodafones key technologies and resources is the strong network infrastructure that supports its operations. To be able to provide mobile services, a strong network infrastructure is fundamental for the company. Vodafone operates 2G networks, through GSM networks, in all its mobile operating subsidiaries, offering its customers services such as voice, text messaging and basic data services. All the networks operate GPRS or 2.5G as well, which enables wireless access with mobile devices to data networks like the internet. Vodafone also controls 3G networks offering its customers mobile broadband data access services allowing data download speeds of up to 384 kilobits per second. 2006 launched High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) technology shortens download times significantly with data transmission speeds of up to 3.6 megabits per second and makes the usage of mobile broadband services much more pleasant for the customers. HSDPA is enabled in the existing 3G network with a fter software updates. (Vodafone, 2007) The strong network infrastructure is a valuable resource and enables the company to respond to the growing customer needs with high quality services now and in the future. This valuable resource is not a rarity in the wireless telecommunication industry and therefore it cannot be costly for the competitors to imitate. Many of the worlds large mobile operators have the same access to the same technology as Vodafone and a control over massive networks. Vodafone is very well organized to exploit the full competitive potential of the network infrastructure by providing the employees a productive and safe working environment with attractive performance based incentives. This resource is an organizational strength and generates a competitive parity. Diversified revenue base By acquisitions, stakes in companies, and partner networks Vodafone has strategically expanded its presence to consider the whole world. The company has equity interests in 25 countries. Vodafones partner network arrangements extend to a further 38 countries. (Vodafone, 2007) Vodafone has significant mobile operations in countries such as Germany, Italy, Spain, UK, Egypt, Kenya, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. In 2007 the largest geographic region was Germany with a contribution of 17.1% to the total revenue, followed by UK 16.3%, Spain 14.1%, Italy 13.5%, and other Europe 13.5%. Arcor and Pacific contributed 9%, Middle East, Africa and Asia 8.2%, and Eastern Europe the rest 9% of the revenues. (Datamonitor, 2007) Vodafones global reach and geographically diversified revenue base is a valuable resource for the company. This valuable resource helps the company to compensate its risks and losses. As diversified as Vodafones revenue base is it is a rarity within the wireless te lecommunication industry. Vodafones strategy is to actively manage their portfolio by investing into markets that offer a strong local position. With strict financial investment criteria Vodafone maximizes its and its shareholders returns. (Vodafone, 2007) Vodafones competitors would not face a cost disadvantage in trying to imitate this resource. It is more about the strategy that a company implements than about the financial resources. Vodafone is well organized to exploit the full competitive potential of this valuable and rare resource. The Boards goal is to make sure that the companys employees are aware of Vodafones strategic goals and mutual obligations. This resource is an organizational strength and distinctive competence and generates a temporary competitive advantage. Leading market position Vodafone is the worlds leading mobile telecommunications company. Vodafone operates in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific and the US by subsidiary undertakings, associated undertakings and investments. In countries with significant operations Vodafones market shares are impressive; Germany 36%, Italy 33%, Spain 31%, UK 26%, South Africa 58%, US 25%, Egypt 48%, and Australia 18%. (Datamonitor, 2007) A strong market share with the market leader position is an extremely valuable and rare resource which improves the companys brand image and gives it a solid foundation to enter new potential markets. This resource is imperfectly imitable and the competitors would face a cost disadvantage in obtaining or developing it. Vodafones market leader position is based on the passion and effort of the companys employees. The company is well organized to manage effectively its employees to reach their full potential and benefiting them selves and the company. This resource is an organizat ional strength and sustainable distinctive competence and generates a sustained competitive advantage. 5 Forces Vodafone: Rivalry: The threat of rivalry in this business is impacted by the low number of big firms in the market. There are a few numbers of large firms worldwide that competes for the market share; this lowers the threat of rivalry. The firms that are in the business however are very competitive and because of a relative slow market growth in this industry the firms fight over the market shares that are out there and that increase the threat. There is also a low level of switching costs to the consumer and a low level of product differentiation and this further brings the threat level of rivalry up. So in the mobile network industry the threat of rivalry is fairly high. Substitutes: The threat of substitutes for voice and data communication over the traditional network is moderate. People calling over long distances could instead of picking up a phone go to a computer and call through that. The low costs of computer calling could potentially take over most long distance calling. The more local calls and business calls would be more secure for the mobile market, although cell phones with the ability to use the internet to make calls are being made available and will soon take a considerable market share of calls made. The threat of substitutes can be reasonable high in this industry. Buyers: The threat of buyers in this industry can be considered fairly low. The individual buyer has no impact on the price of the products offered. Suppliers: Suppliers power in some aspects of this industry is high. In the cell phone part of the business the suppliers of the phones can have a big impact on the price of products and the condition of the deal they make with the provider. One clear example of this is when apple launched their new I-phone. They made an exclusive contract with ATT so they had the exclusive right to be the service provider to their phone in America. So the suppliers power in this industry is high. New Entry: The threat of entry is highly influenced by the economy of scale of the existing companies. The large well established companies that have a strong foothold in the market and a known brand name would make entry for a new company costly. Although there are some new arrivals the larger firms control the market and will put pressure on any new entries. The threat of new entries is fairly low for the bigger companies. Table 2.1 Market Positioning Grid: High Tele2 TeliaSonera Low DKSonofon Coverage BT Vodafone VirginMobile ATT High Market Share Low Market Share Coverage Main Problem Statement: How can WE revolutionize the wireless telecom industry? Strategic Option 1: There is a lot of buzz in the telecommunication market about 2G and 3G networks. It was the dream of the CEO of Vodafone to bring the 3G network into the hands of the American consumers a few years back, but Vodafones partner in America did not want to invest in the new 3rd generation network. The new technologies that are out in the market now can give Vodafone the opportunity to be in front of all the competition in the American market. What we propose that Vodafone enters the American market with a 6th generation phone and phone service for cell phones. The type of phone is a phone that not only works on the regular network used to day in America but can also use the internet to make calls, not only to other Vodafone customers but to all networks. The technology is not new and exists today in America, but not in the mobile phone market. Vonage and Comcast offer their customers a phone service based over digital networks and not over standard phone lines. The way Vodafone is going to differ themselves from the existing firms is to offer this to cell phones. The way that this system works is that instead of the cell phone using the regular network to connect the calls it makes, it uses any wireless internet access that it can connect to. This means that calling people from you cell is virtually free and you would only pay a monthly charge on you cell phone to Vodafone. If you cannot find a wireless network to connect to, the phone can use a regular phone network as a backup. With a strategy to enter and take a market share in America like this one, you do not have to make large fixed investments in the hardware. Instead you have a 6th generation phone that can be operated on both the old networks and on digital networks. To get these phones and plans out to a large customer group, Vodafone should concentrate on the big cities first, making a encrypted wireless network available in the city that only their phones can access. This way the company can see how the customers like being connected to a faster and better network with a more advanced phone then available in the American market. The latest hype in the American cell phone market is the Iphone; this phone is looked into one carrier and can over the carriers network connect to the internet. The phone is locked to one carrier (ATT) but can be hacked and used by others. The Vodafone would be configured so that you cannot hack it by the software allowing the consumer to connect and call for free to any phone in the world by simply not connecting that person to the Vodafone network. The phone could be free for all providers to sell but some functions on the phone like IP communication would be useless. Since this is one of the biggest selling points for the product you basically lock the customer in to your carrier. To be able to make money of you customers you set a fixed monthly payment for the plan and no extra charges for calling people over the wireless networks, but standard charges for regular charges made from the phones. Strategic Option 2: It is hard to try to develop a strategic option to revolutionize the telecom industry for a company that has already been involved in shaping the industry for many years. Option 2 will differ from Option 1 in multiple areas. For option 2 we propose that Vodafone enters the American market place as soon as possible as Vodafone the company instead of through subsidiaries. Vodafone has always focused their marketing efforts mainly through sponsorships of large sports teams such as Manchester United Football Club and McLaren Mercedes Benz Formula 1 team along with hundreds of others. We believe that Vodafone can copy many of the elements that European customers have been satisfied with directly over to the American market which is currently lagging behind by almost five years compared to Asia and almost two years compared to Europe. Providing 3G service in the United States is needed and we believe that Vodafone could successfully gain market share in the United States. Vodafone has very high brand equity world wide and we believe that it is time to establish a grip on the US market. Recommendation Implementation: It is easy to see similarities between Vodafone and Sir Richard Bransons Virgin Corporation, other than the fact that the logos look similar. They are both UK based companies that are very dynamic and the company cultures are similar. Both companies are not afraid to be innovative and to move in new directions. We therefore recommend that Vodafone choose to move forwards with Option 1. This option involves the most risk, but we firmly believe that the industry is moving more and more towards telecommunication via wireless broadband connections. Just take a look at the Apple iPhone which with just one push on the touch screen switches from WI-FI to pure telephone mode. The iPhone does not provide IP-voice communication yet but we firmly believe that it is just a matter of time before it and others will. Implementing Option 1 we recommend that Vodafone establish strategic alliances with certain US based companies to be able to provide WI-FI hotspots that the handheld devices connect to. Also establish alliances or strengthen alliances with the phone manufacturers. We recognize that there are some privacy issues with Option 1 that needs to be solved, but this could not be done overnight and those issues will apply to the Vodafones competitors, such as ATT as well. We choose to recommend Option 1 because we have identified an opportunity for Vodafone to become the industry innovator and leader also in the United States over time. And we believe that it is possible due to the fact that the company is dynamic and it is not afraid to explore new opportunities. The same level of brand equity can be achieved in the US as in Europe and Asia. Lessons Learned: There are many valuable lessons in this case. First lesson is that in order to sustain growth in an industry as rapidly changing as technology companies always has to look for ways to be innovative and renew themselves in order to stay competitive and current. Another lesson is that a dynamic company without too many constraints to change can be extremely successful in rapid paced industries. We therefore identify a significant opportunity for Vodafone to emerge into new markets in the future. iReferences: Vodafone, (2007). Annual report 2007. Retrieved November 6, 2007, from vodafone.com Web site: http://www.vodafone.com/etc/medialib/attachments/agm_2007.Par. 62252.File.tmp/Vodafone_RA_2007_web.pdf Datamonitor, (2007 July 26). Vodafone group plc, compan profile. Retrieved November 6, 2007, from EBSCOhost Web site: http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/ pdf?vid=7hid=3sid=6cebab29-68f7-4981-b9c3-485f73f9fcb1%40SRCSM1

Mother Daughter Relationships - Mothers and Daughters in Amy Tans The Joy Luck Club :: Joy Luck Club Essays

Mothers and Daughters in Joy Luck Club Amy Tan's novel, The Joy Luck Club, explores the relationships and experiences of four Chinese mothers and four Chinese-American daughters. The difference in upbringing of those women born during the first quarter of this century in China, and their daughters born in California, is undeniable. From the beginning of the novel, you hear Suyuan Woo tell the story of "The Joy Luck Club," a group started by some Chinese women during World War II, where "we feasted, we laughed, we played games, lost and won, we told the best stories. And each week, we could hope to be lucky. That hope was our only joy." (p. 12) Really, this was their only joy. The mothers grew up during perilous times in China. They all were taught "to desire nothing, to swallow other people's misery, to eat [their] own bitterness." (p. 241) Though not many of them grew up terribly poor, they all had a certain respect for their elders, and for life itself. These Chinese mothers were all taught to be honorable, to the point of sacrificing their own lives to keep any family members' promise. Instead of their daughters, who "can promise to come to dinner, but if she wants to watch a favorite movie on TV, she no longer has a promise" (p. 42), "To Chinese people, fourteen carats isn't real gold . . . [my bracelets] must be twenty-four carats, pure inside and out." (p. 42) Towards the end of the book, there is a definite line between the differences of the two generations. Lindo Jong, whose daughter, Waverly, doesn't even know four Chinese words, describes the complete difference and incompatibility of the two worlds she tried to connect for her daughter, American circumstances and Chinese character. She explains that there is no lasting shame in being born in America, and that as a minority you are the first in line for scholarships. Most importantly, she notes that "In America, nobody says you have to keep the circumstances somebody else gives you." (p. 289) Living in America, it was easy for Waverly to accept American circumstances, to grow up as any other American citizen. As a Chinese mother, though, she also wanted her daughter to learn the importance of Chinese character. She tried to teach her Chinese-American daughter "How to obey parents and listen to your mother's mind.

Barriers of Effective Communication

Describe the barriers of effective communication. Introduction: If an individual (Sender) sends a message and the receiver interprets it in the same way as the sender had intended to express,the process of communication is said to be complete. But it is not always so. Certain barriers in communication affect the clarity, accuracy and effectiveness of the message. The barriers could be related to the communication system, mechanical devices being used, language or symbols being used for encoding, the sender and the receiver himself. There exist many barriers to communication and these may occur at any stage in the communication process.Barriers may lead to your message becoming distorted and you therefore risk wasting both time and money by causing confusion and misunderstanding. Effective communication involves overcoming these barriers and conveying a clear and concise message. Below are some common barriers to effective communication include: †¢ Physical Barriers: this has to do with poor or outdated equipment used during communications. Physical barriers are often due to the nature of the environment like background noise, poor lighting, temperatures that are too hot or too cold which in turn interfere with effective communication. Organizational Barriers: System design faults refer to problems with the structures or systems in place in an organization. This happens due to the physical distance between the sender and the receiver due to their task, power, and authority and status relationship. examples could be inefficient or inappropriate information systems, a lack of supervision or training, and a lack of clarity in roles and responsibilities which can lead to staff being uncertain about what is expected of them. †¢ Ambiguity of words/phrases or Semantic Barriers:Different people assign different meanings to one specific message. Hence the communicator must ensure that the receiver receives the same meaning. It is better if such words are avoide d by using alternatives whenever possible. †¢ Attitudes or Interpersonal Barriers: Another main barrier is the fear and mistrust that form the roots of our emotional barrier which stop us from communicating effectively with our co-workers. These are based upon relationships, values held and attitudes of the members involved.Shortage of time for subordinates, lack of trust, can be a major hurdle in effective communication. emotions like anger or sadness can taint objectivity. Also being extremely nervous,having a personal agenda can make communications less than effective. †¢ Cross cultural/ Geographical Barriers: This barrier arises due to time, geographic locations and the effect of time upon reception of the message. Social relationships, words, colors, symbols concepts of time and space and perception are barriers peculiar to different cultures. Language Barriers: this can seem like an easy one, but even people speaking the same language can have difficulty understandin g each other if they are from different generations or from different regions of the same country. Slang, professional jargon and regional colloquialisms can even hurt communicators with the best intentions. †¢ Information Overload: it takes time to process a lot of information and too many details can overwhelm and distract the audience from the important topics. Keep it Simple and short. Insufficient Knowledge of the Subject: If the sender lacks specific information about something, the receiver will likely receive an unclear or mixed message. For example: Have you shopped for an item such as a computer, and experienced how some salespeople can explain complicated terms and ideas in a simple way ? Others cannot. †¢ Lack of Basic Communication Skills: The receiver is less likely to understand the message if the sender has trouble choosing the precise words needed and arranging those words in a grammatically-correct sentence. Lack of Sensitivity to Receiver: A breakdown in communication may result when a message is not adapted to its receiver. Recognizing the receiver’s needs, status, knowledge of the subject, and language skills assists the sender in preparing a successful message. one can improve effective organizational communication is by changing one’s thoughts and feelings with one’s colleague. In this way, we don’t just break down communication barriers, but also build relationships that work successfully for long.

Free Essays on Marty

Lonely Marty Minor characters can often play major roles in the outcome of a play or tale. In Paddy Chayefsky’s play Marty, there are several minor characters that contribute to Marty’s life in a major way. The play without these characters would decrease the motivation and purpose shown by the main characters of the story. With each interaction with one of these minor characters, the main character learns more about his situation, human nature, and perhaps even the opposite sex in general. The most important minor character role in Marty would have to be the young man who tries to offload his date onto Marty. This slight individual creates an extraordinary situation for the main character which affects severely the outcome of the play. Although the play never mentions this character’s name, his shallow and superficial acts contribute greatly to Marty’s continuing relationship with Clara. His presence represents a major role that contrasts Marty’s character traits and reflects more of what the audience knows about Marty. This person also sets the scene for the internal conflict within the main character when he approaches Marty with a proposition. â€Å"I got stuck onna blind date with a dog, and I just picked up a nice chick, and I was wondering how I’m gonna get ridda the dog. [. . .] I be glad to pay you five bucks if you take the dog home for me.† (2.16). Without this minor character, Marty probably would have never met Clara and the emotion displayed at the end of the play would be changed significantly. The lead in of his family and friends remarks about his lack of a wife would be bare and not foreshadow as much to the great change in Marty’s life. â€Å"Well, Marty, when you gonna get married? You should be ashamed. All your brothers and sisters, they all younger than you, and they married, and they got children.† (1.9). With no severe change in Marty’s life, these comments would predict nothi... Free Essays on Marty Free Essays on Marty Lonely Marty Minor characters can often play major roles in the outcome of a play or tale. In Paddy Chayefsky’s play Marty, there are several minor characters that contribute to Marty’s life in a major way. The play without these characters would decrease the motivation and purpose shown by the main characters of the story. With each interaction with one of these minor characters, the main character learns more about his situation, human nature, and perhaps even the opposite sex in general. The most important minor character role in Marty would have to be the young man who tries to offload his date onto Marty. This slight individual creates an extraordinary situation for the main character which affects severely the outcome of the play. Although the play never mentions this character’s name, his shallow and superficial acts contribute greatly to Marty’s continuing relationship with Clara. His presence represents a major role that contrasts Marty’s character traits and reflects more of what the audience knows about Marty. This person also sets the scene for the internal conflict within the main character when he approaches Marty with a proposition. â€Å"I got stuck onna blind date with a dog, and I just picked up a nice chick, and I was wondering how I’m gonna get ridda the dog. [. . .] I be glad to pay you five bucks if you take the dog home for me.† (2.16). Without this minor character, Marty probably would have never met Clara and the emotion displayed at the end of the play would be changed significantly. The lead in of his family and friends remarks about his lack of a wife would be bare and not foreshadow as much to the great change in Marty’s life. â€Å"Well, Marty, when you gonna get married? You should be ashamed. All your brothers and sisters, they all younger than you, and they married, and they got children.† (1.9). With no severe change in Marty’s life, these comments would predict nothi...

Precursor To vs. Precursor Of

Precursor To vs. Precursor Of Precursor To vs. Precursor Of Precursor To vs. Precursor Of By Maeve Maddox A reader asks, Can you please tell me when to use precursor to and precursor of? Is there a difference between the two? Latin praecursor (â€Å"forerunner, advanced guard†) is from a verb meaning â€Å"to run in front of.† Latin cursor means, â€Å"to run.† The noun precursor entered English about 1500, chiefly in reference to John the Baptist as â€Å"Christ’s precursor.† The sense here is â€Å"a person who heralds the approach of another.† In current usage, precursor is used to refer either to a person regarded as someone’s forerunner, or a thing regarded as the prototype of something else. Here are two examples: Gilbert M. â€Å"Broncho Billy† Anderson is regarded by film historians as the precursor to better-known movie cowboys such as Gene Autry and Roy Rogers. [Dick Tracy’s] wrist radio was the precursor of the cell phone of today. The OED cites â€Å"precursor to† in 1675 and â€Å"precursor of† in 1716. On the Ngram Viewer, â€Å"precursor of† is far more common in printed books until the 1960s, when â€Å"precursor to† begins a marked rise, although it remains below â€Å"precursor of† on the graph. A Google search indicates that â€Å"precursor to† is more common than â€Å"precursor of† on the Web: precursor to (6,330,000 results) precursor of (4,230, 000 results) In my own use, I think I’m more likely to use â€Å"precursor to† when linking people and â€Å"precursor of† in reference to things, but random examples taken from the Web indicate that the phrases are used interchangeably: [The Scarlet Pimpernel] is  seen as a precursor to  the spy fiction and the superhero genres. Only about one in eight people with so-called pre-diabetes, often a precursor to full-blown disease, know they have a problem,   Was Marilyn Monroe a  precursor  of 1960s feminism? Its my belief that  Marilyn Monroe  was a  precursor to  the Womens Movement. Cyclorama paintings served as the  precursor to  movies. Carole Lombard was the  precursor to  all sexy comediennes. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:20 Great Opening Lines to Inspire the Start of Your StoryPeople versus PersonsI wish I were...

Management Practices Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Management Practices - Essay Example The general manager’s position was left under Gary’s son, Gary Jr. Currently; the management of the company is under four directors in charge of Operation Management, Sales and Marketing, IT and Procurement, and Human Resource Management. Although the personnel are qualified, there are a number of problems in their respective departments that needs to be addressed. Handling the customers have become quit a problem because some of them demand more services than can be offered e.g. Quick & Tasty Food Chain. This has made the company to use logistic companies to carry out distribution of the products. A logistic company by the name of FeshDist has become very problematic because it is not consistent in the collection of products. This leads to accumulation of product in the warehouse (Thomas, 2007). Tom has been away for quite some time due to sickness and, this has resulted to failure in his department. The staffs are conflicting over small issues with excuses of Tom†™s absences. They have led to complains in the warehouse where Bryan notices that different products are made in one shift. There is also a problem when a new brand is launched. It leads to confusions and complexity in the production schedules because the general manager gives it the first priority. This has led to narrowing of profit margins causing a great risk to the future of the company as noticed by the marketing director. The technology and the IT in the company are not modern and, these have resulted to wastage of electricity and also slow operations of the production process. Ivan in charge of the technology complains that the ovens are left on leading to wastage of energy. He also complains that, if the ovens are put off, they take a lot of time to heat again. Many of the departments in the company use manual methods of maintaining records and information. Bryan uses spreadsheet to record stocks while the sales and marketing department has to prepare records and then tak e them to other offices instead of using the modern information technology. INTRODUCTION Achiffa Organization is a company that manufactures potato based frozen food products. It was started by a man by the name Gary Achiffa Sr. who was growing potatoes in Idahi Falls. He later stopped growing potatoes after sensing the growth of fast food sector in US and stated processing the potatoes into French fries. Today, the company has grown and, it produces a variety of potato products which are then distributed in many cities. Although there is a significant growth in the organization, there are a number of things in terms of technology and operation management that needs to be changed in order to realize tremendous growth. The major products manufactured by the company are hash browns, wedges, waffles and French fries. If the company adapts the new technology, it will be in a position to make other products e.g. potato flakes, potato granules, potato powder among many more potato product s (Moffatt and Hanley, 2001). The founder of the company stopped farming immediately he realized that the sale of the products could do well. When Gary opened the company, he decided to delegate the management duties to his friend’s son, Tom Granham. The founder of the company retired in the late 1990s leaving the management to his descendants. The company is still under the management of his children. Gary Jr. who is the current managing director

Ethics, Privacy, and Security Sides of Computer Spammer Issue Essay

Ethics, Privacy, and Security Sides of Computer Spammer Issue - Essay Example They flood the networks through continuous bombardments. The interests of ordinary users are of no threat to anyone else especially their privacy and flow of information across the network. In case of spammers, the activities are motivated by damage and illegal practices. There is the margin of improvement to the manner in which Spamhaus operates. It has raised the eyebrows in cases where organizations have become a victim of this barring process Spamhaus methodology is based on the idea of segregation. Separating the good from the bad and this is done through blocking of the list of ids which are habitual offenders. Once the list is compiled that of blacklist ids, their list is sent across the networks of institutions and organizations. However, their work and the methods adopted has resulted in various legal constraints from time to time. Though the methods adopted by them have made the task relatively easy and according to some, the inboxes would get flooded with junk and spams incase Spam Haus was not in place and not conducting the operations. While the Spamhaus process does irk some of the business community members, due to the indiscriminate and at times random blocking, the solution can be reached by installing effective software and firewalls at the back end that stream out the spam and other junk mails prior to reaching the customers. In this method the direct approach and reach to customers can be eliminated and as a result, only those ips and addresses can reach to the customers that are authenticated and of no damage. This can by large resolve the issues faced in the case of Spamhaus. There are multiple legal issues faced in the usage and application of Spamhaus.

PathGoal Theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

PathGoal Theory - Essay Example The articles are different in the way that Chester A. Schriesheim and Linda L. Neider provide more research and literature review on the theory while Jim Bolt discusses the modern leader and importance of changing the dimension of a modern manager's role in the company. Schriesheim and Neider begin their article by mentioning the developers' definition of a leader and the functions that are supposed to be held by a modern manager of an organization. They stress that, the function of a leader is to increase "personal pay-offs to subordinates for work-goal attainment and make the path to these pay-offs easier to travel by clarifying it, reducing road blocks and pitfalls, and increasing the opportunities for personal satisfaction en route" (House, 1971, p. 324). Effective leaders assist employees in their career path that is aimed at individual fulfillment of employees and organizational benefit. Most of the investigations of House's path-goal theory have concentrated on exploring relationships between leadership behaviors (e.g., consideration and initiating structure) and outcome measures (e.g., satisfaction) while studying the impact of different moderator variables (such as task structure). House (1971), for example, found preliminary support for t he contention that situational variables may moderate the relationship of perceived initiating structure as well as consideration and such effectiveness measures as subordinate job satisfaction. The authors of the article cite Bass (1990) noting that the leader "needs to complement only what is missing in a situation to enhance the subordinate's motivation, satisfaction, and performance" (p. 627). Mentioning about over 100 studies published on the theory of path-goal leadership, Schriesheim and Neider continue the article by outlining the findings of few studies. The results of a meta-analysis of over 40 studies, Resulted in a support for the basic propositions of the theory, particularly with respect to the role of initiating structure, moderated by taskcharacteristics, on employee satisfaction. The results with respect to performance as an outcome variable and with respect to leader consideration behaviors appear to be far less consistent, and this may account for the removal of subordinate performance from the most recent statement of the theory. Another study provided by Szilagyi and Sims (1974) found that "while task characteristics moderated the relationship between initiating structure and employee satisfaction, the same was not true with respect to the relationship between initiating structure and performance". Further, Schriesheim and Schriesheim (1980) found that perceived consideration appears to be strongly related to employee satisfaction levels regardless of situational characteristics. Specifically, supportive leadership explained 63% of the variance in supervisory satisfaction scores, even after instrumental leader behaviors were paialled out. This finding is also consistent with the meta-analyses conducted by Fisher and Edwards (1988) and Wofford and Liska (1993), both finding support for a positive relationship between leader consideration and subordinate job satisfaction. Both of these meta-analyses also, however, provided only mixed results regarding the theory's proposed moderator relationships. In contrast to Schriesheim and Neider, Bolt does not refer to any studies in his article but

The Sociology of Race and Ethnicity Essay Example for Free

The Sociology of Race and Ethnicity Essay The most common definition of this term is a social ranking by social wealth. An example would be a family whose income level categorizes them below the poverty line, versus a family whose income level categorizes them far above the poverty line. This is when an oppressor uses race to determine who is and is not privileged. These determinations are made by assigning characteristics to races and dividing them into groups. At minimum, characteristics include physical or cultural traits. This is a broad generalization about groups which does not account for individual differences. An example would be if a person were to generalize that all people from New York City are pushy. Among many others, Chinese Americans, African American, Native Americans and Caucasians are examples of this group. Members of such a group can be identified by obvious physical differences. This occurs when a dominant group forces a minority group to live, work, or socialize separately. The high index of Blacks and Whites living separately in Detroit, Michigan is an example. Another way of describing a minority group, this type of group comprises people of certain race, ethnicity, religion, gender, age, disability. Members of such a group exhibit five distinct characteristics. This occurs when a person, or the group to which that person belongs, assumes the characteristics of a dominant group. An example would be a Native American choosing to abandon his or her cultural norms in favor of United States norms. This group is associated with a faith other than that of the dominant group. For example, individuals who practice Buddhism in the United States belong to this type of group. This perspective maintains that groups in society may express their cultures without facing prejudice or hostility. In part, it can be seen in some of the larger United States cities.

Reflection On Residential Workshop And Positive Interrelationships Nursing Essay

Reflection On Residential Workshop And Positive Interrelationships Nursing Essay Recently I attended a 7 day residential workshop at Findhorn Foundation in Scotland. The two middle aged co-leaders were very experienced in running this workshop, but had never worked together before. Ineka was Dutch and Annis was from the UK. The twelve participants from varying professional backgrounds were of various ages from mid twenties to mid 60s, from all over the world and with several using English as their second language. Although clearly stated in the application form, this was NOT a therapy group however three people had slipped through the screening process and arrived with diagnosed mental illnesses. Two were on medication but the third, Barbara, was not. The higher the level of an individuals psychological pathology e.g. depression, anger, anxiety the less able he or she is to develop and maintain caring and enriching relationships (Johnson Johnson 2009). This was my second visit to Findhorn, the earlier visit being 34 years ago. The purpose of the workshop was to introduce the members to the work of the Community, a World Heritage Eco Village and a spiritual community which runs many human development courses in its college every year. There was a second purpose of which I was unaware to experience and work through a wide range of emotions to increase positive interrelations. I was strangely obtuse about this second purpose and concentrated only on the first. Entitativity is the perception that a group is cohesive with members bonded together. The stronger the joint goals, shared outcomes, interpsersonal bonds, the greater the apparent entitativity of a group (Welbourne, 1999). Our group had incomplete entitativity, I for one feeling detached throughout. The leaders appeared unaware of the dislike many participants had for Annis, who frequently exhibited unnecessary controlling behaviours. Her autocratic style of leadership was rejected, while Inekas equally autocratic style was acceptable because she was a more agreeable, more authentic person. This conflict was not brought into the open, instead being discussed within subgroups, during recreational times. Anniss controlling behaviour impacted on the groups cohesion; there was entitativity amongst the group AGAINST Annis. We found a bond in our mutual rejection of her though that bond, for me, was not sufficient to make me feel part of the group for many reasons. Socializing outside the group can increase the groups cohesion but we divided along age lines. I couldnt get interested in the younger ones, their beliefs, interests and stories. Counterproductive socializing did not happen, nobody feeling excluded from cliques. One detrimental aspect of our group was our refusing to challenge one another for fear of jeopardizing newly forming friendships, and relying on the group as the source of our current social life. We were a long way from home, in an unknown setting, and needed each other for emotional security. Communication was autonomous rather than allonomous in its style of interaction. We talked directly to each other, rather than via the leaders. There was much praising, supporting and offering of help from us all. We all took care to understand and be understood by those who did not speak English well even when this required considerable effort. Gibb, 1961, established that evaluation, superiority, certainty and control produce defensive communication. There was a defensive reaction to Anniss control and certainty. There was evaluation and superiority expressed by participants, but mostly the leaders, against the non-Findhorn world. We were enlightened insiders educating and influencing the ignorant outer world. These attitudes I rejected, which impacted on my commitment to the group. Much respect for each other and each others contributions to the group efforts were articulated. The more accepting and supportive participants were of each other, the more likely they were to reveal ideas, feelings and reactions. The more trustworthy our groups response to such disclosures, the deeper and more personal the thoughts a participant will share (Johnson et al, 2009). We had revelations of bisexuality, of partnering with a paedophile, of terror at failing to cope with motherhood, of being overwhelmed with the exposure of self revelation. Clearly the group was achieving its goals for some of us, but not for me. I revealed more than I ever have before, but my core emotional wounds I kept hidden. I was astonished by such revelations and wanted to rescue those in distress, lacking any other response to such pain. Corey, Corey Corey, (2010) explains that if someone finds it too difficult to witness anothers pain, the supportive individual attempts to offer pseudo support rather than a genuine expression of concern, and empathy. I felt helpless the first time Barbara howled with pain. I postulate that there may also be pseudo pain. The second time Barbara lay in foetal position and screamed in agony, I was astonished to see her sit back on her chair calmly, well satisfied with the attention she received. The third time she performed I felt a little exploited. Thus I remained an outside observer, wondering if I should feel guilty for not being more empathetic. Power may be directly or indirectly expressed through group norms and values. Norms are agreed modes of conduct and belief that guide the behaviour of group members (Johnson et al, 2009). Our group obeyed the direct power exercised by the leaders. We were also systematically educated in the norms expected of us by the Findhorn Community. This was done in discussion and by the leaders modelling expected behaviours. At one point Annis gave us a lecture on the rules of group sharing sessions, the only time I thought she was directly criticising us and I didnt agree with those rules, wanting to give feedback to the person who had just shared but this was not allowed. Sharing was to be received in silence. The first time Barbara broken into howls of anguish, and shared a nightmarish experience she had had while on a group nature walk, she concluded with Now I feel foolish. I believed she should have been reassured that we had not found her behaviour foolish. I too felt ridiculous after co mpleting a task to show a side of me that others havent seen yet and I demonstrated my three year old self having a tantrum. I needed feedback. I was aware that energy is tied up in withholding feeling. When released, people typically reported terrific physical and emotional relief called catharsis. Barbara appeared not to. While expressing emotions may be culturally inappropriate in some situations it was not at Findhorn but later I questioned whether she actually was experiencing the healing of catharsis. Catharsis alone is limited in regard to producing long-term change. Barbara needed to understand her experience by putting into words those intense emotions but this was forbidden by our group norm which made discussion taboo (Corey et al, 2010). Every individual and group uses a mixture of learning styles, namely experience, reflection, conceptualisation and active experimentation (King Kiely, 2004). Our programme used all these adult learning styles in its varied tasks. We played games, danced, walked in Nature, meditated, listened to lectures, drew, made collages, sang, watched films plus much more. However the programme used mainly structured rather than unstructured exercises, which King Kiely (2004) claim is predominantly used for psycho-educational groups. As our leaders were very experienced they had developed their own toolkit of creative exercises though one participant began to cry during the first mornings session of encounter games designed to bond the group and I felt uncomfortable, and quite disgruntled, at having to take part in these role plays as they were outside my expectations. They were too physical, too unpredictable, for me to feel safe in the group at this stage. Our group had no procedures to seek out dissenting opinions. Group think is the collective striving for unanimity so that there is no appraisal of alternatives. There is lack of reality testing, a weakening of rationality, judgemental thinking and the ignoring of inconsistent external information. Groupthink censors discussion of disagreements or arguments (Quinn Schlenker, 2002). Our group felt strong pressure to agree with one another, and failed to engage in effective discussion. If the leaders believe in members capacities to make important personal changes participants may consequently see the group as a valuable conduit to personal growth. If the leaders listen non-defensively and communicate that they value members subjective experience, members are likely to see the power in active listing. If the leaders are genuinely able to accept others for who they are, participants will learn to accept peoples rights be themselves and be different. Modelling behaviour in groups is one of the most effective ways to teach members how to relate to one another constructively and deeply (Corey et al, 2010). These were our leaders successes, with the exception of Anniss need for too much control. If members feel that they are deeply understood they are more likely to trust that others care about them. A misapprehension of invulnerability, indicated by unjustifiable optimism and too much risk taking was present (Keyton, 2006). The norms of the group meant we were above attack and reproach. One participant, Elka, learned that her lover committed suicide while she was with us, and as a diagnosed depressive herself who had attempted suicide 6 months before, was vulnerable after hearing such news. The leaders offered her no feedback, as per their norms, and welcomed the fact that she opened herself up to this challenge! They stressed that they were not a therapy group but I claimed Findhorn attracted damaged people and its leaders should be trained in crisis management. But there were no contingency plans available for when participants became unstable. Absence of disagreement is the primary cause of groupthink (Courright, 1978). I kept my criticisms to myself in group time but talked about them privately to some participants as similarly did others about Anniss controlling behaviour. Members learn how they function as a person in the world by looking at the patterns they use in the group session (Corey et al, 2010). I protected myself from vulnerability by taking on the role of critical assessor, probing for information, attempting to give advice and paying attention to the dynamics of individuals and the group. Instead of paying attention to how I may be affected in the group, I shifted the focus to others, thus I was left behind as the group developed (Corey et al, 2010). The leaders did not sensitively block this defensive behaviour. They could have pointed out to that I was depriving myself of the maximum benefit from the group by paying more attention to others. Schutz (1958) identifies 4 stages in group development. The first, inclusion, assesses individuals as pondering where they fit in, feeling vulnerable, excited and often fearful. The second stage, control, is the jockeying for leadership, control and power. Who is marginalised, who is threatened, who frustrated with authority problems, who projecting onto the leader? This is where I fitted in, as I became frustrated with the groups unwillingness to express negative thoughts or give personal feedback as per the censoring demands of the leaders. My defensive role of critical observer anchored me to this stage. The third stage, affection, is a time when participants feel a sense of belonging, happiness, love and harmony with each other. The others in the group were able to feel this with each other, but not with Annis. The last stage is termination. Creating an effective group requires an appropriate balance between support and challenge but our group lacked appropriate challenge. Our norms were supportive and several participants used that to take risks but that in-itself was not sufficient. Groups that use confrontation to strip away the defensive behaviour of members often consequently have increasingly defensive interaction. Leaders are best to refrain from highly confrontational involvement until they have developed a trusting relationship with participants. Once interpersonal trust is achieved group members are usually more accepting of challenge (Corey et al, 2010). Theasaurus to here: ie done above. I never gave up the safety of my defensive detachment nor did others in the older sub-group. Resistance is a normal process that can lead to productive exploration in the group. The defensive style may take various forms such as conflict, detachment, distrust or diverting but the underlying fear is of getting close and the vulnerability this implies. The most successful way to deal with difficult behaviours is for the leaders to simply describe to members what they are observing and let the members know how they are affected by what they see and hear. Showing a willingness to understand the members behaviour is the gentlest form of confrontation. Using such a strategy in our group would have been helpful (Corey et al, 2010). When feedback is given honestly and sensitively, members are able to understand the impact they have on others and decide, what, if anything, they want to change about their interpersonal style. Feedback has been associated with increased motivation for change to o (Morran Wilson, 1997). Group leaders need to teach participants how to give and receive feedback. Members are more likely to consider feedback that may be difficult to hear when there is a balance between positive or supportive feedback and corrective or challenging feedback. Members can benefit from both if the feedback is given in a clear, caring and personal way (Morran et al, 1997). Positive feedback should be emphasised during the early stages of the group. However positive and corrective feedback should be balanced during the middle and later stages (Moran et al, 1997). However this did not happen for us. Corrective feedback is more credible, useful and increasingly more accepted by members during the working and ending sages. Leaders need to assist in establishing appropriate norms that encourage the giving and receiving of corrective feedback. (Morran et al, 1997). Our leaders modelled positive feedback but not corrective feedback and the groups success was inhibited accordingly. Our final session involved tasks to put what has occurred in the group into a meaningful perspective and to plan ways to continue applying changes to situations in our daily lives. At this time members need to express what the group experience has meant to them and to state where they intend to go from here. Members need to face the reality of termination and learn how to say good-bye. The potential for learning permanent lessons may be lost if the leader does not provide a structure that helps members review and integrate what they have learned but our leaders did this (Corey et al, 2010). We exchanged email addresses and these emails became a valuable support system, particularly for Elka who returned home to find her lover had killed himself the day before. We all emailed her with our empathy and, in my case, good advice as to seeking help for herself. I remained a rescuer! Assisting members in creating a support system is a good way to help them deal with setbacks and keep focused on what they need to do to accomplish their goals (Corey et al, 2010). There was an evaluation sheet that allowed participants to say what was helpful and what was difficult about the group and ways that the sessions could have been improved. It asked for feedback on the leadership which I didnt give! Even at the very end I remained uncommitted to the group processes. This request for post workshop evaluation was a valid request but not sufficient. Evaluation should have been more frequent, with assessment of the groups needs occurring throughout the programme. Keyton (2006) explains that some members enjoy the group experience so much that they do not want it to end. This was particularly true of our younger members. They felt happiness and pleasure at having had a good group experience, but they also felt sadness and loss that the group was over (Rose, 1989). The final night saw us enjoying a celebratory dinner. Keyton, (2006) claims that celebrating success solidifies individuals connections to the group and helps members gain closure. I found such expressions of sorrow irrelevant, never having moved from the control stage of the group so for me, overall, the group did not achieve its second goal. It was, however, successful in regard to this goal for the younger ones. For us all, the goal of being introduced to aspects of living at Findhorn was achieved. 2726 words.