Practices or managerial competencies that you think all health care Essay

Practices or managerial competencies that you think all health care administrators should develop - Essay Example This is where conceptual skills come in. They provide an administrator with the perfect launching pad for conducting good research or making the right decisions. The preparation of financial reports requires an able and competent administrator who is technically proficient in using computers to create and manipulate spreadsheets among other documents associated with budgeting Budgeting/reimbursement may require one to interact with other people by asking questions in order to get the right information when in doubt of anything. This requires good interpersonal skills otherwise an administrator may not obtain accurate data/information Understanding whatever one is computing or preparing also requires good conceptual skills (Antony, 1981). An administrator should know which figures are supposed to be entered where, what they represent and how to interpret them in order to explain an organization’s financial position Planning cannot be carried out alone; it is a team effort that is better executed when different opinions and ideas are heard (Lytras, 2008). As a result, working well with different people calls for good human/interpersonal

Business Research Project Essay Example for Free

Business Research Project Essay Serenity Stay Long Term Care is a Specialty Hospital located in Memphis, Tennessee. The company is a 50 bed facility that caters to patients on ventilators, patients needing physical therapy, and patients needing wound care. The facility has been losing a lot of good Register Nursing (R.N.) personnel and Human Resource thinks that it is because of the long 12 hours days required to work. To provide outstanding care to our patients Serenity Stay must find a way to keep good R. N. personnel. Serenity Stay Long Term Care Hospital and Human Resources should focus on the following research question, is working 12 hours’ worth the risk, because it is overworking the nursing staff? Or should management look at changing the hours to benefit staff needs, which could possibly reduce a drop in loss of staff? The first thing we will look at is to see if o12 hour shift are causing our nursing staff personnel to be overworking nurses at Serenity Stay is causing a drop in employment. Secondly we will look at is if working the 12 hours shift is not the cause of loss of nursing personnel. Team A plans to test weather keeping a 12 hour shift or going back to an 8 hour shift will help keep the nurses happy. We will conduct surveys, talk with other facilities that are experiencing the same issues, and talk with the staff involved. If working 12 hours shifts appear to be the problem, then we could look at going back to 8 hour shifts, Townsend, T. (2013). Are twelve hour shifts safe? Retrieved fromhttp://www.american nurse today

Nestle :: essays research papers

Nestle (Brief Overview) 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Unconventional methodology of extension to other countries in it’s early years. 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Nestle made a name for itself with an experiment involving a child who was intolerant to his mother’s milk or any other substitutes. Nestle not only saved the baby’s life but achieved the feat with a formula developed with a formula that included lactose as one of it’s key ingredients. 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Several acquisitions along Nestle’s timeline would further accent its touch in its major revolution in the food industry. CASE1 : IMPORTANT FACTS OF THE CASE. 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Nestle’s commencement in 1866 by the Swedish pharmacists and further expansion into Europe and subsequently the rest of the world 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Nestle’s landmark acquisituions. 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Nestle’s first mover strategy. The writer makes a comparison to enterprises during the industrial revolution. These companies had to invest in infrasture that are almost negligible in todays commerce activities, to start off production. Nestle had to engage in activities with a potential high risk such as their milk collection process in china. 4.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It’s broad based globalization that attracted 99% of it’s revenue from outside of it’s home country in a little over a century 5.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The employment of tactics and strategy in a saturated market like Europe in the late nineties. ( I.E. potential to find an emerging market way before it gets prosperous. Responses to income levels) 6.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Nestle focused more on customization instead of the then resounding and domineering globalization. They believed in customizing a product to suit a local niche one market at a time. That way new product failure rate remained minimal and New product Development grew significantly. This process is referred to as local adaptation by the writer. CASE2 : With regards to emerging markets 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Nestle has always pioneered in being the first mover into a new market. 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Aligned with the vision of its proprietor they configure new products to their best fit assumption and then introduce it to a unsuspecting market. 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After having a substantial leverage on the market, subsequent growth in the market would also mean growth for the subsidiary market share of nestle. 4.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Examples of such products experimented with include tofu, noodles and of Nestlà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s favorite, condensed milk. 5.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Nestle noticeably pierces the market with staple or basic fodd items before upgrading to more upscale products. CASE 3: What is required for the strategy to work 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A centralized organizational goal and focus on new product development accented with the regional taste. 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  An unbiased commitment to optimum product standards. 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Subsequent monitoring and alterations as required 4.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Progress report and full disclosure to stakeholders involved to determine if it is worth continuing.

Tea Industry Analysis

INDUSTRY ANALYSIS Indian tea industry The tea industry in India is about 170 years old. It occupies an important place and plays a very useful part in the national economy. Robert Bruce in 1823 discovered tea plants growing wild in upper Brahmaputra Valley. In 1838 the first Indian tea from Assam was sent to United Kingdom for public sale. Thereafter, it was extended to other parts of the country between 50's and 60's of the last century. However, owing to certain specific soil and climatic requirements its cultivation was confined to only certain parts of the country. Tea plantations in India are mainly located in rural hills and backward areas of North-eastern and Southern States. Major tea growing areas of the country are concentrated in Assam, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. The other areas where tea is grown to a small extent are Karnataka, Tripura, Himachal Pradesh, Uttaranchal, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Sikkim, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Bihar and Orissa. Unlike most other tea producing and exporting countries, India has dual manufacturing base. India produces both CTC and Orthodox teas in addition to green tea. The weightage lies with the former due to domestic consumers’ preference. Orthodox tea production is balanced basically with the export demand. Production of green tea in India is small. The competitors to India in tea export are Sri Lanka, Kenya, China, Indonesia and Vietnam. Tea is an agro-based commodity and is subjected to vagaries of nature. Despite adverse agro climatic condition experienced in tea growing areas in many years, Indian Tea Plantation Industry is able to maintain substantial growth in relation to volume of Indian tea production during the last one decade. There has been a dramatic tilt in tea disposal in favour of domestic market since fifties. While at the time of Independence only 79 M. Kgs or about 31% of total production of 255 M. Kgs of tea was retained for internal consumption, in 2006 as much as 771 M. Kgs or about 81% of total production of 956 M. Kgs of tea went for domestic consumption. Such a massive increase in domestic consumption has been due to increase in population, greater urbanisation, increase in income and standard of living etc. Indian tea export has been an important foreign exchange earner for the country. There was an inherent growth in export earnings from tea over the years. Till 70s’, UK was the major buyer of Indian tea Since 80s’ USSR became the largest buyer of Indian tea due to existence of the trade agreement between India and erstwhile USSR. USSR happened to be the major buyer of Indian tea accounting for more than 50% of the total Indian export till 1991. However, with the disintegration of USSR and abolition of Central Buying Mechanism, Indian tea exports suffered a set back from 1992-93. However, Indian Tea exports to Russia/CIS countries recovered from the setback since 1993 under Rupee Debt Repayment Route facilities as also due to long term agreement on tea entered into between Russia and India. Depressed scenario again started since 2001 due to change in consumption pattern, i. e. switch over from CTC to Orthodox as per consumer preference and thus India has lost the Russian market. Another reason for decline in export of Indian tea to Russia is offering of teas at lower prices by China, South Asian countries like Indonesia and Vietnam. The major competitive countries in tea in the world are Sri Lanka, Kenya, China and Indonesia. China is the major producer of green tea while Sri Lanka and Indonesia are producing mainly orthodox varieties of tea. Kenya is basically a CTC tea producing country. While India is facing competition from Sri Lanka and Indonesia with regard to export of orthodox teas and from China with regard to green tea export, it is facing competition from Kenya and from other African countries in exporting CTC teas. Because of absence of large domestic base and due to comparatively small range of exportable items, Sri Lanka and Kenya have an edge over India to offload their teas in any international markets. This is one of the reasons of higher volume of export by Sri Lanka and Kenya compared to India. Another important point is that, U. K has substantial interest in tea cultivation in Kenya. Most of the sterling companies, after Indianisation due to implementation of FERA Act started tea cultivation in Kenya. So, it makes business sense for U. K. to buy tea from Kenya and Kenya became the largest supplier of tea to U. K. Tea is an essential item of domestic consumption and is the major beverage in India. Tea is also considered as the cheapest beverage amongst the beverages available in India. Tea Industry provides gainful direct employment to more than a million workers mainly drawn from the backward and socially weaker section of the society. It is also a substantial foreign exchange earner and provides sizeable amount of revenue to the State and Central Exchequer. The total turnover of the Indian tea industry is in the vicinity of Rs. 8000 Crs. Presently, Indian tea industry is having (as on 31. 12. 2006 ) 1655 registered Tea Manufacturers, †¢ 2008 registered Tea Exporters, †¢ 5148 number of registered tea buyers, †¢ Nine tea Auction centres. The Indian tea industry is witnessing a strong revival of fortunes with exports rising and domestic consumption gearing up. The industry saw an impressive 8. 8 percent increase in average tea auction prices in the five months ended August 200 4. The tea industry is one of the oldest organized industries in India with a large network of tea producers, retailers, distributors, auctioneers, exporters and packers. Tea is grown in more than 32 countries among which India is the largest producer. The industry provides direct employment to more than a million workers of which a sizeable number are women. More than two million people derive their livelihood from ancillary activities associated with production, value addition and marketing of tea. The tea trade is a major contributor to the country’s economy. Substantial foreign exchange earnings with negligible import content, contribution to the State and Central exchequers, preserving a pollution free biosphere and soil conversation are some of the important features of the tea industry. Tea Exports increase Due to global supply imbalance, tea exports from India during the Jan- Aug 2004, period increased to 107. 7 million kg against 92. 4 million kg in the corresponding period last year. However, the average price realizations dropped to Rs 83. 20 per kg in 2004 from Rs 100. 51 per kg in 2003. The rise in export volumes has been boosted by higher demand from Pakistan, Iran, Iraq and other gulf countries. The unconventional destinations like Japan, Germany, Singapore, Australia, USA and Canada have emerged as potential destinations in recent months where Indian tea is being exported in greater volumes and has recorded 88 percent growth in the first five months of calendar year. The all-India average export realization tumbled drastically by 17. 2 percent to Rs 83. 20 per kg in the five months ended August 2004, from Rs 100. 51 per kg in the corresponding previous period. The fall in the average export realization was relatively modest at 5 percent to Rs 118. 8 per kg in north India, while it was steeper at 16. percent to Rs 58. 61 per kg in south India. Even as exports rose, imports too, jumped sharply. There was a 225 percent increase in tea imports to 17. 83 mn kg in the five months ended August 2004 compared to 5. 47 mn kg in the corresponding period last year. {draw:frame} Tea is indigenous to India and is an area where the country can take a lot of pride. This is mainly because o f its pre-eminence as a foreign exchange earner and its contributions to the country's GNP. In all aspects of tea production, consumption and export, India has emerged to be the world leader, mainly because it accounts for 31% of global production. It is perhaps the only industry where India has retained its leadership over the last 150 years. Tea production in India has a very interesting history to it. The range of tea offered by India – from the original Orthodox to CTC and Green Tea, from the aroma and flavour of Darjeeling Tea to the strong Assam and Nilgiri Tea- remains unparalleled in the world. Tea trading in the domestic market is done in two ways- Auction and Private Selling. Market Reports are received from the six major auction centres in India, namely, Calcutta, Guwahati, Siliguri, Cochin, Coimbatore and *PEST ANALYSIS GLOBALLY *( u. k tea market ) Political Factors The UK Government supports the fair trading commitment for both the local consumers and foreign producers (News BBC, 2005). This is observed by a requirement on labeling that a stamp of â€Å"Fairtrade† must be included in the products for consumer reference. This is a way to give the buyers a chance to patronize those companies that are producing tea responsibly. However, this also shows that the UK Government do not have strict policies on fair trade. Due to this, the recent calls of Indian workers for the UK Government to act against Unilever due to unfair trade acts and the inability of the latter to act speedily on the matter have adverse consequences on future exporters. If big and global companies such as Unilever continue to rip profits un-scaled with the source plantation abroad, the competitiveness of new entrants would be reduced. For example, Unilever can engage to price wars as well as incur substantial growth funds. To address this scenario, prospective exporters are expected to create a niche market to go away with direct competition with large companies. In 2004, the calls of EU Commission against the UK Government to implement the â€Å"tea break† law concretized the significant role of tea in the country as well as the Union as a whole (BBC News, 2005). In contrast but in support to the increasing importance of tea in the UK, the Government used the gesture of providing free to all British to motivate them to go to the cherished Millennium Dome. Also, tea giving is also used to foster cohesion among British especially in 2005 where terrorist attacks plague the country (Watley Website). Throughout the UK political history since the introduction of tea in Britain by Catherine of Braganza and rationing of tea to UK soldiers of First World War, tea played a major role in government affairs. Thus, it can be concluded that the approach of the Government to tea imports are positive. However, there is still a question of protecting their local producers. Specifically, imports will only be allowed if local production is under shortage or if the country cannot get the internal benefits greater the cost of doing business with foreign tea manufacturers (Tea Website). In contrast, there are similar adverse actions that the Government imposed on tea campaigns (BBC News, 2007). For example, the Advertising Standards Authority apprehended the UK Tea Council, for dis-informing the market about the benefits of tea. Even though the Council cited several papers to prove that the press release is facts, the Authority argued the lack of substantial evidence. More importantly, the Authority wanted the council to avoid making ill-supported ads that may run counter to the health policies of the Government. Due to this, it can be said that the Government does not have a firm stand about the health benefits of tea. In effect, future ads to increase the market for tea may have weaker impact to consumers due to absence of full government support. However, as history suggests which includes events dated back as far as Opium Wars, UK Government places a substantial importance in tea trade. But the role of exporters such as Chinese merchants fell as UK have established its own tea fields in UK areas such as Cornwall. Economic Factors Comparing the UK tea prices of today and 1977 figures, supermarkets are selling tea bags much cheaper compared to several decades ago (Telegraph Website). This is a good opportunity for exporters because the natural resources as well as cheap labor in their home countries can be used to engage in price competition in the UK. However, there is a pitfall. This is true when the price of exported teas is so low that the operations of the exporters are in jeopardy once the market continuously put pressure on tea prices. There are several risk factors that influence of price reduction in of UK tea which can include competitive policies of retailers to as far as the weak US dollar. Due to this environment, exporters might not have much incentive in selling in the UK given that there are trade constraints and disincentives coupled with heavy competition. Ultimately, exporters have to battle with volume rather than quality. In contrast, there is an advantage of exporters who can offer innovative products. In this way, the market will not rely on price factors to affect their decisions rather to the qualities of tea products which is also the source of loyalty. There are numerous characteristics of UK that makes it an attractive destination for exporter goods. Being the second largest economy in Europe, UK is also one of the most globalized advanced economies the world (UK Statistics). There is an opportunity for exporters to exploit the inclusion of UK in the EU and the latter influence in the trade agreements of the former. When this is enforced, entry to UK market may serve as a window of opportunity to infiltrate EU state members. Free market is also the main framework of UK institutions which limits the influence of UK in trades. According to National Statistics, UK also has low inflation, unemployment and interest rates and ranked one of the most superior economies in the region. With this in mind, exporters can easily attached bulk of positive issues to the production, start-up and marketing environment in the country. In the contrary, UK still has problems in reducing income inequality. Although not a good sign in aggregate, exporters can use niche marketing to exploit this bottleneck. Competition, thus, is reduced when direct rivalry is spread over the income boundaries of the people. With respect to some concepts on tea business, influx of tea exports can reduce the capacities of monopolist but this can result to intense rivalry (Market Trade Fair). Thus, exporters can reduce the competitiveness of local producers. With cheaper labor and known abundant natural resources in developing countries, UK tea industry may not have the ability to coupe with them. Further, switching costs of tea products are low which makes customers have the higher bargaining especially in terms of price and quality. Considering this, exporters that have the upper hand in bringing broader variety of teas compared to local producers. With Asian touch to the products, the market may also feel that exports have higher nutritional value than local counterparts. However, there is a very high risk of failure in the industry especially if the location is UK. Profits margins are low, fixed assets are high, inventory are perishable and local producers may have been embedded. This is to exclude adverse corporate responsibility that may result to low margin such as the example of Unilever criticized approach in Indian tea farms. Social Factors It is internationally claimed that tea is the second most popular drink after water (Rico Magda Research, 2006). There are at least 800 million cups of tea that are consumed in a global scale. Of this figure, UK is the country that has the highest share per capita on a daily basis. Without demographic restrictions on the market regarding their preference of tea (i. e. at all ages), the UK tea market loomed to at half a billion value with everyday demand of tea at 160 million cups. According to Mintel Report, green tea is preferred by the market apart from red and black variants of tea because of green tea's relatively higher pleasurable taste and health benefits. As the country is on the peak of its becoming a cafe society culture (Elopak Website), numerous tea-makers all over the world saw opportunity of this trend. Not only is the basic qualities tea encouraging UK market to buy them. As a matter of fact, several new entrants that introduced different varieties and innovations on tea products are also becoming successful. Specialty teas such as those with spicy flavors are widely-accepted. The UK market continues to support tea-makers and retailers as long as they are able to address the health, safety and taste needs while innovation serves as a good foundation to introduce new products. If accepted, these innovations can make a demand shift from ordinary tea features to creative ones. Another illustration is the changing lifestyle of the UK market. The preceding features can also be successful if they are able to make tea as a representation of the one's consuming them. This is when stylish tea from niche players became critical. Thus, the growth in of tea industry in the UK is expected to be at least 7%. Delving to other health products, UK's consumption of oatmeal including porridge from 2003 to 2005 significantly increased at least 20% (Baker Website). This indicated that the health consciousness of consumers have revived several years ago. The interesting part is the large part of UK consumption of these products is sourced from cafes shops similar to teas. Convenience in eating as well as provision for healthy diet is two of the primary motivation of the consumer of their increased support. Parallel to iced tea, the positioning of cold cereal market is good with annual increase of at least 10%. This means that the typical intake of healthy products is changing (Food Quality News). With the aid of governmental information efforts, more UK people are developing the habit of evaluating the nutritional content of each product label before actual purchase. This improvement is an extension of 2000 shifts on health beliefs of the population. There are many benefits of tea from the Asian tests and experiences that are not yet as many as UK (Info Cancer Website). In fact, there are minimal UK studies to confirm that Asian evidence of cancer-minimizing capabilities of green tea. However, the UK market as well as some UK analyst has concluded that the Asian benefits are yet to be acquired by the country simply because the former is relatively consuming less quantities of tea. On the other hand, there are UK laboratory test that observed that tea has higher caffeine content than regular cola, energy drinks and chocolate. Caffeine is a substance that has positive effects to people such as increased alertness, treatment of asthma and aids blood flow. To be in safe levels of consumption, a person should not exceed 6 cups of tea in a day. Finally, increase caffeine consumption would lead to inability to sleep, nervousness and frequent palpitation of the heart (Tea Website). There are also studies that showed increased risk of bone illnesses such as osteoporosis and adverse effects on pregnancy if caffeine intake is not regulated. Technological Factors In European standards, UK agricultural production and its level of technology is efficient and highly-automized. As illustration, only 2% of its labor is in required to support sixty percent of its agricultural sector (Nutri-Ingredients). However, the list of main agricultural outputs of the country excludes tea. This is because that tea is abundant and typical to Asian regions. There are private companies such as Unilever that are able to re-produce tea in the UK. But this is generally limited in variety and in texture. For example, in 2003, White tea became a successful product introduction in the UK because it is an exotic plant to the consumers. Obviously, the advantage of producing and selling exotic teas in the UK is that it is a good hedge in any technological advancements and efficiency in production of developed countries. Also, medicinal value is believed to be redeemed for products that do not undergo intensive technological application. To this part, exporters would be encouraged to enter and compete the UK market because what they are offering are unique products. Historically, unique products have the ability to run against market trends (e. g. avoidance of lower prices). UK is one of those developed economies that maintained the role of agriculture in the economy despite radical shift of sectors towards service and manufacturing industries (IATC Website). In fact, the country is one of the leading nations that produce safe and efficient harvests. The quality of UK's products is reflected in its consumer protection against low quality and sometimes foreign foods. This can be a source of weakness against tea products from developing countries. The good issues are that China is a close trading partner of UK. The topography of UK includes fertile farmlands, favorable climate, pioneering breeding practices and application of science. However, these features may as well highlight the competitive advantage of Asian tea which is deriving in traditional, religious and cultural uniqueness. Even if some varieties of Asia teas are being able to be re-produced and propagated in UK, the impressions of healthy and effective may not be synonymous to all UK customers. Conclusion The PEST analysis above showed that Chinese tea exporters have a good opportunity in the UK market. The tea sector in the country has variety of advantages against exporters. This includes regulatory compatibility, consumer familiarity, efficient production practices, arable lands and high purchasing power of the people. On the contrary, Chinese exports have also its advantages such as traditional approach to production, unique land setting, embeddedness of tea as cultural medicine, competitive prices and a new look to tea products. The last feature and the health value Chinese tea exports would be the most critical factors for today's slowing tea sector. To address this issue, iced tea is the answer. This will defeat UK-based products especially if the Chinese exporter can offer cold and unique recipe of tea. Specifically, the ability of its product to be preferred by customers as hot or cold can be an indispensible characteristic to increase its market share abruptly. {draw:frame} {draw:frame} Silver Step Exports is a trading and packaging company that specializes in high quality INDIAN TEAS RICE SUGAR WHEAT FLOUR vision : To be india’s foremost tea exporters. ACHIEVE MARKET THROUGH LEADERSHIP FOR BRANDED TEA WORLD WIDE. TO BE PERCIEVED AS MOST INNOVATIVE IN TEA BASED BEVERAGES LONG TERM PROFITABLE GROWTH VALUES : RESPONSIBILITY- Be responsible and sensetive abiding all the norms regulations of various countries. Product portfolio : Tea ( primary) Rice ( secondary ) Sugar( secondary) Service portfolio : Packing for reputed groups like :- Goplajee Hope life consumer care MANAGEMENT SUMMARY : Management comprises of highly qualified mangers at all the levels of the organization, experienced managers and consultants along with strong market research team forms the strong base for SILVER STEP EXPORTS. Top management has the clear vision to achieve and form the policies and strategies and take the organization to new heights . SWOT ANALYSIS STRENGHTS : Real strength of SSE lies in its capacity and capability to produce any kind of tea in any quantity with best possible quality. The capability and expertise of top management enables the organization to take quick and effective decisions. With a wide variety of product to offer SSE enjoys a premium segment of customers to which it caters with best quality product. Strengths at a glance : Superior quality Best prices Standardized product Total quality management programs Flexibility and adaptability. Innovation WEAKNESS Organizations operate in an economic and social environment which are to be taken care of by the organization itself, weakness Is not merely due to one specific factor but aggregate of many , Main weakness lies in, is of inventory a wide variety of tea ( approx. 30 flavours ) are available in the market keeping all the stock ready at one point of time is sometimes risky as thw quality may detoriate over a period of time. Hence, piling up inventories is sometimes a problem for the organization. Inventory management Price fluctuations ( industry based factor) OPPORTUNITIES Tea is an incredibly ancient beverage. For thousands of years leaves have fallen into the cups of great rulers, philosophers and spiri tual leaders. Man has learned the way of the leaf. We have made this revered beverage a central part of almost every world culture. Can there be anything new to add? It's a question I ponder every year. And, at the beginning of every year here I sit at the computer like a cartoon figure with an angel on one shoulder and a tiny devil on the other, a victim of my own conflicting opinions. With increasing demand for tea worldwide and with innovation taking place every now and then creating new and better products SILVER STEP EXPORTS aims to achieve a high growth rate capturing new markets in DOMESTIC as well as INTERNATIONAL markets. With the ever increasing demand for tea SSE has a long way to go adding new products to its basket and creating new and bigger markets globally. SSE also has RICE AND SUGAR in its baskets which also has a very high market and potential to grow even better so SSE can also aim at exporting these products along with the excellence in tea trade. OPPORTUNITIES AT A GLANCE. : Capturing more market share. Domestic market capturing Exporting tea Exporting rice and sugar. Creating new brands. THREATS There has been a significant value erosion in the tea market, with regional players offering mediocre products at low prices or with ttractive promotions Despite the fact that tea is the most traditional and affordable beverage in India – and probably because of as well – it is perceived as being old fashioned and less functional than some substitute products. With increasing delicacy it is difficult to retain customers for using quality products as the duplicate products are of che aper quality and therefore are available for low prices Increasing local players. Duplicacy Cheap quality at lower prices General competition level Consumer taste and preferences. BUSINESS MODEL Marketing plan & its strategies makes product race incompetitive situation and executes brand image, which givesloyal customers to the company. It helps the product to make its independent identity offer diverse brands after taking local tastes into account. Our products vary in terms of blend, pricing and packaging formats to cater to the unique needs of each segment. † strategy is to invest in long-term brand building for sustained growth. Strengthen our business in existing geographies †¢ Expansion into new geographies New product development and building business in – Black Tea – Fruit and Herbal Infusions – Ready to Drink Teas – Out of home †¢ Building operational capability to enable the commercial business to achieve growth †¢ Management Strength Increase market share. †¢ Generate brand awareness within consumer target market and business target market. †¢ The road ahead promises plenty. The goal is to m ove the brand portfolio from its current 19 per cent value share to a 25 per cent value share in the medium term {draw:frame} DISTRIBUTION PLAN draw:frame} {draw:frame} COMETETIVE ANALYSIS FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE Organization has grown at a rapid pace capturing new markets in a very short span of time of its operation. *KEY SUCCESS FACTOR & strategies*. Success mantra for SILVER STEP EXPORTS lies in the : Procurement of raw materials . Suppliers Manpower No compromise on quality. Top level management of SSE allows the organization to work in the most effective and efficient manner . SSE believes in providing best value to its customer, Hence no compromise on quality. Market segmentation: â€Å"It consists of a group of customer who share similar set of wants † Geographically †¢ South India, southeast India, southwest India, north india , J&k , Punjab and haryana Social class**: †¢ Working class, middle class, upper middle class FINDINGS AND OBSERVATIONS Training was u ndergone in the field of marketing wherein a detail study of tea market was carried out as in what type of product is liked in various parts of the world. SSE has a very wide scope in the domestic as well as international market A strong hold in domestic markets like J&K , Punjab , Haryana, U. P serves SSE as a base , an opportunity to build on its market and create a name for itself by securing more customer base This is possible on through the supply chain The Super stockiest , agents, wholesalers and retailers Which has been a strength for SSE. SSE has been a market leader in flavoured tea market. KEY LEARININGS IN THE ORGANIZATION : During the course of my internship I gained a lot from the organization way of working , its mission , objectives and methods adopted to accomplish it, Some key learnings are : Brisk decision making Creating harmony among the levels of organization. Effectively control the supply chain. No company owned retail outlets. No direct reach to the consumers. CONCLUSION : The road ahead promises plenty. Tea market has a very wide potential to grow with wide variety of tea available and increasing demand of tea worldwide, Tea Trade has emerged as a new dimension of trade to the world with ever increasing rise in consumption of tea it has opened a wide new markets to explore and cater to their demand. Besides the domestic consumption a surplus is found to exist in the end which can be used to cater demand of other countries so that

Growth of Insurance Industry Post Liberalisation

GROWTH OF INSURANCE INDUSTRY – POST LIBERALIZATION INTRODUCTION : The journey of insurance liberalization process in India is now several years old. The first major milestone in this journey has been the passing of Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority Act, 1999. This along with amendments to the Insurance Act 1983, LIC and GIC Acts paves the way for the entry of private players and possibly the privatization of the hitherto public monopolies LIC and GIC. Opening up of insurance to private sector including foreign participation has resulted into various opportunities and challenges. CONCEPT OF INSURANCE : In our daily life, whenever there is uncertainly there is an involvement of risk. The instinct of security against such risk is one of the basic motivating forces for determining human attitudes. As a sequel to this quest for security, the concept of insurance must have been born. The urge to provide insurance or protection against the loss of life and property must have promoted people to make some sort of sacrifice willingly in order to achieve security through collective co-operation. In this sense, the story of insurance is probably as old as the story of mankind. LIFE INSURANCE : n particular provides protection to household against the risk of premature death of its income earning member. Life insurance in modern times also provides protection against other life related risks such as that of longevity (i. e. risk of outliving of source of income) and risk of disabled and sickness (health insurance). The products provide for longevity are pensions and annu ities (insurance against old age). Non-life insurance provides protection against accidents, property damage, theft and other liabilities. Non-life insurance contracts are typically shorter in duration as compared to life insurance contracts. The bundling together of risk coverage and saving is peculiar of life insurance. Life insurance provides both protection and investment. Insurance is a boon to business concerns. Insurance provides short range and long range relief. The short-term relief is aimed at protecting the insured from loss of property and life by distributing the loss amongst large number of persons through the medium of professional risk bearers such as insurers. It enables a businessman to face an unforeseen loss and, therefore, he need not worry about the possible loss. The long-range object being the economic and industrial growth of the country by making an investment of huge funds available with insurers in the organized industry and commerce. GENERAL INSURANCE : Prior to nationalizations of General insurance industry in 1973 the GIC Act was passed in the Parliament in 1971, but it came into effect in 1973. There was 107 General insurance companies including branches of foreign companies operating in the country upon nationalization, these companies were amalgamated and grouped into the following four subsidiaries of GIC such as National Insurance Co. Ltd. , Calcutta; The New India Assurance Co. Ltd. , Mumbai; The Oriental Insurance Co. Ltd. , New Delhi and United India Insurance Co. Ltd. , Chennai and Now delinked. General insurance business in India is broadly divided into fire, marine and miscellaneous GIC apart from directly handling Aviation and Reinsurance business administers the Comprehensive Crop Insurance Scheme, Personal Accident Insurance, Social Security Scheme etc. The GIC and its subsidiaries in keeping with the objective of nationalization to spread the message of insurance far and wide and to provide insurance protection to weaker section of the society are making efforts to design new covers and also to popularize other non-traditional business. LIBERALIZATION OF INSURANCE : The comprehensive regulation of insurance business in India was brought into effect with the enactment of the Insurance Act, 1983. It tried to create a strong and powerful supervision and regulatory authority in the Controller of Insurance with powers to direct, advise, investigate, register and liquidate insurance companies etc. However, consequent upon the nationalization of insurance business, most of the regulatory functions were taken away from the Controller of Insurance and vested in the insurers themselves. The Government of India in 1993 had set up a high powered committee by R. N. Malhotra, former Governor, Reserve Bank of India, to examine the structure of the insurance industry and recommend changes to ake it more efficient and competitive keeping in view the structural changes in other parts of the financial system on the country. Malhotra Committee's Recommendations The committee submitted its report in January 1994 recommending that private insurers be allowed to co-exist along with government companies like LIC and GIC companies. This recommendation had been prompted by several factors such as ne ed for greater deeper insurance coverage in the economy, and a much a greater scale of mobilization of funds from the economy, and a much a greater scale of mobilization of funds from the economy for infrastructural development. Liberalization of the insurance sector is at least partly driven by fiscal necessity of tapping the big reserve of savings in the economy. Committee's recommendations were as follows: †¢ Raising the capital base of LIC and GIC up to Rs. 200 crores, half retained by the government and rest sold to the public at large with suitable reservations for its employees. †¢ Private sector is granted to enter insurance industry with a minimum paid up capital of Rs. 100 crores. †¢ Foreign insurance be allowed to enter by floating an Indian company preferably a joint venture with Indian partners. Steps are initiated to set up a strong and effective insurance regulatory in the form of a statutory autonomous board on the lines of SEBI. †¢ Limited number of private companies to be allowed in the sector. But no firm is allowed in the sector. But no firm is allowed to operate in both lines of insurance (life or non-life). †¢ Tariff Advisory Committee (TAC) is delinked form GIC to function as a separate statuary body under necessary supervision by the insurance regulatory authority. †¢All insurance companies be treated on equal footing and governed by the provisions of insurance Act. No special dispensation is given to government companies. †¢Setting up of a strong and effective regulatory body with independent source for financing before allowing private companies into sector. COMPETITION TO GOVERNMENT SECTOR: Government companies have now to face competition to private sector insurance companies not only in issuing various range of insurance products but also in various aspects in terms of customer service, channels of distribution, effective techniques of selling the products etc. privatization of the insurance sector has opened the doors to innovations in the way business can be transacted. New age insurance companies are embarking on new concepts and more cost effective way of transacting business. The idea is clear to cater to the maximum business at the lest cost. And slowly with time, the age-old norm prevalent with government companies to expand by setting up branches seems getting lost. Among the techniques that seem to catching up fast as an alternative to cater to the rural and social sector insurance is hub and spoke arrangement. These along with the participants of NGOs and Self Help Group (SHGs) have done with most of the selling of the rural and social sector policies. The main challenges is from the commercial banks that have vast network of branches. In this regard, it is important to mention here that LIC has entered into an arrangement with Mangalore based Corporations Bank to leverage their infrastructure for mutual benefit with the insurance monolith acquiring a strategic stake 27 per cent, Corporation Bank has decided to abandon its plans of promoting a life insurance company. The bank will act as a corporate agent for LIC in future and receive commission on policies sold through its branches. LIC with its branch network of close to 2100 offices will allow Corporation Bank to set up extension centers. ATMs or branches with in its premises. Corporation Bank would in turn implement an effective Cash Flow Management System for LIC. IRDA Act, 1999 Preamble of IRDA Act 1999 reads ‘An Act to provide for the establishment of an authority to protect the interests of holders of insurance policies, to regulate, to promote and ensure orderly growth of the insurance industry and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto. Section 14 of IRDA Act, lays the duties, powers and functions of the authority. The powers and functions of the authority. The powers and functions of the Authority shall include the following. †¢ Issue to the applicant a certificate of registration, to renew, modify withdraw, suspend or cancel such registration. †¢ To protect the interest of policy holders in all matters concerning nomination of policy, surrender value f policy, insurable interest, settlement of insurance claims, other terms and conditions of contract of insurance. †¢ Specifying requisite qualification and practical training for insurance intermediates and agents. Specifying code of conduct for surveyors and loss assessors. †¢ Promoting efficiency in the conduct of insurance business †¢ Promoting and regulating professional regulators connected with the insurance and reinsurance business. †¢ Specifying the form and manner in which books of accounts will be maintained and statement of accounts rendered by insurers and insurance intermediaries. †¢ Adjudication o f disputes between insurers and intermediates. †¢ Specifying the percentage of life insurance and general and general business to be undertaken by the insurers in rural or social sectors etc. Section 25 provides that Insurance Advisory Committee will be constituted and shall consist of not more than 25 members. Section 26 provides that Authority may in consultation with Insurance Advisory Committee make regulations consists with this Act and the rules made there under to carry the purpose of this Act. Section 29 seeks amendment in certain provisions of Insurance Act, 1938 in the manner as set out in First Schedule. The amendments to the Insurance Act are consequential in order to empower IRDA to effectively regulate, promote, and ensure orderly growth of the Insurance industry. Section 30 & 31seek to amend LIC Act 1956 and GIC Act 1972. IMPACT OF LIBERALIZATION While nationalized insurance companies have done a commendable job in extending volume of the business opening up of insurance sector to private players was a necessity in the context of liberalization of financial sector. If traditional infrastructural and semipublic goods industries such as banking, airlines, telecom, power etc. have significant private sector presence, continuing state monopoly in provision of insurance was indefensible and therefore, the privatization of insurance has been done as discussed earlier. Its impact has to be seen in the form of creating various opportunities and challenges. Opportunities 1. Privatization if Insurance was eliminated the monopolistic business of Life Insurance Corporation of India. It may help to cover the wide range of risk in general insurance and also in life insurance. It helps to introduce new range of products. 2. It would also result in better customer services and help improve the variety and price of insurance products. 3. The entry of new player would speed up the spread of both life and general insurance. It will increase the insurance penetration and measure of density. 4. Entry of private players will ensure the mobilization of funds that can be utilized for the purpose of infrastructure development. 5. Allowing of commercial banks into insurance business will help to mobilization of funds from the rural areas because of the availability of vast branches of the banks. 6. Most important not the least tremendous employment opportunities will be created in the field of insurance which is a burning problem of the presence day today issues. CURRENT SCENARIO : After opening up of insurance in private sector, various leading private companies including joint ventures have entered the fields of insurance both life and non-life business. Tata – AIG, Birla Sun life, HDFC standard life Insurance, Reliance General Insurance, Royal Sundaram Alliance Insurance, Bajaj Auto Alliance, IFFCO Tokio General Insurance, INA Vysya Life Insurance, SBI Life Insurance, Dabur CJU Life Insurance and Max New York Life. SBI Life insurance has launched three products Sanjeevan, Sukhjeevan and Young Sanjeevan so far and it has already sold 320 policies under its plan. CONCLUSION : From the above discussion we can conclude that the entry of private players in insurance business is needful and justifiable in order to enhance the efficiency of operations, achieving greater density and insurance coverage in the country and for a greater mobilization of long term savings for long gestation infrastructure prefects. New players should not be treated as rivalries to government companies, but they can supplement in achieving the objective of growth of insurance business in india. THE GROWTH OF INSURANCE INDUSTRY – POST LIBERALIZATION Prepared by :ashish

When Are the 2015 AP Test Dates

When Are the 2015 AP Test Dates SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips If you took an AP test back in 2015, you might be wondering when exactly you took that exam. Or perhaps you just want to know how AP test dates change each year. Check out our table below to get the AP test dates for 2015, andread on for our exclusive tips and advice for prepping for AP tests- no matter what year you take the tests. 2015 AP Exam Dates The tables below show the 2015 schedule for AP Exams. Note that many of the most popular tests, such as Calculus AB/BC, English Language, Chemistry, and US History, were offered during the 8 am slot. (The two exceptions are Psychology and Statistics, which were offered in the afternoon.) Week 1 May 4 (Monday) May 5 (Tuesday) May 6 (Wednesday) May 7 (Thursday) May 8 (Friday) Morning (8 am) Chemistry Calculus AB English Literature and Composition Computer Science A German Language and Culture Environmental Science Calculus BC Spanish Language and Culture United States History Afternoon (12 pm) Psychology AP Seminar Japanese Language and Culture Art History European History Chinese Language and Culture Physics 1: Algebra-Based Physics 2: Algebra-Based Week 2 May 11 (Monday) May 12 (Tuesday) May 13 (Wednesday) May 14 (Thursday) May 15 (Friday) Morning (8 am) Biology United States Government and Politics English Language and Composition Comparative Government and Politics Human Geography Music Theory World History Microeconomics Afternoon (12 pm) Physics C: Mechanics French Language and Culture Statistics Italian Language and Culture Latin Spanish Literature and Culture Macroeconomics Afternoon (2 pm) Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism Source: Bulletin for AP Students and Parents, 2014-2015 How to Stay Focused During the AP Exam Period Looking at these tables (or, more specifically, the tables for your particular AP testing year) can be overwhelming. If you're taking more than one AP test, it can be tough to manage your time during May and feel prepared for each test. I’m used to stressful AP weeks. For my last three years of high school, I had multiple exams every May. Sophomore year I had three in a week, junior year I took two tests in two days, and senior year my tests stretched all the way from the first day of testing to the last day. So how do you cope? My biggest piece of advice is to memorize your AP test schedule now so you're mentally prepared for what May will be like. For example, if you realize you’re going to have three tests in three days, plan to get all of your studying done before April ends so you can focus on feeling rested and ready in the days before all those tests. For most people, May means flowers and good weather. For you, it’s stress and prep books. Or say you're taking AP Chemistry, which (hypothetically) falls on the first Monday, and AP Human Geography, which (also hypothetically) falls on the last Friday. In this case, you should plan to do some intensive Chemistry studying in April so you’re ready to roll by the first test day- though you'll want to also keep studying for Human Geography. You could use the first two weeks of May to wrap up your Geography studying since it will be the only test you have to focus on. In short, it all depends on your particular exam schedule.Consult our other AP exams guide to learn more about the next AP test dates. Preparing for the AP Tests in May: 6 Essential Tips Once you know what the AP test dates are for your testing year and when your particular tests will be administered, use these six tips to help you prepare effectively for AP exam period. #1: Plan Ahead and Use High-Quality Resources First and foremost, make sure that you've learned all the major concepts and taken at least one practice exam for each subject before May. This should eliminate any need for panicked, last-minute cramming between AP tests! But what's the best way to learn major concepts? Besides using notes and homework assignments from your AP class, it's a good idea to useofficial prep materials.This way, you can be sure that you're working with AP questions and practice tests that are extremely similar to the real deal. For practice questions, use your test's Course Description PDFand itsFree Response questions (available for free for each AP test on the AP Students website). You should also utilize anyofficial full-length tests you can find for free online. If you're OK with spending a little money, you can also get practice AP tests by buying official prep booksvia the College Board store (though I recommend buying through Amazon, which typically offers them and other prep books at much lower prices). Some of these prep books are complete guides, whereas others are actual previously released exams. #2: Use Your Time Wisely If you have one exam that you know is going to be the hardest for you, considerprioritizing any extra time you have in May toward that test. That said, make sure you put in the time starting now to really devote yourself to mastering the main concepts and getting practice in so you don’t feel super-stressed come May. #3: Time Yourself on Practice Tests When doing practice sections in April and/or May- either multiple choice or free response- make sure you are timing yourself strictly so you are prepared for actual AP test timing. The exact test time will be written on the practice test and on your test's page on the AP Students website. #4: Remember to Rest If you have multiple exams in a week or two days in a row (or two in a day!), limit heavy studying during that time and instead make sure you’re getting enough rest instead. First of all, you won’t be able to do much quality studying in an afternoon after an AP test if your brain is already fried from taking an actual exam. Even if you can get yourself to focus, it’s just as important the night before a test to get enough rest so you’ll have plenty of energy the next day. Besides, you should have completed all your major studying way earlier than the night before the test! Don’t let this be you the night before your AP test. #5: Be Self-Reflective If tests make you super-stressed and anxious and you study like crazy (that was me!), actively make time for some fun and relaxation during the AP testing period. After all, 30 minutes of exercise or a full night’s sleep will likely benefit you more the night before test day than will going over a concept for the 10th time. But if you're having a hard time staying focused and studying, especially near the end of the school year, work in some short daily studying,such as vocab review or multiple-choice practice. This will help you feel mentally prepared for the test, even if you’re burned out. #6: Think About the Big Picture Take some time to remind yourself of your goals. Whether that’s acing AP Calculus BC so you never have to take calculus in college, or getting top scores so you can be competitive for the Ivy League, keeping your goals in mind will help you stay motivated up until test day. It can be tough to keep your motivation up during May, but it’s important to keep in mind the long-term impact exams like these can have on your academic future. Remember, you’ve already put the time in by taking the AP class all year long and studying. Does the AP Schedule Stay the Same From Year to Year? The AP test schedule doesn't change all that much from year to year, so the most recent year’s test schedule will always be a decent predictor of future AP schedules, especially over the next year or two.But you can’t do long-term planning with it. The 2015 AP schedule above is already getting a bit old, so I don't advise using this to predict AP schedules in the coming years. Rather, it's best to refer to our guide on AP test dates, which we update with each new testing year. If you're curious about how much the AP schedule changes, check out the schedule from 2014 to see how it changed in 2015. All changes are highlighted in yellow: Week 1 (2014) Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Morning (8 am) Chemistry Computer Science A Calculus AB English Literature and Composition English Language and Composition Environmental Science Spanish Language and Culture Calculus BC Afternoon (12 pm) Psychology Art History Chinese Language and Culture Japanese Language and Culture Statistics Latin Studio Art Week 2 (2014) Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Morning (8 am) Biology United States Government and Politics German Language and Culture Macroeconomics Comparative Government and Politics Music Theory United States History World History Spanish Literature and Culture Afternoon (12 pm) Physics B French Language and Culture European History Italian Language and Culture Physics C: Mechanics Human Geography Microeconomics Afternoon (2 pm) Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism Note that Computer Science A, Spanish Language and Culture, Calculus AB/BC, and English Literature were still offered during the first week in the morning, but they shifted around between Tuesday to Thursday. Similarly, Art History, Chinese, and Japanese are still in the first week afternoon slot, but shifted between Tuesday to Thursday. The biggest moves were English Language, German, and Statistics. English Language moved to the second week, whereas German moved up to week one. Statistics, meanwhile, moved later to Wednesday in week two. Note that only three exams were substantially pushed around the schedule, which is why you could have used the 2014 schedule as a decent predictor for 2015. (As a brief note, Studio Art now uses a digital submission format, so it has been taken off the exam schedule.) However, if you go back five or 10 years, AP test dates begin to change more- and the exams themselves change. Some tests are added (such as the Physics exams) and some are taken away, such as French Literature and Studio Art. Therefore, if you’re trying to predict the AP test schedule years in advance, it'll be hard to be accurate. What’s Next? Want to know more about AP tests? Get the rundown of how long AP tests areso you can learn how to deal with time pressure on exam day. Also, learn when the upcoming AP test dates are so you can prepare ahead of time. Need help with studying for the SAT or ACT?Get started on your prep by settinga target SAT or ACT score that's perfect for your dream schools. Hoping to nab a perfect SAT or ACT score? Our guides toscoring a 1600 on the SAT and a 36 on the ACTteach you everything you need to know to be successful on test day. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

The eNotes Blog Educator Professional Development Issues andOpportunities

Educator Professional Development Issues andOpportunities Last month the first Global Teacher Prize- $1,000,000- was awarded by the Varkey Foundation to an educator in Maine, Nancie Atwell. Described as the â€Å"Nobel Prize in teaching,† the award received a lot of publicity, and Atwell made the news when she won it. During an interview with CNN, she said that the current emphasis on standards and standardized testing is â€Å"a movement that’s turned teachers into technicians, not reflective practitioners. Considering that she has forty-plus years of teaching experience and has now been recognized essentially as the best teacher in the world, her assessment of the profession deserves attention. It also raises questions about current trends in professional development. If the teacher’s role has changed from practitioner to technician, then the focus of professional development has most likely changed, too.  The philosophy driving PD right now is evident in Professional Development in the United States: Trends and Challenges, the second phase of a three-part study by The Stanford Center for Opportunity Policy in Education.   In the preface to the report, the current focus of professional development is identified: to improve teacher quality to â€Å"bolster student achievement† and meet federal mandates. The characteristics of â€Å"high-quality† professional development are listed later in the report. Several of them are especially significant considering Nancie Atwell’s remarks about being a teacher vs. being a technician.  The overall structure of PD is now a top-down, one-size-fits-all model with a singular objective: raise test scores. The opposing view of professional development is radically different: it  argues  that teachers are professionals, unique individuals dedicated to self-assessment and personal growth as educators. Consequently, proponents of this philosophy contend that professional development should be generated from the bottom up, not imposed from the top down. Karen Webb, executive director of Fund For Teachers, a non-profit that awards teaching fellowships, explains this approach to PD in two short videos  (the QA video is great for morale!). So, those are the two current and conflicting philosophies regarding professional development. Regardless of which approach  is trending, it’s good to know that teachers, who are indeed professional people, can take charge of their own growth in the classroom. Here are some ideas for doing just that: Decide what you want to learn or to master to become a better teacher. Focus on a specific objective. Gather resources to use in accomplishing the objective. An internet search will provide many, and just about every web site designed for teachers has a Professional Development menu. Talk with colleagues and teachers who work in other schools. Talk with former teachers whom you admire and respect and who obviously knew what they were doing in a classroom. Take advantage of educational opportunities in your  community, especially if you live near a university. Many lectures and workshops are free. When you feel grounded in your objective, move on to the next one, but don’t hurry. Professional development is an ongoing process with never an end in sight. The very best teachers are dedicated lifelong learners. They know they’ll never know all there is to know about their discipline or about teaching kids, but they aren’t put off by it. They enjoy never being finished in the pursuit of excellence. Finally, check out the numerous organizations that provide professional development grants. And this brings me back to Fund For Teachers.  Active in 43 states, the non-profit has now awarded $22 million in grants to 6,000 teachers. Review the work of teachers who have pursued their own professional development here. Use the search engine and content filters to locate research projects most relevant to your own teaching. Also, go here  for links to other organizations that support professional development. Thinking about the current, contentious state of American education, I am reminded, oddly enough, of Winston Churchill. â€Å"You can always count on Americans to do the right thing,† he once said, â€Å"after they’ve tried everything else.† So maybe it’s in our character to try everything before settling on the right thing. Right now professional development seems to be focused on honing the skills of teacher-technicians. I suspect, however, that another kind of professional development is occurring every day as teachers work individually and together to grow stronger in providing kids with an education that surpasses a set of standards. It’s a happy thought. This is a guest post from Staff Writer, Susan Hurn. Susan is a former high school English teacher and college instructor. She loves writing for and also enjoys good books, creative writing, and all things related to history.   Let us know if youre interested in contributing to the   blog.

Five Tips to Promote Yourself as a Newbie Freelance Writer

Five Tips to Promote Yourself as a Newbie Freelance Writer It can get hard to get off the ground while starting your freelance writing business. This is especially true if you have quit your day job and youre yet to get your first assignment. The pressure can be extremely agonizing. All you need to do is leave your worries aside and get down to business. Here are five ways you can promote yourself as a freelance writer and get a regular stream of work: Create a Portfolio   A portfolio would help you to showcase your work to your clients with a quick link. The first step to create one is to get published on some of the existing blogs or magazines as a guest author. Once you have a bunch of published articles and client work, (including websites, and newsletter content, etc.) you can make use of portfolio sites like Contently and Clippings.me to put up your published clippings. I created my portfolio on Contently before I quit my full-time job to get into freelance writing. Throw up a Website A website is a great way to promote yourself as a freelance writer. You can create a site on a free platform like Tumblr or WordPress. You can create one to help fellow writers or choose a specific niche. As a writer specializing in the content marketing niche, I created this website:  http://prolificcontentmarketing.club. I try publishing at least once every month to help get more readers and visibility. Sign Up on Medium Medium is a haven for writers. Its a place to create a blog and start writing just about anything you like. Youll find a host of publications where you can submit your work and present your writing to bigger groups. You can interact with fellow writers in popular publications like The Creative Cafe, The Writing Cooperative, Curiosity Never Killed the Writer and many more. Youll also find publications like Better Humans that pay writers up to $500 for accepted submissions. The Medium partner program is another great avenue to get paid while you publish on this vibrant platform. Promote Yourself on LinkedIn LinkedIn is an excellent place for professional networking and publishing. The platform helps you to connect with potential clients display your work and grab new assignments. You can publish articles and post updates to get visibility among connections. I often use the search feature to look for people and content related to terms like hiring writers or hiring B2B writers. I have often used the professional network to pitch and win new clients through direct messages. Write a Book   Another way to showcase your work as a writer is to self-publish a book. There are a host of options to publish your book for less ($200-$300) and if you decide to publish online then its almost free. Your book would earn you a passive income and a favorable reputation. Most successful freelance writers have published books that either help fellow writers or a niche audience. Starting Your Career as a Freelance Writer, Get Started and Get Going It can feel like a daunting task to market yourself as a freelance writer. But the initial effort will surely reap long-term benefits in terms of regular and well-paying clients. Author

Legal Underpinnings of Business Law Research Paper - 1

Legal Underpinnings of Business Law - Research Paper Example The table below offers the liability of the others in different types of business entities for a breach of contract. However, if the terms of the agreement in the formation limit liability for an individual in case of a breach in contract, then it may mean all the parties will be held responsible regardless of the party who entered into a contract As a sole proprietor of Tinker’s Home Security Service, to avoid liability I will analyze the contract agreement closely and determine if in my breaching the contract, there was actual damages. If there is an actual breach that results in loss, then to limit my liability, I would seek for a mediator or any other alternative resolution method. This will avoid the cost of damages I would incur if I were found liable by a court of law. For Tinker & Tailor’s Home Security Service (general partnership), I would limit my liability by critically examining my position I played in contract negotiation. Since general partnership agreement binds all the parties regardless of the person who entered the business contract, it means my liability will be reduced since the whole enterprise will be held liable for my actions. I play innocence that I exercised all the prerogatives with pure intentions in mind. I would love to form a corporation since this is the best form a business (Cohen, 2005). The organizational form of the business will be that involving managers, employees and shareholders. As a shareholder, I will be in a position to reduce my liability since my role will be that of board meeting to deliberate of performance of the company. Similarly, I will not be responsible for losses incurred by the company, but only the managers will bear responsibility. For Tinker & Tailor’s Home Security Service (LP), I would reduce my liability by ensuring that always no general partner sign business contracts on behalf of the

Investment Appraisal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Investment Appraisal - Essay Example Investment Appraisal The capital budgeting decisions are pertaining to investment decisions which will create assets which will in turn create products/ services which create the profits. Generally, current assets are not earning assets but they act as a buffer for the smooth operations of the business. But the long-term investment decisions includes the mission and visions of the company and hence is of strategic importance. There are various techniques available for the appraisal of investment proposals. They include the traditional methods, discounted cash flow methods. But recently there is a tendency to shift to value management models and modified versions of DCF models is reflected among companies. This essay explains the nature of each method of appraisal and also explains the recent trends to use the value management models with examples. For considering this proposal the management can use the investment appraisal techniques which can be segregated into two groups, first group comprising of traditional methods such as payback period method and average rate of return method and second group comprising of time adjusted methods/ discounted cash flow(DCF) methods such as net present value method, internal rate of return method, net terminal value method and profitability index method. The payback period method is the simplest of all methods and it answers the basic question, how many years will it take for the cash benefits to pay the original cost of investment. Cash benefits under this method represent CFAT ignoring interest payment. The payback period of the investment is compared with the payback period predetermined by the management beforehand. If the proposal has a payback period less than the predetermined payback, then the investment proposal is selected. The major advantage with this method is that it is very simple to understand and calculate. But the serious drawback here is that it ignores all the cash inflows after the payback period and it does not differentiate between the projects based on the timing and magnitude of cash flows. The next method is the Accounting rate of return (ARR) method. The ARR is calculated as (Average annual profits after taxes / Average investment) x 100. If the Average rate of return is higher than the predetermined minimum rate of return then the investment proposal is selected. The advantage of this method over the payback period method is that it takes into account entire cash flows over the life time of the project unlike the former. But the major drawback here is that it takes the accounting income for the analysis but not the cash flows. Like the payback period method also does not take into account the time value of money. When the time value of money is not taken into consideration when evaluating investment proposals the chances of choosing the wrong proposals are more. From the information provided Hence, the Time adjusted methods/ discounted cash flow (DCF) methods are widely used for making decisions in corporations. The Net present value method is described as the summation of the present values of cash proceeds (CFAT) in each year minus the summation of the present values of the net cash outflows in each year. The decision rule for this method is that when NPV> zero, accept the prpoposal and if NPV < zero, reject the proposal. The first and foremost advantage of this

Different Aspects of Ecotourism Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Different Aspects of Ecotourism - Case Study Example Different languages are spoken. Municipalities also register an inevitable growth and they have to provide transportable roads lighting the roads, similarly and should be committed to provide amenities of international standard to ecotourism and also for its sustenance. Ecotourism is no more permitted, limited to a particular part of the world. It is exchanged in order to serve the public with the latest technology. The globe is no bigger. Ecotourism represents a single economy. Because of ecotourism there is conspicuous change with the social life industries. One shall meat and come across different rest of different nationals represent at one place. Different sets of different nationals represent diversified cultures, different languages are spoken at one and the same place, and at one and the same time. They come to know each other from a closer proximity. The intimacies develop; relationships pave way for greater understanding. The social pavilion of life is set to rolling. Broader outlook develop into more knowledgeable and understanding environment. There will be a great impact on the urban sociology patterns of life. The world becomes a small place respectively inevitable economical growth, a pleasant knowledge based environment. The world is no bigger, thoughts of seeing the world; the globe on a huge unknown has become so small so much can be felt immensely. T third world, joyous frivolous, sensible, knowledgeable, cultured by urban socialites will cherish. The development may fold big colonies. A lot of big industries and big companies will enter into the market to cater to the needs of the conglomeration. The development shall develop many folds. The economy of the country, government organizations and private sectors will make a rudimental change. Mainly the cities will develop into a small globe with multi faced development in industries and corporate. May be the chief architect of the ecotourism to take enormous pairs to create and design the super structure of the third world. Globalization has its own effects on every aspects of technology. Ecotourism has changed the way urban socialist use to link and express their thoughts. Of course wealth is also acting as a catalyst for the change in the thinking and living of the urban individuals. The new meaning of sociology is slowly changing, to be more precise it is altering the essence of socialist thinking. Considering ecotourism as a development, every development will have its own pros and cons. It has both positive and negative and results on all aspects of human life. The same citizens who use to think and analyze in a modest manner has changed their way of analysis and started comparing with the good and bad. The socialist thinking, which was confined to the small regions on earth, has now crossed the boundaries and reaching out to the world and sharing views they're by bringing like-minded people to think and work with unity. This development is mostly used negatively. For example tourism, this is an ideal example for the developmenet of the globalization. In the developed countries the pollution levels being very less and also due to maintaining the green belt the need for more greener pastures is very less demand and hence eco tourism and its sustenance is not of very high important to the people visiting the places

UK National Health Service Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

UK National Health Service - Assignment Example Since then, the government is engaged in expanding the scope of health and social care policy  as  an attempt to become the best welfare state.   First published in 1942, Social Insurance and Allied  service, which was widely known as Beveridge Report, was the work of Sir William Beveridge. The aim was to take the state towards  the welfare  state. In 1942, this influential report was completed and published.   He described various maladies such as disease, idleness, ignorance, squalor as the giant evils and proposed wide-spread reforms in each area (Beveridge, 1969). This report also became the basis for the scheme for free school meals and vaccination against diphtheria for the children who were studying the school. As the medical profession criticized the separation of NHS in 3 parts, local health authorities, general practice, and hospitals, the unification of these services were approved with Enoch Powell’s Hospital Plan. The aim of this report was to do  an investigation  in prevalent inequality in healthcare services in  the country  despite the founding of NHS and was commissioned by  then-secretary of  state, David  Ennuals. This plan brought about  the biggest  change in healthcare in  the country  with increased funding and reform to eliminate geographical inequalities, extension in patient choice and improvement in service  standards.   The concept of welfare state includes the key role of the state in promotion as well as protection of its citizens which includes health, social and economic being. The Poor laws implemented by Royal commission in 1832 anticipated the modern UK welfare state. They were ceased when it was found that they were abused by people. As  the labor party  became  very popular with the people, the Liberal party initiated Liberal  welfare  reforms and laid the foundation of the modern state.  Gradually, they were extended  to  all fields during next 40 years.

Cold War Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

Cold War - Essay Example Moreover, the Soviet Union was very fearful of the American acquisition of atomic weapons, this led to its rush of building up its own arsenal, causing a nuclear arms race between these two states. In addition, these two states feared an attack from the other, which would lead to a mutual mass destruction due to their possession of nuclear weapons. The United States became very suspicious of the Soviet Union and its intentions when this state took over most of Eastern Europe leading to a rise of the tensions between them (McConnell 54). One of the factors, which determined the future relationship of these two states and the eventual policies towards one another, was the personal dislike, which the American president, Harry Truman had for the Soviet leader, Joseph Stalin. There was also the constant fear by the Soviets that the United States would use Western Europe as a base for an attack against it, hence, the creation of the Iron Wall to separate completely the west of Europe from the Soviet occupied east. The Cold Car had some major effects on the United States and this was on the economic and political scene. The capitalist system, which was greatly depended upon by the United States, came to be greatly strengthened because it was used as a tool by the government as a counter to the Soviet ideal of communism. Furthermore, on the political scene, the United States invested heavily in the support of allied regimes all over the world and in some cases intervened militarily. While its involvement in Korea was largely considered a success, its military intervention in Vietnam was a disaster because thousands of American soldiers were killed in this war and America was forced to withdraw from Vietnam without achieving any of the goals it had set out to achieve. However, not all turned out badly for the United States because it managed, along with its allies, to form a defense pact (NATO) which came to ensure

UK National Health Service Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

UK National Health Service - Assignment Example Since then, the government is engaged in expanding the scope of health and social care policy  as  an attempt to become the best welfare state.   First published in 1942, Social Insurance and Allied  service, which was widely known as Beveridge Report, was the work of Sir William Beveridge. The aim was to take the state towards  the welfare  state. In 1942, this influential report was completed and published.   He described various maladies such as disease, idleness, ignorance, squalor as the giant evils and proposed wide-spread reforms in each area (Beveridge, 1969). This report also became the basis for the scheme for free school meals and vaccination against diphtheria for the children who were studying the school. As the medical profession criticized the separation of NHS in 3 parts, local health authorities, general practice, and hospitals, the unification of these services were approved with Enoch Powell’s Hospital Plan. The aim of this report was to do  an investigation  in prevalent inequality in healthcare services in  the country  despite the founding of NHS and was commissioned by  then-secretary of  state, David  Ennuals. This plan brought about  the biggest  change in healthcare in  the country  with increased funding and reform to eliminate geographical inequalities, extension in patient choice and improvement in service  standards.   The concept of welfare state includes the key role of the state in promotion as well as protection of its citizens which includes health, social and economic being. The Poor laws implemented by Royal commission in 1832 anticipated the modern UK welfare state. They were ceased when it was found that they were abused by people. As  the labor party  became  very popular with the people, the Liberal party initiated Liberal  welfare  reforms and laid the foundation of the modern state.  Gradually, they were extended  to  all fields during next 40 years.

Investment banking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Investment banking - Essay Example They reflect the earnings that the target will generate in future (Rosenbaum & Pearl, 2013: 389).   Fourthly, there are synergies. These are the resulting combined effect which is often greater than the sum of the organization’s individual effects. It is the increased effectiveness resulting when the two organization work together. Sizeable synergies usually help in offsetting the financial convention thereby resulting in accretive acquisitions. The fifth key driver is form of financing that is adopted and most notably, it entails the debt and equity mix (Rosenbaum & Pearl, 2013: 389). It represents the proportion of debt and equity. And finally, there is cost of debt which is normally the cost of borrowing funds by the organization. The LBO analysis often has a number of primary functions. First it for the most part gives a floor or benchmark valuation for the organization, and is helpful in figuring out what a financial sponsor is able to afford to pay for the target and still stand a chance of realizing a satisfactory or adequate profit for its venture or investment. The second primary function of LBO (leveraged buyouts) analysis is to give companies an opportunity of making large acquisition of other ventures without necessarily having to commit a substantial amount of capital. This helps companies to easily acquire the target (Rosenbaum & Pearl, 2013).   The other primary function of LBO analysis is the determination of financing structure for the target. LBO analysis help organization is determining the amount of capital, the type of capital as well as the terms of debt or equity for the target. This therefore facilitates the process of acquisition of the target. On the other hand, LBO analysis assists in mergers and acquisition (M&A) advisory. This primary function aids in determining an implied range of valuation for any given target in the acquisition process. The LBO analysis is used to determine valuation with the help of key value drivers

Identify the cohort group Essay Example for Free

Identify the cohort group Essay I belong to the Cohort group called the Boomers. I am a loving mother of two kids, who wants to see and wishes my children to graduate from college. I am not just a full time student, but also a full time employee for a school system. I am a real diligent student who wants to finish school in the next three years, even if working hard as an employee only earns me a little more money, just barely enough for my family’s living. I do value health very much and wishes to have a peace of mind. When it comes to working, I never waste a minute and I see to it that I am always on time. Greeting my team members is a must for me and having a personal interest in their welfare is also important for me. This probably has something to do with my instinct or feelings as a mother. My family strengthens me to work harder and gives me the enthusiasm when it comes to understanding and helping others. I am a hard-worker that I always have the strength to do my tasks as an employee and as a student, even if I just finished doing all the household chores. My good and strong educational background reinforces me to be dependable. You can always count on me whenever you have problems or worries, whether it may be about work, family, education or other personal issues. I am honest and trustworthy when it comes to issues and relationships that a lot of my co-workers and fellow students confide in me with ease. I wish to be successful not only as a mother, a student or a worker but an individual as a whole. I expect my work values to incorporate more balance when it comes to my work and personal life, though giving priority to my family more would also be possible and acceptable for me in the future. I also expect my work values to be flexible and be enhanced further to work out any obstacle that I might encounter in the next five or ten years. Reference: Miller, G. (1998). Handbook of Research Methods in Public Administration. New York, USA: Marcel Dekker Incorporated.

Causes And Contributing Factors Of Heat Waves Engineering Essay

Causes And Contributing Factors Of Heat Waves Engineering Essay Basically there are two types of heat waves. Dry heat waves often bring clear skies and large input of solar radiation, which usually occur in locations with a continental or Mediterranean climate. Moist heat waves have characteristically very warm humid conditions during day and night with a large amount of cloud coverage. These usually occur in mid-latitude temperate and maritime climates. The main cause of heat waves are high pressure systems, located in the midlevel/higher troposphere, which remain over a location for a prolonged time. Under pressure the air subsides and sinks towards the surface, compressing the air at the surface causing the temperature to rise. This sinking creates a dome with winds blowing outward, trapping the heat inside and disallowing mixing with other weather potentially cooling the surface. When the air sinks from a high pressure system, heat is unable to rise and cumulus clouds cannot be formed. In this way the area will not be cooled by rain solar radiation directly hits the surface, resulting in a building temperature. Another important factor in the formation of heat waves is the location of the jet streams. Jet streams are narrow, fast flowing air currents near the tropopause formed by the earths rotation and atmospheric heating. During a heat wave, a jet stream lies above an affected area disallowing transported polar air mass to cool the area. Heat wave are also seasonally bound because of a slower, meandering jet stream during summertime. Jet streams are formed by change in temperature between colliding Arctic and tropical air masses, which are weaker during summer causing it to slow down. A slower jet stream causes less change in weather patterns, therefore increasing stationary weather conditions explaining why heat waves occur during summer. Furthermore, land-atmosphere coupling is found to increase mean, maximum as well the minimum temperatures averaged over warm summers. Research by Fischer et al (2007) indicates the very important role of dry soils in driving/enhancing heat wave episodes in 1976, 2003, and 2005. In addition, when vertical mixing of air is weak due to the sinking air, it produces strong stability and the continuance of humidity near the surface. Landscapes with surfaces that hold heat can amplify the effect of a heat wave. The urban heat island effect is the phenomenon whereby urban regions experience warmer temperatures than their rural surroundings. The annual mean air temperature of a city with one million or more people can be 1 to 3 °C warmer than its surroundings, and on a clear, calm night, this temperature difference can be as much as 12 °C (Oke, T.R, 1997) Based on the characteristics heat waves are more likely to occur in locations with high variable summer climate or clear hot seasons. Climate change and heatwaves: Some researchers link climate change to the increased frequency and intensity of meteorological event as wind storms, prolonged drought, cold spells and heat waves. Recent observational studies have demonstrated that the frequency of hot summer days and heat waves over Europe has increased in recent decades along with an enhanced variability of interannual and daily summer temperatures (Klein Tank et al. 2002). Results demonstrate that the European summer climate might experience an increase in year-to-year variability in response to greenhouse-gas forcing. Such an increase in variability might be able to explain the unusual European summer 2003, and would strongly affect the incidence of heat waves and droughts in the future. According to research from CO2 doubling would lead to an increase by 10 °C in average temperature in the a 1-in-20-yr heat wave event in the Great Lakes. This heat wave, lasting 5 days with intensity range of between 28 ° and 34 °C under present day conditions, would become 38 °C to 44 °C when CO2 doubles. The research also shows similar changes due to CO2 doubling in the Czech Republic, Eastern China and South-West France (Clark et al in 2006). Furthermore models indicate that there is a shift towards warmer and dryer climates with less soil moisture and could be connected to the increased amount of recent heat waves. The growing season is extended by warmer springs increasing the amount of soil water uptake by vegetation. (Seneviratne et al, 2006). In addition the physical processes that characterized the 2003 heat wave such as soil moisture depletion and the positive feedback on summer temperatures, and the lack of rainfall in many parts of the continent that generally occur from June September, are projected to occur with greater frequency in the future. Another consequence of climate change is the Arctic amplification, the faster rate at which the Arctic warms compared to the rest of the world. Also recent analysis of North American and North Atlantic atmospheric data from 1971-2010 found that this amplification makes the jet stream slower and wavier. As a result, blocking events become more likely. (Francis, Vivrus, 2012) The numerous factors contributing to the formation and intensification of heat waves seem to increase in the future. IPCC states that for the next two decades, a warming of about 0.2 °C per decade is projected for a range of emission scenarios. Even if the concentrations of all greenhouse gases and aerosols had been kept constant at year 2000 levels, a further warming of about 0.1 °C per decade would be expected. Continued greenhouse gas emissions at or above current rates would cause further warming and induce many changes in the global climate system during the 21st century that would very likely be larger than those observed during the 20th century. Lastly, anthropogenic warming and sea level rise would continue for centuries because of climate processes and feedbacks, even if greenhouse gas concentrations were stabilized.  (IPCC, 2007) The processes driving the variability changes are different for the three components but generally relate to enhanced land-atmosphere coupling and/or increased variability of surface net radiation, accompanied by a strong reduction of cloudiness, atmospheric circulation changes and a progressive depletion of soil moisture within the summer season. Warm climate. Seasonal Summer Low latitude (but not necessarily) High pressure systems, especially if relatively stationary Little/no rain Little/no cloud cover. Dry land Dark landscape with surfaces that hold heat asphalt, rock, concrete. There are generally four factors contributing to the formation of a heat wave. First the location of the jet stream, which should be above the affected area. Jet streams are narrow air currents flowing in the upper troposphere and tropopause. The northern and southern hemisphere both experience jet streams, and exist because of a combination of the earths rotation and a , which is a fast flowing stream of air currents near the tropopause, should be above the affected area, so polar air masses are not able to reach the region. Second, a high pressure system The first involves the location of the jetstream.   It should be above the affected area disallowing polar air masses to reach the region.   Second, a high-pressure system may exist permitting the surface to be heated in the absence of moisture.   A third related factor is a dry ground, which facilitates the heating of the surface.   The fourth and final factor is the amount of vertical mixing of the air.   Specifically, weak vertical mixing produces strong stability and the continuance of humidity near the surface.   The main cause is a high pressure area, located in the midlevel/higher troposphere, which strengthens and remains over a location for a prolonged time. This is common in summer in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres because of the jet stream following the sun. The jet stream Summertime weather patterns are generally slower to change than in winter. As a result, this mid-level high pressure also moves slowly. Under high pressure, the air subsides (sinks) toward the surface. This sinking air acts as a dome capping the atmosphere. Heat waves can be caused by various different weather conditions but the main cause is when an area of high pressure becomes stationary over a location. Due to the high pressure, other weather conditions cannot dissipate the heat and therefore the ground and the air become much hotter than would normally be recorded. The high pressure discourages cloud cover meaning the sun is constantly heating the location during the day and the pressure in the air stops wind currents moving the heat on. The atmospheric pressure systems that control the local weather are made up of areas of high pressure and areas of low pressure. These move around and bring with them various weather conditions. In an area of high pressure, the air from the atmosphere is at a higher pressure than the air around that location. This causes drier air and blue skies. When this area of high pressure becomes stationary over a global position, that area experiences cloudless skies and rises in day time temperature. The longer the high pressure is stationary, the larger the rise in temperature as other weather conditions, such as rain or wind, are unable to enter the environment and cool these temperatures. There are however other causes of heat waves, but the important point is that other weather conditions are unable to enter the location and cool the temperature. Desert winds can cause heat waves as they naturally blow warm air into cooler areas. If this location, either due to seasonal or geographic reasons is unable to cool the temperature, the area will experience a heat wave. There usually are four atmospheric conditions necessary in forming a heatwave, although they do not have to occur at the same time. At first, a The first involves the location of the jetstream.   It should be above the affected area disallowing polar air masses to reach the region.   Second, a high-pressure system may exist generally to the east permitting the surface to be heated in the absence of moisture.   A third related factor is a dry ground, which facilitates the heating of the surface.   The fourth and final factor is the amount of vertical mixing of the air.   Specifically, weak vertical mixing produces strong stability and the continuance of humidity near the surface.   Mainly because an area of high atmospheric pressure becomes stationary over a location. The high pressure prohib A heat wave is in effect when a location has excessively high temperatures, compared to normal, for a prolonged period of time. Warm climate. Seasonal Summer Low latitude (but not necessarily) High pressure systems, especially if relatively stationary Little/no rain Little/no cloud cover. Dry land Dark landscape with surfaces that hold heat asphalt, rock, concrete. Modeling Northern Hemisphere Summer Heat Extreme Changes and Their Uncertainties Using a Physics Ensemble of Climate Sensitivity Experiments) ROBIN T. CLARK, SIMON J. BROWN, AND JAMES M. MURPHY Severe and Hazardous Weather: An Introduction to High Impact Meteorology  (Bob Rauber, John Walsh, Donna Charlevois Seneviratne S, Là ¼thi D, Litschi M, Schà ¤r C. Land-atmosphere coupling and climate change in Europe.  Nature  [serial online]. September 14, 2006;443(7108):205-209.

why everyone should own 1 punk cd Essay -- essays research papers

Outline for Persuasive Speech Topic: Why everyone should own one Punk CD. 1. a. By a show of hands I would like to see how many of you listen to Punk Rock. Today I’d like to talk to you about this genre of music that was created in reaction to other forms of music, and hopefully influence you to check it out and maybe even buy a CD. i. I’ve been listening to punk since as early as the 5th grade. â€Å"Punk† (make quote sign) is a term applied to a child or teenager who acts in an antisocial way. Punk music is a form of rebellion, and it turned against all other musical forms and influences at its time of creation. Punk music is as much cultural as it is musical. It is anarchic, against society, and against everything in established order. ii. I’d like to give you a brief history, the philosophy behind the music, and how what you hear today on the radio isn’t quite the same. I’ve included a few of the bands that I like to give you an idea what I’m talking about. Punk rock is much more than just music as music is just expressions of what people hold dear to them. Transition statement: But since I don’t have all day to talk lets go to a brief history. A LITTLE BIT OF HISTORY Most of the first wave of British punk were born from art schools. Members from The Clash, Sex pistols, Damned, Wire, Adam and the ants, and Siouxsie and the Banshees had all come from such places in and around London. A large contingent came from in and around the Kings road area of west London, and a lot of the first wave knew of each other first hand- Tony James (Gen X), Mick Jones (Clash). Topper Headen (Clash) and Keith Levine (Clash, Public Image) had all been in the London SS, a Proto-punk band featuring the aforementioned all-star line-up. Shortly after The SS split, Tony James went to form Chelsea with future Generation X member and MTV pop star Billy Idol. In addition they recruited future Damned Guitarist and leader Brian James. The Clash's Leader, Joe Strummer had been plying his trade in the pub rock scene, which was instrumental to the rise of punk, with his previous band the 101'ers. As soon as he saw the Pistols, he knew his band was outdated. Strummer was actually an ex public schoolboy, and his dad was a worker in the national treasury of some sort. Other bands, such as the UK subs had also evolved from pub rock- Charlie Harper was in the marauders prior to forming the sub... ...e people its all about who out punk or be more hardcore than the next punk. People who disregard other punks for the type of punk they listen to. The most disregarded punks are the ones who listen to some commercialized music. This in general to me is ok to a certain degree. If you love the music and it means something to you it is ok with me, but if you are just listening to it because other people do or you are just radio oriented for any band I dislike it. Punks shouldn't deem those who listen to some commercial music and love it posers. That is wrong to me. Everyone knows that for how many punks there are in an area there are usually just as many posers. The people who I think qualify as posers are radio oriented, do things or listen to a band just because other true punks are and have no love for it, people who just do it for the style, and people with a punk attitude with no beliefs to back it up. You will never see a person listening to rap or techno listening to punk musi c, but as a punk, we are taught to be more open to different styles of music, because punk is not a contest, it is unity, love for the music, an attitude, a lifestyle, and many other things to be true to.