Managing Open Door Policies

MANAGING OPEN DOOR POLICIES By Tina M. Liljedahl Tina Liljedahl is a marketing and business consultant who has over 10 years of experience in leadership development with an emphasis on improving communication in the workplace. Open door policies are designed to increase communication by providing a safe and secure way for employees to voice concerns, resolve issues, and provide new ideas. In my work as a business consultant, I have specifically noticed the increase of this trend in industries that rely on creativity, such as software companies, marketing, and IT companies; as well as industries that pride themselves on a servant leadership atmosphere such as human resources companies and consulting firms.   According to Hewlett-Packard   (2015), their open door policy is â€Å"open communication in an environment of trust and mutual respect that creates a solid foundation for collaboration, growth, high performance and success across HP.† However, in consulting with companies over the last 10 years, I have also discovered even companies with the best intending leadership can fall into three major traps of the open door policy: damaged trust, ill prepared management, and inefficient work days. Likewise, I have witnessed first hand companies that avoided these pitfalls by bringing a little more awareness, and clear communication to their strategy. As a result, they successfully implemented effective open door policies. 1. Damaged Trust You want your employees to tell you if they have concerns or issues and share their ideas; that’s why the open door policy is so appealing. However, if an employee feels he or she isn’t taken seriously; it will not only damage his or her trust and behavioral integrity, that lack of trust will spread like cancer throughout your organization. Research shows that when there is a trust violation in the workplace that is left unresolved, it will create a downward negative effect on the overall morale of the company (Savolainen, Lopez-Fresno, Ikonen,  2014). Solution: Keep in mind employers who respond respectfully, and follow up with action will foster an environment of trust. Actively listening to the employee, providing him or her your full attention by shutting your door or stepping into a conference room, and putting email, cell phones, and work aside will show the employee you are taking the issue seriously.   Repeating the problem or idea back in your own words will ensure that you and your employee are on the same page and will reassure your employee that you do understand. Be sure to let employees know how you will be taking action, even if the action is to follow up in a day or so to make sure the employee is feeling better about an issue.   Then, follow up on your promises. Employers who do what they say they will do, when they said they will do it, have employees who will go to bat for them every time. That is because, as The Journal of Economic Behavior Organization revealed, employees who trust their management actually exhibit higher levels of workplace performance (Brown, Gray, McHardy, 2015). 2. Ill-Prepared Management When employees are told they can come to management for anything, rest assured they will! Employees may not turn to human resources like they did before, or they may sidestep their direct manager and seek out someone higher up in the company.   So, everyone needs to be prepared. Management that is ill prepared to handle the type of employee interaction they receive could lead to embarrassment for the employee and the manager, or even legal ramifications.   For example, an estimated 2 percent-5 percent of individuals in the United States are transgender, totaling between five and 12 million individuals (Hendrick, 2015).   With recent media attention on the subject, it is likely that businesses will experience a rise in the number of individuals who choose to openly live this lifestyle and have specific needs as it relates to gender identification, bathroom usage, and informing colleagues (Hendrick, 2015). Solution: Open door policies really work best when department managers and the hierarchy of matrix organizations are working together.   Soft-skills and communication training, along with educating management on how and when to go to Human Resources with an issue, can aid management in side-stepping uncomfortable situations and avoiding legal actions. Large firms may have a training and employee development team that works in the Human Resources department with the expertise on the best way to train management on issues such as cultural diversity, harassment policies in the workplace, and the basic state and federal laws Of course, if your company does not have this type of resource readily available, I encourage you to seek out a Human Resources outsourcing company to train management on these issues.   It’s definitely an investment that could save the company in the future. In addition to ensuring your management is trained properly, having your open door policy clearly and thoroughly documented and providing managers with a copy is a way to reinforce the expectations on how to respond to employees. 3. Open Door Policies Can Lead to Inefficiencies. Because an open door policy’s very nature is to encourage communication and the ability for an employee to speak with management at anytime, it can lead to an unfocused and unproductive day for management (Yates, 2015). Open office work areas without doors leave managers especially vulnerable to unending daily interruptions (Yates, 2015). Solution: Let’s be realistic, you hired your managers to complete a specific job and oversee the department, not act as on-going mediation service.   Deadlines and projects are still important and vital to their role, and a stressed-out manager will not be good at managing or as a sounding board for employees. Managers are most successful in retaining productivity when they communicate clearly with their staff about their needs to get projects completed.   Managers can do this by sharing calendars and blocking off time that is to be uninterrupted, or having a cue they share with employees that means they are focused on a project (such as, â€Å"When I am wearing headphones, I am focused on project xyz†). They can emphasize and assure the staff they will be available to address basic concerns later at a specific time, making sure the employees know they can always be interrupted for emergencies.   This provides employees with the knowledge they need to allow managers to work without feeling like they are being dismissed. Your employees will be receptive to the information and will genuinely understand your request. Its recommended that communication with employees be handled in advance as much as possible and never directly after an employees request. This will diminish the chance the employee will feel as though their concerns are being dismissed. With precaution, most open-door policy dangers can be avoided making the policy more beneficial than harmful. I have observed companies that reap the most benefits ensure their open-door policies are well documented, clear, communicated to everyone in the organization, and management is educated and prepared.

Research Paper Prohibition

Research Paper Prohibition Research Paper Prohibition Mary Louise Cecilia Guinan otherwise known as "Texas," by the state she was from was an actress and singer in the late 19th and early 20th Century. This gal was the operator of many ritzy speakeasies, though it could never be proven. She became a model for the others, as she was the best female in the business, no matter how many times the coppers shut down the drums, more would be established. Prohibition was a law that the U.S. should have never put into place because the younger generation became very rebellious, moral values dissipated, and society took a turn for the worst. Leading up to the Prohibition Era, World War I had recently ended. The economy was terrible at the conclusion of the war, however, it improved a little bit as people no longer had to be afraid of something happening, and their family members were now home. As the economy was improving, women also won the vote. Many women during this time wanted equality and to be able to vote just as the men, and t hey finally won after all they had been fighting for. Soon, there were not only restrictions on alcohol, but the selling of "intoxicating liquors" became illegal. Alcohol otherwise known as liquor is a drug, which affects how a person feels and behaves, and can be dangerous when too much is consumed. The Eighteenth Amendment prohibited the making or selling of these intoxicating liquors, and as of January 16, 1920, alcohol was prohibited in the United States. The old ­line conservative Americans were fine with the alcohol regulations after the war, however, the young people were more comfortable with alcohol. The prohibition of alcohol is one of the reasons that the young people became rebellious. This rebelliousness was more geared toward the females, rather than the males. The females created the "flapper," a name that is associated with a certain look. A flapper is a girl with short skirts or dresses, and even shorter hair. The hair was cut into the bob hairstyle. This was not something that was traditional for a female during this time as usually they had shoulder ­length or longer hair that was pinned up. The clothing was also an act of rebellion geared toward the females in America. The dresses were made to be showy, straight, and hanging just below the knee. The everyday young woman became like a

Global Health-Improving Access to Health Care and Medication Essay

Global Health-Improving Access to Health Care and Medication - Essay Example The global access to health has been impacted significantly by social and environmental factors that yield marked differences in health status (Collins 2003, p.97). As a result, the core focus centers on understanding and intervening within the underpinning causes of health inequity. The World Health Organization has outlined a number of indicators for health access, namely: life expectancy and mortality; health service coverage; selected infectious diseases; risk factors; health expenditure; health inequities; health information systems and data availability; and, demographic and socioeconomic statistics. The inequalities in global access to health do not only manifest between countries, but also within countries and closely associate with the level of social disadvantage (Gulliford & Morgan 2003, p.3). The Case for Health Disparities Health disparities remain broadly defined as variations in disease prevalence or treatment based on aspects such as sex, race, or ethnicity, income, e ducation attainment, geographic location, or sexual orientation. Health disparities adversely impact on groups of people, who systematically encounter enhanced socio-economic impediments to health based on their racial/ethnic group, socioeconomic status, age, gender, sexual orientation, geographic location, gender identity, or other characteristics associated with discrimination or exclusion (Mullins, Blatt, Gbarayor, Yang, & Baquet 2005, p.1873). Globally, several efforts directed at highlighting and minimizing health disparities that have involved numerous agencies as they evaluate the countries’ march towards adoption of policy-driven and health-centred objectives. Despite the changes implemented over the last decades, health disparities around the world still exist, especially among the minority groups. The Journal of the American Medical Association highlights race as a critical determinant within the level of care, whereby ethnic minority groups frequently receive less intensive and lower care. Health disparities are also not pegged on race, ethnic, and cultural differences alone as such disparities remain also fuelled by the sexuality minority groups. Studies manifest that an individual’s sexual minority status may restrain access to health care. In some cases, the homosexuals, transgender groups, and bisexual population perpetually experience the diverse range of health access problems connected to their sexuality. The discrimination and minimized access to medical care, coupled with social and cultural experiences aggravate these problems (Collins 2003, p.98). In terms of gender, women in the U.S usually manifest better access to healthcare compared to men. This can be explained by the fact that women mainly have higher rates of health insurance and report enhanced likelihood to seek medical care. Although, gender and race play a critical role in explaining healthcare inequality within the U.S., socioeconomic status bears the greatest de termining factor in shaping an individual’s level of access to healthcare. Indeed, socio-economic differences manifest between racial groups and impacts on the health status of the groups (Bravemen 2006, p.167). Overall, the reasons for disparities in healthcare access are numerous, but can encompass lack of insurance coverage; lack of

Ralph Nader's book unsafe at any speed Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Ralph Nader's book unsafe at any speed - Essay Example The book itself outlines in the title that people are unsafe at any speed they drive at. What is notable strange in the act of taking these safety measures is that even though others are effective, others are not effective at all; or even liked to the occurrence of accidents. Automobile industry is made up of profit making companies. For this to be possible revenue must be maximized, and costs must be minimized. Installing inbuilt features to add safety to drivers, especially in a case that they were not incorporated in the previous designs, meant that it was a move that only added cost to the production. No manufacturer embraces added costs and if it obliged, the companies had to look for other measures to cub the cost. According to this fact, the reason to some feature’s ineffectiveness is the use of cheap material and technology to design and manufacture them. Companies only make cheap safety features that only appealed the buyer’s perception but having little to protect them in case of accidents. The worst part of it all is that the customers trust the features and are not ready to take extra precautions, which further put the in more risk with accidents. Safety features in motor vehicles alone cannot help in reducing the general prevalence of deadly accidents. There are other factors that need to be observed in order to compliment safety measures in providing safety to both motor vehicle occupants and non-occupants (National Academy, 2000). Rules and policies should be enacted in respective countries to help cub motor vehicle accidents. When people only depend on safety measures to give them road safety, they are not doing themselves any favours, but exposing themselves to even more accidents. Relevant authorities should look into this issue other than only supporting the use of safety measures. Road accidents do not always involve single sides, but are

How can leaders increase employee productivity through motivation Essay

How can leaders increase employee productivity through motivation techniques and approaches - Essay Example There is overwhelming amount of literature based on studies conducted by various researchers over the years which point to the fact that over and above the conventional motivation techniques and practices which mainly involve financial motivation such as higher pay packages, bonuses etc. contemporary leaders are increasingly focusing on developing innovative motivation techniques. This study aims to assess and examine the various factors which leaders can use to motivate their employees, the significance and relevance of motivation, and the role of leaders in motivating employees. This is achieved through an extensive literature review – comprising of theoretical perspectives, case studies and meta-analysis. The results revealed that there is a direct and positive relationship between motivation and employee performance and productivity. On the basis of this study it is recommended that organizations and leaders introduce innovative motivational strategies and practices and constantly challenge the employees to help them stay motivated. â€Å"In motivating people, youve got to engage their minds and their hearts. It is good business to have an employee feel part of the entire effort . . . ; I motivate people, I hope, by example—and perhaps by excitement, by having provocative ideas to make others feel involved.† Human resource is one of the most critical and integral part of an organization. It has been observed that a talented pool of highly motivated workers plays a key role in steering an organization towards successful accomplishment of its goals (Sims, 2002; Wiley, 2010; Daft and Marcic, 2010; Frey and Osterloh, 2002). Hence it is imperative for managers to ensure that the employees are managed effectively and adequately motivated to ensure better performance and productivity. Enhancing employee performance and productivity entails provision of adequate training and education to the workers, ensuring a positive work environment, and

The Market Audit And Preliminary Marketing Plan Marketing Essay

The Market Audit And Preliminary Marketing Plan Marketing Essay The market audit and preliminary marketing plan is prepared to inspect lunching the SOLO in Afghanistan. It has been based on the market analysis such as socio-cultural and economic analysis of Afghanistan and also, determines how to stable to launch the SOLO product, which is target market and how to be adapted to fit into Afghanistan market as well as determine the competitors. Based on this analysis, preliminary marketing plan has been prepared to determine the marketing mix. Firstly, the product, SOLO is a brand of a carbonated lemon-flavored soft drink. Sports drink is necessary in Afghanistan where dry desert are. The product may be accepted by some kinds of people, including young Afghans who have been affected by western culture, the foreign workers and the members of international military which stationed in Afghanistan. Solo as a new health soft drink will be known and chose. This soft drink (SOLO) will be sold in capital area at first. In this area, not only the people have stronger purchasing power, but also there are many foreign officers and businessmen working and living in capital area. In addition, this product will start out in the region of stress concentration of foreign companies, hotels, bars, famous restaurants then move to local retailers. This product will also be sold by other middlemen. Roshan Cola Company is a local Mineral Water and Carbonated Soft Drink manufacturer. We will corporation with Roshan then our product can use its marketing channels and share the market range. The competition of Afghanistans beverage market is not intense competition and our product can own a large market in Afghanistan, but still got many competitors such as Coca-Cola. The goal for SOLO is to entry into the Afghan several main cities, around capital city- Kabul to successfully enter the Afghan market, to achieve a 10% market share within the first step and to promote to a large consumer a taste of this product (Soft drink not only cola).This product will attract new customers (Foreigners and locals) for the soft drink. The target markets are the hot summertime cities and arid conditions, where Afghan people indicate a huge market for clean and refreshing non-alcoholic beverages (Non-drinker for religious reasons). Expected sales in 2010 will be approximately AU$ 80 million with increases expected. The first year is the repair year, due to the highest cost associated with setting up the requirements. Follow the sales operating and distribution systems start to work, in the following years, the profit expectations will be higher step by step. The product will be adapted to fit the market in Afghanistan. These adaptations include the packaging, bottling size, color and so on. We will sell paper cup and glass packaging in Afghanistan that does not sell in Australia to reduce cost and keep the price low. Advertising will be the first show in a new market and also the first choice for a company to communicate with potential customers. The main advertising plan is to use television, radio, internet, newspapers and billboards. The other way of TV advertisements is in a form of product placement. In addition, we will use two types of sales promotion which are trade sales promotion and consumer sales promotion. Moreover, we also use personal selling method and other promotional tools. Distribution will include transportation by shipping, flight and motor carrying from Perth to Kabul. The product will be sold in the outlet of Roshan Cola Company and variety of other retail outlets which is a local agent who is familiar with local conditions is very necessary to sales in Afghanistan such as hotels/ resorts, restaurants, convenience store and vending machine. Finally, pro forma financial statements and budget has been prepared to demonstrate its evaluated profits and sales with expenses in the first year to the fifth year. Profit expectation will be lower in the first year due to the highest costs with additional resources for set up. Over five years, profit and sales will significantly increase with reducing distribution costs. As a result, the launch of SOLO into the Afghanistan market has to be successful with better profit for the SOLO Company. Market Audit Introduction Following is the afghan socio-cultural and economic analysis. It may be helpful to solo entering the afghan market successfully. Socio-cultural analysis -Geography: Afghanistan is an inland country in Southwestern and borders with Pakistan, Tajikistan, Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and China. It is dry to semiarid and cold in winter and hot in summer (Afghanistans web site [ACC], n.d.). Plateau and mountainous make up 2/3 of 647,500 sq km land. Moreover, there is a wide range of desert in this country (Saba Bakhter, 1997). -Education literacy rates: Afghans valued religious education instead of science, technology and literature studies in the past. At present, 54 thousand children are studying in school. However, there have been 11 million illiterates in Afghanistan (Qazi, 2008). -Health care: According to Blood (2001), there is a high mortality rate of infants and pregnant women. Moreover, the health of afghan children is threatened by the several of infectious and parasitic diseases. And still worse, the long war leads to the thousands of injuries and damages of medical facilities. On the other hand, many international organizations help Afghans improve the basic preventive and curative primary health services. -Political legal system: Afghanistan is an Islamic Republic, and the major constitution is established according to Islamic law. However, there is not a uniform legal system in Afghanistan because of the long war. (Lau, n.d.). -Language: Pashto and Dari are the major official languages of Afghanistan. In Afghanistan, 35% of people speak Pashto and 50% of people speak Dari. Moreover, Turkic languages, including Uzbek and Turkmen, are the main languages too in Afghanistan (Qazi, n.d.). Economic analysis -Population: An estimated data of the population of Afghanistan in 2003 is 23,897,000 and the annual growth rate of Afghan population is 3.88% between 2000 and 2005. However, these data is unsure because the long civil war leads to the large numbers of death and emigrants (Afghanistan-Population, n.d.). -Gross domestic product: Agriculture is the main revenue source. A large amount of food products, including corn, rice, barley, wheat, vegetables, fruits and nuts, offer the opportunities of export. In addition, the natural mineral has been the main economic pillar industries (Qazi, 2010). -Foreign investment: In present, only some companies are investing public transport and infrastructure, such as telecommunications, express delivery and aviation, because of the long war in Afghanistan (Herold, 2003). On the other hand, a trillion dollars worth of minerals, including copper, iron, chromium, magnesium, rubies, emeralds, lapis lazuli, nickel, mercury, gold, silver, lithium, and uranium, are found in Afghanistan in June 2010. In addition, many countries have been aware of the opportunity of investment in Afghanistan. (Haidari, 2010). -Trade restrictions: A highly differentiated import tariff regime has been the main trade restrictions in Afghanistan. Though the government of Afghanistan has made some measures, such as adjusting the tariff rates and decreasing the process of the import license applications, to improve trade policy and customs administration in recent years, some problems are affecting the trades: firstly, the shortcoming of government leads to the weakness of business environment; secondly, transport and other infrastructural constraint the trade; thirdly, the main support services, such as commercial insurance and freight forwarding are lacking; fourthly, government restraint against the use of foreign trucks; fifthly, the local authorities increase the fee of transport; and finally, some complex customs checks are frequently in some problematic border areas (Afghanistan: Trade Policy and Integration, 2010). The product Solo is a brand of a carbonated lemon-flavored soft drink. Schweppes Australia launched this soft drink as a sports drink in 1973. Schweppes Australia defines it as masculine drink and cooperates with AFL (Australia Football League) perennially. Moreover, it has had 6 variants: Regular Lemon, Lemon Lime, Solo Sub (no added sugar), Solo Strong, guarana and caffeine (Solo (soft drink), n.d.). Evaluation the product as an innovation Sports drink is necessary in Afghanistan where dry desert are. The product may be accepted by some kinds of people, including young Afghans who have been affected by western culture, the foreign workers and the members of international military which stationed in Afghanistan. Solo as a new health soft drink will be known and chose. Advantage Solo could help drinkers replenish lost water and energy after a lot of movement. It is health because the materials of solo are all natural and it do not include too much cocaine. In addition, different flavors of solo drinks are for different people and the cheaper price is the main reason of the choice of many people. Relative advantage Firstly, solo as a sports drink will be liked by the young Afghans who like sports. Moreover, it is a good choice for the workers in desert. Furthermore, the product from Australia should attract the international garrison, especially Australian soldiers. In addition, it is beneficial to Afghan government because import of solo could relieve water shortage. Compatibility Firstly, the sport enthusiasts and soldiers could accept solo quickly. Moreover, Afghanistan is a large drink market because of the lack of water. In addition, Coca-Cola and Pepsi have been known by Afghans and the soft drink market has been developing gradually. As a result, solo will have a favorable market prospect in Afghanistan. Major problems and resistances to product The flavor with little sour may be not liked by Afghans. Because of the different culture, Afghans might reject the products from western. As a result, Afghans could not accept the new comer western drink at the beginning. The price of solo might be not accepted by most of Afghans who have only low income. As a result, it becomes very important that company need to discuss with Afghan government to reduce the costs of transport and tariff. The market This soft drink (SOLO) will be sold in capital area at first. In this area, not only the people have stronger purchasing power, but also there are many foreign officers and businessmen working and living in capital area. According to Afghan economy position and internal transportation condition, this will slowly move into the general population in Afghanistan. Describe the market(s) in which the product is to be sold This soft drink will be served in Afghanistan capital area (tropical area and dry) where have more and more foreign officers and international businessmen entry Afghanistan, to implement post-war reconstruction and partake The UN economic aid program. Geographical region(s) -Capital city: Kabul (200, 0000 populations) -Paghman region: Paghman (15, 0000 populations) -Jalalabad region: Jalalabad (20, 5000 populations) Kabul province is made up of 14 districts; Paghman is a part of it. Jalalabad is a main city in Afghanistan Form of transportation and communication available in that region -In Kabul city: There is the nation biggest international airport in Kabul. The airport is connected to Kabul from a 4 lane highway. This airport has two main cargo airline operate by Emirates Sky Cargo and Etihad Crystal Cargo (operated by World Airways), communicate among Afghanistan, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah. Follow by the post-war reconstruction; throughput will be expanded in 2011, which is when Ariana Afghan Airlines and Kam Air will receive their new airplanes. Trucks are the best choice to transport goods from airport to another district, or to the other cities of this area. In several years, Afghan government, with the help of foreign companies or organizations, has working on many of Kabuls roads. During the war, many Kabuls roads have been broken, but follow the attracted the attention of international society, Kabul gets more and more help from many countries to rebuild the highways and main roads in Kabul city. (xpatulator.com) -Paghman region: There is a popular place near Kabul, Paghman garden is the very famous place where people relax and spend weekends with families and friends. Paghman is a village used to be a royal garden. But now is open to the public. Because this area is so close to the Kabul city and also there is a holiday resort and beauty spot. The transportation is convenient; trucks can though this area and the roads condition can be accepted. -Jalalabad region: There is a very important place in Afghanistan, there is connected by roads with Kabul and Peshawar in Pakistan. There has highway between the city of Jalalabad and Kabul. All the trade between the two nations (Afghanistan and Pakistan) passes through this city. Highway transportation will be served in this area. All of the regions have highways linking the Kabul International Airport. Follow post-war reconstruction, get more and more help from developed countries to improve and maintain the road infrastructure. Currently, at least 22 Internet Service Providers giving their services in Afghanistan. (cia.gov) In 2007 there were at least 535000 users, mostly in the capital area. At the same time, Television and Radio are served in Afghanistan, they have English TV programs and English Radio programs and several different languages programs (Kabul Radio). The table shows internet users in Afghanistan around several years: (internetworldstats.com n.p 2010) Consumer buying habits Soft drink, especially soda drink is bought as a very famous recreational beverage in many years. Different cultures people have the same habit that drink the icy soda drink in summertime. The carbon dioxide in soda drink can bring out human body quantity heat by hiccup. Afghanistan is a four distinct seasons country, in summer there is hot and dry. Follow by post-war reconstruction many foreign officers and businessmen entry Afghanistan, drinking soda drink is in their culture. And this habit will affect local population in the years that followed. Almost Afghan are Muslim, they do not drink beer and alcohol. Soda will be the second welcome recreational beverage in their society behind tea drink. Product-use patterns -Foreigners: consume the product as part of the daily experience and holiday experience. Due to the locations and season chosen, the heat associated with these areas it will be used for cooling down and quenching consumers thirst. In Kabul area is hot in summer and owing to the geographic reason this area is dry. -Locals: consume the product as part of the holiday experience. Due to the religion reason almost Afghan do not drink beer and alcohol drink. The product can be as a recreational beverage into their culture and also can be consumed any day or on special occasions. Product feature preferences This preference in Afghanistan for can and small bottom also can be in glass bottom in some cases to reduce cost. The 6 cans package and 24 cans box will be sold in supermarket and other retailers shop. Soda drink can be bought for storage at home or in offices. For convenience stores, glass bottom and paper cup will be welcomed because the price will be lower. Shopping habits Foreigners who come from China, America and Europe would most likely buy the product for work or outdoor activities that are chilled for drinking in offices or during hikes to somewhere. The product will be for cooling down and relaxing on their free time. Locals will buy chilled packs for cooling down or later consumption with dinner. Convenience stores or supermarket will be the most likely place they could buy the soft drink. Festivals and family parties will increase consumption of the product. Distribution of the product Owing to the natural of the dissemination from foreigners to locals this product will start out in the region of stress concentration of foreign companies, hotels, bars, famous restaurants then move to local retailers. Typical retail outlets Types: Plans: Hotels Bars Beginning: Will sell in main hotels and bars, where foreigners usually stay. Glass bottom and can package will be sold. Supermarkets retailers Second wave: Will sell 6 cans package and 24 cans packages in local supermarkets, for foreigners and locals later consumption. Convenience stores and kiosks Expanding to the local market and demand pulls the product through the channel, it is long range plan. Vending machines A part of second wave, main put in expatriates communities and foreign offices. Airports and train stations Target for the tourists (both foreign and local). Service stations in scenic spots as well. Product sales by other middlemen Roshan Cola Company is a local Mineral Water and Carbonated Soft Drink manufacturer. We will corporation with Roshan then our product can use its marketing channels and share the market range. Due to Roshan Company is from Afghanistan, it deeply understands the local market and we will provide more competitive ability products. (alibaba.com) Advertising and promotion Advertising media usually used to reach your target market(s) Will be used television advertising on local TV channels both in local language channels and English channels will be painted in conjunction billboards by side of highway and on the side of houses. In some areas, taxi advertising will be used too. Sales promotions customarily used Sampling and discount are the main types used in soft drink industry. Pricing strategy Customer mark-ups The Afghan inflation rate (consumer prices) is 20.7% in 2008 and 30.5% in 2009. (cia.gov) Types of discounts available Discounts can be as high as 10% in summer and as high as 15% in winter, depends on different season. Compare and contrast your product and the competitions product(s) Competitors products Brand name The competition of Afghanistans beverage market is not intense competition. Our product can own a large market in Afghanistan, but still got many competitors. Such as Coca-Cola, Coca-cola is the most famous beverage company in the world. In 2005, Coca-cola came back to Afghanistan beverage market, and it cooperation with Habib Gulzar Non-Alcoholic Beverages Firm. Coca-cola became to domestic product. Features Coca-Cola is carbonic acid beverage as same as our product, but it is different taste and different area. Afghanistan is a large market. Different customers have different habits. Our products can be chosen by different people, although Solo and Coca-Cola are competitors. Package Coca-Cola got two types package, such as Pop Can and Plastic bottle. Also it got 375ML, 2Lites and 500ML for capacity. When Coca-Cola back to Afghanistan, it wrote: Coca-Cola back to Afghanistan. in 2005. Competitors prices Before 2005, Afghanistan sold Coca-Cola were import from Iran and Pakistan. At that time, the price of Coca-cola is 0.4 USD, but when Coca-Cola produced in domestic. The price decrease to 0.2 USD to sale in Afghanistan. Competitors promotion and advertising methods Coca-cola Company is a large company around the world. They used their forces to impact customers. Beverage companies always use TV, radio and internet advertising to advertise their products. It was so famous when Coca-Cola back to Afghanistan. Media support also a important way to improve brand force. That will lead people to choose which beverage to drink. Competitors distribution channels Coca-colas distribution channel is use every retail shop and supermarket to selling their product, because Coca-cola is a famous company in the world. Most of shops and supermarkets are willing to sell it. Vending machine is also another distribution channels, also include hotel and bars. Market size Estimated industry sales for the planning year The Afghanistan beverage market has been steadily growing over the last fewer years. Before Coca-cola company moving in to Afghanistan. Afghanistan already had a large population like drink beverages. Afghanistan has 33million population, most of goods need import from other countries include beverage, so build a factory and sell it domestic is the best way to selling our product. Estimated sales for your company for the planning year Compare with the Coca-Cola company sale their product. They planned 4 million boxes to sale in each year. We cannot sale so many like Coca-Cola Company, but as we think 1 million boxes in each year is the first target. In the follow years each year increase 10% until as same as Coca-cola. Government participation in the marketplace Agencies that can help you Assistance with launching the Solo beverage brand in Afghanistan may be sought from some of the following agencies: Embassy of Afghanistan Ministry of Commerce Industries (MoCI) Ministry of Finance (MoF) Afghan Customs Department (Division of MoF) Afghanistan Reconstruction and Development Service (ARDS) Department of Commerce Afghanistan Investment Reconstruction Task Force Department of State Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs, Afghan Desk Department of State United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) Australian Embassy (http://www.embassyofafghanistan.org/documents/BusinessandInvestmentResourceGuide-Jan012009.pdf) Regulation you must follow Our company must follow Government Policy. Customs brokers must be employed to process any products imported into Afghanistan and are to submit an Import Declaration to Customs. The importer needs to be registered on the Treasury Ministrys National Importers Registry and in the case of beverages; importers must also be registered on the Registry of Importers in Specific Sectors and the Federal Taxpayers. Taxes also need to submit to government. Preliminary Marketing Plan The marketing plan In todays Afghanistan, consumer demand will remain unfulfilled, as available imports are often of expensive, poor quality, or both. Simplex product form will remain unfulfilled Afghan consumers at all. The market for soft drink is exceptionally large in capital city area of approximately 380,000 people, where temperatures can often over 40C in the summertime. Marketing objectives The goal for SOLO is to entry into the Afghan several main cities, around capital city- Kabul. This product will attract new customers (Foreigners and locals) for the soft drink. To successfully enter the Afghan market To achieve a 10% market share within the first step To promote to a large consumer a taste of this product (Soft drink not only cola) Target market(s) (specific description of the market) The target markets are the hot summertime cities and arid conditions, where Afghan people indicate a huge market for clean and refreshing non-alcoholic beverages (Non-drinker for religious reasons). Expected sales year 2010-2015 Expected sales in 2010 will be approximately AU$ 80 million with increases expected. Follow the first couple of years when it finds its place in Afghanistan, for instance, consumers begin to know this brand and fall in love with the taste, through the product advertising. Expected sales for the first five years are as the table: Year Sales in AU dollar 2010 80 million 2011 120 million 2012 200 million 2013 240 million 2014 280 million Profit expectations year 2010-2014 The first year profit expectations will be lowest; the first year is the repair year, due to the highest cost associated with setting up the requirements. Follow the sales operating and distribution systems start to work, in the following years, the profit expectations will be higher step by step. Years Profit in AU dollar 2010 3.8 million 2011 28million 2012 42 million 2013 56 million 2014 70 million Market penetration and coverage The capital city-Kabul will be targeted heavily, owing to its position and population and foreigners collection location. At the same time, there is resort area that attracts local and tourists. Product adaptation or modification The product will be adapted to fit the market in Afghanistan. These adaptations include the packaging, bottling size, color and so on. We will sell paper cup and glass packaging in Afghanistan that does not sell in Australia to reduce cost and keep the price low. The smaller bottling size is a great size for the forgeries and locals for lunch or dinner, and also for outdoor activities, easy to carry. Core component The core component of SOLO is soda, sugar and fruit flavors. There are 4 variants of this product: original lemon, lemon lime, solo strong and solo sub (sugar free). The latest addition is solo strong and also, it is energy drink which contains guarana and caffeine. This variant is to fit in with male consumers who like energy drink. In the other hand SOLO SUB is to fit in female consumers who do not like sugar. Packing component The products label must have the following information, both in Afghan and English: Brand name of the product Type of product (carbonated beverage/energy drink/Moslem drink) Country of origin Company name and address Company Slogan Nutrition information table (especially alcohol-free) Short introduction of Company Net content Support services component We will set a support service line in the form of an 1800 number (Toll-free telephone number) for consumers. At the same time, our home page (Afghan) will create an area for consumers feedback with any problems or advices. The number and web address will be clearly identified on the packaging. Promotion mix Advertising Advertising will be the first show in a new market and also the first choice for a company to communicate with potential customers. Advertising can send the information quickly to the audiences and has a huge reach. It always accesses the mass media and makes affection in short time. Advertising can develop market and reinforces the brand and helps us sells our products. The main advertising plan is to use television, radio, internet, newspapers and billboards. After economic analysis and research, television is the highest used media in Afghanistan. Not like internet, on TV set can be watched by one person or whole families. The number of the audiences can be huge and the affection will be deeply. The other way of TV advertisements is in a form of product placement. Placing the product advertisements before or behind the news or others TV programs (sports or cartoon) will increase the reach for our product. Game on is the theme for SOLOs advertisements, it is a free lifestyle, to educate the target market on happiness and passion. The other form of advertising used will be billboards. There is a great form of outdoor advertising which is use a painting on building envelopes and beside the freeways where they command high-density consumer exposure. The radio advertising is a form of advertising via radio. Local radios in Afghanistan have big range of audiences, both foreigners and locals (Radios have English programs). The newspaper and magazine advertisements will be a continuation of the television and radio advertisements using pictures. The internet advertisements as well to put in this market by the follow step. Objectives To let consumers (foreigners who are not Australian and locals) understanding our product and fall in love with it (Taste and this lifestyle). To make an impact in the target market in those cities we have chosen to promote SOLO, using different media. Not only promote the product but also promote the Australian lifestyle- Game on (happiness and passion, especially for locals). Media mix First step we will use TV advertisements to open the market, make consumers to know us. Radio and billboards are the second step to make consumers understand what we provide that not only just soft drink but also a lifestyle. Internet is the auxiliary channel to expand the market range. Four different media will work together. Message The information will send to consumers clearly. We promote a lifestyle which called Game on. Let consumers feel happy and fill with passion. Sales promotions There are two types of sales promotions: Trade sales promotion and consumer sales promotion. Trade sales promotion is known to push the products through the retailers, induce retailers into stocking and supporting certain products. Consumer sales promotion attempts to pull a response from consumers give directly to consumers to encourage them into action. The trade sales promotion strategy to the selected outlets will include discounts and surrender part of the profits. In another way, push strategy used will be for staff of retailers to give them push money for not only stocking products but also supporting them. The consumer sales promotion strategy includes many tactics to induce purchasing of SOLO. The first tactic will be to sell the soft drink in glass bottle and in paper cup. This will be a popular style to sell SOLO in Afghanistan, because these packaging will reduce the cost and keep our price always lower and it is a good packaging for lunch or dinner. The second tactic is to run a redemption game is called Kick the can! The game will enable player to win an I-pod and we will put the competition show on our official website. The players have an opportunity is watched by the whole world. Objectives A push strategy to retailers by surrender part of the profits. A pull strategy to promote to new customers of offering a redemption game. Personal selling Personal selling is the face- to- face promotion of the products to the customers by agents, store employees, assistants and relations officers. It can be effective because of the persuasiveness of the sales staff that has the ability to inform a customers decision. The personal selling can be in a way by local boys who wear the sportswear (yellow jersey) to promote SOLO. Looking like the sports star in the commercials and newspaper advertisement to provide taste testing and distribute the circular. Other promotional tools The current

The United States and Cuba: An Embargo for the Ages Essay -- Essays P

The United States and Cuba: An Embargo for the Ages Cuba’s colorful history can be documented to before the days of the American Revolution in 1776, but today, American policy directly affects many Cubans’ lifestyles because of a nearly 45-year-old trade embargo that has been placed on the island nation. It is crucial to analyze the development of Cuba and its neighboring island nations in order to discern the reasons for Cuba’s current political situation with the United States. The following paper will discuss the events that shaped Cuba and larger Caribbean nations like Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Jamaica; next, a detailed description of Cuba’s turbulent history will help in explaining the Cuban transformation into a socialist economy; then, a detailed account of the U.S. embargo on Cuba will document the ups and downs of the policy all the way to the present day; finally, the current news surrounding American-Cuban relations will depict the most recent happenings in the ongoing disputes between t he two nations. Before analyzing the situation leading up to the Cuban embargo, it is important to look at the history of the development of the Caribbean as a whole. This means analyzing the factors that led to the modern development of islands like Hispaniola (consisting of Haiti and the Dominican Republic), Jamaica, and of course Cuba. It is also essential to observe and examine the economic and social changes that resulted from these islands’ shifts from colonial outposts to independent producers. It seems important to look at all of these islands separately, as each one has its own unique background that explains its place in the world today. These islands also share many strikingly similar characteristics. Up... ...n that U.S. businessmen want to trade with Cuba. The problem lies behind the interests that drive the U.S. government, and until those interests are satisfied, it is doubtful that this embargo will go anywhere anytime soon. References http://story.news.yahoo.com http://www.countryreports.org http://www.cubatravelusa.com http://www.dominicanrepublic.com http://www.encyclopedia.com/html/section/Jamaica_History.asp http://www.factrover.com/Jamaica.html http://www.haiti.org http://www.hispaniola.com http://www.historyofcuba.com/cuba.htm http://www.uscubacommission.org/history.html http://www.ustreas.gov http://www.worldrover.com http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2004-02-26-us-cuba_x.htm http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ Kaplowitz, Donna Rich. Anatomy of a Failed Embargo. Boulder, Colorado: Lynne Rienner Publishers, 1998.

Alembic Chemical Works Ltd Essay

The pharmaceutical companies have to do direct marketing by necessity as they cannot advertise ethical products in layman’s media for him, but are required to promote only to the medical profession. They produce fine visual aids and product literature which could either be sent as direct mailings to the medical profession or can be delivered to them through medical representatives. The Living Legends What does one say about Lata Mangeshkar? That she has dominated the Indian film music scene for almost four decades and promises to do so for atleast another decade? That she became a legend in her own life time? That here is a musical genius which comes about just once in many centuries? One could say all these things and yet be merely repeating what has been said a million times over. And yet there is so much more to one is capturing one more vital as poet which one did not realize had existed in her. Such is the quality of her singing. Very few of those who see her at the pinnacle of her success realise the amount of effort, hard work end deprivation that have gone into building the facade which is so enviable. Born In Induce on September 28, 1929. Late Mangeshkar is the eldest in family of four sister, and a brother, all of whom have made a name in the field of music. Daughter of the noted Marathi stage actor-singer Master Dinnanath Mangeshkar, Lata revealed her musical genius at the tender age of five. Her first guru wee her own father and she avidly followed his musical stage plays. Late’s mother Mai Mangeshkar ha, one vivid memory of Lata as a child. It would seen that the young Late, one day, was singing a song from one of her father’s. plays when she bumped against something. All rushed toward the unconscious child and tried to revive her. When she came to, however, Lata continued with the singing of the song as if nothing had happened. This dedication to music led to her debut on stage. However, her father’s productive shadow was not to last for long. On April 24, 1942 Master Dinanath passed away reportedly telling her â€Å"Except for the tanpura in the corner and these notebooks filled with classical music and songs and God’s blessings. I have nothing elseto give you. â€Å"The family’spenury compelled Lata to sign a contract with MasterVinayak’s Huna Pictures as an actress-singer. In the same year,1942, she made her debut as a playback singer with Vasant Joglekar’s Kia Hasool in Marathi under the baton of shripad Nevrekar .But taking up a career as a playback singer was still impossible. She continued with her acting career, acting in Pahili Mangeshgar (Marathi 42) Chimna Sansar (Marathi43) More Bal (Marathi 43) Gajadhan (Marathi 44) Badi Mao (Hindi 45) and Mandir (Hindi 48) With Mandir Lata seemed to have reached a dead end. Mandir was Master Vinayak’s last film, after which he passed away. She was no great shakes as an actress and her career in playback singing had not really taken off. Two Years earlier she had made her debut in Hindi playback singing with Vasant Joglekar’s Aap Ki Sewa Afein under the baton of composor Dutta Dawjekar but nothing much had happened. However, stars served more benevolent. Ghulam Haider, who was then acoring the music for Majboor and who had seen and heard lata in the early. Forties, signed her up to sing a song for the film. Within a week of singing this song. Lata became the talk of the music world and was signed up by three other musical giants. Khemchand Prakash for Mahal. The most important thing is to make the mundane promotion outstanding by creative ideas. Promotion of S.S. Oberoi came out with a set of 10 four-page folders for Alcephin based on the theme ‘The Living Legends.’ The folders are extremely well-executed – well-designed and printed. The graphics and typography and illustrations are appealing. The idea is outstanding. Ten living legends are chosen and include names like Satyajit Ray (since then deceased), Mother Teresa, Baba Ainte, Lata Mangeshkar, Sunil Gavaskar, R.K. Laxman, Abdul Kalain and Shivram Karanth. Each folder deals exclusively with one legend. The selection covers a wide cross-section of interests. Each folder is well-researched. It brings out the circumstances that inspired the magic in each of them. It becomes a collector’s series. The centre-spread has the manufacturer’s plug. A short write-up on the characteristics of Alcephin and the line ‘The Legend Among Antibiotics.’ It is not intrusive at all. Yet it is effective.

A Euphemism Study on Language Deviation Essays

A Euphemism Study on Language Deviation Essays A Euphemism Study on Language Deviation Paper A Euphemism Study on Language Deviation Paper CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION 1. 1Background Language is a medium of communication that allows people to share things one to another as well as to express their communicative needs (Wardhaugh, 1997:07). As a social creature, human needs a tool called language to communicate to others. In communication, participants are given chance to share information and belief, exchange ideas and feelings, make plans and solve problems. Every language can create new words to describe new situation and objects. Therefore, it is not surprising that all language can change through time. However they change at different rates, at different times in response to new social, cultural, and environmental situations. The number of terms related to particular topic also may be greater or smaller depending on such social factors. The cultural environment that people grow up in can also have surprising effects on how they interpret the world around them. Language can be used according to the situation and the context where the communication takes place. In formal situation, people must use standard language, written or oral. On the contrary, people use informal language to communicate in an informal situation. It can be said that the use of language as a medium of interaction deals with who speaks, what language, to whom, when and to what end (Fishman in Chaer, 2004:15). Each language contains two systems, a system of sounds and a system of meanings. In relation to human development, however, most human languages in use now, have sounds, meaning and form. Sounds o a language are utterances produces by language speakers, meaning relates to what language expresses about the world we live in or any possible or imaginary world. Meaning in terms of semiotics perspectives usually deals with icon, index and symbol. Icon is a sign in which a perceptible likeness in its form is and what its meaning describes. Index is a sign whose meaning is interpreted from the context in which it is uttered. While symbol, is a sign in which the relationship between its form and meaning is strictly conventional, neither due to physical similarity or contextual constrains (Pierce in Foley 1997:25-26). Form refers to the means by which an element of language is expressed in speech or writing. The crucial effect of the conventionality of relationship between form and meaning in symbol is that, it frees the domain of the symbols meaning from constrains of the immediate context. A word which is a symbol has a sense, a meaning which can be stated via paraphrase and holds across context of usage (Foley 1997: 27). One of the linguistic phenomena that is now striving in Bahasa Indonesia is language deviation. Language deviation is language game by deviating through †plesetan† or deviation. It is a language game by deviating word or sentence or phrase in a new way that may be brought in to a new meaning so the meaning becomes richer than before. This process is known as word deviation process and the result is called deviation words or language. Language deviation helps the speaker to speak politely although the meaning is not polite. This is called euphemism and this is happens because of the situation needs. Euphemism is also used by people to make a joke also to make language to appreciate one another even to say impolite word(s) or sentence(s). This phenomenon is also found in Lamaholot Language. Lamaholot can be defined as a local language spoken in the east most of Flores island including Lembata island. According to Goris Keraf, (? ) Lamaholot language can be classified into thirty five dialects, they are Lamelera, Mulan, Ile Ape, Belang, Lewotala, Imulolo, Lewuka, Kalikasa, Lewokukun, Mingar, Wuakerong, Lewopenutu, Lamahora, Merdeka, Lewoeleng, Lamatuka, Atawolo, Kedang, Kiwangona, Dulhi, Watan, Horowura, Botun, Waiwadan, Lamakera, Ritaebang, Lewolema, Baipito, Waibalun, Bama, Lewolaga, Tanjung, Lewotobi, Pukaunu, and Hewa. Waibalun(Ile Mandiri) dialect is used by people in Waibalun village. Waibalun is located about five kilometers from Larantuka city, which is situated at western area of Larantuka sub district of East Flores Regency. Looking at the phenomena of language deviation that is known striving in Lamaholot language especially in Waibalun dialect, leads the writer to conduct a research under the title: â€Å"AN EUPHEMISM STUDY ON LANGUAGE DEVIATION USED BY YOUNG PEOPLE IN WAIBALUN VILLAGE OF EAST FLORES REGENCY†.

Complete Study Guide SAT US History Subject Test

Complete Study Guide SAT US History Subject Test SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Alexander Hamilton, Lucretia Mott, Frederick Douglass, and Rosa Parks- these are a few of the important historical figures you might encounter on the SAT US History Subject Test. This complete study guide will tell you everything you need to know for SAT US History, how you can prepare, and where to find the best practice questions to start prepping. To help you find the exact info on the US History Subject Test that you're looking for, here's a table of contents so you can easily jump to the section you want: Format of US History Subject Test Types of Questions on US History Subject Test Concepts Tested on US History Subject Test Where to Find Practice Questions and Tests How to Study for the US History Subject Test Test-Taking Tips When to Take the US History Subject Test What Is the Format of the US History Subject Test? Like all Subject Tests, SAT US History is 60 minutes. Within that hour, it asks you 90 multiple-choice questions. Clearly, you'll have to develop your skills in answering questions quickly and efficiently! There are five answer choices per question, and the questions generally fall into three main types. What Types of Questions Are On the Test? The three main types of questions on the SAT US History are Recall questions, Analysis questions, and Using Data questions. Recall Questions Recall questions are relatively straightforward. They test your knowledge of specific facts, terms, and concepts. The following is a typical example of a "recall" question: One purpose of the Marshall Plan of 1948 was to A) rebuild European economies to make communism less appealing. B) aid the depressed agricultural economies of Latin American nations. C) aid communist nations that would agree to embrace democracy. D) give military aid to those nations resisting communist subversion. E) help the peoples of Asia establish heavy industries. This question doesn't ask you to analyze or use data- either you have knowledge about the Marshall Plan of 1948 or you're out of luck (though you might be able to use the year, 1948, to make an educated guess). The correct answer is A) rebuild European economies. Analysis Questions Analysis questions also require your knowledge of a time period, important figures, or notable events, but they go one step further by asking you to apply that knowledge to analyze or interpret presented information, such as a quotation, map, graph, or cartoon. For instance, the following question gives a quote from the 1840's and asks you what idea it expresses, rather than simply asking for a description of the idea itself. "If the Creator had separated Texas from the Union by mountain barriers, the Alps or the Andes, there might be plausible objections; but He has planned down the whole [Mississippi] Valley including Texas, and united every atom of the soil and every drop of the water of the mighty whole. He has linked their rivers with the great Mississippi, and marked and united the whole for the dominion of one government, the residence of one people." This quotation from the 1840s can be viewed as an expression of A) The New Nationalism B) popular sovereignty C) Manifest Destiny D) the Good Neighbor policy E) the frontier thesis You can see how this question requires you to interpret a quotation and place it in context of a historical trend. The correct answer for this (wildly outdated) quotation is C) Manifest Destiny. Using Data Questions The third type of question asks you to relate given data to history or to evaluate it. Data can be anything from a chart to a graph to a picture, like this famous image: Rosie the Riveter is, of course, referring to A) the contribution of women to the defense industry. Answering these recall, analysis, and data questions on the SAT US History calls upon the following skills. Anticipated Skills on the SAT US History These anticipated skills go along with the three types of questions. They are Historical concepts, cause-effect relationships, geography, and other data that you need for understanding major historical developments Concepts of historical analysis Ability to use knowledge to interpret data in maps, graphs, charts, and cartoons You can probably see how these skills will be applied to recall, analysis, and using data questions. Now that you're familiar with the types of questions you'll see and the skills you need to answer them, what about the content on the test? Just how much US history do you need to know? What Does the US History Test Cover? The US History Subject Test ranges over several hundred years, from pre-Columbian history to the American Revolution to the Industrial Revolution to the present. Most of the focus is on the years after 1790, though there is a small portion that has to do with earlier history. The exam includes political, economic, social, and cultural history, as well as foreign policy. Political and social history are emphasized more than the others. The College Board gives the following breakdown of material and time periods: Political history 31–35% Economic history 13–17% Social history 20–24% Intellectual and cultural history 13–17% Foreign policy 13–17% Periods % of Test Pre-Columbian history to 1789 20% 1790 to 1898 40% 1899 to the present 40% US History Subject Test Prep Materials Now that you're familiar with the content and format of the test, let's talk about where you can find high-quality practice questions. Then we'll discuss the best ways to study effectively and strategies for succeeding on the test. Test Prep Books Official practice questions are always the gold standard when it comes to books for SAT test prep, so you can immediately look to the College Board. Their book includes two previously administered full-length practice tests, along with detailed answer explanations. While this book is a good review, it's definitely not a replacement for staying focused throughout US History class. You'll need a solid foundation of historical knowledge in order to use this book effectively. Books that offer a more detailed review of US History are Barron's and Princeton Review. Barron's has three full-length tests and a diagnostic test at the beginning to gauge your starting point. Its 40 or so chapters are divided by historical era. Two cons about Barron's: it gives so much information that you might be studying needless facts and figures, and a lot of students say its questions are unnecessarily complex. Since you probably don't have a ton of time for Subject Test prep, you want to make sure you're getting the best results from your study time. Princeton Review also gives a solid comprehensive overview, along with two full-length SAT US History practice tests in the book and an additional one online. It's a good resource in conjunction with your history class- just watch out for any questions that seem outdated. Starting out with official practice questions might help you develop your eye for this. Kaplan is another option, but it's not your best resource. A lot of the questions are just too easy, so you'll probably get an unrealistic idea of your score from using its practice tests. I would recommend Kaplan the least for truly preparing for the US History Subject Test. Finally, if you're taking AP US History around the same time as the SAT US History, you might want to check out No Bull Review: For Use with the AP US History Exam and SAT Subject Test. Keep in mind this book is not specific to the SAT Subject Test, but offers you strategies for combining your test prep, along with a review of history that will show up on both tests. To sum up, if you're studying with books, check out College Board first, then Barron's and/or Princeton Review. Kaplan is not that helpful. For those of you also taking AP US History, No Bull Review can be a good supplemental resource. What about online practice questions? Online Practice Questions Again, your first go-to should be College Board. Here it has 29 official practice questions and answer explanations. It also gives you some more practice questions and general advice in this PDF, though you'll have to self-correct and self-score them. This site, 4tests.com, has 34 decent practice questions. They are a good, quick review that you can do and see them scored automatically. Another site with a lot of online practice questions can be found here. It also has some helpful PDF downloads with key term glossaries and general review study guides. Finally, you can check out US history practice questions at Varsity Tutors which consists of several diagnostic tests for the US History Subject Test. Study Tips and Techniques for the US History Subject Test Whether you're using test prep books, online practice questions, or a combination, you want to make sure you're studying in the way that's most effective for you and your learning style. The following are some study techniques that will help you be truly ready for the SAT US History. #1: Keep Up in Class SAT US History covers a huge time period. It requires knowledge that spans several hundred years, and this knowledge takes time to learn, an entire year or more of studying US history in class. Keeping up in class is essential to building a strong foundation of knowledge, as well as the skills of analysis and data interpretation that will be called upon in the Subject Test. One way to keep yourself accountable would be to get an SAT US History test prep book in the beginning of the year, and use it for review as you go along through the course. This way you can reinforce the information and ensure that you can recall or apply it when answering Subject Test practice questions. Gradual review over the year will be hugely helpful, and then you can do some more focused studying a couple months before the test, and really ramp up your studying two to three weeks before. #2: Befriend the Practice Test Practice tests are the best way to get ready. They don't just help keep you sharp and able to recall content and apply your skills, but they'll also help you develop your time management and pacing. Remember, the test asks 90 questions in only 60 minutes! The Subject Tests don't change a huge deal from year to year, so any and all practice questions you can find will be helpful in some way (keeping in mind the recommendations I gave above). There's a huge difference between passive studying and active test-taking. Taking practice tests will put your knowledge into action, as well as help you gauge your progress and identify which areas you need to focus more on. #3: Score Your Practice Tests Make sure to score your tests and understand the answer explanations. If you make a mistake or don't know a question, you should write that one down in a notebook so you can go back to it and fill in the gaps in your knowledge. By periodically checking in throughout the year with SAT US History practice tests, you can gauge your progress and see your improvement over the year. Then you can really ramp it up in the weeks before the test. #4: Analyze Your Wrong Answers To repeat the point, you don't want to just score your test and move on. This score is a signal to you and what you know and what you need to learn. You should figure out why you missed the question. Was it lack of knowledge, a wrong guess, or carelessness? If the first, you should brush up on your understanding. Reread that section of history and take notes on it. If the second, work on refining your process of elimination skills. If you find yourself overly rationalizing or justifying an answer, it's probably a "distractor"- there's only one 100% correct answer choice. Figure out what was distracting you and get to the core of what the answer choices are communicating. Finally, if the error was due to carelessness, continued practicing will help you improve your ability to read and comprehend a question and answer it quickly and efficiently. That's why timing yourself is such a good idea when taking practice tests. Which leads me to my next suggestion... #5: Simulate Testing Conditions Practice tests will give you the best "real test" experience if you simulate the testing conditions you'll encounter on test day. Give yourself exactly 60 minutes, no more, no less, and sit in a quiet space with few distractions. After all your studying, you want to make sure you'll be able to get to all the questions and answer them thoroughly in the hour you'll be given. Apart from practice tests and class materials, are there any other approaches you can take to learning the material? #6: Get Creative In Your Studying History involves a ton of reading and note-taking. If you find yourself feeling disengaged, you might want to try other approaches to make history come to life and engage with it in ways that are interesting to you. Reading aloud or watching documentaries, like on American Experience, could be a good way to supplement your understanding throughout the year. Of course, these shouldn't be your main focus in the weeks leading up to the test, but try to find creative ways that will keep you interested in the people, places, and events of American history. Test-Taking Strategies for the US History Subject Test Beyond these study techniques, let's talk about some other important strategies you need to know to master the US History Subject Test. #1: Note the Chronological Order of Questions Questions on the US History Subject Test are grouped into 8 to 12 questions that go in chronological order. When a new grouping starts, you'll see a sharp change in the time period. Understanding the time frame will help you comprehend the question, so pay attention to these groupings to make sure your head is in the right era. #2: Use Process of Elimination The US History SAT Subject Test deducts 1/4 of a point for every wrong answer, so you want to be strategic in how you answer the questions. If you can eliminate even one answer as incorrect, then I would recommend making your best educated guess. Even if your mind goes blank after reading a question, you can generally apply your knowledge to eliminate wrong answers. While they are designed to all sound plausible, keep a sharp eye and look for "distractors" or answer choices that are irrelevant to the time period or content at hand. #3: Take Time to Comprehend the Question On a similar note, you want to make sure you really comprehend what the question is asking. Look for key words like EXCEPT or NOT, as well as superlatives like best, worst, all, none, always, or never. As you get better with time management, you'll be able to quickly get to the root of a question and its accompanying answer choices. Finally, now that you know where to find practice materials, how to use them, and these test-taking strategies, when exactly should you take the US History Subject Test? When to Take the US History Subject Test The SAT US History Subject test is offered in August, October, November, December, May, and June, and the College Board recommends that you have at least a year of a college prep US History class before taking the exam. If you're taking AP US History, then you should be well prepared to take the test at the end of the year, and can combine your studying for both the AP test and the SAT. However, you can definitely do well even if you haven't taken AP. It's best to take the test at the end of the school year. Remember, you can't take the Subject Tests on the same day as the SAT, but you can take up to three Subject Tests on one test date. My recommendation for US History would be the June test date. You can read more about out other considerations for when to take the SAT Subject Tests and the full list of test dates here. By keeping up in class, identifying and filling in your knowledge gaps, and prepping with practice questions, you'll be well prepared to conquer the US History Subject Test. What's Next? What's a good score for an SAT Subject Test? Actually, that depends on the Subject Test. Read about the good scores for each one here, along with what you need to know to get ahead of the curve. Want to learn more about specific US History topics? We have discussions of Ida Lewis, the Platt Amendment, checks and balances, and how the executive branch checks the judicial branch. For some quirkier topics, check out our articles about the histories of the 3-hole punch and hip hop and the story of the Loomis Fargo heist. Are you also prepping for the SAT? Use these free official SAT practice tests as you get ready for the test. Need a little extra help prepping for your Subject Tests? We have the industry's leading SAT Subject Test prep programs (for all non-language Subject Tests). Built by Harvard grads and SAT Subject Test full or 99th %ile scorers, the program learns your strengths and weaknesses through advanced statistics, then customizes your prep program to you so that you get the most effective prep possible. Learn more about our Subject Test products below:

Trying to be heard Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Trying to be heard - Assignment Example Consequent to this, the patient’s illness worsened, leading to her death. In my opinion, Joanna’s actions were not sufficient. Given that she sensed that Mrs. Kelly was seriously ill, when she was on night duty, she should have taken additional steps to ensure the best interest of the patient in the morning. The structure of the organization posed an institutional constraint in this case. It required a doctor to examine the patient, before any serious care could be given to a patient. The nurse on duty, hence reported the case to the resident doctor, who declined to examine the patient. The nurse did not have the ability to examine the patient further, thus exposing the patient to great pain. Following the biomedical definition of health, medical practitioners tend to concentrate on attending to a patient who depicts the corresponding symptoms of an illness. Patients who do not display any vital signs tend to be ignored. Therefore, when the nurse examined the patient, and found the vital signs to be within the normal range, the resident doctor assumed that the patient did not require urgent medical attention. Therefore, Mrs. Kelly’s health was threatened by the hidden symptoms, which were not diagnosed in time (Denny & Guido, 2012, pp. 801-802). Following her assessment, Joanna realized that Mrs. Kelly was seriously ill. Consequently, she should have ensured that patient saw a doctor urgently in the morning for an assessment. Instead of following up on the critical case, she delegated the issue to another nurse, who may have taken time to act, as well, leading to the demise of Mrs. Kelly. Following this incident, Joanna should ensure to follow up on cases with a high probability of harm to the patient in future, to promote the principle of beneficence. To avoid the occurrence of such an incidence in the future, nurses should be encouraged to take a pain management course. This

Edward Burtynsky & Banksy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Edward Burtynsky & Banksy - Essay Example Thus, while Burtynsky tries to instill an artificial sense of beauty and comfort by taking his viewers away from reality, Banksy tries to make people aware about the social issues by portraying realities satirically. This article intends to compare and contrast both the artists. The early years Burtynsky was born in St. Catharines, Ontario. He was brought to the world of photographs by his father when he purchased a darkroom along with camera and instruction manuals. After gaining some knowledge in the field, he started a small business of taking portraits. Later on, he enrolled at the Ryerson Polytechnical Institute for better understanding of photography. Thus, he obtained a BAA in Media Studies Program. It seems that Burtynsky was influenced by a number of other artists. Some of them are Ansel Adams, Edward Weston, Eadweard Muybridge, and Carleton Watkins (Edward Burtynsky: biography). Banksy was born in 1974 and brought up in Bristol. Though he was the son of a photocopier techni cian, he was destined to get training in butchery. However, the genius got himself involved in graffiti as it was the time of aerosol boom. Thus, his work shows similarity to the works of Blek le Rat, and Massive Attack (Brian Sewell Art Directory). Burtynsky concentrated mainly on landscapes which are altered by the advancement of industry; including mines, piles of scrap and quarries. However, the mere fact is that his photographs of industrial wilderness are often more beautiful than the landscapes it altered. Thus, one wonders if he is a fan of industrialization in a world where art and science do not cohabit. As Ballamingie points out, in order to cover the grand beauty of industrial landscapes, he even visited countries like China. On the other hand, Banksy’s works mainly deal with political and social themes. They cover messages including anti-war, anti-capitalism, anti-fascism, anti-imperialism, anti-authoritarianism, anarchism, nihilism, and existentialism. In additi on, he exhibits mastery in exhibiting human conditions like poverty, despair, alienation, greed and hypocrisy. Technique Burtynsky is fond of large format field camera and his photographs are taken on 4x5 sheet film. They are then developed into high-resolution, large-dimension prints of nearly 50x60 inches. The photographs are often taken from higher platforms (â€Å"Artist analysis..†). Banksy is a street artist. So, his weapon was stencils. However, one has to assume that he even used computers to develop images because of the photocopy nature of his some works. According to Banksy, as he was too slow doing graffiti with stencils, he developed some intricate stencils which minimize time. His art work took every form and every place as he only considered efficacy as the prime aim. To illustrate, he painted his Gorilla in a pink mask on the exterior wall of a social club in Eastville. As Danny writes, as Banksy’s graffiti appeared in public places, at times, governmen t officials considered his graffiti as a form of vandalism. Important works Burtynsky’s one photographic series was named ‘Mines’. It was photographed in Bingham Valley, Utah; Sudbury, Ontario; Butte, Montana; Highland Valley, British Columbia and Revelstoke, British Columbia. Another series ‘