Tips and Tricks on How to Best Prepare for the MCAT

MCAT studying is a whole different ball game. For starters, unlike class exams or standardized tests administered just a few times a year, you decide when to take the MCAT. Being able to manage your own schedule means it’s important to create a structure around the exam, be disciplined in your studying, and make sure youre 100% ready when the date rolls around. Claire tells us that at first she did not have a designated study period, and that was not a good approach. â€Å"I assumed that I would take the test when I was ready,† says Claire. â€Å"This was a terrible plan as I continued to procrastinate. Once I created a timeline of 4 months, I was able to really focus and get good work done.† Taking courses vs. studying on your own â€Å"I took an in person course, which actually was NOT a good use of my money. The teacher did teach us some strategies, but I did not find it as helpful as I was hoping. I wish that we would have learned more content and ways to remember all of the information. I mainly read the books, watched online lectures, and did question bank type activities, which were very helpful.† Qbanks, qbanks, qbanks!! According to Claire, reading the books and taking light notes while attending/watching lectures lays a great foundation to cover all of the material on the exam. Claire claims that creating a good foundation is a good start, but that qbanks are really where is at. â€Å"Once I had a foundation, I used qbanks a lot. Qbanks are great!† Divide and conquer Organization is key when studying for an exam that covers so much material. According to Claire, Kaplan says that students only need to know about 60% of the material, but Claire still felt compelled to learn all of it, which can be overwhelming. â€Å"Trying to cover everything is incredibly challenging,† says Claire. â€Å"Luckily, I had Cram Fighter to help space out the time.I tried to study each subject for about 2-3 days and then switch to a new subject.† Take breaks As dedicated and focus to the MCAT as Claire was, she also acknowledged that taking breaks was important for her mental and emotional states. Claire chose Friday as her MCAT free day. Don’t be hard on yourself Studying for the MCAT can be awfully stressful, and at times, you are your worst enemy. Remember that if you do your best in preparing, you will do well. The MCAT measures how much you’ve studied for the MCAT, so if you know you have, you will do just fine. Beating yourself up has never helped anyone. Have a realistic approach According to Claire, â€Å"studying for this exam is a full time job and it is really difficult to work/go to school and study. There is a lot of information that needs to be covered and you will not be able to learn it all. Try to know the hot topics extremely well, and have a surface level understanding of the rest.†

Essay on Catabury Tales Assignment

Essay on Catabury Tales Assignment Essay on Catabury Tales Assignment Careers Assignment Design Technology is the study of design, development, and the management of its technologies for the purpose of product design and modeling of construction. It is influenced by human, environmental, financial, and material requirements and resources. Architects Architects perform several duties. Some of the several duties they perform are to plan and design structures such as buildings and houses, give instructions to contractors and builders to follow, make sure the project is finished on time and remains in budget, complete paperwork such as contracts and permits. Most architects are employed by building contractors or architecture firms. They can also be self-employed. They work at construction sites and in offices. Working times for architects vary on several factors. They tend to earn $50000 to $100000 a year, depending on work experience and the state of the economy. To become an architect one must go to university, acquire a bachelor’s degree or master’s degree in architecture, and achieve a license to practice in your province or territory. After the gain of a bachelor’s or master’s degree in architecture and the license, the first position to start off is as an Intern. After the completion of the architecture internship and successful completion of the professional exam, the next position will be a Licensed Architect. After several years of experience one may (not for sure) achieve Partnership at an architectural firm. Civil Engineers Civil engineers help design and build structures such as buildings and bridges. Their tasks include, using math and science to calculate if structure designs are accomplishable and if they are safe, studying the conditions at project sites, evaluating costs and quantities of labour, equipment, and materials needed, supervising and guiding construction workers and preparing reports. They are employed by engineering firms, companies, and government agencies. Civil engineers work in construction sites and a little bit in the office. They tend to earn $40000 to $120000 yearly, varying on experience, economic conditions, and level of education. To become a civil engineer one must go to university and complete a bachelor’s degree. Master’s degree or PhD is recommended for senior advancements. After one has achieved a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering, they become an Engineer-in-training. The next advancement is after several years of training and t he completion of the professional licensing exam becoming a Professional Engineer. From the professional engineer, the position upgrades to a Senior Engineer, and ends off as a Manager. Interior Designers Interior designers create admirable usable indoor spaces. Their tasks include, discussing project details with clients, develop designs and sketches for client acceptances, decide what paint, wallpaper, and furniture will be used, and maintain budgets. They are employed by architecture firm, companies and retailers. They can be self-employed. They tend to earn $25000 to $65000 per year depending on experience, reputation, and location. To be an interior designer one must achieve a degree or diploma in interior design, accepting both college and university. After getting a bachelor’s degree or diploma in interior design the first station is Junior Designer. After many years, the completion of NCIDQ exam and certification the next station is a

Comme Is a Star of French Idiomatic Expressions

Comme Is a Star of French Idiomatic Expressions The French word  comme means like, as or since and is used in a large number of idiomatic expressions. Learn how to say soaking wet, knee-high to a grasshopper, so-so and more with this list of French expressions that use  comme. Other cultures have found French expressions useful and have assimilated them into their languages. Comme ci, comme à §a, for instance,  is used in English and several other languages to mean so-so, fair, or just okay. The word  comme, one of the most common and versatile in French,  can be a conjunction, adverb, or part of an adverbial phrase.  Like the French  conjunctions parce que, car and  puisque, comme  is commonly used to draw conclusions or otherwise relate a cause or explanation with a result or conclusion. For example,  Comme je lis le plus vite, jai dà ©j fini  means  Since I read the fastest, Ive already finished. Common French Expressions Using Comme arriver comme un cheveu sur la soupeto be completely irrelevant chanter comme une casseroleto be a lousy singercomme cela/à §a(just) like that; that way; (informal) great, terrificcomme ci, comme à §aso-so;  faircomme dhabitudeas usualcomme il fautproperly;  respectablycomme il vous plairaas you wishcomme les autresordinary; everydaycomme on ditas they say; how its saidcomme par hasardcoincidentally; as if by chancecomme qui dirait(informal) as you might say; what you might think is/wascomme quoito the effect that; which goes to show thatcomme sias if; as though(adjectif) comme toutso (adjective); as (adjective) as can be comme tout le mondenormally; like everyone elsehaut comme trois pommesknee-high to a grasshopperjuste commejust / right asparler le franà §ais comme une vache espagnoleto speak French very badlytrempà © comme une soupeto be soaking wet

Welfare Distrubution in the United States of America Research Paper

Welfare Distrubution in the United States of America - Research Paper Example Education, health or certain other forms of insurance may reduce economic uncertainty. Education and health augment the value of an individual, thus making the population more capable to deal with the economic uncertainty caused by various factors, including the prevailing market conditions. Population may also become more secured through the insurances in health and social issues which precisely cut down the financial costs of uncertainty. (Garfinkel, Rainwater & Smeeding, 2). The welfare state in the United States of America is considered as an â€Å"under achiever†.  It can be acknowledged from the past data that the social programs initiated by the USA came into exercise much later than several other nations. Currently several important parts of the American welfare state can be considered as inadequately developed, or many essential measures are missing in the system. The United States seems to make lesser expenditure on social programs in comparison to many other democ racies. Also, the rates of poverty and inequality are much higher in the United States (Howard, 1).  The United States can be recognized as a territory of prospects or opportunities.   However, that also does not imply equality. Nathan Glazer, a professor of sociology and education at the Harvard University, in his argument, commented on United States as the most imbalanced amongst other inexpensively developed countries.   According to statistical data, it can be realized that the United States in comparison to other countries like Europe, redistributes considerably less social benefits.   Such less redistribution are the consequences of greater inequality in income obtained before tax and an indistinct income distribution in the United States. Although the United States is conventional in its political principles, yet it can often be recognized with moderate courses of action in welfare, thus the country clearly representing uniqueness and nonjudgmental processes. (Brunson ).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This report is mainly prepared to focus on providing arguments against the distribution of welfare in the United States. There are many views in support of the welfare system in the USA, which reflect that the welfare system in the USA increases economic growth, productivity, and efficiency of the country. (Garfinkel, Rainwater & Smeeding, 1). However this report would bring out certain aspects, which would clearly indicate that the welfare distribution in the United States of America has many negative impacts as well, which are backed by evidences and arguments. The studies and researches previously done on the concerned topic would be taken into consideration and other sources on the welfare distribution in the USA and its effects as provided by different authors would be utilized as sources. The report would bring out the impacts of the present system of welfare distribution prevailing in the United States, thereby providing arguments against the system , and reflecting upon the negative effects of the current system.    Arguments against the Welfare Distribution in the USA:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The government of the United States strictly lacks a widespread and productive welfare system.   On the other hand, the alternative governmental programs seem to be better than the welfare system to a greater extent.     For instance, in the year 1999, a family of three had received remunerations of $164 per month from the welfare services, while the allowance for food stamp for the same family was at $329 per month. Thus, it was economically more rational to take food stamps provided by the alternative government measures instead of receiving welfare benefits.   In the present scenario, food stamps and government housing are

Write what you want Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Write what you want - Essay Example At the same time, the college student looks for opportunities to maintain their social connections, which further complicates the process of time management. Stress is created by missing out on certain social activities in favor of being a more responsible and conscientious academic and by no longer being able to rely on more lenient instructors. The college experience, though extremely important for future career success, continues to exert pressure related to personal accountability for sensible and dependable schoolwork. These are activities common in the college experience. Because of this, the student must develop more effective coping skills to deal with these pressures. The student must also schedule their personal activities in a way that makes them secondary to more desirable social gatherings, which is not always easy for self-satisfaction. Failure to achieve timely deadlines for work submission can also create anxiety which only enhances the stress responses. A college stu dent needs to start acting like an adult and realizing the importance of education. Having a mature-minded attitude will assist in reducing these stresses even when social needs cannot be immediately fulfilled. Is this difficult? It definitely is, however, college demands it. It has been said that money is the root of all evil. People who strive to attain large amounts of money, such as drug dealers or stock investors, often build their entire lives around the receipt of money. However, in order to receive these funds, they often have to harm others in society. Laws about prohibiting drug use make dealers seek opportunities through the black market which is often littered with crime rings that applaud negative behavior. Dealers often get rich so quickly that it goes to their head and they rapidly believe that they are better than others in society. This egotism creates a desire to treat others like

Involving others in assessments Essay Example for Free

Involving others in assessments Essay The assessment process in a beauty college involves many different people. Starting with the students that need to be assessed and who need be told the criteria which they are being assessed against so that they can try meet these needs. The teachers of the students need to be provided with a curriculum to teach and have access to various forms of information related to their subject matter so they can draw on these for course notes or offer extra material for students to give them a broader understanding of the subject. The assessors themselves need to know what facilities the college has with regards to where the tests are obtained from, what time frame is allocated, what different forms of assessment need to be conducted, what setting is in place be it a classroom or practical room or a simulation of a salon with a member of public coming in to be the client. They need to know who else in the college is qualified to assess should they have any questions and who the internal verifiers are to report to. Employers at the college need to provide assessment opportunities and find ways of networking with the staff through newsletters or internal meetings to identify good practice in assessing across the board and to maintain consistency throughout the staff. The internal verifiers are there to check the quality of assessing and to measure and improve further quality of assessments. External verifiers are needed to check that the internal verifiers are doing their job properly and check the quality of the work being done. They are usually given a selection of pre assessed papers so they can re-assess them to check for accuracy in assessing and to be able to check the standard of a college and report back to the awarding body that a college is able to claim certification for their students, or if the college needs to amend certain criteria before claiming certification. So in my college experience I was taught my course material by various teachers, assessed by teachers by written tests or projects or in the practical classroom. The teachers had to report to the principal of the college for our results and the principal often came into the assessing rooms while we were busy with class or doing tests. An external examining body from the international guild of beauty therapy was asked to do our final assessments and we were given lists stating what the examiner would be looking for. We were assessed according to the international level set by the beauty guild and only if we passed with a stipulated percentage were we awarded our qualification. Peer and Self assessment: Self assessment allows the student to work out their own strengths and weaknesses and tailor their own learning plan to best suit themselves. This works well when you have a motivated student who is willing to admit their own setbacks to themselves and strive to address these and move forward in the right direction with a better sense of what they want to achieve and how to do that. Peer assessment can be very helpful in that students get to go over their own knowledge of the subject being assessed while they assess their peer therefore doing revision and also being more aware of what they may not know or of how their peer does something better than they would have done and learning from them. I find self and peer evaluation very helpful in a beauty college especially as it is such a practical course and a lot of time is spent practicing treatments on your peers or being the client to be practiced on. When a student is being the therapist they can carry out a treatment and assess themselves on how well they have learnt the procedure and where they get stuck and need help. They will be more confident in asking their peer for help or to give them feedback about their treatment and in-turn be able to use this feedback to modify their work and learn from this. When a student is being the client this is a great opportunity for them to really feel what different types of pressure feel like and what feel good and what doesn’t and use that to adapt their own techniques. They learn what it feels like to be on the therapy bed and be aware of the sounds around them that the student therapist makes or the questions they ask and what makes sense and works and what doesn’t. This is an invaluable way that students can improve themselves and be able to help their peers improve by giving them accurate feedback. How assessment arrangements can be adapted to learners: Students learn best in slightly different ways depending on what approach works best for them. A widely used model of learning style is Flemmings’ s (2001) Visual Auditory Kinesthetic (VAK) model. If students are visual learners, they prefer to use images, pictures, colors, and maps to organize information and communicate with others. They work well from worksheets and the whiteboard and do their best on more theory based assessments like short questions, multiple choice, true and false or essays. In their practical assessments they will do well when needing to chart information the client has told them and write up skin diagnosis or plan future care appointments. If they are auditory learners they are the students who retain information better when the information is reinforced through sound. So they prefer class lectures rather than being given textbooks to read. These students do much better when their assessment are asked with short oral questions during class or explaining to an examiner why they are performing a certain treatment or using a certain method to perform a task. Being able to read their questions out aloud to themselves will also help them registered better what is required from them in the assessment. If they are kinesthetic learners then they prefer to be involved in activities. They learn through applying their knowledge practically by writing out notes during lectures or telling another person what they have learnt or performing practical treatments. Studying beauty therapy is a great choice for kinesthetic learns as much of the course involves taking part and learning through movement and a big part of your grading comes from performing treatments and demonstrating your skills to the assessors. For these learners doing theory assessments they can be kept motivated by doing diagrams or plotting graphs or doing oral reports so they are fulfilling their need for movement in learning.

Invention of the Phonograph Essay -- Exploratory Essays Research Paper

Invention of the Phonograph The idea of the phonograph came from the man who invented the light bulb. Thomas Alva Edison is one of the greatest inventors of all time decided to create this invention. In 1877, Edison was working on a machine that would decipher telegraphic messages to paper tape. He used a diaphragm with an embossing point. This would be held onto a moving paraffin paper. Thus when spoken into it, the vibrations made indentations on it. Edison decided to change the idea by using a tin foil wrapped metal cylinder instead of the paper. The final cylinder phonograph had 2 diaphragm and needle units. One would be for recording date and the other would be for playing it. For the machine to work, one would have to speak into a mouthpiece and the sound vibrations would be imprinted on the cylinder. Then the recording needle would create some sort of groove pattern on the cylinder. The data can then played by back by the data from the created grooves. From this invention Edison started the Edison Speaking Phonograph Company in 1878. Edison had received $10,000 for the sales and manufacturing rights plus 20% of the profits from this company. The machine had a variety of uses including dictation, creating listening books, a sort of a â€Å"family record† which had precious recorded memories of the family like last words, teaching elocution, adn other uses as well The cylinder phonograph proved to be successful, but the problem with the machine was that the tin foil only allowed a few uses. With the help of another great inventor, new advances could be made to improve this invention. The inventor of the telephone, Alexander Graham Bell, had set up a laboratory for his cousin, Chichester Bell and Charles Tainter. Bell a... ...ndex.asp?s=1&mode=long. 7. â€Å"The History of the Edison Cylinder Phonograph.† American Memory: Historical Collects for National Digital Library 13 Mar. 2003. http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/edhtml/edcyldr.html. 8. â€Å"The History of the Edison Disc Phonograph.† American Memory: Historical Collects for National Digital Library 13 Mar. 2003. http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/edhtml/eddschst.html. 9. â€Å"The History of Turntablism.† Ilikemusic.com. 21 Mar. 2003. http://www.ilikemusic.com/index.asp?fdLocation=%2Farticle%2Easp%3FfdSectionid%3D2%26fdSubsectionid%3D11%26fdArticleId%3D128. 10. â€Å"The Rave Page.† Angelfire.com 13 Mar. 2003. http://www.angelfire.com/ar2/raves/. 11. â€Å"Turntables and CD players.† Turnt(L)able.com 13 Mar. 2003. http://www.turntablelab.com/index1.html. 12. â€Å"Turntable History.† Enjoy the Music.com 13 Mar. 2003. http://www.turntablelab.com/index1.html.

Analysis of JFK Inauguration Speech Essay

On Friday, 20 January 1961 newly elected President John F. Kennedy delivered his Inauguration speech to the nation of America in the time of uncertainty and fear. Kennedy was the â€Å"youngest elected president and the first Roman Catholic president†. During this tumultuous time period the Cold War was at its peak and dangers of nuclear power were building .To ease the rising tensions building amongst the people Kennedy emphasizes optimism and idealism in his speech. In doing so, Kennedy hopes in â€Å"representing the United States as a force to be reckoned with while maintaining peaceful international relations with other countries†. While most don’t believe it had an impact, John F Kennedy’s speech helped America pull through one of its darkest times. At the time President Kennedy had big shoes to fill. With rising pressure coming from separate nations due to nuclear power the people of America are worried now more than ever. Though with his charismatic ego and benevolent approach, Kennedy was determined to get his input through the people. In other words Kennedy was what America needed at the time, a savior. Not only that but with his dashing good looks and eloquent family he was to some extent a  role model. This speech was somewhat typical of Kennedy compared to other speeches of his. Like Kennedys â€Å"City upon a Hillâ€Å"speech he tends to appeal to the people, as seen when he says â€Å"We must always consider that we shall be a city upon a hill-the eyes of all people are upon us†. Kennedy is a credible speaker and this can be attributed due to the fact that he had been giving successful speeches throughout his presidential campaign that eventually persuaded people to vote for him and in due course win the pres idential election. Kennedy delivered his Inaugural Address before an audience of twenty thousand people and a televised audience of eighty million. The people of America were fearful because of the development and stockpiling of nuclear weapons. It was a very volatile time in history, with the country not far  removed from WW2 and the Korean War. Though Kennedy felt that it wasn’t just the people of America but the people of the world he should address. He asked the nations of the world to join together to fight what he called the â€Å"common enemies of man: tyranny, poverty, disease, and war itself†. Kennedy’s main responsibility was to represent the nation of America as one that was strong and was able to maintain peaceful international relations. Though Kennedy is just truly attempting to emphasize optimism and idealism since the nation is in such panic and hysteria. The focal point of Kennedy’s speech was the relationship between duty and power. This was highlighted with Kennedy’s vivid usage of juxtaposition. In the first part of the speech Kennedy states in the second passage, â€Å"†¦Man holds in his mortal hands the power to abolish all forms of human poverty and all forms of human life†. This appeals to the idea of shifting towards peoples values and affluence. The use of tropes can also be spotted within the text. Kennedy overemphasizes the strength of America by the use of hyperboles. By exaggerating and saying that America can â€Å"pay any price† or â€Å"bear any burden,† Kennedy generates a perception of pride in the reader for his or her country. One of the most famous lines ushered by Kennedy in his inaugural speech was the use of chiasmus when he says â€Å"Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country†. Kennedy’s use of ethos is attributed to much of this because of his trustworthiness and credibility as a speaker. This gives Kennedy authority since his use of rhetoric establishes him as a good character that can appeal to the public Kennedy’s Inaugural Address was obviously much more than any regular speech given by a president in office. Kennedy’s commitment to insure freedom to countless civilians possibly encouraged him to â€Å"escalate the U.S. involvement in the war in Vietnam†. This is foreshadowing for what is to become the cold war and one of the† longest and costliest wars†. Although today Kennedy is remember more for his notoriety and assassination, many forget how big a mark his inaugural speech left upon the world. Kennedy  envisioned and urged change for the better. Former president Harry S Truman told journalists that history would remember it as â€Å"One of the greatest speeches of all time†. If not for Kennedy’s speech, relations with America and other countries would be in turmoil and chaos. History is essential to why John F Kennedy and his inaugural speech in office were so influential to his administration and in turn the rest of the 20th cen tury. Works Cited â€Å"John F. Kennedy: Inaugural Address. U.S. Inaugural Addresses. 1989.† John F. Kennedy: Inaugural Address. U.S. Inaugural Addresses. 1989. Bartleby Bookstore, 2 Aug. 2007. Web. 16 Dec. 2013. Antecelli, Nathan M. â€Å"Home.† Our Documents -. The Peoples Vote, 17 Mar. 2001. Web. 15 Dec. 2013. â€Å"USA Presidents.† USA-Presidents.Info. Ezoic, 2004. Web. 21 Dec. 2013. Mehltretter, Sandra M. â€Å"John Fitzgerald Kennedy, â€Å"Inaugural Address† (20 January 1961).†John Fitzgerald Kennedy, â€Å"Inaugural Address† (20 January 1961). The Pennsylvania State University, n.d. Web. 21 Dec. 2013.

Company Q and Social Responsibility Essay

Evaluation Company Q’s attitude toward social responsibility reflects a negative reputation on them as a corporation in their current community. The geographical location in a major metropolitan area should sustain the business with a solid consumer base and maintain reliance of current investors. However, they closed two stores in high crime areas for consistently losing profits, waning investor trust and damaging employee faith. The decision to close the stores limits their ability to be socially responsible to its stakeholders and potentially contributes to the areas crime level. Customers requested health-conscience and organic products for years before it was finally stocked in limited amounts. Company Q ignored earlier requests from their customers and created a deficiency in establishing long-term relationships. The company needs to demonstrate a better approach for customer satisfaction by building long-term relationships and reflect a more socially responsible corporation to not only customers but all stakeholders. Donating to the local food bank would also demonstrate a better attitude towards social responsibility, yet Company Q’s management rejects donation requests claiming potential fraud and theft from employees. The company deteriorates employee commitment and trust in the corporation by insinuating that employees might steal if they handle donations. If Company Q maintains the existing attitude toward social responsibility they may find themselves closing every store in the future. Recommendations Action 1 Company Q can upgrade their current attitude toward social responsibility by addressing their ethical culture and ability to be a profitable company. Company Q will need to develop a financial plan, set financial goals, and identify areas of unreliable returns that will capitalize on investor  wealth. If action is taken to address poor financial returns, the company will not have make decisions to close stores because of consistently losing profits. Next Company Q needs to integrate an ethics program throughout the corporation that will lay the necessary ground of promoting an ethical culture. This ethics program should be designed by the company’s management to guide employee conduct, generate better-quality decision making and discourage potential theft from company employees. Management should then launch training courses with quarterly workshops and incentive packages which motivate employees to exercise guidelines. Employee trust is critical and laying an ethical foundation for employees to follow Company Q needs to begin at the upper management level. To be an effective program the company needs to educate upper management so that they initiate the standards and lead by example. Management of Company Q will have a stronger impact if they practice the ethical standards and set the standard to employees. The combination of executing an ethics program and improving the financial condition of Company Q is a major stride in social responsibility. As the company’s ethical culture develops and investor confidence and wealth returns, Company Q‘s overall integrity grows, thereby demonstrating a more socially responsible image. Action 2 Company Q took years to respond to multiple requests by customers for providing health-conscious and organic products. A current trend in society has increased awareness to be more health conscious. Customers are asking for these high margin products because they want them to be available for purchase. Company Q needs to listen to the desires of their customers and supply a broader selection of the higher margin items. By doing so Company Q forms stronger relationships with customers and increases their commitment to make purchases at the store. Customer relationships improve as more sales of the requested products increase and profit margins will begin to rise. Company Q needs to also set up a request station where customers can write down requests of products they would like to see available for purchase. The company can use these requests to poll which products that  the customers would most likely want to purchase. This way Company Q can zero in on satisfying their customers and eliminate products that have the least amount of demand. A second opportunity that presents itself is establishing new supplier relationships within the local community by generating partnerships between Company Q and organic producers. By the company forming new relationships with local producers the local economy is strengthened and new development encouraged in the community. The purchase of organic products from local vendors will also keep transportation expenses down and Company Q can then forward that savings to customers by offering lower prices. Company Q would benefit greatly from this action by offering a broader range of health conscience products and partnering with local suppliers. These relationships will supplement Company Q in changing their approach to being socially responsible. Action 3 A third recommendation is to revisit the decision of donating day-old products to the area’s local food banks. By denying the request all together and opting to toss out the day-old products is damaging to Company Q’s image. The company needs to exhibit accountability to society by supporting their local food bank illustrating community support by offering day-old products to their local food bank. Company Q should then monitor donations with a checks and balances system which would allow management to track the process of donations and reduce concerns of employee theft. The company will reveal positive decision making by donating instead of tossing the day-old products in the trash. The decision to be charitable through regular contributions will demonstrate to employees, investors and other stakeholders that Company Q is changing their attitude toward social responsibility. Conclusion Company Q should implement the above recommendations to become a more socially responsible corporation. Taking action of their profitability, promoting an ethical work place environment, and giving back to the community are the strategic actions necessary to attest Company Q’s changing  attitude towards social responsibility. The company will continue to suffer consequences for failing social responsibility if changes in their approach are not taken.

Graphic Design Advice

Graphic Design Advice Graphic Design Advice

STAR Early Literacy

STAR Early Literacy STAR Early Literacy is an online adaptive assessment program developed by Renaissance Learning for students typically in grades PK-3. The program uses a series of questions to assess a student’s early literacy and early numeracy skills through a simple process. The program is designed to support teachers with individual student data quickly and accurately. It typically takes a student 10-15 minutes to complete an assessment and reports are available immediately upon completion. There are four parts to the assessment. The first part is a short demonstrative tutorial that teaches the student how to use the system. The second part is a short practice component designed to ensure that the students understand how to manipulate the mouse or use the keyboard correctly to answer each question. The third part consists of a short set of practice questions to prepare the student for the actual assessment. The final part is the actual assessment. It consists of twenty-nine early literacy and early numeracy questions. Students have one and a half minutes to answer each question before the program automatically moves them to the next question. Easy to Set up and Use STAR Early Literacy is a Renaissance Learning program. This is important because if you have Accelerated Reader, Accelerated Math, or any of the other STAR assessments, you only have to do the set up one time. Adding students and building classes is quick and easy. You can add a class of about twenty students and have them ready to be assessed in about 15 minutes. Designed Well for Students to Use The interface is straightforward. Each question is read by a narrator. While the narrator is reading the question, the mouse pointer turns into an ear directing the student to listen. After the question is read, a â€Å"ding† tone indicates that the student may then select their response. The student has two choices in the way that they select their response. They can use their mouse and click on the correct choice or they can you the 1, 2, or 3 keys that correlate to the correct answer. Students are locked into their answer if they use their mouse, but they are not locked into their answer if they use the 1, 2, 3 select methods until they hit enter. This can be a problem for younger students that have not been exposed to manipulating a computer mouse or using a keyboard. In the top right-hand corner of the screen, there is a box that the student can click to have the narrator repeat the question at any time. In addition, the question is repeated every fifteen seconds of inactivity until time runs out. Each question is given  on a one and a half minute timer. When a student has fifteen seconds remaining a small clock will begin to flash at the top of the screen letting them know that time is about to expire for that question. A Good Tool for Teachers STAR Early Literacy assesses forty-one skill sets in ten essential literacy and numeracy domains. The ten domains include alphabetic principle, the concept of word, visual discrimination, phonemic awareness, phonics, structural analysis, vocabulary, sentence level comprehension, paragraph level comprehension, and early numeracy. The program also allows teachers to set goals and monitor a student’s progress as they move throughout the year. It allows them to create an individualized instructional path to building on skills they are proficient in and improve upon their individual skills in which they need intervention. Teachers are also able to use STAR Early Literacy throughout the year quickly and accurately to decide whether they need to change their approach with a particular student or continue doing what they are doing. STAR Early Literacy has an extensive assessment bank that allows students to be assessed multiple times without seeing the same question. Reports STAR Early Literacy is designed to provide teachers with useful information that will drive their instructional practices. STAR Early Literacy provides teachers with several useful reports designed to assist in targeting which students need intervention and what areas they need assistance in. Here are six key reports available through STAR Early Literacy and a brief explanation of each: Diagnostic - Student: The student diagnostic report provides the most information about an individual student. It offers information such as the student’s scaled score, literacy classification, sub-domain scores, and individual skill set scores on a scale of 0-100.Diagnostic – Class: The class diagnostic report provides information related to the class as a whole. It shows how the class as a whole performed in each of the forty-one assessed skills. Teachers can use this report to drive whole class instruction to cover concepts in which the majority of the class shows they need intervention.Growth: This report shows the growth of a group of students over a specific period of time. This period of time is customizable from a few weeks to months, to even growth over the course of several years.Instructional Planning - Class: This report provides teachers with a list of recommended skills to drive the whole class or small group instruction. This report also allows you to gro up students into four ability groups and provides suggestions for meeting each group’s specific learning needs. Instructional Planning - Student: This report provides teachers with a list of recommended skills and suggestions to drive individualized instruction.Parent Report: This report provides teachers with an informational report to give to parents. This letter provides details about each student’s progress. It also provides instructional suggestions that parents can do at home with their child to improve their scores. Relevant Terminology Scaled Score (SS): The scaled score is figured based on the difficulty of the questions as well of the number of questions that were correct. STAR Early Literacy uses a scale range of 0-900. This score can be used to compare students to each other, as well as themselves, over time.Early Emergent Reader: Scaled score of 300-487. Student has a beginning understanding that printed text has meaning. They have a rudimentary understanding that reading involves letters, words, and sentences. They also are beginning to identify numbers, letters, shapes, and colors.Late Emergent Reader: Scaled score of 488-674. Student knows most letters and letter sounds. They are expanding their vocabulary, listening skills, and knowledge of print. They are starting to read picture books and familiar words.Transitional Reader: Scaled score of 675-774. Student has mastered alphabet and letter sound skills. Can identify beginning and ending sounds as well vowel sounds. They likely have the ability to blend so unds and read basic words. They can use context clues such as pictures to figure out words. Probable Reader: Scaled score of 775-900. Student is becoming skilled at recognizing words at a faster rate. They also are beginning to understand what they are reading. They blend sounds and word parts to read words and sentences. The Bottom Line STAR Early Literacy is a respectable early literacy and early numeracy assessment program. Its best features are that it is quick and easy to use, and reports can be generated in seconds. A key issue with this program is that for younger students who lack mouse skills or computer skills, the scores may be negatively skewed. However, this is an issue with virtually any computer-based program at this age. Overall, we give this program 4 out of 5 stars because the program provides teachers with a solid tool to identify early literacy and early numeracy skills that require intervention.

Strategic Human Resource Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Strategic Human Resource Management - Essay Example This may mean that SHRM has the ability to change the way things are done in an organisation, effectively changing an organisation’s culture (Schein, 2004; Robbins, 2003). However, individual HRM strategies in themselves may not be strategic HRM, where SHRM is the â€Å"overall framework which determines the shape and delivery of the individual strategies† (CIPD, 2009). Strategy exists in all organisations as it is concerned with defining the organisation’s behaviour and its existence in a given environment, where the role of SHRM is to explain how the human resources function influences organisational performance (Boxall and Purcell, 2003). Dyer and Holder (1998) give us the main features of SHRM, where SHRM at the organisational level is planned at the top, where decisions are made regarding goals, policies and allocation of resources; the focus of SHRM is then aimed at organisational effectiveness or better performance, where people are viewed as resources that need to be managed towards the achievement of strategic business goals; HR strategies are then seen as frameworks which are broad, integrative, unifying and contingency based, as they incorporate a whole lot of HR goals and activities which are designed to be in strategic fit with the environment (also see Mankin, 2009). This particular study will focus on the role of SHRM in multinational organisations (MNCs), where the HRM function becomes international (IHRM). IHRM is a relatively recent addition to the field of human resources, developed mainly because of the rapid pace at which businesses are getting internationalised as a result of globalisation (Scullion, 2001). Even though IHRM’s operations are based on the same parameters of domestic HRM, it is much more complex as it deals with sensitive cross-cultural issues and calls for proper education of the local behaviour in terms of culture, values, business practices, and employment laws of the host country of a