Essential Stats for Aspiring Executive Assistants!

Essential Stats for Aspiring Executive Assistants! The folks at CareerStep have pulled together some highlights from the Bureau of Labor Statisticss most recent report on executive assistants: where theyre most likely to be employed, where their wages are most competitive, and what those competitive rates are likely to be.Where to LookIf youre just entering the industry and want to make sure youre targeting the most promising opportunities, consider looking at colleges, universities, and professional schools (the highest employing industry!) in top paying states: New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, Maryland, and the District of Columbia. Other industries in the top 5 included local and state governments, corporate employers, and elementary and secondary schools.Highest Earning IndustriesIf your eye is on the hourly wage prize, though, consider pursuing opportunities at alcohol vendors (where the mean hourly wage $35.02!), telecommunications industries ($34.14), securities and commodity exchanges aka Wall Street ($33.16), banking and f inancial analysis companies ($32.89), and clothing and wholesale vendors ($32.22).These average rates should also help you detect underpaid (and potentially exploitative) job postings and empower you to negotiate for more competitive rates, especially if you work in one of the more competitive states like California, New York, Texas, Florida, or Illinois.Check out more statistics in the full report on the BLS.gov website or explore wage comparison profiles at Glassdoor.com to figure out what you should be making as an executive assistant!Executive Assistant Job Outlook and Stats!Read More at www.careerstep.com

Battle of Thermopylae in the Persian Wars

Battle of Thermopylae in the Persian Wars The Battle of Thermopylae is believed to have been fought in August 480 BC, during the Persian Wars (499 BC-449 BC). Having been turned back at Marathon in 490 BC, Persian forces returned to Greece ten years later to avenge their defeat and conquer the peninsula. Responding, an alliance of Greek city-states, led by Athens and Sparta, assembled a fleet and an army to oppose the invaders. While the former engaged the Persians at Artemisium, the latter assumed a defensive position at the narrow Pass of Thermopylae. At Thermopylae, the Greeks blocked the pass and beat back Persian assaults for two days. On the third, the Persians were able to flank the Greek position after being a shown a mountain path by a Trachinian traitor named Ephialtes. While the bulk of the Greek army retreated, a force of 300 Spartans led by Leonidas I as well as 400 Thebans and 700 Thespians remained to cover the withdrawal. Attacked by the Persians, the Spartans and Thespians famously fought to the death. Advancing south after their victory, the Persians captured Athens before being defeated at Salamis that September. Background Having been turned back by the Greeks in 490 BC at the Battle of Marathon, the Persians elected to begin preparing a larger expedition to subjugate Greece. Initially planned by Emperor Darius I, the mission fell to his son Xerxes when he died in 486. Intended as a full-scale invasion, the task of assembling the necessary troops and supplies consumed several years. Marching from Asia Minor, Xerxes intended to bridge the Hellespont and advance on Greece through Thrace. The army was to be supported by a large fleet which would move along the coast. As a previous Persian fleet had been wrecked off Mount Athos, Xerxes intended to build a canal across the mountains isthmus. Learning of Persian intentions, the Greek city-states began making preparations for war. Though possessing a weak army, Athens commenced building a large fleet of triremes under the guidance of Themistocles. In 481, Xerxes demanded tribute from the Greeks in an effort to avoid war. This was refused and the Greeks met that fall to form an alliance of the city-states under the leadership of Athens and Sparta. United, this congress would have the power to dispatch troops to defend the region. Greek Plans With war nearing, the Greek congress met again in the spring of 480. In the discussions, the Thessalians recommended establishing a defensive position at the Vale of Tempe to block the Persians advance. This was vetoed after Alexander I of Macedon informed the group that the position could be flanked through the Sarantoporo Pass. Receiving news that Xerxes had crossed the Hellespont, a second strategy was put forward by Themistocles which called for making at stand at the pass of Thermopylae. A narrow passage, with a cliff on one side and the sea on the other, the pass was the gateway to southern Greece. Battle of Thermopylae Conflict: Persian Wars (499-449 BC)Dates: 480 BCArmies Commanders:PersiansXerxesMardoniusapprox. 70,000GreeksLeonidas IDemophilusThemistoclesapprox. 5,200-11,200 menCasualties:Greeks: approx. 4,000 (Herodotus)Persians: approx. 20,000 (Herodotus) The Greeks Move This approach was agreed to as it would negate the Persians overwhelming numerical superiority and the Greek fleet could provide support in the Straits of Artemisium. In August, word reached the Greeks that the Persian army was nearing. The timing proved problematic for the Spartans as it coincided with the feast of Carneia and the Olympic truce. Though the de facto leaders of the alliance, the Spartans were prohibited from engaging in military activity during these celebrations. Meeting, the leaders of Sparta decided that the situation was significantly urgent to dispatch troops under one of their kings, Leonidas. Moving north with 300 men from the royal guard, Leonidas gathered additional troops en route to Thermopylae. Arriving, he elected to establish a position at the middle gate where the pass was the narrowest and the Phocians had previously built a wall. Alerted that a mountain trail existed that could flank the position, Leonidas dispatched 1,000 Phocians to guard it. In mid-August, the Persian army was sighted across the Malian Gulf. Sending an emissary to negotiate with the Greeks, Xerxes offered freedom and better land in return for their obedience (Map). Fighting at the Pass Refusing this offer, the Greeks were then ordered to lay down their weapons. To this Leonidas reputedly replied, Come and get them. This reply made battle inevitable, though Xerxes took no action for four days. The constricted topography of Thermopylae was ideal for a defensive stand by the armored Greek hoplites as they could not be flanked and the more lightly armed Persians would be forced into a frontal assault. On the morning of the fifth day, Xerxes sent troops against Leonidas position with the goal of capturing the Allied army. Approaching, they had little choice but to attack the Greeks. Fighting in a tight phalanx in front of the Phocian wall, the Greeks inflicted massive losses on the attackers. As the Persians kept coming, Leonidas rotated units through the front to prevent fatigue. With the failure of the first assaults, Xerxes ordered an attack by his elite Immortals later in the day. Surging forward, they fared no better and were unable to move the Greeks. The next day, believing that the Greeks had been significantly weakened by their exertions, Xerxes attacked again. As on the first day, these efforts were turned back with heavy casualties. A Traitor Turns the Tide As a the second day was coming to a close, a Trachinian traitor named Ephialtes arrived in Xerxes camp and informed the Persian leader about the mountain trail around the pass. Taking advantage of this information, Xerxes ordered Hydarnes to take a large force, including the Immortals, on a flanking march over the trail. At daybreak on the third day, the Phocians guarding the path were stunned to see the advancing Persians. Attempting to make a stand, they formed on a nearby hill but were bypassed by Hydarnes. Alerted to the betrayal by a Phocian runner, Leonidas called a council of war. While most favored an immediate retreat, Leonidas decided to stay at the pass with his 300 Spartans. They were joined by 400 Thebans and 700 Thespians, while the remainder of the army fell back. While there are many theories regarding Leonidas choice, including the idea that Spartans never retreated, it was most likely a strategic decision as a rearguard was necessary to prevent the Persian cavalry from running down the retreating army. As the morning progressed, Xerxes began another frontal assault on the pass. Pushing forward, the Greeks met this attack at a wider point in the pass with the goal of inflicting maximum losses on the enemy. Fighting to the last, the battle saw Leonidas killed and the two sides struggle for his body. Increasingly overwhelmed, the surviving Greeks fell back behind the wall and made a last stand on a small hill. While the Thebans ultimately surrendered, the other Greeks fought to the death. With the elimination of Leonidas remaining force, the Persians claimed the pass and opened the road into southern Greece. Aftermath Casualties for the Battle of Thermopylae are not known with any certainty, but may have been as high as 20,000 for the Persians and around 2,000-4,000 for the Greeks. With the defeat on land, the Greek fleet withdrew south after the Battle of Artemisium. As the Persians advanced south, capturing Athens, the remaining Greek troops began fortifying the Isthmus of Corinth with the fleet in support. In September, Themistocles succeeded in winning a critical naval victory at the Battle of Salamis which forced the bulk of Persian troops to withdraw back to Asia. The invasion was brought to an end the following year after the Greek victory at the Battle of Plataea. One of the most famous battles of this time period, the story of Thermopylae has been recounted in numerous books and films through the years.

There has been an increased presence of non-state actors in the field Research Paper

There has been an increased presence of non-state actors in the field of international dispute resolution. Discuss the significa - Research Paper Example In recent years however, non-state actors, including NGOs, individual personalities, and even private corporations have also become more involved in the management of these international disputes. This is a significant development especially as greater transparency and participation of the NGOs at the WTO and the ICSID can be ensured. This paper shall discuss significance of such move in eventually securing transparency and improved participation of non-state actors in the actions and decisions of the WTO and the ICSID. Initially, this paper shall discuss incidents wherein non-state actors have taken a greater role in the field of international dispute resolution. The relevance of their role in terms of transparency as well as improved participation shall also be presented. A focus on the role of non-state actors in relation to international financial institutions shall also be discussed in this paper in order to better understand the impact of non-state actors on the international c ommunity. Body The elements involved in maintaining and building states calls for the assistance and participation of all state and in this case, non-state actors. Capable states are those which have strong and responsible as well as vital forces to ensure peace, prosperity as well as public goods for the people (Ulimwengu, 2007). The state has long been considered the primary focus of these processes, and the non-state actors have a crucial role to play in supporting these national and government processes (Mabogunje, 2000). It is therefore important to determine who these actors are. It is also important to identify the aspects of governance where they can assist and to understand better how they work, their style of interventions, and the barriers interfering with their actions (Catbagan, 2011). In Africa, the role of the non-state actors have been especially significant in terms of ensuring the security and public safety of non-state territories, and those territories where issu es of insecurity have impacted on state capacity in terms of security management (Ulimwengu, 2007). Issues and challenges in governance and development have prompted the need for assistance from non-state actors. This was the same in different parts of the world, including Asia, Africa, and even Europe. As transitions in African rule were observed, major shifts in political relations were also observed (Ulimwengu, 2007). The end of the Cold War was seen alongside efforts to democratize African countries and in the midst of these challenges, non-state actors emerged in the form of NGOs and other related organizations (Woodward, 2013). In Easter Europe, some of these groups had a crucial role in toppling the communist regimes. This was seen in Poland with the union-based Solidarnosc, including other movements in Romania, East Germany, and the Soviet Union (Heines, 2010). There is not much evidence to indicate whether these actors persisted in their role within the post-communist regim es; still, their roles have been acknowledged and their possibilities have also been considered for other areas. Non-state actors have become more accepted in the international community in the past few decades as politicians, sociologists, and mediators have sought their expertise especially where certain state actions have to be understood in terms of impact and sustainability (Ulimwengu, 2007). Non-state actors include NGOs and are generally understood within civil

Macroeconomics - Inflation, Disinflation and Deflation Term Paper

Macroeconomics - Inflation, Disinflation and Deflation - Term Paper Example The paper outlines that the global financial crisis has led the whole world to think of taking the radical measures through which the financial situation of the globe can be improved. The global recession spread across Europe and US has also caused everyone to become indebted. This situation serious attention and the first thing that the economists need to do are to review the macroeconomic policies in their respective economies in order to reform them. The most dangerous economic ailment that is also considered as a potential cause of economic recession is inflation, which is known as the sustained rise in the general level of prices for the goods and services. Due to the inflation, the monetary value liquidates and although people have same amount of money, but their buying power is reduced. Therefore, the purpose of the report is to make the readers understand some of the basic yet alarming principles of macroeconomics that are leading the current financial situation in to its worst era. Apart from the causes and effects of inflation, the disinflation, and deflation will also be discussed. In the end, the conclusions and recommendations will be made concerning how the inflation and its forms can be overcome. The main conclusion from the study is that inflation and deflation are the two driving forces that drag the prices sometimes up and sometimes down. The rise in the inflation leads to rise in supply and decline in demand, where as the deflation rise will result in the decline in supply and rise in demand, and this cycle goes the same way.

Penn State Scandal Essay Example for Free

Penn State Scandal Essay In this paper I will discuss what the ethical issue is, (and) definitions surrounding the allegations of sexual abuse, by the former Defensive Coordinator, Jerry Sandusky, who had the moral and ethical responsibility to report the incident to the proper authorities, and whether the incident was reported in a timely manner. The origin, values, ethics, honesty, and where a person grew up play an important part of an individual’s character. The definition of right and wrong varies from person to person. While I was growing up I believed that criminal justice meant an eye for an eye. As some people grow older his or her definition changed to, if an individual commits a crime, he or she should be held accountable for his or her actions. However; the punishment should fit the crime and be severe enough so the individual will learn from his or her mistake. A Pennsylvania (Penn) state assistant, Mike McQueary, claims to have witnessed Jerry Sandusky raping a ten-year-old boy in the shower (The New York Times, 2012). Sandusky (former Defensive Coordinator) was a wellrespected member of the Penn State community and good friend to Joe Paterno (former Head Coach). McQueary reported the crime immediately to Paterno. In response to the allegation, both McQueary, and Paterno reported the rape to Administrators Tim Curley (former Athletic Director) and Gary Schultz (former Vice President of Business and Finance) (The New York Times, 2012). The issue is at no time was the crime reported to police authorities. The allegation was simply brushed underneath the rug by several individuals. A crime of this magnitude should be have been reported to the proper authorities followed with legal actions. If this happens at such a prestegeous college, then what’s happening in others? I am very concerned that this may be happening somewhere else right now. I shouldn’t have to worry this, this shouldn’t be happening period. Works Cited Joe Paterno. News. The New York Times, 09 Oct. 2012. Web.

Economics Indicators :: essays papers

Economics Indicators Investments The Stock-Trak investment simulation program began on August 30th, which marked the first day that trading was allowed. A total available amount of $300,000 was used for investing. The objective of this assignment is to maximize the value of the portfolio through November 19th, which was the last day of the trading period. I began the process of choosing specific investments for my portfolio by taking an asset allocation questionnaire (appendix I). Since the objective was to maximize portfolio value, I made sure for each question asked that I chose the answer with the most risk. My reasoning being that having my money in risky investments will on average lead to a greater return than investments with lower risk. The objective did not mention risk tolerance, and I wanted a portfolio composition with a good chance of earning exceptional returns. After completing the survey, I ended up with an aggressive asset allocation plan (appendix II). This stated that 85% of my money should b e invested in stocks, while the remaining 15% of my money should be invested in bonds. I had several basic strategies that I felt would lead to my portfolio having high returns. First I felt that it was important to invest early on in the trading period so that I would not miss any positive returns the market might yield (I was fully invested by September 10th). Secondly I wanted to buy all my investments and hold them because I believe that this strategy will best maximize returns. Timing the market I felt was lucky and too complicated. Finally I wanted to make sure that I bought at least 25 separate assets, so that I could be properly diversified. I used the Wall Street Journal to pick my individual stocks. My personal strategy was to pick stocks that were at or near their 52 week low in price. I felt that corporations, especially those that were well known, at or near their 52 week low in price would gain momentum. Furthermore I made sure that I was choosing companies that were i n diverse industries. I also included some international companies as well as some relatively smaller firms to add to my portfolio. My strategy on buying bonds was to buy four bonds that had different maturity dates, and came from different issuers such as corporate and government bonds.

The Lost Treasures of Architecture

The Lost Treasures Time progresss, people come and go, same destiny for the old and out-of-date edifices. The hoarded wealths we one time had were long gone ; our lifetime memory ; the familiar odor ; the familiar sight ; the familiar sound ; the familiar touch ; the familiar gustatory sensation. The rapid development in this small ruddy point forces reclamation of edifices every now and so, there is non a individual country without building traveling on. Our places’ individuality easy fade out, or immerge into a new signifier of infinite. Every topographic point we know is a location that has its peculiar significance in our head. It can be your first dating topographic point ; your front-runner haunt topographic point ; or the nearby promenade that you are so familiar with, you go to the specific shop you want to without believing but subconsciously. Emotions are attached to this specific topographic points. It might non hold to be a strong, lovesick emotion but decidedly an emptiness followed when the specific topographic point is deconstructed. A infinite is an about abstract impression, except it ‘s filled with things ( can be the eco-nature, can be semisynthetic ) . The biggest difference between a infinite and a topographic point, is that you will non hold any emotional fond regard to a infinite. Spaces such as the nearby grass spot, workplace lavatory, canal along the route you walking place. This besides mean that certain attractive topographic points for others could go a meaning-less infinite to you, or a topographic point in your head could be a meaning-less infinite for others. However, it is possible to transform an impersonal infinite into a personal topographic point. Since a personal infinite involve personal emotions and memories, we could perchance retroflex the atmosphere/items that trigger ones’ emotions and memory into an impersonal infinite which hence become a personal topographic point for the individual. For illustration, planing and adorning a trade name new empty room for yourself. The empty room itself give you a sense of strangeness, uncomfortableness, doing you want to go forth the infinite every bit shortly as possible. However, with walls flush with your favorite coloring material ; old new furniture that you have been long for, and the perfect cozy ambient you created, the infinite has become a trade name new topographic point that is personal to you. A topographic point to rest and acquire comfy in. Yet, retroflexing a similar atmosphere/items into a infinite might non be a fool cogent evidence solution to transform an impersona l infinite into a personal topographic point. After all, a replacing will ne'er make full emptiness, but cover it. However, reproduction is non the lone possible solution. By understanding your ain demands and day-to-day experiences, you can make a personal topographic point for yourself out of a infinite. The intent of the place-making is the first thing to see. What is the infinite for? Is it for working? Playing? Resting? Eating? If a desire topographic point is created that does non work good for the intent, the full topographic point go a nuisance, a infinite that you do non wish to come in, doing the topographic point to be place-less. For illustration, a topographic point for working should hold basic air airing, sufficient lighting, table and chair. You can non anticipate to hold wok and oven right beside your working desk, it is infinite devouring and non utile for your day-to-day experiences in this specific topographic point for work. Figure 1 when a topographic point lose its intent, it become a infinite How approximately big graduated table undertakings? How do we counter the job of place-less-ness in infinites like hotels? Hotels edifice is a ne'er stoping procedure. As more and more people travel for leisure, hotel is a must-have installation for the tourers. Yet, designs of hotels are extras of one after another, you can hardly distinguish the hotels except the fact of holding different names board allocated at the tip top of their hotels. Possibly all it takes is to add in a subject for the hotel’s design ; a historical subject ; a centripetal subject. Waking up in the forenoon or from a short sleep being able to smell the aroma of your mum’s cookery is a alone experience you have that no 1 else does. The colliding sound of Turner against the sauteing pan ; the odor of place fried rice ; the nonliteral shadow of Dendranthema grandifloruom in the kitchen, it is a similar yet wholly different experience from anyone else. When this experience can be considered as centripetal subject into the hotel, it start to go a topographic point with significance, with a certain emotional fond regard made, despite the experience is unreal, illusionary, partly similar. Or could we include the historical/geographical facet into design? Take a expression of our Singapore’s Airport. Art installings such as the Kinetic rain, is designed due to Singapore’s conditions where rain is a common sight in the Torrid Zones. Or the Floral Inspiration, it resembling a bunch of elephantine seedpods, their corrugated surfaces symbolizing the realistic texture of botanical beings, an look of Singapore as a garden metropolis that continues to shoot and boom. The installings decidedly represent certain looks the creative persons want to demo instance, but do other people really feel positively towards this art installings, or merely a impersonal emotions and take exposures of it in awe. In this state of affairs, this installings could non alter the infinite into a personal infinite, even though geographical and historical factors are considered for the ornaments for the infinite ( airdrome ) . Figure 2 Floral Inspiration @ Terminal 3, Singapore Figure 3 Kinetic Rain @ Terminal 1, Singapore Indeed, modernization pushes us to follow the technological tendency, and our desire for new is ne'er stoping. Historically meaningful constructions were lacerate down ; topographic points filled with memories were lacerate down ; transeunt locales such as airdromes and Stationss become place-less-ness. Treasures were lost. Ancient hoarded wealths. Treasures which include our past memories, our possible centripetal experiences. However, is these hoarded wealths still a hoarded wealths to the younger coevals? Their past memory do non include street peddlers walking about ; nor merry-go-round or bouldery airplanes in pasar malam ( which have been replaced by air-pumped playrooms/slides ) . It is besides rare to hold parents cooking for kids in the early forenoon. The centripetal experiences have been reduced down to the tiniest spot possible. The thought of holding topographic points all over infinites is simply a wild phantasy, it can non get the better of the current state of affairs of the universe, where net incomes are the exclusive ground of why corporates continue vertical edifice after edifice, with the demand of clip efficiency and cost efficiency, with a small ornament of art to spice up the market. Bibliography Blesser, Barry. Spaces Speak, Are You Listening? : Experiencing Aural Architecture, ( The MIT Press, Cambridge, 2009 ) Gibson, William. Disneyland with the Death Penalty, September/October 1993, Wired magazine issue 1.04. Available from: hypertext transfer protocol: //www.wired.com/wired/archive/1.04/gibson.html? topic= & A ; topic_set ( Last Accessed on 20th May 2014 ) Pallasmaa, Juhaini. The Eyes of the Skin: Architecture and the Senses, ( John Wiley & A ; Sons, erectile dysfunction. 2005 ) List of illustrations Fig 1 — – Irwin Tan, TREKKING THE KTM TRACKS: A WALK DOWN MEMORY LANE Last updated 21stJuly 2011. Available from: hypertext transfer protocol: //ashutterbugslife.wordpress.com/tag/ktm-railway-tracks-singapore/ ( Last accessed 4th May 2014 )Fig 2 — – concern traveler, New & A ; Noted at Singapore ‘s Changi Airport Last updated 31stMay 2010Available from: hypertext transfer protocol: //www.businesstraveller.asia/asia-pacific/archive/2010/june-2010/special-reports/new-and-noted-at-singapores-changi-airport ( Last accessed 4th May 2014 )Fig 3 — – Kingrant, Guess which race? Kinetic Rain Siao charboh Last updated 4th November 2013.Available from: hypertext transfer protocol: //www.sammyboy.com/showthread.php? 167643-Guess-which-race-Kinetic-Rain-Siao-charboh ( Last accessed 4th May 2014 )

Summary of Instructional Problem

In the state of Kentucky Social Studies education focuses on five big ideas that all topics can fall under. These topics are government and civics, cultures and societies, economics, geography, and historical perspective. (Kidwell, 2012) Geography is one of the big five ideas and is extremely important. One of the foundations of geography is the use of map skills. Map skills can include simply reading a map, using visual literacy to decode information represented on a map, tracing a route from point A to point B, and using the information on a map to problem solve and make inferences.At Conway Middle School students in 6th, 7th, and 8th grades have problems with map skills. Specifically, students do not know how to correctly read a map, identify the different types of maps, locate information on a map, and when given a starting point and directions could not correctly trace/navigate to a disclosed or undisclosed end location. For example, when given the starting point for the explora tion of the Louisiana Territory by Lewis and Clark on a map and basic directions students could not correctly follow the path using geographic tools such as maps, atlas, globes, and photos.These are skills that students will need as they progress through their academic pursuits and in life. Based on data collected and a needs analysis there is a need for interventions to help resolve this instructional problem. Goal Statement Students in the 6th, 7th, and 8th grade at Conway Middle school after successfully completing the instructional unit will be able to apply the map skills that have been learned in the real world. Conway Middle School is an inner city, title 1 school. A reality of this is that many students rely on riding public transportation to get to and from school.One of the real world goals for instruction is that students will be able to look at a road map and navigate from Point A to Point B without the need for electronic devices to assist with mapping. The students wil l be able to correctly give someone directions to get from their present location to another location. The students will examine a map of the bus routes in the city of Louisville and be able to correctly pick the buses they would need to get on to get home from any location serviced by the Transit Authority of the River City.Students will use their learned map skills to problem solve using maps, graphs, and charts in other subject areas such as math and science. In addition to these real world applications students will be able to perform at a level greater or equal to 80% correct on a summative assessment given by the teacher that encompasses all the topics from the unit of instruction. The summative assessment will include topics from the desired conditions of this needs analysis. While map skills are a social studies topic they have many applications in other core content areas and within the real world.Many people use them on a daily basis and do not even realize their importanc e. While the goal of middle school social studies education should be to provide students with the skills to become good citizens and prepare them with the content knowledge and skills necessary to lay a foundation for college and career readiness that will lead to successful high school academic endeavors. The reality is that we must also meet state standards and often loose site of the most important part of the social studies content. The part of social studies content that I am referring to is the preparation of students to become good citizens.Learner Analysis Before beginning the learner analysis needs, the researcher feels it important to take moment to introduce the instructional setting of the group. For this learner analysis the instructional setting is Conway Middle School in Jefferson County, Kentucky. Conway Middle School is an inner city, title 1 school. The school is located in the Pleasure Ridge Park community of Louisville, Kentucky. Pleasure Ridge Park is located o n the south side of Louisville. Like many other major metropolitan areas the south side of town is not the most sought after area to live in or be from.Some students are bused into the area from other sections of town. Conway Middle School is home to almost 1000 students of various genders and ethnicities. The instructional unit will be taught in a 6th grade social studies classroom. The average amount of students in the classroom on a daily basis is 120. The 6th grade is made up of three teams of teachers. Each team has a social studies, math, language arts, and science teacher. Throughout the course of a normal school day a group of 130 students will rotate into each content area for seventy minutes.Now that the setting has been discussed let’s talk about the learners. Requisite Knowledge and Skills In the state of Kentucky middle school social studies has no prerequisite social studies skills or knowledge needed to be successful. However, there are certain requisite skills and knowledge that will help all students succeed. First, students need to have reading comprehension skills. The students must be able to read and write within one or two levels of the current grade. Second, the students need math comprehension skills.Math skills might sound funny as a requisite knowledge for social studies but it is true. Without math skills students would be ill prepared to understand the numbers on a map, the dates of events, cost of wars, and even the reasons behind the migrations of millions of people to new areas seeking better jobs, economic success, and untold fortunes. The reading skills are essential because what we know about social studies is made up from artifacts. Many of those artifacts are journals, diaries, declarations, newspapers, books, and interviews that in order to understand them a person would need reading skills.If a student has the requisite skills listed above the teacher can design an instructional unit that builds knowledge from the g round up. Now that the requisite skills have been discussed let’s take a look at the prior knowledge and skills of the learner group. Prior Knowledge and Skills The learner group has been assessed for prior knowledge and skills. A part of the assessment took place when the researcher administered a test/pre-test for the needs analysis in task 1. The teacher has also been assessing the students as the school year progressed.It was found that despite the best efforts of the learner group’s previous teachers many of the students lack basic knowledge of map skills. The students were taught map skills in the 5th grade, but very little was retained. During other assessments the teacher found out that many students could remember some of the words related to map skill but were unable to define them or their importance. The data from the previous assessments showed that there was a foundation to build upon but essentially the teacher was starting from the ground up when design ing the instructional unit.Most students knew their directions but very little otherwise. When given an atlas to assist with the pre-test the students’ average score overall was 52%. The data gathered from the needs analysis and other assessments of prior knowledge and skills will drive the design and focus of the instructional unit on map skills. Now that prior knowledge and skills have been discussed let’s move on to the demographic information of the learner group. Demographic Information The demographic makeup of the learner group is diverse. There are a total of 130 students in the group.62 of the students are male and 68 are female in gender. The ethnic makeup of the males is as follows: 49% African American, 40% white, 10% Latino, and 1% Asian. The ethnic makeup of the females is as follows: 53% African American, 41% white, 5% Latino, and 1% Asian. The females outnumber the males by almost 10%. 55% of the students come from single parent households. The ages ran ge from 10 years old to 12 years old and are of varied maturity levels. With over half of the students coming from single parent households, parental support is sometimes at low level.Having a majority of the students being female and/or African American influences the way in which the teacher must design the instructional unit. The demographics can sometimes make it difficult to design instruction in a way that is both relevant and interesting for all students. Along with taking into account the demographics of the learner group the teacher must account for the learner group’s attitudes towards the topic when designing instruction. Learner Group Attitudes Attitude is everything. When designing a unit of instruction a teacher must take into account the learner group’s attitudes toward the topic, education, and teachers.That might sound like an easy task but it is not. Students bring past experiences and attitudes toward teachers and education into the classroom every d ay. This has a profound influence on the learning environment. For example, almost half of the students that this teacher sees on daily basis say social studies is their least favorite subject at school. Some of those same students attribute this to previous teachers and the experience that they have had. Other students like social studies but hate map skills calling it boring and useless. These students are the ones that make designing instruction a little more time consuming. To combat thenegativity towards social studies the teacher must go out of his/her way to build the relationships with students to foster a mutual respect and hopefully instill a lifelong love of learning. While building the relationships the teacher is able to design instruction in a way that is relevant to each student and interesting. Despite best efforts there will always be one or two students with a negative attitude towards the topic. One way that I have found to make learning fun and interesting is thr ough the use of whole brain teaching. Whole brain teaching accounts for all learning styles and at the same time manages behaviors in the classroom.Speaking of learning styles, let’s take a look at the unique characteristics of the students in the learner group. Unique Characteristics Within the teacher’s class there is a diverse group of learners. They are made up of various ethnicities from many different backgrounds. First, let’s take a look at the learning styles of the group. About halfway through the school year the teacher was introduced to a new to him style of teaching. That style was called Whole Brain Teaching. The teacher is bringing this up because of the variety of learning styles in his classroom.Those learning styles are kinesthetic, visual, and auditory. When the program was implemented in this teacher’s classroom he surveyed the class to ask about their learning style. It was very informative. Over half of the class said that they learne d best in more than one way. At first the teacher was worried. He thought to himself how am I going to teach to all of these learning styles? I will spend all my free time designing instruction. It really wasn’t that bad. The whole brain teaching method allowed the teacher to reach the students that were kinesthetic learners by incorporating movement in the classroom.The visual learners learned by watching the teacher teach, other students teach, reading, and by watching short video clips incorporated into the lessons. The auditory learners heard the teacher teaching, listening to other students during the turn and teach portion of the lesson, by listening to the oral reading of exerts, and by listening to the video clips incorporated into the lessons. The unique characteristics of the learners means that the teacher must design lessons that incorporate visual, auditory, and kinesthetic pieces into the instruction.At times it can be very difficult to design a lesson that reac hes all learning styles. This only takes into account the unique characteristics of a little over three quarters of the class. Almost 15% of the class were/are ECE or Special Education Students. The special education students have a variety of diagnoses that range from Attention Deficit Disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Other Health Impairment, Learning Disorder, Behavior Disorder, to Oppositional Defiant Disorder. Those are a wide range of diagnoses and they must be taken into account as well.In addition to those diagnoses one student suffers from seizures that can be triggered by flashing lights. What does all of this mean? It means that a great attention to detail must be used by the teacher when designing the instructional unit and the learning environment. The teacher has a binder with all of the Individual Education Plans and a spreadsheet to make instructional design easier. When designing the instructional unit and assessment the teacher must take into acco unt the accommodations that these IEP’s allow.Accommodations As stated above 15% of the class is made up of ECE or Special Education students. These students all have IEP’s that allow for accommodations. The accommodations are as follows: extended time, paraphrasing, the use of a reader, the use of a scribe, prompts and cues, redirection, preferential seating choice, and a special behavior plan. When designing the instruction the teacher accounts for extended time by creating fill in the blank note sheets for all students. This way the students aren’t singled out by others.Paraphrasing is allowed for when the teacher is reading the text or lecturing. Usually it is qualified for the students with a statement that starts out with â€Å"in other words it means this. † The reader is allowed for during the lessons and during assessments. During assessments the teacher reads each question out to the class. When that is not possible a qualified special education profession will take the students that require reader to another location to administer the test. The one student that is allowed a scribe has a special electronic device that he carries with him each day.The lessons are scanned into a document for him to complete on the device. Assessments are handled in the same fashion. The students that are allowed prompts and cues receive them throughout the lesson. Sometimes it is just a matter of walking by and pointing something out to the student. At other times it requires a verbal cue or redirection. Two students have IEPs that allow for preferential seating because they have very poor eyesight. At the beginning of the school year I asked the two students in private which seat they would prefer in the front row.Those two students pointed out their seats and have been in them ever since. When the lesson or classroom is moved around these students get preferential seating. One student has a special behavior plan. He is a very smart student . This student only has an IEP because his disruptive behavior sometimes requires removal from the stimulus of the class. All students that are allowed accommodations based on their IEPs receive them. Performance Context The performance context in which the students are expected to use the new skills and knowledge has several locations.Based on the real world instructional goal the students will go be able to go out into the city and do certain tasks but for the class the students will practice these in a safe and controlled environment. For example, one of the goals discusses being able to read a map and give directions to from Point A to Point B. Before this will be applied in the real world students will apply it in the classroom. Am I saying that all the students are going to go give someone directions or ride the bus home? No, what I am saying is that at the completion of the instructional unit the student will be prepared to do these tasks if needed.The teacher has an instruct ional lesson that involves the students using only a map and or atlas to route a family vacation to another state. Through demonstration of using the atlas to correctly route a family vacation the students will have simulated part of the real world goals in a controlled environment. In light of the fact that many students use public transportation to get to and from school the teacher has designed a lesson that again allows the students to practice this real world activity in a safe and controlled environment.For that lesson all the students will have a copy of the Transit Authority of the River City, the city bus company, TARC for short’s routes. The assignment requires the students to examine the bus routes and correctly list the buses that they will need to ride to get from Conway Middle School to their house. When the students complete this assignment they will also have to account for the bus schedule and determine what time to leave, how long they will be at each bus st op, and the amount of time it will take them to get from school to home.One of the performance contexts is in the current classroom and future classrooms. What I mean by this is that after the successful completion of the unit the students will have better map skills that can be applied in this social studies classroom and in other classrooms both in the present and the future. Through a thorough learner analysis the teacher is better prepared to design the unit of instruction to meet the needs of all of his students and prepare them to be successful.

The eNotes Blog A Library of Irish Gold Contemporary IrishAuthors

A Library of Irish Gold Contemporary IrishAuthors This St. Patricks Day  bring on the corned beef and cabbageand books! In honor of this wonderful holiday, we thought wed focus on literature from Ireland. Even if  youre familiar with books that hail from the Irish lands,  hopefully youll learn something new about these authors and the  origins of their works. So sit back, pour yourself a cuppa, and learn about some truly intriguing these Irish lads and lasses. Maeve Binchy (Also  known as Binchy-Snell) Until her passing in 2012, Binchy was an influential Irish novelist, poet, playwright, columnist, public-speaker, and short-story writer (that is quite a list!). Binchy was best known for the skill with which she portrayed Ireland in a sympathetic and often humorous manner, including the oft-seen occurrence of a welcome twist ending. The New York Times once reported that Binchys writing career began on accident in the early 1960s, after she spent time on a kibbutz in Israel. Her father was so taken by her letters home that he cut off the Dear Daddy bits, Ms. Binchy later recounted, and sent them to an Irish newspaper, which published them. Dont we all wish for a long and successful career that starts on accident? Binchy published sixteen novels, four short-story collections, a play, and a novella.  For obvious reasons, including her addition to Oprahs Book Club and appearances on the New York Timess Bestseller List on multiple occasions, Binchy is still remembered as one of Irelands more influential writers. Some of Binchys best known works are her novels  The Glass Lake, Scarlet Feather,  and Quentins. John Boyne A rather well known author, Boyne has been fortunate enough to see his work translated into forty-eight languages around the world. Much of this fame stemmed from what could arguably be considered his most famous work,  The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas. In producing  content for both young and adult readers, Boyne reaches into his depth of creativity and knowledge about his homeland in Ireland (he was born and raised in Dublin). Throughout his career, Boyne has received (and likely will continue to receive) a number of critical acclaims, such as the Hennessey Literary Award and his 2015 award for the Honorary Doctorate of Letters from the University of East Anglia. To look into his work beyond  The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas (which actually if you havent read, you really should- its fabulous), you could check out titles such as  A History of Loneliness and  This House is Haunted. Marian Keyes Keyes is best known for her work in womens literature, some going so far as to hail her as a pioneer of womans lit. All in all, Keyes had something of a tough time of it; after graduating from Dublin University and moving to London to take on a post at an office job she fell into a deep depression that led her to a period of severe alcoholism (Keyes writes quite frankly about this time in her history, as it is relevant to her later work). Though this time in her life was painful, Keyes manages to work this darkness into her novels, turning her more or less comedic stories into deeper narratives that draw on lifes hardships. Keyess debut novel  Watermelon became a landslide success which eventually opened the door to her continuation as an author. Other popular works by Keyes include  Lucy Sullivan is Getting Married and  This Charming Man. Tana French If youre a fan of modern-day mystery novels set primarily in Ireland and the UK, then French is the author for you. Actually, chances are youll be a big fan of French regardless to where you prefer your mystery novels to be set! Though she started out as an actress training at the Trinity University Performing Arts school, French also went into her career with a strong working knowledge of literature. Couple her writing skills with the experience of growing up in numerous countries around the globe and you have a recipe for a talented storyteller. French began her debut novel  In the Woods during lulls between casting. Almost immediately upon the novels publishing, it became a critically acclaimed hit, topping charts around the world and taking a firm place on the New York Times Bestseller list. Since then, French has published four more novels (sequels to  In the Woods) and has another on the way with an assumed publishing date in August of this year. With only five books currently under her belt, French has already sold over one million copies of her work, so we have to assume shes doing something right (though you could also figure that out by reading one of her novels- The Likeness  and Faithful Place  are  just fabulous). Frank McCourt Now there are some people who have had tough lives, and then there are people who have had  tough lives. Well, Mr. McCourt is without a doubt one of the latter. Born in 1930 (yep, during the Great Depression), in the boroughs of New York, McCourt lived out some of his younger years with his family (his father being ex-IRA and his mother a devout Catholic) in what can only be described as a slum. After mourning the loss of newborn siblings, the family returned to Ireland where they continued to live in absolute squalor. After being abandoned by his father, McCourt was kicked out of school at age thirteen and turned to stealing odd bits of food and change in order to feed his remaining family members. Eventually, McCourt saved the money required to move back to New York where eventually he managed to weasel his way into New York University and graduated with a Bachelors Degree in English. McCourt became an English teacher and overtime saved the money needed to assist his family members in their immigration to the States. In 1997, McCourt won the Pulitzer Prize for Autobiography and Biography for his work  Angelas Ashes, a memoir written about the struggle of his family, and particularly the strength of his mother. Though it has been criticized as being too harsh to Ireland,  Angelas Ashes remains an incredibly influential and powerful story that earned the author international recognition.

Understanding SWOT Analysis

Understanding SWOT Analysis To most business and management students, the SWOT (which stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) analysis probably looks and feels like an uninteresting scholastic exercise; it’s either the sort of thing instructors like to make students do to make sure they’ve actually read the assigned case study, or alternately, a good way to pad out an essay with a challenging word limit. Yet despite its deceptive simplicity and its age – the method has been a staple of strategic planning and management textbooks for about 40 years – the SWOT analysis is still a very current and very useful planning tool for business, and well worth learning. What Is a SWOT Analysis? The SWOT analysis is attributed to Dr. Andrew S. Humphrey, who developed the method while working at the Stanford Research Institute in the early 1970s. SWOT can best be described as an environmental analysis tool; it combines an assessment of the company’s internal environment (Strengths and Weaknesses) with the relevant external environment (Opportunities and Threats). The SWOT typically takes the form of a 22 matrix, which allows planners to look at all the factors at the same time. Here is an example of a brief SWOT analysis, from a strategic assessment of a pharmaceutical company: Strengths Weaknesses Leading position in R D spending and organization Well-developed presence in global markets. Facilities are strategically dispersed to increase research volume. Testing processes are highly automated. Market reach and diversity help moderate effects of downturns in any one segment or market. Strong brand identity. Strong corporate responsibility images with the initiative to increase generic drug availability in underprivileged markets. Good financial position with respect to current assets liabilities: current ratio of 1.64, and acid-test ratio of 1.31. Less-than-ideal debt liability position High tax liability of 9.46%. Short-term debts greatly reduced in 2008, but long-term obligations correspondingly increased. Debt-to-equity ratio (at end of 2008) of 1.95. Opportunities Threats Consumer health issues are opportunities for new products High rates of vascular and heart disease increase demand for drugs to treat these conditions and their symptoms. Lower smoking rates increase demand for smoking-cessation drugs. Increasing obesity rates increase demand for weight-control drugs. Growing emerging markets, for example in Asia and Africa. Government support in the form of scheduled pharmaceutical price increases from 2009 2011. Strong generic drug competition in established markets, primarily the UK and the US. Mandated generic drug availability policies in large markets, for example, the UK and Brazil. Expiry of patents on some key products. Cautious or skeptical assessments from financial analysts can weaken investor confidence. Want to know more? Go here: Five Forces Analysis Critical Success Factors Analysis Critical Analysis Writing The ADL Matrix and Gap Analysis Advantages of the SWOT Analysis: The biggest advantage in using the SWOT analysis as a basic strategic planning tool is that it is an uncomplicated way to gather all the necessary information in one place; the methodology behind the SWOT is largely self-explanatory, and thus almost everyone in the organization can have input to it. This was the overall objective of Dr. Humphrey in developing it, as he was a champion of what he called â€Å"Total Action Management† (or TAM), an early conceptualization of what we know today as â€Å"flat† or â€Å"horizontal† organizational architecture, Total Quality Management (TQM), and the stakeholder approach to strategic planning. The SWOT analysis has an advantage over more complex and detailed environmental analysis methods like the PESTEL analysis because it categorizes the important factors – internal or external, good or bad. This can help the organization more easily determine which factors need attention. Finally, the arrangement of factors can help to identify other points that may have been overlooked; for example, an obvious threat from the external environment might reveal an internal weakness. Disadvantages of the SWOT Analysis: The biggest advantage of the SWOT analysis – its simplicity – is in some ways its biggest weakness; the analysis is only as good as the information put into it, and if key factors are not included, subsequent strategic planning can be adversely affected. One of the biggest flaws of SWOT analysis is not in the tool itself, but in its users, according to Professor Malcolm McDonald of Oxford University, who has called the SWOT, as it is taught in business schools these days, the SWAG (which stands for â€Å"Scientific Wild-Ass Guess†). The common problem, in McDonald’s view, is that many weaknesses and threats are generic and applicable to any organization’s environment – things like the threats of natural disaster, political instability, or poor global economic conditions – and are therefore not very helpful in planning for the specific circumstances of a particular organization and its market. The SWOT analysis is also not a stand-alone tool. It is an effective way to gather and organize information needed for strategic planning, but it gives no priority to the factors. In the example above, for instance, the various points are presented in a completely random order, as they were recalled by the managers helping to build the SWOT; beyond arranging the factors into their correct places in the matrix, the analysis by itself does not suggest which ones are the most important. Alternatives to the SWOT Analysis: In a regularly-cited 1997 article (â€Å"SWOT Analysis: It’s Time for a Product Recall,† Long Range Planning, Vol. 30, February 1997) authors Terry Hill and Roy Westbrook argue that the SWOT analysis produces ineffective results so often – largely due to the SWAG factors described by Professor McDonald – that it ought to be scrapped altogether. To compensate for some of the method’s shortcomings, variations of the SWOT analysis such as the POWER SWOT, the TOWS analysis and the Defensive/Offensive Evaluation (DOE) have been developed in recent years. These variations add depth and detail to the standard SWOT analysis and are valuable tools in the strategic planning toolbox. The traditional SWOT analysis, however, remains important for management studies even if its capital as a real-life assessment tool may be a bit diminished these days because it is the basis for more advanced and complex tools that followed. Understanding the SWOT not only makes i t possible to use this very simple tool to its full advantage but provides a necessary background for learning and applying more sophisticated strategic planning tools. offers professional academic writing services since 2005. In case you are in need of a paper on SWOT analysis, please feel free to visit our order page and our professional writers will be happy to assist.

Cash Management Techniques Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Cash Management Techniques - Case Study Example 1. The company usually creates realistic cash flow budgets for both short term and long term. This helps the company to critically analyze the management policies of their cash and also pass recommendations to improve their current strategies. Competition- A company business environment plays a critical role in determining the credit policies that the company will adopt. The practices being carried out by other players in the industry will be a deterministic factor as well. In a relative competitive business environment, a high degree of importance is usually emphasized in regard to credit availability. The reason behind this is to ensure that the company remains competitive since it will be an attraction to clients. Even when the industry is not competitive enough, a company can use credit availability as a tool to be more competitive ( Cooper, 2004). Customer type-The type of customers that a company interacts with will be critical in deterministic of the policies the company will adopt. In situations whereby the clients of the company are characterised with short capital it is unlikely the company will adopt policies that will increase credit availability ( Albrecht, Stice, & Stice, 2010). Profit margin- the profit margin from goods or services provided by the company is a critical deterministic aspect of the credit policies a company will implement. If the profit margins are slim, then the credit department needs to be careful about the policies they adopt. On the other end, high profit margins are more tolerant to risks associated with credit, thus allowing more flexible and ease policies ( Albrecht, Stice, & Stice, 2010). The government regulations - government might set specific credit regulations in order to govern the sale of specific commodities for example alcohol. Therefore, companies should select credit policies that are in line with government regulations. Short term financial

The Objective of Investment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Objective of Investment - Essay Example Investors now believe that real estate is an important investment opportunity and increasingly investors are investing in real estate (IPF, 2007). There are fluctuations not only in the asset or equity markets but even real estate investment have their own fluctuations as well. So, it is important for investors to analyze the rise and fall in the market of real estate. Therefore considering the changes in the market, the report aims to understand how the commercial property business operates as an investment and analyze the internal and external factor that influence the prices of properties. The main the purpose of the report is to understand how to maximize income on properties through purchasing the right product at the right time and how the capital value is influenced by that. The second part of the statement  will identify how to maximize the revenue in term of capital value and income revenue through ‘ProActive‘ Management, it will provide further knowledge towar ds the way management overall affect or improve the value of a property. Investment in commercial properties is defined as buying and purchasing of commercial properties with the objective of earning returns or buying commercial properties for the purpose of renting it. Adair et. al (2009) have published a report in which the properties of United Kingdom has been analyzed and from the analysis, it has been found that the value of the commercial properties in the  UK accounts to  £762 billion. However, the value of the residential properties is equal to  £3,400 billion. From the  £762 billion invested in the commercial properties, it has been found that almost 90% of the investors or owners of the properties are using their properties with the aim of achieving returns by giving their properties for rent to the tenants.