Regency Grand Hotel free essay sample

Introduction Case Study of Regency Grand Hotel This hotel is based in Bangkok and was established by local investors 15 years ago and was operated by Thai general manager since that time. It had 700 employees that time and use to provide good employee benefits, above market rate salaries and job security and bonuses regardless of the hotel performance during that year. This hotel was sold to an American large chain of hotel who wanted to expand its operation in Thailand. The general manger decided to take an early retirement since the acquisition was announced..The new owners kept all old employees and few were transferred to other positions. A new general manager John Becker an American with 10 years of management experience was appointed. Becker was a strong believer of empowerment, which increases performance, job satisfaction and employee motivation and this factors contribute to the hotel profitability and customer experience. The Grand hotel was always profitable since it opened 15 years ago. We will write a custom essay sample on Regency Grand Hotel or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Management instructions were always followed by the employees and earlier, innovation and creativity was discouraged.Often employees were punished for their mistakes as a result employees were afraid to take ownership or to try new ideas. Becker has introduced empowerment and has given clear instructions to the managers, he told the managers that employees must be empower with decision-making authority so that they could use their initiative and judgement to satisfy guests needs. However, only serious and complex issues need to be dealt by superiors and advised mangers not to discuss minor issues with him. In the past Regency use to operate under administrative control resulting in many bureaucratic procedures throughout the organization.Becker used to spend lot of time in interacting with employees which helped many employees to understand what he wanted and expected of them but the employees had difficulty to distinguish major and minor issues. More often supervisors use to reverse employee decisions by stating that it was major issue and need management approval and employees who use to take initiative rarely use to receive positive feedback from their superiors. Eventually, employees lost confidence in decision making and started relying on superiors.Becker realized that his subordinates were consulting him more often than before and majority of them were minor issues. This made him frustrated and very often he use to tell his secretary that â€Å" unless the hotel is on fire, don’t let anyone disturb me. † Contrary to his expectation, the business and overall perfor mance began to downfall. There were more guest complaints and one of the local newspaper and overseas newspaper had published negative feedback on the hotel. Even employees stress level was increased with the introduction of empowerment.Absenteeism and staff turnover rate reached an all time high and there was no unity and support amongst staff. Organizational Behaviour related work problems that have been identified in this case study are as follows: a) Leadership and Management style Ability to influence people and getting the desired work done is called leadership and managers are basically leaders who discharge their duties using their effective leadership styles depending upon the nature of organisation, mode of operation or kind of followers and employees being skilled or unskilled.As per the case study the management style is very important when it comes to run the operation smoothly and effectively. The earlier management for this hotel was following bureaucratic style of leadership(transactional d ef) also the management style stated by Mc gregor which broadly categorised managers in to two groups i. e group x and group y. Here, group x managers are basically bureaucrats who are not team players and believe in punishment and reward system while on other hand group y managers are approachable, they work as a team and are very supportive when it comes to employee motivation and boosting the morale. ) Work psychology and motivation Job satisfaction and dissatisfaction is a great concern for the managers as it is directly linked to the job performance. Job dissatisfaction de moralises the employee which can have serious consequences that includes employee unrest, absenteeism,tardiness,employee turn over and union activities. The hidden or the psychological contract between employees and the management keep employees motivated all the time during work. Any discrepancies in this will lead to dissatisfaction at both the ends as it may effect the job performance and also damaged overall growth of organisation.The Thai management operating in this hotel had kept many rewards system to motivate the employees wh ere monetary benefits were given the top priority as salaries were above market rate. Also, psychologically workers were secured . According to Maslow theory on hierarchy of needs the job security of employees is taken care at the same time the physiological needs are being supported by the management with good employee benefits. This motivates the employee and drives them to next level of motivation where they try to focus on work and perform better. ) Psychological contract and employee performance Psychological contract is an unwritten contract between the employees and the management which explains a series of mutual understanding and satisfaction of needs(Mullins L,2008). In this case study, psychologically employees were under fear of getting punished when they were under Thai management and this fear factor made them to work under disciplined way and strictly followed set of rules and guidelines lead by the management which made them to discharge their duties accurately with minimum errors.In returned the employees knew that working in a right way and performing will reward them with high salary and bene fits provided by the organisation but when the same hotel was manged by an American management this psychological contarct started deteriorating as this management style was different than the previous one and things started changing in terms of job performance, distribution of powers, handling guests and other issues.The new strategy adopted by the new management which believes in empowerment made supervisors feel inferior than their subordinates as employees started interacting with top management for any minor issues. The fear of getting punished for mistakes doesn’t exist among the employees in the organisation as they were empowered and were now capable of making decisions by themselves which disturbed the teamwork and started pointing fingers on each other for anyones mistakes and no one took the blame. Analysis of the problems and Solution ) Leadership and Management style: Every organization has its own set of SOP’s and protocol to be followed and it is very significant to understand the kind of work the organisation is indulged in. As lack of this knowledge will give unclear picture of the organisation and kind of management strategies to be used. As per Mc Gregors theory of leadership group x and group y managers, the hotel regent was operated by group x managers which were task oriented managers who thoroughly understand the organisation and the people working within.

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Bid Taxi for Business Administration and Management

In spite of the fact that passage confinements are regularly advocated on value grounds, there is no proof that drivers charge better in limited markets. Again, higher costs and lower accessibility irregularly influence low salary buyers of bid taxi administrations. Change of the bid taxi business has regularly been contradicted because it is probably going to diminish the salaries of drivers, which are often low where they are not themselves proprietors of bid taxicab licenses (Wen, 2017). Specifically, the industry supposedly suffers recurrent decrease, while the quantity of accessible cab drivers tends to ascend in monetarily less great circumstances. Nonetheless, there is no proof to propose that cab driver livelihoods are higher in business sectors with prohibitive passage conditions. Or maybe, the monopoly leases that accumulate because of these limitations give off an impression of being appropriated exclusively by permit proprietors. For instance, Melbourne has taxi licenses esteemed at nearly A$600,000, and driver livelihoods evaluated at A$8 - 10 every hour (Graells, 2017). In this way, passage limitations have all the earmarks of being inadequate methods for defending driver salaries (Chen, 2018). All the more imperatively, rivalry strategy does not, for the most part, acknowledge the suggestion that section to an industry ought to be obliged with a specific end goal to ensure the pay position of occupants, while there is no critical reason for belligerence that the taxi business constitutes an u mon case in such manner. By differentiating, confining passage to the taxi business causes outstanding value issues: low salary bunches are lopsidedly clients of taxi administrations. The effects of passage limitations in expanding cost and lessening accessibility is in this way very backward in its purchaser affect poor buyers are harmed more by section confinements than rich ones. Expanding quantities of OECD nations have evacuated supply confinements on Bid taxis. The ou es of these changes have been unequivocally positive, with decreased holding up times, extended customer fulfillment and, by and large, falling costs being watched. Emulating the undeniably far-reaching acknowledgment of the misfortunes to monetary welfare and purchasers es about because of confinements on the supply of cabs, a few OECD nations have attempted significant changes to taxi control which include the expulsion or generous decrease in the degree of passage limitations (Chen, 2018). These nations incorporate New Zealand, Ireland, the Netherlands, Sweden and the United Kingdom. Where taxi supply has already been vigorously confined, and these limitations were expelled, significant increments in taxi supply have been experienced. All in all, the degree of a section of the business has overwhelmed the levels anticipated preceding deregulation where endeavor to gauge real request were m ade. Also, these higher taxi numbers have by and large been supported in the medium term (Deng, 2015). Post-change confirms for the most part shows firmly positive ou es estimated against scope of criteria (Speta, 2016). Generously expanded taxi numbers mean client holding up times tend to fall significantly, while consumer loyalty levels have additionally considerably progressed. Value levels have regularly dropped after the change; however, this has not been the situation. Now and again, static or expanding costs, post-change, may reflect directed values being set misleadingly low in the pre-change condition. Also, if charges are not addressed there is a high probability, even under open passage conditions, that makers will have the capacity to practice a level of imposing business model, evaluating power because of market blemishes existing, in the rank and hail markets. Some value direction should, along these lines, be kept up even where changes have prompted an open section administrative condition. It may appear as most extreme value control or may constitute lighter-gave types of direction. Value control courses of action may likewise separate between the rank and hail markets and the pre-booked market, given buyers' more grounded relative position in the last mentioned. In insufficient taxi markets, prompt execution of an open passage arrangement is probably going to be politically testing. In any case, embracing arranged methodologies defers the a plishment of change advantages and stances significant down to earth chances that change will be slowed down or switched. Prompt changes have been efficiently finished in some exceedingly confined markets. Where substantial supply limitations have prompted vast syndication rents collecting, there will unavoidably be substantial resistance to change r mendations from occupant permit holders. Hostage administrative bodies are also far-fetched to go about as promoters of significant change (Leng, 2015). Adding to the political trouble of change is the measure of the bonus misfortunes that officeholder permit proprietors would bear in case of a quick move to an open-section administrative framework. Contentions are regularly made that permit proprietors ought to be made up for a lost permit an incentive in ca se of changes being authorized. There is little legitimacy to the contention that permits holders ought to be repaid by the citizen for the loss of their entitlement to keep on extracting restraining infrastructure rents (La, 2017). Notwithstanding, hardship based claims for making a few installments to officeholder permit holders in case of real change are probably going to demonstrate all the more extensively adequate. And now and then proposed elective is to embrace an organized way to deal with change. Arranged change is usually upheld as methods for decreasing maker restriction by spreading and lessening the regular misfortunes to be borne by occupants. It may be additionally advanced at times as an all the more "efficient" way to deal with change which will maintain a strategic distance from or limit real here and now showcase interruptions, "overshooting" on the supply side and other, and conceivably huge, transitional expenses. A few models of organized change can be recognized. One approach includes issuing extra licenses to every officeholder. This tends to limit their misfortunes by guaranteeing that the rest of the imposing business model rents keep on accruing pletely to this gathering. This model can help make more quick increments in numbers practical. On the other hand, new licenses can be issued for sale or ticket (Bhatnagar 2018). Now and again, these tallies are available to all, while in different cases inclination is given to representative cab drivers and additionally different gatherings. While arranged change is viewed as a method for making a difference all the more politically possible there is much uncertainty. With regards to the viability of this approach: makers are probably going to campaign similarly unequivocally against organized change while keeping campaigning is probably going to prompt the ending or inversion of arranged change programs before their culmination. Methods for lim iting this hazard incorporate reporting the points of interest of the long haul change program ahead of time, administering the subtle elements of the changes and giving control of future permit issue to a free, multi-sectorial financial controller. When "open passage" industry isn't unequivocally settled as the endpoint of change, it is likely that supply will stay limited. Evacuating section limitations does not infer expelling quality based direction. Without a doubt, strong control is a precondition for pletely a plishing the potential advantages of embracing an open passage arrangement (Guo, 2017). That said staying administrative plans must not unduly hinder the advancement of inventive administration offers and industry models. Financial control (grasping amount and value limitations) and quality direction ought to be unmistakably recognized. While significant monetary and shopper advantages can be gotten from a change of financial course, there is a substantial case for keeping up successful quality control in the taxi business. Quality direction grasps typically a scope of vehicle and driver gauges which try to guarantee traveler welfare and least administration measures. A few challenges of an open section to the taxi advertise to try to contend that passage confinements are basic if benefit quality principles are met. Nonetheless, there is minimal hypothetical or exact help for this suggestion. Then again, inability to guarantee that quality control is kept up and, where required, upgraded can altogether trade off the advantages of change and its acknowledgment by buyers and the general population (Velde, 2015). Quality direction must the be posed deliberately to guarantee that it doesn't keep the advancement of inventive administrations and market structures that drive a significant number of the advantages of change. For instance, vehicle norms ought not to be set in ways that would unduly confine the arrangement of low cost or low-quality administrations that might be sought after. Proposals Bid Taxi can do to enhance their administrations are; 2. As reported by the Minister for Transport, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) will acquaint measures with enhancing taxi accessibility to serve workers better. This audit was started with the National Taxi Association (NTA) and the taxi administrators since May 2012 to guarantee that taxicabs better satisfy their open transport part, as an end-result of the concessions concurred to them. For example, bring down street charges, and the utilization of Category (CAT) A Certificates of Entitlement (COEs). Taxicabs have also been taking up a more significant extent of CAT a COEs as of late. Given these concessions, it is vital that cabs are used better and made more accessible on the streets to serve suburbanites, particularly amid top periods. There is tenacious criticism about cabs not being accessible. Pushing ahead, LTA expects to require taxi administrators to meet new taxi accessibility (TA) principles. In the long run, we plan likewise to connect taxi administrators getting COEs to extend their armada, to their gathering taxi accessibility norms (Lovri?, 2016). To permit the taxi business time to conform to this new prerequisite, LTA will give a transitional period, amid which taxi administrators will be permitted to get COEs to develop their armadas generally by the reported taxi ridership development, however without being liable to the taxi accessibility principles (Rwelamila, 2016). When moving towards a lower vehicle development rate, LTA will likewise roll out improvements to how taxis get their COEs, contemplating late COE patterns and criticism from both people in general and the engine business about the impact that taxi administrators may have on COE costs. First, taxicabs will be removed from the COE offering process. This is independent of whether the new cabs are planned to supplant deregistered taxis or to add to the current armadas. Second, the COEs applied for taxi armada extension will be removed from the Open Category (CAT E) (Kottapalli, 2017), which can be utilized to enlist vehicles in any COE classification. This is more intelligent of the part of taxicabs in our open transport framework, and it is more evenhanded to utilize CAT E amounts that are contributed by all vehicle poses, as opposed to drawing exclusively from CAT A quantities (Graells, 2017). This additionally mirrors the present circumstance in which taxi organizations enlist an asso rtment of cars as taxicabs, including both CAT A and CAT B models and also some minibus models. LTA is in discourse with the taxi administrators on the proposed taxi accessibility guidelines and COE related changes. LTA finishes the points of interest and gives data on the COE associated changes, before the beginning of the following COE offering cycle. It will provide subtle elements on the taxi accessibility models. Bhatnagar, H., BHATNAGAR, S., Parikh, M., Amazeen, E., Romanoff, D., Kumar, V., ... & Li, H. (2018). U.S. Patent Application No. 15/680,173. Billhardt, H., Fernandez, A., Lujak, M., Ossowski, S., Julian, V., De Paz, J. F., & Hernandez, J. Z. (2017). Coordinating open fleets. A taxi assignment example. AI munications, 30(1), 37-52. Chen, Z., Cui, W., & Li, X. (2018). Research on Decision-making of Urban Taxi Management Organization. Business Administration and Management, 1(1). Deng, B., Denman, S., Zachariadis, V., & Jin, Y. (2015). Estimating traffic delays and network speeds from low-frequency GPS taxis traces for urban transport modelling. European Journal of Transport & Infrastructure Research, 15(4). Guo, B., Chen, H., Yu, Z., Nan, W., Xie, X., Zhang, D., & Zhou, X. (2017). Taskme: Toward a dynamic and quality-enhanced incentive mechanism for mobile crowd sensing. International Journal of Human puter Studies, 102, 14-26. Kottapalli, A. G. P., Shen, Z., Asadnia, M., Tian, S., Tao, K., Miao, J., & Triantafyllou, M. S. (2017, January). Polymer MEMS sensor for flow monitoring in biomedical device applications. In Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS), 2017 IEEE 30th International Conference on (pp. 632-635). IEEE. La, Q. N., Van Duong, D., & Lee, A. H. (2017). Incidence of, and factors associated with taxi crashes and hospitalisation in Hanoi, Vietnam: Findings from prospective cohort study. Imperial Journal of Interdisciplinary Research, 3(9). Leng, B., Du, H., Wang, J., Li, L., & Xiong, Z. (2016). Analysis of taxi drivers' behaviors within a battle between two taxi apps. IEEE Transactions on Intelligent Transportation Systems, 17(1), 296-300. Lovri?, M., Raveau, S., Adnan, M., Pereira, F. C., Basak, K., Loganathan, H., & Ben-Akiva, M. (2016). Evaluating off-peak pricing strategies in public transportation with an activity-based approach. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, (2544), 10-19. Pueboobpaphan, S., Indra-Payoong, N., & Pueboobpaphan, R. (2018). Information Effect in Taxi Service Double Auction with Opportunity Cost: An Experimental Analysis. Engineering Journal (Eng. J.), 22(1), 77-91. Rwelamila, P. D. (2016). 16 De-marginalisation of the public in Public-Private Partnership (PPP) projects. New Forms of Procurement: PPP and Relational Contracting in the 21st Century, 297. Sanchez-Graells, A. (2017). Ski Taxi: Joint Bidding in Procurement as Price-Fixing?. Journal of European petition Law & Practice, 1-3. Speta, J. B. (2016). Southwest Airlines, MCI, and Now Uber: Lessons for Managing petitive Entry into Taxi Markets. Transp. LJ, 43, 101. van de Velde, D. (2015). 16 Local and regional public transport. Handbook of Research Methods and Applications in Transport Economics and Policy, 345. Wen, J., Zou, M., Ma, Y., & Luo, H. (2017). Evaluating the Influence of Taxi Subsidy Programs on Mitigating Difficulty Getting a Taxi in Basis of Taxi Empty-loaded Rate. International Journal of Statistics and Probability, 6(2), 9. Zeng, C., & Oren, N. (2014, August). Dynamic taxi pricing. In Proceedings of the Twenty-first European Conference on Artificial Intelligence (pp. 1135-1136). IOS Press.

Multiculturalism has had corrosive effects on society.' Discuss, Assignment

Multiculturalism has had corrosive effects on society.' Discuss, referring to examples from different parts of the world - Assignment Example Living in a multicultural society encompasses a number of things. First, people have to accept the ethnicities and races of the other people. Secondly, in a multicultural society, people need to embrace unity in diversity (Asfaw, 2008:23). This is where different groups accept their diversity but still work together with others. Lastly, a multicultural society involves immigrants from other countries and regions. There are some people that seek refuge in different parts of the world for a variety of reasons. It is better to live in a multicultural society which is welcoming and hospitable than one’s homeland that may not offer much. However, multiculturalism has numerous corrosive effects towards the society. This paper will argue that multiculturalism has brought more harm than good. Though there are some advantages in terms of diversity, peaceful living and peaceful coexistence, multiculturalism has affected some parts with the consequences being recorded beyond limit. Howev er, multiculturalism cannot be annihilated since it could be infringing the rights of some people. There are various corrosive aspects that have been heightened by the development of multicultural societies (Parekh, 2006:17). Some of these aspects are deeply rooted in the society and could lead to a deteriorated cultural setting. In many instances, there are some groups of people that emerge and are disadvantaged among the rest. According to statistics, the multicultural societies lead to cropping up of some groups that are not morally right. Though some people are of the opinion that these groups should be legalised, some people are critically opposed to this idea. For example, reports state that crimes rates have been increasing in Canada due to multicultural induction. Different groups have been cropping up and this has led to an increase in the crime rates. There is a similar record in the united state where there has been an increase in crime rates. This has been attributed to the increase in the number of immigrants in the countries (Cameron, 2011:3). In recent times, the United States government has instilled strict measures on the issue of immigrants participating in crimes. They are sentenced to stringent terms in jail as the regulations that have been imposed are to reduce the crime rates. Indeed, the multicultural society has seen deterioration in the normal routine in these countries. This has affected the moral way of the society where crime rates should be decreased. In many instances where multiculturalism has affected the moral behaviour of the society, many of the affected people’s lives are destabilised. Similarly, there is change in the way of life. Change in the morality of a person will definitely bring change into the normal activities, socialising culture and behaviour in the workplaces (Kivisto, 2008:19). Culture is withdrawn from communities hence bringing misconduct of children who are born in today’s generations and the y cannot be advised. In many instances, the young generation does not conform to the culture that is instilled by the old generation. The new generation does not follow the previous culture that has been cultivated by the older generation. In most cases, the new generation does not follow the culture that has been in the society for a long time. This is ultimately brought by the issue of the multiculturalism in the society. Many different cultures have their different norms and activities that are

Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 4

Personal Statement Example Other than the passionate desire to study engineering, my environment thus far has extensively molded my aspirations and outlook in life. For instance, my college, St. Joseph’s, sparked an interest in me to study daily applications of engineering. As a result, I have gained a habit of being analytical; evaluating everything I encounter either in secondary information sources, like the Cuban Missile Crisis or in real life, like the basic operation mechanism of a refrigerator. This investigative tendency continues to spur my curiosity in mechanical engineering. I also recognize the fact that, mechanical engineering makes it possible for one to comprehend not only why gadgets work, but also their inherent working mechanism. My home city is also an inspiration, especially given its status as one of the world’s ports. The ability to coordinate all the ships that dock or leave port requires intensive mechanical engineering work and knowledge. Therefore, I acknowledge the impo rtance of the discipline, having had the opportunity to observe it in practical applications. The cultural diversity of Hong Kong also equips me with a unique set of skills, that is, the ability to fit in and interact productively with members of different cultural backgrounds. As a St. Joseph’s graduate, I have had the opportunity to explore diverse activities and not just academics. I developed enthusiasm for cross-curricular activities, given the fact that the college encourages students to be all rounded. Other than representing my college in water polo and tennis, I pride myself in having been a leader of the school’s drama club. This gave me a unique chance to work with numerous schools in successful production of plays meant for the public. While I may not be an excellent dramatist or actor, I gained the position for my ability to direct a team and coordinate creation of functional stage props. The experience was rather exhilarating since I was able to combine m y passion for engineering with artistry and attain an outcome that earned me respect and recognition. It was also intriguing to formulate solutions to deal with basic engineering problems like stability, which are often undermined and mostly studied theoretically. Although it was initially difficult to coordinate the team, it later became an exemplary experience to explore different scientific aspects in dealing with emerging engineering challenges. I learnt that although it is rewarding to get successful outcomes in the end, the teamwork and progress involved in the course of development are highly significant. The Joint Drama Club production also taught me a lot about being a responsible leader and about efficient time management. These are crucial aspects in balancing hobbies and academics, as well as, work in the future. Whenever I watch car rallies like NASCAR’s on television, or even pass by sports vehicle showrooms, I cannot help but imagine myself being actively invol ved in their manufacturing process. Studying a distinguished mechanical engineering program in an overseas university like yours will certainly be a step towards achieving this dream. Personal Qualities, Talent, Accomplishment and Contribution Growing up, I have discovered that communication is extremely important for an engineer. This aspect that is extremely crucial in recognizing success. Nevertheless, I have learnt that communication is not an easy aspect especially when dealing with many people. This needs a lot of self discipline and patience in order to be good in dealing with customers and

Research Is Like Cooking Essay Example for Free

Research Is Like Cooking Essay Research is like cooking isn’t anyone can learn the skills needed for great research, for many college students, cooking is like research in another way, instead of cooking great homemade meals who is sometimes take shortcuts and sell for what is quick easy in familiar, sort of like when we use our old familiar tools like google and Wikipedia for our research. Why do we take shortcuts and settle for males of ramen noodles and pop tarts, there a lot of reasons, sometime were just too busy don’t have enough time to cook a formal meal, sometimes we leave things to the last minute anymore stuck making a meal with whatever we have on hand, with research we found that students advise others students to start early. So that they are stuck writing a research paper with only the resources they can find the night before the papers did many of the same guidelines that apply to cooking apply to doing research, in cooking as in research you have to plan ahead and know what you want to make, good cooking and good research both depend on quality ingredients, to write a great research proposal you will need to find high quality resources and just like you can create a full meal out of only a few ingredients you need a variety of resources to craft a convincing research proposal. Finally just like the best restaurants in the city, such as Altavista or/and Altagracia restaurant make meals that they themselves would want to eat, you will find you do your best research when you pick a topic that you care about, a big part of planning ahead is knowing what you are making, you have to have a recipe, the same is true for writing a research proposal, you have to have a topic in a general plan for what kind of paper you want to write an outline of your research argument can serve as your recipe and it will have the added value of telling you what kinds of resources and ingredients you need to write your proposal. The next step to follow is to go shopping, just like you turn your recipe into a shopping list, you need to turn your research outline into a list of the type of resources you need, by creating a shopping list you are taking control of the kinds of resources that you will use in your research proposal; instead of just settling for what you can find a way you have on hand and remember that the researcher doing is likely to require more than just books, you may need newspaper journal articles or you may want to consult some items in your library. One very important step in both cooking and research is the taste testing stage. Great chefs do lots of taste testing so that they can find just the writing the ingredients, but in the older making you need to do the same for your research, you should plan in looking at plenty of books articles in abstracts before you settle on the resources that you actually need. Now you have your recipe and all the ingredients you need, it is time to create your meal. Remember that a great recipe calls for the chef of mix the ingredients together, just right so that they work together to create the final product, the same is true with the research proposal, you can’t just throw your resources into your paper, you need to suit the size them and relate them to one another and you need you to put your own garnish on your meal, put your own voice in your research proposal, so that is not just a summary of all your sources, if you remember the research is like cooking and then a requires a planning a recipe and great ingredients, you will produce research that is like the equivalent that you do a great meal. Bon appetit The studied topics help me to understand and have a broader idea about what we have to do at the moment to write a research proposal, because de resources used for a good research is not to go at any school and see what happen only, you need to have a preconception about what you are going to do or search, besides that, is important to identify the kind of research are you going to do and all the studied topics give me the stages and the instructions in order to do a good research proposal.

Impact Of Values Essay -- essays research papers fc

The Impact of Values-Clarification on Ethics in the Helping Profession America is faced with an overwhelming abundance of moral and social problems which seem to consume the fragilely woven fibers of our nation. What has happened to America? What can be done to rescue the innocents in society from those who seem to prey upon them? Can one person make a difference? Those in the human service profession have felt a calling, have been affected by the seeming hopeless perils of the weaker members of society and have stood to make a difference one step, one person one life at a time. How can one person make a difference in a world so big and so full of problems? America is a society that is morally starving. Values clarification, which is taught in public schools today teaches "since there are no eternal truths which are valid for this generation and succeeding generations, everybody has to find his own values in his own time. There is nothing which is right and wrong for everyone, thus there are no absolutes" (Ed. DeMoss, 1986). Ethical issues lead to ethical decisions. These decisions quite often place the social worker in an ethical dilemma. The concept of values-clarification is reinforced by Marianne and Gerald Corey, authors of "Becoming A Helper". In their book they say "Reasonable differences of opinion can and do exist among social workers with respect to the ways in which values, ethical principles, and ethical standards should be rank ordered when they conflict" (1994). Deciding what is morally right or morally wrong has been placed in the hands of the individual. This lack of moral absolutes has produced a generation miserably lacking solid direction for life. Society is filled with men, women, teenagers, and children of all races, cultures, and ethnic backgrounds seeking or requiring counseling for a myriad of reasons. Many are victims of abuse, many are the abusers, but all are victims of society's demon of moral disintegration. Sexual and physical abuse on children are painful realities of these demons that exist in society. The practitioner assigned to the father who is the perpetrator in the abuse case is faced with an ethical dilemma when facing him in a helping relationship. Is it possible to be nonjudgmental toward this man? "Recognizing that all human beings have strengths and weakness... ...ook beyond the small cuts and look into the soul of a person and offer help and hope for healing and change. The burden is great and society's declining value system makes the challenge sometimes seemingly unbearable but change can come. Help is available. There is hope. The famous editor, humanitarian and writer of the book "Man without a Country", Everett Hale, gives those in the social service profession a candle in the darkness with these words, "I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. What I can do, I should do and, with the help of God, I will do" (ed. DeMoss, 1986). Works Cited Bass, N, (Executive producer) (1999, October 18). Today. National Broadcasting Company. Bullard, M. (Ed.) (1999, October 1-3). USA Weekend, 4. Chavez, L. (1999) Not Wrong at All. Reader's Digest, 45-46. Corey, G. & Corey, M.S. (1998). Becoming a Helper, 119. DeMoss, N.L. (Ed.) (1986). The Rebirth of America, 123,223. Heffernan, J., Shuttlesworth, G., & Ambrosino, R. (Eds.) (1997). Social Work and Social Welfare, 110, 111, 140. Olasky, M. (Ed.) (1999, July 31). World, 71. Rosenblatt, R. (1999, May 3),Time Magazine, 88.

Toxic Leadership

Scholar Paper â€Å"Toxic Leadership† Rosella D. Scott Student # 110179 I. Introduction Webster dictionary defines â€Å"toxic† as containing or being poisonous material especially when capable of causing death or serious debilitation, exhibiting symptoms of infection or toxicities or extremely harsh, malicious, or harmful. Leadership† ,by definition is when an organizational role involves (1) establishing a clear vision, (2) sharing (communicating) that vision with others so that they will follow willingly, (3) providing the information, knowledge, and methods to realize that idea, and (4) coordinating and balancing the conflicting interests of all members or stakeholders. With that being said, the phase Toxic Leadership as a concept was coined by Marcia Lynn Whicker, in her book: â€Å"Toxic Leaders: When Organizations go bad† which is all about the abuse of power and its destructiveness. In this paper, we will explore the special characteristics of toxic leaders, the different styles and the Who, What and Why toxic leaders exists in an organization. II. Special Characteristics of Toxic Leaders When thinking of toxic leaders, we often look at certain traits or attributes where the leader is always rude too and screaming at their subordinates in order to get the job; this is one feature of toxic leaders. The leader can be know to always lie to their followers in order to make themselves look good or even intimidate their subordinates so that they’re feared. There may be hundreds of other characteristics that toxic leaders possess, what we will take a look is a few characteristics that are outlined in Marcia Lynn Whicker book: â€Å"Toxic Leaders: When Organizations Go Bad† [New York: Doubleday, 1996. ]: MALADJUSTED Leaders who are viewed as maladjusted are often behaving awkwardly in social settings; they’re unable to cope with everyday social situations and personal relationships. These so called leaders are maladjusted to their environment, their position, their business, and certainly to their supporters. MALCONTENT A leader that has a characteristic of being malcontent, they’re never satisfied with anything. They often look at past failures to find reasons to complain about something. My guess is that they may have a restless desire to strive for something that they do not have. MALEVOLENT Malevolent is defined as having, showing, or arising from intense often vicious ill will, spite, or hatred. Malevolence in leadership is the constant, severe hatred for others that these leaders have in order to counter their own insecurities. They often wish for the downfall of others and then often celebrate due to an individual’s misfortune. MALICIOUS Maliciousness is when a person has the intent of cause severe damage or harm to others. Leaders that have malicious intents are often looking for ways to deceive their followers in order to get the job done. Usually the ideology may seem link it has good intentions, but in reality it causes disruption and confusion amongst its followers. III. Different types of Toxic Leaders Style At first glance toxic leadership indicates an intimidating person that bullies others, but in reality a toxic leadership can be present in a meeker category or in a multitude of types between these extremes. The nature and degree of harm that results helps to characterize the toxic leader type. In â€Å"Bad Leadership: What It Is, How It Happens, Why It Matters,† Barbara Kellerman (2004) suggests that toxicity in leadership may be analyzed into seven different types: THE INCOMPETENT LEADER In order to effectively lead your subordinates; one must be a leader that has the competent I making it happen. Competent is about having the requisite (the necessary ability), qualities, knowledge or skill to do something successful. An Incompetent leader is an individual that may be good at delegating to the one’s (followers), who may be the subject matter expert, in getting goals accomplished. However, a leader must know his or job as well as the subordinates. It’s good to be book smart or being able to talk-the-talk, but they must also be able to walk-the-walk. The leader and at least some followers lack the will or skill (or both) to sustain effective action. With regard to at least one leadership challenge, they do not create positive change. Usually these leaders lack practical, academic or emotional intelligence. These leaders also are often careless, dense, distracted, slothful or sloppy or they are easily undone by uncertainty and stress, unable effectively to communicate or educate. THE RIGID LEADER The rigid leader is â€Å"stiff and unyielding† and is â€Å"unable or unwilling to adapt to new ideas, new information, or changing times. † This type of leader doesn’t adapt to change well. They are often view as â€Å"The Dinosaur†. They like the ways of the old but will often become extinct if unable to surround themselves around those who has the same thought process. Usually these type of leaders have the knowledge and the ability (competent) in getting the job done but their followers will become stagnate because they know how to perform the new way of business, but the â€Å"rigid† leader will continue to have them in the prehistoric era thus cost a decline in their overall productivity. THE INTEMPERATE LEADER The Intemperate is one who lacks self-control and is aided and abetted by followers who are unwilling or unable to effectively. It is said that we have a lot of these types of leaders. Point in case, The Rev. Jesses Jackson, who a few years ago was found to had a child with another women while he was married as well as a respected figure of this nation. This type of leader is similar to former President Bill Clinton with his extra marital affair while married and holding the highest office in the United States. Though people found these actions a surprise, but still follow these individuals. THE CALLOUS LEADER The callous leader is â€Å"uncaring or unkind†; ignored or discounted are the needs, wants, and wished of most members of the group or organization, especially subordinates. They have no desire to be concerned about the health or wealth of their followers; the callous leader has no compassion towards his or her followers. Their precedence usually does not align with their employees’ best interest. THE CORRUPT LEADER The corrupt leader is one who is motivated by power and greed. They and at least some followers lie, cheat, or steal. They put self-interest ahead of the public interest to a degree that exceeds the norm. These leaders are often not trusted, thus cause an organization to not fully develop. THE INSULAR LEADER While those in the inner circle of the insular leader may not suffer directly from his actions, there is a cost to others. The insular leader separates himself and his organization from everyone else and then utterly disregards the health and welfare of those not in his organization. To the insular leader, â€Å"human rights in general are less important than the rights, and even the needs and wants† of his or his followers. It might otherwise be commendable that the insular leader feels so strongly and will go to such lengths for his followers, but the cost is high to those outside of his following. Insular leadership may be observed primarily in the political arena where national boundaries are apparent and leader may have a tendency to protect their own constituents above all else. THE EVIL LEADER This â€Å"leader and at least some followers commit atrocities. They use pain as an instrument of power. † The evil leader must have loyal followers to remain in a position of authority. The evil leader uses pain as a way to obtain power; causing severe harm to others is central to this leader. IV. WHY DOES TOXIC LEADERSHIP HAPPEN? When we take a look the different examples of toxic leadership styles, we all can take a mental note that we’ve encountered someone that fits into this category. Needless to say, with the exception of the incompetent leader, history would show that these forms of leaders have had some form of short to long term success; being a leader is all about influencing people to get results for the good of the cause in most situations. In all aspect of live itself, we all are generally competitive. We compete to be number on. Whether it’s running for a political position, working hard to move up the â€Å"corporate ladder†, making good grades to be valedictorian in school, making money and the list can go on and on. The same concept applies to anyone that is in a leadership/management position, they strive to be forever number one; especially at the cost of others. I once had a leader tell that â€Å"you must step on the shoulders of others in order for you to move ahead. † What he said is basically true, now how you go about doing it is a different ball game. You can either do in a transformational style of leadership or transactional style of leadership. If we take a look at Eron situation, Bernie Madoff, Adoff Hitler and Muammar Gaddafi to just name a few would be considered Toxic leadership/leaders. If anyone was to do a thorough investigation of their background, you would notice that they were able to deceive others with their form of motivation in order to achieve their true intentions which were socially, morally and organizationally unacceptable. V. WHY IS TOXIC LEADERSHIP TOLERATED? It is my belief that toxic leadership is tolerated in the working environment due to the fact that it has become â€Å"norm. † This does not mean that anyone wants to be in a toxic leadership environment, it’s that we have learned to deal with or in most cases overcome it. At the follower and leader relationship, some people, in most cases are in fear of standing up against a toxic leader. They really don’t fear of what type of reprisal that would come from that leader, it is the fear of standing alone or being label as the â€Å"whinner† of the organization; this is just my assumption. From my experience, I’ve seen and known of situations where a leader was brutally toxic to its employees and nothing happened until this individual did something that would put their superiors in a negative spotlight. Usually with the leader and the leader’s superior relationship, if the leader is toxic but their subordinate’s productivity increased because of their toxic nature, the leaders superior would look away (sweep under the rug) because it’s making them look good in the eye’s of their superiors or society. Though this situation would seem both morally and ethically wrong, these are dilemmas that happen in an organization throughout the world. In most cases these norms has become a part of the business culture. VI. POSITIVE LEADERSHIP VERSES TOXIC LEADERSHIP? Can toxic leadership be cured? I would ask this question with a yes if superiors and senior leaders take decisive action(s), perhaps they can diminish the negative effects of toxic leadership. The decisive action on the part of the superiors is positive leadership itself. Leading, mentoring, coaching, training and educating in an accountable, honest, non-toxic manner may be the best way to eliminate toxic leadership within an organization; toxic leadership should not be rewarded. With that being said, positive leadership certainly exists in an organization, but it is difficult for it to have a positive impact on toxic leadership due to lack of knowledge and understanding. If an organization management system is not aware, the leadership is not either. Therefore, further research and then education is the first necessary step for positive leadership to have a dynamic impact. VII. CONCLUSION Toxic leadership exists in organizations throughout the world, and seems to be tolerated. It is doubtful that toxic leadership can be reduced; better detection and further study on the part of the more senior leadership within an organization could very well reduce its dysfunctional effects. In this paper, we have discussed that there are several personal characteristics and types of toxic leaders. Most if not all of them can be found in an organization to varying degrees. Detection in the early part of a leader’s career is a good first step toward decreasing the possibility of continuing or worsening toxic behavior. This acknowledgment and detection is critical and can only be achieved through further study and teaching of superiors as to the need to recognize it and take immediate action to disband it. Jean Lipman-Blumen, Allure of Toxic Leaders: Why We Follow Destructive Bosses nd Corrupt Politicians – and How We Can Survive Them (New York, NY: Oxford University Press, September 2004) Marcia Lynn Whicker, Toxic Leaders (Westport, CT: Quorum Books, 1996) Gary L. McIntosh and Samuel D. Rima, Overcoming the Dark Side of Leadership: The Paradox of Personal Dysfunction (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, November 1997) Barbara Kellerman, Bad Leadership: What It Is, How It Happens, Why It Matters (loc: Harvard Business School Publishing, September 2004) Bullis, Craig and Geroge Reed. Assessing Leaders to Establish and Maintain Positive Command Climate,† A Report to the Secretary of the Army, February 2003. Kellerman, Barbara. Bad Leadership: What It Is How It Happens, Why It Matters? Loc:Harvard Business School Publishing, September 2004. Lipman-Blumen, Jean. Allure of Toxic Leaders: Why We Follow Destructive Bosses and Corrupt Politicians – and How We Can Survive Them. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, September 2004. McIntosh, Gary L. and Samuel D. Rima. Overcoming the Dark Side of Leadership: The Paradox of Personal Dysfunction. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, November 1997. Viney, John. Drive: A Dissection of Leadership in Business and Beyond. New York, NY: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, April 1999 Whicker, Marcia Lynn. Toxic Leaders. Westport, CT: Quorum Books, 1996†³maladjusted. † The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2006. Encyclopedia. com. (January 17, 2011). http://www. encyclopedia. com/doc/1O999-maladjusted. html â€Å"maladjusted. † The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2006. Retrieved January 17, 2011 from Encyclopedia. com: http://www. encyclopedia. com/doc/1O999-maladjusted. html Toxic Leadership Most often throughout the military negative leadership occurs within organization regardless of ranks and unit structure. The most common negative leadership that is displayed amongst leaders is toxic leadership. Army leaders accept the responsibility to develop and lead others to achieve results. A recent survey done by the United States Army confirms what most knowledgeable and professional NCOs already know – toxic leadership destroys units’ morale and leads to highly qualified Soldiers leaving the Army. A survey of more than 22,630 Soldiers from the rank of E-5 through O-6 and Army civilians showed that roughly one in five sees his or her superior as â€Å"toxic and unethical,† while only 27 percent believe that their organization allows the frank and free flow of ideas. The questions at hand is â€Å"What does Toxic Leadership really mean? † Webster Dictionary defines â€Å"toxic† as containing or being poisonous material especially when capable of causing death or serious debilitation, exhibiting symptoms of infection or toxicities or extremely harsh, malicious, or harmful. Leadership†, by definition is when an organizational role involves (1) establishing a clear vision, (2) sharing (communicating) that vision with others so that they will follow willingly, (3) providing the information, knowledge, and methods to realize that idea, and (4) coordinating and balancing the conflicting interests of all members or stakeholders. With that being said, the phas e Toxic Leadership as a concept was coined by Marcia Lynn Whicker, in her book: â€Å"Toxic Leaders: When Organizations go bad† which is all about the abuse of power and its destructiveness. The United States Army defines â€Å"toxic leadership† as a combination of self centered attitudes, motivations, and behaviors that have adverse effects on subordinates, the organization, and mission performance. This leader lacks concern for others and the climate of the organization, which leads to short – and long negative effects. The toxic leader operates with an inflated sense of self-worth and from acute self-interest. Toxic leaders consistently use dysfunctional behaviors to deceive, intimidate, coerce, or unfairly punish others to get what they want for themselves. If there is unresolved prolonged use of this negative leadership it may lead to influencing followers and undermines their will, initiative, and potentially destroys the unit morale. NCOs can teach junior Soldiers how to identify toxic leadership to help purge it from the ranks. Units can also implement a culture of mentorship so that Junior NCOs understand the importance of a positive leadership style. Throughout my 19 years of military service I have learned that a lot of leaders are very confused about the meaning of toxic leadership due failure to educate leaders on this topic or understanding the written verbiage within the policies and regulatory guidance given due to educational or mental deficiencies. Most often this type of behavior and leadership style are displayed within Senior Non- Commissioned Officers and Commissioned Officers. The Army wants to rid top ranks of toxic leadership and working diligently every day to flush toxic leaders from their ranks. There are currently three cases of bad leadership that affects the United States Military. The first case is â€Å"extreme†Ã¢â‚¬â€lack of concern (self before service), domineering (distrust of others, and uncompromising behaviors led to a work environment of paranoia and leadership by fear and intimidation). The second case of bad leadership is â€Å"moderate† – punitive, argumentative, overbearing, always right, didn’t listen to other opinions, quick to react, and constantly putting team members down as incompetent, conducting daily nonproductive meetings, playing silly games, displays no knowledge of mission requirements nor concern for the mission or welfare of the organization’s military, civilian and contract members. Lastly the third case of bad leadership is â€Å"negative, but not concerning† – Information flow does not flow freely and leaders resisted input from others and micromanagement. General Dempsey stated â€Å"ten years of continuous operations have strained the force†. He also stated â€Å"It’s important to remember that the vast majority of leaders in the Army are very good and are deeply committed to leading our nation’s sons and daughters. † The recent military draw down and continuous operations has resulted in a lot of followers are being left behind and the true leaders are continuing Their life in the civilian world due to the inaffectablility to adapt with the changes amongst the military and troops. We should not settle or accept second-best; even if just a portion of our leaders aren’t performing. We need to take a look at it, because leadership produces more leaders and not more followers. According to recent reports, toxic leaders commonly exhibit these behaviors: avoiding subordinates, behaving aggressively toward others, denigrating subordinates, hoarding information, hoarding job tasks, blaming others for their own problems, being overly critical of work that is done well, and intentionally intimidating others. They also routinely see their subordinates as disposable instruments rather than people, have a destructive personality or interpersonal skills that are detrimental to the command climate, and appear motivated primarily by self-interest. The point that I have absorb from this report is toxic leadership should not be confused with incompetent leadership or those not exhibiting effective leadership behavior. They also work diligently to promote themselves at the expense of their subordinates, unit and the Army profession without considering long-term ramifications to their subordinates. Sometimes leaders and subordinates often confuse the difference between leaders and managers. There are listed skills desired in managers, while the skills set do overlap in many ways with the term â€Å"leaders lead. † Definition of the term â€Å"leaders lead† –they are always out front, they make the decisions and take responsibility for the outcome of those decisions, good or bad. Managers merely convince, cajole and mentor subordordinates to accomplish a task as often times making sure there is enough blame to go around. Leaders has compassion, supportive, humility and care for their s subordinate. They are unbiased, great listeners, firm but fair. Some of Leaders remarkable skills are having great effective communication with their subordinates and always provides purpose, direction and motivation. The one main thing that people don’t know is leaders and managers are similar, because in order to be an effective leader you will have good managerial skills and traits. Summary Integrity of character is the foundation of a great leader. To use a metaphor, it is what you build your very being up from, if you so choose. The building blocks of leadership are built upon the value of integrity, loyalty, trust and fairness. Each and every block represents the values, virtues and principles that will help to house your team. It will be built with duty, honor, courage, commitment, selfless service, respect, justice, Judgment, dependability, initiative, decisiveness, tact, enthusiasm, bearing, unselfishness, knowledge, loyalty, and endurance. It will be a strong structure if you build with these traits properly and effectively. You need to make sure the leadership â€Å"structure† your teamwork’s in is built with these things. Within that strong structure your team will be safe and secure. A leader’s ability to have situational awareness of the environment they are encountering is obviously developed over time, experience, trial and error. Once a leader can master the â€Å"push button† ability to adapt the style to the circumstances, that leader’s successes will increase and team morale will improve. And guess what – They will never become a toxic leader. I truly will like to give SGM Kemper my gratitude for giving me guidance and direction to learn more about toxic leadership. I have learned through extensive research that throughout my military career I have had the privilege of working with great leaders and bad. Leaders have been placed throughout my military path to groom me to become a great leader instead of a toxic. Even though I encountered toxic leadership I was able to depict a lot of good leadership traits and skills from my superiors to help me take a self evaluation and categorize myself in the good leader category. I will never say that I am perfect and will never display it, but I can say that I am a working progress that is open for professional development and grooming from great leaders. Toxic leadership is extremely hard to detect from one or possibly three individual point of view, but accurately possible from the team, unit or command.

Poverty in Liberia

What is poverty? To be poor is to be underprivileged, to live a lifestyle not deemed a proper and healthy one to most, and, as is the main connotation, to have an insufficient amount of money. Fourteen years of civil war has left the infrastructure of Liberia in ruin, affecting water, sanitation, food security and livelihood in general. This has left Liberia the third poorest country in the world, in terms of GDP per capita. In actuality, there are only two classes in Liberia: the very rich and the very poor, with the majority classified as the latter.A reporter from the African Development Bank Group estimated that only 4. 8% of Liberia’s population could be considered middle class (the lowest percent on the continent). There is no middle class, but rather, a working poor. Infrastructure The civil war decimated the infrastructure of Liberia, leaving most Liberians void of safe drinking water, access to proper sanitation facilities, electricity, and roads. More than half of al l Liberians are without access to clean water and functioning sanitation facilities. 8% of all deaths in Liberia are caused by deficiencies in water and sanitation. Hepatitis A, typhoid fever, and bacterial and protozoic diarrhea are very infectious diseases that are found in Liberia’s unsanitary water. As for electricity, most of Liberians live in the dark, with a choice few relying on loud and unreliable diesel generators. Paved roads are scarce as well, stunting transportation and, in turn, affecting the economy in Liberia. Not Enough Money 76% of Liberians are now living below the poverty line ($1/day) and 52% live in extreme poverty ($0. 50/day).Most workers in the middle class, or the working poor in other words, of Liberia earn $100 a month plus $30 of transportation stipend and a bag of rice. $300 a month is an upper-middle salary, about four times more than what policemen earns, and 10 times more than what half of all Liberians live on. These half of the Liberians li ve on the â€Å"dollar-a-day† policy. The GDP per capita in Liberia is $392, which is lower than all nations in the world except for Zimbabwe and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This means that the average person in Liberia only makes around $400 dollars a year.Not Enough Food Not enough money means not enough food, especially since the previous civil war destroyed the agricultural sector of Liberia. Before the civil war, most Liberians lived off the land, making a living off of agriculture. Since the war effort took up so much of the time and hard work of Liberians, this changed, leaving them reliant upon expensive exported goods. Over 60% of households currently report not being able to afford three meals a day, and 40% of Liberian children experience stunted growth. 20% percent of them are underweight. 35%of Liberians are malnourished.Human Rights In Liberia most poor children work for family businesses. The families sometimes have no money to hire employees and so t hey use their own family members instead. They may work in farms, or take part in street trading, or domestic work. Some are even trafficked out of the country from rural areas to urban areas or to diamond mining areas for purposes of sexual exploitation or forced labor. These acts are with the sole purpose of making money. Liberia is the oldest free nation in Africa, is rich in resources, and was a refuge for African American slaves in the 1800s.Friction between the newcomers and natives led to turmoil, eventually landing Liberia in the place as one of the poorest counties in the world. Poverty paints all aspects of Liberian life, from water and food to human dignity. Is there a brighter future for Liberia? â€Å"I'm sure by the time this man gets your age, he will live a better life than what I have lived† said a 55 year old man living int West Point, the poorest slum in Monrovia, to a reporter, as he hugged his grandson. As long as the Liberian people have hope, there is h ope for Liberia.

Why Was the SAT Called the Scholastic Aptitude Test

Why Was the SAT Called the Scholastic Aptitude Test SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Shockingly, catchy slogans were not a part of the original Scholastic Achievement Test. If you’re a high school student trying to get into college, you’ve definitely heard of the SAT, and might already be studying for it. But have you ever wondered what â€Å"SAT† itself actually stands for? And does it reveal anything about what the SAT claims to measure? Well, it turns out the SAT has gone through many name changes, which reveal changes in the test’s design and purpose. Read on for the full story behind the SAT’s name. The â€Å"Scholastic Aptitude Test† (1925-1994) You may have been told that SAT stands for â€Å"Scholastic Aptitude Test.† Although this is where the initials â€Å"SAT† come from, the test existed even before College Board gave it that name. Going way back to the late 1800s, there was little agreement among colleges what skills and knowledge students needed to be prepared for college. Because of this, universities had their own entrance exams, making it hard for schoolmasters to know how to help their students get into college. The College Board was created in 1899 to help solve this problem. It aimed to improve communication between colleges and secondary schools regarding admissions requirements. It also provided a series of uniform exams, covering several subjects (including topics like German and Latin!), first given in 1901. The exams were designed to create a more uniform standard for college admission. Incidentally, this explains how the College Board got its name, as well. After a few decades, the College Board began to be more interested in â€Å"comprehensive examinations,† which would examine a student’s intelligence and reasoning, rather than their knowledge of particular subjects and facts. Thus the â€Å"Scholastic Aptitude Test† was born. Created in 1925, it was designed not be a test of achievement in school subjects but the ability to apply knowledge to discrete situations. â€Å"Scholastic† refers to ability in school, but the emphasis here was on â€Å"aptitude† – the ability to learn and apply knowledge to different situations, rather than to memorize facts. We’ll discuss those terms in more detail later in the article as we reveal why College Board eventually dropped these words. The topics tested on the original Scholastic Aptitude Test included definitions, arithmetic, and paragraph reading – which still exist on the SAT today. However, the original SAT had analogy and logic questions that are no longer a part of the test. The Scholastic Aptitude Test was used by more and more colleges as part of their admissions processes. Without the ACT (which wasn't created until 1959) it was the only such test in the US. It became known as the S.A.T. due to its initials. â€Å"Scholastic Assessment Test† Becomes the SAT (1994 – Present) The Scholastic Aptitude Test kept its name for 70 years, even as the ACT came into play in the 1960s. However, the S.A.T. faced something of an identity crisis in the 1990s. The test was redesigned in 1990 (first administered in 1994) and renamed the â€Å"Scholastic Assessment Test."The rename was to reduce the perception that the S.A.T. could definitively predict a student’s aptitude for college work. They now claimed to simply â€Å"assess† a student's potential. (We should note this was also quite redundant – assessment is another word for test, so the new name was literally the "Standardized Test Test.") The College Board's temporary name during the 1990s. From a Washington Post article written at the time, â€Å"According to the president of the College Board at the time, the name change was meant 'to correct the impression among some people that the SAT measures something that is innate and impervious to change regardless of effort or instruction.'" The test was also given the longer name SAT I: Reasoning Test, to distinguish it from the SAT II: Subject Tests, which had formerly been called â€Å"Achievement Tests.† (This is why some people still refer to the SAT Subject Tests as â€Å"SAT IIs.†) However, in 1997, College Board changed their minds yet again, and said the letters don’t actually stand for anything, so the test is not called the S.A.T., just the SAT. As quoted in the New York Times, College Board said of the change, â€Å"The term Scholastic Assessment Tests, as the tests are collectively known, is always supposed to be in the plural and neither test alone can properly be called the Scholastic Assessment Test." In other words, the College Board really doesn’t want people to have the wrong impression of what the SAT actually is or what it tests. However, since the initials â€Å"SAT† are so recognizable, they kept them. But now they are just that: initials. If Not "Aptitude," What is the SAT Supposed to Measure? So if the SAT doesn’t have any meaning, you might be wondering, what is it designed to measure? According to College Board, â€Å"The SAT is a globally recognized college admission test that lets you show colleges what you know and how well you can apply that knowledge.† In other words, the SAT still tests what the original Scholastic Aptitude Test set out to measure back in the 1920s – the ability to â€Å"understand the relation of discrete facts to one another and to apply them to new and unexpected situations.† College Board simply shied away from the word â€Å"aptitude† in the 1990s because it implied that students had a set amount of intelligence the SAT could measure. Perhaps â€Å"ability† might have been a better word – ability means â€Å"talent, skill, or proficiency in a particular area,† but unlike aptitude, which is innate, ability can increase with work and practice. But alas, College Board decided to drop the issue altogether by dropping the real name of the SAT. So even though the letters â€Å"SAT† don’t officially stand for anything, their original meaning isn’t too far from what the SAT tests today. What’s Next? Want to know more about the test formerly known as the Scholastic Aptitude Test? Learn about SAT timing, SAT scoring, and get a guide to what’s actually tested each section – Reading, Math, and Writing. Did you know the SAT is changing again in 2016? Even though its name is staying the same, the test isn’t. Get a complete guide to the changes. Exactly how long should you study for the SAT? Get an expert guide here. Disappointed with your scores? 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If you came back to earth as someone or something else, who or what Essay

If you came back to earth as someone or something else, who or what would it be - Essay Example The name of Bush in the political grounds of America is not new and almost everyone is aware of his status and name. Bush’s decision making power, motivational speeches, devotion and confidence are some traits which I admire personally. The position he holds in American political arena is yet another positive feature that makes him an ideal for me. I personally believe that he is a good leader with excellent communication skills. His attitude, wisdom and thoughts are all marvelous as they become a part of America’s success. His power and authority are the main factors which influence my thoughts and fascinate me towards his personality. Wealth and riches that surround George W. Bush are yet another fascination for me. I would like to be G. W. Bush as his mind, intelligent thoughts and influencing personality led him to become a successful man. I would like to have a mind and personality like him so I may rule one of the powerful nations in the world. Being G. W. Bush wo uld help me in making some necessary changes which I feel may help the poor or minority groups living in America. Lastly, the fame, reputation and reverence that G. W. Bush holds, is desirable by majority of the American population. I wish to have a name as shining in the world as he has.

Portfolio report Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Portfolio report - Research Paper Example In the period between 2007 and 2008, the price of oil increased from 60 dollars to 100 dollars. The price went up to an all times highest of 115 dollars in July 2008. The cycle was the same around April and august 2009. Oil prices behave much as any other commodity with wide price swings ill times of shortage or oversupply. The domestic industrys price has been regulated though the production or price controls throughout the twentieth century.   Crude oil prices ranged between $2.50 and $3.00 from 1948 through the end of the 1960s. Throughout the post war period, exporting countries found an increasing demand for their crude oil and a 40ul (, decline in the purchasing power of a barrel of crude. In March 1971, the balance of power shifted. This happened as a result of the Texas Railroad Commission setting a proration at 100%, for the first time. This meant that Texas producers were no longer limited in the amount of oil that they could produce. More importantly, it meant that the power to control crude oil prices shifted from the US (Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana) to OPEC.   In 1972, the price of crude oil was about $3.00 and by the end of 1974, the price of oil had quadrupled to $12.00. The Yom Kippur War started with an attack on Israel by Syria and Egypt on October 5, 1973. The US and many western countries supported Israel. As a result of this support, Arab oil exporting nations imposed an embargo on the nations supporting Israel. Arab nations curtailed production by 5 million barrels per day (MBPD). About I MBPD was made up by increased production by other countries. The net loss of 4 MBPD extended through March 1974 and represented 7 percent of the free world production. Prices increased 400% in six short months!   Events in Iran and Iraq led to another round of crude oil price increases from 1979-80. The Iranian revolution resulted in the loss of 2.5 MBPD between 1978 and 1979. In 1980, Iraqs oil production fell 2.7 MBPD and Irans production