Management Decision and Implementation Essays

Management Decision and Implementation Essays Management Decision and Implementation Essay Management Decision and Implementation Essay Manager as a Problem Solver and Opportunity Seeker Introduction â€Å"Managers are playing three characteristics and ten roles†. HenryMintzber Principles of Management- R L. Daft (p. 31) See the definition of manager. So managers have to play many roles in management. Problem Solver and Opportunity Seeker is one of the roles very important to deciding the organization’s persistence. â€Å"Decisions making is the process of identifying problems and opportunities and then resolving them. Decision making involves effort both before and after the actual choice. † †. Principles of Management- R L. Daft (p. 255) Decisions making is an important process follow by Managers who response to opportunities and threats. It can be identified as the mental processes resulting in the selections of a course of action among several alternatives. Decline or Progress of any organization is depending on the decision taken by the management. A managers primary function is to solve problems. A managers understanding of his or her approach to problems and problem-solving style most often used is an essential early step to becoming a more effective creative problem solver. Managers scout the problems, make decisions for solving them, and monitor the consequences to see whether additional decisions are required. Good decisions making is a vital part of good management, because decisions determine how the organization solves its problems, allocates resources, and accomplishes its goals†. Principles of Management- R L. Daft (p. 254) As mentioned the above managers should make the decisions ag ainst the problems and opportunities by selecting the best way and using allocated resource. Managers have to be patiently waited for the opportunity to solve the problems. That mean we can be aware of the manager as a problem solver and opportunity seeker who carefully choose the path to reach the goal. We can examine here how perform the role of problem solver and opportunity seeker by a manager. Problems, Opportunities and the Manager As mentioned the above identifying the opportunities and problems and steps taking to solve them by the managers decision making is doing in one of two basic problem-solving styles: * Systematic. Systematic thinkers are logical and rational. They prefer narrow and focused problems, step by step processes, rules to be followed, and computer programs that grind to a recommendation. * Intuitive Intuitive thinkers are more comfortable with solutions that just came to them. Compared with systematic thinkers, for the intuitive thinker, data are less important, complexity is less bothersome, changing external and internal environments are expected rather than assumed away, and being more or less right is more important than being precisely wrong. On the other hand, we can recognize three types of decision making models. 1. Classical Model 2. Administrative model 3. Political model. According to the systematic decision making system the subsequent steps are followed by the managers Six Steps of the solving problems- Decision Making Process. 1. Recognize of decision Requirements-what is the problem? 2. Diagnosis and analyse of Causes-what are the causes of the problem? 3. Development of Alternatives-what are the possible solutions to the problem? 4. Selection of Desired Alternative-Which is the best solution to the problem? 5. Implementation of Chosen Alternative- what action do we take? 6. Evaluate and Feedback. -What was the result? Decisions against the opportunities. Opportunities are concerning with the many fields of management. One can seek the opportunities for solve the problems in day to day activities. One manager seeks the opportunities to correct the wrong decision already taken. The other one will seek the rooms for expand the business. Decision are given for opportunities must be improvement oriented and the decision must be taken by considering the Sensing (Logically amp; Sensitively), Sizing (Measuring) and Seizing. First of all the steps managers are looking how to deal with the problems because of some problems are not equired solution and some are very quickly needed. So * Managers tend to deal with problems in one of three ways: 1. Avoid them refuse to recognize that a problem exists or not in harm 2. Solve them as necessary deal with the urgent 3. Seek them out anticipate avoiding them becoming urgent The following six questions are available in systematic system- step-by-step approach to problem solving: 1. What are the problem/ Opportunity? A problem occurs when accomplishment is less than expected. The expectation may be a goal, a standard of performance, a rule or a policy. Even if performance is greater than expected, a manager may still see room for improvement. This form of a problem is called an opportunity. Managers have little opportunity for success if they cannot distinguish problems from symptoms of problems. Working on symptoms rather than the base problem rarely leads to problem solution. Problem identification requires continuous surveillance of the internal and external environments within which the business operates. Attention to bits and pieces of information from various sources in combination with experience, judgment and intuition are all part of problem identification. . What are the causes of the problem? More than a careful statement of the problem is necessary to solve it. The manager needs to know the underlying causes of the problem. The following list of questions should be helpful for problem diagnosis and discovering the causes of a problem: * When did the problem occur? * Where did it occur? * Who was involved in the problem? * Were the people involved carefully selected, trained and motivated? * What equipment and facilities were involved in the problem? * What events or conditions were connected to the problem? * What were the hints of an impending problem? What calamities, crises and/or unusual events contributed to the problem? 3. What are the possible solutions to the problem? Creative problem solving requires careful attention to possible solutions for the problem. A paradigm of many possible solutions differs dramatically from satisfaction with the easy and familiar. 4. Which is the best solution to the problem? From the list of possible solutions, one must be selected. The size of the problem and complexity of the problems causes determine how much effort the manager can justify for choice of a solution. Criteria for choice of a solution should reflect the organizations mission, goals and culture. 5. What actions do we take? The first four steps are for naught if the chosen alternative cannot be implemented. Implementation requires resources, courage, persuasion, attention to detail, evaluation of progress and corrective action. Example from the Customs At the end of year 2009, many problems arose about the outside panel examinations. Situation (What are the causes of the problem? ) * 100 to 150 CusDecs were selected for panel examination per day. * 200 to 350 containers had to be examined. Most of the goods were perishable. So it was highly concerned about delay for release the cargo. * Officers have made many reports and complained to the head of the examination division and it was the time to suggest the better procedure for cargo examination. Challengers Most of the cargo allowed for outside panel examination were perishable and they have must been released within a short period. * Outside Examinations of Containers have not been done by the officers properly due to the many reasons. ( examination have to be done in very difficult situation, place in un safety) So: a. There were many threats to the economy and society. b. It was directly involved with the Customs revenue. c. It was brought bad impressions to the Customs. * Officers were faced many threats and unrest. d. Examinations have to be done at the importers place or public place e. Many places were not suitable surrounding (space, labors, equipments) f. Examination time schedules have not been followed g. Suitable transport had not been provided * As a government department it was a very difficult to provide the container examination facilities to entire importers. As the situation was unavoidable and the solutions were immediately required, examination division look in to the opportunities for solve the problems. The following conditions have been measured for appropriate solutions. * Yard for the containers examination immediate out of the Colombo port * Space for more than 250 containers per day. * Containers movement Controlling facility and security of the cargo * Facilitation for the officers The selected best solution- (Which is the best solution to the problem? Call a privet facilitator to provide the yard under the above conditions. Initiated Action (what action do we take? ) In May, 2009 a new container yard at Orugodawattha had been opened and presently all the perishable and some general cargo which were earlier released through the green channel are examine in this yard. Facilitation for the container examination, containers parking,, cargo storing , have been provided by the RCT (Ravi Container Terminal) the facilities for the sta keholders( wharf Clerks, labors, lorry drivers, helpers and officers) also have been provided by the RCT. Under the DC Cargo examination 10 Officers were appointed for the day examinations and after office hours the other officers have been roster for the examination. Outcome of the solution(What was the result) * Major problems were solved. (Mentioned above) * Government revenue is being secured * Relief from traffic inside the Port Conclusion Decision making and implementation is essential in management for survival and better future of any organization. Some time it is not possible to evade the problems. If do not seek the opportunities, the organization will be collapsed. Therefore, it is very important that the correct decisions have to be identified and implemented at the correct time. 2. Motivating employees for achieving results Introduction Managers want to motivate employees because it gets more work from them with less effort on the part of an organization. Workers are motivated when they do something because they want to do instead of have to work or forced to do. Motivated workers do more with less supervision and contribute more to the organization. If any organization wants to achieve the top results motivating employee is good tool for it. How workers deploy at work at best? Can you force them to work best without their willingness? What makes people work harder? The best answer is, no one really knows, but there are many theories, each of which has some relevance in some situations. As manager you must be able to find what motivates people in your organization. It should be considered an art, not a science. Everyone realizes that motivation in a workforce is a good thing. The question is how to get it. To learn how to get it we must first look at what it is. What is the Motivation? Motivation is defined as something that causes or influences a person to act or perform. Motivation is the creation of conditions that encourage an employee to achieve a high level of performance. â€Å"Motivation refers to the forces either within or external to a person that arouse enthusiasm and persistence to pursue a certain course of action. Employee motivation effects productivity, and part of manager’s job is to channel motivation toward the accomplishment of organizational goal. † Principles of Management-R L. Daft (p. 480) Researches indicate that the main reason for an employee to leave an organization is the failure of the organization to acknowledge the employees work. Rewarding the employees for their work is quite important as motivation is the key element required for the success of an organization Types of Motivation. â€Å"Motivation is a process that starts with a physiological or psychological deficiency or need that activates behavior or a drive that is aimed at a goal or incentive†- Luthans (2002) See this definition! It clearly said motivation has been linked with two facts. They are physiological and psychological needs. Theories of motivation have also been buildup within this concept somehow. Theoretically, there are two aspects to motivation techniques intrinsic and extrinsic. Intrinsic Intrinsic relates to what has been described as psychological rewards, such as the opportunity to use one’s ability, a sense of challenge and achievement, receiving words of appreciation, job satisfaction, scoop for development, responsibility, work freedom . These always determined from the actions and the behavior of individual managers. In addition, needs and expectations can be distinguished in economic rewards, intrinsic satisfaction, and social relationships. Many of them are self generated Intrinsic satisfaction is provided by the work itself like interest in the job itself, personal growth and development which represents a personal orientation to work. Friendships, teamwork, and the need for affiliation are part of the social relationship that constitutes the relational orientation to work. Extrinsic Extrinsic relates the things that are tangible and generated by others such as rewards, salary, promotion, payment for overtime, recognition, ncouragement, support, work environment and working conditions. The extrinsic motivations are normally offered by the organization and the managers’ involvement in this regard is limited. Approaches to motivation â€Å"In general, there are many motivation theories, and have been divided into two contrasting groups: Here it is not the point to discuss all the theorie s in details, but we can identify some leading. Content theory Content theories of motivation define it in terms of satisfaction of needs. Explains why human needs change with time. Content theory includes the work of David McClelland, Abraham Maslow and other psychologists as they attempted to explain why human needs change, but not how they change. Content theories explain the specific factors that motivate people. In other words, they answer the question what drives behavior? It is important to remember that the following are theories, none of which have been conclusively shown to be valid. Nonetheless, they are helpful in providing a contextual framework for dealing with individuals. * Maslows Hierarchy of Needs: lower needs must be met first. Maslows hierarchy of needs is often portrayed in the shape of a pyramid, with the largest and lowest levels of needs at the bottom, and the need for self-actualization at the top. The lower four layers of the pyramid contain what Maslow called deficiency needs or d-needs: esteem, friendship and love, security, and physical needs. With the exception of the lowest (physiological) needs, if these deficiency needs are not met, the body gives no physical indication but the individual feels anxious and tense. * Self-actualization * Esteem * Belongingness NeedsD-needs * Safety Needs f Physiological needs Pig 1 * Alderfers ERG Theory: three key needs. This is further expansion of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs by Clayton Paul Alderfer by categorizing the hierarchy into his ERG theory. They are existence, relatedness and growth. He categorized the lower order needs (Physiological and Safety) into the existence category and love and esteem needs into the relatedness category. The growth ca tegory includes the self actualization and self esteem needs * Herzbergs Motivation-Hygiene Theory. ( Two Factor Theory ) This was developed by Frederick Herzberg. In this theory he describes two factors they are hygiene factors and motivators. He performed studies to determine which factors in an employees work environment caused satisfaction or dissatisfaction * Motivators are challenging work, recognition, responsibility that give positive satisfaction, arising from intrinsic conditions of the job itself, such as recognition, achievement, or personal growth. * Hygiene factors are status, job security, salary and fringe benefits that do not give positive satisfaction, though dissatisfaction results from their absence. These are extrinsic to the work itself, and include aspects such as company policies, supervisory practices, or salary. * McClelland’s Acquired Needs Theory a three-need model. (Learned Need Theory) Need are shaped over time by our experiences over time. Most of these fall into three general categories of needs: * Need of Achievement (NAch) Seek to excel and appreciate frequent recognition of how well they are doing. They will avoid low risk activities that have no chance of gain. They also will avoid high risks where there is a significant chance of failure. Need of Power (NPow) Want power either to control other people (for their own goals) or to achieve higher goals (for the greater good). They seek neither recognition nor approval from others only agreement and compliance. * Need of Affiliation (NAff) Look for harmonious relationships with other people. They will thus tend to conform and shy away from standing out. The seek approval rather than recognition. McClellandâ⠂¬â„¢s Acquired Needs Theory a three-need model Pig 2 Process theories The theories that attempts to explain human behavior. Process theory defines in terms of a rational cognitive process. * Adams Equity Theory: Balanced give and take. Equity theory looks at an individual’s perceived fairness of an employment situation and finds that perceived inequalities can lead to changes in behavior. Employees compared what they received and other receives as a result of their inputs. Mainly we can identify three occasions as 1. EquityMy outcome = Others Out puts More inputs and more gats InputsInputs 2. UnderpaymentMy outcome lt; Others Out puts More inputs and same gats Equity (Guilt)InputsInputs 3. Over payment My outcome gt; Others Out puts Same inputs and more gats Equity (Anger)InputsInputs When individuals believe that they have been treated unfairly in comparison with their coworkers, they will react in one of four ways: * Changing their work inputs to better match the rewards they are receiving. * Ask for a raise or take legal action. * Change their own perception of the situation. * Quit. * Vrooms Expectancy Theory: We expect what we predict. Expectancy theory â€Å"attempts to explain behavior in terms of an individual’s goals and choices and the expectation of achieving the objectives. The probability of an individual acting in a particular manner will increase when an employee associates it strongly with a given, attractive outcome. The theory states that motivation depends on three variables: 1. Performance-reward linkage (the person perceives a desired outcome will result from a certain degree of performance) 2. Effort-performance linkage (the person believe s a certain amount of effort will lead to performance) 3. Attractiveness (the person sees the outcome as desirable) Motivation, then, is a function of attractiveness, expectancy, and instrumentality. An individual’s perception of all three (regardless of reality) must be high for motivation to be optimized. Expectancy theory is similar to positive reinforcement, and both expectancy and reinforcement theory hold that a reward, or outcome, must be meaningful to the individual, and must be seen as highly likely to result from a given behavior to be effective. Motivating and achievement â€Å"You can take a horse to the water but you can’t force to drink† it will drink only if it’s thirsty- so with people. They will do what they want to do or otherwise motivate to do. For motivation you must have a skill which can and must be learnt. This is essential for any organization to survival and succeeds. Employee motivation is a central problem for leaders and managers, as an unmotivated employee is unlikely to expend much effort in the job, producing low-quality work. Multiple theories are available that propose sometimes contradictory, but often complementary, approaches toward work motivation We all are always think about money can make anything but the truth is deferent. Some time money can’t do even basic. So first of all we have to get beyond rational-economic assumptions. You know the idea that we all make decisions rationally based on what will give us the best economic outcome, i. e. , more money. Economics certainly has its place, but it tends to downplay the whole intrinsic side of human nature and motivation. People, almost all are concerning some other things instead of the money. Some clues are there. * People care about more than money and self-interest at work. * Intrinsic rewards are about emotions. * Doing the ‘right thing’ makes people feel good. â€Å"Nowadays, many organizations recognize that employees are not motivated olely by money and employee behavior is linked to their attitudes†- Dickson, (1973). Staff’s attitudes always link to the following point of views other than money: * Interesting work, * Full appreciation of work done, * Job security, * Good working conditions, * promotions, * 06. Freedom in work(mental amp;Physical) Motivation in Sri Lanka Customs It is very acceptable truth that the reward scheme of Sri Lanka Customs is number one in the same systems in Sri Lanka. Actually we are not known a program like that. Almost 100% of the officers are benefitting by working in the relevant branches in turn by turn. Reward, incentive, Commendation (appreciation), scholarships, work freedom, good environment, work satisfaction, proper support for higher education, Law enforcement power and powerful Acts are some of motivators in Sri Lanka Customs. But this situation and some related issues can be identified by some officers as de motivated factors. I also have noticed some incidents which are badly effect to motivation of the officers (De motivated factors). We have all the experience in Customs. Basic needs are filling with the salary, incentives and rewards. And job security is established by permanency, Pensionable and good income. Team works, Union activities, are example for belongingness needs. As a Customs Officer there is a unique recognize. We have a good chance for self-actualization within some branches. Some officers are specialist in some fields. E. g. DC Admin- he is the best gemologist in Sri Lanka. And Mr. Lesly Gamine- author of many books on Sri Lanka Customs amp; Law. Experience I have been working as an investigation officer in Post Clearance amp; Audit Branch (PCAB) for two years and acquired much experience about the motivation. PCAB was controlled under Valuation Division and we were allowed to investigate in to trade fraud. What we were motivated – Extrinsically We were ten officers and worked as a team. We were paid by the department. Office Space, vehicle, computer, and the other necessities had been provided. One experienced senior officer led the team. When we success and recovered the defrauded and penalty there was a reward for the team. Never were we forced to do some unworthy investigation. We had enough freedom for our family life and we were understood that our commitment was more important for our achievement. What we were motivated – Intrinsically Because of my knowledge used for impound the trade fraudsters I was proud like others and it was a good motivator for our team. We were begun to think that we are more intelligent than the fraudsters. By perused the limited No of documents we were able to found some huge tax defrauded done by famous businessmen and international companies. We were able to establish some fraud which practiced for long period with the help of some other government agencies. Sometimes, we went through the whole account systems of a company and analyzed. At that time we did our investigation with an expectation to determine the frauds by breaching the customs law. We used our subject knowledge practically and act as intelligent investigators or prosecution officer. Some time we produced the case in court as a lawyer. There was a very remarkable job satisfaction in that period. What was the result? We could take many smugglers to the law and some long time frauds were revealed. More than 100 million were recovered for two years and we thought it was our duty for the county. Conclusion. Usually managers aim is achieve the goal with less effort. In that purpose motivated employee is an assets the organization. Employees are motivated by self and organization. Self motivated employee must not be supervised or guided frequently. Modern world money has fallen in to second and many other human needs have been secured the top place in the list. If managers want to show their colors, they must be talent to identify employee’s emotion and sense. If any organization wants to achieve the top results motivating employee is good tool for it. 3. Effective Teams and Decision Implementation Introduction There are different levels of problems are arising in day to day functions of an organization and decision for them also would be a suitable level. Aimlessly and suddenly managers can be faced for some critical problems also. According to the situation suitable decisions are making by the managers who responsible for it. Most decisions are straightforward and routine. Sometimes, taking decisions for some problems are more difficult, but are usually focused in one area or functional discipline. These may require several or many team members to make the decision even though the implementation may be straightforward. Therefore, as an important tool for making decision implementation, effective team is good for further studies. What is a Team â€Å"A team is a unit of two or more people who interest and coordinate their work to accomplish a specific goal†- Principle of Management- RL. Daft (p. 545) Team management refers to techniques, processes and tools for organizing and coordinating a group of individuals working towards a common goal. A team is a collection of individuals organized to accomplish a common purpose, who are interdependent, and who can be identified by themselves and observers as a team. Teams exist within a larger organization and interact with other teams and with the organization. Teams are one way for organizations to gather input from members, and to provide organization members with a sense of involvement in the pursuit of organizational goals. Teams normally have members with complementary skills and generate synergy through a coordinated effort which allows each member to maximize his or her strengths and minimize his or her weaknesses. Team members need to learn how to help one another, help other team members realize their true potential, and create an environment that allows everyone to go beyond their limitations. In modern world many organizations strategic decision makers regularly use teams to solve urgent problems. Most strategic-level decision-making teams exist for brief periods to resolve a major problem or to develop national policy and strategies to meet future challenges. While these teams carry great responsibilities, they are often ad hoc in nature. Types of Teams: * Self Managed Work Teams: Self managed work teams are groups of employees who perform highly related or interdependent jobs and take on many of the responsibilities of their former supervisors. Fully self managed work teams even select their own members and have the members evaluate each other’s performance. * Cross Functional Teams: Cross functional teams are group of employees who are from the same hierarchical level but from different work areas who come together to accomplish a task. * Problem Solving Teams: In problem solving teams members share ideas or offer suggestions on how work process and methods can be improved, they rarely have the authority to unilaterally implement any of their suggested actions. * Virtual Teams: Virtual teams use computer technology to tie together physically dispersed members in order to achieve a common goal. * Project Teams: A team used only for a defined period of time and for a separate, concretely definable purpose, often becomes known as a project team Members of these teams might belong to different groups, but receive assignment to activities for the same project, thereby allowing outsiders to view them as a single unit. * Informal Teams: Informal teams are generally formed for social purposes. They can help to facilitate employee pursuits of common concerns, such as improving work conditions. More frequently however, these teams form out of a set of common concerns and interests, which may or may not be the same as the organizations. Leaders of these teams generally emerge from the membership and are not appointed by anyone in the organization Process of a Team Many processing stages perform a good team. Initiated action and capacity are very useful. Members of a team without understanding of each other will be away from the path of strategic goal. * Forming Getting to Know You The first stage is when the team is formed and members meet. They learn what the team opportunities and challenge will be. Individual members may be confused about their role or not understand the need for the team. Members will agree on goals and assign actions for work, often working independently. They gating know each other and grow awareness among the members of team and strategies. * Storming High Winds Predicted During the second stage, individual expression of ideas occurs and there is open conflict between members. Members tend to focus on details rather than the issues and compete for influence. Low trust among team members is an evident indicator of this stage * Norming Charting a Course In the third stage, the team develops work habits that support group rules and values. They use established tools and methods; exhibit good behaviors; mutual trust, motivation, and open communication increase; positive teamwork and group focus are apparent. The team relationships grow and individual characteristics are understood and appropriately utilized. Encourage to work together by solving members problems. * Performing The Action Stage The fourth stage shows high levels of loyalty, participation, motivation, and group decision-making. Knowledge sharing, cross-training, and interdependence increases by exchanging their experience. Team is self-directing in development of plans and strategy to meet their goals and carry out work. Personal growth and sharing is encouraged throughout membership * Adjourning Celebrating For project teams, temporary committees, or task forces coming to an end, there will be a finalizing stage as they celebrate and recognize group achievement. Team considers their performance and feedback. Then some mourning over the dissolving of the team relationship and begin planning for the change in individual work requirements. Team Effectiveness and implementation of decision. Decisions must be implemented by the managers of an organization through a team or any other mechanism. For that purpose, team concept is highly accepted by the management teaching. Team effectiveness is fundamental requirement for the implementation of decision. The success of a team majorly depends on much reason including vision, trust and unity, nature of leadership, member’s commitment, and intrinsic amp; extrinsic motivation. The effectiveness of communication within a team is very essential and without team communication there is confusion, misunderstandings and unhappy members. Group communication allows members to freely express themselves, and can provide accurate and comprehensive information. Communication in a team creates an environment of safety and security. When a group member feels the freedom to voice his opinion, he will feel safe in that group. These may require several or many team members to make the decision even though the implementation may be straightforward. When implementing decisions, the team can use every interaction with outside stakeholders to build relationships for the future. Resolving problems quickly and sharing successes with major enterprise participants will pay long-term dividends It may be that the implementation responsibility falls on the team leader, or a subgroup of the team. When this occurs, the individuals implementing the decision need to keep the rest of the team informed on their progress to prevent surprises. As implementation proceeds, rapid feedback is helpful in identifying issues and monitoring results. When disagreements or misunderstandings occur, they should be handled directly and quickly before they escalate. Any anticipated issues during implementation, team members can get valuable feedback on the overall. For quick results, team members should be empowered and given responsibility consistent with their roles on the team and their relationships with stakeholders. Teams, like individuals, should always make sure they follow up on promised actions and represent honest, high integrity professionalism to the outside world. Team members are at their best when they have a common perception of the intent and desired results of the decision and they can communicate these to all concerned. The things we discussed at the above and any other things affected the team effectiveness can be illustrated as follows. Team Effectiveness. Pig. 3 Team work in Sri Lanka Customs. What type of team can be identified in customs and where they are? Sri Lanka Customs is a one major department which involves to the public economics behavior and its activities are directly and significantly affected to the economy. The goods clearance procedure is concerning from the central bank to consumer in the kitchen. One or two day delay for clearance of foodstuffs will lead the government change. Therefore, customs service must be accurate and efficiency. Various type of team work can be identified everywhere in this scenario. Some teams are large some are small. But their effectiveness is evenly important to achieve the goal. As a simple example, we can consider day time work in Long room. Every day the entries submitted to the long room are satisfied in the same day except quarried one. For that purpose from DC to office assistant are working as a team which is unorganized. All the CusDecs must be satisfied in the same day is not a compulsory decision or an order. But there is core understand in the long room staff to satisfy the CusDecs which were already received for the day. Air port duty turn is another example for semi organized team work in Sri Lanka Customs. It is not consistence with the permanent staff of the BIA. Roster officers after taking over the duty points for the day at BIA, continuously cover-up the duty for twenty four hours with help of each other. This team is not earlier design one or officially established. When the officers taking over duty for the day they communicate each other and plan to cover up the duty. My experience in Custom. As mentioned earlier in topic motivation, we worked as a team in PCAB (Post Audit Clearance Branch) and we made the decisions on available information and implemented the same. What type of Team- PCAB? PCAB was established for the purpose of investigation in to the duty defrauded. At the time I served it was consisted of ten numbers of Assistant Superintendent of Customs, who had experience in investigating. We were assigned to probe in to duty defrauded occasions and recover the same. We had one main target that recovers the defrauded duty. PCAB was setup at the main office under the valuation division. DDC and SC supervised and directed the investigation officers. All the officers at head office were involving into the investigation. One senior ASC worked as OIC of the office. Each and every officer responsible for some investigations which handed over by the team leader- SC. However all officers who attached to PCAB work for the same objectives. Therefore, it can be considered as project team. What is the function of PCAB? The main activity of the branch is investigation in to the consignments and importers that have revenue defrauded. With holding the authority to investigate in to the cleared goods all the official copy (Warrant Copy) of the CusDecs are collected and perused by the officers of PCAB. The warrant copies of the suspected consignments are separate for further investigation and there are opportunities to officers for contribute the probe by their knowledge and experience. If it is decided to investigate a consignment one or two officers have been assigned and others are help to collect documents and raid the premises. When one officer records the statement the other one prepare the submission. Another one is ready to prosecution. If there is defraud, within a short period (Mostly within a 2-3 weeks) it can be recovered. Conclusion For any organisation to be effective and efficient in decision implementation and , the people in the organisation need to have a shared vision of what they are determined to achieve, as well as clear objectives for each team / department and individual. In decision implementation team concept is the best mechanism while you compare the systems of achievement. It is necessary to have ways of recognizing and resolving conflict amongst the workers, so that conflict does not become so serious that co-operation is impossible. All members of any organisation need to have ways of keeping conflict to a minimum and of solving problems caused by conflict, before conflict becomes a major obstacle to organizational work. This could happen to any organization, whether it is a business or a government. At that point communication and mutual understand are very essential. Team work is the best method among the systems used for achieve the goal. Individual or group works some time will be the fine but not everywhere. But a team (Two or more) mostly fit for any type of activity because of the team is build with much values like vision, trust and unity, nature of leadership, member’s commitment, and intrinsic amp; extrinsic motivation, co-operation, variation, and Synergy. References 1. Principles of Management-R L. Daft 2. Sri Lankan Case In Management 3. http://en. ikipedia. org/wiki/Problem_solving 4. answers. com/topic/problem-solving- 5. managementhelp. org/prsn_prd/prob_ 6. http://changingminds. org/explanations/theories/a_motivation. htm 7. Approaches to Motivation suite101. com/content/approaches-to-motivation-a252829#ixzz11V8h5Zxy 8. foundationcoalition. org/publications/brochures/communication. pdf 9. http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Team_management 10. businessknowledgesource. com/blog/how_can_i_improve_communication_within_my_teams_021634. html

Rn Heals Monthly Journal Essays

Rn Heals Monthly Journal Essays Rn Heals Monthly Journal Essay Rn Heals Monthly Journal Essay I. Activities * Took initial patient history for consultation. Assessed client for check-up and measured vital signs and anthropometric data. Administered treatment on patients based on initial assessment and findings. * Gave proper referral to patients to their hospital of choice that needed a specialist physician for their case. * Assisted the midwife in the administration of vaccines under the Expanded Program on Immunization. Administered BCG, Penta, DPT, Hep B, OPV, AMV and MMR to babies based on their immunization schedule. * Assisted the midwife during prenatal checkups. Gave proper health education to clients by giving them information on the prevention of pregnancy related illnesses. * Administered Tetanus Toxoid and skin testing for ATS to clients who just had lacerated wounds caused by accident. * Assisted the physician in the documentation of Medico-Legal cases. * Encoded disease surveillance data to PIDSR for recording. * Every week, we go on-site to assess patients for consultation and dispense medicines according to their individual case. * Attended the Community Health Team seminar held at Velarde Health Center. II. Learning/Insight * This month, I was able to administer treatments based on my clinical judgment. I was able to administer vaccines under the Expanded Program on Immunization. I was also able to administer tetanus toxoid and skin testing for ATS on my own. I am glad that I am able to learn and practice on this side of nursing; and at the same time help clients on their health needs in our community. III. Issues/Concerns * Clients lack proper health education regarding self-medication. They usually self-medicate by giving themselves antibiotics without prior consultation from a physician or from the health center. IV. Recommendation * Give clients proper education regarding antibiotics and its side effects. Explain to them that, what antibiotic works from before doesn’t necessarily mean that it would work on the client’s present illness; and that client may develop resistance to the drug if the certain antibiotic is taken regularly without change. JENEN L. VALERIO, R. N. LORENA I. CAMINO, R. N. , R. M. , M. P. H. Nurse Trainee Supervisor RONALDO I. CALINGASAN, M. D. City Health Officer.

The Competencies That Are Required By Consultants In Order To Ensure Essay

The Competencies That Are Required By Consultants In Order To Ensure an Efficient Consulting Practice - Essay Example This paper illustrates that the work of the management consultant is to help the client organization to recognize the management problems, analyze the problems and provide solutions to the problems. The role of the consultants has become extremely important in contemporary times to deal with critical issues faced by the organizations. The client organization often requires the skill and expertise to deal with the critical issues faced by the organization. Researchers have established that there is a link between organizational performance and organizational characteristic and both of these are influenced by a reverse relationship. It can be argued that the organizational characteristics can also have an influence on the consulting performance. According to the views of Lundberg, the competence of an individual is a set of appropriate behavior which acts as a framework for identifying, evaluating and developing an individual’s behavior. Researchers have found out that competenc e is actually a combination of skills, knowledge, and behavior that helps in improving the performance of an organization. According to Sandberg, people who perform their responsibilities more competently than others can be argued to have the finer set of attributes. Therefore it can be argued that the competence of the management consultant is a crucial factor that influences consulting performance. The existing literature identifies that there are a set of competencies that are important for consultants. There are ten domains of competencies that have been identified namely enterprising, confidence, management, influence, facilitation, consideration, analytics, performance, organizing behavior, resilience and enterprising nature. Each of these domains has a number of characteristics under them like independence, adaptability, planning, quality orientation, problem-solving approach, conceptualizing vision and customer orientation to name a few.

THE IMF AND WORLD BANK Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

THE IMF AND WORLD BANK - Essay Example 1). With such goals and objectives of civilization’s best interest and financial well-being, the IMF’s and World Bank’s humanistic visions should be at the top of the list of the most essential and necessary financial institutions. It becomes somewhat anti-productive and fatalistic to envision ongoing threats against the IMF and World Bank’s purpose and comprehensive strategic plans. Is terrorism the eminent threat? However, appropriate checks and balances are part of strategic planning definitions and comprehensive operations. Who and what is the IMF? The IMF (known as the ‘Fund’) was created/constructed at a United Nations Conference in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, USA in July 1944. Forty-four representative governments (The Governances) were in attendance at this conference. The visionary goal, purpose, and function were to construct a comprehensive strategic plan – a framework – for â€Å"economic cooperation that would avoid repetition of the vicious circle of competitive devaluations that have contributed to the Great Depression of the 1930s† (IMF, 2012, p. 1). IMF Activities and Public Goods The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has approximately 188 countries that participate in its global membership. The IMF manages the challenges and opportunities that are results of â€Å"globalization and economic development† concerning public goods. ... ncil (July 2, 1997), â€Å"†¦Good governance is important for countries at all stages of development†¦our approach is to concentrate on aspects of good governance related to macroeconomic policies – namely the transparency of government accounts, the effectiveness of public resource (public goods) management, and the stability and transparency of the economic and regulatory environment for private sector activity† (IMF, 2012, p. 2). The IMF’s role of governance and management of public resources or public goods during global economic crisis has been focused on restoration of growth and jobs. In doing this, the IMF has emerged as a public goods and resources management institution. The IMF is referred to an institution. By definition, institution means â€Å"†¦an organization, one dedicated to public service† (Webster’s College Dictionary, 1996, p. 360). In â€Å"Interview with Joseph Stiglitz (2000)†, by Lucy Komisar, Joseph St iglitz – member and chairman of the President’s Council of Economic Advisors – â€Å"cautioned against free market ‘shock therapy’ (Komisar, 2000, p. 1). In 1997, he became chief economist of the World Bank and often criticized the IMF and US economic politics†¦Ã¢â‚¬ peers assumed he will win a Nobel Prize† (p. 1). â€Å"I spoke with Stiglitz several times in April. He was generous with his time, unpretentious, and genial†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (p. 1). Stiglitz purposively states, â€Å"†¦The world needs an international development agency – the World Bank. There’s the view that it represents a form of corporate welfare that is counter to the IMFs own ideology markets. But anybody who watched government from the inside recognizes that governments need institutions, need ways to respond to crisis† (Komsisar, Stiglitz, 2000, p. 1). This is in response

The story of an hour from mrs Mallards perspective Essay Example for Free

The story of an hour from mrs Mallards perspective Essay It was my sister who broke the news to me. As soon as I gathered from her disjointed announcement that my husband had been killed in a horrific rail accident, I felt myself collapsing into an infinite depression of emptiness, silence and sorrow. My heart and soul were thrust downwards as if a cumbersome mass was depressing my frame, as the eruption of grief forced me to express a plethora of tears into the sympathetic arms of my dear Josephine. Despite the initial and genuine reaction to my sudden loss, I almost felt it my duty to weep for my deceased husband. Of course I loved him, as a companion; he was a means of fortification against the world and a way out of eternal spinsterhood and loneliness, and his mind and soul had now departed forever. Five minutes or so had passed, and I carried myself to my room with little motivation, where I sat in silence, reflecting on the news whilst giving my anaesthetised body an opportunity to recover from the horrific shock which was delivered earlier on. After a period of reflection, I realised that a new beginning seemed to be commencing for me. As I glanced out of the window, I caught a glimpse of the delightful pastel-coloured blossom beginning to appear in the trees. The wildlife animated the street below and a lively new air swept across the room, carried by the sweet spring breeze. I was perplexed, since this charming feeling had approached and briefly refreshed my mood; yet my energy had completely evaporated and my torn, slashed spirit progressed further and further away as if it had no intention of returning to me. The emptiness remained in the atmosphere like an unwelcome storm cloud spoiling an otherwise perfect blue sky. I pressed my head to the material behind me and pondered further. I was aware that I would soon need to confront my fears of seeing my husband before a burial, and the terrible emotions which viciously attacked me would return stronger. However, I also thought of the freedom; I have always wanted to escape. The claustrophobia had almost been too much to battle on occasions. Of course, I would not ever have had the means to escape and it is never considered proper for a lady to leave a respectable, healthy husband. Besides, he would not have let me go, I am quite certain. I was going to be ensnared forever. But after this, I could live without requesting permission. My mind became entranced and the idea of finally being free from eternal slavery dominated my thoughts. Josephine soon arrived at my door, calling for me to open it. Of course, I could not let her in, as I needed to clear the misty fog surrounding my head and collect together my thoughts, which were strewn everywhere. She insisted that I would become ill. However, I assured her that I would not, and immediately I descended back into deep contemplation. My entire surroundings rotated and merged together in my mind, as I managed to absorb a new soul and a positive belief of a more blissful future of freedom. I left the room after my courage was gained enough to for my legs to stand my weight and clasped to Josephine’s wrist. She led me down the staircase to where Richard was stood, and there appeared to be someone entering the house. My curiosity compelled me to glance over at the gentleman, but as I did, I recognised his face. I then realised that this gentleman was my husband. Everlasting amounts of air flooded into my lungs, as my expanding heart was speared by the savage storm of shock and dismay.

The effect of osmosis in potato cells with different concentrations of

The effect of osmosis in potato cells with different concentrations of sucrose solution Aim: To test the effect of different concentrations of sucrose solution to osmosis in a potato cells by putting potato pieces in test tubes of water containing different concentrations of sucrose solution. Scientific Theory: Osmosis is defined as the movement of water molecules across a partially permeable membrane from a region of high water concentration to a region of low water concentration. In a high concentration of water the amount of solute (e.g. sugar) is low. This could be called a weak or dilute solution. In a low concentration of water the amount of solute (e.g. sucrose) is high. This could be called a strong or concentrated solution. When two such solutions are divided by a partially permeable membrane the water will move from the area of high concentration to the area of low concentration, until both sides are equal (have reached equilibrium). Knowing that osmosis will occur across a partially permeable membrane whenever there is a difference between the water concentrations on the two sides of the membrane, and knowing that when this happens to cells they will either become turgid if water flows into them, or flaccid if water flows out of them, and thus change their volume, we want to test the hypothesis that: If the concentration of a solution into which a cylinder of potato is placed is greater than a certain level the cylinder will contract, and if the concentration is less than that level it will expand. The cell membrane in cells is partially permeable and the vacuole contains a sugar/salt solution. So when a cell is placed in distilled water (high water concentration) water will move across the partially permeable membrane into the cell (lower water concentration) by osmosis, making the cell swell. This cell is now referred to as turgid. If done with potato cells the cells would increase in volume and mass because of the extra water. If these potato cells were placed in a solution with a low water concentration, then the opposite would happen. Water would move out of the cell into the solution. In extreme cases the cell membrane breaks away from the cell wall and the cell is referred to as flaccid. The potato cells will have decreased in volume and mass. The greater the concentration of water in the so... ... for example, with a carrot or an apple to see if osmosis affects them in the same way as it does potato. I would also widen the range of sugar concentrations to include 1.1M 2M. Moreover, I would like to see if and when the cells reach a maximum and minimum weight. Temperature could also be changed, for example the samples could be placed in different test tubes at different temperatures to see if temperature played its part in the osmosis of potatoes. 5 sets of 3 potatoes could be placed in test tubes at 10oC, 20oC, 30oC, 50oC and 60oC. Then leave them for 24 hours making sure all the variables in the first experiment still apply however just using one molar solution. Then after 24 hours re-weigh the samples and record the result. I would expect that at high temperatures the potato samples would gain the most weight. This is because at high temperatures the water molecules would move faster and therefore equal the concentration faster. A preliminary experiment could be set up beforehand to find out how long the experiment should be kept going because if the concentration of the potatoes equalises then the weight of the potatoes will be almost exactly the same.

Bank of America Marketing Plan Essay

Abstract Bank of America is a financial institution, serving individual consumers, small and middle market businesses, corporations and Governments with a range of banking, investing, asset management and other financial and risk management products and services. I choose Bank of America for many reasons: it is brand name and good financial position largest bank in the America market and stable and growing sector in US. Through its banking and various nonbanking subsidiaries throughout the United States and in international markets, the Company provides a range of banking and nonbanking financial services and products through five business segments: Consumer & Business Banking, Consumer Real Estate Services, Global Banking, Global Markets and Global Wealth & Investment Management. Bank Of America Marketing Plan Current Situation Bank of America is a financial institution, serving individual consumers, small and middle market businesses, corporations and Governments with a range of banking, investing, asset management and other financial and risk management products and services. Through its banking and various nonbanking subsidiaries throughout the United States and in international markets, the Company provides a range of banking and nonbanking financial services and products through five business segments: Consumer & Business Banking, Consumer Real Estate Services, Global Banking, Global Markets and Global Wealth & Investment Management. In October 2013, Bank of America Corporation announced the completion of the merger of its Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc. subsidiary into Bank of America Corporation. Competitors Some of Bank of America competitors are Wells Fargo, HSBC, JPMorgan, and Citigroup. Market Objectives Meredith Verdone, is Bank of America’s head of brand marketing. In an interview she said that the bank is trying to have more â€Å"humility† approach for a change. Bank of America focus is on customer needs. Bank of America has a new campaign; â€Å"life is better when we are connected.† Message of bank of America is to be in the background and help people in their day-to-day lives. Product Strategy Bank of America offers products and services to consumers and businesses. It offers checking, Savings, credit cards, loans, mortgages and investing options. Bank of America has competitive price based on the product and services they offer to their clients. Place Bank of America serves its cliental worldwide. It is based locally and internationally. Promotion Strategy The launch of the consumer campaign gave Bank of America’s retail branches, outfitting them with iPads and ATMs with videoconferencing capabilities– as well as improvements to the bank’s website and mobile offerings. Bank of America claims that they see 50,000 downloads a week of its mobile app. Action Programs Bank of America uses more human advertising and approach to its client. It wants to be involved with client’s day-to-day activities. They frequently advertise on television using real situations with the logo â€Å" life is better when we are connected.† Budget Bank of America’s annual marketing budget is $2billion. Measurements Salaries The average salary for measurements & reporting analyst bank of America jobs is $42,000. Average measurements & reporting analyst bank of America salaries can vary greatly due to company, location, industry, experience and benefits. WOT Analysis SWOT Analysis Strengths Weaknesses Strong brand name and good financial position Largest bank in the America market Stable and growing banking sector in US Excellent Service and product innovation Over 285,000 employee across the world Serves clients more than 150 countries ATM Convenience Weak asset position Consumer credit controversies Bad Mortgages Criticized by its customers for raising interest rates High staff turnover Weak wholesale banking Opportunities Threats Expansion in other countries Diversifying portfolios for customers Growing credit card value for the consumers Further consolidation in the banking industry Changing government regulations and financial crisis like recessions Competition from other banks Restrictions in capital market The Mission Statement of Bank of America: â€Å"Our mission is to offer lending and investment products that Serve low-and moderate-income individuals and families Improve underserved low- and moderate-income communities Create sustainable practices for the long haul†

Marriage in a Man’s World

Marie de France’s epic poem â€Å"Lanval† is an outstanding work of satire that pokes fun at the societal norms of the author’s time, including government and the institution of marriage.   Though she never directly states it, de France paints marriage at the court level as a farce, a facade, and an arrangement of convenience rather than passion, love, or commitment. Marie de France wastes no time in laying the groundwork for the subtext of this poem.   Within the first few stanzas, as she paints a picture of the great and noble King Arthur, she manages to slide in a reference to King Arthur providing his Round Table members with wives as â€Å"gifts.†Ã‚   She mentions these gifts in the same breath as â€Å"lands,† which suggests the King views women as property and the institution of marriage as a kind of purchase agreement.   The art here is in the subtlety with which de France inserts this subversive idea into what seems like a simple description of a man’s virtues. The author reinforces her statement on marriage – specifically the sexist nature of marriage and relationships at the time – with the introduction of the mysterious, wealthy and beautiful maiden.   The maiden acts as a caricature of a male fantasy, approaching him out of nowhere with the offer of free love and devotion.   Only her physical and financial features are praised, and when Lanval agrees to her terms, she immediately allows him to sleep with her.   Lanval has found himself in the perfect situation – sex and wealth from a beautiful woman, and all he has to do is not acknowledge their relationship. It is not long before Lanval’s loyalty is put to the test and de France puts another nail in the coffin of marriage.   King Arthur’s wife, the Queen, apparently unconcerned with the fact that that she is married, offers herself to Lanval.   The author treats this as though a Queen coming on to a knight was common practice, even expected.   When Lanval denies her wish, the Queen is incensed; one gets the idea that she is no stranger to such an arrangement and not used to being turned down.   When Lanval professes his love for his fantasy maiden, he does so to disprove the Queen’s suggestion that he is homosexual. As one would expect, King Arthur is extremely angry when he finds out what has happened between Lanval and the Queen, though the version he hears is not the whole truth.   Arthur vows to bring the knight to justice in court, which is heavily swayed in the King’s favor.   However, when he brings the charges against Lanval he fails to mention that Lanval attempted to sleep with his wife.   Instead, he focuses on Lanval’s statement that his lover’s maidens were fairer than the Queen.   As it seems logical that King Arthur would be far more upset with the idea of Lanval sleeping with his wife than speaking these words, readers get the idea that perhaps King Arthur does not believe the Queen’s accusations.   Perhaps he knows and ignores the Queen’s unfaithful ways, and perhaps he is guilty of the same behavior. After a series of ridiculous happenings in which the male members of the court are nearly put into trances by a series of half naked maidens on horseback, Lanval’s beautiful maiden comes to his aid.   Upon witnessing her beauty, all side with Lanval immediately, King Arthur included.   By pardoning this man who has supposedly wronged the Queen, King Arthur gives insight into his priorities.   Since the mystery maiden is far more physically attractive and wealthy than the Queen had ever been, there was no way Lanval could have made such an advance on the Queen.   And even if he said the things he said, he spoke the truth.   In this comical twist by de France, the King is more than willing to put aside his honor and the honor of his wife for an attractive stranger. Marie de France makes her final comment on the male-female, love-marriage tradition with the image of Lanval leaping onto the back of the maiden’s horse and riding into the distance.   Clearly, de France is turning the typical boy-rescues-girl scenario upside down, and perhaps is suggesting that things in her time are out of hand and need some strong women to turn things around.

Mid summer essays

Mid summer essays In Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" the mortal teenage characters fall in love foolishly, and the character Bottom states, "O what fools these mortals be". They are foolish because they act like children. Although Lysander, Hermia, Demetrius, and Helena appear grown-up, when they are in love they act foolishly. The four teenage Demetrius is a fool because he is unaware that his love changes through out the play. At the start of the play Demetrius does not love Helena. (II ii,line 188) Demetrius says, "I love thee not, therefore pursue me not." (II ii,line 194) "Hence, get thee gone, and follow me no more." In III ii, Demetrius after being juiced begins to love Helena. (III ii,line 169-173) Demetrius says, "Lysander, keep thy Hermia; I will none. If e'er I loved her, all that love is gone. My heart to her but as guest- wise sojourned, And now to Helen is it home returned, There to remain." This proves he is a fool, because he is not aware of his changing love for Helena. Helena is a fool because Demetrius does not love her but she still persists in chasing him. Demetrius shows no love for Helena. (II i,line 227-228) Demetrius says, "I'll run from thee, and hide me in the brakes, And leave thee to the mercy of wild beasts." (II i,line 199-201) "Do I entice you? Do I speak you fair? Or rather do I not in plainest truth Tell you I do not, nor I cannot love you?" Demetrius clearly illustrates to Helena that he has no interest, but Helena persists. (II i,line 202-204) Helena says, "And even for that do I love you the more. I am your spaniel; and, Demetrius, The more you beat me, I will fawn on you." (II i,line 220-222) "Your virtue is my privilege. For that It is not night when I do see your face, Therefore I think I am not in the night;" This proves that Helena is a ...

ACT Score Decrease How Much Can It Drop and Why

ACT Score Decrease How Much Can It Drop and Why SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips How much can an ACT score drop by? How likely is it your ACT score will decrease if you retake the test? Or are you wondering why your ACT score went down on a recent retake? Find out how likely an ACT decrease is, how big that ACT score decrease could be, and how to make sure your score goes up, not down! Read on if you have a retake in store. How Likely Is an ACT Score Decrease? The ACT has provided some data about how likely score decreases are when you retake the test. Of the students who took the ACT more than once: 57% increased their Composite score 21% had no change in their Composite score 22% decreased their Composite score Stats via the ACT Student website. So the odds are your ACT score will go up, but that is far from a guarantee. In fact, the odds are roughly 55/45 between your score going up or your score staying the same or decreasing. So if you retake the ACT, it’s almost as likely your score will stay the same or decrease rather than increase. This means you absolutely can’t slack when studying for a retake! Reasons for an ACT Composite Score Decrease The reasons your ACT score could decrease will depend on how much it decreases by. There is, after all, a big difference between going from a 28 to a 27 than a 28 to a 23. We'll discuss the reasons behind different ACT score drops. Statistically Likely Drops (Up to 3 Composite Points Down) A small step down for your score, a giant step down for your ego. Although you’re probably eager to discover the reason your score went down on your retake, it may be that you got lucky the first time you took the ACT. Maybe the first test went especially well for you – you did better with timing than normal, picked up extra points with guesses, had a great test center, and felt pretty comfortable with all of the reading passages and questions. Your first ACT score might have actually been a bit higher than you actually should have scored, so the second test is just a correction of your first score. However, it's also quite possible to run into worse luck on your retake. Even slight score changes could cause your overall composite score to decrease. For example, even if you did slightly better on two sections of the ACT, if you ran into bad luck and struggled with the two other sections, your composite could decrease. As an example, check out the following two hypothetical ACT scores. Even though this student improved their English and Science scores, bigger drops in Reading and Math caused their overall composite score to decrease. Test 1: 26 English, 27 Math, 29 Reading, 27 Science (Composite: 27) Test 2: 27 English, 24 Math, 25 Reading, 28 Science (Composite: 26) It’s not unheard of at all to see drops like 27 to 24 Math or 29 to 25 Reading. By losing just 4 or 5 raw points on each section, you could see a decrease like that. And you could easily lose that many raw points if you lose track of timing, or run into a tough Reading passage you don’t gel with, or Math questions you find more challenging. In short, even small changes in luck could have a big effect on your score. Also, did you study enough? The less you study for your retake, the more susceptible you’ll be to bad luck, struggling with timing, or having a hard time with test questions. It may be you studied a bunch before you took the ACT for the first time, but underestimated the time you would need to spend for the retake, so your score decreased. And how did you study? Were you timing yourself carefully? Analyzing your mistakes? Focusing on weak spots? If you just lazily reviewed some concepts you missed the first time or went through practice sections without recreating test conditions, your studying might not have been effective enough to raise your score. Finally, think about outside factors: Was your test center significantly worse the second time around? Were there unclear instructions from the proctor? Was your test center too hot or cold? (Read more about bad test centers and what to do about them here). Or were you sick or otherwise unfocused on your retake day? (Remember to also consider the reverse: were conditions especially good on your first ACT date and just average on your second one?) Any one of these factors or a combination of them could easily be enough to cause a composite score to decrease by 1 to 3 points. Large Score Drops (More than 3, Less than 5 Composite Points) You dropped the ball. If your ACT composite falls by this much, you likely have a more serious issue that you need to identify. Maybe you’re using a new strategy that just isn’t working for you – like trying to read through the reading and science passages first before reading the questions or plugging in the answers instead of solving with algebra on the math section. If a strategy is causing you to lose more than 5 raw points on a section, that could bring down your score enough to make your composite fall by 3 to 5 points. It's possible you didn't study at all (or only studied a little) before your ACT retake, thinking you could wing it. This would leave you wide open to struggling with timing, unexpectedly tough questions, or other bad luck on test day. Or maybe you were particularly sick or unfocused on your second test day, or your test center had serious problems. Regardless, you need to figure out what went wrong before attempting another retake! Very Large Drops (More than 5 Composite Points) A very serious issue is occurring if your score drops by this much. Maybe something was egregiously wrong with your test center, you filled in answers one line off for a whole section, or you were particularly sick or unfocused. Okay, so a 7-point ACT score drop probably isn't quite as dramatic as the Hindenburg disaster, but it may feel that way to you! First of all, examine your composite and section scores to see where the drops were. This will help you figure out where the problem occurred. Compare these two hypothetical students to see what we mean: Student A Test 1: English 29, Math 26, Reading 32, Science 30 (Composite: 29) Test 2: English 25, Math 18, Reading 26, Science 24 (Composite: 23) This student experienced big point drops in every section, leading to a much lower final composite score. Due to the drops in all sections, something must have happened with overall test strategy, for instance struggling with pacing or using a bad guessing strategy. It's also possible the test center was particularly bad, or the student was feeling quick sick. In short, the student needs to figure out what it was that caused their overall performance to suffer so much. Student B Test 1: English 29, Math 30, Reading 31, Science 30 (Composite: 30) Test 2: English 28, Math 15, Reading 29, Science 28 (Composite: 25) This student had a super large drop on one section (Math 30 to Math 15) and smaller, statistically likely drops on other sections. This means that, obviously, something went way wrong on math – maybe on this section the student started bubbling their answers one line off, resulting in a slew of wrong answers. It’s also possible that maybe the student implemented a new strategy on Math that turned out to be disastrous. But in this case, since the other sections weren’t affected, it’s less likely the problem was due to the test center, a bad overall test-taking strategy, or illness. This student needs to figure out what went wrong in Math. Finally, if you experience a 5-point composite drop or larger, you should consider the possibility your test was mis-scored. If you can't figure out any other logical reason your score would have dropped by so much, you might consider ACT’s hand-scoring service to find out for sure. How to Prevent a Score Decrease Given that your ACT composite score could easily decrease or remain the same if you retake the test, how can you make sure your score goes up? Follow our advice to make sure you don't waste your ACT retake. 1. Focus on Your Weak Points When studying for your retake, spend plenty of time studying for the section (or sections) you got the lowest scores on the first time. You want to make sure you get the points you missed the first time around. For example, if your Math score was a 24 and all your other sections were between 28 and 30, you would definitely want to make sure to improve your Math score to improve your overall composite. If you can make sure you earn points you missed on your first test, you’re reducing the chances of a score decrease. Not sure where to start? Here are some resources to help tackle a weak subject area or two. English The Best Prep Books for ACT English The Top 9 ACT English Strategies You Should Use More guides from grammar rules to diction errors Math How to Stop Running Out of Time on ACT Math Plugging in Answers: A Crucial Strategy More guides on everything from fractions to statistics Reading The Best Way to Practice ACT Reading Questions The Four Types of ACT Reading Passages You Should Know How to Stop Running Out of Time on ACT Reading More fine-grained guides from comparison passages to author intent Science A Complete Guide to ACT Science 9 Reasons You're Missing ACT Science Questions ACT Science Strategies You Should Be Using 2. Don’t Neglect Your Strong Areas Even if you fix your weak spots, it’s not unlikely that your highest section could go down if you don't study for it. In other words, think of this as preserving the points you earned on your first round of the ACT. Even if you manage to raise the score on your weakest section, if your other section scores decrease – by even just a point or two! – your composite could decrease or stay the same. Check out the hypothetical ACT scores below to see what we mean: Test 1: English 28, Math 24, Reading 30, Science 29 (Composite: 28) Test 2: English 27, Math 27, Reading 28, Science 27 (Composite: 27) Even though this student brought up Math, their lowest section, from 24 to 27, the slight score decreases on other sections caused their composite score to fall. This means you need to be practicing for the entire test, even your strong sections, to guarantee a composite score increase. Being prepared for the test as a whole is the best way to shield yourself from ACT composite decreases. So how can you prepare for the ACT as a whole? Use complete practice tests, time yourself strictly, and understand how the test is scored. Also look into getting a strong overall ACT prep book to help you study. 3. Practice, Practice, Practice Even though you've taken the ACT once before, that doesn't mean you don't have to practice much before your retake. In fact, you may want to consider practicing even more than you did before your first ACT! The more consistent you can be, the better. Practice will reduce the score variation caused by harder/easier test questions or good/bad luck on test day. Think of it this way: any challenge you encounter in practice is one you will be prepared for on test day. Whether that’s an extra-hard math question, a tricky reading passage, or personal fatigue, learning how to deal with challenges in practice can help you achieve your target score on test day. Use strict timing whenever you study, and aim to consistently hit your target score on each section. Also, be ruthless about analyzing your mistakes – don’t just note your wrong answers, figure out why you got them wrong and how to make sure you won’t ever make the same mistake again. (Read more about how you should be analyzing your mistakes.) 4. Logistics In addition to adopting a smart study plan, you also want to make sure outside factors don’t mess with your ACT retake score. Make sure you’re using the best test center for you. Also, be sure that you’re getting enough sleep and following the guidelines to be ready the morning of the test. Finally, give yourself enough time before a retake – if you rush to retake the ACT on the next possible test date, you might not give yourself enough time to practice and improve. Make sure you give yourself enough time to study and prepare for your ACT retake! What’s Next? Check out ACT tips from our resident 36 full-scorer. If you can incorporate all these tips, the odds of your score decreasing will go WAY down! Learn more about how the ACT is scored to know how many questions you need to get correct for a score increase. Also read about ACT timing so you can be efficient about your time per question. Need motivation to study for your ACT retake? Discover scholarships you can earn for high ACT scores. Want to improve your ACT score by 4 points?We have the industry's leading ACT prep program. Built by Harvard grads and ACT full scorers, the program learns your strengths and weaknesses through advanced statistics, then customizes your prep program to you so you get the most effective prep possible. Check out our 5-day free trial today:

Cahokia and Moundville Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Cahokia and Moundville - Essay Example The early human interaction is very minimal to most people today, yet many experts and historians suggest that there was no outside contact with the Natchez until around the spring of 1682 when an expedition descended the famous Mississippi River where shortly after the Natchez Indians met with a Frenchman, La Salle. Even though these strange outsiders were weary of these white faces, they still allowed them to pass on their territory under conditions they had worked out with in some of the first meetings with La Salle and his militants, and it was not too long after that that the white men had built and found Fort Rosalie in 1716 which was the center of the society. As the French and the military and other civilian population continue to grow so did the infrequent to often unsettled issues between the Indians and the French which lead to some unfortunate battles in the end. Yet, it was not until the tribe ended up in the middle of the melee among England and France as they pushed to control American lands which made the Natchez show their true hate for the French and knew what they were up to and wanted to fight for what was rightfully theirs. After four years of hostility the Natchez worried daily about their fate in their vast lands of goods, fields of crops, waters, plenty of harvesting, hunting, lumber, cooking, families, and a normal peaceful camp life along with other closely related Indians within some of the same parts of the lower part of Mississippi. By this time, English soldiers had most of the Natchez natives convinced that the French were out to take what was theirs and they began looking at the French as their enemy. After nine years in the late fall 0f November 1729, was the first time this tribe went against the French’s wishes and war broke out immediately and within no time so many unprepared, unarmed, unequipped, and outnumber Natchez were dead, and what ancestors were left of the tribe ended up migrating to a different land to start rebuilding with what little resources and family that was left from the ancestors. As a result of such loss, the Natchez exiles decided to unite with other local tribes to build the native power to save their homes with Indian tribes like the Cherokee and the Chickasaw Creek Indians. Archeological aspects are recognized of the Natchez who were the last Indians were the last tribe of Mississippi, and began to decline increasingly in number when the war with the French nearly did them in to be lost forever. However, the tribe stretched as far as parts of Louisiana all the way through Mississippi on in to Alabama, up to Oklahoma, on to North and South Carolina and up in to some parts of Tennessee. Yet, there are very few native Natchez ancestors that still live around the southeastern part of the United States who became known for several reasons including they were the biggest and by far the sturdiest tribe of Indians of lower Mississippi, who knew how to live off the land extremely well because they grew a multitude of vegetation which included the essentials to most native Americans including: corn, beans, cabbage, sage, onion, flour, oats, squash, and other wild plants for medicine men. This culture were plentiful hunters as they were farmers mostly living off of stream and

To what extent is there a gap between sociological and cultural Essay

To what extent is there a gap between sociological and cultural studies of youth can these ever be bridged - Essay Example The United Nations (UNESCO) officially‘†¦ defines youth as people between the ages of 15 and 24 years inclusive’ (op. cit.). The popular view of youth as the period of rebelliousness is contrasted with childhood as one of acceptance of adult norms, and adulthood as the period of consolidation and conservatism. In Western societies it has been observed that increasingly, the years of childhood appear to shrink while the period of youth gets extended as the adoption of an adult identity becomes ever more delayed. Today young children are exposed to adult concerns through mass media and lose their childhood innocence much earlier than in previous epochs ‘There was now a sense that the end of childhood is happening quicker, and that the period of youth goes on longer‘(Report of the Workshop on Global Youth Media Culture -2004). The World Bank has concluded that on the whole, today’s youth (in industrially developed countries) as compared to their parents at a similar age, are: ‘†¦more likely †¦to be unemployed, ‘†¦ more likely than their parents to be living at home, †¦more likely †¦to be in full time education or training, †¦ less likely to be married’, and†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢less likely to have (had) their first child’ (h ttp://www.worldbank.org/devoutreach/spring02/article.asp.id=156). Human beings unlike other species in the animal kingdom do not merely live out their biological lifespan in a state of nature. Over millennia, they have built up civilizations with distinct cultures. Culture is all that which is transmitted from generation to generation in terms of language, norms, customs, practices, values and behaviours, which are essential to establish one‘s place in society as a contributing member. With scientific and technological advances in the West, resulting in the dominance of powerful multinational purveyors of popular culture such as