The Complete Guide to Google Scholarships

The Complete Guide to Google Scholarships SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Google is one of the world’s software and technology powerhouses - it’s not surprising that they offer several scholarships for students interested in pursuing computer science and engineering. Because Google has the resources to offer very generous awards, applicants come up against serious competition when gunning for one of their scholarships. If you’re interested in a Google scholarship, you should be as prepared as possible if you want to submit a successful application. In this post I’ll explain every major Google award in detail before giving you tips and strategies for submitting an awesome application. Introduction Google offers six major scholarships for students who plan to pursue (or who are actively pursuing) an education and career in computer science, computer engineering, or a closely related field. Because Google is constantly seeking to employ people with these skills, it makes sense that they would encourage talented students to study CS. In an effort to encourage underrepresented groups to pursue CS and other technical fields, most of the Google scholarships are limited to certain populations. Here are the six major scholarships I’ll cover: The Generation Google Scholarship-Applicants must be African American, Hispanic, American Indian, Filipino/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, Female, or a Person with a Disability. The Google Anita Borg Memorial Scholarship- Applicants must be female. The VenkatPanchapakesan Memorial Scholarship - Applicants must be students in India who have faced adversity. The Google Lime Scholarship for Students With Disabilities - Applicants must study in the US or Canada and have a visible or invisible disability. The Google Europe Scholarship for Students With Disabilities - Applicants must study in Europe and have a disability. The Google SVA Scholarship for Student Veterans - Applicants must be US veterans or currently serve in the US military. At the end of the article, you’ll find strategies for increasing your chances of winning a Google scholarship. 1. The Generation Google Scholarship The Generation Google Scholarshipis for high school seniors or current undergraduate/graduate students who are passionate about computer science and engineering, belong to a minority group within computer science, and plan on attending school in the US or Canada. Winners receive either $10,000 (US dollars) or $5,000 (Canadian dollars) depending on where they attend school. Money must be used for tuition or education-related expenses. Winners entering their first year of college or university are required to attend Google's Computer Science Summer Institute the summer before. All other winners will be invited to attend the Google Scholars' Retreat. Application components: General background info, resume, transcript, 1-2 letters of reference, 4-6 short essays. Deadline: This year’s deadline (March 3, 2016) has already passed. Next year’s application will open this fall - the deadline should be in early March 2017. Eligibility Criteria There are different requirements depending on whether the applicant is a current high school student OR a current undergraduate/graduate student. Requirements for High School Students Applicants must: Be current high school seniors. Intend to enroll in, or be accepted, as a full-time student at a university in the US or Canada for the 2016-2017 school year. Intend to pursue a computer science or computer engineering degree, or a degree in a closely related technical field. Exemplify leadership and demonstrate a passion for computer science and technology. Be a student from an underrepresented group in computer science: African American, Hispanic, American Indian, Filipino/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, female, or a person with a disability. Be available to attend Google’s Computer Science Summer Initiative (CSSI). Requirements for Current University Students Applicants must: Be currently enrolled as an undergraduate or graduate student for the 2015-2016 academic year. Intend to be enrolled or accepted as a full-time student at a university in the US or Canada for the 2016-2017 school year. Be pursuing a computer science or computer engineering degree, or a degree in a closely related technical field. Exemplify leadership and demonstrate a passion for computer science and technology. Exhibit a strong record of academic achievement. Be a student from an underrepresented group in computer science: African American, Hispanic, American Indian, Filipino/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, female, or a person with a disability. Application Again, the application process differs based on whether the applicant is a high school student or a university student. Application Process for High School Students The online application includes: General background information (includes contact info and information about your current and intended institutions) Current resume Academic transcript One letter of reference from a STEM instructor Responses to six short answer questions Application Process for Current University Students The online application includes: General background information (includes contact info and information about your current and intended institutions) Current resume Academic transcripts from your current and prior institutions (if you have earned a prior degree) Two letters of reference from a professor, instructor, adviser, or supervisor Responses to four essay questions 2. The Google Anita Borg Memorial Scholarship Anita Borg Memorial Scholarships are offered around the world, but for the purposes of this article I’ll be focusing only on the US Anita Borg Scholarships. The US Anita Borg Memorial Scholarships are for female undergraduate and graduate students who are studying computer science or similar technical fields. Scholarship winners receive $10,000 each and will be invited to attend the annual Google Scholars’ Retreat in Mountain View, CA. Different numbers of winners are chosen every year, but it seems the scholarship usually selects 20-30 recipients. Application components: General background info, resume/CV, academic transcripts, two letters of reference, four essay questions. Deadline: Applications are currently closed. The next scholarship cycle (2017) will open in the fall of 2016. Women are underrepresented in CS and related fields - Anita Borg Scholarships hopefully work to remedy this. Eligibility Criteria Applicants must: Be a female student currently enrolled as an undergraduate or graduate student at a university for the 2015-2016 academic year. Intend to be enrolled in or accepted as a full-time undergraduate or graduate student at a university in the United States for the 2016-2017 academic year. Major in computer science, computer engineering, or a closely related technical field. Maintain a strong academic record. Exemplify leadership and demonstrate passion for increasing the involvement of women in computer science. This award is open to US citizens, permanent residents, and international students. You can apply for this scholarship even if you’ve won before. If you're not in the US, you may be eligible for a scholarship in another region. Anita Borg Scholarships are offered in Africa, Asia Pacific, Canada, China, Europe, Middle East, and the US. Scholarship conditions vary by region. Application Students submit an online application which includes: General background info (contact info, information about your current and intended institutions) Resume Academic transcripts from your current and prior institutions (if you’ve earned a prior degree) Two letters of reference from a professor, instructor, adviser, or supervisor Responses to four essay questions Special Notes This scholarship seems very competitive based on the US colleges and universities that winners attend - many of them are top-rated schools. You can read more about the winners and their academic and professional careers. As this is a memorial scholarship, it’s important to learn as much as possible about the award’s inspiration: Dr. Anita Borg. 3. The Google Venkat Panchapakesan Memorial Scholarship The Venkat Panchapakensan Memorial Scholarship is for college and university students in India who are passionate about computer science and/or engineering. Winners receive $750 (US dollars) for tuition and education expenses plus a visit to the YouTube headquarters in San Bruno, CA. Selected students will also have an opportunity to submit a proposal for funding ($250) to spend on growing computer science in the local community. Application components: Two short essays, one short video, resume/CV, two letters of recommendation. Deadline: This year’s deadline (March 31, 2016) has already passed. Next year’s scholarship deadline (2017) should be around the same time. Eligibility Criteria Applicants must be: Currently enrolled as an undergraduate/graduate student at a college or university in India (for both the 2015-2016 and 2016-2017 academic years). Currently pursuing a degree in computer science, computer engineering, or a closely related technical field. Students with compelling applications will also fit the following criteria: Aspire to be computer scientists and technology leaders. Exemplify leadership skills and a demonstrated passion for community science and technology. Assist those around them to excel in the field of computer science and technology. Help their friends and family use computer science and technology. Leverage the field of computer science to transform systems (from building the next game-changing technology, to even helping families be happy, etc.) Have faced adversity and overcome it to continue learning and growing in the field of computer science. This scholarship strongly emphasizes ties to the community. Application Process 1. Write an essay (300 words max) explaining: How do you plan to use CS to make the world a more sustainable place? If you receive the scholarship, how will you use it to advance your passion and the goals of this scholarship? 2. Write an essay (250 words max) explaining adversity that you’ve faced and how it’s impacted your career. Explain the steps you took to overcome it. 3. Submit a video (1 min max) telling the scholarship committee why you want to receive this award. Upload it to YouTubeand share the link in your application. 4. Submit your resume/CV. Include your experience in the area of computer science, as well as your leadership experience and the impact you’ve created. 5. Submit two letters of recommendation. They can be from faculty or from supervisors at your work (like an internship, part-time, or full-time job). Special Notes As this is a memorial scholarship, it's important to learn as much as possible about the award's inspiration. VenkatPanchapakesan was a"much loved and highly respected engineer" who worked at companies such as YouTube, Google, and Yahoo. He passed away at a young age after a battle with cancer. Here's what the scholarship description has to say about Venkat: "During his short time he deeply touched the hearts and minds of his friends, family and colleagues. He taught us to be generous, humble, ever-optimistic and to always find the best in people." 4. The Google Lime Scholarship for Students With Disabilities The Google Lime Scholarship for Students With Disabilitiesis for college and university students in the US and Canada who both (1) study computer science or a related field and (2) have a visible or invisible disability. Winners receive either $10,000 (US dollars) or $5,000 (Canadian dollars) depending on where they attend school. Money must be used for tuition or education-related expenses. Application components: General background info, transcripts, resume/CV, two letters of reference, three essays. Deadline: The application is currently closed - the most recent deadline was December 6, 2016. The new application will launch in the fall. Eligibility Criteria Applicants must: Have, or consider themselves to have, a visible or invisible disability. Be currently enrolled as an undergraduate or graduate student at a university for the 2015-2016 academic year. Plan to enroll as a full-time student at a university in the US or Canada for the 2016-2017 academic year. Maintain a strong academic performance. Be pursuing a degree in computer science, computer engineering, or a degree in a closely related technical field. Exemplify leadership and demonstrate a passion for computer science and technology. Application Submit an online application which includes: General background information (e.g. contact information, details about your current and intended universities) Resume/CV Academic transcripts from current and prior institutions (if you have earned a prior degree) Two letters of reference from a professor, instructor, adviser, or supervisor Responses to three essay questions 5. The Google Europe Scholarship for Students With Disabilities The Google Europe Scholarship for Students With Disabilities is for college/university students in Europe who both (1) study computer science or a closely related field, and (2) have a disability. Winners receive a â‚ ¬7,000 scholarship. About 10 recipients are chosen every year. Application components: General background info, resume/CV, academic transcripts, one letter of reference, essay questions (number currently unknown). Deadline: The scholarship is currently closed, but will re-open in the fall. There aren't many geographic limitations within Europe for this scholarship, which makes it pretty flexible. Eligibility Criteria Applicants must: Be currently enrolled at a university in Europe for the 2015-2016 academic year. Intend to be enrolled or accepted as a full-time student at a Bachelor’s, Master’s or PhD program at a university in Europe for the 2016-2017 academic year. Be studying computer science, computer engineering, informatics, or a closely related technical field. Exemplify leadership and a passion for computer science and technology. Have a disability (defined as a long-term or recurring issue that impacts one or more major activities that others may consider a daily function). Application Students complete an online application which includes: General background info (contact info, details about your current and intended institutions) Resume/CV Academic transcripts from your current and prior institutions (if you’ve earned a prior degree) One reference letter from a professor, instructor, adviser, or supervisor Responses to essay questions (number and length undisclosed) Special Notes Although there isn’t much info available about the number or types of essay questions required, the FAQ section suggests that at least one of the prompts will ask students to write a technical essay. If asked to write a technical essay, your piece should include the following: A brief overview of the problem Your approach to the key technical challenges How you solved the problem Impact/conclusions If you’d like more info, check out this example of a technical essay written for this scholarship. It looks like there are about 10 winners chosen for this scholarship every year. Winners are students at universities all over Europe. 6. The Google SVA Scholarship for Student Veterans The Google SVA Scholarship for Student Veterans is for college and university students in the US who both (1) study computer science or a closely related field and (2) are student veterans or are on Active Duty Eight scholarship winners receive $10,000 each. Application components: General background info, resume/CV, academic transcripts, two letter of reference, proof of veteran status, three essay questions. Deadline: The scholarship is currently closed, but will re-open in the fall. Last year’s scholarship deadline was November 2. Eligibility Criteria Applicants must: Be currently enrolled as an undergraduate or graduate student at a university for the 2015-2016 academic year. Intend to be enrolled in or accepted as a full-time student at a university in the US for the 2016-2017 academic year. Maintain a strong academic performance. Be pursuing a computer science or computer engineering degree, or a degree in a closely related technical field. Exemplify leadership and demonstrate a passion for computer science and technology. Be a current student veteran (includes members of the National Guard or Reserve) as proven by a DD-214 and transcript, or a student on Active Duty as proven by submission of Active Duty orders and a Memorandum of Understanding from your commanding officer indicating that you are currently in good standing with your unit and transcript. Have received an honorable discharge, or be in good standing with his/her branch of service. Application Applicants must submit an online app which includes: General background info (contact info, details on your current and intended institutions) Resume/CV Academic transcripts from your current and prior institution (if you’ve received a prior degree) DD Form 214 Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty (DD-214), or Active Duty orders and a Memorandum of Understanding from your commanding officer indicating that you are currently in good standing with your unit Two letters of reference from a professor, instructor, adviser, or supervisor Responses to three essay questions (300-500 words each) Unfortunately, the exact prompts for the next scholarship cycle haven't been released.Chances are, however, that they will be similarto essay prompts used in past years. Essay prompts from last year’s application include: What sparked your interest in computer science? How did this lead you to major in computer science and what do you hope to accomplish with your degree? In your answer, please describe how your experiences have influenced the goals you have for yourself. Please give us 1-2 examples of how you have exhibited leadership. Explain how you were influential, what you were trying to achieve, and the impact you had as a result. These need not be demonstrated through formal or traditional leadership roles. Think broadly and examine the many ways you are having an effect on the members of your technical community, your university, or your broader community. Please describe the most significant computer science project or research you have worked on, how you approached key technical challenges, and what you gained from the experience. It might have been a class assignment, a research project, or other work or volunteer experience. If the project was team-based, specify your individual role and contributions in the project. How to Win a Google Scholarship Most of the awards listed are for current undergraduate or graduate students, so you may not be quite ready to apply for a Google scholarship. This is a good thing - the longer you have to prepare for your scholarship application, the better your chances of success. Here, I’ll cover both long-term strategies (for students who are in high school/early college) and short-term tips (for students who want to submit an app during the next scholarship cycle). If you're trying to win any of the competitive Google scholarships, you've got to start thinking strategically pretty early on. Long-Term Strategies You might still have a while before you put scholarship applications together, but that doesn't mean you can't start preparing. These long-term strategies will help you strengthen not just your Google scholarship application, but your college apps as well. Demonstrate Academic Excellence There aren’t any hard GPA cutoffs when it comes to qualifying for these awards, but with the intense competition for Google scholarships, you’ll need impressive grades in order to stand out as an applicant. Some of the scholarships listed above have public lists of scholarship winners which also list the students' college and university. Many of the schools (at least the ones located in the US) are very competitive with acceptance rates as low as 5-15%. This gives you an idea of the sort of student you'll be competing with for these awards Not all scholarship recipients ended up at ultra-competitive schools, but your chances of winning an award will be higher if your grades are comparable to those of the most high-achieving students. I expect you'll need to have a truly excellent GPA - top 10% in your class, or even top 5% - in order to have a good shot. Read more about what’s considered a good GPAand why. Demonstrate Leadership Skills Many scholarship programs - including Google’s - want to invest in future leaders in their fields. It’s important that you show a history of leadership experience in order to meet this criterion. You can do this by: Actively participating in class or at work Volunteering to lead or take on projects Joining clubs or extracurriculars (especially related to CS) that ignite your passions and interests Starting your own club or organization Working your way up the ladder (e.g. getting a promotion) at a job or internship Develop Relationships With Educators, Mentors, and Advisers All of the scholarships listed above require applicants to submit lettersof reference. It'll be easier to seek out letter-writers - and the letters themselves will be more effective - if you've cultivated relationships with several instructors, mentors, and/or authority figures. Seeking out these types of relationships is also helpful for another reason: it's important to have experienced people around you to guide you on your academic and career path. If you have respect for a particular class or job or extracurricular activity, your teacher or mentor will come to respect you - that’s step #1. To work on further developing these relationships, you can: Go to office hours to ask for extra help on tricky problems or concepts Actively participate in class and work meetings Go to your professors or supervisors with questions that may be outside the scope of your regular curriculum or job; this demonstrates intellectual curiosity Commit to Computer Science and Technology The large scholarships that Google gives out are serious, long-term investments in both the futures of student recipients and the future of computer science and technology.As such, Google wants to make sure that the awards go to those who are going to stayinthese fields. The longer you’ve been seeking out an education in CS and the more projects or learning experiences you’ve taken on, the more serious and invested you’ll seem to application evaluators. Here are a few ways you can demonstrate a commitment to CS: Start taking any and all available courses in high school Work on programming projects with a mentor in your free time Participate in CS clubs and/or competitions Choose to major in CS or a closely related field (this is a requirement for Google scholarships) Short-Term Tips Even if you haven't been planning long-term to optimize your Google scholarship applications, there are a ton of things you can do to boost your chances. Follow these tips to submit a complete, polished, thoughtful application. Not much time? You can still work to submit a winning application - you just have to be smart about it. Plan Ahead (as Much as Possible) You can't exactly throw a complete Google scholarship application together in one afternoon. For one thing, you'll have to write several essays and/or short answer questions; for another, you'll have to get thoughtful letters of reference from teachers or advisers. These things take time to do well. I'd encourage you to start putting your application together about 12 weeks before the due date. This timeline is important for a couple of key reasons. First, you'll need time to draft your essays, ask a trusted mentor to review them, and then polish and write up final versions. Second, it's courteous to give letter-writers plenty of time to come up with references - ask them if they'd be willing to write for you at the beginning of this 12-week window (or even earlier). Invest in Your Essays Your essays are the one part of your application where the scholarship committee gets true insight into who you are as an individual - they won't ever meet you in person, and while reference letters are helpful, they're still second-hand accounts. As such, you want to make sure your essays are confident, strong, and polished. Here are some tips for making your essays the best they can be: Answer every part of the prompt. This is especially important for any technical essays. Elaborate -don’t just provide a list in response to a question. Evaluators want to see that you’re thoughtful. Yes/no answers will not cut it. Make your goals and passions clear. It is very important to application evaluators that students are invested in, and passionate about, computer science and technology. There are many students that study CS - why should you get the scholarship? What do you care about that makes you special? If you have an opportunity to do so, explain why you started studying CS, why you want this scholarship, and how this scholarship will helpyou (for example, maybe you hope to directly help others or advance technological progress). Craft a narrative. You want your essays (if you are required to write more than one) to work together in crafting a cohesive story about who you are and what you care about. Think critically about two or three important points that you want evaluators to knowabout you - all of your essays should serve to communicate these points. Don’t be afraid to brag (to an extent). Bring up any honors, awards, or accolades if they’re directly related to CS. It’s helpful to make a list beforehand of all of your achievements (this is also helpful if you need to update your CV or resume). Demonstrate humility. As accomplished as you may be, it’s off-putting to come across as arrogant about what you’ve achieved. Don’t be afraid to (partially) attribute your successes to the guidance, mentorship, and support of others. Stay positive. This is especially pertinent when it comes to essays asking you about hardships or adversities. It’s helpful to speak about these issues with a frank, honest tone - just make sure to express positivity about the future. Choose Your Reference Writers Wisely It's of course important to scholarship evaluators to gain insight into your own motivations and perspective, but it's just as important for them to understand how others view you. As such, it's important that you think strategically about who you ask to write your letters of reference. Ideal letter-writers will have detailed,glowing anecdotes showcasing your character,your work (hopefully in CS), and your personal relationships with others. Letter-writers can be especially effectiveif they know you in multiple contexts(e.g. they serve as a mentor but also as a professor or boss). Read more about what makes for a great letter of recommendation. Summary Google offers six major scholarships for students all around the world, but only students who are studying (or plan to study) computer science or a closely related field will qualify. The six scholarship programs are: The Generation Google Scholarship The Google Anita Borg Memorial Scholarship The VenkatPanchapakesan Memorial Scholarship The Google Lime Scholarship for Students With Disabilities The Google Europe Scholarship for Students With Disabilities The Google SVA Scholarship for Student Veterans As the awards are fairly generous, applicants will come up against serious competition. In order to optimize your chances of winning one of these awards, it's important that students strategize inboth the short and long term. What's Next? Google scholarships aren't the only generous, competitive awards out there. If you're interested in going after some serious scholarship prizes, we have the information you need to help you win. Check out our guides to the Gates Millennium Scholarship, the Coca Cola Scholarship, and the Ronald McDonald House Charities Scholarships. If you want to hedge your bets by applying to smaller awards (which you definitely should), local scholarships are the way to go. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

How FundsForWriters.com Taught Me to be a Successful Writer

How FundsForWriters.com Taught Me to be a Successful Writer Once upon a time, there was a writer. Shed had over a hundred feature articles published in various magazines, before she heard about FundsForWriters.com. Hey, Im a writer! I bet I could tell other writers a thing or two, and earn fifty cool ones, she thought. So she dashed off a submission to the editor, Hope Clark. It was rejected. She tried again. And again. She had to pitch four times before her fifth submission was finally accepted. Even then, the piece seemed so less-than-satisfactorily edited, it spawned not one but two irate editorials, back-to-back, on the importance of perfecting a pitch before submitting making her the only writer to have inspired such an occurrence. Hopes words stung her. She couldve quit then. She couldve packed it all in, declared this market unfit for her work, proclaimed its editor crazy and never looked back. Sour grapes? Likely. But she didnt. That writer was me. Last year, a writer had five articles published with FundsForWriters.com. Meaning nearly once every couple of months, you read her name in the newsletter. She came this close to landing a 3-in-3: three acceptances in three days. She became one of only two people to ever have two feature articles published in the newsletter in the same month, a record. That writer was also me. This is my story. Heres how I went from 0 to 5 FFW credits in less than 12 months: 1. I learned to edit. I am naturally verbose. If a thing can be said in four words, I use ten. So when asked to include voice, flavour, anecdotes and practical tips, all in under 600 words, I cursed and shook my head. Impossible! But then I did it. Five times. I grit my teeth, hardened my heart against my trademark lyrical prose and took a machete to the verbiage. As the word count dropped, my bank balance climbed. 2. I studied the market. It helped to subscribe to the newsletter for several weeks, to discern a pattern to the features presented. The guidelines themselves said it best, they couldnt have laid it out any clearer. I took note. 3. I didnt encumber myself. Ive written on diverse topics from parenting to mobile-optimized websites. I drew upon my interest and experience from other fields to apply to writing. Nobody told me it couldnt be done, so I didnt let it stop me. I was bold. I took risks. Sure, theres a chance of failure, but at least I wont regret not trying. 4. I didnt spread myself too thin, either. Im online social media shy. All I have is a blog to showcase my

Music and Emotion Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Music and Emotion - Research Paper Example In the "Music and Emotion" essay author describes the effect that music has on our brain and how it manipulates our emotions. The association between music, emotion and brain is an interesting topic which provoked the attention of music lovers, psychologists and medical experts. Music can touch the emotions of all kinds of people like introverts, extroverts, simple or tough people. Music has no languages or it has its own language which is understandable only to the music lovers. It is quite possible that a westerner may infatuate by the Indian classical music and an Indian may love the western music. In other words, music is all about the rhythm, composing styles, lyrics etc rather than the normal languages. Emotional association of music is highly subjective. For example, a group of people who hear the same music in the same environment may develop different emotions. One of them may develop happiness because of the fast rhythm and another may become sad because of the lyrics. A th ird person in that group may focus more on the singing style or the voice of the singer while a fourth person may give more importance to the composing of the music. These differences happen because of the individual differences. In other words, the development of emotion as a result of music listening depends on the nature of the individual. Music is effective in the treatment of psychological disorders like autism because of its ability to touch the emotions of the patient. It is difficult to treat psychological problems like autism with the help of any medicines. In the study of how music therapy improves behavioral abnormalities of autism, Griggs-Drane and Wheeler, a music therapist and educational consultant, respectively, in the Richmond Hospital Education Program, performed a study in 1997 with a blind, female adolescent with autism. The client was asked to listen to music, sing with music, and play instruments to decrease her self-destructive behavior. The study did show a decrease in her destructive behavior (Aguila, p.7) The above findings clearly show that music can affect even abnormal people. Music can be used as an effective communication device between an autistic patient and the therapist. The therapist can cultivate many desired feelings in the minds of the patient after recognizing the specific tastes of the patient. It is not necessary that two autistic patients may react in the same manner to a particular music. In other words, the music which was used by the therapist to cultivate a particular behavior in an autistic patien t need not be successful on another patient. The therapist should vary the music to see the effects and to decide which music is suitable for a particular patient. â€Å"Leanne Belasco, a music therapist at the Kennedy Krieger School's Montgomery County campus in Rockville, says music gives structure and a predictable rhythm to verbal directions† (Hwang). Apart from autism, music therapy can be effective in treating some of the phobias. Some people have the habit of developing unintentional negative feelings. Such people often worried about unnecessary things because

Research on state government agencies Coursework

Research on state government agencies - Coursework Example With such core values, the agency is destined to make the best in their scope of work. To ensure they are working efficiently, the agency provided vital information. Some of the vital information include the address, telephone and contact details. The contact details for Texas transport department are telephone number: (800) 558-9368, address: 125 East 11th St. and the website is http://www.txdot.gov. The Texas department of public safety’s mission is to protect and serve the public. Its core values include integrity, excellence, and accountability. In order to serve people optimally, the department have given an email, which is kevin.jones@dps.texas.gov. Similarly, its address is 5805 North Lamar Blvd. while its contacts are Texas 78773-0251 and 512-424-5900. Its website is http://www.dps.texas.gov. The Texas parks and wildlife department mission is to maintain and conserve the resources in Texas. This includes the natural and cultural resources, in providing various services like fishing, hunting and outdoor activities (United States, 2012). It has various philosophies, which include being a recognizable manager of resources, serving Texas effectively, and maintaining responsibility. Its contacts include 4200 Smith School Road and its website is http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us. The Texas department of transportation has a wide scope of work. To begin with, the department ensures the highways are safe for public transport. This is by ensuring all roads are repaired in time. As such, they have to plan on all repairs on the highways. Secondly, the Texas department ensures the traffic is flowing accordingly. At times, there are traffic snarl-ups, which affect the people. As such, they have to avoid such instances. Thirdly, the department ensures people who commit road offences are apprehended. In some instances, people flout the traffic rules. This is the work of the department, to ensure people follow the rules.

Preschool Music Education Essay Example for Free

Preschool Music Education Essay Introduction Teaching music to preschoolers contributes to brain development.   â€Å"The musician is constantly adjusting decisions on tempo, tone, style, rhythm, phrasing, and feeling—training the brain to become incredibly good at organizing and conducting numerous activities at once. Dedicated practice of this orchestration can have a great payoff for lifelong attention skills, intelligence, and an ability for self-knowledge and expression† (Ratey, 2001).   A group of researchers at the University of California (Irvine) conducted a study that showed that after eight months of keyboard lessons, preschoolers showed a 46% boost in their spatial reasoning (Rauscher, Shaw, Levine, Ky and Wright, 2001). Music Education Module   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The curriculum for teaching preschool music education should contain three parts: 1) Singing; 2) Active listening; and 3) Movement.   All three of these subsections should work together and build off of the skills learned during the other subsections.   The music education curriculum must be fun and engaging for the preschool children, otherwise the children will not give the music activities their full attention and will not retain the cognitive abilities that can be taught through music education.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The preschool music education curriculum needs to be focused around teaching the children songs, preferably nursery rhymes and other educational songs, which will teach the children a skill.   Incorporating movement and hand motions into each song that is taught will enhance the skills learned.   Learning to sing songs will improve the development of language acquisition, listening skills, and fine motor skills.    Songs that tell a story with hand motions such as â€Å"I’m Bringing Home a Baby Bumblebee† will improve language skills as well as fine motor skills and self expression.   Songs that specifically address a certain skill such as counting songs (1,2 Buckle My Shoe) and spelling songs (B-I-N-G-O) should be incorporated into the music curriculum as well.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The preschool music education curriculum must also include active listening to music.   Listening to music, particularly classical music, will improve listening skills, auditory discrimination, abstract reasoning, and spatial intelligence.   After the children have listened to a musical piece, the experience needs to be reinforced by a series of questions and answers.   Asking the children what kind of instruments they heard and what emotions they felt during the song will improve the abstract reasoning skills and teach the children how to evaluate and comprehend what they have heard.   Clapping through a rhythm that was in the song they just heard will teach the children about tempo and improve counting and mathematical skills. Conclusion The preschool music education curriculum needs to include all three of the subsections discussed.   If the curriculum neglects one of the subsections, important skills will be neglected.   Singing and dancing teaches preschool children language skills, fine motor skills, and self expression.   Actively listening to music, particularly classical music, improves listening skills, abstract reasoning skills, and spatial intelligence. When developing a preschool music education curriculum, the most important thing is to ensure that the curriculum is fun and engaging for the preschool children.   If the curriculum is rigid and boring, the children will lose interest and the teacher will not have their full attention.   In order for the preschool children to acquire the skills taught during music education, the children must be engaged in the curriculum.     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚      References Musically Yours, Inc.   (2007, November) Music Preludes.   Retrieved January 23, 2008 from http://www.musicpreludes.com/index.html Ratey John J., MD. A User’s Guide to the Brain. New York: Pantheon Books, 2001. Rauscher, Shaw, Levine, Ky and Wright, â€Å"Music and Spatial Task Performance: A Causal Relationship,† University of California, Irvine, 1994

The Revolutions of 1848 Essay -- World History Revolution Essays

The Revolutions of 1848 The Revolutions of 1848 have been described as the â€Å"greatest revolution of the century†1. From its mild beginnings in Palermo, Sicily in January 1848, it did not take long to spread across the rest of Europe (Britain and Russia were the only countries not to experience such revolutions). â€Å"In 1848 more states on the European continent were overcome by revolution than ever before and ever since†2. The Revolutions became more radical but after June 1848 these revolutionary events began to overlap with those of counterrevolutionary actions, thus enabling the old regimes to return to power. 1848 was described as â€Å"a sunny spring of the peoples abruptly interrupted by the winter of the princes†3.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"It has often been said†¦that in 1848†¦European history reached its turning point and failed to turn†4. There are a variety of reasons that can be given for the failure of the Revolutions, these include the divisions amongst revolutionaries, the continuing social and economic problems of the countries involved, the difficulty in replacing the old regimes and the problem of the new inexperienced electorates. There does not appear to be one clear, defining reason which led to the old regimes regaining power after the 1848 Revolutions. All the factors seem to be equally important and to some extent, connected.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Across Europe, the revolutionaries of 1848 came from a variety of different social backgrounds and they all held different political beliefs. They could be liberals, republicans, nationalists or socialists and therefore they all wanted different things out of the Revolutions. Each group was also internally divided, with a radical faction and a more moderate one. Initially they all joined forces to overthrow the existing regimes with which they were discontent. However once power was in their hands, they found that ‘Revolutionary Consensus’ was virtually impossible. Their initial victory was â€Å"followed by ensuing struggle to implement change†5. The people had taken to the streets not knowing what they would do if they did manage to take power. Now that they had, because of their different individual aims, they found it hard to compromise. This eventually led to a growing split between moderates and radicals, as well as between social classes , particularly in France. The moderates did not want a government based on universal male... ... voted into the new republic. â€Å"France was a republic, but one now in the hands of an assembly dominated by conservatives, many of whom were monarchists†7.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As you can see all these factors enabled the reactionary regimes to return to power after the 1848 Revolutions. I do not think that one was more influential than another but that they are all connected. Perhaps without one, another may not have had such an effect. For example, the existence of social and economic difficulties increased the divisions between the revolutionaries. They found it increasingly difficult to agree with one another on how to combat them, let alone be able to compromise on a new form of government. Also if the new widened franchise had not been so inexperienced the revolutionaries would have had an easier time replacing the old regimes, which had in fact not been that strong to start with. The reactionary regimes regained power so quickly because of all of these reasons and although the 1848 Revolutions had emphasised the â€Å"ineptitude and impotence†8 of the old sovereigns and governments, they brought with them too many resentmen ts, grudges and radical changes, for which Europe was not yet ready.

Broken Eggs Essay

The young girl’s body is slumped upon an elevated surface, while her head is tilted to the left at a forty-degree angle. She is draped in a sheer, white blouse and apron, covering a yellow corset and light blue dress. A periwinkle scarf on her head keeps her blonde hair pulled away from her face, revealing her luminescent skin – lit up magnificently by the thin stream of light making its way through the window to her right – and innocent features. The girl’s expression seems to be of pure grief, as she looks down towards the egg basket on the floor; it’s as if she has lost something very dear. This young girl is perhaps saddened at the fact that the egg basket has dropped to the ground and the eggs are now broken. However, the other subject matter in the painting alludes to a larger scale of loss. Immediately above the girl’s left shoulder, a man – appearing about equal in age – stands with his body swaying to his right. His rig ht hip is pointed in the direction of the far left corner of the room, while his head is tilted forty degrees to the right, in the opposite direction of the young girl’s. One could draw a line straight down the middle of the painting and see that there is symmetry between the young girl’s, and man’s, head. The egg basket is centered in between them, creating a focus on la scà ¨ne du crime; a sun hat with a girlish ribbon around it lies delicately next to the basket, where countless white eggs lay broken, spewing yellow yolk. As one zeroes in on this fragment of the painting, it is important to take note of its specific mise en scà ¨ne. In other words, the placing of the small sun hat next to the basket allows the artist to better tell a story of innocence, and imaginably the shattered eggs define the loss of that purity. It is essential to mention the style and structure of the painting before going any further with the subject matter. The brushstrokes when conveying the foreground of the painting are smooth and seamless. However, on the wall in the background the strokes appear harsh and horizontal, creating a rough texture in contrast with the character’s skin and clothes. The brown color scheme of the background is uniform throughout, in accordance with the light coming into the very small and dingy room. There is a picnic table behind the young girl and its scale accurately contributes to the probable size of the room. The ceiling is high which suggests that the scene takes place in the servant’s quarters of a wealthy estate.

Data Abstraction

According to the Merriam-Webster online dictionary, the word abstract is defined as â€Å"disassociated from any specific instance† or â€Å"expressing a quality apart from an object†, or â€Å"having only intrinsic form with little or no attempt at pictorial representation or narrative content†.From these definitions, it can be possible to get an idea that to abstract an object implies something ethereal and nebulous, completely disjoint from a concrete instance of that object. In an idea reminiscent of Plato, the world can be separated into two things – the abstract idea and the concrete instance.Understanding the concept of the abstract data type or ADT is easier knowing the definitions of abstraction. An ADT is a representation of a concrete instance. Computers can only process ones or zeros and can only store long ones and zeros.However, in building programs a programmer might want to develop code that interacts or models real world objects or process es. ADTs are â€Å"invented† data types – data types that are modeled after the abstract idea of the concrete instance. An example is the string data type found in some programming languages.A computer cannot store a string (only ones and zeros) yet programmers can do operations on a string like concatenation (using the + operator) effortlessly as if the computer or compiler understands that the user is working with sentences.This brings to light an important concept when dealing with ADTs – the concept of information hiding. A compiler designer might engineer a programming language to handle strings in many ways. He may choose to use ASCII or EBCDIC, use 8 bits per character or a full 32 bit word, use little endian or big endian storage.All these choices are invisible to the user. All the developer needs to understand is that to concatenate strings uses a â€Å"+† operator. Indeed, for an abstracted data type to be functional the functionality of that da ta type should reflect that what that ADT represents independent of the implementation.The nitty gritty of its workings is hidden behind a wall called the interface. The interface (associated operations, properties, etc) is all that the programmer needs and should need to   know. A good wall is a prerequisite of good ADT design.So far the paper has discussed about ADTs as data types that represent an idea (such as a string) that is not natively supported by the hardware. A developer might also make his or her own ADTs through the use of data structures.A data structure is basically just an ordered way of organizing data. An example of a data structure is the struct in C, linked lists, and trees. A developer may choose to create one of these data structures in order to represent an abstract idea. He may choose to use a tree in order to represent a family tree.In designing user created ADTs, the concept of information hiding should still be remembered. The ADT should provide a const ant standard interface for every method or subroutine that chooses to call it. Additionally, it goes without saying that the data structure of choice should efficiently model the abstract idea it represents. Using a tree to represent genealogy is easier and makes more sense compared to using linked lists.A soda vending machine, even though it is quite simple is a good illustration of the many aspects of ADT design. The developer might need to store the types of sodas the machine is selling. As there is no â€Å"soda† data type, the programmer might use strings. When the machine vends, the machine should also know that there is one less soda in its storage.A programmer might then choose to implement the sodas as a stuct composed of one string (for the soda name) and an integer representing the number of soda cans left. When the customer presses a button corresponding to a soda, the soda name is displayed on the screen and the machine checks if there are still soda cans left.If there are cans left, the vend process continues through with the customer getting his soda (after payment of course) and the integer counter for the soda is decremented by one. However if the counter is of value zero already, the machine halts the operation and tells the customer to pick another soda.BibliographyCarrano, Frank, and Janet Prichard. Data Abstraction and Problem Solving with C++ Walls and Mirrors. 3rd ed. Boston: Addison-Wesley, 2001.Sedgewick, Robert. Algorithms in C. 3rd ed. Boston: Addison-Weslet, 1998.Sun Developer Network [Website], java.sun.com

kipsy Essay Example

case study ob eric/ kipsy Essay Example case study ob eric/ kipsy Paper case study ob eric/ kipsy Paper case study 0b eric/ kipsy BY Dasoxup Summary of the Facts Eric and Kipsys case study helps to demonstrate the complex nature of management and organizational behavior. The case also shows the difficulty in identifying a single solution toa particular problem. Eric is the new manager of product information for a national firm which wholesales electrical components and Kipsy is a clerk. Eric is appointed the new manager right out of management training. He knows virtually nothing about the people he would be managing or the kind of work they did. On his first day Eric was fascinated by the efficiency of the operations. He soon learned how wrong he was on the second day of work. The salesmen had a list of problems they were experiencing in which they wanted Eric to solve. The three main problems are: Salesmen often were unable to get through quickly to information clerks. Errors were excessive and the clerks were often abrupt and unfriendly to the salesmen when they called. He also noted other problems which came to light which are high absenteeism and turnover, unskilled part time staff, loafing on the Job by the clerks etc. Eric was visited by the regional vice president of the company who informed him hat sales were falling companywide. He then developed an Action Plan to increase efficiency, reduce call in delays and slash the error rate. He seems to be a consultative manager which is shown by his approach to his supervisors and team members by holding meeting to try and address the problems. Disaster struck in relation to his new program in that an employee had defaced two posters used to motivate employees. His lack of experience is shown with his failure to take control of his supervisor in respect of the discipline to be maintained within the office. He eeded to take his supervisors to task over their failure to deal with the posters immediately. Eric pondered his dilemma and he concluded that the key to his problems was KIPSY. Kipsy has been an information clerk in Erics office for almost a year. In that year she has become increasingly frustrated and unhappy in her work. Kipsy had applied for the Job at the company because a friend told her that the company was a great place to work, the pay was excellent and the people she would be working with were friendly and stimulating. It was also known that the company was growing and expanding at a fast clip. To Kipsy that meant that there was a good chance for advancement which was very important to her. After a few weeks on the job her optimism and excitement was replaced by frustration and disappointment. Many of her new friends were quitting and none of the clerks knew of anybody who had been promoted to management or a better Job from the ranks of console operators. Kipsy decided the only good thing about her Job was that of becoming the informal leader of the work group. Kipsy was excited when she heard about the new manager who seemed genuinely interested in learning about the Job and in hearing hat changes people had to suggest. Her opinion about Erics managerial abilities dropped sharply a few weeks later mainly because of by what came to be known around the office as the flexible hours fiasco. She spoke to Eric about the possibility of advancement in which she did not receive a favorable response. Her expectations of the bright new manager were dashed which leads her into dysfunctional behavior. system. It took the Increase Efficiency program to finally break KIPSY completely. She and another co-worker defaced the motivational posters. Kipsy felt guilty after she had defaced the posters. Frustration is the main cause of her behavior as she recognizes that her actions were wrong but she can see no way of redressing the situation. Statement of the Problem The company has been experiencing a fall in sales which is a result of internal organizational problems. Listed below are the main problems identified: High Turnover and Absenteeism Kipsy Low customer satisfaction Lack of Communication High turnover and Absenteeism On a daily basis, employees were given a task to operate the consoles by providing the sales men in the field with information about a particular item from the catalogue. This work was monotonous and became very boring for the workers. Although the pay was good, they werent motivated to do the same monotonous task daily, so their Job involvement decreased. Absenteeism is becoming a major problem to Eric and the business due to the fact that 15 to 20% of the clerks were unlikely to show up for work on any given day especially Monday to Friday. Employees would develop a habit of tardiness, and the turnover rate was very high because 80% of employees on the Job quit every year. Kipsy- Kipsy had emerged as one of the informal leaders of the workforce. She had he power to influence the other employees , teaching them creative ways to loaf on the Job; such as ways to busy out their consoles and appear as if they we were being productive on the Job when really they were not. Kipsy displayed employee deviance by trying to undermine Erics attempts to better the organization; she targeted the signs he had put up around the office changing Increased Efficiency to Increased INEfficiencY. Low customer satisfactions Customers were unsatisfied with the service as they were always kept on hold for a long time. They were always promised to get their tems on a specific date and time which almost never happens. Customers are always complaining that the material had not been delivered and the price was different from the one which was quoted to them. This can be seen as a major problem in relation to the clerks in that the salesmen also complain that the clerks are responsible for relaying the information to them in which most times it is incorrect thereby causing low levels of satisfaction in customers. Lack of communication- The clerks are very disrespectful and unfriendly to the free which has led to communication dilemmas with the salespersons as well as elays in salesperson getting through to the clerk. Eric tried to convince the regional office to give him the authority to introduce a flexible scheduling plan however he had been told that 8:30 to 5 are the available hours Just like any other personnel policies. Eric could not communicate this information to his employees so he solicits Kipsy to tell the others. A list of organizational and managerial problems has also been identified. These includes boredom, clerks not being held responsible for their errors, little chance of advancement, management relying too much on formal structure, lack of nvolvement/participation of management with staff, low levels of motivation, delays in salesperson getting through to clerks, excessive errors, abrupt and unfriendly telephone manners, management failure to motivate staff for example no rewards for good work, low Job satisfaction, inflexibility of management for example working hours, falling sales, The main cause was due to the un-productivity caused by Kipsy being an informal leader within the organization. Her fellow workers looked to her as their leader and did whatever she asked of them. Causes of the Problems Absenteeism When people start missing work on a regular basis, it means that they do not really enjoy what they are doing or they are not motivated to work. This lack of motivation reduces Job involvement which decreases the overall quality of work. High Absenteeism and turnover can be seen as a motivational issue. There are no motivational factors for the employees, which would make them become vigorous in action. A theory of motivation can be used in this case. It is probably safe to say that the best known theory of motivation is Abraham MasloWs hierarchy of needs. According to Maslow employees have five levels of needs physiological, safety, (lower order needs) social, Esteem and self actualization (higher order needs). In this case employees lower order needs are satisfied therefore Eric needs to motivate the clerks by fulfilling their higher order needs. The company needs to motivate the employees by following this level in allowing easier and more opportunities for employees to attain higher positions and expand the possibility for growth in which they are not willing to give their employees. What do the clerks want from their Jobs? In this case the clerks are looking for intrinsic factors as explained by Hertzberg in the two factor theory. These factors include advancement, recognition, responsibility and achievement which are definitely missing from the company. In his theory he cited extrinsic factors such as supervision, pay, company policies and working conditions which lead to dissatisfaction in employees. Despite the four managers not functioning effectively and the pay not was not great but they got increases every year, this was not the focus of the clerks dissatisfaction. Dissatisfaction can be seen n the clerks behavior as a result of the company policy, where clerks wanted flextime and it was turned down by management. Another cause of dissatisfaction is working conditions which were not difficult but monotonous which led to boredom. This dissatisfaction has led to the high turnover rate and absenteeism. MasloWs cause of the companys problem of High absenteeism and turnover. Kipsy Kipsy had self efficacy because she saw herself capable of performing tasks at a higher level. Kipsy was the informal leader however Just like any other clerk Kipsy needed to be motivated to give her best. Kipsy not receiving what she expected from the company has caused her to become deviant thereby creating some of the problems the company is presently facing. The ERG theory states that there are three groups of core needs: existence, relatedness and growth. In relation to Kipsy, her existence need is already catered for. Relatedness She wanted to maintain the relationship of the other clerks who look up to her as an informal leader. Growth She had an intrinsic desire for personal development. Moreover, the theory has a frustration-regression hypothesis, suggesting that individuals who are frustrated in heir attempts to satisfy one need may regress to another one. For example, Kipsy was frustrated by the lack of growth opportunities in her Job and the slow progress toward career goals which caused her relatedness needs to increase by spending more time socializing with the other clerks. The implication of this theory is that we need to recognize the multiple needs that may be driving Kipsy at a given point to understand her behavior and motivate her. Low Customer satisfaction Further we learnt in the case that there was a major problem of customer dissatisfaction. Therefore, the main reason why the rganization has a low level of customer satisfaction is due to the fact the employees are not being productive at work. Lack of communication Excellent communication skills are essential for good performance management. They are important skills used in the entire management process from planning and communicating work expectations to recognizing employees for their successful achievements. In this case it can be clearly seen that there is a lack of communication between the information clerks and the sales men also Eric and the clerks. As we learnt in the case when employees felt overwhelmed ith the work they would busy out their consoles so customers will not get through to them. This has resulted in an overall fall in sales. Lack of leadership, undertrained part time clerks, limited feedback and employees disengagement are poor communication methods which had led to many of the problems the company is facing. Eric has failed to relay on a number of messages or information which has caused low Job satisfaction among employees. The existing communication system was Just downward; this was a problem because of its one way nature. Managers inform employees but rarely solicit their advice or opinions. This was seen when kipsy proposed pre-scheduling working hours to Eric in which he stated the people upstairs wont let us do it. For a company to be successful, information needs to flow in both directions, from top to bottom and from bottom to top. A 2006 study revealed that nearly two-thirds of employees say their boss rarely or never ask their advice. The study noted, Organizations are always striving for higher employee engagement, but evidence indicates they unnecessarily create fundamental mistakes. People need employee suggestions, a practice the company thinks is especially important to nnovation. Possible Solutions This can include change in overall management structure, improve communications which includes staff involvement and meetings, review training program for part time staff, try to change company policy on flexible working hours, review supervisory roles, incentive schemes (not necessarily pay), meetings between clerks and salespersons. Recommended solutions and its implementation Eric needs to be aware of individual differences when communicating with the employees. He needs to spend more time with workers and try and understand their concerns and needs. Be up-to date about any issue and deliver the clerks problem to top management and push them to take action. Eric should give feedback. Although he has spent a modest amount of his time with his employees we have not seen him giving any feedback to them. He can give oral feedback to encourage the employees rather than let kipsy take the role. If we want to examine why high absenteeism and employee turnover rate, low customer satisfaction, lack of communication and Kipsy are problems we have to look at motivation. The clerks and salesmen are not motivated to work as it is reflected in the poor performance as they are not happy in heir Jobs. See below some suggestions to motivate the employees: Recognize individual differences Everyone in the organization has their own abilities to perform a specific task efficiently therefore clerks and salesmen should be rewarded based on their performance. This will motivate them to increase productivity and reduce absenteeism and turnover. Match people to Jobs Choose the right person for the right Job. This is a managerial problem especially HR as it is not appropriate to employ people with good abilities and potential in the call center as in the example f KIPSY. Increase work quality The quality of work must also be improved. Every time a wrong code is typed into the computer and wrong information is given a customer is left dissatisfied. This could be improved by designing shorter number, letters to type and also it would be easier for the clerks to remember. Eric should adopt one of Henry Mintzberg ten management roles which is the role of : Disseminator. To be a good disseminator you need to know how to share information and outside views effectively, which means that good communication skills are vital.

Why We Need Paragraphs

Why We Need Paragraphs Why We Need Paragraphs Why We Need Paragraphs By Sharon Reading a blog post or a web article should be easy. Some web pages have large blocks of text with very few breaks between them. When I see those, my brain does the TMI (too much information) dance and my eyes move on until they find something easier to look at. When you try to process an unbroken block of text, its like trying to eat a whole apple pie in one gulp. You may be able to do it, but youll probably get indigestion or choke in the attempt. Thats why paragraphs are important. Getting Attention Web readers have a short attention span. Thats why you need to make it easy. As you write, remember that you are taking your readers on a journey from point A to point B to point C. Paragraphs are just one of the ways that you do this. Web Usability When I worked as an editor, I spent a lot of time making long paragraphs shorter and making sure that each paragraph had a point. This also works for web content writing. All the advice I read on web usability suggests that you make one main point or cover one key idea in each paragraph. Then you expand on it a bit, then move on to the next one. That makes it easy for the eyes and the brain to process – and makes it more likely that people will read your blog posts. Using Subheadings Theres one more way to improve the experience for web content readers. Subheadings serve as navigational markers to tell readers whats coming in each paragraph. They can skip to the part that interests them, or get an idea whether they need to read the article or blog post at all. Use subheadings and small paragraphs and your readers will thank you and come back for more. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Writing Basics category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:How to Punctuate References to Dates and TimesHow to Punctuate with â€Å"However†45 Idioms About the Number One

Cultural Barries in Global Business Research Paper

Cultural Barries in Global Business - Research Paper Example Such reasons include an enabling business environment, which is a prerequisite for any business startup or venture. On the other hand, a business will face challenges related to the culture, which may act as a barrier on business. Furthermore, there are other challenges like leadership barriers, which affect business operations. Nevertheless, it is incumbent upon the business to deal with these challenges and use the best leadership methods. The United States is one of the countries that appeal to business ventures for obvious reasons. In this regard, a business will succeed in an environment that is politically stable and not volatile. In effect, the United States offers such an environment for business. Known as the free world, the United States is a model of democracy that is free from autocratic rule, which makes business operations conducive. As a result, a democratic state is one of the main reasons the United States appeals to setting up of businesses since the political clima te ensures effective economic legislations, which are essential for business. In effect, the lack of economic uncertainties such as unexpected takeovers due to lack of clear economic policies and legislations is important for business. Despite the creation of an environment whereby there is economic regulation of businesses in the United States, the country is the largest economy in the world in terms of GDP. In effect, it is common knowledge that economic strength translates to a higher per capita income amongst the citizens. Therefore, there is an available market for goods and services a business will produce for since the consumers have a high marginal propensity to purchase and consume. In effect, this feature of the economy of the United States appeals to businesses since the average consumer has a high purchasing power. The contemporary business world witnesses business increasingly committed to reaching global markets. Barkema, Bell, and Pennings (1996) noted, â€Å"Globali zation confers access to foreign markets, cheap labor, and other advantages† (p. 151). Nevertheless, a few firms do not realize the existent of these cultural differences. Nevertheless, businesses that identify cultural barriers will find approaches of dealing with the barriers in order to establish a competitive edge over their competitors. According to Leung, Bhagat, Buchan, Erez, and Gibson (2005), broadly defined as â€Å"values, beliefs, norms, and behavior patterns of a national group,† established cultures have an effect on the business activities and performance of individuals (p. 357). In the American society, one cultural belief that may affect business is the individuality amongst the Americans. According to E. Hall and M. Hall (1990), the American culture's biggest concern is â€Å"their own careers and their personal success than about the welfare of the organization or group† (p. 147). Americans will often come out as individuals who like to â€Å" handle their own problems and chafe at authority† (E. Hall & M. Hall, 1990, p. 148). As a result, this character trait may pose a big challenge to the leadership of a business since they may think that the average American worker was rebellious to the leadership in a firm. On the other hand, individualism, which is one of the most important aspects in the American culture, is a barrier to leadership. In this case, individualism works against teamwork in a business entity. In this case, since success in a business is a team task, the

Negative Message Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Negative Message - Assignment Example You can, for example, log off the machine and let it rest for a while to avoid such overheating. Further, identifying a complication in one of your computers does not meet terms of return policies for all computers purchased with us. If the computer with the complication met our return policy terms then we would act on the specific computer only. In addition, our return policy provides for replacement of computers that fail to work within six months of purchase but overheating does not amount to failure to work and refund is not part of our return policy. I therefore wish to note that the realized overheating, together with our return policy, does not justify your claim. We shall therefore not be able to accept the computers or offer refund. The company however affirms its efforts to ensure quality products and to take responsibility for products that fail to function. Thanks for understanding and we look forward to further business encounters with