Where to Place the Possessive Apostrophe in a Surname

Where to Place the Possessive Apostrophe in a Surname Where to Place the Possessive Apostrophe in a Surname Where to Place the Possessive Apostrophe in a Surname By Mark Nichol You see them all the time during rural drives and suburban errands alike, those olde-fashioned wooden shingles mounted on mailboxes or dangling from porches or fastened to walls: â€Å"The Smith’s† and the like- stark reminders that possessives still throw many people for a loop. Rules about possessives can be complicated, but this error is straightforward enough: Take away the apostrophe and the final s, and what do you have? â€Å"The Smith.† That’s obviously not right (unless the resident ostentatiously refers to himself as â€Å"The Smith† or employs hammer, tongs, and anvil to practice her livelihood). Who lives at this house? The Munsters. Whose residence is it, then? â€Å"The Munsters’† - or perhaps â€Å"The Munsters’ house.† (The additional s is pervasive in books and many other media, while its absence is typical in journalism in the old days of mechanical typesetting, that meant one less piece of type to position and other more casual or ephemeral kinds of publications. In the organic medium of wood, the simpler style can easily be forgiven.) And what if the surname already ends with an s? The rule is to append es to the name, so, the plural of Addams is Addamses. The sign should therefore read â€Å"The Addamses,† or â€Å"The Addamses’ house.† This construction is admittedly cumbersome, and there is a way to avoid it without giving a passing copy editor a case of the shingles: Label your abode â€Å"The Addams house† or inform visitors and passersby that â€Å"The Addams family lives here.† This wording is not as folksy, but it still manages a homey touch without adding sibilant syllables or pesky apostrophes. Admittedly, this ubiquitous error is as much the fault of the sign maker as it is that of the person who commissions the sign, but because it’s difficult to make amends by amending an error engraved in wood, you might want to remember, when you approach the artist’s workbench, the rule for the proper position for the possessive apostrophe. (And email the scribe a link to this post.) 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 Style category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Apply to, Apply for, and Apply withBody Parts as Tools of MeasurementA Yes-and-No Answer About Hyphenating Phrases

Ebay the Largest E-Business Essays

Ebay the Largest E-Business Essays Ebay the Largest E-Business Essay Ebay the Largest E-Business Essay As the pioneer of e-commerce, eBay is â€Å"sustained by trust, and inspired by opportunity (Chaffey, Dave). † In this case study, I am trying to figure out that how the characteristics of the digital media with strategic decisions taken by its management team have supported eBay, the world’s largest e-business, growth. Analyzing the growth of eBay can definitely help me impress the acknowledge of e-Commerce. Case Study Facts Bay is an online auction and shopping website where people and businesses buy and sell goods and services world wide. eBay’s mission statement is, â€Å"pioneer new communities around the world built on commerce, sustained by trust, and inspired by opportunity (Chaffey, Dave). † As the world’s largest e-business, eBay has various to avoid the risk of fraud, such as PayPal and â€Å"Trust and Safety Programs†. The cost of access the largest online marketplace in the world is extremely low. â€Å"T he vast majority of eBay’s revenue is for the listing and commission on completed sales. For PayPal purchases an additional commission fee is charged. † eBay thinks highly of the interaction between buyers and sellers. eBay released a social media called Neighborhoods in which buyers and sellers can discuss brands and products they have a high involvement with. eBay announced the Detailed Seller Ratings (DSRs) in 2008. It significantly increases the conversion rate by increasing positive shopping experiences. Generally, eBay’s objectives are to increase the registered users; increase the active users who are the sellers, bidders, and buyers on the eBay marketplace; increase the volume and value of each transaction. At the same time, three defining approaches increase the growth of eBay marketplace. First, increase the number and size of categories within the marketplace. Second, formats for interaction. Third, â€Å"delivery specific sites localized for different for different geographies. † Analysis Digital media particularly the internet is the key to success of online auction sites. eBay introduced several crucial innovations functions for the internet. One was the model of online auctions bringing together buyers and sellers to establish prices for goods and services before 2002. The online auction model marks an important extension of e-commerce, offering millions of individuals a low-cost opportunity to engage in a new type of economic activity. â€Å"eBay built an online person-to-person trading community in the internet (http://pages. ebay. com/aboutebay98/releases/9901. html). † Computing power is what makes an internet auction effective. The combination of the digital media and eBay’s strategic business concept makes it possible for a few hundred people to handle transactions worth over 7 million dollars every day of the year. The eBay system can handle all aspects of the auction process. It sends emails when users register for the service, when they place a successful bid, and when they are out bided, and it communicates the outcome of auctions in which they participate. When an auction successfully closes, the system automatically calculates the fee, bills the seller’s billing account, and sends a monthly invoice via email. Other parts of the eBay information infrastructure support eBay customer service and the various community bulletin boards and chat rooms that undergird the online user community. The internet is the key element on eBay’s success. Over the internet, participate wherever they are as long as they have an internet connection. The internet makes eBay more accessible to the bidders and sellers. The large number of bidders and sellers makes the system bigger and the auction site successful. eBay built a free market. As a facilitator, users are allowed to decide what they want to sell, encouraging continuous growth. The users are the ones who control the direction of the site. eBay created a legal system that promotes self-governance. The auction site devised a feedback forum to let users rate one another to discourage fraud. The users are constantly educated; eBay teaches people how to use the site. eBay also has its own banking system, PayPal. Building brand recognition is another key element they focused. It was broken into two parts. eBay is a personal trading community where users could buy and sell almost anything. This definition set it apart from most existing auction competitors and the several that eventually followed. Part 2 is the market segmentation. Serious collectors and small dealers were identified as the heaviest site users. These individuals and the people who sold to them accounted for 80% of total eBay revenues even though they represented only 20% of registered users. eBay’s success based on those elements. Control the lion’s share of transactions. Buyers and sellers gravitate to the site with the greatest volume of participants – the network effect. Provide a large and interesting selection of goods. Product depth and variety attract buyers, which in turn will attract more sellers. Achieve system reliability. Outages are costly and undermine user loyalty. Provide high-quality customer service. Users need to have their questions answered and their problems resolved; otherwise, they will stop trading or go elsewhere. Assure the reliability of user deliveries and payments. Increase website convenience an accessibility. If a site is easy to access and navigate, more people will log on, stay loner, and make more transactions. Develop high-quality search tools. People will not buy what they cannot locate quickly on the site. REFERENCES Community: About eBay: Releases: 9901. (n. d. ). Electronics, Cars, Fashion, Collectibles, Coupons and More Online Shopping | eBay. Retrieved November 4, 2012, from http://pages. ebay. com/aboutebay98/releas avyg86. dsl. pipex. com/ecom/ebusiness%20exam%20questions. pdf Chaffey, Dave (). E-Business and E-Commerce Management: Strategy, Implementation and Practice [4] (VitalSource Bookshelf), Retrieved from http://online. vitalsource. com/books/9781256084587

The Use of Evidence Based Practice in Nursing Essay

The Use of Evidence Based Practice in Nursing - Essay Example In nursing, evidence-based practice calls for the re-evaluation of research for the purpose of improving inadequate practice. In clinical settings, the use of evidence based practice takes into account factor such as the consideration of the need for change, where the research question’s formulation is based on the shortfalls of current health practices (McGonigal & Mastrian, 2011). The use of evidence based practice also takes into account the best existing evidence, understanding it, and integrating it after making the necessary improvement. Models for implementing evidence based practice in clinical settings Some models for implementing evidence based practice in clinical settings include the Ottawa model of research use, the Stetler model, and the IOWA model of evidence-based practice. The Ottawa Model of Evidence Based Research in Nursing The Ottawa Model of Research Use (OMRU) was first created as an interactive model (Kirchhoff, 2004). The Ottawa Model of Research Use is quite effective in practice contexts and holds that research is a dynamic process that involves interconnected actions as well as decisions being made by different people in relation to each of the theory’s elements. The Ottawa Model of Research has undergone different evaluations, with the most recent including factors such as evidence based innovation, the practice environment, potential adopters, the adoption of innovators, the implementation of interventions, and the results of the execution of innovations. The Stetler-Model The Stetler Model of Research Utilisation is a model that is practice-oriented, and is used mainly as a conceptual and procedural guide for the execution of research outcomes in practice. The theory’s first part consists of the five stages of research utilisation (Stetler, 2003). The theory’s second part has to do with clarifying the existing data as well as options for each stage. The Iowa Model of Research is basically used to enhance the general quality of healthcare, and is a creation of the Quality Assurance Model Using Research (Stetler, 2003). Research utilisation is perceived to be an organisational procedure through which different factors are used to unite the practical implementation of research theories. The IOWA Model The Iowa Model can be used for the purposes of implementing quality healthcare as it provides a framework for medical practitioners to make decisions about the daily practices that impact patient care outcomes (Larrabee, 2009). The Iowa Model encourages health practitioners to generate practice questions, whether as a means to solve an existing concern, or simply to acquire new knowledge. These three models allow for medical practitioners to be able to share important data with others within as well as without a medical organisation; thereby increasing nu rsing knowledge and encouraging other medical organisations to take on evidence based practices. Three information technology applications in quality management Three information technology applications that are very important in quality management processes in healthcare sectors include electronic health records, bar coding, and the use of the clinical decision support system. Electronic health records were first created to serve as a type of electronically based file cabinet holding various types of information about a medical facility’s patients. Its continued improvement meant that it would further benefit by integrating text, handwritten

The Close Relationship Between Financial Leadership and Financial Goal Dissertation

The Close Relationship Between Financial Leadership and Financial Goal Setting of Top SMEs - Dissertation Example Generally, this requires a finance strategy (Bender & Ward, 2009) that seeks the maximisation of sales, market share, profits, earning per share, return on investment, growth, stock price and stockholders' well being (Bierman, 1999). Finance leadership is important in attaining good results for corporate entities. Financial leadership involves strategic thinking, innovation, management of business risks and change (Militello & Schwalber, 2000). Strategic thinking entails the use of structured and emergent systems to plan and attain results for the whole organisation over a long period of time. A leader has the responsibility of considering the internal organisational and external environmental factors in order to come up with a good strategy. When a strategy is in operation in an organisation, the leaders will have to identify inhibitors and other factors that can prevent them from attaining their objectives and solve them through a comprehensive risk management system. Innovation ha s to do with the continuous improvement of systems, processes and products of an organisation and it requires deep thinking and analysis to be attained. Financial management requires four things: Leadership, Ethics, Structures & Responsiveness (Blore et al, 2004). In other words, a financial leadership structure must be sensitive to the technical elements of leadership as well as the ethical concerns of leadership. It should also have structures of rules and regulations that would regulate activities throughout the organisation and be responsive to emergent matters and situations that would come up. The distribution of authority in organisations is done through a defined organisational structure which sets out the relationship between various units of the organisation (Stevens & Loudon, 2005). For the sake of accountability, there is the need for reporting to be done by subordinates to people in authority (Stevens & Loudon, 2005). Therefore people who have power delegated to them ha ve the duty of reporting to their leaders at regular intervals. Some of these reports include financial reports like management financial information from lower units which culminates in the creation of income and position statements that are used by various stakeholders for decision making. Problem Statement In practical terms, there is a questions about how these necessary qualities of financial leadership relate to businesses and their goals. For instance one would wonder why some companies are growing quickly financially whilst others are folding up in the UK. It is true that the global recession is making business difficult but how come some are growing fast and some are growing slowly? It therefore suggests that some businesses are getting some principles of finance right whilst others are not. What are the structures in financial systems and structures that affect financial goals of an organisatio

Terms Comparison Paper Essay Example for Free

Terms Comparison Paper Essay Within the world of health care economics, the United States â€Å"for-profit† health care system, strife with inflated costs and barriers to access, is in a process of reform. Rising insurance premiums, capitation, and market competition that discourage the consumption of unnecessary services currently reward providers for their focus on acute, episodic treatments, rather than encouraging improved health outcomes or disease prevention. The supplier-induced market has forced medical providers to base treatment recommendations on economic necessity. Complex billing and insurance operations have caused administrative costs to skyrocket. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) aims to correct these inefficiencies by reducing personal health care costs, improving community health, and increasing access to quality care. The following discussion will examine the interplay of capital resources, Meaningful Use, and financial incentives within the world of health care economics and system reform. Capital Resources Capital resources refer to assets used by a health care organization that facilitate the delivery of services. As the United States’ health care system evolves from an institution dependent on the acquisition of revenues from hospital admissions and procedures to one focused on managing health and wellness, the careful utilization and deployment of capital resources is critical to economic growth. Computer programs are a beneficial capital resource that supports the practice of medicine, such as computerized order entry or clinical decision support systems. For example, a computerized order entry system reduces the duplication of diagnostic testing while clinical decision support systems help providers manage chronic conditions. Industry experts agree the adoption of health care information technology (HIT) is necessary for improving quality and efficiency, although, as of 2006, only 12% of physicians and 11% of hospitals invested in technological improvements to their capital resources (Congress, 2008). Meaningful Use Meaningful Use refers to standards of quality demonstrated when using electronic health records (EHR) to deliver services. Traditionally, quality improvement initiatives evaluated services on a case-by-case basis; for example, was a procedure performed properly, were there complications, was  the patient satisfied, and was the provider properly trained? The ACA’s movement towards health care reform expands the focus on reducing individual errors to addressing system performance and community health. Through data capture and sharing, health care organizations gain the ability to use this information to analyze and advance clinical processes. For instance, through the aggregation of real-time patient data early warning systems can reduce medical emergencies, transitions to intensive care, and mortality rates. Even though the ACA does not mandate the adoption and Meaningful Use of EHRs, after 2015, all Medicare providers not participating in the EHR incentive program may be sub ject to financial penalties (Impact, 2012). Financial Incentives Financial incentives refer to monetary rewards and penalties offered to health providers for creating a stronger primary care system that expands access, provides improved quality, and delivers better health results. Under the current fee-for-service system, providers do not receive payments for time spent with a patient discussing medical histories, alternative treatment options, concerns, between visit follow-ups, or even care coordination and management; instead, reimbursements occur through procedures, such as surgeries or diagnostic testing. Under ACA, primary care physicians receive a temporary increase in both Medicare and Medicaid payments. Financial incentives are also available for providers who encourage their patients to obtain preventative care services and for patients, through the elimination of coinsurance, deductibles, and copayments for approved preventative services and tests, such as blood pressure and cancer screenings. Moreover, the ACA Medicaid expansion will p rovide over 32 million people with health coverage, resulting in improved health and less uncompensated care (Abrams, Nuzum, Mika, Lawlor, 2011). Discussion Within the world of health care economics, access to health care services becomes restricted through a fee-for-service model that authorizes third-party payers to prioritize reimbursements for the delivery of acute, episodic treatment over preventative care and wellness. As purchasers, patients have little ability to evaluate the quality of services received or  negotiate fair prices. The ACA serves as an advocate, shifting the focus of the health care system from personal health to community health. As part of this initiative, providers receive financial rewards for investing in technological improvements, such as EHR adoption. Through the development of a national HIT infrastructure, capital resource investments enable data capture and sharing. When combined with Meaningful Use incentives, providers receive encouragement to create real-time monitoring solutions to improve health and reduce costs. Together, the ACA offers a path where primary care providers have the means to devel op a stronger health care system that provides expanded access, improved quality, and increased wellness. Conclusion The United States â€Å"for-profit† health care system, conflicted with inflated costs and barriers to access, is in a process of reform. The ACA aims to correct these market failures by reducing costs, improving health, and increasing access to quality care. The change in focus from reducing clinical errors to addressing system performance and community health is an essential aim of the ACA. Through the adoption of HIT, health care providers strengthen their capital resources and increase their ability to deliver quality, cost-effective care. Once adopted, Meaningful Use incentivizes the use of community health data to establish real-time monitoring programs that detect the need for medical intervention. The ACA offers several economic initiatives to encourage providers to evolve from a for-profit mentality to one focused on health and wellness. The economics behind health care reform will redefine health care demands and the types of services delivered. Over time, the focus on preventative care and wellness will reduce the demand for costly treatments, lowering national health care costs. References Congress of the United States, Congressional Budget Office. (2008). Evidence on the costs and benefits of health information technology (2976). Retrieved from website: http://www.cbo.gov/sites/default/files/cbofiles/ftpdocs/91xx/doc9168/05-20-healthit.pdf Impact Advisors. (2012). Meaningful use stage 2: Understanding timing and penalties. Retrieved from website: http://www.impact-advisors.com/assets/news/document/ IA_Primer_on_MU_Stage_2_Timing_and_Penalties.pdf Abrams, M., Nuzum, R., Mika, S., Lawlor, G. (2011). Realizing health reform’s potential. The Commonwealth Fund. Retrieved from http://www.commonwealthfund.org/~/media/Files/ Publications/Issue%20Brief/2011/Jan/1466_Abrams_how_ACA_will_strengthen_primary_care_reform_brief_v3.pdf

Interpretation of Robert Brownings My Last Duchess :: essays research papers

I read a critical article on Robert Browning’s â€Å"My Last Duchess†. I confess it was harder to find something in the NCLC’s than I would’ve thought. There was a considerable accumulation of critiques on Browning’s work, but very little on â€Å"My Last Duchess†.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The article I found concentrated mostly on the Duke in the poem, and our reactions to him, stating that â€Å"[t]he utter outrageousness of the Duke’s behavior makes condemnation the least interesting response†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The title of the article was â€Å"Sympathy versus Judgment†. Some of its points are that the Duke controls the entire poem, that it being a monologue was significant, and that he is almost easy to sympathize with and like. The article discusses Ferarra’s nature and his self-involvement which allows the goodness of the Duchess to â€Å"shine through the Duke’s utterance.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It goes on to speak about sympathy in general and how Browning â€Å"delighted in making a case for the apparently immoral position†, how he found dramatic monologues the best form to do so, and how he went about it.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It keeps going for a couple more pages on things which I will not go into because they have little relevance to any interpretation of â€Å"My Last Duchess†. The article as it pertained to my poem was fine; I wish I could have found one which went into more depth as opposed to just discussing immoral characters and our empathy for them. I didn’t particularly care for the lawyerly torrent of words that were used, either. I am not ignorant and appreciate the need for words of longer than two syllables when discussing literature (or anything more serious than an episode of â€Å"Friends†, in fact), but I found it more difficult than usual to get through this article. I found it unconscionably wordy and it felt at times as though he was just stringing fancy words together because they looked all important lined up. However, that’s just my opinion.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I was gratified to see that this critic agreed with my interpretation of the Duchess’s demise, viz., the Duke had her murdered. The theory advanced by my brilliant and magnificent Professor had been that the Duke gave her so many orders and restrictions that she pined away. I had been looking at his famous line â€Å"And I choose/never to stoop.† He married her for her beauty but would never lower himself to tell her when she angered him.

Ancol Ltd. Study Essay

Ancol Ltd. hired Paul Simard as the manager of their Jonquiere, Quebec plant. Simard observed that relations were strained between management and employees and, through information from a seminar he had attended, ordered the removal of time clocks. This action brought an onset of negative consequences that ultimately led to a further diminishing of relations between the employees and management, accounting issues due to lack of accountability, and problems between the union and Ancol Ltd; All of these issues decreased productivity in the factory. The problem stems from issues of competency and communication. Essentially, there should have been an open solution from the beginning. Simard did not have the insight to understand the situation he was placed in. The new manager should have tried to understand why relations between employees and management were strained in the first place. He then could move to understand the needs of the management and workers to develop a solution that would benefit the whole factory. Rather than instantly implementing the removal of time clocks that he had learnt from the seminar, Simard should have carefully analyzed the situation and what consequences this policy could have on the factory. Simard could have researched and inquired about such methods and perhaps learnt the consequences from the instance at the B.C. factory. Problem Statement: The central issue at the Jonquiere Ancol Ltd. plant was that Paul Simard, and his management team, lacked the insight and communication to discern a more holistic and open solution to the problem of strained relations between the management and employees. This led to an uneducated and rash decision to order the removal of time clocks from the factory that led to negative consequences. Employees began leaving early, showing for work late, and taking extended lunch breaks that created distrust and frustration among management and other employees. The management was ordered to observe the employees and reprimand those who abused their privileges and was not competent enough to handle the task, which led to a great burden for the  supervisors, and this made it extremely difficult to foster trust between the management and employees. Consequently, the payroll department could not deduct pay for the amount of times employees were late due to a lack of accountability and therefore a lette r of reprimand was placed in each employee’s file, which created even more work for the supervisors. Finally, due to the letters of reprimand, grievances were filed with the employees’ unions that fostered greater distrust and essentially productivity, energy, and integrity significantly declined in the factory. Alternatives: The main issue revolved around the lack of communication and competency of the management at the beginning. Simard, and his staff, lacked the insight to effectively find a solution that would provide a holistic approach in solving the already apparent strained relations between the supervisors and employees. At the onset of his work term, Simard should have sought to understand why there was a rift between the employees and management. If Ancol Ltd. were still in good terms with the previous manager, Simard could have communicated with him to obtain a better understanding. In understanding the underlying issue, Simard would be able to effectively tackle the problem without uncertainty and then, Simard should have effectively communicated with his management team and his employees to find a solution that would benefit both parties and foster productivity, integrity, and trust back into the factory. The constraint to finding a holistic approach is that it takes time and the right solut ion may not come into fruition. Furthermore, while a solution is being made, it can be assumed that the relations are worsening. Furthermore, Simard should have seen that some of the issue arose from the fact that the supervisors lacked the interpersonal skills to communicate with the employees, which became apparent when the time clocks were removed. This was an obvious issue that Simard should have seen; having a management team that did not think the decision to remove the time clocks was rash or unwise should have been a signal. Therefore, perhaps Simard could have trained the existing management, or replaced them with more competent staff to create a more insightful staff and a healthier work environment for the employees. The constraint to this alternative is that training or hiring new management is time consuming and costly, and trust would have to be fostered between the new hires. This policy would have positive consequences and would create more trust between the employees and workers. It is obvious that the removal of the time clocks led to more harm than good. Simard should have carefully analyzed the situation prior to making the decision that led to such folly. If he had done this, many of the issues would not have occurred and the factory could have taken a step forward. Furthermore, he should have carefully analyzed the method that he learned from the seminar and how it would affect the employees and the factory’s productivity. Not all ideas that come from seminars pertain to every situat ion and any system change should be analyzed to predict the outcome in every functional area, such as the payroll department. If he had communicated with his senior management team and employees about the time clocks and its possible consequences, perhaps he would have found a better approach. Furthermore, if Simard had discussed the time clocks with other managers prior to implementing his policy, he would have learnt the consequences through the instance at the B.C. factory. Clearly, the issue and solution heavily depends on communication around the factory. It is difficult to see any negative consequences of this alternative, as the removal of time clocks was a disastrous solution. A constraint to this alternative is that it can be assumed that Simard does not have a management team that can communicate well, and hiring and training is costly and time consuming. With regards to the issues that occurred after the removal of the time clocks, there were many alternatives that Simard could have implemented that would have decreased the damage done. Simard could have been more strict on how many times an employee could be late, leave early, or take an extended lunch break. Furthermore, Simard could have rewarded those who stay longer and later to incentivize those who consid er abusing their privileges. These solutions have obvious pitfalls as the former only creates an adversarial environment and the latter relies on bribery rather than integrity and trust. Conclusion To conclude, since the issues stem from a lack of insight and communication, the solutions should also pertain to areas of insight and communication. Essentially, Ancol Ltd. could have hired a more competent manager for their Jonquiere plant. A competent manager would have created a more holistic and beneficial solution. Simard had not identified the root of the strained relations between the senior management and the employees. If he had communicated with the employees and management and previous manager in order to understand the issue at hand a much better solution could have been implemented. Also, a competent manager would have found that their management is lacking in crucial interpersonal skills that may have contributed to the issue. Simard should have conversed with the employees to learn about the existing management and terminate the supervisors who are not fit to lead. Although less costly, training the existing staff may not be the best option due to the fact that that the strained relations may be in part due to personality traits. Simard should have attempted to understand the implications of removing the time clock s in the factory. There were many alternatives that Simard could have attempted such as talking with his senior management team and employees, or communication with other managers at plants in order to understand the consequences of removing the time clocks. He would have found that it would have profound consequences in many functional areas of the factory and would derive a different solution. In regards to the order for the removal of time clocks, aside from reintroducing the time clocks earlier, it would be difficult for Simard to find solutions to the problem but rather Paul would be attempting â€Å"Band-Aid† solutions to the problems. Simard could have hired new supervisors or implemented a incentive based system but ultimately, this would have been avoided through more careful analysis and planning and therefore these should be rejected. Implementation At the beginning of Simard’s term, he should have immediately sought to identify the underlying issue regarding the strained relations between the employees and the senior management. First and foremost, if possible, Simard should have communicated with the previous manager. Next, Simard should have conducted depth discussions with his senior management and employees, together and separate. This will create an open and truthful dialogue between both parties and essentially, Simard would build a crucial  relationship with all staff. This process will take approximately a month or two. Throughout this time, Simard should have conducted research into the consequences of the removal of all time clocks and would refrain from doing so. In the process of discovering these issues, Simard would have noticed that his supervisor’s lack crucial skills that are necessary for their positions and terminate/hire new management staff accordingly. Simard would then ensure that the new management has the appropriate skills to effectively communicate with the employees and him to create a more accountable working environment. This process would take another month. With his revamped management staff, Simard would then address the underlying problems found through involvement with both the supervisors and employees. In this process, a new relationship would be built between both parties and workplace productivity and happiness would increase. This process would be ongoing until the solution was found and implemented.

General Motors Essay

I first want to start out with the bailout in 2009 where the government gave General Motors money ($40 million) to help get them out the situation with their creditors and took over most of the company. According to reports all of the outstanding stock has been sold and now the company is out of the government’s hands. The total amount given to them was not paid in full and they do not feel like they need to repay anymore because they said that there was a risk with taking the stock and that the government would just get back what the stock sold for. I know that this is true in the stock market, as I have stocks myself and know the risks that I am taking. I still have a problem with giving them money when one of the other larger automobile companies (Ford Motor Company) took it upon themselves to restructure and is paying off their own debts little by little and is still moving along today. Along with the sale of all of the stock came a lift on the freeze of upper management w ages and incentives. This is just not right. I would like to live on what some of them make, and I am sure that I could live very comfortably. Let them come and live on my income and see what they can do. I really have a problem with going overseas for production and I always will. It is probably my age and all of the trials and tribulations that I have lived through as well as what I have seen others live through. Many people were told that their jobs would be secure and since then General Motors has cut back on jobs here in the United States. I wonder just how many people outside of this country have been given jobs that could have been here at home. I know that many companies take production overseas because they say that the costs for labor are a lot  lower. Well, that may be true but has anyone seen the living conditions of those people overseas. Are we really paying them what they should be getting? Let’s take into consideration all of the recalls that General Motors has made in the last few years. Way too many in my book. Why is there faulty material being used to manufacture a product that could easily take the lives of many people. These products were made mostly overseas, I believe, and could lower wages be part of the problem of not noticing the faulty parts in the first place? By taking away incentives for prospective buyers, I believe, really hurt their business, but then I say, â€Å"Why give an incentive and not just reduce the price of the car in the first place?† I know that consumers look f or incentives but I think that they would look just as hard if the price of the cars were lower too. Let us look at the strategy that General Motors is wanting to take. The strategy that I believe that they are using is a combination of three strategies. They are as follows: Defensive Strategy in that General Motors decided to cut back the number of makes of automobiles; Cost-Leadership Strategy in that expenses needed to manufacture the cars are kept at a lower cost and maintained at that lower cost; and Differentiation Strategy in that they need to make a superior product for a vast number of people at a low cost. According to the plan General Motors is going to start making their automobiles using the same parts in the same laid out plants and using the same kind of tools throughout. They are also cutting back on the number of models from 86 to 49. When it came to the cost-leadership strategy, I put the loss of incentives to customers in this category. I still do not understand why there are incentives when they could just reduce the price of the automobile or truck. I think that people would look more if the price were lower. The differentiation strategy they have cut back on the workforce but are still making the superior produc t for a vast audience. I realize that they need to watch their competitors closely, especially those overseas but they also need to take care of the people right here in the United States. General Motors has a vision to reduce costs and increase revenue through global sales growth to a net profit of 10%. I think that they are asking for a lot out of the economy, as it is today As the plan states, Ford is farther ahead of General Motors and they made more of a profit per vehicle sold than General Motors. This was all done because of  going globally. The culture needs to change too and get away from focusing on selling the most cars and take care of the customers that they currently have and possibly will have in the future. Yes, sales are important, but they will come if their customer focus is there first. I think that the 10% increase in profits is a little out the park when you are just restructuring and trying to maintain your status. You will need to take smaller increases in profit for a few years and then the profits will increase as the years go by. When looking at SMART goals I find that General Motors set their goal of making more than $10 billion per year. This is a very challenging goal for a company that is just coming back from restructuring. This goal is very specific but I do not believe that it is attainable with the economy that we have today. I know that they look at achieving this goal globally but they really need to concentrate right here in the United States. To be results-oriented they needed to decrease the number of types of cars they produce, reduce the number in their global workforce, (which they did), reduce the number of union workers here in the United States (which they did) and close down plants that were not up to par (which they did). Was this the right decision to make? Who knows for sure? The only thing that I can see is that they put a lot of people out of work. In looking at the Planning/Control Cycle, I see that General Motors followed it by making the plan, carrying out the plan, they looked at the results of the plan and they controlled the direction of the plan by making any corrections as they went along with the plan. Planning is very important in everything that you do. You must always follow through too and watch as the plan is being carried out and always have control of what is going on and make sure that you make any corrections as the plan goes on. If need be, go back to the beginning and start all over again if the plan goes off track too far or if you have to make too many corrections. According to Mr. Akerson when asked about being back on top and the world’s largest auto maker his response was: â€Å"General Motors needs to focus on profits and margins and not necessarily try to post nu mbers on the board.† Maybe they need to go back and re-think their plan again and make sure they are staying on track as they proceed. In conclusion, I just want to add that I read two reports that just came out on CNN today. â€Å"One concerned a former manager for General Motors, Bill McAleer, who was in charge of the Global delivery system from 1988 to 1998 which was  used to access the quality of cars before they were sent to various dealers. He said that the culture of General Motors was the main problem of the company where if there was a problem and you said anything that you could be fired and then on the other hand if you did not say anything, you still could be fired.† What kind of culture is that? It is kind of twisted, if I must say. He said that he had sent a letter to the upper management about all of the defects that he had found and that they just ignored it. He also said that he never received a response in any way about the letter. He mentioned that in 1997 the focus for the company really changed and internally and that there were to be NO problems admitted to. How ridiculous is that. There is never a time during the day that a company does not have some kind of problem. He went on to say; â€Å"That’s what happened with the ignition switch, people knew that there was a problem but problems were not acceptable. They just ignored it.† Mr. McAleer was laid off in 2004 and filed suit agains t the company under the Whistleblower Law but he lost his suit. And what happened yesterday, June 27, 2014? General Motors recalled another 430,000 2013 and 2014 vehicles for various defects from windshield wiper assemblies on Caprice Police Cars, to transmission software, to rear shock absorbers, and to air bag problems. What is with this company? The article stated that since January, General Motors has recalled more than 20 million vehicles worldwide. If they knew about the ignition switch more than a decade ago and did nothing until this year, why are they still in business? Where are most of these defective parts coming from? I would imagine that you can see why I cannot be happy about this company. I have lived many years and have worked in various occupations and have seen the defective merchandise come from out of the country and would just sit there and shake my head. Working in retail for over 20 years, I just would not put merchandise on the floor for customers to purchase if I found it to be defective. Did I get into trouble for it? Absolutely not! We cared about our customers, why doesn’t General Motors. Seems like all they are interested in is the almighty dollar. Ref: CNN.com Article by Patrick Sheridan, June 28, 2014 @ 12:24 pm ET Article by Patrick Sheridan, June 27, 2014 @ 6:564 pm ET

6 Tips for Focusing When Writing

6 Tips for Focusing When Writing 6 Tips for Focusing When Writing 6 Tips for Focusing When Writing By Guest Author Isn’t it ironic that I’m having a hard time focusing on this list of tips to help people focus? As I struggle to keep deadlines, I realize that my work environment is filled with distractions – whether it’s other people’s conversations filling my head or the flashing of my instant-messaging window telling me a co-worker has a question. If I’m going to make this deadline, then I need to buckle down. Here are six tips that I’ve learned help me focus on my writing. 1. Wear headphones. In a cubicle environment, conversations carry. It’s easy to lose your train of thought when your co-workers are yapping about last night’s â€Å"Bachelorette† episode. So slap on the headphones and hit Play on the â€Å"Inception† soundtrack or some classical – something you can get lost in. Try noise-canceling headphones to eliminate even more outside interference. 2. Turn off e-mail and IM. Normally, the first thing I do when I start working is open up my e-mail and my Instant Messaging client. It’s not long before friends and co-workers are hitting me up for conversation or questions. Since these forms of communication are so instant, people expect an immediate reply. Before long, an hour might go by. When you really need to crank out a project, turn on only Microsoft Word or whatever word-processing software you use – consider checking your e-mail as a reward for when you’re finished. 3. Close the door. Whether you work at home or in an office, shutting a door can be helpful – literally and figuratively. Keeping out distractions around you can also keep them out of your head. I’ve known work-from-home people who set up an area just for work – they don’t allow themselves to wander around or let their pets hang out. Sad, perhaps, but it’s easy to lose focus and concentrate instead on chores that need to be done or that puppy in your lap. A closed door means â€Å"do not disturb† – assuming people take the hint. 4. Work at your desk. Continuing along the lines of sticking to a formal work environment, I’ve found that working at my desk keeps me focused. I stare straight ahead at my screen and the wall behind it, attempting to maintain decent posture in my ergonomic chair. But if I take my laptop and retreat to the couch, all hope for meeting a deadline is lost. Now I’m comfy – I just might take a nap! The couch is in front of the TV – maybe I’ll just see what Oprah is up to! Oh, and if I take said laptop to a cafà ©? Way too much people-watching opportunity! Sitting at a desk establishes that I am working, and the sooner I finish, the sooner I can take my laptop to the couch and simultaneously surf and watch TMZ. 5. Work in chunks of time. One of the most helpful blog posts I’ve read recently is on WebWorkerDaily about working in â€Å"chunks.† Dawn Foster recommends breaking down your day into blocks of time dedicated to each task. That way you can keep track of where your time is going as you tackle each item on your to-do list. If you’re a person who works best under pressure, having deadlines sprinkled throughout your day should keep you focused. 6. Keep your cell phone out of sight. I think voicemail is one of the greatest modern inventions. I usually let phone calls go to voicemail so that I can listen to and process each person’s message before dealing with it. But a lot of people still jump on their phones the moment it rings, taking them away from their work. Even visual or vibrating notifications of incoming calls and text messages can be distracting. So keep your phone in another room or in your messenger bag and check it every once in a while. About the Author: Jennifer Moline writes about small business, graphic design, printing and freelancing for the PsPrint blog, as well as for other graphic design websites. 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 Freelance Writing category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Math or Maths?List of Greek Words in the English LanguageList of 50 Compliments and Nice Things to Say!

Whats a Good SAT Score for an Honors Student

What's a Good SAT Score for an Honors Student SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips e It can be hard to tell the difference between a goodSAT score and a bad one, especially for high-achieving students. To help you see how you stack up against your peers,we've done a thorough statistical analysis to determine what counts as a good SAT score for an honors student. In this guide, I'll give you a sense of what a high score looks like for a top student and help you understand what that means for you. But before we get into the data,let's define our terms. What Is an Honors Student? Honors students are high achievers. Whether we think of them as student enrolled in honors classes, students on the honor roll, or students earning a certain class rank, the basic premise remains the same: they strive towards loftier academic standards than most of their colleagues do. Since this is certainly true when it comes to grades in school, it ought, by rights, to extend to standardized testing. What qualifies, then, as a "good" SAT score for any given student is determined largely by the performance of that student's scholastic peers. What Is a Good SAT Score? When you think about it, there's really no universal cut-off between a "great" score and a "not-so-great" score- not one that every single student will agree on.What trulymakes a score a good one is its ability to get you where you want to gothat is, its ability to make you attractive to the schools you'd like to attend. Honors students are generally gearing towards more competitive schools. Thus, they're going to need more exceptional scores to earn their way in! I'm not sure what the statistics in this picture mean, but they sure do look official! Good SATScores for Honors Students We at PrepScholar ran some statistical analyses to answer the delicate question of what a good score really looks like for an honors student. We used what's called a Monte-Carlo method, which is a lot more accurate than just lining up percentiles and comparing those. You see, just because you're in the top tenth of students at your school, that doesn't necessarily put you in the top tenth of standardized test takers. Why not, you may ask? Well, high schools select honors students based on different criteria than the SAT. Based on our analysis, we've compiled high, average, and low scores for both honors and high honors students. Honors Students We're defining these as the top third of high school students. It's possible that some of these students are not recognized as honors students at their schools, and it's possible that some students recognized as honors students at their schools are not among this third. Let's look at the range of scores for this group: A low score(25th percentile) is 1117 An average score (median) is 1207 Ahigh score (75th percentile) is 1285 Now, statistically, for the best of the best... High Honors Students We're defining these as the top tenth of high school students. These students are the ones most likely to be in high honors programs, though the same disclaimer applies here as it did before. Let's look at the range of scores for this group: A low score(25th percentile) is 1885(or 1257on the New SAT) An average score (median) is 2000(or 1333on the New SAT) Ahigh score (75th percentile) is 2102(or 1401on the New SAT) Take-Aways Sadly, there's truly no rest for the weary. The competition is a lot stiffer among more elite groups of students. It takes a much higher SAT score to stand out among high honors students than it does to stand out from among the common crowd. Having a good class rank combined with a stellar SAT score, though, is totally worth the effort. What's Next? Put in the work preparing for the test. Let us clue you in as to why it's so crucial. Aiming high along the way? A perfect score is tough to get, but it's possible. Are you still unclear on what a good SAT score is- or do you want a more general picture? We've got you covered. Want to improve your SAT score by 160points?We've written a guide about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Joural 4 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Joural 4 - Essay Example This film is a black feature film consisting of a vast cast. The main character is of Zeke (Daniel L. Haynes) and Chick, (Nina McKinney). The most important feature of this film lies on the fact that it consists of the first American African cast showing few element of prejudice against blacks that they are uneducated, and unethical individuals, but the narration of the film supersedes these negative features because the cinematography and music was widely appreciated by all. As it was first African American film, it posed as a risky release and thus, it was not made to release in all the states though the main motive behind Vidor’s creation was to instill awareness among youth and reduce the stereotyped mindsets regarding blacks. This film was included in National Film Preservation Board in 2008. â€Å"Hellelujah† was musical which Vidor directed. The film had significant features of black entertainment that represented the low classes of Blacks of that era. In terms of visual aspects, it was portrayed remarkably as Vidor experimented in the film; it was screened in Tennessee and Arkansas, where there was no interruption from new formed sound engineers at that time. There were other amazing attributes in the film; for instance, camera fluidity that showed through the sequences in the film, they was a first shot, and then the sound was added in the sequence. Moreover, though in that era, it was difficult to retain shots but Vidor was able to depict soft images of fields, the sequence of church meeting and the scene of the swamps were all portrayed beautifully. These scenes of cotton processing where there were paddle wheel sequences have a profound impact on the audience. It also has some kind of documentary feel to the film even though it has a narrative story line. The Actress, Nina Mae Mckinnney’s role is carried out with perfection even though she was very young, about 16 years old at that time when the

Will climate change destroy New York City How can it be managed ( Essay

Will climate change destroy New York City How can it be managed ( weather science) - Essay Example As noted by Russs, Sandy resulted in damages amounting to about $20 billion with 43 people confirmed dead and many more injured by the storm. The transport facilities in the city, including highways, subways, railways and airports, were shut down. The city was thrown into darkness as critical infrastructure, including wastewater treatment plants, hospitals and infrastructure, were incapacitated. Communication systems were also cut following the effects of the storm. Reports on Hurricane Sandy pointed out the increase in the intensity and frequency of hurricanes observed in the North Atlantic from the 1980s. The devastation caused by Sandy had been worsened by changing climatic factors. Partly to blame according to the New York City Panel on Climate Change, NPCC (4) was the rise in the sea level in the region around New York City which increased the magnitude and extent of coastal flooding during Hurricane Sandy. Therefore, New York City remains exposed to destructive effects of clima te change. Borrowing from the Special Initiative for Rebuilding and Resiliency, SIRR, report authored after the exposure of the vulnerability of New York City by Sandy, there exist genuine threats to the city. Among the notable threats, heat waves, intense precipitation and coastal flooding have been noted to be the most extreme (NPCC 12). Heading towards 2050s, heat waves could increase in frequency, duration and intensity. New York has for a long time been experiencing an average of 18 days per year with temperatures of 32oC or 90oF and above. The SIRR report observes that by 2010, New York could experience between 26 and 31 such days. This could rise to up to 57 days a year by the year 2050. With this change would be an additional average of 110 to 260 deaths per year related to heat waves. The number of days when rainfall exceeds 2 inches or 5 centimeters could increase from the current average of 2 days per year to five by 2020. Coastal flooding has been projected to