What It Is The Best Way To Do Marketing Solo

What It Is The Best Way To Do Marketing Solo If team blogging advice is confusing you as a solo blogger, stop. is a powerful blogging tool with definite team-tendencies, and we often blog with an eye toward teams of content marketers. But that may actually be unhelpful for a solo blogger. Though we write with an eye towards solo bloggers once in a while, too often we focus on the power of teams and create complex workflows and percentage-based approaches that can make even the best solo blogger’s eyes glaze over in despair. What Is The Best Way To Do Marketing Solo When You Cant Find Time? via @JulieNeidlingerWhat Troubles The Solo Blogger? Here are the characteristics of a solo blogger, from my own experience and from what we’ve heard from readers: Busy Busy Busy I emailed one of those busy solo bloggers recently. I asked her what she thought the biggest challenges were for her, and the frustrations she felt when reading advice that seemed geared for a team. She had some great (and blunt) points: No team to bounce ideas off No team to draft a long list of headlines to "test" for the best one No team to "review" the articles prior to publishing No "editor" No "graphics" person No team to handle social media, either in the posting (I use Buffer Co-Schedule, of course), or in responding No team to do extensive research, either for "hot, trending" topics or background research The solo blogger pointed out that she wasn’t just responsible for everything related to content marketing, but also all aspects of running a business, too, including client work, billing, etc. The advice she was getting was impossible, and the advice to â€Å"hire it out† wasn’t particularly helpful. That would put a dent in the budget and add yet another level of management to siphon attention away from her business. Marketing is just one thing on your to-do list. Here's how to do it well as a solo artist.After reading her list, I decided to approach the answer by rebooting the idea of what successful content marketing might look like, and how it isn’t defined in just one way (a definition, I might add, that too often fits teams best). Reduce Content Marketing To Its Bare Bones In the great swell of content marketing, with all of the graphics, stats, charts, tools, and theories, one thing has probably been lost: At its bare bones, content marketing is simply about writing stuff people want to read. At its bare bones, #contentmarketing is simply about writing stuff people want to read.1. The first word of content marketing is â€Å"content.† Be content with content. Yes, there is social media. Yes, there are email lists. Yes, there are analytics and A/B testing and landing pages and all kinds of other things under the sun that promise and deliver great returns. But, at its base, it is simply about writing something good. If you were to do that, search engines will find you. People will find you. It might be at a much slower rate, but they will. There is this huge fear- likely based on the heavy importance of big numbers as proof of successful content marketing- of how to exist when no one is reading your blog. This is horribly stifling when you’re getting started and trying to build good habits. Learn to write content well, quickly, and as second nature. 2. Just talk to people. All kinds. Here’s a shocker: I get lots of tweets and retweets and shares and followers on Twitter for the things I write, but the most viable return I receive is when I go to a blog and just leave a useful comment or establish a person-to-person communication with someone else online. And no, these are not always content marketing blogs. They are cartooning blogs, art blogs, fountain pen blogs, philosophy blogs- interesting people, great conversation, and I’ve made business connections and networks through this. These are the true word-of-mouth social shares and links that translate into dedicated readers and customers. Talking to people, especially those outside your niche, can inspire a lot of creative marketing.3. Build connections laterally. Content marketers sometimes get so wrapped up in content marketing and all of its peripherals that the engagement I get from them are questions on how they can do it better or almost mechanized retweets because they are trying to meet a curation quota. There is a strong focus that to get traction you must latch onto the influencers, the big or established names, but the response there is often an echo chamber. Find some other â€Å"little fish† and get real responses and build connections laterally instead of always looking vertically. Go where everyone else isn’t. You would be better off remembering to simply write great content and find interesting people and strike up long-term conversations on their blogs or social media accounts. The returns aren’t as sexy at first, but this approach helps you build the habit and get in practice. And, surprisingly, you make some worthwhile connections that can ultimately help your business in the long run. Building Good, Small Habits First The real question behind all the questions is probably this one: how do you get things done when you are busy and there is no one else to help? The answer is not surprising: We can get more done when we do one thing at a time and are operating mostly out of habit (good ones). And you can’t form the big habit until you form the small one. So let’s break it down into levels, with each level looking to form the habits you need in place before the next one. You might be at the beginning, or you might be further along. The key is that you can’t leave a level until all of the habits in the level are firmly in place. Solo Blogging Level 1: Just get started. Set up your blog and learn basics of maintaining and running it. Blog weekly. Share each blog post when you publish it. Learn to fine tune your words and write without lots of errors. Solo Blogging Level 2: Develop a system so the blank page has no power. Blog two times a week. Every post must have a graphic. Share each post when you publish it. Figure out how you blog, and systemize it. Solo Blogging Level 3: There is no such thing as a comfort zone. Plan your content on an editorial calendar. Blog two times a week Share at least once on social media. Be able to write a blog post on any topic, even if you have no prior understanding or idea of how to approach it. Solo Blogging Level 4: Writing is second nature. Your focus is promotion. Blog three times a week. Set up your social promotion plan. Delve into your analytics and learn to understand and use them. These levels are really the basics, but they should help you build good habits that can build more good habits. Using A Triage Mentality With a content marketing team, you can take in all of the great advice out there and implement it by delegating it out. From graphics to constant engagement and response on Twitter, it’s all doable. If you’re solo, you probably can’t. Remember, most solo bloggers are doing more than just content marketing. They are running other aspects of their business. My advice is to approach all of the helpful tips with a triage mentality, learning to pick what is the most important for what it is you want to accomplish, and leave the others alone. When you see a post about the â€Å"15 Most Important Things You Must Do For Your Content Marketing†, read it and decide which one or two you can actually do well and that will fit your ultimate goal. To do #contentmarketing solo, pick only the  few things that you want to accomplish.The ability to do this starts with understanding what you want your content marketing to achieve. You might want: More traffic More readers More social media fans High social media shares Establish a reputation as an expert You might want all of them, but you should pick one or two to start with. If you can do the â€Å"elevator speech† of what you want to achieve and sum it up in one sentence, you’ll be able to do triage on the deluge of advice coming your way and know which advice helps or gets in the way of your goal. Good advice that doesn’t apply to your goal is bad advice. Good advice that doesn’t apply to your goal is bad advice. #contentmarketingFor example, my goal is to improve my writing and create great content. While I would love more social fans and traffic, I am unable to handle johnny-on-the-spot responses to every interaction I receive on Google+ or Twitter. As a solo blogger, I could spend my time constantly monitoring my social feeds and having conversations, or I could blog and expose myself to experiences and reading that begets more blog posts. Perhaps you think you’re better at multitasking than I, but I don’t believe you. Multitasking is a big lie and that it puts a serious dent in productivity. So instead of divvying up my day to accommodate writing and social interaction, I look at it as a weekly thing. Once a week, I’ll hope into social media and respond. It’s low on my triage list. If you’re running a business and need to respond to customers sooner than once a week, I’d encourage you to at least set aside a chunk of time once a day to do it instead of hopping back and forth between social media conversation and content creation because I can guarantee you that that’s what’s creating a level of frustration and low productivity in you. A triage mentality tells you to compartmentalize, do only the important things according to what is important to you, and tells you to do them one at a time. No multitasking nonsense. Real Life Example: What I Do As both a solo blogger and a busy freelance blogger, my approach is one of limited resources and time. 1. Prepare for the upcoming week. On Sunday night, I sit down with my weekly planner and review and schedule the upcoming week’s work. All of the writing, blogging, etc. is planned out. lets you do this as well; I’m just a pen-and-paper fanatic. To make this work, you must be a realist. I know two long blog posts a day (or about 4,000 words total) is about all I can handle, so I certainly don’t set myself up for failure and schedule more than that. Set up a schedule you can handle. 2. Triage upcoming tasks. Using a highlighter, I decide which of these tasks for the coming week are absolute musts, and which are less important. I use color to make it easier to see. The low-hanging fruit, if not completed, gets moved to the next week or dropped altogether. If there are tasks continually not getting done after several weeks, it’s a sign I can’t handle it, the habit isn’t there, or it isn’t important. I have to rethink why I put them there, why I think I need to do them, or why I don’t seem motivated to complete them. 3. Do the work. There is a lot of fretting and productivity porn on the Internet where people are all trying to find the magic system for getting work done and being more productive. The truth is that such a solution doesn’t exist and fussing to find the perfect answer just keeps you from getting things done. No system is better than another, and they all hinge on one thing: you doing the work. If you’re struggling to write a blog post at your desk, write someplace else. Once a week I write at a coffee shop just to change things up a bit. If you’re struggling to write a blog post because you don’t want to, rethink why you are doing content marketing, or develop a kick-in-the-pants system that helps you get past this form of writer’s block. What tasks are you not getting done? Figure out why and work on finding a way to change that. You have to find the solution; I can’t tell you what to do. 4. Periodically review what you’re doing. Every month, I like to review: My weekly planner and see what tasks I consistently didn’t finish. Traffic and stats for my blog and social media. How many words I write every week. The habits I’ve fallen into (both good and bad). If I’m practicing the habit of brainstorming and idea generation. How many books/magazines/newspapers I’m reading for non-online source material. During this time, I try to figure out what it all means. Why didn’t I finish something? What do my analytics tell me? Am I able to be more productive (as far as word count is concerned) or have I hit a wall? Have I let my reading slip and reduced possible idea sources? Am I giving myself enough time to be creative and enough time to run my business? No, I don’t do this every week. I can’t handle that. But I can handle it every month. You can only do what you can do even if others tell you that’s not good enough. What Is The Answer? Let’s take a look at that original list from our over-worked solo blogger, and see what concrete solutions might be. 1. No team to bounce ideas off. Trust your gut, read your analytics. Your analytics and social proof will tell you what idea they liked. Take the leap and write it and find out. 2. No team to draft a list of headlines to test for the best one. Dive in, write headlines, try again, and learn from both what gets shared the most as well as what you start to learn from all the practice. If you want more assurance than that, get a plugin like KingSumo Headlines that helps you pick the best headline automatically. Use our Headline Analyzer. I don’t bounce headline ideas off of a team for my own blogging. I don’t write 25 headlines (though I usually write more than one). Some headlines are better than others. I move on. 3. No team to review articles prior to publishing. Practice writing and publishing, spell check, and reading a finished post out loud will help you write a good post. Believe me, if you have a typo or something amiss, online people will let you know. You will get better the more you do it. Don’t let a fear of no one there to reassure you the post is OK keep you from writing. 4. No editor, or graphic designer. Having an editor isn’t always the answer. Sometimes they over-edit. But if you’re concerned about the quality of your writing, there are options and apps to help you proofread. The blunt truth is, if you aren’t a good writer and you can’t afford to hire a writer, then content marketing is just going to be tough. Most people, though, can write to improve. It takes practice, and practice is the act of actually doing it. I don’t have an editor for my own blog. When I read my old blog posts I shudder. They got better the more I did it. No one is great right out of the gate. As far as graphics are concerned, Canva is a godsend. Social graphics, blog graphics, infographics- it does it all for free or low cost. Stock images are possible, but they can ding your budget. If you’re not a designer and want to avoid copyright issues, use Canva. 5. No social media team for posting or responding. Using and tools like Buffer make posting, re-posting, and curating very simple as long as you set aside the time and develop the habit. As far as responding, consider what I said about triage. Set aside time to respond, too, based on how important engagement is for your goal. 6. No team to do research for topics or background. There are all kinds of ways to get ideas for your blog. Hardcore research and diligent attention to trends is just one approach. As to writing your posts, not all of the blog post types are research intensive. If you can’t do research, focus on content types that don’t require it. While blog posts with headlines using the phrases â€Å"backed by science† or â€Å"backed by research† are very popular, you don’t have to write them. What are you good at? What can you write? Write what you can, not what everyone else is writing. You have stories to tell from client experiences. You have life experiences to share. You get ideas from books and articles you’ve read. You have reactions and comments on other blog posts. You have other things you can write without delving into scientific journals to find brain scans that prove the color blue is better for blogs than yellow. Write in the way that fits your content creator type and your time, not in accordance with what every other content marketer is telling you to write. And don’t worry about trending topics. Those kinds of blog posts aren’t going to be evergreen, anyway. Don’t Drown In Advice The nature of content marketing is that there is lots of content, and even though so much of it is helpful, if you are drowning in good advice, you are still drowning. Solo bloggers, especially, must learn to pick and choose according to a simple goal, learning to build both habits and the foundation for the next goal. They have to write how and with what they have at hand. It’s very much a creative process, finding ideas to write about with the tools and time available. A team can handle a multi-pronged attack. But if there is only one of you, you are really only capable of a single-pronged attack.

7 Most Common Mistakes on ACT Math How to Avoid Them

7 Most Common Mistakes on ACT Math How to Avoid Them SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips I've tutored many students on the ACT Math section, and they often found it frustrating. Some struggled because they considered themselves better English students and felt overwhelmed by the content and pacing of ACT Math. Others found that even though they considered themselves strong math students, they had a hard time getting the score they wanted in the ACT Math section. But allthese students typically madethe same types of mistakes. In this article, I’ll go over the seven most common mistakes students make on the ACT Math section and how to avoid them. Mistake #1: Skipping Steps ACT Math questions can be very sneaky.Problems can appear at first glance deceptively easy because they only require you to know basic math topics. However, the ACT questions ask for you to apply this basic knowledge in unique ways and often require you to run through several steps to get to the correct answer.If you don’t write out these steps, you can easilyend up with the wrong answer. For example, check out this ACT Math question: I’m going to admit that the first time I attempted this I got it wrong because I did not write down my steps!Hopefully, you’ll learn from my mistake.Together, we will write out the steps and get to the correct answer. There are 4 questions with 3 possible answers, and only 1 of the 3 answer choices will be correct. Therefore, for each question, Elliott has a ${1}/{3}$ chance of answering correctly.Since there are 4 questions, Elliot’s chances of answering all 4 correctly at random are$({1}/{3})({1}/{3})({1}/{3})({1}/{3})$which equals ${1}/{81}$, so the correct answer is E. Initially, I tried to do this problem in my head without writing any steps down. Because I didn't write anythingdown, Imistakenly thought there were four possible answer choices for each question instead of three. Therefore, I got the wrong answer, ${1}/{256}$. Thankfully, my answer wasn't one of the answer choices, so I caught my mistake, but I would have missed the questionotherwise. Don’t miss problems because you didn’t write out all of the steps.This is arguably the easiest mistake to fix.All you need to do is write out all your steps, and you’ll never accidentally miss a problem because you skipped a step!Learn from my silly mistake! Mistake #2: Forgetting Formulas The ACT doesn’t give you any formulas.However, you’ll need to use a lot of formulas to answer questions in the ACT Math section.You need to know these math formulas to answer the questions correctly.We’ve compiled a complete list of all the formulas you need to know for ACT Math. You need to memorize these formulas.Create flashcards to help you memorize.I cannot stress enough how important memorizing formulas is.You’ll see at least 10 questions (out of 60) on the ACT Math section that you will not be able to answer without knowing formulas. Check out this ACT Math question that you couldn’t answer without knowing the formula: If you didn't have yourtrigonometry formulas memorized (SOHCAHTOA), you would have no idea how to answer this question. It's impossible to answer this question without knowing the formula for the tangent of an angle since that is the value you're trying to find. If you remember your trigonometry formulas, you know that the tangent of an angle is the opposite/adjacent.For this question, you need to find the tangent of angle B.The adjacent side for angle B is 2, which means it is our denominator.This means we can eliminate answer choices H, J, and K. However, you cannot find the final answer without also knowing the formula for thePythagorean Theorem.You need to know the Pythagorean Theorem in order to find the measureof the missing side of the triangle, the opposite side to angle B. Using the Pythagorean Theorem, you can find this missing side measure. $$a^2+b^2=c^2$$ $$a^2+2^2=5^2$$ $$a^2+4=25$$ $$a^2=21$$ $$a=√{21}$$ The opposite side will be $√{21}$, and we know that our adjacent side is 2. The final answer is F, ${√{21}}/{2}$. Mistake #3: Not UnderstandingFunctions Functions tend to be one of the hardest concepts, if not the hardest concept, for most students. Students are usually less familiar with algebraic and/or trigonometric functions than they are with other math concepts such as fractions and percentages. Some students have completely forgotten functions or never learned them in the first place. To master the ACT math section, you need to be a whiz at functions. See this ACT Math function question: To answer this question, you need to know the rules of trigonometric functions andtranslations. You will not be able to answer this question without knowing these rules. You first need to use your knowledge of trigonometric functions to read the graph, and then, you need to apply your knowledge of translations rules to find the final answer. First, you need to be able to identify which function is $sin(x)$ and which is$sin(x+a)+b$ on the graph since they're not identified for you.If you know your trigonometric functions, you know that the y-intercept of$sin(x)$ is 0, meaning the graph of$sin(x)$ crosses through the origin. Therefore, the other functionmust be$sin(x+a)+b$. Once you've correctly identified which function is which, you need to figure out how$y=sin(x)$ was changed to make$y=sin(x+a)+b$, which is where your translation knowledge comes in. Based on the given information in the question, you know the two have the same maximum values, meaning the amplitude was not changed.By looking at the graph you can tell$y=sin(x)$ was shiftedto the left or right to make$y=sin(x+a)+b$, but it was not moved up or down. Since there was no up or down movement, b must equal zero since any change in b would cause$y=sin(x)$ to move up or down. Therefore, the answer must be A, but let's check by figuring out what a should be. Because$y=sin(x)$ repeats itself infinitely, you can shift it either to the left or right to create the new function$y=sin(x+a)+0$.Therefore, $a$ could be positive or negative (for example, ${-3Ï€}/{2}$ or ${Ï€}/{2}$, but it could not equal zero, so A is the correct answer. If you've forgotten functions, then you need to review. You must review all math concepts that you’re rusty on in order to succeed on ACT Math.Lucky for you, we’ve written specific ACT Math content guides to help you study any individual ACT Math content area that you might be struggling with, fromtrigonometric functions totranslations,ratios to rotations, points to probabilities and much more. Mistake #4:Panicking at Unfamiliar Question Formats The ACT sometimes asks questions in strange ways, which can scare a lot of students. I had many students who, even though they'd reviewed all of the math content areas, wouldread the question and rather than trying to figure it out would just freak out and give up. The question below is one that presents an unfamiliar question format. You’ll likely recognize it as an algebra question, and if you were asked to find the solutions forx (had you been given numerical values of m and n), you’d likely know how to answer that question.However, instead, this question tells you the valueof x and asks you to figure out what m and n are. Let’s work through this problem together: If the only possible solution for x is -3, that means the given equation can also be represented as $(x-y)^2=0$.We need to figure out what y is in order to find out what m and n are. If $(x-y)^2=0$, then you can separate it into $(x-y)(x-y)=0$.For this to be true, x-y has to equal 0. $$x-y=0$$ The question told us that the only solution for x is -3, so we plug that in and solve: $$-3-y=0$$ $$-y=3$$ $$y=-3$$ Now that we know the value of y, we plug it back into $(x-y)^2=0$ and then multiply and simplify to figure out what m and n are: $$(x-(-3))^2=0$$ $$(x+3)^2=0$$ $$(x+3)(x+3)=0$$ $$x^2+3x+3x+9=0$$ $$x^2+6x+9=0$$ Therefore, $m=6$, so the answer is C. There is no easy solution to this type of mistake.The only way to learn from this mistake is with practice.ACT Math questions are unlike the math questions you usually see in math class. They are much trickier. I recommend taking as many practice ACT testsas you can in order to get used to the style of ACT math questions.You need to train yourself to be able to solve math questions in this new way. Mistake #5: Solving for the Wrong Value As I just said, ACT Math questions can be tricky.They are tricky not only because they ask you to apply basic skills in new ways but also because they sometimes phrase questions in weird, convoluted ways. Althoughthe ACT is often called the more straightforward test in comparison to the SAT (or at least in comparison to the old SAT),some ACT Math questions are far from straightforward.Take for example this question: The question is basically asking how the surface area will change if you double the length, width and height.However, if you misread the question, you could easilyjump to the incorrect conclusion that the surface area was doubled, and the answer is A. Given the formula for surface area, $A=2lw+2lh+2wh$, if we double $l$, $w$, $h$, the new surface area would be $$SA=2(2l)(2w)+2(2l)(2h)+2(2w)(2h)$$ $$SA=2(4lw)+2(4lh)+2(4h)$$ That can be written as $$SA=4(2lw+2lh+2wh)$$ When that is compared to the original $SA=2lw+2lh+2wh$, you can see it’s 4 times the original, so the answer is B. Take your time.I know you don’t have a lot of time on the ACT Math section, but you need to read each question completely and make sure that you know what you’re being asked.The ACT Math section will always throw you an answer choice that will seem correct if you misread the question.They are trying to tempt you to answer incorrectly.Don’t fall for it! Mistake #6: Incorrectly Using Your Calculator You need to be careful with your calculator.It’s a great tool, but to quote the Spiderman comics, â€Å"With great power comes great responsibility.†It’s very easy to feel rushed during the ACT Math questions, and, in your hurry to find the answer, you type the wrong number(s) into your calculator and, therefore, come to the wrong answer. Now, this is typically one of the better mistakes to make on this list because if you type in the wrong number(s) you’ll likely find no matching answer in the ACT answer choices, and you’ll realize you made a mistake. However, you don’t want to be making this mistake.Even if you catch your mistake because there is no matching answer choice, you’ve still cost yourself valuable time that you could have been using to answer another question.Take the time to check that you’ve copied the numbers into your calculator correctly. Type carefully! Mistake #7: Not Pacing Yourself With only 60 minutes to answer 60 questions, you need to learn to pace yourself. To determineyour pacing, you need to first figure out your target score. The questions progress from easy to hard, so no matter what score you're aiming for always attempt the questions chronologically. If you're aiming for a score higher than 30, then you're going to need to answer all or almost all of the 60 questions. That means you must spend under 1 minute per question on the first 30 questions to save time for the harder end questions. If you're aiming for a score below 30, then you can afford to skip some questions. Determine how many questions you need to answer to reach your score and then pace according to that amount of questions. For example, if you're aiming for 20, then you only need to get 32 math questions right. You can allow yourself a minute and a half per question, and you should attempt the first 40-45 questions and skip the hardest ones at the end. Simply choose a random letter and bubble that in for the ones you skip, since there is no penalty for guessing. I won’t go into detail because we have another great guide on how to stop running out of time on ACT Math and how to take advantage of the easy to hard question order. However, I will say to truly master the pacing you need to take many practice tests under realistic conditions.Don’t give yourself even one extra minute on your practice tests because this can artificially inflate your score. Stick to 60 minutes for the ACT Math section. What’s Next? Now that you know the most common mistakes on ACT Math, you might want to take a look at our specific ACT Math content guides to help you study any individual ACT Math content area that you might be struggling with, from ratios to rotations, points to probabilities. Stuck on an ACT Math problem? We'll show you how to figure out when you're really stuck and what to do about it. Want additional help with ACT Math? Don’t sweat it. We've compiled all ourbest free ACT Math guides into one ultimate ACT math study guide. Want to improve your ACT score by 4 points? Check out our best-in-class online ACT prep program. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your ACT score by 4 points or more. Our program is entirely online, and it customizes what you study to your strengths and weaknesses. If you liked this Math lesson, you'll love our program.Along with more detailed lessons, you'll get thousands ofpractice problems organized by individual skills so you learn most effectively. We'll also give you a step-by-step program to follow so you'll never be confused about what to study next. Check out our 5-day free trial:

Operation Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Operation Management - Essay Example At the same time it is also very capital intensive as requires heavy machinery and costly equipment for both building of ships and carrying out repairs. It also requires a very large area or layout for its activities and needs to be next to a sea port or at least on the coast with very good rail and road facilities for transporting goods and materials. Its consumption of electrical power is also very great. It is for these reasons that this industry is not as widespread as some other industries like apparel manufacturing or food processing which may be bigger in size or turnover but far easier to manage and organize. For such an industry to survive and to prosper it must have certain traits and special skills. Such industries are also located in a few select areas of the world and have developed their knowledge base and their especially skilled workers over long periods of struggles and have become respected the world over for the excellence of their work. One such place in Europe is Rijeka, a city of 200,000 people, located on the north coast of Kvarna Bay between the Istrian Peninsula and the eastern Adriatic coast of Croatia. This small town boast of two shipyards and one of them is the famous Viktor Lenac Shipyard (formerly known as Lazarus). For forty years it was the pride of Yugoslavia, until Croatia seceded from it mother country and became independent in 1991. Because of political turbulence during the next ten years foreign buyer hesitated to give business to Croatian shipyards. But Viktor Lenac survived well as it concentrated on ship repairs and remained profitable all along. During the Yugoslavian days all shipyards were owned by the government but Croatia decided to opt for the open market economy and privatized the shipyards. Attracted by its profitability a group of Italian and American investors stepped in and took over the

International finance and management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

International finance and management - Essay Example hods for managing the said exposures are forward contracts, money market contract, currency options, currency swaps, leading and lagging and choice of currency invoice. Lastly, a brief illustration on how to use the money market and forward contract is provided. Medco Ltd is a pharmaceutical company based in the U.K. the company deals in exports and imports of medicines throughout Europe. The nature of the company’s transaction presents a risk as a result of the fluctuation of the foreign exchange rates. The company is planning to invoice a customer in France for 500,000 euros, payable in six months. The company’s managing directors seek advice on whether to implement money market or forward contract hedging strategy. This essay presents the risks in relation to the changes in exchange rate, the causes and factors affecting foreign exchange rate risks, methods of dealing with the forex risks and a mathematical illustration to help the company’s managing directors decided between the two hedging strategies (money market and forward contract). Foreign exchange is a market concept that means, converting currency of one country into that of another. Therefore, foreign exchange market is the market that hosts the currency conversion process (Baxter & Stockman 1989). The process of currency conversion depends on exchange rates. An exchange rate is the cost charged for converting the value of a country’s currency into the value of another. A spot exchange rate is the rate used in an instant currency conversion agreement between two or more parties (Dornbusch 1976). Spot exchange is carried out in a spot exchange market, which is part of the foreign exchange market. On the other hand, forward exchange rate is the rate agreed on today, to convert currencies at a future date specified in the agreement (Weithers 2011). The fluctuating exchange rate could present an unfavorable situation to a company if the local currency is rendered less valuable, (increased

Decision making Essay Example for Free

Decision making Essay SLIDE 1 – INTRODUCTORY SLIDE Ethical theories provide part of the decision-making foundation for Decision Making When Ethics Are In Play because these theories represent the viewpoints from which individuals seek guidance as they make decisions. Each theory emphasizes different points – a different decision-making style or a decision rule—such as predicting the outcome and following one’s duties to others in order to reach what the individual considers an ethically correct decision. In order to understand ethical decision making, it is important for students to realize that not everyone makes decisions in the same way, using the same information, employing the same decision rules. In order to further understand ethical theory, there must be some understanding of a common set of goals that decision makers seek to achieve in order to be successful. Four of these goals include beneficence, least harm, respect for autonomy, and justice. SLIDE 2 ETHICAL PRINCIPLES Beneficence The principle of beneficence guides the decision maker to do what is right and good. This priority to â€Å"do good† makes an ethical perspective and possible solution to an ethical dilemma acceptable. This principle is also related to the principle of utility, which states that we should attempt to generate the largest ratio of good over evil possible in the world. This principle stipulates that ethical theories should strive to achieve the greatest amount of good because people benefit from the most good. This principle is mainly associated with the utilitarian ethical theory discussed later in this set of notes. Least Harm Similar to beneficence, least harm deals with situations in which no choice appears beneficial. In such cases, decision makers seek to choose to do the least harm possible and to do harm to the fewest people. Students might argue that people have a greater responsibility to â€Å"do no harm† than to take steps to benefit others. For example, a student has a larger responsibility to simply walk past a teacher in the hallway rather than to make derogatory remarks about that teacher as he/she walks past even though the student had failed that teacher’s class. Respect for Autonomy This principle states that decision making should focus on allowing people to be autonomous—to be able to make decisions that apply to their lives. Thus, people should have control over their lives as much as possible because they are the only people who completely understand their chosen type of lifestyle. Ask students if they agree. Are there limits to autonomy? Each individual deserves respect because only he/she has had those exact life experiences and understands his emotions, motivations, and physical capabilities in such an intimate manner. In essence, this ethical principle is an extension of the ethical principle of beneficence because a person who is independent usually prefers to have control over his life experiences in order to obtain the lifestyle that he/she enjoys. Justice The justice ethical principle states that decision makers should focus on actions that are fair to those involved. This means that ethical decisions should be consistent with the ethical theory unless extenuating circumstances that can be justified exist in the case. This also means that cases with extenuating circumstances must contain a significant and vital difference from similar cases that justify the inconsistent decision. Ask students if they describe what extenuating circumstances might be. Ethical Theories By Larry Chonko, Ph. D. The University of Texas at Arlington. NOTES: ___________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________ ________ 1 presents SLIDE 3 – FORMS OF ETHICAL THEORIES For individuals, the ethical theory they employ for decision making guidance emphasizes aspects of an ethical dilemma important to them and leads them to the most ethically correct resolution according to the guidelines within the ethical theory itself. Four broad categories of ethical theory include deontology, utilitarianism, rights, and virtues. Deontology The deontological class of ethical theories states that people should adhere to their obligations and duties when engaged in decision making when ethics are in play. This means that a person will follow his or her obligations to another individual or society because upholding one’s duty is what is considered ethically correct. For instance, a deontologist will always keep his promises to a friend and will follow the law. A person who adheres to deontological theory will produce very consistent decisions since they will be based on the individual’s set duties. Deontology contains many positive attributes, but it also contains flaws. One flaw is that there is no rationale or logical basis for deciding an individual’s duties. For instance, a businessperson may decide that it is his/her duty to always be on time to meetings. Although this appears to be something good, we do not know why the person chose to make this his duty. Ask students what reasons they might provide for this behavior. Sometimes, a person’s duties are in conflict. For instance, if the business person who must be on time to meetings is running late, how is he/she supposed to drive? Is speeding breaking his/her duty to society to uphold the law, or is the businessperson supposed to arrive at the meeting late, not fulfilling the duty to be on time? Ask students how they would rectify the conflicting obligations to arrive at an a clear ethically-correct resolution. Also ask students to bring into play the consideration of the welfare of others as a result of the business person’s decision. Utilitarianism Utilitarian ethical theories are based on one’s ability to predict the consequences of an action. To a utilitarian, the choice that yields the greatest benefit to the most people is the one that is ethically correct. There are two types of utilitarianism, act utilitarianism and rule utilitarianism. Act utilitarianism subscribes precisely to the definition of utilitarianism—a person performs the acts that benefit the most people, regardless of personal feelings or the societal constraints such as laws. Rule utilitarianism takes into account the law and is concerned with fairness. A rule utilitarian seeks to benefit the most people but through the fairest and most just means available. Therefore, added benefits of rule utilitarianism are that it values justice and includes beneficence at the same time. Both act and rule utilitarianism have disadvantages. Although people can use their life experiences to attempt to predict outcomes, no one can be certain that his/her predictions will be accurate. Uncertainty can lead to unexpected results making the utilitarian decision maker appear unethical as time passes, as the choice made did not benefit the most people as predicted. Another assumption that a utilitarian decision maker must make concerns his/her ability to compare the various types of consequences against each other on a similar scale. But, comparing material gains, such as money, against intangible gains, such as happiness, is very difficult since their qualities differ to such a large extent. An act utilitarian decision maker is concerned with achieving the maximum good. Thus, one individual’s rights may be infringed upon in order to benefit a greater number of people. In other words, act utilitarianism is not always concerned with justice, beneficence or autonomy for an individual if oppressing the individual leads to the solution that benefits a majority of people. Ethical Theories By Larry Chonko, Ph. D. The University of Texas at Arlington NOTES: ___________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ 2 presents Ethical Theories By Larry Chonko, Ph. D. The University of Texas at Arlington Still another source of challenge with act utilitarian decision makers occurs when an individual faces one set of variable conditions and then suddenly experiences changes in those conditions. The change in conditions may lead to a change in the original decision—being be nice to someone one moment and then dislike them the next moment because the situation has changed, and liking the person is no longer beneficial to the most people. In rule utilitarianism, there is the possibility of conflicting rules. Recall the example of the business person running late for a meeting. Suppose the business person happens to be the CEO, who may believe that it is ethically correct to arrive at important meetings on time as the members of the company will benefit from this decision. The CEO may encounter conflicting ideas about what is ethically correct if he/she is running late. Yet, the CEO believes that he/she should follow the law because this benefits society. Simultaneously, he/she believes that it is ethically correct to be on time for his meeting because it is a meeting that also benefits the society. There appears to be no ethically correct answer for this scenario. Rights In ethical theories based on rights, the rights established by a society are protected and given the highest priority. Rights are considered to be ethically correct and valid since a large population endorses them. Individuals may also bestow rights upon others if they have the ability and resources to do so. For example, a person may say that her friend may borrow her laptop for the afternoon. The friend who was given the ability to borrow the laptop now has a right to the laptop in the afternoon. A major complication of this theory on a larger scale is that one must decipher what the characteristics of a right are in a society. The society has to determine what rights it wants to uphold and give to its citizens. In order for a society to determine what rights it wants to enact, it must decide what the society’s goals and ethical priorities are. Therefore, in order for the rights theory to be useful, it must be used in conjunction with another ethical theory that will consistently explain the goals of the society. For example in America people have the right to choose their religion because this right is upheld in the Constitution. One of the goals of the Founding Fathers’ of America was to uphold this right to freedom of religion. Virtue The virtue ethical theory judges a person by his/her character rather than by an action that may deviate from his/her normal behavior. It takes the person’s morals, reputation, and motivation into account when rating an unusual and irregular behavior that is considered unethical. For instance, if a person plagiarized a passage that was later detected by a peer, the peer who knows the person well will understand the person’s character and will judge the friend accordingly. If the plagiarizer normally follows the rules and has good standing amongst his colleagues, the peer who encounters the plagiarized passage may be able to judge his friend more leniently. Perhaps the researcher had a late night and simply forgot to credit his or her source appropriately. Conversely, a person who has a reputation for academic misconduct is more likely to be judged harshly for plagiarizing because of his/her consistent past of unethical behavior. One weakness of virtue ethical theory is that it does not take into consideration a person’s change in moral character. For example, a scientist who may have made mistakes in the past may honestly have the same late night story as the scientist in good standing. Neither of these scientists intentionally plagiarized, but the act was still committed. On the other hand, a researcher may have a sudden change from moral to immoral character may go unnoticed until a significant amount of evidence mounts up against him/her. NOTES: ___________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________ ________ 3 presents SLIDES 4-6 SELECTED PRINCIPLES OF ETHICAL CONDUCT When individuals find themselves in a decision-making situation when ethics are in play, there are a variety of ethical theories (decision rules) which provide decision-making guidance as individuals strive to make ethically correct answers. Each ethical theory attempts to adhere to the ethical principles that lead to success when trying to reach the best decision. Most individuals adopt a preferred decision-making style (e. g. do unto others ), but might adjust it depending on decision circumstances. As decision makers, they soon discover that others have adopted different decision rules. Thus, a team of decision makers must first understand the decision-making styles and decision rules of all members of the team. SLIDES 7 – 9 A TAXONOMY OF ETHICAL TYPES There are three different approaches to examining how ethical theories (differing decisionmaking styles and decision rules) impact decision making. The first group, entitled, â€Å"Selected Principles of Ethical Conduct,† present different ethical theories or decision making styles. The second group, entitled â€Å"A Taxonomy of Ethical Types† also provides a look at different decision-making styles, presenting some of the positives and negatives associated with each. The third group, entitled â€Å"Models of Personal and Organizational Development,† also deals with decision-making styles but presents them in a hierarchy from simple to more sophisticated. SLIDES 10-12 MODELS OF PERSONAL AND ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT From Cognitive Moral Development (as espoused by Lawrence Kohlberg in The Philosophy of Moral Development: Moral Stages and the Idea of Justice, 1981, HarperCollins Publishers) Cognitive Moral Development asserts that ethics education is possible. Just as people develop mentally, physically, and emotionally, they develop a moral cognizance. Using critical thinking and decision-making tactics such as the Socratic method, people can solve their ethical dilemmas. Kohlberg taught that there were six stages of ethical thinking, each stage being of greater maturity than the previous one. By delineating these levels, we are allowed to know and test our own thinking and decision making. This helps individuals know themselves better and challenges them to move on to a higher level of thinking. To examine how different ethical theories (decision-making styles and decision rules enter into team decision making, the following questions are presented. 1. Ask students to play the role of a hospital administrator who has been asked to set up an Ethics Task Force in the hospital. The task force will deal with ethical dilemmas that may confront hospital staff and advise in establishing ethical guidelines for the treatment of patients. (a) What kind of persons would you look for to fill this position? What values would you want them to hold? What types of ethical sensitivity would you be looking for? (b) What basic ethical principles would you advise the task force to follow? 2. Now tell students they are charged with the same task described in Question #1, but this time for a market research firm instead of a hospital. What would the differences be? If there are any differences, what conclusions would you draw about the way we define the moral ballpark? 3. An undergraduate student published A Students’ Guide to Good Grades 10. This book was written to help students learn how to cheat. You can ask students many questions about this: What ethical issues do you see associated with publishing such a book? Should the campus bookstore carry it? Why or why not? Should the campus Ethical Theories By Larry Chonko, Ph. D. The University of Texas at Arlington. NOTES: ___________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________ ________ 4 presents Ethical Theories By Larry Chonko, Ph. D. The University of Texas at Arlington newspaper carry advertisements for the book? Similarly, should the campus newspaper carry advertisements for companies that will write students’ research papers for them? Again, what are the relevant ethical considerations here? Are these issues in the ethical ballpark? Why or why not? What is the ethical issue that you are most undecided about? Describe the pros and cons relating to this issue. How do you go about arriving at a decision when it is unavoidable? NOTES: ___________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________ ________ 5

hypnosis :: essays research papers

A Hystory of Hypnosis Home Vitamins Thermometers Blood pressure Skincare Hot Supplements Hypnosis Women Men Weight loss Stop Smoking Erotic Hypnosis Self Hypnosis Personal Protection Links Dr. Franz Friedrich Anton Mesmer was an Austrian physician who was infamous for inducing a hypnotic and trancelike state in human beings as a curative remedy. This process of mesmerism, as it soon became known, was powerful enough to exercise an extraordinary influence on the human body. The doctor labeled this ability as animal magnetism. In 1772, Mesmer first began to develop and refine his technique, and three years later he published a report on his discovery, under the claim that it possessed medicinal value. Mesmer's system included the use of the glass armonica as a hypnotic device, because the sounds produced were extremely high-pitched and ethereal. To hear a sound similar to the glass armonica, be sure your hands are clean, take an empty crystal wine glass, wet your finger with water and run it around the rim of the glass in a complete circle, several times. Move your finger smoothly in a circular motion. The sound will change by adding different amounts of liquid in the glass. The presence of water in the glass decreases the vibrational frequency. Therefore, the pitch is lower than that of the empty glass. Increasing the size of the glass would produce a similar effect in the tone of the sound. The glass armonica was a vital ingredient in Mesmer's hypnotic 'magnetic sà ©ances'. His patients, mostly 'hysterical bourgeois women', were placed in a magnetic tub filled with glass powder and iron filings, and massaged into a relaxed state by the sweet, distant tones of a glass armonica played behind curtains covered with astrological symbols. Then Mesmer himself, clad in a long purple robe, would enter and touch each patient with a white wand, sending them into a magnetic trance from which they awakened fully cured. In 1778 Marie Paradies, a blind pianist who suffered from hysterical blindness, approached Mesmer for treatment. Mesmer temporarily restored her eyesight, but the inundation of visual stimuli ruined her nerves and destroyed her ability to play the piano. Mesmer was therefore in bad graces with Empress Maria Theresa, godmother of Marie Paradies, and wisely moved to Paris. He became extremely popular in Paris through the efforts of Queen Marie Antoinette; in fact too popular for King Louis XVI, who in 1784 appointed a special committee from the Paris Medical Society and Academy to "check this Mesmer's success." Incidentally, in 1785 the French government appointed a committee of physicians and scientists to investigate the work of the Austrian.

The Italian Unification: Mazzini, Cavour and Garibaldi

Evaluate the relative importance of Mazzini, Cavour, and Garibaldi for the Italian Unification between 1848 and 1871 In order to achieve the unification the Italians had to go through a long struggle starting from 1830 and ending in 1871. Thanks to the leading of Mazzini, Cavour and Garibaldi, the Mediterranean peninsula was able to defeat its foreign enemies, especially the Austrian Empire, and create a united nation under the King of Piedmont, Viktor Emmanuel II.Although Mazzini was the starter of nationalism movements and aroused the spirits of many Italians, Cavour and Garibaldi were the two leaders who were able, both in their own way, to create a consolidated country. Giuseppe Mazzini was an Italian journalist and idealist that at the beginning of the 1830s was able to stimulate the people of the Italian peninsula to fight for freedom from Austria and for a creation of a nation. In his first years of revolutionary movements in the 1830s he was exiled from Italy, and moved to Sw itzerland to create a new movement, the Young Italy.This movement was different from the precedent Carbonari, that were less prepared and more violent, and it was made up by the middle class and as well as the working class and the peasants. Mazzini didn’t believe that Italy could be unified under a king, and thought that the best way of government was a republic, especially after the king Charles Albert refused his proposal to be at the head of the Unified Nation. Even though Mazzini’s supporters were defeated during a revolt in Piedmont, he was able to create an organize movement that had a great influence on the Italian Unification.Later in his life, Mazzini worked cooperating with Garibaldi, and together with him they made a lot of progress in the process of achieving their goal. Count Camillo Benso di Cavour was the diplomatic and political leader of the Italian Unification. Cavour was the mind and the brain of the Italian Unification, who created the political st rategies to defeat Austria. He was a noble man but had liberals ideas, and wanted to unite the country under the Kingdom of Piedmont, working with Viktor Emmanuel II.He was elected first in the Parliament under the rule of Charles Albert, and when he abdicated in favor of his son Viktor Emmanuel II, he was made Minister of Commerce and Agriculture in 1850, Minister of the Navy and Finance in 1851 and Prime Minister in 1852. Mazzini could be compared to Bismark, Prussia’s chancellor, because not only were they both very strategic and intelligent, but even because he modernized the Kingdom of Piedmont like Bismark had done in the German territories. With his domestic polices he created new banks, that made loans to middle class men to open businesses, that gave jobs to the working classes.The banks also made loans to businesses that wanted to create railroads so that Italy was modernized like the rest of Europe. He then facilitated the trading to gain industrial goods from Engl and and strengthen the army of Piedmont, in order to prepare it for war. Cavour used once again his diplomatic skills when he decided to support France and England in the Crimean War in 1854, where his troops won many battles. He then secretly met with Napoleon III in Plombieres, and signed a compact in which the French Emperor promised to support Italy in a war against Austria in exchange of the territories of Nice and Savoy.When the war broke out in 1859 though, Napoleon III, unexpectedly resigned and withdrew his troops, signing a peace contract in Villafranca with the Austrians. With his foreign and domestic policies, Cavour had created the opportunities and the circumstances for Italy to unite. If Cavour was the mind and the brain of the Italian Unification, Garibaldi was the heart of the movement. He was an idealist who believed, like Mazzini, that Italy had to be unified under a republic and without foreign aid.He became the leader of the unification when, with his troops, th e thousand red shirts, he conquered Sicily in 1860 sending away the Bourbon family and the king of the Two Sicilies, Ferdinand II. He conquered Naples, and marched up north, until he got to Rome, where the troops of the Kingdom of Piedmont waited for him. Even though he was a republican, he decided to hand out the territories he conquered to the king Viktor Emmanuel II, who was now the king of Italy. Venetia was still part of the Austrian Empire and Rome was still part of the papal state.Garibaldi then tried to conquer the Papal State but was defeated by the French troops and was exiled from Italy. He was able to escaped but failed again sending an army from Tuscany to Rome again. The Italian Kingdom was finally united when Venetia was handed to the Italian kingdom after the Austro-Prussian war, and Rome was invaded by the Italian troops in 1871 and the Pope was given sovereignty on the Vatican City. Garibaldi was able to send away the Bourbon family and to conquer the south of Ital y, and became one of the greatest military leaders of all times in Italy.Even though Mazzini was the starter of the Italian movement the Young Italy and rose the nationalism spirits of the Italians to initiate the process of the unification, the mind and the heart of the unification, Cavour and Garibaldi, were essential to the creation of a united nation. They both were able to use their qualities, one of being a diplomatic and smart men, while the other being a brave and romantic military leader, and together were able to defeat the Austrian and hand to the Piedmont king, Viktor Emmanuel II, the Italian Peninsula.

Death of a Hired Man

Subject Matter The subject matter of the poem is of a couple that live on a farm. Mary is sat waiting for Warren to arrive home. When she sees him she tells him that Silas is back. The two start talking about Silas and Mary tells Warren how worn out he looks. They talk about how he used to work on the farm and the boy that used to work with him, who is now a scholar to Silas's dislike. Mary then tell warren that Silas has come here to die and how he sees this place as his home. Warren mentions Silas rich brother and how Silas wont go to see him because of his pride.Warren goes inside to how Silas is doing and when he returns out side he tell Mary that he is dead. Themes The themes that are present in this poem is life as well as death, Family & Friendship, Home and belonging. Life & Death The sense of death is set when Mary says â€Å"he has come home to die:/ you needn't be afraid he'll leave you this time† and the couple start to reminisce of Silas's life and the things that he used to do. Character Development Mary’s character is shown us from the first line.Although the day has been busy—busy enough that she and her husband had to go their separate ways to get everything done, with Warren returning from the market at or after dark, Mary just waits at the table, being close to Silas should he wake up, but not occupied with end-of-day tasks such that she might miss the sound of Warren’s approach. She does not dare miss Warren at the door, and prepare him for what he will find in the kitchen. Mary is a mixture of kindness, firmness, and resolve. She advises her husband to â€Å"Be kind† then â€Å"you mustn’t laugh at him† and then â€Å"Go look. See for yourself. Yet she only does this after she has softened Warren’s hard crust. She is concerned that Warren will hurt Silas’ feelings. She dragged Silas into the house, gave him tea, tried to make him smoke, urges him to talk about his situation. Sh e is comforting to the wayward worker. And his sorry condition â€Å"hurt [her] heart the way he lay/ And rolled his old head on that sharp-edged chair-back. † Yet, she is firm and resolved. Before Warren ever gets home and gives her consent, she has fed and entertained Silas, and made up a bed for him. She seems fairly certain that she can convince Warren that Silas must stay.Yet, she also trusts her man. While he has that crust she must break through, she allows him time alone with Silas and seems sure that Warren will do the right and charitable thing. Warren's Character Warren’s Character Contrasts with Mary’s in â€Å"The Death of the Hired Man† Warren returns from the market, probably at late twilight, expecting to find dinner on the table, and instead finds the next-to-worthless Silas returned, in the dead of winter, at a time when farm hands are not really needed. He hears that Silas plans to â€Å"ditch the meadow† this time, something tha t apparently has come between them before.Warren sees himself as a kind man. He has put up with Silas in times past, perhaps for several seasons. The words imply several cycles of hiring, leaving for better wages or for whatever, return in the off-season, and re-hiring. Warren, rather than interfere when Silas argued the value of education with the young farm hand working a summer while in college, stayed â€Å"well out of earshot† and let them argue. He has been kind. Yet he is cynical. He smiled at Mary’s description of Silas as â€Å"a miserable sight,† drawing from her a mild rebuke. Will Silas really work this time?Mary describes his condition as poor, and thinks he might be past his working days. Warren disputes that sight unseen. If Silas is to stay with them he is to work for his keep. Warren is not uncharitable; he just believes Silas' brother, whom he thinks is well-to-do, should be the one to provide care. Silas, the Unreliable Hired Man Although Sila s never speaks in this poem, much is revealed about him. He has a disdain for learning. He has trouble staying with a job when he thinks he can make more money elsewhere. He takes advantage of peak labor times to sell himself to the highest bidder.He makes promises he cannot keep, such as â€Å"ditching the meadow. † This is a curious phrase. What does it mean? Is the meadow poorly drained and in need of having some ditches cut—hard, backbreaking labor? If so, it appears Silas abandoned Warren and Mary when they needed him most. Or is this some kind of useless task that Silas thought needed doing but which Warren had no intention of paying for? Either way, although it is a point of contention between the farm couple and the laborer, the fact that Silas is fixated on it declares his stubbornness.Conflict Handled Through Words and Actions, not Telling The conflict between Warren and Mary reaches a peak when Mary says, â€Å"he has come home to die,† and Warren say s, â€Å"Home is the place where, when you have to go there, they have to take you in. † Mary seems to bristle at this and gives a sharp reply: â€Å"I should have called it/ Something you somehow haven’t to deserve. † What does this mean? Is it a generic description of home, that no one has to do something to deserve what should be theirs?Or is she saying that Warren is not deserving of the home he has, a stronger statement? The conflict is sharp enough that Warren leaves the front steps and does something meaningless: he walks a few feet, picks up a small stick, brings it back to the steps, breaks it, and throws the parts away. He seems to be doing something physical as a means of breaking the tension with his wife. The poem ends with the three main characters well developed, mostly through dialog but also through a minimum of actions. Much can be learned about them in these few lines excellently crafted.

Beyond Business Why Socializing is Not Just for the Holidays

Beyond Business Why Socializing is Not Just for the Holidays The holiday season is upon us. There seems to be a celebratory business networking event to attend every night of the week between Thanksgiving and Christmas. In the second week of December my party of choice was the Dane Buy Local holiday social, a gathering of local business owners in Madison, WI. For many of us at that event, the operating word was â€Å"social.† It struck me that most of the people I spoke to, though originally met as business contacts, have become friends. For most of the evening, I felt like I was gabbing with my girlfriends, just like I would at a birthday or Halloween party at one of their homes (which I have attended). We talked about relationships, personal growth, families, health †¦ and, well, even a smattering of business (but not much). This sort of socializing was not what I ever would have predicted when I first became a â€Å"businesswoman.† When I first started my business, I thought I needed to keep my communications to business. But it wasn’t long before I learned that revealing my personality and just the right amount of my personal life in my communications created relationships that drew people into my sphere. Here’s what Joan Stewart, media consultant and author of the online newsletter, â€Å"The Publicity Hound’s Tips of the Week,† says about the subject: On sites like Facebook and Twitter, the social networking conversation should include your personal and business lives. Sharing information about things like your pets, hobbies and special interests will endear you to those who are following you. When the time comes to use these sites to discuss a new product, your followers will be more receptive because they’ll feel they already know something about you. Revealing personal information endears people in person too. More and more, in my networking meetings and coffee dates, I share about my personal life: my quirky beliefs in astrology, my uncharacteristic interest in reality TV, my dietary choices, and my relationships. I have yet to have anyone respond with anything but delight that we were able to share on a deeper level than they expected. The same goes with clients. My biggest fans and repeat clients are people I’ve talked to about personal topics, not just their writing projects. It’s human nature to trust and want to interact with people who know us for all aspects of our personalities and lives. I’m not planning to post a profile photo of me and my Chihuahua any time soon (even if I do acquire one, which is very unlikely). But I will likely keep talking about kale, The Bachelorette, and maybe even conversations with my mother, for the foreseeable future. Woody Allen quotes and pictures of my family will show up on my Facebook page. And while I’ll talk business at networking events, business will most definitely not be all I talk about. Life is so much more fun and engaging this way! And at this time of year- and really all year ‘round- that’s what it’s all about. 🙂 I love this picture. We have such a warm, inviting group in DBL. I could have stayed all night talking with you guys. Happy Holidays! Log in to Reply Jan Mead says: December 27, 2014 at 10:30 pm Well said, Brenda. In my experience, I see an important part of relationship building as getting to know people, somewhat personally as well as primarily professionally. Thank you for writing such an informative blog. Log in to Reply

The Freedom Charter Called for Equality in South Africa

The Freedom Charter Called for Equality in South Africa The Freedom Charter was a document ratified at the Congress of the People held at Kliptown, Soweto, South Africa in June 1955 by the various member bodies of the  Congress Alliance. The policies set out in the Charter included a demand for a multi-racial, democratically elected government, equal opportunities, the nationalization of banks, mines, and heavy industries, and a redistribution of land. Africanist members of the ANC rejected the Freedom Charter and broke away to form the Pan Africanist Congress. In 1956, following extensive searches of various homes and confiscation of documents, 156 people involved in the creation and ratification of the Freedom Charter were arrested for treason.  This was almost the entire executive of the African National Congress (ANC), Congress of Democrats, South African Indian Congress, Coloured Peoples Congress, and the South African Congress of Trade Unions (collectively known as the Congress Alliance). They were charged with high treason and a countrywide conspiracy to use violence to overthrow the present government and replace it with a communist state. The punishment for high treason was death. The Freedom Charter and Clauses We, the People of South Africa, declare for all our country and the world to know that South Africa belongs to all who live in it, black and white, and that no government can justly claim authority unless it is based on the will of all the people. -The Freedom Charter Here is a synopsis of each of the clauses, which list various rights and stances in detail. The People Shall Govern: This point included universal voting rights and the rights to run for office and serve on governing boards regardless of race, color, and sex.All National Groups Shall Have Equal Rights: Apartheid laws will be set aside, and all groups will be able to use their own language and customs without discrimination.The People Shall Share in the Countrys Wealth: Minerals, banks, and monopoly industries would become government-owned for the good of the people. All would be free to ply any trade or profession, but industry and trade would be controlled for the well-being of the whole people.  The Land Shall Be Shared Among Those Who Work It: There will be land redistribution with assistance to peasants to farm it and an end to racial restrictions on ownership and freedom of movement.  All Shall Be Equal Before the Law: This gives people rights to a fair trial, representative courts, fair imprisonment, as well as integrated law enforcement and military. There will b e no discrimination by law for race, color, or beliefs. All Shall Enjoy Equal Human Rights: People are granted the freedom of speech, assembly, the press, religion, and education. This addresses protection from police raids, freedom to travel, and abolishment of pass laws.There Shall Be Work and Security: There will be equal pay for equal work for all races and genders. People have the right to form unions. There were workplace rules adopted including a 40-hour work week, unemployment benefits, minimum wage, and leave. This clause eliminated child labor and other abusive forms of labor.The Doors of Learning and Culture Shall Be Opened: This clause addresses free  education, access to higher education, ending adult illiteracy, promoting culture, and ending cultural color bans.There Shall Be Houses,  Security  and Comfort: This gives the  right to decent, affordable housing, free medical care and preventive health, care of the aged, orphans, and disabled.Rest, Leisure and Recreation Shall Be the Right of All.There Shall Be Peace and Friendship: This clause says we should strive for world peace by negotiation and recognition of rights to self-government. The Treason Trial At the treason trial in August, 1958, the prosecution attempted to show that the Freedom Charter was a Communist tract and that the only way it could be achieved was by overthrowing the present government.  However, the Crowns expert witness on Communism admitted that the Charter was a humanitarian document that might well represent the natural reaction and aspirations of non-whites to the harsh conditions in South Africa. The main piece of evidence against the accused was a recording of a speech made by Robert Resha, the  Trasvaal  Volunteer-in-Chief, which appeared to say that volunteers should be violent when called upon to use violence. During the  defense,  it was shown that Reshas viewpoints were the exception rather than the rule in the  ANC and that the short quote had been taken completely out of context. The Outcome of the Treason Trial Within a week of the trail starting, one of the two charges under the Suppression of Communism Act was dropped. Two months later the Crown announced that the whole indictment was being dropped, only to issue  a new  indictment against 30 people- all members of the ANC. Chief Albert Luthuli and Oliver Tambo were released for lack of evidence. Nelson Mandela and Walter Sisulu (ANC secretary-general) were among the final 30 accused. On March 29, 1961, Justice FL Rumpff interrupted the defense summation with a verdict. He announced that although the ANC was working to replace the government and had used illegal means of protest during the Defiance Campaign, the Crown had failed to show that the ANC was using violence to overthrow the government, and  were therefore  not guilty  of treason. The Crown had failed to establish any revolutionary intent behind the defendants actions. Having been found non-guilty, the remaining 30 accused were discharged. The Ramifications of the Treason Trial The Treason Trial was a serious blow to the ANC and the other members of the Congress Alliance. Their leadership was imprisoned or banned and considerable costs were incurred. Most significantly, the more radical members of the ANCs Youth League rebelled against the ANC interaction with other  races  and left to form the PAC. Nelson Mandela, Walter  Sisulu,  and six others were eventually given a life sentence for treason in 1964 at what is known as the Rivonia Trial.

Discussion week 5 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Discussion week 5 - Assignment Example Bear Stearns were also in contention as confidence in consumer markets also plummeted. This was another huge blow as it has been in business for a long time. Due to unemployment rates declining, consumer spending as mentioned in this article have slowly been increased. This was a swirling effect as the housing market was bundled and sold as mortgages. These toxic assets became a huge blow because Bear Stearn itself was borrowing money for these assets. This could have been rectified via ensuring that individuals were not getting approved for default loans in a hurry. Pre-qualified checks should have been conducted more closely for families that cannot pay big mortgages. Ethically, it was wrong for the banks and other stakeholders to approve these individuals of the loan and let moral hazard be a risk. This was a responsibility of the banks that got greedy because of the housing interest and the notion of real estate. Before attempting to address this questions, one must understand that corporate responsibility is a holistic approach that all companies must adhere to. It is clear that employees in companies have a lot of power in the community and hence must adhere to people that work for them. Additionally, they control a lot of assets, and may have billions in cash at their disposal for socially conscious investments and