Effects of Merger on Employee Morale Essays

Effects of Merger on Employee Morale Essays Effects of Merger on Employee Morale Essay Effects of Merger on Employee Morale Essay 2000). MA’s have become a more integral part of business life. Frank (2002) acknowledges that the idea of a megadeal continues to haunt floors of the world’s largest companies. Therefore for companies involved in mergers or acquisitions, in an effort to prevent the hangovers that strike the majority of MA’s, management must manage their post-merger integration more consciously and professionally. The integration phase plays the most integral part in the success or failure of the merger (Bruner, 2005). One of the most important factors in how well two companies integrate depends greatly on how well the integration is managed (Meschi, 1997). Fisher (1994) asserted that the most success and best mergers were those where managers of both companies took the time to thoroughly understand what they were getting into. The leaders must be willing to create a new culture that makes use of the best parts from both partners. In order to convince all company members, it is essential to be honest with employees about all aspects of agreements and to take time to reassure valuable workers that their jobs are safe. HRM ?tr?tegie? History shows that only 30–40% of all mergers and acquisitions are successful, despite companies stating that their merger has been successful but have been unable to derive the kind of benefits that were expected, triggers the question what is stopping these companies from achieving complete success (Ajjarapu, 2004). Ajjarapu reported that one of the main reasons for failure of a merger or acquisition is based on human resources neglect. Companies which have failed to recognize the significance of human assets in their associations and their function in the success of integration have failed to come to success. Dixon and Nelson (2005) reported that HR professionals are not included as part of the MA team, which is typically comprised almost entirely of people from finance, IT and other disciplines seen as essential to making the deal work. Unsuccessful merger activity is fast becoming the norm and one of the main reasons behind this is the underestimating impact culture has on merger success. Cartwright and Cooper (2000) accepted that the premier functions of up to date human assets purposes are to be dynamically engaged in the association and perform as a enterprise colleague and advisor on business-related issues. Gaughan (2005) stated: Human resource departments in today’s organizations are practical and strategic. As such, they can add significant value for companies through development, managing personnel conflict, reinforcing the new HR system and corporate culture, and providing leadership and communication to reduce turnover. (p. 20) This is particularly critical in the locality of amalgamations and acquisitions. People issues have been the most sensitive but often ignored issues in a merger and acquisition (Giles, 2000). When a decision is taken to amalgamate or come by, a business analyzes the feasibility on the business, financial and legal fronts, but falls short to identify the significance adhered to the human assets of the associations involved. Organizations fail to realize that people have the capability to make or break the successful union of the two organizations involved. Ajjarapu (2004) reported that it is important for organizations on the verge of integration to analyze the feasibility of the integration of key players from the human resource side of the house. Research showed that only 35% of senior HR executives were involved in MA activities (Giles, 2000; Liberatore, 2000). Other research reported that 80% of combinations failed at the implementation stage as a result of the following factors; an inadequate road map, senior HR professionals brought in too little, too late; senior HR professionals lacking in business experience; an inadequate skills base overall; and ultimately, failed organizational change (Charman, 1999; Greengard, 1999). Anderson (1999) reported that it is imperative that human resource professionals are key in pre-merger discussions and the strategic planning phase of mergers and acquisitions early as to allow them access to the corporate cultures of the two organizations. Being engaged in the pre-merger stage permits HR to identify areas of divergence which could hinder the integration process. HR plays a vital role in addressing any communication issues, compensation policies, skill sets, and company goals that need to be assessed (Deal Kennedy, 1999). Deal and Kennedy (2000) reported that it is imperative to involve HR to handle other issues such as addressing employee concerns, developing a detailed integration plan for merging the people of the two organizations, conduct talent audits, manage downsizing with care and most importantly motivate employees (Deal Kennedy, 2000). A study conducted by The Society for Human Resource Management revealed that more than two-thirds of the senior managers interviewed had been involved in three or more mergers, acquisitions or joint ventures within the past 5 years. Key results of the survey indicated that, while the experience level in corporate America is deep, the quality of such MA activities has gone missing. The findings included: [1. ] Only 43% of respondents reported success in achieving the expected pre-deal results. [2. ] Of the 82% of respondent companies that listed growth in market share as the most important expected result of the merger, only 49% reported achieving the goal. [3. ] Companies for whom the drivers were leadership in a consolidating industry and enhanced brand strength reported similarly disappointing results. 4. ] Respondents reported that the major obstacles to MA success were: [a. ] Inability to sustain financial performance (64%) [b. ] Loss of productivity (62%) [c. ] Incompatible cultures (56%) [d. ] Loss of key talent (53%) [e. ] Clash of management styles (53%) (p. 5) Dixon and Nelson (2005) asserted: These outcomes give a clear suggestion and supply a cornerstone for healing the MA persevering or at least begi nning the remedy with the right prescription. After all, three of the five obstacles listed above fall squarely within the human resource arena. p. 5) Most of these senior HR leaders were not included in the pre-deal planning activities by their own companies. With so much to offer and a general consensus of the positive correlation between HR involvement and the success of mergers and acquisition, the question remains as to why HR does not play an integral role in the MA proceedings (Dixon Nelson, 2005). ?te F?r ?tr?tegy Im?lement?ti?n Mergers and acquisitions represent change, and it is this change that generates different emotions among different employee groups. While employees from an acquiring company may feel excited about the new challenges that the integration brings to them, employees from an acquired company may have very different reactions, such as feeling anxious, uncertain, or even intimidated as they go through major changes (Machiraju, 2003). In the face of organizational changes from MA’s, employees tend to be worried with issues such as job security and their future careers with the organization (Daniel Metcalf, 2001). According to Wasserstein (2001) when uncertainty drags on without being addressed, or when employees do not have a good understanding about the change process or new work roles and standards, it impedes productivity and performance. The rumor mill begins and employee morale not only decreases, but many employees do not wait around: they jump ship and leave the company. For example, when Hewlett Packard (HP) broadcast its merger with Compaq, employees became concentrated on protecting their occupations rather than of assisting customers. Consequently, HP lost customers to other competitors (Nguyen Kleiner, 2003). Given that change is inevitable when two organizations are combined, communicating upfront about what will happen can help prepare employees for these changes. Each stage in a MA is a stressful time for both employees and managers, and each have to work together to avoid many of the disempowerment and mistrust that often comes with it. This is mostly because of today’s environment which seems to survive on rapid change and a great deal of uncertainty. It is very important for a company to maintain the trust of its employees when the change is taking place, this will ensure that as few employees as possible are â€Å"injured† and you retain much of the loyalty of the workers that remain (Brockner, Konovsky, Cooper-Schneider, Folger, Martin, Bies, 1994). When employees are treated well, they can survive any type of future crisis that an organization will go through. The surviving employees of the MA will work to build a better a better stronger company in the future. How management deals with these employees affects their morale and can either positively or negatively affect their productivity. MA’s are becoming a fact of life. They are something that will continue to happen unfortunately with no end in sight. As long as the economy continues to rise and fall, so to will the concept of merger, acquisitions, restructuring, streamlining and downsizing. References Abrahamson, E. (2004). Change without pain: How managers can overcome initiative overload, organizational chaos, and employee burnout. Boston: Harvard Business School Press. Ajjarapu, N. (2004). Mergers and acquisitions: Managing the HR issues. Anderson, J. E. (1999, August 9). Making operational sense of mergers and acquisitions. The Electricity Journal, 12(7), 49–59. Banal-Estanol, A. , Seldeslachts, J. (2004). Merger failures. Unpublished manuscript, University of Western Ontario (Canada) and Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona (Spain). 5. Berenson, M. L. , Levine, D. M. , Krehbiel, T. C. (2006). Basic business statistics: Concepts and applications (10th ed. ). Chicago: Prentice Hall. Bohl, D. (1989). The effects of mergers and acquisitions. New York: American Management Association. Brooks, I. Dawes, J. (1999). Merger as a trigger for cultural change in the retail financial services sector. The Services Industries Journal, 19(1), 194–206. Bruner, R. (2005). Deals from hell: MA lessons that rise above the ashes. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley. Borland, J. (2002). Despite breakup, ATT continues to reshape telecom landscape. Cartwright, S. , Cooper, C. L. (1994). T he human effects of mergers and acquisitions. In C. L. Cooper D. M. Rousseau (Eds. ), Trends in organizational behavior (pp. 47–62). New York: Wiley. Cartwright, S. , Cooper, C. L. (1996). Handbook of coping: Theory, research and applications. New York: John Wiley. Cartwright, S. , Cooper, C. L. (2000). HR know-how in mergers and acquisitions. London: Institute of Personnel and Development. Charman, A. (1999). Global mergers and acquisitions: The human resource challenge. Alexandria, VA: Society for Human Resource Management, Institute for International Human Resources International Focus. Daniel, T. A. , Metcalf, G. S. (2001). The management of people in mergers and acquisitions. Bridgeport, CT: Quorum/Greenwood. Deal, T. , Kennedy, A. (1999). The new corporate cultures: Revitalizing the workplace after downsizing, mergers and reengineering. Cambridge, MA: Perseus Publishing. Deal, T. , Kennedy, A. (2000). Corporate culture: The rights and rituals of corporate life. Cambridge, MA: Perseus Publishing. Dixon, I. , Nelson, N. (2005). SHRM case study: Culture management and merger acquisitions. Dooney, J. (2005). Communicating HR’s business impact. The morale and satisfaction of midlevel administrators: Differentiating the constructs and their impact on intent to leave. Feldman, M. L. , Spratt, M. F. (1999). Five frogs on a log: A CEO’s field guide to accelerating the transition in mergers, acquisitions, and gut-wrenching change. New York: HarperCollins. Fisher, A. B. (1994). How to make a merger work. Fortune, 129(2), 66. Frank, R. (2002, June 25). Where have the masters of the big mergers gone? The Wall Street Journal, p. C1. Gaughan, P. (2005). Mergers: What can go wrong and how to prevent it. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley. Habeck, M. M. , Kroger, F. , Tram, M. R. (2000). After the merger. London: Prentice Hall. Haspeslagh, P. C. , Jemison, D. B. (1991). Managing acquisitions: Creating value through corporate renewal. New York: Free Press. Huselid, M. (1995). The impact of human resource management practices on turnover, productivity and corporate financial performance. Academy of Management Journal, 38(3), 635–672. Jansen, S. A. (2001). Mergers and acquisitions (4th ed. ). Wiesbaden, England: Gabler. King, D. (2004). Meta-analyses of post-acquisition performance: Indications of unidentified moderators. Strategic Management Journal, 25(2), 187–200. Leedy, P. D. , Ormrod, J. E. (2005). Practical research: Planning and design (8th ed. ). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Luecke, R. (2003). Managing change and transition. Boston: Harvard Business School. Machiraju, H. (2003). Mergers, acquisitions and takeovers. New Delhi, India: New Age International. Rend cultural management. Human Relations, 50(2), 211–228. Munck, B. (2001). Changing a culture of face time. Boston: Harvard Business School Publishing. Nguyen, H. , Kleiner, B. H. (2003). The effective management of mergers. Leadership and Organization Development Journal, 24(8), 447–454. Picot, G. (2002). Handbook of international mergers and acquisitions: Preparation, implementation and integration. Houndmills, England: Palgrave/Macmillan. Reed, S. , Lajoux, A. (1998). The art of MA: A merger acquisition buyout guide. New York: McGraw Hill. Wasserstein, B. (2001). Big deal: Mergers and acquisitions in the digital age. New York: Warner Business Books.

Could The Essay Expert be out of a Job LinkedIn Introduces Profile Makeovers

Could The Essay Expert be out of a Job LinkedIn Introduces Profile Makeovers I need your help. LinkedIn announced on August 9, 2011 that they have rolled out yet another new feature on their site:   the â€Å"Improve Your Profile Tool.†Ã‚   According to the LinkedIn blog, this tool â€Å"analyzes your profile and offers you personalized profile recommendations to help you put your best foot forward.† Clichà ©s aside, this tool could be extremely useful to you if your profile is not 100% complete, or if you have failed to include key information. Here’s my problem:   I ran the Profile Makeover on my own profile, and all it told me was that I didn’t advertise my date of graduation from high school (I left it out by choice, as some of you might as well); I didn’t list the degree I got from high school (pretty obvious isn’t it?); and I didn’t specify the concentration of my J.D. (there wasn’t one – a J.D. is a J.D.). Where I’m left, as a LinkedIn profile writer and editor, is that I have no idea what other types of suggestions LinkedIn might make to its users who have not optimized their profiles. That’s where you come in. I would love for you to put your profile through the Improve Your Profile process and report back on this blog what the tool tells you is missing or incorrect in your profile. I will then know what advice I should be giving to people about LinkedIn, and what information LinkedIn will take care of.   I don’t want to be duplicating things unnecessarily!   The data you provide will greatly inform the content I choose to convey in my e-book and LinkedIn webinars. To use the tool, start at LinkedIn’s article, LinkedIn Profile Makeovers just got easier, and then click in â€Å"Improve your LinkedIn Profile today!† Are you game?   I look forward to learning from the community what improvements LinkedIn thinks you should make to your profile. I promise to make good use of your comments.   And I don’t really think I am out of a job†¦Ã‚   I just won’t be doing the things a computer can do quite well on its own.   Just in case, though, maybe I should make sure my LinkedIn profile is updated. Any ideas on how I can do that? Category:Archived ArticlesBy Brenda BernsteinAugust 15, 2011 22 Comments Elaine Carr says: August 16, 2011 at 3:25 am Well I tried it as well the only things I got back were it wanted my attendance dates at university (left out on purpose) wanted to know if there were any other schools I attended. Nothing else, so not much help. Log in to Reply The Essay Expert says: August 16, 2011 at 8:54 am Thanks Elaine. I suppose theres only so much feedback a computer can provide. Log in to Reply Mark Dripchak says: August 16, 2011 at 5:30 am I received feedback similar to yours (dates of attendance for both undergrad and graduate studies) and one asking for more details for a very short-term consultancy, the title of which was very comprehensive: Proposal and Report Preparation. I was surprised/disappointed that there was nothing concerning keywords. You may not be out of a job after all! Log in to Reply The Essay Expert says: August 16, 2011 at 8:54 am Im surprised and disappointed too Mark, though of course pleased that I still have work to do 🙂 Log in to Reply Steve Kunzer says: August 16, 2011 at 7:42 am Ran the improver on my profile (previously rated as complete) and it suggested: 1. fill in current position (havent updated my latest (temping) position) 2. add another school (deliberately left off schools) 3. add more skills That was all an extremely simple you havent filled in this field, therefore you need to fill in this field. Hardly a detailed algorithm, and not particularly helpful. Log in to Reply The Essay Expert says: August 16, 2011 at 8:52 am Thanks Steve. Pretty basic! Im feeling pretty confident there is still work for me to do! Log in to Reply The Essay Expert says: August 16, 2011 at 8:48 am Well it seems we have a definite pattern here, and that I can keep my day job. Thank you Michelle! Its true that its a good idea to add the Skills section to your profile. You can just enter your specialties there in addition to putting them in the Specialties section. Do what you can to fill them in they are searchable as their own section and some recruiters and other power LinkedIn users will be looking there! Log in to Reply The Essay Expert says: August 16, 2011 at 8:51 am Thanks Larry. I am particularly interested in your response since you have a public profile URL that still has extra symbols at the end (https://www.linkedin.com/pub/larry-sochrin/0/351/7b2). Im surprised LinkedIn didnt catch that and prompt you to create a vanity URL! BTW, I would recommend adding skills like Business School Admissions, MBA Admissions Consulting, etc. Log in to Reply The Essay Expert says: August 16, 2011 at 8:53 am The false sense of security could be a problem. I hope the rest of the LinkedIn community realizes there is so much more that can be done with a LinkedIn profile! Youre very welcome for bringing the Makeover to your attention! Log in to Reply The Essay Expert says: August 16, 2011 at 9:10 am Thank you everyone. This is the most comments Ive gotten on a blog article EVER! Ill have to ask for your help more often 🙂 Log in to Reply The Essay Expert says: August 16, 2011 at 12:25 pm Guiding light I like it! I think I might use that in my marketing materials 🙂 Log in to Reply The Essay Expert says: August 16, 2011 at 2:59 pm Thank you Kevin for the report. Who is Elaine? Did you mean Brenda? Log in to Reply The Essay Expert says: August 16, 2011 at 2:59 pm LOL thanks Jan. I can sleep easy now! Log in to Reply The Essay Expert says: August 17, 2011 at 6:54 am Strange the one thing I expect from computer programs is consistency! Log in to Reply The Essay Expert says: August 17, 2011 at 1:14 pm So it looks like maybe my own webinars are putting me out of a job 🙂 Log in to Reply Judi Hays says: August 17, 2011 at 11:03 pm Not true. Theres always going people new to LI that will need the knowledge your webinars have to offer. Log in to Reply The Essay Expert says: August 18, 2011 at 12:44 am Thank you Judi. I didnt really think I was out of a job though I did want to know how thorough LinkedIns tool would be! Log in to Reply The Essay Expert says: August 17, 2011 at 2:58 pm Im glad to hear LinkedIn recommends that you fill in a Summary section. Its a key section of your profile! If you want assistance with making sure the summary is written effectively, let me know! Log in to Reply The Essay Expert says: August 17, 2011 at 7:02 pm Thanks Avi. I wonder what it meant by Appear in keyword searches. I suppose you need a human to tell you how to do that! Log in to Reply The Essay Expert says: August 17, 2011 at 8:03 pm Thanks Leigh! I do recommend adding the Skills section in ADDITION to the Specialties section. The two sections are searched differently so it is worth duplicating efforts! Log in to Reply Judi Hays says: August 17, 2011 at 11:01 pm The only improvement it suggested was to add the dates of my education. Thats not really much of an improvement. I think the value you add is that you are actually reading the profiles. LI is just scanning for blank fields. Log in to Reply The Essay Expert says: August 18, 2011 at 12:45 am Thank you Judi. I do indeed read every word when I work with someone on a profile. Log in to Reply

TELEVISION BROADCASTING, HISTORY OF Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

TELEVISION BROADCASTING, HISTORY OF - Essay Example The researcher’s main goal is to reveal to the audience the chronological events that saw coming of age of the television and the television news. Vladimir K. Zworykin gave hope to Americans when he first patented the iconoscope television picture tube in 1923. NBC further developed this to broadcast an image and allow television transmission. The great depression and World War II delayed the first newscast, which eventually came in 1939. By this time, only a few television sets existed in New York area, limiting the number of audience reached by the cast. The number of television sets owned by homes increased considerably in 1946 and by 1948, almost one million homes owned television sets. The number of licensed television stations also increased to 108 serving a greater number of public. By 1950, television managed to change the old habits of attending movies, and sporting activities because many preferred the comfort of their home watching television (Landesberg and Pescato re 1024- 1028). Growth in programming played an important role in the television acceptance. For instance, television captured important functions in the other parts of the world, displayed good movies, discussions, and soaps attracting all kinds of audience. Undeniably, growth in technology played an important part in this transition and to the next level of digital technology. The Landesberg and Pescatore, the co-authors of this article have used literature review as a methodology to this article. Numerous literatures exist that explain some aspects of television, television news, and invention of television sets. In choosing to use existing literature, the authors avoid the challenges that go with the traditional qualitative methods. This methodology is appropriate to this research to some extent. First, this method is a cheaper one and thus appropriate in case of less funds. Secondly, the research involves historical events that occurred many years ago when the

Police corruption Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Police corruption - Essay Example Politicians may interfere with normal functioning of the police by initiating corrupt practices. Politicians can induce police to allow, ban, or break public demonstrations with violence for political stripe. They may oversee a range of laws and regulations by fixing permits and citations that intimidate others in favor of a politician (Barker, 2011). Police corruption carries high cost as it detracts the public faith from the police and derails the public image of the law enforcement duty. It protects criminal activity like drug dealing and prostitution, which have an effect on the general welfare of any country. The protected criminal activities are more often than not lucrative sources that will translate to organized criminal acts. Police corruption is the work of the few dishonest and immoral police officers who put their interest first other than serving the nation. Many police corrupt acts have currently concentrated on an organized structure. Unenforceable laws governing the moral standards promote corruption they provide criminal organizations with a financial interest that undermine the law enforcement (Villiers and Adam, 2003). Police corruption analysis conjures many images and stereotypes in the professional context. Police corruption is a universal challenge to any nation-building as it wastes resources, undermines security, makes a mockery of the constitutional justice, slows down economic development, and alienates populations from their governments.

Evolution of Polo Ralph Lauren Essay Example for Free

Evolution of Polo Ralph Lauren Essay Polo Ralph Lauren has become one of the most renounced clothing companies of the 20th and 21st century. The creator of Polo is a man named Ralph Lifschitz who was born on October 14, 1939 in New York, New York (Ralph Lauren). He was born to Fraydl Kotlar and Frank Lifshitz who were Ashkenazi Jewish from Belarus. In 1955, when Ralph was 16, he and his brother changed their last name to Lauren because they were made fun constantly for having a Jewish last name but his brother Lenny kept the last name (Ralph Lauren). At the age of 18 Ralph worked for various fashion stores such as: Bloomingdale’s, Brooks Brothers, and the Rivetz of Boston neckwear company as a salesman for all of the stores (Vogue). While he worked at all these jobs Ralph studied at the City College of New York for business. Three years later in 1960, Lauren was drafted in to the military and he joined the U.S. Army Reserves and he started basic training at Fort Dix (Vogue). Lauren once said â€Å"When I was growing up, officers in uniform were very impressive to me†¦ When you wear an old military jacket there’s some sort of connection to those qualities, the way the uniforms were made really inspired me for some of my designs that I made later on.† (Vogue). Four year later, in 1964 Ralph marries Ricky Low-Beer. Since Ralph had been around clothes so much-to be more correct neckties- he created his first line of neckties in 1967 but instead of using his name Ralph Lauren, he uses the alias Polo (Vogue). In 1968 Polo menswear launched and it featured English-cut suits, pleated pants, and Fair Isle sweaters (Vogue). Ralph told Vogue â€Å"none of the magazines even wrote about my new line, or came to my show†. The president of Bloomingdale-Marvin Traub-took notice of his new line and gave Ralph his own in-store boutique at the age of 29, it opened in 1969. The boutique was very successful and helped position Bloomingdale and Ralph as the new faces of menswear. In 1970 when Lauren was 30 he received an Coty Award for menswear after designing an unlined, â€Å"unconstructed† suit which is basically what most of the suits today look like. In 1971 Ralph puts the man playing polo on the cuff of the shirt instead of on the chest of the shirt like it is now (Vogue). There were some trademark issues which made it to where Ralph couldn’t just put Polo on his clothing. Since Ralph couldn’t do that he called it â€Å"Ralph Lauren† but later he will get the Polo trademark and call his brand Polo Ralph Lauren. By the end of the 1970’s Polo Ralph Lauren will have expanded from the little boutique in Bloomingdale’s to Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, Houston, Dallas, Detroit, Chicago, Atlanta, and Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale, Florida and this was the first sign to Ralph that his clothing company was going to be a big. When the collared shirts with the polo-player logo was introduced in 1972 it was released in 24 different colors. If you had a polo shirt at this time, it showed your class in the preppy world. Ralph Lauren was once asked â€Å"how can a Jewish kid from the Bronx do preppy clothes?† and he replied with this â€Å"Does it have to do with class and money? It has to do with dreams. (Ralph Lauren). Women found his clothes fashionable because it gave them something different to wear than the traditional gypsy and hippie styles of clothing, after figuring out that women liked his clothing he started a womenswear line in 1972 and it was a huge success. Four year later, in 1976 at the age of thirty-seven Ralph Lauren wins another Coty award for womenswear and this makes him the first designer to win in both categories of menswear and womenswear. He also wins a Coty Hall of Fame award, and in celebration of the award The New York Times did an article on him and pictured him with model Patti Hansen in a Tux laughing with Lauren in a Tuxedo Jacket and jeans, both holding cigarettes, the title of the article was â€Å"I’m having a Black Tie Affair with Ralph Lauren.† (Vogue). This gave the brand of Ralph Lauren a huge push around the world because he had a supermodel pose with him in this article and the fact that he was in Time magazine which people all over the world read also put his name out there in the world. In the 1980’s and 1990’s is when Ralph Lauren gained most of his wealth of, 6.5 billion dollars (Ralph Lauren). In the 1980’s Ralph Lauren expanded his business to include children wear, eyewear, underwear, jeans, shoes, accessories, housewares, furs, luggage, and a plethora of other products (Ralph Lauren: American Classic). Even though most of the companies that expanded too fast like this suffered brand image dilution, Polo was actually made stronger because of many reasons. Mainly because Ralph designed everything himself and if he didn’t directly design the item he still had the last say on how the item looked and what material was put inside it. Another reason Polo stayed in high fashion is because retail never lowered and it was always a higher price. Ralph once said â€Å"I won’t lower my price for anyone. If you can’t buy my clothing than don’t buy it.† (Ralph Lauren: American Classic). In the 2000’s Ralph Lauren made a multimedia marketing joint venture with NBC and allies, and ValueVision, operator of Home Shopping Network. Polo Ralph Lauren became one of the first companies only to use advertisement through electronics, Polo.com was created in 2000 and this was one of the first fashion websites in history (Ralph Lauren: American Classic). In 2001 Polo made their first online magazine telling people all things celebrity, sport, art and culture about polo, th at same year Polo created Runway.Polo.com. this was made to provide fashion fans with a look behind the scenes in collection-development and fashion shows, while offering style and beauty tips (Ralph Lauren: American Classic). Through the 46 years Polo Ralph Lauren has had hundreds of fashion shows but never overseas until now. He’s chosen to do his first fashion show overseas at one of the most historic art schools in the world called École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, France on October 8, 2013 (Ralph Lauren’s first..). Ralph Lifschitz was just a boy from a working class Orthodox Jewish family in the Bronx who started out selling neckties in many of the high fashion stores in New York. He came from the bottom just selling and making neckties in a small boutique in Bloomingdale to creating and breaking down barriers in the fashion industry. Ralph now has hundreds of stores across the world which has made him a billionaire. Polo Ralph Lauren was made to celebrate the pr eppy, sporty, wealthy, and traveled, while keeping a modern look. Polo has been around for 46 years and has never lost its value which is very rare for any company to do. Works Cited â€Å"Ralph Lauren. Biography† Bio. True Story. 2013. Web. 13 Oct. 2013 â€Å"Ralph Lauren.† The World of Fashion in Voguepedia .2012. Web. 14 Oct. 2013 â€Å"Ralph Lauren: American Classic.† Eurbanista Brand Strategy, Sustainability and the Digital Revolution in Fashion, Luxury and Media. 2009. Web. 14 Oct. 2013 â€Å"Ralph Lauren’s first international runway show honors Paris school restoration.† Luxury Daily. 2013. Web. 14 Oct. 2013

Aspects of an Argumentative Essay -- Writing School Papers English Com

Aspects of an Argumentative Essay The argumentative essay is an essay in which you argue a point -- an essay in which you prove a thesis. The argumentative essay starts with an introduction. The introduction is the gateway into your paper, and it serves two roles. The introduction should grab your reader's attention and let him or her know what your paper will be about. Your thesis must also let your reader know what your essay will be about. By the time he or she finishes your conclusion, the reader should know what you intend to write about, what you think of that subject, and what specific statement you intend to prove. The body is where you stop talking about what you're going to do in your essay and you start actually doing it. In other words, the body is where you actually prove the assertion you made at the end of your introduction. Because the body is meant to do the heavy work of your essay, proving the point which you want to make, the language in your body will most likely be less engaging and more basic than the language in your introduction. Because the job of the body is to prove the thesis, it is both the easiest and the most dangerous part of your essay to write. It's easy because the body is the part of the essay where the words probably come to you easiest, but proving the thesis often turns out to be easier said than done. Despite the fact that the total body of evidence may be somewhat inconclusive, it is your job to present the evidence in su... Aspects of an Argumentative Essay -- Writing School Papers English Com Aspects of an Argumentative Essay The argumentative essay is an essay in which you argue a point -- an essay in which you prove a thesis. The argumentative essay starts with an introduction. The introduction is the gateway into your paper, and it serves two roles. The introduction should grab your reader's attention and let him or her know what your paper will be about. Your thesis must also let your reader know what your essay will be about. By the time he or she finishes your conclusion, the reader should know what you intend to write about, what you think of that subject, and what specific statement you intend to prove. The body is where you stop talking about what you're going to do in your essay and you start actually doing it. In other words, the body is where you actually prove the assertion you made at the end of your introduction. Because the body is meant to do the heavy work of your essay, proving the point which you want to make, the language in your body will most likely be less engaging and more basic than the language in your introduction. Because the job of the body is to prove the thesis, it is both the easiest and the most dangerous part of your essay to write. It's easy because the body is the part of the essay where the words probably come to you easiest, but proving the thesis often turns out to be easier said than done. Despite the fact that the total body of evidence may be somewhat inconclusive, it is your job to present the evidence in su...

Drama Theatre Performance: Postmodernism and Theatre Performance

Postmodernism was a movement that began in the 1960s that affected all forms of art and literature of that time period. Postmodernism followed modernism and it sought to challenge the ideas and values of modernistic theatre, modernism was formed to shake up theatre, introducing new theories of science and technology to explain the world, whereas postmodern theatre raises more questions than supplying the answers for the audience. Modernism created a ‘grand-narrative’ whereby there was only one meaning which would be told to the audience. Postmodernism broke down the ‘grand-narrative’ when Jean-Francois Lyotard wrote La Condition postmoderne: Rapport sur le savoir (The Postmodern Condition: A Report on Knowledge) (1979), he came up with the idea of micro-narrative which allows the audience to come up with many meanings. Lyotard felt that as science and technology developed so did human understanding. As understanding increased people began questioning everything that they had been previously told such as society, politics and religion. We no longer have recourse to grand narratives†¦. But as we have seen, the little narrative remains the quintessential form of imaginative invention†¦. In addition, the principle of consensus as a criterion of validation seems to be inadequate. It has two formulations. In the first, consensus is an agreement between men, defined as knowing intellects and free wills, and is obtained through dialogue. This is the form elaborated by Habermas, but his conception is based on the validity of the narrative of emancipation. In the second, consensus is a component of the system, which manipulates it in order to maintain and improve its performance. Franko B is a performance artist who uses his own body as art. He uses his body as a canvas to portray feelings such as vulnerability, love, hate and power he also attempts to portray the fears of human condition. His shows are controversial and have been questioned as to whether it is art and as to why the arts council are funding his projects. The arts council responded to this by saying â€Å"But it is important that we do fund a range of things, including things that are challenging do stretch the boundaries, and fund some things which from time to time will shock and offend people. That's what art's about. † Franko B performance relates to postmodernism as he creates a performance that allows the audience to think for themselves, he does this by not using any form of language as well as not allowing any form of connection with the audience for example in one of is shows he stood on stage naked in a Christ-like pose with blood pouring from his wrists and feet, whilst walking up and down a catwalk while bleeding from his arms. In doing something controversial like this, he makes the audience ask why he is doing this, many of them see it as abnormal. Managing to get the audience to question what he is doing he is making them question social constructions and is breaking the conventions by doing so. Although walking around naked and bleeding is already seen as controversial he also uses the environment of a cat walk for his piece, it is typically known as place where beauty is observed and admired, what we are observing is it beauty? That is what Franko B wants you to think about, he aims to break the wall of social constructions, making beauty and suffering become one. â€Å"He is internationally acclaimed and has performed across the world. His repertoire mixes both visual art and live performance art and he would say his work is about beauty, with his body as the canvas and his blood as the material. I find Franko B shows strangely fascinating but hard to watch as what he is doing in the shows is grotesque and abnormal but as this is the method he uses to get his audience to question what is normal and to get the audience to look at things in a different way to how you would normally look at things, I watched several of his art instalments on you tube to try and understand what he tries to portray to his audiences the one that struck me the most was one titled I’m thinking of you, I found this intriguing as Franko B is sat on a swing naked swinging back and forth to calming idyllic music I find this fascinating as while I’m watching all I am thinking about is how it reminds me of innocence yet it’s a large tattooed naked man on a swing. Forced entertainment are an experimental theatre company that formed in Sheffield in the 1980s at the height of the postmodernist movement, they use forms of culture and their surroundings to ask necessary questions to engage communities. They have created many shows over the past 25 years and throughout these years have come up with the artistic policy that there shows will make art that explores the highs and lows of complexities of contemporary life. An example of one of their compelling and provocative shows is the club of no regrets, the main character Helen, gives direction to two other performers to enact series of small stories whilst their inside a tiny box, there are two other performers who act as brutal stagehands or even captors, they either smooth the progress or hinder these enactments. The two performers who act as stagehands bound the first two performers to chairs whilst threatening them with toy guns, they also assist the first two by bringing them texts and props they may need in the performance. The scenes are replayed many times as though Helen is unsure of what order they should go in. The scenes then become more violent and chaotic using further text and a confused narration of Helens stories which she calls club of no regrets. I feel this relates to postmodern theatre as in showing a story in so many different ways it is breaking down the ‘grand- narrative’ and creating many micro- narratives which allows the audience to come up with their own understanding and meaning. â€Å"In turn, the audience are liberated by the freedom that the â€Å"maker† has in creating the show. In watching Forced Entertainment productions, we found ourselves without any expectations about the show, nor hope for any feeling of closure and satisfaction from it. Instead we watched with a more open mind, prepared to digest and consider anything that the show ‘threw at us’, so to speak. † I find Forced Entertainments work very interesting as I feel each piece they do is completely different and makes you want to question what you are watching. Although some of their work isn’t as interesting for example the instalment of the institute of failure which was someone reading a list of things that constitute of failure and then a essay on examples of failure in the media and advertisement industry. Although I did not find the piece entertaining or that interesting in the beginning after I had watched it I realised that I was thinking about what had been said and thinking of things that constitute failure. Whilst doing research into postmodern theatre I have found many strange and interesting theatre groups and performers, Franko B and Forced Entertainment just being some of them although I feel that they were the most interesting as they were one of the most controversial acts that I found. I think the main reason I found these attributes of postmodernism interesting is that they make the audience question what they are watching instead of simply being told what to like, as well I find that as the performers work is aimed at getting you to think about what is happening on stage it breaks the ‘grand-narrative’ in general life as it sets of a domino effect and you begin to question other things. Bibliography http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/music/1976059.stm

My First Time Peering Through a Telescope Essay

When I was eight years old, I peered through a telescope for the first time in my life. It was a small device, no more than two metres long, and yet it let me glimpse a brilliant view of Jupiter: it was the size of a marble, magnificently striated in hues of brown, red and orange. Then, when I was 13, I went to the Birla Planetarium in Hyderabad, where I revisited my five-year old fascination with Jupiter as I sat spellbound in the arena as a cosmic dance played out in the canvas stretched above my head: stars flew around, tumbling in and out of the horizon, the rings of Saturn floating serenely in space, moons rising and setting through a mà ©lange of blues, yellows and greens. It was a performance I haven’t forgotten to this day, remembering it as an eternally unfolding story, a few hundred pages in the epic saga of the universe. It could have been the charismatic voice of the narrator, it could have been the undisturbed loneliness on the night of my stargazing, it could even have been my mindless interest thereafter to find out more and more about the travellers in the heavens, but today, those memories are the seeds of my passion for astroparticle physics. Many people – even science graduates – hear the name and think it’s a â€Å"big deal†. It is not. Astroparticle physics is the study of the stuff that stars are made of, and by extension, as Carl Sagan said, the stuff that we are made of. It is the search for and the understanding of the smallest particles that make up this universe one elegant phenomenon at a time. And just as my curiosity toward it was aroused one cloudless night in a small town in South India, so has it sustained: not within classrooms, not under the guidance of pedantic lecturers, but in my room, in the books I bought to teach myself more about it, in problems I solved, the simulations I ran and the experiments I conducted, in my mind where I could never rest without knowing how the universe worked. In the last 15 years, I have learned where the stars come from that fascinate little children as little, bright spots in the sky, I have learned what the comets that streak Hollywood’s most romantic scenes really are, and I have learn all about our sun and the significance of human life. Most  importantly, I have painted a glittering picture of the world for myself having met a wide range of people – young and old – simply by learning what I don’t know about and teaching what I do to anyone who is willing to listen. It is not a passion that I ever see fading because it has been an integral part of my growing years, a symbol of my parents’ support and my friends’ patience, and my own strengths, weaknesses and perseverance.

Marketing Plan for Rain at the Palms †Business Paper

Marketing Plan for Rain at the Palms – Business Paper Free Online Research Papers Marketing Plan for Rain at the Palms Business Paper Overview: Rain nightclub is located in the Palms Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is a 25,000 sq. ft. nightclub with six bars, and two floors. It employs over 250 people, with me being one of them. On the top level it has six skyboxes which overlook the whole club, and come equipped with couches and a TV, and can easily fit a party of 15-20 people. One level down there are six cabanas for parties of 8-10 people, and than one more down are our water booth tables for parties of 4-6. The rest of the club can pack in 3600 dancing maniacs on the main floor. Rain is one of the top competitors in Las Vegas for this market but over the years the numbers at the doors has been declining dramatically. Life expectancy in this line of business is very short, and they are very fortunate to have lasted this long, but now it is the time to do some drastic changes to regenerate some more business. The plan will increase the attendance at Rain and increase table sales, as well as inform our tar get market of 21-35 year old tourists with money to spend about all the events and changes coming up. Environmental Factors: There are a select few other competitors that have opened in the past two years that have affected Rain’s business. There is Pure inside Caesar’s Palace and Tao at the Venetian. These are our two main competitors that took a huge percentage of our clientele away. In the next month Jet, a new nightclub in the Mirage, opens for New Years Eve so now is the time that a plan of action needs to come together. One environmental factor that hurts business a little is the fact that Rain which is inside of the Palms is located off the tourist filled strip. The people would rather take a $2 cab ride to a closer venue than to pay $5, or what ever it is, to leave the strip. The hotel is always filling their rooms up, and even the people staying at the Palms are getting in cabs and going to other nightclub venues besides the one rite downstairs. Target Market: Our ideal targeted customers would be 21-35 years old, single males and female tourists, and locals with a yearly income of $30,000 –whatever. People in this age bracket that come into Vegas are not coming just for the shows and the gambling any more. A majority of them are coming specifically for the nightlife. They sleep all day, get up and go to dinner, and than hit a club. This is ideal for Rain because they can do some package deal with their restaurant the N9NE Steakhouse. I chose this market because lets be real†¦.mom and dad do not go out to the clubs together, and grandma and grandpa definitely do not, only on rare occasions and they are getting laughed at. Objectives: The objective of this marketing plan is to increase numbers at the door and to increase table (bottle) sales. Goal is to increase the number of people coming in to the club 25%. So if we do 2000 people on a Friday night, than after the plan is in affect we should expect 2500 guests. As for bottle sales the goal is to increase the number of bottles sold a night by 15%. If 30 bottles are sold on Thursday, than 35 should be sold the following Thursday after the plan has been put into action. Product: The product is liquor plain and simple. How you get them in there and make them want to stay is the atmosphere of the club itself and the crowd. We can provide the atmosphere, but we have to entice the crowd to come in. People go to nightclubs depending on the crowd. If there is a line outside the club than people are curious as to what is happening inside. So your customers at the same time of being customers they are also the product that is selling your club. People want to go to the clubs where the beautiful people are. As far as the liquor goes, we offer every type from the low end choices to the $5,000 dollar bottle of Louis XIII. Also the entertainment value, and the music we play can be our product because another main reason why people choose the clubs they go to is to listen to music and dance. Rain plays a little of every type of music. They cater to every type of music preference and have a humongous dance floor to get down on. Price: This market is definitely price sensitive and low priced items would be preferred over high priced items. Liquor is liquor and depending on where you are drinking it the prices will vary. A beer at the local pub is around two to three bucks. In any given popular nightclub in town its about 6-7 dollars. A shot of well vodka goes for about 10 bucks in the club and 5 in a local bar. That is if you’re just buying drinks at the bar. If you have a table you have to do bottle service, which policies differ in every club, but usually when you do this you not only have to purchase the bottle of liquor that you and your party will be drinking, but you have to buy the actual table as well. Now the bottle prices in every club for a bottle of Grey Goose lets say goes for $350 dollars, including juices and excluding red bulls. And for every two more people in your party after 4 people you have to buy another bottle of liquor. If we were to drop the price just a little and changed some of those policies we could sell a lot more tables. Than there is also cover charge which recently was raised from 20 a head to 25. Place: Location is great for locals and bad for tourists. It is located a few blocks west of the strip on Flamingo across from the Rio. This is convenient for locals that come see a concert at this venue and don’t have to put up with the traffic of the strip. As I mentioned earlier though tourists tend to like to stay on the strip near the hotel that they are staying at. Overall though, it is an excellent location for a nightclub, especially the Palms because they cater to our target market as well. Promotion: This is a large FB company that has venues nationwide so I know they have some dollars for some promotions. One that is very cost effective though is to hire an e-mail girl to get the contact information of our guests coming in so we can send them all of our up coming parties and events. As I mentioned earlier maybe doing some cross promotions with the steakhouse. Like bring your receipt from dinner at N9NEto the cashier at Rain for free entry. Give passes to the guests staying at the Palms for free admission. Drop the bottle prices on Thursdays to regenerate some table reservations. Buy one get one free bottles on Thursdays. Promote a locals night once a week where all locals get in for free to start generating more word of mouth within the city. Hire a promotions street team to go out earlier in the day Thur-Sat passing out fliers in all the major casinos. Run radio ads in Vegas and L.A. since half of our customer base is young adults driving into Vegas from Los Angeles. Hand out punch cards for our bottle service guests like a subway card. Buy 6 bottles get one free. Ghostbar at the palms is owned and operated by the same company two but they are two different venues with two different covers. Maybe on one of the slow days a week like Thursday do a two for one cover of $25 for both clubs. Marketing Control: The e-mail girl at the front would really help out keeping our focus on the type of customers frequenting our club and allows us to have access to them directly for promotions. Also for complaints because when we e mail them our up and coming events there will be a link to our website where they can post complaints, or remarks. There are not many budgetary constraints with this company. Also when getting their contact info to include their zip code so we can keep track of the locals and to know where the majority of our customers are coming from so we can run ads in their parts to constantly re-inform them of the fun they had here. Target Market ? Dual income couples with kids that live in the Seven Hills, Anthem area. This group has high income, little discretionary time, and propensity to want to eat out (but not necessarily fast food). This market demands convenience, high quality, freshness. Healthy items should be available as well to especially appeal to mothers. Objectives The objective of this marketing plan is to increase awareness of Rocco’s NY Deli, and through increasing awareness impact sales. Goal is for sales to increase 20% over the next 3 months, and then sustain through the year. Dips in sales will be responded to with promotional offers. Next year the plan will be reassessed Strategy: Marketing Mix ? Product: current product offering is good, maybe offer a few healthy items to appeal to the â€Å"Moms,† definitely move on the alcohol license and get a credit card/debit machine. Currently have a case of frozen foods, add a case with ready-made items in the refrigerated section. ? Price: this market is not necessarily price sensitive, and higher quality items would be preferred over low cost items. Marketing Mix ? Place: location is great, right on the way home from work for many working parents, perhaps making a delivery option available too. Need an Internet site where they can see the menu and place an order from home or work. ? Promotion: this is a Mom and Pop organization so limited dollars, consider placing bouncing arrows to increase attention to the restaurant, pass out fliers in the karate, dance and learning centers offering families a price promotion and also magnets that families can place on their refrigerators that have the phone number; blanket the area homes with promotional fliers, and if any formal advertising is done, focus on the Henderson area, maybe in the View section of the RJ. Have â€Å"awards† for patrons that bring in new patrons (discounts on pizzas, etc) to help increase word-of-mouth. Marketing Control ? Every customer will be greeted on entry to the deli. Sometime within their visit they will be asked â€Å"how did you hear about us.† There will be a list behind the counter to keep track of those responses. Additionally, all promotional fliers and coupons (and advertising) will need to be collected in order to receive the discount so we can determine which promotion is directly getting the customer in-the-door. The sales during an â€Å"arrow† day will be compared to a similar non-arrow day to see whether that is an effective tool. If advertising is done in the RJ a similar comparison will be done to determine if it is â€Å"worth† the cost. The word of mouth offers will also be tracked and efforts will be made to establish relationships with those patrons. Research Papers on Marketing Plan for Rain at the Palms - Business PaperBionic Assembly System: A New Concept of SelfThe Fifth HorsemanIncorporating Risk and Uncertainty Factor in CapitalDefinition of Export QuotasTwilight of the UAWThe Project Managment Office SystemHip-Hop is ArtGenetic EngineeringNever Been Kicked Out of a Place This NiceWhere Wild and West Meet

How To Attack Paired Passages in SAT Reading

How To Attack Paired Passages in SAT Reading SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Answering questions on multiple passages is a little different from answering questions on just one passage. Some of the same advice is still applicable, but there are strategies specific to multipassage questions as well. I’ll go over the different topics you might see covered in paired passages on the SAT as well as giving strategies for paired passage questions. feature image credit: Happy Furry Friday by Alan L, used under CC BY 2.0/Cropped from original. SAT Reading: A Quick Recap We have a detailed breakdown of SAT Reading in another article, but just in case you've forgotten: Reading is the first section of the SAT and consists of 52 questions on six passages to be answered in 65 minutes. The passages used on the SAT are always on varying subject areas and come in three varieties: single passages, passages with charts or tables that you also have to analyze, and paired passages or "comparing passages," which I will be discussing in this article. If you want more information about how to grapple with any or all of these passage varieties, read this article. Passage-based questions come in these seven basic flavors: Big Picture: Find the main point of a passage or paragraph, or from what perspective is this information being given. Little Picture/Detail: Find a specific detail in the text, with or without location information. Inference: Based on the information provided in the passage, infer information. Vocabulary in Context: Find how a word is used in the specified place (or choose a word that best encapsulates a description from the passage). Function: Explain how a phrase, sentence, or paragraph functions in a larger context (paragraph or passage). Author Technique: What is the tone or style of a passage (often asked to compare and contrast different authors’ techniques)? Find the Evidence: Which of these lines from the passage best supports your answer? Paired Passages On The SAT Out of the six passages on SAT Reading, two of them will be "paired" passages. These passages are usually 40-50 lines each and are followed by 10-12 questions. The first four to seven of these questions will be about the passages individually, while the last three to six questions will ask about both passages. Paired passages on SAT Reading often include introductory material with information about the genre, publication date, and sometimes even the general situation/topic of the text. Here's an example from a practice SAT: Questions 32-42 are based on the following passages.These passages are adapted from the Lincoln†Douglas debates. Passage 1 is from a statement by Stephen Douglas. Passage 2 is from a statement by Abraham Lincoln. Douglas and Lincoln engaged in a series of debates while competing for a US Senate seat in 1858. The introductory material above tells you about the type of passage (Passage 1 is from a statement by Douglas, Passage 2 is from a statement by Lincoln) and when the source of each passage was originally published/written (as well as when the Lincoln-Douglas Debates occurred). Like these Lincoln-Douglas passages, paired passages most frequently fall into the "U.S. Founding Documents and the Great Global Conversation" genre of SAT Reading passages. These passages are usually written pre-1900s and concern "issues and concerns central to informed citizenship" like the meaning of democracy, slavery, women's rights, civil rights and civil disobedience, and so on. The next most frequently covered subject area is science, with passages on topics such as extraterrestrial mining, organic farming, and the effect of the internet on the brain. Keep in mind, however, that while most paired passages in the past have been either science or Great Global Conversation passages, that doesn't mean that you might not come across a literary or social-science focused set of paired passages in the future. As far as the SAT is concerned, any topic could work as a set of paired passages. what lurks within by Sandy Schultz, used under CC BY 2.0. You never know what topics you'll find lurking in paired passages. Plan of Attack: All Paired Passages There is no one surefire strategy that will let you power through questions on paired passages, because part of it depends on how you approach the passage. Below, we've gathered our top three strategies for mastering paired passages; try out each to see which best works for you. Strategy 1: Start By Answering Questions on Individual Passages No matter how you approach the passage (thorough read first, questions first, or skimming and then questions), for paired passages, I highly, highly recommend answering the questions about each individual passage first before moving on to the multi-passage questions. Even if you're planning on guessing on questions that ask about multiple passages, it’s still worth it to take time to answer questions on individual passages. Each passage that appears as part of a set of paired passages is shorter and less complicated than the standalone long passages (since you're expected to compare passage to passage, not just focus in on one passage). Because of this, it's often easier to answer the individual passage questions- there are fewer words to read overall, and it's easier to find details. In addition, sometimes the questions the SAT asks about each individual passages will give you information that might be helpful when it comes to questions about both passages For instance, take a look at this question about an individual passage (of a set of paired passages): As used in line 32, "observed" most nearly means A) followed.B) scrutinized.C) contemplated.D) noticed. Now, here’s a question in the same section that asks about both passages: Based on the passages, Lincoln would most likely describe the behavior that Thoreau recommends in lines 64-66 ("if it...law") as A) an excusable reaction to an intolerable situation.B) a rejection of the country's proper form of remedy.C) an honorable response to an unjust law.D) a misapplication of a core principle of the Constitution. Lines 64-66 read "if it is of such a nature that it requires you to be the agent of injustice to another, then, I say, break the law." If you’ve answered the first question, which involves going back the sentence that contains line 32 ("But I do mean to say, that, although bad laws, if they exist, should be repealed as soon as possible, still while they continue in force, for the sake of example, they should be religiously observed"), then you know that A) cannot be correct and that B) is likely correct. This doesn't necessarily give you the correct answer right away (you still have to eliminate answer choices C) and D) ), but it will save you time. A final point to keep in mind about answering questions about individual passages is that for paired passages, the two passages will agree on some things and disagree on others. Answering questions on the individual passages can help you suss out what the passages may agree or disagree on before you get to questions on both passages that ask you to do exactly that. Strategy 2: Find The Hardest Paired Passage Questions For You...And Drill Them This strategy is not unique to paired passage questions on the SAT- figuring out your weakness in any area and then focusing your time on practicing what is difficult for you will help you improve. For paired passages on SAT Reading, however, figuring out your higher level weaknesses is more difficult because it is not always clear which skill (or even combination of skills) is being tested by the question. To help out with your SAT Reading paired passage triage, I've compiled a list of the most common ways each question type might appear in the context of paired passages. Note: The questions below are all questions that ask you about multiple passages. While occasionally vocab-in-context questions will be asked after a series of longer paired passages, these questions are always in reference to either Passage 1 or Passage 2, not both; therefore, they are omitted below. Function Questions In non-paired passages, function questions ask what a phrase, sentence, or paragraph is accomplishing within the context of the whole passage. When they appear on paired passages, function questions often show up on individual passages but appear relatively infrequently with regards to both passages. Here are two ways I've seen function questions asked about multiple passages: â€Å"In lines 61-65, the author of Passage 2 refers to a statement made in Passage 1 in order to" "In the context of each passage as a whole, the question in lines 25-27 of Passage 1 and lines 67-69 of Passage 2 primarily function to help each speaker" Big Picture, Detail, and Inference Questions While these questions test different skills, they will often be asked in the same way. Here are a few examples (modified from actual SAT practice tests): "The main purpose of each passage is to" "Both authors would most likely agree that the changes in cats' status that they describe would be" "Based on the passages, both authors would agree with which of the following claims?" "Webber would most likely have reacted to lines 65-68 ("The musical...terrible") of Passage 2 with" OMG! by Andrea Schaffer, used under CC BY 2.0/Cropped from original. Alas, SAT answer choices are not in cat facial expression form. While the first of these questions is clearly a main point question, it’s a little more hazy with others. The second question could be any of the three types, depending on the context. If "the change in cats' status" was the main point of the passages, it would be a main point question. If "the change in cats' statuses" was just mentioned in passing as part of a larger picture, it would be a detail question. If the answer choices for that question asked you to take what was in the text and go a step beyond, the question would be an inference question. Here are some more clearly-worded examples of each type of question: Big Picture Questions "Which choice identifies a central tension between the two passages?" "Based on the passages, one commonality in the stances Lincoln and Thoreau take towards house cats is that" "Both passages discuss the issue of household cats in relationship to" Inference Questions "How would Eliot most likely respond to Webber's statement in lines 30-34, Passage 1 ("As the...yowl")?" "Stevens would most likely have reacted to lines 65-68 ("Now...cat") of Passage 2 with" Detail Questions "On which of the following points would the authors of both passages most likely agree?" "Based on the passages, both authors would agree with which of the following claims?" Find the Evidence questions These questions show up in paired passages in much the same way as they do on single passages. Here are a couple of examples: "Which choice provides the best evidence for the answer to the previous question?"[previous question: "How would Eliot most likely respond to Webber's statement in lines 30-34, Passage 1 ("As the...yowl")?"] "Which choice provides the best evidence for the answer to the previous question?" [previous question: "Which choice best describes how Saintriver would most likely have reacted to Lai Wai's remarks in the final paragraph of Passage 2?"] Multi-skill questions Often, questions that ask about both passages will ask you to draw upon multiple skills. The most common examples of this are big picture/inference combo questions, which require you to figure out author perspective and then take one step beyond that. Examples: "The author of Passage 2 would most likely respond to the discussion of the future of household cats in lines 18-28, Passage 1, by claiming that such a future" "Saintriver in Passage 1 would most likely characterize the position taken by Lai Wai in lines 65-69 "Let...climb") as" "Which choice best describes the ways that the two authors conceive of the cat's proper position in the household?" It's also possible to have a combo of detail and find-the-evidence questions: "Which choice provides the best evidence that the author of Passage 2 would agree to some extent with the claim attributed to Hatshepsut in lines 41-43, Passage 1?" So what should you do to figure out which question type is most difficult for you? First, when going through practice tests (actual SAT practice tests, mind), be sure to circle the questions that you're unsure you've answered correctly. Next, compare the questions you've circled to the example questions in this article to figure out where your weaknesses lie. And finally, study our articles on specific SAT Reading question types to improve your skills in the areas that you struggle with. Strategy 3: Eliminate Answers This is somewhat related to the strategy of answering questions on individual passages first (because individual passage questions can help you out with the answers to questions on both passages). Questions that ask about both passages have to meet the same standard as questions about a single passage: there must be one unambiguously correct answer. What does this mean for multipassage questions? If part of an answer is wrong, then you can eliminate it completely. Here’s an example of a common multipassage inference question: [practice2q30correctB] Which choice best describes the relationship between the two passages? A) Passage 2 relates first-hand experiences that contrast with the clinical approach in Passage 1.B) Passage 2 critiques the conclusions drawn from the research discussed in Passage 1.C) Passage 2 takes a high-level view of a result that Passage 1 examines in depth.D) Passage 2 predicts the negative reactions that the findings discussed in Passage 1 might produce. Let’s say you’ve just finished answering questions about Passage 2 when you get to this question about both passages, so Passage 2 is pretty clear in your mind. You can start by eliminating the answers that are not true for Passage 2. In this case, you can immediately eliminate A), because Passage 2 does not relate first-hand experiences. (Since the passage is too long to include here, you either have to take my word for it or read the passage in the free practice test in which it appears here.) You can also start to lean towards B), because it is unambiguously true for Passage 2. Why? Passage 1 ends with the following sentence: "We’re exercising the neural circuits devoted to skimming and multitasking while ignoring those used for reading and thinking deeply." On the other hand, the second paragraph of Passage 2 begins with this sentence: "Experience does not revamp the basic information-processing capacities of the brain." As you can see from these sentences, Passage 2 certainly critiques at least one of the conclusions from Passage 1. To confirm it is the right answer, of course, you'd need to skim Passages 1 and 2 again to make sure that there aren't any other conclusions in Passage 1 (or if there are, that Passage 2 critiques them as well) and eliminate the last two answers. A common recommendation for eliminating answers is to cross out answers that are not contrasting (since oftentimes the SAT wants you to compare passages, and what’s the point in comparing passages that are the same?). In this example, eliminating answers that suggest the passages have similarities would cause you to eliminate C) and D), pointing you back to the correct answer, B). However, this "eliminate answers that don't suggest the passages differ" elimination approach should not be considered a hard and fast rule. Depending on the question, the correct answer choice may confirm the two passages agree on something. Therefore, for paired passage questions, we recommend that instead of trying to go with the general strategy of "eliminate answers that don't suggest the passages differ," you still go through the answer choices and eliminate them one by one. If You Must by Michael Coghlan, used under CC BY-SA 2.0/Cropped from original. You do not want this cat coming after you for accidentally eliminating the right answer. Strategies To Attack Paired Passage Questions: A Summary #1: Answer Single-Passage Questions First. Answering questions about individual passages will often give you clues to answer questions about both passages. #2: Find Your Weaknesses And Drill Them. Figure out which type of question you tend to get wrong and then focus on improving that skill. #3: Eliminate Answers. If part of an answer is wrong, then you can eliminate it entirely. What’s Next? Find out more about the overall structure and content of SAT Critical Reading in our guide to SAT Reading. Is there a "best way" to read the passage for SAT Reading questions? Learn different ways to approach SAT Reading passages here. Get detailed with your SAT prep by studying each skill SAT Critical Reading questions test, starting with big picture questions and words-in-context questions. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points? Check out our best-in-class online SAT prep program. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your SAT score by 160 points or more. Our program is entirely online, and it customizes what you study to your strengths and weaknesses. If you liked this Reading 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:

United States Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) in a Strategic Essay

United States Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) in a Strategic Plan - Essay Example The management and administration of the ICE is accordingly entrusted with the responsibilities of various tasks, which majorly include preparing budget, managing expenditures, procure activities, human resource management initiatives and accessing information technologies among others. In this regard, the management and administration professionals of the ICE attempts to ensure that the mission and objectives of the organization are accomplished successfully. There are two principle operating elements of the organization, which include Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) along with Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO). ERO is entrusted with the responsibility of implementing the immigration laws in a fair as well as successful manner within the US. The ERO ensures that convicted criminals, aliens and fugitives are removed as well as restricted from entering the US who poses threats to the national security. On the other hand, HSI is entrusted with the responsibility of invest igating domestic as well as international activities in relation to illegal movement of good along with people in the US. In this regard, HSI performs various investigations in relation to immigration crime, human as well as narcotics smuggling, cybercrime and financial crimes (ICE, 2014). ICE has been facing the problem of immigration enforcement policy in an effective manner due to the fundamental reason that there are millions of aliens or fugitives who enter the US nation illegally. In this regard, it has been identified that the number of immigrants has increased to a large extent within the nation in the current phenomenon. The immigrants entered the US for various reasons, which mainly included family reunification, evading options for political unrest as well as civil strife and gaining economic benefits. Contextually, it has been identified that with increased number of immigrants in every state of the US, the chances of