Are AP Classes Worth It Should You Take Them

Are AP Classes Worth It Should You Take Them SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips If you're in high school, you've probably heard about AP classes. You might have even taken some already. But is all the hard work that goes into an AP class actually worth it? We think AP classes can be a great choice for students, as long as you’re well prepared, get a lot out of the class, and align your schedule to work with your college goals. However, AP classes might not always be the best choice. Keep reading to learn when AP classes are a good idea and when they're wasting your time- as well as what steps you must take to build an optimal schedule. How AP Classes Can Be Worthwhile: 4 Benefits There are several compelling reasons to take AP classes in high school. We'll discuss the different ways taking AP classes can help you discover new interests and make you a competitive applicant for college. #1: You Can Get a Challenging, Rigorous Academic Experience AP classes exist to expose high school students to college-level courses. Even though you’re taking the class at your high school, AP classes tend to have harder, more detailed curriculums than your typical high school classes do. So if you’re looking to take more difficult classes or want to impress college admissions offices with a rigorous schedule, AP classes can be a great way to up the rigor of your schedule. (As we’ve discussed in the past, AP classes are just one way to signal to colleges that you're taking the most challenging schedule available to you as a high school student.) AP classes are also useful for showing off a particular academic strength. For example, if you’re strong in math, taking AP Calculus BC and getting a 5 on the test is a concrete way to demonstrate your skills to admissions committees. #2: You Can Earn College Credit If you pass the AP test at the end of the school year (meaningyou get a score of 3 or higher), you will be eligible to receive college credit for that test. This processcan vary at different colleges. While some will grant you actual course credit, allowing you to graduate faster and therefore save time and money, others will use the AP credit to put you in harder classes as a freshman. Either way, AP credit can be very helpful! We recommend looking up the AP credit policies of schools you’re interested in to get a better idea of how the AP classes you want to take could save you time and/or money in college. #3: You Can Learn Time Management and Self-Study Skills Maybe this isn’t the most exciting reason, but taking AP classes can really improve your studying skills. Since AP classes culminate in a cumulative test at the end of the school year, you can’t just go from unit to unit as you can in other high school classes.Rather, you need to ensure you're retaining information the whole year and have a foolproof study plan for the AP test! While any good AP teacher will include review sessions in their curriculum, since there is limited classroom time, students will inevitably have to do some studying on their own. Speaking from experience, I learned a lot of my time-management and study skills by taking AP classes in high school. Every year, I made my own study schedules in the spring to make sure I was prepared for each AP test. Making study schedules and sticking to them ultimately helped me develop more effective time-management skills, which were invaluable in college! #4: You Can Explore New Interests Although some AP classes build off a typical high school schedule (particularly the math, English, history, and science classes), many others are more specialized. Taking these AP classes can allow you to explore specific fields of study as a high school student. Here are some examples of specialized AP classes: AP Micro and Macroeconomics Computer Science Psychology Art History Human Geography Statistics While you can definitely take these courses in college, taking the AP version in high school gives you early exposure and can help you discover a unique academic interest. A specialized AP class can also add a fun, interesting twist to your typical routine of math, English, science, and social studies. How AP Classes Can Waste Your Time: 5 Scenarios Taking AP classes can be helpful for a variety of reasons. But if you slack off, don't get much out of the material, or (worst of all) fail the exam, the AP program loses a lot of its benefits. In this section, we give you some reasons why the AP program might not be the best choice, and offer tips for making the most of your schedule. Scenario 1: You Fail the AP Test While an AP class isn’t a total waste if you fail the test- you still get the academic experience of a harder class, after all- it’ll be much less beneficial. As we discussed, you need a passing score in order to get college credit for an AP class.Without a passing test score, your AP class will be a lot less useful. What's more, colleges will look to see whether you passed the AP test. If you didn't pass, the AP class loses a lot of its admissions benefit. Even (or especially!) if you get an A in the class, that would just mean your class was too easy compared with those in the rest of the country. In short, how good an AP class will be for you hinges on whether you pass the exam or not. Scenario 2: AP Classes Ruin Your GPA Even if you pass your AP tests, if AP classes dramatically drag down your GPA, they won't be worth taking. Colleges want to see that you’re taking the hardest classes available to you, but they also want to see that you’re mostly succeeding and that you know your limits! This doesn’t mean that getting an A- in Calculus BC is a bad thing, though. (In fact, an A- in Calculus BC is more impressive than an A in regular Calculus.) What this does mean isthat taking four AP classes and getting Cs in all of them will not look good. As a general rule, don’t worry about an AP class knocking your usual grades down one half step- that is, an A to an A-, or an A- to a B+. But if you see a full grade drop, even in one class (A to B, B to C, etc.) that’s cause for concern. You should either make serious changes to your study schedule or, if you continue to struggle, consider dropping down to the regular course. This is why not overloading and knowing your strengths is important when signing up for classes! Scenario 3: You Don't Get Much Out Of the Class Even if you pass an AP class and the test, if you personally feel like you didn’t learn much or if the class didn’t improve your study skills, it might not have been worth it. Even if you get college credit for a particular class, it won't be worth it if you decide to take the same version of that class in college. It’s also not worth it if the class doesn’t significantly improve your studying or academic skills. Since all AP classes have a pretty big cost in terms of time, if they’re not serving to develop your academic interests or improve your skills, they’re likely not worth taking. This effect is more dramatic if you’re overloading on AP classes: the fourth AP class you take in a year might not add as much to your skills as it’s taking away from your time. For example, if you’re heading toward a humanities major in college (English, Economics, Political Science, etc.), trying to cram in AP Statistics and AP Calculus your senior year might not be helpful. You’re not likely to do a lot of deep learning in either math class if you’re also busy with college applications and other commitments. And if you don’t do well in these math classes, you might have to retake one in college anyway. Or, let's say you’re a future computer science major going out of your way to fit in an AP Human Geography class, just so you can have another AP class. This, however, likely won’t add much to your schedule, and if it’s not a personal interest, you probably won’t get much out of it. To sum up, if you're taking an AP class just because it's AP, you should reconsider taking it. You don't want to be this guy. Scenario 4: AP Classes Become Your Main Extracurricular While AP classes can be great- academically rigorous, cost effective, interesting- if they’re taking away from the rest of your schedule, those benefits begin to shrink. For example, if you neglect studying for the SAT/ACT because you’re so busy with AP classes, this can really hurt your college admission chances. We strongly recommend taking adequate time to study for the SAT/ACT, since having a high score can greatly boost your college admission and scholarship chances. Furthermore, if you stop getting involved in extracurriculars because you’re too busy studying, that doesn’t help your college applications, either. We’re not saying you need to be a perfectly well-rounded student who's in 10 clubs. But we do think it’s important to a have a few strongly developed interests- and overloading on AP classes can take away from that. In short, AP classes should enhance your schedule and indicate your academic interests- they shouldn't be your chief extracurricular. Scenario 5: You Burn Out in High School Even if you do really well in all your AP classes, you need to have the big picture in mind. If you graduate senior year completely exhausted and struggle your freshman year of college, you’re setting yourself up for a substandard college experience. Remember that the goal of AP classes- and high school in general!- is to be prepared to do well in college. Taking one less AP class but staying more sane and balanced might actually help you more in college than overloading your schedule with APs. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by your AP schedule, don’t feel bad about dropping an AP class. If dropping that class allows you to do better in your other classes and stick to your commitments, it will be better for you in the long run. You don't want to be running on empty during your freshman year of college! Next Steps: Should You Take AP Classes? As you know, AP classes can give a huge boost to your college applications, but they can also hurt your college chances if you're not careful. So how do you make sure you're getting the most out of your AP classes? Follow the steps below to make sure your AP schedule is challenging but not overwhelming. Step 1: Learn the Reputation of AP Classes at Your School Learning the reputation of AP classes at your high school can help you decide if taking certain AP classes is worth your time. There is a huge amount of variation in how AP classes are taught at different high schools. You'll struggle if an AP class is poorly taught or overly difficult. On the flipside, a well-taught class might not only help you pass the AP test, but also help you discover a new academic interest. Talk to your guidance counselor, older students, and other teachers at your school to get a sense of which AP classes have positive buzz- and which ones have a reputation of being overly hard or poorly taught. Don’t necessarily avoid a hard class, especially if it’s in an area of interest for you. Also, don’t sign up for multiple AP classes with especially tough reputations the same school year. But if an AP class has rave reviews at your school, strongly consider adding it to your schedule! Step 2: Consider Your College Goals Knowing your college goals can help you decide between AP classes or how many AP classes to take. For example, if you’re aiming for your local state school and want to complete as many general education requirements as possible during high school, you should focus on core subject AP classes, such as Calculus, Literature, Biology/Chemistry/Physics, and US History. However, if you’re trying to get into top colleges, you'll want to use AP classes to demonstrate your academic strengths. In this case, your AP classes might be more concentrated in either math/science or the social sciences/humanities, depending on your interests. Check out our in-depth guideto learn moreabout choosing the right number of AP classes based on your college goals. Step 3: Talk to Your Guidance Counselor Your counselor will be able to help you come up with a challenging but manageable schedule. She'll also have a sense of your school’s context, including how many AP classes students take on average, which teachers get the best AP test results, and how to build a challenging schedule that doesn’t overload on AP. Even if you don’t have a close relationship with your counselor, it’s her job to know about school context, and she has lots of important information.So don’t be afraid to make an appointment and talk through your AP plans with your counselor! Step 4: Remember the Big Picture Your goal in high school is to learn as much as possible and be prepared for college. Taking one extra AP class is not going to dramatically affect your future, but cultivating a strong academic or extracurricular interest will. Try to create a course load that is both challenging but reasonable, and definitely don’t hesitate to drop something from your schedule- e.g., an AP class, a sport, volunteering- if you’re feeling like you’re reaching your breaking point! What’s Next? Need more help picking AP classes? Learn about the hardest and easiest AP classes you can take. AP classes are great, but they’re not going to guarantee admission to college. Learn why a high SAT/ACT score is the best single way to improve your chance of admission to a competitive school. Studying for the SAT or ACT?Check out our in-depth study guides to the SAT and ACTfor expert tips and the best study materials available online! Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Data Collection for Discrete Trials

Data Collection for Discrete Trials Discrete trial teaching is the basic instructional technique used in Applied Behavior Analysis. Once a specific skill is identified and operationalized, there are several ways to record success. Since trials are generally multiple probes of since skills, when you collect data you want your data to reflect several things: Correct responses, Non-responses, Incorrect responses, and Prompted responses. Usually, a goal is written in a way to name what each response will look like: John will touch a letter from a field of three.When presented with a colored sorting bear, Belinda will correctly place it on a plate of the matching colorWhen presented with a set of counters from 1 to 5, Mark will correctly count the counters. When you use a discrete trial teaching approach, you may want to create a program to teach a skill. Clearly, you will want to be shaping the behavior/skill you are teaching, starting with the antecedent skills. I.e., if the skill you are teaching is recognizing colors, you will want to start with a benchmark that asks the child to distinguish between two colors, in other words, John, touch red, from a field of two (say, red and blue.) Your program could be called Color Recognition, and would probably expand to all the primary colors, the secondary colors and finally the secondary colors, white, black and brown. In each of these cases, the child is asked to complete a discrete task (therefore, discrete trials) and the observer can easily record whether their response was Correct, Incorrect, Non-Responsive, or whether the child needed to be Prompted. You may want to record what level of prompting was required: physical, oral or gestural. You can use a record sheet to record these and plan how you will fade prompting. A Free Printable Record Sheet Use this free printable record sheet  to record five days of the particular task. You certainly dont need to record every day the child is in your classroom, but by providing you with five days, this worksheet is a little more accessible for those of you would like to keep a sheet a week for data collection. There is a space next to each p on each column that you can use to record what kind of prompt if you are using this form not only to record your trial by trial but also to fade prompting. At the bottom is also a place to keep percents. This form provides 20 spaces: you certainly only need to use as many trials as your student usually can attend to. Some low functioning students may only successfully complete 5 or 6 of the tasks. 10 is of course optimal, because you can quickly create a percent, and ten is a fairly decent representation of a students skills. Sometimes, however, students will resist doing more than 5, and building up the number of successful responses may be one of your goals: they may otherwise stop responding or respond with anything to get you to leave them alone. There are spaces at the bottom of each column for next to write when you are expanding your field (say, from three to four) or adding more numbers or letters in letter recognition. There is also a place for notes: perhaps you know the child didnt sleep well the night before (a note from Mom) or he or she was really distracted: you may want to record that in the notes, so you give the program another shot the next day. Hopefully, this data sheet provides you the flexibility you need to successfully record your students work.

M essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

M - Essay Example Second, the American government did not exactly stop China from controlling Chinese Americans in the U.S. The U.S. did not protect Chinese Americans in Americans soil because it continued to see the latter as suspicious illegal aliens, even after World War II. Furthermore, the U.S. government did not take positive actions to create equal conditions for Chinese Americans. It practiced racial profiling as a means of cleansing the U.S. of suspected communist Chinese Americans. This statement, â€Å"Chinese in the United States were subjected to a highly institutionalized structure of dual domination?† means that Chinese Americans had two lords in the U.S. - the U.S. government and the Chinese government. Both governments subjected Chinese Americans to racial oppression and exclusion, as already explained in the first paragraph. World War II did little to ease racism and oppression against Chinese Americans. Although President Roosevelt compelled the U.S. Congress in 1943 to repea l the Chinese exclusion laws, he did so because it was an essential military strategy. He also replaced it with a less stringent exclusionary law through the immigration quota system. During the Cold War, instead of improving the rights and liberties of Chinese Americans, the U.S. ... 2. The effect on the atomic bombs on Japan and its economy is that, at first, the Japanese got angry at their military leaders, and many accepted that their nation should never launch another war, while the Japanese economy severely suffered initially because of lost jobs and the destruction of cities during the atomic bombing. First, after the atomic bombing, the Japanese remarkably felt more resentment for their military forces than the U.S. government. They did not harbor any racist feelings against the U.S., although some resentment developed during the opportunist actions of the U.S. toward Japan when the Cold War started. Second, the atomic bomb negatively affected the economy of Japan, where the unemployed reached 13 million and demobilized Japanese soldiers became beggars. The Japanese persevered by working closely with the Allied forces in forming a new government structure and new policies that affected its way of life. For instance, a new constitution was ratified in 1946, which guided the Japanese government toward a more democratic era. The Japanese constitution in 1946 laid out the preservation of the emperor as the symbol of unity of the people and renunciation of future wars. By preserving the Emperor, the Japanese were able to hold on their ancient cultural symbols, which helped them persevere during these trying times. The Japanese people received greater democracy in how members of the government were selected and removed too. Furthermore, changes in agrarian and labor laws improved satisfaction among peasants and workers. These changes enabled many farmers to own their own lands, while workers were allowed to form and participate in trade unions. By 1970, Japan became a world power despite the obstacles because of the combination of

Administering the School Budget & Accounting and Auditing Essay - 2

Administering the School Budget & Accounting and Auditing - Essay Example A comprehensive and aligned education program should give out the data that are necessary in answering questions like who finances education, how funds are allocated, how many funds are spending on the program, and how education resources are aligned to the achievement of students (Brimley, Rulon, Garfield, et.al, 2008). For these questions to be answered, a system of education requires more components than just finance. It needs a system of staff records, record of students, property system, program component, and a system of community service. The system of instructional agreement can be directed to records of students. This will give policymakers a Herculean analytic capability that would make timely and cost-effective decisions. This paper reports on incidents of misuse of funds that might have been avoided if a proper accounting and auditing practices had been followed. The paper discuses a situation in one of the school districts in Fentress County Tennessee. A school needs to be concerned with the achievement of a bottom line that is profitable. Many education entities have an expectation of being in a position that is breakeven whenever an academic year ends. In York elementary school, in Fentress County Tennessee, the situation is particularly different. ... This audit established that approximately $ 125,000 had been allegedly paid to unperformed work. The auditing statement showed out that there had been some misused credit cards. In this regard, the credit card of the school was used to purchase more than $ 3,500 of personal purchases that were unauthorized. This is what made the state Bureau to allege misconduct in this school. According to the audit made, no employee had been resigned from his position due to the prior audits. When the school’s principal was asked to give out an explanation for the situation, he argued that all employees in a school are administrators and that they should always make purchases even without their boss’s authorization. Additionally, a charge had been split in order to obtain the limit of the credit card. In this case, the principle added that there were some corrective measures that had already been taken in maintaining the school district. However, the measures taken had not been realiz ed; therefore, the audit concluded that there was a failure in compliance of York elementary school with the districts' procedures and policies in the school’s financial oversight and accounting. This was a terribly serious situation in the school. This report was displayed as parents and students of this school were protesting the decision of the district to put one principal on leave. After this audit, an investigation concerning the school’s financial system was set. The investigation on York elementary school reported that the school district failed to have a reliable internal control. This means that the internal control was not appropriate to prevent the misuse of specific assets. A number of employees of the school made a confirmation to the

International and domestic air transportation services Essay Example for Free

International and domestic air transportation services Essay Introduction The Qantas group operates international and domestic air transportation services for leisure and business traveling, freight and logistics services .It is also provides support activities including information technology, catering ground handling, engineering and maintenance. Qantas with its dual strategy brand Jetstar flies now to more than 173 destinations in 42 countries and operates a fleet of 246 aircraft. The objective of this airline is to operate a 20-strong airbus 380 fleet by 2015.The group is also a part of the world global marketing and code-sharing alliance, which consists of 11 leading airlines. Qantas’ stakeholders are its shareholders, employees, customer, business partners and the community. Indirect stakeholders include the media, governments and non-government organizations. They all have a major influence on the business, its strategy and therefore its performance. It is to mention that Qantas group is in the unique position of having two outstanding and well established brands in both the premium and low fares categories with Qantas and Jetstar, which makes it a magnitude rival for Singapore Airlines. The headquarters of Qantas is located in New South Wales, Australia. It is split up into three main branches which include the Flying business, flying services Businesses and the Associated Services. All departments of this group have focused on one goal and that’s nothing except ensuring high quality service in most efficient way. But they long term purpose is to operate the world’s best premium airline, Qantas, and the world’s best low fare s carrier, Jetstar. Body Comprehensive Porters 5 forces analysis Nowadays, Porter’s Five Forces model is the most important force which affects the Airline industry, especially because the market is completely saturated. There are more service providers than needed in both local as well as international markets (GreenBb, 2008). The airlines continuously compete against each other in terms of customer services, technology, prices, in-flight entertainment, and many more areas (GreenBb, 2008). Actually, Porter’s Model is a business strategy tool which is used to analyze the competitiveness and attractiveness of the airline industry of which Qantas operates. It is considered as an important part of planning tool set (Kawatra, 2013).Its analysis consists of 5 fundamental competitive forces: The rivalry among existing players: Medium to High Qantas is faced with competition within the domestic airline industry in Australia from Virgin Blue and Tiger Airways and international competition from all major airline operators including British Airways and Deutsche Lufthansa (all three airline operators are national flagship carriers). The fierce rivalry has resulted in high cost of competition, lower profits and slow market growth. Bargaining power of Suppliers: Medium The main factors which determine the bargaining power of suppliers include switching costs, substitute suppliers, threat of backward and forward integration and supplier concentration. The airline supplier market for aircrafts is very concentrated as there are two main suppliers, Boeing and Airbus. Their bargaining power is high in this industry (GreenBb, 2008). This restricts Qantas, along with its competitors, from exercising control over their suppliers to generate higher profit. Threat of Substitutes: Low The threat of alternative solution to international airline travel is somehow limited. However, the threat for domestic airline travel includes train, bus or car travel which is determinants of money, preference, time and convenience of the traveller. The ease of switching to a substitute increases competition (xiamichael, 2012). Hence, when switching cost is relatively low, the competition becomes higher and price becomes even more important. The airline industry is very competitive and as a result, profit margins are usually low. Also, the bargaining of the supplier is very high which undermines companies in the airline industry to exercise control over their supplier. With high entry cost, new competition into the international airline market is very low. Qantas can continue to dominate this market while still competing with domestic market using the Frequent Flyer programme increase loyal customer. Threat of new entry: Low In the world today, the airline industry is so saturated that there is hardly space for a newcomer even to squeeze its way in. The biggest for this is the cost of entry. The high cost of buying and leasing aircraft; operational activities including safety and security measures, customer service and manpower; makes the airline industry one of the most expensive industries (Q.G). Other barriers to entry which will prohibit new comers into the airline industry include Government restrictions and the brand name of existing airlines. Brand name recognition and frequent fliers point also play a role in the airline industry. An airline with a strong brand name and incentives can often attract a customer even if its prices are higher. On the other hand, a newcomer could just enter this saturated market easier with a completely new concept or technology (GreenBb, 2008). Bargaining power of Buyer: Medium to Decline The bargaining power of buyers is another force that can affect the competitive position of a company. The airline industry is very competitive as they are competing for the same passengers and switching cost between airline operators is low. As a result, the buyer power is high in this industry. There are various choices presented to customers; which usually means brand loyalty or price is the main factors when selecting an airline (Q.G). Buyers for Qantas include business travelers, leisure travelers, and travel agents. In fact, they demand value for every dollar spent, therefore they expect more and more from the airline. Qantas has the frequent flyer program which rewards loyal customers and increases switching costs for a passenger selecting a rival airline operator. Add to this, the technology developments help the Qantas to reduce the buyer power (xiamichael, 2012). Conclusion The airline industry is very competitive and as a result, profit margins are usually low. Also, the bargaining of the supplier is very high which undermines companies in the airline industry to exercise control over their supplier. With high entry cost, new competition intothe international airline market is very low. Qantas can continue to dominate this market while still competing with domestic market using the Frequent Flyer program increase loyal customer. Factor| Characterization (Current)| Future Trend| | Threat Rating| Key Rational| Threat Rating| Key Rational| Rivalry Among Existing Competitors | Degree of seller concentration?| Y-H| There are more airline companies as compared to the customers’ requirement, that’s why this market is saturated.| Y-H| Top class air lines are also now focusing on the lower price to gain maximum market share.E.g. Qantas has initiated jet star. | Rate of industry growth?| Y-H| Yes, it’s growing but the substitute factors also make it very hard to maintain that growth rate. And also there is Lack of diversification| Y-H| In future It would be same as it is according to today’s forecasting.| Significant cost differences among firms?| Y-H| Major costs and expenses are same but it depend on the destination airline is operating.| Y-H| Same trend will continue.| Excess capacity?| Y-H| There is immense competition in airline industry that leads to excessive capacity as compared to demand. | Y-H| Customers’ growth will be overcome by the competitors’ competition. | Degree of product differentiation among sellers? | Y-M| Qantas has both high cost carrier as well as low cost carrier.| Y-L| Innovation and technology will lead to new opportunities to the airline industry.| Brand loyalty to existing sellers?| Y-H| There is no brand loyalty by the customer because of price competition in the industry.| Y-H| Same trend Will Remain as it is.| Buyers’ costs of switching from one competitor to another?| Y-H| Just one click for changing the airline from thei r computer screen.Most of customers change the airline on the bases of price factor| Y-H| No change in near future.| Strengths of exit barriers?| Y-H| because of high capital cost for equipment (air planes) and other facilities there would be a huge waste.| Y-M| Some factor like technology might help to reduce the cost| Can firms adjust prices quickly?| Y-H| Of course with considering price strategies they would adjust.| Y-H| Same costing strategies.| Factor| Characterization (Current)| Future Trend| | Threat Rating| Key Rational| | Threat Rating| Threats of New Entrants | Significant economies of scale? | Y-M| It would cost a lot to buy/lease an aircraft| Y-H| The costs of buying or leasing aircrafts are decreasing. | Importance of reputation or established brand in purchase decision?| Y-H| The competition is based on price| Y-H| The competition is based on price| Entrants’ access to distribution channels?| Y-H| High accessibility to lots of websites and application would make it much easier and also There are flight centers and travel agencies| Y-H| With the fast growing technology it will open even more doors through the accessibility to distribution channels| Entrants’ access to technology/know how?| Y-M| professional courses which could make it possible to learn how to use the technology| Y-L| The number of skilled labor would decrease| Entrants’ access to favorable location?| Y-H| All the firms operate from airports.| Y-H| All firms operating from airports.| Government protection of incumbents?| Y-M| There should be some government regulation But it still going to be attainable| Y-L| More regulation would be needed in order to make the environment more secure and safe| Factor| Characterization (Current)| Future Trend| | Threat Rating| Key Rational| | Threat Rating| Pressure From Substitutes | Availability of close substitutes?| Y-M| Tele conference, online chats and VOIP could replace the be exactly at the place Also for short distances it could be replaced with railways, buses, personal transportation.But still it could be the best choice for long distance and international traveling and also the fastest way.| Y-H| Their impact becomes significant when the speed advantage of aircraft becomes less important| Price-value characteristics of substitutes?| Y-M| They are all the same, even sometimes it could cost more| Y-H| Substitutes’ costs will decrease while airline costs are relatively fixed.| Availability of close complements?| Y-M| Frequent flyer programs, hotels, and tour packages| Y-M| Complements environment would be limited| Price-value characteristics of complements?| Y-M| The prices are reasonable but there are alternatives than going after packages and loyalty programs| Y-M| -| Factor| Characterization (Current)| Future Trend| | Threat Rating| Key Rational| | Threat Rating| Power of Suppliers | Is Suppliers’ industry more concentrated than industry it sells to?| Y-H| Suppliers such aircraft and engine producers are consider as oligopoly | Y-M| There will be more supplier| Few substitutes for suppliers’ input?| Y-H| There would not be that much substitution for the suppliers| Y-M| There will be more supplier| Do firms in industry make relationship-specific investments to support transactions with specific suppliers?| Y-H| Airport services are concentrated in the small area of air ports but low changing costs.| Y-H| Same Trends expected.| Are suppliers able to price discriminate among prospective customers according to ability/willingness to pay for input?| Y-H| With a high competitive industry and the limited suppliers and fixed regulations price discrimination threat is highly expected.| Y-M| More manufacturers/service providers are expected.| Factor| Characterization (Current)| Future Trend| | Threat Rating| Key Rational| | Threat Rating| Power of Buyers | Is industry buyers more concentrated than the industry it purchases from?| Y-H| Because there is a very competitive industry price discrimination mostly happens | Y-M| There will be more supplier.| Do buyers purchase in large volumes? Does a buyer’s purchase volume represent large fraction of typical seller’s sales revenue?| Y-H| There would be a high scale of supply and low scale of demand with the buyer’s market| Y-H| There would be a high scale of supply and low scale of demand with the buyer’s market| Can buyers find substitutes for industry’s product?| Y-H| Separate transactions | Y-H| With more transactions expected but still not enough for a high volume purchases. | Are prices in the market negotiated between buyers and sellers on each individual transaction or do sellers â€Å"post’ a â€Å"take-it-or-leave it price† that applies to all transactions?| Y-H| Websites increased the price transparency | Y-H| Same trends expected.| Bibliography GreenBb. (2008). Industry Analysis. Kawatra, P. (2013, january). Porters Five Forces Model. Retrieved from http://www.studymode.com/course-notes/Porters-Five-Forces-Model-1340484.html. Q.G. (n.d.). The Qantas group international and domestic air transportation services. Retrieved from http://www.ukessays.com/essays/management/the-qantas-group-international-and-domestic-air-transportation-services-management-essay.php. xiamichael. (2012, June). Qantas 5 Forces. Retrieved from http://www.studymode.com/essays/Qantas-5-Forces-1021718.html.

Christianity: Salvation by Grace Essay -- Religion Christian

Christianity is a faith based on the life, teachings, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. (Fisher, 1991) Christianity is a one God religion as presented in the New Testament. Today, Christianity and the church are culturally diverse, even in the aspects of race. It is even said that Sunday mornings is the most segregated time in the world. There is one central belief that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, all Christians can come to this conclusion. Christianity teaches that Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins and that we are all under the judgment of God because we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Other religions may often depict that it is only necessary to do some good when it comes to God in order to get into heaven. However, Christianity is the only religion that supports the teachings of salvation by grace. Meaning that our efforts, sincerity, and good works alone will not guarantee us a place in heaven, but instead it is our faith in what Christ did on the cross along with obeying the gospel, and living faithfully until his return that will place us there. Followers of Jesus Christ were persecuted, but by 380 CE, despite strong opposition, Christianity became the official religion of the vast Roman Empire (Fisher, 1991) At least three things can derive from Christianity; a set of beliefs, the way of life and a community of people. Christ is the Greek form of the Hebrew word "Messiah", meaning "anointed one". Christianity originally developed as a part of Judaism. Jesus was a Jew. It is said that he lived from about 3 BC to 30 AD. He lived and taught in Palestine, to the Jews. Christianity also teaches that God created the universe and all that is in it. While we as humans have both physi... ...sians 4: 4-6) Jesus said â€Å"Upon this rock I shall build my church† (Matthew 16:18). The Church of Christ, the only one that you can find in the bible. References Bercot, D. (2006). Retrieved February 13, 2009, from History of The Early Church: http://www.earlychurch.com/index.php Fisher, M. P. (1991). Living Religions. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Public Education. Morrison, M. (n.d.). Discipleship 101. Retrieved February 13, 2009, from Worldwide Church of God: http://www.wcg.org/lit/disc/16grace.htm Christianity. (2009, February 11). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 04:45, February 14, 2009, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Christianity&oldid=270002186 Muslims. (2006, March 25). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 04:46, February 14, 2009, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Muslims&oldid=45357695

Customer is King: Evolution of the Retail Food Industry Essay

It is common understanding that you cannot have a business if you do not have customers to buy the product you produce or services you deliver; therefore customer is an integral part of every business. There was a time when customers was treated less critical and vocal by the businesses and markets was treated just as dumping grounds for the products, however this situation does not prevail anymore because of the tremendous transformation happening in the retail food industry since last five decades. Today customers have more choices than ever before, through more diverse channels. Even the expectations of customer are higher than ever before. Companies who fail to leave up to the expectation are finding hard to get or retain the customers- Majority of the unsatisfied customer do not complain they just change the suppliers. Therefore retailers have realised that the only way to sustain in the competitive market is by being customer centric. (Barnes & Glynn, 1993) Today every businesses treat customer as king and aware that only exceptional level of customer service can differentiate them from the competition in an increasingly saturated marketplace. Customer is often treated as the asset of the company and considered in the strategic level decision making. Therefore I certainly agree with this frequently used marketing cliche â€Å"customer is king†. To better explain my position I have presented my views based on two contexts. The first being how customer is king? This is explained by describing the customer’s role in the evolution of the retail food industry and its implications. The second being why customer is king? This is explained by detailing the significance of customers in the retail food business. The evolution of the retail food industry and its implications: Retail food industry has undergone a tremendous transformation in the last five decades, these transformations can be classified into four different phases- Predevelopment, Development, Saturation and Decline phase (Terbeek, 1999). During the predevelopment phase shopping was a social event, relationships between the customer and grocer was important. Shopping experience was logical, retail was more of a personalised business where the customer was treated as an individual and his or her needs were well known and understood by the businesses. Also there existed a long term personal relationship between the businesses and the customer (Steidtman, 2005). Therefore during this phase more emphasis was given to the customer and customer service, however this situation did not prevail long. During the development phase, small and neighbourhood stores started to decline due to the raise of supermarket. Customers were no more trusting grocer rather they started to trust brands. No longer there existed a personal relationship between the businesses and the customer. Even management was centralised and employees were ignorant of the customer behaviour, old values which existed during the predevelopment stage relating to employee and customer relationship almost disappeared, the customer becomes a consumer. However due to logistics efficiency and introduction in new model of central buying and distribution of standard products to standard stores led in the decline of product prices. Even though retailer was the ultimate connection to the customer but manufacturer had more control over the market demand and retailer was just acting as distributor. Manufacturer assumed that every market was standard and started using push marketing model to sell his products, therefore emphasis on customer was neglected and customer service was taken a backseat (Terbeek, 1999) During the saturation phase the competition between the retailers intensified, there was a rise of many stores even the products increased from 8000 to 30000 items and above, which resulted in making a decision making stressful for the customers. However the growth of the industry slowdown and the real growth for supermarkets came from taking businesses away from each other. Marketing cost intensified because of the competition between supermarkets, even value created by supermarkets become less easy to distinguish because of the availability of the identical products in every store. Therefore Price become the way for many stores to differentiate them, which gave rise to the new mantra of super markets called â€Å"more products and lower prices†. Competition among the manufacturers also heated up which led retailers to get better incentives for the self-space. Therefore retailers was busy concerned on making deal money which was more profitable then customer service, Customer was almost invisible and the relationship between the retailer and the customer no longer existed(Terbeek, 1999). During the decline phase the might of the supermarkets reduced drastically by the entry of fast food chains and low cost department stores (Wal-Mart, Target etc. – which started competing for the stomach share of the consumer. Therefore retailers try to differentiate themselves by introducing new merchandising strategies such as home meal replacement and solution selling, also another strategy for growth was geographic expansion through consolidation and globalisation. Retailers were more concerned on making profits and increasing market share, however even in this phase they neglected the fact that customer is one of the important ass et and failed to be customer oriented. Therefore retailers still moved even further away from the customer. Following the decline phase of the retail food market is the â€Å"current† (2000+) situation which can perhaps be termed as the frictionless phase (Terbeek, 1999). It’s not surprising that in this phase, the focus is once again on the customer. The one size fits all concept of retail is no longer applicable and there is need to deliver personalized services and products on an individual basis to distinguish them from others and to stay ahead in the market. Therefore customer has become the central focus in this era, even the retailers have realised that customer service, customer loyalty and customer retention plays a major role in sales and profitability of the concern. Thanks to Technological transformation, which has enabled retail to return to what it once – a personalised business, today businesses have realised that customer is a strategic asset of the organisation and treating customer as a â€Å"King† is vital for the long term sustainability. Significance of customers in the retail food business: The food and beverage market is often the largest industrial sector in developed economies. In the US, expenditures on food in both retail stores and food service establishments account for nearly 30 percent of all retail spending. Food retailing alone is among the largest of all retailing sectors in most countries(Gomez, McLaughlin, & Wittink, 2003). The most recent Consumer Expenditure Survey from the Department of Labour indicates that 58 percent of food expenditures are on food consumed at home and Groceries represent a $700 billion business in US alone (George, 2005). Due to the market size today retail sector is not only growing in the rapid pace but also becoming more competitive, even the customers have become more demanding than ever. Retailers have realised that the only way to sustain in the competitive market is through differentiation; Rita Heise of Cargill says differentiation must be a top priority of almost any company today (Tuck, 2003). Today differentiation in terms of pricing, product offering are also becoming commonplace so companies need new ways to differentiate themselves. In the verge of finding differentiating strategies, retailers have realised that the only way of differentiating them form others is by being customer centric(Gomez et al. , 2003). Today customers are vital for the retail businesses, treating customers like a King is really important because this leads to more satisfied customers. The more satisfied the customers are, the more loyal the customers will be- which in turn helps in maintaining customer loyalty. Therefore customer satisfaction, customer loyalty and customer retention all these three terms are interrelated which has a significant impact on the profitability, sales and market share of the businesses. Customer satisfaction: Customer satisfaction and retention are generally considered among the most important long term objectives of firms (Cooil, Keiningham, Aksoy, & Hsu, 2007). The satisfied customers will remain loyal to the company and also create a positive brand image by word of mouth. In recent research of over 1,000 kiwis, respondents said they were twice as likely to tell others about a bad experience over a positive one. With stories being told online, rather than person-to-person, they are accessible to a much wider audience and live on long after the initial compromising incident occurred (Meyer, 2011). Therefore businesses which fail to meet the customer expectations will not only lose customers but also may create a negative brand image. Linking customer satisfaction and customer loyalty/retention: The marketing concept suggests that a satisfied buyer will likely return to purchase again, or at least, consider purchasing again(Keith, 1960). According to Reichheld and Sasser repeat customers cost less to serve than new buyers, benefiting a firm’s cost structure. Additionally, maximizing customer retention rates and minimizing customer defections are primary strategic objectives for most firms because of the competitive retail environment and low switching costs(Reichheld, 1990). Customer satisfaction is positively linked to loyalty and customer retention, therefore businesses should be customer oriented in order to maximise the profits, market share and also to increase the sales. Linking profitability or market share to customer satisfaction and customer loyalty: According to one study, a 2 percent increase in customer retention has the same effect on profits as cutting costs by 10 percent. Similarly, a 5 percent reduction in customer defection rate can increase profits by 25-125 percent (Min, 2011). It is logical that both satisfaction and loyalty are directly related to profitability(Pleshko & Baqer, 2008). Loyal and satisfied customers will increase the customer base by positive word of mouth advertising, which in turn increase the market share and also the sales, even lowers the market retention costs. Satisfied and loyal customers gives businesses a clear understanding about their needs and wants which helps the retailers to grow businesses and profits based on their deep knowledge and understanding of customers. Satisfied customers also create brand equity and even retailers will be insured with better protection during downturn- due to more loyal customers. Therefore today retailers are continuously focusing on keeping their customers happy and satisfied. Businesses which do not satisfy the customers run the risk of customer base eductions, smaller sales and also lose the market share for the retailers who serve better to the customers. Being customer centric cannot be treated simply as the strategy of an individual company because modern food system is complex, dynamic and international (Schaffer, 1998). It includes suppliers of farm inputs, agricultural producers, packaging suppliers, processors and manufacturers, commodity merchants, wholesalers, food retailers, restraints, institutions, and facilitating industries etc. (Schaffer, 1998). Therefore to be successful and competitive, all the players in the food system should be customer centric. Businesses in the food supply chain have realised this and every businesses are taking customer centric approach in the recent years. Today’s retail market in the developed world are becoming more customers centric and treating customers as Kings because retailers have realised that customer centric approach is directly linked to profitability of the firm and also can become a key source of competitive differentiation. By excelling at the strategic customer-centric approach can deliver a superior shopping experience that could not only result in consistently high customer satisfaction but also might encourage customers to shop more often and spend more with their favoured retailers. Therefore we can say that today businesses have realised that customers have the power to dictate their profits, market share and also the sales in the businesses, so treating customers as Kings has become vital for the retail businesses success today.

Obesity Has a Deep Impact in the Life of a Child Essay

Using the Center for Writing Excellence and MyFoundationsLab resources, provide the topic sentence and informal outline for your Personal Ethics Statement. †¢ Topic sentence: Obesity has a deep impact in the life of a child. †¢ Informal outline: 1. Explain how obesity affects the child’s physical health. 2. Explain how obesity affects the child’s mental health. 3. Give ideas of how parents can be involved in the change of habits in the obese child. 5. Summarize why obesity has a deep impact in the life of a child. Obesity has a deep impact in the life of a child, physically, and mentally as well. An obese child is at risk of having health problems, such as diabetes, heart disease, and strokes as an adult, if he or she is not treated in an early age. An overweight child can be a target for bullying at school, making his or her social life poor, creating anxiety, depression, and lowering their self esteem. The parents play an important role in the life of an obese child. does not matter if the child is obese because a genetic factor, or just because his or her does not have a proper eating habit, the condition it is treatable. Encourage the child to follow a healthy diet, being an example for him or her, and being supportive, are examples of how a parent can be involve in the life of an obese child. Taking obesity in a child seriously, and trying to find ways to improve this condition, are the first steps to a better future in an obese child’s life.

Debenhams International Expansion Strategy Essays

Debenhams International Expansion Strategy Essays Debenhams International Expansion Strategy Essay Debenhams International Expansion Strategy Essay DEBENHAMS INTERNATIONAL EXPANSION STRATEGY History Debenhams is a chain of department stores based in the United Kingdom. Debenhams Retail Plc is part of the Debenhams Group of Companies. The company started as a retail outlet in 1778 with a nice British gentleman, William Franks and a fancy boutique: expensive fashionable clothing, gloves and bow ties, only for high class London society and grew to acquire other stores in town and cities in the UK such as Pauldins in Manchester and Browns of Chester. Most stores retained their former identities until a unified corporate image was rolled out across the stores. Debenhams was listed on the London Stock Exchange in 1928 and continued to expand. In 1985 the company was acquired by the Burton Group. At this point the company owned 65 stores. Debenhams demerged in 1998 and was once again listed as a separate company. Nowadays Debenhams is a business listed on the stock market, with about 200 stores in UK and worldwide and an annual turnover of 2,3 billion GBP, especially after the quick expansion through the 90’s. Debenhams stores are departmentalized as follows: Health and Beauty; Women’s wear; Menswear; Fashion Accessories; Young Fashion; Home; Children’s wear; Media Entertainment (ME depts. n all stores closing early 2004); Food Services; Customer Accounts. Debenhams stores vary greatly in size from country to country and from city to city; smaller stores do not have a full range of departments. A major source of business is concessions. These are shop-in-shops which can be found in most Debenhams stores such as Young Fa shion companies Oasis and Ladieswear outlet Evans. The companys innovation has proved successful by introducing branding into its mens and ladieswear lines. The Designers at Debenhams include Jasper Conran , John Richmond and John Rocha. In 2002 the Nectar loyalty card was introduced with Debenhams as a major sponsor. This card now allows customers to collect loyalty points from a range of retailers such as Sainsburys, BP, Barclaycard, Vodafone and Ford amongst others. Despite some criticism, the Debenhams Account Card is still a major source of revenue for the company ensuring customer loyalty and targeted mailings. The company was taken over by a private consortium later in 2003 and their exact future is uncertain in terms of future development.

5 Great Career Paths You Can Take if Youre Working in Retail

5 Great Career Paths You Can Take if Youre Working in Retail Working in retail and wondering whether there’s any upward mobility? Just remember that actually selling items in store is only about 56% of the retail picture. The other 44% of retail employees are working behind the scenes in design, marketing, admin, and logistics. Chances are you have skills that could transfer to these non-sales positions and help you move up the corporate ladder- or to another industry entirely. Cross-training here is key. Find a way to build your expertise in the most in-demand skills in your field, i.e. project management, people management, leadership, customer service, operations, and, yes, sales.Take every opportunity you can to build your arsenal and develop these skills, and build your retail resume. Then you’ll be ready to consider making the jump to one of these 5 promising careers in retail.1. Field ManagementIf you can work your way up to Store Manager, there’s nothing to stop you advancing to Area or District Manger. From there, you could become a Regional or Field Manager and oversee some 50 stores. You’ll need strong leadership and coaching skills, and the ability to manage others effectively, but it can be quite rewarding and lucrative. Expect to make anywhere from $42k to well over $60k per year.2. Visual MerchandisingIf you really like store work, and are creative and very attentive to branding details, you might be a good fit as a visual merchandiser. Make the store look great and help draw attention to what’s special about your store’s brand. Determine the shopper’s experience, what they see, and where. You can work either in the field or in the corporate office, and you can expect to make between $40-50k per year.3. Buying/PlanningBuyers and planners make the decisions about what things (and how many of each) should go in stores. Buyers procure things from wholesalers and Planners are in charge of the logistics of getting products from point A to point B (the shelves). Y ou’ll have to have a good sense of the brand, plus a bit of knowledge about supply and demand cycles, but the range for each position is wide: between ~$45 and over $95k per year.4. Supply Chain ManagingYou’ll have to have a good financial head on your shoulders and be an extremely competent project manager, not to mention know a thing or two about procurement, contracts, and legal and ethical issues. But you could work your way from a driver or warehouse worker to dispatch and beyond. Cross-cultural comfort is an asset here, and the pay scale ranges from an average of $59k per year to over $84k.5. Security/Loss PreventionIt can be a good gig making sure no one runs off with the merchandise. Loss Prevention Managers, i.e. specialists in security and loss prevention, can be brought in to stores to work undercover and prevent theft- and can make an average of $45k (or as much as $64k) per year.The bottom line is this: Retail jobs aren’t just about ringing purchase s and completing returns. If you like the field, there are many upwardly mobile career opportunities just waiting for you to pursue them.

Evaluating human resource management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Evaluating human resource management - Essay Example A large number of firms and organizations are offering flexible working arrangements for their employees, as a strategy to retain them by satisfying them to an extent. These arrangements help the employee in maintaining balance life between career and family, this way it motivates the employees to give productive results by working in an efficient manner. Although the advantages derived from flexible working arrangement are considerable, still due to a large number of reasons it is not carried out in an efficient manner in the firms. In this paper, we address the benefits derived by firms by opting flexible working arrangements, the issues faced by them and the various methods by which the obstacles can be overcome. The data was derived upon after referring to surveys which were done in the past and also based on the results of the questionnaire which was filled in by the professional employees.The term ‘human resourcing’ is used to describe a set of principles through which the strategic possibilities of an organization’s workforce and employment structure is evaluated. The methodologies of human resourcing derive from two concerns ( Zeytinoglu,1999) :1. The auditing of current human resources in relation to possible future product/ service and labor market scenarios.2. The promotion and maintenance of optimal human resource performance through the management of work patterns and organization structures.... This approach rested on three sequential steps (Catalyst,1997): 1. An estimation of the organization's future manpower needs in terms of numbers andskill composition. 2. An analysis of labor flows into, within and out of the organization, and the ability ofrelevant labor markets to supply existing or future demands. 3. The identification of gaps between supply and demand and the development ofpolicies to 'close' these. LITERATURE REVIEW The need to consider strategic planning for human resources has been recognized in the HR literature over the last couple of decades and more recently by chief executives and senior HR specialists. Various external factors - such as move towards globalization, changing economic trends, changes in the demographic-make up of the labor force and the shortage of key skills, knowledge and experience - have contributed to the urgency with which the subject is now debated. Also there is a realization between organizations of the changing and more 'flexible' nature of the workforce and their need to combine diverse careers with their personal lives. In essence manpower planning has been associated with a more tactical approach of getting the right people, with the right skills, in the right place, at the right time. The definition of 'right' is not made in the literature, but should be taken to mean 'what is right for a particular organization'. Part of the difficulty with this rationale is its static nature, where people are seen as a cost to the organization (Walsh, 1999) instead of an investment. The focus of manpower planning is on management and control. It usually includes various