Negotiation is a broad and general term

Negotiation is a broad and general term that may be defined in several ways. Not most of us are aware that negotiation happens in almost every aspect of our lives. In fact, San Diego State University sponsored a seminar about negotiation and conducted a survey among the participants about the frequency or rate of recurrence of negotiation in general in their lives. Sixty four percent of the respondents answered ‘always’ (Stark, 2008). That must mean that in most aspects of our lives, we do negotiations.To fully understand, negotiation, it is significant to go over several definitions that may narrow down the long list of definitive terms used to define the word. Gerard I. Neirenberg wrote the book â€Å"The Art of Negotiating† and the president of Negotiations Institute, Inc. in New York. According to him, negotiation as the exchange of ideas in an attempt to alter the status of a relationship and deliberate to make an agreement. (Stark, 2008)The iron ore price ne gotiations are an example of a negotiation. An article released on the 2nd of March this year tackles this issue. It is soon to be settled with the heightened demand for pellets from the Companhia Vale do Rico Doce (Vale), therefore negotiations for the prices of the these items is well underway. The CEO of Vale, Mr. Roger Agnelli, stated that talks are being conducted with their consumers to guarantee fairness in their transactions. Apparently, Agnelli said that Vale wants to assure their clients that they will not be overcharged, and at the same time guarantee that their clients will not be paying a lesser amount either. (Steel Guru, 2008a)Another article released on the 3rd of March this year reveals a negotiation going on between Vale and Arcelor Mittal. The article is also about the price of iron ores. Vale is active in the mining and metal industry in Brazil. Arcelor Mittal, on the other hand, is involved in the steel business. Apparently, Arcelor Mittal is the major client of Vale. Both companies are negotiating to close a deal involving the price of iron ores that will be purchased from Vale. The negotiation is similar to Vale’s negotiations with other companies all over the world. (Steel Guru, 2008b)In this scenario, Vale is involved in major negotiations with several companies mostly involved in the steel business. Since the demands for pellets and iron ores have reached its summit, there is a need to negotiate the prices of these commodities. This is to ensure that the buying capacity of clients will be able to compensate the production of pellets and iron ores by Vale. The negotiations would then be a vehicle for companies and Vale to agree on a price that would be advantageous for all.The main point of the negotiation process is exemplified in a statement by Agnelli, the CEO of Vale, wherein he states that they want to make sure they will not be charging too much for their products and at the same time, their clients will not be paying redu ced amounts for the actual cost of pellets and iron ores (Steel Guru, 2008a) Perhaps this is a very good example of a well-mannered negotiation because both parties are making sure to agree at a certain point that would be mutually fair. Conceivably, this is the primary concept of negotiation.At this point, it would be significant to discuss the elements of negotiation. According to Roger Fisher, negotiation has seven elements namely alternatives, interests, options, legitimacy, commitment, communication, and relationship. Having alternatives means that the factions that are holding negotiations should have back-up plans that they can follow individually just in case they fail to arrive at a consensus. Interests are the desires or the requisites of each faction.These are the conditions that are reasons for a negotiation between factions. The options available in negotiation are the ways or modes in which two factions can compromise. There should be several options available in a neg otiation, and it is best that each of these options ensure that the results would lead to a fair and balanced position for both factions. Legitimacy is the evenhandedness of negotiations based on standards or rubrics that are advantageous to both factions.The commitment of both factions to adhere to their agreement should be talked about or materialized in a written agreement that would state how they are going to go about realizing what they have agreed on. Communication is a significant tool in negotiating because without it, both factions will not be able to understand and arrive at a consensus. During and after negotiations, the relationship between the factions should have improved to affect a harmonious and workable rapport. (Fisher, 2006)There are also negotiation strategies that ensure a fair and a balanced agreement favorable to both negotiating parties. To cite three of them, negotiation strategies include assigning people who would lead or represent a party in the negotia tion process, evaluating the weaknesses and strengths of both negotiating parties, and developing a negotiation plan where priorities are ranked as to importance. Assigning people to represent a party in negotiation proceedings is strategic in nature because the acquisition of the objectives of the party is dependent on their performance as a negotiating team.It is important to make sure that the negotiating team is a small group and that specific tasks in the negotiating process is assigned to them. It is also strategic to evaluate the strong and weak points of each party involved in the negotiation, such as the background, the existing knowledge, bargaining skills, and importance of the agreement, etc. of and to the other party. It is important for a negotiating party to create a plan wherein their priorities or interests are ranked in order of importance. The non-negotiable interests, issues that are open to compromise, etc. should be identified and laid out to the other negotiat ing party. (Federal Acquisition Insitute, 2003)All three strategies are appropriate for negotiators to use before and during the negotiation process. The inappropriateness lies in the negative response of negotiating parties to these strategies mainly because these strategies are laid out in order to affect success in negotiations. These strategies are the foundation of successful negotiations.In marketing and other business issues, most negotiation subjects are pricing and cost estimates. Pricing analysis is an act of evaluating the appropriateness of a given cost (U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, 2008). Pricing or estimating costs should involve marketing analysis and evaluation of other factors involved in pricing, such as the demands, pricing objectives, etc. Negotiating parties should conduct marketing analysis in order to identify the demands of the consumers.After this, the production of commodities, its distribution, and promotional strategies should be eval uated in order to arrive at the actual cost of producing the demands of the clients. All the expenses involved in the production of commodities for consumers and the standard for altering prices according to the rate of demand should be taken into account. These strategies will then be used to arrive at a price that should appropriate and fair for both negotiating parties. (Net MBA, 2007)Negotiations are significant in the realization of a goal or objective that cannot be attainable through individual efforts alone. Negotiation is there to provide for a means to attain the interests of an organization through the help of another organization. Negotiation strategies are available for each party to adhere to in order to accumulate success that is favorable for both parties. In marketing and business administration, pricing and cost estimation is very common in negotiation proceedings. Therefore, pricing strategies are also made available for business groups to follow in order to close deals with other negotiating process in a fair and balanced way that is desirable to all of them. Negotiating parties should be able to propel the negotiation on the way to their success.ResourcesFederal Acquisition Institute. (2003). Unit 42: Negotiation Strategies. Retrieved March 9,  2008,    from Federal Acquisition Institute. Website:http://www.fai.gov/pdfs/Unit42.pdfFisher, R. (2006). The 7 Elements of Negotiation. Retrieved March 9, 2008, fromNet MBA. (2007). Pricing Strategy. Retrieved March 9, 2008 from Internet Center forManagement and Business Administration, Inc. Website:http://www.netmba.com/marketing/pricing/Stark, P. B. (2008). What is Negotiation. Retrieved March 9, 2008 from SmartBiz.Website: http://www.smartbiz.com/article/articleview/618/1/5/Steel Guru. (2008b). Iron ore price negotiations – Vale and Arcelor Mittal. RetrievedU.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. (2008) Quick Guide to Cost andPrice Analysis for HUD Grantees and Funding Recip ients. Retrieved March 9,  2008 from Homes and Communities: U.S. Department of Housing and UrbanDevelopment. Website: https://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/program_offices/cpo/grantees/cstprice

Value Chain

Value Chain Analysis ******** Diagram ********* The above model demonstrates the principal element of Value Chain Analysis for an organization such as Easyjet. The integration of the above elements ultimately delivers great margin potential and thus the ideal high profitability status. I will provide a detailed analysis of this model to highlight the core capabilities of Easyjet: Infrastructure Main headquarters based in Luton. Provides excellent communication with motorways, railway lines and bus access Low overheads Paperless office No ticketing system with posted ticket Simple distribution channel management (through the Internet or call centers) Low airport costs (minimal time of aircraft on the ground), thus achieving economies of scale Financial resource investment initially supported by Haji-loannou HR Management Haji-loannou, high profile entrepreneur (shipping tycoon background), Hands-on-approach from Haji-loannou – looking for opportunities to diversify and expand, Innovative marketing terms for marketing communications to date. Technology Development Booking through the Internet (higher margins, with a more manageable, simplistic system) Strong reputation for being an airline where bookings are made via the phone or Internet. Procurement Easy purchase system in place for flight bookings Negotiated low cost airport fees Simple staff uniforms No tedious ticketing system in place Below you will find a commentary on how these key elements are also integrated into the Easyjet business and further, how the strengths can be used to develop and extend the Easyjet brand. Inbound Logistics Excellent communication system in place at airports and easy flight booking policy/payment methods convey an image of convenience – a key benefit to consumers Operations and Outbound Logistics Good marketing strategy – ‘we have the best’ approach Partnerships and promotional tie-ins with the mass media High profile PR strategy (for example: the PR stunt against Robert Ayling, Chief Executive of British Airways and its budget airline â€Å"GO† – gains cheap PR coverage) Fine targeting of attractive segments emerging e. . utilization of casual uniforms. However, safety is always a critical concern and is up to par with the standards of other airlines. Service Convenience and simplicity are of integral importance Affordable, frequent, reliable, safe slots are offered to an increasing number of new destinations No frills and/or complications are associated with the travel experience. Conclusion Clearly Easyjet has some at tractive core capabilities that have been established in the marketplace and are perceived as ultimately beneficial to the consumer. The Value Chain Analysis highlights those elements of the business that can be integrated or fine-tuned (through for example ‘just in time’ systems, quality standards and relationship marketing) in order to achieve the overall objectives of high margins, profitability and market share. Perceived superior services or products, market knowledge, industry contacts, legal advantages (patents, copyrights) perceived high value brands, low overheads, economies of scale and an offensive marketing approach are some of the key factors / elements for sustaining a competitive advantage and indeed promoting the Easyjet family of companies.

How College Admissions Officers Read Recommendation Letters

How College Admissions Officers Read Recommendation Letters SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Sometimes the best way to learn about preparingyour college application is to know how the process works on the other side. When admissions officers sit down to review hundreds, if not thousands of applications, what are they looking to learn about you? More specifically, what do they want to find out from your letters of recommendation? This guide will explore how readersconsider your recommendation letter for college admissions, along with how you can use that knowledge to your advantage. First, what are the requirements for letters of recommendation? What Are the Recommendation Letter Requirements? Almost all four year colleges seek the opinions of your counselor and one or two teachers. They want to gain feedback from people who have supervised and worked closely with you in your school setting. If you’re applying to a specific program or field of study, it’s a good idea to ask a teacher in that subject. Schools that require two recommendations often prefer to hear a range of perspectives and wantyou to ask one humanities teacher and one math or science teacher. MIT, for instance, specifies that they want â€Å"one math/science, one humanities.† Admissions officers usually prefer letters from junior year teachers, since those teachershad you in class recently and for a whole year. Why are these factors important? Because teachers who know you well can add depth to your application by giving insight into your academic and personal strengths. Let’s break down more specifically what admissions officers look for in letters of recommendation. What Do Admissions Officers Look for in RecommendationLetters? Admissions officers want to get to know you better. They’re not looking for hyperbolic or insincere-sounding praise, but rather for a holistic view of your personality, goals, and the challenges and successes you’ve experienced up until this point. When you apply to college, you’re aiming to present yourself in the best light. From your personal essay to how you write about extracurriculars on your college application, you’re plugging yourself as a desirable candidate worthy of admission. Recommendation letters go beyond your self-advocacy and show that your teachers and counselor endorse your candidacy, too. They both provide support and further reveal who you are as a student and person. From your recommendation letters, admissions officerscan learn about your academic interests and motivations, your personal qualities, and your contribution to your school community. These features, added together, present a vision of your future role and accomplishments at college. Let’s break down each of these areas in greater detail and dig deeply to find out why admissions care about your academics, personal qualities, and role in your school community. Quality #1: Your Academic Performance and Interests First and foremost, colleges are institutions of learning and scholarship. They want to accept students who have the academic readiness and skills to succeed in the classroom, to take on innovative projects, and to contribute thought-provoking ideas to the intellectual discourse. Colleges create tremendous value in society by educating and providing opportunities for students, who go on to solve social problems, proliferate new ideas, or invent new technologies. Through challenging courses and discussions, students develop fresh perspectives and grow as thinkers and scholars. Admissions officers want students who will succeed academically at school, spawn new ideas, and elevate the intellectual climatebeyond campus. Your recommenders, especially your teacher(s), can shed light on your interests and attitude toward learning. Their letters go beyond your grades and test scores and talk about what you’re curious about, even whenit’s not assigned in the classroom. Beyond your interests and achievements, they might touch on your effort, collaboration, time management, organization, and accountability. Again, if you’re applying to a specific program, you should obtain a recommendation from a teacher in that field. If you're planning to be pre-med, for example, have yourBiology teacher corroborate your commitment to studying medicineand conducting experiments. Below is some advice directly from college deans and admissions offices about what they want to hear from your recommenders about your academic profile. What Do Admissions Officers Say? Admissions officers are relatively tight-lipped about how they make their admissions decisions. However, some offer tidbits of insight, and the websites of admissions offices also give some helpful suggestions about what officers want to see. Below is some advice from Harvard, Yale, and MIT. While these schools top the list of competitiveness and selectivity, their advice could be applied to your application to just about any school. Harvard dean William Fitzsimmons says, "Recommendations can help us to see well beyond test scores and grades and other credentials and can illuminate...intellectual curiosity, creativity, and love of learning.† In a similar vein, the Yale admissions office states, â€Å"Not only do [recommenders] discuss your performance in their particular class or classes, but they may also write about your motivation, intellectual curiosity, energy...and impact on the classroom environment. It is important that you solicit recommendations from teachers who have taught you in academic subjects, who know you well, and who have seen you at your best.† MIT wants to know, â€Å"Has the student demonstrated a willingness to take intellectual risks and go beyond the normal classroom experience?† Selective and rigorous schools especially, like the ones above, want to find students who have a love of learning and a natural curiosity for deep understanding and exploration. These qualities bode well for your experience at college, and they predict impressive accomplishments and contributions to society in your future life. Schools don’t just want to know about academics, though. For one thing, focusing only on your academic interests doesn’t tell the whole story of who you are and what you’re like. Plus, there’s an excess of academically qualified students for a limited number of spots. In building a diverse, multi-faceted student body, admissions officers want to gain a magnified look into your character and personality. Quality #2: Your Personal Qualities and Strengths Admissions officers want to learn about your personal qualities and strengths from your recommenders. These personal qualities could include integrity, caring for others, thoughtfulness, humor, and passion. Two traits they especially value are demonstrated leadership and strength ofcharacter. Why do admissions officers care about these aspects? For one thing, they’re looking for students who will take advantage of the opportunities they provide at college. They want students who will edit the college newspaper, do research in the labs, or lead volunteer trips to Honduras. They want students who will inspire and be inspired, who will stand up for causes and make an impact among their peers and faculty. In building a student body, admissions officers are constructing a community. They want that community to be made up of students who will thrive, get along with one another, and forge positive, growth-fostering connections. Just as colleges are seeking to nurture the next generation’s thinkers and creators, they’re also seeking to find and prop up leaders and people with strong character who will add to humanity’s forward progress. Let’s take a look at what admissions offices have to say about what they’re looking for in this domain. What Do Admissions Officers Say? Back to you, Dean Fitzsimmons: â€Å"Recommendations are extremely important...and can illuminate such personal qualities as character and leadership.† Note that demonstrated leadership is a compelling characteristic that impresses admissions officers, as mentioned above. Having sustained involvement in a club or sport and advancing into a position of leadership throughout high school will be looked upon favorably. At the same time, admissions officers don’t expect all students to lead a club. You may enjoy individual pursuits, like art, writing, and photography. If this sounds like you, admissions officers will appreciate seeing a sustained commitment as you work towards a sense of expertise and self-expression. MIT's admissions office goes into even greater detail about how your recommender can write about your personal qualities, giving guiding questions that she could answer: â€Å"A well-written letter for an outstanding applicant can highlight impressive characteristics beyond his/her own self-advocacy. We are looking for people who have and will make an impact... Does the applicant have any unusual competence, talent or leadership abilities? What motivates this person? What excites him/her? How does the applicant interact with teachers? With peers? Describe his/her personality and social skills. What will you remember most about this person? Has the applicant ever experienced disappointment or failure? If so, how did he/she react? Are there any unusual family or community circumstances of which we should be aware?† As MIT suggests, it’s appropriate for you or your recommender to share family background or personal challenges if theyshed light on your personal journey and development. Is this all sounding personal? It is. Admissions officers are looking to gain a fuller sense of who you are from your recs. As MIT says, a strong letter can highlight your character traits beyond your own self-advocacy. A third factor that admissions officers seek is the role you play in your school community. While this may overlap with your academic and personal qualities, it also speaks to the actions you’ve taken outside of the classroom. They don’t just want to know about your strengths, motivations, and values. They’re also looking to see how those internal qualities manifest themselves as external action. Quality #3: Your Contributions to Your School Community Admissions officers are seeking to build a diverse class of students who will make the campus a lively, interactive, dynamic community full of artistic, social, andsupportive outlets. Students who are involved in high school are likely to get involved in college. They will seize opportunities and seek to contribute. In a sense, understanding your role shifts focus from your internal interests and strengths to your external actions. What do you choose to invest your energy in, and how do you choose to spend your time (when you aren’t busy finishing assignments or prepping for the SAT)? Letters from teachers and counselors can also give context to your accomplishments by describingthe culture of your school. All of this circles back to the college’s mission to create value in society by educating and supporting the next generation of thinkers, professionals, creators, and leaders. By gaining a clearer picture of who you are now, they begin to have a sense of what paths you might explore in the future. Let’s take a look at the perspectives of admissions officers on this aspect of your identity. What Do Admissions Officers Say? Harvard's Dean Fitzsimmons says thatrecommendation letters should "offer evidence of an applicant's potential to make a significant difference to a college community and beyond." Yale specifically emphasizes your counselor as the person who can speak best to your role in your school community, as well as provide important context to your achievements: â€Å"The counselor recommendation gives us a sense of your place in your high school class and in the larger school community. Your counselor can help us assess the degree of difficulty of your program, tell us what a particular leadership position means at your school, provide information on your background, and, in general, provide the sort of textured comments about you that can help your application come to life.† If your recommender has gone to the college you're applying to or has specific knowledge of the school or program, then she could customize the letter and write specifically about how she sees you fitting in there. MIT emphasizes this idea: "If you have knowledge of MIT, what leads you to believe MIT is a good match for this person? How might he/she fit into the MIT community and grow from the MIT experience?" Even if your recommender doesn't have personal knowledge of the school, she can point to your high school contributions as predictive of the role you'll play at college. Finally, your recommenders should talk about any special skills or talents you have. I mentioned that your letters should focus in on your interests and passions. This is especially true if you're applying to an art or design school, like Juilliard, where admissions officers need to know that you're devoted and ready to take on the challenge of focused, determined study and practice. Quality #4: Your Special Skill, Talent, or Commitment While all letters should speak to your special academic skills or personal strengths, this category is important to touch on for schools that require a great amount of dedication to a specific art form or craft. Juilliard, for example, requires one artistic recommendation: â€Å"A letter from a teacher, conductor, coach, or artistic mentor. Juilliard continues to renew its efforts to identify and educate leaders in the profession, students who can be outstanding performers and also effective advocates, collaborators, teachers, and community partners. In addition to addressing the applicant’s talent and accomplishment, the letter should also discuss the following individual characteristics which indicate potential for success in the field: 1. Perseverance; 2. Dedication; 3. Collegiality; and 4. Leadership.† While many other colleges are looking for a diversity of interests and students who will create value in society in myriad ways, schools like Juilliard are looking for talented, dedicated performers who will carry on as leaders in their profession. Thus recommendation letters can play a vital role in the application by attesting to the student's drive and talent. Now that you have a sense of what admissions officers are looking for in letters of rec, how can you use this knowledge to inform your college planning? How Can You Get Strong Letters of Recommendation? As you read above, schools want meaningful insight into your identity that goes beyond the information on your application. So who in your life can give them that? Counselors and teachers who know you well and with whom you've shared your thoughts, values, and goals for the future. Getting to know your teachers is a process that spans the entire school year. On top of this, you can also open yourself up and share what would go into your ideal recommendation letter. Let's consider these steps individually. Get toKnow Your Teachers and Counselors If you're reading this article as a sophomore or junior, then you're in luck! You can go into the year with a proactive mindset, making sure to participatein class and be open about your interests and goals with your teachers. If you're someone who has trouble participating a lot in class, it's still a good idea to push yourself, but you can also try to share your work and thoughts with your teachers on an individual level. At the end of the year, it's going to be hard to get a strong rec letter if you've barely said two words to your teachers. Ultimately, you want to ask people who know you well, are enthusiastic about advocating for you, and can give an enlightened and revealing perspective. Your recommendations should add depth to your application and further personalize your candidacy. As University of Virginia says, "Get to know your school counselor and teachers. Your school counselor and teachers have years of experience working with students preparing for college. They are a great resource to use as you navigate the college search and application process. They'll also be writing letters of recommendation for you and you want to make sure they have some interesting things to tell your colleges." In addition to considering which teachers know you well, you should try to find out who has a reputation for writing good letters.Rec letters take time and thought to craft. If a teacher uses the same form letter for all her students, word will usually get around so you know to steer clear. Teachers known for writing good letters may get swamped with requests, so ask early before spots fill up. When college app deadlines loom near, hopefully you have teachers and a counselor that have gotten to know you well. Regardless of how well they know you, you should help them out by sharing what you would like to go into your recommendation letter. Share YourThoughts Even though teachers may keep their final letters confidential, it's definitely not cheating to talk to them about should go into your letter. In fact, it shows smart planning and organization. Just as you put time and effort into the other parts of your application, you cando a lot to shape your recommendation letters. You should meet with your counselor and teachers and talk to themabout your plans, meaningful experiences you've had, and academic and personal qualities that you'd like for admissions committees to know about you. If you're applying for a specific program, tell your recommenders. Communicate your thoughts, and in this way you'll both remind your recommenders of interesting anecdotes to include and help them write a detailed letter. Most schools have their students fill out a "brag sheet," answering questions like, "What's a significant challenge you've overcome, and what did you learn from it?" and "What three adjectives best describe you and why?" Take your time with this, and engage in deep self-reflection so you can produce meaningful responses. While you should give your recommenders at least a month ahead of your deadline to write your letter (or ask at the junior year), your work - of reflecting and writing out your brag sheet - shouldstart even earlier than that. Be proactive about getting to know your teachers, and communicate your thoughts on the important elements - academic profile, personal strengths, and community presence - that admissions officers want to see in your letters. Remember that admissions committees want to build a diverse and dynamic class that will take advantage of the opportunities provided at college and achieve great things in the future. As you plan and prepare your application and talk to your recommenders, think carefully about how your rec letters can present you as a desirable candidate to join that class of successful students. What’sNext? Are you deciding between teachers, or feel like you don't have anyone to ask for your letter of recommendation? Read more about who you should ask to provide this important part of your application and how and when to make your request. Sometimes the best way to learn about recommendation letters is by reading examples of them. Check out these bad letters and what makes them so subpar. Then head over these 4 examples of great recommendations that would impress admissions officers. Want to improve your SAT score by 240 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

How the Myers Briggs Test Can Help You Find a Career

How the Myers Briggs Test Can Help You Find a Career You might know exactly which field you’d most like to work in, but not exactly which sort of position. To be really successful in your job searching, it is important to know your strengths, but also to know exactly how those strengths could best be employed- to the benefit of your potential company and yourself. Here’s how to use myers briggs test  to help you figure out exactly which direction to push yourself in for the best and most productive job search.What is the Myers-Briggs?The most widely popular test is the U.S. is the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. The test assesses different aspects of your personality through a series of multiple choice questions, with the aim of classifying you as introverted, extroverted, or some blend of both.What the letters tell youThe Myers-Briggs test gives you one letter for each of four categories. Each can tell you a lot about yourself, but here’s an outline for what these letters can tell you about your ideal career:Your w orld: Extroverted vs. Introverted (E or I). This can tell you a lot about the work environment or culture that would suit you best. Are you better at a desk in your own space and working at your own pace? Or in a big crush of people, chatting and constantly exchanging ideasYour process: Sensing vs. Intuitive (S or I). This tells you how you take in information, whether that is through your physical senses, or whether you prefer to take in information, interpret it, then figure things out by more emotional means.Your method: Thinking vs. Feeling (T or F). This tells you how you make decisions. If you’re a data-based hyper rational thinker, then you’re probably a T. And if you take all possible ends and different people’s needs and circumstances into account whenever you make decisions, then you’re more likely an F.Your mode: Judging vs. Perceiving (J or P). Whether you think quickly, make decisions quickly, etc. Or whether you like to take your time and ge t the full picture before making your move.How to use your scoreYou’ll get a four letter â€Å"score† with some combination from the above categories. Depending on your particular combination, you’ll be able to figure out which careers and positions will suit you best.For example:PragmatismIf you’re an ST, someone who likes to take in facts and make decisions based almost entirely on those facts, then you’ll want to focus on jobs that privilege that kind of logical thinking. ES could look for client-oriented positions in banking or insurance. IS could focus on behind the scenes administration or law enforcement. Same use of data, different work environment- with each requiring different kinds of interaction with clients and/or coworkers.CaretakingIf you’re an SF (or even a PF), you might be best suited to be able to use your people-based decision-making for a purpose. ES could work in nutrition or cosmetology, talking to people all day and h elping them to be their best. IS could do more one-on-one jobs like social work or veterinary work. Same people skills, fewer people to interact with.TheoryIf you’re both intuitive and data-oriented (NT), you’ll want to work with data where you take in the information, interpret it theoretically, then apply it. ES could make great managers, salespeople, or real estate agents. IS could do very well in software, engineering, and other technology jobs.EmpathyYou’re a people person. More oriented towards your intuition and your sense of what is going on than hard data or judgments (NF). ES will do great in health care or the service industries. IS could work in library science or design- working more with objects and spaces and ideas than directly with people, but using the same traits.Whatever you turn out to be, it’s always best to know thyself- thoroughly and honestly- in hopes of determining which careers would bring out the best in you.

How to Save Money in College 12 Expert Tips

How to Save Money in College 12 Expert Tips SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips You probably already know that college costs can be pretty intimidating. If you’re on a budget when it comes to paying for your degree (and most people are), knowing how to save money in collegecan make a big difference. Here, I’ll talk a little bit about what college expenses you should be prepared forso that you have a better idea of what to expect. Then, I’ll discuss strategies for saving money before you get there, in addition to strategies for saving as a college student. Let’s get started! How Much Does College Even Cost? Before we get into strategies for how to save money in college, let’s talk a bit about what an undergraduate degreeactually costsfor students in the US. First, some key terms: Cost of Attendance (CoA) -Total amount of money it costs for an average student to attend a particular school for one year. This figure includes everything you could think of: tuition, room, board, transportation, books, personal expenses, etc. You could also call this a school’s â€Å"sticker price† - it’s what a student would pay if she didn’t get one dollar of financial aid.Keep in mind this is an average figure - if a student lives especially far from the school and pays more in transportation cost, for example, his CoA might be higher. Net Price - Total amount of money a student actually pays to attend a particular school for one year. This is what you actually pay out of pocket, after accounting for grants and scholarships.Put simply, Net Price = Cost of Attendance - (Grants Scholarships). This figure matters way more than a school’s CoA because it’s what you actually have to budget for. The lower your Net Price, the better off you’ll be. When students first start research on college expenses, they tend to look at the CoA, or the sticker price. This isn’t necessarily a bad place to start, but a more sophisticated way of looking at prospective schools is to consider your likely Net Price instead of the schools’ CoA. This information will be important when we get into cost-saving strategies. Facts and Figures Now that we’ve gotten that background info out of the way, we can talk about what the current college cost landscape looks like. All the prices in this section are sticker prices, or what costs that make up a school's CoA (so, not the average student's Net Price - don't freak out yet). The biggest expenses you’ll need to consider are tuition fees and room board. Average Tuition Fees For the 2014-2015 academic year, average tuition fee costs were†¦ $31,231 at private colleges $9,139 for state residents at public colleges $22,958 for out-of-state residents at public colleges Average Room Board For the 2014-2015 academic year, average room board costs were†¦ $,188 at private 4-year colleges $9,804 at public 4-year colleges You’ll have to account for some other minor expenses as well - these costs will depend on more variable factors. For more detailed information about expenses, check out our complete guide to college costs. These expenses can be really overwhelming for one year, never mindfor four. The good news is that there are a lot of things you can do to increase your available income and decrease your expenses, both before and during college. 4 Ways to Save Before You Get to College As with most things, saving for college is easier if yougive yourself more time to get started. The earlier you start budgeting for college expenses, the better. More time means more opportunities to tackle and plan for large expenses in your future. There are two main ways you can deal with these big costs: You can work on increasing your income/available cash You can work on decreasing your expenses Both strategies effectively do the same thing. In order to be most effective, you should concentrate on both increasing income and decreasing expenses.Here are the best ways to do that before you matriculate: Increase Your Income #1: Apply for Scholarships There are so many private scholarship programs available, from small local awards to huge national and even international competitions. Scholarships can be based on any number of criteria: financial need, academic merit, sports performance, volunteer work, ethnic background, professional interests, and more. Half the work is finding scholarships that would be a good fit for you. It’s great to apply for those well-known national scholarships (like the McDonald’s, Gates Millennium, and Coca-Cola awards), but they tend to be very competitive, so it’s smart to have backups in place. Look for local or state scholarships (like the Florida Bright Futures scholarship), or for scholarships that match your unique interests and background. Start by checking out our guides to scholarships for high school juniors and seniors. Do your own research by googling any important descriptors - like your location, interests, or sport of choice - + â€Å"scholarship.† #2: Get a High School Job This might be the most obvious way to increase your income before you leave for college. The tough part is figuring out whether a job is right for you - you don’t want to sacrifice your grades or extracurriculars, especially because high school jobs aren’t likely to pay very much. Learn more about figuring out whether getting a job learn more about whether a job might be a good fit for you (link out - should you get a job) If you work full-time during the summers, you can get both professional experience AND a more substantial paycheck to save up for college e.g. If you work full time at $9/hr for eight weeks, that comes to $2880 (before tax). That could cover your personal and textbook expenses for a whole year if you budget carefully Decrease Your Expenses #3: Apply to the Right Schools Different schools will be able to offer you different sized financial aid packages. If you’re strategic about where you apply to school, you’ll do yourself a favor by reducing your costs right off the bat. If you’re applying to public schools, you should focus on those located in your home state. Public school tuitions are often much higher for out-of-state residents. (There may be exceptions to this rule if you think you'd qualify for high amounts of merit aid). Know what schools offer the best aid, whether it’s need-based or merit-based. Even though a school’s sticker price might be high - private schools often have higher CoAs - you might end up with a better Net Price if the school has generous financial aid policies. The most important thing to remember is that CoA isn't very helpful when it comes to choosing cost-effective schools. What you should care about is your estimated Net Price at a particular school. Spend some time doing Net Price calculations (it’s easy - get more info in our article on college costs) to figure out which schools may offer you the best out-of-pocket price. #4: Focus on Your Grades and Test Scores One of the best ways to get a good Net Price is to get into a school that offers generous financial aid, as I mentioned above. So what types of schools give students the best Net Prices? Well, schools that offer generous financial aid are often well-ranked private schools (they tend to offer a lot of need-based aid), or private schools that are trying to attract more competitive students (they tend to offer a lot of merit-based aid). In-state public schools also tend to be affordable for state residents. If your grades and ACT/SAT scores wererelatively high for a particular school, chances are good that you would: Get accepted to the school Be offered need-based financial aid (if any was available) Qualify for merit-based aid (if any was available) You may also qualify for merit scholarships if you were recruitedfor a particular sport. You can see how you stack up to other applicants and calculate your chances for admission for almost any school. All you have to do is Google "PrepScholar [school name] admissions" for more information. 7 Ways to Save Money inCollege I do not recommend saving money by using a belt instead of a backpack. Once you get to college, you’ll have a lot on your plate - classes, friends, extracurricular activities, and more. Managing your finances and saving money should become a part of your daily routine if you want to be successful in the long run. These next strategies will help you manage your income and spending on a daily basis once you’re a student. While you’re reading, think of other ways you can increase your income and decrease your expenses. Increase Your Income #1: Keep Applying for Scholarships As you hone your academic and professional interests, you may be able to find scholarships or grants that are a good fit for yourgoals. You don’t have to be a high school student in order to qualify for many scholarships (the Tylenol scholarship is a good example of this). Check with your academic department and/or career center for more information about possible scholarship awards. Also, Google is your friend!Use both general and specific search terms to catch as many award options as possible (e.g. "healthcare scholarships" versus "dental school scholarships for women"). #2: Get a Job On Campus Campus jobs are great options for college students, especially for those who have work study awards. They’re often conveniently located, pay better than jobs available to high school students, offer better personal and professional connections, and align better with future career goals. If you work 15 hours/week at $10/hr for two 20-week semesters, you’d make $6,000 per year. You could obviously make way more than that if you work during summers or long breaks. For more information, check out or guide to on-campus jobs (coming soon). Decrease Your Expenses #3: Make (and Stick to) a Budget This approach might take some trial and error, but it's totally worth it in the end. Start by thinking - realistically - about how much money you spend each month in different categories (e.g. food, transportation, clothing, personal grooming, entertainment, etc.).Add all of these expenses to come up with a total amount. If this total amount is more than your expected monthly income, start cutting non-necessities from your budget. Read more about crafting a budget on a strict income. Ultimately, budgets only work if you adhere to them. You can manually tally the amount of money you spend each month, but that can get pretty tedious. Free money management tools like Mint can help streamline the process and help you be more successful in saving money. #4: Be Smart About Your Textbook Purchases The average student spends about $1,200 a year on textbooks- yikes. The good news isthere are a lot of things you can do to try to keep your textbook costs well below this average: Shop around - don’t just buy what’s available at your campus bookstore. Check prices on Amazon to see if it’s cheaper to order online. Buy your textbooks used, either from campus bookstores, online, or from a friend or classmate. Take advantage of textbook rentals if they’re offered at your school. Sell books back to the bookstore (or online via Amazon) if you won't be using them again. Alternatively, you can sell to classmates who need to take the class after you're done. Don’t buy books at all! See if they’re offered at the library, and if so, if it’ll be hard to get your hands on them(this can be the case if all your classmates have the same idea). If there’s too much competition for books at the library, it’s better to just buy or rent. #5: Look at Your Rooming Options Living on-campus can sometimes be more expensive than living off-campus, especially in areas where the average cost of living is pretty low. If it’s an option, consider looking at alternative housing options where you can split rent with a bunch of other students. Don’t forget to take other possible expense increases - like paying more for food and transportation- into account when calculating off-campus saving options. #6: Take Advantage of the Summer There are a lot of ways to use the summer months to your financial advantage. If you’re living off campus and are committed to paying rent through the summer (i.e. if you’ve signed a lease), you’ll want to make sure you take advantage of that housing: If you'll be staying somewhere else for the summer, try to find someone to sublet. Students taking summer courses often need short-term housing options. Alternatively, stay in your housing for the summer to take summer classes yourself. By earning extra credits, you can possibly graduate earlier. If you live on campus and have to figure out housing plans for the summer, look into programs that might give you subsidized or free room and board. Summer RA jobs might be a good place to start. #7: Seek Out Student Discounts On and around college campuses, restaurants and retail stores often offer small student discounts to college kids who have their IDs handy. A 10% discount is pretty standard - helpful, but not necessarily huge. You can also check out this list of national retailers and restaurants that offer special deals to college students. This tiponly works if you’re sticking to a budget, as outlined above. Discounts can sometimes entice people to spend money they wouldn't usually spend, so only seek out deals you would purchase anyways. Student discounts are great .. as long as you don't turn into this lady and buy everything you see on sale. Final Points Thinking about saving money over the course of four years is overwhelming, to say the least. Although it'll help to have the above strategies for how to save money in college - especially as you make big financial decisions - it's OKto take things one day at a time. To be honest, the big financial decisions are going to be the ones that affect your finances the most. If you make prudent decisions when it comes tochoosing your school, housing option, and food plans, it'll be much easier to budget for those day-to-day expenses. Finally, just because you're a college student on a limited budget doesn't mean you can't spend money on anything fun. As long as you don't go overboard (and you stick to a budget, asI mentioned earlier), it's OKto indulge in small treatslike a movie, a new sweater, or a night out with friends. Don't forget to budget for college experiences like these! What's Next? Making smart financial decisions before and during college is important when it comes to your financial future. If you want to be even more prepared to tackle your education expenses, check out our complete guide to paying for college - it'll cover some bigger points about how to budget for the next four years. If you anticipate that covering all your expenses will be an issue, you should read our post on how to get student loans. But don't take out any more loans than you have to - see if you can get scholarship awards to help with those costs! Start with our lists of the top scholarships for high school juniors and seniors. 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:

The Gulf War from the American perspective Essay

The Gulf War from the American perspective - Essay Example In any case, once thing is clear; the publicly stated reasons of Iraq war were not digestible to many people. This paper analyses Gulf War from American perspectives. George Bush thought that Gulf War may help him to win the presidential election once again. He thought that this war might help him and his party (Republicans) to increase the popularity and hence he may get an easy walkover in the coming presidential election. However, Bill Clinton proved that such beliefs were wrong. â€Å"Clinton successfully made the economy the issue in the next election and managed to win it†1. â€Å"For years Saddam received US support while committing atrocities. His was not the only government committing atrocities. His atrocities were never publicly discussed until he invaded Kuwait†2. The invasion of Kuwait brought Saddam Hussein into the public lime light. It was difficult for America to justify Saddam further. It should be noted that democracy is prevailing in America and Amer ica believes themselves as the saviour of human rights. Under such circumstances, it was impossible for America to stay blind while Iraq was questioning the sovereignty of an independent country. Moreover, many Americans thought that Saddam is trying to become another Hitler. Increased influence of Saddam in the Middle East was not good for the American interests. â€Å"Saddam was repeatedly compared to Hitler. Then he was publicly defied and demeaned. The president said he has "had it" with "Sad'm" Hussein. Under U. S. leadership, the world was mobilized against him†3. America suspected the possibility of another world war unless they prevent Saddam from conquering neighbouring countries. It should be noted that the military power of other gulf countries were negligible in front of Iraq’s military power at that time. In short, many people believe that America attacked Iraq to save the world from the possibility of another world war. Another argument claims that Americ a attacked Iraq to control the oil resources. However, this argument seems to be far from reality since America’s oil imports from Iraq account only 5% of the total energy needs in America. There are plenty of other countries in this world which rely heavily on Iraqi oil resources for their energy needs. â€Å"So oil is not the whole answer. Other possible aspects of the answer include "a new world order," collective security, interdependence, prevention of regional hegemony, and reversal of American decline†4. Even though Iraqi oil does not cause much direct problems to America, it has the potential to cause indirect economic problems in America. If Saddam Hussein had raised oil prices to $27 a barrel, the increase in our import bill would have been about $20 billion a year, or less than one half of one percent of GNP. The greater harm comes when sudden rises depress the economy, but this effect is harder to estimate. Some economists believe that a temporary oil price of $40 a barrel, for example, helped to trigger the recession, which represented a loss of several percent of GNP5. â€Å"U.S. policy toward the Middle East is characterized by an intention to ultimately control the oil there, and keep other powers--not just the Soviet Union, but also Britain and France--away, if not dependent on the United States6. It is a fact that oil resources in America are rapidly exhausting even though the demand for oil increases. The oil needs or the energy

Proposal Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Proposal - Dissertation Example From this we derive that dating is basically an activity of knowing each other over a longer period of time to see if a romantic relationship that is built within themselves should extend further or not. Online Dating An  internet dating service, commonly  known as  online dating, is a  dating system that gives the platform to people seeking for a romantic relationship. The individuals are able to meet their date online and can start a new romantic or sexual relationship through this online service. The online dating service provides its services through the help of  personal computers, the  Internet, and phones. It allows people to give their personal information, and requirements so that they can search for the individuals accordingly. The criteria they are asked to share include gender, age bracket, location and much more. There is also an option to upload one’s own photos on the website so that the other members of the website can view the photo. There are othe r services offered by the sites including  online chat, message boards, webcasts etc. There are various sites that do not charge for its registration whereas some require a monthly subscription fee. Usually the concept of online dating fills the distance gaps and that is the reason most of the members belong to a variety of backgrounds seeking a different types of relationships. But there always some sites that are more specific about the type of members, their interest, location, background or relationship. Aim of Research Project The topic of the research is well introduced. The following are the aim of this research paper: To analyze the concept and trend of online dating. To discuss the advantages and disadvantages of online dating. To see its effects and results, by closely monitoring and surveying the direct consumers. To have the insight of people involved in this business. To evaluate it from both a consumer and a business point of view to judge the practicability and feas ibility of this particular e-business. Background of Online Dating The online dating and its trend originated from a basic part of North American culture as the internet itself. Gradually the process and practice caught the eye of millions of people globally and hence the trend was spread. For Emily Livingston from  Match.com, one of the largest matchmaking website, the 1998 film, â€Å"You’ve got Mail†, became the inspiration and one step towards the global acceptance, as the film was a story of online romance. Talking about the native place of online dating today in North America, the membership of internet-based dating organizations are over 50 million. Refining itself over time and meeting the requirement, the service of online dating became more inclusive and sophisticated as it was a platform to initiate the relationships. Lately, the most practiced or the famous ritual was to approach someone you like through friends, bar encounters, blind dates, singles clubs , etc. Today, these practices are considered as outdated styles of the â€Å"bad old days† by many of us. In  2002, a  Wired  Magazine  article forecasted that, â€Å"Twenty years from now, the idea that someone looking for love without looking for it online will be silly, similar to skipping the card catalog to instead wander the stacks because the right books are found only by