Value chain Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Value chain - Essay Example This paper discusses the core competencies of Google and how they provided the company with a competitive advantage in a market that was undefined, undifferentiated and had enormous number of potential competitors. Core Competencies are those capabilities or products of the organization that form the central base of its operations, or on which the organization can add on or build further its products or services (Campbell and Luchs, ). It is that set of capabilities that are central to the organization and that form the inner platform on which it can build the business further. In the case of Google, its core competency is the ‘Internet Search’ ability. ‘Internet Search’ is not only the basic format for Google on which the multi-billion dollar organization initially started, but, it also forms a core part of its additional business operations like Google AdWords, Google AdSense, Google Applications and other innovative business models that Google has developed overtime. The Internet search capacity is based on accuracy, credibility and speed at which Google is able to deliver its search results – and its ability to do so better than its competitors makes it the favourite search engine among the customers and determines the business revenues that it can generate on add business like AdWords, AdSense etc. Distinct Competencies is a related concept to core competency, and it again means a set of distinct capabilities that make the organization differentiated and better at doing things than its competitors. In the case of Google, its distinct competencies that underpin its Search Engine operations are its technology, its highly trained and creative workforce, and its innovative and creative approach to making Internet search quicker and accurate and its commitment to balancing ethics and personal freedom in its online operations. A firm is said to have a competitive if it is able to

Character Sketch - Cephalus from Plato S Republic Essay Example for Free

Character Sketch Cephalus from Plato S Republic Essay Choose one of the three main characters from Book One of Platos Republic (Cephalus, Polemarchus or Thrasymachus). Write a character sketch that shows how the personality, social status, life situation and position affect the views the character holds about life and about the virtue of justice. Include the definition of justice for the character you are describing. In book one, we are introduced to four main characters: Socrates, Cephalus, Polemarchus, and Thrasymachus. Republic takes place in the home of Cephalus and Polemarchus, in the Piraeus. Cephalus is a elderly and financially secure merchant and businessman. He lives his life in moderation, he doesn’t over-reach and try to become too wealthy, and was also not a fan of excessive spending. He certainly wouldn’t approve of the credit card debts that many Americans have. But thanks to his financial security, Cephalus has a comfortable life in old age. By living his life in moderation, the transition to an elderly lifestyle has not been shocking or depressing. Cephalus will admit that these are not his Golden Years, per say – it’s certainly not the greatest period in his life, but thanks to that moderation, he finds the old age to not be as much of a burden as his friends do. His friends are depressed and woeful of their age. They miss the lifestyle that they had in their youth. Because of their age, they can no longer partake in the things they thought made them happy – sex, drugs, rock and roll, essentially. Cephalus has a simple idea of justice. Though he never goes to describe it himself, we can pull some context from his discussion with Socrates to fill in the details. Cephalus is an honest man, and as we said, he lives his life in moderation in all aspects. He doesn’t strive for unlimited wealth, but still values that wealth he has, and likely behaves ethically and morally for that reason. Cephalus keeps his desires at bay – he works hard, and he enjoys himself, but always manages to hold onto most of his money. The problem is, it seems to Socrates to be easier to live a ‘just’ and moderate life, because of the wealth that Cephalus possesses. Because Cephalus values wealth, he seems to put a heavy emphasis on the repayment of debts (and avoidance of debt in the first place as well) in his ideal of justice. He feels that if he can go to his next life not owing anyone a penny, it will lift a burden on his soul, in a metaphysical sense. A peace of mind comes with not lying or engaging in deception – which is easier to maintain when wealthy and not faced with problems (like, for example, feeding and clothing your family – some people will do anything when they are seemingly backed into a corner). Thanks to wealth, Cephalus is (at least in his own point of view) able to live a life without lies, without deception, and without debts.

Father Solanus Casey :: essays research papers

Father Solanus Casey played an important role in many people's lives, just like Jesus. He believed that living a good life meant living a life of service, love, prayer, sacrifice, and worship. He also believed that self sacrifice was imperative to a good relationship with God. His dedication to God leads to the assumption of many similarities between him and Jesus. Father Solanus believed in a life of heavy worship. From the time he was a little boy to the time he died he prayed more than once daily. He held the belief that he would be sustained throughout his life by rosary devotion to Mary. Sometimes, during his life at the monastery, Fr. Solanus would fall asleep on the chapel floor while praying. Fr. Solanus believed praying helped him realize God's wonderful gifts and everlasting plans for us. Father Solanus did his best to help build the reign of God. He preached to Catholics and non-Catholics alike about God and Jesus. He invited all people to join the reign of God by loving God and loving their neighbors. Fr. Solanus worked hard to preach the good news of the gospel to everyone. He also worked hard trying to feed the poor and heal the sick, just as Jesus did. Fr. Solanus's whole life was devoted to helping the reign of God, just like Jesus' was. Father Solanus reflected the paschal mystery in many ways. His death, like Jesus' death on the cross, was slow and painful. He also prayed in his last moments. His death was a very sorrowful event to his followers, just as Jesus' was. After Fr. Solanus was dead, he continued to help and heal people, just as Jesus did. When Jesus washed his disciples' feet he was showing his love a devotion to them, even though he knew that they would betray him in his most desperate hour of need. Father Solanus tried to show this same love and compassion to all the people whose lives he touched. When Father Solanus helped people and healed people he knew some of them were sinners. When he helped people he knew some of them were not catholic. When he advised people he knew that they had previously made bad decisions. But none of these things mattered to Father Solanus, because he loved all of God's children, just as Jesus did. Father Solanus left many models of how to live life correctly behind when he died, just as Jesus did.

Abraham Lincoln Essay 2

Michael Hutsell Professor Hershenberg American Government I – 2301 Abraham Lincoln Throughout the long history of the United States there have been many hardworking, dedicated politicians that made our country strong and resilient. During the time of the greatest peril to our country one stood out more than any other. This man was Abraham Lincoln, one of the most resilient and pivotal leaders we have known. Abraham Lincoln came from humble origins in the backwoods of Kentucky. He was born on February 12, 1809 in a one room log cabin on Sinking Spring Farm, in southeast Hardin county Kentucky. His father (Thomas Lincoln) was a poverty stricken frontiersman after losing his farm, which along with his wife (Nancy Hanks Lincoln) and other children had to work hard everyday for the necessities of life. Lincoln was no stranger to hard work; he split logs plowed his families land and used his carpentry skills around the farm. He did prefer reading and learning to the hard work which caused a strained relationship between he and his father. He only received 18 months of formal education and was largely self educated. In 1816 Lincoln’s father lost his farm and was forced to move to Perry County, Indiana. This area of the country near the Ohio River was very remote and rugged. Their first winter at the new homestead was very harsh but they were able to survive. Unfortunately that summer Lincoln’s mother died from a deadly disease known as â€Å"milk sickness† and left his father with the children to raise alone(Lincoln research project). After the death of his mother the family fell apart and the most of the day to day work was left to Lincoln and his sister. In the winter of 1819 Lincoln’s father went back to Kentucky and found a new wife Sarah Bush Johnson who was a widow with three children (notable biographies. om). His new mother was a very positive light placed in his life. She was very affectionate and treated both sets of children the same as if she borne them all. She was especially fond of Abraham and he referred to her as his â€Å"Angel Mother† (biography. com). In 1830, after further financial misfortune, Lincoln’s father moved his famil y to Coles County Illinois, but Lincoln did not go with them deciding to head out on his own to New Salem. (Notablebiographies. com). At New Salem Lincoln was placed in charge of a mill and a store where he became very popular through his unique story telling. Shortly thereafter the New Salem debating society asked him to join where he became a very passionate and persuasive speaker (notable biographies. com). At this time the â€Å"black hawk war† which was a Native American uprising occurred. Lincoln decided to volunteer in New Salem and was elected Captain of his company. He saw little action during the short war and afterwards he stated that â€Å"he had seen no live, fighting Indians during the war but had a good many bloody struggles with the mosquitoes† (biography. com). During this time Lincoln’s store eventually folded leaving him deeply in debt. He then worked as a rail splitter, land surveyor, and a postmaster all of which fell through increasing his dept even more. He did eventually pay them off thus earning the nickname â€Å"Honest Abe†. After Lincoln’s service in Black Hawk war ended, he decided to run as a candidate for the Illinois legislature. Despite his speaking talents he was not elected but did receive 277 of 300 votes cast in his home precinct in New Salem (notablebiographies. com). Lincoln was not deterred from his goal of becoming a member of the Illinois legislature, and in 1834 was elected. At this time John Todd Stuart, the leader of the Whig party, noticed Lincoln’s skill during his campaign. Stuart became Lincoln’s mentor in the state legislature taking him under his wing and pushed him to begin his law studies. Lincoln started practicing law in 1836 and served 4 terms in the state legislature where he became a Whig leader. In 1837 Lincoln moved to Illinois new capital Springfield. There he joined John Stuart’s law firm as a partner and continued his political career (notablebiographies. com) During this time he became the most successful lawyer in the state of Illinois earning 1,200 to 1,500 annually (biography. om) This compared to 1,200 for the governor and 750 for circuit judges (biography. com). His practice was based in Springfield but he would also make the rounds with the circuit court, where at first would earn only small fees for petty cases. After the railroads arrived Lincoln successfully defended the Illinois Central Railroad in many notable lawsuits where he earned sizeable legal fees (biography. com). During his tenure in the state legislature he espoused his opposition to slavery but would not go so far as to call himself and abolitionist. During the mid 1830s Lincoln met and courted Ann Rutledge but this ended in tragedy with her untimely death in 1835. In 1836 Lincoln pursued halfhearted Mary Owens and proposed, but she turned down his proposal. Later he met and courted Mary Todd who belonged to a very distinguished Kentucky family and was part of Springfield’s social aristocracy. Many of her family members and friends disliked their relationship which created a strain during the courtship. In 1840 they became engaged but the tension created between he and her social standing created much doubt in his mind concerning the marriage. On January 1, 1841 the engagement was ended and Lincoln fell into a deep depression. Later they worked out the issues related to their engagement and married on November 4, 1842. Lincoln and his wife had four children with only the eldest Thomas Lincoln living to adulthood. In 1846 Lincoln was elected to the U. S. Congress serving a single term in the Whig party. He proposed a bill for the emancipation of slaves in the District of Columbia (gradual and compensated), but due to the lack of support both the free white citizens of the district and the abolitionists it failed (biography. om). He also was outspoken in his criticism of the Mexican War, leading many inquiries challenging the current president James K. Polk real reasons for the war (biography. com). Due to his criticisms he lost his base of support in his own congressional district and was not reelected to the U. S. Congress. After he failed in his second congressional bid he was very frustrated with politics and took a five year hiatus until a new regional issue emerged in 1854. Lincoln’s political rival from Illinois, Stephen A. Douglas created a bill for opening all the land of the Louisiana Purchase to slavery. This act (Kansas and Nebraska Act) allowed the settlers in Kansas and Nebraska to decide if slavery should be permitted in their region. This created strenuous opposition in Illinois and eventually led to the disintegration of Lincoln’s Whig party and gave rise to the Republican Party. When Lincoln heard the Republicans where trying to attract Stephen Douglas he opposed it and decided to join the Republican party and challenge Douglas’s leadership within the state of Illinois Republican party (biography. om). Lincoln ran against Douglas for the Senate in 1858 and a famous series of debates between the two ensued throughout Illinois. During the debates Lincoln’s views on slavery emerged insisting Congress must exclude slavery from its territories. Lincoln stated in one of the debates that â€Å"A house divided against it cannot stand. I believe the government cannot endure perma nently half slave and half free†. On the other hand he did not espouse equality for the races nor did he endorse citizenship for African Americans. He stated to a crowd in Charleston Illinois that â€Å"I am not nor ever have been in favor of making voters or jurors neither of blacks, nor of qualifying them to hold office†¦. † (biography. com) His inconsistencies regarding slavery led to his eventual defeat by Douglas. Through these debates Lincoln gained national recognition by the debates being published and he began to be considered as a presidential candidate. On May 18, 1860, Lincoln received the presidential nomination at the Republican National Convention in Chicago. Lincoln’s full attention was then turned toward creating unity in the Republican Party. The Democrats on the other hand were much divided and Lincoln won the presidential election on November 6, 1860 by a decisive majority in the Electoral College. This created a serious crisis within the country due to South Carolina’s withdrawal from the Union. Several compromises were considered to halt the secession movement but all were unsuccessful in the end due to Lincoln’s opposition to any compromise regarding the free-soil position of the Republican Party (biography. com). After the failure to broker a compromise between the slavery and free soil states six more states seceded and created the Confederate States of America. Shortly after the secession, the issue of holding Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor was the first test of Lincoln’s presidency. South Carolina claimed the fort for the Confederacy and threatened to take it by force if needed. Lincoln neither wanted to provoke war or show any signs of weakness towards the Confederacy. He decided to re-supply the besieged fort but before he could do this the Confederates attacked thus starting the Civil War. After this attack Lincoln decided the Confederacy needed to be actively fought through a war not through a blockade (biography. com). This influenced his decision to send union troops to advance on Virginia at Bull Run resulting in a rout for the Union forces on July 21, 1861. After this setback at Bull Run, Lincoln created his military policy. He felt there should be several fronts which Union troops would use their superior manpower to advance simultaneously. He also used the superior union navy to create a naval blockade of all southern ports to strangle the Confederacy. At first for nearly two years the Union armies lacked effective command through indecisive generals and lacking unity of command. They consistently could not grasp Lincoln’s concept of total multi-pronged attacks. Lincoln, finally through the promotion of Ulysses S. Grant to overall command of Union forces, was able to put into effect his concept of a large, coordinated offensive to topple the Confederacy. This multi-front strategy was a success and on April 14, 1865 General Robert E. Lee surrendered to Grant. Only a few hours after Lee Surrendered to Grant Lincoln attended the play Our American Cousin at Ford’s Theatre. During the play John Wilkes Booth entered the state box where Lincoln was watching the play. At 10:15 P. M. , he shot Lincoln in the back of the head mortally wounding him. Lincoln was carried to the Petersen House across the street where at 7:22 A. M. April 15, 1865 he passed away (biography. com). He was not able to see the end to hostilities of the Civil War which he worked tirelessly to preserve the Union and plant the seeds that led to the end of slavery in the United States. I chose Abraham Lincoln because he was able to preserve our nation through his expert leadership, moral character and through the use of his superior speaking abilities. He exemplified this through several key speeches just prior and during the Civil War. His effective vision energized people, created meaning for followers, established a standard of excellence and bridged the gap between the present and the future (Johnson p. 85). The first speech occurred during his first inaugural address to the nation. In his inaugural address, Lincoln was faced with the difficult problem of building credibility with a relatively hostile audience. The Southern states were beginning to secede from the Union, only two federal forts were left standing in the South (these were under siege) and he had to be under armed guard because of death threats (Braden p. 68). To counter this explosive atmosphere Lincoln remained very calm and up to the actual address remained silent because he didn’t want to make any comments that might unnecessarily make the South explode in anger. On March 4, 1861, Lincoln began his address. His strategy for the address was to increase his credibility by appearing thoughtful, law-abiding, and by keeping strictly to his prepared manuscript. Lincoln directed his address mainly to the Southerners and to the border states that could either join the Union or the Confederacy. He first wanted to make it clear to the South that he did not want to interfere with the institution of slavery or the Fugitive Slave Act (Braden p. 74). Lincoln also wanted to make it clear that the Union of states cannot be separated into a separate North and South. Another goal Lincoln proposed was peaceful reconciliation. He would leave the Southern people alone if they would elect loyalists to office and uphold the constitution of the United States. In return he would not use force to enact this process. In his inaugural address Lincoln was successful at projecting and building his credibility as president. He exhibited trustworthiness by talking in a clear and simple way and by being very honest regarding his goals and views. The speeches outcome enabled his followers to share in his views and fight to preserve the Union. He also tried to alleviate the fears of the Southerners and Border States by diminishing his abolitionist persona and lessening the probability of an invasion of the South. Lincoln’s dynamic and unifying speaking skill was demonstrated with his Gettysburg address. The Gettysburg address was given by Lincoln after the terrible battle had taken place and the area was to be consecrated as a national cemetery on November 19, 1863. During this speech Lincoln wanted to commemorate the men who died in the battle by giving a short but eloquent speech. He also had a larger purpose, he wanted to make a statement that would make the citizens from both the North and the South start to think about peace. He also wanted to rekindle the Union’s patriotic resolve to win the war and preserve the Union. The Gettysburg address as presented by Lincoln: â€Å"Fourscore and seven years ago, our fathers brought forth upon this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. Now we are engaged in a great Civil War, testing whether that nation-or any nation, so conceived and so dedicated – can long endure. We are now on a great battlefield of that war. We are met to dedicate a portion of it as the final resting-place of those who have given their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this, but, in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it far above our power to add or detract. The world will very little note nor long remember what we say here; but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us, the living, rather to be dedicated, here, to the unfinished work that they have thus far so noble carried on. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us; that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they here gave the last full measure of devotion; that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain, that the nation shall, under God, have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth† (Barton p. 1-82). The speeches eloquence and shortness took the audience by surprise and they were very affected by its delivery. Lincoln knew this was a pivotal opportunity and he also realized the audience was motivated to be there to remember the soldiers who died in the battle. He played on their strong emotions by prompting them to not let these soldiers die in vain, but to let their memory give them renewed strengt h to win the war. His most important aim was to strengthen the resolves of the Unionists to continue the struggle and to save the United States. He also masterfully empowered his audience by handing his vision to them by telling them to honor the dead soldiers by becoming resolved to win the war no matter what. I feel through these two compelling speeches Lincoln was able to bring the country together and save the citizens from the depths of the Civil War. Through these speeches Lincoln demonstrated the power of the spoken word. Without Lincoln’s genius and abilities the Civil War could have been lost and the world today would be a vastly different place. Works Cited Braden, Waldo. Abraham Lincoln: Public Speaker. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1988. Johnson, Craig, Hackman, Michael. Leadership: A Communication Perspective. Prospect Heights: Waveland Press Inc. , 1996. www. Biography. com Abraham Lincoln (www. biography. com/search/article. do? id†=9382540 www. notablebiographies. com/Ki-Lo/Lincoln-Abraham. html

High School Biology Lesson Plan – Properties of Water

Name:|Hailey Griffin| Lesson Plan Title:|Properties of Water| Grade Level: |10| Content Area:|Biology I| Sunshine State Standards or Common Core Standards:|Sunshine State Standards – SC. 912. L. 18. 12 – Discuss the special properties of water that contribute to Earth's suitability as an environment for life: cohesive behavior, ability to moderate temperature, expansion upon freezing, and versatility as a solvent. Behavior Objectives:|(Three parts: Condition, action, and measurement)Given a model of a water molecule, students will identify the oxygen and hydrogen atoms, the partial positive and negative areas of the molecule, and covalent bonds within the molecule. The learner will correctly identify the 4 main properties of water and give examples of each within 1 minute. Materials (including technology):|Students: Textbook, Pencil/Pen, PaperTeacher: Classroom board, markers, computer, Powerpoint presentation, Word processor, multiple copies of worksheets to pass out, Warm up :10 -15 Pennies, 10-15 Eye Droppers, Cups, Water Mini Labs: plastic petri dishes, paper clips, ethanol, water in eye droppers, glass slides, water, red food coloring, capillary tubes, straws, ice cubes, NaCl, salad oil in eye droppers, hot platesClosure: Koosh Ball| Hook/Anticipatory Set/Lead-In:Total Time: 15- 20 minutes|Prior to class, the instructor should gather the following supplies: Pennies, Eye droppers, Cups, Water.As students come into class, they should form groups of 3-4 people and pick up a one penny, one dropper, a small cup of water and return to their seats. They will also need a pencil/pen. Once every group has the proper materials, the instructor will hand out the accompanying worksheet (Appendix A). They should explain that each group is going to count how many drops of water will fit onto the top of a penny. The team with the most drops of water on their penny â€Å"wins†. As one student is dropping the water onto the penny, another should be count ing and recording the results.The other members of the group should be working on the worksheet, consulting their textbook for answers; this worksheet can be completed at home and is not to be turned in. | Procedures:Lecture: ~25 minutesWorksheet: Remaining class timeMini labs – Day 2, 45 minutes. |After the Penny Lab, the teacher should transition into a Powerpoint lecture on the properties of water (Powerpoint attached to lesson plan). The lecture should last for 25 minutes, enough time to get in the necessary information yet short enough to hold students’ attention.The following topics should be covered in the Powerpoint: the physical structure of a water molecule, states of matter, polarity, hydrophobic/hydrophilic substances, high heat capacity, cohesion/adhesion and surface tension, density and solubility. Once lecture is over, students will receive the Properties of Water worksheet (Appendix B) to work on during the rest of class and to complete as homework if n ot finished. This assignment will be due the following class period at the end of class and will be graded. The following class period, the teacher will set up the class into 6 â€Å"centers†.Each center is a mini lab and will focus on a certain property of water, the students should be able to use the knowledge they gained from the previous lesson to effectively answer questions about the properties of water. Each station will have a single worksheet (Appendix C) listing the procedure for the lab and 3-4 questions about the lab and property covered. Students must provide their own paper and copy down the questions and then respond; they can work together but must have their own answers. The work completed during lab time will be turned in a graded on the day of the test. minutes before class is over, the instructor should pass out a study guide and let students know that there will be a test the next class period, topics from both lecture and lab will be covered. | Guided an d Independent Practice: |On day 1, students will work together on the penny lab, and during lecture, students should be paying attention to the teacher. Finally, once the worksheet is handed out, students should be working independently. On day 2, students will be working in groups, rotating between centers; the teacher should be walking around class helping students when needed.On day 3 students will be working independently on the test. | Adaptations for ELL & ESE students|ELL students will have the opportunity to work with partners to receive peer support and help with complex concepts. Extra tutoring is available during lunch and afterschool. Vocabulary lists are available for pick up; students are encouraged to create flash cards to help them learn new vocabulary words. ELL students will also be given extended time to take tests. ESE students will be given extra time to complete assignments and complete tests.Complex directions will be clarified so the student is confident in w hat he/she is supposed to be doing. Students will be allowed to take short breaks during class and tests. | Closure Activity: |â€Å"Whip Around† Students quickly and verbally share one thing they learned in the class during the lesson. Students will pass around a koosh ball (or similar item) and whoever has the ball must give a short description of something they have learned. This could include topics from lecture, lab, or homework and could be an interesting fact, definition or short explanation of a concept.The teacher should be the first participant and will give an example of a good response, for example â€Å"Today I learned that solid water, or ice, forms a lattice structure which causes it to be less dense than liquid water, which makes it float. † This activity will end once everyone has shared their thoughts. If there is ample time and enough willing participants, this activity could also be used for students to gain extra credit points. Students who wanted to talk about additional concepts could earn up to 2 points extra credit towards their test.The previous day’s assignment should be collected. | Assessment/Evaluation:|On the start of the day 3, students will come into class and prepare for their exam. Once everyone is seated quietly the instructor should pass out the test in which students have approximately 40 minutes to complete (ESE and ELL students have more time). Once a student completes the test he/she should read quietly or work on other classwork. The lab assignment from day 2 should also be turned in for grading. | Appendix A Properties of Water: Penny LabTake a Guess: How many drops of water do you think will fit onto a penny? __________ Cohesion, adhesion, and surface tension are attractive forces between molecules and very important properties of water. Cohesion is the ability of water to â€Å"stick† to itself; it is a result of intramolecular forces (intra- inside, so this is adhesion within the molecul e). An example of cohesion is when you over fill a glass with water, the liquid rises above the rim of the glass but does not fall off the side; instead it bubbles up, which is also caused by surface tension.Surface tension is a special type of cohesion; it can be described as the â€Å"skin† on top of water, in the case of the overfilled glass, the surface tension caused the water to stick together and form the bubble over the rim, this property also allows some bugs to walk on water. Adhesion describes water sticking to other materials and is an intermolecular force (between neighboring molecules). Adhesion can be observed in the stem of a vascular plant; water molecules stick to the xylem tissue and â€Å"climb† up the plant. These properties occur because water is a polar molecule.A molecule of water is composed of 2 hydrogen atoms and 1 oxygen atom, because of the relationship shared between these atoms, one side become slightly more positive and the other slightl y more negative. These partial charges are symbolized by the Greek letter delta, or ?. The polarity of water molecules allows water to dissolve polar and charged substances, making water a good solvent. Molecules that are uncharged, such as fats and oils, usually do not dissolve in water and are called hydrophobic. Procedure: 1. Place a dry penny on a flat surface. 2.With the eye dropper, drip one drop of water onto the surface of the penny, one drop at a time. Have one student in your group keep track of the number of drops. 3. Observe the surface of the penny as the water builds up. 4. Once ANY amount of water has spilled over the edge of the penny record your final count of water drops. 5. Clean up your area and return materials to your teacher. Final Count: How many water droplets really fit onto the penny? ___________ Class Average ___________ Reflection: Explain your results in terms of cohesion and surface tension.What do you think would happen if we added soap, a hydrophobic substance, to the water before dropping it onto the penny? Explain your answer. Find a picture of a water molecule in your book, copy the drawing and label the following: oxygen molecule, hydrogen molecules, ? +, ? -, and draw the intramolecular bonds between the oxygen and hydrogen atoms. Appendix B Properties of Water 1. a. Draw the structure of water. Include the partial charges of each atom. b. Why is water considered to be a polar molecule? 2. a. What enables neighboring water molecules to hydrogen-bond to one another? b.How many hydrogen bonds can each water molecule form? 3. a. Explain the difference between adhesion and cohesion. Give an example of each. b. How do adhesion and cohesion explain capillary action? 4. What is surface tension? Give an example. 5. a. What is specific heat? b. Explain why water has such a high specific heat. c. Explain why it is cooler by the lake (or any body of water) in the summer and warmer by the lake in the winter. 6. a. Explain why ice is l ess dense as a solid than as a liquid. 7. a. Why is water called the universal solvent? What does polarity have to do with this? . How does water dissolve a substance like NaCl? Draw a picture illustrating this. 8. What do hydrophobic and hydrophilic mean? 9. List five special properties of water and give an example (other than ones from this worksheet) of each. Appendix C Center 1 – Can you float a paper clip? Procedure: Fill a plastic petri dish to overflowing with water. Without disturbing the surface of the water, start at the â€Å"lip† of the plastic bowl and slide the paper clip across onto the surface of the water. Observe the way the water â€Å"bends† under the paper clip. Record your observations.Repeat using ethanol in place of water. Questions: 1. What property (properties) of water is (are) demonstrated here? 2. How can the surface of water act this way? 3. Why did the paper clip not float on the ethanol? Center 2 – Can you overcome the attr action? Procedure: Using a dropper, place 2-3 drops of water on one glass slide. Lay the second glass slide over the first. Try to pull them apart. Record your observations. Repeat using dry slides. Questions: 1. What property (properties) of water is (are) at work here? 2. How are hydrogen bonds involved in this (these) property (properties)? . Explain why glass is described as hydrophilic. Center 3 – How does water move through plants? Procedure: Fill a capillary tube and then a straw with a red dye solution (red food coloring in water) and raise them to a vertical position. Record your observations. Questions: 1. What properties of water are at work here? How does water rise up the tube? 2. Why are these properties important to a plants survival? Center 4- Is a solid lighter than a liquid? Procedure: Put a cube of ice in a beaker labeled and filled with â€Å"alcohol† and another in a beaker labeled and filled with water.Observe where the ice cube is in relation to the surface of the solution. Quickly remove the ice cubes for the next group. Record your observations. Questions: 1. Why is the ice cube at the top or bottom of the alcohol? Water? 2. Why is frozen water less dense than liquid water? 3. Explain how this property of water is important to marine life. Center 5 – Like dissolves like Procedure: Place a spoonful of NaCl in a beaker of water and stir. Place 2 droppers full of salad oil in the beaker of water and stir. Record your observations. Questions: 1. Why does NaCl â€Å"dissolve† in the water? 2.Why is it essential for compounds like salt and glucose to be soluble in the water found in our body? 3. Does salad oil dissolve in water? Explain your answer. Center 6 – Does water boil sooner if salt is added? Procedure: Obtain 2 beakers, one labeled â€Å"deionized water† and the other â€Å"salt water†. Add 2 spoonfuls of salt to the beaker labeled â€Å"salt water† and stir to obtain a solutio n. Place each beaker, with a thermometer on it, on a hot plate and determine which beaker begins boiling first. Record your observations. Questions: 1. Does the addition of salt make the water boil faster or slower?Why? What does salt do to the boiling point of water? 2. Obtain an ice cube and add salt to it. What happened to the area of ice where the salt is applied? Why is salt applied to icy sidewalks or roads in the winter? What does salt do to the freezing point of water? Appendix D Properties of Water Test Name: ____________________ Period: ______ Properties of Water Test Review 1. Define the following vocabulary: Cohesion Adhesion Surface Tension Capillary action Hydrophobic Hydrophilic 2. How does water density change†¦. a. as the temperature of water increases ____________ b. s the salinity of water increases ____________ c. as the temperature of water decreases ____________ d. as the salinity of water decreases ____________ 3. What is a polar molecule? 4. What type of bonds exist between the atoms of a water molecule? 5. What type of bonds exist between the adjacent water molecules? 6. Why is water called the universal solvent? 8. What happens to the volume of water as it freezes? What happens to its density? True/False True False Water contracts (gets smaller) when it freezes. True False Water has a high surface tension. True False Condensation is water coming out of the air.True False It takes more energy to heat water at room temperature to 212o F than it does to change 212o F water to steam. Why is water called the universal solvent? What does polarity have to do with this? How many hydrogen bonds can each water molecule form? Differentiate between the intramolecular forces and the intermolecular forces at work inside and between water molecules. Please draw a water molecule. Label the following: oxygen molecule, hydrogen molecules, ? +, ? -, and draw the intramolecular bonds between the oxygen and hydrogen atoms.

Free Essays on The Tell-Tale Heart

â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart† This chilling tale of madness and murder penned by American horror genius Edgar Allan Poe revolves around the irrational acts of one poor tormented soul. Because Poe chose to allow the reader to experience the events of â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart† through the main character’s own perspective, the narrator is never even given a name; however it is still this use of the first-person that most dramatically contributes to the character’s development. Right off the bat, Poe gives the reader an indication that the narrator is unstable. In the first sentence of the story, the narrator admits, enthusiastically even, that he is â€Å"nervous-very, very dreadfully nervous,† (36) then he is quick to add, â€Å"[. . .] why will you say that I am mad† (36)? By giving the reader the narrator’s first-hand account of his feelings and his fears, Poe allows the reader to deduce for himself that the narrator is very possibly paranoid. His admission of nervousness immediately followed by such a defensive question shows the narrator’s suspicion of his audience. He seems compelled to convince the reader of his justification for committing a crime of passion, and his first-person appeal to the reader’s good judgment makes the story come alive. The narrator’s initial defense is that of his illness. He claims to have some ailment that â€Å"had sharpened [his] senses† (36), but his mention of this ailment is vague. He neither names nor describes other aspects of the disease. His casual mention of the problem is indicative of a real-life excuse and makes the narrator seem like every other screw-up, but his elaboration on the sharpening of his senses makes him seem strange. At first he seems just to exaggerate by saying he â€Å"heard all things in the heaven and in the earth† (36), but then he goes on to say that he â€Å"heard many things in hell† (36) and follows by asking, â€Å"How, then, am I mad† (36)? Could the narra... Free Essays on The Tell-Tale Heart Free Essays on The Tell-Tale Heart â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart† This chilling tale of madness and murder penned by American horror genius Edgar Allan Poe revolves around the irrational acts of one poor tormented soul. Because Poe chose to allow the reader to experience the events of â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart† through the main character’s own perspective, the narrator is never even given a name; however it is still this use of the first-person that most dramatically contributes to the character’s development. Right off the bat, Poe gives the reader an indication that the narrator is unstable. In the first sentence of the story, the narrator admits, enthusiastically even, that he is â€Å"nervous-very, very dreadfully nervous,† (36) then he is quick to add, â€Å"[. . .] why will you say that I am mad† (36)? By giving the reader the narrator’s first-hand account of his feelings and his fears, Poe allows the reader to deduce for himself that the narrator is very possibly paranoid. His admission of nervousness immediately followed by such a defensive question shows the narrator’s suspicion of his audience. He seems compelled to convince the reader of his justification for committing a crime of passion, and his first-person appeal to the reader’s good judgment makes the story come alive. The narrator’s initial defense is that of his illness. He claims to have some ailment that â€Å"had sharpened [his] senses† (36), but his mention of this ailment is vague. He neither names nor describes other aspects of the disease. His casual mention of the problem is indicative of a real-life excuse and makes the narrator seem like every other screw-up, but his elaboration on the sharpening of his senses makes him seem strange. At first he seems just to exaggerate by saying he â€Å"heard all things in the heaven and in the earth† (36), but then he goes on to say that he â€Å"heard many things in hell† (36) and follows by asking, â€Å"How, then, am I mad† (36)? Could the narra...

Budget Line Graph and Indifference Curve Practice

Budget Line Graph and Indifference Curve Practice In microeconomic theory, an indifference curve generally refers to a graph that illustrates different levels of utility, or satisfaction, of a consumer who has been presented with assorted combinations of goods. That is to say that at any point on the graphed curve, the consumer holds no preference for one combination of goods over another. In the following practice problem, however, we will be looking at indifference curve data as it relates to the combination of hours that can be allotted to two workers in a hockey skate factory. The indifference curve created from that data will then plot the points at which the employer presumably should have  no preference for one combination of scheduled hours over another because the same output is met. Lets take a glimpse at what that looks like. Practice Problem Indifference Curve Data The following represents the production of two workers, Sammy and Chris, showing the number of completed hockey skates they can produce over the course of a regular 8-hour day: Hour Worked Sammys Production Chriss Production 1st 90 30 2nd 60 30 3rd 30 30 4th 15 30 5th 15 30 6th 10 30 7th 10 30 8th 10 30 From this indifference curve data, we have created 5 indifference curves, as shown in our indifference curve graph. Each line represents the combination of hours we can assign to each worker in order to get the same number of hockey skates assembled. The values of each line are as follows: Blue - 90 Skates AssembledPink - 150 Skates AssembledYellow - 180 Skates AssembledCyan - 210 Skates AssembledPurple - 240 Skates Assembled This data provides the starting point for data-driven decision making regarding the most satisfactory or efficient schedule of hours for Sammy and Chris based on output. To accomplish this task, we will now add a budget line to the analysis to show how these indifference curves can be used to make the best decision. Introduction to Budget Lines A consumers budget line, like an indifference curve, is a graphical depiction of assorted combinations of two goods that the consumer can afford based upon their current prices and his or her income. In this practice problem, we will be graphing the employers budget for employees salaries against the indifference curves that depict various combinations of scheduled hours for those workers. Practice Problem 1 Budget Line Data For this practice problem, assume that you have been told by the chief financial officer of the hockey skate factory that you have $40 to spend on salaries and with that you are to assemble as many hockey skates as possible. Each of your employees, Sammy and Chris, both make a wage of $10 an hour. You write the following information down: Budget: $40Chriss Wage: $10/hrSammys Wage: $10/hr If we spent all of our money on Chris, we could hire him for 4 hours. If we spent all of our money on Sammy, we could hire him for 4 hours in Chris place. In order to construct our budget curve, we jot down two points on our graph. The first (4,0) is the point at which we hire Chris and give him the total budget of $40. The second point (0,4) is the point at which we hire Sammy and give him the total budget instead. We then connect those two points. Ive drawn my budget line in brown, as seen here on the Indifference Curve vs. Budget Line Graph. Before moving forward, you may want to keep that graph open in a different tab or print it out for future reference, as we will be examining it closer as we move along. Interpreting the Indifference Curves and Budget Line Graph First, we must understand what the budget line is telling us. Any point on our budget line (brown) represents a point at which we will spend our entire budget. The budget line intersects with the point (2,2) along the pink indifference curve indicating that we can hire Chris for 2 hours and Sammy for 2 hours and spend the full $40 budget, if we so choose. But the points that lie both below and above this budget line also have significance. Points Below the Budget Line Any point below the budget line is considered  feasible but inefficient because we can have that many hours worked, but we would not spend our entire budget. For instance, the point (3,0) where we hire Chris for 3 hours and Sammy for 0 is feasible but inefficient because here we would only spend $30 on salaries when our budget is $40. Points Above the Budget Line Any point above the budget line, on the other hand, is considered  infeasible because it would cause us to go over our budget. For instance, the point (0,5) where we hire Sammy for 5 hours is infeasible as it would cost us $50 and we only have $40 to spend. Finding the Optimal Points Our optimal decision will lie on our highest possible indifference curve. Thus, we look at all the indifference curves and see which one gives us the most skates assembled. If we look at our five curves with our budget line, the blue (90), pink (150), yellow (180), and cyan (210)  curves all have portions that are on or below the budget curve meaning that they all have portions that are feasible. The  purple (250) curve, on the other hand, is at no time feasible since it is always strictly above the budget line. Thus, we remove the purple curve from consideration. Out of our four remaining curves, cyan is the highest and is the one that gives us the highest production value, so our scheduling answer must be on that curve. Note that many points on the cyan curve are above the budget line. Thus not any point on the green line is feasible. If we look closely, we see that any points between (1,3) and (2,2) are feasible as they intersect with our brown budget line. Thus according to these points, we have two options: we can hire each worker for 2 hours or we can hire Chris for 1 hour and Sammy for 3 hours. Both scheduling options result in the highest possible number of hockey skates based on our workers production and wages and our total budget. Complicating the Data:  Practice Problem 2 Budget Line Data On page one, we solved our task by determining the optimal number of hours we could hire our two workers, Sammy and Chris, based on their individual production, their wage, and our budget from the company CFO. Now the CFO has some new news for you. Sammy has gotten a raise. His wage is now increased to $20 an hour, but your salary budget has stayed the same at $40. What should you do now? First, you jot down the following information: Budget: $40Chriss Wage: $10/hrSammys New Wage: $20/hr Now, if you give the entire budget to Sammy you can only hire him for 2  hours,  while you can still hire Chris for four hours using the entire budget.  Thus,  you now mark the points (4,0) and (0,2) on your indifference curve graph and draw a line between them. Ive drawn a brown line between them, which you can see on  Indifference Curve vs. Budget Line Graph 2. Once again,  you may want to keep that graph open in a different tab or print it out for reference, as we will be examining it closer as we move along. Interpreting the New Indifference Curves and Budget Line Graph Now the area beneath our budget curve has shrunk. Notice the shape of the triangle has also changed. Its much  flatter,  since the attributes for Chris (X-axis) havent changed any, while Sammys time (Y-axis) has become much more expensive. As we can see. now the purple, cyan, and yellow curves are all above the budget line indicating that they are all unfeasible. Only the blue (90 skates) and pink (150 skates) have portions that are not above the  budget line. The blue curve, however, is completely below our budget line, meaning all the points represented by that line are feasible but inefficient. So we will disregard this indifference curve as well. Our only options left are along the pink indifference curve. In fact, only points on the pink line between (0,2) and (2,1) are feasible, thus we can either hire Chris for 0 hours and Sammy for 2 hours or we can hire Chris for 2 hours and Sammy for 1 hour, or some combination of factions of hours that fall along those two points on the pink indifference curve. Complicating the Data:  Practice Problem 3 Budget Line Data Now for another change to our practice problem. Since Sammy has become relatively more expensive to hire, the CFO has decided to increase your budget from $40 to $50. How does this impact your decision? Lets write down what we know: New Budget: $50Chriss Wage: $10/hrSammys Wage: $20/hr We see that if you give the entire budget to Sammy you can only hire him for 2.5  hours,  while you can hire Chris for five hours using the entire budget if you wish.  Thus,  you can now mark  down  the points (5,0) and (0,2.5) and draw a line between them. What do you see? If drawn correctly, youll note that the new budget line has moved upward. It has also moved parallel to the original budget line, a phenomenon that occurs whenever we increase our budget. A decrease in  budget, on the other hand, would be represented by a parallel shift downward in the  budget line. We see that the yellow (150) indifference curve is our highest feasible curve. To make the must select a point on that curve on the line between (1,2), where we hire Chris for 1 hour and Sammy for 2, and (3,1) where we hire Chris for 3 hours and Sammy for 1. More Economics Practice Problems: 10 Supply Demand Practice ProblemsMarginal Revenue and Marginal Cost Practice ProblemElasticity of Demand Practice Problems

13 Interactive Content Examples That Will Engage Your Audience

13 Interactive Content Examples That Will Engage Your Audience Everyone wants to get ahead of the marketing game. It’s understandable - you want to beat the competition, attract more attention, and sell more products or services. Interactive content can help you achieve those goals. While interactive content has been around for some time, it’s only recently begun to gain serious traction among marketers. In a world that used to revolve around static copy, interactive elements seem a little intimidating. However, it’s important to get over your butterflies if you want to supercharge your marketing strategy. 13 Interactive Content Examples That Will Engage Your Audience by @MikeKamo of @TheHelloBar What is Interactive Content Marketing? Interactive content marketing involves using content to engage your audience based on their participation. It’s kind of like a conversation, but one in which you don’t have to actively participate. A simple example of interactive marketing is insurance companies that offer free, instant quotes. You visit the site, fill in some information, and go to the next stage in the process. At the end, you can have your quote emailed or texted to you. Does Interactive Content Perform Better Than Regular Content? Did you know that 90 percent of consumers report  that they want more visual and interactive content? That’s huge. Interactive content works better than regular content because it’s more engaging. It encourages consumers to compete, compare, test themselves, consume information faster, and achieve results quicker. It can also be highly immersive. Interactive video, for instance, bridges the gap between normal video and artificial intelligence to create a unique user experience. Why Interactive Content Is Considered the Future of Content Marketing: Interactive Content Statistics Several marketers and strategists have declared interactive marketing the future of content. That’s largely because it works. Take quizzes, for example. You can find them on Facebook, websites, and other social channels, and they’re arguably among the most popular content on the web. Did you know that 96 percent of consumers who start BuzzFeed contests actually finish them? You can bet that 96 percent of your website visitors don’t finish every piece of written content on your site. BuzzFeed  contests are often silly, highly specific, or even a little controversial, but that doesn’t matter. People love interacting with this type of content. In fact, one of those quizzes got more than 22 million views. How can you create a quiz that gets more than 22 million views?What Are the Forces That Make Interactive Content Such Powerful Lead Magnets? There are several reasons interactive content draws attention from consumers. Here are a few of the most important. More Appealing: Attract and Educate People Who Might Become Future Buyers Interactivity gives consumers a reason to stay on the page. It provides something different and unique while still bringing people into your sales funnel. Just because something is fun doesn’t mean it can’t be educational, too. Think about 360 video tours of destinations for future travelers or quizzes that test your knowledge on a specific subject. Just because something is fun doesn’t mean it can’t be educational, too.Social Media: Encourage People to Engage and Share Content With Friends Many interactive content experiences go viral on social media. Instead of directing followers to your typical blog posts, invite them to experience something new and original. Since most social platforms prove highly visual, it’s easier to attract attention when you post a screenshot or photo depicting interactivity. Use the copy to explain how they’ll benefit from the experience. It doesn’t have to be overly promotional. For instance, Orbitz ran an interactive quiz on its website so people could determine how worthy their travel partners were. This type of content is easy to share on social because it’s already visual. Recommended Reading: How to Boost Engagement on Social Media With Visual Content Increase Brand Exposure and Loyalty: With More Social Shares Comes More Brand Exposure and Loyalty Word of mouth remains one of the most powerful assets for any marketer. If people are talking about your business, you have an advantage in the industry. Interactive content increases your chances of going viral - or at least getting more exposure. And if you deliver a satisfying, enjoyable, entertaining, or educational experience, you’ll win viewers’ loyalty. More Website Traffic and Page Views: Enhance the Website’s Overall User Experience (UX) People revisit sites they like. If you’re consistently providing an awesome user experience, or UX, you can expect people to bookmark you and return to view future content. All of those views will help your content rank better organically in the search engines, which leads to even more page views. Plus, you’ll enjoy social shares and other forms of word of mouth that help businesses grow quickly. Human Nature: Humans Love to Interact Competitiveness is built into most of our DNA. We want to show that we’re better than everyone else - or, at least, the majority. That’s why gamification has become such an integral part of interactive content. If you’re always reaching for the next level, gaining more points, or otherwise proving your prowess, the business benefits. For instance, hubEngage, an employee engagement platform, uses gamification to help improve employee involvement. There’s a public leaderboard so employees can compete as well as rewards tied to quizzes and prizes. Competitive Advantage: It is Different, So It Will Cut Through All The Other "Noise" There’s a ton of content out there. Getting ranked organically on Google is more difficult than ever, and consumers have become almost blind to standard content. Unless they’re looking for something in particular, they’re not interested in your article or video. Interactive content provides something completely different from the norm. Your competitors probably aren’t doing it, so you get the advantage. Your audience will appreciate your desire to deliver a better UX, and you’ll stand out from the crowd. Interactive content provides something completely different from the norm.Interactive Content Provides Better Data to Optimize Your Buyer Persona and Your Sales Funnel Believe it or not, interactive content can prove remarkably effective at every stage of the sales funnel. As your consumers move closer to a purchase, you can continue to engage them with high-quality, interactive content. While UX is undeniably important, you also want to collect data. The better you know your target audience, the better you can serve them. Surveys, polls, and either-or quiz responses are the best ways to collect data about your audience. You can now host an Instagram Live  with an ongoing poll, which is a great way to combine two interactive types of content. Surveys, polls, and either-or quiz responses are the best ways to collect data about your audience.Awareness Stage: Top of Funnel At the top of the funnel, consumers don’t know much about you. That’s a good reason to give them a fantastic first impression. Show them you care about what they think. At the same time, collect data about their needs, desires, pain points, struggles, and goals. For instance, an interactive quiz  incentivizes the user to participate, especially if you’re creative with your copy, and you get access to the answers. Based on the data you collect, you’ll know what type of content to deliver later on the sales funnel. Cloud Sherpas  did this beautifully with an assessment geared directly at its target audience. You can also use this strategy as a lead generation tool. Over at NutritionSecrets.com, which was sold to another company several years ago, we discovered that we could collect more leads by asking our visitors to answer simple questions. Instead of immediately springing our lead magnet on them, we warmed them up - and collected data at the same time. We first asked them to identify as male or female. Then we asked about their nutrition goals. These sound like simple questions, but they provided us with tons of data. Plus, we increased our leads from 10 per day to 50 per day. Best of all, it was as simple as creating a Hello Bar  exit popup and using LeadQuizzes to create the quiz. In just a few minutes, you can create an interactive quiz that improves brand recognition, generates leads, and engages your audience. Recommended Reading: How to Map Content to the Marketing Funnel and Boost Conversions By 69.77% Evaluation Phase: Mid Funnel In the middle of the funnel, consumers are considering their options. You’re on their radar, but so are your competitors. Interactive content can give you an advantage by keeping visitors coming back for more and by helping them make their decision. A benchmark assessment, for instance, allows your visitors to take a quiz or test to find out what they need, what product suits them best, or where they are in their journey. Not only is it fun, but it provides you with even more data. The Women’s Health Network  has a beautiful quiz marketed as a weight loss assessment tool. People who take it get a free 10-minute call with a professional. Decision Stage: Bottom of Funnel Your target customer is finally ready to buy. What now? Consider deploying an interactive tool that helps the consumer determine what other products or services might meet his or her needs. You could create an interactive map, guide, infographic, or 360 video, as well. The possibilities are endless. College campuses often offer 360-degree campus tours. They’re highly immersive. I’m particularly impressed with Harvard’s. Remember that, at this stage, you want to delight the customer. That’s your chief goal. Deliver on your goal by creating interactive content that mesmerizes your customers. Deliver on your goal by creating interactive content that mesmerizes your customers.What Are Common and Effective Interactive Content Types You Can Use To Get More Leads? Examples and Ideas Maybe you want to create interactive content, but you’re not sure what kind would work best for your audience. Following are some of the most effective options. Give a few of them a try: Interactive Quizzes Interactive Infographics Surveys and Polls Interactive Calculators Assessments Interactive E-books Interactive Emails Webinars Mobile Apps or Games Diagnostic Tests or Troubleshooting Tools Interactive Timelines Augmented Reality Overlays Interactive 360 Videos Tips to Start Using Interactive The Right Way Now that you have a few ideas in mind, let’s look at some of the most important tips to ensure you use interactive content correctly. Consider if You Have a Compelling Reason to Use Interactive Content Don’t create interactive content just because. It won’t serve a useful purpose. Worse, you might drive potential customers away. Ask whether you can deliver the same experience or satisfaction with static content. If the answer is â€Å"yes,† don’t spend the time, money, and resources on interactive content. However, if you answer â€Å"no,† this might be the perfect opportunity. Other criteria to consider include the following: Do you have the money to create the desired interactive content? Will the content be unique to everything else available to your target audience? Can you boost conversions with the interactive content? Is your team excited about creating and launching the content? If you answered â€Å"yes† to those criteria, you should probably get creating. Recommended Reading: Publish Consistently With One of the 7 Top Content Planning Tools You Do Not Need to Invent If You Can Just Change What You Already Have Repurposing content makes you a marketing rockstar. You don’t have to create content from whole cloth to make it interactive. Let’s say you’ve written an e-book. Insert links, images, and quizzes in certain places to make it interactive. If you’re really creative, you might even replicate the Choose-Your-Own-Adventure concept. For instance, you could make an interactive quiz that takes the viewer on different routes depending on their answers. Set up scenarios based around your business. [: You don’t have to create content from whole cloth to make it interactive.] For instance, let’s say that you’re a travel agency. You could ask something like this: â€Å"You have five days of vacation in front of you. Money isn’t an object. Do you go urban or rural for your vacation?† Each answer takes the viewer to another question related to it. You could also turn your e-book into a quiz. Brainstorm a few questions directly from your e-book, then offer the custom plan to those who take the quiz. The same goes with email. Keep the email copy the same, but provide a link to an interactive experience. Consider Working With Third-Party Content Platform Specialists Creating interactive content  isn’t always easy. You might need to know how to program in certain languages, and you certainly need design skills. Third-party content platform specialists can help you create the best possible content. If you want to generate leads, Hello Bar is there for you. You can find a specialist for just about any niche. For instance, Engageform  is an excellent tool for creating quizzes and assessments. Similarly, GoToWebinar has incurred numerous accolades among customers who have used it to create and host live webinars. Find Methods to Measure Your Interactivity Results In Advancements Just because your content is interactive doesn’t mean it’ll produce results. Make sure you have KPIs in place to measure your content’s effectiveness. Measure metrics like time on page, bounce rate, lead generation, feedback, and social shares. That way, you’ll know whether you need to make tweaks or start over from scratch. Recommended Reading: How to Write a Marketing Resume That Will Help Land Your Dream Job Time to Take Action! 4 Steps to Create Interactive Content For Your Website Ready to roll? We’re with you. To help you create interactive content that generates results, follow these four stages. You’ll find yourself more organized and more efficient. Step 1. Brainstorming Stage Start by letting the ideas flow. I recommend involving multiple people in this stage so you can get more ideas. Put anything that comes to mind on the page - don’t censor yourself. Some of the best ideas come from brainstorming mindlessly. Ask yourself: If you were a prospective customer, what would help you make the decision to buy? In what ways does your website lack in visual content? How can you make the user experience more immersive? What types of information do you want to gather from your audience? Narrow down the ideas based on the time needed to create them, the expenses involved, and any other limitations. Most importantly, which of your brainstormed ideas will give your website visitors that OMG! moment? Recommended Reading: The Best 30-Minute Content Marketing Brainstorming Process Step 2. Creation Stage Once you’ve chosen an idea from your brainstorming session, create your interactive content. Focus on making it as entertaining and useful as possible for the consumer, but make sure you get the benefit of improved or increased data or better brand recognition. There needs to be a balance. If the experience isn’t fun, people will turn away. For instance, if you’re creating a quiz, add humor and personality to the questions. For a webinar, choose the most extroverted person on your team to host it. If you’re creating a quiz, refine your questions over and over until they’re poised to get the best possible responses. For instance, instead of asking people to rate a particular feature or benefit, ask them to expound on their answers. A good question is extremely specific. Instead of saying, â€Å"How much time do you spend on [task]?† ask, â€Å"How much time do you spend on [task] every day in minutes?† It’s far more specific. To make your questions more engaging, add some humor: Instead of asking, â€Å"What are the most urgent problems you’re facing with [task] today?† ask, â€Å"What aspects of [X] make you want to pound your head repeatedly against your keyboard?† Aesthetics matter, too. Don’t just throw something together. Work with a professional to make the interactive content unusual as well as aesthetically impressive. For instance, if you’re making a video, work with a professional videographer. Professional app designers, graphic artists, and copywriters can all come in handy. Survey your competition and make sure your interactive content is different from theirs. Step 3. Marketing Stage Promote your interactive content widely. The more you talk about it, the more people will view it. Encourage your followers to share it on social, send a link to your email list, and optimize a blog post for SEO so you can link to it from there. Encourage people to share your interactive content. Make it easy by using an embed code  for certain types of content, such as interactive infographics. Add a highly clickable headline and CTA so people feel compelled to pass on your good work. To create an embed code, simply enter the target URL from your website or social channel in the box at Embed.ly. A preview for the content will appear below. You can adjust specifics, such as whether you want social links included. Based on the options you choose, Embed.ly will provide your embed code. Step 4. Testing Stage Set a time period, such as 60 days, and pay attention to your metrics. How much engagement are you getting? Have you gotten more leads as a result of your content? What can you change to make it better? Focus on user experience and conversion rates. Those metrics will tell you how well you’re meeting your original goal.

Cons of Auto Bailout Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Cons of Auto Bailout - Article Example Consequently, that will implement fewer brands and dealers; along with that the taxpayers are bound fund failure. Also, an auto bailout only considers saving a single industry thus, the money may eventually go down the drain without having a chance on having a stronger and leaner industry otherwise. One of the major disadvantages of an auto bailout is that oil crisis would still be looming overhead, fuel would still go up. Hence, expensive cars like SUVs wouldn't sell as they call for more costly automobile fuels. Taking into account that the Big Three were already losing share of the market due to soaring costs, unimaginative designs and image problems an auto bailout surely cannot be of any help. Therefore, an auto bailout is not a practicle answer to the automotive industry as they will probably continue to produce hybrid or electric automobiles to get ahead in the comptetion which will not be advantagious in the long run.

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

Human Resource Management - Essay Example Resource Management are the following: Compensation, hiring, management performance, development of the organization, overall wellness, and benefits; motivation of people, good communication, good administration, and training (Heathfield â€Å"date unknown†). Overhauling Mattel was not an easy task for Eckert, but it was a fruitful endeavor for Mattel’s CEO. Question 1: Identify the key elements of Mattel`s HRM Strategy. Critically evaluate the HRM strategy in relation to relevant theories and models and the current external environment. What potential issues does the company face in balancing the organizational HRM strategy with divisional personalization of it (as discussed on page 9of the case study) The key elements of Mattel’s HRM strategy are workforce development, and the standardizing people development1. Workforce development could mean a lot of things, for there seem to be no single meaning to describe the term. However, workforce development has become a term to illustrate any one of a comparatively broad range of national and international strategies and programs associated with learning for work (Jacobs & Hawley â€Å"date unknown†). Many scholars in this particular field use the term national workforce development to mean the articulation between the private-sector and government programs (McLean 2003). According to Jacob and Hawley (date unknown) â€Å"Emergence of Workforce Development: Definition, Conceptual Boundaries, and Implications† there are five reasons for the coming out of this particular phenomenon in the field of industry. To be precise, these are globalization, technology, new economy, political change, and demographic shifts. These five factors are all connected to each other and have become a great challenge especially for adults (Jacobs & Hawley â€Å"date unknown†). Globalization opened the door for the free flow of market among nations.

Recruiting and Training of Correction Officers Term Paper

Recruiting and Training of Correction Officers - Term Paper Example Introduction The justification for occupational or professional training is to pass on accrued experience, knowledge, and facts, the most sophisticated practices, as well as objective, theory, principle, or ethics of practice. Yet, the institution of correction is only starting to familiarize itself to the difficulties of recruiting and training capable correctional officers. There is an emerging understanding among radical superintendents that inadequately recruited, untrained staff is not merely incompetent but is disadvantageous as well. Untrained staff is rather doubtful to be the bearer of progressive principles and a positive ethos for correctional work. Corrections today are becoming increasingly intricate. Besides the problems created by lawbreakers day by day, correctional superintendents today should confront the issues of correctional personnel who usually feel a kind of prerogative and have a broad range of union supporters, lawyers, and laws available to them to help the m resolve problematic issues. Almost all correction superintendents aspire to make the workplace a motivating, stable, secure, and safe environment where in personnel could face the job’s challenges with optimism and enthusiasm. ... The law grants employers much leeway in the recruitment or hiring process when performed properly. Recruiting may involve three methods that will detect possible problem personnel: ‘background checks, physical agility tests, and probationary employment periods.’ Correctional managers could oblige potential officers to agree to a provision involving complete disclosure of their entire personal backgrounds and verification of those backgrounds or histories. This normally will identify any major issues with illegal conduct and even adverse social activities. Employers could oblige potential personnel to undergo a physical agility test; this procedure will help identify those with serious pre-existing deficiencies that may be drawn upon to file for compensation or disability claims. The third method, the probationary employment period, is usually performed ineffectively. The law permits superintendents to monitor the performance and behavior of the personnel a lot more thoro ughly throughout the probationary period, and to discard employment if behavior and performance is unsatisfactory. Even though most previous employers remain cautious about giving unfavorable references for incompetent personnel, drawing on these three recruitment methods will lessen the problems of the correctional human resources department. In order to fill important personnel positions in corrections, a large number of recruitment or hiring methods are applied by the reporting system. The key procedure stated is job fairs. Other techniques identified were salaries for valid rural sites; on-site recruitment; placement or internship prospects; public notices; presenting at local conventions or meetings; incentives for effective employee recommendations;

Hazardous Wastes from Materials Extraction Assignment

Hazardous Wastes from Materials Extraction - Assignment Example The two metals are mined as ores with impurities such as lead, selenium, benzene, cadmium and numerous other impurities. The ores are melted in a furnace till they reach their boiling points which are 7000 degrees Celsius. The boiling point of other impurities in these ores is lower and, therefore, by the moment aluminium and steel begin to boil the impurities are already in vapour form which is condensed to their respective pure metals such as lead, and selenium (Fletcher 10). Aluminium and steel are left in their furnaces as a sludge that is condensed with the help red sludge as a reducing agent. The success of steel and aluminium refining depends on how well the vapour of impurities is condensed and not released into the atmosphere. It also depends on how the manufacturer is ethical so as not to dump these wastes illegally. When released illegally, these heavy metals will be swept off by running rain water and taken into rivers. This causes these metals to de eaten by fish. This f ish is then consumed by human beings. As these metals cannot be digested, they accumulate in the body causing various ailments such as cancer. In addition, if the red sludge is not well disposed of it causes soil alkalinity that is expensive to correct. The substance also contains heavy metals that it picks from the molten aluminium. Its proper disposal is, therefore, important. The refining of oil is also an energy intensive process. Crude oil is boiled in a fractionating column that allows the various components to evaporate when its boiling point is reached. When the boiling point of plastic elements in crude oil is reached, the liquid is collected and molten into various forms. The success of this process also depends on how impurities such as plastics are trapped before they escape into the atmosphere as pollutants (Fletcher 10). Similarities The refining of the three elements involves melting their original complex compound, that is, crude oil, steel ore and aluminium ore. The impurities of these ores evaporate and these elements are left in pure form (Smith 13). US industries and Reporting US have many industries dealing with steel, aluminum, and crude oil. These industries are required by law to submit annual environmental audits of their activities. These reports outline the effects their activities have on the environment. They also outline the measures they are taking to control the bad effects of their production process. They are also required to employ latest technologies to save energy use and conserve resources. Environmental Protection Agency monitors all industries to ensure they have complied with environmental laws (Kubova 12). Fairness of the Industries The cases presented in the websites do not give a fair compensation to those who were affected by the sludge and toxic smoke from the steel industry. This is because they are reported to be dumping illegal toxic materials beyond levels that are agreed. They also promise to restore degraded land areas of which they cannot be restored completely. They also give false information that the sludge is not harmful to both people and environment (Olivares 12). This is not the reality because people had to be taken to hospital with burns and some also died due to harmful effects of the sludge. Are there differences in pollution generation based on country of production? Companies from developed countries shift their industries to third world counties because they often find it

Sexual Harassment in the Work Place Research Paper

Sexual Harassment in the Work Place - Research Paper Example The industrial uprising and its transformation was found to bring in certain alterations in terms of the customary roles played or undertaken by both the genders. The altering responsibilities or tasks triggered the significance related to gender specialization along with giving rise to a fresh sort of workplace with regard to the Western society. The role of women remained no more restricted in just family affairs which increasingly specialized roles related to both the genders. The requirement of economic security began soaring as individuals started relocating in other cities. This growing need of economic security accelerated the need for specialization in the field of jobs. Thus, the role of men and women began to be comprehended more lucidly which gave a proper understanding regarding the kind of behavior that was predicted along with the manner of carrying it out. Subsequently, the responsibilities of both men as well as women became typecast (Lightle & Doucet, 2007; Boland, 2 005). Women who were found to be working generally indulged in certain variety of jobs which majorly involved other women. Women who belonged to the upper class were regarded as the â€Å"weaker sex†, as they were considered to be essentially supported by men. Therefore, women became gradually more dependent which endowed men with greater supremacy. As the aspect of power balance was found to support men, they considered themselves free to indulge in activities which are presently regarded as sexual harassment. The absence of such increased supremacy with regard to women hardly left them with choices other than accepting such behaviors. Sexual harassment mainly took place due to the encouragement of managers at work place. The reason behind such troubling acts were measured to be owing to the altering role of women as significant number of women started being a part of the workforce by accepting responsibilities and positions that were customarily male oriented (Lightle & Doucet, 20 07; Boland, 2005). Hereby, the paper intends to provide a detailed description of the current scenario of sexual harassment in the workplaces of United States following a comprehensive definition of the aspect. Moreover, the changing trend of workplaces in the US with this regards shall also be taken into concern in this study. Sexual Harassment and its Aspect It was found with regard to the above mentioned context that the discrimination of sex often leads to sexual harassment. Sexual harassment can be defined as, â€Å"the unwelcome verbal, visual, or physical conduct of a sexual nature that is severe or pervasive and affects working conditions or creates a hostile work environment† (Equal Rights Advocates, 2012). Harassing a person sexually is regarded just as a section or part related to sexual harassment and is considered to be unlawful. For instance, passing an illegal comment on women may be defined as sexual harassment as it can lead to mental torture of that particul ar person. Moreover, it is not necessary that while harassing anyone, the harasser has to be of opposite sex as to the victim. The harasser and the victim both can also be of same sex (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, n.d.). Sexual harassment law is an integral part of Employment Discrimination Law and sometimes may relate to Civil Rights Law in the United States (US). Therefore, it can be stated that sexual harassment is an unwanted attempt and an activity that is subject to the court of law. There are two categories into which sexual harassment has broadly been categorized; they are Quid Pro

Cross-Cultural Communication in the Management Research Paper

Cross-Cultural Communication in the Management - Research Paper Example In a progressively international construction market, communication problems will pose as one of the most crucial tests facing construction project managers. Having said that, the researcher recognized that an understanding of the importance and impacts of cross-cultural communication and the means by which it can be managed will provide the capacity to meet and get past these challenges; therefore justifying the need to study it. It consists of the effective rules for doing business, the boundaries between competitive and unethical behavior and the codes of conduct in business dealings. Business cultures differ and are affected by different cultural priorities and what is acceptable and allowable by society. This kind or culture is not immune to collision and that they particularly do so in the context of a foreign environment where business and cultural priorities differ from one’s own way of doing things. In addition, an integrated cultural framework is going to be devised so as to pinpoint the major differences in culture. To summarize, international project management necessitates an effective process regarding communication assessment. Tone identified several areas wherein varied cultures play a part in project management. He noted two situations that if not taken seriously and not dealt with will cause cultural difficulties. The first scenario is where a Canadian project manager for example and a manager in China, manage a construction bridge in a particular country which is both not their own.

Sexual Harassment in the Work Place Research Paper

Sexual Harassment in the Work Place - Research Paper Example The industrial uprising and its transformation was found to bring in certain alterations in terms of the customary roles played or undertaken by both the genders. The altering responsibilities or tasks triggered the significance related to gender specialization along with giving rise to a fresh sort of workplace with regard to the Western society. The role of women remained no more restricted in just family affairs which increasingly specialized roles related to both the genders. The requirement of economic security began soaring as individuals started relocating in other cities. This growing need of economic security accelerated the need for specialization in the field of jobs. Thus, the role of men and women began to be comprehended more lucidly which gave a proper understanding regarding the kind of behavior that was predicted along with the manner of carrying it out. Subsequently, the responsibilities of both men as well as women became typecast (Lightle & Doucet, 2007; Boland, 2 005). Women who were found to be working generally indulged in certain variety of jobs which majorly involved other women. Women who belonged to the upper class were regarded as the â€Å"weaker sex†, as they were considered to be essentially supported by men. Therefore, women became gradually more dependent which endowed men with greater supremacy. As the aspect of power balance was found to support men, they considered themselves free to indulge in activities which are presently regarded as sexual harassment. The absence of such increased supremacy with regard to women hardly left them with choices other than accepting such behaviors. Sexual harassment mainly took place due to the encouragement of managers at work place. The reason behind such troubling acts were measured to be owing to the altering role of women as significant number of women started being a part of the workforce by accepting responsibilities and positions that were customarily male oriented (Lightle & Doucet, 20 07; Boland, 2005). Hereby, the paper intends to provide a detailed description of the current scenario of sexual harassment in the workplaces of United States following a comprehensive definition of the aspect. Moreover, the changing trend of workplaces in the US with this regards shall also be taken into concern in this study. Sexual Harassment and its Aspect It was found with regard to the above mentioned context that the discrimination of sex often leads to sexual harassment. Sexual harassment can be defined as, â€Å"the unwelcome verbal, visual, or physical conduct of a sexual nature that is severe or pervasive and affects working conditions or creates a hostile work environment† (Equal Rights Advocates, 2012). Harassing a person sexually is regarded just as a section or part related to sexual harassment and is considered to be unlawful. For instance, passing an illegal comment on women may be defined as sexual harassment as it can lead to mental torture of that particul ar person. Moreover, it is not necessary that while harassing anyone, the harasser has to be of opposite sex as to the victim. The harasser and the victim both can also be of same sex (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, n.d.). Sexual harassment law is an integral part of Employment Discrimination Law and sometimes may relate to Civil Rights Law in the United States (US). Therefore, it can be stated that sexual harassment is an unwanted attempt and an activity that is subject to the court of law. There are two categories into which sexual harassment has broadly been categorized; they are Quid Pro

Sergei Diaghilev and his impact on the arts Essay

Sergei Diaghilev and his impact on the arts - Essay Example At this time he joined artists related to Bakst and Benois where he was co-founder of a review of art which ran from 1899 up to 1904. He was Imperial Theatres’ director’s assistant around 1899 to 1901. He and Volkonsky concocted a plan that troubled the existing personnel in charge of the theater. From continuous occurrences of these conflicts Diaghilev refused to edit and was left to go by Volkonsky. (Richard, pp 493) Due to miss understandings when Sylvia was being produced, he was dismissed. There was a successful exhibition which comprised six thousand portraits of history collected across Russia by Diaghilev in 1903. This brought a great impact on the culture of European like in Paris where he took Russian paintings’ exhibition. At the Opera of Paris, he staged five concerts specifically of music from Russian culture in 1907. These concerts brought a huge surprise, sensations, amazements and revelations. There were many reviews in magazines and newspapers wo rldwide following the performance of Glinka, Scriabin, playing by Rachmaninoff and many others. Diaghilev brought â€Å"Boris Godunov† production with Chaliapin to the Paris Opera in 1908. He restored the originality of the archives before the introduction of the trendy authentication in art of the world. Production of â€Å"Boris† made Chaliapin to have international acclaim. ... Both Diaghilev and Maryinsky left Russia (Scheijen, pp 90) For another 18 years the company made itself known in entire Europe and America making it be regarded as experimental and inspiring. The success was due to bright ideas of Diaghilev of scouting talents and collaborating with artists. Diaghilev thought that ballet was supposed to be an absolute theatrical choreography, design, art and music. Diaghilev’s ballet showed reflection and was catalyzed by new trends in arts. Amongst Diaghilev’s designers were those who painted imagery, colors and patterns used on stage. His works were well established across Europe for instance, ballet russes that toured annually instead of seasonally. Ballets use human body for the purpose of expressing emotion and story. With this feature, ballets explore stories that may provide chances for the display of virtuosity by dancers. As Ballet Russes’ dances looked revolutionary, they borrowed ballet production traditions that exist ed. Being the strong point of the firm, Diaghilev gathered various composers, performers, designers and choreographers, though maintained the overall control over all production aspects. Diaghilev’s major achievements were ensuring close choreographer, music, and design and story integration, hence forming a spectacle where the entire effect surpassed all parts. Since the start, his desire was to come up with new ballets. Every ballet Russes period was inclusive of new creations and productions, protracted, taking up much of his energy and time. During the 1st world war, Diaghilev isolated himself from his major venues in Europe. Diaghilev and Stravinsky became successful at this time in imperial Russia. Just as the wars commence, ballets had taken five

Performance Measurement Essay Example for Free

Performance Measurement Essay If you were a functional team manager and was asked to loan an employee for a long-term project, how would you assess his performance if he worked for the project manager? Functional managers and project managers must find middle ground and agree how to measure a functional employee’s performance while assigned to a project. There are several ways to measure and report performance, but this paper will describe and compare three techniques used by project managers today. This paper will also why it is important to have a documented performance management process and what could happen if it was missing. Three Performance Measurement Methods According to Kerzner (2009), there are generally nine methods used when evaluating project employees: Essay appraisal Graphic rating scale Field review Forced-choice review Critical incident appraisal Management by objectives Work standards approach Ranking methods Assessment center Of these nine, this paper will choose three methods that are generally used in most companies – graphic rating scale, management by objectives, and ranking methods. Graphic rating scale is a method that is quick to set up but sometimes lacks the details and nuances of an employee’s performance and how the work was completed. Basically, the graphic rating scale is a form with a table that contains general statements about major work done on a project. Examples of these statements are â€Å"communicates effectively with  peers† and â€Å"completes required work all of the time.† These rows in the table have a corresponding value that the project manager can select that best represents the employee’s performance on that topic. An example of these values are â€Å"strongly disagree† and â€Å"strongly agree.† Here’s what the form might look like: Work Description Strongly Disagree Disagree Neither Agree or Disagree Agree Strongly Agree Communicates with peers X Completed all work on time X As indicated earlier, this method is limited to what criteria is listed in the form and does not account for other employee competencies not listed on the form.  Management by objectives is a very common method to measure performance. This method requires that a list of objectives be created before the project starts that the employee must aspire to meet or exceed. Large companies like Microsoft use this method to allow each employee to create their own objectives (called commitments inside Microsoft) at the beginning of each fiscal year. In some cases, employees get to choose which commitment they identify, while in other cases the management creates them and the employees must accept them. This is an effective method because it gives the employee an outline of what is expected of him during the project. The employee can refer back to the objectives regularly to help keep him focused. The ranking method can be effective, but it is not the most well-received or  accurate performance measure. In this method, management gets together and compares the milestones, accomplishments, and results from each employee and creates a stack ranking of the team. The employees at the top of the list usually get more bonuses and other performance rewards, while the middle of the list gets the standard compensation and the bottom of the list might get nothing. This method is not popular with the employees because it relies too heavily on the debating skills of their manager. Also, the ranking system is sometimes subjective because there is no documented list of objectives that all employees should be measured. Often the employees that were assigned to a high-profile project usually get a higher ranking than others, even though the amount of work was the same. Why We Measure Performance Performance measurement is a critical part of the overall project. Firstly, measuring an employee’s performance in the project can provide justification for a promotion, bonus or merit increase in salary. Since project successes usually include some type of bonus payout, an effective performance measurement method can help the project manager determine which employees deserve larger compensation and which deserve less. Another benefit of performance management is that employees can learn about their strengths and weaknesses in their role. This can help employees identify learning or training opportunities to help them become more productive and more valuable to the company. If there was no performance measurement, how could the project manager identify future project team members and make note of low-performing project team members so they are not considered for future projects? Without this process, there would be no way for employees to get honest feedback about their perfor mance. Most employees want this feedback so they can help the company succeed. Conclusion In every company, a project manager must use the resources he is given to complete the project. Sometimes he gets to choose his team, and sometimes not. Every company has many projects with often the same pool of employees doing the work. Most project managers would rather choose their project team based on past performance on other projects so they have a good chance of completing the project within the triple constraints. Without this form  of measurement, it would be a guessing game – and no one wants to leave a project to chance. References Kerzner, H. (2009). Project Management: A Systems Approach to Planning, Scheduling, and Controlling (10th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley Sons, Inc.

Area Based Regeneration Programmes | Evaluation

Area Based Regeneration Programmes | Evaluation Area based regeneration programmes contribute to managing social exclusion but they do not resolve the problem. Critically discuss this statement. The following is a critical discussion of the statement that area based regeneration programmes contribute to managing social exclusion yet fail to resolve the problem. Area based regeneration programmes were developed for various reasons, such as tackling poverty, economic regeneration, reducing unemployment, and managing social exclusion. That the latter was not the sole or exclusive objective of the area based regeneration programmes may explain whether these programmes have or have not resolved the problem of social exclusion. There are also arguments that social exclusion is not a problem that could be completely resolved by any single political, economic, and social policy operating by itself. Social exclusion could be understood in different ways so that some organisations or individuals may be believe that managing it or resolving it would be harder or easier than other people would expect. The management of social exclusion without resolving the problem as a whole may or may not be a commendable achievement within its own right, even if it still leaves the problem of social exclusion in existence, this to will be critically discussed. Area based regeneration programmes came into existence to counteract the damaging economic and social consequences of industrial decline in Britain’s inner cities like Liverpool, London, or Birmingham; and in some of the country’s most heavily industrialised areas such as North Eastern England, the Clyde, and South Wales from the1970s onwards. These industrial areas were locations were the Conservatives electoral support had often been weak although until the Thatcher government the party had been content to subsidise industries in these areas. Previously, government policies did not specifically attempt area based regeneration programmes to tackle social exclusion. Instead governments aimed to use Keynesian economic policies to maintain full employment, and when necessary would keep factories, coalmines, and shipyards open in run down areas with government subsidies. Where any regeneration had taken place it had usually been the replacement of slum housing with new hou sing estates and tower blocks (Fisher, Denver, Benyon, 2003 p. 12). Government policies were meant to reduce, manage, or resolve social exclusion by helping people upon an individual basis by targeting social security, health, education, and housing policies to those that needed that help the most. Individuals rather than geographical areas, or local communities were the focus of help from the government. To tackle social exclusion governments had also introduced legislation to reduce social and economic discrimination, such as race relations and equal pay legislation (Coxall, Robbins, Leach, 2003 p. 397). Ironically enough the impetus for the development of area based regeneration programmes would occur under the Conservative governments after 1979, which were not initially interested in managing social exclusion or implementing area based regeneration programmes. Running these regeneration programmes was contrary to the Thatcherite ethos of reducing state involvement in social and economic policies. Thatcherite economic policies ended subsidies to the nationalised industries leading to factories, coalmines, and shipyards closing down. Those closures and the collapse of uncompetitive private sector companies lead to high unemployment in former industrialised areas and the inner cities, that in turn increased levels of social exclusion (Moran, 2005 p. 14). The Thatcher government only began area based regeneration programmes as a response to the inner city riots of 1981, which, highlighted the problems that social exclusion and economic decay could cause (Taylor et al, 2000 p.331). At this point the social exclusion and economic deprivations in the former industrial areas and the inner cities reached levels that had not been witnessed since the hard hitting depression of the 1930s (Jones, 1999 p. 8). At first the Thatcher government seemed unable to slow down the increasing levels of social exclusion let alone manage or reduce that problem, which it considered less important than lowering inflation, weakening the trade unions, and rolling back the state. Of course increasing levels of unemployment actually meant that expenditure on social security benefits increased rather than decreased. No doubt the Thatcher government was helped in its decision to start area based regeneration programmes by the availability of European Union regional development funds, that were allocated to the most economically deprived and socially excluded regions within the member states. This meant that the government was able to receive extra funding to regenerate the areas most severel y affected by the recession of the early 1980s, and were by-passed any economic recovery or moves to manage social exclusion (Moran, 2005 p. 100). Area based regeneration programmes were primarily aimed at economic regeneration to reduce unemployment, and its linked social consequences such as rising crime levels and increased incidence of social exclusion. It was believed that reducing unemployment would manage and perhaps eventually remove social exclusion, whilst social security benefits were supposed to help those that did not or could not work. The Conservatives established regional development corporations to carry out regeneration programmes in the inner cities and former industrial areas, for instance regenerating parts of London, Birmingham, and Liverpool. However under the Conservatives the main efforts to manage social exclusion were confined to helping individuals through government training schemes such as Training for Work and the Youth Training Scheme (Fisher, Denver, Benyon, 2003 p. 16). New Labour was keen to extend area based regeneration programmes to proactively manage, and perhaps eventually resolve social exclusion, and increase measures to reduce unemployment. New Labour extended its New Deal initiative to cover deprived areas within the New Deal for Communities programme (Seldon Kavanagh, 2005 p. 175). The New Deal for Communities programme was meant to be in a slightly different form to previous area based regeneration programmes as local community groups were supposed to have a greater influence over the projects selected to regenerate their local communities (Fisher, Denver, Benyon, 2003 p. 216). Generally community groups have welcomed being able to have an influence over the projects selected to regenerate their communities. Community groups before New Deal for Communities often felt excluded from the decision-making processes relating to the areas in which they lived in (Seldon Kavanagh, 2005 p. 175). Not every New Deal for Communities programme has gone well, most notably the Aston Pride Project which failed due to a poor relationship between the community groups, the local authority, and various government agencies. The project was closed down early amidst allegations of corruption within the community groups and counter allegations of racism within the local authority and government agencies (Dale, May 28 2004). Whilst area based regeneration programmes have been largely effective at managing social exclusion, there are limits to explain why these programmes are unlikely to resolve the problem of social exclusion altogether. When area based regeneration programmes have been completed there maybe new businesses that have moved to that location and sometimes the standard of housing has been improved, certainly positive achievements, yet not likely to resolve social exclusion by themselves (Seldon Kavanagh, 2005, p. 175). Both Conservative and New Labour governments have found through experience that area based regeneration programmes are more likely to succeed in managing and eventually resolving the problem of social exclusion when used in conjunction with other initiatives, such as tackling discrimination, poor housing, health and education services. Social exclusion will also need reduced crime levels to stand a chance of being managed (Jones et al, 2004, p. 619). Schemes such as Training for Work New Deal can lower unemployment, yet there are limits on what they can achieve. Completing those schemes has made people more employable, although they may gain employment outside of the deprived or regenerated areas that they live in. New Deal is probably here to stay as part of New Labour’s welfare to work strategy. New Deal itself targets extra help to those groups that have found it harder to find or keep jobs, such as lone parents and the disabled (Seldon Kavanagh, 2005 p. 316). These groups are more vulnerable to suffering from social exclusion without living in areas that are economically or socially deprived. These groups are not only helped by New Deal, they are also helped by tax credits and child tax credits. The government wished to improve the opportunity for all children with better education provision and the Sure-start programme for children from deprived areas or families with low incomes. New Labour has also attempted to tackle social exclusion am ongst pensioners with the introduction of pension credit (Seldon Kavanagh, 2005 p.315). Therefore it can be concluded that area based regeneration programmes have helped to manage social exclusion without being able to remove the problem itself. Area based regeneration programmes were primarily set up to lower unemployment and reduce social exclusion that was higher in the inner cities, and former industrial areas such as North East England, and South Wales. The Thatcher government in many respects made the problem of social exclusion worse rather than better as it pursued economic and social policies that increased unemployment, crime, and social deprivation. The inner city riots of 1981 got the Thatcher government to start area based regeneration programmes in order to maintain political stability, and economic growth. It however became harder to manage levels of social exclusion due to the sell off of council houses that made it harder for people on low incomes to afford their housing costs. The beginning of EU spending to boost and regenerate the most run down areas in the community provided extra funding for the British government to spend more on managing social exclusion. New Labour has been much more interested in managing and if possible resolving the problem of social exclusion by using area based regeneration programmes in combination with other measures such as Surestart, New Deal, and EU regional development funds. New Labour has tried to increase the amount of area based regeneration programmes in existence with its New Deal for Communities initiatives which have included local community groups in the decision-making process and have contributed to managing social exclusion effectively aside from the Aston Pride Project. Bibliography Coxall B, Robins L Leach R (2003) Contemporary British Politics 4th edition, Palgrave, Basingstoke Dale P – Aston Pride race bias allegation, Birmingham Post May 28 2004 Fisher J, Denver D, Benyon J, (2003) Central Debates in British Politics, Longman, London Jones B, (1999) issues in British Politics Today, Manchester University Press, Manchester Jones B, Kavanagh D, Moran M, Norton P, (2004) Politics UK, 5th edition, Pearson Longman, London Moran M, (2005) Politic and Governance in the UK, Palgrave, Basingstoke Seldon A Kavanagh D, (2005) The Blair Effect 2001 – 5, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge Taylor P, Richardson J, Yeo A, Marsh I, Trobe K Pilkington A (2000) Sociology in Focus, Causeway Press Limited, Ormskirk