Deploying military values in the classroom to promote the goals and Dissertation

Deploying military values in the classroom to promote the goals and fidelity of the TTT program - Dissertation Example The military personnel get stipends or bonuses and agree in return to teach for three years in public schools. Military personnel who have a college degree are eligible to begin the process of getting the teaching certification so as to become an academic subject teacher. The paper will look at how deploying military values in the classroom help in promoting the goals and fidelity of the TTT program. The teacher shortage has continued to grow and school districts are increasingly turning to TTT to overcome the shortage Bank, (2007). The realization is that School districts that hire one military veteran through TTT most of the time always come back looking for more similar TTT teachers The Military veterans working as the TTT teachers have established a reputation as excellent teachers and exemplary role models for today’s students.   The breadth of experience, dedication, leadership skills, maturity and commitment that former marines, sailors, soldiers and airmen bring to t he classroom are attributes sought by public school administrators and parents Bank, (2007). This has led the TTT teachers to build a very good reputation to both administrators and principals in schools where they serve. The TTT programme headquarters office sent out recently a survey to 1,000 principals regarding the teachers who have come from the program. There were more than 800 replies from the survey. 17 percent from the survey received an average for performance, and more than 75 percent scored above average and higher. This shows how the school systems are finding former military members to be very valuable assets. They bring leadership skills, something they practiced with their troops. Bringing a lot of leadership experience to the classroom which is helpful to the students. The cultural diversity experience the former military personnel bring to the class room is of great importance. It comes as an added bonus which the program is providing the students who also come fro m various backgrounds. What comes with this is a strong male presence which schools are looking for. This is particular important due to the fact most of the low income schools have students with no male presence in their lives. The TTT program provides a stronger presence of male and minority teachers at the elementary level. In a study carried out in Florida, 6,500 students took part in the study. Their reading and mathematics performance was checked after being taught by the TTT teachers. Results from the study indicated that students taught by the TTT teachers performed equally well in reading and also achieved a marginal significant advantage in mathematics. The study focused on the issues such as accountability and achievement which are key values in the military. Clodfelter, Ladd, Vigdor, and Diaz (2004) note that school based accountability has become a problematic problem in recent year. This in return has led to poor performing among students making it difficult to attract high quality teachers. The TTT program has now made that possible. The fact that the TTT teachers, demonstrate the willingness to work in those particular settings has ensured success of the programme. Teacher Quality and Student Achievement Educational research found out that there is a correlation between the quality of the classroom teacher affects the outcome of students learning. The study continues to say that the teacher quality is the most important school factor in predicting

Background Of Japanese Food Culture

Background Of Japanese Food Culture The growing, rearing and processing of foodstuffs seems to have held a special fascination since the nineteenth century. Food and beverage industry has really growth and moving positively if compare to the preceding years, which is from the number of restaurant that opens day by day. There is a vast variety of restaurants with the different types of cuisine in Malaysia that representing different country and culture by offers an exciting array of food outlets, from fast food to fine dining and everything in between. Local food alone offers Malay, Cantonese, Szechuan, Indian and Nyonya cuisine while international food covers the gamut from Japanese to Middle-Eastern, Italian and American. Today, more people are excited to experiment and explore each restaurant that just opened. Moreover, due to the lifestyle and trends, more people are eating out rather than cook at home. For instance: Recently, more and more Japanese restaurants have been opened around Malaysia. Every restaurant trie s to bring up a new concept and originality to their brand. As the time goes by, people are more selective nowadays. They would like to choose a good quality food, with a good portion, with a good branding, and willing to pay with a reasonable price. There are some students are willing to pay high price for one meal because they want to try a new restaurant or a new cuisine with a good quality of the food. Thus, all restaurants have to try their best to meet the customers expectations. Besides that, they also have to recognize every aspect of their business has an impact on customer service because involve face to face customer contact and the supply in food has growing day by day. Each restaurant has to boost them self to improving customer service that involves making a commitment to learning what our customers needs and wants are, and developing action plans that implement customer friendly processes. The writer finds this issue interesting because nowadays people often ask the simple question like Where are we going to eat? I love Japanese foods especially sushi. Where can I get a delicious sushi with ideal price, good service and good place to hang out? When people decide to choose a Japanese restaurant, there are some factors that influence their decision making, such as customers emotion, satisfaction and brand loyalty. It is very important to know customers behavior in order to build a long term relationship. Therefore, the writer has chosen the title An assessment of Sushi Zanmai Malaysia popularity among university college students. There are three different concepts of Japanese restaurant that owe by SuperSushi Sdn Bhd Company which are: 1st Concept: Sushi Zanmai that began since in April, 1997, the genuine conveyer-sushi restaurant. There are several outlets of Sushi Zanmai which are in Sunway Pyramid, The Gardens, One Utama and Low-Yat. 2nd Concept: Sushi Zen that began since in September, 2007, a casual kiosk-style Japanese restaurant. 3rd Concept: Pasta Zanmai that began since in December, 2007, a Japanese Casual Pasta Restaurant. Within this short period, this company has developed the restaurant very fast, from one concept into another concept. The purpose of this research is: To identify factors that influence people selecting Sushi Zanmai as a sushi restaurant To identify current trends of Japanese food To recommend measures that could help to improve current condition PART 1: LITERATURE AND REVIEW Food Culture in Malaysia Malaysia has a combined population of over 18 million people. Because of its central location, between the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea. Malaysia has traditionally been a meeting point for traders and travelers from both the East and West, it also has produced a most diverse culinary melting pot. As a result, Malaysia has a multicultural and multiracial population consisting of three main group which are Malays, Chinese, Indians and numerous indigenous peoples. With such a varying ethnic composition, it is no surprise that a great diversity of religions is prevalent throughout Malaysia. In Malaysia, eating out is really a gastronomic adventure. A blend of cultural and ethnic histories which make up Malaysias diverse population is reflected in the broad range of influences and flavours found in Malaysian cuisine. And each state in Malaysia has something to offer in terms of culinary delights. For instance: Penang, the famous in hawker stall haven, where all the most delicious food requires that only costs as little as RM 3.50 per dish, such as Penang Char Kway Teow, Fried Oyster, Laksa, etc. Mallaca is also home to Baba Nyonya food, which served in quaint cafes in historical shop houses. Or in Kuala Lumpur, the most diverse offering of foods from all over the world, such as Chinese cuisine, Indian cuisine, Japanese cuisine, Thailand cuisine, Vietnamese cuisine, European cuisine, Arabian cuisine, etc. With mixed origins, there are certain ingredients common to many dishes in Malaysia. Multiple varieties of rice and noodles, which are from local or imported from Thailand, Japan or India, are often used as a base. The Malays include a lot of seafood in their diet, like fish, squids, prawns and crabs that used to show up in Malay dishes. And most of Malaysian dishes use fish sauce or fish paste because fish live is around the shores of Malaysias islands. Fresh herbs and roots are commonly used to cook Malays food. Indian and Thai curry spices with regional varieties are often used to create rich and spicy curry dishes. A dried spice is also form an important component of Malays cooking. Moreover, in a city of Malaysia which is Malacca was one of the great trading centers of the spice in the fifteen century. And Coconut is another favorite ingredient which is also common found in countless dishes. For instance: Santan(the coconut milk), to make creamy curries. It is to add savory swee tness of the dishes and to cool the fire of hotter spices. Today, rice is the staple for almost half the worlds population, particularly in parts of China, India, Indonesia, Japan and Southeast Asia. According to historians, they believe that is was first domesticated in the area covering the foothills of Eastern Himalayas (Northeastern India), and stretching through Burma, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, and Southern China. From here, it spread in all directions and human cultivation created numerous varieties of rice. According to the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), based in Philippines, there are 120.000 varieties of rice worldwide. Over the centuries, there are three main types of rice developed in Asia, depends on the content of the grain which is: Amylase means an enzyme that breaks starch down into sugar Figure 1. Rice has divided into three (3) which are long grain, medium grain and short grained varieties. In this case, different populations, consumer different varieties of rice. Foods through the day in Malaysia are three meals a day and rice is almost always included, even at breakfast. For instance, Nasi Lemak. A typical meal consists of rice served with soup, curries, and a few vegetable stir-fries and also eaten fruit for dessert. A typical of Malay lunch and dinner was all dishes are placed in the center of the table to be shared by all the diners and usually the Malay food is often eaten with the hands. There are similar eating pattern within Japanese and Malaysia, which the main staple is rice and it is eaten with almost every meal. The meal features is quite same, such as the tastes of sweet, sour, spicy, bitter and salty. Like Chinese style wheat noodles served in meat stock known as Ramen have become extremely popular over the last century and Malaysian like to consume noodles. Follow by seafood, as Japan is surrounded by sea as same as Malaysias islands. Therefore, When Japanese cuisine comes to Malaysia, the food itself easily accepted by Malaysian. Background of Japanese Food Culture The rice-centered food culture of Japan evolution follows the introduction of wet rice cultivation from Asia more than 2000 years ago. The cultivation and consumption of rice has always played a central role in Japanese food culture. The tradition of Japanese is usually rice served with seasonal vegetables; fish and other marine products reached a highly sophisticated form in the Edo period (1600-1868) and remains the vibrant core of native Japanese cuisine. In the century and a half since Japan reopened to the West, Japan has developed an incredibly rich and varied food culture which includes not only native Japanese cuisine but also many foreign dishes. Some adapted to Japanese tastes and some imported more or less unchanged. In the 6th century, introduction of Buddhism to Japan became the official religion of the country and from that moment any consumption of meat and fish were prohibited. The first recorded decision prohibiting the eating of cattle, horses, dogs, monkeys and chicken was issued by Emperor Temmu in A.D.675. Laws and emperor eliminate the eating of almost all flesh of animals and fowl because based on Buddhism are prohibiting to killing. In the 15th century, many of the foods and food ingredients eaten by Japanese nowadays, for instance: miso, tofu or soy sauce. In the 16th century, the combination of Spanish and Portuguese frying technique with Chinese method for cooking vegetables in oil led to the development of tempura, the popular Japanese dish in which seafood and many types of vegetables with deep fried method. In the early 19th century, the development in Edo, the introduction of sushi has started. Todays, most of people are familiar with that dishes. It made from vinegar rice top or combined with raw fish and shellfish. And during that time, sushi was sold from stalls as a snack food, and that stalls were become the starter of todays sushi restaurants. In the mid 19th century, many of new cooking and eating customs were introduced where the most important being eating the meat. Consider of Japanese dish, Sukiyaki that consist of beef, vegetables, tofu and other ingredients cook at the table in a soup stock of soy sauce, sweet sake and sugar was first served in Western style restaurants. Another dish that popular during this period is Tonkatsu, means a deep fried bread pork cutlets. In the early 20th century, using Indian curry powder, Japanese curry rice (kareraisu) became very popular dish which consisted vegetables, meat or seafood with a thick curry sauce and served with rice. In generally at sushi restaurants, costumers will sit at the counter and call out their order item to a sushi chef. Or sit at Conyever belt where the customers can grab small plates in front of you, or call a special order if you do not see what you want on the belt. Or customers can sit on tatami mats. And as like Chinese, Japanese also ate with chopsticks to transfer the food. The rice bowl is not held as closely to the mouth. Soups are consumed directly from the bowl and the only dish eaten with a spoon is an unsweetened egg custard which known as chawanmushi. There are several ways to describes the differ of Japan cuisine from other cuisine, First, portion of the dish are small because it is to capture the diners attention with the freshness, natural flavor, the beauty of each dish, the atmosphere and the whole meal. Second, the food for a meal is served at once, so diners receive their own portions on individual plates and bowls instead of serving family style from large bowls in the middle of table. Third, Japanese use less oil which to emphasize the light and natural flavor of the food. And now, development of Japanese restaurant that opened more and more in Malaysia. It can be cause of the trends between among the Malaysia. There is similarity between Malaysia cuisine and Japanese cuisine that makes Malaysia is easier to accept. Other reason is Malaysian are quite open minded with those culture. Food affecting consumers towards selection of food There are numerous factors that affect consumers towards selection of food, whether it is made by individuals or other parties. Food choices are influenced by many interacting factors which are income, culture, the concern about health, values, religion or even genetic. Many operational models have been developed to describe these influences that including The Lifestyle Model of dietary habits (Pelto, 1981), which attempts to explain how these factors interact to result in specific food behaviors. Social-Economic-Political System Food Production and Distribution System Lifestyle Factors Figure 2: Factors that influence food habits (Source: G.H.Pelto, 1981,Anhtropological contributions to nutrition education research,Journal of Nutrition Education,13(suppl.),S4 Copyright 1994. Societal Factors: Food Production and Distribution System is responsible for the availability of foods which differs from region to region and country to country. Food availability influences and in turn is influenced by the socio-economic and political systems. These serve to control the production and distribution of food in culture. Government policy may also be involved with the purchasing power of consumers through programs such as the oversight of food quality through safety standards, nutrition labeling requirements and other production programs (JoslingRitson, 1986) Lifestyle Factors: Income (limits what foods can be purchased)  ® Occupation (influences food habits in several ways, for instance: the location of the job also influence meal patterns)  ® Education (the status and self-realization phase of food use are usually, through not always dependent on higher levels of education)  ® Nutrition Knowledge (may or may not translate into knowledge based behavior, and greater influence over what someone eats than what the person knows about nutrition)  ® Ethnic identity (a distant heritage that has been modified or lost over the generations through acculturation)  ® Rural-Urban (place of residence may affect which foods people eat)  ® Religious Beliefs (depends on what religion, may have a great impact on food habits or may have no influence at all)  ® Health (specific foods are often credited with health promoting qualities, such as ginseng in Asia)  ® Physiological (age,gender,body image, and state of health) All of influence lifestyle factors are affects food habits. 1.4 Factors affecting popularity of Japanese food towards university college student The marketing mix is the set of marketing tools which often summarized as the four Ps that the firm uses to achieve its objectives in target markets (McCarthy, 2001). And most marketing professionals would say that the right marketing mix is the one that maximizes customers satisfaction and results in the highest sales or market share. Figure 3: Marketing Mix Product It is defined as anything that can be offered to a market for attention, acquisition, use or consumption that might satisfy a need or a want. Step one; this product emerges will come from an analysis of its strengths, weaknesses, opportunity and threats. There are two classification of product: Tangible product  ® Goods Intangible product  ® Services For a restaurant, the goods are food and beverage outlets offered and the service is the customer service. Consequently, it is logically to include services within the definition of the product. (David Jobber) Step two; is a detailed analysis of the target market to assess the nature of the opportunity, what is its size and potential? How strong is the competition and how is it likely to evolve in the future? Step three; is research into the needs of prospective customers, what is it that customers actually want? According to Hamel and Prahalad, 1991, today, this goes beyond merely asking customers, what are the customer looking for, but creatively seeking to discover needs that customers cannot articulate because the customers are unaware of the possibilities offered by new technologies and the changing environment. Figure 4: Three Restaurant Product People will always seek a restaurant that offering excellent food, especially when the restaurant have a good service, value and ambiance. People satisfy their needs and wants with products. Thus, the product is the main thing for a company because without products there is nothing to market or sell. And when a customer decides to buy a product, the customer will look for certain characteristics. The customer will want to know how many different products that offered by restaurant, which one provides a more interesting savings and what is included in the product. Product must have the power to leave a good impression and interest so the customer will not hesitate to visit the restaurant for the second time. Price It is defined as what the product or service costs to the customer or the amount that customers are willing to pay for a product and service. In order hand, price is the only element in the marketing mix that produces revenue. And setting a price for a product is very important. Price has a very strong impact on sales volume and market share; empirical studies (reviewed in Tellis, 1988; and Sethuraman and Tellis, 1991) have shown that, for most products, price elasticity is substantially higher than advertising elasticity. The company will need to set a price that the customer can afford and willing to pay and at the same it will help the company to achieve a good level of profits. When a customer asks about the price of a product, the customer also interested in knowing is there any discounts or special promotions. Therefore, no matter how good the product, how creative the promotion or how efficient the place or distribution, unless price covers costs the company will make a loss. (David Jobber, 2004) For instance, if the price is expensive, regular students will not be able to afford it and will think to have their meals in other restaurant. Nowadays, customers are concern about the price of their food and tend to compare the price to another restaurant. The customer will evaluate whether the value of the product is worth the amount that the customer are paying, because customers are always strongly influenced by price. Price often fulfills two functions simultaneously: it reflects the sacrifice that the buyer must make in order to acquire the product or service involved and it also acts as a signal of the quality of the product (Monroe, 1990) Another consideration is where pricing have the relationship between price and perceived quality, because many people use price as an indicator of quality. According to David Jobber, the more value a product gives compared to that of the competition, the higher the price that can be charged. Price should accurately key to the value to the customer. The sacrifices that made by the customer is in order to experience the benefits of a product, thus from the restaurant itself have to give the best for the customer. Place It is defined as place or distribution as a set of interdependent organizations involved in the process of making a product available for use or consumption by customers. Or the company activities that make the product available to target customers. The dimensions of place are channels, assortment, location, inventory and transport. (Borden, 1984) For instance: Location, where customer can obtain the product so distribution channels are the key to this area. And in fact, many restaurant companies believe that location has become the most important factor to success. Warnaby and Dominic, 2004 highlight the advantages of shopping in town centers. Thus, the company will need to find ways to bring the products to customers and make the product easy to access to the customers. For instance: Convenience that is also important issue in food outlet patronage which the time and speed service is required, in order to satisfied the customers need and want. Place or distribution considerations play a major role in influencing customer motives. In the marketing of consumer goods, the role is to ensure that the product is available to the consumer when and where it is needed and in sufficient variety and quantity. Promotion It is defined as the activities that communicate the merits of the products and persuade target customers to buy or use the products. Company need to plan promotional activities properly in order to create awareness of potential customers. It is where advertising and communications are used to encourage customers uptake of the product or service. Promotion has several types of tools which are: Advertising, Sales promotion (discounts, coupons), Publicity, Word of Mouth, Personal Selling, Merchandising, Sponsorship and etc. The main reason why promotion is so important is to communicate with individuals, groups or organizations. Through promotion, the message like information about products or services can be communicated to existing and potential customers. Promotions can strengthen brand positioning. A 1985 study by Frankel and Co. and Perception Research Services found that, following exposure to adverts featuring promotions for a brand, consumers opinion of the brand( issues like quality, value and caring about customers ) improved by over 8 percentage compared to those exposed to only brand sell adverts. In other words, it must have the right facilities and services (product) and make them easily accessible to guests (place) with the proper amount of promotion and the right price. (David Abbey, 2003) Japanese food-Korean food (http://web.li.gatech.edu/~rdrury/500/writing/f2_07/benihana/compasean.htm) Japanese and Korean foods are popular and are made of similar ingredients. However, the foods have their own taste, recipe and way of eating. Even though Korean food and Japanese food seems to be similar, both of them have their specialties. Japanese food and Korean food seems to be similar because they use same ingredient. For example, both of them use onions, green onions, red peppers, raw fish, and rice. Koreans and Japanese enjoy eating raw sliced fish, which are sushi and sashimi. Sushis ingredients are boiled rice, and raw sliced fish and sashimis ingredient is just as raw sliced fish. In addition, Korean and Japanese rice is the same. However, Korean and Japanese food is not totally same. Koreans tend to make food spicier and saltier than Japanese food. The price of Japanese food is higher than that Korean food. When people eat a meal at a Japanese restaurant, they should pay lots of money for their meal. For example, the basic foods like rice, sashimi, and some sea food cost thirty-five dollars per person. However, Korean basic foods, rice, main stew, and lots of side dishes cost just ten dollars per person. Japanese fresh seafood has high valuable, so most people prefer going to a Japanese restaurant like Benihana. Nevertheless, it is expensive. Every person has his/her own appetite, someone want to eat Japanese food and the other want to eat Korean food. Both foods may seem to be similar, because they are made of almost same ingredients. However, each of them has their own recipe, taste, and style of eating. Even though Japanese food is expensive, people like to eat Japanese food. The Five Ws The 5 Whys is a simple problem-solving technique that helps users to get to the root of the problem quickly.

No Exit VS Scarlet Letter :: essays research papers

In the two works of literature The Scarlet Letter and No Exit, the relationships between the main characters can be used to question morality, and understand justice. The relationships in both works follow the same principals and trends, despite the time periods they were written in. In the play No Exit, by Jean Sartre, the author attempts to describe his vision of what Hell is, a subject that many have pondered, but none really know. Sartre was under the impression that Hell had nothing to do with the fire and brimstone, as many people before him believed. He instead voiced his thoughts through the characters of No Exit. â€Å"Obviously there aren’t any physical torments†¦and yet we’re in hell. And no one else will come here. We’ll stay in this room together, the three of us, forever and ever†¦in short there’s someone absent here, the official torturer†¦each of us shall act as the torturer of the two others.† (No Exit, p. 22) The three main characters in this play, Inez, Garcin, and Estelle create the hell they were banished to, but not by using the â€Å"racks and red-hot pincers† of the past, but by hurting each other in a disturbed form of a â€Å"love triangle†, where the love really doesnâ€⠄¢t exist. In this complicated triangle Inez is attracted to Estelle, who is in turn needs a man such as Garcin to desire and notice her. Thus Garcin can hurt Inez by pretending to desire Estelle, or hurt Estelle by not caring. Garcin however, will never be at rest until Inez recognizes that he is not a coward. Thus, the triangle is complete, and the three create hell for each other. Even when they realize the problem, they can do nothing to save each other. â€Å"They’ve laid their snare damned cunningly†¦Alone none of us can save himself or herself; we’re linked together inextricably.†(No Exit p. 38) On top of this, none of the three are very truthful with each other, and any relationship between them is strained at best. This is Sartre’s vision of hell. Very similar to Sartre’s hell, are the relationships between the characters in The Scarlet Letter. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel, The Scarlet Letter the priest of a Puritan settlement, Arthur Dimmesdale commits adultery with a young woman by the name of Hester Prynne. When Hester’s husband, Roger Chillingsworth returns from overseas to find his wife with a newborn baby, and a brilliant scarlet letter across her chest, both constant reminders of her sin, he vows to find her partner and extract his revenge upon him.

Empirical Articles Summary Essay

Empirical research is a study that is based on experimentation or observation. This kind of research gathers evidences coming from collective experience in the field. It is often conducted in order to answer a specific question or to test a hypothesis or an educated guess. Moreover, it is different from other types of research because it goes beyond simply reporting an observation but rather it enhanced the understanding of a theory’s relevance to the real environment (Manor College, 2006). An analysis of two articles involving empirical research would aid in further understanding the nature of this kind of study. The Illusion of Transparency in Negotiations The Illusion of Transparency in Negotiations is studied by three researchers namely: Leaf Van Boven, Thomas Gilovich, and Victoria Husted Medvec. This empirical research aims to examined the question of whether negotiators are susceptible to having an â€Å"illusion of transparency. † Illusion of transparency is the belief that ones’ private thoughts and feelings are obvious or known by their negotiating partners than what is really happening. Basically, it is the idea wherein the negotiator overestimates their negotiating partner’s knowledge of their preference. The discussion also looks at how such idea could affect negotiations, on whether it impedes the negotiators’ success. The qualitative method of empirical research was utilized in order test the educated guess made in this study. They experimented by using a controlled group composed of participants that have to make preferential choices about various cases and situations. These participants have to negotiate among each other based upon the instructions given by the researchers. The results of the experiment where interpreted by utilizing the t-test method. The t-test is conducted in order to see the statistical relationship of these groups of data. The findings show that in Study One, negotiators overestimated their negotiating partners’ ability to identify their preferences. Upon the utilization of the t-test, results show that percentage from the early negotiation was not statistically reliable. It was during the post negotiation that this result was obtained because the data shows that 3. 30 is statistically reliable as it is greater than the significance level of p < . 05. Study Two, proved that negotiators who were trying to show rather than hide their preferences to other negotiators tended to overestimate those preferences’ transparency. The data supported this finding. Based on the first round of voting, negotiators overestimated the number of their corresponding partners’ ability to see the importance of a particular issue to them. These differences were all reliable because they all resulted to ts > 2. 30. During the final round of voting, it was concluded that negotiators overestimated their fellow negotiators ability to identify their top important issues. This is proven by the statistically reliable results of the t-test, which are all t > 2. 25. Study Three, proves that negotiators showed an illusion of transparency. This is supported by data that shows negotiators overestimated their partners’ ability to find out they preferred the most by 20 percent, which is statistically reliable. They also overestimated the probability that their partners’ would identify their least preferential choice. Data supported this findings by 25 percent, which is statistically reliable at t = 4. 34. Moreover, the study also find out that control participants showed a â€Å"curse of knowledge† because they overestimated the probability that their negotiating partner would identify correctly their counterpart’s preferences. It is statistically proven by ts = 2. 58 and 4. 49. The empirical study made by the researchers about illusion of transparency in relation to negotiation is very interesting because it gives an idea of what goes around inside the minds of these negotiators while they bargain and compromise among each other. The researchers were also able to devised a method where this idea could actually be applied and tested on situations that actually take place in the real environment. The three studies that they conducted where able to tests their hypothesis and the utilization of the t-test method is also appropriate in measuring the participants outlook on their counterpart’s preferences. However, further study needs to be conducted in order understand the other dimensions of illusion transparency like its impact in the negotiating process and its outcomes. Strategic behavioral mimicry facilitates negotiation outcomes The researchers, namely William Maddux, Elizabeth Mullen, and Adam D. Galinsky investigated in this empirical research the hypothesis that the outcomes of negotiations can be facilitated with strategic behavioral mimicry. This means that a negotiator who follows or imitates the actions of his counterpart could greatly affect what would take place in the negotiation. Since negotiation is an interpersonal activity wherein it is largely dependent upon the negotiator’s ability to influence, persuade, and interact effectively with one’s opponent, it becomes possible that the idea of behavioral mimicry is applicable in this kind of interaction. The Quantitative method is used in this research that is composed of two sets of studies. The researchers measured the viability of their hypothesis by conducting an experiment using a controlled group of individuals. These participants were asked to perform certain activities based upon the instructions of the researchers. Study one, tested the hypothesis through an employment negotiation with numerous issues. On the other hand, study two focused on the ability of mimicry to influence a negotiator’s ability to find out the underlying compatible interests of ones’ negotiating partner. The data gathered was interpreted by using ANNOVA. In study one, the researchers’ examined the joint gain obtained by the negotiators through summing the individual scores of the negotiators in each dyad and then forwarded it to a one-way ANNOVA. Results show an essential effect for mimicking condition on joint gain, which is supported by F(2, 49) = 4. 02, p = . 02, n2p =. 14. They also found out that the more negotiators’ mimicked their opponents, the more points the parties’ obtained. Moreover, the increase in joint gain is also tested in terms of individual benefits for each party. The findings proved that recruiter individual gain showed a significant effect for mimicking condition at F(2, 28) = 4. 45, p = . 017, n2p = . 15. They also found out that increase in joint gain for both parties also resulted in an increase in individual gain by whichever of the two parties did the mimicking. However, mean comparisons exemplified that the idea of â€Å"being mimicked† had no adverse effect to one’s individual gain. In study two, the researchers’ examined the percentage of deals that was obtained in dyads wherein the buyer mimicked as compared with dyads where the buyer did not mimic. Results show that ten out of fifteen dyads or 67 percent, in which a buyer mimicked achieved a deal unlike when a buyer made a deal but did not mimic, which is only two out of sixteen dyads. Moreover, the researchers also performed a binary logistic regression analysis. The results obtained from this experiment indicated that the amount of mimicking was an essential factor in determining whether a deal was reached with this data, Ratio = 1. 047, Wald test = 6. 36, p = . 012 proving it. Therefore, the greater the number of participants mimicking their opponents, the greater the possibility of these people getting the deal. The mediating role of trust was also examined. The researchers utilized the Sobel’s test in order to validate that the mediational effect of trust was essential to negotiation. Results show z = 1. 99, p = . 047, which could conclude that mimicry affects the process of deal making and this was mediated through trust. The study about the role of mimicry in negotiation is an example of a contemporary approach to this subject. Previously, mimicry was simply tested through actions whether a participant would mimic someone who dropped a pen. In this case, however, it becomes more essential because it included the way people analyzed situation in order to make their corresponding decisions. The researchers were able to properly interpret the data as they performed numerous tests as well as various methods in order to assure the validity of its results. Further study would also be beneficial in testing the efficacy of mimicry in negotiation that does not only involve a single issue. Testing mimicry to distributive issues or those zero-sum situations could be a good way to enhance this study. Empirical research indeed has a huge contribution to the pursuit of knowledge. It is through this kind of research that vague concepts could be clearly understood. This gives a reality-based application of ideas that makes a simple study essential in the everyday lives of people. References Van Boven, L. , Gilovich, T. , & Husted Medvec, V. (2003). Research Reports: The Illusion of Transparency in Negotiations. Negotiation Journal. Plenum Publishing Corporation. Maddux, W. W. , Mullen, E, & Galinsky, A. D. (2007). Chameleon bake bigger pies and take Bigger pieces: Strategic mimicry facilitates negotiation outcomes. Journal of Experimental Psychology. Retrieved June 10, 2008, from www. sciencedirect. com.

Naked Economics Essay

Chapter 1: The Power of Markets †¢What are the two basic assumptions that economists make about individuals and firms? †¢What is the role and significance of prices in the market economy? †¢What’s so great about a market economy anyway? Market allocation 3 / Assume rational utility-maximizers 6 / Opportunity costs 9 / Profit max 11 / Prices allocate resources 12 / Barriers to entry 14 / Market price, pricing decision & price discrimination 15 / Lessons of markets 18 Chapter 2: Incentives Matter †¢Explain how each of the following relates to efficient outcomes in a market economy: -adverse selection -â€Å"perverse incentives† -principal-agent problem, -the prisoner’s dilemma. Wrong incentives lead to undesirable outcomes 23 / Creative destruction 36 / Tax & govt program disincentives 38 Chapter 3: Government and the Economy †¢In your own words, explain what an externality is. †¢Besides addressing externalities, what other important and beneficial roles does government play in our market economy? Externalities 43 / Govt solutions to externalities 48 / Govt makes market economy possible – rights, laws / regulations 51 / Public goods 57 / Redistribution 59 Chapter 4: Government and the Economy II †¢What are the main reasons why government should only take a limited role in a market economy? Govt inefficiency 63 / Govt allocation vs private allocation 67 / Effects of regulation 69 / Effects of taxation 74 / Summary 78 Chapter 5: Economics of Information Wheelan explains that basic economic models assume that all parties have â€Å"perfect information.† How does â€Å"informational asymmetry† undermine our market economy? Adverse selection 81 / Firm screening 89 / Branding provides information 90 / Branding versus commodities 92 / Signaling mechanisms 93 Chapter 6: Productivity and Human Capital †¢After reading Wheelan’s argument, do you agree that Bill Gates should be so much richer than you? †¢Evaluate the following statement from p. 113: â€Å"We should not care about the gap between rich and poor as long as everybody is living better.† Human capital 98 / Job creation 103 / Effects of human capital on standard of living 105 / Productivity 107 / Income inequality 111 Chapter 7: Financial Markets †¢Explain how get-rich-quick schemes violate the most basic principles of economics. †¢What advice about investing in the stock market did you find most interesting and/or useful? Purposes of financial instruments 118 / Efficient markets & index funds 126 / Investment guidelines 132 Chapter 8: The Power of Organized Interests †¢Why have mohair farmers earned a subsidy from the federal government for  decades? Interest groups & politicians’ incentives 137 / Some regulations benefit business 142 / Tyranny of the status quo 144 Chapter 9: Keeping Score †¢Why is a nation’s GDP a good measure of its economic well-being and progress? †¢Why is a nation’s GDP a poor measure of its economic well-being and progress? GDP: importance, real vs nominal, per capita 150 / GDP growth & wage growth 152 / GDP misses social progress 154 / Recessions 156 / Fiscal & monetary policy 158 / Other â€Å"vital signs†: unemployment, poverty, inequality, govt budget, deficit, current acct, national savings, demographics 160 Chapter 10: The Federal Reserve †¢What is the primary role of the Federal Reserve? †¢What is the significance of this role? †¢What is deflation, and why is it worse than inflation? Importance of Fed 168 / Easy money causes inflation 170 / FOMC & monetary policy tools 172/ Difficulty of policy decision-making 175 / Money 176 / Inflation & effects 179 / Political pressure to allow inflation 182 / Deflation 184 Chapter 11: Trade and Globalization †¢What is the â€Å"good news about Asian sweatshops†? Benefits of trade 187 / Comparative advantage & specialization 190 / Losers from trade 191/ Protectionism 193 / Trade raises real incomes 195 / Trade benefits for poor countries 196 / Cultural homogenization 199 / Sweatshops 201 Chapter 12: Development Economics †¢After reading this chapter, what do you believe are the two greatest obstacles preventing poor countries from becoming rich? Importance of policies (vs resources) 206 / Effective development policies 208 / Exchange rates 217 / IMF 225 Epilogue: Life in 2050 †¢What economic question do you have about life in 2050? About today’s economy? About life in general?

buy custom The Competition essay

buy custom The Competition essay Our company faces stiff competition from various furniture houses in Boston, particularly Target, Wal-Mart, Bed and Bath, and Ikea. Despite the fact that the presence of these firms presents an obvious challenge to our company in terms of market share, it also reveals the presence of a large and strong unexploited market (Ereaut, Imms and Callingham 102). Nonetheless, our company intends to produce world-class furniture but at a competitive price. Competitor Profiles IKEA This is well established and internationally renowned home furnishing retailer. Recognized for its Scandinavian furniture style, IKEA has grown rapidly since it opened its doors for business in 1943. Strengths IKEA has a strong brand name that attracts a selective group of loyal customers. Moreover, it promises the same quality of products and services worldwide. Has a strong concept that is founded on providing a wide range of functional and well-designed products at low prices Has a recognized vision that aims at creating a better life for its customers Develops unique designs that are balance between quality, functionality, design and price Weaknesses Considering the size and scale of furniture business globally, IKEA finds it hard to control quality and standards. The need surging need for quality but low cost products poses a great challenge to this company. Poor communication with its other stakeholders and customers that results from the scale of business that the company operates Threats Just like other furniture store, IKEA is threatened by competitors New fashion, fads and culture Declining economies and frequent recessions Wal-Mart This is a retail store that sells a wide range f products, including furniture. Strengths Throughout the many years of operation, Wal-Mart has been able to develop a loyal employee and customer base. They sell by opening new branches in areas and countries that are often ignored by its competitors Provide its employees with flexible working hours, discounts for their purchase, health insurance and competitive wages Great pricing for its products Weaknesses For the company to keep and maintain their competitive prices, they have to buy stock in large quantities The company tends to keep more part time employees as compared to full time employees Synonymous of carrying and maintaining large inventories Trades in products from other nations with unfair labor laws Threats The impending unionization of its employees will a major impact throughout the company Current economic crises and inflation The rapid growth of warehouse retailers like Costco and our company Bed Bath and Beyond This is a company that deals with home furnishing and domestic merchandizing. This firm operates only in the United States. Strengths Diversified product range Market leadership Strong returns Weaknesses Stringiest legal proceeding in the U.S Geographic concentration Threats Slowdown in the countrys economy High interest rates in America Intense competition from established customers Competitive strategy Considering that RoomStyle is new in this market, our competitors are better than us in brand names because of the many yearss of conducting business. Therefore, in order to compete favorably, our company will employ three key strategies to create a competitive edge over the above competitors; Product quality, identity, and novelty Excellent sale attitude and high employee motivation Aggressive and innovative service options Employee education and training Each and every employee will be educated and trained not only in their fields of specialization, but also in the application and philosophy of the companys culture. Moreover, employees shall be receiving extensive information from the manager and be informed on the progress of the firm. Emphasis is being put on the extensive research into the integrity and quality of our service delivery. The companys systems and controls will be constantly tested to ascertain their high standards in serving the interests of the customers (Ereaut, Imms and Callingham(Ereaut, Imms and Callingham, 200 200). Inventory control and service costs will be monitored by the companys computer system and checked on a daily basis by management. Our strengths Unlike our competitors, RoomStyle will market its products to a specific market segment that is comprised of students and young urban professionals As compared to our competitors, our company is small in size, therefore it will be easy to run and maintain With our store-within-store initiative, we intend to establish a strong customer base Provision of a wide range of quality products at a competitive price Our threats Turbulent economic times that makes our operations difficult Well established competitors like Wal-Mart, Bed Bath and IKEA. However, we shall deal with these powerhouses by aggressively marketing our products to our target markets. High interest rates in America will affect our operation because we are a new company in the flooded furniture market. Buy custom The Competition essay

Redesigned SAT Writing and Language Test

Redesigned SAT Writing and Language Test In March of 2016, the College Board will administer the first Redesigned SAT test to students across the country. This new Redesigned SAT test looks incredibly different from the current exam! One of the major changes is the retiring of the Writing test. It will be replaced by the Evidence-Based Reading and Writing section, of which, the Writing and Language test is a major part. This page explains what you can expect to find from that portion when you sit for the exam in 2016.   Check out the Current SAT vs. Redesigned SAT chart for an easy explanation of each tests format.  Want to know even more about the redesign? Check out  Redesigned SAT 101  for  all  the facts.   Aim of the SAT Writing and Language Test According to the College Board, The basic aim of the redesigned SAT’s Writing and Language Test is to determine whether students can demonstrate college and career readiness proficiency in revising and editing a range of texts in a variety of content areas, both academic and career related, for development, organization, and effective language use and for conformity to the conventions of standard written English grammar, usage, and punctuation. Format of the SAT Writing and Language Test 4 complete passages 4 sections44 multiple-choice questions 11 questions per passage35 minutes 8 minutes 45 seconds per passage if youd like to plan your time. You will not be given only 8 minutes 45 seconds per passage – you may distribute the 35 minutes any way youd like.    Passage Information What exactly will you be reading on this Writing and Language test? Well, first, each of the four sections passages will be between 400 - 450 words for a total of 1700, so each is a manageable portion of text. One of the passages will be from a career perspective. Another text will relate to History or Social Studies. The third passage will relate to Humanities and the fourth will relate to Science. Youll also see one or more graphics in one or more of the test sections. In addition, the purposes of each passage will vary somewhat. One or two of the passages will make an argument; one or two will inform or explain; and one will be a nonfiction narrative. So, if youre a visual learner, here is an imagined example of what your Writing and Language test could look like: Section 1: A 425-word argument passage about the need for diversity in the workplace. 1 chart showing the percentages of ethnicities in healthcare. 11 questions Section 2: A 410-word passage explaining Julius Caesars reign. 11 questions Section 3: A 430-word passage arguing for an increase in nutrient-rich foods in cafeterias of Floridian schools. 1 table describing the daily nutrition of available lunches. 11 questions Section 4: A 435-word passage telling a story about a specific doctors use of robotics in her surgical procedures. 11 questions Writing and Language Skills Tested Youll have 44 questions; might as well figure out the skills those questions are designed to measure! On this exam, you should be able to do the following: Development: Add, revise, or retain central ideas, main claims, counterclaims, topic sentences, and the like to structure text and convey arguments, information, and ideas.Add, revise, or retain information and ideas (e.g., details, facts, statistics) intended to support claims or points in text clearly and effectively.Add, revise, retain, or delete information and ideas in text for the sake of relevance to topic and purpose.Relate information presented quantitatively in such forms as graphs, charts, and tables to information presented in text. Organization: Revise text as needed to ensure that information and ideas are presented in the most logical order.Revise text as needed to improve the beginning or ending of a text or paragraph to ensure that transition words, phrases, or sentences are used effectively to connect information and ideas. Effective Language Use: Revise text as needed to improve the exactness or content appropriateness of word choice.Revise text as needed to improve the economy of word choice (i.e., to eliminate wordiness and redundancy).Revise text as necessary to ensure consistency of style and tone within a text or to improve the match of style and tone to purpose. Use various sentence structures to accomplish needed rhetorical purposes. Sentence Structure: Recognize and correct grammatically incomplete sentences (e.g., rhetorically inappropriate fragments and run-ons).Recognize and correct problems in coordination and subordination in sentences.Recognize and correct problems in parallel structure in sentences.Recognize and correct problems in modifier placement (e.g., misplaced or dangling modifiers).Recognize and correct inappropriate shifts in verb tense, voice, and mood within and between sentences.Recognize and correct inappropriate shifts in pronoun person and number within and between sentences. Conventions of Usage: Recognize and correct pronouns with unclear or ambiguous antecedents.Recognize and correct cases in which possessive determiners (its, your, their), contractions (it’s, you’re, they’re), and adverbs (there) are confused with each other.Recognize and correct lack of agreement between pronoun and antecedent.Recognize and correct lack of agreement between subject and verb.Recognize and correct lack of agreement between nouns.Recognize and correct instances in which a word or phrase is confused with another (e.g., accept/except, allusion/illusion).Recognize and correct cases in which unlike terms are compared.Recognize and correct cases in which a given expression is inconsistent with standard written English. Conventions of Punctuation: Recognize and correct inappropriate uses of ending punctuation in cases in which the context makes the intent clear.Correctly use and recognize and correct inappropriate uses of colons, semicolons, and dashes to indicate sharp breaks in thought within sentences.Recognize and correct inappropriate uses of possessive nouns and pronouns as well as differentiate between possessive and plural forms.Correctly use and recognize and correct inappropriate uses of punctuation (commas and sometimes semicolons) to separate items in a series.Correctly use punctuation (commas, parentheses, dashes) to set off nonrestrictive and parenthetical sentence elements as well as recognize and correct cases in which restrictive or essential sentence elements are inappropriately set off with punctuation.Recognize and correct cases in which unnecessary punctuation appears in a sentence. Preparing for the Redesigned SAT Writing and Language Test The College Board and the Khan Academy are offering free test prep for students interested in getting ready for the exam. You read that correctly: Free. Check it out!