NuComm Company in China

Is Duncan Cowie right in his view that China is an â€Å"ideal market† for NuComm? Is  this the right time to enter? In today’s world, it has been noted that the internal market in any given single country has been shrinking by the day, hence forcing the firms to search for markets outside their country.Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on NuComm Company in China specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Consequently, globalization has come in handy to help these firms with the much-needed demand for their goods and services, therefore, decreasing their operating costs and increasing the profit margins through economies of scale. Contrary to many people’s views, going outside one’s country of origin is not an easy task, and it requires strategic planning together with good timing not forgetting enough and extensive research to be sure that the investment is worthy, since the initial costs ar e high. NuComm management is faced by the dilemma of determining whether investing in China is a feasible option, and if it is to choose the location and mode of entry. Duncan Cowie the financial manager of the company who worked in China for around two years, and has some experience in the Chinese business atmosphere, proposed that China is the ideal market for Nucomm. NuComm needs to diversify from the American and the Canadian markets where it has based its operations for years due to the volatility of the currencies there hence affecting its profit margins. The idea of investing in China was the best at the time given the prevailing conditions. 1. The Chinese workers in North American represent a significant number yet they are not covered by any call center firm, and that would make a good opportunity as they will be more ready to associate themselves with a company which would serve them even when they are back in China.Advertising Looking for case study on business econ omics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More 2. China is still an upcoming industrial country where a service industry is just but gaining foot, and that would be advantageous, if NuComm becomes one of the first firms to start offering the communication service. 3. There are a lot of opportunities that are available in China and highlights the meager number of call centers available compelling one call center seat to serve 100, 000 people compared to America’s 700 people. 4. The government of the people’s Republic of China has recently promised to support foreign firms that have the intention of investing in the telecommunication sector, since they want to develop this sector. The government has indicated the possibility of relaxing laws that regulate foreign investment, including the requirement that a foreign firm must have some percentage of local ownership in order to operate in China, to attract foreign firms. This is an idea that NuComm should take advantage of because though it is only directed to a specific city, Dalian, the Chinese government has a reputation of implementing all its promises and putting all necessary machineries in place whenever it wants something done. 5. The idea of not going where the market is but where the market is expected to be helped NuComm to succeed in the Philippines. In China, Cowie notes also that the call center service businesses are not so much pronounced, which means that there is a lot of potential, when people there would come to know the usefulness of the services offered. 6. NuComm needs to expand very fast in order to save itself from the financial problems that are imminent. The possibility of growth in China is projected to be just what NuComm needs to be able to set pace for financial sustenance.Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on NuComm Company in China specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Le arn More Industrial analysts have projected that the call center seats will increase at a rate of 40 per cent per year, which is higher than even in America, where the market is fast becoming saturated. 7. Besides, the cost of operations in China would be far much lower than those of America because wages in China are comparably lower than in the US, and wages make the bulk of NuComm’s recurring expenses. The most expensive town in China is Shanghai, where the wages are $282 compared to America’s $2500. 8. NuComm’s efforts in India failed and going back would be more of gambling given that there is nobody who is experienced as to how business is run there. On the other hand, Cowie has been working in China albeit with another company and therefore, knows how to go about with business in that country. The timing could not be more perfect than now because the government has just pledged support, infrastructure is good and the upcoming Olympic Games will increase business opportunities. The Olympic Games will bring a lot of people from various parts of China as well as other parts of the world, and it would be just perfect opportunity to create contacts with various firms which would become the customers. The government is also encouraging the development of the telecommunication sector and has even promised support to foreign firms that are willing to locate in specific places. Assess Cowie’s five-step entry strategy for China. Does the sequence make sense? Duncan Cowie suggests a five-step entry strategy which if applied by NuComm will be of great help, according to him. It is important to focus on the Chinese people working in America as the main target, because they are bound to be more willing to have service, since they have been in the American market and have probably used the service at one point in time, therefore, they know how important it is. The workers also, being Chinese, have information about Chinese’s firms and individuals who may be interested in the service and therefore, will help a lot in giving referrals and enabling NuComm to take opportunities a head of time.Advertising Looking for case study on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More It is also important to have clients that will enable the firm to break even in the early stages of entry. On that note, the Chinese workers in America stand to be the most dependable at the moment given that they have embraced the advancement in technology. The Chinese workers will also be delighted to be associated with a company that operates in China and which is ready to offer them services that they have not been receiving. On top of that, more and more American firms are entering the Chinese market, while others have already established there, and they will all require call center services. These firms will be looking for a more credible company available to contract for the services. Given the popularity that NuComm has in the US and Canadian markets, it will stand a greater chance of securing deals for most American firms, which based in China. As it is in America, many firms prefer out sourcing call center services and will therefore, definitely need the services even when in the foreign market, more so when it is another American firm that is offering the service. It should be noted, however, that dependency on American firms only can be catastrophic given that the number of American firms entering Chinese market might not enough to support NuComm’s business. A large number of the inhabitants of Chinese cities are the natives of China, who also happen to own a substantial number of businesses, which mostly serve the Chinese people, and to some extent, foreigners. China is also densely populated, if population is an indicator of the market that is available. Therefore, tailoring some of the products for the Chinese businesses will be of great importance to NuComn, if they want to earn from the investment. It should be noted that in China, English or French is not used, and people there use Chinese language for communication. It will be therefore, a limiting factor, if NuComm does not improvise a way that they will provide services in Chinese l anguage and in fact, this should be done as early as possible. China is the center for Asian development, and it has put in place a conducive business environment for economic development other than the fact that it is centrally located in the Asian continent. It is, therefore, possible to use it as a center to serve other Asian countries as Cowie is suggesting. Hong Kong which is one of the cities of China is identified as the epitome of business with various parts of the world leave alone Asia, hence it would not be difficult for NuComm to serve other countries, especially from Asia using China as their point of operation. Though the five-point strategies make sense, the order is not very convincing to people. I agree that using the Chinese who work in America as the first strategy in entry is quite good given that they present the easiest people of Chinese origin to convince on the importance of call centers. It is also important to aim at American firms as the second strategy si nce they have the ideas of the advantages of the services offered by NuComm, and the two strategies have taken into consideration the language barrier that is bound to affect the operations of NuComm. But at the same time, the Chinese people who are the natives and who are the majorities should not be sidelined for long because Chinese people have a higher tendency of copying, and they might adopt NuComm’s idea to start their own businesses, which will compete with NuComm. Therefore, the strategy of China for China should come in the third, or second, if possible, to reduce the chances of competition from the Chinese people, and also to prepare for the strategy of supporting American firms to invest in China through Chinese voice services. What are the risks facing NuComm in entering China at this time? Though the Chinese venture seems to be profitable, there are a lot of risks that may face NuComm on entry. 1. Chinese people are known to have a culture of copying, if they re spect somebody’s idea, which NuComm is not used to and which increases competition. Intellectual rights are protected in Canada and US, where NuComm is based, but that is not the case in China. The probability of several companies springing up a few years or months after NuComm has set up is high. 2. The Chinese people after realizing that their people have come up with companies that offer the same services as NuComm may choose to deal with their people therefore, decreasing the market for NuComm. 3. The Chinese might customize the services into Chinese language before NuComm does that which will further shrink the chances of NuComm getting hold of the market. It is, therefore, upon Nucomm to move with speed after entry to ensure they increase their scale as fast as possible so that they get to enjoy economies of scale before competition stiffens. 4. Moreover, the Chinese system of government has proven to be very corrupt and to get assistance one needs to know somebody in a position of influence as opposed to either America or Canada, where corruption is minimal, if not absent. This is made clear by Duncan Cowie, when he says that he had to party the whole night with Chinese families to get things done his way. The ruling party officials had ties with the so called private firms and offered them favorable business conditions hence an upper hand amongst competitors. Therefore, it might be difficult for the NuComm firm to operate without having a god father to help in pushing things given that America and Canada are places where protocols are observed. It is also not clear if there might be someone who is very influential and who might want to copy the NuComm idea and therefore, manipulate the authorities to push regulations against NuComm. But on the same note, Cowie had been in China and knows who is who and how they are approached and what is required for one to succeed in that country therefore, he will be able to help. 5. On top of that, most firms , which had entered China early on have not broken even in the market and hence, they were yet to even recover the initial cost of investment. NuComm’s case as it is has financial problems and could not afford to tie down any amount of money for a long period of time without realizing any returns from it. It therefore, has to strategize on how to make returns from the very first moment they enter the Chinese market. 6. For service delivery to be efficient and thus, reduce operating costs staff must deliver to their best and this can be through employing well educated and highly qualified people. In China, the call center services are relatively new to some places, where labor is cheap therefore, finding a well trained employee may be difficult. NuComm should, therefore, choose a method of training employees, so as to get maximum output from them, while maintaining the quality of their services and at the same time keeping operating costs at a minimum. Though wage rate might b e lower in China compared to Canada or America, getting the right employee might be an uphill task leading to decreased rate of delivery. 7. It is China’s regulation that a foreign firm cannot operate, if it is fully owned by foreigners which means that any international firm setting up in China must collaborate with the natives. This means NuComm has to look for another firm in China to enter into joint venture with, in order to be allowed to set up in China. The problem of finding the right company or securing favorable terms of operation sets in and NuComm has to strive to get a company, which is ready to enter into the call center business and give the best terms and conditions. Entering China can be done through any of the four cities that Cowie suggests but the most convenient city should be chosen for this is a risky process. The situation should be one where the costs are low while income is high and given the financial position of NuComm the returns should be realize d as early as possible. Which of the possible Chinese locations should the company choose, and what should be the mode of entry? Beijing is the capital city and expects to host Olympic Games besides having reduced costs compared to Shanghai and probability of getting highly educated staff is high. There will be many people coming during the Olympic Games, but this is periodical and after the games business will go back to normal, hence the viability of income after the Olympic Games is not very clear. Coupled with that is the fact that so far there has not been a firm that NuComm will partner with, in order to start its operations in Beijing. It is also evident that Beijing is the capital of the communist part, whose leaders are known to be very corrupt therefore, increasing the possibility of corrupt deals against NuComm should it be seen that NuComm will succeed. On the other hand, Shanghai is directly under the control of the central government; hence most of its activities are o verseen by government officials. The possibility of the government interfering with the operations of a firm located in shanghai is therefore, very high. Being a commercial town and a hub of industries in China, it has many businesses, which increase competition and therefore, people are striving to improve their performance hence they will be more receptive to any idea that will help in boosting productivity. Dalian has come into question due to the outright efforts by the government to boost development in the region thus, offering relaxation in regulations. Many foreign firms have been located there due to the policy that allows foreign investment and more are yet to come given that most policies limiting foreign investment can be relaxed. Most of the firm there are those, which are likely to offer support to NuComm and the government can be willing to facilitate the registration process. Furthermore, infrastructure is developed and it has the capability of meeting NuComm’ s demands. Hong Kong is the best city to enter china because: Hong Kong has had ties with the west for a long time now and has the entire infrastructure and other needs for full operation of NuComm. English is the official language of business therefore, language barrier will not be a problem. There are many companies, which are ready to assist NuComm in starting up given that collaborating with a local firm is a requirement in China. Returns to capital are realized at a faster rate in Hong Kong than any other city and this is what NuComm highly needs. The entry mode will be a joint venture because: China has a requirement that foreign firms must not be owned 100 per cent by foreigners, thus, leaving collaboration with local firms as the only viable option. A joint venture will help in minimizing the risks that faces NuComm, if it enters on its own in the new market. Due to corruption, relationship with top government officials is important in operation in China, therefore, a loc al firm will help in dealing with issues of relationships. The cost of entering as a joint venture is also minimal compared to the costs of entering in other means and NuComm is facing financial problems. This case study on NuComm Company in China was written and submitted by user Neil Guy to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Securing a Vessel With Cleats Chocks Bits and Bollards

Securing a Vessel With Cleats Chocks Bits and Bollards At some point early in your maritime career, someone is going to ask you to tie a boat to something solid so it doesn’t float away. There are specific fixtures on all vessels and docks made for this purpose. We will take a short look at four of the most common and save the specialty fixtures for a little later. Cleats These are fixtures found on docks and vessels. They are shaped like a very wide and short capital letter T. Closed types have a solid base while open types have two closely spaced legs in the center. A line with a loop on the end can be passed through the legs and secured over the horns the name of the horizontal piece of the cleat. This allows it to pull tight without the chance of working loose as it would if the loop were just placed over the cleat. Some Dock Masters frown on this because the line can abrade the dock. The best way to tie to a cleat is with a hitch at the end of a line. They come in all sizes from the size of your little finger to the size of your leg. Chocks These are fixtures that hold a line rather than using it as a tie point. It is found near a cleat and keeps the line in position so it does not move laterally and chafe or abrade. They are flattened loops that have a narrow opening at the top to accept and remove the line. Like cleats, these come in all sizes but are usually found aboard vessels and not on docks. Bits These fixtures are a solid column which is sometimes square and sometimes cylindrical. They have a crossbar that is of lesser diameter and forms a lowercase letter t. These are also called Samson posts because they are so strong. You tie to them with a hitch around the crossbar or they accept a looped line well. Bits are mostly found on vessels near the bow and stern, they appear infrequently on docks but it isn’t unheard of if there is a need to use something taller than a cleat in order to accept large diameter lines. Bollards These are the things that look like short metal mushrooms. You can find them on docks and large ships and almost never on smaller vessels. They are made for a loop of line that is placed over the top and the slack is taken up on the other end to make the line tight. Each of the fixtures above has a preferred method of tying. Some of the methods, such as passing the loop through the legs and over the horns of an open cleat, are suitable for heavy weather situations with strong wind and waves. Other methods like a loop should be used in calmer conditions but a hitch can be used at any time. If you want to learn more go to our maritime glossary where you can find more than a simple definition of a term and get some insight into the context and rich maritime history.

How to Prepare for Pre-Med in High School

How to Prepare for Pre-Med in High School SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Are you a high school student with dreams of studying pre-med in college and becoming a doctor? Maybe you’ve heard how difficult it can be to get into med school and are trying to plan ahead in order to raise your chances of acceptance? Well, you’ve come to the right place! This guide will go over everything you can do in high school to make yourself more prepared to begin a pre-med program in college. I’ll go over the classes you should be taking, the extracurriculars you should be participating in, and what you need to be thinking about as a high school student. Feature Image Source: Flickr/ Ilmicrofono oggiono The Importance of Having a Game Plan Preparing for pre-med also means looking ahead to med school as well. In high school, you should be setting yourself up to succeed as a pre-med college student so that you can present your strongest application to med schools down the line. You likely know that, unless you’re applying for a BS/MD or BA/MD program, you don’t start med school until after you graduate college, when you’re about 22 years old. That’s years away! Why do you need to be thinking about med school now? The reason is that getting accepted into med school is notoriously competitive, and med schools will be looking for candidates with an obvious commitment to medicine. Think about it: if you needed to have an operation or a broken bone set or an illness diagnosed, you’d want someone who really cared about medicine, learned all they could about the subject, and were dedicated to their work, right? Not someone who became a doctor because they couldn’t think of a better job. Similarly, med schools also want to accept people who are passionate about medicine. So, while it’s not required to start planning for med school while in high school, starting pre-med off on the right foot and being able to show med schools that your interest in and commitment to medicine was obvious even back in high school will go a long way in showing them that this is a career you’re genuinely interested in and excited about. You want to be well prepared for pre-med by the time you start college and have already begun to gain the knowledge and skills necessary for being a great doctor. In the following sections, I’ll go over exactly how to do this! Skills and Knowledge You Need to Prepare for Pre-Med Again, being a great pre-med student means that, when the time comes to apply, you’ll be impressive to med schools and able to show them that you’re an ideal candidate. So, in high school, you’ll want to be thinking about how to be both a strong med school candidate as well as a strong pre-med candidate. What exactly do med schools look for in applicants? The best way to figure this out is to look directly at what med schools are saying. Here’s a sample of what three med schools are looking for in candidates. Their responses are similar to the majority of med schools across the country. NYU School of Medicine states that they take into account "excellence in coursework at the college level; capabilities as judged by college instructors and premedical committees; the results of the Medical College Admissions Test; and the results of an interview at the School." Additionally, they recommend courses in English, Biology, Chemistry (organic and inorganic), Physics, Biochemistry, and Genetics. The University of Michigan Medical School "holistically evaluates candidates for admission across a range of attributes necessary for successful development into a compassionate, skilled physician serving the needs of a diverse and changing population. These attributes include: Academic excellence Altruism Written and verbal communication Desire to learn Integrity and ethics Leadership Reliability and dependability Resilience and adaptability Social/interpersonal skills and teamwork" Stanford University School of Medicine states that, "Desirable candidates for admissions are academically ready to succeed in our curriculum, have life experiences that will enrich our learning environment, and have personal qualities that will serve them, their colleagues and their patients well in their professional lives." Now, obviously, some of those things, like MCAT scores and extensive college coursework you can’t really complete as a high school student. However, there’s still a lot you can start working on. As a high school student preparing for pre-med and eventually med school, you will want to focus primarily on three things: Preparing yourself for college classes Gaining experience relevant to med school Demonstrating personal qualities desirable in med school students and doctors Working on each of these three areas in high school will make it easier for you to succeed in college and impress med school admissions committees when it comes time to apply. Read on to learn how to accomplish each of these things! Using Your Classes to Prepare for Pre-Med Med schools won’t look at your high school grades when they review your application (although some allow AP credits earned in high school to cover certain entrance requirements), but colleges definitely will, so you shouldn’t slack off in high school. Doing well in your high school classes is important because, not only will it help you get accepted to your top colleges and their pre-med programs, it will also help give you the discipline and knowledge necessary to do well in college, when your grades really do matter for med school. If you have a pattern of getting high grades in high school, that will make it much easier to get high grades in college! Let’s look more specifically at the areas you should be focusing on. Science Classes In pre-med and med school, you’ll definitely be taking a lot of science classes, so it’s important to have a strong foundation in this subject by the time you enter college. Doing so will likely allow you to take more advanced science classes in college and get higher grades since you’re starting with solid background knowledge. If your school offers them, taking AP Biology and/or AP Chemistry are two of the best classes you can take to help you be prepared, since you’ll be taking multiple biology and chemistry classes in college. AP Physics is also useful since pretty much all med schools have a physics requirement as well. The MCAT also has numerous questions in each of these three subjects, so getting a firm foundation on them early on will help you when it comes time to study for that exam in college. Keep your notes from these classes, as well as any finals or comprehensive exams you took in them. They may come in handy later on if you need to quickly review basic information on a subject. Also, pay particular attention during labs. It can be tempting to zone out and let your lab partners take over every now and then, but lab work is something you’ll be doing throughout college and med school (and sometimes beyond), so it’s critical that you understand how to set up, run, and analyze an experiment. Additionally, the MCAT has a question type, called Research Design, that specifically tests your knowledge of research projects. If you have room in your schedule for science electives, see if your school offers any classes in biochemistry, human physiology, or a related class. Math Classes In addition to science, math is the other subject you should be focusing on in high school if you want to be pre-med. Like science, take advanced math classes, and the higher the level (i.e. AP Calculus BC over AB), the better. You’ll be taking multiple math classes as a pre-med, and, as your science classes become more advanced, they’ll begin to incorporate more higher-level math as well. Pre-med students often have rigorous course schedules, so you don’t want to fall behind or get overwhelmed because your math skills aren’t where they should be. The best classes to take to be prepared are pre-calculus and calculus, but if those aren’t offered, or you have extra room in your schedule, a statistics class will also be useful to take since statistics is used in many areas of medicine. In your math classes, pay particular attention to how to analyze graphs and data tables, since these topics will be specifically tested on the MCAT in its Graphical Analysis and Data questions, and you will often be asked to interpret visual data like these in your future classes. Taking challenging math classes can help prepare you for college pre-med classes and beyond. Other Subjects Even though math and science are the two most important subjects to focus on to prepare yourself for pre-med, you shouldn’t let your other classes suffer. Aim for solid, if not spectacular, grades across the board in your other subjects. In particular, you should also work to do well in your English classes. Strong writing and communication skills are important for both college and med school, and many med schools have an English requirement for their applicants. So, doing well in your high school English classes can only benefit you down the road. You may also want to consider social science classes in psychology and/or sociology. The MCAT has multiple questions on both of these subjects, and they can help you understand different areas of medicine better, even if you don’t specialize in psychology. This is because understanding why people behave the way they do and make the choices they do will help all doctors who work with patients and need to be understanding and supportive. Being an Exceptional Student For all of your courses, particularly your math and science classes, make sure you talk to your teacher if there is a concept you are struggling with. High school classes are usually much smaller than college classes, and you can use that additional one-on-one time to ask for help and clarification. This can be much more difficult to do in college because courses generally move at a faster pace, teachers are working with more students, and you’re often expected to come in with sufficient background knowledge. In order to do your best in your college classes, you want to minimize all the content gaps you have. So, if you don’t understand a particular chemistry lab or are baffled by your calculus homework, speak up! It’ll help you be more successful when you’re a pre-med student. Additionally, in your classes you should work to be a model student, not just through your grades but through the way you act as well. Make an effort to always complete work on time, encourage cooperation and teamwork when working in a group, and offer help when a teacher or classmate needs it. Most colleges require you to submit letters of recommendation from your teachers, and if a teacher can point to an instance where you helped a classmate who was struggling with homework or got your group to work together when people were disagreeing, that will make your application stand out much more than if they could only talk about your grades. Acting in a responsible, mature, and helpful way in high school will make it an easy pattern to follow by the time you start pre-med. Having strong letters of recommendation will help you get into your top pre-med schools of choice and will help you know what to expect when you need letters of rec for med school. Want to build the best possible college application? We can help. PrepScholar Admissions is the world's best admissions consulting service. We combine world-class admissions counselors with our data-driven, proprietary admissions strategies. We've overseen thousands of students get into their top choice schools, from state colleges to the Ivy League. We know what kinds of students colleges want to admit. We want to get you admitted to your dream schools. Learn more about PrepScholar Admissions to maximize your chance of getting in. Using Your Extracurriculars to Prepare for Med School Your extracurriculars are also an important way to prepare for pre-med in college. Getting involved in extracurriculars that relate to medicine, or even just working directly with people, can help you decide if pre-med is really the best choice for you, and it’ll show schools that you’re serious about studying medicine. Additionally, if you do well in your extracurricular and impress your coaches or supervisors, they can help write you letters of recommendation when college admissions roll around. The best extracurricular to get involved in if you want to prepare for pre-med is volunteering at a hospital. This is because, even though you won’t be personally performing any medical work, it’ll give you the best idea of what being a doctor is like because you’ll be in a hospital, be working with patients, and be able to learn more about medicine by observing doctors and other medical professionals. As a college student, having hospital volunteering experience will give your med school applications a boost, and it will look even better if you began this work in high school. We have a complete guide to being a hospital volunteer which you should read through if you’re thinking about volunteering at a hospital. To get started, talk to your advisor or contact nearby hospitals to see if there are open volunteer positions. Other volunteer options include volunteering at a retirement home, homeless shelter, even a school. Basically any place where you interact regularly with people will help prepare you for working with patients. There are also clubs you can join that will help prepare you for pre-med, including science-related clubs like Science Olympiad or Science Fair that you can participate in. Over the summer, you may consider participating in a medical program specifically for high school students. These programs often take place at colleges or universities, and they give participants a chance to conduct research, observe doctors working, and/or learn how to conduct simple medical procedures. While they often have hefty price tags, they can be a great way to help decide if becoming a doctor is what you really want to do. Just like you are doing in your classes, strive to be a great member of whatever extracurriculars you choose to participate in. Take leadership opportunities whenever you can, whether that means gaining a leadership position in the club/activity, taking charge of a new event, or suggesting new ideas for the future. Additionally, be a team player whom people can trust to be on time, get their work done, and work well with others. Your coaches and supervisors are a great resource for letters of recommendation and, as with your classes, it’s never too early to show that you have the type of character a doctor needs and people who can attest to that. What If You Don't End Up Applying to Med School? So, what happens if things change and you decide that med school isn't for you? That's fine and actually very common. Most people who, at some point in their life, decide they want to be a doctor, end up changing their mind. This can happen for a variety of reasons, such as discovering a different career that interests you more, learning you can't handle the sight of blood, or deciding that you don't want to be in school that long. Attending med school and working as a doctor requires a lot of long, hard hours, and, if you find yourself disliking the above activities or losing interest in the idea of med school, you absolutely should not become a doctor just out of fear of having wasted your time preparing for med school. Being a doctor when you love the profession is hard enough, and if you choose to become a doctor despite disliking the job, trust me, you'll be miserable. The good news is that, even if you follow all the above advice to the letter, you won't be behind your peers or at a disadvantage if you choose a completely different path than your original plan of med school. As I mention below, following the advice in this guide will help prepare you for any future major and career, perhaps with a slight math/science slant. That's because the steps you need to follow to prepare for med school - get good grades in a variety of subjects, obtain leadership experience, cultivate relationships with teachers and classmates - will serve you well in the future no matter what you end up majoring and what career you end up pursuing. Looking Ahead Now you know how preparing for pre-med in high school can help you be confident and successful when you begin college and eventually apply to med school. Taking higher-level classes, particularly in math and science, will help you be more prepared for your pre-med classes, the grades of which will be carefully scrutinized by med school admissions officers. Participating in extracurriculars related to the medical field will help you get skills you’ll use down the line and show med schools that you’re committed to being a doctor. All of that advice is useful no matter which med school you want to attend or what type of doctor you want to become. But, should you be doing more work in high school? Should you already be figuring out which med schools are your top choices and what you want your specialty to be so that you can tailor your classes and extracurriculars even more? The short answer is no. Trying to figure these things out so far ahead of time will only put added stress on you, and they won’t help you get accepted. Most pre-med students apply to over a dozen med schools, and, once you get into med school, many people don’t choose a specialty until their third year, after they've completed rotations and gotten a better sense of what different specialties are like. This means that no one is expecting you to have these things figured out as a high school student. Additionally, even if you are certain right now that you want to attend, say, John Hopkins for med school and become a pediatrician, there is a high chance that will end up changing your mind at some point in time, so trying to prepare exactly for that path can end up hindering you down the line. Instead of trying to have everything planned out, just follow the above steps which will help prepare you regardless of which med school and specialty you end up choosing. You can think about these things, but remember that you have plenty of time to keep your options open! What's Next? Curious about what classes you'll have to take in college for pre-med? Our article on the requirements for med school has you covered. Plus, check out our list of the seven books every pre-med student should read here. Wondering exactly which classes you should be taking in high school? We have guides that'll walk you through the math and science classes you should enroll in. You'll need top standardized test scores to get into the college of your choice. Read our guides, written by a perfect-scorer, on how to get a perfect score on the SAT and the ACT. Want a great extracurricular? Learn how to volunteer at a hospital and get a first-hand look at the work doctors do. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points? We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Critical Anaysis of The Stranger by Albert Camus Essay

Critical Anaysis of The Stranger by Albert Camus - Essay Example The sun is the motif of the novel, where it affects the personality of Meursault and his reaction to his setting and conditions in life. The sun represents the existentialist philosophy of Meursault, where the natural absurdity of the setting and its plot are designed to illustrate that detachment is a natural response to the meaninglessness of human existence. The sun stands for the existentialist philosophy of Meursault, a philosophy that Camus himself believes in. Christian argues that Camus believes in an existentialist philosophy of â€Å"the Absurd† (92). He stresses that for Camus, the world and man per se are not absurd, and instead, the relationship of man with his environment is absurd (92). He maintains that people demand things from a world that cannot fulfill them, and so to exist with true hope for the fulfillment of dreams is â€Å"absurd† (92). Meursault lives life like a sun, where to exist is to accept whatever happens without any attachment to them. H e has an extremely disconnected attitude towards his mother’s death, for instance. He says at the beginning of the novel: â€Å"MOTHER died today. Or, maybe, yesterday; I can’t be sure† (Camus 4). He does not care for details when it comes to death. He values his mother enough to attend her funeral, but he does it out of duty, as a son. He does not even peek into his mother’s coffin, which people in the funeral find troubling. Strangers cry for her, while her own son does not even shed a tear. In addition, Meursault is not overly concerned of the prospect of dying himself. Death is not something that can stir him from his realization that nothing in life is worth pouring his passion over. His existence has come from nothing and will end up as nothing and that is the way life is. The sun heats up the setting and melts away any possible meaning in human action and agenda. The sun is a natural element of life’s natural cycle. The blackness of the fune ral of Meursault’s mother is distinguished because of the sun. Meursault, nevertheless, finds no meaning in these rituals and beliefs about the dead. The black colors of the hearse and horse and the noxious scents of the environment only serve to dull Meursault’s senses. In short, the funeral makes him want to sleep it away. Blackness means nothing, while sleeping is something that is more directly experienced. Furthermore, the sun also increases the temperature enough to make people live without concern for their actions. Meursault tumbles in his life in a state of coma and existence, because he always feels hot and uncomfortable. He wants to hurry up the funeral, because he feels the physical discomfort of standing under the sun. The Marengo landscape is illustrated as â€Å"something inhuman, discouraging† (Camus 11). Camus indicates that Meursault cannot be completely blamed for his absurdist approach to life, because his environment is disconcerting too. Vo n Dehsen calls it the â€Å"unreasonable silence of the world† to people who want to find meaning in life (39). Meursault realizes that his boss dislikes the fact that he will have several days off. His boss is only after making more money from his employees and is not truly concerned for him to attend his mother’s funeral and go over his grief. The society is not concerned of meaningful human existence too. Meursault’s relationships are important events in his life, as the plot reveals, but he

To what extent is the fate of the protagonist in Woman at point Zero Essay

To what extent is the fate of the protagonist in Woman at point Zero (Nawal El Saadawi) and Chronicles of a death foretold dictated by the moral values of the culture in which they live - Essay Example These values determine the characters actions and thereby shape their fates. In Woman at Point Zero, the protagonist is manipulated and dishonored by a number of people in her life. She has no power over the events that happen to her. She gradually learns the value of power and money which enables one to gain control over others and that becomes the utmost aim in her life. Similarly honor as a moral value affects the lives of all the major characters in Chronicle of a Death Foretold as they exist in relation to a single major event. Santiago pays the price for supposedly dishonoring Angela. Angela pays the price for not being a virgin. The Vicario brothers have to commit a crime to defend the honor of their sister. Roman has to discard his wife because honor means everything to him. All the characters display a variety of emotions. They show both negative and positive streaks in their personalities. Although much of the narrative is focused on him, Santiago Nasar is an ambiguous character throughout the novel. The narrator says that â€Å"he was a child of a marriage of convenience† and that he is open hearted. His appreciation of valor, prudence, firearms and falconry comes from his father, who is no longer alive. The narrator also says that Santiago would have seduced Divina Flor, just as his father seduced her mother, Victoria Guzman. As the narrator says Angela Vicario can be said to be the main character of the story. She is center of the mystery that the narrator is trying to unravel, since she is the only one who knows who truly took her virginity, and she remains mysterious at the end of the story because she never reveals whether or not Santiago was guilty. As a young girl, she was the most beautiful of her four sisters. However, the narrator says she had a "helpless air and a poverty of spirit that augured an uncertain future for her." The narrator says that her "penury of spirit had been aggravated by the years."

Creative Spark Talk Analysis Essay Example for Free

Creative Spark Talk Analysis Essay What defines you as a person? Who do you say that you are? These are questions that are often hard to answer because we have yet to understand or realize who we are as a person. Many times those questions are answered with a job title or a characteristic like I am a mom, a lawyer, or a caring person. But what truly defines you? Within this paper, we are going to look at Debra Jarvis’ story about how she chose to claim her experience and not allow it to define her. Debra like many women around the world has heard the dreaded â€Å"C† word, cancer, and was gripped by fear. One of the first stages of creativity is searching for the challenges. â€Å"The essence of creativity is meeting challenges in an imaginative, original, and effective way.† (Ruggiero, 2012) In Debra’s situation she did not have to search for the challenges; the problems was evident. However, not all challenges are obvious challenges they will require critical thinking to discover. Sometimes the problems and issues are so small or subtle that they are not always noticeable. (Ruggiero, 2012) The challenge for Debra was not succumbing to pressure of identifying herself as a victim of cancer. The second stage of creativity; expressing the problem or issue, was one that was not hard for Debra. â€Å"The objective of this stage is to find the best expression of the problem or issue, the one that will yield the most helpful ideas.† Debra’s diagnosis of breast cancer was a shock to many. She was bombarded with all types of questions and statements like, â€Å"You’re a Chaplin, you should be immune to cancer†; or â€Å"Now you are really going to find out what is important†. These statements were the very catalyst that pushed Debra to embrace her concept of not allowing cancer to define her identity. â€Å"Feeling faith, finding your identity and strengths in the midst of chaos, brings one to the realization that the most important things are not things but relationships.† (Ted Talk, 2014) The third stage of creativity is investigating the problem or issue. The third stage is necessary to deal with the problem or issue effectively. â⠂¬Å"In some cases, this will mean merely searching your past experiences and observations for appropriate material and bringing it to bear on the current problem.† (Ruggiero, 2012) During the fourth stage, we begin to produce ideas. The objective is to generate enough ideas to decide what action to take or what  belief to embrace. (Ruggiero, 2012) Debra was able to choose the option to have a mastectomy and then put in a saline implant. Debra’s use of creativity allowed her to define what her experience meant, and that meaning can be quiet or introverted. What the experience means today can change years from now. Most people have a hard time adopting their imagination, not because they lack imagination, but because they fear the reaction their ideas will receive. Debra embraces her imagination by moving from victim to victor. She chose to not become trapped by the negative stigma of cancer but evolve and share with the world on how to overcome. Debra’s choice to process her feelings instead of feeding them allows her to satisfy the curiosity of daring to be different. Instead of walking in the annual cancer walks, buying the keychain, shirts, and other cancer survivor symbolic items she processes it uniquely. Debra expresses, â€Å"that with any resurrection you must die first.† (Ted Talk, 2014) The Ted talk made several points that allow me to look at personal traumas as victorious instead of being the victim. Debra’s story was an eye opener on how so many survivors within our society have embraced the trauma as their identity, instead of claiming the experience. Debra’s example of â€Å"the resurrection and one dying first and embracing the tomb as a place to do our deep inner work to allow ourselves healing† was a defining moment for me. We have to let the crucified self die so the truer story can evolve. The message of claiming your experience and not allowing it to claim or define you was the key message of her Ted talk. If there were no survivors, it would be an end to being trapped in our wombs. References Ruggiero, V. R. (2012). The Art of Thinking (10th ed.). New York, NY: Pearson. Ted Talk. (2014). Yes, I Survived Cancer but that doesnt define me. Retrieved from http://ted.com/talks/debra_jarvis_yes_i_survived_cancer_but_that _doesnt _define_me#t-253086

Stephen A. Douglas :: essays research papers

Stephen A. Douglas was born in Brandon, Vermont on April 23, 1813. His father, a young physician of high standing, died suddenly when Stephen was two months old, and the widow with her two children retired to a farm near Brandon. This is where Stephen lived with her until he was fifteen years old. He attended school during the three winter months and working on the farm the remainder of the year. He wanted to earn his own living so he went to Middlebury and became an apprentice in the cabinetmaking business. This trade he followed for about eighteen months, when he was forced to stop his work because of impaired health, after this he attended the academy at Brandon for about a year.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the autumn of 1830 he moved to New York State and attended the academy at Canandaigua where he began his study of law. Realizing that his mother wouldn’t be unable to support him through his courses, he was determined to go to the west, and on June 24, 1833, he set out for Cleveland, Ohio, where he was dangerously ill with fever for four months. He then visited Cincinnati, Louisville, St. Louis, and Jacksonville, Illinois, but failed to receive any employment. Feeling Discouraged, he walked to Winchester. Here he found employment as clerk to an auctioneer at an administrator's sale, and was paid six dollars. He studied law at night, and on Saturdays practiced before justices of the peace. In March 1834, he removed to Jacksonville, obtained his license, and began the regular practice of law. Two weeks after that he addressed a large Democratic meeting in defense of General Jackson's administration. In December 1840, he was appointed secretary of state of Illinois, and in the following February elected a judge of the Supreme Court. In 1843 Judge Douglas was elected to congress by a majority of 400, and he was reelected in 1844 by 1,900, and again in 1846 by over 3,000: but before the term began he was chosen U.S. senator, and took his seat in the senate on March 4, 1847. The bill for organizing the territories of Kansas and Nebraska, which Douglas reported in January 1854 reopened the whole slavery dispute and caused great popular excitement, as it repealed the part of the Missouri Compromise of 1820 which excluded slavery from the regions of the Louisiana Purchase north of the Mason-Dixon line, and declared the people of any state or territory free to form and regulate their domestic institutions in their own way, subject only to the Constitution of the United States.

Paranormal: Personality Psychology and Carl Jung Essay

Topic Area: This study looks at the relation between the belief in the paranormal and different personality traits. There are two ways of looking at belief in the paranormal this study will look at the people who believe and those who somewhat believe and analyze their personalities traits. Hypothesis: This study examined two contrasting views of paranormal belief which suggest, in one camp, that belief in the paranormal is indicative of psychopathology. On the other hand, a number of researcher have disagreed with this viewpoint, suggesting that such a belief is not an indicator of psychopathology, but the fulfillment of some other underlying need. This study was designed to assess the personality traits of those we would we would consider to be high and low believers in parapsychology. Method: The participants in this study were undergraduate college students mostly freshmen and sophomores who were enrolled in introductory level psychology classes. There were 105 students involved in the study with an age range from 18 to 44 the gender breakdown of participants consisted of 46 men and 59 women whose average age was 20. 19 years old. The participants were administered the Paranormal Belief Scale (Tobacyk & Milford, 1983), The Anomalous Experience Inventory (Kumar, Pekala, & Gallagher, 1994), the Personality Research Form (Jackson, 1984), and a general questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of basic questions about demographics and any experience or preconceptions about the paranormal. The coefficient alphas for the Paranormal Belief Scale were . 93 and . 91. Alphas for the subscales range from . 69-. 85 and . 49-. 74. Using the Paranormal Belief Scale participants were broken into groups of high and low believer’s base on a scale of 25-125 with high believers obtaining a score of 80 and low believers obtaining a score of 63. Each scale was administered in a class room setting and was untimed although the study took approximately 60 minutes to complete. Upon completion each participant was released and received a debriefing letter after the study. Results and Discussion: The results of this study showed that the high believers of the paranormal were more than likely to have friends with similar beliefs; they also are more likely to watch shows and read books based on paranormal subjects. The study also showed that more of the high believers had imaginary friends as they were growing up. Also high believers attended church less than those in the low believer’s category and didn’t look at themselves as very religious in comparison to low believers. The test also shows a distinct difference in gender with females scoring significantly higher than males on the (PBS) scale. There was also a series of ANOVAs (analysis of variance) that revealed a significant difference on four of the PRF scales Abasement, Aggression, Defendence, and Sentience these finding represent that there was not a strong enough relationship between these scales and the PBS to suggest a significant difference when examining high vs. low believers. However women scored higher than the men on Aggression and Defendence while men scored higher on Abasement. Critique: When initially reviewing this study to make a determination on which research example that I was going to focus on for my paper. I found that I was really interested in what the outcome of this research would be based on the amount of research that I am aware of that has been done on the study of the paranormal. This particular research was really interesting to me as it attempted to assess the personality traits of those who could be considered either high and/or low believers in parapsychology. According to other studies a person who believes in the paranormal is considered psychologically dysfunctional. This study used what I feel was a small segment of the population for such a broad subject that seems to have so many followers. The fact that they used 105 undergraduates from the age of 18 – 44 makes me think that they may have limited themselves when it comes to the broad perspective of people that they could have used. If I were conducting the study I would have opened it up to males and females with age not being a factor in the study. I also would have went outside of the classroom to get my participants by looking for people who were of all different walks of life and backgrounds, from those with a high school education only to those in under graduate and graduate programs. I would have also attempted to recruit people from different professions from warehouse worker to executive. Another thing that I would have looked into would be the ability to get people to participate with whom I knew where members of the Wiccan community and also some people who believe in Psi, Esp. , and others who believe in poltergeist. I feel this would have produced some validity to base the answers of the non-believers against the answers of the known (or high) believers to form some sort of median to the answers instead of just basing the answers off of people with whom are just here for their extra credit in their Psychology class. Another factor of the test that could have affected the outcome was the fact that it was administered in a class like setting. I feel that while the test should be structured maybe they should have administered it in a less formal manner. When looking at the different tests that were administered to the participants there seemed to be one consistent outcome on all of them. This outcome was that there was very little or no difference in the personality traits of believers compared to those of non-believers. The only measurable differences between the groups were the fact that females scored significantly higher than males when it came to the PBS Psi scale and on aggression and defendence. Males scored higher than females on abasement. Once again I believe other than the gender based scores that the other scores could have been affected by the fact that all the participants in this study were college students in the same program at the same school. Even though there was an age difference and there were students of opposite genders the scores seem to close to me to rule out any relevance to this argument. Relationship of the study to personality theory: The central relationship which was studied came in chapter 4 of our textbook, titled Jung: Analytical Psychology. Carl Jung, in my opinion, seemed to be open to many things that could be considered paranormal. Jung related dreams and past experiences to paranormal thoughts as well as ESP and he also associated levels of a person’s personality traits to different levels of the paranormal. Carl Jung was a strong believer in paranormal activity like spirits, e. s. p. , and the occult. Jung was raised around religion and the  occult from an early age, many members of his family were pastors and his mother’s family practiced spiritualism and mysticism. Jung’s grandfather was a believer of the occult, so much so that he kept a chair for the ghost of his dead wife and would often have intimate talks with her. One might conclude that these childhoods encounters shaped Jung’s beliefs lead him to associate personality traits and paranormal beliefs with one other. Jung’s theories were largely based around his study of the interpretations of dreams, both regular and paranormal. â€Å"Jung was puzzled by paranormal dreams. He could not classify them the way normal dreams could be, but the mystery did lead him to expound on his principle of synchronicity. This concept is that events occur together in time but are not linked through cause and effect connections. For instance, a clock might stop at the moment of its owner’s death, but these are purely synchronistic and unrelated events. Jung concluded that perhaps there is some sort of order in the universe, where a manifestation appears psychically while the related manifestation in physical reality happens at the same time. † (Carl Jung) Jung theorized that there were people, based on personality traits that were more likely to be influenced by paranormal thought and ideologies and came to the conclusion that introverts tend to have the best link to the paranormal. â€Å"Besides the levels of the psyche and the dynamics of personality, Jung recognized various psychological types that grow out of a union of two basic attitudes-intro-versions and extraversion-and four separate functions-thinking, feeling, sensing, and intuiting. † (Feist, 2009) Intuiting, in general, is often most associated with the paranormal, as illustrated in our textbook on page 120Ã'Ž Table 4.1, introverted intuition is associated with prophets, mystics and religious fanatics. Hurst states that â€Å"Introverted intuitive people are guided by unconscious perception of facts that are basically subjective and have little or no resemblance to external reality. Their subjective intuitive perceptions are remarkably strong and capable of motivating decisions of monumental magnitude. Introverted intuitive people such as mystics, prophets, surrealistic artist, or religious fanatics, often appear peculiar to people of other types who have little comprehension of their motives. Actually, Jung believed that introverted intuitive people may not clearly understand their own motivations, yet they are deeply motivated by them. †(Feist, 2009) It is my opinion that these personality theories prove that paranormal belief is not something that is only suffered by psychopaths. The study states, â€Å"Paranormal belief is indicative of psychopathology, as suggested by the current study. † (Auton, Pope, Seeger) I think that Jung’s theories illustrate that though a person may experience a paranormal instance it does not necessarily mean that there is a mental disorder present. Paranormal experiences may rather be a result of one’s social environment, as often people who believe in the paranormal have acquaintances that share in that belief. It was also referenced that people with such beliefs tend to watch more television and read more books that are based on the paranormal and occult. Relationship of the study to your own life and personality: Paranormal belief is something that has intrigued me ever since I was a young child. You might say that I am a skeptical believer, as I like to think that everything that happens has a reason for taking place and there is usually a way to explain any situation that people might consider paranormal. I have had many strange experiences throughout my life that one might call paranormal and some I have had explanations for and others I have not. When I began reviewing the article, Paranormal Belief and Personality Traits, for this assignment I was in complete disagreement with the portion that stated that paranormal belief was synonymous with† psychological dysfunction ( i.e. psychotic, neurotic, and depressive. ) (Auton, Pope, Seeger) I found myself identifying with Carl Jung’s theories regarding the paranormal which are a sharp contrast to those presented in this article. I feel and have been categorized by the Big 5 assessment as an extrovert and I feel that this may be the reason why I am so skeptical about paranormal experiences. I tend to look for the rhyme and reason of things that I have experienced in my life and am very skeptical about everything including ghosts, ESP and religion. Whether my paranormal experiences have affected my life or personality has yet to be said, though, I feel that these experiences were most certainly not a symptom of psychopathology. References: Feist, J. & Feist, G. (2009). Theories of Personality (7th Edition). McGraw Hill. Carl jung; his theories on archetypes, dreams, and the collective unconscious. (n. d. ). Retrieved from http://www. ucmeta. org/Pages/Articles/Dreaming/Carl-Jung-His-Theories-Archetypes-Dreams-Collective-Unconscious. phpÃ'Ž

Lord of the flies by Willam Golding

Lord of the flies refers to the story of a group of English boys marooned on a tropical island after their plane was shot down during a war. But the book’s exploration of the idea of human evil is to some extent based on Golding’s experience with the violence and savagery of human beings during World War II. Lord of the flies dramatizes a fundamental human struggle: the conflict between the impulse to obey rules, behave morally, and act lawfully and impulse to seek brute power   over others, act selfishly, behave in a way that will gratify one’s own desires, scorn moral rules, and indulge in violence. The first set of impulses might be thought of as the â€Å"civilizing instinct†, which encourages people to work together toward common goal and behave peacefully; the second set of impulse might be thought of as the â€Å"barbarizing instinct†, or the instinct toward savagery, which urges people to rebel against civilization and instead seek anarchy, chaos, despotism, and violence. The Lord of the flies shows the great struggle of the boys to rescue from the horizon. The children made a group and started doing work to attract the attention of the passing ships. They elected their own leader and started finding their way to rescue from that place and chose Ralph as their leader. Ralph elected Jack as the leader of the hunters. Ralph, Jack and Simon set off on an expedition to explore the island. When they returned from hunting, Ralph declared that they must light a signal fire to attract the attention of passing ships. The boys began to do so; they started using the lens from Piggy’s eyeglasses to ignite dead wood. They were very innocent and do not know the importance of the work and were interested in playing more than igniting fire. So because of their insincerity towards work the fire quickly ignites the forest. And the fire becomes out of control. One of the youngest boys disappears from the group and they think that he has presumably burned to death. All the boys started enjoying themselves without grownups except Jack and Ralph. After some time Ralph and Piggy see the ship passing by the horizon. But when ship passes signal fire burned out; it had been a hunter’s responsibility to maintain it. After that Ralph accosts Jack, but the hunter has just returned to his first hunt, and all the boys were uncontrolled and excited and start dancing. When Piggy criticizes Jack because of his insincere deed, Jack hits him. It was really a problem to keep the single fire lit so the boys become afraid. Ralph and Jack both do not liked each other, they wanted a separate group. Jack was violent in nature so he declared himself the leader of new tribe and the group of the boys divided in two parts. They all had lost their innocence and civilization. Ralph was civilized and wanted every one to live in civilized manner but most of the other boys went into bloodlust and barbarism. The sight of hunters chanting and dancing was baffling and distasteful to him. The first hand knowledge of the evil that existed with in all human beings was tragic for Ralph. But this knowledge also enabled him to cast down the Lord of the Flies at the end of the novel. His story ends semi-tragically although he was rescued and returned to civilization, when he saw the naval officer, he wept with the burden of his knowledge about humanity. All the children adopted barbarism and lost innocence and civilization. They took care of the small children. Children of Lord of the Flies did a great effort to rescue from the horizon and tackled the situation very tactfully.   In the novel children tried to free themselves from the power of others by doing different kind of deeds and Jack tried to snatch away the powers of the Ralph. Reference Sir, Golding, William. (1997). Lord of the flies. New York: RIVERHEAD.

The 3 biggest reasons you might not be reaching your full potential at work

The 3 biggest reasons you might not be reaching your full potential at work Most of us have ideas about how we’d like our career paths to unfold, including where we’d ultimately like to end up before we hit retirement and the steps we need to take along the way. If you’re being realistic with your vision, you’re also aware that reaching your goals and achieving your preconceived target milestones along the way will take some hard work, dedication, and probably even a little good luck. Like most things in life, it takes real effort to reach the desired results you want in your career- it’s not simply a matter of â€Å"showing up† and waiting for your turn to be successful. If you’re like most of us and are eager to achieve your career goals, then reaching your full potential is an important step to success. Now ask yourself the following question: Are you reaching your full potential at work? If not, it may be holding you back from moving forward in your career journey and keeping you from achieving your target professional milestones- and preventing you from feeling happy and satisfied.If you’re concerned that you may not be reaching your full work potential, consider if any of the following 3 reasons might be standing in your way- and then take active steps to move past them.It’s just a bad fitWhen it comes to your current job, are you a square peg in a company full of round holes? If so, then it might be affecting your ability to reach your full potential. The truth is, fit is an extremely important variable when it comes to gauging your happiness and satisfaction at work, as well as your opportunities for long-term success. Not all corporate cultures are created equal, and finding a company whose mission, brand positioning, and approach to nurturing and developing its employees can mean the difference between a job that brings out the very best in you and one that simply offers a steady paycheck.If you feel there is a fundamental misaligned fit between you and your compa ny place of employment, it may be worth your time to diagnose the problem and see if there’s any hope for successful resolution.Something toxic is in playIs there a specific element at your current job that’s always standing in the way between you and your full potential? This can play out in the form of a toxic person (often a superior or a key decision maker, but maybe even a teammate or colleague) who’s standing in the way of you progressing, taking on new roles and responsibilities, being recognized for your hard work and contributions, and developing your skills and abilities further.It can also be a toxic environment, one in which healthy risk, forward-thinking, and efforts to evolve are frowned upon. In these situations, a low ceiling for growth sits above everyone. Regardless of the toxic source, the outcome is typically the same: you’re kept from evolving as an employee and are unable to fully challenge yourself and discover what you’re tr uly capable of accomplishing.The issue is externalThe truth is, sometimes the reasons for you not reaching your full potential at work have nothing to do with your company or colleagues. Life happens, even while you’re at work, and sometimes you’re dealing with external factors that prevent you from giving your complete and undivided 100% focus and effort to your career. Things like health issues, family stress, a second job, and other life obligations can all compete for your energy and time and make it challenging for you to fully commit to professional growth and development.Don’t feel like this is your fault- even the most talented employees are susceptible to the effects of life on their work. It’s what you do to manage the stresses that come outside of the job that will make all the difference. Employees who can find an appropriate balance- whether by finding a job that fits better into their life or making a plan with a manager to work through a pa rticularly hard time- are best positioned to reaching their full professional potential.Are you reaching your full potential at work? If so, then congratulations! If not, or you’re unsure, then use the information provided here to help you diagnose your situation and figure out a better path forward.

Lord Randalls Anonymous Folk Ballad

Lord Randall's Anonymous Folk Ballad The folk ballad Lord Randall is an example of an Anglo-Scottish border ballad. These songs were sung acapella  and  often had repeating lines. History of the Ballad Sir Walter Scott collected border ballads and published them in his Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border, published in three volumes from 1802 to 1803. Scott is known for his 1805 poem The Lay of the Last Minstrel, which brought him to literary fame. He was offered the position of Poet Laureate in 1813 but declined. Lord Randall tells the tale of a noble young man who has been poisoned by his lover. He comes home to his mother and complains that he is fatigued and only wants to lie down on his bed. He repeatedly pleads with his mother to make his bed so he can finally rest. His mother repeatedly questions him on what he has been doing and teases the story out of him. He has been poisoned by his false-hearted lover, and he bequeaths his belongings and treasures to his siblings. The structure of the song is reminiscent of the nursery rhyme Billy Boy, but instead of the hero being poisoned by the young lady, he bakes her a pie and decides she is too young to leave her mother. It also is mirrored in the campfire song, Green and Yellow. The song is a source for many  modern artists and authors. Bob Dylan used it as the basis of A Hard Rains A-Gonna Fall. Many artists have covered the folk ballad on their albums and releases. The Lord Randall Anonymous Traditional Folk Ballad â€Å"O where ha you been, Lord Randal, my son?And where ha you been, my handsome young man?†Ã¢â‚¬Å"I ha been at the greenwood; mother, mak my bed soon,For I’m wearied wi hunting, and fain wad lie down.†An wha met ye there, Lord Randal, my son?An wha met you there, my handsome young man?†Ã¢â‚¬Å"O I met wi my true-love; mother, mak my bed soon,For I’m wearied wi huntin, an fain wad lie down.†Ã¢â‚¬Å"And what did she give you, Lord Randal, my son?And what did she give you, my handsome young man?†Ã¢â‚¬Å"Eels fried in a pan; mother, mak my bed soon,For I’m wearied with huntin, and fain wad lie down.†Ã¢â‚¬Å"And wha gat your leavins, Lord Randal, my son?And what gat your leavins, my handsom young man?†Ã¢â‚¬Å"My hawks and my hounds; mother, mak my bed soon,For I’m wearied wi huntin, and fain wad lie down.†Ã¢â‚¬Å"And what becam of them, Lord Randall, my son?And what became of them, my handsome young man?†Ã¢â‚¬Å "They stretched their legs out an died; mother, mak my bed soon,For I’m wearied wi huntin, and fain wad lie down.†Ã¢â‚¬Å"O I fear you are poisoned, Lord Randal, my son!I fear you are poisoned, my handsome young man!†Ã¢â‚¬Å"O yes, I am poisoned; mother, mak my bed soon,For I’m sick at the heart, and I fain wad lie down. â€Å"What d’ ye leave to your mother, Lord Randal, my son?What d’ye leave to your mother, my handsome young man?†Ã¢â‚¬Å"Four and twenty milk kye; mother, mak my bed soon,For I’m sick at the heart, and I fain wad lie down.†Ã¢â‚¬Å"What d’ ye leave to your sister, Lord Randal, my son?What d’ ye leave to your sister, my handsome young man?†Ã¢â‚¬Å"My gold and my silver; mother, mak my bed soon,For I’m sick at the heart, an I fain wad lie down.†Ã¢â‚¬Å"What d’ ye leave to your brother, Lord Randal, my son?What d’ ye leave to your brother, my handsome young man?†Ã¢â‚¬Å"My house and my lands; mother, mak my bed soon,For I’m sick at the heart, and I fain wad lie down.†Ã¢â‚¬Å"What d’ ye leave to your true-love, Lord Randal, my son?What d’ ye leave to your true-love, my handsome young man?†Ã¢â‚¬Å"I leave her hell and fire; mother, mak my bed soon,For I’m sick at the hea rt, and I fain wad lie down.†

Concerning the American Language by Mark Twain Essay

Concerning the American Language by Mark Twain - Essay Example Although the history shows that the American language came from the English language, it is still unfair to consider the English language as the correct language and the American language is incorrect. According to the author’s point of view, there is no point of comparison since American language evolved from English language and developed its own identity as proven by 250 years of existence as the English language spread in the American region. As it spread, the meanings, pronunciation and other words also change. The language evolution was greatly affected by geographical locations and culture of people in certain regions. Despite of the changes in the language, the New England is still somehow heavily influenced by the England itself. The Yankees are the small population about four million people residing in the New York area. This was the region where the Englishmen planted English language in the American region. Although time has passed by, English dictionary like Webst er’s dictionary still calls the language as English language instead of American language. The basis for the language is still English language that causes the dilemma to the identity of the American language which is the very soul of the American people.