The assessment of social mobility essays

The assessment of social mobility essays Are the 35 million Americans who fall below the poverty line there because they are lazy and have let all opportunities for social advancement pass them by? Or is there currently a social structure that successfully reproduces classes and limits upward social mobility in America? Certain institutions in American society, including education, work and occupational structure and the family help perpetuate social class stratification. These institutions widen the gap between the rich and the poor by placing inherent restrictions on opportunities for those born into different classes. Although the degree of effort put forth by each individual is critically important, their relationship to the aforementioned institutions can severely limit upward social mobility. The current educational system creates a unique contradiction. While traditionally the best way to climb the ladders of society, American schools are now reproducing social classes. Those children born into poor families and neighborhoods usually begin their school career at a steep disadvantage. Public schools that are run down and lack sufficient funding or other key resources like good teachers are endemic to these lower income areas. The idea of class reproduction, or the correspondence principle, is obviously present in education. As mentioned above, differences between schools and school districts exist. In his article on the inequalities of public education in New York, Kozol describes an elementary school in North Bronx where 63 children share an average sized classroom. The room has no windows, for the building used to be a roller-skating rink. Consisting of 90% black and Hispanics, the student body of 1,300 has only 26 computers. (Kozol, 95) On the other hand, educational standards in upper-middle class communities are far superior. Here in Grand Blanc, Michigan an average second grade class would have one teacher for under thirty students and more than one computer i...

Collect and Plant an Acorn to Grow an Oak Tree

Collect and Plant an Acorn to Grow an Oak Tree Beginning as early as late August and continuing through December, various species of oak acorns are maturing and ripening for collection. Ripening dates vary from year to year and from state to state by as much as three to four weeks, making it difficult to use actual dates to determine maturity. The best time to collect acorns, either off the tree or from the ground, is when they begin falling- just that simple. Prime picking is late September through the first week in November, depending on oak tree species and location within the United States. This tree seed called an acorn is perfect when plump and the cap removes easily. Collecting and Storing Acorns The height of the acorn crop above the ground and the forest understory below can make it very difficult for the casual collector to gather large numbers of acorns in a forest setting. Lawns or paved areas help in collecting acorns if trees are found and prepared before site conditions degrade the nut. Locate open-grown trees that are heavily loaded with acorns and are in or adjacent to parking lots such as at churches or schools. Trees selected in this way also make identifying the acorns species easier. Always identify the tree and place tags or mark the bags so you will know what species you have collected. To store acorns for future planting, put them in a polyethylene plastic bag- a wall thickness of four to ten millimeters is best- with damp peat mix or sawdust. These bags are ideal for storing acorns since they are permeable to carbon dioxide and oxygen but impermeable to moisture. Close the bag loosely and store in the refrigerator at 40 degrees (white oaks can still sprout at between 36 and 39 degrees). Check acorns throughout the winter and keep just barely damp. Red oak acorns need about 1000 hours of cold or about 42 days. Planting these acorns in late April of the following season gives you the best success but can be planted later. Preparing for Planting The two most critical components of caring for acorns that are to be planted are: not allowing the acorns to dry out over an extended period of timenot allowing the acorns to heat up. Acorns will lose their ability to germinate very quickly if allowed to dry out. Keep acorns in the shade as you collect them, and put them in your refrigerator as soon as possible if not planting immediately. Dont freeze acorns. Immediate planting should be limited to the white oak species group including white, bur, chestnut and swamp oak. Red oak species group acorns must be planted in the second season- meaning the following spring. Special Instructions White Oak  acorns mature in one season- the season of collection. White oak acorns do not exhibit seed dormancy and will start to germinate very soon after maturing and falling to the ground. You can plant these acorns immediately or refrigerate for later planting. Red Oak  acorns mature in two seasons. The red oak group has to have some seed dormancy and generally does not germinate until the following spring and with some stratification (a cooling period). If stored properly and kept damp, these red oak acorns can be held in cold storage for planting in late April through early summer. Germinating and Potting After determining the proper time to plant, you should select the best-looking acorns (plump and rot-free) and place those in some  loose potting soil in one-gallon pots or deeper containers. The taproot will grow quickly to the bottom of containers and root width is not as important. Containers should have holes in the bottom to allow for drainage. Place acorns on their sides at a depth of one-half to the width size of the acorn. Keep the soil moist but aerated. Keep the pots from freezing. Transplanting Dont allow an oak seedling’s tap root to grow out of the container bottom and into the soil below. This will break the taproot. If possible, seedlings should be transplanted as soon as the first leaves open and become firm but before extensive root development occurs.​ The planting hole should be twice as wide and deep as the pot and root ball. Carefully remove the root ball. Gently set the root ball in the hole with the root crown at the level of the soil surface. Fill the hole with soil, firmly tamp and soak.

Global Issue Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Global Issue - Essay Example In the same cases, there is a reduction in the consumption and the ultimate increase in the savings as a share of GDP. The weakening in the rates of growth in the richest countries, and in parallel, the improvements in the rate of growths in the countries that are regarded as developing, automatically leads to a reduction on income inequality on the global scale. The inequalities between individuals within every country have a significant impact on a global level of inequalities. It is the degree of life’s variation including various levels of biological organization. Biodiversity considers several diversity existing among various species of plants and animals that live in a particular place. Biodiversity is necessary for the biological cycle in earth. Therefore, its existence is of great concern to humans. Humans should get concerned on biodiversity because the system is like a â€Å"chain creation†. If one part of the cycle goes wrong, then it puts the entire ecosystem in jeopardy, and the whole food web can be destroyed. Man is found at the top of the food chain, and if all other species below get affected or extinct in the process, the ecosystem will be hard for a man to survive. Therefore, biodiversity should be preserved in the environment. The use of rebel organism as an alternative source of energy seems the disastrous to the earthed ecosystem. The organism utilizes the nutrients that are underused thus shifting the environment away from the usual state that man has adapted. Climate change is very real in the modern world. Over several years, the climate of the earth has been changing throughout. Most of the variations seen in the global climate are linked to small variations in the orbit and accumulation of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The evidence indicating global changes of climate is compelling and includes the rising sea levels by approximately seventeen centimeters, global increase in temperatures, the ever warming of the oceans,

History of the Internet Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

History of the Internet - Essay Example The first run with the Internet was on October 29, 1969 between computers at Stanford and UCLA, making these computers the first to be connected on the network known as Arpanet. â€Å"The first message sent across the network was supposed to be ‘Login’, but the link between the two colleges crashed on the letter ‘g’ (Ryan, 2010).† Far from being fazed, computer specialists worked on fixing the problem and perfecting their concept of the Internet. By 1970, Harvard, MIT and BBN found themselves connected to one another through their computers; in 1971, email was being introduced, allowing schools and businesses to communicate with each other through computer networking. It was in 1974 that the Internet that we are familiar with now began to really take off. During this year, it was proposed that the various computers on the Arpanet network should be connected to one another. Due to this, it was determined that the network should have a purpose if numero us computers could access it, and thus the bulletin board system was designed, which would allow for messages to be displayed on a page and be accessed by others on the network. This brought to light the concept of being able to share information between separate computers on the same network.

Americas Obesity Essay Example for Free

Americas Obesity Essay The McDonalds Corporation wants to be everywhere that children are. The number of obese children has more than doubled since 1980. Many people blame the fast food industry for making the people of America fat. Most of the people in America blames the companies for selling their unhealthy food, advertising and promoting their food to young children, and creating super sized servings. Having said that, there are people who believe that it is the persons fault for being an unhealthy and obese person. Weintraubs article â€Å"The Battle Against Fast Food Begins in the Home†, argues that America shouldnt be blaming the fast food industry or the government, but instead the parents. Weintraub explains how its the parents responsibility for their own childs health and I agree with him. I, personally blame consumers but in this case the parents are the one to be blamed since their children are not old enough to understand how fast food affects our health. People are able to make their own decisions in life and every decision should help us in a positive matter. Before we are able to make right choices, its our parents responsibility to teach us. Parents should be able to teach their children on how to make wise choices. Everyone chooses for themselves and the choices we make should reflect on our life style and well being. In Weintraubs article, he states how he treats his kids in his own home and the strict rules he has set for his children to follow. His home is a fast food , free zone or shrine to physical fitness. Weintraubs family tries to cook meals at home as much as possible. They limit television time and he encourages his boys to get out of the house, to either participate in school sports or other outside activities. Weintraub recommends having health care foundations â€Å"encourage these kinds of simple policies in the home† and maybe we might just see a slight change in Americas obesity problem. Clearly fast food companies promote their food to children because they are easier to persuade and manipulate. Many children see McDonalds advertisements while watching television and they immediately react to it by telling their parents they want to buy this or that. Sometimes parents a rent able to cook a home cook meal so they turn to fast food. Most of the time their children wanted that in the first place. There are many situations where fast food is the only choice parents have because its fast and affordable. In our economy affordable is what everyone wants. Fast food locations are everywhere and anywhere. Weintraubs loaded gun analogy, â€Å"We have laws against parents leaving a loaded weapon where their children can find it and use it to hurt themselves or others. But no one seems to want to tell parents that they need to protect their children from unhealthy foods and sloth.† I agree with what he is trying to portray. In my family, my mother works seven days a week, barely has time to cook a mea. but she still forbids us to eat out or buy fast food. She knows how unhealthy fast food is for people because she has worked at McDonalds in the past and that could be the result of not wanting us to always eat fast food. It just really all depends on what your parents want you to do. It is the parents job to take the initiative for their kids health. Diabetes accounts for $100 bi llion a year in health care costs today. The center for Public Health Advocacy took data and the center said, 26 percent of school children are overweight. More boys (32 percent) than girls (21 percent) were overweight. The center blamed the increasing consumption of fast food and drinks, larger portion sizes, availability of junk food on campus, advertising junk food, and the lack of consistent physical education programs in schools. The outcome of that was authors recommending the state enforce an existing law requiring an average of at least 20 minutes per day of physical education, nutritional standards for schools, and working water fountains. Out of all 20 recommendations, only one focused on parents. Authors suggest that schools be required to provide parents with fitness test results on their children and information about the importance of daily physical activity for learning and lifelong health. Weintraub states in his conclusion, â€Å"Before we start talking about banning fast food, lets do more to encourage personal responsibility.† I have the same opinion and agree with Weintraub. We arent forced to eat fast food, we just choose to. Parents should teach their kids at an early age that there are alternatives and other ways to prevent obesity. It is the childs parents who is accountable for their choices. More organizations should inform parents that they need to influence better exercise and keep track of their childs eating habits.

My Dad the Fisherman Essay -- Personal Narrative, essay about my family

My dad won't sit on the riverbank anymore. He won't tell any more fishermen's tales. He won't cast his fly again and though his creel may be empty my eyes are filled with tears. My dad was a quiet man. He liked the solitude of fishing. He liked to be one with nature. It wouldn't occur to him that he was so popular, that he will be missed so much. Yet the very fact that so many mourn his passing says much more about him, and his kindness, than mere words. My dad, you see, did his good deeds by stealth. He never advertised the fact that he helped so many people in so many different ways. He never talked about his numerous acts of kindness. Yet I believe that almost everyone he knew has been at the receiving end of that kindness. He may have loaned a book that was especially relevant ...

Promotion and Pricing Strategies

Week 8 e-Activity Use the Internet or the Strayer Library to research a recent situation that has caused a business, not-for-profit organization, or government agency to suffer from bad publicity. Be prepared to discuss. â€Å"Promotion and Pricing Strategies† Please respond to the following: From the e-Activity, evaluate the situation of the organization you researched. Create a program outlining steps the organization might take to build better public relations. Ensure their search engines are being far to the consumer’s wants and needs.Rewrite its policy and procedures for marketing to support the consumers not just the brands they have a market share in. Employ outside audit agency to ensure coding is not limiting, collecting, or distributing user information even if it is for marketing. Take fault where fault should be taken, after all how can you say you don’t put other websites before others yet have a marketing team where you can buy key words that help m ove you up in your rankings. Source: http://www. computerworld. com/s/article/9230149/Bad_press_may_affect_Google_more_than_FTC_s_22. M_fine http://www. reuters. com/article/2012/10/12/us-google-ftc-antitrust-idUSBRE89B16G20121012 http://www. computerworld. com/s/article/9234096/Google_CEO_Page_said_to_meet_with_FTC http://www. nytimes. com/2012/10/13/technology/ftc-staff-prepares-antitrust-case-against-google-over-search. html? pagewanted=all From Case Study 13. 3, analyze the airline’s marketing strategy; its use of social media and free publicity. Speculate whether or not this strategy will allow the airline to reach its target market. Provide a rationale with your response.Pet travel is becoming part of the norm for travelers. Interesting is that hotel have started to adapt a more pet friend attitude to pets yet it took the airline industry a little longer to recognize this new segmented market. As a pet lover my dog goes with me on vacation so often I find it a challenge to find a flight to get my dog to go with me but easy to find places to rent. There are a lot of regulations for most companies that offer this service such as pet weight, bread, container of travel, and even destination. And I found all this true for Pet Airways as well.They seem to have a great concept but if you look at other airlines such as JetPaws better known as jetBlue not only do you get rewards points but there are more destinations and options for your pet. There are concerns with Pet Airways such as I’d rather my pet be on the same flight as me but as good as it sounds your pet will be on their own plan with other pets. With price ranging from 299 on up there are cheaper and faster options out there. Looking at the public relations side of the house I found several articles that spoke about writers visiting the Pet Airways but not given information or even a look at the pet holding area.There is one thing for sure those with pets who are taking this much care to make sure their pet is with them are more than likely going to want to check the entire facility out before checking their pets in. Just as the airline would do if you want your pet to fly with them. So this is where I would start: 8) Advertise in the top 3 animal pet stores (PetSmart, PetCo, and Pet Supplies Plus). 9) Take their youtube video (http://www. youtube. com/watch? v=sc2lvz1LGTc) and send out emails to customers via the top animal pet stores, local veterinarians in markets they service. Source: http://seniortravel. about. com/od/airtravel/a/PetAirways. htm

Literary Analysis of “A Doll’s House” by Henrik Ibsen

In the play â€Å"A Doll’s House† Henrik Ibsen introduces us to Nora Helmer and shows us how spontanesly her design of the ideal life can change when a secret of her is revealed. Nora’s husbands promotion to Manager of the town Bank, leaves her convince she will be living a wonderful life; stress and worry free. However, Nora’s idea of a wonderful life is completely changed when her long-kept secret is revealed. It is Christmas time when the play begins and with a larger income starting after the New Year, Nora is excited for a arrival of a new life. Yet, this ideal life for her begins to change when an old friend by the name of Mrs. Linde pays a visit to the Helmer household. Mrs. Linde, looking for a job has come to Nora looking for help through her husband; this excitement has Nora believing â€Å"He must Christine. Just leave it to me; I will broach the subject very cleverly- I will think of something that will please him very much. It will make me so happy to be of some use to be you† (677). Although, Torvald is happy to offer Mrs. Linde a job, Nora is unaware is has taken one step closer to her secret being reveal. As the story unfolds Nora begins to realize her husband’s ability to give Mrs. Linde’s new job, means Mr. Krogstand the man holding her secret is left unemployed; causing Nora to realize the cons of helping Mrs. Linde. â€Å"By matters of business- such as business as you and I have had together-do you think I don’t understand that? Very Well. Do as you please. But let me tell you this- If I lose my position a second time, you shall lose yours with me† (688). Mr . Krogstand uses the powers he has over Nora, to try and keep his job. He explains to her, that if he loses his place at the bank to Mrs. Lindke, he will be sure to tell Nora’s secret to her family. Realizing what this would do to the wonderful life to come after the New Year, she begs Torvald to find a place for Mr. Krogstand. However, Torvald opts not to find a position for him and with Mr. Krogstand keeping to his word he writes a letter to Torvald revealing Nora’s secret; creating the scene when everything in Nora’s life changes. As Torvald receives the letter, he acts out with rage â€Å"It is so incredible that I can’t take it in. But we must come to some understanding. Take off that shawl. Take it off, I tell you. I must try and appease him some way or another. The matter must be hushed at any cost. And as for you and me, it must appear as if everything between us were just as before- but naturally only in my eyes of the world. You will still remain in my and that is a matter of course. But I shall not allow you to bring up the children; I dare not trust them to you. To think that I should be obliged to say so to one whom I have loved so dearly, and whom I still-. No, that is all over. From this moment happiness is not the question; all that concerns us is to save the remains, the fragments, and the appearance-â€Å"(715 ). In was in this spite of rage that’s Nora’s dream of the soon to be wonderful life, is changed. Although it was shortly after this outrage from Helmer that he receives another letter saying Nora’s secret is safe; it was too late for Nora. The outrage has caused Nora to realize things about her life and explains to Helmer â€Å"I mean that I was simply transferred from papa’s hands into yours. You arranged everything according to your own taste, and so I got into the same tastes as you- or else I pretended to, I am really not quite sure which- I think sometimes the one and sometimes the other. When I look back on it, it seems to me as if I have existed merely to perform ticks for you, Torvald. But you would have it so. You and papa have committed a great sin against. It is your fault I have made nothing of my life† ( 717). This situation has created the chance for Nora realize she has been living in someone else shadows. She is not sure who she is or even her likes and dislikes and with that she ends the life she has been living. â€Å"Indeed, you were perfectly right. I am not fit for the task. There is another task I must undertake take first. I must try and educate myself- you are not the man to help me in that. I must do that for myself. And that is why I am going to leave you now† (719). She is not sure who she is or even her likes and dislikes and with that she ends the life she has been living. When the play â€Å"A Doll’s House† began we were introduced to Nora as a character who was excited for her new life after the New Year. Yet, a unexpected visit from a old friend caused Nora to make a decision that ended up resulting her secret begin revealed to her family. As this secret was reveal, it caused Nora to realize the perfect life she thought she wanted after the New Year was not the life she wanted. Showing us that sometimes things don’t always go as planned.

Nitendo Case Essay Example

Nitendo Case Essay Example Nitendo Case Essay Nitendo Case Essay ORAL TEAM PRESENTATION 1 Case No. 2 (text page C-17): Competition in energy drinks, sports drinks, and vitaminenhanced beverages. Suggested Questions: 1) What are the strategically relevant components of the global and U. S. beverage industry macro-environment? How do the economic characteristics of the alternative beverage segment of the industry differ from that of other beverage categories? Explain. 2) What is competition like in the alternative beverage industry? Which of the five competitive forces is strongest? Which is weakest? What competitive forces seem o have the greatest effect on industry attractiveness and the potential profitability of new entrants? 3) How is the market for energy drinks, sports drinks and vitamin-enhanced beverages changing? What are the underlying drivers of change and how might those forces individually or collectively make the industry more or less attractive? What key factors determine the success of alternative beverage producers? 4) What does your strategic group map of the energy drink, sports drink, and vitaminenhanced beverage industry look like? Which strategic groups do you think are in the best positions? The worst positions? 5) What key factors determine the success of alternative beverage producers? 6) What recommendations would you make to Coca-Cola to improve its competitiveness in the global alternative beverage industry? to PepsiCo? to Red Bull GmbH? ORAL TEAM PRESENTATION 2 Case No. 6 (text page C-95): Nintendos strategy in 2009 The ongoing battle with Microsoft and Sony. Suggested Questions: 1) What is competition like in the video game console industry? Do a five-force analysis to support your answer. Which of the five competitive forces is strongest? Which is weakest? Would you characterize the overall strength of competition in ideo game consoles as fierce, strong, moderate to normal or weak? Why? 2) What forces are driving changes in the video game console industry? Are these driving forces acting to make the industry more or less competitively intense? Are the driving forces acting to make the industry more or less profitable in future years? 3) What 3-5 key factors determine the success of video game console developers like Nintendo? 4) What is Nintendos strategy? Which of the five generic strategies discussed in Chapter 5 is Nintendo using? What are some of the recent offensive and/or defensive strategies that Nintendo has employed? Have these tactics been successful? 5) Is it fair to characterize Nintendos introduction of the Wii as a blue ocean strategy? Why or why not? 6) How well is Nintendos strategy working in terms of the financial performance it is delivering? Should shareholders be pleased? Why or why not? What 2-3 weaknesses? 7) What does a SWOT analysis reveal about the attractiveness of Nintendos overall situation? Is the companys competitive position as solid as top management seems to believe? Does the company have a competitive advantage? If so, what is the basis for this competitive advantage and is the advantage sustainable? 8) What does a competitive strength assessment (as per the methodology in Table 4. 2 of Chapter 4) reveal about whether Nintendo has a competitive advantage? 9) What recommendations would you make to Nintendo to improve its competitiveness in the video game console industry and to maintain its favorable positioning vis-? ¤-vis Microsoft and Sony? ORAL TEAM PRESENTATION 3 Case No. 10 (text page C-1 56): Research in Motion Managing explosive growth. 1) What are the dominant economic characteristics of the wireless communications industry? What are the distinguishing features of the market for smart phones? 2) What is competition like in the wireless phone industry? Which of the five competitive forces is strongest? Which is weakest? What competitive forces seem to have the greatest effect on industry attractiveness? 3) How is the wireless phone industry changing? What are the underlying drivers of change and how might those driving forces change the industry? 4) What strategic approach has Research in Motion chosen to employ in international markets? Would you characterize its strategy as a global strategy or a localized multicountry strategy? How has it utilized location to build competitive advantage? 5) How important is it for Research in Motion to increase the size of its pool of software developers? What are the different options for substantially increasing its R staff? 6) Which option for increasing the number of software developers should Research in Motion pursue? Explain how your recommended course of action is consistent with Research in Motions resources, organizational capabilities, and management preferences. ORAL TEAM PRESENTATION 4 CASE 17 (PAGE C-270): Adidas in 2009 Has corporate restructuring increased shareholder value? 1 . What is adidas corporate strategy? Was there a common strategic approach utilized in managing the companys lineup of sporting goods businesses prior to its 2005-2006 restructuring? Has the corporate strategy changed with restructuring? 2. What is your evaluation of adidas line-up of businesses in 2009? What does a 9-cell industry attractiveness/business strength matrix displaying adidas business units look like? 3. Does adidas business line-up exhibit good strategic fit? What value-chain match- evident? Prior to its divestiture, what kind of strategic fl ts existed between adidas core business and its Salomon business unit? 4. Has adidas business line-up exhibited good resource fit between 1998 and 2008? What have been the financial characteristics of its major business segments during that time period? Which businesses might have been considered cash hogs and cash cows? 5. Based on your analysis of adidas businesses, did the restructuring undertaken in 2005 and 2006 make sense? Does it appear the acquisition of Reebok International will produce higher returns for shareholders? What strategic actions should adidas top management initiate to improve the companys financial and market performance now that restructuring is complete?

All the College Ranking Lists You Should Read

All the College Ranking Lists You Should Read SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips People love ranking lists. It seems that the majority of articles posted on social media and television shows on basic cable are ranking something, from the prettiest celebrities to the best songs of the 1980's. The fascination with college ranking lists has been around for over 30 years since the U.S. News World Report debuted its list in 1983. There are quite a few college ranking lists out there, but which ones are the best ones? Which ones should you look at? Honestly, all overall college ranking lists are flawed, and you should spend more time researching and visiting colleges than obsessing over college rankings to determine which college you should attend. However, in this article I will detail the pros and cons of different college ranking lists and of college ranking lists in general. You can obtain some worthwhile information from these lists, so you shouldn't completely dismiss them. The Benefits of Using College Ranking Lists From looking at college ranking lists, you can discover colleges you may not have been familiar with that could be a good fit for you. By looking at these lists, you may find a school that matches what you're looking for in a college. College ranking lists provide extensive data in one place for you to compare schools. In one list, you can see statistics for different colleges like average class size, high school GPA, SAT/ACT scores, and cost. Also, these lists give you a rough idea of the reputations of different colleges. While these lists are subjective, they do tend to reflect how colleges are regarded in the academic and professional worlds. There is probably little difference between a #1 and a #5 school in terms of reputation, but the #1 school in a list is going to have a better reputation than #100. Finally, these lists can give you an idea of what you need to do to make yourself competitive for admission to a specific college. These ranking lists often give you the average GPA, standardized test scores, and the percentage of students who graduate in the top 10% and 25% in their high school classes. From these numbers, you can determine what you should accomplish to make yourself a qualified applicant. Your numbers should compare favorably to those of the average student at a particular collegeif you want to give yourself a realistic shot at gaining admission. Why You Should Avoid Basing Your College Decisions on the Rankings Some of the criteria these lists use to compile their rankings are highly subjective and are based on survey responses. "Quality of life" and "academics" can be major factors for rankings and both are often based on opinions from surveys. The primary problem with these survey results is that they don't seem to be representative; they suffer from voluntary response bias and nonresponse bias. For example, Princeton Review ranks colleges in 62 categories. Often, a college alerts the student body that the Princeton Review surveys are available online and then students choose to complete the surveys. Those students who volunteer to take the surveys are likely to not be representative of the student population as a whole. Typically, those who would volunteer have stronger opinions than those of the average student. Similarly, U.S. News World Report determines the academic quality of an institution based on survey responses from top academics and administrators from other colleges and from high school counselors. Are those who choose to respond to the surveys necessarily representative of all college representatives and high school counselors? Some top academics and knowledgeable high school counselors who are sent surveys choose not to submit responses. Additionally, some colleges, like Reed College, may have their rankings affected because they choose not to submit information because they do not want to participate in college ranking lists. Students can get too focused on the rankings instead of figuring out which school is the best fit for them. There's probably not much difference in the quality of education at a #5 school vs. a #10 school. The #10 school may be a much better fit for a student who could excel academically at both. Furthermore, colleges are motivated and influenced by the rankings. Colleges understand that these rankings are popular and influential. They'll spend money on things the lists consider important or aggressively recruit students who have little chance of gaining admission just to raise their selectivity rating to increase their rank. Finally, and perhaps most disturbingly, schools cheat to improve their rankings. Colleges have lied (and probably do lie) when reporting their numbers to college ranking lists to get a better rank. Colleges have cheated to improve their rank. How Should Reputation Factor Into Your College Decision? As much as some of us like to discount the importance of reputation, it can play a significant role. Colleges that are ranked more highly often have more motivated and academically gifted students, and colleges that do well in the rankings tend to have influential alumni and professional connections that can have a positive impact on your future. Similarly, graduates from well-ranked schools are often favored when they apply to professional or graduate schools. Keep in mind that your work ethic and aptitude will have a far greater influence on your future success than the college you attend. You can be highly successful regardless of the college you go to; however, going to a highly ranked school will offer you undeniable advantages. Now, let's take a look at some of the better and more well-known lists. U.S. News World Report The U.S. News college rankings are viewed as the gold standard of college ranking lists. Its list is the most well-known and referenced. Here is a basic overview of how U.S. News determines its rankings: A total weight of 30% is given to factors related to student retention and graduation rates. It gives a 22.5% weight to a school's academic reputation based on survey responses from peer institutions and high school counselors. The remaining 47.5% is devoted to objective statistics about the school including measures of selectivity, faculty information, financial resources, and alumni giving. Pros U.S. News separates colleges into four categories for its rankings: National Universities, National Liberal Arts Colleges, Regional Universities, and Regional Colleges. The categories allow for more direct comparisons and prevent ranking a large public college with 40,000 undergraduate students against a small liberal arts college with less than 1,000. Because U.S. News surveys top academics and college administrators to determine academic reputation, the rankings do provide a general idea of how well regarded a school is in academia. U.S. News rankings heavily emphasize student retention rates and graduation rates. Both are important factors to consider when choosing a college. They provide some clues about the quality of the support services and the student satisfaction level at different colleges Finally, because the U.S. News rankings are the most prestigious of all the ranking lists, they are the most influential and help shape public opinion. The top-ranked schools in U.S. News are generally considered to be the best schools by employers, academics, and admissions committees. Graduation rate is an important factor in the rankings. Cons Not all colleges are ranked in the U.S. News rankings. For the latest rankings, 148 colleges are listed as "unranked" within the four categories of schools. Schools are unranked because they lack regional accreditation, fewer than 200 students are enrolled, they don't use the SAT or ACT in admissions decisions, or they didn't get enough responses on the U.S. News peer assessment survey. Therefore, if you're interested in a very small school or a college that doesn't use standardized tests in admissions decisions, this rankings list won't be very helpful for you. Also, in the U.S. News rankings, there is little emphasis on quality of life. The most important criteria for the U.S. News rankings are the surveys regarding academic quality and the rates for student retention and graduation. This rankings list is less helpful than others in indicating how much students enjoy their experience at a particular college. While I previously mentioned some of the problems with relying on survey responses in U.S. News to determine academic reputation, there is an additional major problem. Many of those who respond to the surveys may not even be qualified to assess the academics at different colleges. The typical respondent grades about half of the colleges in his or her category. There are 262 National Universities. Are respondents knowledgeable enough to evaluate the academic programs of over 100 colleges, or are they simply relying on reputations generated from earlier rankings? Prominent writer Malcolm Gladwell addresses this point in a New Yorker article: (W)henU.S. Newsasks a university president to perform the impossible task of assessing the relative merits of dozens of institutions he knows nothing about, he relies on the only source of detailed information at his disposal that assesses the relative merits of dozens of institutions he knows nothing about:U.S. News...The U.S. News ratings are a self-fulfilling prophecy. Furthermore, the criteria used in U.S. News rankings seem to favor private colleges almost by default while disadvantaging public schools. Private schools often score higher in selectivity because public schools are more focused on being accessible to qualified in-state applicants. Similarly, because private colleges tend to have significantly lower student populations, they can offer smaller classes and their student-faculty ratio is lower. However, public colleges can offer advantages that are not measured nor reflected in the rankings. Public colleges can have larger and more diverse student bodies, more academic programs and majors, and more extracurricular activities. Finally, U.S. News rankings don't directly consider the salaries of graduates nor the likelihood of getting the job you want after graduating. Many people go to college specifically to prepare for a certain career or to get a well-paying job after they graduate. U.S. News rankings may not be as beneficial in helping you to decide which college is most likely to help you reach your professional goals. U.S. News doesn't consider the salaries of graduates. Forbes The Forbes college rankings list is newer and less prestigious than the U.S. News list, but the Forbes list is still very popular and Forbes is considered to be a reputable publication. Forbes emphasizes student outcomes from colleges to determine its rankings. Rankings are heavily dependent on post-graduation success, freshman retention rates, and graduation rates. Here is a general breakdown of the factors that determine the Forbes rankings: A weight of 25% is given to Student Satisfaction, which is determined from student evaluations from RateMyProfessors.com (7.5%), freshman retention rates (12.5%), predicted freshman retention rates compared to actual rates (2.5%), and a school satisfaction survey conducted by Forbes via Facebook (2.5%). A full 32.5% of the rankings is based on post-graduate success, which is determined from alumni salary statistics gathered from Payscale.com (10%) and rewarding the alma maters of those who are on the Center for College Affordability and Productivity's America's Leaders List (22.5%). America's Leaders List is composed of people who are at the top of their fields, including Nobel and Pulitzer winners, Guggenheim and MacArthur fellows, those elected to the National Academy of Sciences, and winners of an Academy Award, Emmy, Tony, or Grammy. A weight of 25% is given to student debt, which is determined by average federal student loan debt (10%), student loan default rates (12.5%), and predicted vs. actual federal student loan debt (2.5%). Graduation rate counts for 7.5% of the rankings. Graduation rate is divided into the four-year graduation rate (5%) and the predicted vs. actual four-year graduation rate (2.5%). Finally, academic success makes up the final 10% of the rankings. Academic success is based on students who receive prestigious academic awards like the Rhodes Scholarship (7.5%) and alumni who get PhDs (2.5%). Pros "Student Satisfaction" is an important component of the rankings.The Forbes listmay be more beneficial than the U.S. News list in determining the quality of life at different colleges. Because you'll probably be spending at least four years at the college you attend, you want to not only choose a school that will educate you well and prepare you for your future, but also you want to be happy during those years. You want to enjoy your living environment, your peers, and the time you spend outside of class. By emphasizing post-graduate success, the Forbes list may give you a better indication of the impact of a specific college on your attaining your future professional goals. Finally, the emphasis on student debt in the Forbes rankings separates it from most of the other college ranking lists. By measuring the average federal student loan debt and the student loan default rate, the Forbes list may give you an idea of the affordability of a school, the generosity of a school's financial aid, and whether students are capable of paying back their loans after they graduate. Cons Unlike U.S. News, Forbes does not separate colleges into categories. There is no distinction between the different types of colleges in the Forbes rankings. It's extremely difficult to effectively compare schools that vary tremendously in size, degree options, and research capabilities. Because some of these colleges are so different from one another, it's impossible to determine which school is "better" for everyone. For example, how can you rank Penn State University, which has over 40,000 undergraduates and more than 160 majors against Wesleyan College, which has fewer than 700 undergraduate students and only 31 majors? Additionally, the Forbes list can favor schools that have wealthy student bodies. A college's student debt grade may not reflect the generosity of the school's financial aid or whether students get high-paying jobs after they graduate. Students from affluent families are less likely to have to take out loans and are more likely to be able to pay back loans. Therefore, schools that have more wealthy students are likely to do well in the "student debt" component of the rankings. There is still only a small emphasis paid to the actual student experience. The student satisfaction survey given to students is only a very small component of the rankings. Additionally, information from Rank My Professors is hardly a reliable source to determine how happy students are with their classes at a particular school. Teacher evaluations from Rank My Professors are not representative because they suffer from nonresponse bias. Most students don't use that website. Furthermore,Forbes rankings provide little information about what life is like on campus. Finally, Forbes has a very narrow definition of success. "Student Success" is based on the salary of alumni and whether students obtain prestigious positions and awards. Schools with pre-professional programs in potentially high-paying fields like accounting and business may get a bump in the rankings. That doesn't mean much to you if you're not interested in pursuing accounting or business. Similarly, colleges who have more alumni who go into less lucrative fields like teaching or non-profit work may score poorly in "Student Success." However, that is no indication that a college isn't good or that its alumni aren't successful. Niche Niche is a website that has been around since 2002. It provides rankings and reviews for neighborhoods, cities, and schools. The Niche college rankings are less well-known than those of U.S. News and Forbes. However, the Niche college rankings list does provide some information and advantages that the other ranking lists don't have. Niche rankings are based on the overall experience at traditional 4-year colleges and universities. How does Niche determine the "overall experience" at a school? The academics grade counts for 35% of a school's ranking. The academics grade is based on objective statistics like acceptance rate, SAT/ACT scores, research expenditures, 6-year graduation rate, professor salary index, admissions yield, freshman retention rate, freshman National Merit Scholars, and faculty awards. Additionally, Niche incorporates survey responses from students regarding the quality of academics at their college and statistics and survey responses about diversity on campus to determine the academics grade. Then, 12% of the rankings are based on student survey responses about the overall experience at the college they currently or recently attended. Additional factors that influence the rankings are statistics and student survey responses based on campus quality (8%), loan default rate (6%), athletics (5%), average net price (5%), diversity (5%), local area (5%), endowment per full-time student (4%), "guys and girls" (4%), health and safety (4%), party scene (4%), and private gifts/grants per full-time student (3%). Niche grades colleges' party scenes. Pros Niche relies on many more factors to determine its rankings. The rankings are based on more than 50 statistics and survey responses on 20 topics from almost 300,000 current students and alumni. Niche tries to incorporate every factor that could possibly influence the college experience, from the acceptance rate to the attractiveness of guys and girls on campus. It seems to be a more well-rounded ranking list instead of just using factors that it deems important. Also, the Niche rankings place a much higher emphasis on factors that are related to quality of life. Student survey responses about the quality of the overall experience at the college count for 12% of the rankings. Additionally, Niche gives scores for "campus quality," "athletics," and "party scene." Besides overall college rankings, Niche also provides college rankings in 54 different categories. Some of those ranking lists include "best campus food," "best academics," "best party schools," and "safest campus." You can focus on the ranking lists in categories that are important to you instead of just looking at the overall rankings that may utilize criteria that don't matter to you. Another positive of the Niche rankings is that they incorporate average net price. Net price is the average cost of a school after financial aid for students receiving grants or scholarship aid. Unlike metrics such as average amount of federal loans and loan default rate, net price doesn't favor schools with more wealthy students. Finally, Niche is one of the few ranking lists that factors in diversity in its rankings. Diversity doesn't just refer to the ethnic and racial breakdown of the student body. Niche uses "diversity" to mean that a school "fosters a community that accepts and promotes a diversity of viewpoints, backgrounds, religious beliefs, sexual orientations, and socioeconomic statuses." Also, a diverse school has a significant percentage of international students and students that represent every geographic region of the United States, and the faculty is diverse in terms of gender and ethnicity. Cons Niche is not as well-known asU.S. News or Forbes. Because its rankings are not as prestigious or referenced, they have much less of an impact on the reputations of different colleges. Additionally, because Niche uses many more factors in its rankings, it's likely to use criteria that don't matter to you in a college. You may not be very concerned about a school's party scene, the athletics, or how the girls rank. Those are all factors in the Niche rankings. Final Thoughts Use college ranking lists to determine the reputations of different colleges. The ranking lists do tend to reflect and shape public opinion. While the exact ranking of a school will vary from list to list, the colleges that are consistently ranked highly do offer advantages while you're in college and after you graduate. Browse college ranking lists to discover new colleges that may be a good fit for you. You may not be familiar with Amherst College, Bowdoin College, or Pomona College, but Forbes ranks all three of them within their top 20 colleges. There are literally thousands of colleges, and ranking lists can introduce you to excellent schools that may match what you're looking for in a college. Instead of just looking at overall college ranking lists, pay attention to lists that focus on criteria that matter to you. You can look at lists from Niche that rank schools based on "best technology" or "best food" if you care about those things. Overall college rankings vary from list to list because there are so many factors that go into the college experience, and there is no exact science to determine if one school is better than another. U.S. News ranks the University of Chicago as the #3 National University while Forbes ranks it as the #18 college. Don't get too caught up in the specific ranking of a school. Each list focuses on the criteria that it deems important. When you're looking at a college rankings list, you should also be familiar with how the rankings are determined. Finally, college rankings should only be one small tool you use to help determine your college decision. More important than a college's ranking is figuring out whether or not the school is a good fit for you. Does it have the extracurricular activities you want to pursue? Does the school excel in the academic areas that most interest you? Are there appropriate support services that will allow you to be successful? How's the social climate? Make sure you know how to choose a college. What's Next? Instead of solely relying on ranking lists, use the best college search websites to help you find the right college for you. Also, learn more about the differences between public and private colleges. If you need to improve your grades to help get into the college of your choice, check out this post on how to raise your GPA in high school. 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:

Critically discuss why the teachings of the Quality Gurus are Essay

Critically discuss why the teachings of the Quality Gurus are important - Essay Example Quality gurus have played a considerable role in setting the dimensions of success for all companies and organizations. It is due to the teachings of quality gurus that the companies pay special attention towards improving and maintaining quality of the products and services. The mutual belief of all quality gurus was that quality management is a continuous process, which helps the companies build and maintain profitable relationships with the customers. Some of most famous quality gurus include Armand Feigenbaum, Edwards Deming, Philip Crosby, Kaoru Ishikawa, Genichi Taguchi, and Masaaki Imai. All of these gurus brought different concepts of quality which not only helped the companies achieve competitive advantage in the past but also provide appropriate directions towards success to the companies belonging to the present world. We can take example of Masaaki Imai who came up with the concept of Kaizen in 1986, which led Japan’s way to huge success in the field of technologic al development. Kaizen is an umbrella, which includes all Japanese practices related to quality management. Imai focused on continuous improvement in all departments of a company. One of the main teachings of all quality gurus was quality control, which means to ensure quality in all stages of a product development.

Perceptions of Different Cultures Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Perceptions of Different Cultures - Essay Example Globalization and civilization have made each community more aware of itself, its image, its reputation and its attitude towards its culture and the risk of trust or distrust in other people’s cultures. Some communicative behavior is comprehensive, others specific to a given society just as much as words that only have a much significant in a specific language. Different cultures have distinctive ways of assigning intention to common behaviors within informal verbal exchange such as the use of gaze and head –gestures (Saunders 118). Like in the Kazakhs culture they believe that the most powerful healer received the power from a tattoo that was not colored but it was a sign that she is one of the community healers while others believe tattoos are meant for beauty and body decorations. In the Kazakhs feast, Molina stares at Huston in a long unsmiling gaze to say that she was welcomed while she expected a jovial facial expression to show that she is accepted and welcomed i n the feast (Zaleski 101). The perceptions of the two cultures on the facial expressions vary in the sense that they have different concepts of the informal verbal communication. There are distinct opinions of the gender roles and cultures differ in setting the accepted roles of both females and males. More civilized cultures believe in gender equality and have the attitude that both male and female have the same capability of doing any given task. There is a clear picture of how the Kazakhs culture views the idea of gender equality... There are distinct opinions of the gender roles and cultures differ in setting the accepted roles of both females and males. More civilized cultures believe in gender equality and have the attitude that both male and female have the same capability of doing any given task. there is a clear picture of how the Kazakhs culture views the idea of gender equality and they still believe there are certain roles that should only be done by men thus they don’t approve that there can be equal states for both male and female . When the car breaks down on their way, Alina is unconcerned of what happened and says that Ivan will just think and fix the problem while on the other hand Huston has a different opinion and thinks that she can be of good help in trying to fix the problem (Zaleski 92). These acts as an important example that shows the disparity of ideas where the Kazakhs culture does not advocate nor promote gender equality and they still believe that there are separate roles for ea ch gender. It is clear that there is a vast number of spirits as it is in different cultures that believe in good and bad spirits as well as those who believe in only one supreme god. There are communities where people believe in darkness powers that bring harm and bad things to them. The cultures mostly rely on witch crafts and magicians who give them protection through charms, spiritual prayers and instructions that should be followed to stop the evil spirits that come to destroy or bring problems to them. On the other hand there are those who believe in only one god and justify that it is only the creator who can protect you. Huston and Alina seem to differ in this because Alina wants her to buy a charm that will protect his son so that