What to Do When a Possessive Blocks Punctuation

What to Do When a Possessive Blocks Punctuation What to Do When a Possessive Blocks Punctuation What to Do When a Possessive Blocks Punctuation By Mark Nichol When one refers to a city followed by the name of the state or a larger entity in which the city is located, the larger entity is set off from the smaller one by a pair of commas. But how do you treat such a reference when the place name is possessive? Revise the reference. A DailyWritingTips.com reader sent me this note: â€Å"I came across this in this morning’s New York Times: â€Å"In Portland, Oregon’s Pearl District, Dave Trausneck said he draws inspiration from the many states he has called home.† I suppose there should be a comma after Oregon’s but it sure would look hinky. It’s an awkward little phrase. What do you think? Should it be recast to read, â€Å"In the Pearl District, in Portland, Oregon, Dave Trausneck said he draws inspiration from the many states he has called home†? Oddly, as far as I know, this question is not resolved in any writing or editing handbooks, but some online commentators agree with the reader and me that a comma after Oregon would be quite hinky. But the New York Times usage, as she suggests, possesses some hinkiness of its own. I would change it with a revision similar to hers, but with a construction that reduces the comma count: â€Å"In the Pearl District of Portland, Oregon, Dave Trausneck said he draws inspiration from the many states he has called home.† A similar aberration appears in such sentences as â€Å"The Albany, New York-based company was founded in 1999.† Technically, the hyphen, to demonstrate that â€Å"New York,† not just York, is being attached to based as a phrasal adjective, should be an en dash, but that subtlety is lost on many readers (and writers). Regardless, it’s better to write around this style break: â€Å"The company, based in Albany, New York, was founded in 1999.† Alternatively, consider whether â€Å"based in† is superfluous it’s relevant only if the company is headquartered in Albany, New York, but has other locations and delete the phrase if appropriate: â€Å"The Albany, New York, company was founded in 1999.† Then there’s the intrusive insertion of a parenthesis between the possessive form of a name and the noun it refers to, as in â€Å"The law went into effect when Russia’s (then the Soviet Union) road use was not as heavy because fewer citizens owned vehicles.† Should â€Å"Soviet Union† also be possessive? No, because it’s a parenthetical insertion of the different name of the country during the period being referred to. But revise the syntax to avoid the possessive form altogether: â€Å"The law went into effect when road use in Russia (then the Soviet Union) was not as heavy because fewer citizens owned vehicles.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Style category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:15 Terms for Those Who Tell the FutureConnotations of 35 Words for Funny People40 Irregular Verbs That Can End in â€Å"-t†

5 Not This . . . But That Parallelism Problems

5 Not This . . . But That Parallelism Problems 5 â€Å"Not This . . . But That† Parallelism Problems 5 â€Å"Not This . . . But That† Parallelism Problems By Mark Nichol Just as â€Å"not only . . . but also† constructions often stymie writers (see this recent post on the topic, and search the Daily Writing Tips site for â€Å"not only . . . but also† to find several others), similar syntactical phrasing can be difficult to form correctly. 1. â€Å"The movie achieves its effects, not by threatening to show you something hideous, but by getting under your skin and into your head.† This sentence constructs the comparative phrases (â€Å"not by [this] but by [that]†) correctly, but the internal punctuation is superfluous: â€Å"The movie achieves its effects not by threatening to show you something hideous but by getting under your skin and into your head.† 2. â€Å"I caution her not to rely so heavily on what she thinks others would do, but on her own intuition.† Because the verb rely applies to both comparative phrases, as achieves does in the first example, both the phrase beginning with not and the one beginning with but should follow the verb; the phrase describing the recommended strategy should also be revised to more thoroughly parallel the description of the person’s original approach: â€Å"I caution her to rely not so heavily on what she thinks others would do but to depend, rather, on her intuition.† 3. â€Å"He films it in a way that doesn’t suggest good taste, but colossal presumption and delusion.† This sentence has the same error of parallelism as the preceding one; the verb suggest should precede both the not phrase (here, its beginning is disguised as doesn’t) and the but phrase: â€Å"He films it in a way that suggests not good taste but colossal presumption and delusion.† 4. â€Å"But the story here is not one of privacy infringement so much as the way real estate is changing because of technology.† The comparative phrasing here is incomplete; a repetition of is within a mirroring verb phrase must be inserted before the concluding phrase: â€Å"But the story here is not one of privacy infringement so much as it is the way real estate is changing because of technology.† 5. â€Å"They accomplished this task both by utilizing the built-in transformation tools and creating their own.† Both is correctly positioned only if by is repeated before the verb in the second part of the compound phrase: â€Å"They accomplished this task both by utilizing the built-in transformation tools and by creating their own.† Otherwise, both should switch places with by: â€Å"They accomplished this task by both utilizing the built-in transformation tools and creating their own.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Style category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:50 Rhetorical Devices for Rational WritingThat vs. WhichList of 50 Compliments and Nice Things to Say!

The French Revolution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The French Revolution - Essay Example They also cancelled all the special privileges of the many nobles and clergymen they felt were clogging up the system. They then looked at what the Americans had done with their Declaration of Independence from the U.K. in which they had tried to give equal rights to everyone. The French basically copies a lot of this and the Assembly published the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen. This didn’t have any legal effect, but it was supposed to guide the government in making a new constitution. In the new document, all citizens are supposed to be guaranteed the rights of â€Å"liberty, property, security, and resistance to oppression.† The Declaration argues that the peoples’ need for laws comes from the fact that â€Å"...the exercise of the natural rights of each man has only those borders which assure other members of the society the enjoyment of these same rights.† So the declaration sees law as a kind of â€Å"expression of the general will,† intending to promote equality of rights and to stop â€Å"actions harmful to society.† This was popular with many groups of people who had been disenfranchised under the old system and were looking for a big change which would give them more political power and reduce their tax rate. Previously the nobles had all the power and all the money; people were fed up and wanted things to be more equal. They felt they were a group that could no longer be trampled on by the upper classes, and that they h ad individual rights and should be able to be active French citizens. Two branches of politics can be seen to come out of this period. In the first—the American model—we can see people respecting individual rights and power devolved from government. In the second model we can see a sort of radicalism that destroys the old order and replaces it with a new radical order that wants everyone to be completely equal. This is the basis and foundation of Communism—many of whose

Discussion Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 15

Discussion - Assignment Example Their recreational activities are also hindered. She says that she had to squeeze her work time, which served as her recreation to be with the kids at home, as her husband could not manage the kids alone. â€Å"...so I asked if I could just come to the store during the week...† (Ladies Home Journal, pg 2). Another challenge that women experienced was when the children fell ill. They felt they would be blamed for the illnesses. â€Å"...so I had exposed fifteen children to measles, and I was not the most unpopular mother in the neighbourhood...† (Pg 3) On the other hand, the richer women boasted of easier work handling of the house chores as they were introduced to machines like the hoover and the â€Å"full kitchen† accessories (Primary source pictorial, page 2 and page 5).In general, women found themselves caught between house chores and their leisure, which they often chose to fore go. In as much as the parents and social scientists of the day experienced anxiety over the emergence of a separate teenage culture, the business community took this to their advantage and produced more goods that would fit in the teenagers lifestyles. The increasing â€Å"teen market† was directly proportional to production and sales by the companies (The Teenage Consumer, Life 1959. Pg 2). Teenagers no longer fancied bikes and dresses; instead they surrounded themselves with millions of photographs, television sets and cameras, much to the disbelief of the parents who thought such as luxuries at their time (The teenage consumer, Life Magazine. Pg 1). As illustrated in "Life Magazine", (August 31st, 1959, Pg 1), previously the businessmen mainly ignored the teenage market. However, they later began to pump more resources in line with the teenage demand. A case example of a 17-year-old Suzzie is given; a route that apparently teenagers would

The interest of the reader Throughout Essay Example for Free

The interest of the reader Throughout Essay In the story the Adventure of the Speckled Band a girl dies mysteriously. No one knows how she died, and her sister, fearing for her own life, goes to see Sherlock Holmes. She tells him all about the mysterious death of her sister and he goes to her home, with his assistant Dr Watson, to investigate. They stay in the room that the girl was in when she died and discover that theres an air-vent that runs from the stepfathers bedroom to the girls bedroom. The bed is bolted to the floor so it cant be moved away from the wall and theres a bell-pull by the bed that isnt connected, its fake. In the end they discover that the stepfather wasnt happy about the girl getting married because he didnt want her husband to get her money so he killed her using an Indian Swamp Adder the Speckled Band. As the sister of the dead girl was getting married, the stepfather moved her into her sisters bedroom, next to his, and tried to kill her before she married. The relationship between the stepfather and the two women was not the best of father-daughter relationships. They hated him and he didnt exactly like them because theyd inherit his money when he died. The mystery was solved and his plan backfired, the snake bit him and killed him instantly, before he had a chance to kill the daughter. Conan Doyle keeps the reader in suspense throughout the story. He does this by giving the reader clues, which dont make sense when theyre first given, and lead you down the wrong path completely. These are called red herrings, something that make you think one thing when its actually something completely different. In the end all the clues Conan Doyle has given make sense. The story keeps the reader in suspense because its a mystery story. As its to do with a murder, that makes the story more exciting and makes you want to read on and find out what actually happens at the end and what conclusion Sherlock Holmes comes to at the end and whether or not its correct. I thought this story was a bit boring, as it was 19th century. Back then it would probably have been thought to be a very good story, but I prefer more up-to-date stories. I didnt find it that bad or that good. Im glad it wasnt too long because I would probably have got very fed up of it if it had gone on and on and on. It gave you all the facts and information you needed and didnt go on and on about one thing for too long. It was kept short and sweet. In that way I thought it was ok. In the story the stepfather is a doctor and worked over in India but got sent back to England because of his violent temper, as he struck a person for something that wasnt their fault. The doctor had animals imported from countries hed worked in, e. g. ) India. He kept a cheetah, an orangutan, which everyone knew about in the village, and an Indian swamp adder, (the speckled band), which no one except the doctor, knew about. In the story the doctor rents out some of the land he owns to some gypsies. At first when people hear about the mysterious death at the manor, some think that it was the cheetah or the orangutan that had killed Julia, and some think the speckled band was a bandanna that the gypsies wore and that it was one of them that had murdered her. Others didnt know what to think. After some investigating, Sherlock Holmes solved the mystery, with the help of his assistant, Dr Watson, and the story had a happy ending. Helen, Julias sister got married and the doctor, her stepfather, got killed by the swamp adder he was going to use to kill Helen like he did Julia.

Apathy :: essays research papers

As you wait to cross the street, a blind man is standing in front of you. Without warning, he begins to cross the street even though the light has not changed in his favor. He seems to be in no danger until you see a car about a half mile away speeding towards him. Totally unaware of the situation, the man continues walking across the street. As you and many others watch in horror he is struck by the car. Although every single one of you had plenty of time to rescue him, you just watched, hoping that someone else would do it. After all, you don't know him so it's really none of your business. This is what is referred to as "bystander apathy". People close enough to see, hear and possibly touch one another are socially distant and totally indifferent to the fact that another human being may be dying, in immediate danger, or asking for help. This extremely sad urban problem is just that- a problem of cities. The likelihood of this occurring increases with the number of people present and it is probable that there will be many people to witness an event when it happens in high density cities. Urban sociologists, social psychologists, and criminologists have argued for years that the size of cities is directly related to the amount of "social pathology" they contain. The legal consequences are not severe. Unless an individual is a certified medical doctor, they have no obligation in Alberta to help anyone in need. So generally, they don't. The personal consequences may be more severe. Feelings of guilt and regret may follow an event, especially if it ends fatally or if the individual feels that they could have done something significant. Because of this, people attempt to convince themselves and others that they were justified in their inaction because "it wasn't their place", "I didn't want to do it alone", or "I didn't want to get involved." Excuses like this often stem from fears of being seen as abnormal, possible physical harm, public embarrassment, possible involvement in police procedures, lost work days and jobs, and other dangers. Urban people are very concerned with the way they appear to others. Anything that may separate them from the "in-group" of society is usually seen as too risky to take part in. And strangely enough, helping people in need is seen as one of these risks.

Employee Law

Project Summary Employment Law The employment relationship Is a contractual one between an employer and a worker. The worker may be either an employee or an Independent contractor. Distinguishing between the two is very important. It has an effect on compensation, benefits, harassment, family leave, workers' compensation, unemployment insurance, and discrimination, (Moran, 2008, p. 3). In an employment relationship, authority is conveyed by an employer to an employee. Deciding what kinds of authority and how much authority to grant are important issues for employers to resolve, (Moran, 2008, . ). Inherent in every employment relationship is the employee's duties of loyalty and good faith and the employer's duties to compensate and maintain a safe working environment. Violations of these duties give rise to contractual and tort liability. A contract Is a legally enforceable agreement. A tort Is a private civil wrong. Tort liability encompasses assault and battery, defamation, Invasion of privacy, and negligence. The key to an employers responsibility Is whether the tort was committed within the scope of employment?in other words, â€Å"on the Job,† (Moran, 2008, p. 3)Employers may attempt to employ restrictive covenants, also known as nincompoop or nondisclosure agreements. These agreements are used to protect the employer's business against theft of trade secrets, stealing clients, and competing against the former employer. Courts generally do not like to restrict people from working, but the courts will enforce these agreements where they are voluntarily signed and designed to protect the business from unfair competition, (Moran, 2008, p. 3). The purpose of recruitment and selection is to obtain the best possible workers for a business.Discrimination is permissible with respect to selecting candidates based on interpersonal relations, communication skills, training, and education. It Is not permissible with respect to suspect classification such as race , religion, gender, age, disability, and national origin,† (Moran, 2008, p. 37). Because employees are valuable assets to a business, employers must be able to choose those employees who will perform the best work for the business. Education, training, communication skills, and interpersonal relations are key qualities that employees must possess to help a business be more successful, (Moran, 2008, p. ). The easiest way to discriminate against individuals is to do so in the recruitment and selection process. Employers may use a myriad of methods to evaluate an individual and his or her particular traits. Testing, interviews, writing samples, demonstrations, and role-playing are a few examples, (Moran, 2008, p. 37). If these methods are job-related, then the employer has every right to use them. â€Å"What an employer may not do is discourage potential candidates who belong to a particular suspect classification as defined by Title VII of the Call Rights Act, the Age Delimitat ion In Employment Act, and theAmericans with Deliverables Act,† (Moran, 2008, p. 37). The selection process has become a complicated procedure for employers, (Moran, 2008, p. 67). They must inappropriate questions that can be inferred as being discriminatory. Employers must recruit from a diverse pool of candidates. Employers must keep accurate records of these candidates, such as who applied and who was hired. Employers must establish Job-related criteria necessary for promotions. Employers must perform background checks on employees to guard themselves against negligent hiring, but these checks are limited to activities or criminal convictions that are Job elated,† (Moran, 2008, p. 67). Policies with regard to nepotism and promoting from within should also be drafted by the employer. The selection process is a daunting but necessary undertaking for the employer. As most of us know, it is an equally stressful experience for workers. Arbitration is a form of alternative dispute resolution where two sides look outside the court system to resolve a conflict, (Moran, 2008, p. 157).In arbitration, an impartial arbitrator listens to claims, facts, and testimony from both sides, then issues a decision. By signing arbitration agreements, employees typically waive their right to file lawsuits when they have a dispute with their employers. However, the obligation to arbitrate can vary. Some employers require all disputes to go to arbitration, while others designate arbitration for only certain issues. â€Å"Binding† arbitration is most frequently used in employment agreements, where both sides agree ahead of time that the arbitrator's decision will be final, with very limited basis to appeal, (Moran, 2008, p. 58). However, an arbitration agreement alone does not mean that employers can never be sued over an employment issue. State and federal regulators can still sue employers when employees file complaints against companies for violating discriminat ion, pay, or other laws. Once employees or former employees decide to enter into arbitration, there are three basic steps in the proceedings: preheating briefs, the hearing, and the arbitrator's decision. Preheating briefs allow the company and employees to present their views and describe their evidence to the arbitrator.During the hearing, both sides present their case to the arbitrator, which can include calling witnesses. Then the arbitrator makes a decision. Generally, employers do not take termination as personally as do employees. However, it can be a difficult process for both sides, especially if the employee believes that the discharge is wrongful. â€Å"At-will termination protects the rights of employers to terminate employees,† (Moran, 2008, p. 153). Therefore, employees must evaluate the evidence to discern whether it meets one of the public policy exceptions to the at-will doctrine.Employers must guard against compromising their protection under the at-will emp loyment doctrine and should not stipulate that employees will be discharged only for cause or list explicit seasons for discharge in an employment handbook or in conversation with an applicant or an employee, (Moran, 2008, p. 153). Rather employers should state that employees may be discharged at any time for any reason. Shortly after the conclusion of the Civil War in 1865, the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments to the U. S.Constitution were adopted, (Moran, 2008, p. 171). The Thirteenth Amendment abolished slavery. The Fifteenth Amendment gave black men the right to vote. But, it was the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment that laid the basis for equal rights in employment, (Moran, 2008, p. 71). The Equal Protection Clause basically states that â€Å"all people are entitled to equal United States, in Please v. Ferguson, interpreted this to mean that separate but equal facilities would satisfy the Fourteenth Amendment requirement, (Moran, 2008, p. 171 ).Segregation persisted into the sass, but inroads began to be made in the mid-sass with the Brown v. Board of Education decision, which mandated integration in public schools, (Moran, 2008, p. 171). This decision had a reverberating effect throughout society. In 1964, Congress passed the Civil Rights Act to legislate integration in schools, housing, restaurants, transportation, shopping, and employment. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act speaks to employment, (Moran, 2008, p. 171). It prohibits discrimination because of religion, race, color, sex, and national origin, (Moran, 2008, p. 171).There are two main types of discrimination: disparate impact, which is discrimination against a class of people, and disparate treatment, which is discrimination against an individual, (Moran, 2008, p. 171). The key to establishing an affirmative action plan is to obtain the commitment of management, Moran, 2008, p. 199). Once committed, management can emphasize its importance and lead by example. An assessment must be made of the number of women and minorities and their current status within the organization. This data will prove invaluable as a benchmark against which the program's progress can be measured, (Moran, 2008, p. 99). Once the problem areas are identified, then recruitment and promotion issues must be addressed. A critical look at the current methods utilized must be taken, and a plan must be instituted to remedy its deficiencies. To bolster acquirement, notification should be sent to the placement office of schools with significant or exclusive women or minority populations. Women and minority organizations can also be advised of the need for prospective candidates. Advertisements in newspapers, magazines, radio, and television designed for women and minorities will enable a company to tap into that particular circle, (Moran, 2008, p. 99). Company tours for students and community groups are also beneficial. â€Å"Relying solely on referrals and traditional rec ruitment techniques will only reinforce discrimination,† (Moran, 2008, p. 199). Career counseling to direct women and minorities toward career paths and training programs to help them realize these accomplishments must be created or embellished. The fact that counseling and training programs exist is not sufficient. They must be made available or specifically developed with women and minorities in mind.Job descriptions must also be perused for possible barriers against women and minorities, (Moran, 2008, p. 199). If found, the descriptive narration must be rethought. All requirements must be Job- related. Any that are not should be eliminated, especially unnecessary education or experience; otherwise, discrimination will continue. Testing should also be restricted to when it is absolutely necessary and its reality and Job-relatedness can be proved, (Moran, 2008, p. 199). The assignment of grade levels to Jobs must also be reviewed for bias in favor of men, (Moran, 2008, p. 199 ).If discovered, such bias must be readjusted. Interviewers must be indoctrinated to no longer believe that women and minorities can perform only certain Jobs – those involving routine ministerial tasks, (Moran, 2008, p. 199). They must avoid asking women and minorities personal questions about marital status, other sources of income, number of children, criminal record, and other issues that are not Job-related and are not routinely asked of white and in-house rules and regulations must be redrafted to be gender-neutral, both in written communications and pictorials,† (Moran, 2008, p. 199). Sexual harassment is defined as (1) a sexual advance or request for sexual favor made by one employee to another that is unwelcome and not consented to; and (2) touching, Joking, commenting, or distributing material of a sexual nature that an employee has not consented to and finds offensive,† (Moran, 2008, p. 89). Although the court- appointed test for determining what consti tutes sexual harassment is a reasonable person standard and what is reasonable may vary depending on the work environment, it is the purpose of this policy on sexual harassment to avoid litigation, not to win lawsuits.Therefore, employees are forewarned that the use of certain terms may give rise to a woman's filing a sexual harassment complaint and are therefore prohibited, (Moran, 2008, p. 289). If a complaint is filed with the company's human resources department on any of these allegations, it will be investigated immediately, (Moran, 2008, p. 289). The investigation shall consist of questioning the complainant, alleged perpetrator, coworkers, superiors, and subordinates, (Moran, 2008, p. 89). If a determination is made that a valid complaint had been issued against an employee, that employee will be entitled to a hearing to which he or she may be assisted by outside counsel. If a conclusion is reached that the conduct complained of meets one of the aforementioned criteria, then the employee shall be dismissed forthwith, (Moran, 2008, p. 289). Furthermore, the victim will be afforded counseling services, if needed.Every effort will be made by the company to aid the victimized employee in overcoming the emotional trauma of the unfortunate ordeal, (Moran, 2008, p. 289). Finally, the company will sponsor in-house workshops explaining this policy on sexual harassment, warning employees against engaging in it, and encouraging those affected by sexual harassment to come forward with the details of their encounter with it in order for the company to investigate and resolve the dilemma and service the needs of the victimized employee, (Moran, 2008, p. 289).The Americans with Disabilities Act requires employers having 1 5 or more employees to refrain from administrating against any individual who has an impairment that limits major life activities, such as impairment to sight, speech, hearing, walking, and learning, (Moran, 2008, p. 389). Also included are people w ith cancer, heart conditions, AIDS, and disfigurement, as well as people recovering from substance abuse. The forerunner of the DAD was the Rehabilitation Act of 1 973. It prohibited disability discrimination in federal employment and with federal contractors.The percentage of disabled workers who are unemployed is much greater than that of the general population, (Moran, 2008, p. 08). Public access and specific Job accommodations have gone a long way to aid the gainful employment of many of the disabled. Encouraging a change in the mind-set of employers remains a formidable task. Many employers view disabled applicants as inferior to others. They represent an additional worry employers do not need. However, with reasonable accommodation, many disabled employees have proven to work as effectively as other workers because their disability has been alleviated, (Moran, 2008, p. 08). They are operating on a level playing surface with the rest of the work population. Collective bargainin g is the negotiation process undertaken by a union on behalf of a contract after the resolution of labor issues,† (Moran, 2008, p. 420). The contract, known as the collective bargaining agreement, is binding on all union members. The advantage of collective bargaining is that the union has greater bargaining strength than an individual employee would have in attempting to negotiate the best possible deal, (Moran, 2008, p. 420).The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1 970 (OSHA) was designed to set forth a standard that would provide for the safety and health of employees while on the Job, (Moran, 2008, p. 450). Employers are required to provide a place of employment free from occupational hazards. Employees are required to follow rules and regulations established to promote their safety and to use equipment designed to ensure their safety, (Moran, 2008, p. 450). Permanent standards are the standards originally introduced when OSHA was created as well as standards promulgate d thereafter, (Moran, 2008, p. 452).The latter are referred to as National Consensus Standards. When OSHA develops a new standard, it is published in the Federal Register, (Moran, 2008, p. 452). The public, especially employees, has 30 days to request a hearing. If requested, notice of a public hearing will be made. After the hearing, OSHA must publish the standard incorporating the changes, if any, and the date of its commencement, within 60 days. The Secretary of Labor must explain the need for the new standard, or else it will be null and void. He or she may delay the date of its commencement. In one case, a delay of 4 years was imposed.

Patterns in Strategy Formation Essay

A critical summary of the article â€Å"Patterns in strategy formation† written by Henry Mintzberg, published in Journal Management Science Vol. 24, No. 9, (1978) A short overview The paper,†Patterns in strategy formation†, outlines a new kind of description to the much misunderstood process of strategy formation in organizations. After giving a short summary of the theme, the author, Henry Mintzberg, describes the term â€Å"strategy† and shows how the definition leads to the choice of a research methodology. Following this, he details the four steps of research methodology. With to completed, major studies about two organizations (Volkswagenwerk and the United States government in Vietnam) Mintzberg analyzes three central themes. The first is that strategy formation can be viewed as the interplay between a dynamic environment and bureaucratic momentum, with leadership mediating between the two. Second, that strategy formation over periods of time appears to follow distinct regularities, for example life cycles or change-continuity cycles within life cycle. And third the study of the interplay between intended and realized strategies may be central to the strategy formation process. Definition of strategy and the research methodology In the first section of the paper, Mintzberg describes the term †strategy†. Strategy is generally defined, whether in game, military or management theory, as a deliberate, conscious set of guidelines that determines decisions into the future. In common terminology, a strategy is a plan. Mintzberg illustrates that defining strategy as a plan is not sufficient, because if strategies can be intended, surely they can also be realized. A definition that encompasses the resulting behavior is therefore required. The author proposes to define strategy in general as a pattern in a stream of decisions. To clarify this definition of strategy, he introduces a few illustrations. For example, when Picasso painted blue for a time, that was a strategy †Blue Strategy†. This definition of strategy necessitated the analysis of decision streams in a organizations over time periods to detect the development and breakdown of patterns. Therefore Mintzberg subdivided the analysis of the studies into four central steps. 1st step: Collection of basic data. 2nd step: Inference of strategies and periods of change. 3rd step: Intensive analysis of periods of change. 4th step: Theoretical analysis. After giving a brief review of the periods of strategy in two organizations, using the terminology of the research, the author comes to the core of the paper, which is the presentation of some theoretical conclusions about strategy formation. Strategy formation as the interplay of environment, leadership and bureaucracy Mintzberg outlines strategy formation in most organizations as the interplay of three basic forces revolving around the dynamic environment that changes continuously but irregularly, organizational management or bureaucracy that attempts to stabilize the actions of the organizations whilst operating in the dynamic environment, and leadership of the organizations whose role is to mediate between the two forces. From this point of departure, the author provides a definition of strategy and of strategic change. †Strategy can then be viewed as the set of consistent behaviors by which the organization establishes for a time its place in its environment, and strategic change can be viewed as the organization’s response to environmental change, constrained by the momentum of the bureaucracy and accelerated or dampened by the leadership†. Mintzberg illustrates, that the two organizations (Volkswagenwerk and U.S. government in Vietnam) are stories of how bureaucratic momentum constrains and leadership dampens strategic change. In 1965, for example, when the United States government escalated the Vietnam war in a way that made the escalation inevitable, the new leadership, named Johnson, dampened the strategic change, under the environmental and bureaucratic pressures. Also in 1960, when action was needed in the face of an increasingly changed environment, the central leadership of Volkswagenwerk was not forthcoming. Patterns of strategic change According to Mintzberg, patterns of strategic change are never steady, but rather irregular and ad hoc, with a complex intermingling or periods of change, continuity. Even so, he recognizes some patterns in strategy formation that may enable organizations to understand better their strategic situations. The first pattern is the life cycle of an overall strategy, based on four phases: conception, elaboration, decay and death. The author illustrates that the case of Vietnam represents the classic strategic life cycle. The second pattern is the presence of periodic waves of change and continuity within the life cycle. This second pattern suggests that strategies do not commonly change incrementally. Rather, change takes place in spurts, each followed by a period of stability. Mintzberg notes, that nowhere is the change-continuity cycle better demonstrated than in the stepwise escalation of the Vietnam metastrategy. According to the author, the reason for the periods of change and continuity is that human do not react to phenomena continuously, but rather in discreet steps, when changes are large enough to be perceived. In a similar manner, strategic decision processes in organizations are not continuous, but irregular. Based on both studies, Mintzberg notes, that there are dangers in incremental changes. He argues that strategy-makers seem prepared to assume positions in incremental steps that they would never begin to entertain in global ones. On the other hand, global change is very difficult to conceive and execute successfully. According to the author, this is perhaps the strategy-maker’s greatest dilemma. The danger of incremental changes versus the difficulty of global changes. Interplay between intended and realized strategies The author identifies two kinds of strategies: intended and realized. He illustrates, that these two can be combined in three ways: Intended strategies that get realized, which are called deliberate strategies (e.g. the Volkswagen strategy of 1948 to 1958). Intended strategies that do not get realized, which are called unrealized strategies (e.g. Kennedy’s intended strategy of 1961 of advising the Vietnamese). Realized strategies that were never intended, which are called emergent strategies (e.g. the U.S. strategy of finding itself in a fighting instead of advising role). Furthermore, Mintzberg argues that it is possible to find a number of other relationships between intended and realized strategies, such as intended strategies that, as they get realized, change their form and become emergent; emergent strategies that get formalized as deliberate ones; or intended strategies that get overrealized. This view challenges the tenets of planning theory, which postulates that the strategy-maker formulates from on high while the subordinates implement lower down. Mintzberg argues that this dichotomy between strategy formulation and strategy implementation is a false one under certain conditions – e.g. the formulator isn’t fully informed or the environment isn’t sufficiently stable -, because it ignores the learning that must often follow the conception of an intended strategy. According to Mintzberg, another important point is that the formalization of an emergent strategy as the new, intended strategy is hardly incidental to the organization. The author states that the very act of explicating an implicit strategy changes fundamental the attitude of the bureaucracy and of the environment. He further argues that the very fact of making a strategy explicit provides a clear and formal invitation to the bureaucracy to run with it. But the author also notes that sometimes it can be risky to make strategy explicit, notably in an uncertain environment with an aggressive bureaucracy. He makes the point that the strategy-maker may awake one day to find that his intended strategy has somehow been implemented beyond his wildest intentions. It has been overrealized. Conclusion and critique on the paper In my estimation, the paper †Patterns in strategy formation† is very well-written. The author, Mintzberg, first describes what the paper will be all about. After that, he introduces the theme, strategy as a pattern in a stream of decisions, and shows how this definition leads naturally to the choice of a research methodology. After that, he explains the four steps of the analysis he will use to reviews the major periods of two organizations (Volkswagenwerk and U.S. government in Vietnam). By using these major studies he arouses the reader’s interest and creates a fundamental basis to examine and prove aspects, that strategy formation can be viewed as the interplay of environment, bureaucracy and leadership, that that strategy formation appears to follow distinct regularities and that the study of the interplay between intended and realized strategies may be central to the strategy formation process. Furthermore, he admits that this studies constitute a limited data base, but they do call into question a number of assumptions about the process of strategy formation in organizations, e.g. that a strategy is not a fixed plan, that dichotomy between strategy formulation and strategy implementation is a false one under certain common conditions or that it can sometimes be risky to make strategy explicit. Some general conclusions suggested by these studies are complex and very difficult to understand but, nevertheless, the well-disposed reader understands the approach. This is mainly because, he explains his statements on this two studies closely. To sum up, the paper is well-structured and of a good concept. Furthermore, the paper ties in with very important and interesting research-fields in strategy management.

Ozus Tokyo Story A thematic and cinematic analysis of post World War II Japan essays

Ozus Tokyo Story A thematic and cinematic analysis of post World War II Japan essays Yasujiro Ozu's cinematic classic "Tokyo Story" portrays the essentially divided nature of old and young individuals, even within the same family, that existed in Japan during the immediate aftermath and cultural shift that occurred as a result of that nation's loss of World War II. The film depicts a mother and a father who temporarily travel from the rural, Japanese countryside and their old way of life to visit their urban children in Tokyo during this period of Japanese history. The general title of "Tokyo Story" suggests the generalized nature of the story in modern Japan. The film was made in 1953 and depicts recent post-war Japan, shortly after the peace treaty ending the ear and the reconstruction of the Asian nationthus, it looks back on a recent period of history, not from afar, but with a critical and often sorrowful eye as to what was recently lost, and examines how recent events have taken turn for the worse in terms The mother and father visit children whom are extremely ungrateful of the sacrifices made by their parents for their welfare in. The children do not reject their parents for coherent ideological reasons that directly correlate to World War II. Rather, the children are show to feel, by and larger, that they are too busy to get to know their aging parents any better. Their contemporary, urban lifestyles do not mesh with their parent's slower rhythms and manners. The past filial sense of obligation is dead in Japan, suggests the film. The sense of responsibility children should feel for their parents is dead, and only sorrow is left behind. However, certain connections between old and young, however tenuous remain, at least in some form. The connection between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law is one such connection. For instance, the mother of the tale spends a night of emotional sharing and intimacy with the widow o...

Every IB Biology Past Paper Available Free and Official

Every IB Biology Past Paper Available Free and Official SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips When you take the IB Biology SL or HL exam, you'll probably be stressed out no matter what. But having seen a past paper beforehand will be a huge advantage: you'll know the format of the test cold and be used to the length and style of the test. In this article, I will at least try to get you familiar with the exam format by exposing you to IB Biology past papers, both free and paid. I'll also share strategies on how best to use these IB Biology tests for your own exam prep. Where to Find Free Past Papers In the last few years, IBO has gotten tough on illegal uploads of past papers, with the result that many sources are no longer available. Unfortunately, IBO has yet to provide any free sample Biology papers (SL or HL) on its website (although we'll be sure to update this article if and when that does happen). Because of this, while you might find some results if you search around online for past IB Biology papers, it's difficult to know if they're real past papers (illegally uploaded) or unofficial (ones created from scratch by students for practice). You should be very wary of any unofficial IB Biology papers you find. I DO NOT recommend using them, as they may be very different from the actual IB Biology exam. Where to Find Paid Tests The Follet IB store sells digital versions of the IB Biology SL past papers and IB Biology HL past papers from November 2015 to November 2018. This is the only safe place to get IB Biology past papers to download. Each paper and each mark scheme cost $3, so one full exam (including paper 1, paper 2, paper 3, and the mark scheme) will cost you about $18. Buying all of the past papers and mark schemes from 2015 to 2018 is costly, so we recommend just purchasing the two most recent complete past papers (May and November 2017). These tests will be the most similar to what you'll be tested on, particularly since there was an IB Biology syllabus change as recently as 2016. Plus, for most students, two tests will be plenty of practice. 3 Tips to Use IB Biology Past Papers Effectively Each IB Biology practice test will take 3 hours for SL or 4.5 hours for HL, so it's crucial that you get the most out of each test (since you will probably not have time for very many of them). Here are critical strategies to keep in mind when you're taking the tests: #1: Take Papers 1 and 2 In One Sitting, if Possible IB Biology SL and IB Biology HL papers 1 and 2 are given back to back, forcing you to write for 2 hours for SL and 3 hours and 15 minutes for HL. You need to build up endurance, so you don't make careless mistakes when you are exhausted at the end of paper 2. By taking the IB Biology practice exam in one sitting, you build up important endurance for the real papers. If you don't have time in your schedule for a 2-hour or 3-hour 15-minute session, then splitting the papers up over a few days is fine. Just make sure you follow the next rule: #2: Keep Strict Timing on Each Paper With a Timer It is vital that you get used to the timing pressures on the IB Biology papers. Here is the time allotted for each paper: IB Biology SL IB Biology SL Paper 1- 45 minutes IB Biology SL Paper 2- 1 hour 15 minutes IB Biology SL Paper 3- 1 hour IB Biology HL IB Biology HL Paper 1- 1 hour IB Biology HL Paper 2- 2 hours 15 minutes IB Biology HL Paper 3- 1 hour 15 minutes In this time frame, you need to finish: IB Biology SL SL Paper 1: 30 multiple-choice questions SL Paper 2: 4 short responses and 1 essay question (you choose between 3 options) SL Paper 3: 6 short response questions that each can have between 2-5 parts IB Biology HL HL Paper 1: 40 multiple-choice questions HL Paper 2: 4 short response questions that each can have between 3-10 parts and 2 essay questions (you choose between 4 options) HL Paper 3: 7 or more short response and essay questions (varies based on the options that you covered in your class). Do not give yourself even two extra minutes during your practice- this can allow you to answer more questions and improve your IB exam score substantially. You want to use these practice tests as reliable indicators of your real IB Biology score, not as a way to falsely boost your sense of progress. #3: Review Your Answers From Your Practice Test At the end of every practice exam, make sure you review every mistake you made, and every question you were unsure of. If you skip this step in the process, you're not going to learn from your mistakes, and you'll continue making them on the next tests. You should spend at least 1.5 hours reviewing every full practice exam. This may feel like a lot of time, but emphasize quality of learning over quantity of learning. I'd rather see you take two exams with detailed review than five exams with no review. What’s Next? Learn more about IB Biology: The Complete IB Biology Syllabus: SL and HL The Best IB Biology Study Guide and Notes for SL and HL The Best IB Biology Books, Reviewed Learn more about the IB Program through our other articles: The Complete List of IB Course and Classes Which IB Courses Can I Take Online? Can I get an IB Diploma Online? 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:

Create a Unit of instruction (UBD) Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Create a Unit of instruction (UBD) - Assignment Example Therefore, the primary unit of this curriculum is intended to develop an organized approach in order to promote nutritional aspects along with different physical educational activities which ensure to develop children’s health. In order to precisely and most apparently highlight the major factors in terms of promoting nutritional and physical development of the children, the different areas of this report would be assessed in accordance with the guidelines of Understanding by Design (UbD) approach. The nutrition and physical activity curriculum incorporates the following stages: Significance of nutrition and physical activity and their role for developing children health Comprehensive health and physical education need as per the standards of NJCCCS (New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards) for promoting good health for the children Identify the desired results in terms of learner outcomes and goals Create â€Å"essential questions† that will focus upon the work co ncerning the key concepts, themes, issues and problems of the topic Design effective assessment plan in accordance with the promotion of good health for the children Design effective learning experience or course which can enable the child care settings (parental and institutional) to equip the students with skills, proficiency, knowledge as well as understanding. b. State the Appropriate NJCCCS it Addresses The New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards (NJCCCS) can be duly considered as one of the major frameworks for educating a child relating to the development which has been formed by the New Jersey State Board of Education during the year 1996. The NJCCCS framework tends to incorporate adequate guidelines and principles that apparently define the major learning process for the students to accomplish desired education or the learning outcome (State of New Jersey Department of Education, n.d.). The guiding principles underneath the NJCCCS address various aspects towards improv ing the curriculum in terms of developing child educational settings. Additionally, the principles of this framework also tend to incorporate adequate measures associated with promoting good health and wellbeing of each student within different educational institutions. In this regard, nutrition and physical activity is also a major consideration of the NJCCCS framework which highly focuses on improving the dietary and physical education for each child within any educational, healthcare and parental settings. Furthermore, the framework also ensures to streamline the practices concerning the wellness and good health of the students within the educational settings and confirms to develop physical, psychological as well as educational growth of each child (The State of New Jersey, n.d.). c. Identify the Desired Results in terms of the Learner Outcomes and Goals Identifying desired results can be regarded as one of the primary and initial stages of UbD approach ensuring to efficiently u nderstand the students regarding the significance of nutrition and physical activities. In this context, the identification of desired results in terms of learner outcomes and goals has been explained in the following discussion. Established Goals The essential factors concerning nutrition and physical education for the children will be focused in terms of clearly identifying the desired results of the unit. Therefore, in the major stage of designing the unit, certain realistic goals in accordance with the NJCCCS

The Competition & Consumer Act of 2010 Replaces Trade Practices Act of Essay

The Competition & Consumer Act of 2010 Replaces Trade Practices Act of 1974 - Implications and Significance - Essay Example The Trade Practices Act of 1974 has always been an integral component of Constitution of Australia as a guarantor of purchaser. Background & Evolution: The need for the formation of a business law was felt during the British rule in Australia in the first half of the 19th century however, at that time all the companies were governed by â€Å"English Company Act of 1862†. In the first half of the 20th century Federal Parliament of Australia formed "foreign corporations, and trading or financial corporation’s formed within the limits of the Commonwealth" and the Small Business activities were left within the domain of the state and the particular territories in a geographical location. In the year 1961-62 for the first time in the history of Australian Business Law State Legislation and Commonwealth Legislation formed â€Å"A Uniform Companies Act†. The year 1965 Trade Practices Act crafted a â€Å"Commissioner of Trade Practices and a Trade Practices Tribunalâ₠¬  to scan trade accords and performances. However, this act was ephemeral and finally the High Court in Australia had to annul the aforesaid act due to â€Å"Constitutional Difficulties† and replaced the same with Restrictive Practices Act in 1971. The Trade Practices Act of 1974 was endorsed to deal with issues relating to Consumer protection was exclusively in charge of looking after the interests of the consumers at all levels however, the Legislation regarding fair trading and other issues external to Trading Corporation remained within the realm of respective states and territories. Thus, The Trade Practices Act 1974 became the decisive Legal entity governing the trade policies to ensure the welfare of the consumers. Finally the Trade Practices Act 1974 was replaced by â€Å"Competition and Consumer Act of 2010.†(History of Business Law, 2010) The Trade Practices Act 1974 Hence the primary task of the Trade Practices Act was to ensure healthy competition without compromising the interests of the consumers. Fair Trading was the benchmark to analyze the role of big companies concerning the protection of consumers. From patrons, merchants, contractor and traders they all fall within the ambit of the Act. In short it included every facets of market place. Regulation of trade through Price monitoring is one of the key ingredients for accomplishing the consumer protection. Other means for safeguarding the interests of the consumers could be ensuring product security, labeling of products and finally restricting â€Å"unjust marketplace practices†. The Competition & Consumer Act of 2010 January 2010 marked the New Year with a new set of laws and legislations that was passed for safeguarding and protecting the rights of the Consumers as well as business groups. If one has to carefully analyze and understand the special benefit of this new law that has replaced the former Trade Practices Act, one can draw two main benefits which are evident. Special Significance of the Act: First it accommodates and accepts the nationwide agreed sets of protections on a consumer known as Australian Consumer Law (ACL). According to this new Act there would be a single uniform Consumer Law all over the country. Hence it would relieve the burden on the business enterprise to abide by the various inter–states rulings. The consumer on the other hand would feel less discriminated against as there would be a uniform law safeguarding and