The History of the Guidance Movement in the United States Essay

The History of the Guidance Movement in the United States - Essay Example In the United States the history and advancement of direction and advising was affected by different occasions and characters. Before direction and advising was officially presented in the nation, the early stages started in the last 50% of the eighteenth century. During this period, there turned out to be progressively empathetic consideration for the intellectually upset and more prominent mindfulness in use of rewarding human conduct. (Myrick, 2003) The proper history of direction and guiding in the United States goes back to 1908 when Frank Parsons set up the Boston Vocational Bureau. The target of Parsons in building up such organization was to furnish the adolescent with professional help with school. Due to his commitments, Parsons was named as the dad of the direction development. As indicated by Blocher, The Guidance Movement created from the need to help these early school leavers build up a judicious arrangement with which to start their professions. (2000) Guidance and di recting in the United States started as professional advising. The essential goal of directing during such time was to assist understudies with deciding their vocation of decision and tentative arrangements. Another compelling individual in the advancement of direction and guiding was Jesse B. Davis.

Morals Essays - Demographics, Mountain Dew, Pepsi, Generation X

Ethics That is Extreme Dude! On the off chance that an individual that never lived in the twentieth century visited 1997 for only one day, the person in question would most likely imagine that we are generally attempting to kill ourselves. Everything from sports, to music, to commercials is extraordinary nowadays. Individuals are getting things done in sports that have never been endeavored and are apparently insane. In publicizing, individuals of this decade are depicted as daring people, and adrenaline junkies. There is by all accounts little respect for wellbeing and a ton of respect for no particular reason. I believe that sponsors have gotten a handle on what this decade is about, and I am pleased to be an individual from Generation X. Not every person in this world is a daring person. I would state that the vast majority attempt to live their lives calmly and without especially show. Be that as it may, it is difficult to overlook the individuals who live their lives on the edge with No Fear. An apparel organization called No Fear has had a lot of achievement in offering shirts to the universes youth. They have been so effective in light of the fact that that is the specific mentality of Generation X. Try not to stress, be Happy, and Live life to its fullest are all catchphrases of this age. Individuals simply need to have a ton of fun, and they find new and energizing approaches to do it. Sports are an extraordinary model. The link organize ESPN has an occasion each year called the Extreme Games. It is a celebration that keeps going multi week which includes sports that most normal individuals could never attempt at home. These games incorporate, skateboarding, in-line skating, sky-surfing, and road luge. A large portion of these games are new to the 90's. While these games are being held, different sponsors have a field day. The soda organization Mountain Dew ran advertisements that stated, Nothing is more exceptional than pummeling a Dew. It likewise had numerous female entertainers in its ads wherein they wore grungy garments, nose piercings, and substantial make-up. This demonstrated ladies can be extraordinary as well, and ought not be included out in Generation X. Pepsi has additionally gotten in with the general mish-mash by its Generation neXt advertisements. They depict individuals doing wild and fun things with elective music out of sight. They Pepsi promoti ons are fundamentally the same as the Mountain Dew advertisements. A genuine model that shows how enormous of an impact Generation X is having on the world is the Olympic games. Conventional games that once got a large portion of the consideration during the games are losing ground to new scenes which are being included constantly. Olympians can now award in sports like snowboarding, and mountain biking. Adding these games to the Olympics implied a great deal. It said to the world that these new extraordinary games are genuine, and are digging in for the long haul. Much the same as the individuals of Generation X. Notwithstanding sports, the music business has changed significantly. There is a radio broadcast in Las Vegas called, X-treme Radio. The music played on that station is significantly more dynamic and energizing. It might not need to be engaging, however it is quick and extraordinary. Numerous individuals, for example, Marilyn Manson have ascended to the top by selling their music which includes viciousness and different things never referenced in melodic verses. This is normal of Generation X, since we are an age of individuals who are not hesitant to express our genuine thoughts. This can be acceptable and awful. It is acceptable in light of the fact that, I accept that having the ability to speak freely is the thing that it genuinely intends to be free. It is terrible in light of the fact that these awful things being said are frequently about murdering, taking, drinking, and taking medications, and youngsters hear everything. Another industry getting on to this outrageous mentality is the vehicle makers. Vehicles are getting quicker, and their structures are looking increasingly forceful. Most vehicle ads highlight youngsters having a great time, while taking their trucks to the mountains to do extraordinary games. The vehicle producer Saab has had the trademark, locate your own street. This trademark is speaking to individuals of Generation X since that is the thing that we are tied in with; getting ourselves, and doing things that have never been finished. The world is energizing and full

Research Essay Topics and What You Should Look For

Research Essay Topics and What You Should Look ForThere are a number of Crime and Society research essay topics you can write about. Depending on your subject, you can choose from a number of topics. However, some of these topics may not be appropriate for your research topic. This article discusses some of the more common topics for research essay topics and will help you choose which ones are best for your subject.A Crime and Society research essay topic can address many topics, such as crime, gender, race, or politics. Of course, these are all very important issues, but if you choose to write about one of these areas of interest, it is important that you select the right topic. For example, if you are interested in crime and society, the topic should include topics of race and gender. If you choose to write about politics, the topic could include issues of education, political power, or world events. So, when you think about Crime and Society research essay topics, you need to con sider the specific questions you want to answer and also the importance of the topic to the essay.The next topic to consider when researching Crime and Society is where the crime occurs. In order to understand crime, you need to know where it occurs and how the crime is committed. For example, if you are researching crime and society, it is important that you know the place where the crime occurs and whether or not it is related to a particular type of crime. Whether you are researching on a specific city or the world, you need to know the location. Crime occurs in all cities, but for example, in Los Angeles, this crime may be committed on your street, in a church parking lot, or on the street where you work.Before you even consider how the crime is committed, you need to know what type of crime the crime is. For example, if you are researching on Los Angeles crime, you need to know whether the crime is of the violent variety. If the crime is violent, then you need to know whether i t is a robbery, assault, or murder. If you are researching on a specific city, then you need to know whether the crime occurred in a specific area or not.Another Crime and Society research essay topic is the impact of the crime on society. One example of this is crime and unemployment. If you research on this topic, you need to research the relationship between crime and employment. Many of the crimes have resulted in the victim losing his or her job, so if you are researching on a specific city, you need to know the nature of the crime and whether or not it has directly resulted in the loss of a job.Another crime and society research essay topic would be crime and the judge. When you are researching on this topic, you need to know the reputation of the judge and if the judge is impartial. For example, if you are researching on the Los Angeles crime judge, you need to know if the judge is fair or if he or she is biased. If you are researching on a specific city, you need to know if the judge is based in Los Angeles or if he or she is an international judge.As you can see, there are a number of Crime and Society research essay topics that you can research and write about. Choose the right topic and research the issue well. Don't be afraid to mix and match topics to make your research essay unique. You can find many Crime and Society research essay topics online.Crime and Society research essay topics are a very important part of any educational writing project. Make sure that you research the topic well and research the issue at hand well.

Substance Abuse Treatment Instead of Incarceration Essay

Across the United States and throughout the world there is an epidemic of epic proportion involving drug addiction. Here in North Carolina the majority of the Department of Corrections inmate population is known to have substance abuse problems. (Price, 62) Along with this epidemic is the growing problem of prison overcrowding. There is a correlation between the two. Many of today’s correctional facilities house inmates that have committed drug related crimes or crimes that they committed while under the influence. There is a solution that would help society and lessen the overcrowding of the penal system. The solution is to help those that are committing crimes because of an addiction disorder. There is viable evidence that this solution†¦show more content†¦There are also biological and genetic propensities for addiction such as genes that have been identified as taking part in the addiction process like some genes have been found to make a person more susceptible t o a disease. Treatment is needed for this disease like any other disease. Sometimes medication to reduce the harm, like the AIDs cocktail or methadone treatment, is meted out to offset the disease. Healing other mental issues and behavioral changes can be beneficial also. The definition of addiction is the continuing, compulsive use of a substance despite negative physical, mental or societal consequences of the substance. (Drug addiction and drug abuse, 1) To be psychologically dependent upon a substance is to feel the need to have the substance to maintain the feeling of well being. (Drug addiction and drug abuse, 1) Physical need is determined by tolerance levels for the substance. There would be a need for increase in dosage to achieve the same feeling. (Drug addiction and drug abuse, 1) Addiction causes changes in the chemical makeup of the brain itself. Once the chemicals from the substance are introduced past the blood brain barrier the chemical reactions are changed. The ne urons and neurotransmitters function a differently. Survival instincts that are the responsibility of the deeper recesses of the brain are changed. Cancer cells are changed by chemicals or radiation so too areShow MoreRelatedThe Effects Of Substance Use And Incarceration894 Words   |  4 PagesUnited State s long and complex history of substance use and incarceration. Some could make a strong argument that our country s battle against substance use has been a misguided, ill conceived, expensive, and discriminatory attempt which produced inauspicious results. The War on Drugs and Deinstitutionalization are two such attempts. This paper will analyze how these policy blunders have formed a strong association between substance use and incarceration, how current practice and research is attemptedRead MoreSubstance Abuse Treatment and Proposition 361208 Words   |  5 Pagessystem incarcerating offenders who have substance abuse related issues instead of providing a way for treatment o r rehabilitation outside of incarceration. Through public policies regarding criminal justice interventions that address drug use and crime, an initiative was created to provide treatment services as a diversion to incarceration. The Diversion-to-Treatment Law that was created in California is called Proposition 36 also known as the â€Å"Substance Abuse and Crime Prevention Act (SACPA) of 2000†Read MoreLiterature Review On Recidivism854 Words   |  4 PagesLiterature Review Correctional Treatment: An Effective Model for Change This particular study uses the therapeutic community theory model (TC) of treatment to reduce recidivism. The journal article discusses the development and the history of (TC). Furthermore, it uses the TC) model in the Oregon prison correctional system to validate this particular method of treatment. The purpose of the study: The purpose of this study was to show that an effective drug treatment program in the criminal justiceRead MoreThe Incarceration Of The Prison Policy Institute1369 Words   |  6 Pages IV. Inform and persuade you that by utilizing rehab over incarceration for non violent drug offenders we as a nation can combat the wasteful spending, the addiction issue in our nation, and the fact our incarceration system fails these individuals. Main Point Sub-Point Sub-Point BODY I. In our society we are faced with a drug addiction problem that is not being dealt with properly. Our use of incarceration as a means to deal with this problem has not only been costlyRead MoreDrug Policy And Funding Has Not Changed Much Over The Past Two Decades1505 Words   |  7 Pagestoward a comprehensive approach; one that focuses on prevention, treatment and enforcement (p.1). One approach to this is allotting billions of dollars to the Federal Drug Control Budget. As of 2014, the majority of funding for this budget went into supply reduction (59.9%), demand reduction (40.1%), and domestic law enforcement (36.8%). Only 35 percent of the funding was provided for treatment of drug abuse, and 5.1 percent for drug abuse prevention (Sacco, 2014, p.16). These numbers have not changedRead MoreHomelessness And Mental Health And Substance Abuse878 Words   |  4 PagesHomelessness as a result of deinstitutionalization in the US increased dramatically, tripling in 182 cities over the court of the 1980s (Bagenstos, 2012). In addition, mental health and substance abuse is a major problem in across the country because of homelessness. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration,20 to 25% of the homeless population in the United States suffers from some form of severe mental illness (DMHAS, 2014). Consequently, mental illnesses disruptRead MoreNon-Violent Drug Offenders -Porp. 361741 Words   |  7 Pageslock them up for long periods of time, while other feel the solution lies within treatment facilities and expanded social programs. With both sides having valid points we must then evaluate what is the cost of correcting this problem is and if fixing these non-violent offenders are worth it. A plan that would help in the over population of the prisons is to have the non-violent drug offenders sent to treatment instead of prison, to have them spend time in halfway homes, and be monitored by probationRead MoreYou Walk Into A Nicu1177 Words   |  5 Pagesand maybe gain some direction of how to introduce this topic is a step in the right direction. First, I want to address some statistics on drug-addicted babies. Approximately 440,000 babies are born each year with a dependency to at least 1 substance. (HRF, 2015). The average cost for a hospital stay for an infant born with opiate withdrawal or other dependency issues is $53,400. (HRF, 2015) â€Å"Based on hospitalization figures from 2012, about 5 out of every 1,000 births in the United States isRead MoreThe Effects Of Residential Schools On Disadvantaged Backgrounds855 Words   |  4 Pagesassimilate Aboriginal children and prepare them for living in a white society. Instead, they caused tremendous psychological abuse to not only the children being forced to leave their homes, but also to their guardians. After this traumatic event, many aboriginal people resorted to substance abuse in order to cope with their experience in these schools. One study reported â€Å"82 percent of individuals were involved in substance abuse behaviors after attending residential schools.â €  (Chansonneuve, 2007, p.22)Read MoreHistory Of The South Carolina Department Of Corrections1301 Words   |  6 Pagesjob skills, obtain their GED, earn vocational certificates, receive substance abuse treatment, learn about how crimes affect victims and even assist in teaching youths about life in prison.† The Division of Programs and Services are broken into nine main subdivisions: crime prevention, inmate services, volunteers, the Palmetto Unified School District, the Division of Industries, shock incarceration, behavioral and substance abuse, and YOPRS intensive supervision. These main subdivisions are further

Immaculata University Admission SAT Scores, Admit Rate

Analysis Of Frank Sargeson s Short Stories Conversation...

Connections One might have heard about Frank Sargeson many times, but never really had the opportunity to know more about him. This text offers the chance to learn about his contribution to New Zealand literature. Frank Sargeson was one of New Zealand’s most important short story writers. He was born in Hamilton on the 21st, March 1903 and died in Auckland, the first of March of 1982. His peculiar works contributed to creating a special language. Like Katherine Mansfield, who is considered to be the first who used New Zealand’s modernist writing style, Sargeson has been responsible for placing New Zealand’s literature on the world map. Because he lived in the years when New Zealanders were still looking for their own identity, as most Pakeha at that time considered Britain their motherland, it was complicated for him to distinguish himself from the rest of them. My aim in this essay is to identify, analyse and critique the similarities and differences of four Frank Sargesonà ¢â‚¬â„¢s short stories: ‘Conversation with my Uncle’, ‘Cats by the Tail’, ‘A Piece of Yellow Soap’ and ‘Chaucerian’. Many things intrigued me about Sargeson such as: the development of anecdotes into short stories, the transcript of the New Zealand colloquial language, and the use of simple words leading to a breathtaking level of complexity in his stories. But what impressed me the most was the fact that he almost never referred to himself in his workings, keeping a low, mysterious profile. In every story we

The Snows of Kilimanjaro - Analysis free essay sample

The story opens with a paragraph about Mt. Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa, which is also called the â€Å"House of God. † There is, we are told, the frozen carcass of a leopard near the summit. No one knows why it is there. Then we are introduced to  Harry, a writer dying of gangrene, and his rich wifeHelen, who are on safari in Africa. Harry’s situation makes him irritable, and he speaks about his own death in a matter-of-fact way that upsets his wife, predicting that a rescue plane will never come. He quarrels with her over everything, from whether he should drink a whiskey-and-soda to whether she should read to him. Helen is obviously concerned for his welfare, but self-pity and frustration make him unpleasant to her. He then begins to ruminate on his life experiences, which have been many and varied, and on the fact that he feels he has never reached his potential as a writer because he has chosen to make his living by marrying a series of wealthy women. In italicized portions of the text that are scattered throughout the story, Hemingway narrates some of Harry’s experiences in a stream-of-consciousness style. Harry’s first memories are of traveling around Europe following a battle, hiding a deserter in a cottage, hunting and skiing in the mountains, playing cards during a blizzard, and hearing about a bombing run on a train full of Austrian officers. Harry then falls asleep and wakes in the evening to find Helen returning from a shooting expedition. He meditates on how she is really thoughtful and a good wife to him, but how his life has been spent marrying a series of women who keep him as â€Å"a proud possession† and neglecting his true talent, writing. Helen, he remembers, is a rich widow who was bored by the series of lovers she took before she met him and who married him because she admired his writing and they had similar interests. Harry then recalls the process by which he developed gangrene two weeks before: he had been trying to get a picture of some water-buck and had scratched his knee on a thorn. He had not used iodine and it had become septic. As Helen returns to drink cocktails with Harry, they make up their quarrel. Harry’s second memory sequence then begins, and he recalls how he once patronized a series of prostitutes in Constantinople while pining for a woman in New York. Specifically, he had a fight with a British soldier over an Armenian prostitute and then left Constantinople for Anatolia, where he ran from an army of Turkish soldiers. Later, he recalls that he returned to Paris and to his then-wife. Helen and Harry eat dinner, and then Harry has another memory, this time of how his grandfather’s log house burned down. He then relates how he fished in the Black Forest and how he lived in a poor quarter of Paris and felt a kinship with his neighbors because they were poor. Next, he remembers a ranch and a boy he turned in to the authorities after the boy protected Harry’s horse feed by shooting a thief. Next, he remembers an officer named Williamson who was hit by a bomb and to whom Harry subsequently fed all his morphine tablets. As Harry lies on his cot remembering, he feels the presence of death and associates it with a hyena that is running around the edge of the campsite. Presently, Helen has Harry’s cot moved into the tent for the night, and just as she does, he feels death lying on his chest and is unable to speak. Harry dreams that it is the next morning and that a man called  Compton  has come with a plane to rescue him. He is lifted onto the plane and watches the landscape go by beneath him. Suddenly, he sees the snow-covered top of Mt. Kilimanjaro and knows that is where he is bound. Helen wakes up in the middle of the night to a strange hyena cry and sees Harry dead on his cot. ANALYSIS This story focuses on the self-critical ruminations and memories of a writer dying of a preventable case of gangrene on safari. Its main themes are death and regret, and Harry’s morbid thoughts epitomize a classic case of taking things for granted. Harry takes his blessings, including his caring wife, his full life, and his writing talent, for granted, and on his deathbed muses on how he could have appreciated each more. His main regret, of course, is that he has not reached his full potential as a writer because he has chosen to make a living by marrying wealthy women rather than memorializing his many and varied life experiences in writing. The progression of his gangrene symbolizes his rotting sense of self-worth. This last regret is made so bitter to Harry because, as he admits, it is his own fault he has not adequately exercised his great talent: â€Å"He had destroyed his talent by not using it, by betrayals of himself and what he believed in. † In a strange parallel, it is also Harry’s fault that he developed gangrene; by not using iodine on his scratch, he allowed it to become septic and is therefore to blame for his impending death. Viewed in this light, Harry’s predicament is self-inflicted, and is therefore a fitting punishment for his repeated acts of self-betrayal over the years. The lingering question of the story is how Harry’s situation is resolved by the dream sequence that ends the narration. Does his journey to the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro symbolize Harry’s acceptance of his punishment and acquiescent passage into the afterlife, or does it stand for Harry’s redemption as a character and continuing desire to rise above his past mistakes, even at the moment of his death? What does Kilimanjaro stand for? There is abundant symbolism in this story, as many scholars have noted. The actual significance and meaning of these symbols has been hotly debated, but generally, the frozen leopard on the summit of Kilimanjaro is associated with death, immortality, and possibly redemption. The hyena and vultures are associated with illness, fear, and death, and Kilimanjaro itself, though its role has sparked the most controversy among scholars and critics, seems associated with a sort of redemptive heavenly afterlife. In addition, throughout the story, low-lying, hot plains areas are associated with difficult or painful episodes in Harry’s life, including the situation in which he begins the story, and snowy mountainous areas are associated with his happier, more uplifting experiences, including his final imagined ascent to the top of Kilimanjaro. In addition, gangrene, the rotting of the flesh, is symbolic of Harry’s rotting soul. In terms of style, Hemingway narrates the sequences between Harry and Helen in a straightforward third person format and breaks into italicized stream-of-consciousness for Harry’s many memory sequences. These memories are often conveyed using run-on sentences and consist of bewildering pastiches of characters, places, and events which are consistent with Harry’s delirium. According to Hemingway scholars, these memories are mostly autobiographical. Using Harry as a vehicle, Hemingway writes of a log house he visited as a child in Michigan, of his experiences during World War I, of his life in Paris with his first wife and their fishing trip to the Black Forest, of his skiing trips in Austria, and of a location near the Yellowstone River in Wyoming. Harry, as a character, produces similes and metaphors with regularity as he speaks to Helen (â€Å"Love is a dunghill†¦And I’m the cock that gets on it to crow†; â€Å"Your damned money was my armour†). This is also true during his memory sequences (â€Å"the snow as smooth to see as cake frosting and as light as powder and he remembered the noiseless rush the speed made as you dropped down like a bird†; â€Å"in some way he could work the fat off his soul the way a fighter went into the mountains to work and train in order to burn it out of his body†). www. gradesaver. ro

ACT Test and Registration Dates for 2018 - 2019

ACT Test and Registration Dates for 2018 - 2019 For the 2018-19 admissions cycle, U.S. students have seven ACT testing dates from which to choose. The exam is offered in September, October, December, February, April, June, and July. The July option is new in 2018. Registration deadlines are roughly five weeks before the exam, so be sure to plan ahead. When Is the ACT in the United States? For the 2018  - 19  academic year, the ACT test dates and registration deadlines are presented in the table below. Important ACT Dates -   2018-19 Test Date Registration Deadline Late Registration Deadline June 9, 2018 May 4, 2018 May 20, 2018 July 14, 2018 June 15, 2018 June 22, 2018 September 9, 2018 August 10, 2018 August 26, 2018 October 27, 2018 September 28, 2018 October 14, 2018 December 8, 2018 November 2, 2018 November 19, 2018 February 9, 2019 January 11, 2019 January 18, 2019 April 13, 2019 March 8, 2019 March 25, 2019 June 8, 2019 May 3, 2019 May 20, 2019 July 13, 2019 June 14, 2019 June 24, 2019 Note that the February and July ACT is not offered in New York State. In California, no test centers are scheduled for July. International test dates are generally the same as those in the United States, but options may be limited. When Is the ACT Offered Outside of the United States? If youre taking the ACT outside of the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, or U.S. territories, you should register online for the exam. The test dates are the same as for the United States with the exception of February when the exam is not offered at international test locations. There is a $57.50  fee for international testing and late registration is not available. Is the ACT Always on a Saturday? The ACT test dates, like the SAT test dates, are on select Saturdays throughout the year. For some students, however, religious convictions make Saturday testing impossible. For these cases, the ACT is offered at a limited number of testing locations on Sundays. Youll be able to locate these Sunday test centers on the ACT website when you register for the exam.   It is also possible to apply for arranged testing  if there is no Sunday test center near you, you live in a country where the ACT is not offered, or if you are confined to a correctional facility on all of the test dates. Note that non-Saturday testing is not an option for the great majority of high school students, and you should make every effort to sit for the ACT during one of the Saturday exam administrations Is the ACT Offered Near Me? On the ACT website, youll find a tool for finding your nearest test center. The great majority of students should be able to find a test center within an hour of home, and you may even find that your own high school is a test center. Some rural students, however, may find that the exam will require a bit more travel. The situation can be even more challenging for international students. Some countries have just one or two test centers, and a few countries have none at all. Some international students may need to travel long distances or to other countries in order to take the exam. How Does ACT Test Registration Work? To register for the ACT, youll need to create an online account on the ACT website. The process can take about 40 minutes because the registration form will ask you about your personal information, interests, and high school course details. Youll also need to locate the test center where you want to take the exam, and youll need to have a credit card or other form of payment handy to pay the registration fees. Finally, youll need to provide a headshot photo for your registration ticket. This is a security measure to ensure that the person taking the exam is the same person who registered for the exam.   When Is the Best Time to Take the ACT? When you take the ACT is entirely up to you, but some exam strategies work better than others. Because the ACT is an achievement test (rather than an aptitude test), it asks you about information you have learned in high school. The result is that taking the exam in 9th or 10th grade may not be the best idea for the simple reason that you probably havent yet covered all of the material that will appear on the exam. One of the common approaches to the ACT is to take the exam in the second half of your junior year (February, April, May, or June). If you dont get good ACT scores from that test, you have time to prepare further and then retake the exam at the beginning of your senior year (July, September, or October). Be careful with the December test date: youll want to make sure the scores will be available in time to meet all of your application deadlines. It is always an option to take the ACT more than twice, but doing so shouldnt be necessary for the great majority of students. In many cases, in fact, a single testing in the spring of junior year can be more than adequate if you find your scores are in line with your target schools. What Does It Cost to Register for the ACT? At the time of registration, you will need to pay the fees for the ACT. The current fees for some of the most popular exam services are as follows: $46.00 for the basic ACT. This fee includes score results for the student, the students school, and four colleges$62.50 for the ACT with Writing$29.50  additional fee if you register late$53.00  additional fee if you register for standby testing (after the late registration deadline)$13  for additional score reports As you plan your college budget, be sure to keep these costs in mind. College expenses arent just about tuition, room, and board. Applying to college is also expensive, and standardized tests are a big part of that cost. If you take the ACT twice and need to send score reports to a dozen colleges, your ACT costs will most likely be several hundred dollars. The good news is that fee waivers are available for qualifying students from low income families. A Final Word About ACT Test Dates and Registration For better or worse, standardized tests are an important part of the college application process. Even if you are applying to test-optional colleges, you may need to take either the ACT or SAT to qualify for scholarships, to be placed into the appropriate classes, or to meet NCAA requirements for athletic participation.   Finally, dont put off thinking about the ACT. Youll want to carefully plan when you take the exam, and youll also need to plan ahead so that you dont miss registration deadlines.

Enron Culture Essays

Enron Culture Essays Enron Culture Essay Enron Culture Essay The atmosphere at Enron was highly competitive. Enron rewarded cleverness and pushing the envelope. Enrons former president and CEO Jeffery Skilling encouraged employees to be independent, innovative, and aggressive. ) The aggressiveness of the culture at Enron was increased by a rigorous and threatening evaluation process for all employees that became known as rank and yank. Enrons employees annually ranked their fellow employees on a 1 (best) to 5 (worst) scale. Each of the companys divisions was arbitrarily forced to give the lowest ranking to one-fifth of its employees. These employees were then fired. This system pitted employees against each other and created bad morale. Enrons bonus program was another motivational plan that contributed to the companys fall. Those who closed major deals were paid up to 3 percent of the value of the entire deal, payable when it was struck, not when the project actually began earning money. Employees were rewarded for high dollar deals, but since the basis was on projected earnings and not actually it encouraged the inflation of deals. Eventually this became common practice among employees who not only wanted to get larger bonuses but also give the appearance of being a valuable employee and avoid getting fired during rank and yank. The ethical boundaries at Enron were suffering under leaders who encouraged rule-breaking and a culture of competition and aggressiveness. Enron executives attention was clea rly focused on profits, power, greed, and influence. They wanted their employees to focus on todays bottom line and to be more clever than the competition. Employees have remarked that Enron was all about creating profits and breaking the rules. In support of this mentality the official vacation policy was that Managements obsession with keeping stock prices high led them to use unconventional accounting practices, which allowed them to book expected gains from ventures, which eventually failed, as profits. Enron also began an extensive program of buying, expanding, and launching businesses in both energy and non-energy domains. To help run these businesses, Skilling sought the best and brightest new hires, ones who would be ruthless traders. Enron failed to sufficiently monitor these new hires, and combined with the culture at Enron meant that these new hires were less than ethical. The fact that these new ventures were in non-energy domains also meant that they werent in the executives field of expertise which made it more difficult to monitor. Within management there was a failure to honestly deal with the problems facing the company. Instead of a developing a plan that lowered risk-taking and promoted ethics, Enron developed a Madison Avenue mentality that anything is right if the public can be convinced that its right. Through unconventional accounting Enron was able to produce numbers that showed profits and while no one understood, very few questioned it. Employees who noticed the questionable accounting and reporting practices and tried to blow the whistle were punished.

Ethics in Contemporary organizations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Ethics in Contemporary organizations - Essay Example Ethnic leaders should have strong moral values and principles and are able to control their feelings. As such, they should be able to handle stressful situations through self-control and tolerance. Such leaders should always strive for success and be able to balance their personal and professional lives. Additionally, good leaders should learn new strategies to handle issues through scholarly means, advance their learning skills and seeking feedback from the rest of the crew ethical leaders should always be energetic at their work to set a good example to the workers and increase the effectiveness of the organization (Dhar & Indian Society for Training & Development, 2009 ). As such, organizational leaders ought to have high ethical standards as it encourages the employees in organization to meet the same level of ethnicity. An ethical leader enhances the reputation of the company and this increases the effectiveness of the organization. An ethical organization attracts customers and this helps in the boosting of the sales and profits of the company. As such, the investors of the business are always at peace that their money is being used in the right way. Ethical employees adhere to the rules and regulations of the organization and ensure that they offer quality services to the company (Dhar & Indian Society for Training & Development, 2009).With this; these principles ensure that employees stay and meet the goals hence increasing the productivity. An organization with high moral principles strives to keep its customers by making sure that they provide insurance covers to them. Increasing the employees’ retention reduces the cost of replacing more employees. The principles ensure that the organization keeps the talented work and this increases the organizations productivity. A principled company ensures that there is a good relationship between the management and the vendors. Through this, the leaders make certain that vendors are paid on

The Exercise of Accounting Clothes Personal Statement - 2

The Exercise of Accounting Clothes - Personal Statement Example I thought that I had only few purchases that were made from China but I did not expect that majority of them were actually from China (there were 22 clothes that I bought coming from them). This misimpression is due to the fact that even if the brand is patently American, if we bother enough to check the label on where it is made, it is in fact made in China. For example, my sport apparel Nike. We know that Nike is an American company and we would like to think that it is also made in America. But no, check the labels and you cannot even read them because it is written in Chinese character. It is in fact made in China. This led me to think and do some basic research. I begun to understand the supply chain that companies employ in order to save cost and become competitive. But again, this led me to think if the main motivation really is to save on cost to sell their products more affordable then are their prices are saying otherwise? Nike is still priced at premium even if they had ou tsourced their manufacturing to some sweatshops in China. These companies are raking billions of dollars in profit. The motivation of having their manufacturing somewhere else must be the drive to profit more by finding ways to cut cost by looking for people who can do the job the cheapest way possible. Sadly, this takes jobs away from Americans and kills our local garment industry. This also makes the salary of those who works in our textile industry low because of competition of the dirt cheap salary of textile workers in Bangladesh and Cambodia. Worst, this outsourcing has brought new evils in the country that they were outsourced such as China and countries in South East Asia (Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines). News about the old labor, unreasonably long working hours and dangerous working conditions are prevalent that it defeats the benefit of giving people jobs because they are being exploited. Also, the quality of the textiles deteriorates because the manufacturing process of the countries they are from cut corners. Also, I noticed during the process of my accounting my clothes that some have labels of being recyclable (the ones made in USA) while many do not. I understood it because of our stringent laws about the environment and our general concern about the environment. I checked the labels on the other clothes that I have that were made overseas and there were no labels that the clothes can be recycled. This led me to think that these manufacturers must have no concern for the environment after making the sales or even during the manufacture of these clothes. Come to think of it, if they cared less about their workers, employing them in hazardous working conditions and giving them oppressive salaries whose ill effects can be immediately observed, how much more about the environment whose effect can only be felt many years ahead? Also, the quality of the fabric can readily be distinguished because those that came from the USA are noticeably of better quality. We just came from a financial crisis and to some extent, we are still reeling from it.

Thomas Hobbes †Leviathon Essay Example for Free

Thomas Hobbes – Leviathon Essay Introduction   Thomas Hobbes, a noteworthy political theorist and contemporary of John Locke, offers a concept of justice that is dependent upon the existence of a social structure which he calls the Commonwealth. The Commonwealth arises out of a state of war which he entitles the state of nature. In the state of nature, all men are equal, and thus, they have equal right to liberty. This equality of liberty is without external impediments insofar as how far one is able to extend his own liberty in the preservation of ones self. When men form societies under the social contract, a covenant which expresses their promise to curb their own ambitions and passions, their liberty, in order to work for the common good and to escape the violence that pervades the mere exercise of human nature, is also created. They then, and only then, are able to define justice, which is only realized in the adherence to covenants, and covenants can only be established and adhered to within the Commonwealth. Outside of society, there are no guarantees for protection. Overview In the State of Nature, all men are equal and are equally able to threaten one another. From this equality arises an equality of hope in attaining their ends. What nature has not bestowed upon one man in brute strength, time bestows upon him in experience. The Right of Nature, according to Hobbes, is the liberty each person has to use their own power for their own preservation. Liberty, in this regard, is identified as a lack of constraints upon a person in regards to his own behaviors. If two want the same thing, and they both cannot have it, they become enemies and endeavor to destroy one another (Hobbes chpt. 13). It is thus within the natural order for men to strive for self-preservation, especially when their own liberty is compromised by anothers practice of his liberty. There are three principal causes of quarrels between men in the state of nature. First, competition causes man to attack one another for personal gain, to make himself the stronger of the two and to take that which he seeks from the other. The second reason a man would invade another mans liberty is for the latters own personal safety, and the principal is thus known as diffidence. Finally, the principal of glory, which is the third cause of quarrel according to Hobbes, stems from the want of a reputation and the need to protect it from attacks on an ones personhood, verbal or otherwise. It is ones reputation which makes one powerful and feared in the state of nature, and thus more able to attain what he wants and needs. Because there exists no way for everyone to be assured their liberty will not be infringed by another, they must, therefore, live in a constant state of war. There is no assurance of peace and there are no boundaries dictating the extent to which one can and must go to preserve his own liberty, even if it means the domination of others. Nothing can be unjust. The notions of right and wrong, justice and injustice, have no place (Hobbes Chpt. 13). Therefore, there can be no concept of justice, because justice distinguishes the boundaries existing between one mans ability to protect his liberty in the face of another mans endeavor to destroy it. Force and fraud are the cardinal virtues (Hobbes Chpt. 13). Force ensures ones survival, and fraud ensures ones betterment. Without the fear of punishment, nothing stops men from using them and without justice; the term fraud would have no conceptualization as its negative denotation would not exist in a world with no concept of right and wrong.    Examination The First Law of Nature is to seek peace, which is rational. As the main goal of man under the state of nature is self-preservation, peace cannot be sought unilaterally and it is against the nature of man to seek it when in doing so, he concedes his own liberty. In the state of nature, unimpeded liberty exists, and mans security in his life and liberty is questionable. In such a time, there can not be commerce, agriculture, arts, or society, as there is no means by which to ensure their security. Man must live in constant fear of death and violence, and hence, such aspects of culture cannot subsist under that threat. One has no other refuge, than that which his own strength can furnish to him, hence the importance of the three principles of conflict, which lead to gains in strength, the protection of ones life and liberty, and the protection of ones reputation. Hobbes amalgamates and summarizes the first three laws of nature into what is commonly known as the golden rule. Treat others as you would like to be treated. This rule conceptualizes the birth of the Commonwealth and the social contract, wherein man gives away his right of liberty in order to protect himself from the unrestricted liberty of others who also agree to do the same. This is the birth of both the Commonwealth and justice, and the death of the State of Nature. In order to understand the meaning of justice, one must first understand how Hobbes defines justice. Justice, according to Hobbes, is the keeping of covenants. Therefore, where there are no covenants, there can be no justice. In the State of Nature, there can be contracts, just as within the commonwealth, but not covenants. The reasons are as follows: a contract is the mutual transferring of right in the Hobbsian sense and because it is mutual, it is obligatory on both sides and realized simultaneously, however, insofar as a covenant is a transference of right between men in which one promises to fulfill his obligation in the future, the early performer of his duties can not be assured that the other will perform his end of the covenant because there are no external bridles hinging him to it, containing his ambition. To lay down a mans right to anything is to divest himself of the liberty of hindering another of the benefit of his own right to the same (Hobbes Chpt. 13). Only fear can achieve adherence to the covenant; only coercion can bring about fear; and only the Commonwealth can subdue a mans passions through coercion. Therefore, a covenant in the state of nature is no more than a gift given to another as there can be no guarantee that the first to act will get his due, moreover, justice, according to Hobbes, originally exists within the commonwealth. Conclusion The keeping of Justice within the commonwealth can be explained in two parts; first, by clarification of the role of law, and, second, through Hobbes concept of authorship. Law, as defined by Hobbes, is distinguishable from right insofar as right is the liberty to do, whereas law binds ones liberty. Law, he says, is derived from reason, and reason tells man that he should strive for peace, which is both the grounds for the establishment of society, and the first law of nature. As all voluntary acts are geared towards gain, and laying down the natural right is a voluntary act, it is done so in order to promote the peace, which is both reasonable and beneficial for the all parties in that the peace is maintained. The law that binds man and takes away his ability to infringe on the liberties of others compel men equally to the performance of their covenants, by the terror of some punishment greater than the benefit they expect by the breach of their covenant (Hobbes Chpt. 15). Therefore, it is the established laws of the Commonwealth which place the fear punishment in men and guides them to the fulfillment of their covenants. Secondly, as the Commonwealth is the unification of men who have conferred their power to govern themselves upon either one man, or an assembly of men, called the sovereign, in order to establish the peace, it is in mans nature to strive individually and collectively for peace in order for self-preservation. The sovereign represents the will of the unified men. The sovereign is the sole legislator, and represents the common good. The laws oblige all citizens and if the citizens have quarrel with the laws, then they only have quarrel with themselves. As the common good is represented by the laws, and as the law of nature, under which the Commonwealth and the sovereign alike were created, and the civil laws contain each other and are reasonable, and as it is the citizens who author the laws in respect to the common good, therefore, neither the common good nor the laws can ever be unjust or against reason. References Hobbes, Thomas; Leviathan, ed. C. B. Macpherson (Harmondsworth: Pelican, 1975)

The Delegation of Managers Essay -- Delegating Managers Workplace Air

The Delegation of Managers The Oxford English Dictionary defines Delegation as â€Å"The action of delivering or assigning a thing to a person or to a purpose.† Delegation is very important in the Air Force and military in general. When managers do not delegate, they can become overwhelmed. The concept of delegation can be difficult to master. I was a Contracting Officer for 6 years. During that time, I not only saw delegation within the military structure but also to the contractors we employed. Delegation seems like an easy concept, but not everyone understands it and completes it with confidence. Some managers use delegation to ensure that they are not the only ones to blame in a failure. Some managers will delegate the difficult jobs or the ones they don’t want to complete themselves. These are not the reasons delegation should be used in the business world. Delegation can be a great motivational tool, showing employees that they are trusted enough to complete a task. It shows that managers have confidence in the employee. Delegation can also help you as a manager and a sense of accomplishment once the task is completed. As a manager who delegates, you have more time to do other tasks. You could move up the career ladder more quickly because you have time to devote to other projects and your team gets more work done. Every business or office has an opportunity for some form of delegation. Delegation is an everyday occurrence in the Air Force. The Air Force consists of a Chain of Command. At the top of this list is the President of the United States. At the bottom is your average airman. In the middle of this list are commanders, first sergeants, and superintendents. Everything from when to show up for work to how long physical training will last is delegated down the chain. It is the people at the top who make the decisions of what needs to be done, but the individuals at the bottom are the ones who actually get the job done. This is only the military tasks. When it comes to the individual jobs in the Air Force, each unit delegates in it’s own way. As a Contracting Officer, our office negotiated and wrote contracts for every service and supply needed on the base. This included buying new computers and office supplies for offices to the janitorial services for every building. Before the contract was awarded, market research needed to be done. We ... ...ponsibility and recognition. Managers need to delegate the right information to the right people and let those employees shine. Stephen Comiskey once stated, â€Å"You can delegate authority, but not responsibility.† When used properly, delegation can be a great tool for both managers and employees. Managers and employees working together to get tasks done are more efficient and work better as a team. It takes time and effort to develop a good system of delegation, but the end result can help you in your career and confidence level. During my Air Force career, I learned a lot about delegation. This helps me delegate in my current job as a stay at home mom. Everything from my husband’s honey-do list to getting my son to pick up his toys require some level of delegation. 1. Oxford English Dictionary on-line, http://80-dictionary.oed.com.ezproxy.apollolibrary.com/cgi/entry/50060042?query_type=word&queryword=delegation&first=1&max_to_show=10&single=1&sort_type=alpha, accessed on March 9, 2005 2. Alan Chapman, http://www.businessballs.com/delegation.htm, accessed on March 9, 2005. 3. http://en.thinkexist.com/quotes/with/keyword/delegating/, accessed on March 9, 2005.

Childcare working in partnerships Essay

Working in Partnerships TASK A Task A 1 (ref 1.1) Working in partnerships with -: Volunteers Health visitors Child development officers Staff/colleagues Social workers SALT – Speak and Language Therapist Ofsted Educational psychologists EYTA – Early Years Teaching Advisor Manager Healthcare Professionals Room Leaders Other settings – Primary teachers SENCO – Special need co-ordinator Children Chef/Kitchen – allergies, food requirements, vegetarian EAL Worker – English Additional Language Parents and carers It is important to work in partnership with parents/carers because they’ll feel supported, included in the child’s progress and ability. Also they’ll feel that their comments, opinions are being accepted and valued. Working in partnership with the parents/carers will also support, improve and maintain communication within the whole family. Multi – Disciplinary Teams They work with other services such as children’s centres, social services and someone working in a voluntary organisation. Working in partnerships with  Multi-Disciplinary Teams is also important as they encourage everyone who works and supports the child to think of the whole child. Also respecting roles and responsibilities. Other Professionals Working in partnership with other professionals, can able us to support the child by gaining specialist advice about potential barriers, which may interfere with a child’s development. Colleagues Working in partnerships with our colleagues allows us to work together and communicate efficiently with regards to the child and shows continuity of care. Task A 2 (ref 1.2) The three relevant partners for communication and information sharing are primary teachers, chef/kitchen staff and Ofsted. Task A 3 (ref 1.3) The three characteristics that define an effective working partnership is that it builds a report, enables effective communication and allows decisions and ideas to be valued from all agencies, for example parents, teachers etc. Task A 4 (ref 1.4) The three examples of potential barriers for effective partnership are poor communication, language barriers and out of date information. TASK B Task B 1 (ref 2.1) Two reasons for clear and effective information between partners is important because it helps with assessing children and young people’s needs and with observations. Task B 2 (ref 2.2) One policy for young children or young person’s work setting for sharing information is partnerships with parents, confidentiality, transitions and continuity of care (key person). For the procedure you consult your senior or even your manager when sharing information and record all information and actions which are relevant to current needs. Task B 3 (ref 2.3) One example of a conflict that may occur when sharing information with partners is that the parents might not agree with your advice that you give them on the development of their child. As they may find it offensive when you’re only trying to help. One example for a dilemma may be that you’re sharing information with a parent/carer or someone that you shouldn’t be sharing information with about a child. Task B 4 (ref 2.4) The legal requirement for recording information is under the Data Protection Act 1998. The key points are that the data is stored about a family or staff must not be shared without the person’s permission. Task B 5 (ref 2.5) The records are kept in filing cabinets which have a lock on and only certain members of staff have the key. Also some records may be kept on computer which are under a password, and again only certain people know the password. Task B 6 (ref 2.6) Speak to parents about the problem, speak to manager or SENCO. Be confidential about what you’re discussing. Also gather evidence and observe the child. Keep the parents informed and fill in a Common Assessment Framework (CAF). TASK C Task C 1 (ref 3.1) The reasons for working in partnership with parents/carers are -: So they are involved in their child’s learning progress. So their views and opinions are valued. Task C 2 (ref 3.2, 3.3) How to do this Difficult Circumstances Development of Partnership with Parents or Carers Showing that you value the parents/carers opinion will create the basis of a good relationship. To communicate well with parents/carers. Working parents do not communicate well. Sustaining Partnership with Parents or Carers Encouraging parents to talk with other parents, and to build another path of communication as well with the setting, Parents lead a chaotic lifestyle and have no interest in communicating with other parents and with the staff within the setting.

Argumentative Essay On Halloween - 830 Words

Happy Halloteen Halloween: the holiday where as kids we couldn’t wait to go door to door to achieve the golden goal of a full bag of candy. Halloween soon turns into a question mark for teens; in an instant, there is a change of when it is ‘appropriate’ to go trick-or-treating and when you should just move on. Are you the one who thinks Trick-or-treating is lame or the one who still walks around your neighborhood every year -- no matter how many dirty looks you may get. What teenagers decide to do on Halloween varies: going to a party, passing out candy, staying home are a few popular options. Throughout my highschool experience I have been able to witness and experience all different types of halloteens, each with their own traits. The†¦show more content†¦You know no matter what you wear people will still know your age, so you choose the comfortable route: a onesie. Throwing on a snug, warm, animal shaped onesie is the best option if you still want people to think you dressed up. It takes a lot of confidence to fall into this category because the only explanations for going trick-or-treating is to own up to it or make an excuse that your sibling is dragging you along and you deserve a treat too. Walking around the culdesac you start to think, wow, I am getting too old for this, it is way too cold: until you look down in your bag noticing you only have five pieces of candy. The fight carries on until 8 o’clock when peoples lights start to go out and bowls become empty. Finally getting home looking back down at your bag you know you’ve made the right choice. This next option is for teens who want a more relaxing night, but still want to be apart of the Halloween festivities. These are the ‘I wish I was brave enough to go Trick-or-Treating halloteens.’ Still craving candy, but not having any siblings left to steal candy from can be difficult. The next best option is to pass out the candy and hope that there is more left over at the end of the night. â€Å"Take one,† you say as you secretly hope the kids won’t take your favorite candy. Saying take one isn’t as impactful as it seems because the children are determined to get as much candy as possible and will sneak a couple extraShow MoreRelatedLogical Reasoning189930 Words   |  760 PagesYour most important critical thinking skill is your skill at making judgments─not snap judgments that occur in the blink of an eye, but those that require careful reasoning. You are not reasoning logically if, when you want a gorilla suit for a Halloween party, the first thing you do is search for the word Gorilla in the Yellow Pages of the telephone book, and the problem here is not that you used a telephone book instead of the Internet. High-quality reasoning is called logical reasoning or

Medical Schools in California

The Criminal Street Gang Activity Essay - 947 Words

Many experts differ on the definition of what a â€Å"gang† is. Police use the term to refer to groups that hold and defend territory, or turf. Experts use the term to describe any congregation of youths who have joined together to engage in a delinquent act (Siegel Welsh, 2011). The State of Florida (F.S.S. 874.03) defines a Criminal Street Gang as â€Å"means a formal or informal ongoing organization, association, or group that has as one of its primary activities the commission of criminal or delinquent acts, and that consists of three or more persons who have a common name or common identifying signs, colors, or symbols and have two or more members who, individually or collectively, engage in or have engaged in a pattern of criminal street gang activity† (Statutes Constitution, 2016). As children progress through adolescence they learn quickly who they get along with and who they don’t. They bond with certain groups of kids that they have things in common w ith. For some this need provides a social and emotional basis for antisocial activity transforming the clique into a â€Å"gang† (Siegel Welsh, 2011). Researcher Jeffery Fagan found that most gangs fall into one of four categories: 1. Social - few delinquent activities other than alcohol and marijuana. 2. Party – drug use and sales to finance drug use. 3. Delinquent – serious delinquent behavior avoiding drug use and dealing. 4. Organized – heavily involved in criminality. Gang violence. Many former gang members in theShow MoreRelatedPrison Gangs : The United States991 Words   |  4 PagesThe fact that prison gangs are not visible to the public makes them seem unknown to the public eye, however the pose the same threats to the United States as all other gangs. Prison gangs are also often written off and forgotten about by authorities due to fact that they are incarcerated. â€Å"Due to their seclusion from the public and their minimal visibility, prison gangs are difficult to target and are thus frequently overlooked as threat actors, which enables them to commit various crimes withoutRead MoreThe American Of American History Essay1523 Words   |  7 Pagescourse of American history, the usage of gangs has always been embedded in the striving desire to be rebel, such as defeating the overhanging stature of the British empire. However as the 13 colonies formed a colonial gang in an effort to el iminate British influence in America, the definition of the word gang has transformed into an entirely different meaning. One common definition of a gang is a group of three or more individuals who engage in criminal activity and identify themselves with a commonRead MoreThe Criminal Aspect of Social Media1360 Words   |  5 Pagesdays. 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Their conclusions underscored the necessity for rapid, multi-agency, coordinated responses to control illegal gang activities (Torres, S. 1998). Operation Blue Rag, a program developed in San Diego, California, focused on the city s black street gangs, while Operation Red Rag, implemented the following year, targeted Blood or Piru gangs. They were both federally funded through the Urban Street Gang Drug Trafficking EnforcementRead MoreJuvenile Gangs Essay980 Words   |  4 PagesFinal Project Andrew Rodriguez CJ150 Kaplan College Mr. Templeton August 30.2012 Juvenile gangs have become a serious and growing problem in many areas throughout the U.S. It is unlikely that gang control strategies can be successful as long as legitimate economic alternatives are lacking. I will be exploring the possible proactive solutions to this social problem. Juvenile gangs on the street and in prison â€Å"Violent crimes committed by juveniles are not diminishing, as other crimes, as reported

Bmws Operation Management free essay sample

BMW is a company that manufactures cars, motorcycles and engines by implementing the ten operations management decisions. The design of cars is usually made by the designers and the company uses an interesting technique in which they put the designers of interior and exterior against each other in a friendly competition, then the head designer of the specific series chooses the best design of this series. After choosing, he then builds a clay model of the car and enhances its visuals to see how it would actually look like. Then managers from all departments come to examine the prototype and check for faults and mistakes and if everything checks out, the design will be send to the executives to check its relevance. The quality control procedures that BMW operates within, is achieved through a system of quality audits at the stages of production of parts, and at the stages of the components and in the assembly plants. BMW Group established common policies on flexibility reserves to make sure that their capacity is extremely versatile in production amount. BMW is the worlds leading luxury car company and is devoted to maintain and improve its existence in key markets worldwide. Layout decisions are important because they allow a company to be more competitive by considering capacity, processes, flexibility, cost, quality of work life, and customer contact and image. BMW uses intelligent software tools as well as WMS (warehouse management system) which is a computer software designed for managing the movement and storage of materials throughout the warehouse, in order to reduce production costs and increase the number of output in distribution centers. BMW applies selection processes for both internal and external applicants which ensure the appointment of the highest quality staff. BMW is using a service management system as part of a bigger plan to improve supply chain lifecycles. Inventory, material requirements planning, and JIT decisions deal with issues such as how much inventory of each item should exist, and when to reorder. Maintenance deals with issues like how to build reliability into the process and who is responsible for maintenance Introduction: Operations management is a discipline concerned with the production of goods and services by transforming inputs into outputs. BMW is one of the companies that implements the ten operations management decisions. It’s the operations managers that are responsible for the way the production is planned. Managers in all companies, perform the basic functions of the management process which are planning, organizing, staffing, leading, and controlling. These are applied to the decisions they make in the 10 major operations management decisions. These decisions include: The design of goods and services Managing quality Process and capacity design Location strategy Layout strategy Human resource and job design Supply-chain management Inventory, material requirements planning, and JIT ( just-in-Time) Intermediate and short-term scheduling Maintenance History: BMW (Bayerische Motoren Werke) is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded by Franz Josef Popp in 1916. BMW is currently the 1st most valuable car brand in the world and the 23rd most valuable brand in the world; in 2011 it was the 2nd right behind Toyota. BMW’s brand value increased 10% while Toyota’s brand value decreased by 10%. It currently own â€Å"Rolls-Royce Motor Cars† which is a British manufacturer of luxury automobiles and â€Å"MINI† which is a British automotive marque which specializes in small cars. BMW’s main products are: 1 Series: The 1 Series was introduced in 2004 and was the first sports hatch in the highly competitive compact car segment. The 3 Series is the benchmark premium sports saloon, and continues to define the compact executive car segment. It was launched in 1975. Series: The 5 Series car was launched in 1972 and is available in both Saloon and Touring models with a number of petrol and diesel engine options. The 5 Series is known for its agility, performance and driving dynamics. 6 Series: The 6 Series comes in two models, Coupe and Convertible, and is available in a Launched in 2003, the 6 Series has become renowned for its sporting elegance and cutting-edge design. 7 Series: The 7 Series is BMW’s luxury Saloon, combining performance, elegance and dynamic appeal. X5: The X5 was the first car in the Sports Activity Vehicle Segment, when it launched in 1999. These can appeal to buyers who enjoy the command driving position, as well as the dynamic driving characteristics of a BMW. X6: The X6 offers a unique proposition: four-wheel and drive model, high levels of performance combined with a sports car coupe body style Z4: The Z4 is BMWs premium sports car range and was launched in 2003, uses innovative technology and a lightweight engine to offer the ultimate roadster driving experience. M Series: BMW M combines technology and expertise gained from BMWs motorsport activities and translates it for the road. BMW M launched its first road car, the M1, in 1978 and the range has since expanded to include the M3 Coupe, Convertible and Saloon, the M5 Touring and Saloon, the M6 Coupe and Convertible and the Z4 M Roadster and Coupe. The company’s bestselling car is the BMW 3-Series which in 2005 accounted for nearly 40% of the companys car sales; and the company’s most profitable car is the BMW 5-Series which accounts usually for 50% of the company’s profits. In 2011, BMW created a sub brand called â€Å"BMW i† which commercializes in low emission vehicles. It unveiled 2 cars under the â€Å"I† brand, the BMW i3 which is an urban electric car and BMW i8 which is plug-in hybrid sports vehicle which can reach a speed of 100 km/h in 4. 8 seconds. BMW cars are found all over the world and in some countries it is the leading car brand. In 1994, BMW acquired Rover Group, which is known for its Range Rover. But eventually in 2000, Rover Group was divested. In South Africa, many car manufacturers such as Ford and GM divested in subsidiaries, but BMW still retains full ownership of its operations in South Africa. BMW uses a hybrid of diversification and concentration strategy. BMW manufactures its vehicles in 7 countries, Germany, Mexico, Russia, United Kingdom, Austria, U. S. A and South Africa. BMW also has local assembly operations using complete knock down components in Thailand, Russia, Egypt, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Chennai, India. BMW uses a detailed analysis to see if they can achieve their goal in particular countries and if the cost of labor is acceptable hence the opening of manufacturing plants in Mexico, Russia and South Africa. In some countries there are income inequalities; BMW has a solution for that because of its diverse cars. It has cars for low income people up to the high income people. The price of BMW cars varies from models to series. A 2,000$ BMW E30 can be found up to the BMW Hydrogen 7 at 1,000,000$. BMW’s prime competitors are Mercedes-Benz and Audi which in some countries have taken the market for a limited time then lost it due to BMW’s fast production of new cars. Germany exports 97% of its goods to other countries. Similarly BMW and its German competitors rely heavily on exports to make profit. In 2010, BMW produced 399,009 BMW 3-series in which 25% of them were exported to U. S. A. Also in 2010, BMW sales were 1,224,280 cars in which only 43,000 were to the local market, it also sold 98,047 BMW motorcycles of which 500 were to the local market. BMW uses a lot of third-party export intermediaries to facilitate the exporting process in a lot of countries. BMW also exports engines. â€Å"Alpina†, which is an automobile manufacturing company that sell their own cars based on BMW cars, work closely with BMW so their processes are integrated into BMWs production lines. While working closely with BMW, it made the BMW Alpina B7, a high-performance 7-Series, which is priced at 123,000$. It produced a limited amount of B7’s; almost 50% of them were exported to the U. S. A and were quickly sold out. Design of goods: The design of a BMW car starts in an extensive and enthusiastic procedure. Its most exclusive function is the unique BMW internal design competition. This is where developers in the professions of external and internal contend against each other with their suggestions. Their thoughts and styles are first drawn two-dimensionally on document or on the computer. They then later make a three-dimensional form as elaborate clay models or in virtual renderings using CAD. BMW won multiple awards for its impeccable design of cars, including â€Å"iF Product Design Award† for the BMW 1 Series M Coupe, â€Å"iF Product Design Award† for the BMW 6 Series Coupe, â€Å"German Design Award in Silver† for the BMW 5 Series Touring, â€Å"Winner Automotive Brand Contest† for the BMW 328 Hommage, â€Å"Louis Vuitton Concept Classic Award 2009† for the BMW Vision EfficientDynamics and a lot more. Karim Habib, a 42-year old Lebanese-born Canadian, has been named the new head of BMW Design, beginning June 1. He planned the design of the present 7 Series, will report to Adrian van Hooydonk, the senior vice president BMW Group Design. Habib started his career at BMW in 1998, and worked on a number of cars before moving to Mercedes-Benz in 2009 as head of the Stuttgart firms advanced design studio. He was lured back last year by BMW to run the companys Exterior Design group. The design of BMW cars has been increasingly progressing every decade. There are renowned designers that have made a name of themselves thanks to the BMW Company and in return they gave BMW the best design of cars possible, some of these famous designers of the present day are: Adrian van Hooydonk, he is responsible among others for the gull-wing Z9 Gran Turismo prototype, BMW 6 series E63/E64 and E65 7 series. Jacek Frohlich, he is responsible for BMW F10/F11, the newest 5-series. Juliane Blasi, who is responsible for the second generation BMW Z4. Karim Habib which we already spoke about, and many more. Quality management decision: Managing quality deals with issues like how quality is defined, and who is responsible for quality which is the key for improving operations. It permits building good and successful strategies of differentiation, low cost, and response. Good quality increases the company reputation and image, and therefore increases profits. The quality control procedures that BMW operates within, is achieved through a system of quality audits at the stages of production of parts, and at the stages of the components and in the assembly plants. Suppliers of materials and components also follow the same quality control principles. BMW considers quality as a key importance in every stage of the production process. It places a great value on customer feedback and manages quality according to their needs. It empowers its employees so that they become committed to the organization. The employees attitude to quality prevents mistakes and ensures continual improvement and therefore increased profitability. The principles that it applies are consistency and complete coverage of all requirements throughout the development and manufacturing process. When cars are then delivered to the distribution centers, their quality is also checked again and they have a full pre-delivery inspection before delivering them to the customer. In case a fault is found, the BMW management structure allows its team to react quickly and work on the problem. BMW has received a quality certification, which is the DIN EN ISO 9000, a quality standard with international recognition. BMW Group production has been confirmed as the first-class quality standards many times. Process and Capacity design: Because demand is vague, the BMW Group established common policies on flexibility reserves to make sure that their capacity is extremely versatile in production amount. These policies are obligatory for strategic planning, and they reflect the way BMW interact with long-term need concerns. They are included in the load-planning model. For a production line, we identify between the maximum potential (per week or per year) based on running consistently seven days a week, 24 hours a day, and normal capacity under normal working conditions. Maximum capacity is a specialized characteristic of the product line, whereas normal capacity depends on the working-time technique, which differs for various development levels and from nation to nation. We show normal capacity as a percentage of the maximum capacity. Reducing the maximum potential by the flexibility reserve (a percentage) gives the disposable potential. In load planning, any usage between the minimal and the disposable potential is possible, but utilization above the normal potential drives overtime expenditures up. Location strategy: BMW is the globes leading high-class luxury car company. This is thanks to their brilliant marketing strategy across the world. Their forceful sales strategy reaches out to millions of people every year across a number of regions. Their existence is felt universally, adding to the company’s universal dominance. To make that dominance a bit stronger, BMW are to set out various locations for car production, all of which have not been touched before. This will come in line with BMW’s plans to establish new partnerships with different automobile companies across the globe to help their growth and expansion plans. BMW manufactures its vehicles in 7 countries, Germany, Mexico, Russia, United Kingdom, Austria, U. S. A and South Africa. BMW also has local assembly operations using complete knock down omponents in Thailand, Russia, Egypt, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Chennai, India. BMW is devoted to maintain and improve its existence in key markets worldwide. BMW Group marketing subsidiaries are present in the following countries: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, Poland, Portugal, Russia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, and U. S. A. Also BMW currently has 17 production facilities in six countries: Berlin plant, Dingolfing plant, Eisenach plant, Contract production in Graz (Austria), Goodwood plant (GB), Hams Hall plant (GB), Landshut plant, Leipzig plant, Munich plant, Oxford plant (GB), Regensburg plant, Rosslyn plant (South Africa), Shenyang plant (China), Spartanburg plant (USA), Steyr plant (Austria), Swindon plant (GB), Wackersdorf plant. South Africa is a key location for BMW. In South Africa, many car manufacturers such as Ford and GM divested its subsidiaries, but BMW still retains full ownership of its operations in South Africa. BMW are increasing production of their new 3 Series in South Africa. Millions have been invested in order for this development plan to go ahead. This is a key location as the South African car marketing is currently thriving. It is also in a great location as many of BMW vehicles cars are exported from the country, with it having close connections to other key areas. Frank Peter Arndt, a Board Member of the BMW board and the Chairman of South African division of BMW said how important the 3 Series is to South Africa and the rest of the world. He said â€Å"The BMW 3 Series is the most important volume-produced model for the group, as well as the biggest-selling model in the entire premium segment. Mr. Arndt believes that despite the global economy being uncertain, BMW can still reach targets this year throughout the world. They are so confident that demand will be high that a third shift in BMW’s South African plant is being introduced. Layout strategy: Layout decisions are important because they allow a company to be more competitive by considering capacity, processes, flexibility, cost, quality of work life, and customer contact and image. It deals with issues like how the facility should be arranged and how large it must be in order to meet the plan. It can help an organization achieve a differentiation, a low cost strategy or response. If a layout is efficiently implemented, the flow of materials, people, and information within and between areas will be much easier. BMW adopts the warehouse layout that supports a low cost strategy in order to achieve this objective. This type of layout deals with minimizing total cost by examining the capacity of the warehouse. Instead of physically restructuring the warehouse layout or investing in expensive warehouse technology, BMW uses intelligent software tools as well as WMS (warehouse management system) which is a computer software designed for managing the movement and storage of materials throughout the warehouse, in order to reduce production costs and increase the number of output in distribution centers. Human resources: BMW applies selection processes for both internal and external applicants which ensure the appointment of the highest quality staff. Special selection events are designed to give applicants every opportunity to demonstrate their skills and abilities in a variety of relevant activities, to learn as much as they can about the organization and to take responsibility for the role they are applying for. Generally, vacancies will be advertised internally and wherever possible a current member of staff will be recruited into a position. Only if an internal appointment is not possible will BMW consider external recruitment. BMW encourages its employees in the development of their careers. BMW operates an equal opportunity policy which is a stipulation that all people should be treated similarly, unhampered by artificial barriers or prejudices or preferences, except when particular â€Å"distinctions can be explicitly justified. † Supply chain management: Car manufacturer BMW is using a service management system as part of a bigger plan to improve supply chain lifecycles. The platform introduction was triggered by complexities in the technology rooted in its cars and subsequent demand for systems to support servicing, said Bennie Vorster, the group’s vice president of IT solutions and technology standards. We are working on the adaptation of the software to cover new car releases, and updates will be made,† Bennie Vorster said. Supply chain management continues to be a challenge for manufacturers whatever the sector, Vorster told Computing. â€Å"Warehouse spaces to handle supply are becoming smaller and firms must deal with issues related to customers’ requirements for more choice and flexibility. So complexities related to the increasing demand for ‘just in time’ delivery processes must be met by efficient supply chain management systems,† he said. The incorporation of mobile connectivity between systems and necessities from manufacturers or sales departments translates to short supply chain processes. â€Å"To avoid inefficiency both in terms of time and space, we don’t order parts long before the production time to keep in our warehouses in case a customer orders a car of any particular specification. â€Å"For that reason, the technology behind the process linking suppliers and manufacturers has to be seamless and as fast as possible,† said Vorster. BMW uses â€Å"SAP†, which is very popular business software, as its core platform along with a set of modified legacy systems. The company is looking at updating some of the programs managing diverse parts of its supply chain management procedure, and uses the Agile programming model to speed up delivery processes. Inventory, material requirements planning (MRP), and JIT decisions: Inventory, material requirements planning, and JIT decisions deal with issues such as how much inventory of each item should exist, and when to reorder. Inventory is the items which the firms possess during the implementation of their jobs in the production process. It can take any form of the product such as raw material, work in process or finished goods. The Production procedure in car development is very complicated, in order to fulfill customer requirements and preferences. Conventional techniques of preparing, managing and tracking the procedure are not appropriate any longer. Thus new techniques are required. At BMW, a system dynamics strategy is used. A simple powerful inventory simulator with a friendly user-interface can considerably improve the inventory procedure. This simulator is used on a day-to-day basis to support monthly, weekly and daily inventory reviews as well as everyday tracking of the performance of the procedure. To highlight the effectiveness of the developed simulator, the manager of the production-planning division at BMWs plant in Regensburg, who said in an interview: â€Å"The simulator used within our division permitted us to improve our results for more than 2000 units this year. This was possible, because the simulator revealed in advance the opportunities of increasing production by introducing extra changes in the production schedule†. Because these 2000 units were required to fulfill customer requirements, this lead to an improvement in net-income of more than 15 million US$. A material requirement planning is an effective inventory control system that provides the necessary information for a company to compete in the global marketplace. BMW applies excellent standards for its internal processes by using service-oriented architecture (SOA) to redesign its material requirements planning operations, and to enable a more innovative supply chain management strategy based on flexible quantity agreements. The SOA is an IT architecture plan that is open, flexible, and adaptable for developing modular service-based business solution. It enables enterprises to differentiate their business by lowering material handling costs and improve vendor management. JIT (just-in-time) production is producing and delivering goods on time. The benefits of JIT are: reduced operating cost, improved quality and performance, increased innovativeness, flexibility, improved delivery. BMW is beyond JIT. It shifted from just-in-time production to delivery on demand. BMW sends JIT delivery schedules to suppliers who receive the information via EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) or by accessing the SAP Automotive Supplier Portal, where up to date information about the delivery needs is posted. The order includes all parts required to build each car. For example, the X5 has hundreds of components listed in the bill of materials. SAP Automotive gathers the delivery schedules for each part to fit the BMW assembly-line planning and sequencing directives. Suppliers then send BMW information about the delivery date. Maintenance: Maintenance deals with issues like how to build reliability into the process and who is responsible for maintenance. it is a very important issue because it ensures sustainability of the product. It’s a method used to keep an organization running efficiently. Herman Adams, a maintenance planning specialist in the BMW Body Shop, said: People who buy a BMW are paying for the engineering and quality, not for breakdowns on the plant floor. â€Å"To achieve maintenance and reliability excellence, its all about being the driver. † On the macro level: We look at ways that can ensure the equipment is going to be able to do what we want it to do, says Seaman. And, on the micro level: We plan all of our maintenance and schedule it. It does not schedule us, says Adams. Managers and technicians at BMW are motivated to build and plan maintenance to comply with the plant’s needs. They use reliability centered maintenance (RCM) which is a strategy used to improve production and efficiency of the plant. It includes determining a way to increase operating procedures like maximizing a machine’s uptime by adding more workers or making engineering modifications. They focus on managing the equipment to ensure much efficiency as possible. Moreover, they can easily buy from external partners’ commodity skill opportunities like changing air filters. There are four different units in the plant that take a distinct spin on maintenance which are: the body Shop, assembly, the paint shop and facilities/energy. In BMW, there is no maintenance manager position. Rather, there is a managerial representative from each unit that plan maintenance. Maintenance and reliability doesnt reside in one department or with one individual, says Adams. Everybody owns maintenance, reliability, uptime and overall equipment effectiveness. Its a team game. Conclusions and Recommendations: BMW is a well known and highly valued brand. Hence, it is a benefit for the company. In the premium section market, the prices for the vehicles are greater and therefore the well established brand creates credibility and warrants the customers to the purchase of a BMW. An example of this is the BMW 3-series. In the section for premium middle-class vehicles, despite the price, the 3-series is the best selling among the competition. The diversity in their portfolio is wide. In the different sections, many editions of the vehicles are provided. Moreover, BMW will release new models not only of existing but also in new series in the near future. The various vehicles available are the same in all the different markets. Thus, despite where the car is bought, the style is identical both with regards to efficiency and after sale services which creates creditability among the clients. In the three years that passed, BMW had greater sales volume than its nemesis Mercedes-Benz and at the same time a significantly greater profit edge on each car sold which is a strength for BMW. Also, it has not been dealing with the same problems with quality that Mercedes-Benz has been dealing with. Actually the quality that BMW has held has often provided the backbone to maintaining a strong brand which provides devoted and satisfied customers. BMW offers great competency and the organization produces most of the car by themselves. BMW is not reliant on any other organization that could force them to utilize products that are not according to BMW standards. Many car producers work together with regards to research and development but BMW has announced their independency and want to keep their business developments to themselves; therefore, BMW gets left out of the opportunity in reducing costs as well as synergy effects. A trend is emerging in the automobile industry which is to use the same elements in different types of products or brands. Also here, BMW varies from the market average since they customize their cars after each model themselves. Even though BMW has not collaborated with any organization, it is still apparent that BMW is trying to acquire new market shares. In addition, higher interest rates could impact the revenue results negatively since 41. 1% of the purchased BMWs are financed by BMW Financial Services. Causing the successful growth of BMW are the constant investment in innovation; the latest technologies and knowledgeable employees. BMW should keep its sustainability because it’s influenced by the operations management decisions. It should keep on introducing new products into the market and diversify. It should also create new technologies in order to produce cheaper cars, to meet the increasing customers’ demands. Moreover, in planning and operations processes, pollution should be taken into consideration. BMW should accelerate the production of the BMW i3 and BMW i8 that are pollution-free as well as making it cheaper. It should use resources efficiently in order to decrease the cost, and therefore making more profits. Thus, demand will increase and customers will be more interested in the purchase of the car. Customer satisfaction is what elevated BMW to such a high pedestal which means they should maintain the operations management decisions that have been successful for them.

The Evolution of Google Penguin Algorithm Updates

Penguin: The History The original Penguin algorithm arrived on April 24, 2012, and was aimed at rooting out and penalizing websites with low-quality links and too many keywords. Alongside the Panda algorithm, Google wanted to reward sites with valuable, relevant links, and penalize sites that had built unnatural links solely to increase their search rankings. Penguin initially affected around 3.1 percent of all search queries and had a significant impact on how webmasters approached SEO, causing many to shift towards unique content. Penguin 2.0 made further tweaks to the algorithm, affecting around 2.3 percent of all search queries. Similarly, Penguin 3.0 built off the tweaks made in the previous updates. Penguin 1.0 The Penguin update is Google’s latest crackdown on what it terms webspam: Techniques used to boost PageRank without providing value to visitors. Launched on April 24, the update affects 3.1% of searches and targets sites that abuse Google’s existing quality guidelines. So far Penguin’s main impact has been on websites that rely on link networks for traffic. Using exact match anchor text, especially if the links are bought rather than organic, is a red flag to Google, as are spammy comments using exact match link signatures, guest posts on irrelevant websites and low-quality article directories, and links from sites that contain dangerous or dishonest content and links. Penguin is not an attack on the use of SEO. Instead, it is the latest phase of Google’s war against webmasters who abuse links and rely on other on-page SEO tricks. The search engine behemoth believes that real people’s enthusiasm for content is the best indicator of quality. This means that social signals and sharing are becoming more and more critical to PageRank. Providing your visitors with high quality, unique content that offers useful information that they’ll want to share is thus becoming more and more important; this is the only type of SEO content that’s going to pay off for you in the long term. If your website focuses on providing engaging, fresh content for visitors, then you have nothing to fear from Penguin. Avoid future problems by focusing your link-building efforts on getting high-quality links from influential websites in your niche or industry. Think link quality rather than quantity. Links are the natural consequence of an engaging, content-rich webpage rather than a tool to be manipulated. Google has very helpfully released specific guidelines for its Penguin update. It advises websites to avoid the following: Hidden on-page text and links that exist only to boost rankings. Cloaking or redirects that mislead your site’s visitors. Sending automated queries to Google to boost rankings. Keyword stuffing and hidden keywords that are there only to fool the search engines. Multiple domains or subdomains with duplicate or irrelevant content Doorway pages and pages created for affiliate schemes that have little or no original content. Pages that contain phishing links or install viruses and trojans. Note that there is nothing in the guidelines to concern websites that exist to please their visitors. However, if you feel that Penguin has unfairly punished you, Google has provided an online form for complaints about the effects of the update. Google’s latest push against webspam is not going to be its last. The days of building traffic via link networks and paid links are over: Websites now have to earn their links by merely being link-worthy. The search engine wants SEO to be transparent and honest. It is guaranteed to continue its war against websites and SEO experts who try to game its algorithms. Ultimately the Penguin update is good news for honest webmasters and quality websites and blogs. Focus on providing unique, engaging content on a regular basis and make it as easy to share as possible with social network buttons. The more attractive your website and its content to real people the more it will rise in the rankings. What Sites Got Hit? Google’s most significant updates often knock webmasters for a loop. Even with hints beforehand that Google was planning an update targeting over-optimization, no one knew what to expect before Penguin came about. Since Google doesn’t tell us exactly what they’re doing- or even what they’ve done, after the fact – it leaves SEO experts to analyze their changes to sort out what happened to the algorithm and what ranking factors are most likely to get you into trouble. Now that the Penguin update has been launched, it is easier to see what Google was targeting, but the only way to know for sure is to study a large number of sites and look for a common thread between those that were impacted by the update. Microsite Masters has done the research and published the results on their blog. They found two factors that the penalized sites had in common: Targeted anchor text: Every single site they found that was penalized used keyword-optimized anchor text for at least 65% of their incoming links. Yes, that’s right–every single site. Links from irrelevant sites: Almost half of the penalized sites had no links from other sites in the same niche, and over 70% of the penalized sites had less than 30% of their links coming from related sites. What to do About the Penguin Update? The mere mention of an update to Google’s search algorithm is enough to inspire fear in the hearts of many internet marketers, bloggers, and webmasters. For those who make a living off ad revenue and affiliate sales, being ranked highly on Google is critical to success. Being de-indexed by Google has been referred to as â€Å"internet death.† When a site is de-indexed its content becomes invisible to search users, which translates into traffic almost wholly vanishing. The following advice will assist you in avoiding such a nightmare situation. Calm Down; It’s Not the End of SEO When the update known as Penguin was released, many anxiously awaited to see the impact it would have on their traffic. A good number of these people were just now recovering from Google’s previous algorithm update, Panda. While the aftermath of the previous update was nothing short of cataclysmic, Penguin seems to be much milder in comparison. This is likely due to many webmasters learning from the lessons taught by Panda. The main focus of this update appears to be backlink spam and keyword stuffing. Avoid Black-Hat Backlinking Services Even before the release of Penguin, Google sent a strong signal that paid backlinking services will not be tolerated. It did this by de-indexing BuildMyRank.com, one of the most successful and popular of these services. This sent shock waves across the SEO community and signified things to come. Google designed Penguin to more effectively weed out sites with backlink profiles determined to be unnatural and intended to game the system. Never use automated software and services to build vast amounts of low-quality links in a short amount of time. Penguin sniffs these out like a shark smells blood. This kind of linking strategy is blatantly unnatural and will almost guarantee a stiff penalty. Instead focus on backlinking methods that Google views as natural, such as guest writing on blogs and websites that fall under the same niche category as the content you are trying to rank. The Death of Exact Match Anchor Text Penguin has made it clear that link diversity is essential for surviving Google’s wrath. This is especially true when it comes to choosing anchor text. The majority of the sites punished by Penguin had one thing in common; the blatant exploitation of exact match keywords. This was once considered perfectly sound SEO strategy for dominating specific keywords but has since become tainted by black hat services spamming irrelevant anchor text to exploit Google’s algorithm. Keyword anchor text can still be used but in smaller doses. A general rule of thumb is to have exact match anchor text make up under 50% of your total link profile. Keyword Stuffing A former holy grail of SEO has now become detrimental to success. Stuffing a whole host of keywords together and producing sloppy, low content articles will now prove toxic to your traffic. Google views this as a blatant act of spamming and punishes it severely. The safest route is to pick just a few keywords and strategically place them throughout your content. Make sure your keywords do not seem forced or out of place. Do not treat an article as filler to place keywords. Content should always be relevant, interesting and grammatically correct. Your keyword ratio should be between 2 to 5 percent of the entire article. Penguin 2.0 The world’s biggest search giant released the Penguin 2.0 update on May 22, 2013, and this latest transformation of the Google search algorithms further improve the quality of the results delivered. The latest update is aimed at clearing spam off the Internet by penalizing websites which attempt to artificially increase their standing in the search results by using black-hat SEO tactics. This update focusses in particular on elements such as keyword-stuffed anchor text and aggressive link building strategies. Webmasters who might have been over-optimizing their content may be looking at a sudden drop in traffic since the release of the latest update. If your site has been hit by Penguin 2.0, then you will need to think about taking a new direction in your search engine marketing campaign. Which Sites Are Affected by Penguin 2.0? The latest update focusses heavily on links and anchor text, and the ratio of your site links will determine whether your website benefits or gets penalized. In particular, websites containing links with keyword-stuffed anchor text have been hit the hardest. If the content of your website includes large amounts of anchor text with exact-match key phrases, then it looks very unnatural in the eyes of Google’s crawlers and your traffic will likely suffer as a result. Any website which has made use of aggressive link building campaigns may be adversely affected by Penguin 2.0. This includes sites containing backlinks from other websites deemed low quality in Google’s eyes and sites which contain a lot of other outgoing links. Additionally, having an excessively high percentage of keyword-rich incoming links will hurt your website. Other bad places to have a high percentage of your backlinks include webpage footers, blog comments, unrelated websites and other pages which are also penalized by Google. Those who have brought links before will almost certainly find that the vast majority of their backlinks appear on such sources. How to Survive Google Penguin 2.0 For the most part, the things which have constituted good SEO tactics since the first release of Penguin back in 2012 should still work. Google has not changed its policies; it has simply become better at enforcing them and making sure that less and less spam and otherwise junk content makes it into the search results. While ideally, you should have already discontinued any black-hat SEO tactics long ago, it is even more important now to change your strategy if you haven’t done so already. If your website has been severely hit by the latest algorithm, then it may be time to completely redo your content as well as entirely change your search engine marketing strategy. Now is the time to ensure that your website is filled with quality and original content that human readers want not only to read, but also to share with others. Content that gets social signals is exactly what impresses Google and, in some cases, it may even end up going viral. The modern Internet is very much about social media and it is an inescapable fact that any successful website is successful due to the very fact that its visitors are the ones promoting the site by sharing content that they like on sites such as Facebook or Twitter. Any webmaster should also do their bit to encourage the sharing of content by providing social networking buttons to accompany suitable articles and other pages. When it comes to link building, you need to be looking for natural links rather than having more links on irrelevant or otherwise unsuitable sources. Going after the cheap and easy links is only going to hurt your business in the longer term. Instead, focus on getting links on other sites which deal with relevant niches and industries. People should be clicking on those links because they want to learn more about something or they want to read references supporting another piece of content. Finally, ensure that you have content creation and marketing strategy. This needs to be something that you are one-hundred percent committed to. If you are running a blog, ensure that it is updated frequently and consistently to encourage your existing readers to come back regularly while also attracting new ones. This will also help to encourage social signals and natural, organic traffic. When it comes to dealing with social media, it is important not to ignore important social signals. Social media is about interacting with your readers by responding to their queries and comments and getting involved with the community that builds up around your business and website. Google wants to reward popular websites which draw in traffic organically rather than that those which put every effort possible into manipulating the search engines. In conclusion, make sure that you abandon the old strategies of search engine optimization if you haven’t already. Focus on your human readers and customers – that is what today’s SEO is all about. What Was Punished by Penguin 2.0? Google Penguin 2.0, released in May 2013, is the latest major version of the search giant’s algorithm in a long stream of updates which focus on penalizing over-optimized content and, in particular, many of the link building strategies which were once deployed by the vast majority of search engine marketers. Whether you are doing much of the SEO yourself or hiring a company to do the work for you, it is essential that you pay close attention to Google’s webmaster guidelines as it is becoming increasingly difficult to artificially manipulate a website’s standing in the search results. The following takes a look at seven of the most prominent ways to get yourself booted out of Google’s indexes. 1. Keyword-Stuffed Anchor Text Anchor text refers to the clickable text representing a hyperlink. Traditionally in search engine optimization, anchor text contained keywords designed to artificially increase the ranking of a webpage in the search engine results. Search engine marketers have often optimized their anchor text in such a way that it contains keywords associated with the contents of the page linked to. However, using the same anchor text to excess will ultimately flag your website as over-optimized and, not only this; it also annoys your human readers. You should overcome this situation by diversifying your anchor text to include a wider variety of keywords to avoid repetition and make it look more natural within the context of the content itself. 2. Paid Links Google’s dislike of paid links is certainly nothing new, but its latest algorithm updates are getting better and better at determining which links have been paid for. Link buying often means that you end up with backlinks plastered all over the Internet often accompanied by content which is completely irrelevant. Do not forget that your ranking in the search engines is becoming increasingly heavily influenced by the content of the websites that link to your own. Paid links represent a completely artificial way of manipulating the search results and, if you use link buying services, there is a high chance that your website will be kicked out of the Google indexes within a matter of months. 3. Link Stuffing Internal links are meant to guide human visitors to other pages on your website which they may be interested in. When used with this intention in mind, internal links are useful if not essential to any user-friendly and easily navigable webpage. However, it is poor practice to have too many of these internal links as it makes your website look over-optimized both to your visitors and to the search engines. Be particularly wary of using drop-down menus and the same anchor text in your internal links. 4. Keyword Stuffing Aside from its use in anchor text, keyword stuffing in the other content of a webpage is also something that many search engine marketers are guilty of. In spite of constant condemnation from Google, many people still seem to believe in things like the myth of keyword density. In reality, however, paying attention to keyword density inevitably leads to over-optimized content of questionable quality. Stuffing your content with keywords will not help to increase your search engine ranking and, these days, it is more likely to get your site penalized. As with your anchor text, diversify your keyword usage and only use them in such a way that they blend in naturally with the rest of the content. 5. Invisible Text Webmasters hoping to manipulate the search results with minimal effort sometimes use invisible text containing a list of keywords and phrases. Using CSS, this text is the same color as its background thus hiding it from human readers while remaining visible to the search engine crawlers. Unbelievably, many webmasters are still using hidden text on their sites in spite of Google have been easily able to uncover this method and remove offending websites from its indexes. 6. Duplicated Content While there is nothing wrong with posting your content for which you own the copyrights across multiple websites, it is important to remember that Google doesn’t like this. Publishing unique content is a must, and this has long been the case in spite of many people still not paying attention to this fact. Worse still, content theft remains a major problem on the Internet with unscrupulous and lazy webmasters stealing content to post on their sites or to use in their marketing campaigns. Google is becoming increasingly better at detecting such sites and those posting stolen content can expect not only to have their website de-indexed but also to have it taken down entirely. Penguin 3.0 One year after the Penguin 2.1 update, Penguin 3.0 has finally arrived. Google recently confirmed that the most recent update to the algorithm started rolling out on Friday, October 17. So what’s different about Penguin 3.0? How do you know if you’ve been affected, and how do you recover if you’ve been hit? Penguin 3.0: What’s New? The new algorithm helps sites that have cleaned up their webspam signals since the last update and demotes sites with newly-discovered spam. Penguin 3.0 is a worldwide update which will be rolled out throughout weeks. It’s aimed at further improving search results by punishing websites that violate Google Webmaster Guidelines. Google has stated that it’s an algorithm change, not merely an update. Most SEO experts predict it will affect a similar number of websites as Penguin 2.0, but the full impact will only be known in the coming months. Google is not in the habit of revealing precise details, but when it has been fully rolled out, we’ll probably receive some form of official announcement. Do You Need to Take Action? If you’ve previously used dubious SEO strategies to improve your search rankings, you will have already been hit by previous Penguin updates. However, if you’ve since taken the appropriate measures to clean up your link profile and publish more relevant, quality website content now is the time to check your rankings and your organic search traffic data. If you’ve noticed any sudden drops in rankings, it’s likely you’ve been affected by Penguin 3.0. There are no quick fixes, but with a little effort, you can recover. You may have to wait until the next algorithm update to see if the changes have made a difference, but it’s still wise to act now. Steps to Recovery If you’ve been affected, it is most likely because of too many unnatural links pointing to your website. You can track down all your inbound links with tools like Google Webmaster Tools, Majestic SEO, and Ahrefs. So what qualifies as a poor-quality link? Links on article directories and link farms Any paid links, apart from advertisements Irrelevant links posted on forums or social media Too many exact keyword-match anchor text links Once you’ve used one of the above tools to source the origins of your inbound links, you need to contact the relevant webmasters and ask them to remove your links. If they refuse or can’t remove them, you can use Google’s Disavow Tool. The Bottom Line However you’re affected by Penguin 3.0, you need to continue to build better links on more authoritative sites and avoid stuffing your content with too many keywords. This can only be done by producing original, relevant, and high-quality content that people want to link to. If you are unfamiliar with how to compose such content, outsourcing an experienced content writer is an easy and inexpensive alternative. This is the best way to avoid being affected by the Penguin algorithm in the future.