Hotel and Travel Vocabulary in Spanish

Hotel and Travel Vocabulary in Spanish Hotel reserved? Flights booked? Bags packed? Whats next is learning a few essential words to make your hotel stay a little easier. If youre headed to a Spanish-speaking country, your hotel is as good a place as any to practice Spanish. Your concierge or host will appreciate the effort and can help you with tricky pronunciations along the way. Different Hotel Types When in a country where Spanish is the primary language, travelers spend more time in their lodgings, called hospedajes, than any other place. If you have arrived in a Spanish-speaking  ubicacià ³n, which means location, nail down the type of hotel that you would prefer, also called a  hotel in Spanish, too.   Looking for a spa or resort? Then ask for the nearest balneario.  Want something deluxe, then you want something  de lugo!  Or looking more for a motel or inn, ask for el motel or la posada.  There are unique types of accommodations, or alojamientos, such as a  bed-and-breakfast, which is called a pensià ³n, or bungalows, called a bungalow in Spanish, too. Reservation Desk You have decided on the type of lodging, now you need to make reservations, called ​reservaciones. You will negotiate the costs, or tarifa, with the  hotelero, or hotelkeeper. It is appropriate to ask what the standard tip or propina should be for your bellhop, also called the botones. Upon checkout, you handle the bill, or la cuenta, with the hotelero. All About Your Room What kind of room, or  habitacià ³n, do you want? Want a suite, ask for a ​suite in Spanish, too. Do you need a single room, or  habitacià ³n sencilla?  Do you want a double, a habitacià ³n  doble, or a triple, also called a triple. Want to make sure you have a bathroom in your room, ask if it has a  baà ±o.   How about your bed, called a cama? Do you want a single bed, a cama de monja, or do you want a double bed, called a cama de matriomonio? Does it matter which floor, or piso, you are on? If you want to make sure you are on the ground floor ask for el piso bajo. Need directions to the ice machine? Ask for el hielo. How about a view, or vista, out your window? If you are in a beach locale, then perhaps la vista al mar, or a sea or ocean view, is important to you. Nice amenities to know about your room would be: Is there room service, or  el  servicio  en  cuarto? How about an in-room safe, called la caja de seguridad? Hotel Features The room is booked. You are officially a guest, or huesped. You are ready to explore the hotel amenities. Does it have a bar, also called bar, or a restaurant, called a restaurante? How about coffee in the morning? Where is  el cafà ©? The person who can guide you would be the concierge, or el conserje.   Are you in town for a convention, called la convencià ³n? Need to ask how to get to the convention hall? That would be called el salà ³n de convenciones. How about going out dancing after the convention? Ask about where to find a  discoteca. Other hotel amenities that can boost your vacation experience include free parking, called estacionamiento, a swimming pool, called a piscina, and a workout room, or gimnasio. English Guidance Due  to the widespread adoption of English, particularly at upper-end hotels, it may be more common to find signage for English words used to describe certain facilities or services. Do not be surprised if words like spa,concierge, and room service are used instead of the Spanish equivalent.

Ethics paper on pollution

Ethics paper on pollution Ethics paper on pollution Ethics Paper On Pollution Developed Countries Have a Higher Obligation to Combat Climate Change Prepared by Mohammad Ul Haque Id:0147217 MG660- Strategic Marketing Prepared for Professor Michael Altamiran Submission date: 10/15/2014 15 October 2015. Professor Michael Altamirano Kings Graduate School Monroe College Subject: Letter of transmittal (Ethics Paper) Dear Sir, It is an immense pleasure for me to submit you Ethics Paper titled Pollution. I have tried my best to make this report informative. However, despite of my best effort their may remain some flaws in the report. I hope and pray that the mistakes will be kindly excused. Lastly I would be thankful once again if you please give your judicious advice on effort. Sincerely yours, Mohammad Mahfuz Ul haque ID No.:0147217 MBA Program Executive Summary The main cause of the climatic change is due to pollution. Pollution is the main reason for this global climatic change and this adversity. Pollution is a big issue and it must be tackled by the joined effort of many nations. Pollution can be tackled by many means , the majority of the pollution comes from some of the Developed and Developing countries. Pollution is broadly classified into four types, Land pollution, Water pollution, Noise pollution and Air pollution. All these pollutions contribute to the global climatic change. These are the major pollutions that cause many adversities. Climatic conditions of the world depends on various factors such as rainfall, water currents, ocean tides, monsoons and humidity. Weather experts believe that all these factors that influence the weather conditions are affected by pollution. So the weather conditions of a country is affected by its pollution. Some experts suggest that pollutions also affects the crops and forests that are essentials for maintaining the weather conditions. Due to pollution weather patterns and rainfall patterns change tremendously and this brings about failure of crops and even drought in some cases. For a healthy agriculture in a country the climatic conditions and the rainfall of that country must be stable , it should not change tremendously. Thus climatic changes caused by pollution affects the agriculture of a country and thereby indirectly affecting the people of that country. It has been estimated by a survey that the food we eat , water that we drink and the air that we breathe are polluted. There are about 20% of people are dying of pollution. Pollution is caused by pollutants , they are the agents that cause pollution. Pollutants are released by many means, such as industries, houses, ship wreck , automobiles, burning of petroleum products and dumping of wastes in the open space. Pollutants are of different types, they can be dissolved in water, spread through air or get deposited in the soil and they all cause pollution in all of their forms. Pollutants that are released by industries are some times toxic and can affect the living things. Some of the toxic pollutants that are released by the industries are zinc, lead, nitrous, oxide of nitrous, oxides of sulphur, peroxides and radioactive wastes. Pollution and the global climatic conditions can be tackled by only by co-operation among various country. Most of the countries have a band on releasing certain hazardous chemicals into the atmosphere , these type of band must be made a law and they must be strictly implemented. All the industries must check their emissions for any poisonous pollutants and they must filter them before releasing their gases into the atmosphere. Every country must follow the policy of REUSE,REDUCE and RECYCLE. Table of contents 1. Introduction: 2. Types & Causes of Pollution Air Pollution Water Pollution Soil pollution Noise pollution Radioactive pollution Thermal/heat pollution Light pollution 3. Effects of Pollution: Environment Degradation: Human Health: Global Warming: Ozone Layer Depletion: Infertile Land:

Assessments in Instructional Design Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Assessments in Instructional Design - Essay Example Generally, assessments are understood as tests that measure the levels of competence, knowledge or skills as results from instruction (Shank, 2009, p.1). Accordingly, good assessments of learning results measure whether students are capable of doing things they have to be able to do as instruction’s result. Dirks writes that assessments consist of two components. These are measurement and evaluation (Dirks, 1997, p.3). Measurement deals with describing students’ performance with the help of a quantitative and/or qualitative approach. Evaluation is about judging the adequacy of either students’ performance or sample work (Erickson & Wentling, 1978, p. 3). Importantly, there can be identified five principal types of assessments use. These are 1) Communication of the student’s achievement status 2) Providing self-evaluation data to a person who is learning 3) Learner placement for certain educational programs/paths 4) Motivation of a student 5) Evaluation of the instructional programs effectiveness (Guskey, 1996). Given this, the appropriate use of assessment can be explained as the one that successfully combines the aforementioned dimensions. In other words, appropriate use of assessment communicates achievement statuses of students, gives learners information for self-evaluation, helps place learners within selected educational programs, motivates students, helps find out whether an instructional program has been effective or not. The use or misuse of assessment can be evaluated through identifying whether the learning goals have been achieved. To illustrate, Shan thinks that â€Å"to determine if needed results have been achieved, results are often measured and assessed against a predefined set of standards† (Shank, 2009, p.1). In instructional design, these are known as learning objectives. For example, if a learning objective for a course of Business Etiquette is to teach students to identify the relevant actions for a numbe r of situations in business where these skills are to be used, the assessment designed as a learning game is inappropriate. This can be explained by the fact that just measuring whether the information presented by the professor has been remembered does not provide any measurement of students’ ability. To design appropriate assessments one should view them as an inseparable part of a complex instructional process. The latter combines 1) designing objectives that relate to needed results and are relevant to them; 2) designing assessments that are relevant to learning objectives; 3) designing instruction that is relevant to both objectives and assessments; 4) evaluation all three components to ensure they are relevant and needed results have been achieved (Shank, 2009, p.1). To judge about the assessment’s appropriateness one should identify whether the assessment can be characterized as 1) valid; 2) reliable; 3) feasible; 4) having stakes. Assessment’s validity i s understood as â€Å"the extent to which the assessment procedure measures what it is intended to measure† (Henning-Stout, 1994, p. 229).

Parents, Children and Family Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Parents, Children and Family - Essay Example In the story, Jin-mei interpreted her mother’s wishes as the following, â€Å"My mother believed you could be anything you wanted to be in America. America was where all my mother’s hopes lay. She had come to San Francisco in 1949 after losing everything in China: her mother and father, her family home, her first husband, and two daughters, twin baby girls.† (Tan 1208). Jing-mei only wanted to be herself. The mother and daughter’s conflict revolved around each of their perceptions of one another. Even though Suyuan Woo loves Jing-mei, sometimes that isn’t enough to make a happy family. Even though Suyuan Woo has high expectations for her child, there is no malice in her actions. â€Å"At the core of a happy family are parents and children, connected to one another in a way that is mutually satisfying, pleasing and enduring.† (Lezin, Rollen, Bean and Taylor). Though this family has endured, both parties, Suyuan Woo and Jing-mei, are not pleased or satisfied with each other. Sometimes being a family, does not always mean being a happy family. I Stand Here Ironing relates a tale of a daughter, Emily, and her mother. Emily’s mother is standing at an ironing board ironing, while speaking to the audience. As she irons, the mother muses about her failures as mother, even though she was a single parent. She felt Emily did not receive enough attention because of her work, trying to support Emily and her four siblings. The book relates that Emily’s father left before she was a year old with only explanation â€Å"he could no longer endure.† (Olsen). Emily’s mother had no choice but to raise her daughter to the best of her abilities, even though she felt that Emily needed more. The relationship between Emily and her mother is more common today than it was when this story was set. â€Å"More than half of all children will spend some of their lives in a single-parent family. Currently, 90% of these families are headed by women.† (Hare and

Anti-discriminatory practices Essay Example for Free

Anti-discriminatory practices Essay The purpose of this essay is to evaluate the impact of discriminatory practice on work with children and investigate the ways in which the needs of children can be met through a range of anti-discriminatory practices. What is discriminatory and Anti-discriminatory Practice? There are many different definitions of the above that can be used: Any prejudice view or diverse treatment because of race, colour, creed, or national origin (www. surestart. gov. uk) is seen as discriminatory practice along withAccording to Lindon (2004 p128) Discrimination means behaving in an unfair way towards a person because of the way we have judged them. There are two types of discrimination: Direct discrimination: This is treating someone unfairly compared to someone else in the same or similar circumstances; it could be as a result of their sex, race, marital status, disability, or age for example. Indirect discrimination: This when you are discriminated against in general because of a generalization that has been made without taking in each persons situation into account. In order to challenge discrimination several laws, code of conducts and policies are in place. Discriminating against someone can be in the forms of labelling, stereotyping and oppression and all must be challenged immediately. (Miche. V 2004:128) Anti-discriminatory practice will ensure that everyone has the same rights regardless of things such as family background, appearance, lifestyle, gender, race or medical history. (Tassoni et al. 2000:11) In order to promote equality and anti discrimination early educators must follow relevant legislation, curriculum frameworks and official guidance.

Cohabitation Essay -- Relationships Marriage Essays

Cohabitation Is cohabitation the right alternative to marriage? The increasing amounts or studies done in relation to cohabiting couples shows that this controversial topic is more common than most American’s think. Marriage used to be considered a defining event in a couple’s relationship, often marking the beginning of intimate relations, sharing a common household, and even childbearing. By definition, unmarried cohabitation is the status of couples who are sexual partners, not married to each other, and sharing a household (Popenoe). These two definitions seem to be similar in what each union reflects, but outwardly marriage includes a legal union that is meant to be a lifelong commitment. The meaning and permanence of marriage may be changing as cohabitation increases, (Casper 40) and this is in turn creating a society who is largely focused on self-fulfilling events, no commitment, and a lower understanding of what is best for our children. The research done regarding the effe cts cohabitation has on children, morality based on religious opinion, and the consequences of cohabitation explain why this growing change in society is wrong. Thirty years ago, living together for unmarried, heterosexual couples was against the law (Popenoe). It is facts like that which make the moral changes in society seem unpredictable. Who would have thought that something as sacred and universally understood as marriage would become so subtle. The proportion of unmarried women who were cohabiting tripled, from 3 to 9 percent, between 1978 and 1998, and unmarried men who were cohabiting increased from 5 to almost 12 percent (Casper 41). Statistics follow along with the changing society. Just as the age for marriage has increased, this has ... ...nstead of marriage. Especially when children are involved, there are many more aspects of living together outside of marriage that need to be taken into consideration. Not only obvious speculations like how the finances will be divided should be taken into consideration, but also morality and situational elements need to be discussed. Socially it may be acceptable, but that is wrong. That is society’s way of weakening marriage as a pure institution (Popenoe). Americans need to start reviewing what is right and what is wrong and reiterate the information into society. Sex should not be shown as glamorous and necessary, but rather as something significant that binds two people together. These themes would help turn around the quickly changing ideal of how family really should be, and turn it back to the right direction where unity is what the world is working towards.

Cost-benefit analysis, Essay

Identify stakeholders’ needs which are not currently being met and explain how you aim to meet these needs in the future by implementing an improvement plan. Produce a cost benefit analysis (CBA) in support of your plan to meet these needs. Include in your CBA the estimated costs (financial and non financial) and the benefits (financial and non financial) to the organisation of implementing this plan. Based upon the stakeholder needs identified in Task 1 produce a work plan or work scenario which illustrates how the primary needs of your stakeholders are being met. As a first line manager, demonstrate how you and your team have modified a workplan or situation to meet stakeholder needs more effectively. Explain an area within your responsibility that you wish to change and identify who you will need to justify and agree a case for change. Describe the method of communication and the key messages to convey in presenting your case for change. Using the stakeholder improvement plan described in Task 3, identify why changes need to be made and which stakeholders are affected. How will the successful implementation of the plan support your team’s objectives and after implementing the plan how will you monitor the changes to ensure they continue to meet the needs of your stakeholders. Task 4: Identify stakeholders’ needs which are not currently being met and explain how you aim to meet these needs in the future by implementing an improvement plan. Produce a cost benefit analysis (CBA) in support of your plan to meet these needs. Include in your CBA the estimated costs (financial and non financial) and the benefits (financial and non financial) to the organisation of implementing this plan. Based upon the stakeholder needs identified in Task 1 produce a work plan or work scenario which illustrates how the primary needs of your stakeholders are being met. As a first line manager, demonstrate how you and your team have modified a workplan or situation to meet stakeholder needs more effectively. Explain an area within your responsibility that you wish to change and identify who you will need to justify and agree a case for change. Describe the method of communication and the key messages to convey in presenting your case for change. Using the stakeholder improvement plan described in Task 3, identify why changes need to be made and which stakeholders are affected. How will the successful implementation of the plan support your team’s objectives and after implementing the plan how will you monitor the changes to ensure they continue to meet the needs of your stakeholders. Task 4: Identify stakeholders’ needs which are not currently being met and explain how you aim to meet these needs in the future by implementing an improvement plan. Produce a cost benefit analysis (CBA) in support of your plan to meet these needs. Include in your CBA the estimated costs (financial and non financial) and the benefits (financial and non financial) to the organisation of implementing this plan. Based upon the stakeholder needs identified in Task 1 produce a work plan or work scenario which illustrates how the primary needs of your stakeholders are being met. As a first line manager, demonstrate how you and your team have modified a workplan or situation to meet stakeholder needs more effectively. Explain an area within your responsibility that you wish to change and identify who you will need to justify and agree a case for change. Describe the method of communication and the key messages to convey in presenting your case for change. Using the stakeholder improvement plan described in Task 3, identify why changes need to be made and which stakeholders are affected. How will the successful implementation of the plan support your team’s objectives and after implementing the plan how will you monitor the changes to ensure they continue to meet the needs of your stakeholders. Task 4: Identify stakeholders’ needs which are not currently being met and explain how you aim to meet these needs in the future by implementing an improvement plan. Produce a cost benefit analysis (CBA) in support of your plan to meet these needs. Include in your CBA the estimated costs (financial and non financial) and the benefits (financial and non financial) to the organisation of implementing this plan. Based upon the stakeholder needs identified in Task 1 produce a work plan or work scenario which illustrates how the primary needs of your stakeholders are being met. As a first line manager, demonstrate how you and your team have modified a workplan or situation to meet stakeholder needs more effectively. Explain an area within your responsibility that you wish to change and identify who you will need to justify and agree a case for change. Describe the method of communication and the key messages to convey in presenting your case for change. Using the stakeholder improvement plan described in Task 3, identify why changes need to be made and which stakeholders are affected. How will the successful implementation of the plan support your team’s objectives and after implementing the plan how will you monitor the changes to ensure they continue to meet the needs of your stakeholders. Task 4: Identify stakeholders’ needs which are not currently being met and explain how you aim to meet these needs in the future by implementing an improvement plan. Produce a cost benefit analysis (CBA) in support of your plan to meet these needs. Include in your CBA the estimated costs (financial and non financial) and the benefits (financial and non financial) to the organisation of implementing this plan. Based upon the stakeholder needs identified in Task 1 produce a work plan or work scenario which illustrates how the primary needs of your stakeholders are being met. As a first line manager, demonstrate how you and your team have modified a workplan or situation to meet stakeholder needs more effectively. Explain an area within your responsibility that you wish to change and identify who you will need to justify and agree a case for change. Describe the method of communication and the key messages to convey in presenting your case for change. Using the stakeholder improvement plan described in Task 3, identify why changes need to be made and which stakeholders are affected. How will the successful implementation of the plan support your team’s objectives and after implementing the plan how will you monitor the changes to ensure they continue to meet the needs of your stakeholders. Task 4: Identify stakeholders’ needs which are not currently being met and explain how you aim to meet these needs in the future by implementing an improvement plan. Produce a cost benefit analysis (CBA) in support of your plan to meet these needs. Include in your CBA the estimated costs (financial and non financial) and the benefits (financial and non financial) to the organisation of implementing this plan. Based upon the stakeholder needs identified in Task 1 produce a work plan or work scenario which illustrates how the primary needs of your stakeholders are being met. As a first line manager, demonstrate how you and your team have modified a workplan or situation to meet stakeholder needs more effectively. Explain an area within your responsibility that you wish to change and identify who you will need to justify and agree a case for change. Describe the method of communication and the key messages to convey in presenting your case for change. Using the stakeholder improvement plan described in Task 3, identify why changes need to be made and which stakeholders are affected. How will the successful implementation of the plan support your team’s objectives and after implementing the plan how will you monitor the changes to ensure they continue to meet the needs of your stakeholders. Task 4: Identify stakeholders’ needs which are not currently being met and explain how you aim to meet these needs in the future by implementing an improvement plan. Produce a cost benefit analysis (CBA) in support of your plan to meet these needs. Include in your CBA the estimated costs (financial and non financial) and the benefits (financial and non financial) to the organisation of implementing this plan. Based upon the stakeholder needs identified in Task 1 produce a work plan or work scenario which illustrates how the primary needs of your stakeholders are being met. As a first line manager, demonstrate how you and your team have modified a workplan or situation to meet stakeholder needs more effectively. Explain an area within your responsibility that you wish to change and identify who you will need to justify and agree a case for change. Describe the method of communication and the key messages to convey in presenting your case for change. Using the stakeholder improvement plan described in Task 3, identify why changes need to be made and which stakeholders are affected. How will the successful implementation of the plan support your team’s objectives and after implementing the plan how will you monitor the changes to ensure they continue to meet the needs of your stakeholders. Task 4: Identify stakeholders’ needs which are not currently being met and explain how you aim to meet these needs in the future by implementing an improvement plan. Produce a cost benefit analysis (CBA) in support of your plan to meet these needs. Include in your CBA the estimated costs (financial and non financial) and the benefits (financial and non financial) to the organisation of implementing this plan. Based upon the stakeholder needs identified in Task 1 produce a work plan or work scenario which illustrates how the primary needs of your stakeholders are being met. As a first line manager, demonstrate how you and your team have modified a workplan or situation to meet stakeholder needs more effectively.

Nutrition on Academic Performance

April Creed April 12, 2012 GWRTC 103 Professor Critzer The Effect of Nutrition and Fitness on Academic Performance The health and overall fitness of adolescents and students has taken a radical turn in the most recent decades. Each year the overall body mass index of this particular group of individuals is steadily increasing. It seems to many that one’s health is a vital role in success, especially in the academic realm. Research was conducted to see whether this slight decrease of fitness and health has an impact on a student’s academic performance (Burkhalter 201).A broad range of sources was utilized to find other factors that played a role in academic performance such as family life and sleep habits. The search was then strictly narrowed down to the effect of nutrition and fitness on scholastic performance. By the end of the investigation, it was found that nutrition is vital to brain functioning and cognition. The main point that was targeted became: skipped meals are the largest cause of unhealthy habits in a student’s academic career, but this can be prevented by providing more food options for students and also by not having available classes during meal hours.This seems like a cliche issue and obvious topic, but this simple subject can have a huge impact on the lives of our adolescents, but more importantly the future of our country. Children, adolescents, and young adults are constantly bombarded with assessments, evaluations, and exams that test their knowledge. All of these, combined with everyday lectures and studying, form to make what society knows as â€Å"school. † In today’s culture, from roughly four years old until about twenty-three years old, schooling (pre-school, elementary school, middle school, high school, and college) is a young person’s career.It is a time consuming process that involves commitment and dedication. Many factors play a role in how well a student performs. The most thought of, and prominent factors may include family life, time dedicated to studying, sleep habits, and the teachers or professors ability to relay information. One study, conducted by A. H. Eliassion, investigated the relative importance of total sleep time compared to a college student’s academic performance (Eliasson 71). The results proved that those with the highest academic performance had significantly earlier bedtimes and wake times (73).It was found that students could improve their academic performance by targeting their sleep habits (73). Another study conducted by Wanda Williams in 1995 investigated parent-child relationships in correlation with academic achievement (Williams 3). The results from this survey showed that the main contribution to a student’s success is family life and parent involvement (14). A few other factors that people sometimes do not think of may include nutrition, diet, and physical activity. According to Webster’s dictionary, nutrition most clearly means, â€Å"The act of nourishing or being nourished. The term diet may include definitions that of, â€Å"Food and drink regularly provided or consumed,† or, â€Å"Habitual nourishment,† and the term physical fitness (or exercise) is known as, â€Å"Bodily exertion for the sake of developing and maintaining physical fitness. † Some may argue that poor academic performance could in turn lead to poor habits in health; that the stress and pressure placed on young people causes them to neglect their fitness and well-being. On the contrast, maybe this theory is completely opposite.In this paper I will attempt to answer the question: does nutrition and fitness have an effect on a student’s academic performance, and, if so, how? From breakfast consumption and sports involvement to the amount of television watched and family involvement, everything plays a vital role in a student’s success. Even things that seem so minor can have a profound impact on the long-term accomplishments in young people’s lives. Healthy habits in nutrition, diet, and fitness have a positive impact on a student’s academic performance.Skipped meals are the largest cause of unhealthy habits in a student’s academic career, but this can be prevented by providing more food options for students and also by not having available classes during meal hours. Conducted at the infancy of this subject was an experiment by Toni Burkhalter and Charles Hillman. This research began because these two were interested and shocked by the consistently increasing BMI (body mass index) in children and adolescents across every demographic in the United States (Burkhalter 201). Their goal was to target energy intake in comparison with scholastic performance.Burkhalter and Hillman defined energy intake as nutrient intake, body mass, and physical activity. Through research they discovered and confirmed that nutrition substantially influences both the development and health of brain structure and function (204). Providing the proper building blocks for the brain to create and maintain connections is critical for improved cognition (mental processes) and academic performance. Their investigation verified that an increase of physical activity participation leads to an increase in cognitive health and function (206).Many people hear the cliche lectures about eating healthy, maintaining a stable diet, and practicing regular exercise. But most do not realize that these habits play a crucial role in brain functioning. The brain intakes and retains the most information in a person’s adolescent years, so it is vital to create a prime environment in your body for learning. There are some who relate academic performance to breakfast habits. Throughout our lives we hear doctors, teachers, and parents stress that breakfast is the most important meal of the day.People will argue that it starts one’s day, gets one’s metabo lism going, and provides the nutrition necessary for a healthy day and lifestyle. It has been proven that children require optimal nutrient intake to meet the basic demands of growth and development. Gail Rampersaud, M. S. , and Mark Pereira, Ph. D. , attempted to find supporting evidence of this claim, and conducted a study in 2005. They found that over 59% of students skip breakfast more than three times a week, and that as a student’s age increased, so did their habit of skipping breakfast (Rampersaud 745).After surveying various age groups, they compared breakfast eating habits to their overall academic performance. Next, the students were given a variety of standardized and customized tests (745). The results showed that breakfast eaters not only had a higher average on the assessments, but also had better school attendance and less tardies (751). This study was difficult because people have a very hazy and different standard and definition of â€Å"breakfast. † S ome view it as a glass of milk, some view it as an apple, others see it as a bowl of cereal, and some have a feast consisting of bacon, eggs, hash browns, ham, and toast in their mind.Either way, it was determined to be anything you intake as nutrition at the beginning of your day. There is substantial evidence that breakfast consumption is associated with health and wellbeing of children and adolescents, and these benefits apply to a wider age range, as well as other demographic and socioeconomic groups. There is also a great deal of evidence that breakfast eaters have overall healthier lifestyles and better health (diet and exercise) habits. Some claim that students should be able to schedule and maintain their own nutritional habits.But others, like Cathy Estes, agree that this lifestyle needs to be a co-effort between students, parents, and teachers. She says that, â€Å"Student responsibility doesn't just happen. Teachers and parents must expect it, model it and nurture it. An optimal educational outcome depends on collaboration between teachers, parents and students (Estes 1). † It needs to be something that both parties view as a necessary goal. Student’s can have good intentions, but faculty and staff at the school’s need to support these intentions.Arranging more suitable class times and a better variety of nutritional foods can easily do this. Another study conducted by Florence, MD sought to target not just the nutrition aspect, but the overall diet quality and academic performance correlation (Florence 209). The study concluded the following results: Students with decreased overall diet quality were significantly more likely to perform poorly on the assessment. Girls performed better than boys as did children from socioeconomically advantaged families. Children attending better schools and living in wealthy neighborhoods also performed better.Conclusions: These findings demonstrate an association between diet quality and academ ic performance and identify specific dietary factors that contribute to this association. Additionally, this research supports the broader implementation and investment in effective school nutrition programs that have the potential to improve student access to healthy food choices, diet quality, academic performance, and, over the long term, health (Florence 209). According to the previous study performed by Rampersaud, breakfast plays a vital role in diet quality.This is another important aspect for dedicated times for eating. Breakfast is not going to be a high priority for a student if his/her class falls in that time frame. Not only do both of the studies support each other, but they also tie in other aspects that could affect academic performance, like family life. This study tries to emphasize that the term â€Å"academic achievement† isn’t measured by tests alone, but also by attendance, attentiveness, and involvement (212). They also stated that fruit and veget able intake had a significant impact on memory and overall learning (213).Finally, the study’s results showed that â€Å"undernourished males were twice as likely to fail an assessment as undernourished females. † A sub question that may be necessary to add the research question is this: do gender differences have an affect an effect on academic performance? Sayid Ghazvini answers this question with his research. He stated that his primary goal was to â€Å"Find gender differences in factors affecting academic performance of high school students (Ghazvini 1041). † He had many different aspects involving â€Å"academic performance. While his results showed no significant difference in the overall achievement of the students, there were differences in the many features connected with his concept of academic performance (1043): Results show the existence of gender difference in variables under consideration, with girls showing internal locus of control, using atti tude, motivation, time management, anxiety, and self-testing strategies more extensively, and getting better marks in Literature. With boys using concentration, information processing and selecting main ideas strategies more, and getting better marks in mathematics (1043).As we see, male and females seem to have the same overall results. This gender factor probably does not have a significant impact on the nutrition and fitness study, but can be noted when taking a closer look at the details that combine to form out term â€Å"academic achievement/performance. † Some critics say that student’s should be held solely responsible for their extracurricular activities, including eating, watching television, exercising, and studying. But studies show that when a person is considered an adult, their brain is still developing.They still need instruction and guidance in different aspects of their life. Researcher, Craig Bennett, stated that, â€Å"Humans don’t really de velop the ability to handle multiple pieces of information at once until about the ages of 16 or 17. The brain of an 18-year-old college freshman is still far from resembling the brain of someone in their mid-twenties (Than 2). † Healthy habits don’t just come naturally, they take time and dedication to develop and maintain. Another study done by Jane Edwards attempted to target physical activity in relation to academic performance (Edwards 65).This experiment was conducted on sixth graders in a Midwest City school district. It was her goal to compare physical activity, overall fitness, and body mass index of 800 students. Next she matched these results with standardized test scores. To measure physical activity and fitness, Edwards set up a variety of physical tasks (curl ups, pushups, mile run) and included the student’s weight and height. In the end, she found that the healthier, more physically fit students performed better on their standardized tests.Edwards , like Rampersaud and Florence, also included other variables in her study. She pointed out the significance of breakfast consumption as well. Also, she brought in other lifestyle habits like the amount of television watched and extracurricular activity involvement. This amount of exercise is vital to a student’s healthy lifestyle. Exercise should become a requirement at schools and colleges. It is proven to affect their academic performance, so why shouldn’t academic grading also require some sort of workout in a student’s daily routine?A journal published by Taras H, a professor at the University of California, noted the association between nutrition and a student’s performance at school (Taras 200). Taras broke down the term nutrition into four sub-categories: food insufficiency, iron deficiency and supplementation, deficiency and supplementation of micronutrients, and the importance of breakfast (201). Research shows that children with iron deficienci es are at a disadvantage academically. Their cognitive performance improved with iron therapy. Cognitive performance is a student’s ability to obtain and store knowledge.Again, breakfast consumption demonstrates to be a vital aspect of a young person’s health. A healthy lifestyle not only consists of a certain number of meals a day, but also various types of nourishment and physical activity. It was also found that food insufficiency is a serious issue that affects a child’s ability to learn. Finally, after surveying and undernourished population, a breakfast program was initiated, and analysis showed that academic performance and cognitive functioning significantly increased. As it has been proven through countless studies, many things contribute to academic achievement.But the main issue that related to student’s health is skipped meals and lack of exercise. To many, these seem like easy to target problems. But why is the problem consistently worsening? Because no one is taking initiative to find solutions. The most doable and reasonable solution is to incorporate a greater variety of food options (in the healthier realm) for students/adolescents, not schedule classes or other activities during meal hours, and have a mandatory tentative exercise schedule as part of a student’s academic career. Words Cited Burkhalter, Toni M. , and Charles H.Hillman. â€Å"A Narrative Review of Physical Activity, Nutrition, and Obesity to Cognition and Scholastic Performance across the Human Lifespan. † Advances in Nutrition 2. 2 (2011): 201-06. Web. 19 Mar. 2012. Edwards, Jane U. â€Å"Relationship of Nutrition and Physical Activity Behaviors and Fitness Measures to Academic Performance for Sixth Graders in a Midwest City School District. † Journal of School Health 81. 2 (2011): 65-69. SPORTDiscus. Web. 19 Mar. 2012. Eliasson, Arne H. â€Å"Early to Bed, Early to Rise! Sleep Habits and Academic Performance in College Students . † Sleep and Breathing 14. (2009): 71-75. ScienceDirect. Web. 19 Mar. 2012. Estes, Cathy. â€Å"Student Responsibility Needs to Be  nurtured. † LasVegasSun. com. 8 Apr. 2009. Web. 13 Apr. 2012. ;http://www. lasvegassun. com/news/2009/apr/08/student-responsibility-needs-be-nurtured/;. Florence, M. D. â€Å"Diet Quality and Academic Performance. † Journal of School Health 78. 4 (2008): 209-215. CINAHL. Web. 19 Mar. 2012. Ghazyini, Sayid D. â€Å"Gender Differences in Factors Affecting Academic Performance of High School Students. † 3rd World Conference on Educational Sciences 15. 3 (2011): 1040-045. ScienceDirect.

Strategic Management and Leadership Skills

Strategic Management and Leadership Skills Introduction This report presents the relationship between strategic management and leadership skills. The report shows strategic management and leadership skills of Robert Eckert, the CEO of Mattel. Eckert demonstrated effective strategic management strategies and leadership skills when Mattel was a troubled company that had lost its focus. This was also the period of the biggest recall of toys in the history of the company.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Strategic Management and Leadership Skills specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Understand the relationship between strategic management and leadership In order to comprehend the link between strategic management and strategic leadership, one must appreciate that these two concepts are requisite for the success of an organisation. Strategic management entails evaluation of the current external situations of the sector in which an entity operates and the firms itself. Analysis of the organisation is an internal process, but both internal and external analyses should provide the foundation for keeping the most favourable management practices (Kakabadse, Jackson and Fandale, 2002). In this case, strategic management aims to achieve the best positioning of organisational policies and strategic objectives. Strategic management aims to assert organisational objectives, develop policies and plans for realising these objectives. This process requires adequate allocation of resources in order to realise the desired goals. As the case of Mattel shows, strategic management is the highest level of managerial role. In this case, the CEO (Robert Eckert) and other senior executives took control of the situation. Strategic management and leadership of the CEO provided the overall direction for Mattel. Strategic management involves aligning organisational situation or strategic advantages with the business objectives and the prevailing operational conditions. T he fundamental aim of organisational strategy is to put an organisation in a situation that can allow it to execute its mission well and effectively. An effective organisational strategy should account for a firm’s policies, mission, vision, objectives, and the overall tactics for realising core values of a firm. Chaffee identified key elements that he concluded were fundamental for the concept of strategic management (Chaffee, 1985). First, executives must adapt an entity to the prevailing condition in the industry. Second, strategic management requires change and restructuring. This is a complex process, which must eliminate unstructured functions in the organisation. Third, strategic management influences the whole organisation by providing a new sense of direction.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This is imperative when an entity has lost its focus. Fou rth, the process of strategic management also involves formulation and implementation of new strategic directions for an organisation. Fifth, strategic management involves analysis and restructuring of both corporate and specific business strategies. These are analytical and conceptual processes, which require adequate understanding by the top executives of an organisation. On the other hand, strategic leadership is a carefully orchestrated use of favourable tactics to communicate corporate goals of a firm to employees. Hence, strategic leadership must manage, motivate, and influence employees to focus on organisational vision. In this case, the whole team becomes an imperative tool for implementing the required changes in order to achieve the new strategic aims. Strategic leadership should respond to challenges that an organisation faces by providing a vision and strategic direction for recovery, growth, and success. Clearly, this is what Robert Eckert did as a new CEO of Mattel. C hanges at Mattel required leadership skills and necessary resources for formulation and execution. Managing changes in troubled organisations need strategic leadership, which can provide a sense of â€Å"direction, create ownership, and motivate employees to support the necessary strategic changes† (Chaffee, 1985). Strategic leadership requires effective strategies when handling employees. Usually, most leaders use the strategy of motivating workers in order to raise their morale. This would allow employees to take the initiative of improving the current condition of an organisation. Strategic management must encourage employees to perform best for the future success of an organisation. Just like Robert Eckert, strategic leaders have visions for the future by focusing and understanding current situations of their organisations. This allows such leaders to prepare for both current and future challenges they may face. Understanding the current situations and creating awareness for the future is a critical part of strategic leadership. These strategies require well-formulated action plans. Strategic leaders always show the ability to adapt and initiate growth strategies for an organisation. They facilitate communications and take initiatives and responsibilities to ensure that the organisation achieves the best performance possible. Strategic leadership focuses on productivity of an organisation with the aim of encouraging quality and amount of work from employees. Strategic leaders focus on the best interest of their organisations rather than their interests. They also recognise contributions from other employees.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Strategic Management and Leadership Skills specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Such leaders motivate employees to perform best in order to realise organisational goals (Pedler, Burgoyne and Boydell, 2004). In this sense, employees can anticipate and understand their overall contributions to strategic objectives of the company. At the same time, strategic leaders motivate employees through incentives and promotions to allow them to perform well for the sake of the organisation. Strategic leaders review their situations before undertaking any critical decisions in the organisation. This shows that careful planning before initiating any changes in the organisation are fundamental components of strategic leadership. Strategic leadership requires that leaders use effective strategies in any critical decision-making processes. This ensures strategic management practices, which result in success of an organisation. Strategic leaders must work in unique situations, which require management of performance in order to improve the situation of their organisations. One can easily notice the effectiveness of strategic leadership in situations, which are volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous. Overall, strategic management focuses on p romoting organisational strategic objectives, formulating, implementing policies, and allocating resources to realise these objectives. In this regard, strategic leadership plays a strategic role of motivating, managing, and encouraging employees to facilitate the realisation of organisational strategic objectives. The Mattel case study: the link between strategic management and leadership Leadership provides a link between strategic management and the realisation of strategic objectives of an organisation. Organisations can only realise their strategic objectives through effective leadership. On the other hand, strategic management must make use of the available resources in order to achieve desired goals. In this regard, leadership must provide direction for the organisation. The case of Mattel under Robert Eckert demonstrates how effective leadership and strategic management can transform an organisation successfully. Robert Eckert shows that strategic management and effective le adership are fundamental concepts, which work together for transformational purposes. Leadership must establish â€Å"strategic goals and the vision of an organisation and provide a future direction for growth† (Kouzes and Posner, 2008).Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More For instance, Eckert was able to improve Mattel’s turnaround. The CEO strategic decisions resulted in selling of the Learning Company. Eckert managed to reduce costs and improve revenues. He managed to improve Mattel’s market share in the US and overseas. As a result, investors, the board, customers, and other stockholders were happy with the company’s progress. In addition, the Wall Street also took note of the company. Eckert noted that all 30,000 employees of Mattel had an improved sense of dedication to the company’s mission. Overall, strategic management at Mattel involved identification of the company’s objectives, formulating policies, action plans, allocating resources, and executing these plans in order to realise the company’s strategic objectives. Strategic leadership normally manages, motivates, and encourages employees to spearhead the company’s mission in order to realise the desired changes. Strategic leadership brings about changes in an organisation. The turnaround of Mattel: the impact of management and leadership styles on strategic decisions Robert Eckert was able to transform the fortune of Mattel from a company that had lost its focus to a successful one because of effective leadership styles and strategic management approaches. Decisions, which Eckert made to transform the company, were unique and aimed at improving employees’ morale and productivity. These decisions had fundamental impacts in the entire organisation because of effective communications with all employees. The CEO had to make strategic decisions by reviewing the current situation internal, external environments, and employees’ morale. When the leadership of an organisation fails to initiate strategic plans and execute them, then the organisation will fail to realise its strategic objectives. This suggests that leadership is a critical aspect in formulating strategies and action plans for changes in an organisa tion. Eckert was able to make strategic management decisions that affected the whole organisation. As a result, there was almost no resistance, and employees were able to improve on morale and productivity. How Robert Eckert’s leadership style had to be adapted between his original re-structure of Mattel and the 2007 Product recall scandal The concept of strategic management and leadership relies on some theoretical approaches for credibility. For instance, leaders normally base their decisions on resource-based views in which they strive to utilise resources and capabilities available within the company to create competitive advantage. There is also a stakeholder approach when executives relate with their organisations. Robert Eckert declared that he did not put his interest first, but that of Mattel. Restructuring requires leaders to make strategic decisions by establishing priorities on what an organisation should achieve in the future (Adair, 2009a). The leadership must f ormulate these strategies and implement them. Strategic management involves creating priorities for the organisation. Eckert had to focus on what Mattel had to do in order to turnaround itself. Effective leadership is important in making such decisions. Leadership has to unite the organisation in order to realise organisational goals. Eckert was able to handle the recall scandal of 2007 effectively because of his leadership abilities. The CEO managed to communicate effectively with all stakeholders across the global. The process of recall communication was transparent. The CEO and other executives held regular meetings in order to communicate and coordinate the recall strategy. Hence, every senior executive knew about the unfolding scenario at the company about the recall. Executives also held employees’ meetings for updates. Employees at Mattel observed that the recall was successful, and the company was able to recover quickly because the CEO was a part of the process. In o ther words, changes started from the top, which allowed other employees to embrace them. This ensured that the company managed change processes effectively. Robert Eckert displays some leadership styles in the case of Mattel’s product recall. First, the CEO uses a visionary leadership style. Eckert used this strategy because he knew that the company needed a new direction because of poor performance and product recall. As a result, the CEO focused on employees so that he could motivate them to focus on the new set of objectives for the company. According to Daniel Goleman and his colleagues, â€Å"Visionary leaders articulate where a group is going, but not how it will get there – setting people free to innovate, experiment, and take calculated risks† (Goleman, Boyatzis McKee, 2004). Mattel CEO also displayed affiliative leadership style. This type of leaderhsip style emphasises the importance of â€Å"teamwork and it creates harmony in a group by connecting p eople to each other† (Goleman, Boyatzis McKee, 2004). These authors argue that affiliative leadership style is critical â€Å"when trying to heighten team harmony, increase morale, improve communication or repair broken trust in an organisation† (Goleman, Boyatzis McKee, 2004). However, the CEO was careful not to rely on this strategy alone because it could make poor performance within the organisation to go unnoticed. Finally, Eckert also used democratic leadership style. He relied on knowledge and skills of his employees in order to develop a group commitment and improve morale in order to focus on a new direction. The method was appropriate for the company because employees did not know the next course of action after poor performances and product recall. Hence, the CEO relied on the collective wisdom of Mattel employees by consulting widely. Leadership experts warn that democratic leadership may not be appropriate during a crisis, particularly when a management te am needs to make urgent and quick decisions (Goleman, Boyatzis McKee, 2004). Nevertheless, Eckert used it successfully during the product recall. Application of management and leadership theory to support organisational direction Leadership theories and strategic management concepts have enabled CEOs and other senior executives to facilitate change and improve organisational processes. As a result, managers have learned to lead and make strategic decisions by following established standards based on theoretical concepts of organisational behaviours (Mullins, 2010). Such senior executives renew the ownership of the company’s mission, set strategic management objectives, and motivate their employees to work for the future of the organisation. Usually, successful managers know how to plan and review organisational change processes carefully. Unplanned changes disrupt operational processes of an organisation. This can lead to resistance from employees (Kouzes and Posner, 2008). Effective change management requires leadership and constant communication. For instance, Eckert had to adopt a radical transformational approach in order to save the company from the recall scandal, motivate employees, improve revenue growth, and restore stakeholders’ confidence in the company. Effective leaders rely on different leadership strategies in order to achieve the desired change in an organisation. In the case of Mattel, one can observe different leadership strategies that Eckert used. These included transformational, learning, and rational approaches. A review of the impact of the selected theories of management and leadership on Mattel’s organisational strategy Robert Eckert recognised the situation of Mattel by conducting thorough studies and analyses. Hence, Eckert knew that he had to transform the company. This led to the application of transformational leadership strategy. The transformational leadership strategy requires leaders to create and inspire organisational vision and develop a clear set of objectives for the organisation, which create importance to employees within the entire organisation. Chaffee noted that most efforts of transformational leaders concentrate on transcending self-interests among employees in order to change their morale and pursue the realisation of organisational objectives (Chaffee, 1985). Scholars note that the role of management in the transformational process is to â€Å"motivate and inspire organisational members toward organisational goal attainment† (Barbuto, Jr, 2002). The transformational leadership style focuses on bringing employees together in order to achieve a common goal, develop, and maintain strategies for implementing the shared values and organisational vision. The transformational leadership style works because the strategy making process includes self-devotion of the leader, who encourages employees to adopt common organisational values and work toward common goals. Eckert was able to transform Mattel by adopting the transformational leadership style. As a result, the company started to generate revenues, staff morale increased, stakeholders renewed their commitment and confidence in the company, and decrease costs. Eckert also relied on a learning approach as a leadership strategy to manage Mattel during its troubled periods. Barbuto noted that the learning approach to strategy making involves â€Å"continual learning and with heavy reliance on flexibility and adaptation rather than on a predetermined and specifically outlined plan of action† (Barbuto Jr, 2002). Decision-making processes and strategy implementation rely on rationality and uncertainties that exist now. Formulation of organisational strategies needs constant dialogue and communication within the entire organisation. This process must also include other external stakeholders like customers, regulators, analysts, and investors. In this process, the CEO and other senior executives must engage in on-going communication as they strive to comprehend and improve the needs of the organisation and stakeholders. The learning strategy in decision-making was evident when Robert Eckert joined Mattel. Eckert recognised that he had no background in the toy industry because he was just a ‘food guy’. As a result, Eckert embarked on constant learning. He identified three areas that need immediate attention, which included building brands, cutting costs, and developing people. Generally, Eckert found it necessary to focus on employees first by relying on emotional intelligence strategies to boost employees’ morale. The new CEO also built a relationship based on trust. He started by ‘setting the table’ i.e., developing an atmosphere of honesty by engaging in healthy dialogues and constant consultations with others in order to establish common goals for the company. Senior executives must recognise that the learning approach in making strategi c management decisions targets employees’ commitment, focuses on customers, company processes, and constant learning and improvement within the organisation. The learning approach in strategic management focuses on improving strategies in order to achieve the desired changes in an organisation. Eckert dedicated great energy to learn the company’s processes and drive the organisational strategic goals. On-going communication with all stakeholders has been effective in facilitating learning within firms. Eckert was able to learn and discover new strategies for Mattel while on the job. There is also the rational model of strategic management, which concentrates on a systematic analysis and evaluation of all potential strategies that an organisation can pursue in order to improve its processes. The rational approach in strategic management and leadership focuses on evaluation of factors outside the firm, a company’s portfolio, and circumstances within the industry. These analyses help senior executives to understand and define strategies for future development (Barbuto, Jr, 2002). This strategy results in a detailed action plan, several alternatives, and a plan for effective use of available resources. The rational approach works in a similar manner like a resource-based approach that is critical for creating competitive advantage in an organisation. Eckert assessed Mattel’s situation and the industry environment. As a CEO, Eckert had the chief role of understanding Mattel through rational strategies by including employees’ inputs in the process of changing the company. A leadership strategy that supports Mattel’s organisational direction An appropriate leadership strategy for Mattel must recognise its vision of Creating the Future of Play and reinforce the four values of Mattel. In addition, it must complement recognised efforts of Alan Kaye in reducing risks, eliminating challenges from silos, fiefdoms, enhancing coordin ation of policies, communication, and aligning organisational policies and practices with the strategic goals of the CEO. This would result in increased employee engagement, loyalty, and productivity. The overall outcome for the company would be productivity. Still, the future leadership strategy must focus on the company’s global issues, develop, and implement an action plan for improvement. The future leadership strategy for the company must emphasise the role of the management in making strategic management decisions and providing effective leadership, emphasising the company’s mission, and the new direction. Mattel’s new leadership strategies will emphasise the following key drivers of leadership strategies (Pasmore, 2013). Leadership for global growth The future leadership will recognise cultural sensitivity, particularly when dealing with any challenges with the Chinese suppliers. This applies to its global clients too. The strategy will enhance increase d representations of different leadership skills from diverse geographies and build strong cross-cultural relationships. The CEO noted that leaders in other parts of the globe cooperated during the recall scandal. He should strengthen foreign assignments with the Chinese manufacturers and formulate effective strategies in their business arrangements. Leadership for innovation Innovation should drive future leadership strategies of Mattel. The company requires improved interdependence among its executives in order to develop effective collaboration so that it can introduce new, safe toys to the market. At the same time, the company requires increased leadership involvement in various operations and market activities. Mattel must also focus on developing new products and talent implications in order to cater for its growing product portfolio. The company must focus on risk aversion and communication strategies among its senior executives. Leadership focused on customers Mattelâ₠¬â„¢s customers are children across the globe. The company must develop and enact new strategies for understanding children’s experiences with their toys and translate such experiences into best business practices. The company leadership should focus on enhancing positive customer experiences. There is also a need for the company to understand various views from diverse customer bases. The company must emphasise the importance of customer primacy and care globally. Focus on high growth opportunities Mattel will continue to grow. Therefore, the company should focus on talent development in order to avoid potential leadership strains in the future. It is necessary for leadership strategies to focus on leadership growth at various departments of the company. Leadership for enhancing operating efficiency The company leadership should focus on â€Å"lean manufacturing, use Six-Sigma and other methods to bring costs down in to remain profitable and efficient† (Pasmore, 2 013). Senior executives must lead such efforts and allow managers to support such strategies at all levels of the business. This should be a continuous process by all leaders. Assessment of leadership requirements in Mattel Assessment of leadership requirements is a process that can assist Mattel to identify and illustrate employees’ unique characteristics when placed in a given leadership position. Employees have different characteristics and abilities in various roles. The process must account for the candidates’ characteristics with reference to a certain management position now or in the future (Adair, 2009b). It would help the company in making effective selection and placement of employees at the right leadership positions. The aim of leadership assessment is to ensure that Mattel’s employees utilise their potential effectively and improve effectiveness of the company in strategic management and decision-making abilities. In addition, the assessment shall provide a way of measuring several leadership competencies within the company. Mattel could adopt a hybrid system that would provide relative ease and flexibility in order to meet its specific leadership requirements. Use appropriate methods to review current leadership requirements of Mattel The strategic analysis approach will assess strategic thinking abilities of potential leaders (Grint, 2004). They must demonstrate vision and other supporting competencies. In this assessment, the company would ensure that its future leaders evaluate and analyse the presented data and develop the best course of action in order to tackle strategic planning challenges that would affect the company. Another assessment method would be management problems. In this approach, the assessment must evaluate rapid response abilities and high visibility required in a modern organisation. The process must account for decisiveness, flexibility, analytical skills, and other related skills of potential leaders when facing management crisis. Individual exercise method shall evaluate problem-solving techniques of employees. The process must also identify interpersonal skills, flexibility, decision-making abilities, effectiveness in communications, and other competencies that a person should display while in a leadership position. The candidate should display analytical abilities, review materials, and decided on the best course of action for a given situation. Finally, the group exercise method will evaluate interpersonal skills, team building abilities, conflict management, and communication abilities. Employees can work as a team when solving a problem within a specified period (Charan, Drotter and Noel, 2001). A Plan for the development of future situations requiring leadership In the future, the company would likely to become more customer focused than today. Mattel would need leadership skills that can allow it to focus on developing and implementing new strategies for comprehending c ustomer experiences and transforming them into enhanced business strategies and practices. The company will need to establish effective and solid relations within all areas of customer touch points with the aim of creating seamless experiences for customers. Mattel will establish the need to understand specific needs of various customers. Thus, it must move beyond a general solution for all customers. The company must facilitate a culture of customer care and customer primacy. Mattel will expand to other markets globally. This would demand for a greater cultural awareness and sensitivity among its leaders (Kristensen, 2001). At the same time, the company will need to improve on representation of diverse cultures and geographies at the management levels. Managers will also require different skills in languages and communication abilities. These leadership skills would facilitate the development of cross-cultural relations. At the same time, there would be increased international acti vities for senior executives. Mattel senior leaders would require practical knowledge in different local laws and business practices in different countries across the world (Guthridge and Komm, 2008; Lipman-Blumen, 2000). The company will also require leadership skills to facilitate innovation. Leaders shall need a great interdependence to enhance functional collaboration and teamwork with the aim of creating new products for the market. This would require increased leadership participation in different roles such as collecting user insights and applying them in developing new products for profitability. Future leaders will have to anticipate talent, capital, and innovative requirements for the fast growing consumer markets. In addition, leaders will have to overcome cultural barriers and embrace changes to enhance innovation (Sinclair, 2004). Mattel shall also enhance operational efficiency in the future. The company must adopt cost reduction strategies, lean manufacturing approach es, and Six Sigma for control critical aspects of production. Leaders must support these initiatives and lead by performance. Moreover, they must establish a culture of continued improvement, which senior executives must spearhead in all departments (Senge, 1990). Ability to plan the development of leadership skills The most important aspect of being able to plan strategies for developing new leadership skills for the future involves reviewing and understanding organisational business objectives. People who undertake this process must have deep knowledge about the organisation. In addition, there should be experts in leadership who understand processes of acquisition, development, and retention of leadership talents. It is critical to identify factors that drive business strategies. This would help leaders in understanding SWOT of the company and position it appropriately among competitors. These factors can allow leaders to create unique positions within the market, but leaders mus t understand essential elements of business drivers. The plan for the development of the main leadership skills identified as lacking within the Mattel structure Mattel will require constant assessments of individual employees and the organisation itself. Employees can create self-awareness and provide data for identification of management talent. Organisational assessment can reveal the performance of current leadership and changes required for business improvement. Mattel will rely on work assessment in order to understand how leaders can develop certain skills required for the task. Work assessment should have certain goals for evaluation purposes. This enhances feedback on skills attained by trainees and mentors with reference to specific business strategies required (Fowler and Gorman, 2005). Feedback from mentoring and coaching processes is an effective means of assessing and developing an appropriate leadership plan for the future. However, in most cases, people involved in c oaching and mentoring may fail assessment on feedback for potential leadership abilities. However, it is important to understand challenges that relate to coaching and mentoring because these concepts of leadership develop can also destroy potential individuals (Lambert, 2004). It is important for senior executives to participate in talent management within the organisation (Gold, Thorpe and Mumford, 2010). Mattel will not realise advantages from senior executives’ involvement in the leadership development plan, unless such leaders support, adopt, and evaluate the desired skills for future leaders for the company. Executives must demonstrate personal support and engagement for the processes of changes within the organisation (Drath, 2004). Another plan is to provide leadership seminars, events, and meetings. These provide opportunities for employees to interact, learn, and get information on the required leadership skills for the future. However, organisations must understand costs that result for such events. Thus, it is necessary to leverage such events. Evaluate and report on the usefulness of methods used to plan the development of leadership skills Leadership development strategies applied in this process are effective because they identify and specify specific actions that Mattel must undertake in order to develop, retain, or source employees with leadership abilities that it may require in order to meet business objectives. This suggests that the company’s leadership strategy plans relies on organisational strategic objectives and quantifiable business results. These approaches also recognise practical aspects inherent in developing effective leadership skills. Evaluating the best leadership style for Mattel According to situational leadership theory, the best leadership for an organisation depends on â€Å"situational variables because no single leadership style fits all workplace environments† (Oracle, 2012). Mattel should use à ¢â‚¬Å"the type of work, the complexity of its projects, and qualifications of employees in order to develop future leadership plans† (Oracle, 2012). Evaluating current and potential leaders The company focuses on expected leadership skills and competencies when evaluating current and future leaders. It must also evaluate internal politics and structures when developing future leadership skills. Identify leadership gaps The leadership plan accounts for leadership gaps in the company. The company assesses all employees on their readiness to lead others by evaluating current and future leadership requirements. Succession plan for organisational critical roles Mattel did not have the CEO for many months. Moreover, many employees in critical leadership positions resigned. Hence, an effective leadership plan accounts for succession and avoidance of disruption when key leaders leave the company. A succession plan should be a part of Mattel’s company policies. A successio n plan should account for all critical departments of the company. Career plans for potential leaders The plan accounts for responsibilities, which an employee can handle comfortably. Career planning aids â€Å"in retention, engagement, and protection of the leadership pipeline of a company† (Oracle, 2012). Career advancement programmes are effective ways of retaining potential leaders in a company. In fact, most employees leave their jobs due to lack career planning in an organisation. Required skills for future leaders It is important for a career plan to recognise changes that take place in the workplace environment. Thus, an organisation should identify potential leaders and develop a skills roadmap for the future (Oracle, 2012). Such leader plans should account for both formal and informal learning in the organisation. The plan should focus on â€Å"coaching, rotational assignments, job shadowing, mentor relationships, and project leadership† (Oracle, 2012). T his should account for technologies and include elements of social networking. Retention approaches for current and potential future leaders A leadership development plan must have retention strategies. Organisations have used both monetary and non-monetary reward approaches in order to retain their employees. A good approach should link such strategies with performance and motivate employees to stay focused on realising organisational goals. Reference List Adair, J 2009a, Effective Leadership: How to be a Successful Leader, Pan, London. Adair, J 2009b, How to Grow Leaders: The Seven Key Principles of Effective Leadership Development, Kogan Page, London. Barbuto, Jr, J. 2002, ‘How is Strategy Formed in Organizations? A Multi-Disciplinary Taxonomy of Strategy-Making Approaches’, Ó the Journal of Behavioral and Applied Management, vol. 3, no.1, p. 64. Chaffee, E 1985, ‘Three models of strategy’, Academy of Management Review, vol. 10, no. 1. Charan, R, D rotter, S, and Noel, J 2001, The Leadership Pipeline, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, CA. Drath, W 2004, The Deep Blue Sea: Rethinking the Source of Leadership, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, CA. Fowler, J and Gorman, J 2005, ‘Mentoring Functions: A Contemporary View of the Perceptions of Mentees and Mentors’, British Journal of Management, vol. 16, pp. 51-57. Gold J, Thorpe R and Mumford A 2010, Leadership and Management Development, CIPD, New York. Goleman, D, Boyatzis, R McKee, A 2004, Primal Leadership: Learning to Lead with Emotional Intelligence, Harvard Business Review Press, Cambridge. Grint, K 2004, What is Leadership? From Hydra to Hybrid, Working Paper, Oxford University, Oxford. Guthridge, M and Komm, A 2008, ‘Why multinationals struggle to manage talent’, The McKinsey Quarterly. Kakabadse, A, Jackson, S and Fandale, E 2002, Meeting the Development Needs of Top Teams and Boards, CRF, London. Kouzes, M and Posner, B 2008, The Leadership Challenge, 4th edn, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, CA. Kristensen, J 2001, Post-Modern Approaches to Cross Boundary Interventions in Understanding Collaboration,University of the West of England Press, Bristol. Lambert, A 2004, Obtaining Value from Executive Coaching and Mentoring, CRF, London. Lipman-Blumen, J 2000, Connective Leadership: Managing in a Changing World, Oxford University Press, New York, NY. 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How to Send SAT Scores to Colleges

How to Send SAT Scores to Colleges SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Now that you’ve received your SAT scores, it’s time for the most important part of this process - actually sending scores to colleges! But how do you do it? What are your options? In this article, I’ll give you all the information you need on how the process works and what choices you'll have when sending scores. Should You Send Your SAT Scores? Before I tell you how to send your scores, you should know that you don’t have to send all of them!There’s this great thing called Score Choice that allows you to decide whether or not to send specific SAT scores to colleges if you've taken the test multiple times.You can choose which regular SATs to send by test date and choose which SAT subject tests to send by individual test. Colleges will only get the scores that you decide to send them, so if you do really poorly on one administration of the SAT, no schools will ever have to see it. Well,I should say that MOST schools will never have to see it; there are some that require you to send all of your test scores.See this article for a complete list of the schools that ask to see all of your SAT scores. When sending your scores, you can choose to send a score report for a test date to some schools and not others if you’re applying to some schools that require all scores sent and some schools that don’t.If you’re not sure whether your score is good enough to send, you should take a look at the average scores for your school of choice. For extra advice, read this guide to figuring out your SAT target score. A good rule of thumb is to take the 75th percentile SAT score for students that were admitted to your school of choice (meaning the score that is higher than 75 percent of admitted applicants) and use that as your target score.If you’re still not sure whether you should retake the test, read this guide to help you make a decision. Remember that many colleges also use superscoring for the SAT, meaning they take your best ever score from each section of the test and combine them to come up with the best overall score possible.This means that even if you do worse overall on one SAT date, you still might want to send it in if one of the test scores was your personal record for a particular section.Take a look at this other article for more information on how superscoring might affect your test-taking strategy. How to Send Your SAT Scores First, it’s important to note that you will have to order a score report for each school where you plan on applying, but you can put as many of your scores on that report as you want.It costs the same to send three SAT test scores as it does to send one SAT test score if all three scores are going to the same school.If you log in to your College Board account, you can easily send your scores through the online interface. On your dashboard, you'll see your latest scores front and center: Then, click on the "View Details" button to see your full report. At the top of the report, there are four tabs: Click on the "Score Sends" tab to get to a screen with a button that says "Send Additional Score Reports," and click on that button. You'll see this little interface that allows you to search for colleges and add them to your selected recipients list using the add and remove buttons: Once you have searched for and selected your schools and they're all listed in the "Your Selected Recipients" box, click continue. The next screen gives you the option of selecting which scores you would like to send to schools. The default setting is "all scores", but you can exercise score choice at this point and choose only to send scores from certain test dates if you want. After this, all you have to do is review your order, submit your payment, and you're all set!It’s important to remember that score delivery may take a different length of time for different schools, so plan accordingly. You should check the websites for your schools of choice to see how late they accept scores. Types of Score Reports #1: Free Score Reports The first option for sending your scores is to send them when you register for the SAT.Every time you register for the test, you automatically get four free score reports.You can use these free reports anytime between registration and nine days after your test date.If you’re taking the SAT during your junior year, however, you might not be sure where you want to send your scores quite yet.Even if you’re a senior, it's sometimes a good idea to wait until after you get your scores back so you can make sure they’re as high as you expected. #2: Regular Score Reports You can send score reports to colleges after you get your scores back for a fee.It’s $.25 per score report after the free report time window has passed, but you can get a fee waiver if you’re eligible.Talk to your high school counselor if you think you’ll need a fee waiver to send your scores. The fee waiver will give you four additional free score reports (worth $45) to use at any time. #3: Rush Score Reports If you’re worried that your scores won’t arrive in time, you can use Rush Reporting to send your scores faster for an additional fee.Rush Reporting costs $31 for the first report and $.25 for each additional report, and your scores will be sent either electronically or by first class mail, depending on the way your school receives scores. Rush Reporting will get your scores to colleges within two days of your order, although schools may take additional time to actually process scores depending on how their system is organized.There is no fee waiver available for Rush Reporting, so if you think score reports will be a financial burden on you, plan ahead and avoid this option. Rush reporting and sorority rush: both times you're paying to get something fast that you could have gotten the normal way if you planned your life better (SAT scores and friends respectively). Summary Sending your SAT scores to colleges is pretty easy, but you should always take the time to make an informed decision about which ones to send and when you plan to send them.Check the deadlines for sending scores to the schools where you're applying.Keep in mind that Score Choice is usually an option, although you should verify school policies before assuming that this is the case. You can send up to four free score reports in the time between test registration and nine days after the test.If you want to wait to see your scores or don’t know where you’re applying yet, you have the opion of sending score reports after this time window for a fee of $.25 per school.Rush Reporting is also available, but save this as a last resort! Remember that sending your SAT scores to colleges is the ultimate purpose of this whole ordeal, so it’s important to be on top of deadlines and send only your best scores if possible! What's Next? Now that you know how to send your scores to colleges, learn more about how to get and interpret your scores so that you're making the right choices about which ones to send. If you're curious about your scores and want a more detailed picture of where you struggled on the test, you might look into ordering the Question and Answer Service. Wondering whether you should take the SAT again? Read this article to find out how many times you should take it. Disappointed with your scores? Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points?We've written a guide about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Impact of the Industrial Revolution Research Paper

Impact of the Industrial Revolution - Research Paper Example However, the use of the initial spinning machines was dependent on water power hence the production cite had to be at the proximity of rivers. Nevertheless, this led to more innovations through which steam engines were discovered and thus substituted the reliance on waterpower. However, it is worth noting that despite the discovery of the spinning mule in 1785, the production efficiency in textile industry was not any better than through hand until higher modifications were done. This would explain the reluctance observed in adoption of the machine at the time. Gradual acceptance of the machine took place and this led to the full adoption of the discovery in the mid nineteenth century. Preface The late 18th century to the early 19th century saw a shift in mechanisms and practices that were traditionally used in manufacturing to modernized systems of manufacturing. There was a shift from production methods, which involved hand production methods to the introduction, and adoption of me chanization processes. Production mechanisms in use prior to the revolution encouraged the furtherance of such vices as slave trade, which supplied the required labor cheaply for higher gains in production especially within the western economies. Previously, the efficiency in production was greatly compromised because of the use of such crude mechanisms of production as the hand/manual labor. This period marked the introduction of simple machines, iron production as well as chemical manufacturing. The processes adopted encouraged the extensive use of steam power for running engines besides improvisation of machine tools. Discovery of coal and its use for fuel equally dates back to the period where coal proved to be more effective as a source of power over wood as well as other bio fuels that were in use previously. However, it is worth noting that the revolution points its origin from Britain though it easily dispersed to other parts of the world from Europe to the US. The revolutio n is shown to have had some sort of impact to merely every aspect of human life. For instance, such aspects of social economic lives of human beings as average income as well as population growth changed; there was a notable growth in both of these aspects. The living standards of all populations had thus a celebrated notable improvement, which illustrated growth patterns. Generally accepted is the fact that the revolution had great influence on social and economic change across the globe. However, it is worth noting that the industrial revolution has been a topic of great debates with both advantages as well as disadvantages of the same being postulated. Discussion As indicated from the photo, the textile industry received and exhibited great evolution with the commencement of industrial revolution. Industrial production of textile products was wholly dependent on human labor prior to the commencement of industrial revolution. In fact, it is estimated that the output levels were ve ry low as this depended on all factors that would influence the productivity of a human being. Such factors as the level of motivation as well as environmental factors would inhibit massive production in the textile indus

Organizational structure and leaderships Term Paper

Organizational structure and leaderships - Term Paper Example Many companies have adapted a bureaucratic form of management whereby there are exaggerated numbers of management levels. Such forms of management are regarded as too bossy. A flat organizational structure in my organization therefore has fewer managers hence decisions are made in a promptly (Huffmire, 2006). In addition, employees are able to make autonomous pronouncement. According to DuBrin (2011), "A flat organizational structure acts less bureaucratically for two reasons. First, fewer available managers review the decisions of other workers. Second, a shorter chain of command means that managers and workers at lower levels can make decisions more independently" (p. 274). Decision making within my organization is decentralized as in any other institution with a flat organizational structure. Subsequently, decision making at the departmental level is also decentralized. A good example is at the Human Resource department. This means that employees at this department are able to make their own work related decisions without necessarily seeking authorization from the human resource manager as long as the decision lies within organizational objectives and plans of action. There are very few individuals with decision-making or administrative roles at the top level of hierarchy in a flat structure, and this helps improve efficiency in the decision making process as the employees do not have to seek authorization to make minor pronouncements from the top level managers. Due to the chain of command in a centralized system of leadership, making resolution may take a long time to accomplish (Huffmire, 2006). According to DuBrin (2011), a formal type of leadership is characterized by a centralized form of management. In other words, the manager or the individual with all the powers in decision making in an organization is at the top level in the hierarchy. In an informal leadership, on the other hand, the decision maker