Sexual Discrimination Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Sexual Discrimination - Case Study Example Sergeant Williams, a churchwarden at St Augustine's was uneasy that an acknowledged homosexual should be working as a caretaker at the parish school. He voiced his concerns to the school's head teacher who brought the matter to a meeting of the school's governing body. They endorse Sergeant Williams' concerns and advise that Jeffrey's contract should be terminated. This year, in the local police station, Desk Sergeant Williams took Jeffrey's statement reporting the fact that his flat has been broken into and several valuable items have been stolen, which statement also revealed Jeffrey's sexual orientation. Sergeant Williams, who was also a churchwarden of St. Augustine, reported his concerns of having an acknowledged homosexual working as the parish school caretaker to the school head teacher. Jeffrey's employment contract was terminated by the head teacher after the school's board of governors endorsed Sergeant Williams' concerns. Jeffrey filed the present application for injunctive relief to prevent the school administration from implementing the dismissal decision as well as appeal the same with prayer claiming for additional damages over and above the notice period for the period that the statutory dismissal or disciplinary procedure would have taken. The Employment Act 2002... injunctive relief to prevent the school administration from implementing the dismissal decision as well as appeal the same with prayer claiming for additional damages over and above the notice period for the period that the statutory dismissal or disciplinary procedure would have taken. II. LAW - Relevant Domestic and European Community Law, Convention and Practice i. Under the Employment Act 2002: The complainant employee alleges that the dismissal impinges upon his rights under s.35 of the Employment Act 2002: the right to procedural fairness through the internal dismissal procedure to determine whether there are extant grounds to dismiss the employee; the right to accompaniment or assistance by a trade union representative or work colleague; and The right to appeal the grievance decision. The complainant's rights under the Sex Discrimination Act 1975 and the Employment Equality (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2003 are asserted to be also violated. The Employment Act 2002 (Dispute Resolution) Regulations 2004 requires that the employer afford the employee the procedural fairness through internal dismissal/disciplinary procedures. The Employment Act 2002 (Dispute Resolution) Regulations 2004 provides, inter alia: Application of dismissal and disciplinary procedures 3. -(1) Subject to paragraph (2) and regulation 4, the standard dismissal and disciplinary procedure applies when an employer contemplates dismissing or taking relevant disciplinary action against an employee. (2) Subject to regulation 4, the modified dismissal procedure applies in relation to a dismissal where- (a) the employer dismissed the employee by reason of his conduct without notice, (b) the dismissal occurred at the time the employer became aware of the conduct or immediately thereafter, (c)

Threat of Hezbollah to US

Threat of Hezbollah to US Red Cell Analysis: Hezbollah: a Threat to the United States and its interests. Red Cell analysis: Hezbollah In recent years, the threat alert within the United States increased drastically attributed to the increase in the number of terrorist organizations within its borders. However, most terrorist organizations not only target the United States but also co-ordinate other attacks that target other American interests in other countries. One of the biggest organizations that are a threat to the United States and its interest in other countries is the Hezbollah movement, also known as the â€Å"Party of God,† which advocates for the rights of Muslims in most parts of the world through terrorism activities. The movement comprises of Shi’a Islamists who advocate for violence as part of spreading their message of fighting â€Å"western imperialism† in Muslim controlled states around the world. According to a report released by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Hezbollah movement plans their attacks from South America targeting Americans within the United States and other parts of the world. In 1983, the movement attacked a U.S. marine camp and killed over 250 Americans while also targeting the American embassies in the Arab region (Broxmeyer 2004). In addition, the movement also kidnaps American citizens and demands for ransom before securing their release. The movement employs surveillance methods before attacks whereby members of the movement observe the routine of different planned locations, which creates a clear picture of the most favorable location for an attack. The Hezbollah movement began in 1982 in Lebanon, attributed to the Iranian Revolution. It blamed the United States for most of the problems facing other countries around the world. It is necessary to note that since the inception of the movement, the leadership positions require religious clerics within Islam, who guide the members of the movement in terms of goals and objectives. The movement also supports the local population in the Arab region through annual donations gained through the attacks carried out around the world. Although the main cell for the movement is in Lebanon, the movement plans and executes its operations and attacks from the United States. The U.S. Department of State included this movement in the foreign terrorist organization (FTO) list in October 1997 as part of controlling their activities in the United States (Slogum 2013). The main ideology associated with this movement is enhancing Islam as a confident religion that promotes the achievement of justice an d human rights for every citizen. However, Hezbollah uses violence and terrorist activities in passing on their messages regarding their ideology, which portrays it as one of the most dangerous organizations around the world. Based on the organization’s ideology, the main objective of Hezbollah is to establish a Muslim controlled territory especially in the Arab region. According to the movement’s spokesperson, the group results in committing acts associated with terrorism due to failure in other means of communication between the countries in the Arab region and other western countries. This shows the organization’s commitment towards the terrorist activities, which include suicide bombing around the United States and other western countries. The FBI also associated Hezbollah with the 11th September 2001 attack carried out within the United States. This promoted initiatives from the U.S. government aimed at stopping terrorism in the country and in the Middle East region, which is the main hub of the terrorism cells (Broxmeyer 2004). Secondly, Hezbollah’s goals and objective within the United States is the moderation of national liberation for Muslim living within America. The group argues that the U.S. government discriminates against the Muslims in the country denying them the right to religion as stated within the constitution. This prompts the movement to advocate for liberation of the Muslim population through terrorism activities, which portray clear messages regarding Islam. One of the strengths attributed to Hezbollah is the leadership whereby the leaders of different cells around the world meet in South America for the election of their leaders. The main leader of the movement is Sheikh Muhammed Hussein Fadlallah who also acts as the spiritual father for the movement, as well as, the chief Mujtahid by ensuring a clear understanding of the Islamic law by every member of the movement. Based on the goals and objectives of Hezbollah within the Arab region, Sheikh Muhammed ensures support from other organizations and movement, which is a key strength for the movement. This leader controls the organization’s main cell in Lebanon but also helps in the co-ordination of other cells in other countries around the world especially in the United States. Sheikh Muhammed also helps in punishing offenders within the movement, which is a factor that enhances discipline among members of the movement towards the goals and objectives (Koà §ak 2012). The other main leader of the movement is Hassan Nasrallah, who is the secretary general for the movement. After the assassination of Abbas Musawi by the U.S. government, the leaders of different cells unanimously elected Hassan Nasrallah as the new secretary general. Based on the leadership structure projected, it is clear that the movement operates in secretive environment with the main decision making organ being the spiritual leader and the secretary general. In addition, it is also clear that the movement draws towards its goals and objectives attributed to the election of the spiritual father in a leadership position within the organization. When focusing on the funding of the movement, it is clear that it plays an important role in the operations, and attacks carried out by the movement. Most of the funding for the movement comes about from donations Shi’a Islamists who offer zakat after prayers. This contributes to 50% of the total funding for the movement most of which is used in securing equipment and weapons used in attacks (Koà §ak 2012). It is essential to note that this funding comes from the Arab region considering that the United States does not allow such collections towards terrorist activities. On the other hand, the mov ement also receives funding from the Islamic Republic of Iran through weapons and training sessions with the weapons transported to the United States through underground tunnels and stored in most of the control locations especially in South America. Hezbollah places significant importance on some of the major capabilities that contribute to the success of the attacks carried out by the organization. Based on the ban by the U.S. government on the movement, Hezbollah moved most of the physical bases from the western countries in the Arab region with most countries supporting the movement. However, the cells within the United States also act as support locations whereby members of the movement seek help in case of need. Hezbollah portrays an image of participating in Jihad, which is a Holy war within the Muslims, which has helped in the attraction of more people towards the movement (Goll 2011). This is clear from the number of personnel in the cell in the United States containing over 30,000 people, most of whom act as Jihadists for the Islam religion. As mentioned earlier, the main decision body the movement is the spiritual leader and the secretary general, who control the training programs for the movement. During the recruitme nt of new members of the movement, the leaders move to the physical bases where the training programs occur as a way of ensuring total commitment in the part of the recruits. According to a report released by the United Nations, Hezbollah receives donations of over $200 million annually and spends over $50 million in the acquisition of new communication technologies. However, the communication methods used during attacks depends on the priority of the attacks with the movement using complex communication methods in some of the high priority attack such as the 11th September 2001 attack against the United States. The complexities of the communication methods create a significant disadvantage for the U.S. government in terms of preventing the planned attacks. It is important to point out that most of the attacks carried out by the group target highly populated areas and military bases, which creates tension among people living within the United States (Goll 2011). Based on the training carried out in the physical bases, the U.S. Department of State argues that the movement uses suicide bombing in carrying out terrorist activities in the countries, which mak es it hard for the prevention. Hezbollah also employs the use of gun attacks whereby members of the movement, attack different planned venues and shoot innocent victims, as part of the mission towards passing on the message of liberation. Terror groups operations are mainly dependent on minimizing risks with the aim of achieving the greatest success. Terrorists evade a challenger’s strong point and focus on their weaknesses and their stress on exploiting security measure. This generally means the involvement of the smallest possible number of attackers to complete the operation with the most effective weapons at their disposal. The Hezbollah movement practices a detailed scheduling which can be adjusted depending on the operations requirements. For instance, the determination of the potential targets can continue for years before the operation is carried out. Some targets may be vulnerable enough to warrant shorter periods of observation. However, the information and data collection must be strong. Similarly, depending on the nature of the operation, operations in progress may be improved, deferred or annulled so that the operation does not fail. Under the Hezbollah movement’s planning and data collectio n strategies, tactical missions interlink so that operational objectives and strategic goals are realized. A detailed understanding of the target population is studied through psychological measures where informants are sent to the target site with the aim of getting the experiences of the populace. In case the targeted location involves experts, field agents are recruited and trained to work with companies and organizations operating from that target site. This helps the terrorist agents to be acquainted with the environment and identify the weak points, spare times and surveillance of security measures employed by the firms in the target area. In this light, the most practiced data collection programs include; physical surveillance, involvement of professionals working in the target areas, hacking into data storages of the government through agents in such agencies, practice/ routines/ procedures, not to mention transportation and route travel study. For a mission to be successfully completed and executed by the Hezbollah movement, collected data must be evaluated and studied by a group of strategists in the movement. This group includes professionals in various fields such as security, programming, finance and accounting management, logistics experts, and analysts. The process of data collection is entirely left to the low ranking recruits who, however, must be supervised by a senior ranking member. In most cases, the supervisor is only known by a few recruits for security reasons. The Hezbollah movement has recruited all over and in all fields. The movements target young workers in organizations and government agencies. The main reason for this choice is that such workers are desperate to earn extra money for their leisure activities, and the fact that they are easy to manipulate and blackmail. Given the fact that data collection does not require much experience or expertise, low ranking and new recruits are the most suitable c andidates to collect data and information regarding the operation. In most cases, the recruits are not aware of the real deal of the operation, they will innocently collect and deliver the information. In addition, where surveillance can be done through observation, for instance information regarding logistics and transportation routes and schedules, the organization may use more experienced informants since they are able to survey without leaving a trail or being noticed. Lastly, the pre-attack surveillance and data gathering should be collected by highly trained intelligence and surveillance personnel or members supportive of the terrorist cell. The pre-attack phase involves gathering information relating to the target’s current patterns whereby the attacking team approves information gathered from previous surveillance activities. This is very important as it helps in the identification of presumed and probable vulnerabilities. The Hezbollah movement practices a hierarchic al decision making structure with the leader being the highest. Presently, the leader of the movement is Sheikh Muhammed Hussein Fadlallah, who is not only a leader, but also the spiritual father of the movement. Under this structure, major decisions are made from one end while the day to day running of operations is carried from the other end. At one end of this internal scale of accountabilities, execution of operational tasks is clearly the role assigned to terror cells and operation groups. The other extreme consists of the executive group that has the primary responsibility for the development of the movement’s strategies and direction proclamations that map the overall direction of the movement. The executive group plays an essential part of the process of developing and appraising the movement’s policies and strategies in the continuing provision of updated knowledge and forecasting of future operation. The strategic intelligence applied by the Hezbollah movement is a very specific application of principles, and its main role is to assist the movement with operational decision making as well as strategizing on operations requirements. The main role of strategic intelligence in the Hezbollah movement is the need for support to understand and be able to counter the challenges and barriers enacted by various government agencies. Other strategies are; helping in the realization and development of successful operations, development of goals, objectives and operation matrices, the provision of open-sources as well as intelligence collection support and analysis. The movement has a wide network of intelligence analyst fetched from all probable professions. This makes the organization very effective when analyzing any operation not only for security but also for finance, logistics, and human power management. The team of experts also helps in the planning of emergency and fallback plans in case the operation fails when being executed. In conclusion, the collection of data and information by the Hezbollah movement is a very organized operation that is very secretive and well organized. This task is mainly conducted by low ranking personnel, but under the watch of experienced and trained experts. Once the primary data is collected a group of experts organizes it with the aim of identifying the strengths and weaknesses of their target. Once this is done, the movement rehearses the operation and at times this may be done on similar locations and target sites with the objective of further identifying any enforceable weak points in the operation. Prior to the operation, strategic intelligence surveillance is also practiced where a team of experts evaluates the plan in relation to the available information. This may lead to approval, delay or termination of the operation depending on the existing facts about the intelligence gathered about the operation. Lastly, the group practices the hierarchical management structure, where information is handled through the top-bottom flow. This structure plays a very significant role in enhancing security and protection of sensitive information. The recommendation for a policy maker is for the United States’ ideal objective in Lebanon should be to help them enhance and set up a free media that is reluctant to work with terrorists, facilities able to provide the primary needs for its people, and an audio financial system separate from Hezbollah’s â€Å"fraudulent taxation†. Secondly, they should determine a plan to help Lebanon develop a powerful financial system and discuss with Israel to reduce any stress. If army skirmishes do no quit, the risk of terrorism and financial growth will be unproductive to a flourishing Lebanese upcoming. Lastly, it is sensible to know that Hezbollah has started growing in the Southern United States and is economically cheering itself nearer to United States boundaries. Our plan creators need to be eager to the fact that Hezbollah is growing and getting its feet nearer to the United States’ boundary. Improving boundary protection is going to be a necessary countermeasure that stops enemy from falling though known factors of entries. The U.S. needs to be cautious to not to straight take part in an issue with Hezbollah. The last factor the U. S. Declares should do is worsening Hezbollah into a retaliatory condition. Instead the U.S. should ultimately use Southern United States and Center Southern nations to battle them for us. Additionally, for military performance enhancement and improvement, Hezbollah handled their community assistance and authenticity through the use of non-military indicates, with the supply of social services and governmental contribution probably playing an important role Hezbollah’s huge strategy. Most significantly for Hezbollah, the new approach led the Party of God out of their difficult ideal position in the late 1980s. The result of these connections between enhanced army and non-military indicates was an ideal success for Hezbollah. Israeli community assistance for the war decreased, eventually resulting in the Israeli drawback from Southeast Lebanon. Bibliography Broxmeyer, Eric. â€Å"The Problems of Security and Freedom: Procedural Due Process and the Designation of Foreign Terrorist Organizations Under the Anti-Terrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act.† Berkeley Journal of International Law 22, no. 3 (2004): 439-488. Dr. Habash, George . Terrorist Planning Cycle. A Military Guide to Terrorism in the Twenty-First Century. August 15, 2007. http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/army/guidterr/app_a.pdf (accessed March 15, 2014). Goll, Irene. â€Å"Environmental Jolts, Clocks, and Strategic Change in the U.S. Airline Industry: The Effects of Deregulation and the 9/11/2001 Terrorist Attacks.† Business Politics 13, no. 4 (2011): 1-37. Kang, Youn-ah , and John Stasko . Characterizing the Intelligence Analysis Process: Informing Visual Analytics Design through a Longitudinal Field Study . IEEE Symposium on Visual Analytics Science and Technology. October 28, 2011. http://users.soe.ucsc.edu/~pang/visweek/2011/vast/papers/kang.pdf (accessed March 15, 2014). Koà §ak, Murat. â€Å"Threat assessment of terrorist organizations: the application of Q methodology.† Journal of Risk Research 15, no. 1 (2012): 85-105. Slogum, Louisa. â€Å"OFAC, the Department Of State, and the Terrorist Designation Process: A Comparative Analysis of Agency Discretion.† Administrative Law Review 65, no. 2 (2013): 387-425. Sheehan, Ivan Sascha. Assessing and Comparing Data Sources for Terrorism Research. Springer Series on Evidence-Based Crime Policy 3, DOI 10.1007/978-1-4614-0953-3_2, 2012: 13-35. Straus , Susan G., Andrew M. Parker, James B. Bruce , And Jacob W. Dembosky. The Group Matters: A Review of the Effects of Group Interaction on Processes and Outcomes in Analytic Teams. National Security Research Division. April 2009. http://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/working_papers/2009/RAND_WR580.pdf (accessed March 15, 2014).

Essay --

Jeff Leone The Colorado River â€Å"Don’t waste that water! Kids in Africa don’t even have water to drink!† Almost every American has heard this saying before. We have heard this because there are water shortages in third world countries like Africa, as seen in the movie â€Å"Blue Gold†. But why have we developed this notion that there are only water shortages in third world countries? When in reality, there is a shortage of water right here in our home country. The Colorado River’s water is high in demand as it serves millions of people, powers industries, and is home to all different kinds of wildlife. The Colorado River will not be able to keep up with the increasing demand of water and soon enough the river will go dry. Organizations like the Colorado River Water Users Association are trying to change the way that the water is used and adjust how it is managed. The Colorado River is drying up and the western states are running out of water, however, public policy is trying to regulate and preserve the Colorado River to make it more sustainable in the future. The Colorado River, which has so many uses and serves so many, is running out of water. The river delivers water and power to nearly 30 million people who live in the basin states. (River Uses) That includes people who live in Colorado, Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, California, Wyoming and Mexico. In addition, the river is crucial to the economy because â€Å"throughout the seven basin states, the Colorado River provides water for people and for business and industry - creating jobs for millions, jobs that contribute to local economies and billions of dollars to the nation.† (River Uses) The river is also important as it provides irrigation to about 1.4 million acres of land for fa... ...ld 17.5 million acre-feet (5.7 trillion gallons) of water. However†¦ The river now averages about 14.7 million acre-feet per year† (National geographic) In addition, the water level of the rivers two largest reservoirs, Lake Mead and Lake Powell, have dropped over the past couple of years. (National Geographic) One of the biggest signs that the river is struggling is that it discharges little to no water to the sea for months at a time. (National Geographic) The Colorado River is on a path that will take it to its end. The river is running out of water and cannot keep up with the high demand. New technology and growing industries require more water and more power. Organizations are attempting to solve the problem through public policy but the task may prove too large. Humans have changed the coarse of nature and it is up to us to come together and fight for change.

Mcmurphy a christ figure Essay

Bromden and McMurphy are led to the electroshock room after they stood up for George, a fellow ward inhabitant, and assaulted the employees. As they anticipate the electroshock therapy, Bromden is nervous and afraid. However, McMurphy strangely expresses optimism despite the grave situation. The passage in which McMurphy gets prepared for the treatment clearly alludes to a martyr, specifically Jesus Christ. McMurphy even refers to himself as a Christ figure when he asks, â€Å"Do I get a crown of thorns?† McMurphy sacrifices himself for his friends in the wards. He gives up his own mind and life for Bromden, George, Billy, and the others so that they could have hope, a daring light breaking the austere darkness. Also, like Christ, McMurphy accepts his sacrifice with some sort of willingness, obligation, and tried optimism. Though McMurphy may not have been as polite as Christ would have (â€Å"Hooee, those Chinese Commies could have learned a few things from you, lady,† from McMurphy to Nurse Ratched), he admits his treatment somewhat graciously and definitely intrepidly. He sings and â€Å"makes their (employees’) hands shake,† certainly intimidating the workers, which is true of Jesus when his responses and reactions intimidate his executor, Pilate. Kesey presents McMurphy as a strong figure but still vulnerable to pain as the reader can observe after he receives multiple shock therapies. He endures them as optimistically as he can, but Bromden can see that they weary him, just like how the lashing wearied Christ. Most people know the history of Jesus Christ, so the reader can foretell the ending of the story using the apparent allusions in the passage. In conclusion, the story forebodes McMurphy’s inevitable and important death, similar to that of Christ’s. His sac rifice essentially breaks limits within the ward, and in the bigger picture, within society as well.

Inquirer is the leading broadsheet in the Philippines Essay

Inquirer is the leading broadsheet in the Philippines. In 2001, it launched Libre, a free tabloid distributed in the MRT-LRT area. It was an unprecedented move of a major daily giving away their newspaper on weekdays and recovering cost solely from advertising revenue. Visit the MRT-LRT site and discuss and explain your answers to the following: Background: Inquirer Libre (Inquirer Free) is a free, bilingual (Filipino and English) tabloid published in the Philippines. It is published by the Philippine Daily Inquirer and is considered a trimmed-down version of the Philippine Daily Inquirer that is distributed on public transport. It is available in all stations of LRT, MRT and PNR, WGA Eva Macapagal Port in Metro Manila, as well as selected branches of McDonald’s. Unlike other Philippine tabloids, Inquirer Libre seeks to provide commuters access to decent, useful and meaningful news and current events. The income generated from distributing Inquirer Libre comes from advertising. a.What was the underserved and unserved market Inquirer was trying to tap? Underserved – used to describe a place, market, etc. where fewer goods and services are available than there should be. Unserved – there is totally no goods and services available for the people. Answer: A. The Inquirer created first a market niches that identified the needs or wants of the target market that were poorly addressed or not at all by their competitors. These niches showed them the underserved and unserved market which was composed of the commuters of the MRT-LRT stations with 500, 000 average commuters per day, even greater than its intended capacity. It’s a very diversed public which includes students, office clerks, professionals, etc. who rode trains everyday in their way to school, work, and their destinations. This people were always in a hurry and therefore have no time to read the news. Their age ranges from 18-40 years old. B. There are many management concepts to choose from. For instance, core  competency espouses that the company’s assets or strengths be the unit of analysis while industry analysis advocates that competition be the unit of analysis. Then there is also market-driven strategy that promotes customers in the center of strategy while market-driving strategy focuses on underserved and unserved markets as unit of analysis for strategy. A popular concept, Blue Ocean Strategy, is considered a subset of market-driving strategy since it entails two additional requirements, other than new demand, that of creating differentiation and being low-cost. One critique about contemporary marketing practitioners is that they are actually market-driven strategists, who may not fully understand the principles, frameworks and concepts of market-driving strategy to grow the brand and the business long-term, hence, their tools are often short-term, brand switching tactics, designed to gain market shares. If the company’s reward system is aligned with desired strategic thinking, then market penetration, in addition to market shares, would have to be imposed by management as part of its key result areas. Without a market-driving strategy, a marketing plan focusing solely on the served market is incomplete as it risks losing the underserved or unserved markets, many times, even bigger than the current served customers. In Mansmith and Fielders Inc., market-driving strategy is defined as embracing innovative changes in the logic of industry and business system to grow its profit and industry’s demand from underserved and unserved markets. The goal is not incremental but strategic growth and has three different levels: level 1 is about a major change in value proposition more than a major change in business system; level 2 is about a major change in business system more than a major change in value proposition; while level 3 is about a major change in value proposition coupled with a major change in business system. Selecta ice cream by Walls is an example of level 1 market-driving strategy. Selecta is the dominant brand of ice cream in the Philippines, but it was not so a few years ago, as it was neck-to-neck with Nestle. Problematic with declining industry demand, the marketers went on to ask mothers what  they liked to serve during birthdays and what they actually served. The result of their insighting led them to launch Selecta’s 3-in-1 ice cream, combining three of the favorite ice cream flavors in a tub at an affordable price. With this huge success that turned around shrinking industry demand, they even extended to four flavors with 3-in-1 plus 1, wanting to own the term â€Å"3-in-1.† Meantime, Nestle was not able to immediately respond with the new value proposition of Selecta, as they did not have the technology to do 3-in-1. Mothers were happy they were able to serve what they really liked to serve, children were happy with each of their favorite flavors, while fathers were happy too with a cost-saving solution, improving not just company’s sales but also industry demand in the process, attracting many lapsed customers to return. Waters Philippines is an example of level 2 market-driving strategies where there is a major change in the business system more than the value proposition. (Disclaimer: Waters Philippines is owned by the author.) It markets Waters Bio Mineral Pot, a premium home water purifier—mineralizer—alkaline maker that is leader in its segment. Waters used to be sold in appliance and other retail stores on cash basis in the late ’80s and early ’90s; however, its growth was constrained with its inability to explain the product features and benefits of the high end products in stores. This led to stores requiring them to go on promotional sale, with the additional problem of the fixed cost of hiring its own promo girls and the automatic termination of these promo girls in five months just when their competency is peaking. Waters then decided to create its own independent direct sales force who were able to go direct to the customers (instead of waiting for them to go to the retail stores) to promote the product, backed with installment plans that nearly matches what consumers typically pay monthly for water delivered by their water refill stations. The installment plans allowed more affordability for the consumers while enhancing the business opportunity for its sales network. Today, Waters Philippines is expanding to Indonesia to tap into a bigger combined market. Inquirer Libre is an example of level 3 market-driving strategy, which saw a major change in value proposition coupled with a major change in business system. As the leading broadsheet in the Philippines, Inquirer wanted to broaden its readership base to include younger consumers, so in November  2001, it launched Inquirer Libre. The Inquirer’s mother brand gave the new tabloid-size newspaper immediate credibility among its train riders. Libre (meaning â€Å"free† in English) is a complimentary morning daily that is heavy in entertainment and with a lot of light, human interest articles designed to be read in 15 minutes. Instead of selling the newspaper, it gave away Libre for free. Instead of tapping newspaper dealers, it went straight to consumers by way of self-service pick-up stations, hence, avoiding traditional trade margins and sales returns (after all, it’s a free paper). Instead of showing half naked women targeting blue-collar workers, it decided to be a wholesome paper targeting the young white-collar workers. Hence, instead of the usual readers in their 30s to 40s, Libre readers are mostly in their 20s not known to be newspaper buyers. This is an example of category point-of-entry marketing that will eventually turn some of the current Libre readers to broadsheet readers in the future. As can be seen from above, the three levels of market-driving strategy help companies think strategically, looking beyond the value proposition to include their value chain—instead of plainly being better, it strives to innovate by being different. C. Many tabloids in the country have been operating for a long time on a formula of scandalous attention-grabbing headlines and photos of sexy girls on the front page. One tabloid, Inquirer Libre, decided to take a different route. Using market-driving strategies,Inquirer Libre presented its product differently while targeting a new market. As explained by marketing guru Josiah Go of Mansmith and Fielders, Inc., market-driving strategies, the latest buzzword in market orientation, call for a breaking of the rules and changing the value proposition or business system or both to grow profit and demand from new and marginal customers. (See previous post here.) Inquirer Libre is a morning tabloid featuring short news and feature articles that can be read in 15 minutes. However, Go points out that unlike the other tabloids, it is given for free at MRT stations. There are no photos of naked women; the total package is wholesome. The target market consists of office people in their 20s and 30s on their way to work. â€Å"Instead of tapping the  traditional newspaper dealers, Libre’s new channel is in the various train stations. This means no dealer trade margin and no sales returns,† says Go. Inquirer Libre also has a classified ads page that runs every Thursday, a new reason for the target market to read it. As a result of the market-driving strategies (give it out for free, go wholesome, go direct to the market at train stations, offer classifieds), Inquirer Libre is the leading free tabloid in Metro Manila and hit its ROI fast. Are you looking for a way to survive the cut-throat competition? Market-driving strategies may be the answer. A TOTAL of three—that was the number of enrollees R. A. Gapuz Review Center (RAGRC) had back in 1994 when they opened, offering review classes for those taking government board exams. But this did not deter founder Ray Gapuz from persevering in his then newly established business. Nowadays, their number of enrollees are in the thousands, so much so, that review and coaching sessions have to be scheduled in hotel ballrooms, mall cinemas and even big events places such as the Philippine International Convention Center and Araneta Coliseum. And get this—review classes are also beamed via satellite to other venues in the country. Of course, online review courses are also offered. Today RAGRC is the market leader among nursing review centers, getting the lion’s share of 40 percent of the market among 55 documented review centers, according to its website. Just how did RAGRC succeed? Josiah Go, marketing guru and chairman of Mansmith and Fielders, Inc., points to market-driving strategies applied by the company. â€Å"Market-driving strategies define how a firm will embrace innovative changes in the industry logic and business system to grow its profit and industry’s demand from marginal and non-customers,† says Go. To do this, innovations may be implemented in the value proposition (what the company may offer customers), the business system, or both. Here are steps RAGRC took to succeed: 1. Give a new value proposition by: – Offering an intensive 10-day review course at 8 hours a day aside from the traditional 6-month review course at 3 times a week. The shorter review course allows nursing graduates to find work while providing RAGRC faster turnaround. – Holding review classes in hotels and malls instead of cramped classrooms. – Presenting the curriculum according to diseases regardless of age to remove any duplication encountered when doing  it by specialization. This is well appreciated by the reviewees. 2. Innovate the business system by: – Going high tech and livening up review classes by holding it game show style and offering stimulating card games as reinforcement. This prevents boredom from setting in. Market-driving strategies are all about changing the rules of the game in order to attract new demand. They may just be what your company needs to be profitable and stay profitable. Josiah Go is conducting a seminar dubbed â€Å"Market-Driving Strategies: Executive Workout† on June 25-26 in Makati City and on July 14-15 in Cebu City. E-mail info@mansmith.net for details.

Mark Twain Quotes on Education and Schooling

Mark Twain Quotes on Education and Schooling The genius writer and father of American literature,  Mark Twain, was not educated beyond elementary school. His expresses cynicism toward the mediocre education system of this time in his quotes about education. He believed that schooling was different from education and learning. He warns us of the hazards of following the education system with blind faith. In Praise of Learning and Training Training is everything. The peach was once a bitter almond; cauliflower is nothing but cabbage with a college education. The man who does not read books has no advantage over the man that can not read them. There is nothing training cannot do. Nothing is above its reach. It can turn bad morals to good; it can destroy bad principles and recreate good ones; it can lift men to angel ship. Every time you stop a school, you will have to build a jail. What you gain at one end you lose at the other. Its like feeding a dog on his own tail. It wont fatten the dog. It is noble to teach oneself, but still nobler to teach others - and less trouble. A man who carries a cat by the tail learns something he can learn in no other way. Thousands of geniuses live and die undiscovered - either by themselves or by others. Learning softeneth the heart and breedeth gentleness and charity. Criticism of Schooling Education consists mainly of what we have unlearned. We have not the reverent feeling for the rainbow that a savage has because we know how it is made. We have lost as much as we gained by prying into that matter. God made the Idiot for practice, and then He made the School Board. Just the omission of Jane Austens books alone would make a fairly good library out of a library that hadnt a book in it. I never let my schooling interfere with my education. Everything has its limit - iron ore cannot be educated into gold. All schools, all colleges, have two great functions: to confer, and to conceal valuable knowledge. Mark Twain Quips on Specific Subjects The very ink with which all history is written is merely fluid prejudice. I dont give a damn for a man that can only spell a word one way. There are lies, damned lies, and statistics. Facts are stubborn, but statistics are more pliable. Classic. A book which people praise and dont read. I was gratified to be able to answer promptly, and I did. I said I didnt know. Why shouldnt truth be stranger than fiction? Fiction, after all, has to make sense. We could use up two Eternities in learning all that is to be learned about our own world and the thousands of nations that have arisen and flourished and vanished from it. Mathematics alone would occupy me eight million years. Many public-school children seem to know only two dates - 1492 and 4th of July, and as a rule, they dont know what happened on either occasion.

What Is Financial Aid How To Pay Less For College

What Is Financial Aid How To Pay Less For College SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips As college costs continue to rise, financial aid has become a necessity for most college students. Ideally, the listed cost of attendance won’t deter you from applying to or attending the college of your dreams. Knowing about the process will enable you to maximize the amount of financial aid for college you receive and prevent finances from becoming an impediment to reaching your college goals. In this article, I will define and explain the different types of financial aid that are available for college. Furthermore, I will explain how colleges determine your eligibility for financial aid, and I’ll offer you guidance and resources to make sure you know all the different types of aid available to you. What Is Financial Aid? Simply put, financial aid helps students and their families pay for college. Financial aid can cover all educational expenses including tuition and fees, room and board, books and supplies, and transportation. Financial aid can consist of grants, scholarships, work-study, and loans. How Do You Get Financial Aid? For the purposes of this article, I’m going to focus primarily on need-based aid. Need-based aid is financial aid that is awarded based on demonstrated financial need. Aid that may not be need-based includes private scholarships, merit scholarships, and athletic scholarships. Generally, the first step for getting need-based financial aid is filling out the FAFSA, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Also, most states and colleges require the FAFSA to receive state-sponsored and institution-sponsored aid. Additionally, some private scholarships like the Gates Millennium Scholarship require applicants to complete a FAFSA. Check the financial aid requirements for the schools you’re applying to. Some colleges have their own forms or use the CSS/Financial Aid Profile Form for non-federal financial aid. After you fill out the required forms, colleges will determine your eligibility for need-based financial aid. Following notification of your college acceptances, each college will send you a financial aid award letter outlining the amount and types of aid it’s offering you. 401K 2012/flickr How Is Your Eligibility Determined for Financial Aid? Within 3-5 days of filing your FAFSA (slightly longer if you don’t fill it out online), you’ll be able to access your SAR, or Student Aid Report. Your SAR is a summary of the information you provided on your FAFSA and includes an EFC, or Expected Family Contribution. Your EFC determines your eligibility for financial aid. The colleges you listed on your FAFSA will have access to your SAR and EFC. Colleges base your aid eligibility and offer on your EFC. What Are Some of the Specific Types of Financial Aid You Can Receive? Federal Grants Grants are a preferable type of financial aid for college because they don't needto be paid back. Essentially, grants are free money for college. You must submit a FAFSA and meet federal aid eligibility requirements to be eligible to receive federal grants. Pell Grants The Pell Grant is intended to help low-income students finance their post-secondary education. For the 2015-2016 year, the maximum Pell Grant award is $5,775. The amount of your award is based on your demonstrated financial need, which is determined from the information on your FAFSA. You can estimate the amount of your Pell Grant before you submit your FAFSA by using the Pell Grant calculator. Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants The Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG) is a grant for undergraduates with exceptional financial need. Again, need is determined from the information on your FAFSA. Unlike Pell Grants, there is only a limited amount of FSEOG money. Students who receive Pell Grants and have the most need get FSEOGs first. The FSEOG program is administered by the financial aid office at each school. Not every college participates in the program. You can check with a school's financial aid office to find out if it awards the FSEOG. The amount you can receive ranges from between $100 and $4,000 annually. The amount of your grant depends on your financial need, when you apply, the amount of other aid you get, and the availability of funds at your school. Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education Grants The Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant is given to students who plan to pursue a career in teaching. As a condition for receiving a TEACH Grant, you must sign a TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve in which you agree to teach in a high-need field at an elementary school, secondary school, or educational service agency that serves students from low-income families.You must do this for at least four academic years within eight years after completing the course of study for which you received the grant. If you do not fulfill the agreement, your grant will be converted into a loan that has to be paid back with interest. The maximum award for grants disbursed between October 1, 2015, and October 1, 2016, is $3,728. If you're interested in the TEACH Grant, you should contact college financial aid offices to find out if theyparticipate in the TEACH Grant Program and to learn about the programs of study at eachschool that are TEACH Grant-eligible. Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grant The Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grant is for students whose parents were members of the US armed forces and died as a result of military service performed in Iraq or Afghanistan after 9/11. Here are the other eligibility requirements for this grant: You're NOT eligible for a Pell Grant on the basis of your Expected Family Contribution. You meet the other Pell Grant eligibility requirements. You were under 24 years old or enrolled in college at least part-time at the time of your parent's or guardian's death. The maximum award for Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grants disbursed between October 1, 2015, and October 1, 2016, is $5,382.30. Federal Loans Most students can't cover the full cost of attendance with grants and scholarships alone; they have to take out loans to help pay for their college education. Loans have to be paid back with interest. Federal loans are preferable to loans from private lenders because federal loans typically have lower interest rates and cost less to pay back. You must submit a FAFSA to be eligible for most federal loans. Perkins Loan The Perkins Loan is a government-backed, low-interest loan meant for students who demonstrate exceptional financial need. Perkins Loans are unique in that no interest accrues on these loans while you're in school. Also, the grace period for a Perkins Loan is 9 months versus the standard 6 month grace period of most other college loans. The grace period is the period after graduation when you won't be accruing interest on your loan. Direct Stafford Loan A Direct Stafford Loan can be subsidized or unsubsidized. For subsidized loans, the US Department of Education pays the interest on the loan while you're in school, during the 6-month grace period after you graduate, and during a period of deferment. You can only receive a subsidized loan if you demonstrate financial need, but any student whoattends a school that participates in the Direct Loan Program can receive an unsubsidized loan. PLUS Loans PLUS Loans are federal loans that graduate students or professional degree students and parents of dependent undergraduate students can use to help pay education expenses. You must not have an adverse credit history and must attend a school that participates in the Direct PLUS Loan Program to receive a PLUS Loan. The maximum PLUS Loan amount is the cost of attendance minus any other financial assistance received. All PLUS Loans are unsubsidized. Simon Cunningham/flickr Additional Loans and Grants States and individual colleges also award grants and loans. You can look up state financial aid programs or contact college financial aid offices to learn more about state-sponsored and college-sponsored financial aid programs. In general, federal Stafford and PLUS loans are preferable to private loans, but private loans are another option if you don't receive enough federal aid. However, federal loans tend to be cheaper and have a fixed interest rate, which means that the rate you’re quoted will not change for the lifetime of the loan. Work-Study The federal work-study programis a need-based program in which the government will subsidize wages for on-campus jobs. Basically, if you're eligible for work-study, you can get an on-campus job to help finance your education. Certain on-campus jobs are only offered to work-study students, and the wages can be relatively generous. Eligibility for work-study is determined through the FAFSA and the other financial aid forms required by your college. Tuition Benefits Some employers offer tuition benefit programs for employees or their dependents. Employers will pay a designated amount of your college tuition through these programs. Check with your employer or your parents' employers to see if they offer any tuition benefit programs. Tax Credits A tax credit will reduce the amount of income tax you or your parents have to pay to help ease the burden of financing your education. The American Opportunity Credit The American Opportunity Tax Credit allows you or your parent to claim up to $2,500 per student per year for the first four years of school as the student works toward a degree or similar credential. The Lifetime Learning Credit The Lifetime Learning Credit allows you or your parent to claim up to $2,000 per year per student for any college or career school tuition and fees. It can also be usedfor books, supplies, and equipment that were required and had to be purchased from the school. Scholarships Like grants, scholarships are free money that is given to you to help finance your education. Scholarships can be awarded based on financial need, extracurricular activity involvement, or academic achievement. Army Recruiting/Flickr Athletic Scholarships If you're a recruited athlete, you may be given a scholarship to participate in sports for your college. Ivy League and NCAA Division III schools don't award athletic scholarships. Merit Scholarships Many colleges will provide scholarships if you have stellar academic credentials. The most selective colleges are less likely to award merit scholarships because the vast majority of students has excelled academically. Also, some colleges will offer scholarships for an extracurricular activity like cheerleading or the marching band. Private Scholarships There are tons of private scholarships available to help pay for college. Each one has different requirements. Some are based on merit. Some are based on financial need. Some are based on your background, affiliations, or extracurricular activities. Some are very unique. You can search for scholarships at College Board’s Big Future. Also,Fastweb is another good site to find scholarships. Military Scholarships Additionally, there are ROTC scholarships and scholarships sponsored by veteran services organizations. Furthermore, the GI Bill can help finance the educations of military service members and their immediate families. How to Maximize Your Financial Aid for College Make sure you submit your FAFSA and any other required forms by the appropriate deadlines. Search and apply for scholarships. Check with the financial aid departments at the colleges you’re interested in attending to see how scholarship awards can affect your need-based financial aid. If you’re hoping to receive an athletic scholarship, be proactive in the college athletic recruiting process. Contact college coaches, make a highlight video, and if possible, attend camps that allow you to showcase your athletic skills to college coaches. I alsorecommend checking out studentaid.gov to learn more about the different types of federal aid, how to apply for them, and the eligibility criteria for federal student aid programs. What's Next? Now that we've answered the question, "what is financial aid?" learn more about specific ways you can get financial aid. If you're an undocumented immigrant,you can't submit a FAFSA or receive federal financial aid, but you can still get financial assistance for college. Also, find out how to win a National Merit Scholarship or scholarships based on your SAT/ACT scores. Finally, check out this post about how to pay for college without loans. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now: