Fastbikes Incorporated Case

Fastbikes incorporation is a company which was doing well but of late it has been facing some serious problems. Joe Brown needs to take some drastic measures to ensure that his company does not close down. The fact that his most experienced mechanic wants to leave the company, clearly indicates the lack of motivation in the company. Motivation is what drives people to do their jobs effectively and this is important for Fastbikes as the employees need to be motivated for them to put more effort in their job.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Fastbikes Incorporated Case – OB specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Fastbikes Inc. needs to motivate its employees for example by increasing their salaries, giving rewards to the best employer of the year, offering hardworking bonuses among others. If the company does, it will encourage them to continue working for the company with dedication without being tempted to go for higher paying companies especially during the difficult economic periods. In addition to the impending circumstance of lack of motivation, it is worthy acknowledging that most of the employees have been working in this company since it began and this can create a great discouragement particularly if they have been contributive to the growth of the company to the level it is and at some point their grievances are not considered. This scenario also shows some negligence by the management since it is usually a failure to listen to the grievances of the employees by the management that such effects like the available de-motivation are realized. This point is justified by the fact that salary matters are serious as far as employees are concerned and that most employees particularly those who have been working in such a company for long, would first air out their grievances before they decide to move away from the company. Joe therefore, as the owner of this company needs to work out a s erious assessment and come up with new management criteria in a matter of urgency to ensure that the future of this company is promising. The sales of Fastbikes have taken a nose dive because the sales people are not motivated well enough. Joe Brown must reward those sales people who are doing exceptionally well in their jobs so that those who work hard will see a tangible evidence of appreciation for work well done. The act of rewarding employees is a major boost to the employees’ morale and it goes a long way in encouraging people to put an extra effort to their tasks [.], when people are rewarded for their effort they will feel appreciated and in the case of Fastbikes Inc sales people will push sales of motorbikes to a greater levels which will mean more income and consequently more pay for employees and company will meet its obligation with ease (DuBrin Young, 2007).Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first pa per with 15% OFF Learn More Conflicts in organizations are a major drawback for a company’s development. When top managers argue a lot about budgets it shows some conflicts in the organization which ought to be addressed with immediate effect before the damages trickle down to lower levels of management. There is role ambiguity and managers do not understand where their roles stops and that is the reason they keep fighting among themselves. Joe needs to draw an organizational design which show to every manager their responsibility so that we do not have blame games in the company and reduce time wastage on arguments. Most of the time should be used in carrying out some constructive activities. When we have clear goals and objectives in the company people will feel that they can perform their duties better and they will have satisfaction for performing their work. It is important that Joe organizes his management into a team not just a group of people working together . He can encourage the managers to trust in their team when carrying out their duties (Cole, Kinicky Kreitner, 2007). The best way to improve this state would probably be to organize trainings and seminars for the managers and contract experts who can freely interact with the managers in order to know the exact problem from their side before handling the matter. This is because the company has performed well for the last twenty years and suddenly, crises seem to be arisen. This makes whoever is assessing the case to make a conclusion that the company has grown beyond what Joe Brown can handle alone and therefore there is need to seek assistance from experts. The opportunity to reduce competition in the market is one which should not be left out. This manifested itself when Bill approached Joe to see if he was willing and able to buy the Fastbikes’ only competitor in New Brunswick. Fastbikes Inc should take the chance and acquire Motorcycles For Life Inc as the price for buy ing the company is fair and given the reputation of this company, we expect to have more customers, since Fastbikes Inc has some problems in sales. It will be able to increase its sales volume if it acquires Motorcycles For Life Inc. This is because it will reduce the competition and at the same time increase the market share. The other reason why Joe Brown should buy this company is that, if it accepts the offer of snowmobile manufacturers, they will have an opportunity to advertise their products hence attract more customers and as a result the sales will escalate to greater levels.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Fastbikes Incorporated Case – OB specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The training of the employees will come in handy as this will improve performance of the employees, and we will have the company becoming more competitive so that the sales will boost the account balances of the company and to t he extension making it easy to clear any company loan. Communication is a crucial aspect in any organization, and Joe should ensure that he has a good communication system to be implemented in the company. With good communication systems, people are able to convey their views thus providing different ways of solving problems and also preventing misinformation and rumors. Managers and their subordinates are also able to respect each other since the chain of command is respected by all (Baron Greenberg, 2003). In other words, no one will receive commands from two managers at the same time thus alleviating confusion that may arise due to double commands by managers. Joe should involve his employees in decision making so that there is no resistance to change in the organization, especially in the acquisition of a new company. This probably is the reason why there are complaints from the managers. If they had been involved in various decisions making and planning, most of these issues a ffecting the company would not be arising. People ought to know how the new developments in the company will affect them so that they have themselves prepared psychologically (Brown Fisher, 1991). This means that for such a company to make a major decision on major issues like those that affect the budget, there is need to involve the members of staff, the experts and the customers as well. This means that a suggestion box needs to be in place with someone following up to make sure that the suggestions of the customers are noted and considered. Further, Joe needs to sit down with his other senior managers and conduct a SWOT analysis for the company together with a general and thorough review on the progress of the company. This may be what is missing, the company having performed very well for the last twenty years. A review would help in identifying major areas to be changed, what to stop doing, what to add and what to reduce. Such a review could be done by the help of experts who , because they are not part of the company, can easily identify and comment on the failures which needs to be corrected.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More An example of some areas to make improvements is the way the company has been paying their loans late at the bank which has created some lack of trust by the bank. Because of this, it becomes very difficult for the company to be funded for emergency needs or be given overdrafts to facilitate its needs. In addition to this, maybe the company needs to change its location now that it has been in Halifax Nova Scotia for almost twenty years and focus on a new market which maybe, Joe Brown has not realized. Nancy is right that the company should check on its expenditures so that it tries to cut on those which they can do without. This way the company may have some cash to settle obligations as they come due. Nevertheless, Joe needs to be careful so that the company does not seem to be a family business and eventually be seen as influencing most decisions that Joe makes as far as the company running is concerned. The fact that the best mechanic is going away and the daughter who has been w orking as a part timer is more vocal, though in an effort to help improve the company, may be seen as if she and other family members influence the decisions. This is one of the main reasons why Joe should consider running this company with the help of some experts, and begin with an immediate review on the whole operation of the company to ensure that what will be done next will not have a repeat of the same problem. Moreover he should revive the trust with the bank for future cooperation and progress of the company. The other major need for review will be to establish why there has been a growth on the expenses at Fastbikes Inc. and a stagnation of the sales. On the other hand, there has been an increase on rent, utilities and wages every year making someone quickly go through the whole company’s operations in the mind and conclude that there is a problem or a negligence that needs to be addressed as soon as possible. This, for a company like Fastbikes Inc, that has been do ing very well previously is a sign of back-sliding which needs a restoration campaign and Joe Brown is obliged to. The other options that may help Joe ensure the continuity of the company is to consider selling some shares of the company as a ‘Plan B’ and be able to clear the loan at the bank. This will also enable him to increase the salaries to reasonable rates hence maintaining his best workers. This is because the withdrawal of the mechanic and probably others may be a great blow to the company which may end up causing a loss of major customers. The optimistic spirit that the economy may improve is not guaranteed and therefore ‘Plan B’ needs to be considered to maintain the stability of the company. Even though buying of the Motorcycles for Life may really leave the business enjoying the monopoly in the area, the company is mostly suffering an internal problem than an external one; meaning that there is more of a management problem than there is in othe r areas. This is seen by the fact that best workers are leaving, managers are complaining, expenses are high than the income, among others. With all these issues to solve however, Joe has some advantages which he can use to help himself come back to normal only if he capitalizes on them. One of them is the fact that he has been managing the company for almost twenty years. This has left him with practical experience on how to handle various clients and situations as the management of the business and thus more guts to adjust himself and proceed without much hassle. The other advantage is the fact that he knows why the company is failing at the time of economic crisis that has invaded. With this in mind, Joe has the ability to persevere until the crisis is over. The other advantage that should be acknowledged is the fact that his only competitor is withdrawing from the business, leaving him a greater room for business. Not only that, the competitor is in addition offering a lower pri ce to buy the business and thus Joe’s products will be increased drastically. Joe also, has known more about the business and this is what makes him confident that all will be well. Even when he is approached by his competitor to buy his business, having known the business very well, he knows that the price offered is fair and that he can make business out of the offer. That confidence is a great advantage to him and therefore some improvements on the management part can easily get the business back to its stable condition particularly when the economy stabilizes. Confidence in business is what makes one move on regardless of the circumstances which occur once in a while and may be very discouraging. However, faith and the strong desire to continue and the hope that things will work is what most business owners lack. In the case of Joe however, confidence is part of him which is a great advantage to him and thus giving hope to the company. This is one thing that probably will occur again after several years if it is to occur and now that he has an opportunity to handle it and learn on how such moments are handled. A future recurrence will find him very strong and ready to manage. Lastly, Snowmobile has approached him wanting to expand their sales in the Halifax area promising to loan him several models and advertising information together with training for both his staff and sales staff. This last one; the training, is mostly what Joe needs in his company for him to overcome his current crises and an offer by Snowmobile would probably make the whole difference if he considered taking the offer. Him included, the fact that it is the first time he is facing financial difficulty and doesn’t know how to handle it, a training on how to handle such will be of great help in case of a future occurrence of the same (Jablin Putnam, 2001). This will help overcome management issues, which is like the major challenge for him, hence propagating the progress o f the company’s operations and thus greater income and less expense as opposed to the current situation of the company. Talking of management as the major outstanding challenge in Fastbikes Incorporated, it is worth noting some management structures that could help if they were adopted. Starting from the bottom to the top, we have the supervisory managers. These are the ones who are responsible for the supervision of the people on the ground doing the actual work. They handle issues from the ground level and they report to the other level of managers called the middle managers who are responsible for handling matters concerning to the supervisory managers. They coordinate and act as mediators between top managers and the supervisory managers. The top most managers are the ones in charge of the major decisions of the company. Then from there we have the board of directors who are the final decision makers of a company (Scott, 2007). For a company like the Fastbikes Incorporate d, this structure can work best particularly if Joe wishes to sell some shares and then he and the shareholders hold the position of the board of directors. The expansion of the company, in case he considers buying the Motorcycle for Life Inc, would even necessitate this more since operating it alone may be a helpful challenge. Nevertheless, if he chooses to operate it alone, the structure will also be there and he becomes the topmost manager and director as well. This will likely cause him a challenge similar to this because of monopoly of final decisions, and this mainly leads to uncontrolled expenses like is the case with the current situation. Motivation to the sales people can be through special commissions which can be given to every person that exceed the target sales per day. Targets must be set to determine who has done more than the others. On top of the commissions, annual awards can also be very motivating. This calls for frequent reviews on the performance of every depa rtment hence able to establish the best and hardworking staff within the departments. Retreats and outings to celebrate for staff is very vital as this enhances good relationships and on the contrary avoiding differences and hence propagating unity even at work place. Since some employees have been working with this company since it began, associations and welfares are the best to keep people united and able to assist each other during the times of needs. The managers who are always arguing on budgets will probably find it necessary to sit and talk and eventually approach the senior authority for more discussion since they have an origin of such in their association. A party to celebrate the victory of the business in the local business of the year’s awards also would be a motivation to the workers. Those who have worked excellently to make the company win can also be rewarded to motivate others to work hard for the next time’s award. Annual gifts as the year closes ar e also a motivation which makes workers feel like they have concluded the year and re-energized to start another. With Joe’s company, where such awards have been given for the ten years they have been in operation, such would serve as one of the motivation strategies for his workers. With this, chances are that even his best mechanic who feels the need to move to greener pastures would consider remaining if such was being done in his recognition. Setting structures that will rescue the current state of this company is an urgent issue and Joe has to make quick decisions. However, the company is capable of thriving even with the economy crisis it is facing since it has the advantage of enjoying monopoly as the only one selling and servicing motorcycles. This is even more because the only competitor that was a threat is retiring and selling his business to Joe. Probably, on the same issue of motivation, there is a possibility that Joe himself has never had time to rest. A break is very necessary and Joe may have to take a break so that he is not overwhelmed by work and as the owner and the only senior manager, this is a true possibility. This however may call for a necessity to train or get someone who can take responsibilities in his absence hence allowing him time to rest or have a holiday. Such situation would take us back to the need to have structures that are well set for management and communication in general as far as the whole company is concerned. In conclusion therefore, It is evident from above that Joe should take action as soon as possible, which includes trying all he can to motivate his employees so that he can retain them in his company and to also encourage them so that they can work with dedication and putting all their efforts in doing their tasks. A good organizational design should be put in place to help people understand their tasks as well as the hierarchy of the company and the company can attain the set goals and objectives, sin ce they will be subdivided into tasks and subtasks for efficiency in operation. Acquisition of Motorcycles For Life Inc is an important decision that Joe Brown should put into consideration given the benefits it will come along after obtaining the only competitor. A good communication system should be put up so that decision making is made easily, and information gets to the intended targets immediately. The company should also minimize its expenditure to increase cash flow levels. References Baron, R. A., Greenberg, J., (2003). Behavior in organizations: Understanding and managing the human side of work (2nd ed.). Pearson: Prentice Hall. Brown, S., Fisher, R. (1991). Getting together. Chandos Place: Business books limited. Cole, N., Kinicky, A., Kreitner, R. (2007). Fundamentals of organizational behavior. Ontario: McGraw hill companies. DuBrin, A. J., Young, J. D. (2007). Fundamentals of Organizational Behavior (1st Canadian ed.). Toronto: Thomson Nelson. Jablin, F.M., Putnam , L. (2001). The new handbook of organizational communication. Thousand Oaks, California: Sage Publications Inc. Scott, W.R. (2007). Organizations and Organizing: Rational, Natural, and Open Systems Perspectives. Upper saddle River: Prentice – Hall. This essay on Fastbikes Incorporated Case – OB was written and submitted by user Megan Q. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

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This is the fifth highest national total behind the US, Canada, UAE and China (BSRIA, 2009). LEED is flexible enough to apply to all building types especially commercial. It works throughout the building lifecycle first assessment is completed at the design and construction stage then the second is the operations and maintenance stage, then finally any tenant fit out, and significant retrofit. However, the LEED design can miss many green opportunities that fall outside the stringent LEED criteria. One problem with the LEED method of sustainable design is that it can foster an all-or-nothing attitude toward this pursuit. LEED audits have become a common activity during schematic design. All too often, however, green design is abandoned entirely once this audit shows a project falling short of the number of points required for LEED certification (Environmental Outlook, 2002). Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM Is the foremost method of assessing the environmental performance of new and existing buildings both in the UK and worldwide. It sets the standard for best practice in sustainable development and covers virtually all aspects of the design. (BREEAM, 2002) Achieving a BREEAM rating is ever more becoming a requirement of Funding Bodies and Planning Authorities. It also demonstrates a commitment to socially responsible development and creating sustainable and healthy environments in which current and future generations are to live and work. (BREEAM, 2002) Assessments are carried out at two stages; Firstly, during the Design Stage and then at Post Construction Review Stage. Following the Post Construction Stage Assessment, the Client is provided with a BREEAM Certificate directly by the BRE. BREEAM Ratings are awarded in five categories: pass, good, very good, excellent and outstanding. The BREEAM process will help to encourage better standards with commercial developments, but it should be done in a way that clearly acknowledges the complete development cycle for different options rather than the factory gate figure alone. Future strategies for BREEAM will need to see a general alignment with government carbon reduction and sustainability plans. BREEAM would then be more integrated into legislation so that new buildings are built with sustainability embedded throughout the complete process. These two methods lack similarities when it comes to the process of qualifications. BREEAM has trained assessors who assess the evidence against the credit criteria and report it to the BRE, who validate the assessment and issue the certificate. While LEED does not require training, there is a credit available if an accredited professional (AP) is used. (James Parker 2009) Table The role of the AP is to help gather the evidence and advise the client. 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Another building known to have both a BREEAM and a LEED rating is the Van de Kamp Bakery, at Los Angeles City College. The bakery gained a certified LEED rating and a Good BREEAM 2005 rating (James Parker, 2009). James Parkers findings provide the opinion that BREEAM issues a higher rating for the same building in both the US and the UK. However it would be more precise to compare LEED with BREEAM 2008, as the latter now has a compulsory post-construction review, this has been an item on the objective list for LEED for a while. Previous BREEAM schemes only assessed buildings at a design stage. Eszter Gulacsy, a sustainability consultant from MTT/Sustain has stated that whilst BREEAM is more educational and more rigorous LEED is far simpler in its approach, BREEAM is more relevant in the UK as it uses UK policies, however LEED can sit alongside as part of a global corporate policy, she says. Gulacsy also believes that the driver for LEED in the UK is often the clients global corporate policy or the needs for global tenants. This makes a lot of sense, companies that are multi-national would find it much easier if their sustainable commitments and rating procedure were dealt with in the same way but before the introduction on LEED into the UK, multi-national companies had to use BREEAM in the UK and perhaps LEED elsewhere. For example Germany-based Siemens now uses LEED for all its new buildings worldwide, several of these are now located in Europe. BREEAMs director, Martin Townsend states that We have not been shy about selling BREEAM across the globe. BREEAM International grew out of the BREEAM Bespoke scheme. BREEAM Europe and BREEAM Gulf are similar money-earners. But going global brings BREEAM head-to-head with its rival LEED. Ironically, we are seeking ways of collaborative working with the US LEED system. If an American bank wants to build over here, it understands about LEED and wants the building built to that standard. Thats fine, but it might not translate that well into the UK climatic environment, our building legislation or the way that building operates. Providing a client with dual certification has to be a good way of sharing that information. (Building Design, 2009) But Gulacsy warns Europe thinks that LEED is an easy win, but it isnt if the paperwork and evidence is not in place. There is a danger of complacency, So would a merging of the two competing systems be seen as desirable? Clearly, a one-size-fits-all assessment method would be complicated to implement on a global basis as problems that face one country or region might not be issues in others therefore these need to be ranked accordingly for example water efficiency is a major issue in Dubai and Australia, but not in England or Ireland. LEED is dominated by the American ASHRAE standards (an international organization that establishes standards for the uniform testing and rating of heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration equipment) (EPA, 2004). BREEAM takes its cue from European and UK legislation. The regional versions of both schemes flow from those antecedents. BREEAM Gulf has been adapted for the local market. Gone are the Good, Very Good, and Excellent ratings, and in comes star ratings. The weightings are changed so that water is the key issue, rather than energy as in the standard UK schemes. In addition to the CIBSE guidance being the measure for certain credits, ASHRAE and other standards are also now referenced in BREEAM Gulf. BREEAM has long been able to adapt to local contexts. With BREEAM Bespoke, for example, the assessor can work with BRE to develop assessment criteria specially tailored to a building where it doesnt fit neatly into one of the existing schemes. Stephen Kennett, (2008) . It is stated that LEED has not been shaped with this high level of flexibility and it is not run this way. LEED is fixed to the ASHRAE standards and the US way of thinking (for example, credits are awarded for having enough car parking spaces, rather than minimising them as in BREEAM). There are also differences in the way LEED calculates credits. They are generally linked to the US Dollar, which means that if the exchange rate is unfavourable, then the buildings rating could suffer (James Parker, 2009). There is a lot of hype about the battle between BREEAM and LEED in the UK, but this seems to be unfounded. Both seem happy to co-exist and each has their niche areas or countries. They are even borrowing each others ideas as they grow. BREEAM will probably always come out on top in the UK, simply because it is imbedded in the system. Government departments require BREEAM ratings of all their buildings; most local authorities require BREEAM as part of planning approval for developments over a certain size. Once projects are underway that aim to be zero carbon, the likes of BREEAM or LEED may have developed to become the global default methods of assessment. (James Parker 2009)

International economic institutions serve western

International economic institutions serve western interests. Do you agree? The international economic institutions refer to the Bretton Woods institutions which are the IMF and World Bank which were created after World War 2 and GATT was also created after the war and later became the WTO. I agree with the statement, due to the disproportionate amount of power held by Western countries compared to the rest of the world and the fact that these institutions attempt to press or force western neo-Liberal values on the rest of the world. In this essay I will go through each individual economic institution explaining how they serve western interests and how recent reforms have attempted to curb western powers within these institutions and then I will later discuss how these institutions play out in terms of international political theories. The international monetary fund was set up in 1944 to head off any future world economic crisis similar in magnitude to the great depression and to manage the Bretton Wood’s fixed exchange rates. However over the decades it has gained the reputation of being the lender of last resort and have attempted to enforce neo-Liberal principles on countries who take the loans. This is shown clearly through the procedure of the Structural adjustment programme where it aims to create â€Å"a business climate attractive to investors †. They do this through prescribing Washington consensus politics which involves opening up markets to foreign competition, close down unprofitable markets; reduce public expenditure and privatisation programmes. This has served western interests as this opens up new market for western countries to exploit, as shown in Ghana where it â€Å"used to be self reliant on r... ...ns would act in their self interest when using IGO’s. Realists focus on the fact that liberals tend to overlook power politics which would be played out within these IGO’s. For Marxists they view the failure of IGO’s to spread wealth equally as the failings of the capitalist system where only the rich can gain and by allowing the poor to stay poor due to the greed of capitalism. Overall it is clear that in the past and currently the west have dominated the international financial institutions in order to serve western interests. However the west have started to lose grip of all three of these institutions as the emergence of the BRIC’s have forced the west’s hand, as they have hinted that they would create their own IMF . So I foresee a more balanced international institutions or the west facing BRIC led rival organisations in the form of the BRIC’s own versions.

Autobiography of Ben Franklin Book Review

Ben Franklin Book Review Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) was a man of many trades, including an inventor, printer, scientist, educator, and politician among many other professions. During the summer of 1771, he started writing his autobiography to his son so that he would be able to learn of his father’s life travels and experiences. Throughout the autobiography, which Franklin refers to as Memoirs, we see how a young man matures into an adult, changing from profession to profession, and how he influences many people along the way.Franklin was truly an innovative individual, bright and original, and also a tremendously decent man. Ben Franklin frequently refers to the theme of virtue and how he was a virtuous man. Over the years Franklin collected numerous desirable qualities he had heard from persons or read in literature. He wanted to make note of these assets, but thought that many of these had too many or too few under the same idea and were somewhat confusing. This instigat ed Franklin to categorize them in his own way, dividing out the ideas into his â€Å"Thirteen Virtues†.Franklin, was a kind hearted man, decent, and did have high morals. Franklin does note in his autobiography that he strived to be virtuous in character. He wanted to live his life without any faults and was fascinated with improving himself with admirable qualities. This is evident when Franklin states, â€Å"It was about this time I conceived the bold and arduous project of arriving at moral perfection,† (pg 93). Franklin does go on to reveal that it was not as easy as he first thought it would be, but he would put together a method for learning and performing his virtues to the fullest extent.Benjamin Franklin, along with being a worthy human being, was an extremely ingenious person as well. Franklin was a very clever man, intellectual and witty, and he did not let his ideas go to waste. Franklin was often intrigued when he would learn new ideas from books he read d uring his journeys. He was always trying to gain knowledge by creative self-experiences. It didn’t bother Franklin to try new ideas that the common folk wouldn’t necessarily accept into they’re routine lifestyle. A clear example of this is when he took up vegetarianism for the first time.In the text Franklin states, â€Å"When I was about sixteen years of age I happened to meet with a book written by one Tyron, recommending a vegetable diet†¦ My refusing to eat flesh occasioned an inconveniency, and I was frequently chid for my singularity,† (p 29). This shows how Franklin was not a product of his society because he was always anxious to break beyond the realm of the â€Å"normal† culture. Later on in his life, he gradually began to shape the culture and society he was apart of.The brilliance of his writing, from a young teen to a grown adult, inspired anyone who read his work. One of his most popular pieces written was the Poor Richardâ€℠¢s Almanack. This almanac had an immediate impact on the common people as Franklin states it was â€Å"both entertaining and useful,† (p 107). Poor Richards Almanack is an example of how Franklin shaped society as it â€Å"accordingly came in such demand that I reaped considerable profit from it, vending annually near ten thousand,† (p 107).Ben Franklin’s ingenious nature allowed him to express his ideas to the people and help shape society and culture of his time. Ben Franklin did not life his life entirely to the Puritan standards. The Puritan lifestyle of the time period was a very strict way of life and much revolved around the church and God. Franklin did have his praises to religion and God, as he mentioned several times in the autobiography, but he didn’t live his life to the firm structure of the Puritans. He was very open-minded and free spirited, and couldn’t contain his unsatisfied understanding of the world.Franklin welcomed the thought of change, which wasn’t normal to the Puritan existence. Also contrary to the Puritans, who believed the church and God was the key to happiness, Franklin had a different view. A quote that shows this is when Franklin says, â€Å"I grew convinced that truth, sincerity, and integrity, in dealings between man and man, were of the utmost importance to the felicity of life,† (p 70). This message expresses Franklins perspective of human nature is and what he believes is the key to having excessive happiness in life.

Biology Essay Writing Guide All You Need to Know

Biology Essay Writing Guide All You Need to Know Scientific writing is an essential element of the whole educational process. Nonetheless, it is often neglected in the undergraduate courses in favor of consideration of scientific theories. Besides, the ability to present research findings effectively is essential for success in biological sciences. Not to mention, graduate students are encouraged to publish scientific essays quite often to become professional scientists. Thus, it is of vital importance for students to have a solid basis in scientific writing in order to develop their academic careers. It can be challenging for the students studying biology to develop sufficient writing skills as most of them are focused solely on the scientific process. Thus, the first advice to you is not to neglect the scientific writing process. It is frequently a difficult task as it needs a unique format and differs in structure from how you may be initially trained to write. Scientific writing differs from how you can currently write in English 101, Art, or Social Science courses. Aforementioned can make the scientific writing process hard; mainly when you are presented with new and sophisticated content. Nevertheless, the effective essay can deepen the perception of the topic enforcing you to submit a coherent and logical article that is backed by credible investigations. A professional scientific essay should follow a proper format and consist of such sections as an introduction of a topic; the hypothesis to be tested in the composition; description of methods to be used; key results of the investigation; a discussion that links the results of the analysis to the broader understanding of the topic. The format mentioned above is a general format that is required in most scientific writing. Not to say, the correct arrangement of an essay facilitates the smooth delivery of information from the author to the reader. Picking a Suitable Topic for a Biology Essay When you are composing an essay in the field of biology, you should make sure that the issue to be discussed is up to date. What is more, you may choose a popular topic and make your essay highly relevant. Nonetheless, it can be a challenging task as there are a lot of different issues worth attention. At the same time, it is often difficult to limit a broad field of investigation to one particular theme. Thus, to make it easier, you can regard the samples of the topics mentioned below: Rewriting of Human DNA; Viruses as the Most Dangerous Weapon; Can Vaccination Stop the Epidemics? Effects of Birth Control; Flu Viruses. Choosing a topic for your investigation, make sure that some background information about the issue is known to you. You can subscribe to the biology-related digest to get some fresh ideas. By monitoring, reading, and searching for the relevant data, you will keep your hand on the relevant biological investigations. At the same time, the title of your essay should include well-chosen words reflecting the subject of the composition. The title should indicate the scope of the essay carefully. Thus, do not title your essay Evolutionary Developmental Biology if you are discussing the topic of wildlife conservation and biology. Create a Solid Outline Starting the writing process, you may face a lot of difficulties. As you will be required to analyze scientific articles and incorporate their arguments into your paper, it can be challenging to evaluate the board variety of the materials correctly. Thus, you should compose the outline before starting to write the entire body of your essay. As a matter of fact, successful essays begin by examining how your theme fits into the existing scientific discussion, crafting a compelling topic, and deciding how to best aim your message at the intended readers. The Prewriting Stage of the Writing Process To compose a successful essay in the field of biology, you ought to identify the audience clearly. You should decide what you want your readers to comprehend from the essay. Decide what story you want them to read. While this may seem self-evident, some students fail to submit a suitable article because they probably fail to report the scientific findings correctly. Thus, you should keep in mind that the aim of science writing is not to reveal what you did or what you discovered, but rather what you want your readers to explore. Accordingly, you can determine your audience by asking yourself such questions as: Who are my target readers? What is the purpose of my audience reading the essay? What information do I want it to take away from my essay? If you want to publish a scientific paper in an academic journal or specific website, you should consider the journal mission statements or the submission guidelines. It will help you to determine how an essay should be structured to be published. The Ultimate Structure of Biology Essay In general, scientific essays have two types of audience: first, the readers of scientific journals; and second, the editors or professors, who have profound knowledge in the field of investigation. Consequently, you should be able to convince the audience that the research presented in your paper is relevant, accurate, and credible. For that purpose, you should clearly emphasize both the aim of the work and the result of it. Thus, present enough data to prove the validity of your investigation. The abstract is the part of the essay that the investigators often examine when deciding whether they are interested in studying the rest of the paper. Therefore, the data presented in the abstract should reflect all the critical issues of the essay to make the readers interested and help them to decide whether the paper reveals the relevant facts of their field of interest. The abstract should summarize the research and include one or two sentences for each of the sections presented in the body of the essay. To do that, you can introduce the rationale, primary objectives, and the purpose of the study. Further, indicate the methods that were used in the investigation. In the final section, the abstract should contain the summary of the results and the main conclusions. Provide Your Essay with a Hooking Introduction As the next step, you should compose the introduction section. The introduction is of vital importance for a successful essay as it sets the tone of the paper. Thus, at the beginning of the composition, you can provide the relevant background data and mention the problem you aim to address. Think about the introduction of your essay as the beginning of a funnel. There you can explicitly specify the broader implications of your composition in the field of study. Do not forget to present enough background data so that the reader could understand the topic. Perform a thorough consideration of the relevant literature, but do not write everything you find. Background information should only involve materials that are directly connected to your essay. In other words, the composition should not contain the whole scope of information about the field of interest. After choosing the ideas to be used, do not forget to incorporate the in†text citations in the proper paper format. Create the Informative Paragraphs of the Main Body The body paragraphs should incorporate such sections as methods, results, and discussion. First of all, you should clarify the aim of the work and determine the structure of the paper for the readers. You should make sufficient consideration of the scientific investigations in the field of interest. Then, it is required to present and review the research outcomes. Results can be combined into one section. Nevertheless, the readers can require the presentation of the results accompanying interpretation so that the readers need to be informed what the results mean. Then, you can mention the conclusion of the essay. The conclusion section displays the consequence of the work by explaining the findings of the investigation. At the end of a composition, in the discussion section, you can relate these judgments to the motivation stated in the introduction. Tips That Will Make Your Writing Better: What Our Writers Suggest Before you start writing, you should comprehend the differences between plagiarism, quoting, and paraphrasing. Note that paraphrasing is a critical and punishable offense that will result in a zero mark or worse it quite possibly can provoke expulsion from your educational institution. In general, plagiarism can be defined as the act of introducing the thoughts or statements of another person as your own. Thus, while it may be claimed that some opinions are original, you should define all the sources that are applied in your essay. With this in mind, to act as an honest and academically responsible student, you should mainly write an essay entirely in your own words. Paraphrasing does not mean using ones sentence and replacing a few words. All the statements in the essay should be the result of you reading relevant articles and repeating each in your own words while referring to the original text. Therefore, you must indicate all the sources of information that were used in the essa y to eliminate plagiarism. Hence, you should appropriately cite the quotations and restated thoughts. All the students should keep in mind that nothing in science can be considered as â€Å"proven.† Thus, in the biology essay, you can write that some data is correlated with the hypothesis. If you consider that one statement is accurate, you can indicate that the weight of evidence for the particular theory is solid. For instance, you can state that the weight of evidence for the hypothesis concerning evolution by natural selection is overwhelming. Not to mention, in the field of biology, the word â€Å"theory† is rarely used, so you should apply such terms as hypothesis and prediction. Some hypotheses may be suggested to explain a pattern; they are usually not mutually exclusive, so you cannot state that one hypothesis is entirely right or wrong. As an illustration, a particular breeding site may be selected as it is free of predators; however, it does not indicate that the site was not chosen due to the availability of food nearby. Kindly note that the most successful science writers: are familiar with the background of the discipline; have a clear topic that they want to cover; expertly draft the message they want to present to their audience. Note that even though you have finally completed data collecting and drafting the essay, you are not done yet. Revising the paper and consolidating constructive feedback will be entirely useful in order to avoid rejection and get a positive mark. To do that, you should begin your paper early enough to be able to take your time to edit the essay. Then, edit the draft to examine if the paper is free of mistakes. To check the coherence of the essay, verify if there is a common thread that ties each paragraph to the introducing one, and furthermore, that each sentence within a paragraph confirms the previous conviction. Ultimately, re†read the paper with a more exceptional lens. Editing sentence structure and word choice should be the finishing touches on your essay. The absence of grammatical and spelling mistakes is just as critical as a scientific background of an essay. Kindly note that if your essay is poorly written, it will have a limited impact on the readers, regardless of the concepts shown. After revising your biology essay, ask someone else to evaluate it. You can ask a classmate. It can be an ideal option as your classmate will possibly know the requirements of the assignment. If a classmate cannot proceed with it, try asking a friend or even a family member. Having a fresh set of eyes will help you recognize sections of the essay that need editing. This method will also help you to understand the peer review process, which is an essential element of professional science writing. It is of vital importance to not be discouraged by some negative comments. You should remember that combining the feedback of reviewers will only strengthen your biological essay, so you need constructive criticism to progress. References How to Write Guide: Sections of the Paper. (2018). Retrieved from http://abacus.bates.edu/~ganderso/biology/resources/writing/HTWsections.html Scientific Papers | Learn Science at Scitable. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.nature.com/scitable/topicpage/scientific-papers-13815490 Turbek, S., Chock, T., Donahue, K., Havrilla, C., Oliverio, A., Polutchko, S. et al. (2016). Scientific Writing Made Easy: A Step-by-Step Guide to Undergraduate Writing in the Biological Sciences. The Bulletin Of The Ecological Society Of America, 97(4), 417-426. doi: 10.1002/bes2.1258 Writing a Scientific Research Article. (2018). Retrieved from columbia.edu/cu/biology/ug/research/paper.html Writing Scientific Papers. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.colby.edu/biology/BI17x/writing_papers.html

FAFSA App Your Ultimate 2016 Guide to Max Scholarships

FAFSA App Your Ultimate 2016 Guide to Max Scholarships SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips The FAFSA, or Free Application for Federal Student Aid, is the one application you’ll need to submit in order to be considered for all forms of federal aid. If you’re interested in financial aid at all (even if you’re thinking about private funding sources or school-based aid), it’s of the utmost importance you submit one of these applications. The application itself seems daunting at first, but with a little bit of forethought and a few hours of your time, you’ll be able to complete it successfully! I'll start off this post with some info about the FASFA, before moving on to step-by-step instructions on how to apply for FAFSA. Finally, I'll give you some tips on what you should be doing after your submit your FAFSA. Ready to get some financial aid? We'll present everything you must know in order to apply most successfully. Why Is the FAFSA Important? As I'm sure you already know, attending college in the US is pretty expensive. Prohibitively so, actually, for a lot of students - in fact, most US college students have some sort of financial aid. When you submit a FAFSA, you're taking a step in mitigating some of these expenses. This application will open up opportunities for both federal and non-federal aid. The aid programs you're automatically considered for include: The Pell Grant Stafford loans Perkins loans Direct Unsubsidized loans Direct Subsidized loans Non-federal aid opportunities come mostly in the form of institutional aid. Schools use information generatedby the FAFSA to award college-specific grants and scholarships. Private need-based scholarship programs also often require applicants to complete a FAFSA (for example, the Gates Millennium Scholarship). All in all, it's a really versatile application, and one of the most important parts of applying for financial aid for college. Now that you're excited about your own FAFSA let's talk about how to submit one! How Do You Submit a FAFSA? Follow these step-by-step instructions to successfully submit a FAFSA. Step 1: Check Your Deadlines There are different deadlines you should be aware of: federal and state.The deadline for federal funding for the 2015-2016 school year is June 30, 2016, whereas the deadline for 2016-2017 is June 30, 2017.You may be able to get federal aid even after you’ve finished your year at school (if you’re a current college student), so it could be worth your while to apply later on if you’ve already missed the state application window. Different states (if you also want to be considered for state funding) have different deadlines for applying for student aid. You can check the deadline for your state here. In general, though, it's better to apply well in advance of these deadlines. Someaid programs run out of funding earlier rather than later - like the Perkins Loan program - so try to get your FAFSA in as early as possible. The application openedJanuary 1 for the 2015-2016 academic year; schools won't use the information from your FAFSA until after you're admitted. You won't lose out on any opportunities if you don't submit your FAFSA on January 1, but try toget it in by early spring. Step 2: Gather All the Information You'll Need Perhaps the most tedious part of completing a FAFSA is hunting down all the relevant financial information you need for the application. If you gather this information ahead of time, though, sitting down to complete the actual app should be a cinch. Here's everything you need in order to fill out a complete FAFSA. From your own personal records, you'll need: Social Security Number Alien Registration Number (if you're not a US citizen) Most recent federal tax returns, W-2s, and other records of income Bank statements and investment records (if applicable) Records of untaxed income (if applicable) A FSA ID to sign electronically (if you're submitting the application online). You can create a FSA ID. Your parents' financial information is also considered when determining your aid eligibility, even if they won't be helping you pay for school. Because of this, you'll also need to gather all of the above information from your parents as well. Here'sexactly what you'll need from parents or guardians: If your parents are married, gather information for both of them. If your parent is widowed or single, you'll just need information from that one parent. If your widowed parent is currently remarried, you'll need information from your parent and your parent's spouse. If your parents are divorced or separated, you'll need information from your custodial parent (the parent you've lived with the most within the past year). If your parents have joint custody, and you spendtime between them equally, you need information from the parent who's supported you the most financially. Some FAFSA applicants qualify for what's called a dependency override - this is when parents' financial information is not taken into account when determining federal aid eligibility. Most of the time, this means that applicants are eligible for more aid. If you think you might qualify for a dependency override, you should gather any supporting documentation around those circumstances as well as any relevant financial information. Common override situations include being married, having kids, being in foster care, and being legally emancipated.Just answer questions about these circumstances honestly on your FAFSA - the application will process as incomplete, and you’ll need to follow up with the financial aid office of the school you’re seeking an aid package from. One last thing -If you’re a male between the ages of 18-25 and living in the US, you'll need to be registered for Selective Service in order to submit a FAFSA. Selective Service is essentially a registry of all men eligible to be called for a military draft in an emergency. You can registerin just a few minutes. Step 3: Choose Your Submission Method Got all that paperwork ready? Now comes the easy part - choosing how you'll submit your FAFSA. You have a couple of different options: electronic submission and paper submission. I'll discuss the pros and cons of both. Electronic Submission It's generally easier to submit your FAFSA online than it is to send in a paper copy. Just be aware that if you have a tight submission timeline, you should apply for a FSA ID for you and your parents ahead of time - you need a FSA ID to sign the FAFSA electronically, and it can take about threedays to come in. The electronic version of the app tends to guide you through the application process pretty well, and can even catch minor errors as you complete it. You'll also get fast results with this submission method - you'll receive a SAR (student aid report) containing the results of your FAFSA in about 3 days. Paper Submission Nothing against snails, but snail mail is not a good option if you're rushing to submit your FAFSA. Paper FAFSAs are a bit more cumbersome than the electronic version, take the longer to file, and are more prone to error - all of these factors will delay your application process. This is not a good option if you're tight on time. If you do want to submit a paper FAFSA, you can find copies at high school guidance offices, college financial aid offices, or at local libraries. You can also download and print the application yourself. Step 4: Set a Time to Complete the Application This is one application you don't want to procrastinate completing. As I mentioned earlier, you'll likely need a lot of information from your parents or guardians to properly fill out the application.The form will be much easier to complete if you can sit down with them, completing each section together. The electronic FAFSA should take about 1-2 hours, and the paper FAFSA a bit longer than that.You don’t need an accountant or financial aid consultant in order to fill out the FAFSA, but if you do have access to these resources, they should be able to assist you with any questions. Strategies for a Winning FAFSA Application From a wide variety of students, we've gathered a few tips that will max your reward. You absolutely must do these, or at least be aware for them. First, you should file earlybecause certain scholarships are first-come-first-serve. Applications become available much sooner than they're due, and you're well off using last years application as a mock up to submit as soon as possible. Second, it's important that you file even if you're not surewhether you'll get the aid. The amount of money is hugein comparison to the amount of time it'll take you. Some families earning up to even $200K/year will qualify for aid. Also, as with all forms, you must do your best to fill out the form completely. Technical glitches will delay or even stop your application. Double check every line, every blank for precision. This is a lot of money on the line here folks it's well worth your time. Finally, for many need base calculations, you'll do well to have as little savings in the child's name as possible. The child is expected to put a larger fraction of his/her savings into education versus the parents assets. Move money out of children's banks accounts. Likewise, parents will do well to reduce the savings amount that shows up on the file. Parents can do things like paying down debt to reduce their assets. Of course, be sure not to be penny-wise pound-foolish don't just go wasting money, but do understand the optics of where your money is will affect the aid given! What Do You Do After You Submit the FAFSA? The hard stuff is done - you've done the tedious work of gathering intel from financial records and answered each question on the application. There's not much left to do, but it's important to stay on top of tracking the status of your application. If there are any problems with the processing of your FAFSA, these next steps will help you get back on track in no time. Within 3-5 days, you will receive an email with directions to access your SAR, or Student Aid Report. The colleges you listed on your FAFSA will have access to your SAR shortly after you do.If your application were complete, your SAR would include an EFC, or Expected Family Contribution. The EFC is a number used by your school to calculate the amount of federal aid you are eligible to receive, not necessarily the amount of money your family will have to pay. If you're interested in learning more about the EFC and how it affects financial aid awards, check out our Pell Grant guide. You can check the status of your application (if there are any delays) by calling the Federal Student Aid Information Center (1.800.433.3243), or by logging in to the FAFSA website with your FSA ID. Your Financial Aid Package Your school will use the information generated from your FAFSA to generate a financial aid offer, which can include grants, loans, and scholarships.You’ll then make a decision about what aid to accept. If you’re offered grants, you should accept in pretty much all cases (it’s free money). It might be prudent to discuss with family about what loan offers you’d like to accept. For example, you should discuss whether you're happy with the loan terms and interest rates and if it's important that you take out those loans in order to afford college.The financial aid office at your school will explain how and when you’ll get any money awarded to you, and whether you will need to take any further steps. What's Next? The FAFSA is a particularly useful application - in submitting it, you'll be considered for the Pell Grant, Perkins loan, Direct Subsidized loan, and Direct Unsubsidized loan. Read more about each program by clicking the link. If you want to learn more about how much money you'll actually need for college (after you get any federal financial aid), read our guide on what college really costs. 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Roman catholic funeral and burial practices Research Paper

Roman catholic funeral and burial practices - Research Paper Example They are also known as ecclesiastical funerals in the Church. When a member of the family or a loved friend passes away, the others are left grieving and wondering why it had to happen to him. However the truth lies that every person is going to see his end one day or another and thus, instead of feeling tremendous sorrow for the deceased one, people try and hope for the best and thank Jesus for all that he has done and everything he had provided the person with during his lifetime. The Roman Catholic Funeral rites thus help to offer a very profound journey for the dead that helps his family and friends to pass through the beautiful emotions of grief and loss as well as joy that the person is going to a happier place where he is believed to have an everlasting life in heaven or paradise. There are a number of varied beliefs on what happens after death, for all different religions. In the Roman Catholic Church, people are taught that after death, a body begins to decompose into the Ea rth. During this process, the soul however leaves the body and undergoes an immediate evaluation. This is according to the Hebrews 9:27 "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment." (KJV). They believe that there are very few people who end up going to heaven after their death. They are those people that spend their lives worshipping God and let God show them the way in every aspect of their lives. They are thus glorified and are rewarded by eternal bliss in heaven. Some saints, the Virgin Mary and Apostles qualify for walking on this path after their death. On the other hand, those who commit sins during their lifetime or reject the existence and worship of God are transported to Hell after their death. It is here that they are tortured for the rest of whatever they have left, their souls are not give mercy and they are stuck forever in this position that they are believed to have created for themselves, by inflicting upon them, deeds during the course of their lifetime. Yet another state that many dead people enter into right after their death is the state of purgatory. This takes place when a person loves God ‘imperfectly’ during his lifetime but dies in a state of grace. Purgatory is said to be the state where such people have to suffer for a long time in order o cleanse themselves of whatever imperfections have been accumulated within their souls because of their deeds in their lives. They might have committed certain mortal sins, but after some ablution these are cleansed off and forgiven in the Sacrament of Peace. However, such people are still believed to have some punishments which need to be discharged. (CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA) The Roman Catholics believe that Purgatory is much like Hell because when people are tortured here in order to cleanse themselves, they are tortured endlessly with fire. This happens till they are perfectly pure again to be able to qualify to enter the gates of Heaven. It is also belie ved that if the friends and family of the deceased pray to God for his soul, then his stay in purgatory is shortened, otherwise he has to endure fighting with fire till he is absolved. The difference from Hell is that one in Purgatory eventually gets to enter Heaven unlike those who already are in Hell. Moving on to the actual funeral rites in the Roman Catholic Church, these have three parts.

Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Education Article

Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Education - Article Example The first section of the article has been set apart to make an in-depth study of the STEM education situation in the US utilizing all the data available from previous studies. The second section comprises of a detailed review of the existing federal programs in this context, with a focus on a few selected programs. The third and final section has dealt with the legislative options being considered by federal authority to implement remedial measures. The article introduces the topic by saying that many studies had found the country lacking in sufficient numbers of students, qualified teachers and skilled practitioners in STEM sectors. In the article, the gravity of this situation is described using relevant figures and the measures were taken by the government to rectify this problem are also analyzed. It is pointed out that in a recent international assessment, carried out among 15-year old students, â€Å"the US ranked 28th in math literacy, and 24th in science literacy (Kuenzi, 20 08, p.1).† The article also has suggested that this has to be understood in the backdrop of â€Å"many US math and science teachers lack(ing) an undergraduate major or minor in those fields† (Kuenzi, 2008, p.1). It is specifically noted in this article that â€Å"the US ranks 20th among all nations in the proportion of 24-year olds who earn degrees in natural science or engineering (Kuenzi, 2008, p.2).† The legislation introduced in the 110th Congress based on previous study reports have been thoroughly scrutinized by Kuenzi’s article. The purpose of the report is stated as â€Å"to put these legislative proposals into a useful context† (Kuenzi, 2008, p.3)