The Development of Measured Intelligence Essay - 1851 Words

The Development of Measured Intelligence There are many different definitions of intelligence. There is general agreement that intelligence refers to how effectively we can do certain things: * Acquire information * Effectively think and reason * Effectively deal with and adapt to our environment Binet developed a test of general mental ability in the early 1900s, which he gave to many children. The tasks in the test gradually become more difficult, and Binet was able to gather the average age at which children would be able to complete each task in the test. IQ and intelligence tests ========================= IQ stands for intelligence quotient. IQ tests†¦show more content†¦This has already been done, and it shows that IQ tests are not always particularly valid ways of testing intelligence. What factors can affect performance on intelligence tests? ========================================================== Factors affecting performance could be: * Genetic - some believe intelligence is inherited, and is fixed from conception * Environmental and culture - this might be life experiences such as educational background and peer groups affecting growth of intelligence * Test factors - does the test reflect life experiences, is the child motivated to complete the test, etc.? * Race - how do ethnic groups differ in intelligence? Genetic research - Twin studies/kinship studies =============================================== There is a long-standing debate over the role that genetic factors have to play in the development of intelligence, as opposed to environmental factors. This is known as the nature nurture debate. There are supporting arguments and criticisms levelled at both these theories, and most people agree that the real issue is how much of a role each of these things have to play in a childs developing intellect. One of the first studies into genetic factors was conducted by Shields in the 1960s. Using advertising, he was able to gather together, and study the IQ of 44 pairs ofShow MoreRelatedIntelligence Of Intelligence And Intelligence1450 Words   |  6 PagesIntelligence can be defined as referring to intellectual functioning. There are many ways to assess intelligence such as intelligence quotients, many standardized test such as IQ tests, and the comparison of your personal intelligence among those in your same age group. Test like the IQ fail to measure the different types of intelligence. When most people think about intelligence they make the general assumption that one is referring to academic intelligence. There are mare many different factorsRead MoreThe Theory Of Measuring Intelligence1613 Words   |  7 Pagestoday’s society. Although research and new learning strategies have been in development since the 1980s, much of society still sees intelligence in this limite d manner. Though the course of this paper we will look at theories for measuring intelligence. We will also explore how memory plays a major role in developing intelligence and the effect these factors have on learning. Intellectual Development Intellectual development can best be described as a child’s ability to think about and understandRead MoreHow Socioeconomic Status Affects Cognitive Development of Children1722 Words   |  7 Pages The development of children can depend on many factors, one of the important ones being socioeconomic status (SES). SES can be defined as a multidimensional construct, including measures of social factors such as power, prestige and hierarchical social status, and economic resources (Hackman and Farah, 2009). Child development can be studied from multiple dimensions such as physical, mental, social, and emotional development among others. For the purposes of this study, I will be focusing on howRead MoreCognitive Development: Multiple Intelligences1536 Words   |  7 PagesIn this paper, I will give a brief overview of Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences (MI). I will also discuss the merits and critiques of the theory in the field of cognitive development. I will al so discuss the applicability of Gardner’s theory to my personal development. The final section will cover the application of the theory in a counselling framework. This will be supported by discussing theoretical orientations that would best adopt application of Gardner’s theory. Theoretical Overview Read MoreDifferent Subjective Assessment Of Quality Of Living1186 Words   |  5 Pagesitems Alcoholic beverages Automobiles Housing Housing household appliances and furniture Household maintenance and repair Table ‎1 3 Mercer’s Quality of Living survey criteria. (Khalil, 2012) 1.7.2 The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) quality-of-life index The Economist Intelligence Unit’s quality-of-life index is based on a unique methodology that links the results of subjective life satisfaction surveys to the objective determinants of quality of life across countries, in order to calculateRead MoreThe MI Theory: Dr. Howard Gardner 987 Words   |  4 Pagesshould be graded equally. The only views people have in regards to intelligence according to Gardner (2011) is a â€Å"single, general capacity every human being possesses a greater or lesser extent ; that it can be defined or measured by standardized verbal instruments† (pg. xxviii). These notions initiated to pose the question if everyone actually thinks alike? If one test could accurately give a measurement of someone’s intelligence and help them adapt to overall society? After many years of researchRead MoreWhether Intelligence Can be Defined and Measured Accurately or Not1197 Words   |  5 PagesWhether Intelligence Can be Defined and Measured Accurate ly or Not In this essay I will look at whether intelligence can be defined and measured accurately through looking at various definitions of intelligence; including definitions from Binet, Wechsler, Terman, Hebbs, Cattel and Vernon. I will discuss a selection of more well known and popular intelligence tests ranging from Galton to Wechsler, what they measure and what they don’t measure. I will look at an exampleRead MoreOrganizational and Professional Development1519 Words   |  6 PagesProfessional Development Introduction Social intelligence has been defined as the ability to understand and manage other people, and to engage in adaptive social interactions like making them to get along with you. Social intelligence entails a persons awareness to a situation and the social dynamics that accompany the situation and the knowledge of the strategies and interaction style, that, he/she can use to achieve the desired objective while dealing with others (Bob, 2008). Social intelligence hasRead MoreIntelligence Between Intelligence And Psychometric Tests839 Words   |  4 PagesIntelligence is one of the most heritable traits thus, people differ in intelligence ranges. Heritability estimates range from 25% to 40% in early childhood to 80% in adulthood. These ranges may be in specific domains but those who do well in one domain often do well in others, leading towards general intelligence. In order to measure and evaluate differences in intelligence, psychometric tests are used to cover cognitive domains. These cognitive domains are reasoning, processing speeds, executiveRead More Studies in Emotional Intelligence Essay1445 Words   |  6 PagesStudies in Emotional Intelligence There is a growing interest in the concept of emotional intelligence, and with that growth is a gap between what we know and what we need to know. In the article, Emotional Intelligence: Issues and Common Misunderstandings, Robert J. Emmerling and Daniel Goleman inquire as to what emotional intelligence is, how it differs from other established constructs within psychology, whether or not it can be developed, whether or not it can be a better predictor of work

Into The Wild By Jon Krakauer - 1856 Words

Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer 1. Who was the most compelling character? Why? What conflicts did this character face? How did the author develop this character? Include one or two supporting quotations with page number or e-book location cited in parentheses after the quotation. Jon Krakauer’s odyssey Into the Wild follows Christopher McCandless through his last year of his life traversing the North American frontier. As a biography based on McCandless’ journals and interviews, much of the details of Chris’ journeys are speculated. Yet, Krakauer succeeds in developing the enigma of Christopher McCandless, or as he would be immortalized in the bus on the Stampede Trail, Alexander Supertramp, in a way that tugs at the buried wanderer inside of everyone. Throughout the novel, Chris McCandless faces numerous crises and trials during his time in the wild. McCandless journeys represent the age old conflict of man vs. nature. In the first chapter, Chris seems to be charismatic, yet ultimately ill-prepared to face the harshness of the Alaskan wilderness. Alex admitted that the only food in his pack was a ten-pound bag of rice. His gear seemed exceedingly minimal for the harsh conditions of the interior, which in April still lay buried under the winter snowpack. Alex’s cheap leather hiking boots were neither waterproof nor well insulated. His rifle was only .22 caliber, a bore too small to rely on if he expected toShow MoreRelatedInto the Wild by Jon Krakauer563 Words   |  2 PagesJon Krakauer presents Into The Wild a tragic tale of a young ambitious man who is motivated to go into the wilderness and discover his true identity.Jon krakauer conveys many messages to his readers through Chris McCandless, and his messages often offer a warning to society.we will furture idenitfy how the author delievers the warning to society and what effect it can have upon society today.Three of the very important messages he empatizes on are the societies influence on people,the ess ence ofRead MoreThe Wild By Jon Krakauer1096 Words   |  5 PagesAllyssa Mikes July 2012 Into the Wild Mr. Fertmann Throughout the non-fictional novel Into the Wild, the author Jon Krakauer catches the reader’s interest early on in the book. Krakauer takes us on a journey, telling the story of young Chris McCandless’ adventures after abandoning everything he owned. Krakauer fully emerged himself into the study of McCandless’ life’s adventures and soon developed a deep understanding of who he was and how he impacted to world. Krakauer connected with McCandless in anRead MoreInto The Wild By Jon Krakauer946 Words   |  4 Pagescompelling novel â€Å"Into The Wild† by Jon Krakauer the character and intelligence of the youth in men is questioned. Through the pieced together 200 page novel we are introduced to Christopher Johnson McCandless also known as â€Å"Alex Supertramp†. A ripe 24 years of age he chose to question our reality and his meaning of life that is given to us by hitchhiking across America to the Alaskan wilderness, where after four months in the last frontier he is found dead. Krakauer throughout the novel shows thatRead MoreInto The Wild By Jon Krakauer1330 Words   |  6 Pagesshared.† - Jon Krakauer Into the wild. Jon Krakauer, the author of Into the Wild told the story of Chris McCandless. Chris escaped reality and went to go live off the land in Alaska, hoping to live a simpler life. In the novel, Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer, Chris McCandless shared a similar philosophy with Jack London, as they both have a strong passion for Alaska, they both appreciated they beauty of nature, and both wanted to be reborn. In the novel, Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer, Chris McCandlessRead MoreInto The Wild By Jon Krakauer1349 Words   |  6 PagesSummary Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer is a true story about Chris McCandless who is found dead in the Alaskan wild during September 1992. After discovering that his father had a secret secondary family when Chris was young, Chris pushes away his friends and family and eventually isolates himself. He obtains $25,000 from his parents by lying about attending law school and drives away from home, deserting his real name. He later leaves his car in Georgia after an engine breakdown due to rain damageRead MoreInto The Wild By Jon Krakauer Essay1237 Words   |  5 Pages Jon Krakauer s novel â€Å"Into the wild†, Is a story about a young man named Christopher McCandless or â€Å"Alex Supertramp† who went on a self discovering odyssey in which he had traveled around the U.S. The story surrounds Chris and his travels and what he had done at the time, leading to his death in August 1992. Thus the story takes a direction in the viewpoints of the people Alex has come across through in his travels. It speaks about what he had done at the time of his journey before he hadRead MoreThe Wild By Jon Krakauer1522 Words   |  7 Pagesvictories.† (Richard M. Nixon). In his investigative biography, Into the Wild, Jon Krakauer, expresses that even though young people can be ignorant and take treacherous risks, these can be used as knowledge enhancers and can be life changers. Krakauer gives us insight by giving examples of what risk really are, how people take them, and how it actually affects those people. Throughout the whole book there are instances where krakauer uses real life examples of things that have happened where people haveRead MoreInto The Wild By Jon Krakauer1013 Words   |  5 Pages Into the Wild, by Jon Krakauer, narrates the life of adventurer and free spirit Christopher McCandless, who died August 1992 in the Alaskan wilderness; however, his journey still remains relevant in today’s pop culture due to the unresolved controversy of whether he is a saintly role model or hubristic fool. Krakauer openly states that he â€Å"won’t claim to be an impartial biographer† (Author’s Note) due to the parallels he struck with McCandless, and provides a more idealistic approach to the biographyRead MoreInto the Wild by Jon Krakauer1516 Words   |  7 PagesRosselini, John Waterman and Carl McCunn. They all went to Alas ka, just like Chris and died. After that Chris continued to canoe and got caught by the US officers when he was trying to get back into the US from Mexico. So he spent a night in jail. Krakauer then compared Chris to Everett Reuss. They both changed their names and they both disappeared. Chris applied for an ID as Alex Supertramp and found a job in Los Angeles. New York Times published about Alex’s death. Jim Gallien and Wayne WesterbergRead MoreInto the Wild: by Jon Krakauer1186 Words   |  5 Pagessense Krakauers natural liking for McCandless. He was sympathetic to McCandless, based on Krakauers sense of a shared experience in their youth and up until McCandless eventual death and Krakauers perceived near death experience on the Devils Thumb. I believe the author’s main point and perspective was formed from his own experience and relationship with his father. While the situations were basically reversed with Chris not approving of his father and Lewis Krakauer disappointed in Jon for not

Nestle Case Study Free Essays

string(77) " are provided by the company \(Gratton, Hailey, Stiles Truss, 1999\)\." NESTLE CASE STUDY With reference to the Nestle case study, provide one example which clearly illustrates a link between topics or concepts drawn from at least two pre-requisite modules. The Nestle case study provides a number of examples which illustrate links between Strategic management, Methods of Enquiry and Accounting for decision making concepts. Nestle is one of the oldest of all multinational business. We will write a custom essay sample on Nestle Case Study or any similar topic only for you Order Now Nowadays, Nestle is one of the biggest food and nutrition companies in 86 countries in the world. Hill, 2009 pp). Nestle was involved with a range of acquisitions in the last years in order to extend its line of products and try to expand on a geographical scale. Since its sales are reducing in developed markets, Nestle has the opportunity to expand business in up and coming countries, which is going to generate more profit for the company. Up and coming countries is one sector that Nestle is going to invest money in because it has the potential to be a strong and attractive market. Nestle feels confident in doing so because in such countries population economy and technology has experienced a rapid growth. (Datamonitor, 2006). Nestles long-term strategy is to identify the quickly expanding countries first and get into the market as soon as possible in order to take advantage of other competitors. However, it first has to hold the leading position in the developed markets where it is currently placed. Also Nestle has to hire local managers and staff in the developing markets that understand the local market dynamic and culture. As explained above there is a link between Nestle’s strategy and the Strategic management, because companies employ managers from respective countries in the local companies due to the fact that they understand the local market dynamics. By hiring local manager they can take advantage of the local knowledge and own culture of the country. FIGURE 1 Figure 1 Source: Own diagram It is a huge advantage that Nestle works with local managers in fast rising emerging countries. As a result, Nestle will have quick results which lead to quick profits. As we can see in FIGURE 1 above, Nestle is closely related to the Strategic management module because companies will have a range of research(reports) on fast growing countries. Therefore, they will have the ability to balance the services they are able to provide (food, cereals, coffee, chocolate, drinks, ice cream, etc) (Nestle 2011), with the price that customers are willing to pay. For example, if people cannot afford the Nestle products then they will not expand in such countries but focus their attention and invest in countries where people are able to buy their products. Also, Nestle is connected with methods of enquiry with Emerging markets. Companies will have less space to roam around and make decision considering that much of their movements are controlled by the market reaction. This means that emerging markets are countries with social or business activities in the process of rapid growth and industrialization. The Nestle case study as clearly explained above illustrates a good link with the Strategic Management/Methods of Enquiry and the Market dynamic/Emerging markets respectively. Does it make sense for Nestle to focus its growth efforts on emerging markets? Why? The recent financial crisis that reverberated throughout the globe was a clear indicator of the interdependence and the codependence that globalization has created while simultaneously making it clear to everyone that the emerging economies, especially those that make up BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) are more resilient than western economies, thus making them engines of growth that have helped the recovery effort in the last few years. Therefore from that point of view alone it can be stated that yes, Nestle’s strategy to focus its growth efforts in developing or emerging markets is indeed a sound one. However this does not mean that the ability of these markets to recover faster than the western economies should bebe sole reason for such a decision. Rather there are many more and varying reasons that need to be taken into consideration. The onset of globalization for one thing has helped uplift the living standards of many in China and India and millions of families have climbed out of poverty and are able to aspire to better life styles and a better standard of living, thus creating new markets companies like Nestle (Latshaw and Choi, 2002, pp. 7). Next as has been stated in the case study, the number of individuals who can be considered as middle class in these two economies alone will exceed 700 million in the coming decade, which is more than the entire population of 500 million in the European region or the 300 million in the United States, thus making this a very lucrative market for Nestle and one that needs to be exploited with immediate effect (Crook, Bratton, Street Ket chen, 2006, pp. 09 – 412). Besides the above Nestle as a multi national company has a decentralised structure and has often emphasised the need for attracting, recruiting and selecting host country nationals to be employed in its’ manufacturing plants across the world and this again is a very strategic and wise decision (Cesnovar, 2006, pp. 227 – 229). By decreasing unemployment rates, being socially responsible corporate citizen and helping to uplift the standard of living in these regions of the world, the company is earning the respect of the population, which can soon be converted to public relations win, thus it can be stated that this strategy makes immense sense at the present time (Mclean, 2006, pp. 36). Last but not least it should also be stated that by gaining ‘first mover advantage’ of providing basic food stuffs through which brand loyalty is created the company stands to gain much as most consumers will not switch to other brands but rather decide to stick with the trusted brand even when they are ready to move to the more upscale and upmarket products that are provided by the company (Gratton, Hailey, Stiles Truss, 1999). You read "Nestle Case Study" in category "Free Case study samples" Therefore it can be stated that from every point of view, whether it is as a consumer products manufacturer or an employer, Nestle stands to gain much through this growth strategy of focusing on emerging markets. What is the company’s strategy with regard to business development in emerging markets- Does this strategy make sense- From an organizational perspective, what is required for this strategy to work effectively? As is clear from the information that has been provided in the case study, Nestle uses a variety of different strategies to develop its business activities and markets in the emerging markets. While many maybe of the opinion that only one or two strategies should be used in order to ensure that synergies of scale are gained and that there is consistency across the operations, such a customization of strategy to meet the specific needs of an economy is highly commendable (Marshall, Smith Buxton, 2009, pp. 4 – 18). For instance in countries like India and China, Nestle has entered the market by providing low cost brand name basic food stuff like condensed milk and infant formula, in doing so the company has also located its manufacturing plants within the countries and the regions, employed host country nationals and helped uplift their living standards. Thus not only has the company provided them with a livelihood by employing them and purchasing local produce from local farmers and businessman, but in doing so has also created loyalty to its brand, which is something priceless (Karake-Shalhoub, 1999). As the living standards and the income levels of these individuals and entrepreneurs increase, they will no doubt continue to be loyal to the Nestle brand and purchase the more upscale and products that are sold by the company, when they are ready to move from basic food stuffs to more branded and upscale foods stuffs like cookies and chocolate. Likewise another strategy that is being used by the company is to enter markets like Nigeria and China and invest in basic infrastructure to ensure smooth distribution channels, while many may see this as a waste, in the long run, the company has gained a strong foothold in the marketplace, created job opportunities and further increased the visibility of its brand nd thus increased entry barriers for the competition (Sims, 2003), thus it can be stated that this is indeed a very good business development strategy that is being followed by the company at the present time. From an organisational perspective for an a strategy to work effectively it is necessary to ensure that the strategy is developed in such a manner that it would fit the market needs and help the company to gain a comparative advantage (Oladunjoye Onyeaso, 2007, pp. 92 – 598). Based on everything that has been stated above and the manner in which Nestle’s is currently operating in China, India, Africa, the Middle East and Eastern Europe, it is clear that the company has adopted many different successful strategies that are helping it to gain a competitive edge in these markets while continuing to benefit from the ‘first mover’ advantage that it has created for itself. Through research on NESTLE, identify appropriate performance indicators. Once you have gathered relevant data on these, undertake a performance analysis of the company over the last five years. What does the analysis tell you about the success or otherwise of the strategy adopted by the company? An analysis of Nestle’s performance indicates that the Company has been able to improve its performance over the years. The sales of the Company reached a record of US $73 billion, and growth in profits was 20. 7% in 2005. In 2005, Europe amounted to 30% of sales, Americas 34%, and Asia, Oceania and Africa 17% of the sales. Nestle is aware that it need to adjust its offering if it is to reach its target of 5-6% growth per year. (Country Monitor, 2006). Public Image – In a world that is becoming increasingly complex, consumer needs and wants continue to become more sophisticated on a daily basis. Unlike in the past when companies could simply mass produce and sell products to the end user, today, consumers are demanding more not only in terms of pricing and quality but also in terms of corporate social responsibility. Therefore it is necessary for Nestle to continuously monitor and manage its public image and it is also very important from a strategic perspective that the company is seen as a socially responsible corporate citizen (Niederhut-Bollmann Theuvsen, 2008, 63 – 68). Compared to many other multi national companies, Nestle’s has not earned the public ire for being irresponsible socially, however as the global slave trade for chocolate manufacturers comes to light it is essential that Nestle’s looks at ways and means to ensure that it is not ensnared in such a public relations nightmare. Sales Growth – This is a very important performance indicators and should give the company a sense of its successes and failures in terms of strategy. Currently the company has been doing very well on this front and should carefully monitor the external and the internal environments for any factors that may pose a threat to its continued success in this area (Roberts, 2001, pp, 25 – 28). Following a growth strategy in emerging markets is actually a very good strategy that has paid off and continues to pay off, however this does not mean that the company can afford to be laid back on this score. Market Share – By gaining ‘first mover advantage’ the company has been able to gain and retain its market share through the years, however it is also necessary that the company continues to learn from its past mistakes in Japan and other countries, where it did not take the competition seriously and therefore has lost much in terms of market share that it could otherwise have gained (Odagiri, 1992). Blue Ocean Strategies – As markets continue to mature and other markets continue to develop it is imperative that the company focuses its attention on research and development and creates ‘blue oceans’ in order to find new markets (Gubman, 2004, pp. 13). This is something that Nestle is currently lagging at and needs to pay particular attention to with immediate effect. Based on everything that has been stated above it is therefore clear that while the company does excel in areas such as managing its public image and sales growth, there is much more improvement needed to be made in the search for innovative market strategies that will help force it to success in the future. How would you describe Nestle’s strategic posture at the corporate level; is it pursuing a global strategy, a multidomestic strategy an international strategy or a transnational strategy? Figure 2 – Which Structure to Choose? Source: http://www. wiziq. com/tutorial/380-International-Strategy Illustrated above is a depiction of the different corporate level strategies that can be adopted by multi national companies the world over. Such strategy is often chosen on the degree of need for global integration and local market responsiveness (Kaplan and Norton, 2001, pp. 87). Based on the information that has been provided in the case study it is clear that Nestle is a company that need to gain a high level of local market responsiveness due to the variety of different business development related strategies that is pursuing in different parts of the world. For instance while in the Middle East it has entered the markets by building five different lines of products that it hopes will be distributed across the region as trade barriers fall, in countries like China and India, it is pursuing a different strategy of meeting the basic food needs of the population with items such as infant formula and condensed milk. It is the intention of the company in these markets that once standards of living increase, they can leave these Niche markets and provide consumers with more upscale and upmarket products like chocolates and cookies. Further it can also be stated that as a company with only 1% of its revenue being earned in the home country and 8000 different brands, global integration is a must (Lowson, 2002). Therefore it is the opinion of the writer that Nestle need to choose between the multi domestic strategy and a transnational strategy and not swing from one to another, because doing so would only result in the company loosing focus of its final aim, which is to be a global consumer food products leader (George, 2007, pp. 6 – 71). Based on the information that has been provided in the case study it is the opinion of the writer that Nestle’s should choose a transnational strategy because it balances both the global integration needs of the company and the local market responsiveness that is necessary to ensure that the company’s products will be competitive and continue to meet the needs of the local population in the emerging markets that it is operating in (Marks, 2005, pp. 1). While many maybe of the opinion that the company should continue to pursue its multi domestic strategy as it has worked well for it in the past, the changing needs of the global environment and the development taking place in the emerging markets make it necessary to gain synergies of scale and global integration for the many brands that it has under its belt and therefore a transnational strategy is the best option for Nestle’s in the future (Barney and Hesterly, 2008). Does this overall strategic posture make sense given the markets and countries that Nestle participates in? Why? The overall strategic posture of Nestle makes a lot of sense given the fact that it is operating in virtually every country in the world, with a huge presence in the emerging markets. According to Hill (2006), that multidomestic strategy is appropriate in a market where the pressures for local responsiveness is very high and as a results the pressures for the cost reduction is low. Especially, pressures for local responsiveness can be very high in some productions, such as food, chocolates, dairy nutrition and etc. From the time when consumers have many national differences in tastes and preferences, distribution channels, competitive conditions, business practices, culture and government policies in the markets in which Nestle operates, therefore following a multidomestic strategy is beneficial for the Company. The difference in cultures and purchasing power (Prahalad et al, 1998) in the middle class population in emerging markets imply that in order for a first mover to gain advantage, it must be willing to adapt its product and offer in accordance with the needs of the local market. Figure 3 Source: http://www. docstoc. com/docs/5632428/Ethnocentric-Polycentric-Geocentric-Diagr ams As stated in the previous section the overall strategy that is currently being followed by Nestle’s is one that focuses on local market responsiveness over global integration, which in effect results in a multi domestic strategy (Shackman, 2007, pp. 79 – 488). It is no doubt however that such a strategy has indeed helped the company to gain the level of success that it currently enjoys in emerging markets, and therefore can be considered as good. However we should always remember that strategies should promise equal or more success in the future as they do for the company today (Cabrera and Cabrer a, 2003, pp. 41) and therefore reviewing the strategy from such an angle would work to the benefit of the company in the long run. The company currently follows a regiocentric attitude as is clear from the illustrations above, while it can be reiterated that this type of structure and strategy works to the advantage of the company, in the long run as the emerging markets being to mature and the company continues on its mergers and acquisitions strategies to enter new markets in Eastern Europe, it will become essential that the company gains some level of global synergy and integration (Mcwilliams, Van Fleet, Wright, 2001, pp. 1). Therefore it is the recommendation of the writer that the company begins to embark on a transnational strategy with a Geocentric attitude, which will eventually help it to have a more global view with flexibility to make necessary changes at local level whenever and as frequently as needed (Donaldson O’Toole, 2002). Therefore in conclusion it can be stated that even though the current strategic posture makes sense, it needs to be reviewed and modified if the company is to continue to penetrate, gain and retain market share in the emerging economies as well as the developed economies the world over (Mockler, 1999). Is Nestle’s management structure and philosophy aligned with its overall strategic posture? The overall structure and the strategy of the company as stated previously and has been made clear to the reader throughout the case study, is that the company pursues a multi domestic strategy, due to the need to have a high responsiveness to the local market needs (Drejer, 2002). While this is impressive, the company goes further to also ensure that it is staffed by local nationals in the host countries and that power and authority is decentralised as much as possible, again indicating that the management structure is indeed very much aligned to its philosophy of local autonomy and its multi domestic strategy (Silverman, 2002). However instead of relying on the local managers alone, the company also has a pool of at least 700 expatriate managers who travel from one country to another ensuring that the local and regional strategies of the company are upheld and global integration is a possibility (Mintzberg Rose, 2003, pp. 70 – 277), while this may sound like a sound and often a wise move on the part of the company, the fact that none of the regional international managers get involved in local level stratey design and the fact that none of the local level managers are involved in the global strategy design and development leaves a disconnect that can cost the company dearly in the long run and therefore it is necessary to take a close look at the integration of both and make changes wherever necessary (Betz, 2001). Based on everything that has been stated above, it is therefore the opinion of the writer that greater global integration is necessary as the company moves forward and hopes to retain its place as a market leader by gaining large shares of the market in emerging economies, which it has strived hard to build over the last few decades. In effect it is therefore necessary to ensure that there is high levels of global integration and simultaneously ensure that there is high levels of local market responsiveness as well (Lefkowith, 2001, pp. 20). As stated previously this is only possible if the company follows a transnational strategy and this strategy and philosophy should be made a possibility by changing the current management structure within the company to one that allows for regional managers to gain an understanding of local issues and challenges and vice versa. This will help the company to align its goals and objectives both on an international local level and thus be more integrated in both spheres. Read more: http://www. ukessays. com/essays/marketing/nestle-case-study-assinemnt-marketin How to cite Nestle Case Study, Free Case study samples

Consequences and Mediating Mechanisms †Free Samples to Students

Question: Discuss about the Consequences and Mediating Mechanisms. Answer: Introduction: Leadership is the ability to direct and control the performance of every individual team towards reaching the business goal. As opined that Voegtlin, Patzer and Scherer (2012)The performance level of employees is highly dependent on the way of direction that an efficient business leader tends to give for achieving organizational target. With the rapid progress of business customers needs and demands are changing gradually. People belonging to different geographical boundaries are associated within the service process of a particular business organization. Therefore, the primary role and responsibility of a business leader are as follows: From the case study of bottle exercise, it has been observed that every business leader has to play the role of creating vision. Exporting and supplying good quality of bottles for using standard level of plastic in order to maintain human health is one of the most significant objectives. Bolman and Deal (2017) opined that the business leader in order to achieve that particular business goal has to direct the team in such a way that customers do not get the scope for making any kind of complaints. The primary responsibility of business leader is to direct the employees on how they would be able to reach the goal and vision that their organization has set for achieving success. As per the opinion of Northouse (2015), the role of business managers is to meet the business target by anyway. On the other hand, the role of an efficient business leader is different. The business leader generally strives to make an effective rapport with the employee in order to maintain their performance level. The success of a particular business organization is highly dependent on the performance level of the employees. Therefore, the primary mission of business leaders is to treat every single employee with humanity so that they do not show their reluctant attitude in performing well towards the business services. Giving constant motivation: Vaccaro et al. (2012) stated that providing constant motivation to the employees is one of the most significant roles of an efficient business leader. While directing the team business leaders intend to follow different kinds of leadership style at the workplace. Participative form of leadership style implies that leaders never intend to impose their own decision on the employees. Employees at the workplace get opportunities to share their own opinion regarding the success of business. In the bottle shock case, it has been observed that the internal rapport between employees and business leader is effective. With the help of this particular bonding, employees are able to deliver their services within time (Sadeghi, Pihie, 2012). It is undeniable that in participative form of leadership style employees get enough scope and opportunities to express their point of views. Automatically employees would like to show their interest in performing well towards reaching the business goal. Avey, Wernsing and Palanski (2012) stated that team development is the most significant responsibility of business leader. People belonging to different cultural backgrounds and attitudes are associated within the business organization. The role of an effective business leader is to provide constant motivation to the employees by providing reward and recognition. In addition, maintaining an effective communication with every single employee at the workplace is also important in order to know his or her problems. Team development is highly dependent on the performance level of every individual employee. As emphasized by Chhokar, Brodbeck and House (2013), a particular business employee is able to provide best endeavor only when the business leader would like to show co-operative outlook towards the employees of different geographical backgrounds and attitudes. In some of the cases, business leaders have to maintain an interpersonal communication as well. Bird and Schjoedt (2017) state d that this particular interpersonal communication is highly effective in providing constant motivation to the employees. With the help of participative form of leadership style, the leaders take a collective decision regarding the development of team as well in order to gather the opinion of employees. Consequently, employees tend to show their courageous attitudes for performing well. In the bottle shock exercise, the leader played a major role for maintaining the rhythmic flow of entire bottle exercise. At the same time, it is also undeniable that the way of managing the entire process of work could have been better as well. It has been observed in the case scenario that after receiving particular complaints on behalf of the customers the employees started to redesign the product. Peus et al. (2012) stated that redesigning a particular existing product takes sufficient time due to which customers fail to receive the delivery within stipulated time. Therefore, in the bottle shock exercise the leader failed to maintain a balance in time management. It is undeniable on the other hand that the business leader has received enough appreciation from the senior administration as well due to the effective style of leadership that has been implemented in bottle exercise cases. The leader by maintaining an effective communication with the employees has received good perform ances. In addition, the employees were comfortable enough in sharing their own opinion regarding the business goal. After evaluating the entire bottle shock exercise it has also been observed that business leaders like to maintain an effective rapport with the senior management so that they can get any co-operation at any time. Crossan et al. (2013) opined that people belonging to different geographical boundaries are associated with the business services. The role of an efficient business leader is to give equal respect and dignity to every single employee belonging to various cultural backgrounds. However, this specific case scenario implies that leadership and employee performances are inseparably related to each other. Employees are not very much accustomed with the current needs and demands of the customers. Hankinson (2012) emphasized that the responsibility of business leaders is to gather data and information about the needs and demands of the customers. As per the current trend of market, business leaders intend to direct the employees for providing services. The bottle exercise has evalu ated that after receiving the complaints from consumers the business leaders decided to redesign the product. As a result, the entire process of business has lost its rhythmic flow. However, this specific study has focused to make an in-depth overview on how the business leaders should have a constant control over the entire time management process. This particular bottle exercise emphasizes that business managers are only concerned in satisfying the needs and demands of the customers only. On the other hand, the primary responsibility of business leaders is to focus on both the demands of customers as well as needs of employees (Schaltegger, Ldeke-Freund Hansen, 2012). After receiving the complaints of from the customers the leaders decide to redesign the products for fulfilling their needs and demands. In addition, in order to get best services from the employees the business leaders intend to make an effective communication with the every individual employee for providing a constant motivation (Ferrell Fraedrich, 2015). In addition, effective interaction helps an individual employee in sharing personal problems facing at the workplace as well. As a result, people do not have to face innumerable difficulties in performing well. After making a critical evaluating of bottle shock exercise it can be stated that the business leader has played an important role managing the entire bottle designing system effectively. At the same time, some of the major drawbacks whiling controlling the employee performance while designing and recalling bottles cannot be denied as well. However, in this very specific part, the study has focused to evaluate on how an efficient leader can improve the level of skill and competency. While evaluating the bottle shock exercise it has been observed that the business leader while redesigning the bottles after receiving complaints failed to deliver the product within time. This particular fact implies that leader is having an issue with time management. Mittal and Dorfman (2012) opined that the primary role of an efficient leader is to direct the employees in maintaining deadline. Otherwise, the employees would not be able to deliver the product within stipulated time. This particular stu dy has provided an in-depth overview on how the business leader should guide a particular team for maintaining balance between supply and demand. It is undeniable that business leader made an effective communication with every individual employee while dealing with bottle shock exercise. At the same time, the business leader has to focus on making an effective interaction as well for resolving the issues of an individual. Aaker and Joachimsthaler (2012) stated that employees are from different geographical backgrounds and attitudes. After being appointed within a specific project different employees have to face numerous different issues while working within a team. Cultural issues, communication issues, psychological issues, religious issues and so on. Large number of employees is there who are having linguistic barrier. Therefore, the business leaders should have multi-lingual flexibility so that organizations in different geographical attitudes and backgrounds can feel comfortable in communicating with the business leader (Birasnav, 2014). On the other hand, psychological issue is one of the most effective barriers that the employees have to face while taking collective decision. In order to overcome this kind of issue the business leaders would have to focus on making an effective interaction with every single employee. However, employees would automatically show their interest in performing well towards the business services. Therefore, only effective communication is not sufficient for a business leader in getting good performances from the employees. The leaders would have to make face-to-face communication with every single employee for getting an immediate feedback. In addition, improvement of a business leader should be rendered on the way of approach as well as personality. Business leader in the bottle shock exercise had to face innumerable difficulties in maintaining the temporary crisis happened with bottle recall. Therefore, business leaders had to face challenges in convincing the customers. However, this particular study focused to evaluate on how the business leaders should focus on improving the personality and way of approach while handling the craze of customers. Mayer et al. (2012) stated that the personality of a business leader should be developed so that the customers can show their positive attitude towards the service process of business. While running the entire process of business experts may have to face innumerable difficulties in fulfilling the changing needs and demands of the customers. Therefore, business leaders should have to play the major role in controlling the entire performance level of employees as well as custo mers needs and demands. This very specific study has focused to make detailed evaluation on how personality of an efficient business leader leaves a major impact on the overall consumer behavior. As emphasized by Eisenbeiss (2012), business leaders should never impose their own decision on the employees. Participative form of leadership style is one of the most effective ways to receive good performances from the employees. Employees should get every scope in sharing their own opinion regarding the business goal. After receiving the complaints on plastics, the business leaders could have focused in making an effective collective decision by involving the employees. However, with the help of democratic form of leadership style the business employees are flexible in providing their own opinion regarding the development of business process. As a result, the employees like to show their enthusiastic attitude in performing well after being directly involved within the business process (Nixon, Harrington Parker, 2012). On the other hand, autocratic form of leadership style is very much de-motivating that enables a specific business employee in following the direction of business l eader blindly. In autocratic form of leadership, a specific employee does not get enough space in providing own opinion on business development process. As a result, the employees do not show their courageous attitude in performing well. However, after analyzing two different kinds of leadership style it can be stated that every business leader should follow participative form of leadership style in order to make a rapport with employees. While evaluating the entire case scenario it can be stated that a business leader while leading a particular team has to focus on business values, ethics and cultures. Tourish (2014) stated that while leading a specific team every business leader has to show equal respect and dignity to the employees of different religion and cultural backgrounds. At the same time, it is undeniable that business leaders should never focus on any kind of biased attitude towards a specific employee. Otherwise, the other members of team would become de-motivated towards performing well. From the case scenario of bottle exercise it has been observed that employees had to take overburden after receiving the complaints on plastics. As a business leader, an individual should never impose any kind of additional pressure on the employees so that they lose their motivation for performing well towards the business services. Business leaders should always provide a flexible work environment to the employees so t hat the employees do not lose their level of confidence. On the other hand, flexible work environment is highly important for getting good performance (Eisenbeiss, 2012). In addition, if the business leaders need an additional support from team members the person should give additional facilities and benefits to the employees. As per the business morality and ethical consideration leaders should follow health and safety act at the workplace. Birasnav (2014) stated that health and safety act ensures that the organization is bound to take the responsibility of health issue faced by any employee at the workplace. If an individual employee faces health issue, business leader should give complete co-operation to that employee so that organization intends to bear the entire expense. While working at the workplace employees should get complete attention from the leaders so that they can be motivated at the motivational approach from the leaders. Business morality implies that leaders should pay equal attention to the employees of different cultural backgrounds. It has been observed in the case study that people are from multi-cultural attitudes. In this kind of situation, the employees have to face communication barrier while interacting with business leaders. As a result, they do not intend to share their challe nges happening at the workplace. In this kind of situation, the business leaders have to take major responsibility in maintaining an effective communication with every single employee. If they are having communication barriers the managers can provide an effective training and development session as well for enhancing the communication skill. As a result, the employees would not have to face difficulties in expressing their point of view (Mittal Dorfman, 2012). While appointing within a specific project such as bottle exercise, business leaders should maintain effective interaction with every employee equally by maintaining anti-discrimination law. However, numerous eminent scholars have also differed point of views of previous scholars. Reference List: Aaker, D. A., Joachimsthaler, E. (2012).Brand leadership. Simon and Schuster. Avey, J. B., Wernsing, T. S., Palanski, M. E. (2012). Exploring the process of ethical leadership: The mediating role of employee voice and psychological ownership.Journal of Business Ethics,107(1), 21-34. Birasnav, M. (2014). Knowledge management and organizational performance in the service industry: The role of transformational leadership beyond the effects of transactional leadership.Journal of Business Research,67(8), 1622-1629. Bird, B., Schjoedt, L. (2017). Entrepreneurial behavior: Its nature, scope, recent research, and agenda for future research. InRevisiting the Entrepreneurial Mind(pp. 379-409). Springer International Publishing. Bolman, L. G., Deal, T. E. (2017).Reframing organizations: Artistry, choice, and leadership. John Wiley Sons. Chhokar, J. S., Brodbeck, F. C., House, R. J. (Eds.). (2013).Culture and leadership across the world: The GLOBE book of in-depth studies of 25 societies. Routledge. Crossan, M., Mazutis, D., Seijts, G., Gandz, J. (2013). Developing leadership character in business programs.Academy of Management Learning Education,12(2), 285-305. Eisenbeiss, S. A. (2012). Re-thinking ethical leadership: An interdisciplinary integrative approach.The Leadership Quarterly,23(5), 791-808. Ferrell, O. C., Fraedrich, J. (2015).Business ethics: Ethical decision making cases. Nelson Education. Hankinson, G. (2012). The measurement of brand orientation, its performance impact, and the role of leadership in the context of destination branding: An exploratory study.Journal of Marketing Management,28(7-8), 974-999. Mayer, D. M., Aquino, K., Greenbaum, R. L., Kuenzi, M. (2012). Who displays ethical leadership, and why does it matter? An examination of antecedents and consequences of ethical leadership.Academy of Management Journal,55(1), 151-171. Mittal, R., Dorfman, P. W. (2012). Servant leadership across cultures.Journal of World Business,47(4), 555-570. Nixon, P., Harrington, M., Parker, D. (2012). Leadership performance is significant to project success or failure: a critical analysis.International Journal of productivity and performance management,61(2), 204-216. Northouse, P. G. (2015).Leadership: Theory and practice. Sage publications. Peus, C., Wesche, J. S., Streicher, B., Braun, S., Frey, D. (2012). Authentic leadership: An empirical test of its antecedents, consequences, and mediating mechanisms.Journal of business ethics,107(3), 331-348. Sadeghi, A., Pihie, Z. A. L. (2012). Transformational leadership and its predictive effects on leadership effectiveness.International Journal of Business and Social Science,3(7). Schaltegger, S., Ldeke-Freund, F., Hansen, E. G. (2012). Business cases for sustainability: the role of business model innovation for corporate sustainability.International Journal of Innovation and Sustainable Development,6(2), 95-119. Tourish, D. (2014). Leadership, more or less? A processual, communication perspective on the role of agency in leadership theory.Leadership,10(1), 79-98. Vaccaro, I. G., Jansen, J. J., Van Den Bosch, F. A., Volberda, H. W. (2012). Management innovation and leadership: The moderating role of organizational size.Journal of Management Studies,49(1), 28-51. Voegtlin, C., Patzer, M., Scherer, A. G. (2012). Responsible leadership in global business: A new approach to leadership and its multi-level outcomes.Journal of Business Ethics,105(1), 1-16.

Liberia A country struggling from the effects of civil war

Table of Contents Introduction – Facts on Liberia History of the Liberian civil war Literature review Possible solutions Conclusion References Introduction – Facts on Liberia Liberia is a country located on the shores North Atlantic Ocean in West Africa. Covering an area of 43,000 sq. miles and having a population of around 3.49 million people, its capital city is Monrovia, which has a population of 1.01 million. In addition, the country’s annual economic growth rate as at 2008 was 2.1%.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Liberia: A country struggling from the effects of civil war specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Unlike most African countries, Liberia was never officially colonized; it became a republic in 1847, having been established by slaves who had been sent to the country from the US after being set free. Liberia therefore regards the United States of America as its pseudo-col onialist. There are 16 indigenous tribes in Liberia with the most dominant group being the Kpelle accounting for about 20% of the population. There are also â€Å"descendants of freed slaves that arrived in Liberia after 1820, who make up less than 5% of the population† (US Department of State, 2010). The population of Liberia is predominantly Christian (85%) with Muslims forming a sizeable percentage, 12% (US Department of State, 2010). Moreover, the official language of Liberia is English. Liberia’s mainly depends on agriculture, with rubber being its cash crop. For many years, Liberia was among the stable countries in Africa until the onset of the civil war, which ravaged the country and brought it onto its knees. The country is now trying to recover from the devastating war, with political reforms being put in place. Liberia held its first democratic elections in November 2005, with Ellen Johnson Sirleaf emerging victorious to rule the nation and become the pioneer African woman to head country democratically elected. History of the Liberian civil war Since the inception of Liberia as a republic, it has been ruled mainly by the Americo-liberians. This is despite the fact that they account for less than 5% of the population. This group created legislation, which ensured that they remain in power. They ensured that the members of indigenous communities could not be allowed to vote until 1946 when the law was repealed. However, the domination of the americo-liberians continued until â€Å"1980 when a group from the indigenous Krahn tribe, led by Samuel Doe, staged a military coup against the government† that was led by William Tolbert, an Americo-liberians (Insight on Conflict, 2010). In a surprise turn of events, Doe put to death William Tolbert and many other officials of his government who were mainly americo-liberians and aided in the formation of Peoples Redemption Council (PRC), a party of the indigenous Liberians. This party ousted the True Whig Party, which had been in leadership since the inception of the republic (US department of state).Advertising Looking for research paper on history? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More However, Doe’s subsequent rule was characterized by very cruel oppression of political opponents and general nepotism towards his ethnic tribe of Krahn. The favoritism of the Krahn tribe created ethnic tensions between them and other ethnic groups. Doe continued to rule the country until its invasion from Ivory Coast by Charles Taylor, former minister in Doe’s government. By early 1990, Taylor controlled much of Liberia but Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) prevented him from seizing Monrovia. In fact, the power struggle between Taylor and Doe created a very bloody civil war (US department of state, 2010). ECOWAS facilitated a peace agreement, which led to the formation of a five-man transition government , leading to disarmament and eventually elections on 19th July 1997 (US department of state, 2010). Charles Taylor’s National Patriotic Party worn the elections by collecting 75%; however, democracy led to increased ethnic tensions in the groups, which were loyal to the opponents of Charles Taylor. At the same time, Taylor’s support for a rebel faction involved in the Sierra Leone civil war, the Revolutionary United Front (RUF), led to regional tensions. This later led to renewed violence in Liberia. The second civil war was ignited by conflict between the Liberians for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD) group and the local community; however, the government could do little to quell the situation as a result of sanctions, a situation that accelerated the spread to the strife in the country killing dozens of citizens. This culminated in the eventual resignation of Taylor in 2003 after he had lost control of about two thirds of Liberia leading to the arrival of peacekee pers to quell the heavy fighting in the capital Monrovia. Taylor was thereafter put to trial in Sierra Leone due to his support of the RUF, which was involved in the Sierra Leone civil war (Insight on conflict, 2010). Among the root causes of the first civil war in Liberia was ethnicity between the tribes of Liberia. This problem was first cultivated by the americo-liberians who founded the state of Liberia. They denied the indigenous tribes the right to vote in elections and put in place other legislations, which generally oppressed the indigenous Liberians. This was despite the fact that they were not indigenously Liberians and accounted for a very small percentage of the total Liberian population Literature review Many different scholars have studied the civil war in Liberia and proposed different causes of the conflict. One such explanation of the Liberian civil war is the ethnic theory. The country was divided into the americo-liberians and 16 indigenous groups. The people who controlled the country both politically and economically were the americo-liberians; and each of the groups had its own institutions, cultures, and values, as well as motives.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Liberia: A country struggling from the effects of civil war specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The americo-liberians wanted total political and economic control of the country despite the fact that they formed less than 5% of the total population of the country. In addition, the americo-liberians dominated the political and economic aspects of Liberia from 1847-1980. However, they were succeeded by another ethnic community, the Krahn, which dominated the country from 1980-1999. Moreover, each of the groups that was in power tried to benefit only people from the same ethnic group (Kieh, 2008, p18). Another explanation of the causes of civil war in Liberia is known as the settler state theory. This theo ry classifies the Liberian community into two groups: the settlers and the indigenous group. The settlers, the americo-liberians, came from abroad and their main agenda was to establish domination in the country where they settled. The settlers saw themselves as superior to the indigenous group. They tried to make the indigenous group conform to their cultures and termed the cultures of the indigenous group as backward. After the indigenous groups accepted the cultures of the settlers, they formulated laws to help them acquire land and have general domination over the indigenous group. The settlers also gradually become autonomous from the mother nation, and then established systems to advance their general agenda (Kieh, 2008 p25). Both these theories have been used to explain the causes of Liberian civil war. However, these theories are not correct; one important point to note is that in both cases, the theories explain that the civil war is caused by general inequality in the Libe rian society with some groups of people being superior to others. The levels of inequalities between the americo-liberians and the indigenous communities are very high in Liberia. Indeed, the americo-liberians control a large part of the social, economic, and political spheres of the Liberian society. Possible solutions Many countries in Africa have had civil wars including Angola, Congo-Kinshasa, Congo-Brazzaville, Sierra Leone, and Ivory Coast, with Angola having had the longest civil war in Africa (Handelman, 2010). However, depending on how a country tackles the challenges posed by civil war, it may be the springboard for a nation’s path to prosperity. Many countries have emerged even stronger after being on the brink of total collapse due to civil war. For instance, the American civil war helped America to become even stronger politically and economically. Immediately after the war, measures were taken to ensure equality of blacks who were considered inferior to the whit es. This was through the enactment of various legislations by the state, with the thirteenth amendment to the constitution (1865) abolishing slavery.Advertising Looking for research paper on history? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The congress then passed legislation to ensure that the blacks had more freedom (the civil Rights Act). This gave the blacks the freedom to enter into contracts, own property and bear witness in court, as well as giving the blacks more economic and political freedom. These and other legislations allowed the states that had left the Union to come back to the union, the result of which was consolidation of peace and prosperity of the United States of America. To reduce the probabilities of occurrence of civil war the government must be able to fully tackle the underlying problems that led to the civil war so that there may be long-term prosperity. In Liberia, the greatest problem has mainly been lack of ethnic equality and fair distribution of resources. These are the main factors that led to the first and second Liberian civil wars. However, the government must first tackle the immediate problems that the country faces due to the prolonged civil war. Disarmament of the youth should b e among the priorities of the government. The government must also devise means of integrating these youths into the community to avoid recurrent violence; for instance, the youth must be taught how to coexist peacefully with other members of the community (Youth in Humanitarian Crises, 2010). The government must also create ways of rebuilding the infrastructure, which was destroyed by the war. These include transport and communication systems, electricity, and improvement in security. However, the most important measure to guarantee prosperity would be the enactment of legislation, which gives economic and political freedom to the population. This would ensure peace and therefore help in attracting foreign investors into the country, thereby helping in job creation and reduction of other problems caused by the war (Radelet, 2007, p 8). The government must also ensure that there is peace and security, in addition to revitalization of the economic activity. Primarily, the majority of Liberians are dependent on agriculture for their income, with rubber being the main cash crop. Therefore, the government should move in quickly to restore the agricultural production in the country through subsidies and other viable agricultural policies. This will not only enhance food supply in the country, but also create jobs for ex-fighters, refugees, and youth. The opening up of the economy through the reduction of barriers to trade will lead attraction of investments in manufacturing and services industries. This will create jobs for both skilled and unskilled people while at the same time enhancing exports, thereby enabling the government get the much-needed foreign exchange. Finally, the government should strengthen the governance and establish the rule of law in the country, strive to create an efficient civil service and eradicate corruption and impunity. The government should also strengthen the judiciary and parliament so that the two may act as foundation for the rule of law (Radelet, 2007, p 9). Conclusion Most third world countries have at one time of their existence either had a civil conflict or are still in a state of civil war. Therefore, civil war presents a major setback for most third world countries in achieving economic and political prosperity. These countries must therefore be able to understand the reasons of civil war in order to avoid them at any cost. Since most third world countries have had the experience of civil war at one time of their existence, how they tackle their post civil war problems determines so much about their future path to prosperity. This will also apply to Liberia, a country that is currently recovering from the pangs of civil war that had significant and adverse effect on its socio-economic and political environments. References Handelman, H. (2009). The challenge of Third World development: NJ: Prentice Hall – Pearson. Insight on conflict. (2010). Conflict Profile: Liberia. Web. Kieh, G. K. (2008). The first Liberian civil war: the crises of underdevelopment. Lang publishing. Web. Radelet, S. (2007). Reviving Economic Growth in Liberia Working Paper 133. Centre for Global Development. Web. US Department of State. (2010). Background Note: Liberia. Web. Youth in humanitarian crises. (2010). Liberian youth and post conflict transition. Web. This research paper on Liberia: A country struggling from the effects of civil war was written and submitted by user Steven M. 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.

Free Essays on Career Paper

I wish to become a counseling psychologist in the future. I have done some research on what psychologists do and I think I would like to become one. I would like to get my master’s degree so I could work under the supervision of a psychologist and may also be able to go into counseling. I don’t know where or which college I’ll enroll in to study. According to the Occupational Outlook Hand Book, 1. â€Å"Psychologists study the behavior of individuals and groups to understand and explain their actions.† They also gather information from interviews and tests, by studying people and their history and by conducting controlled experiments. There are different types of psychologists; experimental, developmental, personality, social, environmental, and physiological. They also specialize in their field further. They can chose between these specialized fields of study; clinical, counseling, educational, industrial and organizational, engineering, and consumer. Psychologists can pretty much work the hours they desire. A counseling psychologist usually works in the evening to accommodate work and school schedules of their patients. Most psychologists work in colleges and in universities as teachers or counselors. The rest of the psychologists work in hospitals, clinics, rehabilitation centers and other health clinics, although, some psychologists work for government agencies, correctional institutes, research firms or they have their private practice. A psychologist can work in communities of all different sizes. Most of them work in large areas that have colleges and universities. In order to be a psychologist one must remain emotionally stable. One also needs to have sensitivity to others and an interest their problems. One also needs to have patience, tact, and strong communication skills. During high school its good to take classes that emphasize science and social science skills. A PhD is the minimum requirement for empl... Free Essays on Career Paper Free Essays on Career Paper I wish to become a counseling psychologist in the future. I have done some research on what psychologists do and I think I would like to become one. I would like to get my master’s degree so I could work under the supervision of a psychologist and may also be able to go into counseling. I don’t know where or which college I’ll enroll in to study. According to the Occupational Outlook Hand Book, 1. â€Å"Psychologists study the behavior of individuals and groups to understand and explain their actions.† They also gather information from interviews and tests, by studying people and their history and by conducting controlled experiments. There are different types of psychologists; experimental, developmental, personality, social, environmental, and physiological. They also specialize in their field further. They can chose between these specialized fields of study; clinical, counseling, educational, industrial and organizational, engineering, and consumer. Psychologists can pretty much work the hours they desire. A counseling psychologist usually works in the evening to accommodate work and school schedules of their patients. Most psychologists work in colleges and in universities as teachers or counselors. The rest of the psychologists work in hospitals, clinics, rehabilitation centers and other health clinics, although, some psychologists work for government agencies, correctional institutes, research firms or they have their private practice. A psychologist can work in communities of all different sizes. Most of them work in large areas that have colleges and universities. In order to be a psychologist one must remain emotionally stable. One also needs to have sensitivity to others and an interest their problems. One also needs to have patience, tact, and strong communication skills. During high school its good to take classes that emphasize science and social science skills. A PhD is the minimum requirement for empl...

Laser tattoo removal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Laser tattoo removal - Essay Example Given these reasons for choosing to have tattoo, anyone can easily observe the obscurities and contradictions. That having a tattoo is a mark of stature contradicts the idea that tattoos are marks of criminals; that people have tattoos because it is a fad is opposite of anger against the society's norms. These contradictions suggest the dependence of each reason on the context one is applied to and on the prevailing societal mainstream, usually defined by the ruling class. For example, because today, tattoos have become available to people in all walks of life (criminals, included), it would be surprising to know that there was once a time when tattoos were only available to the elite and had become a fad to the royals. This started when the King of England, King Edward VII had his arm tattooed with a cross after his visit to Jerusalem in 1862 (Gilbert). In this period, tattoos are considered as status symbols. This role of tattoo does not differ greatly from its role in some primitive societies. The different ancient societies, distant from each other as they are, had similar views on tattooing. The Mayans, the Polynesians, the Samoans, Aztecs, and the Asians of the Ancient times: all considered tattoos as symbols of strength and stature in their societies. There, the leaders were the ones who usually had themselves tattooed; each design, although similar, was unique in a way that represented the story of the wearer-the wars they had participated, their losses, wins and adventures (Skin Stories: The Art and Culture of Polynesian Tattoo). Men who were to assume titles were tattooed as soon as they reach puberty, as a symbol of the start of their special roles. Those who refused were branded as cowards and would forever be outcasts in their respective societies ("Skin Stories: The Art and Culture of Polynesian Tattoo"). This was opposite to the tradition of the Japanese and Chinese. To them, a person with a tattoo was a branded criminal. A story in the Japanese history best exemplified this. It was once said that an emperor of Japan summoned a rebel and was supposed to punish him with death as he was supposed to do, given the rebel's crime. The emperor, instead, punished the rebel with a tattoo because the emperor was feeling "benevolent." It is doubtful, however that this "benevolence" was felt by the rebel, as being sentenced to a tattoo would mean being an outcast in a society and to his family as well. As it is known to all, shame and family are two concepts that were and still are very much important to the Japanese. In their culture, tattooing was a form of punishment that was only a level short of being penalized with death. This negative view of tattoos by the Japanese was influenced by the Chinese. Prior to this, the Japanese actually viewed tattoos in the same way as the Polynesians and Ma yans, being not only something that connotes one's stature but also as something that has a religious significance. This is supported by the discovery of the figures in the ancient Japanese tombs believed to be more than

Critically assess the extent and character of the impact of digital Essay

Critically assess the extent and character of the impact of digital media upon one cultural sector of your choosing - Essay Example The advancement of the internet technology as well as the world wide -web has resulted in a dynamic shift regarding the way businesses operate for effective competition in the market place. Modern technology and the World Wide Web have made it easy for organizations, both large and small, to seek clients on a global perspective. Establishment of the web presence has turned out to be a crucial factor for a consistent growth and development for many businesses. However, many companies find it a challenge in transitioning to the world of e-commerce (Alter, 2009). An effective penetration in the world of e-commerce has necessitated a formulation of an efficient solid internet marketing strategy. Business leaders today have either embraced or still figuring out on how to embrace the digital media in this dynamic business environment. This is because; the digital media can be effectively used in evaluating the level of market awareness, and uncovering new insights in business categories. Organizations have found out that consumer conversations can be analyzed through online means at both category and product level (Rindfleisch et al, 2012, 182). The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the impact of digital media on advertising. Despite the negative impact associated with the digital media, there are also positive attributes that can be related with it. For instance, digital media has enabled companies to relay information to their customers or the public faster than ever. Instead of printing inserts and waiting for local papers to announce their sales, organizations can let the international community know about the extant promotion and services through social network, mail and the internet (Alter, 2009, 11). The development of social media in marketing platforms has been increasingly used by organizations in building social signals that are very crucial in many SEO

Letter of Advice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Letter of Advice - Essay Example Good communication tips are indispensible in constructive relationships (Allen, 2002). Proper communication skills enable one in effectively conveying one’s feelings, thoughts and information that are crucial for building an interpersonal experience. It is important to note of the barriers that hinder effective communication and relationships. Most barriers in communication stem from self-protection. However, there are unavoidable circumstances, especially, if partners come from backgrounds that possess disparity (Wood, 2012). The intensity of the situation regards the level of disparity. The crucial thing for partners is that they realize these differences. In turn, they should be aware of how the same affects their communication. Individuals possess fears and insecurities that hinder one from wholly experiencing the benefits of a relationship. The light thing about these fears is that people learn about the same. This comes from the fact that partners may fear judgment from the same. Besides, they fear ridicule and appearing stupid in front of partners. This fear is coupled comes with the view that someone is sensitive of being overpowered. In this sense, fear impairs communication in notable ways. To begin with, a partner would not communicate true thoughts because one preempts what the other partner would like. This creates a situation where an individual stifles one’s emotions and thoughts. ... It articulates as a case of personal insulation. Insensitivity expresses in notable ways. For instance, it comes as a method of diverting others’ concerns. In typical instances, one would turn a mutual conversation towards oneself. It deviates from the person who engages in talking. This occurs when a partner does not have proper listening skills. In certain instances, it comes as a method of attracting attention to oneself. Besides, a partner may experience discomfort out of a conversation. A prominent scenario in such situation regards the fact that partners might not be aware of the same. Additionally, assumptions can be momentous barriers to effective communication. In such instances, information that is sent articulates in a different way for the receiver. This creates misunderstanding that hampers the whole relationship. A typical example regards utilizing signs in communication with the belief that the other partner would understand. Furthermore, labeling and judging ma kes a significant obstacle to communication. In many communication instances, a partner gains control of situations by name-calling. On the other end, judging may consist of praising. Both of the situations do not create adequate scenarios for objective interpretation and response to messages. In terms of listening, it is essential for partners to realize that the same goes beyond hearing. In this sense, partners should involve ears, hearts and minds. Partners must be ready to exert efforts in listening. The first step is mindfulness in the same. It involves full presence in communication. This involves striving to understand the other person without imposing one’s thoughts, ideas and feelings (Wood, 2012). Mindful listening involves adopting the perspective of another

Annabel Lee, Edgar Allen Poe

Annabel Lee, Edgar Allen Poe Edgar Allen Poes poem â€Å"Annabel Lee† represents the death of Annabel Lee. The poem describes the underlying love the speaker has for Annabel Lee, which began many years ago in an unnamed kingdom by the sea. In his poem, Poe makes use of a lot of poetic devices to enhance the readers understanding of his deep affection for his beloved Annabel Lee, thus making it the best poem in the world.   In this poem, the rhyming structure plays a big role. Poes main purpose for using rhythm/rhyme is to introduce a new method of expressing the speakers grief. The name Annabel Lee is an important part of the rhyming scheme throughout the poem. Poe further enhances the rhythm of the poem with alliteration in â€Å"[b]ut we loved with a love that was more than love (Poe), which emphasizes to the reader, the strong relationship between the two lovers. There is a rhyming link in â€Å"chilling† and â€Å"killing† (lines 25 and 26) which exaggerates the horror of Annabel Lees death. The poems rhyme scheme begins with an ababcb pattern but as the poem moves along, it gets more complicated, ending with the pattern lbmbnnbb in the last stanza. As the lines increase in length and number in the last stanza, its dramatic pitch also intensifies. His grievance for Annabel Lee also escalates, thus depicting Poes unconditional love for her. The final stanza has an internal rhyming sch eme, which mimics the rhythm of the waves ultimately serving as Annabel Lees sepulchre, and the speakers mental condition. The rhythm of the poem is mostly written in iambic and anapestic feet, alternating between tetrameter and trimeter. However, the word â€Å"chilling† in lines fifteen and twenty-five is used to disturb the rhythm and startle the reader by highlighting the death of the speakers loved one. Thus, Edgar Allan Poes use of rhythm is very important in understanding the essence of the speakers love for Annabel Lee. Even though â€Å"Annabel Lee† is not exactly a ballad, Poe referred to it as one because it utilizes repetition of words and phrases purposely to create a mournful effect. Edgar Allen Poe uses assonance several times in the poem by repeating the â€Å"e† sound. In the first stanza, Line 2,4 and 6 ends with sea, Lee, and me respectively. The other five stanzas also contain the repeated sound of the long â€Å"e.† Another example of assonance is from Stanza 6 â€Å"[a]nd so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side/Of my darling- my darling- my life and my bride†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Poe). Furthermore, Poe also heavily relies on alliteration, for instance â€Å"it was stronger by far than the love/Of those who were older than we- /Of many far wiser than we-.(Poe). All of these sound devices help to create more pleasing sound patterns. Line 21 uses alliteration in repeating the â€Å"h† sound suggesting the blowing of wind. Between the fifth and sixth stanzas, â€Å"Of the beautiful Annabel Lee† is repeated thrice to draw the readers attention to this line. Light and dark Throughout his poem, the use of light and dark imagery helps the reader to grasp the strong feelings of loss he continues to experience long after her passing. Invoking a dreamlike atmosphere when talking about â€Å"a kingdom by the sea† (Poe) Poe implies that the fictional kingdom is a bright land of enchantment where the speaker and Annabel Lee fell in love as children. By addressing Annabel Lee as a maiden rather than a woman, he draws images of purity and innocence to the readers mind. Dark imagery is shown in stanza two, when the winged seraphs of heaven, who are supposed to be bringers of God‘s light, become envious of the relationship between him and Annabel Lee. The wind blowing out of a â€Å"cloud† instead of just the sky infuses a sense of premonition in the dark envy of the angels. The cloud, in this case, shuts out Heaven‘s light and without light, the lovers become victims of forces beyond their control. He mourns that when she died a part of him died with her. Yet, the speaker remains in the realm of light, for he believes that his soul and Annabel Lees are one. â€Å"For the moon never beams without bringing me dreams /And the stars never rise but I feel the bright eyes† (Poe). By associating the occurrence of moonbeams with dreams and the radiance of Annabel Lee‘s eyes with star light, Poe emphasizes that even in darkness, light will prevail. The moon beams and stars also function as a tomb for Annabel Lee, shining down on him from the sepulchre of the night sky. Thus, it is apparent that the use of imagery is extremely important in bringing solace to the grieving lover. Therefore, Edgar Allen Poe has successfully conveyed to the readers his emotions about his loss through the form and style of the poem and the use of sound devices, and imagery, accordingly making it the best poem in the world. Written in a fairytale type story, Poe expresses his deep love for Annabel Lee, hence showcasing the main theme of the poem. Regardless of how old they are, the speaker feels that he can provide everything she needs because in his eyes, love is the most important characteristic. Annabel Lee remains popular as a timeless grief for the fate that comes between lovers.

The Heros - Odysseus, Jason and Aeneas :: comparison compare contrast essays

A Comparison of the Heroes, Odysseus, Jason and Aeneas    Odysseus is unique among epic heroes in that his strength comes not from inhuman powers or exceptional physical ability, but mainly from his mind.   Odysseus, regularly uses cunning, guile, and superiority of intellect to overcome obstacles.   In this paper I will compare Odysseus to other epic heroes, both in terms of character and in terms of responses to crises, comparing his reactions with those of other heroes placed in similar situations.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The first hero I will compare him to is Jason, who had a similar adventure.   His adventure was made to claim a throne that was rightfully his, just like Odysseus' adventure to get home to Ithaca and regain his throne.   They both faced many perils on the sea, and both persevered to reach the end of the journey and gain the throne.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Jason's uncle Pelias had usurped the throne of Iolchus (much as Penelope's suitors threatened to do), which Jason had a legitimate claim to.   Pelias wanted to get rid of him, but dared not to kill him outright.   So, he agreed to abdicate the throne if Jason would journey and get the golden fleece, which was at a temple in Colchis (on the Black Sea).   Pelias expected the voyage to be fatal, for it had danger at every step.   However, Jason called for and received an impressive roster of heroes to aid him on his journey.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Jason set out for, and made it safely to, Colchis.   Once there, he was received by the resident king, Aeetes.   Aeetes was used to getting visitors who had come for the fleece, and had devised a test for getting rid of them.   He had a standing challenge to give up the fleece to anyone who could tame two fire-breathing bulls and then use them to plow a field with dragon's teeth.         Ã‚  Ã‚  Jason was confounded by how to pass this trial and was saved at the last moment by Aeetes' daughter Medea, who gave him a potion of wild herbs that would protect him from the fire.   With the help, Jason easily tamed the bulls, and began to sow the field, but noticed that where he had put the teeth, soldiers were springing up from the ground.   Jason hid from them, but then came up with a plan for getting rid of

Beneatha Younger

Beneatha Younger, an important character in A Raisin In The Sun , values good people. She does not think   of herself as black, she thinks of herself as an American human. She knows George Murchison and Mama and Ruth want tem to get married. He's a black American as well, but sees absolutely no reason to honor their African heritage. George sees himself as an American first and foremost and thinks that blacks who spend a lot of time worrying about Africa are wasting their time.Unsurprisingly, Beneatha seems to not be into George at all. Then after a strange turn of events she starts to love Joeseph Asagai and wants to learn about Africa. Benetha values a great education. She is aspiring to be a doctor an is attending college. College education has helped to make her progressive, independent, and a total feminist. She brings politics into the apartment and always talks about civil rights. During this play, she fights with her identity as an African-American woman.Asagai criticizes h er, saying that she's â€Å"assimilated,† meaning that she tries to hide her African-ness by acting white. He uses her hair as an example. Asagai can't understand why she and most other black women in America straighten their hair instead of leaving it naturally curly. Unlike the rest of her family, Beneatha looks beyond her immediate situation in an effort to understand herself as a member of a greater whole. As she becomes more educated, it becomes increasingly hard for Beneatha to relate to the rest of her family.Sometimes she can be a bit condescending and seems to forget that her family members (especially her mother) all work very hard to help put her through school. However, this character flaw only serves to make her seem all the more understandable and human. Ultimately, Beneatha is a kind and generous person, who seeks to become a doctor out of a desire to help people. In conclusion, Beneatha Younger, a main character in A Raisin In The Sun values many things. She v alues good people , good education and Independence.

Meditation and The Works of Descartes essays

Meditation and The Works of Descartes essays Rene Descartes starts his First meditation with the description of false beliefs, which are common for everyone since early years. He writes that in order to build firm basis of scientific knowledge one has to doubt every uncertain belief he has. From the very beginning Descartes writes that its not rational and not objective to trust senses only, as they are likely to be false, moreover being mistaken by sensual assumptions once, it may turn into common practice. Nevertheless, under many conditions sensual perception may be correct, Descartes writes about a number of cases for which such techniques cannot be applied. Descartes writes about a number of conditions, which may influence sensual perception of surrounding world. In general the method he had developed is known as skeptical hypotheses. Descartes uses a certain number of scenarios to prove that sensual perception or empiricism may be false under a number of circumstances. For example he demonstrates how beliefs may be false if he is dreaming, if he is mad or if he is deceived by demons. He writes that in case he is mad he may believe different senseless things (for example that his own head is pumpkin). In case he is dreaming he may believe that he is sitting near a fire, but in reality there would be nothing like this. The same thing would happen if he were deceived by demons, as everything which superpowers show him would have no relation to reality. First meditation shows the premises for fundamental approach to the rational reasoning, which is essential in scientific methods. Descartes formulates his rule that nothing should be believed if it has any obvious uncertainty, in other words he concluded that its important to avoid including hasty conclusions and prejudices into ones discourses. Descartes says that only pure and firm facts, which cannot be questioned or opposed logically, should form true knowledge or reflect objective reality. Mental activ...

How to Get a Good Community Service Letter 4 Steps to Follow

How to Get a Good Community Service Letter 4 Steps to Follow SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Have you done some volunteer work or community service and want to get a letter that shows how many hours you've completed and what jobs you did? Or maybe you need a community service letter to apply for a scholarship, job, or to a particular college? Do you know who you should ask to write the letter and what it should include? Read on to learn what a community service letter is, why it’s useful, and how you can get a great one written for you. What Is a Community Service Letter and Why Would You Need One? A community service letter is a letter that explains where you did your community service, how many hours you worked, and what duties and responsibilities that work included. It may also include additional information, such as the dates you worked, if you had a specific job title, and contact information from the organization. There is no standard format for a community service letter, so what they look like and the amount of information they include can vary widely. Some letters are little more than a form with a few lines that your supervisor signs. Others are more like a standard letter of recommendation and can be several paragraphs long, explaining in detail the work you did and what your personal strengths are. What Is a Community Service Letter Used For? A community service letter provides proof that you completed volunteer work, and it also gives more information on what duties and responsibilities that work included. Having that information can be useful for multiple situations, including the following: College Applications If your community service work was particularly important for you, for example, if you spent a significant amount of time at one location, worked for an organization that is in the same field as your future career, or reference your community service work in other parts of your application, then you may want to attach a community service letter to your college application to provide proof of your volunteer service and give more information about your work. Scholarships There are many community service scholarships available, and some require a letter or proof of your community service as part of the application. Resumes If you include your community service work on your resume (which you should, many jobs count volunteer work as work experience), attaching your community service letter gives the employer more information about your work, as well as a way for them to contact the organization. Graduation Requirements Some high schools require students to complete a certain amount of community service hours before they graduate, as do some extracurricular organizations, such as certain chapters of the National Honor Society. Your community service letter provides proof that you completed those hours. Some high schools require community service in order to graduate, or to graduate with honors Now that you know what a community service letter is and when you may need one, read on to learn about the steps you should take in order to get a great letter. #1: Get Strong Community Service Experiences It may seem obvious, but the better your community service experience, the stronger your community service letter will be. They are multiple ways to get solid community service experience: Volunteer Primarily With One Organization Having a strong community service letter from one place that goes into detail about the work you did is better than having a bunch of letters that show you did a couple of hours of work, then moved on to the next organization. Sticking mostly to one location shows dedication and commitment, and it allows the people writing your letter to go more into detail about you and the work you did. Volunteering often at one place may also lead to increased responsibilities, which will strengthen your letter because it shows that you are gaining more skills and are seen as trustworthy and responsible. Get to Know Your Supervisors and the People You Work With You should make it a point to regularly make small talk with the people you’re around while volunteering. This includes supervisors, other workers, and any people you may be helping. The person writing your community service letter will always be able to write a stronger letter if they actually know you because they will be able to include more details about your personality and skills. Work at a Place You Care About While you may think that some places are â€Å"better† or more impressive to work at, what’s really most impressive to schools and employers is you showing a passion for the organization you volunteer for. Even if you have a volunteer experience that you think is very impressive, if you don’t particularly enjoy it or care about the issue much, this will show when you are asked to speak or write about it for applications or jobs. For example, if you volunteer for, say, a video game conference and put in a lot of time and got a lot of the community involved in participating, this will be more impressive because your community service letter will show that you’ve done more work, and the person writing the letter will be able to discuss your evident passion and dedication to the job. #2: Think About Who You Should Ask to Write Your Letter Who you ask to write your letter will depend on both what the letter should include as well as any restrictions the place you are sending the letter to has. Your first step should be to check with the school, scholarship, or job you’re submitting the letter to in order to see if they have requirements for who can write your letter. Your supervisor is mostly likely the person you'll ask. Many scholarships and colleges require your supervisor or another person working above you to be the person who writes your letter. Your supervisor is a great person to ask because they have a good idea of the work you've done and usually know you pretty well. However, there may be some circumstances when you don't interact with your supervisor much, for example, if they work mostly weekdays, and you volunteer on weekends. This isn't a problem if you only need a short letter that lists your duties and when you volunteered; your supervisor can still write that even if they don't know you well. If you need a more in-depth letter that describes your personality and specific examples of your work, and you don't have a close relationship with your supervisor, you may want to ask someone else to write your letter. Only do this if the person or place you are submitting your letter to allows it! If you are able to submit a letter written by someone other than your supervisor, ask a coworker or someone else you worked closely with and who knows you and the work you did well. It's personal details that separate good community service letters from great ones, so you want someone who can recount specific anecdotes and examples of your work. You may also be able to have a coworker write your letter and your supervisor sign it, verifying that the information is correct. In any case, don't just choose your best friend at community service to write your letter. You want someone who can write professionally about the work you did and explain clearly why you are a strong worker. It will most likely be your supervisor or boss who writes your community service letter #3: Ask Them! Once you have decided who you want to write your community service letter, the next step is to ask. If all you need is a short form filled out, this will not be a big deal, and your supervisor may be able to complete it right then and there. However, if you need a longer, more detailed letter, you will want to give the person writing your letter enough time to complete it, so try to ask them early. At least a month before the letter is due is ideal. You should ask for a letter in person. It's more personal and mature, and it gives you an easy way to set up a follow-up meeting (see the next section). As for what exactly you should say, there are a lot of ways to ask. One example is: "I've really enjoyed doing community service work here and learning new skills and meeting new people. I'm applying to a scholarship/job/college and need to submit a reference letter from my community service, and I'd be flattered if you would be willing to write me a strong letter." After you've asked, make sure you also give the person writing your letter all the information they need to submit a great letter on time. If there are any specific instructions they need to follow, make sure they have them. Also, make sure they know when the letter needs to be completed. If they will be sending the letter themselves, remember to provide them with the proper mailing address or e-mail address. Want to provide a strong recommendation for your employee, but don't have the time to craft the perfect letter? PrepScholar's new recommendation tool, SimpleRec, takes you from good intentions and a blank page to a fully written and formatted letter of recommendation in under 5 minutes. All you need to do is give us some simple pieces of information about your employee and your experience working with them, and we'll do the rest. Try out SimpleRec risk-free today: #4: Discuss What You'd Like to Be Included in Your Letter As mentioned previously, community service letters can vary widely in length, content, and format. After you ask your supervisor or coworker to write you a letter and they agree, ask to set up a time to discuss what information you would like the letter to include. You may only need them to state the number of hours you completed and list what your duties were. However, if you’re using this letter as a way to give an employer or school more details about your personality and strengths, you will want the letter to include more. Talk to the person writing your letter about what you’d like them to write about. Sample ideas include: Details of any major projects you worked on. Specific examples of you going above and beyond expectations. Specific examples of you working well with others. Particular work you did that you’d like to be emphasized (for example if having those skills or experiences will be useful for a future job or class). Final Things to Remember Before you ask for a community service letter, remember to think about what information you’d like the letter to include, and how in-depth you’d like it to be. After you receive your letter, double-check it to make sure all the information is correct, including the number of hours you worked and when you worked them. Many organizations have multiple volunteers working for them, and it can be easy for information to get mixed-up. Send your supervisor or co-worker a thank you note after they complete your letter. Make copies of the letters you receive so that you can use them for multiple college, scholarship, or job applications if you need to. What's Next? Are you applying to a community service scholarship? Many of these scholarships are quite competitive; fortunately, we have a guide that gives you all the tips you need to maximize your chances of winning these scholarships. Do you need other letters of recommendation? Read our complete guide on how to ask for a letter of recommendation to ensure you get the strongest letters possible. Do you need to write an essay about your community service as well, whether for a scholarship or graduation requirement? We have a guide that gives step-by-step instructions on how to write a great community service essay. 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: