Boxing vs. MMA

Researching the Civil War Soldiers in Your Family Tree

Researching the Civil War Soldiers in Your Family Tree The American Civil War, fought from 1861-1865, affected nearly every man, woman, and child living in the United States. Almost 3.5 million soldiers are believed to have been involved, with around 360,000 Union soldiers and 260,000 Confederate soldiers losing their lives as a direct result of the war. Given the dramatic impact of this conflict, if your ancestors lived in the United States during this time, it is likely that youll find at least one Civil War soldier in your family tree. Locating a Civil War ancestor, whether it is a direct ancestor or a collateral relative, can provide another source of information on your family tree. Civil War pension files, for example, contain statements of family relationships, dates and places of marriage, and lists of various places the soldier lived after the war. Muster-in rolls often contain places of birth, as do descriptive rolls. Before You Begin the soldiers namewhether he served for the Union or Confederate armythe state from which the soldier served In Which Unit Did Your Soldier Serve? Once youve determined the state from which your Civil War ancestor likely served, the next helpful step is to learn which company and regiment to which he was assigned. If your ancestor was a Union soldier, he may have been part of the U.S. Regulars, a unit of the United States Army. More likely he was a member of a volunteer regiment raised by his home state, such as the 11th Virginia Volunteers or the 4th Maine Volunteer Infantry. If your Civil War ancestor was an artilleryman, you may find him in a battery unit such as Battery B, 1st Pennsylvania Light Artillery or Battery A, 1st North Carolina Artillery, also called Manlys Battery. African-American soldiers served in regiments ending with U.S.C.T. which stands for United States Colored Troops. These regiments also had Caucasian officers. While infantry regiments were the most common type of service unit of the Civil War, there were many other branches of service on both sides - Union and Confederate. Your Civil War ancestor may have been in a heavy artillery regiment, cavalry, engineers or even the navy. There are many ways to learn the regiment in which your ancestor served. Begin at home, by asking your parents, grandparents and other relatives. Check photo albums and other old family records as well. If you know where the solider is buried, his tombstone may list his state and unit number. If you know the county where the soldier lived when he enlisted, then county histories or other county resources should provide details of the units formed in the area. Neighbors and family members often enlisted together, which may provide further clues. Even if you only know the state in which your Civil War ancestor served, most states compiled and published a list of the soldiers in each unit from that state. These can often be found at a libraries with a local history or genealogical collection. Some lists have also been partially published online. There are also two country-wide published series that list the soldiers who served in the Union or Confederate armies during the war, along with their regiments: The Roster of Union Soldiers, 1861-1865 (Wilmington, NC: Broadfoot Publishing) - A 33-volume set that lists all of the men who served in the Union armies by state, regiment and company.The Roster of Confederate Soldiers, 1861-1865 - A 16-volume set that lists all of the individuals who served in the southern armies during the war, by state and organization. Civil War Soldiers Sailors System (CWSS) sponsored by the National Park Service. The system features an on-line database of names of soldiers, sailors, and United States Colored Troops who served in the Civil War based on records at the National Archives. The subscription-based U.S. Civil War Soldier Records and Profiles collection at Ancestry.com and the American Civil War Research Database are other excellent resources for online Civil War research. They will cost you, but both generally offer further details than the CWSS database. If your ancestor has a common name, however, it may be difficult to distinguish him in these lists until you have identified his location and regiment. are other excellent resources for online Civil War research. They will cost you, but both generally offer further details than the CWSS database. If your ancestor has a common name, however, it may be difficult to distinguish him in these lists until you have identified his location and regiment. Once youve determined your Civil War soldiers name, state and regiment, its time to turn to service records and pension records, the meat of Civil War research. Compiled Military Service Records (CMSR) Whether fighting for the Union or the Confederacy, each volunteer soldier who served in the Civil War will have a Compiled Military Service Record for each regiment in which he served. The majority of Civil War soldiers served in volunteer regiments, distinguishing them from individuals serving in the regular U.S. Army. The CMSR contains basic information about the soldiers military career, when and where he enlisted, when he was present or absent from camp, amount of bounty paid, how long he served, and when and where he was discharged, or died. Additional detail, when pertinent, may also be included, including information on hospitalization for injury or illness, capture as a prisoner of war, courts martial, etc. The CMSR is an envelope (called a jacket) containing one or more cards. Each card contains information compiled several years after the Civil War from original muster rolls and other records that survived the war. This includes Confederate records captured by the Union armies. How to Obtain Copies of Compiled Military Service Records Online from Fold3.com – Fold3.com, in collaboration with the National Archives, has digitized CMSRs from most states, both Confederate and Union, and put them online where they can be viewed and downloaded for a fee. CMSRs are currently available for most, but not all states at Fold3.com.Order Online from the National Archives – You can order Civil War Service records from the National Archives online or by mail for a fee. To use this service, you will need the soldiers name, regiment, state and allegiance. If you prefer to order a copy by mail, you will need to download and use NATF Form 86. Civil War Pension Records Most Union Civil War soldiers, or their widows or other dependents, applied for a pension from the U.S. federal government. The biggest exception were unmarried soldiers who died during or soon after the war. Confederate pensions, on the other hand, were generally only available for disabled or indigent soldiers, and sometimes their dependents. Union Civil War Pension Records are available from the National Archives. Indexes to these Union pension records are available online by subscription at Fold3.com and Ancestry.com (subscription links). Copies of the full Union Pension File (often containing dozens of pages) and be ordered online or by mail from the National Archives. Confederate Civil War Pension Records can generally be found in the appropriate State Archives or equivalent agency. Some states have also put indexes to or even digitized copies of their Confederate pension records online.Confederate Pension Records – A State by State Guide

How has supply chain impacted Food security Assignment

How has supply chain impacted Food security - Assignment Example Moreover, drastic climate changes have become common due to the rising global warming. To ensure food security, it is necessary that innovations be made in the food production, storage and distribution processes. Resources need to be utilized effectively and in constrained manner to determine the boundaries of future food production environment. Improving food security is also necessary for economic development of nations since hungry workers cannot be productive. Almost 75 percent of global population lives in rural areas and are dependant on agriculture. Enhanced food security can help them fight poverty and make them resilient so that they can participate in economic activities. Global food crisis leads to rising food price, and in recent years food price inflation has sparked political demonstrations in many countries leading to national and regional instabilities (Sustainable economic development, 2011, p.3). Shortage of food and difficulty in distribution process are common ele ments in many countries especially in the developing countries. This leads to chronic hunger among a large proportion of global population resulting in malnutrition, higher infant mortality rates and premature deaths due to failure of vital body organs. That growing commodity prices have become a matter of grave concern has been accepted by the United Nations through its warning that there is paucity of funds to curb global malnutrition in this â€Å"new face of hunger† (Borger, 2008). The head of UN’s World Food Programme (WFP), Josette Sheeran has expressed concern that an extra half billion dollars is needed to bring the situation under control. The major causes that have been recognized are huge disparities of income between developed and developing countries, usage of land for production of biofuel, drastic climate changes etc (Borger, 2008). The first part of this paper focuses on food security systems of five nations, and the second part discusses the impact of supply chain on food security programs. Section I Food Security According to the World Food Summit of 1996, food security is â€Å"when all people at all times have access to sufficient, safe, nutritious food to maintain a healthy and active life† (WHO, 2013). In other words, food security ensures that nutritious food is affordable and easily accessible to all sections of the world population to satisfy both their dietary requirements and food preferences. In reality, malnutrition and diarrhea have become common food related problems in most countries. Food security is essentially based on three pillars which are availability, accessibility and nutrition. This means food must be consistently available at reasonable prices to all people, there should be sufficient resources for all people so that they can access all food items, and there should be knowledge and awareness about proper nutrition and care (World Bank[1], 2009, p.14). Global experiences and events Persistent incre ase of food prices every year all over the world is a major contributory factor for global food crisis. UN’s WFP is assisted by voluntary contributions and it provides basic food items to 78 million people in 73 countries which is not even one-tenth of the total malnourished population of the world. In 2008, WFP’s budget was ?1.5 bn which was not even sufficient for maintaining existing food supplies because of rapid

Perspectives of Early Psychology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Perspectives of Early Psychology - Essay Example Behaviorists, recently discounted as questionable, do not account for the inner workings of the mind, as behaviorists believe that they are beyond the realm of understanding. Cognitive theorists, however, look deeper into the mind to attempt to discover the reasoning behind our actions. Cognitive theory had its basis in the Gestalt psychology of Wertheimer, Khler, and Koffka (Hufnus, n.d.). However, Cognitive theory diverges from Gestalt in that it promotes the idea that solutions to problems are much like formulas. Gestalt views the whole problem. Cognitive sees the independent parts. The Cognitive process goes through a series of steps that are not consciously understood by the subject. In this way Gestalt and Cognitive are similar. It is somewhat like having an automobile. Gestalt knows we can get from point A to point B by operating the car. However, Cognitive looks inside the workings of the car to determine how it goes from point A to point B. Both Gestalt and Cognitive rely on the study of the mind, but Cognitive attempts to look deeper and more scientifically into the thought process. Sociocultural psychology is a relatively recent entry in the realm of psychology, though may have the greater influence on our understanding of behavior and pro

Smart Form Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Smart Form - Assignment Example The current approach of using a combined qualitative and quantitative research methodology is not capturing the most elusive aspects of offender’s motivations, their own attitudes. Previous studies indicate that female offenders choose to relapse for associative and belongingness needs while men continually seek to assert dominance and defiance through drug abuse (Pelissier, Jones, 2005). The methodology needs to include an attitudinal scaling component that captures how the women offenders perceive the trigger events and conditions that lead to relapse. Evaluate the weaknesses of your project at this time. Indicate areas to be improved before starting your project and areas that cannot be improved. Give reasons for not redesigning to address any of the limitations identified. The ideal evaluation methodology consists of the use of experimental designs, quasi-experimental, and qualitative evaluations. Because of time constraints in the completion of the change project, this was not feasible. Data was extracted from one organization, and therefore it may be hard to generalize the success of the change project. Also, there was not an adequate sample of participants in the relapse prevention workshops. Other agencies with varying client populations, and mandatory versus voluntary participation could have been included. According to Babbie (2007), the problem of internal validity refers to the possibility that the conclusions drawn from experimental results may not accurately reflect what has gone on in the experiment itself. Sojourners’ Place currently houses 10 women residents, with the remaining beds going to men. There are approximately 50 beds in total at the facility. Data analysis occurs after the completion of data collection. It will be analyzed both quantitatively and qualitatively. Quantitative data will include the use of inferential statistics or descriptive statistics while the qualitative data will be analyzed using an inductive

Impact of Performance Appraisal System on Employee

Impact of Performance Appraisal System on Employee Research Background The proposal for this research is regarding investigating the impact of existing performance appraisal on the development of employees system in LT. Every company follows a method of performance evaluation. Performance appraisal process and evaluation is conducted with an aim to understand the level to which the employees of the company have achieved their targets. Performance appraisal is a periodical process whereby the supervisor observes his subordinate and reports his conclusions regarding the performance level at the end of each period. The superiors retrospect and make it a point that the employees are evaluated suitably. There are various kinds of performance appraisal method. Companies follow various kinds of appraisal methods like 360 degree feedback system, MBO, BARS, Critical incidence methods etc. Performance appraisal in every sense caters to the companys competitive advantage. The performance evaluation system helps the company retain its efficient employees; help the company to find out the areas were training needs to be provided; the company can also ensure that a common value system if followed. Thus aiding in complete development of the employees. Performance evaluation process will help the employees do an evaluation of themselves and work for improvements if any. This will ultimately lead to the development of the organization (Bratton and Gold, 1994).Thus every company tries to investigate the level to which its employees have achieved their targets and if not what are the measures to be taken for their performance improvement. LT follows the MBO model of performance appraisal in the company. MBO means management by objectives, in this kind of an appraisal process the superior and employee agree upon certain objectives. These objectives will be based on the overall target of the company. In this kind of an appraisal process the employees know beforehand as to what they need to achieve in the particular period of time. In LT since they follow this method the employees are aware of what is expected of them. In order bring specificity and quality to the process they performed the evaluation process based on SMART, which expands as specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time linked. Larsen Toubro- Company Description LT is one of the largest construction companies in India. ECC is the Engineering Construction and Contracts Division which is a reputed construction division of LT which has to its credit some of the monumental and modern buildings and constructions in India. The company not merely does the construction of buildings but also industrial structures, Flyovers and many more other large-scale construction works in India and abroad. The company carries out various projects that use high end technology and expertise. The company has various divisions around the country i.e. almost 7 offices regionally and nearly 250 work sites. Apart from Construction LT has various other businesses also, like the LT Infotech and insurance. Under ECC division the company has various strategic business units like the transportation infrastructure, Industrial projects and utilities, buildings and factories etc. The company employs a large number of people at managerial and non managerial level. Thus the company needs to have a well defined performance appraisal system. The company thus follows MBO method to evaluate it employees. The company has a well defined Human Resource Policy and system which enables the employees to work efficiently and effectively. Rationale for the research topic The topic Investigating the impact of existing performance appraisal system on employee development of Larsen Toubro, ECC division was chosen with an aim to identify the performance appraisal process followed in one of the largest construction companies in India. The research would help in analyzing the various performance appraisal problems in company like biasing etc. The study will also lead to analyzing the effectiveness of the performance appraisal process in identifying and bringing out the core competencies and role clarity in the employee. The research is meant to finally give recommendations and insights for the betterment of the performance evaluation in the company. Literature Review Armstrong in 2006 proposed that performance appraisal can be considered as an instrument to measure and utilize the technical skills and knowledge of employees in a better way as well as to equip them for facing the future challenges and goals. Performance appraisal can also be regarded as a method to obtain feedback about the performance effectiveness of employees in an organization (SzilagyiWallace 1990). A survey conducted by the CIPD (Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development) revealed that in the year 2005 almost 65% of organizations conducted annual appraisal for their employees. The companies which conducted appraisal twice a year accounted to 27%. From this it becomes clear that almost all organizations in the world now realize the importance of appraisal system. Employees are considered as valuable assets by present day organizations since the scarcity of skilled labor is high. Companies try all ways to retain their skilled employees and an effective performance appraisal system helps to keep track on the KSA (Knowledge, Skills and Abilities) of employees (Amstrong and Baron, 2004). The companies now recognize the fact that only high performing employees could help it to achieve it short-term and long-term objectives (Michlitsch ,2000). Edmonstone in 1996 stated that there exists many purposes for performance appraisal. This may include improving the communication between the superiors and employees with the help of feedback mechanism. This way it helps in building the rapport between the members of organization. Another purpose is that it helps to find out whether the employee lacks any skills and identify areas where he/she needs training. The standards kept for performance by the companies helps to identify those employees who need to be appraised and those who should be demoted. Public and private sector companies follow different methods of appraisal that suits their organization structure. But Boice Kleiner (1997) proposed that all successful appraisal methods have similar characteristics. But its difficult to measure performance in certain organizations and they face the difficulty of implementing an effective performance appraisal method. Marsden in 1999 explained that any appraisal system that cannot constantly measure job performance of employees cannot be regarded as effective. There are several methods of appraisal followed by organizations. The most common methods include 360 degree feedback, Behaviorally Anchored Rating Scale (BARS), Management by Objectives (MBO), Balanced Score Card etc (Bohlander Snell 1998) The importance of communication in performance appraisal system was explained by OReilly and Anderson, (2006). They said that there should be an open communication between the employee and the superior. More they interact better would be the appraisal system. The manager could explain about the actual performance of employee and the expected performance. The method followed by LT is also based on communication. Appraisal method in LT, Chennai Larsen Toubro has adopted the method of MBO (Management by Objectives). This method was first introduced by Peter Drucker in 1954. In this method, the superior and subordinate conducts a meeting in which they jointly sets the objectives of the employee for the next appraisal period (Bohlander Snell 1998). The employee performance is evaluated on the basis on these pre-determined objectives. These objectives will be usually amount of sales, quantity of production etc. The organizational objectives are attained in this method with the help of a cyclical process. In this the management initially sets the objectives of organization followed by departmental objectives and finally individual goals. All these goals will be interconnected in such a way that fulfilling one of them will positively affect the other. Caroll and Tosi explained that MBO must fit into the philosophical framework of an organization. This is due to the reason that the management attitude and MBO must go hand in hand. Merely giving support to MBO through words is not sufficient. Lussier in 2008 explained about the possible reasons for the failure of MBO. A major reason behind the failure of MBO method is many companies is absence of commitment and follow-up from the management. Another reason is that management fails to convince employees that they are also an integral part of the decision making process. Employees feel that all major decisions and goal-setting have been done by the management without consulting them. When this happens, the employees will be less committed to work for the management and meet the objectives. The autonomous and dynamic involvement of employees can be considered as the most significant contribution of MBO to the communication mechanism within the company (Roodman Roodman 1973). Singla (2009) has explained the features of MBO method. All the activities included in this method are aimed at achieving the goals. The individual, departmental and organizational objectives are interconnected. Organization is considered as a dynamic entity in this method. MBO compares the resources available with objectives and makes the best match. This method is rather a philosophy or idea than a technique. MBO emphasizes on performance review and appraisal. The employees are given more autonomy in this method. Outcomes are given more weightage than the job. These features make the method of MBO unique from other methods of performance appraisal. Research Question One of the relevant questions that can be put forward in this context would be; what is the impact of performance appraisal system on employee development? Certain other kinds of questions that can be asked as per the topic are the following: Does the appraisal system aid in the performance improvement of the employee through proper training methods? Does the appraisal process bring about a positive relationship between the employees and the superiors? Is the appraisal process (MBO) followed in the company effective in utilizing the employs core competences for the betterment of the organization? Does the appraisal process clearly define the roles of the employees? Research Objectives General objective To investigate the impact of existing performance appraisal system on employee development. Specific objectives To study the effect of performance appraisal system on employee potential with respect to core competency. To evaluate the issues related to the performance appraisal process in the company. Methodology 7.1 Research design design adopted The research design includes the whole process of data analysis and study. This study follows a diagnostic research design where in the researcher identifies a problem related to the topic in the company. After diagnosing the problem the researcher goes on for an evaluation and ultimately finds a solution for the problem. The research design involves data collection through various means, after which the collected data is analyzed. The analysis will lead to giving solutions to the problem. The solutions obtained are recorded in the research as the result of the study. 7.2 Data Collection Methods (a) Sampling methods Sample is taken from the population of employees in LT ECC. The sampling method that can be followed in this research work is simple random sampling. In this kind of probability sampling every person in the population has an equal chance of being chosen for the study. The employees who are involved in the performance evaluation process are taken for the study. (b) Size of the sample The sample size chosen for the study will be 100. The data collection is done with the help of these 100 individuals chosen through simple random sampling. (c) Sampling Technique Sampling technique is the means by which the researcher chooses his respondents. Every research or study has a planned sampling process wherein the researcher clearly identifies the sample individuals for his study. The samples chosen depend upon the topic of the study because the respondents play a crucial role in formulating a result for the topic as they are asked to respond to the researchers questions through questionnaires etc. In this research the respondents will include both the managerial level employees and also the non managerial employees, as both the groups are involved in performance appraisal process. Questionnaire Questionnaire is a structured form of data collection used in any research. The researcher includes all the important questions regarding the topic in the questionnaire. The respondents chosen using the sampling method are identified and given the questionnaire for response. The respondents will respond to the questions in the questionnaire which will help the researcher gain an idea about the problems in the company. In this research at LT the researcher will be including questions related to the performance appraisal process and issues in the company, also the questions regarding employee development. The researcher can use this data for the purpose of drawing results for the problems identified. Interview The researcher may at times find it apt to collect data by interviewing the respondent. In such situations interview will be more useful compared to questionnaire. In case of this study the researcher can ask direct questions related to the performance appraisal method followed in the company. Interview method will give more precise answers as the interviewer can ask many questions on performance appraisal and also employee development compared to the questionnaire. The interviewer can ask questions related to the particular core competency of the employee. Interview can also include many suggestion questions as to what changes the employees would like to have in the process followed in the company. Telephonic interview can be done in this research. Data Analysis A research cannot be concluded with the help of a rough data. For a researcher to obtain the right kind of result for his study the researcher needs to formulate a method to analyze the data in the most suitable way. Thus data analysis part of the research is essential in the sense that it converts the raw data into a form that can be well understood. Data analysis in this study is done using SPSS which is a tool for data management. Data analysis refers to that stage in research process in which different statistical techniques are applied. One should have a clear understanding of statistical thinking behind a data analysing technique in order to explain it in detail (Ader, Mellenberg Hand(2008). Resource Requirements The resources for the study need to be obtained from the library and also the internet. The relevant information on the topic can be collected using primary and secondary means. Resources of other forms include printed materials like magazines of the company and also other reports and journals, websites are also an important means or source of data collection. The researcher can obtain primary data by means of structured questionnaires and telephonic interviews. These resources will help the researcher in his research as they provide the base for the researcher to work upon.

Raising the Minimum Wage for the Lower Class Is Actually Good for the E

Do a search online about raising the minimum wage and you will see any number of articles, and essays detailing why it shouldn’t be done. As detailed or as long winded as these articles are, they all have one central argument, and that is; if we raise the wages of the lower class, than the providers of goods and services will have to raise their prices, which in turn makes everything go up. To this I say bah humbug. It is asinine to think that a company such as Wal-mart whose CEO makes an annual salary of $20.7 million would have to raise prices along with employee salaries in order to make any substantial profit margin. This is simply not true, especially when you consider that the average Wal-mart employee only makes close to $9.00 an hour, and it’s not just Wal-mart, but other consumer based companies, such as Target, and TJ MAXX. The CEOs of these companies make ridiculously high salaries while not even paying their workforce enough to live on. The question is why. The reason is simple. It’s greed. The more a CEO makes the more they want to make. The economy is no longer about providing a good or service for the population at large, but about amassing as much wealth as possible, and you’re stupid if you think you have the same opportunities to obtain wealth as those Wal-mart and Target CEOs. The truth is the deck is stacked against you, and it keeps getting worse as the world moves along its orbit. The economy has become based largely on the trading and selling of commodities, and the worker has become a cheap disposable commodity, to be used up by megalomaniacs who sit atop cash mountains, casting down crumbs as they see fit. The collective bargaining rights of the worker are disappearing at alarming rates. Data from the... ...some sort of nanny state to make everyone dependent upon the Socialist government. The hard truth is the majority of people on these programs work full-time jobs, and aren’t the only ones in their households doing so. To reiterate the point being made a higher wage means less people on welfare, and it frees up tax money that could be used for other things, or it could go back into the pockets of the American worker. Many would read this and call me a Socialist, and if offering an argument in favor of the rights of workers makes me a Socialist then so be it. The blogs and articles and essays, some written by economists with advanced degrees, people academically more capable than I am, will continue to deride the raising of wages for the low class worker, or the need for regulation to be put in place. I’m just stating that they’re wrong, and that this essay proves it.

Inside Job Movie Review Essay

â€Å"Earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s needs, but not every man’s greed,† said Mahatma Gandhi and this is somewhat the crux of this movie. Inside Job is directed by Charles Ferguson, and it highlights the reasons and the consequences of the global financial crisis of 2008. This movie is basically related to recession that was caused by the inefficiency of the industry and the unfavourable banking practices. The director has conducted several interviews and has exposed some hidden realities. The movie clearly shows that this crisis was not accidental, and that there were many people, including regulators, politicians, businessmen, who were actively involved in this destruction. These people and large financial institutions knew what they were doing was not right, but everyone’s focus was on self-interests as, at the end of the day, it’s all about making money. This documentary is divided into five parts. These include how we got here, the bubble, the crisis, accountability, and where we are now. Being a student, I would focus on the first three parts in my review. According to this movie, a few financial institutions have a direct link with the crisis. These include investment banks, insurance companies, rating agencies, etc. Main investment banks were Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Lehman Brothers, Merrill Lynch, and Bear Stearns. The important insurance companies included AIG, MBIA, and AMBAC. Moody’s, Standards & Poor’s, and Fitch were the rating agencies. Other financial institutions that played an important role were Citigroup, and JP Morgan. The main problem started when the deregulation period began which lead to saving & loan crisis, ultimately resulting in a few ‘big firms’ who all together disturbed the whole financial system. The housing industry was at its peak when this all started. The standard of living, environment, the overall economy and everything else in well-established and developed countries was running smooth but this financial crisis destabilized even these nations. Deregulation began and many banks were privatized and given freehand, which affected the economy. As a result, in countries like Iceland, small banks operating locally borrowed excessive amounts of money, that were even more than Iceland’s entire economy. First deregulation was related to savings & loans, allowing risky investments that ultimately failed and cost people their savings. This deregulation continued with changing administrations and the large firms kept on growing. A few mergers took place that promoted the concept of investing consumers’ savings in risky investments. Next, there was a massive increase in internet stocks creating a huge bubble. Along with this, corruption in Wall Street was increasing and money laundering was becoming common. Money laundering is basically hiding the illegal means of earning money. With new technology and hi-tech businesses, use of derivatives was increasing which made markets unstable. These were traded in unregulated markets that are in OTC (Over the Counter) markets. The regulators and other concerned parties did not take the threats of these financial innovations seriously. A new concept of Securitization Food Chain had emerged which linked loans and investors all over the world. The old phenomenon only involved mortgages between the home buyers and the lenders. But in new system lenders further sell the mortgages to investment banks. These banks combine different mortgages to create derivatives and then these derivatives are converted into Collateralized Debt Obligations and sold to investors. These CDOs are bought as they have high interest rates and they are just a piece of paper. So if the home buyer defaults, the bank that currently holds CDO will face a loss. Another problem was Sub-prime mortgages. Everyone was given a loan without considering its repayment that whether the person is capable of repaying or not. The focus was on commission and profits. The more CDOs they sell the more profit or bonus they receive. As there was no regulatory intermediary so no one cared that this practice was wrong and can be dangerous. Every person asking for loan was treated equally and was given the loan. So basically these were the riskiest loans and investments made. Along with this the rating agencies were paid heavy amounts by investment banks in order to get the CDOs highly rated and this was the main problem actually. Everyone was satisfied that it is highly rated so it is safe. Other banks kept on purchasing these CDOs due to this reason. All this lead to huge mortgages all around and therefore housing prices increased dramatically creating a bubble. According to experts this was not real money it was just being created by the system. Leverage ratios were increasing. It is the ratio of bank’s borrowed money and its own money. As borrowings were far more than their own money that is why leverage ratios were high and asset base was decreasing dramatically. AIG, an insurance company was selling huge amounts of derivatives for CDO owners. It was an insurance policy that if CDO goes wrong AIG will pay the loss to the investors. AIG did this because it was so sure that nothing can go wrong as almost all CDOs are rated AAA and along with this it will get premium from the investors. But AIG’s anticipation was wrong, when all CDOs went bad it faced losses. AIG also involved speculators which resulted in even large losses. People were unable to pay back their loans and therefore the whole system collapsed and so did AIG. Many banks went bankrupted and the entire financial system failed. The main reason was that more and more profits were being earned, at first, with very less risk. All this could never have happened if the rating agencies were honest and transparent. Several warnings were given but no actions were taken. Securitization food chain had imploded and lenders could no longer sell their loans to investment banks. Markets for CDOs collapsed leaving banks with huge loans. Banks and many other large firms were facing bankruptcy and investment industry was sinking fast. Some banks were acquired by other large and stable banks. As there was a financial crisis so taxes were increased. On the other hand, unemployment increased dramatically as recession accelerated globally. Chinese manufacturers saw huge decrease in sales and over ten million people lose their jobs in China. The poorer had to pay the most. Companies went for downsizing, standards of living decreased and poverty increased. This is how the problems arose and lead to a global financial crisis of 2000s. A group of companies that should have been working in peoples’ interest filled their own pockets instead and consequently lead the world to disasters.

The Best Way to Write a Creative Brief (Includes Templates)

The Best Way to Write a Creative Brief (Includes Templates) Marketing projects can sometimes be a challenge to get off the ground. Everyone has a different vision for what the campaign should be, what the creative will look like and what the objectives are. Not doing your prep work on the front-end can mean you might go too far down the wrong path, which means†¦ Wasted time†¦ Lost money†¦ And disgruntled clients. So what’s a marketer to do? Create a clear creative brief before the work begins, of course. If this leaves you scratching your head, have no fear. You’ll find everything you need in this post, including how to create an effective creative brief, nine examples to model after, and free templates to get your project off the ground. Three Creative Brief Templates + Your Projects = Success Start off by downloading our free creative brief templates. This kit includes three different templates you can use to write effective creative briefs the easy way (in Word, Excel, and Powerpoint format). Grab ’em free below. Then, keep reading to learn how to use them effectively.Why You Need a Creative Brief A creative brief helps clarify expectations between your team and the project’s stakeholders. Not having one increases the likelihood of missed deadlines and means a heck of a lot more time wasted on making sure everyone is on the right track. The creative brief serves as the documentation for the project’s objectives and how you’re going to achieve success- the â€Å"what† and â€Å"how†, essentially. Marketing teams need to focus carefully on ROI to prove our worth. Creativity is often overlooked in this equation. As evidenced by the thrown together creative briefs copied and pasted from old campaigns. Doesn’t it seem odd that you’re willing to spending a bunch of money on a project, but not spend more than 5 minutes making sure your project is set up for success? Reason 1: Define the Scope and Help Avoid Scope-creep The creative brief says a lot about what the project is, but it also provides insight into what the project isn’t. For example, let’s say your creative brief outlines a project to redesign your website’s blog.   The scope of this project is clear- you’re not setting out to re-design any other area of the site. This avoids what we call scope-creep. Scope-creep can be compared to the â€Å"might as-wells†. â€Å"If we’re redesigning the blog, we ‘might as-well’ redesign the about us pages, too.† This can be especially difficult if your project is on behalf of a client. You, as the Project Manager, need to make hard decisions about whether you need to adjust the cost and risk the client getting upset, or eat the cost and hurt your profitability. Your creative brief can help you avoid this conundrum. Collaborating with your client or team at the beginning helps prevent misunderstandings about deliverables and gives you a document to reference if scope-creep arises. Reason 2: Clarify the Project’s Timeline Most projects have a definitive delivery date, so it’s a good idea to include a timeline in your creative brief. Marketing teams juggle multiple projects at once, which means it can be a challenge for individuals to manage everything on their plate. It’s important for Marketing Managers to value their team member’s opinions regarding realistic timelines and workloads. Gain input while formulating the creative brief or use something like ’s Team Management Dashboard to make sure timelines are realistic. Use ’s Team Management Dashboard to Set Realistic Timelines There’s nothing more frustrating as a Marketing Manager than (unsuccessfully) trying to stay on top of what everyone on your team is working on. Our Team Management Dashboard replaces lengthy meetings and email chains required to chase down updates. Use the dashboard when outlining your creative brief to visualize realistic timelines based on everyone’s *actual* workload. Need to re-prioritize? No Sweat. Simply reshuffle workloads with the drag and drop functionality. Everyone will be able to see their updated tasks in real-time. Sayonara, spreadsheets. What Can the Team Management Dashboard Do For Your Team? What to see how the Team Management Dashboard can get your team organized and never miss a deadline? Schedule a demo with our team to find out more. Reason 3: Mitigate Confusion and Answer Questions Have you ever been pulled into a project and felt confused about the who, what, where, when, and why? Or maybe those questions have lingered in your mind throughout the duration of the project? (Let’s be honest, we’ve all been a part of a marketing project that has felt a little half-baked.) The process of writing the creative brief itself helps you work through strategic questions that may otherwise go unanswered. Likewise, everyone involved in the project will have a clear idea of what’s going on and can understand the project’s reason for existence. Which makes your job as the de facto Project Manager a lot easier. Questions about timeline? Check out the creative brief. Questions about target audience? Creative brief. Questions about process? You guessed it... creative brief. BOOM. You’ve just saved some time by not having to re-answer the same questions over and over again. Elements of a Great Creative Brief Creative briefs can vary slightly in what they actually contain. Some opt for more information; others are more condensed. Here’s a running list of items you may consider including in your brief. Project Summary Describe the project in one or two sentences. Boil it down to the basics. This gives everyone who might come into the project (at any point in time) a high-level understanding of what the project is. It also makes it easier to iterate on the project down the road. â€Å"E-commerce research project intended to attract small business owners wanting to launch their own e-shop.† Target audience Outline who you’re trying to reach with the campaign. This can be simply a certain user persona or it can be a demographic outline. This is important as it gives the project member an idea of who they’re talking to/ designing for. â€Å"Small business owners and ‘makers’ that are currently selling on Etsy, farmer’s markets, etc.† Problem What problem is the project trying to solve? Why do you need to do *this* project? This narrows down why the project exists and why the company needs to do this particular project. â€Å"{Insert company name} is finding it difficult to convince designers, makers, small business owners etc. of the benefits of creating their own webshops rather than selling via Etsy. This report will provide {the company} with original data to use throughout the year and will highlight the benefits of setting up an e-commerce site.† Goal   Why are we doing this project? Make sure your goals are measurable and avoid setting too many. Stick to your one metric that matters. â€Å"The primary goal is to increase interest in using {company platform} as the go-to e-commerce platform. This will help position {company name}   as the best solution for setting up an e-commerce website. We will create a comprehensive research report that aims to convert 5,000 new paid users by the end of 2019.† KPI How will success be measured? This sets the stage for how you will know if your project was successful or not. It also helps you understand if the project should be repeated. â€Å"This report will be measured based on the number of new accounts generated from gated downloads.† Process What are the general steps we must follow to finish the project? This is a good outline that can become a task template once the project kicks off. It also is a good way for each team member to visualize where they fit into the project. Write survey questions Distribute survey Analyze data Write content for the report Design PDF Prepare promotion strategy Measure Individuals/Teams Involved Who do you need to get this project done? This serves as a reminder to everyone that they need to be involved in order for the project to get off the ground. â€Å"PR, Graphic Design, Social Media, Analytics, Content Marketing, Email Marketing† Timeline What is the due date for this project? Every project needs to have a start and end date†¦ they can’t drag on in perpetuity. This makes it easier for people to plan their workloads and get things finished on time. â€Å"End of Q2 2019† Budget How much can you spend on this project? This can either be a client’s budget or internal resources that are dedicated. You can also think of this in terms of hours devoted to this project. $25,000 How to Write a Great Creative Brief Aside from including the right information, there are a couple things you should also think about when compiling a creative brief. Be Specific You want your creative brief to clear enough that anyone can understand the project. A vague creative brief will often produce results that fall far short of expectations. When a creative brief misses the necessary specifics, significant revisions often arise which makes for a frustrating process for all involved. Set S.M.A.R.T Goals Setting S.M.A.R.T goals help put your project on the fast track to success. An example of a S.M.A.R.T goal might be: â€Å"We will create a comprehensive research report that aims to convert 5,000 new paid users by the end of 2019.† The goal is specific by identifying that you want to help drive new paid users. It’s measurable because your team will be able to tell if you hit your 5,000 increase paid users or not. It’s attainable based on previous benchmarking for similar campaigns. The task is relevant because it’s contributing to the company’s bottom line. Finally, the task has a time limit to see if the project was successful or not. The Operative Word is Brief The creative brief is exactly what it says†¦ brief. It doesn’t need everything and the kitchen sink. Offer an abridged summary that can be easily digested. It shouldn’t be TL;DR. You don’t need to link to a dozen planning spreadsheets, email chains, and related documents.   Chances are those supporting documents won’t even be looked at, so don’t waste your time.

Free Essays on Rascal

This was one of my favorite books so far. Sterling and his best friend went fishing one day on the stream that was near their house. As they were walking through the woods, Sterling’s dog, Wowser, smelled something that he liked. He went straight to a stump and pointed as some dogs do. Sterling told him to get it, and the dog started digging at the stump. The two boys also helped dig at the stump. As they were nearing the center a raccoon leaped out at the dog and went up a tree right next to the stump. Then the boys noticed the baby raccoons. They tried to catch the mother so that they could keep the baby ones too, since they were too little to protect themselves and live. They failed at catching the mother, but they did catch one baby. Sterling took it because his friend’s parents would not let him keep it. Sterling had many pets, including a dog, many cats, a crow, fish, and some skunks. He named this raccoon Rascal. Sterling’s mother had died a few years earl ier and he and his dad lived alone. His father was very lenient and allowed Sterling to do almost anything he wanted. He was building a canoe in his living room, and had many cages in the back yard where his pets lived.. Sterling made a home in a tree that was next to his house. There was a hole in it where he let the raccoon live. He was taught how to feed a young raccoon by his best friend’s mother. He was taught to take a bowl of milk and dip a straw in it, then stick the hay straw in your mouth and give the other end to the raccoon. Sterling got him off of this process quickly since it was so difficult for him. He took the raccoon everywhere and watched him as he grew older and learned things. As Rascal grew older he found things that he liked more than others, like sweet corn. He would raid the neighbors’ crops at night. The neighbors threatened to kill him if they found him in their crops. So Sterling built a cage for his raccoon. Rascal did not like this at all. ... Free Essays on Rascal Free Essays on Rascal This was one of my favorite books so far. Sterling and his best friend went fishing one day on the stream that was near their house. As they were walking through the woods, Sterling’s dog, Wowser, smelled something that he liked. He went straight to a stump and pointed as some dogs do. Sterling told him to get it, and the dog started digging at the stump. The two boys also helped dig at the stump. As they were nearing the center a raccoon leaped out at the dog and went up a tree right next to the stump. Then the boys noticed the baby raccoons. They tried to catch the mother so that they could keep the baby ones too, since they were too little to protect themselves and live. They failed at catching the mother, but they did catch one baby. Sterling took it because his friend’s parents would not let him keep it. Sterling had many pets, including a dog, many cats, a crow, fish, and some skunks. He named this raccoon Rascal. Sterling’s mother had died a few years earl ier and he and his dad lived alone. His father was very lenient and allowed Sterling to do almost anything he wanted. He was building a canoe in his living room, and had many cages in the back yard where his pets lived.. Sterling made a home in a tree that was next to his house. There was a hole in it where he let the raccoon live. He was taught how to feed a young raccoon by his best friend’s mother. He was taught to take a bowl of milk and dip a straw in it, then stick the hay straw in your mouth and give the other end to the raccoon. Sterling got him off of this process quickly since it was so difficult for him. He took the raccoon everywhere and watched him as he grew older and learned things. As Rascal grew older he found things that he liked more than others, like sweet corn. He would raid the neighbors’ crops at night. The neighbors threatened to kill him if they found him in their crops. So Sterling built a cage for his raccoon. Rascal did not like this at all. ...

Reflection paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 9

Reflection paper - Essay Example The truth is that by the end of the buildout phase most of the opportunities to get ahead of competitors are all but gone. One of the benefits of IT is that is can be easily transferred. Not surprisingly the cost of IT has also decreased greatly over the years in conjunction with its increased usage. Outsourcing is an important issue in our economy because there are pros and cons to be argued for its relevance. I can see why so many firms turn to outsourcing, and that is to reduce costs. This is naturally the number one goal of any organization, making the option to outsource work all the more appealing. On the downside, when outsourcing occurs overseas it can evoke strong reactions in home country customers. I think that outsourcing can be a high risk activity, and it is for this reason that it must be done very carefully. In a globalized world IT governance takes on increased importance, as it is often vital to the organizational success of a firm. Managers must understand IT governance because if done correctly it can reduce costs and risks but also help the company to gain a competitive business

Drawing on one area of public policy, discuss the role and impact of Essay

Drawing on one area of public policy, discuss the role and impact of International Organisations in the policy process - Essay Example Notwithstanding the above mentioned, the present day mandate of the Bank is broader; alleviation of worldwide poverty in collaboration with its affiliate, the International Development association. The principal aim was to come up with worldwide economic rules which would avert a recap of the Great Depression and its aftereffects (World Bank, 2002, p.1). The USA was on the forefront in these negotiations as it was already evolving from the war with a clear cut technological, military and economic superiority over all other Western partners. The United Kingdom did constitute a measurable portion of the party; not because of its position in the alliance as at that time, but also by the virtue of its representation at Bretton Woods by the globally legendary economists. John Maynard Keynes. As per the Bretton Woods’ planned new system, the IMF was placed at the core of a new-fashioned monetary system, being in control of a system of fixed but at the same time adjustable exchange rate and lending on an austerely short-term basis to countries facing short-term balance of payments crises. Investment in the post-war economy would be smoothed by the World Bank (the International bank for Reconstruction and Development), which would solicit capital in money markets and advance it at expedient rates to war-torn and developing countries. The very original plan of the Bretton Woods was for the first time considered by the Cold War (World Bank, 2002, p.1). The Marshall Plan publicised in 1947 availed the United States of America with a more instantaneous bilateral way of assuring investment, stabilisation and reconstruction in Western Europe. Nonetheless, by the 1950s, both the World Bank and IMF were unpretentiously taking on a key position in the international economy. While the IMF was concerned with the above-mentioned exchange rate system management role, the World Bank was involved in