Saturday, March 21, 2020
Thursday, March 5, 2020
How to Earn Computer Certifications Online
How to Earn Computer Certifications Online Whether you’re looking to broaden the number of companies you can apply to, or simply would like to learn a new skill, there are many options for technology certification and training online. While most credible certification processes require you to take the exam at an authorized testing location, almost all of them do permit you to do all training and preparation work via the internet.When seeking certification, keep in mind that not all types of certification require applicants to complete online training programs. In many cases, certification can be awarded simply by passing an exam. Most certification providers provide training and test prep, but they often charge additional fees to access it. It’s generally best to check the provider’s website for information on the certification first to get a good feel for what preparation is required and what you’ll need help with. Once you decide that the certification is right for you, note the cost to take the exam, and whether the certification provider offers any online assistance free of charge. Fortunately, there are some excellent resources for preparing for certification online that are available free of charge.Some of the more common certification types include: CompTIA A, Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE), Cisco Certification (CCNA CCNP), Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS), and the Certified Novell Engineer (CNE). CompTIA A Certification Employers often ask that those looking for IT type position carry some form of certification. For those looking to work with computer hardware, one of the most common certification sought is Comptia A. The A certification demonstrates that you possess the basic foundation of knowledge necessary to provide IT support and is often considered a good jumping off point for those looking to have a career working with computers. Information on the exam and links to online preparation options are available at Comptia.org. Free test prep can be obtained from ProfessorMesser.com. Microsoft Certified System Engineer The MCSE is a good certification to get if you’re looking for employment with a business that uses Microsoft networked systems. It’s good for those with a year or two of experience with networks and some familiarity with Windows systems. Information on the certification, as well as testing locations, is provided at the Microsoft website. Free preparation for the exam as well as training material can be found at mcmcse.com. Cisco Certification Cisco certification, particularly the CCNA, is highly valued by employers with large networks. Those looking for a career working with computer networks, network security, and internet service providers will be well served by Cisco certification. Information on certification can be found at Cisco.com. Free study guides and tools can be found at Semsim.com. Microsoft Office Specialist Certification Those looking to work with Microsoft office products such as Excel or PowerPoint will be well served with an MOS certification. While not often specifically requested by employers, an MOS certification is a strong way of demonstrating ones aptitude with a specific Microsoft application. They are also less intense to prepare for than some of the other common certifications. Information from Microsoft on this is available. Free test preparation can be difficult to find, but some practice tests are available for free at Techulator.com. Certified Novell Engineer The CNE is ideal for those looking to, or currently working with Novell software such as Netware. As Novell products seem less used today than they once were, this certification is probably ideal only if you already plan to work with Novell networks. Information on the certification can be found at Novell.com. A directory of free preparation materials can be found at Certification-Crazy.net.Whatever certification you choose to pursue, be sure to review the preparation requirements and costs. Some of the most difficult certification types can take many months to prepare for, so be sure that you’re able to invest the time and resources necessary to get certified. If your virtual certification efforts go well, you may also be interested in earning an online degree.
Tuesday, February 18, 2020
Course reveiw Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
Course reveiw - Coursework Example The three objectives are, to increase brand loyalty, this targets customer’s interests in the produced product, and can increase customer’s reliability where they are able to purchase the same product over and over. For branding to be successful, it must assist in promotion, by conducting adverts, personal selling, this works like sales and marketing, they are all done by the use of the brand name. The two mentioned objectives help increase status and prestige of the producer, distributors to the customers and this flourishes the business. Introduction Stage – a company or business comes up with ways of attracting customers either through adverts or sales and must be committed so as to outdo their competitors. Growth Stage – this stage targets expansion of sales and pricing with an aim of making profits, with time, the businesses invest more money in the promotion activities to increase the potential of this stage. Maturity Stage –this is the most competitive time for most products and businesses need to invest in any marketing they undertake. There is need to consider any product modifications or improvements to the production process that might give bring a competitive advantage. Decline Stage – this stage is inevitable to any type of business and reflects shrinking due to the market becoming saturated or because the consumers are changing to different types of products, but it is possible that companies will make profits by lowering their prices (Mohr, Sengupta & Slater, 2010 ). Bundle pricing common in supermarkets, where promotions are given, if one buys something, they are given another for free. Competition pricing some firms offers a price services that resembles service to what their competitors are offering so as to beat the competition in terms of customers. Skimming pricing a company tends to reduce the price for over 5 years,
Monday, February 3, 2020
Culture Identity Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words
Culture Identity - Research Proposal Example Ethnocentricity argues that the representation of an indigenous culture by outsiders must be done with a view to portray them as they would see themselves as. Thus, the concept applied to the Inuit is that the portrayal by outsiders should be analyzed from the frame of reference that of trying to understand their views about themselves. This does not mean that any outsider’s view of the Inuit is necessarily derogatory or biased. It just means that the views presented in the article must be balanced with the perspective of this concept. As such, the terms of reference for this paper reflect the concept very much and the attempt is to find out if the articles do so. Though the title of the article may sound patronizing and condescending, it nonetheless is a good representation of the way in which the article has been developed. My opinion on this is that the article should not be judged by the title alone and the contents of the same should be scanned for a deeper reading of the article. The article goes to great lengths to delve into the eating habits of the Inuit and makes a point that the way in which they have developed their eating habits is a function of the climatic conditions that they have been used to. Thus, the use of fatty foods is not because they do not want to stay healthy or fit, but the living conditions make them eat the fatty foods in order to survive in the extremely cold conditions. Of course, the living habits of the Eskimos are detailed to a great extent to indicate the fact that their lifestyle may not be healthy and hence they need the kind of foods that they take. The tone of the article is a bit patronizing, though. My feeling is that we are unable to shake off the tendency to look at ethnic groups in more favorable terms and thus we need to ensure that the same comes through in our representation of the groups. There are umpteen sentences in the article that
Sunday, January 26, 2020
Business Ethics And Corporate Responsibility Marketing Essay
Business Ethics And Corporate Responsibility Marketing Essay Describe the basic features that distinguish the three traditional forms of business ownership: sole proprietorships, general partnerships and C corporations. ~Sole proprietorship is a business that is owned and managed by one individual. Earnings of the company are treated as income and debts that arise are personal debts. It is the most common type of business organization in United States. ~General partnership: In this type of business all partners have right to participate in management of the firm and share any profits or losses. There is no limit on number of partners but usually its two. ~C corporation is a legal entity, separate and distinct from its owners. Its owned by stockholders. Its mission and objective are established by board of directors and board of directors is selected by stockholders to protect their interests. Compare and contrast the advantages and disadvantages of sole proprietorships and general partnerships. ~Both are easy to form, have tax advantages, and unlimited liability. ~General partnership has a stronger financial base than sole proprietorship. ~On the other hand, general partnership can be destroyed much easier than sole ~proprietorship because of disagreements between partners. ~ Another disadvantage in sole proprietorship is that workload and responsibilities are on one person while in partnership its shared. What advantages help explain why virtually all large companies are organized as C corporations? ~Corporations can raise huge amount of financial capital ~Its easy for stockholders to withdraw from ownership or sell shares of stock ~Stockholders have limited liability. They are not personally liable for the debts of the company. What steps are involved in starting a general corporation? ~Requires filing form called the articles of incorporation, with a specific state agency. ~Pay filling fees and establish corporate bylaws-basic the basic rules governing how a corporation is organized and how it manages its business. ~Companies also choose corporation friendly states, because not all states are friendly and charge a lot of money. How is a corporations board of directors chosen? Explain the role the board plays in a corporations management. ~ According to corporate bylaws stockholders elect board of directors that they rely on to manage company and protect their interests. ~Board of directors establishes the corporations mission and sets its broad objectives. ~Board of directors then assigns the chief of executive officer and other corporate officers to manage company. Explain how S corporations, statutory closed corporations, and nonprofit corporations differ from C corporations. ~S corporation: IRS does not tax earning separately, can have no more than 100 stockholders, each stockholder have to be U.S. citizen or permanent resident. ~Statutory close corporation: Doesnt have to elect a board of directors or hold annual stockholders meetings, number of stockholders are limited to 50, stockholders cant sell their shares to public without first offering to existing owners, not all states allow this type of corporation. ~Nonprofit corporation: Has members but not stockholders, cannot contribute funds to a political campaign, must keep accurate records, earnings are exempt from federal and state income, make tax deduction for individuals who contribute money or property. What are the three different types of corporate mergers? What is the rationale for each type? ~Horizontal merger: Combination of firms in the same industry. ~Vertical merger: Combination of companies with buyer-seller relationship. ~Conglomerate merger: Combination of unrelated companies. Compare an S corporation with a limited liability company. Why do you think limited liability companies are currently more popular than S corporations? ~While S corporation has limited numbers of owners, Limited Liability Company can have any number of owners. Unlike S corporation, owners of LLC can be foreign investors and other corporations. What is a business format franchise? What are the roles of the franchisor and franchisee in this arrangement? ~Business format franchise is an agreement in which the franchisee pays for the right to use the name, trademark and has to operate business according to the rules and principles of franchisor. ~Franchisor is owner and has to train and provide support franchisee; responsible for name brand recognition. ~Franchisee- has right to use franchisors name, trademarks, and patents; must follow methods and all the rules of franchisor; attend training meetings What are the main advantages and disadvantages of franchising arrangements for the franchisee? For the franchisor? ~Advantages for franchisee: less risk, training and support from franchisor, easier to borrow money from a bank ~Disadvantages for franchisee: Costs are very high, very little control, have to sell only what company sells, risk-not all companies live to their promises, growth challenges ~Advantages for franchisor: can expand the business to bring extra revenue without using own money. ~Disadvantages for franchisor: irresponsible behavior of franchisee cans cost companies success. Chapter Seven Small Business and Entrepreneurship: Economic Rocket Fuel: Review Questions Review the benefits an entrepreneur might seek in starting a new business. Which benefits are most appealing to you? Why? ~Greater financial success, independence, flexibility, challenge, survival. ~The benefits that appeal to me are independence, flexibility, and financial success. Do you recognize any of the entrepreneurial personality characteristics in yourselves? Which ones? Do you think its possible for a person to develop the characteristics that he or she lacks? Why or why not? ~Yes, I have few of entrepreneurial personality characteristics and they are self-reliance, confidence, energy, and tolerance of failure. ~I think it is hard but possible for a person to develop skills he or she lacks. It all depends on how bad that person wants to learn new skills that she or she doesnt have. What role does failure sometimes play in entrepreneurial success? What can an entrepreneur gain from failure? ~Entrepreneurs see failure as a chance to learn and succeed. Compare the opportunities and threats that small businesses face. Which opportunities are most compelling? Which threats are most intimidating? Why? ~Opportunities: Market niches, personal costumer service, lower overhead costs, technology. ~Threats: High risk of failure, lack of knowledge and experience, too little money, bigger ~Bigger regulatory burden, higher health insurance costs. ~Opportunity that compelling is personal customer service because with it small business owner can build personal relationship with a customer. Another opportunity that is compelling is lower overhead costs because no one wants to spend huge amount of money and wants to spend as less as possible. ~The biggest threat that is intimidating is high risk of failure. When someone starts a business, he or she wants to succeed and not to fail. People are scared of loosing even if they are tolerant to failure. Those that tolerant to failure dont give easily up like others do. Review the definition of niche marketer, and cite three examples of niche marketers. How has technology affected niche marketing? ~Market niche is a small segment of a market with fewer competitors than the market as a whole and tend to be more attractive to small firms. ~Organic cosmetics, Google, E-bay. ~Technology plays very important role today, because internet helped people to open new businesses and at the same time create more customers. It is good for businesses because they spend less money and grow faster. If you were to launch a new business, would you start from scratch, buy an established independent business, or buy a franchise? Why? ~I would launch a new business from a scratch. I know there are a lot of risks but I would want to be my own boss and make my decisions. How could you convince family and friends to support your new business launch? What kind of assurances would they need? What could you do to keep the funding relationships professional? ~First of all I would educate myself, learn from others, gain experience, and the most important create a business plan. Beyond personal resources, what are other funding options for small businesses? Why dont more entrepreneurs tap into these resources? ~Bank loans, angel investors, and venture capital firms. ~The reason that entrepreneurs are trying to avoid other resources besides personal is because they cause more headaches. Personal resources are probably the easiest to deal with. What are the key contributions of small business to the U.S. economy? Rank the benefits in terms of importance, and provide the reasons for your ranking. ~Small businesses play very important role in U.S. economy because they create new jobs, create new innovations at twice the rate of their big business counterparts, and they tend to find opportunities by offering products or services where big companies dont. What factors account for the dramatic differences in entrepreneurship rates around the world? Do you think entrepreneurship will continue to grow worldwide? Why or why not? ~Key factors that plays important role in different entrepreneurship rates around the world are national per capita income, entrepreneurs opportunity costs, and how much cultural and political environment supports entrepreneurs. Chapter Eleven Marketing: Building Profitable Connections with Your Customer Review Questions How does the American Marketing Association define marketing? How can marketers deliver value to their customers over the long term? ~The American Association defines marketing as an organizational function and a set of processes for creating, communicating, and delivering value to customers and for managing customer relationships in ways that benefit the organization and its stakeholders. ~In order to deliver value to customers over the long term marketers must to fill customers need and in the way exceed customers expectations. What are the four different kinds of utility that marketers can provide? Give an example (not from the book) of a product that delivers each type of utility. ~Form utility: iPhone ~Time utility: Walgreens 24/7 ~Place utility: Cafeteria on campus ~Ownership utility: Laptop What are the key categories of non-traditional marketing? Do you expect these areas to grow over the next decade? Why or why not? ~People, place, event, and idea marketing. ~I think that these areas will grow over decade because peoples interests change with each generation. Technology also changes and grows. How has marketing evolved over time? How have current events, economics, and culture influenced thinking about marketing? ~Marketing developed through different phases: production era, selling era, marketing era, and relationship era. ~During marketing era concept of marketing was born and now its growing more and more. Now, customer satisfactions became centerpiece of marketing. What are the key characteristics of a high potential target market? Is the biggest target market always the best? Why or why not? ~Size: need to have enough people to support business. ~Profitability: willingness of a customer to pay more than the cost of producing product. ~Accessibility: target needs to be reachable ~Limited competition: look for markets with limited competition ~I think that bigger market is always good because there are more people to support business and bring more profit to the company. Company can also use that money to build bigger target market by creating new products. What are the different ways to segment a consumer market? Does it make sense to use more than one segmentation variable? Why or why not? ~Demographic: dividing market based on peoples age, income, ethnicity, and gender. ~Geographic: dividing market into smaller groups depending where costumers live. ~Psychographic: dividing by groups based on costumer interests, values, attitudes, and lifestyles. ~Behavioral: dividing into groups based on how people react to the products ~It does make sense to use more than one segmentation, for example, demographic and psychographic. Describe the four elements of the marketing mix. What role does each element play in delivering value to customers? ~Product strategy: creating name, product image, package design, customer service, guarantees, new product development, and much more. ~Pricing strategy: price must be fair ~Distribution strategy: delivering a product to the right people, in the right quantities, at the right time and place. ~Promotion strategy: find effective way to promote product. ~All of these four elements play very important role in delivering value to customer. What are the five key dimensions of the marketing environment? How can marketers stay abreast of changes in each area? ~Competitive, economic, social/cultural, technological, political/legal. ~To stay on top of the things marketers must monitor each element of marketing environment and respond quickly and efficiently to change. Outline the steps in the consumer decision-making process. How can the marketer influence each step? ~Recognition: recognize need Information Search: previous experience with brands, family, friends Evaluation of Alternatives: price, quality Purchase decision: buys item because it was on sale and return policy is great Post purchase behavior: satisfied or not ~Marketer can influence each step by learning cultural, social, personal, and psychological life of customers. What are the key differences between primary and secondary data? Compare the benefits and drawbacks of each. ~Secondary data is existing data that marketers gather or purchase for a research project. Primary data is new data that marketers gather for a specific research project. ~Secondary data: Advantages- low cost Disadvantages- may not meet specific need, outdated, available to competitors ~Primary data: Advantages-customized to meet specific need, fresh and new, not available to anyone Disadvantages-more expensive Chapter Twelve Product Strategy: Delivering More Value Review Questions Review the marketing definition of product. Why do you think marketers define product so broadly? How does the definition of product affect quality? ~Product is anything that company offers to satisfy customers needs and wants; including both goods and services. ~I think marketers define product so broadly because it is made for one purpose only- to satisfy customer, whether its a good or service. So, when consumer buys a product he or she buys attributes associated with the product. ~If a product satisfies customer its good quality for that customer and if customer dissatisfied by product than its bad quality for him or her. Think of three different services that you use on a regular basis (e.g. a restaurant, a dental office). How does the service provider suggest in advance that the service will be high quality? ~Restaurant: advertisement, friendly staff ~Hair stylist: nicely designed salon, professional look ~Dental office: friendly and helpful staff Pure Goods Pure ServiceDraw a goods and services spectrum, and determine where to place the following products along the spectrum: a nightclub, a new motorcycle, a designer shoe store, an Internet search engine, a new snowboard, and a photography class. What are the reasons for your choices? new motorcycle designer shoe store internet search engine new snowboard night club photography class ~New motorcycle and snowboard are pure goods. ~Designer shoe store and night club are service with goods. ~Internet search engine and photography class are pure service. What are the marketing benefits of identifying the actual product, the core product, and the augmented product? ~Actual product: the actual product itself and its uniqueness ~Core product: satisfies customers needs ~Augmented product: additional good or service to sharpen competitive edge (warrantees, manuals, etc.) List five examples of products that are commonly purchased as either business products or consumer products. How would the classification impact the marketing strategy? ~Computer, phone, table, truck, cleaning service ~Consumer products purchased for personal use and business products purchased to produce another product or service. ~Consumer classifications are convenience product, shopping products, specialty, products, and unsought products. ~Business product classification are installations; accessory equipment; maintenance, repair, and operating products; raw materials; components and processed materials; and business services. Why are product line and product mix decisions so important? What are the risks of making poor decisions regarding these factors? ~Product line and product mix are very important if company wants to make good profit by making customer happy. ~Poor decision regarding these factors might cause company to loose its profits. Would it ever make sense for a firm to offer a new product line that they know would cannibalize an existing line? Explain your answer. ~I dont think it make any sense, especially if company knows that that new product line will cannibalize existing line why even create it. Company can loose a lot of money. Think of one of your favorite brand names. Does the brand name fit the characteristics of an excellent name? Do you think it matters? Why or why not? ~100% Pure. Yes, I think brand name fits characteristics of an excellent name because its short and easy to remember. ~I do not think its a must for a company to fit characteristics of an excellent name because another company I really like called Dr. Hauschka. The name is hard to pronounce and hard to memorize but I love Dr. Hauschka products. What are the three different levels of product innovation? Which is most common? Can a business survive long term with only continuous innovation? Why or why not? ~Discontinuous Innovation, dynamically continuous innovation, continuous innovation. ~I think that most common are continuous innovation and dynamically continuous innovation. ~I think it is possible to survive long term with only continuous innovation because the goal of it to create product better than competitor. For example, Lifeway kefir company its getting better and better adding more products different flavors and so on. What are the four stages of the product life cycle? How does product life cycle stage impact marketing strategy? ~Introduction, Growth, Maturity, Decline ~Life cycle help marketers plan effective strategies for existing products and identify profitable categories for new products. Chapter Thirteen Distribution and Pricing: Right Product, Right Person, Right Place, Right Price Review Questions Explain the difference between channel of distribution and physical distribution. ~Channel distribution is the path that a product takes from the producer to the consumer, while physical distribution is the actual movement of products that path. Explain the role of channel intermediaries in the product distribution process. Why is their role important? ~Channel intermediaries are distribution organizations that help to move products from factories to the consumers. How do intermediaries add value to the products they distribute? Find an example of a distributor that adds each of the six types of utility. ~They add value by reducing the number of transactions and the associated costs required for goods to flow from producer to consumer. Distributors also can add form, time, place, ownership, information, and service utilities. ~Wal-Mart What is the key difference between merchant wholesalers and agents/brokers? What are the risks and benefits of each approach for producers? ~Merchant wholesalers take legal title to the goods they distribute and reduce the risk for producer that the products might be damaged or stolen. Disadvantage for producers is that marketing strategies and pricing belong to wholesaler. ~ Agents and brokers dont take legal ownership of the goods they distribute. Since agents and brokers dont have legal ownership of goods, producers at higher risk, but they have more control over the product. Do you think that the shoppertainment approach to retailing will continue to grow? Why or why not? ~Yes, I defiantly think that shopping and entertainment approach to retailing will continue to grow because its more fun for people to go to places where they can have fun or their kids. Even if prices are going to go up, people will still to come to such places. Even I want to go to places like Hershey Chocolate World. Explain the differences among intensive, selective, and exclusive distribution strategies. Name an example of each that isnt listed in the text. ~Intensive distribution involves placing products in as many stores as possible or stores themselves in many locations as possible.(gas stations) ~Selective distribution means placing product only in preferred stores and establishing stores in limited locations.(Home Depot) ~Exclusive distribution means establish one retail outlet in a given area.(Ikea) Who benefits most from collaborative supply chain relationships? Explain your answer. ~Companies that specialize in helping other companies manage the supply chain. Many companies turned to supply chain to build a competitive edge but due to complication many firms choose to outsource challenge to experts. Why is price such a difficult variable for marketers to control? What factors must they consider in setting prices? ~Price is hard for marketers to control because people have limited amount of money, so they cant set high prices. The prices have to be as low as possible so that people would be willing to buy, but at the same time marketers, when determining the final price, must consider their costs, competitors, investors, taxes, and product strategies. ~Building profitability, boosting volume, matching the competition, creating prestige Driving volume is a key pricing objective for many businesses. Find an example of a marketer that uses each of the volume oriented pricing strategies. Do you think this approach is effective? Why or why not? ~I dont know any marketer that uses each of the volume oriented pricing strategies. I do not think that this approach would be effective. How does a breakeven analysis help marketers determine the best price for their products? What other factors should be considered? Why? ~Its a process that helps determine the number of units company must sell to cover all costs. ~At breakeven point company doesnt make any profit so, breakeven analysis helps marketers get a sense where are they standing. So, to make a profit company needs consider factors: raise prices, decrease variable costs, decrease fixed costs. Chapter Fourteen Marketing Promotion: Delivering High-Impact Messages Review Questions How has marketing promotion evolved over the past decade? How has technology contributed to the changes? ~Promotion is marketing communication that influences consumers by informing, persuading, and reminding them about product. The effective promotion builds strong relationship between customers and companies, drawing customers back to the company again and again. ~Technology has empowered consumers to choose how and when they want to interact with media. Why is integrated marketing communication such a challenge for marketers? How can marketers encourage teamwork and coordination? ~Because consumers combine messages from all sources to form unified impression of a product and marketer cant control every massage consumer sees or hears about their product. ~Solid teamwork must begin from the top. Everyone who manages the marketing massage needs to have information about the customer, the product, the competition, the market, and the strategy of the organization. When all parties have access to the same data, they are more likely to be on the same page. Do you think a rational or an emotional premise works better for marketing promotion? Why? Does your answer change across product categories? Use examples to support your perspective. ~I think that both rational and emotional premise works for marketing promotion, its just depends on the product. Its more interesting when both are there and people like humor. Why are the key risks and the potential rewards of product placement in both movies and television? Do think this promotional tool will continue to grow? Why or why not? What ethical issues have emerged as marketers explore new ways of grabbing consumer attention? Use examples to support your points. Do you think that cable television advertising spending will eventually eclipse network television advertising spending? Why or why not? Given that each type of media offers strengths and drawbacks, what factors should you consider in developing a media plan for a specific product? What are the advantages and disadvantages of publicity? Is it ethical for marketers to try to influence the media? Explain your answer. What are the six stages in the selling process? What role does each stage play? Which stage do you believe is most important? Why? How can you determine the right promotional mix for a specific good or service? What key factors should you consider?
Saturday, January 18, 2020
Public Education Essay
A free public education is one of the many aspects of American culture that makes it one of the most desirable countries in which to live. In fact, education in America has been a standard duty of the government, particularly the states, since public schools were begun in the days of the pilgrims and pioneers. Unfortunately, as the years progressed, education became more complex and more rigidly structured. Conversely, achievement seemed to lag behind the acceptable level. Therefore, learning for learning’s sake was replaced by the trend towards higher and higher standardized test scores. Bush’s No Child Left Behind (NCLB) mandate pushed schools and teachers into greater accountability processes. Schools created scripted curriculum guides that left little room for creativity. The competitive march towards the highest scale score was on!            Unfortunately, to the school systems, its employees and its students, failure to march properly carried stiff penalties. Schools faced a variety of sanctions if scores did not rise to the appropriate level or at the appropriate rate. First, schools faced state or even federal intervention. Evaluative and prescriptive teams would enter the schools to mandate changes in policy, curriculum and even staffing. Another obstacle was parental choice. For the wealthier, private schools have been an alternative to lagging public schools for years, but in the early 1990s, the school voucher plan made this option viable to a wider spectrum of families. Ultimately, the voucher propositions never passed the state legislatures (Pipho, 1994). A few years later, charter schools developed outside the sphere of both public and private schools. These charter schools developed as a way to reform schools and received funds from private organizations and business. The idea took off even though researchers are quick to note that charter schools have done little to raise test scores (Vine, 1997)  Lastly, the idea of merit pay directly appealed to the pocketbooks of teachers and administrators by offering monetary reward for good scores. While observers feel it is wrong to base a teacher’s pay just on his test scores, researchers feel that â€Å"because the amounts involved are relatively small, it’s worth experimenting†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (Keller, 2006). Each of these new options moved American education closer and closer to the idea of privatizing schools.            The privatization of schools has now expanded to include the realm of educational consulting. These high-paid individuals are hired by the school systems to aid individual schools in planning strategies for curriculum, classroom management, discipline, finance, and teacher recruiting, to name a few (Sheffer, 2002). In 1994, the Minneapolis school system became the first to hire a consulting firm to run their district. In California, the state superintendent of public instruction was a man who had a background in business as a consultant who helps financially ailing corporations (Pipho, 1994). In 1997, Phyllis Vine reported that twenty-eight states had passed legislation to provide for the hiring of management companies. In the last nine years that number has grown, with both positive and negative reactions from the customers. Teachers complained that the new curriculum was too restrictive and gave them no freedom to teach what they wanted. The consultant responded by asserting that restrictiveness was needed to get the teachers, kids and schools back on track (Hayden, 2005).            The decision to link private business to school systems does make sense for some. Sheffer notes that â€Å"the obvious similarities between academic work and consulting are the emphasis on analytic thinking, writing and the focus on research†(2002) Thus, more and more states are turning to educational consulting firms to help them refocus on their educational goals. On such state is Mississippi. Mississippi, as a state, has typically been at the bottom of lists comparing states’ educational achievements. In the 2005 Smartest State rankings published by Morgan Quitno Press, Mississippi fell two spots from the previous year to 49th (â€Å"Vermont,2005†). Spencer, (2004), attempts to explain the state’s low achievement and scores by pointing to the socioeconomic and achievement gaps between white students and minority students. Even in younger grades, the black and Hispanic subgroups lagged behind the white students in language and reading. In middle school, the gap widened alarmingly. Ninety-six of white students scored at proficiency or better in language, and 94% scored at this same level in reading. But Hispanic students’ numbers were 9 percentage points lower in both areas than whites, while black students were 8 points lower in language and 19 points lower in reading. He goes on to note that the problem got progressively worse in the 1990s. Overall, by high school, â€Å"only one in 50 Hispanic and black 17-year-olds can read and gain information from specialized text-such as the science section of a newspaper – compared to about one in 12 white students†(Spencer, 2004). Yet, when education officials like Randy McCoy, who is the Tupelo Superintendent, are confronted with these figures, they are quick to point out that students of all races do well and students of all races do not do well. The fear seems to be that teachers will be accused of teaching students of different races differently. Yet, Mike Walters, who is a former Tupelo Superintendent, agrees that the achievement gap is due to a difference in expectations. He points to the strongest teachers and notes that their students, regardless of race and socioeconomic status, achieve. Walters offers, â€Å"We are not expecting students to achieve, and expectations are everything†( Spencer, 2004).  The Tupelo district is about 65 % white with most students from lower income homes.  Its scores have held steady in the low 80% passing range with an odd surge into the mid 90s in 2003 (â€Å"Mississippi DOE Test Data†). JBHM has recently started working with the Tupelo Municipal schools. (â€Å"Experience,†n.d.). One way Mississippi is trying to combat their ailing system is by restructuring its testing program. In September of 2000, the Mississippi Board of Education (MBOE) approved State Board Policy IHF-1. IHF-1 changed the graduation requirements beginning with the freshman class entering in 2000. Among the requirements was to pass the subject area test English II, generally administered in the 10th grade. Thus, the first available scores for the class entering in 2000 were recorded in 2001 (â€Å"MBOE,†2000). This group was expected to graduate in 2004. Another way is by hiring a local educational consulting group to help them work with curriculum. Former Tupelo Superintendent, Mike Walters is now a consultant with the JBHM Education Group in Jackson.  JBHM is a general consulting agency that also operates the JBHM Education Group, LLC.  This group was opened in 2000 as â€Å"an educational management services company with a mission of assisting school communities in their efforts to better organize themselves, and, in turn give the families the support needed to ensure the success of their children†(â€Å"Services,†n.d.). According to the group, the consults go into the schools and analyze the areas of need as specified by the hiring body. They then, if directed, design a curriculum fashioned after Robert Marzano’s â€Å"viable curriculum,†one of his eleven factors of student achievement (Marzano, 2003) JBHM’s mission was developed by Mike Walters and cofounder Gary Bailey. It is simply â€Å"to enhance a school’s ability to prepare children for success†(Vickers, 2005. p. 3). JBHM has focused recently on developing curriculums for algebra, biology, English, United Sates history and middle school math. Walters says, â€Å"These are highly-structured, full-blown plans that start with day one and go through the end of the school year†(Vickers, 2005, p. 3) JBHM, as of their most recent website posting, serves 34 school districts in Mississippi. The do work in other states, including their contract deal of March 2006 totaling 1.6 million dollars to work with the Caddo School District in Louisiana (Brumble, 2006). They achieved this contract by boasting statistics that ninety percent of the schools they assisted showed a rise in test scores (Brumble, 2006). Undoubtedly numerous Mississippi schools are on this list. According to the Mississippi Board of Education Agenda from September 10, 2004, a contract was approved with the JBHM Education Group to â€Å"assist in providing technical assistance to implement the school improvement process in Priority Schools (â€Å"MBOE,†2004). As explained in a news release dated December of 2004, â€Å"Schools that do not meet achievement goals or show expected academic improvement receive a ranking of Level I (Low Performing) with the lowest of these deemed ‘Priority Schools’ † (â€Å"Town Meetings†¦, 2004). Part of the new Board Policy IHF-1 makes passing the English II test required for graduation for the graduating class of 2004, who were first tested in 2000/2001 school year. These first scores were used for developing scale scores, according to the Mississippi Statewide Testing Program website. The English II test, which replaces the previous language and reading tests mentioned in earlier, has been consistently difficult for low achieving schools in Mississippi. Betty Rose Breazeeale, the Lamar County testing coordinator, agreed by saying that she recognized the need to work on the English II, adding that â€Å"It is our lowest score, and I think that’s a statewide problem†(Mees, 2005). According to the Mississippi Department of Education Subject Area Content Test website, the English II test  measures knowledge of language conventions, reading comprehension and effective writing skills†¦The test consists of two separate administration: English II Multiple Choice and English II Writing†¦The 85 multiple-choice, passage-based items are divided into two sections: Language Conventions and Reading Comprehension. The writing test includes four writing prompts – two narrative mode prompts and two informative mode prompts. Students will select and respond to one of the narrative prompts and one of the informative prompts.            Even though the MBOE approved the contract for JBHM to consult in Priority Schools statewide in 2004, some districts had already contracted its services well before then. These districts paid for the services themselves through grants or other local funding mechanisms. The Tunica school board hired JBHM Education Group for the 2000/2001 school year (Hayden 2002). The Hinds district is actually featured on the JBHM Education Group website, boasting its rise in scores from 2001 to 2003. Others, like the North Bolivar and Neshoba joined the club as a result of the Priority School initiative administered by the MBOE.            All scores on the English II tests may be compared to the figures reported on the Mississippi Statewide Testing Program website administered by the MDOE. They report figures for 2002 as 70% passing the multiple choice reading and 84% passing the narrative/informative writing test. In 2003 these percentages rose to 78 and 94 respectively, and settled into 85% and 84% narrative/89% informative for 2004. It should be noted that in 2004, the state began reporting the writing portion of the test as two separate scores, listing the narrative first, then the informative. Analysis seems to indicate that scores dropped slightly when this shift took place with the greater drop being in the narrative score (â€Å"MDOE Test Data†). One of the first schools to take advantage of the JBHM consultants, the Hinds AHS school is worthy of its spot on the JBHM website.  Hinds County School District is a fairly large district. Hinds AHS is described as a rural, integrated school with an average to below-average socio-economic base (â€Å"Hinds AHS,† 2006). Beginning with passing rates at only 18% on the English II multiple choice test and 40% on the writing portion when JBHM came aboard, they jumped to 22% and 55% respectively in one year and, from there, to 77% and 92% respectively in the second year ( â€Å"MDOE Test Data†) . For the county itself, which contains seventeen high schools in the area of Clinton, Mississippi, the scores went from passing rates of 72% (reading) and 75% (writing) in 2001 to an 81% in reading and a an 83% in writing (â€Å"Mississippi Test Data†). In the JBHM-operated school (Hinds AHS), more remarkable gains were noted, while other high schools showed less of an improvement. It is hard to deny Hind AHS’s phenomenal rises in English II scores. They started out well below the rest of the county and ended up with a passing rate higher than the district average. The Tunica district, an even more rural, plantation area of Mississippi has a past that is â€Å"rooted in Tunica’s plantation lifestyle and its racial separatism. Tunica is a tiny white island in a majority black county†(Parker, 2002).   Rose Fort High school, associated with JBHM since the onset of the new testing requirements, is comprised of extremely poor black students with only 1 % white and 1% other racial students (â€Å"Rose Fort High,†2006).  JBHM director Mike Walters recognizes how Tunica’s social issues are reflected in its education when he says, â€Å"Tunica is in a community-building stage right now. They are divided racially still. You can’t just dump money in a community like that and expect things to happen. It’s going to take a long, long time. (Hayden 2002). Despite its circumstances, however, this single Tunica high school has also made some significant gains in English II scores. The data was not recorded for 2001, but the 2002 scores of 33% passing on the multiple choice portion and the 57% passing on the writing portion jumped to 54% and 83% respectively in only one year (â€Å"MDOE Test Data†). Again, the advances are astounding. Lamar school district also serves a rural county. It, like Tunica, far exceeds the state average of students on free and reduced lunch, which is generally the yardstick for measuring the socioeconomic population of a school.  The only difference is that students in Lamar are predominantly white.  Only one high school of the four reflects a more integrated population (â€Å"Lamar High Schools, †2006).  Their English II scores have shown growth as well. The reading and writing scores have risen from the 87 and 89 percent passing to highs of 92 and 95 percent passing in two years with an odd dip in the reading multiply choice scores in 2004. (â€Å"MDOE Test Data†). Even though Lamar began in a less desperate situation, its gains with the help of consultants are also significant. Though the percentage gain seems less impressive, most educators realize that gains like this are harder to achieve as students scores improve and that each subsequent gain is definitely cause for celebration. Neshoba school district located in Philadelphia, Mississippi, is a more integrated district that has shown gains through the use of consulting. Classified as a small town district, the students in Neshoba’s four high schools are more integrated than those in Lamar or Tunica . While more students than the state average qualify for free or reduced lunch, they are socioeconomically better off than Lamar or Tunica students (â€Å"Neshoba County,†2006). Paid for by a NCLB grant, JBHM began consulting in Neshoba County for the current, 2005/2006, school year to aid primarily with English II and Algebra I in its high schools (Edwards, 2006). The county’s English II scores in 2002 were 67% passing in reading and 76 % passing in writing. The scores rose in 2003 to 85% and 89% respectively, but then in 2004 rose to an 89% in reading but fell to 86 % in writing (â€Å"MDOE Test Data†). Some schools fared worse than others.            The system hopes to post scores in the 90s with the consulting firm if the teacher can get on board. Joey Blount, principal of Neshoba Central High School, admits to Edwards that the presence of the consultants and the frequent observations make his teachers nervous. â€Å"Anytime you’ve got people coming to observe your work, it’s going to be an uncomfortable situation†(Edwards, 2006). Superintendent for curriculum and instruction Beth Jackson concurs. â€Å"Change can be very difficult for a lot of people, but in some areas we needed change. We weren’t happy with our test scores. I think they (the teachers) realize we needed to change, but some are better at it than others (Edwards, 2006).            Likewise, the administrators in Moss Point and Meridian Schools are also impressed. Tressie Harper, Moss Point Superintendent, is proud of the gains made in her students’ English II scores. Moss Point has been working with JBHM since 2003 and in that time has noticed a steady increase in reading scores from 55% in 2002 to 60% in 2003 to 63% in 2004 (Vickers, 2005 and â€Å"MDOE Test Data†) to 75% in 2005 (â€Å"Moss Point High School,†2005). As in Neshoba and Lamar, the writing scores seemed the most erratic rising from 74% to 91% to 71% to 75% in the same four years (â€Å"MDOE Test Data†and â€Å"Moss Point High School,†2005). Perhaps this could be explained by the aforementioned change in the reporting of writing test scores in 2004. It is possible that the focus of the test shifted slightly at that point as well.            Likewise, the single Meridian high school shows similar improvement in English II with a three year rise in percentage passing scores from 2002 to 2004 from 57 to 74 to 77.  The writing scores showed a similar rise (â€Å"MDOE Test Data†). Sylvia Autry, Meridian Public School Superintendent claims that she has worked with several educational consultants and that JBHM has been the â€Å"most focused†(Vickers, 2005, p. 3). Both Moss Point and Meridian are characterized by a slightly higher black than white student body with the majority on free and reduced lunch (â€Å"Moss Point High School, †2006)  and â€Å"Meridian High School†).            North Bolivar is another recent addition to JBHM’s client list. A year ago, the MBOE asked the Governor to deem the North Bolivar School District a state of emergency. This designation is reserved for school districts that have over half of the schools meeting Priority School status. State Superintendent Hand Bounds issued to investigations and concluded that the students’ needs were not being met (â€Å"Mississippi Board†¦,†2005). North Bolivar is an exceptionally poor small town district which is 97% black.  Its reading scores have barely reached 80% (â€Å"MDOE Test Data†). Score released in 2006 will tell whether or not JBHM will be successful there.            Clearly JBHM consulting or any consulting agency is not necessary for all school districts. Wealthier more urban areas such as Jackson and Laurel counties consistently post English II scores in the high 80s high 90s.  However, when one compares the multiple choice  scores of Hinds AHS (77% reading), whose population is significantly more challenging based on socioeconomic factors, to Jackson’s (85% reading) , the aforementioned achievement gap appears to be closing. The exact role that JBHM plays in this factor is undetermined since all factors cannot be factored in statistically. For example, the threats of school closings and consolidations due to a lack of funds plague systems across the country as will as in Mississippi. One mother in Lamar district commented about the dip in Lamar’s 2004 reading scores; â€Å"They [the students and teachers)] went through so much with the school closings†¦Everybody here was upset. The teachers were upset. If it weren’t for that fear, the scores probably would have been just as good as last year [2003]†(Mees, 2005). In addition, the 2005 hurricane season devastate education in many parts of Mississippi. About 160,000 students in 271 public schools in 44 school districts in the path of the hurricane have been impacted, said Steve Williams, special assistant to the state superintendents. State Superintendent Bounds said that some schools were unable to have classes for 2-3 months. Some schools were completely destroyed (Hayden, 2005).  Clearly this crisis would impact test scores at all levels.            One thing is clear. Schools are in need of support services from somewhere. Initial data seems to indicate that consulting firms, while not the perfect answer, do provide the structured support that some schools need. Their exorbitant costs will be prohibitive for some school districts, but perhaps with grant programs, they may still benefit from their services. As the first decade in 2000 pulls to a close, school reform will be steadily underway. The extent of the change and the consultant’s role in it remain uncertain, but hopeful. References Brumble, Melody. (2006). â€Å"Caddo School Board Debates Merits of Consulting Proposal.†           The Shreveport Times. Retrieved March 29, 2006 from www.shreveporttimes.com/            Apps/pbcs.dll/article?Date=20060321&Category=NEWS†¦. Edwards, Jeff. (2006). â€Å"Neshoba Schools Employ Consultant to Improve Scores.† The            Neshoba Democrat. Retrieved March 28, 2006 from www.neshobademocrat.com/            print.asp? ArticleID=12190&SectionID=2&Subsectional. â€Å"Experience.† JBHM Education Group, LLC. Retrieved on March 26, 2006, from            http://www.jbhm-edgroup.com/experience Hayden, Cathy. (2002). â€Å"Schools and More Money: Plenty of lessons learned.† The Clarion- Ledger. Retrieved on March 29, 2006, from http://orig.clarionledger.com/news/0210/14/m01.html. Hayden, Cathy. (2005). â€Å"Angry Parents Want Shelby Schools Chief Fired.†The Clarion-Ledger.            Retrieved March 30, 2006 from http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article? AID=/20051113/NEWS/511130388/1†¦. â€Å"Hinds AHS.†(2006). SchoolTree.Org.  Retrieved March 30, 2006, from,            http://mississippi.schooltree.org/counties-page1.html Keller, Bess. (2006). â€Å"Florida Ready to Demand Bonuses Based on Test Scores.† Education            Week. Retrieved March 30, 2006 from http://www.edweek.org/agentk-12articles2006/            02/22/24fla.h25.html?print=1. â€Å"Lamar High Schools.†(2006). SchoolTree.Org.  Retrieved March 30, 2006, from,            http://mississippi.schooltree.org/counties-page1.html Marzano, Robert J. (2003). â€Å"11 Factors.† What Works in Schools. Retrieved March 30, 2006  from http://www.whatworksinschools.org/factors.cfm. Mees, Reuben. (2005). â€Å"Area Schools Show Mixed Results on Tests.†Hattiesburg American. Retrieved March 29, 2006, from http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050818/NEWS01/50 8180301/1002&template=printart. â€Å"Meridian High School.†(2006). SchoolTree.Org.  Retrieved March 30, 2006, from,            http://mississippi.schooltree.org/counties-page1.html â€Å"Mississippi Assessment and Accountability Reporting System.†(2006) Mississippi Department of Education. Retrieved March 30, 2006, from http://orsap.mde.k12.ms.us:8080/MAARS/indexProcessor.jsp. Mississippi Board of Education. (2000). Graduation Requirements. (State Board Policy IHF-1            New Graduation Requirements). Retrieved March 29, 2006, from http:///www.mde.k12. Ms.us/ACAD/ID/newgrad.html. Mississippi Board of Education. (2004).  Agenda. Jackson, MS: 4th Floor Boardroom Central High. â€Å"Mississippi Board of Education Approves Asking Governor to Declare State of Emergency in            North Bolivar School District.†News Release. (2005). Mississippi State Board of            Education. Jackson, MS: Communications Dept. MBOE. â€Å"Mississippi Department of Education Test Data Retrieval System.† (2004).            Mississippi Department of Education. Retrieved March 29, 2006, from            http://www.mde.k12.ms.us/ACAD/TD04/S9D3LST.HTM. â€Å"Moss Point High School.†(2005). Great Schools.Net Retrieved March 28, 2006 from            http://www.greatschools.net/modperl/achievement/ms/649 â€Å"Moss Point High School.†(2006). SchoolTree.Org.  Retrieved March 30, 2006, from,            http://mississippi.schooltree.org/counties-page1.html â€Å"Neshoba County.†(2006). SchoolTree.Org.  Retrieved March 30, 2006, from,            http://mississippi.schooltree.org/counties-page1.html Parker, Laura. (2002). â€Å"Abandoned Education: Tunica’s schools struggle with leftovers and neglect.† APF Reporter 18 (2). Retrieved March 30, 2006 from www.aliciapatterson.org/APF1802.html Pipho, Chris. (1994). â€Å"Taxes, School Boards, and Higher Education.† Phi Delta Kappan 75 (5),            358-359. â€Å"Rose Fort High.†(2006).  SchoolTree.Org.  Retrieved March 30, 2006, from,            http://mississippi.schooltree.org/counties-page1.html Sheffer, Hadass. (2002). Careers in Educational Counseling.† The Chronicle of Higher            Education. Retrieved March 28, 2006, from http://chronicle.com/jobs/news/2002/06/            2002062801c/printable.html. â€Å"Services.† JBHM Education Group, LLC. Retrieved on March 26, 2006, from            http://www.jbhm-edgroup.com/services Spencer, Mack. (2004). â€Å"Achievement Gap.† Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal.            Retrieved March 30, 2006 from http://www.djournal.com/pages/story.asp?ID            =59381&pub=1. â€Å"Town Meetings Scheduled for Priority Schools†News Release. (2004). Mississippi State Board            of Education. Jackson, MS: Communications Dept. MBOE. â€Å"Vermont Named Smartest State.†(2005). Results of the 2005 Smartest State Awards.            Retrieved March 30, 2006, from http://www.morganquitno.com/edpress.htm Vickers, Harriet S. (2005) â€Å"Educational Consultant Business Sees Fast-Paced Growth:            ‘Employees have bought into our mission,’ says JBHM Education Group president.†           Mississippi Business Journal 27 (19), 3. Vine, Phyllis. (1997). â€Å"To Market, To Market†¦The School Business Sells Kids Short.†The Nation 265 (7), 11-16.
Friday, January 10, 2020
If You Read Nothing Else Today, Read This Report on Good Argument Essay Topics
If You Read Nothing Else Today, Read This Report on Good Argument Essay Topics The Lost Secret of Good Argument Essay Topics Instead of just immediately writing about your argumentative essay topic, you first have to think about what it is that you're likely to put back on your paper through a procedure of brainstorming and pre-writing. If you don't find out how to begin your essay or where to search for supporting data, we'll be pleased to help you. The revision work could be about the length, complexity or some other part of the paper. You should utilize APA reference tools to aid in writing your essay the right way or employ an expert essay writer that may write the essay working with the APA reference tools. You are able to also restate the ideas which you have discussed in the body paragraphs in order to make your point valid. The very first step is to learn the topic you want to write about. You don't need to find super technical with legal argumentative essays, but make sure to do your homework on what the recent laws about your favorite topic actually say. Yearly driving tests ought to be mandatory over a specific age. Naturally, it's so much better when a student is provided a freedom to decide on the subject of their essay. By taking a look at examples, you can secure a very clear picture of what things to expect, and be in a position to be successful in writing a great college essay outline. For instance, in college, you might be requested to compose a paper from the opposing standpoint. Understanding how to compose a strong argumentative paper will help you advance your very own argumentative thinking. The above-mentioned topic selection may give you a crystal clear comprehension of what things to write about. In choosing your topic, it's frequently a good idea to start with a subject which you already have some familiarity with. The introduction should offer general information which will be included in the report. There are just a few things that define whether an essay you're working on is going to be a good one. Every writer we employ has written a good deal of special papers linked to your subject. Preferably, it ought to be something that you're an expert in. There are many intriguing topics that could be become a persuasive essay if you take the opportunity to think about doing it. Thus, you can ask all the essential questions and consult on some points. Therefore, the topic needs to be debatable! It must be interesting, the topic must be essential and finally the topic must be informative. It's important to select debatable argumentative essay topics as you need opposing points which you can counter to your own points. Your readers want to see the entire picture, and that's what you should concentrate on. You are a genuine expert in regards to persuasive essay topics. If you get to select your own topic, that's terrific. You're a true topic enthusiast! Argumentative essay for high school students also, it is going to help you will locate essential info to be certain that you comprehensive your. The objective is to satisfy your intended audience, whether or not it's your teacher or classmates. Some feel parents ought to be allowed to provide permission for their minor children to acquire tattoos, since they are making the decision for their own children. If it's necessary to compose your whole essay in 1 day, do your very best to give yourself breaks so you don't burn out. The more you tell us about your requirements, the better essay help we'll be in a position to provide. Somebody deals with health. Pay close attention to all things electronic, and you will be certain to find something debatable of what you see.
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