The opening credit sequence of The Sopranos Essay Example

The opening credit sequence of The Sopranos Paper The final step in the opening credit sequence is the title screen detailing The Sopranos. The viewer is presented with a black scene in the centre of which is the white block letter spelling out The Sopranos. This title screen itself may semiotically provide much information regarding the themes of the television programme once its layers of meaning are extricated and analysed. Treating firstly the importance of the simple colours of this screen- black and white- the themes of the show are visible. The traditional semiotic meaning that is assigned to these two colours aid in the production of these themes. White is mostly explicitly recognised as the colour of the good, the virginal/pure in contrast to the assigning of the colour black to the evil, the mysterious, danger, death and malice. The assigning of meaning to these two colours can be traced back in anthropological terms to the Western worlds view of white people as being good whilst the black people from the continent of Africa were inherently evil and not to be trusted. This dichotomy was later applied to the notion of the goodies versus the baddies and can be seen in the title of graphics detailing a main theme of the show- the good guys or the police, reflected in the white, battling against the bad guys or Tony Soprano and his mafia family, reflected in the black. These colours can also represent the struggle in Tonys world between right and wrong and his struggle with his morality and religious faith. Throughout the series, Tony has many crises of faith and a few attacks of conscience. We will write a custom essay sample on The opening credit sequence of The Sopranos specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The opening credit sequence of The Sopranos specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The opening credit sequence of The Sopranos specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Thus the black may reflect Tonys dark side, with his underhand dealings and deadly intent, and the white may represent Tonys faith, his belief in Catholicism and his need to do good in some form. However as the graphics show the black impedes on the white possibly illustrating the fact that Tony has a great struggle between right and wrong. To analyse the typography of the sequence it is again possible to find meaning implicitly embedded in it. The letters spelling out The Sopranos are thick and have blunt edges. The letters in the original are also large and white and stand out prominently from the black background. The typography used is illustrated below. This may be analysed semiotically as being a reflection of the character of Tony Soprano- solid and dependable with a large stature who is rough around the edges; possibly a reflection of his brutal streak. It may also serve to provide meaning about the Soprano family as a whole- large, close-knit and very prominent in society (reflected by the white standing out against the black background). Finally the representation of the downward facing gun as spelling out the R of The Sopranos is important for the assigning of meaning also. According to Freud, the gun can be viewed as a phallic symbol, a representation of the male penis and thus is a reflection of the male sexual drive. The gun may connote power and male sexual potency along with aggression and danger. The sexual exploits of Tony Soprano and his power sexually as well as physically is a main theme of the show, and is referred to implicitly in the title graphics. Thus it is possible to say that the title screen of the opening credit sequence of the show provides meaning semiotically through colour codes, typographic presentation and symbolic representation. Themes of the show such as the good versus the bad, violence and sexual prowess are all reflected through the simple yet highly effective title sequence. The opening credit sequence of The Sopranos may also be analysed semiotically as one explores the assigning of meaning to maleness and indeed the image of the gangster i. e. Tony Soprano. By analysing this sequence in-depth it is possible to detail information that the average viewer may neither implicitly nor explicitly decode whilst watching the television programme. The semiotic representation of Tony Soprano in the opening credit sequence reveals a lot about his character. Throughout the sequence Tonys face is obscured by shadows and darkness, the lower part of his face i. e. from his nose down, is the only part visible. If one is to assign meaning to this it is possible to say that Tony is a mysterious man with a dark mind/ dark thoughts. His face is obscured as he drives from New York to New Jersey; from work to home. It is only when he arrives home that Tony is fully visible/ fully illuminated. This reflects the idea that Tonys work life is dark and mysterious, full of secret dealings and murders, and that his home life and his family provide him with the bright/highlights of his day. In the car, Tony is the only person visible. He steers the car suggesting that he is a person who is solely in control and in power. It also suggests that he is an actor in his own future, that he directs his life and controls his destiny. This is again emphasised by the continuous close-up shots of Tonys hands and arms. The affluence of Tonys life and his materialism that is shown in the show is reflected in the opening sequences. There is a continual emphasis on Tonys gold jewellery connoting opulence, richness and his carelessness with money. The cigar that Tony smokes is also a symbol with several layers of signification for this opulence but also on another layer of meaning it may be seen as phallic, reflecting Tonys masculinity and raw sexual energy. The theme of money is again reinforced with the shot of the bank reflecting possibly Tonys implicit need for financial security for himself and his family. The religious aspect of Tonys personality is also detailed. The shot of the cathedral/church illustrates Tonys Catholicism but the shot is somewhat obscured by branches of trees. This may signify the crisis of faith that both Tony implicitly and his wife Carmela explicitly have in the show. Tony is religious, he has faith but this faith is obscured by the sins that he has committed and the illegal dealings that he is involved in. the image is almost a black and white image reflecting the clear cut base belief in God that Tony and the Soprano family hold. A red canopy on the front of the church is important as its semiotic analysis reveals that the colour red connotes a raw energy, vigour and spirituality. This reinforces the strong position that religion plays in Tonys life. The appearance of the graveyard also provides us with information about the show. The long shot of the gravestones illustrates that death will be a prevalent theme as it proves to be with all the murders carried out by Tony and his mafia gang in the show. The appearance of the butchers shop stands as signification on two levels- the butcher per se as the murderer e. g. Tony, and as standing for an immoral behaviour. The pig on top of this shop stands as a symbolic representation of Tonys greed for both food and money and for his selfishness and over-indulgence. The Pizzaland shop also reflects his greed for food and Tonys traditional Italian roots. Tonys arrival at home is also important to analyse semiotically. His movement through the gates signifies that he has entered a new phase of his life and as he moves up his driveway this signifies that an end has come to his journey, he is at rest and secure/content. Thus by performing a semiotic analysis of Tony and certain scenes from the opening credit sequences it is possible to ascertain what are the important areas of Tonys life i. e. family, religion, sex, money, food, revenge etc. The use of colour in the opening credit sequence is of particular importance in this semiotic study. There are many different meanings assigned to colours and their use in certain contexts can be highly significant in the development of meaning and therefore, themes. Tony is dressed in a maroon coloured shirt. This colour is associated with bravery and strength, which is indicative of Tonys character despite his cruel and brutal streak. The road signs signalling New Jersey, Tonys home-place, are green. Green is associated here with Tonys home-life and his family and this colour connotes peace and serenity, all feelings that Tony himself hopes to associate with his family. A colour that is of a particular significance due to its connotations is silver. The colour silver connotes justice and purity due to its association with the silver swords of the knights of olden times- protectors of freedom, upholders of morality and keepers of peace and justice. For this reason the colour is also connotative of the police as they have taken on the contemporary role of the knight. Silver freight lorries are frequently shown in the opening sequences but they are always shown travelling in different directions to Tony, never with him or even close to him. A freight truck may act as a symbol for carrying a heavy load or a burden, so the silver trucks may connote Tonys anxiety regarding being caught/followed by the police. His journey in opposite directions to these silver trucks may also act as signification that he has left purity/justice behind and is leading an immoral life. It is possible to even suggest that the colour of Tonys house is indicative to meaning. As Tony drives home, he passes by many white family homes, which bear the American flag thus connoting morality and good. Tonys house however is brown or not white signifying something other than purity and wholesomeness. Thus by analysing the use of colours and in particular their use in certain contexts it is possible to ascertain that themes such as immorality, family and fear of the police will feature as themes in this show. An important part of any semiotic analysis of a film or television programme is that of the soundtrack. Music works primarily on the level that it can rely on the spoken word as it is sung to create meaning instead of the visual image. Non-verbal communication is also employed in music to create meaning with the use of certain instruments to evoke emotions and atmosphere. According to Self (1988:116) title sequences together with title music, are instrumental in communicating the mood and themes of the coming production. The show uses the same song at the beginning of each episode. The song is Goy yourself a Gun and its lyrics play on the notion of the mob and the gun which are both themes in a way in the programme. The song plays slowly and quietly at the start of the sequence as Tony leaves the city and gains in speed and audibility, as he gets closer to home. This illustrates that he feels strongly about where he lives and about his family. According to the song, if one is to relate it to Tony, he was born under a bad sign with a blue moon in your (his) eyes (lines 7-8). This provides a hint to Tonys character, that he is immoral and does not follow the rules. Having blue moon in ones eyes is indicative of Tonys upward gazing idea, that one must better themselves regardless of how they do this even if the rules must be broken. The repetition of this song at the beginning of each episode helps to continually create the overall atmosphere of the show as being one of immorality and violence connoted by the gun in the song.

Strategy Context Report For Bang & Olufsen

Strategy Context Report For Bang & Olufsen Strategy Context Report For Bang Olufsen Introduction Peter Bang and Svend Olufsen founded Bang Olufsen A/S in 1925 in Jutland (Karjalainen 2011). Initially, Bang Olufsen (BO) was based in a manor that belonged to the parents of Svend Olufsen; at the time, the company benefited from the hardworking nature of the local community. The culture in which the two men grew up was one of the lasting factors that assisted the company to go through various crises. The company launched BO Eliminator as its first product. It could connect the battery receiver to the mains. Later, BO had a big break through when they launched the Five Lamper, which was a mains radio in an elegant cabinet of walnut. Presently, the company still focuses on the audio industry and it has engaged in the manufacture of visual devices (Alessandri Alessandri 2004). This makes BO one of the most successful audio/visual companies in the world. Their present main product line includes televisions, audio devices, loudspeakers, audio devices, home integration, and digital medi a. In addition, BO equips exclusive projects with audio/visual devices via their enterprise departments and develops Car-Hi-Fi for such companies as Aston Martin, Audi, Mercedes, etc. The company also benefits from patents in certain technology it developed. One example of such technologies is the compact digital amplifiers managed in the ICEpower subsidiary. This analysis will focus on the audiovisual part of the business of BO. Industry Overview According to Altshuler and Tarnovskaya (2010), the consumer electronics industry has undergone considerable changes and it is still highly turbulent. The implementation of Common Market due to the Rome Treaty, to begin with, forecasted the decline of Bang Olufsen due to the competing German companies. The entry of Asian technology into the worldwide market increased the pressure on all the electronic firms in North America and Europe. Small European companies like Bang Olufsen, with their main consumer base in Denmark, were not obvious survivors in the turbulent environment. Nevertheless, Bang Olufsen maintained their focus on quality production, which was their prerogative from the very establishment of the company. In addition, European electronic companies, including BO, placed more emphasis on modern technology. For instance, BO deployed a wide use of modern technology in manufacturing of its products due to the rising criticism of their traditional wooden design (Balmer Gray 2003). During the few recent years, the financial crisis affected the business worldwide (Bang Olufsen Group 2008). Various industries were experiencing recession. Private investors as well as companies and consumers had to deal with adverse economic conditions. Hence, various world markets were overheated in the recent years. In addition, industries also experienced growth rates that were far beyond the normal levels. According to Bloom and Williamson (1999), consumers had a large disposable income and were willing to spend it. However, this abruptly ended as the financial crisis began. The financial crisis crippled the manufacturing and production of goods. One the major markets affected was the electronics market (Bloom Williamson 1999). The electronics market has been experiencing sky-scraping rates of growth in the previous decade. According to Gabrielsson (2005), the consumer electronics market has faced growth rates of about 10 per cent in the last few years. Bang Olufsen, among other electronics companies, has also been experiencing success in the recent past and has had its share of growth stemming from the growth of the consumer electronics market. Nevertheless, the effect of financial crisis was substantial for the company. Given that Bang Olufsen is selling what can be categorized as luxury electronic commodities, the impact of financial crisis was very significant because consumers shunned away from luxury products as the crisis aggravated. The figure below shows the trend in growth of the electronics consumer industry. As Kalafaties, Tsogas, and Blankson (2000) pointed out, one outstanding aspect determining the consumer behaviour is an ever-declining trend in prices of electronic products. This has been driven by lower costs of labour, manufacturing efficiency, and automations. This is, perhaps, because manufacturing has shifted to lower-wage countries and there has been an improvement in semiconductor design. Despite consumer electronics market facing upward trends, consumers of electronics continue showing diverse buying decisions. According to Karjalainen (2011), there is a constant need to maintain the product information updated and comparable for electronics consumers to make informed decisions. Price, style, performance, and other specifications seem relevant in the audio/visual industry. Macro Environmental Analysis (PESTEL) When evaluating the external environment, there are various aspects to consider. This makes it problematic to reduce the focus of the analysis to the external environment evaluation that is actually affecting the Bang Olufsen. In order to solve this problem, PESTEL analysis can be deployed, which will help to focus attention on political, economic, socio-cultural, technological, environmental and legal (PESTEL) characteristics of the B Os macro environment (Knight Cavusgil 2004). Nevertheless, PESTEL analysis needs only to be viewed as a checklist; therefore, there might be other factors to consider in the analysis. In addition, some of the aspects of the macro environments might have insignificant effects on the company in question. For Bang Olufsen, this study concentrated on the political, economic, socio-cultural, and technological aspects of the macro environment. Political Environment International and national political decisions frequently influence companies because the results of these decisions control the laws and conditions under which companies must operate. According to VanRiel and Balmer (1997), such effects are evident in the signing of the Rome Treaty and the introduction of Common Market, which led to a decline of Bang Olufsen. Additionally, the works and policies of the World Trade Organization (WTO) focused on reducing trade barriers have created a more laissez-faire trade environment, which has increased competition to Bang Olufsen. According to Tuckwell (2007), the political decisions which will affect Bang Olufsen considerably in the near future would be economic rescue plans, which policy makers worldwide are providing. The rescue plans Bank package 1 and 2, as Simes and Dibb (2001) noted, will influence the ease with which Bang Olufsen can receive funding. It is most likely that Bang Olufsen require funds in the near future, particularly i f the financial crisis proves very difficult to avert. Rescue plans can also affect Bang Olufsen on a general level. This is because the overall reason of devising these plans is to turn around the economy of world. The US policies will significantly affect BO since the US and other key players in the international market are an integral component of the world economy. This implies that the rates of success of these Danish rescue plans will have a direct impact on the BO as the improvement of the world economy will lead to an increase in the sales of the company. Economic Environment As it was mentioned above, the economic crisis affected Bang Olufsen negatively. A significant portion of the effect of economic crisis stems from the decline in consumers purchasing ability because of the economic downturn. Most affected countries are those selling high-end commodities. Due to the fact that about 88 per cent of Bang Olufsens turnover comes from foreign trade, the present economic trends have considerably affected the companys cash flows via fluctuations in the exchange rates. BO deals with the Euro as its foreign currency. Nevertheless, since the Danish Krone is attached to the Euro, fluctuations of the Danish Krone have little effect on the Euro (Porter 2008). Other important currencies include the Swiss Franc and British Pound, which have a net cash inflow, and the US dollar, which has a net cash outflow. The decline in the value of the British Pound affects the Cash inflow of Bang Olufsen. On the contrary, the fall in the value of the US Dollar has assisted BO by increasing the cash outflow. In general, the fluctuations in the currency value have negatively affected the BOs turnover. The British Pound is continuing to fall in its value in relation to the Danish currency and the US dollar is becoming stronger (Porter 2008). Socio-Cultural Environment The boom experienced in the world market prior to the economic crisis increased consumers purchasing ability and increased the focus on the status symbol and luxury design. According to Alessandri and Alessandri (2004), this ensured a favourable environment for the company. Nevertheless, this also compelled many competitors of BO to concentrate on design, as exemplified by Samsungs flat Televisions and Apples iPod. The styles adopted by these competitors are progressively communicating the status symbol of style consumers have been demanding, though at a fraction of the price of Bang Olufsens commodities (Balmer Gray 2003). Increased environmental awareness and green production is another social-cultural factor that affects the company in a positive manner. With regard to this factor, the company has continuously been channelling efforts towards enhancing the performance of the products. It attempts to achieve this by changing the packaging, reducing the stand-by electric consumption, and working on their corporate social responsibility (Knight Cavusgil 2004). The problem is whether the company is conveying this clearly to consumers to make them see that it is an environment friendly company. Technological Environment As it was mentioned, the electronics industry is an extremely volatile industry with fast developments. During the days of radio, Bang Olufsen was among the companies using the most recent technologies in production. Nevertheless, today, Asian electronic companies are way ahead in the development of technologies. For instance, the fact that the company has not developed its Full HD TV shows that it lags behind. Bang Olufsen has never been capable of launching this new technology. On the contrary, the company owns profitable patents and is still one of the frontrunners (Al-Rousan Qawasmeh 2009). Evaluation of Resources, Capabilities Sustainability of Competitive Advantage According to Al-Rousan and Qawasmeh (2009), core competencies have three different characteristics. The first characteristic is that they are a source of competitive advantage, which contributes to perceived consumer benefits. The second characteristic is that they are applicable in various markets. Thirdly, competencies are extremely difficult for competitors to copy. As such, companies need core competencies in order to have a competitive advantage over its competitors. According to Kalafaties, Tsogas, and Blankson (2000), the core competencies of Bang Olufsen are directed towards improving the experience of users of their electronic products. This statement suitably matches with their focus on design and quality that provides the consumers of their products with unique experience when their products are turned off and on. The first core competency of BO is the unmatched quality of their products, which as mentioned above, offer consumers superior experience. According to Gabrielsson (2005), quality has been an important aspect since the establishment of Bang Olufsen. It is a necessity for the company in order to be capable of charging high prices as they do. In addition, quality provides consumers with an extra value by increasing the lifespan of their products. Special design has also been one of the strengths of BO. In fact, the classical aluminium design introduced by Jacob Jensen emerged as a clear differentiator of BOs products. For some time, this simple design distinguished BO from Asian electronic companies. Nevertheless, companies such as Samsung, Sony and Apple are presently challenging this core competency. As Alessandri and Alessandri (2004) noted, the strength lying in their design might to be their market qualifier. Another competency of BO lies in their value of brand. By manufacturing well designed electronic products of high quality and at a high price, the company has established a brand that functions as a status symbol. VanRiel and Balmer (1997) considered this competency as an immaterial asset that might enable the company to charge still considerably higher prices than other key players in the market.

Harvard MBA admission essays Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Harvard MBA admission essays - Essay Example Although I was successful in setting standards on paper; however, creation of a practical roadmap was something that made me contemplate further. Since Saudi Arabia has neither unions nor work councils, I seized at the opportunity to mold the new ‘Organization Excellence’ department into a platform as an internal employee work council, as well as an intermediary between the company and employees. After conducting employee interviews, reading extensive P&G archives on performance management, and seeking out thought leadership resources, I designed a completely new system for mobilizing and motivating human assets. Not only did strategy of unifying workers and developing a more-positive working environment pay off; however, also my approach to ‘Organization Excellence’ touched off productivity gains throughout the P&G facility. During a short period of two years, I facilitated the department in its expansion, and it set indexed performance and rising job satisfaction standards throughout the organization. P&G sites across Saudi Arabia, the Middle East and beyond are now replicating my model, and subseq uently, the companys reputation, in terms of its human resources management, has also strengthened dramatically, and winning Saudi Arabia’s Employer of the Year Award is just an example of the accomplishment. After completion of the top-to-bottom redesigning of ‘Rewards and Recognition incentive system’, it was an understanding that the system was transforming into a global benchmark for P&G sites worldwide. For this reason, my inspiration stemmed from identifying performance gaps, and at that time, during the training of 350 employees on P&G success drivers and another batch on ‘High Performance Organizations Overviews’, I felt strongly that everyone should be able to take ownership initiative and feel valuation of their contribution. Simultaneously, I sought to transform trainings from a passive information transfer to an interactive experience

Medication abuse in celebraties Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Medication abuse in celebraties - Essay Example Medication Abuse in Celebrities Elvis Presley, Marilyn Monroe, Kurt Cobain, Heath Ledger and Michael Jackson all have something in common: fame, success, popularity and death through medication abuse. Celebrities are idolized and placed in pedestals by adoring fans. Like normal individuals, celebrities, despite their fame, resources, and connections, are subject to the same health risks that abound in any particular time frame. Sad to say, there are factors unique and distinct to celebrities that make them predisposed to greater susceptibility to abuse medications that initially aim to address trivial health concerns. Drugs and medications are supposed to be prescribed, administered and taken in dosages that are deemed safe and sufficient to address illnesses that have been diagnosed for particular patients. However, drug overdose has been intermittently published, reported and continue to pervade contemporary times. The cases for celebrities are just magnified due to their popular s tature and global awareness. The aim of the current informative discourse is to proffer pertinent issues relative to medication abuse in celebrities, particularly focusing on the case of Michael Jackson. ... Overview of Medication Abuse The World Health Organization (WHO) has chosen to streamline and qualify the definition of abuse to mean â€Å"persistent or sporadic excessive drug use inconsistent with or unrelated to acceptable medical practice† (World Health Organization, 2012, par. 1). The National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) is the organization tasked with monitoring, governing and administering laws and regulations relative to medications that have proven to be susceptible to abuse (National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), n.d.). Accordingly, â€Å"in 2010, approximately 16 million Americans are reported using a prescription drug for nonmedical reasons in the past year; 7 million in the past month† (NIDA: Commonly Abused Prescription Drugs, 2012, par. 3). In a featured publication of NIDA entitled â€Å"Drugs, Brains, and Behavior: The Science of Addiction†, it was explicitly indicated that â€Å"risk of drug abuse increases greatly during times of transit ion, such as changing schools, moving, or divorce† (par. 2). These activities are normally encountered by people from all walks of life. For celebrities, these factors contribute to their preponderence for taking medications, in conjunction with other intricate and distinct factors as to be discussed below. Factors Contributory to Medication Abuse in Celebrities In an article written by Puente (2012), it was indicated that celebrities are no different in terms of their susceptibilities to medication abuse. The author cited Kevin Hill, reportedly an addictions psychiatrist who was noted to be governing the drug abuse treatment at Harvard Medical School's McLean Hospital

WWF Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

WWF - Case Study Example The organization seeks to push for the recognition of the interdependent nature of the environment, wildlife, and people. With over 300 employees around the world, including the UK, WWF has grown in stature around the world, especially due to increased attention on sustainability. In the UK, this expansion has necessitated a move of HQ to Woking from its previous Godalming base. The new HQ, the Living Planet Centre LPC, will enable WWF to interact more with an increasingly interested public with an education suite, an auditorium, and a visitors’ centre (World Wildlife Fund UK, 2013: p1). As part of this relocation strategy, WWF will also seek to merge the communication and fundraising departments, while also dealing with the cultural changes that will accompany this strategic restructuring. This paper aims to report on specific challenges facing WWF with regards to recruitment and selection, as well as to use the findings to provide recommendations for their human resource ope rations. WWF strives to ensure that wildlife, environmental, and human needs are taken into account, especially in developing countries. To do this, they utilize scientific knowledge to inform conservation activities by sharing findings with specialists and partners (Powell, 2011: p34). The organization also uses the lessons that it learns from conservation activities as case studies to offer feedback for future conservation models, especially through horizontal transfer of best practices through encounter promotion among its partners and peers. In order to undertake the challenging task of conservation, WWF also recognizes the importance of alliances and stakeholder coordination, which allows them to intervene, at numerous levels, to support international, national, and local interventions from regional perspectives. In doing this, it is the organization’s plan to respond with flexibility and dynamism in the face of emerging

HR Manual for Tata Power Community Development

HR Manual for Tata Power Community Development Tata Power Company (TPC), a pioneer in the power sector, has historically been committed to environment enrichment and community services. TPC has been undertaking corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities for decades. Tata Power Community Development Trust (TPCDT) is a CSR function deployment organization of TPC. With more and more power generation projects coming into existence, activities related to CSR have increased. TPCDT now required a set of policies and guidelines in order to have smooth governance and operational efficiency in terms of human resource management. Creating a well defined set of rules and policies in organizations manuals could help to avert problematic situations. Hence, the objective of this project is to frame a Human Resources (HR) Policy Manual for TPCDT. The project also aimed at studying various aspects of Human Resources in this organization, analyzing and incorporating HR Policies. Methodology for the project included examining the areas of operation of organization and assimilating information about its operational aspects. After gathering data, the policies that need be incorporated in Human Resource Manual of TPCDT were identified and an in-depth analysis of their applicability to the organization was carried out. The next step included study of various employee and labour related acts as a part of identification of compliance and necessary requirements. HR Manuals of similar organizations and trusts were also referred to understand overall content and flow of the HR Manual for TPCDT. Major observations were noticed in terms of organization structure and internal management systems. The whole structure of TPCDT was to be redesigned. Various grades and designations were identified in accordance with those of Tata Power Company Ltd. A whole new performance appraisal system was designed to suit the hierarchy of the organization. Further for smooth function within the organization an efficient grievance handling mechanism was also established. For all the above major observations certain policies and strategies were recommended by me. Majority of my proposals and recommendations were accepted viz. TPCDTs Organization Structure, Grades and Designations for TPCDT, Three Tier Performance Appraisal System, Looped Grievance Handling Mechanism, Recruitment Flowchart, Forms and Templates, etc. Various activities that were of assistance in formulating the HR Manual included literature review, discussions with HR personnel and higher management of the organization, organizational analysis of TPCDT, referring other organizations manual, academic study material and continuous guidance from company guide and faculty guide. Finally as an outcome of my summer internship project, an HR Manual has been drafted catering to the needs and requirements of TPCDT. This manual was accepted for implementation by the management of TPCDT. Introduction Tata Power Community Development Trust (TPCDT) is a registered trust under Bombay Public Trust Act-1950, dated 13th April, 2009, with its objects as relief of poor, advancement and propagation of education learning, for providing medical aid and relief and advancement of any object to general public utility without any profit. In the subsequent years after its registration, TPCDT started extending its area of operations with its objectives as follows: Relief of poor including the help from establishment and support of institutions, educational fund for the relief in poverty including relief of any distress Providing scholarships, prize and fellowships in any branch of science art or commerce, or in assisting students to study whether in India or aboard either by payment of lump sum or by payment of periodical sums or by giving interest free loans or at nominal interest Providing medical aid and relief, including for establishments, maintenance and support for hospitals, dispensaries, convalescent homes, rest-houses, recreation centers and institutions or funds for medical aid and relief for promotion of health and hygiene Providing aid to any charitable institutions Establishing, support, maintaining and for grant aid to goushalas and other institutions working for the protection and preservation of animals and birds. As the scope of operations increased, TPCDT required a set of policies and guidelines to have smooth governance and maintain its operational efficiency. In order to maintain quality of services rendered by TPCDT, it required hiring of personnel and various other personnel policies. There were some issues coming from various operational locations of TPCDT in context of organizations HR policies and guidelines. Issues like defining a link in between Tata Power and TPCDT in terms of management hierarchy were coming into picture. Other queries included: What can be the maximum permissible benefits and allowances can be granted for TPCDT employees? How the recruitment and selection policy will work? What will be the grievance handling procedure? What should be the procedure for performance appraisal? Solutions to such queries were required in form of written guidelines and policies clearly defining organizations human resource policies. For this vary purpose, TPCDT required an HR Manual to have all sets of policies and procedures compiled in a handbook format for smooth personnel management. Each employee should be able to use this manual as a guidebook when he or she needs to apply organization policy in a given situation. Every employee should feel free to consult this manual to assist in the interpretation of Human Resources policies. 1.1 About HR Manual: The Human Resources Policy Manual is Organizations Human Resources policies written into a usable guidebook for all employees. This manual not only outlines an organizations policy toward the various phases of the employer-employee relationship, but it also indicates how policy is to be administered. Consequently, each employee should be able to use this manual as a guidebook when he or she needs to apply organization policy in a given situation. Every employee should feel free to consult this manual to assist in the interpretation of Human Resources policies. Research and experience has shown that written policies promote consistency, continuity, and better understanding within an organization. When policies are put into writing in the form of a manual, they add a visual effect to their overall purpose. Moreover, written policies help management by eliminating the need for time-consuming and expensive memos, bulletins, and announcements. Written policies also aid supervisors and managers in consistently achieving fair and equitable interpretations of policy that require action on a regular, recurring basis. Moreover, fellow employees feel a deeper understanding of their role in the organization when they realize that policies are written and thereby uniformly administered. Employees feel more secure, confident, and more at one with the organization when policies are made clear for them. Policies promote a movement toward responsibility and accountability. Furthermore, the ever-present tendency to pass-the-buck is reduced to a great extent. Specifically speaking, this Policy Manual is designed to provide management with the following advantages. Understanding Written policy is one of the best antidotes in the Human Resources medicine chest for avoiding troubles an organizational grapevine may cause. Even though everything is subject to interpretation, the odds overwhelmingly favour the written word compared with the oral. Line of Authority Top management cannot make all the decisions that need to be made within the organizations community. Often at times they feel the need to because they are afraid to release that authority to subordinates. Naturally, it signifies that if top management felt that subordinates could make decisions like top management would, the reluctance would be reduced. The Policy Manual achieves this desired relationship. It thus results in a solid delineation of authority. Consistency Consistent application of organizations policies is constructive because it means employees will be treated equally. It prevents, to a great extent, the seepage of prejudice and bias in the decisions of supervision. The achievement of this one virtue takes a colossal step toward the maintenance of satisfactory employer-employee harmony. The need for a Policy Manual is very essential. In short, no organization is invulnerable to the fallacies of human nature. These written policies should increase understanding of organization-wide policy guidelines. Authority and Distribution- Every employee of organization has access to this Policy Manual in handbook format. This Policy Manual is up-to-date and contains the complete and accurate policies of organization as of the published date. Supplements to the Policy Manual- The policies, practices and guidelines in this Policy Manual will remain in effect until changes are considered necessary as a result of internal growth, competitive forces, or as a result of general economic conditions pertaining to higher education communities. However, any such change to be made on any Human Resources policy or practice will be made only after consideration is given to the mutual advantages, benefits, and responsibilities of such changes on supervisors or managers and on other employees of the organization. Management Rights- This manual describes general Human Resources policies and procedures for the organization. This manual should not be construed as, and does not constitute an offer of employment for any specific duration, nor is it intended to state any terms of employment. Organization reserves the right to change, modify, suspend, interpret or cancel its policies and practices at its sole discretion and without advance notice. This right extends to both published and unpublished policies. 1.2 Company Profile: Tata Power Company Limited Tata Power Company is a pioneer in the power sector has historically been committed to environment enrichment and community services. The company reaffirms commitment to the conservation of ecological systems and sustainable development through afforestation, water conservation, nurturing and developing of local species of flora and fauna in our areas of operation. As Indias largest private power utility, Tata Power has set the momentum of growth. In the quest to deliver sustainable energy, Tata Power is spreading its footprint nationwide, creating new benchmarks in operational efficiencies, investing in global resources and redefining paradigms. Tata Powers strength lies in fulfilling their commitments and their ability to manage well in the changing environment. Company takes pride in building lasting and trusting relationship with its customers along with a legacy of caring for communities in and around its areas of operations. Tata Power strives to lead the reform process for sustainable power with an aim to redefine the contours of Indian Power Sector. Tata Power Company and Tata Power Community Development Trust (TPCDT) TPC had undertaken the CSR activities for decades, reflecting the companys commitment towards sustainable energy generation without undue compromise to human and environmental development. These activities were undertaken as a voluntary initiative by the employees of TPC, and there was no separate CSR department. However, with large scale expansion, the need to have CSR as a separate entity was felt. The dilemma for the decision manager was whether to create a separate CSR department or continue with the existing set up. Other related issues needed to be addressed strategically as well as tactically to maintain a balance between shareholders interest and other stakeholders. Tata Power Companys CSR deployment bodies are: Project Description This project deals with preparing HR Manual for Tata Power Community Development Trust (TPCDT) and drafting various forms and templates for administrative purpose of TPCDT. 2.1 Methodology of Project Understanding Organization (Organizational Analysis) Identification of suitable policies for Tata Power Community Development Trust (TPCDT) Identification of related acts and regulatory framework Drafting HR Manual and designing forms and templates Review and feedbacks; incorporating corrections (if any) Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4 Step 5 Areas of operations Existing organizational structure Existing work mechanisms Through management discussions, analysis of other HR Manuals, etc Concluding policies for manual Identification of regulatory framework and compliance in terms of identified HR policies To compile policies in HR Manual and designing relevant forms and templates To make necessary changes as suggested by management Step 1 Understanding Organization (Organizational Analysis): Organizational analysis aims to generate an understanding of the organizational structure and culture of the system the project is looking at. This can help in understanding the ease or difficulty with which new strategies can be adopted. Organizational analysis is about organizations and people. This covers issues of structure and formality. But it also encompasses issues of process and, in a very fundamental way, change. The subject matter can be very abstract, and is drawn from literatures concerned with organizations in general rather than any specific sector. It also covers underlying change and organizational dynamics, which are common, to a great degree, to all organizations whatever sector they occupy. The project was started by referring literature on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and operational activities of TPCDT. It comprised of data related to TPCDTs legal documents, field of operations and activities of TPCDT, about linkage between TPCDT and TPC, etc. The first and foremost task was to understand the organizational structure and its operational aspect. For this the TPCDTs Trust Deed was read by me in order to understand the purpose of incorporation of the trust. The next part included understanding the current organizational structure. Initially the structure of TPCDT was as follows: Some issues were identified in the existing organizational structure. These issues included: There were no clearly defined set of rules or regulations in terms of management, reporting and authority. A number of personnel from Tata Power were performing the roles of TPCDT personnel at some locations. There was no clear distinction as to differentiate the employment roles of the individual between TPCDT and TPC. In the absence of a HR Policy Manual, the management and decisions pressure was directed towards Head Office. Grades and designations were not defined. The link in between who is eligible for which designation from TPC to TPCDT was also missing. Guidelines for recruitment and other administrative procedures were also lacking to some extent. In order to understand the whole system properly, the current structure of company was examined again. On the basis of observations, a few organizational structures for TPCDT were proposed by me. The proposed structures were as follows: TPCDTs Organization Structure: Proposed Structure-1 TPCDTs Organization Structure: Proposed Structure-2 TPCDTs Organization Structure: Proposed Structure -3 TPCDTs Organization Structure: Proposed Structure-4 TPCDT CEO at Head Office (Support Departments: HR, Accounts, Operations, and Consultants.) Regional Head Assistant Regional Head Program Head Project Head Assistant Program Head Project Coordinator Assistant Project Coordinator Senior Field Worker Field Worker From the above proposed structures, the (proposed organizational structure -4) was finalized with some inputs from proposed structure 1, 2 and 3. The next important aspect in order to proceed towards framing policies and guidelines for TPCDT was Grades and Designations Structure. TPCDT required a clear structure in terms of designation on which a personnel is hired and also a framework for a TPC employee to join TPCDT and for which designation he is placed in TPCDT. After analyzing the organization and conducting necessary research, the following grades and designations table was proposed by me. The designations were identified in line with Tata Power Companys grades and designations. In the following a clear distinction is given between Tata Power Company and TPCDT. This also describes if a person moves from TPC to TPCDT, he will be placed on which designation. The table also highlights the linkage between Tata Powers employees and TPCDT employees Grade in TPCL Designations TPCL Designation TPCDT Grade in TPCDT Sub Grade/ Designation Sub Grades A General Manager CEO A/I ÂÂ   ÂÂ   B1 Deputy General Manager B2 Assistant General Manager C1 Chief Manager Chief Program Head B/II Regional Head B1/II A C2 Senior Manager Assistant Regional Head B2II B D1 Manager Program Head C/III Program Head C1/III A D2 Assistant Manager Project Head C2/III B Assistant Program Head C3/III C D3 Executive Project Coordinator D/IV Project Coordinator D1/IV A D4 Officer Assistant Project Coordinator D2/ IV B E1 Worker Field Worker E/V Senior Field Worker E1/V A ÂÂ   ÂÂ   ÂÂ   ÂÂ   Junior Field Worker E2/V B Note: This table was also accepted later on in grades and designation part. The grades were taken as I, II, III, IV and V. Step 2 Identification of suitable policies for Tata Power Community Development Trust (TPCDT) In this phase the key areas suitable for TPCDT were to be identified. Various discussions were made with Col Prakash Tewari (Retd) who is the Deputy General Manager of CSR and Rehabilitation Resettlement Department in Tata Power and Mr. Inam Mukkhadam who is accounts head for TPCDT. A few questions that came up in the early phases of the project were: What all will be the contents of the HR Manual that will be suitable with the area of operation of TPCDT? What can be the maximum permissible benefits and allowances can be granted considering the fact that TPCDT is a nonprofit organization? How to understand the working conditions of people in their work areas? How to distinguish between the working conditions of personnel among various areas of operations? In this phase of the project various secondary data sources were searched and data was collected. Most of the data was related to companies and profit making organizations. But as this organization is a nonprofit organization, financial freedom is limited as compared to a profit making entity. In the initial phase the following policies that could have been a part of manual were identified by me. A copy of the document first presented to management is attached in Attachment2. After a series of discussions and suggestions the content of HR Manual for TPCDT were finalized. The content comprised of the following: Introduction: It included a brief introduction and background of the organization. This is further continued by briefly describing organizations HR philosophy i.e. vision, mission, objectives and values of the organization and purpose of this HR manual. The literature for this part was identified from the trust deed of TPCDT and management guidelines. Employment: This consists of employment policy of TPCDT and policy of TPCDT to transfer or promote well performing and capable employees to fill vacancies so that employees are provided with opportunities to widen their exposure and further their career development within TPCDT. The next important aspect of employment block in a manual is describing the organization structure and hierarchy. Then is the categorization of employees and associates. It also describes the type and nature of employment in the organization. They were identified as the following in context with TPCDT: Probationer: An employee who has been hired for a permanent position and is put through a probation period Trainee: A person who is freshly qualified or new to the sector may be appointed Interns: Students undergoing practical training with the organization, as a part of their academic Curriculum for a period ranging from 1 to 6 months Fixed Term Employees: A person who has been hired on a Fixed Term Contract Employment based on an identified project, the duration of which may or may not last its specified tenure. Permanent Employee: A person who has successfully completed his/her probation period whose service has been confirmed in writing, by the Organization. Associates: These are experts from various fields having specialized knowledge and expertise Contract Staff: Employees belonging to contractors deployed in the Organizations premises by the Contractor Overseas Interns: Students from overseas universities who undertake practical training with the organizations. Recruitment and Selection End Job Analysis, Employee Qualification/ Specification Posting of Advertisement on Internet/ Newspaper, etc Confirmation Appointment, Induction, Training and Development Staffing: Tests/ Interviews Receiving and short listing of CVs Requirement at Location/Head Office CV s Selected Rejected No YesThis section was identified as one of the most important part of internal human resource management. In context of work areas and requirements a chart was proposed by me, which was finalized later with some minor adjustments in terminology for the purpose of recruitment and selection flowchart. The final chart is as follows: Following activities were of assistance in formulating this flowchart: Literature review Discussions with HR personnel and higher management of the organization Organizational analysis of TPCDT Code of conduct: This part of manual was designed on the lines of Tata Powers code of conduct. All Tata Group of Companies have their internal policy on code of conduct. In order to distinguish between Tata Power and TPCDT separate code of conduct was drafted in lines with Tata Code of Conduct which was having few elements from Tata Code of Conduct and other elements form the observations out of organizational analysis from Step 1 i.e. Organizational Analysis. Performance appraisal: The purpose of performance appraisal is for a supervisor and an employee to have a candid discussion about performance expectations and actual performance. The employees actual level of performance is compared to the expected level of performance using standards that were developed by the supervisor with input from the employee. The benefits to be gained from conducting performance appraisals include: Recognizing accomplishments Identifying newly acquired competencies Preparing employee development plans Planning improvement where deficiencies are found Goal-setting Communication between supervisors and employees A new performance appraisal system was identified for TPCDT. A new Three Tier Performance Appraisal System for TPCDT was suggested by me. In most of the Tata Group of Companies Performance Management System is followed. But after few discussions with higher management officials, it was accepted in the proposal phase itself. This system works as follows: The first phase will comprise of Self Performance Review. Employee will fill the form in 5 days of time. This has to be filled in by the candidate himself. He will be judging himself on parameters stating how the employee judges himself/herself. The employee should fill in the KRAs / Goals in the beginning of the year. HR dept will then provide employee a Subordinate Performance Appraisal Form. This form will deal with a critical evaluation of the employee by its other fellow employees or subordinates. This form is also on the same grounds measuring various parameters stating how employees subordinates judge him/her. The next and most vital part in the three phased appraisal system is IO-RO-SRO Performance Appraisal. This appraisal will have remarks from the immediate superior of the candidate who is known as IO and then it will be forwarded to the next superior RO of the candidate. Their remarks will be recorded in a form and along with all the three forms; the file is given to SRO for finalization of the result. (IO- Initiating Officer, RO- Reviewing Officer, SRO- Senior Reviewing Officer) [Note: An Initiating Officer (IO) is the immediate superior of an employee. A Reviewing Officer is the superior to Initiating Officer and a Senior Reviewing Officer (SRO) is the immediate superior to Reviewing Officer (RO)]. The evaluation aspect and flow will be as follows in all the performance appraisal forms with an exception to a final remark column in IO-RO-SRO Performance Appraisal Form by SRO Suppose there are 20 attributes on which self/subordinate/IO-RO have to give point out of five. Here five is the highest and one being the lowest. Based on the result employee will be rewarded. Based on this report, salary increments and/or shifting to next level or fresh contracts in the same/ higher grade are made. Promotion: For the purpose of promotion it was collectively decided by management to give on merit. It was decided that it can either be based on the report generated from Three Tier Performance Appraisal System or direct promotion from the Managing Trustee of the Organization. However, special consideration will be required for promotion over and above the post of Program Head. Promotion will be approved after approval from Managing Trustee. Salary payment: It was decided by management that the Managing Trustee of the trust must approve salary of all employees. Additionally, salaries above a threshold set by the Board of Trustees must be approved by the Compensation Committee of the Board of Trustees if required. It was decided that salary changes, including certain types of supplementary compensation and salary during a leave of absence, require the same authorization and review process. Employee recognition and awards: According to studies, employees work better if they are given incentives for good performance. People naturally love to be recognized so it is important that companies and organizations set up an awards giving system to keep its people inspired. In addition to my inputs in HR Manual for TPCDT, a new policy on having employee recognition and awards was proposed by me. This part of manual would define the procedures and guidelines related to Employee Recognition and Awards. This has also been accepted after a few discussions and awards like Karmyogi Award, Spot Awards, Best team Award, Best TPCDT Performer Award, and etc were introduced. Every individual will be evaluated by his/her Initiating Officer (IO) and Reviewing Officer (RO). This will be further reviewed by Senior Reviewing Officer (SRO). One of the differentiating fact about these awards is they are not single awards. As many competent employees can be nominated and given these awards. This decision was taken to increase team effort and motivate individuals. Job rotation: Job rotation is rotation from one function to another, in same location or different. Rotation is in the same function as well as different function but may be at various locations. It was collectively decided that the minimum period after which an employee may undergo job rotation should be 2yeras. Following activities were of assistance in determining the policy on job rotation: Management discussions Literature review Discussion with current employees of TPCDT Grievances redress mechanism: For any organization, a proper grievance handling mechanism is considered to be very important. For this purpose a new multi-loop grievances redress mechanism was proposed by me. It was designed considering the fact of small loops. Each loop is having a specific decision related to grievance handling outcome. This mechanism was also accepted by management as official grievance redress mechanism for TPCDT. This is in a flowchart structure and has different loops for different situations and grievance handling. Receipt of a Grievance in TPCDT (Within any department or area) Assessment of the Grievance by Grievance Officer (One at each location) Grievance sent to Head Office For review by (Chief Grievance Officer) Discussions within Board and Managing Trustee Grievance Resolved Sent to Chief Executive Officer Solution Sent to Origin Site Yes No Grievance Resolved Yes No Employment separation: This policy was drafted as per management directions. It included procedures related to job separation and types of job separation. The main focus while drafting this policy was on providing clear guidelines to employees about various policies, guidelines and formalities necessary at the time of job separation. Various types of job separation areas that were identified are as follows: Termination: Termination of employment is an inevitable part of personnel activity within any Organization. Resignation: An employee resignation policy is an organizations official instruction for initiating and processing the voluntary separation of an employee.ÂÂ  An organizations employee resignation policy officially compels staff to follow the procedures. Resignation procedures protect the employees rights and the organizations interest. Official forms confirm and document that the resignation adhered to policy. It was decided that an employee resignation may be submitted in writing to the Chairman/CEO 3 month prior to the final working date. Earned but un-used vacation time (pro-rated to the last day of employment) will be paid. Sick leaves left unused will not be paid. In order to have a smooth flow of instructions, a resignation process flowchart was proposed by me for TPCDT. The chart is as follows: Resignation Process Flowchart Initiating Officer Returns Resignation Letter to Officer Division inform HO regarding date of release Resignation Acceptance Letter Handed to Employee Approving Authority Approves Resignation END Reviewing Officer (RO) Returns Resignation to Officer Resignation Letter is handed back to Officer START Officer Submitting Resignation Letter Officer Reverses Decision Forward to HR at HO for further proceedings Reporting and Discussion with Initiating Officer Discussions Take Place Forward to CEO at HO for Further D

Graduation Speech: We Rule the World :: Graduation Speech, Commencement Address

We did it! We started from essentially nothing, a cold, boring piece of school district land and built it into a high school. Not just any high school, but our high school. Without standards and traditions to follow or be guided by, we shaped the halls of Private High School into something special. Now I'm sure that every senior class from Oshkosh, Wisconsin to Boring, Oregon to Fairbanks, Alaska to Beverly Hills, California feels that they really make a difference. And granted I'm sure many of them did. But I challenge any of them to start from what we did and build one of the most highly regarded high schools in the state. We've played for the President of the United States, we've stopped 51-game winning streaks, and we've built a robot. We have broken into post season play, won numerous debate awards, and ventured to the studios of Hollywood. We have gained respect by earning it. The administration, teachers, and other classes contributed immensely to this respectability, but no one has gone through what the Senior Class of 2012 has. We didn't think anything was different when teachers were handing out detentions, aka pink slips, like candy. We had just come from Junior High and didn't know anything different. When there were no wins and subsequently no spirit, we didn't realize that wasn't high school. Yet something told us that there had to be more. When we traveled to schools such as Cascade and Blanchet and saw what high school was "supposed" to be, a glimpse into what we might became was gained. And still what it was "supposed" to be wasn't what it ought to be, and definitely not what we wanted it to be. By growing from our innocent beginnings, everyone from the typical "computer nerd" to the all American "jock," albeit many unknowingly and others certainly unadmittingly, share a common bond. A unique feeling of care for one another that will never diminish. It is truly amazing that in such a large group of individuals there is a oneness, a love, for each other that can never be broken. It is a wonderful feeling that you've got a friend. It is this feeling, this love, that we now must take into a world of chaos. A world where wages are low and prices are high. There is more crime, more hatred, and more lethal weapons than ever before. We have nuclear, chemical, water, and air pollutions of all kinds.

Beauty vs Truth Essay

Is truth or beauty more important when communicating information. It is my argument that beauty is more important when communicating information. Beauty is defined as The quality that gives pleasure to the mind or senses and is associated with such properties as harmony of formation or color, excellence of artistry, truthfulness, and originality. How does this relate to communication? †¢ Communicating information is more than just exchanging words. Just as in the definition of the word â€Å"beauty†, when communicating with a certain amount of eloquence it paints a mental picture that gives pleasure to our minds and wakes up our senses. The way words are used in the process of communication is what holds attention and causes an audience to become engaged. It’s the beauty in a message and the expression in the words which we tend to remember. This is not to say that truth is not important in communication but mere stating mere facts may not be enough to get the point across or keeping the attention of an audience. †¢ Beauty is more important in communication because it is what leads us to the truth. Sometimes the truth is too ugly and mind blowing and in some instances too much truth all at once can cause pain. Everyone should know the truth but using a certain diplomacy and finesse with one’s words can make all the difference in how the truth is received. That is why beauty in communication is important . ANOTHER PERSPECTIVE ON TRUTH AND BEAUTY †¢ A story doesn’t necessarily have to be true to be entertaining, or to teach a lesson. How many of us as children or have even possibly told our own children about the tortoise and hair? ? A tortoise and a hare enter a race, the hare boasting about how he is faster, and will therefore win. The hare foolishly over-estimates his speed, and it ends up costing him the race. With the moral of the story being that over – confidence can sometimes back fire. or the boy who cried wolf? ? The story of a boy who thought it was fun to alert the town of a wolf when there wasn’t really one. And when he finally does see a wolf no one comes to help him. The lesson being that telling too many lies will cause people to stop believing anything you say. My point is that these stories may not necessarily be true but such tales have been told for centuries for the purpose in teaching life lessons. †¢ When listening to a story, I personally always remember the characteristics and tidbits of a story which brought the message to life. An eloquently told story, whether it is told for entertainment or simply for sharing information draws a person in to want to hear more. When you’re listening to a story filled with grandeur and elaborate details, it’s easy to become captivated and interested. Why is being drawn in by the beauty of a message important? †¢ How many of us have tried a product not because of what the announcer on the commercial said the product could do, but because we were drawn in by something appealing we saw in the commercial. o An example of this would be weight loss commercials †¢ It’s what grabs your attention enough to the truth. Another perspective†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. The Boy Who Called Wolf This fable is about a small boy who thinks it’s fun to alert the town of a wolf when there is none. When a wolf actually appears, no one comes to the boy’s aid. . Eloquence added to an ordinary story is keeps interesting. . It’s the initial phase of the communication process in which your senses become engage. When communicating information to be interesting to capture the audience’s attention. . Once your attention has been grabbed by an interesting, story, or some form of communication, you can then decide if what your listening to or looking at is worth your time.. Tell all the Truth but tell it slant — Success in Circuit lies Too bright for our infirm Delight The Truth’s superb surprise As Lightning to the Children eased With explanation kind The Truth must dazzle gradually Or every man be blind — A funny TV commercial or a commercial that endorsed by your favorite actor is more easily remembered than serious, factual ones that constantly appear. images, stories and songs much easier and find them far more enjoyable than just listening to words.

Essay on Open Source Software The WritePass Journal

Essay on Open Source Software Introduction: Essay on Open Source Software Introduction:Beginnings:Motivations:Advantages:Conclusion:Introduction:Suggested solutions:Motivations:Green IT approach:References:Related Introduction: The concept of open source affects many fields of study from computer software and hardware to architecture, health, science, robotics and even politics. Linus Torvalds predicted this proliferation of source openness when he said: the future is open source everything. But another founder of open source movement, Eric Raymond, refused the using of this concept about applications outside software (Wikipedia, 2009). Free/open source software (F/OSS) is accessible software where end source code is available for the user. It is not limited to software as applicable ones, it exceeds to allow beneficial to read, modify and recreate the source code (V. Hippel, V. Krogh, 2003). So F/OSS is usually provides users with source code and information needed to apply their changes on them. The ability to run the program as the user wishes is one of the essential freedoms which Richard Stallman, the founder of free software and defender of open source, was confirmed in an interview. These freedoms are: the freedom to study how these software works, the freedom to change it according to projects requirements, the freedom to redistribute it and the freedom to distribute your modified copy to others (Reilly 2008). In Raymond opinion good programmers know how to write, great ones know what to rewrite, and he illustrated that it is almost easier to use an already existing solution to start with than to start from nothing at all. But this involves developer in difficult-to-be-solved problems if choice is not suitable. Linux operating system was not written from scratch where Linus Torvalds started by studying ideas from Minix a tiny Unix-like OS and then reused it according to projects purposes (Raymond, 1999) Beginnings: It was a big surprise for those who used to pay for software to be told that groups of volunteers create high quality software and produce it to the community for free. The idea of FOSS began in 1960s. In this decade commercial software was not available and researchers were in need to share software code. As a result, they started to share source code in a limited framework. Open sharing of software code was a common practice in the MIT Artificial Intelligence Laboratory in the early 1960s and in similar laboratories such as Stanford and Carnegie Mellon (Moon Sproull 2002). After that developers and users gave the idea more attention. Consequently, foundations of free software have been established in 1980s when Stallman called for free software and claimed that software should be common. In an interview, Stallman confirmed that computer users could not use the proprietary software come with most computers in the 1980s. So, such software keeps users divided and helpless. Stallman was dissatisfied with that situation and he started the free software movement in 1993 when he wrote the GNU open source operating system (M. Reilly, 2008). The general public license of GNU operating system allows users receive all their rights in essential freedoms mentioned above. In 2005 the idea achieved its goals in software filed and became more trusted by users and developers (Raymond 1999). Wikipedia is a known example of F/OSS. It is a free encyclopedia started in the beginnings of 2001 by means of highly qualified contributors. It provides 19 free encyclopedias in 19 different languages and its content has been created by user contributions. Many other examples like Apache web server, BIND name server and Linux operating system kernel are free for any user to use, amend and share. Motivations: The motivations of Stallman to produce free software are his strong belief in freedom, particularly the freedom for individuals to cooperate (2003). But what are the incentives other developers have to become contributors in open source projects? In other words, why do programmers volunteer their time and experience without any financial returns to create free software? Raymond is one of the first GNU contributors, a developer of many net open source software and a significant participant in Linux operating system development. He indicated that Linux project was going from strength to strength and the reason was the bazaar model of the Linux development style in which all contributors worked hard as at individual projects. He added that the democratic atmosphere in bazaar model motivated him and his partners to work hard regardless of financial returns (Raymond 1999). The Linux creator, Linus Trovalds, says: I am basically a very lazy person who likes to get credit for things other people actually do (Raymond 1999). Torvalds , as he stated in his book Just For Fun, has an early interest in computing, he does not seem to take himself too seriously, he is a lucky guy who can provide a career for himself, and he finds a lot of fun when he writes software code. It is surprising that hackers are also a significant motivating factor; they lead developers to impress their peers, gain a better reputation and raise their ranks in society (Zaleski et al. 2001). Wikipedia showed, in a study made up by Wikipedia administrators, that the reason for their participants to be a part in such free work is the desire to create a benefit thing that helps others and meets their requirements (Wikipedia 2010). While the basic motivations for corporation in learners open source community are learning specific topics, learning how to be future learners and projects creating. Advantages: Software is characterized by many factors: Its cost, where the lower price is more preferred and thus free is the most. Voluntary work, where volunteers are motivated towards the project and they are interested in, which means that they do their best. Continuously tested by all participant and users, hence it is almost free of bugs and errors. These factors refer that open source software is likely to be the best solution for any project if needed features are provided. Besides, developers have created it according to own needs which means that it is in a high level of quality and efficiency. F/OSS has many advantages related to development cost and time, bug correction and independency. Time and cost are essential factors in software development and they can be exploited by using of OSS which reduces the number of programmers employer has to pay himself, provides a ready tested code from other projects and thus reduces the time it takes to build, test and develop. Besides that creating software by many developers, each has revised and corrected its errors and each has a different background, leads to less bugs and faster detection and correction. Linus law refers to this idea Given enough eyeballs, all bugs are shallow (Answers.com, 2009). Openness of source code provides communication paths and interactive communities. F/OSS community in schools consists of researchers, learners and teachers; each listens to others and respects their opinions. It is expected in this style of community to switch roles among its members, where students may be assigned particular roles to take on for the studied project. So they can share their ideas in all projects aspects. On the other hand, sense of control is uncommon in most classrooms, so one of learners communitys advantages is to prepare students for future life by involving them in the experiment of leadership (H. Baytiyeh, J. Pfaffman, 2010). Another advantage for open source software, which Zaleski stated in his article, that open source innovation was the reason for Linux operating system to move quickly from being an ambiguous operating system used by programmers and hackers to an essential operating system in business area (2001). On the other hand, open source technology resolved the problem of knowledge transfer in developing countries. Direct import of software not only costs these countries high amounts of money, but also puts them in complex troubles where they do not know how to develop this software to meet the local needs (Alkhatib 2008). Why do some organizations still buy commercial software instead of using free ones? The voluntary of open source projects and the relative lake of financial support make them far from marketing and advertising. This means that many organizations have not been informed that free solutions relevant to their needs are available freely. This knowledge gap cause many other barriers. Some managers do not know how to implement and use open source applications and they may be unaware of the range of services provided with such applications like support services and consultations. To cover this knowledge gap, an up to date archive of open source applications is available in SourceForge.net website. This website consists of more than 131,000 open source applications with their latest software updates where the accessibility is allowed for any organization to find suitable free software according to its requirements. Further, assistance with the technical issues of open source applications implementation is available by many open source consultants like IBM, Red Hat, and Open Sky Consulting. Forking is another reason for not using F/OSS. The independency between open source software developers groups leads to different versions of same software. Although these versions started with the same source code, they are not able to interoperate because these groups create their own versions without coordination. This phenomenon is called forking and it is the responsible for open source software fragmenting. As a result, the open source BSD-Unix community was divided into three portions in early 1990s, and Emacs text editor and NCSA web server are other examples where both forked into two divisions in 1992 and 2995 respectively. In Nagys opinion, forking is dangerous because it causes inherited fragmentation for both of the original software adopters and marketing of relative applications. Many versions of one software leads adopters to choose one to support, consequently, software will not gain the critical mass of adopters it aims to do. On the other hand, venders will be put in a point of choosing to support one of forked versions or all of them in their own applications. In this case, some adopters and vendors decide to wait for a standard version or to stall their adoption and supporting (NAGY et al. 2010). Conclusion: No one can predict the future of software, but developers can expect that open source software will be stronger and gain increased faith from traditional software industry. Historically, one can recognize the discontinuities appeared between IBM System in the 1960s, first PC in the end of 1970s and the open source movement in the 1990s. So it is expected that this technology gap will take place in the next 10-15 years for a new software innovation (Campbell-Kelly 2008) Green IT Introduction: IT has brought many significant solutions for environmental sustainability, but at the same time, it caused a lot of problems especially in data centers where energy is consumed enormously (Murugesan 2010) Hopper, a professor of computer technology at the University of Cambridge and head of its Computer Laboratory, claimed that the system we now employ is hugely wasteful and he proposed to create new systems which are more efficient, less expensive and help in reducing energy consumptions; because he believed that moving data is cheaper than energy (Kurp 2008) Computers impact environment from the first stage of producing to the last stage of disposal. Moreover, increased consumption of energy leads to more greenhouse gas emissions because the main source of energy is coil, oil or gas burning (Murugesan 2010) Since environmental problems come from each stage of computers life, green IT must covers all of these areas, from designing to manufacturing and use end with disposal. In the article Harnessing Green IT: Principles and Practices, San Murugesan defines green computing as the study and practice of designing, manufacturing, using, and disposing of computers, servers, and associated subsystems -such as monitors, printers, storage devices, and networking and communications systems- efficiently and effectively with minimal or no impact on the environment. (Murugesan 2008) Suggested solutions: Dell and Hewlett-Packard are two computer manufacturers. They decided to solve the problem by retooling their products. On the other hand, the solution from the standpoint of David Wang, the data center architect for Teradata, is not to replace all old computers by others which are more environments friendly. He confirmed that attention must be drawn to increasing power consumption as well as to heat removal in data centers (Kurp 2008). Murugesan has illustrated areas and activities which are involved in green IT solutions as the following:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Environmental friendly designing;   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Energy-efficient computing;   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Power management;   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Location and architecture of data centers;   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Server virtualization which has been explained before;   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Responsible disposal and recycling;   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Regulatory compliance;   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Green metrics, assessment tools and methodology;   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Environment-related risk reducing;   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Use of renewable energy sources; and   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Eco-labeling of IT products (2008). Other solutions have been produced by Hasbrouck and Woodruff. They suggested two strategies for green computing: Reduce computing technologys contribution to the problem by producing energy-efficient computers, take reusability into account during computers designing, use less materials and work toward computers and related systems recycling. Moreover, they indicated that truing off inactive computers, using energy-efficient devices and reduction of emissions emitted from computers manufacturing are significant parts of this strategy. Give computing a role in resolving the issue by creating green applications which enable design green objects and green processes such as design green buildings, invent source of renewable energy and design fuel-efficient aircraft (2008). Most efforts in green IT are directed towards the first strategy to solve environmental problems which have increased along with computers using increase. As a result of these problems caused by computers, many associations are turning to green computing to save money and reduce waste. To do so, Dick Sullivan listed five major trends: Virtualization in all forms especially for servers, storage and network environments. In other words, transform entire machines into software-based entities. For instance, a room with five servers can be replaced by an efficient server provided with high performance software. Utilize the cloud computing where no need to have own data centers, own big servers or storage systems. Many organizations need only a small amount of proprietary equipment and functionality. In this case, they can basically purchase what they need from someone else who will be responsible for the security, power and maintenance. Sullivan confirmed that a huge amount of data is basically an exact duplicate of other data, so converting to intelligent compression or single instance storage can eliminate this waste and cut the total data storage needed. Solid-state disk (SSD) has no moving parts and is not magnetic, so it is a stronger, safer and faster way to store and access data. Everyone can make impact and be a part of green computing project when s/he has more awareness of her/his direct and indirect daily computing habits. Employees, for example, can support green computing if they use to turn off computers not in use, banning screen savers and shorten the turn-off times when computers are inactive. On the other hand, printing waste a lot of papers, so managing this daily process by printing only as needed and adopting double sided printing will make a significant impact (Clarke 2009) Many efforts have been made to support the idea of green IT. Climate Savers Computing Initiative (CSCI) is one of these efforts. It seeks to reduce electric power consumption of PCs and it has established a catalogue of green products from organizations involved with, in addition to helpful information about reducing PC energy consumption. This initiative is a group of consumers, businesses and conservation organizations formed in 2007, it has gained brilliant results where 50 percent of energy consumed by computers was economized by 2010, and it was able to reduce global CO2 emissions from the operation of computers by 54 million tons a year (Wikipedia 2010). Motivations: To enforce computer users to subject to green IT solutions and apply them on their daily routines, government can face them with more green taxis and rules. But it is better, in my opinion, to raise people awareness toward the danger that threatens the Earth if they continue using traditional computers in traditional methods, and to teach them the benefits of green IT. Applying green IT issues in all affected areas offers individuals and organizations financial benefits where IT operations achieve better energy efficiency through green initiatives. In a survey made by Sun Microsystem Australia, 1500 responses have been collected from 758 different-size organizations. Almost of these responses illustrated that the main reasons for using green IT practices are reducing energy consumption and get lower costs. As a result, most companies started to prioritize environmental issues. Moreover, institutions and corporate ask their suppliers to take into account how to green up their products and manufacturing processes. Not only companies but also people began to adhere to environmentally friendly issues of IT (Murugesan 2008). Green IT approach: As it has mentioned above that environmental problems caused by computing should be addressed by a holistic approach which include solutions for all areas affected by using computers. This approach, as it has been explained by Murugesan, consists of four concepts: Green use that aims to reduce energy consumption and use computers in an environmentally friendly manner. Green disposal where computers, related system like printers and electronic equipments should be reused, refurbished or recycled. Green design where new computers, servers and cooling devices can be designed to be more energy efficient. Green manufacturing which aims to adopt the process of computers and sub-systems creating that minimize or get rid of its impact on the environment (2008) References: 2003. Richard Stallman: FreedomHis Passion Both For Work And In Life. Electronic Design, 51(23), 112. Answers.com, what are the advantages and disadvantages of open source software and why?, [Internet]. Available from: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_are_the_advantages_and_ disadvantages_of _open _source_software_and_why, [Accessed 30th November 2010] Campbell-Kelly, M., 2008. Historical Reflecions Will the Future of Software be Open Source? Communications of the ACM, 51(10), 21-23. Clarke, K., 2009. Green computing trends you should know. Associations Now, 5(8), 19. Hasbrouck, J. Woodruff, A., 2008. Green Homeowners as Lead Adopters: Sustainable Living and Green Computing. Intel Technology Journal, 12(1), 39-48. Kurp, P., 2008. Green Computing. Communications of the ACM, 51(10), 11-13. Michael Bloch, Open source software in your online business -advantages/ disadvantages, 1999-2010 Moon, J.Y. Sproull, L., 2002. Essence of distributed work: The case of the Linux kernel. In P. Hinds S. Kiesler, eds. Distributed work.   Cambridge, MA US: MIT Press, pp. 381-404. Murugesan. S., 2008, â€Å"Harnessing Green IT: Principles and Practices,† IEEE IT Professional, January–February 2008, pp 24-33. Murugesan, S., 2010. Making IT Green. IEEE Computer Society, Vol. 12, No. 2. NAGY, D., YASSIN, A.M. BHATTACHERJEE, A., 2010. Organizational Adoption of Open Source Software: Barriers and Remedies. Communications of the ACM, 53(3), 148-151. Raymond, E., 1999. The Cathedral and the Bazaar. Knowledge, Technology Policy, 12(3), 23. Reilly, M., 2008. Interview: Richard Stallman, one of the founders of free software. Vidyasagar Potdar and Elizabeth Chang (2004) Open source and closed source software development methodologies. Proc.of the 4th Workshop on Open Source Software Engineering, pages 105-109, Edinburgh, Scotland, May 25 2004. Wikipedia the free encyclopedia (2001) Open source [Internet]. Available from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_source, [Accessed 4th November 2010] Zaleski, J. et al., 2001. JUST FOR FUN (Book Review). Publishers Weekly, 248(17), 60.

How to Be Successful in High School Complete Guide

How to Be Successful in High School Complete Guide SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips There's a lot of pressure in high school to prepare for the future, but between classes, extracurriculars, and trying to have a social life, thinking about what comes after high school can feel like being told to climb a mountain with no help. Instead of fixating on the future, success in high school means thinking about what you can donow. Being on top of things in high school is a great foundation for success in the future. But what does being successful mean? How can you get started today? What should you worry about, and what should you let slide? This guide will help you learn how to be successful in high school no matter where you are in your education. With tips and goals to strive for, you'll be prepared for the future at any point in high school- it's never too late to start getting a plan together. What Does Being Successful in High School Mean? "Success" is a tricky thing to aim for- everybody has different goals and priorities, so the first step of how to be successful in high school is to determine what your goals are. It's important to understand that success won't look the same for everybody. Not only is every person coming from a different background with unique abilities and hindrances, but people also don't all want the same thing. Some have high career aspirations and income goals, while other people want to travel the world, and still others want to improve their own communities. Every one of those things is a kind of success. Regardless of what your individual goals are, one thing is true- the earlier you start to prepare, the better equipped you are to achieve those goals. Whether you're shooting for the moon (literally!) or sticking close to home, planning your roadmap to success means you understand not just where you're going, but how to get there. You don't want to be scrambling at the last minute to finish everything you need to do, so start as soon as you can. Your goals don't have to be this literal, but they can be! How to Set Goals for Success in High School Take some time to brainstorm what you want for the future. Don't be afraid to dream big- if you want to be an astronaut, write it down! If you want to solve world hunger, write it down! You'll figure the rest out later. Brainstorming gets your ideas down on paper, and later you'll refine them into actions. Once you know for certain what you want, you can start figuring out how to get there. Say you want to solve world hunger- that's pretty abstract, so you need to figure out how you can tackle such a big problem through concrete actions. Do a little research to find out what efforts are already being made. What skills do you have? How can you use those skills to add to the work in progress? If you're aiming for a particular career goal, do some research into how the best of the best got where they are. What degrees do they have? What colleges did they attend? What interests do they have that lead to their career? Match these up with your own desires and factor them into your goals. For example, let's say you want to become an astronaut. You don't just become one by doing a job interview- you need a few more things before you'll be accepted into NASA, like a bachelor's degree in a science or math field. That means getting a degree should be a high priority for you. Part of goal-setting is determining which colleges best suit your needs. Make a list, and start researching what criteria you need to meet to get accepted. Each item you list will need its own set of goals, such as reaching a certain GPA or getting a particular SAT score. Write all this down- you'll want to keep it for planning concrete steps! Next, you need either an advanced degree or 1,000 hours of in-command time on a jet aircraft. Consider which you'd rather do, and plan accordingly. If you want the advanced degree, repeat the search above for grad schools and doctoral programs. These later goals may not be things you can do right now, but you can break them down into smaller pieces that you can start working on as soon as today. If you'd rather go for the 1,000 hours of flight, joining the military or becoming a commercial pilot are both options. Again, each of these comes with its own set of goals to accomplish, so keep breaking those into smaller and smaller achievable pieces, such as getting your physics grade up or joining science-related extracurriculars. Lastly, becoming an astronaut means you need to be in prime physical fitness. This is something you can start now, especially with NASA's requirement for swimming- if your shuttle makes a water landing, you'll need to be prepared to swim! Setting physical fitness goals (or any type of goal) now gets you into the habit of practicing them, something that will serve you well as you progress through your life. No matter what your dream career is, you can follow these steps. And even if you don't make it into your dream school or you find that the field you once aspired to isn't right for you later in life, you're still set up for excellence! Aim high, and you'll have your pick of options- don't limit yourself now because you're unsure if you can reach your highest goal. Your organization session doesn't need to look anywhere near this fancy. The #1 Key to Being Successful in High School: Prioritization Prioritization is one of the most important skills you can have as a student. Being naturally gifted or having a great work ethic doesn't mean much if you can't figure out where to direct your skills. That's why setting goals should always be your first step to success. Once you have a list of goals, including ones for the long- and short-term, you can start to prioritize them. Look at where you are in comparison to where you need to be. What can you do to get there? What can you do right now that will make the most meaningful difference? Obviously, if you're aiming to be an astronaut, you can't just walk into college and ask for a degree. You have to work to get there, which means asking yourself what you can do to get to your dream school. You can apply, of course, but that application needs to be polished. How do you polish it? What can you doright now to get your application into shape? For example, say your physics grade has slipped. You need a good GPA- especially in science courses- to make it into a program that will help you become an astronaut. What can you do to fix that? Studying more is an obvious choice, but "more" isn't a concrete goal. Two hours per week is a good starting point, but you can break that down even further and make it actionable. Two hours per week equates to about 25 minutes per day, so let's round that up to a half hour.Studying an extra half-hour per day is an actionable goal, one that's not so big that you'll have to entirely rewrite your life to achieve it, but not one so small that it won't make any meaningful difference. Upping your study time is more immediately important than being able to swim three pool lengths in astronaut gear. You've got time to work up to that- your Bachelor's degree will take you four years, and whatever training you do beyond that will add on time- so focus on what you can fixright now. Not only is your physics grade something you have control over, but you also have less time to fix it, so it needs to be higher on your priority list. Prioritizing will allow you to plan out milestones and tackle them in an order that makes sense. Rather than trying to do everything- swim three pool lengths, get into college, raise your physics grade, rack up 1,000 hours piloting jets- you confront them one at a time, crossing one off and moving to the next. Get yourself some highlighters and colorful tabs, because it's time to start a planner. How to Keep Track of Everything You Need to Do All this goal setting is great, but you have to keep track of them or you'll be stuck spinning your wheels without direction. Consider getting a planner or making use of a calendar to stay on top of everything. Passion Planners are a great choice. They're goal-focused and contain lots of tools for getting inspired and breaking your goals into actionable items. This structure is great for those who have big dreams but struggle with getting started and following through. There's even an academic version that only covers school months, and there are tons of tutorials online for how to best use (and decorate) them. If the structure of Passion Planner doesn't work for you, plenty of other people swear by Bullet Journaling. This system uses a series of symbols to dictate what should be done now and what should be done later, as well as encouraging you to break tasks into actionable items. If you prefer to be a bit more free-form in your planning, Bullet Journaling may be for you. Whatever route you end up taking, the important thing is that you give yourself structure and a means to execute your goals. Set due dates. If you need to raise your physics grade, set that goal sometime in the future- say, raising your B- to an A by the end of the quarter. Since you've already asked yourself what you can do to get there, you can assign your goals, such as studying an extra half hour per day, joining a study group, or turning in missing assignments, to specific dates. Write that extra half hour down on every day, and write another reminder once per week, for example, to complete a missing assignment. Essentially, keeping track of everything means setting goals, breaking those goals down into actionable items, setting deadlines, and following through. Aim high, but all the little stops on your roadmap are important, too. Think of the small tasks as steps in a large staircase with your goal at the top- you can't leap directly to the top, but you can get there one step at a time. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now: How to Be Successful in 9th Grade Planning for specifics is how you achieve big goals, but general planning is great too. Even if you're not sure what you want to do with the rest of your life yet, there are still big steps you can take to make sure you're on track for success later in life. It's never too early to start thinking about college, even if you're not ready to settle on one school or field of study yet. One of the best ways to ensure that you're ready for college, even as soon as ninth grade, is to make sure you're taking challenging, useful courses. If you don't know what you want to do with your life, that's okay! Elective courses can help you figure that out. Your course load in ninth grade should be a mixture of required classes, electives, and challenging classes. There's no magic number of AP or honors courses that will magically get you into your dream school, but colleges do want to see you making the most of what's available to you. That said, if you find yourself struggling to keep your grades up, it's okay to reassess. You need to pass the classes in order for colleges to take them seriously, so be sure you're taking on a workload that you can handle. For a freshman, one to two AP courses is a great place to start. Ninth grade is also a great time to start getting involved- really involved- in extracurriculars. If you're into journalism, you may not get a coveted editor position as a freshman, but you can start taking on additional responsibilities and writing stories that matter to you. To return to the astronaut example, you can consider joining a science or math club at school, and going for a leadership position down the road. Don't be afraid to start thinking about college choices. That doesn't mean you have to make concrete plans, but doing some research into what requirements schools have and what features appeal to you is a great way to start narrowing down your choices early on. Instead of looking through every conceivable school junior year, you'll already have a possible list narrowed down. In tenth grade, keep up good habits and keep forming new ones. How to Be Successful in 10th Grade Tenth grade is a time to start thinking seriously about your future plans. It’s a good time to research schools and potentially start narrowing them down. You have plenty of time to apply, so don’t stress about whether or not you’ll get in- use this time to think about how you’ll set yourself up for success rather than worrying about whether or not you’ll succeed. As with ninth grade, you’ll want to focus on keeping your grades up, getting involved in extracurriculars, and taking honors and AP courses in tenth grade. Shoot for one to three AP courses in your schedule, but always keep in mind that your grades come first. If you’re struggling in your regular classes, it’s okay to cut back. You want to find a healthy balance of schoolwork and extracurriculars, which may sometimes mean letting something go to fix where you’re struggling. It may feel a bit like playing Whack-a-Mole, but prioritization and goal setting will help you focus on what’s most important. Now is a good time to take the PSAT or PreACT for the first time. If you have a sense of where you’re starting from, you’ll know where to focus your studying efforts as you get closer to taking the real thing. Even better, you’ll have more time to study. Instead of crunching junior and senior year, you'll be able to focus on weak points rather than trying to bring all your scores up at once. If you’re not 100 percent on track with where you want to be, that’s okay! Spend some time thinking about how you can correct course and get back on schedule. There are no hard and fast rules for success, as every person is unique. Things get a little more serious in eleventh grade. How to Be Successful in th Grade Eleventh grade is why it’s important to start planning early. Suddenly you’re faced with the very real task of college applications and standardized tests, and it can feel like things are closing in on you. Still, don’t panic. Even if you haven’t started preparing yet, you can get yourself back on track. In eleventh grade, it’s time to start thinking seriously about college applications. That doesn’t mean filling them out- though you can start early, applications won’t be due until the next year, even for early decision. Instead, focus on your standardized test scores. Take an SAT or ACT test if you can and see where you’re at, compare that to your college of choice’s average score, and start working to make sure your score is at that level. If it’s already there, great! You can instead work on getting a higher than average score to look even more impressive in your application. Junior year is the most important one for your GPA. Every year is important, but junior year is the last full year you have to impress colleges before applications, so make it count.To be competitive for college, aim to take two to four AP courses in eleventh grade, and keep those grades up. If you struggle your junior year, it’s not the end of the world. You will need to explain things to colleges you apply to, and also demonstrate that you’re working to fix anything that’s slipped. That’s why it’s important to have a plan- when you know where you’re going, getting back on track is far easier. Get started early so you can look this excited on graduation day. How to Be Successful in 12th Grade If only senior year was the time to relax after all your hard work. Instead, now is the time you’ll be putting all that hard work into action, applying to colleges, seeking leadership positions in the extracurriculars you’ve been involved in, and continuing to maintain your GPA. If you’ve been on track until this point, congratulations! Just keep doing what you’ve been doing, with the added responsibility of applying to colleges. If you’re coming at this a little late and are worried about your odds, don’t panic- you still have options. Maybe you slipped in junior year, or maybe you just didn’t know that you had to get started early. You can still achieve success, even if you’re a little late to the game. Identify any weak points in your grades, extracurriculars, and courses. What can you correct? What will make the biggest difference right now? If you haven’t started SAT or ACT prep, do so now. Take a practice test and start working to get your score up to your target. Though your social life might suffer with these additional demands, it’s important to make the most of the time that you do have. Don’t burn yourself out, but do be sure you’re putting in the work. No matter what, don’t feel like it’s the end of the world. Maybe you don’t get into your dream school. Maybe you don’t get into most of the schools you apply to. That doesn’t mean a great future is out of reach- it just means you need to reassess. Consider enrolling in community college and transferring to a four-year school when you’re ready, or starting at a lower volume school and transferring later. These are perfectly legitimate options that can lead to a wonderful and lucrative future for you- getting started late is better than never getting started at all. It’s important not to let yourself give up. You might run into obstacles and need to change plans, but it’s never too late to strive for more. Keep making goals and reaching for new milestones, because there are always options. You might not see results right away, but good planning and effort will be rewarding. 5 Tips for How to Be Successful in High School Making goals and prioritizing them is a great way to be successful in high school.But there are other skills you can cultivate, too, that will help you on your path to success. #1: Start Planning Early The earlier you start getting your plans together, the better. Your plans can change over time- don't be afraid to be flexible- but you simply can't achieve your goals if you don't have any. Making goals early and breaking them down into digestible pieces gives you clear milestones to achieve. It's far easier to hit a bunch of small goals leading to a larger one than to jump right from a C to an A, so the earlier you can start, the smoother your path to success will be. #2: Follow a Schedule Figure out what you need to do, how long you have to get it done, and break that into smaller achievable goals. "Raise my grades," is a good goal, but you can't jump right there- instead, commit to studying two hours per week or completing one missing or extra credit assignment per week. Set a schedule for when you need to get things done, but also schedule in time for workand for breaks. If you work at a specific time every day, you'll find yourself settling into a more efficient pattern. And giving yourself regular breaks ensures that your brain is always performing its best rather than struggling to focus after hours of studying. #3: Designate a Study Space It sounds strange, but picking one particular place to study in can actually be a big help in focusing better. If you have a desk or a quiet place in your home, decide that that's your studying zone and clear it of distractions- no phone, no magazines, no video games. When you sit down there, you'll start to associate it with studying, and your brain will find it easier to shift into work mode. If you can avoid it, don't make a place that has a different purpose, such as your bed, your dining room table, or your noisy living room your study space. If you try to use the same place for multiple purposes, it loses its association with studying. Find somewhere that you can get work done andonly use it to get work done. #4: Find Unique Ways to Practice Studying is good, but you have to study smart. Reading the same things over and over again won't necessarily help, so find ways to really engage with what you're learning. Flashcards are a popular study method for a reason- writing the information down and quizzing yourself on it repeatedly can drill it into your mind a whole lot easier than reading and re-reading the same page of notes. But you can try other things, too, such as coming up with your own mnemonics or even teaching the material to somebody else. If you're struggling to understand or memorize something, get creative with it rather than forcing yourself to keep studying in a way that isn't working for you. #5: Find a Study Buddy Not only is studying easier when you have somebody to quiz you, but accountability is also a great way to motivate yourself. It's far harder to cancel plans with somebody else than to cancel plans with yourself. Of course, be sure you find somebody who isn't just there to hang out. Your ideal study partner should be somebody whoalso has goals and who isn't going to distract you when you're trying to work. Tell each other what you're going to get done, and hold each other accountable for achieving it. Check in to see what their progress is, and tell them what you've achieved. When you share your goals with others, you get them involved and invested in your success, making you more likely to keep going when you feel like giving up. What’s Next? All these tips for success will help you prepare for college, but you still need to apply. This guide to college applications will help you understand exactly what schools are looking for. Even if you don't want to go to Harvard, you can still study like you do. If your application is Harvard-ready, you're also ready for most other schools- the higher you aim, the better your chances are no matter where you want to go. Grades are a crucial part of a successful college application. This guide to getting a 4.0 GPA will help you plan effective studying habits, giving you a better chance at getting into your dream college. Want to build the best possible college application? We can help. PrepScholar Admissions is the world's best admissions consulting service. We combine world-class admissions counselors with our data-driven, proprietary admissions strategies. We've overseen thousands of students get into their top choice schools, from state colleges to the Ivy League. We know what kinds of students colleges want to admit. We want to get you admitted to your dream schools. Learn more about PrepScholar Admissions to maximize your chance of getting in.