How to Survive Your Group Interview

How to Survive Your Group Interview These days, companies are all about efficiency. And sometimes, unfortunately, that leads to a Hunger Games-ish approach to hiring, where multiple people are brought in for a single position interview. Let’s face it- unless you’re truly at ease in front of a group of people talking about yourself, this kind of job interview can feel about the same as that nightmare where you’re sitting in school, and keep getting flubbing answers in front of the entire class. It doesn’t have to be that way- let’s look at ways to tackle the group interview process (either with a crew of fellow interviewees or a panel of interviewers) so that you’re looking good and increasing your chances for getting to the next round.The Panel Interview (a.k.a. The Firing Squad)When you walk into a job interview room and multiple people from the company are already there, your resume in front of them, lined up like the Supreme Court waiting to interrogate your fitness for the job, it can be intimidating. As a rule, one-on-one interactions are easiest for us to handle. This panel interview adds a number of dynamics: different personalities, different expectations, possibly different levels of involvement in the job you’re seeking. That’s a lot of navigate without warning (or at least without knowing ahead of time what the interviewers would be like). Let’s look at some top strategies for dealing with the panel interview.1. Don’t show fear.It’s true in the animal kingdom, and it’s true on the job hunt. When you walk into the room, whether you expected to be greeted by a panel or not, don’t be intimidated. Fall back on the interview skills you’ve been practicing. (You have been practicing those, right?)Make eye contact as you walk in the room.Shake hands like a boss.Don’t slouch! Keep your posture straight, but not too rigid. You want to look confident, not stiff.2. Learn and use the panel membe r’s names.Make sure you know the names of each of the people interviewing you, and be sure to address them by name throughout. It’s a nice personal touch, and shows you’ve been paying attention. â€Å"Mike, that’s a great question. In my experience†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Linda, I’m glad you asked that. At my previous job†¦Ã¢â‚¬  It gives a more conversational tone to the interview, and makes it feel more like a give-and-take instead of a firing squad.3. Make sure you know what each person does, and roughly why they’re in the room.Chances are, each person is there because they’re invested in this job opening somehow. Maybe the role has two managers, and a Human Resources rep is there to facilitate. Perhaps the person who holds the job you’re applying for works with multiple departments, and they want reps from each department to feel comfortable about the hiring choice. Whatever the case may be, it helps if (when you learn the names) you also make note of each person’s role. If it’s not made clear, it’s okay to ask. â€Å"Linda, can you tell me more about how your team works with the person in this role?† Again, it’s better to make this an engaging conversation.You can take notes to make sure you have everyone straight, but keep them brief, and don’t spend much time writing and breaking eye contact.4. Don’t focus too much on any one person.Obviously, when someone asks you a direct question, you’d want to start by making eye contact and launching into your answer. However, try to move back and broaden the answer so that it feels like you’re talking to all of them. Vary your eye contact, and make sure you’re addressing each person at some point.A trick you can use while answering questions: call back to other points, if they’re relevant. â€Å"†¦And that’s the biggest challenge I faced in my last job. To Mikeâ€⠄¢s point earlier, it’s a situation that helped me grow professionally.†5. Answer questions like you would for any other job interview.Odds are, the questions themselves won’t be different in a panel interview- just the format is different. So you can expect to field the same kinds of questions you were already prepared to face (experience, anecdotes, skills). Stick to that gameplan! It’s just a matter of balancing that same conversation between a few different people.6. Get everyone’s contact info.It may be that you only dealt with Jeff from HR previously, but you’ll need to send individual follow-up thank you notes to everyone who met with you. At the end, it’s a good idea to ask for everyone’s business card- or if they don’t have those, be sure to get at least an email address. â€Å"Jeff, would you be able to send me the contact information for everyone in this meeting?†The most important part of a panel interv iew is keeping your cool, and your confidence up. You’re already prepared for an interview, so you don’t need to be thrown by the fact that there are more people to talk to. Whether it’s one person or four, remember: the focus is on you, your achievements, and your many qualifications for this job.The Group Interview (a.k.a. Interview Thunderdome)The other unusual group interview format you may encounter is the kind where you come for your interview, only to find several other candidates waiting in their own interview suits, arriving at the same time for the same interview appointment. This is not an uncommon interview format in early rounds, when companies are trying to narrow the applicant pool to the true candidates. It can also feel like walking into a gladiator competition. There’s only one job opening, but there are at least several of you. How do you make sure you come out on top?1. Enter confidently.Whether you expected the group format or it thre w you for a loop when you walked through the door, don’t let that show. Once it’s apparent that you’re all there for the same interview, embrace it. There’s no changing it now, so don’t show disappointment, dismay, or fear that your interview prep was for a different format, and ohmanwhatdoIdonow? Stay cool, keep your posture and your eye contact going.2. Make friends- really!You know the reality show clichà ©, â€Å"I’m not here to make friends?† Ignore that. You’re not here to expand your social circle- you have a job to get. But you don’t lose anything by being nice to the people who are in the same position, if you have a minute for small talk ahead of the interview. Worst case, you’ve broken the ice. Best case, you’ve made a new networking connection, regardless of whether either of you gets the job. You don’t need to cultivate the kind of relationship where you’re vacationing together o r arranging playdates with your kids, but being friendly is an easy way to help put yourself at ease. Shake hands, ask neutral questions, learn names. It’s worth the effort.3. Don’t be intimidating.Yes, only one of you can get the job. Yes, that means you have to eliminate the competition somehow. But being aggressive (talking over the other people), trying to run down others so you look better, or going for straight one-upmanship isn’t necessarily going to help you. And in fact it could hurt you, if the group interview format is a test to see how well you interact with others unexpectedly. Be on best behavior, and focus on the skills and experience that make you great for this job. Don’t worry about the others.4. Don’t be intimidated, either.Again, you want your confidence level to stay up. Focus on what you’ve practiced for your interview, because you’re still going to need those talking points and body language. The main difference is that you may have to think on your feet, and you may have to wait a bit longer than usual between questions, but this is still a job interview, and you know how to tackle this.5. Be yourself.Again, don’t worry about the others. You got this interview on your own merits, so stick with that and make sure you’re not stretching to be what you perceive the others to be.6. Speak up, but don’t talk over others.It’s not about who’s the loudest. You want to be memorable, and you should make sure that you’re being noticed, but don’t try to answer every question. And definitely don’t interrupt others, or insert yourself in their questions. You’ll get your turn, and you can focus on shining in your own speaking opportunities.7. Listen to everyone.It can be tempting to tune out everyone who’s Not You, but it’s important to listen to what everyone else is saying. It can help you gauge how the conversation is going, a nd what you should be highlighting in your own answers. You also want to make sure that you’re not just repeating what other people have said- you want your answers to be unique to you.8. Follow up.It’s especially important to tick off all the boxes when you’re directly up against other people. Get the interviewer’s contact information, and promptly follow up with your thank you note. This shows you’re On It, and this little bit of organization and effort can give you a nice boost coming out of the interview. If you didn’t expect the group interview format, don’t point that out in your note. Just keep it at a simple, â€Å"I really enjoyed the opportunity to talk with you and the others today. If there’s any other information I can fill in, or questions I can answer, please don’t hesitate to let me know.†Whether you’re facing a panel of interviewers or a squad of potential competitors, the most important th ing to keep in mind is that at heart, this is still the same old job interview. Keep doing what you’re doing- neat clothes, good body language, a solid roster of examples and talking points to bolster your resume- and you’ll be just fine.

Biography of Lucky Luciano, American Gangster

Biography of Lucky Luciano, American Gangster Charles Lucky Luciano (born Salvatore Lucania; November 24, 1897–January 26, 1962) was instrumental in creating the American Mafia as we know it today. After graduating from the gritty street gangs of New York, Luciano went on to become a henchman for the American branch of the infamous Cosa Nostra. A criminal mastermind, it was Luciano who orchestrated the unification of warring mob factions, creating the first Organized Crime Commission. In addition to taking on the mantle of the first kingpin of the modern Genovese crime family, he and his mob associates launched the highly successful and lucrative National Crime Syndicate. Lucky Luciano Known For: Charles â€Å"Lucky† Luciano was the criminal mastermind whose influence in shaping the mafia earned him the title of â€Å"father of modern organized crime.†Born: November 24, 1897 in Lercara Friddi,  Sicily, ItalyParents: Rosalia Capporelli and Antonio LucaniaDied: January 26, 1962 in Naples,  Campania, ItalySpouse:  Igea LissoniCriminal Convictions: Pandering, drug traffickingPublished Work: The Last Testament of Lucky Luciano: The Mafia Story in His Own Words (as told to Martin A. Gosch  and  Richard Hammer)Notable Quote: â€Å"There’s no such thing as good money or bad money. There’s just money. Early Years Lucianos family immigrated to the United States in 1906. His criminal career began not long after. At the age of 10, he was charged with his first crime (shoplifting). Luciano launched his first racket in 1907, charging Jewish and Italian kids in his Lower East Side neighborhood anything from one or two pennies to as much as a dime for his protection to and from school. If they refused to pay, Luciano beat them up rather than protect them. One of the kids, Meyer Lansky, refused to ante up. After Luciano failed to pound Lansky to a pulp, the two became friends and joined forces in the protection scheme. They remained friends and close associates throughout most of their lives. At the age of 14, Luciano dropped out of school and started a $7 per week delivery job, but after winning more than $200 in a craps game, he realized there were faster and easier ways of earning money. His parents sent him to The Brooklyn Truant School in hopes of straightening him out but in 1916 after his release, Luciano took over as leader of the notorious Five Points Gang, where he became acquainted with future Mafia leaders Vito Genovese and Frank Costello. In the years leading up to World War I, Luciano expanded his criminal enterprises to include pimping and drug trafficking, and while the police named him as a suspect in several local murders, he was never indicted. The 1920s By 1920, Luciano had branched out into bootlegging and illegal gambling. With financing and an education in social skills from his mentor Arnold the Brain Rothstein, Luciano and his partners were grossing over $12 million a year from the sale of illicit alcohol by 1925. Luciano, Costello, and Genovese had the largest bootlegging operation in New York with a territory that extended as far as Philadephia. By the late 1920s, Luciano had become a chief aide in the largest crime family in the country, led by Giuseppe Joe the Boss Masseria. Initially recruited as a gunman, as time went on, Luciano came to despise the old Mafia (Cosa Nostra) traditions- and especially Masserias belief that non-Sicilians could not be trusted (which ironically, turned out to be true in Lucianos case). After being kidnapped and mugged, Luciano discovered Joe the Boss was behind the attack. A few months later, he decided to betray Masseria by covertly joining forces with the second largest mafia clan led by Salvatore Maranzano. The Castellammarese War began in 1928 and, over the next two years, several gangsters connected to Masseria and Maranzana were killed. Luciano, who was still working for both camps, led four men- including Bugsy Siegel- to a meeting he had arranged with Masseria. The four men sprayed his former boss with bullets, killing him. After the death of Masseria, Maranzano became the Boss of Bosses in New York but his ultimate goal was to become the leading boss in the United States. Maranzano appointed Lucky Luciano as his No. 2 man. The working relationship was short-lived, however. After learning of a plan by Maranzano to double-cross him and wipe out Al Capone in the bargain, Luciano decided to strike first, organizing a meeting at which Maranzano was killed. Lucky Luciano became The Boss of New York and, almost overnight, he began moving into more rackets and expanding their power. The 1930s The 1930s were prosperous times for Luciano, who was now able to break ethnic barriers formerly laid out by the old Mafia. He strengthened his outreach in areas of bootlegging, prostitution, gambling, loan-sharking, narcotics, and labor rackets. In 1936, Luciano was convicted on charges of compulsory prostitution (pandering) and drug trafficking. He was sentenced to 30-50 years but maintained control of the syndicate while behind bars. The 1940s In the early 1940s at the onset of Americas involvement in World War II, Luciano struck a deal with U.S. Office of Naval Intelligence. He offered to supply information to help protect the mob-run New York docks from Nazi saboteurs  in exchange for a move to a better prison and the possibility of early parole. Luciano was transferred to Great Meadow Correctional Facility from the Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora in upstate New York. He continued his collaboration, known as Operation Underworld, for the remaining years of the war. In 1946, Governor Thomas E. Dewey (who while serving as Special Prosecutor was responsible for Lucianos conviction) granted the mobster a commutation of sentence and had him deported to Italy, where he was able to resume control over the American syndicate. Luciano snuck into Cuba in October 1946, where he attended The Havana Conference, a meeting of the five major crime families hosted by Lansky who already had an established presence in Cuba. The cover for the meeting was an appearance by Frank Sinatra. During the week-long conference that focused on the heroin trade and gambling activities in Cuba, and also to decide the fate of Bugsy Siegel and his Las Vegas money pit, the Flamingo Hotel, Luciano met privately with Genovese, who suggested that Luciano take on a figurehead role as Boss of Bosses while allowing Genovese to control the day-to-day activities of the syndicate. Luciano declined, saying: There is no Boss of Bosses. I turned it down in front of everybody. If I ever change my mind, I will take the title. But it wont be up to you. Right now you work for me and I aint in the mood to retire. Dont you ever let me hear this again, or Ill lose my temper. When the U.S. government got wind of Lucianos presence in Cuba, it quickly moved to have him repatriated to Italy, where he remained for the rest of his life. While he continued to profit from mob-related activities, his power and influence waned. Death and Legacy As Luciano grew older, his long-time relationship with Lansky began to falter. Luciano felt he wasnt getting his fair share from the mob. Disgruntled, he arranged to have his memoirs written- not to bare his soul so much as to set the record straight as he saw it. He outlined his exploits to writer Richard Hammer and had also arranged to meet with producer Martin Gosch about a possible film version of the project. Word of his confessional (The Last Testament of Lucky Luciano: The Mafia Story in His Own Words, published posthumously) did not sit well with Lucianos former mob associates. In 1962, Luciano suffered a fatal heart attack in the Naples airport, where he talked about the movie with Gosch. There is some conjecture that Luciano did not die of natural causes and that his death may have been a hit in retribution for his turning canary. Lucianos body was sent back to the United States and buried at St. Johns Cemetery in New York City. It is believed that Luciano was one of the most powerful men in organized crime and to this day, his influence over the gangster activity can be felt in this country. He was the first person to challenge the old Mafia by breaking through ethnic barriers and creating a network of gangs that comprised the first national crime syndicate and continued to exert control organized crime long after his death. Sources Donati, William. Lucky Luciano: The Rise and Fall of a Mob Boss. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland Company, 2010.  Gosch, Martin A.; Hammer, Richard. 1974.  The Last Testament of Lucky Luciano: The Mafia Story in His Own Words. Little Brown and Company.Newark, Tim. Boardwalk Gangster: The Real Lucky Luciano. New York: Thomas Dunne Books, 2011.

The Strengths and Weaknesses of Diversity in Global Teams Research Paper

The Strengths and Weaknesses of Diversity in Global Teams - Research Paper Example According to Magnus (2011), â€Å"Global teams are teams where members are globally dispersed, from different cultures, speak different languages and rarely meet face-to-face† (Magnus, 2011, p.35) Even though global teams bring many opportunities to an organization, it may develop lot of challenges also. Some researchers suggest that global teams increase creativity and innovation whereas many other are of the view that it may bring conflicts and poor performances. Global teams help organizations to utilize diverse skill sets in a fruitful manner; at the same time it can increase the conflicts within the team because of the cultural differences among the team members. Magnus (2011) pointed out that parameters such as â€Å"cultural diversity, geographical dispersion, means of communication (whether communication is face-to-face or virtual) and degree of language familiarity† etc can determine the success or failures of global teams (Magnus, 2011, p.36). This paper analy ses the strengths and weaknesses of global teams in business world. Strengths of global teams â€Å"Sociologists have found in their research and their work with organizations that when global teams are managed effectively, they can take advantage of the diverse perspectives offered by their members to create unique performance advantages for the company† (Maznevski & DiStefano, 2000, p.185). ... Microsoft, Apple, Google etc like many of the American companies are currently working in China. Same way plenty of Chinese companies are also functioning in America now. All these companies have global teams to manage their operations successfully at different parts of the world. Diverse knowledge, skillsets and capabilities will help these companies to adapt with the changing conditions. Badrinarayanan et al. (2011), mentioned that â€Å"sales organizations are increasingly adopting global sales teams to perform distributed work, meet customer needs, and achieve sales objectives† (Badrinarayanan et al., 2011, p.311). Since majority of the prominent organizations are currently operating cross culturally or internationally, their customer bases are extremely different. It is difficult for an American sales person to know the exact needs of an Indian or Chinese customer. On the other hand it is easy for an Indian or Chinese to know the requirements of local customers. Thus, Mic rosoft or Apple like American companies should appoint locals in their sales teams in these countries so that customers in these countries will get everything they expected from these American companies. In short, global sales teams can help an organization to customize their business strategies or sales strategies in overseas countries. For example, it is difficult for Benz or other automobile manufacturers to sell cars priced more than $ 100000 in Indian market. On the other hand, it is easy for them to sell cars priced less than $50000 in Indian market. It is easy for a local sales person to know such details and send such feedbacks to his company management. The management of global new product

Understand the sources of finance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Understand the sources of finance - Essay Example Sources of Finance Name University Body An outline of the various (at least 8) sources of finance that participants may choose from. (AC 1.1 Identification the sources of finance available to a business) Trade credit refers to the purchase of goods and services on the basis of credit; this means that the business can purchase the raw materials from its suppliers on credit basis. Business can even ask for a loan from a particular bank if it wants to finance its operations. The business can even save money by obtaining discounts on purchase of raw material by paying money in cash; various suppliers provide discounts to those businesses that pay their invoices in cash. Bank overdraft refers to the allowance of obtaining higher amount of finance than the depositor has deposited in his/her bank account. Business tend to share its profits among shareholders as dividends after a particular period of time, businesses can use this profit for operational and expansion purposes instead of distributing as dividends. Business can decrease the amount of inventory they hold, this will help them use the money for other purposes and money will not remain tied up in inventory for a longer period of time. Business can delay the payments it has to make to its creditors and suppliers and they can even sell portions of the company to the public and obtain finance for their operations. The legal, dilution of control and bankruptcy implications of the various sources of finance identified (AC 1.2 Assessment the implications of the different sources) There are several advantages and disadvantages associated with the financing sources obtained through external financing sources. The advantages of external financing sources stated in this report are that these finances can be obtained at a very fast pace, the cost of obtaining these finances is quite lower and the amount of interest paid for these sources are even at a very lower end. These sources of finance are quite flexible, the repayment method of these sources of fi nance is even quite easy and terms of financing are simple. These sources of finances are although used for financing short term financial requirements, but they can be obtained for the longer run. For example: the time period of repayment to creditors can be extended. There are even disadvantages associated with the stated external sources of finance, the business has to bare the burden of paying interest even of the business ends up making a loss and has to repay the loan amount (NEEDHAM, 1995, p.99). Another problem with this source of finance is that, in order to obtain a bank loan an organization has to give something to bank as collateral. If the organization fails to repay the loan, the bank sells the collateral in order to retain the amount they have given to the organization as loan. During the periods of recession and economic downtrend, businesses face decline in profits and even experience loss due to which they face issues in obtaining bank loans and suppliers do not tr ust them and do not offered goods and services in credit form to the organization. An analysis of the financial implications (e.g. tangible and opportunity costs), and tax effects of using the various sources of finance that you outlined in AC1.1 and AC1.2 above (AC 2.1 Analyse the costs of different sources of finance) There are severa

Inclusive Education Essay Example for Free

Inclusive Education Essay The article I have chosen for review is â€Å"What Matters Most in Inclusive Education: A Practical Guide for Moving Forward†, published in the Intervention in School and Clinic Journal. As the title of the article suggests, what is more important where inclusive education is concerned? This topic is illustrated in the article through the authors own experiences and research. More specifically, the authors note that the concept of inclusion implies a sense of belonging and acceptance. The topic of this article is promoting inclusion of children with disabilities into the proper environment. The authors state â€Å"the physical placement of students with disabilities in general education classes is often overemphasized, while other aspects of developing inclusive environments are neglected† (Voltz, Brazil, Ford, 2001, p. 24). This sets the context for the more specific research problem. The authors state â€Å"although it is not generally conductive to inclusive environments to create separate spaces designated for special education, it is helpful to maintain physical spaces that can be used by any group of students or teachers on an as is basis†(Voltz et al., 2001, p. 24). The authors go on to note that, â€Å" by providing for flexibility in student groupings, without designating physical spaces for special education, the overall academic, affective, and social goals of inclusion can be met†(Voltz et al., 2001, p. 24-25). The authors did not note a specific research question or hypothesis, but they do address the overall context for their qualitative study. They state that â€Å"the intent of this article is to highlight for general and special education practitioners the critical elements of inclusive education and to provide practical suggestions for how to promote these elements in general education classrooms† (Voltz et al., 2001, p. 24). After reviewing the literature, the authors state that, â€Å"in order to make inclusive education work, attention must be given to the physical environment of the classroom, the instructional strategies employed, the classroom management techniques used, and the educational collaboration that occurs among faculty†(Voltz et al., 2001, p. 25). The authors began their article with a review of the movement of maximizing the participation of special education students into general education  classrooms. The critical elements of inclusion discussed by the authors are: Active, meaningful participation in the mainstream, sense of belonging, and shared ownership among faculty. Next the authors discuss supporting the critical elements of inclusion. In this section of the article the authors discuss instructional strategies to make inclusion work in the classroom. The authors state â€Å"in order for students with disabilities to participate meaningfully in inclusive classrooms and feel a sense of belonging, special attention must be given to differentiating what is taught, as well as how it is taught†(Voltz et al., 2001, p. 25). The authors also discuss the classroom climate. The authors note that â€Å" one of the most critical elements of successful inclusive classrooms is a facilitating social/emotional climate in which students and teachers feel safe, valued, and accepted†(Voltz et al., 2001, p. 26). The last topic that the authors discussed was educational collaboration. The authors state that â€Å"in order to facilitate the inclusion of students with disabilities, it is critical that general and special education teachers routinely meet to engage in collaborative problem solving around issues that may emerge in the inclusion process†(Voltz et al., 2001, p. 29). The authors conclude their study provides important information that can assist educators to move forward with diverse learners. The authors argue that inclusion is not just about placing children with disabilities into general education classrooms. Children that are in special education also need to be placed into the proper environment. While this article has provided detailed information about how to promote an environment suitable for special education children, it lacks information specific to the affects of inclusion on children without disabilities. The authors assert that their study can help educators refine educational environments to embrace special education learners. The bible, which is God word revealed, provides educators with a framework for teaching. Educators who teach using Gods framework will embrace diverse learners. In conclusion, the title of the article suggested, what is more important where inclusive education is concerned? The authors noted that the concept of inclusion implies a sense of belonging and acceptance. The article provided a review of the movement of maximizing the participation of special education students into general education classrooms. The authors argued that inclusion is not just about placing children with disabilities  into general education classrooms. Children that are in special education also need to be placed into the proper environment. The authors provided information to help educators with inclusion of special education into general classrooms. References Voltz, D. L., Brazil, N., Ford, A. (2001, September). What Matters Most in Inclusive Education: A Practical Guide for Moving Forward. Intervention in School and Clinic, 37(1), 23-30. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/211752403?accountid=12085

Always Wanting More: Imperialism and Expansionism Essay -- American H

Going to the local grocery store while hungry is always on the list of things not to do. Why? Because while walking up and down the aisles, hunger decides to strike and more grocery items are added to the shopping cart. Another not to do idea for grocery shopping is taking little kids along for the trip. Why not for this one? Because the little kids will want even more in the cart than the hunger attack would. The 19th and 20th century United States of America was the little kids and the hunger attack in the scenario given above. America wanted more. They wanted more land, more power, more international influence, and more control. After being under the hands of Britain for majority of the 18th century, America was ready to explode and make a name for their self, and by their self. With this, no one was going to get in the way until America had made a name for itself. The plan may not have gone as smoothly as the political figures would have liked, but their plan must have worked. Since America is known for having the most resources and being one of the greatest problem solvers in the world , the game plan of making a name worked successfully. Expansion begins within oneself. America was not completely foolish and began trying to exhort their authority in matters where they did not belong when it was still just an eastern coast country. No, instead Americans and their political authorities had the brilliant idea of Manifest Destiny. The United States did not try to expand in any international way; instead they followed the baby steps method. Manifest Destiny was the beginning to expansion that will probably never end. With this, America expanded physically as well as mentally. The Manifest Destiny idea gave Americans the moti... ...hens, GA, September 26, 2011. Farber, David. Taken Hostage: The Iran Hostage Crisis and America's First Encounter With Radical Islam. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2005. Logli, Michael. "Greencastle Banner-Graphic: Local News: Lee Hamilton talks about American influence in the world (3/16/11)." Banner Graphic. March 16, 2011. http://www.bannergraphic.com/story/1710813.html (accessed November 22, 2011). Platt Amendment. CourseReader. Detroit: Gale, 2010. "President Dwight D. Eisenhower Explains the Domino Theory." Public Papers of the Presidents: Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1954. Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1958. 381-90. CourseReader. Detroit: Gale, 2010. University of Houston. "Westward Expansion: Manifest Destiny." Digital History. 2006. http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/database/article_display.cfm?HHID=311 (accessed November 22, 2011).

Fin 4100 Essay

Financial Management 1. Happy Valley, Inc. stock is valued at $51. 40 a share. The company pays a constant dividend of $3. 80. What is the required return on this stock? Po = D/Rs $51. 40 = $3. 80/Rs Rs = 7. 39% 2. The Francis Company is expected to pay a dividend of D1 = $1. 25 per share at the end of the year, and that dividend is expected to grow at a constant rate of 6. 00% per year in the future. The company’s beta is 1. 15, the market risk premium is 5. 50%, and the risk-free rate is 4. 00%. What is the company’s current stock price? Po = D1/(Rs-g)Rs = 4% + (5. 5%)1. 15 = 10. 325% Po = 1. 25/(. 10325-. 06) Po = 28. 90 3. Nachman Industries just paid a dividend of $1. 32. Analysts expect the company’s dividend to grow by 30% this year, by 10% in Year 2, and at a constant rate of 5% in Year 3 and thereafter. The required return on this low-risk stock is 9. 00%. What is the stock’s current market value? D1 = 1. 716 D2 = 1. 8876 D3 = 1. 98198 P2 = 1. 98198/(. 09-. 05) = 49. 5495 Po = 1. 716/(1. 09) + (1. 8876+49. 5495)/(1. 09)^2 Po = 44. 87 4. A firm has the following sales: 008200920102011 $1,248,311$1,542,661$1,821,962$2,048,725 Use the compound average growth rate to forecast 2012 sales. g = [(2048725/1248311)^ . 3333] -1 g = 17. 956069% 2012 sales = 2048725 (1+. 17956069) 2012 sales = 2416595. 469 5. A firm is considering two projects, and it requires a 12% return on its projects. Their minimum payback period is 2. 5 years. Assuming the projects are independent (not mutually exclusive), which would you choose based on the payback method? The NPV? The IRR? Project AProject B Initial outlay $200,000Initial outlay $180,000 Cash flows Year 1$70,000Year 1$80,000 Year 2$80,000Year 2$90,000 Year 3$90,000Year 3$30,000 Year 4$90,000Year 4$40,000 Year 5$100,000Year 5$40,000 Payback for A: 2. 55 years (reject) NPV for A: $104,275. 05 (accept) IRR for A: 30. 15% (accept) Payback for B: 2. 33 years (accept) NPV for B: $32,647. 23 (accept) IRR for B: 20. 57% (accept) If the projects were mutually exclusive, then based off of Payback, only B is accepted; off of NPV, A is accepted; and off of IRR, A is accepted. 6. A firm has a capital structure containing 40% debt, 20% preferred tock, and 40% common stock equity. The firm’s debt has a yield to maturity of 8. 1%, its annual preferred stock dividend is $3. 10, and the preferred stock’s current market price is $50 per share. The firm’s common stock has a beta of 0. 9, and the risk free rate and the market return are currently 4% and 13. 5% respectively. The firm is subject to a 40% tax rate. What is the firm’s WACC? WACC = . 40 (8. 1%) (1- . 40) + . 20 (6. 2%) + . 40 (12. 55%) = 8. 204% 7. A firm has 1 million shares of outstanding common stock which currently trades at $50 per share. The firm’s stockholders require a 15% return on their investment. The firm also has $47. 1 million (par value) in 5 year, fixed rate notes with an after tax yield to maturity of 7% . The current market value of the five year notes is $49 million. The firm also has 200,000 outstanding shares of preferred stock which pay an annual dividend of $8 and currently trade at their $80 per share par value. What is the firm’s WACC? Market cap for common stock: $50M Market cap for debt: $49M Market cap for preferred stock: $16M WACC = . 15 (. 43478) + . 07 (. 42609) + . 10 (. 13913) = 10. 90%

The Silver Linings Playbook Chapter 43

Best Intentions Pat, It's been a while, hopefully long enough. If you haven't ripped up this letter already, please read until the end. As you have discovered, I am a much better writer than I am a speaker at this point in my life. Everybody hates me. Did you know your brother came to my house and threatened to kill me if I made contact with you? His sincerity scared me – enough to keep me from writing earlier. Even my parents have reproached me for pretending to be Nikki. My therapist says my betrayal might not be forgivable, and by the way she kept repeating the word â€Å"unforgivable,† I could tell she was very disappointed in me. But the truth is, I did it for your benefit. Yes, I was hoping that once you found closure and got over Nikki, you would want to give me a shot – especially since we are such great dance partners, we both enjoy running, we are in similar housing situations, and let's face it, we're both fighting hard to maintain our grip on reality. We have a lot in common, Pat. I still believe you fell into my life for a reason. Because I love you, I want to tell you something I have never told anyone – except my therapist. It's sort of screwed up, so I hope you will be able to handle it. At first I wasn't going to tell you, but I figured the situation couldn't get any worse, and maybe a little honesty could go a long way right now. I don't know if you know this, but Tommy was a cop. He worked for the Meadowville Police Department and was assigned to the high school sort of as a counselor. So half of his hours were spent working with and counseling troubled teenagers, and the other half of his hours he was just a regular cop. I'm telling you this because it is important to understand that Tommy was a good man. He did not deserve to die, and his death absolutely proves that life is random and fucked-up and arbitrary, until you find someone who can make sense of it all for you – if only temporarily. Anyway, Tommy was really good with teenagers, and he even started a club at the high school designed to raise awareness about the dangers of drinking and driving. Many of the parents thought the club condoned underage drinking, because it was not an anti-underage-drinking club but just an anti-drinking-and-driving club, so Tommy had to fight really hard to keep it afloat. Tommy told me that a lot of the high school kids drank every weekend, and underage drinking was even condoned by many of the town's parents. And the funniest thing to me was that the kids came to him and asked him to start the club because they were worried that someone was going to get hurt or die if their friends kept driving home after parties. Can you imagine talking to a cop like that when you were a teenager? That's the kind of guy Tommy was, people trusted him instantly. So Tommy organized assemblies and even put together this teacher karaoke night where students could pay money to hear their favorite teachers perform the current hits. Tommy could talk people into doing things like that. I'd go to these events, and Tommy would be up on the stage with all those teenagers, and he'd be singing and dancing with the other teachers, all of whom he had convinced to dress up in wild costumes – and parents, students, administrators would be all smiles. You couldn't help it, because Tommy was such a burst of positive energy. And he always gave speeches during these events – listing facts and statistics about drinking and driving. People listened to Tommy. People loved him. I loved him so fucking much, Pat. A funny thing about Tommy was he liked to have sex a lot. He always wanted to make love. I mean, as soon as he got home from work, his hands were all over me. I'd wake up every morning and he'd be on top of me. We could hardly eat a meal together without his hands sliding under the table, searching for my legs. And if Tommy was home, there was no way I'd ever get through a television show, because as soon as a commercial came on, he'd be rock hard and giving me that look. It was pretty wild, and I loved it for the first ten years of our marriage. But after ten years of nonstop sex, I got a little tired of it. I mean – life is more than sex, right? So one bright sunny morning, after we had just finished making love under the kitchen table, the teakettle whistled, so I stood and poured two cups. â€Å"I'm thinking maybe we should limit sex to so many times a week,† I said. I'll never forget the look on his face. He looked as if I had shot him in the stomach. â€Å"Is something wrong?† he said. â€Å"Am I doing something wrong?† â€Å"No. It's not like that at all.† â€Å"Then what?† â€Å"I don't know. Is it normal to have sex several times a day?† â€Å"Don't you love me anymore?† Tommy asked me with this wounded-little-boy look I still see whenever I close my eyes at night. Of course I told Tommy I loved him more than ever, but I just wanted to slow down a little with the sex. I told him I wanted to talk with him more, take walks, and find some new hobbies, so sex could be special again. â€Å"Having this much sex,† I told him, â€Å"sort of takes the magic out of it.† For some odd reason, I remember suggesting that we go horseback riding. â€Å"So you're telling me the magic is gone?† he said, and that question was the last thing he ever did say to me. So you're telling me the magic is gone? I remember talking a lot after he said that, telling him we could have sex as much as he wanted and that this was just a suggestion, but he was wounded. He was looking at me suspiciously the whole time, as if I were cheating on him or something like that. But I wasn't. I just wanted to slow down a little so I could appreciate sex more. Too much of a good thing, was all I wanted to tell him. But it was clear I had hurt him, because before I could finish explaining, he stood up and went upstairs to take a shower. He left the house without saying goodbye. I got the call at work. All I remember hearing was that Tommy was hurt and had been rushed to West Jersey Hospital. When I got to the hospital, there were a dozen men in blue uniforms, cops everywhere. Their glistening eyes told me. Later I would find out that Tommy had gone to the Cherry Hill Mall during his lunch break. They found a Victoria's Secret bag full of lingerie in his cruiser – every piece was my size. On his way back to Meadowville, he stopped on the highway to help an elderly woman whose car had broken down. Tommy called her a tow truck, but then he stood at the nervous old lady's window chatting with her, keeping her company while she waited. Tommy was always chatting with people like that. The cruiser was behind him, the lights were going, but he was standing at the edge of the highway's breakdown lane. Some driver who had drunk his lunch dropped his cell phone, and when he bent down to pick it up, he pulled the wheel to the right, crossed two lanes, and †¦ The lead in the local paper read â€Å"Police Officer Thomas Reed – who was responsible for starting Meadowville High School's Anti-Drinking-and-Driving Club – was killed by a drunk driver.† It was all so ironic, almost funny in a sadistic way. There were so many cops at his funeral. Kids from the high school made our front lawn into a living memorial – they stood on the sidewalk with candles and flowers. When I refused to go outside, these teenagers sang so sweetly to me through the first few evenings, a chorus of sad, beautiful voices. Our friends brought food, Father Carey talked to me about heaven, my parents cried with me, and Ronnie and Veronica stayed at our house for the first few weeks or so. But the only thing I could think about was how Tommy died believing I no longer wanted to have sex with him. I felt so guilty, Pat. I wanted to die. I kept thinking he would not have gone to Victoria's Secret on his lunch break if we had not had the fight, an d then he would have never passed the old woman in the broken-down car, which meant he would not have been killed. I felt so guilty. I still feel so fucking guilty. After a few weeks I went back to work, but everything in my mind got switched up. My guilt turned to need, and suddenly I was craving sex very badly. So I started to fuck men – any man who was game. All I really had to do was look at a man in that certain way, and within a few seconds I knew if they were going to fuck me. And when they did, I would close my eyes and pretend it was Tommy. To be with my husband again, I'd fuck men anywhere. In a car. In the coatroom at work. In an alley. Behind a bush. In a public restroom. Anywhere. But in my mind, it was always under the kitchen table, and Tommy had come back to me, and I had told him I wasn't tired of having sex, but would make love to him as many times as he needed, because I loved him with all my heart. I was sick. And there was no shortage of men who were eager to capitalize on my sickness. There were men everywhere who – with glee – would fuck this mentally ill woman. Of course this led to my losing my job, therapy, and many medical tests. Luckily, I did not contract any diseases, and I'd be happy to get tested again if that ever becomes an issue for us. But even if I had contracted AIDS or whatever, it would have been worth it to me at the time, because I needed that closure. I needed that forgiveness. I needed to live out the fantasy. I needed to fuck away my guilt so I could break out of the fog I was in, to feel something, to feel anything, and begin to start my life again, which I am only now beginning to do – since we became friends. I have to admit that during Veronica's dinner party I only thought of you as an easy lay. I sized you up in your stupid Eagles jersey and figured I could get you to fuck me, so I could pretend you were Tommy. I hadn't done it in a long time. I no longer wanted to have sex with strangers, but you weren't a stranger. You were handpicked by my own sister. You were a safe man with whom Ronnie was trying to set me up. So I figured I would begin to have sex with you regularly, just so I could fantasize about Tommy again. But when you held me in front of my parents' house, and when you cried with me, things changed – in a very dramatic way. I did not understand it at first, but as we ran together and ate raisin bran at the diner and went to the beach and became friends – simply friends, without any sex to complicate things – it was sort of nice in a way I hadn't anticipated. I just liked being around you, even if we didn't say anything. I knew I had feelings for you when I began to cringe inwardly at the sound of Nikki's name. It was obvious you were not ever going to get back together with your wife, so I called your mom and got her drunk at the local bar, and she told me everything about you. You didn't see me, but I was in the driveway when she came home so loaded and you helped her into the house. I drove her home that night. After what happened to Tommy, I don't drink at all. We've been meeting every week since, Pat. She needed a friend; she needed to talk to someone about your father. So I listened. At first I was just using her for information, but now we are sort of girlfriends. She did not know about the letters I was writing as Nikki, and she was really mad at me for a while after the Christmas episode, but she knows about this letter obviously, since she delivered it for me. She is a very strong and forgiving woman, Pat. She deserves better than your father, and maybe you deserve better than me. Life is f unny like that. I wrote those letters hoping to provide you with the closure I somehow found through casual sex after Tommy died. Please know I began the liaison scheme only after I was certain that Nikki would never agree to talk to you again under any circumstance. Maybe you will never be able to forgive me, but I wanted you to know I had the best intentions – and I still love you in my own fucked-up way. I miss you, Pat. I really do. Can we at least be friends? Tiffany

History of the Textile Industry

History of the Textile Industry The major steps in the manufacture of textiles and clothes are: Harvest and clean the fiber or wool.Card it and spin it into threads.Weave the threads into cloth.Fashion and sew the cloth into clothes. Great Britains Lead in Textile Machinery During the early eighteenth century, Great Britain was determined to dominate the textile industry. Laws forbade the export of English textile machinery, drawings of the machinery, and written specifications of the machines that would allow them to be constructed in other countries. Britain had the power loom, a steam-powered, mechanically-operated version of a regular loom for weaving. Britain also had the spinning frame that could produce stronger threads for yarns at a faster rate. Meanwhile the stories of what these machines could do excited envy in other countries. Americans were struggling to improve the old hand loom, found in every house, and to make some sort of a spinning machine to replace the spinning wheel by which one thread at a time was laboriously spun. American Failures with Textile Machinery and the American Textile Industry Flounders In 1786, in Massachusetts, two Scotch immigrants, who claimed to be familiar with Richard Arkwrights British-made spinning frame, were employed to design and build spinning machines for the mass production of yarn. The inventors were encouraged by the U.S. government and assisted with grants of money. The resulting machines, operated by horse power, were crude, and the textiles produced irregular and unsatisfactory. In Providence, Rhode Island another company tried to build spinning machines with thirty-two spindles. They worked badly and all attempts to run them by water-power failed. In 1790, the faulty machines were sold to Moses Brown of Pawtucket. Brown and his partner, William Almy, employed enough hand-loom weavers to produce eight thousand yards of cloth a year by hand. Brown needed working spinning machinery, to provide his weavers with more yarn, however, the machines he bought were lemons. In 1790, there was not a single successful power-spinner in the United States. How Did the Textile Revolution Finally Happen in the United States? The textile industry was founded by the work and importance of the following businessmen, inventors, and inventions: Samuel Slater and MillsSamuel Slater has been called both the Father of American Industry and the Founder of the American Industrial Revolution. Slater built several successful cotton mills in New England and established the town of Slatersville, Rhode Island. Francis Cabot Lowell and Power LoomsFrancis Cabot Lowell was an American businessman and the founder of the worlds first textile mill. Together with inventor Paul Moody, Lowell created a more efficient power loom and a spinning apparatus. Elias Howe and Sewing MachinesBefore the invention of the sewing machine, most sewing was done by individuals in their homes, however, many people offered services as tailors or seamstresses in small shops where wages were very low. One inventor was struggling to put into metal an idea to lighten the toil of those who lived by the needle. Ready-Made Clothing It was not until after the  power-driven sewing machine  was invented, that factory production of clothes and shoes on a large scale occurred. Before sewing machines, nearly all clothing was local and hand-sewn, there were tailors and seamstresses in most towns that could make individual items of clothing for customers. About 1831, George Opdyke (later Mayor of New York) began the small-scale manufacture of ready-made clothing, which he stocked and sold largely through a store in New Orleans.  Opdyke was one of the first American merchants to do so. But it was not until after the power-driven sewing machine was invented, that factory production of clothes on a large scale occurred. Since then the clothing industry has grown. Ready-Made Shoes The Singer machine of 1851 was strong enough to sew leather and was adopted by shoemakers. These shoemakers were found chiefly in Massachusetts, and they had traditions reaching back at least to Philip Kertland, a famous shoemaker (circa 1636) who taught many apprentices. Even in the early days before machinery, division of labor was the rule in the shops of Massachusetts. One workman cut the leather, often tanned on the premises; another sewed the uppers together, while another sewed on the soles. Wooden pegs were invented in 1811 and came into common use about 1815 for the cheaper grades of shoes: Soon the practice of sending out the uppers to be done by women in their own homes became common. These women were wretchedly paid, and when the sewing machine came to do the work better than it could be done by hand, the practice of putting out work gradually declined. That variation of the sewing machine which was to do the more difficult work of sewing the sole to the upper was the invention of a mere boy, Lyman Blake.  The first model, completed in 1858, was imperfect, but Lyman Blake was able to interest Gordon McKay, of Boston, and three years of patient experimentation and large expenditure followed. The McKay sole-sewing machine, which they produced, came into use, and for twenty-one years was used almost universally both in the United States and Great Britain. But this, like all the other useful inventions, was in time enlarged and greatly improved, and hundreds of other inventions have been made in the shoe industry. There are machines to split leather, to make the thickness absolutely uniform, to sew the uppers, to insert eyelets, to cut out heel tops, and many more. In fact, division of labor has been carried farther in the making of shoes than in most industries, for there about three hundred separate operations in making a pair of sh oes.

9 Professional Lessons from Donald Trump

9 Professional Lessons from Donald Trump Hate him or love him, Donald Trump has proved to be an†¦ummm, colorful addition to the 2016 presidential race. But long before he was wearing those Make Donald Trump Again hats, he was a go-to resource for flashy business entrepreneurtainment. Now, we’re not recommending a full on Trump-ification of your professional life, but here are some things we’ve learned from him (even if it’s what not to do) that could be applied to our own careers.1. Never let them forget your name.via Richard Bravo2. How ’bout a little flash?via Wikipedia3. Try new things.4. Be ready for the unexpected.5. Don’t take your job for granted.6. Don’t hate the player, hate the game.(Unless you do hate the player- in which case don’t go on a Twitter tirade against said player.)via BoardGameGeek7. Sometimes you just need a break.8. You’re not here to make friends.9. It ain’t over ‘til it’s over.via AmazonOh, and this goes without sayin g. Don’t sell steaks at sharper image. You will fail. Period.

Only in Philly - Women in Philadelphia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Only in Philly - Women in Philadelphia - Essay Example Race and colour have nothing to do with it. Our story Girlfriend revolves around late night cab drive our main character took from the Airport Hilton to Central Philadelphia. Notice that it was already midnight when the main character took the cab and the road was probably deserted by then except for those late night partygoers on their way home. It’s not your usual heavy traffic hours where cars lined the streets and angry drivers wanting to get somewhere would start honking rudely if you fail to move even just a few seconds late when the traffic lights change. The road was open that night and it was time to have some fun without really getting oneself into much trouble. Judging from the reaction of our main character when he thought and I quote a pimpmobile! when the old Caddy pulled out beside his cab at an intersection gives us an idea that the women inside the Caddy probably looked sensual if not beautiful. By sensual, I mean that the site of these women has more appeal to the carnal side of men than the intellectual. In the third paragraph of the story, our main character described the black woman in the shotgun seat as appearing hefty â€Å"but she had beautiful eyes.† The fact that she is black is of no consequence of course since a white woman could also be as â€Å"hefty† and have beautiful eyes too. Our main character already described the woman as hefty, he gave her a smile and when she blows him a kiss, he pretended to â€Å"grab her sensually blown kiss with my hand and placed it over my heart.† Clearly, they were flirting! There was sufficient provocation on both sides, as the man must have really gawked on the women inside the Caddy. Proof of that is his statement, â€Å"What the hell, I wasn't going to see her ever again. â€Å" That line clearly gave him a license to have some fun on the street in the middle of the night. Who would know he flirted with the hefty black lady? On the other hand, the black lady was probably thinking of the same thing as our main character.  Ã‚  

How to Manage Negotiation - Using Mistakes to Explain Research Paper

How to Manage Negotiation - Using Mistakes to Explain - Research Paper Example The purpose of negotiation is to discover the circumstances, and to obtain a solution that is satisfactory to both group. It’s helpful to have uniformity in the employees where distinct kind of person is able to bring about different returns to the business. But this uniformity frequently leads to change of judgment among two workers or two different departments. Conflicts are a part of working situation and as a manager cannot remove the dispute in total; all they could do is to direct them in a manner that it won't influence the level of productivity. Managing Negotiation: Efficiently managed negotiations will leads to agreements and that increases the worth of the organization. Further, they present extremely better profits per investment. On the other hand, unsuccessfully completed negotiations, eventually result in exhausted capital and improved expenses to the organization, creating both the manager and the organization in a difficult where capital effort makes it harder to create the lost position and attain constructive consequences. The faster they manage them, the more the benefits will be for the business if not the conflicts will provide means to destructive performance and lack of group hard work, and as an it causes low output. Mistakes in Negotiation: Negotiation is a hard skill as it needs momentum, in immediately, in the other person's mind and in one’s own. While the managers have to concentrate on positives, it is uniformly significant not to neglect the negative feature of negotiations. There are a set of mistakes that all of us make and we need to be conscious of to be at our most excellent when negotiating. These mistakes happen all the moment. In a number of situations, they occur by mistake. At other instance, some people create these mistakes on intentionally. They overlook conservative understanding and perceptive recommendation and decide to negotiate in a way that brings no success to the negotiation. There are a number of mistakes that negotiators can create and should evade at all costs in order to be a successful negotiator. The two of them are discussed here. 1. Neglecting the Other Side's Problem: A person alone cannot make negotiation the other party is equally involved in it. Therefore, one must take into consideration the other persons interests or problems. The parties should try to place themselves in the other's place. The parties should not merely suppose that their bad doubts will turn out to be the dealings of the other party. They should not accuse the other for the problem. Each party should try to give suggestions which would be pleasing to the other party. â€Å"The objective of negotiation is to seek a win – win solution and if win and lose solution happens than you are neglecting the other side’s problem† (Lalitbhojwani). Consider the example of a manager firing one of the employees in the organization. The manager argues and fires the staff for a long time for his low performance, without asking the reasons for his poor performance. According to the employee, he/ she will be some personal or official problems which lead the employee to perform poorly. In this situation, the manager needs to listen carefully to the problems of the employees so that the manager can solve the problem very easily. Considering the opinions of outside parties is useful.