Using Teams in Production and Operations Management

Using Teams in Production and Operations Management Introduction Coca Cola Company is a global multinational with operations in many countries. The company is a manufacturer and retailer of various beverages and non-alcoholic drinks. All withstanding, the company is well known for its flagship brand Coca Cola although it has more than 500 brands.Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on Using Teams in Production and Operations Management specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More As far as a wider global presence is concerned, the company has 500 brands in more than 200 countries (Coca Cola, 2011, p. 4). This therefore underlines its desire to conquer more markets around the world because it has been coming up with new products and brands that can suit different market interests. As far as its business is concerned, the company operates a franchise system that has proved to be successful in the markets that it has a presence. In this case, it only produces syrup that is sold to dif ferent bottlers that have exclusive rights throughout the world. When it comes to financials, Coca Cola Company is listed on the New York stock exchange market and is part of other indexes. As of 2010, the company recorded revenues of US$ 35.119 billion (Coca Cola, 2011, p.12). The company’s operating income in the last financial year was US$ 8.449 billion while its net income was recorded at US$ 11.809 billion (Coca Cola, 2011, p. 15). As far as its asset portfolio is concerned, Coca Cola Company is valued at US$ 72.921 billion. Based on the fact that the company operates in many countries around the world, it employs 139,600 people (Coca Cola, 2011, p. 9). To enhance its operations, it has other subsidiaries that have enabled it to diversity thereby serving its customers and market well. When assessed from a market share point of view, Coca Cola Company has a market share of around 50% while its share in the US has increased to almost 42%. This means that the company is sti ll a major player in the global beverage industry. To continue establishing itself as a force to reckon with in the market, it has introduced new products to suit individual markets because of different global diversity issues. The company’s production or operations management Coca Cola Company has embraced the best production and operation management practices and that is why it has continued to be successful as time goes by. It is not a mean task to have operations in more than 200 countries and coordinate them effectively which shows that the company is doing well as far as operations and production management are concerned.Advertising Looking for assessment on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More As far as production is concerned, the company operates a franchise system that it has relied on to reach its wide market. This means that the system needs effective management in relation to overa ll brand strategy (Tucker, 2009, p. 23). The company has built a good strategy on concentrate production that it sells to different bottlers for production of beverages. This is not an easy task because the concentrate syrup is supposed to be supplied to more than 200 countries that it has a presence. All this withstanding, the company’s franchise model has come under pressure because of intensifying competition that has been necessitated by health conscious customers who want health oriented drinks. To be successful as far as operations and production management are concerned, the company has occasionally rejuvenated its core product line for long term sustainability. In this case, to expand its operations in new markets, it has relied on key acquisitions mostly in the non-carbonated drinks sector. This has been made with an aim of expanding its presence in the growing market. As a matter of fact, this has been coordinated by a strong and dedicated team for efficiency and su ccess. Business management that is oriented towards operations management is the strategy that the company has used to grow and expand its market in recent years. This means that it has increased its cooperation with key partners’ to streamline its operations. The company prides itself in upholding the quality promise that has enhanced customer loyalty all along from diverse and distinct customers (Coca Cola, 2011, p. 11). All this can be well explained from its concentrate production, bottling and product delivery that is unique in the market. Production management is evaluated through software that minimizes production downtime that can be costly to a global company like Coca Cola. This has therefore enabled the company to serve its market on a global scale without any problem which can be tiresome without such measures.Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on Using Teams in Production and Operations Management specifically for you for only $16.05 $ 11/page Learn More The company’s approach to pricing has been very good because it has enabled its partners and bottlers to continue being committed to its true business ethics and values. Sustainability has been embraced with a long term objective of ensuring that the company’s production activities are not affected in any way thereby disrupting market activities. In this case, the company is always flexible as far as its business model is concerned which enhances operations management because managers are able to come up with alternatives that will enhance productivity. All this withstanding, Coca Colas production and distribution system has been unique in the market thereby enabling it to realize different opportunities on a global scale. It should be understood that as much as issues might arise as far as the company’s operations and production management is concerned, it has been successful on a wider business scale (Plumb, 2009, p. 31). Coc a Cola’s use of teams in production and operations management Coca Cola’s use of teams in production and operations management has been reinforced by the fact that the company is the world’s largest producer and distributor of Coca Cola products. In this case, strategic management has been well managed by teams to ensure and enhance sustainability. Most of the company’s programs have been adjusted as time goes by to accommodate the changing business environment which has therefore enhanced the use of teams. Coca Cola uses teams effectively to reduce the impact of the changing business environment on the company’s operations management. Because it relies on a franchise system to do business, teams have been well coordinated to ensure that everything is running well and successfully. The use of work teams has mostly been embraced in production activities (Coca Cola, 2011, p. 15). This has been widely used in concentrate production because it is at th e core of the company’s success. In this case, the worldwide management team has ensured that local operations are organized in good and coordinated teams for enhanced production of Coca Cola products in different markets. For enhanced production, teams are embraced and given enough time to execute their ideas so long as they are in tandem with the company’s objectives and expectations in relation to set targets (Plumb, 2009, p. 62).Advertising Looking for assessment on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Proper production and operations management requires good teams for execution of strategies and this is what Coca Cola has capitalized on for success and long term sustainability. Management teams are competitively selected for each country to be in charge of operations thereby serving markets well. In this case, the company’s operations are divided into six operating units that are in charge of different markets (Coca Cola, 2011, p. 27). Most notably, these teams produce an attractive combination that has kept the company going as far as its operations are concerned. The use of teams has been capitalized on for individuals to make final and good decisions that will enhance productivity. Company’s ability to adjust Coca Cola is a global company and this means that it operates in a unique and competitive business environment. The recent global financial crisis posed a lot of challenges to the company based on the fact that it has operations in many countries around the world. The financial crisis affected incomes in a great way thereby compromising the company’s sales margins. In this case the company should be able to communicate effectively with its customers and employees on any changes that will be made to enhance sustainability. The company was not hurt by the global financial crisis in a broad way because it was able to adjust effectively through proper communication. It should be known that the company has the ability to adjust its approach to pricing which gives it an advantage to respond to emerging market needs and trends. This is because it only sells concentrate to its bottlers and not the finished product (Coca Cola, 2011, p. 35). The company’s ability to respond to any financial crisis is enhanced by its corporate social responsibility programs that have endeared it close to its customers. This means that customers have always stood with the company even in hard times. Employees are put at the heart of the companyâ€⠄¢s operations which means that they are always in contact with the top management which promotes communication thereby enhancing its ability to respond to different problems. This is because employees have felt that they are part of the company which implies that any problem will be shared together as a family. The company’s greatest strength is in its ability to respond to emerging market challenges which has been as a result of its experience in diverse and distinct markets (Coca Cola, 2011, p. 17). Creativity and problem solving skills have been instilled in employees to make them good ambassadors of the company’s products in different markets. This means that employees can be able to interact with different customers thereby informing them on the crisis without compromising products and services. Reference List Coca Cola. (2011). Our Company. Web. Tucker, S. (2009). Coca-Cola’s $2.4bn China deal at risk. Hong Kong: Financial Times. Plumb, T. (2009). Coca-Co la to unveil mini cans in D.C. New York: Harper Business.

9 Should You Take It

What Is PSAT 8/9 Should You Take It SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips The College Board now offers the PSAT 8/9 to eighth graders and high school freshmen as the first hurdle in the group of tests they call the "SAT Suite of Assessments." The PSAT 8/9 is a precursor to the PSAT 10, the PSAT/NMSQT and the SAT. But when is the PSAT 8/9 offered? And should you even bother taking it? In this article I'll give you all the details! What Is the PSAT 8/9? The PSAT 8/9 is the first exam in the College Board's "SAT Suite of Assessments" and is offered to eighth and ninth graders. The purpose of the PSAT 8/9 is to establish a starting point in terms of college and career readiness as students transition to high school. It's a way for students to practice for the PSAT 10, the PSAT/NMSQT, and the SAT. The test is offered between the fall and spring. Schools choose the dates on an individual basis, unlike the SAT, which is administered at designated test on dates determined by the College Board. Your school may offer the PSAT 8/9 between September 23rd 2019 and March 27th 2020 or between April 14th and 30th 2020. To sign up for the test, you will have to go through your school counselor. It costs $12 to order the materials, but some schools will cover this fee for you. Accommodations can also be made for students with disabilities. You don't need College Board approval to get accommodations for the PSAT 8/9, but test coordinators at your school must order any special materials before the ordering deadline. What's on the PSAT 8/9, and How Is It Scored? The PSAT 8/9, like the PSAT 10, PSAT/NMSQT and SAT, has three testing areas: Reading, Writing and Language, and Math. The Reading and Writing subject areas are combined for an Evidence-Based Reading and Writing section score. Math has its own separate section score. On the PSAT 8/9, you will get a total score between 240 and 1440, which is the sum of the two section scores in Evidence-Based Reading and Writing and Math that each range from 120 to 720. You'll also get three test scores for Reading, Writing, and Math that each range from 6-36. In addition to regular section scores, you'll be given Cross-Test scores which analyze questions across the three subject areas and separate them into a score for Analysis in History/Social Studies and a score for Analysis in Science. Each of these scores ranges from 6-36 as well. The subject areas are broken down into six additional subscores measured on a scale of 1-15. WHEW that's a lot of scores! It might be hard to make sense of all of them at first, but the purpose of having so many different scores is to show you specifically where you might need improvement. Along with scores, you'll get percentiles to help you discover how your scores compare to other students'. Your score percentile provides the percentage of students that score at or below your level. This can help you figure out whether you're on the right track for getting a high score on the PSAT 10, PSAT/NMSQT and SAT. Since the SAT is scored out of 1600, your scores on the PSAT 8/9 will be easily comparable to real SAT scores. The PSAT 8/9 is a way to practice for the PSAT 10 and PSAT/NMSQT so that you will be used to the test format and end up with high enough scores to possibly qualify for a National Merit Scholarship. It's just a practice Practice SAT! Studying for the SAT and learning how to yoyo are surprisingly similar How Does the PSAT 8/9 Differ From the PSAT 10 and the PSAT/NMSQT? Although all the PSAT exams share similarities, there are key ways the PSAT 8/9 differs from the other exams. Test Structure Differences The PSAT 8/9 is slightly different from the PSAT 10 and PSAT/NMSQT in length and scoring. The PSAT 8/9, as stated in the previous section, records scores on a scale of 240 to 1440. Scores on the PSAT 10 and PSAT/NMSQT range from 320 to 1520. Part of the reason for this difference in scoring is that the PSAT 10 and PSAT/NMSQT are longer than the PSAT 8/9 and have more questions. Take a look at the chart below comparing the PSAT 8/9 (highlighted in yellow), PSAT 10, and PSAT/NMSQT side by side. PSAT 8/9 PSAT 10 PSAT/NMSQT What is the range of possible scores? 240-1440 320-1520 320-1520 How long is it? 2 hrs25 min. 2 hrs45 min. 2 hrs 45 min. # of Reading Qs 42 47 47 # of Writing Qs 40 44 44 # of Math Qs 38 48 48 Can your score qualify you for a National Merit Scholarship? No No Yes The biggest difference between the PSAT 8/9 and the other two tests is in the number of Math questions: There are ten more questions on the PSAT 10 and PSAT/NMSQT than there are on the PSAT 8/9. The SAT has still more questions and is slightly longer than the PSAT 10 and PSAT/NMSQT- three hours, with an optional fifty-minute essay. There are 52 Reading questions, 44 Writing and Language questions, and 58 Math questions. Test Content Differences PSAT 8/9 Reading On the reading section of the PSAT 8/9, you won't have to make any complex inferences. You will mainly be expected to read passages and draw simple, one step conclusions that are spelled out in the text. On the PSAT 10 and PSAT/NMSQT, however, you'll have to make more difficult inferences that aren't as literal. For the PSAT 8/9 you will also be asked to identify relationships described in the passages based on straightforward information in the text. This is in contrast to the PSAT 10 and PSAT/NMSQT, where you will see questions about complex relationships that are based on more subtle information. Since the reading section on the real SAT includes a data interpretation component, the PSAT 8/9 will expect you to determine explicit meaning from graphs or text (read something off of a graph). You won't have to worry about recognizing data trends yet. That starts on the PSAT 10 and PSAT/NMSQT. Overall, the passages won't be quite as long, and the questions will be more literal and less complicated. PSAT 8/9 Writing and Language On the Writing section of the PSAT 8/9, you'll see questions about punctuation usage in simple contexts. This means you should have knowledge of basic rules like how to use commas to separate a list. On the PSAT 10 and PSAT/NMSQT you will be asked to use punctuation in more complex ways (things like semicolons to separate clauses or colons to introduce lists). For the PSAT 8/9, you will edit straightforward sentences that might contain one grammatical challenge like an introductory phrase. On the PSAT 10 and PSAT/NMSQT you will be faced with compound complex sentences where errors might be less clear. Like the Reading section, the Writing and Language section will also incorporate graphics, which will be fairly basic for the PSAT 8/9 but become more complex on the PSAT 10 and PSAT/NMSQT. PSAT 8/9 Math On the Math section of the PSAT 8/9, problems usually require one or two steps to solve, whereas math problems on the PSAT 10 and PSAT/NMSQT may have two or more steps. You'll see ratios, percents, proportions, introductory probability, and statistics on the PSAT 8/9, but you won't see the comparisons between linear and exponential growth that show up on the PSAT 10 and PSAT/NMSQT. Trigonometry-wise, you'll want to know the properties of right triangles, but you won't need to know trigonometric ratios yet. Those are only tested on the PSAT 10 and PSAT/NMSQT. Want to get a head start on the PSAT NMQST? We have the industry's leading PSAT prep program. Built by Harvard grads and SAT full scorers, the program learns your strengths and weaknesses through advanced statistics, then customizes your prep program to you so that you get the most effective prep possible. Check out our 5-day free trial today: Why Should You Take the PSAT 8/9? The point of the PSAT 8/9 is to provide insight into the subject areas where you need to make the most score improvements before you take the PSAT and ultimately the SAT. Although a few schools may use the PSAT 8/9 as a placement test, for most students the exam has no stakes- it's just a way to see how you're doing without any consequences if you end up bombing it. If you're really set on getting a great score on the PSAT/NMSQT, it might be a good idea to take the PSAT 8/9. Since the PSAT/NMSQT is only offered once a year in October, you will only have two chances maximum to take it (one in 10th grade and one in th grade). If you want to win a National Merit Scholarship, you have to do really well on one of those two tests. The best way to know which areas you need to work on is to take the PSAT 8/9. Based on your PSAT 8/9 scores, you will get personalized SAT study materials through Khan Academy. If you're not set on winning a scholarship, you probably don't need to take the PSAT 8/9. Just plan on taking the PSAT/NMSQT so that you can get an idea of where you are score-wise before the real SAT and where you need to improve. You can also take the PSAT 10 your Sophomore year to prepare for the PSAT/NMSQT. PSAT 10 scores, like PSAT 8/9 scores, aren't considered as a factor in the National Merit Scholarship competition, but they can give you more information about what areas you need to work on. A very prestigious Scholar Ship How Can You Prepare for the PSAT 8/9? Because the PSAT 8/9 is just a way to see how prepared you are for the PSAT 10, which is a way to practice for the PSAT/NMSQT which itself is a way to prepare for the SAT, most students don't need to prepare for the PSAT 8/9. Just taking the test and reviewing your scores is enough to give you an idea of how well you're doing and which areas you might want to consider focusing on later on when you prepare for the other exams. However, if you do want to study for the PSAT 8/9, there are resources. There are no official practice PSAT 8/9 tests, but the College Board's PSAT 8/9 Student Guide has a handful of practice questions for each section of the test. There are some unofficial practice PSAT 8/9 exams available, but we don't recommend them since they typically don't recreate test questions very accurately. Instead, we recommend using official study resources and practice tests for the PSAT/NMSQT. The formats of the two exams are very similar, but you won't see the most difficult questions from the PSAT/NMSQT on the PSAT 8/9, since the latter is meant for younger students. There are two official PSAT practice tests available: Official PSAT Practice Test 1- Score Your Test- Answer Explanations Official PSAT Practice Test 2- Score Your Test- Answer Explanations The Bottom Line The PSAT 8/9 is the first step on the path to the SAT. You can take it in 8th or 9th grade, and it's somewhat similar to the PSAT 10 and PSAT/NMSQT. The main differences are that there is no scholarship associated with it, it's shorter, and it has a lower score range. The PSAT 8/9 is essentially just another way to practice for the PSAT/NMSQT and the SAT. If you're really invested in figuring out where you need to improve your scores in order to do well enough on the PSAT/NMSQT to win a National Merit Scholarship, the PSAT 8/9 is a useful low-stakes assessment tool. Otherwise, just wait and take the PSAT/NMSQT your sophomore or junior year before you take the SAT, or take the PSAT 10 your sophomore year and the PSAT/NMSQT your junior year. What's Next? Are you wondering whether you should take the PSAT 10 or the PSAT/NMSQT? Read this article to find out what's best for you. Looking to practice your skills and see where you need to improve? Here are some PSAT practice tests to get your studying started. Learn more here about how PSAT scores translate into SAT scores and whether one reliably predicts the other. 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:

International Marketing Plan for Monmouth Coffee House Essay

International Marketing Plan for Monmouth Coffee House - Essay Example Monmouth will open its first coffee house in Colombo, which is the capital city of Sri Lanka. This investment decision was made after considering the geographic, legal, political, economic, natural and cultural aspects as well as the competitiveness of the potential market. Formally known as the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka is located south of India, on an Island in the Indian Ocean. The Countries economic backbone is agriculture, but industry and services sectors also play a big role in the economy. Colombo, the city that has been selected as the starting point for Monmouth’s business, is largely a commercial capital, where several foreign based organizations have operations. The country’s scenic beaches, historical sites, and tropical climate are quite popular with tourists. The booming tourism industry has prompted the development of infrastructure, and this invariably provides a good business opportunity for a small organization such as Monm outh. Sri Lanka’s resources include gemstones, limestone, mica, graphite, quartz, slate and industrial clays. The country is also a key producer of extracted minerals and cash crops that include tobacco, tea, rubber, and coconut. Coffee is also available in the country, but the supply is quite low (Reddy 2003). Hence it is important for Monmouth to consider the issue of finding a reliable local or foreign supplier in its logistics planning. The city of Colombo is relatively easy to reach and navigate through due to its efficient transportation network. Most residents of Colombo and Sri Lanka as a whole rely on radio as the main tool of mass communication. Television is also used by a large percentage of the country’s population. There are also three daily newspapers published in Sri Lanka (Cummings 2007). Hence, Monmouth will use the three media tools used in the country for advertising purposes. Culture Culture is one of the most important factors to consider when ven turing into a new market. Individual cultures are constantly being shaped by different variables such as values, attitudes, religion, manners and attitudes, aesthetics, norms and customs, social institutions, technology and education. Official records indicate that there are roughly 20 million Sri Lankans who mainly come from the Tamil and Sinhalese ethnic groups. Both Sinhala and Tamil are used as the national and official languages of Sri Lanka. English is spoken mainly in urban areas including Colombo, as the second language. The city has a population of about 2 million people. Many of these people are

Human resources ( Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Human resources ( - Essay Example Further, performance management also entails the individual performance of the employees and accountability for individual performance enhances overall excellence in company management (Pulakos 113). One of the greatest challenges for managers is handling relationships with employees and talking about their performance. Since performance management expects excellent performance from employees, it might be difficult for managers to challenge employees whom they have a close relationship with. Sometimes it’s hard to tell off a friend for her performance due to fear of rejection or conflict. When a manager fails to undertake responsibilities of performance management by avoiding the conversation on some members, a question of proper performance management arises (Armstrong 77). There are several factors that lead to failure in performance management in the organization as a result of mistakes made by managers. To begin with some managers overlook the essence of conversation with employees for their poor performance and rather concentrate on the process of improving performance in the organization. The second mistake made by managers includes failure to outline a clear link between the strategy and the execution of the task. Thirdly, managers fail to put a distinction between good performance and poor performance such that no consequences are applied for poor performance. Finally, managers may leave the responsibilities of performance management to HR department thus employees feel uninspired and lose focus on objectives (Sydor 45). The biggest concern involved in performance management involves the skills and competency of handling performance. Many people fail on managing performance because they don’t possess the required skills or they don’t understand what performance management requires. For instance when a person is assigned the role of performance management and has

Cognitive Effects of Early Bilingualism Essay Example for Free

Cognitive Effects of Early Bilingualism Essay The American educational system has fallen behind other leading nations in the world in many respects, one of which is in bilingual instruction. This has traditionally been overlooked in the United States until the high school level. Children in today’s society should be made more prepared for the growing globalism and technological advances throughout the world instead of losing educational opportunities due to economic downfall and lack of resources. This includes a second language acquisition introduced earlier in the program. On top of political reasons, the positive effects to the cognitive development of the brain when introduced to a second language are many. The age of acquisition is crucial due to the plasticity of the brain which, according to the critical period hypothesis, begins to plateau after five years of age. The current policy in early education limits greatly the amount of extracurricular lessons provided in accordance with government policies such as No Child Left Behind, which restricts school funding based on standardized testing only in certain subject areas. School programs, realistically beginning in elementary education, should include foreign language study due to the strong evidence that bilingualism in children can develop higher cognitive abilities which can be enhanced with proficiency and positively influence skills in other areas. Old arguments suggest that, â€Å"children who are instructed bilingually from an early age will suffer cognitive or intellectual retardation in comparison with their monolingually instructed counterparts† (Diaz 24). Much of the research from the past supporting this argument focused on older bilinguals, mostly adults who may have shown competent abilities in a second language but who had much later ages of acquisition and who usually acquired the second language outside of the home. Many early studies in this field worked with children of immigrants who showed lower abilities in cognitive tasks most likely because of the lack of proficiency in the second language (L2) and lack of proper schooli ng in relation to this deficiency (Kovà ¡cs 307). In correlation with poorly chosen test subjects, the studies were typically done with orthographic representations of words that would have been more difficult for younger test subjects to work with. For example, a study done by Ton Dijkstra, Professor of Psycholinguistics and Multilingualism at the Donders Institute, which focused only on adult English/Dutch bilingualsthe youngest being fifteen years old, all of whom studied their L2 in a middle or high school level. This study included only written examples of words and had the subjects determine if the word was English or Dutch. The results were able to somewhat prove Dijkstra’s theory of Bilingual interactive activation (BIA) which underlines the effects orthography has on L1 and L2 word retrieval that is â€Å"assuming, of course, that the same orthography is used in the input† (Dijkstra 217). If this study were done on younger children, it is sure they would not have performed as well since children are typically less familiar with the written language than with the spoken. Older language learners would make more use of the written approach to learning, such as a textbook, while younger learners typically lear n more from a speech-based approach, like conversationally in the home. The textbook approach is a symbolic processing which differs from the more embedded cognitive retrieval of the speech-based learning approach utilized by younger children to understand the two languages. There have been many studies over the past few years that have proven the opposite of these older arguments. Many of the studies have tested the cognitive abilities of young children, usually aged six and under in accordance with the critical period hypothesis, with both monolingual and bilingual proficiency. These experiments are concerned with cognitive tasks including false-belief tasks and grammar testing to determine the ability to hold abstract thought in the L2 as well as phonemic testing in order to find if there is an ability to distinguish between the phonemes of the different languages. The majority of these studies have tested subjects using visual representations and vocal experiments with proctors who have experience working with children and are trained in both languag es being tested. The more useful subjects are usually taught implicitly, or passively in the home. Although some make use of explicitly taught subjects, meaning they learned actively in a class setting. It has been proven that an infant of four months has the incredible linguistic discrimination abilities to distinguish languages with different prosody and phonemes (Kovà ¡cs 303). An infant is then better equipped to attain more native-like proficiency later in life when exposed this early to the sounds and rhythm of the L2. Doctor in Communication Sciences, Karsten Steinhauer explains, â€Å"that late L2 learners stabilize at some point short of native-like attainment [which] most recently has been discussed in terms of phonological/prosodic interference from L1† (Steinhauer 15). When a young child is introduced to two separate languages, the mechanisms of attention, selection, and inhibition become more fine-tuned due to the experience of attending to one language and ignoring the other (Kovà ¡cs 303, 308). The training in encoding and the association of two correspondi ng words with a common concept underlines the superior representational abilities a bilingual retains especially when the L2 is entrenched in the brain the way early acquisition allows. Linguist à gnes Melinda Kovà ¡cs presents research proving that monolinguals typically attain these abilities at the age of four years while young bilinguals gain these skills much earlier (Kovà ¡cs 316). The brain’s plasticity allows the young child to hold and use the two languages without interference and with continued usage the child will be more likely to attain full native-like proficiency in both languages. Kovà ¡cs also explains that since the brain remains active during demanding tasks, the brain may take on the extra load of two languages as a constructive challenge. The young, malleable brain may possibly â€Å"greatly adapt to [the challenge], for example, by changing its morphology† (Kovà ¡cs 308). A type of adaptation has been proven in studies done by neuroscientist Andrea Mechelli, which were concerned with the grey matter surrounding the left inferior parietal cortex, the general area associated with language use containing the Broca’s are a. These studies confirmed that the grey matter in this area is denser in early-acquired bilinguals. The density decreases in correlation with proficiency in the L2 with monolinguals having the least dense matter (Mechelli 757). This may be the case because a later acquired L2 is held at a more surface level of the brain and requires the use of the declarative memory instead of the procedural memory. Many tests have been done to determine the amount of brain activity associated with language in the left inferior parietal cortex through the use of event-related brain potential, or ERPs. Dr. Steinhauer describes ERPs as â€Å"reflecting the real-time electrophysiological brain dynamics of cognitive processes with an excellent time resolution in the range of milliseconds,† and that ERPs â€Å"have been hypothesized to be linked to rule-based automatic parsing† (Steinhauer 16). Measurements of ERPs are taken while subjects perform syntactically poignant tasks. Since it is thought that syntactic processes are generally automatic or a part of â€Å"implicit grammar processi ng† (Steinhauer 17), the ERP components would be more difficult to elicit in later acquired bilinguals. Steinhauer et al. performed several studies in this area, working with many real and one artificial language labeled BROCANTO 2. In each case, the subjects were given grammaticality judgment tasks in the given language, such as subject-verb agreement violations and lexical anomalies. For each group, the early acquired or implicitly taught subjects educed the same type of ERP responses as native speakers. Late-acquired or explicitly instructed subjects showed more shallow responses, if any at all in this area. These findings show that â€Å"syntactic processes appear to be sensitive to delays in L2 acquisition† (Steinhauer 19). One of the most prominent issues in L2 proficiency is attaining the phonemic boundary between the two languages. Monolinguals are usually unable to distinguish the sounds of a language other than their own. The more proficient a bilingual is in their L2, the more able they are to perceive the two types of phonemes and to determine which is correct in a given phonological circumstance. The phonemic boundary is the least likely area to be fossilized in a late-acquired bilingual. There have been several studies done which have proven this, including a 2008 study done by Adrian Garcia-Sierra, professor of Communications at the University of Texas. In this study, the voice onset time, or VOT, of thirty college students was tested. Half of the students were English monolinguals while the other half were English/Spanish bilinguals who described themselves as fluent speakers of both languages and who learned their L2 at home. This study was done in Austin, Texas where some Spanish is integrated into the daily culture. The results showed that the more fluent bilinguals were more apt to â€Å"a perceptual shift†¦associated with high level of confidence in English and Spanish†¦[and] that highly confident L2 bilinguals are more likely to possess a double phonemic boundary† (Garcia-Sierra 378). This shows that more proficient bilinguals will have a stronger ability to determine different phonemes, which also underlines the effects bilingualism has on a dvanced discrimination and attention skills. Another recent study performed on early bilinguals was done by a group of psychologists headed by Michael Siegal. The experiments tested the pragmatic skills of 41 children in northeastern Italy. All were between the ages of three and six years old, with 19 Italian monolinguals and 22 Italian/Slovenian bilinguals who attended the same preschool taught only in Italian. The children were tested on the Gricean maxims of conversational understanding. These are four basic rules which provide a foundation for pragmatic competence including quality, quantity, relevance, and politeness. The groups of children were shown cartoons with characters having conversations that contained one response created in order to break one of the maxims. The children were then asked which of the characters said something strange or rude and to provide a more appropriate response when the statement was positively identified. The main thesis in this study was that bilingualism requires â€Å"the capacity for flexibility in the representation of language and objects [which] suggests that early bilingualism should be accomp anied by advanced meta-pragmatic skills† (Siegal 115). This theory was upheld by the results of these tests in which the bilingual children outperformed the monolinguals by much more than a chance margin, especially in the maxims of politeness and quality even though many bilinguals had a delayed vocabulary in their L2. The psychologists behind this study suggest that bilingualism can be â€Å"accompanied by an enhanced ability to appreciate effective communicative responses† (Siegal 115). The results of this research seem to highlight the idea that the acquisition of a second language allows a child to remove themselves from the comfortable context of their native language and to realize that it is more necessary to provide useful information and use polite tones for more a successful exchange in both languages. Recently, studies have been performed concerning the effects and importance of early-acquired bilingualism in patients with neuropsychiatric disorders such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases. Research in this area shows that it is less likely for a bilingual individual to be affected by these types of diseases. The majority of the hypotheses behind this statistic pertain to the activity in the brain that is needed to think and speak bilingually. This constant activity exercises the brain in a way that is counterintuitive to the deterioration involved with these disorders (Paradis 216). The research behind Parkinson’s disease explains that the procedural memory is affected greatly sometimes causing a loss of the L1. This is partnered with a tendency to â€Å"produce a smaller portion of grammatical sentences†¦and exhibit deficits in comprehension of complex syntactic forms† (Paradis 217). This is likely linked to the deterioration of the left inferior parietal cortex, the same area in the brain discussed earlier, which is associated with syntactic processes and holding the L1. On the other hand, bilingual patients with Alzheimer’s show a loss in t heir L2 as well as in semantic abilities and a gradual loss of pragmatic, phonological, and syntactic structures. More common in this type of dementia is a puzzlingly inappropriate mixture of the two languages (Paradis 222). This is due to the break down of the declarative memory caused by the dementia. The declarative memory is involved with metacognition, which is why it affects such things as the less familiar language, pragmatic skills, and the selective attention abilities of bilinguals. The major finding in these studies is that â€Å"the differences observed in psychotic conditions as well as in dementias are caused by the increased reliance on declarative-memory-based (and hence consciously controlled) explicit metalinguistic knowledge† (Paradis 222). The advances made in early bilingual research have been great over the past few decades. Through these studies and so many more, it has been made clear that bilinguals with early ages of acquisition not only achieve more native-like proficiency but also tend to have more advanced cognitive abilities than their monolingual peers. These include but are not exclusive to increased analytical, representational, selective, and control abilities. Bilingualism also implies more developed metalingustic awareness and mental flexibility. Early bilinguals have also shown greater abilities in pragmatics and phonemic discrimination. In opposition to old arguments, Kovà ¡cs writes, â€Å"The bilingual condition could be stimulating for the highly plastic developing mind of the child, and induces specific changes in the brain and cognitive systems† (Kovà ¡cs 317). The higher development has been seen in ERP testing and in the density of grey matter involved in the linguistically apt area of the brain. Educators and policy makers should consider this information when planning early education programs. Those enriched with the benefits of a bilingual education are not only better off cognitively, but in the modern world, would be more prepared for the global society and workplace. Works Cited Diaz, R â€Å"Thought and Two Languages: The Impact of Bilingualism on Cognitive Development.† Review of Research in Education 10 (1983): 23-54 Dijkstra, Ton. â€Å"Task and Context Effects in Bilingual Lexical Processing.† Cognitive Aspects of Bilingualism (2007): 213-235. Garcia-Sierra, Adrian, Randy L. Diehl, and Craig Champlin. â€Å"Testing the double phonemic boundary in bilinguals.† Speech Communication 51 (2009): 369-378. Kovacs, Agnes Melinda. â€Å"Beyond Language: Childhood Bilingualism Enhances High- level Cognitive Functions.† Cognitive Aspects of Bilingualism (2007): 301-323. Mechelli, A., Crinion, J. T., Noppeney, U., O’Doherty, J., Ashburner, J., Frackowiak, R. S., and Price, C.J. 2004. Structural plasticity in the bilingual brain. Nature. 431: 754. Siegal, Michael, Laura Iozzi, and Luca Surian. â€Å"Bilingualism and conversational understanding in young children.† Cognition 110 (2009): 115-122.

Information Technology Outsourcing :: Globalization, Business Management

Information Technology Outsourcing   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  "Information Technology outsourcing is the contracting out of part or all of an organization's IT activities." New trends have included operations, programming, and technology planning. The main reason for information technology outsourcing is to gain immediate economic gains for the company, usually through savings. Financial motivations aren't first on businesses minds though; other strategic objectives are.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Outsourcing can make it easier to downsize. Because you are bringing in outside help, and can cut back on fixed salaries, the company becomes more variable. Outsourcing leads to tighter linking of strategy and IT. Knowledge which usually flows slowly can flow freely, and a company has more access to outside technology. Plus businesses receive information faster than other types of hierarchical communication, and the resources are endless. Outsourcing can unlock organizational structures. "The unlocked IT organization can provide a better mechanism for costing user requests, prioritizing technology initiatives and controlling expenditures." It offers the benefits of both systems involved. Another important goal that IT outsourcing takes on, is reducing technological risk. By outsourcing your needs you know that that the employee know what they are doing.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Some of the problems IT outsourcing may encounter are, loss of strategic control, risk of technological obsolescence, limiting of long-term flexibility, difficulty in benchmarking initial contract, hostage to additional charges, high exit or switching costs, limited choice of vendors, the fixed nature of legal contracts, legal exposure, from dissatisfied former employees, and cultural conflicts.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The people doing the outsourcing for the companies are sometimes the life's-blood of that company. If the outsourcers want more money, then they are almost obligated to give that money. This is usually the case when the contractors are bringing new technology into the system.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  High exit or switching costs entail the switch-over costs the company must shoulder if they decide to end the outsourcing and hire full time employees. It is important not to put too many resources at the hands of the contractors. Limiting this will ease the switch-over costs.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Legal issues also creep into the picture when a company chooses to outsource. Some companies have problems with employees that are not happy with their current arrangement or are mistreated.

Sports Consumer Behavior

Taking a survey of all types of sports equipment around my house I see a variety of different things that my family and I tend to buy depending on the type of sport or activity anyone is into at the time. At first thinking of the this assignment and reading the instructions I did not think that I had any sports equipment in my household but once I started looking around I noticed that there are a lot of things that can be considered sports equipment like exercise equipment and clothing that I very frequently spend money on.Lately I had been getting into working out a lot because I want to lose weight for the summer which is right around the corner, and I have had these spurts a lot and have not gone through with the whole thing but each time I always buy something new that will help me to lose weight. I also took into account all the things that my boyfriend buys because most of the time we both buy stuff for his football. Currently he is playing semi-professional football locally fo r the city we live in and he is constantly buying new things from clothing to balls and pads for his games.The National Sporting Goods Association (NSGA) has a listing of all the different sports categories and the difference each made every year in sales. The sports category I chose to look at is the hunting and firearms category because it seems to show the most significant changes out if all of the other categories. The significant difference I see in the hunting and firearms category is in increase in sales of about $354 million dollars from 2008 to 2009.Looking at the history of hunting and firearms sales I can see that throughout the years it has continually been a significant increase each year. The only reason I can suggest that there is so much of an interest and increase in this category would be that more and more people are becoming interested in hunting and activities that include the use of firearms, and not to mention the hunters that have been hunting for years alway s upgrading to the newest and best equipment and firearms.A different category that is extremely high in value and the highest one of the forecast is exercise. I can identify with this category because I am one of the reasons that industry is so high, I know that there are a lot of people out there like myself that want to lose weight and will try any new thing that comes out for weight loss to see if it works. Looking at the amount that I spend on exercise equipment from the video’s and DVD’s to the weights and he bands and the sneakers and clothes I can see why the exercise industry is so big. People want the next best thing that is going to help them lose weight. A category that is the complete opposite from exercise is the Racquetball category where in the past few years it has had both increases and decreases in sales, but in 2009 was significantly lower than all of the other categories. I think that racquetball is so low in sales because not many people play this sport or for that matter are not too sure of what it is (like me).These are not one of the mostly popular sports that are played around the United States and for that reason I think is why this category is one of the lowest on this forecast. I think that the more popular a sport is and the more people know about it and have interest in it the more the public is willing to spend on the items for the sport or activity. One of the categories that definitely surprises me in terms of value is football, I know that this is a sport played all around the United States and is very popular but I didn’t realize how low the amount of sales for football equipment.The only reason I can think of that would make football so low in terms of value would be the fact that the manufacturers make football products so durable and sustainable that they wouldn’t need to be replaced as frequently as other sports and products. Knowing that most of these products are made to stand the toughness of this contact sport is a reason I guess I am not that surprised that the sales are low, these companies are making the best product to with stand everything and takes a lot to break them therefore customers do not have to replace them.Self-Survey of sports equipment purchased on a yearly basis: Weights -$60 Resistance bands- $30 P 90 X DVD – $125 Other workout videos and DVD’s- $100-$150 Workout sneakers – $200-$300 Workout clothes – $300 Miscellaneous workout equipment- $100 Football cleats- $200 Pads- $100-$200 Jerseys- $150 Footballs – $70 Football tights – $45 Football practice clothing -$200

Yeast Fermentation Rates

IB Biology Internal Assessment: Yeast Fermentation Rates Planning(a) Question- Growth: What is the effect on Yeast Growth/Expansion during fermentation when mixed in water of varying temperatures? Hypothesis- Temperatures above or below the recommended fermentation temperatures will contain less, or be void of growth, either due to inactivation or to yeast death. Variables- | | | | | | |Dependent Variables |Temp|Degrees F | |90 Degrees F-130 Degrees F | | | |erat| | | | | | |ure | | | | | | |of | | | | | | |wate| | | | | | |r. | | | | |Fermentation | |Hours | |Level of |Digital Timer| |time | | | |expansion | | | | | | |after other | | | | | | |variables | | |90 |75mL |75mL |75mL |N/A |N/A | |100 |105mL |75mL |N/A |N/A |N/A | |110 |85mL |75mL |75mL |N/A |N/A | |120 |125mL |75mL |N/A |N/A |N/A | |130 |75mL |75mL |N/A |N/A |N/A | Data Processing and Presentation- Overview- Yeast is a living substance. It is commonly used to rise bread, or to make alcohol, in a process known as Alcoholi c Fermentation in which it releases oxygen. Through my research, I learned that during fermentation, the temperature is a very important factor in yeast expansion, as under 100 degrees, the yeast may not activate, while high temperatures will effectively kill your yeast, rendering it useless. My Lab Experiment served to test the effect of temperature on yeast expansion during fermentation. Presentation- Temperature |Repeat | |Volume Change | |90 | |1 | |0mL | | | | |2 | |0mL | | | | |3 | |0mL | | | | |4 | |N/A | | | | |5 | |N/A | | |100 | |1 | |30mL | | | | |2 | |0mL | | | | |3 | |N/A | | | | |4 | |N/A | | | | |5 | |N/A | | |110 | |1 | |10mL | | | | |2 | |0mL | | | | |3 | |N/A | | | | |4 | |N/A | | | | |5 | |N/A | | |120 | |1 | |50mL | | | | |2 | |0mL | | | | |3 | |N/A | | | | |4 | |N/A | | | |5 | |N/A | | |130 | |1 | |0mL | | | | |2 | |0mL | | | | |3 | |N/A | | | | |4 | |N/A | | | | |5 | |N/A | | | | | | | | | Yeast Expansion Conclusion and Evaluation- Conclusion- As is shown by my data, after the first trial at each temperature, the yeast refused to rise. This is due to temperatures effect on yeast, as a living thing. After completing the first five trials and ending my experiment for the day, I placed the jar of active dry yeast in the fridge where, due to prolonged exposure to such low temperatures, the whole jar died. After frustratingly watching the next seven trials yield no rise in the yeast, I came to the realization that the cold of the fridge killed my yeast. This was just as much a surprise (as the jar said â€Å"refrigerate after opening†), as it was an interesting basis for my lab. Because my Lab was about Temperature’s effect on yeast expansion and growth, this death provides a good conclusion, as it shows that prolonged exposure to extreme cold(around 58 Degrees F in my fridge), effectively kills the yeast, just as exposure to extreme heat does. At the 90 Degrees of trial 1, the yeast simply was not activated, but at 130 degrees, it also didn’t activate. Because temperatures below 130(save 90) activated it, I assumed that this was the temperature that kills yeast, just as 58 Degrees does. Limitations of experimental design- Many aspects of my project did not work very well and could have been improved in order to make for a better experimental design. For instance, instead of simply placing the yeast in water, I could have made dough, and placed it in the oven at different temperatures, making for a much more stable environment and temperature. Also, completing all 25 trials would have yielded better results as to what temperature truly leads to the greatest expansion by the yeast during fermentation. ———————– [pic]

All About Homeschool Support Groups

All About Homeschool Support Groups Homeschooling can feel isolating for children and parents alike. It’s so different from what most people are doing and its not uncommon to be the only homeschooling family  in your church or neighborhood or among your extended family. Taking full responsibility for your child’s education sometimes feels overwhelming. Add to that all the friends, relatives, and complete strangers insisting that your child is going to be a lonely social outcast, and you may start to wonder if you really can homeschool your child. That’s when you need a homeschool support group – but if you’re new to homeschooling, you may not have a clue how to go about finding one. First, it helps to make sure that you know what you’re looking for. Many new homeschooling families confuse support groups and co-ops. A support group is, as the name suggests, a group where parents can find support and encouragement from others in similar circumstances. Most support groups offer activities such as field trips, social gatherings, and meetings for parents. A homeschool co-op is a group of parents cooperatively educating their children through group classes. Although youll encounter other homeschooling families and can likely find support, the primary focus is on academic or elective classes for students. Some homeschool support groups do offer co-op classes, but the terms aren’t interchangeable. How to Find a Homeschool Support Group If you’re new to homeschooling or have moved to a new area, try these tips for  locating a homeschool support group: Ask Around One of the easiest ways to find a homeschool support group is to ask. If you know other homeschooling families, most will be happy to point you in the direction of local support groups, even if they’re not part of an organized group themselves. If you don’t know any other homeschooling families, ask at places that homeschooling families are likely to frequent, such as the library or used book store. Even if your friends and relatives dont homeschool, they may know families who do. When my family began homeschooling, a friend whose children attended public school gave me the contact information for two homeschooling families she knew. They were happy to answer my questions even though we didn’t know each other personally. Take to Social Media The prevalence of social media in today’s society makes it an excellent source for connecting with other homeschoolers. There are no fewer than a dozen Facebook groups related to homeschooling in my local circles alone. Search Facebook using your city’s name and â€Å"homeschool.† You can also ask on the pages and groups you’re already involved in. If you follow a homeschool curriculum vendors page, for example, you can usually post on their page asking if there are homeschooling families near you. While not as common as they used to be, many homeschool-related websites still offer member forums. Check them to see if they offer listings for support groups or post a message asking about groups near you. Search Online The Internet is a wealth of information. One excellent resource is the Homeschool Legal Defense page. They maintain a list of homeschool support groups by state, which are then broken down by county. You can also check your statewide homeschool group’s page. You should be able to find it listed on the HSLDA site. If you cant, try  using  your favorite search engine. Just type in your state’s name and â€Å"homeschool support† or â€Å"homeschool support groups.† You may also try searching by your county or city name and the keywords homeschool and support. How to Start Your Own Homeschool Support Group Sometimes, despite your best efforts, you can’t find a homeschool support group. You may live in a rural area without many homeschooling families. Alternately, you may live in an area with many groups, but none which are a good fit. If you’re a secular family, you may not fit in with the religious groups or vice versa. And, as unfortunate as it is, homeschooling families are not above forming cliques, which can be off-putting to new families. If you’re unable to locate a homeschool group, consider starting one of your own That’s what some friends and I did in our early years of homeschooling. That group is where my children and I formed some of our closest friendships that are still strong today. Try these tips for starting your own support group: Decide on the Type of Support Group What type of support group would you like to form? Secular,  faith-based, or inclusive of both? Formal or informal? Online or in-person? The group my friends and I started was an informal, online group. We didn’t have officers or regular meetings. Our communication was primarily through an email group. We did arrange a monthly mom’s night out and hosted  back-to-school and year-end parties. Our field trips were planned and organized by group members. If one mom wanted to plan a trip for her family and work out the details to include other group members, that’s what she did. We offered tips to make planning less stressful, but we didn’t have a designated coordinator. You may want a more formal, organized group with regular monthly meetings and elected officers. Consider the details of your ideal homeschool support group. Then, seek out one or two like-minded individuals to help you get it started. Consider the Type of Events You’ll Offer Most homeschool support groups, whether formal or informal, will plan some sort of events for member families. Think about the type of events your group  might offer. Perhaps you’d like to develop a group whose focus is field trips and family-friendly activities or one that hosts speakers and professional development opportunities for homeschooling parents. You may want to offer social events for the children or even a co-op. You might consider activities such as: Holiday parties such as Valentine’s, Christmas, or HalloweenBack-to-school or year-end partiesPlaygroups and park daysMiddle school and high school social events (dances, bowling, or bonfires)Science, geography, or other themed fairsClubs such as book, Lego, or chessPhysical educationSports opportunities  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ either organized or field-day events Decide Where You’ll Meet If you’ll be hosting in-person support group meetings, consider where you’ll meet. If you’ve got a small group, you may be able to host meetings at members’ homes. Larger groups might consider library meeting rooms, community facilities, restaurant meeting rooms, park pavilions,  or churches. Consider the factors that  may influence where you meet. For example: Will you serve refreshments? If so, what does the facility allow outside food and drinks?Will you offer childcare? If so, is there a place where children can safely play?Will you have guest speakers or will you address the group formally? If so, choose a facility where members can be seated and everyone can see and hear the speaker. Advertise Your Group Once you’ve worked out the logistics of your new homeschool support group, you’ll need to let other families know you exist. Our group placed an advertisement in the support group section of our local homeschool newsletter. You might also: Post a notice on the bulletin board at your local library, used book store, or teacher supply storeShare details in your church bulletin or neighborhood and civic group  newslettersSet up a booth or print brochures for local homeschool conventions and used book salesShare your brochure or a simple flyer with moms groups such as Mommy and Me gym classes, MOPS groups, or La Leche LeagueList your group on websites that offer information about support groups Most importantly, talk to other homeschooling families as much as possible. Word-of-mouth advertising in the homeschooling community is second to none. Most homeschooling parents will find that they benefit from the encouragement of a homeschool support group, particularly on the days when homeschooling is hard. Use these tips to find the right group for you and your family - even if that group starts with you and a couple of friends.

35 Words Frequently Found in Compounds

35 Words Frequently Found in Compounds 35 Words Frequently Found in Compounds 35 Words Frequently Found in Compounds By Mark Nichol The subject of compounds, permanent or temporary combinations of words temporary in the sense that they are â€Å"invented† for the occasion but are not in common usage is a complicated matter because whether a compound employing a given word is open (with letter spaces between the constituent words), hyphenated, or closed (with no letter spaces) is usually inconsistent. Here’s a guide to the most common compound building blocks and how to treat compounds that use them. 1. Ache: Headache and similar words are always closed compounds. 2. All: Phrasal adjectives like â€Å"all out† are hyphenated before a noun (â€Å"This means all-out war†). In adverbial form, such phrases are open: â€Å"She went all out in an effort to impress him†). 3. Book: Many compounds that include book are closed (handbook); terms not listed in the dictionary should be open. 4. Borne: Some forms are closed (airborne); hyphenate compounds not found in the dictionary. 5. Century: This word is never hyphenated in a noun phrase (â€Å"twenty-first century†), but it is hyphenated to the rest of the phrase when the phrase serves as a phrasal adjective before a noun (â€Å"twenty-first-century mind-set†). 6. Counter: Compound nouns are almost always closed (countersign). 7. Cross: Leave compounds such as â€Å"cross section† open unless they are hyphenated or closed in the dictionary. 8. E: The prefix for electronic should be hyphenated in all uses, as well as lowercase except when the word begins a sentence. (I prefer email, ebook, etc., but this is a minority position popular in high-tech publications but not elsewhere.) 9. Elect: Hyphenate in such usage as â€Å"secretary-elect,† but omit hyphens when the other term is itself an open compound (â€Å"secretary general elect†). 10. Ever: Generally hyphenate before a noun (â€Å"ever-optimistic attitude†), but sometimes closed (evergreen). 11. Ex: Always hyphenate except with an open compound; in that case, use an en dash after ex. If your Web site does not use en dashes, reword to avoid awkward use of hyphens (â€Å"former vice president† rather than â€Å"ex-vice-president†). 12. Extra: Nouns and adjectives (extraterrestrial) are almost always closed, but check the dictionary; exceptions include â€Å"extra-point statistics.† Informal adverbs are open (â€Å"be extra careful†). 13. Foster: Compound nouns are always open (â€Å"foster family†); phrasal adjectives are hyphenated before a noun (â€Å"foster-care specialist†). 14. Free: Hyphenate before and after a noun when free is the second element in a compound (â€Å"scot-free†). 15. Full: Hyphenate before a noun (â€Å"full-time employee†). 16. General: Compounds with general as the second element are always open (â€Å"major general†); the first word, not general, takes the plural form (â€Å"secretaries general†). 17. Grand: Compounds denoting kinship that include this word are always closed (grandchild). Compounds in which grand is an adjective denoting status are always open (â€Å"grand dame,† â€Å"grand marshal†). 18. Great: This word is hyphenated in compounds denoting kinship (â€Å"great-grandchild†). 19. Half: Compound nouns are always open (â€Å"half dozen†). Phrasal adjectives are hyphenated before and after a noun (â€Å"half-eaten†). Check the dictionary for permanent closed compounds (halftime). 20. House: Compounds are open unless closed in the dictionary (â€Å"house cat,† but household). 21. In-law: Compounds with in and law as the second and third elements are always hyphenated; the first word, not law, takes the plural form (sisters-in-law). 22. Like: Hyphenate compounds in which like is the second element before and after a noun unless the compound is closed in the dictionary; hyphenate if the last letter of the preceding word is an l (snail-like) or a y (dormitory-like). 23. Near: Compound nouns are open (â€Å"near miss†); hyphenate adjectives before a noun (â€Å"near-term strategy†). Nearsighted, however, is closed. 24. Odd: Always hyphenate compounds including odd as the second element in the sense of â€Å"approximately† (thirty-odd). 25. Off: Phrasal adjectives are hyphenated before a noun (an â€Å"off-kilter column†); hyphenate adverbs (â€Å"sang off-key†). Hyphenate compounds in which off is the second element (bake-off). Note that style is occasionally inconsistent between on and off antonyms (on-screen, but offscreen). 26. Old: Compound nouns in which old is the last element are always hyphenated (â€Å"my six-year-old†); phrasal adjectives including the word are hyphenated before a noun (â€Å"six-month-old policy†). 27. On: Hyphenate adjectives and adverbs starting with on that are not in the dictionary. (See the note at off about inconsistency.) 28. Over: Compounds including this word, regardless of part of speech, are always closed. 29. Quasi: Hyphenate phrasal adjectives (â€Å"quasi-judicial proceedings†); some scientific terms are closed (quasiparticle). 30. Step: In kinship terms, always closed (stepmother) unless preceding grand or great (step-grandmother). 31. Style: Compound nouns are open (â€Å"art deco style†); hyphenate adjectival and adverbial forms (â€Å"family-style dining†; â€Å"dined family-style†). 32. Under: Compounds including this word, regardless of part of speech, are always closed. 33. Vice: Compound nouns are open (vice president), hyphenated (vice-consul), or closed (viceroy); hyphenate if not in the dictionary. 34. Web: Compound nouns are open (â€Å"web press† â€Å"food web†) or closed (webfoot, spiderweb); check the dictionary. Terms pertaining to the World Wide Web follow the same variations (â€Å"web page,† â€Å"webmaster†). Many publications style website as one word, and The Chicago Manual of Style has conceded this fact, but Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary stands by â€Å"Web site† (which is also my preference). 35. Wide: When wide is the first element in the compound, hyphenate before a noun (â€Å"wide-ranging talents†). When it is the second element, hyphenate the compound if it does not appear not closed in the dictionary; many publications hyphenate such compounds in which the first element ends in y (community-wide). Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Congratulations on or for?3 Types of Headings10 Tips to Improve Your Writing Skills

SEO(search engine optimization) Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

SEO(search engine optimization) - Assignment Example The SEO tactic used in the provided html is White Hat SEO. This is a type of SEO tactic which is used to improve the performance of a given web site while considering its compliance with the laid regulations and procedures put by the search engine. Meaning, when developing this page, the administrator was concerned about the rules and regulations governing their development. Therefore, by adopting this tactic, it implies that the credibility of the site is increased. Besides, the compliance to the laid standards means that the page is made to be to be legitimate and can not be involved in any controversy. These are issues which can lead to violation of the rules thus making it to be closed by the search engines. In using this tactic, the page was made of a high quality. As can be seen in provided html, everything seems to be up to standard. Therefore, the high quality in it makes it be appealing to the users. Whenever a search is made, the required results must be got as expected. This is why this tactic is a good one. Besides, it has keyword-rich Meta tags which are descriptive enough and can enable it be more effective when used to search for a word. This is a very important feature which can make this web site be easier to navigate (Beel; Gipp and Wilde 181). However, in order to improve this page, I will have to be more creative. Meaning, I will go beyond adopting this tactic. Instead, I will have to edit all the contents of the site in order to make them appropriate for use when searched to look for the inserted words or keys. When it is edited, its quality will have to be improved. This is because, many people like to navigate and use web sites with Standard English at all times. Therefore, it implies that if all the contents are edited, it will appeal to everyone. Besides, it will contain catchy words which would be easily accessed whenever any search is made. The other tactic I