Law of Constant Composition Lab Essay

Purpose: To determine the percent magnesium by mass in magnesium oxide and to observe if the percentage composition is constant by comparing class results. Hypothesis/Prediction: The percent composition by mass of magnesium in magnesium oxide will not change significantly with each group that conducted the experiment. The composition of each substance should stay the same and any differences must be due to some error. Materials:Magnesium stripCrucibleCrucible coverClay triangleIron ringRetort standTongsBalanceBunsen burnerProcedure:1.obtained a strip of magnesium between 30-40 cm long2.coiled magnesium strip into a tight roll3.measured the mass of the crucible and cover4.Added the magnesium strip to the crucible and measured the magnesium, crucible and cover together. 5.Partially covered the crucible with the cover and heated it using a Bunsen burner until the magnesium ignited. 6.Turned off Bunsen burner. 7.waited for combustion to proceed8.when the reaction appeared completed, heated the crucible again for another five minutes9.allowed crucible to cool for ten minutes10.measured the mass of the crucible, cover and magnesium oxideObservations:When ignited, the magnesium strip gave off a bright light. There was a colour change on the magnesium. It started out as silver and turned into a white colour. The combustion gave off a distinct odour. The end result was a white powder but some magnesium had been left in its original shape. According to the theory of J.L. Proust, a compound always has the same percentage composition no matter how it is prepared. For all three of our own individual groups trials, we obtained the same percentage composition and this satisfies Prousts theory. This is also accurate with what we have read in the textbook Chemistry 11 on the Law of Definite Proportions on pages 147 150. 2.What conclusion can you make upon the class results?The conclusions I can make based upon the class results are that the composition of a compound must vary because everyone had a different answer. In most cases, the percent composition of magnesium in the compound was very different from what my group achieved. However, sometimes, the classes results were quite similar to my own. The theory that C.M. Berthollet introduced about the composition of a compound was that a compound has an infinite number of compositions depending on the proportions of the components that were used in its preparation. His theory satisfies the results obtained from the whole class. Since every group had a different amount of magnesium they must also have had a different composition of magnesium in the compound formed, magnesium oxide. However, this is inconsistent with what we have been taught and with what is written in the textbook. Since the textbook is a more reliable source of information, I must conclude that the reason for this difference in results may be attributed to error on the part of the students conducting the experiment. 3.Which French Scientist would you tend to support? Explain. The French scientist that I support is J.L. Proust. I agree with Prousts theory because I believe that if the composition of a substance were to change, so would its properties. An obvious example of this is one stated in the textbook: water and hydrogen peroxide. The simple addition of a hydrogen atom to the compound of water can make a liquid that is essential to life become deadly. Since I know that the percent composition of a particular substance is the same no matter where, how or when it is made, I must agree with J.L Proust and support his theory. Sources of ErrorOne reason why a student may have obtained a higher percentage of magnesium than the rest of the class is: during the experiment, mass must have been lost. This could have been done in many ways. Often, the magnesium took too long to ignite and students began to put it straight into the flame to ignite it and then put it back into the crucible. Sometimes, the magnesium wilted and little pieces of it broke off. In addition, the magnesium would sometimes ignite and then extinguish itself. In the constant removal of the magnesium from the crucible, mass was lost in the form of ashes. When mass is lost during the experiment, the total mass of the compound is lower and when the mass of magnesium was divided by the total mass, yielded a higher percent of magnesium. One reason why a student may have obtained a lower percentage of magnesium than the rest of the class is: the magnesium did not properly combust. In many cases, the magnesium would extinguish itself and would not burn completely. This resulted in some white powder, ash, and some magnesium still in the same shape that it was when we began the experiment. This suggests that it did not burn with the rest of the magnesium ribbon and therefore, did not form the compound with oxygen. This would yield in a higher total mass than what it should have been and when the mass of magnesium is divided by the total mass, would give a lower percentage. The following calculation shows the actual percentage of Magnesium in the compound magnesium oxide. Molar mass of MgO = 24.3 + 16.0= 40.3For 1.00 mol of MgO:%Mg = 24.3 / 40.3 x  100= 60.3%Therefore, the actual percentage value of Mg in MgO is 60%The following calculation shows the percentage error for my own groups result% error = (experimental accepted) / accepted x 100= (72 60) / 60 x 100= 20%Therefore the percentage error for my group was 20%. ConclusionBased on the data collected by each group, the composition of a substance must change depending on the proportions of the components that were used in its preparation. However, as explained earlier, the textbook and the properties of matter state otherwise. Scientifically, if the composition of a compound was to change, so would its properties. The results obtained by the class are quite the opposite of what has already been proven by Proust to be true and therefore, I believe that the evidence obtained by our chemistry class is the result of many mistakes and cannot be used to convey the idea of the Law of Constant Composition which states that the composition of a specific compound is constant.

Why Boarding School Should Be Abolished

ENGLISH PROJECT WORK GROUP 4: BOARDING SCHOOLS SHOULD BE ABOLISHED (AGAINST THE MOTION) Mr. Chairman, Panel of Judges, Invited Guests, Accurate Time Keeper. Co Debators, Ladies and Gentlemen, I would like to speak against the motion before the house that’ Boarding schools should be abolished. ’ Boarding schools, for some years now, have been given bad names because of fictitious stories and ideas. I would like to prove these untrue. My opponent tried in vain to give points on why boarding schools should be abolished. They expressed that boarding students have less free time. They also mentioned that extracurricular activities and athletic events fill up the student's hours. Not to forget, these same activities help in the development of mental and physical ability which helps a lot in academics as a whole. Day students do not really have such opportunities. Also, it is incorrect that boarding students are stressed and unhappy . This statement is very delusional. In 2007, a survey was taken nationwide on this topic on students who had been to both day and boarding learning institutions and 7 out of 10 said they were much happier on the whole in boarding school. With these points successfully refuted, I would also like to raise a few points on my own. Mr. Chairman, it is quite obvious that the level of discipline in boarding schools is much higher than that of day ones. This is because students are under the watchful eyes of teachers and other school workers. Their days are also planned out completely filled with tasks and chores which prepares them for the future. Being respected and accepted in society as an adult depends on the training you receive as a child. Such training can be acquired from boarding schools. Students are put in an environment where they learn to socialize and interact with their peers and school faculty. This is less easy in day schools. Mr. Chairman, academic success is much more prevalent in boarding schools. For over 20 years now, they have come out with an 89. % rate on the average which is much higher than the 74% percent results from day schools. This is as a result of better learning resources, availability of teachers at any time, attention to students and regular supervised study periods. Teenage students learn independence, responsibility, respectfulness, team work, amongst many other values which are very essential in the real world as an adult. For parents who lack time to be at home and take of their w ards due to busy schedules, boarding schools come to a huge sigh of relief to them. Not only are their children well taken care of in a safe environment, they also learn things they would have probably never learnt from them. It is therefore no surprise that most of Ghana creme de la creme in all sectors went to boarding schools. Mr. Chairman, to name a few, His Excellency John Atta Mills, former president John Kuffuor and former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and even their wards all attended boarding schools. Mr. Chairman, with these irrefutable points that have been advanced, there is no alternative but to vote against the motion that’ Boarding schools should be abolished. ’

A man of great and diverse gifts

A man of great and diverse gifts Essay We learn that Anne is dead and in Act 4 Scene 4 we see Richard asking Elizabeth for help in wooing her daughter. After a long confrontation. Elizabeth appears to agree with the plan. However, it is here we see the beginning of his loss of control over people. ELIZABETH: Shall I go win my daughter to thy will? RICHARD: And be happy mother by thy deed. ELIZABETH: I go. Write to me very shortly, And you shall understand from me her mind. RICHARD: Bear her my true loves kiss, and so farewell Exit Q Relenting fool and shallow, changing women Here we see that Elizabeth has lulled Richard into thinking that she fully intends her daughter to be wed. We see this by Richards last exclamation that he thinks he has manipulated her, whereas the truth is that Elizabeth has manipulated him into thinking he is to be married, when, secretly, Elizabeth has no intention for her daughter to be married to Richard. This is the start of Richards downfall until he is finally killed by Richmond in the battle of Bosworth in Act 5 Scene 5. However, before his death we see his battle with his conscience and is victimised by it because of all the deaths he has caused. The repetition of the phrase despair and die predicts the death of Richard, whilst the ghosts promote Richmonds succession as king. As Richard III was written as propaganda for the Tudor dynasty, it is probable that Richards character was overemphasized and his deformity exaggerated to increase the superiority of their reign. Examples of Shakespeares magnification of Richards deformity include the animalistic metaphors such as: boar bunch backed toad and tiger used to describe him. These are used to turn the audience against Richard, as they get more potent as we follow him through the play. Throughout the play Richard shows many characteristics that would make people believe he is either a bloody tyrant and a homicide or a man of great and diverse gifts. However, from the events that have been studied I have concluded that he is both. Richard is clearly a bloody tyrant and a homicide, like many other major historical figures such as Hitler or Stalin, he had a plan for complete power. Although, to achieve this there must be no opposition. Much like in Stalins Great Terror where he killed anybody who he thought could pose a threat, Richard killed anybody who would challenge his accession to the throne. Although, a tyrant this was unusual for the times, both Richards predecessors and successors were tyrannical rulers. However, for Richard to do this involved planning and care. Richard used his gifts of crafty rhetoric and manipulation. Richard is able to encourage confidence in others around him, without letting them know they are destined for death at his hands. We must also sympathise with Richard in the play because we know Richard III was written as Tudor propaganda and so his deformity and character would have been hugely overemphasized to make the Tudors rule seem superior. In conclusion, Richard is both a bloody tyrant and a homicide and a man of great and diverse gifts. Without these gifts he would never have been able to gain access to the throne because he would have been stopped before he had a chance. With his gifts he was able to create a smoke screen, with which he was able cover his tracks until he was able to reach the throne.

What Information Means Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

What Information Means - Essay Example Without access to information (inputs), development (output) will suffer. (Wagner, 2005) Thus, the critics emphasize the existence of â€Å"open† information (information not subject to proprietary rights, offering anyone access, anytime, for low or no cost) as a critical source of the informational inputs necessary for creative and technological progress which literally promotes the growth of humanity. The notion of Information helps us to answer some of the biggest questions which will be discussed in the later part of the dissertation. History of Information? Information is not only collection of knowledge but its organisation for efficient storage and retrieval. The impetus for development of information science can be traced to an article almost half a century ago by Vannevar Bush, one of the most influential scientists of the era (Bush, 1945). In this historic article Bush did two things: (l) succinctly defined a critical problem that was on the minds of many for a long time, and (2) proposed a solution that was a â€Å"technological fix,† in tune with time and strategically attractive. The problem was (and in its basic form still is) â€Å"the massive task of making more accessible a bewildering store of knowledge.† (Saracevic, 1995) This is the problem of â€Å"information explosion,† coupled with necessity to provide availability of and accessibility to relevant information, acute to this day. The reason for evolution of digital libraries was to use emerging information technology to combat the problem. But he went even further: he proposed a machine named "Memex", incorporating in his words "association of ideas", that will duplicate "mental processes artificially. "Ideas that will govern information science and artificial intelligence are quite evident. Memex never became a reality, but to this day R&D efforts in a number of fields have similar goals, to address the same problem of "bewildering store of knowledge." Information explosion is a social problem that started in science, and now has spread to every human endeavor. Justification for engaging massive efforts and resources to the problem was and still is strategic importance of information, first for work and progress in science, and now for everything else in modern human society, nationally and globally. Information Retrieval Information retrieval embraces the intellectual aspects of the description of information and its specification for search and also whatever systems, techniques or machines that are employed to carry out the operation (Mooers, 1951). Technology has skyrocketing abilities to get the job done but information storage has a background in this. Unless information is stored well it cannot be retrieved and is equal to restricting the information. Of the many changes and improvements probably the most significant is that Information Retrieval systems now provide for a high degree of interaction, with all the accompanying implications and problems of human-computer interaction. The basic problem of understanding information and communication,

Examples of Real Life Markets Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Examples of Real Life Markets - Research Paper Example This may be seen in real life in Apple’s products; the company has its own selling propaganda – when it produced the iPad it was the only firm in the market to produce such a smooth tablet for the purpose of work as well as entertainment. Other companies later came out with similar products however it holds monopoly in the market even today for its high end and sophisticated products. A monopoly however will not always produce at a profit maximizing level because if it prices its products too high then it might not have any consumers at all; thus it needs to check the level of competition among the consumers as well as the other potential producers in the market before pricing its products. Oligopoly on the other hand is a market that is dominated by a few suppliers (Oligopoly definition) for example in the case of cell phones, there are a few renowned companies like Nokia, Blackberry, iPhone, Samsung that dominate the market at a large level. They place their prices at somewhat the same as one another while bringing about innovation within their products to attract consumers. The demand thus is high however the supply is also at a constant with the demand because of the number of suppliers and options available to the

A day in the life of budget analyst Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

A day in the life of budget analyst - Essay Example From this quote it is very clear that budget analysts must be such like a bird who have good voice mean he must have such skills that the whole organization can get benefit from it. Financing is the most important in every organization because no organization can run without the finance. So the management of the finance is very much important. He provides benefits of its analytical skills, communication skills, detailed oriented skills, mathematical skills, writing skills to all the organization. He makes budget, interpret its each item carefully so that a single mistake of him can lead to a disastrous loss. For this purpose organization hire budget analyst. Budget analyst also called budget coordinator, budget examiner, budget officer, chief financial officer and treasurer (Gloria. A 1987). In simple words we can say that budget analyst help the public and private organizations in managing their finance. They prepare budget reports and monitor the institutional spending. The budget is prepared monthly, quarterly, semiannually and on yearly basis (Ross & Firth 1987). The life of a budget analyst is very difficult. Here I will discuss a day in the life of budget analyst. Budget analyst performs the following duties in a day of his life: Work with project manager and discuss the organization’s budget ... Analyze the data to determine the costs and benefits of different projects from where future inflows are expected. He may give suggestions of program spending cuts and redistribution of extra funds. Top executive take decision on the work of budget analyst so the budget analyst who makes reports and budgets must give true picture about the organization’s inflows and outflows. He communicates its suggestions and opinions to officials. If there is any difference between desired budget and actual budget then he make a report to officials in which he explain the reasons of variation and give suggestions for reconciliation of actual and desired budget. He provides policy analysis and draft budget related legislation (Gloria. A 1987). Budget analyst has the following skills to perform its routine task. Analytical skill-He has ability to understand the things and of its interpretation as well. Communication skills-to defend its interpretation because there is need of explanation of t he results Detail oriented-ability to make explanation of every item of the budget Math skill-strong accounting skills and strong grip on finance usage of database software Writing skill-make such a budget and the interpretation of it are easily understandable to the others. He works in office. His shift is full time. But sometimes he has to do some extra work when the review of budget is made. He has normally bachelor’s degree but some organizations prefer that analyst have master’s degree. Because preparing the budget is not a simple task. For the development of budget strong numerical and analytical skills are required. These analytical skills are statistical techniques or accounting methods. He must have strong grip in finance. For the govt.

Literature Review of Value at Risk Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Literature Review of Value at Risk - Essay Example Modern financial institutions are careful to estimate the risk in relation to the magnitude of the asset and are careful to assess the levels of risk apparent from the credit quality of the company and the risk caused by the particular product. ( Hsaio 2008) . Modern Credit Risks are no longer defined by outright exposure and are currently calculated by a popular method of the Value at Risk (VaR)This method estimates the maximum amount of loss possible in a portfolio subject to certain periodic intervals and has its advantage of being comparative in nature, i.e it will allow the financial institutions in question to allocate capital more efficiently.(Chance 1979).These methods employ the risk level models of capital , which are used to estimate the profitability of capital, like the risk-adjusted capital (RORAC) or risk-adjusted return on capital (RAROC) and such models today play a pivotal rile in the management of risks inherent in the management of financial institutions. In credit risk calculation VaR or Value at risk is a single numerical estimate which is an indicator of the possible maximum loss of a portfolio over a given time horizon at a certain confidence level.This methodology developed as a response to the financial disasters in the decade of the 1990s and have obtained an increasingly important role in risk management (market, credit and operational).The attraction of using VaR for credit risk assessment thus lies in the fact that it is able to provide a single quantity that states the overall market risks faced by an institution. The criticisms have however stemmed from a recognized lack of coherence in the VaR methods and its failure to account for losses beyond a certain level and does not give due credit to the advantages of diversification by not taking into account sub-additivity. Various VaR models currently dominate the literature.These include the historical or (empirical) approach (see Van Der Vaart 1998),the Gaussian approach, the extreme value theory approach (which through the block maxima method (BMM) and the peak over threshold (POT), focuses on variables above a given threshold Also relevant here are the interest rate risks which are related to the relative value of an interest-bearing asset diminishing due to a rise in the interest rate. It can be calculated by a variety of ways to give an estimate as to how changing interest rates are impacting upon a bank's portfolioThese include the "market value of portfolio equity" method which uses market value of the assets,analysis of the shifts within the Yield curve ,the Value at Risk method, and measuring irregularities within the interest sensitivity gap of assets and liabilities. (Bower 1984). There are many main models for measuring credit risk and differ by the period at which they were used .Value at Risk (VaR) is one of the most modern methods of measuring credit rate risk and is an integral part of the modern market risk measurement framework and it aims at expressing the total market risk as a single number, i.e. to summarize the expected maximum loss over a target horizon within a given confidence interval.

MBA Subject Operational Strategies and Change Managmen Case Study

MBA Subject Operational Strategies and Change Managmen - Case Study Example As far as quality is concerned Wace Burgess has an excellent reputation in the market. Its sales figure is also impressive. As a reward for all these things, the company is likely to get a big order from the retail giant Marks & Spencer. Marks & Spencer is one of the leading retailers in the UK. Every weak 21 million people visit M & S store (Marks & Spencer, n.d.). The order from Marks and Spencer is much different from those orders which usually Wace get. Average orders that Wace receive are of 6000 to 8000 sheets. Whereas this order from M & S is expected to be of 600,000 sheets which is much bigger than the average orders (8000 sheets) that Wace normally get. If Wace can successfully meet this huge order of M & S and impress the large retailer with its excellent quality, it would definitely get more orders like this. Wace Burgess should accept this order because this can change the future of the company. Since the company wants to hold its first place in the market and achieve significant future growth, it should accept the order although it might impose a huge pressure on production facilities. There are various short-term risks which are associated with the M & S order. This order is so huge that would create enormous pressure on the production team. As a result quality of the final product for this order might fall. Short term reward is that company use the fact that it has received such a huge order from a company like M & S. Wace Burgess can get some new medium level order by properly presenting the story of M & S order. A medium-term risk would be employee satisfaction which might reduce due to sudden extra work pressure. Some workers might even think of leaving the job. As a result employee turnover might increase. Wace Burgess has created an excellent reputation in the market. It is renowned for its quality. Now, if it fails to deliver the M & S order in time with the required amount it might affect its reputation which it has earned after hard works of so many years. This would be the long-term risk of accepting this huge order.

The Most Important Signer of the US Constitution Essay

The Most Important Signer of the US Constitution - Essay Example Important Signers of the Constitution A lot of people signed the Constitution from Delaware. They include Thomas McKean who was born in 1734, Caesar Rodney who was born in 1728 and George Read who was born in 1733. George Read is regarded as one of the most important signers of the Constitution. His largest accomplishment was not necessary that he signed both the Constitution and Declaration of independence but that he signed the U.S Constitution twice. George Washington presided over the convention while James Madison, also present, wrote the document that formed the model of the Constitution. The 55 convention delegates’ shaped an enduring document that has withstood the test of time (Boardman, 104). The term framer is sometimes used to specify people who helped craft the Constitution. The Founding Fathers made a significant impact in the fight for independence. Many of the founding fathers were at the Constitution Convention where the Constitution was hammered out and ratif ied.

Taxation Tasks Essay Example for Free

Taxation Tasks Essay 1) Patty owned Patty’s Cakes in Jacksonville, Florida. She sold her business to Fruity’s, Inc. a national pastry company. There was a non-compete agreement in the contract for the sale of her business. In the non-compete, Patty agreed not to work in any capacity in the food industry for 10 years on the entire east coast. A court would likely determine that the non-compete agreement a) violates federal law b) is unenforceable c) is enforceable d) both A and B 2) A liability that may extend from an employee to the employer if the employee is acting within the scope of his or her employment at the time the liability arose is called: a) vicarious liability b) employee liability c) employer liability d) adverse liability 3) A person who contracts with a principal to perform a task according to her or his own methods, and who is not under the principal’s control regarding the physical details of the work is called a/an: a) Contingent worker b) Temporary worker c) Independent contractor d) All of the above 4) Benita works as a nursing assistant in a retirement home run by Cottonwood Care Centers, a national operator of facilities providing care for the elderly. Benita works 53 hours a week. After looking at her payroll stubs for the past 6 months, she concludes that she has not received sufficient overtime pay. She complains to her supervisor but the company takes no action. a) Benita can bring a complaint to the National Labor Relations Board under the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA) b) Benita can bring a complaint to the U.S. Department of Labor, under the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA) c) Benita can bring a complaint to the U.S. Department of Labor, under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA). d) Benita can bring a complaint to the U.S. Department of Labor, under Executive Order 11246 5) Ling frequently stocks shelves for Ace’s Market on an as needed basis. Ace pays Ling $5 per shelf. One day Ling falls off a broken ladder while stocking a shelf. Line is seriously injured: a) If Ling is determined to be an independent contractor, he is eligible for workers’ compensation b) If Ling is determined to be an employee, he is eligible for workers’ compensation c) Ling is eligible for workers’ compensation whether he is an employee or an independent contractor d) None of the above 6) ABC, Inc. solicited bids from various independent contractors to landscape the grounds of its new office complex. Drew, head of facilities management told Patty, his secretary, that he would not accept any bids from Hispanic contractors. Drew explained that he would authorize hiring only American contractors to work on the grounds. A Hispanic contractor brings a lawsuit against ABC for discriminations. a) Drew’s refusal to hire Hispanic companies is a violation of the Independent Contractors Act of 2006. b) Drew’s refusal to hire Hispanic companies is a violation of the Title VII of the Civil Rights Act c) The Hispanic contractor cannot prevail in a discrimination case because John’s conversation with his secretary is confidential and cannot be used as evidence. d) Drew’s refusal to hire Hispanic companies is not a violation of the Title VII of the Civil Rights Act because that law does not cover discrimination against independent contractors. 7) BRC Partners is a consulting firm. Sam and Arnie are analysts for BRC. Sam was hired as an employee and Arnie was hired as an independent contractor. They both work in the same BRC office under the same supervisor. They both must work Monday through Friday during the standard business hours. Both are required to report to weekly staff meetings. Sam is paid a salary and the proper federal and state tax withholdings are made. Arnie does not receive benefits like retirement and health insurance and his is paid by the project with no federal and state withholdings. Arnie signed a contract that clearly stated he was an independent contractor and not an employee. a) BRC has properly classified Arnie as an independent contractor b) BRC has improperly classified Arnie as an independent contractor c) BRC has improperly classified Arnie as an independent contractor, however, its contract with Arnie is binding and BRC will have no liability under federal or state law for the misclassification. d) BRC has improperly classified Arnie as a independent contractor, however, its contract with Arnie is binding and BRC will have no liability under federal and state law for the misclassification, but Arnie will have liability under federal and state law. 8) Pilar is hired by Axel, Inc. as an independent contractor. To avoid a determination by the IRS that Pilar has been misclassified as an independent contractor, Axel should: a) provide training to Pilar b) pay her by the hour c) pay FICA d) none of the above 9) Clarence works as an independent contractor for the law firm of Kafka, Rivera and Grisham. a) Clarence will be responsible for making payments for his Social Security (FICA), estimated federal income tax payments, estimated state income tax payments and Medicare. b) Clarence will be responsible for making payments for his FICA and Medicare and the law firm will be responsible for withholding payroll deductions for his federal and state income taxes. c) Clarence will be responsible for making payments for his Social Security (FICA) and Medicare, but the law firm will be responsible for making estimated federal income tax payments, estimated state income tax payments for him. d) Clarence will be responsible for making payments for his Social Security (FICA), withholding deductions for his federal and state income taxes and Medicare. 10) Which of the following is not covered by the EEOC’s definition of contingent worker? a) an employee hired through a staffing firm b) a temporary, seasonal, or part-time worker c) an applicant d) an independent contractor

Intellectual Property Rights And The Fashion Industry Cultural Studies Essay

Intellectual Property Rights And The Fashion Industry Cultural Studies Essay With a gross annual turnover of $750 billion per year the fashion industry is at the forefront of the worlds economy. Unlike most other goods, people demand fashion not for the added value or feature that a new item brings but for its own sake. People (mostly females) of all ages pour over magazines showing the latest celebrity fashions and then go out to retail fashion shows or browse online in search of something similar. This demand for the latest style of the rich and famous has transpired into a business network with an influence across the globe. This global business has brought with it many legal issues. Particularly important is the copying of the celebrity fashion that the masses seem to want. This essay will be broken into three parts. The first part will examine the current state of the law both in Australia and other jurisdictions. The second part will ask how the law can be changed in Australia to give greater protection to the fashion industry and the third part will lo ok at whether or not this change is necessary for the industry to grow. I will argue that the law needs to be reformed in such a way that copying is prohibited but flocking (following celebrity styles) isnt. IP law the reasons for its existence. The standard argument for the existence of intellectual property rights is that without them copyists will free ride on the creative efforts of others. Since most creative efforts are sold for economic gain absent any intellectual property rights the creators will see no incentive in creating when others can copy their designs and profit from it. The market for books, movies and music is protected from industrial copying in Australia by the Copyright Act. This act prevents the mass scale production of these creative works without licence or prior approval (with certain exceptions). This protection, gives the industry the comfort of knowing that its protected from the free-riding act of copyists. Albeit a creative work, the fashion industry remains vastly unprotected in many parts of the world. In Australia the Designs act of 2003 (which replaced the designs act of 1906) is the primary form of protection of designs for the industry. It is helpful to note at this point that the sketche s of designs are protected by the Copyright Act. Similarly, a new invention in clothing for example a new material that can keep one warm in winter and cold in summer would be protected by the Patents Act. This essay however is not concerned with those acts and their advantages or limitations. This essay is concerned with the protection of designs designs, researched and manufactured by the big designer houses and then copied by the high street for the masses. In a bid to regulate themselves from copying because of the absence of any laws to protect them the Fashion Originators Guild of America started self regulating the industry as early as the 1930s. Their method of regulation was to have designs registered with the Guild and any other firm copying these designs d be boycotted by members of the guild. The guilds activities were ruled as a violation of U.S. antitrust laws by virtue of a decision of the U.S. Supreme court in 1941. What concern us though are not the contents of that case, but rather whether the Guilds efforts in protecting intellectual property caused an increase in innovation and more frequent designs. Randal Picker suggests that the guilds efforts go to show that there was a need by the high end designers for this type of protection. He goes on to argue that the very theory of fashion means that the high end designers would only thrive in a market which was heavily regulated. This is because they market goods to a niche of customers who want to have what no one else has. These designers offer their customers unique one of a kind products and their customers purchase these because of the snob appeal these customers want only what others dont have. If there is no protection for their designs these designs would be copied by the high street stores and then the snob appeal of these goods will be lost. This means that these customers will not be willing to pay such high prices for these goods as they do not see a differential value in them. Although this copying has been around for almost a century and a half the problem is worsening due to improvements in information technology. The internet provides simultaneous access to fashions worldwide especially the European fashion weeks where big designers usually display their stuff and these are copied almost immediately. The poor quality of these copies means that some of these producers can get the products out to the market faster than the original desig ners. This means that once the designers products hit the market they have already lost their unique appeal. Further, since this fast fashion run-offs have become more highly sophisticated; the copyists can wait to even see which of the products seem to sell the most before they decide what to produce and they can then produce these trend setting items without having to take on the risk that their investment might not pay off. The basic theory of intellectual property would find this appalling. The big design houses spend millions of dollars on salaries for designers, researching market trends and organising expensive processes and fashion shows. Copyists however free ride on this work and produce cheaper substitutes. According to the traditional theory of IP this should lead to an economic disincentive on the part of the big fashion houses causing them to research and produce less. However the converse is true. We see that the bigger fashion houses continue to produce new creations every single year and the glamour of their products only increase. In order to understand why the standard disincentive is not in place we will need to look at the theory of fashion. The Theory of fashion Fashion theory dates back several hundred years. The Haute Couture stores of France were the powerhouses of fashion. No sooner was an item launched was it copied in America and sold to a larger market for much cheaper. It is important to make the distinction between close copying on the one hand (making replicas) and participating in trends on the other. Fashion changes often with some styles emerging as trends only to be soon replaced by other styles rising quickly to take its place. The demand for fashion is not merely a physical need although some people will wish to buy a new coast when their old one tears or a new cardigan because their old one looks worn. Fashion is more accurately a cultural expression. According to the fashion theory the theory of the leisure class fashion is usually adopted by elites with the purpose of being different from the masses. The masses then admire and demands goods that will emulate the elites. Consequently the elites abandon the older fashion, which has now been copied by the masses in favour of newer items that will distinguish them from the masses. This first theory of fashion suggests that fashion is driven by a an aspiration of social mobility on one hand (the masses trying to emulate the elite) and social stratification on the other (the elite trying to distinguish themselves from the masses) The other major theory is that of collective selection whereby fashion evolves through the collective process where many people, through their individual choices come to form the collective trend in society. The process of trend formation begins vaguely with a few people buying something of a unique design in the emulation of a celebrity and others copying it until a trend is formed. This theory is not purely about copying the elite, rather it is people following fashion because they desire to be in fashion and associate themselves with the latest styles and trends. This theory also called the Zeitgeist theory works through a matter of individual choice and collective social tastes. Whatever the theory prevalent in society one thing is certain and that is that the masses cannot afford the styles of the elite. Very few people in our society can afford t shirts from Armani and jackets from Polo Ralph Lauren. These large fashion house brands retail items at several hundred dollars apiece making it unaffordable to the masses. Fast fashion copying is the solution. The fast fashion outlets like Zara and Forever 21 provide these trend setting items at a fraction of the cost of the designer houses. One must not be mistaken here that they make exact copies of these items, because they dont. Rather their in house designers make inspirational pieces following the same trend but different. The items are visually similar to the ones of the high fashion houses and this is what many times has come before the courts under the Designs Act 2003 (Australia). Many of these fast fashion firms have shops on large high streets and have built themselves into a business empire. State of the law in Australia In Australia until the 17th June 2004 designs were protected by the Designs Act of 1906. According to the older legislation in order to register the design the design had to be: Features of shape, configuration, pattern or ornamentation applicable to an article, being features that, in the finished article, can be judged by the eye, but does not include a method or principle of construction This legislation did not strike a balance between what are considered ideal objectives of design legislation; to protect designs form free riding competitors but yet at the same time not stifle competition too much because innovation is usually a development on a previous design. The older legislation was also impractical for the fashion industry because of the nature of the law itself. According to the old law the applicant had to file a separate design registration for each variation to the similar product. This is impractical as many items of fashion come in different colours and sizes. Further the design application needed to be examined by the designs office before registration was granted. This meant that designs had to be submitted before they could be registered. This too was impractical to the fashion industry for a number of reasons. Firstly, by the time the process of submitting the design and registration was complete the item would already have gone out of fashion given the relatively fast lifecycle of fast fashion. Further submitting the designs would mean the designs would have to be completed earlier. Usually designers work on their designs until the last minute before the official launch working on extras until hours before the design goes public. The old designs regulation was clearly impractical for fashion and the replacement legislation in the form of the Designs Act of 2003 hoped to iron out some of the problems. Under this act the fashion industry benefitted heavily as protection was obtainable for more than one design (colour or size) of the same product. . However the official government fees for this is a drawback to the registration of more than one design of the same product. Under the new act the fees for the first design is $200 and for every variation of that design a further $200. This heavy cost especially for the mid budget fashion houses is disadvantageous. Further the new legislation permits the design to be registered even before a full examination of the product is undertaken. This gives time for the producers to tweak the designs even until the last minute before they are released. However, the examination whilst not compulsory needs to take place before the owner can take action against anyone who infringes on this design. Getting this inspection carried out is costly, costing $360 per variation of a design, and requires a lot of paper work; in the form of photographs and a Statement of Newness and Distinctiveness explaining how this design is new and distinctive from any others on the market (without which the registrar might not be satisfied that the product is new and distinctive). The courts have taken an interesting approach to the question of designs in the fashion industry. The first decision to be handed down after the enactment of the Designs Act 2003 was the Federal Court of Australias decision in Review v Innovative Lifestyle Investments Pty Ltd and concerned a dress produced by Review and registered of which Innovative Lifestyle Investments produced an identical design. Justice Jessup found that the striking visual similarity between the designs and the time period in which they were produced (the ILI dress coming out only a few months after Reviews) was an indication that the registered design was breached. However, calculating damages was difficult because Review did not wish to submit its sales figures to the court. Thus Justice Jessup awarded Review $7500 in damages due to minor loss of reputation as not being a brand of originality and another $10,000 for ILI continuing the sale of the dresses after finding out about Reviews registration. ILI plan s on appealing the decision so it will be interesting to see what decision the appellate court hands down. This case shows that whilst there is sufficient legal protection in Australia for the protection of designs there are several limits to the protection. One such limitation is time. It took about seven months for the Review design to be registered. Items which are not timeless items like Reviews dress would have the long passed their fashion expiry before the registration of these items were completed. Since action cannot be taken until registration is completed this would mean that many designers would potentially not be willing to take action as the product would no longer be an item in stock. Further the need by the judges to assess the loss in sales would require firms to furnish in court their sales and projected sales figures. This might be highly sensitive information that they would not want competitors, in the highly competitive market, to know. Finally the value of dam ages awarded in this case was not high against ILI. If this case is anything to go by the exemplary damages are arguably not sufficient to deter copying. Rather many copyists would see this as merely the cost of doing business. Copying of items in the fashion industry can also be protected by copyright law. The copyright law provisions are used when there is an artistic or craftsmanship appeal to the garment. Protection under this provision was brought before the courts in 2008 by Elwood a manufacturer of trendy youth clothes. Elwood alleged that Cotton On had violated its copyright for two computer generated drawings; the New Deal tshirt and the swing tags attached to these garments. They alleged that Cotton On had sold several hundred tshirts which were visually similar to the New Deal tshirts. Cotton On conceded that the only difference was the wording but otherwise they had copied the design drawings. The first question the court had to answer was whether the designs drawings were drawings and thus entitled to protection under the act (as artistic works). The key to answering this question was whether the wording was to be read as text or whether they were for pictorial purposes. The court found that th ey were a pictorial which was designed to bring recognition to the Elwood brand. Accordingly the design drawings were the subject of the Copyrights Act. After determining that the designs were copyright works, the judge had to determine whether they were original Elwood drawings. The judge found on the evidence that this was an original drawing as Elwood had spent several weeks and a lot of effort creating them and thus they satisfied the originality criteria. That being assessed the judge had to then work out whether what Cotton on had copied amounted to a substantial part. In his honours opinion Cotton On had copied only the shape and the form of the item and not the wording or symbols of the design and thus did not create a visual similarity with Elwoods design. His honour said that the degree of copying was in keeping with Cotton Ons theme, same but different. We see here that even through copyright law it is hard for the copyright holders to have protection for their designs. The problem of free riding occurs when larger companies like Elwood carry out research and spend both time and money creating the brand and fashion statement. The copyists then free ride on this and tweak the designs slightly so that they can get around the law and as such they benefit from the hard work and risk taking of other firms. The Design/Copyright Overlap Whereas copyright law must encompass an element of artistic craftsmanship (such as the digital designs of both the tshirt and the tag in the Elwood case) or used to protect one off designs such as individual garments or pieces of jewellery; garments which are commercially marketed need to be protected by the Designs Act. For many years governments have been trying hard to emphasise this distinction. Their rationale suggests that when it comes to the shape and appearance of designs the Designs Act is more appropriate and people wanting their items to be mass produced for commercial sales should register their designs. To give effect to this policy the government has included provisions in the copyright act to close the loopholes that existed in previous legislation. Some of the provisions intend that purely two dimensional designs will have dual protection under the copyright and designs act. The other main change is that people creating works of artistic craftsmanship can choose whet her or not to register the design (but registering will generally result in a loss of copyright). It follows that the design copyright overlap has been made clearer as a result of the amended designs act and changes to the Copyrights Act. This has been the governments attempt to make the laws clearer and friendlier to give designers a more protected environment in which to carry out their work. It can be seen however, that the cost of registering the designs as well as the cost of enforcement of the registered design (litigation and related costs) are high in comparison to the damages receivable especially if the original designer is hesitant to make too many figures known to the court. Further, especially for claims under the Copyrights Act, the burden of proof is very high. The courts have been very careful to interpret the word substantial and as was seen in the Elwood case, although the copyright was found in favour of Elwood the court held the outcome in favour of Cotton On because they said that the visual appearance was not substantially similar to the Elwood design. This decision begs the question as to whether items can be copied so long as the colour and wording has changed. Whilst this might be perfectly acceptable in other industries, judges fail to understand the uniqueness of fashion, where it is not the item itself that matters but the advertising, marketing and style promotion than creates the trend for the item. It is arguable then that when considering designs and copyright protection the court should look deeply into merely just the design or drawing and focus on the value of the design or drawing in creating the trend fashion. That said, it is difficult to assess where exactly the trend originated. Some argue that the trend originates with the celebrities in Hollywood and others argue that the trends originate from the catwalks of Europe. These claims are however disputable as there are new and emerging fashion design centres around the world especially in Australia where the seasons are opposite to those of the countries in the Northern hemisphere making it impractical to follow their trends. Thus the onus of proving who started a trend might eventually mean that there is no protection for any designer since all fast fashion designs are usually a variation of some trend or item. Reforms: The US lacks fashion copyright protection completely and this has given rise to an entire industry that copies and tweaks. Fashion industry specialists call this blatant piracy looking great for cheap. One fashion expert reports that a high street fashion brand like Forecer 21 copies and retails a $2000 dress for $80 and even shoes by the renowned designer Balenciaga worth over $600 dollars is copied and sold by Steve Madden for $60. The lack of adequate safeguards in the US as opposed to Australia is the cause of this. Experts say that the up and coming designers are those at the biggest risk because they can ill afford the legislation needed to fight back. The Australian law can perhaps take some ideas for reform from the amendments suggested by the US Copyrights office. The first as a part of several suggestions is that the protection time frame be reduced from 10 years to 3 years. This is because the haute couture fashion where items retail for several hundred dollars a piece will usually have lost their exclusivity or reached the end of their fashion peak well within the three years. Although designs change fast a reason for the longer period of three years is to also include classic fashion items like the Guy suit by Hugo Boss. Another reform that has been suggested that we might adopt in Australia is that registration must be completed and take place within three months from the date that it goes public. This means that once a design is registered the designer has upto three months to organise for the inspection to be carried out for the item. This gives the designer more flexibility to decide which designs are profitable and then decide which ones he wants to register thus saving on the costs of statutory fees and paperwork. Finally they suggest that there be a special fashion board set up to deal with the fashion industry where a group of experts independently asses the item such that they can better understand the subtleties of a new design as opposed to an old one and thus the granting of registration will be fairer. Along with this Ralph Brown suggests that in order to make the enforcing more affordable this board be also given the power to handle conflicts. He argues that this be the first instance board that reviews the complaints that designers have if they feel that their designs have been breached. This board should be entrusted with the power to make a non binding directive (after analysing the evidence) in favour of or against the claimant. He argues that because this board will be made up of fashion experts they will be in a better position to analyse the breaches. If Australia had a system like this, then the Elwood decision might not have been decided the way it was. This board would have b een able to realise the subtleties of the trend style which His Honour in that case failed to see. In other words they will interpret the law in the context of the industry and not on the black letter analysis of the law. He concedes that the court is the ultimate arbitrator and he argues that if one or both parties are not willing to settle based on the boards directive then they could appeal the decision to court. The rationale for this approach is that to save costs and reputation most firms will settle out of court. What is important in any reform is having a balance between protecting the designs of those whose spend time, skill and money developing the latest fashions against the interests of the masses who want to be in fashion and who are willing to buy the cheaper counterfeits. The recommendations mentioned above would definitely allow designers to make the most of protecting their designs and their investments. In keeping with the standard theory of intellectual property i t is likely to increase investment in the industry. The large fashion houses might be willing to come up with more designs, and varieties of designs because they feel that there is an inexpensive way of enforcing their intellectual property rights. At the same time younger designers will be willing to release more designs into the market because they feel that they are better protected and can enforce their intellectual property system in a way that is understandable and cost effective to them. On the other hand the method proposed above would benefit the high street fast fashion firms as a trained eye in the board is likely to be able to spot the difference between blatant copying and trends. Zara for example will be able to produce in the confidence that when they produce dresses a trained eye in the design board will be able to easily tell that theirs is not an imitation of an original dress but rather a variation in style but within the scope of trends. This is something that the judges find hard to understand because as Susan Scaffidi (one of the most prolific fashion law writers) put it it is hard to have a sixty seventy year old white man look at an item of chic ladies fashion and decide whether or not copyright has been breached. Another proposed reform is that the costs of applying for design can be reduced by the government. The UWA faculty of law expert has written that making the registration process cheaper might be possible by maintaining an online database of all the designs. He argues that if design registration is cheaper more designers are going to seek it and this will be better for the intellectual property regime. The bigger fashion houses also argue that their selling point is that their styles are unique and those who purchase from them pay so much because of the snob appeal of the item. They argue that with so much copying their unique designs become less unique and as such they have to keep designing more items to keep up the unique appeal. Alain Wertheimer , Chairman of Chanel when asked about this in an interview to the Newsweek said that because of the vast amount of copying going on in the industry people are willing to pay less and less for designer clothes as they see no snob appeal in them. She says that as a result the bigger fashion houses are finding it hard to survive and that her brand too has had to undergo diversification to survive. Donatella Versace arguing on the same point says that Versace has had to diversify into manufacturing lifestyle items and dinner sets too because of insufficient protection by the government. Raustiala and Sprigman, in their article the Piracy Paradox argue very strongly that a strong intellectual property regime will not change anything. They argue that people keep demanding the latest trends and as long as the demand is there the suppliers will continue to provide for it. They also argue that the market will not change by much because the masses will not be able to afford the original designs anyway. They rationalise this theory to a fixed amount that people are willing to pay for items even if they were Zeitegists. This is because after a point fashion becomes a luxury good and the demand is therefore inelastic. People, they argue, after a point are not willing to sacrifice necessities for luxury goods and will do one of two things, either do without it or be content with older collections. They further argue in direct rebuttal to the claims of Alain Wertheimer and Donatella Versace that as a result of the big fashion house designs being copied and reproduced people who demand the unique style that comes with these designer products will keep purchasing more and it is good for their business. Their rebuttal to this is found in their theory of induced obsolescence. They argue that because clothing is about perception the demand for the goods is because the highly fashionable people have them and to not have them means that one is unfashionable. They also argue that in line with the theory of the leisure class that once more people have it those who demand unique products will want something else for the snob appeal. They argue that this causes the cycle all over again. Thus we can see that as more items are copied this puts pressure on the fashion houses to produce newer and more distinctive items. As such they can produce more often and their profits increase. Logically , it then flows that copying whilst being a part of the business of the copyist firms is also beneficial to the large fashion houses because the elite will keep demanding newer styles and this increases their business. This is called induced obsolescence by copying. They further argue that by the masses flocking to buy the latest styles there is an automatic trend created and as such the large fashion houses benefit because those on the marginal income lines will tend to purchase the fashion house brands so that they can be a part of the trend. It is also arguable that because the trends are so short lived for most of the casual wear collections (an average style time for the Armani Tees is seven months) even if there are tougher intellectual property law few firms would go through the trouble of registering all but their most classic designs. Conclusion In this essay we have looked at the reasons for the existence of intellectual property generally. We have then identified the theories of fashion and seen how people demand in style products so the copyists employ designers not to make an exact replica of the item but to make an item similar such that the item is a part of the trend. We have then considered the law in Australia. We have looked at how the Designs Act and the Copyright Act play an important role in protecting the designs and drawings of the designers. We have identified that the courts have had a mixed approach to enforcing right under the act. We saw in the Review decision the impracticality of taking an action to Court under the Designs Act. We saw that this impracticality was because the claimant needs to submit highly sensitive figures for the courts to make a decision. Further, we saw that the Elwood decision in which it is probable that the judge misunderstood that what Elwood was doing was setting a trend for pr inted tees. We then argued that it is impossible for courts to find the difference between trends and styles and argued that perhaps we do not want them to rule against style. This paper also suggested possible reforms to the law and to the method in which the law should be administered. These reforms flow from our previous analysis of the method of administration of the law being impractical. It was proposed that the proposed methods would help the administration of the system as well as make a more streamlined an easier system for designers to enforce their rights. However, when we consider the theories of fashion as a whole and when we consider the article by Raustiala and Sprigman, we see that reform really isnt necessary. Reform will not dynamically change the face of the industry because most designers will not go through the trouble of registering their designs as the design life cycles are very short and the trouble taken to register designs is not worth their while. We also see that reform is not necessary because copying (otherwise referred to as trend setting) is helpful to the big fashion houses. It stimulates designs for their products and increases their sales. We started off by saying that the industry is worth $750 billion a year. There seems to be enough money to go around. Any changes which impose tighter control will only reduce the value of the industry and push many out of business.

Cystic Fibrosis and Gene Therapy Essay -- Science Genetics Biology Pap

Cystic Fibrosis and Gene Therapy The average life span of a person with Cystic Fibrosis is 25-30 years of age. Although the more traditional treatments of this disease are adequate, is there something else that could be even better? Gene therapy is fast becoming one of the more studied aspects of genetics today. Let's take a look at some details of Cystic Fibrosis and gene therapy. Technical Aspects Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is the most common fatal genetic disease in the United States today. CF is an autosomal recessive disease that occurs approximately one out of 3,300 live births (Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, 1998). Autosomal means that the gene for CF is not carried on the sex chromosomes and males and females are both afflicted by this disease. Recessive inheritance is when both parents "carry" the abnormal gene in their DNA but they themselves do not show evidence of the disease. The mother and father have one normal gene and one abnormal gene and don't show signs of disease because the normal gene dominates the abnormal gene. To have CF, a child must inherit two abnormal genes, one from each parent. Remember that chromosomes are made up of DNA or deoxyribonucleic acid. DNA is made up of genes, and genes are made up of building blocks called base pairs. The specific gene responsible for CF was identified in 1989 on human chromosome 7 (Pseudomonas Genome Project, 1998). A mutatio n, or change in the genetic material, resulting in a substitution or loss of one of the base pairs causes the CF gene to be abnormal (Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, 1995). CF does not affect all people the same way. The basic problem for all patients however is an abnormality in glands, which produce mucus or sweat. The mucus produced by people... ...ctsabo.htm">http://www.cff.org/factsabo.htm Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, "Gene Therapy". Obtained from the WWW 10/31/98: http://www.cff.org/genether.htm Genentech Incorporated, "Gene Therapy-An Overview". Obtained from the WWW 10/31/98: http://www.gene.com/AE/AB/IWT/Gene_Therapy_Overview.html McClean, Phillip. "Variation in Chromosome Structure". Obtained from the WWW 10/15/98: http://www.ndsu.nodak.edu/instruct/mcclean/plsc431/chromstruct/chrmo2.htm Pseudomonas Genome Project, "Cystic Fibrosis". Obtained from the WWW 10/31/98: http://www.pseudomonas.com/cystic_fibrosis.html Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, "An Introduction to Cystic Fibrosis for Patients and Families" in Respiratory Diseases and Disorders Sourcebook". Health Reference Series, V. 6, 1995. Sect. 5.1, p. 240. WWWebster Dictionary. Obtained from the WWW 11/2/98: http://www.m-w.com/

The Fall of the Inca Empire Essay -- History, Ecuador, Peru, Chile

The Inca Empire, the massive nation that extended 2,500 miles along the western coast of South America and had a population of over 7 million at its peak. It included all of what is now Ecuador and Peru and most of Chile. Known as â€Å"The Children of the Sun†, they excelled at craftsmanship, weaving, and culture (â€Å"Children of the Sun†). A very religious people, they worshiped the Sun as their supreme god and held religious festivals monthly to appease these gods. Although they did not value it aside from its beautiful appearance, the Inca Empire was home to millions of pounds of solid gold and silver. The Inca had no use for it except to use it to craft decorations and statues. In fact, an Inca citizen valued cloth more than they valued gold or silver. Their collapse would be brought about because of the Spanish invasion, a brutal civil war that weakened the empire, and deadly disease brought over from Europe. The Inca Empire was a combination of many small tribes and nations that the Inca had conquered and placed under their rule. Their government was very well organized and efficient at ruling their subjects. The entire empire, however, was led by an emperor that was recognized by the Inca people as the â€Å"Son of the Sun†. The emperor selected his advisors and appointed governors for all of the territories under Inca control. They also had a very large, highly organized military consisting of around 500 thousand men. The Empire could have lasted centuries, if not for the Spanish invasion. Led by Hernando Pizarro, an accomplished conquistador, the Empire would be brought to its knees in just under thirty five years Before any conquistador had ever step foot in Inca lands, issues that would lead to the Inca’s downfall had been buil... ...ve died and the civil war would not have occurred. Who knows, Huyana Capac may have been a much stronger, brutal leader than Atahualpa and would have killed the Spanish as soon had he heard that they had landed in Peru. Pizarro, being the decisive, military leader that he was, would take advantage of the terrible plague and use it against the Inca. As he traveled from village to village, he would leave a person infected with smallpox in the village so that the whole village would become infected and die. When his men were in Cuzco while it was under siege from Manco Inca, he ordered dead bodies infected with small pox to be thrown into the Inca camps at night. Huge number of Inca soldiers died because of attacks like these. Pizarro and his men were from Europe, so they had some resistance to the diseases they brought with them, so they were not affected by them.

How Humanism Contributed to Rennaisance Ideals :: European Europe History

How Humanism Contributed to Rennaisance Ideals Through the groundwork laid by the Hundred Years War, the Black Death, and the Protestant Reformation, Italian Renaissance humanism nearly single-handedly allowed for the modern concept of individuality. The rebirth of classical literature, and especially the attempts among the philosophical elite to translate this literature, helped bring this "enlightening" knowledge to the gradually more literate masses. Also, the frenzy for education of these masses allowed the concept of individuality to spread to all social classes. Even peasants, the dredges of European society, believed (and were allowed to believe) they could achieve a level of intellectual intelligence equal to the great classical philosophers. Francesco Petrarch, the great Renaissance humanist, noted other humanists, "and innumerable others like them," signifying the vast popularity classical literature had gained in the then recent past. The popularity of classical literature, however, pales in comparison to the strength of the individual fostered by these humanist ideals. Pico della Mirandola, a Florentine writer, stated in his On the Dignity of Man, that there are no limits placed on what man can accomplish. His rationalization was that man was not subject to the fate of God; rather that he controls his own destiny, and that his accomplishment were limitless within the spectrum of achievements available to man, that is, that man's greatness falls somewhere in between that of the angels and that of the insects, the beasts. Leon Battista Alberti noted his belief that "Men can do all things if they will," and truly, this was the belief of the people, especially with the vast growth of universities in the High Middle Ages. Leonardo da Vinci may have been known at his time as a great painter, but he may also have been one of the greatest mathematicians of that era. Renaissance artists, such as Michelangelo and Raphael, writers and philosophers such as Petrarch and Machiavelli, the great composers like Mozart and Bach,

How Can Tax Cuts Help Revive the Economy

There are many opinions and predictions about how the economy will get back on track or how it will sink, and what should be the best approach of the government to take on this economic crisis. How important is the role of the government and how much a government should interfere in the economy? Introduction Unemployment has been one of the major concerns for many governments; historically unemployment reached 25% in the United States during the great depression in 1933. When there are no jobs people don’t have the money to spend, and demand for products decreases.When demand decreases many companies go out of business or just hire fewer workers, while unemployment keeps growing. The government has a very powerful tool called fiscal policy to manipulate the economy and control and manage the levels of demand. Fiscal Policy Fiscal policy is based on the theories of John Maynard Keynes also known as the Keynesian economics. The theory of Keynes state that the government can infl uence the economy by manipulating the increase or decrease of taxes and at the same time the level of government spending.By controlling the level of government spending what fiscal policy can do is to change the position of the Aggregated Demand curve (AD), since Government (G) is part of the aggregated demand. At the same time the government could cut taxes putting more money into the pockets of consumers called â€Å"disposable income†, which is another way of busting the Aggregated Demand since Consumers (C) is also part of the Aggregated Demand. The Multiplier EffectI think that there is a good question that we can formulate here: If government cut taxes and raises the level of government spending, how can the economy get better if by cutting taxes the government has less coming in, and at the same time by spending more the government is has more coming out? The multiplier effect states that when a part of the Aggregated Demand (C+I+G+(X-N) is changed, any of this compon ents which usually is (G), the result is an increase even greater than what was originally impacted by the changed and by doing this the government could push out the Aggregated Demand curve according to this rule.To explain the multiplier effect a little better let’s imagine that the government has 1 million dollars to spend, and it has several choices to do so, so let’s say that they decide to construct a new bridge. They hired 10 people who are now being paid and will spend part of that money each on another 10 more individuals. They spend 80% as disposable income and basic needs and save 20%. By spending 80% they are creating revenue for somebody else, who will use it as disposable money, at the same time by saving money they are creating more resources for a bank to e able to invest. At the end the initial money the government spent is not lost is only multiply and has created jobs, it has raised the level of demand, and it has boosted the (AD). The answer to the initial question: We can guess that the government expects to boost or better the economy by spending more, because eventually this spending will result into a greater impact into the economy by the consumers (C) Obstacles Reaching the GoalsFiscal Policies have some obstacles that can make the goals very hard to reach, and it could reverse the process and create inflation if these policies are not monitored constantly. The way this could happen is if too much money is injected into the economy while taxes are still down, and the consumer demands for goods and services are lower than the production supply. The increase in economic productivity can cross over a very fine line devaluating the real value of money and pushing the prices up, hence inflation occurs.At the same time the Multiplier effect can work in reverse because the success of the multiplier effect is based on the level of consumer spending. If the consumer doesn’t want to spend any money during difficult times th ere will be no money injected into the economy and the impact will be a decrease on the aggregated output. Conclusion The government plays a very important role in the economy, the decisions the government makes has a tremendous impact in the lives of its citizens.Making smart decisions in an economy that seems very volatile and probably unpredictable is very difficult. I believe that by making tax cuts and spending which I would call (Investing) the government is making the right decisions because in the long run my generation is eager to be part of this economy and very soon become a big spender after I am done with school, after I graduate.Bibliography/ReferencesHeakal, Reem. What is Fiscal Policy? Investopedia AForbes Digital Company File under: Bonds, Economics, Retirement URL Web Site: http://www. investopedia. com/articles/04/051904. aspWikipedia: Fiscal Multiplier:URL Web site: http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Fiscal_multiplier Holden, Paj.Teacher of Economics:PajHoldenâ€℠¢s Channel In Youtube fiscal policy and the multiplier effect URLWeb Site: http://www. youtube. com/watch? v=0CjNlyiDAno New Law's Tax Cuts Mean Extra Cash: IRS Web Site http://www. irs. gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=109816,00. html

Interview Skills

INTERVIEW SKILLS Interviewing: The job interview can be a pleasant and rewarding experience. It gives you and the employer a chance to discuss your qualifications and determine if a match can be made. Interviews vary in style length and can have a number of different interviewers depending upon the organization, so try to prepare for anything. Interview Styles: Directed This consists of a list of specific questions, which are in a certain order every time. Sometimes a checklist will be used to record your answers. Non-directedThis style consists of broad open-ended questions designed to get you to talk about yourself. It is more conversational in tone than the directed interview. Stress This is an interview designed to see how well you handle stress. Stress interviews are normally used in interviewing for top level positions. However, most interviews do not follow a specific style, but interviews may use their own combination of types instead. Regardless of the style or styles used, an interviewer is basically interested in two things: †¢ WHY ARE YOU INTERESTED IN THE COMPANY? WHAT CAN YOU OFFER THE COMPANY? Stages of the Interview An interview usually consists of four stages: BREAKING THE ICE This is to help both you and the interviewer â€Å"tune in† to the interview situation. It usually consists of small talk about the weather, your trip to the interview and so on. The content and the duration of this stage is controlled by the interviewer. SHARING OF GENERAL INFORMATION The interviewer will begin to tell you something about the company and the position that is open. You, in turn, can begin to tell the interviewer how your skills will relate to the position.You should be concise, using specific examples when ever possible. AMPLIFICATION AND SHARPENING OF FOCUS At this point in the interview, you will be offering a lot of information about yourself. You will be questioned about your work-related values, goals and aspirations. Your qualifications will be explored in detail. The interviewer will be trying to find a fit between you and the position. TRYING IT OGETHER This is the conclusion of the interview. You should clarify the information you have about the next contact. Find out if the interviewer will call you and how soon can be expected.If you are interested in the job, this is a good time to let the interviewer know. Planning for the Interview: SELF-ASSESSMENT Identify who you are, where you want to go, and how you plan to get there. Analyze your: †¢ Strengths †¢ Weaknesses †¢ Academic Performance †¢ Career Interests †¢ Personal Goals †¢ Work Experiences †¢ Special Skills Upon completion of this self-assessment you should be confident in your ability to ace the interview. RESEARCH YOUR PROSPECTIVE EMPLOYER Candidates who demonstrate knowledge of their organization and their community impress employers.You should acquire some knowledge concerning the size of the organization, criteria for evaluation of personnel, orientation and development programs, geographical location, and industrial and recreational profile of the community, and products produced. Research of this nature is easily accomplished through use of the Chamber of Commerce located in the geographical area of your choice and variety of other sources. Research often raises questions of importance that you can have answered at the interview. Remember, you are seeking a career, not just a job. THE INTERVIEW 1. Be punctual. Always allow ample time to get ready for your interview. The interview is on a schedule too and you may miss the opportunity you have anticipated for a long time). 2. Dress conservatively and professional. Men should wear a tie and suit. Women should apply cosmetics in keeping with good taste. Avoid â€Å"over doing it†. Careful grooming of hair, fingernails, shoes and clothes is very important of the both sexes. 3. Expect to be nervous at the outset. Nervousness is a natural f unction of your system, which helps you perform at your very best. The time to worry is when you do not become nervous. 4. Introduce yourself with a strong, confident handshake and look the interviewer directly in the eye.A strong first impression will set a positive tone for the interview. 5. Tune in with the interviewer and follow the pattern he or she sets. Be alert, maintain good posture, and relax as much as possible and listen. 6. Talk in a normal tone of voice and maintain frequent eye contact. 7. When responding to a question, pause and think about what you are about to say. Say something other than just â€Å"yes† or â€Å"no†. Intelligent, well thought-out answer put pluses beside your name. 8. Look for the sign of restlessness in the interviewer and for signs that he or she is about to terminate the interview. (Always leave termination up to the interviewer).When asked â€Å"Do you have any further questions? † respond as you needs demand. 9. Exit fro m the interview after expressing a sincere interest in the position. The employer will never know the extent of your interest unless you express it. If you want the job, ask for it. 10. Record results as you viewed them, both objectively and subjectively. Be certain that you know what the next step is – they will contact you, you must contact them, etc. FOLLOWING THE INTERVIEW Provide the credentials, references, or transcripts as requested by the interviewers as soon as possible. Follow-up with a short, typed letter of appreciation for the interview.This does not include the campaign unless you have been offered a position at this point. Now you need persistence in follow-up. Questions most often asked by the Interviewers: Study the following questions and be prepared to answer them in a positive and concise manner. This is not a comprehensive list, so be prepared for other questions too. 1. Why do you want to work here? 2. What kind of experience do you have for this job? 3 . What would you like to be doing five years from now? 4. What are your biggest accomplishments? 5. What is your greatest strength? What is your greatest personal asset?Your greatest weakness? 6. What interests you most about this job? 7. Why should I hire you? 8. Describe a difficult problem you’ve had deal with? 9. What would you references say? 10. What was the last book you read (or movie you saw)? 11. What salary do you expect? Answer: â€Å"Competitive† or â€Å"Appropriate to my experience and potential†) 12. How do you handle tension? 13. Describe a situation where your work or an idea was criticized. 14. Tell me about yourself. 15. What is the most difficult situation you have faced? 16. What have you done that shows initiative? 17. Do you prefer working with others or alone? 18.Explain your role as a group/team member? 19. What do you know about our company? 20. What are your future career plans? 21. What courses did you like best? Least? Why? 22. Why did you choose your particular field of work? 23. Have you held any leadership positions? 24. Have you plans for future education? 25. How do you think a friend or professor who knows you well would describe you? 26. Why do you want this job? 27. How has your college experience prepared you for your chosen career? The Importance of Asking Questions: Questioning the employer with logical, well thought-out questions tends to indicate a high degree of interest.Interest on your part tends to evoke interest from others. Questions also imply that you are sincere in the job hunting process and all employees’ desire sincerity. Conversely, questions, which are not logical, not well defined and /or asked just for the sake of asking leaves the recruiter with an impression of falseness. Therefore, prepare for the interview: read the organizational literature: talk to others who may be more aware of the particular organizational in which you are interested: and if need be prepare a list o f logical, well defined questions to ask the interviewer.Questions you may ask: (Questions are pertinent only if the answer helps you) 1. What might be typical first impression? 2. Why do you think this job might be the right spot for me? 3. How is your performance appraisal system structures and how often will I be evaluated? 4. Why did you join the company? How long have you been here? What is about the company that keeps you here? 5. To whom do I report? 6. What are realistic chances for growth in the job? 7. Please describe a typical day on-the-job? 8. Describe your deal candidate for this position? 9.What are the basic responsibilities of this position, and how much time will be spent on each? 10. With whom will I be working? 11. What are the major problems faced by this area of the company? 12. How much travel, and of what duration, is expected? 13. How much pressure might I encounter? 14. What style of management prevails in this area or in the company? 15. What’s the next step in the selection process? 16. Where is the organization going? 17. In the last five years, how many persons have held this position? 18. May I have the copy of the job description? (Ask for this when you set-up the interview).The questions you have just read are examples of questions to use in an interview. It will be to your advantage to develop questions of your own and to work them in your own style. KNOCKOUT FACTORS These are reasons why candidates receive rejection replies and are listed in order of frequency mention by recruiters. 1. Negative personality or poor impression: More specifically, lack of motivation, ambition, maturity, aggressiveness or enthusiasm. 2. Inability to communicate – Poor communication skills 3. Lack of competence – Inadequate preparation 4. Unidentified goals 5. Unrealistic expectation 6.Lack of interest in the type of work. 7. Unwillingness to travel or to relocate 8. Poor preparation for the interview 9. Lack of work experienc e 10. Bad references 11. Poor appearance WHY PEOPLE ARE HIRED: 1. Positive attitude 2. Good presentation of skills needed by employer for the position. 3. Professional in all contacts. 4. Good rapport with interviewer, including letter, phone call, and face to face contact 5. Past experience that supports qualifications for the opening 6. Provides knowledgeable questions and statements about company and job opening, thus providing commitment to research. . Professional appearance, including appropriate dress, neat and clean personal grooming, and friendly attitude. INFORMAL INTERVIEW: This type of interview is very helpful in exploring different careers and networking in your chosen field. It is an integral part of the job search process and all interview skills previously mentioned also apply to this type of interview. The biggest difference between information and job interviews is that in an information interview there is little or no pressure to obtain a job offer, so you can re lax, be yourself and gather as much information as possible.We strongly recommend that you conduct several information interviews, as you will learn more about the field, make valuable contacts, gain interview experience and possibly uncover unadvertised job openings. INFORMATION INTERVIEWS: 5 Steps to Set-Up 1. Identify the career fields, industries, and organizations that you want to investigate further. Try to target areas that seem to match up most closely with your skills, interests, values and personality style. 2. Ask people you know (relatives, acquaintances, friends, colleagues, past employers) if they can introduce you to someone who works there. 3.Use the Encyclopedia of Associations to identify professional groups in your target areas. If there is a local chapter, plan to attend one of it’s monthly meetings to make new contacts. Also, ask if there is a membership directorship. You can use this list to target people who are appropriate contacts for informational in terviews. 4. Once you have identified the people you want to meet, you can contact them by letter or telephone to schedule a convenient time to talk. During your initial contact, you must briefly tell them who you are, explain why you are contacting them, and ask for a short meeting.If they decline, ask if there is anyone else they can recommend that you call or write. If the answer is still â€Å"no†, ask if they have any other ideas about how you might go about meeting people in their field. 5. Before the interview, plan a trip to the library. Read trade journals, annual reports, and other printed materials to glean as much information as possible in advance. Then you will be able to present yourself as a knowledgeable interviewee. INFORMATION INTERVIEW QUESTIONS: Here are some sample questions to get you started. This list is not comprehensive, so please feel free to make up your own: 1.What is a typical day like? What do you actually do? What do you actually do? 2. What d o the really successful people do better than the others? 3. What are the opportunities for advancement within this field or company? 4. How did you get into this field? 5. What do you specially enjoy about your work? 6. What are the frustrations? 7. What degrees or training are necessary for this kind of work? 8. Are there professional trade journals I should read? Which ones? 9. Where, in your opinion, is the best place to look for a job in this field? 10. Is government funding any part of this field? 1. Is there a deficit personal in any part of this field? 12. What are the starting salaries at entry level in this field? 13. What professional organizations do you belong to? Should I join them now? 14. Are you doing what you thought you’d be going when you started? 15. What are some of the difficulties, problems areas, and snarls of this position? 16. How mobile and flexible can you are in this occupation? Location? Hours? 17. How secure is your job? Others in this field? 1 8. If you were starting out again, what would you differently? 19. What is the future potential for growth?What areas do you feel promise the most growth? 20. Do you think there is a need for the kind of services (or product) I can offer? 21. Is working for this organization, or one like it, a good way to get into the field? 22. Is there any personal advice you would give a person entering this field? 23. What are some of the most important factors that contributed to your success? 24. What skills are most important for your kind of work 25. Can you give me the names of other people who might provide mw with additional information? May I use your name? DRESSING FOR INTERVIEW SUCCESS:The instant we set eyes on someone, our minds make evaluations and adjustments at lightening speed. The same is true for potential employers who must assess us so. If you follow the adage â€Å" what you sees is what you get†, you need to look the part or don’t to look the part or donâ€⠄¢t expect an offer. To help you pull together your winning look, review the following guidelines: MEN Suit: Colors †¢ Navy thru Teal Blue †¢ Charcoal thru Light gray †¢ Brown †¢ Beige †¢ Solid colors and pinstripes are acceptable Note: The darker the suit the more authorities it carries. (Caution: never wear back unless applying for an undertaker’s job. Shirt: †¢ Always wear a long-sleeves shirt †¢ Always wear a white or pale blue shirt. Shirts with very thin red or blue pinstripe are acceptable, but not the best. A solid white shirt conveys honesty, intelligence and stability: this should be your 1st choice. †¢ Fabric: Cotton – looks better and absorbs perspiration better. †¢ Iron and starch your shirt. For the best look have it professionally pressed. Neckwear: †¢ Tie: should compliment your suit – not match it. †¢ Fabric: pure silk – makes most powerful impact best choice. Linen: too formal, wrink les too easily, can only be worn in warmer weather.Wool: casual in appearance and has knot problems. †¢ Size: General rule of thumb : the width of your tie should approximate the width of your lapels (anywhere form 2 ? † to 3 ? †). †¢ Length: tie should extend to your trouser belt. †¢ Styles: Best choices : solids, foulards, stripes and paisleys, do not wear: large polka dots, pictures of animals sporting symbols or manufacturers symbols, or a bow tie or matching tie and pocket square. Shoes: †¢ Colors: black or brown leather †¢ Style: lace-up wing tips, slip on (not boat shoes). Socks: †¢ Blue, black, gray or brown – should compliment your suit. Length: tall enough for you to cross your legs and not show skin. †¢ Make sure they don’t fall down and bunch up around your ankle (elastic reinforced over-the-calf socks are best). Accessories: †¢ The Guiding Principle: Do not wear anything that could be conceivably misconst rued or leave a bad impression. Never wear any religious or political insignia in the form of rings, ties or pins. †¢ Watch: simple and plain is your best bet. †¢ Briefcase: make strong professional statement/ leather – best – colors: brown or burgundy /design: plain lines – no decoration needed. Belt: should match or compliment your shoes / plain leather with a small buckle. †¢ Jewelry: wedding band if applicable – any thing more is dangerous. †¢ Overcoats: blue or beige is your best bets – avoid wearing one if you can, as it’s another thing to carry and lug around. Both: †¢ Keep hair neat and trim and in a conservative style. †¢ Do not wear after shave or perfume, you are interviewing for a job not a date. †¢ Clean your hands and nails. If polished, make sure there are no chips. †¢ Make sure you have fresh breath. WOMEN Suit: Colors: †¢ Charcoal †¢ Medium Gray †¢ Steel Gray †¢ Bla ck Navy Blue †¢ Solids, pinstripe and plaids are acceptable †¢ Fabric: 100% wool is your best choice. Linen is acceptable: however it wrinkles like crazy. †¢ Skirt Length: Don’t wear anything that soars to the upper thigh if you want to be taken seriously, as an applicant. Safe Bet-Skirt should fall just below the knee. Blouse: †¢ Wear long sleeves: they project the authoritative professional look you desire. †¢ Never wear a sleeveless blouse. †¢ Colors: solid colors are best white, gray, pink or pale blue. †¢ Fabrics: cotton or silk †¢ Style: front tie bow, asymmetrical and button down are all good.Scarves: †¢ They say something dramatic about you make sure it is positive. †¢ Fabric: pure silk is best as it offers a conservative look, a good finish and tie well. †¢ Colors/ Styles: solids, foulards, small polka dots, paisleys Shoes: †¢ Colors – brown, navy, red, black, or burgundy leather (stay away from faddi sh or multi-colors) †¢ Heel Height: flats to 1 ? heels are okay. Avoid â€Å"high† heels as you will look and feel wobbly. †¢ Styles: the classic pump, closed heel with a slightly open toe and sling black with closed toe are all acceptable. †¢ Stockings †¢ Color: neutral skin tones. Since they are prone to run at the worst possible moment, keep on extra pair in your purse or briefcase. Accessories: †¢ Briefcase: a symbol of authority – use one (but do not bring your purse too – too much o juggle) / brown, burgundy, blue or black leather. †¢ Belts – should match or compliment shoes. It is a functional item, if it is instantly noticeable it is wrong. Jewelry: †¢ Main premise: less is more. †¢ Restrict rings to wedding and engagement if applicable. †¢ Necklace and earrings are okay if subdued and professional looking. Make-up: †¢ Take care to never appear overly made-up. Natural is the key word. †¢ Eye m ake-up should be subtle so as not to overwhelm the rest of your face. †¢ Lipstick – apply sparingly and carefully. Use a subdued color. Body Language: Action speaks louder than words and this holds very true in an interview situation. The impression you make in the first few minutes of the interview will be the most lasting, so you need to be conscious of both your words and you body language. Here are few tips to help make sure you are sending the right signals. 1. The Handshake – should be professional and polite – a firm grip and warm smile. practice this if you need to). 2. Personal Zone – never encroach on another person’s space – maintain the 30-inch standard. 3. Seating – wait till the interviewer offers you a seat. Sit straight and lean forward a little shows interest. 4. Eyes – look at the interviews (don’t stare) it shows interest in the person and the position. M=Never look down. 5. Head – slow nod ding indicates interest and validation of interviewer’s comments. 6. Mouth – offer an unforced, confident smile as often as the circumstances allow. 7. Glasses – don’t wear sunglasses – gives impression of secretive, cold and devious. . Arms – do not fold or â€Å"protect† chest with hands, clipboard, etc. This sends negative messages (i. e: I’m nervous and closed for business). 9. Hands – watch out for fidgeting with themselves or other objects. 10. Legs – crossed legs send mixed signals – it is safer to keep your legs together with your feet on the floor. 11. Feet – beware of compulsive tapping and avoid dangling your shoe from your toes. 12. Walking – keep shoulder back, maintain an erect posture, smile and make eye contact when appropriate. Some last Reminders: Don’t forget to bring: Several copies of your resume †¢ Pad of paper †¢ Pen †¢ Reference list †¢ Letter of Recommendation †¢ Directions to interview and telephone number’s †¢ Your job-related questions to ask †¢ Any information on the company Faux Pas’: Things to be sure not to do during the interview: †¢ Use first name (unless asked) †¢ Smoke (even if invited) †¢ Sit down (until invited) †¢ Show anxiety and boredom †¢ Look at you watch †¢ Discuss equal rights, race, sex, national origin, religion or age †¢ Show samples of your work (unless requested) †¢ Ask about salary, benefits and vacation. Interview Skills INTERVIEW SKILLS Interviewing: The job interview can be a pleasant and rewarding experience. It gives you and the employer a chance to discuss your qualifications and determine if a match can be made. Interviews vary in style length and can have a number of different interviewers depending upon the organization, so try to prepare for anything. Interview Styles: Directed This consists of a list of specific questions, which are in a certain order every time. Sometimes a checklist will be used to record your answers. Non-directedThis style consists of broad open-ended questions designed to get you to talk about yourself. It is more conversational in tone than the directed interview. Stress This is an interview designed to see how well you handle stress. Stress interviews are normally used in interviewing for top level positions. However, most interviews do not follow a specific style, but interviews may use their own combination of types instead. Regardless of the style or styles used, an interviewer is basically interested in two things: †¢ WHY ARE YOU INTERESTED IN THE COMPANY? WHAT CAN YOU OFFER THE COMPANY? Stages of the Interview An interview usually consists of four stages: BREAKING THE ICE This is to help both you and the interviewer â€Å"tune in† to the interview situation. It usually consists of small talk about the weather, your trip to the interview and so on. The content and the duration of this stage is controlled by the interviewer. SHARING OF GENERAL INFORMATION The interviewer will begin to tell you something about the company and the position that is open. You, in turn, can begin to tell the interviewer how your skills will relate to the position.You should be concise, using specific examples when ever possible. AMPLIFICATION AND SHARPENING OF FOCUS At this point in the interview, you will be offering a lot of information about yourself. You will be questioned about your work-related values, goals and aspirations. Your qualifications will be explored in detail. The interviewer will be trying to find a fit between you and the position. TRYING IT OGETHER This is the conclusion of the interview. You should clarify the information you have about the next contact. Find out if the interviewer will call you and how soon can be expected.If you are interested in the job, this is a good time to let the interviewer know. Planning for the Interview: SELF-ASSESSMENT Identify who you are, where you want to go, and how you plan to get there. Analyze your: †¢ Strengths †¢ Weaknesses †¢ Academic Performance †¢ Career Interests †¢ Personal Goals †¢ Work Experiences †¢ Special Skills Upon completion of this self-assessment you should be confident in your ability to ace the interview. RESEARCH YOUR PROSPECTIVE EMPLOYER Candidates who demonstrate knowledge of their organization and their community impress employers.You should acquire some knowledge concerning the size of the organization, criteria for evaluation of personnel, orientation and development programs, geographical location, and industrial and recreational profile of the community, and products produced. Research of this nature is easily accomplished through use of the Chamber of Commerce located in the geographical area of your choice and variety of other sources. Research often raises questions of importance that you can have answered at the interview. Remember, you are seeking a career, not just a job. THE INTERVIEW 1. Be punctual. Always allow ample time to get ready for your interview. The interview is on a schedule too and you may miss the opportunity you have anticipated for a long time). 2. Dress conservatively and professional. Men should wear a tie and suit. Women should apply cosmetics in keeping with good taste. Avoid â€Å"over doing it†. Careful grooming of hair, fingernails, shoes and clothes is very important of the both sexes. 3. Expect to be nervous at the outset. Nervousness is a natural f unction of your system, which helps you perform at your very best. The time to worry is when you do not become nervous. 4. Introduce yourself with a strong, confident handshake and look the interviewer directly in the eye.A strong first impression will set a positive tone for the interview. 5. Tune in with the interviewer and follow the pattern he or she sets. Be alert, maintain good posture, and relax as much as possible and listen. 6. Talk in a normal tone of voice and maintain frequent eye contact. 7. When responding to a question, pause and think about what you are about to say. Say something other than just â€Å"yes† or â€Å"no†. Intelligent, well thought-out answer put pluses beside your name. 8. Look for the sign of restlessness in the interviewer and for signs that he or she is about to terminate the interview. (Always leave termination up to the interviewer).When asked â€Å"Do you have any further questions? † respond as you needs demand. 9. Exit fro m the interview after expressing a sincere interest in the position. The employer will never know the extent of your interest unless you express it. If you want the job, ask for it. 10. Record results as you viewed them, both objectively and subjectively. Be certain that you know what the next step is – they will contact you, you must contact them, etc. FOLLOWING THE INTERVIEW Provide the credentials, references, or transcripts as requested by the interviewers as soon as possible. Follow-up with a short, typed letter of appreciation for the interview.This does not include the campaign unless you have been offered a position at this point. Now you need persistence in follow-up. Questions most often asked by the Interviewers: Study the following questions and be prepared to answer them in a positive and concise manner. This is not a comprehensive list, so be prepared for other questions too. 1. Why do you want to work here? 2. What kind of experience do you have for this job? 3 . What would you like to be doing five years from now? 4. What are your biggest accomplishments? 5. What is your greatest strength? What is your greatest personal asset?Your greatest weakness? 6. What interests you most about this job? 7. Why should I hire you? 8. Describe a difficult problem you’ve had deal with? 9. What would you references say? 10. What was the last book you read (or movie you saw)? 11. What salary do you expect? Answer: â€Å"Competitive† or â€Å"Appropriate to my experience and potential†) 12. How do you handle tension? 13. Describe a situation where your work or an idea was criticized. 14. Tell me about yourself. 15. What is the most difficult situation you have faced? 16. What have you done that shows initiative? 17. Do you prefer working with others or alone? 18.Explain your role as a group/team member? 19. What do you know about our company? 20. What are your future career plans? 21. What courses did you like best? Least? Why? 22. Why did you choose your particular field of work? 23. Have you held any leadership positions? 24. Have you plans for future education? 25. How do you think a friend or professor who knows you well would describe you? 26. Why do you want this job? 27. How has your college experience prepared you for your chosen career? The Importance of Asking Questions: Questioning the employer with logical, well thought-out questions tends to indicate a high degree of interest.Interest on your part tends to evoke interest from others. Questions also imply that you are sincere in the job hunting process and all employees’ desire sincerity. Conversely, questions, which are not logical, not well defined and /or asked just for the sake of asking leaves the recruiter with an impression of falseness. Therefore, prepare for the interview: read the organizational literature: talk to others who may be more aware of the particular organizational in which you are interested: and if need be prepare a list o f logical, well defined questions to ask the interviewer.Questions you may ask: (Questions are pertinent only if the answer helps you) 1. What might be typical first impression? 2. Why do you think this job might be the right spot for me? 3. How is your performance appraisal system structures and how often will I be evaluated? 4. Why did you join the company? How long have you been here? What is about the company that keeps you here? 5. To whom do I report? 6. What are realistic chances for growth in the job? 7. Please describe a typical day on-the-job? 8. Describe your deal candidate for this position? 9.What are the basic responsibilities of this position, and how much time will be spent on each? 10. With whom will I be working? 11. What are the major problems faced by this area of the company? 12. How much travel, and of what duration, is expected? 13. How much pressure might I encounter? 14. What style of management prevails in this area or in the company? 15. What’s the next step in the selection process? 16. Where is the organization going? 17. In the last five years, how many persons have held this position? 18. May I have the copy of the job description? (Ask for this when you set-up the interview).The questions you have just read are examples of questions to use in an interview. It will be to your advantage to develop questions of your own and to work them in your own style. KNOCKOUT FACTORS These are reasons why candidates receive rejection replies and are listed in order of frequency mention by recruiters. 1. Negative personality or poor impression: More specifically, lack of motivation, ambition, maturity, aggressiveness or enthusiasm. 2. Inability to communicate – Poor communication skills 3. Lack of competence – Inadequate preparation 4. Unidentified goals 5. Unrealistic expectation 6.Lack of interest in the type of work. 7. Unwillingness to travel or to relocate 8. Poor preparation for the interview 9. Lack of work experienc e 10. Bad references 11. Poor appearance WHY PEOPLE ARE HIRED: 1. Positive attitude 2. Good presentation of skills needed by employer for the position. 3. Professional in all contacts. 4. Good rapport with interviewer, including letter, phone call, and face to face contact 5. Past experience that supports qualifications for the opening 6. Provides knowledgeable questions and statements about company and job opening, thus providing commitment to research. . Professional appearance, including appropriate dress, neat and clean personal grooming, and friendly attitude. INFORMAL INTERVIEW: This type of interview is very helpful in exploring different careers and networking in your chosen field. It is an integral part of the job search process and all interview skills previously mentioned also apply to this type of interview. The biggest difference between information and job interviews is that in an information interview there is little or no pressure to obtain a job offer, so you can re lax, be yourself and gather as much information as possible.We strongly recommend that you conduct several information interviews, as you will learn more about the field, make valuable contacts, gain interview experience and possibly uncover unadvertised job openings. INFORMATION INTERVIEWS: 5 Steps to Set-Up 1. Identify the career fields, industries, and organizations that you want to investigate further. Try to target areas that seem to match up most closely with your skills, interests, values and personality style. 2. Ask people you know (relatives, acquaintances, friends, colleagues, past employers) if they can introduce you to someone who works there. 3.Use the Encyclopedia of Associations to identify professional groups in your target areas. If there is a local chapter, plan to attend one of it’s monthly meetings to make new contacts. Also, ask if there is a membership directorship. You can use this list to target people who are appropriate contacts for informational in terviews. 4. Once you have identified the people you want to meet, you can contact them by letter or telephone to schedule a convenient time to talk. During your initial contact, you must briefly tell them who you are, explain why you are contacting them, and ask for a short meeting.If they decline, ask if there is anyone else they can recommend that you call or write. If the answer is still â€Å"no†, ask if they have any other ideas about how you might go about meeting people in their field. 5. Before the interview, plan a trip to the library. Read trade journals, annual reports, and other printed materials to glean as much information as possible in advance. Then you will be able to present yourself as a knowledgeable interviewee. INFORMATION INTERVIEW QUESTIONS: Here are some sample questions to get you started. This list is not comprehensive, so please feel free to make up your own: 1.What is a typical day like? What do you actually do? What do you actually do? 2. What d o the really successful people do better than the others? 3. What are the opportunities for advancement within this field or company? 4. How did you get into this field? 5. What do you specially enjoy about your work? 6. What are the frustrations? 7. What degrees or training are necessary for this kind of work? 8. Are there professional trade journals I should read? Which ones? 9. Where, in your opinion, is the best place to look for a job in this field? 10. Is government funding any part of this field? 1. Is there a deficit personal in any part of this field? 12. What are the starting salaries at entry level in this field? 13. What professional organizations do you belong to? Should I join them now? 14. Are you doing what you thought you’d be going when you started? 15. What are some of the difficulties, problems areas, and snarls of this position? 16. How mobile and flexible can you are in this occupation? Location? Hours? 17. How secure is your job? Others in this field? 1 8. If you were starting out again, what would you differently? 19. What is the future potential for growth?What areas do you feel promise the most growth? 20. Do you think there is a need for the kind of services (or product) I can offer? 21. Is working for this organization, or one like it, a good way to get into the field? 22. Is there any personal advice you would give a person entering this field? 23. What are some of the most important factors that contributed to your success? 24. What skills are most important for your kind of work 25. Can you give me the names of other people who might provide mw with additional information? May I use your name? DRESSING FOR INTERVIEW SUCCESS:The instant we set eyes on someone, our minds make evaluations and adjustments at lightening speed. The same is true for potential employers who must assess us so. If you follow the adage â€Å" what you sees is what you get†, you need to look the part or don’t to look the part or donâ€⠄¢t expect an offer. To help you pull together your winning look, review the following guidelines: MEN Suit: Colors †¢ Navy thru Teal Blue †¢ Charcoal thru Light gray †¢ Brown †¢ Beige †¢ Solid colors and pinstripes are acceptable Note: The darker the suit the more authorities it carries. (Caution: never wear back unless applying for an undertaker’s job. Shirt: †¢ Always wear a long-sleeves shirt †¢ Always wear a white or pale blue shirt. Shirts with very thin red or blue pinstripe are acceptable, but not the best. A solid white shirt conveys honesty, intelligence and stability: this should be your 1st choice. †¢ Fabric: Cotton – looks better and absorbs perspiration better. †¢ Iron and starch your shirt. For the best look have it professionally pressed. Neckwear: †¢ Tie: should compliment your suit – not match it. †¢ Fabric: pure silk – makes most powerful impact best choice. Linen: too formal, wrink les too easily, can only be worn in warmer weather.Wool: casual in appearance and has knot problems. †¢ Size: General rule of thumb : the width of your tie should approximate the width of your lapels (anywhere form 2 ? † to 3 ? †). †¢ Length: tie should extend to your trouser belt. †¢ Styles: Best choices : solids, foulards, stripes and paisleys, do not wear: large polka dots, pictures of animals sporting symbols or manufacturers symbols, or a bow tie or matching tie and pocket square. Shoes: †¢ Colors: black or brown leather †¢ Style: lace-up wing tips, slip on (not boat shoes). Socks: †¢ Blue, black, gray or brown – should compliment your suit. Length: tall enough for you to cross your legs and not show skin. †¢ Make sure they don’t fall down and bunch up around your ankle (elastic reinforced over-the-calf socks are best). Accessories: †¢ The Guiding Principle: Do not wear anything that could be conceivably misconst rued or leave a bad impression. Never wear any religious or political insignia in the form of rings, ties or pins. †¢ Watch: simple and plain is your best bet. †¢ Briefcase: make strong professional statement/ leather – best – colors: brown or burgundy /design: plain lines – no decoration needed. Belt: should match or compliment your shoes / plain leather with a small buckle. †¢ Jewelry: wedding band if applicable – any thing more is dangerous. †¢ Overcoats: blue or beige is your best bets – avoid wearing one if you can, as it’s another thing to carry and lug around. Both: †¢ Keep hair neat and trim and in a conservative style. †¢ Do not wear after shave or perfume, you are interviewing for a job not a date. †¢ Clean your hands and nails. If polished, make sure there are no chips. †¢ Make sure you have fresh breath. WOMEN Suit: Colors: †¢ Charcoal †¢ Medium Gray †¢ Steel Gray †¢ Bla ck Navy Blue †¢ Solids, pinstripe and plaids are acceptable †¢ Fabric: 100% wool is your best choice. Linen is acceptable: however it wrinkles like crazy. †¢ Skirt Length: Don’t wear anything that soars to the upper thigh if you want to be taken seriously, as an applicant. Safe Bet-Skirt should fall just below the knee. Blouse: †¢ Wear long sleeves: they project the authoritative professional look you desire. †¢ Never wear a sleeveless blouse. †¢ Colors: solid colors are best white, gray, pink or pale blue. †¢ Fabrics: cotton or silk †¢ Style: front tie bow, asymmetrical and button down are all good.Scarves: †¢ They say something dramatic about you make sure it is positive. †¢ Fabric: pure silk is best as it offers a conservative look, a good finish and tie well. †¢ Colors/ Styles: solids, foulards, small polka dots, paisleys Shoes: †¢ Colors – brown, navy, red, black, or burgundy leather (stay away from faddi sh or multi-colors) †¢ Heel Height: flats to 1 ? heels are okay. Avoid â€Å"high† heels as you will look and feel wobbly. †¢ Styles: the classic pump, closed heel with a slightly open toe and sling black with closed toe are all acceptable. †¢ Stockings †¢ Color: neutral skin tones. Since they are prone to run at the worst possible moment, keep on extra pair in your purse or briefcase. Accessories: †¢ Briefcase: a symbol of authority – use one (but do not bring your purse too – too much o juggle) / brown, burgundy, blue or black leather. †¢ Belts – should match or compliment shoes. It is a functional item, if it is instantly noticeable it is wrong. Jewelry: †¢ Main premise: less is more. †¢ Restrict rings to wedding and engagement if applicable. †¢ Necklace and earrings are okay if subdued and professional looking. Make-up: †¢ Take care to never appear overly made-up. Natural is the key word. †¢ Eye m ake-up should be subtle so as not to overwhelm the rest of your face. †¢ Lipstick – apply sparingly and carefully. Use a subdued color. Body Language: Action speaks louder than words and this holds very true in an interview situation. The impression you make in the first few minutes of the interview will be the most lasting, so you need to be conscious of both your words and you body language. Here are few tips to help make sure you are sending the right signals. 1. The Handshake – should be professional and polite – a firm grip and warm smile. practice this if you need to). 2. Personal Zone – never encroach on another person’s space – maintain the 30-inch standard. 3. Seating – wait till the interviewer offers you a seat. Sit straight and lean forward a little shows interest. 4. Eyes – look at the interviews (don’t stare) it shows interest in the person and the position. M=Never look down. 5. Head – slow nod ding indicates interest and validation of interviewer’s comments. 6. Mouth – offer an unforced, confident smile as often as the circumstances allow. 7. Glasses – don’t wear sunglasses – gives impression of secretive, cold and devious. . Arms – do not fold or â€Å"protect† chest with hands, clipboard, etc. This sends negative messages (i. e: I’m nervous and closed for business). 9. Hands – watch out for fidgeting with themselves or other objects. 10. Legs – crossed legs send mixed signals – it is safer to keep your legs together with your feet on the floor. 11. Feet – beware of compulsive tapping and avoid dangling your shoe from your toes. 12. Walking – keep shoulder back, maintain an erect posture, smile and make eye contact when appropriate. Some last Reminders: Don’t forget to bring: Several copies of your resume †¢ Pad of paper †¢ Pen †¢ Reference list †¢ Letter of Recommendation †¢ Directions to interview and telephone number’s †¢ Your job-related questions to ask †¢ Any information on the company Faux Pas’: Things to be sure not to do during the interview: †¢ Use first name (unless asked) †¢ Smoke (even if invited) †¢ Sit down (until invited) †¢ Show anxiety and boredom †¢ Look at you watch †¢ Discuss equal rights, race, sex, national origin, religion or age †¢ Show samples of your work (unless requested) †¢ Ask about salary, benefits and vacation.