No more school, no more books

No more school, no more books Well, today was my last day of class as an undergrad. Technically the last day of class is tomorrow, but I only have 7.28 (molecular biology) tomorrow, and Professor Bell announced that there would be no new material, just a test review led by the TAs. I dont believe in test reviews (I think Ive attended a grand total of one since the end of my freshman year), so Im not going tomorrow. Which means that 7.27 (human disease) and 9.24 (diseases of the nervous system) classes today were the last MIT classes Ill ever attend. I am trying really hard to scrounge up some sad, much as Im sure a lot of you high school seniors are. On one hand, Ive had a super four years here and I love MIT to death. On the other hand, no school until September for this kid! (I have a feeling part of my inability to dig up some tears is due to the fact that Ill be living on the MIT campus next year and hanging out with a lot of my friends. So what is there to be sad for?) Today at the end of 7.27 lecture, one of the students asked Professor Housman to talk a little about his career and the things hes discovered. He was extraordinarily modest this morning he was all oh, Ive been fortunate to work on a few diseases and discover some stuff, but as a cursory Google Scholar search proves, hes been involved in fundamental discoveries on just about any disease you can shake a stick at Huntingtons disease, AML, schizophrenia, myotonic dystrophy, bipolar disorder, fragile X, thalessemia, Wilms tumor, cardiovascular disease, neurofibromatosis type I, melanoma, breast cancer if we know something about the molecular basis of a disease, odds are that Professor Housmans had his hand in it. And the cool thing is that this distinguished researcher a really enthusiastic lecturer, and he usually gets a rating of 6 (out of 7) on the undergraduate subject evaluations. (And of course, we had no idea that he was so distinguished. You get a little numb to professors being famous after a while I mean, pretty much all of them are famous. Whoop de doo.) But at the end of his extraordinarily modest speech about his accomplishments, he said that he considers his most important job to be educating us to be scientists and doctors. And I think he was even a little misty-eyed as he said it. Cute. Its definitely the time of year for end-of-the-term dinners, and Ive been to two in the past week or so. Last Monday, Dr. Byrne, who teaches 9.24, invited the class to dinner at his home, Gray House, with him and his wife. You know, his wife, the MIT president. We got to run all around the house and meet their dog, then eat a very pleasant and delicious dinner with President Hockfield and Dr. Byrne. Dr. Byrne isnt actually an MIT faculty member hes a neurologist at Mass General Hospital but Ive learned so much in the class because hes brought in lots of experts from the medical school to guest-lecture about all the nervous system diseases. (He also seems to have taken a rather enthusiastic interest in mentoring the course 9 premeds. So if youre premed, take the classes Dr. Byrne teaches! He will hook you up for med school.) Not entirely related, but a picture of President Hockfield and Dr. Byrne with the cheerleading squad is here. Just in case you wanted to see. I went to a second end-of-term dinner last night at the home of John Durant, Adams STS.014 (Science Communication) lecturer. Even though I was not actually in the class, I went along because Adam is rude and/or Professor Durant is very gracious. We went out to his lovely home in Belmont and ate a very nice meal (complete with fresh pie!) that he actually cooked himself. Now, I didnt know anything about Professor Durant before I went. But I made an off-hand comment about Stephen Jay Gould, one of my biology idols, after dinner and it turns out that Professor Durant knew him personally. And he knows Richard Dawkins, too. And he knew them well enough that he actually arranged a debate between the two of them several years ago. I almost died of happiness, and thats all Im going to say about that. Just three final exams between me and dancing at graduation with a diploma in each hand!

The Field Of Social Work - 1532 Words

Katherine Pelaccio Dr. Kathleen Pressler Group Dynamics October 13, 2014 The field of social work touches the lives of every American. According to the National Association of Social Workers, â€Å"social work is the professional activity of helping individuals, groups, or communities to enhance or restore their capacity for social functioning and to create societal conditions favorable to their goals.†(Zastrow p.34) The focus or purpose of social work is to help meet the basic needs of people, especially those in need to obtain services; counseling and psychotherapy of individuals, families and groups; helping community and groups to provide or improve social and health services; and participate in the improvement and development of social†¦show more content†¦Social workers should aspire to contribute to the knowledge base of the profession.† (NASW) Social work is based on an understanding of knowledge, values and skills. Social workers wear many hats, and work with many different people, so therefore, they need to be experienced and knowledgeable in many different areas to effectively problem solve. Social workers must know how to work with people on the Micro, Mezzo and Macro levels. A social worker needs to understand different cultural values and the diverse differences in the people which they may be helping. They need to have a basic understanding of psychology, biology and public policy. They need to have an understanding of poverty and how it effects our society and what resources are available to those who might need them. A social worker should be very knowledgeable about the populations they are working with, what the needs of the client might be, what might help or hurt, and what resources may be available to better help those individuals or groups. The social worker should always be striving to learn, and to be as knowledgeable as possible in their area of practice. (NASW)(Zastrow) Some of the skills that are important to develop as a social worker are empathy, respect, authenticity, boundary setting, active listening, communication, social perceptiveness, self-awareness, organization, coordination, persuasion, advocacy, relaxation, and self-control. Empathy is

Fatty Acid Definition and Chemical Structure

In chemistry, there are a lot of terms that differentiate various compounds. You may come across the term fatty acid or monocarboxylic acid at some point in your science career. The definition of a fatty acid is an important term to know, as well as its aliases. Fatty Acid Definition: A fatty acid is a carboxylic acid with a long side chain of hydrocarbons. Most fatty acids contain an even number of carbon atoms in the hydrocarbon chain and follow the general molecular formula of CH3(CH2)xCOOH where x is the number of carbon atoms in the hydrocarbon chain. Also Known As: monocarboxylic acids

PR Plan for MS Clothing Free Essays

Introduction In recent years, Marks Spencer’s clothing sales have experienced a period of decline and have been involved in a large amount of discounting which has a negative impact on the profit margins within the department. The purpose of this PR plan is to consider an appropriate marketing and PR strategy that would lead to the turnaround of this ailing department. Aims and Objectives The primary aim of this PR and marketing agenda is essentially to reinvent the positioning of the MS clothing division, so that it is not forced into having to discount and is therefore able to maintain stronger profit margins. We will write a custom essay sample on PR Plan for MS Clothing or any similar topic only for you Order Now Historically, Marks Spencer’s has maintained a strong reputation for providing quality basics, without necessarily being at the cutting edge of fashion, with the establishment of additional ranges, aiming to have the impact of turning this perception around. Yet, the increased use of disposable fashion from the likes of Primark has put increasing pressure on companies such as Marks Spencer when it comes to retaining their market share (MacDonald, 2011). Despite this, the marketing campaign, â€Å"Leading Ladies†, has shown a slight turnaround of fortunes, indicating that a concerted effort within the PR and marketing area could indeed have a dramatic effect on this ailing area within MS (Marks and Spencer, 2014). Audience The audience is potentially one of the hardest things to identify, in terms of this overall PR plan, as Marks Spencer’s clothing covers such a potentially wider audience. It is suggested in this case, however, that by focusing on ladies wear, the overall agenda for the clothing department can be considered and looked at in the long run (Hackley, 2009). The target audience for this plan therefore is to focus on the fashion conscious, yet affluent 20 – 40 year old category. Attempting to compete with the prices of disposable fashion outlets is simply impractical; therefore, the focus needs to be on the high income a professional, fashionable women who also want their clothes to be excellent quality and durability. Message Linked to the chosen audience is the message that MS clothing products are providing quality, durable essentials that offer a sophisticated and professional look, with a touch of fashion that is not a disposable, cheap fashion product. One of the key problems which have been identified within the MS clothing range in recent years is that the cost of the product has simply not warranted the quality of fashion being provided, and the balance between quality and cost needs to be redressed (Parrish, 2010). Maintaining a strong quality is important. Yet, it is necessary for the fashionable element of the product to be brought to the forefront of this message, and this needs to be delivered clearly to the young, affluent audience. In order to achieve this MS is going to focus on the younger audience by engaging with young workers and students. Offering discounts and selecting the relevant media publications that aim at these people will be a crucial part of delivering this message. Communication Strategies Bearing in mind the message and the target audience in question, the choice of communication strategy will be particularly important when it comes to successfully providing this shift in emphasis and new marketing strategy. Given the chosen audience, the communication strategies also need to be aimed at a younger audience, using factors such as the internet and e-mail marketing, in order to portray a younger, more cutting-edge image. Establishing affiliations with third parties and appropriate magazines will also be important for encouraging potential consumers to view Marks Spencer clothing in a slightly different light. Events such as fashion shows and launches of product ranges in locations that are going to be targeting this new audience. Working with Universities and popular work areas in central towns will assist in this matter. Celebrity endorsement is also potentially going to assist in shifting the perceptions of Marks Spencer away from products which are slightly old and staid. By partnering with the appropriate celebrities and also appropriate events, the general perception of the company can be changed, over time, and this needs to be a relatively mid-term agenda for MS. Resource and Budget The overall size of MS and the ability to draw on financial resources from other departments such as the food and home department provides evidence of real opportunities in regard to spending a large amount on this revised PR and marketing approach that would be impossible for other organisations without the backing of these departments. In order to completely reinvent the perception around an organisation the size of MS will require a consistent and large resource, over a relatively prolonged period of time. In addition, however, it is proposed that a six-month time horizon be looked at, with the majority of the focus being placed on shifting the emphasis and eventually reinventing the product range. It is therefore suggested that a team of four marketing professionals should be given the agenda of achieving this plan as part of a specific six-month project (Hallbauer, 2008). Initially, it is proposed that a budget of ?260,000 will be provided on the basis of ?40,000 per month to cover the advertising in key locations and in order to ensure that the manpower is available in every store across the country. It is also recognised that having a strong celebrity endorsement may be very beneficial, the budget may need to be adjusted to reflect this. Evaluation Methods By looking at the current difficulties being faced by the MS clothing range, it can be seen that it is largely attached to the perception of individuals and the demands of the potential target audience. With this in mind, evaluating the marketing and PR agenda will not only involve looking at quantitative figures such as the change in sales, but more crucially at the changing perceptions of customers and potential customers. Also for this reason, at least initially, the necessary way to evaluate the PR agenda will be to undertake an analysis of customer perceptions and satisfaction of products. After the initial six-month period, it is anticipated that there will be shifting sales figures and therefore the evaluation methods used would need to alter to take this into account. It is, however, recognised that this marketing agenda will not completely change the fortunes of the company in a matter of weeks and evaluation methods need to be reflective of this gradual shift, if the agenda is not to be deemed a failure, at a fairly early stage (Newman Cullen, 2002). References Hackley, C, (2009) Advertising and Promotion: An Integrated Marketing Communications Approach, SAGE Publications Hallbauer, S, (2008) Retail Marketing and New Retail Idea – Marks and Spencer, GRIN Verlag MacDonald, G, (2011) For MS’s Bolland, Success is in the Detail, Retail Week, Available at: http://www.retail-week.com/city/for-mss-bolland-success-is-in-the-detail/5025603.article Marks and Spencer (2014) Available at: http://corporate.marksandspencer.com/investors/press_releases/only_m_s_marks_spencer_invites_you_to_meet_britains_leading_ladies Newman, A Cullen, P, (2002) Retailing: Environment Operations, Cengage Learning Parrish, E. (2010) Retailers’ use of niche marketing in product development. Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management, Vol. 14, No. 4, pp. 546-561 How to cite PR Plan for MS Clothing, Essay examples

The Doctrine of Capital Maintenance Samples †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Doctrine of Capital Maintenance. Answer: The capital maintenance doctrine is the basic principal regulation orlaw of corporate law. It establishes the principals where a company must receive proper consideration for the shares and the amount of capital must paid to the members only who are shareholders as per the legislature. The company keeps the capital for the safety of the company creditors. The court assists for confirming that the share capital is using lawfully for buying the share for the company only (Bainbridge 2015). The doctrine was briefly describes in the landmark case Trevor v Whitworth (1887) where the House of Lords stated that a company could not keep its own shares, because it would decrease the capital of the company. This is also stated such affects that the members might not receive any capital without a deduction in capital as authorized by the court (Ferran Ho 2014). In the Flitcrofts Case, Jessel M.R. mentioned the above-mentioned essential features of the doctrine. It describes the essential attributes: a company has no rights to buy its own shares. Shareholders of a company are bound to the payments of dividends shares. It is restricted from providing any financial support to buy its own shares. Therefore, the doctrine also outlines the legal rules relating to the deduction in the company reserves or share capital. In Australia, the Capital Maintenance doctrine has contained in the Australian corporatelaw under section 256A, 256 C of the Corporations Act 2001. The provision duty of this act is to protect the interest of the creditors and the shareholders and ensuring fair dealings between them. Section 256 C of the Act stipulates that the share capital of a company can be redeemed provided the shareholders approve it and it does not hinder the ability of the company to make payments to them (Hamermesh 2014). In the sec 256C of the Corporation Act stated that the capital amount of share profit of the company must be decrease when the shareholder allows the capital amount. In 256B of the Corporation Act stated the exceptions of doctrines where company can reduce the share capital and the sec 257A allow the company to buy its own shares but there are some terms and conditions applied (Hannigan 2014). The exceptions applicable to the doctrine under section 256 B allow the company to reduce share capital of the company and section 257 A permits the company to buy back its own shares. The introduction of more transparent and effective capital system has outweighed the outdated capital system. It make sure the better protection to the creditors as it provides impartial and more accurate information to the creditors that allows the creditors to evaluate the capability of the company to pay debts. Reference Bainbridge, S. (2015).Corporate Law. West Academic. Ferran, E., Ho, L. C. (2014).Principles of corporate finance law. Oxford University Press. Hamermesh, L. A. (2014). Consent in Corporate Law. Hannigan, B. (2015).Company law. Oxford University Press, USA. Kawano, L. (2014). The dividend clientele hypothesis: Evidence from the 2003 tax act.American Economic Journal: Economic Policy,6(1), 114-136. Lazonick, W. (2014). Profits without prosperity.Harvard Business Review,92(9), 46-55. Levy, A. B. (2013).Private corporations and their control(Vol. 11). Routledge. Petty, J. W., Titman, S., Keown, A. J., Martin, P., Martin, J. D., Burrow, M. (2015).Financial management: Principles and applications. Pearson Higher Education AU.

3 Steps To Being More Productive, Without Stressing Yourself Out

3 Steps To Being More Productive, Without Stressing Yourself Out It’s no surprise that our attention spans are shrinking and our to-do lists are spiraling hideously out of control while we procrastinate, panic, and eventually curl up into a ball watching Netflix. This is the world we live in! We all want to be more productive- the kind of people who write (and actually work through) detailed to-do lists, skipping from project to project until we’ve conquered the mountain of our goals.1. Write it downThe most important first step is to get that giant, unmanageable list out of your brain. Make a physical to-do list. Even if you already have one. Divide it into large projects and small projects so you don’t get freaked out every time you look at it thinking, AAAAH,  I HAVEN’T DONE THAT GIANT SCARY THING. Keep the giant scary things separate from the â€Å"I can do this in an hour† things. That way you can start crossing things off immediately and build enough momentum to tackle the hard stuff once you’ve se ttled into work.2. Hunker down and do itThe second step is to actually show up and do the work. That means clearing your headspace and being present and mindful of your task. Think about the parameters of each one before you start in on it. That way you’ll choose tasks that match your current state of mind at any given moment, and increase your potential for success. Sick or sad or really distracted? That’s probably not a great day to start your biggest project. Save that project for a day when you’re feeling confident and clear-headed.3. Prepare for distractionsThe final step is being able to handle the curve balls that will, inevitably, come your way. Build time and space into your work-time structure to handle the emergencies and extra assignments  as they hit you. Budgeting for this will help you not to feel that you have lost anything when you blitz through these unexpected tasks. You can go back to your existing list guilt-free.This doesn’t mean y ou’ll never again get stressed out by the piles and piles of tasks you have to do, but these guidelines should give you a strategy at how to conquer those piles without the panic. The more you practice them, the less to-do list stress you’ll have.How to Overcome Your To-Do List Anxiety

Working at Home and Workplace Productivity

Working at Home and Workplace Productivity Working at Home and Workplace Productivity Working at Home and Workplace Productivity By Mark Nichol The recent news that Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer is banning employees from working at home has caused a flurry of commentary in the media and among workers in the Internet industry. One aspect of the issue is how such a decision affects content producers. Banning telecommuting is a heavy-handed strategy. The rationale for the policy change, according to a leaked Yahoo memo, is that the company needs employees to be available to collaborate with colleagues in person, but the irony in this statement from an Internet company is delicious. Commentators have debated the wisdom of Yahoo’s approach, some arguing that telecommuting encourages slacking and others insisting that it boosts productivity. The truth, as is often the case, is somewhere in between. At my last job before my current freelancing stint, I worked for a company that allowed most employees to work from home one day a week until management decided that it wasn’t working out. The implicit reason was that some people were abusing the privilege, staying home and not getting much work done. In my case, what had been my most productive workday became just like any other, punctuated with interruptions and distractions and noisy coworkers. Fortunately, the privilege was reinstated after a while, during which interval managers presumably were encouraged to keep closer tabs on the employees who reported to them. It is this point that any company considering whether to introduce or retain telecommuting should keep in mind: Some employees will game the system whether they’re working on site or at home. Also, it’s disingenuous to use the excuse about the necessity of working in physical proximity with colleagues when much of one’s work is solitary or involves communication with people at other company locations or other businesses. There’s also another issue, one that makes this topic relevant to a site called Daily Writing Tips. Many employees do a significant amount of writing or editing even if their employer is not a publishing or communications company, and telecommuting gives them an opportunity to produce content in an environment with fewer distractions than the workplace offers. I have worked at several companies where coworkers whose responsibilities entailed little or no composing of content played music, talked loudly or incessantly, and otherwise made it difficult for me to do what I was being paid to do. If this predicament sounds familiar to you, and even minimal telecommuting is not part of company policy, consider these possibilities: 1. Ask your manager to try to accommodate your need to work with minimal distractions, if only occasionally. If you cannot be relocated to a quieter workspace, perhaps you can at least sit somewhere else a vacant office, a seldom-used conference room from time to time, as when you need to draft an important report or produce some other significant amount of text. 2. Request the option to work on an offset schedule (starting very early in the morning or ending later at night) so that you have a couple of hours at the beginning or end of the day during which few, if any, other people are in your work area. 3. Ask your manager to monitor noise in the work area and follow up with reminders to employees to minimize sounds and distractions, including telephone conversations and ask him or her to ban use of phones’ speaker functions. (And if people are allowed to listen to music at their desks, ask that they be required to use headphones.) Supervisors who have their own offices are often unaware of excessive noise (especially when certain workers suddenly become subdued and intent on their work when a manager appears), and they may need to be nudged to address the problem. 4. Suggest a policy that any conversation that takes more than a moment must take place in a meeting room or another area, because trying to write while the person seated next to you discusses a job-related problem (or a recent vacation) with a visiting colleague for half an hour is half an hour of your workday wasted. 5. Ask to be allowed to telecommute one or two days a week on a trial basis, suggesting that you and your manager agree on baseline productivity expectations. If your request is granted, make sure that you significantly exceed those benchmarks. You may hesitate to make such suggestions, concerned that you will be viewed as a troublemaker, but emphasize the improved productivity and morale that will result for all, not just for you, if such policies are implemented. Your success, of course, will also depend on your manager’s competence and on the company culture. Consider, too, asking for support from your colleagues (most, if not all, of whom are likely to sympathize and to agree that a quieter work environment would be beneficial). Finally, determine to go to your manager’s superior or to your company’s human resources director if your immediate supervisor does not resolve the issue. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Business Writing category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Farther vs. FurtherWriting the CenturySit vs. Set