Hierarchy of Needs in the Workplace Essay Example

Hierarchy of Needs in the Workplace Essay Example Hierarchy of Needs in the Workplace Paper Hierarchy of Needs in the Workplace Paper Brief Biography: Abraham Maslow Abraham H. Maslow was born April 1, 1908 in Brooklyn, New York. As the eldest of seven children he was pushed hard for academic success. As a child he was smart yet shy and unhappy; as result he took refuge in reading books. Forty years later, after extensive education and research, Maslow developed the theory of human motivation known as â€Å"Maslows Hierarchy of Needs. † As a psychologist, he noted that some human needs were more powerful than others. Therefore he divided those needs into five general categories ranging from most urgent to most advance. Maslow first published his theory in the 1940s, which later became a widely accepted concept in the fields of psychology and anthropology. During his late years (1951 to 1969) he was a professor at Brandeis University until he died of a heart attack in 1970. Abraham Maslow saw a human beings needs arranged like a ladder, with the most basic needs at the bottom. First there are physical needs such as air, water, food, and sex. Next are safety needs (security and stability), followed by psychological or social needs (sense of belonging, love, and acceptance). At the top are the self-actualizing needs, such as self-fulfillment. Maslow felt that unfulfilled needs lower on the ladder would keep a person from climbing to the next step. He also felt that individuals who dealt in managing the higher needs were â€Å"self-actualized†. He generalized that self-actualizing people tend to focus on problems outside of themselves, have a clear sense of what is genuine, are spontaneous as well as creative, and do not feel the need to strictly attend social gatherings. â€Å"Hierarchy of Needs† in the Workplace To my beliefs, Abraham Maslow has had a significant impact on the practices which compose the field of organizational management, many of which I have been able to experience during my employment as an Avionics supervisor for the United States Marine Corps and as a Site Supervisor for Rio Salado College. During this essay, it will be my intent to give the reader an insight as to the different levels of the â€Å"Hierarchy of Needs† and how I feel they can be applied to the workplace. First begin with the lowest level on the hierarchy, human physiological concerns. In order to survive, one must feed themselves, drink water, breath, use the bathroom, and procreate. If one did not do these things, then one could not survive. It is the employer’s responsibility to ensure that an employee’s basic concerns and comforts are met in order for them to be productive. For example, if an employee is freezing cold in the work place, then he/she will not work as quickly and efficiently as if he/she were in a comfortable environment. On the second level there is safety and the need for human beings to feel protected. This could translate into the workplace as a need for job and financial security. Once again, it is an employer’s duty to establish this security for the employees. As a consequence for not fulfilling this need, an employee may not work to their fullest potential, especially if they feel that they could most likely be laid off or fired. In a worst case scenario, an employee may decide to give up or even do something to negatively impact the company as an act of revenge. The third level consists of a persons desire to belong and feel loved. An employer can help create this environment by establishing camaraderie among employees. There are possible ways for an employer to provide bonding opportunities by scheduling social events or by pairing compatible individuals to work together. Notorious for implementing these types of bonding strategies, are police units, military, as well as any organization where unit cohesion is of the utmost importance. This is primarily because camaraderie, unit morale, and willingness to work together are essential for these organizations to effectively carry out their purpose. The fourth level illustrates how human beings strive for success, feel strong emotions, and need self-assurance when in a group environment. Take for example how in the work place, ideally when an employee works to gain respect, the better their boost in self-confidence will be. With this principle, an employer should have the drive to create activities outside of work to motivate employees and raise self-esteem, thus raising worker self-reliance and most importantly workplace productivity. The final and most important level on Maslow’s hierarchy is â€Å"self actualization†, which refers to an accomplished individual’s ability to be creative, solve problems, and deal with feelings of morality. As related to the workplace, this characteristic unquestionably applies to those in supervisory positions. Without â€Å"self-actualization† a manager would not have the confidence to lead, resolve concerns, and deal with the ethical issues that commonly arise in the workplace, eventually resulting in the deterioration of unit structure. In the end, an efficient leader is the key o creating a healthy work environment and enhancing organizational effectiveness. References Abraham Maslow Biography. Value Based Management. 23 Aug. 2008 valuebasedmanagement. net/leaders_maslow_hierarchy. html. Huitt, William. Maslows hierarchy of needs. Educational Psychology Interactive. 23 Aug. 2008 ;http://chiron. valdosta. edu/whuitt/col/regsys/maslow. html;. Kermal ly, Sultan. Gurus on Managing People. London: Thorogood Books, 2005. Sirgy, Joseph M. , and Coskun A. Samli. New Dimensions in Marketing/Quality-of-Life Research. Westport: Quorum Books, 1995.

3 Expert Tips for Tackling the UVA Essay Prompts

3 Expert Tips for Tackling the UVA Essay Prompts SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the University of Virginia boasts impressive academics, competitive sports team, and a long list of notable alumni. Though over 20,000 students attend UVA, the school has an admissions rate of just 30% - meaning you’ll have to work hard if you want to be a Cavalier. One of the best ways to boost your chances of admissions is by writing great UVA essays as part of your application. In this article, we’ll break down what the UVA essay prompts are and how you can write responses to each prompt that will make you stand out. What Are the UVA Supplemental Essay Prompts? In order to apply to UVA, you’ll submit either the Common or Coalition Application. No matter which option you choose, you’ll have to complete the UVA supplement, which includes two essays. Neither of the UVA essays has a hard word count, though the instructions recommend that you write around half a page, or 250 words. For the first UVA supplement essay, you’re required to write a response based on the school within UVA that you’re applying to. For the second UVA supplement essay, you get to choose the topic that resonates most with you. UVA Essay Prompts Here are the UVA essay prompts for 2018-19: Prompt #1 We are looking for passionate students to join our diverse community of scholars, researchers, and artists. Answer the question that corresponds to the school/program to which you are applying in a half page or roughly 250 words. College of Arts and Sciences - What work of art, music, science, mathematics, or literature has surprised, unsettled, or challenged you, and in what way? School of Engineering and Applied Sciences - If you were given funding for a small engineering project that would make everyday life better for one friend or family member, what would you design? School of Architecture - Describe an instance or place where you have been inspired by architecture or design. School of Nursing - School of Nursing applicants may have experience shadowing, volunteering, or working in a health care environment. Tell us about a healthcare-related experience or another significant interaction that deepened your interest in studying Nursing. Kinesiology Program - Discuss experiences that led you to choose the kinesiology major. Prompt #2 Answer one of the following questions in a half page or roughly 250 words. What’s your favorite word and why? We are a community with quirks, both in language and in traditions. Describe one of your quirks and why it is part of who you are. Student self-governance, which encourages student investment and initiative, is a hallmark of the UVA culture. In her fourth year at UVA, Laura Nelson was inspired to create Flash Seminars, one-time classes which facilitate high-energy discussion about thought-provoking topics outside of traditional coursework. If you created a Flash Seminar, what idea would you explore and why? UVA students paint messages on Beta Bridge when they want to share information with our community. What would you paint on Beta Bridge and why is this your message? UVA students are charged with pushing the boundaries of knowledge to serve others and contribute to the common good. Give us an example of how you’ve used what you’ve learned to make a positive impact in another person’s life. UVA Essays, Analyzed Looking for advice on how to write amazing UVA essays? Let’s break down how to answer each prompt. UVA Prompt #1 The instructions are the same for all of the first UVA essays: "We are looking for passionate students to join our diverse community of scholars, researchers, and artists. Answer the question that corresponds to the school/program to which you are applying in a half page or roughly 250 words." Let’s look at how to answer each one. College of Arts and Sciences - What work of art, music, science, mathematics, or literature has surprised, unsettled, or challenged you, and in what way? This prompt gives you an opportunity to examine many different fields. The key is to pick something you’re passionate about. Passion doesn’t always have to be a good thing. You may be passionate about why Pride Prejudice is the worst book ever written. This essay asks about something that has surprised, unsettled, or challenged you - you don’t need to pick your favorites here. Consider picking something that has reframed your perception of the world. Have you read a book that opened your eyes to another culture? Has some fact of science truly blown your mind? Go with something that has shifted how you view and conceptualize the world. Again, it doesn’t have to be in a good way. School of Engineering and Applied Sciences - If you were given funding for a small engineering project that would make everyday life better for one friend or family member, what would you design? This prompt allows you to think out of the box! In order to ace this essay, go small (it says so in the prompt) and personal. You don’t need to dream up a cure for cancer or a new way to bring water to the developing countries. Think about a challenge that faces the ones you love every day - you should pick something that feels real and honest. Don’t try to impress with size and scale here. Instead, make a small, meaningful impact. If you’re able to describe how your project really makes a change, it will be more memorable in the eyes of the admissions committee. School of Architecture - Describe an instance or place where you have been inspired by architecture or design. Inspiration comes in many forms - what’s important for this prompt is to think about what has inspired you, not the masses. In other words, don’t feel like you need to pick the Empire State Building if you weren’t actually inspired by that work. Pick something that was meaningful to you and expand on why it impacted you. You could even pick a small home - something that encouraged you to think of building dwellings that are important for families. Whatever you choose, you should be sincere about your inspiration. Anything that sounds trite will be really obvious to the admissions committee. They’ll read thousands of applications about wanting to make the tallest building in the world - make yours sound different. School of Nursing - School of Nursing applicants may have experience shadowing, volunteering, or working in a health care environment. Tell us about a healthcare-related experience or another significant interaction that deepened your interest in studying Nursing Don’t feel like you need to highlight a huge moment here - rather, focus on something that’s significant to you even if that experience was small! The key to this prompt is to make sure that you’re highlighting something real that happened to you or someone important to you. The more personal you can make the experience, the better. Saying something like â€Å"I want to solve cancer for everyone† is less impactful than saying that you have seen firsthand how cancer affected your grandmother. Nursing is a personal profession - lean into that for this essay. Kinesiology Program - Discuss experiences that led you to choose the kinesiology major. For this prompt, focus on one or two experiences and discuss them in detail. Don’t give an entire overview of your history - describing something more fully will resonate more than trying to cram a lot of experiences into a relatively short essay. Be honest about what drove you to kinesiology - don’t write what you think the admissions committee wants to hear. Write what’s true for you. UVA Prompt #2: The instructions are the same for all of the second round of UVA prompts: "Answer one of the following questions in a half page or roughly 250 words." You only need to pick one of these questions to answer. What’s your favorite word and why? With a prompt like this, it can be tempting to want to impress the admissions committee with your knowledge of esoteric vocabulary. Don’t go that route, unless you have a true connection to a strange, rarely used word. Pick a word that’s meaningful to you - something that’s very specific to you. The key here isn’t to pick the most interesting word, it’s to have the most meaningful and memorable experience to back it up. If â€Å"family† is really important to you, you need to have a good reason - simply saying you love your parents isn’t enough. Focus on the â€Å"why† rather than the word and you’ll be on the right track. We are a community with quirks, both in language and in traditions. Describe one of your quirks and why it is part of who you are. This prompt offers you a chance to show off a side of yourself that the rest of your application doesn’t highlight. Take advantage of it! Do you have a passion for collecting Minnie Mouse figurines? Do you have to run four miles every single morning? Do you stop everything you’re doing whenever the Red Sox are playing? Do your parents always make fun of you for pronouncing a word strangely? Whatever your quirk is, now’s the time to celebrate it! Write freely and without embarrassment - a quirk is a quirk! It’s not supposed to seem normal. The admissions committee won’t judge you for your quirk. They want to learn the interesting parts about your personality. Student self-governance, which encourages student investment and initiative, is a hallmark of the UVA culture. In her fourth year at UVA, Laura Nelson was inspired to create Flash Seminars, one-time classes which facilitate high-energy discussion about thought-provoking topics outside of traditional coursework. If you created a Flash Seminar, what idea would you explore and why? The topic you choose doesn’t have to be high-brow or exceedingly academic - rather, you need to pick a topic that’ll inspire thought-provoking conversations. If that conversation is, â€Å"What does Kim Kardashian say about the future of advertising?† that’s fine! As long as the topic is important to you. As with the other prompts, the word â€Å"why† is the most important of this prompt. You need to have a strong reason for wanting to explore this topic. If you want to talk about Kim Kardashian, that’s cool - as long as you can indicate why this is a topic worthy of discussion. UVA students paint messages on Beta Bridge when they want to share information with our community. What would you paint on Beta Bridge and why is this your message? As with the other prompts, the â€Å"why† is the most important part of this question. Whatever message you land on, make sure you have a good reason for it. Avoid trite or cliched phrases, like â€Å"Be the change you wish to see in the world.† The admissions committee will have seen thousands of these - and those words are probably already written on Beta Bridge. What do you have to say? What message is personal to you? What lesson have you learned that you specifically can communicate? UVA students are charged with pushing the boundaries of knowledge to serve others and contribute to the common good. Give us an example of how you’ve used what you’ve learned to make a positive impact in another person’s life. First and foremost: don’t make something up here. Don’t say that you spent months devoted to helping a family whose father was suffering from cancer if that’s just not true. While this prompt does encourage you to share how you’ve served people, it’s not a contest. You don’t have to have the grandest and most impressive example of selflessness that the committee’s ever read. What you do need to have is sincerity - talk about how you helped someone and why that experience was so impactful. Explain what led you to help and reflect on how UVA might inspire similar feelings of service in you. How to Write UVA Essays Here are some general tips for how to write UVA essays that will wow the committee. #1: Be You Your UVA supplement essay is a chance to show the admissions committee who you are. Take that opportunity to flesh yourself out. You’re not simply a collection of A’s and B’s printed on a transcript. You’re a real person! Show that in your UVA essays. #2: Feedback Is Cool; Plagiarism Is Not It can be tempting to bounce essay ideas off your peers, parents, and teachers. That’s fine! But don’t rely on them too heavily. Your work should be your own - from the ideas to the execution. There’s a fine line between receiving helpful feedback and using that feedback in a way that misrepresents your work and ability. Seek out help, but know that you have the first and final say. #3: Play With Form Your UVA essays don't have to follow the traditional five paragraph structure. UVA encourages you to play with form. That means you can submit a poem, if you want! Take advantage of the freedom from structure to write in a way that feels authentic to you. If that means starting every sentence with the letter â€Å"E†, then go for it! As long as your work is well-written and engaging, the form doesn’t matter. What’s Next? There are over 5,000 colleges in the United States- how can you possibly decide which to apply to? Using a college finder tool can help you sort through your options and find your ideal school without having to tour every single campus. Once you've decided on some colleges or universities that you're interested in attending, our guide will help you narrow down your list to safeties, matches, and reach school. Still not sure what you're looking for in a college?Read our articles on whether you should go to a school close to home and whether you should attend a large or small college. Want to write the perfect college application essay? Get professional help from PrepScholar. Your dedicated PrepScholar Admissions counselor will craft your perfect college essay, from the ground up. We'll learn your background and interests, brainstorm essay topics, and walk you through the essay drafting process, step-by-step. At the end, you'll have a unique essay that you'll proudly submit to your top choice colleges. Don't leave your college application to chance. Find out more about PrepScholar Admissions now:

Target Marketing for Agrium Inc Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 19

Target Marketing for Agrium Inc - Essay Example Agrium has approximately 500 retail units in South America and the United States of America and they operate under the brand names of Crop Production Services, West Farm Services and Agroservicios Pampeanos SA (Agrium, 2012). The retail units deal directly with farmers in selling its agricultural nutrients and specialty fertilizers. Its affiliate, the Crop Production Services has the vision to be a leader in the production of agricultural inputs in all segments of its market and in doing this; it has embarked on a policy to retain talented employees in its services so as to provide high-quality services to its customers. The organization seeks to build its brand name by assisting college students to achieve higher education by paying their fees.  Through its wholesale unit, the company provides nitrogen and phosphate fertilizers to retailers who in turn sell these products to farmers. The wholesale unit, in achieving its targets, treats its customers as partners in the business and it does this through honesty and integrity in dealing with them. The company has a distribution network of over 100 supplied by thirteen production unit and these results into the timely supply of the products to their customers. The company has initiated technological devices such as Ag Tracker and loading hours to enable customers to access critical product information and operating hours of various plants of the organization.  The advanced technological unit produces specialty fertilizers and focuses on environmental sustainability (Agrium, 2012). This unit targets consumers, agricultural and horticulture market and organizations engaging in sports such as golf, due to the profession turf. In achieving its objective, the company markets and sells its products through distributors in the United States of America and Canada.

Networking and competition Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Networking and competition - Assignment Example People greatly recognized and appreciated him through his snapshots to an extent that even if he comes up with such a creative idea in future, people will still recognize him. He saw a business idea and made it happen. However, networking requires the spirit of hard work and commitment to attain the required fruits. Had Kalina not committed himself to the daily task of taking self portraits, his project would not have thrives. Competition is important to motivate business minded people to put an extra effort in their businesses. For Kalina to transform his snapshots into the most famous videos recognized today, he saw a video from Ahree Lee which served as his catalyst. Without such a competition, he would not have transformed his snapshots into something that would positively affect his career. Most businesses do not feel good if any form of competition tends to overtake them. This is because in today’s world, most customers flee to businesses that provide the best quality products at affordable prices. That is why most business individuals always strive to outdo their competitors to achieve the highest number of clients and maintain them. Competition is one powerful force that pushes business individuals to improve their performance. This powered with appropriate networking ensures that businesses achieve the expected goals and objectives of that organization. Many businesses make use of networking in their marketing plan. It enables a relationship of trust to develop between the individuals involved. It also enables the company to rank its profile at a high level. In the event of networking, most businesses learn of their competitors’ strategy and ensure that they come up with almost the same or even better strategies. However, it is difficult to get hold of a strategy used by a competitor. That is why some businesses wait for a competitor to come up with a

Critical Evaluation of International Essay Example for Free

Critical Evaluation of International Essay A review of literature on international HRM reveals three different approaches (Dowling et al. , 1999, p. 2): Comparative, Cross-cultural and multi-national. Firstly, according to Adler (1997), the early approaches to researching international HRM focused on cross-cultural differences and examination of human behaviour from an international perspective. Certainly, research on cross-cultural organizational behaviour has become a conduit for the understanding of the dynamics of multicultural domestic and international workplaces within the advent of globalisation. There are different levels of analysis within cross-national HRM, national factors, contingent factors and organisational level. Cross-national HRM researchers claim that it is at the levels of national factors and contigent variables that they can make useful contributions through the examination of the impacts of such determinants of HRM policies and practices (Boxall, 1995; Brewster et al, 1996). However, other researchers (Budhwar and Sparrow, 1997; Jackson and Schuler, 1995) argue that national factors and contingent variables are not enough in themselves to provide an understanding of the context-specific nature of HRM practices. It is important therefore, to consider analysis of the impact of organisational-level strategies (Budhwar and Sparrow, 1997). Secondly, the comparative approach focuses on similarities and differences in HRM practices within an international context. Undeniably, Budhwar Sparrow (2002) note that the increase in globalisation of business transactions, the emergence of new markets such as the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China) as well as hyper competition among organisations at equally the domestic and international level have been associated with an increased significance and need for comparative human resource management (HRM) studies. As a result, there has been a growing number of studies addressing the configuration of HRM in different national contexts (Budhwar Sparrow, 2002). According to Rechie, Lee and Quintanilla (2009) one of the most significant role of comparative HRM research is to provide managers, principally those working in multinational firms, with specific guidelines concerning how to design and implement an effective HRM system taking into consideration cultural differences especially when their business operation enters into different cultural contexts for example western multinationals seeking to do business in China. This notion of being responsive to the context and standardisation of HRM policies and practices has generated controversial but nonetheless critical topics of discussion in comparative HRM, such as the debate on localization versus standardization, and the process of transferring HRM policies and practices across nations (Rechie et al, 2009). The thirdly, multinational approach, tends to focus on HRM practices in multinational organisations. The HRM extant literature reveals that there are two distinct schools of thought as regards approaches to managing people within MNCs: (i) convergence and (ii) divergence. According to Brewster et al. , (2007), the convergence approach is said to be one of the most dominant strands in international management research. On the one hand, the convergence approach has three main assumptions: firstly, the ultimate aim in all organisations is to improve performance through high-performance work systems (Brewster, 2001). Secondly, the universal aim of performance improvement can be achieved by using sound and effective management philosophies that hold true despite of differences among national environments (Girgin, 2005). Thirdly, proponents of the convergence approach argue that if local practices are different from these principles, they are expected to be replaced with ‘the one best way’, converging mainly on the American model as the leading industrial economy (Dowling et al. , 1999). According to Girgin (2005) the concept of convergence towards the one best way practice has been encouraged and/or supported by the forces of globalisation, which has led to the opening of world markets, deregulation, regional integration and improvements in communication technologies. Although HRM as a field of practice was developed in America, the principles and practices designed for America may not hold for other parts of the world. Barlett and Ghoshal (1989), say that, the main suggestion of the globalisation argument is that nationality factors in the operation of national systems and of companies are no longer influential or important as international companies become ‘trans-national’ which converge to a new ‘best model’. Yes, the IHRM literature shows that because multinational corporations are embedded in their home institutional environments, they may attempt to transfer ‘home’ practices to their foreign operations in different cultural environments (Edwards et al. , 1999). However, the study of HRM practices in Europe (see Brewster et al 2007) suggest that national differences are significant in the determination of HRM practices. On the other hand, the divergence approach or contextual paradigm searches for contextually unique practices and approaches to management, it does not search for evidence of similarities (Brewster, 2001). Within the IHRM literature, the focal point of the divergence standpoint is the dissimilarity of policies and applications across different national and regional contexts and tries to understand the particularities of the context with a view to interpret why and how such differences have emerged in these settings (Brewster, 2005). Within the divergence school of thought, there are two distinct approaches to managing human resources in multinational organisations: (i) the culturalist and (ii) the institutionalist perspectives. Based mainly on Hofstede’s (1980) value-based behavioural dimensions and concepts of national culture which have made an attempt to explain the influence of culture upon Multinationals’ behaviour, the culturalist approach has found widespread acceptance in the IHRM literature. Hofstede (1980) came to a conclusion that culture was the main determinant of the variations in work-related values, attitudes and behaviours among employees and managers within the same organisation, and of the same profession, age, or gender. Hofstede found that there were four dimensions that explained the differences in work-related values and behaviours: (i) Individualism and collectivism, (ii) Uncertainty avoidance, (iii) Power distance and (iv) Masculinity and femininity According to Girgin (2005), the culturalist approach endeavours to build an understanding of differences in work organisations, managerial behaviour and human resource practices based on attributes of national cultural distinctiveness in terms of values, ideas and beliefs shared by people in a given society. Under the divergence school of thought, the institutionalist perspective is the second. The main argument of the institutionalist perspective is that national institutional contexts (for example, government systems, training and development systems) play a major role in determining structures and strategies of organisations (Girgin, 2005). According to Girgin (2005), those who support the Institutionalist perspective stress the pressures on companies to acquire and maintain legitimacy in relation to the environment and the way that interlocking practices can bring benefits in particular systemic contexts. This perspective presents itself as a more comprehensive framework for the comparative study of different national systems (Girgin, 2005). For example, despite the knowledge of the influence of culture on organisational behaviour, HR practitioners cannot simply measure cultural values across their operations and predict behaviour, due cognisance must be given to various institutional contexts. As noted by Dewettinck and Remue (2011) certain practices are shared across or within particular contexts; some are distinctive of certain countries; some are unique to certain sectors or sections of an organization or even individuals. Without doubt, while each of the above approaches sharpens the focus on some aspects of HRM, it is possible that solely focusing on one aspect may unavoidably, hinder capturing the positive aspects from other perspectives(Mayrhofer and Brewster, 2005). Indeed what appears to be more significant in researching international HRM is the context. According to Dewettinck and Remue (2011) the notion of context and/or focus on contextual factors has been reflected in the cross-cultural embedment of many international HRM studies (Brewster, Mayrhoferand Morley, 2004), in addition, the Globe project which was focused on leadership also reveals that context is important (House and Javidan, 2004). For example, a recent study by Hartmann et al. (2010) of western multinationals operating in China shows that these organisations implement relatively unchanged HRM practices from their home country in their Chinese subsidiaries. The study of Hartmann et al. , reveals that consideration of contextual factors is important in the understanding of HRM practices and the management of people in an international context. As a matter of fact, results of Hartmann et al. ’s study indicate that, although the Chinese subsidiaries of Western multinationals were able to implement unchanged HRM practices such as talent management from their headquarters, the practices were not successfully internalised. This demonstrates the significance of national cultures and being responsive to local needs in implementing HRM practices. The example above actually shows that context is an important aspect in researching international HRM regardless of the approach taken. In conclusion, there is indeed something to be learnt from each of the perspectives. Each of the perspectives do make considerable contribution to the understanding of international HRM.

The Truth Behind the Bus :: Buena Vista University Drinking Alcohol Essays

The Truth Behind the Bus There are many controversial issues concerning the bus service provided by Buena Vista University. BVU Rides, commonly known as the â€Å"Drunk Bus,† receives great reviews from the students using it at Buena Vista. However, members of the Storm Lake community are not as appreciative of this service. It is important, nonetheless, that people learn facts about BVU Rides in order to make an educated judgment. According to Behind the Arch, an essay compiled by students of Buena Vista University about the drinking issues within the university, citizens of Storm Lake feel that the â€Å"Drunk Bus† endorses drinking and drunkenness. The bus does in fact give students a chance to drink without being worried about a way back to their rooms. Some students who would not normally drink because of not having a ride are now able to drink without worrying about a designated driver. The bus system does facilitate ways for students to be able to drink. However, not only is the bus system sending a message to students that they can drink and not be worried about a way back to campus, but it also sends many other positive messages. The Storm Lake Community Believes: Getting Rid of the Bus will make a Statement that Drinking is not Acceptable and will Encourage Students to Abstain from Drinking One factor that Storm Lake citizens need to consider is that no matter what, there will be college students who drink. Not only are some of the students that use this service of age to drink, but it is likely that eliminating BVU Rides will not deter college students of any age from drinking. With there being a good chance of students out drinking, there has to be a way to get them back to their dorms. If Buena Vista were to take away the BVU Rides program, students who drink would not have a safe ride home. This would leave some students thinking that their only way of getting home would be to drive while under the influence. BVU Rides Allows Students to Get Drunk and Become Irresponsible Safety is a major concern when it comes to drinking. Drinkers are often reminded of this with billboards and commercial ads that tell them to â€Å"drink responsibly.† The Storm Lake community is also concerned about safety for themselves and students when it comes to student drinking.

Impact of Social Classes Essay

The world that we live in is so immense, that the people who live in it is so diverse in culture, lifestyle, language and even skin color. We live in different environments and countries yet with all these dissimilarities, we share something in common. That is what we call social classes, which was practiced primarily during the beginning of world civilization. Our world began with this system and thereby influenced the generations after them. People were then identified simply as slaves or kings yet very unjust. People eventually awakened from a lengthy stupor and learned to fight for their human rights to exterminate these social strata and discriminations that exist in the society even until today. It is sad but factual and real. Even in the most democratic country, social classes still exist in modern times and manifest in terms of financial, cultural ethnicity and even racial aspects. We still have what we call as upper, middle and lower classes basing on their financial capacity. It is really part of our world but we have grown to be more considerate and tolerant to each other. In the story A&P, the setting of the story happened in a store in a small town five miles away from the beach. People here are generally conservative thus concerned about propriety. The story began when Sammy, who worked as a cashier in this grocery store called A&P saw three young girls who came in the store barefoot, wearing swimming suits. This of course does not occur everyday in this town, so naturally, Sammy and his co-worker Stokesie were stunned. Even the other grocery shoppers were surprised to these girls confidently walking along the aisles looking for something they need to buy. When the girls were on the counter being manned by Sammy, they caught the eye of Mr. Lengel, who manages the store. Mr. Lengel who also teaches Sunday school could not help but approach the girls and told them â€Å"Girls, this isn’t the beach. † This embarrassed the girls and one of them said, â€Å"We are decent†. The girls then paid and hurried to go back to their car outside and leave. Before the girls left, Sammy suddenly told Mr. Lengel that he is quitting his job, deliberately saying it while the girls were of hearing range to present himself as their hero but when he left the store, the girls left already, putting his efforts to nothing. Sammy then realized that his impulsiveness led his to lose his job which can greatly affect his life and his family. Living in different areas in the same country also means having diverse cultures. Urban areas especially the big cities have displays of a more liberated lifestyle compared to the rural ones. The contrasts of these two societies are very apparent in this story. These girls didn’t think they did anything wrong by walking in a store wearing swimming suits but for residents of that community, it was very improper and offensive. Sammy seemed in awe of these girls and impulsively quit his job just to become a momentary hero for them. Seeing this trio of girls who have been used to a different upbringing due to a social class they grew in opened Sammy’s eyes to something different from the one he is used to. The second story was entitled â€Å"Barn Burning† which happened in the 1930’s. It was about an impoverished family led by the father called Abner Snopes, who works for farmers in way of rental contracts. This family has been moving from one farm to another for several years because Abner always gets in trouble. Abner is so full of bitterness and insecurities that pushed him to do ludicrous deeds to the farm owners he works in. His temper heats up even with the slightest provocation and gets consumed with hatred which impels him to burn the barns of the farms who worked for. All these were done witnessed by his two sons, twin daughters, sister-in-law and his wife who tags along with him every time he needed to move. He was put in question in Peace’s courts several times because of his arsonist tendencies. One time, he burned a barn to get back at his neighbor named Mr. Harris because his hog strayed to his neighbor’s property and defiantly refused to return it if he would not pay the fine of a dollar. He then sent a black man whom he calls rudely as a nigger and asks him to pay the dollar to claim his hog and tell the neighbor, â€Å"Wood and hay kin burn. † Later the barn of that neighbor was burned. After the inquest the Snopes family had to move to another farm outside that county. When they arrived at another farm, he immediately paid a visit to the owner of the farm and insisted on going inside the white carpeted house with his filthy shoes and smeared dung on it from his shoes. He was later told in court to pay the farm owner ten bushels of corn which he obviously could not afford since they can barely put food on their table. He then later decided to burn the barn of that farm owner for revenge. The only person in the Snopes’ family, who truly asserted himself to correct the misdeeds of his father, was Abner’s youngest son who was a little boy named Colonel Sartoris Snopes. He wanted his father’s habitual barn burning to be stopped and so told the farm owner of what was happening. Colonerl Sartoris was righteous and did what he believed was the right thing to do even if his father’s barn burning is revealed. I am not trying to defend but understand Abner for the things he did in the story. What he did was wrong and there was no just compelling for his actions but Abner’s behavior was in some ways a result of what society laid as basis for a person’s worth. He became irrational and resorted to violence when he thought he was unfairly treated instead of trying to do things in a proper way. Social classification then was so vividly observable. The owners of a farm are far more affluent compared to the families in the likes of the Snopes’ who does the hard, laborious work of tilling the land, growing the crops then harvesting it yet earning so little for it. The unfairness of that era was evident and created a huge gap between these social classes which affects the lives of those considered as inferior like Abner’s family. They deserved equal opportunity to live a more comfortable and easy life. Sammy and Abner has the same impulsiveness to do what they think could put justice into a situation without thinking of the consequences of their action. Sammy quit his job to show that he dissented the way Mr. Lengel embarrassed the girls which was implied to be a decision that would affect his family. On the other hand, Abner resorted to violence to solve his predicament which apparently worsens his family’s situation. Social stratification affects the lives of the people. It may enrich their lives or curtail their opportunities. These days it is a relief to see that the lines between these classes are not as vivid as during the time of our forefathers and are now slowly fading into progression. There are still destitute men and women on the streets in most communities. There are still discriminations among races and gender. There are still people oppressed by their leaders. But it is evident that in our society today people are more aware of their rights and would definitely fight for it in whatever way they can. These stories showed the development in how people treated each other during these two eras and the history of social classes.

Safety, Security, Health and Environmental legislation

The SSHE-law is a Safety, Security, Health and Environmental legislation that seeks to safeguard the health of employees and any other person within the premises of the organization. With the changing times and a growing number of hazards within the workplace, SSHE law is vital in regulating the safety standards within the organization. The set codes of practice provide guidance on hazard identification, risk assessment processes and risk control. In New South Wales, the NSW OHS Regulation 2001 regulates the safety measures in an organization to ensure a danger-free working environment (Sengar, 2007). This is a very vital law in the current business situation not only in the New South Wales but also in the rest of the United States. The different chapters of this legislation stipulate the standards that should be met by the management. Proper implementation strategies are also vital in to ensure all parties benefit from the piece of legislation (Kidd, 2008). The chapters clearly state what the management should be aware of regarding the safety of the employees. Following, is a summary of the contents of the various chapters: †¢ Chapter 1- a brief introduction and definitions of the law. Chapter 2- risk management at places of work. †¢ Chapter 3- workplace consultation. †¢ Chapter 4- emphasizes on work premises and working environment. †¢ Chapter 5- is about plant i. e. machinery like computers, equipment, tools. †¢ Chapter 6- is about hazardous substances. †¢ Chapter 7- is on hazardous processes. †¢ Chapter 8- is about construction work. †¢ Chapter 9- a certification of workers. †¢ Chapter 10- is about licensing of certain businesses. †¢ Chapter 11- addresses permits for certain work. †¢ Chapter 12- is a notification of accidents and other miscellaneous provisions. Chapter 6: Hazardous substances. In this essay, Chapter 6, a piece of SSHE-legislation, will be analyzed to establish its risk management principles. The chapter obligates an employer (including the self-employed) to protect their employees from harmful effects of hazardous substances that they could be manufacturing, using or supplying. Hazardous substances contain ingredients that are, according to the document entitled â€Å"Approved Criteria for Classifying Hazardous Substances [NOHSC: 1008 (1999)]† published by the NOHS Commission, either carcinogenic, mutagenic, teratogenic, corrosive, toxic, skin or respiratory sensitizers. In-House Safety Rules & Regulations, unfamiliar chemical is considered as a hazardous substance. It is however paramount to note that this Chapter does not apply to substances such as food, therapeutic agents, tobacco, toiletries and cosmetics, if their use is not related to work activities (Tooma, 2004). Dangerous goods In this Chapter, â€Å"dangerous goods† could mean either goods too dangerous to be transported or C1 combustible liquids (have a flashpoint of between 60. 5 degrees Celsius and 150 degrees Celsius). This is regardless of whether or not they are packaged for transport or under pressure (Bohle & Quinlan, 2000). Risk management principles in the manufacture of hazardous substances A manufacturer must first establish whether or not a substance is hazardous before allowing its use at the work premises. This is determination is done based on the NOHS Commission classification. If found to be hazardous, the manufacturer must prepare a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for the substance before the substance is supplied to another person for use at work (Harrington, 2001). There are various requirements for the MSDS but most importantly the MSDS must set out; At least the chemical name of the ingredient in the hazardous substance. †¢ Its chemical and physical properties. †¢ Relevant health-hazard information. †¢ Precautions to be taken so as to enhance safety during the substance’s usage. †¢ The name, and Australian address and telephone numbers (including an emergency number), of the manufacturer. If the ingredients’ names are not on the MSDS, the manufacturer mu st present a medical practitioner with this vital information which would be useful if emergency medical treatment should be required. The medical practitioner should then sign an agreement not to misuse this information (Michael, 2008). Risk management principles in the supply of hazardous substances The Supplier should provide the MSDS to an employer (not a retailer though) the first time he supplies the substance to him and also after a revision of the MSDS by the manufacturer. The MSDS should also be given to a health practitioner. Proper and clear labeling is also a supplier’s duty in risk management. Labeling is aimed at ensuring awareness of the goods handler on the possible risks involved during handling. The label should generally contain the information in the MSDS. Supplier should provide employer with any other relevant information regarding the safe use of the substance, aside from that in the MSDS. R. (Creighton & Stewart, 2005). Risk management principles in the use of hazardous substances It is worth pointing out that the term â€Å"use† also refers to the handling, storage, transport or disposal of the substance. A wide range of measures are to be taken by the employer to aid in risk management at the work premises. The employer must ensure all employees can always access the unaltered MSDS. The employer should also label the containers holding the hazardous substance. The label should still contain the information in the MSDS (Thompson, 2001). It is an employer’s call to ensure that substances’ contraindications of certain use, e. g. The prohibited use of Carbon disulphide is spray painting, are not used in that manner. For each employee, in case of exposure to the harmful substance which could pose a health risk, the employer must provide health surveillance under an authorized medical practitioner of his (employer’s) choice and at his (employer’s) expense (Bohle & Quinlan, 2000). The legislation clearly states the kind of health surveillance to be provided based on the hazardous substance to which employee has been exposed. A register of all hazardous substances to be kept at the work place. It should contain relevant MSDS and should be readily accessible to the employees. The risk assessment report of any hazardous substance should also be accessible to the employees. An employer must identify any hazardous substance contained in an enclosed system at the place of work such as a pipe or piping system (Johnstone, 2004). Conclusion The importance of safety and security of health at work cannot be overemphasized. Absence of which directly translates to decreased productivity. This has moved me to believe that a nation’s greatest assets are its employees and thus it invests highly in their well-being. NSW, Australia’s most populous state, is not an exception as evidenced by the coming together of various organizations, including the media, to work with the NSW government to ensure the SSHE legislation is properly implemented (Kloss, 2010). The NSW Government works together with WorkCover Authority of NSW which administers regulations such as; Occupational Health and Safety Regulation 2001 and Dangerous Goods (Road and Rail Transport) Regulation 2009. These regulations support the general requirements of the legislation and provide more detail of its application. The OHS Magazine has also assisted in enlightening the public and the relevant authorities where and how to improve on ensuring safety at work (Creighton & Stewart, 2005).

Marriott Hotels

Marriott Hotels Executive Summary/ Overview of the company: The international hotel industry has a lot of potential with more people participating in leisure, business and tourism all industry participants are formulating and implementing top notch strategies and offering premium services and products activities.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Marriott Hotels Product: Expensive Rooms specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The flagship brand of Marriott International, the Marriott Hotels and resort is one of the world’s most leading and legendary hotel franchises with over 2,800 hotels in about 68 countries. The hotels generate close to three quarters of the total income generated by Marriott International and the rest from timeshares. Marriott international is not only well renowned in the hospitality setting but in the top companies of the world. Establish by Willard J. Marriott in 1927 as a hospitality company at first known a s Marriott Corporation in Arlington County, Virginia but was later separated into two, the Marriott international and the Host Marriott Corporation in 1993. The Marriott’s headquarters today is based in Washington D.C. and headed by J.W. (Bill) Marriott, Jr. (son of founder Willard J. Marriott) who is the chief executive officer of the franchise. Marriott International is simply Marriott group’s hotel and lodgings chain with the amount of business transacted over recent times, is approximated at about US$ 13.3 billion. The hotel chain employs close to 15,000 workers worldwide and operates a number of full service hotels and resorts around the world. A poll conducted by times magazine in 2009 placed the Marriott Group fourth overall in an employee fulfillment research done among UK companies. Marriott’s endeavor to offer the best luxurious service to their customers and clients is well embodied in the words and thinking of the founder of the franchise, Willard J. Marriott: â€Å"†¦A man should keep on being constructive, and do constructive things. (Lim, 2009). Marriott therefore intends to exist and compete with other industry performers such as Hyatt and Hilton and outshine them by offering the complete customer experience.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Overview of the Company Marriott International Inc. is one of the premiere global operators and franchiser of hotels and associated lodging services. As of the end of 2006, the business owned over 2,800 hotels with a presence in 68 nations. It acquires approximately three quarters of its income from its hotel business and one forth from timeshares. The company has more than 85 percent of its possessions rooted in the U.S. In the fiscal year 2006, the firm announced revenues of USD 12.2 billion along with net proceeds of USD 608 million in comparison to returns of USD 11.6 billion with net profits of USD 669 million in the previous year. The growth of the company in terms of compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) was recorded at 7.4 percent in the time span of six years from 2000 to 2006 (Oviedo-Garcia, 2008). The Marriott Hotels and Resorts is the flagship brand of the Marriott International. It has several full service hotels and resorts. The head quarters of the company is situated in Washington D.C. It is one of the most renowned companies in the World, not only in the hospitality industry but also in the foremost companies in the World. In a recent poll conducted by the renowned The Times magazine in the year 2009, the company was placed in the fourth position in all the companies of UK in the sphere of employee satisfaction. The brand operates more than 482 hotels and resorts worldwide (Cho, 2010). Initially the company was named as Marriott Corporation. It was a hospitality company and the company existed from 1927 to the year 1993. The founder of the company was Willard Marriott and Frank Kimball. The first Marriott Hotel was opened in a place called Arlington County, in Virginia. Historically the first international hotel was situated in Mexico in the year in the year 1969. In the year 1993, the company was divided into two parts, the â€Å"Marriott International Corporation and the Host Marriott Corporation† (Cho, 2010).Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Marriott Hotels Product: Expensive Rooms specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Marriott International It is basically the hotel chain of the Marriott Group. In recent calculation the hotel chain has around 3100 investments which provide lodging facilities in the United States, and over 67 in other countries. The recent turnover of the company is estimated at US$ 13.3 billion. More than 150000 employees work in the Marriott hotels chain worldwide. There are different business segments in the h otel chain and they are as follows: Full Service and Lodging Select Service and Lodging Extended Stay and Lodging Timeshare Synthetic fuel. Some of the very important hotels under the brand are like Marriott Hotels and Resorts, J.W. Marriott Hotel and resorts and Renaissance Hotels and Resorts. In our discussion we will concentrate on the Marriott Hotels and Resorts. The longest running hotel in the Marriott brand is the Key Bridge Marriott which is situated in Arlington. It was opened in the year 1959. If we look at the history of the company we will surely see that the company has rapidly evolved into an international brand name (Oviedo-Garcia, 2008). One of the very important acquisitions of the Corporation happened in the year 1995. In that year Marriott purchased 49% of the share of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Co. The other very important brands in the Marriott family except the Marriott Hotels and the Ritz Carlton Hotel Corporation are, Renaissance Hotels and Resorts, Marriott Co nference Centers, Courtyard ( by Marriott), Fairfield Inn, Springhill Suites, Residence Inn, Tower place Suits, Marriott ExecuStay, Marriott Executive Apartments, Horizons, Ritz-Carlton Club, Marriott Executive Apartments, and the MVCI or the Marriott Vacation Club International (Cho, 2010). Important Brands of Marriott International Renaissance Hotels: The Renaissance Hotel Chain is a boutique like hotel chain which is managed by the Marriott Group. There are a number of hotels in the chain, and some of them are also managed by other franchise license. Marriott Conference Centers: Especially designed for Corporate and other types of conference, the Marriott Conference Centers are one of the most important brands of the company. Courtyard by Marriott: This is a type of hotels that is designed for the business clients and customers. The rooms are fully equipped with different types of facilities, and they are direct competitors of the hotels like Wingate Inn and the Hilton Garden In n, which are regarded as very important hotels in the Hospitality Industry (Anastasiadou, 2008). Fairfield Inn: It is a low cost hotel brand which is also franchised by the Marriott International. The basic purpose for the hotels is that to provide a place to sleep for the guests with few amenities. The specific chain of hotels allows rents in a very cheap price and is very popular among the regular travelers throughout America. SpringHill Suites: This is especially designed for the all purpose suite system in hotels. As in the year 2009, there were 210 SpringHill Suites in all of America (Lugosi, 2008). Company Mission According to J. Willard Marriott:Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More â€Å"A man should keep on being constructive, and do constructive things. He should take part in the things that go on in this wonderful world. He should be someone to be reckoned with. He should live life and make every day count, to the very end. Sometimes its tough. But thats what Im going to do† (Lim, 2009). The vision of the Marriott International is to become the Numero Uno in the World in the sphere of Hospitality Service provider. To achieve the target, the business goals of the company centre on the growth of the company, along with special care to the guests and finally keep a strict check on the financial developments of the company (Chung, 2008). As with all the other companies there are some very important foundations of The Marriott International. They are like the employees, the guests, the shareholders, the service providers. In the next paragraphs we will discuss the different visions of the company and how they will help the company to realize their mission . The Business of the Marriott In the hospitality management sphere, Marriott International is the best. They are devoted to bring their guests comfort and satisfaction with their services. There is no blue print in their success, and their only choice is to care their guests in the most efficient as possible. The company believes that they will continue to expand their business with their skills and they will successfully utilize their skills for complete customer satisfaction in different areas, without losing their traditional customer bases (Oviedo-Garcia, 2008). The Shareholders of Marriott As with any business, whether it is international or national, the interests of the shareholders are highly valued in the context of the Marriott Hotels. According to their website, they will guarantee of unquestioned strength to their share holders. To keep this, the company strictly maintains the highest standards in the industry. They also regularly check their positions in the stock mark ets. The financial strength and the market factor help the company to complete their mission. They also give surety of strong and sustainable growth for their shareholders (Cho, 2009). The Customers The most important pillar of strength of the Marriott International is their customer base. The company promises that they will provide World Class services to their customers in every circumstance. The Employees The employees of the Marriott thrive to set high expectations from themselves and the business. They employees will try to build an employee culture among the organization. Individual growth is highly appreciated in the organization. Other than that working successfully in a team will help to realize the expectations of both the management and the guests of the organization. All the employees are determined to spend some of the times to make the community and the environment a better place to live (Cho, 2010). Mission Statement Providing the guests with the finest services poss ible in the given atmosphere. Every service that will be rendered to the guests and the patrons will be done effortlessly, and this will ensure â€Å"fair price† for the customer. On the other hand it will interest the stock holder for a sound investment choice (Anastasiadou, 2008). Customer is always the first choice, and meaning this as a whole. The Marriott Group is among the World Leaders in innovation, efficiency, along with quality and finally customer satisfaction. Everyone working in the organization has to take care of the brand name of the company, and value it more than anything else (Lim, 2009). Always expect the best from every person working in the concern. Corporate Social Responsibility and Business Ethics According to J.W. Marriott, Jr., the chairman and CEO of the Marriott Hotels, â€Å"We need to stand together to ensure that the travel and tourism industry is always a positive force for good in the world† (Chung, 2008). The Marriott Hotels is a Wor ld famous brand and they try to take different corporate social responsibilities to help the society in different ways. The company strives to high ethical quality along with uncompromising standards in their different procedures. The code of business that is followed in the concern enables the managers and the employees to stick to the right path to conduct business. And for that the seniors of the concern always take out their hands of support to the juniors. The processes include many aspects, like advising the employees to the laws related to anti-trust. Unfair contributions from any sphere of society and most importantly, any unfair political connection is strongly reprimanded in the Marriott Hotels. The organization says a strict no to any kind of bribery, whichever type it may be. Also they do not unfairly use their purchasing power. The training program in Marriott Hotels has a specific chapter called â€Å"How We Do Business Is as Important as the Business We Do† (Lu gosi, 2008), and it teaches the employees what are the required qualities from an employee, and most importantly what are the different human rights the organization thrives to maintain. All the employees, including the senior managers have to go through a yearly internal survey based on the â€Å"Legal and Ethical Conduct† (Lugosi, 2008) of their actions. It is done to see if all the employees adhere to the Marriott Hotel’s â€Å"Ethical Conduct Policy† (Lugosi, 2008). The company also respects the protection of human rights in all the spheres where the business of the company is spread. All the business operations of the company are designed according to their Human Rights policy. Human Trafficking and Exploitation of Children are the two main agendas of the organization. From 2006, Marriott Hotels published their first Human Rights Policy Statement. All the rights issued in the statement have been conveyed to the employees and also published internationally t o show the organization standing against these crimes. Most importantly, the Human Rights Policy of the Marriott Group is carefully alienated with the Government and other Non-Governmental Organizations who are relentlessly working on these aspects. The organization regularly and very actively engaged with these groups to endorse the best practices with the aim to stop this improper human conducts. Another very important aspect of the organization is their relation with the suppliers. As per the business context of the company, the suppliers play a very important role in the aspect of maintaining their excellent track record in the field of hospitality. They ensure that they only use high quality products and services. They always endorse organic products as the raw materials and many suppliers have been benefited for their choice of raw materials. And as expected, they want their suppliers to follow all the applicable laws and follow a very high ethical standard. And in most cases both the parties maintain the standards and the business becomes ethical (Oviedo-Garcia, 2008). Expensive Rooms The Marriott Hotels guarantee the best deals available in the sphere of hotel rooms. As per the rate of the customer, the organization tries to provide the best suited room for the customer with the help of their â€Å"Marriott Look No Further Best Rate Guarantee† (Cho, 2009) program. It is said to be a generous rate matching program offered by the hotel chain for all their hotels. In the Marriott hotels there are different deals available as per the expensive rooms are concerned. All of them have world class facilities and services. In September 2005, the company unveiled their new rooms. The rooms were made by looking at the new generation and they feature updated technical aspects. Marriott have a special edition of beds that are called Marriott Bed.. All the luxury rooms in the Marriott chain of hotels have these facilities (Oviedo-Garcia, 2008). In the JW Marri ott Hotels (it has total 46 hotels under their brand name) the most expensive rooms have a number of facilities. From special butlers to pool tables, the rooms define luxury. The guests have their own luxury cars for transport, with chauffeurs. All the rooms have in built home theater system; libraries and sometimes a multifunctional gym for work out too. J.W. Marriott, another very important flagship brand of the company has special amenities for the most expensive hotel rooms. All the guests with having special butlers and chauffeurs, get free entry to the very special destination lounge called â€Å"Mixology†. In some of the hotels the guests are treated with complementary rides to riverside theme parks. Renaissance Hotels are specially designed to cater to the upper class of the population. The hotels have established its reputation as the boutique hotels in United States. The Ritz Carlton Hotel is one of the most published hotels in this chain of the hotels, and their ex pensive rooms are something to awe for (Cho, 2010). Generally in all the properties of Marriott International, the most expensive rooms are suites. The suites are especially designed for the ultimate pleasure and satisfaction of the customers. All the suites have multiple rooms and they have more space than any standard hotel room and most importantly, more facilities as mentioned earlier. One of the most important aspects of the Marriott Hotels is that they provide special dinning and office facilities in the suits. In properties like Marriott Conference Centre, the suits are designed for the business purpose and in some suits they can hold official business meetings too. According to the management of the Marriott Hotels, most of their expensive hotel rooms are being used by a special class of people. Sometimes people from wealthy families check into the hotels when there is some remodeling done in their homes. Sometimes film stars pop artists and others also stay in these rooms. Political leaders also prefer to stay in these rooms (Anastasiadou, 2008). External Analysis A company’s strengths and weaknesses take a critical look into internal factors such as company resources, culture and structure while on the other hand opportunities and threats take a look at a company’s external environment (Wheelen and Hunger 2002). In the business management, external analysis is one of the most important factors of the existence of the company. The basic external analysis is an attempt to match an organization with the outside impacts in which the business is situated and how this influences overall strategy. To understand the external analysis on the Marriott International, we have to concentrate on one property of the hotel. The SWOT analysis on the Hotel is a very important aspect in the case because it assists companies to develop strategies that will either assist them capitalizes on strengths and opportunities while at the same time minimize weaknes ses and avoid threats (Lugosi, 2008). Opportunities: Emerging Asian Travel and Tourism markets are expanding worldwide, together with the possibility of come up with low-end brands, distinction amongst hotel services offered, Marriot can benefit from the decreased cost of real estate in the United States and Middle East and it can venture on eco-tourism. Furthermore economic integration of markets worldwide also offers a wider range of opportunities that Marriot can pursue using its corporate and unique business strategies (Camillus 1986). Threats: one of its brands, Timeshare, is decreasing on popularity; it was greatly affected by the economic meltdown, which lowered consumer’s spending power; threat from terrorists and extremists who ride in the philosophy of anti Americanism especially in Asia and furthermore tight competition from other industry participants such as Hilton and the Grand Hyatt pose a threat to the comfort that Marriot may enjoy in the hotel and hospitalit y market and may affect future profits and volume of consumers that Marriott serves therefore Marriott should further create long-term and periodic tactics that will minimize the threats that face their business (Lim, 2009). Internal Analysis The internal analysis of a company basically focuses on the strength and weaknesses of the organization itself, and how they impact the total business scenario of the concern and company strategies (Wheelen and Hunger 2002). In this aspect one thing is very important, what can be determined as strength can change into the weakness in another aspect. There are factors like finance, marketing, and the service providing capabilities, the macroeconomic factors, the technological changes and most importantly the different legal matters that come with the maintenance of the properties (Chung, 2008). Strengths: One of the key strengths of Marriot is that it has a wide range of brands, Marriot strategic locations which as quite advantageous and conveni ent for consumers; furthermore Marriot has experienced top and well experienced employees who assist in delivering its premium hotelier services making it a global leader in the hospitality market; furthermore Marriott heavily relies on innovative communication techniques such as its website and social networking in conducting its business; Marriot has focused divestiture efforts particularly with international companies; it has implemented successful strategies to attract and retain a pool of staff; it has embraced eco-friendly ways in its operations; and its culture retention balancing against the identities of the products. It is the above strengths that make Marriot’s aggressive expansion and competitive business strategy succeed (Chung 2008). Weaknesses: Marriot Has an organizational culture of heavily relying on the United States market instead of global markets which may offer more opportunity and growth and revenue furthermore over-reliance on luxury products instead of having offer low-end products which may double consumer traffic. Another possible weakness may arise out of the flat organizational structure that Marriott uses such a structure may cause confusion amongst management and also make it hard or difficult for expansion programs to take place because it is highly unsuitable for very big organizations with many employees (Koontz Weihrich 2009). But Marriott has minimized these threats by strategically positioning their hotel chains in high end areas that are highly secure and furthermore contracted security firms of high caliber. Long Term Objectives As per definition, the long term objectives of an organization can be dubbed as â€Å"the performance goals of an organization, be it commercial or non commercial, and the plans are intended to be achieved within five years(in some cases ten years)â€Å" (Lim, 2009). Generally, the long term objectives of a concern deal with different aspects of the concern’s development. As per t he classical systems, there are seven different types of Marriott Hotels by the differentiation factors like location and types, and each of the categories are targeted to a different customer base. The hotel industry is one of the most important segments of the service industry. The industry is guided by all the philosophies by the concern. So many commentators believe that to attain all the objectives in the hotel industry, one must do as per their plan and let see what happens. The long term objectives for the Marriott Hotels are mainly concerned with the expansion of the market and retaining its market leader status. For any organization, rather than multinational concern or brand name like Marriott Hotels, plans can be viewed as a direct expression of the different strategies of the concern. For the successful completion of all the objectives, the basic properties of the concern, like the employees and the funding are two most important factors (Porter 2004). The organization, before enlisting any employee takes them through a thorough training program that helps the employees to integrate inside the organization better and understand all the company policies. But to ensure that the employees understand the long term objectives of the company. It is really tough for the new recruits in a company to understand all the objectives of the company as well as ensure revenue. In this aspect the company has to rely on the effective recruitment procedures. Before recruiting any person the company has to decide what the long term objectives are and how the new recruitments will fit into the scheme (Cho, 2009). After that, they will have to select the candidates who can successfully mould themselves with the different needs of the company as time passes. The employees are the main pillars of a company and only they can make a company successful, and as Marriott always takes care of their employees they are ahead in the aspect. Another very important aspect of realiz ing the successful long term developments is the company must keep a steady finance. It can be insured by a healthy market position. It will lure the investors to invest more and more money on the Marriott Hotel, which can help the organization in many ways. They can increase their hotel chain by acquiring new properties, by building hotels or taking lease on hotels, or redecorating to attract new customers. In recent times corporate tie ups play a very important role in the hospitality industry. The Marriott Hotels can try to attain as much as corporate tie ups as possible, which will indirectly promote the brand name of the hotel chain. All these will be considered as the long term objectives of the Marriott Hotels (White, 2005). Business Strategy Keeping in line with its vision and values Marriot strives to be the top most and well known and famous, especially for its products, skills and expertise as a hospitality service provider worldwide. Achieving this is not easy that is wh y Marriott Hotels has set out the company’s organizational objectives which focus on giving special attention and concern to guests while still at the same time checking on the business’s financial growth, all this with an aim of growing the company and maintaining a very competitive strategy that aims to highly differentiating their products (Porter 2004). Marriott hotels has divided its operations into five different business categories which include: Full Service and Lodging; Select Service and Lodging; Timeshare; Extended Stay and Lodging; Synthetic fuel (Camillus 1986). Marriot intends to use competitive strategies to appeal to the market. Companies can either choose to differentiate their products while serving a narrow or a wide market (Bradford et. al 2000). The other option is for a company to follow a cost leadership competitive business strategy which mainly aims to attract consumers by offering affordable products for a wider or narrow market. Marriot thr ough its expensive rooms pursues a highly differentiated product and service approach which often involves charging premium for its services. Therefore Marriot is able to attract consumers who desire to enjoy the highest quality of products and services and are willing to pay for it. Not every Hotel within the industry can be able to pursue such a strategy and therefore in turn Marriot is able to stay ahead of other Industry participants. Marriott’s strengths lie in its strong brands that make it well renowned and a market leader in its industrial market share. It has based its operations in most of the considerable in size, extent, degree, and significance markets worldwide through its brands that include Marriott Hotels Resorts, JW Marriott Hotels Resorts, The Ritz-Carlton, Bulgari Hotels Resorts, Grand Residences by Marriott, Courtyard by Marriott, and Towne Place Suites by Marriott. Marriott enjoys extraordinary brand recall for its products. Another aspect that makes it a cut above the rest is the numerous awards that it has achieved, it was voted the most admired company, 10 years in succession in 2008 by fortune magazine. This list is comprised of players within the hospitality industry and they evaluate the industry using eight accepted standards used in making a decisions and judgments about the hospitality service industry which include; corporate asset utilization, social accountability, financial reliability, management quality, long-term investments, innovation, quality of services and products and people management. The franchise has embarked on launching an innovative sales initiative focused on building a customer base centered at or constituting the customers’ needs. This strategy is termed as the- Sales Force One. The newly launched strategy is intend or planned to prove strong enough to enter and spread through unexploited new markets and in the process simplify Marriott’s sales process for customers. This is made p ossible du tot the strategy’s structure formation which enables customers to transact business with just a singular contact point that acts as a representative of the Marriott franchise (Camillus 1986). This new innovation was brought about by researches undertaken by Marriott identified less motivating general tendencies, behaviors and movements from their customers due to a feeling of disappointment, disorder, exasperation, and weariness caused by unsatisfied desires as a result of having to go through many Marriott employees in booking and reserving rooms. By identifying with this situation where customers found it a very complex method of making their bookings Marriott undertook researches to find out whether their current strategies were efficient and effective in the growth of sales performances among the employees and the business as a whole in both external and internal environments (Chung 2008). Their researches took into consideration all stakeholders associated to it and its employees too as they are the major driving force behind Marriott international. Reactions obtained from a cross-section of respondents who included the company’s sales leaders and contacts interviewed proved clearly and convincingly the need for the franchise group to put in place a logical and unconfused framework of roles and responsibilities for achieving individual goals within the members of the sales team. Consequently the Marriott group in undertaking the creation and implementation of the Sales Force One strategy intends to strengthen and focus on a more customer base centered sales process that defines individual and personal preferences and in turn provides customers with personal sales contact people (Bradford, Duncan Tarcy 2000). Strategies The company can take several strategies to retain its position and competitive edge in global market and further enhance on its popularity. The strategies will centre on keeping the loyal customer base alive and ad ding up new customers. They will have to regularly update their facilities to ensure they must not lag behind in the break neck completion of the global market (Porter 2004). The hotel industry is a highly dynamic industry because consumer needs are always changing and the business environment is subject to technological advancements and other forms of innovation that take place regularly. Keeping the Customer base: Every company in the consumer World has a loyal customer base, and the loyal customers are the most important factor of their company. The company has to device some important promotional strategies so that the customers always come back to their concern. These strategies include providing a superior customized service for its premium products that is consistent with the specific consumer needs (Bradford, R. et. al 2000). Trying to acquire new customer: As with all the aspects, the hospitality industry is getting competitive day by day. So the company has to device new s trategies to allure new customers and try to retain them as far as possible. These will increase the boundaries of the company in a new level. The Marriott has devised many plans and they have recently offered different types of economic class hotels for customers from all the economical bases (Cho, 2010). Furthermore consumers are likely to refer to others using word of mouth and therefore the leadership and staff of Marriot has made it clear to the staff the importance of maximizing the consumer experience so that consumers will always have something good to say. When consumers use Word of mouth and lure other consumers it is cheaper than using other means such as advertisement. Increasing Security: In recent times security has been a very important concern for the Marriott Group. A number of hotels of the Marriott group hotels have been under devastating terrorist attacks in recent times. These attacks not only affect the company financially, they also install fear into the minds of the guests too. The company must take strong security policies and try to increase the budget on the security aspect more than ever. Trying to acquire new properties: There are a huge number of Marriott Hotels throughout the World, but still they have to keep on concentrating to expand their business. Expansion and is a corporate strategy that involves either acquiring and opening up new branches with the aim of serving a larger market in order to increase revenue. Always keep an eye on the competitors: Every day new and new organizations are entering into the hospitality market and many of them are entering into the field with very huge financial backing. It is a known fact that Marriott is a very important brand name, but still they have to keep an eye on the companies and what the strategies the companies are taking to make their concerns popular. Marriott has to devise different strategies to encounter these concerns only to keep their customer base (Anastasiadou, 2008). Org anizational Structure: Organizational structures within companies cause or allow views to be brought forward, or presented as a model to be studied on how those businesses are managed and run. If an organization has a clear framework/structure put in place, it is made very clear within the departments in the organization on who does what and so forth thus leaving no room for sloppy work and blame games erupting due to unfulfilled objectives. Different organizations employ different organizational structures depending on their objectives and what they intend to achieve after a set period of time. These structures may either be flat or tall for example Marriott’s organizational structure takes a flat format. These structures are also used to measure subordinates responsibility levels depending on which department they are in. Organization Structure Organizational structures try to explain the relationships between authorities and communication lines in the organizations (Koontz Weihrich 2009). Organizational structures within companies cause or allow views to be brought forward, or presented as a model to be studied on how those businesses are managed and run. If an organization has a clear framework/structure put in place, it is made very clear within the departments in the organization on who does what and so forth thus leaving no room for sloppy work and blame games erupting due to unfulfilled objectives. Different organizations employ different organizational structures depending on their objectives and what they intend to achieve after a set period of time. These structures may either be flat or tall for example Marriott’s organizational structure takes a flat format. These structures are also used to measure subordinates responsibility levels depending on which department they are in. Marriott’s organization structure is a flat type of organization structure. Such an organizational structure has a limited number of levels of authoriti es that govern the relationships management between staff and managers. The main advantage is that such a systems aims to highly train employees so that employees can be empowered to take part in the decision making process. Frequently consumers in the hotel industry require quick decisions to be made and therefore bureaucratic type of organizational structure is most likely to fail by increasing consumer dissatisfaction and complaints. Marriot hotel is able to apply such an organizational structure because of the numerous franchise units it owns which exist as semi autonomous units. Flat organizational structure encourage a more decentralizes decision making process and therefore elevating the level of responsibility among baseline employees and eliminating unnecessary levels of management (Koontz Weihrich 2009). In such organizational structures the process of decision is much quicker and more efficient in line with customer needs and wants (Kotler 1999). Leadership and Culture M arriott international prides itself in their strong business leadership culture that focuses on making their employees feel more enthusiastic, confident, and stimulated by having strong foundational values which are vital to their continued growth and excellence in the hospitality industry by catering to the exact needs of their consumers with precision (Koontz Weihrich 2009). Achieving objectives and set goals for any organization is very much hinged on having strong leadership frameworks put in place by the management of the organization so as to be able to uphold its core values, vision and purpose that it has set out to achieve in a given time frame. This is evident in the structure organization of the Marriott franchise where strong firmness is put on a strong business culture, aiming to be the top of not only the hospitality industry that it is a huge player in, but over other top companies worldwide(Kocher, Pogrebna, Sutter 2009). A strong leadership culture is a key aspect in the maintenance of the interrelationship between top management and employees. Top management must lead the organizations’ employees by setting of examples of efficiency and effectiveness within the work place through walking the talk in terms of behavior, action, values and cultural practices within a company. Set out objectives and goals compounded with values and visions of an organization do not mean anything where an organization does not have a clearly set out culture in and of leadership (Kefela, 2010). This results to bogus employees and a lack of loyalty from customers. Managers can learn from past practices on how to instill a strong cultural leadership by not only talking and making big speeches to their employees but by acting out whatever they speak, as workers learn better from watching examples. Becoming a strong leader within any organization is not inborn and has to be learned and achieved. Kefela (2010) argues that it is a process whereby the top manager s are supposed to inspire their subordinates through: building team morale and being able to keep it up at a high; maintenance of a high set of standards of discipline; clearly defining and arbitration of roles for the employees; designing logical work plans; proper resource allocation; periodical employee appraisal; proper communication between management and the team; quality control and periodical performance checks; be able to tackle individual problems of different employees; praising and giving credit where it is due; handling conflicts and being able to reconcile them and providing team training on a constant basis. Organizations resolved to meet their set out goals and objectives and capabilities are obliged to adjust and align themselves towards development of the necessary or appropriate frameworks for a specific purpose in its internal composition. All the above aspects should be able to maintain particular standards or/and repeat particular tasks with minimal variations to set out objectives which needs to have the top management’s devotion and dedication, continuing without changing, stopping, or being interrupted in space or time as a necessary precondition to achievement of their objectives. Comparison to another company Grand Hyatt Is a distinct participant in the hotel industry which serves both business and leisure oriented consumers in with five star hotels and resorts located in major cities (i.e. Dubai, Singapore, New York, Australia, Mumbai, Seoul) of the world. The core geographic location of their business is located in Asia. Grand Hyatt is known for their high quality and impressive lobby environments, dining facilities, state of the art technology, fitness facilities and business facilities (Stem 2006). Furthermore Hyatt aims to satisfy its customers by ensuring a highly comfortable stay and therefore the company has gone ahead to offer consumers individual air conditioning facilities, high internet speed facilities together wi th iPod docking facilities. A high degree of service and product differentiation can be a good strategy for competing with other industry participants and therefore Hyatt maximizes on these (Kotler 2003). The grand Hyatt hotels are five star hotels with superior interior deco that is in line with the company’s business strategies of offering highly differentiated premium services that give their consumers the total consumer experience (Stem 2006). It is by having superior facilities and services that Hyatt is able to maintain a competitive edge above many industry participants. For example The Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay is located in the middle of 35 acre wildlife preserve and is only two miles from the international airport making it very convenient for both business executives and also leisure clientele (Stem 2006). Hyatt and its worldwide franchises are known to offer excellent customer services, high degrees of cleanliness, and good strategic geographic positioning that is lik ely to make it easy for consumers to move from place to place. Conclusion The hotel industry exists in a highly complex and dynamic industry which requires that consumer needs and desires be taken very serious. Opinions and desires of consumers are therefore the key to success of this industry this is because the process of planning and creating short-term and long-term strategy depends on the needs and wants of the market. Even more essential is the implementation of the plan and the key to achievement is innovation. Planning is not a static issue. It is inherently iterative. This is where business models come into play. Alex Osterwalder defines a business model as â€Å"nothing else than a representation of how an organization makes (or intends to make) money† (White, 2005). Nevertheless, the actual definition of a business model remains ambiguous. Rightly so, because it is something perceived by a manager who is an individual entity and each individual has his own percepti on. The concept of business model gained popularity only in the recent past. Owing to reduced processing costs, accumulating and distributing information to business units and other intermediates and finally to the client became possible. New methodologies stared being used. Innovation became the order of the day which lead to mature products and services and increased customer base. In the context of the study, the company is already a world class brand name with more hotels and resorts than any other concern. It has a stable loyal customer base and it recently added economic accommodations. They are considered to be the best in many aspects of hospitality. The recent addition of expensive rooms are not only an worthy addition of their brand name but also can be promoted as a marketing strategy as the furniture of the room can be sold in market successfully, like the Marriott bed. Thus, with proper decisions and marketing application the company can surely be the World leader in Ho spitality. References Anastasiadou, C. (2008). Stakeholder perspectives on the European Union tourism policy framework and their preferences on the type of involvement. International Journal of Tourism Research, 10(3), 221-235. Bradford, R. et. al (2000). simplified strategic planning: a no-nonsense guide for busy people who want results fast. Worcester, MA: Chandler House Press. Camillus, J. (1986). Strategic planning and management control: systems for survival and success. Lexington, KY: Lexington Books. Cho, V. (2009). A study on the temporal dynamics of tourism demand in the Asia Pacific Region. International Journal of Tourism Research, 11(5), 465-485. Cho, V. (2010). A study of the non-economic determinants in tourism demand. International Journal of Tourism Research, 12(4), 307-320. Chung, L. (2008). Integrating hotel environmental strategies with management control: a structuration approach. Business Strategy and the Environment, 17(4), 272-286. Kefela, G.T. (2010). Underst anding Organizational Culture and Leadership -Enhance Efficiency and Productivity. PM World, 12(1), 1-10. Kocher, M.G., Pogrebna, G. Sutter, (2009) Other-Regarding Preferences and Leadership Styles. IZA Discussion Paper No. 4080. Koontz, H., Weihrich, H. (2009). Essence of Management an International Perspective, New Delhi: Tata McGraw Hill. Kotler, P. (1999).Principles of marketing, (2nd edn), New York: Prentice Hall. Kotler, P. (2003), Marketing Insights from A to Z: 80 concepts every manager needs to know, New Jersey: John Wiley Sons Inc. Lim, C. (2009). Beyond sustainability: optimizing tourism development. International Journal of Tourism Research 11(1), 89-103. Lugosi, P. (2008). Hospitality spaces, hospitable moments: consumer encounters and affective experiences in commercial settings. Journal of Foodservice, 19(2), 139-149. O’Brien, R. (1995). Marriott: the J. Willard Marriott story. Salt Lake City, UT: Deseret Book Co. Oviedo-Garcia, A. (2008). Gaining residents support for tourism and planning. International Journal of Tourism Research 10(2), 95-109. Stem, B.S., (2006). Sterns Guide to the Greatest Resorts of the World. Florida: Stern’s Travel Guides Ltd. White, C. (2005). The relationship between cultural values and individual work values in the hospitality industry. International Journal of Tourism Research, 7(4-5), 221-229.

How to Plan for College 5 Tips for 9th Graders

How to Plan for College 5 Tips for 9th Graders SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips If you have college aspirations, you can and should start planning for college during your freshman year of high school. You want to make sure you're on the right path and have a solid plan in place to help you navigate the college process and eventually reach your goals. In this article, I'll detail what to include inyour 9th grade college planning. Then, I'll explain what you don't yet need to worry about. It’s Not Too Early to Think About How to Plan for College If you’re thinking that 9th grade is too early to start preparing for college, you’re wrong. Some of what you do in 9th grade will impact your college applications and influence admissions decisions. Many of my former students told me in their senior year that they wished they’d developed good study habits or knew more about what they’d need to do to get into college when they were freshmen. Also, if you have the mindset in 9th grade that you’re going to college, you’ll be much more likely to stay on the path to achieving your college goals. Below, I outline the five most important tips for 9th grade college planning. #1: Take the Right Classes When you start high school, you need to make sure you’re taking a college prep curriculum. Talk to your counselor to ensure that you’re on a college prep track. In many schools, the math or foreign language class you take in your freshman year of high school will determine what level you’re able to reach when you’re a senior in high school. Colleges will evaluate you based on the classes you’ve taken. If you have any aspirations of attending a top college, the most selective schools want to see that you’re challenging yourself and taking some of the hardest classes that are offered at your school. You don’t have to take every single honors or AP class, but to get into the top schools, you should demonstrate that you can do well in the most difficult classes. I do recommend taking honors or AP classes in the subjects you're best at and the subjects you're considering studying in college. Here's an example of a good freshman schedule for a student who wants to be competitive for admission to elite colleges. Note that this is just a rough guide, and you can take a more or less challenging schedule depending on your skill level and the courses offered at your high school: Honors Biology Geometry Honors English World History Spanish I PE Elective #2: Get Good Grades Believe it or not, your freshman year grades do matter for college admissions. Colleges will look at your freshman year grades, and your grades in your freshman year will influence your high school GPA and class rank. Furthermore, if you get good grades in your freshman year, you’ll be more likely to get good grades in your sophomore and junior years. You’ll have developed the skills and habits that will allow you to continue to be successful academically. Learn more about how to get a 4.0 and better grades. If you don’t do as well as you’d like in your freshman year, it doesn’t mean that your college dreams are doomed, though. Undoubtedly, your sophomore and junior year grades are more important to colleges. #3: Get Involved in Extracurriculars Other than your grades and test scores, your extracurricular activities probably have the biggest influence on the quality of your college applications. Colleges, especially top colleges, want their students to have exceptional achievements outside of the classroom, and they’re looking for individuals who use their leisure time to pursue their passions. Some students believe they need to be well-rounded and do a ton of extracurriculars; however, for college admissions, it may be more advantageous for you to develop a â€Å"spike† and exhibit excellence in a particular activity or field. If you play a sport, you can focus your energies on reaching the highest level in your sport and becoming a recruited athlete. If you excel in math, you can use your time outside of school to practice for and compete in math competitions. You should be participating in extracurricular activities during your freshman year of high school. Colleges prefer to see a sustained commitment to your activities. It’s more impressive to do one activity for four years and continue to show growth in that activity than it is to start doing a bunch of activities in your junior year. Furthermore, getting involved in extracurriculars now increases your odds of gaining leadership positions or winning awards later in your high school career. Learn what to do if you’re struggling to find extracurriculars. Maybe you can join the basketball team. Image source:David Holmes/Flickr #4: Start Preliminary College Research When you’re a freshman in high school, you don’t need to know which college you want to go to. You don’t even need to have much of an idea of which colleges you want to apply to. However, you can start thinking about what you’re looking for in a college. What do you want to study? What geographic region do you want to be in? You can play around with college finders to get an idea of different schools that may be good for you. You can also visit local college campuses to see what they're like and get a small taste of college life. Once you have an idea of a few colleges that may interest you, you can get a better idea of what you need to do to get admitted. Google "PrepScholar[name of school] admissions" to get the acceptance rates, average GPAs, and average standardized test scores for different colleges. If you know the grades you'll need to get into different schools, that can help you stay on track. Furthermore, you can also go on colleges' websites and look at their admission requirements so you know whichclasses you should be taking. It's perfectly OK if you're unsure at this point what you want in a college, and it's very possible that you'll change your mind before you graduate from high school, even if you think you know where you want to go. Keep in mind, though, that it's good to start thinking about college in general and to realize that what you do throughout high school will impact your college options. #5: Involve Your Parents This advice applies primarily to students whose parents didn’t go to college or are unfamiliar with the college application process. Even if your parents went to college, it's probably been a while and they may have fears or concerns about your college goals. If your parents aren’t pushing you to go to college, you can let them know about your desires to attend. If you get them involved with your college planning, they can be more supportive and helpful. Inform themwhy you want to go to college. Also, many parents worry about the cost of attending college. Some parents will incorrectly assume that their children can’t go to college because they’re unable to afford the full cost of attendance. You may want to direct them to our articles on how to save for college and financial aid. At this point, mostly it's important to know that finances shouldn't be a barrier to you attending college. Between grants, scholarships, and possibly loans, a college education should be accessible to you regardless of your financial situation. If your parents are pushing you to go to college or are generally stressing you out about college, you can try to reassure them by letting them know you have a plan (make sure you have a plan first). All of you can read this article and our other articles about college admissions. If possible, try to get your parents involved in your college planning. What Not to Worry About as a Freshman While it’s good to start thinking about how to plan for college in the 9th grade, you should remember that you still have substantial time to prepare yourself for college. Try to avoid stressing about college now. Your education and future are important, but so are your happiness and emotional well-being. Here are some specific aspects of planning for college that you don’t really have to be too concerned with in 9th grade. The SAT or ACT You’ve probably heard of the SAT and the ACT. Most colleges require you to take one of these tests to gain admission. A higher score will increase your chances of getting into selective colleges. In the 9th grade, you don’t have to actively prepare for these tests, but you can start to familiarize yourself with them and the skills you’ll need to acquire. The math section of the SAT and the ACT tests you on algebra, geometry, and trigonometry. Most likely, you’ll need at least a couple of years of high school math before you’ll know enough to be able to maximize your score. Also, your reading and writing skills, which are tested on these standardized tests, will improve with continued reading and the work you’ll be doing in your English classes. On the other hand, if you’re interested in attending a competitive summer program that requires you to submit SAT or ACT scores, then you should spend more time during your freshman year preparing. Even though you don’t have to worry about these standardized tests during your freshman year, it’s not too early to start studying for either the SAT or ACT. You can prepare for and take the PSAT or PreACT. Learn about how to study for the SAT/ACT as a 9th grader. If you start doing some consistentlight test prep early, you'll be more ready and relaxed when you're taking these tests during your junior or senior year when your schoolwork will be more rigorous, and you may be working on your college applications. However, I don't think you should be too concerned with your standardized tests in 9th grade. The Best College for You We get many comments from 8th and 9th graders stating their desire to go to a specific college. While it’s great to have goals and dreams, you don’t need to know where you want to go to college in 9th grade. You have a couple of years before you have to start seriously considering the schools that you want to apply to. Furthermore, as you mature and learn more about different colleges, you may very well change your dream school. You may end up deciding to pursue a different career path or change what you’re looking for in a college. There’s nothing wrong with altering your goals or priorities as you learn more. At this point in your high school career, you should spend the majority of your time developing the skills and qualifications to give yourself as many college options as possible. Perhaps you’re assuming now that you’ll go to your local state college that may not be overly selective. Maybe its incoming students have an average GPA of 3.2. However, if in the summer before your senior year, you decide that you want to go to a more prestigious college in another region of the country, you’ll have many more options if you have a 3.9 GPA. If You Can Afford College While it’s not a bad idea to save for college early, you don’t have to be overly concerned in the 9th grade with thoughts of whether you’ll be able to afford to attend. If you’re worried about college costs, you can start looking for and applying to scholarships, but many scholarships are only open to older students. Again, just realize that cost shouldn’t prevent you from attending college. Most students receive some form of financial aid and don’t pay the listed cost of attendance. Additionally, if you excel in school and end up with good test scores, you’ll be more likely to receive merit scholarships and be admitted to colleges that offer the most generous financial aid. What's Next? Do you want to go to one of the most selective colleges? Find out which classes Ivy League schools require. Learn more about how many extracurriculars you need. Finally, you can learn from our fun infographic about how to apply for college, and everything you should be doing from 9th grade until the end of your senior year. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now: