The Glass Menagerie Analysis - 852 Words

The Glass Menagerie While reading Tennessee Williams play, â€Å"The Glass Menagerie†, readers are drawn into the drama and disaster that is the Wingfield family. This book was written very much like an autobiography of Williams life. There were several different film and television versions of this play done thru the years from 1950 to 1987. After watching several different adaptations, Paul Newman’s film adaptation in 1987 is extremely faithful to the written version. Focusing on plot, setting, and character development the audience is introduced to a family with an austere future structured around a series of abandonments, difficulty accepting reality and the impossibility of true escape. Both versions begin with a narrator looking†¦show more content†¦When Amanda finds out this new information she is furious at Tom and in Newman’s movie version she is visibly shook up when she says to Tom, [That’s right, now that you’ve had us make such fools of ourselves. To entertain some other girl’s fiancà ©! Don’t think about us, a mother deserted, an unmarried sister who’s crippled and has no job! Just go, go, go!]. There are only a few different setting changes throughout, all taking place in one main room. Still each scene has a very powerful message. The entire production is supposed to give the audience the illusion of confinement and limitation. The glass collection is an escape for Laura as she spends time playing with the pieces. The picture of a departed father is a source of regret for Amanda and a beacon for Tom to follow. Character development is the most important aspect of both versions. Readers get a sense for the characters and what makes them act the way they do. We begin at the family dining table where the meal cannot be enjoyed as Williams shows us a mother who is over bearing and unreasonable with, â€Å"TOM: I haven’t enjoyed one bite of this dinner because of your constant directions on how to eat it. It’s you that make me rush through meals with your hawklike attention to every bite I take†. (6) Later in the movie Amanda is showing those same traits with Laura when she stuffs two powder puffs down the front of Laura’s dress and says [They call them ‘GayShow MoreRelatedAn Analysis Of Laura In The Glass Menagerie1579 Words   |  7 PagesLonging for Impossible Freedom: An analysis of Laura in The Glass Menagerie The French actor and enthusiast, Vincent Cassel, pronounced â€Å"You can’t escape from what you are†. No matter how much a person dislikes who they are, they will never be able to escape their body and their mind. People can attempt to forget who they are and what their life is like, but in the end, they will always be stuck in their current situation. Similarly, Laura, in The Glass Menagerie, deals with her self consciousnessRead MoreAnalysis Of The Glass Menagerie 1007 Words   |  5 Pagesthe reason is they are unhappy with their life’s circumstances. There are many ways in which to escape reality today. Movies, dancing, video games and books to name a few. Many people use this in order to escape from everyday problems. In â€Å"The Glass Menagerie† the Wingfield family uses fantasy to escape from their unsatisfied lives. Abandoned by her husband, Amanda cannot remove herself from her youth when she was visited by many gentleman callers. All of her callers were well off and respectableRead MoreAnalysis Of The Glass Menagerie 1744 Words   |  7 PagesKerry G. Stalter Professor Ruth Reis-Palatiere ENC 1102 December 1, 2015 Contrasts in The Glass Menagerie The Glass Menagerie lures the audience into taking a voyeuristic glimpse into the private lives of the Wingfield family, which consist of Amanda, the domineering mother of two adult children, Tom and Laura, and who welcomes Jim, a â€Å"gentleman caller† hosting him to a gay evening in the grandest Antebellum tradition. The contrasts in William’s play are manifested through the character traitsRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book The Glass Menagerie 1104 Words   |  5 PagesDiaman Nichols Jennifer Viereck ENG 102-A01 4 October 2015 The Illusion of Escape in The Glass Menagerie In The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams, the primarily characters exhibit a state of illusion that originates from their dissatisfaction and unhappiness with their lives. Tom seeks adventure in the movies. Amanda reminisces often about her days as a Southern Belle. Laura sits in a dream world with her glass collection, and Jim wallows in the praises of his high school glory. In their own uniqueRead MoreAnalysis Of The Play The Glass Menagerie 1281 Words   |  6 PagesDevin Simpson Professor Carusp The Glas Menagerie 4/29/15 Within the play The Glass Menagerie, Amanda, Laura, and Tom Wingfield all of have their own dreams that are continuously destroyed by the harshness of reality. Amanda, stuck in the ease of her youth, tries to relive her life through her daughter Laura. Being crippled both physically and mentally, Laura struggles to escape the bubble she has created around herself that her mother Amanda so strongly tries to force her out of. Tom whom, althoughRead MoreEssay on The Glass Menagerie: An Analysis1556 Words   |  7 PagesLaura’s older brother), Jim Connor (Tom and Laura’s old acquaintance from high school) and Mr. Wingfield (father to Tom and Laura, and Amanda’s husband)- who abandoned the family long before the start of the play. The title, â€Å"The Glass Menagerie†, represented a collection of glass animals on display in the Wingfields’ home. At one point or another, these animals then represented each character when they couldn’t accept reali ty. The theme of this play were about the characters’ struggles to accept the truthRead MoreThe Glass Menagerie Individualism Analysis1302 Words   |  6 PagesIndividualism is a staple piece of a person’s character not only in a book, but in life as well. Some people pride themselves on their individuality, while others spend their lives working to establish a concrete personality and purpose in life. In The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams, individualism is a key component in the themes of the story and portrayal of unique characters. With there being only four characters in the play, each of them have to be vibrant, diverse individuals in order to keep theRead MoreMovie Analysis : The Glass Menagerie 2133 Words   |  9 PagesEscapism in â€Å"The Glass Menagerie† In Tennessee Williams, â€Å"The Glass Menagerie† all four characters consist in avoiding reality more than facing it, Amanda, Laura, Tom, and Jim. Amanda lives her life through her children s and clings to her past. Tom constantly stays in movie theatres and into his dream of joining the merchant seamen and someday becoming a published poet. Laura resorts to her victrolla and collection of glass ornaments to help sustain her world of fantasy. Finally, Jim is onlyRead MoreMovie Analysis : The Glass Menagerie 2145 Words   |  9 PagesEscapism in â€Å"The Glass Menagerie† In Tennessee Williams, â€Å"The Glass Menagerie† all four characters consist in avoiding reality more than facing it, Amanda, Laura, Tom, and Jim. Amanda lives her life through her children s and clings to her past. Tom constantly stays in movie theatres and into his dream of joining the merchant seamen and someday becoming a published poet. Laura resorts to her victrolla and collection of glass ornaments to help sustain her world of fantasy. FinallyRead MoreLiterary Analysis of The Glass Menagerie by Tenessee Williams1462 Words   |  6 PagesThe Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams had ordinary people in an ordinary life that closely resembled the influences of Williams’ personal life while having reoccurring themes and motifs throughout the story. The play has been done by many with some variations in the scripts and setting while still clinging to the basic ideas of the original play. Amanda Wingfield was a complex character that encompassed many facets of her personality. She longed to have the life she had as a girl and young

Cultural Values And Personal Ethics Essay - 1051 Words

Decisions we make everyday are influenced in part by our core values. Our cultural background, individual bias, personal ethics, and past experiences help to form the basis of our value system. We begin sharpening our values at a very early age. Our parents, teachers, friends, religious leaders, heroes and fictional idols teach us right from wrong (Deblieux, 1995). These teachings help us to evaluate situations and form conclusions. We are all individuals, but together we form a society. Each society develops a different set of assumptions and norms under which to operate, and different professions, functions, and even genders within a society or organization can have different cultures themselves (Raatikainen, 2002).†¦show more content†¦People from the same culture are individuals and unique. Stereotyping and prejudice causes us to lump everyone from a particular culture together. This fosters the ‘we-they syndrome that is so dangerous (Buhler, 1993). The establ ishment of ground rules, or basic principles, can help to minimize any negative impacts of creating a diverse workgroup. The formalizing of the corporate value system can prove to be difficult. Each person has his own idea, based upon his own experiences of what should be included in this collective value set. This means that everyone does not see things in the same light. What I consider to be the norm, may not be the same as what others perceive as the norm. Our values system is what we rely on to make our decisions in life and business. This holds true in a group setting as well. But, what if our background was not the most ethical? Each person has a different view of what is considered ethical; and, there are varying degrees of what is considered ethical. We all can agree that robbing a bank is unethical. I am not sure we all can agree that taking home office supplies from work for personal use is considered unethical. An ethical person deals with other people fairly, openly and by the rules (Deblieux, 1995). Let us examine what could happen when companies, or individuals, experience ethical lapses. Worldwide, corporate integrity is subject to investor doubt, employee anxiety and new legislationShow MoreRelatedCultural Values and Personal Ethics1081 Words   |  5 PagesRunning head: CULTURAL VALUES AND PERSONAL ETHICS Effect of Cultural Values and Personal Ethics Anne E. Bonidie University of Phoenix Effect of Cultural Values and Personal Ethics Decisions we make everyday are influenced in part by our core values. Our cultural background, individual bias, personal ethics, and past experiences help to form the basis of our value system. We begin sharpening our values at a very early age. Our parents, teachers, friends, religious leaders, heroesRead MoreCultural Values and Personal Ethics1000 Words   |  4 PagesPersonal Values In today’s society, we live our lives and make our future depending â€Å"on what we believe has value.† What we do with our time, our money and our lives are all directly influenced by our capacity to make clear, balanced and valued decisions. Each individual brings a set of personal values into the workplace. These values and the moral reasoning associated with them translate into behavior that are considered important aspects of ethical decision making in organizations. For exampleRead MoreCultural Values and Personal Ethics Paper1583 Words   |  7 PagesRunning head: CULTURAL VALUES AND PERSONAL ETHICS PAPER Cultural Values and Personal Ethics Paper MBA/500 Foundations of Problem-Based Learning R. Garth Ferrell April 23, 2006 University of Phoenix Cultural Values and Personal Ethics Paper Every day people make decisions that may have profound effect on their personal and/or professional lives as well as the lives of others. The decision people make have a foundation on their personal, cultural, and perhaps organizational values. When theseRead MoreCultural Values and Personal Ethics Paper1151 Words   |  5 PagesRunning head: CULTURAL VALUES AND PERSONAL ETHICS PAPER Cultural Values and Personal Ethics Paper University of Phoenix Cultural Values and Personal Ethics Paper [The introduction goes here. It should be one or two paragraphs explaining the findings of your paper. The introduction should prepare the reader for the contents of the paper by previewing the three main topics in your paper. Be sure to end with a transition word or sentence to lead into Section 1 of your paper. Triple clickRead More Cultural Values and Personal Ethics Paper1361 Words   |  6 PagesCultural Values and Personal Ethics Paper Personal, organizational, and cultural values are the basis of an individuals personal and professional decision-making style. These values are the key ingredients that make up our core beliefs. Values are ideas that are actions which could be right or wrong, good or bad that are the basis of human action (Tosi 2000). Personal values might also be called morality, since they reflect general expectations of any person in any society, acting in any capacityRead MoreCultural Values and Personal Ethics Paper1129 Words   |  5 PagesCultural Values and Personal Ethics Paper All people have personal values and ethics, just as they have cultural values. Often times, those personal values and ethics may clash with those of their employer. As an example, as an individual, a persons ethical guidelines might require honesty, integrity and respect. If that individual works for a company that does not necessarily operate under those same tenets, the employee may well face an ethical dilemma. This paper looks into how personal valuesRead MoreEssay on Cultural Values And Personal Ethics in Business1497 Words   |  6 Pagesprofound effect on their personal and/or professional lives as well as the lives of others. The decision people make have a foundation on their personal, cultural, and perhaps organizational values. When these values are in disagreement, an ethical dilemma occurs. This article attempts to explain how personal, cultural, and organizational values play significant parts in decision-making. In addition, the foundation of ethical dilemmas can often be traced to conflicting values. This paper will alsoRead MoreAffect of Cultural Values And Personal Ethics in Business Decisions1221 Words   |  5 PagesPersonal, organizational, and cultural values can create a difficult problem when trying to make a business decision that includes all the previously stated. Personal values are what each individual holds dear to them living the types of lives that he or she like and would like to lead. Organizational values are what are best for the company to maintain a good public image and employee guidance. Cultural are set on traditions handed down from generation to generation to preserve a way of livingRead MorePersonal Ethics974 Words   |  4 PagesPersonal ethics What personal, cultural, and spiritual values contribute to your worldview and philosophy of nursing? How do these values shape or influence your nursing practice? Ethics and values form the basis of nursing. Nurses provide nursing care by preventing illness, reducing suffering and promoting restoration of health in individuals, families, societies and communities. Nursing involves technical skills and abilities, duty and service to others with compassion and efficient decision-makingRead MoreEssay about Values Based Decision-Making1416 Words   |  6 PagesAn individuals personal, organizational, and cultural values are the foundation of their personal and professional decision-making cycle. These values form the core of that individuals moral fabric, and his actions and decisions are predicated on those beliefs. Shalom H. Schwartz defined values as conceptions of the desirable that guide the way social actors (e.g. organizational leaders, policy-makers, individual persons) select actions, evaluate people and events, and explain their actions and

Cost Management System

Question: Describe about the cost management system. Answer: Development of costing system recommendations in used cost products for Myer Costing system of Myer Ltd designs as well as monitors cost as incurred in business organization (Willcocks, Cullen and Craig 2011). It comprises of set of forms, process as well as control and reports for the same. It designs aggregate reporting management for Myer Ltd on matters relating revenues, cost as well as profitability in an overall manner. Myer Ltd retailing division focus mainly on dual system and refers as Omni-channel. It is recommended in optimization of physical as well as digital retailing aspects in the most appropriate way. It is advisable in valuation of inventory management by Myer Ltd. From the annual report, it arranges for using weighted average costing method for future analysis purpose. It involves in lower cost valuation as per net realisable values in proper ways (Dinsmore and Cabanis-Brewin 2011). It mainly records reduced cost of goods sold in inventory management system in the near future. It is recommended in using information by costing system for wid e variety of purposes. It includes fine tuning operations in generation of higher profitability in the most appropriate way (Vielhauer 2011). Myer Ltd should decide on cutting costs for business downturn. It matches actual costs in against budgeted cost levels in control process in proper ways. It creates strategic as well as tactical plans in case of future decisions in an effective way. It uses product costing as well as cost tracing and cost allocation in desired form. It reports for costing system in internal usage as well as subject with requirements in form of accounting frameworks like Generally Accepted Accounting Principles and International Financial Reporting Standards (Rains 2011). It is recommended in addressing Myer Ltd in types of information in distribution of consumptions. It creates reports for budget versus actual reports in cost imposing ways in an overall manner. As far as profitability reports are concerned, it deals with customers, sales regions as well as pro ducts and product lines in proper ways (Dinsmore and Cabanis-Brewin 2011). Selection of one product or product lines offered by Myer from annual report The selected product from Myer Ltd annual report is Shirts offered by the company. There was continuous strong performance in shirts and clothing category of Myer Ltd. It faces challenging condition in menswear shirts (Horngren 2012). There is even positive customer response from four major refurbishments for new stores for delivering strong growth in case of online sales for the same. It indulges in continued cost growth in sales growth in net profit after tax. Myer Ltd offers products like shirt at $45 to $560 to the targeted customers. New Myer Strategy is to attract primary customers in stores (Willcocks, Cullen and Craig 2011). It indulges in deep analysis for gaining valuable customers in the most appropriate way. Customers shop at Myer for regular visits for purchasing of shirts. Management establishes clear performance objectives in against delivering strategy. These financial metrics reflects timeframes for achieving sustainable returns for profitable growth. New Myer target metrics includes annual sales growth (Geiger 2011). Total Sales $ Billion 2011 3.2 2012 3.1 2013 3.1 2014 3.1 2015 3.2 Operating Gross Profit Margin Percentage (%) 2011 39.5 2012 41.2 2013 41.5 2014 40.9 2015 40.9 Net Profit After Tax $ Million 2011 16.27 2012 139.5 2013 127.2 2014 98.5 2015 77.5 Earnings per share Cents 2011 27.9 2012 23.9 2013 21.8 2014 16.8 2015 13.2 Myer Ltd represents an energetic revitalisation of Australia best loved retailer. It invests for more than $60 million in form capital as well as implementation costs for five years. It helps in delivering improved productivity and enhancing in-store experiences as well as market leading in Omni-channel capability (Fischer and Holbach 2011). It aims at customer led offers like re-allocating space wanted categories as well as brands for the same. It focuses on narrower range in Myer Exclusive brands. It engages in fine tune of merchandise and offering ways for allowing products as well as service localisation in an overall manner (Willcocks, Cullen and Craig 2011). Value Chain Model applied to mens clothing and derived from direct and indirect product cost values Myer value chain applies in support services in human resources, finance accounting, management as well as information systems and information technology for the same. In case of primary activities, it takes into account procurement and outsourcing of Men shirts in Myer Ltd (Eldenburg and Wolcott 2011). It relates with operations as well as marketing for smooth functioning of Myer Ltd. It indulges in distribution logistics as well as customers services in case of online and online stores for future analysis purpose. Myer Ltd is a company that indulges in proud heritage as well as bright future for the same. In the retail world, it ensures customers change and transforming Myer in delivering offers as well as wonderful experiences for the potential customers. It invests in New Myer Ltd in the next five years as well as delivering sharper and focused scenario (Dinsmore and Cabanis-Brewin 2011). It offers in serving ways for retaining valuable customers as well as drawing productivity a nd growth in an overall manner. It inspires delightful ways and relevant customer daily lives for future analysis purpose. It is founded on terms of advanced analytics of Myer customer base as well as store catchments in desired form (Willcocks, Cullen and Craig 2011). It uses data for better understanding customers as well as identification of great opportunity in achieving high sales and profit at the same time. The main strategies lie from main four priorities in support with organizational capability. As far as customer offer is concerned, it deals with providing brands and inspiring primary customers in creating halo effect in proper ways. It aims at attracting as well as retaining other customer groups (Dinsmore and Cabanis-Brewin 2011). It embraces ways for new retail environment in seamless omni-channel in the most appropriate way. It is necessary to evaluate ways in managing with value chain and retain in the global marketplace in an overall manner. Reference List Collins, R. (2011).Project management. New York: Nova Science Publishers. Dinsmore, P. and Cabanis-Brewin, J. (2011).The AMA handbook of project management. New York: American Management Association. Eldenburg, L. and Wolcott, S. (2011).Cost management. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley. Fischer, J. and Holbach, G. (2011).Cost management in shipbuilding. KoÃÅ'ˆln: GKP Publishing. Geiger, D. (2011).Cost management and control in government. [New York, N.Y.] (222 East 46th Street, New York, NY 10017): Business Expert Press. Horngren, C. (2012).Management and cost accounting. Harlow [etc.]: Financial Times, Prentice Hall. Rains, J. (2011).Target cost management. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press. Vielhauer, C. (2011).Biometrics and ID management. Berlin: Springer. Willcocks, L., Cullen, S. and Craig, A. (2011).The outsourcing enterprise. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

The Book of Judges Essay Example For Students

The Book of Judges Essay The book of Judges is the sequel to Joshua. It is the seventh book of the Old Testament. It recounts stories and events from the death of the hebrew leader and prophet Joshua to the birth of the hebrew Samuel. That is roughly, from the end of the Israelite conquest of Canan in the 13th Century B.C to the begining of the monarchy in the 11 th century B. C. It tells about the hebrews from Joshuas Death to the time of Samuel. It was written in about 550 BC, on tablets named the Ras Shamra tablets. The Ras Shamra tablets where later discovered in the early 20th Century, even though the stories and acountings of the judges where already known and written. We will write a custom essay on The Book of Judges specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now The book of Judges belongs to a specific historical tradition which is called the Deuteronomic history. The author of the book of Judges, was in exile in Babylonia. While in exile he was deeply concerned with foreign domination. So he wrote many of his stories on the migration of the tribe of Dan to the North and the sins of the Benjamites. The author emphasized that Israel was being influenced by foreign powers and the loss of freedom and prosperity. Recurring throughout the book is the stereotyped formula: The people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the lord. Then after each period or subjection the author introduces another formula: But when the people of Israel cried the Lord, the Lord raised up a deliverer for the people. Through-out the book, the book of judges tells about prophets, rulers and influencial people such as: Othniel, Ehud, Shamgar, Deborah, Gideon, Tilian and Samson. There are also many more minor people. The name of the book is very deceptive, because there werent any judges at all, nor any judges notified of this book been written. The word Judges was actually a translation for the hebrew word Shofet which signifies a ruler or a great military ruler, which through out the book, influencial people such as Samson and or even Joshua are described as the Judges. The book of judges is supprisingly part of the book of prophets, because many prophets are mentioned and reported apon. The stories start with the conflict then end usually with the resolution. The resolution is often the Israelites asking for Gods forgiveness. The structure of the book of Judges is quiet complex. The introduction of the conquest of Canaan and a characterization of the period of the judges. The main body of the book consists of narratives about the judges. The book concludes withe supplements about the migration of the tribe of Dan to the North and about the sins of the Benjamites.

Red BAron essays

Red BAron essays World War 1s leading fighter pilot for Germany was Manfred Freiherr von Richthofen. During his two years of fighting for Germany he shot down eighty enemy planes. Richthofen painted his plane bright red so everyone that saw him coming would be in fear of, THE RED KNIGHT, or better known as the RED BARON. Most of the planes the Richthofen shot down were British. Most of the people that Richthofen defeated burned to death after the bullets form his machine gun hit the gas tanks, as for the pilots who were able to eject before the plane went down or exploded Richthofen would fly by giving them a friendly wave or land to shake hands. IN 1918 Richthofen was 25 and the commander of Pursuit Squadron 1 of the German Air Force. The squadron that Richthofen was in charge of was nick named the Flying Circus. His squadron flew Fokkers. The squadron painted their planes in gaudy colors but no one was aloud to copy the all red design of the red barons plane. On the morning of April 21, 1918 Richthofen led two-dozen warplanes over the Somme river Valley of France. Richthofen was eager and hoping to gain air control so they could launch an offensive attack on the British forces below. As thy were chasing a few Australian photo reconnaissance planes they encountered some ROYAL AIR FORCE FIGHTERS. They commenced the air battle, which was quite a show for the men down in the ditches. Richthofen chose his one victim, which was LT. (Lieutenant) Wilfred May from Canada. Wilfred was a novice fighter pilot. He did not notice that he had Richthofen on his tail until he saw tracer bullets begin to arc past the stays on the wings. Wilfred looked behind him to see the big red plane chasing behind him with the machine guns spitting fire. Wilfred then took risky actions to avoid being hit and downed he pulled h ...

Essay on Attributions

Essay on Attributions Essay on Attributions Essay on AttributionsAttribution is a psychological term for a mechanism of explaining the behavior of another person. In particular, it may be attributing to social objects (individuals, groups, or social community) some characteristics that are not represented in the field of perception. The need for attribution is based on the fact that the information that a person can get through observation is insufficient for adequate interaction with the social environment and needs to be â€Å"filled-in†. Attribution is the main way of this â€Å"filling-in† the gaps in the directly perceived information (Myers, 2012). However, this process inevitably associates with fundamental attribution error, which consists in the tendency to explain acts behavior of other people though their personal traits (so-called â€Å"inner disposition†), and one’s own behavior through external circumstances (so-called â€Å"external disposition†) (Feenstra, 2013).Thus, a person is inclined to explain one’s successes bydisposition, and failuresby situation with just the opposite treatment to successes and failures of others. Thus, someone else’s delay is often attributedto poor punctuality or absent-mindedness, whereas one’s own delay is explained by, for example, traffic jams or having to stay late hours the day before. Such an error leads to serious problems, distorting a person’s self-perception, impeding the process of self-assessment, analysis and correction of one’s own behavior. Partly, the fundamental attribution error is the result of the fact that when we observe someone’s behavior we focus our attention on the person, and the situation becomes relatively invisible. When we act ourselves, our focus is on the situation: we react to it, and it becomes clearer. Locus of control also affects attribution error. For example, people with an internal locus of control are rather likely to attribute the results to internal factors and less prone to errors of attribution, and at the same time, they are also more likely to experience feelings of guilt for the events that are happening to them (Myers, 2012; Feenstra, 2013).

Anthropology Questions essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Anthropology Questions - Essay Example In contrast, social authority is the capacity to command individuals. However, the two basic features of cultural authority, legitimacy, and competency must be attained collectively as one group (Joralemon 18) Whilst people may acquire confined reputation, a profession’s aggregate conveys significant trust warrant and authority. Legitimacy is attained by competent advance of national health. For example, health professionals can provide credible data, recommend and validate medical claims, and should be leaders and be honest always. Social authority is the most suitable in western Biomedicine since most of the communities are driven by superiority complex and a command can work well for them. Question 2 Cultural competence is referred to as a set of harmonious behaviors, policies, and attitudes that merge in an agency, among professionals, or system and enable that system, professions, or that agency to work efficiently in cross-cultural circumstances. Culture in this context is used with a reason that it applies the incorporated pattern of human behavior inclusive of communications, customs, values, thoughts, actions, and institutions of an ethnic, racial, social, or religious group. Competence is a word used here as it implies having the ability to function effectively (Bae 47). In terms of operations, Joralemon defines cultural competence as the combination and transformation of knowledge concerning groups of people and individuals into specific policies, standards, attitudes, and practices used in suitable cultural settings to improve on the quality of services, thus producing better results. Medical anthropologists apply the concept of cultural competence by incorporating dialogue at individual levels, since individuals are the ones who create and endorse culture, who encounter diseases and illness, and who can clarify the variation within what we comprehend as cultures. Dialogue recognizes that culture is not necessarily language, ethnicity, and co mmon tradition as existing discourse suggest, rather that these elements join with political and socioeconomic stratifications to affect individual experiences. Medical anthropologists assume that culture labels the entirety of an individual’s experience of illnesses and continues to show patients how important cultural competency is in giving the most effective and comprehensive medical care for all patients. However, the greatest challenge in their work is that, cultural competence is considered as a technical skill, which can be merely acquired or a matter that can be simply handled by a translator. This challenge is rooted from how medicine defines culture, which contrasts with its present use in anthropology. Culture is regularly made identical with nationality, language, and ethnicity. For example, cultural competence has do’s ad don’ts, which define how to take care of a patient from a specific ethnic background. In a medical setting, cultural competence is an important concept as it equalizes power dynamics in health care that lead to those with limited power, for example those in cultural, linguistic, ethnic, or economic minority to receive a lower quality care. It also helps health providers not to believe that they have a superior and correct value system. For example, some cultures believe that when death is talked about, it accelerates life loss, yet most western health care providers view this as a wrong belief

RESEARCH METHODS IN PSYCHOLOGY Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

RESEARCH METHODS IN PSYCHOLOGY - Essay Example rt will specifically involves the methodology behind establishing an experiment to examine how stress will be affected due to the mobile phone ring tones. This research proposal aims to identify whether stress level is affected differently based on mobile phone ring tones. The human study was conducted on how ring tones show effect on heart rate and skin conductance in humans. In this research hypothesis, the heart beat rate per minute plays significant role in integrity to stress level. This research study â€Å"Effect of mobile phone ring tones on stress level† is proposed to follow the quantitative research method. Quantitative research method is often used in psychological research to answer the cause-effect question in the research scope. Quantitative research involves the counting and measuring of events and performing the statistical analysis of a numerical data. The current study proposes to follow the experimental method as a means to prove the scientific hypothesis and found it valuable because the researcher is able to constrain or control the situation and various variables. The data collection is proposed mainly through primary data. In this method, collection of metrics derived on causes and coverage of step wise reactions can be observed in response to the ring tone is possible. In order to satisfactorily test this hypothesis, a significant sample group must be recruited to justify a reliable set of study results. The first step in this recruit ment involves narrowing the focus of the potential on same work. This research focuses on the specific change that takes place with introducing the different styles of ring tone – classic, pop, standard by investigator. In order to add reliability to this study, the statistical output is subjected to test of hypothesis. Having identified the necessity to observe the different mobile phone ring tones effect on human stress level, the actual study involves the examining the heart rate and skin conductance

Values and Planning Essay Example for Free

Values and Planning Essay In this first part of my assignment I will be explaining the different values and principles that are applied in care planning and how they will enable the provision of holistic support for service users. Providing direct care/ meeting and supporting the individuals needs Meeting the individual’s needs, making sure that they recognise and promote the rights of the individual and making sure that they have a right to make choices and engaging in having their needs met are all important in social care. Independence and the wellbeing of the individual using their services should be promoted by the professional so full potential is achieved. The professional should also take part in assessments to ensure the safety and protection of their client. When identifying the individual’s needs, it helps you to create a care plan for them so that their needs are met. A professional should pay them regular visits. On these visits they may identify that the environment that they are living in is not suitable for them. All the information collected would help them to make decisions on what arrangements need to be made to meet their needs. Promotion of choice Every individual should have the right to make their own choices and what they want to do. The choices could be things such as what activities they want to take part for that day. They could do this independently or with assistance if wanted. Promotion of rights In a health and social care environment, individuals all have the rights to choice, confidentiality and to also have their individuality acknowledged and respected. Some of the rights that they have are to be able to voice their opinions and for any form of communication received to be effective. Also to be able to practice their culture and religious beliefs. Policies and procedures of the organisation that is providing them with care should be available for access to all the individuals and if they feel that their needs are not being met they can make a complaint. Recognition of preferences It is important to find out and recognise vulnerable people’s preferences when providing them with care. When their preferences are stated then the support that they want to receive will be offered to them. When vulnerable people’s preferences are acknowledged, working with them becomes more effectively. Respect for religious and beliefs, moral beliefs, values and culture In health and social care sector there is a wide range of behaviours and beliefs that should be recognised and valued. Professionals and the people receiving the care all come from different backgrounds. By law all organisations in the health and social care sector have to respect and value every individual’s religion, beliefs and culture. They need to embrace diversity and demonstrate to their workers and patients. Confidentiality Everyone has the rights to privacy and privacy over their personal details. It is important to keep all information about individuals confidential. This is a legal requirement and also shows that they value and respect their patients who are receiving care from them. The only time when information can be passed on would be if there is an occasion when it has to be passed onto another agency. When doing this the individual must be informed that this information is being passed on. Fulfilling responsibilities Policies and procedures must be followed by every individual working in the health and social care sector.by following this, they will make sure that they are safeguarding that are in their care. They also have requirements that they have to meet, to protect the people within their care. P1 In this first part of my assignment I will be explaining the different values and principles that are applied in care planning and how they will enable the provision of holistic support for service users. Providing direct care/ meeting and supporting the individuals needs Meeting the individual’s needs, making sure that they recognise and promote the rights of the individual and making sure that they have a right to make choices and engaging in having their needs met are all important in social care. Independence and the wellbeing of the individual using their services should be promoted by the professional so full potential is achieved. The professional should also take part in assessments to ensure the safety and protection of their client. When identifying the individual’s needs, it helps you to create a care plan for them so that their needs are met. A professional should pay them regular visits. On these visits they may identify that the environment that they ar e living in is not suitable for them. All the information collected would help them to make decisions on what arrangements need to be made to meet their needs. Promotion of choice Every individual should have the right to make their own choices and what they want to do. The choices could be things such as what activities they want to take part for that day. They could do this independently or with assistance if wanted. Promotion of rights In a health and social care environment, individuals all have the rights to choice, confidentiality and to also have their individuality acknowledged and respected. Some of the rights that they have are to be able to voice their opinions and for any form of communication received to be effective. Also to be able to practice their culture and religious beliefs. Policies and procedures of the organisation that is providing them with care should be available for access to all the individuals and if they feel that their needs are not being met they can make a complaint. Recognition of preferences It is important to find out and recognise vulnerable people’s preferences when providing them with care. When their preferences are stated then the support that they want to receive will be offered to them. When vulnerable people’s preferences are acknowledged, working with them becomes more effectively. Respect for religious and beliefs, moral beliefs, values and culture In health and social care sector there is a wide range of behaviours and beliefs that should be recognised and valued. Professionals and the people receiving the care all come from different backgrounds. By law all organisations in the health and social care sector have to respect and value every individual’s religion, beliefs and culture. They need to embrace diversity and demonstrate to their workers and patients. Confidentiality Everyone has the rights to privacy and privacy over their personal details. It is important to keep all information about individuals confidential. This is a legal requirement and also shows that they value and respect their patients who are receiving care from them. The only time when information can be passed on would be if there is an occasion when it has to be passed onto another agency. When doing this the individual must be informed that this information is being passed on. Fulfilling responsibilities Policies and procedures must be followed by every individual working in the health and social care sector.by following this, they will make sure that they are safeguarding that are in their care. They also have requirements that they have to meet, to protect the people within their care.

Similes in The Big Sleep Essay -- sleep

Similes in The Big Sleep      Ã‚   In response to Raymond Chandler's The Big Sleep, I have just one question. Why all the similes? There isn't a single page in the novel that doesn't display this annoying literary device. Everything is "like this" or "like that." It never ends! Similar to decoding a secret message that isn't difficult to understand, but nevertheless tiring due to the overwhelming amount of messages, the novel is frustrating to read. The following analysis acknowledges Chandler's creativity in developing his main character, Philip Marlowe, with his usage of simile. However, the excessive style of the novel creates a dominating force that ultimately leaves the reader unfulfilled at the end.    Chandler goes into great detail describing the different characters--most notably, the women. There are many sections where the shrewd detective is quick to notice (and make analogous) certain physical features of the Sternwood daughters; not that I blame him. Early in the novel he observes Mrs. Regen's legs in the following manner. "They were visible to the knee and one of them well beyond...The calves were beautiful, the ankles long and slim and with enough melodic line for a tone poem" (17). I think that every guy reading this book perked up when reading of Vivian's legs. In this sexual sense, the similes work. Those long sentences would be much easier to read if there were more comparisons of Vivian's legs to a "melodic line for a tone poem".    Carmen Sternwood is described with profoundness but in a different (less sexual) sense than her sister is. Marlowe encounters her on many occasions and is thorough in describing her--from her first flirtations to her continuous irritations. In t... ...be something similar to, "It was raining again the next morning, a slanting gray rain like a swung curtain of crystal beads...I was as empty of life as a scarecrow's pockets" (159). There is only so much of that a human being can actually absorb.    And that is precisely why The Big Sleep is a novel that has a hard time coming off as a pleasant reading experience. If the reader has to sift through all the repetition of Marlowe's observations, then it subtracts from the novels overall themes, which I believe are the most captivating parts. Perhaps if it were a short story or if Chandler displayed mercy on our souls by using similes lightly, then the novel would produce a stronger effect.    Works Cited Chandler, Raymond. The Big Sleep. New York: Vintage Books, 1996. Kemp, William. The Writing Process: Chandler 202. January 14, 1999   

Blinds to Go Company Essay

Executive Summary: The case, based on the company Blinds to Go, emphasizes the importance of staffing in stores as they expand to meet their growth objectives. Being a manufacturer and retailer, with a unique sales model – 100% commission based and focus on customer service gave the company an advantage over its competitors. According to the senior management Quality of staff was paramount and hence their original compensation system motivated best performance and fostered a high energy, sales hungry culture at BTG. To attract more recruits for its expansion phase, the management changed the compensation system from full commission to salary on the recommendation of a newly hired vice president. Sales declined and the overall staff turnover increased. Seeing this the company brought back the old culture and experienced a sales turnaround. This shift also caused another huge turnover in stores. A large percentage of voluntary turnover occurred in the first four months. The higher turnover after eight months was partly due to termination because of sales performance. The biggest challenge the company now faced was understaffing. The need for additional staff was further aggravated due to its continued push for growth and the tight US and Canadian labour markets. Another concern to be addressed was that the company had planned for 80 per cent of its expansion in US where the employees preferred the fixed pay than the company’s commission based pay structure. During this period BTG had tried several recruiting methods with varying degrees of success. With an IPO in the pipeline and plans to add on average 50 stores per year for the next five years, it was critical for the company to come up with a staffing strategy with focus on Quality of the staff and low employee turnover. The Company: Blinds To Go (BTG) was a retail fabricator of window dressings. It was started by David Shiller in 1954 in the Cote-des-Neiges district in Montreal, Canada. From the mid 1970s, BTG focussed on the sale of blinds. It was able to create a production system that reduced the delivery time frame of custom blinds from six to eight weeks to 48 hours. The reduced delivery time led to overwhelming customer response and the business flourished. The firm, realising their unique advantage of being a manufacturer and retailer simultaneously, began expansion by opening stores throughout Canada and US. By June 2000, BTG operated 120 corporate owned stores in North America. BTG expected to add 50 stores per year for the next 5 years, 80 percent of which targeted to US expansion stores. BTG’s business philosophy was that quality of staff was cardinal than the store location, customer demographics or advertising. The firm established this by experimenting with a store that was locationally disadvantaged and had declining sales. BTG was able to triple the sales of the said store in one month by deploying their ‘A’ management team and trained staff there. The four staff roles in BTG stores were 1. Sales associate 2. Selling Supervisor 3. Assistant Store manager & 4. Store Manager. Sales associates were the junior most employees and their job was to follow a set plan to help walk in customers to make a purchase. Consistent sales performers among them were promoted to selling supervisors, who were assistant store managers in training, or assistant store managers. Assistant store Blinds to Go: Staffing a Retail Expansion Case Analysis SECTION E: Group #5 managers were in charge of the stores in the absence of store managers. The store manager was responsible for overall store operations. The BTG selling process involved a high level of customer interaction, which set a very high level of service expectation. Their emphasis on customer satisfaction and sale closure led to higher volume of orders relative to their retail competition Original Compensation of Retail Staff: The compensation structure at Blinds To Go incentives performance based on number of sales deal closed. The commission based structure fosters the high energy, sales hungry culture at BTG. This structure was believed to be a motivating factor to boost performance. High performers at BTG actually made more money than comparable retail outlet salesman. For Sales Associate the salary structure was a mix of fixed pay and variable pay with $3 – $5 comprising of fixed and 3% of sales as variable component. For Managers/Assistants the salary structure was $10,000 – $15,000/yr as fixed pay with 1.5% to 3% of overall sales as variable pay. Changes in Compensation Structure – 1996: As per the recommendations from a newly hired Vice President of store operations the compensation structure for the store staff was changed from being fully commission based to salaried. Under the new structure, the sales associated were paid Cdn $8 per hour as a fixed component. For the store managers a higher base salary component as compared to the commissions was set. The main focus of the move was to make the compensation more attractive to the prospective hires. Another change being brought was to limit the involvement of store managers in the sale process. All these changes had an adverse effect on the sales figures which showed a decrease of 10 to 30% from 1996 to 1997. The staff turnover increased to 40% from the earlier 15%. Even thought the new pay structure helped in recruiting more hires, it led to the hiring of lower calibre people. The existing good performers did not appreciate the changes, thus affecting their morale and hence their commitment to sales. To counter this adverse effect, the management introduced a variation of the commission based compensation plan in May 1998. The effect of the change could be seen in the 10 to 30% increase in store sales from the previous year. Still the BTG stores experienced a high employee turnover that year. It was probably because of the employees accustomed to fixed pay were leaving the organisation, being dissatisfied from the commission based structure. Analysis of the employee turnover reflected that the highest no of employees left the firm in the first 4 months from their hiring. Most of the new expansion plans were in US. But the people of US were uncomfortable with the 100% commission based pay structure. Thus there was a requirement in the change to the structure to adapt to the US market. Blinds to Go: Staffing a Retail Expansion Case Analysis SECTION E: Group #5 Channels of Recruitment To be able to attract and recruit people who had certain sales driven qualities, several channels of recruitment were harnessed to fill in the job positions. Since BTG was already understaffed and with massive growth plans (50 stores per year ) lined up, we need to analyse the various pros and cons of the channels of recruitment. Employee Referral: Current staffs refer friends and family to BTG which helped company attract candidates already briefed on the company’s ideology. This channel was very effective which is evident by its highest ratio of leads to hire. The success of the ER scheme was partially due to the fact that referrals generally continued employment excited by the opportunity that the friend or family member who is a BTG employee recounted. Though maximum hiring was effected through this channel yet this alone did not currently satisfy BTG’s hiring needs. Internet Sourcing: This is one of the non-store recruitment channels which BTG used in two ways. First, BTG solicited resumes at its blindstogo.com site. Second, DSM’s and recruiters actively searched online jobs sites like Monster.com to contact potential candidates. Currently 12 out of 143 recruits were through this channel. DSM Compensation Readjustment: DSM’s were mainly responsible for store source of recruitment mainly walk-ins and employee referrals. They had to hire 10 new sales associate every month. Their importance in recruitment process is highlighted by the fact that their salary was based on number of new staff selected rather than on sales targets. Currently 16 out of 143 sales associate were recruited through this channel in past two months. BTG Retail Recruiters: They were professional recruiters who were paid @20000/year with a bonus of $150 -$500 for each successful hire. They generate leads through cold calls, networking referrals, colleges, job fairs, Internet and employment centres. Though they had performed sub- optimally in terms of number of number of new recruits, their training had increased to enable to get in at least 4 new recruits per week. Newspaper Advertising: Newspaper channel generated the maximum number of leads but the senior management believed that this medium did not generate the quality of candidates that BTG needed. This channel attracted more of the people who did not meet the desired skills standard and core values expected by BTG in potential candidates. To be able to meet our desired staff requirements, we believe this channel needs to be harnessed to its full potential and complemented by necessary training to new recruits to enable them to meet company’s performance standards. Store Generated Leads: BTG believed in direct store walk-in mode of recruitment as well. It had put â€Å"help wanted† signs on its windows to attract potential candidates to meet its recruitment needs. But this policy was successful only in densely populated areas with high footfall. HR Strategy: Udofia, Vice Chairman BTG, is looking for a strategy that solves all the major issues currently faced by the company, which would include unstaffed stores, staffing for future expansion and high employee turnover. Following are the steps that could be taken by him to achieve its growth objectives: ï‚ · A Robust Training Module: As mentioned, the quality of staff is extremely important in the retailing business. The crunch in the labor market doesn’t give the company a flexibility to choose Blinds to Go: Staffing a Retail Expansion employees on a strict criterion. A training module would help BTG to relax the criterion and increase the number of selected employees by recruiting people who are trainable. In order to keep a check on the quality of the employees, the company can recruit the employees at a trainee level with a fixed pay. The training would be mostly on the Job led by experienced Store Managers. A review system would help these selected candidates to get promoted as Sales Associate. The initial pay as a trainee would be low. But the incentive to get promoted as Sales Associate would drive them to work and learn quickly. Currently we can see that there are large numbers of people who are attracted by the Newspaper Channel and Internet. But the problem is with this medium is that it didn’t generate quality employee. By a robust training module the company would be able to hire trainable people and give them opportunities on the basis of their performance. The Promotion Structure: A scheduled review and internal promotion structure could be followed which attracts the current employees and increases the retention rate. The review can be conducted on at 2 levels, Sales Performance and Soft skills. A feedback mechanism would help the employees to work on the areas they lag. The review can be scheduled every 8 months and every employee can be given an opportunity to get promoted. The internal promotion structure could be leveraged as a tool to advertise. This would attract people who currently don’t want to join at Sales Associate Level. The promotion structure would also help in filling up the vacancies of Supervisors and Managers. Pay Structure: The pay structure for Sales Associate could be revised in a manner as explained below: According to the current pay structure, a Sales Associate is paid $6-$8 per hour or 6% of sales, whichever higher. Clearly it can be seen that the Marginal and the Poor performers are the once who are enjoying the fixed compensation system. In order to motivate them, fixed + variable compensation could be followed for these below par performers. This structure would demotivate the top performers as there will be a reduction in their salaries. So it would not be the best idea to implement this structure for top performers. A benchmark of $10000/sale/week could be set. This would not only motivate them to perform but the company also would overcome the problem of social loafing. The structure is explained below: Marginal-Poor Performers ($10000-/sales/ week) $3 per hour + 3 % of sales Leadership Program: The highly experiences set of Store Managers could be given an option to join the leadership program. Under this program the Senior Employees would take up the responsibility of the training module and help the company attain the level of quality it requires in its workforce. Their compensation could be based on the rate of conversion of trainees to Sales Associate instead of Sales. Increased Stock Options to senior and experienced Store Managers would give them a feel of ownership in the firm which is what an employee needs after serving an organisation for years.

Islamic Banking

[pic] ISLAMIC BANKING: IS IT REALLY â€Å"ISLAMIC†? By: Omar Mustafa Ansari & Faizan Ahmed Memon Is it really Islamic? †¦. In this era of development and growth in Islamic finance and banking, this is a question being raised at every forum by various quarters. All those who raise this question, are undoubtedly well-wishers of Islam, Islamic economic system and Muslim Ummah. Accordingly, while we celebrate the achievements of Islamic banking on one hand, we should not be ignoring the issues and objections being raised by such quarters in order to ensure that we lay the foundations of this industry on strong, straight and acceptable-to-all footings. Objectives Of Islamic Banking Before discussing various objections raised on the present day Islamic banking, we should first try to understand the objectives of Islamic banking, which are as follows: 1. To provide Shariah compliant and prudent banking opportunities; hence providing an opportunity to Muslims to do their banking transactions – a Halal way: In other words, this is just an effort to avoid Riba and other prohibited elements from commercial and banking transactions, in order to ensure that we do â€Å"Nothing-Haram†; and 2. Achieving the goals and objectives of an Islamic economic system. We all can agree that, given the circumstances, the Islamic banking industry is making all efforts to ensure the first objective, while the second objective, although no-less important, is not the prime objective of current-day Islamic banking. History Of Islamic Banking Modern banking system was introduced in Muslim countries at a time when they were politically and economically slave to the western world. The main banks of the western world established their branches and subsidiaries in the Muslim countries and territories to fulfill requirements of foreign business. The Muslim community generally avoided the foreign banks for religious reasons but with the passage of time, it became more and more difficult to engage in trade and other activities without making use of commercial banks. Even then, a large number of Muslims, confined their involvement to transaction activities such as current account or hundred percent cash margin letter of credits. Borrowings from commercial banks or placement the access funds and saving accounts were strictly avoided by practicing Muslims in order to keep away from dealing in interest which is prohibited by Islam. With the passage of time, however, due to increase in cross-border transactions and other socio-economic forces demanding more involvement in national economic and financial activities, avoiding the interaction with the banks became impossible. Local banks were established in Muslim countries (including the names like Muslim Commercial Bank) on the same lines as the interest-based foreign banks and they began to expand within the country bringing the banking system to more and more people. Governments, businesses and individuals began to transact business with the banks, with or without liking it. This state of affairs drew the attention and concern of Muslim intellectuals which gave emergence to the contemporary Islamic banking. By the midst of the last century, many Muslim countries started their efforts to adopt the Islamic economic and banking systems. Many scholars, economist and experienced bankers came with different solutions to initiate the Islamic banking. Those experiences paved the route for modern Islamic banking. Nowadays Islamic financial institutions (IFIs) are spread all over the world including European countries and the United States. In particular these have their significant presence in Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, other GCC countries, Malaysia, Sudan and Iran. Who Raise The Questions? Islamic banking is a weak industry†¦. In respect of resources, in respect of knowledge-bases, in respect of trained-knowledgeable-sincere human resources, in respect of availability of commercial options, in respect of state support, as well as, society support, in respect of sincerity of stake-holders and WHAT NOT. With such adverse footings, unfortunately, it really has certain weaknesses which are not only targeted by the enemies, but, are more severally and forcefully attacked by the FRIENDS. As a consequence, the Islamic banking and finance is facing disagreements from various quarters including certain â€Å"revolutionary† Islamic movements, certain â€Å"rigid† and â€Å"hard-core† religious scholars, and â€Å"idealistic† and â€Å"utopian† Islamic economists (without any disrespect to them all). Can Banking Ever Be Really Islamic? The first question is raised mostly by those who either do not have any knowledge about banking, or those who have the courage to evaluate the banking systems from its evolution to its objectives. They feel that the banking per-se is against the very basic concepts of Islam. They feel that just like the fact that there can not be any â€Å"Halal pork† or â€Å"Islamic prostitution†, there can be no â€Å"Halal banking†. This viewpoint is supported by the fact that, particularly in Pakistan, we have already faced a complete disaster in the name of interest-free banking and so-called IFIs particularly including Modarabas. The argument, as to whether Islamic banking is really Islamic, has two different facets. The first one is that whatever is being performed in the name of Islamic banking is apparently quite similar to the operations of a conventional financial institution hence creates doubts in people’s mind, as to on what grounds we can call it Islamic? So they feel that it is merely a change in name and documents and in fact, it is nothing different from conventional banking. The second facet of this question is more important nd deals with the socio-economic factors associated with the overall Islamic financial system. Due to significance of these objections, we will discuss these two issues before looking for other arguments. Merely A Change In Name And Documents The most common and most discussed argument against contemporary Islamic banking is that there is â€Å"NO DIFFERENCE AT ALL† between the conventional banking and Islamic banking and this is merely a change of name and doc uments. The second argument, which is in-fact a derivative of the first argument, is that even in Islamic banking, the most common products being used e. g. Murabaha, Musawwama, Salam, Istisna, diminishing Musharaka and Ijara Muntahia Bittamleek are on fixed return basis. Even the Musharaka and Modaraba based products are engineered in a way that the profits are â€Å"virtually-fixed†. One should realize the fact that unless we can distinguish an Islamic bank from a conventional bank, it would be difficult for any of us to rely on the same. Particularly, it is observed that they try to make sure that their product is similar to the conventional products in all respects, even if for that purpose they have to incorporate a few provisions in these products which are not considered to be good or a few of them are considered Makrooh. In addition, their endeavors are focused towards minimization of their risk through every possible option and accordingly, the essence of Islamic finance which is based on risk taking is killed. We can note that most IFIs market their products on the models very much similar to those used by the conventional banks. As an example, an Ijara Muntahia Bittamleek transaction introduced by an IFI might be very similar to a finance lease transaction offered by a conventional leasing company, except for a difference of Takaful / insurance cost which in Islamic mode is to be borne by the lessee and accordingly, the same is built-in the rentals. The basic reason behind this similarity is to ensure three objectives. The first one, which is more important one, is to provide an â€Å"even playing ground† to the IFIs in order to ensure their survival in the overall banking system. The second one, is that even by IFIs, it has to be ensured that their shareholders and depositors get some return and preferably a return equivalent to those of conventional banks. And the third reason is to avoid arbitrage amongst Islamic and conventional financial systems which may be exploited by a few big-guns to get the benefit of the pricing difference between the two parallel financial systems. For such reason, time value of money concept is used for performance measurement and pricing of financial products. Most importantly, it should be kept in mind that in some areas Haram and Halal have a very small difference. For an example, only saying the name of Allah Almighty on an animal at the time of slaughter makes it Halal and permissible while by not saying that name we make it Haram or by just a few words of acceptance in Nikah, in presence of a few persons, a man and woman become Halal for each other. Similarly, if a transaction can be engineered in a way that the same becomes Shariah compliant, then we should not conclude that the same is Haram only due to its resemblance with the interest based financing. It is also pertinent to note that since the Islamic financial services sector is in its infancy phase, as compared to the conventional banking, we unfortunately have to follow the conventional system in the pattern of financial products and are still not in a position to invent absolutely new financial services. During the last few centuries, the conventional banking system has well read the human needs and psychology and has invented a considerable number of financial products and accordingly, it is not simple to just invent a new financial tool just for the purpose of inventing one. For example, if they have running finance and overdraft as a financing tool, we have invented an alternate to the same in form of Istijrar with Murabaha or Musharaka based running finance model. Similarly, if they use finance leases as a financing tool, we have converted the same in a Shariah compliant form in form of Ijara Muntahia Bittamleek or in form of Diminishing Musharaka. These are only two examples, but the tally is practically very high and for each interest based financial product except for those explicitly Haram, more than one alternates have been engineered. The objective of this discussion was just to emphasize that merely an amortization schedule similar to the one offered by a conventional bank, is not a basis for declaring a Halal product to be Haram. If just a pricing model or just the similarity of a cash-flow model makes the transaction Haram, what you will say regarding a conventional loan offered at a price much higher or much lower than the market prevailing rates for which the pricing model and the cash-flow model are not similar to those generally applied in the industry. Does anybody think that such dissimilarity will make it Halal? Accordingly, from Shariah principles it is rightly concluded that it is the substance of a transaction what makes it Halal or Haram and not a pricing model used to price the transaction or the cash-flow model used for the payments and repayments in monetary terms. Socio-Economic Effects Of Islamic Banking And Finance Second most significant argument from such group, predominantly by certain Islamic economists and certain Islamic revolutionary movements, is about the socio-economic factors of Islamic banking. They feel that since Islamic banking is also based on profit motive and in present form, it generally works on â€Å"virtually-fixed† return basis; hence the same cannot attribute anything-positive towards the socio-economic changes that Islam desires. This is a crucial question and, we believe that, every conscious Muslim will concur with the concerns of those who raise the same, although the conclusions derived by different people might vary. Nobody can argue that virtually-fixed return based banking, although being Shariah compliant, is not what has been desired by Islam as a complete way of living. In addition, the current-day Islamic banking is emphasizing more on consumer finance as compared to financing to SME sector, agricultural sector, and more importantly, on the micro-finance; hence, it is not contributing enough towards the â€Å"just and equitable monetary system† that Islam needs. Having due regard for these arguments, may we remind you that that the Islamic economic system is not something that can work in isolation of the geo-political and legislative system, as well as, and more importantly the society’s behavior towards the injunctions of Islamic Shariah in personal and collective matters. Accordingly, one can easily imagine that in an economy whereby most of the businessmen are not honest in fairly presenting the financial statements of their businesses, how difficult it is to introduce a profit and loss sharing based financial solution. Similarly, in most of the cases payment of Zakat and Sadaqat depends on the individual and particularly, in view of the gigantic volume of the black economy in the country, what can be expected even if a good system for Zakat and Ushr is introduced? It needs to be emphasized that only the change in banking system is not a solution to the overall revolution of economic system unless other facets of Islamic economic system, as well as, Islamic social system are not implemented simultaneously. Accordingly, the complete transition of economy to an Islamic economic system can be performed, when and only when, the overall consensus of the society is developed towards practical application of Shariah in all the facets of human life, particularly including the governmental, political and legislative structures. Despite such an unsatisfactory and rather discouraging attitude of the society towards application of Islamic Shariah, it should be noted that such a situation do not relieve a Muslim from the applicability of Shariah principles, but rather increases his responsibilities in the way that it becomes his duty not only to try to abide by all applicable Shariah requirements in his personal capacity but also to put his endeavors towards improvement in such system. Consequently, in case the Islamic banking, in your opinion, is not contributing enough towards betterment of society, you cannot blame the same alone. The responsibilities of the Muslim Ummah as a whole (or of the State) can not be expected to be borne by a single sector only, which, at this point of time is in its infancy stages. Is It Heela Banking? This is a general discussion at various forums that contemporary Islamic banking is based on Heelas. From Shariah perspective, a Heela is an option utilized to disobey the divine guidance through engineering the circumstances and playing with the facts and intentions. Having an insight into the industry, one can not disagree with this argument to certain extent, as it has been observed in a number of cases that in-fact, certain transactions are practically applied on this basis. Having said that; this argument should, however, not be used to blame the entire industry. We should acknowledge that the foundations of the industry have been built using the pillars which are directly derived from the Holy Quran, Sunnah and Fiqh. It is worth-noting that mostly, a Heela is applied in the â€Å"execution of a transaction† rather than â€Å"designing of a transaction†. In other words, we can safely conclude that application of Heelas in Islamic banking is not a weakness in the theories of Islamic banking, but actually is a matter of misuse / misinterpretation of basic Shariah guidance in respect of various Shariah compliant financial transactions. Accordingly, it needs to be emphasized that in order to support the growth of Islamic banking and finance on right footings, we need to strengthen the Shariah compliance mechanism for the industry. In addition, in the longer run, we need to eliminate the Islamic financial products which have the potential of misuse. Use Of Interest-Rate As Benchmark; Is It Halal? Critics, including scholars, as well as, economists, strongly condemn that most of IFIs while providing financing by way of any of the â€Å"Halal† transactions, determine their profit rate on the basis of the current interest-rate benchmarks prevailing in the conventional money market. Scholars are of the view that by applying these benchmarks, the Islamic banking industry makes their transactions â€Å"similar† to interest-based transactions and as a consequence, these transactions become doubtful from Shariah point-of-view. Economists feel further issues and that and are of he view that this thing makes these financial institutions a part of the prevailing capitalistic economic systems, hence this sort of transactions are absolutely not desirable by Islam. Here it would be worthwhile to have a look on the arguments by the Islamic banking for better understanding of the pricing issue. They generally give examples like; s uppose you enter into a supermarket in UK and see that the pork, the beef and the Halal beef are all being sold for GBP 2 per kg. Do you think that this similarity of price or the fact that these products are being sold under the same roof renders the Halal beef as Haram? Or for example; in the same superstore you note that they are using the same balance for weighing these three types of meat. Do you think that using the same balance will render the Halal beef, as Haram? If not, then we should better understand the principle that it is the substance and legal form of the transaction that makes it Halal or Haram and not its pricing, rate or the cash-flow model or the institution, or even the environment that offers such transaction. This issue, however, needs to be addressed by the government, as well as, the market players. A strong Islamic inter-bank market will InshaAllah provide us opportunities to develop our own benchmarks for Islamic banking operations. Dealing of Islamic Banks with Conventional Banks Another strong argument against Islamic banking is against dealing with conventional banks. These dealings are of two types i. e. sharing of services and commercial transactions. As far as services are concerned, where the Islamic Banks are facilitating the foreign businesses of their customer or helping out their customers to transfer the money from safe channels. For these services, the remuneration or expense of Islamic banks is service charges which are allowed by Shariah jurists, although they recommend that such interaction should be avoided wherever IFIs are available. The second argument which is much strong is regarding the commercial transactions with conventional financial institutions. These transactions generally relate to the treasury side of the Bank whereby either the IFIs place their excess liquidity with the conventional banks or obtain financings from them to meet their own liquidity requirements. For placement of funds with conventional banks most of Islamic banks in Pakistan are using the product of Commodity Murabaha or they invest in certain â€Å"Halal assets† of the conventional financial institutions. On the other hand, they normally obtain financings from the conventional banks on the basis of profit and loss sharing, although the profit rates are once again â€Å"virtually-fixed†. Although, most of the Shariah scholars have allowed these transactions duly considering the Shariah requirements, however, nobody can argue that it is a must to avoid all such transactions. For this purpose, however, we need to strengthen the Islamic inter-bank market and to provide further liquidity management options to the IFIs particularly, in form of strong Shariah-compliant government securities and a stable capital market with plenty of Halal investment options available. All dealings with conventional financial institutions should remain limited to the necessities which reach the extremes of compulsion. Cost Of Being A Muslim Those who have bad memories of dealing with Islamic banks are in front-line of critics with this remark. People feel that there are serious doubts on the honesty and integrity of IFIs. They feel that these Banks are using the name of Islam to earn a few bucks more as compared to the conventional banks or rather they are exploiting the faith of Muslims by charging them, the â€Å"cost of being a Muslim†. On the financing side, they charge higher than conventional banks. In other words, internal rate of return on Islamic financial products is higher than the conventional products. On the contrary, it is observed that on the deposit sides they pay less as compared to the conventional banks. In addition, it is generally observed that the expected rates, as well as, the actual rates of return offered by these financial institutions are fairly equivalent to (generally slightly less than) the rates being offered by conventional financial institutions. A justification against the first argument is that since IFIs are subject to the commodity risk, asset destruction and holding risks and the price risk, as well as their relevant costs e. g. Takaful expenses, in addition to the risks and costs that a bank faces, they are justified in their demand i. e. higher internal rate of return. Nevertheless, financial experts have generally felt that even if these factors are considered, the pricing by these Banks is on the higher side. On the other side, in a profit and loss based model, it is agreeable that they assign weightage to different types of deposits in a manner that the total return on investment and financing pools is allocated amongst various depositors and the Bank (working as a partner). Even then, it is generally noted that IFIs are paying less than the market. We can only hope that in near future, with increasing competition in the Islamic banking industry, this effect will minimize because of market-forces except to the extent of pricing against actual additional risk elements. Marketing Approach Of IFIs Another valid argument is about the marketing approach being used by these financial institutions, which adversely effects the public reliance on this mode. People raising objections on the marketing approach of IFIs have two grounds for the same. The first one is the general marketing approach being applied by the a few IFIs which include advertisement and other publicity materials including involvement of women and traditional marketing and advertisement styles for promotion of â€Å"Islamic† banking business. Second ground is the marketing strategy in which sometimes it is felt that false statements are made for promotional purposes. An example of the same is the claim by a leading Islamic bank that all its day to day activities are monitored by its Shariah Advisor. Just imagine, if it is humanly possible, that a part time Shariah Advisor can look after all day to day activities of a full fledged bank with a number of branches even located at other cities. Another example is the claim by an Islamic mutual fund that it is the first one of its kind in the country, whereas another fund was operating in the country for around one year earlier to subscription for such mutual fund. They Don’t Look Like Islamic Once you enter into a glittering branch or office of an IFI, generally you do not feel any difference with a conventional bank. This issue is raised particularly by the blend of people who feel that once they enter into such location, it should look like a sacred place instead of a commercial office. You generally feel that they have over-spent on the furniture, interior-decoration and publicity stuff, which apparently, is against the injunctions of Islam. This impression is further strengthened when you see the overall environment, the dealing style of personnel and most significantly, you feel (in most of the cases) that there are ladies working for the organization without Hijab or even â€Å"appropriate attire† (in line with the dress-code of a Muslim woman as defined by Shariah). Although a few â€Å"moderate-enlightened† Muslims will not like this objection at all, nevertheless, it should be kept in mind that a common Muslim cannot digest â€Å"Islamic† banking while he feels that other factors of business are not really Islamic. We can’t argue with these objections as these have due weightage in them and the management of IFIs should take these objections seriously. However, we should keep in mind that the prime objective of Islamic finance, is to ensure that â€Å"financial† matters are dealt with in line with Islamic Shariah. In other words, environment does not make anything Haram. Needless to mention, from Shariah perspective, you can always buy a Halal product from a store where everything else is Haram although the same needs to be avoided if other options are available. Islamic Bankers – Don’t Know Islamic Banking This argument, once again, has key significance from the perspective of the overall control environment of these banks with regard to the applicability of Shariah principles. Particularly, it is astonishing when you deal with an Islamic banker, who knows very little about Islamic banking, but unfortunately, this is not very uncommon. The prime cause behind this issue is the fact that most of the IFIs have hired the conventional bankers and generally no or very little consideration is awarded to ensure that they are well conversant with the Shariah requirements with regard to the modes of finance being used by these Banks. Similarly, the IFIs do not spend enough on their resource-building for Shariah compliance and training of their staff, in comparison to what they spend for marketing. Having experience of training â€Å"Islamic Bankers†, as well as, performing Shariah compliance reviews, we may safely conclude that, this objection is not without substance. This accordingly, is a strongest need that the IFIs should allocate more and more resources for staff training and Shariah compliance. Monopoly Of Shariah Advisors Another objection is regarding the appointment of Shariah Boards and Shariah Advisors. People have largely noted and discussed at various forums that the major contribution in this field in Pakistan is limited to a very small group of jurists most of whom relate to a single family and their pupils (a single religious university). Besides this, another question is also being raised that generally the honorariums, consultancy fee and other benefits being offered to such jurists by the IFIs in Pakistan, as well as, abroad are quite high and this may jeopardize their independence. In addition, it is felt that they are the only ones who are whole and sole responsible for Shariah compliance. They approve the products, they review the transactions and in the end; they perform Shariah audit themselves, which is, however, an indicative of a conflict of interest (without any doubt on their personal independence and integrity). Most of the people conversant with the business and operations of Islamic finance do not agree with this observation, because the contribution of these people to the industry as a whole is remarkable and they deserve even more than that based on their contribution and efforts in the promotion of this industry. The general concept that a â€Å"Moulvi† should be paid the minimum for his life, is not justifiable. If you are getting benefits from their efforts, their knowledge and skills, then they should be justifiably rewarded. Having said that, it is always agreeable that it is the right time that contributions from jurist from other schools of thought should also be sought and they should necessarily be provided opportunities to enter into the field. For this purpose, it is a good proposition from the State Bank that a jurist should not be allowed to hold more than one remunerative position as a Shariah Advisor or member of a Shariah Board. This will ensure that fresh blood gets an option to enter into the field which will eventually improve the overall Shariah compliance in the field, as well as, will help these institutions to innovate fresh products. IFIs Use Conventional Insurance A valid objection; can’t argue with that. It was a real issue that according to the legal requirements, as well as, derived from real â€Å"compulsion†, the banks were required to obtain insurance coverage from conventional insurance companies and this practice was allowed by the Shariah Advisors to the extent of compulsion only. This situation, Alhamdolillah has changed after introduction of Islamic mode of insurance (Takaful) in Pakistani market. Unfortunately, there are a still IFIs who have not yet switched to Takaful while to-date three Takaful companies and a family Takaful company have commenced operations in Pakistan and now this lame excuse of compulsion can not be exercised anymore. Now it’s high time that the State Bank and the Shariah Advisors should take strong steps to ensure that no business is iven by the IFIs to any conventional insurance company either in respect of owned assets, or against assets held under security. Should We Still Prefer Islamic Banking? As a conclusion to this debate, we may say that we are required by our religion to implement a complete Islamic way of living in our individual and collective lives and the society and the government as well. The Islamic banking and financial system is a part of such system and is not construed to be applicable in isolation while o ther laws and customs repugnant to the Shariah requirements are still in force. However, for the sake of our own benefits, in order to avoid interest by ourselves and providing interest-free opportunities to our brothers and sisters in Islam, we should promote and support the Islamic banking and finance in the country with all our possible efforts and endeavors. We should not try to pull legs of an infant who is just trying to take his first step towards a long journey to go. However, we should try to ensure that he commences his journey on the right way, with strong footings. Such Islamic banking, may not be termed as perfect, but can provide us with a shelter from interest based transactions for the time being, and might support us in augmenting a truly Islamic financial system, and more appropriately said, will serve as an experiment for the time when we will really be in a position to the implement the complete Islamic way of living in our beloved country. May Allah Almighty bestow us his blessings and enable us to evolve a complete system of life in accordance with the principles of life provided by the Holy Quran and the Holy Prophet (SAAWS). May Allah accept our efforts and forgive us for our mistakes in this field in our individual capacities, as well as, as a society. About Omar & Faizan: Omar is a Chartered Accountant by profession, and is presently working as Partner – Islamic Financial Services Group with Ford Rhodes Sidat Hyder & Co. (A member firm of Ernst & Young Global Limited). Omar enjoys vast experience in audit, Shariah compliance and providing related services to Islamic finance industry in Pakistan. He is author of a Book on Islamic finance namely â€Å"Managing Finances – A Shariah Compliant Way†. Faizan holds experience in the field of Shariah audits and product development. In past, he has worked with a leading Islamic bank as Shariah Coordinator and Shariah Auditor. Presently, he is working with Ford Rhodes Sidat Hyder & Co. as Manager – Islamic Financial Services. [pic][pic]

6 Excellent Cover Letter Samples for Jobs

6 Excellent Cover Letter Samples for Jobs SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Just like no two snowflakes are alike, neither should anytwo cover letters look the same. Even if you're applying to lots of jobs, you should make sure each of your cover letters is unique and tailored to the target job. Of course, no one’s born knowing how to write the perfect cover letter. To help you write yours, this guide has sixfree samples of cover letters for various jobs. Scroll down to the middle of the article for the cover letter samples, or first check outthese tips for writing a cover letterfor your job application! Why Are Cover Letters Important? In many cases, your cover letter represents your first communication with your potential employer. Through the written word, you communicate your interest in the new job and make your case for why you’d be the best person for the role. The job market's always competitive, but a stand-out cover letter can differentiate you from other candidates. It can also help personalize your candidacy beyond your resume. Remember, everyone's human here. While cover letters range in tone from formal to conversational, the best ones manage to connect with their readers. Hiring managers often sort through applications quickly, deciding in just a few minutes who moves on to an interview and who gets a disappointing email that begins with, â€Å"Unfortunately†¦Ã¢â‚¬  - or worse, gets no response at all! As the applicant, your mission is to send a cover letter that gets you noticed and leaves an impression of competence, professionalism, and cultural fit. So how exactly can you fulfillthis mission? One way is to make sure your cover letter contains a few key features. Read on for the four most important characteristics of greatcover letters! What Should Your Cover Letter Include? 4 Main Features There are several components that go into a great cover letter. To start this guide, we’ve picked out four of the most important ones to guide your writing. Your letter should do all of the following. 1. It Should Reflect the Job Description Perhaps this goes without saying, but your cover letter should be customized to the job for which you’re applying. Don’t send a generic letter that could apply to lots of different companies. Beyond simply inserting the organization name and job title, your letter should be a special snowflake, truly customized to the organizationand its available role. Don't just show you want a job. Show you wantthat specific job. The first step in making this happen is deconstructing the job description. Read its requirements closely, and do research into the organization and the industry as a whole. Figure out what qualities they seek andany problems, sometimes referred to as "pain points," that they need solved. Make sure that you reflect this understanding in your letter. Once you have thorough knowledge of the job description, you can analyze your skill set in relation to it. Rather than talking about what you’re looking for, explain why your skills and experiences make you a good match for the organization or company. Even if you don't have directly related experience, you can show how your skills would transfer to the role. Explain how you could contribute and bring value to the team. This focus will show the hiring manager(s) that you did your research on the organization and are being thoughtful about your application. By confidently detailing the reasons you’d make a good fit, you can convince your reader of the same. The shortest distance between two points is a straight line. Make sure your cover letter stays on track! 2. It Should Give Specific Examples Another good practice for cover letters is to include specific examples of your professional qualifications and achievements. Rather than solely re-listing the points on your resume, you might expand on them with an example of a past success. Using data, if relevant, is also a powerful way to quantify your accomplishments. For instance, a marketing manager might describe the specific growth of her company’s online readership. She couldwrite a sentence or two about a particular campaign that met or exceeded its goals. A school counselor, to give a second example, might mention a student she worked with and that student’s progressover the year. As you read the sample cover letters, take note of how they contain specific examples of the applicant’s work. 3. It Should Communicate Enthusiasm As a whole, your letter should convey a sense of enthusiasm for the new job and organization. Simply customizing your letter, as discussed in the first point, will show that you were interested enough in the opportunity to do lots of research. Beyond producing a well-crafted letter, you should incorporate phrases like, â€Å"I was pleased to find your posting for" and â€Å"I was excited to see this opportunity with your organization.† Show that you're eager to engagein conversation about the position and what you can contribute. Use positive language to show howexcited you are about the opportunity. 4. It Should Be Readable, Clear, and Concise Your cover letter's not the time to write a long-form narrative about everything you’ve ever done or ever hope to do. Instead, it should be concise and to the point.Cover letters should be a little less than a page, soyou want to choose each word carefully and stay on topic. Even if you don’t consider yourself a strong writer, you can still definitely produce a strong cover letter. If you find yourself rambling in your first draft, you can pare it down to its leanest form in the editing. Your cover letter should communicate the essentials so that the hiring manager can gain a sense of your qualifications with just a brief skim. To gain a sense of how to do this effectively, check out the cover letter samples below and see how the candidates advocate for themselves via the written word. Feel free to take a close look at these sample cover letters to guide your own writing. Cover Letters: 6 Great Samples and Analyses Now that you have a sense of what makes a strong cover letter, click on the links below forsix samples of cover letters for jobs,each followed by a breakdown of what itdoes well. Some of the prospective jobs include English Teacher, Assistant Restaurant Manager, and Customer Experience Representative.Even if the job you're applying for is totally different than the ones below, you can still use the basic structure and content to guide your thinking. Before you start reading the samples, a quick note on format. You'll notice that each one includes contact informationat the top, as well as the date. This traditional format is good for hard copies or cover letters sent as Word document attachments. If you're pasting your cover letter directly into the body of your email or into a text box on an application portal, then you can leave off this traditional formatting and start with the salutation. You'll find a few more tips on how to format your cover letter below, but first, the samples! Cover Letter Sample for English Teacher Position Cover Letter Sample for Marketing Manager Job Cover Letter Sample for Editorial Assistant Role Cover Letter Sample for Assistant Restaurant Manager Cover Letter Sample for Content EditorPosition Cover Letter Sample for Customer Experience Representative Once you have a sense of what goes into a good cover letter, scroll down for a few more tips on formatting your letter and making it stand out from the competition! If possible, try to address your cover letter to a specific person.Not allpositions publicizea point person, but I know of a little search tool that might help... Writing a Cover Letter: Final Tips In addition to the four key features that you read about at the beginning of this guide, you should pay special attention to a few other pieces of your cover letter.Some pieces to think about are the employer's application instructions, as well as your cover letter's format, salutation, overall focus, and conclusion. Let's consider each one, starting with the instructions. Follow the Application Instructions Just as you should research the position and industry before writing your cover letter, you should also make sure to acquaint yourself with any and all application instructions. Many positions will tell you how and when to send your materials, and they might give special guidelines like a word limit or specific question they want you to answer. One important reason to follow application instructions is that they might shape what your cover letter looks like. If you're pasting it into the body of an email or a text box, then you can cut to the chase and start right in. If you're sending it as a Word attachment or a hard copy (rare), then you could add headers and use a traditional form. Check out more tips on format in the next section, but make sure to prioritize any application instructions first and foremost as you prepare your materials! Consider WhatFormat to Use As you just read, theformat you usedepends on how you're sending your cover letter, whether as a hard copy / Word attachment or pasted directly into the body of your email. If you're typing your cover letter in the body of an email or a text box on a job application portal, then you typically don't need to add any headers. You can just start right in with the salutation. Considering lots of jobs use their own application websites or ask for an email, starting right in with a "Dear Hiring Manager" is pretty common. If you're sending a hard copy or attaching the letter as a Word document, then you mightinclude the more traditional format you see reflected in the samples. You'd puta header on top with your name, address, email, and phone number. You couldmatch the header on your cover letter with the header on your resume to give your whole application a cohesive look. Beneath this header, you'd add the date and the contact information of the hiring manager. If you didn't know the specific person, you could just put the name of the company and its address. The date and company information would be lined up with the left hand margin. Overall, the letter maybe four to five paragraphs: an introduction, two to three body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Then you’ll add â€Å"Sincerely† and print your name. You might add your phone number and email beneath your printed name if they’re not already presentelsewhere. For a full overview of the structure of your cover letter, check out our fullcover letter templatecover letter template! Address a Specific Person While it won't always be possible, you should try your best toaddress a specific person.If the job doesn't indicate a specific point person, try to do some research on the company's website and LinkedIn. If you can't find a particular person, you might make your audience a little more specific by indicating the position in your salutation. For instance, you could write "Dear Editorial Hiring Manager" or "Dear Marketing Manager Search Committee." If that doesn't apply, then you could simply write "Dear Hiring Manager" or "Dear Hiring Professional." You should probably avoid the generic and distant "To Whom It May Concern" (and definitely steer clear of the antiquated "Dear Sirs"). Stay On Topic Cover letters typically shouldn’t exceed one page, meaning you need to pack a punch in just a few words. Besides editing for clarity and keeping your sentences short and to the point, you should also make sure your letter stays on topic throughout. You don’t have to address everything on your resume. Just choose the most important skills and qualifications as they relate to the new job. In terms of the flow of ideas, you should order your points according to how relevant they are to the prospective position. If something feels off topic, then cut it out. Generally, your letter will just get stronger through decisive revision. Finish Up Strong There's some debate out there about the best way to finish up a cover letter. Some hiring managers suggest that you should do everything you can to pursue the position, even stating that you'll follow up in a week to discuss the position or arrange a meeting. Other managers, though, say that this kind of language comes off as aggressive and pushy. They say you should thank them for their time and then wait to hear about next steps. The path you choose largely depends on the type of job and industry you're applying for. A sales professional may show her initiative and communication skills with a follow-up call. Someone in the publishing world, though, maybe turned off by this language. Above all, make sure to follow any application instructions. If a job says "no calls," then you should respect that. And if you do decide to state your intentions to follow up, make sure you do actually follow up when you said you would! Your conclusion is your last chance to express your enthusiasm for a position and leave a lastingimpression. Be thoughtful about how you finish your letter, and make sure to thank the hiring manager and be clear about how and when she can contact you. In closing, let’s go over the key points to remember as you go forth and draft your own cover letters. The search committee's super impressed with your cover letter. They'd loveto invite you in for an interview. To Sum Up†¦ Writing a cover letter can feel like a tall assignment, but it’s also an opportunity for you to advocate for yourself in a powerful way. In your cover letter, you can prove to the hiring manager that you understand what she’s looking for and are the best person for the job. Your cover letter's often your first impression, so put in the effort to make it professional and enthusiastic. Spend some time deconstructing the job description and analyzing how your skills, knowledge, and qualifications match up. Then present your skills in a clear and concise wayand show that you feel passionate about the prospective position. In the end, your cover letter can differentiate you from the pool of other applicants and land you an interview for your dream job! What’s Next? Another key part of the job search is your letters of recommendation. Check out our comprehensive guide on recommendation letters, along with nine free samples of reference letters. Do you have to write a recommendation letter for an employee, coworker, or friend? This recommendation letter template guides you through the writing process, step by step. Have friends who also need help with test prep? Share this article! Tweet Rebecca Safier About the Author Rebecca graduated with her Master's in Adolescent Counseling from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She has years of teaching and college counseling experience and is passionate about helping students achieve their goals and improve their well-being. She graduated magna cum laude from Tufts University and scored in the 99th percentile on the SAT. Get Free Guides to Boost Your SAT/ACT Get FREE EXCLUSIVE insider tips on how to ACE THE SAT/ACT. 100% Privacy. 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