Instructions for Registering as a Patent Agent

Filing a patent seems like a clerical job. On the face of it, it sounds like all you need is a little research, a little discovery and put a stamp on a patent and you are done. In reality, the role is a lot more involved than it seems, lets review how. What Is a Patent Agent or Patent Attorney? Whether you are a patent agent or patent attorney, you are generally performing the same roles. Patent agents and patent attorneys both have a degree in engineering or science, and they have to study the patent rules, patent laws and how the patent office works. The steps to becoming a patent agent or attorney are rigorous. The major difference between a patent agent and a patent attorney is that an attorney has additionally graduated from law school, passed the law bar and has the ability to practice law in one or more states in the U.S. The Patent Bar Both agents and attorneys have to take a very difficult examination with a pretty low pass rate to become admitted to the patent bar. The patent bar is officially called the  Examination for Registration to Practice in Patent Cases Before the United States Patent and Trademark Office. The exam is a 100-question, six-hour, multiple-choice test. The applicant is provided three hours to complete 50 questions in the morning, and another three hours to complete 50 questions in the afternoon. The exam contains 10 beta questions which do not count towards the exam takers final score,  but there is no way to know which of the 100 questions are among these 10 ungraded questions. The required score to pass is 70 percent or 63 correct out of the 90 graded questions. Someone who is admitted to the patent bar is permitted legally to represent patent clients in preparing and filing patent applications and then prosecuting them through the examination process in the patent’s office to obtain an issue to patent. Steps Involved Here are the basic steps on how to become a registered patent agent  that are recognized by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Step Action Description 1a. Get a "Category A" bachelor's degree Obtain a bachelor's degree in a field of science, technology or engineering that is recognized by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. 1b. Or, get a "Category B or C" bachelor's degree You can apply if you have a bachelor's degree or foreign equivalency in a similarly related subject and it can be combined with course credits, alternative training, life experiences, military service, graduate degrees and other conditions. If applying with a foreign equivalency degree that is not in English, all documentation must have certified English translations. 2. Apply, study and pass the patent bar exam Apply and study for the patent bar exam and review previous patent bar exams online. This exam is now given by Thomson Prometric anytime, nationwide, and once a year via paper test at a physical location determined by the patent office. 3. Submit documents and fees Complete list of all the documents and submit the required fees and meet all filing deadlines. Disqualifications  From the Patent Bar Those individuals who are not eligible to apply for the patent bar or as a patent agent or attorney include those who have been convicted of a crime within two years or those individuals after two years of a completed sentence do not meet the burden of proof of reform and rehabilitation. Also, ineligible applicants include those who have been disbarred from practice or law or their profession due to a disciplinary hearing or those individuals who are found lacking in good moral character or standing.

Cultural Diversity And Law Enforcement Essay - 1605 Words

ty Cultural Diversity and Law Enforcement Brittany N. George Alabama State University MSW Dr. Lang-Lindsey Abstract Over the last two years in the United States the African-American people have been fighting a war within our own backyards. The Washington Post reports that since January 2015, the police have shot and killed over 175 young black men ranging from ages 18-29; 24 of them were unarmed. On the flip side 172 young white men were killed, only 18 being unarmed. With these statistics there are similarities in the numbers but, blacks were killed at rates disproportional to their percentage of U.S population (1.Washington Post). Of all unarmed people shot and killed by police in 2015. With 40% being black men make up just 6% of the nation’s populations. In the wake of the killings of Mike Brown, Sandra Bland, Alton Sterling, and many more the world has been made more publicly aware of injustices black people have to handle when dealing with law enforcement. Crime in the black community is nothing new in the black community or should I say black on black crime. There is a bad stereotype that has been put on black people since slavery times that I believe has help fueled the violence between the police and my people. Merriam- Webster defines cultures a particular society that has its own beliefs and way of live and diversity as the state of having people who are different races or who have different cultures in a group or organization. I wouldShow MoreRelatedIs Diversity an Issue Within Law Enforcement From the Past to Present?1211 Words   |  5 Pagesterm diversity refers to the condition of being diverse; thus, â€Å"composed of distinct forms or qualities† (The Merriam-Webster Dictionary, 2004). Looking back at the history of the U.S., there has always been a diverse population in many jurisdictions. But did policy agency workforces mirror this diversity of the communities they served? When in the past the issue of diversity within law enforcement was at stake, where the same measures used today the same as the in the past? The U.S’s law enforcementRead MoreA Theoretical Framework For Recruiting Asian American Police Candidates843 Words   |  4 PagesStates, law enforcement agencies must search beyond traditional methods to attract potential Asian-American police candidates (Crump, 2011). It is not to say that traditional methods of recruiting are ineffective in today’s 21st century policing, but rather, law enforcement agencies must utilize both traditional and non-traditional methods to recruit and hire the most qualified Asian-Americans. By analyzing, assessing, evaluating, and combining the works of several law enforcement scholars regardingRead MoreIncrease of Diversity in Law Enforcement: Impacts and Benefits to Society1321 Words   |  5 PagesHow can society benefit if diversity is increased inside law enforcement? Introduction Diversity is an important factor in the law enforcement agencies. It is important to mention here that police and law enforcement agencies depend on the assistance and the help from the public whereas without the support of the public, police and law enforcement agencies cannot function properly. Most importantly, it has been seen that various members from a number of ethnic minorities do not support the activitiesRead MoreThe Importance Of Diversifying Police Agencies And Selection773 Words   |  4 Pagescommunity confrontations, and that in return diminishes the chances of recruiting Asian-American candidates towards a career in law enforcement. Purpose of the Study The objective of this thesis is to provide comprehensive information to all stakeholders who have an interest in enhancing minority recruitment and selection. The goal of this thesis is to address law enforcement professionals about the importance of diversifying police agencies; more importantly, is to address the underrepresentationRead MoreCultural Competence Of Law Enforcement Agencies865 Words   |  4 Pagesunderstanding of the cultural competence of law enforcement agencies, they are not helpful in improving the cultural competency of those agencies. This is where instituting mandatory cultural competency training comes into play. For example, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission proposed steps and recommendations to increase cultural competency and one of those steps was to â€Å"develop and deploy effective EEO and diversity/inclusion training for different state and local law enforcement audiences, includingRead MoreDiversity in Law Enforcement Essay926 Words   |   4 PagesFinal Paper Diversity in law enforcement has grown to become a hot topic within the law enforcement community. The demographic of society has changed dramatically over the last 20 years and with that law enforcement has been changing, but have they been changing enough? Different law enforcement agencies have their own ways of implementing diversity in their practices and procedures, some of them are better than others, but with issues that happen today it is important that they do something. Read MoreCultural Consideration1138 Words   |  5 PagesCultural Consideration Chanda Martin CJA/500 May 23, 2011 Joseph Laronge Cultural Considerations In the criminal justice system cultural concerns and influences in today’s societies have its positive and negative aspects. Cultural concerns and influences raises a lot of attention of the affect it has on justice and the security administration. In this paper it will first discuss how cultural concerns and influence affect the justice and security administration and its practices. Second, whatRead MoreRecruitment And Hiring Crisis Of American Law Enforcement1141 Words   |  5 Pageshiring crisis in American law enforcement. Among the various problems that law enforcement agencies in America face, however, do not solely pertain to issues such as budgeting or manpower; but rather, it is the problem of recruiting qualified Asian-American applicants (Gaines Kappeler, 2014). Policing in the United States has changed since the early days of American law enforcement. Although there have been opportunities for Asian-Americans to pursue a career in law enforcement over the last forty yearsRead MoreImproving The Decision Making Process798 Words   |  4 Pagesjudicial system must implement innovative changes to better serve the country’s ethnic diversity. Torres-Spelliscy et al. (2010) encouraged diversity in the American court system and provided ten practices to attract the brightest female and minority candidates for the judiciary, and they are as follows: (1) grapple fully with implicit bias; (2) increase strategic recruitment; (3) be clear about the role of diversity in the nominating process in state statutes; (4) keep the application and interviewingRead MoreHow Community Policing Cause A Movement Of Training851 Words   |  4 PagesPolicing, providing ways to disperse this area of concentration and personalizing police service and empowering the community to participate in this process and making neighboorhods safer and better. Command of temper is absolutely necessary for law enforcement officers because they have the ability to seize members of the community of their freedom. An officer not having control of their temper, represents a threat to our community and gives bad publicity to other police officers. A huge part of a

Transgender and Stereotypical Feminine Traits Free Essays

Emily Johanson First Year Seminar Response Paper #4 Final Version due Monday, Nov. 12 Gender Roles in Transamerica Transamerica is an example of how Hollywood portrays transgender people in film. The movie gets rolling when Huffman who portrays Bree a conservative pre-operative transsexual woman tells her therapist she discovered she had a son named Toby. We will write a custom essay sample on Transgender and Stereotypical Feminine Traits or any similar topic only for you Order Now She has to bail him out of jail in order for her therapist to allow her to have her procedure done in a week. The plot unfolds as they get to know each other driving back to California. However, Toby doesn’t know that Bree is his father. Transamerica reinforces a number of transgender stereotypes, and portrays both main characters with stereotypical feminine traits. Throughout the film, Bree reinforces stereotypical transgender behavior. We see this by her taking her hormone pills every day and just trying to blend into the world as a woman. Many people feel that being a transgender is a mental disorder. In the opening of the movie, Bree is in a meeting with her doctor to get her procedure signed off. He is evaluating her to see if she has a mental disorder. Also, Bree’s mom tried to commit her which led to her suicide attempt. When Joyce Murton came to talk to us, she said that many transgender people attempt suicide, so this was a stereotypical behavior. Also, Joyce told us that she didn’t have a good relationship with her family. We also see this in the film. Bree’s mom still sees her as her son Stanley. When they went out to dinner she even had Bree pull out her chair for her which is a stereotypical male behavior. She also made her switch seats so Toby would be next to her. She is using Toby as her replacement son. When Bree told her she never had a son, she broke down in the restaurant. She feels as though she lost a member of her family. I think this is stereotypical for families of transgender people. Bree and Toby display stereotypically feminine traits. Bree may have been born male, but she acts exceedingly female; even her tastes in clothing and home decor are very feminine and old-fashioned. On their drive back to California, Bree and Toby stop and camp out for the night. When Bree goes to the bathroom, she is worried about snakes. This is a typical female trait. Also, for being a guy most of her life, she is really good at talking to boys. For example, when she met Calvin she got him to buy her food and drive her to her parent’s house. He ended up developing feelings for her. On the other hand, Toby’s delicate prettiness underscores his vulnerability, as well as his femininity. Toby acts with his sexuality. For example, when he realizes that he has become attached to Bree, he tells her, â€Å"I’ll marry you if you want,† even though she’s given no indication of any romantic or sexual interest. After the car is stolen by the hitchhiker, he deals with it by finding a guy to do what he knows best. The way that Toby used his body to get money or to deal with his problems is a female characteristic. Most males would use their fists not their sexuality. The film Transamerica reinforces stereotypical transgender people, and portrays both Bree and Toby with stereotypical feminine traits. This film really makes you think about how people react to transgender people. Most people would turn away from them and not hire them for a job. However, Toby shows you a different outlook. Instead of being mad at Bree for being a transgender, he was mad at her for lying to him. The other part didn’t bother him. At the end of the film, he even went to Bree’s house and wants to get to know her better. This was inspiring because it allows people to see that a transgender person is just like everyone else, and they shouldn’t feel like they have to hide who they are. How to cite Transgender and Stereotypical Feminine Traits, Papers

Leadership Strategy and Innovation Resource Management

Question: Discuss about the Leadership Strategy and Innovation Resource Management. Answer: Introduction Twitter was incorporated in the year 2007 in Delaware. It has its headquarters in San Francisco California. The company deals in products and services for users by providing advertisers, developers and a platform for the data partners. Jack Dorsey's Brave and extraordinary, management style has helped Twitter in creating a difference. He owns an exclusive style that may seem exceptional. It has helped him to develop the most anticipated and effective business principlesin California. Twitters mission is to give everyone a power to create and share ideas and information. Twitters chief goal is to maximise stockholder significance meanwhile observing to the laws of the jurisdictions in which it operates and at all times observing the highest ethical standards. Twitter has been an achievement story developed by three people despite of facing criticisms for their innovative idea initially. They have handled difficulties in the initial four years. It was a dream come true for a start-up o rganization to develop a network and to make dominant social networking websites in the virtual technology world. Purpose for the Existence of the Company A Company mission is to set vital ideologies that guides in strategic decision making. There is numerous mission statement analysis techniques used in order to highlight relationship in between a company mission and execution procedure. The Ashridge mission model progresses and gives a theoretical outline for assessing the excellence and suitability of mission statements. The model has four elements. The model helps in creating a relationship in between the mission statement while complying with all four elements of the Ashridge mission model. It helps in decision making whether the organization has complied with the issues it has faced in accomplishing goals and what it has done in finishing the organizational goals. The employees are looking for an opportunity to receive a sense of acknowledgement from the employer. The employees want more than just salary, security and a chance to widen their ability. There is a need of Sense of Mission important for an organization to grow under a diverse environment. Twitter is focusing on attaining the mission in an effective manner under the current development taking place by increasing the efficiency of the organization. There are a number of utility that twitter is following in order to manage internal and external contingencies. Twitter is therefore inspiring and motivating managers and employees to achieve higher level of performance. There is a need to direct resource allocation in a regular manner so that the objective of the organization can be achieved. Twitter has helped in balancing the challenging conflicts of individual interests of diverse stakeholders whose interest lies with the organization. This has helped twitter in achieving sense of dir ection while assimilating the requirements pertaining as per the recent needs. The main purpose of an organization is to support mutual standards in between employees. Twitter has imbibed ample amount of cultural values in the employees to support the interest of the organization. It has helped it to relocate resources efficiently during crises to progress towards corporate performance. Strategy and distinct capability Twitter growth strategy depends on their ability to increase and keep hold of highly skilled human resources. They believe in Recognizing, recruiting, training and integrating competent individuals that require considerable time, expenditure and interest. There object is to hire new employees who adds value to the organization and continue to centre on keeping their best employees. Twitter has offered many of its employees a significant growth within a short period of tenure. They are able to obtain considerable earnings from sale of equity in the markets. This has caused a decline in the inspiration to continue working with them. There is a high level of Competition for extremely trained employees especially in San Francisco Bay Area, California. They are planning to invest important amount of cash and equity to draw attention of new employees and to retain the old employees for the betterment of the organization. Twitter understands that, if they are unable to successfully add and retain employees, their capability to attain strategic goals will decline. This may hamper their business on a long run. Their corporate culture has added value to achieve goals. They understand that there is a continuous need to maintain culture while growing, as they might lose improvement, originality and joint effort. If they do not focus upon the continuous growth, their business may be harmed (Avolio and Yammarino, 2013). Twitter has an objective under the global expansion strategy to improve products and services by acquiring other companies in order to add manufacturing capacity or corresponding products and technologies. Meanwhile they have encouraged investment policy and strategy to preserve capital and support liquidity needs. They do not enter into investments for trading or speculative purposes but to add value to the shareholders in an efficient manner. The motive of twitter is to maximise wealth of the shareholders. Twitter is experiencing a significant need for highly skilled employees which includes senior management, engineers, designers and product managers. Their growth strategy depends upon the ability to keep active employees and to add extra highly skilled employees. They are facing a high level of competition from the other companies to retain/add skilled employees especially in the San Francisco Bay Area. There is a huge competition from the other business organizations. They are continuously competing against online and mobile businesses with the other businesses in the technology industry. Twitter strongly believes that their ability to compete well for highly skilled employees depends on factors like work environment, resourcefulness and improvement, chances to work on tough situations, significant and vital products, the status and power of their brand; and reimbursement. Principles of the company Twitter has significantly agreed upon combating against the factors mentioned above. However, they know that their industry is developing quickly and it is becoming very difficult to survive under the competitive environment. There are certain Risk Factors which are essentially to be given importance. Failing to compete efficiently for users and advertiser there can be a loss in the growth of the organization. This could harm the business and effective results. Twitter understands the importance of highly skilled employees to operate their business. If it is unable to hire, keep and inspire their employees we do not continue to develop our corporate culture or maintain our core values as we grow and evolve, we may be unable to foster the innovation, creativity and teamwork we believe we need to support our growth. Moreover, liquidity available to our employee security holders following our initial public offering could lead to disparities of wealth among our employees, which could adversely impact relations among employees and our culture in general. Our transition from a private company to a public company may result in a change to our corporate culture, which could harm our business. Twitter is providing with a glean insight to the other companies to ensure a continuous growth to the employees and the organization. Twitter has proved several times that it is unique and has distinct qualities than the other organization. Facebook and LinkedIn support longer forms of appearance whereas Twitters format has encouraged the in sequence feedback loop, and an optimistic artlessness. Twitter permits users to cover up their identities. While their identities may be hidden but they can still share their opinion about a subject matter openly on social media platform. It has become mainly valuable while separating it from the other social media platform. CEO-led Management Sessions The big part of constructing a robust company begins with building a strong manager team. Costolo directs supervision at Twitter meeting at least once a quarter. They are utilizing different techniques while disallowing the use of slides by using stories and leveraging his experiences to encourage the team. This has helped the team to understand the management opinion to set an example of vast management all through the company. He is at present functioning on various business operations in order to promote the interest of each individual. Continuous measurement of performance Twitter has Underpin the distinguishing capability and the Value System in its working. Most of the companies perform an employee contentment survey rarely or at once in a year. Twitter implements pulse review in every six months. The survey is based on Short and focused, approximately 15 questions that are used to measure existing engagement levels and it also includes open ended questions to understand the perspective of the employees. Focus on the Core Competency Generally employee appointment efforts fail as they are more complicated and programmatic. Twitter focuses on valuing ease that is why they have developed a 5 core program for every employee. They are not just focused on competencies but rather, those abilities which are essential for an organization to grow continuously. There 5 core programs include: Communication, Development, Change, Collaboration, and Direction. Twitter needs employees to learndaily by creating core skills in order to focus on helping employees. Genuine courageous feedback. Twitter is focused on giving continuous feedbacks to its employees that has helped the organization to make a remarkable difference while comparing to the other competitors. Growth is an essential factor required for the growth that enables managers to give future-oriented, present performance-improving feedback in a critical manner. There is at present twice-a-year official performance review process that emphasis on increasingly continuous feedback Quarterly learning labs are also helping the employees to collect feedback from the manager in order to retain continuous growth. Twitter has showed that it is still suffering from shrinking revenue growth and a weak user numbers. Twitter stated in its annual report regarding a rise of its revenue to 20%. It has earned revenue of $602 million in the second quarter. Twitter remarked it as the smallest gain and the eighth-straight phase of continuous deteriorating growth. There is a slow-down in the social-media company due to a decline of demand from advertisers who are its main source of revenue. They are expecting a decline in the other quarter if the current situation continues (Goldman, 2016). Twitter has acknowledged that it is losing its status evaluated among other social-media advertising offerings. There is an increased competition from the social marketing budgets and it is hurting its appeal to the consumers. Twitter is currently tapping into other parts of the promotion budget that is specifically through online video advertising financial planning (Wagner, 2016). They are taking up the current changes in a significant manner. It requires the company to make tools that allow advertisers to achieve exact demographics with exact regularity (Nowak, 2016). Business strategy Mr. Dorsey strikes an optimistic tone with consideration to the current user growth. He acknowledged that the audience growth in the quarter is notable. There is a direct link between the product alterations they have made to achieve a growth. This expansion was driven by presenting users with more pertinent content in their timelines. It will further improve push notifications in order to seek attention of the audience. They have made clear that there is no point of merging with other as there is a long way to go in terms of their strength (Daft,2014). Twitter is not only a service of significance, but is also a company with huge importance. It is a product with a differential value that has added in its growth since 2007. Twitter has applied refreshing its ads business around by bracing user expansion by creation of the short-messaging service easy to use. It has applied a deliberate business strategy where the management is coordinating the action plans by addressing the goals. It has taken sufficient actions to align with the appropriate actions of everyone present. The management has understood that there are certain external factors that are not in control (Goethals, Allison, Kramer and Messick, 2014). Twitter strategy is to pull more users with its live-video scheme. It has signed a wide number of deals related to live-streaming that deals in for rights to broadcast politics, sports and financial. It has focused itself on sports in particular that has resulted in arrangement that comprise the rights to live-stream games (Wankel, Marovich and Stanaityte, 2010; Murthy, 2013). Twitter is making sure that it will be able to earn revenue from ads sold alongside this content. The company still has to focus on planning a systematic arrangement by focusing on its strategies in order to compete against the global leaders like Facebook and Google (Lusted, 2011). SWOT analysis SWOT analysis is a strategic tool used to derive the strength, weakness, opportunity and threat o an organization. Twitter recently has undergone a structural change. SWOT analysis has helped in remarking the essential criteria needed in order to understand the current position of the organization. Additionally it describes necessary steps required to achieve desired changes (Armstrong and Taylor, 2014; Dias, 2016). It also helps in establishing a decent relationship in between the company current and prospective growth (Storey, 2014). Strength Twitter is a good brand reflection in the market for believable celebrity accounts It is known to be the early market entrants who conquered the entire social media platform in an initial period (Hendry, 2012) . It is known for the Speedy and brief updates enabledon it for the audience. Twitter is used highly by the celebrities for business oradvertising purpose It has a strong brand name across the globe and a popular good luck charm the bluebird It is providing with a huge platform to relate with their customers. Twitter is used by the advertiser for promotion of their brand(Johnston and Marshall,2016; Bratton and Gold, 2012) Weaknesses There is an unequal sharing of tweets. 90% of the tweets are imminent from the top 10% of the present users. Twitter is failing to provide offer with newer features. It is lacking behind providing creative features to attract more people the current business model has limited sources of expansion that has created difficult Opportunities Twitter has become a platform for businesses to promote themselves on the social media platform. It has an opportunity to invite more celebrities and organizations to create convincing accounts so that more customers can be attracted towards them. It has an opportunity to integrate with more telecom operators or companies in order to secure its place. Threats There are various Competitors present in market. The social media is witnessing arrival of upcoming social networking websites There are lot many cases of Fake accounts and hacking cases. Conclusion Twitter is implying strategies in order to achieve a continuous growth in a recent time period. The company is exercising various tactics in order to achieve a maximum growth. During the recent times the company is facing major crises its undergoing. It has planned to restructure the services and products to achieve desired growth. The company has implemented objectives under the leadership Of Jack Dorsey. The new plan has been implemented by diversifying under the current business policies of Twitter. Companys current growth and strategic developments has helped in achieving targets. There is a need to diversify in order to stand against the global competitors like Google, Facebook etc. There is a decline in the growth of Twitter that has caused a restrictive growth due to advertisement issues. By looking at the present scenario it is advised to frame business policies as per the changing business trends. Twitter has a strategy to overcome the harm which is caused in the year 2015. They have a robust plan to overcome against the problems they have faced in past. It is advised to take necessary steps while rejuvenating itself against the challenging business environment. References Armstrong, M. and Taylor, S., 2014. Armstrong's handbook of human resource management practice. Kogan Page Publishers. Avolio, B.J. and Yammarino, F.J. eds., 2013. Transformational and charismatic leadership: The road ahead. Emerald Group Publishing. Bratton, J. and Gold, J., 2012. Human resource management: theory and practice. Palgrave Macmillan. Daft, R.L., 2014. The leadership experience. Cengage Learning. Dias, L., 2016. Human Resource Management. Human Resource Management. Goethals, G., Allison, S., Kramer, R. and Messick, D. eds., 2014. Conceptions of leadership: Enduring ideas and emerging insights. Springer. Goldman,D. 2016. 10 years later, Twitter still isn't close to making money. (Online).Available at: https://money.cnn.com/2016/03/21/technology/twitter-10th-anniversary/ (Accessed on: 12 December 2016) Hendry, C., 2012. Human resource management. Routledge. Johnston, M.W. and Marshall, G.W., 2016. Sales force management: Leadership, innovation, technology. Routledge. Lusted,M.2011. Social Networking: MySpace, Facebook, Twitter. ABDO Murthy,D.2013. Twitter: Social Communication in the Twitter Age. John Wiley Sons Nowak,P. 2016. Twitter turns a profit, but it still resists change. (Online).Available at: https://www.thenational.ae/business/technology/twitter-turns-a-profit-but-it-still-resists-change (Accessed on: 12 December 2016) Storey, J., 2014. New Perspectives on Human Resource Management (Routledge Revivals). Routledge. Wagner,K. 2016. Now Twitter has revenue problems, and its stock is tanking. (Online).Available at: https://www.recode.net/2016/4/26/11586438/twitter-earnings-q1-added-new-users (Accessed on: 12 December 2016) Wankel,C., Marovich, M. and Stanaityte,J.2010. Cutting-edge Social Media Approaches to Business Education: Teaching with LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Second Life, and Blogs. IAP

10 Fun Facts About University of Maryland

University of Maryland - College Park is home to many entrepreneurs and successful journalists we hear about on a daily basis. If you dont know who Im referring to, youre in for a big surprise with these 10 fun facts about UMD!1. The music video for â€Å"Only Wanna Be With You† by Hootie and the Blowfish was partly filmed at the Reckord Armory on the University of Maryland, College Park campus.2. Co-founder of Google, Sergey Brin, attended UMD and graduated with a BS in Computer Science in 1993. Bonus fun fact: Sergeys father was also a math professor there! 3. Three-time Olympic gymnast, Dominique Dawes, attended UMD and graduated in 2002 after winning the gold medal at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. 4. Jim Henson, founder of Muppets, graduated UMD with a degree in Home Economics. His initial projects in puppet-making (puppeteering?) started during his freshman year in college, where he created Sam and Friends.5. UMD has produced Two Nobel Laureates: Raymond Davis Jr., who won the 2002 Nobel Prize in Physics, and Herbert Hauptman, who won the 1985 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. 6. TV personality, Gulliana Rancic, and Seinfeld co-writer, Larry David, also attended UMD. Pretty, pretty, pretty cool, huh? 7. The University of Maryland has produced 18 Pulitzer Prize Winners, most notably Carl Bernstein, who was one of the reporters who broke the Watergate scandal. 8. UMD seems to nurture a lot of entrepreneurs. Kevin Plank, founder and CEO of Under Armour, is also a UMD alumnus. 9. The 1974 ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament championship is widely considered to be the greatest ACC game in history. UMD lost 103-100 in overtime to NC State. 10. But, hey, theres no shame in the loss. UMD’s basketball program has produced 40 NBA players, including Steve Blake, Alex Len, and Greivis Vasquez! Are you looking to apply toUMD? Make sure to search through profiles of students accepted to see essays, stats, and advice. See how they got in, and how you can too!

Luddites

Luddites Luddites Luddites By Maeve Maddox The word Luddite originated in the nineteenth century as a label for an organized group of English workers and their sympathizers who set out to destroy manufacturing machinery in the midlands and north of England between 1811 and 1816. These enemies of the new technology were called Luddites, Ludds, and Ludders. Luddite is the term that has survived. The noun Luddite has come to mean anyone who opposes the introduction of new technology, especially the kind that results in the loss of jobs. The abstract noun Luddism refers to the type of thought that questions the commonly held belief that unfettered technological progress is inherently good for the human race. In current usage, the word Luddite is used disparagingly. The term neo-Luddite is sometimes applied to modern thinkers who question the belief that unfettered technological progress is a good thing. An explanation published in 1847 asserted that the term Luddite originated in the name of Ned Ludd, â€Å"a person of weak intellect,† who broke into a house â€Å"about 1779† and destroyed two weaving frames. As the OED puts it, â€Å"The story lacks confirmation.† I think a more likely source than mythical Ned Ludd may be the mythical King Lud. According to Geoffrey of Monmouth, King Lud was the founder of London and was buried at Ludgate, one of the major entrances to London. In 1378, a prison for petty offenders- such as debtors- was established in the gatehouse at Ludgate. Prisoners there came to be known as Ludgathians. Note: The connection between Ludgate and King Lud persisted until the late 17th century. When the gatehouse was rebuilt following the Great Fire of 1666, a statue of King Lud and his two sons was placed on the eastern side. When this gate was deliberately demolished in 1760, Lud’s statue was moved to the church of St. Dunstan-in-the-West in Fleet Street, where it may still be seen.    In the seventeenth century, Ludgathian was a synonym for debtor. Ben Johnson uses the word in his comedy Every Man Out of His Humor (1600): Always beware you commerce not with bankrupts, or poor, needy Ludgathians. The OED etymological note points out that during the 1811-13 riots, the nickname â€Å"Captain Ludd† or â€Å"King Lud† was commonly given to the ringleaders of the Luddites. It’s a roundabout connection between Ludgathians and Luddites, but the Luddites feared that the mechanization of their crafts could reduce them to penury. Imprisonment for debt continued to be a possibility for the jobless in England until 1869. Note: I recently heard a speaker on NPR pronounce the word â€Å"LOOD-ite.† The lud in Luddite is pronounced with a short u, as in mud. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Apply to, Apply for, and Apply withConnotations of 35 Words for Funny PeopleThe Difference Between "Shade" and "Shadow"

Language development High School Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Language development High School - Essay Example This website takes into consideration the milestones that a child is supposed to by covering while moving forward year by year. The website gives a very detailed account of these step-by-step processes of the language development milestones in a child's growth. Moreover, this website addresses the parents of a child to pay attention to the language development processes of a child so that any discrepancy can be noted and compensated because according to this webpage, "Speech and language are tools that humans use to communicate or share thoughts, ideas, and emotions". The website is highly interactive as it elaborates on concerned points in question-answer format and provokes the reader to go through the simply put linguistic details about langauge development and its scope. Speech-language-therapy is a very technical website with regard to the issues of language development. The head-organizer of this website, Caroline Bowden (PhD, speech language pathologist) gives a detailed research account in connection with language development processes. The Dr. has listed a number of research-based articles on a number of issues with relation to early language development. ... http://speech-language-therapy.com/ Learner.Org It is a very sophisticated website basically focusing on human psychology the understanding of the complex psychological processes. However, this very website also examines in acute scientific detail the language development patterns in human being. It links the early language development of a child to the very complex psychological development and mental growth in humans. "Language is perhaps the most complex cognitive product we have"; as such one of the focuses of this research-based website is to study the organization of early language learning patterns in children so that organization of knowledge can be understood and transferred to adult learners. This appears to be the focal point of this website. http://www.learner.org/ Sldc.Net Speech and Language Development Center is another very useful website with regard to early language development and disorder in the speech patterns of children. Founded in the early 1955, the website is dedicated to the cause of developing better grounds for effective language learning in children. The major point of focus of this website is "on the abilities of the individual -- rather than the disabilities -- to provide all students the opportunity to succeed". Starting with the enrollment of only three young children, the organization has grown into a huge network of language facilitator. It now serves up to 300 students in the area of language development. As such the website provides a complete background about the progress of the organization. http://www.sldc.net/default.aspx]

Continuity Irish Republican Army (CIRA) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Continuity Irish Republican Army (CIRA) - Essay Example The paper will be presented as a fact-finding document and will present no political bias on the issues that surround the CIRA. It is the intention to inform the public on the CIRA and present a clearer picture of the threat they may pose and who their likely targets may be. To understand the brief history of the CIRA, it is helpful to know the history of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) and its political struggle for Irish nationalism. The IRA was a military organization that grew out of the Irish Volunteers, and was recognized by the Lower House of parliament as the legitimate army of the declared Irish Republic in 1919. The Irish Republic had been established as the result of the Easter Uprising in 1916, which sought to expel British rule. A group of Irish republicans led the revolt and sought to win independence through armed conflict with Britain. Subsequent years of civil strife resulted in the Anglo-Irish Treaty, which was a compromise that established an Irish Free State within the British Empire. The resulting division between the pro-treaty supporters and the republican radicals set the stage for the Irish civil war. After suffering defeat in the civil war, the radical IRA continued to fight for an Irish Republic. They fought against the occupying British army over the next several decades using terrorist and guerrilla tactics. The IRA maintained a lo... Hard line republicans opposed this change and contended it was against the original constitution of the IRA and the Sinn Fein. The members that opposed the change in absenteeism policy split from the PIRA and reformed as the CIRA. This established the CIRA as the more radical splinter group and they proclaimed themselves to be the only legitimate IRA. Though the CIRA has been in existence since 1986, it was relatively inactive until the cease-fire of 1994. The statement by the IRA said, in part, "[...] the IRA have decided that as of midnight, August 31, there will be a complete cessation of military operations. All our units have been instructed accordingly" ("Irish Republican Army"). The CIRA did not agree to abide by the cease-fire and continued its goal of uniting Northern Ireland and Ireland in a socialist republic through armed conflict. This was the beginning of the modern and visible CIRA as it exists today. Group Leadership and Organizational Structure There has been some confusion over the terms Continuity IRA (CIRA) and the Real IRA (RIRA). Both groups have similar political goals and both advocate violence. Neither group has agreed to abide by the cease-fire as agreed to by the PIRA. Both groups consider themselves the sole legitimate IRA. The CIRA split during the 1986 debate over absenteeism, and the RIRA was formed from radical PIRA members who dissented from the cease fire agreement. Though they have some collusion and cooperation, they operate as separate organizations, leadership, and structure. Initially CIRA was led by Chief of Staff Daith O Conaill until his death in 1991. He was a hard line republican who had been active in the IRA for 4 decades. When he died in 1991, it was reported that an unnamed man from

Food Day Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Food Day - Essay Example This was an effect or evidence that I was actively listening. During the preparation and at the event, we worked in a team. For example, our team composed Libby, Katie and I. Libby led the team most time and working together, we followed, monitored the progress, and met deadlines throughout the pre and post event activities. The events of the Food Day enlightened me on my profession. From the event, I have understood many facts and perspectives regarding human nutrition. It was very exciting when people inquired about economical and be environment friendly. Additionally, I realized that people are ever interested to learn things regarding living healthy and economically sound or viable. It was my first time address a public gathering. However, at the beginning, it seemed difficult, but after a while I got used to it and I loved this experience. At the end, I was very happy with confident and composure I learnt from this experience. Yes, my efforts made a different both to the occasion and my life experience. For example, most of the attendances were interested in our teams and inquired more about our stuff and how they can obtain it. In addition, I felt most of them were very interested on our displays and they wanted us to information more on how they can save more. I liked the samples we displayed on our information table because it helped us to provide accurate information. Furthermore, I liked our handout because it had simple and easy information. Lastly, I liked how we organized our table; we divided it in two sides. On one side, we placed the green sample and the other side there was the bottle water, Ziploc bag, coffee cup, and plastic bag. I would add more examples of green samples and have a calculator to let them calculate the difference prices of the green samples and the other stuff. The calculation would have help them know how and how much to save. All

Team Performance And Strategic Objectives

Team Performance And Strategic Objectives Team performance working involves the development of a number of interrelated processes that together make an impact on the performance of the firm through its people in such areas as productivity, quality, and levels of customer service, growth, profits, and ultimately the delivery of increased shareholder value. This is achieved by enhancing the skills and engaging the enthusiasm of employees. The starting point is leadership, vision and benchmarking to create a sense of momentum and direction. Team Performance Management is focused directly on the achievement of the teams key business objectives. It bridges the gap between the team building enablers and business performance results. It removes the reliance on faith the need to believe that team building works before investing in it and establishes a direct connection between collective behaviors and team performance. Team Performance Management is predicated on the following three principles: Team Behaviors are different to Individual Behaviors. Most competency frameworks include teamwork, but these usually refer to what an individual does within a team, not what a team does collectively together. E.g. whilst all the individuals in a team can behave in trustworthy ways, this does not guarantee that the team will build trust together this is also dependent on other factors such as the environment they work in, or the team processes they use for communicating, deciding, rewarding, etc.. The behaviors that make a team successful vary from team to team and from time to time. E.g. the profile of behaviors that makes a design team successful is different from the profile that makes a financial audit team successful. And if the design team is using a top-down approach, for optimal performance, it needs to change its behaviors once it gets beyond the outline design and starts work on the detailed implementation of the ideas. Team behaviors can be changed using a team performance management process. In essence, performance management involves establishing behavioral goals, measuring current behaviors to identify the gap between the current and desired behavior profile, and then planning, implementing and monitoring changes in order to close that gap. There are both similarities and significant differences between performance management processes for individuals and teams. The key difference between traditional team building and team performance management is that the former engages in activities in the belief that they will indirectly lead to improvements in team performance (sometimes they do, sometimes they dont). Team Performance Management, however, identifies the team behaviors that will lead directly to business success, and then uses a process to change the behaviors accordingly. Evaluate tools and techniques available to set team performance targets Most performance measures can be grouped into one of the following six general categories. However, certain organizations may develop their own categories as appropriate depending on the organizations mission: Effectiveness: A process characteristic indicating the degree to which the process output (work product) conforms to requirements.(Are we doing the right things?) Efficiency: A process characteristic indicating the degree to which the process produces the required output at minimum resource cost. (Are we doing things right?) Quality: The degree to which a product or service meets customer requirements and expectations. Timeliness: Measures whether a unit of work was done correctly and on time. Criteria must be established to define what constitutes timeliness for a given unit of work. The criterion is usually based on customer requirements. Productivity: The value added by the process divided by the value of the labor and capital consumed. Safety: Measures the overall health of the organization and the working environment of its employees. The following reflect the attributes of an ideal unit of measure:  ·Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  Reflects the customers needs as well as our own  ·Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  Provides an agreed upon basis for decision making  ·Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  Is understandable  ·Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  Applies broadly  ·Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  May be interpreted uniformly  ·Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  Is compatible with existing sensors (a way to measure it exists)  ·Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  Is precise in interpreting the results  ·Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  Is economical to apply Performance data must support the mission assignment(s) from the highest organizational level downward to the performance level. Therefore, the measurements that are used must reflect the assigned work at that level. Within a system, units of measure should interconnect to form a pyramid. Technological units start at the base. These are measures of individual units of products and of individual elements of service. 1.2.1. Performance Evaluations: Performance evaluation is a very important activity which will be initiated to evaluate and appraise the performance of every employee in the organization. This process can be done twice a year and few companies do the same process for every quarter. Majorly, employee performance can be evaluated based on 5 categories; those are Productivity, quality, communication skills, interpersonal skills, professional behavior initiative. Promotions and performance rewards for an employee is decided based on this criteria only. Productivity is nothing but the quantity of work items or assigned work performed by an employee. On a daily base employee should be given a target or set of work and that should be completed by the end of the day. If employee couldnt achieve the target in a particular day, can compensate the balance work in subsequent working days. Quality means the accuracy levels of work which an employee has performed. This processed data will be randomly reviewed or audited by senior associates in the company. If all the work items which were reviewed are perfect and accurate then, the employee quality of work is 100 %, in case any error found, quality decreases. Hence need to maintain consistency in quality. Communication skills also play an important role in performance appraisals. It includes written and oral communication skills. If employee cannot communicate in a proper way, he or she cannot elevate themselves in work and share their views, suggestions in terms of development and growth of the process. Hence always concentrate on improving communication skills. Interpersonal skills professional behavior are nothing but your way of approach and behavior with fellow team members and superiors. Always need to maintain a cool environment within the team, should not be any ego feelings in learning and always solve any personal issues in a professional way in the presence of supervisor. Growth of project or process, always try to share the ideas with supervisor to implement and if employee has any thought due to which manual working hours may reduce and helpful for the process then such things must share with the supervisor so that in performance evaluation employee can gain a very good rating. 1.2.2 . Feedback: Feedback is such an important communication skill. Openness, honesty, candor, trust all of these are hallmarks of high performance teams and organizations. Good feedback skills are essential to any team relationship. Feedback is important because: It prevents small issues from festering into unmanageable problems. It builds trust in relationships. It promotes personal and professional growth. It acknowledges individual and team accomplishments. It clears up misunderstandings. It is a way to acknowledge and recognize team members skills and contributions. As a result, effective team feedback makes life at work a great deal easier and more rewarding. There are two types of feedback Positive feedback and feedback for improvement (sometimes called negative feedback). Positive Feedback Positive feedback is information about what someone did well. Theres a very simple approach you can use when giving positive feedback. Describe what the team member actually did or said, and Why this statement or action was effective. Feedback for Improvement Feedback for improvement is given about situations which did not go well, or which could have been better. In this case, its important to tell the team member specifically what could have been said or done differently, and why that would have been more effective. 1.2.3. Development Planning: Development Planning is broadly defined as the planning of any organized endeavor that aims at promoting development. It encompasses a wide range of thrusts in economic, social and institutional fields at various societal levels, from the local to the international and usually emphasis the relation between societal spheres and units. It addresses the values, objectives, resources, organizational ability and a range of variables of environment of the development organizational its pursuit. The main concerns of development planning may be expressed by the concept of strategy and derivatives of that concept. The term strategy has wide application and is used with numerous shades of meaning. Assess the value of team performance tools to measure future team performance A team needs to know how its results will help the organization. Individuals on the team need to know what the team requires of them to reach the teams goal. The seven-step processes for measuring team performance are Terminology Seven-Step Process Measurement Points Terminology the terms performance standards, goals, and objectives interchangeably and sees them as descriptions of some future, desirable state that the team is trying to achieve. As depicted below, performance below the standard is considered unacceptable, and performance exceeding the standard is considered exceptional. Seven-Step Process. Review existing organizational measures. Ensure that the measures above and around the team are known and linked to the teams measures. Define whats going to be measured. Selecting the best alternatives and using them to identify the teams key accomplishments provide the basis for all further measurement. Identify individual team member accomplishments that support the team. Identify the results each team member must produce to support the teams results or work processes. Weight the accomplishments. Discuss and agree upon the relative importance of each accomplishment. Develop team and individual performance measures. Identify the measurement (either numeric or descriptive) that will be used to gauge how well the results have been achieved. Develop team and individual performance standards. Define how well the team and individuals have to perform to meet expectations. Decide how to track performance. Identify how the data for each performance standard will be collected and fed back to team members Measurement Points. Elaborating on step two of his seven-step process, Zigong describes four ways to identify what should be measured. These methods can be used singly or in combination: If the team exists to satisfy the requirements of its customers, the measurement point(s) should be the product or service the team provides to the customer. If the team exists to help the organization make an improvement in a specific measurable goal, the measurement points should be determined by asking, What value-added results does the team produce that can help the organization achieve its goal? If the team exists to support the organizations function, the measurement point(s) are determined by identifying the hierarchy of results that the organization must produce and selecting those that link the team to the organizations results. If the team is used to support a work process, the measurement points are found by mapping the process and using the map to identify whats worth measuring. 2.1 Analyse how to determine required performance targets within teams against current performance Performance measurement is primarily managing outcome, and one of its main purposes is to reduce or eliminate overall variation in the work product or process. The goal is to arrive at sound decisions about actions affecting the product or process and its output. Performance measures quantitatively tell us something important about our products, services, and the processes that produce them. They are a tool to help us understand, manage, and improve what our organizations do. Performance measures let us know: how well we are doing â‚ ¬Ã‚  if we are meeting our goals â‚ ¬Ã‚  if our customers are satisfied â‚ ¬Ã‚  if our processes are in statistical control â‚ ¬Ã‚  if and where improvements are necessary. They provide us with the information necessary to make intelligent decisions about what we do. A performance measure is composed of a number and a unit of measure. The number gives us a magnitude (how much) and the unit gives the number a meaning (what). Performance measures are always tied to a goal or an objective (the target). Performance measures can be represented by single dimensional units like hours, meters, nanoseconds, dollars, number of reports, number of errors, number of CPR-certified employees, length of time to design hardware, etc. They can show the variation in a process or deviation from design specifications. Single-dimensional units of measure usually represent very basic and fundamental measures of some process or product. 2.1.1 Know what it looks like It will be impossible to know when youre achieving high performance if you dont know what it looks like. From an organisational perspective, high performance means not only running a financially sound business, adhering to essential policies and ensuring regulatory demands are observed, but also understanding the capability of your workforce to deliver high performance. All too often, concerns about what they might find and the time it may take prompt organisations to adopt the three wise monkeys strategy dont see, dont hear, dont speak with the result that low performance goes unchecked for years until it is too late and competitors have overtaken you. Too often, individual high performance is defined as simply getting the job done in the short term rather than looking to the long term and focusing on behaviors. 2.1.2 Make a commitment Strong and active commitment from leaders and managers, and the pursuit of continuous learning throughout the organisation, are crucial to building a well-defined high-performance culture. Commitment means not leaving it to fate, but truly understanding what high performance looks like, trusting different approaches and working with all stakeholders, including the human resource 2.1.3 Define your starting point Knowing where your organisation currently stands will make it much easier to create a vision for the future and to secure buy-in. One of the most effective strategies is to define explicitly what creates high performance in your organisation. Ensure that these behaviors are distinct, while being comprehensive enough to cover different levels of the organisation. Include areas such as how people collect and make sense of information and how they influence and build confidence in stakeholders. 2.1.4 Put a stake in the ground Once you have agreed what the behavioral high performance indicators look like, it is essential to observe and measure them. The best way to capture current performance is through objective observation, such as work shadowing, behavioural event interviews and subjective feedback via online and facilitated 360-degree analysis. This should clearly distinguish between behavior that: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ impedes performance à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ helps to do the task in hand à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ makes a sustainable and long-term positive contribution à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ promotes beneficial and long-term behavioral change in teams and divisions. 2.2 Discuss the need to encourage individual commitment to team performance in achievement of organisational goals The definition of the group dynamics is the social process by which people interact face-to-face in small groups. The group controlled through leadership rather than force, ensured discipline through internal pressure, pooled thinking, respected the individual, and allowed all its members to participate in deciding on things that directly affected them in their work. Teamwork is much more important than the sum of the individual part since a nominal engineering team can succeed under a well-managed project. The success of a software project relies very much on a good management and control system which allows the development to satisfy the project objectives Team process skills are- (a) communication, (b) leadership, (c) goal setting, (d) cross training, (e) problem solving/decision making, (f) conflict resolution are the essential elements for successful teamwork. Team members and leaders must play their roles if they are to be high-performing. The roles of a team leader as follows: Coordinate the activities of the team (tracking progress, scheduling work). Motivate the team. Ensure the team communicates effectively. Interface with supervisor; arrange meetings with client when necessary. Set agendas for meetings Help to set the team goals (project goals, task allocations). Help the team move towards these goals. Accomplish tasks given to them. Meet deadlines. Attend team meetings. Contribute to developing a productive atmosphere within the team 2.3 Relate the application of delegation, mentoring and coaching to the achievement of the organisational objectives A mentoring relationship is usually where one wiser and more experienced person assists another person to grow and learn. It is not a new management technique. Since humans have lived in social groups we have learnt our norms, values and behaviours by the example and coaching of others. The business world has adopted the tradition of an older and wiser person fostering the growth and development of the younger generation. This has sometimes resulted in perpetuation of old ways at the expense of diversity and development. However, new adaptations of mentoring allowing individuals to interact as colleagues in a helping relationship, on a more equal basis, can cultivate growth and learning to mutual benefit. Experience, skills and a genuine desire to help are more valuable assets in a mentoring relationship than age or position. Open and assertive communication and the trust of both parties are essential. Both partners in the mentoring relationship benefit. Learning must be a lifelong process and one of the most effective ways to learn is to assist in the development of others. The best teachers learn much from their students, counselors constantly learn from clients and partners in any successful relationship grow and develop along the way. Coaching is suitable for the successful achievement of many different objectives in working life. What is essential is the importance of the objectives for both the person being coached and the organisation. Motivation from the person to be coached is required for the coaching process to be successful, and without organisational objectives coaching will not result in real success at work. The main focus of coaching is on the development of managerial work and leadership competence, and on the coaching of key persons. Persons on different organisational levels have different objectives, but some challenges are shared by all. 2.4 Evaluate a team performance plan to meet organisational objectives Although there is no guaranteed how-to recipe for building team performance, we observed a number of approaches shared by many successful teams. Establish urgency, demanding performance standards, and direction. All team members need to believe the team has urgent and worthwhile purposes, and they want to know what the expectations are. Indeed, the more urgent and meaningful the rationale, the more likely it is that the team will live up to its performance potential, as was the case for a customer-service team that was told that further growth for the entire company would be impossible without major improvements in that area. Teams work best in a compelling context. That is why companies with strong performance ethics usually form teams readily. Select members for skill and skill potential, not personality. No team succeeds without all the skills needed to meet its purpose and performance goals. Yet most teams figure out the skills they will need after they are formed. The wise manager will choose people for their existing skills and their potential to improve existing skills and learn new ones. Pay particular attention to first meetings and actions. Initial impressions always mean a great deal. When potential teams first gather, everyone monitors the signals given by others to confirm, suspend, or dispel assumptions and concerns. They pay particular attention to those in authority: the team leader and any executives who set up, oversee, or otherwise influence the team. And, as always, what such leaders do is more Important than what they say. If a senior executive leaves the team kickoff to take a phone call ten minutes after the Session has begun and he never returns, people get the message. Set some clear rules of behavior. All effective teams develop rules of conduct at the outset to help them achieve their purpose and performance goals. The most critical initial rules pertain to attendance (for example, no interruptions to take phone calls), discussion (no sacred cows), confidentiality (the only things to leave this room are what we agree on), analytic approach (facts are friendly), end-product orientation (everyone gets assignments and does them), constructive confrontation (no finger pointing), and, often the most important, contributions (everyone does real work). Set and seize upon a few immediate performance oriented tasks and goals. Most effective teams trace their advancement to key performance-oriented events. Such events can be set in motion by immediately establishing a few challenging goals that can be reached early on. There is no such thing as a real team without performance results, so the sooner such results occur, the sooner the team congeals. Challenge the group regularly with fresh facts and information. New information causes a team to redefine and enrich its understanding of the performance challenge, thereby helping the team shape a common purpose, set clearer goals, and improve its common approach. A plant quality improvement team knew the cost of poor quality was high, but it wasnt until they researched the different types of defects and put a price tag on each one that they knew where to go next. Conversely, teams err when they assume that all the information needed exists in the collective experience and knowledge of their members. Spend lots of time together. Common sense tells us that team members must spend a lot of time together, scheduled and unscheduled, especially in the beginning. Indeed, creative insights as well as personal bonding require impromptu and casual interactions just as much as analyzing spreadsheets and interviewing customers. Busy executives and managers too often intentionally minimize the time they spend together. The successful teams weve observed all gave themselves the time to learn to be a team. This time need not always be spent together physically; electronic, fax, and phone time can also count as time spent together. Exploit the power of positive feedback, recognition, and reward. Positive reinforcement works as well in a team context as elsewhere. Citing outgo!d stars helps shape new behaviors critical to team performance. If people in the group, for example, are alert to a shy persons initial efforts to speak up and contribute, they can give the honest positive reinforcement that encourages continued contributions. There are many ways to recognize and reward team performance beyond direct compensation, from having a senior executive speak directly to the team about the urgency of its mission to using awards to recognize contributions. Ultimately, however, the satisfaction shared by a team in its own performance becomes the most cherished reward. Initial performance plan Understanding and subsequently discussing a teams performance is central to managing team performance. To work effectively, teams must regularly and objectively review their teamwork. In addition to concentrating on their short-term outputs, team members must examine work processes to ensure that the team is working creatively, that the team is effectively promoting itself to others, and so on. Too often in managing team performance the team review focuses on subjective individual evaluation, as opposed to an objective team assessment. Performance improvement plan A Team Performance Plan is a detailed plan used to: Identify the desired performance levels of the team Identify how these performance levels will be achieved Provide guidance and direction to the team Measure progress towards the desired performance levels Although there are no strict rules as to the format of a Team Performance Plan they normally contain the following information: Specific goals for team development Performance measures Actions required to achieve goals An indication of how long goals will take to achieve The Team Performance Plan should align with the organisations overall objectives. This can be achieved by: 1. Aligning the Team Performance Plan with the Team Purpose 2. Aligning the Team Purpose with the organisations objectives Team Performance Plans might include the following types of goals: Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) Goals to improve team competency Team building goals Collate the information regarding poor performance Performance = Ability x Motivation Where: Ability is the persons aptitude, as well as the training and resources supplied by the organization Motivation is the product of desire and commitment Someone with 100% motivation and 75% ability can often achieve above-average performance. But a worker with only 25% ability wont be able to achieve the type of performance you expect, regardless of his or her level of motivation. Incorrect diagnoses can lead to lots of problems later on. If you believe an employee is not making enough of an effort, youll likely put increased pressure on him or her to perform. But if the real issue is ability, then increased pressure may only make the problem worse. Low ability may be associated with the following: Over-difficult tasks. Low individual aptitude, skill, and knowledge. Evidence of strong effort, despite poor performance. Lack of improvement over time. People with low ability may have been poorly matched with jobs in the first place. They may have been promoted to a position thats too demanding for them. Or maybe they no longer have the support that previously helped them to perform well. Meet with the relevant team member(s) and discuss the issues Creating a Performance Improvement Plan So how do you do this in practice? This is where you need to develop a Performance Improvement Plan. Armed with the strategies weve looked at, you first need to evaluate the performance issue that youre facing: Have you discussed with the person what he or she feels the problem is? Have you evaluated your organizations motivation system? Are you doing everything you can to recognize and reward peoples contributions? Are you rewarding the things that you actually want done? Do you have regular goal setting and development meetings with members of your team? Do you help your people keep their skills current? From there, its important that you and the employee discuss and agree upon a plan for improving performance. Write down what youve agreed, along with dates by which goals should be achieved. Then monitor progress with the team member, and use the techniques weve discussed above for increasing motivation and dealing with ability-related issues. Recognize that the actions needed to close ability gaps need high motivation on the employees part to be successful. The two causes of poor performance lack of ability and low motivation are inextricably intertwined, and goal setting, feedback, and a supportive work environment are necessary conditions for improving both. Develop a Performance Improvement Plan Successfully managing team performance starts by identifying where the team is performing well and where it needs further development. The Team Performance Profile Questionnaire and associated analysis gives team members an objective assessment of how the team is doing. It provides opportunities to compare the various viewpoints of team members and outsiders and relate them to the team vision and purpose. The common language ensures that everyone is focusing on the critical team performance factors and the measured gaps can then be translated into action plans for improved performance. It is the diagnosis of the problems that is essential. Once we know what is wrong, it is usually easy to fix it! Tuckman (1965) presented the four stages of teamwork which are now widely used by work teams throughout the world to assess their progress. The model describes the stages as follows: Tuckmans Stages of Teamwork Model Once teams are formed, they go through an unpleasant storming stage before ground rules and norms are established. Eventually the performing stage is reached. In the 1980s it was acceptable to take maybe six months or so to reach the performing stage. However, in the 90s, such is the speed of change and the intensity of competition that some teams have to get to good performance levels in six weeks or even six days! Follow up Ensure that you monitor, follow up and evaluate the performance improvement as set out in the plan. A Performance Improvement Plan should clearly convey: The area of performance that requires improvement or development The action(s) to be taken Any parties required to assist in the achievement of the set actions The timeframe for achieving each action 3.1 Assess the process for monitoring team performance and initiate changes where necessary Sometimes poor performance has its roots in low motivation. When this is the case, you need to work closely with the employee to create a motivating environment in which to work. There are thre

AleÅ¡ Hrdlička (March 29, 1869 - September 5, 1943) :: Essays Papers

AleÃ… ¡ HrdliÄ ka (March 29, 1869 - September 5, 1943) AleÃ… ¡ Ferdinand HrdliÄ ka was born to Maximilian and Karolina (Wajnerovà ¡ or Wagner) HrdliÄ ka on March 29, 1869, in Humpolec, Bohemia, which is now Czechoslovakia (Gillispie, 527). His father was a respected master cabinetmaker who owned his own shop. The oldest of seven children, HrdliÄ ka attended local schools and received private tutoring in Latin and Greek from Ludolfa PejÄ och, a Jesuit priest who was attracted by the boy’s abilities (James, 371). He left high school in 1882 at the tender age of fourteen, to emigrate with his father to New York City, where the other members of his family later joined them (James, 371). Once in America, HrdliÄ ka went to work with his father as a laborer in a cigar factory to help contribute to the family income. He attended the evening courses to learn English and to gain himself a high school equivalency diploma (Gillispie, 527). A serious attack of typhoid fever at the age of 19 altered the course of HrdliÄ ka’s life drastically. It is said that his attending physician, a trustee of the Eclectic Medical College in New York, became interested in HrdliÄ ka and persuaded him to undertake the study of medicine at the college. Graduating at the head of his class in 1892, he started a practice in New York’s Lower East Side. At the same time, to broaden his medical background, he began attending the New York Homeopathic Medical College, from which he graduated, again at the head of the class, in 1894 (James, 371). Shortly thereafter, he passed the Maryland State Medical Board (allopathic) examination, hoping to be able to join the staff of the John Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, but he gave up this plan to accept an offer of a research internship in the new State Homeopathic Hospital for the Insane at Middletown, New York. It was while he was in this position that he became interested in the application of anthropometry to medicine. Through his autopsies and examinations of the patients, he became interested in whether physical characteristics and skeletal measurements might show systematic differences according to sex and type of insanity (James, 371). It was this interest which led to an invitation in 1896 to join a multidisciplinary research team being assembled by the histologist Ira Van Gieson (1866-1913) to staff the newly created Pathological Institute in New York City (Spencer, 503).

How is Hinduism different from the other two major world religions? Essay

Hinduism is different from the other two major world religions (Christianity and Islam) in that there is no single omnipotent paternal deity that governs people’s actions. Hinduism is pantheistic, that is, it states that there is one super being and it is present in all material things and living beings. Hinduism does not have a single founder, a specific theological system, a single system of morality, or religious organization. There are many manifestations of the Creator, the Brahman, which take the form of many gods and goddesses. The Hindu believe that because all reality is a unity, worshipping different gods will in the end connect them to Brahman, because he is one. Out of this principle of unity stems the concept of accountability of one’s actions in this earthly life. The rise in popularity of Hinduism in the last half of the last century is attributed to this very principle, because it can be compared with the Earth’s ecosystem of interdependencies of different biological levels of organisms. The followers of Hinduism are motivated to behave according their religion’s moral code not because of the fear of successive punishment. Rather, they know that everything in this world functions according to the cause-and-effect principle and one’s actions today will lead to the inevitable consequences after the incarnation. The notions of Karma, reincarnation, and Varna work together to create the revolving system of life and death (Robinson). According to Hindu tradition the earthly life of â€Å"ordinary† people (pravritti) is a meaningless (samsara). Earthly life of the pravitti can have four goals: righteousness in their religious life (dharma); material prosperity (artha); and indulgence of the senses: sensual, sexual, and mental enjoyment (kama). These goals of the pravitti are looked down upon by the Hindu tradition. The ultimate goal of the person is to achieve a state of liberation from the burden of earthly needs and desires (moksha). Moksha can be achieved through successive stages of reincarnation. Each stage is closer to the moksha than the previous one. How the person moves about those stages is determined by karma: a sum of the bad and good deeds of the person (Hinduism). Good deeds will result in a rebirth to the higher, more spiritual level, and bad deeds can cause a person’s soul to step down the ladder and may be even go as low to dwell in the body of an animal. The differences in wealth, health, social status are explained to be the natural outcomes of the one’s previous lives (Robinson). The concept of the Varna represents the stages that one has to go through to achieve liberation. Varna is synonymous to the caste, a Hindu only phenomenon . There are four varnas which are differentiated based on their religion and occupations. The highest class in the hierarchy are the Brahmans, the priests and academics, who are practice the highest spirituality and are closest to Brahman. The second caste are Kshatriya that is made up of the rulers and the military. The third caste is Vaishya and it includes farmers, landlords, and merchants. The lowest class is Sudra which consists of the servants to the other three classes and workers. The Sudra caste is inferior to the other three classes because it does not have the religious initiation like the other castes have, which distances them from the Brahman and explains their lowest position. The fifth class outside the four varnas are the â€Å"untouchables†, the ones that are to low in their standings to be classified (India’s Social Customs and Systems). The Hindu system of reincarnation works in the following way: a person realizes that life on earth is a burden of chaotic cycle of life and death. Life on earth is a suffering and is temporary. A person understands that he is confined to a certain caste in this life because of his actions in the previous lives. He or she than realizes that the goal of existence is liberation from this chaotic cycle of suffering. Knowing that the ultimate goal of his soul is to achieve total liberation, he or she will strive to lead a righteous life to achieve it. The achievement of the liberation is possible through moving up in the caste system. After physical death, the karma determines one’s next position in the caste system on the way to moksha. Works Cited Robinson, B. A. Hinduism. The world’s third largest religion. May 16, 2002 Hinduism: An overview. May 16, 2002. India’s Social Customs and Systems. The Caste System. May 16, 2002

An Examining Of The Great Commission Religion Essay Example

An Examining Of The Great Commission Religion Essay Example An Examining Of The Great Commission Religion Essay An Examining Of The Great Commission Religion Essay God authorized and commanded me to committee you: Travel out and develop everyone you meet, far and close, in this manner of life, taging them by baptism in the treble name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then teach them in the pattern of all I have commanded you. I ll be with you as you do this, twenty-four hours after twenty-four hours, right up to the terminal of the age. ( Matt 28:18-20 The Message ) 18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, stating, All power is given unto me in Eden and in Earth. 19 Go ye hence, and learn all states, baptising them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: A 20Teaching them to detect all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the terminal of the universe. Amen. ( Matt 28:18-20 KJV ) Introduction The Gospel of Matthew ends Jesus meeting with His apostles in Galilee. This was a particular meeting and would alter the class of universe history in many ways. The meeting was foretold by Jesus in Matthew 26:31-32: 31 Then Jesus said to them, You will all fall off because of me this dark. For it is written, I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered. 32 But after I am raised up, hello will travel before you to Galilee. This meeting was announced both by an angel ( Matt 28:78 ) and Jesus Himself ( Matt28:10 ) . It was a meeting filled with assorted emotions. Some had run off and others had denied Him before His decease. Now He stood before them, alive. Their reaction was to bow down in worship ( Matt 28:16-17 ) I was a meeting in which Jesus gave His adherents a bid that we now refer to a the great committee. Person one time said that this was seen by many Christians as the great suggestion, but it is a bid that lies at the bosom of the Church and from which she operates. The bid ends with the beautiful promise that He would ever be with them. This is non something to be ignored, but to be a changeless portion of the Church s operation every bit good as that of every truster. I will be looking at what makes this committee so GREAT. I Great in its Authority To Jesus was given all authorization. As the Godhead, He is the One who has the original right to make all things: For by1 him all things were created, in Eden and on Earth, seeable and unseeable, whether thrones or rules or swayers or authorities-all things were created through him and for him. And is before all things, and in him all things hold together. ( Colossians 1:16-1 ) What higher authorization than the Godhead Himself to publish such a bid. As our Redeemer, this authorization is even more marked: who, though he was in the signifier of God, did non number equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nil, taking the signifier of a retainer, being born in the similitude of work forces. And being found in human signifier, he humbled himself by going obedient to the point of decease, even decease on a cross. Therefore God has extremely exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every articulatio genus should bow, in Eden and on Earth and under the Earth, and every lingua confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glorification of God the Father. ( Philippians2:6-11 ) Jesus has all authorization both in Eden and on Earth ( 1 Pet 1:1-5, Eph 1:20-23 ) . This is the authorization with which He speaks and this is the authorization to which we must respond. Cipher has a higher authorization. No authorities or organisation can in any manner cancel His authorization. There is no political system or doctrine that is above His authorization. The Bible ; e says that He is above all the male monarchs of the Earth ( Rev 1:5, Psa 2:1-12 ; 110:1-6 ) Jesus surely deserves our obeisance to Him. He is talking with an authorization that is above this universe. While worlds can be fallible, Jesus can and will present on His promises. Even His promises comes with the highest authorization ( 2 Pet 1:2-5 ) It is on the footing of such great authorization that Jesus give the great committee. Not merely great in authorization, but besides great in mission. II Great in Mission The mission is the focal point, the way in which we must go. It is the mission that guides our wlak through life in obeisance to Jesus. We are to do adherents. The word used here is the Grecian word Matheteuo which is defined as to go a student ; to disciple, i.e. enrol as bookman: be disciple, instruct, Teach. We are to do scholars, disciples and impersonators of Jesus Christ. Even during His ministry on Earth, Jesus was continually ask foring people to go His adherents ( Matt 4:18-22 ; 11:28-30 ) . When ask foring them, He expected them to go like Him: A adherent is non above his instructor, but everyone when he is to the full trained will be like his instructor. ( Luke 6:40 ) Jesus tells us how to travel about doing adherents. He gives us non merely a bid, but besides the manner to obey that bid. First by baptising in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Baptism for the forgiveness of wickednesss ( Acts 2:38 ; 22:16 ) Baptism in H2O ( Acts 8:35-38 ; 10:47-48 ) A entombment of the old ( Rom 6:3-6 ; Col 2:11-12 ) Second by learning them to detect the things He taught and commanded. Baptism is merely the beginning. Teaching must go on afterwards. This was the instance with the early adherents ( Acts 2:41-42 ) . Jesus said that both baptism and ongoing instruction is what is indispensable to true discipleship. Not merely great in authorization, and great in mission, the great committee was besides great in range. III Great in Scope The bid was FOR ALL NATIONS. They were to travel into all the universe and preach to everyone ( Mark 16:15 ) . They were to be informants to the extreme parts of the Earth ( Acts 1:8 ) . They were to go forth no rock unturned so to talk. This was non limited to merely Israel as we find in Matthew 10, but to every state under the Sun. While Israel had been the focal point of God s redemption program up to that point, now, with the work of Jesus on the cross, all states, Jews and non Jews could go fellow inheritors to the Kingdom of God ( Ephesians 2:11-22 ) . The nazarene wants us to believe globally, non merely locally. While we should non disregard our local community, we should besides believe of those outside our ain little universe. As human being we have a inclination to concentrate on our small world. We do non look outside of the few people we know or encounter each twenty-four hours, and that is where we start with the Gospel, but that is no where is should halt. The work of redemption is available to all God s animals. All the assorted states are a portion of that creative activity and all have the redemption work of Jesus available to them as a gift of grace. The great committee has great authorization, is great in its mission, great in its range, and great in its promise. IV Great in its Promise Jesus said that He will ever be with us. This promise is similar to the 1 He made earlier to His apostles: For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them. ( Matthew 18:20 ) It is similar to a promise He made to those who follow His commandments: : I will non go forth you as orphans ; I will come to you. Yet a small piece and the universe will see me no more, but you will see me. k Because I live, you besides will populate. In that twenty-four hours you will cognize that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me swill be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him. Judas ( non Iscariot ) said to him, Lord, how is it that you will attest yourself to us, and non to the universe? A Jesus answered him, If anyone loves me, he will maintain my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and do our place with him. ( John 14:18-2 ) It is a promise similar to the one God Gave to Moses ( Exo 3:11-12 ) Joshua ( Josh 1:5 ) The state of Israel ( Isa 41:10 ) I is a promise that provides comfort, particularly in times of subjugation ( Rom 8:31-38 ; Heb 13:5-6 ) This promise is besides to the terminal of clip. It extends even to when the great crop will happen ( Matt 13:39-43 ) . Throughout the Christian age, Jesus will everlastingly be with His adherents as they go into all the universe devising adherents. Through the Holy Spirit, we receive the necessary gifts to non merely promote each other, but besides to enable us to set the great committee into action. V Conclusion The great committee is non merely limited to the apostles. It is of import to observe that the adherents were to observe all things that I commanded you . The adherents were besides to detect this bid along with all the other instructions of Jesus. The bid does non halt with the original adherents, but carries on until the terminal of clip. The great committee is a committee for the Church as good. The inquiry is whether we are honouring the great committee in our lives today. There are some things we can make to look into if we are: Are we subjecting to the authorization of Jesus? Are we working, in whatever capacity to do adherents of Jesus? Are we endeavoring to do adherents in all the states of the universe? Are we staying in His words and thereby doing certain His staying presence is in our lives? Shortly after Jesus gave the great committee, Jesus ascended into Eden. His earlier adherents took that committee and as a consequence did great things with it. As a concluding word I would wish to add a verse form written by Greg Steir, which puts the focal point of our duty for the great committee into focal point: Do nt Trouble oneself Me Do nt trouble oneself me with psyches to salvage. I have my ain docket. There s work to make, athleticss to play, Important things to go to to. Do nt trouble oneself me with that small miss, The miss playing in the street. She s much excessively immature to understand The Saviour she could run into Do nt trouble oneself me with my friend at work. He s got his ain faith. I do nt hold clip to alter his head. He ll do his ain determination. Do nt trouble oneself me with the distant sounds I hear, The sound of people shouting. Although I wonder who they are. Who are these victims shrilling? Do nt trouble oneself me with who they are. I truly do nt desire the incrimination. For it s the small miss and my friend at work Who from snake pit shriek out my name . But do nt trouble oneself me.

Information About the Presidents Cabinet

Information About the Presidents Cabinet The presidents Cabinet includes the Vice President of the United States and the heads of the 15 executive departments  - the Secretaries of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, Labor, State, Transportation, Treasury, and Veterans Affairs, as well as the Attorney General. At the option of the president, other officials typically holding Cabinet-rank, include the White House Chief of Staff; the United States Ambassador to the United Nations, the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency; the Director of the Office of Management and Budget; the Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers; the Administrator of the Small Business Administration; and the U.S. Trade Representative. The president can also designate other senior White House staff members as members of the Cabinet, However, this is a symbolic status marker and does not, apart from attending Cabinet meetings, confer any additional powers. Why a Cabinet? The term cabinet comes from the Italian word cabinetto, meaning a small, private room. A good place to discuss important business without being interrupted. The first use of the term is attributed to  James Madison, who described the meetings as â€Å"the president’s cabinet.† Does the Constitution Establish the Cabinet? Not directly. Constitutional authority for the Cabinet comes from Article 2, Section 2, which says that the president ... may require the opinion, in writing, of the principal officer in each of the executive departments, upon any subject relating to the duties of their respective offices. Similarly, the Constitution does not specify which or how many executive departments should be created. Just another indication that the Constitution is a flexible, living document, well capable of governing our country without stifling its growth.  Since it is not specifically established in the Constitution, the president’s Cabinet is one of the several examples of amending the Constitution by custom, rather than Congress.   Which President Established the Cabinet? President  George Washington  convened  the first cabinet meeting on  February 25, 1793. Present at the meeting were President Washington, Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson, Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton, Secretary or War Henry Knox, and Attorney General Edmund Randolph. Then as now, that first Cabinet meeting featured tension when Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton butted heads on the question of centralizing the then widely fragmented U.S. banking system through the creation of a national bank. When the debate became particularly heated, Jefferson, who opposed a national bank, tried to calm the waters in the room by suggesting that the acrimonious tone of the debate had no impact on the achieving a sound governmental structure. â€Å"The pain was for Hamilton and myself but the public experienced no inconvenience,† stated Jefferson. How Are the Cabinet Secretaries Chosen? The Cabinet secretaries are appointed by the president of the United States but must be approved by a simple majority vote of the Senate. The only qualification is that a department secretary cannot be a current  member of Congress or hold any other elected office. How Much are the Cabinet Secretaries Paid? Cabinet-level officers are currently paid $210,700 per year. Their pay is set annual by Congress as part of its approval of the federal budget. How Long Do the Cabinet Secretaries Serve? Members of the Cabinet (except for the Vice President) serve at the pleasure of the president, who can dismiss them at will for no cause. All federal public officials, including Cabinet members, are also subject to  impeachment  by the House of Representatives and trial in the Senate for treason, bribery, and other high crimes and misdemeanors. Generally, Cabinet members  serve as long as the president who appointed them remains in office. Executive department secretaries answer only to the president and only the president can fire them. They are expected to resign when a new president takes office since most incoming presidents choose to replace them, anyway. Certainly not a stable career, but U.S. Secretary of State 1993-2001, would certainly look good on a resume. How Often Does the Presidents Cabinet Meet? There is no official schedule for Cabinet meetings, but presidents generally try to meet with their Cabinets on a weekly basis. Besides the president and department secretaries, Cabinet meetings are usually attended by the vice president, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, and other top-level officials as determined by the president.