Harrisburg (state capital of Pennsylvania) Bankrupt Essay

Harrisburg (state capital of Pennsylvania) Bankrupt - Essay Example The move took place when the legislature of the state considered implementing the rescue plane. Last year many bankruptcies were expected by the municipal state analysts. However, very few localities dared to take the step. The council took the decision Tuesday night, 11 October 2011, in a 4 to 3 vote .Immediately after a petition was faxed of chapter 9 bankruptcy to the United State Bankruptcy Court by a lawyer of the Council. It all started with an inefficient incinerator which the city owned since 1960s, a political plan in 1990s by the county favored the landfills over the incinerator and by 2003 the enterprise went under $104 million dept. the situation worsened when an amateurish company was hired to fix it made and the contractor fumbled through the project badly and took the dept $130 million. So the City Council chose to bankrupt rather then state sponsored plan of dealing with the debt. Even as the dispute over the legality of the appeal filed under the Bankruptcy Court continues Lawyers are becoming active to pass legislation prà ©cising a state takeover. Lawyer hired by Mayor Linda Thompson argued that the filing violated city and state laws as city law requires the mayor and city solicitor to sign off all the hiring of the outside lawyers and solicitors approval of the rules and resolutions is required that are being considered by the council and neither was done in this case. Ms Linda Thomson called this whole event an episode of â€Å"sneak attack†.(2) Council members like Brad Koplinski, attacked the mayors financial plans and said that state backed plans were already rejected by the council and largely because it demanded too little from the creditors. Because of the mentioned reason Ms. Thompson and Council had been locked in battle for months.Ms Thompson argued that the Council is hindering the path of

Assessment Philosophy Essay Example for Free

Assessment Philosophy Essay In my opinion, assessment is what teachers do in order to better understand where their students are on the cognitive learning level of a subject matter. Assessment is a continuous process that takes time and understanding. As a teacher I will constantly assess my students by getting feedback from them in class. I feel that it is important for me to do this as a teacher, so I know which students need more attention on certain areas of the subject. By assessing my students, I will gain knowledge on how to use types of differentiated instruction where necessary. I believe assessment is a tool used to evaluate both the teaching and learning of  content of the student. A variety of assessment tools should be utilized to effectively reach students strengths. I realize that children learn differently and at their own pace. The types of assessment I will use to determine if my students have gotten where I want them to go will vary. Samples of my formative assessment tools I would use in the classroom would include informal and formal questioning, oral presentations, peer evaluations, variety of projects, quizzes, test, demonstrations, drawings, and web quest observations. We all have strengths and weaknesses and we all have different means of  demonstrating each. If I use a lot of assessments, and vary the types I use, it gives my students the best opportunity to show me what they have. I will allow students the opportunity to pick from various projects that will enhance their learning ability, so I can see what they are able to accomplish. As a teacher I will need to use assessments in my classroom to determine how to act upon the assessment to improve the students’ learning. I think assessments are an important part of being a successful teacher and I hope to encourage my students and show that I care about each one of them.

A Story About Seeing Nofx :: essays research papers

On November 26th I went to the Stone Pony in New York to see another of my favorite bands, NOFX. NOFX is a punk-ska band. Punk meaning fast paced drumbeats and quick singing and ska meaning a song played with trumpets. The band members are Fat Mike (vocals, bass), El Hefe (guitar, trumpet, vocals), Eric Melvin (guitar, vocals), and Erik Sandin (drums). The one thing I found out there was that El Hefe sings a lot. I thought he only sings in a few songs but when I heard them play, I noticed that he sang about half of the songs. NOFX music has considerable groove for a punk band and is sparked by the two lead guitarists, Eric Melvin and El Hefe. Tight play between the band's four members, and short, fast, punchy songs, with a laid back approach would even have non-punk fans entertained.Their songs talk about racism, politics, social problems, sex, drugs, lesbians, bums, alcohol, animal freedom... and many other strange subjects. In their music you will find punk, of course, but also rock, hardcore, ska, even reggae and jazz. If you ask me they are a just a punk-ska band. Their songs are interesting and different from one another. Each song has it's own characteristics. The lyrics are very interesting, sometimes strange, and sometimes incomprehensible. You basically just have to understand them in your own way.The club was packed, or more accurately, stuffed. After much anticipation the punk gods, NOFX hit the stage and the crowd surged with excitement even before they opened the set with one of my favorite songs, "Reagan Sucks." The next song they played was "Bob". They played songs from the album "Flossing a Dead Horse" - which is one massive trumpet solo presented by El Hefe. The next song they played was "Eat the Meek" with trumpet and lead vocals by El Hefe. The mosh pit was monstrous and seemed to gain in size as it rotated in circles and swallowed innocent bystanders into the craziness. People were being knocked over everywhere and smashed by the surging waves of dancers. People were body surfing and there seemed to be chaos going on everywhere. After that, the seventh song they played was "Hobophobic" (Scared of bums not just because they stink bad. Not just because they're crackers. From drinking too much lysol. Let them be.) Then they played "Six Pack Girls".

Knowing Your Audience Paper and Communication Release Essay

No one will ever forget the events that took place on August 5, 2010. Many people from all around the world sat glued to their television sets watching a story that most feared would have a tragic ending. The Minera San Esteban Primera Mining Company had a job ahead of them that no company every wants to face. 33 miners were trapped in a small copper mine that had collapsed in northern Chile and they had to report this news to the families, employees, and eventually the world. The minters were trapped 300 meters below ground with very little food, oxygen or water. The first priority was to begin search and rescue efforts to locate these men trapped in the mine and remove them as quickly as possible before there oxygen supplies were depleted. The next daunting task would be to inform the families of these men that an awful accident had taken place and the worst thing that could happen to a miner did. Rescuing these men was the very first priority of the company but keeping everyone else informed on their safety and progress was equally as important since the company had already come under fire for a collapsed mine just a year ago. Since there were so many different groups of people involved in this accident: Family members of the trapped miners, employees of the company, media, investors and spectators across the globe; understanding of the diverse audience would be crucial in conveying the various details that would follow in the hours and days ahead. The message of the trapped miners had to be delivered appropriately to each group of people without any confusion or misunderstanding. What would you say to the wife whose husband was trapped? How could you reassure your employees that were not trapped that they will not fall in the same fate? How could you reassure the investors that this will not happen again? With all those questions unanswered, the company brought in their spokesperson to represent them during the search and rescue of their miners. Bringing someone in to be a familiar face during this accident would bring reassurance to all parties that everything that could be done was being done. A spokesperson was also important because they would be able to convey important information and deliver messages that kept everyone informed. Since the Minera San Esteban Primera Company had an iffy safety record over the years, which actually included some fatalities; maintaining the image of the mining company that their first priority was the trapped miners also became increasingly important. The families of the miners had to be informed first and foremost. The company had to assure the families that they would be the very first ones to be notified of any news concerning the trapped miners. They had to know that everything was being done to protect their loved one’s safety and that a plan for their rescue was in place. As the rescue efforts continued, the families were to be kept informed. In order to ease their stress and worry, face-to-face communication was determined as the best way to bring up-to-date information. This would alleviate any anxiety felt waiting and would help to assure them that their loved ones were the first priority. A place at the scene of the accident, known as â€Å"camp hope† was set up for the families so they could wait for news from below. Each family was given a chance to see and speak to trapped loved ones, via a new fiber optic video line that snaked down to where the men were trapped. Once the families of the miners were updated, the communication could then be shifted to the employees, who needed reassurances of their own. Mining is a very dangerous trade and they needed to know that their futures were not in danger, like their co-workers who were trapped beneath them and that they had a job to return to once this terrible ordeal was behind them. From there the community, investors and media would need to be informed on rescue efforts. Delivering this type of message could be quite difficult given the company’s past track record with regards to safety. The media would want to get their hands on this story and pick it apart to spin a very negative picture. The company would have to realize that announcing to the world that their copper mine had collapsed would have negative consequences. Ensuring that factual information was being delivered in a timely fashion would be critical to the company’s image. To combat all the negative press, the company chose to utilize press-releases along with phone and television interviews to get news out to everyone. The tone with which they delivered this information would also play a huge role in assuring families and spectators that everything was being handled with care and speed. At the end of this two-month rescue mission, all 33 miners had been pulled from the scene and had all survived. Chilean President, Sebastian Pinera, stated he would launch an extensive investigation into the accident (Weik, 2010). The families, workers and community of this small copper mine would be changed forever by the events that took place on August 5, 2010. This long rescue process took careful planning and through the information provided by the company’s spokesperson to all parties involved; everyone felt as if they played a part in the rescue of these brave men. Communication One: Face-to-Face Communication with Family Members Today, August 5, 2010, we received devastating news of a collapsed mine at the San Jose Cave. 33 of our men are now trapped. A crew of men have been sent down to survey the damage and after descending over 400 meters, it was discovered that the ramps had collapsed. We are in full cooperation with investigators to find out exactly what happened. At this time, we do not know anything about the condition of these men. Words will never be able to express how deeply saddened we are by this tragic accident. Our thoughts and prayers are with these brave men and with each one of you as well. Please be patient with us as we begin rescue efforts. We are determined to rescue all 33 men and have already contacted the Chilean government to assist with the rescue efforts. As we get information, we will personally relay that to you. In an effort to provide you with the most up-to-date information, we have established a camp where you may stay while rescue efforts continue at the mine. I wish we had more information at this time but this is all we know. Our only priority is ensuring the safety and well-being of these men. Communication Two: Press Release As of August 5, 2011 a tragic accident occurred in one of our copper mines in San Jose, Chile. A cave-in has left 33 of our miners trapped 700 meters underground. It appears that the roof of the mine collapsed. Rescue workers and government officials have been contacted and are working diligently to locate and rescue our men. We do not know the safety of these men at this time and will work around the clock to determine this. The rescue workers are planning to begin drilling soon to attempt to locate the 33 workers. We are cooperating fully with the Chilean government as well as the Federation of Chilean Mining Workers and the Confederation of Copper Workers. We will continue to operate the mines at this time according to the policies and procedures of these organizations (Parry & Rettner, 2010). Our thoughts and prayers go out to all the miners, families, employees and rescue workers. We will keep you all updated as we receive information.

Marketing Intelligence

Market intelligence is a term that is widely used, widely misunderstood, and often mistaken for a mysterious art requiring high-level detective work. Before providing advice on how market intelligence can potentially benefit your business, it is therefore essential that we begin this paper by agreeing on a definition. It is defined by Wikipedia as follows: â€Å"Market Intelligence is the information relevant to a company’s markets, gathered and analyzed specifically for the purpose of accurate and confident decision-making in determining market opportunity, market penetration strategy, and market development metrics. In simple terms, market intelligence is information that is gathered for the purpose of making business decisions. It is largely synonymous with market research, the systematic gathering, recording, analysis and interpretation of information about a company’s markets, competitors and customers. * Types of Intelligence Sources Intelligence can be described as the summary of internal and external data and information, paired with expertise and experience in any given environment and brought into context with the own doing and goals. Primarily though, market & competitive intelligence is based on sources providing the critical mass and substance to deal with as it comes to knowledge of any type. External Market & Competitive Intelligence Sources External market & competitive intelligence sources can and should provide a rich and realistic view of the external environment any business is operating in. Market & competitive intelligence has become a major marketing discipline and industry supplying much needed insights into business figures and trends. Desk Research for Intelligence Desk research might be the most common intelligence discipline regardless how advanced the organizations intelligence programs and systems are. Published information and data, pushed by partners, consultants and MI specialists as well internal resources pointing towards external intelligence is being scoured, gathered and pre-analyzed. Acquired Intelligence & Market Reports Industry reports, market studies and other business intelligence are being made available in many formats and sizes. Any industry or market have their major players in terms of research, market observation and monitoring who create and provide studies, reports, overviews, key market data, trends and indicators. Business Journals & Trade Magazines Business journals and trade magazines are excellent intelligence sources for both market intelligence as well as competitive intelligence. Most importantly here, the intelligence consuming organization needs to make sense of it all. Condensing and bringing relevant intelligence into context of immediate business needs and long term market strategies are crucial elements of intelligence preparation. Industry & Market Newsletters Keeping customers and partners in the loop of developments and offers can be done quite effectively via newsletters that are delivered in hard copy format or electronically. Not only is this a crucial customer retention measure but a competitive tool as well where customers find another comparison opportunity across products and service offers. Individual Intelligence Subscriptions A large corporation with thousands of employees hardly has any overview of how many subscriptions are being ordered and offered to staff. Subscription providers never care about consolidation. Neither do bothered employees if asked to openly acknowledge their subscriptions to market websites, news portals or periodicals. Market Intelligence: Wholesale Sourcing Drop Shipping, Bulk Wholesaling, General Wholesaling, Liquidation / Overstock Sourcing are sourcing strategies that need and naturally produce a lot of intelligence both market intelligence and competitive intelligence. External Soft Intelligence Any sales force and other field operators possess and handle unbelievable amounts of external intelligence about customers, market players, associations, industries and events with all developments and dynamics. Not to utilize this vast amount of intelligence in any organizations is a major competitive disadvantage. Internal Market & Competitive Intelligence Sources Most important and generally of extremely high value are internal sources for business intelligence. Legacy systems, ERP, any transactional data as well as soft information such as meeting transcripts and verbal communication with customers, suppliers and partners need to be exploited. The intelligence found in internal resources such as management and marketing or sales force is invaluable for any business decision. Business Data & Databases Major databases such as ERP systems, legacy systems, transactional data archived and stored for reference should be considered standard intelligence as they provide the very base for any data comparison and measurement. As well as for external intelligence, soft knowledge residing in the heads of the employees regarding internal view of markets and customers, competitors and other business variables can be invaluable for the entire intelligence prospective. Utilize Internal Soft Knowledge. As well as for external intelligence, soft knowledge residing in the heads of the employees regarding internal view of markets and customers, competitors and other business variables can be invaluable for the entire intelligence prospective. * Steps to be taken by a Company to improve its Marketing Intelligence (1) Train and Motivate Sales Force: A company's sales force can be an excellent source of information about the current trends in the market. They are the â€Å"intelligence gatherers† for the company. The acquired facts can be egarding the company's market offerings, whether any improvements are required or not or is there any opportunity for new products, etc. It can also provide credible source to know about competitor activities, consumers, distributors and retailers. (2) Motivate Distributors, retailers, and other intermediaries to pass along important intelligence: Specialists are hired by companies to gather marketing intelligence . In order to measure the quality of production, the way the employees are behaving with customers, quality of facilities being provided; retailers and service providers send mystery shoppers. Firms can also assess the quality of customer experience with the shops with the use of mystery shoppers. (3) Network Externally: Every firm must keep a tab on its competitors. Competitive intelligence describes the broader discipline of researching, analyzing and formulating data and information from the entire competitive environment of any organization. This can be done by purchasing the competitor's products, checking the advertising campaigns, the press media coverage, reading their published reports, etc. Competitive intelligence must be legal and ethical. 4) Set up a customer advisory panel: Companies can set up panels consisting of customers. They can be the company's largest customers or representatives of customers or the most outspoken customers. Many business schools set up panels consisting of alumni who provide their knowledge and expertise and help in constituting the course curriculum. (5) Optimal usage of Government data resources: Governments of almost all countries publish reports regarding the population trends, demographic characteristics, agricultural production and a lot of other such data. All this data must be or can be referred to as base data. It can help in planning and formulating policies for the companies. (6) Information bought from external suppliers: Certain agencies sell data that can be useful to other companies. For example, television channels will require information on the number of viewership, ratings of TV programs, etc. An agency which calculates this information and generates this data will provide it to companies that need it. (7) Collect Competitive Intelligence through online customer feedback: Customer's view about a product is most essential for any company. Ultimately it's the customer who's buying the product. Hence customer feedback must be taken. Online platforms like chat rooms, blogs, discussion forums, customer review boards can be used to generate customer feedback. This enables the firm to understand customer experiences and impressions. It becomes easier for companies to apply a structured system to do so as it can then scan out the relevant messages without much of a trouble. With the above steps being applied, a company's marketing intelligence system will prove to be beneficial to its effective functioning.