Active Listening Essay

Listening requires focus and attention, and failure to listen is one of the key causes of miscommunication (Sole, K. (Chapter 2, 2011).Making connections: Understanding interpersonal communication. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc). I think at some point in time everyone has been guilty of believing that they knew someone better than they actually did. When we assume we know all there is to know about a friend or a loved one, I believe that we unknowingly stop listening to them. One perfect example of this would be my best friend Carla and I. Carla and I have known each other for many years, we were friends in High school, roommates in college and godparents to one another’s children, so one would naturally think that we knew each other VERY well. One year for Carla’s birthday she asked me to make her a cake, and obviously I agreed. The day of her birthday celebration I arrived with the cake and presented it to her, only to have her wind up extremely unhappy. Carla was under the impression that she had specified she wanted her favorite cake, which happened to be strawberry, but she did not, had she specified she wanted me to make a strawberry cake I would have declined because i am extremely allergic to strawberries, if I consume them I’m nauseated if I touch them I break out in a sever rash. Even after Realizing that she had not requested a strawberry cake she remained upset claiming that as her best friend I should have known she wanted me to make a specific cake and I remained upset because I felt like she either didn’t know or didn’t care about my allergies and as a friend neither of those options were ok. At some point we were able to realize that we failed each other. Had we communicated with one another we could have avoided an unnecessary fight. One way we could have avoided our misunderstanding would have been to actually say exactly what we wanted each other to know, Carla could have asked for what she wanted from me instead of assuming that since I know how much she loves strawberries, that I’d be making a strawberry cake  and I could have asked more questions about what she wanted rather than assume that because she knows my allergies she knew I wouldn’t be making her favorite cake. Another way to avoid that type of situation is to actually listen and focus on the conversation that you’re having. This is where I think active listening comes into play. We weren’t intentionally ignoring each other but I think that our long-term friendship and assumption about how well we knew each other caused us to only listen partly as opposed to completely. In the future I fully intend to be an active listener and completely engage myself in discussions that I have. References: Sole, K. (2011).Making connections: Understanding interpersonal communication. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc Active Listening Essay Active listening is one of the most rewarding skill sets that I have learned from the lesson because it has really contributed to my personal growth and my professional lives. Active listening skills refer to the skill of being fully present when you are in a conversation with someone. Very often when we are in a conversation, we are not paying any attention to what the person is saying. We are just waiting for our turn to talk. We are actually having a conversation in our own heads while the person is talking to us. It is when we are not â€Å"present† in a conversation. Before I realized the importance of active listening, the most important thing in a conversation was that people understood what I was trying to share with them. Meaning that my perspective was the most important thing in a conversation and that they had to understand me. And what I learned over the lesson, was that the best way to nurture a relationship was actually to stop caring about people understanding my point. This lesson reminds me that each of us had different experiences, we grow up with different believes, different values, different rules. And how we think and how we view everything that goes on around us are always filtered based on the environment we grew up. Throughout the lesson, I had many opportunities to practice my active listening skills by actively participating in the class discussions. After completed the lesson, I would not say I am an excellent listener, but I definitely feel that I am a better listener. I find myself paying more attention to the speaker and interpreting his/her non-verbal cues, showing that I am listening by probing and providing feedback and clarifying by asking questions. By listen closely, I am able to gain more information about what the person is sharing and to find things that peak my interest. When the person is done with the sharing, I will ask them about what that peaked my interest and let the person respond. By doing so, I am able to understand their point of view and to see things from their perspective. I will not interrupt when the person is speaking as I know that interruption always limit my ability to connect. Improving active listening skills will enable me to reshape my ideas about myself, my beliefs, and everything that are important to me. From now on, I will remind myself to be fully present and fully aware of what others are saying, instead of feeling the urge to find what I am thinking of and what my response is going to be. I will try the best I can to get rid of thinking on my own perspective and to do everything I can to understand the other person’s point of view and make them my priority.

7 HUGE signs you aced your interview

7 HUGE signs you aced your interview Sometimes it’s all too apparent when a job interview hasn’t gone well- maybe there’s a cringeworthy statement you wish you could take back, or an icy glance from an interviewer who doesn’t seem to find your small talk very charming. But what differentiates an okay job interview from one you’ve just rocked? Here are some key signals that you’ve had a great interview. 1. The interviewer has positive body languageInterviewers are professionals (ideally!), but they’re also human. Sometimes the earliest indicator that things are going well is the immediate physical feedback you get. Is the person engaged in the conversation, or is she just asking rote questions? Are you getting a lot of positive affirmation, like nods and smiles or verbal agreement? This isn’t a foolproof way to gauge your progress (hey, some people are just very friendly), but it’s a great first clue.2. The interviewer asks you about your interest in the jobIf the interviewer asks you point blank if you’d be interested in the job, it’s not quite a job offer, but it’s a very positive sign. It may mean the person thinks that you’re a good candidate and they want to test out whether you’re serious about it before moving you to the next step. If the interviewer asks you about where else you’re interviewing, that’s also a good sign. If they weren’t interested in you, they probably wouldn’t be trying to gauge the competition or scoping out whether you’re likely to accept a potential job offer.3. You set up a second interview on the spotThe signs don’t get much clearer than this one. If they actively invite you back for another round of interviews, you’re in very good shape. But don’t forget that while a second interview is a great omen, it still means another round of prep. Aft er all, there could be other candidates coming back for a second interview as well, so it’s important not to go into the next interview thinking you have a job offer on the table just yet.4. You get a personal tourIf your interviewer brings you around the office to show you the space and introduce you to people, or calls people in to meet you, it shows they’re already thinking of you as a potential member of the team.5. The interview goes longA short interview isn’t necessarily a dealbreaker, but if your interview goes longer than the allotted time it likely means that the interviewer is interested enough to have a meaningful, in-depth conversation about the position and your qualifications for it. Particularly if you’re meeting with a single interviewer, a long conversation points to a great level of engagement.6. The interviewer goes into day-to-day job specificsMost interviewers will give an overview of the open position to make sure you understand the job. But if the interviewer takes the time to do a deep dive into the job’s responsibilities and integrates you into the discussion (â€Å"you would be doing X,† â€Å"you would be leading this project,† etc.), it suggests they already see you as a good fit.7. Your thank you note nets a responseNo matter what, you need to send a thank you note as a follow-up to your interview. The interviewer, however, is not obligated to respond in any way. If you send your thank you and you get a response (especially a quick one), it shows that your interviewer is engaged in the process and likely had a positive reaction to your conversation. Bonus points if there are specific references to a point you discussed, because that can help you tell if it’s just an automatic response on their part or a genuinely warm reaction. Tone is everything here.The waiting game after an interview can be one of the most frustrating parts of any job hunt. If you’re able to walk out of the room with any of these positive outcomes behind you, it can help reassure you that things really did go well, and that you’re on the right track for a second interview- or maybe even that job offer.

Social Media Advocacy How to Develop a Successful Program For Your Brand

Social Media Advocacy How to Develop a Successful Program For Your Brand Social media employee advocacy. It’s a buzzword that has been floating around marketing teams for the past couple of years. While these types programs can be dramatically effective for a plethora of different reasons, including†¦ Brand awareness Sales connections Building company trust teams are still hesitant to adapt them  because†¦ There is risk of posting inappropriate content They are afraid the team won’t want to participate They already have enough work on their plate Whether you’ve started a program with your team and it’s turned into a chaotic mess, or you’re simply not sure how to start, you’ll learn about the resources and tools you need to turn your own employees into your biggest brand advocates. How To Develop A Successful Social Media Advocacy Program That Will Increase Brand AwarenessFirst Things First: Get Your Free Social Media Employee Advocacy Startup Package Before we start, make sure you download our Social Media Employee Advocacy Startup Package. When you download it, you’ll get: An pre-set email template to help you ask your co-workers to join the program A PowerPoint deck to help introduce and train your new employee advocates A brainstorming worksheet that advocates can use to determine their online voice A worksheet that your employees can use to remind themselves of when they need to send social messages That’s right, we did all the work for you. You’re welcome. What Is Social Media Employee Advocacy? A social media employee advocacy program allows you to use your employee’s vast social networks to help promote your company or brand. These employees are called "social employees" or "employee advocates." There are a lot of definitions of social employees, but the definition  that captures it best is from The Social Employee  by Mark and Cheryl Burgess: â€Å"Social Employees can utilize social media tools to act as authentic brand ambassadors in order to cultivate unique relationships with individuals where the end goal isn’t simply a purchase action but a dynamic exchange of ideas.† It’s a long definition, I know. But, the definition above captures both what a social employee is, and their purpose within your organization. It’s also important to note before we continue that when we refer to social media employee advocacy platforms, we’re talking about Twitter and LinkedIn. Let’s continue, shall we? What is social media employee advocacy (and is it right for your brand)?10 Steps To Starting Your Own Employee Advocacy Program Now that you know what an employee advocacy program is we’re going to move on to how to start your own program. The following steps will walk you through how to convince your team to join you, and the process you need to follow in order to get your program off on the right foot. Step 1: Identify Strong Candidates for Your Employee Advocacy Program Whether you’ve started your program and it flopped, or you’re just trying to get your feet off the ground, having the right people on your team is crucial to the initial success of your program. Therefore, check off the following before you  start: Pick a group of 10 people who you think would be good initial adopters of the program Narrow that list down to five Send the introductory email to those five people Depending on the size of your organization, the number of your initial adoptors may vary. We would recommend starting off with five, and growing the program from there. Five may seem like a small number, but there’s a lot of work that goes into setting up this program. Start small, you can always grow. Not to mention, you could run into a too many cooks in the kitchen type of problem. Don’t create that problem for yourself, trust me on this one. Now, I know what you’re thinking. What qualities should I be looking for the initial adopters of my employee advocacy social media program? A potential employee advocate should check off at least three of the following: Eager to learn Social media savvy Passionate about their job Great writing skills Has a wide knowledge base about the company Is already active on LinkedIn, Twitter, or both Is actually excited about the program and the potential it can bring to their department These are just a few of the qualities you will want to look for in your new social media employee advocacy program participants. Remember, you want to narrow it down to the best of the best so your program has a great jumping off point. A quick warning before you start your list. Do not, under any circumstances, force an employee to be a part of your employee advocacy program. No one likes being forced to do anything. It's like forcing a 4 year old to eat anything that's green. It's not gonna happen. If you force your employees to become your brand advocates, your program becomes in-genuine, and your potential consumers will see that coming from a mile away. So how do you approach your employees so that’ll they come and hear you out? Grab your free email template that complements  this post to customize and send to potential employee advocates. Feel free to personalize it to each person you’re sending it too. It may take a bit more time, but the personal touch really helps. Or you could just copy and paste the email from the social media employee advocacy kit. To Do: Make a list ten employees who you believe would be a good fit for your program Narrow the list down to five Send initial introduction email (Grab it from the kit that complements this post) Step 2: Introduce The Employee Advocacy Program To Your Team Why do you need to introduce the program to your employees? Well, first of all, you need to ask them if they want to participate.  Check out that email template from above to help get your started. Secondly, think about their schedule. They’re probably already swamped with a giant list of things to do. Imagine if your boss came to you and said, "Hey, I need you to spend about 3 hours a week tweeting about our company." You’d probably say no. Who wants extra work? No one. Being an employee advocate is not an easy task. It’s one that requires dedication and time. Most importantly, it’s a task that needs to be taken on voluntarily. So how do you convince your employees to take on extra work? Incentivize it. How do you convince your employees to take on extra work? Incentive it.I'm gonna get personal here for a second. When someone puts a competitive twist on things I’m immediately hooked. I have to win. I want to come out on top. Obviously, I'm pretty competitive person. Maybe your employees are the same way, and if so you can capitalize on that. Whether it’s a bonus, fun retreats, or even company swag, having a way for your employees to get rewarded will help them be more open to the possibility of participating in the program. So you've got everyone in the room. Now what? A presentation, maybe? You don't have time to create that. Don’t worry, we did that for you. Download it here. To Do: Download the PowerPoint slide deck from the social media employee advocacy starter kit Brainstorm ways to incentivize your employee advocacy program Get clearance from upper management for those incentives Schedule a meeting with your select five employees to go through presentation Step 3: Determine The Voice Of The Employees Who Will Be Participating In The Program If your employee advocates sound like a corporate robot, that’s what your consumer/customer fan base is going to think of them as. That’s not a good thing. Your employees need to bring their unique voice and perspective in order to breathe fresh life into your content. So how do you do this? Bring your employees to the  table. Schedule a short meeting, 15 minutes maximum to brainstorm and finalize an employee voice. You could even just swing by their desk when they have a minute or two to spare. Remember you want these meetings to be effortless and easy. The less this program interferes with their daily schedule the better. Once you’re in your meeting ask the following two questions and have them record their answers on the one-pager that is in the attached kit. What are five personality traits that make you great at your job? What are five personality traits that are not you? Once they have those written down have them pick their top three. Those become the voice of the employee online. An example is below. For a sales manager (let’s call him Bill), his list could look like: Confident but not arrogant Silly but not unprofessional Informative but not pushy Here's how to help your team develop their social media voice:Still stuck? Let me use myself as an example. I created my professional Twitter profile during my senior year of college because I wanted my potential new employers to know that: I was knowledgeable about social media and knew how to use it. I wanted to stand out among other applicants and find additional ways to showcase my personality. So when it came to creating my voice I had to answer the following three questions: Who am I and what is my personality like? Am I passive in my opinions or unafraid to state them clearly? If a potential employer or professional took thirty seconds to look at my profile what would they think about me? Have your employees try and think along the same mindset. Remember, don’t give them the answers. This is all about them. Have them fill out the worksheet in the kit that complements this blog post, and attach it to a desk, cubicle wall, or wherever they will see it often. This will act as a gentle reminder in case they get stuck on what to post. To Do: Print out voice brainstorming worksheet from kit Schedule a short meeting with participating employees or drop by there desk Brainstorm what their voice will be Finalize voice structure and record on worksheet Step 4: Create A Username  Convention When most companies start their social media employee advocacy program, they’ll usually identify their employees with a naming convention. Usually this means incorporating the company name into the Twitter handle somehow. It is important to note that once you pick a naming convention,  you stick with it. Once you pick a company-wide social media naming convention, stick with it.For example, our friends at Onsharp, a digital marketing and website development company in our home state of North Dakota, has an active social employee program. The handles for each of their employees is @Onsharpname. They cover a wide variety of topics, and are also able to show off their company culture. This not only helps increase their overall credibility,  but if you have a potential employee looking into the company, they have a chance to see genuine interactions that happen within the team. But it’s not just small businesses using username conventions. Discovery  Benefits is making a huge mark on the insurance industry. We recently interviewed their marketing manager,  Abby Boggs-Johnson,  for our Actionable  Marketing Podcast. In it,  Abby mentions how her sales team has started a series of social media employee advocacy profiles that are helping them connect to their customer base. By creating these unique connections between the sales team and their customers, Discovery Benefits is able to showcase genuine interactions which can allow people to build trust  in the company. Like Onsharp, Discovery Benefits has a naming convention @DBIname. It would be easy to say, â€Å"Well, these are smaller companies.†Ã‚  What about big Fortune 500s? Have they tried a social media employee advocacy program? Actually, some Fortune 500s were a few of the earliest adopters. One of them was Adobe. Adobe’s program still exists but unlike Discovery Benefits and Onsharp, Adobe doesn’t have a naming convention. Most of their employees have the @Adobe programming they work for listed in their handle. Why would Adobe forgo a naming convention? The company is huge,  and because there are so many different official Adobe product accounts, it would be impossible to keep one single convention among  all the different products. So if you’re a smaller company with one main Twitter account,  you should have a naming convention.  But if you’re marketing for a major corporation with multiple official Twitter accounts,  use your bio to identify which major company profile you are associated with. But Breonna, how do I create my naming convention? Don’t worry, I have you covered. Here's how to create a naming convention for your social media employee advocacy program:Below is a list of ten naming conventions. Pick one that you think will work best for your company. Some names will be too long. Remember, Twitter has a character limit for it’s usernames, so don’t be afraid if you have to use initials or abbreviations. @CompanyName @Company_Name @CompanyAcroynmName @CompanyInitialsName @Name_CompanyName @NameCompanyName @NameAtCompany @NameFromCompany @NameFrom_Company Company handle in bio To Do: Go through naming convention list Choose a convention and make sure it fits under Twitter’s 15 character handles Step 5: Create Consistent  Profile and Cover Photo Images One of the great ways that you can help distinguish your social media employee advocates is to have a matching profile style image and cover photo. Not only does this help distinguish your actual social employees online, it gives it a nice, clean, polished and professional look to your social accounts. Profile images should be: Headshot style- shoulders and above Contain the same background Any editing style applied to the headshot photo should be the same throughout Here are a couple examples from our team. This is Chris St. Amant, UI/UX Desginer: And Tyler Brazier, Software Engineer: Like the profile images, cover photos should be: Clean and informative Inviting The same throughout all profiles They should look like this: Or this: Everything is clean and consistent. Just the way we like it. It’s important to note that once the standard is set for the profiles, it needs to be followed throughout every single one of them. Why is this consistency  important? It helps users and your customers find your profiles. It also acts as a minor defense system against people who may try to impersonate the account. Once you’ve got your headshots and cover images created,  you can move on to account set up. To Do: Meet with graphic designer and document headshot and cover photo requirements Schedule time for employees to have headshots taken Review headshots and cover photos for final approval Step 6: Set Up Your Social Accounts Now that you’ve got your team on board and their voice has been determined, you’re ready for the fun part. Setting up your profiles. Whether your team is working with Twitter, LinkedIn or both, how you set up the accounts is incredibly important. For some people, this will be the first interaction they ever have with one of your employees. You want your bios to be short and sweet, as well as original. Everyone talks about how they love coffee and traveling. Challenge your employee advocates to think outside the box with another brainstorm session. Have them write down or think about the following: What does their online voice sound like? How can their bio reflect that? They may love coffee and traveling but what is something unique about them? What position do they hold within the company? Do they have a hobby, favorite book series etc, that they will sometimes tweet about? Have them think about some of these questions so they can incorporate them to make a unique bio for their profiles. For example, my professional Twitter bio looks like this: In it, I talk about my field of experience, my passion for theatre, my current position, my alma mater and for good measure I throw in a bit about my Harry Potter obsession. This simple bio does a few things: It establishes my area of expertise and the repertoire I tweet about. It adds personality. Not only do you know that I’m a Content Writer for , you also know that I love theatre and Harry Potter, among other things. This can help establish a connection to a potential client or customer. It makes me approachable. You know,  without a doubt, there is a real human behind that profile. This can make approaching me with a question about our product easier than approaching a company account. Some of you may have noticed there’s something missing in my bio. Can you see it yet? I don’t have a disclaimer in my online bio. Many people will tell you that your professional social accounts need a disclaimer that runs something along the lines of: Opinions are my own Retweet does not = endorsement Many people will add these disclaimers to their social bios in order to protect themselves and the company they work for. It seemed like a simple solution that would protect the employee in case they tweeted something that their employer disagreed with. It’s also thought that adding this disclaimer would protect the employer from public backlash if an employee tweeted something inappropriate. I’m sorry to say that these phrases will rarely protect either the employee or their employer  from backlash if something inappropriate is posted on social media. What can protect me, you might be thinking to yourself? Honestly, nothing but solid common sense. And on that happy note, we’ll continue into step 7. To Do: Brainstorm traits for your employee bios Edit and finalize bios. Add to social profile Step 7: Determine Your Posting Rules If I had to tell you to take away one vitally important piece of information away from this blog  post,  it would be that if you decide to develop your own social media employee advocacy program, determine your posting rules before you start. It may seem like a nonsense task. Why would I have the team take time to write everything down? Because, while great, social media can turn on you within seconds if you or a team member sends the wrong tweet  or message. It doesn’t take much to remember some of the biggest blunders that a company has made on social media. United, Cracker Barrel,  or Pepsi  ringing a bell at all? The internet can be a merciless place, and will never forget anything you posted. Yes, even if you delete it. Social media can turn on you in seconds if you send the wrong tweet or message.Having established rules in place can help you avoid those costly mishaps and give you the peace of mind that content being sent by your team is appropriate, timely and most importantly, connects with your customer base in ways your normal advertising won’t. With that in mind here is an example list of posting do’s that your team can start with and expand on: Post about company milestones Post/Retweet great reviews from other customers Have a blog? Have your employees tweet links back to new content Hosting an event? Have your advocates help promote it? The same goes when you’re attending an event or conference. Make your presence known by tweeting about it If you have fun office traditions, like our #BratwurstBlowout, tweet about it to show off your culture Hiring? Having your advocates post about new positions is a great way to help recruit people to your team Launching a new product or have some big news coming out? Extend the reach of your launch by having employees tweet to If your company is industry specific, have employees share new news or industry trends This is just a starting list. As your program continues to grow, your list will change and grow as your employees find their niche.

Art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 48

Art - Essay Example This means the figure represent humanity in general. Borofsky prompts the viewer to compare the sculpture with what happens in our daily lives. In as much as the figures face away from one another, they are able to communicate through holding hands. This simply means regardless of the differences people might have in life, they still need each other for survival (Borofsky 1). The image of two people holding hands could have various meanings. For example, it could demonstrate children playing in a field. One child is a head of the other while the other one is running after him. The holding of hand is a symbol of love and affection between the children. This is a message to all viewers that they should love one another. It also means that people should always be active and happy in their daily lives. The images demonstrate people who are running while holding hands. The runners could be sportsmen in the field. This means it is important for sportsmen to work as a team while in a competition. They should also demonstrate the true spirit of sportsmanship by helping any injured person in the field. Lastly, they should know competition is not about being enemies but rather it is a game that demonstrates who is well equipped to win a duel One of the images has a person running while the remaining person has a raised hand though standing. The raised hand could be intended to direct the running person. This encourages viewers to avoid trouble and run away whenever it is necessary. This means that viewers ought not to fight back when wronged. Instead, they should walk away in peace in order to avoid confrontation that could be more disastrous resulting into loss of life. Borofsky starts his work with drawings. This is usually a demonstration of his thoughts that he transforms into an object. The object is usually an initial idea about human life. The idea could be happiness, love or sadness. He then converts the ideas into images that could be understood by

Australian supermarket Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Australian supermarket - Essay Example The objective of the paper is to market analysis of an Australian supermarket. The paper will delve on all the economic and business aspects of the supermarket industry. The paper contains a detailed review of the current market structure in this sector of business, encompassing a study about the pricing power policies and the demand, supply factors. The paper will include a report of the chosen business with data and statistics about the industry’s growth and competitors in the business. The purpose of the paper is to work on a detailed business review report touching on topics like price, income and cross elasticity, Input prices and cost of production, substitute services available in the market, products and services that complement this service, and a complete SWOT analysis.Industry Overview and Market structure.The paper under all subheadings will explain the microeconomic theory behind the heading in correlation to the supermarket industry. The Australian supermarket an d the grocery store industry accounted for $69.5b as industry revenue in the year 2008. With an annual industry growth of 4.7%, the industry has 4300 establishments providing employment to 259,200 people. The two major players in the Australian market are the Woolworths and the Wesfarmers formerly known as the Coles. The Woolworths and Coles feature in the 22nd and 29th place respectively in the list of top 50 retailers around the world. In a report by Blake Dawson named 'Rising Grocery Prices and Australia's Anti-trust laws', Woolworths leads the supermarket industry with 750 stores holding a market share of 44% and Coles with 500 stores holding a market share of 34%. The New entry Germany's Aldi has 300 stores holding a market share of 4%. The supermarket industry like all other industries is under heavy pressure due to the current global turmoil and Dr. Ira Kalish, Deloitte Research's Director of Consumer Business, advised, "We are seeing this already with consumers shifting to m ore price focused retailers. For all retailers, this environment will require added attention to keeping costs under control." The paper will report a detailed analysis on the Wesfarmers Super Market. Find below and in the forthcoming pages the History, market share , pricing , competitors, costs, market forces and a SWOT analysis of the Coles the now Wesfarmers Supermarket. Body: The Coles opened its first store in the year 1914 by George Coles. Over years the company has grown and spread its wings far and wide and today Coles has over 740 stores in both New Zealand and Australia. The Supermarket caters to a whole range of customers and stands out remarkably for its services and is the number two chain of supermarket in Australia next to Woolworths. Employing more than 92000 people the Coles has specialized departments for Health, baby food, Health and Beauty Department, Meat Department Fruits and Vegetables Department, Deli (Pizza Bar) and the international and specialty Department. The Coles was acquired by Wesfarmers Ltd in the end of the year 2007. Pricing Power and Policies: The pricing power or market power of a firm is the power exerted by the firm to determine or influence the price of the products sold or the services provided. In other words, the freedom of Coles to set prices for their own products. Pricing power of a firm largely depends on the demand for its goods and services. A firm enjoys the maximum pricing power depending upon the price elasticity if its product or service. Price Elasticity according to Mulhearn and Vane in the book 'Economics' is "measures the responsiveness of the quantity demanded of a particular good or service to changes in its price ." Coles being the second largest supermarket chain in Australia to a certain extent does dictate prices and enjoys an edge over smaller retail stores. However in a Public submission report to the ACCA (Australian Competition and Consumer Commission) Coles has stated "Coles is committed to delivering value to customers every day.

Communication, language and Literacy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Communication, language and Literacy - Essay Example Analysis reveals that oracy was a term coined by Andrew Wilkinson in the 1990s. Oracy is comparatively a new innovation in the educational field that enables the children to empower their listening and spoken interaction. It provides children with a lot of opportunities to train the ear and accustom themselves to new and familiar sounds in the language and make them aware that their learning is very significant and enable them to aim a bright future by laying a good educational foundation. It gradually makes children respond to sound patterns through songs, rhymes and stories. They recognize words and phrases and gradually engage in simple conversations (Oracy, Using the KS2 Framework). As oracy has been regarded as an effective medium assuring healthy education, educational researchers have identified its real value in literacy and implemented different methods to improve the educational standard of the children. This is an attempt to explore whether oracy with literacy can bring no table changes in educational field. In order to make it clear, the researcher goes through the stories of the popular writers like Katie Morag and so on. It is very clear and generally accepted fact that the two processes, that is, language for learning and language for thinking are overtly related with oracy development. Studies prove that social interaction plays a vital role in a child’s language acquisition. The primary stage in the development of social capability is the acquisition of reciprocal understanding. Rosemary Boys keep the view that â€Å"This begins in the mother/child interaction starting at birth, and develops as the child’s communication and language skills become increasingly sophisticated† (Boys, n. d.). From the words of Rosemary it is evident that a child normally begins its language acquisition for its mother and in the long run it gradually develops and assumes the form of the language that we use nowadays. Jean Piaget and

Pick Your Family Essay Example for Free

Pick Your Family Essay The dictionary definition of family is: all the descendants of a common ancestor. Although this statement is true, some would disagree and say that the meaning to the word â€Å"family† goes far beyond that simple definition. Many people consider friends, schoolmates, animals, friends of a parent, and co-workers to be their family as well. Your whole family can be made up of many people that are not necessarily your real family. The relationship you share with another individual classifies them as a family member. These people may not be your relative at all, but someone you feel a strong connection to for one reason or another. Just because someone is your family member by blood, does not mean you have to have a close relationship with him or her. Your family can be extended from your nuclear family because another person may be very special to you, or makes you feel loved enough that you would consider them a part of your family. Children that lose their mother and father might have someone take care of them that are not blood related. In a situation like this, the child’s real family is not apart of the family that raises them and takes care of them. Family is more of a concept and more about the relationship that the two people share. In a case where parents have died or some other circumstance has arisen where they cannot provide for their child, strangers or friends may assist in raising that child. That would make them the caregivers; they would be the mother and father because they fill that role in the child’s life. Many people may say they have two mothers, this is because they have two people that fill the motherly role in their life and both of those people make them feel loved and appreciated. Another example where your family might not be your real relatives is godmothers or your godfathers. Your godmother or godfather can be anyone that your parents think can and will fill that role best. This may be your blood related uncle or the best man in your parents wedding. Regardless of the blood relation this person is in now classified as your family member. Family can also expand to include more than just humans as well. Most Americans have a pet dog or a pet cat that is considered a part of their family. It is very common in a household environment that animals are added to the mix. Whether it is a family of four wanting to add extra love in their lives, or a lonely college student looking for a companion. Many people add a pet into their homes to love and feel love in return. One might think this classifies that animal as a family member. Animals and humans can share a very special relationship, just like family members share. This special relationship is what makes someone or something a part of your family not just blood. Some people may have very special experiences with another individual. Growing up with a particular friend and experiencing many of life’s challenges and tribulations can make a relationship grow very strong. People that have been there for another person through tragedies, deaths, illness, hardships and times of celebration share special bonds. These people may refer to each other as brothers or sisters or second daughters or sons. It is the many experiences and the compassion and empathy that people share with one another that make them feel that closeness with one another. They will often refer to these special people as â€Å"family members†, although they have no blood relation. Many people that are not your real relatives can be more like your family than your real family. There are many reasons that families break up, or do not speak any longer. Death, distance, past arguments and sickness can all be some reasons why you are not close to your blood family. Most people know of someone who may no longer speak to their mother, father, sister, or brother; this kind of thing happens all the time. This is very common after a parent’s death, and the children have to disperse the parent’s valuables. You can’t pick your family, but you can pick your friends. Sometimes those friends treat you better than your own family. They’re a surplus of people that might fill a particular role better than others, and the relationship you share with them is what defines them as your family member.