Statement of Academic/Career Goals Statement of Need Free Essays

Growing up without the presence and help of a father seemed to be pretty difficult for me and for the rest of my family. My father passed away when I was 13 years old and since then my mother had to raise me and my other two siblings with all the best she can. We were able to go to school and study with my mother’s perseverance for us to finish our studies. We will write a custom essay sample on Statement of Academic/Career Goals Statement of Need or any similar topic only for you Order Now She has high hopes and dreams for the three of us. I am currently an undergraduate majoring in Chemistry and I intend to apply in the school of pharmacy. I believe that having a major in chemistry is also a footstep and a good preparation for me to take pharmacy and be a pharmacist someday in the future, since both two majors and field are connected to each other. Furthermore, I realized and see myself far more interested in becoming a pharmacist instead of a chemist. When I was in Taiwan, I worked to be able to sustain my family’s needs and support myself in school since my mother is the only one raising me and my other two siblings. She sacrificed a lot just for us to live a normal life and give us all our needs. From then, I decided to work so that I can save money and send myself to College and earn a degree and fly someday with flying colors. Getting a college degree is one of my major goals right now. I came all the way from Taiwan in order to pursue my dreams in the future. I took the risk of studying here in the U. S. because I believe that the education here will give me a lot of opportunities whenever I go and whatever I do after earning and finishing a degree. Ever since when I was a child, I already learned to value education, as my parents especially my mother taught us and always reminds us that education is one of the most important things in the world. She believes that giving the best education to children is the greatest treasure that a parent can give to their child. That is why I highly value and treasure education. One evidence is that since elementary days, I am always included and counted as one of the top students in our class. My mother has instilled in our minds that even though we are not financially blessed we should still be thankful that we can study and go to school and build our dreams in the future unlike any other kids and people who do not have the privilege to go to school and have the opportunity to be successful in their life. Thus, making me strive harder not only in school but to everything that I do as well, I always want to make my father and mother proud. As I have mentioned above, valuing education and studying really hard gave me a lot of recognition in school. Elementary, middle school, high school and college, throughout those years I was able to maintain a high grade on all of my subjects and made my parents especially my mother proud of what I have achieved. I am also proud of myself that I was able to keep up on school even though I was working while studying that time in Taiwan. It was a very difficult time but I was able to manage and made it. Being a working student is the only way I know to be able to continue my studies and help and repay my mother as well for all the sacrifices and hardships she faced from the time my father died and she shouldered everything. Making it to the College of arts and Sciences is one thing I consider to be an academic excellence. Not to mention, I was also a dean’s list on 2007-fall semester and joined the chemistry school department symposium once this year. I am also a lifelong volunteer in a Taiwanese social organization that aims to take care of impoverished individuals in persistent vegetative state (PVS) that suffers and having a difficult time in nursing home environments. It breaks my heart to see the patients/ senior citizens in that place, that is why I took the opportunity to volunteer and extend my help, love, care and concern for those patients who needed it. By next year, I am planning to join the school tutor program to be able to teach math and chemistry courses and help other students. I believe that I have the knowledge and the skill to do it, thus making me feel confident to join such programs in school. Acquiring a GPA of 3. 5 as an international student makes me feel confident and qualified to apply in the Carl D. and Peggy G. Pursell scholarship program. I realized that entering in pharmacy school is what I really want in the future. Being a pharmacist is not just an ordinary career, it is one of the most important jobs in the society. Having the full interest of taking this major gives me strength and hope to be able to take and finish it in the required period of time. It is just the problem of financial matters that hinders me to achieve all my dreams and goals in the future. Because my mother is already old and retired from her work, the only financial support I can get is from my mother’s pension and from the money that I saved way back when I was still working in Taiwan. Since I am a student here, that does not give me the authority to work and earn money to support myself in school and all my basic needs. For that reason, I believe that having the opportunity to be a scholar, I will be able to continue my studies and later have a degree in pharmacy as I have promised to my mother. I promised that she will be proud of me because sooner or later, I will be graduating and will have the chance to fulfill all my dreams and my mother’s dreams for me. I want to make my mother proud. I have a very strong commitment to education; I believe that if I am granted with the Carl D. and Peggy G. Pursell Scholarship, I will be able to earn an unyielding grade point average and graduate with the skills and experience I will need to build my career as a pharmacist. I strongly believe that this university will provide me necessary knowledge to enhance my capabilities and help me improve and develop my skills. As I regard education with utmost importance, I will make sure not to waste any of my time in taking this major. I am prepared to perform all my tasks as a student. I am confident that I will be able to finish my major and become a successful pharmacist with the help of this scholarship program if ever I will be granted with it. I am ready to serve and help people with all the knowledge and skills that I have acquired and will learn later in the course of pursuing pharmacy and I hope that I will be granted this scholarship so that I can continue my studies and build a good future for myself and for the rest of my family, most especially for my mother. How to cite Statement of Academic/Career Goals Statement of Need, Papers

Samford Essay free essay sample

Some may say I am the product of my private school education. I’ve memorized the atomic masses of elements like oxygen (15.9994) and carbon (12.011), I understand the difference between the prophets Elijah and Elisha, and I am able to laugh at jokes about calculus terms like asymptotes (can’t touch that). Others may say I am an ideal student. I get upset when I’m sick and ruin my perfect attendance, I thrive in discussions about books and history’s what-ifs, and I like to compete with my friends on who can earn the most bonus points before a test. Throughout my four years of high school I have learned so much, yet my knowledge extends past textbooks and quizzes. High school has taught me how to interact with others, to overcome peer pressure, and to rise to the challenges of difficult tasks. Charles Dickens once said, â€Å"Whatever I have tried to do in life, I have tried with all my heart to do it well; whatever I have devoted myself to, I have devoted myself completely; in great aims and in small I have always thoroughly been in earnest. We will write a custom essay sample on Samford Essay or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page † Through life experiences, I have come to understand what it means to be determined. Charles Dickens has always been one of my favorite story tellers. The ways his plots and subplots intertwine leave me unable to put his books down. Just like Pip’s story in Great Expectations, my life is filled with subplots, some even I could not have foreseen. During my freshman year of high school, my parents began to talk about moving. I thought nothing of it because most of the conversations would end in an agreement that the time was not right. So when my parents announced the plan to move further away from the city, I was a little taken aback. My childhood home is in Lawrenceville, Georgia, a convenient distance from my high school and most of my friends. My new home is in Gainesville, Georgia, a place freakishly far from my high school and all my friends. I didn’t want to switch high schools and since I attended a private school, my parents purchased me a car and I began to commute the 66 mile round trip journey to school and back. My grandma grew up on a farm in Centerburg, Ohio. She would tell me that every morning she would have to walk a mile in the snow, often in a dress, just to catch the school bus. I feel my story is the modern day version of walking a mile in the snow. Driving has taught me a lot about patience and determination. In driving, I’ve learned, arrogance will lead you into trouble, and if you’re patient with someone now you’re more likely to have someone be patient with you later. (Some call it karma.) Determination comes in during the early morning drives. Some mornings I barely want to get out of bed, let only drive 33 miles to school, but I always get up and go. Some of my life’s subplots have developed over a period of time. Growing up, I was an athlete. Soccer was my universe, and my time away from the field was filled with tennis matches, swim meets, horseback riding lessons, and maybe a piano l esson here and there. As high school approached, I slowly left those things behind either because I was not the star or my passion had waned. The void left behind was soon filled with a passion for theater. I had done musicals a time or two in elementary school, but I never had a spare moment to pursue it. In middle school, I began doing more plays, but it was in high school that my interest became a passion. In my junior year, I was selected to be part of my school’s competition one act play, The Anatomy of Gray, where I played the character Tiny. We practiced after school for two hours a day, four days a week, for four months. Some days we were left exhausted and stressed, but our director always made sure we had the right attitude at all times. Winning, he would say, is not our objective. As actors, it was our job to tell the story of the people we were playing. It is our job to move the audience with the story we have to tell. The story is our objective. After that, every play I participated in had a different meaning. That spring I played the nurse in Shakespeare’s classic Romeo and Juliet. I’ve probably read that play more than a handful of times, but with my director’s words in mind, the story had a different meaning. I always pictured the nurse as this crazy old lady who meddled in things that were over her head, but this time I was determined to look beyond the faA §ade. I wanted to know who this character really was; I wanted to learn her story. Romeo and Juliet is quite different from her point of view for the nurse is earnest in everything she does and says. By making the character my own, I was able to learn from her. The Nurse’s determination is not forced but simply earnest. After high school, college is supposed to be the next step, at least that is what I’ve been told all my life. As my graduation approaches, I’ve realized that college is my next step because I want it to be. Learning has alw ays been a passion of mine. Whether the topic is something for a test or simply information I can use in a conversation later, knowledge will always be something I treasure. Whether it’s in a car, on the stage, or in the classroom, I hope the next four years of my life will be filled with the same joy of learning that I have now.

External and Internal Environmental Analysis free essay sample

External and internal environmental analysis are important for a company to achieve its goals. The purpose of this paper is to complete the external environmental scan, and perform an internal competitive environmental scan for Designer Shoe Warehouse (DSW). This paper will identify and analyze the most important external environmental factor in the remote, industry, and external operating environments. This paper will also identify and analyze the most internal strengths and weaknesses of DSW, include an assessment of the DSW’s resources, assess DSW’s competitive position and possibilities, and will analyze the structure of DSW and how this affects organizational performance. Designer Shoe Warehouse As of January 2010 the Designer Shoe Warehouse (DSW) had 305 operating stores in 39 states. In the United States DSW is the leading footwear specialty retailer. DSW caters to both men and women by offering a wide assortment of better-brand dress, casual, and athletic footwear, and accessories. DSW focuses on its customers by offering them a vast assortment of seasonal styles with convenience and value desired by the customers (DSW, Inc. We will write a custom essay sample on External and Internal Environmental Analysis or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page 2009 Annual Report). DSW main focus is creating a distinctive shopping experience for its customers which satisfies the customer’s rational and emotional needs. External Environmental Factor in the Remote, Industry, and External Operating Environments DSW’s economic factor is part of DSW’s external environmental factor in the remote. DSW’s competitive strength, distinctive store layout heart of their branded products, valued proposition offered to customers, and financial strength is the reason DSW is in a leading marketing position (DSW, Inc. 2009 Annual Report). Athletic footwear and shoes are purchased from over 400 foreign and domestic vendors by DSW. The large assortment of merchandise are sold in individual DSW stores and on the dsw. com website. The growth of DSW is attributed to its operating model and management’s ability to focus on store-level profitability and economic payback. DSW’s net sale grew at a rate of 11% over a five year span, which ended in January 2010. As well as the 11% net sale growth DSW also generated positive cash flow and operating results. A level of cash and investment was generated by DSW in the amount of $289 million. This amount is believed to be a sufficient amount to maintain ongoing operations, support capital requirements for seasonal work, and to fund capital expenditures related to projected business growth (DSW, Inc. 2009 Annual Report). Internal Strengths and Weaknesses of DSW Strengths within DSW is what keeps customers purchasing items in store locations or on the DSW website. DSW has implemented an easy free exchange or return system for its customers who are not satisfied with their purchase. This system is free, easy to use, and convenient for customers. The return system provides the customer with a 60 day grace period in which he or she has to return an item for a full refund. However, if the merchandise was received as a gift, refund request is after the 60 day grace period, or the customer does not have the receipt DSW will give the customer credit in the form of an e-gift card. Loyal customer who shop at DSW stores or on the DSW website are entered into the DSW loyalty program. The DSW loyalty program permits loyal customers to earn reward certificates. Reward certificates provide loyal customers with discounts on purchases customers plan to make in the future (DSW, Inc. ). DSW also reward loyal customers with special offers and other certificates. The special offers and certificates are easily accessible to customers. Customers can retrieve the special offer codes and certificates via mail, email, or on the DSW website. Website purchases are the weakness within the DSW Company. Problems such as offered codes not properly working, the tracking of online orders, and the  unavailability of certain DSW websites to customers are the cause for weakness in the DSW Company. Some codes are available through online purchases only and some codes are not valid at all for customer use. This can be very aggravating for customers. There are times when customers look up an order are placed online and they are unable to locate their order. They are then directed to anoth er website to report the problem. The motion of tracking the order that should have been available for the customer can become frustrating. Accessing DSW’s website is also a weakness for the company. Customers like an easy accessible website. To access DSW’s website to place an order customers have to download certain software provided by DSW. Although the software is provided free of charge customers believe that this is an unnecessary step for the customer. DSW should make accessibility easier for the customer. DSW’s Competitive Position and Possibilities Competitors as viewed by DSW are department stores, shoe stores in the mall, brand-oriented discounters, independent shoe retailers, online shoe retailers, single-brand specialty retailers, national chains, and multi-channel supply retailers. Many of these competitors offer a limited assortment of higher priced footwear within a less convenient environment. DSW’s reward program also offers more rewards than its competitors. The competitors of DSW have tried to imitate DSW. However, the competitor offers a less brands that customers are familiar with and styles from previous seasons DSW offers styles that are in season and up to date (DSW, Inc. 2009 Annual Report). Down scaling the size of the DSW store is believed by DSW to yield a greater opportunity for the company. A majority of the DSW stores measure 25,000 square feet with a few averaging 40,000 square feet. Although DSW is continuing to build other retail stores, the President of DSW, Peter Horvath, has realized that the current size of their store are limiting the location of future stores. To build future stores in sites that were not accessible to the company in the past Peter Horvath believes that the downsizing of the store format is the key. The interior design of future stores is also a change that Peter Horvath is planning to make. The current traditional design will be changed to a more loft like design with brick walls, wood floors, wider isles (aisles), softer lights, and a larger clearance isle (Retailing Today, 2001). Conclusion DSW is a top leader in the shoe industry. By offering its customers a wide assortment of better-brand dress, casual, and athletic footwear, and accessories through a store location or online DSW has been able to stay ahead of its competitors. An external and internal environmental analysis has shown that DSW focus is on its ability to provide great service and a quality product to its customer. The analysis shows that while DSW is providing its guest with great service, a quality product, and a reward program for its loyal customers, DSW is also facing some weaknesses that could cause the company to lose customers.

American Imperialism essay

American Imperialism essay American Imperialism essay American Imperialism essayAmerican foreign policy generally grew more interventionist and aggressive from the 1890s into the twentieth century because of considerable changes in political, social and economic sectors of the country. The key moments in that development include changing American diplomacy that demonstrated respect to other nations; the promotion of peace and dignity; expansion of foreign commerce, construction of a powerful Navy Fleet, the growth of oversees military bases, promotion of stability and security of the nation. As a result, the ties to Latin American countries became stronger. The greater oversees involvement of the United States improved the country’s social and political position.   Political and economic issues led to the Filipino Insurrection (1899– 1902), including the annexation of the Philippine islands, resistance to colonialism, resistance to the US ruling power, violence and discrimination toward the native population in Philippin es. This conflict was perceived in the United States negatively. The population of Philippines was unfriendly for assimilation and the US had to â€Å"suppress the rebellion against American rule† (Kennedy et al., 2008, p. 685). Americans used different arguments to justify their colonization of the Philippines, including the struggle for freedom of the nation from Spanish oppression. The argument that American presence in Philippines could be viewed as a military imposition was used against colonization. The U.S. wanted to build a canal across Central America in order to use it as a passageway between the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean, expanding trade and improving economy. The Central American canal could reduce the time of travelling. The U.S. eventually accomplished this project through digging the Panama Canal. The Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine was an annual message to the US Congress articulated by President Roosevelt that had become an effective pol icy.   In his message, President Roosevelt expanded the Doctrine, stating that the countries of the Western Hemisphere were not open to accepting colonizing power of Europeans, and that the   by United States approach was to preserve existing order, protecting human lives in those countries (Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine, 1904). It was used to justify imperialism through its interference the countries of Latin America, building the Panama Canal and providing control over the colonies (Bowles, 2011). In my opinion, the Navy was more influential in this period of imperialism because the United States was focused on expanding its overseas power.

Strategic Management in Barclays Bank Case Study

Strategic Management in Barclays Bank - Case Study Example The term future here implies a minimum of 20-years, implying the importance of long term thinking of where the firm wants to be. Mission: Hill (2006) states that a mission statement is rather the short term spot that the firm aims to achieve in the time of few years, generally a 5-year plan. Mission statement is generally derived from the vision, and is also assumed as a subset of the same. Goals & Objectives: Hunger (2006) states that goals and objectives are the further derived version, generally obtained from the mission statement defining the milestones that would ultimately lead to the achievement of mission. Corporate Strategy: Corporate strategy is defined by Lamb (1984) as the overall strategy of a diversified firm that is indulged in various businesses, and aims at creating synergy amongst all, moving ultimately towards the organizational vision. In accordance with Peterson (2006), the relationship between these six elements is fairly simple; Vision is the ultimate aim of the organization, around 20 years down the road, so to speak. Mission is the subset of vision, defining where the firm needs to be 5 years down the road, to achieve the vision in 15 years from then, and the goals and objectives are further short term in nature like annualized aims for a firm. Business strategy, at the same time, is the strategy that a single standalone unit deploys, while functional strategy is the grounds level strategy. This implies a strong relationship present amongst the 6 variables. For example, the vision of my organization is to be the market leader and be the first consumer preferred brand in the respective industry. Their mission is to attain a 20% market share by the end of the year 2012; this mission was established two years back and is expected to be revised. The goals and objectives are mainly to achieve customer satisfaction and provide the best quality of products and services. We only have a single unit operating to the business strategy is the corporate strategy i.e. product differentiation i.e. providing differentiated product for a price elastic consumer market. The functional policy is to retain good and competitive human resource that can lead the way for customer satisfaction. If critically analyzed, the sentences here clearly illustrate their inter connection with each other also showing how well these elements need to be tied up. Another example can be given of Barclays; their vision is to build a world-class organization - highly subjective in approach and very broad statement, capable of churning up any progress that they make towards becoming great. Their mission is to be innovative and customer-centric organization, contributing to people, their careers, and their lives.

Self-analysis of Leadership Behaviors and Strengths Research Paper

Self-analysis of Leadership Behaviors and Strengths - Research Paper Example This paper presents my potentials for good leadership in the nursing profession as I analyze and evaluate my personality strengths and behaviors in relation to the various nursing leadership theoretical models. To begin with, nursing shortage has apparently been a major problem of many countries all over the world. According to American Nurses Association (2011), the nursing population is aging rapidly and nursing shortage is expected to peak by year 2020. While the government takes effort and initiative to strengthen the healthcare system by recommending an increase in capacity on nursing education to encourage individuals to enter the profession, the nursing professional practice also continuously develops to meet the demands of advancement in trends and policies. Promoting nursing leadership to empower the new nurses is of core importance not just because of the present situation of nursing shortage but for building a strong foundation of healthcare manpower for the coming generat ions. In connection to nursing leadership, Curtis, Vries, and Sheerin (2011) defined leadership as a collective variety of thoughts, reflections, and images; including power, influence, fellowship, dynamic personality, charisma, goals, autocratic behavior, innovation, cleverness, warmth, and kindness. As the nursing education and practice develops, the same is true in nursing leadership theories. Clark (2009, pp. 6-23) presents the evolution of leadership theories from the basic leadership principles to more broader concepts and these are: (1) The great man theory – leaders are born, not made; (2) Trait theory – some people are born with inherited traits suited to leadership; (3) Behavioral theory – leaders are made, not born; (4) Role theory – describes how expectations frame behavior; (5) Lewin’s leadership styles – a. autocratic (making decisions without consulting anyone), b. democratic (involve others in their decision), and c. laissez- faire (minimal involvement in decision-making); (6) Likert’s leadership styles – a. exploitative authoritative (using threats and fear to achieve conformance), b. benevolent authoritative (showing concern but sugarcoats information and maintains control of decisions), c. consultative (listens to everyone but still makes the major decision), and d. participative (increases collaboration and seeks involvement of others in the decision-making process); (7) Hershey and Blanchard’s situational leadership theory – considers motivation and capability of the followers; (8) Normative leadership – chooses a decision procedure from autocratic to group-based, depending on decision-acceptance and follower knowledge; (9) Path-goal theory – clarifies the path to a goal, removing roadblocks and increasing rewards along the way; (10) Leader-member exchange theory – leaders exchange informal agreements with their members; (11) Transformational leadersh ip theory – uses vision, passion, personal integrity, and enthusiasm to shape a changing social architecture by being proactive, serving as a catalyst for innovation, functioning as a team member, and encouraging organizational learning; (12) Authentic leadership – positive, genuine, trustworthy, credible, reliable, and

Buddhism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 4

Buddhism - Essay Example It is considered that the religion was founded on teaching of Gautama Buddha (500 B.C.E). The traditional date of the birth of the Buddha is 560 B.C.E. The Buddha is believed to have been born in northeastern India, and was a prince. He followed ascetic way of life and devoted himself to meditations and spiritual development. One day, he meditated near the Ganges River, and came to conclusion that asceticism did not work and did not help a person to achieve spiritual development. He understood that a person should eat a sufficient amount of food to have a good heath, should take enough rest but not too much, and meditate. In 525 B.C.E, the Buddha achieved Enlightenment and began to preach (Lyons and Peters 1985). As with other major world religions, the history of Buddhism has long been characterized by an ongoing tension between attempts to preserve traditional ideals and modes of practice and the need to adapt to changing social and cultural conditions (Lopez 2002). Many developmen ts in Buddhist history, such as the infusion of esoteric rituals, the arising of forms of devotionalism and lay movements, and the assimilation of warrior practices, reflect the impact of widespread yet fundamental social and cultural changes on traditional religious structures. ... In 480 BC was established the first Buddhist Council at Rajagriha in Bihar. At this council, the Vinaya and Sutra texts were standardized. As with most religions, the early years of Buddhism are shrouded in obscurity. But the period between that event and the reemergence of Buddhism into the light of history around 250 B.C.E. is somewhat unclear. Buddhist tradition holds that there was a meeting, or council, held immediately following the Buddha's death (Lopez 2002). The major concern of this meeting was to stabilize the Buddhist scriptures by coming to an agreement as to what were the accepted scriptures as spoken by the Buddha. For a variety of reasons, no such agreement seems to have been reached, although there was some general agreement on the basic message of the Buddha. Leaving the canon, that is to say the total collection of Buddhist scriptures, open in this way was to lead to disagreements later in Buddhist history. The second Buddhist Council at Vaisali marked the first di vision of the Buddhist Order (386 BC). In 244 BC, the third Buddhist Council called by Asoka. This council fixed the canon of Theravadin Buddhism (Lyons and Peters 1985). To other regions of the world, Buddhist tradition was spread with merchants. For instance, Buddhism was introduced to Southeast Asia in C. 200. Since C. 300, Buddhism is a prominent religion in China and begins to penetrate Korea. c. 750 Buddhism officially established in Tibet (beginnings of the Vajrayana school). c. 800 Ch'an and Pure Land Buddhism become dominant schools in China; establishment of Tendai and Shingon schools in Japan. Only, in 1893 World Parliament of Religions