Friday, November 29, 2019

5 Steps to a Killer Cover Letter

5 Steps to a Killer Cover Letter Cover letters remain a hugely important part of the job search game- no matter what your friends are telling you. And yes, we know it’s the hard part. We know writing might not be your strong suit. We know the competition is stiff. But still, you usually have to write one, and it should impress. Don’t throw away what could be your best opportunity to charm the hiring manager. Rather than waste your time (and your employer’s time) with a total stinker, laden with clichà ©s, take the time to really showcase everything that’s best about you. Here are five steps to crafting a cover letter that will help you stand out from your peers.1. Wow ‘em from the startGrab them with your opening line, and draw them in. Make it so good that the hiring manager can’t help themselves but read the whole thing- without skimming. Use fresh language. Tell a story. Show your personality (but don’t get too cocky; remember to keep it professional) and set the t one for the rest of the letter.2. Be specificPick 3-5 points you want to highlight that prove you are a perfect match for the job description. Show you’ve listened to what they need, then show them you are it. Tell them specifically what you would bring to the job, and why you’re the only one qualified to do so.3. Be personalBlend the personal and professional so they’re seamlessly woven into one narrative of your competence and sparkle. If there’s something about you that didn’t quite fit in your resume, but which makes you just perfect for this position, emphasize it here. Make sure to tie your sharing into the job itself. A personal story about saving a cat doesn’t make much of an impression for a data entry job.4. Stick the landingYou don’t have to go for the hard close to make the lasting impression. In fact, if you’re too brazen with your insistence of being the candidate of their dreams, you might put off the hiring mana ger. Try instead to emphasize how much you’d love the opportunity to meet with them and display how your skills and experience could be a real asset to their company.5. Get it into the right handsPut your cover letter both in the body of your email and include it as an attachment. Try to find a real live human’s email address, whether an HR manager or a connection-of-a-connection, and craft an informative subject line. Make sure if you’ve been referred by someone in your network to include their name up front.Finally, his  send, sit back, and see whether you succeeded in nailing your cover letter and getting your dream interview.

Monday, November 25, 2019

Free Essays on Mystique Of The Blonde

that come to mind are dumb, ditsy, or even snobby. In today’s society, blondes are discriminated against just because of the hair color. There are blonde jokes or even rude blonde statements such as, â€Å"You’re so blonde.† Meaning that that person is so dumb or stupid. But, there are also the blondes that have become so successful over the years and even centuries, that they aren’t even worthy of being called dumb or stupid. Great examples would be Marilyn Monroe and Madonna. Marilyn Monroe was usually cast in the "dumb blonde roles." In all her film roles, from Niagara to The Misfits (1961), Monroe portrayed an object of desire and exhibition. Her basic character grew out of the dumb blonde archetype, but Monroe's dumb blonde could not be pinned down to any particular origin or social class. She was defined only by what was shown on the screen, with neither a previous history nor seemingly a future. Frequently her characters were nameless (Love Happy, 1949, The Seven Year Itch, 1955), further accentuating her status as an object. She usually had no discernable job and when she did, it was a female-relegated profession such as chorus girl, actress or secretary. 1956 she formed Marilyn Monroe Productions and produced and starred in Bus Stop. Some Like it Hot showcased her comedic talent, starring alongside Jack Lemmon. Marilyn Monroe is a great example as a blonde and though she portrayed the look as a â€Å"dumb blonde†, she really wasn’t . She was a very successful blonde that went a long way. Another good example from today’s time would be Madonna. In high school Madonna was a cheerleader and straight-A student. She fell in love with dance and sometimes spent up to five hours a day taking dance classes and working out. Upon graduation she won a dance scholarship to the University Of Michigan. Finding the academic atmosphere stifling, after a year of college M... Free Essays on Mystique Of The Blonde Free Essays on Mystique Of The Blonde Mystique of the Blonde Blonde!! The first words that come to mind are dumb, ditsy, or even snobby. In today’s society, blondes are discriminated against just because of the hair color. There are blonde jokes or even rude blonde statements such as, â€Å"You’re so blonde.† Meaning that that person is so dumb or stupid. But, there are also the blondes that have become so successful over the years and even centuries, that they aren’t even worthy of being called dumb or stupid. Great examples would be Marilyn Monroe and Madonna. Marilyn Monroe was usually cast in the "dumb blonde roles." In all her film roles, from Niagara to The Misfits (1961), Monroe portrayed an object of desire and exhibition. Her basic character grew out of the dumb blonde archetype, but Monroe's dumb blonde could not be pinned down to any particular origin or social class. She was defined only by what was shown on the screen, with neither a previous history nor seemingly a future. Frequently her characters were nameless (Love Happy, 1949, The Seven Year Itch, 1955), further accentuating her status as an object. She usually had no discernable job and when she did, it was a female-relegated profession such as chorus girl, actress or secretary. 1956 she formed Marilyn Monroe Productions and produced and starred in Bus Stop. Some Like it Hot showcased her comedic talent, starring alongside Jack Lemmon. Marilyn Monroe is a great example as a blonde and though she portrayed the look as a â€Å"dumb blonde†, she really wasn’t . She was a very successful blonde that went a long way. Another good example from today’s time would be Madonna. In high school Madonna was a cheerleader and straight-A student. She fell in love with dance and sometimes spent up to five hours a day taking dance classes and working out. Upon graduation she won a dance scholarship to the University Of Michigan. Finding the academic atmosphere stifling, after a year of college M...

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Strategy Evaluation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Strategy Evaluation - Essay Example A case of assuming availability of traditional work force to undertake a task that involves more drudgery but is very cost-effective may not work if better opportunities are available to the targeted work force (Allan). On proper allocation of resources, even though required financial resources might have been arranged , it might not have considered the need for skilled and competent employees. Further, the manager must also be able to ensure a compatibility in the operational styles with the other departments and units in the same organization. The creation of an environment for consensus and acceptability of ideas across the group need to be present for a viable strategy for the business. A clear judgment on the time allocation for various processes like market analysis, product generation, test marketing and final launch must be carefully position to prevent the loss in the advantageous position that the company might have had initially (Allan). Due to all these reasons the strate gy evaluation often tends to be very complex and sensitive exercise.

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Strategic Management Plan for Sear's Holding Company Term Paper

Strategic Management Plan for Sear's Holding Company - Term Paper Example Sears Roebuck & Company was planned to enter into a merger with Kmart by Edward Lampert who worked as a hedge-fund manager. The merger was initiated with the aim to intensify the existence of Sears and create Sears Holding Corporation. However, the financial position of Sears Holding Corporation seemed to be worsening post merger along with a drop in their share prices. The company was learnt to be over burdened with debt. A drop was also experienced in the volume of sales of the company. Owing to all these reasons, the company was facing a huge dip in its share prices. To add more, the adjusted earnings of the company were predicted to drop considerably along with a cash crisis. The company had also failed to make payments for its respective credit lines (Laing, 2011). The waning sales, over expending on restructuring the stores, poor merchandising and unwise micromanaging was suffered by the company due to which the share price of the company was estimated to witness a decline by around 50%. As per the Fitch ratings, the company was ranked in the junk territory in terms of its debt. Furthermore, the liquidity of the company was expected to remain insufficient in the year 2012, in case the company fails to exploit the markets for fresh cash. On the other hand, the company was stated to hold a considerable share of inventory along with a significant portfolio of the possessed real estate which ranged from $8 billion to $10 billion. However, the worth of the real estate which was chiefly situated at the Borders was required to be ascertained. Therefore, with the aim to avoid such insufficiency of funds, the company is required to set an appropriate strategic management plan which would assist the company to a significant extent to overcome its seriou s financial crunch by bringing in fresh funds (Laing, 2011). The fresh strategic management plan for the company should entail few considerable alterations in its stores by getting rid of the entire soft-line inventories for the reason of enhancing the sales. The soft-line inventories would entail the poorly performing shoes, jewelry and apparel which have been believed and observed to lack the ability of appealing to the customers in the arena of soft-lines. Hence, it is required for the company to amalgamate few of the outstanding part of the inventory with the offerings of Kmart (Albrecht, Brainard, Fadgen, Jackson & Sengbusch, 2009). The company should also focus on expanding few of its product lines such as the kitchen appliances and dining furnitures. The company should also undertake necessary steps to intensify the advertising activities related to the electronic products that are offered. The mentioned alterations along with the additions would prove to be sufficient to rep lace the soft-lines products to a significant extent. The company should also try and shift its concentration on catalogue & internet retail, automotive repair, consumer appliances as well as electronics retail and supply of building material in order to diversify and attain competitive advantage. In order to strengthen the defensive walls of the company, it needs to consider the options of entering into a few selected partnerships with certain companies, particularly in the field of automotive care (Albrecht, Brainard, Fadgen, Jackson & Sengbusch, 2009). To augment the demand of the amended platform or array of products as well as services, the company requires shifting its degree of emphasis to the adults of the middle class varying from 25 years to 64 years as this particular age group is considered to hold the

Monday, November 18, 2019

Law for business report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Law for business report - Essay Example The second question deals with the name itself. Is the name Toys4Everyone prohibited by law? If the use of the name Toys4Everyone would be considered to be an offence of offensive, or if it contained â€Å"other sensitive words,† then the name would be prohibited. (Companies Act 2006 5(1)(53)(a)(b); Companies Act 2006 5(1)(55)(1)). To qualify as a sensitive word, the word would have to be one that is regulated by Secretary of State. (Companies Act 2006 5(1)(55)(1)). Likewise, if the name is likely to give the impression that the company is associated with Her Majestys Government, the local authority or any public authority, then they would not be able to use the name, either. (Companies Act 2006 5(1)(54)(1)(2)). In this case, Toys4Everyone would not seem to fall under any of the above. It would not give the impression that the toy company is associated with government, it is not offensive and likely would not be considered to be an offence to use the name, and it is doubtful that it would be a sensitive word that would be subject to regulation by the Secretary of State. So, there does not seem to be a legal issue there. Moving on through the Companies Act, and there is a provision that states that the name chosen by the company must not be the same or too similar to another that is registered with the registrar. (Companies Act 2006 5(3)(66); Companies Act 2006 5(3)(67)). If the name is the same as another, then they cannot use the name. If the name is too similar to another, then the Secretary of State can order them to change their name. (Companies Act 2006 5(3)(67)). This is one legal challenge that may face the Board of Directors, if in fact there is another company with the name of Toys4Everyone, or if there is another company that has a very similar name as Toys4Everyone. If there is another company with a similar name on the registrar, then they

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Levodopa on Decrease of Plasma Taurine Level in Parkinsons

Levodopa on Decrease of Plasma Taurine Level in Parkinsons Title: Levodopa aggravates the decrease of plasma taurine level in Parkinson Disease Key words: Parkinson’s disease (PD); Oxidative stress; Levodopa; Toxicity; Taurine; Highlights: This is the first study to explore chronic use of levodopa on the change of plasma taurine level. Plasma taurine levels were significantly lower in both treated and untreated PD than in healthy controls. Much lower plasma taurine level was found in treated PD than the untreated. Plasma taurine level was negatively associated with cumulative dosage of levodopa in PD. Abbreviations: PD, Parkinson’s disease; MMSE, mini–mental state examination; DA, dopamine; ROS, reactive oxygen species; MAO, monoamine oxidase; CNS, central nervous system; H2O2, peroxide; SOD, superoxide dismutase; CSF, cerebrospinal fluid; Abstract In recent years, it has gained more and more focus that oxidative stress is implicated in the pathophysiology of Parkinson’s disease(PD) as well as the potential toxicity of levodopa to nigral cells. Also, an increasing body of evidence suggests that taurine plays an important role in anti-oxidant function. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between plasma taurine level and clinical variables and the cumulative dosage of levodopa in PD patients. 44 treated patients with PD (all receive levodopa), 68 untreated patients with PD and 96 age-and sex-matched healthy controls were recruited. Clinical data such as age, gender, duration, Hoehn and Yahr stage and medication history were collected. Approximate cumulative dosage of levodopa was calculated to indicate the toxicity of chronic intake of levodopa. Plasma levels of taurine were measured by HPLC-RF. Plasma taurine levels were significantly lower in both treated and untreated PD than healthy controls. Much lower pl asma taurine level was found in treated PD than the untreated. Furthermore, plasma taurine level was negatively associated with cumulative levodopa dosage in PD. Our preliminary study indicates that taurine may play an important role in pathophysiology of PD and toxicity of chronic levodopa treatment. Introduction PD is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder characterized by selectively loss of dopamine (DA)-containing neurons in the substantia nigra and a concomitant reduction of DA in the striatum. Levodopa, a natural precursor of DA, has been the‘gold standard’ therapy for PD patients for decades [1]. However, the  pathophysiology of PD is up to now still poorly understood. More and more focus comes to that oxidative stress is implicated in the pathophysiology of PD, manifested as protein oxidation, lipid peroxidation, DNA oxidation and so on [2]. Moreover, there has been an increasing concern that levodopa may be toxic to dopaminergic neurons [3-5], mainly because of its potential to autoxidize from a catechol to a quinine and to generate other forms of reactive oxygen species (ROS) [6]. Taurine, an endogenous amino acid (2-aminoethanesulfonic acid), is abundant in excitable tissues such as brain, retina, cardiac muscle and skeletal muscle [7]. Both in vitro and in vivo studies together demonstrate that the anti-oxidative activity of taurine is a vital avenue of cytoprotection [8-12]. Additionally, our previous study has reported that plasma taurine level was decreased in patients with PD [13]. Also, there are lines of evidence that taurine may exhibit cytoprotective effect by acting as a scavenger for harmful free radicals produced by DA or levodopa [14, 15]. However, the precise anti-oxidative mechanism of taurine involved in both PD pathophysiology and putative toxicity of levodopa still remains uncertain. Furthermore, few studies have been done to address the relationship between plasma taurine level and clinical variables as well as the toxic effects of chronic levodopa administration. Hence, in our study, we specifically explored the underlying impact on plasma taurine level because of long-term levodopa intake in PD patients. 2. Patients and methods 2.1 patients Patients with PD, diagnosed based on UK Parkinson’s disease Brain Bank criteria by two movement disorders specialists (Kezhong Zhang and Lian Zhang), were included in this study [16]. Clinical data were collected by the same medical worker and the Hoehn and Yahr stage was used to evaluate the severity of disease [17]. Since the anti-parkinsonian drugs may affect plasma taurine level, thorough medication histories were completely obtained through family and patient recall, personal medical chart, as well as computerized patient information system in our hospital. Exclusion criteria were atypical or secondary Parkinsonism, impaired cognitive status (assessed by the mini–mental state examination (MMSE) [18]), previous neurosurgical treatment for PD, significant laboratory, medical, or psychiatric abnormalities, or any condition that might affect plasma taurine level. Age -and gender-matched controls were also recruited, devoid of neurological disease, poor nutritional stat us, dementia or a family history of PD. The research project was approved by the ethics committee of the first affiliated hospital of Nanjing medical university and all the participants were given a full explanation and consented to the study in writing. 2.2 Calculation of the cumulative levodopa amount In order to assess the underlying toxicity of levodopa , an approximation of the cumulative levodopa amount was calculated based on the following equation (modified according to that ofNagatsuet al. [19]): cumulative levodopa amount [g] =daily amount of levodopa[mg] * duration of levodopa intake [month] *30 [d/month]*0.001[g/mg]. 2.3 Measurement of taurine levels from plasma Plasma taurine levels were measured as previously described [13]. 2.4 Statistical analysis All statistical analyses were performed in SPSSV.20.0 (SPSS, Chicago, IL, USA). The normality of the distribution of all continuous variables was examined by Shapiro–Wilk statistic. Homogeneity of variance was assessed by Levene’s test. Group comparisons were made using chi-square test for categorical variables, and one-way ANOVA as well as the Kruskal-Wallis test which was followed by the Mann-Whitney U test with Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons (controls vs untreated patients, controls vstreated patients, untreated patients vs treated patients), as appropriate, for continuous variables. The correlation significance was evaluated by Spearman rank correlation coefficient.The statistical significance was set at P 3. Results 3.1. Demographic data, clinical variables and treatment status of PD Patients and Controls The demographic and clinical data of all subjects are summarized in Table 1. Gender and age did not differ among three groups, while the duration was longer (2.90 ±1.50vs. 1.45 ±1.14y, pHoehn and Yahr stage was higher (1.97 ±0.71vs. 1.67 ±0.72, pdetailed information on the treatment status see Table 2). 3.2. Plasma taurine level in PD patients and controls Notably, both treated PD (41.16 ±22.72 µmol/L) and untreated PD (57.38 ±31.05 µmol/L) were found to have significantly decreased plasma taurine levels compared to healthy controls (133.83 ±45.91 µmol/L, P for both comparisons for the two PD groups were considered as a whole, the mean taurine level was also significantly lower than that in the control group (P 3.3. Association between plasma taurine level and clinical variables and treatment status. Plasma taurine levels showed, however, no statistically significant association with age, duration, as well as Hoehn and Yahr stage in treated PD, untreated PD or all patients (Data not show). Interestingly, significant correlation was found between taurine level and cumulative levodopa dosage (shown in Fig.2, rs =-0.351, P Discussion According to our knowledge, this is the first study to explore chronic use of levodopa on the change of plasma taurine level. The major results of this study are summarized as follows: 1) Treated and untreated PD were found to have significantly decreased plasma taurine levels compared to healthy controls. 2) Plasma taurine level was lower in treated PD than the untreated, and inversely correlated with cumulative dosage of levodopa. Taurine, the most abundant amino acid in mammals, is widely distributed in central nervous system (CNS) [20] and its biosynthesis mainly takes place in the liver [21]. In the CNS, the concentration of taurine is dependent on food and a complex transport system at the blood brain barrier [20]. Hence, plasma taurine may partially reflect the pathological change in CNS of PD patients. Firstly, decreased plasma taurine level of patients with PD observed in this study is in line with our previous work [13]. Similarly, there have been some studies reporting CSF (cerebrospinal fluid) taurine level was significantly decreased in PD when compared to healthy controls [19, 22]. Previous studies provide evidence that taurine has a remarkable anti-oxidative function. Furthermore, in a study of PC12 cells, taurine exhibited a protective role against oxidative stress induced by peroxide (H2O2) through the alleviation of endoplasmic reticulum stress [12]. Also, Castro-Caldas et al. [10] reported that pretreatment of TUDCA (an analogue of taurine) abrogated the level of ROS in MPTP-mice, thus further highlighting the anti-oxidative role in vivo and suggesting that TUDCA may modulate the intracellular oxidative environment via interfering with the cellular redox threshold. Moreover, it has been observed that significant increases in glutathione content and superoxide dismutase ( SOD) activity were founded in the livers of the taurine-supplemented 6-OHDA–induced PD rats, which indicated that taurine may increase the defenses against oxidative insult [11]. Collectively, we assume that the decrease of plasma taurine level may result from chronic assumption of oxidants. Therefore, taurine may play an important neuroprotective role in the pathophysiology of PD via its potent anti-oxidative activity. By contrast, both normal [23] and increased [24-26] CSF taurine levels were found in several previous studies. Moreover, no significant decreased plasma taurine was observed in Molina et al.s study [22]. However, studies conductedby Lakke et al. [25, 26], Tohgi et al. [23] and Araki et al. [24] all had some limitations. For example, the controls were not well matched regarding gender and age. Additionally, different sample sizes and measurements may also partially explain the discrepancy of the results. Compared with those previous studies, we recruited relatively more patients in this study. Also, statistical analysis was well performed and measurement used in our study is more stable and sensitive. Nevertheless, we fail to observe correlation between plasma taurine level and age, duration and Hoehn and Yahr in treated PD, untreated PD or all PD. This may result from that only patients with relatively short duration (within 5 years) and low Hoehn and Yahr (within stage 3) were enrolled in our study, and the plasma taurine was probably not sensitive enough to examine the underlying correlation in early to medium stage PD patients. Therefore, further research including more stages of patients would bring more invaluable information on this point. Secondly, treated PD patients exhibited lower plasma taurine level than the untreated. Although the duration was longer and the Hoehn and Yahr stage was higher in treated PD than untreated PD, neither of the two clinical variables was correlated with plasma taurine level in each group. More importantly, plasma taurine level significantly negatively correlated with cumulative dosage of levodopa. These data suggest that chronic treatment of levodopa may affect plasma taurine concentration. Previous studies have shown that levodopa has the capacity to form ROS by autoxidation from catechols to quinines [4]. Interestingly, Biasetti et al. [27] found that taurine attenuated iron-catalyzed quinine formation from levodopa. Also, some studies suggest that taurine may bind these toxic quinones [27, 28]. Furthermore, there have been studies [29] showing that chronic systemic administration of levodopa to rodents depleted taurine pools, suggesting that taurine might play an important role in scavenging oxidants derived from levodopa metabolism in vivo. Therefore, we suppose that chronic consumption of taurine due to oxidants induced by levodopa may partially explain lower plasma taurine level in levodopa-treated PD than the untreated. However, there were different results observed in some other studies. Molina et al. [22] reported that no significant difference of CSF taurine level was found between levodopa-treated PD (n=21) and non-levedopa-treated PD (including untreated PD, n=8). The relatively small sample size may limit its interpretation. Moreover, Diederich et al. [30] found no significant decrease of plasma taurine after acute administration of levodopa. However, the acute levodopa administration may not fully refect the toxicity of cumulative levodopa intake. Nevertheless, our study has some limitations. Firstly, the population in this study is relatively small and the results must be interpreted cautiously. Secondly, as this is only a retrospective study, future longitudinal study combining with biomarkers of oxidative stress will provide more important information on the role of levodopa in affecting the plasma taurine level as a neurotixic agent and of taurine as a anti-oxidative agent. In conclusion, our results showed that decreased plasma taurine level was found in patients with PD in comparison to healthy controls. Moreover, plasma taurine level was found lowed in treated PD than the untreated, and inversely correlated with cumulative levodopa dosage. Combining with previous studies, these data suggest taurine may play an important protective role in pathophysiology of PD and chronic administration of levodopa may have potential neurotoxicity by depleting taurine. Also, our pilot study could, at least, provide new insights into therapeutic strategies.

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Immanuel Kant :: essays research papers

Immanuel Kant was born in the East Prussian city of Kà ¶nigsberg, studied at its university, and worked there as a tutor and professor for more than forty years, never travelling more than fifty miles from home. Although his outward life was one of legendary calm and regularity, Kant's intellectual work easily justified his own claim to have effected a Copernican revolution in philosophy. Beginning with his Inaugural Dissertation (1770) on the difference between right- and left-handed spatial orientations, Kant patiently worked out the most comprehensive and influential philosophical programme of the modern era. His central thesis—that the possibility of human knowledge presupposes the active participation of the human mind—is deceptively simple, but the details of its application are notoriously complex. The monumental Kritik der reinen Vernunft (Critique of Pure Reason) (1781, 1787) fully spells out the conditions for mathematical, scientific, and metaphysical knowledge in its "Transcendental Aesthetic," "Transcendental Analytic," and "Transcendental Dialectic," but Kant found it helpful to offer a less technical exposition of the same themes in the Prolegomena zu einer jeden kà ¼nftigen Metaphysik die als Wissenschaft wird auftreten kà ¶nnen (Prolegomena to any Future Metaphysic) (1783). Carefully distinguishing judgments as analytic or synthetic and as a priori or a posteriori, Kant held that the most interesting and useful varieties of human knowledge rely upon synthetic a priori judgments, which are, in turn, possible only when the mind determines the conditions of its own experience. Thus, it is we who impose the forms of space and time upon all possible sensation in mathematics, and it is we who render all experience coherent as scientific knowl edge governed by traditional notions of substance and causality by applying the pure concepts of the understanding to all possible experience. But regulative principles of this sort hold only for the world as we know it, and since metaphysical propositions seek a truth beyond all experience, they cannot be established within the bounds of reason. Significant applications of these principles are expressed in Metaphysische Anfangsgrà ¼nde der Naturwissenschaft (Metaphysical Foundations of the Science of Nature) (1786) and Beantwortung der Frage: Ist es eine Erfahrung, daß wir denken? (On Comprehension and Transcendental Consciousness) (1788-1791). Kant's moral philosophy is developed in the Grundlegung zur Metaphysik der Sitten (Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals) (1785). From his analysis of the operation of the human will, Kant derived the necessity of a perfectly universalizable moral law, expressed in a categorical imperative that must be regarded as binding upon every agent.