Time Management Tips for Graduate Students

Time Management Tips for Graduate Students All academics, graduate students, and faculty alike struggle with the challenge of managing their time. New graduate students are often amazed at how much there is to do each day: classes, research, study groups, meetings with professors, reading, writing, and attempts at a social life. Many students believe that it will get better after they graduate, but, unfortunately, most people report being even busier as new professors, researchers, and professionals. With so much to do and so little time, it is easy to feel overwhelmed. But dont let stress and deadlines overtake your life. How to Avoid Burnout My best advice for avoiding burnout and getting bogged down is to keep track of your time: Record your days and maintain daily progress towards your goals. The simple term for this is time management. Many people dislike this term, but, call it what you will, managing yourself is essential to your success in grad school. Use a Calendar System By now, you probably use a calendar to keep track of weekly appointments and meetings. Grad school requires taking a long-term perspective on time. Use a yearly, monthly, and weekly calendar. Year Scale. Its difficult to keep track of today and remember what needs to be done in six months. Long term deadlines for financial aid, conference submission, and grant proposals creep up quickly! Dont find yourself surprised to realize that your comprehensive exams are in a few weeks. Plan at least two years ahead with a yearly calendar, divided into months. Add all long-term deadlines on this calendar.Month Scale. Your monthly calendar should include all paper deadlines, test dates, and appointments so that you can plan ahead. Add self-imposed deadlines for completing long-term projects like papers.Week Scale. Most academic planners use a weekly scale of measurement. Your weekly calendar includes your day-to-day appointments and deadlines. Have a study group on Thursday afternoon? Record it here. Carry your weekly calendar everywhere. Use a To-Do List Your to-do list will keep you moving towards your goals on a daily basis. Take 10 minutes every night and make a to-do list for the next day. Look at your calendar for the next couple of weeks to remember tasks that need to be planned in advance: searching for literature for that term paper,  buying and sending birthday cards, and preparing submissions to conferences and grants. Your to-do list is your friend; never leave home without it. Prioritize your to-do list. Rank each item by importance and attack your list accordingly so that you dont waste time on non-essential tasks.Schedule time to work on classes and research each day, even if it is just a few 20-minute blocks. Think you cant get much done in 20 minutes? Youd be surprised. Whats more important is that the material will stay fresh in your mind, enabling you to reflect on it at unexpected times (like on your ride to school or walk to the library).Be flexible. Allow time for interruptions and distractions. Aim to plan just 50 percent or less of your time so that youll have the flexibility to handle unexpected interruptions. When youre distracted by a new task or something that you need to remember, write it down and get back to work. Dont let a flight of ideas keep you from completing the task at hand. When youre interrupted by others or seemingly urgent tasks, ask yourself, What is the most important thing I can do right now? Whats most urgent? Use your ans wer to plan your time and get back on track. Time management doesnt have to be a dirty word. Use these simple techniques to get things done your way.

The 5 Great Schools of Ancient Greek Philosophy

The 5 Great Schools of Ancient Greek Philosophy Ancient Greek philosophy extends from as far as the seventh century B.C. up until the beginning of the Roman Empire, in the  first century A.D. During this period five great philosophical traditions originated: the Platonist, the Aristotelian, the Stoic, the Epicurean, and the Skeptic. Ancient Greek philosophy distinguishes itself from other early forms of philosophical and theological theorizing for its emphasis on reason as opposed to the senses or the emotions. For example, among the most famous arguments from pure reason we find those against the possibility of motion presented by Zeno. Early Figures in Greek Philosophy Socrates, who lived at the end of the fifth century B.C., was  Plato’s teacher and a key figure in the rise of Athenian philosophy. Before the time of Socrates and Plato, several figures established themselves as philosophers in small islands and cities across the Mediterranean and Asia Minor. Parmenides, Zeno, Pythagoras, Heraclitus, and Thales all belong to this group. Few of their written works have been preserved to the present day; it was not until Platos time that ancient Greeks began transmitting philosophical teachings in text. Favorite themes include the principle of reality (e.g., the one or the logos); the good; the life worth being lived; the distinction between appearance and reality; the distinction between philosophical knowledge and layman’s opinion. Platonism Plato (427-347 B.C.) is the first of the central figures of ancient philosophy and he is the earliest author whose work we can read in considerable quantities. He has written about nearly all major philosophical issues and is probably most famous for his theory of universals and for his political teachings. In Athens, he established a school – the Academy – at the beginning of the fourth century B.C., which remained open until 83 A.D. The philosophers who chaired the Academy after Plato contributed to the popularity of his name, although they did not always contribute to the development of his ideas. For example, under the direction of Arcesilaus of Pitane, began 272 B.C., the Academy became famous as the center for academic skepticism, the most radical form of skepticism to date. Also for these reasons, the relationship between Plato and the long list of authors who recognized themselves as Platonists throughout the history of philosophy is complex and subtle. Aristotelianism Aristotle (384-322B.C.) was a student of Plato and one of the most influential philosophers to date. He gave an essential contribution to the development of logic (especially the theory of syllogism), rhetoric, biology, and – among others – formulated the theories of substance and virtue ethics. In 335 B.C. he founded a school in Athens, the Lyceum, which contributed to disseminate his teachings. Aristotle seems to have written some texts for a broader public, but none of them survived. His works we are reading today were first edited and collected around 100 B.C. They have exercised tremendous influence not only upon the Western tradition but also upon the Indian (e.g. the Nyaya school) and the Arabic (e.g. Averroes) traditions. Stoicism Stoicism originated in Athens with Zeno of Citium, around 300B.C. Stoic philosophy is centered on a metaphysical principle that had been already developed, among others, by Heraclitus: that reality is governed by logos and that what happens is necessary. For Stoicism, the goal of human philosophizing is the achievement of a state of absolute tranquility. This is obtained through the progressive education to independence from one’s needs. The stoic philosopher will not fear any bodily or social condition, having trained not to depend on bodily need or any specific passion, commodity, or friendship. This is not to say that the stoic philosopher will not seek pleasure, success, or long-standing relationships: simply that she will not live for them. The influence of Stoicism on the development of Western philosophy is hard to overestimate; among its most devoted sympathizers were  the Emperor Marcus Aurelius, the economist Hobbes, and the philosopher  Descartes. Epicureanism Among philosophers’ names, â€Å"Epicurus† is probably one of those that is most frequently cited in non-philosophical discourses. Epicurus taught that the life worth being lived is spent seeking pleasure; the question is: which forms of pleasure? Throughout history, Epicureanism has often been misunderstood as a doctrine preaching the indulgence into the most vicious bodily pleasures. On the contrary, Epicurus himself was known for his temperate eating habits, and for his moderation. His exhortations were directed towards the cultivation of friendship as well as any activity which most elevates our spirits, such as music, literature, and art. Epicureanism was also characterized by metaphysical principles; among them, the theses that our world is one out of many possible worlds and that what happens does so by chance. The latter doctrine is developed also in Lucretius’s De Rerum Natura. Skepticism Pyrrho of Elis (c. 360-c. 270 B.C.) is the earliest figure in ancient Greek skepticism. on record. He seems to have written no text and to have held common opinion in no consideration, hence attributing no relevance to the most basic and instinctive habits. Probably influenced also by the Buddhist tradition of his time, Pyrrho viewed the suspension of judgment as a means to achieve that freedom of disturbance that alone can lead to happiness. His goal was to keep each human’s life in a state of perpetual inquiry. Indeed, the mark of skepticism is the suspension of judgment. In its most extreme form, known as academic skepticism and first formulated by Arcesilaus of Pitane, there is nothing that should not be doubted, including the very fact that everything can be doubted. The teachings of ancient skeptics exercised a deep influence on a number of major Western philosophers, including Aenesidemus (1st century B.C.), Sextus Empiricus (2nd century A.D.), Michel de Montaigne (1533 -1592), Renà ¨ Descartes, David Hume, George E. Moore, Ludwig Wittgenstein. A contemporary revival of skeptical doubting was initiated by Hilary Putnam in 1981 and later developed into the movie The Matrix (1999.)

Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the methods to estimate Research Paper

Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the methods to estimate uncollectible receivables - Research Paper Example However, the disadvantage of such method is that it does not consider customers and their past trend for paying off their debts. It may be possible that in previous years, 20% of the receivable would have been uncollectible because customers were not trustworthy. However, this assumption may not be correct for the current year customers. In such a case, the percentage should also be revised accordingly. Another demerit of this method is that it applies to all of the company’s sales, which may include cash transactions also. It must be noted that uncollectible amounts are only against receivables (Barry, Ralph and Steven). It requires time to calculate uncollectible receivables by this method as bifurcation between cash and credit sales is difficult especially when the volume of transaction is high (Barry, Ralph and Steven). In this method, the collectibles are first analyzed as per their period. Such receivables may be classified as 15 days past due, 30 days past due, etc. Estimates are then made for debts beyond one year or other such criteria (Belverd and Marian). This aging helps to ascertain the will and financial health of the customer for paying off the debt. Another advantage of such aging method is that it helps to prioritize the efforts of recovery for individual debts based on the due days. More aged items are given more priority for recovery (Belverd and Marian). Disadvantage of such method is that it estimates those receivables to be uncollectible which may be received after certain time. It may be possible that the customer was willing to pay the amount, but he was unable to do that due to any reason such as liquidity crisis. Subsequently, customer may pay that amount which was expensed out as bad debt (Belverd and Marian). In this method, different classes of aging are applied different percentages for estimating the bad debts. For example, by applying 10%, 20% and 50% to 6 months, 9 months and 12 months old

Architect History Assignment 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Architect History Assignment 2 - Essay Example It is about 138 feet in diameter. Sixteen separate panels in the dome depict Jesus Christ, his mother Mary, the apostles and â€Å"saints.† The exteriors of Early Christian buildings were generally plain and unadorned; the interiors, in contrast, were richly decorated with marble floors and wall slabs, frescoes, mosaics, hangings, and sumptuous altar furnishings in gold and silver .Beneath the massive dome of the basilica is the High Altar. Here only the pope or a cardinal whom he designates in his stead can celebrate Mass. Over the altar is a canopy that Bernini fashioned, using bronze plates that Pope Urban VIII took from Rome’s well-preserved Pantheon, a pagan temple. Innovative design for the enormous ribbed dome of Saint Peter’s influenced dome design and construction for the next 300 years. The dome, which was completed after the death of Michelangelo, preserves the essential elements of his design but is taller and more elongated than he planned. The majestic dome of Saint Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City dominates the Roman skyline. St. Peter’s Basilica also vary according to the period in which they were built, that is, by architectural style; styles of the past have often been revived and reinterpreted. As the Roman Empire stumbled to its fall, a new force appeared. Through its early centuries, Christianity had grown slowly but steadily, despite of official persecutions and rivalry. The earliest Christian meeting places were converted houses called titulae. After Christianity was legitimized, basilicas and centralized churches sprang up quickly in the next 50 years throughout the Roman Empire. The major ones were built over the most sacred shrines; the places of the crucifixion and entombment of Christ in Jerusalem and the grave of St. Peter in Rome. At Christs tomb a circular, domed structure was built and nearby was a basilica; the two are now combined in one

To Kill A Mockingbird Essay Example for Free

To Kill A Mockingbird Essay The character that’s made an outsider is Tom Robinson. Tom Robinson is an outsider because of his skin colour, and was accused of raping Mayella Ewell. But him being black was the main reason as to why he was the outsider. Scout and her family were also outsiders. They were made outsiders by the neighbourhood because her father Atticus was Tom Robinson’s Lawyer. What prior experiences have helped to make this person an outsider? His skin colour for one was something he had no control over and this made him an outsider in America where racism is the norm. Another experience that helped make him an outsider was that he always helped Ewell’s kid, Mayella out all the time, for free because he â€Å"felt sorry for her† as he said when being trialled upon. His good deeds however wasn’t repaid as she falsely accused him of raping her because she was ashamed of having ever kissed a black man. The Finch Family- just the mere fact that Atticus was representing Mr.  Robinson in court made them outsiders. It was enough to have people calling them names, threatening them and having them fear their father’s life at one point when Atticus sat guard (not stood guard cos he had a chair a desk and a book out) in front of Tom’s cell when he was approached by a group of many telling him to move aside. What kinds of attitudes, opinions or ideas does this person hold? Tom Robinson was a very nice man with a wife and kids which I’m pretty sure he loved and adored. He was a very kind man as well as he always helped Mayella Ewell out whenever she needed help and he would always do the work for free as well because he felt sorry her. He knew that her siblings hardly ever helped her out, and that she didn’t have a dime to spare on him and also had hunch that her father wasn’t the nicest person to her as well, and that was enough for her to gain his pity and kindness. Tom however feared the â€Å"whites†, not all whites or anyone in particular but the fact that whites always had the upper hand, the deciding verdict and so he ran. He ran away from the â€Å"crime scene† (not much really, just the presence of Mr. Ewell and his Mayella, after she kissed him), because he was scared of the very predicament he found himself in, explaining himself to the jury in a court defending his innocence. He knew that he had no chance against the whites and that’s why he ran. Both times. The Finch Family was a relatively anti racist family. Atticus was very much against segragation and was sure pleased to defend Mr. Robinson in court whereas his sister Alexandra Hancock is pretty much the opposite and always wants â€Å"what is best for the family† (13. 22) Scout compares her to Mount Everest: throughout my early life, she was cold and there (9. 36). But further on in the novel we see a development in her character as she shows more emotion at the shooting of Mr. Robinson. And she even hands Scout her overalls to where even though throughout the novel up until then she always preferred the picture of Scout in a dress. Scout and Jem didn’t separate themselves from the black and instead seemed more part of the black community than they were white. Always with Calpurnia, going to church with her and even sitting in the coloured side of court during the trial. Scout was right at home when with them and didn’t feel any different about them because of their skin colour, even sleeping on Reverend Sykes lap during the first part of the trial. The family is downright appalled by the justice system and all the favouritism of the white and the segregation of coloured people. What actions, behaviours or decisions make this person an outsider? Tom Robinson- nothing but his skin colour and his kindness made him an outsider. Atticus- Being Mr. Robinson’s lawyer, representing him in court, defending him in a rape charge was what made Atticus (and his family) outsiders. Even though he was told to defend Mr. Robinson by the (fair) Judge John Taylor, Atticus did not mind one bit. He knew that this would bring his family some trouble but he wanted to do it anyway. What challenges does the outsider face? Tom Robinson- The trial. He was sent to jail for a crime he did not commit and ended up being shot after an attempt to break out prison. Scout and Jem- yelled remarks and called names from people at school and even old ladies sitting on porches and being the subject of everyone’s whispers. Another challenge they faced was Mr. Robert Ewell’s attack after the play at school. They would have been as good as dead if it weren’t for the great luck they had and of course if it wasn’t for Boo Radley. Atticus- A â€Å"gang† coming close to hurting him when he stayed up outside the cell one night. The trial, was also a challenge, He knew his client was innocent and would be a difficult task to make the jury ponder over his innocence for 5 minutes at the most. His children’s lives were threatened because of a grudge gained from the trial. What consequences are there for the outsider in the text? Mr. Robinson and the Finch family, Being outsiders was the consequence of their actions. It was because of what they did ( and in Mr. Robinson’s case) who they were, that made them outsiders. How do other characters react to the outsider? Mr. Robinson is only made an outsider by the whites (generalisation, not all whites were against him, like Mr. Finch, Judge John Taylor, Heck Tate and Dolphus Raymond to name a few) but definitely had the backing of his own people. The Finch’s People were talking about them badly and they were the centre of gossip and even threats. They were despised by many, but like Mr. Robinson he was backed by the Coloured community and those who weren’t too keen on the whole â€Å"nigga’s always at fault† disease that almost everyone in Maycomb had caught What themes or messages does the text convey about society or the wider world? Racism, Segregation and ill-treatment of coloured is major theme explored in the text by Harper Lee. This problem in the little town of Maycomb is just a tiny reflection in the corner of the mirror, of America at the time. And even the world, with references to Nazi Russia in the novel also bringing to light segregation in other parts of the world. She comes right out to say that the world is a racist world, with this novel and she writes to show others what is happening and that it is actually not right. And she does so in a great way by highlighting one great injustice rather than the many and bringing to a realization how irrational and unfair the entire American Justice system was. But we also see a development in the white characters which a representative of the entire America in a sense (and the world) as thoughts and ideas change and people’s views about coloured people change, not abruptly but slow of course. The black characters in To Kill A Mockingbird contribute to the development of the white characters rather than appearing as individuals in their own right. Racism is learnt, and with this we can see that Racism can definitely be unlearnt. How are the author’s experiences of being an outsider or attitudes towards outsiders reflected in the text? Ms Lee drew on her own childhood experience and this reflected in the text because Like Scout, Lees father was an attorney who defended black men accused of crimes; like Scout, Lee had a brother four years older. And many critics noticed similarities between Dill and Lee’s on childhood friend, Truman Capote. But the novel wasn’t intended to be an autobiography. The novel looked like it was influenced by the Scottsborro Trials of the 1930’s which was pre-Civil Rights Movement era, where 2 white women accused 9 coloured men of rape and we can see many similarities to Mr. Robinson’s case. Her life and the event’s happening all around her is reflected in the plotline of the text and also the main theme running through the text of standing up for something even though the cost is high, and I think she does tying it all in and producing a great novel taking a powerful stand against racism.

Why Band Directors Stick with it and Teach :: Band Directors Education Music Essays

Why Band Directors Stick with it and Teach It’s a question we all ask ourselves from time to time: "Why am I doing this? Is it really worth it?" For band directors, the question comes up a little more FREQUENTLY. The long rehearsals, hours of preparation and planning. Budget, buses and banged up tubas. Counseling and consoling. Lesson planning to tour planning." Why are you doing this?" Someone asked me once, "It’s only band". It’s only band? Studies show that those high school students least likely to be involved with drugs are band students. Six separate national independent studies showed students with four years of instrumental music scored 40-50% higher on their Math and English Sat scores that non –music students who had equal scores four years earlier. "Why" Music is the only subject that encompasses all seven learning intelligences. Music is one of only two subjects that "connects" the two independent sides of the brain –logical and creative. Similar studies showed that band students attend more regularly. They participate in their classrooms, look forward to and actually like school. They become more focused, more disciplined. An educated person is less likely to end up in jail, impaired by addictions, or homeless. Band teaches life skills. Where independent thinking is the model in most academic classrooms, teamwork is essential in band. Band students learn to work with and for each other. The three R’s in band include Respect, Responsibility, & Reliability. Our students learn to appreciate one another for their individual talents and their contributions to the organization as a whole. They learn positive social skills –the most important factor in our program –where we teach such qualities as confidence, pride, and self esteem; all values that will serve these young people well throughout the course of their life. Citizenship, team motivational skills/leadership skills, time management, organization skills, dependability, and honesty are instilled into band members. Band teaches students to face challenges and strive to reach higher and higher goals. Band is family. When your student walks onto campus, he or she is instantly adopted into the strongest society on campus. They will be spending their school days among the top achievers on campus, with fellow students who look out for one another and steer each other away from trouble instead of towards it. Teachers, staff, parents, and volunteers watch over all the kids as if they were their own.

You Never Know When

â€Å"Come now,† her text read. That was all she needed to say. Within seconds, I was in my mom's car. As I drove, I concentrated on keeping my eyes dry, trying not to think about what I was about to do. My muscles were tense, my teeth were clenched, and the closer I got to her house, the faster the blood pumped through my body. Confusion and terror took over my thoughts, making my attention to the road unreliable. I had never had to use so much willpower to focus on my driving. The world seemed to be standing still at this very moment.That feeling I have never felt before, of total sadness. I felt faint and dazed as if I were falling or dreaming. I expected this was going to happen, but I could never be prepared for it. I didn't know what to say, I was totally speechless. I was burning up, I felt dizzy but not much tears were coming down my face. I had to hurry and get there. I wanted to escape or runaway anything to make this feeling fade. But I knew it was time once I got t he text. I Just didn't want to believe it was happening after everything.Part of me wanted to scream my heart out and the other part wanted to hit something with the anger that was raging inside of me. I was angry because I couldn't help her even though I esperately wished I could. I felt defenseless because I knew there was nothing I could do. Once her house finally appeared, I ripped the keys from the ignition. As I ran to her front door, I wondered if I should be sprinting toward this daunting event, but my trembling hands were already turning the doorknob. â€Å"She's dying,† she told me a couple of weeks before.I don't remember hearing anything after that. Maybe it was because her sobs made her words inaudible, or maybe I had stopped listening, but either way, I had not believed her. Being best friends with a straightforward girl whose mother was battling sickle-cell gave me many speechless oments. This was one of them. I held the phone to my ear as I listened to her cry painfully. Finally, I managed to whisper, â€Å"No †¦ † I wanted to say, â€Å"That's not true,† or â€Å"It'll all get better soon,† but how did I know that?Each time I promised her that she would get better; my words were contradicted by her doctors. The hospital visits were ending with more depressing news, but I still had not believed her. I wasn't willing to accept that things like this happened to people I knew. Now here I was, standing in her laundry room. She hugged me and whispered, â€Å"Be strong. † Then she pointed to her mother's bedroom. Entering the room, my emotions escaped from me as if I had taken too big of a breath and let it loose. Insuppressible sobs shook my body as I reached for her hand.But this wasn't the woman I knew – the lady who taught me how to speak a second language, the silly lady who sang along to â€Å"Keep It To Myself† while bringing us home from school which was three minutes away, or even the wom an who became my second mother during a trip to New Orleans Just six months earlier. I was holding the hand of sickle-cell. Pimples peppered her darkened face, and her skin was loose from the weight she had lost. I couldn't believe t had actually happened. The past few months had been like an incredible Journey and this was now the end.The end being she was no longer here, never to be seen again. How do you say good-bye to someone who knows she's dying? I didn't want my last moments with her to be heavy-hearted. Fighting my irregular breathing, I began to list all the nappy times we nad snared. I thanked ner tor the vacations I went on, and for the compassionate, strong, beautiful daughter she had raised. When I finished, I said, â€Å"l will miss you. I love you. † I was no longer shaking as I gave her hand a gentle squeeze. That day shaped the way I live. I realized that no one is invincible.It was a terrifying awakening, and initially I lived in a world of â€Å"what ifsà ¢â‚¬  – making fear a routine feeling. In time, I came to a different conclusion: I need to appreciate life; I cannot allow myself to take it for granted, because I don't know when my life and the lives around me will come to an end. My continued decision to be chemical-free comes from my realization that I am lucky to have a body that sustains me. I have learned to forgive easily. We've all heard the phrase, â€Å"Our time is precious; we shouldn't waste it,† but it wasn't until I held death's hand that I learned to live that way.

Introduction to Linguistics Essay

What is meant by the field of linguistics? This introductory chapter concerns some dimensions of linguistics, which give us a general idea of what linguistics is, including the history of linguistic, grammar, and other disciplines of linguistics study. What does grammar consist of and what are the relationship between one and another? How many languages do human beings have the capacity to acquire? What other studies are made in recent centuries? Each of these aspects are clearly described, and other chapters will go into further details. While in this chapter we will provide some less detailed information on the various aspects of linguistics mentioned so far. 1. 1 Defining Linguistics There is nothing that can be said by mathematical symbols and relations which cannot also be said by words. The converse, however, is false. Much that can be and is said by words cannot successfully be put into equations, because it is nonsense. C. Truesdell Linguistics is a study to describe and explain the human faculty of language. There is no doubt that linguistics has changed through human development. 1. 1. 1 History of linguistics. The history of linguistics can be divided into three periods: antiquity, middle ages and modern linguistics. 1. 1. 1. 1 Antiquity Dating back to earlier period of linguistics, linguistics is often associated with a need to disambiguate discourse, especially for ritual texts or in arguments. Ancient Indians made a big contribution to linguistics development. Similarly, ancient Chinese played a key role in improving linguistics development. Around the same time as the Indian developed, ancient Greek philosophers were also debating the nature and origins of language. During this period, syntax and the use of particles developed fast. In addition, scholars proposed that word meanings are derived from sentential usage. 1. 1. 1. 2 Middle Ages In Middle East, in terms of expanding Islam in 8th century, a large number of people learn Arabic. Because of this, the earliest grammar came to being gradually. At the same time, Sibawayh, a famous scholar, wrote a book to distinguish phonetics from phonology. In the 13th century, Europeans introduced the notion of universal grammar. 1. 1. 1. 3 Modern Linguistics Modern linguistics’ beginning can date back to the late 18th century. With time passing by, the study of linguistics contains increasing contents. Meanwhile, it is used in other fields, computer, e. g. , has come to be called computational linguistics. The study of applications (as the recovery of speech ability) is generally known as applied linguistics. But in a narrower sense, applied linguistics refers to the application of linguistic principles and theories of language teaching and learning, especially the teaching of foreign and second language. Other related branches include anthropological linguistics, neurological linguistics, mathematical linguistics, and computational linguistics. However, linguistics is only a part of a much larger academic discipline, semiotics. It is the scientific study of language. It studies not just one single language of any one society, just like Chinese or French, but the language of all human beings. A linguist, though, does not have to know and use a large number of languages, but to investigate how each language is constructed. In short, linguistics studies the general principles whereupon all human languages are constructed and operated as systems of communication in their societies or communities. 1. 1. 2 An Interesting Comparison Linguistics is a broad field to study, therefore, a linguist sometimes is only able to deal with one aspect of language at a time, and thus various branches arise: phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, applied linguistics, pragmatics, psycholinguistics, lexicology, lexicography, etymology and so on. Suppose that the study of linguistics can be considered to be a computer, so linguistics is equal to the CPU, which supports all the other parts. Moreover, sound card would stand for phonetics and phonology, and then morphology and semantics are like the memory of the computer. What’s more, syntax plays as an important role to translate single words to a whole sentence which is full of meaning, just like a graphics card, which uses picture to make sense of the idea of memory stick. Finally, everything is ready, it’ s time to use computer and the same goes for language acquisition. Very interestingly, the properties of computer are amazingly similar to human language. from www. iflytek. com/english/Research-Introduction%20to%20TTS. htm Above all, linguistics is concerned with the study of verbal language– particularly speech and written language. What’s more, language is a system and there is a set of options of which one must be chosen depending on the purpose and context. (Marie E. & John P. , 1991, p. 64). 1. 2 The broad study of language Language is a highly complex system of communication, so it sometimes will be called a ‘system of systems’. It is used to construct, exchange, express, and record information and ideas. It performs these functions effectively because it is based upon systems that are understood by those using the language. In this chapter, four topics will be concerned. They are phonology, morphology, syntax, and semantics. In this section, some overall definitions and interactions among the four parts will be talked about. 1. 2. 1 Phonology In order to assist learners at the early stages of literacy, it is very important to understand the relationship between sounds and letters. The sounds of speech are studied in phonetics and phonology. (Marie E. & John P, 1991) 1. 2. 1. 1 Definitions of phonology and phonetics Phonology is the study of sound systems- the invention of distinctive speech sounds that occurs in a language and the patterns wherein they fall. In other words, we study the abstract side of the sounds of language, a related but different subject that we call phonology (Peter, 2000). In short, it is about patterns and roots. On the other hand, it is more strict linguistics. Phonetics is the science which studies the characteristics of human sound-making, especially sounds used in speech, and provides methods for their description, classification and transcription. In common, speech sound is used everywhere, and it can be divided into three parts: articulatory phonetics, auditory phonetics, and acoustic phonetics. 1. 2. 1. 2 The difference between phonology and phonetics It seems that phonology and phonetics are similar. That is why both of them make learners confused. In fact, they have great difference. Phonology pays attention to how speech sounds of a language pattern are put together according to regular rules. On the contrary, phonetics focuses mainly on description of how speech sounds are made. For instance, if someone says â€Å"we should get our two lips close together and then push them open with a strong air†, that means he or she is relevant to phonetics field. Another example is â€Å"no words should begin with the ‘ng’/N/ sound, the sound only occurs at the end of words†, and this concerns phonology area. Plenty of terms are used to describe different patterns of letters and sounds. Some of the common used terms are blend, digraph, schwa, syllable and phonics, which are widely and frequently applied. 1. 2. 2 Morphology Morphology has been regarded as a necessarily â€Å"synchronic discipline†. That means the rules focusing on the study of word structure instead of the development of words (Katamba, 1993, p. 3). It is the basic element used in a language, and the concept of ‘morphemes’ is one of the main aspects in the study of ‘morphology’ (Yule, 2006, p. 66). Basically, it is the branch of linguistics that studies the internal structure of words. In morphology, morphemes are the minimal units that have semantic meaning. It is â€Å"the linguistic term for the most elemental units of grammatical form† (Fromkin, Rodman, & Hyams, 2006, p. 77). 1. 2. 2. 1 The classification of morphemes Morphemes are composed of free and bound morphemes. Free morphemes are the morphemes that can â€Å"stand by themselves as single words†, while bound morphemes are those that â€Å"can not normally stand alone†, but that can be attached to affixes (Yule, 2000, p. 75). Free morphemes contain lexical and functional morphemes. The first category, free morphemes, is the set of ordinary nouns, adjectives, adverbs and verbs which carry the content of the conveyed messages (Yule, 2000, p. 76), and most English words refer to this category. The functional morphemes consist largely of the functional words, including conjunctions, prepositions, articles and pronouns (Yule, 2000). Bound morphemes can also be divided into two categories. They are derivational and inflectional morphemes. Derivational morphemes are those which â€Å"make new words in the language and make words of a different grammatical category from the stem† (Yule, 2000, p. 76), which means that it can change the meaning or the word class, whereas the inflectional morphemes are used to â€Å"indicate aspects of the grammatical function of a word† (Yule, 2000, p. 77). 1. 2. 2. 2 The interaction with other aspects Morphology has interactions with phonology. The selection of the form that manifests given morpheme may be affected by the sounds that realize neighboring morphemes (Katamba, 1993). For example, prefixes and suffixes will normally affect the stress. Meanwhile, there is interaction between morphology and syntax. The form of words may be influenced by the â€Å"syntactic construction in which the word is used† (Katamba, 1993, p. 13). 1. 2. 3 Syntax So far in our study of language, we have made studies of phonetics, phonology and morphology. We have analyzed the structure of sounds and words. Therefore, we have been concentrated on the level of small units of language. After our analysis of words, we move to the consideration of larger structural units of language: phrases and sentences. â€Å"If we concentrate on the structure and ordering of components within a sentence, we are studying what is technically known as the syntax of a language† (Yule, 2000, p. 100). Syntax can be simply defined as the scientific study of sentence structure. According to Geoffrey (2005), syntax is a term used for the study of the rules governing the way words are combined to form sentences. The origin of this word is from Greek and it means ‘a setting out together’ or arrangement (Yule, 2000). In the sentence The boy hits the door, we can discover that the words are related to each other in this order that it only has one meaning. If we change the order of the words The door hits the boy, the sentence’s meaning has totally changed and it is nonsense. The reason is that the parts of the sentence are structurally related to each other, and this structure is reflected in the word order. In English, the word order is very necessary and important for the meaning of the sentence according to linguistic rules. In some languages, word order plays a less important role. The meaning of the sentence depends more on the form of the words themselves. In such cases, it is possible for sentences with totally different word order to have the same meaning. English used to be one of these languages. The following examples are taken from Old English: Se cyning metech thone biscop——-The king meets the bishop Thone biscop meteth se cyning——-The king meets the bishop Although the words are arranged differently, they still mean the same. However, nowadays, the word order is very crucial for meaning. As a consequence, there is a great need for us to explore syntax. Some important concepts are included in the study of syntax. 1. 2. 3. 1Complex and compound sentence Three sentence types are basic in the syntax. There are simple sentence, compound sentence and complex sentence. A simple sentence includes one word. However, in some situation, the simple sentence contains two words. A compound sentence contains at least two simple sentences. The sentences are linked with a conjunction. A Complex sentence composes of at least one main clause and one subordinate clause. 1. 2. 3. 2 Syntax Analysis The following example is provided for syntax analysis. The football team won the match last year. S NP VP NP Det N Vt Det N Adv Ext(time) The football team won the match last year. The chart above is called tree diagram. The letters above each indicate: S = sentence, NP = noun phrase, VP = verb phrase, N = noun, V = verb, and so on. The syntacticians use this method to analyze the sentences. 1. 2. 3. 3 Basic Syntactic Structure In English, the structure of sentence depends heavily on word order. The four basic structures are listed as follows: S>NP + Vc + NP ( NP>N, NP >Det + N) S>NP + VP ( NP>N, VP>Vc + Adj) S>NP + VP ( NP>N, VP>V) S>NP + VP (NP>N, VP>Vt + NP, NP>Det + N) 1. 2. 3. 4 Basic Syntactic Generative Process There are four basic syntactic generative processes: substitution, expansion, extension, transformation. Take the following sentence as an example to clarify these three concepts. Ken is a policeman. Substitution: Ken is a policeman. > Tom is a policeman. Expansion: Ken is a policeman. > Ken is a bad policeman. Extension: Ken is a policeman. > Ken is a policeman at that time. Transformation: Ken is a policeman. > Is Ken a policeman? 1. 2. 4 Semantics Semantics, a subfield of linguistics, is the study of literal meaning. â€Å"It is the recent addition to the English language. † (Palmer, 1976, p. 1). According to Matthews (2007), during the early years the study of meaning focused on the lexicon alone. The scope of the study has expended since 1960s to include both semantics and pragmatics (analyzed in 1. 3), which come to the main fields of the study of linguistic meaning(Katamba, 2000& Matthews, 1997). Semantic meaning is fixed and abstract. It can be understood by surface. However, it is de-contextualized. In another word, it is easily subverted by different gestures or intonations. Semnatics interacts with other aspects of linguistics. For example, when synonyms are used, they can be understood, so it fits the rule of syntax. However, synonyms are used to describe something similar. In a sentence, a synonym can be substituted by another synonym. However, the meaning of synonyms speaker or writer determines or predicates have different degrees, which indicates the meaning is actually different (Alan, 2004). Thus, it is the interaction between syntax and semantics. As for the interaction with phonology, the term tonic syllable in phonology has three kinds of functions. The first one is the accentual function, which is to indicate the focus of the information. The second one is the attitudinal function that is to indicate the speaker’s attitude. And the last one is grammatical function. If speakers use these functions, the same sentence will turn out to have various meanings. To conclude, in this section, linguistics is analyzed from the aspects of sounds, word structure, grammatical rules and meaning. Each of them is in charge of a certain system. Thus linguistics can help people to communicate, to express, and to be understood. 1. 3 Other disciplines Apart from the core subparts of linguistics, which we have demonstrated before, for further reading, we introduce some other exciting aspects in the field of linguistics. There are a lot more to discover than those areas. 1. 3. 1 Sociolinguistics People may know something about you through the way you speak, for example, where you come from, where you spend most of your life time, your social identity and so on. Two people growing up in the same geographical area, at the same time, may speak differently owing to a number of social factors (Yule, 2000). Consequently, it’s very important to consider the social aspects of language. It’s because speech is a form of social identity and is used, consciously or unconsciously (Yule, 2000). The study of the social aspect of language is known as sociolinguistic. â€Å"Sociolinguistic is concerned with investigation of the relationship between language and society† (Ronald, 2006, p. 13). It consists of cultural norms, expectations, and context on the way language is used. The first linguists who studied the social aspect of language are Indian and Japanese in the 1930s. Another person called Gauchat who came from Switzerland had a analysis of this in 1900s as well. However, these three people didn’t receive much attention in the West. Until the late 19th century, the study of social aspects of language laid its foundation. Sociolinguistics gradually appeared in the 1960s in the West. Linguistics such as William Labov in the US and Basil Bernstein in the UK first brought out this concept and explored it. (Wikipedia, 2007, para. 1) 1. 3. 2 Neurolinguistics Though the neural structures of most animal species are very distant from man, there are still resemblances between human and animal languages (Marler, 1981; Nottebohm, 1970), since neurons work in both. Human brain contains billions of neural cells, and so far, the exact number of those so-called neurons is still to be defined (Fabbro, 1999, p. 21). These teeny tiny neurons have close link with the production of language. There can be innate or learnt vocal utterances. Oral language can be the innate property of the human brain, written language, however, is an invention of humankind. Dogs can bark, cats can miaow, and man can cry even after the removal of the midbrain, whereas parrots cannot imitate human sounds, and we cannot produce human language (Fabbro, 1999, p. 21). Therefore, the neural center of our brain is playing an irreplaceable role in the production of language. How does the main cerebral structure serve the production of human  vocalizations? The study of neurolinguistic rely on the study of neurology and neurophysiology, and in these fields, all parts of the nervous system, each having different functions in generating language, are discovered. Theories are found based on lots of experiments concerning the removals of different sections of the brain. The destruction of different language areas destroys language distinguishingly. 1. 3. 3 Historical linguistics Historical linguistics definitely is not concerned with the history of linguistics, though historical linguistics has played an important role in the development of linguistics. It is the main kind of linguistics practiced in the 19th century (Campbell, 1998, p. 5). Historical linguistics concerns the investigation and description of how languages change or maintain their structure in the course of time. Language change can be easily proved by documents written in the same language but at different periods of history. The differences of wording and structure of sentences can reflect the historical development of language. From series of datable documents, Lord’s Prayer widely recorded the history of mankind, and different versions help us analyze the language of each period (Bynon, 1978, p.7). Meanwhile we can also discover that certain structure rules are still used in current language. There are some constructs and rule that link the grammars of two different but related languages, which descend from a single original language, sharing a common ancestor. More accurately, historical linguistics deals with the kinds of changes, and the techniques and methods we have use to discover history, rather than the origin of words themselves (Campbell, 1998, p. 5). 1. 3. 4 Anthropological linguistics Anthropological linguistic is the study of relations between language and culture. It is related to human biology, cognition and language. It belongs to the field of linguistic anthropology, which is a branch of anthropology that studies human-beings through the language they use(Wikipedia, 2007, para. 1). Some Linguists who explore theanthropological linguistics consider these topics such as chimpanzee communication, pidgins and creoles, structural linguistics,total languages, whorf hypothesis, etc. 1. 3. 5 Pragmatics According to Kate (2000), pragmatics is one of the two main fields in the study of linguistic meaning. Pragmatics deals with natural language, while language is always used in context for an intended purpose. The listeners must try to grasp the meaning implied, enrich the ideas, and finally make out the opinion that what the speakers meant when talking about a particular expression (Kate, 2000). According to Yule (1996), ‘pragmatics studies the context in which the utterance is produced as well as the intention of language user. ’ That means pragmatic meaning depends on context or situation. Without context, meanings can be vague and may be misunderstood by people. Two of the branches are: speech acts that cover ‘requesting’, ‘commanding’, ‘questioning’ and ‘informing’, and politeness that shows the awareness of another person’s face. In short, sociolinguistics is the analysis of interrelationship of language and society. Neurolinguistics is the study of the brain and how it functions in language. Historical linguistics is the consideration of language change and how different languages are related to each other. Anthropological linguistics is the study of language and culture. There are some other disciplines in linguistics. Pragmatics deals with the speakers’ meaning. The five mentioned above are some main disciplines in linguistics. Different disciplines of linguistics enrich the content of linguistic. The study of linguistics tends to be more and more detailed and completed. 1. 4 Language Acquisition This chapter began with a general introduction to language study. It ends with a consideration of the acquisition of language, containing first, second and foreign language, which is affected by the relationship between teacher and learner. Some experienced educators advise that it is only through learning to speak a language that you can fully analyze it (Everett 2001). ‘Acquisition’ is described as occurring in spontaneous language contexts (Krashen, 1982), is subconscious, and leads to conversational fluency. 1. 4. 1 First language acquisition For a child, learning first language is automatic, not after starting school, not in specific circumstance and not by great efforts (Yule, 2006). It requires only basic physical capability of sending and receiving sounds directly or indirectly, and interaction with others using this language. Children are brought up in particular environments, being affected by different surroundings, especially by those people whom they spend most of their time interacting with. Infants start express themselves through some simple utterance, such as some vowel-like sounds. Children gain increasing abilities at different development stages, from producing single-unit utterance to producing speech by communicating through expressions (Yule, 2006), since they are able to understand what others said. This a big step forward, like quitting toddling and being capable of walking steadily, forwards, or backwards. As children are being increasingly exposed to communication and interaction, their language skills are developing rapidly because of the expansion of vocabulary. They are never forced to speak first language and seldom be corrected by others, but they correct themselves through interactions every day. Then children learn to use verbs in different sentences, and how to use different words to form a sentence (Yule, 2006). They gradually learn to ask questions correctly and how to use the word no in their speeches to express negative meanings. The last stage of first language acquisition is the ability of making meaningful sentence (Yule, 2006). There is massive variation in the rate at which features of one’s first language are acquired. 1. 4. 2 Second language acquisition. Being able to speak first language is one of the basic skills of second language acquisition. Except for the minority of people who are bilingual speakers, most of the learners have no access to a second language until our late childhood. Actually most of the Chinese learners are now learning English as a foreign language, because it is immediately back to Chinese speaking time out of the classroom. But later on they may have the chance of learning it as a foreign language in a native speaking environment, during immersion semesters, when they will acquire this second language in circumstances similar to those of Chinese acquisition. There are obviously differences in foreign language achievement, sometimes related to differences in aptitude (Carroll, 1982), sometimes to affective factors (Gardner & Lambert, 1972), sometimes to learner strategies (Naiman, Frohlicn, Stern & Tedesco, 1978), sometimes to environmental factors such as opportunities for language use or instructional conditions (Long, 1982), and sometimes simply to time (Carroll, 1975). Human beings have the ability to learn more than one language all through one’s live. Farwell (1963) (cited in Taylor, 1976) reports that a British explorer in the 19th century claimed to have spoken more than 40 languages and dialects. Usually, however, after the age of 10, the acquisition of second language is very different from the way one acquired his first language, which is relatively slower and cannot achieve native-like proficiency. 1. 4. 3 Educational factors Most of us begin learning second language in teenage years, spending only few hours on it every day and for most of the daily activities we use our mother tongue. Accordingly, we will encounter lots of difficulties in learning second language without enough exposure to it. Therefore, the largely distinguished part of acquiring first and second language should be language teachers. In order to learn a second language, we must learn from a teacher, or at least follow their guidance. The classroom is a very powerful instrument of instruction and it can control language learning in a very direct way (Richard, T. & Roger,H. ). As language teachers, we should focus on students’ requirements and follow learner-centered approaches. We should impart knowledge in a more practical way so the students can receive easily. Keep the class disciplined and orderly so that students can learn most effectively from the lessons. There are often the situations that the students seldom volunteer answers, and the teacher sometimes has to call on someone and wait for a long time before a response is forthcoming. Why not try breaking away from typical Hong Kong classroom practices in class? Like, students do not have to stand up to greet teachers, and they do not have to raise their hands or stand up when they answer questions. In a relaxed classroom atmosphere, students will feel free to interact. They will not fall silent when the teacher enters the room, then stand up and chant a choral greeting. If the pupils are put in this position in the classroom, they can be more effectively kept in their place in social life. During the class, we teachers should never say like this: I am your teacher. By the authority vested in me I have the right to ask you to behave in a certain way, whether you like it or not. And you, in your role have the obligation to obey (Widdowson, H. G. ). Whereas, we should say that in another way: Do this because I am the teacher and I know what’s best for you, but not ‘Do this because I am telling you and I am the teacher. ‘ This difference has the advantage of largely increasing participation in the use and practice of language. 1. 4. 4 Summary Approaches to the acquisition of language account for different backgrounds of learns’ first language, and different conditions of exposure. In acquiring language, learners often go through transitional stages of development, which is at distinguished rates. References Cruse, A. (2004). Meaning in language : an introduction to semantics and pragmatics. Oxford, New York, Oxford University Press. Bynon, T. (1983). Historical Linguistics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Campbell, L. (1998). Historical Linguistics-An Introduction. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. Dechert, H. W. (1990). Current trends in European second language. Great Britain: WBC Print, Bristol. Fabbro, F. (1999). The Neurolinguistics of Bilingualism. Psychology Press Ltd. Fromkin, V. , Rodman, R. , & Hyams, N. (2006). An introduction to language (8th ed. ). Boston, MA: Heinle & Heinle. Palmer, F. R. (1976). Semantics: a new outline. Cambridge; New York : Cambridge University Press. Geoffrey, F. (2005). Key Concepts In Language And Linguistics. USA: Palgrave Macmillan. Kate, K. (2000). Semantics. Basingstoke, England, Macmillan. Katamba, F. (2006). Morphology. Basingstoke : Macmillan Press. Marie E. & John P. (1991). Language and Learning. Melbourne: Oxford University Press O’ Mally, J. M. , & Chamot, A. U. (1990). Learning strategies in second language acquisition. Cambridge University Press. Matthews, P. H. (1997). Oxford Concise Dictionary of Linguistics. Oxford. University Press, USA. Peter, R. (2000). English Phonetics and Phonology. Cambridge University Press. Ronald, W. (2006). An Introduction to Sociolinguistics. USA: Blackwell Publishing. Widdowson, H. G. (1990). Aspects of Language Teaching. Oxford University Press. Wikepedia: Sociolinguistics (n. d. ). Retrieved 30 October 2007 from http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Sociolinguistics Wikepedia: Anthropological linguistics (n. d. ). Retrieved 30 October 2007 from http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Anthropological_linguistics Yule, G. (2006). The study of language (3rd ed. ). Cambridge, New York: Cambridge University Press.

What Are NCAA Divisions Division 1 vs 2 vs 3

What Are NCAA Divisions Division 1 vs 2 vs 3 SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Generally speaking, NCAA divisions separate schools by the level of competition and the resources of their athletic departments. Most collegiate sporting events you see on television, from March Madness to the College World Series, are competitions between Division I schools. Division I offers the highest level of competition and Division I schools' athletic departments have the biggest budgets. Division III is the lowest level of competition in the NCAA, and Division III schools tend to have the smallest athletic department budgets. In this article, I'll break down the differences between NCAA divisions to give you a better idea of what separates Division I, II, and III schools. For those of you who wish to participate in intercollegiate athletics, you can get an idea of which division would best suit your interests and abilities. For those of you who don’t want to compete but care about sports, you can use this guide to determine if the division of a college’s sports teams will be a determining factor for you when selecting a college. What Is the NCAA? The NCAA is the National Collegiate Athletic Association. It's the major governing body for intercollegiate athletics. More than 1200 colleges and universities are members of the NCAA. It's a "non-profit" organization whose revenue in 2012-2013 was $912 million. What Are the NCAA's Responsibilities? The NCAA's primary responsibilities are to oversee championships and to enforce and establish rules for its member institutions. Many NCAA rules deal with financial aid for athletes, recruiting, and determining athlete eligibility. Additionally, the NCAA is responsible for changes to the rules of some of the sports that it governs. NCAA member institutions are divided into 3 divisions: Division I, II, and III. For football, Division I is further divided into Football Bowl Subdivision schools (FBS) and Football Championship Subdivision Schools (FCS). The purpose of the divisions is to create parity and a more level playing field in intercollegiate sports. Also, the existence of divisions gives smaller schools with fewer resources the opportunity to compete for championships. There is prestige and publicity associated with competing in NCAA sports, especially at the highest levels in the major sports. For example, Butler, a somewhat unknown school in Indianapolis previously, received $639 million of publicity by reaching the final game of the NCAA men's Division I basketball playoffs in 2010. Colleges want the opportunity for the exposure and prestige that NCAA participation can give them. Generally, the higher the division, the more possible publicity a school can receive through its athletics program. Even at the lower levels, though, NCAA sports programs generate publicity and attract students (and their tuitions) from across the world. Let's go into further depth about each of the NCAA divisions to determine the differences between them. Division I Division I schools have the biggest student bodies, the largest athletic budgets, and the most athletic scholarships. More than 350 schools that field more than 6,000 teams providing opportunities to more than 170,000 student-athletes are members of NCAA Division I. All of the major sports conferences, including the SEC, Big 10, Pac 12, and ACC are composed of Division I schools. Ivy League Institutions are Division I, but they don't offer athletic scholarships. The Ivy League schools are Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, the University of Pennsylvania, Princeton, and Yale. Rules for Division I Schools The NCAA sets standards for its member institutions to meet in order for a school to reach or maintain Division I status. These rules are set to ensure competitive balance and gender equity. Also, there are specific rules for football and basketball. Because those are the sports that generate the most revenue, they're more closely monitored, and the disparity between the haves and have-nots in those sports is much greater. Division I schools have to sponsor at least seve sports for men and seven sports for women (or six for men and eight for women). Each playing season (fall, winter, and spring) has to be represented by each gender. For sports other than football and basketball, Division I schools must play 100% of the minimum number of contests against Division I opponents. Anything over the minimum number of games has to be 50% Division I. Men's and women's basketball teams have to play all but two games against Division I teams. Men's basketball teams must play 1/3 of their games in their home arenas. Division I schools must meet minimum financial aid awards for their athletics program, and there are maximum athletic financial aid awards for each sport that a Division I school can't exceed. FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision) The FBS is the highest level of collegiate football. FBS schools participate in bowl games. There is an obscene amount of money in FBS football, so much so that the highest paid FBS coaches make $7 million annually. In 2014, Forbes valued the University of Texas football team at $131 million. FBS teams have to meet minimum attendance requirements. An FBS team must average 15,000 people in actual or paid attendance per home game. Attendance requirements must be met once in a rolling two-year period. In 2014, average attendance for an FBS home game was 44,190. If a team can't even average 15,000 people, most likely it can't be competitive with other FBS teams. There are both public and private colleges in the FBS. Examples of private FBS schools include Stanford, Notre Dame, Duke, and Northwestern. Examples of public FBS schools include Alabama, Oklahoma, UCLA, and Michigan. The University of Alabama football team having some fun with President Obama FCS (Football Championship Subdivision) FCS is the next highest level of collegiate football after FBS. FCS schools participate in an NCAA-run championship. FCS teams do not need to meet minimum attendance requirements, but just so you can compare the attendance figures with those of FBS schools, the 2014 average FCS home game attendance was 7,666. Examples of FCS private schools include Harvard, Princeton, Dartmouth, and Colgate. Examples of FCS public schools include Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, UC Davis, North Dakota State University, and Illinois State University. Division II Almost 300 schools are part of Division II. Division II schools still offer athletic scholarships, but there are fewer scholarships than in Division I. Full athletic scholarships are more common in Division I; most Division II athletes receive partial athletic scholarships. The schools and athletic department budgets are smaller in Division II than in Division I. While Division I schools often travel nationally to compete, regional rivalries dominate the schedules of Division II. Examples of Division II schools include UCSD, University of West Florida, Northern Michigan University, Oklahoma Baptist University, and Valdosta State University. Rules for Division II Schools Just like for Division I schools, the NCAA sets standards for Division II schools in order to maintain competitive balance, opportunities for all athletes, and gender equity. Division II schools have to sponsor at least five sports for men and five for women (or four for men and six for women), with two team sports for each gender, and each playing season represented by each gender. Each sport has contest and participant minimums. Football and men's and women's basketball must play at least 50% of their games against Division II, FBS, or FCS opponents. Unlike Division I, there are no attendance requirements for football or arena game requirements for basketball. There are maximum financial aid awards for each sport. Division III Division III is the largest of all of the NCAA divisions. In Division III, there are 444 institutions and more than 170,000 student-athletes. A key difference in Division III is that there are no athletic scholarships. However, a majority of the athletes are on some form of academic or need-based aid. Also, there are shorter practice hours and less travel for games in D III. In Division III, the emphasis is on the value of competing in sports to the participant. There is less of a focus on generating revenue or creating events for spectators. Examples of Division III schools include Babson College, California Institute of Technology, Emory, Eastern Connecticut State University, and the University of Rochester. Cal Tech, home of The Big Bang Theory's Sheldon Cooper, is a Division III school. Rules for Division III Schools The rules for Division III are designed to maintain gender equity and to ensure that schools offer a minimum number of opportunities to all athletes. Division III schools have to sponsor at least five sports for men and five for women, with two team sports for each gender, and each playing season represented by each gender. There are contest and participant minimums for each sport. Major Differences Between Divisions Division I is the most prestigious, has the most money, and the highest caliber of athletes. Division I schools also are the largest on average. Division II still offers scholarships, but there are fewer, and Division II schools typically have fewer athletic department funds and fewer sports teams than Division I schools. There are an average of 18 sports at Division I schools and 15 at Division II. Division III offers no athletic scholarships, tends to have the lowest level of competition, but the highest number of participants across all divisions. Division III schools offer an average of 18 sports per school. Also, Division III has the highest average percentage of the student body participating in sports. Here's a breakdown by the numbers of these differences between NCAA divisions. Generally, the biggest disparities between divisions are in the traditional revenue generating sports of football and men's basketball. While the average attendance of a home football game at an FBS school is over 44,000, the average attendance of a home football game at a Division III school is less than 2,000. Many FBS head coaches receive multi-million dollar salaries. Meanwhile, many Division III head football coaches also have teaching positions at their colleges to supplement their incomes. It's important to note that just because a school is in a lower division doesn't mean that its student body doesn't care about sports or that the school is not as concerned with its athletes. Many Division II and III schools have passionate fan bases, especially in the high profile sports and for teams that regularly compete for championships. Other Intercollegiate Sports Associations Besides the NCAA, there are two other governing bodies for intercollegiate sports, the NAIA and the NJCAA. The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, or the NAIA, has about 300 member institutions. NAIA schools are smaller and have relatively low athletic department budgets, roughly on par with Division III schools. However, unlike NCAA Division III, NAIA schools do offer athletic scholarships. Examples of NAIA schools include Morningside College, Mayville State University, and Florida Memorial University. The NAIA doesn't have the prestige of the NCAA, but it offers an alternative for smaller schools that want to compete. The National Junior College Athletics Association, or NJCAA, is the governing board for sports at two year colleges. Members of the NJCAA can also offer athletic scholarships. Scholarship Limits By Sport and Division For those of you who are hoping to get an athletic scholarship, I'm linking to the following chart to give you an idea of the number of athletic scholarships available for each sport in each division. If you're trying to get an athletic scholarship for college, this chart can inform you of your available opportunities, and you can see the differences in available athletic scholarships by division. Some of these numbers have changed slightly, but they're roughly accurate. You may notice that, for most sports, there aren't an equal number of scholarships available in the same sport in the same division for men and women. The primary reason for this is because the NCAA, for both ethical and legal reasons, wants schools to give roughly the same amount of aid to men and women; because there are so many scholarships for football, there are more maximum scholarships for women in most of the other sports. Also, even though there are more scholarships in some sports at the NJCAA level than at the NCAA level, keep in mind that the scholarships are worth significantly more at the NCAA level because two-year colleges are much cheaper. Finally, on the chart you'll see the term "head count sport" next to some sports. A head count sport can only offer full scholarships. The head count sports are FBS football, Division I basketball, Division I women's gymnastics, and Division I women's volleyball. Most sports aren't head count sports and also offer partial scholarships. Final Note: Each Division Has Advantages and Disadvantages There are pros and cons of each NCAA division, and you can determine which division may be best for you based on your priorities and aspirations. If you are an athlete, you should be realistic about your current skill level, your athletic goals, and your desire to compete. If you want to go to the Olympics or become a professional in your sport, perhaps you should attend a Division I school and test yourself against the top athletes. If you're only being recruited by Division II schools, maybe it's in your best interest to attend one of them and have a better chance to compete, rather than walking on at a Division I school and possibly not getting a chance to participate in a real game. If you're a sports fan, maybe you'd enjoy the environment at Division III sporting events where you can get really close to the action and often for free. Or, maybe you would prefer to go to an FBS school to get the opportunity to be in a stadium with 100,000 other screaming fans and be able to regularly watch your school compete on national television. Ideally, athletics should only be one factor in determining your college decision, and it should be less of a concern to you than academics. However, sports can play a huge role in your collegiate experience. The NCAA division of your school does play a part in determining what your college experience will be like. What's Next? Now that you're familiar with what separates NCAA divisions, you can find a full listing of Division I, II, and III schools by state. Also, if you're an athlete, learn about how the recruiting process works. For the NCAA clearinghouse, find out what SAT scores and ACT scores ou need to qualify. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

The 20 Best Video Game Design Schools in the US

The 20 Best Video Game Design Schools in the US SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Are you a gamer who dreams of one day getting paid to create video games? Have you ever played a video game and thought that you could do a better job coming up with the characters, dialogue, or rules? Maybe you should consider studying game design and entering a growing and lucrative field. In this article, I'll explain game design, provide a list of the best video game design schools, and let you know how to use the list to help you find the right college for you. What Is Game Design? Game design is the field of making video games. Game designers help imagine and create the characters, plots, rules, interfaces, and environments for video games.The field of game design combines computer programming, creative writing, and graphic design. Just because you like playing video games doesn’t necessarily mean you’d like designing them. I really enjoy eating, but I don’t like to cook. Game design combines technical and creative skills. You have to be skilled in math, art, and writing to be a competent game designer. The Best Colleges for Video Game Design Game design schools are colleges where you can study game design. At some of these schools, you can get a degree in game design. At others, you can study game design, but you’ll get your degree in a related field like computer science or interactive media. For each school that made the list of the best video game design colleges, I linked to its programs that are most closely related to game design. Some of these programs are majors while others are minors or concentrations in related majors. Click on the link to read about the program, the school’s facilities, the program requirements, and the course offerings for the program. Also, I wrote a few sentences on what makes each program unique. The best programs have extensive facilities dedicated to game design, provide thorough instruction in game design, and have a history of helping undergraduates land a quality job when they complete the program. There are very few rankings of game design programs. The most referenced rankings come from Princeton Review, so my list comes from the Princeton Review rankings. More than 60 data points were weighted to determine the rankings. The criteria to determine the rankings focused on curriculum, facilities, technology, and career services. Results were determined based on survey responses from school administrators on topics such as academic offerings, faculty credentials, graduates’ employment history, and starting salaries. According to the survey, undergrads who study game design earn an average starting salary of $58,000, a 20% increase from last year and 28% more than the average starting salary for all 2014 undergrads. You can check out all of the survey questions here. Below you’ll find the top 20 undergraduate schools to study game design in the United States. The Princeton Review list included international schools like The Art Institute of Vancouver in Canada and Abertay University in Scotland, but I excluded them from this list so that it focuses on the best programs in the US. Game design grads can make good money. (Steven Depolo/Flickr) About the Schools on This List The schools that made the list are from every region of the US and represent diverse types of colleges. There are large public colleges like the University of Utah and Michigan State, smaller public colleges like Shawnee State, tech colleges like Worcester Polytechnic, small private colleges like Hampshire College and Becker College, larger private colleges like the University of Southern California and Drexel, and a small for-profit university, DigiPen Institute of Technology. The 20 Best Game Design Schools in the United States From my research, USC and the University of Utah have the most prestigious programs, but all of these schools have well-regarded game design programs and impressive facilities where you can play and design games. 1. University of Southern California Acceptance Rate: 16% Location: Los Angeles, CA Undergraduate Enrollment: 19,170 Programs: Animation and Digital Arts Interactive Media Computer Science (Games) Game Design About: USC's location in Los Angeles gives it a distinct advantage in helping students gain employment after graduation because many of the top game design jobs are in LA. Students who want to focus on design and production can pursue the Interactive Media and Game Design degrees through the school of Cinematic Arts. Those who are more interested in the technical aspects of designing and developing games can pursue the Computer Science (Games) degree through the Viterbi School of Engineering. The breadth and depth of game design offerings separate USC from other game design schools. The USC marching band. (David Yu/Flickr) 2. New York University Acceptance Rate: 28% Location: New York, NY Undergraduate Enrollment: 26,417 Programs: Game Design About: NYU initiated its game design program in 2015. The program is already well-regarded because NYU offers its students access to advanced technology, it has a reputable computer science department, and the game design program is located in the famous Tisch School of the Arts. Not only does NYU offer a game design major and minor, but there is an entire department dedicated to game design. 3. Becker College Acceptance Rate: 66% Location: Worcester, MA Undergraduate Enrollment: 1,824 Programs: Interactive Media Design About: Becker is home to the Massachusetts Digital Game Institute, which is a think tank related to the video game industry. Massachusetts is also a favorable location for jobs in game design. Students at Becker have access to a high-performance computer lab, a six-camera video motion capture system, and 3D design software. Dom Sagolla/Flickr 4. DigiPen Institute of Technology Acceptance Rate: 57% Location: Redmond, WA Undergraduate Enrollment: 1,067 Programs: Computer Science and Game Design Game Design About: DigiPen is a for-profit school that specializes in preparing students for careers in the video game industry. It began enrolling students in 1994, and it has received substantial support from Nintendo. Class sizes are small with a faculty to student ratio of 1:13. Students from DigiPen have won more awards at the Independent Games Festival than those from any other school. DigiPen's Redmond campus is near more than 96 game development studios. 5. Hampshire College Acceptance Rate: 63% Location: Amherst, MA Undergraduate Enrollment: 1,268 Programs: Game Design and Development About: Students at Hampshire are given a great deal of freedom in designing their own course of study. Many game design and development students create their own games with the help of peers and advisers. Some game design courses you can take at Hampshire include pixel bending and analog game design. One downside is that Hampshire has been going through a lot of financial struggles recently, making its future as an independent institution of higher education uncertain. Keep this in mind if you're particularly interested in the video game design program at Hampshire- you can easily cross-register at (and in the worst-case scenario, can transfer to) Amherst, Mount Holyoke, Smith, and UMass Amherst as a Hampshire student, but you won't find the same game design classes at these schools. 6. Drexel University Acceptance Rate: 77% Location: Philadelphia, PA Undergraduate Enrollment: 15,667 Programs: Game Design and Production Interactive Digital Media Computer Science About: At Drexel, the game design program is a collaborative effort between the digital media program and the computer science department. Drexel's game design program offers some impressive resources including an 80-seat 3D theater, a green screen/motion capture studio, and audio recording studios. For the Tetris game he created in 2014, Professor Frank Lee was given a Guinness World Record for the largest architectural video game display. Main Building at Drexel. (Tom Ipri/Flickr) 7. Michigan State University Acceptance Rate: 78% Location: East Lansing, MI Undergraduate Enrollment: 39,423 Programs: Game Design and Development About: Michigan State offers an undergraduate specialization in game design and development. Michigan State is also home to the Games for Entertainment and Learning Lab, an association of game research and design faculty and students at Michigan State whose mission is to "design innovative prototypes, techniques, and complete games for entertainment and learning and to advance state of the art knowledge about social and individual effects of digital games." 8. Rochester Institute of Technology Acceptance Rate: 57% Location: Rochester, NY Undergraduate Enrollment: 13,515 Programs: Game Design and Development New Media Interactive Development 3D Digital Design About: Rochester Institute of Technology incorporates cooperative education into its game design program. Cooperative education is a full-time, paid work experience that provides students with an opportunity to learn on the job in a real-world industry setting. Graduates of RIT's game design and development programs have gone on to work at top gaming companies including Microsoft, Electronic Arts, Vicarious Visions, and Nickelodeon. 9. Worcester Polytechnic Institute Acceptance Rate: 42% Location: Worcester, MA Undergraduate Enrollment: 4,688 Programs: Interactive Media and Game Development About: Worcester Polytechnic's Interactive Media and Game Development program focuses on merging art with technology. Like many of the other top programs, WPI encourages a hands-on approach to learning that allows students to create their own games and collaborate with their peers. (Sean/Flickr) 10. University of Utah Acceptance Rate: 67% Location: Salt Lake City, UT Undergraduate Enrollment: 24,743 Programs: Entertainment Arts and Engineering About: For its undergraduate program, the School of Computing and the Department of Film and Media Arts offer interdisciplinary emphases in Entertainment Arts and Engineering. Students with a computer science emphasis focus on the technical aspects of video games. Students with a film and media arts emphasis focus on the tools and techniques required for game design, drawing, and storyboarding. The program culminates with a year-long senior project where students build a video game from the ground up. 11. Miami University Acceptance Rate: 75% Location: Oxford, OH Undergraduate Enrollment: 17,327 Programs: Interactive Media Studies About: Miami University's Interactive Media Studies program is an interdisciplinary major that allows studies to study design, business, and technology. Students can declare a concentration in applied or digital interactive media studies, with the aim of positioning themselves as digital experts in their fields post-graduation. This is a highly competitive program with limited openings for applicants. Miami University is also working to launch a Games and Simulation major, which focuses on all aspects of creating and interpreting games. 12. Bradley University Acceptance Rate: 67% Location: Peoria, IL Undergraduate Enrollment: 4,606 Programs: Game Design About: Bradley University offers a game design major and minor. At Bradley, game design is part of both the Department of Interactive Media and the Department of Computer Science Information Systems. Bradley also offers concentrations in game design, animation, and computer game technology. Bradley University. (Bradley University/Flickr) 13. University of Central Florida Acceptance Rate: 43% Location: Orlando, FL Undergraduate Enrollment: 58,913 Programs: Interactive Entertainment About: Florida Interactive Game Entertainment Academy at UCF offers a video game production concentration. Students have the opportunity to study the main skills all game producers need. You'll learn about design, scripting, and project management. This major is for people looking to explore multiple facets of game production, including management, creative, and technical skills. 14. Cogswell College Acceptance Rate: 39% Location: San Jose, CA Undergraduate Enrollment: 595 Programs: Game Design and Development About: Cogswell College offers a Bachelor of Art in Game Design Art for students looking to focus on the creative elements of game design, and a Bachelor of Science in Game Design Engineering for students who want to focus on the technical elements like development. The program is big on hands-on experience, and encourages all students to work on teams that create and develop their own games. 15. Ferris State University Acceptance Rate: 81% Location: Big Rapids, MI Undergraduate Enrollment: 11,885 Programs: Digital Animation and Game Design About: At Ferris State, all students in the Digital Animation and Game Design program are required to complete an internship to get real-world experience and make connections to help them professionally after they graduate. Ferris State also offer a Peer Mentor Program where sophomore, junior, and senior Digital Animation and Game Design majors serve as role models and help first-years students succeed academically. The Digital Animation and Game Design program is focused on helping students reach their career goals. Students are given instruction on how to prepare a professional portfolio and demo reel and how to find a job in their chosen field. 16. Laguna College of Art and Design Acceptance Rate: 39% Location: Laguna Beach, CA Undergraduate Enrollment: 613 Programs: Game Art About: LCAD's BFA in Game Art focuses on getting students ready for the gaming workforce. Students get hand-on experience working in the programs that they will use throughout their career, and get to work with teams to create games from scratch. LCAD students also benefit from the many industry experts that teach at the college. 17. Champlain College Acceptance Rate: 75% Location: Burlington, VT Undergraduate Enrollment: 2,129 Programs: Game Design Game Art and Animation Game Programming About: Champlain offers a game design major for students. Also, Champlain has a dedicated Game Studio where students can collaborate and build their own video games. Champlain has new multimedia, 3D art, and game production labs. Furthermore, game design students are given the opportunity to study abroad in Montreal, home of the Montreal Game Summit and the Montreal International Game Developers Association. Courses in Montreal are taught by game industry professionals in collaboration with game faculty at the main campus. 18. Shawnee State University Acceptance Rate: 74% Location: Portsmouth, OH Undergraduate Enrollment: 4,114 Programs: Game and Simulation Development Arts Digital Simulation and Gaming Engineering Technology About: Shawnee State offers a bachelor's degree in gaming and simulation, which is a computer science degree. Also, it offers a bachelor's degree in gaming arts, a Bachelor of Fine Arts program with a concentration in 3D modeling and texturing. Furthermore, it offers a minor in game design. The game design program graduated its first class in the spring of 2008. 19. University of Wisconsin: Stout Acceptance Rate: 86% Location: Menomonie, WI Undergraduate Enrollment: 8,116 Programs: Game Design and Development About: The BFA in Game Design and Development offers top-knotch equipment and professional tools as students learn the ins and outs of game design. Students work with computer science students and professors to get the most out of their degree, and to ensure that they have a well-rounded base of knowledge as they go out into the workforce. UW-Stout was the national co-champion at the E3 College Game Competition. 20. North Carolina State University Acceptance Rate: 47% Location: Raleigh, NC Undergraduate Enrollment: 25,199 Programs: Computer Science: Digital Games Initiative About: Under the umbrella of their computer science department, the NC State program works with students to build a strong foundation in computer science, and launch their creativity. Students have a strong focus in graphics, writing, and storytelling, and are required to complete a senior design project in their game design concentration. How Should You Use This List? If you want to go to a top game design school, you should research the schools on this list that interest you to determine if they’re schools you should apply to or attend. Figure out whether you prefer a program that focuses solely on game design or if you want to attend a school that will offer you a broader, more interdisciplinary education. What aspects of game design interest you the most? Which schools offer you opportunities to reach your specific academic and professional goals? Even if you know you want to pursue game design, there are many factors to consider to help determine if a college is a good fit for you including size, location, selectivity, and cost. Look at the school’s website and game design programs and use guidebooks, college finders, and other ranking lists to help you in the college selection process. If possible, consult with teachers, counselors, parents, current students, and alumni. Also, keep in mind that many students change their majors or career goals while they’re in college. Even though you may be determined to pursue game design now, after taking game design classes in college or an inspiring course in another field, you may change your plans. Therefore, you should consider attending a school where you’ll be happy, receive a good education, and be able to pursue your interests even if you eventually decide not to study game design. What's Next? Want to dip your toe into the world of design? Learn about the 7 principles used in design across many different fields (including game design!) here. If you want to go to a school that focuses on art, check out the 10 best art schools in the United States. Also, you may be interested in the 17 best fine arts colleges in the US or our walkthrough of how to draw contour line art. If selectivity is an important factor for you in choosing a college, take a look at the colleges with the lowest acceptance rates. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points? We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Which aspects of the Hungarian 1956 revolution did the Soviet Essay

Which aspects of the Hungarian 1956 revolution did the Soviet leadership find most objectionable - Essay Example The revolution appeared as a consequence of hardened relationship between Hungary and the Soviet Union during 1950s, which led the masses of Hungary to demonstrate and protest against the imperial ambitions of the USSR. Soviet Union had occupied the territory of Hungary along with other East European countries after the World War II. Borhi says that â€Å"†¦the Soviet Union regarded Hungary as a prize of the Soviet victory in the World War II†1 Ever since then, Hungary constituted an important part of Soviet Union’s strategic aims in the region as well as its national interest. The revolution which started in October 1956 left the Soviet Union into the dilemma concerning the future of Hungary and the USSR political and economic relationship. Stykalin points out that â€Å"the Hungarian crisis of 1956 had confronted Moscow with a hard choice between the use of military or political instruments in its resolution†¦Ã¢â‚¬  2 Because of the benefits that the Sovie t Union was reaping out of its relationship with Hungary, it became imperative for it to resolve the issue using political and military means. The Hungarian revolution appeared to be objectionable for the Soviet Union in several respects viz. political, economic, geopolitical and imperial. The fact that Hungary was a sign of Soviet Union’s victory in the World War II and its hegemony in world politics, loosing Hungary could have signified the declining power of the USSR. Boyle says that â€Å"†¦if the Soviets showed weakness in Hungary†¦, it would make the Soviet Union seem very weak and would encourage the west to take further bold and aggressive steps†3 The geopolitical goals and fear of oppression from the Western countries, in particular, the United States and Britain, turned out to be the major causes of Soviet Union’s decision to invade Hungary and suppress the revolution through military action. Furthermore, Soviet Union

Southwest Airlines Marketing Plan Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Southwest Airlines Marketing Plan Report - Essay Example The company encourages the employees to be creative in their own way while performing at the workplace. Goals and Objectives The company has the goal of ensuring that there is no compromise on the quality when the people fly in Southwest Airlines. The employees are to be trained in such a way that they always come forward to address the needs of the customers whenever required. Safety of the travelers during the flight time is also one of the aspects that South-western Airlines wants to ensure on a day to day basis. The company is popular for its low cost Airline services. South western intends to retain this strategy in the future course of its business as well. Thus it would want to increase the frequency of the flights and would try to maintain the prices at the low cost segment so that it is able to retain a larger market share (Lauer 218). SWOT Analysis SWOT analysis is an important marketing analytical tool that helps an organization to determine its key internal strengths, wea knesses and external opportunities, threats. Southwest Airlines is known as one of the leading low cost airlines. This part of the marketing plan will conduct a SWOT analysis for southwest Airlines. Strengths Southwest Airlines is one of the leading and successful low cost airlines around the globe. The organization implemented several key and effective business strategies in order to achieve potential competitive advantages and maximize the business profit. Marketing The organization has a strong General Counsel Department in marketing in order to review each and every marketing material in order to maintain potential target customer base. Effective promotional strategy helped the organization to create huge brand awareness among the target customers. Product The organization uses Boeing 737s as its products. The organization always tries to ensure the quality of the product. As all the planes are Boeing 737s; the turnaround, training and maintenance costs are contained. In additio n to this, the organization has no meals, central reservations, baggage handling and assigned seats (Gittell 137). Financial The financial position of the organization is quite strong with 3 billion US dollar in cash. The organization generates 716 million US dollar in free cash flow in the tear 2012. Figure 1: Free Cash Flow (Southwestonereport 33) In addition to this, the organization returned 422 million US dollars to its stakeholder. Technology Integration of advanced and modern technology increased the business perform ace of the organization. In addition to this, utilization of several modern technological equipments in each and every business operation process helped the organization to reduce its business operation cost. Management It is important for a service providing organization to ensure healthy work place environment in order to enhance effective business performances. Southwest Airlines has an effective, fun loving, strong and employee oriented culture that helps the organization to focus on several business aspects. Synergy Effective customer service helped the organization huge customer preference. 28 years of long reliable and safe operation increase the brand loyalty of the airlines. In addition to this, the route systems of Southwest Airlines have grown significantly. Effective environmental sustainability training program in employees program helped the organi