Get Organized for Graduate School

Graduate students—and faculty—often find themselves overwhelmed with tasks. Good time management skills are essential, but succeeding in graduate school requires the ability to organize more than your time. Being unorganized—not knowing where your stuff is—is a time waster. The unorganized student spends precious time searching for papers, files, notes, wondering which pile to check first. She forgets and misses meetings or arrives late, repeatedly. He finds it hard to focus on the task at hand because his mind is swimming what the details of what must be done next or what should have been done yesterday. An unorganized office or home is a sign of a cluttered mind. Cluttered minds are inefficient for scholarly productivity. So how do you get organized? 1.  Set up a Filing System Go digital when you can, but dont forget to organize your paper files, too. Dont skimp on file folders or youll find yourself doubling up on files and lose track of your most important papers. Whenever possible, go digital (with a good backup system!). Maintain files for: Research/thesis ideas.Thesis references (probably divided up into additional files for each topic).Exam materials. As you prepare for comps, will have copies of old exams, study materialsProfessional credentials - vita,  sample cover letter,  research statement etc.Reprints and professional articles, organized by topic.Life (bills,  taxes, etc.).Teaching materials (organized by topic). 3.  Acquire and Use Office Supplies Though supplies can be expensive, its easier to get organized when youve got the right tools. Purchase a quality stapler, paper clips, binder clips, stick on notes in several sizes, sticky flags for marking important pages in texts, etc. Go to a supply store and purchase office supplies in bulk to maximize savings and to be sure that you dont unexpectedly run out of supplies. 4.  Organize Class Materials Some students use binders to organize class notes, with dividers to separate your notes from assigned readings, handouts, and other materials. Other students keep all of their class materials on their laptop and use software such as OneNote or Evernote to save and index their notes. 5.  Remove Clutter at Home and Organize Your Study Space Sure youre desk and study area should be neat. Its also helpful to keep track of the rest of your home too. Why? School is overwhelming enough without worrying about whether you have clean clothes, differentiating between the cat and dust bunnies, or losing unpaid bills. Set up a command center near the entrance to your home. Have a bowl or spot for you to put your keys and empty your pockets of important materials. Have another spot for your bills. Each day as you open your mail sort it into stuff to throw out and bills and other materials that require action. Additionally, make sure you have a dedicated space to work in your home. It should be free of distractions, well lit, and have all supplies and files nearby. Even if your living space is small or shared, be sure to designate a portion to your graduate studies. 6.  Create a Schedule for Household Tasks Set up a schedule for accomplishing household tasks like laundry and cleaning. Break cleaning up into smaller tasks, by room. So you might clean the bathroom on Tuesday and Saturday, clean the bedroom on Wednesday and Sunday, and the living room on Thursday and Monday. Clean the kitchen weekly then spend a few minutes each day on it. Use the timer trick to keep on task while youre cleaning and show you how much you can do in just a little time. For example, Im amazed that I can clear out the dishwasher and wipe down the countertops in 4 minutes! 7.  Dont Forget the To-Do List Your  to-do list is your friend. These simple tips can make a difference in your life. From my own experience as an academic, I can attest that these simple habits, though challenging to set, make it much easier to make it through the semester and maintain efficiency and productivity.

The Use of Steroids in Athletics and its Effects on Athletes

The Use of Steroids in Athletics and its Effects on Athletes According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, an athlete is defined as â€Å"a person who is trained or skilled in exercises, sports, or games requiring physical strength, agility, or stamina.† Athletes train and practice year-round to prepare for the competition and challenges. At times during the preparation, injuries are sustained and fatigue is endured. To rid themselves of these obstacles, athletes take performance-enhancing drugs, which are also known as steroids. In the United States, the use of steroids is illegal without a prescription. When it comes to punishing athletes for the use of performance-enhancing drugs, depending on what sport and/or what league you are playing in,†¦show more content†¦One idea that has been tossed around by Congress and other sports and law related organizations is an â€Å"all-sports test plan† (Associated Press). Representative Cliff Stearns, chairman of a House Energy and Commerce, has proposed that all athletes follow one unified drug testing policy (Associated Press). Our elite athletic organizations, both professional and amateur, should establish uniform, world-class, drug-testing standards that are as consistent and robust as our criminal laws in this area, said Stearns (Associated Press). Stearns would like to see the Olympic drug testing policy used as a foundation to creating the â€Å"all-sports test plan.† Senator John McCain, from Arizona, agrees with Representative Stearns. â€Å"It seems to me that we ought to seriously consider a law that says all professional sports have a minimum level of performance-enhancing drug testing (Bodley 2). Recently in the news, Major League Baseball has been under scrutiny for their weak drug testing policy. With the admission of steroid use among some baseball players, the need for a tougher drug guideline was in order. In 2004, the players association and Major League Baseball agreed to a drug policy testing deal that would test for steroids and p erformance-enhancing drugs. A first positive test results in treatment with no suspension, followed by a 15-day suspension for a second positive and up to a year suspension for a fifthShow MoreRelatedThe Use Of Anabolic Steroids And How Athletes Are Cheating1482 Words   |  6 PagesThe athletic sports world has drastically evolved since the beginning of the creation of sports. Athletes are becoming bigger, faster and stronger. The competitive edge has started to increase and guys are looking for ways to enhance their performances. Many turn to repetitive practices and healthier diets, while some turn to protein powder. No matter the method the average athlete is trying their best to propel his or her efforts past previous marks. Most stick to natural remedies, but there areRead MorePerformance Enhancing Drug Abuse1511 Words   |  7 Pagesand athletes. 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Environment analysis of BHP Billiton - Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: Discuss about the Environment analysis of BHP Billiton. Answer: Introduction Purpose of report The present study aims to conduct environmental analysis of BHP Billiton which would involve discussion of key information related to the competitive advantages and the current business strategies of the organisation to determine their market and financial position in comparison to industry standards. The environmental analysis of BHP Billiton will involve internal and external (macro and micro) analysis. This analysis will help the organisation to understand its market effectively and accordingly develop strategies for effective movement of the business. Company snapshot BHP Billiton is one of the biggest Australian conglomerates that work all over the world. The organisation has diversified into different fields steadily with time. The organisation has extended in different markets which has helped the organisation to get renowned in different regions. BHP has become an extremely important entity in the Australian economy that has brought the company into the limelight (BHP, 2017). The organisation was established in 1885 in NSW as silver and lead mining company and the organisation since then extended into iron ore, steel making, coal and petroleum. The company received domestic and global growth in different countries like USA, Chile, Canada et cetera. With time passing by BHP has faced significant competition in the global market and hence it is important for the organisation to develop a strong strategy which would help the organisation to move forward and cope up with the increasing difficulties and market hurdles (de Villiers, Low and Samkin, 2014). Environment analysis of BHP Billiton Internal analysis Current business strategy of BHP Billiton The Current mission statement of the organisation BHP Billiton is to create long term shareholder value through discovery, mining and acquisition, development and proper sales and marketing of natural resources. The business strategy of the BHP is mainly based on their key pillars products i.e. iron ore, oil, copper and coal mining. The current business strategy of BHP is to focus on maximising the returns for the shareholders through the increase in the mineral assets and with the increase in new mining explorations and innovation. The current business strategy of the organisation revolves around its progressive dividend policy that focuses and commits to increase the returns of the shareholders (Grant et al., 2014). With the new operating model the organisation will focus more on security aspect, volume and cost management which would help to provide the best possible result from the new strategy. The strategic shift will help to focus more on the interest of the investors and shar eholders and will help to provide them with better returns which are always good for the organisation. The organisation has also made a strategic shift on its take on the environment. Previously the organisation has received criticism for its unethical steps in the Mining incidents in Brazil and this has definitely affected their reputation in the global market (Perrott, 2015). Hence the organisation has been focused on managing environment properly so that the environment could be properly managed. It has brought green supply chain into practice, management of emission and mining operations, reduction in utilisation of chemicals et cetera are also properly monitored in the new business strategy which just creates brand awareness in the market (Peterson et al., 2015). Assets Human resources BHP Billiton is a huge organisation with substantial resources. The company not only has huge financial assets as well as it has significant reserves and human resources which help the organisation to a large extent to perform its duties (Gamble and Thompson, 2014). Management culture is another key internal aspect which helps the organisation to focus on managing the talents properly and communicating with them to understand their grievances and problems which helps to gradually manage the human resource properly. Financial and technological resources Financial resources are huge in the organisation which provides upper hand to the organisation. Hence it could be said that the huge financial resources are important for the organisation. The organisation also has suitable technological resources which have helped the organisation to implement innovation and development (Hill, Jones and Schilling, 2014). Physical resources The operational capability and technical expertise differs BHP in Australia like Shell, Exxon, BP and Chevron especially in petroleum extraction and even in other fields as well (Rothaermel, 2015). This clearly shows that the capability of the organisation mainly lies in its production and operational capability which is extremely important for an organisation like BHP. In 2014 BHP produced 700,000 barrels per day which is more than companies like BP, Chevron and Exxon. The competitive advantage of BHP Billiton BHP Billiton is one of the biggest organisations in Australia. The company has slowly and steadily emerged as an organisation that has contributed to the growth and development of the Australian economy. Business diversification is one of the key reasons for the competitive advantage of BHP in the Australian market and apart from that the organisation also is ahead due to its market intelligence and corporate model which has helped the organisation to make sure it can cope up with the increasing competition in the Australian market (Madsen and Walker, 2015). Further; the merger of BHP an Australian organisation and Billiton a South African mining company the company has seen immense growth which provided them benefit of economies of scale (Grant et al., 2016). The recently succeeded CEO of BHP Andrew Mackenzie has been highly focused on strategies that would help the organisation to gain competitive advantage. He has personally taken into account the change in the environmental strat egy and financial strategy of the organisation. Having been renowned as a fellow of Postdoctoral research with the British Geological Survey has helped him to manage the dipping importance of the organisation (Rothaermel, 2015). The sustainable strategies of company assist them in making reduction of costs and attaining flexible resources for growth and expansion of business. As a whole cited elements provide business sustainable competitive benefit over competitors through which management is able to generate value for stakeholders in the long run (Ahmad et al., 2016). Sales, profits and share prices Figure 1: Profit and sales of BHP Billiton Figure 2: Share prices of BHP Billiton over five years From the above data it could be seen that since 2006 the organisation has experienced increase in revenue significantly with each year which is clearly shown in the above table. It is important to mention that the diversification in business has helped BHP to a large extent to keep the competitive advantage with the organisation. In the fiscal year of 2016 petroleum accounted for around 23% of the total revenue and coal and iron ore followed. Hence it could be said that the organisation definitely has all the different divisions working effectively which has helped the organisation to compete in this highly competitive market in Australia (Ahmad et al., 2016). Strength and weakness Strengths The organisations main strength is its strong financial performance in Australia and some other foreign markets. Diversification in business like Oil, Iron Ore, Coal et cetera. Significant presence in the international market. Effective and strong marketing (Grant et al, 2016). Weaknesses Past scandals have contributed to loosening of foothold in certain markets and negative publicity in Australia due to these incidents. Unskilled human resources create problem. Poor corporate communication. External analysis Trends of Australian steel Manufacturing Industry The Australian steel industry in the early years of 2013-14 and 15 employed approximately around 100,000 people and generated an amount of revenue which was not less than $10 billion but in the last couple of years the revenue has gone down by 7.5% which is a major reason for concern. Hence it could be said that the Australian Steel industry is showing a declining trend in all respect including revenue and steel production as compared to the earlier part years (Golev and Corder, 2016). However; steel Production in Australia is increased from 448 thousand tonnes in June to 458.89 thousand tonnes in July 2017. There has been a gradual growth in steel production in the country with an overwhelming average of 582 thousand tonnes within 1970 to 2017. The presently discussed fact clearly states that the country Australia has emphasised on steel manufacturing effectively. Since 2016 the steel production has increased significantly which shows the dependence of the Australian economy on stee l production (Hudson and Sadler, 2017). In the recent past the Australian Steel Manufacturing industry has faced significant issues with debts and faced steep decline in the last few years overall and the revenue of the Australian steel industry is expected to go down more by around $1.9 billion. The annual growth hasnt been up to the mark as expected which clearly shows that the industry is facing problem and needs effective and positive revamp which could possibly help the industry. It cannot be denied that even though the country has been able to manufacture significant amount of steel but still it faces huge challenge (Hudson and Sadler, 2017). PESTLE Analysis The PEST Analysis is an effective way to understand the external environment of the organisation BHP Billiton. The PEST analysis stands for political, economic, social and technological environment. Political: The organisation has got favourable political balance in Australia which has helped the organisation to continue its business effectively. The Australian Government has stretched its hands for the organisation which has helped to manage their business effectively. The company is responsible to contribute to a large extent it gets significant support from the Australian Government especially western Australia. Even though the organisation is working smoothly the possibility of changes in the government or in government policies definitely influence their overall operation like labor policies, mining and digging regulations. Like the increase in the mining tax royalty in Australia increased the cost of goods sold by the organisation (Saad, Mohamed Udin and Hasnan, 2014). Economic: The organisation BHP is vulnerable to economic factors like the increase in the price of the global commodities, national inflation, increase in the wage rate, material costs of the labour (BHP, 2017). The organisation BHP is largely dependent on the global market for its export of products and hence it becomes extremely tough for the organisation to survive due to the increase in fluctuating currency value, rising inflation within the country and in the recent past excessive reduction in prices of mining products in Australia have reduced the profitability of the company (Rothaermel, 2015). Social: The organisation is largely influenced by the social relationship with the stakeholders. The change in demographics and lack of proper and young workforce for mines has affected the organisation. Increasing importance of corporate social responsibility like clean environment strategy and clean emission, and recycling renewable source of energy have been good strategies for the organisation to cope up with its previous scandals (Perrott, 2015). Technological: The Company relies on its up to date and efficient technological assets to effectively continue its mining operations. The investment in technology for the organisation to find oil underneath water and to effectively continue mining needs ultramodern equipments and the organisation has emphasised on this more to gain competitive advantage (Grant et al., 2016). Micro Analysis The different micro environmental factors are competitors, customers, suppliers, public, marketing intermediaries and employees. The competitors of the BHP Billiton have significant role to play in the market. The company faces huge competition which affects its business strategy and decisions (Peppard and Ward, 2016). Major players of industry and crucial facts related to their business is enumerated as below: Fig 6: Competitor key facts (Source: Rothaermel, 2015) Figure 3: PORTER FIVE FORCES ANALYSIS of BHP Billiton Bargaining power of customers is moderate as price is increasing due to increasing demand and scarcity of natural resources but bargaining power of supplier is high in terms of materials, labour, shipping, energy, and energy costs (Grant et al., 2016). Threat of new entrants is low because of restrictions and high complexity features of steel industry. Threat of substitutes is also low as nothing can replace natural resources. However; rivalry among market players is intense due to lucrative nature of industry (Perrott, 2015). Opportunities and threats Opportunities Constant expansion programs. Integrations in terms of mergers and acquisitions. Opening in the global market. Excellent innovation in marketing and product development (Gamble and Thompson, 2014). Threats Constant fluctuation in global demand. Constant rise in competition. Increasing costs. Possibility of political threats (Grant et al., 2016). Conclusion Present study shows that company is performing well by making efficient use of available resources in order to maintain their leading position in market. Overall from the environmental analysis it is clear that BHP Billiton has supported the Australian economy to a large extent through its diversified business plans. The key internal factors for the success of the company are Resources, Capabilities, and core competencies. Despite of cited aspect company is recommended to incorporate following factors in their business strategy: Suppliers are tough hurdles as it is a huge market and hence BHP has to communicate and strategize its plans to improvise business relations for better decision making. Employees are mainstay of the organisation and provide the basic support to the operations with their intellectual acumen and capacity to the organisation and hence the organisation effectively strategizes promotional plans and appraisal techniques to effectively develop employee employer relationship. Enlargements and improvisation in the local acquisition of content through superior involvement and promoting the technologies and skills regarding public infrastructural projects. References Ahmad, W.N.K.W., Rezaei, J., Tavasszy, L.A. and de Brito, M.P., 2016. Commitment to and preparedness for sustainable supply chain management in the oil and gas industry.Journal of environmental management,180, pp.202-213. de Villiers, C. and Alexander, D., 2014. The institutionalisation of corporate social responsibility reporting.The British Accounting Review,46(2), pp.198-212. de Villiers, C., Low, M. and Samkin, G., 2014. The institutionalisation of mining company sustainability disclosures.Journal of Cleaner Production,84, pp.51-58. Ford, J.A., Steen, J. and Verreynne, M.L., 2014. How environmental regulations affect innovation in the Australian oil and gas industry: going beyond the Porter Hypothesis.Journal of Cleaner Production,84, pp.204-213. Gamble, J.E. and Thompson Jr, A.A., 2014.Essentials of strategic management. Irwin Mcgraw-Hill. Golev, A. and Corder, G., 2016. Modelling metal flows in the Australian economy.Journal of Cleaner Production,112, pp.4296-4303. Grant, R., Butler, B., Orr, S. and Murray, P.A., 2014.Contemporary strategic management: An Australasian perspective. John Wiley Sons Australia, Ltd.. Hannevik, M.B., Lone, J.A., Bjrklund, R., Bjrkli, C.A. and Hoff, T., 2014. Organizational climate in large-scale projects in the oil and gas industry: A competing values perspective.International Journal of Project Management,32(4), pp.687-697. Hill, C.W., Jones, G.R. and Schilling, M.A., 2014.Strategic management: theory: an integrated approach. Cengage Learning. Hudson, R. and Sadler, D., 2017.The international steel industry: restructuring, state policies and localities. Routledge. Madsen, T.L. and Walker, G., 2015.Modern competitive strategy. McGraw Hill. Peppard, J. and Ward, J., 2016.The strategic management of information systems: Building a digital strategy. John Wiley Sons. Perrott, B.E., 2015. Building the sustainable organization: an integrated approach.Journal of Business Strategy,36(1), pp.41-51. Peterson, E.A., Griffin, C.E., Ulferts, G.W. and Howard, T.L., 2015. Law, Business Strategy, And Social Change In The Global Environment.International Journal of Management Information Systems (Online),19(4), p.123. Rothaermel, F.T., 2015.Strategic management. McGraw-Hill Education. Saad, S., Mohamed Udin, Z. and Hasnan, N., 2014. Dynamic supply chain capabilities: A case study in oil and gas industry.International Journal of Supply Chain Management,3(2). Online BHP, 2017. [Online]. Available through https://www.bhp.com/ . [Accessed on 8th September 2017]. BHP, 2017. BHP Billiton | Structure and strategy. [Online]. Available through https://www.bhp.com/our-approach/our-company/strategy. [Accessed on 8th September 2017].