Social Psychology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 1

Social Psychology - Essay Example Social psychology is a â€Å" scientific study of the effects of social and cognitive processes on the way individuals perceive, influence and relate to others† (Smith & Mackie, 2000, p. 3). Different psychologists have tried to explain the impact of society on human being. However, Floyd Allport believed that society does not influence the thinking of human being. Floyd Allport said that , â€Å"the individual in the crowd behaves just as he would behave alone, only more so†, as according to him, human being’s behavior in the society is a result of his own thinking, feelings, perception and nature and not the result of society’s influence on him (Allport & Wozniak, 1994, p.295). What Allport suggests is that all the aspects of human behavior and human nature like self identity, attitude, prejudice, discrimination, performance, self image etc. are results of his own thinking and what he makes out of that thinking. His own thinking pattern and the perception of the social behavior makes him to form a picture of the society. Hence, the aspects of behavior pattern which we think are shaped by the society are in fact shaped by man’s own thinking and feelings. According to Allport (1954), discrimination is the extension of behavior and it makes person use behavioral elements like harsh words, exclusion, avoidance and also physical attack (Lott & Maluso, 1995, p.4). Hence, it can be said that the behavior pattern of prejudice and the discrimination that man practices against people belonging to certain race, class or skin color is not a result of social influence but is a result of his own belief and thinking. The question is, even if

Dance Review Essay Example for Free

Dance Review Essay The performance, â€Å"Dance Matters† was absolutely amazing. Walking into the theater I wasn’t quite sure of what to expect and was really excited to see the show. I got even more excited seeing that this performance was directed by my professor. There were four parts in the performance. Also, each of them had its own story and full of meaning. I was surprised and learned from the performance. I appreciated to have a chance seeing this amazing show. There was one part of the performance that attracted me a lot. When the curtain was rose, I saw dancers sitting on the chairs with their hands covering their faces expect the girl who was expressing herself. The voice was strong and full of passion which grabbed my full of attention. Through her strong beautiful voice, I felt her. She had so many stories to tell. Moreover, the strong feeling was turned into the movements. All dancers started moving their bodies with energies. All of their extensions and turns and leaps were perfect and they were all in sync. I noticed one thing that we learned in class, they constantly kept their bodies flowing and moving. Every movement connected to another one. Everyone danced to their full potential, there was no lagging from the dancers. I was very impressed and enjoy watching this performance. It was perfect that all the dancers were full of energies and every movement was perfectly presented. Generally, it was an amazing performance. Somehow, â€Å"Fragmented† was my favorite part in this performance.

timeline :: essays research papers

1945 Vannevar Bush writes an article in Atlantic Monthly about a photo-electrical-mechanical device called a Memex, for memory extension, which could make and follow links between documents on microfiche 1957 USSR launches Sputnik, first artificial earth satellite. In response, US forms the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA), the following year, within the Department of Defense (DoD) to establish US lead in science and technology applicable to the military (:amk:) 1958 In response, U.S. forms the ARPA within the Department of Defense (DoD) to establish US lead in science and technology applicable to the military. 1960s Doug Engelbart prototypes an "oNLine System" (NLS) which does hypertext browsing editing, email, and so on. He invents the mouse for this purpose. 1967 Andy van Dam and others build the Hypertext Editing System and FRESS. 1969 ARPA (Advanced Research Projects Agency) goes online in December, connecting four major U.S. universities. Designed for research, education, and government organizations, it provides a communications network linking the country in the event that a military attack destroys conventional communications systems. 1972 ARPANET a worldwide network created in the 1960s that was maintained by the US Department of Defense to facilitate communications btwn research facilities and universities. April 1972: Telnet is born. July 1972: The first Internet email message is sent and the beloved @ symbol is born 1973 -- Global Networking becomes a reality  · First international connections to the ARPANET: University College of London (England) and Royal Radar Establishment (Norway)  · Ethernet outlined -- this how local networks are basically connected today.  · Internet ideas started.  · Gateway architecture sketched on back of envelope in hotel lobby in San Francisco. Gateways define how large networks (maybe of different architecture) can be connected together. February 1973: FTP is born 1976-AT&T Bell Labs developed Unix-to-Unix Copy Protocol (UUCP). 1977 -- E-mail takes off, Internet becomes a reality  · Number of hosts breaks 100.  · THEORYNET provides electronic mail to over 100 researchers in computer science (using a locally developed E-mail system and TELENET for access to server).  · Mail specification  · First demonstration of ARPANET/Packet Radio Net/SATNET operation of Internet protocols over gateways. April 1979: Emoticons/Smileys :-) are born. 1979: USENET (newsgroups) is established, along with the first MUD (Multi-User Dungeon). 1979 -- News Groups born  · Computer Science Department research computer network established in USA. USENET established using UUCP. October 1980: The first virus attacks! 1980 ARPANET grinds to a complete halt on 27 October because of an accidentally-propagated status-message virus

Health and Social Care Act Essay

Legislation: Health and Social Care Act; the Medicines Act and The Misuse of Drugs Act. Guidelines could include the Nursing Midwifery Guidelines for the management of medicine administration – registered nurses have to abide by this set of guidelines and for paid carers, the General Social Care Council’s Code of Conduct will have something which could relate to medication. Policy – for example – consider the Government’s drive to ensure people with dementia are not over medicated – so their policy is currently designed to ‘push’ the professionals responsible for prescribing to bear in mind the effect of drugs on frail elderly people and to consider alternative treatments such as activities and therapies. Other examples of policy might be the Government’s drive to limit the prescribing of antibiotics to reduce the incidence of resistant strains of bacteria. Protocols – a protocol is a procedure and you could outline your company’s procedure (protocol) for disposing of controlled drugs or medication in general. 2- Know about common types of medication and their use. Antibiotics- The most common side effects of antibiotics affect the digestive system. These occur in around 1 in 10 people. Side effects of antibiotics that affect the digestive system include: being sick feeling sick diarrhea bloating and indigestion abdominal pain loss of appetite Ibuprofen- Ibuprofen can cause a number of side effects. For this reason, take lowest possible dose of ibuprofen for the shortest possible time needed to control your symptoms. Common side effects of ibuprofen include: nausea (feeling sick) vomiting (being sick) diarrhoea (passing loose, watery stools) indigestion (dyspepsia) abdominal (tummy) pain Antihistamine- Common side effects of first-generation antihistamines include: drowsiness impaired thinking dry mouth dizziness constipation blurred vision an inability to fully empty the bladder (urinary retention) Drugs like insulin (blood has to be taken from a pinprick so that glucose can be measured before the insulin can be given); warfarin to thin the blood – again blood levels must be checked regularly; digoxin to slow and steady the heart (pulse should be checked prior to administration and advice taken if the pulse dips below 60 beats per minute) Common adverse reactions might be diarrhoea (some antibiotics for example); skin rashes; nausea – through to serious adverse reactions such as anaphylactic shock (facial swelling, blistering of the skin, wheezing and hives) leading to total system collapse and (if not treated with adrenalin) death. The different routes of medication administration are orally, injection/intravenous, creams, and liquids. 3- Understand procedure and techniques for the administration of medication. The required information from prescriptions and medication administration charts are medication name, the name of the person the mediation is prescribed f or, dosage, frequency/PRN and medication strength. 4- Prepare for the administration of medication. Standard precautions for infection control would be hand washing, ppe for  example gloves and aprons etc. In a structured health care setting, medication would be administered to the patient or resident or client by a nurse, such as an RN or LPN – whoever was assigned to be the med nurse. In other facilities, medication is administered by persons with med cert’s (certification training to administer meds). It’s a very specific, precise duty. Meds are secured in locked rooms, areas, and carts. No one is allowed access except the med nurse or scheduled med cert. (person). Meds have to be administered in the correct dosage, which can only be according to a doctor’s prescription. Dosage cannot be altered unless a doctor alters or updates the Rx. The person administering the meds must observe the person they administer them to and ensure that they took them. Pocketing meds (in the cheek), or refusing meds are handled according to the person’s meds and orders. Sometimes it is marked as declined / refused meds. Sometimes, it is documented that they did not swa llow it initially and had to be encouraged, etc. or whatever happened according to the facilities guidelines. Meds are always, and must be, administered and documented accurately when they are administered (contemporaneously). Meds are prescribed to be given sometimes at certain intervals. If the med is a few minutes late, no one is to assume that it was already administered, and skip it. Likewise, if it is offered a little early and that is appropriate according to the order, the med, or the patient request, etc. and it is not documented correctly and contemporaneously, and a second dose is administered, assuming it is on time, and assuming falsely that it was not recently administered (upon request or whatever the circumstances were), then the patient would have been given an incorrect dosage, more than they were prescribed. You know that with some meds, that could be very a very serious overdose, sometimes terminal. They do try to put many checks and balances in place to prevent as much human error as possible, but it can happen. The consequences are usually pretty severe. A med cert would automatically lose their med certification, and they would be disciplined up to, and including, termination. With a licensed nurse, I’m not as sure of the procedure, but I’m fairly certain it would definitely include reporting the med error or  abuse, suspension without pay, an internal (or perhaps external) investigation, and disciplinary actions up to and including termination. Also, unauthorized access and theft of prescription medications – whether by the assigned med nurse, or an outside party, would automatically involve criminal charges. And of course, criminal charges are always a possibility in the other two scenarios I presented above for med certs and nurses, depending on the laws, the circumstances, and the outcome of the investigations. Like I said, very serious consequences. And it’s not like someone could just take a med and it could go unnoticed. med admin documentation is reviewed / audited at least daily, if not more often, and if someone was suspected of confiscating meds, such as narcotics, the building, in some agencies would go into lock-d own and staff could / would be subjected to a search.

How people survive the work place political jungle Essay

Distinguish between positive and negative corporate politics and explain how these can influence employment engagement. The essay will seek to distinguish between positive and negative corporate politics. The writer will start by defining corporate politics in trying to have an understanding of corporate politics and how it influence employee engagement Kakabadse (1983) cited by Armstrong defines politics as ‘a process, that of influencing individuals and groups of people to your point of view, where you cannot rely on authority’. Organizations consist of individuals who, while they are ostensibly there to achieve a common purpose, are, at the same time, driven by their own needs to achieve their own goals (Armstrong, 2009). There is significant difference between corporate politics and negative corporate politics. This can seen from the effect the two have on employee engagement and the purpose of the individual that is to say positive corporate politics is done as tool mainly by management and supervisors to try and influence other staff so as to meet organisational goals. Positive corporate politics is normal done to the benefit of the organisation as a whole. On the other hand negative corporate politics is self fulfilling – it is aimed achieving self interests and in most cases it is against organisational goals Positive corporate politics include the process of influencing individual endeavour and ambition to the common good. Some individuals genuinely believe that using political means to achieve their goals will benefit the organization as well as themselves. Positive corporate politics can thus illustrated in the following case; Mrs Takuta is the Personnel at ZTRD Development Bank and is deputised by Taurai who she went to the same University and the two were in the same class. Taurai was more intelligent than his supervisor and because of the relation between the two, Mrs Takuta always find it difficult to give Taurai orders and in extreme situations taurai will challenge his boss. In the quest to have work done through her junior, Mrs T akuta will use the following statement â€Å"the HR Manager wants the report done by the end of the day†. Mrs Takuta would use the HR Manager’s authority to influence Taurai to perform his duties. To the same effect, Positive corporate politics can increase efficiency, form interpersonal relationships, expedite change, and profit the organization and its members simultaneously. This can be achieved if those in power are able to use their power to influence members of staff to this effect. Thus  positive corporate politics would also include the different powers vested in them to influence positive employee engagement and increase in productivity. Management can give their employees the power to make decisions about their jobs – flexible autonomy, reward for good performance among others. Positive corporate politics involves action by individuals or groups to acquire develop and use power and other resources in order to obtain preferred outcomes (Hellriegel, Slocum and Woodman, 1995) Armstrong (2009) defines power as the capacity to secure the dominance of one’s goa ls or value over others. Individuals and managers can thus influence directly and indirectly using the various types of powers. French and Raven (1959) cited by Armstrong identified the four different types of powers that can be used to influence other employees and the power are; reward power, coercive power, expert power and legitimate power. Reward power is when individuals and managers use the reward power to influence or obtain compliance from subordinates by promising or granting rewards that includes salary increase, bonuses or even promotions. It is the management who normal use this power positively to achieve company goals. Coercive power is used to obtain compliance through threats of punishment and actual punishment. For example promising to fire an employee if they use company vehicles for personal use. The ability to influence others with the power anchored in one’s formal position of authority thus the legitimate power. Individuals can use their legitimate positions of authority to get things done through others. Legitimate power focuses constructively on job performance. Expert power is when individuals have influence because of the valueable information or knowledge they posses. The supervisor’s power is enhanced because they know about work schedules and assignments before their subordinates. Corporate politics involves struggles between social entities for resources, personal conflict and a variety of influence tactics executed by individuals and groups to obtain benefits and goals in different ways (Molm 1997) cited by Vigoda, (2000). Molm’s view of corporate politics would to a greater extent reflect negative corporate politics. Ferris, Russ, and Fundt, (1989) cited by Vigoda (2000) defines negative corporate politics as behaviour strategically designed to maximise self interests. Corporate politics can contradict the collective organisational goals or the interests of other people. Medison etal 1980) cited by Vigoda, (2000) observed that when  individuals were asked to describe work place politics they would list self serving and manipulative activities. It can then be understood that negative corporate benefits individuals at the expense of the entire organisation or a work unit. The behaviour is thus associated with manipulation, defamation, subversiveness and illegitimate use of power to attain one’s objectives. Corporate politics can then lead to job anxiety, decrease job satisfaction, and withdrawal from the organisation. Dorory (1993) cited by Vigoda, (2000) found that corporate politics has a potential demaging effect especially on lower status employees. He speculated that employees who lacked a stable power base and effective means of influencing perceived organisational politics as a source of frastiration and react by showing negative attitude towards the organisation. Employees can feel isolated and unhappy if they are not part of a cohesive team or if they are bedevilled by disruptive power politics. In conclusion, one can therefore generalise that positive corporate politics reinforces employee engagement. Employees tend to put more effort either because they expect a reward or have been promised reward for such performance. That is to say employees can be influenced by the reward power. Employees work hard or do not do unwanted behaviours to avoid punishment. in most cases, employees will also give respect to those in authority thus the legitimate power. However, on the other hand, employee will not perform as expected thats negative engagement which can be caused by negative corporate politics. Using case studies, discuss how people within an organisation can use political tactics to survive the corporate political jungle? Individuals within an organisation which can be likened to a political jungle act out roles in efforts to establish identities they wish to convey, and which can result in personal gain. It should also be noted that people alter the image they choose to present, and the strategy used to present this image, based on the situation they are in and the outcomes they hope to achieve that is how they intend to survive (Chad etal 2003). To this effect, it is important to note that individuals do not necessarily use the same tactic in every situation. Likewise, different individuals may choose different tactics when faced with similar situations. For example, whereas one individual may use self-promotion to obtain a job offer, that same individual may use  ingratiation or rationality in an attempt to obtain a promotion or pay raise. On the other hand, another individual, when faced with the same situation, may use ingratiation to obtain a job offer and assertiveness or self-promotion to win a pay raise. Different individuals may use a number of contextual factors which influence tactics an individual chooses to use, under what circumstances he or she chooses to use them, and how effective the tactic of choice will be. Such factors include the relative power of the parties, the direction of the influence attempt, the objective of the influence attempt, and the political skill of the influencer (Falbe & Yukl, 1992; Ferris, Perrewe, Anthony, & Gilmore, 2000) cited by Chad etal (2003). Buelens etal (2011) also subscribe to the same tactics as identified by Appelbaum and Brent (1998). He pointed out that individuals would use different tactics to get influence within an organisation or rather to get favours and promotions from their bosses. It is however believed that political behaviour is far less common and less intense among employees in lower-level positions than among employees in higher-level positions. There are a variety of political tactics used by employees at almost every organizational level that include forming coalitions and networks, impression management, information management, pursue line responsibility , ingratiation , rational persuasion, consultation and exchange Appelbaum and Brent (1998) . Forming coalitions and networks best known as networking, is a political tactic which consists of befriending important people. These people may not be in positions of any obvious political value but their jobs may provide them with information that could be useful to have. Some people ï ¬ nd that forming friendships with people in upper-level management can help them gain access to important information (Appelbaum and Brent (1998). The above can be illustrated in the following case: Zikanda was a messenger a t RIT Energy. Despite the fact that Zikanda was just a messenger, other senior employees would always give him respect and at most times conform to his needs and favours. For many years in the same organisation, I never realised why even middle level managers would actually conform to unreasonable demands of a mere messenger. Zikanda would take the pool car home as and when he feel like and no one would question that and worse of other senior employee would commute or even ask for transport from him. I later realised that his power or influence was because of his relationship with the General  Manager. Zikanda was no relative with the boss but has managed to form a network with the General Manager they were friends. Zikanda every lunch time would go to the General Manager’s office ask him what he want for lunch. It was Zikanda’s job to be sent to buy him lunch however it was the way the whole thing was done, he would at times buy him lunch with his own monies. The General Manager and Zikanda were just friends they were just too close. Other employees were not comfortable with this relation there were not sure what information the two buddies share. Zikanda has managed to make a network with the General Manager. Impression management is a simple tactic that most people uses from time to time is the management of their outward appearance and style in the quest of trying to impress those in authority. Generally, most organizations prefer a particular image that consists of being loyal, attentive, honest, neatly groomed and sociable. By deliberately trying to exhibit this preferred image, an individual can make a positive impression on inï ¬â€šuential members of the organization. As illustrated in the case of Transport officer who has turned himself to driver. Nhetuka is a transport officer at ZBM Company. Mr Nhetuka has turned himself into a driver in trying to impress management. Nhetuka is always driving managers when he is supposed to delegate drivers to drive managers around. Not only that he takes the Area Manager’s son to and from school a job which is supposed to be done by company driver. Information management is a tactic consisting of managing the information that is shared with others. The nature, as well as the timing, of information given out can have strong effects on others’ conduct (Appelbaum and Brent (1998). People who play the information management game are not likely to lie or spread misinformation, but they rely on the carefully planned release of valid information to obtain their ends (Vecchio and Appelbaum, 1995, p. 323) cited by Appelbaum and Brent (1998). An example can be given of a personnel Clerk who by virtue of his job has access to very important information to include how people can get access to loans among others. The person having such a position can sort respect and influence to the extent that he is able to make people lower themselves to get that information. In a political jungle despite the fact that this information should be given to all employees, one can choose to with hold the information for his own benefit. Pursuing core business within an organization, some positions are more closely tied to the primary  mission of the organization thus the line positions. They are at the very heart of the organization. While staff people may come to wield great power within their own territories, it is the people who do core business who usually â€Å"call the shots† on major issues. Core staff not only makes the more important decisions within the organization, they are also more likely to be promoted to top-level exe cutive positions. In many organizations, there is a preferred department of origin and career path for top- level managers. Therefore, one way to gain inï ¬â€šuence within an organization is to be assigned to a core position. It will often provide more visibility, inï ¬â€šuence, and upward mobility. A case to support the effect of core position for influence in the in an organisation; Takunda was an administration clerk ZETDC an organisation whose core business is to transmit and distribute electricity. He worked very hard for ten years furthering his qualification hoping that one day he will be promoted and be given a higher grade but nothing cane his way. ZETDC would on get people with 5 ‘O’ Level train them as electricians and give them good grades despite that they only posses a Certificate in Electrical power engineering. Takunda then decided to change the career and started a programme at the Polytechnic were he attained a Certificate in Electrical Power Engineering. And it was only then Takunda was recognised and promoted. ‘Ingratiation tactic involves giving compliments or doing favours for superiors or co-workers. Most people have a difficult time rejecting the positive advances of others. Ingratiation usually works as a tactic insofar as the target often feels positive toward the source even if the ingratiation attempt is fairly blatant and transparent. In the behavioural sciences, the notion of â€Å"social reciprocity† has been offered to help explain the process of ingratiation. In social reciprocity, there is a feeling of a social obligation to repay the positive actions of others with similar actions’ Appelbaum and Brent (1998). Appelbaum and Brent, (1998) defines ingratiation as an attempt by individuals to increase their attractiveness in the eyes of others. Ingratiation tends to be used more as an upward inï ¬â€šuence process than as a downward inï ¬â€šuence process. This tactic can best be observed when especial when one has a female boss how often do we pass complements to our female bosses, â€Å"nice hair style†, â€Å"nice dress† even if we don’t mean it. It is a political game most of us play to survive hash judgement from our bosses. In case of a Human resources clerk who  was left acting as Human Resources Officer. During the absence of his boss, Sipiwe was supposed to employ a Customer Care Clerk on a contract basis. Sipiwe knew that his boss’s daughter was unemployed and Sipiwe took this opportunity to employee the boss’s daughter without even consulting the boss. It was later discovered that Sipiwe did this because she had a boyfriend who was out of employment. Sipiwe calculated and realised that it would be easy for her to convince the boss to employ her boyfriend since she has employed the boss’s daughter. In a game of politics one has to be clever and calculative and be able to use politic al tactics to your best advantage. The case above illustrates a tactic called exchange. REFERENCE LIST Appelbaum, S..H. and Hughes, B. (1998) Ingratiation as a political tactic: Effects within the organisation; Journal of Management Decision Vol 36/2 Armstrong, M. (2009) Armstrong’s handbook of human resources management Practice; London, Kogan Pages. Buelens, M. etal (2011) Organisational Behaviour; Berkshire,McGrall- Hill Chad, A. etal (2003) Influence tactics and work outcomes; Journal of Organisational Behaviour Vol 24 No 1. Hellriegal, D. , Slocum, W. J. Jr. and Woodman, R. W. (1995), Organisational Behaviour;New York, West Publishing Company. Vigoda, E. (2000), Organisational Politics, Job attitudes and work outcomes: Exploration and implications for the Public Sector, Journal of Vocational Behaviour Vol 57. MIDLANDS STATE UNIVERSITY FACULT OF SOCIAL SCIENCES BSC HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT HONOURS DEGRE ORGANISATIONAL BEHAVIOUR [HRM 202] Assignment Cover Page Surname : NcubeName: Innocent Taurai Reg. Number: R135973GMode of Entry: VISITING Level 2.1 Lecturer: Mrs. Masitara Topic/Question: Distinguish between positive and negative corporate politics and explain how these can influence employment engagement. Using case studies, discuss how people within an organisation can use political tactics to survive the corporate political jungle?

How to structure a winning executive summary for your bid

How to structure a winning executive summary for your bid How to write a winning executive summary for your bid The executive summary of your bid, tender or proposal is the most important part of the entire document. And how you structure your executive summary is key to how well it works. However well-written the rest of your bid or sales proposal is, many people will only have the time (or motivation) to read the executive summary. More than this, these readers will often be key decision-makers. This could be a problem, as often this crucial section ends up being something of an afterthought: a few paragraphs or pages that get dashed off when the author is already exhausted from writing the real proposal. And doing that could be a costly mistake. So how do you summarise a carefully argued document – which can sometimes run to dozens of pages – into a one or two page executive summary? The secret is to keep one idea in mind: Your executive summary is a journey. Your executive summary is like a miniature version of your entire bid or proposal. Like your bid or proposal, its a way of guiding your client from where they are now to where they need to be – and making it clear why they need your help in getting there. This article will walk you through each stage of this journey, so that by the end youll know how to write executive summaries that give your bid the best possible chance of winning. Situation First things first: you need to start your summary somewhere safe and non-controversial. Begin with where your prospect is now, giving a summary of their present situation. Dont be contentious – its important to begin from a place of consensus between you and your prospect. Why things must change After outlining your clients position, you need to make it clear you understand why things need to change. Ask yourself: Why did your client put this out to bid or tender in the first place? An organisation issues an ITT or RFP because they have a particular set of problems to address or important needs to be met. Now is your chance to convincingly show you really understand them and can sum them up clearly. Research is key to really nailing this part of the summary. Dont skip it. Theres no way to effectively understand how your client sees their problems without going out and learning more about them. Learn everything you can about the prospects problems as they understand them. You want to be writing about the problem in their terms, using their language, so you can show you understand the problem exactly as they do. If you or one of your colleagues knows the client (such as someone else in sales or account management), talk to them to learn more. If you have any emails where the client has talked about their problems and challenges, read them. And if you have an opportunity to talk to the client yourself, take it. What your proposed solution is Next comes your proposal. This will outline how your solution can solve the problems your prospect faces. The most important ideas to include here are win themes – the areas that youve identified as being the most important things to communicate to your client. Should you emphasise that you are the most experienced provider? The cheapest? The most secure? Do you offer an approach to the solution that will particularly resonate with your client? Use what you think they regard as most important to guide you on this: dont assume or just stress what youre proud of. When youre highlighting win themes, make sure to back them up with something concrete. To take our example proposal (below), we dont just say we take a systematic approach. Instead, we talk about how we take a systematic approach, giving specific information about our writing analysis. Reassurance Its only after youve shown a clear understanding of your prospects situation that you should offer some information about your company. You want to make it clear that youre a capable organisation who can handle the problem (and that your client isnt going to regret choosing you!). Talking about your own company earlier than this point sends the message that youd sooner talk about yourself than explain your solution to your prospect. Indeed, its a very common mistake to talk too much about your own company and not much about your client. To avoid it, try this rule of thumb: if youve mentioned your own company more than youve mentioned your client, you need to go back and check if youre really making your bid or proposal about your clients needs (and not about how great your organisation is). What it looks like in practice: example executive summary You can download an example of an executive summary and see this structure in practice here. And if youd like to see it in action on your own bids or proposals, check out our Bid, tender and sales-proposal writing course for individuals and for teams. Style But how can you condense dozens of pages into one or two? First, youll need to ensure your written style is clear and concise. Have a look at our articles on keeping it short and simple and using the active voice for more. You can also cut down on space by using bullet points, or if you have a particularly compelling graphic, you can use that too. Getting it right The executive summary is the part of your bid or proposal that most readers will read – and it could be the only part that key decision-makers look at. It can take time to distil everything down into a few pages. But get it right and youll take your reader on a simple, persuasive journey through your arguments – a journey which has the best possible chance of ending in your bid getting the thumbs up. 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All About Glosses, or Brief Definitions

All About Glosses, or Brief Definitions All About Glosses, or Brief Definitions All About Glosses, or Brief Definitions By Mark Nichol One of my pet peeves as an editor (and editors are notoriously peevish, and we only become more so with experience) is the presentation of glosses. A gloss, in language, is a brief definition or explanation of an unfamiliar term or concept. (The previous sentence includes a gloss of the word gloss, though a fairly long one; they often consist of a single word, or several at most.) Two of the more familiar definitions of gloss as a noun can be described as â€Å"a concealment of truth† (virtually antonymic to the meaning under discussion here) and â€Å"an act of putting a positive spin on something,† which is related to the connotation of deceit; the sense of gloss as â€Å"explanation,† however, is more akin to the idea of providing a sheen with a clear view to what’s underneath, as in â€Å"lip gloss† or â€Å"high-gloss paint.† One problem with language glosses is that they invite the use of scare quotes, or gratuitous quotation marks that frame a word or phrase to provide emphasis. (That last phrase is a gloss of â€Å"scare quotes.† Also, understand that the quotes here, in turn, are not scare quotes but, rather, valid markers of a phrase I want to call out for attention, like a word italicized to emphasize that the word itself, not the thing, is under discussion.) Note the unnecessary use of scare quotes in the following sentence (formatted as single quotation marks because the sample sentence is framed in double quotes): â€Å"The trend of cross-border reproductive care, or ‘medical tourism,’ is popular in Europe.† But there’s another, equally egregious issue: The gloss precedes the term. In addition to omitting the scare quotes, introduce the term, then gloss it, not the other way around: â€Å"The trend of medical tourism, or cross-border reproductive care, is popular in Europe.† Scare quotes are extraneous when introducing slang, too. Look at this sentence: â€Å"I realized she was speaking Singaporean English, or ‘Singlish.’† The scare quotes are condescending, as if the writer is holding the reader’s hand, patting it, and saying, â€Å"There, there, dear. I’ll protect you from any scary words you haven’t seen before. See? There’s one up ahead right now.† And, again, why explain the term before the reader reads it? Let the reader dance on the precipice of danger for an instant: â€Å"I realized she was speaking Singlish, or Singaporean English.† Worse yet when glosses are concerned is the absence of appositive punctuation, as here: â€Å"They built the domed snow houses or igloos most people associate with Eskimos.† Never mind that igloos is not exactly an exotic term, and that the definition precedes it; the lack of internal punctuation implies that the object is â€Å"domed snow houses or (domed) igloos.† In fact, the object is â€Å"domed snow houses,† followed by the appositive term igloos. (An appositive is a term equivalent in meaning to another one, as in â€Å"the writer Melville† or â€Å"the country of Morocco† or â€Å"the runner-up, Smith.† Note that common appositives are set off from proper ones with commas only if they’re restrictive, or can apply only to a specific corresponding noun. There there’s another gloss right there.) Notice that the first two examples in this post correctly set the gloss off from the defined term with a brace of commas. The correct form of the third example follows: â€Å"They built the igloos, or domed snow houses, most people associate with Eskimos.† The bottom line: Put a shine on your glosses by placing them after the defined term and framing them within commas (or parentheses or em dashes, if either seems more appropriate). Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Writing Basics category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:How to Format a US Business Letter11 Writing Exercises to Inspire You and Strengthen Your Writing10 Tips for Clean, Clear Writing