Best Writer

This chapter introduces you to the ways in which marriage and cohabitation have influenced the formation and maintenance of varied family structures in contemporary America. Construct a discussion post that addresses the following:

Studies on cohabitation have shown that cohabitation is most pronounced among people with less education. Why do you think this is? What specific reasons might explain this? What evidence do you have to support your claim?
Some people have made the argument that cohabitation is a precursor to marriage and others suggest that cohabitation is becoming a marriage alternative. Examine Figure 8.7 and argue for either side. How does women’s level of education impact the relationship status of cohabitating couples? Speculate as to why women’s level of education may differentially impact cohabitating relationships.
Based on what you have learned in the chapter, do you believe that there is an important benefit of marriage, something that those who choose to cohabitate might miss out on? Or does cohabitation offer an important benefit that married couples miss out on? Make sure to explain your reasoning.
Main Post Guidelines

Your main post should address all points listed above.
Your main post should be at least 300 words.
Your main post should apply information from the textbook throughout your post. All applied information needs to be cited appropriately using ASA format. Click here to download my guide to citing in ASA format. Ignore the referencing part. You should only be concerned with the citing part.
Do not cite additional sources. You should only be citing your textbook.

Note: I included screenshots of the chapter we are discussing, the author, and figure 8.7. Please only cite from the chapter.

Towson University
EDUC 601

Paper on Education and International Testing

In 2010, journalist Amanda Ripley began to trace the experiences of U.S. teenagers as they participated in year-long foreign-exchange programs in Finland, South Korea, and Poland. Ripley (2013) wrote The Smartest Kids in the World as a window into systems of education around the world. In the book, she describes the central problems of U.S. public schools and poses the question, “Why were some kids learning so much and others so very little?” (Ripley, 2013, p. 2).

Read Ripley’s book and address the following items in your paper.

Summarize Ripley’s description of the education system in ONE of the following countries: 1) Finland, 2) South Korea, OR 3) Poland. What lesson might the U.S. learn from this country’s approach to schooling?
Connect the book with what we’ve learned from the 2022 PDK poll of public opinion on public education. Cite a specific poll finding that relates to a topic in the book.
EITHER
Does this book make you more or less optimistic about the quality of U.S. schools in comparison with the quality of other nations’ schools? Why or why not?
OR
Summarize and critique Ripley’s recommendations in Appendix I about identifying a world-class education.
Use the Internet to find a contemporary news article (2022 to present) about any issue raised in the book. Explain why you selected the article and how it relates to the book.
Describe a strength and a limitation of this book.

Be sure to keep the elements of critical thinking and the universal intellectual traits (see Content Section of BlackBoard for Intellectual Traits) in mind as you read and write. Also, be sure to carefully edit and proofread your work for spelling, grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure. Here are several suggestions about writing style.

Be concise.
Be precise. Avoid using the words: “very,” “a lot,” and “etc.”
Avoid contractions.
Avoid “I think that” and “I feel that” when such phrases are implied.
Use active voice rather than passive voice.

LENGTH 4 double-spaced pages

DUE 11:59pm Sunday, March 12th (upload via BlackBoard)

The Project Management Institute has three levels within project management. They are project, programs, and portfolios. Write a paper comparing and contrasting projects, programs, and portfolios and the benefits of having this within an organization.
The paper is done in APA format. The paper has to have a title page and reference page. The paper should be no more than 1000 words and no less that 750 words. The title and reference pages do not count toward the word count. The paper needs to have three (3) academic, peer reviewed references which are cited in the paper.

Scenario
Now that you have written a blog post identifying critical elements needed to support the rationale of your project, outlining specifics is key! These specifics will be used in an upcoming elevator pitch you will submit to senior management in Milestone One. Before management will approve exploring the idea for new opportunities and funding, they have key performance indicators (KPIs) you will need to address. Your goal for this assignment is to provide an outline that strongly, yet carefully, presents an argument to move your concept forward.

Prompt
Using MarketLine, Yahoo Finance, and the company’s investor relations webpage, continue your investigation of the company you selected in your Module One blog post. Specifically, look at the company’s profile, financials, and SWOT analysis.
Using speculative strategies, articulate your thoughts. Remember, success may mean revenue to a for-profit business; however, to a non-profit, it may mean a specific outcome, such as donor retention rate, social media engagement, or email open rate.
Draft a project outline that presents a prospective timeline and targeted customer segment of your project. This project outline is a precursor to Milestone One: Elevator Pitch. The KPIs you need to consider and address in your outline are:
The intended customer: Describe the intended customer or customer profile for the new product or service.
Opportunities in the market: Explain the opportunities in the market based on your research.
The financial opportunity: Assess the financial opportunity that the project presents for increasing cash flow and topline revenue.
Can it be cash flow positive and profitable? For example, Zappos donates a pair of shoes for every pair of shoes sold. This leads to profit in the long run due to good CSR and company image, but is not immediately profitable.

Your contribution will be evaluated based on the quality of the input.

Company Chosen: Walmart

Yahoo FInance: https://finance.yahoo.com/https://finance.yahoo.com/

Market Line: https://advantage-marketline-com.ezproxy.snhu.edu/HomePagehttps://advantage-marketline-com.ezproxy.snhu.edu/HomePage

(1) Consider this criticism: “A good moral theory ought to provide a way for someone to determine the right course of action. Aristotle’s theory does not do this. He assumes that upbringing is responsible for virtue, and his so-called “Doctrine of the Mean” simply tells us that the virtuous person responds and acts in accordance with the standard set by the practically wise person’s actions. Therefore, Aristotle does not have a good moral theory.”

—Critically evaluate* Aristotle’s theory of virtue in light of this criticism.

The long paper requires you to explain and critically evaluate some portion of the Ethics. To do this, you should:

(1) first give a brief introduction which puts the text in philosophical context: e.g. questions or debates about morality, happiness, and so on, and shows why this passage is of interest. (You must, of course, include a thesis statement.)

(2) next, give a reconstruction of the relevant parts of the Ethics
(3) next, critically evaluate* the argument or view as you’ve reconstructed it, by raising objections and evaluating whether Aristotle has a good response. (Only raise the strongest objections: there’s little value in showing that Aristotle can overcome a weak objection.)
(4) conclude.

* By ‘critically evaluate’ I mean test the position by raising strong criticisms and seeing how it may be defended. You may ultimately determine the criticism is correct, or that there is a good response, or come to a mixed judgment. As usual, nuance is fine but waffling is not. You should state your position clearly even if you think the truth of the matter is complex.

Several of the largest corporations in the world first started as small family-owned businesses. The strategic decisions they made as a family over the years determined their growth path.

In this course, you will complete three runs of a 30-minute business simulation. In the simulation, you will make decisions to grow an innovative and sustainable family business through several generations while balancing the relationships between the business, your family, and ownership.

For this assignment, complete your first run of the simulation. This time, as you work through the simulation and make decisions regarding diversification for the company, consider the blue ocean strategy in your approach. Then, complete and submit your journal assignment.nstructions
Several of the largest corporations in the world first started as small family-owned businesses. The strategic decisions they made as a family over the years determined their growth path.

In this course, you will complete three runs of a 30-minute business simulation. In the simulation, you will make decisions to grow an innovative and sustainable family business through several generations while balancing the relationships between the business, your family, and ownership.

For this assignment, complete your first run of the simulation. This time, as you work through the simulation and make decisions regarding diversification for the company, consider the blue ocean strategy in your approach. Then, complete and submit your journal assignment.

SIMULATION LINK: https://services.hbsp.harvard.edu/lti/links/7130-HTM-ENGhttps://services.hbsp.harvard.edu/lti/links/7130-HTM-ENG

Topic 1

As we move toward your final assignment and the end of the course, it’s time to start thinking about how you can promote your employability by using what you’ve learned from the 10 Skills. For this discussion, complete the following:
Find a job posting that you are interested in. Consider searching popular sites like O*NET or Indeed. The position should have been posted within the last 90 days.
Post a link to the listing at the top of your discussion post and briefly describe the job (15–20 words maximum).
Choose 2–3 of the 10 Skills listed below and explain how you can use them to promote yourself for the position. Make specific connections between the post and the 10 Skills.
NOTE: Concentrate on areas where the 10 Skills connect to the posting and omit education requirements, certifications, or required years of professional experience.
10 Skills:
Self and Social Awareness
Technology
Productivity
Initiative
Results Driven
Communication
Relationship Building
Problem Solving
Innovation
Agility As we move toward your final assignment and the end of the course, it’s time to start thinking about how you can promote your employability by using what you’ve learned from the 10 Skills. For this discussion, complete the following:
Find a job posting that you are interested in. Consider searching popular sites like O*NET or Indeed. The position should have been posted within the last 90 days.
Post a link to the listing at the top of your discussion post and briefly describe the job (15–20 words maximum).
Choose 2–3 of the 10 Skills listed below and explain how you can use them to promote yourself for the position. Make specific connections between the post and the 10 Skills.
NOTE: Concentrate on areas where the 10 Skills connect to the posting and omit education requirements, certifications, or required years of professional experience.
10 Skills:
Self and Social Awareness
Technology
Productivity
Initiative
Results Driven
Communication
Relationship Building
Problem Solving
Innovation
Agility .

Topic 2

This week you have an opportunity to reflect on your assignment from last week when you presented your philosophy of change.
Discuss one positive experience from completing this assignment.
Discuss one challenge during your completion of this assignment.
Did you use one of the skills from this class (problem solving, agility and innovation) to overcome that challenge? If so, explain. If not, how might you use one of these skills in the future in a similar situation?
How can reflecting on this experience benefit you personally or professionally?This week you have an opportunity to reflect on your assignment from last week when you presented your philosophy of change.
Discuss one positive experience from completing this assignment.
Discuss one challenge during your completion of this assignment.
Did you use one of the skills from this class (problem solving, agility and innovation) to overcome that challenge? If so, explain. If not, how might you use one of these skills in the future in a similar situation?
How can reflecting on this experience benefit you personally or professionally?

Topic 3

Out of the following schools of thought we covered in this course (listed below), which philosophy did you relate to the most, and why? How can you use that school of thought to help you become a better problem solver?
Existentialism (Week 2)
Epistemology (Week 3)
Rationalism (Week 4)
Ethics (Week 6)
The Socratic Method (Week 7)
Scholasticism (Week 8) Out of the following schools of thought we covered in this course (listed below), which philosophy did you relate to the most, and why? How can you use that school of thought to help you become a better problem solver?
Existentialism (Week 2)
Epistemology (Week 3)
Rationalism (Week 4)
Ethics (Week 6)
The Socratic Method (Week 7)
Scholasticism (Week 8)

For our discussion this week, please read the case study below on Pacific Gas and Electric. Then respond to the following questions:

List three outcomes PG&E should use to determine the effectiveness of the new training program?

What evaluation design should PG&E use? Support your response.

Be sure in your discussion to be creative and feel free to use the following video as further research! http://www.pgecurrents.com/2014/01/22/video-arcade-like-simulator-teaches-pge-employees-how-to-safely-operate-heavy-equipment/.

Case: Training Technicians at Pacific Gas & Electric A series of pipelines managed by Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) move natural gas across the state of California, providing a source of energy to over 4 million customers. Valve operators, equipment that automatically monitors and adjusts the pipeline pressure or gas flow, help ensure the safe flow of gas through the pipelines. Technicians need to perform scheduled maintenance on these valves to ensure they avoid over-pressuring or under-pressurizing the pipelines, which
could cause them to rupture. PG&E redesigned its current training program that focused on these valves. It did
Page 294 so because the training was instructor-led in the classroom using props, as opposed to having technicians
working with actual valves. PG&E also decided that the training did not allow the technicians enough time to practice. Finally, it was interested in reducing the number of times technicians had to redo maintenance tasks that were performed
incorrectly and the time it took to complete maintenance tasks. PG&E’s new training program uses a 3-D simulation along with instructor-led training. The simulation shows how the valve actually operates and can simulate the tasks that technicians perform such as assembling, disassembling, and cleaning the valve. Technicians can see what happens inside the valve when they make adjustments. The simulation includes a tutorial that guides the technician through the task and a test that can be used to assess whether the technician can correctly perform the task. Technicians are also able to access the simulation on their iPad when they are working on
a pipeline. What outcomes should PG&E collect to determine the effectiveness of the new training program? What evaluation design should
it use? Explain your choice of outcomes and design. Source: Based on “Training Top 125 2018 Best Practices & Outstanding Training Initiatives, Pacific Gas & Electrie: Becker Valve Operator 3-D Simulator,” training

We can look at a person like Fox Rich and think of her as “an exception to the rule,” but locally and nationally, there are men and women who struggle to maintain their families while doing prison time. In 300 words, discuss how it’s even possible for women and men like Fox and Rob Rich to hold their family together and maintain a place for a spouse within the family while a family member is incarcerated. Be sure also to address how her story connects to the issues Coates’ and the documentary Prison State raise.

Conclude your thoughts with one question that will encourage further discussion with your peers.

Be sure to respond to two of your peers’ questions.

In 250 to 500 words;

Explain what you feel are the three main causes of the increase in obesity and provide 1 strategy, as discussed in course readings, adults can use to foster healthy lifestyles in middle childhood.