The Unnatural Act of Leadership, Book Review Essay

Odilia Bergh, Peachtree City Police Department Human Resource Management and Development The Unnatural Act of Management February 26, 2013 I began this book like most books, with great anticipation that it was going to be amazing, why else would a qualified instructor assign it. I assumed that it would be a shining example of the finest managerial principals in existence all compacted into a simple to read text with plenty of graphs and helpful handouts. I was certain that I would be a more effective leader for having read it. I spent time strategizing how I would write my paper with great enthusiasm. Then, I read the book. In the first few pages I found myself so caught up with the character development that I quickly lost†¦show more content†¦I value the decision making process more now that I align myself more clearly with upper management than the mind set of line officers. As a first line supervisor I fill in the blanks when the plans and processes have been identified. I recognize the overall need to establish goals and objectives that are clear and measurable but as a first line supervisor I usually find myself making suggestions and providing raw data which is manipulated and interpreted above my position. Chapter six, I read the title and got excited, What is Management and When Are You Managing? Yes, now we are getting somewhere! I found some truth early on, kind of†¦ Stanley had the position that you learn to be a good manager by managing not by going to school. Before I was promoted years ago I had already obtained my four year degree in Business Management and Organizational Leadership so I felt somewhat prepared. Denial is a nice zip code. Within months of being promoted to Sergeant I was escorted to private meeting room by the two senior officers on my newly appointed team. Truly I don’t remember what they said, but the feeling resonates to this day. YOU KNOW NOTHING, BE QUIET, LISTEN, LEARN AND THEN MAYBE WE WILL LET YOU LEAD. I felt humbled, they had been respectful but firm and the message was clear†¦this was going to be much harder than I thought. I agree that it is very unnatural to decide to produce resultsShow MoreRelatedHree Most Pressing Issues in Organizational Behavior2696 Words   |  11 Pagesterms of the whole person, whole group, whole organization, and whole social system. Its purpose is to build better relationships by achieving human objectives, organizational objectives, and social objectives. In this paper we propose to study leadership, motivation and organizational conflict, as among the most pressing issues in organizational behavior. Further, we shall discuss how these issues can be addressed. 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Jackson Lears, New York: Pantheon Books, 1-38. Reprinted with the permission of the author. 1On or about December 1910, Virginia Woolf once said, human character changed. This hyperbole contains a kernel of truth. Around the turnRead MoreOrganisational Theory230255 Words   |  922 Pages. Organization Theory Challenges and Perspectives John McAuley, Joanne Duberley and Phil Johnson . This book is, to my knowledge, the most comprehensive and reliable guide to organisational theory currently available. What is needed is a text that will give a good idea of the breadth and complexity of this important subject, and this is precisely what McAuley, Duberley and Johnson have provided. They have done some sterling service in bringing together the very diverse strands of workRead MoreDeveloping Management Skills404131 Words   |  1617 PagesPrinciples of Management, Human Resources, Strategy, and Organizational Behavior that helps you actively study and prepare material for class. 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Culture and Substance Abuse Free Essays

The juvenile justice and the adolescent treatment systems have various linkages that can be looked at for long term sustainability. A linkage between various serving agencies is one of the most notable system linkages. As far as system linkages are concerned, building positive relationships is always existent between the two. We will write a custom essay sample on Culture and Substance Abuse or any similar topic only for you Order Now This has been done for an effective system to ensure that there are positive outcomes based on the correlation that exists (Antai-Otong, 2008, p. 17). There is a lot of appropriate supervision to ensure that juveniles and adolescents are transformed. This has been done by sharing information that can be used as time goes by to turn around both juveniles and adolescents. Cross system coordination has also existed as an important linkage that can be employed for long term sustainability. To ensure that system linkages are effective, there are a lot of community coordination links. Facilities are also a system linkage between the juvenile justice and the adolescent training system. There is no difference between juveniles and adolescents and this means that the system is linked by programs that will involve everybody (Copeman, 2003, p. 6). Another system linkage is research and practice that ensures that the needs of the juvenile justice and the adolescent training system are catered for. The legal system is also linked to ensure that cases are effectively dealt with. Question Two Treatment of substance abuse for juvenile offenders requires a lot of planning for efficiency. This means that there are a lot of clinical and programmati c issues that are involved in planning for treatment. Direct inquiries are made in relation to the treatment that will be offered to ensure that everything is well planned for. Design controlled clinical treatment is another aspect that is done in advance to ensure that juvenile offenders are attended to in specific reference to their problem. Everything needs to be designed from the beginning to ensure that there will be efficiency in treatment for juvenile offenders (Siegel, 2005, p. 19). An upward bound program is designed as far as clinical and programmatic issues are concerned to ensure that there is proper planning. Some of these aspects might include a counseling program that is always effective in ensuring that uveniles who have been abusing drugs are recovering well. Treatment planning is an issue that needs to be put into consideration with an aim of placing good guidelines that will guide the whole process. Before a placement plan is developed, there is need to do a behavioral observation on juveniles. This is because there might be some behavioral problems that might make it impossible to achieve effective treatment (Rang, 2003, p. 34). Juvenile offenders are supposed to be grouped in relation to their substance abuse needs and this is another issue as far as planning for treatment is concerned. Question Three Supportive programs and services are some of the factors that have been used to engage hard to reach adolescent populations. This is because some of these populations are always violent meaning that they are supposed to be approached cautiously. Voluntary counseling is a good approach to reach hard to find adolescent populations (Sullivan, 2001, p. 47). This ensures that they are positively influenced without creating any problem in relation to their general well being and welfare. Identification of specific characteristics in a given population is another factor that has always been used to engage hard to reach adolescents. As a matter of fact, identification of challenges is very important to ensure that a good program is designed for long term sustainability. Conclusion It is undeniable that drugs and substance abuse have become a very important element of youth culture as time goes by. In this case, the abuse of drugs has become a normal trend among the youths thereby forming a culture amongst them. This means that drugs give youths an identity from the rest who do not use drugs. All this withstanding, drugs will continue to play an integral part in youth culture (Copeman, 2003, p. 31). This is because they consider it as a normal thing and aspect of their lives. As a matter of fact, young guys who attend parties consider drugs as a must have. There are youths who are experimenting with drugs to fit in a given group and this could be because of peer pressure. This is what they consider as culture but it has occasionally led to substance abuse in the long run. How to cite Culture and Substance Abuse, Papers

lovw Essays - Love, Interpersonal Relationships, Emotions

Love relationships are similar to a seesaw, as the seesaw tips according to the persons sitting on the two sides, a love relationship can also lean according to the mentality of the couple in the said relationship. Passage 1 and Passage 2 both depict situations with love relationships that have varying passions, intensity, and dilemmas. Passage 1 and Passage 2 establish a controlling idea that love?s various obstacles and hindrances can occur by the individuals in the relationship or by outside forces affecting the relationships. Passage 1 introduces the idea that the crisis of death can occur during a relationship. Passage 1 describes the relationship between two lovers. When the woman in the relationship dies the man is left to mourn over the death of his lover. This death profoundly affects the man and his ability to live without his love. This is evident when the speaker, in stanza 5, states the hyperbole ?And neither the angels in heaven above, Nor the demons down under the sea, Can ever dissever my soul from the soul Of the beautiful Annabel Lee.? These thoughts and feelings of mourning due to the death of the woman thus create the obstruction that may transpire in a relationship. As to solving this dilemma the man in the relationship decides to lie side by side next to his deceased lover. Passage 2 incorporates the idea of an obstacle during a relationship, however not in the form of death. Passage 2 describes a situation where a woman asks a man, presumably her father, to tell her about times when she was a child. In the story a couple is described to be in love and wanting to be together. One obstacle the couple faces is, having to survive in the lower floor of a dentist?s office with a young child, who is the woman listening to this story. This is only a minor problem the couple has to face, and in addition, this problem is faced by the couple together not by one or the other. The major problem comes up when their baby seems to be sick and the husband decides to go hunting early in the morning. The wife is upset at the husband and questions his role in the relationship. This shows the obstacle in this relationship. Specifically the obstacle faced is that of desire versus responsibility. The husband wants to go and hunt with his friend Carl but needs to fulfill his role as a father and take care of the child. After the development of the dilemma the husband decides to be proactive and stays home to help his wife and his child. Passage 1 and Passage 2 both establish a controlling idea that love relationships are affected with problems and dilemmas by the individuals in the relationships and possibly by outside forces that influence the progress of the relationship. Passage 1 introduces the outside manipulation and influence on a relationship when Annabel Lee dies leaving her lover to mourn and his denial to part with her. Her death is the dilemma that affects this relationship. Passage 2 incorporates the idea of problems within a relationship when the husband has to choose between his desires and his responsibility towards his family. This shows the internal obstacle present in the family. Love relationships are complex in the fact that various factors influence the progress and development of them.

Free Essays on Adolf

Hitler's Speech at the Berlin Sports Palace (January 30, 1941) ________________________________________ My German countrymen, men and women, (long pause) Changes of Government have occurred frequently in history, and in the history of our people. It is certain, however, that never was a change of Government attended with such far-reaching results as that eight years ago. At that time the situation of the Reich was desperate. We were called upon to take over the leadership of the nation at a moment when it did not seem to develop towards a great rise. We were given power in circumstances of the greatest conceivable pressure, the pressure of the knowledge that, by itself, everything was lost, and that, in the eyes of the noblest minds, this represented a last attempt, while in the eyes of evil-wishers it should condemn the National-Socialist Movement to final failure. Unless the German nation could be saved, by a miracle, the situation was bound to end in disaster. For during a period of 15 years, events had moved downwards without respite. On the other hand, this situation was only the result of the World War: of the outcome of the World War, of our own internal, political, moral, and military collapse. For these reasons it is particularly important on a day like this to think back to the course of that entire national misfortune. What was the cause of the World War? I do not want to explain it from the personal aspect, about which so many treatises have been written. Ordered by the present President Roosevelt, American scholars have investigated the cause of the World War and made sure that there could be no German guilt. In moments of so great importance in contemporary history, individuals can play a significant part only if they enter the scene as really outstanding personalities. This was not then the case. Neither on the German nor on the other side were there personalities cast in an unusual mould. The cause, therefore, could ... Free Essays on Adolf Free Essays on Adolf Hitler's Speech at the Berlin Sports Palace (January 30, 1941) ________________________________________ My German countrymen, men and women, (long pause) Changes of Government have occurred frequently in history, and in the history of our people. It is certain, however, that never was a change of Government attended with such far-reaching results as that eight years ago. At that time the situation of the Reich was desperate. We were called upon to take over the leadership of the nation at a moment when it did not seem to develop towards a great rise. We were given power in circumstances of the greatest conceivable pressure, the pressure of the knowledge that, by itself, everything was lost, and that, in the eyes of the noblest minds, this represented a last attempt, while in the eyes of evil-wishers it should condemn the National-Socialist Movement to final failure. Unless the German nation could be saved, by a miracle, the situation was bound to end in disaster. For during a period of 15 years, events had moved downwards without respite. On the other hand, this situation was only the result of the World War: of the outcome of the World War, of our own internal, political, moral, and military collapse. For these reasons it is particularly important on a day like this to think back to the course of that entire national misfortune. What was the cause of the World War? I do not want to explain it from the personal aspect, about which so many treatises have been written. Ordered by the present President Roosevelt, American scholars have investigated the cause of the World War and made sure that there could be no German guilt. In moments of so great importance in contemporary history, individuals can play a significant part only if they enter the scene as really outstanding personalities. This was not then the case. Neither on the German nor on the other side were there personalities cast in an unusual mould. The cause, therefore, could ... Free Essays on Adolf ADOLF HITLER 1. THE BEGINNING At half past six on the evening of April 20th, 1889 a child was born in the small town of Branau, Austria. The name of the child was Adolf Hitler. He was the son a Customs official Alois Hitler, and his third wife Klara. As a young boy Adolf attendated church regulary and sang in the local choir. One day he carved a symbol into the bench which resembled the Swastika he later used as the symbol of the Nazi party. He was a pretty good student. He received good marks in most of his classes. However in his last year of school he failed German and Mathematics, and only succeeded in Gym and Drawing. He drooped out of school at the age of 16, spending a total of 10 years in school. From childhood one it was his dream to become an artist or architect. He was not a bad artist, as his surviving paintings and drawings show but he never showed any originality or creative imagination. To fullfil his dream he had moved to Vienna the capital of Austria where the Academ y of arts was located. He failed the first time he tried to get admission and in the next year, 1907 he tried again and was very sure of success. To his surprise he failed again. In fact the Dean of the academy was not very impressed with his performance, and gave him a really hard time and said to him "You will never be painter." The rejection really crushed him as he now reached a dead end. He could not apply to the school of architecture as he had no high-school diploma. During the next 35 years of his live the young man never forgot the rejection he received in the dean's office that day. Many Historians like to speculate what would have happened IF.... perhaps the small town boy would have had a bit more talent....or IF the Dean had been a little less critical, the world might have been spared the nightmare into which this boy was eventually to plunge it. 2. WORLD WAR I While living in Vienna Hitler he made his living by drawing small pictures of famous...

ACT English Prep The Best Methods and Strategies

ACT English Prep The Best Methods and Strategies SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Preparing for the ACT English section can feel overwhelming. This section covers a lot of material that is often not taught in school, and the format is probably different from that of any other test you’ve taken. Even more confusing, there are a ton of differentsources forACT English prep. How do you decide which ones to use? How do you make the most efficient use of your study time? What should you do to prepare for ACT English to reach your target score? In this article, I will break down the best way to prepare for ACT English. I've arranged my tips by how important I feel they are to ACT English success, but you need to follow them all if you want to be fully prepared on test day. By following these tips, you can have a more disciplined, focused approach to your ACT prep, and you can be more confident in the methods you’re using to prepare. #1: Comprehensively Learn the Grammar Rules on the ACT Understanding the grammar rules the ACT tests isessential to doing well on the ACT English section. The ACT tests the same grammar rules repeatedly; if you can master these rules, you'll be well on your way to reaching your ACT English target score. On the PrepScholar blog, we have written articles on the grammar rules and errors that appear on the ACT. Each article provides real examples, explanations, and strategies for answering related questions: Subject-Verb Agreement Verb Tense and Forms Comma Rules Punctuation Pronoun Agreement Pronoun Case Wordiness and Redundancy Idioms Run-On Sentences/Sentence Fragments Parallelism Faulty Modifiers Adjective and Adverb Errors Relative Pronouns Word Choice/Diction Focus your studying on the rules that are most commonly tested, but ultimately you should be familiar with all the rules, especially if you're targeting a 36. Check out this article on the distribution of appearance of the grammar rules on the ACT. #2: Review the Types of Rhetorical Skills Questions and Strategies for Answering Them Many of the rhetorical skills questions differ greatly from the grammar questions, as theytest your reading comprehension andyour ability toanalyze the passage rather than your knowledge of conventions. To tackle these questions,you need to be able to identify what you're being asked and know how to find the correct answer. On the PrepScholar blog, there are articles on each type of rhetorical skills question, examples, and strategies for correctly answering each type of question. Here are links to these articles: Macro Logic Transitional Logic Relevance Add/Delete Author Main Goal Author Technique Formality Understanding the content and questions that appear on ACT English is imperative to doing well. However, if you want to prepare yourself fully, you need to repeatedly test your understanding by doing practice problems. #3: Do Tons of Practice Problems and Understand Every Mistake Doing tons of practice problems will make you more confident with the material and increase your comfort level with the unique format of the ACT English section. Make sure you keep doing practice problems consistently. Use official practice tests, when possible, because the problems on those tests are most representative of what you're likely to see on the ACT. I highly recommend you follow the advice in this post on the best sources for ACT English practice.Additionally, PrepScholar has over 1500 practice problems customized to each skill. It's important to note, however, that just doing practice problems isn't enough. Why You Need to Understand Your Mistakes Even though doing a ton of practice problems will be beneficial to your ACT English preparation, if you keep repeating the same mistakes, your score won't improve. You have to understand why you're getting questions wrong so you can address your weaknesses and continue raising your score. Students often neglect to take the necessary time to understand their mistakes and figure out how to correct them in the future. Understanding your mistakes can be more difficult than just doing practice problems, but it's an extremely important step in the preparation process. How to Understand Your Mistakes Fully understanding your mistakes takes time and effort. Here is the process I recommend you use to comprehend why you made each mistake and know how to improve your deficiencies. This process is somewhat rigorous, but it's the best way to prepare for ACT English. On every practice test andproblem set you do, circleevery question onwhichyou're even 20% unsure what the answer is. When you grade your test or quiz, carefully review eachquestion you circledor answered incorrectly. This way you'll be reviewing bothyour missed questions and the questions that you got right by guessing. On your computer or in a notebook, write down the gist of the question, why you missed it, and what you'll do to avoid that mistake in the future. Create different sections for each grammar rule and type of rhetorical skills question. Try to determine why you got questions wrong on your own. However, if you're having trouble figuring out why you made mistakes, the ACT website has a test with explanations and The Real ACT Prep Guide has 5 tests with explanations. Take notes on what you specifically missed and how to improve in the future. Be as thorough and specific as possible. For example, don't just write that you missed a comma question. Did you add a comma unnecessarily? Did you forget that you should put a comma before and after an appositive phrase? What resources will you use to learn this rule and ensure that you don't make the same mistake again? Also, don't just take notes on your content issues. Write down any information about your careless errors and what steps you'll take to prevent repeating them. Did you forget to read the whole sentence? Do you need to look at the answer choices more closely? You want to really dig into why you're missing questions and focus on specific ways to improve. #4: Identify Your Weaknesses and Drill Them As long asyou do a thorough job of categorizing your missed questions, you should be able to easily determineyour weaknesses. Spendadditional time practicing the areas in whichyou're struggling. Maybe there's a specific grammar rule like pronoun agreement or parallelism that's causing you difficulties. Maybe you struggle with a specific type of rhetorical skills question like author main goal or macro logic questions. Do extra content review and practice problems related to those types of questions. We thinkPrepScholar is a great resource for this type of practice because it's designed to customize your ACT prep to focus on your weaknesses.If you'd prefer to try something else, the best ACT prep books and websitesalso have real and realistic practice problems for each type of ACT English question. Additionally, you should continue reviewing all the questions you missed and marked. Focus your studying on the areas where you're having problems. If you spend the majority of your time practicing stuff you already know, you're not using your time effectively. #5: Determine If You Have a Time Management Issue and, If So, Address It How to Determine if You Have Time Management Issues Find an official ACT and take the ACT English section. Use a timer and treat it like a real test. If time runs out and you're not finished, keep going,but for every new answer or answer you change after the allottedtime, mark it with a note as "Extra Time." Grade your test, but we want two scores: 1) The Realistic score you got under normal testing conditions and 2) The Extra Time score. If the difference is more than 4 raw points, then you need to address your time management issues. How to Fix Time Management Issues Generally, time management improves as you become more familiar and confident with the content. If time management is a lingering issue, you may have to change how you approach ACT English passages. Also, you may need to monitor your time spent per question. Easier grammar questions should take around 15-20 seconds. Big picture rhetorical skills questions can take up to a minute. I recommend never spending more than a minute on any individual question. Keep in mind that you have an average of 36 seconds per question in ACT English. While some of you may struggle completing the ACT English section, others may find that they're rushing. This is an equally serious problem. If you're finishing the section with more than 5 minutes left and you're getting more than a couple of questions wrong, you need to slow down. Reread the previous sentence. Slow down! Read the questions more carefully, take a closer look at the answer choices, and spend time reviewing your answers. Don't Rush. #6: Build Your Test Endurance The ACT can be mentally draining and it's easy to lose focus during the test. Fortunately, the ACT English section is always first, so you should have plenty of energy. On the other hand,you won't have time to ease into the test. Before test day, take at least 3 official tests simulating test-taking conditions. Mimic the test day experience as closely as possible. Use a timer. Bubble in your answers. Only take the ACT-allowed breaks. Turn off your cell phone. Yes, you read that correctly. Turn off your your cell phone! I know that will probably be scary and cause you anxiety, but you have to turn off your cell phone during the ACT, so you might as well practice going a few hours without posting an Instagram pic. If you follow all these tips, I guarantee you'll be ready for the ACT English section when test day arrives. You'll know the content, be comfortable with the format, and be confident that you can successfully complete the section. What's Next? As you continue your ACT English prep, I encourage you to study this post on the 5 critical concepts you must understand to ace ACT English. If you're striving for a perfect score, learn how to get a 36 on ACT English from a perfect scorer. You'll also find helpful advice in this article on my top tips for ACT English success. Want to improve your ACT score by 4 points? Check out our best-in-class online ACT prep program. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your ACT score by 4 points or more. Our program is entirely online, and it customizes what you study to your strengths and weaknesses. If you liked this English lesson, you'll love our program.Along with more detailed lessons, you'll get thousands ofpractice problems organized by individual skills so you learn most effectively. We'll also give you a step-by-step program to follow so you'll never be confused about what to study next. Check out our 5-day free trial:

Advertising plan for BMW 3-Series Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Advertising plan for BMW 3-Series - Essay Example BMW Group, one of the 10 largest automotive companies in the world today, started as a manufacturer of aircraft engines in World War I and began building a reputation for reliability and excellence on that undertaking. Initially known as Bayerische Flugzeug-Werke in 1916,the firm changed its name to Bavarian Motor Works in 1917 as it grew rapidly during the war years. In 1923, BMW put together its first motor vehicle, a motorcycle, followed by its first car in 1928, a version of Austin 7, which was built and commercially sold under license. There was no stopping the company since then. Today, the Group operates in 150 countries through 26 production-assembly plants, 35 subsidiary markets and 12 R&D networks. Its flagship products consist of three automotive brands - BMW, MINI and Rolls Royce. All three vehicles share the same configuration, which suggest luxury, premium class, top-of-the-line quality. This is precisely the corporate culture that animates BMW, which is expressed in it s mission statement: "to be the most successful premium manufacturer in the industry." BMW built a solid reputation on this operational strategy.With this kind of philosophy underpinning all BMW's activities, the company produces nothing but premium-class vehicles, which are limited to exclusive sedans and luxury limousines. The side objectives are to set the industry standards for technology, environmental protection and safety, and providing outstanding customer services in the pre- and after-sale phases. These are enshrined in the firm's operations in its 10 R&D facilities worldwide (4 in Munich, 3 in the US and 1 each in Austria, Tokyo and Beijing), 15 production plants (1 in Berlin, 1 in Munich, 4 in UK, and 1 each in China, South Africa, US, Austria and Brazil), 5 assembly plants with local participation (1 each in Indonesia, Russia, Egypt, Malaysia and Thailand), and sales and marketing subsidiaries in 35 countries. In 2005, the company invested 2,597 million euros to boost its property, plant, equipment and other tangible assets, with emphasis on further expanding its production and sales networks. The amount was 81 percent higher than the 1,396 million euros sunk in the firm in 2004 as capital expenditures. A lion's share of this investment went to the company's R&D network, which has been tasked to come up with the BMW "cars of the future." This is part of an expansion plan that has preoccupied management from the start. In 1994, BMW acquired the Rover Group from British Aerospace in the hope that it could duplicate its earlier success with MINI, which used to be a British-owned firm too. For at least six years, some 1 million Rover vehicles were produced in UK yearly until the company suffered losses reaching $2 million per day as a result of the perceived lack of consumer confidence in the brand and the strengthening of the pound. BMW was then forced to sell Rover to the Ford group in 200 0. As for the MINI, BMW hang on to the more successful brand, which is manufactured in its Oxford plant. Market demand for the MINI has never let up, such that at the time BMW was selling Rover, it was pouring in another 50 million euros to increase MINI production. BMW fosters the core values of technology, quality, performance and exclusivity, such that its activities from R&D to sales are committed to achieving the highest quality for products and services. The overall strategy of the company is first, identify areas with growth potential, understand what they represent, recognize where its strength lies, then make the best of every opportunity by pursuing a clear strategy. These considerations guide BMW's structure and how decisions are made, and from the evidence it works like a charm.

Investing Money towards Retirement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Investing Money towards Retirement - Essay Example In the United States traditionally parents assume the cost of putting their kids through college. Financing the college education of two kids can become a very expensive ordeal. Like most working adults Sam is struggling to get by, but he realizes he has to start saving towards these two goals or he won’t have enough time left to accomplish his goals. Sam’s master plan entails saving $150 a month for the foreseeable future in order to put his two kids through college and to be able to retire at the age of 60. His two kids are age 3 and 8 years old. Assuming his two kids will start college at the age of 18 like most teenagers Sam will have to start spending money on college tuition 10 years from now. Sam’s plan of saving 150 a month implies he will save $1,800 a year. Assuming he leaves the money in the bank and makes 1% rate on his saving Sam will have 10 years from now $18,919.25. This amount of money is not sufficient to put his elder kid through four years of college. Sam needs to make adjustments to his plan. The simplest way to adjust his plan is by making better investment options that will allow Sam to make a higher return on his investment. Depending on the banking industry for long-range savings is not a wise move due to the extremely low-interest-rate that this industry offers. Typically interest earns on a banking account is not sufficient enough to offset inflation. Mr. Johnson has to start an investment plan that is aligned with his long-term financial goals. Investing money is not a rocket science, but it requires a person to get educated on financial tools such as stocks, bonds, and mutual funds. Common stocks are one of the simplest types of investment options. A common stock is the transfer of a piece of ownership in a company in exchange for cash.