treating blood

The goal in treating blood cancer is to achieve remission, a situation characterized by the absence of symptoms. Even in remission, a blood cancer can still start up again, so people who have experienced blood cancer may need to attend regular follow-up medical appointments and annual checkups to check for a recurrence of the cancer. Blood cancer does not appear to be preventable, but like other cancers, the risk seems to be reduced among people who eat a healthy diet, exercise, and maintain good mental health.

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People diagnosed with blood cancer can work with an oncologist, a doctor who specializes in cancer, or a hematologist, a doctor who specializes in diseases of the blood. Some patients work with both, attempting to develop a treatment plan which will be as effective as possible. Because individual cases can be quite varied, patients often benefit from second opinions to confirm the diagnosis and treatment plan.

The National Cancer Institute lists radiation exposure, smoking, and benzene exposure as risk factors for certain types of blood cancer. In more rare cases chemotherapy, Down syndrome and certain blood disorders have also been identified as risk factors.

Human T-Cell virus is also a risk factor that can cause a rare type of blood cancer called Adult T-Cell Leukemia. This virus can be passed from person to person through drug use, sexual activity, and mother to child interactions, but the cancer itself is not contagious.

- parmnparsley

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The symptoms of blood cancers are so varied that it is always best to consult a doctor and have extensive tests. You should then seek a second opinion from a specialist if your doctor hands down the blood cancer prognosis or if you are not satisfied with the first doctor’s diagnosis.

Some blood cancer symptoms are back pain, frequent headaches, weight loss, bleeding gums, nosebleeds, and many other ailments. As you can see, these symptoms are also common symptoms for ailments like migraines, intestinal disorders, gingivitis, high blood pressure, or some other medical problem. While one of these symptoms may not be reason for concern, recurring symptoms or multiple symptoms may be a signal that you should go get checked out.

Doctor to Patient

Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML) Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment

Pro athletes often seem to know their bodies, and notice bodily changes early when something isn't quite right. This intuition may have led Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to seek medical help when he started to get hot flashes and night sweats last fall. Many people may have ignored these symptoms and sloughed them off as unimportant. Hot flashes may be normal for women in menopause, but not for a male basketball legend. Mr. Abdul-Jabbar's symptoms led to an early diagnosis of chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML).

What causes chronic myelogenous leukemia?

Chronic myelogenous leukemia is a rare type of leukemia that tends to affect older males. More than 90% of cases are due to a gene abnormality caused when two chromosomes swap sections with each other. There are 23 chromosomes in humans, and in patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia chromosomes 9 and 22 within blood cells exchange bits of genetic material to form a Philadelphia chromosome, named after the city where it was discovered. The new gene on this chromosome makes a protein called tyrosine kinase that allows white blood cells to grow out of control; moreover, these abnormal white blood cells tend not to become old and die. The bone marrow, where red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets are made, becomes filled with white blood cells crowding out the normal cells and damaging the bone marrow itself. This can impair the ability of the bone marrow to manufacture normal amounts of blood cells.

Blood cancer is a generalized term for malignancy which attacks the blood, bone marrow, or lymphatic system. There are three kinds of blood cancer: leukemia, lymphoma, and multiple myeloma.

Leukemia is malignancy of cells in the blood. Lymphoma refers to malignant tumors of the lymph system. Myeloma is malignancy of plasma cells. Plasma cells are the cells in bone marrow that produce antibodies. Collectively they are called Hematological malignancies.

Some of the common blood cancer symptoms:

* Weakness, Fatigue, Malaise and Breathlessness

* Minimal body strain results inbone fractures

* Excessive or easy bruising

* Bleeding gums or frequent nose bleeds

* Recurrent infections or fever

* Excessive sweating of body during night

* Weight loss

* Frequent vomiting sensations

* Anorexia

* Lymph node (gland) enlargement

* Lumps or abdominal distension due to enlarged abdominal organs

* Abdominal pain, Bone pain and Back pain

* Delirium and confusion

* Abnormal bleeding in gums nose and cuts, which will result in platelet reduction

* Headaches with occurrence of visual difficulties

* Occurrence of fine rashes on dark spots

* Decreased urination and difficulty while urinating

Some of the specific leukemia blood cancer symptoms are anemia, recurrent infections, bone and joint pain, abdominal distress and difficult in breathing or dyspnea.

In case of lymphomas blood cancer the symptoms depend on location of cancer, where it has spread, and the size of the tumor. It begins with swelling in the neck, underarm, or groin.

The first sign of multiple myeloma is bone pain due to bony destruction by plasma cells. Some of the prominent symptoms include bleeding gums, nose bleeds and easy bruising. Unexplained bone fractures, kidney failure, persistent infections and weight loss are other signs of the disease.

Read the rest of Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML) Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment »

Latest Statistical Facts about Blood Cancer in United States:

* Symptoms of blood cancer are confirmed using the Diagnostic test – Biopsy.

* After every 4 minutes, an individual from America is diagnosed with blood cancer by such tests.

* Every 10 minutes, this disease takes the life of an individual.

* It means 146 people die every day because of this disease.

* Approximately 1,39,860 people are going to be diagnosed with all the three types of blood cancer in the year 2009.

* These people constitute 9.5% of the total number of new cancer cases ( 1,479, 350 ) diagnosed in the whole country.

* 53,240 people out of the 1,39,860 diagnosed, are estimated to lose their lives this year owing to this dreadful disease.

* The total cancer deaths estimated in the year 2009 are 5,62,340.

* Blood cancer deaths will comprise 9.5% of these deaths.

* Leukemia is the most common type of blood cancer in children affecting the age group of 0-19 years.

* It comprises 31% of cancers affecting the children in United States.

* 2,655 children within the mentioned age group, are estimated to be diagnosed with this disease in 2009.

* The symptoms of blood cancer remain latent and dangerously make the disease apparent in its last stages.

Does Cancer cause Blood Clots ?

Research studies conducted at the University of L’Aquila, Italy suggest that children suffering from Leukemia are at high risks of facing Thrombosis while they are provided the cancer treatment. Thrombosis is the technical name given to clotting of blood in the deep veins of the body. In the research, 1,752 children suffering from this dreadful disease were considered. In 5.2% of these children, the study found the complication of blood clotting. The researchers however were successful in finding out the therapies and medical procedures for addressing the risk of blood clotting.

What is chronic leukaemia?

Leukaemia literally means ‘many white cells in the blood'.

The white cells are part of the body’s immune system, and there are several sub-groups of white cells that have different sorts of roles in recognising and dealing with ‘invaders’ such as bacteria and viruses as well as other types of foreign protein.

All of the blood cells originate in the bone marrow and leukaemia (blood cancer) is a disease where the bone marrow produces large numbers of abnormal white cells. This means that the normal marrow is pushed into smaller and smaller areas. This results in fewer normal cells being produced and gives rise to some of the symptoms.

There are many types of leukaemia, each of which is classified according to the exact cell type affected by the disease.

Chronic leukaemia is a slowly progressive form of leukaemia and tends to involve more mature cell types. It may not need treatment immediately, but if treatment is required it is usually chemotherapy, given in the form of tablets.

The cause of leukaemia is not known.

What are the symptoms of chronic leukaemia?

It is possible to have chronic leukaemia for months or even years without knowing it.

The symptoms are varied, but many people notice:

* tiredness (due to anaemia)

* bruising easily (often without having had any blow or fall)

* repeated infections

* enlarged lymph glands

* weight loss

* night sweats

* fever.

What is chronic lymphocytic leukaemia?

Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) is the commonest type of leukaemia with 3000 to 4000 new cases diagnosed each year in the UK. It is a form of chronic leukaemia characterised by an increased number of lymphocytes, which make up one of the main sub-groups of white cells in the blood. Despite their increased numbers these lymphocytes lack the normal ability of responding to infection by the production of antibodies, so compromising the immune system of the affected person.

CLL is rarely found in people under the age of 40 - the peak age is 65. It is twice as common in men than in women. There are no obvious causes known for CLL.

What are the symptoms of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia?

In addition to the symptoms mentioned above which are common to all forms of leukaemia, specific signs of the disease are:

* painless enlargement of the lymph glands especially in the neck, armpits and groin.

* lymph glands in deeper parts of the body may need special scans for diagnosis.

* sometimes an enlarged spleen (located in the left upper quadrant of the abdomen) may cause discomfort or pain.

How is chronic lymphocytic leukaemia diagnosed?

Often the condition is diagnosed by chance when blood tests are being performed for other reasons.

Although a blood test may give doctors the diagnosis, a bone marrow test is usually done to confirm the diagnosis. Special tests are performed on these samples to help classify the leukaemia as this will influence the kind of treatment required.

Scans and X-rays may also be performed in order to help doctors decide on the best treatment.

How is chronic lymphocytic leukaemia treated?

Treatment is not always required and the patient may just be followed up as an outpatient on a regular basis, sometimes for many years, with no need for further action.

Older people with early stage CLL have a normal life expectancy. Treatment in the form of chemotherapy will be required for those who are unwell or who have many enlarged lymph glands, or who become significantly anaemic.

Chemotherapy is usually given in the form of tablets (usually a medicine called chlorambucil (Leukeran)). Other chemotherapy drugs such as fludarabine (Fludara) (may be used in late stage disease. General bone marrow production of blood cells can occur in more advanced CLL (bone marrow failure) in which steroid treatment with prednisolone (eg Deltacortril) usually allows the bone marrow to recover. Milder degrees of bone marrow failure might adequately be controlled by periodic blood transfusion.

X-ray treatment (radiotherapy) can be given locally, to swollen lymph nodes, or in small repeated doses to the whole body. Infections are more common in people with CLL and need to be diagnosed early and treated vigorously.

Sometimes the spleen, which is also part of the body’s immune system swells up so much in CLL that it gives rise to pain, or it causes a type of anaemia to develop in which the red cells of the blood (oxygen-carrying cells) become fragile, leading to further anaemia. These problems may justify the surgical removal of the spleen.

Bone marrow transplantation may be considered for those patients who are less than 45 years of age and who have an aggressive form of the disease.

Cancer blood tests: Lab tests used in cancer diagnosis

Cancer blood tests and other laboratory tests may help your doctor make a cancer diagnosis. Reduce your anxiety by learning about cancer blood tests and how they're used.

By Mayo Clinic staff

Blood tests alone can rarely, if ever, show the presence or absence of cancer. If it's suspected that you have cancer, your doctor may order certain cancer blood tests or other laboratory tests, such as an analysis of your urine or a biopsy of a suspicious area, to help guide the diagnosis. While cancer blood tests generally can't absolutely tell whether you have cancer or some other noncancerous condition, they can give your doctor clues about what's going on inside your body.

The business entity could also

business plan - this is now rightly a very general and flexible term, applicable to the planned activities and aims of any entity, individual group or organization where effort is being converted into results, for example: a small company; a large company; a corner shop; a local window-cleaning business; a regional business; a multi-million pound multi-national corporation; a charity; a school; a hospital; a local council; a government agency or department; a joint-venture; a project within a business or department; a business unit, division, or department within another organization or company, a profit centre or cost centre within an an organization or business; the responsibility of a team or group or an individual. The business entity could also be a proposed start-up, a new business development within an existing organization, a new joint-venture, or any new organizational or business project which aims to convert action into results. The extent to which a business plan includes costs and overheads activities and resources (eg., production, research and development, warehouse, storage, transport, distribution, wastage, shrinkage, head office, training, bad debts, etc) depends on the needs of the business and the purpose of the plan. Large 'executive-level' business plans therefore look rather like a 'predictive profit and loss account', fully itemised down to the 'bottom line'. Business plans written at business unit or departmental level do not generally include financial data outside the department concerned. Most business plans are in effect sales plans or marketing plans or departmental plans, which form the main bias of this guide.

strategy - originally a military term, in a business planning context strategy/strategic means/pertains to why and how the plan will work, in relation to all factors of influence upon the business entity and activity, particularly including competitors (thus the use of a military combative term), customers and demographics, technology and communications.

marketing - believed by many to mean the same as advertising or sales promotion, marketing actually means and covers everything from company culture and positioning, through market research, new business/product development, advertising and promotion, PR (public/press relations), and arguably all of the sales functions as well. Marketing is the process by which a business decides what it will sell, to whom, when and how, and then does it.

marketing plan - logically a plan which details what a business will sell, to whom, when and how, implicitly including the business/marketing strategy. The extent to which financial and commercial numerical data is included depends on the needs of the business. The extent to which this details the sales plan also depends on the needs of the business.

sales - the transactions between the business and its customers whereby services and/or products are provided in return for payment. Sales (sales department/sales team) also describes the activities and resources that enable this process, and sales also describes the revenues that the business derives from the sales activities.

sales plan - a plan describing, quantifying and phased over time, how the the sales will be made and to whom. Some organizations interpret this to be the same as a business plan or a marketing plan.

business strategy - see 'strategy' - it's the same.

marketing strategy - see 'strategy' - it's the same.

service contract - a formal document usually drawn up by the supplier by which the trading arrangement is agreed with the customer. See the section on service contracts and trading agreements.

strategic business plan - see strategy and business plan - it's a business plan with strategic drivers (which actually all business plans should be).

strategic business planning - developing and writing a strategic business plan.

philosophy, values, ethics, vision - these are the fundamentals of business planning, and determine the spirit and integrity of the business or organisation - see the guide to how philosophical and ethical factors fit into the planning process, and also the principles and materials relating to corporate responsibility and ethical leadership.

You can see that many of these terms are interchangeable, so it's important to clarify what needs to be planned for rather than assuming or inferring a meaning from the name given to the task. That said, the principles explained here can be applied to business plans of all sorts. Business plans are often called different names - especially by senior managers and directors delegating a planning exercise that they do not understand well enough to explain. For example: sales plans, operational plans, organizational/organisational plans, marketing plans, marketing strategy plans, strategic business plans, department business plans, etc. Typically these names reflect the department doing the planning, despite which, the planning process and content required in the document is broadly similar.

Other useful and relevant business planning definitions are in the business dictionary; the sales and selling glossary; some are also in the financial terms glossary, and more - especially for training - are in the business and training acronyms listing, which also provides amusing light relief if this business planning gets a little dry (be warned, the acronyms listings contain some adult content).

when writing a business or operating plan, remember...

A useful first rule of business planning is to decide what you are actually trying to achieve and always keep this in mind. Write your aim large as a constant reminder to yourself, and to anyone else involved. Keeping your central aim visible will help you minimise the distractions and distortions which frequently arise during the planning process.

An increasingly vital and perhaps second rule of business planning is to establish a strong ethical philosophy at the outset of your planning. This provides a vital reference for decision-making and strategy from the startThe American Marketing Association defines marketing as "the process of planning and executing the conception, pricing, promotion, and distribution of ideas, goods, and services to create exchanges that satisfy individual and organizational objectives." Marketers use an assortment of strategies to guide how, when, and where product information is presented to consumers. Their goal is to persuade consumers to buy a particular brand or product.

Successful marketing strategies create a desire for a product. A marketer, therefore, needs to understand consumer likes and dislikes. In addition, marketers must know what information will convince consumers to buy their product, and whom consumers perceive as a credible source of information. Some marketing strategies use fictional characters, celebrities, or experts (such as doctors) to sell products, while other strategies use specific statements or "health claims" that state the benefits of using a particular product or eating a particular food.

Impact and Influence

Marketing strategies directly impact food purchasing and eating habits. For example, in the late 1970s scientists announced a possible link between eating a high-fiber diet and a reduced risk of cancer . However, consumers did not immediately increase their consumption of high-fiber cereals. But in 1984 advertisements claiming a relationship between high-fiber diets and protection against cancer appeared, and by 1987 approximately 2 million households had begun eating high-fiber cereal. Since then, other health claims, supported by scientific studies, have influenced consumers to decrease consumption of foods high in saturated fat and to increase consumption of fruits, vegetables, skim milk, poultry, and fish.

Of course, not all marketing campaigns are based on scientific studies, and not all health claims are truthful. In July 2000 a panel of experts from the U.S. Department of Agriculture supported complaints made by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine that the "Got Milk" advertisements contained untruthful health claims that suggested that milk consumption improved sports performance, since these claims lacked scientific

Companies often use characters to appeal to young consumers. Ronald McDonald first appeared on T.V. in 1963, portrayed by Willard Scott. The clown is known worldwide, and according to McDonald's, is the most recognizable figure next to Santa Claus. [Photograph by Tim Clary. AP/Wide World Photos. Reproduced by permission.]

Companies often use characters to appeal to young consumers. Ronald McDonald first appeared on T.V. in 1963, portrayed by Willard Scott. The clown is known worldwide, and according to McDonald's, is the most recognizable figure next to Santa Claus.

[Photograph by Tim Clary. AP/Wide World Photos. Reproduced by permission.]

support. In addition, the panel agreed with the physicians' claim that whole milk consumption may actually increase the risk of heart disease and prostate cancer, and recommended that this information be included in advertisements.

The tremendous spending power and influence of children on parental purchases has attracted marketers, and, as a result, marketing strategies aimed at children and adolescents have increased. Currently, about one-fourth of all television commercials are related to food, and approximately one-half of these are selling snacks and other foods low in nutritional value. Many of the commercials aimed at children and adolescents use catchy music, jingles, humor, and well-known characters to promote products. The impact of these strategies is illustrated by studies showing that when a majority of television commercials that children view are for high-sugar foods, they are more likely to choose unhealthful foods over nutritious alternatives, and vice versa.

Inappropriate Advertisements

Attempts to sell large quantities of products sometimes cause advertisers to make claims that are not entirely factual. For instance, an advertisement for a particular brand of bread claimed the bread had fewer calories per slice than its competitors. What the advertisement did not say was that the bread was sliced much thinner than other brands.

Deceptive advertising has also been employed to persuade women to change their infant feeding practices. Advertisers commonly urge mothers to use infant formula to supplement breast milk. Marketing strategies include

One strategy used by advertisers is to feature a celebrity in their advertisements or on their packaging. The implicit message is that the celebrity endorses the product, uses the product, and may even depend on the product for success. [AP/Wide World Photos. Reproduced by permission.]

One strategy used by advertisers is to feature a celebrity in their advertisements or on their packaging. The implicit message is that the celebrity endorses the product, uses the product, and may even depend on the product for success.

[AP/Wide World Photos. Reproduced by permission.]

giving women trial packs or coupons for several months of free formula. Often, women are not aware that supplementing breast milk with formula will reduce or stop their milk supply. When the samples and coupons are no longer available, women may try to "stretch" the formula by mixing it with water, unaware that diluting the formula places their infant at risk for malnutrition . Many groups have objected to the use of marketing strategies that include free formula and coupons, and infant-formula manufacturing companies have been forced to modify their marketing practices.

Other marketing strategies involve labeling foods as "light," meaning that one serving contains about 50 percent less fat than the original version (or one-third fewer calories). For example, a serving of light ice cream contains 50 percent less fat than a serving of regular ice cream. As a result, consumers mistakenly believe that eating light food means eating healthful food. However, they fail to realize that a serving of the light version of a food such as ice cream can still contain more fat and sugar than is desirable.

Food labels with conflicting information often confront consumers. For example, labels claiming "no fat" do not necessarily mean zero grams of fat. Food labeling standards define low-fat foods as those containing less than 0.5 gram of fat per serving. Therefore, consuming several servings may mean consuming one or two grams of fat, and people are often unaware of what amount of a food constitutes a "serving." In addition, foods low in fat may be high in sugar, adding additional calories to one's daily caloric intake. Too often, consumers mistakenly translate a claim of "no fat" into one of "no calories."

Other examples of conflicting claims include labels advertising foods as "high in fiber," without specifically indicating the presence of high levels of salt, sugar, or other nutrients . Also, labels advertising dairy products as high in calcium , and thus offering protection from osteoporosis , are often missing information relating to the high fat content and its possible contribution to the risk of heart disease.

Consumers are also misled by food comparisons. For example, one fruit drink may be advertised as containing more vitamin C than another, when in reality neither of the drinks are a good source of the vitamin. In addition, labels on some fruit drinks claim that the product "contains real fruit juice" when, in reality, the fine print reveals that one serving contains "less than 10% fruit juice."

Recommendations for Responsible Food Marketing

Consumers rely on product advertisements and food labels for nutritional education. The American Association of Advertising Agencies states that responsible food marketing strategies should: (1) avoid vague, false, misleading, or exaggerated statements; (2) avoid incomplete or distorted interpretations of claims made by professional or scientific authorities; and (3) avoid unfair product comparisons. Advertisers must also consider the long-term consequences or potential for harm stemming from their claims. While these recommendations are important in developed countries, they become even more critical in international marketing campaigns.

It is also important for consumers to recognize their role in evaluating health claims and product comparisons. While advertisers are aware of the need for truth in advertising, sometimes their desire to sell products over-shadows an accurate disclosure of product attributes. Advertisers should bear in mind that inaccurate or vague health claims have the potential to cause economic hardship, illness, and even death. Lastly, marketing strategies used in developing nations should be subjected to the highest standards of truth in advertising.

Read more: Marketing Strategies - calcium, food, nutrition, needs, body, diet, health, fat, nutrients, eating, vitamin, water, habits, Impact and Influence, Inappropriate Advertisements Introduction

Developing a marketing strategy is vital for any business. Without one, your efforts to attract customers are likely to be haphazard and inefficient.

The focus of your strategy should be to make sure that your products and services meet your customers' needs and that you develop long-term and profitable relationships with those customers. To stay competitive, you'll need to keep your offerings constantly fresh and new. You will need to keep up with the current trends in your market, any emerging technologies and changes or improvements to your existing products.

You will also need to create a flexible strategy that can respond to changes in customer perceptions and demand. It may also help you identify whole new markets that you can successfully target.

The purpose of your marketing strategy should be to identify and then communicate the benefits of what your business offers to your target market.

Once you have created and implemented your strategy, you should monitor its effectiveness and make any adjustments required to maintain its success.

This guide explains how to focus on reaching potential customers and your key objectives in doing so. It explains what to include in your marketing and promotional strategies and how they can be used as the basis for effective action.

How a Good Internal Management can Bring you New Clients

Did you ever wonder whether a good internal management can bring new clients, and keep the old ones, for a long time?

Weren’t you ever disgusted by the way some boss treated his waiter and made you feel not come back to that restaurant again?

You might be saying to yourself that he is making a strong authority on his employees, that he is keen on providing a high quality to the costumers, to which he always smiles, like if he were a very nice person... you know he is hypocrite, that’s clear like the shinning sun, and stupid like a pig to ignore that the human resources are the precious wealth of his business, who will make it bloom in the near future, as to the long term.

As I worked once in a restaurant, as manager assistant, we had the same problem every day: the waiters were usually absent without notice, the best ones used to come always late, even when we gave them warnings, so imagine the mess at a high class restaurant by then. Normally, no one could solve the problem in a timely manner, or even suggest a decent solution: to solve a problem, we need to understand it, so here is the explanation: the seasonal big boss at that time, was a real tough guy who was able to show you the stars in the sky on a bright day, just by humiliating you in front of all the costumers. As a result, I get many complaints because of that behaviour, which means that the costumers are no happy, as they are in that place to enjoy happiness ... Part of the plan failed! Will they come back next time?

Imagine if the situation was totally opposite, smiles on the face of the boss to his subordinates, like to his clients, happy employees, this is already an insurance that what you are consuming is quality. Will they come back next time?

This same scenario can be demonstrated anywhere, even in back offices. If you ignore it, the costumers sense it when things aren’t good enough, only by paying close attention to the results, which are what they get.

A man facing the viewer

Malthus cautioned law makers on the effects of poverty reduction policies

Thomas Robert Malthus used the idea of diminishing returns to explain low living standards. Human population, he argued, tended to increase geometrically, outstripping the production of food, which increased arithmetically. The force of a rapidly growing population against a limited amount of land meant diminishing returns to labor. The result, he claimed, was chronically low wages, which prevented the standard of living for most of the population from rising above the subsistence level.

Malthus also questioned the automatic tendency of a market economy to produce full employment. He blamed unemployment upon the economy's tendency to limit its spending by saving too much, a theme that lay forgotten until John Maynard Keynes revived it in the 1930s.

Coming at the end of the Classical tradition, John Stuart Mill parted company with the earlier classical economists on the inevitability of the distribution of income produced by the market system. Mill pointed to a distinct difference between the market's two roles: allocation of resources and distribution of income. The market might be efficient in allocating resources but not in distributing income, he wrote, making it necessary for society to intervene.

Value theory was important in classical theory. Smith wrote that the "real price of every thing ... is the toil and trouble of acquiring it" as influenced by its scarcity. Smith maintained that, with rent and profit, other costs besides wages also enter the price of a commodity. Other classical economists presented variations on Smith, termed the 'labour theory of value'. Classical economics focused on the tendency of markets to move to long-run equilibrium.

The Marxist school of economic thought comes from the work of German economist Karl Marx.

Marxist (later, Marxian) economics descends from classical economics. It derives from the work of Karl Marx. The first volume of Marx's major work, Das Kapital, was published in German in 1867. In it, Marx focused on the labour theory of value and what he considered to be the exploitation of labour by capital. The labour theory of value held that the value of an exchanged commodity was determined by the labor that went into its production.

A body of theory later termed 'neoclassical economics' or 'marginalism' formed from about 1870 to 1910. The term 'economics' was popularized by such neoclassical economists as Alfred Marshall as a concise synonym for 'economic science' and a substitute for the earlier, broader term 'political economy'. This corresponded to the influence on the subject of mathematical methods used in the natural sciences.

Neoclassical economics systematized supply and demand as joint determinants of price and quantity in market equilibrium, affecting both the allocation of output and the distribution of income. It dispensed with the labour theory of value inherited from classical economics in favor of a marginal utility theory of value on the demand side and a more general theory of costs on the supply side.In the 20th century, neoclassical theorists moved away from an earlier notion suggesting that total utility for a society could be measured in favor of ordinal utility, which hypothesizes merely behavior-based relations across persons.

In microeconomics, neoclassical economics represents incentives and costs as playing a pervasive role in shaping decision making. An immediate example of this is the consumer theory of individual demand, which isolates how prices (as costs) and income affect quantity demanded In macroeconomics it is reflected in an early and lasting neoclassical synthesis with Keynesian macroeconomics.

Neoclassical economics is occasionally referred as orthodox economics whether by its critics or sympathizers. Modern mainstream economics builds on neoclassical economics but with many refinements that either supplement or generalize earlier analysis, such as econometrics, game theory, analysis of market failure and imperfect competition, and the neoclassical model of economic growth for analyzing long-run variables affecting national income.

Keynesian economics

Main articles: Keynesian economics and Post-Keynesian economics

John Maynard Keynes (right), was a key theorist in economics.

Keynesian economics derives from John Maynard Keynes, in particular his book The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money (1936), which ushered in contemporary macroeconomics as a distinct field.The book focused on determinants of national income in the short run when prices are relatively inflexible. Keynes attempted to explain in broad theoretical detail why high labour-market unemployment might not be self-correcting due to low "effective demand" and why even price flexibility and monetary policy might be unavailing. Such terms as "revolutionary" have been applied to the book in its impact on economic analysis.

Keynesian economics has two successors. Post-Keynesian economics also concentrates on macroeconomic rigidities and adjustment processes. Research on micro foundations for their models is represented as based on real-life practices rather than simple optimizing models. It is generally associated with the University of Cambridge and the work of Joan Robinson.

New-Keynesian economics is also associated with developments in the Keynesian fashion. Within this group researchers tend to share with other economists the emphasis on models employing micro foundations and optimizing behavior but with a narrower focus on standard Keynesian themes such as price and wage rigidity. These are usually made to be endogenous features of the models, rather than simply assumed as in older Keynesian-style ones.

Chicago School of economics

Main article: Chicago school (economics)

The Chicago School of economics is best known for its free market advocacy and monetarist ideas. According to Milton Friedman and monetarists, market economies are inherently stable if left to themselves and depressions result only from government intervention. Friedman, for example, argued that the Great Depression was result of a contraction of the money supply, controlled by the Federal Reserve, and not by the lack of investment as Keynes had argued. Ben Bernanke, current Chairman of the Federal Reserve, is among the economists today generally accepting Friedman's analysis of the causes of the Great Depression.

Milton Friedman effectively took many of the basic principles set forth by Adam Smith and the classical economists and modernized them. One example of this is his article in the September 1970 issue of The New York Times Magazine, where he claims that the social responsibility of business should be “to use its resources and engage in activities designed to increase its profits...(through) open and free competition without deception or fraud.”

Other well-known schools or trends of thought referring to a particular style of economics practiced at and disseminated from well-defined groups of academicians that have become known worldwide, include the Austrian School, the Freiburg School, the School of Lausanne, post-Keynesian economics and the Stockholm school. Contemporary mainstream economics is sometimes separated into the Saltwater approach of those universities along the Eastern and Western coasts of the US, and the Freshwater, or Chicago-school approach.

Within macroeconomics there is, in general order of their appearance in the literature; classical economics, Keynesian economics, the neoclassical synthesis, post-Keynesian economics, monetarism, new classical economics, and supply-side economics. Alternative developments include ecological economics, institutional economics, evolutionary economics, dependency theory, structuralist economics, world systems theory, econophysics, and biophysical economics.

Criticism

"The dismal science" is a derogatory alternative name for economics devised by the Victorian historian Thomas Carlyle in the 19th century. It is often stated that Carlyle gave economics the nickname "the dismal science" as a response to the late 18th century writings of The Reverend Thomas Robert Malthus, who grimly predicted that starvation would result, as projected population growth exceeded the rate of increase in the food supply.[citation needed] The teachings of Malthus eventually became known under the umbrella phrase "Malthus' Dismal Theorem". His predictions were forestalled by unanticipated dramatic improvements in the efficiency of food production in the 20th century; yet the bleak end he proposed remains as a disputed future possibility, assuming human innovation fails to keep up with population growth.

Marketing Promotion Methods

Marketing Promotion Methods #3: Contests

One of the effective, popular and most preferred form of promotional methods is to arrange certain contests for the customers. We all will agree to the fact that winning surprise prizes in a shopping mall or fashion store is simply exciting. One of the most attractive marketing strategies, organizing contests among the customers is a brilliant way to promote the products. Read more on marketing tips.

Marketing Promotion Methods #4: Pamphlets/Coupons

In the quest to attract more customers, companies distribute coupons and pamphlets about the products. The customers are either given basic information about the newly launched products or they are provided with discounted coupons on the purchase of some accessories/apparels. Coupons make for an effective marketing plan for small business units. Read more develop a marketing plan.

Marketing Promotion Methods #5: Free Samples

The idea of freely distributing products, sounds weird and crazy for any company, however, there is a certain element of truth in the fact that marketing firms have gained substantial promotion through the idea of free samples. While, it is not logical to just distribute your products, you can devise a strategy, so that, the idea of free samples doesn't incur losses for your firm.

Marketing Mix Strategy

A marketing mix strategy is a strategy that has been formulated after taking into consideration the 4 P's of marketing: product, price, place and promotion. Read on to know more about marketing mix strategies.

Marketing Mix Strategy

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Launching a product in the market and winning consumers in the initial period is not enough. Sustaining market share even when competitors are on the rise is crucial for long term profit. We all know consumers have short concentration spans. It doesn't take long for a competitor to come and dangle a similar product, thereby snatching away one's consumers. Thus, a company has no time to be complacent. In this world of 'survival of the fittest', one cannot afford to be happy with today's sales rates and relax. Instead one needs to analyze the product life cycle and the marketing mix strategy and come up with ways to keep consumers lured.

Marketing Mix Strategies

Marketing mix is a term used to identify the crucial ingredients in a business, which will conduce to long term profits. To understand what a marketing mix and mix market is, let us look at an analogy. Consider watercolor painting! An artist uses three primary colors (red, blue and yellow) to derive required shades on the canvas. If he wants green, he simply mixes some blue and yellow together. If he wants dark green, he simply increases the amount of blue and vice versa. Moreover, he blends different shades of paints on the canvas to get a mesmerizing final painting. Read more on marketing strategies.

Similarly, a marketing mix is the combination of factors such as the type of product, its price, place of distribution and promotional strategies used. These four factors are popularly called 4P's of marketing and were first introduced to the world in 1960 by McCarthy. Let's delve into each of them and see how they affect the life of a product.

Product

A 'Product' is anything that satisfies a customer's need. The product may be a tangible commodity like cars, accessories, gadgets, etc. or may be an intangible service like health care service, hotel service, etc. The product is the first P of the marketing mix and is by default the most important aspect of the marketing mix. This is because the product is the bait of the company, without which it cannot get the fish. A bad, stinky bait will not lead to hooking soda cans. So this explains how crucial a good, innovative and impressive the product has to be. A useless, unimpressive product can never succeed no matter how good the other three P's of the marketing mix are. Thus, companies need to conduct thorough market research, to check if consumers need this product and then need to come up with a product that has a cutting edge above other products sold by competitors.

Price

Second place in the marketing mix goes to 'Price'. According to the management stalwarts; Philip Kotler and Gary Armstrong, the concept of price refers to the amount of money a consumer has to pay to attain a product. Price determination is not child's play. It is a popular belief that low prices lure large number of customers, thereby resulting in high sales ratios. However, this is not true. Price alone will not attract consumers. Before arriving at a price, the company needs to consider the prices of similar products sold in the market. Moreover, depending on the features provided by the product they will have to raise or lower the price. It doesn't end here! Price administration is also required, wherein the company needs to consider factors like geographic location, times for special sales, distributors, etc. to determine the price at special situations. For example a product in the United States may vary in price from the one sold in India. Depending on the demand for a product at a particular place, price determination can vary.

Place

The third P in the marketing mix stands for 'Place'. This refers to the methods of distributing finished products from the manufacturing unit to the final consumer. This would involve transportation and storage of goods, till they are availed by the customer. It's all about 'providing the right product to the right place at the right time' with the help of an efficient distribution system. The type of distribution channel chosen by manufacturers will depend on whether they find it convenient to sell it to wholesalers or directly to retailers or consumers via specific dealers. The company will focus on making products available to the consumer as fast as they can.

Promotion

The fourth P in the marketing mix stands for 'Promotion', which refers to a company's communication line with the end consumer. Just like how having talent is useless till one actually uses it and lets the world see it, same is the case with a product. No matter how good the product is, if it remains in the factory, it will never rope in profits. It needs to be publicized among people who need it, who will buy it and come back to make more purchases.

Various marketing promotion methods can be used to advertise the product and generate awareness. Promotional costs are usually very high in the introduction stage of the product life cycle, however, as the product gains market share, the promotional costs reduce. Later when the product sale begins to decline, it again undergoes vigorous advertising using various marketing tools.

Successful Marketing Strategies

Marketing is a continuous process that a seller undertakes from the minute he identifies customer needs. Product designing, promotion, and after sales service finally complete the most successful marketing strategies. This article will help provide some insight into the subject.

Successful Marketing Strategies

For any business to flourish and ultimately be profitable, successful marketing strategies need to be employed. Every company or business organization undertakes a variety of marketing activities in order to meet their primary organizational goal, that of making profits. Marketing is a process that begins right from the inception of the product design, right till the time the consumer actually buys the product. As a matter of fact, the most successful marketing strategies do not end when the consumer purchases the product, as after sales service and customer relationship marketing are also other forms of good marketing.

What is Marketing

Philip Kotler, the father of modern marketing management, defines marketing as "Satisfying needs and wants through an exchange process". Another definition of marketing is "The management process responsible for identifying, anticipating and satisfying customer requirements profitably".

It is clear from these definitions that marketing needs to be aimed at somebody. It cannot be generic in nature, it needs to have a purpose. When the maker of a luxury car develops his marketing strategy he knows what the age bracket and income bracket his customers are going to fall in. So he alters his marketing strategy to suit the needs and expectations of this target segment of customers. Successful marketing strategies revolve around one person, the customer, and go to any lengths to firstly identify what the needs of the customer are, and subsequently satisfying those needs.

Successful marketing strategies today have become very customer centric, and this is very different from olden days. The reason for this is the vast amount of choices and options that the customer has today, coupled with the large amount of disposable income in their hands. This has increased the competitiveness between sellers vastly, and the only way they can entice customers is through effective marketing.

The Marketing Process

Marketing is a process that begins from the very day a product is conceptualized. The features, attributes and benefits of the product have to suit the needs and wants of the customer perfectly, and this has to be kept in mind by the marketer. This is why the biggest companies spend so much money on research and development and constant innovation of their products. The key elements of a successful marketing strategy are innovation and competitive advantage. Companies that constantly strive to be better than their competitors by consistently offering new and innovative products are the ones that enjoy the majority of the market share in their particular industry. Read more about marketing tools and marketing tips.

Once the product has been developed and manufactured, the customers need to be made aware of the availability of the product. This is done through large scale advertising and direct selling. Utilizing various mediums like the Internet, TV, radio, newspapers, magazines, journals, billboards, etc. grants the seller the platform to reach out to a mass of people at the same time. Highlighting the product's utility and novelty is the key element of the most successful marketing strategies. Providing the customers with various kinds of discounts, subsidies and free merchandise is also a great marketing strategy. Read on to learn how to develop a marketing plan.

Once the product has been sold, the marketer's job is seemingly over, as his task was to ensure that the customer purchases his product. This is as far from the truth as possible. The name of the game is retention of customers, as rivals are always looking to steal away customers from any business. By focusing on customer satisfaction, a company is retaining its power over the customer and this can be achieved only by good after sales service, prompt complaint solutions, informing about future offers and products and overall customer relationship management (CRM). Before venturing out to get more customers, it is important to build a solid base to retain and satisfy the existing customers.

The Four P's

The concept of the 4 P's of marketing, or the marketing mix, is a timeless technique of categorizing the various marketing strategies. By keeping these 4 P's in mind any marketer can adopt and reap the benefits of successful marketing strategies. Failure to adhere to these can result in disaster and failure for the organization.

* Product: The most important thing of marketing strategies is the product. It has to be useful, and innovative. There has to be a need for this specific type of product in the minds of the customer. Product engineering focuses on making the best possible products in order to satisfy the customer.

* Price: The next most important thing is the price of the product. If a product is over priced, customers will search and opt for cheaper alternatives. The quality of the product should be worth the price and vice versa.

* Place: This refers to the channels of distribution of the product, and developing channel partners and reliable suppliers so as to make the product reach the customer as quickly and as easily as possible.

* Promotion: Lastly comes the promotional activities that are undertaken by the seller. Making their presence felt in the market and using various means to do this is a key element of the most successful marketing strategies.

Read more about the different types of marketing.

* Direct Mail Marketing

* Email Marketing

* Internet Marketing

* Relationship Marketing

* Viral Marketing

At the end of the day, every business is unique and has their own pros and cons. You need to plan and develop your marketing strategy based on the size of your business, the economics, the number of competitors, the demographics of customers and the area of operation. Successful marketing strategies evolve over time as customer tastes and preferences change, and as a result this is a field of study that is more artistic in nature than scientific. The principles of marketing remain the same, but the subtleties and nuances constantly change. The most important thing to remember though, is that marketing never ends. Striving for perfection is the ultimate goal, and once this process is successfully set into place profits start rolling in, and company goals and objectives start getting realized.

Market Segmentation Strategy

A well defined market segmentation strategy will enable better products and services for the customer and win you a reputation of being the 'customer's marketeer'.

Market Segmentation Strategy

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Market segmentation strategy involves dividing the market into groups, where individuals have similar needs and wants for services and products. It could also be a segmentation of people on the basis of behavior, culture and economic status. To get a clearer picture of what is market segmentation, one can always look into the definition provided by business dictionary.com, market segmentation is defined as, "Process of defining and sub-dividing a large homogenous market into clearly identifiable segments having similar needs, wants, or demand characteristics".

Why Segment your Market?

Before one market's products or services, one needs to understand their customers, and find ways and means to satisfy their wants. This is imperative to stay ahead of the competition and build the brand. This is done through extensive market research. Although it is not possible to satisfy individual needs and even to understand all of them, a clearly defined market segmentation strategy will help create a market to cater to groups of individuals that will make economic sense to mass produce and distribute. The concept of target market segmentation strategy also falls under the blanket of market segmentation, except the former recognizes and understands the diversity of customers and provides them with products and services that suit their specific requirements. A successful market strategy strives to understand different segments and its different needs; works on the exhibited common wants; and responds immediately.

The Urban Land Institute

"You know the old adage, 'If mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy'?" queries Lee. "Stitch it on a sampler and hang it over your desk. Mom should drive every business decision you make if you want to entertain her and her family. It's simple. If you build it so that Mom will come, she will bring everybody else with her and they will love it, too. If it's good for Mom, it's good for others. And it's especially good for your bottom line."

About the Author:

Nora Lee, catalyst/principal of Nora Lee et al, has been observing and writing on the family entertainment market as a professional and as a Mom for many years. As a content developer, she has contributed her story ideas to clients as diverse as the AOL Time Warner Experience, ObieCo, BRC Imagination Arts, and the Rochester Museum and Science Center. Her articles have appeared in publications all over the world, including Urban Land Magazine, the Los Angeles Times, Entertainment Management, American Cinematographer, and L'Ecran Fantastique. She was the editor of The Basix for two years and The Ezone for four years. Lee's lively style and eclectic interests have made her a popular speaker for organizations such as the Urban Land Institute (at its annual urban entertainment conference), Association of Science and Technology Centers, American Association of Museums, Themed Entertainment Association, and the Accademia Internazionale per le Arti e le Scienze dell'Immagine in L'Aquila, Italy. She lives with her family in Altadena, California.

About the Book:

The Mom Factor: What Really Drives Where We Shop, Eat, and Play (Urban Land Institute, 2005, ISBN: 0-87420-944-7, $19.95) is available at bookstores nationwide, major online booksellers, bookstore.uli.org, or directly from the publisher by calling (800) 321-5011.

For more information, please visit noraleeetal.com.

The Urban Land Institute

(uli.org) is a nonprofit education and research institute supported by its members. Its mission is to provide responsible leadership in the use of land in order to enhance the total environment. Each year, the Institute honors a land use visionary through the Urban Land Institute J.C. Nichols Prize for Visionary Urban Development. Established in 1936, the Institute has more than 25,000 members representing all aspects of land use and development disciplines.

Successful Small Business Marketing Strategies

It’s no longer about the big beating the small; It’s about the fast beating the slow" says Larry Carter. For small businesses, best marketing tools and techniques include…

Successful Small Business Marketing Strategies

I was in bit need of vegetables to cook at that evening. I would have called at super market and ordered to deliver. But I believe in self-picking of vegetables while buying rather packaged one beautifully. However it costs too much while ordering. I got to see a guy in building with a hope of getting vegetables for me. He was having begs full of fresh vegetables probably picked up from farms in early morning. Even his van was waiting for me for further options. Prices were also acceptable. There was no room for doubts to let me say no to buy. I finally got my vegetables with no worries.

Every big thing started with small effort. Setting up or having small business in these competitive markets is no cause of worry. It’s no longer about the big beating the small; It’s about the fast beating the slow" says Larry Carter.

Marketing Information System: Intelligence’s outside

There is no security in life - only opportunity. MIS helps a marketer to grab such opportunities from market. What is Marketing Information system? How is related to other functional systems?

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Abstract

The market is an environment and firm live in. Generally customers, competitors, stack holders, government, labor union, supplier and financial institutions etc surround the firm.

Environment and Process

Michel porter’s value chain is the coin tossed by many solution providers in this environment.

Value chain is based on the process view of organizations.

A manufacturing (or service) organization as a system is made up of subsystems each with inputs, transformation processes and outputs.

Inputs, transformation processes, and outputs involve the acquisition and consumption of resources - money, labor, materials, equipment, buildings, land, administration and management.

Is Your Online Marketing Strategy Targeting Clients or Peers?

Have you noticed too many visitors are peers instead of potential clients? Perhaps your communication isn't conveying the right message. Maybe you need to re-structure your online marketing strategy to target the right audience.

It seems that one of the biggest challenges of an online marketing strategy is the demographics and the message you convey. Who are you developing your content for? Your articles and web content can be clear, concise and stuffed with information but many of you are targeting the wrong people.

One of the oldest tenets of communication and any online marketing strategy is to know your audience. The better you understand the needs and preferences of the people you’re trying to reach, the better you can design communication that will get through to them.

Your words by keystroke may be appealing to your peers and you might very well be helping them adjust their business sense but is that what you’re trying to do?

If you are on the internet to gain clients and make more money one obstacle that could be standing in your way is your communication and your online marketing strategy.

Take a look at what you’ve outlined; your online marketing strategy includes submitting articles in all the well-known directories, developing a keyword rich web site and you’re on facebook; but take a hard-nosed view of your words by keystroke. Are they typed to convey a message to your peers or to potential clients?

Many online impresarios don’t take time to know who their audience members are. Blogs full of postings, none of them from potential clients, all of them from peers seeking advice or "backlinkers" looking for promotion.

So how do you re-model your online marketing strategy to target the money? Ask yourself 1 essential question;

- What does your targeted audience care about?

Next, write directly to the client; find solutions to their problems.

The Competitive Advantage

What’s the next big idea? What can you tell them that no one else is saying? This is how you separate yourself from the pack.

Take into consideration how magazines develop content; they provide the reader with information that serves their needs and they remain friendly and helpful.

Also, keep in mind when developing your online marketing strategy you can’t be "all things to all people". There has to be some sacrifice somewhere.

It’s like sending your husband to the grocery store without a list; you need a gallon of milk and loaf of bread; simple, he brings home the milk and the bread, and you didn’t even have to write it down.

But just think when you need a gallon of milk, wheat bread, rye bread, peanut butter and jelly, eggs and orange juice. That’s only 7 things but for most of us, if it isn’t written down he’s going to forget something.

Even on his best day, he’ll call you from the store and ask you to repeat that list. And gentleman, settle down because there are many more things you do that are Great!

So you need to keep your online marketing strategy simple and focus on the smallest communication set so people can understand.

Always create a compelling message that not only conveys your intention but resonates with the crowd. You’ve got to convince them in 60 seconds and make a connection – with potential clients.

Peer love is great, when their buying what you’re selling.

Experiential Marketing Key Principles

Discover the principles of creating experiential marketing campaigns. This article studies the use of experience events for brand awareness and product promotion.

Experiential marketing is a new form of engaging with consumers, creating an experience with which the public can enjoy and remember. It is different from traditional marketing in that instead of a message being proposed in a two directional manner, a two way, interactive message is provided. This message can be anything from creating a brand image to promoting a new product, importantly however it is the fact that experiential campaigns engage with consumers through personal participation that makes such campaigns relevant and memorable.

Experiential marketing has grown in the marketing industry as consumers have seemingly become increasingly advertising savvy and resistant to the bombardment of traditional techniques. Adverts are now present everywhere, whilst we watch television, when we use the internet, even when we are travelling. Another reason behind the growth in this form of marketing is a larger realisation by companies that it is only by giving something back that customer loyalty can be gained; experiential campaigns give companies the opportunity to give something back to their customers; a value adding experience.

Whilst it remains a fairly young discipline in the business of marketing, a number of key principles have developed for experience campaigns:

Targeting:

One of the fundamental principles of experiential marketing is that for a campaign to be successful it is vital that the target audience is identified as early as possible in the process. This is the lynchpin of modern marketing thought. Whilst in the past this may have meant looking at statistics containing age, salary or geographical area, today’s society is far more complex, with a larger number of consumer sections. Subsequently it is important to understand their social, physical and emotional state to create a campaign that will engage with them on many levels. This means a move away from traditional demographics and instead using a more in-depth approach to research. Ultimately the experience has to cater for the selected consumer sections as even the most brilliant campaign will founder if the targeting is not effective.

The Experience:

Once the target has been identified the next stage is to create an experience. Importantly, any possibilities should always highlight the benefits of the brand or product in the best possible light, whilst simultaneously raising awareness more widely. An important part of the experience is how the brand ambassadors present a brand or product. Fundamentally they must be excited by the product or brand, enthuse the consumers they engage with and generate genuine interest. It is worth remembering that brand ambassadors are the face-to-face contact for consumers and as such need to present a positive and coherent brand message.

Any experience should draw people to engage with it. This is heavily dependent upon the idea but equally rests upon the locations for your events. Location is vitally important and whilst footfall is important, recognising a location that is popular with a specific target audience is also vital.

Study Island Information

Study Island Information for Parents

Harborview has purchased a building license for a great resource called Study Island. Study Island is a web-based program that helps prepare students for Standards Based Testing and Measures of Academic Progress Testing in grades K-6.

Study Island is accessible from school, home, library any location that has an Internet connection. This is a great tool to use with your child throughout the year to review reading, writing and math lessons and play fun games including during summer months!

We are excited about the benefits that Study Island can bring to our students and we encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity by using Study Island.

All students have their own usernames and passwords to log into their Study Island accounts. We will be sending home index cards with student logins before winter break.

Shamokin Area School District began using Study Island to improve the performance of middle school students receiving special education services, and then expanded the implementation to provide standards-based instruction, practice, and assessment to students in grades three through 11. In 2010, for the second year in a row, the district made Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) across all areas of the PSSA.

"The main benefits of Study Island are that it helps my students achieve grade level growth, and it gives them a sense of accomplishment," said Beishline. "Many special education students have struggled for so long that they develop a low opinion of themselves…they used to always say, 'I can't do this.' Now we can point to their success in Study Island and they know they can do it."

Study Island

Study Island is a third-party, web-based software package that we at PA Virtual Charter school use as a way to help our students practice, develop, and advance their math, reading, writing, and science skills. From their website, "Study Island is a leading provider of web-based state assessment preparation programs and standards based learning programs." We feel that Study Island does a great job of directly addressing state standards in a way that is both fun and educational to the students.

Your child's username is his or her entire first name entire last name @ PAVCS. For example, Jane Smith's username would be JaneSmith@PAVCS. Please note there are no spaces in the name. Your student's original password is PAVCS. NOTE: If your child's name contains an apostrophe or other unusual character, try the username including the character.

Once logged on, students should not keep the PAVCS password. If you are not prompted to automatically change the password, you should go to My Attributes, in the top left hand corner, to change the password. Please write the new password down. If you forget your password, please use the "Forgot Username and Password" button, email your teacher, or email Amy Nocida. Please remember the site is case sensitive.

Once your child is in logged into Study Island, they should select the grade level that correlates to their grade level, regardless of the level they are working on in the curriculum. Remember, using this site will help your child prepare for the PSSA test they will be taking in the spring, so they should be working on that level in order to receive the most benefit. Also, because Study Island provides parents, students, and teachers with useful data regarding a student's strengths and weaknesses, you should avoid allowing others to use the program under your PAVCS student's username and password. Study Island

Study Island is a standards based learning program that provides targeted instruction to prepare students for success with a standards-based academic program and standardized assessments such as the PSSA exam.

All students may use the Study Island program at home as well as at school to reach their maximum level of academic achievement in reading and mathematics for grades K-12. Writing content is available for grades 5, 8, and 11. Science content is available for grades 4, 8, and 11.Studyisland.com is a website that provides online preparation products that students can use to prepare for state and district examinations.

Visitors begin by selecting their state from the drop down menu or clicking the interactive map. Each state page provides a list of the exam preparation programs available for that state, as well as a video tour and links to free trials for teachers and administrators, and parents and students.

The ‘Products’ tab provides links to a video tour, a price list, a sales brochure, the reading R&R program, which is designed to attract students to reading, and a GED section with preparation products developed for students who will be taking the General Educational Development (GED) exam, a high school equivalency exam.

The ‘Research’ tab provides links to company sponsored research documents, as well as independent foundational research reports and statistical research reports that support the programs offered by the company.

The ‘Success Stories’ tab features links to case studies, student success stories, and video testimonials. The ‘News’ tab features links to the latest company news, contests, and upcoming conferences. The ‘Grants & Funding’ tab displays links to grants and funding available for educators and school administrators, as well as grant writing tips, links to funding assistance, and links to government grants.

The ‘Training’ tab displays links to the training program available for the products offered by the company, as well as links to member only tutorials, online training, and a webinar schedule.

Registration is available to educators and school administrators who purchase school licenses to Study Island programs.

The problem was he was a clicker. He could answer more questions on Study Island than any other student in the school. He figured out, the easiest way to do a session was to just keep clicking on that Enter button And because the questions were multiple choice, he could always get about 25%. Unfortunately for him, his teacher soon caught on to the fact that he was blowing away lessons like a windstorm blowing leaves in an oak woods. He could complete ten questions in about a minute.

Study Island is based on state standards. It is an excellent online learning program that features lessons, and remidiation by bumping students down to lower grade levels if they are unable to pass the tests. Each session features four answer multiple choice questions on a chosen topic. The test is an excellent predicter in the likelihood of students passing the Ohio Achievement Test.

A third grade teacher, Mrs. Kable approached me with this problem. She had a student who was rushing through lessons on Study Island. I picked three Reading Workshop students, Trindi, Dylan, and Jacob to take turns helping this student with his sessions. One goes each day for 20 minutes, rotating so none miss too much class.

The Study Island SAT and the Study Island ACT programs were examined for this review; they are very similar programs with test-specific differences. Both programs are web-based subscription services that can be used by students or teachers at any time from any location—lab, classroom, library, or home. This review will focus on the Study Island SAT program.

Study Island has partnered with Tutor Associates, a one-on-one tutoring company, to offer the SAT (and the ACT) review program. The mathematics portion of Study Island SAT helps students master both computation problems and word problems similar to those used on the test; the verbal portion includes practice for the critical reading and writing sections of the SAT.

Animated interactive instructional videos help students learn key test-taking strategies and help them avoid common pitfalls. The program also provides hundreds of printable flashcards designed to help students practice common SAT vocabulary. Practice exams allow students to get a score estimate. Full-length practice tests can be generated on request.