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Monday, September 30, 2019

Exam Review Guide

Exam 3 Review Guide This guide lists the areas that you should concentrate on when reviewing for Exam 3. To adequately prepare for the test, you should first read the General Tso, Meet Steven Covey article to get comfortable with it. Then, as you review the items listed below, think in terms of how the theories discussed in class relate to the particular scenario described in the article. The exam will consist of multiple essay questions. Please don’t forget to bring a copy of the article with you, so that you will be able to have it available for your reference.You may highlight the article but you cannot write anything on your copy. Be prepared to identify issues, sources of the issues, and formulate/justify your recommendations. Should you have any questions in the course of your preparation, please do not hesitate to e-mail or call me. Good luck! Language, Culture, and Communication †¢ the context of language-based communication †¢ low-context cultures and explic it communication †¢ high-context cultures favor a more diffuse communication style †¢ communication on the Internet †¢ ethnocentrism †¢ stereotypesIntercultural Marketing Communications I †¢ clarifying the brand identity †¢ achieving visibility through identity-building brand exposure †¢ involving the consumer in brand-building experiences Intercultural Marketing Communications II †¢ service essentials †¢ the five lessons pertaining to services Great Leaps, Persistence, and Innovation: The Evolving Story of Hyundai †¢ Hyundai’s three-fold strategy †¢ the three pillars of Hyundai’s philosophy The Art and Science of Managing the New Global Corporation†¢ Napoleon’s words of wisdom †¢ being part of the solution vs. eing part of the problem †¢ the differences between managing a privately held business and managing a publicly held business †¢ the leadership model of the Carlson Industries (i. e . , the various components of the circle) Marketing the Arts: The Secret Weapon †¢ the importance of mission for not-for-profit organizations †¢ the important issue of economic nature and the influence of innovation on achieving productivity gains †¢ the third challenge in running arts organizations †¢ the mantra of running a successful arts organization †¢ the two types of marketing according to Michael Kaiser †¢ the two audiences that art organizations cater to

Sunday, September 29, 2019

The Best Experience of My Life

One of my favorite family traditions is summer vacation. Every summer without fail we go on vacation, and we stay there for at least a week. For the past five years we have been going to Disney World with our family that lives in Los Angeles. He is my cousin Ricardo, he lives with his wife and his 1-yearold daughter. I like them because they’re nice, cool and funny. It has turned into a tradition and we all love to be together and have a good time. Every year when we go they greet us in such a way they make you feel like home. Once we’re there and our vacation starts we just forget about everything and relax for a week. We have been going on vacation with our cousins for so long, for a very good reason. It is because everyone gets along. My mom and dad, Ricardo and his wife Mari have a very good relationship. Ricardo my cousin, who is 30, is my cousin and my friend and we get along great. My sister Susan, who is 25, and Mari, who is 27, also get along very well. This works out great because we are all old enough to go out and do our own thing without getting the parents too much involved. Since most of the fun things to do are located right near the hotels we stay at any random hotel. We rarely need to ask them for a ride anywhere, so everyone goes their way and it turns into a great vacation for all of us. We have been going to Disney World together for as long as I can remember. We know the place inside and out. Where all the best rides are, which park is the best. It even got so bad that we knew what time the lines for each ride was shortest. Disney World always comes out with some kind of a new ride or show each year . All the characters are the same but they’re always happy and cheering for the little kids. So it doesn’t gets boring, that is what mostly keep us continuing coming back for more year after year. We headed for the food court because we were all very hungry. All I had eaten in the entire day was water a sandwich and a piece of gum . It was getting late and we hurried because we planned to go to the rides last. When we arrived at the restaurant me and my sister ordered a gigantic hamburger, my mom and dad fish, and my cousin and his wife chicken. When we finish we were all very satisfied and we headed for a little fun. We saw some lights in the far end and we followed them. We arrived at a show it was called the electrical parade and it was really cool. So we went down there last summer and it was a big vacation for all of us. I know it was more of an children’s vacation which but it was very fun and we all loved. In my opinion we are a little too old for Disney World but it was my favorite vacation. My favorite part was when we went to the rides and got on a rollercoaster. My sister tried not to vomit but I guess she had a weak stomach and vomited all over my dad. Unfortunately for my dad, he was on the same cart and he vomited too. When it all was over and we were in a hotel we joked about the vomit and laughed really hard. We shouldn’t had eaten right before going into the rollercoaster.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

World view chart writing assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

World view chart writing - Assignment Example There are many categories within a religion that reflect its peculiar position on various aspects of the world. This paper will analyze Islam and its views on salvation in particular, drawing connections to other religions and the contemporary social environment. Speaking of a rationale for choosing this category, one might note that the concept of salvation should be named among the central ones in every religion. Indeed, even those that reject this concept make this rejection a significant statement. In addition to that, many religions put emphasis on the afterlife of a person and salvation is largely see as an effective way to ensure that a person will not suffer after death. Furthermore, it would not be a mistake to suggest that the idea of salvation is able to reflect the deep beliefs of a particular spiritual system showing which areas are highlighted by it and regarded as the most important ones for the well being of one’s soul. According to the teaching of Islam, the way to save one’s soul is the submission to God (Royster, 2014, p. 242). This concept is central to the entire religion and is enshrined in many practiced that are carried out on a daily basis. Another point that should be mentioned is that the two rivaling branches agree that submission is the only effective way that will bring a person closer to God (Seligman, 1989, p. 118). Some mind suggest that submission is achieved very easily and there is not difficult in it; what these people tend to forget is that the idea in question is much deeper than it seems. In other words, for Islam different aspects of salvation are grounded on the concept of submission (White, 2013, p. 56). I might turn to a careful examination of the significant of the above mentioned category across the religions that were studied in the course. Thus, it is obvious that the call for submission is somewhat similar to the Christian call for accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Though it may be

Friday, September 27, 2019

Learning experiences from the Management Process Study Essay

Learning experiences from the Management Process Study - Essay Example The main thing for which the employers are looking for is the meeting of the goals and the expectations that they have. It is the duty of the employers to give a constant feedback to their employees so that they are aware of actually what their employees are up to (WESKE, 2007). This also helps the organization decide how much they actually need to train or guide their employees towards a better form. Feedback also makes them figure out if the profession they are pursuing is something they really want to do or if there is something else for them in store (MACMILLAN and TAMPOE, 2000). The Tuck man model of growth development of the group is related to the formation of a group and how the members of the group continue to behave in the group. The group that I have chosen to discuss is the group from my Organizational Behavior class. Group Formation The group that was formed contained of people all unknown to each other, since they all belonged to the different sections. The tuck man mod el explains the process a group of individuals go through to achieve a synchronized group that has cohesiveness and integrity. There are four stages given by the Tuck man model which claims that each and every group has to go through these stages before either the group forms completely or is dispersed completely failing to achieve any sort of cohesiveness. The stages in the model are Forming, Storming, Norming, and Performing. Forming In this first stage, all the people are new to each other; they are usually at their best behavior trying to gain the impressions of the others around them and assess them. The people are usually focused on the task at hand and are goal oriented. In this stage of team, the supervisor should play the most active role by maintaining a cordial relationship between the members and making sure that no team member is left out. My group is past this stage, the process of forming went really well, where each of us realized the potential of each other and lear ned to respect each other for it. The forming process of our team was quite beneficial too as we learned about each other and were able to decide the tasks at hand in a good manner. Storming In the storming process of any group the members of the group openly begin giving their ideas and sharing with one another. At this point in time the group members also decide who their group leader will be and what type of leadership they prefer (POIRIER and WALKER, 2005). IN our case, the leader was predefined therefore the only that we had to decide was the type of leadership that we will have. There were a bit of issues as well because some of the members in our group were not agreeing to give-up their ideas. But thankfully we reached a common point and the whole process was decided then about how to carry on. We came out of this phase successfully as well. Norming In the norming stage the team members are all in harmony and happily working with each other in achieving the goal (PICKETT, 200 5). Our group is currently at this stage, we are all synchronized in our ideas and our working towards our goals. There is perfect harmony and no more clashes in ideas of the group members. Performing Performing stage is when the group starts to perform the tasks and behave like one unit. The things are all decided the task distributed and there is the smooth working of the group then. There are no internal or external conflicts. Our group is yet to reach this stage. LEARNING

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Use of Experts in Scholarly Research Dissertation

Use of Experts in Scholarly Research - Dissertation Example There is a need to integrate the two models to incorporate the advantages of each on order to reach harmony among the scholars regarding expert involvement in epistemology. This paper aims to propose such a model. It starts by presenting a literature review and analysis, followed by a detailed discussion of the most important approaches to the field of study and research, and ends by presenting a framework that aims to corroborate the established schools of thought about instruction and the role of experts as guides for research. Literature Review: The study and analysis of the currently available literature on the subject is important in order to ascertain the extent of progress in the pertinent field and the frequency of research conducted. Such research is important to highlight the advantages and disadvantages of the issue under discussion, that is, the use of experts in the field of scholarly research. This literature review would be divided into two parts: the synthesis of the available information on the subject, followed by a scholarly analysis of the literature, discussing the shortcomings of the available material regarding the subject. Synthesis: the literature discusses the role of experts in research under two distinct models; the traditional method of expert instruction, and the more recent method of constructivism (Murphy, 1997). A most comprehensive study made on the subject is by far the article ‘Towards Expert Knowledge?’ by Paivi Tynjala, published in the International Journal of Educational Research in 1999. In this article, Tynjala makes a comparison between the traditional instructional set up and the more recent advent of constructivist education. The article starts by describing the established model of learning across the majority of institutes, analyzing its characteristics and presenting the issues that arise from the practice of that traditional system in the present day evolved framework of academia. it deconstructs the issue into its constituents, discussing each component separately, such as the ontology of expertise, the epistemology of gaining expertise, the methodology involved, and the shortcomings of that methodology. It presents as a solution the pure form of constructivist model, demanding a sheer shift from one system to the other and submitting that such a drastic changeover is the only method of catering to the changing needs of the field. It does not present any model for integration of the two systems, rather simply advocates const ructivism. Another extensive research on the topic comes from Kimberly A. Galt, in his work ‘Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches to research and inquiry’ (2008). The discussion starts by defining the different approaches to learning, such as epistemology, ontology, and methodology, and then progresses to the detailed discussion of each, focusing the most on methodology. It includes detailed analysis of the different types of methodology, like quantitative, qualitative, and mixed, listing the characteristics of each and set ups in which each could be adequately used. This study does not aim at upholding a certain system, but leaves the conclusion to be drawn by the researcher as to which methodology of epistemology suits his mind frame. There are very few other such open-ended studies available on the subject. Helen Gosse, Holly Gunn, and Leon Swinkels, in their article

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Case Study on Employee Relations Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

On Employee Relations - Case Study Example Having employed over 100 employees and with a possibility of future expansion, the business owner has decided that he would want to engage his employees more in the running of the company using the employee relations techniques. This is aimed at ensuring that employees perform at their most efficient optimal levels. This report is thus aimed at focusing on the various issues that ensure employee relations is handled well in solving conflicts once they arise and to avoid disputes from degenerating into serious matters in the future (Armstrong, 2006:167). These enterprises have employees of not more than 250 ,while small enterprise have less than fifty employees the medium sized enterprise have not more than 250 employees. The Small and medium Enterprises have played a very big role in the growth and stability of the economy as it consists of over 90% of all operating firms and they contribute to the creation of employment for over 65 million people. They have contributed to over 40% of the Gros Domestic product (GDP) in the United Kingdom and at the same time they have led to the growth of economies, increase in competition and innovation for the firms (Armstrong, 2006:167). Benefits employee relations Employee relations ensures that all stakeholders in the business are involved in the decision making process. This is because it entails involving all the parties together by building team work, cohesiveness and solving problems together. Employee relation is also important in reducing conflicts within the organization. All organizations have different people from different religion, age groups, and races and therefore differences are bound to arise and to be able to reduce these problems employee relations is important. The business owners are seeking for new ways that they can win the confidence and commitment of employees and also ensure that employees are satisfied with their jobs. They also seek to motivate the employees, reduce the rate of absenteeism, reduce the rate of labor turnover and eventually gain a competitive edge over their competitors. A more participatory management style would make the business achieve all these issues (Gennard and Judge, 2005:302). The issues for employee relations in Small and Medium Enterprises (SMES) The small and medium sized enterprises are faced with many issues such as lack of harmonization, tension between control and consent, loose structures of governance together with lack of professionalism in the human resources processes. Most of these firms do not have clear guidelines as to what is expected of employees. Thus we find that most employees will do what they think is right as there are no proper procedures to be followed (Murphy, 2002:10) . Constraints for SME The economic meltdown is a major concern for the SMEs today and the effects of this recession has led to the businesses adopting cost cutting strategies in areas of human resource training, practices and the development policies. The banks have also affected the operations of these businesses as they charge very high

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Not required,just answer the question Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Not required,just answer the question - Essay Example The fourth is, of course the last and the most important, the way it has changed our culture: the ways we think, learn, express and share as a society. Changes in culture are also a composite effect of the changes in the first three categories. Before the times of the internet, humanity as a whole witnessed the emergence of first the printed medium like books, magazines and newspapers and then of the audio and video---radio and television respectively. Each of these had a profound impact on the modern way of life, but then came the internet. To properly understand the true impact of the internet, one has to realize the ways it is different from the old media. The internet was different from these media because it made communication two-sided and interactive, at the click of a mouse. It meant that the audience could react fast, anonymously, and did not have to depend on a phone line and the mercy of a selector to express its reactions. The internet also eliminated boundaries; communication across the world became cheap. It gave the possibility for someone in Thailand to interact with another person in Sweden, and establish relationships based on common interests. The internet empowered through information, and gave equal and prompt access to a wealth of information to everyone across the world. Not only that, it made self-publishing through blogs, video-blogs and podcasts cheap and simple, making it impossible to curb the freedom of expression. While examining the first category, namely social organization, the first factor is the individual's power to move or create opinion, or propagate a way of life, which has increased exponentially. Anonymity has meant an obvious decrease in discrimination: race, color and age are secondary to the ability to prove a point in a given context. Internet can thus be a great leveler of social hierarchy. The ability to search for and connect with people with the same interests or points of view means the creation of strong virtual communities, which could be geographically diverse. This is radically different from earlier social communities that could be formed only by people in close physical vicinity. Online love, friendship, cybersex and searching for partners online introduce a change in social dynamics, where relationships can be formed outside real-world social occasions, thus weakening the previous role of social organization in personal relationships. Just as with social organization, the way politics is conducted has undergone a sea-change with the advent of the internet. Blogs, podcasts and articles on the internet influence public opinion more effectively than other media, because of their interactivity and the ability to support and empower individual opinion. The internet is increasingly becoming a part of modern campaigns also because of its affordability and ability to infiltrate to a younger base of the population. The changes brought about by the internet in the economy have been a hot topic of discussion for the past decade. It has been the biggest enabler in the creation of trans-national corporations, making cheap knowledge capital and skills accessible anywhere in the world. Internet has also spawned individual entrepreneurship, and ensured job-security. It has reduced costs across the board. An individual can now be self-employed, thanks to the millions of creative ideas that use anything from websites

Monday, September 23, 2019

Management Consultant Industry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Management Consultant Industry - Essay Example There has been a lot of criticism of consultants, consulting companies as well as consulting as a profession. This also spurred a large number of jokes and sarcastic comments being made on consultants, one of them being ‘All that management consultants do is to borrow their clients' watches and tell them the time, then send in a huge bill’. Many articles have also been penned on various unethical practices being carried out by consultants especially in big consulting firms (Kitay & Wright 2004, Pinault 2000). While some amount of criticism is valid and makes sense, a large part is also exaggerated. This essay aims to critically analyze both sides of the picture before arriving at the do’s and don’ts for a successful marriage between business and consulting. Criticism against Consultants (Stage 3- Root Definition) Consulting by nature is a service industry and hence its deliverables are highly intangible and subjective (Lemann 1999). Therefore, different bus iness organizations have different evaluation of work done by consultants for them. Consultants generally charge a very high fee. Many times, their recommendations actually lead to worsening of conditions. Moreover, consultants have the inclination to implement or suggest certain standard solutions which have developed in their own organizations or are generally used best practices in the industry. Hence, they don’t make it a point to customize the solution for a particular organization or come up with a new solution. (Pringle 1998). Consultants are often seen focusing on latest management fads in the market or using fashionable business jargon to impress the clients but which may have no implications on the output (Clark & Salaman 1998, Pinault 2000). A large number of consulting projects have simply failed to deliver the results while many others lost touch with reality mid-way and had to be scrapped (Klenter & Mollgard 2006, Seidl & Mohe 2007). In many cases, implementatio n of the consultants’ advice has produced disastrous circumstances for an organization (Byrne 2002). Ferdinand Piech, former CEO of Volkswagen, even went to the extent of saying that â€Å"If you want to ruin a company, you only have to try fixing it with the help of external consultants† (Seidl & Mohe 2007). Analysis of Client- Consultant interaction through CATWOE approach Let us understand the client consultant relationship through CATWOE approach proposed by Checkland (Williams 2005). a. Customers: The customers here would be the end consumers the client caters to. For example, for a steel manufacturer people buying utensils may be the customer. The impact of the client consultant relationship on the customers may occur in the medium to long term. b. Actors: Actors would be the consultants or consulting firm who enable the transformation. The role of consultants is the most significant for the success of this relationship. Now days, consultants work in teams which comprise members of the client side as well. Therefore, in such cases certain client side employees are also actors. c. Transformation: The transformation is the conversion from an unsolved problem to a well laid out solution. The solution may be a suggestion, recommendation, documentation, model or an end to end implementation depending upon the nature and scope of work. d. Weltanschauung: The compensation of the consu

Sunday, September 22, 2019

2ND PAPER Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

2ND PAPER - Essay Example Chances that the super power would diminish in the next decades are clearly high. The best positioned countries to challenge America’s prominence are found in East Asia and globally by China. (Abdelnour, Wesley & Herman pg57) It is believed that if Chinas economic growth continues consistently the next two decades just in the same pace as the last two decades, then it would surpass and rival the United States of America in terms of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) .GDP is not measured in terms of dollar but in terms of purchasing power parity. Even if Chinas economic status does not does not reach the Americas standards, it is notable that the growth has created a fundamental political inspiration in the entire East Asia. The economic clout extends East Asia affecting both great powers and the developing countries due to enthusiasm for raw materials and competitive prices for low cost goods. China is resolute in climbing the technological ladder, a clear indication that it might affect United States of America economically. Already China is regarded as the most dominant military powerhouse in the entire East Asia thereby making significant strides creating excellence in the armed forces. The tense relationship between USA and Russia has been fuelled by Americans interest in Crimea with regard to the sanctions that have been attached to Russia recently by President Barrack Obama of the United States. Several banks have been blacklisted by the US government following the Russian infiltrations in Ukraine. Majority of Russian businessmen in the United States who have close links with Vladimir Putin have been expelled from the country. President Obama has also come with strategies to tame some parts of the Russian economy comprising both the oil and gas industries which form a bunch of Russians export. (Abdelnour, Wesley & Herman pg29) According to President Barack Obama, the action would interfere with the

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Personal exercise plan swimming Essay Example for Free

Personal exercise plan swimming Essay What I enjoy doing: I enjoy swimming, playing squash, jogging, aerobics and power walking. What activities I already take part in: I play squash two or three times a week, and got to the gym, and in the spring I cycle with my friends. I also have bleep test/ fitness test once every two weeks. By improving my muscle strength and endurance it will mean that I am able to train for longer. Cardiovascular fitness is the ability of your heart to deliver oxygen to your muscles over a long period of time. This will build up my heart muscle and allow me to train for longer and cope with the pace of a longer game. By improving my agility it will my ability to perform a series of explosive power movements in a rapid succession in opposing directions. By improving my speed I will be able to get across the court in less time so my opponent has less time to react. Testing my Fitness Level I am going to use specific tests, which are associated with my sport. I will test how fit I am at the beginning of the six week session. I will test my cardiovascular endurance and my muscular endurance. I will use my aerobic system, anaerobic system and my power. All the tests I decide to do at the beginning of the six weeks, I will repeat again at the end of it so I can see how much my fitness level has improved by. Swimming (set 1) is a continuous training session. This program is mainly going to contain aerobic training with some focus on anaerobic training, to help improve sprint starts and finishes in the water, and my overall speed. Swimming (set 2) will include several types of ketchup to improve my technique. In the program I must ensure that I have enough rest periods to prevent build up of lactic acid or injury Each week is going to include one circuit session and a two swimming sessions. The exercises of the circuit will be performed in the same order that they are written down. This way, after working each muscle group it is then rested by working another group. The number of repetitions, not how long it takes to carry out one activity, will perform my circuit. An example of a circuit session would look like this: At the beginning I will complete a small warm up, jogging 15m, and then stretching from the neck working downwards. Station 1: arms raises using dumb bells (3kg). I will repeat this 15 times on each arm, it will strengthen the muscles in my arms making them more powerful, and making me swim faster. Increase by: 5 arm raises each time. Station 2: V sits. 16 times, strengthening my stomach muscles. Increase by: 3 more v-sits each time. Station 3: cycles with ankle weights, and dumb bells in hands. I will do 20 cycles. This will work my quads, abs, arms and hamstring muscles, making them stronger. Increase by: 4 cycles each time. Station 4: running on a crash mat, 50 steps, this will strengthen my quads and my cardiovascular system. Increase by: 5 steps each time. Station 5: the plank. Hold it for 40 seconds, rest for 40 seconds, and then repeat it three times. This will strengthen my stomach muscles. Increase by: repeat it an extra time each time. Station 6: arm circles, 60 times. Will strengthen arm muscles, making my pulls in my strokes stronger, making me go faster. Increased by: 4 arm circles each time. Station 7: lunges with weights (3kg), 20 lunges. Strengthen my legs, enabling my kicks to be more powerful. Increase by: 2 lunges each time. Station 8: medicine ball lifts with arms, 15 times. Strengthen my arm muscles. Increase by: 2 lifts each time. Station 9: skipping: 50 skips, improve my cardiovascular system. Increase by: 5 skips each time. Station 10: step ups, 50 times strengthening the muscles in my legs. Increase by: 3 step ups each time. Station 11: running 15m 6times, strengthening my cardiovascular system Increase by: 1 15m run each time. At the end of my circuit training session, I will stretch all of my muscles to prevent the build up of laic acid. When I do my circuit training sessions I will increase the amount of reps I carry out, the number that I increase them by is underlined at the bottom of each section. I need to increase the number of reps so that my body does not adjust to the exercise I am doing, and it keeps improving, and so my muscles become stronger.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Role Of Arabic Language In Islamic Culture

Role Of Arabic Language In Islamic Culture The importance of language to the development of human civilization and its cultural face can be laid emphasis to the fact that language is purely human and non-instinctive methods of communicating ideas, emotions and desires by means of voluntary produced symbols. (Lyons, 1991, p. 3) However, taking note from the above belief, we feel that there is much more to language than just meet the eyes. In another sense, the definition and description of language as stated above also suffers from some defects, and has its limits, given that languages is broader in its cultural forms. Add to it, communication through languages also can take many forms and formats, not just the sole consideration that limit itself to ideas, emotions and the likes of desires, which are beyond the voluntarily produced symbols. To put language in a proper sense, we can relate that language is a system of vocal symbols by means of a social group co-operation. (Lyons, 1991, p. 5) Understood so, we can add that it will be proper to make a brief analysis on the subject of language and culture, so as to come to the conclusion on the role language played in the culture sphere, and its impact. But what encounters us in these analytical segments is the basic question, what is culture? From a scholastic point of views, culture has several related senses, which means that culture itself is synonyms with civilization. And in the second sense, culture is often employed without any implication of unilingual human progress from barbarism to civilization without any prior value judgment being made as to the aesthetic or intellectual quality of a particular society, be it in arts, literature, institutions, which defines its own distinctive subculture. (Lyons, 1991, pp. 301-302) The role of Arabic Language in Islamic Culture Right from the outset and when we relate to culture in conjunction and juxtaposition with language, and assimilating their meaning, there is some sense of relevance that adds up, and which raises the question central to this essay and its arguments. To be precise, what concern the essay proposal and attempt made in that regard can be laid emphasis to the notion and the role of Arabic language in Islamic cultures, which are as follows:- Threats that impact Arabic language The strength of Arabic language and the Islamic culture in particular Problems that the Arabic culture faced. Thus, subject to these assumption that relates to the subject matter, the following discussion describes the same in their subheading so as to drive home the value judgment and criticisms from an objective point of view. Threats that impacted Arabic language and culture: The past, present and future Before we turn to the threats that impacted the Arabic language, it will be proper to analyze Arabic language, and as literature relates to Arabic belongs to the groups of languages collectively known as the Semitic language, which constitutes groups of the Middle East region and North Africa. And the earliest known Semitic spoken language is the Akkadian, spoken in Mesopotamia between 2500 BC and 600 BC. (Versteegh, 2001, p. 9) What we can drive home from this brief absorption can be premised in the ethnic and regional boundaries of the past. And as scholars relates to, there is nothing much that is known on the earliest stages of Arabic languages and when the Arabian nomads came to the Arabian peninsular, besides the language they spoke also is hard indeed to predict, assumed that Arabic was mostly spoken, given the inscription in the civilization of that era, that is to say the available Arabian civilization. (Versteegh, 2001, p. 23) In addition, Arabic in the pre-Islamic period that is revealed through the Quran and its manuscripts in all its essence describe the language and its forms, (Versteegh, 2001, p. 37)which till today commands its space and that which register readily with scholars. Besides, what is most significant to the development of the Arabic language constitutes the periods of the Islamic conquest, just after the death of Prophet Mohammed, where a drastic sea change was brought about to Arabic language and its forms that significantly spread from Syria to Egypt and where Islam took centre stage in the cultural development of the region, where Arabic spoken people were united under Islamic domination. (Versteegh, 2001, p. 93) However, as human civilization and in particular Arabian civilization progressed, threat to its language and cultural forms also increased. And relevant to such a scenario is the emergence of modern standards in languages, wherein, Arabic and French had to compete for the status of language of prestige and from the language reformer perspective, it means to devalue the classical language by debasing it with dialect influence or the abolition of grammatical rules. (Versteegh, 2001, p. 186) Moreover, what we can analyze from a modern perspective, the biggest threats to Arabian language also came from foreign languages and their domination in the Arab world when European imperialism was spreading fast. Thus, English, French, Italian and Spanish, and the fact that English also commands a significant place in the colonized region of the Arab world, (Fishman, 2001, p. 385) make it more reliable to place these languages as a threats to Arabian language in the Middle East region. Apart, the 21st century also presents the Arab world the challenges that may determine its future for generations, be it in maintaining their cultural identify and the danger that comes it due to abundant influence of the western world. (Najjar, 2005) Strength of the Arabic Language and the Islamic culture Assimilating from the aforementioned statements and its arguments, we cant deny the facts that languages be it English, French or Arabic and the threats in their own domains defines it own extent as and when human civilization progressed across national boundaries. In fact, Arabic as a language is known to be a great influence to the cultural face of the Arab world and Islamism in particular. Take for instance, the ties that connect the Arabic language to its history also places it in a unique position among major world languages of the contemporary world, which also defines the strength. Add to it, the historical connection of Arab language also brings both strength and weakness, which does not devalue the importance of historical connection; rather it serves as the fundamental consideration when setting guideline for the future. (Kassem M. Wahba, 2006, p. 386) The tradition that relates to Arabic language can be laid more emphasis to the notion that the centrality of the Arabic language in contemporary context of the Arab world is the result of the continuous foreign presence in Arab speaking countries in the modern era. As a result of it, a threatening feeling among Arab nationalist and intellectuals grew who views such development as an attempt to alter Arab cultural identity and its heritage. (Kassem M. Wahba, 2006, p. 386) Add to it, Globalization and its impact also deeply concerned Arab intellectuals and the disinclination of the western world and their Islamic biases. (Najjar, 2005) But, we can add and conclude that Arabic language in the contemporary context is rich in history, which links together its culture, traditions and that which defines the Islamic world at large. Problems that the Arabic culture faced From a modern analysis to Arabic cultural issue, the countenance of globalization bridged a way to Islamic threats. (Najjar, 2005) And as scholars have related to, culture are timeless and omnipresent, which exists and influences all nation at all time and draws a fine line to augment cultural dominance, which also grants individuals their full personal, social and cultural character. (Lewis, 2007) However, in the face of globalization and western influences, Islamic heritage and Arabic language and culture faced the dangers of being sidelines. (Najjar, 2005) Moreover, how to preserve Muslim cultural autonomy in the face of many recurring western influences also constitutes another relevant problem. Add to it, intellectual cultural differences between Arab masses and elitist are also one such problem that posits, plus the cultural issue of free Arab thinkers and free cultural expression, (El-shibiny, 2005, pp. 63, 65) that is thought to be under constant restraint from outside elements. Conclusion and recommendation Linguistic or languages as we know of in general assumptions is said to have played a dominant role in the development of culture and human civilization across the globe. Thus, it can be recommended that incorporate Arab culture in the face of globalization and its influence can be reinforced through the spirit of brotherhood, develop common Arab cultural trends and most importantly reviving the idea of Arab culture itself, (El-shibiny, 2005, p. 76) Furthermore, it can be concluded through a recommendation that an interest in the development of modern language education technology as a means to strengthening the participation of Arabic in various aspect of global activities is also a must. Add to it, efforts to develop Arabic education, plus research that gives importance to language and cultural heritage is also a need of the hour, (Kassem M. Wahba, 2006, pp. 385-86) which is what we can finally conclude on how the role of Arabic language can significantly bridged and reforms Islamic culture.

Thursday, September 19, 2019

FDR and Winston Churchill Essay -- essays research papers fc

Between the years of 1939 and 1945 the world was sent spiralling in a mess of corruption, violence and uncertainty. Allied powers were faced with the unparalleled task of protecting the world from tyranny. In terms of political power, this weight was bestowed upon the shoulders of two memorable individuals. By and large Winston Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt can be labelled as beacons of democracy and leaders of the free world in their time. Winston Churchill, the son of Lord Randolph Churchill, became an officer in the 4th cavalry in 1894. Between 1895 and 1899 he served in Cuba, India and South Africa as a reporter. Churchill entered politics in 1900 and held many government posts until he was appointed First Lord of the Admiralty prior to World War One. Due to logistical and tactical failures during wartime, Churchill was somewhat discredited and lost his naval post. In the inter war period, Churchill remained politically active and made his way up the ranks to become chancellor of the exchequer in Stanley Baldwin’s Conservative government. When World War Two broke out, Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain appointed him to his old post as First Lord of the Admiralty. When Chamberlain was forced to resign, Churchill became Prime Minister. He served throughout the war as Britain’s supreme leader until he was defeated in a 1946 general election. Churchill once again became prime minister from 1951 until his r esignation in 1955. In 1953, he was knighted and received the Nobel Prize in Literature. Franklin D. Roosevelt was a lawyer educated at Harvard and Columbia University School of Law. His political career started when he was elected to the New York State senate in 1910. He was appointed Assistant Secretary of the Navy, a position he held from 1913 to 1920. As a Democrat, Roosevelt ran as vice presidential nominee along side James M. Cox, an election that was lost to the republican candidates Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge. While vacationing on Campobello Island, N.B., Roosevelt was stricken with polio and became paralysed from the waste down. However, he eventually recovered partial use of his legs. In 1928 and 1930, Roosevelt was elected governor of New York. At the height of the great depression, in 1932, Franklin D. Roosevelt became the 32nd president of the United States. He went to work immediately utilising government resources to combat ... ...d weaknesses as every individual does, but were, without a doubt, very successful leaders in their time. Churchill and Roosevelt were truly beacons of democracy and leaders of the free world. Bibliography Alacritude, LLC. Encyclopedia.com. 24 Feb. 2003 < http://www.encyclopedia.com/>. Churchill Center, The. Sir Winston Churchill Homepage. 5 Mar. 2003 < http://www.winstonchurchill.org/>. Gardener, Brian. Churchill in his Time. London: Methuen & Co Ltd., 1968. Gilbert, Martin. Churchill’s Political Philosophy. London: Oxford University Press, 1981. Goff, Richard, et al. The Twentieth Century, A brief Global History. New York: McGraw-Hill Company, 2002. Jablonsky, David. Churchill: The Great Game and Total War. Portland: International Specialized Book Services, Inc., 1991. Kimball, Warren F. The Juggler: Franklin Roosevelt as Wartime Statesmen. New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1991. Ludwig, Emil. Roosevelt: A Study in Fortune and Power. New York: The Haddon Craftsmen, Inc., 1937. White, Graham J. FDR and the Press. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1979. White House, The. The White House Home Page. Mar. 9 2003 .

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

A Comparison of the Representation of Oppression in The Lost Honour of

Oppression is a theme often found in works that discuss our humanity, mortality and (of course) our freedoms. The binary of freedom and oppression will come into play in most narratives which reflect upon ethics, but we find this theme most prevalently in stories which examine the nature of law and justice, in addition to those which explore the distinguishing features of our humanity. Both the texts feature protagonists who are put on trail for crimes that they were, in one way or another, unaware that they had committed. Meursault in The Outsider shoots an Arab man on a beach in a haze of sensory turmoil, while Katharina in The Lost Honour of Katharina Blum has the misfortune to fall for a convicted murderer and is accused first of helping him make his escape and later of being involved with his criminal offences. Also common to both books is the corruption of facts, either because social powers (such as the law courts or the media) are unable to understand what our characters did, or do not want to either out of fear, or out of a dark lust for the events to become a sordid tale. In these cases we are faced not only with the oppression of the ‘victims’ of the story, but also the public in general, denied by their own desire access to the truth, and of course the warping and controlling of the truth itself. When we talk about oppression, we are most often referring to unjust treatment exerted by some kind of authority. Though that particular definition of the word does feature heavily in both The Outsider and The Lost Honour of Katharina Blum, we can also find the theme of oppression in the sense of ‘mental pressure or distress’ . Both books, though more prominently The Outsider, discuss freedom in a philosophical se... ...pression manifests itself in both of the stories in similar and familiar ways. Both of our protagonists are faced with the physical oppression of law and its power over their freedoms, and proceed to engage in an absurd struggle against the forces of law, social expectancies and falsehood. Also similar in both books is the human fear of absolute rationality, something which grants Katharina and Meursault a great deal of personal strength and freedom, but which ultimately proves to be their downfall when they are in need of appearing sympathetic or vulnerable in order to survive the judgement passed upon them. Works Cited BÃ ¶ll, Heinrich. The Lost Honour of Katharina Blum, Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1978. Camus, Albert. The Outsider. London [etc.: Penguin Books, 1983. Camus, Albert. The myth of Sisyphus, and other essays. New York: Vintage Books, 1991.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Its Time to Legalize Cloning :: Argumentative Persuasive Topics

Cloning: Just Legalize It! Cloning is a very controversial topic since it relates to moral values of human beings. In February 1997 scientists in Scotland announced the birth of the first cloned sheep named Dolly, this heralded the future of cloning possibilities and scientists began extensive experiments on cloning and have since then cloned both plants and animals successfully. The next step was to clone actual human beings but before experiments could have been carried out pressure started build on the scientists because people started to doubt if cloning was ethical and morally correct. Governments began to introduce bans and constraints on cloning, as they felt cloning was not correct and because they represented the people of its country, it had to act on it. Cloning has its cons but its pros seem to overcome them greatly. If cloning were allowed to be experimented scientists would come up of a way to clone body organs which are an exact replica of an individual body organ. This would prove very to be very beneficial to a person who may have lost a body organ such as a kidney, scientists could clone that particular organ for the individual, which, in the long run, would work better than a transplant organ. Cloning will certainly expand the scope of medicine greatly, thus enhance the possibilities of conquering diseases such as the Parkinson's disease, cancer and other diseases that were earlier considered incurable Cloning could be used to increase the population of endangered species of animals and thus save them from total extinction. This would help maintain a natural balance on the earth and have a continuos natural life cycle. Cloning could certainly benefit couples who are infertile and want to have a child of their own, thus they could use cloning to produce a baby with their similar characteristics. In fact they may be able to even choose the characteristics of their child. Equally important women who are single could have child, using cloning instead of artificial insemination. Cloning could also provide a copy of a child for a couple whose child had died. Another goal of cloning is to produce livestock with ideal characters for the agricultural industry and to be able to manufacture biological products such as proteins for humans. Some people would suggest that cloning is unnatural and not ethically correct but so would be talking medicine when you fall sick.

Monday, September 16, 2019

Research funding of medical product development Essay

Alzheimer’s disease is one of the most common ailments in adults especially the old. Over 26.6 million people around the world are affected by the disease with an increase expected in the coming years. So far, there has been no established cure for the disease whose results are pain and suffering in the patients and death. With these facts, research that can lead to success in tackling this global calamity would be instrumental and welcome. This makes it critical and worth for any form of funding to be provided in any research towards elimination of the same. The document evaluates the various forms of funding available which would help in the research to develop a novel compound critical in controlling and even curing the disease. Discussion National governments are one of the biggest sources of funding for clinical research. Various governments set aside some money in their Health sector budget of which a big portion includes money for research. The government funding programs operate locally or internationally (Murray & Johnston, 2010). An example in national government funding is the NIH (National Institute of Health) which through its various sections such as the National Human Genome Research Institute provides funding for research projects in America (Kulakowski, 2006). For the case of research in Alzheimer’s disease, national funding is through the National Institute on Aging. Government funding is beneficial in that they are not discriminative compared to funding from other sources such as organizations. However, one disadvantage is that the funds may take long thus jeopardizing the research (Kaitin, 2010). Associated closely with national governments and also a source of funding are government agencies. Agencies operate both nationally and internationally (Shaw, 2005). An example of such an agency is the Department of Energy in America. The agencies provide the funds to different sub-divisions of research areas, for example, the Human Genome Project section which may assist in developing the compound identified (Boss & Eckert, 2006). With their international operations, the benefit is that the agencies will fund any project that fulfills its requirements. One disadvantage however is that agencies are prone to manipulation and thus may be biased in funding projects due to political differences (Smith, 2006). Another source of funding for scientific research projects are foundations. These entities have a wide range of research requirements and interests (Hulley, 2007). Some of the foundations will be specific in the areas they want to fund such as the American Cancer Society that focuses on Cancer. Others are open for any research in any area such as the Howard Hughes Medical Institute which provides funding for various areas, for example, Alzheimer’s disease (Reinhart & National Research Council, 2006). Brightfocus Foundation and Alzheimer’s Research Foundation are some of the foundations that focus on funding Alzheimer based research (Financing roundup, 2008). The benefit in using foundations is that they span a wide range of research areas thus a big chance of being funded (Clinical research in Finland in 2002 and 2007, 2013). There is a disadvantage in that funding from foundations is subject to misappropriation through vices such as corruption affects the operations (C ambron, 2008). Many individuals have been known to offer private funding for research projects all over the world. Wealthy individuals are now funding scientific research institutions or individual based ones (Page, 2012). Armand Hammer, former chairman of Occidental Petroleum Corporation is an example. For his case, he provided funding for cancer related projects (Lee, 2010). Another example is Ronald Perelman and Lilly Tartikoff who funded the Revlon/ UCLA women’s Cancer Research Program under the leadership of Salmon (Bazell & Bernstein, 1998). One advantage of funding from individuals is that there are no rigorous processes involved in obtaining the funds like is the case with government agencies and foundations. A disadvantage in using the same is that individual funding may be withdrawn when differences arise thus stalling the research (Kullmann, 2006). References Bazell, R., & Bernstein, A. (1998). Her-2: The making of herceptin, a revolutionary treatment for breast cancer. New York: Random House. Boss, J. M., & Eckert, S. H. (2006). Academic scientists at work. New York, NY: Springer. Cambron, J. (2008). Grant funding for elderly health services (6th ed.). Manasquan, NJ: Health Resources Publishing. Clinical research in Finland in 2002 and 2007: Quantity and type. (2013). BioMed Central.Financings roundup.(Harvard University Office of Technology Development is funding for research projects in biomedical and life sciences )(Report). (2008, February 11). Medical Device Week.Hulley, S. (2007). Designing clinical research (3rd ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Kaitin, K. (2010). (video) Research funding of medical product development.Kulakowski, E. (2006). Research administration and management. Sudbury, Mass.: Jones and Bartlett. Kullmann, P. (2012). The Inventor’s Guide for Medical Technology From Your Napkin to the Market. Minneapolis: Hillcrest Media Group. Lee, J. (2010). Biomedical engineering entrepreneurship. Singapore: World Scientific. Murray, T. H., & Johnston, J. (2010). Trust and integrity in biomedical research: The case of financial conflicts of interest. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. Page, P. (2012). An introduction to clinical research. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Reinhart, G. R., & National Research Council (U.S.). (2006). Enhancing philanthropy’s support of biomedical scientists: Proceedings of a workshop on evaluation. Washington, DC: National Academies Press. Shaw, G. (2005, October). Tapping Alternative Sources: Funding Beyond the NIH. G & P, 5(8)12-18. Smith, C. (2006). The process of new drug discovery and development (2nd ed.). New York: Informa Healthcare. Source document

History Controlled Assessment Essay

Controlled Assessment Before 1914, some women were discriminated against and were seen as second class citizens. The ideal job for the working class women were found in and around the home, which was greatly related to domestic jobs. They were known as â€Å"domestic servants† as they had to do all of the house chores and obey the orders of the house owners, for example, the mother, the father, the son or even the daughter. They had a really low paid job as they had no skill in which they could rely on to get a job, meaning that they were forced to stick with the domestic jobs. However, they were guaranteed food, shelter and clothes, depending on the generosity of the employer the servant would gain more or less. In this controlled assessment I will be talking about 5 sources that explain to us how women’s lives were affected by World War I. During the World War, some British women’s lives had completely altered. Looking at the source, it tells us that the munitions girls were always good company. It also tells us that they were very generous and kind, since the girls offered to pay for the soldier. The source is a secondary source as it was an interview for a book made up of personal memories, which was written in 1990. Also, this interview was with H.V. Shawyer, a soldier during WWI. The purpose of this source is to educate people that want to know people’s personal memories and how their lives were changed by the war. This source is reliable as it was created for a book, made to educate people and since it is a book, it will contain many similar stories relating to the war and the munitions girls. Source 4 is a primary source and is a poster. It’s also an image of a woman ploughing on a farm. The source implies to us that women can do most things that are meant for men to do; therefore women are equal to men in most ways. The poster was created in 1917, which was during WWI. It was created by the Government, who were seeking recruits for the Women’s Land Army. Since the men were at the World War, the Government called for the women to take over the men’s jobs but were only paid minimum wage. For example, out of 260,000 women needed for the jobs, only 48,000 volunteered. This is because the jobs the women faced did not appeal to them, meaning that most of the women wouldn’t take up the jobs. The purpose of this propaganda poster was to persuade women to join the Women’s Land Army since the men were too busy at the war. This third source was taken from a website focused at GCSE History students, most likely created by a historian. It was created in 2006 and is aimed at GCSE History students; it is also a secondary source as it was created after the World War occurred so it also gains the benefit of hindsight. The purpose of this source was to inform and educate GCSE students studying for History. This source is quite trustworthy since it’s from BBC, a trusted website. Also, it was most likely created by experienced Historians, willing to educate students for their exams. It is also quite useful as it informs you about World War I, and how it proved to be a turning point for women. This next source I will be talking about is a secondary source and is a letter. It is taken from a letter by Mrs H. Felstead, who was writing it in to the Imperial War Museum. It was a letter created in 1976. The Imperial War Museum asked for memories from women that were involved in the War. The source was created to inform people on what women gained during the war. The source is actually fairly reliable as it informs us on what women gained during the War; however, there isn’t enough knowledge on who she is so this makes the source fairly reliable. This source is quite useful to somebody studying on how women’s lives were affected during the War as it gives us personal stories from these women, and is written from their own point of view. The last source I will be talking about is a secondary source and is an extract from a History book talking about women’s rights. The source was created in 1932 and is an extract from a History book. The source was also created by a woman named Sylvia Pankhurst. The source was created to persuade people to allow women’s rights, such as the vote. However, this is not enough as Sylvia wanted more women’s rights. The source is fairly reliable as she is trying to campaign for women’s rights by using detailed facts about women, however, she could be lying by creating false facts to help gain rights for women. The source is also quite useful to women wanting to know about women’s rights and who campaigned to gain women’s rights.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Aptitude Test

Graduate Diploma in Systems Analysis Page 1 of 7 Graduate Diploma in Systems Analysis (GDipSA) Aptitude Test Sample All GDipSA applicants are required to sit for the aptitude test. This is a test to measure your aptitudes for learning and performing the job of computer programming and systems analysis. There are four parts to the test and each part will be timed separately – Diagram Ability, Reasoning, Number Ability, and English Language Ability. It is designed to test your problem-solving ability, your ability to read and understand diagrams, etc. You can’t really study for the test.It is designed to test what abilities you have, as opposed to testing what facts or information you know. Sample Questions Diagramming [30 Marks] Question 1 – 30 In this section there are a number of problems with flow charts (schematic diagrams) that illustrate the process by which each problem is solved. The solution to a problem is illustrated in its diagram by following the arro ws from cell to cell. Sample question 1: Customer purchases tickets Buy as family package? N Charge $10 Y 1 N Charge price with 20% discount 2 Y Get the number of persons in family Charge full price Problem and conditions A.A themepark has decided to charge their entrance fee by individual or family package. ? As individual, ticket will be sold at $10 per person ? As family, ticket will be sold at $8 per person B. There is also a difference in the fee based on the entry time into the park. ? Entry to theme park before noon will be charged at the full price ? Entry to theme park after noon will be charged the normal price with a 20% discount SA-DIP/ Aptitude Test Sample 2012 Graduate Diploma in Systems Analysis Page 2 of 7 Cell 1. A. Is the entry before noon? B. Is the entry after noon? C. Customer purchases individual ticketD. Customer purchases a family package E. Customer makes payment Answer: (A) Cell 2. A. Charge $10 per person B. Charge $10 with 20% discount per person C. Charg e $8 per person D. Customer makes payment E. Check the time of entry Answer: (C) Sample question 2: ADD 1 TO RESIDENCE COUNT SET RESIDENCE COUNT TO 0 HOUSEHOLD INCOME > $ 5,000 SET TYPE A COUNT TO 0 N Y 2 SET TYPE B COUNT TO 0 NUMBER OF CHILDREN > 2 N Y N Y SET TYPE C COUNT TO 0 1 HOUSING SIZE > 100 M2 4 N Y N 3 N Y Y N HOUSEHOLD INCOME > $ 3,000 N NUMBER OF CHILDREN > 4 Y Y Y ADD 1 TO TYPE A COUNT ADD 1 TO TYPE B COUNTN ADD 1 TO TYPE C COUNT 5 N IS TYPE B COUNT EQUALS 30 N IS TYPE C COUNT EQUALS 10 Y Y Y SUFFICIENT TYPE A RESIDENCES FOUND SUFFICIENT TYPE B RESIDENCES FOUND SUFFICIENT TYPE C RESIDENCES FOUND END OF PROBLEM END OF PROBLEM N END OF PROBLEM N IS RESIDENCE COUNT EQUALS 200? Y OBJECTIVE NOT MET END OF PROBLEM SA-DIP/ Aptitude Test Sample 2012 Graduate Diploma in Systems Analysis Page 3 of 7 Problem and conditions for Drawing 1 A. 200 Residences are randomly drawn from a pool of 5000 Residences. B. The objective is to get a group of residences of any Type (A, B or C) of a certain quantity. C.Acceptance Criteria for various types of residences are as follows: Variable Household Income Housing Size Number of Children Quantity Required Type A > $5,000 > 120 m2 >2 20 Type B > $4,000 > 100 m2 >1 30 Type C > $3,000 > 90 m2 >4 10 D. A residence can be classified as more than one Type. (ie a Residence could be Type A as well as Type C). However the selection criteria require the residence to be of a single type. An order of preference is therefore used to select the final type for such Residences. The order of preference is classified as follows: 1. Type A 2. Type B 3. Type CIn other words, a residence having both Type A and C will be considered having a type of Type A. Cell 1 A. Household Income > $ 5,000? B. Household Income > $ 4,000? C. Household Income > $ 3,000? D. Residence is not Type A? E. Residence is not Type B? Answer: (B) Cell 2 A. Household Income > $ 5,000? B. Household Income > $ 4,000? C. Household Income > $ 3,000? D. Housing Size > 100 m2 ? E. Housing Size > 120 m2? Answer: (E) Cell 3 A. Housing Size > 80 m2? B. Housing Size > 90 m2? C. Housing Size > 100 m2? D. Household Income > $ 3,000? E. Household Income > $ 4,000?Answer: (B) SA-DIP/ Aptitude Test Sample 2012 Graduate Diploma in Systems Analysis Page 4 of 7 Cell 4 A. Number of Children > 1? B. Number of Children equals 1? C. Number of Children > 2? D. Number of Children equals 2? E. Number of Children > 3? Answer: (A) Cell 5 A. Is Type A Count equals 10? B. Is Type B Count equals 20? C. Is Type C Count equals 30? D. Is Type A Count equals 20? E. Is Type B Count equals 30? Answer: (D) Reasoning [30 Marks] Question 31- 60 This is a test of your ability to reason and to express problems in a simple form using conventional mathematical symbols.The items in the test require you to read a problem and formulate an answer for it. Sample question 1: A new homeowner ordered an air-conditioning system which costs A dollars, six wardrobes which cost W dollars a piece, and a dozen beds which cost B dollars each. The total cost of the order is A. A + W + B B. AB + 6W C. A + 6W + 12B D. A + (W + B) / 2 E. A + (2W +B)6 Answer: (C) Sample question 2: S dollars are divided amongst 3 persons, so that the first person receives $20 less than the second person, and the second person receives $20 less than the third person. What does the last person receive? A. S – 60 B.S- 40 C. S/3 -20 D. S/3 +20 E. None of the above Answer: (D) SA-DIP/ Aptitude Test Sample 2012 Graduate Diploma in Systems Analysis Page 5 of 7 Sample question 3: When a shipment of eggs was received, it was found that R eggs out of the total of P eggs were broken. Which of the following expressions indicates the percent of the eggs that were unbroken? A. R*100 / P B. P / R C. P/R *100 D. (P-R)*100 / P E. P + R Answer: (D) Sample question 4: In a box containing Z pens, S pens contain red lead and the rest contain blue lead. Which of the following expressions indicates the percent of the pe n containing blue lead? A. 100 (Z – S)] / Z B. 100 – (Z / S ) C. S / (Z – S) D. (Z – S) / (Z + S) E. 100S / (Z – S) Answer: (A) Number Ability [20 Marks] Question 61- 80 This test measures your ability to make rapid numerical calculations and estimates. Sample question 1: 123. 4 ? 1/10 (approximate) A. 1. 2 B. 12 C. 120 D. 1200 E. 12000 Answer: (D) Sample question 2: 40% of 645 (approximate) A. 230 B. 260 C. 25 D. 269 E. 250 Answer: (B) Sample question 3: 13. 5 + 49. 4 – 35. 2 A. 72. 20 B. 27. 70 C. 37. 20 D. 17. 40 E. 2. 77 Answer: (B) Sample question 4: 4/7 x 3. 90 A. 0. 222 SA-DIP/ Aptitude Test Sample 2012 Graduate Diploma in Systems AnalysisPage 6 of 7 B. 22. 22 C. 2. 228 D. 222. 2 E. 2. 222 Answer: (C) Sample question 5: (36/9 + 16) / (5 x 5 – 20) A. 40 B. 0. 4 C. 0. 44 D. 44 E. 4 Answer: (E) English Language Ability [20 marks] Question 81 – 100 Read the following passage and answer the questions below. Oct 9, 2009 JewelF est still dazzles WITH recent signs that the economy is picking up, fair organisers and exhibitors are optimistic about sales at their events starting this weekend. The organiser of the seventh JewelFest, which opens today and runs until Oct 18, expects to see sales increase from last year's $10 million to $12 million this year.Some 36 exhibitors will showcase $120 million worth of gems at Ngee Ann City Civic Plaza, up from 33 exhibitors and $100 million worth of gems last year. A four-day car exhibition, the inaugural Asia AutoSalon 2009, opened yesterday at Singapore Expo. About 50,000 visitors are expected at the event, with sales of at least $1 million. It features more than 100 models from more than 50 exhibitors. Both organisers cited the improved economy as the reason for their bullish outlook. . — MY PAPER Sample question 1: â€Å"optimistic about sales† shows that A. the organisers and exhibitors have lack of confidenceB. the organisers and exhibitors are by n ature a group of cheerful people C. the organisers and exhibitors are full of confidence D. the organisers and exhibitors are expecting less people to the exhibitions E. the organisers and exhibitors are unhappy with their sales Answer: (C) Sample question 2: â€Å"cited the improved economy as the reason for their bullish outlook† can be best replaced by A. explained that their bullish outlook is due to the improved economy B. felt that their bullish outook is the reason for the improved economy C. indicated that the improved outlook is due to the good economy D. greed that good economy contributes to their bullish outlook E. presented that the economy has improved and that their outlook is bullish Answer: (A) SA-DIP/ Aptitude Test Sample 2012 Graduate Diploma in Systems Analysis Page 7 of 7 Sample question 3: â€Å"up from 33 exhibitors and $100 million worth of gems last year† implies that A. last year there were more exhibitors than this year B. last year there wer e less exhibitors than this year C. last year there were more sales than this year D. last year there were more customers than this year E. last year there were more gems than this year Answer: (B) SA-DIP/ Aptitude Test Sample 2012 Aptitude Test Graduate Diploma in Systems Analysis Page 1 of 7 Graduate Diploma in Systems Analysis (GDipSA) Aptitude Test Sample All GDipSA applicants are required to sit for the aptitude test. This is a test to measure your aptitudes for learning and performing the job of computer programming and systems analysis. There are four parts to the test and each part will be timed separately – Diagram Ability, Reasoning, Number Ability, and English Language Ability. It is designed to test your problem-solving ability, your ability to read and understand diagrams, etc. You can’t really study for the test.It is designed to test what abilities you have, as opposed to testing what facts or information you know. Sample Questions Diagramming [30 Marks] Question 1 – 30 In this section there are a number of problems with flow charts (schematic diagrams) that illustrate the process by which each problem is solved. The solution to a problem is illustrated in its diagram by following the arro ws from cell to cell. Sample question 1: Customer purchases tickets Buy as family package? N Charge $10 Y 1 N Charge price with 20% discount 2 Y Get the number of persons in family Charge full price Problem and conditions A.A themepark has decided to charge their entrance fee by individual or family package. ? As individual, ticket will be sold at $10 per person ? As family, ticket will be sold at $8 per person B. There is also a difference in the fee based on the entry time into the park. ? Entry to theme park before noon will be charged at the full price ? Entry to theme park after noon will be charged the normal price with a 20% discount SA-DIP/ Aptitude Test Sample 2012 Graduate Diploma in Systems Analysis Page 2 of 7 Cell 1. A. Is the entry before noon? B. Is the entry after noon? C. Customer purchases individual ticketD. Customer purchases a family package E. Customer makes payment Answer: (A) Cell 2. A. Charge $10 per person B. Charge $10 with 20% discount per person C. Charg e $8 per person D. Customer makes payment E. Check the time of entry Answer: (C) Sample question 2: ADD 1 TO RESIDENCE COUNT SET RESIDENCE COUNT TO 0 HOUSEHOLD INCOME > $ 5,000 SET TYPE A COUNT TO 0 N Y 2 SET TYPE B COUNT TO 0 NUMBER OF CHILDREN > 2 N Y N Y SET TYPE C COUNT TO 0 1 HOUSING SIZE > 100 M2 4 N Y N 3 N Y Y N HOUSEHOLD INCOME > $ 3,000 N NUMBER OF CHILDREN > 4 Y Y Y ADD 1 TO TYPE A COUNT ADD 1 TO TYPE B COUNTN ADD 1 TO TYPE C COUNT 5 N IS TYPE B COUNT EQUALS 30 N IS TYPE C COUNT EQUALS 10 Y Y Y SUFFICIENT TYPE A RESIDENCES FOUND SUFFICIENT TYPE B RESIDENCES FOUND SUFFICIENT TYPE C RESIDENCES FOUND END OF PROBLEM END OF PROBLEM N END OF PROBLEM N IS RESIDENCE COUNT EQUALS 200? Y OBJECTIVE NOT MET END OF PROBLEM SA-DIP/ Aptitude Test Sample 2012 Graduate Diploma in Systems Analysis Page 3 of 7 Problem and conditions for Drawing 1 A. 200 Residences are randomly drawn from a pool of 5000 Residences. B. The objective is to get a group of residences of any Type (A, B or C) of a certain quantity. C.Acceptance Criteria for various types of residences are as follows: Variable Household Income Housing Size Number of Children Quantity Required Type A > $5,000 > 120 m2 >2 20 Type B > $4,000 > 100 m2 >1 30 Type C > $3,000 > 90 m2 >4 10 D. A residence can be classified as more than one Type. (ie a Residence could be Type A as well as Type C). However the selection criteria require the residence to be of a single type. An order of preference is therefore used to select the final type for such Residences. The order of preference is classified as follows: 1. Type A 2. Type B 3. Type CIn other words, a residence having both Type A and C will be considered having a type of Type A. Cell 1 A. Household Income > $ 5,000? B. Household Income > $ 4,000? C. Household Income > $ 3,000? D. Residence is not Type A? E. Residence is not Type B? Answer: (B) Cell 2 A. Household Income > $ 5,000? B. Household Income > $ 4,000? C. Household Income > $ 3,000? D. Housing Size > 100 m2 ? E. Housing Size > 120 m2? Answer: (E) Cell 3 A. Housing Size > 80 m2? B. Housing Size > 90 m2? C. Housing Size > 100 m2? D. Household Income > $ 3,000? E. Household Income > $ 4,000?Answer: (B) SA-DIP/ Aptitude Test Sample 2012 Graduate Diploma in Systems Analysis Page 4 of 7 Cell 4 A. Number of Children > 1? B. Number of Children equals 1? C. Number of Children > 2? D. Number of Children equals 2? E. Number of Children > 3? Answer: (A) Cell 5 A. Is Type A Count equals 10? B. Is Type B Count equals 20? C. Is Type C Count equals 30? D. Is Type A Count equals 20? E. Is Type B Count equals 30? Answer: (D) Reasoning [30 Marks] Question 31- 60 This is a test of your ability to reason and to express problems in a simple form using conventional mathematical symbols.The items in the test require you to read a problem and formulate an answer for it. Sample question 1: A new homeowner ordered an air-conditioning system which costs A dollars, six wardrobes which cost W dollars a piece, and a dozen beds which cost B dollars each. The total cost of the order is A. A + W + B B. AB + 6W C. A + 6W + 12B D. A + (W + B) / 2 E. A + (2W +B)6 Answer: (C) Sample question 2: S dollars are divided amongst 3 persons, so that the first person receives $20 less than the second person, and the second person receives $20 less than the third person. What does the last person receive? A. S – 60 B.S- 40 C. S/3 -20 D. S/3 +20 E. None of the above Answer: (D) SA-DIP/ Aptitude Test Sample 2012 Graduate Diploma in Systems Analysis Page 5 of 7 Sample question 3: When a shipment of eggs was received, it was found that R eggs out of the total of P eggs were broken. Which of the following expressions indicates the percent of the eggs that were unbroken? A. R*100 / P B. P / R C. P/R *100 D. (P-R)*100 / P E. P + R Answer: (D) Sample question 4: In a box containing Z pens, S pens contain red lead and the rest contain blue lead. Which of the following expressions indicates the percent of the pe n containing blue lead? A. 100 (Z – S)] / Z B. 100 – (Z / S ) C. S / (Z – S) D. (Z – S) / (Z + S) E. 100S / (Z – S) Answer: (A) Number Ability [20 Marks] Question 61- 80 This test measures your ability to make rapid numerical calculations and estimates. Sample question 1: 123. 4 ? 1/10 (approximate) A. 1. 2 B. 12 C. 120 D. 1200 E. 12000 Answer: (D) Sample question 2: 40% of 645 (approximate) A. 230 B. 260 C. 25 D. 269 E. 250 Answer: (B) Sample question 3: 13. 5 + 49. 4 – 35. 2 A. 72. 20 B. 27. 70 C. 37. 20 D. 17. 40 E. 2. 77 Answer: (B) Sample question 4: 4/7 x 3. 90 A. 0. 222 SA-DIP/ Aptitude Test Sample 2012 Graduate Diploma in Systems AnalysisPage 6 of 7 B. 22. 22 C. 2. 228 D. 222. 2 E. 2. 222 Answer: (C) Sample question 5: (36/9 + 16) / (5 x 5 – 20) A. 40 B. 0. 4 C. 0. 44 D. 44 E. 4 Answer: (E) English Language Ability [20 marks] Question 81 – 100 Read the following passage and answer the questions below. Oct 9, 2009 JewelF est still dazzles WITH recent signs that the economy is picking up, fair organisers and exhibitors are optimistic about sales at their events starting this weekend. The organiser of the seventh JewelFest, which opens today and runs until Oct 18, expects to see sales increase from last year's $10 million to $12 million this year.Some 36 exhibitors will showcase $120 million worth of gems at Ngee Ann City Civic Plaza, up from 33 exhibitors and $100 million worth of gems last year. A four-day car exhibition, the inaugural Asia AutoSalon 2009, opened yesterday at Singapore Expo. About 50,000 visitors are expected at the event, with sales of at least $1 million. It features more than 100 models from more than 50 exhibitors. Both organisers cited the improved economy as the reason for their bullish outlook. . — MY PAPER Sample question 1: â€Å"optimistic about sales† shows that A. the organisers and exhibitors have lack of confidenceB. the organisers and exhibitors are by n ature a group of cheerful people C. the organisers and exhibitors are full of confidence D. the organisers and exhibitors are expecting less people to the exhibitions E. the organisers and exhibitors are unhappy with their sales Answer: (C) Sample question 2: â€Å"cited the improved economy as the reason for their bullish outlook† can be best replaced by A. explained that their bullish outlook is due to the improved economy B. felt that their bullish outook is the reason for the improved economy C. indicated that the improved outlook is due to the good economy D. greed that good economy contributes to their bullish outlook E. presented that the economy has improved and that their outlook is bullish Answer: (A) SA-DIP/ Aptitude Test Sample 2012 Graduate Diploma in Systems Analysis Page 7 of 7 Sample question 3: â€Å"up from 33 exhibitors and $100 million worth of gems last year† implies that A. last year there were more exhibitors than this year B. last year there wer e less exhibitors than this year C. last year there were more sales than this year D. last year there were more customers than this year E. last year there were more gems than this year Answer: (B) SA-DIP/ Aptitude Test Sample 2012

Saturday, September 14, 2019

How Does My Interpersonal Communication Shield Impact My Everyday Communication Skills Essay

Being able to participate and take part in this project was very interesting. It gave me a chance to look at how others view me, how I view myself, and what influences me to be the person that I am. I’ve always been a nice and hardworking person. I love to help people, and I try to stay very positive even when situations present themselves to seem impossible. My family and friends along with my boyfriend all help influence the attitude that I have towards life. I’m a very open person in social situations, but I can also be very guarded about my personal life. I’ve always had a pretty decent self-esteem. I try not to allow others the satisfaction of forcing me to come out of my comfort zone and ruin my self-esteem. I try to stay out of situations that may make me feel bad about myself. I believe that my interpersonal communication shield impacts my everyday communication skills. From the nurturing people that surround me on a daily basis to influence me to stay positive and always be myself, to my defense against destructive cultural beliefs that help me stay encouraged to always be positive. I am most definitely impacted by my shield. There are also many things that I don’t know about myself, such as particular body language. I do many things that I don’t notice but someone else may notice subconsciously. This is in my hidden self these could be negative or positive. But I do know that they are reflections of how I really feel at times. In my private life I can be like a wall, I’m extremely guarded about my feelings and my business. I can easily self-disclose to my family and close friends as well as my boyfriend, although it is a lot harder for me to self-disclose with strangers and distant friends and associates. I can be a loner at times but I use my self- affirming statements to stay positive and keep my head up when I can’t rely on others to influence my attitude. They have always been a good resource when I feel by myself and need some positivity.

Friday, September 13, 2019

Work Specialization in Starbuck's Research Paper

Work Specialization in Starbuck's - Research Paper Example In this case, five organizational structural elements are discussed which are: work specialization, departmentalization, and chain of command, the span of control and centralization & decentralization. Work specialization: Work specialization refers to how the operational jobs are divided into several small parts. In work specialization, an organization does not assign a whole task to one employee; rather the organization divides the task to certain sub-parts which are performed by individual employees. It is widely used in production procedures which help to accelerate the whole operation. The positive side of work specialization is that it not only can raise the level of expertise of employees, assist in the improvement of special technology, minimize training expenses; but it can also generate dullness and tediousness by performing the same type of task and also offer fewer prospects for development (Mukherjee, 2009). In Starbucks, the work is highly specialized. In the stores, the operation is divided into several sub-parts. Almost four employees are required to operate a ‘drive-through a window’. One employee is in charge of receiving the order, the second one runs the cash register, the third one operates the espresso machine, and the fourth employee completes any additional requirements when required. In the roasting facility of Starbucks, each employee has his/her own tasks to preserve the product quality of their assigned step in the entire production process (Robbins & Et. Al., 2008). Departmentalization: Departmentalization is the alignment of interrelated organizational actions into divisions. The focus of departments in an organization can be internal or external. Internal departmentalization is characterized by internal tasks or jobs of employees and resources required to undertake the jobs.

Thursday, September 12, 2019

Assignment 2 ACC 410 Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Assignment 2 ACC 410 - Term Paper Example Current GASB standards place pension expense as Annual Required Contribution (ARC) that stipulates unfunded liability be amortized over a period not more than 30 years. In addition, the funded status is not recorded in the financial statements, only explained in the footnotes. The disclosures are made under note 11: retirement Plans (p 19-23) under basic financial statements. The university participates in two cost-sharing multiple employer defined benefit pension plans, and two single employer defined contribution plans; both through two systems. Under the Employees Retirement System of Georgia, ERS the contribution rate is stipulated by law at 4% of annual compensation up to $4200 and 6% in Excess of $4200. The University of Georgia contributes in excess of 1.25% for each member in this scheme. A new plan for those hired after July 2009 exist, where members contribute 1.25% of annual compensation. The actuarial valuations for the old and new plan are 10.41%. The other system is the Teachers Retirement System of Georgia, TRS. Normal retirement benefits are equal to 2% of the member’s two highest subsequent years of service multiplied by the number of years of service. The member’s contribution is regulated by law to between 5-6%of his deductable salary. The contribution rate for 2011 is recorded as 5.53%, while the employer contribution for the same period is 10.28%. The monetary contributed for 2011 for the two models by the University for its Employees is $ 123,062 for ERS and 35,124,704 for TRS. 1. The immediate recognition of liability changes as a result of plan amendments and accelerated change in liability as a result of actuarial gains and losses together with the underlying actuarial assumptions mystifies pension expense and pension funding, as the ARC set the standard for funding in the current approach. 2. Furthermore, delinking pension expense and pension funding creates two different sets of

Wednesday, September 11, 2019

MAR Income Statement Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

MAR Income Statement - Research Paper Example However, there has been a lot of stiff competition within the international organizations that deal with hospitality operations but the Marriott International Incorporation has maintained standards of being among the few that maintain a competitive advantage (Hartman & Werhane, 2009). The core principle that facilitates the great returns or rather success to the Marriott International Incorporation is the element of effective top management. This majorly consists of the board of directors that are having sufficient knowledge in the line of hospitality management and supervision. Due to this focus and teamwork, the organization still looks forward to a great establishment thus economic growth and development. The board of directors, including the general manager or chief executive officer, has very defined roles and responsibilities within a business organization. Fundamentally, it is the role of the board of directors to hire the general manager of the business and evaluate the overall direction and strategy of the business (Finance.yahoo.com). The general manager is responsible for hiring all of the other employees and overseeing the day-to-day operation of the business. On the contrary, management is not responsible for the overall policy decisions of the business. Some of the major responsibilities of the board of directors include: The process of evaluating, recruiting, supervising, retaining, and compensating the general manager is probably the most important functions of the board of directors. Value-added business boards need to aggressively search for the best possible candidate for this position (Hartman & Werhane, 2014). Actively searching within your industry can lead to the identification of very capable people Directing the Marriot International Incorporation effectively as the board has a strategic function in providing the vision, mission, and goals of the organization. These are often determined in combination with the chief executive officer of the business.

Tuesday, September 10, 2019

Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 6

Personal Statement Example way of life is found to be intriguing and offers vast opportunities for a career path with potentials for personal and professional growth on a more holistic and multidisciplinary perspective. Natural science is more than a good choice. It is a dynamic and contemporarily relevant discipline that pervades various facets of human life. It is a broad based science education and will provide me with the theoretical foundation to be an instrumental contributor as a competent and qualified worker for future employers. I look forward to being a proactive citizen of the human race that is committed to protect, preserve and ensure sustainability of the natural resources of the environment. As one of my research findings revealed, natural science provides an integrated, quantitative, and interdisciplinary approach to the study of environmental systems. As I have been made aware, there are diverse disciplines within the Natural Science course that interested students can specialize in. I am actually interested in all disciplines as they are all interconnected and could provide the more holistic and comprehensive development of knowledge and abilities, if taken in its entirety. As a potential candidate for the position in future organizations that have core competencies and requirements for graduates from the Natural Science course, I have envisioned to begin as an environmental technician - gaining hands on field experience, leading to field supervisor or site foreman. I plan to utilize my quantitative and analytical abilities gained as an auditor; my communication and management skills gained as an accountant; and interpersonal skills gained as a floor coverer. Majoring in Bachelor of Science in Natural Science by August, 2011 would enable me to obtain a solid foundation and reinforced understanding of the diverse principles and potential relevant applications of environmental science in our contemporary times and in addressing environmental problems in the future. The

Monday, September 9, 2019

Research Final Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Research Final Project - Essay Example The sampling technique used in this research is simple sampling. This helps in random collection of samples leading to impartial conclusion as it is easy. On the other hand, the research design used various data techniques such interviews, tape recording and internet sources to determine a number of issues. For instance, the citizens affected by crimes perpetrated by the immigrants and the number of illegal immigrants in the country. Illegal Immigrants and Crime Introduction The problem of illegal immigrants in the US has continued to pose a threat to its citizens in terms of many factors. These include scrambling for scarce resources and engaging in various crimes. For instance, these immigrants engage in murderous activities, robberies, burglaries, and even rape cases. These people who do not have adequate protection of the American law also scramble for the limited hospital services, public schools and the strained local budget. For instance, during the 2007 findings involving the crime rate of the illegal immigrants, it was found that out of 100 cases, 73 illegal immigrants had a chance of repeating a crime. Different reports also say that illegal immigrants who had been previously jailed can easily get back to jail (Pollock, 2011). Hypothesis H1: Illegal immigrants are the main cause of rising crime in most states of America. H2: The law is to wholly blame for the influx of illegal immigrants in America who compete for the limited resources in the US and resort to crime. Core objective The core objective of this research will be to determine if there is a link between rising crimes in most American neighborhoods with the increase of illegal immigrants. Specific Objectives 1. To determine the presence of crimes in different neighborhoods in America. 2. To determine the rate of these crimes. 3. To evaluate the number of illegal immigrants infiltrating into the country. 4. To determine the link between a relaxed police system at the border and the rise of ill egal immigrants who commit crimes. Limitations To accurately measure the rate of crimes among illegal immigrants is a challenging due to their secretive identities. This is because most of these immigrants do not report anything to the police. Another problem is the integrity of the officers at the border system. Some of them illegally smuggle immigrants into the country hence complicating the real number of illegal immigrants. Independent and dependent variables The independent variable in this paper is the rise of illegal immigrants in the US. Alternatively, the dependent variable is the rate of hate crimes among these illegal immigrants in the US. Background and Literature Review Crime experts and sociologists define hate crime as a felony that has a motivation from racial, prejudice or sexual drives and it is associated with acts of violence. These crimes have been mostly perpetrated by illegal immigrants who enter into the country through various borders in Texas, Mexico, Calif ornia and other porous border points (Maxfield, Michael & Earl 2006). These people are known to bully, harass, intimidate and apply other forms of hate crimes that have adverse effects on their victims. These include physical and psychological pains that interfere with the basic rights of the victim. According to Rivera, the existence of illegal immigr

Sunday, September 8, 2019

AN ENQUiry into The Efficiency of Celebrity Endorsement As A Marketing Essay

AN ENQUiry into The Efficiency of Celebrity Endorsement As A Marketing Communication Strategy In Modern Day Society - Essay Example It entails the collection of data, store and analyze it and finally present it in a logical format to enable the readers to understand the outcome of the study. The main purpose and reason behind the choice of this topic i.e. the study of impact of celebrity endorsements as a strategic marketing activity, was the popularity of the concept – i.e. involvement of celebrities for endorsing products / brands, or services. Thus, I wanted to explore the influence of such a promotional marketing strategy, in influencing the consumers in making their purchase decision; and to assess whether the consumers are really motivated to buy a product if it is endorsed by their favourite celebrity. Furthermore, I was interested in exploring and testing the relationship between celebrities, marketing communications and consumers. As a result, I decided to design this study to include the hypothesis discussed above, and to examine whether the impact of celebrity endorsement on consumers is positiv e or negative. The study also entailed a detailed investigation of the manner in which celebrities influence the purchase decision, what inspires / motivates the consumers to purchase the product etc. Celebrity endorsement has become a popular trend amongst organisations in recent times and some crucial questions have been raised to which this research aims to find answers to some of which some questions are: Does it affect the buying behaviour of the target market? Does celebrity endorsement have any impact on the sales of the product? Should it even be the main channel of brand communications? What are the criteria for choosing endorsers? What is the relationship between the images of the celebrity and that of the brand? Does the personality of the celebrity affect consumers’ perception in any way? If yes, how do the marketers manipulate the same in their favor? For the reasons stated above, a focused group was utilized for the primary research, where respondents were asked a series of unstructured of questions. Also, various print and television adverts were studied for the purpose of this study, and my own observations were also included in the form of findings. Research questions The questions I shall be seeking to explore for this research were structured through the process of literature review. The research questions for this study are: Dose the personality of an endorser alter perception of meaning by the consumer What is the role of celebrity endorsement in consumer decision making process Do consumers really believe celebrities endorse product for just the money making process Research method As my main purpose behind this study was to present a comprehensive view of the entire concept of celebrity endorsement, its emergence and popularity, reason behind its relevance and significance as a most favored promotional activity by the marketers, and most importantly the influence of celebrities on the consumers; I decided to communicate and intera ct with a small section of consumers to seek desired answers. I conducted interviews on a select focus group, studied various print and television advertisements and derived meaningful conclusions based on the literature review to form a basis for my findings. Focus groups are like group interviews that involve several participants (including the moderator) who are asked questions on a pre-structured pre-defined topic. Such a method relies heavily on the answers and responses given by the

Saturday, September 7, 2019

Global Candy and Chocolate Manufacturing Industry Essay - 1

Global Candy and Chocolate Manufacturing Industry - Essay Example Also, the established confectionery manufacturers address the health noted health concerns through the production of new products. Most notable include low caloric confectionery, candy and specialty production of chocolate. According to the prevailing circumstances, the industry estimates an annual growth of 0.5% to $127.6 billion until the end of 2015. 1It also entails an estimated increase of approximately 2.0% in 2015 because of the stable chocolate and cocoa prices. The future of Global Candy and Chocolate Manufacturing Company is poignant. It is anticipated the growth of the mature markets in Japan, United States, Australia and Europe shall remain slow through 2020. During the period, machinists will strive to shall promote product innovation to stimulate demand. On the contrary, newly industrialized nations such as Latin America, South East Asia, and Russia anticipate an increase in demand for the sugar and chocolate confectionery. Furthermore, the global market prices shall increase thus increasing the industry’s overall in this income. In this regard, the industry anticipates an annualized growth of 2.2% to $142.4 billion in the subsequent years until 2020.2 The firm operates in the mature stage of the life cycle. Its industry value added (IVA) is projected to lag behind the global GDP growth in the next ten years through to 2020. IVA quantifies a company’s contribution to the global economy. Thus, it designates maturity of the industry. In the same measure, IBIS World anticipates the business’s IVA shall rise to an annual level of 2.4% for the 10-year period. The growth is comparable to projected annual average growth of 3.5% for world GDP over the period. Even though the firm projects an increase in demand for candy and chocolate in developing countries, the declining demand for the product in mature markets shall hinder the overall expansion of the industry. The Global Candy and Chocolate Manufacturing

A Good Man Is Hard to Find Essay Example for Free

A Good Man Is Hard to Find Essay One might think that Grandmothers are sweet and loving, and often innocent due to their advanced age and condition. We, as society, think of them as great examples of people that radiate love, mentors, and defenders of morality and good manners. However, this is not the case in A Good Man Is Hard to Find, by Flannery O’Connor. As the story unfolds, her personality reflects that hidden evil we all carry inside and how detouring on a route takes a whole family to face disastrous consequences, yet one person finds redemption from that evil. A Good Man Is Hard to Find is a story that symbolizes redemption, because there is a sinner, there is a journey, and there is redemption. In our society we tend to minimize, and sometimes erase the word â€Å"sin† because, for the most part, it bothers people’s conscience. Although the word â€Å"sin† is not explicitly exposed in the story A Good Man is Hard to Find, the action and consequences of sin are vividly present throughout the story, in all the characters, especially the Grandmother. The main character and sinner in the story is the Grandmother because she is described as an egocentric person, since the situation they face is that they are all captives of the serial killer, â€Å"The Misfit†, and she bargains for her life only. The grandmother said, â€Å"You wouldn’t shoot a lady, would you? † (Flannery O’Connor 313). This is an obvious example of how she doesn’t stop to think about the rest of her family. In addition, one might think that in various occasions the Grandmother makes simple comments that compare different times of her life, the present and how things used to be. On the other hand, Grandmothers’ comments represent the comparison between the dark past of society and the reality that it hasn’t changed much. During the trip, Grandmother makes a comment that reflects her comparisons; she said â€Å"In my time, children were more respectful of their native states and their parents and everything else. People did right then† (Flannery O’Connor 308). In the same scene, Grandmother contradicts herself by saying, â€Å"Little niggers in the country don’t have things like we do. If I could paint, I’d paint that picture,† (Flannery O’Connor 308). No argument, she is a barefaced hypocrite. Furthermore, the way she dressed to go on a road trip, as the author describes the grandmother, â€Å"Had on a navy blue straw sailor hat with a bunch of white violets on a brim and a navy dress with a small white dot on print. †(Flannery O’Connor 307). Also, her jewelry â€Å"her collars and cuffs where white organdy trimmed with lace and her neckline she had pinned a purple spray of cloth violets containing a sachet. (Flannery O’Connor 307). Her exaggerated outfit, plus the extreme jewelry for a road trip reflects her ego and her desire to be noticed as a lady. Whether one believes in God, or not, we all embark on the journey of life, in which we experience an inner transformation. Any journey has a destination; however, decisions made during the trip may alter the destination and its outcome. Flannery O’Connor uses the road trip to represent the pilgrimage Grandmother and her family must go through. Since the beginning of the trip, Grandmother took unnecessary stuff, â€Å"her big black valise that looked like a head of a hippopotamus†, and her mascot â€Å"Pitty Sing, the cat† (Flannery O’Connor 307), knowing that this action will incommode the family and eventually be a factor of the cause of the accident. One might think that the baggage represents only inconvenience; nonetheless, this represents ones’ regrets or transgressions that haven’t been forgiven nor forgotten. During the trip, the Grandmother makes an important remark about her past when she used to date Mr. Teagarden by saying, â€Å"She would of have done well to marry Mr. Teagarden because he was a gentleman and had bought Coca-Cola stock when first came out and that he had died only a few years ago, a very wealthy man. † (Flannery O’Connor 309). It shows her nostalgia and regret of not marrying that man but it certainly also shows her ambition. She evidently hasn’t experienced true love. Thus, it certainly shows that her baggage did not consist only of clothing and jewelry, but of nostalgia and regret. In addition, the same illusion of her romance with Mr. Teagarden triggered the inner desire in her dream to go visit the plantation and the house where, as Grandmother said, â€Å"You sat down with your suitor after a stroll in the garden. † (Flannery O’Connor 311). Eventually, in a self-centered act, she â€Å"craftily† (Flannery O’Connor 311) lies, causing the detouring of the route. They have taken a dangerous dirty road, as the author describes it â€Å"was hilly and there were sudden washes in it and sharp curves on dangerous embankments† (Flannery O’Connor 312). As a result, while driving on that dangerous road, the accident happened due to Grandmother’s recklessness. This situation metaphors the choices one makes in life and their consequences. The accident is just a sign of how one falls through the journey. There could not be a redemption story without a Savior, and a sinner to whom needs to be redeemed. After the accident, everyone got out of the car and saw the car approaching far away, â€Å"on top of a hill†, giving the sense that help is coming from above, which in a Biblical way, is symbolically showing that help is coming from heaven. In addition, when they arrived, â€Å"the Misfit† gets out, standing in front of them, â€Å"looking down at them† (Flannery O’Connor 313). He is accompanied by two fellows; one wearing a â€Å"shirt with a silver stallion†. All of these details represent a Redeemer, or a Godly figure. In addition, the Redeemer quickly finds who is in need to be redeemed when Grandmother makes a terrible mistake by recognizing the criminal â€Å"You’re the Misfit† she said (Flannery O’Connor 313). At this point, she has commended her whole family and The Misfit confirms that saying â€Å"it would have been better for all of you, lady, if you hadn’t reckernized me. † (Flannery O’Connor 313). Grandmother responds, â€Å"You wouldn’t shoot a lady, would you? † (Flannery O’Connor 313). This action confirms the Misfit that she is the sinner who hasn’t repented from all her sins since she reflects the egocentrism of worrying about her life only, without any given thought about the whole family, not even the children. The Misfit uses the desperation and impotence of the lady to make her realize that there is no escape from the inevitable. As he starts killing the family using the help from his assistants, Grandmother starts to appeal to the Misfit’s heart by saying, â€Å"You’ve got good blood! I know you wouldn’t shoot a lady! † (Flannery O’Connor 316). As the other half of the family was killed, Grandmother tells the Misfit, â€Å"You are one of my own children† (Flannery O’Connor 317) appealing that he would feel loved and would let her live. Nonetheless, she got shot and the Misfit said, â€Å"She would have been a good woman, if it had been somebody there to shoot her every minute of her life. † (Flannery O’Connor 317). This is the vivid example of redemption because in order to know good, and be good, we must face that adversary that puts one to the test and pulls out the good from within. One might relate to the Grandmothers’ feelings of impotence and desperation because when suffering, or facing death, one realizes the true beauty of life and its richness that most of the time are unnoticed due to one’s blindness from sin. In conclusion, A Goodman is Hard to Find is a story that symbolizes redemption because there is a sinner, there is a journey, and there is redemption. As the story unfolds, her personality reflects that hidden evil we all carry inside and how a route’s detour takes a whole family to face disastrous consequences, yet one person finds redemption from that evil. One might think that Grandmothers are all sweet, loving, often innocent, mentors, and defenders of morality and good manners. Nonetheless, this was not the case in this story.