Hamlet Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Hamlet - Essay Example The crowd is shocked over the hasty marriage of Gertrude and it is quite watchful over the state of affairs as pointed out by the new King in the coronation speech. The crowd has shown their cognitive maturity and statesmanship over the endangering designs of young prince of Norway, Fortinbras to recover the land lost by his father in a previous conflict with the King Hamlet. The coronation ceremony is mostly dominated by the intellect of Claudius speech on the occasion wherein he legitimized his actions and even the marriage with Gertrude in the best public interest and for the more stable Denmark in the times to come. Claudius has not only shown hope for the protection of their rights but also ensured them of his best efforts to achieve the ultimate objectives of prosperity and sovereignty. Works Cited Web Publications Shakespeare, William. â€Å"The Tragedy of Hamlet Prince of Denmark.† Act-I, Scene-II 1564- 1606, opensourceshakespeare.org: Web. 04 June, 2011. .

European Union Essay Example for Free

European Union Essay The European Union of today is the result of a process that began half a century ago with the creation of the European Coal and Steel Community. After the two world wars the overall situation of Europe was so pathetic especially in economic terms and peace and prosperity was far away. In order to bring peace and to lead Europe to the path of progress it was necessary to unite it under one roof. For this purpose the European leaders started thinking about it in late 1940’s and finally Robert Schuman the French Foreign Minister proposed the union of Europe which ended up in the merging of coal and steel industries and the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) was set up . â€Å"The ECSC was so successful that within a few years the decision was made to put together other parts of the countries economies. In 1957, the Treaties of Rome created the European Economic Community (EEC) and the European Atomic Energy Community (EURATOM), and the six member states undertook to eliminate trade barriers among themselves by forming a common market. In 1967, the institutions of all three communities were formally merged into the European Community (EC), creating a single Commission, a single Council of Ministers, and the European Parliament. Members of the European Parliament were initially selected by national parliaments, but in 1979 the first direct elections were undertaken and they have been held every five years since. In 1973, the first enlargement of the EC took place with the addition of Denmark, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. The 1980s saw further membership expansion with Greece joining in 1981 and Spain and Portugal in 1986. The 1992 Treaty of Maastricht laid the basis for further forms of cooperation in foreign and defense policy, in judicial and internal affairs, and in the creation of an economic and monetary union including a common currency. This further integration created the European Union (EU). The evolution of the European Union (EU) from a regional economic agreement among six neighboring states in 1951 to todays supranational organization of 27 countries across the European continent stands as an unmatched occurrence in the records of history. Although the EU is not a federation in the strict sense, it is far more than a free-trade association such as ASEAN, NAFTA, or Mercosur, and it has many of the attributes associated with independent nations: its own flag, anthem, founding date, and currency, as well as an incipient common foreign and security policy in its dealings with other nations.  In the future, many of these nation-like characteristics are likely to be expanded†. (European Union Facts and Map – Yahoo! Education) Motive Lets unite. And the world will listen to us Pro-European ad campaign, September 1992 Government: European Union Union Name and Member States â€Å"Conventional long form: European Union abbreviation: EU . Political structure: a mixture of supranational organizations . Capital: name: Brussels (Belgium), Strasbourg (France), Luxembourg. 27 countries: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, UK; note Canary Islands (Spain), Azores and Madeira (Portugal), French Guyana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, and Reunion (France) are sometimes listed separately even though they are legally a part of Spain, Portugal, and France; candidate countries: Croatia, Macedonia, Turkey†. CIA The World Factbook European Union) Independence 7 February 1992 (Maastricht Treaty signed establishing the EU); 1 November 1993 (Maastricht Treaty entered into force). National holiday Europe Day 9 May (1950); note a Union-wide holiday, the day that Robert SCHUMAN proposed the creation of the European Coal and Steel Community to achieve an organized Europe Impact of EU on International Trade The worlds largest trader and a strong block in the international political economy, is not an easy bargainer to deal with. The fact that the EU speaks with an influence in trade has enabled it to affect the distributional outcomes of international trade negotiations and shape the global political economy. Trade being the only forum in which the EU speaks to the United States with an equal voice, The EU is currently the worlds largest trader and one of the main players. Trade Relations between EU and US The steady increase in the breadth and depth of transatlantic foreign policy cooperation has been one of the most striking developments in recent years. Enhanced EU–US communication has been essential in developing a closer understanding of our respective policy positions and the better coordination of our activities. The EU and the USA are each other’s main trading partners (taking goods and services together) and account for the largest bilateral trade relationship in the world: together, they account for almost 40 % of world trade. Every day, about EUR 1. 7 billion of transatlantic trade (in goods and services) takes place. The transatlantic relationship defines the shape of the global economy as a whole as either the EU or the USA is also the largest trade and investment partner for almost all other countries. Contribution towards Human Rights and Democracy â€Å"I want to emphasize our shared commitment to promoting democracy, freedom all over the world. The very enlargement of European Union has been one of the greatest achievements in terms of promotion of democracy from Southern Europe, West Europe, to Eastern Europe, North Europe, from the Iberian Peninsula to the Baltic countries, now most recently; European Union is a great success story in terms of promoting democracy. And we want to do it also globally, and we are doing it globally. And thats one of the fields where I see that the United States and European Union can do, and should do, even more together. † President Barroso, EU-US Summit Press conference, 21 June 2006, Vienna. Most Important Economic Relation in the World This is the most important economic relation in the world, the relation between the United States of America and the European Union. And we believe we can achieve more if we look at it in a comprehensive manner. And I hope that now there will be some concrete work so that in our regular institutional summit between the European Union and the United States we can achieve some more complete results†. President Barroso, Visit to the White House 8 January 2007, Washington DC Quick Facts The EU and the USA jointly represent 10 % of the world’s population and account for roughly 40 % of world trade and over 60 % of world GDP. Worlds’ Strongest Relationship â€Å"The relationship between the United States and Europe constitutes the world’s strongest, most comprehensive and strategically most important partnership. † European Commission President Barroso Brussels, 9 February 2005. Trade Conflict between EU-US: Since its beginning in 1995, more than 330 disputes have been raised under the WTO Dispute Settlement System. The major disputes between the EU and the USA (mini trade wars) are analyzed with GTAP5: the Hormones, the Bananas, the FSC and the Steel cases. 1. The use of biotechnology in food production has emerged as the central issue in a trade conflict that has been between the U. S. and the European Union for years 2. The use of hormones in beef cattle is another issue . They promotes growth and produces a leaner shell that is more appealing to health-conscious consumers. However, the European Union refuses to import such meat, suggesting that there are insufficient studies to prove its safety for human consumption. Some think that economic motives, not genuine concern for the health of consumers, lie behind this decision. In addition to above mention major conflicts in trade between EU and US is the EU’s conversion of their currency of each member countries to a single form of money that is the EURO (Except UK and Denmark). Since these two countries have very strong trade relations and the exchange of money in the money market shows a higher value of EURO against Dollar this is something which is disliked by some of the corporations in the US. While doing transactions by importing goods from Europe, US have to pay more in terms of Dollars to the EU. Conclusion Still there are some problems which Americans and Europeans agree in seeing as critical. While there are obvious drawbacks in having a bad relationship to the US . Along with major disputes taken place between US and EU as a result I draw conclusion that some US corporations are pleased with its work while others are upset, this is in my point of view due to two reasons first the EU being independent, united and a big challenge for US which is a super power and second is of the currency value of EU which is higher in the money market than the dollar which displeases some corporations while doing transactions. Today, security and justice and prosperity for our world depend on America and Europe working in common purpose. That makes our transatlantic ties as vital as they have ever been. † US President Bush, 19 February 2005.

Nils Christie: Theory on Causes of Crime

Nils Christie: Theory on Causes of Crime It is postulated that the phenomenon crime does not exist, although we can study its negative consequences of it upon society through acts. Many definitions of crime have been developed, the most simplistic definition of a criminal act being; acts that break legislation outlined in law however this differs from that of a normative perspective; crimes are acts which can offend against a set of norms similar to a moral code. When trying to understand the notion of crime it is paramount to understand what acts are and why certain acts are criminalised but not all. A Utilitarian standpoint would be that laws should be focussed towards achieving the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people, a principle known as the greatest happiness principle a theory developed by Philippa Foot (1978). Law under capitalism would be geared to protect property rights and affirm the social order. With this philosophical theory in mind, one can contend that acts are crimes for the reason they hav e negative effects on society. I will use a collection of examples to give explanations to comments from Norwegian criminologist Nils Christie focussing on its implications for explaining crime. In addition to this I will briefly outline what criminology is and its connection with the concept of crime. Crime as a concept is relatively recent. Crime was not known by its name in the 16th and 17th centuries, the word was current but it lacked precise meaning, (Elton 1977:5). However from having no sense of crime, we now have a global sense of the subject. Since the emergence of crime as a concept it has always been a highly contested term which has been debated within studies ever since, with criminologists, sociologists and philosophers all creating new theories for it. As mentioned crime does not exist, law constructs crime for us. In a sense we actually create crime; by producing law we then in turn make crime, without legislation there would be no sense of criminality. A world with no criminal system would mean no courts, prisons or criminals. It important to remember that criminal law is not the only form of law as there is also civil law. Criminal law can be is punitive where as civil law is based on restitution. If crime does not exist some might question what criminology is. My personal favourite and one of the most detailed explanation is that of D. Garland; I take criminology to be a specific genre of discourse and inquiry about crime a genre that has developed in the modern period and that can be distinguished from other ways of talking and thinking about criminal conduct. Thus, for example, criminologys claim to be an empirically grounded, scientific undertaking sets it apart from moral and legal discourses, while its focus upon crime differentiates it from other social scientific genres, such as the sociology of deviance and control, whose objects of study are broader and not defined by the criminal law. Since the middle years of the twentieth century, criminology has also been increasingly marked off from other discourses by the trappings of a distinctive identity, with its own journals, professional associations, professorships, and institutes, (Of Crime and Criminals 2002, p8). Thi s quote affirms what I mentioned earlier regarding the emergence of crime as a concept over the last couple of centuries or so, especially how we have developed new ways to deal with behaviour deemed criminal. He also highlighted the studies unique outlook and strong holds on the studies development of theories concerning criminal deviance. I will now concentrate on the main theme of my essay; using examples to explain the comments of criminologist Nils Christie assessing their implications for explaining crime. The University of Oslo criminologist disliked the term crime, I dont like the term crime-its such a big, fat, imprecise word, there are only unwanted acts. How we perceive them depends on our relationship with those who carry them out. Here Christie is very critical of the term describing it is as in accurate and stating that there is no such object it is merely acts. Nils Christie also believes; how we observe these acts depends on our association with those who have carried the out the act. Furthermore Christie supports D. Garlands view; crime is not a tangible idea, thus it does not exist. Only acts exist, acts often given different meanings within various social frameworks. Acts and the meanings given to them are our data. Our challenge is to follow the destiny of acts through the universe of meanings. Particularly, what are the social conditions that encourage or prevent giving the acts the meaning of being crime? (Christie, 2004: 3). Here he has taken his previous idea I stated earlier; acts do not exist, then added another aspect to it by suggesting the meanings given to them can aid us as social scientists in our research into the phenomenon. He is hinting that the social frameworks within society lead people to commit crime, the reasons for committing a crime can be economical, personal or politically motivated. Christie was mainly concerned with crime control and prison populations. He believed there was an unlimited supply of crime; that crime as a concept would never become extinct in a sense as there would always be motives for individuals to be deviant such as political or financial rewards, this new situation, with an unlimited reservoir of acts which can be defined as crimes, also creates unlimited possibilities for warfare as against all sorts of unwanted acts, (Crime control as industry: towards gulags, western style, Nils Christie). This statement by Christie can be affirmed by examining unwanted acts; those made by the Provisions Irish Republican Army. There are a multitude of factors which create conditions for and exasperate what has come to be interpreted as crime. These are through a number of social frameworks such as class and nationality. These are all social constructs and are integral parts of capitalism and prevailing capitalist ideology. The Norwegians analysis can be applied to many situations; a political example of this is conflict between the Provision Irish Republican Army (IRA) and the British Government. The issue first started in the 1920s during the Irish war of independence, when the Republican Army launched guerrilla warfare over British rule in Ireland. There was little conflict between the two sides until 30 January 1972 now known as bloody Sunday. On the day mentioned British soldiers shot twenty-seven civil rights protestors, killing thirteen while patrolling, as a Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association march took place. This created uproar as the civilians whom were shot were Catholics, restarting the tension between Northern Ireland and British Government. Although the Provisional Irish Republican Armys movement against the partition of Ireland in fact started two years previous to the tragic day the intensity and media coverage of the deaths led to member levels of the group rapidly escalating. T o refer back to Christies ideology this example can be described as under the umbrella of nationality and religious social frame works. British Government viewed the IRA as terrorists after several planned attacks within Britain including a Bank robbery on a bank in Belfast in 2004 where they escaped with  £26.5 million. The Provisional Irish Republicans felt they were protecting their nation from British involvement in addition to gaining revenge for oppression they faced during British occupancy of Ireland. This was a crime born of social circumstances, as crime does not exist; only acts they thought of their acts as justifiable. If this is the case then were their acts unlawful? Here is a great example of how implications on explaining crime due to different ideology and theories can create a dilemma. Despite the oppression and hardships the Provisional Irish Republican Army felt they received due to the British Government, I feel it is morally wrong to take the life of another individual so their attacks on Birmingham and various other places in Britain was legally unjust. Christie argues throughout his work that crime is a fluid and shallow notion stating that acts may perhaps be constructed as criminal and unlimited thus making crime an endless concept. This links back to the argument that the concept of crime is socially constructed, we create crime. Crime could not continue to exist without legislation; we tell the legal system what is right and what is wrong, legal, illegal, just and unjust. To further this idea, in a sense we as a society increase and decrease crime rates, by making an act unlawful we are ever-increasing the chances of someone then committing a crime. Capitalism has been another major motivator for people committing crimes or as described by Christie unwanted acts, (A Suitable amount of Crime, P7). Firstly capitalism promotes a false material world in which people feel they must have the finest mobile phones, televisions, cars and housing. This is hypocritical as in actual fact it develops a more unequal society in terms of distribution of power, wealth and resources with a lower chance of social mobility. As a result of this some individuals caught up in the longing for material goods; due to the scarcity they feel they may begin stealing as a means to allow them to afford objects they desire. However Nils Christie believed for all acts including those seen as unwanted, there are dozens of possible alternatives to their understanding; bad, mad, evil, misplaced honour, youth bravado, political heroism or crime, (A Suitable Amount of Crime, P7). Christie demonstrates that an act deemed illegal may be committed due to a variety of r easons. The example where someone feels they have no alternative than to thieve can come under the social frame work of inequality; economically disadvantaged. It would be wrong to say this comment from the criminologist has had a vaster enough affect on how crime is explained however perhaps if a few more social scientists were to entertain this idea there might be a small shift in the way we define the concept. If this were to happen we may see a change in how the legal system deals with acts similar to that capitalism discussed above. The economic system produces inequality which leads to crime. This could have a knock on affect with capitalism; in a capitalist society most laws exist to protect the status quo therefore crimes which do not go against capitalism are normally a by product of it e.g. power crime from the hierarchy which it creates. Labelling theory can be brought into the argument of there not being a concept of crime, only acts. The theory states deviance is not a quality of the act because but; the result of traits associated with committing deviance. References: Philippa Foot, The Problem of Abortion and the Doctrine of the Double Effect in Virtues and Vices (Oxford: Basil Blackwell, 1978) (Elton 1977:5). Look up, references on mole.. Crime control as industry: towards gulags, western style, Nils Christie page 23. Page 3. A Suitable Amount of Crime

College Has Exceeded My Expectations :: Personal Narratives Flagstaff College Essays

College Has Exceeded My Expectations A new place to live, new friends, a new diverse campus, new classes, and even a newfound freedom: that was what I found waiting from me the first day I moved up to Northern Arizona University. These were the things I was in search for when I was looking through all of the different colleges that I could possibly go to. NAU had them all but most importantly, NAU had a wonderful communications program, which just made everything a little better. Having lived in the same cozy house in Tucson for all my life, I wanted a change of scenery and from the hot climate. So as I started my search for the perfect college I would look to see if I could live on campus, or anywhere out of Tucson. Coming up here to NAU I am given a chance to live in a new place, McConnell Hall, and have pride in the place that I live. It is wonderful being able to say that I live here and it is my own room. I know it is not a house or an apartment, but it is still fantastic for a first move. I would not choose to live anywhere else at this moment in my life than to live on campus. You get to meet so many different people and there’s usually something going on, most of the time it just random things though. What is great about living on campus is how random people just show up in your room. Knocking is not something that is known to people who live in my hall. It is not uncommon for people to just walk in to talk, or if they do knock, they knock once while they are walking in. It is great way to meet people, mostly friends. People come into your room to steal ideas of how they should put things in their room, to borrow things such as a screwdriver or just a can opener, or to even just hang out. What was cool was that I meet a friend of mine in the bathroom when she got her hand stuck in a vase she was washing. In the dorms you meet people in irregular ways, but it makes for great conversations later on.

Review of Related Literature and Related Studies about Mobile Phone

Foreign According to [ (Miller, 2013) ], a mobile phone is a wireless electronic device used for telephone and multimedia communications. Which means people can bring it and can communicate anywhere at anytime. [ (Singh, 2011) ] said that communication is the process to express his thoughts, ideas, and messages, from one person to other person for the sake of personal interest or business interest. Communication is more effective if you receive the response from other person. You can express his thoughts to another person by verbal communication, non-verbal communication or by mass communication. (McGuigan, 2013) ] Stated that Text messaging is a term for short communications made through cell phones. It uses what is called the Short Message Service, and so is often called SMS for short. It is also sometimes referred to as txting, using the shorthand common in such messages as a way of dealing with short character limits and often bulky interfaces. [ (Ziggs, 2011) ] proposed that age s 13 to 17 ends the highest number of text messaging, sending and receiving an average of 1,742 text messages per month. (Jenna Langer, 2009) ] said that men prefer to use communication to gain social status and use their social networks in a task-oriented manner (2).Face-to-face communication differences between genders and has been shown to cross over into e-mail and computer-mediated communication makes women communicate more thoroughly because of the lack of nonverbal cues. [ (Amanda Lenhart, 2010) ]One major influence has to do with the economics of the cell phone – who pays for the costs associated with the cell phone and its use and what are the limitations on the service plan for the phone?Does the user have unlimited minutes to talk or the ability to share minutes? Does he or she have an unlimited or pay-as-you-go text messaging plan? And regardless of who pays, what type of plan does the teen have? A shared family plan, an individual plan with a contract, or a contr act-less pre-paid phone? Each of these variations can influence how teens and adults use their mobile phones. [ (Amanda Lenhart, 2010) ] About one in five teen cell phone users (18%) are part of a prepaid or pay-as-you-go plan, and just one in ten (10%) have their own individual contract.The type of cell phone plan a teen has is significantly related to household income. Teens from lower income households are more likely to use prepaid plans or to have their own contract, while teen cell phone users in households with incomes of $50,000 or greater are most likely to be part of a family plan. Local [ (Celdran, 2002) ] declared that The characteristics of connectivity, speed, cost effectiveness, mobility and confidentiality of text messaging and its adaptability to Filipino culture has made SMS the most popular form of private communication technology in the country.BibliographyTeens and Mobile Phones. Retrieved March 10, 2013, from Pew Internet: http://pewinternet. org/Reports/2010/T eens-and-Mobile-Phones/Chapter-1/The-economics-of-cell-phones–Plan-Types. aspx Celdran, D. (2002).The Philippines: SMS and Citizenship. Retrieved March 10, 2013, from http://www. dhf. uu. se/pdffiler/02_01/02_1_part9. pdf: http://www. dhf. uu. se/pdffiler/02_01/02_1_part9. pdf Jenna Langer, V. J. (2009).Gender Differences in Text Message Content. Retrieved March 10, 2013, from http://www. jennalanger. com: http://www. jennalanger. com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/LangerJenna-Gender_dif_SMS_Content. df McGuigan, B. (2013, March 08).What is Text Messaging? Retrieved March 10, 2013, from wiseGEEK: http://www. wisegeek. com/what-is-text-messaging. htmMiller, B. (2013, March 05). What Is a Mobile Phone? Retrieved March 8, 2013, from wiseGEEK: http://www. wisegeek. com/what-is-a-mobile-phone. htmSingh, H. (2011, July 05). Communication plays an important role in our daily life. Retrieved March 10, 2013, from India Study Channel: http://www. indiastudychannel. com/resources/142618-Com munication-plays-an-important-role-our. aspx Ziggs, D. (2011, February 09). Average Monthly Calls Vrs

Malvolio character assessment Essay Example

Malvolio character assessment Essay Example Malvolio character assessment Paper Malvolio character assessment Paper Essay Topic: Literature Malvolio shows a lot of arrogance in this act because he believes everything revolves around him, for example, M. O. A. I. This is because he scrambles around the letters like an anagram to form some of the letters of his name in the correct order. This also shows that he self-obsessed and ignorant as this letter was written in what looked like Olivias writing so he was sure that it must have had something to do with him even though it had no proper signature and it may have had nothing to do with him at all. Malvolio as a steward is a spoil-sport as he stops Sir Toby, Sir Andrew and Feste from eating drinking, coming in late and last but not least enjoying themselves with songs and jokes. He does not enjoy fun as such, as he says in a sarcastic tone of voice this is much credit to you, when they sing a song about him. He is a bit of a boaster, to be Count Malvolio. This shows that he boasts about his position in the house as if it were higher than it actually is. Lastly he also believes that Olivia loves him and will marry him as he says that, the Lady of the Strachy married the yeoman of the wardrobe. By this he is implying that he likes Olivia and his mock-grandiose manner becomes clear in this scene. Maria accurately notes that Malvolio cons State without book, meaning that he uses high-flown language without necessarily knowing its proper meaning. Malvolio resorts to legalistic-type language when berating the group for their merry-making. He notes their lack of mitigation or remorse in their misdemeanours. Likely, Malvolio is not acting of Olivias will, as he claims to be, he is such a high-strung and officious character that his chastisement of the party is not out of the range of his ordinary behaviour. Malvolio is very much the puritan, as the party well knows, he dislikes parties, drinking, merriment of all sorts, and Sir Toby, Maria, Feste, and Sir Andrew openly resent Malvolio trying to put a damper on their high spirits. Although some of the groups dislike of Malvolio stems from his kill-joy behaviour, their characterisation of him, as overly proud, puritan, and meddling is correct in most respects. Maria tries to get them to be quiet, but Malvolio is awakened by the noise, and comes down to berate them for disturbing the household. Once Malvolio leaves, Maria concocts a plan to make Malvolio look like a complete fool: since Marias handwriting is similar to Olivias, she will write love letters to Malvolio and make it look like the letters have come from Olivia. The party decides to try this out and see if it will work. His soaring high opinion of himself allows him to believe what he wants to, because of this he misunderstands everything Olivia says. When she instructs him to go to bed to sleep off his madness he believes she means to go to bed with her, Ill come to thee. Olivia shows concern for her loyal servant and asks for special care of her fellow. He also takes these words the wrong way and launches into a great speech about how she recognises him as her social equal and fellow. The scheme has succeeded to make Malvolio look completely foolish but the tricksters then begin to take things a little too far when they accuse him of being possessed. When Olivia departs the trick is rendered a success as Malvolio hath taken the infection of the device and fallen for it. The audience is reminded of Malvolios snobbishness, go off, I discard you. This only encourages the kinsmen and servants pretend they believe he is a lunatic, possessed by the devil, bewitched and attempt to convince Malvolio himself that he is mad, defy the devil. They wind him up and pretend to be concerned by calling him childishly affectionate names like chuck and biddy. Malvolio senses that they are ridiculing him, and getting annoyed he almost stoops to their element by telling them to be proud about all aspects of himself, to such an extent that he is greatly bordering on superciliousness. Overall, with taking into consideration the negative and truly objectionable aspects of Malvolio, it can be seen that he does in fact need to be taught a lesson about the downfalls of his disdainful ways. The fact that he is so totally self-satisfied, means that convincing him of anothers love (i. e. Olivias) is easy to achieve. The letter written by Maria in Olivias hand refers subliminally to each of Malvolios character weaknesses and consequently ensures that he is fooled by its meanings. His vanity and value of appearance are both fed by the order to wear: Yellow stockings ever cross gartered. While his lack of humour and proposing his puritan lifestyle is his vanity. He also takes pride in his physical appearance should she fancy, it would be one of my completion which tells us that he thinks he is a person who is admired; he is generally happy with himself. When all of this adds up it can be seen he needs to be taught a lesson. The revenge take the form of letter written by Maria in her ladys hand, convinces Malvolio that Olivia loves him. The letter also says that if he wishes to be with Olivia that he is to smile and wear yellow stockings, which are cross gartered. Now if we look at the play we see why this was a very clever trick, Countess Olivia had just lost her brother and he used to wear yellow stockings. For example, in Malvolios fantasies, and sometimes separate from their clothing as Orsino finds himself becoming increasingly closer to Cesario. Malvolio not only disguises himself on the outside, but at the same time he is asked to disguise his personality by coming before her smiling. Olivia is still in mourning at this stage for her brother and father, thus making his smiles even more out of place and bizarre to her. Maria flatters him in the letter by saying thy smiles become thee well. This personality may be a disguise, although it may also be Malvolios true character that he has been forced to oppress because of his situation in the house and status in society. The new-found confidence he is given in receiving this letter maybe instead of asking him to change his personality, is really letting him show his true self that he has been hiding behind a front of hostility. Malvolio may have been masking himself previously, and now he is given the chance to remove this guise. Maria also orders him to be surly to the servants and opposite with a kinsman. Olivias kinsman is Sir Toby, so Malvolio takes this to mean that he is free to be rude and disrespectful of him, and thinks that Olivia wants him to do this to show his love for her. This is likely to only make her dislike him more- the point of Marias plan. The rest of the crew are hiding in the box tree and listening to every word he is saying about them. This does not encourage them to be lenient with Malvolio. After witnessing Malvolios egoistic fantasies, we can see why he is so easily duped by Marias letter. Ironically the man who once put down the clown (Feste) is now becoming the clown himself as he reads out coarse puns: These be her very Cs, her Us and her Ts; and thus makes her great Ps. Malvolio is convinced that Olivia is deeply in love with him but doesnt know how to tell him. In the letter Maria makes Malvolio believe that Olivia is asking him to wear yellow stockings as a sign that he loves her, a style which she in fact detests. Even though these items are not usually included in Malvolios sombre attire he is desperate to please the countess: I will be strange, stout, in yellow stockings and cross-gartered, even with the swiftness of putting on. Jove and my stars be praised! We must remember that Malvolio is still a Puritan who does not believe in love and happiness. He therefore convinces himself that it is the work of Jove that has brought this occurrence about.

The eNotes Blog Are You Listening Poetry Slam and SocialCommentary

Are You Listening Poetry Slam and SocialCommentary For  National Poetry Month we were tempted to pay homage to classics like Poe, Whitman, Neruda, and all the other greats. But  much of the buzz in the poetry world is not around words on a page, but rather the voice and performance of the poet. Were talking about  poetry slam, and its been  growing in popularity thanks to the web and social media. You no longer have to head to a club to see a live performance YouTube brings the hottest slam poets right to your screen. And if youve never heard of this art form, prepare to emote (hard). So what is a  poetry slam? According to Poetry Slam, Inc., its  the competitive art of performance poetry. It puts a dual emphasis on writing and performance, encouraging poets to focus on what theyre saying and how theyre saying it. The live performance encourages poets to be expressive and emotional not only in the words they choose to say but also in how they say them. Because slam poetry often includes an element of competition, poets strive to bring as much energy and passion as they can to their readings in order to beat out the competition. Of course, performance poetry  isnt a new concept, as its  vibrant and varied history encompasses ancient  Greek lyric and Shakespearean plays (and lots in between). And most,  if not all, art forms throughout global history have  continually reflected and were influenced by their political, cultural, and economic  contexts. Similarly, slam poetry  can  take any format, theme, or topic of the poets choosing (within the confines of any  competition parameters). Unsurprisingly, the most popular topics tend to be  unapologetic social commentary, recited through the lens of personal experience and delivered with  raw  emotion. Then whats so new? Well, couple  all of the above  with sharable video tools  like the aforementioned YouTube and youve got an undeniable platform calling for social revolution. We put together some of our favorite spine-tingling (and in my case tear-inducing, no shame) poems below. Let us know your favorites, any that we missed, and your reactions in the comments! Happy National Poetry Month! Want to get involved? Find a Poetry Slam near you. Gender and Sexuality *This video has some language that may be offensive. *Dear Straight People by Denice Frohman  |  A call for equality. Pride by  Sibel Sayiner and Violet Trachtenberg |  Criticism of corporate sponsorship and a lack of  intersectional and inclusive pride. Hir by  Alysia Harris and Aysha El Shamayleh  | The dual identities of a transgender person. Misogyny  and  Gender  Roles *The Period Poem by Dominique Christina  | Response to a boys disgust over female anatomy. *10 Responses to the Phrase Man Up by Guante  | Criticism of telling men and boys to man up. The Type by Sarah Kay  | Urging women not to define themselves through men. Race and  Ethnicity What Kind of Asian are You? by Alex Dang  | A response to ignorant questioning. *Cuz Hes Black by Javon Johnson  | Commentary on hardships of Black men and young boys. *Mixed, Not Exotic by Sarah ONeal |  A response to ignorance on mixed ethnicities.

Sit vs. Set

Sit vs. Set Sit vs. Set Sit vs. Set By Maeve Maddox Like many of our shortest English words, sit and set have lengthy entries in the Oxford English Dictionary. Some of the definitions overlap. Some are interchangeable. The most common uses of sit and set are similar to those of lay and lie. â€Å"To sit† is to be seated. â€Å"To set† is to place something somewhere. In these contexts, sit is intransitive and set takes an object. Mixing up sit and set is not as common as mixing up lay and lie because the principal parts of sit and set are completely different: sit, sat, (have) sat, sitting set, set, (have) set, setting However, because sit and set have so many additional uses, efforts to state a hard and fast rule as to when to use one and when the other are futile. That fact doesn’t stop people from trying. I read a comment asserting that â€Å"animate objects sit, whereas inanimate objects set, and that’s that!† If â€Å"that were that,† the following statements would represent standard usage, but they don’t. The flowers were setting on the table and the men’s tuxes were draped over chairs. We were surprised by the beautiful gift-wrapped package setting on our bed. Both â€Å"flowers† and â€Å"package† are inanimate objects, but sitting is the verb called for in both statements. The meanings of sit listed in the OED include this one:   a. Of things: To have place or location; to be situated. Ex. There were a dozen eggs still sitting on the front porch and the dustbin sat at the back of the house where the binmen had left it. The flowers were sitting on the table and the package was sitting on the bed. The expressions â€Å"to sit well† and â€Å"to set well† have differing meanings. A certain plan may not sit well with voters. Here, â€Å"to sit well† means something like â€Å"to please† or â€Å"be agreeable to.† A jacket may be said to set well on the shoulders. The OED definition for this sense of to set is, To have a certain set or hang; to sit (well or ill, tightly or loosely, etc.). In texts written about clothing, you will also see â€Å"to sit well† used in the same sense: Just because you can squeeze yourself into a garment doesn’t mean it sits well. Trousers with a wider waistband sit well. When speaking of clothing, â€Å"to set well† and â€Å"to sit well† seem to be interchangeable. In the matter of liking or not liking legislation, â€Å"to sit well† or â€Å"not to sit well† is the way to go. In speaking of an object that has been placed somewhere, the choice is â€Å"sitting.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:70 "Home" Idioms and Expressions50 Idioms About Fruits and Vegetables13 Theatrical Terms in Popular Usage

Anti-Piracy Laws Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Anti-Piracy Laws - Essay Example Following an audit by the Business Software Alliance, in which our organization was found guilty of violating copyright laws and of running unlicensed, pirated, software on some of its computers, the ICT department experimented with both software and hardware deterrence mechanisms prior to implementing the former. With the proliferation of peer-to-peer software and the growing ease of downloading and installing pirated software, organizations often confront serious difficulties in implementing anti-piracy regulations. Certainly, there are few, if any, organizations which do not have clear-cut anti-piracy policies but employees often assume that they will not be caught.' The fact is that they can very well be, with the organization left liable for the payment of the resultant fines and vulnerable to lawsuits by the software producers in question (Kizza, 2002). It is for this reason that policies have to be complimented with hardware or software-based deterrent techniques. Following a February 2006 audit by the Business Software Alliance, our organization decided that since policies were not effectively deterring employees from infringing anti-piracy laws, software and hardware mechanisms were required. A thorough study of the advantages and disadvantages of each was conducted prior to implementing software solutions. Special purpose hardware is commonly use... Special purpose hardware is commonly used in proof of ownership, to provide secure data storage and to provide a secure execution context for security-sensitive applications. Such hardware is typically more cumbersome for the user and more expensive than software based techniques. 2.1.1 Dongles A dongle is a hardware device distributed with software. Possession of the device proves ownership of software. A dongle typically connects to an I/O port and computes the output of a secret function. While running, the software periodically queries the dongle. If the communication fails or the results of the query are wrong, the software reacts appropriately (Craig and Burnett, 2005). There are three major drawbacks to dongles. These are cost, impracticality and vulnerability. Dongles are expensive at $10 per unit and distributing them with software is not practical. Thirdly, the attack point is clearly defined since the interface to the device is a hardware interface. This means that the signals passing over the interface must conform to the software standards. This gives attackers and analysis advantage (Craig and Burnett, 2005). 2.1.2 Tamperproof CPUs Tamperproof CPUs aid in piracy prevention by providing a secure context and/or secure data storage. By executing the software in a secure environment, the pirate is unable to gain access to the software. This technique prevents the attacker from observing the behavior of the software which means he is unable to identify portions of the software to remove. The obvious drawback to this technique is the cost of requiring all users to have tamperproof hardware (Flynn, 2005). 2.1.3 Smartcards Smartcards store cryptographic keys for use in authentication and authorization systems. A typical smartcard

World Court of Justice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

World Court of Justice - Essay Example Addressing the plenary session of the UN General Assembly in 1999, the then President of the International Court of Justice, Judge Stephen M. Schwebel mentioned that issues like peaceful settlement of international disputes, disarmament and the law of war, were discussed at the First Hague Peace Conference in 1899. In 1907, at the second Hague Peace Conference the creation of a permanent court of international justice was proposed. However, this proposal did not come through as the members disagreed on the procedure for the selection of judges. With the start of the First World War, this proposal took a back seat. Later, it was under the League of Nations that the Permanent Court of International Justice, or the first world court was set up in 1922. (Schwebel, 1999). The Second World War marked the end of this court and its last hearing was held in February, 1940. (Permanent Court of International Justice (PCIJ) The International Court of Justice follows the procedures laid out in its Statute, and in the Rules of Court adopted by it under the Statute. This includes a written phase in which the parties file and exchange pleadings, and an oral phase consisting of public hearings at which agents and counsel address the Court. After the oral proceedings, the Court deliberates in-camera, and then delivers its judgment at a public sitting.

Use elements of minimum core in applying theories and principles for Essay

Use elements of minimum core in applying theories and principles for planning and enabling inclusive learning and teaching - Essay Example This process can be applied in any of the phases and it should be continuous, meaning that there is no limitation to the number of cycles that can be made in a learning situation. According to this theory, with no limitations, one would simply go on repeating the same mistakes. According to the theory, individuals learn in four ways and they are likely to develop one mode of learning more than others. Thus learning is by concrete experience, by observation and reflection, by experimenting actively, and by active conceptualization. These four processes can be applied by learning facilitators or teachers (Coffield, et al. 2004). This can be applied in literacy and language. For example, in reading one can use readable, accessible texts also teaching learners explicitly how they can develop comprehension skills using activities that are related to their texts. Learners are also encouraged to highlight the main words also ideas in texts, successful questioning, setting the picture, as we ll as stimulating previous reading prior to any reading so as to offer learners’ great chances of decoding the text, will also work. There are other diverse theories and principles that have been developed to aid in understanding planning and enabling inclusive learning and teaching. The minimum core elements can be applied in enabling inductive learning and teaching. One of these elements is the use of reinforcement. It is vital that the teachers integrate positive reinforcement to learning and teaching. Positive reinforcement includes rewards given to students and positive remarks made by the teachers. This can be given to encourage behaviour, achievements and notable improvements (Curzon 2003). This is important in learning as it is important how learners view themselves, their self esteem and being aware of their strengths and weaknesses affects their learning ability. The learners’ degree of motivation as well as engagement in learning and the phase

Application of TQM principles in manufacturing, Term Paper

Application of TQM principles in manufacturing, - Term Paper Example Introduction Quality assumes a multidimensional facet of business outcomes and activities. Various meanings attached to quality include conformance to specifications, performance, reliability, promptness, consistency, meeting customer expectations, hygiene etc. Organizations attach one or more of these attributes to their meaning of quality and thus strive towards achievement of all through Total Quality Management (TQM). TQM has been viewed in many ways by different scholars. A comprehensive definition would include what Hellesten and Klefsjo (2000) had used to describe TQM as, ‘a management system consisting of core values, techniques, and tools with the aim of increasing external and internal customers’ satisfaction with reduced resources. It aims at establishing a culture based on core values, and choose techniques, which support the values and tools suitable for the chosen techniques (as cited in Fredriksson, 2003; p.226). An evaluation of total quality management t hrough operations management strategies in manufacturing, service and nonprofit industrial sectors will be presented along with a general and critical review of these practices. Background: In the manufacturing sector, TQM concept was, in fact, revolutionized by the giant automotive company, Toyota, which was originally a Japanese native but currently a multinational setup. Daft (2008) candidly states, â€Å"Toyota is a model what happens when a company makes a strong commitment to total quality management,† (p.468). Although TQM was a concept that originated in the United States, its popularity and promising philosophy was grounded in quality management only after Toyota displayed its success from Japan. This was accomplished through steady performance over the years unlike other automotives of the West that ruled the market for short time; yet, Toyota’s success still remains, and is attributed to its TQM principles. Significance of Toyota’s way of working was realized by the rest of the world during 1990s through its highly efficient and fast design systems, most reliable and cost-efficient products and highly paid labor (Liker, 2004). Liker (2004) asserts that Toyota’s way of operations management, popularly referred to as the Toyota Production System, is a result of its quality management that goes beyond one’s belief along with congruent culture, referred to as the Toyota Way. A well-known service firm that attributes its success to TQM philosophy is Starbucks, the coffee shop that promises a delightful experience to its customers. Starbucks was started in 1971 at Pike Place Market, Seattle. More often, the name of this famous coffee place is accompanied by Howard Schultz, the salesperson that was instrumental in Starbucks’ immense success and later assumed the role of Starbucks’ CEO and Chairperson. Starbucks has recorded steady growth in the field of food and beverage industry during last 3 decades throug h its fierce competition, unmatched quality, delightful customer experience, cost-oriented operational strategies and the best human resources management practices. Starbucks is often quoted for its Total Quality Management practices and has been an example for many other entrepreneurial initiatives. Pahl (2009) highlights, â€Å"from a single store in Seattle, Starbucks has grown to operate more than 15000 stores across the world and employs more than 172,000

Forensic Engineering Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Forensic Engineering - Coursework Example However, little information has been offered on the engineering side and it is thus imperative to go through several of the speculations regarding the collapse of the building looking at the structural side of the matter. Engineers have stated that the major cause of the collapse for the building was due to the failure of certain components critical to the structure of the building. The engineers state that after the initial attack, there was the beginning of huge fires in the inside of the building. These fires were so hot that they made the joists of the building weak and consequently they failed to support the weight of the building leading to the immediate collapse (Bjorkman, 2013). The engineers of the building had carried out an appropriate job by making sure that they backed up the joists with concrete slabs. These slabs were important in that they assisted to ensure in case of tragedy such as the one that happened, the joists would have received assistance from the concrete. However, in this particular case, there was failure of the concrete to assist because they had already been demolished by the high impact caused by the crash of the airplanes that hit the building when the attack began (Eagar, 2013). The System of building used by the engineers that constructed the World Trade Centre used a method of building commonly referred to as tubular framing. The perimeter frames that were used to consteruct the building were embedded internally so as to prevent forces that may be caused by issues or rather natural calamities such as earthquakes. Earthquakes unlike the attack that took place are rather subtle on the top part of the building as opposed to the force that hit the building directly. Every floor of the building was made of tubular pipes that were meant to support it in the case of forces. However, they did not succeed in the case of the September attack that saw the building losing foundation from every floor and falling drastically. It

Chemistry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 9

Chemistry - Essay Example From this simple story we can see the different states of matter obtained and the different phase changes which occur to matter. Matter is anything that occupies space and has a mass. Matter exists in different states which include: solids, liquids, gases, plasmas and Bose-Einstein condensates. According to the kinetic theory of matter, all matter is made of atoms or molecules which have a motion energy which we perceive as temperature. Atoms and molecules are constantly in motion and the more the energy the matter has the more the molecular movement and consequently a higher temperature. The amount of energy in atoms and molecules influences the intermolecular forces holding them such as hydrogen bonds and van der Waals forces and thus the state of matter of a substance. Solids are formed as a result of strong attractive forces which hold the atoms or molecules together. These forces are far much stronger than the forces which are trying to force the atoms apart and thus the individual atoms and molecules are fixed in a position. The atoms and molecules however retain their motion which becomes limited to just vibration. When John was exercising and holding the exercise bikes and rowing machines the amount of energy created during training increases the temperature of the solids (exercise bikes e. t. c.) thus increasing the amount of vibration but because the molecules are locked in place the solids retain a fixed shape and volume. When the temperature of solids increases the movement of individual molecules can increase and will change into liquid. The liquids are normally formed when the energy of a body in solid state increases leading to the breakdown of the forces maintaining its rigid state. Mary’s ice cream for example sometimes turns into liquid as she admires John doing his exercises and forgets her ice cream. As a result of this the molecules in liquids can move past one another although they remain relatively

Application of TQM principles in manufacturing, Term Paper

Application of TQM principles in manufacturing, - Term Paper Example Introduction Quality assumes a multidimensional facet of business outcomes and activities. Various meanings attached to quality include conformance to specifications, performance, reliability, promptness, consistency, meeting customer expectations, hygiene etc. Organizations attach one or more of these attributes to their meaning of quality and thus strive towards achievement of all through Total Quality Management (TQM). TQM has been viewed in many ways by different scholars. A comprehensive definition would include what Hellesten and Klefsjo (2000) had used to describe TQM as, ‘a management system consisting of core values, techniques, and tools with the aim of increasing external and internal customers’ satisfaction with reduced resources. It aims at establishing a culture based on core values, and choose techniques, which support the values and tools suitable for the chosen techniques (as cited in Fredriksson, 2003; p.226). An evaluation of total quality management t hrough operations management strategies in manufacturing, service and nonprofit industrial sectors will be presented along with a general and critical review of these practices. Background: In the manufacturing sector, TQM concept was, in fact, revolutionized by the giant automotive company, Toyota, which was originally a Japanese native but currently a multinational setup. Daft (2008) candidly states, â€Å"Toyota is a model what happens when a company makes a strong commitment to total quality management,† (p.468). Although TQM was a concept that originated in the United States, its popularity and promising philosophy was grounded in quality management only after Toyota displayed its success from Japan. This was accomplished through steady performance over the years unlike other automotives of the West that ruled the market for short time; yet, Toyota’s success still remains, and is attributed to its TQM principles. Significance of Toyota’s way of working was realized by the rest of the world during 1990s through its highly efficient and fast design systems, most reliable and cost-efficient products and highly paid labor (Liker, 2004). Liker (2004) asserts that Toyota’s way of operations management, popularly referred to as the Toyota Production System, is a result of its quality management that goes beyond one’s belief along with congruent culture, referred to as the Toyota Way. A well-known service firm that attributes its success to TQM philosophy is Starbucks, the coffee shop that promises a delightful experience to its customers. Starbucks was started in 1971 at Pike Place Market, Seattle. More often, the name of this famous coffee place is accompanied by Howard Schultz, the salesperson that was instrumental in Starbucks’ immense success and later assumed the role of Starbucks’ CEO and Chairperson. Starbucks has recorded steady growth in the field of food and beverage industry during last 3 decades throug h its fierce competition, unmatched quality, delightful customer experience, cost-oriented operational strategies and the best human resources management practices. Starbucks is often quoted for its Total Quality Management practices and has been an example for many other entrepreneurial initiatives. Pahl (2009) highlights, â€Å"from a single store in Seattle, Starbucks has grown to operate more than 15000 stores across the world and employs more than 172,000

Chemistry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 9

Chemistry - Essay Example From this simple story we can see the different states of matter obtained and the different phase changes which occur to matter. Matter is anything that occupies space and has a mass. Matter exists in different states which include: solids, liquids, gases, plasmas and Bose-Einstein condensates. According to the kinetic theory of matter, all matter is made of atoms or molecules which have a motion energy which we perceive as temperature. Atoms and molecules are constantly in motion and the more the energy the matter has the more the molecular movement and consequently a higher temperature. The amount of energy in atoms and molecules influences the intermolecular forces holding them such as hydrogen bonds and van der Waals forces and thus the state of matter of a substance. Solids are formed as a result of strong attractive forces which hold the atoms or molecules together. These forces are far much stronger than the forces which are trying to force the atoms apart and thus the individual atoms and molecules are fixed in a position. The atoms and molecules however retain their motion which becomes limited to just vibration. When John was exercising and holding the exercise bikes and rowing machines the amount of energy created during training increases the temperature of the solids (exercise bikes e. t. c.) thus increasing the amount of vibration but because the molecules are locked in place the solids retain a fixed shape and volume. When the temperature of solids increases the movement of individual molecules can increase and will change into liquid. The liquids are normally formed when the energy of a body in solid state increases leading to the breakdown of the forces maintaining its rigid state. Mary’s ice cream for example sometimes turns into liquid as she admires John doing his exercises and forgets her ice cream. As a result of this the molecules in liquids can move past one another although they remain relatively

Introduction to Information Systems Essay Example for Free

Introduction to Information Systems Essay Abstract For my final paper I will Identify three vital tools of knowledge management and knowledge management systems, social networking systems, (CRM) customer relationship management, and (31) business intelligence. I wlll explain how an organization can utilize knowledge management resources to assist the company in running a successful business. will also explore knowledge management as we know it today. Knowledge Management Introduction Knowledge management is crucially important to any organization for resources which aids a company In providing its staff with the most accurate data needed in uch a competitive and fast passed time. We will explore three tools that aid us in knowledge management and learn how these tools are of great benefit to a successful business. We will also look at knowledge management as we know it today. Narrative sections There are three vital tools of knowledge management and knowledge management systems I want to explore. They are as follows: social networking systems, customer relationship management and business intelligence. Information technology aids knowledge management to provide up to date and ccurate data desired on a moments notice to companVs members. A knowledge management system is of great value for any organizations in everyday situations by enabling the employee access to other colleges documents and information. Knowledge management systems allow each staffs member the capability to stay organized and utilize figures and data from the organization. Being able to share this information throughout the company can help the organization in providing a better quality job that may even lead to improvements. Each business varies in the types of knowledge management needed to run its rganization trom documents, technology, networks, just to name a few. Each type ot knowledge managements can accommodate different business methods from push strategy; pull strategy, competence management to databases. You must first distinguish between the vast types of knowledge to understand the different kinds of knowledge management needed. Different fields focus on different types like explicit knowledge, tacit knowledge, and embedded knowledge. sale or a great investment opportunity. A social network allows a company to interact with its customers and employees all around the globe. More businesses are growing by staying connected with its customers with Facebook and Twitter. Social networks give a company the capability to reach a broader audience via the World Wide Web. The larges social network site today is Facebook which a lot of companies are beginning to utilize. Social networks operate through person-to-person and social influence. Companies can target their customers through social networks and optimize their social outreach. Companies also have the capability to respond to a customers concern and engage in a meaningful connection with repeat and new customers. With the hundreds of networking sites to access, it can be a challenge to manage multiple social sites, but the opportunities are endless. Customer relationship management provides an inside look to its customers purchase patterns that help plan the organizations sales activities. CRM will allow a company to target customers and generate leads for their sale items. Customer relationship management allows the business the needed information to better understand their customer base, building a more efficient business relationship between company, customer and distributer. With such important information gathered, a company can deliver customer gratification while make the most of its profits. A business can utilize CRM software to focus on the customers specific consumptions and thus tailor to their needs. CRM software provides a company with a buyer history and preferences leading to potential buys. Shoppers buying patterns can help to cross sell other items. Shoppers can be made aware of available items of their preference making for an easy marketing strategy. Business intelligence is raw information gathered from a data warehouse to help ake effective business decisions. With business intelligence you can better understand the strengths and weaknesses of your company and stay competitive in todays market. With the proper information and good IT support a company can operate with good business intelligence. There are steps to properly utilizing good business intelligence. Gathering of information and incorporating existing information is the key to decision making. Data Marts are critical to help its members gain access to specific information needed. For better decision making, each epartment can access only the portion of information it requires versus being overwhelmed with unnecessary information. Being able to access the right information and the right time will help minimize errors of duplication and help run each department efficiently. Having the right software with good IT makes for a successful business. advantage of every source available to you. Your organization will run efficiently and with minimal inaccuracies. Focus on delivering up-to-date data for timely decision making.

Critical Analysis of Marketing Audit for D-GSM

Critical Analysis of Marketing Audit for D-GSM 1.1 Introduction In todays dynamic telecommunication industry it is critical to analyze the dynamic environment and analyze key product/service offering to target customers. Further, the information gathered from marketing audit is used to critically analyze Dialog product line performance and current product management issues with relevant tools and models to identify the key opportunities/weakness which D-GSM could face in future. 1.2 General Issue Inefficient Channel Distribution Management The downstream distribution is a key part of achieving sales objectives for D-GSM. In other words, business-to-business (B2B) customers push the products of D-GSM to end customers. Currently D-GSM is operating with four major first tier distributors and 1200 retailers in 85 cities in Sri Lanka. In recent past further the retail distribution chain has declined in each province (Refer Appendix B 10.0). The long tier retail distribution has reduced the profit margin thus resulted the retailers willing to promote competitors products (Refer Appendix B 11.0). Another reason identified for this decline is high sales staff turnover which resulted for poor retail management. The issue highlighted above can be highlighted using Ishikawa Cause/Effect diagram shown below (Refer Figure 1.0) Model Adopted from (Albert, 1989) 1.3 Product Management Issue Current Health of Product Portfolio Figure 2.0 BCG Matrix BCG Model Adopted from (Kotler, 2008) Healthy product portfolio is important for organization to gain competitive advantage. Further analyzing the Boston Consultancy Group (BCG) matrix (Refer Figure 2.0) its understood that D-GSM key products are positioned i0n cash cow. In long term these products could move to dogs section which could harm the product performance of the organization. Further products like Kids connection and Code-Division-Multiple-Access (CDMA) are currently in dogs section of BCG matrix needs to be removed from the product portfolio as they consume high cost to maintain the products and return low profit to the organization. Moving forward D-GSM needs to plan for product development to position in star segment of BCG matrix which is currently with few products. Star products are highly needed for organization to gain competitive position; eventually star products will become cash cow and dogs respectively, Further D-GSM needs to identify products are in the question-mark segment to invest to generate market share and returns. Now it is proved lack of product portfolio management has resulted developing low income generating products and thus D-GSM needs to follow a strategic system to have a balanced product portfolio management to gain competitive position in dynamic market. Inefficiencies in New Product Development(NPD) Model adopted from (Kotler, 2008) D-GSM is currently facing set back with competitors. Presently D-GSMs core products, which face severe competition from competitors, are in maturity stage. Thus these products are experiencing reduction in the profit margin (Refer Appendix B- 8.0). The marketing audit (Refer Appendix B) clearly indicates that Dialogs Mobile-broadband is currently in maturity stage and clearly indicates declining in profit. Further it is evident that no product-line-extensions are developed for the product survival which has created a quick decline stage for most of the product. There are few products and product-line-extension that are developed having long gap in introducing to the market in the new product development pipeline (Refer Appendix B- 11.0); as a result existing mature products (Cash-Cow) tends to decline faster. Moreover this is further evident that D-GSM has allocated low marketing budget allocated product innovation (Refer Appendix B- 12.0).Overall improper management in NPD has created threat for D-GSM of being a market leader and loosing first mover advantage for key products. Gap identified in mobile-broadband STP Strategy Today in telecom industry mobile-broadband is a core product and a matured product in the PLC; it is consumed in a very high level and has become a commodity in daily life. The marketing audit has identified that D-GSM has been targeting the same segment which are professionals/senior executive since inception their mobile services. This is a drawback for D-GSMs long term survival and its market leadership. Further competitors are able to manipulate this service and will lose its market share (Refer Appendix B; Appendix B- 4.0). The PESTEL analysis provides evidence that new potential segments are emerging such as entry level executives (1), undergraduates/students (2), travellers and businessmen (3). As result old segments are becoming outdated. (Refer Appendix B- 12.0). The below diagram illustrates the ability of D-GSM to cater and take necessary action for new segments (Refer Appendix B- 9.0). Figure 4.0 G.EMatrix Model adopted from (Business tools, 2007) The output of market segmentation matrix identifies the emerging new segment to generate more revenue and increase market share by repositioning the broadband (Refer Figure 4.0). Knowledge gap in customer preference Internet technology is continuously evolving and adapting to such changes is highly important to D-GSM. Continues adaptation to such technology and augmenting future technology is important for long term survival. The marketing audit explicitly specifies that D-GSM provides the core features of MBB to present customers. Further it is not providing the expected features or long term product augmentation of MBB (Refer Appendix B- 9.0). Referring to figure 5.0 clearly indicates gap between current feature offering of broadband and customer expectations. To fulfill this gap D-GSM needs to continuously evaluate customer expectation and adopt to provide new technologies to retain market leadership. 1.4 Conclusion of Critical Analysis Lack of information Knowledge gap in changing market Gaps in STP Potential New segments to target Deficiencies in the product portfolio 2.0 Recommendation Following recommendations are addressed below to overcome current drawbacks faced by D-GSM having critically analyzed using market audit. Recommendations are categorized to cater mobile-broadband and product portfolio management. 2.1 Recommendations for Mobile-broadband product Line Recommendation 1 Reposition Mobile-broadband Topic 1.3 above states that current segment targeted for mobile-broadband is declining. Following segments are identified as target audience who are students, travellers and undergraduates to be targeted to generate high revenue for mobile-broadband. Proposal in Detail Following recommendation is to reposition the mobile-broadband product line targeting new potential segments as the current segment is declining. This is also evident where 3 major UK telecommunication vendors has overall share of 30% mobile-broadband users as students and undergraduates affording on the go low-cost internet facility (Gabriel, 2011). Currently mobile-broadband is a cash cow product. Repositioning this product can help D-GSM to reach more customers and generate more revenue. Based on the proposed recommendation, following product forecast is analysed using net present value (NPV) analysis. Table 1.0 NPV Analysis for Mobile broadband reposition Key Finding of NPV Analysis Return on Investment (ROI): The entire return on Investment on the repositioning the product will be fully recovered by the end of the first year. Forecasted sales performance: Repositioning the product will pave the way to the sales to increase notably. Nearly 67% increase in first year, 150% within two years and 200% within three years. NPV analysis indicates positive (+) result which mean reposition will be successful. The product can be expected to perform well in the market to gain more revenue and market share for Dialog mobile-broadband. Further D-GSM could follow the proposed product reposition process for mobile-broadband Further D-GSM could follow the proposed product reposition process for mobile-broadband Figure 6.0 Proposed product reposition process for mobile broadband product line To better position mobile-broadband D-GSM could adopt the following marketing mix to reach the newly identified segments since the current marketing mix for mobile broadband is outdated. Table 2.0- Proposed new marketing mix for mobile broadband product line Following perceptual map can be considered for the new repositioning strategy, 2.2 Recommendations for Product Management Recommendation 2 Appoint Product Management Team The present marketing structure is incapable of managing multiple product portfolios at D-GSM. This structure only focuses to cater existing product portfolio and provides low importance for NPD. Further, it is inefficient to support and manage more products by fewer staff which increases the existing workload. Proposal in Detail It is recommended to restructure existing marketing hierarchy to cater NPD, to conduct product management efficiently and reduce burden on staff of marketing department. This recommendation emphasises the creation of a product management team, which could be formed to better manage product portfolio for D-GSM. Below product team structure is recommended (Refer figure 7.0) Recommendation 3 Financial Resource Allocation to Product management Further to the critical analysis conducted it is understood low financial resource allocation as key reason for poor performance of product management in D-GSM. To overcome this issue more financial resource allocation has to be allocated for better product management in future. Proposal in Detail Following recommendation is to cater financial resource for product management team. Proposed financial resource will cater the team to conduct product portfolio management, new technology acquisition for product development, research development to introduce new products/service to market. It is recommended to allocate 10% of the annual sales revenue to facilitate product management team. The following financial allocation breakdown is proposed. Table 3.0-Proposed Financial Allocation breakdown for project management team Recommendation 4 -Implementation of Product Portfolio Management System (PPMS) In topic 1.3 identifies the lack of system and process in place to manage product portfolio and help senior management make strategic decision towards managing product portfolio as it consumes human and financial resources .This recommendation will highlight in implementing a PPMS for D-GSM. Proposal in Detail This recommendation is to implement PPMS for D-GSM. This system in place will help management make strategic decisions and allocate investments to individual products with the goal of optimizing the entire product portfolio. Also this system will provide a tool to maximize the performance of product portfolio in varies stages of PLC. The following system will help product management have a consistent view of product performance, products status in PLC, new product development pipeline progress, monitor product operation cost and more with product portfolio management. Further with the help of such system product development managers to align product roadmaps with market expectation and help to increase revenue, grow market share and reduce costs. Benefit for D-GSM by implementing PPMS Maximize the performance of D-GSM product portfolio PMSS in place will enable centralized management of product portfolio PMMS in place will enable product managers to align product roadmaps with marketing objectives to increase revenue, grow market share, and reduce costs PMMS will enable product management team gather historical information which is valuable information that will improve time to market of future products Recommendation 5 Expand Re-align Channel Distribution This recommendation will highlight in improvising the current retail management and introducing new retail partners for D-GSM to expand the channel distribution to compete with competition and in long term to penetrate Sri Lankan market. Proposal in Detail Proposed strategy of expanding the channel distribution to reach wider untapped market of D-GSM as competitors are aggressive in penetrating the market .This strategy will enable D-GSM to gain more consumers and boost profit through additional venues and expanding current channel distribution can be an effective tool to increase existing business for Dialog GSM. Benefit for D-GSM by Expanding Re-aligning Channel Distribution Channel expansion will cut down operational cost in every region and improve sales performance Current level of channel risk will be minimized and risk could be shared among many regional retailers Expanding channel distribution will help in brand building and make products available in more locations which will raise consumer awareness of D-GSM offerings. Recommendation 5 Implementation of Marketing Information System (MKIS) Further to the critical analysis conducted in 1.5 and 1.6 it is evident that there is no system and process in place to monitor dynamic market environment and consumer behavior, in current situation without a proper system in place D-GSM has not been able to understand consumer behavior and identify emerging segments and target potential new market. Proposal in Detail The following recommendation is to implement a MKIS. This system in place will help D-GSM to scan dynamic market environment constantly to make strategic decisions. Further this system will enable the marketing and product management team to analyze consumer behavior and act accordingly in competitive environment. In long term this system in place will enable the organization to be market oriented. Proposed key integrated feature of this system will be; Marketing intelligence Information Analysis Marketing research Internal Records The prototype of the proposed MKIS will be as shown in figure Benefit for D-GSM by implementing MKIS MKIS will enable organization to constantly monitor dynamic marketing environment Distribute marketing information within organization MKIS will enable to analyses consumer behavior, This will help D-GSM to better manage STP strategies for new products MKIS will facilitate towards product planning and control 3.0 Evaluation of Resource capability and Capacity Management 3.1 Introduction This section evaluates the resources and capability requirements to deliver the identified recommendations for product management of D-GSM. This analysis is based on drawbacks identified from the critical analysis and possible recommendations are proposed to re-align the current D-GSM resources and capabilities to desired level. 3.2 Analysis of current organizational capability and resource When conducting a project management in this scale it is important for D-GSM to evaluate current resource capability and capacity of the organization to deliver the recommendations proposed under heading 2.0. Further to evaluate the current strength of delivering the recommendations, a skill audit was conducted within marketing department against the expected skills and competencies required for the product management project (Refer Figure -9.0) Figure9.0 Marketing Team Current Skill vs. Expected Skill for product management project The skills audit analysis (Refer Figure 9.0) against the marketing audit (Refer Appendix B- 14.0 ) indicates there are lack of gap overall skills, therefore there is a need for skills improvement from external or internal sources which needs to be acquired to close the current skill gap. The marketing audit analysis indicates present marketing teams resources are limited and the current structure is incapable of managing the proposed project (Refer Appendix B- 5.0). Therefore it is recommended to recruit a new project management team to implement the recommendation made for D-GSM. To overcome the skill requirement a project management team can be formed from a cross functional basis of appropriate staff who will have relevant skills and knowledge to implement the proposed recommendation as a team. Further D-GSM could acquire required skill and expertise resources from external environment. 3.3 New Capability Resource required Provide Training in Product portfolio management Marketing team currently needs new skills in understanding the importance of organizational product portfolio management to achieve organizational objectives. By training the staff on portfolio management it will enable the marketing team to formulate effective product portfolio management strategies to cater dynamic market environment. Increase Financial Allocations for Portfolio Management To have an efficient product portfolio management more financial resource is needed to cater new product development. The current budget quota is insufficient for product portfolio management and therefore to implement the identified recommendations and to gain new capabilities and other needed resources which needs sufficient financial allocation for product portfolio management. Training on customer relationship management Marketing team is currently in need for training in customer relationship management. Currently in the highly competitive Sri Lankan telecom market relationship management with key customers, retailers and distributors are important to retain recurring business. By conducting such training D-GSM could retain customers to generate more revue for organization. 3.4 How to Acquire New Capability and Resource Internal Development Internal development refers to the changes that a firm undertakes by recombining its existing resources or developing new resources on its own (Capron and Mitchell, 2004). To acquire new capabilities at minimal cost marketing team along with human resource department could form an internal development team to provide key skill and mentoring to staff, this could be in the form of: Knowledge Sharing Session Internal Presentation One to One session Hiring External Consultant â€Å"External sourcing means trading in a strategic capability that stems from external sources† (Capron and Mitchell, 2004).The hiring of a consultant will help D-GSM in gaining external/industrial expertise on product portfolio management and enable the marketing team to build new strategies to increase performance for Dialog Mobile-broadband product line. Training and Development D-GSM could evaluate the option of on-demand training and development to cater highly critical skill and capability needs to manage competitive product portfolio to the market. Further D-GSM could follow the proposed model shown in Figure 10.0 to plan training development. Figure 10.0 Training and Development process Model Adopted from (Moskowitz, 2008) The Benefit of Training and Development Improved motivation Individuals see their skills base extending and their promotion prospects being enhanced. Opportunities for self-improvement, leads to people staying longer in one employment. Higher levels of performance Trained and motivated staffs are more likely to give of their best which in the end justifies the training budget. Recommendation for accruing new resource and capability The options discussed above to acquire new resources and capability to manage product portfolio for D-GSM is to hire external consultant to gain new ideas and industry expertise. Further hiring external consultant will help to reposition broadband product line effectively. Moreover, D-GSM needs to constantly identify new skill required for employers since marketing environment is dynamic and employees adapting to such changes instantly is important, therefor it is advisable to constant monitor required skill and plan to train and develop by external consultant. There is a high risk of outsourcing new resource and capability because it will create conflicts within internal employees and internal information could be considered as risk when outsourcing key resources from external environment 3.6 Financial Consideration Herewith financial proposal is addressed for future budgeting purpose to acquire new capability and resource to implement effective product portfolio management. Table 1.0 Financial Consideration for new resource and capability management 4.0 Project Plan Introduction To the priority of recommendations provided above in topic 2.5, following project will focus to reposition mobile-broadband product line targeting newly identified segment with differentiated marketing mix and finally position the product as affordable product for consumers Project Initiation The following project is selected to increase the mobile-broadband. A stable project based approach is required. This therefore enables the management to monitor the manage performance, cost and time scales. Fore reference purpose this project will be named as â€Å"Project 3G†. Project Objectives The project objectives expected to be achieved by implementing project 3G are as followed, To successfully reposition Dialog Mobile-broadband product line To successfully create awareness to newly identified segments To increase mobile-broadband trial among new segments targeted To position the product to the new target segments using new differentiated value propositions within the period of six months. Project Scopeand creep The project scope refers to the work that must be accomplished to deliver the project objectives and successfully complete the project with quality, time and minimal cost (Hill, 2009). Project scope management will be used to make sure that project covers all the key tasks to deliver high efficiency of triple constraints [4] and focus of project. Further the management will resist and prevent scope creep as it will dent the achievement of triple constrains- budget, performance, and time as project creep could bring negative effects on the members (Kendrick, 2009). Therefore below matrix illustrates project boundary (Refer table 2.0). Table 2.0 Project Scope Matrix Every project stakeholder must be educated about project scope from deviating. If there are any changes to the scope a request should be made to the project manager for consideration (Pritchard, 2004). Project Team The project manager will be General Manager- marketing and sales. He/she is selected for because of leadership skills and previous experience in handling similar projects. The key role of project manager is to manage the project team from initiation to evaluation stage, while leading and motivating the team towards achieving the objectives and clearly defining teams roles, responsibilities and performance, budget and time (Lock, 2007). The proposed project team structure is shown in Figure (9.0). The project team consists of seven members including staff from different department of Dialog GSM. This system will become a cross functional team for the project. Project Sponsor will be the Chief Financial Officer (CFO). According to Melton (2009), project sponsor is accountable for the delivery of the business case and to ensure that project is financially worthwhile. Project Managers and sponsors must work closely together to deliver the project and maintain control. External resources for the project team will be the outsourced marketing consultant and the advertising agencies key account manager for D-GSM for this Project. The consultant will guide the project team in implementing the project by providing training and in-depth guidance on product repositioning of Dialog Mobile-broadband. Furthermore, project manager will be responsible for driving the project team to achieve the project objectives by delegating the project tasks, proper resource allocation for the project through possible mediums and finally responsible to deliver project report for management. Project Beginning and end dates Project 3G will span for a period of 6 months and will be implemented from 1st of July 2011 till the 30th of December 2011. Project Key Deliverable Key deliverable of Project 3G could be highlighted in a work breakdown structure (WBS). The top of the WBS is the project itself. The next layer or level in the structure is ‘work packages (Lock, 2007). WBS explains the key deliverables of the project in figure (10.0). Figure () Key deliverables for project 3G ProjectMethodology

Evolution and Christianity Essay -- Exploratory Essays Research Papers

     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The riddle of the origin of man has been subject to many ponderings and theories for thousands of years. In America, two theories concerning this timeless question have driven a spike through the general populace. These two beliefs, Evolution and Christianity, have driven a riff through the American populace and fueled several debates and conflicts over which is the truer theory. Incidents such as the decision of the Kansas school board to ban schools from including the Evolution Theory from their curriculum are becoming a tragically frequent and threaten to escalate if not checked soon. However, there is a growing belief in America today in the possibility of believing that evolution is an inescapable fact while still prescribing to Christian faith as well. This radical theology, which seems to meld, distort and expand the theory of Evolution and traditional Christian beliefs, has been termed "Theistic Evolution" by its followers and has emerged as a very respec table alternative to choosing between Evolution and Christianity.    Much of the conflict between Traditional Christian and Evolutionary thought stems from the strict, literal interpretation of the Bible used by many individuals and Church groups. One of the fundamental beliefs that most branches of Christianity share is that God created the world and life as we know it in six days. "And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done (Genesis 2:2)." Following this chain of thought, many devout Christians go on to further speculate that according to the Bible, Earth and animal life have only existed for a few thousand years. Evolutionists have attacked this speculation relentless... .... It is for this reason that alternatives such as Theistic Evolution are becoming more and more available. As Howard Van Till put it, "Christianity and Evolution are not contradictory. They provide different answers to a different set of questions" (Sheler).       Bibliography Darwin, Charles. The Origin of Species. New York: Avenel Books, 1979. pp. 435-460.    Dorfman, Andrea and Michael D. Lemonick. "Up From the Apes." Time. August 23, 1999. pp. 50-60.    Genesis. Holy Bible: New King James Version. Tennessee: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1982. Chapter 2, Verse 2.    Sheler, Jeffrey L. (1999). "Is the Bible True?" (Online). USNews Online. November 19, 1999. Available: http://www.usnews.com/usnews/issue/991025/bible.htm    Sunderland, Luther D. Darwin's Enigma. California: Master Book Publishers, 1984. pp. 22-24.

C-span, The Cable Tv Channel :: essays research papers

C-SPAN, the Cable TV channel C-SPAN, the Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network is a medium that truly brings the government to the people. By presenting live and uncut footage of our government in action, the citizens of the United States can get a bit closer to what the founding fathers had in mind when they created our government. C-SPAN is truly a unique channel amongst the mass of today's viewing options. C-SPAN was launched March 19, 1979, "to provide live, gavel to gavel coverage of the United States House of Representatives."1, but the enterprise has been expanded beyond the original one channel and now utilizes several mediums to reach its goal. The originator of this idea of bringing government into peoples' homes was Brian Lamb, who in addition to being the chairman and CEO of C-SPAN, is also a host on many of C-SPAN's programs. Brian's primary belief is that people should be able to see government in action without soundbites, computer maps, models, images, music, and news anchor commentary. Brian feels that if people can see government in action without the normal clutter, then they can more easily make decisions for themselves about politics and the workings of their government. In addition to C-SPAN, a second channel, C-SPAN2 has also been created. C-SPAN2 is committed to providing live and uncut coverage of the U.S. Senate when it is in session. C-SPAN2 continues the tradition of the original channel by giving an even wider unfiltered and unplugged view of our government in action. In addition to video, C-SPAN also has 2 different audio networks that broadcast international and American political content, unfiltered and uncut. Also, C-SPAN has moved into the computer world and has established a homepage to provide information to people about its services, as well as receive feedback from viewers via email. One of the most unique aspects of C-SPAN is that all of its services are offered totally commercial free. C-SPAN is paid for by cable and satellite operators who each pay a per-subscriber fee to C-SPAN when the channels are carried on their cable systems. C-SPAN does sell merchandise bearing its logo, such as coffee mugs, T-shirts, and hats, however these are certainly intended as advertising for the network itself rather than a direct source of income. As of July 1995, C-SPAN is received by over 64.3 million or 71 percent of U.S. households, and C-SPAN2 is received by over 41.1 million or 46 percent of U.S. households. C-SPAN is distributed primarily through cable TV systems, however it can also received by both analog and digital satellite receivers.

Academic Writing Skills Guide Essay

Introduction Preface to the first edition (2002) We have written this guide for you to help you on the way to becoming proficient in your chosen field of economics or business administration. As you advance in your studies, you will demonstrate your proficiency through the essays, papers, case reports, and other texts that you write. Your writing is thus a marker of your relative expertise in your discipline. Yet, it is also a means in itself. Writing helps you organize your own ideas, discover the strengths and weaknesses in your thinking, and internalize the knowledge you construct. We hope this guide will help you on your way. But like all guides, it does not contain everything. As Voltaire said, â€Å" the best way to be boring is to leave nothing out† This guide acts as a starter – it is up to you to . go deeper. Just as you will find with your writing assignments, we too have gone through the writing process in the construction of this guide. We constructed a plan, consulted numerous sources and people, wrote the text, revised it, and edited it, all the time trying to keep it clear and simple. See more:  The 3 Types of Satire Essay In putting together this guide, we have aimed to follow Ernest Hemingway who said, â€Å" My aim is to put down on paper what I see and what I feel in the best and simplest way. †We hope we have succeeded. Henri Mennens, MSc Robert Wilkinson, MSc Second edition (2010) The second edition of this guide to academic writing is a thorough revision of the first edition (2002). Apart from changes to chapter 2, we have significantly changed chapters 3 and 5. In addition, we have completely rewritten chapter 4 on citing and referencing in line with the current (2010) citation and reference norms of the American Psychological Association. Major changes also entail the introduction of many more examples. In addition, the format requirements for submitting papers has changed. 2 Guide to Academic Writing Skills Introduction We have not included information on grammar and punctuation, since we expect students at the School of Business and Economics to have a good command of these aspects on entry. However, we are aware that many users of this guide will wish to seek reassurance in this respect. We recommend users to consult a good grammar book or one of the many good writing sites on the Internet. Robert Wilkinson, MSc Jeannette Hommes, MA NOTE: the Guide is not presented in the format that you have to present your papers (see section 5). However, where extracts of student essays are given, these are in the required format. Acknowledgements We gratefully acknowledge the many people and sources we have consulted during the construction of this guide. In particular, we would like to express thanks to Henri Mennens for his work on the first edition, and Keith Campbell of the Language Centre who adapted the first edition of this guide in 2006. We also thank the Academic Writing tutors of the Language Centre for their inputs and the many students who have made use of the first edition. Furthermore, we are indebted to Mike Hannay and Lachlan Mackenzie, whose book Effective writing in English: A resource guide (both the 1996 and 2002 editions) has been a major source of information for chapters 2 and 3. We acknowledge the American Psychological Association whose â€Å" Publication manual† (American Psychological Association, 6th ed. , 2010) has been an excellent support in the construction of chapter 4 in this guide. Finally, we are grateful to the Director of the School of Business and Economics for supporting the production of this second edition. 3 Guide to Academic Writing Skills Introduction 1. Introduction Academic writing covers the wide range of specific writing tasks that you are required to write during the course of your academic studies: papers, reports, literature reviews, projects, case studies, dissertations, theses, research papers, and articles. Some of these text types are quite rare outside the academic environment (papers, literature reviews, dissertations, theses); others (reports, projects, etc.) may well be aiming at a much broader public. However, what they all have in common is a similar type of reader: a person educated in the specialist field (here economics or business studies), and usually acting as a professional in that field. These target readers represent the professional community of which you aim to become a member. To be accepted as member requires you to meet the norms and standards that the professional community expects. Thus with regard to writing, you are expected to adhere to the norms expected by the (international) academic community. Compare this to a relay race in athletics. In the relay race, you run with three other runners. If you are one of the two middle runners, you have to collect the baton smoothly from the previous runner and pass it on to the next runner. In the relay race your team runs against other teams (your local community). All of you have to run according to the set of rules agreed by the sports governing body (the professional community). If you do not, your team may be disqualified. The rules set the framework for a potentially great race, and within the rules there is vast scope for individual flair and talent. So with academic writing: you have to write according to the ‘ rules’ but to write well demands your own indi, vidual talent and enterprise. Just as a highly skilled athlete knows how to use the rules to his advantage, so an expert writer uses the norms and standards of professional academic writing to persuade readers of the power of his argument. We should not extend this athletics analogy too far: sports have clear sets of rules that everyone can read and study; academic writing does not. What a professional academic field has is a set of overt norms, such as a style guide. This guide is based on the editorial style requirements described in the sixth edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (2010). Alongside these is a set of covert norms that are just as powerful. Examples of the covert norms will be the nature of argumentation that is considered acceptable in the field. Covert norms are hidden and therefore take a long time to acquire. Most novice writers acquire them through extensive reading in the field, and by paying active attention to the way other writers use 4 Guide to Academic Writing Skills Introduction language. This process of acquisition demands close observation of how expert writers use words and expressions differently in different types of text, e. g. literature reviews or case studies in a single field (e. g. marketing). Academic papers (and most other forms of academic writing) are typically expository or argumentative. An expository or informative paper describes or explains a particular set of phenomena, and provides an account of why these phenomena are found in one or more specific situations or contexts. The goal of the expository paper is also to acquaint the reader with a body of knowledge. An argumentative or persuasive paper must choose a side, make a case for it, consider and refute alternative arguments, and prove to the undecided reader that the opinion it presents is the best one. You must be aware of other sides and be fair to them; dismissing them completely will weaken your own argument. It is always best to take a side that you believe in, preferably with the most supporting evidence. To develop a good academic paper you should go through a number of stages, called the writing process. The following seven stages can be distinguished: The writing process 1. Thinking stage 2. Research stage 3. Outline stage 4. Drafting stage 5. Revising stage 6. Editing stage 7. Final version stage } } Planning process Transfer in a first draft output Revising & editing Final output Figure 1. Stages of the writing process 1. Thinking stage In this stage you determine your topic area (which may of course already be given), brainstorm about ideas on the topic, select, reject and focus those ideas, before arriving at your final choice. 5 Guide to Academic Writing Skills. Introduction 2. Research stage Here you search for and study background literature and other materials, analyse the results, draw your own conclusions and interpretations, etc. 3. Outline stage In this stage you draft an outline of the paper you intend to write, setting out your main aim or purpose in the paper (the purpose statement or thesis statement), sketch how you will develop the points that follow from the purpose, and indicate how you will conclude the paper. 4. Drafting stage Here you put down on screen successively improved versions of your paper. 5. Revising stage In this stage you scan your work on a macro level for logical coherence, checking whether you need to add or delete information, whether sections need rephrasing for clarification. 6. Editing stage Here you edit your text on a micro level, checking the grammar, spelling, punctuation, in-text citations, references and the layout. 7. Final version stage In this stage you set out the final paper neatly and clearly. Writing a paper is recursive: you do not start at the beginning, and work through straight to the end, and that is that. At all times you will be ‘ backtracking’ ‘ or looping’so that as you are , writing your first draft, you may discover you need to add more information and have to return to the research stage. During the revising stage, you may discover that your original plan was too broad, and so decide to cut out a whole section. You may produce several revised versions of the paper before your final version. Do not forget to allow yourself plenty of time between writing your first draft and your final version. Figure 2 illustrates the three groups of actions in writing a paper, the planning process, the transfer, and revision and editing. The figure emphasizes the recursive nature of writing a paper in that each action not only feeds into the next but feeds back into the previous actions, entailing revision of those actions. 6 Guide to Academic Writing Skills Introduction â€Å" You may start with a plan, conduct some research (reading, library and/or Internet search), analyse and then synthesize the information you have acquired, construct a question or a statement that you will examine, draft an outline, write a rough draft of the introduction, start writing the body, then stop. You go back, conduct some more research, adjust your outline, rewrite the body, write a bit more, adjust the introduction, perhaps adjust the statement of your purpose, then stop again. You conduct more research, rewrite the body again, draft a conclusion, go back to the introduction, adjust the purpose, rewrite the introduction, then stop. You let the paper ‘ simmer’for a while, then reread it, adjusting here and there for content accuracy, perhaps search or check for a contrary argument, throw out less relevant parts of the paper, check the logical development of your ideas and arguments, and wrap up the conclusion. Then you check again for spelling (using the spellchecker, but also reading carefully word by word), check for grammar (using the grammar checkers wisely), check all punctuation, check the layout, check the citations and the references. You check too for sentence length (eliminate very long, rambling sentences), check paragraph structure (particularly if the topic of the paragraph changes in the paragraph – check the subjects of the main verbs), check the logical links between paragraphs and sections. And so on. † Figure 2: The writing process and its recursive nature (Bruer, 1993). This guide is organized as follows. Chapter 2 focuses on the planning process, describing the planning activities and the construction of an outline. Chapter 3 elaborates on the structuring of the paper, through a detailed discussion of the three parts of a paper, introduction, body, and conclusion. Moreover, structuring a paper effectively requires that you write wellconstructed paragraphs: this chapter also provides brief guidelines on paragraph organization. Chapter 4 explains the importance of citing sources and giving references, and provides guidelines how to put them in the paper in a correct way. Chapter 5 concentrates on finalizing the paper. This chapter discusses the format requirements, text revision and the evaluation of the paper. To conclude, this guide helps you to master the process of academic writing, which you can apply to the specific writing assignments during the course of your academic studies. It specifies the elements necessary to a successful academic paper. But keep in mind two things. First, each assignment will be different and require a different organization. Second, writing is a skill; 7 Guide to Academic Writing Skills Introduction  you only get better at a skill through regular practice. Regular practice leads to routine and expertise. The application of the principles of this guide can be of use until your last writing examination: the final thesis. However, this guide just contains a brief summary of the different topics discussed. For more information you should consult literature, especially the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (2010, 6th ed. , in the University Library), and the Internet. Besides, keep in mind that the writing process is not just simply following a set of rules. Try to develop your own style, expertise and talent, in order to distinguish yourself. Good luck with your writing career! 8 Guide to Academic Writing Skills The planning process 2. The planning process In order to get a good start to writing your paper, it is important that you go successfully through the planning process. This chapter describes the different activities of the planning process. Then, section 2. 2 discusses the most important stage of the planning process: the construction of an outline. 2. 1. The planning activities. During the planning process, according to Hannay and Mackenzie (2002), you are concerned with six major activities: 1 Generating ideas for the content. Ideas for content can come from several sources: from your own knowledge, from discussions with other people, and from various media sources (written texts, audio-visual media and electronic media). Brainstorming techniques help you to generate ideas in the first two categories. 2 Selecting and classifying points. Here you are concerned with ordering your ideas. Analyse them to determine the extent to which they are connected with each other. Ideas and concepts that are highly connected are likely to form key points in your texts. Those which are less closely connected may form essential supporting topics, or may need to be abandoned. Some may require more development. Always be prepared to get rid of ideas that prove not to be relevant to your argument. 3 Establishing your perspective. In this activity you need to decide what angle you are going to take with your material. Are you taking a historical perspective, or only discussing the present situation? Are you taking an objective position, or are you bringing in your own personal standpoint? Are you taking a general viewpoint, or only a specific case? Are you looking at the matter from your home country’ perspective? Are you discussing a general issue or only a nas tional situation? 9 Guide to Academic Writing Skills The planning process 4 Determining your intention. Now you need to consider what you want to do with the text. Do you want to present both sides of an argument equally, or do you want to present only one side? Do you need to give examples, or will your argumentation be sufficient on its own? Do you want to persuade the reader of your opinion, or are you only wishing to describe the matter? Do you want just to present a problem, or do you want to offer solutions as well? What you are going to do with your text must become very clear to the reader in the thesis statement: this statement directs the readers to the purpose of the text. 5 Formulating a draft title, structuring the introduction and conclusion. Here you should set down a working title and devise a draft structure for the introduction and the conclusion. At this stage your drafting should only be provisional: you should write the actual version only after you have written the body of the  paper. This is because you do need to know what your introduction is indeed introducing, and you need to know what your conclusion is concluding. A useful rule of thumb is: Plan your introduction, then your conclusion, and then your body, but write your body, then your conclusion and then your introduction. 6 Drafting paragraph themes. At this stage, go back to the ideas (themes) you have selected and classified. Now you have to decide which will be suitable for your text. Each theme usually is the basis for a single paragraph. Each theme too will require sufficient development; so do not try to include too many. As a rough guide, you probably cannot treat adequately more than about 4 themes in a 1000-word paper (roughly 3 pages), while a 2500-word paper (roughly 6 pages) will seem overwhelming if it includes more than 9 or 10 themes. Once you have selected your themes, list the points that you need to make to support the theme in the paragraph. 2. 2. The planning outline The goal of the planning outline is to help you organize your ideas, and present them in a logical order. It serves to identify the relationships between the ideas: it allows you to see how related ideas can be grouped together, and which ideas you can cut out, and which ideas need more support. A good outline helps you to maintain the direction in your paper, and prevents you from getting distracted into irrelevant information. 10 Guide to Academic Writing Skills The planning process Figure 3 lists six steps that may be considered in the development of a planning outline. 1 Decide the purpose of your paper and the audience you are writing for. 2. Develop a statement in which you define the goal or purpose of your paper (commonly called thesis statement). This clarifies what you are going to present or argue in the paper. At this stage you may not have a definitive version of this statement. 3 List all the important points you want to handle in the paper. These points have to be split in three main parts: introduction, body, and conclusion. The points in the introduction include the items that lead to the purpose or thesis statement (so-called background information), and a statement of the purpose or goal that should now be defined precisely. When you are planning your paper, you will group all your ideas around one central theme. This theme forms the core of your purpose or thesis statement or research question. The points in the body have to be logically organized so that they follow from your purpose and lead towards the conclusion. In a larger paper (for example a Master’ thesis), you usually develop a set of subquestions, covering the s points that lead to an answer to the research question. By answering step by step the different subquestions in the body, you can draw a structured and well-founded conclusion at the end. The points in the conclusion include the summary of the facts that lead to an answer to the statement or question you started with and the answer itself. 4 Categorize the points in the body under general headings so that you can identify which points need more development (e. g. you have to do more reading) and which points are not useful or relevant (delete these). Choose precise, concrete words for the headings: avoid vague terms. Relate the headings to the purpose of your paper. If your paper is describing a situation, you are more likely to choose noun structures for headings (for example: Failure of Bretton Woods). If your paper is oriented to action, you may choose verbal structures; typically -ing forms in English (for example: Reforming the auditor’ duties). s 5 Work out how one idea follows logically from the previous one. Note down how you will make the transitions from point to point. This is a key step, but one that is often underrated. Failure to think out the transitions in the planning stage can cost you more time in the revising stage. 6 Finally, look back at the whole outline, and check that you are satisfied that it all hangs together logically and conceptually. Now you are ready to start writing. Figure 3. Six steps in the planning process. Outlines are generative. They are most useful if you modify them as you write in line with new thoughts or information. Some of you may find that a simple, less detailed written outline is sufficient – you may be very competent in holding the full structure in your mind – but you may add more detailed points to the outline as you progress. Most of you, however, find that a relatively detailed outline on paper is an effective reminder of what the goal of your paper is and of what you have selected from the literature, and an efficient guide to how far you have come. 11 Guide to Academic Writing Skills The planning process An outline as a simple list of points (see Figure 4, box a) may not help you organize and structure your paper. A more organized outline (see Figure 4, box b) will help you see how the different parts hang together and may facilitate the writing. Many American writing textbooks and websites provide detailed guidance on writing outlines. Under the American convention, outlines are structured using the following symbols (Roman numerals, capital letters, Arabic numerals). This is only a convention used in the writing process: it is not part of APA style, and under no circumstances should it be used in the final paper (see for example Purdue University’ Online Writing Lab: http://owl. english. purdue. edu/owl/resource/544/03/). Box c (Figs ure 4) illustrates the framework using the American conventions. a Unhelpful outline Topic: The Struggle for the Mobile Phone Market 1. Description of the European mobile phone market. 2. Major players: Nokia, Ericsson, Siemens. 3. Focus of youth market. b Structured outline 4. Future trends in the market European Commission case on choline chloride cartel 1. Introduction 1. 1. Background to case: choline chloride cartel 1. 2. Aim of paper (thesis): European Commission took the right decision to fine the firms, because they had formed a cartel, but the fines are not sufficient to discourage cartel forming in the future. Key economic issues 2. 1. Market description 2. 1. 1. Producers 2. 1. 2. Consumers 2. 2. Agreements 2. 2. 1. Price fixing 2. 2. 2. Market sharing Economic impact on competition 3. 1. Fixed prices raised income for producers 3. 2. Market sharing reduced competition 3. 3. Economic impact of cartel (Perloff) 3. 3. 1. Oligopoly 3. 3. 2. Welfare analysis European Commission decision 4. 1. That the market is an oligopoly 4. 2. That the market is not competitive 4. 3. Punishment for firms 4. 3. 1. Fines 4. 3. 2. Leniency ruling Conclusions 5. 1. Summary 5. 2. Price setting agreements have a big impact on the market 5. 3. Fines based on gravity and duration of infringement 5. 4. Leniency: fines not high enough to discourage cartel formation in future. 2. 3. 4. 5. 12 Guide to Academic Writing Skills c Classic formal outline (American style) I. II. First item Second item A. sub-item B. sub-item 1. sub-sub-item 2. sub-sub-item Third item. The planning process III. Figure 4. Examples of outlines. 13 Guide to Academic Writing Skills Structuring 3. Structuring On the basis of the outline, described in the previous chapter, it is now possible to continue with the structure of your paper. You started the structuring process already in steps three and four of the construction of an outline, described in section 2. 2. The structuring process continues by implementing these steps in the paper, starting with the introduction. Section 3. 1 discusses the structuring process of the introduction, section 3. 2. covers the middle part (or body), and section 3. 3. the discussion and conclusion. Structuring a paper effectively also requires that you write well-constructed paragraphs. This is discussed briefly in section 3. 4. 3. 1. The introduction The introduction has three functions, all of which must be present. First, it sets the context by introducing the topic of your paper. This is called the background information. This information leads to the second function: it specifies the purpose of the paper. Finally, the introduction contains a short outline of how you are going to handle the aspects of your topic in the rest of the paper. Any introduction in which one of these functions is missing is necessarily incomplete. The length of the introduction varies from one paragraph to several pages, depending on the total length of the paper. Three other factors influence the length. First, how familiar are your readers with the context? If, for example, you are writing about small and medium-sized businesses in Nepal, you may have to explain much more of the Nepalese background for readers who are less familiar with that country, since the readers may wish to compare Nepalese SMEs with those in other developing countries. Second, what the type of paper (or genre) are you writing? If, for example, you are writing a review of the academic literature on internet auction markets, your introduction might be quite short, since you will include the information from your review in the middle of your paper. Similarly, if you are examining a competition case from, say, the European Commission or the US Department of Justice, then you may not need much background information, for you can refer almost straightaway to the case. On the other hand, in a paper in which you argue a point of view (e.g. the abolition of export subsidies), then you may need to present adequate background information before introducing your pur- 14 Guide to Academic Writing Skills Structuring pose. Third, what economics or business discipline are you addressing? The length of introductions may differ between econometrics, labour economics, marketing, strategic management, and so on. It is wise to check by reading relevant previous papers in the target discipline and the target genre, as well as taking the readers’ familiarity into account. Nevertheless, as a useful rule of thumb, it is valuable to think of your introduction as being about one-eighth of the length of the text you are writing. Thus, the introduction to a 1000word paper would be about 125 words; the introduction to a 10,000-word dissertation would contain about 1250 words, and may well appear as a short chapter in its own right. So treat the one-eighth concept as a guideline, not as a straightjacket. Writing the introduction depends heavily on personal preference. Some writers like to know exactly how they will begin before they start to elaborate the text they are aiming to write; other writers prefer to know what they have written first, and then write the introduction to fit it, so that it leads to the purpose statement. Yet, a good rule of thumb is to write a draft introduction that leads to your purpose statement, then write the whole text, right to the conclusion, progressively editing as you go along. Only then do you return to your introduction and adjust or rewrite it so that it does indeed fit your paper neatly and satisfyingly. 3. 1. 1. The background information The introduction prepares the readers for what follows. Thus, the introduction has an orientation function. Thus, it should therefore present enough background information so that the readers will recognize that the middle of your paper follows logically and coherently from the introduction – you need to pay attention to what the reader can be expected to know already and what will be new. Your introduction is more effective when it progresses from the known to the unknown (Figure 5). 15 Guide to Academic Writing Skills. Structuring Prediction markets and their applicability for organizational decision making 1. Introduction Whether firms are successful or not depends to a great extent on their decisions about new products. Therefore, top management has large Background information (known less known) incentives to have as accurate information as possible on future demand and success of new products. Usual methods of gathering this information include customer surveys and expert opinions. Often, however, these approaches are very inaccurate and misleading. In order to avoid problems linked to the two methods mentioned above, firms came to think about whether or not to make use of prediction markets as information gathering tools (Ho & Chen, 2007). New information (topic) Prediction markets, also known as information markets or future events (Wolfers & Zitzewitz, 2004), are markets in which price is used as an indicator of the probability that a certain event will occur in the future (Manski, 2006). Market participants buy and sell contracts of the particular event they think will be likely to take place and they receive money when they betted correctly (Wolfers & Zitzewitz, 2004). This Purpose of paper paper investigates the question whether or not firms should engage in prediction markets to make informed decisions. Outline Firstly, it explains some general aspects of prediction markets. Secondly, it describes examples of this forecasting tool, focusing for illustration on the Iowa Electronic Market and finally it compares benefits and disadvantages of implementing prediction markets in businesses. Figure 5. Example of an introduction from a first-year business paper. 16 Guide to Academic Writing Skills Structuring 3. 1. 2. The purpose statement The purpose statement is a vital component in academic papers. It marks the high point of the introduction. This statement is a clear expression of the purpose that your paper is expected to assert, explain, support, or defend (Fulwiler & Hayakawa, 2000). It summarizes the main idea of a paper and makes that idea explicit to the readers. The statement answers the questions the critical reader has: â€Å" what? Why does this paper exist? What’ it all about? † So s In the literature on academic writing, you will meet the term ‘ thesis statement’ This term cov.ers the statement that the writer is going to argue in his or her paper. Strictly speaking, it is relevant to argumentative papers where you are advancing a claim (the thesis), and then in the paper you present the arguments (evidence) that demonstrates whether the claim holds. An example of an argumentative paper is a position paper in which you set out a particular theoretical position (opinion) based on arguments (evidence). Many papers that you write will not be essentially argumentative papers. You may often simply be explaining a phenomenon or showing and analysing data. Sometimes, you may simply be answering an exploratory question. However, all papers do require a statement or question that neatly summarizes what you are going to do in your paper (see Table 1). Table 1. Types of papers and associated purpose statements*. Type of paper Argumentative paper Purpose as: expressed Explanation You argue a proposition (claim). You present the arguments (evidence) for and against the claim, and decide whether the claim is supported or not. You start with a question about a phenomenon, and devise one or more hypotheses that you will test in your research. Your experimental paper reports the results. Example Government action to restrict the bonuses paid to investment bankers is unwise because it is harmful to the economy as a whole. Are poor people more generous than rich people? Poor people will give a larger percentage of a monetary gift to poor people than rich people will. Thesis statement Experimental per pa- Research question; hypothesis 17 Guide to Academic Writing Skills Structuring Exploratory analysis data Research question You conduct a survey or a series of interviews, for example, but do not have an explicit hypothesis before you start. You have a research question, but do not know in advance what the answers may be. How much do students know about financing small and medium-sized businesses? Or: This paper explores the knowledge students have about the financing of †¦ This paper reviews recent experimental research into the principal-agent relationship. This paper examines whether the economic grounds for approving the merger were sound. OR: Were the economic grounds for approving the merger sound? The European Commission was justified in fining the lift manufacturers as their cartel had distorted competition and reduced consumer welfare.