Thursday, December 26, 2019

Essay about The Impact Of Religious Settlers In Religious...

nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The places where we live today have not always been here. The way we live has not always been the same. In fact, very few places that existed back in the colonial times exist today. If they still exist, it is because of the success gained over the years gone by after the settlers came to the New World. Settlers came to the New World in search of many things. They came in search of gold, they came for new lives, and they came for religious freedom. In England, during this time period, people were being judged, separated and persecuted on the basis of their religious beliefs. There were two groups of people that were unhappy with the Church. These groups came to be known as the Puritans and the Separatists.†¦show more content†¦The Puritans are known for founding the Massachusetts Bay Colony. These people of the journey also set out for their self-government to be a commonwealth, which is a community founded on law and united by an agreement that the law would serve the common good of the people. Among these people who were busy trying to remake a remarkable Christian life, there were people who didn’t necessarily agree with the common viewpoint. These people became known as dissenters. Dissenters were often persecuted for their beliefs, and just a few up and went and actually made a difference. They are still recognized today. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; In the colony of Rhode Island, there was one main dissenter who was very well known. He was the assistant pastor in Salem in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. He had two main thoughts that got him into trouble with his community. One was the fact that he questioned the legality of the colony’s charter, since the Indians had not been paid for the taking of their land. Another point was the fact that he believed that the civil government of the colony had no right to punish religious dissenters. He felt that people’s personal views of the religion should not be punished because everyone is entitled to their own opinion. Soon after he stated his thoughts, Roger Williams was banished from the colony. He went off and founded Providence, which was the first village in what isShow MoreRelatedChristopher Gist : The First Christmas Of Coshocton1420 Words   |  6 Pages In December of 1750, Christopher Gist was forming the first Christmas in Coshocton. This Christmas was unlike all others because of both the time period and the groups of people there. According to History of Coshocton County, Ohio: its past and present, 1740-1881 by N. N. Hill and A. A. Graham, Gist was in what is known as today as Coshocton County because the Ohio Company asked him to explore the Ohio River. Gist is known to be a well accomplished British explorer, surveyor and frontiersman whoRead MoreHappenings in Colonial America1021 Words   |  5 Pages British America was mired with economic and religious conflicts starting from the Age of Exploration up to the colonial times. The corruption of the Anglican Church created a rift between the Protestants of England, Puritans and the extreme Separatists. The Protestant Reformation and Henry VIII’s divorce with the Catholic Church gave rise to even more chaos. As a result, religious sects such as the Quakers and the Puritans were granted charters to escape the restrictions in England. CompetitionRead MoreReligion: The Kerosene that Enlarges the Fire943 Words   |  4 Pagesa glimpse at how religion has had a remarkable impact on American history. We learn of how interpretation of religions, specifically Christianity, gave certain people the aptitude to see all equal and others the will to find reason to enslave. Through their assessment of Christianity and its role over race it is clear that race was shaped more by religion, than vice versa during the early beginnings of Ame rican history. When the first settlers left Europe to come to America, they didn’t justRead MoreThe Impact Of North American Colonization On Native Americans909 Words   |  4 PagesDuring the time period of 1607, when the first British colony was established in America, to the last established colony in 1733, differences in each colony was evident due to the different beliefs of conduct in colonization and government. All of the colonies, however, faced unbelievable difficulties upon collaborating with Native Americans, some much severe than others. Furthermore, the impact of North American colonization affected not only Britain and the Natives, but all of Europe as well. JamestownRead MoreExpectation Vs. Reality : The New World Essay1362 Words   |  6 Pagesthought: Attacks and conflicts between the natives and settlers, the lack of civilization, and dangerous winter conditions surfaced. Nevertheless, for many settlers, the new land was promising and gave those a chance who were unable to live a happy life in Europe. The term American Experience refers to the idea of America as a place with endless possibilities and opportunities for everyone, especially in a religious sense emerging from the religious conflicts in Europe during the 1500s and 1600s. HoweverRead MoreInventing A Christian America By Steven K. Green1405 Words   |  6 PagesAmericans United for Separation of Church and State and has experience in many legal cases that deals with the First Amendment right of religious liberty. Green has a Doctor of Philosophy in American Constitutional history and a Masters degree in American religious history from the University of North Carolina. Steven Green has a lot of legal experience dealing with religious liberty and the government. He also has a strong background in religion’s connection to American history and legislation. In thisRead MoreSpanish And British Colonization Of The New World970 Words   |  4 PagesAlthough the Spanish and the British started colonizing the new world relatively at the same time their colonization efforts we’re extremely different but had some overlapping similarities. The differences include the two nations different reasoning to explore the New World, their relationship with the Natives, and it types of governments that they attempted to set up. Although some of these differences might not seem as if they are very important, they helped one nation do you better than the otherRead MoreAustralia s Present Religious Tradition1349 Words   |  6 PagesAustralia’s Present Religious Landscape Christianity as the major religious tradition: Christianity is the major religious tradition today and has been since around 1945. Many of the British who first came to Australia, either as convicts or free settlers were Christians. They formed the huge base for Christianity to rise to the top religion in Australia before they began to let more immigrants enter. In the 1947 census, 88% of the population (not including Aboriginals because they were not consideredRead MoreRelationships Among The Natives And Europeans1070 Words   |  5 PagesHistory April 14, 2015 Relationships among the Natives and Europeans The stories regarding the Native Americans and European settlers all commence somewhat similar: the Natives welcome and help sustain the Europeans in the start. They become an instrumental piece to the European survival in the Americas. The relationship starts to change, however, as settlers grow independent. In some instances, when there is only personal gain to be acquired, the relationship becomes a simple trade relationshipRead MoreThe Impact of Religion on the Development of Colonial America1030 Words   |  5 PagesMiddle Atlantic The Impact of Religion on the Development of Colonial America During the seventeenth century, colonial America was welcoming many newcomers, several from England. Quantities of these newcomers were seeking land for economic purposes as others were longing for religious toleration. Many of the English colonists settled in the New England region for religious freedoms, to escape the English king, and leave adversaries of other religions behind. Settlers who resided in the Middle

Wednesday, December 18, 2019

Operations Management Question - 1146 Words

FALL 2011 2011 Deadline: October 26, Middle East Technical University – Northern Cyprus Campus BUS 361 Operations Management Homework 1 - Solutions 1. Fruit Computer Company manufactures memory chips in lots of ten chips. From past experience, Fruit knows that 80% of all lots contain 10% (1 out of 10) defective chips, 20% of all lots contain 50% (5 out of 10) defective chips. If a good batch (that is, 10% defective) of chips is sent on to the next stage of production, processing costs of $1000 are incurred, and if a bad batch (that is, 50% defective) is sent on to the next stage of production, processing costs of $4000 are incurred. Fruit also has the alternative of reworking a batch at a cost of $1000. A reworked batch is†¦show more content†¦Ã¢Ë†â€˜ b. Balance Delay (D) = b1= 3, b2= 1, b3= 0, b4= 3, b5= 5, b6= 8 Ì… = 20/6 = 3.33, Workload Imbalance (B) = √ c. Lower bound on number of workstations = [ ] [∑ ] =[ ] LB[D] = 0, LB[B] =0. None of the lower bounds are equal to the obtained objective values (K*, D, B). Thus, we do not know whether the solution obtained by RPW heuristic is optimal or not.Show MoreRelatedQuestions on Operations Management1661 Words   |  7 Pagesï » ¿Chapter 1: Introduction to Operations Management Overview This chapter provides a definition of operations management. The role and importance of operations in an organization are described, along with operations decisions that are made. The differences between manufacturing and services are described. The history and current trends of operations management are discussed, including the impact of information systems. Finally, the interaction between operations and other business functionsRead MoreA Question Paper on Operations Management1801 Words   |  8 PagesMGS 4700 Operations Management Exam 1 (Sample) Name__________________________________ Exam Instructions: Do not open the exam until you are told to do so. ï‚ · ï‚ · Calculators are allowed (and encouraged) One â€Å"cheat sheet† per person is allowed o Must be 8.5† by 11† or smaller o Must only have writing on one side Academic Integrity: Cheating on examinations involves giving or receiving unauthorized help before, during or after an examination. Also includes allowing another student to viewRead MoreOperations Management Week 1 Discussion Questions Essay586 Words   |  3 Pages8FINA 301 Capital Budgeting Exercises Nicholas Bush Capital Budgeting Exercise 1 You are considering the purchase of one of two machines used in your manufacturing plant. 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Operation manager recruitment description Ateam Fashion Ltd, a leading merchandising fashion company in Australia that design and customizeRead MoreThree Concepts Of Operations Management877 Words   |  4 PagesConcepts of Operations Management Business Models â€Å"Operations and project managers must be attuned to the characteristics of the organization and the demands placed on them to increase efficiencies and effectiveness† (Satterlee, 2013, p. 237). It is within these characteristics and demands that you will find the three most important concepts of operations management and business models, total quality management (TQM), project management and operations management. Operations Management Read MoreJawapan Past Years Opm 5301476 Words   |  6 PagesJANUARY 2012 QUESTION 1 ‘Operation management is the set of activities that create value in the form of goods and service by transforming inputs into outputs’. 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Sauro (2013) discussion of the research process provides further details on the factors that contribute to the successful research question selection. In selecting a successful research question, the research must be able to identify the researcher must see the need for this particular study, define the issue, and to find solution or solutions to resolve it. The research should provide a clear picture for the researcher to discover if the research question can be solvedRead MoreZappos Case Study802 Words   |  4 Pagescreation, one support, and one general management Process you might encounter at Zippos. The customer benefit package Zappos provided to their customers is the† Deliver Wow through Service† for customers who ever order from Zappos , and they also provide free shipping in both directions for all their purchases and they often give customers free upgrade surprise and 360 return day policy. 2. Explain the role of service encounters and service management skills at Zappos. How does Zappos create

Tuesday, December 10, 2019

Beowulf Alternate Ending free essay sample

Diving into the Deep end This Is about to begin, watch as Illustrate my salt In pen. Dangerous on the mil, my lyrics UN- erasable like glue stuck to your shoe stuck to you mind your in for a treat clap your toes to the beat such open your time to hear me out. My raps goanna tower, reach new heights, goanna reach the top of the charts. Roaring my steps toward my goal, to set the pace, settle the score my hands so sore, but I grow so bore of hearing the same thing on and on again and again hang might be strange but let me tell you how hard I hit the range, super high, trembling for MO, IM goanna leave you with a cringe our sharpest pang our bitterest tear, yea Just sip your beer So now that IM goanna shatter some hearts and break some barriers In mum life. We will write a custom essay sample on Beowulf Alternate Ending or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Ay man, I turn the world because Its scorned my disparity twice, uh now listen up as I serve you up this slice.Not food Just the rhymes of an amateur rapper from myrtle beach. You listen up, this is my freestyle, Im goanna swim laps past you, so you can try and keep up. You can try to paddle on but before you can blink pitch II be gone. Splashing remains in your path, Oh do the math come one with the come on. Whoso stammering surely not me imam b. I will annihilate you with my raps, schemes and fully functionally traps. Relax this Is the my relapse album pulled from scratch to match that crap hoys call rap. Is that all you got. Keep your composure still be you erode into the rocks and coexist in my hood as you should. I have made plenty of raps but they have never been seen never been hear or understood.. Now its time to put these words in pen and tear up the charts with thick sheets of this stuff hall get ready. Saw Saw goanna swat hall Like flies, choke on my replies take a look In the bathroom door mirror and tell me your listening I dont do drugs its all like this, I give it one look and give it a shrug Walk the other way, yeah the other way.Straight up I join no club I sip on very little pub, scratch that dub switch on the beat, flourish your feet feel the bass take a pencil Follow me, crank the music up and repaper to trace my movements and Oh believe me you, open your ears switch to the forward gear It time to make a stand, feet planted In the ground let me turn It up, real chill Now my stories approaching its quota so lets hear the next onto on this track. Sock your neck up, listen to me IM the mast er, If you dont listen real good it will be your ultimate disaster This is not trick, IM not goanna lie IM pretty slick My hearts beating against all thats flawed ay you buy always know you soon will be in my squad.

Monday, December 2, 2019

Moral development in children Essay Example

Moral development in children Essay The purpose of this essay is to create a body of knowledge for follow-on research in the field of the impact of different factors on moral development of children. For this purpose information was gathered through the study and analysis of materials presented in books, research journals, and professional publications so as to determine: Who holds the responsibility for moral development of children? On initial consideration, the question posed here seemed to bracket nicely few main points of the subject, but that impression appeared to be wide of the mark, especially when it came to making judgments concerning the notions of morals and morality. Really, what is a morality? What does it mean to be a moral person? Our values, both moral and non-moral, were acquired along with our basic language and socialized behaviours when we were young children and come from some very strong traditions that are part of our societies and our cultures.Law, religion, our family and peer group all tell us what we ought to do, but following these more traditional oughts does not necessary constitute a moral life. A great number of people, however, do live long and useful lives without ever consciously defining or systematically considering the values or moral rules that guide their social, personal, and work lives. During most of our lives we simply decided what was right and did it. Websters Dictionary, Tenth Edition, defines morality as conformity to the ideals of right human conduct; virtue. The Oxford English Dictionary defines morality as the doctrine of right and wrong in human conduct; conformity to conventional rules by religion or other spiritual influences. However, the terms right or wrong and right human conduct are totally subjective: they have different meanings to different people. Who decides what is right or wrong? Is our moral decision just as simple as the proverbial coin toss? Who sets the standards and norms? Probably, there is no easy answer to any of these questions, neither is there a single universal definition of the notions.One of the most wide-ranging descriptions of morality, where words right and wrong are avoided, belongs to Russian psychologist Rubenstein, who believes that morality is conformity and devotion to a set of standards initiated and/or accepted by an individual; an individuals active adherence to his accepted standards for the duration of his existence. (Rubenstein, 1982, p. 129-130) As in many areas of educational research, the field of moral education is full of controversy, which is directly connected with the debate about the definition of morality.These debates are not lim ited to psychological accounts of the nature of morals, but also include the questions of childrens moral development, extending to their general development and to the very definition of educational aims in this area. Moral development should be related to all the fields that use the word development. In ways that are not easily measurable, moral development has some connection to physical, social, political, religious, and other kinds of development.And, of course, economics being so central to development, one must ask about the correlation of moral development and economic development. To ask about this relation may seem to be a silly question, but perhaps it is just an embarrassing one. (G. Moran) Children develop morality slowly, and in stages. Each stage, beginning from the preschool years and continuing even in the adult years, has its own theory and idea of what is good and right and different reasons why people should be good. Each stage brings a person closer to mature m oral development.These issues have been approached by many psychologists, but the most prominent input into this research was done by Jean Piaget and Lawrence Kohlberg. The purpose of Piagets studies was to investigate the growth of moral judgement in children. However, he did not merely seek to examine their moral behaviour, but tried to establish the degree to which children at any given age and stage can reason morally, so that we may know the framework within which we must operate when we seek to help them to develop the moral standards acceptable in our society. (Brearley, 1968, p. 120).Piaget discovered that young children have a much more primitive understanding of right and wrong behaviour than older children: they judge bad behaviour by the amount of damage caused by a persons behaviour. Kohlberg carried Piagets work into adolescence and adulthood. According to Kohlberg (1984, p. 67) there are three levels of moral development with two stages in each. During the first leve l (Pre-conventional) children are concerned with avoiding punishment (Stage 1: Punishment-Obedience) and getting ones own needs met (Stage 2: Individualism).This level and its stages fit into the framework of young children up to the age of ten years. During the second level (Conventional) children are more concerned with living up to the expectations of others (Stage 3: Interpersonal Conformity) and want to do the right thing because it is good for the group, family, or institution (Stage 4: Social System and Conscience). This level and its stages fit children over the age of ten years and on to adulthood. The third level is called Post-conventional. During this level individuals govern their behaviour by the relative values and opinions of the groups they live and interact with.Right behaviour is based on a social contract (Stage 5: Social Contract and Individual Rights) with others and in the validity of universal moral principles (Stage 6: Universal/Ethical Principles), which ma y or may not agree with societies laws. Laws that agree with universal moral principles are obeyed but when those laws violate these principles, the individual follows the principles instead. There are many other theories and approaches to this issue, but our question is about another aspect of the matter: who is responsible for moral development of children?To answer this question, first of all we need to determine the circle of possible relationships that can influence childs moral development. Of course, in the widest sense, all relationships may be regarded as part of social development, but the earlier, more personal relationships have a great impact on the process of moral development. Morality is not something that is practised in isolation. Morality is, among other things, an aspect of out relationship with other people. And anything which diminishes our ability to make such relationships successful diminishes also our capacity for moral actions. (Williams, 1970, p. 109) The moral development of a very young child brings out the interrelation of all ages. One cannot describe the moral development of infants without referring to the moral development of parents and grandparents. Parenting a child is one of lifes great moral adventures, and so is the childing of ones parents. (Rubenstein, 1982, p. 89) Moral life is shaped by our responses to a pattern of relations. The responses in the relation of adult and child are not equal, but the process can still have a degree of mutuality.We often underestimate the infants power of receptivity to moral influence. Robert Coles (1997, p. 45) states that character or moral development is an interaction between nature and nurture, which takes place in a very early age. It develops as a result of parental interaction, balanced discipline styles, and a childs own choices. Children learn about right from wrong from their earliest experiences. When they need nurturing or feeding and parents fulfil that need without exce ssive indulgence, then children develop characters that accept rules and tolerate frustrations later in life.The infant needs to know that he is merely a self among other selves, that he is not omnipotent, that other people have need and feelings too. (Williams, 1970, p. 37) There are two sides of discipline and the parents aim is to try balancing them. Too much love and a child becomes spoiled, expecting their every want and need to be met regardless of other peoples wants and needs. According to Huxley (1985, p. 17), this causes children to be stuck in the early stages of moral development based on selfish individualism.Thats fine for a two-year-old, tolerable in a six-year-old, and obnoxious in a twelve-year-old or older. Too many limits and the child develop a low sense of worth and a lack of self-control. This usually results in an overly rebellious child or an unhealthy submissive one. (ibid. ) Achieving this balance is difficult. But it is easier to do if discipline is viewe d not just as punishing wrong behaviour, but as a process of shaping character. Parents are not simply setting limits. They are teaching how to distinguish right from wrong.It is easier to say no when we know that we are guiding the childs moral development and eventually, his or her social success. As the later stages of moral development reveal, children can make a choice not to follow societys rules or laws. Parents must accept that reality. Thats part of parents on-going moral development. Understanding moral development allows parents to assess their children and have a better target for their individual development. Hopefully, the end result is that our child will be the one who will stop and wait for someone in need, regardless of what the crowd says he or she should do.The ideal is that the child will develop, as Kant put it as a law-making member of a kingdom of ends. He must not only come to know what is in general right or wrong; he must also go beyond this level, so that he sees why such rules are right or wrong and can revise rules and make new ones in the light of new knowledge and new circumstances. (Peters, 1981, p. 33) The described importance of parents influence leads us to the conclusion that a childs moral education is the primary responsibility of the family.Other aspects and factors, other religious and social organizations and institutions can each make their contributions to the process, yet none of them can replace the family. While the school cannot accept the primary responsibility for moral teaching, it still has a significant role to play in the reinforcement of a childs moral understanding and behaviour. The school is a community and should be characterized by courtesy and civility in all its activities, with instruction in specific subject matter informed by moral understanding.Today leading educators no longer see their job primarily to be the teaching only the curriculum subjects. The philosophy of education has undergone a f undamental change. Teachers now perceive their jobs to be the involvement in reshaping of the childs values, beliefs and morals. Teaching is now being viewed as a form of therapy, the classroom as a clinic, and the teacher as a therapist whose job it is to apply psychological techniques in the shaping of the childs personality and values. (G. Moran) We will write a custom essay sample on Moral development in children specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Moral development in children specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Moral development in children specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer

Wednesday, November 27, 2019

Cinema Limbo, 2-Person, 10-Minute Play by Wade Bradford

Cinema Limbo, 2-Person, 10-Minute Play by Wade Bradford Cinema Limbo is a ten-minute play (written by Wade Bradford). It is a comic, two-person exchange between two movie theater employees. The piece can be used, free of charge, for educational purposes and amateur productions. This short two-person play is also a usual character building tool for any actress using the Vicky Monologue for auditions and classroom performances. Cinema Limbo Setting:  The box office of the Grand Cinemas. No set is required. Two office chairs (capable of rolling and spinning) are placed center stage. A young woman spins in the chair. She is dressed in a rather ugly polyester outfit one expect to find on a movie theater employee. Her name is Vicky. And she is bored. (A young man named Joshua enters. Vicky suddenly stops spinning. Her boredom has vanished.) VICKY: So, you’ve finally made it to the fishbowl? JOSHUA: The what? VICKY: That’s what we call the box office. An inside joke between cashiers. JOSHUA: Oh. VICKY: So you’ve made it. JOSHUA: I guess. Mr. Boston said he wanted you to train me how to work the box office. VICKY: Then let the training begin. People come up. They say what movie they want. You press this button. Take their money. Give them their ticket. There, you’re trained. JOSHUA: Now what? VICKY: Now sit down and wait. But don’t get anxious. No one’s coming tonight. It’s Christmas Eve and all our movies suck. JOSHUA: This beats working at concessions. Thank God I didn’t get stuck with that Bar One job. That would’ve sucked. VICKY: Stuart is certainly loving it though. Have you seen that look in his eye when he’s running Concessions? JOSHUA: What do you mean? VICKY: He usually smiles, and treats the peons with respect†¦ but his eyes†¦ They’re lit up like a power hungry mad man. I think he pictures himself as some pharaoh who whips the backs of his slaves, just to sell a few extra drinks. JOSHUA: Really? I haven’t noticed. VICKY: He told me you guys went to grade school together. JOSHUA: Are you guys dating? VICKY: Why do you ask? JOSHUA: He told me you were dating but that you wanted it kept secret. VICKY: If I was dating someone why would I want to keep it secret? JOSHUA: Uh, maybe because Stuart’s kind of a nerd. VICKY: So you did go to school together? JOSHUA: We met in the fifth grade. You know how every class has a kid who gets picked on throughout the whole year by everybody? That was him. No one liked him. VICKY: Why? JOSHUA: Well, it started out just because he was the new kid. His folks just moved into town to set up a new church. They were husband and wife ministers or something. Very, I don’t know, just kind of friendly and creepy at the same time. VICKY: I met them. I know. JOSHUA: Anyway, kids in school picked on him because he was new, and a little weird looking. You can’t tell it as much, but his face was completely covered with freckles. Big brown freckles†¦ kind of like†¦ um†¦ like someone flicked splotches of paint at him. VICKY: I always thought they were kind of cute. JOSHUA: And then no one liked him because every chance he got, he started talking about Jesus. He did a book report on the entire Bible. In art class, he made a crown of thorns ashtray. He tried making Noah’s Ark out of clay, but it exploded in the kiln. And then one day we were supposed to give a speech, an oral report on the country of our choice and he picked Israel. VICKY: Well†¦ that’s not so bad. JOSHUA: During his whole oral report†¦ he spoke in tongues. VICKY: Really? I had an uncle who got into that. He’d speak in tongues before every Thanksgiving dinner. But he had one of those robot voices because of his throat cancer, so it was really low and scary. Like Darth Vader speaking pig latin. JOSHUA: Stuart wasn’t as entertaining. And to top it off, the kids started hating him more because he wanted to be the teacher’s pet. VICKY: That doesn’t surprise me. He kisses up to all the managers... JOSHUA: Same thing we the school teachers. And the lunch lady. And the principal. Most kids said he was a tattle tale. There was this one bully who hocked a loogie right in his hair, right in the middle of class. VICKY: Oh please, I just ate buttered popcorn. JOSHUA: But anyway, I felt sorry for Stu. So I let him hang around me at recess once in a while. He was okay. Sort of clingy. He never wanted to leave my side. I got beat up a couple of times by Troy, just for sticking up for him. VICKY: Are you two still friends? JOSHUA: I guess. But it isn’t like grade school anymore. We don’t hang out. I was kind of surprised to see him when I got hired here. He left before we finished junior high. His parents put him in some private school. So, are the rumors true? VICKY: What rumors? JOSHUA: I heard echoes from the girls locker room. VICKY: You perv. JOSHUA: Well, they were talking so loud, I couldn’t help it. VICKY: Okay, dork, what did you hear? JOSHUA: That you’re not interested in Stuart anymore. That you are, oh what were the words, that you’re almost done toying with him. VICKY: Well that makes me sound like a bitch. I kind of like that. JOSHUA: So? VICKY: So? JOSHUA: It’s just me, you, and the fishbowl. VICKY: Why should I talk about my love life? Or lust life? What about you? I bet youve had a lot of girlfriends. Probably broken a lot of hearts. JOSHUA: Not really. Ive never been in love or anything. Just casual dates and stuff. I mean, for all intents and purposes I’m pretty much like all the other geeks you’ve been describing. VICKY: But you wear that letterman’s jacket. You’re kind of a jock. I say that with all due respect. VICKY: Well, you have to understand. I’m the kind of girl who takes pity on poor pathetic geeks who have never kissed a girl. Let’s just say that I like someone who is easily trainable – someone who will truly appreciate me. It’s sad, I know. But hey, I’ll take an ego boost wherever I can get it. Unfortunately, these adorably nerdy boyfriends get boring after a while. I mean, I can only listen to their computer games and mathematic equations for so long. Of course, Stuart’s different in a  lot of ways. He’s terrible at math, for one. And he’s pretty clueless about technology. But he’s a comic book sort of geek. And a hopeless romantic. He’s pre-occupied with holding my hand. Everywhere we go, he wants to hold hands. Even when we’re driving. And he’s got this new pastime. He keeps saying â€Å"I love you.† It was so sweet and wonderful the first time he said it. I almost cried, and I’m not the kind of girl who cries easily. But by the end of the week, he must have said â€Å"I love you† about five hundred times. And then he starts adding pet names. â€Å"I love you,   honeybunch.† â€Å"I love you  sweetheart.† â€Å"I love you my little smoochy-woochy-coochi-koo.† I don’t even know what that last one means. It’s like he’s speaking in some brand-new, love-infected language. Who would have thought romance could be so boring? JOSHUA: Is it boring? VICKY: You mean you don’t know from  first-hand  experience? JOSHUA: Yeah, I swim. But that’s not what I lettered in. VICKY: What was it? JOSHUA: Well now you’re going to laugh. VICKY: Perhaps. JOSHUA: I lettered in  choir. VICKY: (Laughs. Falls off  chair.) They let you letter in choir?! Oh, that’s priceless. JOSHUA: You can also letter in drama. VICKY: Oh, that’s pathetic. JOSHUA: So, you’re done with school, right? VICKY: Since last summer. Sweet. sweet freedom. JOSHUA: Now what? VICKY: College I guess. Back to captivity. I’m taking a year off first. JOSHUA: Did your friends already go? VICKY: Friends? I hated everybody in high school. JOSHUA: Hey, me too! I was hoping the Grand Cinemas would improve my social life. VICKY: (Laughs.) Has it? JOSHUA: I’ve met some cool people, I guess. Like you. VICKY: Like me? JOSHUA: Yeah, well, and others. Like Rico. VICKY: OH. JOSHUA: Is that bad? VICKY: No. Rico’s cool. I just wouldn’t trust him with much more than a postage stamp. JOSHUA: Thanks for the advice. VICKY: I used to want a social life but I think I’m content here in the box. If you want to see people, just wait till Friday night, they’ll swarm around you, begging you for tickets. But the glass on the fishbowl keeps them from violating your space. If you want to talk to someone, you just pick up the phone, and when you get sick of talking, you can just hang up. You can read, you can do your homework, or you can veg-out and watch the Grand go by. You can swipe snacks from concessions and on hot days, we’ve got air conditioning. If you’re bored you can spin around on this thing. (She spins around on the chair.) JOSHUA: Wow. You’re pretty good. VICKY: My record is eight rotations. All thanks to twelve years of ballet. JOSHUA: Really? VICKY: Hey, what did you get at the Christmas party gift exchange? JOSHUA: A Chia pet. VICKY: I got the worse possible present ever. Listen to this. I’m in this dance group, right. Ballet. I’ve been doing the Nutcracker for the past two months. I’ve been having nightmares with the ‘sugar plum fairie suite’ playing in the background. Every mall or department store has been playing Tchaikovsky. I can’t get away from that God forsaken music! It drives me nuts. And guess which CD Mrs. Sanchez buys me? The Nutcracker. I hope I pick her name next year. I had no idea she could be so cruel. That’s why it must be nice to be religious like Stewy. You can doom people to hell. JOSHUA: Eternal hell over the Nutcracker? Now that’s a raw deal. VICKY: Eternal damnation. You’d think after a few thousand years you’d get bored with never ending  torment. Satan would come up to you and say, â€Å"Today you’ll be covered with man-eating ants and pummeled by a giant mountain gorilla.† And you’d just look at him and YAWN and say, â€Å"Again?! How dull. Are you running out of ideas already? Can I make a request for Bubba the mountain Gorilla, because he and I have a rapport going; we work well together, I think. (Pausing and completely changing the subject.) Do you think it’s possible to travel through time? JOSHUA: Someone has ADHD. VICKY: It’s this fishbowl. It really gets to you after a while. So do you? You know, think they’ll figure out time travel? JOSHUA: I doubt it. Maybe someday. VICKY: What would you do? JOSHUA: I don’t know. I guess I might travel back and find my great-great-great-great grandfather. Say hi. What would you do? VICKY: Well, if I had  a time machine, say they  invent  it when I’m like really old. Like 35 or something. Then, I’d travel back to right now, and I’d give myself advice. JOSHUA: What kind of advice? VIC KY: Who to be friends with. Who to avoid. What choices to make. What guys to like. JOSHUA: Why do you need a time machine? Just make the right choices now. VICKY: But how do you know if it’s the right choice? You don’t until after the fact. JOSHUA: Well, that’s the point. You take a chance and you learn from your mistakes. Or, you try something and it’s a great experience. VICKY: And what if you regret it? JOSHUA: Then you regret it. I think not knowing what happened next is part of the fun. VICKY: Really? JOSHUA: Yeah. VICKY: Come here. He pauses for a moment. Then, they roll their chairs toward each other. She kisses him. He kisses back. They pull apart. JOSHUA: So†¦ VICKY: So†¦ Do you regret that experience? JOSHUA: Not at all. Do you regret it? They are both started as they hear the sound of a door opening. They look upstage. JOSHUA: Oh! Hi. (Suddenly regretful.) How’s it going, Stuart? VICKY: Hey, Stewy. Joshua and I were just talking about regrets. (Listens.) What do I have to regret?  Oh  nothing. (A sly smile on her face.) Nothing at all. Lights out.

Saturday, November 23, 2019

What Is a Good ACT Aspire Score for a Sophomore

What Is a Good ACT Aspire Score for a Sophomore SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Being in 10th grade is a little like walking over a bridge. You're crossing from the less consequential testing of early high school to the world of high-stakes tests, like the SAT andthe ACT – tests that can affect your future. One of the ways you get from one side of this metaphorical divide to the other is by getting the chance to practice. For example, some students take the PSAT, which is meant to be a precursor to the SATthat they will take in their junior or senior year. Others take the ACT Aspire, a national achievement test that assesses how well students from 3rd to 10th grade are measuring up toCommon Core standards. The format, structure, and scoring of the ACT Aspire are all very different from the ACT. But, because it is designed by the same organization that creates the ACT, it can feel like a precursor to the real thing. So what’s a good score on the ACT Aspire for a sophomore? In this article, I’ll talk about different ways to think about what makes a good score, and how to tell where you rank based on the score you got. I’ll also discuss whether your 10th grade ACT Aspire score means for your future ACT score. How is the ACT Aspire Test Scored? Since the ACT Aspire is given in elementary, middle, and high schools, it stands to reason that scoring is a little different depending on your class year. I’ll talk specifically about how the test is scored for the 8th-10th graders who take it. ACT Aspire scores for each subject (English, Math, Reading, Science, and Writing) currently fall between 400 and 460. When you take this test in high school, here's what you’ll get in your score report: Your 5 individual section scores. These are your scores for each subject section of the test. A composite score. This is an unweighted average of your English, Mathematics, Reading and Science sections scores. Note that this composite score doesn't include your ACT Aspire Writing section, which is only scored individually. Several different kinds of reports about your progress. These include humanities and STEM composite scores, as well as a reading ability prognosis. If you'd like to see an example, the ACT publishes a sample of what your report will look like. The report may also include reports about the PSI pressure of your various organs. It's not really vital information, but you can't accuse them of not being thorough. What’s a Good Sophomore Score on ACT Aspire? My assumption is that sophomore year, you’re curious about what a good score is for 2 reasons. First, you’re concerned abouthow you stack up against your peers. And second, you’re wondering how you’ll do when you take the ACT for real junior year. Luckily, ACT provides a pretty thorough data for the one year that this test has been administered. This makes comparing yourself to your peers and finding any academic areas where you are lagging behind very easy. However, this data also shows that the ACT Aspire is not necessarily a great prediction model for your future ACT scores. Now, let’s examine in detail what your ACT Aspire score can show you. Comparing Yourself to the Baseline One of the goals of the ACT Aspire is to give you, your teachers, and your parents a sense of whether you are as prepared for college as you should be at this point in high school. To answer this question, you can compare your ACT Aspire score to your scores from previous years, to make sure you are consistently getting higher scores in each subject. ACT Aspire also provides minimum benchmarks scores for each test section. Each benchmark is the lowest score you need to get to demonstrate that you are on the right track in terms of your on-grade-level learning. Here is a table that shows the ACT Aspire benchmark scores for each subject for the year 2015 for grades 8-10. This table shows that, for example, if you get at least 432 on the ACT Aspire Science section as a sophomore, you’re considered to be on track to have a high probability of future success in first-year college courses. On the other hand, if your score is below the 10th grade numbers on any of the test sections, then this means that you may need outside help to catch up in these academic areas. The important thing is to just keep growingevery year. (Image:Steven Depolo/Flickr) Comparing Yourself to Your Peers Another goal of national tests like the ACT Aspire is to examine how everyone who is taking the test at the same time compares to each other. Since ACT Aspire publishes data about how students taking the test scored, we can go through the data to see how you can tell where you stand when compared to your peers. Using Your Composite Score for Peer Comparisons The composite score that you receive from ACT is a very quick snapshot of how you did on the test. This average of your individual subject scores can give you fast information about how you did relative to your peers overall. One way to evaluate your composite score is to use this table of the composite scores for 9th and 10th graders in the past year: Grade Min 25% Rank 50% Rank 75% Rank 90% Rank 95% Rank Max 9 408 414 418 423 430 435 438 10 409 415 419 426 433 438 440 This table shows rangeof students'scores. The "Min" and "Max" columns show the lowest and highest composite scores. The percentile columns showthe score you'd need to reachthe given percentile, i.e. the score at which you'd be scoringhigher than that percent of other students. In other words, for 10th grade, the lowest composite score anyone got was 409. 25% of students scored below 415. This means that if your score was 415, you did better than 25% of the studentstaking the test. Likewise, 95% of students got below a 438. This means that if your composite score was 438 or higher, you fall into the top 5% of test takers (since you did better than 95% of everyone taking the test). So what do we learn from this table? If your composite score was 419, you would fall into the middle scoring range, the 50th percentile. This means that 50% of 10th graders did worse, and 49% did better, so everyone who scored 419 falls right in the middle. What does this mean for calculating a good ACT Aspire score for a sophomore? Let’s assume that a good score is roughly at or above the 75th percentile, in other words, scoring higher than 75% of your peers. In that case, a good composite score for the ACT Aspire for sophomores is 426 or higher. Many people climb, but not everyone can reach the top. Using Your Individual Test Sectionsfor Peer Comparisons The composite score is a useful way to eyeball your status. But to figure out where you’re strong and where you're weak academically, you need to look at the scores you got on individual test sections. This much more zoomed-in approach will give you a better clue about the subjects you are learning well and the ones you need to work on more. Now, I’ll go through each ACT Aspire test subject individually to see what a good score on it would be. ACT Aspire English Percentile Rankings Score % Rank Score % Rank Score % Rank Score % Rank 400 1 415 9 430 47 445 92 401 1 416 10 431 50 446 94 402 1 417 12 432 53 447 95 403 1 418 14 433 57 448 96 404 1 419 16 434 60 449 98 405 1 420 19 435 63 450 98 406 1 421 21 436 67 451 99 407 1 422 22 437 70 452 99 408 2 423 25 438 72 453 99 409 2 424 28 439 75 454 99 410 3 425 31 440 79 455 99 411 4 426 33 441 81 456 100 412 5 427 37 442 84 413 6 428 40 443 87 414 7 429 43 444 90 You can see that you don’t need to get all the questions right in order to fall into the top 1% of students. Although the exact number will change slightly from year to year, on this version of the ACT Aspire any sophomore who got 451 or above did better than 99% of the other test takers on the English section. The benchmark English section score of 428 would put you in the 40th percentile, which would mean you scored better than 40% of your peers. If we hang on to our assumption that a good score is around the 75th percentile, we can see that a score of 439 is what you need to reach that ranking. ACT Aspire Reading Percentile Rankings Score % Rank Score %Rank Score % Rank Score %Rank 400 1 411 10 422 47 433 92 401 1 412 13 423 51 434 95 402 1 413 14 424 52 435 98 403 1 414 17 425 57 436 98 404 1 415 21 426 62 437 99 405 1 416 24 427 66 438 99 406 1 417 28 428 72 439 99 407 2 418 31 429 77 440 99 408 3 419 35 430 82 441 99 409 4 420 39 431 83 442 100 410 6 421 43 432 87 You can see a similar thing about the Reading section results – quite a few of the top scores would put you in the top 1% of people taking the test. Also, notice how big a difference in the percentile rankings just one point makes. If you earned 424, you scored better than 52% of other sophomores, but if you got 425, you jump 5 percentage points to end up doing better than 57%. The Reading benchmark that ACT determined is 428, in the72nd percentile of test takers, which would also be a good score on this part of the test. ACT Aspire Math Percentile Rankings Score % Rank Score % Rank Score % Rank Score % Rank 400 1 416 15 432 72 448 99 401 1 417 19 433 75 449 99 402 1 418 23 434 79 450 99 403 1 419 26 435 82 451 99 404 1 420 30 436 85 452 99 405 1 421 32 437 87 453 99 406 1 422 36 438 89 454 99 407 1 423 40 439 91 455 99 408 1 424 44 440 93 456 99 409 2 425 48 441 95 457 100 410 2 426 51 442 97 458 100 411 4 427 54 443 98 459 100 412 6 428 58 444 99 460 100 413 6 429 61 445 99 414 9 430 65 446 99 415 12 431 68 447 99 The math section has a huge spread of scores that fall into the top percentile – anyone who scored above 445 did better than 99% of their peers. The ACT Aspire benchmark for this section is 432, or the 72nd percentile. Meanwhile, a good score in the 75th percentile is 433. ACT Aspire Science Percentile Rankings Score % Rank Score % Rank Score % Rank Score % Rank 400 1 413 7 426 50 439 94 401 1 414 9 427 53 440 95 402 1 415 14 428 57 441 97 403 1 416 15 429 61 442 98 404 1 417 19 430 66 443 99 405 1 418 21 431 69 444 99 406 1 419 25 432 73 445 99 407 1 420 29 433 76 446 99 408 2 421 34 434 79 447 99 409 2 422 38 435 83 448 99 410 4 423 39 436 86 449 100 411 4 424 42 437 88 412 6 425 46 438 91 The benchmark for ACT Aspire Science is 432, and this is basically the same as the good score we’ve been discussing, since it falls into the 73rd percentile of test takers. ACT Aspire Writing Percentile Rankings Score % Rank Score % Rank Score % Rank Score % Rank 408 1 419 20 430 66 441 98 409 1 420 24 431 66 442 99 410 4 421 24 432 81 443 99 411 4 422 27 433 81 444 99 412 6 423 27 434 90 445 99 413 6 424 37 435 90 446 99 414 7 425 37 436 92 447 99 415 7 426 55 437 92 448 100 416 10 427 55 438 94 417 10 428 61 439 94 418 20 429 61 440 98 You can immediately see how differently the Writing section is scored from this table. First of all, the lowest score on this section isn’t 400 like it is for all the other sections, but 408. Also, pairs of scores get the same percentile ranking, so for example, both 410 and 411 correlate to doing better than 4% of other sophomores. Here, the benchmark score from ACT is 428, or better than 61% of everyone taking the test at the same time. Meanwhile, a good 10th grade score on Writing is somewhere between 430 and 433, which falls between the 66th and 81st percentiles. Predicting Future Success Now that you’ve seen how your score compares to the scores of all the 10th-graders who took the ACT Aspire last year, you’re probably itching to figure out whether your score on ACT Aspire means anything for the real ACT that you’ll take in your junior year. The truth is thatACT Aspire is not a particularly great predictor of your future accomplishments, though it does give you a very general sense of what you can hope to achieve. But this is fantastic news! It means that the ACT Aspire really does what it’s supposed to do – it shows you where you are now and where you need to improve. And the other great news is that dramatic improvement is clearly possible because as a sophomore, you have 1 or even 2 years in which to do it! Ok, but will the next one tell me my future ACT score? The Relationship Between ACT Aspire and ACT Scores ACT published data on 50 10th grade students – their scores oneach ACT Aspire section, and their scores on theactual ACT when they took it in 11th grade. The problem is that this data is just an unwieldy Excel spreadsheet (you can check it out here:Demonstrating the Student Growth Percentile model for grade 10 ACT Aspire to grade 11 ACT) I used the data to create some scatterplot graphs to show the whatstudents got on each ACT Aspire section and what they ended up getting on the same ACT section. The way each graph works is this: Each blue diamond point stands for one student Ifyou trace straight down from each point, you can see what that student got on ACT Aspire (in this case the Math section) If you trace straight left, you can see what that same student got when taking the ACT for real So what this graph is showing us that in general as scores from ACT Aspire Math increase (x-axis), the scores on ACT Math also tend to get somewhat higher as a group (y-axis). In other words, the swarm of diamonds goes slightly upward as we go from left to right. On a case-by-case basis, we can see that there is significant room to grow, no matter where in the score range students fall. For example, the 3 students who got432 on ACT Aspire Math (our good, 72nd percentilescore), ranged in ACT scores from 16 (approximately in the bottom 25%) to 26 (approximately in the top 15%). In the graph of English scores, we can see that your ACT Aspire score is by no means destiny. For example, look at all the students who ended up with goodACT English scores in the mid-20s. Their ACT Aspire scores ranged from 425 (below benchmark) to 447 (well above the good 75% score of 439). This same general trend of higher ACT Aspire scores leading to higher ACT scores continues when we look at the scatterplot graph for the Reading section. But the relationship is not exact. For example, the two highest scorers on the Aspire Reading section were not the top ACT scorers. Similarly, the person who scored lowest on the ACT did not get the bottom score on the Aspire. The Science section of ACT Aspire probably shows a slightly weaker correlation between high 10th grade ACT Aspire scores and subsequent high 11th grade ACT scores. Incidentally, if you’ve been following along with the visual data presentation in this article’s tables, charts, and graphs, then you’re actually getting in somegood practice for both the ACT Aspire Science section and the real ACT Science section as well! Now that you’ve seen how scatterplot graphs that show correlations look, you can be just as befuddled as I am by what happened to these 50 students on the writing section of these 2 tests. This kind of data may be a part of the reason why ACT Aspire Writing is not factored into the composite score that you get when you take the test in high school. What Does This Mean for What'sa Good Score? I think the best way to think about your scores if you’re worried about what they will eventually for the real ACT is this. First, make sure you’re scoring at least at the 10th grade benchmarks. That’s a pretty good indicator that you’re on trackwith your learning. If you’re below benchmark on any of the sections, that is a warning sign that you need help in that subject, not just to do better on ACT Aspire test but to succeed in your school year as well. Next, compareyour ACT Aspire section scores to each other. Are you scoring in the same percentile range on all 5 subjects? If there is a section (or several) that you are scoring significantly worse in, even if you’re still meeting the benchmark in that area, then this is the time to get extra help with this subject. Talk to your parents and teachers about what resources to improve your learning there are at your school, or maybe even outside of it. Should You Study for the ACT Aspire? For any test to accurately assess what you know and how well you understand when and where to apply that knowledge, the test can't simplythrow you off by its format, question style, or by the way it's administered. So in order for the ACT Aspire to actually measure how you are doing in school, it’s a great idea for you to familiarize yourself with how the test looks and feels.To that end, you should definitely read ourdetailed breakdown of what the ACT Aspire is like and the kinds of questions you’ll face on it. You should also get a sense of what taking the ACT Aspire will be like from their sample questions and computer test simulator. Go to theACT Aspire exemplar page, where you’ll find a link to the simulator and login information for all test sections and grade levels. However, other than getting a general sense of what you will see on test today, I would argue that it goes against the purpose and the benefits of ACT Aspire to study specifically for it. For one thing, this isn’t like the PSAT – no scholarships or awards are resting on the score you get.Also, the point of the test is to see whether you are where you should be in your learning. Spending a lot of effort studying for this test would easily createresults that are meaningless as an indicator of whether you have academic weaknesses that need to be worked on. Finally, there’s the matter of the rest of your class, and the rest of your grade in your school. The ACT Aspire isn’t just a diagnostic test for individual students. It’s also supposed to measure how each classroom is doing as a whole. Imagine, for example, that the ACT Aspire results come back and every single kid in your class bombed the Science section. This is no longer something that an individual student is having trouble with. Instead, this kind of result tells your teacher and school administrators that they really need to beef up how your curriculum addresses science education. And a better grounding in the foundations of science in turn will benefit you down the road when you learn how to do college-level work. Honestly, if you are really very worried about your future testing results, I think you should justtake a practice ACT instead. It’ll more accurately show you how you’d score if you took the ACT now. The one time napping is a better way to prepare for a test thanstudying. The Bottom Line The ACT Aspire tests the same 5 sections as the ACT, but is structured, formatted, and scored very differently. You’ll get scores for each of the sections individually, as well as a composite score that averages English, Reading, Math, and Science. If you aren’t meeting ACT score benchmarks, that’s a serious indicator that you need extra academic help. A good 10th grade ACT Aspire score is one that puts you in the upper 25% of your peers, and is different depending on each ACT Aspire test section. Even if you got a good 10th grade ACT Aspire score, this doesn’t necessarily mean anything in terms of predicting your real ACT score.ACT Aspire is not very good at predicting the ACT because its real purpose is to show you subject areas where you need extra help. There is no need to study for the ACT Aspire, though it would be a good idea to get familiar with the test format by checking out somesample questions. What’s Next? Thinking of jumping into the ACT world early? We have some guidance on whether you should start preparing for the ACT as a 10th grader andwhat a good sophomore ACT score would look like. Thinking about taking the PSAT as a 10th grader as well? Check out our discussion onwhat is a good PSAT score for a sophomore. Planning the rest of your high school academics? Read our articles aboutwhy it’s important to create a rigorous course load for yourself andwhether AP classes are really worth taking. Want to improve your ACT score by 4+ points? Download our free guide to the top 5 strategies you need in your prep to improve your ACT score dramatically.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Saving Our Public Schools Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Saving Our Public Schools - Assignment Example She believes that social reform is the key to solving most of the problems in the public school system, as they are a direct result of poverty and racial discrimination. Only through initiating policies that are combat poverty and segregation, could the public school system improve. She is also against the use of grades to assess teachers, proposing that their peers and principals should do the assessment. Testing of the students should also be for assessing their strengths and weaknesses and not for ranking purposes. She also recognizes the need to standardize resource allocation to be more equitable across the board as a key issue towards the improvement of public schooling. The privatization of public schooling, in Ms Ravitch’s opinion, will lead to a dual system, where those who can afford to pay for private schooling get into better schools and the poor in the society will be in mediocre schools. IN the interests of democracy, this should not happen. Ms Ravitch mainly uses a cause-and –effect organizational pattern in her essay. This features prominently throughout this text. When she links the move to privatize the public school system to the creation of a dual education system, which segregates the rich, and the poor, which further leads towards affecting the very fabric of the American democratic system, which is equality. This is one of the many examples of a multi-tier cause and effect organizational structures present in the essay. One of the uses of prepositional phrases, is evidenced in the sentence ‘They are being used by those who have an implacable hostility towards the public sector’, in this sentence the preposition is ‘towards’ which uses the modifiers ‘implacable hostility’ to show, effectively, the opinions of the move for privatizations towards the public.. Ms. Ravitch switches voice effectively between the first person and

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Path to Global Food Security Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Path to Global Food Security - Research Paper Example Analyzing market trends of GMOs is important in examining their acceptance in the world. Of striking interest in this debate is the position adopted by two large markets in the world. While European markets have rejected GMOs, American markets have accepted them. Such is the rift on this debate.Other countries have conformed to the European approach or the American approach depending on their relationship with the two. Most countries in Africa for example, especially those depending on exports to European markets, or those having colonial ties, have adopted Europe’s cautionary approach. Egypt, South Africa, and Burkina Faso are the only countries to have adopted GMO farming in Africa as of 2009. Philippines (once an American colony), was the only country that readily adopted GMO farming in Asia. This shows how the relationship of a country to Europe or America has affected their stand on GMOs. As will be evidenced later, market trends will depend on further revelations from st udies on GMOs (nelson, 2001).Of great interest on the GMO debate are health repercussions, environmental effects, and economical effects. In a study carried out in Britain in 1998, rats fed on GMO potatoes were adversely affected health wise. This generated debate by the media. Later on, the royal society gave a statement claiming experimental design flaws in that research. However, consumer anxiety had already been aroused. As regards the environment, experiments have revealed that GMOs can cause genetic pollution.

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Topshop Case Essay Example for Free

Topshop Case Essay Introduction A company that’s does business domestically and internationally runs on strong values and foundations. Whenever the thought comes up, of opening up a franchise in a new location, it becomes mandatory for research to be done. The research intensifies when the franchise is supposed to be open in a new country. The following report will give an in depth analysis of the popular clothing retail company â€Å"Topshop† as it would assess the company and   shed light on where the corporation stands now.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The report would also indicate the marketing possibilities of the company of opening up its franchise in Thailand based on assertive theories and research. This would help assimilate about the company’s future motive of continuous prosperity. Company Profile Topshop is one of the leading retail clothing and apparel store for men and women in the world. It success and attribution in UK is very high. Topshop is an apparel retail group of Arcadia owned by Sir Philip Green. Topshop operates more than 300 stores in United Kingdom itself and boast of more than 50 outlets in other countries. Its 90,000 square foot store in London at Oxford circus is an iconic store on its own. The organization has a website from which it takes thousands of orders every day. ‘Topshop is the fashion destination on the British high street. Selling an average of 30 pairs of knickers a minute, 6,000 pairs of jeans a day and 35,000 pairs of shoes every week, its an unrivalled, iconic brand. Blending cutting edge style with purse-friendly prices, Topshop attracts women from their teens to the 40s searching for a weekly fashion fix’ (Topshop).    Company Mission    ‘Our core values relating to any of our activities are integrity, dialogue, transparency, excellence and innovation’  Ã‚   (Topshop). Company Portfolio    Topshop has the best ranged street clothing Great Britain. It has a varied collection of tops, dresses, shoes, knitwear, outerwear, skirt, trousers, accessories, jewellery, lingerie, nightwear and many on hand latest dresses by the famous designers. Financial performance and management    The company after being launched had always done substantial business, by the early 1990’s there was a major dip business. The Topshop was addressed with names and was reckoned to fail. Jane Shepherdson joined the company at a basic level and with hardwork and talent she climbed up the ladder of success ultimately becoming a brand director in the year 1999. Under her guidance and arc, the company blossomed and started having a massive turnover of  £500million of the entire Topshop outlets. Currently Jane Shepherdson has resigned form the post and Kate Moss is now responsible for running the creative designing part. The above graph represents an estimated dip in sales of Topshop from the year 2005 to 2007.The above figures is in Pounds and represent in millions. Price    Topshop price is mid ranged and has a very affordable line of clothing and accessories Marketing Strategy    Topshop has a very definite ‘hit’ marketing strategy.   It believes in conceptualizing the ‘in thing’, in fashion. It basically works on a strategy that takes has high speed and development technique. The following will give a hint of the marketing strategy occupied by Topshop: ‘Young celebrities style themselves in a way that’s moved on to the next season. A year ago when Sienna Miller wore that gilet, we had to pull them forward fast and bump up the order. If you’re in the fashion business, you have to be fast to take the risk out of it. Part of (our success) was that we brought a lot of our production closer to home. We source about 60% of it from Eastern Europe now as opposed to the Far East’ (Jasmine Smith 2007).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The above piece indicates that, Topshop uses a strategy which is based on celebrities and also which is considered as one of the running things in the fashion industry. Also it produces a similar line and range which goes around as the latest gimmick, and all this is manufactured in Eastern European countries which is logistically faster to reach the stores and outlets in Great Britain. Promotion    Topshop using a very street smart strategy doesn’t really have to stress on its promotion much. Time and again it associates themselves with celebrities and all they do is showcase their product in magazines and newspapers. Also already having carved a niche as a brand that promotes the ‘in fashion’, buyers flock into stores and its outlets and it has been seen a no. of times that the fashion stock get purchased in a matter of hours. Also Topshop’s product marketing through has been considered as one of the biggest hit promotional scheme for the company, as it seen thousands of female buyers associating with the brand purchase merchandise online itself. Selling Ambience    Topshop’s outlet and stores have a pretty decent ambience, that entices customers and the feel good factor is shelved in them by the color scheming of the interiors. Its 4 storied monstrous and elegant store at Oxford Circus is magnificently built to lure customers. Topshop’s major shop is also its website, which also is very smartly developed and the customer seeing the verified credentials of purchasing safely, makes the customer feel safe, which is one of its reasons of having thousands of orders to fulfill via the internet.    Topshop’s unique merchandise    Topshop has always founds ways of alluring customers of all fronts. It has gained expertise in making maximum profits by targeting females of all ages and sizes. One of the most unique collections of Topshop is its maternity collection, where popular designs of the store are tailored for pregnant females. It is a unique concept in wooing pregnant females and their range for them is also considered to be one of the best. Topshop also has a very unique collection known as ‘vintage’, which highly reciprocates the collection of the yesteryears, thus providing customers with a choice of clothes between today and yesterday. The biggest hit concept is however the â€Å"tall and petite†, concept, where an entire line is devised for tall and short women. Also the organization is one of the very few in the world who along with clothing line have a very standard and fashionable line of shoes, whose range changes every year.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This unique merchandise has made Topshop a hot favorites amongst people, and because of this diversity, customers have a very high rating for the store. Topshop Staff    Topshop’s strength can be assessed because of its staff. The company’s employees are the biggest boost, when the customer approaches the store, it is these employees who treat them equally and since they have a certain amount of fashion knowledge; they suggest and help customers to choose products from the store. Also with ever pleasing personalities, they help customers during rushes and are look after giving customer refreshments, when the buyer is scanning through the company’s products.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A happy staff can be considered as the pioneer of any company and since the company has very transparent rules for promotion, the staff at Topshop becomes more working as they know that higher performances can bag them upper jobs in the company, of which Jane Shepherdson is a prime example, as she had joined the company on entry level and she got opportunities to ultimately become a brand director of the organization. Customer Segmentation    Topshop because of its all time varied clothes line and shoe range, it has a very solid customer background which can be demographically stated from teenage to females above 40s. However a correct demo graph cannot be branded as the no. of females who buy from the company is a lot more than one can imagine. Its high brand awareness and positive strategy has actually not spared many females in the United Kingdom who haven’t ventured into Topshop even one once.    Strength Weaknesses Opportunities Threats Has a sound reputation in the market Lack of financial planning   Can diversify into more new ventures Could distract from core business Topshop till now has been operating in more than 30 countries. Till date it has had a successful stint with its franchises in other countries and to confirm it as one of the leading members of the worldwide retail industry, it becomes mandatory for companies of Topshop’s ability to keep increasing its franchises and explore its product into new countries. In the following part of the report, it will be seen of Topshop’s future in Bangkok and its marketing capacity will be assessed for this venture. Bangkok    Bangkok, the capital of Thailand is one of the leading metropolitan cities of the world. It is often considered as one a city with high amount of tourists and an empowering nightlife. Bangkok is considered to be the gateway of Asia and is a unique mixture of development and tourism. Bangkok market    The city is famous for high purchase of clothing and along with the locals, the foreigners who visit the place too shop for clothes. The clothing retail sector still relatively is untapped for bigger names like Topshop, though merchandise of most of big names is available in the city. Topshop’s marketing mission    The company has a marketing mission to enhance and produce their goods in all parts of the world. PESTLE ANALYSIS    Political- the capital of the country always faces worse fate than the country. The country in its initial days was under monarch rule and it was only in the year 1997 that the constitutional amendment was made for holding general election. Thailand has been a country of political uncertainty, but somehow it has not caused much of a hassle to the retail market or to its tourism. The   elected of Tahksin was deposed by a military coup in 2006, due to the allegation of the   government being highly corrupt. The latest condition of the political scene is as follows: ‘The National Legislative Assembly (NLA) Wednesday passed a government draft bill to lift a ban on registering new political parties by 149 to 4 votes. The draft law is soon expected to take effective after receiving royal approval’ (The Nation politics). Because of the coup the market was affected, but every country has got its fair share of problem, and though there is a mount of political uncertainty, it is expected from the nation to let the markets and shops and tourism prevail in peace. Economic  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Bangkok is the high earning capital city of the nation. Thailand’s    economic can be assessed from the following :   Ã¢â‚¬ËœWith a well-developed infrastructure, a free-enterprise economy, and generally pro-investment policies, Thailand appears to have fully recovered from the 1997-1998 Asian Financial Crisis. The country was one of East Asias best performers from 2002-04. Boosted by strong export growth, the Thai economy grew 4.5% in 2007. Bangkok has pursued preferential trade agreements with a variety of partners in an effort to boost exports and to maintain high growth. By 2007, the tourism sector had largely recovered from the major 2004 tsunami. Following the military coup in September 2006, investment and consumer confidence stagnated due to the uncertain political climate that lasted through the December 2007 elections. Foreign investor sentiment was further tempered by a 30% reserve requirement on capital inflows instituted in December 2006, and discussion of amending Thailands rules governing foreign-owned businesses. Economic growth in 2007 was due almost entirely to robust export performance despite the pressure of an appreciating currency. Exports have performed at record levels, rising nearly 17% in 2006 and 12% in 2007’ (CIA world fact book).Bangkok can be considered as a metropolitan city as it has the infrastructure that is required can be compared to other western nations. Socio Cultural  Ã‚   Bangkok like any other metropolitan city has its chare of foreigners staying, thus enriching the culture and the heritage. Out of the total population it is estimated that 94% are Buddhists, the rest are Muslims, Christians and Hindus and also some other religions. Apart from the usual partition of the rich and the poor, Bangkok and also the whole of Thailand also suffer from the heat of AIDS. The no. of AIDS patients has increased tremendously, killing mostly the young people of the nation. The people of the city however are avidly interested in different types of cuisines and also shopping. Most of the generation of the country is pretty much young and also the female population is higher than the men in the country. The country’s educational trend can be assessed by the following: ‘The adult literacy rate among Thailand population too has gone up from 78.6 in 1970 to 95 percent in 1997.   The trend, however, reversed after the economic crises, as the literacy rate went down to 93.1 in 2000.   It is estimated that literate population of 15 years and above will reach to 97 percent in the year 2010’ (World health Organization).    Technological  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The country and especially the city rides on technology. The latest technology is all grasped by the youth and the city can be seen using technology well for its advancements. Environment   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   As most of the cities in the world, Bangkok is also fighting a losing battle with pollution like the rest of the major cities. However it is still less compared to that of other cities like Beijing and New Delhi, but still the rate of pollution is pretty high. Bangkok has beautiful flora and fauna and tourists from all over the world flock the city and around it to get mesmerized in its beauty. Marketing Strategy Bangkok is a place that is booming with the retail sector and more and more people are getting attracted to it. Thailand over the period of years has seen a huge rise in the purchase power of the consumer. The following will help cement the fact about budding scope of retail business in Bangkok: ‘The retail sector has been active throughout the year while protests from small local retailers against national discount stores were growing. However foreign retailers shrugged off the protests and continued to open stores nationwide. The biggest retail development is Siam Paragon, a joint venture between Bangkok Intercontinental Hotels Co (BIHC) and the Mall Group’ (Amazing Thailand). The hunger for having more and more retail stores is endless in the city. It is has been planned of having the outlet in ‘Siam Paragon’. This edifice had been constructed after the tearing put a star rated hotel and the way it has been constructed has been a marvel for most, a sit it is considered as one of the best malls in Asia. This mall caters to the rich and the moderately wealth people. To have a store in the edifice would firstly mean that the That the organization could cater to people who are well to do and also mainly the people who come in the upper middle class section. With thousands of people visiting the mall everyday, the shop couldn’t be in any better place in Thailand for that matter. Topshop has a tradition of delivery fashion quickly. This is possible because of manufacturing units being in nearby locations or in nearby countries. Topshop can also open up a manufacturing unit in Thailand, as here the labor is considerably cheap. This would have two major advantages, which are as follows. The basic cost of the clothing line would come down, which in turn would increase more profits at lower costs. From Malaysia, Topshop can export to other Asia countries that are closer like Malaysia and Singapore. The entire export unit would have to face lower costs for manufacturing and warehousing as costs compared to eastern European countries and United Kingdom is much cheaper hence Topshop would have an outlet at the busiest and the most happening mall of Thailand and would have costs that would be marginal as local labor and resource would be used to get the trade moving. The creative department can also do something for the clothes lineups on the basis of Thai silk, which is supposed to be the best and affordable silk in the world.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The announcement of the arrival of Topshop can be made with a lot of fanfare, which would include local celebrities as brand ambassadors and also lots of publicity can be arranged through the print media. Competitor Analysis Bangkok has many outlets of leading brands, but most of them are not legal bands and a huge population of branded clothes available is duplicate with made in China references. Topshop frankly doesn’t have much competition to face in the city, as the brand itself is very popular on its own. However it would have to watch out for not getting into the piracy and duplicity scandal of clothing line going well in Thailand. Integrated Marketing communications    The publicity of Topshop can be done with popular links and websites of the nation. SEO’s can be put up in websites which has gaming to newspapers to current trendy social networking sites of the city. This kind of publicity would strengthen the integrated marketing campaign of the company and would ensure more and more orders via the internet.    Strength Weaknesses Opportunities Threats Location of the outlet Brand still unknown in Asia   Can use the labor, and start the in fashionable line up for Bangkok at nominal costs Could become a victim of duplicity of clothes lines. Conclusion    It can be assessed from the following report the current situation of the company and its desire to open up an outlet in Bangkok. Bringing the outlet in Thailand would globalize the company on Asian terms, as Bangkok is one of the major access points of Asia. Not only Asians but also people from all over the world come and visit this enticing city. Bringing an outlet to a place where it could get recognition from all four corners is one of the best business future expansion a company can have.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The company from here can only expand, if it can keep a check over a few shoddy elements. Once the market of Bangkok is captured, then it can be assumed that Topshop has made its major entry in Asia, even though it has its outlets in other Asian countries. Works cited: Topshop official website. Accessed on April 28, 2008 from site http://www.topshop.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/TopCategoriesDisplay?storeId=12556catalogId=19551 The nation politics, â€Å"Ban on political activities lifted†. Accessed on April 28, 2008 from site http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2007/07/18/politics/politics_30041398.php Central Intelligence Agency, The world fact Book, â€Å"Thailand† . Accessed on April 28, 2008 from site https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/th.html World health organization, â€Å"TRENDS IN SOCIO-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT†. Accessed on April 28, 2008 from site http://www.searo.who.int/EN/Section313/Section1525_10862.htm Amazing Thailand, â€Å"Thailand’s economy†. Accessed on April 28, 2008 from site http://www.amazing-thailand.com/Economy.html â€Å"Siamparagon’s official website†. Accessed on April 28, 2008 from site http://www.siamparagon.co.th/v3/index2.html â€Å"Political crisis in Thailand†. Accessed on April 28, 2008 from http://www.anu.edu.au/thaionline/Political%20Crisis%20in%20Thailand.pdf Hadley freeman, â€Å"Topshop will open in New York, with help from Moss†. November 29th Accessed on April 28, 2008 from site http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2007/nov/29/lifeandhealth.fashion RUTH LA FERLA, New York Times, â€Å"But Will It Play in Manhattan?† July 21st Accessed on April 28, 2008 from http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/21/business/worldbusiness/21topshop.html Jasmine Smith, â€Å"Topshop’s turnaround†. June 6th Accessed on April 28, 2008 from site http://www.insideretailing.com.au/articles-page.aspx?articleType=ArticleViewarticleId=651

Friday, November 15, 2019

Accepting Disabilities in On His Blindness by John Milton Essay example

The narrative poem â€Å"On his Blindness,† written by John Milton, is an Italian sonnet which reflects upon a religious man’s perspective of how to accept ones disabilities. The poet is effective in doing so, as he uses both figurative imagery and religious references to convey the struggle and challenges that the disabled endure. "On his Blindness," is a poem that reveals a religious man’s acceptance of his lack of vision through a conversation with â€Å"Patience†. Milton often refers to his inability to see by using figurative imagery to contrast light and dark images throughout the poem. This type of imagery helps in portraying his reflection on his past life, when he was not blind, to the different life he leads now. The positive and negative images allow for various interpretations of light and dark. Milton first professes his blindness by making a reference to his lack of light in stating that his, â€Å"†¦light is spent,† (1) establishing a connection between â€Å"light† and â€Å"talent†. In reference to his sight, using the word â€Å"spent† means that his eyesight has diminished and his days of...

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

What it Means to become a Teacher

I used to think that the best part of being a teacher was the brightly colored bulletin boards, the smell of freshly sharpened pencils, the Crayola Crayons, and the endless supply of organized office supplies neatly placed on the teacher’s desk.I spent countless summers of my childhood assisting my mother, a third grade teacher, with the annual set up of her classroom. On those hot summer days, I admired the creativity, organization, and enthusiasm my mother holds for her profession. It inspired me so much that I decided I too wanted to be a teacher. I’ve come a long way in my initial reason of why I want to me an educator. With my experiences and education in ED109, the reading requirements, class discussions and interview, I now know that teaching is much more fulfilling than what I first observed so many years ago. It takes dedication, willingness to learn, thoughtfulness and compassion to thrive and survive in this profession.The following paper will explore my obse rvations of this experience. I’ll begin with my interview with my mother, a third grade teacher for the past fifteen years, in a low socioeconomic school district. I sat down with her and asked her to share her insight that might help me continue my journey as an up and coming educator. I asked her, ‘what is the best part of being a teacher?’ She responded, ‘every day you feel that you have made a difference in a child’s life. Whether it is teaching them to read, enhancing their social skills or celebrating their achievements – you know that you mattered. When it’s the end of the day and kids say ‘I want to stay here in school – it’s so much fun!’ you know you are the one that got them to love to learn.’When discussing this with my mother is made me look back at my experiences and helped me to anticipate the fulfillment of student success and the joy of learning. This made me understand the importance o f teaching and how teachers impact students every day. I went on to ask her about the challenges she faces in the teaching profession. My mother explained that it can be the work outside working and teaching students. She gave me examples of the paper work involved in keeping accurate scores and grading papers, bus duty, and at times endless school meetings that could be done more efficiently.She explained that is comes with the profession, but definitely not a favorite amongst teachers. When reading the chapters in Pearl Rock Kane’s book My First Year as a Teacher, I  saw other challenges teachers face. For example in chapter two, Ms. Nehemiah struggles to get her class on topic. The book states â€Å"I wanted to discuss F. Scott Fitzgerald’s use of metaphor in The Great Gatsby. They wanted to throw spitballs and whisper dirty words in the back of the room†(Kane 1991). This shows me that it is difficult to control a classroom as a first year teacher and how f irst year teachers need to come up with effective strategies to be in control. Ms. Nehemiah figures out strategies by communicating with her peers and other teachers that have the experience she doesn’t.This helped her realize her strengths and weaknesses. Her ability to take constructive criticism and reflect on herself is why she is still a teacher today. When interviewing my mother and reflecting on my readings, I was able to gain a better understanding of challenges in a classroom and what I can do to surpass the challenges to be the most effective educator. I wanted to know what she felt new educators needed to know before entering the profession.My mom clearly stated that â€Å"if you are not going to give it your all, don’t do it.† She reflected on a poor experience she had with a student teacher placement she had several years ago. She explained that the student teacher’s heart and passion just wasn’t there and the students and staff could feel it. I gathered from my mom’s response that a strong work ethic, passion for the profession, and willingness to reflect is what is needed to be an effective educator. Her response went along activities on pursuing the profession of teaching.During the class discussions and activities, I learned that there are multiple steps to become a teacher, such as in the state of Massachusetts, you are required to take the MTEL tests for you area of study to become a licensed teacher. Also, you have to maintain a master’s degree in art or science. I would not have had the knowledge of this if I wasn’t in this education class. This class has provided me with a deeper understanding on what it takes to become a teacher and what life as a teacher will be like. Later in the interview, I asked what do colleges need to so in order to prepare new teachers for the profession? My mother’s response was that all colleges and their education students need to dissect and inter pret the new Common Core Standards.I gathered from our conversation that new educators will be required to know the standards and will have to develop instruction accordingly. Principals and school districts will search out new educators that are experienced and  familiar with the Common Core. This conversation about the Common Core Standards made me realize that although we have not explored this topic in ED109, as I delve deeper into the education classes at Lasell College, I will look for opportunities to grasp these standards. Finally, I asked what can I expect if I become a teacher? She said ‘Expect that you will lose sleep at night thinking about how you will help Johnny read or that Mary needs a winter coat for recess.You will get out of bed and search your closets for a coat for Mary. You will finally get Johnny to read and when he does, you will celebrate on your car ride home with the radio blasting. You will celebrate and get discouraged. Your patience will be tes ted, but your heart will be filled. You will have to manage your time and give it your all every day.’ Her response can be connected to the reading and the discussions in class.I remember in class Jess stated something along the lines of ‘You worry about your students even though you aren’t in the classroom. You will lose sleep thinking about lesson plans and you will be stressed out. You can’t let the students see you crumbling if something doesn’t work out exactly as planned, because many things do not go perfectly in a classroom.’ This really stuck with me after being in the class, because it shows the passion and heart you have to have for the profession and if you don’t have that heart and passion you will not survive in the classroom. As for the readings, they connected to my mother’s response, especially in chapter six of My First Year as a Teacher by Pearl Rock Kane because it explains that this teacher worries about her students even after she has taught them.Ms. McClurg says â€Å"And I wonder if any of the students who shared in that fourth-period class remember the long dark winter that turned into spring and how they changed the life of a friendless boy named Leo – and the life of an inexperienced teacher†(Kane 1991). When reading this quote it really shows that a teacher really thinks and reflects about every student they have and had over the years. My thinking about education has developed over the course of the semester.I’ve been able to integrate the class discussions/activities, readings and experiences to develop a deeper, more meaningful understanding of what it takes to become an educator and why I belong in this profession. I plan to further investigate the best teaching practices and skills needed for teaching right here at Lasell College. I will utilize what I learned and now know I too  will make a difference in a child’s life.

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Starbucks Strengths and Weaknesses

After reading Starbucks’ â€Å"Management Discussion and Analysis† portion of its 10-K, it is apparent that the company currently possesses a highly competitive position and progressive management strategy. Starbucks’ top position in its industry and management strategy comes from the fact that this company has multiple areas of strength and lacks overwhelming weaknesses. Strengths and weaknesses with regard to a firm like Starbucks are based on the internal factors relating to a company.The internal analysis of Starbucks shows that it enjoys much strength as a company. When analyzing the strategic management of a company, a strength is defined as a firm’s â€Å"resources and capabilities that can be used as a basis for developing a competitive advantage† (QuickMBA). The â€Å"Management Discussion and Analysis† section of the Starbucks Annual Report features many strengths according to this definition. Starbucks’ capabilities go way b eyond simply selling coffee at Starbucks shops in America.In fiscal 2012, Starbucks experienced a 7 percent growth in global store sales, 50 percent increase in â€Å"Channel Development,† and 20 percent raise in licensed stores revenue (SBUX 2012 Annual Report, 25). This fact alone presents multiple strengths Starbucks has. Starbucks has stores and a positive presence implanted in multiple countries divided into the three sectors of the Americas, â€Å"EMEA† (Europe, Middle East, and Africa), and â€Å"CAP† (China/Asia Pacific). Additionally, Starbucks maintains the operating segment of â€Å"Channel Development† which focuses on the sale of Starbucks and Tazo branded K-Cups and other beverage innovations.As stated before, this segment of Starbucks’ operations witnessed a 50 percent increase in revenues in fiscal 2012 which shows how strong Starbucks as a firm really is. On top of these optimistic facts, Starbucks simply continues to show its stre ngth with regard to its market dominance and brand-name recognition throughout America and other countries. On the other side of the internal analysis of Starbucks, few weaknesses are present within the company. A weakness can be looked at as â€Å"the absence of certain strengths. For example, a lack of patent protection, weak brand name, poor reputation among customers, high cost structure, lack of access to the best natural resources, or a lack of access to key distribution channels can all be classified as a Company’s weaknesses (QuickMBA). Starbucks, however, does not appear to possess any of these weaknesses. Especially since Green Mountain Coffee’s expiration of their patent for K-Cup, Starbucks has not been hindered by access to key distribution in their Channel Development sector (Daily Finance).This area of focus may be one of Starbucks’ weaknesses though because, unlike Starbucks franchises throughout America that basically stand untouched compared t o other coffee shops, Starbucks branded K-Cups compete with many other viable brands such as Green Mountain Coffee in the home-brewed portable coffee sector of the coffee industry. Additionally, Starbucks’ expansion into other countries, although proving to produce positive income, can be looked at as a weakness. For example, Starbucks’ presence in Europe has received some resistance due to the strong European â€Å"cafe culture† and preference for different â€Å"regional tastes† (NY Times).In summation, Starbucks has a positive future and experienced a fiscal year filled with strengths and few weaknesses in 2012. Its main strength as a firm is the powerful brand and presence that has been established by Starbucks. This strength is supplemented by Starbucks’ expansion into multiple countries and different areas within the market for coffee including K-Cups. Starbucks’ weaknesses seem to be associated with its strengths stemming from expansi on, which is seemingly normal and acceptable.To increase the firm’s strengths and mitigate its weaknesses, Starbucks senior management plans to â€Å"focus on achieving sustainable growth from established international markets while at the same time investing in emerging markets, such as China† (Starbucks Annual Report, 27). Additionally, Starbucks management seeks to expand upon its Channel Development segment by developing new innovations and ready-to-drink beverages, which will simultaneously bolster their internal strength and disintegrate the current weakness of having less establishment and dominance in this area of the coffee industry.