How Pastoral Care Policy Has Contributed to the Management...

Table of Contents Table of Contents 1 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 3 DECLARATION OF ETHICS 4 Abstract 5 CHAPTER 1: BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY 6 1.0 INTRODUCTION 6 1.1Background 7 1.2 Statement of the problem 11 1.3 Purpose of the study 11 1.4 Research questions 11 1.5 Definition of key terms 12 1.6 Acronyms: 12 1.7 Significance of the study 13 1.8 Limitations 14 1.9 Delimitations 14 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 15 2.0 INTRODUCTION 15 2.1 The origin of pastoral care 15 2.2 What is pastoral care? 16 2.3 Perceptions about implementation of PC in schools 17 2.3.1 International Perspectives 17 2.3.2 Different perspectives about benefits of PCP. 19 2.3. Challenges of implementing PCP 20 2.3.4 Conclusion 22 2.4 Botswana†¦show more content†¦The study restricted itself to the perspective of school managers. The study was guided by three research questions. The study adopted a qualitative methodology to answer the research questions. Simple random sampling was used to interview a sample of 30 out of the targeted 49 members of school management from the North East, South East and South Central regions of MoESD. The data were recorded, analyzed and interpreted using codes and numbers. The results of the study show that the implementation of PCP has made some significant progress in junior secondary schools. The results also show that the PCP is a welcome reform that has had a positive impact on a substantial number of aspects of school management. However, the implementation of the PCP is marred by a lot of challenges that need to be addressed. These have been found to impede the implementation of the reform. CHAPTER 1: BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY 1.0 INTRODUCTION Pastoral care is an important activity for a school culture that promotes productivity, accountability and efficiency in employees as well as accountability and commitment to learning in students. The school pastoral care policy (SPCP) is designed to inculcate the spirit of excellence in schools (Power, 1996). School pastoral care (SPC) programs and plans are key tools with which management, teachers and learners are supported to demonstrate their personal bestShow MoreRelatedTrade Unions in Malawi13087 Words   |  53 PagesThe trade union movement in Malawi dates as far back as the end of the Second World War. It has undergone a process of growth, decline and growth again over the past seven decades or so. To understand how trade unionism has developed in any country, we need to consider the political, economic and social context. In Malawi, the political context has been the most influential factor in the way trade unionism has developed. As Salamon (2000) points out, industrial relations context shapes employer-employee

Tone of Manzanar and Night - 569 Words

In the memoirs Farewell to Manzanar and Night, the authors both reveal events from their tragic past to the reader. However, Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston takes a more reflective tone while Elie Wiesel tells his story with a solemn yet intimate tone. Within Farewell to Manzanar, Jeanne narrates her story in a very calm and reflective way because she wanted to spread awareness that the Japanese internment did indeed happen. Although she tries to remain more of an observer and state facts of the time she was interned, at the end of the memoir, her tone does shift from a very factual standpoint to a more nostalgic and sentimental tone. In Night, Wiesel’s solemn and intimate tone helps him tell the reader of his difficult conflicts trying to survive religious persecution from the Nazis and his struggle to keep faith in God. In her memoir, Houston manages remaining observational for most of the book. She bides by stating mostly facts from events from her past experiences at Manzanar, now and then stating her thoughts and feelings. She begins her memoir by telling the reader she wrote the memoir to raise awareness for the Japanese internment in the 1940’s era, which she handles gracefully, remaining calm while confronting the trauma from her past. â€Å"My faith in God and in the Catholic church slipped several notches at that time. But not my faith in the outside, all such good things could be found.† (Houston, 118). In this quote, Jeanne is saying how even though her experience insideShow MoreRelated Japanese Alien and Japanese-American Poets In U. S. Relocation Camps4710 Words   |  19 Pagesrelocation camps that were used to contain these people: In this earthly configuration, We have, not points of light, but prominent barbs of dark†¦ Begin between the Golden States highest and lowest elevations and name that location Manzanar. Rattlesnake a line southward to the zone of Arizona, to the home if natives on the reservation, and call those Gila, Poston. Then just take your time winding your way across†¦ just make yourself at home in the swamps of Arkansas. forRead MoreAsian American Experience Through Art2816 Words   |  11 Pagesserves her husbands parents and waits for him to return to her from the 7-11 he owns. He buys her some American clothes, but she does not wear them, except in their bedroom for him, in deference to his parents. Finally, her husband is killed during a night shift, and she must wear the white dress of an Indian widow in mourning. She debates what her identity is not that she has to go back to India. In the end, she decides to wear her American clothes and stay in the United States as she identifies withRead MoreJapanese Internment Camps in America Essay2247 Words   |  9 PagesII sprang from her diary accounts. Just when I thought I knew all about the enemy (Nazis) and the heinous crimes that they inflicted on human beings, other sides of the story were brought to my attention. I came about a book called Farewell to Manzanar which introduced a similar treatment of human beings in our very own country. I disc overed that an internment policy was placed on the Japanese that was extremely questionable. My emotions were torn because I could not believe Americas leadership

Ibus2301 Boost Juice free essay sample

Obesity and health issues are becoming issues for all countries, and companies in the Wellness Category are seeing massive growth * A alternatives of the quick hamburger(a healthy fast food alternative) * Dan Titus, Director of the Juice and Smoothie Association stated. â€Å"The Juice and Smoothie business is such a lucrative venture. Smoothie-type products are sold all over the world on cruise ships and golf courses; in bars, movie theatres and hospitals. Companies are seeing this market as a growth opportunity. Consumers are looking for an alternative to soda; the healthy attitudes that consumers are expressing reflects in the smoothie trend. Competitive advantage: * Unique formula * Janine consulted with nutritionists and naturopaths to create a menu of healthy juices and smoothies that were free of preservatives, artificial flavors and colors. * Her range of TD4 low fat frozen yoghurts used in the smoothies contain live cultures streptococcus thermophillis and lactobacillus delbruekil for added nutritional benefits Strategy: 1. We will write a custom essay sample on Ibus2301 Boost Juice or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Complementary Products As well as our fabulous drinks, we also sell a range of healthy snacks including wraps, fresh yoghurt, fruit, muesli bars, banana bread, as well as bottled water amp; reusable Boost Mugs! 2. Supermarket Range Boost introduced a new range of bottled juices, frozen yoghurt and healthy snacks readily available at supermarkets. 3. Support the improvement of environment to achieve the social position Global: * One store in Adelaide has grown into 187 stores throughout Australia and 47 stores overseas. 1) In May 2010, US based private equity firm, The Riverside Company acquired a major stake in the Boost Investment Group. Moving forwardAfter Janine’s plans for global domination took off, she decided to form the Boost Investment Group (B. I. G. ) for further ventures in Australia. B. I. G. ’s first acquisition is Mexican food outlet chain Salsa’s. BIG and Salsa’s are now expanding throughout Australia, with 12 stores already taking the Salsas message to the people! Boost Juice Bar is a new style retail that specializes in selling  fruit juice which flaunt on Healthy diet and emphasize the products is free of preservatives, artificial flavors and colors. Boost Juice Bars was formed in 2000 with the first store located in Adelaide. Through the franchising in these few years, the company has expanded internationally in  Asia,  Europe,  Russia  and the  Middle East. Obesity and health issues are becoming international issues, and companies in the Wellness Category are seeing massive growth. The main strategy of the company is going to monopolize the fast food market by providing a healthy alternative. Boost Juice Bar has unique formula consulted with nutritionists and naturopaths to make the juice and include TD4 low fat frozen yoghurts used in the smoothies contain live cultures streptococcus thermophillis and lactobacillus delbruekil for added nutritional benefits. Except the normal juice and smooth, the company also sells a range of healthy snacks to increase the purchasing behavior in order to increase the market competitiveness. In 2000, the first store opened in  Adelaide. After few years, one store in Adelaide has grown into 187 stores throughout Australia and 47 stores overseas. For future international development, Boost Juice Bar collected the funds in May 2006 through sold the stores in New Zealand to  Tank Juice  who are now operating them under the Tank brand after the franchisers was put into liquidation. This is a simple Retrendnment Strategies. It was a right chose to give up the development in New Zealand and fought into a new market. First, New Zealand is not an agricultural country. Although the highly mechanized agriculture has risen the total output, but the food are also need to import from other countries, cannot be self-sufficient. It means the margin cost would be increased. Next, New Zealand is a country with high standard of living, the New Zealand’s HDI (Human Development Index) is sixth on the World in 2013. This mean the cost on labour market and store will be very high. Even if the price adjustment can make up to the revenue margins, the high tax in New Zealand will also affect the net income. In summary, the external environment in New Zealand gave a high economic pressure on the company expanding. Lastly, Boost Juice Bar didn’t provide many choices of healthy snacks during that time and the culture of Healthy diet was not popular, people would likely to buy the quick hamburger. The market was small and had high completed with local brand in New Zealand. Therefore, Boost Juice Bar chose to fight the market in United Kingdom. In 2007, Boost Juice Bar successfully entered into the Catering market in United Kingdom through franchising with the founders of  Millies Cookies, Richard O’Sullivan amp; Mario Budwig. This is a good co-operative strategy to draw support with Millies Cookies’s impact force in United Kingdom. Millies Cookies is a historic brand in UK with chain of 108 retail bakeries. The strong financial base can help the Boost Juice Bar quickly expand in UK. This can reduce the risk of Boost Juice Bar from high expanding operation. It is a good choice to select Millies Cookies to be the only franchiser in UK; Millie’s Cookies have a wealth of experience of creating best in class food and beverage retail brands. As a historic food and beverage retail brands in UK, Millie’s Cookies would have many often co-suppliers that can buy the raw material with cheapest price. The main idea of this cooperation was studied the management skill from Millie’s Cookies. Millie’s Cookies can also help Boost Juice Bar to create more types of healthy snake and achieve the original goals to monopolize the fast food market. It will be a good reference for the future expanding of Boost Juice Bar. The expanding in UK was a touchstone to test the reactions in European countries about this new style drink. As the influential country in Europe, fast food culture is very popular in UK or USA. In the other words, their cuisines are usually high-calorie and unhealthy that means the healthy drink would be easy to accept because they need it. Otherwise, the population in Italy and France would be more difficult because their cultures are going to pursue noble diet. In current American, there were many famous chains of juice bar like Jamba Juice, until now Boost Juice Bar is still unsuccessfully expand into the American Market. At the end of 2007, Boost Juice Bar had also expanded into Chile, Kuwait, Singapore and Indonesia and most recently Thailand. As we all know, Thailand is an agricultural country with tropical monsoon climate . There are high annual food yield and the price is really cheap. The demand of cold drink is high because of the hot weather. The standard of life is really low in Thailand but the tourism has had a good deveoplemtn. When the cost was low and the revenue would be high, I have no reason to give up this market. However, the current expanding in the other countries was not an advisable choice. At that time, Boost Juice Bar should put more focus in expanding the business into China because of the 2008 Beijing Olympics . Until 2009, there are stores operating in Australia, Chile, Dubai, Estonia, Germany, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Kuwait, Lithuania, Macau, Malaysia, Portugal, Singapore, South Africa and the United Kingdom. Boost Juice Bar has ardently spread out the activities on environmental protection. In order to complement the theme, Boost Juice Bar has release the reusable Boost Mugs . Besides, the company needs to increase public influence through the activities; it wants to emphasize the importance of health. This is a successful advertising to link up the customer behavior with the company’s products. Some environmentally conscious countries will be easier to agree with the expanding in the future when the condition is okay of the government policy. In summary, the main successfully international strategy of Boost Juice Bar was built a good franchising relationship started from Millies Cookies in 2007 to Joost Food (India) in 2011. Boost Juice Bar always selects to franchising local big food and beverage retail brands. Besides, the brand can expand in a new country with low risk; the brand can follow the experience collected from the cooperative company to run the other stores. The other reason of their success that Boost Juice Bar provided a healthy alternative to solve the international issues (Obesity and health). When there are high demands, the company will be success.

Thr Japanese People Essays - Japanese Society, Dichotomies

Thr Japanese People The number of foreigners learning Japanese continuously increases each year. This therefore leads me to believe that these people must have an interest in Japan. However, it does make one wonder what images they have of Japan. Do these people really have a good and right image of Japan? I am acquainted with a few of these people and they claim their love of Japan is due to its fascinated with their own culture and heritage? The Japanese are amongst the easiest people to get along with, even if one does not understand them completely. Understanding the Japanese is one of the most difficult obstacles to overcome, however this should not deter anyone from trying to comprehend Japan and her people. The purpose of my essay then is to increase my readers understanding of Japan and its people, especially give their rather complex characteristics. Being part of a group is very important to the Japanese. As a starting point for my analysis of the Japanese I would like to discuss the balance between the individual and group within the Japanese culture. The human race is made up of individuals, but each is born and lives, for most part of his or her life within a group or community. Various societies differ greatly especially with respect to the emphasis placed on being an individual or being part of a community. This difference is obvious when comparing the Japanese to the Western culture as the Japanese would sacrifice the individual for the good of the group. This ideology extends beyond the group of the people's sacrifice for the common benefit of the country as this is seen as something to be proud of. As compared to the Westerners, the Japanese prefer to exist as a group. While Westerners put on a show of independence and individuality, most Japanese will be quit content to conform to their community in dress, conduct, lifestyle and even thoughts. This is all part of maintaining ?face?- originally a Chinese term but is of most importance to the community. The Japanese are constantly being reminded of how unique their culture, beliefs, customs and lifestyles are. The constant reminder is perpetuated by the government through references in government publication and hammered home by publication of literature devoted exclusively to the subject. Take for example Japanese that are banded together, this group is ranked according to its social position and disparity of age. Japanese have placed a high priority on rank even during the initial period. The notion of a ranking has strongly affected Japanese social life. Also we know that the honorific expressions are of the great importance to the Japanese language. The head of the household, regardless of age, occupies the highest se at; his retired father then retreats to a lower seat. Nowadays, age becomes a deciding factor only amongst individuals of similar status. In Japan, status also precedes gender. It is commonly known that Japanese women are nearly always ranked as inferiors. This is not because their gender is considered inferior, but because women seldom hold higher social status. Generally speaking, the Japanese that are born to a certain class behave in a certain way. Hence, in front of another these people are very aware of what the other party is thinking of them. Whilst Westerners are bold in their opinions and do not hesitate in expressing them, the Japanese tend to voice any opinions only after due consideration of another's feelings. It is said that the Japanese are very diplomatic but this also means that they do not give direct answers, a characteristic based on a long trading of avoiding unnecessary friction. The fact that the Japanese behave in this way especially when in contact with another can be partly explained by their homogeneity and long periods of isolation from the rest of the world. Japanese respects the harmony of nature. This is apparent in the architecture and style of their gardens. Another characteristic of the Japanese is to give back the some quantity as they receive. While I was in Japan, a friend explained this concept to me. He claims that despite the fact that most Japanese do not like to do this, they conform as it is a tradition

Review of Wordfast Strengths and Weaknesses of This Translation Memory Tool

With the recent advancements in the sphere of computer technologies and the advent of ICT translation productivity tools, translation can be regarded as not only craft, but also a rapidly growing industry. Whereas the translations are paid by the word count, the translator’s productivity is defined as the greatest number of words translated at the lowest price and within the minimal time period.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Review of Wordfast: Strengths and Weaknesses of This Translation Memory Tool specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Translation memory (TM) is a software program aimed at enhancing the productivity of individual translators and translators’ groups through storing the segments of the translated texts in the computerized databases and retrieving hits during the following translations. It allows not only not to translate the same or similar units twice, but also to achieve consistency in terminology within different projects or different translators. Wordfast as one of the world-known budget TMs has its strengths and weaknesses which will be reviewed in this report. The main strengths of Wordfast The budget price, the available demo version and understandable manual are recognized by most translators using it as the main advantages of Wordfast. The 350 Euros as the price for downloading this CAT tool directly from Wordfast corporate website is significantly lower compared to its much more expensive analogues, such as Trados and Dà ©jà   vu, for example. Another significant strength of Wordfast is the availability of not only a demo version which can be downloaded for free, but also the unlimited trial period which allows using this demo version for training purposes as long as the translator needs. Actually, it is possible even to use it in work because the request to pay for the software appears only after the program exceeds the limit of 500 translation units . Thus, even after the TM is full, the translator can create a new one and continue working with a demo version. Moreover, a very large translation memory (VLTM) for Wordfast have created recently and can be downloaded for free so that to overcome the above-mentioned limitation. The learning curve is one of the most important advantages of Wordfast. Its manual is relatively brief, straightforward and easy to follow.Advertising Looking for essay on programming? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Regarding the technical characteristics, the TM editor, sentence-based segments, project management strength and the standards compliance can be regarded as the main strengths of Wordfast. As to the TM editor criterion, it can be stated that working in Word documents as the accustomed environment allows the translator to reduce the time required for learning the main features offered by Wordfast. Moreover, this tool can also be used for wo rking with Excel and Power Point documents. The sentence based units used in Wordfast are more convenient as compared to the translational suites working with the whole texts. The compliance with the main standards allows sharing the TMs even with those who use other types of CAT software. A set of tools called PlusTools included into Wordfast is another advantage of this software which allows simplifying the procedures of aligning the source and target texts before starting work on a particular project. Opening the PlusTools and clicking on the Align button, the translator can process the source and target texts which will appear either in the table format in one document or in the two documents placed side by side on the screen. The search engine of Wordfast allows finding not only exact, but also fuzzy matches with certain extent of deviation between the source and target units. The match rate indicating the degree of correspondence appears between the two segments and allows the translator to estimate the appropriateness of using certain matches in the context of a particular project. It is also possible to use the * wildcard instead of the end of the term in case if various endings are possible. This feature is intended to make the search process more effective. It is possible to perform searches on both regular and background TMs so that to define whether a particular term is appropriate for the concrete text.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Review of Wordfast: Strengths and Weaknesses of This Translation Memory Tool specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Wordfast not only allows accelerating the translation process, enhancing the translator’s productivity by economizing time and resources, but also allows preserving the consistency of terminology among the various projects which is usually appreciated by the customers. Moreover, it is much easier to work with the colored text field s as compared to working with glancing back and forth between the white screen of the two documents with the source and target texts. The sentence-based segmentation encourages a translator to concentrate efforts on only one sentence at a time which is les tiresome for the translator’s eyes. It means that working with Wordfast would enhance the productivity even if there are no many repetitions in the document. The main weaknesses of Wordfast Recognizing the variety of benefits of using Wordfast in the translation process, it should be noted that the use of this ACT program can have a number of unintended negative implications for the quality of the target text and the translation process in general. One of the most significant disadvantages of working with Wordfast is the concentration on only one segment at a time which can become a hurdle for the high quality translation. Though this feature has been mentioned above as one of the advantages of this software it actually can cut both ways. Thus, concentrating on only one sentence, the translator fails to consider the whole context. Moreover, in most cases the segment-by-segment approach would not allow creating cohesive texts in terms of their style and tone. The problem is that changing the sentence and especially the paragraph structure will result in creating non-existing matches, whereas the TM tool is unable to indicate the changes which were performed for the purpose of improving the style and automatically matches the segments in the source and target documents.Advertising Looking for essay on programming? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Thus, the Wordfast interface is inappropriate for proofreading the target documents, and the translators to look for the ways out so that not to distort the created match units which can cause the errors in following translations. The automatic application of a given translation found in TM within the whole text can result in error propagation. For example, when a customer provides the TMs before the beginning of the translators’ work on the project, the provided files can contain translation mistakes which would complicate the translation processes instead of optimizing it. On the other hand, committing a mistake and incorporating it into the customer’s TM will result in further error propagation because this TM can be sent to other translators working with the customer in future. In general, the translators can never fully rely on TMs. Regarding the use of the * wildcard at the end of the term while working with the search engine, it should be noted that it can be pl aced only after four characters from the beginning of the entry. However, there are lots of cases when the wildcard has to be placed earlier for enhancing the effectiveness of search. Thus, this feature is a bit incomplete and requires further consideration from developers. Regardless of the fact that the initial version of Wordfast was developed for Windows and Macintosh, currently, most of the links to the software compatible with Macintosh are dead. Thus, the Macintosh version can hardly be found online. The psychological aspect of depending upon Wordfast which can be developed after getting accustomed to working with the tool can be regarded as another drawback of using this software. In general, most of Wordfast features cut both ways and can result in both positive and negative implications for the translation process, not only allowing individual translators and translators’ teams to enhance their productivity and preserve the terminology consistency within the project s, but also requiring translators’ advanced professionalism and concentration for preventing the error propagation. Conclusion Wordfast as one of the world-known TM software is appreciated for its budget price, unlimited trial period, the wide range of features and straightforward and easy to follow guidelines as compared to its analogues. However, apart from all its strengths allowing the translators to enhance the productivity and convenience of the translation process, Wordfast has a number of features which can result in unintended negative implications and deserve the developers’ consideration. In that regard, the interface of the program does not allow proofreading the target documents for style and tone and the automatic application of the translation match to the whole document can result in error propagation. This essay on Review of Wordfast: Strengths and Weaknesses of This Translation Memory Tool was written and submitted by user Maya Pierce to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Marie of France, Countess of Champagne

Marie of France, Countess of Champagne Known for: French princess whose birth was a disappointment to parents who wanted a son to inherit the French throne Occupation: Countess of Champagne, regent for her husband and then for her son Dates: 1145 - March 11, 1198 Confusion with Marie de France, Poet Sometimes confused with Marie de France, Mary of France, a medieval poet of England in the 12th century whose Lais of Marie de France survive along with a translation of Aesops Fables into the English of the time and perhaps others works. About Marie of France, Countess of Champagne Marie was born to Eleanor of Aquitaine and Louis VII of France. That marriage was already shaky when Eleanor gave birth to a second daughter, Alix, in 1151, and the pair realized that they were not likely to have a son. Salic Law was interpreted to mean that a daughter or daughters husband could not inherit the crown of France. Eleanor and Louis had their marriage annulled in 1152, Eleanor left first for Aquitaine and then married the heir to Englands crown, Henry Fitzempress. Alix and Marie were left in France with their father and, later, stepmothers. Marriage In 1160, when Louis married his third wife, Adà ¨le of Champagne, Louis betrothed his daughters Alix and Marie to brothers of his new wife. Marie and Henry, Count of Champagne, were married in 1164. Henry went to fight in the Holy Land, leaving Marie as his regent. While Henry was away, Maries half-brother, Philip, succeeded their father as king, and seized the dower lands of his mother, Adà ¨le of Champagne, who was also Maries sister-iin-law. Marie and others joined Adà ¨le in opposing Philips action; by the time Henry returned from the Holy Land, Marie and Philip had settled their conflict. Widowhood When Henry died in 1181, Marie served as regent for their son, Henry II, until 1187. When Henry II went to the Holy Land to fight in a crusade, Marie again served as regent. Henry died in 1197, and Maries younger son Theobold succeeded him. Marie entered a convent and died in 1198. Courts of Love Marie may have been a patron of Andrà © le Chapelain (Andreas Capellanus), author of one of the works on courtly love, as a chaplain who served Marie was named Andreas (and Chapelain or Capellanus means chaplain). In the book, he attributes judgments to Marie and to her mother, Eleanor of Aquitaine, among others. Some sources accept the claim that the book, De Amore and known in English as The Art of Courtly Love, was written at the request of Marie. There is no solid historical evidence that Marie of France with or without her mother presided at courts of love in France, though some writers have made that claim. Also known as:  Marie Capet; Marie de France; Marie, Countess of Champagne Background, Family: Mother:  Eleanor of AquitaineFather:  Louis VII of France  Stepmothers:  Constance of Castile, then Adà ¨le of ChampagneFull siblings: sister  Alix, Countess  of Blois; half siblings (father Louis VII): Marguerite of France, Alys of France, Philip II of France, Agnes of France. She also had half-siblings from her mothers second marriage, but theres not much evidence she interacted with them. Marriage, Children: husband: Henry I, Count of Champagne (married 1164)children:Scholastique of Champagne, married to William V of MaconHenry II of Champagne, 1166-1197Marie of Champagne, married to Baldwin I of ConstantinopleTheobald III of Champagne, 1179-1201

Case Study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 16

Case Study - Essay Example However; the company development has gone unnoticed due to poor marketing strategies. The company has avoided external capital for 15 years and it has also developed a fear of venture capital and this has prevented it to rise in profitability for long. The company recently partnered with which has strengthened TEOCO without changing the culture of our organization. This paper therefore seeks to analyze the business environment and strategies of TEOCO Company analyzing various factors that contribute to its success. Over the years there have been external forces and industry conditions that have contributed to its performance. The external forces that include competition have affected the company’s performance to a greater level. This competitors Vibrant and Broad margin have been at the forefront in the provision of the same products. The competitors had low prices and this gave TEOCO Company really tough time to make profits and this affected the performance. The company conditions also affected the company performance at a greater extent. There has been a partnership agreement with TA Associates. The firm had made a minority equity investment of $60 million in TEOCO.This has boosted the capital base of the TEOCO company which was at the verge of collapsing. This has enabled the company to further increase its profitability. TA Associates which is the largest private equity firms in the country, managing more than $16 billion in capital by 2009, had an impressive network of relationships. This is important in the growth of TEOCO which tend to enjoy the free marketing of their services. The partnering company has also extensive knowledge of the industry. This enables TEOCO to be able to develop the products that are needed in the market. This enables the company to be able to meet the demand of the of the current market through having a shared knowledge of the

Career in Education That Began with 'Teach for America' Article

Career in Education That Began with 'Teach for America' - Article Example There is a personal relationship between Steven and the author, the author being his teacher. The article is a biographical study which spanned through seven years. The methodology used by the author is the conduct of interviews with Steven either personally or through telephone. The author used the biographic-narrative-interpretive (BNIM) method where the interview questions formulated induce narratives (Tellez 6). The author considered this method as very appropriate for the data that he needs for the study, considering that Steve is capable of making the necessary narratives given a simple question. The author also made field observations while Steve was holding classes and he made some video recordings of such. The data were analyzed using the axial coding of themes (Tellez 8). One important finding that the author gained from the biographical study of Steve is that teachers like Steve who began their career without a preservice teaching program were more engaged and directed com pared to other teachers who started their careers with a teaching degree (Tellez 31). Furthermore, the author concludes that teaching should consider the cultural aspect of learning to be effective (Tellez 34). He also emphasized the need for the universities to support a continuous education program for teachers to enhance their professional growth. One cannot totally consider the study by Tellez as sufficient to come up with valid conclusions. First of all, the study is just confined to only one person; thus, generalizations cannot be made. In order for the study to have more weight, the author should have considered a bigger sample size. It would have been better if he studied two types of teachers, one being those who started a teaching career without formal training, like Steve and the other group to be composed of teachers who have preservice teaching program. Another weakness of the study that could be pointed out is the fact that there is the possibility that the author have not been objective in his observations of Steve. This is because of their teacher-student relationship which is further strengthened by their personal relationship as friends. One thinks that a biographical study is not the write genre to use in making conclusions with regards to the teaching profession. A more scientific survey may have resulted in more valid and justified conclusions. One believes that the only legitimate conclusion that can be obtained from this study is that Steve is an effective teacher. Other than that, it does not offer any other convincing finding in the teaching profession. Redefining Student Success: Applying Different Multinomial Regression Techniques for the Study of Student Graduation across Institutions of Higher Education The main thesis of the study is to obtain a clearer picture of the student success rate in higher education by expanding the definition of success. Four categories will be included in the definition of success to cover not only thos e students who graduate with the institution where they entered. The other categories shall include students who get a baccalaureate degree from another higher education institution and students who receive an associate degree/certificate award from another institution (Jones-White, Radcliffe, and Huesman 155). It is the hypothesis of the study

Realism and Emotion in Gothic Art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Realism and Emotion in Gothic Art - Essay Example The term maintained its deprecating association until the 19th century. During this period, a positive critical revaluation of Gothic architecture took place. The term Gothic remains a standard one in study of art history even if modern scholars have long realized that Gothic art has nothing to do with the Goths. 2. Gothic Art and Architecture The most important and original art form during the Gothic period is architecture. Its principal structural characteristics began out of medieval masons’ efforts to solve the problems connected with supporting heavy masonry ceiling vaults over wide spans. An example of the earliest Gothic sculptures which is said to be a revolution in style is the Western (Royal) Portal at Chartres Cathedral (ca. 1145). These jamb statutes affixed to the columns next to the doorways are tall, slender standing figures of kings and queens from whom the Portail Royale derived its name. In the eighteenth and nineteenth century, these figures were erroneously identified as the Merovingian monarchs of France. 3. Gothic Painting Gothic painting did not emerge until the beginning of the thirteenth century. This became visible nearly 50 years after the start of Gothic architecture and sculpture. The transition from the Romanesque art to Gothic is very vague and inaccurate. However, beginnings of darker and more emotional styles were seen as deviating from the previous period. Paintings during this period were practiced in four primary crafts such as frescos, panel paintings, manuscript illumination and stained glass. Simone Martini is one of the most original and influential artists of the Gothic era. He painted many frescos and altarpiece panels such as the Virgin and Child (1320) for the Church of Saint Catherine in Pisa. He added refined contour of line, grace of expression and serenity of mood in his paintings. 4. Trend to Realism and Emotion The growing concern for realism and emotion can be traced across Gothic art forms. The two majo r and important arts forms during the Gothic era are sculpture and painting. The trend toward greater realism and emotion can be said to have been entrenched from the era. The general effect of the development of the Gothic style is now shown on the west front of the Chartres Cathedral (c. 1140-50). This is the first impulse of Gothic art towards realism. One can see the development of sculpture during this early period of Gothic art which is towards increased realism and that deviates from the wooden feel of Romanesque sculpture. This was achieved in a series of stylistic impulses and not by continuous evolution. The figures in the sculpture on the west front of Chartres are barely â€Å"real† and their forms are strongly aligned with the architectural composition. The work of the goldsmith Nicholas of Verdun showed the second creative impulse of Gothic art. His artwork is marked by graceful, curving figures and soft Greek-like ridged-and-troughed drapery or the so-called Mu ldenstil. A third impulse towards realism in Gothic sculpture, based on 10th century Byzantine prototypes, seems to have originated at Notre-Dame, Paris (c.1200)2. This style is characterized by figures with a

Fast Fashion Target Market

Fast Fashion Target Market There are quite large amount of literatures show the supply chain and the market strategy of the fast fashion firms. However, establishing new fast fashion firms in China also need to know the local information such as the Chinese customers buying behavior, the preferred location, the marketing tools they used, etc. The fast fashion model is suitable for the Chinese Market is the main hypothesis. In order to better understand the meaning from the collected data, some sub-hypothesizes were proposed and then be verified through data analysis and conduction. Thus, the income or the cost on clothes per month has the direct link with the buying behavior. The target customer for fast fashion brand prefer to be more fashionable, however, the budget is always limited. They did not quite prefer famous brands and foreign brands. That matches our hypothesis (The income will influence customers buying behavior.). We use Zara as an example to analyze the consumers attitude to a fast fashion brand and their buying behavior. The satisfaction reasons for Zara, the kinds of clothes customers prefer to buy in Zara, the reasons for them to buy and the place they get the fashion information. We get the data as below. We classify those 132 of 228 people who have shopped or visited Zara stores for the following analysis. We list seven main factors or namely the advantages for buying Zara. As analysis shows above that the Store Location is the most important factor which has an average score of 6.9 in 10. The speed of fashion update and the fashionable are following which both have an average mark of 6.6. Furthermore, the shopping environment and the design of clothes are also two influential factors. Actual need is the main reason for consumers to buy new clothes.However, there are also quite a large amount also choose spontaneous shopping, special discount and fashion followers. That means besides the actual need, consumers buying behavior is also affect by the spontaneous, speicial discount, fashion trend and etc. As the question Where do you get the fashion information? shows, magazines and Internet rank the first and second. More than half of the respondents choose these two as the major tool they get the information. Following with the store window decoration, the percentage of this tool is also very high which means it is also a factor cant be ignore. Thus, the fast fashion firms need to put more emphasis on their marketing through magazines, Internet and the store window decoration. According to feedback we get from the questionnaires, 95.50% consumers of Zara buy daily casual clothes, which means the demands for daily casual are the largest part. Meanwhile, actual need and special discount rank high in the reasons to buy clothes. Moving forward to the income per month part, it shows that the major consumers of Zara are the middle classes. This group of customers is purposefully and efficiently and they are more knowledge about what they want, where they can buy them and when they will buy (Levy S. J. Rook D. W., 1999). They have more own opinion for choosing the clothes. Fashionable but in best price (HM Annual Report 2009, 2010) this slogan of fast fashion might be suitable for this group of consumers. This group of people prefers to get the fashion information from magazine, Internet and store window decoration. Fast fashion firms always have opposite views for the marketing communication. Zara tends to use store window decoration to show its brand image it only has some marketing performance in the beginning of a new store (Ghemawat Nueno, 2003). However, other fast fashion firms such as HM invest more on marketing communications in order to enhance its brand image (HM Website, 2010). Furthermore, based on an analysis for the Frequency Tendency analysis of consumer behavior in Shanghai (He, 2006), we can summarize the characteristics of consumer behavior as the following points: They consider not only the price, but also the taste of fashion. Consumers in Shanghai are generally more rational, price-comparison shopping. They will do more comparison with the products which have the similar feature and select the one with reasonable price. This means they seek the high quality and style. Brand loyalty. Most consumers know their favorite brands. Some of them will not replace the daily use of the brand. Great room for online consumption. Higher education, younger consumers with more online shopping experience, and they are more willing to accept this mode of consumption. Combine our survey with the Frequency Tendency analysis of consumer behavior in Shanghai (He, 2006), we get the result that Zara is successful because of its ability to catch customers needs. They know the suitable store location in a city, the kind of clothes consumers buy most and also the right communication tool for a fast fashion brand. As fast fashion is quite unique and the business model is different from traditional fashion brand, knowing their customers buying behavior seems to be very important. Thus, our hypothesis seems to be right in fast fashion brands. The store location should be in the shopping center so that customers could easily see their store and get the latest fashion information from the window decoration. Meanwhile, the major kind of clothes customer prefers is daily casual as it is the mostly actual need. Furthermore, as quick response is the vital advantage of fast fashion brand, the communication way is also need to be considered carefully. The magazine and the internet are the top two communication ways that the customers get the fashion information. Their rapid responses agree with the quick response spirit of fast fashion. Thus, the fast fashion industry has a positive develop environment in the east of China, because most of fashion manufactories are located in Chinas eastern regions. As the China Textile Exhibition Report (2008/2009) shows, Chinas textile industry is mainly concentrated in coastal areas and almost over 80% of Large-scale manufactories are centralize in Jiangsu Province, Zhejiang Province, Guangdong Province, Shanghai and Shandong Province. The locations for manufactories are significant for fast fashion firms as they are famous by its rapid response. New firms which intend to open the Chinese market need to put emphasis on the east market not only for its leadership but also for the easy transport location. From all these analysis and findings for questionnaires, we offered five recommendations. As our main aim for this dissertation is to find out whether the fast fashion model is suitable for Chinese market. Therefore it will be quite useful to give some recommendations to help the firms that want to use this kind of business model. Zara is different in the organization and design stage with most of the clothing company. It gets the inspirations from the customer needs and quickly responds to them. Zara always keep pace with fashion, not to predict 6-9 months later or even longer needs as other traditional companies. The team of Zara is built up by the designers, marketers, buyers and cross-functional members. Their functions are to ensure rapid transfer of information, the executable program, and easy to implement. Sourcing and Manufacturing In the stage of purchasing and producing, Zara is different with most of the clothes companies. The major manufactories of Zara are in Europe, and many are based in Spain, around a small range. While other fast fashion firms such as Benetton, Gap, H M are basically as a mode of the first worlds brand, the third worlds production.(Ghemawat Nueno, 2003) The biggest advantage is low cost, while the disadvantage is slow response speed. Inditex in Spain has a capital-intensive manufacturing plant, and it is a vertically integrated organization, it has a dyeing, designing, tailoring and garment processing and delay manufacturing strategy(Inditex website, 2010). Inditex bought white cloth in advance, standardized semi-finished products significantly and shorten the production cycle. By maintaining control of dyeing and processing field, it makes Inditex have on-demand ability to produce new models for providing the necessary cloth. However, the majority of the Chinese fashion companies we re not used to store the fabric and the quantity of every collection was quite large. Zara has the advantage of production speed because it contracts with some small factories. Thus, they could change easily according to the market. Distribution Zara puts more emphasis on speed, and even grab at all costs some time. Because there is no loss of time is the concept of fashion. While other fashion firm pay more attention to the cost. Zaras distribution center is in the fast, efficient operation. In fact, it works just as a clothing center and its main function is turnover, not storage. But many domestic garment enterprises distribution centers are larger and more built inside the mountain of storage product. Basically, all the stores of Zara from distribution centers are with direct distribution model, while most domestic garment enterprises are built of local branches and warehouses. They have links at all levels and a large backlog of finished goods inventory. However, Zara is high frequency, fast, with a small storage; variety of replenishment strategy also ensures a rich store of the kind. Retailing Zara is totally broken the traditional clothing brand practice mode of operation and take a completely different destructive innovation road. The most fundamental factor is its efficient operation as the core operating system for collaborative supply chain. Zara is success of its collaborative supply chain operation. This could be learned by some domestic enterprises. It could be concluded as follows: taking consumer as the center; shortening the prepare time and all supply chains in order to squeeze time and eliminate possible problem; reducing or eliminating those which cannot bring value-added component; being more variety to create in order to enhance brand value and competitiveness. 2. Marketing strategies Comparing with the traditional fashion firms, Zaras marketing strategies is quite unique. It spent quite small amount of money in advertising only in the start of a new store open. (Ghemawat Nueno, 2003) They put emphasis on the rapid consumer information feedback by the store sales people and the decoration for the own store and the window. Through these ways, Zara builds its brand image. In comparison, HM use celebrity effect to attract the consumers. The advantages and disadvantages of Zaras marketing strategy will be explored. A store as a show platform One of the most important reasons of Zaras success is that the company takes every store as its show platform. At the beginning of the new store launched, the location selection is the premier crucial thing for the company to inject fund. Usually, the most prosperous shopping center will be targeted and a large amount of money will be spent on renting the store. Meanwhile, expense will not be saved on window decorations and store settings. The staffs of the stores are asked to wear the uniform and communication skills will be trained as well. Celebrity effect Zara is now participating more in social performance in order to enhance its brand awareness. However, HM represents much wiser than Zara on this point. To illustrate, in terms of brand value, HMs brand value is $12,131 million while Zaras is $8,966 million. (Millward Brown: Top 100 Most valuable global brands 2010, 2010) According to the market value, HM equals to $50,587 million which is 10,468 million more than Zara (about $40,119 million) (HM Annual Report 2009,2010; Inditex Annual Report 2009,2010) . In addition, the brand value of HM takes 24% of the total market value. In comparison, the percentage of Zaras brand value in total market value is 22%. However, the situation above does not means that Zara do not think highly of building brand image. Through the management of every store, namely, the decoration, service, turnover speed and so on, Zara demonstrates its advantages to the customers and passes-by vividly. This is also a good way to build the corporations image and prom ote itself. Methods for consumption stimulation Pricing strategy is also another important factor for Zaras success. The accurate position for target customer, the control of cost and the reasonable price setting plays equal significant role and cannot leave anyone. Because of Zara mainly targets on the young generation, the price element seems to be quite important. Most of the young generations are students in the universities or senior schools. Since they have no job and the parents are their only economy source, they can not afford too expensive clothing or they may hold the conception of saving money. When talking about the young people who are in careers, as they are the trainees or the new arrival staffs, they may have the big pressure of renting house and solving living problems, and have no extra money to buy expensive clothes. Therefore, the young customers might be the price-hunting shopper. They may be hesitating when they decide to buy one new item. Zaras fast update rate solves the problem as it promotes people to bu y the products quickly. Furthermore, discount is absolutely a wise approach to stimulate consumption. To sum up, although Zara still have some disadvantages such as its branding and communication, we can learn quite a lot of experience especially in its unique supply chain. However, the domestic firms can not directly copy Zaras mode because of the business environments, the local markets and the corporations target are distinct from each other. Recommendations First, if the Chinese company want to build international fast fashion brand, effectively collecting the fashion information partly from the customers is quite significant,(à ¦Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¾Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ ªREFERENCEà ¯Ã‚ ¼Ã…’à ¨Ã‚ ¿Ã¢â€ž ¢Ãƒ ¦Ã‚  Ã‚ ·Ãƒ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ Ãƒ ¦Ã…“†°Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ Ã‚ ¯Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ¡Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¦) the store managers and employees have a serious responsibility of this task. Basically, the company should interview and employ the staff who is sensitive at fashion and capable to collect, conclude and express the element of fashion trends. In addition, the staff could adopt the method of questionnaires to investigate the preferences and suggestions of the consumer. Copies of questionnaire could also be sent to the university students in the big city, like Shanghai, Peking, Hangzhou and so on. In order to catch the fashion trends, the company could send the specific investigator to different fashion zones to travel, observe and get the fashion trend, for instance, Nanjin g Street of Shanghai, Wangfujing Street of Beijing, and etc. Second, China mainly plays a role of an export country rather than an import country. The material in China is relatively sufficient and ready to use.(à ¨Ã‚ ¿Ã¢â€ž ¢Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ ªÃƒ §Ã‚ ®-Recommendationà ¯Ã‚ ¼Ã… ¸) Like Zara, the vertically integrated structure of the organization could be found, forming design, manufacturing and delivery as a vertical line. Therefore, both the time and the money will be saved. From the domestic country, the rough material is relatively cheaper than that from other countries and there will be no tax on the freight. Furthermore, the shipping expense will be saved as well. In addition, discount is a good way to sell as well if the cost price is low. Third, in China, most of the companies still hold the perspective of saving cost rather than saving time. Absolutely, saving time needs money. However, saving time could gain more time, more chance, and more profit which could cover the costs. It benefits the companys image and strengthens the competitive power.(à ¦Ã…“â‚ ¬Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ¥Ã‚ ½Ãƒ ¥Ã…  Ã‚  Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã…  ref) Aiming at the time element, the inventory or distribution center should pay more attention on turnover rather than storage. The direct distribution model and variety of replenishment strategy could be adopted in the company to ensure the high speed of goods turnover and storage supplement. On one part, it will build good image of the company at the operational level. On another part, fast-changing goods in stores could stimulate the consumption. It gives pressure on the consumers and reduces the time on considering whether to buy or not. Fourth, the company in China often is divided into several parts and each manager only take note of his own department.(Referenceà ¯Ã‚ ¼Ã… ¸) However, it will be better if the departments of the whole supply chain can work coherently and communicate with each other in time. For example, the time to replenish the goods should be supervised orderly and strictly. The daily sales, inventory and after-sale information should be counted and reported to the company. For instance, which are the best and the worst selling, how many items have been sold, and so on. In addition, the unsold clothing could be sent back to the company for the re-manufacture. Fifth, building the brand image through display of stores rather than celebrity effect is a new way for Chinese companies. The new open store should be decorated attractively, especially the display window. The staff in stores could wear the new arrival clothing instead of the uniform to have a show and to attract the consumers. In addition, it is still a good way for Chinese company to invite a film or singing star as a brand image standing for the company because the celebrity effect is relatively strong in China.

Vonnegut social commentary in cats cradle Essays -- essays research pa

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Social Commentary in Vonnegut’s Cat’s Cradle   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Kurt Vonnegut’s science fiction novel, Cat’s Cradle, is chocked full of social commentary, satirical humor, and an overall pessimistic view on American Society. Through the fictional religion Bokononism Vonnegut introduces us to John, a young man who is writing a book about the day the atomic bomb was dropped. His research led him to the late Dr. Felix Hoenikker, a brilliant scientist who was deemed the â€Å"father of the atomic bomb.† Anxious to learn more about Hoenikker from his surviving children, John followed them to the impecunious island of San Lorenzo. In San Lorenzo John was introduced to Bokononism, the dominant (yet illegal) religion of the island; which among its many bizarre features, openly proclaimed that it was a total lie. While on the island, John also learned more about Ice Nine, the final project that Hoenikker created. Ice Nine ( a simple rearrangement of water molecules) had the ability to freeze instantly any body of w ater, due to a complex crystalline formation. Although the ice was to be Hoenikker’s great gift to the military to freeze swamps during battle, so they could move troops more efficiently; it ended up being a creation more fatal than the atomic bomb itself. Subsequently John's adventures came to a harsh, if strangely appropriate end caused by the selfishness of human nature. The moral of the story, laced with deception, ignorance, self-indulgence, and control is that life is entirely worthless and fails to serve a purpose. Yet, the comic relief and vivacity of the novel gives it power and charm, curiously contrasted with its depressing meaning.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the beginning of the novel, the reader is introduced to the deceased Felix Hoenikker, a man who was full of curiosity and had an uncanny regard for everything scientific. Not only was he the father of the atomic bomb, but shortly before his death he created the destructive Ice Nine. With the ability to freeze anything liquid it was essentially the end of the world, should it get into the wrong hands. Although the original intention of the water derived destructor was to help soldiers solidify swampy muck when fighting wars, so they could easily get through was... ...uous activities he took part in at Jack’s Hobby Shop. Throughout the book, Frank is described as a quiet loner, someone who was out of the social realms of normal teenage life. Frank said â€Å"...but they didn’t know what really went on there. They would have been really surprised, especially the girls-- in they’d found out what really went on. The girls didn’t think I knew anything about girls.† (201, Vonnegut). When John asked him what he really was doing there, Frank simply said, â€Å"I was screwing Jack’s wife all day.† (Vonnegut, 201). This was Vonnegut’s way of using satire and irony to show that people make skewed judgments on others based on nothing more than what they want to believe.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In conclusion, Cat’s Cradle is a fabulously constructed book, filled with sarcasm, wit, irony, and satire to express Vonnegut’s personal views on Human Society. Although it ends with the destruction of the world from the lethal Ice Nine, the book is somewhat redeemed by its humorous anecdotes, and clever allusions. Vonnegut successfully portrayed his pessimistic views of our society, and opened the reader up to a completely new way of thinking in terms of human nature.

Computer Virus

Assignment on Public Speaking Assignment topic : Informative speech on â€Å"Computer Viruses† Submitted to : Kanita Ridwana Lecturer Department of English Stamford University Bangladesh. Submitted by : Mir Alim – uz – zaman ID. LLB 04206977 Department of Laws Stamford University Bangladesh Submission date Teacher’s Comment & Signature COMPUTER VIRUS Good afternoon everyone. Hoping all of you are well. This is the time to present my informative speech.For making a Digital Bangladesh, every citizen has to expert user of computer and our authority has to computerize all sections of this country. But the major threat for using a computer is â€Å"virus†. That’s why I have prepared my speech to inform my audience about it. Today I have prepared Four special points for illustrate a virus. a) What is a Virus? b) What Viruses don’t do? c) How does Virus spread? and, d) How to prevent a Virus Invasion? a) What is a Virus: Computer viruses are programs written by â€Å"mean† people.These virus programs are placed into a commonly used program so that program will run the attached virus program as it boots, therefore, it is said that the virus â€Å"infects† the executable file or program. Executable files include Macintosh â€Å"system files† [such as system extensions, INITs and control panels] and application programs [such as word processing programs and spreadsheet programs. ] Viruses work the same ways in Windows or DOS machines by infecting zip or exe files. A virus is inactive until you execute an infected program or application OR start your computer from a disk that has infected system files.Once a virus is active, it loads into your computer's memory and may save itself to your hard drive or copies itself to applications or system files on disks you use. Some viruses are programmed specifically to damage the data on your computer by corrupting programs, deleting files, or even erasing you r entire hard drive. Many viruses do nothing more than display a message or make sounds / verbal comments at a certain time or a programming event after replicating themselves to be picked up by other users one way or another. Other viruses make your computer's system behave erratically or crash frequently.Sadly many people who have problems or frequent crashes using their computers do not realize that they have a virus and live with the inconveniences. Though Viruses are really a threat for all computer users, it cannot be harmful in some points. b) What Viruses don’t do: Computer viruses cannot infect write protected disks or infect written documents. Viruses do not infect compressed files, unless the file was infected prior to the compression. [Compressed files are programs or files with its common characters, etc. removed to take up less space on a disk. Viruses do not infect computer hardware, such as monitors or computer chips; they only infect software. In addition, Ma cintosh viruses do not infect DOS / Window computer software and vice versa. For example, the Melissa virus incident of late 1998 and the ILOVEYOU virus of 2000 worked only on Window based machines and could not operate on Macintosh computers. One further note-> viruses do not necessarily let you know they are present in your machine, even after being destructive. If your computer is not operating properly, it is a good practice to check for viruses with a current â€Å"virus checking† program.Lacking of proper knowledge makes the virus more powerful and it helps to spread it in each file of a computer. c) How does Virus spread: Viruses begin to work and spread when you start up the program or application of which the virus is present. For example, a word processing program that contains a virus will place the virus in memory every time the word processing program is run. Once in memory, one of a number of things can happen. The virus may be programmed to attach to other a pplications, disks or folders. It may infect a network if given the opportunity.Viruses behave in different ways. Some viruses stay active only when the application it is part of is running. Turn the computer off and the virus is inactive. Other viruses will operate every time you turn on your computer after infecting a system file or network. We need to have proper knowledge, and stay safe from a virus. d) How to prevent a Virus invasion: Some tips to prevent virus invasion are given below: I. Load only software from original disks or CD's. Pirated or copied software is always a risk for a virus. II. Execute only programs of which you are familiar as to their origin.Programs sent by email should always be suspicious. III. Computer uploads and â€Å"system configuration† changes should always be performed by the person who is responsible for the computer. Password protection should be employed. IV. Check all shareware and free programs downloaded from on-line services with a virus checking program. V. Purchase a virus program that runs as you boot or work your computer. Up-date it frequently. Finally I hope everyone should be careful about viruses and enjoy a virus free computing. Thank you everyone. *Created by Alim Z Mir (optimist. [email  protected] com)

3 Examples of Problems with Parallel Structure

3 Examples of Problems with Parallel Structure 3 Examples of Problems with Parallel Structure 3 Examples of Problems with Parallel Structure By Mark Nichol In each of the following sentences, sentence construction obscures the complementary relationship between parallel phrases. Discussion following each example explains the problem, and revisions illustrate solutions. 1. Follow this step with user support and usage monitoring to ensure a smooth transition and optimal user experience during and post-implementation. The phrase â€Å"during and post-implementation† is treated as if it is an instance of suspensive hyphenation, but the sentence is incomplete with a noun after during: â€Å"Follow this step with user support and usage monitoring to ensure a smooth transition and an optimal user experience during implementation and postimplementation.† However, the prefixed word postimplementation is correct but unwieldy, so simply withhold the repetition and replace the prefix with a free-standing conjunction: â€Å"Follow this step with user support and usage monitoring to ensure a smooth transition and an optimal user experience during and after implementation.† 2. There seems to be an idea that blaming the other side for failure is as good, if not better, than getting something done in a bipartisan way. If a parenthetical phrase has been interjected into a sentence, in its absence, the base sentence must be syntactically valid. Here, the result of a test deletion of â€Å"if not better† is â€Å"There seems to be an idea that blaming the other side for failure is as good than getting something done in a bipartisan way.† Obviously, something is wrong- a repetition of as is necessary, and than belongs in the parenthesis: â€Å"There seems to be an idea that blaming the other side for failure is as good as, if not better than, getting something done in a bipartisan way.† 3. This regulation helps guarantee the financial services industry upholds its obligation to protect consumers and ensure that its systems are sufficiently constructed to prevent cyberattacks to the fullest extent possible. The conjunction that is sometimes unnecessary (â€Å"Do you think it’s required in this sentence?†), but if it employed in a given phrase, it should be included in a complementary phrase in the same sentence, as here: â€Å"This regulation helps guarantee that the financial services industry upholds its obligation to protect consumers and ensure that its systems are sufficiently constructed to prevent cyberattacks to the fullest extent possible.† (Without that in place after guarantee, the reader is initially misled into thinking that the regulation guarantees the industry itself rather than something about the industry.) Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Grammar category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:How Many Tenses in English?Try to vs. Try and20 Movies Based on Shakespeare Plays

Free Essays on Waking Life

Richard Linklater accomplished a vision that he had almost scrapped until the immergence of a new technique in rotoscoped animation. Waking Life is a film infused with the power of animation that takes us through a journey of dreams and makes one question their own reality. The method of animation used was the step to making this powerful piece of cinema a reality and would not have happened without it. Rotoscoping was inventing in 1915 by animation pioneer Max Fleischer. It is a method that takes live action footage and traces over the images to produce very realistic movement. It is because of this tracing method that some feel rotoscoping is a sort of a cheat or easy way out. However, rotoscoping and other forms like it are a way to explore animation and its creativity even further; it allows animators more artistic freedom by saving labor: â€Å"To not use these labor saving methods and tools would take us back to the days when acetate cells weren’t invented and you had not only to animate every frame but had to redraw the background every time as well.† It was this type of freedom that allowed everyone involved with the piece to create a film that is just as visually stunning as it is narrativly. Director Richard Linklater wanted to bring artist, like painters, who did not necessarily know anything about producing animation and involve them in the process as animators. To accomplish this Linklater enlisted animator Bob Sabiston as art director. Sabiston brought with him his own developed software nicknamed RotoShop. This software was the tool that allowed artists of all animation levels to create their visions. It is a system that allows artists to trace over the video (Quicktime) with Wacom pens and tablets with results that are very close to brush strokes on a canvas. This method is accelerated due to the software’s interpolation system, which automatically connects lines within so many frames. Sabiston co... Free Essays on Waking Life Free Essays on Waking Life Richard Linklater accomplished a vision that he had almost scrapped until the immergence of a new technique in rotoscoped animation. Waking Life is a film infused with the power of animation that takes us through a journey of dreams and makes one question their own reality. The method of animation used was the step to making this powerful piece of cinema a reality and would not have happened without it. Rotoscoping was inventing in 1915 by animation pioneer Max Fleischer. It is a method that takes live action footage and traces over the images to produce very realistic movement. It is because of this tracing method that some feel rotoscoping is a sort of a cheat or easy way out. However, rotoscoping and other forms like it are a way to explore animation and its creativity even further; it allows animators more artistic freedom by saving labor: â€Å"To not use these labor saving methods and tools would take us back to the days when acetate cells weren’t invented and you had not only to animate every frame but had to redraw the background every time as well.† It was this type of freedom that allowed everyone involved with the piece to create a film that is just as visually stunning as it is narrativly. Director Richard Linklater wanted to bring artist, like painters, who did not necessarily know anything about producing animation and involve them in the process as animators. To accomplish this Linklater enlisted animator Bob Sabiston as art director. Sabiston brought with him his own developed software nicknamed RotoShop. This software was the tool that allowed artists of all animation levels to create their visions. It is a system that allows artists to trace over the video (Quicktime) with Wacom pens and tablets with results that are very close to brush strokes on a canvas. This method is accelerated due to the software’s interpolation system, which automatically connects lines within so many frames. Sabiston co...

Comparing the Qualities of Jacob and Joseph in the Bible Essay

Comparing the Qualities of Jacob and Joseph in the Bible - Essay Example diplomatically, either. When he had a series of dreams that showed in symbols his brothers and parents bowing down to him, he hastened to let them know about it. This arrogance inflamed his brothers further (The old testament). Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah. For twenty years they lived happily together. But like Abraham and Sarah, they had no children. Isaac pleaded with the Lord that he would bless them. So God gave them twins. Finally the big day came when the twins were born. The first came out red, and all hairy like an animal skin. They named him Esau. As Esau was born they noticed that the next child was being born holding onto Esau's heal. They named this son Jacob. As the boys grew up, Isaac seems to love Esau more than Jacob. One day Jacob was cooking up a nice lentil stew and some bread. But, before he ate it Esau came by on his way home from a hunting trip. Esau was very hungry and very tired. He had been hunting for a long time and caught nothing. Esau was starving so he begged Jacob to let him eat his nice stew. Jacob thought for a moment, and then said he would sell it to Esau for the birthright. The birthright was all the major possessions that a man owned that was always given to the oldest son. Esau was so hungry he thought that if he did not get something to eat right now he would die, so what difference would it make if he agreed to give Jacob the birthright. So Esau agreed to sell his birthright to Jacob for some bread and lentil stew. Jacob made Esau swear an oath on this agreement, and he did (Jacob and Isaac). Isaac was growing old, and he could not see well. He thought he was going to die soon, so he called Esau to him to give him the birthright blessing. While Esau was away to seek a deer, Jacod pretended to be Esau in front of his dying father and was able to get his father birthright blessings (Jacob tricks Isaac). Jacod not only took his brother's birthright, but also their father's birthright blessing as well, in those days, birthright blessing can only be given once. Even though Isaac realized later on that he gave the birthright blessing to the wrong son, he can no longer get it back. Jacob was a dishonest man due to his longing for earthly things. He tricked both his brother and father. He's actions where always governed by the flesh and its carnal desires. Jacod made two great mistakes: Firstly, he convinced his brother Esau to renounce his birthright. He has done this when Esau was so hungry and begging for food. Esau had no choice then but to submit to Jacob's condition in order not to die from hunger. Secondly, Jacob tricked his father Isaac. In order to get the birthright blessing from his father rather than to his brother, who is the oldest son. This made Esau very angry and planned to kill Jacob. The story of Joseph is what seems to be the other side of the coin. Joseph was the 11th son Jacob whom he loved the most. This made Joseph's brothers jealous and cruel with him. One day when they were all away from home, the bad brothers threw Joseph into an empty well after tearing off his coat which his father had given him. While Joseph was in the empty well, a caravan of merchants passed by. They picked him up and took him with them to Egypt as a prisoner

Reflection paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 15

Reflection paper - Essay Example He believes that his wife has a nervous depression which is the reason why he takes her away from the town to a far off mansion. He serves as her physician and believes that she is totally helpless while the narrator is not at all satisfied from her husband’s treatment yet she prefers to stay quiet. She cannot voice all that she detests. She thinks that that is the hurdle between her and her health and that is why she does not get better. She is allowed to write her thoughts on ‘dead paper’ and those writings have to be kept private and away from others. The book focuses on giving woman a respectable environment where can they live as free-willed human beings and enjoy their lives just like men do. The usage of symbolism is quite vivid throughout the book as the narrator tries to present a clear-cut image of what women were treated like back in the 1800’s. Back at her own house, she lived with John, in a bright spacious room which had yellow wallpaper which she completely found hideous and disgusting. She was not allowed to write or to work, all that she was allowed to do was rest. The wallpaper became a source of reaction for her, she could stare at it for hours and soon after she started to examine it, patterns started to take shape. She could see images and everything started to change. She could see a woman behind bars, all trapped and with no way out. She felt enslaved too and all her sympathies were directed towards enslaved women. She becomes paranoid around her babysitter and even her husband and starts to feel that they also want to discover the truth behind the images of the wallpaper. The narrator becomes hysterical and tears the wallpaper down which she seems is the only way to release the woman behind it. The wallpaper was not the cause behind her depression. She just became obsessed with it because she had nothing else to do. She was also not

Cabinet Belayachi Company Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4250 words

Cabinet Belayachi Company - Essay Example It is evident from the study that sometimes organizations engage in fraudulent activities like tax evasion and account fudging. Most of the fudging is done in minute level and thus it becomes hard to be detected by someone who does not have knowledge and as well as experience to perform auditing and verification of the accounts. In order to perform account verification a small, family-owned organization is hired in order to verify the clients’ accounts’ reliability and transparency. The firm also it also tries to establish taxation strategies for its clients in order to reduce the taxes’ amount to be paid. The financial statements contain vital information pertaining to aspects like financial soundness and stability. Sometimes the companies and organizations are not aware of the unnecessary costs that bear down heavily on the revenue. Application of specific techniques like ratio analysis and balance sheet analysis help the companies in developing specific strate gies to increase the revenue and at same time decrease the costs. Financial diagnoses are performed by the firm by identifying the less productive functions of a given company. Based on the specific findings obtained from the analysis of the financial diagnosis specific strategies are formulated and integrated to optimize the company’s resources. It is active since 1997and has a client base of more than 250, from various economic sectors. Its capital stock is of 100 000 Euros. Years of high quality service and hard work has helped the firm develop long standing relationships with various firms. This long standing relationship in turn has helped the firm to ease the process of account verification and auditing. The firm does not have a huge workforce. Its workforce comprises of 15 employees only. Although the total client base is more than 250, so for this reason sometimes it becomes necessary to work at the client’s premises. Another reason for which the employees had to work at the clients office premises is to keep the confidentiality of the sensitive information. The direct access to the sensitive information can be misused by perpetrators and this will give rise to cases of non compliance and subsequent legal proceedings in the court of law. So for this reason it becomes necessary to allow the employees, have a full and transparent access to all the documents needed to achieve the assigned mission. Cabinet Belayachi also looks at the tax problems of the companies. Taxation is a vast domain, with innumerable clauses and rules. Thus it becomes impossible for small and medium companies to keep dedicated in house tax consultants who will guide the companies to file for the taxes and returns. These companies most of the time approach 3rd party companies on an one-off basis or on demand basis particularly on those times of the year when the tax filing and return deadline approaches (Betty 604). Cabinet Belayachi, acts as a tax consultant offering e xpert advices on taxation. Sometimes Cabinet Belayachi is frequently asked to work closely with taxes inspector in case of clients’ tax adjustments. For that matter, the practice has built a long-term relationship with tax officials in order to ease the process during the mentioned situation. 2. Presentation of department

Extended Family Cover Essay Example for Free

Extended Family Cover Essay Survey respondents believe that women are not as â€Å"internationally mobile† as men, yet 80 percent of female expatriates have never turned down a relocation, compared to 71 percent of men. A second powerful assumption is that women encounter more work-life conflict while managing a global schedule. However, nearly half of both women and men report that they find work-life balance difficult. Finally, survey respondents believe clients outside the United States are not as comfortable doing business with women as they are with men. In fact, 76 percent of women expatriates said being a woman had a positive or neutral impact on their effectiveness overseas. Both women and men, managers and human resources executives, hold the preconceptions that emerged in this study about womens ability in the international arena. Yet paradoxically, 90 percent of female expatriates, 91 percent of women with global responsibility who havent relocated, and 93 percent of men married to expatriates said they would accept their current assignments again. In fact, current expatriates (85 percent) and former expatriates (86 percent) believe global experience makes them more marketable to other companies. Compared in the past, companies at present become more open in having women as part of the workforce and consider them in equal footing as their male employees. Working Woman magazine cited Philip Morris as a company where 31 percent of all managers are women. With respect to international assignments, Philip Morris makes sure that women are tapped for those assignments. Another company, Hewlett-Packard, has a woman leading the company. The chair, president, and CEO of Hewlett-Packard is Carly Fiorina. She makes Hewlett-Packard one of only two companies in the Fortune 500 with a woman as chair, president, and CEO. Hewlett-Packard, which has a strong international presence, has a long history of supporting and promoting women (Palagano Lee, October 2005). The next items are the list of favorable companies that provide as much benefits to working mothers in their organization: Microsoft, Bacardi and Computer Associates all offer family healthcare benefits packages for partners and their children. It helps to maintain high worker performance and establishing a caring reputation are the important motivating factors, as employers believe satisfied employees will spread the word about a companys practices (Extended Family Cover, 2004). While BMW Plant Oxford, manufacturer of the Mini Cooper, presents different options of flexible, voluntary family benefits, that include insurance products, dental coverage and healthcare cash plans; workers have an option to devise their own benefits packages tailored to individual family needs. BMW also offers family social events, it is one of their strategies to improve worker morale and performance, intensifying job engagement and encouraging better relationships among employees (Extended Family Cover, 2004). IBM provides its employees with schedule flexibility, extended personal leaves and dependent care referral services. Also, IBM has recognized the need to conduct training programs that sensitize its managers to the problems that employees may encounter as they try to balance family and job demands. (Extended Family Cover, 2004). A pioneer in lactation support benefits, Procter and Gamble (PG) has such programs at all its major worksites and in most of its production plants. This kind of strategy has helped maintain high morale and retention rates. It is also enhanced productivity and reduced absenteeism among female workers. Mothers schedule their own breaks in lactation rooms that have hospital-grade pumps, refrigerators for storing milk, curtained-off nursing stations for privacy and a supply of educational materials along with a registered nurse for onsite support (Callahan, 2005). Aetna Inc. s Mothers at Work program, which received a 100% satisfaction rating from participating nursing mothers, has lactation rooms in its 50 locations and an in-house Web site with information for breastfeeding mothers returning to work. Nursing mothers receive an individual pump and professional lactation consultation. In 2004, 62% of Aetna employees nursed for six months, as compared with the 27% national average of nursing mothers (Callahan, 2005).

Wedding Toasts †Bride to Groom :: Wedding Roasts Speeches

Wedding Toasts – Bride to Groom My Husband What shall I say about my husband? My utterly impractical, never predictable, Something irascible, quite inexplicable, husband. Strange blend of shyness, pride and conceit And stubborn refusal to bow in defeat. He's spoiling and ready to argue and fight, Yet the smile of a child fills his soul with delight. His eyes are the quickest to well up in tears, Yet his strength is the strongest to banish my fears. His faith is as fierce as his devotion is grand And there's no middle ground on which he will stand. He's wild and he's gentle, he's good and he's bad, He's proud and he's humble, he's happy and sad. He's in love with the ocean, the earth and the skies, He's enamored with beauty wherever it lies. He's victor and victim, a star and a clod, But mostly he's my husband and in love with his God. May We Live in Peace As the green hills of home are drenched with raindrops Like a mother's tears of joy when her child comes home from the sea, So does my heart weep when we are sometimes parted, you from me. Therefore let us make this pact, to let love bind us, one to another, To always return, 'ere the green hills' grasses turn brown. May we live in peace without weeping. May our joy outline the lives we touch without ceasing. And may our love fill the world, angel wings tenderly beating. Wedding Toasts - To the groom from someone other than the

300 †a Gender Analysis Essay

Gender The film industry has created the conventional gender roles of society into their movies; A majority of films have supported some of the male and female stereotypes. In the history of the film industry, the role of men is primarilythat of the stereotypical working class man or hero, while the roles of women are primarily portrayed as being somewhat inferior to men. In the 1930s through the 1970s, men held the leading roles in films while women played smaller roles. Men were typically employed, successful gentlemen, while the woman’s only job was a housewife. The film industry was mostly dominated by men. In terms of jobs, women were given mostly family roles and rarely were shown outside of their homes, while men had successful careers and did many activities outside of home. â€Å"Women were shown doing housework and men were the beneficiaries of their work† (â€Å"Women’s roles in the film industry† Women in film). As women were given a more active role in society, the gender roles in movies changed. However, many types of gender stereotypes in films still exist. Action genre movies in particular account for many of the gender stereotypes in the film industry today. Men are typically portrayed to be the hero, while women are often portrayed as sexual objects. In the movie 300, the Spartan men served and protected the city of Sparta, while the Spartan women did domestic chores and bred more warriors. Because this movie was set back in 480 BC society portrayed men to be superior to women. Some of the main characters in 300 are prime examples for the different gender roles. King Leonidas is the proud, triumphant King of Sparta. In the film, the character Leonidas possesed as a couple different male stereotypes. King Leonidas is portrayed as the hero throughout the different action sequences. Throughout the movie Leonidas takes charge of his troops and leads them into battle. Leonidas is hero not only because he is the King of Sparta, but also because he is the commander of the troops. Before King Leonidas leaves for battle with his three-hundred Spartans, he confronts his wife and refrains from saying â€Å"My queen, my life, my love,† because he, like all other Spartans, is not soft and does not want to show emotion to his queen (Zack Snyder. 00). The narrator speaks of how Spartan men are raised like brutes and are â€Å"hard warriors† (Zack Snyder. 300). This particular phrase is important to the story because it reflects the gender role of men during that time period. King Leonidas can also be classified as the family man stereotype. Throughout the film he trains his young son for battle. He plays the role of protector not only for his individual family, but also for Spart a. In the movie 300, King Leonidas represents many male stereotypes. In contrast, the character Queen Gorgo stands for many female stereotypes in the movie. The queen portrays the domestic female stereotype. In the film Queen Gorgo cares for her young son and stays at home while her husband, King Leonidas, is fighting for their country. Like many of the women in the film, Queen Gorgo performs many domestic tasks such as retrieving food and water for her family, as well as looking after her child. Queen Gorgo is also a sex object. She is easily seduced by her King. She bribesone of the councilmen with sex. At times in the film the Queen, among many other women, wear little clothing. The 300 Spartans also wear little clothing in the film. Due to the lack of clothing, the Spartans show their ripped and brute physique to reinforce the male stereotype of being brawny and strong. Lastly, the queen represents the female stereotype of beauty. The queen is an attractive woman with a small frame, much like how the media portrays what a woman should look like. Her attractive looks and sexual qualities are a large part of Queen Gorgo’s character. Queen Gorgo represents an abundance of the female stereotypes in society. The captain of the Spartan troops also shows male stereotypes. The captain is a close ally of King Leonidas. Throughout the film, the captain portrays the male stereotype of being a family man. The captain’s son, Astinos, is barely old enough to be in battle with the Persians. The captain is skeptical of allowing his son to enter battle, but decides to encourage him to serve their country. Throughout the different battles with the Persians, the captain protects his son from harm. When Astinos is killed by Persians, the captain goes on an extremely violent tirade and kills every Persian in sight due to his overpowering vengeance. After the death of his son, the captain proclaims to the king that his heart is filled with hate, and King Leonidas replies â€Å"Good. † King Leonidas feels that it is necessary for a soldier to feel hatred toward his enemies. This particular scene portrays another male characteristic of not showing emotion towards a certain subject. The captain is another character that shows the male stereotype present in this film. Although many of the characters in the movie portray the prevalent male and female stereotypes in society, there are a few characters that stray away from these social formalities. Councilman Theron is an example of one of the characters that does not abide to the brute and warrior stereotypes in the film 300. Theron is no older than the Spartan men who fight for their city, but he lacks the physical strength that the Spartan warriors possess. Because Theron is not a typical man in Sparta, he wears a gown that is similar to the gowns worn by Spartan women. Along with Councilman Theron, there are other men that are on the council of Sparta. These men are far less in physical size than the Spartan warrior and are given duties that are similar to women. The men in the council are unique to the majority of men in Sparta that serve their city. Since the men wear â€Å"woman-like† clothing, it labels women’s apparel to be very revealing. These men reinforce some of the women stereotypes prevalent in the film. There are also some specific scenes in the movie that break some of the male and female stereotypes. Directly after Astinos is killed in battle, the Captain begins to break down and cry. The captain immediately showed his emotion for the loss of his son. This scene in the movie shows how even the most masculine man has to show some emotion at some point in time. In the end of the battle against the Persians, after King Leonidas has been shot by many arrows, he stands up and shouts, â€Å"My queen, my life, my love† (Zack Snyder. 300). This phrase is contradictory to the general actions of Spartans, and men in general, because it shows emotion. Both of these sequences in the film show how every man must show emotion, regardless of who they are. 300 demonstrated the many male and female stereotypes in society. Although most of the men were relatively similar, there were a few men in Sparta who went against the normal gender role. Like many other action movies, 300 showed various roles that supported some of the gender roles in the film industry. The main characters primarily demonstrated the conventional gender roles, but they also expressed some contradictory qualities. The film industry provides arious different types of gender roles through movies. â€Å"advertising. † Home | Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame, IN. 20 Apr. 2009 ;lt; http://www. diigo. com/05lfx â€Å"Women in Film. † Yahoo! GeoCities: Get a free web site with easy-to-use site building tools. 20 Apr. 2009 ;lt; http://www. diigo. com/05lfw â€Å"300 Movie – Spartans. † Mens Movie Guide. 20 Apr. 2009 ;lt; http://www. diigo. c om/05lfv 300 (Widescreen Single Disc Edition). Dir. Zack Snyder. Perf. Gerard Butler, Lena Headey. DVD. Warner Bros. Pictures Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures International, 2006.

Economic Theory and Application Essay

1. The following graph: (not able to recreate, but in the text), shows a firm with a kinked demand curve a. What assumption lies behind the shape of this demand curve? The kinked demand curve assumes that other firms will follow price decreases and will not follow price increases. For instance, in an oligopoly model, based on two demand curves that assumes that other firms will not match a firm’s price increases, but will match its price increases. The kinked demand curve model of oligopoly implies that oligopoly prices tend to be â€Å"sticky† and do not change as much as they would in other market structures given the assumptions that a firm is making about the behavior of its rival firms. Kinked demand was an initial attempt to explain sticky prices. It is an economic theory regarding oligopoly and monopolistic competition. b. Identify the firm’s profit-maximizing output and price. In Figure 9.1 in the textbook, the firm’s profit-maximizing output and price is when there is an increase in price over the average marginal cost (the difference between p1 and the point vertically down from there that cuts the MC curve) Profit maximization is the process by which a firm determines the price and output level that returns the greatest profit. There are several approaches to this definition. The total revenue total cost method relies on the fact that profit equals revenue minus cost, and the marginal revenue – marginal cost method is based on the fact that total profit in a perfectly competitive market reaches its maximum point where marginal revenue equals marginal cost. c. Use the graph to explain why the firm’s price is likely to remain the same, even if marginal costs change. If marginal costs increase or decrease within the discontinuous range of the marginal revenue curve, the point at which marginal revenue equals marginal cost will remain the same. Thus, price and output do not change, even though costs (and profits) are different. Marginal cost is the additional cost of producing an additional unit of output. Marginal cost shows the changes in costs as output changes. Total variable costs change as the level of output varies but total fixed costs are constant regardless the level of output. Therefore, total fixed costs do not influence the marginal costs of production and actually average fixed costs decreases continuously as more output is produced. Because total fixed cost is constant, average fixed cost must decline as output increases ad spreads the total fixed cost is constant over a larger number of units of output. Both average variable cost and average cost first decrease and then increase. 2. Some games of strategy are cooperative. One example is deciding which side of the road to drive on. It doesn’t matter which side it is, as long as everyone chooses the same side. Otherwise, everyone may get hurt.