Marriage by Gregory Corso Essay Example

Marriage by Gregory Corso Paper Pie Glue: The Sanctimonious Institution of Marriage Gregory Corsos poem Marriage is a lucid example of how John Clellon Holmes described the Beat Generation: a display of moral degeneration. The speaker of the poem is torn between submitting to the non-conformity of the Beats and conforming to societys strict views about marriage and social structure. The presence of conflicting thoughts- whether or not to get married and looking at the prospects of marriage from two different viewpoints, gives this satirical poem a lot of weight as a plea against the phony social construction that is marriage. The poem starts off with questions that are not, under usual circumstances asked by young eligible men. Yet these rhetorical questions seem to have the answers, sarcastic and satirical answers hidden in them. The speaker of the poem, a young man, ponders if he should â€Å"be good† (line 1). Being â€Å"good† is what everybody expects you to be, and the definition of this â€Å"good† that is talked about has nothing to do with morality. Rather, being good is just the action of conforming to society’s expectations of one’s actions and behavior. He contemplates what a date with him would be like. He would take the lady to a cemetery as opposed to the movies and talk about abominations such as werewolves and â€Å"forked clarinets†, which is probably a reference to the Devil’s forked tongue. And then, as any man would, he would â€Å"desire her and kiss her and all the preliminaries† (line 5) of foreplay. But as he would be about to advance further she, being a good girl, would stop him from going any further. He, being like any young man of age, would want sex. We will write a custom essay sample on Marriage by Gregory Corso specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Marriage by Gregory Corso specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Marriage by Gregory Corso specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer He would try to convince her, â€Å"You must feel! It’s beautiful to feel! †(line 7). He would try to coerce her with words, coerce her into giving in. He would eventually â€Å"be good† once more and refrain from having her. Instead, he would lay with her by a tombstone and look at the beauty of the starry sky. Once again, what he describes here is conventional romantic behavior that is expected by a young eligible gentleman. As hard as he tries, he seems to unintentionally spiral towards convention. He moves on in his imagination about what it would be like if things worked out fine and he and â€Å"the girl next door† (line 2) took their relationship to the next level: meeting the parents. In order to win their approval, he would certainly have to have his â€Å"back straightened, hair finally combed, strangled by a tie† (line 11). In this line and the lines that follow, the speaker of the poem is quite candid in his disapproval of the social norms and rituals of courtship and parental approval. He quite reluctantly sits â€Å"with his knees together† (line 12) and tries not to ask where the bathroom is in fear it would be a faux-pas. He asserts that it is just as hard for the other party, the parents to conform to this seemingly absurd social ritual. They have to sit across from a strange young man who would steal the innocence of their daughter â€Å"Mary Lou† (line 19). All this while, all that the speaker of the poem was thinking about was whether or not ask where the bath room is and occasionally entertaining himself with absurd and amusing thoughts such as â€Å"Flash Gordon soap† (line 15). Over â€Å"tea and homemade cookies† (line 20) they make small conversation to fill up the awkward silence. If the young man is deemed suitable, the parents happily give away their daughter to a young man who was a stranger not an hour ago. They ask what he does for a living, and he asks himself rhetorical questions: â€Å"Should I tell them? Would they like me then? † (line 21). He then ponders what the highly important, yet redundant wedding day would be like. The wedding is a big deal for the bride, so obviously a lot of her relatives and friends would be there. He, on the other hand would only have a few socially awkward friends to invite. And yet all these guests would be impatiently waiting â€Å"to get at the drinks and food† (line 28). The priest, probably from the bride’s church, knowing the bride’s innocence looks accusingly at the groom, thinking he had given in to carnal desires and turned to masturbation, an activity commonly regarded as sinful. And under all the pressure created by this social scenario, when the priest asks â€Å"Do you take this woman for your lawful wedded wife? (line 29) he hesitates and blurts out â€Å"Pie Glue† (line 30) which rhymes with the more commonly used term â€Å"I do†. Kirby Olson, in his book The Doubting Thomist, reads the poem as many others have read it: as Corsos outburst against hackneyed social rituals, but he also adds some interesting observations. He notes how Pie Glue rhymes with the more commonly used phrase I do and also claims that this apparent non-sense outburst is in fact a cry of fear, fear of being stuck with one woman (â€Å"hairy pie being a term used for a vagina) for the rest of his life. Once the inessential ceremonies of the wedding are over, all the young men would pat him on the back and offer their obscene congratulations and send the newlyweds off to a honeymoon to a cliched honeymoon spot where dozens of other newly bonded couples go â€Å"to do the same thing†(line 39) consummate their marriage. This is common knowledge, everyone does it, and everyone knows that: â€Å"The indifferent clerk†¦/ the lobby zombies†¦/ the whistling elevator man†¦/ the winking bellboy†¦/ everybody† (lines 40 – 43). Here the poet repetitively uses the words â€Å"The†¦knowing†, bringing emphasis that the actions of the honeymooners are common knowledge and almost taken for granted as a chore, a duty to be performed as opposed to a beautiful expression of love. The use of anaphora strengthens his point. At this point the speaker of the poem is frustrated by thinking about the hackneyed constraints of such a social bondage and convinces himself that he would not do the same things as the other honeymooner were doing; instead he would â€Å"Stay up all night! Stare that hotel clerk in the eye! / Screaming: I deny honeymoon! I deny honeymoon! / running rampant into those almost climactic suites/ yelling Radio belly! Cat shovel! † (lines 45-48). He would be the demon of marriage, the advocate of divorce, a stereotypical madman who would warn the newly weds of the traps they have fallen into and the impending misfortunes they are about to face. Even in being a loner, an iconoclast, the poet fails to describe something new, he fails in his efforts to describe a nonconformist to the idea of marriage and ends up describing just another common social icon: the pariah, the crazy man that people try to believe does not exist. In beginning of the 5th paragraph, the speaker of the poem tries to imagine what a blissful married life would be like, what it would be like to be loved, to â€Å"How nice itd be to come home to her/ and sit by the fireplace and she in the kitchen/ aproned young and lovely†(lines 53-55). He tries to imagine what it would be like to live a calm, quiet married life would be like. He ends up imagining a life where the most exciting part of his day would the wife burning the roast. The serene scene of quiet, peaceful family life lasts but only a few moments before he starts to think of the absurdities once more: â€Å"Christmas teeth! Radiant brains! Apple deaf! † (line 59). Sarcastic comments follow. He tells of how he would do all kinds of unusual things, say weird things to strangers who come to his house, how he would paste stamps on the fence. He also thinks of alternate scenes, different stereotypes of married life: a small house in snow-covered Connecticut, with a lot of babies or in tiny apartment in New York City. How would his life be then? All he could think of was how hackneyed, boring his life would be. He does however see himself in New York, living in a beautiful penthouse with a great view, with a beautiful, smart and sophisticated wife, but he didn’t believe he could be tied up and â€Å"married to that pleasant prison dream-† (line 102). What is it then that drives people to get married and live this grueling lifestyle we call marriage? The thoughts of love appear only towards the very end of the poem, he wonders whether he should get married, conform to the very institution that disgusts him so, and call it a sacrifice for his love; he wonders what he would do if marriage was the only option left for him to be with the one he loves. Although marriage is thought of as the ultimate commitment to love, the two have nothing in common. The speaker knows he would be willing to sacrifice some and conform to social norms only if he meets â€Å"the one† for him. In his book on Corso’s works Gregory Stephenson reads into the poem and realizes that the poet was, at the end of the poem, reminds the readers that marriage is in fact the ultimate act of physical and emotional attraction between two people, and not the phony religious bondage that it has become. The fact that all through the poem the speaker dismisses the very concept of marriage and yet claims he would willingly wait 2000 years for a loved one is proof of the poet’s belief of love and the cleft between love and marriage. The entire poem is in essence a hopeful, romantic love poem.

Anglos and Saxons Before England

Anglos and Saxons Before England Anglos and Saxons Before England Anglos and Saxons Before England By Maeve Maddox A reader wonders about the terms Anglos and Saxons: I have often heard the term Anglo-Saxon, but never just Anglos or Saxons. However, I learned that these are two separate people groups from different areas (of what I guess is Northern Europe). If what I learned is accurate, from what countries are the Anglos, and from what countries are the Saxons? I appreciate any help. Ive been trying to confirm this information since I was in college.   In the fifth century, when the Teutonic invasions of Britain began, the map of Europe did not conform to the way the countries are arranged there today. Picture northern Europe, starting at Denmark on the Jutland Peninsula and descending along the coast opposite England, down to Belgium. In the fifth century, these lands were inhabited by tribes known as Jutes, Angles, Saxons, Frisians, and Franks. All were Germanic in ethnicity and language. A mix of these tribes migrated to England in the fifth and sixth centuries C.E. The earliest historical reference to these invasions occurs in the Ecclesiastical History of the English People (731 C.E.) of the Venerable Bede. He refers only to the Angles, the Saxons, and the Jutes by name. The Celtic people who already lived in Britain called all the Germanic invaders â€Å"Saxons.† Latin writers came to refer to all the invaders as Angli and the country as Anglia. The Latin title of Bede’s history is Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis Anglorum. When the time came for the invaders to write in the vernacular, they all called the language they spoke Englisc (English). The name derives from the name for the Angles (Engle) but was used for all the dialects the invaders spoke. If you want to associate modern terms with these peoples, the Saxons, Franks, and Frisians were â€Å"German-Dutch.† The Angles were â€Å"southern Danish,† and the Jutes were â€Å"northern Danish.† 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 Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:What Is Irony? (With Examples)Comma Before ButKn- Words in English

Describing some of the rhetorical choices Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Describing some of the rhetorical choices - Essay Example In the McDonald’s ad, there are several rhetorical choices that are evident. One is the use of hyperbole as a means to exaggerate the obsession for McDonald’s fare among the NFL players and coaches, in the middle of games. The first person mentions the menu, and the obsession becomes a kind of backdrop rap melody that the other characters then rapped to. The words that were put into their mouths consisted of variations of the burger fare, and an emphasis on bacon. There is also an element of parody as a rhetorical choice for the ad, where the intense obsession with what the players and coaches are saying on court, via lip reading, is flipped on its head so that their utterances are not about the game but about McDonald’s burgers (Super Bowl 2014 Commercials; Broderick). The rhetorical situation in the Toyota Highlander ad, on the other hand, is essentially the same as for the McDonald’s as well as for the all of the commercials in the Super Bowl. That rhetorical situation consists of the ads trying to convey the product message to TV viewers and general Internet followers of the Super Bowl ads. In the Toyota ad it is clear that the overall goal seems to be to entertain and to associate the Camry with images of fun and the iconic Muppets characters. Juxtaposition is a key rhetorical choice for this ad. The juxtaposition consists of the side by side placement of a relatively conventional, middle-class African American man who lives in the suburbs and drives around in a Highlander on the one hand, and on the other hand the psychedelic gang of the musical Muppets, headed by the wild Animal. This is a very good rhetorical choice, given that the Toyota’s traditional image is one of being practical and reliable, if utilitarian and lacking in the fun aspect. On the other hand, the juxtaposition with spontaneity, adventure and fun as embodied by the Muppets and by the Animal

MCA Mouth Full Of Smoke Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

MCA Mouth Full Of Smoke - Essay Example The piece has made use of process to confront deep, personal memories. He wanted to portray the history of paint in a very physical and materialistic process. Through the approach, the piece gives a big hint of painting history. So many artists have used oil paints over so many centuries. He also felt that oil painting artworks are a challenged medium in the modern times. Additionally, the artist used oil paint to bring out the physicality of the piece and to portray the human body. The artwork piece evoked a strong feeling of abstract expressionism since it transits from representational to unrecognizable abstractions. The unique process of painting that Otero used conspicuously brought out materiality. I could not clearly figure out the subject matter of the painting since it is totally abstract. It is full of different colors and lines that do not convey any clear image. However, what attracted me most to this painting is the contrasting colors that the artist has used in this composition. Bright colors such as yellow and white are used to create a contrast with dark colors consisting of black and other dull colors. The use of this technique evokes a feeling of conflicts such as a conflicting idea or a particular struggle. I could deduce that the author meant to portray the personal conflicts that individuals such as smokers sometimes encounter in the social sphere. Looking at the image, I also felt that it is absolutely a unique composition, which has used elements of art tactfully for a full composition. The author has employed elements such as depth, space, shape, line, and texture. Texture, for instance, stands out, as the image appears rough to the touch and this made me rethink the message Otero wishes to portray with this painting. The roughness perhaps is an indication of tough experiences. When I see a painting of such a texture, what comes to mind is

Music assignments Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Music assignments - Assignment Example By rigid vocal orchestration it is meant the seconds and thirds are 3rd (Me i.e., 3rd note from the root note) and 5th (So i.e., 5th note from the root note) derivatives. Instead the vocal harmony is created by the creative blending of different note progressions altogether. This kind of vocal symphony is more predominant in instrumental presentations for example a violin line playing on the background while a main instrument or voice is reciting the main composition. This secular motet is in many ways different from the sacred chants that we have listened to in the past. It has a polyphonic texture and also a varying duple, triple meter. Rather it doesn’t strictly follow a particular meter just sticking to a metronome rather. It has complex harmony sections giving rise to minor 7ths and minor augmented chords. It is also rich in melody and has a shifting root note, which means that not one root chord or root note can be identified, that stays as the reference throughout the song. It is less structured and more melodic having complex phrases, grace notes and touch notes. It easily falls under the category of sacred choir music rather than periodic and rhythmic chanting. The timbre is also quite different through the synthesis of multiple voices forming the instrumental base and giving the composition a reverberating and continuously flowing tonal background. The composition also has chromatic note progressions and chromatic tonic change of chords. Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique is a Symphony Concerto involving the narration of a story musically through the drama and conversation of instruments created by different notes. Climax is brought out through the high pitched and rhythmic progressions of violins. The quick succession of notes or straight-through notes brings the effect of a drama and a peak of emotion. Smetana’s The Moldau on the other hand is a Symphonic Poem meant for

Financial Analysis of Sainsburys

Financial Analysis of Sainsburys The report is divided into four parts. Firstly, using ratios as a tool will help in analyzing and evaluating the financial performance of the Sainsbury obtained from the 2008 and 2009 annual report. To show the pattern of Sainsburys financial performance for the year 2007 to 2008 a trend analysis will be prepared. Also, developments in the supermarket industry will be analyzed and evaluated for the year 2008 and 2009. Moreover, a What If analysis of the probable financial performance of Sainsburys, had the downturn not occurred. Lastly, conclusion of the report will be discussed how Sainsburys handled the downturn situation to reduce the effect on its financial performance and disclose if the company was prepared. INTRODUCTION The Food retailing Industry is a huge and fast growing industry in UK .It is a complex and is a diverse market dominated by various corporate giants such as Tesco, ASDA, J Sainsburys. Price and quality of goods are the two key elements which the companies keep in mind to increase their sales and defend their position in this competitive market. In the year 2009, food retailing recorded sales figures of GBP 297,478.9 million, along with providing employment to 11.6% of the workforce in UK (Euro monitor, 2010). It is forecasted, by the year 2014 the sales would cross GBP 350,000 million (Euro monitor, 2010). This assignment focuses on the third largest food retailer store in UK, i.e. J Sainsbury. Sainsbury is a super market which will operates its business in retail sector from the year1869. Sainsbury is started by James and Mary Ann Sainsburys. Sainsbury today operates a total of 827 stores comprising 537 supermarkets and 335 convenience stores(J Sainsbury 2010) .With their presence in various other markets such as financial services and Property management, grocery retailing remains their core business. In an industry which employs over 3,335,000 people and with sales figure of GBP 137,590 million (Euro Monitor), Sainsbury enjoys a market share of 16% and serving 19 million customers weekly with a product offering of 30,000 ( J Sainsbury, 2010). QUESTION 1- An analysis and evaluation of the data available in the organizations annual reports. 30% SAINSBURYS RATIOS ANALYSIS According to Maclaney and Atrill (2002), à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ratios provide an overview of the businesss financial condition. Similarly, Wood (2002) stated, Ratio analysis is a first step in assessing an entity. The effects of the downturn experienced by Sainsbury are demonstrated by the following ratios below. A three year trend analysis will focus on Sainsburys performance two years prior to the downturn and the two years during the downturn. PROFITABILITY RATIOS Maclaney and Atrill (2002, p. 197) stated, Profitability ratios provide an insight to the degree of success in achieving the purpose of the business. RATIOS 2008 % 2009 % 2010 % Gross Profit Margin 5.62 5.48 Net Profit Margin 1.84 1.52 2.9 ROCE(Return on Capital Employed) 7.10 9.46 10.21 GROSS PROFIT MARGIN This ratio tells us about how businesses control its production costs or manage its margins which are made from buying and selling of products. Gross margin is mainly quite stable (in percentage). Gross profit= [Gross Profit / Revenue] x 100 (expressed as a percentage) NET PROFIT MARGIN Net profit tells us about the profitability after all cost are included. It shows what percentage of turnover is repeated by net profit. Net Profit margin= Profit before interest and tax/ sales or turnover X 100 Net Profit Margin increased from 2.97% to 3.56% from 2008 to 2009 which is a 16% increase and by 0.53% over 2006 to 2009. The net profit margin shows how well Sainsburys control its overheads. These increases continue despite the economic slowdown showing their financial power. Because strategic plans were properly planned and executed and sales volume increased without increasing costs. RETURN ON CAPITAL EMPLOYED ROCE is sometimes referred to as the primary ratio; it tells us what returns management has made on the resources made available to them before making any distribution of those returns. ROCE=Net profit before tax, interest and dividends (EBIT) / total assets (or total assets less current liabilities An investor might compare the return on capital employed with the possible return if the money was invested elsewhere. ROCE from 2009-2010 increased from 9.46% to 10.21% mainly because of profit achieved from disposal which is used to finance overall operations. From 2008 to 2009, ROCE decreased by 2.36% because of oil related costs and increased business rates. Therefore, Sainsburys have to plan out some measures to get more profit from the business to attract investors. LIQUIDITY RATIOS ANALYSIS According to Robinson et. al (2009, p.795) liquidity ratios are Financial ratios measuring the companys ability to meet short-term obligations. RATIOS 2008 % 2009 % 2010 % Quick Ratio 0.39 0.31 0.41 Current Ratio 0.65 0.55 0.66 QUICK RATIO Also shows the same above, but excludes stock, which may be difficult to turn into case is some circumstances. Quick Ratio= Current assets less stock / Current liabilities If the quick ratio of the business is less than 1:1, it signifies that the current assets are less and will not cover its current liabilities. It can be seen from the above table that the entire quick ratio are less than 1:1. Again, retailers have their strong cash flow. They can operate comfortably with acid test ratios of less than 1. Nevertheless, Sainsbury has a remarkable debtor payment period and recovered debts quickly even during the downturn. CURRENT RATIO It shows whether the business can pay debts due within one year from assets that is expected to turn into cash within one year. Current Asset= Current assets/ Current liabilities From the above table it means that Sainsbury has sufficient assets to match their current liabilities. The current ration in 2009 dropped marginally below the companys average. The reason for current assets to decrease is by mostly investing thoroughly in long term ventures or because current liabilities are growing at a faster rate than current assets. Sainsbury used their liquid assets to finance their business through marketing and promotions to make it profitable, hence profitable during the downturn. ACTIVITY RATIOS ANALYSIS Robinson et. al (2009, p.789) stated, Activity ratios are ratios that measure how efficiently a company performs day-to-day tasks, such as the collection of receivables and management of inventory. RATIOS 2008 2009 2010 Fixed Asset Turnover Inventory turnover ratio FIXED ASSET TURNOVER RATIO Fixed assets turnover indicates the sales being generated by the fixed asset base of a company, like ROCE, it is sensitive to the acquisition, age and valuation of fixed assets. Fixed asset turnover = Sales or Turnover / Fixed assets INVENTORY TURNOVER RATIO This ratio shows how long it takes for a company to turn its stocks into sales. The shorter the stock days ratio, the lower the cost to the company of holding stock, the value of this ratio is very dependent on the need for the stock and so will vary significantly depending on the nature of a companys business. Inventory turnover ratio = [Stock or inventory / cost of sales] X 365 INVESTMENT RATIOS ANANLYSIS RATIOS 2008 2009 2010 Return on Equity 6.54 5.23 9.51 Earnings Per share 17.4 p 21.2 p 23.9 p RETURN ON EQUITY Return on equity shows how much profit a company earned in comparison to the total amount of shareholder equity found on the balance sheet. For example: profit after taxation and taxation Return on equity= Earnings after tax and preference dividends / Shareholders funds From the above table it seems in the 2009-2010 Sainsburys ROE ratio is very high 9.51 as compare to last year 2008-2009 it was 5.23. This means Sainsburys has earned a good profit and shareholders are willing to invest money in the company and can get better dividend. EARNINGS PER SHARE Earnings per share measures overall profit generated from each share in existence over a particular period. Earnings per share= Earnings after tax and preference dividends / Number of issued ordinary shares. According to the financial statement of Sainsburys the company has issued more shares in all three years 2008 to 2010, that the reason Sainsburys Earnings per share has increased in 2009-2010. The number of shares has increased with the increase in profit. GEARING RATIO RATIO 2008 2009 2010 Gearing ratio 44.62 53.27 48.93 Interest cover 4.75 3.64 6.56 GEARING It shows the debts weight in the capital employed. For example: long term lease agreements involve fixed payments and may be added to both non-current debt and capital employed. Gearing= Long-term debt / Capital employed X 100 From the above table it seem there is increase in gearing ratio from 2008-2009 which means they have many debts to pay. It is difficult to invest money in this year. But, there is decrease in gearing ratio from 2009-2010 which is 4.34 less from last year. So it means it is less risky to invest money this year as Sainsbury do not have many debts to pay. INTEREST COVER This ratios tells us how business can cover the interest payment Interest Cover= Profit before interest and tax / interest charges In the year 2008-2009 the ratio is very reduced which states that Sainsburys do not have sufficient profit to pay interest to its debtor. However, in 2009-2010 the ratio improved which means that Sainsburys earned huge profit and can pay interest to its debtors. LIMITATION OF RATIO ANALYSIS Ratios are very important part in the business. However, there are certain limitations to be aware of: Ratios are only reliable as the data that has been entered. Ratios analysis is calculated from past data and will not help in predicting future. Use of quantitative data- qualitative factors such as skills of the management, rate of change in market and industrial record are also need to b considered. Figures in balance sheet only relate to that day- changes every day and the one chosen on the day may not be typical and thus ratios calculated from that data are not necessarily correct. (http://intranet.bpc.ac.uk/courses/Main/GCE/SfcP/BS/ALevel/limitra.htm) COMPETITORS RATIO ANALYSIS TESCO COMPANY PROFILE Tesco was started by Jack Cohen in 1919. Tesco is biggest food retailer in the world, having 2482 stores in UK and giving employment to more than 472000 people (287669 in UK) who serve millions of customer around the world. Tesco has a largest market in UK, where it operates under signs of Extra, Superstore, Metro and Express. Tesco offers more than 40000 products to customers including clothing and other non-food lines. Tesco enjoy a market share of 31% in UK and operates its business in 13 countries across Europe, Asia, and the United States. Tesco main focus is to provide excellent service to all customers (Tesco, 2010). In the 2010, food retailing recorded sales figures of 42.3 billion (Tesco, 2010) RATIO COMPARISON BETWEEN SAINSBURYS AND TESCO RATIOS SAISNBURYS (2010) TESCO (2010) Current Ratio 1.56 2.93 Quick Ratio 0.41 0.56 Interest Cover 6.1 5.7 ROCE(Return On Capital Employed) 10.21 13.06 Operating Margin 3.56 5.17 Dividend Cover 2.12 2.14 Gross Gearing 48.93 90.94 Return on Equity 9.51 12.04 As per the research and study about the different financial ratios of the two food retailing company in United Kingdom. If we compare the current asset of Sainsburys is 1.56 and Tesco is 2.93 which is 1.37 less from Tesco. Sainsbury need to improve its current ratio by increasing its current assets relative to its current liabilities. Sainsburys can recover its current assets by controlling its companys credit and can recover its current liabilities by reducing short-term creditors. If we compare the quick ratio of Sainsburys is 0.41 which is less than 0.14 as we compare it with Tesco quick ratio 0.56. The decline in Sainsburys quick ratio may have resulted from investing in long term activities. Tesco has enough funds to pay off his liabilities. Both Sainsbury and Tesco have strong balance sheet, interest cover for Sainsbury is 6.1 and on the other hand Tesco its 5.7 which is slightly low from Sainsbury. However, Sainsbury appears to be little better. This collateral allows them to borrow at lower rate and generate cash via sale and lease back schemes if they are in a pinch. Tesco coverage ratio has fallen from 10.6 to 5.7 now because of raising debt in a low interest environment. Return on capital employed (ROCE) of Sainsburys is 10.21 and on the other hand Tesco it is 13.06 which is 2.85 high from Sainsburys. There can be couple of reasons for Tesco of its high ROCE: net profit is increasing without an increase in capital employed or sale revenue is increasing without an increase in cost. Sainsbury have to think about some measures to attract more investors. Operating margin of Sainsburys is 3.56 which is less than 1.61 from Tesco 5.17 operating margin. From the above table we see gearing ratio of Sainsbury is 48.93 and on the other hand Tesco it is 90.94, about 42.01 less from Tesco which means from an investor point of view it is risky to invest in the Sainsburys company. From the above table we see Return on equity of Sainsburys is 9.51 and on the other hand Tesco it is 12.04 which is 2.53 high from Sainsburys. It showed that Tesco has earned high profit and shareholders willing to invest more money in the company and can get better dividend paid. QUESTION 2- An analysis and evaluation of the development in the financial markets during the last two years with reference to their effects on your chosen organization. 20% RECESSION is a normal part of a business phase, though, one-time crunch events can cause the onset of a recession. In the global recession of 2008-2009, many large financial institutions bought their attention to the risky investment strategies. As a result Recession is a normal (albeit unpleasant) part of the business cycle; however, one-time crisis events can often trigger the onset of a recession. The global recession of 2008-2009 brought a great amount of attention to the risky investment strategies used by many large  financialinstitutions, along with the truly global nature of the financial sytem. As a result of such a wide-spread global recession, the economies of virtually all the worlds developed and developing nations suffered extreme set-backs and numerous government policies were implemented to help prevent a similar future financial crisis. A recession generally lasts from six to  18 months, and  interest rates  usually fall in during these months to stimulate the economy by offering cheap rates at which to borrow money. (http://www.investopedia.com/terms/r/recession.asp) Answer Sainsburys works in a highly competitive market. The UK food retailing industry is mainly ruled by four big players- Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury and Morrisons. Together they all control approximately 75% of the UKs market. Market leaders are adopting low cost strategy which is benefited to consumers and increasing demanding. High competition in market makes market leaders to become highly innovative to grow market share by focusing on value, price, advertising and customer satisfaction. Diagram DEVELOPMENT IN THE UKS SUPERMARKET INDUSTRY The supermarket in the UK are no longer controlling themselves to just supplying food products to consumers. In 2008, financial downturn made supermarket industry to spread their risks at a time when food inflation climbed, to diverse into areas such as finance, mobile and broadband markets. This diversification provides opportunities to slowdown sales in food product, as they achieve sales in other areas. In 2008, the supermarket industry recorded  £123 billion in consumer spending a huge difference when compared to  £119.8 billion in 2007. This show clearly to remain competitive their strategies and financial strength were successful during the downturn period. .PESTAL ANALYSIS POLITICAL FACTORS Taxation Policy- rate of corporation tax was decreased by government from 30% to 28%. This means supermarkets profit will be greater by saving substantial amount of money. Government interference- government put his rights of price fixing among major supermarkets which poses a threat as they may have to control prices. ECONOMIC FACTORS Increase in employment- in UK employment figures rise to 164,000 in 2008. Inflation- because of fall in prices of crude oil, inflation rate decreased. Rate of interest- interest were decreased by 2% in 2008, consumer spending were increased. Disposable income- real disposable income can be squeezed as ONS discovered that with earnings growth on a downward trend due to the failing labour market families. This can affect the supermarkets sales. SOCIAL FACTOR Lifestyle changes- people are becoming more health conscious and purchasing healthy foods. During the downturn, people started preparing home cooked meals rather eating out which is expensive due to food inflation. TECHNOLOGY FACTORS Increase in Technology- new technology was adopted to make the service convenient and customer satisfaction which lead to a competitive advantage and increase sales. ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS Green issues- by using less plastic, recycling wastes and adopting environmental friendly procedures, supermarkets are investing in green issues. Profit are used for this issue but increases sales as more customer demand for environmental friendly products. LEGAL FACTORS Restriction on foreign trade- customer demand for substitutes as goods are becoming more expensive due to imports taxes and tariffs. . EFFECTS OF FINANCIAL MARKET ON SAINSBURY EXCHANGE RATE Weakened sterling caused decrease in the UK exchange rate during 2008-2009. From April 2008 to December 2008, continued decline reaching at 1.0219 GBP which made exported goods cheaper but imported goods were more expensive causing adverse effect on businesses. Sainsburys most food products are imported, with British pound still on Back foot (Coventry 2010), buying products from others countries will be more expensive. This will result in high purchasing costs; ultimately customers have to suffer this. (http://www.economywatch.com/exchange-rate/uk-pound-sterling.html) In 2008, Sainsbury experienced a slow growth when compared to past results. Due to the downturn Sainsbury adapted some measures to increase its profitability in 2009. Some of the changes they made are discussed below. Increase in food inflation, rise in employment and decrease in disposable are the effects of the downturn that made Sainsbury to adapt some changes for a better performance. Household budget were under burden from the effect of the downturn. Sainsbury had to reduce the cost of basic products which customer faced as the biggest squeeze of income in 50 years. To improve layout, increase space, future hedge with suppliers and reduce unnecessary cost, marketing strategy need to be shifted to focus more on cost as well as adjust value chain. As customers were demanding low cost products, Sainsbury adjusted according to demand. Interest rate and CPI annual inflation rate decreased and standard of living changes are also the effects of downturn. Due to decreased interest and CPI inflation rate it benefited Sainsbury as more customers were able to take advantage of lower borrowing. Sainsbury took advantage of this by reducing prices and strengthened marketing of their cheaper own label products. People living of standard changes as the economy dipped, more people decided to make home cooked meals just to reduce the cost attached to eating out. Penny pinched consumer were dependant on Sainsbury to provide low cost vegetables and meats. Competitive rivalry and customer reliability caused Sainsbury to focus more on price, value and advertising while strengthened excellent customer service. Sainsbury annual report (2009) specified that a clear strategy was developed to focus on five areas: Great product at fair prices Additional marketing channels to reach more customers Increase growth of non-foods items Increase space and property management QUESTION 3- What if analysis of the possible financial performance that might have existed had the downturn not occurred. 30% Sainsburys always been challenging to adopt any changes in the market. The condition of the Sainsburys was not bad during the recession period but there were some changes that Sainsbury need to adopt so as to remain competitive. Lets make out what will be the condition of Sainsburys what if there was no financial downturn. Exchange rate would not have decreased which made import goods cheap and export goods expensive. Buying products from other countries would be cheap and because of the high prices of products customer will not be suffered. Decrease in food inflation would not have affected family budget plan which were in downturn period. Basic products were being available at low cost and customers dont have to shift their standard of living as they no more will be dependent on the home cooked products. Sainsburys made a lot of profit during the recession period, if there was no recession Sainsbury would have earned more profit. As the Sainsburys policies are so strong during its recession time they were earning huge profits. So Sainsbury should not change its policy so as to earn more profit because customer are willing to pay high prices for the quality products. As of financial crises Sainsburys manpower were decreased and less people were willing to more work than what was expected on less salaries. If there were no recession then things would have been different, employees would be getting sufficient salary and would have been willing to give best performance. Recruitment opportunity would be more to recruit new employees in the organisation. Due to the competition in the market it leads Sainsbury to focus more on prices and value strengthening excellent services. Sainsburys made some measures to remain competitive. If there were no financial downturn then customers would not have to pay high prices for the products. If there were no downturn then Sainsburys dont have to improve its layout, increase space, future hedge with suppliers and reduce unnecessary cost. Marketing strategy need not to be shifted to focus more on cost instead of giving better services or high quality products to customers. CONCLUSION If we compare the financial performance of Sainsburys from the year 2008 to 2010, we can say it is rising as a company. Sainsburys is earning huge profit every year. There are increasing the share in the market and market is interested in investing the money. There are many improvements that need to be considered if we compare the data from the year 2008 to 2010. Though, if we compare the financial performances of the Sainsburys and Tesco it can be said that Sainsburys are still far behind Tesco. The ratio figures of Tesco states that Sainsburys still need to do strong planning so as reach near Tesco. In the competitive market, investors have a choice of investment.

Comparing Existentialist Values in The Metamorphosis and The Stranger (The Outsider) :: comparison compare contrast essays

The Metamorphosis and The Stranger - Existentialist Values Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis and Albert Camus' The Stranger, both feature protagonists in situations out of which arise existentialist values. Existentialism is a philosophy that emphasizes the uniqueness and isolation of the individual experience in a hostile or indifferent universe, regards human existence as unexplainable, and stresses freedom of choice and responsibility for the consequences of one's acts . In The Metamorphosis the protagonist, Gregor Samsa, realizes his existentialism towards the end of the novella. In contrast, Monsieur Meursault, the protagonist in The Stranger, knows of his existentialism, only realizing his life's lack of meaning moments after he is sentenced to death. Despite the somewhat absurd nature of The Metamorphosis, and the realistic nature of The Stranger, similar values are communicated to the reader. The easiest to pick out being that it is up to the individual to create his/her own life, and that the inhuman behaviour presented by both protagonists will eventually lead to very bad things; namely death in both novellas. These deaths are, however, very different, as are the methods through which Kafka and Camus have made each novel nothing but `a philosophy put into images' . Meursault (the narrator) in The Stranger only sees and only wants to see the absolute truth in society. The readers first encounter with him... Maman died today. Or yesterday maybe, I don't know. I got a telegram from the home: "Mother deceased. Funeral tomorrow. Faithfully yours." That doesn't mean Anything. Maybe it was yesterday . ...immediately gives an impression of a lack of emotion towards the demise of his mother. This lack of emotion highlights the existentialist ideal that we all die, so it doesn't matter what life we have while we are alive. We simply exist, as did Meursault. It becomes apparent, as the novella unfolds, that Meursault has acquired an animal like indifference towards society. His interactions with his neighbour Raymond are an example of his indifferences. It never dawns upon Meursault that society does not condone his interactions with the pimp, avoided by his community. Meursault simply acts to fill his time. Being a single man, he has a lot of time to fill, and finds the weekends passing particularly slowly.

Should Wizard Hit Mommy

SHOULD WIZARD HIT MOMMY MORAL ISSUE John Updike’s story Should Wizard Hit Mommy’ raises a very pertinent and a profound issue. Should parents have the prerogative to always decide what is best for their children? And are children supposed to listen to and obey their parents unquestioningly? Roger Skunk, though an obedient child, is a sad and a depressed one. His awful smell keeps others away and he has no friends. When the Wizard fulfils his wish and Roger Skunk gets the rose smell, he is thrilled.All the other creatures love the smell and play with Roger Skunk. However Roger Skunk’s mother is not happy. She wants her son to get back his original smell. Roger Skunk accepts his mother’s dictate and slowly the other creatures get used to his smell. Jack, who brings this twist in the story, does so to expose Jo to the harsh realities of life. But Jo insists that Wizard should hit mommy, for making the Wizard give Roger Skunk back his bad smell. Jack is adaman t in his refusal to change the ending of the story.He maintains that mothers are always right and that they know best. John Updike thus raises a very relevant question. Are parents always justified in enforcing their views upon their children in an attempt to teach their children what is right and what is wrong. Parents have experience and knowledge on their side whereas children view everything with their heart and want all to be happy and joyous. Parents need to guide their kids but they should also have the patience to respect and consider their children’s viewpoint. MIDDLE POSITIONJOHN UPDIKE in his story Should Wizard Hit Mommy’ portrays Jack as a new age father and a husband. In departure from the past, Jack does try to contribute his bit in helping his wife and look after the kids. It is Jack’s duty to put their four year old daughter to sleep in the evenings by telling her a story. Jack has been doing so for all these years. But now as Jo is growing olde r this chore has become an ordeal for Jack. Jo no longer falls asleep easily. She is an inquisitive child who has her queries and doubts about everything.Jack has little patience for her questions. Jack who is desperately trying to put Jo to sleep also needs to help his wife. His wife, Clare, who is pregnant, is painting the woodwork downstairs. Jack needs to help Clare as she should not be moving heavy furniture. Jack fails miserably on both the fronts. He is neither able to put Jo to sleep nor is he able to help his wife. Jack feels totally miserable and helpless. The monotony and drudgery of married life disturbs and disheartens him.He feels trapped in the cage of matrimony with so many duties and demands, which he is unable to meet and fulfil. Jack tries to be hands on father and a helpful husband. Yet the traces of chauvinism and superiority are clearly visible. He does not like being contradicted by his daughter. He wants women hanging on to his words and not question him. Thu s Jack does seem to be caught in a difficult middle position. He is angry and absolutely frustrated at his inability to do the right thing.

Theory of Scaffolding Essays

Theory of Scaffolding Essays Theory of Scaffolding Essay Theory of Scaffolding Essay Theory of Scaffolding Literature around Scaffolding: There have been several discussions around scaffolding, in an attempt to define what it means for education. At the early stages of the theory of scaffolding, Wood, Bruner, and Ross (1976) explain the importance of the interactive, instructional relationship that tutors/teachershave in a learners development, supporting that the attendance of others is significant for scaffolding skills acquisition and problem solving. They also emphasize on the importance for realizing the value of a solution to generate the equence of steps that will lead to the solution of the problem, without scaffolding by an adult. As argued, this realization will result in effective feedback, as the learner will be able to value every step towards the solution, and therefore, in order for scaffolding to be effective the learner needs to generate solutions to the problem that are identifiable to them (Wood, Bruner, and Ross, 1976). However, in this scaffolding process, the tutor does not necessarily need to be a human; it can be a virtual, non- player character (NPC) as well. In this project, the scaffolding process takes place in the virtual environment of Quest Atlantis, where learners embark on a mission to resolve a problem, part of which requires the decryption of Mayan signs, and interpretation of them in English. The facilitators in this case are the NPCs that learners/players come across during their mission. A rich experience is what a leaner needs to develop to a knowledgeable individual, and the impact of the surrounding environment and the scaffolds in it are important for learning. Wgotsky (1978) has proposed that the learner needs to be scaffolded in rder to acquire all the skills that would have been difficult to acquire independently. The Wgotskian theoretical perspective holds that learners, and especially children can perform more challenging tasks when assisted, and that they can reach a high level of development (Zone of Proximal Development). According to Wgotsky, there are two aspects of learning development; the actual development and the potential development (Ugotsky, 1978). The Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) is the distance between the actual development level, as determined by independent roblem solving and the level of potential development, as determined through problem solving under adult guidance, or in collaboration with more capable peers (Ugotsky, 1978, p. 86). Further, based on Wgotskys theory, the ZPD can also be defined as the area between what the learners can achieve by themselves, and what they can attain with the help of more knowledgeable individuals (Video 1). Therefore, meaningful learning is being enhanced in the learners ZPD, with the use of all the available scaffolds afforded by the surrounding environment. Scaffolds in the case of he virtual geocaching project are considered to be the mission page, NPCs, boxes with information, scrolls with information, translation tool, etc. Zone of Proximal Development and Scaffolding Video 1: A video about the Zone of Proximal Development and Scaffolding, describing Pea, in his commentary paper (2004, p. 31) discussed the role of fading in the scaffolding process, characterizing it as intrinsic to the scaffolding process. A scaffold used for the learner must be gradually removed during the learning process, until it is completely gone, and when the learner has reached the learning goal Collins, Brown, Newman, 1989). It is argued that, if the learning help is not being gradually removed, then the process is not called scaffolding anymore, but distributed intelligence, namely, intelligence that is a collective product, and where the individual does not internalize learning (Pea, 2004). Over time, there have been numerous software tools created to scaffold meaningful learning experiences, in and out of schools. Scaffolding is an inherent characteristic of games, either in virtual or in physical life. In the case of computer games, the scaffolds for performing a task are rovided to the player/learner in the virtual context, enhancing active participation. This project aims at exploring the potentials of scaffolding such rich experiences with the use of virtual tools. According to the sociocultural theoretical perspective, children must have time to practice roles and behaviors through play. Therefore, it treats the several gaming tasks and virtual tools as scaffolds for learning development. In a similar vein, Wgotsky argued that game play in general can offer scaffolding-rich experiences, as well as opportunities for a player to act a head above himself (Ugotsky, 1978, p. 4) extending their abilities in ways that would not be possible without play (Video 2). Fantasy play and learning- A Wgotskian approach Video 2: A Wgotskian approach to fantasy play and learning. The video provides a definition of scaffolding, describes the Zone of Proximal Development, as well as some practical perspectives on game play. Videogames, expertly craft ways of scaffolding support through what Gee (2003, p. 138) calls the explicit information on-demand and Just-in-time principle. Computer games host contexts that frame problems, or aspects of problems and learners ecome engaged in those situations, to form their understanding and contribute to a solution. In this case, learners use scaffolds in the frames of a situation, in a context (whether it is real or virtual) to make meaning of a situation, transfer learning across multiple gaming situations as well as real-life situations, participate actively to make a change in the context, and ultimately enhance learning effectively (Lave, 1988). In such gaming environments, transformational play unfolds around the notion of reflexive action (Barab et al. , 2009) where player must take the consequences of their ctions and choices in consideration. However, this consideration takes place in a context where the outcomes of choices do not affect players/learners in any way apart for their game play. Scaffolding Definition as given in a class about Designing Learning in Context: explicit and/or implicit knowledge that enables the learner to be able to successfully engage the activity with acceptable results while maintaining the learners substantive involvement. (Learner+Scafold+Task=Success). Implicit in the definition is that once the learner acquires the explicit and/or implicit knowledge the scaffold is o longer scaffolding. If the learner only acquires part of the knowledge associated with the scaffold, but still needs the scaffold in some different form or level, the process of changing the scaffold to the changing learner knowledge level is called fading. Implicit in the definition is that something is scaffolding only when engaged during the activity, not only before or only after. Scaffolding also promotes learning of required and unknown explicit and/or implicit knowledge of some aspect of the activity, but not necessarily learning of all aspects of knowledge related to every caffold at any give time. If scaffolding is not promoting any learning and still compensating for learners lack of explicit and/or implicit knowledge, then it is not scaffolding rather it is a permanent knowledge crutch. A permanent crutch undermines all activity related learning because there is no need to learn because the learner can successfully engage the activity with the permanent crutch. Individual scaffolds can completely compensate for learners lack of explicit and/or implicit knowledge, without promoting learning if the explicit and/or implicit nowledge related to other scaffolds are being learned. This is called a temporary knowledge crutch. A temporary crutch allows the learner the opportunity to learn in other areas of the activity. My approach to scaffolding: In this section I am providing my personal definition of scaffolding, as I perceive it, after intense thinking, and after a lot influence by several theorists that talked about scaffolding. This definition has derived from and matured thr ough my constant online and in-class discussions in the frames of a class on Designing Learning in Context: Scaffolding is a process through which an individual/learner moves from the supported to the independent level of learning. In this process there is an expert source that provides help/support to the learner, while engaging in the process of completing an activity. Throughout the scaffolding process there is also a plan/ strategy followed (scaffolding is intentional, and not a random process) by the expert source, as well as a plan/strategy for gradually removing the scaffold (fading), when the situation affords it. [1] A scaffold is one in the set of scaffolding and compensates for one aspect of a earners lack of explicit and/or implicit knowledge that enables the learner to successfully engage the activity with acceptable results. f required and unknown explicit and/or implicit knowledge of some aspect o e TeamView activity, but not necessarily learning of all aspects of knowledge related to ev compensating for learners lack of explicit and/or implicit knowledge, then it undermines all activity related learning because there is no need to learn be Individual scaffolds can completely compensate for learn ers lack of explicit a knowledge related to other scaffolds are being learned. This is called a tem knowledge crutch. A temporary crutch allows the learner the opportunity to In this section I am providing my personal definition of scaffolding, as I percei after intense thinking, and after a lot influence by several theorists that talk scaffolding. This definition has derived from and matured through my consta online and in-class discussions in the frames of a class on Designing Learni supported to the independent level of learning. In this process there is an ex source that provides help/support to the learner, while engaging in the proc completing an activity. Throughout the scaffolding process there is also a pla strategy followed (scaffolding is intentional, and not a random process) by th noAK_noqep Pa3pe naponb HeKOH- @ 3any npVlE ngu Ox 1Aap substantive involvement. (Learner+Scafold+Tasesuccess). Implicit in the definition is during the activity, not only before or only after. Scaffolding also promotes lea of required and unknown explicit and/or implicit knowledge of some aspect e TeamViev activity, but not necessarily learning of all aspects of knowledge related to e compensating for learners lack of explicit and/or implicit knowledge, then it i ndermines all activity related learning because there is no need to learn b Individual scaffolds can completely compensate for learners lack of explicit implicit knowledge, without promoting learning if the explicit and/or implici knowledge related to other scaffolds are being learned. This is called a te knowledge crutch. A temporary crutch allows the learner the opportunity t In this section I am providing my personal definition of scaffolding, as I per after intense thinking, and after a lot influence by several theorists that tal scaffolding. This definition has derived from and matured through my cons nline and in-class discussions in the frames of a class on Designing Learn Scaffolding is a process through which an individual/learner moves from th supported to the independent level of learning. In this process there is an e source that provides help/support to the learner, while engaging in the pro completing an activity. Throughout the scaffolding process there is also a pl Scenario Figure 1. Barn and Silos Third grade students in Mrs. Maddoxs class have been studying about different types of communities for the past two weeks. Throughout this study, students have ocused on distinguishing between rural, urban and suburban communities. Living in a rural community, students are familiar with large expanses of land, farms, considerable distances between houses, and lack of malls, skyscrapers and entertainment venues. In contrast with that, the students took a field trip to downtown Atlanta to experience tall buildings, public transportation, commuters, super highways, extensive shopping, sports arenas and fine arts venues. Through this trip, they came to have a better understanding of an urban community. Between the school and downtown Atlanta, students were exposed to suburban communities s the bus took them through a neighborhood and a community outside the perimeter. Students experienced rows of houses, commuters, strip malls, eating establishments, churches and parks. The students were better able to apply the knowledge of their classroom activities to the field trip and could easily determine the differences between each type of community. Figure 2. City and Tall Buildings As a culminating activity for this study on types of communities, the students are going to prepare some type of individually selected project demonstrating their knowledge of urban, suburban and rural communities. Mrs. Maddox makes suggestions as to the types of projects students might consider. Some choose to write and illustrate a book, others write and perform a play, and still others film a video each community. Patrick, the computer whiz of the class, decides to prepare a PowerPoint presentation which will incorporate digital pictures taken on the field trip and of the rural areas surrounding the school community. He has successfully written the text for his slides but has been unable to insert the digital pictures from his disk. Mrs. Maddox notices that Patrick is experiencing frustration with his inability o insert the pictures. She approaches to offer help, not to complete the task for Patrick, but rather to provide support and to help him achieve his objective on his Figure 3. Computer Mrs. Maddox thinks aloud as she offers help: Lets see. I want to insert a picture into the slide from the disk. I need to go to the toolbar at the top and select insert since thats what I want to do. And since its a picture that I want to insert, Ill select picture. Now I have to tell the computer where to find the picture I want. Since the picture is on a disk, Ill select from file. Then Ill click insert and viola My picture is there. Now all I have to do is save it. As Mrs. Maddox talks through the steps, Patrick carefully follows her prompts and completes each step. He beams as he sees the selected picture on his slide. Mrs. Maddox then teaches Patrick a chant she has composed that will assist him with the steps: In-sert a picture from a file; locate the file and se-lect the pic; click to in-sert and save it, quick! She watches as Patrick goes through the steps, questioning him with leading questions when he hesitates, and listens while he quietly says the chant to himself to perform the task. Again, he beams with excitement as the slide displays the selected picture. Mrs. Maddox moves away from the computer and allows Patrick to insert the next picture on his own. Seeing that he is successful, she moves on to assist another student. Later, when another student, Melissa, needs assistance with inserting a picture to a PowerPoint slide, Mrs. Maddox asks Patrick to be a peer tutor to her. He further expands his learning by explaining the steps to Melissa and by teaching her the same chant he used to complete the steps to insert a picture in the PowerPoint slide. Through her support and facilitation, Mrs. Maddox helped Patrick master a skill and achieve independence through carefully designed instruction called scaffolding. This process of scaffolding is much like the traditional definition of scaffolding as a temporary support system used until the task is complete and the building stands without support. Such is the concept of scaffolding. Immediate support is given to students in order to help them achieve skill or task independence. This assistance is a temporary framework provided by the teacher or a more knowledgeable person to ssist students in performing a task they otherwise cannot accomplish without assistance. Support is provided to the learner and then gradually removed so that the student can become a self-regulated, independent learner. Although the teacher assumes much of the control during scaffolded instruction, the ultimate goal of instruction is covert, independent self-regulatory learning (Ellis et al. 1994). Caption: In this animation, each box represents scaffolding provided by the teacher, and with each activity the level of learning goes up. The first box represents verbalizing

Don`t Know How To Cite An Infographic Here We Go!

Don`t Know How To Cite An Infographic Here We Go! Proper Infographic Citing It is not a secret that visual information has a bigger influence on the audience and it is easier to remember. In addition, it makes the content of your text more colorful and vivid, and grabs attention even of the most demanding audience. That is why infographic occupies solid positions among various types of in-text materials. For the past years, illustrations with statistics and numbers have become an important part of texts. To grab the interest of the audience and to stimulate information mastering, writers and authors tend to transform words and numbers into colorful images. This approach was a real bomb in the world of content. It started occupying more and more web traffic, improving SEO and giving marketers a chance to deliver information in a more usable and comprehensive way. With time its popularity has decreased, and only a few years ago infographics became an important marketing instrument. Nowadays there are hundreds of various templates and designs, which can deliver quality and digestible content to different groups of users. As you see, an infographic is an essential part of any content, and it is necessary to understand what sort of information it is, how to create a quality infographic and how to cite it properly. To help you deal with such a complex task, we have gathered the most important information on a topic and spiced it up with the most powerful tips. Infographics: Definition and Importance Basically, an infographic is a combination of information and graphics. It was first mentioned in 2009 by McCandless, as he included data visualization to his book. However, in some cases, combining these two elements become a real headache. The first and the most important question you need to ask yourself is whether the data benefits from such visualization? Does infographic make your information easier to master? It shouldn’t be a pointless picture that is only occupying space. Moreover, Google is not able to analyze images and to use that text in promoting your works. To put it simply, infographic won’t contribute to the search ranking, although you may spend days on creating a stylish and useful image. If you still want to include infographic to your text in the form of a jpg file, you need to provide suitable information in the image. However, keep in mind that search engines will most likely not be able to read the data you include. Things to Know When Creating an Infographic Even if you are crazy with the idea of working on the infographic, you need to understand that the first thing to keep in mind is visibility on social media. To achieve it, you will need to know certain rules and instruments, which will allow your infographic to become a front content. With a proper approach, your infographic has great chances of gaining popularity, earning links, enhancing recognition and improving ranking in search engines. That is why before simply using a common template you need to explore the market, understand your audience and see what infographic tools exist. Get Familiar With the Audience Your infographic should render information that will interlink with the way your audience things. The best way to lead your text or product to success is to stir feelings of the audience. Such an approach is especially important if your niche is dry and filled with information. You need to explore what the audience thinks and feels, so that in future you will come up with something unique and engaging. To build a proper marketing image of yourself you need to know who the potential buyers are. For example, if your company creates software for security and encrypting, your buyers will probably be enterprises and brands that want to protect their data. That is why including information about safety, possible online crimes and the latest statistics will be a good idea. Tell the audience how your product, content or idea benefits them by combining both: statistics and information about your own company. Stick to an Engaging Topic Now, when you know who your audience is and what its main interests are, it is much easier to come up with an interesting topic. You can use Google Search or BuzzSumo to find topics that will make your infographics valuable. In addition, you can read articles on general topics and simply surf the internet, looking for non-standard ideas. Then you can gather them, creating your own templates for infographic. However, you should always choose an idea that is relevant to your issue and has enough space to include statistics or any other valuable information. Be Selective While you are still on a stage of building a concept, it is necessary to conduct thorough research on the topic before starting your work on an infographic. Make sure you use only authentic data that supports your idea. Such information must be relevant, modern and unique. Ideally, it shouldn’t be easily accessible. That is why you need to dig deeper, reading official reports, presentations, and multiple PDF files. Organize Your Data Readability is what predetermines the success of your infographic, so on the next stage, you need to organize and carefully filter all the information you have found. There is no need to include to your infographic all of the data you have found because it will make your images heavy and difficult to read. Remember that the majority of readers simply scroll the content without spending too much time on reading the whole template. Now, when you have chosen the things you want to add to your infographic, it is the right time to learn what the elements of a winning infographic are. Features of a Strong Infographic There are several features that may greatly influence the result: whether your infographic will reach its goals or not. Remember, an infographic is very time-consuming and requires lots of your efforts and energy. Below we have gathered the most important traits that a winning infographic should possess. Density of Data When you have filtered gathered information and kept only relevant data, it is the right time to think about how to present that data in an attractive way. Don’t forget to highlight the juiciest details, so that the readers will notice important elements at once. The density of data is crucial if you want your infographic to be successful. That is why choosing reliable, and up-to-date sources should take the first place when you work on your infographic. If your readers have doubts on the quality of provided information, you can always provide links and proofs from original sources. Keep It Simple Many people just want to stuff as much information as possible, thinking that it will make their infographic more attractive. However, if you simply add data to the image, it will become heavy to read, and you risk losing your audience. Your goal is to organize it and to make it appealing to the reader. Be Creative If you want to stand out from other content creators, it is important to generate something valuable and unique. If you are not sure whether you are skilled enough, you can hire a designer, who will help to work on the project. This will help to come up with a creative and personalized infographic, and you will additionally get a piece of advice on professional marketing. Only Relevant Information For most of the content creators, it is quite difficult to keep the balance of relevant and clear content. It is great that you have conducted profound research and collected a huge variety of information on the topic. However, you don’t need to include everything to your infographic. Unfortunately, this is one of the most common mistakes marketers make. While remaining precise, you need to include only the most important and relevant data. On the other hand, including little information won’t seem appealing. So you should find the right balance and stick to it! Do not Promote Yourself Many content creators make self-promotional graphics. However, it may have a negative impact on the audience and will lead your whole content to failure. Statistics show that such an approach is not effective at all and is not able to attract the attention of the audience. That is why it is much better to include information that talks about your company or website, and not about you as its creator. Always stick to the rule: your infographics must be focused on the industry, not on yourself. Market Your Brand Based on the previous point, you need to stick to the formal format of the infographic, including your company’s logo and name to the image. Do not include your personal details or name, because such information won’t have any value. If you are willing to sell your products or services, brand marketing is the key. You should also pay attention to the font, color scheme and style of the infographic to make it relevant to the brand and its format. Infographic Should Be Goal-Oriented This is probably the most important feature of your future infographic. Remember: not depending on the style or font, the content you provide must be goal-oriented. In addition, it should focus on one topic, not distracting attention on other issues. Moreover, your goal must be to explain what you offer in a clear and understandable manner. To achieve this, you should create an outline or a plan in order to organize the content properly. For example, you can focus on explaining how your brand is going to solve a certain problem. You can target the relevant audience by including data and statistics that show the importance of the discussed problem. In such a way your infographic will provide readers with a clear understanding of the goals you are planning to achieve and how you can be useful in solving a particular issue. Infographic Sourcing The sources you use for getting information are more than important. The more reliable they are, the more credible the infographics become. It helps to evaluate the quality of your content, so using non-reliable sources will make your infographics looks poor and uninteresting. Luckily, it is no longer difficult to find proper sources. Due to a variety of online sources, you can get access to official documents, websites of international organizations and even books of reputable scientists and researchers. In addition, there are hundreds of official research institutes, which regularly post information on their latest studies. You just need to know the right places to look for credible and trustworthy information for your infographic. A Right Source Always Tells a Story Infographic is a way to tell readers a certain story, so if this story is not present in the chosen sources, you won’t be able to create engaging infographics. Below the infographic, you can duplicate information in the form of a story so that it will explain the data you have included in the picture. Always Use Trustworthy Sources As you know, not all of the information online can be trusted. That is why you need to do your best to fill infographics only will reliable data. Always look for information on official websites - for example, various governmental agencies and bureaus. Even if you use a source from a regular website or forum, but it contains surveys and statistics from academic sources with proper citing, you can use it. If you don’t have time or energy to process only official data, here are a few questions that will help you to distinguish a reliable source: Does this website have any relation to a reliable organization? Who is the author of the article? Does the article contain up-to-date statistics? Does it include a bibliography? What’s the goal of the web site? Cite Your Sources Citing sources is not a common thing for infographics, so very often readers question themselves whether the information they see is reliable. If you want your infographic to be trustworthy, don’t be lazy and provide the audience with links to the websites you have taken information from. It is one of the simplest but yet effective ways to support the information you provide. Limited Number of Sources Used Even if you have used tens of various sources in the process of collecting data, it is better to stick to a few of them. This will help you to remain focused on more comprehensive and clear content. More than three sources may puzzle the reader, and they will find it difficult to track the reliability of the information. Conclusion It is obvious that infographic is a great way of grabbing and holding the attention of the reader. However, the provided information must be both interesting and stimulating. Hopefully, the tips above will help you to manage your infographic and to create powerful content.

Victimology Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 2

Victimology - Research Paper Example Under this crime, there is murder, rape, robbery and assault. Suicide or murder in general terms, is every human act which results in the immediate death of another man. He is also using the term homicide, which comes from the Latin word homo (man) and cedere (cut). In the strict sense of the murder is considered only the seizure of someones life that is contrary to law, and is often cited as the definition of unlawful taking or unlawful deprivation of life. In almost all countries and in their legal systems and criminal law murder is considered for one of the most serious crimes, and it accordingly regulate. Rape in the broadest sense is the act by which a person is forced to participate in sexual activity against their will or by using violence, threats or use of the fact that this person due to the illness or intoxication that activity is unable or refuse to deal with it. In almost all human societies, and the laws of all states are considered the most serious of all sexual offens es. Theft is committed act of seizure movable property and immovable property with the intent to unlawfully appropriate.Property crime is crime done to someone property; when villain is violating in any way property of victim that is called property crime. Under this crime, there is burglary, larceny, vehicular theft and arson.Burglary is illegal entry into a building for the purposes of committing an offence.Larceny is a crime where someone involves the wrongful acquisition of the personal property of another person.Vehicular theft is a criminal act where someone steals, or tries to steal someone`s vehicle.In the end, arson is the crime where villain intentionally and maliciously set fire to buildings, cars or other property with the intent to cause damage. All of these crimes must have victims involved. Victim can be offended, damaged or physically threatened. Every community is affected by these crimes, and that is one of the plagues

Product, Price, Distribution and Promotion Essay

Product, Price, Distribution and Promotion - Essay Example The choice of market assumes significance considering the high economic growth of the nation as well as the demand for quality healthcare in the nation. Intensity Level India emerges as one of the most favorable destinations for setting up a healthcare unit for cardiac ailments because of the huge market size. A research reports currently values the Indian healthcare industry at about 34 billion US dollars. This value is expected to reach up to the tune of 40 million dollars by the end of 2012. In addition to this the burgeoning population of the nation also adds to the profitability of the Indian market. In addition the lack of facilities with the government hospitals acts as a lucrative opportunity for the private sector considering the fact that approximately 80 percent of the healthcare spending is being done by the private sector in the nation (PricewaterhouseCoopers, 2007, p.1-2). Marketing Mix Product The proposed cardiac super specialty center would have all the aspects that would provide world class treatment facilities. The hospital would have a narrow breadth with regards to the product offering and would only focus towards cardiac and heart ailments (Berkowitz, 2006, p.218, 219). Apart from separate wings like emergency, and outdoor, the hospital would also have dedicated Intensive Cardiac Care Units, High Dependency Units that would be equipped with latest machinery and equipments. In addition to equipments the hospital would also have quality paramedical staff including qualified nurses and attendants to regularly cater to the patients. Highly expert doctors would be kept as specialists for different ailments related to cardiac problems. In addition to this the hospital would also have tie ups with leading hospitals abroad and would have video conferencing facilities that would help the doctors to consult expert doctors from across the globe. The hospital would also have outdoor facilities for the patients. The hospital would have a 24 hour dedica ted emergency facility for catering to any emergency. Specialized trauma care centers would also be established to cater to patients suffering from severe trauma. Price The new healthcare unit would follow a premium pricing strategy that would be based on the level of specialized healthcare facilities being provided to the organization. A skim based pricing strategy would be adopted as the hospital would be targeting only premium segment patients who are more concerned about the quality of treatment and do not bother about the costs. This would help the hospital to earn better margins to maintain its sustainability and profitability. Maintaining a premium pricing strategy would help in generating greater financial viability and sustainability for the organization to grow and prosper in the future. The hospital would also have tie ups with leading insurance providers and would also provide cashless treatment to the patients based on the quantum of insurance coverage. High level of tr ansparency would be maintained in the billing section with prior consent from patients before initiating any treatment. As a part of corporate social responsibility the company would also provide free treatment to the needy patients. Three percent of the total bed strength would be reserved for charitable purposes. Place/Distribution The new hospital would be located in any of the top four metros of