Quantittative Research Essay

Quantitative research is very common in natural sciences. Quantitative research is used to verify or support a hypothesis that already exists. Being without the structure provided by a hypothesis in quantitative research between variables tested, may create feeling of insecurity. This is understandable since quantitative research on human behaviour has a more clearly defined research agenda. Research is conducted through a cycle of phases. The methods applied to carry out quantative research are data analysis, which is collected through statistics. The nature of this type of perspective is known as positivism because it strives to tell the world it can be understood in one context. Quantitative research uses a deductive approach, making predictions, and testing hypothesis that have already been carried out. (Coolican, H. 1999) Researchers of quantitative research work with numerical data by analysing numbers. Characteristics have to be put in place in order for results to be accurate and reliable. Prior to conducting a research, researchers have to state both hypotheses. The next task carried out prior to the research is to implement the procedure they are going to use. Researchers have to provide statistical meaningful data and in order to do this they have to use large enough samples of people. A quantifiable sample of 200 people is an absolute minimum in order to carry out a reliable statistical analysis. The accuracy of the research is important therefore correct procedures are employed to collect data analysis. In quantitative research due to the nature, certain types of methods are used to conduct research. Quantitative research is done through questioning and observing. Researchers can manipulate certain parts of the experiment when measuring the results. The methods are of systematic approach; the four main types of research used in quantitative research are descriptive or survey research, correlational research, casual comparative research and experimental research. (Bryman, A. 2004) Correlational research attempts to determine the relationships between two or more variables, experimental research attempts to look for an cause and effect between two or more variables. Correlational and group difference studies look at existing data this is a non-experimental study. The cause an effect here assess the relationship from one study that exists with another study which is the same. Whilst in casual comparative research the researcher has no control over the casual factor or independent variable because it is studied after the fact, this effect is also known as the dependent variable (D. V). Experimental research and casual comparative research looks at cause and effect relationship between two or more variables the difference between the two researches is that casual comparative research have no control whereas experimental research the researcher has control over the independent variable (I. V). (Bryman, A. 2004) A longitudinal survey was conducted looking at behavioural patterns of sport fandom’s. The usefulness of this research was to analyse the behaviour of human explained by social facts. Longitudinal studies can be useful because they study the same group of participants over a certain aspect as time passes. The survey examined showing the behavioural component of sport fandom attending games. The data was collected in consecutive seasons, the methodology of study was to be reliable and in order to do this they collected data between clubs. The advantage of this survey showed the composition of the crowd, and their overt behaviour. The usefulness of using quantative methodology was to measure overt behaviour, and the different aspects in measuring the composition of the sports crowd. This study can be replicated again to compare the quantitative methodology. In this research the reliability and validity is determined more than a qualitative technique. Even though the survey showed the composition of the crowd and their overt behaviour, the methodology does not attempt to explain the underlying assumptions of sport fandom. The individuals in the study are regarded as a â€Å"set of variables making them equivalent across persons and across situations†. (www) Structure interviews usually carried out on randomly selected sample of people. In a structured interview the researcher has pre set questions that a subject is required to answer in a given way. Structured interviews are conducted in a casual manner and may produce spontaneous and realistic answers. The standard interviews can be generalised and applied to the entire population. Sampling of subjects can be difficult, and formal interviews conducted in routine manner may not produce realistic answers. The British Crime Survey (B. C. S) carries out surveys of randomly selected sample of people questioned by structured interviews. In order to understand, the experience of crime and behaviour. (Bryman, A, 2004) In questionnaires and surveys the experiments can be studied on large sample of people. Researchers are able to ask questions about feeling and behaviour in real situations, the method is cheap. The selected people can be generalised about the real world because they are chosen randomly. In the questionnaire and survey the negative aspect can be that people may not respond truthfully. It is difficult to establish the cause an effect. Questions in surveys may not have been asked about variables. Also through surveys and questionnaires research is often collected which is manipulated. People’s responses are put in categories that might fit in order to make meaning. (Coolican, H. 1999) Asch (1951) study was conducted to carry out if conformity took place. Asch (1951) did a perceptual test to measure conformity; there were 36 confederates in the experiment, 20 trials took place. The study was carried out in a laboratory setting. In the experiment where a number of stooges who were confederates of the experiment. In the experiment the stooges where told to give incorrect answers. Participant found it hard in the perceptual test to identify which 3 lines was the same length has the standard line. In this study 74% of participants did agree with the stooges verdict and conformed. The mean average of conformity rate amongst participants was 32%. Many psychologists have criticised Asch’s study because they feel the participants where young offenders on probation. The set of participants were under authority figures acting has their experimenters. The other criticism Asch has received was how could one relate the perceptual task to conformity in real life. The other factor that could’ve affected conformity in the perceptual task was if there was one participant and one stooge, conformity would’ve been rather low than one stooge being present in the experiment; possibility of conformity would be then higher. The higher the status of stooge the likelihood of conformity would be higher, than if the stooge is a fellow student. Other factors considered to influence different results would be if lines where relatively similar to the standard line then the task would effect the conformity rate. It was a time consuming study, because one participant was tested at a time. In this study the participants were misleaded because of the stooges. The usefulness of the stooges in this experiment was to provide a result whether conformity existed. Rosenow and Rosenthal (1977) suggest that some studies, â€Å"researchers have clear expectations about what should happen in their research study this can affect on the outcome. In other words, to some extent, researchers find what they are expecting to find, simply because they are expected to find it†. (Coolican, H. 1999) Research can sometimes produce ambiguous interpretations where studies have manipulated the independent variable. Validity in experiments only exists if the true cause and effect relationship is identified. In experimental methods manipulation of one variable can take place in order to keep the other variables constant. Experiments take place to discover accurate and precise discoveries of relationships between variables. In order to rule out alternative confounding variables designs of experiments are carefully thought. Therefore a validity of experiment carried out on a study should help researcher in future to create and design better experiment. (Russel, J. 000) Researcher In quantitative research is a mere objective observer. In this research the researcher does not participate or influence what is being studied. This is the basic underlying assumption of the method that guides this study. It is through this sequence the types of data are collected. Experiments carried out in field studies are seen has reliable, because people react and behave in an everyday context. On the other hand labor atory studies can be unreliable because variables are controlled, they are low in validity and artificial. Coolican, H. 1999) Researchers use quantitative research in order to find results from experiments. Experiments used in social science have to be done so that they are internally and externally valid. (www. uwa. com In conclusion it can be said that some researchers find that some experiments using quantitative method have limited usefulness because of the low external validity for example of their inapplicability to the real world. On the other hand some researchers consider quantitative research can be statistically reliable. Some researchers find that studies in some cases are manipulated and the results are biased in the way they are measured. The determination of the reliability on quantitative research can be from one idea concept, product package if it is better than the alternative. Researchers using quantitative research see whether a particular population shares certain characteristics in common. Quantitative research is used in connection with statistical analysis and generalisation of descriptions. Therefore it is seen appropriate to be used in research to measure both attitudes and behaviour.

Dramatic Climax Essay

How Does Miller Create Interest in Act Three, the Dramatic Climax Of â€Å"The Crucible†?  In Act Three of Arthur Miller’s â€Å"The Crucible†, tension rises in the courtroom of Salem as John Proctor, Giles and Francis strive to save the lives and respect of their wives. As the trials progress, the audience concentrate more on certain individuals and how they struggle to maintain power and authority in the courtroom. Miller called his play â€Å"The Crucible† because a crucible is a container in which metals are heated to extract the pure element from dross or impurities. In Act 3, John Proctor is tested in a life threatening ordeal and his choice of death rather than betrayal of his conscience shows us that he too has come through the fire to be purified. This creates interest because the comparison of Proctor’s situation and going through fire to be purified is powerful. ‘Going through fire’ emphasises on the pain he must suffer. The audience sympathise for his pain and suffering and so they are interested in Act 3 to see the consequences of the dramatic climax. The main focus of Act 3 has to do with determining who will define innocence and guilt. Proctor makes one audacious gamble for this authority by finally overcoming his desire to protect his reputation, exposing an inner secret sin. He hopes to replace his wife’s blame with his own guilt and bring Abigail down as well in the process. He reveals his private life to examination, hoping to gain some authority, but he does not realise that the competition is high, people may show more energy in the delivery and presentation of their speech. Too many reputations are at stake and Proctor’s surprise comes too late to stop the avalanche. This also creates interest as Proctor is the protagonist who the audience are encouraged to focus on and sympathise with. Proctor making this audacious gamble interests the audience, builds up to whatever the outcome may be, the dramatic climax. Desperation and persuasion are emotions involved within this act. There is a great deal of climax and suspense displayed using many different dramatic devices. Dramatic devices are made to engender interest in the audience. The dramatic devices present in this act seem to follow an order of operation, of starting with the least dramatic to the most dramatic. As more devices build up, more interest is likely to develop. The development of interest is then switched to the climax (turning point). The act starts with a common device such as character interaction. Character interaction in Act 3 set in a courtroom is a lot different to usual character interaction:  GILES (beginning to plead): They be tellin’ lies about my wife, sir, I-  DANFORTH Do you take it upon yourself to determine what this court shall believe and what it shall set aside?  GILES Your Excellency, we mean no disrespect for-  DANFORTH Disrespect indeed! It is disruption, Mister. This is the highest court of the supreme government of this province, do you know it? The fact that Giles is cut off by Danforth before even managing to finish his sentence, shows that more power is on Danforth’s side whilst Giles is beginning to plead for freedom. It also shows that the pace of speech may be very quick as everyone is determined to get their message across. The effect that this gives is that questions and quick speeches build up suspense for answers. Also, Danforth interrogating Giles shows his authority and possession of power over him. The interrogation can also be seen as a dramatic device, it creates interest with the audience waiting for answers to the questions. Another dramatic device is the use of vocal variety. When characters interact in a different way of speech, it shows there is a change of behaviour. It grabs the attention and suspense of the audience and makes them wonder to where this may lead to. An example:  GILE’S VOICE (roaring) I have evidence for the court!  As Giles is roaring, there is a great sense of energy in Giles’ voice, as if he were roaring like a lion. This contributes to the idea of getting the message across to the rest of the court members and the energy makes the audience feel more alert, just like a lion would. This makes the situation more interesting as roaring isn’t usually how Giles would react, so the audience are interested to know where the roaring would lead to. In Act 3, based on the courtroom scene, body language, gestures and even facial expressions play a key role of grabbing the audience’s interest. These factors reveal the character’s personalities depending on what their actions are like. If a character’s actions are more open and broad, it may suggest that they are more confident and powerful. However, if a character’s actions are reserved and tightened, it may suggest that they are under-confident and weaker:  PARRIS (sweating): These people should be summoned. (DANFORTH looks up at him questioningly.) For questioning. As Parris is sweating, this shows that he is anxious about his decision of the people being summoned, but then gains back his confidence when Danforth looks up at him, so he answers back at Danforth’s questioningly look. This interests the audience as there is a change of behaviour within a character.  Characters are at their upmost desperation for innocence and reputation, the matter of what is at stake and how do characters react really indulges itself into the drama. Death is at stake and characters are becoming more and more desperate progressing through the scene. Since the storyline is based upon witch hunting in Salem, the girls who are shown to be witches act out in an eccentric manner. The hysteria of the girls is shown dramatic as it displays what separates the sane from the insane and really engages the interest of the audience. Being set in a courtroom would mean that character interaction is shown from all angles. There is power to be shifted from someone who is higher in authority, and has more arguments to clear themselves from any kind misjudgement to someone who is unable yet desperate to defend themselves.

How Technology Changed the world Essay

Over the last five years, technology has been rapidly changing and expanding in every field imaginable. Smart phones are now capable of acting as standalone computer devices that can take pictures, search the Internet, send emails and text messages and yes, they even make phone calls. While it might seem that the technology of today has reached its limits, it is still actually spreading its proverbial wings. Only twenty or so years ago, personal computers were becoming small enough and affordable enough for families to buy them for home use. Since then, the world of technology has shown no signs of slowing down and practically every device available today is somehow tied to computer technology. From the first day that technology was introduced to war, it has helped shape the latter. Flint-made daggers and spears, and leather or wickerwork shields, did quite as much to shape the tactics adopted by ancient societies as horses did during the middle ages and as tanks, aircraft, and vario us combat ships do today. All transportation depends on technology, whether it’s the wheel, the jet engine, or the computer chip. Transportation is not just technology it’s a system of technology, people, energy, money, and more—but advances in technology play a key role in shaping transportation systems, which in turn help to shape our lives, landscapes, and culture. Because transportation is so important to commerce, because literally and figuratively so much is riding on it, it has been the focus of an enormous amount of inventive activity. Corporations have invested billions of dollars in improved technology. Individuals have sought their fortunes in breakthroughs big and small. Technology has changed society tremendously. Things like iPods, Netbooks, BlackBerrys, Blue Tooth, and flash drives have definitely not been around for a long time. Our society today has many advantages thanks to technology. Law enforcement officers have a great advantage with things like  GPS and tracking devices and cell phone records. The general public also faces a lot of distraction because of some technology though. Car accidents used to be caused mostly by people falling asleep or drunk driving. Now the big concern is that people are playing with their gadgets, messing with music players, playing DVDs in the background for kids, and talking on their cell phones. That is a lot of potential distractions! Society is becoming a union of ‘we want it now’ people thanks to most technology offering super fast services. There isn’t enough stopping to smell the roses anymore. For the most part, however, technology does us more good than harm: It’s reconnected us with old college roommates, helped us learn a foreign language, and encouraged us to exercise. Follow us as we look back at how technology has changed our lives—for the better and for the worse—in terms of communication, computing, dining, entertainment, and travel. http://ezinearticles.com/?How-Technology-Affects-Us&id=7429569 http://www.ehow.com/info_7844707_impact-technology-warfare.html

Gordon rule Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Gordon rule - Research Paper Example He is advocating for everyone to have insurance that can afford it and is giving tax credits to anyone who needs it in order to make sure they are covered. The plan seeks to make healthcare more affordable for everyone and not to exclude those people who previously would not have healthcare because of previous health problems (Obama, 2009). According to the Wall Street Journal, there is a shortage of primary care physicians brought on because of the focus on extending healthcare benefits. This has created a space for many general practitioners to go into specialties so that they can be paid more money. The general practitioner used to be the first person to diagnose challenges for people but they are disappearing (The Wall Street Journal, 2008). Part of the challenge in this area is that Medicare and Medicaid will only pay a certain amount of money for doctors visits and primary care. These amounts are often lower than they can receive as specialists. With this in mind, many people who are on Medicaid and Medicare will miss out on the best healthcare in the long run. The program that the government is doing would also give people access to a variety of programs that they may not pay for if they were paying with their own money. According to Tully (2009), this means that the packages that are being proposed would be more expensive than what most people could afford (par. 4). Another issue is that President Obama wants to make insurance mandatory for everyone. To this end, he is making it mandatory for businesses to offer insurance to their employees or to receive a tax up to 8% (Schiff, par. 7). This means that the businesses would have to pay into a government program if they do not have healthcare insurance already covered (The Wall Street Journal, 2009). If someone is self-employed or an independent contractor for a business, they will have to find a way to pay for their own insurance or face a tax that is approximately 2.5% of

Quantitative and qualitative assignment wk3 Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Quantitative and qualitative wk3 - Assignment Example The need for undertaking simultaneous changes, in this case, is to ensure that other problems that might arise after implementation of a particular solution is foreseen and planned for if or not sorted in the first step. In any market niche, survival of a particular business highly depends on the handling of challenges and constraints faced (Pettie,  2010). It is crucial in any business to understand the structure of formation of the network through a good understanding of several terminologies used in network theory or rather network analysis. A tree refers to the interconnections of the sub-graphs in a system without the nodes in the system containing complete loops. A spanning tree, in this case, is that part of the tree that contains all the vertices and is in the form of a complete tree on itself. A particular tree, for instance, has various spanning trees that extend in different directions. On the other hand, minimum spanning tree refers to the sub-graphs that have the least summation in terms of weight and lengths. These are crucial parameters in various aspects of a particular business and thus the success of the business partly depends on good understanding of the

The History of Affirmative Action Research Paper

The History of Affirmative Action - Research Paper Example n the schools, denied equal chance at acquiring good jobs and rejected from housing areas all reserved exclusively for the pale-skinned dominant culture of the west Europeans. This separation was made possible because of an ideology that believed white people were of a higher, more refined nature than those who had not yet been ‘cleansed’ of their barbarism. In many cases, minority members of society were restricted to slave or near-slave status even after the conclusion of the Civil War in 1865. Through a variety of tactics, the prevailing opinion of the ‘less civilized’ minority people of color was perpetuated by existing legislation and unfair practices that prevented these people from achieving the same kinds of success discovered by white people. Even after legislation now collectively referred to as the Jim Crow laws were abolished, inequality prevailed through shady or evasive business practices, finally forcing the enactment of countermeasures now kn own as Affirmative Action. Although controversial, this legal action was required in order to try to equalize the opportunity for all, extending the right for all free people to reach the potential they are willing to work for. Without affirmative action to help ensure equality, the balance in this country would still be heavily in favor of the ethnic majority and segregation would be much more blatant than it is today. Social evolution depends on widespread social acceptance of differences. It is a process that doesn’t seem to occur naturally in this country without the benefit of affirmative action polices. Since its enactment, affirmative action has succeeded in balancing the opportunities available to men and women of all ethnicities. Although the majority ethnic group, the white people, may now feel they are being treated unfairly simply because they have lost their stranglehold on the economic high ground, affirmative action has been successful in distributing opportuni ty on a more equal basis. A

Foreign Exchange Risk Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Foreign Exchange Risk - Essay Example Exporting and importing also implies considerable foreign exchange risks for the companies involved. Importers will have to pay a higher price if their home currency depreciates against the exporting foreign country and vice versa. International retailing operations also entail high exposure to foreign exchange risk as the exchange rate of any of the two countries fluctuates. The fluctuations in exchange rate â€Å"†¦result in direct changes in the relative prices of domestic and foreign goods†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Bartov and Bodnar, 1994, p. 1758) It ultimately increases the exposure of virtually all forms of international operations to foreign exchange risk. Foreign exchange or currency risk affects a company in several different ways viz. sales level, future cash flows, financial reporting, product price and production etc. Bartov and Bodnar propound that exchange rate fluctuations â€Å"†¦influence both the current and future expected cash flows of firms with international operations.† (1994, p. 1758). Fluctuation in exchange rate can affect a company’s future cash flows by increasing or decreasing the price of goods and services in the domestic or foreign country. It can also affect a company’s operational performance by increasing or decreasing the cost of importing raw material. Currency rates have a significant impact on the reporting of sales level. If the foreign exchange rates are favourable, the company’s reported sales will rise (Bartov and Bodnar, 1994). Therefore, apart from affecting its real future cash flows, exchange rate fluctuations bear the capacity to influence its reported revenues. Exposure to foreign exchange risk can also affect a company’s production level and its prices. It will be costlier for companies to import products from a foreign country having a high exchange rate as compared to the domestic

Plato Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Plato - Essay Example In about his fortieth year Plato is said to have left Athens to study with Pythagoras at Crotona. Plato was perhaps the only Pythagorean whose work and teachings are known today. Traveling to Syracuse, Plato met Dionysius I and became friends with his brother ¬ in-law, Dion, who later became his follower (Jaspers, 1962). After leaving Italy Plato traveled to Egypt, Cyrene, Judea and to the banks of the Ganges. It was said that his mind became a treasure house of the world's wisdom (Thomas & Thomas, 1941). But it was Socrates to whom Plato remained devoted all his life. Plato returned to Athens in 386 to start his Academy, which he patterned after Pythagoras' school in Crotona. Here he immortalized the mental prowess of his master, Socrates, presenting Socratic ideas in the form of dialogues though the mouth of his teacher. He gave us a fair picture of Socrates but little of himself, so that it is hard to tell when Socrates leaves off and Plato takes over. When Plato was sixty (c. 368) Aristotle, then twenty, joined the Academy and continued as Plato's primary student for the next twenty years, until Plato's death in 347 BC. Personal Opinion Merely recalling the name of Plato brings instant and complete admiration in most educational circles. As Alfred North Whitehead put it, it seems that all of Western history is a series of footnotes to Plato. Plato took the liberty of giving his personal philosophy through the mouth of Socrates. The two seem inseparable. Socrates is known to us because Plato took the time to write down the story of his teacher. Everything we know of Socrates was written by Plato. There is no way to know where Socrates' thinking stops and Plato's begins. Body Influences on Plato Plato's early life and writings were very much influenced by Socrates. Plato's beginning works reflected Socrates' thinking, and perhaps ideas that came to him as Socrates was speaking, but which Socrates himself never uttered. As time passed the words of the teacher appeared to reflect the original thinking of the student. In time Socrates became a secondary character, then finally disappeared altogether in Laws (Jaspers, 196 2). Plato and Socrates are distinct in some aspects. They approached life in two utterly different ways. Socrates walked the streets of Athens verbally proclaiming his message while Plato lived in seclusion, away from the evils of society. Socrates was bound to Athens; Plato remained an Athenian but was on his way to becoming a cosmopolitan; he was capable of living and working outside of his native city. Socrates philosophized in the immediate present, Plato indirectly, through his works and the school he founded. Socrates remained in the market place, Plato withdrew to the Academy with a chosen few. Socrates did not write a line, Plato left a monumental work (Jaspers, 1962, p. 121). On their darker sides, the two philosophers shared an acceptance of homosexual attraction between adult males and their young male students that most would not agree with today. In his Symposium Plato creates an argument for homosexual love for boys. He suggests that some men are meant to pursue heaven ly love and some earthy love. Those who look to heaven are more attracted to boys than to women. Why? Because boys are mentally keener, more beautiful, thus closer to the realm of perfection. According to Plato, loving boys is a means of acquiring wisdom. But also necessary to the pursuit of perfection, according to Socrates and Plato, is the exercising of

Esl 423 3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Esl 423 3 - Essay Example The differentiated instruction approach is particularly suited to English language teaching because the students in these classes are more likely to have mixed abilities. It is a balance between having individualized instruction for each and every student and maintaining high standards that can be applied for all of them. To aid the teacher in this role, standards provide the framework in which to create differentiated instruction. The disadvantages of standards-based instruction are that they can lead to a restricted curriculum and place undue pressure on the schools to ensure that they perform up to the expected standards if not better. If handled properly, this makes them much more focused on high expectations and creating the right motivation to tailor instruction towards maintaining those standards. Greater coordination coupled with efforts to uphold high student expectations thus automatically puts the needs of the learner at the centre of attention. In short, the standards based system is geared towards meeting the needs of the learner. Standards based instruction is an attempt to base the instruction given to students on defined standards, as well as the resources and opportunities needed. This includes standards set for English language learning. Standards on what students ought to know and be able to do at each stage of their education are then maintained by testing these. And, schools are held responsible for ensuring satisfactory student achievement. The express purpose of standards-based instruction is to improve students’ academic performance, raise their expectations and the quality of education in the US. In raising their expectations, students are motivated to become more rigorous in their work and feel challenged at each stage in order to keep progressing to higher levels of achievement. The main incentive for establishing such standards is to enable equal opportunities for all students regardless of their

YouTube increases company Essay Example for Free

YouTube increases company Essay Introduction Nowadays, numerous people spend a lot of time using the Internet. Therefore, many companies invest substantial capital onInternet advertising to increase their revenue. YouTube is a useful method to advertise company produce, because 3 billion people watch YouTube every day (Henry. 2011). There are different typesof customer, so many companies focus on YouTube for this market. However, some people think YouTube is not a useful method for advertising; because many people may ignore the 15 seconds mandatory video advertisements or may not concentrate on the video advertisements (Fisher. 2011). This research considered whether YouTube is a good advertising method to encourage people to buy new products, to help company to increases revenue. Aims Find out how YouTube increases company revenue Find out whether YouTube changes people’s shopping habits Find out if YouTube is a useful advertising tool for a company 1.2 Objectives Give advice to companies as to how YouTube may be used to increase company revenue Offer advice as to ways in which YouTube may influence changes in shopping habits Method of Research The project is based on secondary research and primary research. Secondary research information was used to gain information about YouTube and Internet advertising from academic books, journals, newspapers and websites. A survey was conducted in order to discover the attitude and opinions of the general public. A questionnaire was used as, according to McFedries (2008) questionnaires are considered to be the most effective and efficient way of conducting this type of primary research because it allows primary data and information from the interviewees directly. The respondents consisted of 20 international students attending LSI school in Portsmouth. It was conducted on the 20th May 2013. Findings from secondary research YouTube is one of the most successful websites in the world. Many people may watch and listen to this website. As a result, YouTube can be an effective advertising medium in marketing. Therefore, many companies spend a lot of  money on YouTube to increase their revenue. It is possible that this form of advertising can change people’s shopping habit as, while they are looking at YouTube information, they are exposed to the advertising clips, which accompany the information. However, it may be the case that people have the choice to ignore the advertising and just focus on the information they want to watch. In this case, there is debate about whether the advertising is wasted. Nevertheless, there appears to sufficient evidence to demonstrate that the money spent on such advertising is profitable. Firstly, YouTube net revenue was $2.6 billion in 2012 an increase of 35% compared to the second quarter of 2011 (Larry. 2012). From this result it can be seen that many companies spend a lot of money on YouTube advertising, because in this generation, time spent on computers is increasing and many people find some entertainment from YouTube. 3 billion people watch YouTube every day (Henry. 2011). Many companies can see that YouTube has different types of customer. So it is a potentially useful tool to promote their company. For example, VEVO is the only company that has legitimate music channels on YouTube and it has many subscribers. So, when people watch a music video, it will include advertising about that music or other products. When people are interested in that music or products they can get more information and buy them. Secondly, YouTube will make an analysis of every user, such as what they often view. Then YouTube will handle the data and will propose some similar video to users. Also, YouTube will give the data to some companies which are related to that video to do some research inform them about user habits. Then, some companies will add advertising in that video let users know their company has some products that are suitable for them and change customer’s shopping habits (YouTube. 2013). Finally, many people do not believe YouTube advertising feasibility, because many people may just watch the 15 seconds then ignore it. So, many people question YouTube advertising. With the increasing availability of advances in technology, the advertising strategies have improved and may encourage more visitors to watch the adverts rather than to ignore them. According to a recent research carried out by Fisher (2011), only 30% of YouTube advertisements are skipped. Findings from Primary Research This research used a sample of 20 people, those are LSI students and  teacher,20 questionnaires were returned and the interviewees answered all questions. According to the results from the first question which asked people which website they usually use to find out new music videos, it can be seen from appendix (b) that 80%chose YouTube to find out new music videos, also 15% used Google and just 5% used QQ Music, but nobody used Yahoo and Facebook to find out the new music video. The second question researched how much time do people spend on average on YouTube everyday, it is shown by appendix (c), that near 35% of interviewees spend 3 to 4 hours on YouTube everyday.Likewise, there were 25% of interviewees who spend 1 to 2 hours per day and the number of interviewees who spend less than 1 hour and over 4 hours was the same, and it was 20%. The third question asked people about their habits from before the changes in 2012, how often did they watch a full advertisement on YouTube, it is shown in appendix (d), that 60% on average, they justsaw it between 2 to 4 times, the number of people who saw it between 5 to 7 times and once every ten times was the same, it was 20%. The fourth question researched the changes that happened after 2012, and how oftenpeople watched full adverting on YouTube, it is shown in appendix (e), that 35% of interviewees saw the advertisement that appeared between 5 to 7 times. 30% of interviewees saw it between 8 to 9 times, the number of respondents who just saw it between 2 to 4 times and people who watched it every time is the same – 15%. The fifth question, participant agreed that mandatory video advertisements are useful for them, is shown in appendix (f), the number of participants who think are sometimes very useful and rarely very useful is the same – 35%.Likewise, there were 25 % of participant think are usually very useful and it just had 5% of participant think are very useful. The sixth question, people agreed that mandatory video advertisements can increase your interest and as a result buy advertised products, it can be seen from appendix (G), 40% of the interviewees agree YouTube mandatory increase their interest and encourage them to buy the advertised products, whereas only 5% strongly disagree this point. However, nobody strongly agree that mandatory video advertisements can increase them interest and as a result buy advertised products. The seventh question, people agreed that YouTube could change their shopping habits, it can be seen from appendix (H), the agree rating score of 4 is 35% and the disagree rating score of 2 is 20%, representing that more  interviewees YouTube can change their shopping habits. Since the percentage of people strongly agree and strongly disagree are the same of 5%, a conclusion cannot be drawn. The eighth question, have they ever bought a product advertised on YouTube after watching the video, is shown in appendix (I), that 60% of interviewees have bought a product advertised on YouTube after watching the video and the remaining 40% said they did not purchase the product. The last question is what factors will make them interested in the online video advertisements, is shown in appendix (J), that 40% of participants said they are already interested in the product, also 20% of participantssaid because the pop stars advertisethe product. Thenumbers of people who think are sound effects and they need the products is the same – 15%, there are just 10% of participantsare interested in the online video advertisements due to gift vouchers. Discussion of Findings The survey was designed to find out how YouTube increase company revenue, whether YouTube change people’s shopping habits and find out if YouTube is a useful advertising tool for a company. Firstly, the findings demonstrate that 3 billion people watch YouTube every day (Henry. 2011), the VEVO music company channel has the most subscribers and has different types of customers. So it is a potentially useful tool to promote their company. From the questionnaire, it can be seen from appendix (B)that clearly there are 80% interviewees usually use YouTube to find out about new music. Therefore, YouTube is a succeedmethod to advertise company produce. Secondly, appendix (D) and appendix (E)investigate whether YouTube advertising strategy improvements increase the number of viewers. Appendix (D) represents pre advertising strategy improvements, when interviewees just usually (60%) see on average, between 2 to 4 times the advertisement appeared. On the other hand, it can be seen from appendix (E) that after advertising strategies improved,the same group of them will seethe full advertising, on average, between 2 to 4 times the advertisement appeared decline to 15%. Likewise, the same group of interviewees will see on average, between 5 to 7 and 8 to 9 times the advertisement appeared increase to 35% and 30%. Also it can seen from appendix (G) thatonly 5 % of interviewees strongly disagree that mandatory video advertisements can increase interest and as a result buy advertised products. This result of this questionnaire is similar to the  secondary research, which supports that advertising strategies improved in 2012 encouraged more people to watch the full adverting on YouTube and also increased people’s interest to buy advertised products. Thirdly, it can be seen from appendix (F) that nobody thinks the mandatory video advertisements are never useful. As shown from appendix (H), only 5% of interviewees strongly disagree the YouTube advertisement cannot change their shopping habit. Likewise, YouTube can increase company revenue, because it can be seen from appendix (I, where 60% of interviews had bought a product advertised on YouTube after watching the video. So YouTube it can influence people’s shopping habits. Limitations of the Research This is the project allocated and the lack of experience is the biggest problem to be faced. Moreover, there were just 20 respondents of the questionnaireand the survey covers only the students in LSI. In addition, due to the time constraint,findings from secondary research contain limited academic resources. Finding more information on books and asking more respondents may improve further research. Conclusions Recommendations To sum up, it is clear that there is 80% of interviewees used YouTube to find out new music, so YouTube had many different types of customers and so it is good for advertising companies’ products. Moreover, the improved YouTube advertising strategies in 2012 had raised the number of intervieweeswho watch more the mandatory video advertisements and it can change people’s shopping habits. These findings demonstrate that YouTube canincrease people’sinterest and as a result encourage them to buy advertised products. According to the questionnaires, it is suggested that companies can employ Pop Star to advertise the product and put more sound effect to make people interested in the online video advertisements. Also YouTube may conduct more research to find out customer’sshopping habit and to show the most suitable advertising for increase in viewers. References Chaffey, D. (2003). Internet marketing: Strategy, implementation and practice. Harlow [u.a.: Financial Times Prentice Hall. England, E., Tinney, A. (2002). Managing Multimedia Project management for wed and convergent media. Harlow: Addison- Wesley. Fisher, L. (2011). Only 30% of YouTube Users Skip Pre-Roll Ads. The Next Web: http://thenextweb.com/socialmedia/2011/06/12/only-30-of-youtube-users-skip-pre-roll-ads/Geiger, S. Martin, S. (1999). THE INTERNET AS A RELATIONSHIP MARKETING TOOL -SOME EVIDENCE FROM IRISH COMPANIES. Irish Marketing Review Volume 12(2) Henry, A. (2011 May26). YouTube hits 3 billion views per day, 48 hours of video uploaded per minute. Geek News.Retrieved from: http://www.geek.com/news/youtube-hits-3-billion-views-per-day-48-hours-of-video-uploaded-per-minute-1383495/How were cashing in on YouTube: Thousands are pulling in SIX-FIGURE incomes with home-made videos (2012- August31). Mail Online News. Retrieved from: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-219611 0/THOUSANDS-people-making-SIX-FIGURE-income-home-YouTube-videos.htmlInstitute of Practitioners in Advertising: National Readership Surveys. (1965). Lond.: I. P. A. Jarboe, G. (2009). YouTube and video marketing: An hour a day. Indianapolis, IN: Wiley Pub. Nakashim, R. (2013-May07). YouTube Said Set to Soon Launch Pay Channels. abc news. Retrieved from: http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/youtube-set-launch-pay-channels-weeks-19120837#.UYjV3JXN7dkLarry, P. (2012 June30). Google Inc. Announces Second Quarter 2012 Financial Results. Retrieved from: http://investor.google.com/earnings/2012/Q2_google_earnings.htmlMcFedries, P. (2008). Macs. Indianapolis, IN: Wiley. YouTube. (2013). YouTube Analytics. Retrieved from: http://www.youtube.com/yt/advertise/youtube-analytics.html

Scottish Traditions And Cultures

Scottish Traditions And Cultures This is my English assignment on Scotland. I am going to talk about the history of Scotland, the culture and traditions of Scotland and about the Sports in Scotland. The Culture and Sports are very close but I think they have to be explained a part. I hope you and myself learn from this assignment and have fun with reading. (As long you can have fun)The history of Scotland. The land that now forms Scotland was in the prehistory part of the continent that now forms North-America, so Scotland isnt really part of Europe but a part from Laurentia. During the last interglacial, around 130,000 and 70,000 BC, Europe was warmer than now and the Neanderthals found that there was a mild spell in Scotland around 40,000 BC so they settled in Scotland, but no traces of early humans have been found. After 40,000 BC Britain was torn apart by glaciers and Scotland wasnt inhabitable any more. After 9600 BC the ice retreated and Scotland could be inhabited again. In 8500 BC there were hunter-gatherers in Scotland and several settlements have been found and the first permanent settlements were found in around 3600 BC. In 2500 BC the Bronze Age entered Scotland and there has been found some hill forts from probably 900 BC which shows us that the people in Scotland were quite good in building settlements and monuments. Around 800 BC the Iron Age entered Scotland and till th e invasion of Roman Empire Scotland was a peaceful inhabited by Celtic tribes. This was a short summary of the prehistoric history of Scotland but no written records were found till the invasion of Scotland buy the Romans, now Im going to talk about the Roman Invasion of Scotland and what happened after that. England was invaded by Julius Caesar in 54 BC but Scotland fought more than 100 years later because Caesar couldnt get to Scotland. In AD 43 Britain was invaded again and they lost a few battles giving ground to the Romans. Agricola was the first one who attacked the people in Scotland itself and he got quite far but even though he had to let Scotland go after he didnt got re-elected for being the governor of Scotland. In 122 AD the Romans tried to protect themselves from the attacks of the Caledonians by the famous Hadrian wall. The Hadrian wall was started by governor Hadrian and ended six years later to protect them for the raiding tribes. The Romans tried to build a second wall to conquer more land called the Antonine wall but broke it off because it was unnecessary. When the Romans retreated from Britain in 407 AD Scotland of now was set in 4 parts with each part its own king and people. They were the Picts, the Scots, the Angolans and the Britons. In 563 AD Saint Columbanus, a monk, came to northern Scotland and Christianity spread rapidly. In 843 the Picts and the Scots united under king Kenneth MacAlpines reign in Alba (later Scotia). The weird thing was that the Picts just threw their culture away to take the Scots culture. The Angolans went south to England and the Britons lived in the lowlands and since 890 the Vikings lived in the western Isles and operated from there their attacks on Scotland. The next kings and queens were crowned on the stone of scone (stone of destiny) in scone. In 1034 under Duncan I his reign Scotland was united except the parts of the Vikings. In 1040 Duncan I was killed by Macbeth, who got beaten by Duncan I his son Ma lcolm III. In 1066 England was defeated by William the Conqueror and in the years after that, Malcolms son David I Scotland conquered a part of north England. After that till 1268 Scotland started to grow economically and culturally. In 1268 Alexander III died and with no follower than 3 year old Margaret, forced Scotland to crown Margaret as queen. In 1290 Margaret died and not less than 13 men said they had right at the throne. But Edward I of England called David I as king of Scotland. David I and France started an alliance against England. As response on this Scotland lost parts of the lowlands to England . In 1290 Robert I tried to recapture them and In 1320 Scotland was announced as independent country by Robert I but England didnt recognized this declaration till 1328. From 1371 till 1603 there were some conflicts with England and Scotland tried to increase their relation with France and it all happened under the reign of the Stuart family. The last Stuart king was Henry V wh o got the throne in 1603 but he made so much trouble with his lust for power that he had to flee to northern England, and caused a civil war in 1642. The civil war was won by Oliver Cromwell with his New Model Army. He called England, Ireland and Scotland as one republic without a monarchy. But in 1660 Cromwell was dead already and Charles II came on the throne. James VII followed him when he died but was set off by the parliament and Willem of Orange was called to be king of Britain with his wife Mary. James V fled to France but some of the Scottish were still faithful to James VII (the Jacobites). The Jacobites on 27 juli1968 Willems army lost a battle from the Jacobites. In 1702 Anne followed Willem as queen of Britain but the parliament was determined to keep the Stuarts of the queen. So they parliament went to Sophie of Hannover the granddaughter of James VII and they told Scotland if they accepted her they would get trading privileges. But England and Scotland had to reunite i n one parliament. In Scotland there were some riots but in 1707 the offer was accepted and Scotland wasnt a state anymore and had no parliament. Economically it was a good case for Scotland but there were still people especially highlanders who wanted the Stuarts as kings and queens. Charles Edward Stuart was a grandson of James VII and he started a war with his Jacobites against England in 1745. But in 1746 he got defeated after the battle of Culloden and had to flee to Italia. After this battle it was forbidden to wear any skirts, play bagpipes and the clans were not allowed to exist anymore. They switched from livestock-farming to sheep cultivation and potatoes were the most important food in the highlands. When the potato harvest went wrong loads of people went to America (not the VS) and the big cities for work and food. This was a period of grow in economics, literature and culture so Scotland changed in the 18th century from one of the poorest countries in Europe to a normal economically growing land. In 1999 many years later Scotland got its own parliament again. It counted 127 seats in the parliament these are the partys who got seats: 47 Scottish National Party, 46 Scottish Labour Party, 17 Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party, 16 Scottish Liberal Democrats, 2 Scottish Green Party, 1 independent

The History Of Zara Information Technology Essay

The History Of Zara Information Technology Essay Zara is the most successful brand of Spanish company Grupo Inditex. Its owner, Amancio Ortega, opened first retail store in 1975 in La Coruna, a small port in Spain. Zara became the worlds largest fashion retailer by 2008 end. By this time it had stores in over 70 countries, out performing its rivals like Gap of USA and Sweden based HM (Hennes Maurits) (http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2008/aug/12/retail.spain). Zaras Innovative Operations: Daniel Piette, director of fashion, LVMH has described Zara as possibly the most devastating and innovating retailer in the world http://tbmdb.blogspot.com/2009/12/business-model-example-zara-devastating.html, owing to the companys innovative and unique approach in fashion retail. Zara follows the concept of a vertically integrated supply chain, in which the company has a tight control over most of the design phase, production phase and distribution system to its chain of retail outlets. The rest of these processes is handled by its sister concerns with nearby locations. Unlike its competitors Zara does not outsource its production to Asian developing countries; the proximity of production units helps Zara by giving flexibility in production so that the company can meet the ever-changing demands of the consumers more efficiently than its competitors. Zara has integrated the system of POS (Point Of Sales) and has formed a unique method that helps in the production of new designs. POS helps in monitoring what designs are bringing in maximum sales at the retail shops. The store managers are allowed freedom to decide which designs to display and which ones to keep back in the store, depending on the sales of those designs. Zaras employees at the retail outlets gather feedbacks from the customers and convey the information to the headquarters with the help of hand-held PDAs that each employee is required to carry. At the headquarters, the design teams immediately respond to feedbacks sent via PDAs and begin designing new clothes accordingly. The clothes are manufactured and distributed to the retail stores within a short period of 2 to 4 weeks owing to the vertical integration of its supply chain. While its rivals are busy finding and identifying what the latest trends might be and finally take 4 to 9 months to distribute new designs to their respective stores, Zara manages to design, manufacture and distribute new designs in a matter of just of 30 days. Taking advantage of the fast turn around time, Zara eschews the concept of producing just one collection per season, like its rivals do. Instead the designs keep on changing frequently so that Zara manages to deliver new designs twice a week to its retail shops. Zara only produces small quantities of each style so that there is continuous demand of popular designs. It cuts down on manufacturing costs as well. Thus Zara manages to deliver around 12000 different styles in a year whereas its competitors can produce only 4000-5000 per year. Hence, the company-coined phrase, fast fashion http://www.3isite.com/articles/ImagesFashion_Zara_Part_I.pdf. Current Technology in Information Communication Zaras use of technology in information technology is unique from its competitors. Firstly Zara uses much less technology, in terms of expenditure and work-force, than its competitors just 0.5% of its work force compared to 2.5% of employees that its rivals utilise. Similarly Zara spends only 0.5% of its revenue on information technology compared to expenditure of 2% by its competitors. Secondly Zara employs a unique combination of human and IT intelligence. Managers at the stores and the market survey done by the employees, form the human intelligence while IT intelligence consists of the PDA devices used to send information collected by the managers and other employees carrying the PDAs. An order form is transmitted to each managers PDA asking for information such as availability of garments and patterns of garment sales. The managers of each retail outlets then divide this order form into sections and these sections are transmitted to the PDAs of each employee to fill up, based o n customers feedback and the kind of designs sold. Employees then transmit back their respective sections to the managers PDA, after entering the customers requirements. The managers of each store are given total authority to determine and identify which sections are to be retained in the order form. The edited order form is then sent back to headquarters where the designing teams start working on the basis of the order forms. This unique hybrid of humans technology helps in managing the inventories efficiently and quick and efficient link between demand and supply, thus successfully helping in their own doctrine of fast fashion. Summing up Zaras use of technology http://leoborjblog.wordpress.com/2009/08/10/zara-it-for-fast-fashion/: Gather customer requirements PDAs Logistics and transmission of order form POS terminals and modems. Quickly designing new style CAD (Computer Aided Design) Advantages of such an Innovative System Vertical integration of supply chain and short turn around time lead to High turnover of product. Quick and efficient distribution helps to eliminate warehouse requirement, saving on additional storage costs. Searching the market for latest fashion trends and responding quickly to the consumer requirements with the help of hand-held PDAs. Complete autonomy and flexibility to the employees and managers who are in direct contact with the customers. POS terminals run on DOS operating system, which is cheap and easy to maintain and operate. Perceived limitations of this System http://www.slideshare.net/koffman/zara-case-study-2780928 Zara and its sister concerns have been using DOS as their main operating system in all the processes. It is an outdated operating system. As the POS vendor supplies DOS OS to zara only, it can always stop its supply, while continue to supply other operating systems to its other customers. Store managers are the decision makers. Zara headquarter relies solely on the experience and intuition of the managers. Instead of looking after customers, managers and employees have the time-consuming task of manually entering the garment details in small PDAs. This could result in the employees failing to assist some customers in choosing and might miss out on few garment sales. Inventory is maintained manually as well. Information transmitted is one way only. Managers have no knowledge of the inventories at headquarters and the stores distribution centre. Consequently managers cannot promise a customer if a particular garment that has been sold out, can be replenished and in how many days. Promises made to customers not kept can damage Zaras reputation, so the managers need to know about the garments inventories at headquarters and the distribution centres. There is a great demand for Zaras garments even though new designs are available twice a week. Zara may consider increase in production to meet these ever growing demands. Gathering of information therefore may need to be upgraded in terms of frequency. Its competitors can change to a better OS or software package and increase their turn around time, neutralizing Zaras edge of fast fashion over them. New IT Technology for Sustainability http://www.123helpme.com/view.asp?id=97642 Benefits: New technology may not help Zara in increasing the competitive edge over its competitors but will help in sustaining that edge. A new operating system will help in installing software packages that will help in efficient access of inventory at the stores as well as headquarters and distribution centers. Upgrading to new OS will remove the companys dependency on its current supplier of DOS. Using more than one IT supplier will increase Zaras bargaining power. A Network can be set up between HQ, production centers and retail stores. POS system can be automated so that each sale will automatically update the POS devices. If the POS system of all stores can be interlinked all the store managers can easily know the inventory online and can make and keep their promises to customers demanding a particular garment. POS automation will help reduce overall workload of the employees and managers, as they will not have to manually enter every detail required in the order form. There will not be any need of hand held PDAs. Dedicated POS software will ensure that orders will now be made on the basis of theoretical inventories and will be more accurate. Orders can now placed continually increasing the frequency from twice a week to daily. Ideal software to be used for integration would be ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning). Linking all the process in the supply chain, from HQ, design centers to retail stores, will not only help the managers in accessing inventories but will also help HQ to regulate the supplies more accurately according to the orders placed. Production will become even leaner than before. ECQ (Economic Order Quantity) can help in determining quantities of different garments that buyer can order so that there is sufficient stock for the customers. This will reduce inventory cost as well. Knowing reorder levels will streamline managing of the inventory and help in maintaining the autonomy of the managers. Managers can determine from the reorder levels whether a particular garment needs to be ordered before it will go out of stock and can transmit the same to the production centers that are now linked to the retail outlets. Of course manual checks will still be needed occasionally to check a stores real time inventory is same as the theoretical inventory in case of exceptions like garments getting stolen or gone missing. Designers at HQ will now not depend entirely on the managers discretion and can observe themselves sales of new designs due to two-way system integration by ERP. Just in case a store does run out of stock on a particular garment, the manager can easily check the inventories of local nearby stores for availability and suggest the customer to go there. Inter-store connectivity will have added advantage of shipping garments to another store that has more demand of a particular garment. This will further increase the speed-to-market. Besides HQ even managers of different stores will benefit if they know through network what is selling at other stores and what is not. Cost Analysis: Zara will have to upgrade to better OS that will support ERP like Linux, Unix or Windows NT. Implementation cost of Linux is lowest of the three OS. But recurring costs like service-contract is much higher (McAfee et al). Annual cost of using Unix is the lowest and if functionality remains more or less same, Unix will be best suited. If other costs like plans for systems failure are not taken into consideration then implementation cost will relatively much lower than prospective ROI (Return On Investment). Risk Analysis: Changing software and operating system in all retail shops world over is not an easy task. Due to location of Zaras retail outlets all over the world, there will be many extra tangible costs. Cost of replacing current POS system with the new one. Cost of installation of new cables in each store and maybe new infrastructure to support the cables. Cost of external IT support, hiring professional consultants. Cost of internal IT management and technical training of personnel. Time taken to train the personnel till outside assistance is not required cannot be determined as level of training and learning will be different at different locations around the world. Risk Reduction: Both current and new systems should operate together till the personnel of each store can run the new system smoothly; this will not interrupt any service provided to customers. Zara has a huge pilot outlet that is around 1,500 square meters. Zara can use this as training facility from its personnel from all over the world. Zara can use it to test the new system as well. Zara can hire experienced software professionals and open an in-house department for software management and development. Zara can outsource the management and development to experienced software companies. However Zara will have to trade-off between highly efficient and expensive companies. Zara should develop a contingency plan and an exit plan as well in case the company cannot continue with the up gradation for some reason. Robust data backup is required in case the new system crashes due to mishandling by inexperienced staff.

The Minutes Pass :: Personal Narrative, Autobiographical Essay

The Minutes Pass I sit at a round desk for eight hours eight bucks an hour and doodle. The phone rings once or twice every few hours (if I’m lucky, that is) and the population of people over 50 seems to rise by the minute. I sit with my legs crossed, sandal-less, wearing â€Å"work† shoes and my â€Å"work† smile. I enjoy the company I find myself in, even if it is a good book and a nice thought of myself at the beach. So I play tunes in my head, sing songs of glory under my breath, even snack on crackers when my stomach grumbles. Right now I’ve got â€Å"Riders on the Storm† playing along in my head Riders on the storm riders on the storm Into this world we’re born into this world we’re throw It’s kinda funny, seeing as how among the massive song files the Doors have recorded, I usually find this one to tickle my fancy the least, though always hear it up on the radio, overplayed in time. I mean don’t get me wrong - great song, better than most - but as far as the Doors go, I find the song rather mundane. It has become accepted by the public, merely because it’s too far out of grasp for ordinary people to actually determine its true and logical meaning. Of course, they’re all oblivious to this. Only true Americans, and maybe some Europeans, can come to some sort of conclusion within themselves about the truth in things of small importance. Europeans I say, because they live within their culture, see the past and their history. Most Americans on the other hand, live in the present, see only BIG and eat at McDonald’s. I say â€Å"Americans† because we’re the home of the free, the home of the brave, all that good stuff. Every other country looks up to us for one reason or another – we are the Mother country. Only it takes a true American to actually comment on the facts that really come into play while living in an unmistakable society. I mean kids are still hungry, households are disrupted, yet there’s a working world out there for us all. Jobs should be out there, and I think they may be.

Seamus Heaney’s Storm on the Island and Walt Whitman’s Patrolling Essay

Seamus Heaney’s Storm on the Island and Walt Whitman’s Patrolling Barnegat which were written in 1966 and 1856 respectively are two classical poems describing vividly How the poems I have studied explored nature and its effect. Seamus Heaney’s Storm on the Island and Walt Whitman’s Patrolling Barnegat which were written in 1966 and 1856 respectively are two classical poems describing vividly the horror and insecurity experienced by human’s during a wild storm. Storm on the Island and Patrolling Barnegat have many similarities and differences, the similarities reside around each writer’s description of a storm but the differences are mainly due to the writer’s on personal attitude and approach to a storm and how they apply it to their writing. At the beginning of Heaney’s Storm on the Island he clearly highlights that they have prepared for a storm â€Å"We are prepared; we build our houses squat†, Heaney also makes it clear that there is no company or shelter on the island â€Å"Nor are there trees that might prove company when it blows full blast†. Throughout the poem Heaney is describing the elements that have to be faced during a storm, he describes the wind, the sea and the fear they produce. In contrast to Heaney, Whitman begins his poem with a prompt and vivid description of the storm and his dramatic account of a storm continues throughout the poem. Whitman’s portrayal of the storm is somewhat different to that of Heaney as it is more sophisticated and complex, â€Å"Steady the roar of the gale, with incessant undertone muttering†. The attitude of each poet towards the poem plays a prominent role in the style and rhythm of each poem. In brief it is quite clear that Heaney’s attitude to a ... ...ed the people experiencing it. My preference would have to be Patrolling Barnegat as I feel I was more engaged in the reading of it than I was in the reading of Storm on the Island and the way Whitman described the various components of a storm really impressed more so than anything else. On a final note I would like to acknowledge that these two poems I have been comparing are non-fiction but I do realise that storms do occur and their consequences can be catastrophic to say the least and you have to look no further than the recent hurricane disaster in New Orleans were over one thousand people lost their lives to the devastation caused by nature and that thousands of peoples lives have been permanently affected by this. We all should learn a valuable lesson from this disaster and in future hopefully this tragedy will not have to be experienced again.

Effects of Illegal Music Downloading on the Music Industry

Illegal downloading is commonly known as piracy, it describe that the steeling music from artists, songwriters, musicians, record label employees and others whose hard work and great talent who make music possible. Nowadays, downloading music is available for everyone on internet. However, it is still illegal. Downloading music on internet is what most people are doing because they do not have to pay, and they can choose only the songs they want to have. Unlike CDs which we have the whole album which might contain the songs that we do not want to listen to, plus we have to pay for it.However, it is not always a good thing, it might be good for the people who download the music, but what about the music industry? Is it killing the industry, or does it have profits on it? This paper will discuss both pros and cons of piracy downloading on the Music Industry. One of the most important influences that internet piracy has had on the music industry is the sale of retail CDs. Until the past few years, CD sales were one of the key things that music industry insiders used in order to find out which musicians and albums were the most popular with the public.As the world’s technology has been growing, it made the digital music and internet piracy growing too, sales of retail CDs dropped amongst younger consumers to such an extent that the best selling CDs on the market began to bear very little resemblance to the music that was actually popular with the young listeners that form the backbone of the music industry. For example, Bob Dylan’s album Modern Times quickly became the number one best seller when it was released in 2006, despite the fact that none of his tracks were highly requested on mainstream radio programs or popular with younger listeners.The most well-known case that involves internet piracy and the music industry was when a group of major recording companies took peer-to-peer file sharing service Napster to court for facilitating copyright inf ringement in the year 2000. After the increasing of the internet piracy, A&M Records and other record companies sued Napster on three separate claims, and it was successful. These claims included accusations that Napster was response for allowing users to infringe upon existing copyrights and were even encouraging users to download unlicensed copyrighted materials.When the recording industry won this landmark lawsuit, Napster stopped offering their file sharing services to users, and soon their company failed. The Institute for Policy Innovation make a conclusion that global music piracy causes $12. 5 billion of economic losses every year, 71,060 U. S. jobs lost, a loss of $2. 7 billion in workers' earnings, and a loss of $422 million in tax revenues, $291 million in personal income tax and $131 million in lost corporate income and production taxes.Today, most people who download music illegally do it by using new peer-to-peer networks like BitTorrent. The BitTorrent protocol is for of handling a lot of data very quickly and is very popular for people who upload and download copies of movies and television programs that have no license. In more recent years, dozens of major record labels and Hollywood studios have begun offering legal videos and tracks through BitTorrent in order to distribute their content on their own terms and avoid the pirating of their content.The Institute for Policy Innovation concludes that global music piracy causes $12. 5 billion of economic losses every year, 71,060 U. S. jobs lost, a loss of $2. 7 billion in workers' earnings, and a loss of $422 million in tax revenues, $291 million in personal income tax and $131 million in lost corporate income and production taxes. However, there are some profits that the music industries get from the music piracy. One of it is that older music is still available. Because of the way contracts are constructed, artists do not own their own music–record labels do.So when artists that change labels, their new label is not allowed to produce the albums the artist made on the old label, and if the old label decides not to release the songs, the music is dead. Music downloading is the only way for people to access these old dead songs. It can also make the artists still be famous over time because people still listen to their music even if they are obsolete. Another positive thing is that the not well-known artists become more famous, and their music albums also have better sales. 1. 87% of the entire music industry was controlled by 4 record companies. But most artists aren’t signed to these labels. As the results, most artists do not get radio play, and their music videos are usually in low quality and they are not usually shown on the television. Music downloading is great for lesser known artists to get the chance to be more famous. Most people won’t buy music they have not listened to. Music Piracy allows people who download music to experiment the unkno wn artists.This kind of experimentation cannot hurt the industry, it helps the industry instead. As people would not have bought the music if they cannot download it, but downloading and having the music may either make them realize they like the music, and buy the albums, or share the music to their friends, who then might like the music, and by the album, or even go to the concert. These smaller, independent artists have been on the rise in the past several years, and they also make profits to their industry. According to the RIAA, only 15% of albums make money.However, most record label contracts require that all costs for making the album be returned to the company, meaning that 85% of artists are in debt to their company after the records are released. Most artists repay this debt through money they got during concerts. And people who found out the artists through piracy may like the music enough to go to the concerts. The RIAA Consumer Profile in 2005 showed that CD sales at c oncerts have risen, it came from more people that go to join the concerts and more people that join these concerts do not own these CDs; both of this all came from online music downloading.From my experiences, I usually download music from internet, and when there is some artist I really like, I will become their fans and buy their albums. It also makes me know more artists that I never know of, and that is how it makes them famous. This is not just happening to me, it also happens to most of my friends. These facts prove that the music downloading is not all bad, but it might be to some music industries which are not so famous Even if music Piracy is illegal, it is very hard for someone to control or forbid people from doing it.It becomes part of the music society, everyone downloads music from internet. Some people do not even know that it is illegal because when they did it, nothing happened, no punishment or anything. However, it is also a good thing it benefits many things, bot h to the consumers and the industries. It might be bad for the industry in few years ago, but now people start to get use to it and make profits from it. Artists actually get more famous from it.

Good Fellas Essay

During the years of adolescence, children tend to conjure up ideas of what life will be like as an adult. Some dream of becoming a firefighter, some a teacher, but young Henry Hill is not like most children. He dreams of becoming a mob member and spends his time fantasizing about the cars and women that will come with the title. In the film Good Fellas, Martin Scorsese uses repetitive violence and poor decisions to show Henry Hill that material possessions and status are not of importance when you are reprimanded by the law, and further, how people in society tend to become blind by fortune and do not think about the consequences they could face by their actions. Scorsese creates a strong sense of what life is like for an Italian American, who is involved in the Mafia. Between the mass amount of mob movies and the reality shows available on cable, the stereotypes of Italians are not too keen. Before meeting an Italian American, a person who is over interested in food, tan, loud, hot tempered and obnoxious comes to mind. In some cases even a visual of a mob member. In this movie, Scorsese focuses on the way the mob members dress and eat, which helps create a strong image for the viewer of what is important to these characters. Once Henry started to become involved in the mob’s activities, he started to dress like them, â€Å"You look like a gangster,† his mother was appalled by his appearance. This is the first time the stereotype of how a member of a mob dressed is acknowledged. Henry shows up on the door step of his parent’s house at a young age, wearing a pressed suit and sparkling black dress shoes. He had used his earnings from the restaurant to make what he thought was an everlasting impression and to show his growing status. Shortly after Henry marries Karen, she is invited to a mob wife’s hostess party. She shows up in a designer dress and notices that â€Å"these women appear to be wearing thrown together pants suits and wearing worn makeup,† to her disgust. Later as the movie progresses Karen herself begins to adapt to this look as well. This is scene when appearances become less important and survival according to the demands of the mob is more of a focus. The aspect that never changes is how important a good meal is no matter what is going on around them and focus on the present tense. Even when Henry and Tommy have a man in the trunk, they think nothing of parking the car in a residential driveway to have a hearty meal with Tommy’s mom. Whenever life takes a turn for the worse, all is lost and the men are in prison, they still manage to prepare a five coarse meal. It is the only thing that gives them a sense of home. The members of the mob lived on the code of respect; if this was forgotten then they were forfeiting the safety that comes with being part of the crew. They were to respect the Boss and listen to whatever advice that was given. If a member were to go against him, there were consequences, â€Å"murder was the only way to keep everyone in line, if you got out of line, you got wacked,† there was no room for mistakes. It was seldom that a second chance would be granted. Once a member of the mob worked their way to the top and proved that they were loyal, they were treated extremely well. Not only did people within the mob know their status but onlookers knew as well. Henry enjoyes the amount of respect he received, he was not at the top but still had the power. He â€Å"didn’t have to wait for [his] fresh bread at the bakery, neighbors didn’t park in their driveway anymore, and the kids in the neighborhood would carry [his] mother’s groceries home for her. † This was just the beginning because as Henry grew older, he received this kind of treatment everywhere he went. Life was good. The luxuries Henry had did not come from volunteering within the community or going to college to earn a degree. These men were well known but not for their good doings. Henry explains it as being as an easy job, â€Å"if we wanted something we just took it, if someone complained they got hit so bad they didn’t again,† violence and crime was the only way to go for them. The people within the community feared them and if the police came after them, they would just pay them off or murder them and dispose of the body so it could not be pinned back on any of them. In order to become completely untouchable from the outsiders as well as the members within the mob, although, they needed Pauly. These members would go to Pauly for help, when they could not go to the police. The only problems with this is Pauly is not cheap and they needed to play by his rules. If his help was needed, he was to be paid weekly and no excuse was good enough for not having his cut when it was due. Scorsese uses violence and crime to show there was more to life than the money and fun that came along with it. It takes a bit of dirty work to get high end items if the hard work isn’t done to allow for the high end job. The members of the mob and their wives see life a bit differently than the typical working American. Henry’s wife Karen addresses this by saying â€Å"Our husbands are not Brain Surgeons; they were blue collar guys who go out and cut a few corners. † She did not see anything wrong in what Henry does as long as he comes home and treats her with all the luxuries she has become accustomed to, nothing else mattered. Henry and his accomplices did not think anything was wrong with how they lived. They enjoyed themselves and were aware of the consequences, but did not fret about them, â€Å"no one goes to jail unless they want to,† Pauly offered protection and as long as the rules were followed there was nothing to worry about. In order to get by, Henry would do everything from boot leg cigarettes, steal cargo, deal drugs and would kill anyone who gets in the way. The two that must be followed were, do not kill a Made man, which is a boss, unless you have permission and make sure you pay Pauly. Henry was living a fabulous life until he started making some bad decisions, got careless and broke the rules. Now the consequences that have been threatened have caught up with him and are starting to give him a rude awakening of what life really can be like for the average person, who does not belong to a powerful family, such as his. Henry was living life day by day and getting by doing whatever he pleases. He had the respect, the power and the wealth that he dreamt of as a young boy. But in the end it didn’t add up, he was left with nothing. All due to a few bad decisions, the materialistic rubbish and money caused Henry to be blinded from what truly should be important in life, he had cut off relationships with all of his real family and now had no one to turn to. Pauly had warned him not to get involved in the scandal that his two close accomplices Tommy and Johnny were getting involved in, but after Henry gets put into prison, he runs out of resources and needs money fast. â€Å"When you go away you are on your own,† because Pauly did not help Karen, while Henry was in jail he decides that instead of asking Pauly for help when he gets out he would take care of this misfortune of his own. He doesn’t feel as if he owes Pauly anything because Pauly did not offer help when he needed him the most. Henry locates Tommy and Johnny and creates a multimillion dollar plan. The problem that surfaces is that it will be hard to keep everyone involved quiet and some of the help decided to spend their cut of the money right away which started to draw some unwanted attention. Tommy and Johnny cannot have this become an issue, so â€Å"months after the robbery, they were finding bodies left and right, â€Å"it was obvious that there was something going on and it was starting to catch up with Henry. Pauly eventually caught up with them and had his men kill Tommy. Henry began to notice he was being followed and he thought he had everything under control but he was wrong. The Federal Government caught up with him â€Å"and now it’s all over, I am and average nobody. † In order for Henry to stay out of prison he had to become a victim of the Witness Protection Program and confessed everything, from the beginning, involving everyone and every detail. He no longer had the power or money he once had. None of it mattered anymore and he now regrets the poor decisions he had made that lead him in this direction. If he would have just listened to Pauly, he may still be living the life he once had. The director uses this end result of regret as the main theme of the movie. It holds as a message, a man may be blessed with good fortune but one bad decision can turn it all around. This film was based on a true story. The main character relives the life of the real Henry Hill to show the general public that it is okay to live life day by day and enjoy what comes with it but make sure that the consequences are acknowledged and be prepared for the outcome of the actions taken. All can be lost by a few bad decisions and there is no going back.

Importance of Statistics

IMPORTANCE OF STATISTICS In today's world we are faced with situations everyday where statistics can be applied. Statistics can be used to determine the potential outcome of thousands of things where the human mind alone wouldn't be able to. Statistics benefits all of us because we are able to predict the future based on data we have previously gathered. Being able to predict the future not only changes our lifestyle but also helps us be more efficient and effective. Statistics is the science of collection, analysis, and presentation of data.Statisticians contribute to scientific enquiry by applying their knowledge to the design of surveys and experiments; the collection, processing, and analysis of data; and the interpretation of the results. Statisticians may apply their knowledge of statistical methods to a variety of subject areas, such as biology, economics, engineering, medicine, public health, psychology, marketing, education, and sports. Many economic, social, political, and military decisions cannot be made without statistical techniques, such as the design of experiments to gain federal approval of a newly manufactured drug.Statisticians provide crucial guidance in determining what information is reliable and which predictions can be trusted. They often help search for clues to the solution of a scientific mystery and sometimes keep investigators from being misled by false impressions Why do we need to study statistics? There are five major reasons to study statistics: * The first reason is to be able to effectively conduct research. Without the use of statistics it would be very difficult to make decisions based on the data collected from a research project.For example, in the study cited in Chapter One, is the difference in recorded absenteeism between psychiatric and obstetrics nurses large enough to conclude that there is meaningful difference in absenteeism between the two units? There are two possibilities: The first possibility is that the diff erence between the two groups is a result of chance factors. In reality, the two jobs have approximately the same amount of absenteeism. The second possibility is that there is a real difference between the two units with the psychiatric unit being more nurses missing work.Without statistics we have no way of making an educated decision between the two possibilities. Statistics, however, provides us with a tool to make an educated decision. We will be able to decide which of the two possibilities is more likely to be true. We will base this decision on our knowledge of probability and inferential statistics. A second point about research should be made. It is extremely important for a researcher to know what statistics they want to use before they collect their data. Otherwise data might be collected that is uninterruptable.Unfortunately, when this happens it results in a loss of data, time, and money. Now many a student may by saying to themselves: â€Å"But I never plan on doing any research. † While you may never plan to be involved in research, it may find its way into your life. Certainly, it you decide to continue your education and work on a masters or doctoral degree, involvement in research will result from that decision. Secondly, more and more work places are conducting internal research or are becoming part of broader research studies. Thus, you may find yourself assigned to one of these studies.Finally, many classes on the undergraduate level may require you to conduct research (for example, a research methods or experimental psychology course). In each of these instances, a knowledge of measurements and statistics will be invaluable. * The second reason to study statistics is to be able to read journals. Most technical journals you will read contain some form of statistics. Usually, you will find them in something called the results section. Without an understanding of statistics, the information contained in this section will be meaningle ss.An understanding of basic statistics will provide you with the fundamental skills necessary to read and evaluate most results sections. The ability to extract meaning from journal articles and the ability to critically evaluate research from a statistical perspective are fundamental skills that will enhance your knowledge and understanding in related coursework. * The third reason is to further develop critical and analytic thinking skills. Most students completing high school and introductory undergraduate coursework have at their disposal a variety of critical thinking and analytic skills.The study of statistics will serve to enhance and further develop these skills. To do well in statistics one must develop and use formal logical thinking abilities that are both high level and creative. * The fourth reason to study statistics is to be an informed consumer. Like any other tool, statistics can be used or misused. Yes, it is true that some individuals do actively lie and mislead with statistics. More often, however, well meaning individuals unintentionally report erroneous statistical conclusions. If you know some of the basic statistical concepts, you will be in a better position to evaluate the information you have been given. The fifth reason to have a working knowledge of statistics is to know when you need to hire a statistician. Most of us know enough about our cars to know when to take it into the shop. Usually, we don't attempt the repair ourselves because we don't want to cause any irreparable damage. Also, we try to know enough to be able to carry on an intelligible conversation with the mechanic (or we take someone with us who can) to insure that we don't get a whole new engine (big bucks) when all we need is a new fuel filter (a few bucks). We should be the same way about hiring a statistician.Conducting research is time consuming and expensive. If you are in over your statistical head, it does not make sense to risk an entire project by attempt ing to compute the data analyses yourself. It is very east to compute incomplete or inappropriate statistical analysis of one's data. As with the mechanic discussed above, it is also important to have enough statistical savvy to be able to discuss your project and the data analyses you want computed with the statistician you hire. In other words, you want to be able to make sure that your statistician is on the right track.To summarize, the five reasons to study statistics are to be able to effectively conduct research, to be able to read and evaluate journal articles, to further develop critical thinking and analytic skills, to act as an informed consumer, and to know when you need to hire outside statistical help. How statistics are used in business areas Statistics clearly has real world applications in all of the subjects you list. * Accounting – Random sampling is frequently used by accounting firms when accounts (like travel expenses) are relatively small and inconseque ntial.You can use a random sample to estimate the quality of the whole population of accounts. * Finance – Trend analysis and correlation are common when making economic forecasts. * Management – Sampling of opinion polls and data pertaining to personnel. These are often summarized with estimates of errors. * Marketing – Customer surveys, correlations between advertising outlays and increased revenues. Estimates of market sizes use sampling. Product quality is also a rich field for statistical analysis. Any time you want a quick answer, you can get a good estimate by using statistical sampling.For example, a stratified random sample of accounts can be used instead of an exact calculation when you have paper sales orders (or pending sales orders) that are not entered into the computer. Make sure to count all the big ones, and you can estimate the small ones. On the other hand following ways, statistics can be possible to use in the business area. In general a typ ical organization has three levels: Strategic, Managerial and Oper- ational. This classi? cation is somewhat general and arbitrary. However, this can help identify and emphasize di? rent tools to be directed at the di? erent levels. We envision Statistics to play important roles at all these levels. Strategic Level (Top of an Organization) At the strategic level the most emphasis should be on Statistical thinking which Have the following components: * Notion of a Process, * Notion of measurement and data based decisions, * Understanding and dealing with variation, * Statistical tools, and * Systematic approach. The notion of process thinking is fundamental to any organizational change. Every action has some inputs and outputs which need to be identi? d in every context. Decisions at the strategic level should be based on facts supported by appropriate data and this requires an understanding of variation (Deming 1986). Business and Industry have seen the arrival and demise of many pr ograms such as Total Quality Management. Embracing any program that comes along without ? rm commitment and understanding is doomed to failure. Managerial Level (Middle Level) This is the level at which systems are devised for implementation of the directions taken by upper management.In particular, systems for robust product and pro- cess design, process control and improvement, and training are the responsibility of middle management. Understanding of some statistical tools and statistical thinking are prerequisites for those who are designing these systems. Operational Level At this level the methods are implemented through the system built at the mana- gerial level. Understanding of statistical tools such as control charting, capability analysis, design of experiments, measurement system analysis, regression analysis etc are essential.Appropriate statistical tools need to be used by operational peo- ple as part of their daily work. People in some areas need to know the details o nly of certain statistical tools. For instance, an operator responsible for maintaining stability of a process by charting should know the workings of a control chart but need not know a lot about design of experiments. On the other hand an engineer responsible for process improvement should be knowledgeable in several aspects of statistical process control and design of experiments.How entrepreneur minimizes the business risk By using following tools, am entrepreneur can minimize the business risk. Those are: * Business forecasting * Risk return analysis in portfolio and project management * Probability concept in manufacturing area and others Statistics are used all over the world. They can be applied in almost any situation and can always help. They are used in explaining group behavior of organisms, marketing research, and the list goes on and on. A good example is how scientists observe the behavior of groups of animals.Scientists can record data from a group of elephants and d etermine that a certain percentage of elephant herds will defend themselves from predators while the other percentage may run away. This kind of data can help scientists predict the elephant's lifestyle and culture. Statistics affects our daily life every day. Researchers use statistics to advertise their products which in turn we the consumer purchase. The price of the products we buy are determined upon statistics which show the demand for the product at that point in time and because of these statistics, we the consumers pay a certain amount of money to buy the product.Another example of how statistics affect me is in school. Every year statistics are looked over and the curriculums for the classes I take are based on data collected in the past. The curriculums are modified and help the learning process. In conclusion, statistics are a major staple of our world today. They are used in practically any situation and help improve our overall lifestyle. Statistics change the way we t hink about tomorrow and the way we live today and without them.

Atticus Quotes from to Kill a Mockingbird

â€Å"You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view — until you climb into his skin and walk around in it. † –Atticus (pg. 30) â€Å"As you grow older you’ll see white men cheat black men every day of your life, but let me tell you something and don’t you forget it— whenever a white man does that to a black man, no matter who he is, how rich he is, of how fine a family he comes from, that white man is trash. †Ã¢â‚¬â€œAtticus (pg. 200) â€Å"I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It’s when you know you’re licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see through it no matter what. †Ã¢â‚¬â€œAtticus (pg. 112) â€Å"Before I can live with other folks I’ve got to live with myself. The one thing that doesn’t abide by majority rule is a person’s conscience. †Ã¢â‚¬â€œAtticus (pg. 105) â€Å"You just hold your head high and keep those fists down. No matter what anyone says to you, don’t let ‘em get your goat. Try fighting with your head for a change†¦it’s a good one, even if it does resist learning. †Ã¢â‚¬â€œAtticus (pg. 6) â€Å"It’s not okay to hate anybody. †Ã¢â‚¬â€Atticus (pg. 246) â€Å"Jem see if you can stand in Bob Ewell’s shoes a minute. I destroyed his last shred of credibility at that trial, if he had any to begin with. The man had to have some kind of comeback, his kind always does. So if spitting in my face and threatening me saved Mayella Ewell one extra beating, that’s something I’ll gladly take. He had to take it out on somebody and I’d rather it be me than that household full of children out there. †Ã¢â‚¬â€œAtticus (pg. 218)