Case study discussion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Case study discussion - Essay Example In this regard, the assets, interests, and rights of the project are basically held as the secondary security or act as the collateral. Therefore, in any case the forecasted cash flow from the project does not sustain the project, there is high risk exposure to debt risks though the failure of the projects may be attributed to many factors like the interest rates, business risks, economic situation like inflation and the type of the shareholders (Gatti, 2013). In the case of Autopistas del Centro, the financial recession hit the project quite since most of the projected cash flow had been forecasted prior to the great financial crisis of 2008 (Lubian, 2015). Therefore, the only option it to sell the project to new owners since the shareholders are reluctant to go into their pockets and revive the project once. Therefore, it is imperative to identify some of the factors that must be considered when pricing the project so as to make sure both the buyers and sellers are satisfied. Besides, the head of the projects is deeply concerned about the best approach that can be used to make sure that the shareholders are satisfied with the handing over of the project to the new owners. Inflation is one of the critical issues that must be looked into when pricing a project to the new owners. The implication is that inflation has the potential to increase the original estimates of the construction costs (Esty, 2014). Usually, the inflation rates are put into consideration when the project is at the design stage but future changes in the inflation rates may affect the original estimated construction costs and this will have a huge effect on the final pricing of the project (Gatti, 2013). Therefore, when pricing the project, it would be important to look at the inflation rates in Spain, as well as Europe in general. In 2009, the CFO of AC, Martinez saw the need to revise the status of the project finance under different circumstances under which the

The Meaning And Definition Of Brand

The Meaning And Definition Of Brand Due to the intensive competitiveness between the different producers and sellers in todays contemporary world, the phenomenon of joint branding is increasing at a rapid rate. With the traditional brand extension and the various brand alliance strategies like dual branding and advertising alliance, joint branding is a way of distinguishing the products from their competitive alternatives. By utilizing, the concept of product integration whereby a single entity is branded with that of one or more entities, companies can derive the favorable outcomes for both the entities. 2.1 Meaning and Definition of Brand The concept of branding is existing for past many centuries now. It is the primary means of distinguishing the product of a single manufacturer from that of another. The term brand is a derivative of the Old Norse word brandr, which implies to burn, (Kotler, 1982). As defined by (Keller, 2009, p 17), a brand is a name, term, sign, symbol, or design, or a combination of them, intended to identify the goods and services of seller or group of sellers and to differentiate them from those of competition. Technically, whenever a marketer creates a new name, logo, or symbol for a new product, he or she has created a brand. Brand resembles the total experience that consumers relate to the products (Keller Lehman, 2004, p.1) in order to create and retain the monetary performance (Haigh Knowles, 2004) which results in the visibility of the brands at three different levels customer, product and financial areas (Keller Lehman, 2004). Haigh and Knowled (2004) have suggested in their theories that brands are the primary source through which the competitive products could differ. The construction of competitive superiority (Keller Lehman, 2004, p.2) could be obtained by handling the various brand channels. The significance of brands have changed in the modern world due to the global trends, for instance, the deregulation of industrial sector, the privatisation of public organisations, the establishment of independent firms, extensive utilisation of franchises and the eradication of trade barriers ( McDonald, de Chartony and Harris, 2001). Brand Equity Brand Equity is a combination of the brand assets and liabilities associated to a specific brand, its name, image, logo or symbol that appreciates or depreciates the value provided by the product to its consumers (Aaker, 1991, p.15). In simple terms, it is the added value provided to products which reflects the consumer attitude towards the brand (Kotler Keller, 2006). Appendix A lists the world top 10 brands in the year 2010. It has been observed that for products in order to gain brand equity must be associated with the name or symbol of the brand (Aaker, 1991, p.15) however, on either amending or altering the name following a joint branding activity the product value might get effected. Furthermore, Aaker (1991) suggested the assets and liabilities which effects the brand equity as brand loyalty, brand awareness, quality perception, the brand association with quality and other factors like patents, trademarks etc. 2.1.1 Brand Vs Product A product is anything that is offered to a market for attention, acquisition, use or consumption that might satisfy a need or want (Kotler, 1984, p.137). Therefore, a product could be a tangible good like bread, cricket bat, or vehicle; however, a Brand is wider in scope than a product, because it can have dimensions that differentiate in some way from other products designed to satisfy the same need (Gregory, 1999, p.54). These variations may be rational and tangible- released to product performance of brand- or more symbolic, emotional, and intangible-related to what the brand represents (Rosson Brooks, 2004, p.57). Developing apparent branding differences among products through branding and by developing a loyal customer franchise, marketers create value that can translate to financial profits for the firm (Bruner, 2005, p17). However the fact is the significantly low numbers of tangible assets are considered to be valuable and so is the case with the intangible assets. 2.1.2 Creating New Brand Associations By associating a brand with another entity, consumers make a pre-conceived image linking the attributes of these brands to the other entity and to every other entity and association which is in liaison with this brand (Homburg Bucerius, 2005). In a wider sense, this secondary brand knowledge is most likely to affect evaluations of a new product when consumers lack either the motivation or the ability to judge product-related concerns (Morall, 1996, p.131). In other words, when consumers either dont care much about or dont feel that they possess the knowledge to choose the appropriate brand, they may be more likely to make brand decisions on the basis of secondary considerations like what they think, feel, or know about the country from which the product came, the store in which it is sold, or some other characteristics (Shelton, 2002, p.147). Therefore, the association of brands with other brands improves customer retention, enhances service quality, influences customers perception of the brand and proves to gain an edge over the competitors (Perry Herd, 2004). According to Kumar (2004), when a specific brand is linked to any entity, it not only creates a new relationship but also it affects all the existing relationships of the brand. The basic mechanism states that the consumer is aware of the attributes of entity. When a brand is identified or linked to that entity, consumer may infer that some of the particular associations, judgments, or feelings that characterise the entity may also characterise the brand (Kumar Blomqvist, 2004, p.26). A number of different theoretical mechanisms from psychology predict this type of inference. One is cognitive consistence  [1]  , in other words, the consumers perception is, what is true for the entity, must be true for the brand. 2.2 Joint Branding According to signaling product, the combination or collaboration of two brands provides greater assurance of quality than what a single branded product provides, which should lead to higher evaluations of products and premium prices (Rao, 1999, p37). Through a brand extension strategy, a new product can become linked to an existing corporate or family brand that has its own set of associations (Swystum, 2001, p117). Further, Sinclair (2007) is of the opinion that a presentg brand could influence its relationship with other entities by getting into an association with a brand from the same industry (Sinclair, 2007). Joint branding also called Joint branding, brand bundling (Keller, 2004, p 19) or brand alliances is formed with the association of two or more brands who decides to produce a new brand and as well sells it together. Joint branding is in existence for past many decades; for instance, Betty Crocker partenered with Sunkist Growers in 1961 to profitably sell a lemon chiffon cake mix. Interest in Joint branding as a means of building brand equity has increased in recent years (Grobel Forbes, 2006, p203). For instance, the toffee candy bar produced by Hersheys Health has not only been extended into several new products-Health Sensations (bite sized candies) and Health Bits and Bits of Brickle (chocolate-covered and plain toffee baking products)-but also has been licensed to a variety of vendors, such as Dairy Queen (with its Blizzard drink), Ben and Herrys, and Blue Bunny (with its ice cream bar). Some other notable supermarket examples of Joint branding are Kellogs Pop- Tarts with Smuckers fruit filling. Yoplait Trix yogurt, and Smuckers Dove ice cream sauce. In the credit card market, Joint branding often links three brands, as in the Shell MasterCard from Citi Cards. With airlines, brand alliances can unite a host of brands, such as Star Alliance, which comprises of 16 different airlines such as United Airlines, Lufthansa, and Singapore Airlines. Although the joint branded products are into use for quite some time but surprisingly, it has a very minute quantitative observational research on the subject. Norris (1992) was the person to describe the potential benefits of the Joint Branded products. This study was then preceded by the various theoretical articles by Rao Rueckert (1994) on Joint Branded Products on signaling Perspective and the other one by Hillyer Tikoo (1995) to understand the influence of Joint branded products on brand evaluation. 2.2.1 Merits De-merits of Joint Branding The primary benefit provided by joint branding is the ability to position a product distinctively and credibly amidst the large number of multiple brands in the market industry (Norris, 1992). Joint branding can create more compelling points of difference or points of parity for the brand -or both-than otherwise might have been feasible (Hillyer Tikoo, 1995, p57). The outcome would see it producing higher number of sales in the current market and additionally opening good opportunities with new customer groups. Joint branding can reduce the cost of product introduction because it combines two well-known images, accelerating potential adoption (Levin, 1996, p87). Joint branding also may be a valuable means to learn about consumers and how other companies approach them. In poorly differentiated categories especially, joint branding may be an important means of creating a distinctive product (Desai Keller, 2002, p 136). The possible limitations of joint branding could be the risks and lack of control that arise from becoming aligned with another brand in the minds of consumers. Consumers expectations about the level of involvement and commitment with joint brands are likely to be high (Levin, 1996, p 147). Unsatisfactory performance thus could have negative repercussions for both (or all) brands (Rao, 1997). Levin, in his study further emphasizes on the fact that If the other brand has entered into a number of joint branding arrangements, there also may be a risk of overexposure that would dilute the transfer of any association. It may also result in distraction and a lack of focus on existing brands. A summarized tabulate version of the merits and de-merits of joint branding is listed in Appendix B. 2.3 Comparison of joint branding against the different branding strategies Joint branding is a long term brand alliance in which a product is identified and branded with the other brand (Levin, 1996, p7). A joint branding strategy should constitute following characteristics; the participant of the joint branding should be independent before, during and after the alliance of the joint branded product (Ohlwein Schiele, 1994). Secondly, the joint branding strategy should be implemented on a purpose by the owners of the brand (Blackett Russell, 1999). Third, the potential buyer should notice the cooperation between the two brands (Rao, 1997). Fourth, there should be incorporation of more than one brand at a single instance (Hiller Tikoo, 1995; Levin, 1996) The joint branding practically shows that there are two variations in it. The first one can be said as Vertical joint Branding often called as ingredient branding (Desai Keller, 2002, p 113), it refers to a vertical combination of products where manufacturers of different value chain steps in one product (E.g. Pepsi and Nutra Sweet; Dell and Intel). On the contrary the horizontal joint branding is characterised by producers stepping in the same value chain for the manufacturing and selling of a multi-branded product. In addition, a joint branded product may also appear in a category where both the producers are already established (Sony Ericsson Mobile phones). Joint branding strategy can become the brand extension strategy by introducing new product with the same brand name on the existing or new product category or the new product in the new product category (Desai Hoyer, 1993, p 176). The figure below represents the overlaps and differences among the joint branding and brand extension strategies. Figure 1: Joint Branding and Brand Extension (Source: Helming, Huber Leeflang, 2008) Only one single brand is involved in classical brand extensions where as joint branding includes multiple brands. Because of this difference there is no information on how customers utilise the brand attitude and association to deliver their response to the combination of two brands can be derived from the study and practice of classic brand extension (Simonin Ruth, 1998). On the other side brand extension appears much frequent in practice and corresponding literature is much sophisticated and comprehensive (Aker, 1990; John, 1998; Balachander Ghose, 2003; Volckner Sattler, 2006). Both brand extension and Joint branding strategies work on the same subject line, to strengthen the parent brand and extend the customer value perception to a new product (Aaker, 1990. P76). However, joint branding strategy can be seen as more advantageous because a second brand can contribute an additional value perception to the parent brand and itself that a parent brand cannot gather itself. In addit ion their might be some negative effects to the potential advantages caused by the combination of two brands reasoning either they dont fit or unfavorable perception among the partnering brands. Further to this the joint branding involves great complications in the operational activities because this strategy needs the alignment of interest of a minimum two associated partners. The choice on aligning requires a careful and comprehensive study of related cost and advantages levied on certain operational objective and the situational surroundings. Additional to joint branding strategy there lays few more brand aligning strategies, they are; Joint sales promotion Advertising alliance Dual branding Bundling The Joint Branding strategy can be closely related to advertising alliance approach. The primary reason to utilise the different branding strategies similar to that of joint branding strategy is the improvement of interdependent image accompanying the collaboration with complementary partner (Wernerfelt, 1988, Erdem Swait, 1999). The signaling theory explains that, the collaboration of two brands assures the customer with greater product quality that in turn provides higher evaluations and premium prices (Rao, 1999). However, joint branding strategy is the only approach where a single product collaborates with two or more brands (Wernerfelt, 1988, p 36). Even though the new brand alliance strategy may not contain the severe unfavorable spillover effects and less difficulty but they may not involve such strong benefits as the joint branding strategy. The table below shows the differences between the joint branding strategy and other strategies. This table demonstrates that the joint branding and brand extension strategies are very similar where as the other strategies are completely different. Table 1: Branding Strategy and their distinction from Joint Branding Strategy Example Characteristic Difference from Joint branding Relevant Literature Product Bundling Vobis Hardware, software and services for PCs Combined offer from two or more goods in a package with one total price No simultaneous branding of a single physical product by two brands Gaeth, 1990; Yadav, 1994; Stremersch Tellis, 2002. Advertising alliance Wasa (bread) Due Darfst (diet butter) Simultaneous mention of different supplier of different products in one advertisement Berndt, 1985; Schroter Waschek, 1996; Bergen John, 1997; Samu, 1999 Joint sales promotion Reebok (sports outfit) and Pepsi (soft drink) Timely, limited appearance of two independent brands in promotional activities Varadarajan, 1985; Varadarajan, 1986; Palupski Bohmann, 1994. Dual Branding Burger king (fast food) Shell (Gas station) Common usage of store location (shop in shop concept) Levin, 1996; Levin Levin, 2000. Brand Extension Boss Brand transfer from cloths to perfume Extension of brand to a new product in either a new or an existing product category Equals joint branding , if new product is branded by two brands simultaneously Aaker Keller, 1990; Balachander Ghose, 2003; Volckner Sattler, 2006. 2.3.1 Joint Branding and its Effectiveness Different theories were propagated to gain an understanding on the efficiency of joint-branding when compared with various other brand extension strategies. Below listed is a brief description on these theories: Concept Combination Theory: This was propounded by Park, Jun and Shocker in the year 1996. In this theory, the researchers have observed the evolution and usefulness of combined brand partnerships. A combined brand is described to be the outcome of aligning two significant brands. The findings were based on the influence on perception of the consumer towards the new composite brand resulting from the earlier perceptions of the combining brands. The concept combination procedure enlisted evaluating two self sufficient concepts which are to form a new concept (Wisniewski, 1996). According to Park, Jun and Schocker (1996) a composite joint brand comprises of at least one parent brand and one modifier brand, each of which are determined according to their position in the composite brand. As per the concept combination theory, a set of core attributes in a concept is the most essential and salient set of attributes for understanding a concept (Eysenck and Keanne 1990), and it is difficult to change when the concept is combined with others. b) Signaling Theory: This theory was utilized by various realists (Rao, Qu Ruekert, 1999; Rao and Rueker1994; Washburn, Till, and Priluck 2000) in order to evaluate and assess the creation of joint branding and its usefulness. As stated by Spence (1974), signaling could be observed when the observer takes actions to communicate data and information to the ones who are ignorant of it, in order to facilitate their decision making. By utilizing this theory, Washburn, Trill Priluck (2000) had studied the effects of joint branding on the brand equity of the partnering brands. The four components  [2]  of the brand equity were evaluated based on the changing perception of the consumers. c) Assimilation and Contrast Theory: Levin (2002) has engaged social judgment theory in investigating the impact of joint branding. According to the social judgment theory (Shrif Hovland, 1961), judgments towards a stimulus are affected by the context within which it is evaluated. Furthermore, Sherman (1978, p107) states a stimulus is judged not only by its own features but also by the other stimulus that are present concurrently. Based on the occurrence of a stimuli the contexts are classified into contrast and assimilation effects (Meyers-Levy and Sternthal 1993). 2.3.2 Direct Effects Considering the empirical theories of Rao Rueckert (1994) and Rao (1997), Rao (1999), an in depth study of Joint Branded products from signaling perspective, whereby they show that the customers evaluates the brand qualitativeness better in relation to unidentifiable characteristics where a particular brand is collaborated with another brand which is presumed to be at risk of consumers acceptance. The combined outcome of the dual branding nature, joint branded products offers a better quality signal when compared with mono branded products. Levin (1996) findings displayed that matching a reputed brand name with an non reputable or slightly known host brands improves consumers product evaluations than adding a non reputable brand. Thus, it could be concluded that consumers brand awareness on the partner brands has a positive direct effect (Rao, 1997, p 118). Fang and Mishra (2002) also supported this claim, stating that consumer perception of a non reputed brand enhances when combined with a reputed, good quality associate; and Voss Tansuhaj (1999), proves that consumer evaluation of a joint branded products improves if a well known domestic brand is incorporated with unknown foreign brand partner. Vaidyanathan Aggarwal (2000) has also analyzed joint branded products formed by a well known national brand and an unknown private brand, and found that a joint branded products received positive valuation if it is incorporated with a well known ingredient brand. By differentiating a joint brand product as having either an unknown branded element or a reputed brand, Desai Keller (2002) clarifies the extended effect of the host brand. With the extension which transforms the intensity of a prevailing product feature, a stabilized component facilitates early growth recognition, however a self brand ingredients results in favourable successive group expansion assessment. The brand extension which adds a whole new feature to the product would inculcate an existing component, as doing this will lead to high assessment of the original product and its preceding expansion. Park (1996) states that the positive attitude of consumer towards a brand leads to positive direct effects, and the joint branded products involving two complementary brand gains a better attribute profile in the mind of consumers than that of a direct brand extension of dominant brand or a joint branded product involving two highly favourable but uncomplimentary brand. Walchli (1996), When measuring the evaluation of joint-branded products according to the agreement of the partner brands, displays that in high associated situations, the high dissimilar or similar partner brand possess less positive evaluation that it may have in rather disimilar partner brand. This astounding result is a task of the amplification that consumers undertake to seek resolutions that are partial towards positive clarification for the inaptness (Mandler (1982)) The prior positive attitude generates the positive direct effect towards each partner brand, and also from the positive perception toward the brand and the offered product fit of the partner brand. The term fit refers for the consumer perception on congruity of both the partner brand and their offered product categories and the branding concepts (Simonin Ruth, 1998). The model of Simonin Ruth had been modified by Hadjicharalambus (2001) to gain an evidence that overall fit (i.e., the joint venture of two brands A B as a new joint brand product) effects the evaluation positively of the joint branded products, but overall the fit is influenced by the transfer fit positively, or partner brand fit with product category of the joint branded product and fit of the brand. There is a possession of synergitic effect on the high transfer fit, which generates positive direct effects. The direct link with the brand equity and the joint branded products has been stated by Washburn (1999) and W ashburn et al. (2000, 2004) , this displays that the higher brand equity of partner brand enhance the perceived brand equity of the joint branded product and thus radiates positive direct effect. The study conducted by Janiszewski Van Osselaer (2000) and Van Osselaer Janiszewski (2001) shows how the consumer predicts the products performance through brand names and product features by different training methods. As explained by Simonin Ruth (1998) and Park et al.,(1996) that joining two or more established brands improves the face value of a joint branded products because the well known ingredient of a brand gives positive direct effects. The two most recent study conducted on the direct effect of joint branding is done by Baumgrath (2003) and Huber (2005). These studies agree and support to the previous studies of Simonin Ruth (1998) and Hadjicharambouss (2001) findings. The most comprehensive study on direct effects is given by Baumgarth (2003). He had analyzed a biggest simple, the great variety of joint branded products, and the most path relationship. He also states that advertising has a relevantly great importance in terms of evaluating the joint branded products. Huber (2005) proved evidently that involvement of product and orientation of consumers brand influences the success of joint branded product. The comparison of brand extension and joint branding studys displays some interesting similarities and differences. The requirement of fit in a high degree in a brand and the product extension is the main factor of success for brand extension, high involvement of parent brand, acceptance from the market and retailer (Volckner Sattler, 2006). The success of joint branded product is influenced by the transfer fit and support from market, but it carries much significance obtained from the product fit and the partner brand. This is because the joint branding introduces the new evaluation dimensions, unlike the brand extension. The collaborating concept of joining two or more brand from a single product to a joint branded product can achieve much benefits of that it may not achieve from its own. This finding is supported by Park et al (1996). The experimental test conducted shows that a joint branded product is assumed much favorable than that of the direct brand extension in the parent brands product category The literature of joint branding still need to analyze the addition factor of success of brand extension, like retailer acceptance and parent brand involvement. The table 2 below shows the relevance of relationship from the brand extension that may serve as a potential factor of success for joint branded product. Such combination can be considered for further research. TABLE 2; Succes Factors for Direct effects Success factors for direct effects A Joint branded product is more successful if.. source Relative Importance Characteristics of constituent brands/products Awareness brand awareness of the constituent brand is high Levin et al. (1996) Fang and Mishra(2002) Voss and Tansuhaj(1999) Vaidyanathan and Aggarwal(2000) Desai and Keller(2002) Medium Quality the perceived quality of the constituent brands is high Rao et al. (1999) McCarthy and Norris (1999) Park et al. (1996) Simonin and Ruth (1998) Janiszewski and van Osselaer (2000) van Osselaer and Janiszewski (2001) Baumgarth (2003) Lafferty et al. (2004) Huber (2005) High Brand equity the brand equity of the Constituent brands is high Washburn (1999) Washburn et al. (2000; 2004) High Characteristics of Joint Branded product Advertising the evaluation of advertising campaigns with regard to the joint branded product is positive. Baumgarth (2003) HIgh Retail Acceptance retailer acceptance is high Volckner and Sattler (2006) NA Fit constituent brands/products Degree of Complimentariness the constituent brands are highly complimentary regarding an attitudeof the joint branded product Park et al. (1996) Medium Brand fit Brand fit of the constituents brand is high Simonin and Ruth (1998) Baumgarth (2003) High Product fit Product fit of the product categories of constituents brandsis high Simonin and Ruth (1998) Baumgarth (2003) Huber (2005) HIgh Incongruence Partner brands are moderately incongruent under high involvement conditions. Walchi (1996) Medium Fit constituent brands with Joint branded product Fit of constituents brands and Joint branded product The fit between the brands and the joint branded product is high Hadjicharalambous(2001 Baumgarth (2003)) HIgh Person specific variables Product involvement Involvement with the product category of the cobranded product is high Huber(2005) Medium Brand Orientation Brand orientation is high Huber(2005) Low Constituent brand involvement Constituent brand involvement is high Volckner and Sattler (2006) NA (Source: Helming, Huber Leeflang, 2008) 2.3.3 Spillover Effects Studies on joint branding that delivers spill-over effect are scarce. A structural equation model has been developed by Simonin Ruth (1998) that displays consumers attitude towards the joint branded product, influencing positive attitude towards each partner brand. These authors have also proved that the brand that are less familiar in the market gains weak impact on the consumer attitude by the joint branded product (Lafferty, 2004). Baumgrath (2003) states that, great brand stability has less image erosion due to unfavourable extension, which may deliver weak spill over effect. Joint branded products may increase evaluation of an unknown brand if those unknown brand are joint with well known brand. A joint branded product which has two high equity partners can get a win-win potential, which can lead to great spill over effect. Brands with low brand equity gain the higher benefit from the joint branding and that carrying high brand equity does not suffer down grading of reputation, even if they are joined with a lower equity partner (Washburn, 1999; Washburn et al. 2000; 2004). Vaidyanathan Aggarwal (2000) states that the brand equity of a national brand does not decrease if collaborated with the unknown private brand. Musante (2000) finds that a joint branded products improves its evaluation if it cooperates with the second brand which is perceived to be higher in that dimension. Table 3; Success factor for spill over effects Success factor for spill Spill over effect on one/both brand(s) Source over effect are stronger more positive if.. Characteristics of constituent brand(s) Brand Awareness Brand awareness of one of the constituent brand is high Voss Tanssuhaj (1999) Brand Personality/attitude The brand personality of one of the constituent brand is positive Musante (2000) Brand Equity The brand equity of one of the constituent brands is high Washburn (1999); Vaidyanath Aggarwal (2000); Washburn (2000; 2004) Brand Familiarity The brand familiarity of the constituent brand is low Simonin Ruth (1998) Brand stability The brand stability of the constituent brands is low Baumgarth(2003) Success factor for Spill over effect Spill over effect on one/both brand(s) are stronger /more positive if.. Source Charac

The Neural Score for Language and Related Action :: Biology Essays Research Papers

The Neural Score for Language and Related Action In the web page, GESTURAL EQUIVALENCE (EQUIVALENTS) OF LANGUAGE (http://www.percep.demon.co.uk/gesture.htm) , the development of language with respect to movements of the arms and hands are discussed. It is proposed that there are certain neural patterns, a score, to these movements that correspond to certain sounds. One can get so general as to say that there is one pattern of movement for each phoneme in language. Phonemes are the basic sounds of which a spoken language is constructed. The fact that there are hand movements gestures if you will, that follow the same patterns as vocal utterances have many effects. Neural scores become more evident, the same initial brain patterns control speaking and gesturing. This is known as The Motor Theory of Language Origin and Function. It also has an interesting influence on the expression of scores themselves. It also explains much infant behavior, such as mimicking. The Motor Theory of Language Origin and Function holds that patterns for specific motor activity are the same patterns as those for speech. As for the neurobiological interpretation for the evolution of language and speech, this says a lot. As the neural patterns for certain arm movements became more and more specific; the effects of these patterns, when applied to the vocal apparatus became more and more specific. This specificity lead to the development of the phonemes of all human language. There are also similarities between the motion produced and the meaning of the word (see attached picture). What is amazing about this is the fact that many different languages have words with the same meaning that have similar movements, even if the words are not similar. Also, the fact that common gestures, the composite of a few of the simple gesture movements, change between languages enforces the idea that the movements vary with the phoneme, not the word. An interesting effect that this theory has when parts are applied to all neural activity is that certain neural patterns, scores can be applied to many different parts and the same results can be seen. For instance, in this web page, it is proposed that the human body can produce the same signature using hands, the feet, nose, or even forehead. Although it is difficult for a human to master this all at one time, if it is needed, the same neural pattern for the movement of the right hand with a writing implement can be applied to one of many other places on the body.

Reading and Writing Strategies Essay

|Strategy |Activity |Assessment | |Prior Knowledge: To make connection to what one already |Make a word web of information that has |Create a concept map showing key ideas. | |know. Lay a foundation which new facts, ideas and |been discussed. | | |concepts can be develop. | |Assess prior knowledge by asking | | |Share information. |questions. | | |Create a T-Chart with what students would | | | |like to know about the subject and what I | | | |now know. | | |Prediction: Predicting involves thinking ahead and |Ask question about each picture to elicit |Write prediction in reading logs. | |anticipating information and event that take place. |response that require them to make | | | |inferences. |Students complete a prediction sheet as a| | | |formative assessment. Students share what| | | |they learned. | |Summarizing: Process of identifying and writing the main |Writing in journal as to how they think |Write a short summary of the material. | |ideas that unite ideas into a coherent whole. |the story will end or what will take place| | | |at a certain point in the material. |Read a passage from the material and | | | |write a summary. | | |Give an oral summary of their version of | | | |what take place. | | | | | | |Generate Question: The practice of asking what, when, |Students look at the title and write |Create a short answer for discussion | |where, why, what will happen, how and who question. |question as to what, when and where. |question. | | | | | | |Ask question before reading, during |Asks questions that would likely | | |reading and after reading. |encourage a response that is focused, | | |â€Å"Engage class in pre discussion Students |detailed and interesting. | | |will make predictions about the text by | | | |asking effective before reading questions |Rubric can be used to evaluate the | | |to improve reading comprehension† |quality of the questions created by the | | |((Teacher vision, n. d). |student. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |Fluency: The ability to read text smoothly, accurately |Readers’ Theater |Running Records | |and with expression. |Students read |Retelling the main idea and supporting | | |aloud from a script |details, the sequence of events, | | |and bring the |characters, setting and plot. | | |characters and | | | |action to life. | | | | | | | |Tape assisted | | | |reading | | | |The students listen | | | |to a recording of a | | | |story or text and | | | |reads along. | | | | | | | |Partner Reading | | | |Read aloud with a | | | |partner and partner | | | |give feedback. | | |Word-Attack Strategies: Help students to decode, | |Read list of sight words and check for | |pronounce and understands unfamiliar words. |Sound Out the Word |pronunciation and decoding. Give students| | |Start with the first letter, |one minute to read list of words. | | |and say each letter- | | | |Sound out loud. | | | | | | | |Blend the sounds | | | |together and try to say |Look for base words and blend the | | |The word. |beginning or ending sounds to sound out | | | |words. | | |Look for Chunks in the Word | | | | | | | |Look for familiar letter chunks. They may | | | |be sound/symbols, prefixes, suffixes, | | | |endings, whole words, or base words. | | | | | | | |Read each chunk by | | | |Itself. Then blend the chunks together and| | | | | | | |Sound out the word. | | |Visualize: Students will learn to visualize the details|Analyze what they read. |Select a picture and relate the details | |of a text. They will use other sensory images like | |of the picture. | |dramatizing and drawing to help them better understand |Drawing during reading. | | |what they are reading. | | | | | | | Writing Strategies |Strategy |Activity |Assessment | |Prewriting: The stage where students begin the |Brainstorm ideas |Use a graphic organizer to plan writing. | |writing process by creating ideas for |Choose a topic | | |writing. |Plan and organize information | | | |Create an outline | | |Drafting: The stage where students put their |Write a draft |Put their ideas on paper | |ideas in writing. |Students put their ideas in writing and correct| | | |later. | | |Revising: Draft is reread and improvements are |Add information when needed |The teacher provides feedback according to the | |made. |Delete unnecessary information |rubric. | | |Organize paragraphs | | |Proofreading: Students read and make |Students reread their papers for errors. |The teacher provides feedback according to the | |corrections. | |rubric. | | |Partner up with another student and proofread | | | |each other paper using a red pen and circle | | | |errors. | | | | | | |Final Draft: Student final paper before |. |Consult teacher for feedback. | |publishing. Consult teacher for feedback. |Have another student read and one listen for | | | |main idea and supporting details. |Compare writing against writing rubric. | |Sequence: The order in which events happen. |Rewrite an event how they happen. | | |Writers help their reader understand what | |Students relate three things that happen at | |happens in story. | |school. List the events out of order. Have | | | |students write the events in order using first,| | | |next and last. | | | | | | | |Student writes a paragraph explaining their | | | |morning routines by using time-order words. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |Publishing: Students share their writing with |Students design a book cover and create their |Make a final coy using best handwriting. | |others or the class. |own original book. Use text and pictures to | | | |establish their ideas. |Publish student’s paper by display it outside | | | |of the classroom for others to read. | Reference TeacherVision: http://www. teachervision. fen. com/lesson-plan/reading- comprehension/48697. html#ixzz1mGdBZfRx Tompkins, G. E. (2010). Literacy for the 21st Century: A Balance Approach. Fifth ed. Allyn & Bacon.

Primary Stakeholders of Google Inc Essay

Introduction The American multinational enterprise, Google Inc., predominately leading the globe in internet services and products. They provide online advertising technologies, search engine, cloud storage, applications and other software. Their customers are advertising agencies and large businesses who pay to be exposed on the many free services Google offers to internet consumers. The largest shareholders Brin Sergey and Larry Page, founded Google while attending Stanford University. Google is the most universally used internet search engine, which allows them to gather interests and information about the consumers using their free services. Advertisers spend billions to strategically place their ads through Google because the free Google services accumulates personal interests and information needed to identify consumer demographics on the internet. In recent years the government and general public have raised concern about consumer privacy, as well as, the monopolistic presence in the internet market. Their shareholders are predominately internal making any external influence to the company improbable. Google employees are carefully selected and generally consist of newly graduated software geniuses; recently the media has criticized Google for the majority of their employees being Caucasian and Asian males. Google Inc. has a responsibility to manage its operations to maximize shareholders profits, but how well does it treat the other four primary stakeholders: the government, employees, customers, and general public. (Google, n.d.) Government Google has gained the government’s attention through multiple investigations over the years. In 2011, Google government officials from Europe joined the United States Congress to bring antitrust investigations against the Company. The next year in 2012, the Federal Trade Commission, FTC, conducted an investigation to gather evidence suggesting Google is a monopoly. Apple competes through SIRI and the app store as alternative search methods to  Google. Amazon holds the lead in product searches and Facebook is commonly used to search for trusted customer reviews by friends. The FTC was unsuccessful in proving their monopoly case and Google still dominates the internet/ computer market easily eliminating any start up competition. The Google business model makes sure no shareholder has a vote that could significantly impact the company, but the way media, government, and the majority of web users, interpret their activity could influence the company’s objectives. The FTC government agency has the influential power to investigate and bring media attention to the topic of Google’s seemingly unfair advantage in their market (Singer, 2012). Customers Approximately 99% of Google’s revenues are derived from businesses advertising on the free services it provides users. In Google’s system many advertisers bid on keywords. Popular keywords like â€Å"Miami Florida† are sold for much higher â€Å"value-per-click† than other less popular search topics. This revenue method allows Google to attract both large corporations and small business to place advertisements. The free services provided for Google users has destroyed markets. Decreasing the demand for products/ services like GPS, road atlas, and current traffic status by allowing the free anytime access to Google Maps. Google distracts its users with free services that make their life easier when Googles actual intent is selling individual attention and information about the users to advertisers. Google users are the product and not the customer. Through Google user’s searches and personal information like passwords saved in google chrome or contacts from gmail accounts, Google can deliver a product to advertisers tailored to their exact needs; people looking for shoes are delivered to shoe sellers, and people located in a certain town are delivered to local restaurants (Newman, 2011). Shareholders Google Inc. is a huge company owning 66 percent of its shares leaving 34 percent of the company owned by external shareholders. Founder Brin Sergey owns the largest amount of shares by an Individual at 21.8 million shares. There are less than five major external shareholders are institutions such as, FMR LLC, Vanguard Group INC, State Street Corp, Price T Rowe Associates INC, and Barclays Global Investors UK Holdings LTD. Unlike Microsoft, Intel,  and Apple; Google does not give cash back to its shareholders. Amazon and Facebook also do not yield cash dividends, but they are not as large, mature or as profitable as Google. If Google wanted to increase its shares a capital return program could be attractive to new investors. The cost of Google offer such a program would mean applying a payout of about 1.5 to 2.5 percent to compete with its peers. Google has three classes of shares: Class A gets one vote per share, Class B gets 10 votes per share, while Class C receives no voting privileges. Class B shares are only held by company insiders so Brin Sergey, Larry Page, and Eric Schmidt own 92.5 percent of these shares, thus the majority vote (Niu, 2015). Employees Google is universally acclaimed as a great place to work. Its stock has soared 674% since its inception in August 2004. Their offices abound with areas designed to promote interaction, like a bowling alley in the California office or a pub lounge in the Ireland office. The search engine company provides its employees with a great health plan, legal aid, travel assistance, and a college reimbursement plan. If an employee dies, Google will continue to pay 50% of the deceased’s salary to his or her family for a decade (keep in mind they higher new graduates with an expected long life ahead of them). The California headquarters lobby is decorated with lava lamps, a piano, and search query projections posted on the wall. There are colorful fun exercise balls and bicycles for physical fitness in the hallways. Google receives 3 million applications annually and only higher about 0.2%, statistically Ivy League schools have a higher acceptance rate than Google. Engineers make up the majority of Googles employees and their salaries range from $ 100 thousand to $ 200 thousand. Engineering interns make approximately $ 7 thousand monthly (Unknown, 2014). Over all Google is more than generous when it comes to the treatment of their employees and promotes job low turnover (Waggoner, 2013). General Public According to Forbes magazine in 2013 four companies tied for first in corporate social responsibility: Microsoft, The Walt Disney Company, Google and BMW (Smith, 2013). Google has gained its popularity though the free services it provides all Google users. They have about $62.3 billion in cash and even after subtracting out its long and short term debt it has $57.2  billion. The majority of its profits, $41.8 billion, are held in foreign subsidiaries for tax avoidance. Being a technology based company, replacing hardcopies with electronic documents saves the company money as well as the preservation of the environment. Therefore google can brag about its efforts to achieve â€Å"green† status whether they are simply eliminating supply costs or have a general concern for the environment. Google has minimized the environmental impact of their services. Their carbon footprint is practically zero, but it doesn’t need an access amount of environmental resources (Google, 2015). Conclusion Google is a young, expanding, and profitable company. The government is concerned and continually investigating Google because of its controversial monopoly in the search engine market and antitrust based on the selling of user information. The general public and government should be concerned that Google invests approximately two –thirds of its cash overseas to avoid tax laws in the United States. The advertisement customers that Google provides as their revenue generating services are given information tailored to view ads strategically and that makes Google more successful than other internet marketing company. The shareholders of Google are mostly internal owners; no capital return programs have been established and all impacting votes are controlled by the internal shareholders only. The employees are treated extremely well compared to companies across the globe. Google will continue to grow based on its business plan, which brilliantly manipulates the general public users into thinking they are getting services for free while they make billions by selling adverting companies the information they want without breaking any laws. Google could treat the general public and government stakeholders better by improving user privacy and cease avoiding taxes. Bibliography Google. (n.d.). Retrieved from Wikipedia.org: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google Google. (2015, 3). The Big Picture. Retrieved from Google: http://www.google.com/green/bigpicture/#/ Newman, N. (2011, May 29). You’re Not Google’s Customer. Retrieved from The Blog: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/nathan-newman/youre-not-googles-custome_b_84159

Free Essays on The Midwifes Apprentice

The Midwife’s Apprentice Alyce was no one but â€Å"Dung Beetle† to the world, a homeless young girl in medieval England. Then, a midwife named Jane Sharp found her sleeping in the cold and called the young girl to be her apprentice. Soon, Alyce learned more about the life of a midwife, in time able to deliver a baby by herself. But when Alyce fails at her second delivery attempt, she runs away, trying to find a place in this world, only to discover that the only place she belongs is by the midwife’s side. The medieval time period in the book is obvious throughout. Alyce was a mere preteen and the adults that lived in the community around her treated her as if she was an adult. In those days that was very common. For instance, children would have to find jobs just as Alyce did to support themselves. If they didn’t and they were without a place to stay, the children would be thrown on to the streets. If this were to happen, one would have to beg for food and lay on the cold ground or waste piles to sleep. It was not a healthy life to live. Medical treatment was not sanitary at that time. For example, after a newborns’ umbilical cord had been cut (using string and a carving knife from the kitchen) if certain herbal oils weren‘t readily available spit was used as an alternative. It was implied in the book that when Alyce delivered a child she didn’t have clean hands. In contrast to that, in recent times most doctors don’t even use their bare hands to deliver a baby. Also, instead of advanced painkillers for delivering a baby, herbs, witchcraft and prayers were used as an aid to the mothers giving birth. Most of any medieval midwife’s knowledge of delivering a child centered upon herbs. When a midwife would pick herbs for delivering a child first she would pick them and then prepare them using ancient rituals. The ritual depended upon where the herbs were picked, what they looked and tasted like, and what the ruli... Free Essays on The Midwife's Apprentice Free Essays on The Midwife's Apprentice The Midwife’s Apprentice Alyce was no one but â€Å"Dung Beetle† to the world, a homeless young girl in medieval England. Then, a midwife named Jane Sharp found her sleeping in the cold and called the young girl to be her apprentice. Soon, Alyce learned more about the life of a midwife, in time able to deliver a baby by herself. But when Alyce fails at her second delivery attempt, she runs away, trying to find a place in this world, only to discover that the only place she belongs is by the midwife’s side. The medieval time period in the book is obvious throughout. Alyce was a mere preteen and the adults that lived in the community around her treated her as if she was an adult. In those days that was very common. For instance, children would have to find jobs just as Alyce did to support themselves. If they didn’t and they were without a place to stay, the children would be thrown on to the streets. If this were to happen, one would have to beg for food and lay on the cold ground or waste piles to sleep. It was not a healthy life to live. Medical treatment was not sanitary at that time. For example, after a newborns’ umbilical cord had been cut (using string and a carving knife from the kitchen) if certain herbal oils weren‘t readily available spit was used as an alternative. It was implied in the book that when Alyce delivered a child she didn’t have clean hands. In contrast to that, in recent times most doctors don’t even use their bare hands to deliver a baby. Also, instead of advanced painkillers for delivering a baby, herbs, witchcraft and prayers were used as an aid to the mothers giving birth. Most of any medieval midwife’s knowledge of delivering a child centered upon herbs. When a midwife would pick herbs for delivering a child first she would pick them and then prepare them using ancient rituals. The ritual depended upon where the herbs were picked, what they looked and tasted like, and what the ruli...

Most useful tips for productivity from incredibly busy people

Most useful tips for productivity from incredibly busy people Productivity throughout the day starts with you. Time is something we never seem to have enough of but with organization and time management you can help boost productivity throughout the day. With simple changes such as wake up earlier or even make a priority to-do list you will be surprised on how much more you can fit into your day. These 5 productivity  tips from leaders and entrepreneurs can help you organize  your time throughout the day to best maximize it.  Source [ American Express Open Forum ]

Strong Report Card Comments for Language Arts

Strong Report Card Comments for Language Arts A comment on a report card is meant to provide additional information about the students progress and level of achievement. It should give the parent or guardian a clear picture of what the student has accomplished, as well as what he has to work on in the future. It can be hard to think of a unique comment to write on each students report card. To help you find the right words, use this compiled list of language arts report card comments. Positive Comments Use the following phrases to make positive comments regarding students’ progress in language arts. Reads eagerly during silent timeMakes good use of our classroom libraryUses text and pictures to predict and confirmElects to read or look at books during free timeChooses to write during classroom free timeTakes home books from our classroom libraryShares his written work with the whole classAnalyzes characters actionsAnalyzes story plotsCompares books to others by the same authorHas many interesting story ideasHas well-developed characters in her storiesHas a good attitude about booksRecognizes high-frequency wordsProduces oral reports that demonstrate knowledge and research skillsShows increasing confidence and competence in...Uses approximations for spelling, which is very appropriate at this timeUses beginning and ending sounds to identify wordsSpells many difficult wordsUses correct grammarWrites legiblyWorks to make her handwriting legibleContributes at our brainstorming sessionsListens as well as shares during classroom discussionsCommunicates with accuracyCompares and contra sts similar and dissimilar ideas Chooses suitably challenging reading materialRetells stories in correct sequenceReads with expressionWorks on the editing processSelf-corrects Needs Improvement On those occasions when you need to convey less-than-positive information on a report card, use the following phrases. Cannot predict story outcomes with confidenceHas difficulty with high-frequency wordsDoes not use our classroom libraryDoes not choose books or writing as an activity for free timeDoes not edit work carefullyUnwilling to rewrite or make changes in written workHas trouble sitting while listening to a storyReluctant to speak in front of the group or whole classShows some attention to print, but mostly makes up meanings from picturesHas trouble sitting while listening to a storyReluctant to speak in front of the groupGets discouraged when...Has a limited vocabularyDoesn’t seem to enjoy books or stories to readLacks sight vocabularySpeech development may be hindering correct spellingHesistant to read stories to the classWants to talk instead of listen to others share their ideasStill making many reversals of letters, words, and phrases

Oliver Stones 1991 film JFK Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Oliver Stones 1991 film JFK - Essay Example minal case in the country that charged anyone with conspiracy in the death of the president or called into question the results of the Warren Commission. At the same time, it takes a look into the personal life of Garrison as he dealt with both internal and external pressures in bringing this case to trial. Because of the way in which he goes about detailing the development of various theories as to what happened that afternoon in Texas, Stone’s interpretation makes it clear in a very public way that at the least, the Warren Commission could not have been correct in its findings when it ruled a lone gunman achieved the death of a president. Up to the release of the movie, Americans were falling asleep regarding the details behind the assassination, but with its release, they once again asked the questions that had remained unanswered since the House Select Committee on Assassination Report was released in 1979 (Renner, n.d.). To understand how Stone’s individual interpr etation of the events leading up to the murder of JFK are supported within the film to provoke such a reaction, an analysis will be made of film formats, color usage and appeals to reality.

Portfolio AT&T Horizontal and Vertical Analysis Essay

Portfolio AT&T Horizontal and Vertical Analysis - Essay Example AT&T had a net margin of 11.93%. In comparison with the industry average net margin of 7.8% the firm’s net margin is 4.03% higher (Dun & Bradstreet, 2012). As of September 30, 2012 the total assets of AT&T were $266,849 million dollars. In comparison with fiscal year 2011 the total assets of the firm decreased by 1%. †Total assets include cash and other items of value that can be converted into cash that are owned by a person or company† (Crutchfield, 2012).The current assets of the company in 2012 were $18,958 million which represents a decline in current assets of $4,069 million in comparison with the previous year. Based on the vertical performed the current assets of the company represent 7% of total assets. The current and total liabilities of the company during 2012 were $30,758 million and $165,575 million respectively. The current ratio shows the ability of the company to pay off its current debt. AT&T’s current ratio during 2012 was 0.62. The curren t ratio of the company is bad considering the fact that a good current ratio is above the 1.0 threshold. The formula to calculate current ratio is current assets divided by current liabilities. AT&T must improve its current ratio; otherwise the company might face liquidity problems. The return on assets (ROA) metric measures how profitable a company is in relation to its total assets (Investopedia, 2012). A high ROA is the preferable outcome. During 2012 the return on equity of the company was 4.24%. In comparison with the industry average of 17% AT&T is not exploiting and generating sufficient income from its assets (Dun & Bradstreet, 2012). The return on equity of AT&T in 2012 was 11.17%. Return on equity (ROE) is calculated by taking a year's worth of earnings and dividing them by the average shareholder equity for that year (Fool, 2012). The firm’s debt ratio is 0.62. A debt ratio is a financial metric that measures how much debt a company has in relation to its assets. T he firm’s debt to equity ratio is 1.63. The debt to equity ratio is calculated dividing total equity by the total assets of the company. The financial analysis performed on AT&T shows that the company has good profitability, but the firm seems to be using too much debt to finance its operations. The low current ratio of the company is a warning sign. Assuming the company enjoys the same revenue growth of 1% in the following fiscal the projected sales of the company in 2013 are $95,162 million. Credit Worthiness The creditworthiness of a corporation can be evaluated in a variety of ways. Corporations just like individuals have credit scores from the major credit agencies. This information is private and not accessible to the general public. Banking institution gain access to a firm’s credit scores whenever a firm applies for a loan or others financial instruments. An investor can evaluate the credit worthiness of a firm using a combination of ratios. The current ratio m easures a firm’s ability to pay off its current or short term debts. The debt to equity and debt ratio are two good indicators of how much leverage a firm has in the long term. Comparing these ratios to the industry standard is a good way to determine the credit position of the firm. Management Discussion and Analysis Four key findings for the MD&A section of the annual report of AT&T are: The future of wireless growth depends on the ability of companies to provide new innovative services and devices. The managerial staff

The relationship between changing of labor force(total labor number ) Research Paper - 2

The relationship between changing of labor force(total labor number ) and Unemployment rate - Research Paper Example The drop was sharp in 2002 heightened by the global financial crisis where most firms were laid off their staff. However, the situation was later on put under control (STOICA, pp.3-7). Additionally, the study that was carried out in the same locality indicated that a decline in the population caused the number of employable persons to fall. It was that the number decreased by more than 13900 people. There were low rates of migration into the locality, low birth rates, high mortality rates and a great number of the aging population. The factors caused the total number of labor to decrease sharply (STOICA, pp.3-7). However, the trend was slightly different in other localities where there was an increase in the labor force due to a population increase. More so, most of the people chose to reside in urban settlements where employment opportunities were more available than rural areas. Additionally, the demographic indicators within the area indicated population increase was as a result of increase birth rates, low mortality rates, increased population due rural to urban migration (STOICA, pp.4-5). Shierholz, (paras.1-3)came up with a report that indicated there was a decrease in labor force participation between 2008 to 2012.The decline was about 2.5% from the previous years where the participation was 66.2%.Due to the decline, the rate of unemployment reduced significantly. A decrease in labor participation was caused by unwillingness by most of the people to seek for employment opportunities because of low wages that were being offered in the job market. However, he indicated that if industries provided lucrative job opportunities, there was a possibility for the market to be by prospect job seekers hence raising the rate of unemployment in an economy. Plumer, (2013) showed that the labor force in the US was sharply weakening. According to his publication, about 66% of Americans had managed to secure a job vacancy or were still in the

Education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 26

Education - Essay Example The author uses the social class designation of schools to emphasize the point that education in America does not have a standard measure. There are those who are more advantaged than others. The same is reflected in the employment sector. The school that one went to determines their performance and, therefore, their chance of getting a well-paying job. Children from poor backgrounds end up performing poorly and do petty jobs latter in their life. The education system has helped to progress the social inequality in America where the rich get richer, and the poor continue passing on poverty across the generations. â€Å"In the middle-class school, work is getting the right answer. If one accumulates enough correct answers, one gets a good grade†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Colombo, Robert, & Bonnie 180). From this statement, it is clear that education in the United States does not focus on skills acquisition. Getting the right answer, regardless of how one gets it, is enough to give one a good grade. However, children are also taught to learn to explain things and think independently. Even after getting the right answer, one must be able to explain to the teacher how they arrived at the answer. This means that one cannot just copy the answer in order to pass examinations. The education system encourages students to get answers only from their books and their teachers. In other words, teachers are central pillars of the American education system to enhance its success. The American education system also focuses on the acquisition of language skills by the students. Children should â€Å"learn to speak properly, to write business letters and thank-you letters, and to understand what nouns and verbs†¦.† (Colombo, Robert, & Bonnie 182). The emphasis of language in the American education system is important in the public sector since communication skills are essential in the workplace. Language also enables the students to do well in other subjects since they are

Lab report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 4

Lab Report Example On the shortest axis, the dynamic moment of inertia was more than the static inertia. This also applies to the longest axis where the dynamic moment is far more large than the static. The difference noticed from the determined dynamic and static moment of inertias is an illustration that the rotational axis has a core function in rotational motion. In normal case, especially where there are no deformations, the dynamic moment of inertia and static moment of inertia are equal, except for small errors that may result from experimental undertakings. The difference exhibited between the two moments of inertia can be attributed to the change in the rotational axis. As the axis is moved from the shortest hole to the longest hole, the deformation (change) contributes to the change in the resistance of the object to angular acceleration. Just like in linear motion where, when the object is rotated about a long axis, the acceleration is likely to reduce as compared to when subjected to a shorter axis. Further, the friction was also determined to be a contributing factor to the difference between static and dynamic moment of inertia. Intuitively, dynamic cases are susceptible to friction effect because of the movement exhibited, unlike in static where an object is fixed. As shown by the higher value of dynamic moment of inertia than static moment of inertia, friction had a stake in this. In which case, friction resulted to a too high value for Id during the experiment. Friction force acts in slowing down the rotational acceleration consequently enforcing the ability of the object to resist the angular acceleration. Consequently, addition of friction adds to the resistance of the object to friction, which in turn increases the total dynamic moment of inertia. In the case of static moment of inertia, there is no friction exhibited consequently the resistance (moment of inertia) is not in any way affected. The results show that the rotational kinetic

Data Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Data Analysis - Essay Example The mean and standard deviation of the five sample data are 192.4 and 39.9554 respectively. From the sample data, the highest weight is 25o while the least weight is 140 hence resulting to a range of 110. The data is positively skewed with the figure standing at 0.311. Unlike in the box and whisker plot above, the graph above does not show a normal curve. There exists some outliers in the data hence the no normal distribution. The curve starts in a normal shape, deeps a bit then resumes to normal distribution. The whisker plot and the curve are different hence the data does not follow the Empirical Rule. In statistics the accuracy of the results is positively correlated to the number of the data variables. This explains the difference in mean and SD for the population and the sample variables. The population mean for the entire team is 214.3 pounds and population standard deviation for the entire team is 44.6 pounds. On the other hand, the sample mean and standard deviation are 192.4 and 39.9554 respectively. There is a big difference in terms of the statistics because of the difference in the number of data. In a nutshell; using the sample data the average weight of a football player is 192.4, while using the population data the average weight is 214.3. This gives 21.9 differences in mean. This is a very significant figure that cannot be assumed hence the sample statistics do not fairly represent the population parameters. The whisker plot and the normal curve both shows similar results in terms of mean and standard deviation. However, in terms of normal distribution these two analysis tools differ with whisker plots showing a normal distribution while the curve shows the opposite. In conclusion; the sample statistics does not give a good representation of the total population hence to ensure accurate measurement of the team’s weight then the number of data should be increased or the whole population data should be

Lab report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 4

Lab Report Example On the shortest axis, the dynamic moment of inertia was more than the static inertia. This also applies to the longest axis where the dynamic moment is far more large than the static. The difference noticed from the determined dynamic and static moment of inertias is an illustration that the rotational axis has a core function in rotational motion. In normal case, especially where there are no deformations, the dynamic moment of inertia and static moment of inertia are equal, except for small errors that may result from experimental undertakings. The difference exhibited between the two moments of inertia can be attributed to the change in the rotational axis. As the axis is moved from the shortest hole to the longest hole, the deformation (change) contributes to the change in the resistance of the object to angular acceleration. Just like in linear motion where, when the object is rotated about a long axis, the acceleration is likely to reduce as compared to when subjected to a shorter axis. Further, the friction was also determined to be a contributing factor to the difference between static and dynamic moment of inertia. Intuitively, dynamic cases are susceptible to friction effect because of the movement exhibited, unlike in static where an object is fixed. As shown by the higher value of dynamic moment of inertia than static moment of inertia, friction had a stake in this. In which case, friction resulted to a too high value for Id during the experiment. Friction force acts in slowing down the rotational acceleration consequently enforcing the ability of the object to resist the angular acceleration. Consequently, addition of friction adds to the resistance of the object to friction, which in turn increases the total dynamic moment of inertia. In the case of static moment of inertia, there is no friction exhibited consequently the resistance (moment of inertia) is not in any way affected. The results show that the rotational kinetic

SHORT LISTENING ASSIGNMENT FORMAT Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

SHORT LISTENING FORMAT - Assignment Example Instruments clearly heard from the song include trumpets, reeds, bass, piano, drums, and trombones (Ellington, 1932). The sounding of these instruments blends to produces the desired jazz music impression. The drums in this case serve to establish the acts as the metronome to the band. The bass clearly sets the style of the song as well as the progression. It makes the foundation of the root note. Notably, these two, drums and the bass, play a significant role in setting the qualities of progression throughout the song. The melody is in the sax section where it goes back and forth between the Saxes and trumpets (Ellington, 1932). Bones get the melody occasionally although not more than the Saxes, trumpets and trombones that are the basic harmony instruments in this song. From listening to the song, it is clear that the piano provides the bridge linking the bass and higher pitched instruments (Ellington, 1932). The piano helps to create space for the vocals in the song. Probably, this is because the piano has the entire scale of notes and natural concert signature and hence is the teacher of the notes (Keith, 2004). From a personal perspective, this selected solo is successful because the written arrangement of the various sections merges effectively into a Swing Jazz song. The call and response between sections makes the song progressive and hence interesting to listeners (Typical Jazz Instruments, 2009). However, the solo is successful largely because it is easy to dance to the music. The musicians, actually, seem to enjoy the music. Their dancing makes them look more of entertainers than musicians (Keith, 2004). From a personal view, these qualities of Swing Jazz would not be achieved with an unsuccessful solo. In fact, this song aroused my emotions that I yearned to have lived during the era of Swing Jazz to have a real life experience with the initial

Advantages of On The Job Training

Advantages of On The Job Training This paper discusses an important topic of human resource management and that is training of the employees. This caries great importance as it serves twin purposes which are that it helps in the career development of individuals and simultaneously is really healthy for the growth of an organization. First of all training is defined with preciseness yet with clarity. Then an overview is given about the need, importance and finally the sequence of events followed during the process of training. An exceptional stress is laid upon the evaluation of the training that has been given to the employees to measure its effectiveness. Later in the paper on-the-job training, the most popular method of training is discussed in detail. This method of training is critically analyzed also arguing for and against for the use of this technique in most organizations for training employees. By keeping the entire debate in focus finally the paper concludes that, by following a simple system, managers responsible for on-the-job training can greatly improve the effectiveness of their training efforts. TRAINING Training is the process of increasing the knowledge and skills for doing a particular job. It is an structured method by which people acquire knowledge and skills for a definite purpose. It basically bridges gap between job requirement and present competence of an employee. Need of Training Training is required on account of the following reasons: Job requirement: Employee selected for a job might lack the qualifications required to perform the job effectiveness. Technological changes: Technology is changing very fast. Now automation and mechanization have are being increasingly applied. Organization viability: In order to survive and grow an organization must continually adopt itself to the changing environment. Internal mobility: Training becomes necessary when an employee moves from one job to another due to promotion and transfer. Importance of Training Training is the process of imparting knowledge, skills and aptitude to perform desired job. A well planned and well executed training program can provide the following advantages: It helps in improving the level of performance and hence results in higher productivity. Uniformity of work methods and procedures helps to improve the quality of product or service A systematic training program reduces the cost and time drawn in learning. Good training helps in economical use of materials and machinery. It reduces supervision. It lowers the rate of accidents. It boosts the morale of employees to perform the task/job efficiently. Process of Training Identifying training needs: Process of training starts with identifying the need of training. Training objectives: the next step is to set training objectives in concrete terms and to decide the strategies to be adopted to achieve these objectives. Designing training program: An appropriate training policy is very important to meet the objectives. It consists of rules and procedures concerning training. Imparting training: Here employees are given training as per their requirements. Evaluating: Here the effectiveness of training is evaluated. Assessment of the usefulness of training is done to make sure that it is gainful, to identify needs to modify what is being provided, to discover new needs and redefine priorities and most importantly to ensure that the objectives of the exercise are being met. There are various methods employers use to actually deliver the training. The most popular method is on-the-job training. ON THE JOB TRAINING On-the-job training (OJT) is one of the paramount training methods because it is planned, organized, and conducted at the employees workplace. On-the-job training is usually the principal method used for augmenting employee skills and escalating output and efficiency. It is mainly suitable for developing expertise distinctive to an employees job, chiefly those positions whose work is relatively easy to learn and require locally-owned equipment and facilities. Self-esteem, high yield, and professionalism are always high in those organizations that employ a logical and reasonable on-the-job training program. On analyzing the most important requirements that are highlighted in job descriptions and specifications form the basis for setting up an on-the-job training plan. To be most effective, an on-the-job training plan should include: The area under discussion; Allocation of time to it each day; anticipated closing date; and Evaluation will be conducted in what manner. A coach should be assigned to each employee involved in on-the-job training to make it successful. All coaches are accountable and responsible for carefully planning the training and also conducting it effectively. On-the-job training is one of numerous ways by which a company might opt to impart the knowledge and skills its employees require. Every company has its own employment needs. These are dependant on the size of the company, diverse skills and information necessary to carry out particular jobs. Companies use a mixture of strategies to have a labor force which has the essential job training. This helps them to carry out all the required job functions. Structured academic learning or vocational training is the few methods usually used. On-the-job training inevitably forms some part of all teaching programs, no matter which of the tactic is used to train the employees. It is said that on the job training is an important example of an investment in human capital. Like any other investment it has initial costs and returns to these expenditures occur in future periods. These future returns are measured by increased productivity of the worker during subsequent periods of employment. (Baron.J., 1997, On the Job Training, W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research. Kalamazoo, MI.) ON THE JOB TRAINING ADVANTAGES Conducting training in an external environment is being avoided by many companies. An inclination towards training employees within their own working environment can be seen clearly. This way they use those tools and equipment which they will be using in future to carry out their specific role in the organization. This preference is proved by Walter who introduced the Task analytical training system (TATS) model is a performance-based approach to develop, implement, and evaluate a structured on-the-job training program that can be applied to a variety of manufacturing settings. (1996, October, pg:1) The employee is given specific job training and they practice under the administration of more qualified staff. This way they gain confidence in their work. The trainer directs them how to perform the task appropriately and gives feedback immediately by pointing out any errors. This allows a new trainee to be incorporated simply and quickly into the company, in addition to the job training being modified to distinctively suit the needs of the company. Furthermore, on-the-job training makes sure that the employee is actually working as it is learning. This leads them to being further dynamic and proficient. From a financial perspective, for the company its a very cost effective method of imparting knowledge and skills that are according to the companys wants. ON THE JOB TRAINING DISADVANTAGES On-the-job training isnt always as effectual as it should be. There are many reasons to it. Firstly, its not sufficient that the employee just passes on the skills and knowledge required for the particular job. A major fact is that teaching and training is also a skill which people should have to be qualified. If they are not and are still giving training to the workforce, then this will be ill-planned and would be delivered in a way that will confuse the trainee. He wont be able to grasp the concepts, therefore revealing the poor standard of the training. To both the company and to the trainee themselves this will be counter-productive. Often, on the job training is given in a hasty manner, so that employees start working up to the mark early and to save companys money. This also does not give time to the trainer to establish the skills injected in plus doesnt allow sufficient time for feedback. Consequently on the job training turns into a waste of time. One of the pivotal mistakes a trainer can make is trying to get too much information absorbed in a short period of time. One aspect should be kept in mind that trainees are going to take long time to be able to perform the tasks as the company expects. The trainers can do the job blindfolded because this also has come due to many years of experience and unending hard work. If a company brings in an external trainer who is well equipped with all necessary tools but is completely unfamiliar with the companys operations and equipment then it has made a big mistake. Though from a financial point of view it might be cost effective but external hiring isnt always necessarily helpful. An external trainer sometimes hands over bad habits to the trainee without realizing what they are doing. This should be avoided by strict vigilance. CONCLUSION So all that we have found out by this research is, that training is an essential part of human resource management. Moreover, on-the-job training is the best method as it is economical, simple and effective and everybody can do it. It doesnt need wide-ranging budgets, complex training courses, devoted training staffs or absence from the workplace. Its effectiveness can be significantly enhanced by applying a methodical approach. Importantly, each on-the-job model has its own merits and weaknesses but they all serve the same purpose of providing the trainees with the opportunity to practice and learn by doing. If all I do is hear, I will forget If I hear and see, I will remember If I hear, see and do, I will understand. (Confucius,. 2005, April 17)

The Lost Eden Essay -- Literary Analysis

The Lost Eden The story of Martin Eden is a dark but interesting one, written by Jack London, an author from early 20th Century California. Martin’s life is difficult, as he decides to defy society and join the upper class, ultimately alienating his own class while realizing the superficiality of the upper class. Through this journey, Martin embodies and evolves through three main personas, mind sets, or personalities. In the beginning, â€Å"Martin’s feeling of social inadequacy developed†(Sinclair 145), as he is a man seeking approval of society, trying to become a successful writer and win the love of an upper class woman, Ruth Morse. Then he turns into a man bent against society, or perhaps merely in great disproval, for his futile efforts to become a writer are thwarted and laughed at by everyone, from the editors of the magazines to his beloved Ruth and her family. Once Martin does become famous and rich, â€Å"his success snowballs, he is lionized by society† (La bor 118), but Martin â€Å"wishes he had never opened the books† (Lundquist 149). Through all of these struggles, Martin truly embodies none other than the author, Jack London, as the entire novel is something of an autobiography. London is â€Å"confronting himself in Martin† (Bader 150), although it is very true that Martin Eden is â€Å"a novel rather than straight autobiography†, â€Å"deliberately introspective† (Lundquist 150). Martin Eden is first a man who wishes to assimilate with high society, the upper class, as he believes that the upper class possesses an infinite amount of beauty and knowledge. Martin’s first true glimpses of the upper class come when he is invited to the Morse home, after saving Arthur Morse from a â€Å"gang of waterfront thugs† (Labor 117). This is ironic because M... ...n. 1909. New York, NY: Penguin Books, 1984. Print. Lundquist, James. Jack London: Adventures, Ideas, and Fiction. New York, New York: The Ungar Publishing Company, 1987. Print. Magill, Frank N. â€Å"Jack London.† Critical Survey of Long Fiction. Vol. 4. Englewood Cliffs: Salem Press, Inc., 1983. 1691-1699. Print. - - -. â€Å"Jack London.† Critical Survey of Short Fiction. Vol. 5. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Salem Press, 1981. 1809-1813. Print. New American Bible. New York: Catholic Book Publishing, Co., 1991. Print. O’Conner, Richard. Jack London: A Biography. N.p.: Little, Brown, and Company, 1964. Print. Sinclair, Andrew. Jack: A Biography of Jack London. New York, NY: Harper and Row, Publishers, 1977. Print. Verde, Tom. â€Å"London, Jack.† Twentieth-Century Writers 1900–1950, American Profiles. New York: Facts on File, Inc., 1993. American History Online. Web. 22 Nov. 2011. The Lost Eden Essay -- Literary Analysis The Lost Eden The story of Martin Eden is a dark but interesting one, written by Jack London, an author from early 20th Century California. Martin’s life is difficult, as he decides to defy society and join the upper class, ultimately alienating his own class while realizing the superficiality of the upper class. Through this journey, Martin embodies and evolves through three main personas, mind sets, or personalities. In the beginning, â€Å"Martin’s feeling of social inadequacy developed†(Sinclair 145), as he is a man seeking approval of society, trying to become a successful writer and win the love of an upper class woman, Ruth Morse. Then he turns into a man bent against society, or perhaps merely in great disproval, for his futile efforts to become a writer are thwarted and laughed at by everyone, from the editors of the magazines to his beloved Ruth and her family. Once Martin does become famous and rich, â€Å"his success snowballs, he is lionized by society† (La bor 118), but Martin â€Å"wishes he had never opened the books† (Lundquist 149). Through all of these struggles, Martin truly embodies none other than the author, Jack London, as the entire novel is something of an autobiography. London is â€Å"confronting himself in Martin† (Bader 150), although it is very true that Martin Eden is â€Å"a novel rather than straight autobiography†, â€Å"deliberately introspective† (Lundquist 150). Martin Eden is first a man who wishes to assimilate with high society, the upper class, as he believes that the upper class possesses an infinite amount of beauty and knowledge. Martin’s first true glimpses of the upper class come when he is invited to the Morse home, after saving Arthur Morse from a â€Å"gang of waterfront thugs† (Labor 117). This is ironic because M... ...n. 1909. New York, NY: Penguin Books, 1984. Print. Lundquist, James. Jack London: Adventures, Ideas, and Fiction. New York, New York: The Ungar Publishing Company, 1987. Print. Magill, Frank N. â€Å"Jack London.† Critical Survey of Long Fiction. Vol. 4. Englewood Cliffs: Salem Press, Inc., 1983. 1691-1699. Print. - - -. â€Å"Jack London.† Critical Survey of Short Fiction. Vol. 5. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Salem Press, 1981. 1809-1813. Print. New American Bible. New York: Catholic Book Publishing, Co., 1991. Print. O’Conner, Richard. Jack London: A Biography. N.p.: Little, Brown, and Company, 1964. Print. Sinclair, Andrew. Jack: A Biography of Jack London. New York, NY: Harper and Row, Publishers, 1977. Print. Verde, Tom. â€Å"London, Jack.† Twentieth-Century Writers 1900–1950, American Profiles. New York: Facts on File, Inc., 1993. American History Online. Web. 22 Nov. 2011.

Thurgood Marshall Essay -- Biography Marshall judge

Thurgood Marshall was an American jurist and the first African American to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States. Prior to becoming a judge, he was a lawyer who was best remembered for his high success rate in arguing before the Supreme Court and for the victory in Brown v. Board of Education. Marshall was born in Baltimore, Maryland, on July 2, 1908. His original name was Thoroughgood but he shortened it to Thurgood in second grade. His father, William Marshall, instilled in him an appreciation for the Constitution of the United States and the rule of law. Additionally, as a child, he was punished for his school misbehavior by being forced to read the Constitution, which he later said piqued his interest in the document. Marshall was a descendant of slaves. Marshall graduated from Lincoln University in Pennsylvania in 1930. Afterward, Marshall wanted to apply to his hometown law school at the University of Maryland School of Law, but the dean told him that he shouldn't bother because he would not be accepted due to the school's segregation policy. Later, as a civil rights litigator, he successfully sued the school for this policy in the case of Murray v. Pearson. Instead, Marshall sought admission and was accepted at Howard University. He was influenced by its dynamic new dean, Charles Hamilton Houston, who instilled in his students the desire to apply the tenets of the Constitution to all Americans. Marshall was a member of Alpha Phi Alpha, the first intercollegiate Black Greek-letter fraternity, established by African American students in 1906. Marshall received his law degree from Howard in 1933, and set up a private practice in Baltimore. The following year, he began working with the Baltimore NAACP. H... ...anuary 24, 1993. He was buried in Arlington National Cemetery. He was survived by his second wife and their two sons. Marshall left all of his personal papers and notes to the Library of Congress. The Librarian of Congress opened Marshall's papers for immediate use by scholars, journalists and the public, insisting that this was Marshall's intent. The Marshall family and several of his close associates disputed this claim. There are numerous memorials to Justice Marshall. One is near the Maryland State House. The primary office building for the federal court system, located on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C., is named in honor of Justice Marshall and also contains a statue of him in the atrium. The major airport serving Baltimore and the Maryland suburbs of Washington, DC, was renamed the Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport on October 1, 2005.

Picnic Spot Marketing Essay

Introduction The village of Maizbhandar is very old. Its roots can be traced as far back as the year 1425 with the earliest settlers in the village being migrants coming over from Saudia Arabia. It is a part of the Nanupur Union council that is located in Fatikchori, Chittagong. It takes approximately around two hours on clear roads to reach Maizbhandar from Chittagong city. The road leading to Maizbhandar offers a tranquil and beautiful environment filled with lush greenery that can be a welcome relief at times in contrast to the rough and exhausting city life. One landmark that is bound to grab attention is the Maizbhandar Darbar Sharif that comes into once you enter Fatikchori, something that attracts many unique visitors from all over the country. It is dedicated to the late Ziaul Haque Maizbhandari upon whose memory the village Maizbhandar gets its name. The lives of villagers have prospered well over the years. It is at times difficult to comprehend the change that has occurred in their lives, especially when one looks upon the situation of the same family during post  1971. There also many villagers who have gone on to work in the Middle East thus sending in valuable remittances back to the village that has been in instrumental in improving the lives of the villagers. In fact, it can be said that there is average of 1 person from every family who is working abroad. There are also some entrepreneurs operating in the village manufacturing food products like chanachur, biscuit, etc. Most of the villagers are expectedly farmers whose major crops include rice and chilli. Some of the locals have also set up carpentry shops to boost their livelihood. For shopping, there is the Nanupur Bajar nearby where all types of food and basic necessities are available. It takes around 10-15 minutes on foot to get to the Bazar. There are 5 banks within village and its surrounding areas where villagers can make deposits or take loans. The income disparity is pretty low although there are one or two families who fall in the extreme poverty line although there is always donations coming in to help support these families. The Darbar Sharif of Maizbhandar has also played a pivotal role in the village’s development. As stated earlier, it attracts visitors all over the countries which in turn has helped boosted the  local shops. In fact, some say traffic to the Darbar Sharif was a prime mover behind the development of roads around these parts.  However, despite all the positive changes, there is always the problem of floods that remains a constant thorn in the lives of the villagers. This is a problem that is increasing in frequency due to illegal construction work that is going around the village which is in turn changing the village landscape for the worse. The situation will continue to escalate if the authorities do not take preventive measures. Business Idea Chittagong is getting industrialized at a very high rate these days. There are a lot of offices, restaurants, schools, etc. opening around making city life pretty hectic these days. As such, the situation can be said to be pretty similar to that of Dhaka. As industrialization has moved in, so has moved in the demand for quality family outings or office picnics at beautiful locales in or around the city. However besides the Patenga beach, Chittagong does not offer much. As result, it would be great for the dwellers of Chittagong if picnic spots were to open up around the city. At a distance of 2 hours away from the city, Maizbhandar would provide an ideal picnic spot with its idyllic village surroundings. Companies looking out for HR outings may put this up to good us to boost up the morale of their employees through these picnics. It would prove to be an ideal substitute against the dearth of beaches and sea side resorts that Chittagong seems to offer. SWOT Analysis Strength: I already have a village home that can act as the resort or housing facility. The infrastructure is more or less established giving the picnic spot a good base to start off from. Weaknesses: A nature resort has not been tried out in Chittagong before so the inexperience in this filed may come to bite back later. Opportunities: This would be the first village oriented picnic spot in Bangladesh. As a result, the hype surrounding the undertaking would be enough to lure in potential customers here. Threats: There already some established holiday/picnic spots around Chittagong and they may prove to be a bummer when the project will finally take off. Finance Plan The following table shows the capital investment needed to kick off this venture. Land Development Infrastructure Swimming Pool Complex Water Supply (tubewell) Backup Generator Dà ©cor Utilities The staff costs are estimated to be at around 40,000 taka. The charging rate for picnics would be around 2000 taka per person or 50,000 taka if people were to take a corporate package involving a lot of people and food per person would be priced at 500 taka. Conclusion This a plan that has a lot of potential. Maizbhandar is a prime spot for such a project since its only two hours away from the main city. As such, building in such a plan would lead to great success for the investors.

Character and Sex Education

As Americans we tend to have a conditioned view toward sexuality as a normal, healthy part of life. However, it seems that one may underestimate the power that sex has on culture, which is evident in the many areas. Most recently discussions on a sexual nature received extreme national prominence with the public events surrounding the Kenneth Starr investigation and report, which focuses on the sexual aspects of the relationship between President Bill Clinton and a former intern, Monica Lewinsky. The result was a war of beliefs, morals and differences of cultures mixed with political anipulations. With the increase of sexual presence in our society, it is often wondered how this increase has affected morals and values of those who live it. Sex is everywhere–not just limited to the bedroom, but to the television, movies, billboards, office buildings and almost every fragment of modern culture. Around the turn of the twentieth century, open discussion and study of sex was well on its way. Sexual/cultural pioneer, Sigmund Freud believed that sexuality was tightly woven in all persons, present from birth. His breakthrough thinking affected social practices and was nstrumental in breaking the â€Å"moral fog that had enshrouded sexuality for most of the nineteenth century did not begin to lift until after the First World War† (Janus 1993). By analyzing modern culture, a person can accurately determine the effects of the sexual revolution and how it has led to the alterations or evolution of personal, moral and Where do we get our morals and values? Character education was what took place in school and society in the past. This drilling of acceptable social conventions seemed to â€Å"contain† our culture for many years. In modern years society has shifted to the â€Å"decision-making approach† (Kilpatrick 1993). This approach takes many forms, sometimes as a course in itself, sometimes as a strategy in sex education classes, sometimes as a unit in civics or social sciences–it has set the tone for modern moral education in public and even private schools. â€Å"The shift from character education to the decision-making model was begun with the best of intentions. The new approach was meant to help students to think more independently and critically about values† (Kilpatrick 1993). Followers of this approach claimed that a young person would be more committed to self-discovered values than to ones that were simply handed down y adults. That was the hope, but the actual effect of the shift has been quite different. For students, it has meant confusion about moral values: learning to question values they have scarcely acquired, unlearning values taught at home, and concluding that questions of right and wrong are always changing with the influence of society. We live in a sexual world, but Americans have been slow to fully acknowledge its enormous impact. Among those interviewed in the Janus Report who were 18 to 26 years old, 21% of the men and 15% of the women had had sexual intercourse by age 4; a small percentage of them had had their first intercourse before age 10. â€Å"It ought to be the oldest things that are taught to the youngest people. † (Noonan 1999) This statement accurately portrays moral education today. â€Å"The Day America Told the Truth,† a 1990 survey of American beliefs and values contains this scene from a California high school. The setting, Friday afternoon and the students are leaving a class in â€Å"social living. † The teacher's parting words are, â€Å"have a great weekend. Be safe. Buckle up. Just say no. And if you can't say ‘No,' then use a condom! (Kilpatrick 993) Although the teacher in this example gives a nod in the direction of abstinence, his approach is basically of the â€Å"responsible sex† variety. Sex is an image that Americans have grown accustomed too. Sex is everything. If you're good looking, then you're having sex. If you're sexy, then you're having sex. If you're having sex, you're popular, and people are more likely to buy stuff from your company if you show people having sex. Sex sells. Sex sells cigarettes. Sex sells cars. Sex sells clothes, alcohol and One way that a breakdown of sexual restraint hurts society is the educational sphere. There is abundant evidence that the more sexually active students do poorly in school and tend to drop out more frequently (Noonan 1999). For all of the teenage girls, who drop out of school, half of them do so because of pregnancy. But that figure only suggests one small aspect of the problem. The constant distraction caused by worries about sex and about relationships takes a tool on schoolwork. Dieting has become an unfortunate cultural phenomenon, especially for women and girls, whose self-image is often closely linked with their body image. Eating disorders are more common in girls ecause they believe it's their role in society to be sexy. Numerous studies have been conducted to determine the history of sexual abuse in eating disorders patients, and the findings have been controversial. The figures range from 7% to 74%, with most studies showing that between 20-69% of anorexics and bulimics have been abused† (Janus 1993). It is important to note, however that not everyone who has been sexually abused develops anorexia and not all anorexics have been sexually abused. For many survivors, anorexia can also serve as a way to make their bodies less desirable to potential perpetrators. In one sense, mature adolescents deny their sexuality by returning to a prepubescent state, developing amenorreah or loss of menstruation, which is one of the criteria for diagnosing anorexia. Unfortunately, teachers have been reluctant to discuss sex in absolute moral terms, leaving students with the impression that it's purely as subjective matter. It turns out that when adults confront teens over sexual misbehaviors, a frequent response is simply, â€Å"I didn't know it was wrong. † Everyone is a product of his or her culture. We tend to conform to cultural expectations, even if not perfectly. Our present culture sends out confused and misleading messages about sex-messages that, in the long run, may cause more harm than good. A former secretary of education observed,†I have never had a parent tell me that he or she would be offended boy a teacher telling a class that it is better to postpone sex. Or that marriage is the best setting for sex, and in which to have and raise children. On the contrary, my impression is that the overwhelming majority of parents would gratefully welcome help in transmitting such values. † (Kilpatrick 1993) The long history of sexually transmitted diseases has made aution in sex one of the facts of life. In the late 1980s, the AIDS epidemic made caution in sex a fact of life or death. It was no longer a moral issue. When AIDS surfaced as a national problem, the sexually active momentarily panicked. The enormous tensions generated by these devastating STD†s made practice of casual sex pause. â€Å"The new social and sexual changes in lifestyles have been adopted by many other participants. Divorced or separated men and women, newly single, are dating again and searching for sex partners and new love. Parents in their 40's and 50's and 0's are enjoying a new sexual style at the same time their teenage or young adult children are also experimenting with sex, and seeking loving relationships. There are few guidelines now, except for cautions about sexually transmitted diseases. The old rules governing sex no longer apply, and many individuals and couples now create their own moral and lifestyle decisions, or make them within the morality of their own small, peer In the Janus report, 45% of women and 19% of men claimed to have been sexually harassed on their jobs. In the interviews, the men attributed the harassment they xperienced to both heterosexual and homosexual individuals; the women ascribed their harassment almost entirely to men. In an age of liberation, it is interesting that an issue so broad gained national attention so accidentally. Why all the sudden there an underlying awareness of widespread sexual harassment on the part of women? The intensity and speed of reaction to the charges readily support this assumption. Sexual Harassment has become a household topic across America. Today, men and women are more free than ever to explore their sexual beings in or out of marriage. Their ransformed sex roles, feminism movement and the sexual revolution cause increased communication outside the home. Today, medicine, psychology and sociology advise that people should keep on having sex as long as they wish. Sexuality becomes adapted to the context of the sexual experience, at all ages. While early adolescence are experimenting with full sexual activities of diverse varieties and young couples are seeking sex for reproduction, older couples are enjoying the comfort and excitement of sex in a new appreciated form. â€Å"A new, vital, and active sexuality has been identified mong mature, and post mature Americans. While society frets about preteens' frolicking and college students' antics on Spring break in Florida, the graying segment of Americans may be leading the way in superior sexual experience† (Janus 1993). Other issues relating to sexuality have also made headlines over the past two decades. Divorce rates leaped in the 1970's, absent or self-involved parents and child-rearing practices were blamed for creating misbehaving, out-of-control kids; the family was believed to be in big trouble. Very young adults are living together without the benefit f marriage. Meanwhile, kids are experimenting with their own sexuality at earlier and earlier ages. Barely out of their own childhood, teenagers are producing babies at ever-growing rates. By the 1980's, nearly a million mothers under 18 were giving birth every year. (Janus 1993) Of these young women, 70% were unmarried, up from 30% only a decade earlier. Some estimates indicate that as many as 10,000 extremely young women age 12 or younger, become pregnant every year. (Janus 1993) The younger these children are when they have their first child, the more likely they are to ave at least one more child before their teen years end. These children who have children are particularly at risk of dropping out of school and becoming social throwaways who face a bleak future and are wanted only on the streets. Later, unable to get and hold jobs, they will drop out of the labor market as well, creating cycles of deep, depressing, poverty as their children and grandchildren in turn become teenage, single, unemployable parents. This idea represents the attitude of our culture to criticize teen parents and to make an example of â€Å"those kids. look what can happen to you. etc. However, this is not always the case, many teen mothers are extremely successful in personal and professional careers. Many times the father will support the baby who shares his genes, even if they do not act as a family unit. By analyzing many factors where sex is apparent on modern culture, it is obvious how this increased presence has significantly affected values and morals on related topics. There has been a dramatic shift in attitude in just a small period of time and it will be interesting to see how these changes will continue to evolve and adapt to new introductions of culture and it†s influence.