Dark Time

Theodore Roethke is one of America’s premier poets, ranking alongside Robert Frost, Walt Whitman, and Carl Sandburg. His 1964 poem â€Å"In A Dark Time† is both disturbing and challenging as a man veers on the edge of sanity through an outdoor experience. Roethke demonstrates through subject and form that he is a master poet, reflecting the deep inner sense of self that can portray such emotions without being reduced to cliche or juvenilia. The title of the poem—â€Å"In A Dark Time†Ã¢â‚¬â€is the first clue that all is not well in Roethke’s universe.It is the primary indicator that the poem speaks to the troubled half of life. In many ways one is reminded of Robert Frost’s â€Å"Acquainted With the Night,† which conveys a deeper metaphor of depression in its surface-simple account of insomnia. â€Å"In A Dark Time† speaks volumes about the poem that will follow. Roethke relies on a single simile in this poem, although it is rep lete with metaphor. In the last stanza, he says his soul is â€Å"like some heat-maddened summer fly† buzzing on the windowsill.One can instantly picture the frantic action of such a fly, its nervous bouncing, ticking and constant action. His soul, being like this, is perpetually agitated. But Roethke has established this interpretation through the metaphor of the dark woods; a place where is soul has been caught out in the middle of the day, yet plunged in darkness. He is lost here, wondering whether something ahead is shelter (the cave) or further travail (merely a bend in the path). He sees himself dancing on the edge physically and metaphorically.In the first two stanzas, Roethke personifies his shadow, an image that most people perceive as a dark figure to begin with. Roethke expands the idea of his shadow to incorporate the darker nature of his self. He meets his shadow in the deepening shade, giving the reader a sense that he is meeting the darkest part of his inner se lf at a time when the depths of his depression have encompassed him. As with most people, Roethke relates a realistic happening as most people only reflect upon their lives in their darkest hours (â€Å"In a dark time, the eye begins to see†).In the last stanza, Roethke personifies his fear. (â€Å"A fallen man, I climb out of my fear†). As many know, fear is not a physical entity that can be ascended or descended. In this case, however, Roethke’s fear (â€Å"his dark time†) has become such an overwhelming reality to him that, in order to emerge from the depths of his struggle, Roethke sees this ascent as a physical act. Reading the line in full, the reader gets a sense that Roethke has actually fallen into an abyss known as fear.

Constitutionality of the new health care reforms Essay

This paper seeks to discuss the constitutionality of the new health care law in the United States of America, the Affordable Healthcare Act. The paper will discuss on the diverse understanding and conception of the new law among the common citizenry in America, business class as well as the health care service providers. Health care to any person is a sensitive topic attracts attention of any government that is willing to have its citizens remain healthy and productive. It is a constitutional requirement for the government provides affordable health care to its citizens. This is what the United States government has moved to enable through The Affordable Health Care Act. This Act’s principle focus is to ensure more Americans are able to access affordable health care. The bill provided for improved quality of health care, affordable attention to all Americans, especially those of low economy in the country. Improved and affordable health care extending to all guarantees access to health care to the young and the seniors as well as those with pre-existing conditions (Siegel, N.S. 2012). Though the numbers of the citizens who have enrolled in the health care programs after the enactment of The Affordable Health care is not as high as expected, the percentages of the individuals enrolled in the health care services. This may be attributed to the convenience attached the programs that does not discriminate against age or conditions at the time of enrollment. However the rising numbers of the individuals enrolling in the program have come with the various challenges, some of which are detrimental to people’s welfare. Due to the poorly planned change of medical care, a great number of Americans have been forced to abandon their previous health insurance services from the companies were not abiding to all the provisions of the new standards set by the new rules. The period between changes of health care insurance cover to the new program was not provided for by the government, including the value forgone, which is not compensable by the government. The new rules have created panic among upcoming health insurance providers who were not attaining the standards provided in the new law due to loss of clientele. As a result, unemployment has been experienced to many and to the unmanageable employee retention capabilities of the affected companies (Siegel, N.S. 2012). The Act provides for access to the service by young adults who may not be able to afford to pay the premiums themselves by accessing the cover through their parents or guardians’ plan. Young adults below the age of 26 are eligible to the affordable health care even if they cannot be able to raise their own premiums. This has guaranteed affordable and quality health care to millions of unemployed young adults. The policy was created to reach more people and enable them access health care. The move was right and targeted the greater portion of America’s population through the service to the young adults. However the statistics show that older people get sick and need the insurance cover much more than younger people and therefore the policy only theoretically reaches more people through the youth, but more so fail to identify the bigger population that is vulnerable to ailments (Bateman C. 2013). Through this plan, more people who appreciate the new law will end up dropping their current health service providers who are not cost friendly for the new affordable and quality plan. This will cause a confusion to the health service providers who may be facing abrupt changes which will affect scores of people who seek their services, thus ailing their businesses. The law leaves the State and the federal government to raise funds to be able to finance the plan. This translates to increased revenue collected by the state and the federal government, which means taxes will be and continue to be increased in order to maintain the health plan (Parks D. 2012). The law has as well provided for the Children health insurance plan, which has seen the number of the children reached go up to nine million children. The Act has given assurance to the mothers of quality and affordable health insurance services for their children. Reaching up to over nine million children means more funding requirements for the program to run smoothly. This has called for increased taxation on Americans to sustain the program. This is because financing has to be done by the federal government and the state (Siegel, N.S. 2012). The services come with lowered costs as compared to the pre-existing form of health insurance service provision. At the low cost of accessing health care insurance, more Americans find themselves in a situation where they have irrelevant or no reason for lack of health care insurance cover. One of the core elements of the Affordable health care act is that the people have more say in the access and quality of service. This is contrary to the former system where a few health insurance companies controlled the business making the citizens vulnerable to the efficiency of the company administrations which affected the quality and cost of service. The cost to service seekers is properly considered for the fact that insurance companies will not be able to arbitrarily increase the cost of premiums. This puts the contributors of the premiums, be it the employers, employees or the unemployed in a state where they are able to plan for their money over longer periods of time. The welfare of the contributors is also protected by the law in that the insurers are supposed to ensure that the expenses are primarily and sorely on providing health care and not other non-related costs or even administrative costs. Low cost associated with access to proper, affordable and quality healthcare has come by courtesy of un-intentional sacrifice of Americans to fund and maintain the program. Funding by the government only means more funds demanded from the public, which is only possible through raised taxation. Low cost is also arguably determined as unrealistic as the initial costs for the program to come to life and run is not clearly portrayed. The program faced great challenges in the internet communication platform that is supposed to be easy and user-friendly for all. Setting up of the platform is another high costing endeavor that the government had to go through, with the taxpayers’ money to see it work. Initial costs may be high and seem unrealistic to run the program, but the analysts show that the government will not only be able to see it budgets deficit covered, but also a lot of savings on insurance health care of the state and the federal governments with time. The Act has put to an end lifetime and annual limits. This comes much cost effectively extending full benefits to the enjoyment of the insurance policy. This is much better as related to the earlier plans in which there were annual dollar limits allowed for the insured. The plan demanded the excess of limits paid in cash, which limited the insured from the accessing the insurance services. The plans entail the patient’s right to maintain the health provider at more lowered costs. The idea of covering patients with pre-existing conditions and normal costs is a new thing that has seen many Americans embrace the laws (In Hall, M. A, & In Allhoff, F. 2014).Old people can now comfortably enroll for the programs and enjoy the health insurance services without being exorbitantly charged or even being denied the services due to their age. This has clearly portrayed the intended purpose of the law, which is to reach out the all, and especially the low to middle income Americans as well as the old. Due to the affordability of the premiums, it has translated to increased number of would be marginalized group being able to enjoy the services of the program. The plan has managed to reduce the biased quality of service among different health providers based on their ability to pay for the most qualified consultants, leading to the high cost of acquiring highly qualified health consultants, which often leads to a deficiency of consultants in other facilities due to their low cost and inability to pay the best consultants. The affordable health care plan has many positives, but has failed to protect the plight of businesses behind healthcare services. The health service providers are forced to deliver health services within the limits of the available resources, thus limiting their competitive advantage which often leads to improved quality of services with competitive costs. This has as well come with the challenge of increased need for more funding, by the federal government and the state. Sources of revenue such as taxes have to be enhanced to manage the services and also to maintain them (In Hall, M. A, & In Allhoff, F. 2014).The law has provided that for businesses with up to 50 employees on a full time engagement must be provided for the cover by the business. This has made the access to the insurance cover to many more employees. Employer are now able to afford quality and affordable health insurance services for their employees. The law has seen the insurance premiums paid by employers go down significantly with no compromise on quality of health service or even reducing the number of employees. This is the bigger picture of the plan, however, other employers see the new law being inefficient, costly and failing with lack of clarity on the very fundamental issues when it comes to health care services and therefore seeking more satisfying alternatives. This state of the situation is making many employers to maintain their existing health insurance schemes, even if costly to them and their employees, basing on the fact that they understand the schemes they have been used and are not ready to shift to a new model that is not well known to the would be beneficiary, or even the service providers to whom the plan has been imposed through the law. The obvious uncertainties have led to unplanned costly programs by many employers who are opting to provide their employees with education on how to lower health risks or exposure to activities or situations that would warrant them seeking health services. (In Hall, M. A, & In Allhoff, F. 2014).Conclusions The health care is a new beginning for Americans in the health laws and sector. The law will be able to guarantee the intended subject with coverage that provides them with unbiased provision of services, whether they have pre-existing condition or not, with no health plans to limit or even plans that limit children’s benefits. The law has provided the young generation with an assurance of health care plan that was never thought of to cover in such a manner that even poor young people could afford. This will see parents who have young adults under their care access affordable and quality health care. The plan will see an end to insurance coverage withdraws by insurance companies on the basis of honest mistakes. This will assure continued enjoyment of services. The plan has as well come with the right to reconsideration for rejection of payments which was not there before. The Law will see to great favorable cost effects the states, federal governments, employers, employees and the unemployed. This will be due to the removal of lifetime limits. The law prohibits increasing of insurance premiums through controlled review process, which will be done in public and must show reason. The new plans are also designed and guided to ensure that the insured get value for money by making sure that money paid up premiums for health insurance is utilized on health insurance. This will limit insurance companies from using money contributed as health premiums for their own non-health related activities. The new law will see to it that care is provided to the best level possible. This is provided by the fact that the cover caters for preventive care without costs under recommendations. The law also gives the insured the prerogative to choose a doctor who will provide basic care needed. This not only gives the insured the right to the choice of the doctor as a fundamental thing necessarily, but also the confidence of the insured that as the insured is in control of health paid for. The plan has created a high level of freedom as to emergency services sought by doing away with barriers usually planted by insurance companies. This plan provides the insured with the feeling and enjoyment of fundamental freedom and right to immediate and quality emergency attention at any health facility, whether within or outside his network in a health plan. The basic provisions of this law are well within the fundamental rights and freedoms of the American populations as provided in the constitution and other laws. The Affordable Healthcare Act does not violate any constitutional provision in its endeavor to ensure quality and affordable health care. References Bateman, C. (December 01, 2013). Pretenders to the throne of affordable healthcare? : izindaba.  South African Medical Journal,  103,  12, 885-886. Health Law Institute, & Pennsylvania Bar Institute. (2012).  18th annual Health Law Institute. Mechanicsburg, Pa.: Pennsylvania Bar Institute. In Hall, M. A., & In Allhoff, F. (2014).  The Affordable Care Act decision: Philosophical and legal implications. Parks, D. (2012).  Health Care Reform Simplified: What Professionals in Medicine, Government, Insurance, and Business Need to Know. Dordrecht: Springer. Sachs, Stephen E. (2012).  The Uneasy Case for the Affordable Care Act. (Faculty Scholarship.) Duke University School of Law. Siegel, N. S. (2012).  The constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act: Ideas from the academy. Durham, North Carolina: Duke University School of Law Source document

Diffusion and Osmosis of Solutes and Water Across a Membrane

Diffusion and Osmosis of Solutes and Water Across a Membrane Brittany Bacallao Nova Southeastern University Abstract: This experiment gave a visual understanding of osmosis and diffusion. The first experiment proved that solutes would move down a concentration gradient if permeable to the selective membrane. The second experiment proved different solute concentrations affect the movement of water, depending on the solute concentration inside the cell. The purpose of this lab was to look for different solutes that can cross an artificial membrane and to observe the effect of different concentrations of sucrose on the mass of a potato cell.Results for Part One suggested that the molecular weight of albumin and starch was too large to pass through the dialysis tube, but glucose and sodium sulfate molecules were small enough to pass through the dialysis tube. Also, a decrease in water weight occurred due the dialysis tube being placed in a hypertonic solution. Results for Par Two showed the potato cell having a molar concentration of 0. 2734, which caused sucrose concentrations above 0. 2 M to have a decrease in mass. Inversely, sucrose concentrations below 0. 2 M caused an increase in mass.Diffusion is the random movement of molecules spreading evenly into available space (Cain, Jackson, Minorsky, Reece, & Urry, 2011). Movement of water also follows a similar concept, however, water can act as a shield for solutes and become unavailable to diffuse while in other cases water is free and will move to an area of low solute concentration to an area of high solute concentration: this processes is better known as osmosis (Keith, Messing, Schmitt, & Feingold, 2010). Osmosis and diffusion can occur along a permeable membrane or selective membrane.A cell with a selective membrane allows small molecules and ions to pass through but excludes others; also, substances that are able to pass through the membrane do so at different rates. On the other hand, permeable membranes al low nonpolar molecules, such as hydrophobic molecules (water fearing), to dissolve in the lipid bilayer, which allows the molecule to easily cross the membrane. However, molecules such as glucose can pass through the lipid bilayer, but not as rapidly as nonpolar molecule (Cain et al. , 2011).Understanding the concept of osmosis helps explain why lakes cannot have an increase in salinity. If saltiness of a lake increases, species living in the lake could die. This occurs when the lake water becomes hypertonic solution, which causes the animal cells to lose an excessive amount of water forcing the cell to shrivel up and die (Cain et al. , 2011). On the contrary, understanding the concept of diffusion can help explain why after spraying perfume in one area of the room, then after several minutes, the perfume is smelled throughout the room.This is because particles of the perfume move randomly and eventually spread out evenly throughout the room. Moreover, in the experiment performed, d iffusion and osmosis was observed using artificial systems (plastic membranes) and potato cells. The null hypothesis for Part One of the experiment is that the concentration gradient has no effect on the weight of the dialysis tube. The alternate hypothesis is that the weight of the dialysis tube will be affected by the concentration gradient.The null hypothesis for Part Two of the experiment is that the increase of sucrose concentration has no effect on the mass of the potato cell. The alternate hypothesis is that the difference in sucrose concentration will affect the mass of the potato cell. This experiment tests all hypotheses and helps to explain the concepts of diffusion and osmosis. Materials and Methods: Part One: Gloves were used to obtain a 20 cm section of dialysis tube that had soaked in a beaker of distilled water prior to the experiment. The dialysis tube was cleaned with distilled water and then tied off to form a pouch.Once the pouch was formed, 3 mL of starch and so dium sulfate solution was placed inside the tube, and then tied off and weighed. The weight obtained was recorded as initial weight. While weighing the dialysis tube with the solution of starch and sodium sulfate, eight test tubes were obtained and solution of starch/sodium sulfate was added to two test tubes labeled bag start (Keith et al. , 2010). After weighing dialysis tubing of starch/sodium sulfate and adding the solution to two test tubes, the tubing was placed in a beaker containing a solution of albumin and glucose.Next, 1. 0 mL of albumin and glucose were then placed in two test tubes labeled solution start. The tubing in the albumin/glucose solution was kept inside the solution for 75 minutes. Every 15 minutes the solution and tube was mixed (Keith et al. , 2010). At the end of the 75 minutes, two 1. 0 mL samples of the albumin/glucose solution from the beaker were added to two test tubes labeled solution end. Then, the dialysis tube was removed from the beaker and rinsed off with distilled water. Once the tubing was rinsed and blotted dry the final water weight was recorded.After measuring the final water weight, the contents in the tubing was dumped into a beaker and 1. 0 mL of starch/sodium sulfate solution was added to two test tubes labeled bag end (Keith et al. , 2010). In order to test for glucose, a glucose dip and read strip was placed in the first set of test tubes that were labeled bag start, solution start, bag end, and solution end. Then, a protein dip-and-read strip was placed in the same set of test tubes and the results were recorded from both glucose and protein strips.After testing for protein, solution and bag samples were tested for sodium sulfate. To test for sodium sulfate, three drops of 2% barium chloride were added to the second set of test tubes labeled bag start, solution start, bag end, and solution end. The results were observed and then recorded (Keith et al. , 2010). To see if starch was present in the solutions, iodin e solution was added to the first set of test tubes that were used for the glucose and protein strips. Results were then observed and recorded (Keith et al. , 2010). Part two: Seven beakers were obtained. 0 mL of solution labeled 0. 2 M sucrose, 0. 4 M sucrose, 0. 6 M sucrose, 0. 8 M sucrose, 1 M sucrose, distilled water, and unknown were each placed in different beakers. Then, a potato was sliced into 28 cylinders using a cork borer. The cylinders were separated into seven groups of four and then placed under a paper towel until the group was ready to weigh the potato cylinders. Once prepared to weigh the cylinders, the weight of each group of cylinders was recorded. Four cylinders were placed into each beaker and sat for an hour (Keith et al. , 2010).After the beakers sat for an hour at room temperature, the potato cylinders were then removed and blotted dry. Final weight was recorded for each group of potato cylinders. To calculate the percentage change, the following equation wa s used (Keith et al. , 2010): Percent change =Ending mass-Starting massStarting mass? 100% Results: Part One Results for the first experiment revealed certain molecular weights were unable to pass through the selectively permeable membrane. Table 1 shows that albumin (protein) and starch were unable to pass through the selective membrane.Albumin’s molecular weight was approximately 64,000 Daltons and starch’s molecular weight was greater than 100,000 Daltons; these results were already known. Initially, glucose was present outside of the dialysis tube but in final results glucose was found in the final bag and final solution. On the contrary, sodium sulfate was initially present inside the dialysis tube but in the final results only, sulfate ion was found in the final solution. The last result was the change in water weight. Water had decreased from the initial weight. The following results are shown in Table 1.Table 1: Diffusion of solutes through an artificial membra ne after 75 minutes. | Glucose | Sulfate ion| Protein| Starch| Water weight (g)| Inside bag| Â  | Â  | Â  | Â  | Â  | Initial| -| +| -| +| 16. 59 g| Final| +| -| -| +| 16. 05 g| Outside bag| Â  | Â  | Â  | Â  | Â  | Initial| +| +| +++| -| Â  | Final| +| +| +++| -| Â  | Part Two In the second experiment results showed different concentrations of sucrose affected the potatoes’ mass. In the beakers containing 0. 0 M (distilled water) and 0. 2 M concentration of sucrose resulted in water entering the potato cell, which caused the cell to increase in mass.The beakers containing 0. 4 M, 0. 6 M, 0. 8 M, and 1 M of sucrose concentration had the opposite effect on the potatoes mass. Therefore, the higher the concentration was the greater amount of water left, causing the cell to decrease in mass. Also, the unknown concentration was found to be 0. 5 M of sucrose, which caused the mass in the potato cells to decrease as a result of water leaving the cell. The following infor mation is displayed in Table 2. Table 2: Percent change in mass of potato cells after being placed in different sucrose concentrations, also the differences in initial and final mass.Contents in beaker| Initial mass| Final mass| Mass difference| % Change in mass| a. Distilled Water| 0. 82| 0. 92| 0. 1| 12. 20%| b. 0. 2 M Sucrose| 0. 65| 0. 69| 0. 04| 6. 20%| c. 0. 4 M Sucrose| 0. 62| 0. 56| -0. 06| -9. 70%| d. 0. 6 M Sucrose| 0. 69| 0. 58| -0. 1| -15. 90%| e. 0. 8 M Sucrose| 0. 61| 0. 48| -0. 13| -21. 30%| f. 1 M Sucrose| 0. 74| 0. 57| -0. 17| -23%| g. Unknown| 0. 77| 0. 7| -0. 07| -9. 10%| The molar concentration of the potato cell was found to be 0. 2734 M. The molecular weight was found by looking for the x-intercept on the graph below (Figure 2. . Figure 2: Percent change in mass of potato cells put in different concentrations of sucrose. Discussion: Part One of the experiment indicated that the dialysis tube was selectively permeable and only molecular weight fewer than 64,000 Daltons were able to pass through the membrane. This explains why albumin and starch were unable to pass through the membrane because their molecules were too large. Conversely, glucose was able to pass through the selectively permeable membrane due to its relatively small molecular weight.However, because glucose was present in both the final bag and final solution this meant that glucose had evenly distributed its molecules by complying with the concept of diffusion. Sulfate ions present outside the dialysis tube in the final results show that sulfate ions were also able to diffuse through the selective membrane into the final solution. A decrease in water weight from initial weight shows that the dialysis tube was placed in a hypertonic solution causing more of the inside solution to diffuse to the outside leading to a decrease in the final weight of the bag.The null hypothesis is rejected in Part One of the experiment because the concentration gradient did affect the weight of t he dialysis tube. This is due to the fact that sodium sulfate completely left the bag, thus causing the bag to decrease in weight. The reason why sodium sulfate left is because there was no sodium sulfate in the solution; therefore, molecules went to an area of lower concentration. The alternate hypothesis is not rejected because the concentration gradient did affect the weight of the dialysis tube.This is proven by a decrease in initial weight due to sodium sulfate leaving the tube. Part Two of the experiment showed that the potato cells had some kind of change in their mass after being placed in different sucrose concentrations. The change in mass occurred because water either left the cell or entered the cell depending on the sucrose concentration. This explains why distilled water had the greatest increase in mass, because water wanted to go to an area (potato cell) of higher concentration from an area of low concentration.On the other hand, 1 M of sucrose concentration had the greatest decrease in mass because water wanted to leave the cell to move to an area of higher concentration. Therefore, if the concentration was greater than the molar concentration of the potato cell than water left the cell at a faster rate. The null hypothesis for Part Two of the experiment proved to be wrong because an increase in sucrose concentration did have an affect on the change in mass of the potato cell.Increased sucrose concentration changed the mass of the cell because the concentration was higher than the molar concentration of the potato cell. Thus, the alternate hypothesis is proven correct. The difference in sucrose concentration will affect the mass of the potato cell. References: Cain, M. L. , Jackson, R. B. , Minorsky, P. V. , Reece, J. B. , & Urry, L. A. (2011). Biology (9th Edition ed. ). San Francisco: Pearson Education, Inc. Keith, E. , Messing, C,. Schmitt, E. , Feingold, J. (2010). Laboratory Exercises in Biology (3rd ed. ). Dubuque, IA: Kendall Hunt Publi shing Company.

Amicus Brief (Abortion) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Amicus Brief (Abortion) - Essay Example his brief before the Court as an amicus curiae for the purpose of pointing out to the Court the errors of law committed by the Supreme Court of Freedonia when it upheld the state of Freedonia over the herein petitioner Jane Roe in regard to the constitutionality of the Freedonia Abortion Act 2009. The UK and the United States are both State Parties to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR hereafter). On December 16, 1966 in New York, the ICCPR, a United Nations initiated covenant, was declared open for signature. The UK signed it on September 16, 1968 with its ratification papers duly submitted to the Committee on May 20, 1976. As per the Committee records, the US signed the covenant on October 5, 1977 and ratified it on June 8, 1992 (UN Treaty Collection). Under international laws, the US is obliged to comply with the provisions of international treaties, like the ICCPR to which it is a state party. In upholding international treaties, like the ICCPR, respecting civil rights of citizens, the UK has passed into law the Abortion Act of 1967 and other related laws like the Human Fertilisation Act 1990 (amended in 2000). Unlike the US federal system in which fifty-states are free to enact their respective abortion-related laws so long as they do not contravene the US Constitution, the UK, a unitary state, has one set of abortion laws applicable all throughout its jurisdiction, except for Northern Ireland in respect to abortion laws. In UK, except for Northern Ireland, abortion is legal. A woman can opt for abortion up to the 24th week of conception if two doctors can attest that she or her children, runs a risk, physically and mentally, if the pregnancy is carried to its full term. The limit, however, is not applicable if two doctors agree that a woman’s pregnancy places her life at risk if she continues with the pregnancy or the child is likely to be born with serious physical or mental defects or to save the woman’s life or to

Marketing assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Marketing assignment - Essay Example We are now in an age where taking care of children is already a shared responsibility and as such, she should widen her segmentation to include the husband as well. Instead of just women, she should target both the mother and father who shares the parenting responsibility. Such, the best market for Trap-Ease are parents and not solely women. Martha should also capitalized on the non-poison aspect of controlling the mouse problem. Such, she should also target the environmentalist who are concerned with the use of poison in controlling the rodents as it contributes to global warming. Companies and industrial sites should also be targeted as they too have a pest issue to contend. The specification of Trap-Ease suits them as the product is well-designed that its aesthetics will fit the corporate and industrial setting. 4) Describe the current marketing mix for Trap-Ease. Do you see any problems with this mix? For the marketing mix of introducing her product to its target market, Martha h as Trap-Ease as a product. Her pricing seems to be okay because there is no apparent price resistance with the product. Given the cost that she needs to recoup, it is not advisable for her to cut its price but she just have to work on the scale of her sales.

Emirates Airlines Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Emirates Airlines - Essay Example The Airbus A310-304 was the first aircraft that Emirates received the delivery as per its specifications during the year 1987. By 1990, Emirates had the several routes added to Singapore, Manila, Bangkok, Manchester, Damascus. In 1992, Emirates purchased $20 million Airbus equipped with full flight simulator. Moreover, a new terminal was opened at Dubai International in the same year. By 1995, the Emirates had a fleet that served to 34 locations including Europe, Middle East, and Far East. With rapid expansion taking place during the year 1997, Emirates ordered 16 Airbus A330 worth $2 billion. Came the year 1998 and Airlines opened another terminal at Dubai International with the capital outlay of $540 million. In 2003, the airlines expanded rapidly placing order for 71 aircraft worth $19.1 billion. In the year 2004, the airlines inaugurated its first non-stop flight to New-York. By 2005, the Emirates Airlines had 25,000 people on its payroll becoming Dubai’s biggest employer. In the year 2007, in a bid to expand further, Emirates ordered for Airbus and Boeing aircrafts worth $34.9 billion. By 2009, the company was the largest operator of the Boeing 777 (Gulfnews 2010). Markets The mission of Emirates Airlines is to build and maintain market leadership through innovation. Emirates' Sky Cargo business contributes 20 percent of the company's total revenue. The Emirates Airlines is currently connected to all continents serving 103 destinations covering 65 countries (The Emirates Group, 2011). More new destinations are being added every year to expand further. It has now earned a global reputation in aviation. Ever since 2000, Emirates has been focusing more on long distance flights and the non-stop flight is a discerning feature of Emirates Airlines serving to destinations as far as US, Australia, Argentina (Wolfganghthome 2012). Strategy The customer satisfaction has been a major motto of Emirates Airlines. The airline serves all kinds of travelers by prov iding for three different classes namely economy, business and first class customers. The prices are appropriately charged to attract all classes of customers. While charging the price, it takes into account even the timings of the flight. Frequent travelers get hefty discounts on their tickets for their loyalty towards the airline (Howard, 2009). In a survey carried out by Skyscanner.net for the quality of food served in 19 different international airlines, the Emirates Airlines topped amongst all (Skyscanner, 2011). Thus, the airline offers right product mix with excellent cuisine at the most appropriate price. The airlines’ spending on marketing and promotional activities has been to the tune of ?150m a year. Currently, the company spends 50 percent of its marketing budget on sponsorship alone and that has created a huge popularity of the company in the international arena. Communication has been another stronghold of the Emirates airline as launch of a new route is massiv ely advertised to attract the prospective customers (Burrell, 2008) Competition The company faces severe competition from the other airlines such as Qatar Airways and Ethiad Airways. Rising oil prices have put all the airlines on tenterhooks due to rising cost and declining revenues due to recessionary economic conditions prevailing in Europe and US. The airline has been found to compete with more than 120 international airlines at the headquarter city – in Dubai alone (The Emirates Gro

Human Resource Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 10

Human Resource Management - Essay Example s all countries, all professions and all the categories of worker, including both blue and white-collar workers, as well as families and society in general (What is workplace stress? Website at http: //www.ilo.org/public/english/ protection/safework/stress/whatis.htm). It should be mentioned that though stress has already become a well-studied phenomenon, it is quite complicated to define both the notion of stress in general and in particular the notion of job stress. â€Å"Job stress can be defined as a harmful physical and emotional responses that occur when the requirement of the job do not match the capabilities, resources, or needs of the worker. Job stress can lead to poor health and even injury.† (Stress at work, Website at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/stresswk.html). Though this definition is quite correct, the statement that stress is harmful can be argued. Every day people face new and inexperienced situations and normally they should be able to get new responses in their reaction to such situations. It would therefore be a mistake to claim that stress is for sure a negative phenomenon, because a person cannot exist in this world without any interaction with the constantly changeable environment and the other people. That is why only excesses of stress situations are harmful and leads to pathological effects. Recent researches approved that job-related stress leads to coronary deficiency, and a variety of mental and physical abnormalities (Bosma, 1997, pp. 558—565; Gushue, 1996, pp. 1310—1313). In consequence of long standing study of the impact that stress in the workplace has on civil servants in Great Britain, researchers have discovered that there is a relation between a servant’s feeling of impossibility to have control over the process and chance of getting cardiovascular diseases. On studying of 7000 civil servants, both women and men, the scholars have come to the conclusion, that the feeling of self-helplessness often combined with heart

IT & Entrepreneurship Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

IT & Entrepreneurship - Essay Example Intranets are utilised in order to find along with organise information, which resides within various organisations. Intranet fundamentally acts as front-end to great source of knowledge (ODI, n.d.). Based on this aspect, in the essay, I would discuss about the thoughts concerning the building of pedagogical principles into an intranet. About Pedagogical Principles Pedagogy principles are often regarded as methods of teaching and learning. They are recognised as theoretical procedures for achieving certain goals. The most vital characteristics of pedagogical principles are that they are quite pertinent in nature and equipped with theoretical influence. Pedagogical principles can be used in intranet such as in e-learning for better management of knowledge and better teaching experience. According to my opinion, every teacher has certain unspoken pedagogy, representing teaching method or philosophy. The pedagogy can be derived from evaluating the functions of a teacher (Rubens & et. al ., 2005). From reviewing the work of various authors, I have learnt that the task of a good pedagogical design is to ensure that there are no irregularities prevailing between the prospectus taught and the application of teaching approaches. Thus, in order to accomplish complete consistency, there is need to examine the key assumptions at every phase of teaching and to support them in learning. Hence, in order to build pedagogical principles, there is the requirement to begin with planned learning outcome. Then, there is the necessity of selecting certain effective teaching functions that would support students to accomplish their respective learning outcomes. Ultimately, there is need to develop evaluation activities that can genuinely examine whether the outcome have been accomplished or not. This procedure is simple to describe, but is quite difficult to build on intranet (Monty, 2005). This can be better understood with the help of the following pictorial illustration. Source: ( Mayes & Freitas, 2004). Pedagogical Principles into an Intranet Essentially from various works, I have understood that intranet provides a sophisticated way for teaching and learning. In learning environment, intranet comprises instruction delivered through every internal electronic media. The effort for utilising intranet in learning eventually moves towards complete automation of controlling the teaching and learning procedure by way of several applications. Although use of intranet in learning is recent phenomenon, but the underlying principles of learning, i.e. pedagogical principles have not been included in this technology. Most of the pedagogical principles that are utilised in traditional learning experience can be built into intranet based learning (Govindasamy, 2002). By understanding various concepts of pedagogy, I can define that constructivist pedagogy is often associated with intranet based learning. In this regard, constructivist pedagogical principles inspire learner s to establish their own knowledge based on personal experience and utilise those principles in various fields. In such pedagogical principle, the concentration is on learning, rather than teaching in the social procedure. Constructivism is often regarded as an ideal pedagogical principle for intranet, as it draws on determining the strengths of the medium and overwhelming the weaknesses (Gulati, 2004). Constructivist pedagogy observes students as the core participants of the learning

Leadership Book Review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Leadership Book Review - Essay Example Divided into three parts and eleven chapters, the book is not mere an expression of speculation or supposition; on the contrary, it is based on the in-depth analyses the authors found out after conducting a comprehensive research on the most dynamic leaders of the world. The researchers personally entered into conversation with these self-motivated and energetic personalities, and discussed various aspects of the nature and style of performing their duties and activities. The authors concentrate upon leadership success program and encourage the readers develop their own leadership development plan on the basis of the points highlighted by them. George & Sims (2003) describe their explored five points, on the basis of which, personal leadership development plan could be created in a successful manner. These five points include exploring of one’s authentic self, determining of one’s core values as well as leadership principles, comprehension of one’s impetus and motivation, preparation of an active and trustworthy team for the achievement of determined goals and incorporating of all strengths of one’s life on the concrete foundations of will power and unabated fortitude. In simple words, exploration of one’s self is the first and the most formidable step in the way to success on the one hand and climbing the steps of leadership plan on the other. Knowledge of self is extremely supportive in respect of deciding oneâ₠¬â„¢s way and in establishing and achieving the objectives of life as well. The genuine success stories of the tycoons including Donna Dubinsky, John Brennan, Carol Tome, Ann Moore and others infuse new spirit of knowing oneself in readers and they look ready for utilizing their gifted abilities in one way or the other. Consists of three chapters, the first part of the book declares leadership as a long journey towards success, where lack of passion and unawareness with one’s purpose serve as the hurdles on the way to success. If one

Professional Skills Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Professional Skills - Assignment Example Development of Knowledge and Skills and Change in Attitude At the very beginning of this course I was a very diffident student and could not decide things properly. Interacting with people was a very difficult thing for me because I lacked confidence and I did not know how to interact with people. During this course I learned the ways in which I can be interactive during my dealings with my classmates and colleagues. I also learnt how I can work in a team and play my role in the best possible way by utilizing all my inherent capabilities and also the knowledge and skills that I have developed during various different courses in my academic career. I always had problems in identifying my role in a team or workgroup and because of this I was unable to play a productive role individually in a team or working in a group. The teacher helped me to identify my role in the team and also taught me how I can develop skills to work effectively as an individual. Now I am in a position to work as an effective member of the team and also as a productive and interactive individual who can convey and present his ideas very well before a group of people and convince them. The course has brought revolutionary changes in my communication skills and I have managed to overcome my stage fear while presenting or speaking before a group of people by adopting various strategies taught in the classroom. The knowledge of various research methodologies has enabled me to classify my research tasks as primary and secondary and by doing so I save a lot of time which can be utilized in developing knowledge and skills. Time management is perhaps the most useful technique that I have learnt because now I carry out all my assignments and tasks according to a defined schedule which I set up for myself at the start of every week. Realizing the importance of punctuality in time management and social interactions I have developed a habit of coming in time in the classroom. A broader view of things h as enabled me to judge what time is best for studying and what time is best for practicing the studied knowledge. I have gained a lot of knowledge and developed various skills through producing this coursework and increase in awareness has produced a change in my attitude and my way of perceiving things. 2. Problems The first and foremost problem that I face in all of my assignments and also faced in this assignment was the language problem because English is not my first language and I face difficulty in proper phrasing of sentences because of weak grammar that is why I commit various grammatical and spelling mistakes during the assignment and I have to correct them. But while overcoming this problem and correcting my grammatical and spelling mistakes I have realized that my language is actually improving and is considerably better than past. The second problem that I faced was my shortage of attendance because I missed some of the classes during the start of the term; as a result I had to study various basic concepts myself but still I could not take grip on various lectures because of the knowledge I missed during the start

6 Discussion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

6 Discussion - Essay Example This goes hand-in-hand with egoism, as the person is only doing something to fully benefit themselves without taking others into concern. Some of the objections to psychological egoism include the fact that some people do act in genuine altruistic ways; there are some cases where people do not have the time to decide who is going to benefit from their actions, they just care about following through with those actions; egoism and altruism are capable of connecting with each other, making in nearly impossible to decide if something was done egoistically or altruistically. Not everyone does something solely to benefit themselves; many of them do act on the best interests of others. Psychological egoism states that people act on for themselves. The majority of people are not that selfish and self-centered, many of them will act in ways that positively affect others without thinking of themselves once. The concept of psychological egoism points to humanity being callous and insensitive to the needs of others, that they could never act to benefit someone other than themselves. This assumption is incorrect - there are numerous people willing to do something for others without being benefited themselves. There are many situations that a person can find themselves in that do not allow them time to think about who they are doing something for, least of all themselves. Some people act on impulse, doing what feels right at the time, or doing what needs to be done, only thinking about the benefits and consequences after the matter. This goes against the fact that psychological egoism attempts to prove that people only think of themselves when acting in any such way. However, there are people who simply find that they do not have the time to fully consider the situation - their main concern is seeing the act through to the end. This often happens during emergencies, such as if a person were to run into oncoming traffic to rescue a

How atmosphere is created in Victorian ghost stories Essay Example for Free

How atmosphere is created in Victorian ghost stories Essay Discuss and compare how atmosphere is created in three Victorian ghost stories Atmosphere is created in Victorian ghost stories by using a few main factors- -Characters -figurative language -setting -themes -Era (period of time) The majority of Victorian ghost authors use these factors because they are best to create atmosphere in any story, i.e. for a theme you can use fear, and for a setting you can use an old abandoned mansion, a story can easily be set around this because the two factors fit together as the same genre. The first author that will be used as an example will be using as an example will be Charles Dickens, he was born in 1812, He had a marvellous photographic memory which helped him base some of his characters on people he had met earlier on in his life. The story I will be focusing on by dickens will be THE SIGNALMAN, this story is a good choice because its atmosphere is built up as soon as you read the story, THE SIGNALMAN is being narrated by the gentleman in the story, he is a means for creating atmosphere because he puts in a first person perspective, he gives opinion and tells you what the scenery looks like, characters are almost a part of the setting, they create a mood, for example the protagonist in the story spends most of his time learning from the signalman- how I ought to act, having become the recipient of this disclosure? I had proved the man to be intelligent, vigilant, painstaking, and exact, at first the protagonist sees the signalman to be a solitary, ghost of a man, but getting to know him, he sees him as a man waiting for something to come (this is now figurative language), what the author is trying to tell you is that he is not waiting to change the train track, but is waiting for the warning (or signal) towards his death. One of the themes is either death or hell, for example, in the start the signalman was shocked when the narrator yells at him halloa, below there, the signalman thinks that the protagonist is a ghost (the signal man is waiting for death). A quote that can support the theme of hell is: just then there came a vague vibration of the earth and air, quickly changed into a violent pulsation and an oncoming rush that caused me to start back, this shows that this character is not use to trains (most likely because of the era (period of time) , in which trains are relatively new and many people are scared of them), he may find them monstrous, figuratively, the ground quivering and the protagonist going down into the trench may possibly mean the earth is opening, and he is descending into hell. The era (period of time) also helps with the building of the atmosphere for the reason that the story is set around trains, and in Victorian times the general public were scared of trains which would add to the eeriness of the account being told. The author will use characters as a tool to build atmosphere by explaining what he or she looks like, how they act and what they do, for example, And drawing nearer to him, saw that he was a dark sallow man with a dark beard and rather heavy eyebrows, the narrator is describing the signalman as a person who does not interact with others and as if he is already dead because of his pale skin, deep voice, and in another part of the story he is described as having an infection of the mind, adding to the theme of death. The setting in the signalman is dim and creepy, this is explained by the protagonist, down in the deep trench, and mine was so high above him, so steeped in the angry sunset, the trench described in this quote is intended to represent the protagonist on earth, looking down into his grave, it could be that the point of the story is to represent the protagonist death. The next Victorian ghost author that will be used is Abraham stoker (Bram stoker); he is best known as the creator of the fictional character Count Dracula. The story which will be used is THE JUDGES HOUSE. One of the themes in this story is fear, this is mainly created by using setting and characters, for example, the protagonist, Malcolm Malcolmson needs a place of solitude to do his scientific research and so he finds an old shambling, heavy built house of Jacobean style , with heavy gables and windows, set higher than normal, customary houses he finds the perfect house for his research, this is also the perfect house to build suspense, horror and the theme, fear. This particular story brings different eras(periods of time) to it because the house that malcolmson takes residency in has a history, as malcolmson asks to stay in the house to the landlady, she replies not in the judges house!, she said, and grew pale as she spoke the abode of the judge who was held in great terror because of the harsh sentences and his hostility towards the prisoners at assizes, this makes the plot, and in turn it creates a negative atmosphere towards the house. This quote can also explain how the characters create atmosphere by use of their language , another example of this would be mercy on us, said Ms. Witham an old devil, and sitting on a chair by the fireside , take care sir, take care, Ms. Witham the woman speaking, sounds as if she is nervous just talking about the judge. In this story a setting can also represent a character i.e. the rats are meant to represent the judge, because it keeps catching the attention of malcolmson, he raised a book in his right hand and taking careful aim, flung it at the rat, it sprang aside like a missile, he took another book and repeated his action, and a third, until he had only one book left, the rat squeaked and seemed afraid, malcolmson more eager to strike, the book flew with a resounding blow. The book that hit the rat was the bible, usually in any Victorian ghost story the protagonist will have to use a religious object to get rid of the villain, i.e. in Bram stokers Dracula the protagonist (van Helsing) uses a cross to fend Dracula. So the rat (the judge) will have to be scared of the bible. The rats are also meant to representing the judges evil spreading like a plague, and ruining everybodys lives around it. The last author that will be used to answer the question is Herbert George wells (h.g wells) he was a Victorian sci-fi writer most famous for his novel war of the worlds. The story he wrote that will be used is the THE RED ROOM. This will give good examples of how atmosphere is created by using characters; in the beginning of the story there is a conversation between the protagonist and the pensioners, the pensioners help create atmosphere because they are all somehow crippled, for example, its your own choosing, said the man with the withered arm once more a second old man entered, more bent, more wrinkled, more aged than the first. The reason these characters are like this is because they keep having to lecture the protagonist about not going to the red room, he wont listen because no one would like to believe two senile old pensioners over their own opinion. The setting of the red room is a slightly different to other ghost stories because it is less secluded (there are more characters in the key building). It seems bizarre that the antagonist would only appear when a character is alone, as if it is shy: as I stood undecided, an invisible hand seemed to sweep out the two candles on the table, with a cry of terror I dashed to the alcove. The example of era (period in time) that happens in the story is more of a thought than it being existent: an older age when things spiritual were indeed to be feared, when common sense was uncommon, an age, when omens and witches were credible, and ghost beyond denying. This creates an Atmosphere of wickedness because it reminds you of the period in which everything was religious (religion can get rid of evil) and the church led the public to be against witches, demons and the devil. In all three of the stories there will be a person(s) who has experienced or witnessed the horrors that have happened before, they create atmosphere by giving the story a history.` Conclusion: Atmosphere is created in Victorian ghost stories by using some of the factors said before -Era (period of time) -Theme -Characters -Setting These factors are HOW atmosphere is created in these three Victorian ghost stories because they are best to put what is needed for a ghost story in the plot: suspense, history, death and a mystery to be solved.

IKEA Competitive Positioning

IKEA Competitive Positioning This report critically analyses the competitive position of IKEA which has led to its success and failures over the past five decades. IKEA has been well known for its low price concept and wide range of furnitures. IKEA has grown enormously and now operates in 55 countries. This report analyses the external environment of IKEA by using the PESTEL Analysis. The analysis shows that political factor plays most important role while other external factors such as economic, socio-cultural, legal, environmental and technological contribute to some extent in determining the expansion and success of IKEA. The resource and capability of IKEA is analysed by using the Michael Porters five force analysis. The study shows that IKEA has to dominate in all the five areas to succeed in future. The report also studies that marketing mix used by IKEA in different countries which have had a major part in IKEAs success. IKEA is committed to satisfy its customers. For customer satisfaction IKEA has worked hard to understand the needs of their customers. This report also examines the customer perception and the IKEA philosophy leading to happy and satisfies customers. The strengths and weaknesses of IKEA as well as opportunities for expansion and threats from competitors are revealed by conducting the SWOT analysis. Finally the causes that could lead to the demise of IKEA are discussed along with its future. Table of contents Page no. Introduction 4 PESTEL Analysis 4 Resource and Capabilities 6 Marketing Mix 8 Customer Perceived Values 10 SWOT Analysis 12 IKEAs Future 13 Conclusion 14 References 15 Introduction The economic slowdown has had a negative impact on most businesses world over. Despite the slowdown IKEA plans to open stores in china and world over. The business was started by entrepreneur Ingvar Kampard who had the idea of selling things cheaper than the market price. Thus IKEA came into existence in 1943, when he was just 17 in the small village of Agunnaryd in Sweden. Furniture was introduced in the IKEA product range in 1947 and there after IKEA designed its own furniture. After opening its first store in Almhult in 1958(IKEA, 2009), Ikea has expanded its business worldwide and now operates in 36 countries around the world. Its sales for 2008-09 were 21.2 billion euros and had 127,800 employees. IKEAs success in the retail industry is due to its vast experience which spans over five decades in the retail market. Ikea also achieves product differentiation and cost leadership by its unique concept of selling furnitures in kits that are assembled by customers at home .IKEAs visio n is to create a better every day life for many people (IKEAs Annual report 2009). Macro Analysis (PESTEL Analysis) Political/Legal According to Scherrer (2003), changes in political and legal environment adversely affect the market place as well as the sale and distribution of a product. The political factors include the nature, level of corruption and stability of the government. While the legal factors include import laws, taxation, employment law, competition law, health and safety laws. Europe accounts for large part of IKEAs business with 82% of its sales coming from there (IKEA, 2009). This is because the governments in Europe are been stable, encourage foreign trade and favorable taxation policies. IKEA relocated its Group management, finance and treasury departments to Leiden in the Netherlands from Denmark. This move can be attributed to the favorable government policies in Netherlands that benefited the company over and above any other country in Europe and even Sweden. Globalization influenced IKEA to enter the Chinese furniture market much later after the import control rules were relaxed and governm ent opened up property markets. According to Miller (2004), heavy import taxes have hit IKEA; thus IKEA has been having difficulty in setting a price which good for the customers and the company. IKEA plans to relocate production of many items in china. One the other hand IKEA has no plans of entering Indian markets due to its strict licensing laws for the foreign owned companies. Economic According to Scherrer (2003), economic growth of any country is reflected by its economic climate which influences its plans for expansion. IKEA has no plans on expansion into underdeveloped and developing countries like India. The economic conditions do not favor its business strategy as the buying power of the customers is low. Thus IKEAs main market is Europe where every ordinary person including students can afford to buy an IKEA product. IKEA faced massive problem in china due to its economic condition as it became a luxury furniture brand in the Chinese mind and not many could afford its products. Socio cultural Scherrer (2003) states that consumer preference; purchasing patterns and conditions under which products can be sold are affected by the socio cultural changes. IKEA had to adapt to the cultural environment to expand its business in china. It had to get the Chinese customers to adapt to the do-it-yourself (DIY) concept. As labor is cheap in china, the DIY notion has not taken hold in china as in the western countries where customers know they save money by assembling the furniture Technological IKEA uses technology to stay ahead of the competition by producing furniture cheap and quality furniture. IKEA also uses technology by marketing and selling its products online. Thus IKEA is able to market its products to far many homes and increase its sales considerably. According to Rowley and Slack (2003), a new technology known as kiosk is used by IKEAs customers to view their choice of sofa covered in various fabrics available in that range. Environment IKEA is committed in using resources in an economic and careful way. (IKEA 2009, social and environmental responsibility). IKEA has been offering compact florescent light bulbs (CFLs) which can last up to 10 times longer and use 80 percent less energy than incandescent. IKEA is also committed in reducing the use of plastic bags and there by has introduced the Blue Bag which is cheap, reusable and durable. Resource and capabilities Resource and capability is illustrated by Porters Five Force Model Supplier Power Buyer power Rivalry Substitute Threat of Entry Michael Porters Five Forces Model Power of Suppliers Power of Customer/Buyer IKEA does not enter into actual production but has taken further steps thus keeping the suppliers in an even tighter grip. These suppliers are not only dependent on orders from IKEA but are also in direct financial debt to IKEA, because IKEA has paid for the assembly of their machinery. Hence IKEA has the buyers power to pressurize its suppliers to reduce manufacturing costs anyhow. To reduce the supplier power, IKEA has more than 1300 suppliers in 53 countries with majority of its products from Europe (64%), followed by Asia (33%) and North America (3%) (IKEA, 2009). Competitive Rivalry According to Hopkins (2008) there is more competitive pressure if there are more rivals in the industry. The number of rivals for IKEA is limited in Europe which is where major revenue is generated, as they are able to restrict competition due to their cost leadership and product differentiation. Apart from the competition IKEA faces from UK based BQ (the largest DIY retailer in Europe and third largest in the world) in china; its biggest worry is that it is facing competition from many international and Chinese chains who are copying its products. Many stores in china have IKEAs catalogue in their stores and they tell customers that they can reproduce the same furniture at a lower price. IKEAs online catalogue makes it easy to view and copy. Threat of Substitute Furniture made with wood can only be substituted by furniture made with plastic. But wood is bio degradable which is the reason wood is preferred over plastic. Threat of new Entrants Pass, Sturgess and Wilson (1994) state that it is difficult for entrants with unknown products to win viable market share as customer loyalty exists with the existing firm. IKEA enjoys loyalty from its customers which has been built up by huge and continuous investment in making its products better and cheaper. There is high barrier for entry set by IKEA which makes it almost impossible for a new entrant with unknown and untitled products to win a viable share of the market. Marketing Mix According to Armstrong and Kotler (2006), modern marketing consists of a major concept know as marketing mix. A firm needs get its marketing mix which includes product, price, place and promotion (the 4PS) right to get the response it wants from the target market. Marketing Mix Intended positioning/ Target Customers Product Variety Quality Design Features Brand name Packaging Services Price List price Discounts Allowances Payment period Credit limit Place Channels Coverage Assortments Locations Inventory Transportation Logistics Promotion Advertising Personal selling Sales promotion Public relations Source: Armstrong and Kotler (2006) Marketing an introduction. New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc Product Product strategy forms the first of the 4PS of modern marketing strategy. Product includes goods as well as services the company wants to sell. IKEA has large range of products for almost everything that is needed at home. IKEA is positioned itself as a company which sells quality goods at affordable price. In terms of service, IKEA encourages the concept of DIY but makes technical help available for its customers when needed. This makes IKEAs products different from other products available in the market. Price According to Myers, Caustic and Diamantopoulos (2002) it is difficult to price products in the international markets as the competition increases. IKEAs adopts low price strategy which is achieved by keeping the costs low between then manufacturers and customers. IKEA can also sell its products cheap because it makes bulk orders. IKEA plans to lower its prices in china by 27% to increase its sales. This is possible as china produces 30% of its products. Also large proportion of its raw materials also comes from china. IKEA also offers payment and credit options for its customers. Place IKEA has been able to reduce its costs by locating its shops in the suburbs of the cities. In china it has opened its store in shanghai city knowing that only 20 percent of visitors in shanghai have their own cars. Promotion IKEA promotes its products by advertising on TV and newspapers. It also markets and sells its products online. Broachers and catalog are printed which have the latest offers and the new products for convenience of customers. IKEA is also involved in helping NGOs like UNICEF. This creates a good company image in the customers mind. Customer Perceived Value According to Eggert and Ulaga (2002), customer perceived value (CPA) comprises of three elements, the multiple components of value, the subjectivity of value perceived and the importance of competition. The difference between benefits and costs of an offering perceived by the customers can be stated as customer perceived value. According to Heinonen (2004), organisations cannot only focus on process and outcome of service delivery which are easy to manipulate. Managers have to put in effort to consider the temporal and spatial elements in service. IKEAs warehouses are open for customers to test and select the furnitures. Thus IKEA has been able to create value by providing an arena where customers can perform services at their own convenience. IKEA Philosophy IKEA philosophy is to increase customer perceived value by delivering extraordinary customer service. IKEA reduces perceived sacrifice for its customers by offering them a remarkable experience through their new designs, high quality and low cost furnitures. IKEA maintains its low prices by reducing its shipping costs, inventory costs and also by their DIY concept. IKEA PHILOSOPHY Source: Bernhard Schindlholzer, the Customer Experience Labs (2008) IKEA is able to maintain its focus on being easier, cheaper and faster. It is also able to provide excellent customer service by its cost cutting and process optimization techniques. SWOT Analysis Strength According to Lee and Ko (2000), the internal as well external customers should be considered while determining the strength of an organisation. IKEA is able to maximize productivity and minimize waste generation as maintains complete control over production process. All the steps in the production process from forestry saw milling and board manufacturing to furniture is handled by the industrial group of IKEA which is called Swedwood. IKEAs own design group makes sure that their products match the trend of the market. The design group also co-ordinates with the industrial group and vise versa to effectively convert the design into furnitures. IKEA has been a long term partner of UNICEF supporting UNICEFs programs benefiting children and their opportunities for learning and development in Asia, Africa and Central and Eastern Europe. IKEA has also been working with UN to abolish child labor. By fulfilling its corporate social responsibility and repeated customer satisfaction, IKEA has been able to build a strong brand image and thus enjoys enhances customer loyalty all over the world. IKEA was ranked 41st among the best global brands around the world in 2006. Weakness IKEA has to depend on sub contracted manufacturers as it has limited manufacturing capabilities, which makes it difficult for IKEA to coordinate and control quality standards in some regions. IKEA may also face competition from the subcontractors as they may manufacture their own line of products. IKEA products are also easy to replicate which the reason it is facing competition in china from the local suppliers. These suppliers in china are able to copy the IKEA products and sell at a cheaper cost. Opportunity Lee and Ko (2000) state that opportunities are present every where such as changes in government policies, social patterns and even technology. Asia accounts for small part of IKEAs business with only 3% of its sales generated from there. IKEA senses an opportunity to make its mark in Asia. IKEA plans to cut prices in china considerably and open new stores. IKEA can also expand by using e-commerce to its advantage. By using innovative technology IKEA can reach customers in parts of the world where it does not have a store. Threat The major threat to IKEA is distinct demand in different regions. In a vast country as china, IKEA has to adjust to the living style and culture which differ from one part to the other. IKEA plans to expand despite the business being hit by the global recession. IKEA will have to be cautious of the decisions it takes for its future in these difficult times. IKEAs Future IKEA success can be attributed to its ability of turning problems into opportunities. IKEA has been able to globalize and compete with local products in diverse markets due to its vision and business idea. IKEA is finding out ways to reduce costs in china and also plans to open 10 more outlets by 2010. IKEA expects china to be the second largest furniture consumption market by 2014 only after USA. Therefore, IKEA has streamlining its resources in Asia-Pacific and will moved its purchasing, financial, operation, security and other functional departments from Singapore to Shanghai. Rowley and Slack (2003), a new technology known as kiosk is used by IKEAs for customer convenience. Thus by using better technology like kiosk, IKEA will be able to satisfy more and more customers and will keep growing. IKEA has to constantly look out for new and innovative ways to reduce costs and improve quality to stay ahead of the competition. IKEA has to be in control of the huge expansion it has planned. Inability to reduce costs and inability to be in control of expansion could lead to the demise of IKEA. Conclusion Analyzing IKEA by PESTEL analysis reflects the external factors that IKEA has to counter to achieve its goals. IKEA has to deal with different external factors like taxation policies, government rules and regulations, exchange rate in different countries. IKEA product prices vary from country to country largely due to the external factors. IKEA has adopted a unique marketing mix which has resulted in the enormous growth of the company. IKEA has been so successful because it has been able to change its marketing strategy to suit the culture of the country. Most of IKEAs business comes from Europe but now its expanding in Asia. To be successful in the highly competitive Asian and especially Chinese markets, IKEA will have to adopt new strategies which suit the cultures of these markets which is different from the western culture. IKEAs plan of expansion in China could be quite risks as they have not been able to make their mark in the Chinese markets as they have been able to make in Europe. Moreover, IKEAs business has been hit by the financial crisis world wide; it could be strategic for IKEA to focus on increasing their sales in the existing stores than expansion in China.

Reviewing The Novel No Name Woman English Literature Essay

Reviewing The Novel No Name Woman English Literature Essay Kingston and Tan, both of stereotypical immigrant background, use their memories of deceased mother to build credibility in their respective articles. In Tans Mother Tongue, major themes of language and identity throughout the essay revolves around how the mothers past lives in china affect their daughters lives in this country; just as the daughters childhood experiences effect their identities and adult lives. Likewise, Kingston uses a similar approach by introducing the mother character early on in the essay, with the narrators mother telling her a story which she must never repeat about the aunt she never knew. However, unlike Tans descriptive approach on mother-daughters daily lives, Kingston focuses on the clear parallel between her aunts tragedy and her own deprivations as the daughter of immigrants: the repression of sexuality, individuality, and generational shame. Despite their differences, the power of the spoken and written word is the common theme which gave birth to its relative themes in both respective articles. Being a talk-story meant to be kept silence, No Name Woman is written instead of spoken; Mother Tongue revolves around the narrator and her mothers spoken English, and again, is written instead of spoken. Stylistically, No Name Womans distinctive accomplishment lies within the cross boundaries between genres, dictions, styles, between fact and fiction. The narrator makes radical leaps in time and space, spanning over 100 years of Chinese-American history, combining Chinese myth, family history, and American individualism and rebelliousness. On the other hand, being a significant part of Tans childhood, the limitation in language of Tans mother has more or less influence over her writing style. She criticises her past attempt to create wittily crafted sentence that could prove her mastery over the English language, That was my mental quandary in its nascent state. A terrible line, which I can barely pronounce. This explains the lack of imaginative detail, metaphor and personal musings in Mother Tongue, in which was exerted strongly in Kingstons work. However, it is the simplicity of Tans language that evoke an emotion, a visual image, a complex idea, or a simple truth without the extr avagance of time leaping, non-linear talk-stories to reveal the same emotions, ideas or a simple truth both authors wish to impact on the readers themselves. It is clear that both Tan and Kingston are reaching out to other Chinese-Americans who share their feelings of displacement and frustration. So easy to read., a verdict given by Tans mother upon completion on readings of Tans work, highlights the purpose of Tans essay in increasing the awareness of language in family, home, peer, and work communities: allowing English literatures not only accessible to mainstream Americans, but also the minorities of limited English comprehension. Being a product of the sixties, No Name Woman contains traces of the civil right and womens liberation movements of that time, where Kingston proposes: Women in the old China did not choose. Some man had commanded her to lie with him and be his secret evil she obeyed him. However, it is her struggle to make sense of her mothers story according to her mothers traditional Chinese code of beliefs, that she shares her questions and concerns directly to Chinese-Americans: Chinese-Americans, when you try to unde rstand what things in you are Chinese, how do you separate what is peculiar to childhood, to poverty, insanities, one family, your mother who marked your growing with stories, from what is Chinese? What is Chinese tradition and what is the movies? Having to state that, as an immigrant story for a nation of immigrants, both Kingston and Tans work are nevertheless intended as well for a mainstream audience. The lives Kingston and Tan have to battle through are interesting ones. The opening words of The Woman Warrior set the tone for much of the rest of the memoir, You must not tell anyone, my mother said, what I am about to tell you In fact, after being silence all her life, Kingston becomes a rebellion of sorts by breaking the silence and asserts power over those who have held her back. Such form of rebellious nature is nevertheless expressed in Tans Mother Tongue as she breaks stereotypic cycle surrounding Asians, Fortunately, I happen to be rebellious in nature and enjoy the challenge of disproving assumptions made about me. However, such depiction of unique experience in literature, as present in both Kingston and Tans work, can arguably be deemed reprehensible for its threat to distort Chinese-American reality. As the subject is forbidden, Kingston knows nothings about her aunt beyond the broad details of the story. This presents us with a dichotomy of the ambiguous nature of talk- story a blend of the real and fantasies. Similarly, Tan makes generalisation of the English spoken in other Asian-American families, not to mention her emphasise on math and science, in which Tan describes as what happened to me, not what happened to every Asian-American. The confusion and ambivalence they feel as the author, who were once the listeners, parallel ours. However, just as Kingston writes of No Name Woman: Unless I see her life branching into mine, she gives me no ancestral help, it enables readers to make allowances for Kingston and Tans reinterpretation of mothers word from their own American perspective, thereby encouraging readers too to alter ideas from each article according to their own perspectives. I believe that each of us was Amy Tan, or Maxine Hong Kingston, in some point of our lives. Whether it is through silence, or through talking, reading both authors pieces is like having a prophetic, riddle-like dream: one cannot help but to be drawn into its stories by their distinctive writing style, concepts of cultural language and identity, and its reflection on the readers themselves. With this comes an important point: sometimes we must be far away from home, or to be separated from our roots somehow, in order to realize and appreciate what we really have.

Hamlet: Moral Order :: Shakespeare Hamlet Essays

Hamlet: Moral Order In Shakespeare's Hamlet, a very clear moral order is established as the protagonist, Hamlet, completes his journey through the phases which define a Shakespearean tragedy. The play begins with Hamlet encountering his father's ghost, at which point he learns his father had in fact been murdered by his own brother, Claudius. It is Hamlet's wish to avenge his father that causes all other moral dilemmas in the play, and this is what defines the play's particular moral order: As the play progresses, the gravity and seriousness of Claudius sins lessen, and Hamlet's grow, although never reaching the moral plateau on which Claudius rests. In the beginning of the play, Hamlet is morally "in the right", always taking precautions to ensure this remains so. Claudius, on the other hand, not only murders Hamlet's father, but then plots to do away with Hamlet as soon as he feels threatened. As the play progresses, Hamlet continues attempting to right the original wrong, but only succeeds at the finish, with Claudius' death. Hamlet's words in Act III, Scene IV -- "thus bad begins, and worse remains behind" illustrate the moral order well; the actions against him were wrong, but, to a lesser extent, so was his revenge. Near the start of the play, The Ghost tells Hamlet of the crime committed by Claudius. When Hamlet finds out his father was murdered by his own brother, who then stole his wife and crown, he immediately commits himself to avenging the murder; "Haste me to know't, that I, with wings as swift/As meditation or the thoughts of love/May sweep to my revenge." At this point, Hamlet is completely justified in his feelings, and most would agree that his revenge is morally right. Although the act of murder itself is wrong, an "eye for an eye" almost wholly justifies it. The gravity of Claudius' crime grows when one considers that all the deaths throughout the play would not have come if it were not the murder. The crime itself is, in a sense, worse because of the circumstances; not a simple murder, but the murder of one's brother wholly for personal gain, his crown and queen. It is this which balances out any morally wrong actions Hamlet may take. Hamlet, on the other hand, begins the play as a very rational and intelligent man. Although it is shown he can be impulsive and rash, his rationality wins out - at least in the beginning of the play. When seeing his father's ghost, he unquestionably accepts all he hears as truth, but doesn't act on it until he can verify it in some way.

The Advertisement of Harmful Products Essay -- Tobacco Marketing

The Advertisement of Harmful Products Psychological Persuasion through advertising: Why tobacco companies are still in business. With continuing advancements in medical research, the harsh reality of tobacco smoke becomes more evident. The deadly effect of smoking tobacco is gaining notoriety in society, and a general social movement towards a smoke-free environment is becoming the norm. Regardless of these obstacles, tobacco companies are determined to stay in business, and absorb the growing backlash against smoking. One main weapon of defense for the tobacco companies is their ability to draw new costumers through persuasive advertising. The majority of new smokers are between the ages of fourteen and twenty-one. Coinciding, the majority of smoking ads are projected to a younger crowd, attempting to dissolve a younger persons's resistance to smoking. Campaigns such as the cartoon "Joe Camel" seem to be directed towards a younger audience. Psychologist John Pierce, of the University of California, says "advertising reduces the conc...

Critical Thinking Test Week 4 Essay

1. Question : Reporter: A new campaign finance reform bill being considered by Congress would limit the amount of campaign contributions that political candidates can receive. However, a survey of candidates running for mayor, governor, and senate seats shows that not one of them favors the bill. Clearly, there is no desire among politicians to limit campaign contributions. Which one of the following points out the flaw in the reporter’s argument above? Student Answer: The reporter doesn’t indicate the amount that the new bill would limit campaign contributions. The evidence provided by the reporter suggests that most politicians are in favor of the new bill. The reporter wrongly assumes that no politician has ever supported a bill intended to limit campaign contributions CORRECT The views of candidates currently running for office do not necessarily represent the views of all politicians. 2. Question : Mrs. Orlof teaches two history classes, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Yesterday she gave the same test to both classes. Anyone who failed the test must take a retest. Since a greater percentage of students who took the morning test failed the test than students who took the afternoon test, more of Orlof’s morning history students than afternoon history students will have to take the retest. The conclusion above is not necessarily valid because Student Answer: more students in the morning class may have passed the test than failed the test some students may have been absent from both classes some of the students who passed the afternoon test may have received information about the test from morning students CORRECT more students may have taken the test in the afternoon than in the morning 3. Question : All sages provide both wisdom and inspiration. Since Dasha’s speech contained wisdom and greatly inspired her audience, Dasha is a sage. Which one of the following points out the flaw in the argument above? Student Answer: Just because Dasha is a sage doesn’t mean that she is always wise and inspirational. Just because Dasha’s speech provided wisdom and inspiration doesn’t mean that it provided more wisdom than inspiration. CORRECT Just because Dasha satisfied two requirements of being a sage doesn’t necessarily mean that she satisfies all the requirements of being a sage. INCORRECT Just because Dasha provided wisdom and inspiration in a speech doesn’t mean that all sages use speeches to provide wisdom and inspiration. 4. Question : The average height of members of the high school basketball team is six feet, three inches. Jerry is on the high school basketball team, so Jerry must be taller than six feet. The argument above is flawed because it confuses Student Answer: Jerry with other members of the team the members of one team with the members of another team INCORRECT people who are six feet three inches tall for people who are exactly six feet tall CORRECT an average for the individuals that make up that average. 5. Question : Catherine goes to her local movie theater only to see romantic comedies. Since Catherine did not go to the movies yesterday, there is not a romantic comedy playing at her local theater. The reasoning above is flawed because the evidence Student Answer: CORRECT does not suggest that Catherine goes to see every romantic comedy that plays at her local movie theater implies that Catherine is uninterested in most types of movies does not indicate whether Catherine watches only romantic comedies at home suggests that Catherine’s local movie theater hardly ever shows romantic comedies 6. Question : A recent study of 100 employees from six departments of a major corporation found 65% to be sleep deprived. The researchers concluded that the majority of corporate employees are sleep deprived. The researcher’s conclusion is suspect because it Student Answer: assumes that corporate employees are more sleep deprived than other people is based on evidence that is statistically impossible fails to describe the effects the sleep deprivation has CORRECT relies on a sample that is too small to represent the entire corporate workforce 7. Question : Some politicians claim to support the environment in speeches they make around the country. However, to get to those speeches they ride in gas guzzling, pollution creating private planes. They therefore clearly don’t believe a word of what they say and are actually making the environmental problem worse. Which one of the following, if true, would best weaken the argument above? Student Answer: Some of the politicians try to hide the fact that they travel by private plane to their speeches around the country. Most people who hear the politicians’ speeches on the environment are unconvinced by their arguments. A majority of voters surveyed agree that politicians sometimes make society’s problems worse. CORRECT Improvements to the environment brought about through the politicians’ public support of environmental regulations more than offset the damage done to the environment by the politicians’ private planes. 8. Question : Career counselor: It is best for artists to build a practical and safe career that will guarantee them a secure income, and then pursue their art in their spare time. That way, they will be motivated to work hard at their day jobs to support their art making, and both their career and their art will thrive. Which one of the following, if true, would most weaken the argument? Student Answer: Some forms of art making are expensive and require a good deal of money to pursue. INCORRECT Many people who aren’t artists prefer to pursue practical and safe careers. Having the time and money to make art doesn’t guarantee an artist commercial success. CORRECT Splitting time between two pursuits in life often causes both to suffer. 9. Question : The untimely death of Professor Hathaway halted his groundbreaking research into the uses of solar power. It therefore appears that Hathaway’s research will not result in practical applications. Which one of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the argument? Student Answer: CORRECT Professor Hathaway’s research can be used by other scientists to create useful applications. Not all professors at Professor Hathaway’s university knew that he was conducting research into the uses of solar power. Officials at Professor Hathaway’s university have refused requests to make Professor Hathaway’s research public. INCORRECT Researchers at other universities are conducting research into the potential applications of solar power. 10. Question : Surveys show that people who use calorie information to decide which foods to eat consume on average 100 calories less than they would if they didn’t check calorie information before eating. Strangely though, people who use calorie information in this way weigh more on average than people who don’t check calorie information before eating. Which one of the following, if true, best explains the surprising statistic stated above? Student Answer: There are fewer people who check calorie information before eating than people who don’t check calorie information before eating. People who usually check calorie information before eating consume more calories if they stop checking. INCORRECT Some people who check calorie information before eating don’t consume any fewer calories than they would if they didn’t check. CORRECT People with a weight problem are most likely to check calorie information before eating. 11. Question : As part of its reorganization, co mpany X created five new positions within the company. However, after the reorganization was complete, company X had fewer employees than before the reorganization. Which one of the following, if true, would best explain the result described above? Student Answer: Some employees of the company were switched into new departments to fill the new positions. Some employees who quit over dissatisfaction with the reorganization were immediately replaced by new hires. The new positions were created to respond to a greater demand for company X’s products. CORRECT Some employees were laid off as a number of old positions were eliminated in the reorganization. 12. Question : Choose the pair of words/phrases among the choices that exhibits the same logical relationship as the words/phrases in the following pair. building : blueprint Student Answer: ship : sea CORRECT cake : recipe bridge : island guitar : song 13. Question : Choose the pair of words/phrases among the choices that exhibits the same logical relationship as the words/phrases in the following pair. gavel : judge Student Answer: CORRECT baton : conductor symphony : composer stop sign : driver ruler : math 14. Question : Choose the pair of words/phrases among the choices that exhibits the same logical relationship as the words/phrases in the following pair. conductor : orchestr Student Answer: skater : rink teacher : principal producer : movie CORRECT director : cast 15. Question : Arthur: The solutions to most mystery novels I read are not believable. However, my enjoyment of a mystery novel depends only on its suspenseful mood and colorful characters. Norton: Roughly 80% of the mystery novels I read have believable solutions, which is good since I do not enjoy mystery novels that don’t have believable solutions. The speakers above Student Answer: agree that most mystery novels do not have believable solutions agree that a suspenseful mood and colorful characters add  to the enjoyment of a mystery novel CORRECT disagree on whether a believable solution is required for the enjoyment of a mystery novel disagree on whether an author’s enjoyment in creating a mystery novel influences whether that novel will have a believable solution 16. Question : Memmie: The greater the population near a restaurant, the more potential customers it has and the greater chance its popularity will spread through word-of-mouth. O’Sullivans Restaurant just opened in the very densely populated town of Redville, so its chances for success are great. Sam: But the more people living in an area, the more restaurants there are in that area, so the more competition each one faces. There are twelve other restaurants serving the people of Redville. Memmie and Sam seem to disagree about whether Student Answer: O’Sullivans will fail in its first few months O’Sullivans will serve a different kind of food than the other restaurants in Redville CORRECT the high population of Redville ensures O’Sullivan’s a great chance for success word-of-mouth about a restaurant can spread in a densely populated town like Redville 17. Question : Only circus animals with a clean bill of health will perform in today’s exhibition. A monkey, a poodle, and a horse will perform in today’s exhibition. No circus animals with a clean bill of health were prescribed medications this week. If the statements above are true, which one of the following must also be true on the basis of them? Student Answer: The monkey, poodle, and horse are the only animals performing in today’s circus exhibition. No circus animals were prescribe medications this week. INCORRECT No more than two circus animals have a clean bill of health. CORRECT Neither the monkey nor the horse performing in today’s circus exhibition were prescribed medications this week. 18. Question : The higher the price of an antique, the greater people’s expectation that the object is rare. That, in turn, makes the antique appear more valuable. If the statements above are correct, then offering an antique for sale at a bargain price Student Answer: will likely increase people’s expectations that the antique is valuable will guarantee that the antique will not sell at a profit should be encouraged because it increases the likelihood that antique will be sold CORRECT should be discouraged because it lessens a quality that makes that antique desirable 19. Question : Some drugs combat obesity or alcohol addiction by turning off pleasure centers in the brain. However, if the dosage is too high, there’s a risk that people taking them will be plunged into depression. The statements above, if true, support which one of the following assertions? Student Answer: It is useless to try to treat obesity or alcohol addiction through drugs. All drugs, if taken at too high a dosage, pose the risk that the people taking them will be plunged into depression. CORRECT The benefits of a medication may be at least somewhat offset by its side effects. INCORRECT Drugs that affect pleasure centers in the brain are often taken at dosages considered to be too high. 20. Question : Detective: The robbery at the mall was carried out by a mall employee acting alone roughly one hour after the mall closed last Saturday night. The only employees present at the mall at the time of the robbery were security guards Evans and Clark. Since the mall’s surveillance system was disabled by the thief just before the robbery, the thief must be Evans. The argument above would be valid if Student Answer: CORRECT Clark is incapable of disabling the mall’s surveillance system both Evans and Clark are capable of disabling the mall’s surveillance system INCORRECT Evans and Clark are the mall’s only security guards the mall’s surveillance system is usually used 24 hours a day, seven days a we 21. Question : A company can either invest in employee training seminars or update its computer network. Since updating the computer network would result in more  measurable benefits, the company would be best off updating its computer network. The argument above assumes that Student Answer: INCORRECT investing in employee training seminars would yield negative results for the company CORRECT the more measurable a benefit, the greater value that benefit has to a company the employee training seminars would focus on teaching employees to use the updated computer network the benefit of the company investing in employee training seminars cannot be measured at all 22. Question : The president spoke to 19 congressmen from Texas to encourage them to vote for a bill. Since four of the 19 congressmen went on to vote for the bill, it is clear that the president persuaded those four to vote the way they did. The argument above assumes that Student Answer: the bill will not pass because a majority of Texas congressmen did not vote for it the Texas congressmen who voted against the bill were persuaded by someone other than the president to vote the way they did the president did not try to influence the votes of any congressmen outside of Texas CORRECT the four Texas congressmen who voted for the bill were against it before they spoke to the president 23. Question : The very large increase in allergies over the last thirty years is due to the great success of immunizations administered over this time period. Since immunizations have nearly eliminated life-threatening diseases such as polio, the human immune system increasingly targets other environmental substances in order to keep working properly. Allergy symptoms such as runny nose and itchy eyes result when the immune system attacks pollen that is breathed in from the air. Which one of the following best expresses the main point of the passage above? Student Answer: Immunizations often have surprising side effects. Immunizations have been very successful in eliminating life-threatening diseases. INCORRECT Viruses that once caused polio now cause allergies. CORRECT The use of immunizations has led to an increase in allergies. 24. Question : Political science professor: Many people insist that the Internet is revolutionizing the political process. They argue that Internet debates and online political polls and chat rooms give people greater access to political information. And they’re right that online political chatter increases daily. But offering or reading anonymous online opinions does not by itself make for active political participation. In the past one would attend a rally, protest, or town meeting to engage in real politics. Today, people sit passively in front of computer screens under the illusion that they are connecting with their fellow citizens. Which one of the following best expresses the main idea of the professor’s argument? Student Answer: Internet debates and online political polls and chat rooms give people greater access to political information. INCORRECT Political organizations of the past bear no resemblance to the political organizations of today. CORRECT While the Internet has made more political content available, meaningful political involvement has decreased. The Internet has revolutionized the political process because it has allowed many more political viewpoints to be expressed. Points Received: 0 of 1 Comments: 25. Question : Whereas many industries suffer during economic recessions, the art industry does well. Some think the reason is that artists feed off the anxiety and uncertainty during recessions to produce inspired works. Others think that recessions, while harmful to most people, produce a handful of very rich people willing to pay very high prices for artworks, driving up the value of the art market as a whole. The author of the passage above is primarily interested in Student Answer: providing evidence that the art industry does well during recessions CORRECT presenting reasons for why the art industry does well during recessions discussing the types of artworks that sell  best during recessions describing the effect that art has on the economy