Friday, November 29, 2019

The Perfect Beach Trip free essay sample

I sobbed silently. Tears streamed down my cheek and dripped onto my favorite brown pillow. My heart hurt in my chest and my nose was so clogged up that I gasped for oxygen. After a good five minutes, I just sunk my face into the pillow. I had no more tears to shed. My pillow was soaking. Then I asked myself, What was I crying about? I guessed that I cried from nostalgia. I laughed at myself and decided that I cried from boredom, but how could I? I had so many things to do. So, I wrote a to-do list. Then, I ripped out each item on the list and placed them in the lime-green, embarrassing Summer hat that Mom gave me to wear at the Beach last Summer to give the hat another use besides wearing it. I folded the floppy flaps so that the edges would meet, and I shook the hat up and down. We will write a custom essay sample on The Perfect Beach Trip or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page I needed to research colleges, plan events for my clubs, and send out e-mails, amongst other things. I closed my eyes, pinched one of the items, and opened the paper. Drawing? I chuckled. Seriously? I drew all the time when I was a freshman to express my feelings and keep me from doodling on my notes (the smiling sun doodle in the corner was a great distraction). After freshman year, I had less time and better concentration. I became more analytic, but I feared that I was losing my creativity. I hopped out of bed and grabbed a sheet of paper and a pencil. I planted myself at my desk in silence, drawing dashes and lines and waves. When I was done, it looked as if I was expressing that I needed to be checked into a mental asylum, so I just balled it up and threw it on my bed to be lost underneath the sea of junk underneath it. I tried again, deciding to draw with purpose instead of randomly. I put on my headphones and listened to smooth jazz for inspiration. I wanted to draw a landscapethe beach, since everyone was there except for me. I started out drawing palm trees, which I hated, because I couldn’t figure out what kind of beach would have only two random palm trees on the shore, so I drew a hammock between them, plus a shoreline, and a big circle—the sun. I vowed to myself that I would move on to my next task when I finished. But the drawing wasn’t finished. It wasn’t enough. I thought of all the things that I would see on the beach, like a dolphin, but they were hard to draw. After giving my sun gentle solar flares, I attempted to draw a dolphin. I started with its tail fin curving up to draw the rest of it’s tail before thrusting my energy into drawing the dorsal fin. Then came the head and the snout. How perfect! Then the drawing became more detailed: I was in the hammock, looking up at the sky with my crossed legs carelessly dangling out of the hammock with my fingers stroking the sand. A glass of lemonade and a pail with a toy shovel sticking out sat near my hammock. An impressive sand castle guarded by a moat and declared mine with a flag made from a stick and a leaf stood nearby. A sail boat calmly drifted in the ocean. I looked over it, erasing what needed to be erased and detailing what needed to be detailed. Then, I finished. I posted the drawing to Facebook. Then, feeling extra proud of my work, I showcased my work on my refrigerator. I had so much pride in my picture that I thought it would persuade my parents to take me to the beach. It didnt, but at least I had something to make my beach-bound friends envious: the Perfect Beach Trip.

Monday, November 25, 2019

Learning Team Problem Paper with Excel Statistical problems

Learning Team Problem Paper with Excel Statistical problems Learning Team Project PAGE \* MERGEFORMAT 9Learning Team Project PaperLearning Team Project PaperIntroductionIn preparing this assignment, Team D thought that the assignment should be on an important topic. The important topic Team D chose to report on is drunk driving. Drunk driving, in our opinion, is a very important issue that should be discussed due to the importance of how alcohol consumption is taken for granted and abused. The two comparisons we chose to report on are drinking and speeding. As Team D presentation topic is reviewed, you will find several interesting pieces of information gathered. The first matter of business included in the paper is the problem background. In the problem background, there is a discussion of why Team D considered the problem important along with some historical in which the problem is related. Next is the problem statement. The problem statement will speak directly about what the problem is.David Vitter with Laura Dean-Mooney, the National .. .Next is the literature review. This section will be a written review of the articles researched by our learning team. The next thing is the variable definitions. These definitions include the time, level of measurement as well as the units of measurement; a description of the variables used for the analysis. The data collection source will come next. This source is used to display the methods used to collect the data. Next is the statistical analysis. This will show the hypothesis tested, discuss the methodology, and show results and interpretations of the results. Finally, the result discussion will sum up the total results of this project.Problem BackgroundFor over 20 years drinking and driving has been a serious problem. About three in every ten Americans will be involved in an alcohol related crash at sometime in their lives. The average age...

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Coca-Cola Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Coca-Cola - Assignment Example Also, the millennials are more likely to frequent social media sites than other generations before them. Advertisements that hope to catch their interest have to use this medium, therefore, to a larger extent than other channels such as television or print media. This means that companies such as Coca Cola and Pepsi have to invest in these interests in order to create loyal consumers out of this demographic. The Coca Cola Corporation has shown great interest in engaging in environmental sustainability programs in developing nations. In Africa, the multinational corporation has joined with several charities, as well as non-governmental organizations to create and sustain programs that support the free provision of safe water for various communities. According to ‘Rain Water for Africa’, the Coca Cola Africa Foundation has entered into a partnership with the NGO ‘WaterAid’ to supply safe drinking water to the poorer areas of Ouagadougou, in Burkina Faso, as well as Ethiopia. This will involve sponsoring the construction of new pipelines which will aid in the provision of clean water to poor areas that have few road networks. According to ‘Rain Water for Africa’, the Coca Cola Corporation has also sponsored the creation of the ‘Replenish Africa Initiative’ which intends to see safe water provided for 2 million Africans by the year 2015. In the past, even though the Coca-Cola and Pepsi companies have had different advertising campaigns for their products, they are still perceived, especially in non-English speaking nations such as India, to be one singular company. In the first place, the advertisers of both companies should seek to understand the mental images that are associated with the two brands among citizens who have a tendency to make this mistake. Once they have discovered the current mental images that citizens have of

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Identify points of Comedy and Tragedy on the "Big Two-Hearted Essay

Identify points of Comedy and Tragedy on the "Big Two-Hearted River" by Ernest Hemingway - Essay Example omedy takes place when Nick goes to wade into the water and when he steps in, the current causes him to lose his balance and he slips on the rocks letting one of the grasshoppers to get away. â€Å"He was sucked under in the whirl by Nicks right leg and came to the surface a little way down stream. He floated rapidly, kicking. In a quick circle, breaking the smooth surface of the water, he disappeared. A trout had taken him† (50). This ends in the tragic death of the grasshopper but the initial drop and struggling of the grasshopper is somewhat comic based on the way Nick had let it go by slipping. The struggle that Nick continually goes through is also somewhat comic. Something continues to go wrong when he is trying to bag a larger trout. â€Å"The trout hung heavy in the net, mottled trout back and silver sides in the meshes. Nick unhooked him; heavy sides, good to hold, big undershot jaw and slipped him, heaving and big sliding, into the long sack that hung from his shoul ders in the water† (74). Tragedy is also something that occurs often in the story as illustrated by Nick when he guts and prepares to eat the trout by performing communion through eating the fish and drinking water from the river imitating what Jesus did in a church service when he used red wine to represent his blood and bread to represent his body. He performed what Jesus did as exemplified by the following. â€Å"Nick cleaned them, slitting them from the vent to the tip of the jaw. All the insides and the gills and tongue came out in one piece they were both males; long gray-white strips of milt, smooth and clean. All the insides clean and compact, coming out altogether. Nick took the offal ashore for the minks to find† (93). â€Å"He laid his rod down moved along to the shady end of the log and took the sandwiches out of his pocket. He dipped the sandwiches in the cold water. The current carried away the crumbs. He ate the sandwiches and dipped his hat full of water to drink,

Monday, November 18, 2019

The Refector Educator Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 7250 words

The Refector Educator - Essay Example The work of a teacher, his/her own human shortcomings, the current state of our society, and the present culture of the school environment also provide powerful distractions to me in truly realizing the potential of my vocation as a teacher - barriers that seem to prevent me from truly living the vision of education that I profess. I am often asked: Why teach when you could do something more profitable Isn't teaching beneath your skill and intelligence I need to answer this question and focus more directly on articulating and implementing my vision in order to be in harmony with myself and my vocation. For, if the vision is superficial or hazy, the effectiveness of the teaching as well as the vocation as teacher is in serious jeopardy. Vision can be better understood, more focused, and more concrete if one concentrates on the component parts and their interaction. If we imagine the vision graphically the outer border of the "construct" indicates the parameters of the vision since every vision has some limit of expansion. Setting the boundaries is important because the clearer the boundaries, the clearer the vision. If they are obscure, the vision will be vague and diffuse. The model can encompass three primary internal components of vision: energy, ideals, and values. Each of these internal components is pointed toward the center, the form of the vision. At this point we encounter the intrusion of "current reality," the other primary, but external, element of the "vision". Thus, "current reality" confronts or collides with the three other primary components. This produces either internal "conflict" or 'choices", i.e. the external expression of the resolution of the confrontation in some decisive way. When the teac her operates out of choices, he/she moves toward "current reality" with "vision". If the teacher fails to make a decisive choice, the inner conflict that one experiences usually results in delusion. The various essential components of the educator's vision and my as well are explained below. Energy is the first component. It is the most basic part of the human personality and may be described as an inner drive, impulse, desire, or personal ambition. Energy denotes psychological force or power, and it is considered to be the most primitive of the human personality functions. Ideals connect the individual to a "higher order." These include the part of the human personality that dictates rules and regulations and establishes ethical and moral thinking. In psychoanalytic theory, this would be referred to as the "super ego" with its two component parts: "conscience" (that which presents taboos and punishes) and "ego ideal" (that which offers sanctions and rewards). For Parker Palmer for example, an ideal for the teacher should include "creating a space in which obedience to truth is practiced" (1998, p.12). Ideals can sometimes conflict with energy desires, particularly in the area of moral decision-making. Values present the next component. They define what I most cherish about life and what I most treasure in my vocation as a teacher. Values can be inherited from parents, religious sources, culture, or personal growth. Values frequently include portions of ideas listed under energy and ideals yet values tend to be an entity in themselves. Values can include both tangible and intangible objects which symbolize personal fulfillment and gratification for the

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Human Resource Information System

Human Resource Information System This paper generates propositions analyzing the association between Human Resource Information Systems (HRIS) and the reliance, pharmaceutical industry places in the technology and models the effect of those associations on HRIS implementation success. It gives information about the human resource management at different levels and how the information technology is used in human resource department to fulfill all its functions with ease. It also gives information about the aspects that help in effective and optimal use of Human Resource Management system and effectiveness in integrating the HR activities with IT. It gives the idea of the uses of different modules of HRMS and other software related to Human resource management. It says about the margins of error and the performance level of current HRMS. It provides with the clues about the challenges faced by most of the pharmaceutical companies in which HRMS assists them to successfully deal with it. It enlightens the pros cons and the outcomes of usage of human resource information system used in pharmaceutical industries. This system adds value to the Human Resource functions but also changes the competencies that define the winning of human resource professionals. This paper also generates the importance of HRIS in Novartis International AG. It also explains its various challenges while implementing the system in the company. Introduction The main use of technology advancement in the corporate has driven the change of means, needs and styles of working. When advanced work effectiveness and output, falling in line with time management agendas and devotion to punctuality guidelines, there are more profits to employees effectively, and best utilization of available resources and a successful deal with corporate. The term, Human Resource Management System (HRMS) or Human Resource Information System (HRIS), matches to all the features in the business system. HRMS is the procedure engaged by the combination of better ways of technological development with conventional ways of the human resource mode of functioning. A Human Resource Management System or Human Resource Information System (HRIS) or HR system is the systems and processes between human resource management (HRM) and information technology (IT). HRM is a discipline which blends its basic HR functions and processes with the information technology. HRMS software was provided by the PeopleSoft.Inc. Earlier, most of the administrative jobs constituted tiresome practice of manual paperwork like determining payroll, tracing data, conserving the collection of database, maintaining and evaluating productivity records, keeping employee personal information, addressing issues and resolving conflicts and scrutinizing employee welfare schemes have now become a simple, time-saving and cost-saving process. There are other functions such as monitoring and retrieving periodic employee performance, planning, controlling and coordinating activities, organizing tables, figures and statistics and evaluating them. This technology is used as a device to make the work environment simple, standardized and user-friendly. Importance of Information System to HR Better safety Better service Competitive Advantage Fewer Errors Greater Accuracy Improved Communication Increased Efficiency Increased Productivity More efficient administration More opportunities Reduced labor requirements Reduced costs Superior managerial decision making Superior control The Human Resources Department needed more management-level information and support to encounter all the expectations. These practices have now begun to branch into the different trends that makeup many organizations today. The huge part of human resources is now E-business. Many companies have implemented a web-based system known as the Oracle Human Resources Management System which helps data access through centralized core HRMS system, enabling companies to control and measure their workforce potentials and allows them to manage risk by recording and monitoring compliance with statutory, regulatory, and industry requirements relating to their employees. The stronger use of technology has allowed HRM professionals to invest more time in counselling, selecting, and coaching managers and front-line supervisors. History of HRIS 1950s virtually non-existent 1960s only a select few 1970s greater need 1980s HRIS a reality in many organizations 1990s Numerous vendors, specialties Aspects helping in effective and optimum use of HRIS HRIS is useful for the employees according to their needs. It can be accessible by adding or modifying the modules and also by offering different facilities to them. Also, HRMS is The best means by which the employees of different departments within the company can communicate. It gives information to support and analyze the companys continuous development. It establishes the level of knowledge which is helpful for upgrading the process and research-based practices. It creates the companys planning agenda and defines its decision making process. It Verifies validates the companys mission statement. Effectiveness in integrating the HR activities with IT To prevent from moderating data and viewing information, a role based security is designed. To make the functionalities easy, various functional roles are available which provides ways of data recording, forwarding, reporting and authorizing. It helps to record and view information for different plant, locations, department and employee. HRIS have different segments categorized as modules like payroll module, HR management module, training module, employee self-service module, etc. The maintenance work consumes less effort due to its different way of designing. Uses of different modules There are different types of HR modules in Human Resource Information System, and they are as follows: Payroll module: This module mechanizes the pay process and calculates different deductions and taxes, by gathering information on employee presence and their work timings. It helps to generate periodic pay checks and employee tax reports. For calculating automatic deposit and manual checks, data is generally available from the human resource department. It contains all employee-related dealings as well as all the information is combined with financial management systems. Benefits administration module: Employee benefits programs such as encompass insurance, compensation, profit sharing and retirement of the employees are being tracked and managed by this system for the organizations. HR management module: This module covers different aspects from application to retirement. All the basic information of the employees such as their demographics, address data, selection, training and development, capabilities, skills, compensation records and other functions are recorded with the help of this module. This module helps the system to offer the facility to read applications and enter appropriate data to specific database fields, informs employers and helps to provide position management and control which are not in use. Human resource management systems work is mainly the job placement, recruitment, training, compensation, evaluation and developments of the people working in the company. Mainly, industries use computer based information systems to create pay checks and payroll results; to maintain personnel records and information of the employees; and training and developing the employees. ATS module: Nowadays, online recruiting has become very popular as the key method of employment by the human resource department. This helps in gathering potential and eligible candidates for the available positions in a company. ATS module generally helps in the following ways: It investigates personnel usage in a company ; recognizes potential applicants for the available positions; It helps in recruiting through company-facing entries; It provides help in hiring through online recruiting sites or publications which is marketed to both recruiters and applicants. Training module: It offers the system for the companies to help in managing and tracking employee training and growth efforts. This system is generally known as a Learning Management System and it is a stand-alone, that permits the HR to track all the information of the employees regarding their education, qualifications and skills, as well as recording their training courses ,books, CDs, etc. whichever are available to improve their skills in different areas. Thereafter the employees are registered for the appropriate courses which are offered at a particular dates with specific sessions, with delegates and training resources by which they are being recorded and managed within the same system. The learning management system helps the managers in approving training, budgeting and arranging together with performance management and appraisal metrics. Employee Self-Service module: This module is useful for the employees of the companies to ask question to the human resource about HR related information. They can also perform HR transactions through the system such as querying about their attendance records from the system without asking the HR personnel. This module also provides service to let the upper managers approve overtime requests from their subordinates without disturbing the functions of HR department. Benefits to the Employees The ways in which employees can be benefited by the HRMS are as follows: Identification of employees key skills for retention excellence. Automated and precise performance appraisals promote healthy relations. Expedite employees recruiting process. Multitude data pulling from single entry can cut in various reports. Helps building a successful environment where employees strive to perform well and exceeding their goals. A collegial flexible work place, Employee input in to how the work gets done, trust in senior management and lack of hierarchy flexible work arrangement. Web-based management system can streamline improvement plans by collaborating creation, implementation and monitoring phases. Help manage workforce and resources. Focuses and aligns staff development and resources. The margins of error The margin of error for the HRIS system is very minimal. The HRIS system maintains and updates its form of modifications or additions of HR modules on a regular basis. The performance level of this system is ideal. Unique areas where the pharmaceutical company uses HRMS effectively The HRMS system, implemented in various pharmaceutical companies, is highly sophisticated and provided with latest versions. Consultants who are expertise in making the software, seeks suggestions and advice on the implementation of the HRIS software in their own company. All the pharmaceutical companies customize its HRIS as per the needs and requirements of the personnel and staff. The unique areas where the pharmaceutical company uses the HRMS effectively are: It contains all the personal information of the employees such as their training, experience, education, leave, job description, pay description at a single point of access. All the information about the leave allocation and movement can be easily drawn with the help of it. It helps in searching appropriate applicants for the available vacancies and in the interviewing process. It is also helpful in managing the insurance of the employees easily. It is important for the growth of the employees which are under their respective training given for their skill development. It is helpful in development of the employees performance appraisal system. It is also helpful in managing all the policy documents at a single source depository. It is also used to do online survey about the companys environment by the employees. By the help of this software, an employee gets the benefit of suggesting any useful advice for the companys well-being. It facilitates with an extra benefit to the employee by notifying about the urgent and critical notices or important messages from a single point. It gives an access to collect opinions easily, fast and with security and confidentiality companywide. It can be used as a budget allocation and consumption tool. The long term benefits The HRMS software is a customized tool and due to this reason, it had very high level of flexibility and the company gets the advantage of adding more features and HR modules according to their specific needs of the management and employees. This provides the company to communicate the employees with their respective departments even better day-by-day. Recently online HRMS newsletter is introduced which enables the employees to share news and information. Through this, it is involving the employees to participate in sharing and gaining knowledge and capabilities with the other departments of the company. Reasons why HRIS fails sometimes Unclear goals/objectives System solves the wrong problem Improper vendor/product selection Low user involvement Planning overlooks impact on clerical procedures Lack of HR/functional expertise in designing Underestimate conversion effort Management- unrealistic expectations Lack of overall plan for record management Lack of flexibility and adaptability Misinterpret HR specifications Poor communication between HR/IS Inadequate testing The HRIS software is sold by different vendors. Some of the contacts of the vendors are PeopleSoft, Oracle HR Applications, Ascentis Software, Eric Systems Inc., Infinium, and Spectrum. Novartis international AG case Now, lets take the case analysis of Novartis International AG. It is a multinational pharmaceutical company based in Basel, Switzerland with 140 branches worldwide. Around 100,000 associates work in this company. This company manufactures drugs such as diclofenac, carbamazepine, letrozole, methylphenidate, etc. There were various issues that Novartis faced regarding its Human Resource System. Some of the issues are as follows: Significant priority of the company was to implement a firm wide HRIS that would convert many of transaction-based HR core processes to an internet-based system. HRIS project was an integral part of Novartis long term strategy for improving overall HR service delivery to the organization that would result in a full HR transformation. A gap in the infrastructure priority was the lack of a global HR information system. Managers in the company were unable to figure out quickly how many HR associates were working at Novartis. Lack of number of associates within the company to fill the leadership position. The existing IT systems within Novartis were not up to mark. Centralization or standardization of HR data. No consistent standards. No consolidated database. Difficult in supporting in the businesses in identifying, moving, and tracking talent. Multiple fragmented systems. Exposure for many small vendors with non-integrated niche application. Exposure to legal/regulatory non-compliance. Employees are feeling stretched because of initial post-merger integration. The top internal issue is little centralization or standardization of HR data. The company operated in 140 different countries. Due to lack of HRIS in the company, the company has many loop holes such as no consistent standards, no consolidated database, and no ability to provide data in form to reflect their matrix structure whereas has difficulty in supporting the business in identifying, moving and tracking talent etc. So, with the implementation of new HRIS, the company will be able to solve the problem easily and allow the managers and HR professionals to respond to the business challenges. The top external issue is the Shifting of HR role from functional expert and transaction processor to strategic partner and change agent. The implementation of HRIS system will enable the HR transformation. It will cut down most of the administrative activities of the HR managers leading to be an evolution of the basic role of HR in the company. There will be requirement of more skilled and professional HR associates who can act as a strategic business partner and change agent. Major challenges faced by Novartis in implementation of the HRIS: 1. The HRIS effort represented a major transformation in the fundamental role and responsibilities of the HR function within Novartis. 2. The new system changed the relationships of HR professionals with their business partners. 3. HR associates expected to play a more strategic, consultative role to the business. 4. Technical challenges for system implementation such as web enabling, SAP R/3 -a core transaction processing system, SAP business warehouse (BW), an enterprise HR portal solution etc. Competencies needed by the HR professionals at Novartis for using HRIS The HR professionals at Novartis should have more human resource knowledge; understand their business and its language. They must have expertise in staffing, development, compensation, etc. They must be able to deliver innovative HR practices that add value to the company. HR professionals need to be effective, able to detect trends and early signals and initiate flexibility in fast changing environment. With implementation of HRIS, the HR professionals have to be a technology expert to deliver services to employees and help them to understand the new system. They must be proficient in using technology to collect data and producing it more strategically valuable information. Hence, HRIS is very essential in the companies all over the world providing better safety, competitive advantage, fewer errors, greater accuracy, improved communication, increased efficiency and productivity and reduced labor requirements.

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

pride and prejudice :: essays research papers

A Fight For A dance† It’s the nineteen century, and I am a poor old colored man that doesn’t even have the mind to write this letter because I don’t know how to write well by the lack of my education, and I don’t even want to remember, let me explained this to you in this way so you get it quickly, 90 years ago I was reading this two poems named â€Å"Slavery, a poem† and â€Å"To the Ladies† that I found on one of the books of Ms. Lady Spears (R.I.P), the ex-Madam of the house in which I worked, before her abruptly death caused by her husband. Here they explained that colored people and women in this two poems are compared equally too each other and placed as a race in which men have to control over them and treat them how he wants too. Women during the eighteenth century no matter if she was independent and wealthy, if she wanted to divorce from her husband it was not permitted. Meanwhile slaves no matter how intelligent or respectful and friendly they were, ne ver would be able to be free from their owners. Telling this too you hearts me so much because I am realizing that I was a total coward in permitting Mr. Timberlake treat Ms. Spears how he did it. Ms. Spears was a lovely young talented girl, who always had the desire to dance because it was her inner passion that kept her alive, she always invited me, meanwhile her husband was not in the house, to go and watch her move. We kept doing it during 3 entirely months until one dreadful night Mr. Timberlake catch us. He hitted her so hardly that she was claiming for mercy. I was so shocked by the terrible scene that I didn’t knew what to do. Then with all my strength I stood and Hit him so hard until he became unconscious. Ms. Spears began to say this lines from the poem that filled her with pride and glory to fight for her right and that it was going to be the phrase that was going to inspire many other young girls and slaves too: â€Å"Value yourself, and man despise: You must be proud, if you’ll be wise.† And began to hit him so hard that I thought she was going to kill him. Suddenly the policeman entered the room and stopped her.

Monday, November 11, 2019

The Arctic Monkeys album Whatever People Say I Am Thats What Im Not and the reality TV Show Popstars

The Arctic Monkeys album â€Å"Whatever People Say I Am That's What I'm Not† and the reality TV Show Popstars: The Rivals which produced the band Girls Aloud used innovative but very different marketing techniques to sell themselves to their target audiences. How have those strategies changed from previous techniques to make music more accessible to audiences? The music industry is a worldwide business covering many genres and it is hard to define it as one single thing. Within the music industry are a large range of different markets, all targeting their products and musicians to very different audiences. There are many aspects to the music industry that need to be considered in terms of image, audience, audience size and genre. These will all affect the way a band is marketed to its audience. It is well known that â€Å"making it† in the music industry as an artist is no easy task. Over the past 40-50 years, many bands have tried and failed spectacularly. However, some have flourished and made their mark in music history, such examples include â€Å"The Beatles†, â€Å"Queen† and â€Å"The Rolling Stones†. Audiences that need to be considered by music marketers are divided into a wide range of categories such as age, gender, occupation, social grouping, region etc. In order to target specific audiences effectively, bands may need to be branded in a certain way. Branding is usually described in terms of products and is where the product is given a certain image and personality traits in order to appeal to its audience. For example, the brand Levis describes itself as â€Å"Sexy, Original and American† therefore personifying its products. In terms of bands, branding should incorporate image and music style, especially when targeting niche groups of people. Over the years, there have been clear differences in audience, shown by their different personal images e. g. Punks, Mods, Grungers, Goths etc. Marketing of bands has to adapt and be completely specific to the typical audience of that music genre and so must be presented in an appropriate style that will sell their music. People are eager to buy into the brand of a band by incorporating that certain image into their personal appearance and lifestyle. For some bands, promotional tactics must fiercely focus on image to sell the product to that particular audience who are themselves branded a certain way. This effort by record labels to promote bands by appealing and emphasizing a certain image is becoming increasingly popular. Scissor Sisters are one example of a band who's image is a central focus of who they are and what they do. Their image is evident of records companies efforts to appeal to particular audience niches. Although in the USA Scissor Sisters have had much less success than they have had in Britain (many main stores such as Wal*Mart did in fact refuse to stock the first album due to their image and portrayal) they still vigorously emphasize their happy, camp image. In their videos they have used varying techniques to play on the ideas of sexuality in our modern society, thus creating a new and varied piece which is not comparable with anything from the past. They frequently use a colourful range of backdrops which are sometimes quite cosmic or fantastical (e. g. in the videos for â€Å"I Don't Feel Like Dancin'† and â€Å"Take Your Mama†. in one of their earlier videos for the single â€Å"Filthy Gorgeous† MTV were forced to eventually stop showing much of the content of the video as it contained sexually semi-explicit scenes. This did cause some controversy as complaints were made about the content of the video, this only sought to increase popularity and radio air play of the single which eventually achieved a chart position of number 5 in January 2005 and number one in the dance chart. Scissor Sisters although new in terms of its topical coverage of sexuality also dates back to the era of glam rock, their influences are also seen to be varying e. the Bee Gees, Duran Duran, Queen, David Bowie etc. Therefore they may appeal to some of the older generations as well as to members of the gay scene, for whom they have become a major symbol in British society. They have also broadened to reach a younger audience through their success in the UK Charts and frequent air play on radio stations aimed at the 11-25/30 age group such as Radio 1. This in itself shows how the branding and image of a band is adamantly important if people are going to want to relate and buy into the music and values of that band and why i t is such a major focus for record companies. A major tool for music marketers in recent years has been the Internet. From vinyl to cassettes to CD's to downloading files, music has developed with technology over the past 40 years. The increasing accessibility for people to music was brought about originally by the increasing numbers of record stores and increasing interest in different music. In the early 1970's, for example, Richard Branson originally ran a mail order service for buying records, this then developed into â€Å"Virgin Megastore†, a high street chain that made music readily available to a larger audience. The development of access to music continued steadily throughout this period with the introduction of more music extravaganzas such as festivals and in the 1980's, the launch of MTV, the first television channel to be entirely music orientated. The development in technology allowed widespread access to different audiences, as nearly every media division began to cover aspects of music e. g. TV, Radio, genre specific magazines etc. It fast became difficult to avoid exposure to music and its marketing. The rise in popularity of the internet as a promotional medium today demonstrates this idea. In recent years, the Internet has become far more accessible to more people. This has led to increases in Internet marketing as a new way of letting everyone know about an artist. It is reasonably cost effective and the audience is a mass one, spanning the entire world (the number of people using the internet worldwide (as of November 27th 2006) was estimated at 1,076,203,987) A recent positive example of Internet marketing can be seen in the rise of the band â€Å"The Arctic Monkeys† to fame. The bands marketing strategy has been clear-cut in showing the importance of fans to a bands success. This began in 2003, after several gigs, the Arctic Monkeys decided to burn their tracks onto CD's to give away for free to fans. Due to limited copies, many of the fans ripped the music onto their computers in order to share the files with others through mediums such as instant messaging, e-mails and forums. The band did not object to the increased sharing of files, although this was technically illegal, as it led to increased popularity of the band, as they became better known. This can be identified through an article and chart written by Heather Hopkins (Director Of Research for Hitwise UK website), November 11th 2005, shown in Figure 1 in the appendix and supported by the following quotation: â€Å"The first chart below shows that in April, when the band was virtually unknown, visits to www. arcticmonkeys. com came from chat rooms and blogs. Search engines became a more important source of visits in June as the band's name recognition grew. † This clearly demonstrates the importance of viral marketing to the success of the band. Many mainstream music brands are slightly wary of viral marketing, despite its benefits it can prove quite negative and can also lead to illegal sharing and music being leaked onto the Internet prior to its official release, for example in 2002, Eminem's album Encore was leaked on to the internet and the promoters were forced to bring the date of official release forward. As much as bands can gain high acclaim and popularity through forum and chat room discussion, there is also the risk they could gain a lot of negative criticism, which would discourage people from buying their music and merchandise. Another example of effective Internet marketing, also used by The Arctic Monkeys and many other bands, are sites such as My Space and Yahoo music. My Space offers bands own personal pages where people can easily leave their own comments on the songs and the bands performance at recent gigs as well as listening to the songs free of charge or accessing previews of up and coming releases. Many bands also publish their tour dates on My Space. My Space has generally appealed to a mass, younger audience from around 13-30 of both sexes, this is typically as a lot of the music promoted by My Space is new and there are fewer My Spaces for some of the older bands and therefore there is little to interest older audiences. It is also widely believed that todays young people are of the â€Å"technological revoloution† and the general acceptance is that computers are of more interest to them than some other older audience members. The popularity of My Space is now leading to other websites such as Bebo and Xanga being formed which offer similar services. This again broadens the scope by which music promoters can publicise their musicians to different audiences. Rupert Murdoch, the owner of BskyB, The Times, News Of The World and The Sun recently purchased (through his international company News Corp. ) the company Intermix Media Inc which own My Space among other themed social networking websites for $580 million. Murdoch is often seen as a dominant figure in British Media, and rightly so as he owns two of the leading newspapers. He is thought to be partially responsible for swinging to the side of the Labour party in 1997 and there by causing the election of PM Tony Blair, who soon became a close ally of Murdoch's, much like Thatcher before him. Many British citizens feel threatened by Murdoch's media power, yet still many of them buy into the My Space idea and the revenue continues building as more and more diverse and newly established bands start using My Space as the beginning of their steps to promote music. Increased hits on the site means more powerful companies advertising in association with My Space, therefore leading to higher annual revenue for Murdoch. This shows evidence of the importance of internet advertising to modern business. Yahoo Music is another excellent promotional tool, which has a wide variety of music videos available free for public viewing. It also runs special features on certain bands as well as exclusive interviews and performances. This has proved extremely popular with bands and promoters alike, as it is a cheap form of marketing which is also highly effective. It requires little advertising as most fans of the bands are already aware of the bands website and they are usually linked to their My Space etc. Viral marketing acts as the main promotional form behind the internet promotion phenomenon. Viral marketing refers to marketing techniques that use existing social networks to increase brand awareness, they may include many internet based mediums such as blogs (many bands use blogs to create on tour diaries e. g. Watford based band Mohair. ) chat rooms and instant messaging are also forms of Viral marketing. Throughout the 20th century, technology has experienced many developments and decades of technological advance, in particular in more media orientated areas. For example, the 50's became the era of the television. More and more families owned television sets in the UK and this was clear when 20 million tuned in on the 2nd of June 1953 to watch the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. This showed just how popular television was becoming as a medium for broadcasting what was going on in the world. This technological revolution continues today as we go through what has become widely known as â€Å"The digital revolution†. Television has expanded further to include more and more channels, which can appeal to smaller, niche audiences. This has been of great value to musicians and their promoters; they can now target their audience more specifically. For example, a band like the Arctic Monkeys who have become more of a â€Å"mainstream† rock act may be promoted through general chart music channels such as TMF and The Hits who appeal to those interested in that area of music. On the other hand, acts like Marilyn Manson and Iron Maiden may be promoted on Kerrang! As they are aimed at a more niche audience and are not so much part of the chart music industry. Kerrang! Is already an established brand in itself, the magazine from which it originates was first published in 1981 and originally covered a lot of new wave British metal. If people have certain expectations of a television channel, they can make the decision as to whether it interests them or not and if it does the niche audience for that genre can be targeted effectively by the music promoters. The increase in channels has led to a wider variety in television broadcasting. As a result, to keep the publics interest, terrestrial channel corporations such as the BBC and ITV have realised they need to develop newer more innovative programmes to keep up their audience figures. This is particularly important for Channels 4, 5 and ITV, Who unlike the BBC receive no public funding and gain all their income from advertisers. In order to increase viewing figures and boost profits, the channels have tried many different tactics and one of these has been the increasing development of Reality TV. Reality television is a genre of programming in itself, which usually presents unscripted pieces and may document actual events or people. The use of real people instead of actors has led to a real explosion in the use of reality TV since around 2000 when Big Brother began in the UK. Comparatively to 10 years ago it is now much easier to become a celebrity, and in a society that is becoming more and more celebrity obsessed, this has increased the popularity of reality shows where normal every day people are documented. The audience almost craves the â€Å"fly on the wall† type documentary where they are able to perceive and form their own judgements of others through surveillance. Simon Fullers â€Å"Pop Idol† originally kicked off the music and talent based reality television we know today. Simon Fuller was well know already in the music industry for being the manager of the Spice Girls during their highly successful mid-1990's period. He was also responsible for the band S Club 7 who were formed to appear in the children's television series LA 7 and Miami 7. The idea for â€Å"Pop Idol† proved exceedingly popular in the UK as hopeful singers entertained the nation with notorious displays of â€Å"talent† on our television screens. Fuller went on to develop this idea in other countries such as America. The first series of American Idol was highly successful and was responsible for the discovery of Kelly Clarkson, now a hugely popular international pop star. The basic format of the programme has led to various spin offs including more recently X Factor and in September 2002 â€Å"Popstars: The Rivals†, which resulted in the band Girls Aloud. The show aimed to whittle down the thousands of contenders that auditioned to just two 5 piece groups of boys and girls, One True Voice and Girls Aloud. The current success of Girls Aloud has proved that even manufactured bands can succeed in the record industry if they are promoted and marketed in the right way. A manufactured band is a group of people put together by a record company, or in this case a television show in order to make a profit and give publicity to the medium through which they are published. Manufactured bands are often selected because of looks rather than actual talent in an attempt to appeal to a modern society where beauty and appearance is clearly adamantly important. In relation to Reception Analysis however, not everyone reacts in the same way to the presentation of these manufactured bands, although younger audiences may seem them as figures they can aspire to be, critics often think of manufactured bands as being damaging to the music industry and synthetically artificial. In the 1960's, the first manufactured band â€Å"The Monkees† were brought together as the central focus for a television show of the same name in LA, California. However, the real era of the generic manufactured â€Å"girl/boy bands† began in the nineties. In an attempt to focus on a younger audience, record companies compiled different individuals with certain images in order to appeal to different segments of that audience. Bands such as The Spice Girls, Atomic Kitten, Take That, N*Sync and Backstreet Boys all enjoyed chart success in the nineties and many critics have now built a formula of these bands that is easily recognisable. The media critics and the public have developed a definite dislike for these manufactured artists. Therefore it is questionable as to why Girls Aloud have been so successful. Girls Aloud have been innovatively marketed right from the start of their careers in 2002. They began as contestants on a television show and viewers watched their progress all the way to the final. The Uses and Gratifications theory suggests that for a television show to captivate its audience, it should incorporate certain methods that allow the viewers to interact, relate and enjoy watching the characters in the programme. In the case of Girls Aloud, following their progress allowed viewers to develop personal relationships with the girls as they were regularly featured on an almost daily basis between September and December of 2002. An added benefit to the band was that their first single â€Å"Sound Of The Underground† was put up against their rivals One True Voice for Christmas Number one that year, this in itself generated considerable publicity for the band. In Chart history, the Christmas number one shows a true landmark for an artist and to reach is considered a yearly achievement. Girls Aloud succeeded in gaining the Christmas number one position for that year pushing their opponents to one side. Again, the idea of â€Å"Girl Power†, originally an element of the Spice Girls in the nineties was some what revived which may have given the band further appeal, especially to a younger audience. The beginnings of Girls Aloud and the Popstars: The Rivals show generated a lot of media interest especially from the tabloid newspapers. Particularly, the scandal involving potential band mates being disqualified from the show, or in the case of Nicola Ward, refusing to sign the contract. This proved to be good for the group and initiated promotion of the bands image, even before the television series ended. When Girls Aloud then officially began their career as a band they had effectively been given a boost already by the television shows and so they already had an established fan base, giving them much advantage over bands starting from scratch. This was a similar tactic to that used by â€Å"The Monkees† 40 years previously, however developments in technology and increased television ownership and availability of channels made this all the more effective for Girls Aloud. From these origins, Girls Aloud have been marketed using many different media forms. The girls themselves are seen as the typical models of female perfection that are such role models to young girls. They are regularly featured in such gossip magazines as Heat, Closer and OK! And so they are a central focus in today's modern celebrity obsessed society. Girls Aloud have been described as remaining â€Å"constant tabloid fodder†. Suggesting their marketing strategy is to gain as much press attention as possible in order to increase their music and merchandise sales. In June 2006, the band successfully generated a large amount of press coverage through a variety of stories and scandals in the tabloids and celebrity magazines. One such example was the press coverage of Cheryl Tweedy's relationship with Ashley Cole and her holidaying with the â€Å"WAGS† at the World Cup. This was a frequent feature throughout the summer months in all the gossip magazines and red top tabloids. Although not planned as such, this also acted as a promotional tool for the band as Cheryl, as their representative, was showing a more glamorous, rich image. Her association with well known celebrities e. g. Victoria Beckham also meant that she was receiving more media attention for the band from a larger audience which could potentially increase their international scope of fans and record sales. This increase of public interest may have also been part of the plan to further promote the bands other promotional tactics, for example their â€Å"Fly-On-The-Wall† Documentary â€Å"Girls Aloud: Off the Record†. Image is of course a central focus of the Girls Aloud current marketing strategy, they have a large male fan base and so their portrayal must be one that emanates both beauty and sex appeal as it is common media knowledge that â€Å"Sex Sells†. A recent criticism of bands like Girls Aloud and other popular female media figures is that they are projecting a bad image as role models to younger females. Society has quickly become celebrity obsessed, especially as it is now more easy to become a celebrity than ever and the â€Å"perfect body image† has never been more important in the media than it is now. Eating disorders in young females are increasingly being blamed on the media as people strive for â€Å"perfection†. This problem has been largely illustrated recently by the decision by Milan Fashion Week to not include the so called â€Å"Stick thin women† and also Spanish fashion Week â€Å"Ban on skinny models†. However, anorexia is still proving a continuing problem in this country. Another flaw in the bands representation was in January 2003 when Cheryl Cole became involved in an altercation in a nightclub with a toilet attendant, Cole was subsequently charged with racially aggravated assault (She apparently called the toilet attendant a â€Å"black bitch† among other racial insults) and later convicted to a i500 fine and 120 hours community service. This story was a major one in 2003 for all the tabloids and gossip magazines and did little to enhance the girls image as a whole. Four years on from this incident, the girls have been constantly striving to move away from this negative press to gain a more positive image, but one that still exudes beauty and sex appeal. Through promotion of the band Girls Aloud, the image focus means that they are always expected to have a certain glamorous look, if this is not achieved they are likely to receive criticism. However, music promoters must be careful in how they deal with the sensitive issue of eating disorders in relation to their band members in order to keep the press happy and in order to keep fans satisfied. Certain expectations are put on major female media icons appearances, and as suggested by the hypodermic needle theory, if the audience see these icons, they may connote certain beliefs about their image. The hypodermic needle theory suggests that the audience are passively fed these values and ideas and as today's society's obsession with personal image becomes stronger, it is clear the issue needs to be tackled delicately by celebrities and bands such as Girls Aloud. Berger suggested that â€Å"Men act women appear† and this is true to some extent in the case of Girls Aloud, despite their appeal to a younger audience, they often flaunt their sexuality to gain media attention and attention from fans. However they are in some control as they conduct the publicity and their ultimate aim is to entertain fans and make a profit. Figure 3 (See Appendix) is from the magazine â€Å"Arena† published by company EMAP. The magazine is promoted as a more male adult read than â€Å"Lad Mags† such as FHM and Maxim and may focus on more of a B, C1, C2 audience category. It runs a variety of articles on food, films, technology, sex, fitness, music etc and this cover is taken from the March 2005 issue. This front cover features two members of Girls Aloud; Sarah Harding and Cheryl Tweedy. Many connotations are immediately apparent from this cover, connotations which demonstrate the ideas behind their image focussed promotional strategy. The stance of the two girls and their clothing immediately gives suggestion of sexual innuendo, the girls are selling the magazine on this image as it is likely to be the first thing someone will see when they pick it up. The colour of their outfits, black again fits in with the idea of sexual connotations and the fact that Sarah seems to be holding on and in control of Cheryl acts as another sexual suggestion. The image has been taken at a low angle and is lit quite dimly, the lower angle may seek to show their features as well as portraying them as quite domineering and women of sexual prowess, the dim lighting adds enigma to the scene which fits with the subheading â€Å"Warning: contains scenes of an adult nature! and encourages the reader to buy the magazine to see what's inside. Although not typical of all Girls Aloud promotional tactics in written media, this front cover focuses on one segment of their target audience effectively. A more recently developed promotional technique for many celebrities are so called â€Å"Fly on the Wall† documentaries, popularised by programmes like â€Å"The Osbournes† and â€Å"Newly Weds†. Girls Aloud were quick to follow in the footsteps of these programmes when in April 2006 they launched the six-part series â€Å"Girls Aloud: Off the Record† on E4. This promotional tactic was a little different to conventional tactics used by bands for many years, such as posing for magazine covers. It aimed to show the realities of life within the band and in contrast to their image based promotion, it showed the regular ups and downs of the band. This insight into the band could have varying affects on audience members, the idea that they are â€Å"plucked from obscurity to become Britain's most successful girl group ever† could induce personal identity with the band members. There is a realisation here that they were just ordinary people before they formed the group, therefore the audience may better understand their hectic lives and can relate to that as members themselves of our fast paced modern society. The idea behind this promotional tactic would have been to increase awareness of the band and to also encourage people to re-form personal relationships with the band members as they may have done during Popstars: The Rivals. Again, showing the realities of life in the band, like Viral marketing, may have a negative impact on the audience, but it still generates publicity. The opening sequence of Episode One â€Å"Girls Aloud: Off The Record† demonstrates and connotes some of the ideas and values at the base of the bands formation. The opening shot shows the girls being introduced on a stage type setting, with curtains slowly drawing back to reveal them all dancing, this is then quickly followed by some fast edited shots of some of their promotion e. g. press taking pictures, performing, photo shoots etc. The colour and clothing codes used here are very glamorous and colourful and are likely to appeal to the younger trendy female audience that are often seen as one of the bands targeted fan bases. The image of glamour and of the girls having a good time is then balanced out by some more negative portrayals which show Girls Aloud in a contrasting light e. g. showing them swearing, some of the tabloid headlines are shown about them, arguments etc. This juxta-pose of two images acts as a teaser as to what is to come in the programme and even for those unfamiliar with the band, they may still be drawn in to watching the show. Syd Fields theory, although more generally applied to film, can still be applied here and demonstrates the importance of the first 5 minutes of a programme being essential for captivating an audience. In order for marketers to successfully gain fans of the band, the captive audience must be able to gain both surveillance and personal relationships to keep them interested. In this case, the use of voiceovers, talking head shots and the non diagetic sound of one of there popular singles in the background seeks to intensify the audiences curiosity. The interviews and shots seem a very random selection of clips and are enigmatic enough to encourage viewers to keep watching. Although the band is shown in two different lights here, it is clear the glamour could still potentially appeal to audience members and encourage them to relate and therefore like the band. In the past, other bands have also generated publicity through television appearances, on shows such as Top of the Pops, Later With Jools Holland and Friday Night With Jonathan Ross. These are seen as more covert promotional tactics used by PR not to necessarily directly advertise the band to the audience, but to target those who do not necessarily normally take an interest in celebrities and the music industry and who can be reintroduced into that idea through general television viewing. Some of the less conventional techniques used by bands have succeeded in generating the most publicity. One such example is the well renowned incident of punk rock band The Sex Pistols appearing on the early evening broadcast of the â€Å"Today† programme on the 1st of December 1976. Having taken full advantage of facilities backstage and following copious amounts of alcohol, the band caused outrage amongst viewers by openly swearing and being offensive to the equally drunk host Bill Grundy, whose career ended abruptly as a consequence. This â€Å"Filth and Fury† prompted increased public interest in the UK punk scene that was developing at the time and although it led to hostile press and local authorities cancelling gigs, it generated much publicity and for the band and reinforced the rebellious punk image. The bands continued antics built them a reputation which increased their popularity amongst teenage audiences, who were eager to rebel against societies codes and conventions of that time. This proves that even risqui promotional tactics such as that of the Sex Pistols can prove hugely successful and they are still a world renowned band to this day. Music promotional techniques have expanded in recent years with the development of new technology and trends and continue to be highly innovative. The â€Å"Digital revolution† has played a major part in this with new areas for advertising such as the Internet and more Television channels aimed at different market segments. The strategies have developed from some earlier successful music promotion tactics to effectively portray musician image and to also target more specific, niche audiences. The internet is likely to remain core to this developing range of promotion and with increasing numbers of people downloading songs online, and it may well dominate all future marketing techniques.

Friday, November 8, 2019

Medias role in society essays

Media's role in society essays Media plays a significant role in our society today. It is all around us, from the shows we watch on television, the music we listen to on the radio, to the books and magazines we read each day. Television more so that any of the other medias achieves a myriad of different goals. These goals range from entertaining to educating. Various confines of education and entertainment are depicted in television. For the most part the television is found to be very entertaining. People watch television shows they enjoy and find entertaining. Television is often looked at as a babysitter for children. The viewing of television can entertain the young and old alike for great amounts of time. Along with entertaining, the media is used to inform society. Days are often started by the listening of the news on the morning television, judging the latest updates on the local traffic jams. Days are often concluded with the watching of the late night news on television, keeping us informed of the world and the events occurring around us. Steven Stark, author of Glued to the Set has been quoted as saying, the local newscast has replaced the network news and the newspaper alike as the average Americans main source of news. (390) In addition to informing the television is used to spread a message or to campaign. Political candidates on all levels use this medium to inform the public of their views and hopefully to convince the public to elect them. James B. Twitchwill author of Adcult USA: The Triumph of Advertising in American Culture states,The culture we live in is carried on the back of advertising.(405) Television is used to inform, entertain and campaign and most significantly, it is used for advertising. In fact, television is so centered on advertising and these advertisers play such large sums money to advertise that advertising has taken over. Every five to fifteen minutes a commercial is played on...

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

What to Do When You Miss Class

What to Do When You Miss Class Regardless of how good a student you are, how detail-oriented, hard working, or diligent, you can be certain that you will miss a class at some point in your academic career. And likely many more than one. There are many reasons for missing classes, ranging from illness, emergencies, and bereavement, to hangovers and a desire to sleep in. Why you missed class matters. If it was for irresponsible reasons, your absence signals that you need to take a closer look at your obligations and priorities. What do you do after missing class? Do you just show up at the next class and start fresh? What about material that youve missed? Do you talk to professors? 7 Things To Do When You Miss Class (Before and After Your Absence) 1 . Understand that some faculty, especially graduate faculty, take offense at absences for any reason. Period. They might be a bit more warm to students who were gravely ill, but dont count on it. And dont take it personally. At the same time, some faculty​ members  dont want a reason for your absence. Try to determine where your prof stands and let that guide your behavior. 2. Be aware of attendance, late work, and make-up policies. This information should be listed in your course syllabus. Some faculty​ members  dont accept late work or offer make-up exams, regardless of the reason. Others offer opportunities to make up for lost work  but have very strict policies about when they will accept make-up work. Read the syllabus to ensure that you dont miss any opportunities. 3. Ideally, email your professor before class. If youre ill or have an emergency, try to send an email to inform the professor that you cannot attend class and, if you wish, provide an excuse. Be professional - offer a concise explanation without going into personal details. Ask whether you may stop by his or her office during office hours to pick up any handouts. If possible, hand in assignments beforehand, by email (and offer to hand in a hard copy when youre back on campus, but an emailed assignment shows that its completed on time). 4. If you cannot email before class, do so afterward. 5. Never ask if you missed anything important. Most faculty  members feel that class time itself is important. This is a surefire way to make a professors eyes roll (maybe inwardly, at least!) 6. Do not ask the professor to go over what you missed. The professor lectured and discussed the material in class and likely will not do it for you now. Instead, demonstrate that you care and are willing to try by reading the course material and handouts, and then ask questions and seek help for the material that you dont understand. This is a more productive use of your (and the professors) time. It also demonstrates initiative. 7. Turn to your classmates for information about what happened in class and ask that they share their notes. Be sure to read more than one students notes because students have different perspectives and might miss some points. Read notes from several students and youre more likely to get a complete picture of what happened in class. Dont let a missed class damage your relationship with your professor or your standing.

Monday, November 4, 2019

Clinical significance Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Clinical significance - Assignment Example While medical studies are conducted on selected samples of people, the goal is to implement the findings on a totally different population. The arising concern, in this case, is that the sample of the study could give misleading results. It could be a very small sample or a biased sample not equivalent to the actual population that is being treated. Mathematical deductive logic cannot detect sample bias. The way in which the sample was chose is required in order to detect the bias, which raises an issue on clinical significance. Statistical significance is generally about the possibility of a chance finding that will not stay in the replications of the future. However, it does not say how big the difference was. On the other hand, clinical significance, the magnitude of treatment benefits is considered. Determining clinical significance demands a clear operational definition of terms in the definition (McGlinchey, David and Neil 531-532). Therefore, the application of test statistic results in a general population results into issues of biases and ineffective treatments, therapy. Summarily, the importance of understanding the differences between clinical significance and statistical significance should be emphasized. The understanding will ensure that the improvements in outcomes including behavior and cognitive when compared to placebo are translated into a clinical

Saturday, November 2, 2019

Marxist Econ Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Marxist Econ Analysis - Essay Example Money and commodity are considered as value forms or means by which a value may exist and this is quite analogous to pointing out that the value placed on money is equal to the value placed on commodity once the money is utilized to purchase the commodity. In the process, money translates itself to commodity in value so despite the absence of literal transformation, the metaphor with value works to convert money as one form of value to commodity as another. This is basically why Marx finds it conducive to begin with commodities as groundwork for discourse on capital. If commodity runs out of value, the making of capital, which also depends on the projected output, would be insignificant. To Marx, in the building of an identity as a capitalist, one works under circumstances of trade in which a capital initially bears no potential but is gradually generated as long as negotiating equivalents involving commodities takes place. (2) What is the distinction that Marx makes between use-valu e, exchange-value, and value? On exchange-value, Marx claims that â€Å"exchange-value appears to be something accidental and purely relative, and consequently an intrinsic value.† Marx additionally points out that there emerges â€Å"contradiction in terms† attached to the exchange-value where exchange-value is expected to be similar with commodities of interest though it functions in another domain. In other words, while exchange-value may be expressed through a specific commodity, its evaluation cannot be based solely on objects of trade common to it. As such, during exchange, a value of a set of goods or service may reflect the value of a different set of goods or service and the commonality in the reflection of their worth only works in processes bounded by the exchange or trade in occurrence. On the other hand, use-value is basically perceived as the value of something that is found in its use. Eventually, Marx provides the corresponding definition stating that à ¢â‚¬Å"The utility of a thing makes it a use-value† where he adds â€Å"Being limited by the physical properties of the commodity, it has no existence apart from that commodity.† So, use-values would only materialize when the product undergoes consumption or utilization so that its value is identified via utility or certain characteristics for which it is taken advantage of. Through Marx’s labour theory of value, an economic value is â€Å"inherent in objects; remains constant despite changing demand, the passage of time, and other factors; and can be ‘objectively determined’ by calculations based upon some fundamental scientific principle.† However it takes effect, as long as it is intrinsically built on commodity, value would keep its essence whether it shrinks or expands in magnitude. It turns out that value is ‘what something means to someone’ in simple terms and the meaning of a commodity on the basis of its known economic sig nificance or social relevance serves as its value. (3) Is value an inherent property of all things produced in every mode of production? In other words, does value exist in non-commodity producing economies? For Marx, the ‘