Middle east and international relation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Middle east and international relation - Essay Example that substantially ‘oils’ the world since large volumes of crude oil, a key source of energy for human global use, are mined in this region (Ismael p.183). As a result of its strategic position and numerous reserves for petroleum resources, Middle East has evolved as one of the most critical regions of contemporary world. In terms of political stability, Middle East has not been lucky as most nations of the region experience unstable political environment, an opportunity that has been exploited by superpower nations as they fight it out to gain advantage in the region (Ismael p.183). Economically, this is a region characterized by poor economic record for almost the previous two centuries. Compared to other western countries, the region’s per capita income is seen to be less than a third of per capita income in most of the advanced nations and life expectancy is almost eight years lesser (Kuran p.1). On overall, major nations of the region are characterized as poor performers economically (Kuran p.1). One theory that still remains disputed for providing reasons for underdevelopment of the region postulate that Islam ‘inhibits’ economic development of the region through its ‘culturally insensitive’ aspects such as â€Å"fatalism, personalism, laziness, lack of curiosity, mistrust of science, superstition, conservatism and traditionalism† (Timur p.2). Therefore, the essence of this paper is to look at issues of Middle East as it influences international relations. Israel-Palestine conflict is an issue that cannot be resolved today, tomorrow or the day after. It is a hot issue that both sides backed by their various international allies have approached with particular definite positions hardening every day. The problem originates from events of 29th November 1947 when the United Nations’ General Assembly passed a resolution to partition Palestine into two countries one occupied by Jewish and another occupied by Arab (Karsh p.8). Jerusalem was to

Banning Pit Bulls Essay Example for Free

Banning Pit Bulls Essay All dogs bite. Every single one of them has the potential to turn on their very owner and as studies and news tell it they turn on children, strangers and other pets more often than we care to know about. What make makes a dog aggressive to the point they attack innocent victims? Is it their genes and nature, their training or perhaps their owners? Some individuals have proposed banning certain breeds that display a propensity for aggressive behavior as a solution. Banning might get results faster but it’s not the only or best solution. Without a doubt certain breeds seem to be naturally more aggressive and protective than others. The breed that comes to mind first is the Pit Bull Terrier known as pits or pit bulls. While these dogs have a reputation for being tough, strong and aggressive, they are not the only ones that should be shouldering the entire blame for their behavior. I’m not saying that the victims are to blame; the blame should fall on irresponsible dog owner whose mistreatment of dogs is the deciding factor on whether any certain dog will bite or attack. When choosing a dog, families should consider the temperament, physical size, and exercise needs of the breeds they are considering. Researching the characteristics of the dogs the families are considering is a great way to ensure the families ends up with a dog that will complement their family environment and lifestyle. Sadly, taking the time to truly research a dog before it is bought is something that very few owners practice. The deciding factor on which dog to buy comes down to the appearance of the dog without any thought given to the resources and time requirement for the specific dog. Buying a dog because it looks cute when it is a puppy could result in a headache later. The cute little puppy can turn into a large dog that needs to be walked a couple of hours a week or a dog that has a compulsive need to chew on every piece of furniture inside the house. Individuals and families need to be realistic about how much time and money they can dedicate to a pet and the pets need. Similarly, buying a dog because it looks tough is a mistake that the dog ends up paying for in the future. Often times Pit bulls are only purchased because they look cool and somehow that coolness and toughness factor supposedly translates onto the owner. It’s these owners that have no regard for the dog or its need s. They only think of dogs as an accessory that elevates their status among their friends and social groups. Its owners like these that do more harm than good for Pit bulls. Pit bulls can and are good family dogs. Theyre awesome dogs as pets as long as the owner is responsible states Ashley Clark, a member of Saving Paws Animal Rescue of Kentucky (qtd. in Mayse). A key mistake committed by many owners is they don’t take the time to socialize their dogs, which is paramount for a healthy pet, both mentally and physically. As dog trainer Victoria Stillwell asserts in USA Today â€Å"A dog is a social animal, so lack of social interaction can seriously damage its psychological well being†. Dogs need to be taught how to interact with members of the family as well as with other pets and strangers. Yes, socializing a pet is a time consuming task but one that should not be avoided. To leave a dog to its own devices is doing a great disservice to them and to any potential victim of a poor socialized animal. Another huge error by the owner is not exercising their dog. We all have basic needs like food, water, and sleep. Exercise is a basic need for d ogs. Dogs will misbehave from lack of exercising. The misbehavior can come in the form of chewing, excessive barking, and acting aggressively. Leaving a dog in the house or in the backyard is not the equivalent of going for a walk or a run. When owners do this day in and day out, they are left with a dog that’s about to burst at the seams with energy. This is why potential owners have to be honest about how much time they can dedicate to their pets before they adopt or buy one. Victoria Stillwell states â€Å"Dont make the mistake of thinking that keeping your dog in your backyard most of the day will replace his natural need for stimulation and get you off the hook for not walking him. In fact, it almost always does more harm than good.† Owners that relegate their dogs to their backyards or tie them up while they are away at work are causing the problems. As owners we can’t leave our dogs unattended, without interaction for long periods of time. Regardless of breed, any dog that is subjected to these conditions will probably snap. When you have the combination of frustration buildup from being chained up, lack of social skills and pent up energy then that is a recipe for a dog bite or attack. Unfortunately the victims of this awful consequence are children most of the time as stated by Lisa M. Bernardo in the Journal of the Society of Pediatric Nurses â€Å"unintentional dog bite injury is the leading cause of death and disability among children†. Because of children’s small size they are not able to defend themselves when being attacked by dogs and when they are attacked they tend to be more severely injured than adults. With â€Å"49% of the injuries occurring in children less than 5 years old†(Bernardo), it seems that we as parents and adults should be moving towards a solution with more urgency and passion then is being shown. Unfortunately, we don’t pay attention until it’s too late, w hen a child has died because of their injuries or at the scene of the attack. When you have a strong powerful breed in the hands of a negligent, careless owner there is nothing but trouble. The mistreatment by owners of dogs is what causes not only pit bulls but also other breeds to bite. Leading expert in dog-bite law, attorney Kenneth Phillips tells â€Å"One of the most horrifying cases I’ve heard about was when a little Pomeranian, no more than five pounds, killed a six-week-old baby†(Bred for trouble). Even dogs that haven’t been bred or trained to attack can occasionally act aggressively toward people. Lisa Bernardo writes, â€Å" An 8 year-old male was distributing fliers in a trailer park when two Saint Bernard dogs ran out of a house and attacked him unprovoked†. What these two instances prove is that any dog can bite and attack; even Chihuahuas have been known to be protective of their owners and territory. While these are graphic examples, the public needs to be aware that this happens all over the United States. Dogs can and are unpredictable, at the blink of an eye they can react in a very primal manner. Once again this is where the researching of the right type of dog for your family comes into play. Lets practice some common sense when bringing a dog into our homes. Pits are not the only ones that bite, other breeds that send people to the emergency rooms are Rottweiler’s, Mastiff’s, Doberman Pinschers, German Shepherds and a few others. Out of all aggressive breeds the Pit bull are the ones that have been exploited the most. Yes, pits are naturally more aggressive you have to remember they were bred for fighting. This is the very reason is why Pits have become popular with people with low standards and no respect for dogs, people that take part in dog fighting. These individual are only interested in seeing bloodshed and ruthless destruction of lives. This has also led some to practice unhealthy breeding of Pits to make a quick buck. Pits natural strong disposition combined with careless inbreeding results in unbalanced pets. Even though Pits are perfectly capable of being a loving part of a family, they have a terrible reputation that has been perpetuated by irre sponsible owners. I personally have seen some of these no-license owners that keep pit bulls penned up and torture them to make them meaner for fights. The poor dog spends most of its time behind a poorly built pen that seemed to be thrown together at the last minute. This pen was built out of compressed board on three sides and the fourth side was the back wall of the house. The dog couldn’t see out at all and he was purposefully kept there so he would have no contact with people or other dogs except for the owner. Every now and then the dog would be crudely blindfolded and was poked at it with sticks to ensure the aggressiveness of the dog. If the dog looses a number of fights it is considered worthless and is given away or gets put to sleep usually after being denied food for a couple of days. To this individual, a Pit bull was and still is a profitable badass accessory to their gangster lifestyle. Like Gall Golab, Ph.D., D.V.M stated in Fighting Fido â€Å"Twenty years ago people thought Great Danes and German shepherds were dangerous, today, it’s Pit bulls and Rottweiler’s. If you ban one breed, the people who want an aggressive animal will simply find another breed in which to foster that quality† (Neil). Can you imagine what kind of dog the police force would be using now if the German shepherd had been banned twenty years ago? The statement made by Dr.Golab is one that needs to be repeated. The breed of the dog alone is not the deciding factor on whether a dog will snap and attack someone. It is a combination of reckless owners with under exercised, under socialized, and unbalanced dogs. As dog attacks seem to be on the rise some individuals in California and the United States have been calling for a ban on a specific breed. Claiming that these breeds are beyond reformation and help, they want to ban Pit bulls specifically. Currently â€Å"Ohio is the only state that declares a specific breed, pit bulls as vicious. That law was ruled unconstitutional in March by Ohios 6th District Court of Appeals in Toledo and is being appealed to the state Supreme Court†(Jones). While decreasing dog attacks is definitely a goal we should all be working towards I suggest that there are other options besides banning to this problem. Any breed-specific ban would be difficult to enforce. First of all, Pit bulls are not the only large and potentially dangerous dogs, so right of the bat a few breeds would need to be banned. Second, because there are so many mixed breed dogs, who determines what percentage of vicious dog gene is allowed in a mixed breed? Lastly, what about those Pit bull owners that treat their dogs good and have taken all precautions to ensure their pet is a loving and gentle dog? A specific ban would punish those that have done nothing wrong and have followed all the rules. Outlawing breeds believed to be vicious and dangerous is not a long-term solution. Besides not being realistic a ban is unfair as it places the entire blame on these breeds. A better solution would be to make it mandatory for every person or family wanting a dog to get a dog owner license. Without a license no dog of any kind would be bought, sold or adopted. When potential dog owners apply for their owner’s license they should be advised about the pros and cons about the br eed they are considering. It should be mandatory that these owners go to dog training/obedience classes with their new pets. This can be taken a step further by requiring that with a license a dog owner should also need insurance, like a car. This would mean many man-hours and an extensive effort by animal control officers and police but it’s a worthwhile expenditure that would save many lives and countless visits to the emergency room. This might sound like an impossible task but it would be the first step in the right direction. Instead of waiting for a dog to bite someone lets enforce current leash and muzzle laws, which are in many instances ignored. If no laws currently exist then new laws should be passed that hold owners responsible to a higher level than before. In Kansas City the City Council passed a law that will require all pit bulls to be spayed or neutered. This would be a good start for all other counties and cities that are seeing the number of attacks and bites rise. Kansas has even gone a bit farther by requiring that â€Å"breeders will have to install fencing and document who is buying the puppies†, says Councilman Bill Skaggs (qtd. in Jones). Dog breeders can still have a business but they should be monitored closely for a period of time. It should also be mandatory to have all puppies spayed and neutered, at the proper age, by their new owners if the dog is on the list as potentially dangerous. Another example of great laws being adopted comes from Illinois. Legislature was passed that states â€Å"Owners could face prison if they allow a vicious dog to run loose, or if they have not enclose, spayed or neutered and animal that injures or kills someone.†(Jones). Illinois also restricts felons right to own dangerous dogs and penalties for attending dogfights were increased. While going to prison because your dog is out and running the streets may at first seem a bit excessive. It would only be a matter of time of enforcing this law that we would get the desired results, owners acting responsible. If states like Illinois and Ohio can pass these laws than why can’t we adopt them with greater swiftness in our own state? Is it because it’s easier to point fingers and blame the dogs? Are we really that lazy that we would settle for the easiest, yet unfair solution called banning? Mandatory spaying and neutering would not only cut down on the inbreeding and over breeding of dogs like the Pits and make them less assessable to those that are prone to abuse them. This would also save money in the long run because this simple law means less unwanted dogs in animal shelters. What happens time and time again is people go out and buy a dog that they have not researched at all and when they realize that the dog is too much to handle they dispose of them by dropping them off at animal shelters. Currently many shelters euthanize all Pit bulls because they dont know whether the dogs have been trained to fight or attack. How sad, to know these dogs keep paying the price for selfish human behavior. A Pit bull will not bite or attack just because it’s a pit bull, after all the dog doesn’t know what breed it is. Like Shawn Webster states â€Å"I don’t think that genetics plays nearly the role in a dog’s behavior that socialization and training play†(qtd in Jones). A properly bred and raised Pit bull can be an excellent, docile pet. The key is having the right combination of healthy dog with owners that are mature and responsible and truly care for their pet; so these horrible child-killing dogs can and are loving pets, go figure. I can guarantee you for every horror story you hear in the news or read in the paper there is a happy, healthy Pit bull that is a great family dog. As stated by animal control officer, Ashley Clark â€Å"they are fine as pets†¦they are awesome dogs as pets as long as the owner is responsible†(Mayse). Psychologist Clive Wynne says â€Å"You can say that it’s not just a dog’s breed but also the character of its owner that make the dog aggressive.†(Vicious dogs have vicious owners). With these measures in place and enforced we could dramatically see the number of bites go down. Would this measure guarantee to stop those most responsible for vicious and out of control dogs? Maybe, maybe not, but instead of just complaining about this problem lets be proactive instead of just reactive. These laws can be a great deterrent for those who exploit the dogs and endanger the community, the pit bull owners who breed and sell out of their backyards, keep their dogs penned and chained in deplorable conditions and do nothing to train or socialize them Works Cited Bernardo, Lisa Marie, et al. Dog Bites in Children Treated in a Pediatric Emergency Department. Journal of the Society of Pediatric Nurses 5.2 (2000): 87. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 18 Oct. 2009. â€Å"Bred for trouble.† Good Housekeeping 235.4 (2002): 83. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 18 Oct. 2009. â€Å"Fatal Dog Attacks. Current Events 105.3 (2005): 4. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 18 Oct. 2009. Jones, Charisse â€Å"Laws address dogs’ potential for danger.† USA Today n.d.: MA Ultra-School Edition. EBSCO. Web. 6 Nov. 2009. Mayse, James Experts: Upbringing key for pit bulls: Dog came through fence, bit man last week. Messenger-Inquirer (Owensboro, KY) (2006): Newspaper Source. EBSCO. Web. 6 Nov. 2009. Neil, Martha FIGHTING FIDO. ABA Journal 89.1 (2003): 26. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 18 Oct. 2009. Stilwell, Victoria Chaining dogs unleashes bad behavior. USA Today MasterFILE Premier. EBSCO. Web. 17 Oct. 2009 â€Å"Vicious dogs have vicious owners. New Scientist 201.2704 (2009): 15. Academic Premier. EBSCO. Web. 18 Oct. 2009

Achieving Honor as a Woman of Deh Koh Essay -- Reflection Paper Essays

Achieving Honor as a Woman of Deh Koh To many Westerners, the overall plight of females in Iran appears tenuous. It is illegal for females above the age of 9 to appear in public with out their heads veiled and bodies entirely covered. Women cannot serve in certain occupations, such as the military. It is difficult for a married woman to divorce her spouse, yet for men the right to divorce is unquestioned and done with ease. Married women in Iran who wish to leave the country for any reason must first obtain the permission of their husbands.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Despite their many restrictions, females in Iran are anything but fragile. Iranian women are proud, strong, and work at changing the society they live in. In Erika Friedl's book, Women of Deh Koh, Lives In An Iranian Village, she shows the ...

Positioning Background Essay

Beginning of Positioning Positioning term This is awkward. Why not â€Å"The term positioning†¦Ã¢â‚¬  started in 1972, when Ries and Trout wrote several articles about â€Å"The Positioning Era† for the trade paper Advertising Age. It because ? familiar when more than 1000 speeches have had been given about Positioning among 21 different countries around the world to advertising groups. In addition, more than 150,000 copies of the â€Å"little orange booklet† were distributed which reprints the Advertising Age articles. (The Battle for your mind, 3) This paragraph has awkward wording. Also, check your tenses. What does Positioning Mean Many authors, professors and experts came up with the meaning of positioning; despite their differences they all have the same meaning. According to Ries and Trout (date) Positioning is not what you do to a product, Positioning is what you do to the mind of the prospect (Book). Explain further. Similarly Jack Trout defines Positioning as to know how to grammatically wrong differentiate yourself from your competitors ( Paper). While Kotler (date) mentioned in his book as is the way that consumer defined the product on important attributes and how the place of produce in the consumers’ mind relative to competing products. (Armstrong & Kotler page 185)   This entire sentence is confusing. Rephrase it or break it down into several sentences so the idea can be better understood. after reviewing other authors definitions , we came up with our own definition so we can describe positioning as creating and designing a remarkable place in the market for certain product to be kept in the target market’s mind in order to increase or maximize the potential benefits. (Orange book, 172), (Red Book, 237), (Kotler Book, 310) There are missing articles here. Check grammar. The content is good and the idea is presented well enough. Importance of Positioning Going through several researches and books about Positioning strategy has shown how this strategy is playing an important role in the marketing. Implementing Positioning method gives the reason to buy your product rather your competitors’ product as Trout mentioned in his article (You have to tell your story as to why you are different or better). (The business Time Singapore) Another role of positioning is that, if a company does a great job pf positioning the market will not get confused and it would be much easier for the company to do the rest just by taking it from the positioning strategy such as the marketing planning and differentiation.(Kotler Book , 310)In addition, positioning really help the companies to produce differ and unique product from current and potential competing product, which can attract the target market in a positive way. Beside that, although there are continuous stream of advertising, customer would accept only the product that stuck in their mind due to knowledge or experience http://www.quickmba.com/marketing/ries-trout/positioning/. Also, concerning to the main point of positioning which is based on differentiation as Ries and Trout view it as a creative strategy must be taken for an existing brand in an overcrowded marketplace. . ( tree book , 193,194)   Check nouns that have to be pluralized. Grammar is wrong in certain sentences. Also, the first sentence is very confusing. Try breaking the ideas down into different sentences. Being successful is very easy when the product is well known and has a significant place in the market, while it could be very difficult if there is no major a little difference between the products. Therefore the succeed of firm’s positioning efforts is really very important. ( tree book , 193,) , This is similar to what is mentioned in to Trout & Al Ries book ( The Battle for your mind) , which is the easiest way to get into the consumer’s mind is to be the first , while being the second is nowhere.( The battle for your mind /19,21) Positioning Steps There are several steps to be followed in order to use Positioning strategy , which is mainly not about create new product , but its about manipulate with what’s already up there in the mind.( The battle for your mind , 5). But positioning steps can differ from author to author, as a result of that positioning step for two different authors will be explained below in order to came up with the summitries and difference: Walker & Boys Positioning Steps Walker and Boyd subtract the main steps from Ries and Trout books, articles. So any company who wants to reach the required position for its products and evaluating the new strategies for positioning a new entry, there are 8 steps outlined should be follow. These steps can be followed are very applicable as it can be use for product and service in any area. Here are the steps below: Identify a relevant set of competitive products: In this stage, marketers should make a positioning analysis, which means knowing the customer‘s opinion about certain products that can satisfy their basic needs and knowing our product’s competitors. But in order to know the products position in the market, marketer should use the positioning map (It called sometimes the perceptual map, its an excellent tool to know the brand position very well, it shows the position of new product with its competitors) which was the idea of Richard A. D’Aveni that came up several years ago. The market research is very necessary in this stage in order to get customer perception of the new product concept comparing with the same produce that have the same attributes. http://www.hbsp.harvard.edu/hbsp/hbr/articles/article.jsp?articleID=R0711G&ml_action=get-article&print=true Here is the example of positioning map: Two suggested criteria are used in order to make the judgment and the criteria are Fast delivery, limited or wide choice and comfortable environment. Then several brands are used in the map regarding how it position in the consumers’ mind considering the criteria. For example of that MacDonald is position as the fastest delivery service but limited choice unlike Caff Nero. This doesn’t mean that certain brand is better than another, it’s just that each brand is different and has special attributes. http://media3.bournemouth.ac.uk/marketing/10branding/05position.html Identify determinant attributes: Basically, positioning is really based on several attributes .But theoretically the consumer’ choice can be influenced by a small amount of features or benefits, because the greater number of features use for positioning a product, the greater the chance of confusion or even disbelief will be according to Trout & Al Ries (if you try to be all things to all people, you wind up with nothing). So, narrowing the focus of your expertise would be better in order to establish a unique position as specialist. (Battle for your mind, 195) However, using one or more features for position a product would really make the consumer recognize to attach that features with the product .So, the main attributes are: Features: It’s mainly used for physical product like the fastest or quietest product. Benefits: It’s the same as features which means it related to the product in direct way such as Volvo’s known on its safety and durability. Price/Quality: as Wal-Mart position itself as the lowest price seller of quality product and it has been very successful with that. Country or Geographic area: which means the product name include the name of country producer such as French wines and Russian Vodka. Determine consumers’ perceptions: In order to create perceptual map, marketers use several tools to collect and analyze customer’s perceptions about competitive positioning of alternative products used as Multidimensional scaling (MDS) which refer to several statistical techniques that are usually used in data visualization in order to identity the similarities and differences in data. While the Discriminate analysis it’s a statistical technique that used in marketing when there is only one dependent variable but several independent variables, it looks at the responses to the questions asked about the product attributes and underlining dimensions. http://www.indopedia.org/Discriminant_analysis_(in_marketing).html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multidimensional_scaling In this stage, the attributes should be identify by analyst in order the consumers use it to evaluate the product and service in the same category. Then, determine the best attributes that have been chosen by the consumer among all the brands. Therefore, this stage basically is about how the consumer’s positions the competitors in the market. Analyze the intensity of a product’s current position: Some brands might be recognize by consumers , while the others are not exits in the consumer’s mind .As a result, unknown brand would defiantly not occupy a position in the consumer’s mind. So, in order to acquiring an intense position, the first thing to do is building a brand awareness which must be associated with some concepts relating to the purchase decision strongly. But to reach an intense position, you should develop the relationship between the brand and few numbers of attributes. However, there are some chances that brand can gain a positioning intensity like when there are limited brands control certain a product in the market and consumer’s minds, so it’s not wise to competing head –on against the leaders on the basis of attributes by competitors because it’s not effective regarding Al Ries & Trout in their book (If you proposed position calls for head-to head approach against a marketing leader, forget it. Its better to go around an obstacle rather than over it . Back up .try to select a position that no one else has a firm grip on). A better option is to focus an attribute prized by member of given market segment such as targeted women and young families by Ford Windsatr minivan, as it has been introduce since 1994 with a successful advertising campaign which really helped to compete the leading minivan seller Dodge Caravan.( The Battle for your mind , 195) Analyze the product’s current position: In order to know if the brand occupies a strong position on particular attributes, marketer should make a lot of marketing researches and analyze by using some techniques such as Multidimensional scaling, discriminate analysis and perceptual positioning map. The perceptual positioning map would really help (see appendix 1) as a small distance between two brands shows that brands are considerable alike while the greater distance refer shows brands are being very different. So, the intensity of competition between the brands alike is much greater than the others. But always try to position your product in an empty space, being the first is the easiest way to get into a person’s mind due to Ries & Trout. (The battle for your mind, 19) In addition, the perceptual positioning map provides great information about position opportunities such as launching new brand or repositioning. It could be done by finding an empty space in the map which shows no store is exiting or located currently. But finding space or gap empty might be regarding couple reasons like technical constraints which will be impossible for any brand to attain. Determine consumers’ preferred combination of attributes: This stage is mainly about what are the most important attributes for consumers, so there are many different ways the analyst can be use to measure the customer preferences and make them involve in the positioning analysis. For example of that survey which can be answer by the consumer to know their opinion of the ideal product or brands within a product category. So, respondents can know what consumer wants by rating the ideal product and exiting products on number of attributes. Other option is not only to rate the similarity between couple of brands available in the market but also explain their degree of preference for each. For both cases the analyst, who use the suitable statistical techniques, will defiantly know where to locate the respondents, ideal point relative to the position for different available brands on the product space map. Define market positioning and market segmentation: To well define the market segmentation, the difference in the seeking benefits by different kind of consumer should be considered. Because regarding the difference of ideal point by consumer, reflects different benefits they seek. So, the market positioning analysis can defiantly classify the differences between the market segments and the unique position for different brands. If the consumer’s ideal point divided in two or more location on the product space map, it considerably defines each as different market segment. According to the analyst is that each cluster represent by circle the induce most of the ideal points for the segment and the size of the circle shows the relative proportion of customer within a particular segment. So, by knowing the customer preference in different segments together with the awareness of the existing brands, analyst can figure out three things like how strong is the competitive between different brands in different segments, the intensity of the competition between brands in a given segment and the great chance for getting a differentiated position within known target segment. Select a positioning strategy : In the final stage, where it comes to answer the question where should certain company position a new brand or repositioning, so there are two things should be based one choosing the strategies which are market target analysis and result of market positioning analysis. When choosing the position, it should match the preferences of specific market segment and considered the positions of current competing brands. Other aspects should be considered also such as the attractiveness for target market, strengths and weakness of competitors as well as the required cost to maintain these positions. There are seven different positioning strategies, which can be chosen based on how to reach its marketing objectives: Monosegment positioning: It’s about produce a product and makes a special marketing program to the preference of a single market segment. This strategy considered as an advantage for the brand within the target market, but it won’t gain a lot of sales in other segment. The best use of this strategy with mass marketing. Multisegment positioning: This strategy produces a product that attract different consumer from different segments. The features of this strategy are very attractive as its offer higher economies of scale ,smaller investment requirements, avoid dispersion of managerial attention .The best use of this strategy when the individual segment are small. Standby positioning: it’s not a wise to switch of using Monosegment and Multisegment, so using several brands that each one positioned to serve only one segment’ needs, although if it increase the total market share. So, there is a possibility to use Monosegment strategy when they have to do so. Therefore, standby strategy is prepared plan that include product specifications, product attributes as well as details for the marketing program which will be used for new product position   . Imitative positioning: It’s the same as the head on strategy, where a new brand position itself the same as or slimier of it competitors. Using this strategy can be suitable sometimes, when a new brand’s firm has distinctive advantages beyond positioning such as better access to channels of distribution. Anticipatory positioning: It’s considered as evolution strategy that can match the segments’ need. Its appropriate when new brand doesn’t not expect a fast acceptance and popularity. Adaptive positioning: It can be used in certain period in order to reposition the brand to satisfy the new segment’s needs. Defensive positioning: when a company occur strong positioning in the market with a single brand , it uses its completive   strategies and introduce a new additional brand in the same position and segment. David & Aaker Positioning steps: Regarding David A. Aaker & J. Gary Shansby , professors of marketing at the University of   California , they have introduced six steps for developing a positioning strategy : Identify the competitors : List the competitors in number of ways in order to have primary and secondary groups of competitors. For example of that grouping other diet cola drinks, all cola drinks, all soft drinks, nonalcoholic beverages, all beverages. Another way is the development of associations of product with use situations, such as asked about the appropriate beverage for the snack, then asked more specific question in order to have a list of use beverage resulted. Also, the other group will be asked which beverage is suitable for which situation, and the beverage that ranked as for the snack, it will be compete primarily with the appropriate beverage for the snack. This would really help in knowing and identifying the competitors although the market research is not used. Determine how the competitors are Perceived and Evaluated: In this step the buyers are the main resources as they are the target market, so for example the first question will be to identify the two most similar brands from a set of three competing brands and the reasons for being this two similar and different from the other .Next, respondents would be asked which of the tow you prefer and why. After that, using logic, judgment or factor analysis in order to remove all the extra points from the list. The final step is to identify which brand is the most important to respondents. Determine the competitors’ portions: In this stage, we are going to know how each competitor include our entry position itself in the market with the respect for each other. Multidimensional scaling can be used because its purpose is to scale objects on several dimensions. So, simply to ask a group of our target market to scale the various objects on the product association dimensions. This is the same as the perceptual map, even though it has some major disadvantages such as unfamiliarity with some brands, difference among respondent. Analyzing the customers: Understand the customer and know how the market is segmented would really help I knowing how to choose the best positioning strategy. Of course there are many questions should be asked in our mind such as what is the behavior of our target , how the product’s role play in the customer’s lifestyle †¦etc. A very important approach for segmentation is benefit segmentation which refers to the benefits of product or the product association that customer believes how it’s important. So, in order to know the rate of product association, customer can be asked to know their judgments or their point of view about the ideal brands which will be combination of the entire customer’s preferred product association. Customers are then will be divided as group defined by product association. However, having different group would really help to ask each group what they like about it the brand and how they can describe it. Then , the result will show if it need an improve for the brand’s image by more understating for the lifestyle of segmentations, behavior, income and many other things in order to target the segmentation well. Making the Positioning Decision: There are four steps should be considered before taking the actual positioning decision: Positioning usually implies a segmentation commitment: which means that before the decision is made, the commitment in focusing on certain segments should be made in order not to turn back on to seek potential buyers as well as not be constrained by the reaction of other segments. An economic analysis should guide the decision: basically, there is tow factors should be depending on the potential market size X the penetration probability. Attracted a sizeable segment by a positing strategy is considered as one implication for the structure. In addition if group of customers are attracted to there brand, it should have worthwhile market share to begin with. Also, if new buyers attracted to the product class, an assessment should be done to the potential size of that growth area. If the advertising is working stick with it: having a good advertisement campaign that can represent or reflect the brand image as it required is the key of good advertising , no matter how long it has been shown because the value of consistency through time cant be overestimated. Don’t try to be something you are not: sometimes it’s tempting to decide on a positioning strategy that exploit a market need or opportunity, but assume your product is something its So, test the product in order to ensure it deliver what it promises and compatible with a proposed image. Monitoring the Position: the positioning objective should be measurable like any marketing objectives, therefore in order to evaluate the positioning and get information about future positioning strategies, it’s very essential to monitor the position consistency. For example of that Hamburger Helper used personality test. Compare between 2 authors Even though Trout & Al Ries are the main founders or creators of Positioning, they did not write about specific steps for Positioning, but others professors and authors extract the steps from their articles, books and lectures among the years. So, there are different number of steps are mentioned by different authors, but overall they aiming for the same purpose. So, a comparison will be made between Walker and Boyed (W &B) & A. Aaker and J. Gary Shansby (A & J) in order to clarify the similarities and differences. First of all, as can be seen from the report above that W &B mentioned or talked about 8 steps for using Positioning strategy, while A &J summarize their steps into 6. Both W & B and A & J talked about Identifying the competitors, which A &J mentioned it in both step 1 and 2, the first step is where to list the competitors while in the second step knowing the consumers opinion about the competitors’ products. But, W & B instead of that recommend to use the perceptual map in the first step as it in order to know the product’s position regarding its competitors. In addition, W & B recommended to use the perceptual map in the first step to know the consumer’s opinion about certain product that similar to yours based on two suggested criteria. Using the perceptual map is very informative as it shows our competitors, beside that the consumers’ opinions about them by rank them in different places. Both if them W & B and A & J talked about the same point in the step three which is Knowing the competitors position in the market, although each one talked about using different tools as A & J recommend to use Multidimensional scaling and W & B recommended to use Multidimensional scaling and Discriminate analysis to create the perceptual map. They recommend to use the Discriminate analysis when there is only one dependent variable but several independent variables. However, step 4 for A & J is about Analyzing the customers, while for the   W & B they talked about it in steps two, six and seven. Al though their are different in title but it has the same purpose which is knowing what customer preferred attributes for the product in order to provide it in the product. A & J not only use this step to know customer’s preferred product association but also use the consumer’ answers or result to improve the product’s image. The same thing for W & B but they use the result for getting better differentiated position within known target segment .Also, W& B recommend to use different tools to be involve in the positioning analysis such as surveys in order to know the consumer’s ideal brand attributes. As for the step four according to W & B its Analyze the intensity of a product’s current position, this is also mentioned by A & J in step six but not in details because they focus more in monitoring the position in the future. Both of them talked about evaluate the position of our product and how strong the position is regarding the competitors. In addition W & B gave some solutions in order to acquiring an intense position. On the other hand, the final steps for both of them are quite different as W & B talked about several different strategies that should be chosen from based on how to reach its marketing objectives, while step 5 for A & J is giving the process for how to take the positioning decision considering many other aspect in order to choose the right and most suitable strategy as they don’t consider choosing the strategy as a step because I think following all the steps they mentioned would make the strategy choice much easier. Hotel Positioning    Hotel considered as any product or company that aims to attract customers, by position itself in the right place. Having a unique market position would boost the market share. Therefore, the argument here is how to make the travelers to book our hotel rather than other’s properties, which is known as market position. The Hotel position must provides several attributes that guests needs and wants. There are two perspectives can be evaluated the hotel brand’s position which are the brand’s management and guest. First the brand’s management should have several concept or plan of the hotel’s intended position and what it will offer to be different than its competitors. As for the guest, the hotel should provide what it does promise. http://www.allbusiness.com/marketing-advertising/segmentation-targeting/537095-1.html However, to establish new hotel brand there are many questions should be answer such as what position you already own due to overcrowded society with very strong hotel brand like Sheraton, Hilton†¦etc. So, it’s very easy to work with other brands out there during the positioning strategy according to Trout & Ries (The battle for your mind, 193). This means, knowing how people in the UAE see Al Dar and try to apply it in the hotel rather than taking other places because it would be very hard especially who has a very long history in the hospitality industry. Review Don’t use â€Å"So† to start a sentence. Check your subject-verb agreements. Your sentences are mostly too long. Although you clearly have a good grasp of the content, the presentation is confusing. Don’t try to cram all your ideas into one sentence. The citations are not MLA style. Check for missing articles and for misplaced articles. Some wordings are awkward and need to be revised. Although the outline and the flow is clearly well thought out, you need to be more academic in your writing. Don’t shorten your words. Use â€Å"It is† instead of â€Å"It’s†. Where you are more comfortable using simpler words, do so. Avoid double negatives such as â€Å"doesn’t not† Grammar is badly in need of editing. There are a lot of unnecessary words that just make the lengthy sentences confusing. Instead of using â€Å"For example of that† why not â€Å"An example of that is†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Say â€Å"with respect to† not â€Å"with respect for†. An â€Å" ‘s† indicates possession or ownership while simply adding an â€Å"s† indicates plurality. There are a lot of instances wherein the two are confused for each other. Check the verbs. Know when to use gerunds and know when not to. â€Å"Cant† is different from â€Å"can’t† There are instances where â€Å"there† is used when it should be â€Å"their†. Also check for missing linking verbs. The paper gives the reader the idea that the author understands the concepts very well. However, it does not give the reader much insight as to what those concepts are. One can easily get lost in the long sentences. The grammar and tense problems also add to the confusion.

This dead Butcher… is this a fair assumption of Macbeth?

I believe that Macbeth s not a dead butcher as you do see him have a sign of guilt when he murders characters in the book. Although he is a very ambitions man resulting in consequences both for him and people around him. In the play you see Macbeth influenced and persuaded by super-natural forces, like the three witches which you see at the beginning of the book. This brings out the ambition in him and slowly turns him into a power ridden man. But at the end he turns into the loyal soldier he was at the beginning of the book, before he meets the witches. In the first act you see the loyal soldier, Macbeth meet the three witches just after over powering the Thane of Cawdor's army. This suddenly brings out the ambition in him as they say he will eventually become King. It says, â€Å"All hail, Macbeth! That shalt be King here after†. Read this â€Å"The Secrets of Haiti’s Living Dead† Through the act in the book the readers view of Macbeth changes completely. The character who entered the stage at the beginning is, in the eyes of the audience, completely different person from the character at the end of the first act. He transforms from a good man, a loyal soldier honest to one who is prepared to kill to be king. Even before Macbeth himself appears on stage, he is discussed as a good man by the king and the king's eldest son ‘Malcolm'. They speak of Macbeth as a great soldier after his recent success in the battlefield, while in the service of the King. The King then talks to Macbeth and tells him how the Thane of Cawdor was a loyal friend to him. It is a bit ironic as you see that Macbeth becomes Thane of Cawdor and then stabbed in the back by him. After this you see his ambitious side come out as he writes a letter to his wife saying he will be King. This brings the woman's evil side out as she tries to take all the good in her and replace it with evil as she says, â€Å"unsex me here, and fill me from head to the toe top-full of direst cruelty.† After this the King says he will have dinner at Macbeths house which seems strange as it give them the perfect time to kill the King making a step closer to being King. That night they plan out to ill the King which they do but you see Macbeth arguing about not wanting to kill him. It says, â€Å"First, as I am his kinsman and his subject.† This means that he is my king and my guest and shouldn't kill him. Macbeth mucks the plan up though as he feels very guilty for what he has done. Fortunately his wife manages to make it seem that it was the guards fault as she had drugged them. Kind Duncan's two children Donaldbain and Lennox are very curious about this and flee to England and Wales. Further on in the play he becomes more ambitious and wants to make sure he stays King doing anything to stay there. To this he knew he had to kill his loyal friend Banquo as when he met the witches they said he would be a farther to a line of Kings. So while he was at a party he hired murderers to kill him and his son for him so he would be king. The murders were unable to kill Banquo's son but killed him. Later at the party Macbeth saw the ghost of Banquo at the party here he should have been sitting. No one else could see it as he was the only one that knew what had happened to him. The ghost is a sign of his guiltiness showing that he isn't a bad man after all. By this point Macbeth's wife died because the evilness inside her gets the better of her. At the end of the play Macduff, one of King Duncan's followers, has got an army together to try and gain power of the crown once again as he had enough of Macbeths evil ways. To the reader you see Macbeth turn back into the soldier he once was at the beginning of the book, ready to fight like a true and loyal soldier would. He fights Macduff who said just surrender but Macbeth says no I wish to fight you like a true soldier. Overall I believe that Macbeth is not a dead butcher as at the beginning at ending of the book he is a good and loyal soldier but ambition does get the better of him in the middle where he does want to become king. Not just down to him but his wife aswell. When he does kill people like the King and his loyal friend Banquo he always argues a case on why he should not kill them and then after he feel guilty for killing them by messing up plans or even seeing a ghost.

AND A HAPPY ________TO YOU!

AND A HAPPY ________TO YOU! As an ex-full-time greeting card writer for the once third largest greeting card company in America Norcross (Hallmark being #1 and American Greeting #2), I thought I’d pass on some info on this market from my years in the â€Å"humor† department. It was fun being paid to sit and fold white paper from 9-5 everyday and come up with clever (and nice) ways to wish people happiness and well-being. Even though Norcross is now defunct, the rules for writing greeting cards haven’t altered much through the years. Yes, more risquà © humor has entered the market, as well as controversial subjects (such as divorce cards) but the basics haven’t changed. The most important basic is to keep it conversational: write as if talking to a friend. Never invert words or force a rhyme. Some companies still buy rhymes, but greeting card verse is NOT poetry since it is always conversational in style. Rhyming can work when it’s used with familiar figures of speech that are popular in everyday language. However, the main ingredient in a card is a wish, a greeting, a compliment or an expression of appreciation. Always keep the message informal. i.e. don’t say: Just like flowers, our friendship blooms†¦ rather say: It means a lot to have you as a friend†¦ The more natural the verse, the more marketable the card, so if you wouldn’t speak it out loud, don’t write it. Keep it sounding genuine. A good idea before attempting greeting cards is to read and study the market (just like in any other market). Once you become familiar with what’s published (without borrowing anything you see), jot down some of today’s popular expressions. You can pick these up from TV, conversations, or hit songs. Then, think about what you would want to say to a friend or loved one on his birthday, anniversary or when they’re ill. The ability to put yourself in the other person’s shoes is a successful tactic in writing a greeting card wish. Of course, you’ll find it easier to be funny and nasty than funny and nice! But most companies are looking for a pleasant wish to pass along. In submitting ideas, try to limit the number to no more than 10 at one time. Nowadays, depending on the company, you either submit one idea per page with SASE or type your ideas in the body of an email (no attachments allowed). Set up the card like this popular onc I once wrote for Norcross: The very best thing about the Old Days is†¦Inside: They were the YOUNG Days!Happy Birthday! Or this rhyming verse for â€Å"Our Anniversary†I always knew that we would shareA happiness beyond compareThrough ups and downs, through thick and thinInside: I’m with you Ba Though both these verses have been around awhile, they are still viable for today’s market because the sentiment is sincere and the language colloquial. Also, while greeting cards are sent mostly to celebrate an important sentimental or emotional occasion, don’t get too sappy or you could embarrass the one receiving it. And lastly, do limit the personal pronouns (me, I, we) because their usage could limit sales (of course, that does not include Special Title cards for Wife, Husband, Sister/Brother or Sweetheart). In closing may I say: May your verse be sweet and funny And bring you lots of extra money! Seven Current Greeting Card Markets Avanti Press Blue Mountain Pays well, sometimes asks to test market first Designer Greeting Moonlighting Cards Pays $25. Looking for â€Å"love† cards Oatmeal Studios – Looking for humor CaddylackGraffix– funny and sarcastic cards

ACT Syllabus What’s on the Exam and How to Prep

ACT Syllabus What’s on the Exam and How to Prep SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Are you preparing for the ACT but aren’t sure which topics the exam covers?We’re here to help! This guide will give you an in-depth look at the ACT syllabus and explain exactly what you can expect to see on the test. For each of the five ACT sections, I’ll explain the format of the section, the types of questions you’ll see, and the skills that section tests.Afterward, I’ll also go over the top three tips you need to know when studying for the ACT to help you achieve your highest score. ACT Syllabus Overview Let’s first take get a broad overview of what the ACT covers before diving into the specific sections. There are four required sections on the ACT: English, Math Reading, and Science, as well as the optional Writing section. To be an expert on the ACT syllabus, you’ll have to be comfortable with each of these sections. Section Minutes Given Number of Questions English 45 75 Math 60 60 Reading 35 40 Science 35 40 Writing (Optional) 40 1 essay Total 3 hours, 35 minutes (2 hours, 55 minutes without the essay) 154 (+1 essay prompt) The ACT sections will always go in this order, beginning with English and ending with Writing (if you choose to take it). Below, for each section of the ACT, I’ll explain which subjects it covers and the skills it requires. ACT English Syllabus Number of Questions Minutes Given Time Per Question 75 45 36 seconds Format The ACT English section contains five passages along with 75 multiple-choice questions, so there will be about 15 questions per passage. All questions will be based on the passages. Some of the questions will ask about specific phrases or sentences in the passage, and others will ask about a paragraph or the entire passage as a whole. Skills Tested ACT English tests two main content areas:Usage and Mechanics andRhetorical Skills.Usage and Mechanics tests your knowledge of punctuation, grammar, usage, and sentence structure and requires a solid understanding of punctuation and grammar rules. Rhetorical Skills focuses on your comprehension of the passage as a whole and your ability to understand and improve the passage's organization and style. Questions Types There are six main types of questions on ACT English: three types of Usage/Mechanics questions and three types of Rhetorical Skills questions. Below, the three Usage/Mechanics question types are listed first, then the three Rhetorical Skills question types. Punctuation Punctuation questions test your knowledge of internal and end-of-sentence punctuation. To get these questions correct, you’ll need to know comma, apostrophe, period, and semicolon rules. Grammar and Usage These questions test your knowledge of grammar rules such as subject/verb agreement, agreement between pronoun and antecedent, and agreement between modifiers and the word modified. There are also questions on verb formation, pronoun case, idioms, and adverbs. Sentence Structure Sentence structure questions focus on your knowledge of relationships between and among clauses, placement of modifiers, and shifts in construction. Strategy These types of questions test your ability to develop a given topic by choosing words or phrases that fit with an essay's audience and purpose. You’ll need to take the whole passage into account and consider whether the possible revision clarifies or confuses the passage's message. Organization Organization questions measure how well you organize ideas and choose effective opening, transitional, and closing sentences. These questions tend to focus on the beginning and ends of paragraphs. Style Style questions test your ability to choose an appropriate word, maintain the level of style and tone in an essay, and avoid unclear pronoun references, wordiness, and redundancy. ACT Math Syllabus Number of Questions Minutes Given Time Per Question 60 60 1 minute Format ACT Math has 60 questions, all of which are multiple choice. You’ll be able to use a permitted calculator for this entire section. Skills Tested and Question Types ACT Math tests six major skill areas. They are listed below, along with the percentage of questions asked about them and the more specific topics each area focuses on. Pre-Algebra (20-25%) Basic operations using whole numbers, decimals, fractions, and integers Place value Square roots and approximations The concept of exponents Scientific notation Factors Ratio, proportion, and percent Linear equations in one variable Absolute value and ordering numbers by value Elementary counting techniques and simple probability Data collection, representation, and interpretation Understanding simple descriptive statistics Elementary Algebra (15-20%) Properties of exponents and square roots Evaluation of algebraic expressions through substitution Using variables to express functional relationships Understanding algebraic operations The solution of quadratic equations by factoring Intermediate Algebra (15-20%) The quadratic formula Rational and radical expressions Absolute value equations and inequalities Sequences and patterns Systems of equations Quadratic inequalities Functions and modeling Matrices Roots of polynomials Complex numbers Coordinate Geometry (15-20%) Graphing and the relations between equations and graphs, including points, lines, polynomials, circles, and other curves Graphing inequalities Slope Parallel and perpendicular lines Distance Midpoints Conics Plane Geometry (20-25%) Properties and relations of plane figures, including angles and relations among perpendicular and parallel lines Properties of circles, triangles, rectangles, parallelograms, and trapezoids Transformations The concept of proof and proof techniques Volume Applications of geometry to three dimensions Trigonometry (5-10%) Trigonometric relations in right triangles Values and properties of trigonometric functions Graphing trigonometric functions Modeling using trigonometric functions Use of trigonometric identities Solving trigonometric equations As you can see, the majority of the questions, over 50%, focus on algebra and pre-algebra. About 40% of the questions are on geometry, and the remaining 5-10% are on trigonometry. ACT Reading Syllabus Number of Questions Minutes Given Time Per Question 40 35 52 seconds Format The ACT Reading section contains four passages or passage pairs and 40 multiple-choice questions, meaning that there will be about ten questions per passage. All questions in this section are based on passages, and there will be three single passages and one passage pair.The Reading passages will always include four different subject areas: humanities, natural science, social science, and literary fiction. Skills Tested For ACT Reading, you’ll be using skills often required in your English classes, such as critical reasoning and referring skills. You’ll need to be able to use these skills to accomplish the following: Understand main ideas Locate details within a passage and interpret them Interpret sequence of events and flow of ideas Make comparisons Understand cause-effect relationships Determine the meaning of words, phrases, and statements in context (these are usually straightforward, but may be used in an unusual or significant way in context) Draw generalizations Analyze the author's or narrator's tone and purpose Question Types There are five main types of questions on the ACT Reading section. Main Idea Main idea questions ask about the main point or theme of the passage. Detail These questions will typically refer you to a specific line in the passage and ask what it means. Vocabulary These questions will select a specific word or phrase in the passage and ask what it means or how it functions in context. These questions often point to a common word or phrase that might be being used in an unusual way. Function and Development Function and Development questions test your ability to describe a phrase, sentence, or paragraph in the context of the entire passage. Implied Ideas These questions ask you to infer the meaning of a line, paragraph, or complete passage. ACT Science Syllabus Number of Questions Minutes Given Time Per Question 40 35 52 seconds Format Like the English and Reading sections, all of ACT Science’s questions are based on passages. This section contains 40 multiple-choice questions and seven passages.Each of the passages can include diagrams such as graphs, charts, and tables. The passages could focus on topics such as biology, chemistry, physics, and earth/space sciences (including geology, astronomy, and meteorology). Each passage will be followed by four to seven questions. Skills Tested Although ACT Science includes questions on a wide range of scientific topics, this section tests your scientific skills more than your knowledge of specific facts or subjects.So, while you won’t be tested on specific facts, your science classes will teach you important analysis and reasoning skills you need to understand the scientific method and language and do well on this section. The ACT website recommends you take at least three years of science in high school, including at least one biology course and one physical or earth science course by the time you take the exam. By taking science courses, you’ll learn about the scientific method, how to collect and analyze data, and how to evaluate a theory or hypothesis. These skills will help you do well on ACT Science. Question Types There are three main types of questions you’ll see on ACT Science. Data Representation (30-40% of questions) Data Representation questions require you to read graphs, interpret scatterplots, and explain information presented in tables. Research Summaries (45-55% of questions) These questions require you to interpret the design and results of experiments discussed in passages. Conflicting Viewpoints (15-20% of questions) Conflicting Viewpoints questions test your ability to understand, analyze, and compare alternate viewpoints or hypotheses. These questions will center around a single situation or issue, and you’ll read two different viewpoints and analyze the similarities and differences. ACT Writing Syllabus Number of Questions Minutes Given Time Per Question 1 essay 40 40 minutes Format The ACT Writing section is the only optional section of the exam. If you choose to take it, you’ll have 40 minutes to plan and write one complete essay. Skills Tested The major skills you are graded on for the essay are your ability to analyze different arguments and combine different opinions and viewpoints into a coherent essay.While you’ll want your essay to be clear and easy to understand, a few minor spelling and grammar errors won’t lose you points, so you don’t have to worry about your essay being technically perfect. Question Types On the Writing section, you’ll see a short passage on a given topic, followed by three different perspectives on that topic. Your task will be to evaluate the three perspectives and relate them back to the original issue. This can involve analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of each argument, comparing and contrasting them, and explaining how they could be improved. How Does This Information Help You Prepare for the ACT? Now you're an expert on the ACT syllabus, but how does this information help you on the exam? First, knowing what's on the ACT will make you feel more comfortable on test day. You'll know the format, content, and types of questions you'll be asked. This can help you feel more prepared and help reduce test anxiety. Second, understanding the ACT syllabus can also help during your ACT prep. When you know what subjects are tested on the ACT, you'll know what to focus on during your studying, and you'll be less likely to overlook material you should go over or study material that won't be on the test. Additionally, when you take practice ACTs and review your answers to see where you made most of your mistakes, your knowledge of the ACT will help you pinpoint the specific area(s) you should work on. Maybe your ACT Math score was lower than you wanted it to be, but where exactly did you make mistakes? Did you get all the geometry questions correct but struggled with algebra? Then you can focus primarily on studying algebra topics. Knowing what's tested on the ACT will help you pinpoint the areas where you need to improve and increase the effectiveness of your studying. Tips forGetting Your Best ACT Score Knowing what subjects the ACT covers will help you become more familiar comfortable with the test, which can help boost your score. Follow these three tips to help ensure you’re getting the most out of your ACT prep and achieving your highest score. Create a Study Plan Before you really dive into your ACT studying, you should first create a study plan. Planning out your studying in advance can help you know when you’re supposed to be studying and can keep you on track. Setting aside a regular time to study each day or week, such as weekdays from 8:00-9:30 or Saturdays from 12:00-4:00, will make it easier to study because you’ll know ahead of time when you should be studying and can fit the rest of your schedule around it. You should also include regular goals in your study schedule that you hope to meet, such as, â€Å"I want to understand how to answer trigonometry questions by the end of the weekend,† or â€Å"I want to raise my ACT Science score ten points by the end of the month.†Setting these goals can help motivate you to study and help you stay on track. Use High-Quality Study Resources Your studying will only be as effective as the prep materials you use, so be sure to use high-quality ACT study material.A high-quality prep book can be one of the best resources you use. Check out our guide to the best ACT prep books available. A good prep book will effectively explain the content tested on the exam, have high-quality practice questions similar to those on the real ACT, and include full-length practice exams (discussed more below). Take Complete Practice Exams During your studying, you’ll want to take at least one (and ideally at least three to four) complete practice ACTs.Taking full-length practice ACTs is important because it gives you the most accurate idea of what the real ACT will be like.You’ll learn how taking a test for several hours affects you and if you get tired and distracted towards the later sections. Also, after you score your exam, you’ll have a good idea of how well you’d do on the actual test, and you can use this information to identify which topics you should focus on for future studying. Be sure to take your ACT under realistic testing conditions. This means take the exam all in one sitting, timed, and with minimal distractions.Try to use official practice tests since they’ll be the closest to the real ACT. We have links to several free and official ACT practice exams you can use. Conclusion: Understanding the ACT Syllabus Knowing the syllabus of the ACT will help you know what to expect for the test and how to prepare for the exam.Each of the four main sections of the ACT covers multiple subject areas and contains several question types. There is also an optional Writing section with an essay at the end of the test. To help you prepare for the ACT, be sure to create a study schedule early on, use high-quality study resources, and take full-length practice tests to get a good idea of the progress you’ve made and where you can improve. What's Next? Looking for more practice tests? We have links to free and official practice ACTs you can use during your studying! Trying to get a top score on the ACT? Learn everything you need to get a perfect 36 on the ACT by reading our guide, written by a full-scorer. What score should you be aiming for on the ACT? Learn what a good ACT score is and how to set a goal score. Want to improve your ACT score by 4 points? 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A Brief History of the Country of Morocco

A Brief History of the Country of Morocco In the Classical Antiquity era, Morocco experienced waves of invaders included Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Romans, Vandals, and Byzantines, but with the arrival of Islam, Morocco developed independent states that kept powerful invaders at bay. Berber Dynasties In 702 the Berbers submitted to the armies of Islam and adopted Islam. The first Moroccan states formed during these years, but many were still ruled by outsiders, some of whom were part of the Umayyad Caliphate that controlled most of northern Africa c. 700 CE. In 1056, a Berber empire arose however, under the Almoravid Dynasty, and for the next five hundred years Morocco was governed by Berber dynasties:  the Almoravids (from 1056), Almohads (from 1174), Marinid (from 1296), and Wattasid (from 1465). It was during the Almoravid and Almohad dynasties that Morocco controlled much of North Africa, Spain, and Portugal. In 1238, the Almohad lost control of  the Muslim portion of Spain and Portugal, known then as al-Andalus. The Marinid dynasty attempted to regain it, but never succeeded. Revival of Moroccan Power In the mid-1500s, a powerful state again arose in Morocco, under the leadership of the Saadi dynasty that had taken over southern Morocco in the early 1500s. The Saadi defeated the Wattasid in 1554, and then succeeded in holding off incursions by both the Portuguese and Ottoman Empires. In 1603 a succession dispute led to a period of unrest that did not end until 1671 with the formation of the Awalite Dynasty, which still governs Morocco to this day. During the unrest, Portugal had again gained a foothold in Morocco but was again thrown out by the new leaders. European Colonization By the mid 1800s, at a time when the influence of the Ottoman Empire was in decline, France and Spain began taking a great interest in Morocco. The Algeciras Conference (1906) that followed the First Moroccan Crisis formalized Frances special interest in the region (opposed by Germany), and the Treaty of Fez (1912) made Morocco a French protectorate. Spain gained authority over Ifni (to the south) and Tà ©touan to the north. In the 1920s the Rif Berbers of Morocco, under the leadership of Muhammad Abd el-Krim, rebelled against French and Spanish authority. The short lived Rif republic was crushed by a joint French/Spanish task force in 1926. Independence In 1953 France deposed the nationalist leader and sultan Mohammed V ibn Yusuf, but both nationalist and religious groups called for his return.  France capitulated, and Mohammed V returned in 1955. On the second of March in 1956, French Morocco gained independence. Spanish Morocco, except for the two enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla, gained independence in April of 1956. Mohammed V was succeeded by his son, Hasan II ibn Mohammed, upon his death in 1961. Morocco became a constitutional monarchy in 1977. When Hassan II died in 1999 he was succeeded by his thirty-five year old son, Mohammed VI ibn al-Hassan. Dispute over Western Sahara When Spain withdrew from the Spanish Sahara in 1976, Morocco claimed sovereignty in the north. The Spanish portions to the south, known as Western Sahara, were supposed to become independent, but Morocco occupied the region in the Green March. Initially, Morocco divided the territory with Mauritania, but when Mauritania withdrew in 1979, Morocco claimed the whole. The status of the territory is a deeply contentious issue, with many international bodies like the United Nations recognizing it as a non-self-governing territory called the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic. Revised and Expanded by Angela Thompsell Sources: Clancy-Smith, Julia Anne, North Africa, Islam, and the Mediterranean world: from the Almoravids to the Algerian War. (2001). MINURSO Background, United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara. (Accessed 18 June 2015).

Concept of Strategy in Public Relations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Concept of Strategy in Public Relations - Essay Example According to ( Rembrandt 2011) â€Å"A sustainable public relations strategy is a long-term endeavor. It can take months to capture the attention of targeted media venues†. Public relation strategy is an active part of the marketing strategy of an organization. A strategy is a process or means by which an organization achieves its goals or objectives. Public relation strategy is directly connected to the concept of integrated communication. A public relation strategy has to integrate the communication throughout the organization by keeping in base the audience and stake holders of an organization. A good strategy must balance internal and external factors of an organization to achieve the corporate mission. As per (Caywood 1997 ,87)â€Å"When a strategy has been developed and the public relation plan is implemented, research plays an important role in monitoring its effectiveness and making adjustments†. Strategy formulating is an important aspect of public relation and its rest with the corporate heads of a firm. Public relation strategy is about the action that an organization can take to accomplish its goals and objectives. On the strategic side, four public relation dimensions reflect organizational approaches to problem solving or organizational world views about the management of relationships with stakeholders. These dimensions may be considered strategic in the sense that they lay foundation for the manners in which an organization might try to achieve a public relation objective. The strategy in public relation enables the corporate heads to judge the effectiveness of their media relation ahead of the implementation of marketing strategy. Strategy is essentially a longer term planning while bottom line sales tactics demand short term results. In her book(Olive 2010, 14) writes that â€Å"Strategic public relation is concerned with managing the relationships between an organization and much

Analysis and Research on Two Kinds by Amy Tan Paper

Analysis and on Two Kinds by Amy Tan - Research Paper Example and her two daughters. The story is centered on one major conflict, which is the battle between the two contrary beliefs and ideas of Jing and her mother. Jing had a very different way of thinking compared to her daughter, causing arguments and problems throughout the plot of the whole story. The story begins with Jing Mei presenting the two opposite cultures that she has to live with. The first is the Chinese culture, the one that is in her blood. This culture’s point of view about America is similar to that of the rest of the world. They believe that America is the land that promises and assures immediate success and a hope to a better future and standard of living. It was a land filled with opportunities. Because of this point of view, Jing’s mother fervently and with determination pushes her daughter to do everything possible in order to gain success and fame to the point where she wanted Jing to follow the footsteps of then child superstar, Shirley Temple. Jing nar rates, â€Å"At first my mother thought I could be a Chinese Shirley Temple. We’d watch her old movies and I would see Shirley tapping her feet or pursing her lips while saying â€Å"Oh, my goodness.† My mother even took me to a beauty salon, but instead of getting curls, I emerged with a mess.† She kept pushing her, letting her do all sorts of tests to determine her one special talent that she can gain fame and fortune from, since she believed that if you are in America, then there is no limit to who you can be and to what you can do. Jing explains, â€Å"My mother believed you could be anything you wanted to be in America. You could open a restaurant. You could become rich. You could become instantly famous.† The second way of life that Jing Mei is surrounded with all the time is the adapted culture, the one surrounding her every day, the American culture. This culture did not always match to that of the Chinese, and because of that, it caused conflict, which would later be evident in the story. The Chinese viewpoint and perspective of life and of America was clearly seen and represented by the words and the actions of Jing’s mother. This culture has definitely been the heart of why almost all of the Chinese people in the late 1940s dreamed and longed to leave their homeland which was at that time, suffering from the grave devastation of the war against Japan. Living in China before the war was already hard. It was a very poor country, and the Japanese war that sprung made it harder. During the Chinese Japanese war, the people really felt overwhelmed by the tough situation and the circumstances that they faced and lived through. About four million of innocent Chinese civilians were murdered. The Japanese military also conducted various experimentations on the civilians, from women, men, children to infants as well such as performing vivisection without anesthesia. The people died in the streets from starvation and from the cold. The parents had no choice but to sell their children because there was no more food to eat. Numerous Chinese women were raped and sexually harassed by the Japanese military every day, including sixty-year-old women. Forced labor was imposed on innocent people who did nothing wrong. Thousands upon thousands of blameless citizens, even including little children and infants suffered and died. The

Employment laws for business Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Employment laws for business - Case Study Example 2. In this situation Alvin does not have a strong claim for age discrimination. The police department prefers to utilize younger officers. This is for the safety of other officers as well as the safety of the general public. Moreover, the department does not require Alvin to retire. However, many employees choose to retire at the age of 50 this is no where stated as a requirement. Although Alvin's job description has changed he was given a suitable replacement. In addition Alvin was not asked to take a pay cut or work other hours. Although Alvin may not be satisfied with this new position it is in the best interest for society. 3. Carter does not have a claim for age discrimination based upon the facts given. The company needed to lay off employees due to economic downfalls. Layoffs during poor economic times are often an option utilized by employers. Unfortunately there is nothing the company can do in regard to the economic situation. Carter will be eligible for unemployment as the company has not debated this claim. Moreover, Alvin has only been with the company two years.

Intellectual Property - Trade Marks - UK Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Intellectual Property - Trade Marks - UK - Essay Example The four main types of IP are: patents for inventions - new and improved products and processes that are capable of industrial application; trade marks for brand identity - of goods and services allowing distinctions to be made between different traders; designs for product appearance - of the whole or a part of a product resulting from the features of, in particular, the lines, contours, colors, shape, texture or materials of the product itself or its ornamentation and, copyright for material - literary and artistic material, music, films, sound recordings and broadcasts, including software and multimedia .In this paper we concentrate on trade marks IPs which are associated with the trade of goods and services and ,in particular, to those that arise in the international trade of goods and services. The WTO Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) TRIPS, was signed on January 1, 1995.The agreement provides for floor standards for the protection of defined intellectual property types and the enforcement of associated intellectual property rights.TRIPS,in turn ,was the outcome of the synthesis of deliberations of two earlier international conventions: (1) the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property (Paris Convention) and (2) the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works (Berne Convention). Paris Convention Article 1(3) defined industrial property to include "all manufactured or natural products, for example, wines, grain, tobacco leaf, fruit, cattle, minerals, mineral waters, beer, flowers, and flour." Paris Convention Article 1(2) further provided that the protection afforded to industrial property included "indications of source or appellations of origin." Thus the adoption of the TRIPS Agreement hera lded an important development for the global recognition of geographical indications. However, significant controversies continued to hover on discussions of this issue, as and when they took place, either at the WTO and other platforms of international trade. For instance, there were and are substantial differences of opinions about the manners in which registration of geographical indications under article 23.4 would finally be implemented and recognized. Take, for instance, the case of quite a few developed and developing countries who desire to extend special protection which was available only to wines and spirits to other products. In short such countries are pressing hard for special protection list to be expanded substantially. On issues of public health discussions on geographical indications resulted in a clear North-South divide. However, on issues of industrial products and food products the reaction has been divergent on very many important issues. Both developed and de veloping countries alike- maintain quite differing positions on such matters. This clearly shows that all such countries view differently the economic impacts of the system of geographical i

Mid-Term Exam Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Mid-Term Exam - Essay Example On the other hand, there are data that lead to the assumption that race can be a decisive criterion for the criminal behaviour against juveniles. The views of the theory do not seem to agree totally on such an aspect, however it would be rather difficult to formulate a precise assumption since the identification of the exact reasons of a specific criminal behaviour can just assumed (as already explained above). A series of issues like the personal experiences and the stress can severely affect human behaviour and in these terms the criminal behaviour against juveniles could not be considered as having a particular cause. However, the weakness of juveniles to respond to the attack (psychological or physical) is regarded as a common reason for the development of criminal behaviour against them. In the case of suicide, it is also this weakness of juveniles to respond to the pressure of a particular difficulty. The statistics involving in the criminal behaviour against juveniles are indicative of the extension of the problem. More specifically, in accordance with a series of statistics published by the Youth Violence Research Bulletin (2004) ‘between 1981 and 1998, 20,775 juveniles ages 7–17 committed suicide in the United States—nearly as many as were homicide or cancer victims; males were the victims in 78% of these juvenile suicides; over the same period, the suicide rate for American Indian juveniles was far higher than for any other race’. It seems from the above figures that there is a relation between suicide and race. Conditions of living or work can be considered as potential reasons for the above differentiation. Towards the same direction, in a research made by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention it has been found that ‘a white juvenile between ages 7 and 17 was nearly 1.5 times more likely to commit

Discuss the history (literature), art, sculpture, architecture, other Essay

Discuss the history (literature), art, sculpture, architecture, other archaeological nds, inscriptions, coins, and so forth abou ROMAN VILLAS - Essay Example o sectors in the Britain, those who were known as the well-off only had to occupy the villas and the poor who were the majority occupied the Celtic houses. The villas have paints on the tops which were different and the changing artistic styles. The walls were not or never plastered, this different information in the artist’s works was mostly borrowed from the Greeks art. The arts found in the Romans are presumed to be borrowed from the Greek hence most of the art work of the Roman villas and the Greek villas are same and closely related (Elaine K. Gazda). The presences of the Romans villas in other provinces show Romanization and the acceptance of the architectural forms and practices by the local elite. The proliferation of the villas in the Italy is a drastic transformation of the economy, it is regarded as capitalism in the empire and it was a clear indication of division in the social class. The villas are considered in two forms; the social and the economic way in which the intensity of change between different empires are considered (Grant). The roman art is considered in two ways; the public work and the private work. The public work is more pronounce than the private because as it’s per the public monument will always continue to provide a chronological armature in the field of the roman art with abroad view of the history. The public work of the roman art is more commemorate major historical events, religious rites and imperial policies through public monuments which express the collective ideas and achievements of the roman people. For the work of the private sphere it is upon them to turn forms and images that express the personal belief, taste and self-perceptions of the Romans. This art work helps to know the place and the position of individuals (Kemp). The private work art poses certain problem in that the scant documentation is available to student of art but the student is outside the purview of the official Rome. Also the meaning of the

Mid-Term Exam Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Mid-Term Exam - Essay Example On the other hand, there are data that lead to the assumption that race can be a decisive criterion for the criminal behaviour against juveniles. The views of the theory do not seem to agree totally on such an aspect, however it would be rather difficult to formulate a precise assumption since the identification of the exact reasons of a specific criminal behaviour can just assumed (as already explained above). A series of issues like the personal experiences and the stress can severely affect human behaviour and in these terms the criminal behaviour against juveniles could not be considered as having a particular cause. However, the weakness of juveniles to respond to the attack (psychological or physical) is regarded as a common reason for the development of criminal behaviour against them. In the case of suicide, it is also this weakness of juveniles to respond to the pressure of a particular difficulty. The statistics involving in the criminal behaviour against juveniles are indicative of the extension of the problem. More specifically, in accordance with a series of statistics published by the Youth Violence Research Bulletin (2004) ‘between 1981 and 1998, 20,775 juveniles ages 7–17 committed suicide in the United States—nearly as many as were homicide or cancer victims; males were the victims in 78% of these juvenile suicides; over the same period, the suicide rate for American Indian juveniles was far higher than for any other race’. It seems from the above figures that there is a relation between suicide and race. Conditions of living or work can be considered as potential reasons for the above differentiation. Towards the same direction, in a research made by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention it has been found that ‘a white juvenile between ages 7 and 17 was nearly 1.5 times more likely to commit

Ethics and Critical Thinking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Ethics and Critical Thinking - Essay Example Values are things that are of ultimate importance to an individual or society. These values are usually believed to be supported by some truth. Truth is what actually is in reality. All of these concepts are important to criminal justice. They are important to criminal justice for many reasons. For one, it helps people in the criminal justice professions to understand the relationships between these concepts. In so doing, they will be somewhat better equipped to act in such a way that is consistent with some sort of thinking about right and wrong. The problem with it all can be easily seen if you think about it in reverse. Truth begets values and values beget morals. Does anyone actually know any absolute truth? What if what we think is true is actually false? Would that mean our values are baseless? Furthermore, would that mean morality is nothing more than an arbitrary set of

Explain why Gatsby is considered a romantic Essay Example for Free

Explain why Gatsby is considered a romantic Essay Although F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, is told from the point of view of Nick Carraway, who was one of its main characters and the first character introduced, it still mainly revolves around the story of Jay Gatsby and his romantic pursuit of Daisy Buchanan, the only woman he ever loved. While the novel initially focuses on the status of America and the morally perverted characteristics of the wealthy people in Long Island, it also emphasizes Gatsby’s quest to win back Daisy at all costs after the two separated when he participated in World War I. This is also why Gatsby can be considered a highly romantic character in the novel despite the fact that the story is not told from his perspective. In general, Gatsby’s romantic pursuit of Daisy is depicted throughout the novel except for its early chapters because he was first fully introduced near middle part of the story. Possibly the first point in the novel wherein his romantic character is illustrated was when Nick discovered from his friend, Jordan Baker, that Gatsby has been throwing massive and lavish parties every week in the hope that Daisy will visit. This was also the point where Nick, who was also the narrator and the person who documented the events of his companions, discovered Gatsby’s past and how he got separated from Daisy as a soldier. It is also revealed later on in the novel that Gatsby accumulated massive wealth for the sole purpose of impressing Daisy and convincing her that she would be well-provided with him. He also bought his house on the same area where Daisy lives in order to be close her and monitor her. In fact, when Gatsby was still a soldier and was not yet rich, he lied to Daisy about his social status in order to show her that he was good for her and to persuade her to wait for his return from the battlefield. However, Daisy married Tom Buchanan, her present husband, which basically ignited the chain of events that led to Gatsby’s relentless pursuit of Daisy. In other words, all of Gatsby’s actions mentioned above only show that he would do anything for his love. This was further accentuated when it was shown in the novel that Gatsby acquired his wealth through illegal activities and through participation in organized crime such as unlawful distribution of alcohol and stolen goods. Meaning to say, no matter what the means and the costs were, Gatsby would do anything for Daisy, which only proves that he is a romantic. Another important highlight of Gatsby’s romantic pursuit is his reunion with Daisy which was arranged by Nick. It was during this time that Gatsby’s passion and love towards her were more vividly revealed. Moreover, it again showed how Gatsby would do anything just to see Daisy and be reunited with her because even to the point of asking Nick, whom he has known for only a short time, to arrange such a meeting. When Gatsby and Daisy started a secret affair, he did not care about the risks such as Tom finding out because it was only Daisy he cared about. Thus, it can also be deduced that Gatsby was selfish because all of his actions were directed for the sole purpose of being with the one he loves. But being selfish is usually the case among romantic people because it is in their nature to do everything in their power for the object of their love. However, possibly the main highlight of Gatsby’s love for Daisy was when he sacrificed his life in order to save her from possible arrest and humiliation. This is shown when the car that Daisy and Gatsby were in accidentally hits and kills Myrtle Wilson, who has a secret love affair with Tom. In the ensuing events, Gatsby takes the blame for killing Myrtle even though it was Daisy who was driving the car. He also refuses to leave town when Nick asks him to do so. As a result, George, Myrtle’s husband, shoots and kills Gatsby in his rage before killing himself. In short, Gatsby’s sacrifice best exemplified his love for Daisy and punctuated the fact that he is a romantic character. He basically epitomizes a romantic who would do anything, even at the cost of his of his own life, just to please the one he loves. References Fitzgerald, F. S. (2007). The Great Gatsby. USA: Penguin Books.

College Admissions Essay - The Search for Truth :: College Admissions Essays

College Admissions Essay - The Search for Truth    Whoever said that we were supposed to take everything on faith? Not God, that's for certain. He's always told us to try it for ourselves, and see if it makes our lives better. I'll never forget the day my high school chemistry teacher had a nervous breakdown because he tried to understand a universe where there was no God, whatsoever. (That is true, to my knowledge, by the way.)    I've always been surprised how much faith people put in science, though. Many of the greatest scientists believed in God, and my speculation as to why, is that those scientists knew just how amazing it was that they could discover an equation to measure gravity, or one that made energy and matter that same. People, of course, had no idea what they had on their hands and worship it today as if it were God. Those scientists knew very well, after all their work, that any theory they produced was only awaiting its demise. The values that when put to the test, would prove it wrong. And then they'd find their mistake and fix it.    People have made something of a religion out of science these days. People treat it as a burden, rather than the enlightenment it is, but they also treat those far advanced in it, as infallible and beyond mortal ken. Not so bad as the inquisition days, believe you me! But the Inquisition really only went underground, to explode again as science, this time trying to kill faith instead of logic. Luckily, the new inquisition only condemns people to a life of fear and hate, instead of religious bigotry, or even real religion, like being nice.