Aesops Fable of the Crow and the Pitcher

Aesops Fable of the Crow and the Pitcher One of Aesops most popular animal stories is this one, of a thirsty and ingenious crow. The text of the fable, from George Fyler Townsend, whose translation of Aesops Fables has been the standard in English since the 19th Century, is this: A Crow perishing with thirst saw a pitcher, and hoping to find water, flew to it with delight. When he reached it, he discovered to his grief that it contained so little water that he could not possibly get at it. He tried everything he could think of to reach the water, but all his efforts were in vain. At last he collected as many stones as he could carry and dropped them one by one with his beak into the pitcher, until he brought the water within his reach and thus saved his life. Necessity is the mother of invention. History of the Fable Aesop, if he existed, was a slave in the seventh century Greece. According to Aristotle, he was born in Thrace. His fable of the Crow and the Pitcher was well known in Greece and in Rome, where mosaics have been found illustrating the crafty crow and the stoic pitcher. The fable was the subject of a poem by Bianor, an ancient Greek poet from Bithynia, who lived under the emperors Augustus and Tiberius in the First Century A.D. Avianus mentions the story 400 years later, and it continues to be cited throughout the Middle Ages. Interpretations of the Fable The morals of Aesops fables have always been appended by translators. Townsend, above, interprets the story of the Crow and the Pitcher to mean that dire circumstance gives rise to innovation. Others have seen in the story the virtue of persistence: The crow must drop many rocks into the pitcher before he can drink. Avianus took the fable as an advertisement for the suave sciences rather than force, writing: This fable shows us that thoughtfulness is superior to brute strength. The Crow and the Pitcher and Science Again and again, historians have noted with wonder that such an ancient tale- already hundreds of years old in Roman times- should document actual crow behavior. Pliny the Elder, in his Natural History (77 A.D.) mentions a crow accomplishing the same feat as the one in Aesops story. Experiments with rooks (fellow corvids) in 2009 showed that the birds, presented with the same dilemma as the crow in the fable, made use of the same solution. These findings established that tool use in birds was more common than had been supposed, also that the birds would have had to understand the nature of solids and liquids, and further, that some objects (stones, for example) sink while others float. More Aesops Fables: The Ant and the DoveThe Bee and JupiterThe Cat and VenusThe Fox and the MonkeyThe Lion and the Mouse

Wordiness and Redundancy in SAT Writing Questions

Wordiness and Redundancy in SAT Writing Questions SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips A general rule to follow when answering SAT Writing questions is that the given sentence should be written in the most concise grammatically correct way. Often, especially in sentence improvement questions, the error in a sentence is only that the sentence is too wordy. Similarly, sometimes specific words in a sentence can be eliminated because they are superfluous. Wordiness and redundancy are common errors on the SAT Writing section, and I will be explaining how to identify and correct these errors. In this post, I'll do the following: Explain wordiness. Explain redundancy. Show how wordiness and redundancy are tested on the SAT. Give real SAT examples. Provide practice problems to test you on what you've learned. Wordiness on the SAT For SAT purposes, wordiness means that a sentence can be shortened without creating a grammatical error. Concise writing is better writing. Wordy sentences force the reader to navigate through complex phrases to try to figure out the point. Concise sentences are much easier to understand. On the SAT, wordiness is a common problem on the sentence improvement subsection. The correct answer will always be the most concise grammatically correct choice. Sentence improvement questions often repeat the same phrases that signal a wordiness error. Common Wordiness Errors and Corrections Here are phrases that often appear on the SAT Writing section in their wordy and concise versions. The concise options are not only shorter but also substituting the wordy options for the concise options makes the sentence read better. Here is an example of a sentence with a wordy phrase: Being that she was driven to succeed as a writer, Joyce studied great authors. This is the corrected version of the same sentence: Because she was driven to succeed as a writer, Joyce studied great authors. Relying on your ear to determine what "sounds right" can help with wordiness questions. However, following the rule that the shorter grammatically correct sentence is right will always enable you to correctly answer wordiness questions. This is another example of a sentence with a wordy phrase: In spite of him being the youngest one in the kindergarten class, he was the tallest. Here is the sentence after we substitute the concise phrase: Although he was the youngest one in the kindergarten class, he was the tallest. In addition to the common wordy phrases, gerunds also tend to signal wordiness errors on the SAT Gerunds Tend to Create Wordiness Errors Gerunds are verbs that function as nouns and end in "ing". Examples of gerunds include playing, jumping, and singing. Keep in mind that not all "ing" words are gerunds. Participles, verbs that act as adjectives, can end in "ing", too. Check out this example of a sentence with a participle that ends in "ing": Returning home tomorrow, Ignacio is excited to see his parents. "Returning" is a participle that modifies the noun "Ignacio". Now that we know the difference between a gerund and a participle, let's see how gerunds create wordiness errors. Take a look at this example of a wordy sentence with a gerund: Every year, tens of thousands of students apply to the most selective colleges, with the gaining of admission to these schools being their goal. The gerunds in the sentence are "gaining" and "being". To fix the wordiness error, we have to make the phrase "with the gaining of admission to these schools being their goal" more concise. Here is the corrected version of the sentence: Every year, tens of thousands of students apply to the most selective colleges in order to gain admission to these schools. There are multiple ways to correct the original sentence, but you should know that the corrected version is a better sentence. Why? It is more concise and it is grammatically correct. That's the recipe for a right answer in the sentence improvement subsection. Gerunds often signal a wordiness error, but how should you fix a wordy sentence with a gerund? When Possible, Replace a Gerund with a Noun or Pronoun and a Verb Typically, you should replace a gerund with a noun or pronoun and a verb in wordy sentences. Look at this wordy sentence with a gerund: Justin is a huge fan of gymnastics because of itbeing a sport that combines artistry, athleticism, strength, and acrobatics. The gerund in the sentence is "being". To fix the wordy sentence, let's replace the gerund with a pronoun and a verb: Justin is a huge fan of gymnastics because it is a sport that combines artistry, athleticism, strength, and acrobatics. The gerund "being" was replaced by the pronoun "it" and the verb "is". The corrected version should read better to you and it is a more concise sentence. While gerunds often signal a wordy sentence, keep in mind that gerunds should be used in certain instances. Correct Uses of Gerunds Gerunds can be used correctly in certain idioms, to maintain parallel structure, or to indicate a way or method of doing something. This is an example of a sentence with a gerund being used to indicate a method of doing something: I got a perfect score on the SAT by following the advice in the PrepScholar article about how to get a 2400. The gerund is used to reveal how I got a perfect score. Let's consolidate the information about wordiness into a strategy for correctly answering wordiness questions on the SAT. Strategy for Wordiness Questions Always choose the answer that is the most concise grammatically correct sentence. Substitute the concise versions of wordy phrases. Replace gerunds with nouns (or pronouns) and verbs, when possible. If you see a gerund in a sentence, make sure it is being used correctly. Try to employ these tips on questions that appeared on the SAT Writing section. Real SAT Writing Examples See if you can find the correct answer on this wordiness question from a real SAT. Explanation:Here, the phrase â€Å"of believing that the ship was unsinkable† is the reason why people were unprepared for the sinking of the Titanic. Even if the underlined phrase sounds fine to you, we want to see if we can make the sentence more concise without creating a grammatical error. You should have noticed the gerund â€Å"believing†. Let’s try to replace the gerund with a noun or pronoun + a verb. Who believed the ship was unsinkable? The people. They believed that. So, answer choices C and D are the only ones that change the gerund to the noun + verb form. However, in answer choice D, after â€Å"they believed†, the phrase â€Å"the unsinkable nature of the ship† is more wordy than the phrase after â€Å"they believed† in choice C, â€Å"that the ship was unsinkable†. Because we want the most concise grammatically correct version of the sentence, the answer is C. Here's another example for you. Explanation: Again, the phrase may not appear to have a grammatical error, but you should pick the most concise grammatically correct version of the underlined phrase. You should notice the gerund â€Å"revealing†. Can we change the gerund to the noun (or pronoun) + VERB form? Look at the answer choices. We can. The phrase â€Å"because of supposedly revealing† can be changed to â€Å"because it was supposed to reveal†. The pronoun â€Å"it† refers to celadon porcelain. There is no grammatical error in choice E and that version is more concise than the original. The correct answer is E. Now, let's take a look at a similar type of error: redundancy Redundancy Redundancy means using a word or phrase that repeats what is already stated or implied in the sentence. Here is an example of a sentence with a redundancy error: Margaret participates in an annual marathon to raise money for ulcerative colitis each year. The word "annual" means that the marathon takes place every year. Therefore, the phrase "each year" is redundant and unnecessary. So, how is redundancy tested on the SAT? Redundancy on the SAT On SAT redundancy questions, typically a phrase is added that is unnecessary given other words/phrases in the sentence. Take a look at this example: Because the speaker was not using a microphone, his voice was inaudible and could not be heard. The word "inaudible" means could not be heard. Therefore, the phrase "and could not be heard" is unnecessary. This is the corrected version of the sentence: Because the speaker was not using a microphone, his voice was inaudible. Just like in our discussion of wordiness, the most concise grammatically correct sentence is the right answer. Here are some tips to help you correctly answer redundancy questions. Strategy Make sure that all underlined words and phrases are necessary for the sentence to maintain its meaning. Check to see that underlined phrases or words don't reiterate what has already been said. Employ these strategies to tackle actual SAT redundancy questions. Real SAT Writing Example This is a redundancy question taken from a real SAT. Explanation:So, this question would be difficult if you didn’t know the definition of â€Å"imminent†. There is nothing grammatically wrong in the underlined phrase. However, the word â€Å"imminent† means something is likely to happen. So, is there a way to maintain the meaning of â€Å"was imminent and could happen in the future† and make the sentence more concise? Yes. Something that could happen in the future could be imminent. The phrase â€Å"might be imminent† means the same thing as the underlined phrase and is expressed much more succinctly. Therefore, the right answer is E. Again, you always want to choose the most concise grammatically correct answer. Here's some helpful information to help you solve both wordiness and redundancy questions. General SAT Writing Strategies for Wordiness and Redundancy #1: Identify Common Wordy Phrases that are Underlined If you see a commonly used wordy phrase underlined in the sentence improvement subsection, replace the phrase with the concise version of the phrase. #2: Make Sure that Gerunds are Being Used Correctly Gerunds often signal a wordiness error. If a gerund is underlined, make sure that the gerund cannot be replaced with the noun + verb formation. #3: Verify that Underlined Words/Phrases are not Redundant If a phrase is merely providing the definition of an adjective in the sentence, then that phrase is redundant and should be eliminated from the sentence. #4: The Most Concise Grammatically Correct Answer Choice is the Right Answer This is the basic rule that should guide you when answering sentence improvement questions. If a sentence does not have an identifiable grammar error, then make sure that the sentence cannot be written more concisely. Apply these strategies to some realistic practice questions that I created for you. Additional SAT Writing Practice Questions 1. Psychologists do not agree about what is the definition of happiness and how to measure it. A. what is the definition of happiness and how to measure it. B. how to define and measure happiness. C. how to define happiness, and also its measurement. D. the definition of happiness and measuring it. E. defining happiness as well as measurement. 2. Even though she had just recovered from a severe bout of influenza, Julie did not want to miss her upcoming basketball game because of her being an extremely competitive athlete. A. because of her being an extremely competitive athlete. B. because of her being an extreme competitive athlete. C. when she is being an extremely competitive athlete. D. because she is an extremely competitive athlete. E. in spite of her being an extremely competitive athlete. 3. John told his parents that he hit his little brother inadvertently and did not do so intentionally. A. inadvertently and did not do so intentionally. B. inadvertently and not doing so intentionally. C. inadvertently. D. not intentionally and inadvertently. E. inadvertently and not done so intentionally. 4. Because Joel works such tremendously long hours is the reason why he is unable to see his friends as often as he would like. A. Because Joel works such tremendously long hours is the reason why B. Because Joel works such tremendously long hours, C. Being that Joel work such tremendously long hours is the reason why D. Joel works such tremendously long hours because the reason why E. Being that Joel worked such tremendously long hours; Answers: 1. B, 2. D, 3. C, 4. B What's Next Now that you understand wordiness and redundancy on SAT Writing, you should continue to master the other grammar rules that appear on the test. Check out these articles on parallel structure, subject-verb agreement, and pronoun agreement.

Reflection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 59

Reflection - Essay Example with fewer regulations concerning labor rights in order to produce products that are cheap with the aim of trying to remain competitive in the global market. Although cheap labor is one of the incentives that are making different companies to outsource their operations to Asian countries, there must be limits on how to use this labor. I was surprised that Nike kept stating that it was creating employment to poor countries while in reality; the firm was exploiting the local population and enhancing poverty in these regions. In addition, sweatshops were meant to ensure that money was distributed evenly to the laborers through high wages. On the contrary, the sweatshops were characterized by poor working conditions, low levels of environmental protection, and less attention to health and safety. Therefore, Nike Company was able to make immense profits on the expense of poor people in Indonesia, China, and Vietnam. I have been persuaded that companies have not been making the lives of the locals who are working in sweatshops any easier. This is because with the increasing levels of globalization resulting from liberalization of markets, efficient flow of information, and integration or economies the level of competition in the local market has increased tremendously. Many multinational companies such as Wal-Mart have also been found to have violated the labor rights in an attempt to offer the customers with high quality goods at very low prices. This is an indication that companies are targeting areas with fewer regulations in order to exploit child labor and pay low wages despite overworking these subordinates. I never thought that child labor still exists in the modern society. I thought that competition is healthy and it makes the company to be innovative. In addition, I thought that competition forces the companies to mechanize their operations and becomes more innovative. However, this session has enlightened me on the negative side of intense competition in

Language and psycholinguistics method for research Essay

Language and psycholinguistics method for research - Essay Example A fully fledged research was carried out among 28 students in this study. Our results states phonological awareness plays an important role in word reading and the non words arranged similar to the actual words do stimulate the correct word reading extensively. We all read several words daily, from film posters to the major office documents. The ability to understand words is important in every persons life as it is an important factor affecting ones knowledge. Lexical decision checks the ability of the person to differentiate between words and non words and identify phonological and semantically primed words. There are a series of experiments conducted to test a person’s lexical decision. This results correlated are used for several different purposes from understanding how people with disabilities in hearing and the normal humans intercept words to determining how the people lexical decision ability influences their reading skill. Human brain processes millions of words every day. How does it identify the meaning of each different word? Collins and Loftus (1975) stated knowledge is stored and processed in the form of nodes. A semantic network stores millions of nodes. One stimulus arouses several related nodes. For example when a person hears the word "car" he automatically associates it with related nodes like "driver", "road" and "speed" rather than other totally different nodes like "dress" and "television". The experiments carried out by various people like McClelland and Rumelhart (1986) have confirmed this concept of relative nodes awakening. The process is termed as "Priming". The researchers also proposed the Parallel Distributed Processing model to enhance the studies about priming. The concept "Priming" helps us understand the mechanism behind understanding words. Pamela Markek says "a concept is represented by a pattern of activation, rather than by activation of a single node". A person’s brain

The Labor Movement in the 1920s Essay Example for Free

The Labor Movement in the 1920s Essay As a correction to the wartime effort, inflation and unemployment increased because there was not a need to mass-produce products for war, and America had to return to normalcy. The amount of labor unrest increased during this time period, which is very obvious by the increase of labor strikes. There was a strike by the United States Steel Corporation workers in 1919. They were annoyed with their seven 12 hour workdays a week. The leader of the American Federation of Labor joined the International Workers of the World (which was a communist group dedicated to freeing the bonds of workers) after the strike. A committee published a report that illustrated the horrible working conditions, which eventually caused steel companies to reduce to an eight-hour day. The United Mine Workers went on strike in hope of receiving better wages and a shorter workday. Attorney General Palmer got a court order that told the strikers to return to work. Lewis formally declared the strike over, but it continued for another month until Wilson appointed an arbitrator to decide the remaining issues. The Mine Workers received a 27 percent pay increase, but the same hours. The police in Boston wanted pay raises and sent a group to commissioner Coolidge, to hear their demands. Coolidge fired the group and the rest of the force went on strike. The National Guard restored the peace and Coolidge hired a new police force and granted the demands of the strikers. During this time period a group of stores called chain stores were becoming popular, they spread throughout the country, were owned by one person, and charged lower prices for products. The 122 million U.S. citizens began losing their jobs because of the throng of migrating immigrants who worked for low wages, modern technology becoming useful in the make of products. Working men had a hard time adjusting to women that were also fighting against inequality for the right to work. Because of prosperity, labor unions lost membership from 5 million in the early 20s to 3.5 million by  the late 20s. Corporate and Government attack on labor strikes became extremely intense. People who participated in strikes were beaten and sometimes killed. And last a small fact, the average annual income for the typical American worker was only $1,574.

Future of Oil Essay -- Essays Papers

Future of Oil Is the world on the brink of an oil crisis? I decided to look into this possibility, because it seems like a rather serious question, one that I would feel more comfortable about if I had enough information to at least form a fairly justifiable position. After all, the little I knew about the situation before conducting any research yielded one undeniable result: the issue is an extremely divisive one, with plenty of proponents on both sides of the argument. I decided to look first at the arguments of those who claim that a crisis is looming. George Monbiot summarizes the problem in the following succinct fashion: â€Å"The world's problem is as follows. We now consume six barrels of oil for every new barrel we discover. Major oil finds (of over 500m barrels) peaked in 1964. In 2000, there were 13 such discoveries, in 2001 six, in 2002 two and in 2003 none. Three major new projects will come onstream in 2007 and three in 2008. For the following years, none have yet been scheduled.† This, at first, seems like a rather startling discovery, but it’s its significanc... Future of Oil Essay -- Essays Papers Future of Oil Is the world on the brink of an oil crisis? I decided to look into this possibility, because it seems like a rather serious question, one that I would feel more comfortable about if I had enough information to at least form a fairly justifiable position. After all, the little I knew about the situation before conducting any research yielded one undeniable result: the issue is an extremely divisive one, with plenty of proponents on both sides of the argument. I decided to look first at the arguments of those who claim that a crisis is looming. George Monbiot summarizes the problem in the following succinct fashion: â€Å"The world's problem is as follows. We now consume six barrels of oil for every new barrel we discover. Major oil finds (of over 500m barrels) peaked in 1964. In 2000, there were 13 such discoveries, in 2001 six, in 2002 two and in 2003 none. Three major new projects will come onstream in 2007 and three in 2008. For the following years, none have yet been scheduled.† This, at first, seems like a rather startling discovery, but it’s its significanc...

Consumers’ Perception of Quality Essay

This study primarily investigates the underlying factors that help to form consumer perception of quality toward private universities in Bangladesh. Five beliefs have been identified as salient to perceive the quality of private universities of Bangladesh. These are quality faculty members, university environment, campus facility, quality education and university image/reputation. Multi-item measures were used for data collection. Results revealed that three factors: campus facility, quality education and university image/reputation have positive and significant influence on perceived quality of private university in Bangladesh. Quality faculty members and university environment do not have significant influence on perceived quality of private university in Bangladesh. INTRODUCTION: Higher education in the university level has been imparted through two major types of institutions, namely: public university and private university. The concept of private university in Bangladesh is not a very ancient one. The emergence of private university in Bangladesh began with the enactment of a series of laws governing higher education in 1992. To fulfill the ever-growing demand of institutions of higher studies, at present there are 85 universities in Bangladesh where only 29 of those are public universities and remaining 56 are private (University Grants Commission Website). Establishment of private universities released the pressure of large-scale admission seekers for the limited number of seats available in public universities. The Private University Act 1992 mentions that the main objectives of private universities are to meet the growing demand of higher education and to create skilled manpower for the economic development of the country. The present study analyzes the perceived quality of private universities in Bangladesh focusing on some salient beliefs like quality faculty members, university environment, campus facility, quality education, image/reputation. Private universities in Bangladesh, no doubt, have contributed to responding to the social demand for higher education by absorbing a good number of students who otherwise could not have received university degree. The private universities are attracting a large number of students, while it seems that the reputation and teaching-learning process of the public universities are secularly on the decline, despite the fact that their worldwide reputation is higher than some of the private universities. The state has to form some sort of â€Å"accreditation council† and those private universities that satisfy certain critical minimum requirements of inputs, processes, and outputs will be given accreditation by the proposed council. RELATED CONSTRUCTS OF THIS STUDY: Faculty Members: Faculty members are one of the most important and crucial factors for any private universities. In order to evaluate perceived quality the key factor to be considered is the quality of the faculties as it has a significant influence on the perceived quality of private universities. Also to provide quality education the faculty members are also chosen from a pool of excellent academic background with national and foreign degrees. For ensuring the sound academic environment, now private universities are emphasizing research work of the faculty members. University Environment: The university environment is another factor for choosing university and perceiving the quality of a particular university. Therefore it is important that the university must have a congenial environment that will ensure friendly student-teacher relationship, politics free and no session jam or delay in achieving graduation, well organized authority, zero discrimination and good and healthy premis es. Campus Facility: The campus facility of any private university must have the basic facilities as well as some value added facilities as the students of private universities are paying some premium price in getting the education here. Quality Education: The students who get enrolled in private universities must have a minimum educational background to qualify for the admission test and finally enrolled in the university. The curriculum is designed to meet the international standard as well as the students should be able to take part in any competitive examination with full confidence as compared to those of public universities. The student-teacher ratio and the grading policy also have an impact on the quality education. Image / Reputation: The image or reputation of the university has an impact in the job market. The private universities like North South University, East West University, BRAC University, Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB), American International University, Bangladesh (AIUB) have been able to create an acceptance to the students and guardian community by their image and reputation. OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY: The objective of this study therefore is to identify, analyze, and explore how the students perceive quality of the private universities and what are the extrinsic factors (faculty strength, university environment, campus facility, brand image, and quality of education) influencing perception of quality to the students and guardians. Each of these extrinsic cues has positive or negative impact on the students’ evaluation of private universities in Bangladesh. Having identified all the cues we need to find out which cue/s has/have more influence on the students while evaluating the perceived quality of a particular private university. REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE: Given the importance of the topic, it is not surprising that a great deal has been written about quality. Consistency limitation preclude a comprehensive review (Castleberry 1985), only the literature that is relevant to the objectives of this exploratory study will be discussed here. Unlike the approach taken in this paper, many authors have offered definitions of quality. For example, Crosby (1979) defined it as â€Å"conformance to requirements,† while Kotler (2006) defined it as â€Å"the rated ability of the brand to perform its functions.† Others have highlighted aesthetic considerations. Thus, Bohr (1980) notes that quality â€Å"†¦also means aesthetic and sensuous pleasure as well†¦it is timeless style, simple elegance and a sensation that makes people feel comfortable and satisfied to be near it.† Garvin (1984), however, concedes that the definition of quality â€Å"remains a source of confusion.† He states that quality often is equated with conformance to tight manufacturing standards but that there are many other dimensions of quality as well, to wit: performance, durability, reliability, serviceability, the â€Å"bells and whistles,† and aesthetic elements. In a similar view, Gronroos (1984) acknowledges the need to define quality of services in terms of consumer perceptions and suggests that service quality may be a function of a number of variables, i.e., consumer expectations, technical and functional characteristics, and image. After classifying definitions of quality that have appeared in marketing and other disciplines, Holbrook and Corfman (1985) developed a definition of quality within the framework of value theory, specifically: quality is the â€Å"extrinsic, self-oriented, passive value.† An empirical test of their conceptual definition was only marginally successful and the authors concluded that they had provided only a partial answer to the quest ion of the meaning of quality. Years ago Wittgenstein (1953) stated that to understand quality from the consumer’s standpoint, one must be concerned with the everyday use of the word. However, as evidenced by examples from the literature, researchers generally have not adopted this approach. Moreover, no study was found which explored the extent to which consumers’ definitions of quality depend upon the product or service being considered. Another line of inquiry in the current study is whether consumers evaluate quality before and/or after purchasing a product or service ant, if so, how. Economists, who probably have contributed most to this topic, are divided into two groups. Wilde (1981) represents those who feel quality is a search attribute (i.e., quality perceptions are formed before purchase). Others (e.g., Hey and McKenna 1981), however, feel that perceptions of quality are formed only after purchase and hence quality is an experience attribute. Of the many issues relating to quality, consumer researchers seem to be most interested in how consumers evaluate quality. Most work has explored the effects of various cues and cue combinations on perceptions and evaluation of quality (Olson 1972, Olson 1977, and Monroe and Krishnan 1985). Recently, Gronroos (1984) and Parasuramen, et al. (1984) have developed conceptual motels of service quality and have identified possible determinants of perceived service quality. The fact that these are service quality motels suggests that the evaluation, as well as the definition, of quality is likely to be context-bound. Gronroos, however, has only tested his model with a sample of service business executives, and the Parasuramen, et al. motel is now being tested empirically. Therefore, considerable work must be done before a better understanding of the meaning and role of quality from the consumer’s perspective is achieved. ATTITUDE TOWARDS PRIVATE UNIVERSITY: As a purpose of the study, we examine the information integration process by which consumers form Attitudes toward Private University (APU). As per cognitive process of consumer decision- making, consumers combine some of their knowledge, meanings, and beliefs for choosing private university to form an overall evaluation. These considered beliefs might be formed by interpretation processes or activated from memory. All Beliefs about Private University: The pretest is conducted to identify the salient beliefs towards private university. Convenience sample of 26 students from North South University and East West University have been provided a survey question asking the attributes they consider to perceive the quality of private university.

Marketing and Product Development

The question in the case is whether Kim should spend the fresh (2nd round) VC financing in Marketing and scale up the business or should focus the resources on fine tuning the existing product. Our recommendation is that the company should allocate around 70% of $4mn in marketing spend and 30% in product development and fine tuning the existing one.This recommendation is primarily based on the fact that the company should maximize the first mover advantage and develop barriers to entry by reducing the cost of goods sold with the help of economies of scale and ventually reducing the sales price so as to be competitive and not let others to enter the space. This is mainly because the business model is very easily replicable and thus create the risk of being thrown out of business in the long run.Moreover, the product development and fine tuning is largely replicable irrespective of the number of customers and each customer could be segmented based on the 4 bins Kim and Nolan came up wi th. With reference to the spend, the company should focus on Email marketing, Sophisticated social media, developing sophisticated search echanics, promoting the deals websites advertising and also advertising through blogs.However, it is worthwhile a mention that though emails and network affiliates program involves huge spends, they are directly proportional to the amount of business the firm does or the customer acquisition. The company may run the risk of: 1. Exposing the activities and products in addition to the business model by scaling up the marketing spends and bringing unprecedented levels of transparency to customers along with the firms competitors and potential competitors 2. Exponentially increase the customer retention and acquisition costs by developing ultiple layers of acquisition costs 3.May negatively affect the performance and reputation of the firm if the customers have complaints about the product However the firm may mitigate these risks by: 1. Acquiring max imum amount of market share and create growth in the market size. Thus, creating barrier to entry as a result of low selling price and variety of product match. This is mainly because the idea is substantially untapped and the product is simultaneously acceptable. The firm must target to tap as much market as possible before any new or existing player takes it over. Marketing and Product Development The question in the case is whether Kim should spend the fresh (2nd round) VC financing in Marketing and scale up the business or should focus the resources on fine tuning the existing product. Our recommendation is that the company should allocate around 70% of $4mn in marketing spend and 30% in product development and fine tuning the existing one. This recommendation is primarily based on the fact that the company should maximize the first mover advantage and develop barriers to entry by reducing the cost of goods sold with the help of economies of scale and eventually reducing the sales price so as to be competitive and not let others to enter the space.This is mainly because the business model is very easily replicable and thus create the risk of being thrown out of business in the long run. Moreover, the product development and fine tuning is largely replicable irrespective of the number of customers and each customer could be segmented based on the 4 bins Kim and Nolan came up with. With reference to the spend, the company should focus on Email marketing, Sophisticated social media, developing sophisticated search mechanics, promoting the deals websites advertising and also advertising through blogs.However, it is worthwhile a mention that though emails and network affiliates program involves huge spends, they are directly proportional to the amount of business the firm does or the customer acquisition. The company may run the risk of:1.Exposing the activities and products in addition to the business model by scaling up the marketing spends and bringing unprecedented levels of transparency to customers along with the firms competitors and potential competitors2.Exponentially increase the customer retention and acquisition costs by developing multiple layers of acquisition costs3.May negatively affect the performance and reputation of the firm if the customers have complaints about the product However the firm may mitigate these risks by:1.Acquiring maximu m amount of market share and create growth in the market size. Thus, creating barrier to entry as a result of low selling price and variety of product match. This is mainly because the idea is substantially untapped and the product is simultaneously acceptable. The firm must target to tap as much market as possible before any new or existing player takes it over.2.The increasing customer retention and acquisition costs could also  be countered by lowing the COGS as a result of economies of scale and effecting the retention by further lowering the selling price without affecting the margins much.3.Negative reputation due to customer complaints could be countered with the help of product development and fine tuning the existing products and ideas based on customer needs and value system. This could be done by implementing the CRM with the help of 30% of the additional funds raised in the 2nd round.

The eNotes Blog Are You Listening Poetry Slam and SocialCommentary

Are You Listening Poetry Slam and SocialCommentary For  National Poetry Month we were tempted to pay homage to classics like Poe, Whitman, Neruda, and all the other greats. But  much of the buzz in the poetry world is not around words on a page, but rather the voice and performance of the poet. Were talking about  poetry slam, and its been  growing in popularity thanks to the web and social media. You no longer have to head to a club to see a live performance YouTube brings the hottest slam poets right to your screen. And if youve never heard of this art form, prepare to emote (hard). So what is a  poetry slam? According to Poetry Slam, Inc., its  the competitive art of performance poetry. It puts a dual emphasis on writing and performance, encouraging poets to focus on what theyre saying and how theyre saying it. The live performance encourages poets to be expressive and emotional not only in the words they choose to say but also in how they say them. Because slam poetry often includes an element of competition, poets strive to bring as much energy and passion as they can to their readings in order to beat out the competition. Of course, performance poetry  isnt a new concept, as its  vibrant and varied history encompasses ancient  Greek lyric and Shakespearean plays (and lots in between). And most,  if not all, art forms throughout global history have  continually reflected and were influenced by their political, cultural, and economic  contexts. Similarly, slam poetry  can  take any format, theme, or topic of the poets choosing (within the confines of any  competition parameters). Unsurprisingly, the most popular topics tend to be  unapologetic social commentary, recited through the lens of personal experience and delivered with  raw  emotion. Then whats so new? Well, couple  all of the above  with sharable video tools  like the aforementioned YouTube and youve got an undeniable platform calling for social revolution. We put together some of our favorite spine-tingling (and in my case tear-inducing, no shame) poems below. Let us know your favorites, any that we missed, and your reactions in the comments! Happy National Poetry Month! Want to get involved? Find a Poetry Slam near you. Gender and Sexuality *This video has some language that may be offensive. *Dear Straight People by Denice Frohman  |  A call for equality. Pride by  Sibel Sayiner and Violet Trachtenberg |  Criticism of corporate sponsorship and a lack of  intersectional and inclusive pride. Hir by  Alysia Harris and Aysha El Shamayleh  | The dual identities of a transgender person. Misogyny  and  Gender  Roles *The Period Poem by Dominique Christina  | Response to a boys disgust over female anatomy. *10 Responses to the Phrase Man Up by Guante  | Criticism of telling men and boys to man up. The Type by Sarah Kay  | Urging women not to define themselves through men. Race and  Ethnicity What Kind of Asian are You? by Alex Dang  | A response to ignorant questioning. *Cuz Hes Black by Javon Johnson  | Commentary on hardships of Black men and young boys. *Mixed, Not Exotic by Sarah ONeal |  A response to ignorance on mixed ethnicities.

An Overview of MHRA Referencing

An Overview of MHRA Referencing An Overview of MHRA Referencing If you’re studying in the humanities, you may be asked to use MHRA referencing at some point. But what exactly is the MHRA system? And how does it work? Let us explain. What Is MHRA Referencing? The Modern Humanities Research Association is a UK-based organization that promotes study of the humanities, particularly literature and languages. It is best known for producing the MHRA Style Guide: A Handbook for Authors, Editors, and Writers of Theses. MHRA referencing, meanwhile, is the citation system set out within this guide. You can download [PDF] the third edition of the MHRA Style Guide for free if you want a full explanation. But since it is quite a big book, we’ll summarize the important points here. Citing Sources When people refer to MHRA referencing, they usually mean the footnote and bibliography version. This is where sources are cited in footnotes, indicated with superscript numbers in the text: These numbers usually appear at the end of a sentence, like this.1 The first time you cite a source, include full publication information. For a book, for instance, this means giving the following details: n. Author Name(s), Title (Place of Publication: Publisher, Year), page number(s). Repeat citations of the same source can then be shortened to save space. The MHRA style guide recommends using the â€Å"shortest intelligible form† for this, usually just the author’s surname and a pinpoint citation. Make sure to check whether your university has other rules, though. There is also an author–date version of MHRA referencing, but this is much less common. The Bibliography In MHRA referencing, you should list all cited sources in a bibliography at the end of your document. However, for a bibliography entry you should: Invert the first listed author’s surname and forename. Leave out pinpoint citations and final punctuation. You would format a book like this, for example: Surname, First Name, Title (Place of Publication: Publisher, Year) More generally, you should set out the bibliography as follows: List sources alphabetically by author surname. List anonymous works by title (ignoring articles for alphabetical order). If citing more than one work by the same author, sort them by title. You would then use two em dashes in place of the author’s name(s) for each entry after the first. Use italics for titles of longer works (e.g., books). Use inverted commas for shorter works (e.g., journal articles). You can abbreviate the titles of frequently cited journals. However, you must also give the full titles in a list of abbreviations earlier in your work. If you follow these rules, making sure everything is consistent, you should end up with a perfectly formatted MHRA bibliography. But if you want to be extra sure everything is in order, don’t forget to have your work checked by one of Proofed’s expert proofreaders.

Supply Chain Management of Wal-Mart Way Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Supply Chain Management of Wal-Mart Way - Essay Example From this discussion it is clear that in the highly competitive environment of global business, companies develop unique competencies to maintain strategic positioning within the industry. The various external paradigms and constantly changing environmental factors necessitate organizations to evolve new strategies and mechanisms to meet their challenges. Porter believes that doing business differently significantly helps companies to maintain leverage. Flexible approach to business strategies and plan hugely support organizational vision, mission and goals. Thus, strategies become critical element that promote creativity and provide them with competitive advantage. The paper would be analyzing and evaluating supply chain management of Wal-Mart US an effective tool of competitive advantage.This paper declares that  Wal-Mart was established by Sam Walton as a small grocery store in 1962 in Arkanas, US. It was soon expanded as chain of stores finally setting up as a supermarket chain . Its wide ranging product is designed to meet the various needs of household. It is focused on the changing needs of the customers and therefore strives for flexible approach in its strategies and plans. It started expansion across the globe from 1991 and today boasts of around 1.8 million associates or workers in nearly 7000 stores across the world. The company extensively relies on technology to enhance its operational efficiency that significantly helps its goals of ‘every day low price’ on its various products.... The company extensively relies on technology to enhance its operational efficiency that significantly helps its goals of ‘every day low price’ on its various products. As the largest retailer in the world, Wal-Mart has been creatively exploiting logistics and supply chain for its niche market position. The effective supply chain and logistics help coordinate the organization’s various linkages with the external agencies and promotes efficient receipt and delivery of goods and services. It has judiciously used advancing technology to improve its operation efficiency in supply and distribution of goods. Data collection method The relevant data has been collected through secondary sources found through literature review, company website and internet. Review on supply chain management Situation analysis Effective supply chain management hugely facilitates smooth flow of information, goods and services and financial transactions at different levels of operations. In th e current times, it is a critical element of competitive advantage because its main components like procurement, distribution, logistics and inventory are essential aspect of timely delivery of desired goods to the target segment. At the same time, they also help the companies to reduce cost of slow moving goods and meet the demands of products that are in high demand. The use of technology helps to evaluate and forecast demand and fill supply to meet the contingencies. The company has centralized its distribution system by creating ‘hubs’ or warehouses from where it dispatches all the goods to their respective customers/ retailers. The hubs are vital part of its effective supply chain as it also helps Wal-Mart to buy goods directly from the manufacturers. It therefore serves