Saturday, August 31, 2019

Life Before and After the Fall of Communism in the Czech Republic

Do 1 Life Before and After the Fall of Communism in the Czech Republic Recently the senate and county elections in the Czech Republic confirmed that the preference of Czech voters is shifting to the left, what's more the Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia got the second highest number of votes. The results are disturbing, because the last time Communists won the polls, the Czechs ended up being oppressed for over 40 years until they managed to overthrow the government. Now it seems that the same people have suffered from a collective memory loss.Have they forgotten how life was before 1989 and what crimes the communists committed during their reign? Voting for the communists is a mistake, which should never be made, because it is considerably better not to have them interfere in our lives. One of the biggest differences between now and then is the atmosphere of the time. Back then people described the atmosphere as â€Å"shades of grey†. They were not encouraged to be diff erent, on contrary individualism was oppressed and frowned upon. As a result most of the people were afraid to do or say anything that would make them stand out of the crowd.This resulted also in an atmosphere of fear. Nowadays individualism is supported in almost any area possible. From a young age people are pushed to be creative and this creativity distinguishes us from others. We have freedom of speech, which means that we can complain about anything even our current government, whereas back then if you said anything negative about the communists they would put you in prison. The concept of freedom was also very different. There wasn't a real democracy with the communists in power. The communistic regime in Czechoslovakia was characterized by the absence of free elections.Many basic human rights were limited such as freedom in political or religious beliefs, freedom of speech, the right to assemble or the right to education. This affected the Do 2 lives of people immensely and m any of them were unsatisfied and angry, however the majority of the society was afraid to do anything. The reason was that the communists got rid of inconvenient people. They fired people, they made sure their children couldn't get on the desired universities; they blackmailed, tortured and killed people through staged trials.For the majority of society it was simpler to act as if they were okay with the regime. In this day and age human rights are secured through countless declarations, laws and treaties. International organizations oversee observance and countries that breach these contracts have to face sanctions and they have to answer to the International Court of Justice. There are also major differences in the everyday life of normal people back then and now. During the reign of Communists it was forbidden to travel out of Czechoslovakia.Only those, who had special permission, could travel abroad and even then, most of these people were monitored by the secret service. Commun ism is strictly against capitalism hence the Communists tried to convince the public that the capitalistic countries were bad and that economically and socially communistic countries were better off than most of the western capitalistic world. Thus they couldn't let people travel abroad, because it would be clear right away that they were knowingly deceiving them. People had also a hard time when they went to shop.There were no products from capitalistic countries and everywhere the selection was very poor. Things as clothes, modern technology or even meat were scarce products. This may sound almost unbelievable to a person, who didn't experience this era or who was born after the fall of communism. We live in a global world today. People travel to the furthest corners of the world. It takes a few clicks to order anything from anywhere in the world through the Internet. People are surrounded by shopping malls with a huge selection. In other words we have everything that we need at t he reach of our hands. Do 3As we can see life during the communistic regime was much harder than life today and it was full of fear, uncertainty, and injustice. People lost many of their basic human rights, they had to suppress their individuality and succumb to the regime. If we compare it to the life that we have now, we have really nothing to complain about and it is obvious that we are better off without the Communists in the government. It is then very hard to comprehend why the Czechs are forgetting so quickly, what the communists have done in this country only a few decades ago and why so many of them have voted in their favor.I would suggest more informational campaigns about this period of history in order for the Czechs to learn properly about their history, because as George Santayana once wrote: â€Å"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it† (1). Do Thuy Linh (Linda) Paula Solon Composition I Comparison and Contrast Essay – Life Before and After the Fall of Communism in the Czech Republic November 8, 2012 Essay Outline Thesis: Voting for the communists is a mistake, which should never be made, because it is considerably better not to have them interfere in our lives.Introduction: The results of recent elections in the Czech Republic show a shift of voters' preference to the left. The most disturbing outcome is that the second highest number of votes belongs to the Communists. The atmosphere back then and now. â€Å"Shades of grey† and atmosphere of fear People feel safe and free Concept of freedom back then and now/ There was no real democracy and basic human rights were violated Human rights are nowadays secured through countless international contracts Everyday life of normal people back then and now.Things as travelling and shopping were hindered or denied Today in this global world we can go anywhere and buy almost anything Conclusion: Comparing life back then and now it is clear that we have nothing t o complain about. It is then hard to believe how the Communists got so many votes. Maybe the Czechs need more informational campaigns in order to learn properly about their history. Works Cited 1. Santayana, George. The Life of Reason. London: Prometheus Books, 1998. Print.

Friday, August 30, 2019

Homework Overload or Vital Material?

Why is homework necessary? Why is it so important? Is it really a vital, mandatory, and daily essential assignment that affects a school life? Many have a different opinion on the amount of homework given. Most of these thoughts and feelings come from teachers, parents, and of course students. Teachers at school presume that homework is one of the most important materials in education. They feel it helps students learn. For example, one way it assists learning is by acting as a study guide for important tests. Another way it’s of use is by reviewing lessons. Homework is not only for the future but also a review from the past. But is it really necessary with the amount given? Parents believe that teachers should limit homework because it causes stress. More kids dread doing their assignments and this effects their learning and stress stamina. Most of these students probably stuffer from homework overloading their life. This means that homework drains away sprits and academic achievements because of the amount given. Students feelings towards homework are quite diverse and neutral. Some kids say that homework isn’t necessary and it’s just stress on paper, but others disagree and think it’s important and helps them get their grades up. Some think homework’s purpose is to reinforce learning and extend learning outside the classroom. But others think they don’t need that extra help that homework is there for. Some students feel that homework confuses the brain after a long day of school and learning other things as well. Homework may be important but also may be just busywork. You can learn from homework but also learn nothing at all. The argument of homework continues with the opinions of teachers, parents, and students. I think we just need to limit the amount we get and make sure we’re not overloading ourselves with assignments. Is homework really essential? Should it be stopped?

Hall Cases Essay

INTERNAL CONTROL CASES 1. Solution Smith’s Market a), b) See diagrams on the following pages. c) Internal Control Weaknesses 1) Access to the cash drawers by sales clerks requires more accountability. Each drawer is accessed by various clerks throughout the day and cash may be withdrawn by any of them. 2) The internal cash register tape should be used as a control to determine how much cash (including checks, and credit card vouchers) should be in the register drawer. 3) The shift supervisor does not sign for the specific amount of cash received or returned at the end of the day. He simply logs the drawers in and out. 4) The treasury clerk is unsupervised in the counting of cash. 5) The treasury clerk has asset custody and responsibility for recording sales and cash in the journal and General Ledger. d) 2.Solution to Spice is Right a), b), See diagrams on the following pages. c) Internal Control Weaknesses 1) No credit check 2) Inventory control function is performed by warehouse clerk. 3) Accounting department bills customer, updates the AR account, and records sales in the Sales Journal thus reducing the opportunity to detect discrepancies between total sales and AR postings. 4) Customer is billed before order is actually shipped 5) Remittance List should be prepared in the mailroom 6) No journal voucher prepared by cash receipts clerk. 7) Cash receipts clerk does not prepare a deposit slip. d) IT Controls for Basic Technology System e) Flowchart of revised system Student responses will vary for this part of the assignment. The following issues, however, need to be addressed. Upgrade stand-alone computers to a networked environment The internal control problems already covered that need to be corrected in the new system. 3. Solution to ABE Plumbing a), b) See diagrams on the following pages. c) Internal Control Weaknesses 1) No Credit check is performed. 2) The sales clerk closes the open sales order causing the sale to be recorded before the goods are actually shipped. 3) The warehouse clerk has asset custody and should not also update the inventory records. 4)The shipping clerk does not reconcile the stock release with the original order. This allows for the wrong items and or quantities to be shipped. 5) Customer is billed before the goods are shipped. Billing should be triggered by shipping notice. Instead, the customer invoice is printed from  the closed sales order, which was prepared before the goods were shipped. d) Flowchart of revised system Student responses will vary for this part of the assignment. The following issues, however, need to be addressed. The internal control problems already covered that need to be corrected in the new system. A system configuration similar to figure 4-18 would be appropriate. 4. Solution to Walker Books a), b), See diagrams on the following pages. c) Internal Control Weaknesses Sales Processing: 1) The credit check is performed by the sales representative 2) The sales department should not be maintain the sales journal 3) The warehouse should not be updating inventory subsidiary ledger Cash Receipts 4) Mail room workers have access to both check and remittance advices. This situation require a reduced span of control and separate mail room procedures for customer payments vs routine mail. 5) The accounts receivable clerk has access to both the checks and the customer accounts d)IT Controls for Basic Technology System e) Revised System Walker Books System Student responses will vary for this part of the assignment but should address the internal control issues already covered. 5. Solution to AV Safety, Inc. a), b), d) See diagrams on the following pages. c) Internal Control Weaknesses 1) No credit check is performed 2) Sales journal is updated before the goods are shipped 3) Warehouse clerk has access to inventory and also update the inventory ledger 4) Mailroom clerk has access to both the remittance advice and the checks, no remittance list id prepared. 5) AR clerk has access to both the checks and the remittance advices d) IT Controls for a Basic Technology System e) Student responses will vary for this part of the assignment, but should address the internal control issues identified above. 6.Solution to Premier Sports Memorabilia a), b), d) See diagrams on the following pages. c) Internal Control Weaknesses 1) Transaction is recorded in Sales Journal before goods are shipped. 2) Warehouse and Shipping functions are combined. This removes control over picking and shipping the wrong products. 3) Mail room clerk should prepare a remittance list to control remittance advices and checks 4) Although not stated in the case as aproblem, the auditor should evaluate network access controls (passwords, access privileges) to ensure a proper segregation of duties d) IT Controls e) Student solutions to this part of the case will vary. The solution should address the control issues identified in part C. 7. Solution to Bait ‘n Reel a, b, and e, see pages that follow c) Internal Control Weaknesses 1) The sales clerk performs the credit check this is a segregation of duties and transaction authorization problem. 2) Warehouse should not update the inventory and General ledger control accounts. 3) AR Clerk should not update the general ledger. 4) Billing and AR are combined. This structure will mask discrepancies between what was billed and what was recorded as a sale. 5) Supervision is needed in the mailroom because employees who open the mail have access to both cash and the remittance advice. 5) The cash receipts clerk has access to the assets (cash) and is responsible for updating the general ledger. 6) See 3 above. d)It Controls

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Computer Forensic Examiner Field Report Case Study

Computer Forensic Examiner Field Report - Case Study Example During the process of gathering digital evidence, elaborate documentation is necessary to help identity evidence, and demonstrate policies used in the exercise. In addition, appropriate documentation is essential in the location of evidence found in a crime scene. In relation to documentation, a clear chain of custody helps determine analysts involved in handling of evidence. It also identifies the owners of evidence and persons who receive it, as well as store them (Turkey, 2008). This concept is vital in tracing the movement of evidence from one analyst to another. During a digital evidence fieldwork, an evidence custodian will keep accurate documentation of the evidence and ensure that evidence has tags and stored in secure bags ready for transport. The most vital reason for maintaining chain of custody is ensuring that digital evidence is admissible as evidence (Soloman, 2011, p.55). Concisely, the above tasks transpired during a recent digital evidence fieldwork where I was call ed to identify, secure, and preserve digital evidence from a suspected corporate user. Observation Last week on 25 November 2012, our department received a request to from a local media firm for a digital evidence analysis. ... The room had several other pieces of computer hardware such as servers, switches, and network cables. There were some shelves on the right with some five computers. The administrator, who was showing us the computers, pointed at the computers and told us that the suspect used one of the computers. Seeing that we had room to use for the investigation, I agreed with Dorothy what we could carry identify the evidence on it. First, we asked the network administrator to help us identify the suspect computer. To do this, we asked network administrator to produce a list of IP address and associated MAC addresses during the period when the crime is believed to have occurred. Being that the he had prior records, we had the Mac address of the suspect computer, 00:80:R2:45:F7:67. We booted all the computers and indented the computer with the above MAC address. Dorothy documented the model of the computer and the serial number she found underneath the computer. Evidence collection Being that the owner of the computers—the media firm—we were ready to begin collecting evidence of the alleged CP, which was a crime and against the policies of the firm. First, we ensured that no one was around the computer alone except for Dorothy and I as we did not want any disturbance. We opened the computer and using our tools, we run some applications to check if there was any evidence of CP in the suspect computer. The first tool that we used was Retriever, which searched the entire hard drive and located child pornography material in the disk drive. The computer had several files and links of child pornography in the internet history and browser cookies. We did document what the retriever software displayed as the search result. Moreover,

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Managing strategic change Sainbury Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Managing strategic change Sainbury - Essay Example The threat for Sainsbury was that the removal of physical barriers to trade and the new-found freedom of movement around the European market have served to catalyse European expansion and in so doing raise the degree of European trade. To respond to new environment, the company introduced changes in management style which was brought by new executive. The new style of leadership was â€Å"more consensual, less hierarchical – but not in strategy or in corporate beliefs about the company’s place in the market† (Owen, 2003). Another innovation made by Sainsbury was reorganization and restructuring aiming â€Å"to feature only supermarkets and convenience stores, with Central and Savacentre outlets joining the main estate† (Sainsbury's makes first ever loss, 2004). In spite of planned actions, these changes failed because of inability of staff to manage change and lack of resources to adapt organization to the changes. It is possible to say that the strategy was ineffective for world’s integration and for this reason it failed at the stage of implementation. Specification in Sainsbury was determined as a result of an organization's pol ¬icy, which in turn resulted from decisions on its market policy, which in turn resulted from its consideration of the market or customer needs, requirements, and the activ-ities of competitors. The main mistake was an attempt to reorganize and restructure several organizational levels at the same time.

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Teaching Turkish through Turkish novels Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Teaching Turkish through Turkish novels - Essay Example This essay discusses that the Turkish language is blessed with significant writers who took pains to write exquisite books portraying life around a plethora of backgrounds and events that had readers glued to the books they wrote. They are interesting and make the business of language learning so much simpler and easier (Dino, Guzine; 1986).Teaching Turkish through Turkish novels is a wonderful challenge. The teacher has only to encourage the hesitant student to take the plunge. The process may be slow initially because the student has to stop time and again to check grammar and vocabulary. But soon, armed with improving language, the student will gain confidence and discard the use of grammar text books and the dictionary. Today, learning the Turkish language using novels makes learning a quicker and simpler proposition. It works well when these novels are translated into English or the learner’s mother tongue. The student can then read the novel in his own language and then continue with the novel in the Turkish language.This depends on the capacity of the student to learn, and a written test at the end of the course. Some basic expressions can be learnt fairly quickly. Simple expressions such as: Ne yapÄ ±yorsun? (What are you doing?), Evli misiniz? (Are you married?), or Selam Ãâ€"zge, nereden geliyorsun? (Hi Ozge, where are you from?) are capable of being learnt fast. However, grammar and vocabulary takes time. But novel reading helps in learning grammar and vocabulary faster (Ãâ€"ztopà §u, Dr. KurtuluÅŸ; 2006).

Monday, August 26, 2019

The Great Gatsby Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Great Gatsby - Essay Example Nick is arguably the most important character in the novel. Nick plays a key role in The Great Gatsby, he can be trusted as a narrator because whatever he says seems very genuine, this paper will shed more light upon this novel. The Great Gatsby is an intriguing novel which was first published in the year 1925, the First World War was fought between 1914 to 1918 and the novel reflects the happenings of the First World War in more ways than one. The Americans were well ahead of all their counterparts once the war came to an end, they were economically very sound and also had better infrastructure than most other countries, the same gave them an air of invincibility and they walked with their noses in the air. The Americans also believed that everything could be purchased because it was boom time for the economy, the booming economy also instilled a lot of confidence in the Americans and they started purchasing goods on credit. On the other hand the war had also taken a toll on the Ame ricans, the country had just started to recover from a major setback and everything was in real chaos. â€Å"Honesty is does not seem to determine which characters are sympathetic and which are not in this novel in quite the same way that it does in others. Nick is able to admire Gatsby despite his knowledge of the man's illegal dealings and bootlegging. Ironically, it is the corrupt Daisy who takes pause at Gatsby's sordid past. Her indignation at his "dishonesty," however, is less moral than class-based. Her sense of why Gatsby should not behave in an immoral manner is based on what she expects from members of her milieu, rather than what she believes to be intrinsically right.† (The Great Gatsby)   During the First World War the Americans helped each other by several ways but all this changed once the war was over, the author has tried to portray greed, cynicism and indifference towards other people through his novel the Great Gatsby, it is not about just one man loving a woman, the novel has much more to it than just that. â€Å"I hope she’ll be a fool—that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool.† (The Great Gatsby, Chapter 1) These lines were spoken by Daisy in chapter 1, she is talking to Nick and Jordan and this is what she hopes to do for her infant daughter. This goes to show that intelligence in women was not valued at all back then. The older generation wanted women to be docile and the younger generation wanted to derive physical pleasure out of females back then. Empty pursuit of pleasure is perhaps the highlight of this novel, the American dream becomes corrupt beyond imagination because of the parties thrown by Gatsby every Saturday. The Americans who had fought the war became very disillusioned and money-minded, they started believing that money could buy anything and everything and this also marked the start of something which would prevail for several years and the same is al so prevalent, there are many people who firmly believe that money would buy them happiness but the truth is much different from this. The Stock market started recovering and this resulted in people having access to a lot of money which they would blindly blowup on unnecessary things, the spending power had increased but the same also caused

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Technical Instruction Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Technical Instruction - Assignment Example This essay revolves around task analysis for a 4th generation iPod Touch from Apple Inc. Hierarchical analysis entails decomposing a complex task into subtasks that are easy to understand. In case of operating an iPod, Hierarchical analysis provides detailed description of all steps starting from switching the device on to playing a tune and adjusting audio volume. On the contrary, cognitive analysis provides informative knowledge on optimizing functionality of a product. At this juncture, iPod task analysis can be broken down into subtasks as in the layout below. After acquiring a new iPod, charging is necessary to ensure battery durability. A green light code on the top right corner indicates the device’s battery status. Presence of 3 or more green light codes signifies a strong battery status while less than 2 codes indicates a low battery. Charge an iPod Touch through the following steps; Configuration of a device is necessary in order to enhance its security and enhance its functionality. Failure to configure an iPod Touch from Apple will restrict the device’s ability to accept and install certain applications from iTunes Store. Configuration of a new device is achieved through the following steps; Modification of contents falls into two broad categories; adding applications and removing applications. Apart from these two tasks, users can engage in other minor modifications like customizing background theme, hiding applications and customizing the lock screen

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Recent Discoveries in Egypt Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6250 words

Recent Discoveries in Egypt - Essay Example The exact dates of Nefertiti’s life are open to debate, but she was definitely a significant part of the 18th Dynasty of Egypt, and the dates of her six daughters are estimated to range between the years of 1348-1339 B.C. Part of the difficulty ascertaining her lifetime is related to the possibility that she bore a different name prior to her marriage to Pharaoh Amenhotep IV, who himself changed his name to Akhenaten when he began to worship Aten in 1346. There is little doubt that Nefertiti wielded unprecedented influence for a queen, at some point being named co-regent, and the images depicting her beside her husband show her of similar size as his portrayal†¦ implying an almost equal status. Although Nefertiti bore Akhenaten six daughters, it was a minor wife named Kiya who bore him his son and future heir, Tutankhaten (meaning â€Å"the Living Image of the Aten†) who was later to become the pharaoh Tutankhamun. Kiya promptly disappeared from all records, possib ly due to Nefertiti feeling threatened, although Nefertiti herself would disappear from any historical reference by the year 1336. Speculation begins here, for this is the same year that Smenkhkare became co-ruler with Akhenaten, actually surviving him by two years. Many suspicions abound Smenkhkare, whose feminine image closely resembled depictions of Nefetiti, and whose regal name, Nefernefruaten, is so similar to Nefertiti that some theories conclude that it is simply Nefertiti by a different name as she continued to rise in power.

Friday, August 23, 2019

Mass media criticism - marxist analysis from ad Essay

Mass media criticism - marxist analysis from ad - Essay Example rly about the happiness and joy which surrounds the family and demonstrates the fact that being in McDonalds showers nothing but contentment and jubilation. Also shown in the ad is the fact that there is an interaction between the family and the guy sitting in the other booth. This interaction is rather a friendly one. as depicted by the huge smiles on the black guy and the father with his child. The Marxist theory emphasizes over the importance of social class, keeping in effect the ownership by the media and the response of the audience to the media text that is being brought forward. Talking about how the audience will react to the ad, there are certain point of views that can be emphasized. The major response of the audience will be positive. The ad depicts harmony and peace as well as joy and delight. Also, the audience will give an optimistic response to the ad because the ad emphasizes on a family-oriented nature and how it brings nothing but happiness all around. The audience might also react in different ways to the involvement of African- Americans in the ad and not white people. Some people might act in a negative manner however, others might have a positive response to having African Americans. 1970s was the time during which the African-Americans rose to greater heights than before. More visible than ever, African-Americans became a formidable presence in entertainment, politics, and science. This ad thus depicts the time of joy for the African-Americans. The text written at the bottom shows that McDonalds is a casual and comfortable place and invites the targeted audience by mentioning about the quick service and about the excellent quality food. talking further about the ad, it shows that how Macdonalds packages history and concrete memories to sell products that enlists its audience in the commoditization of memory and celebration of basic ideological values of U.S. society (i.e. patriotism, the continuity of history, family, consumption, etc.). The

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Ford vs Toyota Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Ford vs Toyota - Essay Example rds protecting the environment Ford has often been categorized as one of the leaders in terms of innovating fuel efficient vehicles in the current automotive market Ford has expanded its business activities to several developing countries including the European, Asia Pacific, Middle-Eastern, African and American regions Weaknesses Ford has been noticed to significantly depend upon the automobile sector restricting itself from expanding to other segments. In this regard, it can be stated that Fords is likely to lack in diversification strategy The company has also been criticized on the basis of its efficiency in establishing sustainable markets for high end cars The company can be witnessed to face the limitation of continuously declining market share in its global market, especially in the Asia Pacific region owing to the increase in competition level Ford can be witnessed to consider defensive competitive strategies in most instances to cope up with the competition in the internati onal arena Financial stability of Ford is significantly impacted by the economic fluctuations of that particular region Opportunities Ford has introduced hybrid cars which runs on electrical energy and is forecasted to have great opportunity in the near future The demand for fuel efficient vehicles of Ford has been notably increasing opening up significant opportunities for its future growth The increasing sales revenue evidently depicts that Ford has been well accepted in the global market by its customers The automobile sector has been noticed to demonstrate a growing trend in the small and medium markets Introduction of fuel efficient cars, such as ‘Focus ECOnetic’ of Ford in the European market, are likely to have significant opportunities for the growth of the company in its future Threats The sales volume of cars has been noticed to decline to a certain extent in various places such as US, Canada and UK among others imposing a market risk to Ford The company has b een facing significant competition from the Japanese automotive companies operating within the Western regions The company faces difficulties as a result of the strict emission norms in certain nation such as US and Europe causing an obstruction on its marketing operations Ford has been facing a problem in capturing the Asian markets owing to the presence of automobile giants such as Toyota which in turn hampered the growth of the company in terms of its market share Economic fluctuations tend to impose a major threat to Ford’s financial stance in that particular region (Ford Motor Company, 2012; Richter, A. & Pahl, 2009) Toyota Motor Corporation Strengths Toyota is among the leading manufacturers of automobiles in terms of production capacity as well as sales volume Toyota is recognized as a company which is dedicated towards producing environmentally safe vehicles and technologies, since its inception Toyota is the manufacturer of world’s most excellent selling hybri d car, Prius which evidently rewarded the company a leading position in the inter

The Double Entry System Essay Example for Free

The Double Entry System Essay According to the double entry accounting system, a business transaction affects at least two accounts and the debit and credit amounts recorded for the affected accounts must be balanced. These transactions will be recorded in the appropriate books of accounts. Business entities develop a chart of accounts, a list of account titles with their corresponding account codes that the business will use in recording and posting in the books of accounts and in reporting in the financial statements. Double Entry System was invented for the first time by Lucas Pacioli’ of Italy in the year 1494 in Venice but it was developed in England. This system is based on the truth that every business transaction involves two .parties— (1) Receiver and (2) Giver. There can not be any business transaction by only one party. If one part is giver of any thing, there must be one more party-receiver. If one part is seller; there must be the other party purchases. Receiver of the transaction is debtor and the giver is the creditor. Thus the transactions take place between two parties, according to Double Entry System every transaction is recorded twice. One party is the debtor and the other party is giver. Receiver is the debtor and giver is the creditor. Accuracy of accounts. The greatest advantage of Double Entry System is that arithmetical accuracy of accounts can be checked easily. Since every transaction is recorded twice, a Trial Balance can be prepared and it can be known whether each transaction has been correctly recorded twice or not. By applying. Double Entry Principle every transaction is recorded twice. Trial Balance can easily be prepared and with the help of Trial Balance Trading and Profit and Loss can be easily prepared to ascertain the gross profit or gross loss or net profit or net loss of the business. Knowledge of Financial Position. Financial position of the business can be known easily. By preparing Balance Sheet one can know what assets are possessed by the business and what liabilities are due by the business. Chances of fraud meager. By applying Double Entry Principles chances of committing fraud is very much minimized. If fraud is committed, it can be easilychecked by verification and auditing of accounts. †¢Comparison of Expenses— Comparison of expenses of the current year with the previous can easily be made. The system of double-entry bookkeeping does have the capa ¬bility of making a positive contribution towards economic growth. Although the ability of double-entry to reveal the success or failure of a business enterprise for a specific period of lime was not valued by the early merchants, double-entrys capacity to accumulate data on individual performing activities, combined with its ability to bring order to the affairs and accounts of these merchants, rationalized the economic activities of the early English merchants

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Steps To Developing The Marcom Plan Marketing Essay

Steps To Developing The Marcom Plan Marketing Essay A strategic plan is an organizations way to define the direction in which it is going to go in terms of performance and the way it is going to allocate its resources in order to do so. To define the strategy of the organization, it is important to recognize its current standing and the possible opportunities through which it can pursue a particular course of action. Generally, strategic planning deals with at least one of three key questions: What do we do? For the NGO and Productivity Board context, we are going to raise the awareness of the general public concerning productivity. For whom do we do it? This is going to be by following our marcom plan. How do we excel? This can be done by ensuring that the disadvantages to over providing information are alleviated. A strategic plan must be in line with the missions vision, mission statement, values and strategies. Our duty as advisors of the NGO is to use the tools of the strategic plan i.e. PESTEL, SWOT, ATM approach etc. (which are discussed earlier in this assignment) and devise a marcom plan in order to determine the overall direction of the organization as well as plan the allocation of resources. The marcom plan is defined in detail in the following sections. 8.1 Marcom plan Marcom is an abbreviation for marketing communications. Marcom is targeted communication and interaction with customers by using one or more means of media, such as direct mail, the press, television, radio, billboards, telemarketing, and the Internet. A marketing communications campaign may use a single tactic of communication (or advertising), but more frequently combines several means. Marketing communication wires the development of brand awareness, which means that consumers deduce information about the product into insights about the products characteristics and its position within the bigger market. Businesses also use marketing communication to preserve the products existing customer base, and to strengthen relationships with customers and suppliers. Marcom strategy defines the businesss plan for product information dissemination and brand awareness development. 8.2 Marketing communications planning framework (Model) The marketing communications planning framework (MCPF) is a model for the creation of an integrated marketing communications plan created by Chris Fill. The MCPF is intended to solve the inadequacies of other frameworks. Fig 3: Marketing communication planning framework The above diagram shows the marketing communications planning frame work. We have already covered the context analysis through the earlier chapters of this assignment through the components of this analysis which includes: Define market or subject Trend Analysis Competitor Analysis Opportunities and Threats Organization Analysis SWOT-i matrix Strategic Plan The other factors of the marketing communication framework (Promotional Goals, Strategy, Communication Mix and Control and Evaluation) will be provided in Task 2, i.e. the recommendations that will be provided by each group member. This plan will have to make in a very systematic manner, assuming certain procedures have been made before the recommendations can be devised. These procedures are discussed in the following section. 8.3 Steps to developing the Marcom plan Marcom (marketing communication) plans can be very expensive. Developing a marcom plan in a systematic manner is crucial to spending its budget optimally and efficiently. Some steps in preparing a plan are as follows: Analyzing the Market Situation (Situation Analysis) Here we ought to know what position we presently hold in minds of prospects, what position we want to achieve, the action plan we have to undertake in order to attain that position, whether there is a unique difference in our products and whether that difference can be developed. For the purpose of our assignment we see that our NGO coupled with the Productivity Promotion Board is not in a competitive position and Define the Purchase (Or Information Receiving) Environment The marketing communications receiver and the buying influence pattern of the customer should be identified. The productivity context does not include goods being bought, hence this is not necessary. However study must be made whether the public is more responsive to one type of marketing than another or in one particular period than another. For example in the festive season (Christmas and New Year) very few people if not no one will bother about any productivity campaign. Establish the Marketing Objectives These objectives can vary from product to product. For the NGO with the PPB (Productivity Promotion Board) it includes the awareness of the general public concerning productivity and making everyone engaged in the productivity movement. Select Positioning Concepts Most Suited to Purchasing Environment The market positioning of the product should be made after considering the life cycle of the product, i.e. we should identify at what stage in its life cycle is the product which is to be promoted (Growth, maturity, saturation or decline). However for the purpose of the productivity context, there is no revenue to be considered following the sale of any product, hence the campaign for productivity awareness is not in any way affected by a product life cycle. Confirm the Basic Marketing Strategy This involves choosing among a list of alternatives the best marketing strategy for the product according to the market conditions and the product life cycle. This will further be discussed in Task 2 of this assignment. Create the Communication Objective whereby each objective should be Specific, Realistic, and Measurable The objective in this case, is a specific communication task to be accomplished among a defined audience in a given amount of time. An objective should be stated in terms of expected results, not in terms of activities or processes, i.e. for example to establish a 35% preference for Brand X among a target of 20000 buyers Develop Strategy A strategy outlines how the objective is to be accomplished. Communication strategies often deal with the message and identify the overall communications approach to be used; e.g. communicate the cost savings in using Brand A via testimonial advertising to be identified buying influences in the target markets. A wide variety of communication means can be used, for example space advertising, direct mail, PR activities, Trade shows, etc. The strategy must determine the proper allocation of resources that the budget permits into several categories in order to achieve the stated objectives. This will further be discussed in Task 2 of this assignment. Develop Tactics Tactics refer to the specific steps or procedures to be taken in order to meet objectives. They often deal with media as the media plans represent the actual tools which will be used to accomplish the desired result, for example to advertise throughout the year on television. This will further be discussed in Task 2 of this assignment. Benefits of having a Marcom plan Marcom is the promotions component of the marketing mix that comprises of product, price and placement. The key aspects of marketing communication include senders diffusing information to receivers via media. The firm which is marketing its product or service is very often the sender, while consumers are the receivers. Many businesses discuss marketing communications in terms of the marketing communication mix, which is also known as integrated marketing communications (IMC). The essential benefits of IMC include advertising, personal selling, public relations, sales promotions and direct marketing. Advertising Advertisements in the IMC mix are mainly paid commercials in media such as TV, radio, press, billboards and websites. Advertisements are good at updating and convincing mass audiences. Advertising reaches consumers both before and after the contact with the product being marketed. This before-and-after effect helps with valuable word-of-mouth publicizing as consumers recall the information they will receive through the productivity campaign. Public Relations Public relations are indirect communications through news outlets and other credible sources. This type of marketing communication requires the cooperation of the news media. The public is likely to believe public relations messages above all other types of marketing communications. Public relations will reach the public best before they make their purchase. Direct Marketing Direct marketing is marketing communication through postal mail, email or over the telephone. It is information that is prepared quickly and customized to consumers whose contact information is kept in the businesss database. Direct marketing creates a rapport with the targeted person. Operating not unlike sales promotions, direct marketing affects the public instantly. 8.5 Disadvantages to Providing Too Much Communication Strategy Communication strategies are employed by companies of all sizes. These strategies are aimed at determining how information will be circulated to the public when it comes to new product launches, PR or marketing in general. Communication tactics can also refer to the way in which businesses converse with stakeholders and staff. In the development and implementation these strategies, however, companies need to be watchful to not provide too much communication. There can be disadvantages to doing so. Sensitivity One of the detriments to providing too much communication is that it may result in some sensitive information being leaked to the public. This can be especially dangerous in the case our NGO in the way that if one piece of information is leaked that contradicts our marketing campaign, then our message will come off as confusing and unclear to the public. Also, this will harm our credibility and reputation in the publics eye. Brand Brand image is important for business. A business brand is its individual and core identity. The struggles for promotion at times flood the market with advertisements, and this can erode the effectiveness of the publicizing effort. Too much promotion may send the wrong meaning to the customer base and harm the brands reputation. 8.5.3 Control When information is spread to the public regarding a company or an organization, there is always the risk of someone misusing that information in a detrimental way. This could damage the business reputation and hurt its standing in the business community. By limiting the flow of information to outsiders, the marketing manager can keep a tight control over the information and determine how and when it is shared with others. This also means limiting the information as it shared within the company as well. Employees should always be among the first to know important information but only as necessary. Miscommunication Miscommunication is also a potential drawback to providing too much communication. When communication is provided frequently, it is possible that errors may occur and transfer a message that was not originally intended. Miscommunication can lead to public relations concerns that can be risky for the company and its reputation.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Cluster Analysis in Marketing Research

Cluster Analysis in Marketing Research Q5. Describe cluster analysis with 2 examples related to marketing research? Ans: Cluster Analysis: It is the task of grouping a set of objects in such a way that objects in the same group are more similar to each other than to those in other groups. Example 1: Type of customers choose the restaurant Family, Entertainers, Singles etc Example 2: Type of customers that choose the restaurant based on their food choice. Vegetarian/Non vegetarian Mexican, Indian, South Indian, Fast food etc What are three characteristics of a good quality clustering analysis? Ans: The reason for asking question â€Å"Q: Type of customers that choose the restaurant based on their food choice. (Vegetarian/Non vegetarian)† Collection process of data objects. It helps me to understand the of customer’s food choice. Analysis of similarities between data objects Based on the data we can analyze which type of customers on their food choice â€Å"veg/non veg†. Veg is one group and non-veg is another. Can come up with good implementation of analysis (e.g. problem solving) Answer to the Survey can help us to understand the market demand and we can provide the similar food at the restaurant based on data gathered. Example: Q6. Describe Qualitative and quantitative research methods with one advantage and disadvantage of each. Ans: Qualitative research: The information gathered is non-numerical and might include responses to an open ended survey question, dialogue from a focus group, the answer to an essay question, a term paper, or ideas brainstormed by a group. Qualitative data is not limited to words, however, and could include the contents of an art or design portfolio. Qualitative research uses observation as the data collection method. Observation is the selection and recording of behaviors of people in their environment. Observation is useful for generating in-depth descriptions of organizations or events, for obtaining information that is otherwise inaccessible, and for conducting research when other methods are inadequate. Example: Why you like our restaurant, describe? Advantage of Qualitative research: Respondents are free to answer any way they would like comment/answer. One advantage of the qualitative approach is that contextual information is gathered when the data is collected. In other words, â€Å"why† is automatically answered/provided in the data. Qualitative research is useful on early stage when we are not sure about what to study. Disadvantage of Qualitative research: It is expensive and time consuming. It can take a long time to collect and analyze the data. For Interviews it would take 10+ hours to have hour long interviews with around 10 people and that does not include the time needed to schedule the interviews. Time taken for 1 interview = time taken for interview + time taken to schedule interview + time to analyze data (recordings and notes etc). Quantitative research All of the data collected would be counted or quantified. Example: Someone’s age, income, height or weight would be quantitative data Number of hits on a website The number of correct responses on a driving test The number of minutes per week Car fuel efficiency in KM. Advantage of Quantitative research: It is less expensive and an efficient method for gathering information especially for large groups of people. Online surveys are easy way to collect data from large groups of people. In restaurant we have large database of users through data collection. It is easy and cost effective to send and collect feedback through online surveys. The USA government collects Census information every 10 years. The government doesn’t try to interview everyone in the USA instead they mail out surveys to be completed a very efficient form of data collection. Disadvantage of Quantitative research It generally does not include an explanation of ‘why.’ For example, respondents are asked to â€Å"Rate the quality of staff services at the restaurant† using the following scale: â€Å"Excellent† , â€Å"Good† ,†Fine†, â€Å"Fair† ,or â€Å"Poor.† That question would generate quantitative data because we could count the number of people who selected each of the four response options. But knowing how many people found a quality of staff as â€Å"Excellent† does not provide any insights into why it is excellent. Also respondents are limited to set of options to respond and they may not feel that any of the options best describes their experience. Q7: Qualitative research. a) Depth Interview: Interviewing is a method ofqualitative researchin which the researcher asks open-ended questions orally and records the respondent’s answers. Example: Face to face / telephonic Job Interviews can be depth interviews. Interviewer starts with greeting by asking familiar set of general questions to create comfort level for interviewee/respondent. Q: How are you? Q: Where are you from? Q: Can you please describe yourself? Advantage: Accurate results. Better rapport. More productive asCompared with non-response among focus group members Flexible and continuous Disadvantage: It is costly and time consuming. Less structured. b) Focus Groups: Itis a form ofqualitative researchin which a group of people are asked about their perceptions, opinions, beliefs, and attitudes towards a product, service, concept, advertisement, idea, or packaging. One focus group watches another focus group and discusses the observed interactions and conclusion. Example: It is useful in marketing as important tool to acquiringfeedback regarding product/services. In social science it helps Interviewers to study people in a more natural conversation pattern than typically occurs in a one-to-one interview. Advantage: The face to face involvement of a moderator can ensure things on track. As everybody is under observation, so it is easy to make everybody fully engage even during free time. Disadvantage: Can be Biased [discussion can be dominated by a few people.] Group discussions can be difficult to steer and control. c) Projective Techniques: Originally developed to use in psychology. The use of vague, ambiguous, unstructured stimulus objects or situations in which the subject â€Å"projects† his or her personality, attitude, opinions and self-concept to give the situation some structure. Example: A personality test. Photo language Test. (using pictures). Advantage: Personality test is cost effective. (Only use paper and can be scored by hand or using a machine, can be taken home and returned later) Personality test is Objectivity (questions are mostly true/false) . Disadvantages: à ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ · Sheer length. Untruth (e.g: With personality test objective, there is always possibility that test taker never tell the truth.) d) Random probability sampling: Example: Advantage: Disadvantage: Q8: Quantitative research. a) Face to Face interview: In person interaction between two or more persons. Face to face interviews are characterised by synchronous communication in time and place. Example: Surveys of product and services. Job Interviews are mostly face to face. Interviewer starts with greeting and then asks familiar set of general questions to create comfort level for interviewee/respondent. [Sample set of questions for survey] Q: hi Mam/Sir, How are you? [Greeting question] Q: Where are you from? [Greeting question] Q: How do you like our restaurant food? [Aimed Question] Advantage: High responsive, there is no significant time delay between question and answerà ¯Ã‚ ¼Ã…’the interviewer and interviewee can directly react on what the other says or does. The answer of the interviewee/respondent is more spontaneous. Interviewer can formulate questions depending upon response from interviewee. Recorded, can be used later if required. Disadvantage: Time Consuming. Expensive. Difficult to locate respondent. b) Telephone interview: Telephonic interviews are characterised by asynchronous communication for place. Example: Surveys Job Interviews. Telephone interviewsare often conducted by employers in the initial interview round of thehiring process. Starts with greeting then main set of questions related to product/service etc. [Sample set of questions for survey] Q: Am I speaking to Ajit? Q: Is it right time to talk? Q: I have few questions about Chawala’s Indian restaurant? Q: How do you like our restaurant staff? Advantage: It is a cost-effective. Saves time. Extendedaccess to participants The telephone interview allows both interviewee/respondent and interviewer to be in a morerelaxed state as compared with face to face. Wide geographical access. It enables researchers to contact populations that might be difficult to work with on an face to face basis for example mothers at home with small children, shift workers, computer addicts and people with disabilities. Disadvantage: Difficult to locate person. Difficult to see the reaction of the interviewee/respondent. No view on the situation in which the interviewee is situated. Disconnection due to technology issues. c) Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing: It is an interviewing technique in which the respondent or interviewer uses a computer to answer the questions. Example: Job interviews. Psychometric tests. [Sample set of questions for survey] Q: What is your age? Q: Male or female? Q: Rate of restaurant staff services? [Rate from 1[lower] to 5[higher]] Advantage: Cost effective and time saving. Respondents are able to fill in the questionnaires themselves Attractinga worldwide audience. Disadvantage: Surveysare only for computer savvy people. (Potential bias to the survey) Quality is missing (a question that should be interpreted in a particular way, but could also be interpreted differently) People don’t know or dislike typing. [Leave subjective questions unanswered] d) Web based Questionnaire: AWeb-based surveyis the collection of data through a self administered electronic set of questions on the Web Example: Many companies use survey monkey to get feedback for their product. Survey monkey is one of the sites which help in creating web based questionnaire. (https://www.surveymonkey.com/) [Sample set of questions for survey] Q: How old are you? Q: Are you male or female? Q: Do you like our restaurant? Advantage: It is cost effective and time saving. Large set of responses can be handled easily. Easy to create/manage (sites are self explanatory, eg: survery monkey). Disadvantage: Resources may not be available to everybody (computer, mobile, internet etc) Not everybody is aware of technology. People don’t know or dislike typing. [Leave subjective questions unanswered] Formulation of questions required lot of time, expertise and knowledge. Q1: How would you apply measurement method to this situation? A variable measured on a nominal scale is a variable that does not really have any evaluative distinction. Example: Would you like to recommend the restaurant to your friends? Yes/No The answer to the question has no evaluative distinction. How would you apply scaling methods to this situation? By using ordinal measurement scaling method to scale the situation. Ordinal: The ordinal scale has the property of both identity and magnitude Example: How would you rate the quality/taste of our food and drinks? (Rate from 1 – 5) 1 (Really Bad) 2 (Poor) 3 (Average) 4 (Good) 5 (Excellent) By asking this question I would be able to know the quality of the food provided at the restaurant. Q3: Primary Scales of measurement that that are used in Statistical analysis Nominal Ordinal Interval Ratio scales Nominal: The nominal scale of measurement only satisfies the identity property of measurement Example: What is your country of citizenship? The Country that someone was born in has no inherent order so it can only be a nominal scale. Ordinal: The ordinal scale has the property of both identity and magnitude. Example: Identify the scale of measurement for the following: Information Technology Company Organisation Titles – (1) CEO, (2) Manager, (3) Project Lead and (4) Team Lead. The scale is ordinal. There is an inherent ordering in that a CEO is higher than a Manager, which is higher than a Project Lead, which is higher than Team Lead. CEO > Manager > Project Lead > Team Lead Designation has Rank orders. Interval: The interval scale of measurement has the properties of identity, magnitude, and equal intervals. Example: Question: Time of the day. The difference between 4 and 5is equal to the difference between 18 and 19. Ratio Scales: The ratio scale of measurement satisfies all four of the properties of measurement: identity, magnitude, equal intervals, and a minimum value of zero. Example: What is Income earned last year? It has equal intervals weekly, biweekly and monthly etc. Salary can be zero. (For unemployed) Q4:Difference between comparative scaling and not comparative scaling techniques in the marketing research. Comparative Scaling: The items are directly compared with each other. Paired comparison: It is sometimes the case that marketing researchers wish to find out which are the most important factors in determining the demand for a product Example: Which restaurant/Food do you prefer? Dominos or Pizza hut Italian pizza or Cheese Pizza By asking this question first I would be able to analyze the choice of user. First the type of restaurant than the type of pizza. By asking this able to analyze the demand of product. Dollar Metric Comparisons This type of scale is an extension of the paired comparison method in that it requires respondents to indicate both their preference and how much they are willing to pay for their preference The Unity-sum-gain technique A common problem with launching new products is one of reaching a decision as to what options, and how many options one offers Example: Rate the mobile products (from 1 to 5): (1 is lower and 5 is higher) Apple Samsung Nokia LG Motorola By this I would be able to know which company is most preferred by the user and at what lever and help us is launching new product. Non Comparative scaling techniques: Each item is scaled independently of the others. Continuous rating scales: The respondents are asked to give a rating by placing a mark at the appropriate position on a continuous line. How would be rate our staff services? 1 (Really Bad) 2 (Poor) 3 (Average) 4 (Good) 5 (Excellent) By asking this question I would be able to understand get the rating on quality from 1 to 5. 1 is lower and 5 is higher. Line marking scale Itemised rating scales : With an itemised scale, respondents are provided with a scale having numbers and/or brief descriptions associated with each category and are asked to select one of the limited number of categories, ordered in terms of scale position, that best describes the product, brand, company or product attribute being studied. Example: How would you rate the price of food items in the menu ? Very Expensive Expensive Very good Good Cheap By asking this question to customer of the restaurant I would be able to analyze the rate of food listed in the menu.

Monday, August 19, 2019

The Physics of Car Collisions Essay -- Physics

Basic Concepts Issac Newton was the first to state the concepts that are necessary to understanding the physics of collisions. His three laws are used again and again in all the fields of physics: Newton's 1st Law In the absence of external forces, an object at rest remains at rest and an object in motion remains in motion with a constant velocity. This law can be best observed in space, far from the gravity of a star or planet, where there is no friction or air resistance. If, in the middle of deep space, you give a rock a little push, it will continue with the direction and velocity you gave it forever. The only way to stop it is to apply a force in the opposite direction. This law is not intuitive because we are surrounded by air and gravity - if we give a rock a little push on the surface of the earth, it won't travel far. Newton's 2nd Law The acceleration of an object is directly proportional to the net force acting on it and inversely proportional to its mass. This boils down to force equals mass times acceleration, F = ma. This little equation turns out to be immensely useful, again and again. If you add together all the forces acting on an object, they equal the mass of the object (in kg) times the acceleration of the object (in m/sec^2). Force is measured in newtons. One newton is the force required to accelerate a 1-kg mass to 1 m/sec^2. Newton’s 3rd Law The force exerted by object 1 onto object 2 is equal in magnitude and opposite in direction to the force exerted by object 2 onto object 1. This law appears to make little sense and can be difficult to grasp. If you push on a brick wall, the wall is pushing back on you with an equal force. If the wall was not pushing back, then your hand wou... ... hammer hitting a concrete wall is about 3,600,000. Sources: Barr, L.C. Safety Report. 1996. University of New Hampshire. 26, Nov. 2002. Borges, Danny. The Physics in Car Collisions. 22, Nov. 2002. Braking Distance. 2002. University of Idaho. 26, Nov. 2002. Safety Fact Sheet. 1999. Airbag Testing Technology, Inc. 26, Nov. 2002. Serway, Raymond A., and Robert J. Beichner. Physics for Scientists and Engineers, Fifth edition. Thomson Learning Inc. U.S.A., 2000. Toor, Amrit, Michael Araszewski and Ravinder Johal. Technical Assessment of Seatbelt Usage and Effectiveness. 2000. Intech. 26, Nov. 2002.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Amusing Ourselves to Death: Its Time to Stop Laughing Essay -- Postma

Amusing Ourselves to Death: It's Time to Stop Laughing      Ã‚  Ã‚   The form of communication created by the television is not only a part of how our modern society communicates, but is has changed public discourse to the point that it has completely redefined it, argued Neil Postman in his convincing book Amusing Ourselves to Death. He viewed this as very harmful, and additionally so because our society is ignorant of it as they quickly becomes engulfed in its epistemology. When faced with the question about whether the television shapes or reflects culture, Postman pointed out that it is no longer applicable because "television has gradually become our culture" (79). What kind of culture is this? Postman warned that it is one in which we are instructed and informed through the form of entertainment, and that through such a medium, we are becoming dulled, ignorant of real issues, and amused right into a very possible culture death. Today, sixteen years after the book's publication, he would probably have a similar message (though possib ly more passionate) to say about our present culture, especially in the areas of education and the nightly news, which have grown progressively worse.    Taking two authors, George Orwell and Aldous Huxley, he compared their views about the future of information. Orwell's view was that we would be overcome by a controlling force and books would be banned, leaving us without proper information or instruction. Huxley, on the other hand, suggested that the squelching of information would not be the problem. Instead, it would be the voluminous mass flooding our culture that would make us ignorant. We would have so much to choose from, both useful and worthless, that we would become indifferent t... ...information invades the living room, they wonder why they are being tricked and mislead. Or worse, they do not even realize it. We are not a culture known for its thinking. Perhaps we are best known for our entertainment. Only when we divide these two realms will we become more accurate informed. Neil Postman, comparing Orwell and Huxley's theories, said, "[Our threat of being deprived of proper information] does not watch us, by his choice. We watch him, by ours" (155). His point was that by our own choosing, we are being misinformed. In our "information age" we have intelligent books, newspapers, magazines, and other information sources that have not been greatly affected by the television culture. We just need to stop laughing and seek to be properly informed.    Works Cited: Postman, Neil. Amusing Ourselves to Death. New York: Penguin Books, 1985. Amusing Ourselves to Death: It's Time to Stop Laughing Essay -- Postma Amusing Ourselves to Death: It's Time to Stop Laughing      Ã‚  Ã‚   The form of communication created by the television is not only a part of how our modern society communicates, but is has changed public discourse to the point that it has completely redefined it, argued Neil Postman in his convincing book Amusing Ourselves to Death. He viewed this as very harmful, and additionally so because our society is ignorant of it as they quickly becomes engulfed in its epistemology. When faced with the question about whether the television shapes or reflects culture, Postman pointed out that it is no longer applicable because "television has gradually become our culture" (79). What kind of culture is this? Postman warned that it is one in which we are instructed and informed through the form of entertainment, and that through such a medium, we are becoming dulled, ignorant of real issues, and amused right into a very possible culture death. Today, sixteen years after the book's publication, he would probably have a similar message (though possib ly more passionate) to say about our present culture, especially in the areas of education and the nightly news, which have grown progressively worse.    Taking two authors, George Orwell and Aldous Huxley, he compared their views about the future of information. Orwell's view was that we would be overcome by a controlling force and books would be banned, leaving us without proper information or instruction. Huxley, on the other hand, suggested that the squelching of information would not be the problem. Instead, it would be the voluminous mass flooding our culture that would make us ignorant. We would have so much to choose from, both useful and worthless, that we would become indifferent t... ...information invades the living room, they wonder why they are being tricked and mislead. Or worse, they do not even realize it. We are not a culture known for its thinking. Perhaps we are best known for our entertainment. Only when we divide these two realms will we become more accurate informed. Neil Postman, comparing Orwell and Huxley's theories, said, "[Our threat of being deprived of proper information] does not watch us, by his choice. We watch him, by ours" (155). His point was that by our own choosing, we are being misinformed. In our "information age" we have intelligent books, newspapers, magazines, and other information sources that have not been greatly affected by the television culture. We just need to stop laughing and seek to be properly informed.    Works Cited: Postman, Neil. Amusing Ourselves to Death. New York: Penguin Books, 1985.

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Cloud Computing Essay

ABSTRACT: This white paper is an introduction to the terms, characteristics, and services associated with internet-based computing, commonly referred to as cloud computing. Also introduced are the benefits and challenges associated with cloud computing, and for those seeking to use communications services in the cloud, briefly presented are different ways of determining the interfaces needed to use these communications services. Cloud computing is where software applications, processing power, data and potentially even artificial intelligence are accessed over the Internet. Many private individuals now regularly use an online email application such as Gmail, Yahoo! Mail or Hotmail. The location of physical resources and devices being accessed are typically not known to the end user. It also provides facilities for users to develop, deploy and manage their applications ‘on the cloud’, which entails virtualization of resources that maintains and manages itself. 1. What is Cloud Computing? Cloud computing provides the facility to access shared resources and common infrastructure, offering services n demand over the network to perform operations that meet changing business needs. Definitions: â€Å"Cloud computing is a general term for anything that involves delivering hosted services over the internet.† – Wikipedia â€Å"Cloud computing is Internet-based computing, whereby shared resources, software, and information are provided to computers and other devices on demand, like the electricity grid.†- Wikipedia Basically a cloud is a virtualization of Resources that manages and maintains itself. CCSIT, Junagadh tank.infotech@yahoo.com Page 1 2. Types of cloud Public Cloud: the services are delivered to the client via the Internet from a third party service provider. Example: Amazon, Yahoo, Google Example of Clouds 3. Architecture Cloud architecture,[15] the systems architecture of the software systems involved in the delivery of cloud computing, typically involves multiple cloud components communicating with each other over application programming interfaces, usually web services and 3-tier architecture. This resembles the Unix philosophy of having multiple programs each doing one thing well and working together over universal interfaces. Complexity is controlled and the resulting systems are more manageable than their monolithic counterparts. Private Cloud: these services are managed and provided within the organization. There are less restriction on network bandwidth, fewer security exposures and other legal requirements compared to the public Cloud. Example: HP Data Centers Hybrid cloud: There is some confusion over the term â€Å"Hybrid† when applied to the cloud – a standard definition of the term â€Å"Hybrid Cloud† has not yet emerged. The term â€Å"Hybrid Cloud† has been used to mean either two separate clouds joined together (public, private, internal or external), or a combination of virtualized cloud server instances used together with real physical hardware. The most correct definition of the term â€Å"Hybrid Cloud† is probably the use of physical hardware and virtualized cloud server instances together to provide a single common service Architecture The two most significant components of cloud computing architecture are known as the front end and the back end. The front end is the part seen by the client, i.e. the computer user. Hybrid cloud CCSIT, Junagadh tank.infotech@yahoo.com Page 2 This includes the client’s network (or computer) and the applications used to access the cloud via a user interface such as a web browser. The back end of the cloud computing architecture is the ‘cloud’ itself, comprising various computers, servers and data storage devices collaboration. For more information on collaborative working using Google Docs, you can watch the now classic video Google Docs in Plain English. Taking collaboration further still, the outputs of some SaaS applications can be embedded in other web pages as web service gadgets. For example, a Google Docs or Zoho Sheet chart can be mashed into another website. There it will automatically update when the data in the online spreadsheet that is generating it is changed. SaaS applications are also constantly updated, which can free users of the â€Å"upgrade hell† of a major traditional software package revision. The disadvantage of SaaS is that it is basically a takeit-or-leave-it form of cloud computing. This means that businesses and individuals who require direct access to cloud computing hardware on which they can run their own applications cannot use SaaS. Rather, they need to cloud compute at the platform or infrastructure level using either platform as a service (PaaS) or infrastructure as a service (IaaS). 4. Services of Cloud Computing SaaS(Software as a Service) PaaS(Platform as a Service) IaaS(Infrastructure as a Service) Services Of Cloud computing PaaS(Platform as a Service) A platform is a software environment used to develop and run applications. For example, Microsoft Word is an application that runs on the Microsoft Windows platform. When people choose to cloud compute using platform as a service or ‘PaaS’, they obtain access to an online platform provided by a cloud computing vendor. They can then use this platform to develop and deliver their own online (SaaS) applications. Applications developed using PaaS may be used privately by just one or a few users within a particular company. However, they can also be offered free or for-a-fee to anybody on the web. This means that if you have a great idea for a new online application then you can use PaaS to turn it into a reality! Several cloud suppliers now offer PaaS tools. Most notably these include Google App Engine, Microsoft Windows Azure, and Force.com. All such offerings effectively provide their customers with a box of cloud computing Lego. New applications are then constructed from the plastic bricks on offer. With Force.com, some applications can even be built using a simple drag-and-drop interface. Relatively nontechnical people can therefore create new online applications very quickly. SaaS (Software as a Service) Software as a service is where computer applications are accessed over the Internet rather than being installed on a local computing device or in a local data centre. So, for example, people may use an online word processor like Google Docs, an online database application like Zoho Creator, an online photo editor like Pixar, or an online invoicing application such as Zoho Invoice. Many SaaS applications are free to use, at least initially. You can find links to a great many in the Cloud Computing Directory. SaaS can provide its users with many benefits. These include the general cloud computing advantages of dynamic scalability and any device independence, as well as the benefit of being able to use an application without incurring fixed costs. Many SaaS applications are also collaborative. This allows multiple users to share documents and even to work on them at the same time.  For example, in the Google Docs spreadsheet different users can work on different cells simultaneously. The cells different users are working on are locked-off and highlighted in different colours. A real-time chat window can also be opened up alongside the spreadsheet to further enhance Indeed, Force.com claim that their â€Å"simplified programming model and cloud-based environment mean [customers] can build and run applications five times faster, at about half the cost of traditional software platforms†. Google App Engine and Force.com also allow an initial application to be created for free! Whilst PaaS is great in many situations, its users do need to be mindful of the involved flexibility verses power trade-off. What this means is that whilst PaaS makes it relatively easy to create new online applications, users are nevertheless constrained by the particular programming languages and tools provided by their PaaS supplier. In other words, PaaS vendors have total control over which Lego bricks they allow their customers to build with. Whilst this ensures that applications built using the tools on offer will always function correctly, it is nevertheless restrictive. It is for this reason that many companies and some individuals choose to cloud compute at t he infrastructure level. Dedicated physical servers and virtual server instances can perform exactly the same functions. However, there are some differences between them. For a start, virtual server instances are cheaper to supply as each does not require its own piece of physical hardware in a cloud data centre. On the other hand, virtual server instances are sometimes seen as less secure by those who do not want to share server hardware with other customers. For this reason, four categories of IaaS are available. These are most commonly known as â€Å"private clouds†, â€Å"dedicated hosting†, â€Å"hybrid hosting† and â€Å"cloud hosting†. 5. How cloud computing works? In traditional enterprise computing, IT departments forecast demand for applications and capacity and invest time and money to develop those resources inhouse or purchase them from others and operate them in-house. IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service) Infrastructure as a service or â€Å"IaaS† is where a cloud supplier provides online infrastructure on which their customers can store data and develop and run whatever applications they please. IaaS therefore allows companies to move their existing programs and data into the cloud and to close down their own local servers and data centres. Whilst computing applications run on platforms, platforms in turn run on computing infrastructure. So, for example, whilst the Microsoft Word application runs on the Microsoft Windows platform, in turn the Microsoft Windows platform runs on the infrastructure of an IBM-compatible PC. How it works The fundamental building block of cloud computing infrastructure is the server. Cloud computing servers are basically computers on which online applications can be run and data can be stored. When provided by an IaaS vendor, cloud servers can also be real or virtual. Real or â€Å"dedicated† servers are individual circuit boards – known as blades – mounted within equipment racks in a data centre. In contrast virtual servers – also known as â€Å"virtual server instances† – are software-controlled slices of real, physical servers. Virtual servers are created by a process called virtualization that allows many users to share the processing power of one physical server. With cloud computing, institutions procure IT services from remote providers, and campus constituents access these resources over the Internet. E-mail, for example, long considered a staple of an institution’s IT operations, can be obtained from a range of sources, and a growing number of campuses contract with outside suppliers for this function. Software is hosted by the provider and does not need to be installed—or maintained—on individual computers around campus. In some cases, a large university or a consortium might become a provider of cloud services. Storage and processing needs can also be met by the cloud. Institutions pay only for the resources used, and users can access the applications and files they need from virtually any Internet- connected computer. In a mature cloud computing environment, institutions would be able to add new IT services or respond to changes in capacity on the fly, saving capital costs that can be redirected to programs of strategic value to the institution. Advantages †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Reduced Hardware equipment for end users Improved Performance Lower Hardware and Software Maintenance Instant Software Updates Accessibility Less Expensive (Amazon example) Better Collaboration Pay for what you use Flexible 6. CHARACTERISTICS †¢ High scalability Cloud environments enable servicing of business requirements for larger audiences, through high scalability Disadvantages †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Security Issues (#1 concern) Internet connection Too many platforms Location of Servers Time for Transition Speed †¢ Agility The cloud works in the ‘distributed mode’ environment. It shares resources among users and tasks, while improving efficiency and agility (responsiveness) †¢ High availability and reliability Availability of servers is high and more reliable as the chances of infrastructure failure are minimal †¢ Multi-sharing With the cloud working in a distributed and shared mode, multiple users and applications can work more efficiently with cost Reductions by sharing common infrastructure †¢ Services in pay-per-use mode SLAs between the provider and the user must be defined when offering services in pay per use mode. This may be based on the complexity of services offered Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) may be offered to the users so they can access services on the cloud by using these APIs 7. CONCLUSION After so many years, Cloud Computing today is the beginning of â€Å"network based computing† over Internet in force. It is the technology of the decade and is the enabling element of two totally new computing models, the Client-Cloud computing and the Terminal-Cloud computing. These new models would create whole generations of applications and business. Our prediction is that it is the beginning to the end of the dominance of desktop computing such as that with the Windows. It is also the beginning of a new Internet based service economy: the Internet centric, Web based, on demand, Cloud applications and computing economy

Conflict ‘Romeo and Juliet’ Essay

How important is the theme of conflict in the play Romeo and Juliet? Shakespeare’s play, Romeo and Juliet, is the most famous love story in English literature. However love isn’t the only theme that runs through the play. Shakespeare makes this typical love story more striking when he pits the romance in the context of family feuds, fights and deaths. The issue of conflict is as central to this play as the issues of love/honour/betrayal and death. It should come as no surprise that Shakespeare would include conflicts in this play as otherwise the play would simply be a dull statement on teenage love. Adding the conflicts highlights the tensions that the teenagers feel between their attachments to their own families and each other. Also, adding the conflict is important for dramatic effect. We see this clearly in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet but also see it in many modern forms of storytelling, such as film. The film ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ is another example of two star-crossed lovers struggling to be together against their family’s wishes. The conflict in the film is between brothers, but also with others outside the characters immediate families. The dramatic effect of the conflict has the audience on the edge of their seat, willing the pair to escape their terrible lives of abuse and live happily ever after. Slumdog is Romeo and Juliet for the 21st Century.As in Shakespeare’s play, in Slumdog the audience are told what will happen in the story by way of a prologue The prologue in Romeo and Juliet tells the audience the story and the ending (the two lovers will mend their family feuds by taking their own lives) â€Å"From forth the fatal loins of these two foes. A pair of star-crossed lovers take their life. .† The prologue is an unusual storytelling device as it reveals the end of the story at the beginning. But it also draws the audience is to know why the lovers take their own lives and the audience remains shocked by that event, despite being warned about it. In Bas Learhmann’s film the audience is surprised when Juliet wakes from her sleep to find Romeo lying dead next to her. Her reaction of killing herself is a shocking ending to the film (play) despite the audience knowing what is coming. In Shakespeare’s prologue the  Chorus describes two noble households in the city of Verona. The houses hold an â€Å"ancient grudge† against each other that remains a source of violent and bloody conflict. The audience are told that the families live in â€Å"Fair Verona† and who the main characters in the play are. So within a few minutes of the play commencing the audience (reader) is primed with enough information to generate an interest to read on. The first scene comes immediately after the prologue and Shakespeare commences the scene with two Capulet servants (Sampson and Gregory) who talk about the conflict between the two family’s. It is interesting that even though they are servants (â€Å"Slaves†) they say that the family’s feud is their feud: The quarrel is between our masters and us their men It is important to remember that the play is written at a time when servants were obliged to honour their masters, and that included laying down their life for their ‘betters’. The tone of the conversation between the two servants replicates the conflict that we hear about in the prologue. Shakespeare has established a thread for the reader to follow here. The violence of the conflict is clear when the two servants talk of what they will do to the Montague women once they defeat the Montague men. Brutalising the women of a defeated enemy is something that has happened throughout history. True; and therefore women, being the weaker vessels, are ever thrust to the wall: therefore I will push Montague’s men from the wall, and thrust his maids to the wall The public brawl started by Tybalt is joined by members of both families, including the Montague and Capulet ‘fathers’. Seeing old enemy (Montague) Capulet says to his wife: My sword, I say! Old Montague is come, And flourishes his blade in spite of me. The street fighting and hatred between the Capulets and Montagues is only one form of conflict in Shakespeare’s play. Shakespeare’s writing about conflict extends to Juliet’s family too. In Act 3 Scene 5 Juliet is told  by her mother that she will marry. Juliet’s unhappiness at this arranged marriage (she is told to report to the church on Thursday) leads to a conflict with her father who calls her a ‘young baggage and disobedient wench’. The family conflict repeats one faced by some young women whose husbands are chosen for them. This cultural obligation is also made clear by Juliet’s mother when she says to Juliet that by the age of 14 (Juliet’s age at the time of the play) she was already pregnant with Juliet. The tradition of marrying girls off young, and to wealthy older men, has largely been overcome in some communities, however, in others it still creates tension. Sometimes with tragic outcomes. The theme of conflict is important in this play because it reflects the type of social conditions that existed at the time that Shakespeare wrote his play. It is interesting that although our social conditions have changed, the underlying themes and circumstances here could apply to our society today. Young, violent, men fighting over territory/honour and (like Tybalt) being killed in the crossfire. Shakespeare’s decision to talk about the unfairness of Juliet’s father’s insistence that she marry, may be a brave attempt to raise the issue of forced marriage. But, alternatively, it could also be seen as a source of gaiety and merriment for the Shakespearean audience. Despite some really difficult language, Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is a play that transcends time in terms of its underlying themes. This makes the play as relevant now as it was when it was first played.

Friday, August 16, 2019

Vark analyis paper

Learning Styles This paper will explore the kinesthetic learning style identified by the VARK questionnaire. This paper will look into the dentified characteristics of a kinesthetic learner as well as the dfferent learning and studying strategies that can make the kinesthetic learner successful. Preferred Learning Style: Kinesthetic learning Is a style of learning that Is based on being actively Involved In the learning process. Kinesthetic learners use all five senses to be able to grasp Ideas and retain the Information that is being taught.The kinesthetic learning style nables the learner to learn material by â€Å"doing† such as with â€Å"hands on activity. It is essential that these learners have activity involved in their education. Kinesthetic learners have to be active participants in their learning in order to retain taught information. â€Å"Kinesthetic learners need to move around and work with ideas. They need to be touching or doing things that pertain to the ma terial being taught. Kinesthetic learners sometimes have difficulty sitting still in class and Just listening as they are â€Å"hands on learners†. The more actively you are Involved in doing a skill, the better you learn It.The more skin and muscles you use, the better you remember. Even small motions that seem unrelated to the activity help these learners to understand materiel. Kinesthetic learners learn best by doing or experiencing the Information being sought out. The more senses you can Involve In learning, the better you will remember it. † (Nelson, 2013) Preferred Learning Strategies: Kinesthetic learners do well with labs, demonstration, field trips and hands on experiences. The kinesthetic learner should attempt to take the concepts that are being taught and convert those ideas into â€Å"real† experiences.With the use of case studies and applications this can assist the kinesthetic learner to retain taught information as well as help with recall of in formation at a later on time. Learning tools that benefit the Kinesthetic learner include: being comfortable, kinesthetic learners are comfortable with studying in places such as a comfortable chair or sitting on the floor; listening to music or the TV, kinesthetic learners do study well while listening to music or with the television on as this allows them to use the hearing sense; also allowing room to move, kinesthetic learners need room to move round and change posltlons while studying.Preferred and Identified Learning Strategies: similarities are numerous. The author of this paper is a kinesthetic learner. The author prefers to understand an idea through â€Å"hands† on experience. The VARK learning strategies mirror the author's preferred learning strategies. The ability of the learner to have self-assurance in their studies is increased once the learner has identified and put into practice learning strategies that work best for them. Changes Needed in Study Habits: As stated previously, kinesthetic learners will flourish in an environment that is onducive to active participation by the learner.With that said kinesthetic learners must learn to adapt methods of study and learning to be successful in other learning environments. These environments can include online learning and lecture halls. Changes in study habits that can benefit the kinesthetic learner include practicing how to take organized notes during a lecture or online discussion. This â€Å"practice† can enable the learner to utilize one of their strengths. Also, practicing Strategies from other learning styles such as recording and re-listening to a lecture at a later time ay help the learner to make information more concrete.VARK Learning Style Analysis Summary: The VARK learning style analysis assists not only the teacher but the student as well to identify different learning styles. The VARK learning analysis identifies five different learning styles: visual, aural, reading/wr iting, kinesthetic, and multimodal. â€Å"Visual learners learn best by seeing. Things such as charts, diagrams, illustrations and handouts are beneficial learning tools for this type of learner. Visual learners prefer to see information in a visual form. Auditory learners (Aural) learn by hearing information.

Thursday, August 15, 2019

The Function of Law

The Function and Role of Law Jeremy Harrell LAW 421/ Contemporary Business Law Denver Snuffer The Function and Role of Law in Business and Society Law is something that affects everyone wherever they live. If you are involved in a business, law is definitely something that will affect you in more ways than one. Lack of knowledge of the society you live in and how laws will govern you can affect you and your business in the way you operate. Law Defined and its Effect on SocietyAccording to Wikipedia, â€Å"Commercial law, also known as business law, is the body of law that applies to the rights, relations, and conduct of persons and businesses engaged in commerce, merchandising, trade, and sales. It is often considered to be a branch of civil law and deals with issues of both private law and public law. † Not only can law have an effect on society and business, but business and society can in return have an impact on law. The influence of a business on society can affect change s to laws which govern how they operate.This influence can be through recommending changes that will help their business, or help protect them from a society that has become a â€Å"sue happy† society in order to make money in an unstable economy, in my opinion. Interesting Events Some of the interesting law suits that I am referring to in my claim that our society is a â€Å"sew happy† society is quite intriguing. I worked for a McDonald’s restaurant in Twin Falls, Idaho in 1994. One lawsuit that occurred with a McDonald’s in New Mexico over spilt coffee is one of the lawsuits I am referring to.From what I recall of this lawsuit as told by my employer, the customer in New Mexico came through the drive thru and ordered a cup of coffee as part of their order. As they departed out of the drive thru, the coffee spilt on the customer’s lap, causing third degree burns. I don’t know how much the medical bills of the customer were, but McDonaldâ₠¬â„¢s was sewed and the customer received a settlement from this lawsuit. As stated on Wikipedia, â€Å"ABC News called this lawsuit ‘the poster child of excessive lawsuits. † This is one of many examples of people sewing businesses over dumb stuff in my opinion. Who would want their coffee cold? That would more than likely lead to a complaint to the business. How it Affects My Current Occupation Business law is not the only law that affects my occupation, as I am in the military. I am also governed by the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ). The UCMJ predates the constitution. The UCMJ is contained in Title 10, sections 801 through 946. â€Å"Scribd†) The UCMJ includes a lot of items that are wrong in our society as well, but allows for additional punishments and disciplinary action in the military system. The legal advisors in the military are referred to as Judge Advocate General’s (JAG’s). Since I work in the personnel portion of the industr y, I deal with JAG’s on a regular basis. I have had to sit as a recorder on disciplinary boards, recording and listening to what goes on as Soldier’s are disciplined for their actions. Because of the UCMJ, Soldier’s could be disciplined twice depending on the nature of the incident.I recall when I was deployed to Afghanistan having to help process legal paperwork for my Battalion Commander as he had to discipline twelve Soldier’s in the first two weeks for violations of the UCMJ that occurred when these Soldier’s were in Hawaii because he was their first O5 in their chain at the time of the disciplinary action. This was a huge eye opener to me of what can happen when law and the UCMJ are violated. Conclusion As I have started to learn about Business Law and hear about court cases between people in society and businesses, I know how important it is in business to follow the law.In addition, it is also important to do your part as a citizen and busin essman to implement and enforce laws that govern you in your business and operations. References Scribd. (). Retrieved from http://www. scribd. com/doc/982597/The-History-of-the-Military-Justice-System Wikipedia. (). Retrieved from http://en. wikipedia. org/w/index. php? title=Special%3ASearch&profile=default&search=business+law&fulltext=Search Wikipedia. (). Retrieved from http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Liebeck_v. _McDonald's_Restaurants

Wednesday, August 14, 2019

Evaluating Reference Sources Essay

After gathering reference sources, carefully examine them with specific and general questions designed to determine whether they are relevant to the research question or topic under consideration. There are four primary questions to ask about a list of references, including: 1) How well do sources answer the question? 2) Does an expert provide the information? 3) Is the source valid? and 4) Is there a variety of references included, and not just one point of view?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The way to decide if a source is appropriate is to read the Table of Contents and Indexes inside a book and see if the material matches your topic. In an article, read the captions underneath the pictures and charts first, then the first sentence of each paragraph. Usually the pictures and graphs will give you the gist of the article, while the text helps to explain it. Be careful to consider the credentials of all references. Someone with experience, training, and certification in a field of study is considered an expert. Their studied opinion will then substantiate your opinions on a topic. For example, a PhD psychologist working with children for 30 years would be more of an expert on attention deficit than, say, an auto mechanic. Other questions to consider are the following: 1.Is the information unbiased? For example, do you accept a claim from the Sugar Growers Association that sugar is necessary to the human diet and does not cause cavities or Type II Diabetes? 2. Do the authors openly report their sources? Be careful of research articles that do not give full information. 3. Do authors state their research methods as well as results? If methods are not discussed, the research may be faulty. 4. Is the research up-to-date? For example, if you are writing about hybrid cars, an article from 1943 is not valid. Generally use sources that are 5 – 10 years old or newer. Finally, it is important to use a variety of points of view and opinions concerning a topic so that there will be enough evidence from all sides for making a balanced judgment. Do not depend only on a single source, or look for material biased only toward a particular point of view. Collect several appropriate sources, and review the combined information from that collection in order to analyze it to determine your own opinion. Using the questions above, you will have chosen information that is balanced, current, detailed, and scientifically correct. REFERENCES Arlov, P. (2007).Wordsmith: A Guide to College Writing. Third Edition. Prentice Hall Arlov, P. (2004).Wordsmith: A Guide to College Writing. Second Edition. Prentice Hall