buy custom US Education System essay

buy custom US Education System essay The most urgent need in reforming and amplifying the American education system lies in enriching and standardizing the curriculum. Other requirements in education reform could include introduction of charter schools to compete with ordinary private schools, reconstituting the US teacher workforce will also help in ensuring that qualified and well-motivated teachers can join the ranks. Nevertheless, the curriculum remains the most prominent and urgent education reform agenda in the US. The states education partisans, legislatures both national and state-based, education experts and the federal officials governing education portfolios must join hands in developing a standardized curriculum that emphasizes on developing the innovativeness, genius and creativity of each child in line with the information age. A good curriculum should feature a content scope and sequence that makes dynamic integration of new knowledge with that already available in books as part of the formal course work. This calls for the private sectors and public sector to join hands and pick the best brains that runs the economy and the government, in developing curriculums teaching materials in resonance with the challenges facing America today. This will also call for increased accessibility of software applications and commercial textbooks as part of the pedagogy used by teachers in teaching the curriculum, discipline must also form a core part of the system since how well students are behaved is directly proportional to how well they perform (U.S. Department of Education). To do this, student feedback must continually be included in policy formulation. Buy custom US Education System essay

How a Behavior Intervention Plan Improves Bad Behavior

How a Behavior Intervention Plan Improves Bad Behavior A BIP, or Behavior Intervention Plan, is an improvement plan that lays out how an Individual Education Plan (IEP) team will better difficult behavior that is inhibiting a childs academic success. If a child cant focus, doesnt complete work, disrupts the classroom or is constantly in trouble, not only does the teacher have a problem, the child has a problem. A Behavior Intervention Plan is a document that describes just how the IEP team will help the child improve his or her behavior. When a BIP Becomes a Requirement A BIP is a required part of an IEP if the behavior box is checked off in the Special Considerations section where it asks whether communication, vision, hearing, behavior and/or mobility affects academic achievement. If a childs behavior disrupts the classroom and significantly interrupts his or her education, then a BIP is very much in order. Furthermore, a BIP is generally preceded by an FBA or Functional Behavior Analysis. The Functional Behavior Analysis is based on the Behaviorist Anagram, ABC: Antecedent, Behavior, and Consequence. It requires the observer to first pay attention to the environment in which the behavior occurs, as well as the occurrences that happen just before the behavior. How Behavior Analysis Gets Involved Behavior Analysis includes the antecedent, a well defined, measurable definition of the behavior, as well as a standard for how it will be measured, such as duration, frequency, and latency. It also involves the consequence, or outcome, and how that consequence reinforces the student.   Usually, a special education teacher, a behavior analyst, or a school psychologist will perform an FBA. Using that information, the teacher will write a document that describes target behaviors, replacement behaviors, or behavioral goals. The document will also include the procedure for changing or extinguishing the target behaviors, measures for success, and the people who will be responsible for instituting and following through on the BIP. The BIP Content A BIP should include the following information: Proactive Manipulation of the Antecedent.Teachers should consider whether they can structure the students learning environment in a way that will eliminate the antecedent. Making changes in the environment that will eliminate or decrease the things that may trigger a behavior permits the teacher to spend lots of time reinforcing the replacement behavior.Targeted Behaviors.Also known as the Behavior of Interest, a BIP should narrow the behaviors of interest to a few that may be interrelated, typically three or four or at the most.Reinforcement Plan.This plan provides a description of the proactive means of supporting replacement or appropriate behavior. A replacement behavior for calling out would be to raise their hand and a means of reinforcing or rewarding that activity would be part of the BIP.  Protocol for Addressing Dangerous or Unacceptable Behavior.This protocol may be called different things in a teachers district or state form, but it should address how to respond to dang erous behavior. Unacceptable should be defined, as it isnt to promote punishment when the teacher, bus driver, or paraprofessional is angry at a student. The purpose of the BIP is to keep adults away from reactive and counterproductive behaviors of their own, like screaming at the child or punishment.

The Impacts Of Mobile Applications On The Hospitality Industry Essay

The Impacts Of Mobile Applications On The Hospitality Industry - Essay Example In other words, communication was made easier and repeated walks became a thing of the past. In a similar way, the receptionists had an easy time recording the number of guests going in and out of the respective premises (Engel, 2013). Mobile phones have as well improved communication efficiency. It is easier for a client to directly call the management to raise complaints and book appointments than with the old way of using letters (Engel, 2013). Also, almost all hospitality organizations have pages on social media and/ websites where potential clients can post comments and ask questions while sitting at their respective homes (Withiam, 2013). In the meantime, it is now possible, in many hospitality firms, to buy tickets online while sitting at home. Obviously, such clients are happy about how easy such and similar processes become and any hospitality organization that runs its operations using the manual ways of the past is considered as lagging behind times (Barnes, 2004; Hotel Ne ws Resource, 2013). Reducing operational costs Mobile technologies have gone an extra mile in reducing operational costs. Advertising costs, for instance, have been greatly cut short by the presence of social media. It is hard to find any meaningful hospitality organization without Facebook, Twitter and website to name a few (Hotel News Resource, 2013). Such social media platforms assist in reaching great numbers of potential clients from diverse background and or around the globe (Withiam, 2013). ... Mobile phones have as well improved communication efficiency. It is easier for a client to directly call the management to raise complaints and book appointments than with the old way of using letters (Engel, 2013). Also, almost all hospitality organizations have pages on social media and/ websites where potential clients can post comments and ask questions while sitting at their respective homes (Withiam, 2013). In the meantime, it is now possible, in many hospitality firms, to buy tickets online while sitting at home. Obviously, such clients are happy about how easy such and similar processes become and any hospitality organization that runs its operations using the manual ways of the past is considered as lagging behind times (Barnes, 2004; Hotel News Resource, 2013). Reducing operational costs Mobile technologies have gone an extra mile in reducing operational costs. Advertising costs, for instance, have been greatly cut short by the presence of social media. It is hard to find a ny meaningful hospitality organization without Facebook, Twitter and website to name a few (Hotel News Resource, 2013). Such social media platforms assist in reaching great numbers of potential clients from diverse background and or round the globe (Withiam, 2013). All the clients need is to know that there exists a company page or website from where he or she can learn more about the company, ask questions and post comments. All operations involving organizational performance analysis are made easy what with the use of social media commentaries, retweets and likes on Facebook (Engel, 2013). Travel costs are also greatly reduced. Aforementioned, rather than managers moving long distances just to inform other workers about

HSC PharmacologyTerm Project Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

HSC PharmacologyTerm Project - Assignment Example The treatment has been somehow demanding due to the fact that P. falciparum develops resistance to any new medicine discovered to treat malaria. Due to this several pharmacological agents have been set in different times to cure malaria. Other plasmodium species that cause malaria are P. vivax, P. Ovale and P. malariae. Chloroquine also known as 4-aminoquinoline has been used to treat malaria caused by falciparum species in the malaria prone areas until this parasite developed a resistant to it. Chloroquine is a weak base that concentrates after mixing with the lysosome of the parasite, probably through parasite-specific drug concentrating mechanism. It’s a weak base and its concentration increases in the lysosome of the parasite probably through parasite –specific drug concentrating mechanism. After infection the parasite digests the hemoglobin forming ferriprotoporphorin IX known as haem which is very toxic to the parasite. However the parasite contains plasmodialhaem polymerase that converts haem to a red pigment associated with malaria referred to as haemozoin, harmless to the parasite. Chloroquine inhibits this enzyme and thus accumulation of haem destroys the parasite by membranolytic action. Moreover chloroquine intercalates in the parasites DNA and also causes fragmentation of its RNA. Chloroquine can be used for clinical cure where it lowers the effect of fever and destroys all the parasites in the blood in 24 hours as well as control method. Chloroquine is only a fundamental treatment for P. falciparum infection and not for P.vivax or P. ovale since the latter contain hypnozoites in the exo-erythrocytic phase that lead to clinical setback attack. However progaunil is combined with it to prevent these relapse in chemoprophylaxis. Due to the resistant nature of P.falciparum maloprim is combined. Apart from

Learning Theories Essay Example for Free

Learning Theories Essay Lev Vygotsky, born in the U. S. S. R. in 1896, is responsible for the social development theory of learning. He proposed that social interaction profoundly influences cognitive development. Vygotsky’s key point is his belief that biological and cultural development do not occur in isolation. Vygotsky approached development differently from Piaget. Piaget believed that cognitive development consists of four main periods of cognitive growth: sensory motor, preoperational, concrete operations, and formal operations. Piaget’s theory suggests that development has an endpoint in goal. Vygotsky, in contrast, believed that development is a process that should be analyzed, instead of a product to be obtained. Marcy P. Driscoll stated (as cited in Riddle, 1999) that â€Å"Vygotsky believes the development process that begins at birth and continues until death is too complex to be defined by stages†. The major theme of Vygotsky’s theoretical framework is that social interaction plays a fundamental role in the development of cognition. Vygoysky states: â€Å"Every function in the child’s cultural development appears twice: first, on the social level, and later, on the individual level; first between people (interpsychological) and then inside the child (intrapsychological) (Funderstanding, 2001). This applies equally to voluntary attention, to logical memory, and to formation of concepts. All the higher functions originate as actual relationships between individuals. A second aspect of Vygotsky’s theory is the idea that the potential for cognitive development is limited to a certain time span that he calls the â€Å"zone of proximal development† (ZPD). Vygotsky believed that this life long process of development was dependent on social interaction and that social learning actually leads to cognitive development (Kearsley, 1998). Vygotsky describes it as â€Å"the distance between the actual development level as determined by independent problem solving and the level of potential development as determined through Learning Theories 3 problem solving under adult guidance or in collaboration with more capable peers† (Funderstanding, 2001). In other words, a student can perform a task under adult guidance or with peer collaboration that could not be achieved alone. The Zone of Proximal Development bridges the gap between what is known and what can be known. Vygotsky claimed that learning occurred in this zone. Therefore, Vygotsky focused on the connections between people and the cultural context in which they act and interact in shared experiences. According to Vygotsky, humans use tools that develop from a culture, such as speech and writing, to mediate their social environments. Initially, Children develop these tools to serve solely as social functions, ways to communicate needs. Vygotsky believed that the internalization of these tools led to higher thinking skills (Riddle, 1999). When Piaget observed young children participating in egocentric speech in their preoperational stage, he believed it was a phase that disappeared once the child reached the stage of concrete operations. Driscoll states (as cited in Riddle, 1999) â€Å"in contrast, Vygotsky viewed this egocentric speech as a transition from social speech to internalized thought†. Thus, Vygotsky believed that thought and language could not exist without each other. Vygotsky’s theory was an attempt to explain consciousness as the end product of socialization. For example, in the learning of language, our first vocal noises with friends or adults are for the purpose of communication, but once mastered they become internalized and allow â€Å"inner speech†. Traditionally, schools have not promoted environments in which the students play an active role in their education and in the education of their friends. Vygotsky’s theory, however, requires the teacher and students to play untraditional roles as they collaborate with each other. Instead of a teacher dictating the lessons to students and later evaluate them, a teacher should collaborate with her students in order to create meaningful ways that students can make their own evaluation. Learning then becomes a reciprocal experience for the students and the teacher. Learning Theories 4. The physical classroom, based on Vygotsky’s theory, would provide clustered desks or tables and work space for peer instruction, collaboration, and small group instruction. Like the environment, the instructional design of material would be structured to promote and encourage student interaction and collaboration. Thus, the classroom becomes a community of learning. Because Vygotsky asserts that cognitive change occurs within the Zone of Proximal development, instruction would be designed to reach a developmental level that is just above the student’s current developmental level. Vygotsky proclaims, â€Å"learning which is oriented toward developmental levels that have already been reached is ineffective from the view point of the child’s overall development. It does not aim for a new stage of the developmental process, but rather lags behind this process† (Social Development, 1996). Appropriation is necessary for cognitive development within the zone of proximal development. Individuals participating in peer collaboration or guided teacher instruction must share the same focus in order to access the zone. Samuel J. Hausfather states (as cited in Riddle, 1999), â€Å"joint attention and shared problem solving is needed to create a process of cognitive, social, and emotional interchange†. Furthermore, it is essential that the partners be on different developmental levels. In addition, the partner that is on the higher level needs to be aware of his partner’s lower level. If this does not occur, or if one partner continually dominates, the interaction is less successful. Scaffolding and reciprocal teaching are effective strategies to access the zone. Scaffolding requires the teacher to provide students the opportunity to extend the current skills and knowledge. Hausfather reports (as cited in Riddle, 1999) â€Å"the teacher must engage students’ interests, simplify tasks so they are manageable, and motivate students to pursue the instructional goal. In addition, the teacher must look for discrepancies between students’ efforts and the solution, control for frustration and risk, and model an idealized version of the act†. Learning Theories 5 Reciprocal teaching allows for the creation of a dialogue between students and teachers. This two-way communication becomes an instructional strategy by encouraging students to go beyond answering and discussing questions. A study (as cited in Riddle, 1999) demonstrated the Vygotskian approach with reciprocal teaching methods in their successful program to teach reading strategies. The teacher and students alternated turns leading small group discussions on reading. After modeling four reading strategies, students began to assume the teaching role. Results of this study showed significant gains over other instructional strategies. Cognitively Guided Instruction is another strategy to implement Vygotsky’s theory. This strategy involves the teacher and students exploring math problems and then sharing their different problem solving strategies in an open dialogue (Riddle, 1999). Vygotsky’s social development theory challenges traditional teaching methods. Historically, schools have been organized around recitation teaching. According to Hausfather, (as cited in Riddle, 1999) â€Å"the teacher disseminates knowledge to be memorized by the students, who in turn, recite the information back to the teacher†. However, the studies described above offer empirical evidence that learning, based on the social development theory, facilitates cognitive development over other instructional strategies (Riddle, 1999). School structure does not reflect the rapid changes that society is experiencing. Opportunities for social interaction have greatly increased with the introduction and integration of computer technology. Therefore, the social context for learning is transforming as well. Learning relationships can now be formed from distances through cyberspace, whereas collaboration and peer instruction was once only possible in shared physical space (Bacalarski, 1994). Computer technology is a cultural tool that students can use to mediate and internalize their learning. According to Kathryn Crawford (as cited in Riddle, 1999) â€Å"recent research suggest changing the Learning Theories 6 learning contexts with technology is a powerful learning activity†. If schools continue to resist structural change, students will not be as prepared as they should be for the world. Lev Vygotsky lived during the Russian Revolution, a time of great change in his culture. His theory was that biological and cognitive development does not happen apart from each other. These two developments sustain and grow from each other. This is when learning takes place. Because of this theory, his environment of change was a great influence in his own cognitive processes. Learning Theories 7 References Bacalarski, M. C. , (1994). Vygotsky’s Developmental Theories and the Adulthood of Computer Mediated Communication: a Comparison and an Illumination. Retrieved November 7, 2003 from http://psych. hanover. edu/vygotsky/bacalar. html. Funderstanding, (2001). Vygotsky and Social Cognition. Retrieved November 7, 2003 from http://www. funderstanding. com/vygotsky. cfm. Kearsley, G. , (1998). Social Development (Vygotsky). Retrieved November 9, 2003 from http://members. aol. com/daidpeal/vygotsky. html. Riddle, E. M. , (1999). Lev Vygotsky’s Social Development Theory. Retrieved November 7, 2003 from www. kihd. gmu. edu/immersion/knowledgebase/theorists/constructivism/vygotsky.

religious studies :: essays research papers

AO1- What is meant by the term, â€Å"rite of passage†? Choose one Christian denomination. Describe the main rites of passage in that denomination.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I am going to describe the Roman Catholic churches main rites of passage. There are four important rites, they are; baptism, confirmation, marriage and funerals. A rite is a religious ceremony. If the rite marks a certain stage of someone’s life it is called a rite of passage. Christians believe god gives them powers to do his will, this is called god’s grace.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first rite I will describe is baptism. When a person is baptised it is believed that it is their welcome into the Christian church. Holy water is either put onto the person’s forehead or they are totally covered in water. This is a rite of passage because it is believed to be a very special as god is accepting them into the church. Infant baptisms in the Roman Catholic church take place during mass so the whole congregation of the church can welcome the child into the Christian faith. The priest takes the service. Three promises must be made but as the child is too young to say them parents or godparents say them on the child’s behalf. The promises are:  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  To turn to Christ  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  To repent sin  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  To renounce evil They also agree to raise the child in a Christian house and faith and say that they believe in the Trinity. The sign of a cross is made on the child’s forehead by the priest while he says; â€Å"I sign you with the cross, the sign of Christ. Do not be ashamed to confess the faith of Christ crucified.† As the priest says the child’s name and; â€Å"I baptise you in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit†, he pours water onto the child’s forehead. A lighted candle is usually given to the parents as a sign and reminder that the child is now in the light of god, and not the darkness of sin. After this ceremony the child is part of the Christian family. The child is anointed with oil called chrism, it is to show the child has important work to do in god’s service. Also a white garment is worn to show the light of Christ. The water is a sign of purifying the child.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The second of the rites is confirmation. It is when someone confirms their belief in god and Christ and when someone who has been baptised is old enough to make the promises made for them at their baptism themselves.

Advertising in Schools Essay

Although this semester our class has discussed the different types of advertising in the marketplace, one technique that was not discussed is that of advertising in schools. This idea is a growing technique that if conducted the right way, could perhaps benefit not only corporate organizations, but also schools and students. However, there are many critics, along with parents that feel advertising in schools is a horrible idea and could only lead to harm. Many advertisers view children as a profitable three-in-one market. That is, 1) As buyers themselves 2) As influencers of their parents purchases, and 3) As a future adult customer. See more: Recruitment and selection process essay Every year, children have an estimated $15 billion of their own money, of which they spend $11 billion of it on products such as toys, clothes, candy and snacks. Children also influence at least $160 billion in parental purchases. Generally speaking, today’s children have more money to spend than ever before. Companies know this and find that advertising to the ‘youth of the nation’ can be beneficial and lead to future dedicated customers. Because of the increase in children’s spending power in recent decades, advertisers have closely targeted children as consumers. New advertising strategies aimed at children have been steadily growing and expanding. The toy-related program, or program length commercial (which is just like a infomercial) is developed to sell toys, and stirred public attention and debates. Along with this form of advertising, 900-number telephone services were accused of being aimed at children. In the 1980’s, children got their own TV networks, radio networks, magazines, newspapers, kids’ clothing brands, and other high-price items such as video games and other high-tech products. Other new advertising strategies include kids’ clubs, store displays directed at children, direct mailing to children, and sponsored school activities. At first glance, selling corporate sponsorship rights to pay for school activities looks like a win-win situation. Needy schools get resources they need. Companies get new marketing opportunities that can build brand loyalty. After all, advertising in schools is nothing new. Districts have long used ads from local businesses to help pay the costs of school newspapers, yearbooks, and athletic programs. Even here at CBU our athletic department sells ads for ‘Sports Media Guides’ to local institutions as well as national organizations. A growing number of companies are offering schools money for a chance to market their products directly to students. As budgets shrink, schools must find ways to get extra funding. Many schools are doing away with fund-raising and have begun to look at corporate dollars to fund just about everything. Signing contracts with these companies seems like an easy way to get the money they need. Schools need funding for in-school activities and equipment, and, in order to reduce the number of children going home to empty houses, they need to fund many after-school activities. Product advertisements can be found almost everywhere in schools. They are most frequently found in stadiums, gymnasiums, school cafeterias, hallways, and on textbook covers. Some schools across the nation are even putting advertisements on school buses. So what types of advertising are out there in our schools? There are different categories that ads can fall into. The following categories can represent most the advertising techniques used in our schools today and give a description of how they work. Types of Advertising 1) In-school advertisements In-school ads are forms of advertising that can be found on billboards, on school buses, on scoreboards, in school hallways, in soft drink machines, or on sports uniforms. This type of advertising is also found in product coupons and in give-aways that are given to students. 2) â€Å"Exclusive rights† contracts A company gives money to schools that carry ONLY their products. Extra money can also be given if a schools’ sales exceed a certain amount(quota). 3) Corporate-sponsored educational materials and programs Sponsored educational materials include free or low-cost items which can be used for instruction. Examples of these may include; multimedia teaching kits, videotapes, software, books, posters, activity sheets, and workbooks. While some of these materials may be ad-free, others may contain advertising for the producer of the item, or they may contain biased information aimed at swaying students towards a company’s product or service. 4) Corporate-sponsored contests and incentive programs This is where students compete for prizes by selling, buying or collecting labels for a certain product. These contests and incentive programs bring brand names into the schools along with the promise of such rewards as free pizzas, cash, points towards buying educational equipment, or trips and other prizes. 5) Ads in classroom materials and programs Ads in classroom materials include any commercial messages in magazines or video programming used in school. A perfect example of this type of advertising is â€Å"Channel One†. Channel One is a 12-minute daily news show for students in grades 6 through 12 that includes two minutes of age-appropriate ads for products like jeans and soft drinks. In exchange for airing the program each day at the same time for three years, Channel One gives schools a satellite dish, a cable hookup, a television monitor for each classroom, and an agreement to service the equipment for the three years. While some state school systems had originally said ‘No’ to Channel One, the company reports to be present in some 350,000 classrooms. So what types of guidelines are set to insure that in-school advertising is done correctly and does not become overly exploited? Those who support the call for guidelines include educational groups such as the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, The National Parent Teacher Association, and the National Education Association. The Society of Consumer Affairs Professionals in Business(SOCAP) and Consumers International are two consumer interest groups that have formulated guidelines for sponsored materials. These guidelines suggest that†¦ † †¦ education materials should be accurate, objective, clearly written, nondiscriminatory, and noncommercial. † (Karpatkin & Holmes) In dealing with the issues of in-school commercialism, Karpatkin & Holmes suggest a three-pronged approach that includes: * Reviewing all sponsored materials and activities and holding them to the same standards as other similar items by using the SOCAP guidelines. * Pursuing noncommercial partnerships with businesses and rejecting the notion that it is ethical to bring advertising into the schools to provide materials or funds. * Begin the teaching of media literacy in elementary school, to educate children to be critical readers of advertising, propaganda, and other media messages. Groups that support advertising in schools have very strong arguments to back their case. It seems that there is a large area for investment in advertising in schools. It also appears that if handled correctly, advertising techniques in schools can lead to the raising of an overall helpful, efficient way to ‘fundraise’. Although advertising in schools may bring needed increases in funds, it is not without controversy. Many people are opposed to advertising in schools. They feel that children are being exploited for profit because big companies feel students are a captive, impressionable audience. Is there any way to balance the true goals and purposes of advertising in schools? Perhaps the best way is to have each school decide what amount and types of advertising in their schools is acceptable. And although advertising in schools seems to be a great way of obtaining funds for school activities, every school board should definitely be sure they know what they are getting into before signing any contracts with big time corporations. In-school Advertising Grace Farrell Promotional Strategy Dr. Peyton 12/02/02 Bibliography Chaika, Gloria. Education World. 1998 Education World. Consumers Union Education Services(CUES). 1990. Selling America’s Kids: Commercial Pressures on Kids of the 90’s. Yonkers, N. Y. Karpatkin, Rhoda, H. and Anita Holmes. 1995. Making schools ad-free zones. Educational Leadership 53(Sep, 1):72-76. McNeal, James U. 1990. Kids as customers. New York: Lexington Books. McNeal, James U. â€Å"Planning Priorities for Marketing to Children†. The Journal of Business Strategy. 1991. Advertising in Schools Essay Although this semester our class has discussed the different types of advertising in the marketplace, one technique that was not discussed is that of advertising in schools. This idea is a growing technique that if conducted the right way, could perhaps benefit not only corporate organizations, but also schools and students. However, there are many critics, along with parents that feel advertising in schools is a horrible idea and could only lead to harm. Many advertisers view children as a profitable three-in-one market. That is, 1) As buyers themselves 2) As influencers of their parents purchases, and 3) As a future adult customer. Every year, children have an estimated $15 billion of their own money, of which they spend $11 billion of it on products such as toys, clothes, candy and snacks. Children also influence at least $160 billion in parental purchases. Generally speaking, today’s children have more money to spend than ever before. Companies know this and find that advertising to the ‘youth of the nation’ can be beneficial and lead to future dedicated customers. Because of the increase in children’s spending power in recent decades, advertisers have closely targeted children as consumers. New advertising strategies aimed at children have been steadily growing and expanding. The toy-related program, or program length commercial (which is just like a infomercial) is developed to sell toys, and stirred public attention and debates. Along with this form of advertising, 900-number telephone services were accused of being aimed at children. In the 1980’s, children got their own TV networks, radio networks, magazines, newspapers, kids’ clothing brands, and other high-price items such as video games and other high-tech products. Other new advertising strategies include kids’ clubs, store displays directed at children, direct mailing to children, and sponsored school activities. At first glance, selling corporate sponsorship rights to pay for school activities looks like a win-win situation. Needy schools get resources they need. Companies get new marketing opportunities that can build brand loyalty. After all, advertising in schools is nothing new. Districts have long used ads from local businesses to help pay the costs of school newspapers, yearbooks, and athletic programs. Even here at CBU our athletic department sells ads for ‘Sports Media Guides’ to local institutions as well as national organizations. A growing number of companies are offering schools money for a chance to market their products directly to students. As budgets shrink, schools must find ways to get extra funding. Many schools are doing away with fund-raising and have begun to look at corporate dollars to fund just about everything. Signing contracts with these companies seems like an easy way to get the money they need. Schools need funding for in-school activities and equipment, and, in order to reduce the number of children going home to empty houses, they need to fund many after-school activities. Product advertisements can be found almost everywhere in schools. They are most frequently found in stadiums, gymnasiums, school cafeterias, hallways, and on textbook covers. Some schools across the nation are even putting advertisements on school buses. So what types of advertising are out there in our schools? There are different categories that ads can fall into. The following categories can represent most the advertising techniques used in our schools today and give a description of how they work. Types of Advertising 1) In-school advertisements In-school ads are forms of advertising that can be found on billboards, on school buses, on scoreboards, in school hallways, in soft drink machines, or on sports uniforms. This type of advertising is also found in product  coupons and in give-aways that are given to students. 2) â€Å"Exclusive rights† contracts A company gives money to schools that carry ONLY their products. Extra money can also be given if a schools’ sales exceed a certain amount(quota). 3) Corporate-sponsored educational materials and programs Sponsored educational materials include free or low-cost items which can be used for instruction. Examples of these may include; multimedia teaching kits, videotapes, software, books, posters, activity sheets, and workbooks. While some of these materials may be ad-free, others may contain advertising for the producer of the item, or they may contain biased information aimed at swaying students towards a company’s product or service. 4) Corporate-sponsored contests and incentive programs This is where students compete for prizes by selling, buying or collecting labels for a certain product. These contests and incentive programs bring brand names into the schools along with the promise of such rewards as free pizzas, cash, points towards buying educational equipment, or trips and other prizes. 5) Ads in classroom materials and programs Ads in classroom materials include any commercial messages in magazines or video programming used in school. A perfect example of this type of advertising is â€Å"Channel One†. Channel One is a 12-minute daily news show for students in grades 6 through 12 that includes two minutes of age-appropriate ads for products like jeans and soft drinks. In exchange for airing the program each day at the same time for three years, Channel One gives schools a satellite dish, a cable hookup, a television monitor for each classroom, and an agreement to service the equipment for  the three years. While some state school systems had originally said ‘No’ to Channel One, the company reports to be present in some 350,000 classrooms. So what types of guidelines are set to insure that in-school advertising is done correctly and does not become overly exploited? Those who support the call for guidelines include educational groups such as the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, The National Parent Teacher Association, and the National Education Association. The Society of Consumer Affairs Professionals in Business(SOCAP) and Consumers International are two consumer interest groups that have formulated guidelines for sponsored materials. These guidelines suggest that†¦ † †¦ education materials should be accurate, objective, clearly written, nondiscriminatory, and noncommercial.† (Karpatkin & Holmes) In dealing with the issues of in-school commercialism, Karpatkin & Holmes suggest a three-pronged approach that includes: * Reviewing all sponsored materials and activities and holding them to the same standards as other similar items by using the SOCAP guidelines. * Pursuing noncommercial partnerships with businesses and rejecting the notion that it is ethical to bring advertising into the schools to provide materials or funds. * Begin the teaching of media literacy in elementary school, to educate children to be critical readers of advertising, propaganda, and other media messages. Groups that support advertising in schools have very strong arguments to back their case. It seems that there is a large area for investment in advertising in schools. It also appears that if handled correctly, advertising techniques in schools can lead to the raising of an overall  helpful, efficient way to ‘fundraise’. Although advertising in schools may bring needed increases in funds, it is not without controversy. Many people are opposed to advertising in schools. They feel that children are being exploited for profit because big companies feel students are a captive, impressionable audience. Is there any way to balance the true goals and purposes of advertising in schools? Perhaps the best way is to have each school decide what amount and types of advertising in their schools is acceptable. And although advertising in schools seems to be a great way of obtaining funds for school activities, every school board should definitely be sure they know what they are getting into before signing any contracts with big time corporations. Bibliography Chaika, Gloria. Education World. 1998 Education World. Consumers Union Education Services(CUES). 1990. Selling America’s Kids: Commercial Pressures on Kids of the 90’s. Yonkers, N.Y. Karpatkin, Rhoda, H. and Anita Holmes. 1995. Making schools ad-free zones. Educational Leadership 53(Sep, 1):72-76. McNeal, James U. 1990. Kids as customers. New York: Lexington Books. McNeal, James U. â€Å"Planning Priorities for Marketing to Children†. The Journal of Business Strategy. 1991.

Brand Audit Essay

The sole objective of this brand report is to know about the brand potency of Mobilink in the Pakistani market in comparison to other competing service providers. The other objective is to put a spotlight on the different cellular companies operating in Pakistan and the perception of the users about them. TARGET AUDIENCE: As far as the Mobilink is concerned, it has no specific target audience because it is catering the requirement of all the users through its different packages. Cell phone is a requirement of every one so it also  of several segments whether it is youth, ladies or corporate sector. Brand Positioning  makes sense to launch multiple products to cater to the requirements RESEARCH METHODOLOGY: INTRODUCTION: The purpose of the research methodology is to carry out different methods of research to accomplish the set research objectives pertinent to the brand tracking. For that purpose, a set of questions have been made to inquire and analyze the responses of the  respondents. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY: The research methodology used in this brand tracking is qualitative as well as quantitative in which we have not only used a questionnaire to know the responses of the respondents of the sample group but also open ended questions asked from a set of respondents at mobilink franchises to get a more flexible response from the respondents. Secondary research methods are also used to get the information regarding the competitors and Mobilink to get to know the market structure and the standing of the cellular companies in it. Triangulation  and secondary research to find the parity in results. SAMPLING DESIGN: The target population belongs to every segment and class of life because cell phone users belong to every class of population and we method is used to cross check the results from qualitative, quantitative  cannot discriminate the target market based on SECs. Subsequently, the sample selection is random and random sampling method is used for sample selection to get the feedback of the users from all the classes. The sample size used for the questioning consists of 250 respondents. RESEARCH INSTRUMENTS: The instrument used for the research in this brand tracking activity is primarily a multipurpose questionnaire which comprises of open and close ended questions not only to help in the quantitative research but also in the qualitative research as well. It consist questions pertaining to the brand associations, brand recall, brand image, projective responses and brand values. The reliability of the instrument is measured through the triangulation method by comparing the results of all three research methods. PROCEDURES: The data collection is through the questionnaire from a sample group of 250 respondents. The screening of the information acquired from  entry. All the information from the responses is entered as per the frequency of respondents against the questions. These respondents is done manually using MS Excel as a tool for data. The objective of this brand audit report is to measure the brand potency of Mobilink in line with the competing brands. The specific issues faced by the brand in terms of market conditions, saturation in the cellular market and the overall recession in the economy will also be taken into account while studying the brand. Also, what subproducts fall in the generalized master brand i.e. Mobilink and to which segments these sub-brands are catering to.  When speaking of the target audience for Mobilink, we should keep in mind that in the world of today, cell phone is no longer a luxury as was the case in 90s but now, it has become a necessity for everyone. So when we speak of cell phone target market, we speak of all the socioeconomic classes from A to E. The brand audit is limited to Karachi only because of limited time and resources. But, in order to get a  are covered with a dynamic sample population to get diverse views about the brands so as to get a better and augmented underst anding of the market perceptions about the brands. The approach used for brand audit is mainly the survey through set questionnaire and secondary research methods regarding their inputs on brand imagery & usage, brand recall, brand perception, brand loyalty and brand awareness. BRAND BRAND (SELF ANALYSIS): Pakistan Mobile Communications Limited, better known as Mobilink GSM, is a telecommunication service provider in Pakistan. The company is Pakistan’s leading cellular operator with a subscriber base of 31.5m and market share of 31% in October 2010. Mobilink’s Head office is located at Mobilink House, 1-A Kohistan Road, F-8 Markaz Islamabad. Mobilink’s corporate postpaid package is sold under the brand name â€Å"Indigo† and prepaid by the name of â€Å"Jazz†. Mobilink started operations in 1994 as the first GSM cellular Mobile service in Pakistan by MOTOROLA Inc., later it was sold to Orascom, an Egypt-based group is diversifying its service portfolio by setting up new businesses and also expanding through acquisitions. Recently, they started offering DSL broadband through a wholly owned subsidiary, Link.Net. Additionally, the company has also launched its wireless broadband  service through WiMax based technology under the label of ‘Mobilink Infinity’. Technology is backed by Alcatel, and company is using a ZYXEL Customer Premises equipment. BCG GROWTH-SHARE MATRIX Companies that are large enough to be organized into strategic business units face the challenge of allocating resources among those units. In the early 1970’s the Boston Consulting Group developed a model for managing a portfolio of different business units. The BCG growth-share matrix displays the various business units on a graph of the market growth rate vs. market share relative to competitors. OF  SBUSCLASSIFICATION These packages are low growth, high share products. These established and successful SBUs need less investment to hold their market share. They produce a lot of cash to support the other SBUs that need investment. These packages are low share in high growth markets. They require a lot of cash to hold  their share. Management needs to think hard about question marks it should  try to build into stars or should be phased out.  It is low growth, low share product. It may generate enough cash to maintain itself but do not promise to be large source of cash. PRICING STRATEGY OF MOBILINK: Mobilink was offering Jazz connection for about 3000 rupees 5 years passage of time now Mobilink is offering Jazz connections for about 100 rupees. In 2002 Ufone which is one of the leading competitor of Jazz introduced its prepay connection for about 2500 rupees. In 2005 Telenor came into existence in Pakistani market and offered its connections for about 500 rupees. Then in 2005 Warid also entered the market offering its connections for 250 rupees. In this way price war   ago. Its market oriented statement is â€Å"Aur Sunao† But through the started between these telecom brands in the market. Previously it was Jazz’s oligopoly as they offered their prices. In 2005 Jazz offered a Cellphone plus connection and prepaid card implementing a productbundle pricing strategy for creating more attention and attraction. The major shift in the pricing strategy came in when they started 30.second operations using the promotional pricing strategy. In the early days Jazz was offering its sim-cards for a high-price using captiveproduct pricing strategy as its SIM-card is a main product that must be used along with the cell phone. Initially Jazz’s call rates and SMS charges were also reduced using discount and allowance strategy and initially directing towards promotional strategy as the competition between cellular brands in the market grew faster. Recently Jazz introduced its offerings of 0.99 per minute call rates in their â€Å"happy hour package† which represents their operations with the  promotional as well as psychological pricing of their services. Through its happy hour package they are also operating with promotional strategy as they are engaged in continuous promotion through their offerings. INDUSTRY REVIEWS In the era of globalization and information society, the fundamental role of telecommunication technologies cannot be underestimated. Although tremendous growth has taken place in the Pakistan telecom sector but most of it can be attributed to the cellular growth. Fixed line is still awaiting a takeoff. Similarly Value Added Services have grown introduced in the telecom sector some very positive impact have been observed on the growth of the sector in a short span of time which is expected to continue to grow for at least next five years if the daring investors influx continue as in the last 3 years. Our Industry already has LL (Local Loop), WLL (Wireless Local Loop), LDI (Long distance and but are still a drop in the bucket. Now that the competition has been  International), and ISP (Internet Service Provider) players and WiMax; 3G cellular systems are expected be a part of this Industry soon. The Pakistan market has reached 100 million subscribers landmark with cellular mobile tele density of over 60% (PTA press release Sep 2010).The growth slowed down in 2009 but has picked up again gradually. At 2006 year end the total subscribers were 48.2 million. In June 2007 the total mobile users reached over 63 million. Based on numbers published at PTA website for 2007, the total number of million, a teledensity of nearly 49%. In 2007 the average growth rate was about 2.5 million new subscribers each month! After second half of 2007 it seemed as if the growth had slowed down but overall it was fine. One remarkable achievement was by Zong (formerly Paketl) which  launched  very  successful. Telecommunication Co. Ltd (PTCL), is now under the control of Etisalat group of UAE. It has 20% of subscriber share and added the most lines (2.4 million) from 2006-07. Warid, owned by the Abu Dhabi group of the United Arab Emirates and sister of Wateen group is number 4 with 17.0% market of subscribers. Recently it sold 30% share to SingTel. Norway’s Telenor, a recent entrant with about a billion US dollar investment in Pakistan has been doing well, based on its recent earning report. It has about 24% of the market share. Telenor stock is listed in the Oslo stock market (TEL) and in US (TELNY.PK). CMPak (Zong brand), formerly Paktel, was the latest target of foreign acquisition. After it got acquired by China Mobile it was rebranded as Zong and launched one of the most successful and aggressive  campaigns. Within a matter of few months, Zong has achieved a 8 %  market share. CONSUMER ANALYSIS The Pakistani mobile users are more price-conscious but in cellular sector they also don’t compromise on the quality of voice. So, By taking the advantage of this consciousness of the users mobile operators re enhancing product offering in the form of low rate packages  and  network  expansion  by  installing  boaster. Mobile sector comes under verity seeking buying behavior by the buyer because it occurs under the conditions of low consumer involvement and significant brand difference. In this market, consumer has low involvement they perceive the brand benefits on the basis ultimate objective is to communicate to other at for off place. Buying is initiated by â€Å"communication purpose†. Everybody can enter in to buying process by need of communication. In the regard of this communication media vehicles play an important role in getting their service preferred by the users. These days there is a rush of packages   price, voice quality and coverage. The reason for this is that their  out in the market from the mobile service providers, targeting different market segments and offering all kinds of discounts depending on who you call or when you call. Off-peak timings have always been used by service providers to create interest and to lure customers. So, customer seeks indifference among services provided by these cellular operators and switch according to their desire. Factors that influencing on customer switch age to other operator of mobile network are, Price: Users use services of the operator to communication so on of the factor influencing the customer switch age is price. A person in this segment seeks the prices most important factor and operator of service are also offering verity of packages to make the customer attract. Where the price of any product is low people change their taste and divert towards that low price product. Quality: After the price people prefer quality of voice second because they are paying for the voice if the voice is not clear to them which they are paying for they defiantly they switch to other operators. Coverage: After the quality of voice second available factor for  customer switch age is coverage. Users perceive that the operator’s services are available to them where they visit. If they find signal problem they may switch to more coverage operator in the sectors Promotion: With promoting services that has factor too for consumer switch age. Fierce promotion leads an image in the mind of the consumers that company offers many servers and â€Å"a customer focus company†. MARKET Pakistan currently has one of the largest allies of young people in its history, with approximately 25 million people between the ages of 15 and 24. Target market group of cellular sector ranges from 15 to 64 percent which according to demographic profile of Pakistan consist of 56.9% (male 48,214,298; female 46,062,933) of total population. As in the Buying behavior we have studied that Female and male both contribute into making decision for the purchasing of the brand. So the both genders would be in target market. In spite of this professionals are also Mobilink target audience. The Employment Status categorizes majority (45%) as employees followed by own account workers (42%).  About one in ten workers (11%) are reported as unpaid family workers and one & a half percent as employers. As far changes in the comparative periods, unpaid family workers fall by some fractions, employees indicate some increase while own account workers and employers remain on the same level. In the buying and sales of  rise of urban consumerism, global corporate such as Unilever, P & G, GlaxoSmithline and many small & medium enterprise and local  national companies emerges both manufacture and sell their products Mobilink brand also depends on these customers too. Along with the  in Pakistan. In manufacturing and natural resources, Shell and BP are present in addition to the Pakistani state oil company. Honda, Nissan and  Suzuki are among international automotive manufacturers with plants in Pakistan. Mobilink fulfill needs of these local MNC’s local national and SME’s firms by providing them special service package Brand Inventory COMPETITOR’S ANALYSIS COMPETITIVE COMPARISON MATRIX Bring innovation and VAS and data services to increase revenue Market Growth and industry expansion Threats †¢ Recession in economy. †¢ Rapid change in consumer demand. †¢ Inconsistent and adhoc decisions from regulatory authorities. †¢ Political Instability, Security issues. †¢ Adverse shifts in trade policies of government. †¢ High taxation rate of activation tax is causing a slowdown in consumer growth especially all in rural areas. †¢ Price competition †¢ Larger competitors network coverage †¢ Strong advertisement and media presence of competitors †¢ Entrance of new competitors like Zong. †¢ Presence and the acceptability of competitor brand like Telenor and Ufone Strengths: †¢ Leveraging brand equity from international corporate â€Å"Abu Dhabi Group† †¢ Having modern network capabilities in respect of infrastructure. †¢ Financial strength of share holder and their telecom expertise ‘Warid international† †¢ Large Post paid based generating high ARPU †¢ State of the art IP based contact center and leading data center †¢ It has technical partnering involving â€Å"SingTel†, â€Å"Nokia† and â€Å"Wateen†. Weaknesses: †¢ Need to expand network coverage. †¢ Need to increase brand awareness and improved market positioning †¢ Lack of proactive churn management and stimulate programs to address inactive subscriber Page 20 of 28 Brand Positioning COMPETITORS SWOT MATRIX Low promotional packages activities The product line is too narrow. Strengths: †¢ Subsidiary of PTCL. †¢ Stream line benefit. †¢ Knowledge about country culture. †¢ Experience Variety of †¢ Value Added Service †¢ Broad market coverage. Weaknesses: †¢ Stagnant Profitability †¢ Low market share as compare to competitor (Mobilink). †¢ Overly Dependent on PTCL Strengths: Superior infrastructure & technology in PAKISTAN Have a very strong financial. They have the ability and resources to hire skilled engineers. Large number of Subscriber Weaknesses: Low market share as compare to competitor (mobilink) Limited coverage due to newly introduce in the market Signal problem due to limited network Strengths: World biggest network A product of China Mobile Company. Page 21 of 28 Brand Positioning Leverage financial resource from CMC Experienced administration Weaknesses: †¢ Low market share as compare to competitor †¢ They are unable to improve the network means that they are not using their resources. †¢ There is the diversion of customers towards other brands due to connectivity issue BRAND INVENTORY BRAND ELEMENTS: Brand elements consist of brand name, color, Urls, symbols slogans, sound and jingles through which one brand is differentiated from other brands. Brand Name: Mobilink Urls : http://www.mobilinkgsm.com Logos and Symbols: Slogans: Apna Hai Purple and Whitish Purple CORE BRAND VALUE Page 22 of 28 Brand Positioning Colors: Quality: Mobilink Telecom has an uncompromising commitment to quality in this regard. that is why they spare no efforts in pursuing the best in network‚ services‚ product offerings. Innovation: For years‚ people complained of the same things on mobiles. At coverage‚ they are constantly look to make the communication experience different by doing things in a better way. They already introduced 3G supportable system for being see the need of this in the near future. For seeing the growing trend of SMS usage Mobilink has introduces SMSC-less messaging infrastructure that controls the traffic of SMS and makes sure the delivery of messages without involving pending issues. Customer-Friendliness: They enjoy working and succeeding together by building close relationships. While they have a sense of purpose in their operations‚ they also have a strong culture that demonstrates to customers that â€Å"Reshaping communciation†. Mobilink considers the needs of customers first. Coverage: Mobilink has widest network coverage all over Pakistan. One can find the network if they go to northern areas or remote city of Pakistan Mobilink message are communicated through using all channels of media including building an identity for the corporation and brand, advertising campaigns, sponsorships, media relations (newspaper coverage, press releases, press conference before launching etc), point of sale material preparation (brochures, tariffs, flyers etc), website. Message delivered on electronic media through jingle and using celebrity endorsement. First ever add that comes in the electronic media is symbolize with rain season that bring hope and refreshment and new joy. Now a day it bran message come man through ball to boys who are playing Cricket symbolize that Mobilink is customer oriented and helping the customer in even small mattes. MARKETING PROGRAM Media: Mobilink has always tried to deliver truthful and interesting advertising to its viewers. Through these ads they are trying to convey the message that Mobilink is solely meant for the people’s benefit and convenience. They advertise through Channels like Geo Super Geo, hum TV and through News channels, PTV, ARY and, News 1 TV, Dunya News etc. Print media: Mobilink has designed attractive brochures for their customers. These brochures contain all the necessary information about their package deals and tariffs. Hence, making it easier for the people to know about the general prices and services offered. Sponsorship: Mobilink advertise through sponsorship in Golf matches, Mobilink agreement with PCB and Mobilink and Citi card launch. Also it got sponsorship with Pizza Hut. BRAND ASSOCIATIONS: These are the desired associations which Mobilink wants to create in the mind of customers. Brand Positioning Mobilink Voice Quality Premium Brand Network Coverage

To Kill A Mockingbird Essays (559 words) - To Kill A Mockingbird

To Kill A Mockingbird Essays (559 words) - To Kill A Mockingbird To Kill A Mockingbird Interviewer: How do you feel about the way you were portrayed in this book? Scout: I think that I was portrayed very well and I enjoyed the character very much. I think my character was very daring and also exciting. Through the many adventures I had I liked my character even more than I thought it would be. Interviewer: What was your most difficult moment in the book? What was going through your mind at that time? Scout: That is kind of a hard question but I thought the most adventurous yet exciting part of my part was when I dared Jem to touch the house of Radley, the man that is known to suck the blood of kids. A very well known man in town. Interviewer: If you could change any of your actions in the book, what would you do differently? Scout: I think that in the story there wasn't much that I would like to change but one thing that I would have liked my character to do was to show to the people in my town to know that not every black man is bad. Many people in my town happen to stereotype people that are black, but I should have taught them that they are not at all bad. Interviewer: How did you really feel about the other main characters in the book? Scout: I really enjoyed the other main characters. One character I liked what Jem, because no matter what you tell him he tries to act big. In the beginning when we dared him to touch Boo Radley's house, he didn't show any emotion. Even though he was scared he was acting like he was big. Interviewer: Describe your strengths and weaknesses to me. Scout: My strengths are that everytime I get into something, I never let go. My weakness is that whatever rumor I hear I always believe it. For the case of Boo Radley I judge him by what people said about him without really meeting him. Interviewer: What would you like us to know about you that wasn't covered in the book? Scout: My other characteristics is that I often like to chat and share rumors with others. I often like to share rumors but sometimes it becomes a habit of me. Interviewer: What are your feelings about the way your author ended the book? Scout: I felt really good about the ending because I learned a lesson by playing this part in the book. I learned that you should never judge a person on their looks or any rumors that go around. By listening to the rumors lead by others in my town I have learned that Boo Radley also known as Mr. Authur Radley is a nice and kind gentlemen. Interviewer: Now that you have everyone's attention, is there anything else that you'd like to say? Scout: I would just like to say to everyone listening out there to also get to know the person better before you spread any rumors. Like they say "It is easy to spread the rumor, but replacing the rumor to the truth is hard." Just get to know the person and you may find that person very nice and kind. Don't judge by looks, judge by the heart. You are hear on this earth to love one another.

(Updated) ACT Essay Scoring Completely Explained

(Updated) ACT Essay Scoring Completely Explained SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips It’s finally that day you’ve circled on your calendar – the day when ACT scores are released. You log into ACTstudent and look at your essay score. There's an "8" for your overall Writing score as well as four different "domain" scores of 6, 8, 9, and 10. What does your ACT Writing score mean and how is your ACT essay scored? This article will shed some light on both of these things. Feature image credit: eppny by woodleywonderworks, used under CC BY 2.0/Resized from original. A Quick Look Into ACT Essay Scoring On test day, you complete the first four sections of the ACT then write your essay. What happens next? Once ACT, Inc. receives your essay, it is scanned and uploaded to an essay grading program for graders to score. In addition, ACT.org states that â€Å"[a]n image of your essay will be available to your high school and the colleges to which you have ACT report your scores from that test date.† Each ACT essay is scored by two different graders on a scale of 1-6 across four different domains, for a total score out of 12 in each domain. These domain scores are then averaged into a total score out of 12. NOTE: The ACT Writing Test from September 2015-June 2016 had a slightly different scoring scale; instead of averaging all the domain scores to get a total ACT Writing score out of 12, the domain scores were combined and scaled into a total score out of 36. On June 28th, 2016, however, ACT, Inc. announced that starting in September of 2016, the Writing test would no longer be scored on a scale of 1-36, due to the confusion this had caused. This change to out-of-12 ACT Writing scores is still different from the pre-September 2015 ACT essay scoring, since that system relied on graders giving the essay one holistic score (rather than 4 analytical domain scores). Because the ACT Writing is optional, your essay score will not be factored into your ACT composite score. It will, however, be factored into your English-Language Arts subscore, which averages your English, Reading, and Writing scores and rounds up to the nearest whole number. So what are the four domains that your essay is scored across? 1. Ideas and Analysis Scores in this domain relate to your discussion of the perspectives on the essay topic. 2. Development and Support Scores in this domain reflect how you develop your points with logical reasoning or specific examples. 3. Organization Scores in this domain relate to your essay's organization on both a macro (overall structure) and micro (within each paragraph) level. 4. Language Use Scores in this domain depend on your command of standard written English (including grammar and punctuation); variety in sentence structure and vocabulary is also rewarded in this domain. Give me a hug by SeasonalOrange, used under CC BY-SA 2.0/Resized from original. Cats: Great sources of amusement, but less great sources of standard written English. For more on what goes into each domain score, read my article on the ACT Writing Rubric. ACT Essay Scoring: Official Policy Every essay is graded by two graders, who must score the essay within one point of each other. If the graders’ scores disagree by more than one point, a third grader will be brought in to resolve the issue. It's currently unclear whether this means a greater-than-one-point difference in domain score or overall essay score between graders – stay tuned for more information. While your essay receives scores in each of the four domain areas, the domains themselves are graded holistically. For example, in the Language Use domain, there are no guidelines that instruct scorers to deduct 1 point for every 10 grammatical errors. Another important part of official ACT essay scoring policy is that factual accuracy is not important. ACT essay graders are not supposed to score essays based on whether or not the facts are accurate. The point of the ACT essay is NOT to write a research paper with well-documented facts on a topic. Instead, you're asked to argue in favor of a perspective on the topic and compare your perspective to the other perspectives given by the ACT in the essay prompt; as long as your examples support your arguments, it doesn't matter if the examples aren't 100% true. ACT Writing Scores in Practice While each domain is graded holistically, there are a few key actions you must take if you want to score above a 2/6 in each domain. I've extracted these ACTions via analysis of the essay scoring rubric as well as through scrutiny of the sample essays the ACT provides on its website. As I go through each domain, I'll be using the following official sample ACT prompt for any examples: Intelligent Machines Many of the goods and services we depend on daily are now supplied by intelligent, automated machines rather than human beings. Robots build cars and other goods on assembly lines, where once there were human workers. Many of our phone conversations are now conducted not with people but with sophisticated technologies. We can now buy goods at a variety of stores without the help of a human cashier. Automation is generally seen as a sign of progress, but what is lost when we replace humans with machines? Given the accelerating variety and prevalence of intelligent machines, it is worth examining the implications and meaning of their presence in our lives. Perspective One Perspective Two Perspective Three What we lose with the replacement of people by machines is some part of our own humanity. Even our mundane daily encounters no longer require from us basic courtesy, respect, and tolerance for other people. Machines are good at low-skill, repetitive jobs, and at high-speed, extremely precise jobs. In both cases they work better than humans. This efficiency leads to a more prosperous and progressive world for everyone. Intelligent machines challenge our long-standing ideas about what humans are or can be. This is good because it pushes both humans and machines toward new, unimagined possibilities. Write a unified, coherent essay about the increasing presence of intelligent machines. In your essay, be sure to clearly state your own perspective on the issue and analyze the relationship between your perspective and at least one other perspective develop and support your ideas with reasoning and examples organize your ideas clearly and logically communicate your ideas effectively in standard written English Your perspective may be in full agreement with any of the others, in partial agreement, or wholly different. Ideas and Analysis You must: Have a clear thesis in your essay. Because you are writing a persuasive essay, it is imperative that you make your position on the topic clear. Otherwise, how can you persuade someone that your view is the correct view? Since you have limited time and have to compare your perspective with at least one of the other perspectives anyway, choose one of the three perspectives given to you by the ACT to argue for in your thesis. You must: Discuss the relationship between your perspective and at least one of the perspectives that the ACT mentions in the prompt. The prompt explicitly states that you need to "analyze the relationship between your perspective and at least one other perspective." If you fail to discuss how your perspective relates to any of the given perspectives, it will be very difficult to score above a 2 or 3 in the Ideas and Analysis Domain. With the above "Intelligent Machines" prompt, for instance, you'd need to compare your position to at least one of the following: how machines cause us to lose our own humanity (Perspective One), how they are efficient and create prosperity (Perspective Two), and how machines challenge us and push us to new possibilities (Perspective Three). Development and Support You must: Support your discussion of each perspective with either reasoning or example. There are a couple of ways you can support your arguments. One way is to use reasoning, which tends to be more abstract. For example, if you were using reasoning to support your argument for Perspective Two, you could discuss how machines taking over lower skill jobs frees up humans to do higher skilled tasks that require more creative thinking. The other way you can support your points is through use of specific examples. For example, to support Perspective Two, you could use the example of how the mass-production of clothes has made it less expensive for everyone to own things like good boots. For a high score in this domain, you must: Discuss both positive and negative aspects of the perspectives you disagree with as well. In order to achieve a high score in this domain, you must show that you understand the complexities of the issue. The main way to do this is to discuss the pros as well as the cons of the perspectives you disagree with. For instance, if you agree with Perspective Two in the above prompt (machines make us more efficient and that’s good), when you discuss Perspective One you should provide a brief instance of that perspective being "sort of" true before moving on to show how it is not as true as Perspective Two. Learn how to juggle both sides of a perspective in our article on how to write an ACT essay step-by-step. Organization You must: Group your ideas logically. Writing an organized essay will make it easier for the essay graders to follow your logic and reasoning. Grouping your ideas logically can mean separating out ideas into different paragraphs (for instance, putting each perspective into its own paragraph), or it can involve clearly linking different aspects of the same idea in the same paragraph. No matter how you plan out your essay, try to make it as easy as possible to follow your arguments. Language Use You must: Write clearly. Being able to communicate clearly is a key skill for college and life in general, so it makes sense that it would be tested on the ACT (a college entrance exam). ACT essay graders care more about the clarity of your thoughts than the fanciness of your language. Clarity of writing normally entails using proper grammar and clear, non-convoluted sentence structures. Throwing in fancy vocab won’t get you anywhere if it makes things less clear instead of more clear (I've seen this happen too many times to count). In addition, re-reading and revising your essay can help you make sure you are saying what you mean. Example of an unclear sentence: Machines are more practical because they are cheaper and so you can hire less people to do the work and pay less money overall and so you have a better profit margin. Example of a clearer sentence (revised): Machines are more practical and cheaper in the long run because you can higher fewer people to get the same work done. Dà ©tail de la machine vapeur Merlin by Frà ©dà ©ric BISSON, used under CC BY 2.0/Resized from original. TURNS out, the steam engine was more practical (and cheaper in the long run) than a thousand people pushing and pulling a train by hand. What Does This Mean for Your ACT Essay? From the lists of actions above, you can probably tell that the most important part of the ACT essay is to be clear. The ACT Writing test is designed to measure insight, not just how advanced your vocabulary is. Remember to... Be clear up front what your perspective on the issue is. Don't hide your thesis. Make it obvious when you’re discussing each perspective (and make sure to discuss the relationship between your perspective and at least one other). Support each argument with reasoning and/or specific examples. Take time to plan so you can write an organized essay. Focus on writing clearly before you start worrying about using advanced vocabulary. What’s Next? Want to learn more about how to write an ACT essay? Read my step-by-step guide to ACT Writing. You've learned what your essay needs to include. But how you do you decode the prompt? Follow along as I teach you how to attack ACT Writing prompts. Is a longer ACT essay always a better ACT essay? Find out how essay length can affect your score on ACT Writing here. Want to improve your ACT score by 4 points? Check out our best-in-class online ACT prep program. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your ACT score by 4 points or more. Our program is entirely online, and it customizes what you study to your strengths and weaknesses. If you liked this ACT Writing lesson, you'll love our program.Along with more detailed lessons, you'll get your ACT essays hand-graded by a master instructor who will give you customized feedback on how you can improve. We'll also give you a step-by-step program to follow so you'll never be confused about what to study next. 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Examining Ethical Controversies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Examining Ethical Controversies - Essay Example This has shaped our attitudes towards an ethical or moral problem and we usually assume that the arbiter of the dispute, be it the judiciary or the government or any other dispute resolution mechanism would look at both sides of the issue and come out with a balanced verdict. However, there is another school of thought that states that â€Å"one side can be totally wrong† in an ethical dilemma. If one takes this statement at face value, we would be giving in to one side of the debate. However, ignoring it would mean that we may unwittingly play into the hands of one side that is obstructionist and fundamentalist. If we can apply this to the debate over intelligent design vs. creationism, we would find that the advocates of intelligent design may have got it wrong. Thus, one side can be totally wrong in their assessment of the situation. This is the first learning that I have made when it comes to evaluating ethical controversies. The next point relates to the so-called â€Å"moral hazard†. This is a term that has been applied to the recent bailout of banks and wall street operators by the government. Thus, the line of argument goes that one cannot let the perpetrators of the unethical lending practices walk away without paying the price. The other side of the debate is that the whole financial system is at risk. Thus, this question over the morals of punishing the few or saving the many would let us think about the whole issue of whether the oversight that is required was missing in the first place. Thus, the second learning is that regulators and the government officials in charge of overseeing fair practices have a lot to do and in this case, answer for. When we consider the right to die or the argument for Euthanasia, we charter into territories where the person who is administering the drug that would kill the terminally ill patient is â€Å"playing god†. This was particularly evident in the debate over Terry Schivaio. My take on this would be that

PANC-1 cell line Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

PANC-1 cell line - Essay Example nts who go through the resection and have the free margins of tumor, the reported 5-year rate of survival can only be between ten to twenty five percent (Ke, Wang, Xu, and Abassi, 2011). Whenever the pancreatic cancer turns to be metastatic, it becomes uniformly fatal having an overall survival of approximately six months from the time of diagnosis (Blackburn, Vay Liang, and Milner, 2011). For the past thirty years a combined method of radiotherapy, surgery, and chemotherapy have been applied in treating pancreatic cancer (Mani, Guo, & Liao, 2008). However, there has been no huge improvement in the rate of survival. This means that a powerful therapeutic method is required. In attempts of obtaining an appropriate therapeutic strategy for pancreatic cancer, this paper investigates the effect of caffeine on the PANC-1 cells. Pancreatic Cancer is one of the leading causes of deaths in world. Even with recent efforts to come up with modalities, the rate of mortality remains being high. Caffeine can be used in treating this illness, even though the molecular mechanisms of the agents are not understood fully. This is, to some extent, responsible for the failing of these agents in treating pancreatic cancer. In a study conducted in this field, PANC –1 mutant p53 was used in investigating the influence of caffeine on the growth of cells and the effect on cell modulation cycle and the gene apoptosis relation (RÃ ¼ckert, Werner, & Aust, 2012). The extraction of proteins from these cells was treated 4 mM of Caffeine was put to a western blot analysis. The cells of drug treating were analyzed for the calculation of the number of those cells that experience apoptosis. In the observation, the study found out the time and dose dependent inhibition of growth was seen in the PANC cells after the treatment with caffeine (Mani, Guo, & Liao, 2008). The analysis by the western blot displayed an up regulation of the p21WAF1 in the cell lines that were treated with caffeine. In