Vodafone Commercial Analysis and Evaluation free essay sample

The net earnings also increased by 1. 0 percent to almost 19 billion Euros in 2011. TV operators gained 3981 million Euros and are the top sector (ZAW 2012). This shows that advertisement is still increasing in importance in our daily life. We face advertisement every day. Watching TV comes along with watching advertisement. Approximately 15 minutes per hour are filled with commercials about cars, beauty products, toys, groceries and many more. Furthermore TV commercials featuring phone companies are also very usual. Vodafone is one of these phone companies. How good is Vodafone’s advertisement campaign shown in TV in 2010? In this paper we focus on one of Vodafone’s TV commercials in Germany and examine it by describing, analyzing and evaluating it. The data used in this paper is from literature research and from reliable sources from the Internet. 2. Vodafone Vodafone (Germany) is one of the biggest telecommunication providers in Europe. The company employs 12. 000 people and its turnover is almost nine billion Euros. We will write a custom essay sample on Vodafone Commercial Analysis and Evaluation or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Vodafone offers fixed line and mobile telephony as well as Internet services to a total of 37 million business and private customers in Germany. The company is part of the Vodafone Group with 404 million customers worldwide therefore it is also part of one of the biggest providers in the world (Vodafone Deutschland 2012). 3. TV Commercial â€Å"Where are you? † Description The Vodafone Commercial that will be examined in this paper is called â€Å"Where are you? † and has been introduced to the German market in 2010. The commercial is 47 seconds long and shows a man who wallows in memories looking at old Polaroid photos picturing his early love. He picks out one Polaroid and writes â€Å"Where are you? under one of her photos. Then he takes his mobile phone to take a picture of it. Next he sends this digital picture to a friend. The friend is sitting in a lecture and he shows the picture to all his friends in university and they send it to their friends and so on. Soon you can see how this picture is spread across the globe. A taxi driver in a big city knows the picture as well as a man in a tent in the snow i n the middle of nowhere. They take notice of it through their mobile phones. A woman is designing a T-shirt with the Polaroid print on it on her laptop. Next you can see how this T-shirt is produced and short after you can see how different people in different areas are wearing T-Shirts or jumper with the picture’s print with the message on it. Lewis Hamilton (a formula 1 driver) wears a T-Shirt on an interview, a singer of a rock band wears it during a concert, it hangs on a laundry line in an eastern country and an Indian person tries to sell it on the street. Different clothes with the print on it are shown. Next you can see a boy who is skateboarding on a board with the print on it. Then you can also see graffiti of her face on walls in big towns. A girl looks at the picture on her tablet while she is lying in her bed. Then you can see people standing in front of a big print of the photo in an art museum. And last but not least there is a huge illuminated display of the woman’s picture on Time Square in New York City. Shortly after you can see that the man who is looking for her is also on Time Square. Then he receives a message of his old love saying â€Å"Im here† with a new picture of her. Then you can see her walking through a crowd of people, smiling at him while in the background a big illuminated display of er new picture with the message â€Å"Im here† appears. After that scene the commercial ends with the slogan of Vodafone â€Å"Power to you†. The scenes change quickly and each one is just seen for a short time. The commercial is supported by the background music, a song called â€Å"We are the people† by â€Å"Empire of the sun†. 4. TV Commercial â€Å"Where are you? † Analysis The Vodafone commercial was published in 2010. This was the time when the mobile Internet became more and more attractive for different kind of people. Not only the younger generation was interested in being informed about anything at any time but also the older generation and especially business leaders put their focus on being available at all times. That is why Vodafone produced a commercial with the statement of an information process that is able to connect people in a way it has never been possible before. The transfer of information has become easier with the use of mobile internet and Vodafone caught the attention of many people by showing that it is possible to find a person within a few days or weeks by just uploading one picture. The commercial starts with a man looking at picture of a young woman. Due to him having similar pictures of her you already know that he has been in love with that girl some day. He picks out one specific picture and writes â€Å"Where are you? † under it. At that moment it is clarified for the viewer that he tries to find that girl. He takes a picture of that Polaroid with his mobile phone. At this point Vodafone used a hidden sign because the choice that they decided to let him take that picture with his smart phone was smart as well. Due to Vodafone being a mobile phone provider they told the customer in this first happening to get a smart phone in order to do the first transaction. There is no extra camera or scanner needed to get the picture as a digital media file. As the young man sends this picture to his friend in university, the first line of the song is introduced in the background. This line says: â€Å"we share in each other†. This sharing process is started when the man sends this picture to his friend who shows it around in university. The persons who sees this picture keeps on sending or uploading it in order to spread the picture all over the world. They show a guy in university who looks at that picture, turns around and shows it to someone else. Then you can see his mobile phone display with the picture of her in the background and the word â€Å"send† in the foreground. This tells the viewer the picture gets widely spread. Directly after that scene one can see a man that drives around in a big town and opens the photo on his mobile phone. The bright lights in the background indicate that it must be a big town. In contrast to that they show a man in a tent surrounded by snow receiving the same picture with his mobile phone shortly after. Vodafone used this strong contrast in order to make people aware of the possibilities they have by being independent of external environmental forces. Furthermore it shows that it does not matter what kind of person you are. There is no difference if you are a business person or an adventurist because you can use your mobile phone and your mobile internet everywhere to be informed about all types of news. Furthermore the spot shows a woman inventing the idea of creating a T-Shirt with the mentioned picture and the question while another one produces it at the same time. The quick motion is used to let the viewer believe there is nearly no time left between one action and another. This is a sales strategy because they want to reveal the rapidity of their data transfer to their customers. In the next moment Lewis Hamilton (a famous formula-1 driver) wears this T-Shirt in an interview which underlines the popularity of an action started over the internet with a mobile phone within a short time. For those who might not know Lewis Hamilton you can see him on a TV with two man in front of it watching this interview where he wears the T-Shirt with her picture right after. The short extract tells the customer how fast mobile internet connects and how fast a message can be spread by using the mobile network. And again a contrast is added to the advertisement when a person tries to sell this shirt on a market. The fact that this person wants to sell this T-Shirt is clarified by a lot of T-Shirts hanging behind his back. Within this short section the intercultural relations of Vodafone are shown as well as the possibilities for every person in every country to purchase their products. And again the search for the young woman goes on. In the next scene a rock inger wears a T-Shirt with her face on it and directly after you can see it hanging on a laundry line in an old town, probably in the Middle East. This comparison between the two completely different types of lifestyle is lightly to show that there is a possibility for every person to be connected with the whole world and to show civil courage. It also tells you that someone who has influence on peopl e can help as well as people who do not have such a big influence. And especially for Vodafone it shows that even in areas where the internet is not that spread people are able to get in connection with another. During the next section they show how this action developed. Therefore a rapid run-through of different styles of that one particular picture are inserted. At first the Polaroid, a pencil drawing, a watercolor, a jumper with her picture, a T-Shirt with her picture as a comic, her picture as pop art, a jumper with her picture on the back, in black and white, a T-Shirt in stylish colors, her picture on a skateboard, someone sprays a graffiti of her, kids playing basketball in front of another graffiti of her, a girl looking at her picture on a tablet, a canvas in an exhibition and a huge illuminated display in a big city. This accumulation of her picture is supposed to show the variation and creativity of the people all over the world. These two factors indicate in what direction you can develop when using a smart phone because all those different type of pictures have been created with a smart phone or computer and in order to spread it all over the world the Internet was needed. Not just these two characteristics but also adaptability is displayed during this part of the spot. In order to motivate especially the older generation Vodafone needs to convince them to let themselves in for a new phone or tariff. So this section points on the diversity of everybody and that there are many ways (many different contracts of Vodafone) to get connected. You do not need to be famous but one will still recognize a T-Shirt like this hanging on a laundry line. While different kind of pictures and drawings of her face are shown the audience can hear â€Å"we are the people that rule the world†. This underlines the statement of Vodafone that there are many kinds of smart phones and tariffs for different people and they are free to decide what fits for them. Also they have the possibility to compile a special tariff for their pecific needs. The next line â€Å"a force running in every boy and girl† can be heard when the basketball players play in front of her graffiti. This is a metaphor that is supposed to tell there is a force in every person to do something. In this section the players have the force to run after the ball. They need to be mobile in a physical way. A girl under a blanket looks at her tablet. She might have the force to be mobile in a materialistic way such as being online even at nighttime. This metaphor is well chosen due to the message being hidden and still reaching the viewers sub consciousness. At that moment where the man can see her picture on his phone with the message: â€Å"Im here. † the background is filled with the line â€Å"take me now† and the line â€Å"we can try† can be heard at the moment her picture shows up on the big illuminated display. This compositing of music and movie is likely to present information that persons need to give a try for something new. In the case of Vodafone it could be a new tariff or mobile phone. The song ends with the line â€Å"we are the people that rule the world† and parallel to this one can see people all over the place and the girl he was looking for stands right in the middle and smiles at him. The search for her has been successful as well as the search for the perfect tariff that suits you should be. The slogan â€Å"the power to you† is shown with the Vodafone logo at the end in order to make the viewer aware of the weight their decisions have. â€Å"The power to you† is perfect to describe the whole spot in one sentence because it is all about the individuality of people in every nation no matter how much money they have or to what religion they belong to. The success in the end matches with the slogan because we are the ones who can decide what happens in our lives and we can change or reach something if we want to. And that is exactly what the man in the commercial did. He decided to search for his old girlfriend and found a modern way to spread the news. The way he chose was the internet. It can be helpful at times but still there is a lot of abuse of information on the internet. Due to different types of insecure networks people can easily be tapped. Every mobile phone has an IMEI (international mobile equipment identity) at command. While the mobile phone is turned off some programs like the clock or alarm are still turned on. Basically on you can say the mobile phone is more or less in a standby phase then. Special agencies such as the police or the intelligence service will be able to detect the phone. When the mobile phone is turned on it will be easier to detect the phone. Even an ordinary person can be able to track it at this stage. The WAP (wireless application protocol) is included in every mobile phone nowadays. A lot of people use WLAN (wireless local area network) or WAP to find the next possibility to park their car or a restaurant. In order to use this service they need to reveal their current location. For many people this became an everyday life routine over the last few years. The problems occur when the information is not just used by governmental constitutions such as police or intelligence to track criminals but when it is misused by private persons who want to harm their fellow human beings. The intervention in the privacy of others is supported by using those applications on a mobile phone where one can tap another person. The UMTS (universal mobile telecommunications system) is an even more complex network that allows locating people more accurately. So for those who do not have the technology to locate their subject via satellite they now have the possibility to track them via UMTS. The signal of UMTS and â€Å"GSM (global system for mobile communications) is just encoded until it reaches the first radio mast. Behind it the conversations are held via a usual unciphered network. † (Reischl 2001). That is why conversations can be easily trapped. Being available at all times is as one can see a big risk. Vodafone supports this availability because they want to fulfill the customer’s needs and provide new marketing strategies that tempt the customer to sell their product. This strategies are shown here as a commercial that displays a situation that could have happened in real today. People want to see something new what they have not seen before and that is what Vodafone tries to reach with this advertisement. A young man who is driven to find a girl he admires using the latest methods to spread her picture. This action expands as much as he would not have imagined. People get connected due to a mobile network and a mobile phone. They are ambitious and take part in this action because they feel as a member of a social project. For many people it is important to feel needed but they often do not have the courage to start such a project or enter it because they fear they do not have time to carry n their part of the work they have to do. The project shown in the commercial is slightly different and differs from others due to the fact that there are no obligations. There are no rules, there is no contract and everyone is free to decide if they want to participate in the action or not. That is a very important fact for many persons because there are already too many restrictions so that people get bored of it and prefer not to participate in an action when they have to stick to certain rules. In this case everyone was free to decide whether to join this project or rather to leave it. People have the freedom to be creative and they used this opportunity to create T-Shirts, different styles of paintings and graffiti. That is exactly what catches the viewer’s attention. One wants to be part of this action because everyone else seems to be. One can see there is the opportunity to be creative and to spread the message in their own personal way. This tempts people to take action and to join the project. Enviousness is a big issue in our society. This envy is aroused through this commercial because when people who did not participate in the spot watch it, they might want to take action themselves and that is the strategy of Vodafone. They want to reach this pressure to buy in order to sell their products. The spectators of the advertisement can watch the chain of people interacting grow and that wakes a kind of peer pressure in them. No one wants to be left behind and that is where Vodafone starts. They give the spectator the opportunity to join by buying a mobile phone and by signing a contract. So when such an action starts again they will be informed because they can be online everywhere at every time. To have a feeling of security helps people to think that they are part of a big society and that they can help others if it is needed. Exactly this is what a lot of people want – to be needed. You can see that appreciation a huge issue in our society is because not just younger people often want to help others by actively participating in foreign aid but also the older generation is inclined to be up-to-date and they want to feel needed. It is not for nothing that retirees go back into their profession. They do not just do it for money reasons but especially because they want to â€Å"find recognition in what they do and new social contacts† (Sigel 2012). That is what Vodafone offers them. When one uses mobile internet one will always be connected with their friends and family no matter where he or she is. This is shown in the scene with a man in a tent surrounded by snow somewhere in the countryside. Even though he might not have any social contact around him he still has his mobile phone and mobile internet which connect him to everyone else. He does not need to fear the loneliness because he can be in contact with anyone at any time. The question that turns up is if this availability does harm us or not. On one side as I mentioned before there is the danger of being spied by others and on the other side there is the opportunity to be connected with the whole world, to get information whenever they are needed and one will never forget a birthday again thanks of social networks. But is it really necessary to be online at all times? For some it might be important because their job does not allow to be offline at all but for a usual person who has the possibility to check ones mails at home, does one really need to be online everywhere? Vodafone encourages us to but the risks we take when we allow Google to face our location and surfing habits are extremely high because the chance for third parties to read that information is given. When using the mobile internet we should always take into account that our decipherment is not as high as we would expect it to be. 5. TV Commercial â€Å"Where are you? † Cons and Pros The Vodafone commercial â€Å"Where are you? † is well known in Germany. In the following we will evaluate this commercial by focusing on the negative as well as on the positive aspects of this commercial. First of all the commercial does not deal with data privacy protection. The picture of the woman is taken and published without her permission. What if she does not want her picture to be published all over the world? Or maybe she does not want the man to look for her. Nowadays data privacy protection is very important because using someone else’s picture can not only be for good purposes. The misusage of private data can become a big problem for everyone. A lot of people upload and share photos on social networks like Facebook or Twitter without thinking about possible consequences. Other people can easily copy your photo and use it for external websites or other purposes. Even if you delete your pictures from social networks, someone else might have already copied and used it without your knowing. In the commercial the man uses among others social networks to spread the picture of his old love. But using social networks can not only be helpful to find a person and stay in contact with your friends, it can also become dangerous. In 2012, for example a 15 years old girl was murdered out of revenge because she supposedly spread rumors on Facebook (Focus Online 2012). Another case shows that the misusage of personal data in social media can also lead to suicide. A 20 year old Dutch boy committed suicide due to cyber bullying. People spread rumors about him in the Internet telling that he is homosexual and a looser. After enduring this bullying for some years the boy could no longer live with it and committed suicide in 2012 (Lorenz 2012). Furthermore the Vodafone commercial does not really offer any particular product or special plan that is required to make use of the fast network that is shown in the television spot. It only shows what you are able to do due to the fast network Vodafone is offering. But if you want to get more information on how you can use it you need to contact Vodafone or visit the website that is shown in the end of the commercial by yourself. Besides it is necessary to have a smart phone that is able to connect to the mobile Internet to use the fast network of Vodafone and its advantages like sending photos fast to your friends. But not everyone is able to effort such a smart phone. Not only the phones itself are still very expensive but also the operating costs. The basic plan Vodafone is offering to use the fast network with a mobile Internet speed of 14. mbit/s starts at 24. 99â‚ ¬ per month (Vodafone Tarife 2012). Therefore this commercial is only addressed to people who are able to buy such a phone and plan. Another negative aspect is that the commercial â€Å"Where are you? † looks like a new and unique television commercial but this is not the case. The story that is told within the commercial is almost identical to a T-Mobile commercial pu blished in 2003. The basic story is the same, in the T-Mobile commercial Steffi Graf, a famous German tennis player, is looking for her husband Andre Agassi who is also a popular tennis player. Therefore Steffi Graf uses her mobile phone to send a photo of her husband all over the world to find him (Kolbruck 2010). In the Vodafone commercial a man that is not known to the public is looking for his old love sending a picture of her to all his friends and they send it to all their friends and so on until the photo is known worldwide. The Vodafone commercial also hosts popular people like Lewis Hamilton (a famous formula-1 driver) who is wearing a t-shirt with the Polaroid print on it while giving an interview. Not only the commercial idea is not new to market but also the use of the song â€Å"We are the people† by Empire of the sun because in September 2009 the same song was used in an American advertising campaign for Vizio televisions (Vizio TV Commercial 2009). In the end of the commercial there is one more negative detail to notice. The photo of the woman that the man is looking for is seen all the time during the commercial but however in the end it is hard to identify the woman standing in the crowd and on the new picture saying â€Å"I’m here! † as the woman the man is looking for. You need a second look to realize that this is the woman because her face and hair looks different from the Polaroid picture the man used to find her. Maybe the man should have taken another Polaroid picture of the woman in a different posture of the head and with her actual hair color. This would have made it easier for the audience to identify the woman as the searched one. Otherwise the commercial is telling a short love story with a happy end. The audience is engrossed in this short love story hoping that the man will find the woman. This makes the commercial emotional and more attractive for the audience. In the end everyone is happy to see the woman standing in the crowd with her picture on the big display in the background saying â€Å"I’m here! † Due to this emotional fact it is not only another advertisement trying to sell products by offering special prices and rates. It is a special commercial trying to show what is possible nowadays by using the mobile network. This is how the television spot engages the audience’s sympathy for Vodafone. Furthermore people buy products on an emotional basis. Without emotions it is not possible to make a buying decision. The brain analyzes the emotional value of a product. The stronger and better the emotion is the higher is the value of the featured product and the person will be more willing to buy it (Hausel 2004). Because of this emotional and effective fact this advertisement is easy to remember and people will talk about it. This brings Vodafone into a good image. But you can not only talk about this commercial you can also become a part of it because Vodafone is selling the t-shirts and sweatshirts that are shown in the commercial with the Polaroid picture of the woman on it. You can buy those t-shirts and sweatshirts in any size online in the Vodafone shop (Vodafone Collection 2010). By wearing this t-shirt you can underline the message given in the commercial â€Å"Power to you†, together we can achieve anything we want to and almost nothing is impossible. Vodafone also gets more people to talk about this commercial by selling those t-shirts. Another positive aspect about this commercial is that it is music based. There are no dialogues that need to be understood to get the message of the clip. So everyone is able to understand this message regardless of the language the person speaks who is watching this television spot. The two phrases that are used are â€Å"Where are you? † and â€Å"I’m here! † those two phrases are in English. Since English is a world language and the first learned second language in the German education system, most of the audience will understand those two phrases and what they mean. And even if you do not know what they mean, you are still able to understand the story by just watching. The song that is used in the commercial is called â€Å"We are the people† and played by the Australian electronic music duo Empire of the sun. The lyrics of the song support the message of this commercial â€Å"Power to you†. The chorus of the song that is also heard in the advertisement is saying â€Å"We are the people that rule the world. A force running in every boy and girl, all rejoicing in the world, take me now’ we can try† (Empire of the sun – we are the people 2008). This chorus says that â€Å"we are the people that rule the world†, not only people but the people. This also emphasizes the message. We all can achieve everything if we work together. You should enjoy your life and be happy about it, everything is possible and you should always remember the past and how good it was. If you are listening to the whole song you can interpret the song as a song about a couple that is about to split up. But the one partner tries to remind the other one on the time they spent ogether when they were young in the 1970’s. Then it says in the last phrase of the chorus that you should always try again, never give up. This links to the commercial. The man is looking for his old love. When he is looking at the old Polaroid pictures he might think about the time they spent together and he decid es that he wants to get her back and try again. By help of all his friends and later the whole world his dream comes true and he finds the woman. This makes this song a perfect fit for this story in this commercial. Due to this advertisement the song became number one in the German single charts in 2010 (Vodafone 2010). This commercial shows that even in modern times where a lot of people communicate by using the Internet and social networks personal relationships still matter. The man not only wanted to find the woman on a social network but in real life. He wanted to see her face to face. Even if the commercial is about sending photos via Internet and social networks it is not only addressed to teenagers and young adults. Nowadays social networks represent all ages. This age range goes from teenagers to retired persons. In Germany the average age of a Twitter user is 32 years and 37% of the German Facebook users are older than 35 years. This proves that it is not only the adolescence that is active in social media. Therefore it is no wonder that the most growing target group of social media users is the group of 50 years and older (Bernecker amp; Beilharz 2012) Furthermore the television spot shows people from different countries and classes of population. An Indian person trying to sell the shirt with the woman’s picture on it is shown in this commercial as well as people in an art museum looking at a big print of the picture. Everyone is part of the social network regardless of the origin or wealth. The commercial â€Å"Where are you? shows that whole world can help you to find a missing person. People are willing to help each other. This shows that you are not alone nowadays and you have much more opportunities to be successful in finding your old love by using the help of hundreds of people. But hundreds of people can not only help you finding your old love they can also help finding lost people. A mothe r found her two missing children by using Facebook. The children’s father took off with them in 1995 when they were two and three years old. The mother searched for her daughter’s name on Facebook hoping to find her. And she did. The mother found her daughter’s Facebook profile and called the police that found the two children and the father in Florida (Huffingtonpost 2010). This shows that being connected to the whole world can help you finding lost people but it also can help to encourage you. In Texas a group of firefighters tried to make the family of a four year old boy who was diagnosed with cancer feel better by taking a photo of their fire truck with his name on it. The parents uploaded this photo on Facebook where other firefighters saw this photo and decided to take one on their own. This was the start of a big photo campaign. Firefighters from all over Texas took photos with the boy’s name on it using firefighter equipment and their trucks. Even a television show reported about those photos and what they stand for. Other families, sport clubs and soldiers joined this campaign and took photos as well. More and more photos were sent to the family trying to make them feel better. And even if the boy’s cancer was not curable the parents said those pictures made them smile in this sad time and that they will always appreciate them(Merchant 2012). Last but not least the idea behind this TV commercial is very creative. Telling a love story just by showing how a man is looking for his old love by using modern technologies. Each scene is just shown for a second to underline how fast the network is. The more often this commercial is watched the more details will be noticed. The song is very memorable so that the audience will link it to this advertisement campaign and to Vodafone. The audience is engrossed by the emotion and the happy end. 6. Outlook Vodafone is not stopping to expand their network and product range. In the future the mobile network will influence our daily life and our way to spend time because a lot of people will spend more time with their mobile phone than with friends. This leads to a loss of communication between two individuals. For some people it is easier to tell their feelings by using a social network than by direct conversations. The use of smart phones increased in the last two years after the â€Å"Where are you? † advertisement. While 8. 43 million people used a smart phone in 2010, the number increased to 27. 30 million people in 2012 (Statista 2012). Due to this change in the society Vodafone’s products will sell well. Furthermore a lot of people were impressed by the advertisement Vodafone used in the past, if Vodafone keeps on producing such successful advertisement, the company will sell even more products. 7. Conclusion Vodafone is one of the most successful telecommunication providers in Europe. Not only is the image and product range responsible for this success but also advertisement. The commercial â€Å"Where are you? † is one of the best known advertisements in Germany. Even though the same plot already existed and the song was previously used in an American TV commercial, Vodafone made a completely new version out of it.

Understanding Scaled Scores on Standardized Tests

Understanding Scaled Scores on Standardized Tests Scaled scores are a type of exam score. They are commonly used by testing companies that administer high stakes exams, such as admissions, certification and licensure exams. Scaled scores are also used for K-12 Common Core testing and other exams that assess student skills and evaluate learning progress. Raw Scores vs. Scaled Scores The first step to understanding scaled scores is to learn how they differ from raw scores. A raw score represents the number of exam questions you answer correctly. For example, if an exam has 100 questions, and you get 80 of them correct, your raw score is 80. Your percent-correct score, which is a type of raw score, is 80%, and your grade is a B-. A scaled score is a raw score that has been adjusted and converted to a standardized scale. If your raw score is 80 (because you got 80 out of 100 questions correct), that score is adjusted and converted into a scaled score. Raw scores can be converted linearly or nonlinearly. Scaled Score Example The ACT is an example of an exam that uses linear transformation to convert raw scores to scaled scores. The following conversation chart shows how raw scores from each section of the ACT are transformed into scaled scores.   Raw Score English Raw Score Math Raw Score Reading Raw Score Science Scaled Score 75 60 40 40 36 72-74 58-59 39 39 35 71 57 38 38 34 70 55-56 37 37 33 68-69 54 35-36 - 32 67 52-53 34 36 31 66 50-51 33 35 30 65 48-49 32 34 29 63-64 45-47 31 33 28 62 43-44 30 32 27 60-61 40-42 29 30-31 26 58-59 38-39 28 28-29 25 56-57 36-37 27 26-27 24 53-55 34-35 25-26 24-25 23 51-52 32-33 24 22-23 22 48-50 30-31 22-23 21 21 45-47 29 21 19-20 20 43-44 27-28 19-20 17-18 19 41-42 24-26 18 16 18 39-40 21-23 17 14-15 17 36-38 17-20 15-16 13 16 32-35 13-16 14 12 15 29-31 11-12 12-13 11 14 27-28 8-10 11 10 13 25-26 7 9-10 9 12 23-24 5-6 8 8 11 20-22 4 6-7 7 10 18-19 - - 5-6 9 15-17 3 5 - 8 12-14 - 4 4 7 10-11 2 3 3 6 8-9 - - 2 5 6-7 1 2 - 4 4-5 - - 1 3 2-3 - 1 - 2 0-1 0 0 0 1 Source: ACT.org The Equating Process The scaling process creates a base scale that serves as a reference for another process known as equating. The equating process is necessary to account for differences between multiple versions of the same test. Although test makers try to keep the difficulty level of a test the same from one version to the next, differences are inevitable. Equating allows the test maker to statistically adjust scores so that the average performance on version one of the test is equal to average performance on version two of the test, version three of the test and so on. After undergoing both scaling and equating, scaled scores should be interchangeable and easily comparable no matter which version of the test was taken.   Equating Example Lets look at an example to see how the equating process can impact scaled scores on standardized tests.  Imagine that say you and a friend are taking the SAT. You will both be taking the exam at the same test center, but you will be taking the test in January, and your friend will be taking the test in February. You have different testing dates, and there is no guarantee that you will both take the same version of the SAT. You may see one form of the test, while your friend sees another. Although both tests have similar content, the questions are not exactly the same. After taking the SAT, you and your friend get together and compare your results. You both got a raw score of 50 on the math section, but your scaled score is 710 and your friends scaled score is 700. Your pal wonders what happened since both of you got the same number of questions correct. But the explanation is pretty simple; you each took a different version of the test, and your version was more difficult than his. To get the same scaled score on the SAT, he would have needed to answer more questions correctly than you. Test makers that use an equating process use a different formula to create a unique scale for each version of the exam. This means that there is no one raw-to-scale-score conversion chart that can be used for every version of the exam. That is why, in our previous example, a raw score of 50 was converted into 710 on one day and 700 on another day. Keep this in mind as you are taking practice tests and using conversion charts to transform your raw score into a scaled score. Purpose of Scaled Scores Raw scores are definitely easier to calculate than scaled scores. But testing companies want to make sure that test scores can be fairly and accurately compared even if test takers take different versions, or forms, of the test on different dates. Scaled scores allow for accurate comparisons and ensure that people who took a more difficult test are not penalized, and people who took a less difficult test are not given an unfair advantage.

Dra Rod Music The paper Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Dra Rod Music The paper - Assignment Example This especially concerns the most daring and capturing, to my thinking, musicals – those based on rock music, for this form of presentation elevates rock music to a rather sophisticated theatrical level and popularizes it. 2. Probably, the most interesting points in the history of musical are the way relevant social issues were reflected in productions and the gradual shift from mainly dancing and singing (as in early musicals with dominance of music numbers) to the greater role of dramatic component and plot. Here, the period of 1920-1940’s can be mentioned as the time of significant changes, for artistic activity of Cole Porter, George Gershwin and others endowed musical with peculiar American flavor – jazz and ragtime influence, more elaborate librettos etc. However, the most impressive turning point for me was observed in the postwar years with Rodgers and Hammerstein II creating South Pacific (1949), as this production clearly marked transition to a more elaborate dramatic form in musicals with dramatic component placed in the limelight, and singing/dancing used extensively to support development of the plot and communication of relevant issues. Moreover, this musical seems rather d aring and expressive to me in terms of presentation of big social issues such as race and gender relations. 3. Creating a musical, I would concentrate on a topic related to sexism and feminism and express the idea that women in the contemporary society often talk about gender roles when it concerns equal rights. Yet, they don’t mention equal duties. Therefore, the musical be about a feminist who gets to another planet and faces reversed reality with bearded men wearing dresses and going to beauty salons. However, women there have to win bread, to carry heavy bags etc. Our woman will be forced to marry a man of Conchita Wurst type and – after experiencing all the difficulties - she will escape and change her mind. To attract

Importance of Cash Management in Small to Medium Sized Businesses Essay

Importance of Cash Management in Small to Medium Sized Businesses - Essay Example Cash management is important to SME as it regulates cash flow and prevents prolonged cash shortages that result from too much difference between cash inflows and cash outflows.3 Cash inflows come from customers, lenders and investors, while cash outflows include payments made to suppliers, creditors and as employee salaries. Negative cash flow occurs when cash outflow is more than cash inflow (due to several reasons such as weak debtor collections, outdated inventory, etc.); in such a situation, the SME is forced to borrow money from lenders, otherwise it will be in bad trouble – the main source of which is non-payment of dues to creditors, suppliers and employees. SME do their best to avoid this scenario and instead strive to attain a positive cash flow, which takes place when the cash inflow is more than the cash outflow. The overall aim of the SME is to generate profit. But the amount of profit earned is meaningless if the SME does not experience a positive cash flow, simpl y because it is possible to spend cash, not Cash management techniques of SME and consumers are similar in several ways, while they also differ in many ways. SME cannot therefore practice all techniques as consumers and vice versa. There are 5 cash techniques of consumers that SME can practice, as these are sound methods conducive towards generating a positive cash flow as well as profit for the enterprise. Firstly, it is important and practical to prepare a cash flow projection for a certain period (usually 6 months), forecasting the income and expenditure over that period.5 Secondly, it is a good practice to set aside a certain amount as emergency fund to be used in case of unexpected developments.6 Thirdly, leasing of equipment presents a better alternative as compared to purchase, as the former does not result in cash blockage that is caused by the latter.7 Fourthly, the overall aim is to create profit (savings in case of

Sales Tax in Canada Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Sales Tax in Canada - Term Paper Example There are various types of taxes such as the income tax, sales tax, import tax and export tax but the discussion in this paper will be based on the sales tax and its impact. Sales tax is levied by a city or state on retail prices of items (Kesselman, 2011). This tax is usually imposed by governments and collected at point of sale with the retailer to collecting and passing the tax to the state (Kesselman, 2011). There are three kinds of sales taxes levied in Canada namely the provincial sales tax PST collected by provinces; goods and services tax which is collected by federal government, Lastly, there is the harmonized sales tax (HST) which combines both PST and GST and is levied in various provinces and then shared out to participating provinces (Sherman, 2009). The rate of sales tax levied is based on various factors which include the product and the place they are being shipped; for instance, publications shipped into any Canadian destination are levied a 5 percent GST although th ey are not subjected to PST (Smart, 2011). The costs incurred in shipment and cargo handling expenses are also subjected to sales taxes. This paper will present three products subjected to sales tax in Canada and evaluate who bears the burden from this budgets. Products subject to sales tax in Canada On 1st July 2010, the harmonized sales tax (HST) was adopted which did away with payment of sales taxes to two governmental levels (Smart, 2011). Previously, eight percent sales tax was paid under the PST while 5 percent was levied by the federal government for various products. Despite the harmonization of the sales taxes, products that were previously not subjected to sales tax remained unaffected as the total sales tax become aggregated (Smart, 2011). The products which are never subjected to sales tax include prescription drugs, basic groceries and municipal transits (Roukhkain, 2011). Clothing and footwear are subjected to sales tax in Canada (Chetty, Looney, and Kroft, 2008). Unde r HST, clothing for adults is subjected to 13 percent in Ontario. The aggregate tax rate is equal to the cumulative sales tax levied before July, 2010 where GST was 5 percent and the PST was 8 percent. Clothing for the children is subjected to a 5 percent sales tax as was the case before HST was adopted as they were exempted from 8 percent PST rate (Roukhkain, 2011). Furthermore, footwear for children are subjected to 5 percent sale tax as shoes beyond size six have a 13 percent sales tax levied on them. The tax system on clothing is based on the age group of their users and it is lower for children clothing to ensure that they are cheap and affordable thereby guaranteeing quality life for them (Smart, 2007). Although not all food products and beverages are subjected to sales tax; others have the tax charged (Smart, 2007). Basic groceries such as meat, vegetable, dairy and canned products are not subjected to sales tax and this has been the case even before HST was adopted. However, snack foods for instance chips and pop corn are charged a 13 percent sale tax. In addition, meals sold in restaurants for more than $ 4 have a 13 sales tax levied. Similarly, alcoholic drinks are also subjected to 13 percent sale tax. These products have a tax levied on them given that they are considered as luxuries and therefore a person enjoying them is well off in the society (Duff, 2003). On the other hand, no tax is levied on basic groceries as they are usually needed for maintenance of life and if sales tax is levied on products in this category, they would become expensive and unaffordable for the poor (Duff, 2003). Motor vehicles and their spare parts are the other products

Nursing Reflection Essay Skills Assessment

Nursing Reflection Essay Skills Assessment According to the New Collins International Dictionary of the English language, a reflection is to reflect or to be in the state of reflection. (Collins Brash, 1983) In this essay, I aim to give a brief description of the skills assessment that I underwent, the thoughts and feelings it provoked, the evaluation and analysis of it ,conclusion and lastly my action plan. REFLECTION OF THE SKILLS ASSESSMENT 2.1 Description As part of the Fundamentals of Nursing (FON) skills assessment, I had to attend a test on week seven. Wound dressing and vital signs were the two subjects of this assessment. I had to draw lots to choose which room and subject I got and then proceed to sit outside the room to read the case scenario within the allocated five minutes. Once the case scenario of taking vital signs was clear to me, I was allowed to enter the evaluation room to perform the necessary procedure on the patient within twenty minutes. During the course of the procedure, all the vital signs such as pulse rate, respiration rate, blood pressure and temperature were recorded on a clinical chart. The entire procedure was then assessed and graded by an assessor, who was observing my nursing skills. 2.2 Thoughts and Feelings I felt really nervous and anxious before the skills assessment as I was seated outside the assessment room. When the time came for me to read and digest the background information, I felt overwhelmed as at that point in time, remembering the information on the sheet provided was just exhausting. As I was about to enter the room and the previous student came out crying, I felt even more nervous as that gave me an intuition that the assessment might be a challenging one . Despite that, I mustered all my confidence and proceeded with the nursing procedure when my turn came. I carried out the procedure in a calm and smooth manner. After my task was complete, I felt satisfied with my performance and happy with myself for having prepared well for the assessment before-hand as it turned out to be a good experience. 2.3 Evaluation On the whole, the skills assessment was a memorable experience for me as I felt that I had carried out the nursing procedure efficiently, keeping in mind all the protocols that had to be followed. Also, the six domains namely critical thinking, communication, technical skills, management of care, safe practice and professional and ethical practice were carried out to my ability in many instances. Then again, I could have done better in certain areas. For instance under the critical thinking component, I could have planned my working area carefully. Instead, I was immediately involved in attending to the patient and completing the procedure within the time limit which should not have been the case. As a result I had to move around quite a bit which could have been minimized with careful area planning. On the part of communication, I tried my level best to re-assure the patient and addressed his anxiety to a large extent. This skill I believe I portrayed well. In terms of technical skills, I was unsure about my readings for the systolic and diastolic blood pressures and I had to repeat the procedure twice in order to double check my first reading. Even then, I experienced some level of uncertainty with the readings. Thus, I have to improve my skills in this domain to become a better healthcare professional. To add on, I managed the patients care relatively well as I made it a point to ensure that he was feeling comfortable throughout the procedure. Keeping in mind the importance of understanding the emotions of the patient (Matsumoto Hwang, 2011), I took note of the changes in his facial expressions to make sure he was receiving good care and was not in any kind of stress. To ensure safe practice I had carried out good hand hygiene however ,I almost had forgotten to clean the ear plugs of the stethoscope, thereby downplaying on safe clinical practice on protecting myself. Furthermore, I had also plotted the readings on the wrong column which was an unacceptable mistake. Lastly, on the part of professionalism and ethical practice, I believe I had done a commendable job. I kept the patient informed on the risks he was taking by undergoing the cataract surgery. Also, I kept the staff nurse informed of his concerns and his rash that he had developed. Apart from these, all the procedures during the assessment were within the terms of ethical practice. 2.4 Analysis For in-depth examination, I have analyzed my skills in each of the above mentioned six domains. Critical thinking is defined as the disciplined, intellectual process of applying skillful reasoning as a guide to belief or action (Paul, 1990). In nursing, critical thinking for clinical decision-making is the potential to think in a organized and sensible manner with the readiness to question and think carefully about the reasoning process used to ensure safe nursing practice and good care. (Heaslip, 1993) In the nursing profession, it is important to plan carefully to save valuable time while attending to the patient. During my practical assessment, I could have placed the hand sanitizer on the same table as I had placed the other medical requisites on. This would have prevented me from constantly shifting to the table close by to perform my hand rubs, saving time. As mentioned by Mr. Tan during lab sessions, area planning is very important. Nurses also need to apply their intellectual skills for sound reasoning. (Heaslip, 1993) Having noticed rashes on one of the patients arm, I chose to take blood pressure from the arm with no rashes as placing the non-sterile cuff on the affected hand could have worsened the rash. As for communication skills, I believe I played a good role as a nurse by clearly explaining the risks involved in the cataract surgery to the patient. As pointed out by Crow et. al, it is paramount for a patient to be aware of his/her medical condition and develop a better understanding of the procedures involved. (Crow, et al., 1999) To add on, I informed him of his various readings to ensure his awareness of his medical status. In terms of technical skills, I could not distinctively identify the Korotkoff sounds hence had to repeat the blood pressure measurement. When I re-took the blood pressure however, I found it hard to release the pressure as I had turned the valve a little too much making it too tight to be released. It is mandatory for nurses to be fluent in the procedures. (Rennie, 2009) Hence, I should keep in mind not to turn the valve too much to allow easy release of the valve in future. During the procedure, I constantly made an effort to ensure that the patient was feeling comfortable by questioning him frequently instead of just carrying out the nursing procedure silently. Reference to Bensing, reveals that it is important for nurses to communicate at an emotional level so that the patient feels cared for and also helps disclose his concerns which he might otherwise not reveal. (Bensing, 1991). Also, I addressed the presence of the rash on his left arm and questioned him on how it originated instead of only taking note of his vital signs. These actions I hope would have sent across the message to the patient that I cared for him well. In terms of ensuring safe practice, I kept the staff nurse informed about the rash the patient had developed on his arm and what medication he had previously consumed which might have led to the allergy. However, I had not plotted the readings taken on the correct column onto the clinical chart. I was unaware of this mistake until I read the remarks on the assessment sheet. Therefore, I have to strictly avoid such a mistake in the future as it may lead to further misinterpretations. My professionalism and ethical practice was portrayed rather well as I maintained a steady and confident poise which I trust would have also allowed the patient to place his trust in me to carry out the nursing procedure safely and effectively. Butts has given a detailed description of the ethics that needs to be followed in the nursing profession (Butts). Not only that, I ensured that the patient was aware of the side effects and risks involved in the surgery so as to maintain ethical practice. 2.5 Conclusion All in all, this reflection has helped me better identify my mistakes in this skills assessment and how I can further improve myself in the near future. Not only that, it has also aided me in the pursuit of realizing the importance of the six different domains that we were assessed on. This assessment was also a good platform for us to reflect upon ourselves and further improve our nursing competencies bringing our skills to a whole new level. At the end of the day, such assessments are the ones that mould us into trustworthy and reliable healthcare professionals. 2.6 Action Plan In similar situations in the future, first and foremost, I would quickly run through area planning in my mind so as to maintain minimal movement to save time when I am carrying out my nursing procedure. Then, when I am taking the patients blood pressure, I will remind myself not to turn the valve too hard so that it will be easier to release the pressure from the cuff when I am recording the blood pressure readings. Most importantly, I would ensure that I record my findings accurately onto the clinical chart. I hope all these precautions will help me carry out my duty as a nurse efficiently in years to come.

Review of Douglas E. Winter’s Thrilling Novel, Run Essay -- Run

Review of Douglas E. Winter’s Thrilling Novel, Run If you’re in the market for a good thriller, the kind that you don’t put down, the kind that releases its grip on you once it’s through, look no further. Run grabbed my attention with its opening sentence and I found myself slipping into that helpless, blissful state of complete submission to the book, confident I was in the hands of a master storyteller. I chose to review this book primarily because none of my friends had heard of it, despite its New York Times-bestseller status and cover, which is decorated with blurbs from literary illuminati as they gasp for superlatives in attempts to describe the story’s pace, which is breathless, to be sure. This is Winter’s debut novel (having previously collaborated with Clive Barker), and we are in the presence of an exciting new talent. The novel is told from the first-person perspective of Burdon Lane, an arms dealer of the less-than-legal variety, who finds himself in a classic noir predicament where the only person he can trust is himself, and only then ...

More than a Lesbian Novel Essay

Anna Maria Moix is a Spanish novelist, journalist, essay writer, poet and a translator. â€Å"Julia† is her first novel which is an autobiographical novel. Many characters and incidents from this novel are influenced by her life. The novel â€Å"Julia† is a very beautiful and thought provoking novel by Moix. It is called as a lesbian novel. According to some critics, in Julia, the pedagogical scene of seduction is subverted by making it lesbian scene. Julia’s relationship with her teachers like Senorita Mabel and especially Eva is shown as lesbian type of relationship. While some critics oppose it by putting forward the opposite opinion. According to them the relationship between Eva and Julia is much more than a lesbian one. â€Å"The title character in this novel embarks on a relationship with Eva, her literature teacher. Though the novel suggests a sexual dimension to the relationship, it never makes the sexual dynamics patently clear, and Julia never becomes fully aware of her sexuality. For her, Eva represents mother, friend, and lover. † [1] Thus critically it is described as a lesbian novel. It is because of the inclination of the female protagonist towards Eva and some other women. Lesbian concept is not a new concept for the European writers. Virginia Woolf, Jeanette Winterson and other many writers have written on lesbian theory. Winterson â€Å"Written on Body† in this case is such an unusual novel in which the readers never realize whether the narrator on whom the entire story is woven is male or female character. It might be perhaps because the female authors could not explain the lesbian theories openly due to the social constraints. Hence that she has indirectly put the theory of lesbianism Julia was published after a great scrutiny because writing on lesbianism or homosexuality was a taboo in the society. Now on such background the question arises whether the novel â€Å"Julia† is really lesbian or it is about something more. As per my observation, though it has the references of obsessive and intense relationship of the protagonist Julia with her literature professor, it cannot be concluded that it is entirely a lesbian novel. In Julia Anna Moix has unfolded the gloomy and devastated life of the protagonist right from her tender age to entire life. The author has given more focus on the mental and psychosomatic condition of the protagonist Julia which appeals more than her lesbian tendency. According to Katharina Wilson â€Å"it is a story of a â€Å"self destructive adolescent psyche of a teenager. †Ã¢â‚¬  She states, â€Å"Her first novel Julia (1970) though narrated in the third person is intensely subjective and intimate, drawing the reader immediately into the inner monologues of a tormented and self destructive adolescent psyche. † Katharina Wilson also writes, â€Å"In exploring the dark world of divided self, obsessed by a lost double from the past (the sixteen years old Julia), Moix also delicately alludes to the problem of sexual identity as it takes shape in the form of unconscious lesbianism. †[2] Though Julia was closely attached with many women in her life she is not entitled lesbian. The circumstance in which Julia grows has to be taken into account. These circumstances compel her to attract towards women. She loves women not out of any attraction but because she hates men. Her experience about the men was very sickening. At the very tender age of six she was raped by Victor who was their family friend. And this was the reason that the repugnance for men developed in her mind and a strong and striking need for a female grew in her mind. In short Moix is persistent about explaining the inner mind of Julia. â€Å"Julia,† the novel published in 1970, describes about typical teenager young college girl. Julia, who is in love with her literature professor Eva and decides to commit suicide out of the nervous breakdown when she comes to know that she cannot keep romantic relationship with her female partner due to social bondage and threats,. Eva for Julia is more than just a sexual partner. For her she is like a mother and in her loneliness she just wants Eva to be with her. â€Å"She only wanted to be close to Eva. She wanted her presence and nothing else. † [3] The story starts with the protagonist mental condition when she is there in the hospital lonely and totally broken hearted. Here the author has vividly depicted each and every facets of the complex mind of the protagonist. Why she has been called as a lesbian, just because she has intense love in her mind for a female figure? This is not the only reason. The subterranean â€Å"raison d’etre† is that she wants a female figure under whose shelter she can be safe and secure. She cannot find the security and safety in the arms of any man, because for her man is just like a wolf who has crunched into her body as well as mind. Her childhood was a like a nightmare for her because of the very unfortunate experience of the rape. This is the reason why Julia wanted to keep herself far away from the men. Her relationship with Eva is thus dignified by the author which according to her not unusual and wrong. Julia’s mother was never close to her and she wants to experience the real love of the mother and for that she has chosen Eva, who is her mother in her imaginations â€Å"Eva is for Julia a mother, a sister and a friend. There is an attempt to ‘explain away’ lesbianism not as desiring women, but as fear of men. † [3] Here I would like to refer the story by Danish poet and author Hans Christian Anderson, â€Å"The Little Match Girl,† who was shivering and almost dead because of hunger and cold. At that time for getting herself warm she lit a stick from her matchbox and the small and tiny light of the little stick gives her hundreds of beautiful dreams from which she doesn’t want to come out. Eva’s presence for Julia is like a warm in the deadly winter. Eva is like an Oasis in the deserted life of Julia. But Eva’s presence is nothing but a hallucination. Eva is like a lighthouse for the ship of Julia’s life. When she realizes that this lighthouse is collapsed she cannot survive herself and then she decides to end her life. â€Å"Over a course of a sleepless night the 20-year-old Julia recollects instances from her past as she lies in a hospital bed following a suicide attempt. Her intense physical aversion to men and recurrent obsession with a series of strong female figures would seem to stem from traumatic childhood experiences, including her rape at the age of 6 by a family friend and the emotional deprivation felt in the relationship with her mother. † [4] From Julia the author brings forward her opinion that the lesbians are not women who love women but who hate men. Rather than calling this novel as a lesbian novel we can say that it is the novel depicts the rebellious attitude of the women who have been for years and years tormented by the patriarchal and male dominated society. This novel is also called a novel of relationship. Rather the theme of relationship constantly remains dominant rather than the lesbianism. Moix reveals the different ridges of relationship in it. The author has outspread the different types of relationships of the protagonist right from her childhood, her relationship with her family members, the deteriorated relationship between her and her mother, the death of her beloved brother Rafael, her relationship with her older brother Ernesto, Every where we find the blemished relationship. In the crowd of the people the Julia seems to be alone and isolated. The failure in maintaining the relationship can cause the mental and psychological damage of the person. Anna Moix tries to show the complexities of the relationship as well as the lack of harmony among all the characters. The novel represents such society where the family system is collapsed. This novel is the symbol of the society which has lost the family values and morality. The characters are shown self centered and no one seems to bother about the rest of the members of the society. Relationship is lacking with every character. Julia is searching for the love in the female figures. She has to search it from the outside world because she is not finding it in her family members. The relationship of Julia with her mother which ought to be very close, and there aught to be a natural attachment and affection between mother and daughter is in reality very stained. Her mother is shown as a self centered who never tries to know what exactly her daughter expects, and what exactly her responsibility towards her daughter. We strongly feel it when we read the scene of rape done on Julia by the Victor. At that time she needs her Mama’s tender touch and her love and solace but she was abdicated ruthlessly by her mother. â€Å"She would escape from Victor and run to mama, who was talking and laughing nonstop, ignoring her. Little Julia would tap her on the arms, and Mama would ask: Do you want a coke? No. And she would keep on touching Mama until, irritated, she would yell at her or slap her, and little Julia burst into tears. Aurelia – Mama called – put her to bed, she is unbearable. † [5]She needs love, pampering from her mother which is her Psychological and quite natural need. But this basic need is also never fulfilled by her mother. She knows that she is a big burden for her mother and this feeling creates more and more insecurity in her mind. This pampering she is searching in another woman. In Julia the author also focuses on the growing materialism in the society. Everybody is involved in gaining the worldly pleasure. Everybody is careless and is not in position to think of the other. Julia’s brother is a homosexual. There is total miscommunication between the relationships of Julia’s parents. Everybody has chosen their own path life in which they don’t want to involve other family members. Under the roof of one house they are living like strangers. They don’t want to share their happiness, their sorrow with the others. Why life has become so difficult for the protagonist? Why does she want to escape from her present? Why can’t she accept the present bravely? Why does she prefer to stay in her past life? These are very important questions arise while the reading of the novel. Julia is not a novel which just propounds the theory of lesbianism but it is the psychological novel which focuses on the mental condition of the protagonist. The protagonist is caught by the split personality. Young Julia is not ready to accept the fact of her being young and she wants to be in the past. The incident of rape has been carved on her mind so intensely that she prefers to live the life of listlessness and detachment. She prefers to live an isolated life. â€Å"As her remembrances peel away the layers of her past, she reveals chilling details of a life filled with alienation and unhappiness. [6] This is the reason why she cannot face the relationship with the opposite sex. The horror experience becomes her inability to enter into the relationship with opposite sex. When Carol kisses her she feels it as a nightmare and it reminds r the incident of her violent rape. â€Å"a beach, rocks, a sea urchin, the paddle boat floating on the sea. † (Page 209, Julia) There is a constant conflict in her mind, the conflict of two different personalities, Julia and Julita. Julita is her past which is being more and more dominated. â€Å"Her schizophrenic experience eventually leads to an unsuccessful suicide attempt. According to German Bleiberg â€Å"The novel is relentless psychological whodunit, narrated as the interior monologue of the disturbed and intermittently suicidal young protagonist. † [7] The novel consists of the series of memory of Julia’s life right from her childhood to the present day. â€Å"These memories carry from her childhood to her present traumatic psychological stagnation. † [8] Julia has locked herself in deep pains. Her pains are like a web which the protagonist fails to break. Her story is necessarily thought from psychological point of view. When we start thinking from that perception we realize that this is not just a lesbian novel. It is a deep and thorough study of human psyche. And when we change the angle of our thoughts and starts thinking from the point of view of the protagonist, we start feeling sympathetic about the protagonist. The entire novel seems to be haunted by a weird silence. A voiceless ness is spread around the protagonist. She is completely fed up of all types of relationships and the people that she wants to stay alone. She rather feels safe in her loneliness. That is why when she arrives in the city she feels as if she is captured in the cage. â€Å"The noise, continuous movement of cars and buses, and the sight of so many people in the streets made her feel dizzy. † [9] Julia was blamed by the other school children for being silent and for not mixing with anybody. â€Å"She found herself forced to stay locked up in the classroom for four hours in the morning and three in the afternoon, sitting behind a desk, among twenty other girls. She didn’t talk to anybody. If they asked her something, she answered with a fewest possible words. After a week at School, they called her â€Å"the girl who doesn’t talk. †[10] Thus apparently it seems a lesbian novel but if we consider the other factors of this novel we realize that the story has a depth and it wants to tell us something else and lesbianism is just one of the parts of the novel. Thus this novel focuses many factors such as a world of chaos and anarchy, the broken frame of the family structure, the voiceless ness, materialism and self centered attitude of the modern society, lack of communication between the human beings, the physical and psychological exploitation of the women by the society and the spoiled human relationships. This novel also reveals the psychological problems which arise due to the loneliness insecurity and individualism. Being a typical feminist novel it throws the light on various above factors which are more dominating than the lesbian theme. Sources: [1] (Page 4, Spanish Literature, glbtq literature, http://www. glbtq. com/literature/spanish_lit,4. html) [2] (Page 853, â€Å"An Encyclopedia of Continental Women Writers,† by Katharina M. Wilson, Published by Tailor & Francis) [3] (Page 4, â€Å"Julia,† Anna Moix, Sandra Kingery , published by University of Nebraska Press, 2004) [3] (Page 287, â€Å"Who’s who in Contemporary Gay and Lesbian History†, By Robert Aldrich, Garry, Published by Routledge, 2001) [4] (Page 199, â€Å"A New History of Spanish Writing by Christopher Perriam†, published by Oxford University Press. ) [5](Page 41, Julia, Written by Anna Moix, translated by Sandra Kingery, University of Nebraska Press, 2004) [6](Page 140, â€Å"Dangerous Virtues†, By Ana Maria Moix, Margaret E. W. Jones, published by University of Nebraska Press, 1997) [7] (Page1107, â€Å"L-Z†, by German Bleiberg, published by Greenwood Publishing Group. ) [8] (Page 37, â€Å"Queer Transitions in Contemporary Spanish Culture,† By Gema Perez-Sanchez, published by Suny Press. ) [9] (Page93, â€Å"Julia† Written by Anna Moix, translated by Sandra Kingery, University of Nebraska Press, 2004) [10] (Page93, â€Å"Julia† Written by Anna Moix, translated by Sandra Kingery, University of Nebraska Press, 2004)

How to Write a Business Essay

How to Write a Business Essay How to Write a Business Essay Purpose of a Business Essay Writing a business essay is for the purpose of conveying a message, giving information, or convincing the readers to take some sort of action. So, the business essay must be clear and to the point. It is a good idea to make sure you know your audience before you start. This will assist you in creating a good outline that will keep you focused on the task and topic. This also ensures that you effectively demonstrate your point to your audience. Segments of a Business Essay In order to write an effective business essay, you need to be organized and create the essay in relevant segments. These segments are: Purpose of the Essay The Title The Introduction The Body The Conclusion Purpose of the Essay The purpose of your essay is what your topic is about which should be established before you start writing. This is where you come up with your topic, unless you have already been assigned a topic. If you are charged with choosing your own topic, then you will want to write about something you know of, keeps your interest, or sparks your passion. After you choose a topic, then use it to craft your thesis statement, which should be a single sentence about the main idea of your essay. The Title Your title is another important element of your essay because it is what most people will use to decide if they want to read your essay. The title should express the main idea of the essay and be persuasive. For example, â€Å"Get 50% More Traffic to Your Website with these Tips!† is more persuasive than, â€Å"Websites Need Plenty of Traffic.† The Introduction The introduction of your business essay reconfirms your thesis statement and introduces the main idea of your essay to your audience. This should be one paragraph and should give the reader a good idea about the topic covered in the essay. This is another segment where many readers will look to decide if your essay is worth reading. The Body The body of your essay is the meat of the essay. This is where the main content is located and is where you go on to develop your story, based on your research or notes. The body should contain all relevant key points about the topic and it should be informative. The body should also give the reader a call to action, if necessary. The body of the essay should contain a paragraph on each key point about the topic. The Conclusion The conclusion of your essay should sum up the purpose and topic, as well as tie back into your introduction. The introduction contains a purpose statement but the conclusion summarizes the purpose and all relevant key points in the essay. Feel free to get professional Business essay help from top-rated academic writers at our custom writing service. All Business essay papers are written from scratch. Plagiarism-free and high quality are guaranteed.

Mise-En-Scene Hp Essays

Mise-En-Scene Hp Essays Mise-En-Scene Hp Essay Mise-En-Scene Hp Essay Harry Potter films are great interpretations of the film element mise-en-scene. In The Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part two; such sub elements that relate to the mise-en-scene include the setting, costume, figure, expression, movement, lighting, color, and objects within the frame. Putting together each scene or frame to make all of the sub elements that in full make up the mise-en-scene determines the mood of both the scene and the characters in it. An audience is able to get a sense of what is happening within the scene that is used with unspoken words before the actual movie hits theatres. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part two begins with showing Harry Potter standing in his doorway showing the full setting. The setting included an average styled house, which gave way to knowing who part of Harry Potter as a person is. He has grown up in his uncle’s house and being surrounded by the atmosphere where being abnormal made him isolated and unwanted. In this scene where Harry has a backpack on his back, the door ajar, and letting his owl go shows that he has grown into the man that he eventually turned out to be which is someone who isn’t afraid to step out of the box and be there for his loved ones. It’s nighttime and the mood is one that is mysterious and dark. His facial expression within this scene is one of great melancholy and sullen. His expression, objects being worn, and setting is showing that he will be setting on a mysterious adventure. Another sub element of a mise-en-scene is costume. Harry Potter is wearing jeans, a simple red t-shirt, and a jacket. This simple combination of clothing suggests the year the movie setting is taken place. His clothes suggest that he is neither wealthy nor poor, however just middle class. Lastly his glasses are his trademark, because he is always wearing them throughout each of the films. As Harry is letting his owl go, his expression is one of regret. He regrets the separation of him and his owl because ever since he first received the letter of acceptance into Hogwarts, Harry and Hedwig have been the greatest of friends. The distance between Harry and Hedwig gives a balanced shot between the two. Lighting brings out much in this scene. Harry is wearing a red t-shirt that brings much added attention to him because his entire setting around him is a neutral dark night. The red is used to draw the audience to pay closer attention to him because he is known as an important character. The red also suggests that he has much love for his owl as well as his family and friends who are compared to the conflicting internal evil that feature within the film. The overall low-key use of light within this scene is used to specifically reflect Harry Potter’s gloomy expressions. The overall use of a mise-en-scene within the Harry Potter and Deathly Hallows part two is greatly used. Mise-en-scene relates to the theatrics of space and how it is then constructed for the camera. How the space is arranged and how each actor and the objects within the space relate within it render exciting topics on film. The balance that exists between the action and the scene itself speaks louder than the actual words being said by the actors themselves. The use of each actor, the costumes, and the lighting used throughout Harry Potter made the mise-en-scene flow perfectly. The audience always understood what was happening throughout the movie whether it be to make the mood a light-hearted or serious.

TERM PAPER Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

TERM PAPER - Essay Example healthcare system. The emergence of new diseases and continuous growth of the population have triggered the need to modernize disease prevention and public health systems. In the past, the clamor for a National Health Insurance was the outcry of many administrations – in the U.S. and many countries in Europe. Recently however, the Obama administration has pushed for the full implementation of its once a campaign platform but now has become a law, the Affordable Care Act or what is popularly known as the ObamaCare. The aim of this law is to implement within the next ten years an Information System for the healthcare sector and to invest $10 billion annually for the many programs about health insurance and address the problems and challenges of healthcare. Modernizing disease prevention and public health systems is a question of policies and political will. If there is political will, all things are possible under the sun. But what should be modernized? The Medicare and the Medi caid are two healthcare programs that insure U.S. citizens but the system is already rotten and needs to be reprogrammed to address healthcare problems of the people. Medicare was designed to provide healthcare insurance to seniors and the disabled. It was run by the government to focus on reimbursing healthcare expenses and financed by federal taxes but also shared by payroll tax from employers and their workers, to include individual enrollees. Medicare covers hospitalization expenses, physician fees, and expenses for drugs. Medicare Gaps The Medicare program has many gaps which need review and so-called modernization. For example, insurance lacks nursing services, inadequate preventive care insurance, and no insurance for dental, loss of hearing, or vision. Since there is lack of insurance, some enrollees resort to supplemental insurance and so more expenses for the citizens. This gap needs to be reviewed and covered by the ObamaCare, or the Affordable Care Act launched by the pr esent administration. The Medicaid is a government insurance program for the poor and the disabled. It is also the program for poor pregnant women, children, seniors, disabled, and poor parents. Although it’s a federal program, states are given the leeway to improve the coverage and eligibility options. (Chua, 2006, p. 2) Incentives for Prevention of Chronic Diseases Stakeholders in disease prevention should be provided with government incentives. Again this is a question of policies. Policy makers should be able to determine the areas where care is most needed, know the various stakeholders and identify their motivational factors where they could be effective in disease prevention, and develop systems in accessing the incentives. (Singh as cited in Committee on Living Well with Chronic Disease: Public Action to Reduce Disability and Improve Functioning and Quality of Life, Institute of Medicine, 2011, p. 240) Modernizing Disease Prevention and Public Health Systems Problems in healthcare require new ways of detection and prevention of illness. Aids and other virus-triggered diseases are considered new diseases that require new techniques and methods. A. Clinical and Community Preventive Services When there is improved collaboration among health professionals and the community, there is increased reduction in health disparities, deaths and morbidity. Public and private sectors should focus more on the 65-years-and-older sector as this is growing. This is composed of Baby Boomers who

Divorce rate throughout the world, causes of, disadvantages and Essay

Divorce rate throughout the world, causes of, disadvantages and advantages of - Essay Example Some people think that cohabitation which can be loosely described as an act of indulging in sexual intercourse between two people leads to a lasting relationship. Various sociological researches have indicated that there are dangers such as divorce likely to be encountered by couples who cohabitate before they get married or those who cohabitate with multiple partners. Some couples use sex as a way of measuring if true love exists between them but chances of divorce are very high since there will be no commitment to each other among these people (Champlin, 2003). Sociological researches have shown that cohabitors before marriage report low satisfaction with their marriages that non cohabitors. About 50 % of cohabitors often experience conflicts which often lead to bitter divorces (Champlin, 2003). The rate of divorce is higher among the young couples compared to adult people as a result of the fact that young people in particular expect more from each other (Seiler, 2002). Instead of communicating and settling differences in an amicable way, some people tend to use violence to subdue their partners. Thus, lack of intimacy and communication characterised by violence between a couple can lead to divorce (Wynne & Wynne, 1986). Research has shown that chances of child abuse are very high among couples who have divorced than those still living together. According to Champlin (2003), children belonging to divorced parents often experience cases of child abuse more than those living with both parents. Divorced couples often find it difficult to relate with close relatives. Some of the people are bitter such that they find it difficult to fit in the society. This bitterness negatively impacts on their welfare since they may end up living solitary life (Weinberger, Hofstein, & Whitbourne, 2009). In certain circumstances, divorce is the best solution to couples who always engage in bitter and often violent conflicts. This