Zara Marketing Plan

New collection Launch | Marketing Plan 22. 10. 2009 1 SITUATION ANALYSIS Zara Brand Wheel Fashionable clothes Varied assortment Trendy colors Feminine cuts Fashionable product lines for moderate costs Customer- ­? centered business Runway trends adapted for the streets Brand Essence Fashion- ­? oriented woman Trendy in every situaFon Feeling good about looking good Fashion - ­? friendly Feminine Hot and trendy High-Street Fashion The Zara Brand Industry Analysis Product Development Consumer Analysis Market Analysis Market & Consumer Research 5 Keys of the Zara Business Model Store Teams Customer Logis4csDesign/ Produc4on The Zara Brand Industry Analysis Product Development Consumer Analysis Market Analysis Market & Consumer Research 5 Keys of the Zara Business Model Customer â€Å"Main driving force behind the Zara brand. † Star%ng point for all Zara ac%vi%es Customer Lead role in: †¢? Store design †¢? Produc%on †¢? Logis%cs †¢? Team The Zara Brand In dustry Analysis Product Development Consumer Analysis Market Analysis Market & Consumer Research s The Zara Brand Industry Analysis Product Development Consumer Analysis Market Analysis Market & Consumer Research 5 Keys of the Zara Business Model Store Store â€Å"Mee4ng oint between the customer and the Zara fashion o? er. † 1,520 stores collect informa%on regarding customer demands. New products introduced twice a week. Top loca%ons – 17 visits / year / customer Me%culously designed shop windows Maximum aJen%on to interior & exterior architechtual design Appropriate coordina%on of garments Excellent customer care The Zara Brand Industry Analysis Product Development Consumer Analysis Market Analysis Market & Consumer Research 5 Keys of the Zara Business Model Design & ProducFon â€Å"Inspira4on comes from the street, music, art †¦ but above all, the store. † Proximity of roduc%on facili%es Immediate reac%on to trends. Con%nuous work for all teams. Managers – teams – customer demand – forms, designs, fabrics, compliments Design/ Produc4on 1,186 suppliers, 200 desginers The Zara Brand Industry Analysis Product Development Consumer Analysis Market Analysis Market & Consumer Research 5 Keys of the Zara Business Model LogisFcs â€Å"Highly frequent and constant distribu4on permiKng the o? er to be constantly renewed. † 697 million garments distributed 5,000 employees at logis%cs centers Logis4cs Designed with maximum ?exibility. Customer oriented. 24h – receiving order to store elivery (Europe) Designed to absorb growth for next years. 18% annual discount rates. The Zara Brand Industry Analysis Product Development Consumer Analysis Market Analysis Market & Consumer Research The Zara Brand Industry Analysis Product Development Consumer Analysis Market Analysis Market & Consumer Research 5 Keys of the Zara Business Model Teams â€Å"Teams with vast sales knowledge geared to towards the customer. † 8 9,112 professionals Customer oriented. Make the stores a pleasant environment. Apply corporate, social & environmental responsibility in day- ­? to- ­? day work. Teams The Zara Brand IndustryAnalysis Product Development Consumer Analysis Market Analysis Market & Consumer Research Zara’s Performance 159 store openings in 2008 Brand Value: $ 8,609 M 1,530 stores 4 new countries in 2008 Sales â‚ ¬ 6,824 Million ZARA 73 countries The Zara Brand Industry Analysis Product Development Consumer Analysis Market Analysis Market & Consumer Research 14 The Industry High street fashion brand Industry trends Democra%za%on of luxury Inclusiveness Street trends Designer houses Key success factors Di? eren%a%on & individualism New fashion consumer The Zara Brand Industry Analysis Product Development ConsumerAnalysis Market Analysis Market & Consumer Research Customer Focused Product Development Saturated industry Need to increase brand value Responding to current industry trends Iden%f ying the need for the product in the market A full- ­? shaped body is a beau4ful body The Zara Brand Industry Analysis Product Development Consumer Analysis Market Analysis Market & Consumer Research Customer Focused Product Development Market entry barriers Design challenges Saturated industry Need to increase brand value Responding to current industry trends Iden%fying the need for the product in the market Exis%ng customer eac%ons â€Å"Fat is not fashionable† Challenges Opportuni>es The Zara Brand Industry Analysis Product Development Consumer Analysis Market Analysis Market & Consumer Research Consumer Analysis Today’s fashion consumer: More choice, more educated, more savvy & demanding â€Å"New breed of shoppers† Loyalty, variety, freshness The Zara Brand Industry Analysis Product Development Consumer Analysis Market Analysis Market & Consumer Research Fashion Consumer Behavior Analysis Interest Gives pleasure & enjoyment Means of self- ­? expression Involvement Emo%ons Behavior The Zara Brand Industry Analysis ProductDevelopment Consumer Analysis Market Analysis Market & Consumer Research Fashion Consumer Behavior Analysis Interest Hedonics Involvement Purchasing experience Fun, fantasy, social or emo%onal gra%? ca%on Emo%ons Behavior Impulse buying The Zara Brand Industry Analysis Product Development Consumer Analysis Market Analysis Market & Consumer Research Fashion Consumer Behavior Analysis Interest Hedonics Involvement Importance: †¢? Consumers aJach meaning to their clothes †¢? Role of fashion in society Drivers: †¢? Individual mo%ves †¢? Projec%ng a desired self- ­? image Linked to personal values & needs: †¢?Express and communicate value †¢? Values guide consumer behavior †¢? Types of values: personal, economic, aesthe%c Emo%ons Behavior The Zara Brand Industry Analysis Product Development Consumer Analysis Market Analysis Market & Consumer Research Fashion Consumer Behavior Analysi s Interest Hedonics Involvement Posi%ve vs. nega%ve †¢? Shorter decision %mes †¢? More impulse buying †¢? A feeling of being unconstrained †¢? Desire to reward oneself How to generate posi%ve emo%ons? †¢? Use the retail environment to posi%vely in? uence moods: †¢? suitable layouts, †¢? colors, †¢? e? ec%ve sales personnel, †¢? emo%onally pliking atmosphere Impulse buying Emo%ons Behavior The Zara Brand Industry Analysis Product Development Consumer Analysis Market Analysis Market & Consumer Research Fashion Consumer Behavior Analysis Interest Hedonics Involvement Impulse buying †¢? Fashion oriented: strongly oriented to fashion involvement: providing sensory or experien%al cues of fashion products. †¢? Created by the symbolic interac4ons of the product & the consumer emo4onal experiences Emo%ons †¢? Need to understand impulse buying behavior for fashion products from an experien4al perspec4ve = guidance in developing strat egies BehaviorThe Zara Brand Industry Analysis Product Development Consumer Analysis Market Analysis Market & Consumer Research Plus Size Consumer Analysis 1 in 3 women are unhappy with the way clothes ?t them 14 happy 12 8 16 10 18 6 22 20 24 unhappy The Zara Brand Industry Analysis Product Development Consumer Analysis Market Analysis Market & Consumer Research Plus Size Consumer Behavior AJribute Plus size product Psychosocial consequence Feel more a acFve Func%onal consequence Cut ?[ng the body shape Values Self- ­? esteem Self esteem: important moFvaFon driver for consumpFon Consumers tend to assign their own eanings to clothes. Clothing: over consumer behavior The Zara Brand Industry Analysis Product Development Consumer Analysis Market Analysis Market & Consumer Research Market Analysis 120 Market Share 15% PeFte 60% 25% Plus Size Normal 100 80 60 40 20 0 76 100 Size 2006 2012 Segment growth: 40% increase by 2014. Only 5% of retail space is dedicated to the +size products T he Zara Brand Industry Analysis Product Development Consumer Analysis Market Analysis Market & Consumer Research Types of CompeFtors 1 2 3 4 Dedicated Ranges Extension of Size Ranges Designer Bou%ques E- ­? commerce The Zara Brand IndustryAnalysis Product Development Consumer Analysis Market Analysis Market & Consumer Research New Line PosiFoning High Fashion Zara Torrid H&M BouFques Low Price High Price M&S Charming Shoppers 1 2 Dedicated Ranges Extension of Size Ranges Designer Bou%ques E- ­? commerce Market & Consumer Research Junonia 3 4 Low Fashion The Zara Brand Industry Analysis Product Development Consumer Analysis Market Analysis Di? erenFaFon Brand awareness Brand loyalty New in this segments More experienced compe%tors Lack of e- ­? commerce Size & growth High fashion for modest prices Strengths Weaknesses The Zara Brand IndustryAnalysis Product Development Consumer Analysis Market Analysis Market & Consumer Research Zara vs. CompeFtors Zara 1,000 new styles / month 200 designers Higher cost of product development is more than adequately compensated by higher realized margins Strategy: reacFve, not predicFve CompeFtors 3- ­? 5 months: develop the ideas into physical samples Sales budgets & stock plans developed one year ahead of the targeted styles Few weeks / months to procure fabrics, have them approved by the retailer – produce a number of samples – put samples in producFon The Zara Brand Product development Industry Analysis

Ethical Style essay Essay

My personal ethics are shaped by my training and responsibility as a sailor serving in the US Navy coupled with my duties and responsibilities as a Christian. At different times my ethical approach changes but can be mostly characterized as a bridge between a utilitarian, loyalist, Judeo-Christian, and intuitive ethical styles. The utilitarian and loyalist style aligns with my leadership role in the military supporting the motto â€Å"mission + men = success† with an emphasis on mission first. Leaders are often faced with making a decision that affects the group as a whole and must consider how the consequence effect the groups as a whole calling into play the utilitarian style. The Navy also demands my loyalty as we are sworn to obey the lawful orders of those appointed over me. On the other hand my personal/religious approach is governed by the Judeo-Christian style with the Golden Rule at the forefront of my mind. The intuitive style bridges the gap between the two as my gut feelings are a response to my military/life experience and training driven by the Holy Spirit. This allows me to make split ethical decisions without an extensive thought process. One day I was approached by a sailor who claimed that Leading Chief Petty officer in the food service division was running him down and he was concerned that one day he would not be able to control his emotion. I asked him if there were any others that felt the same way and he stated yes but they don’t want to speak out and just wanted to get the job done and go home. I told him that I would ask some questions and look into before I took any action. That Friday my Command Master Chief (CMC) he has heard about a possible equal opportunity issue and wanted to know why I have not told him about it. The Chief Petty Officer and I had a great relationship and I would consider him a friend however since he was a rank higher than I we did not cross those boundaries. I had a conversation with him and let him talk up the subject of work and the pressure he was under to perform and offered to come down and assist him and I also talked to the Supply Officer and offered my assistance in order to defuse the situation. These gestures were politely turned down and I was ordered to by the Supply Officer not to look into it any further. I ensured him that I was looking into the issues at the lowest level possible, that I have temporarily defused the situation and if I saw any evidence to their claims I would let him know immediately. Just like the sailor said everyone had issues and the more I looked into it the more I uncovered. I was faced with a decision try to help the chief and the mission or address the issues of the masses.

Competitive Edge Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Competitive Edge - Essay Example As the paper stresses business Ethics informs Olivia Jones to notify her employer over the need for competitive edge and uncover the situations she met while at the factory in Bombay. Her comfort all the way from the airport to the Hotel, in addition to her Limousine rides in the city against the inhumane conditions she face while at the factory demands an action, a debt to the society.  This study highlights that  there are a number of consequences that might result if she opts for either option. A company aiming to be at the pinnacle of a business field can be faced with the dilemma as well as Olivia Jones, exercising a social conscience in the business field and their careers respectively. Olivia Jones is not the ultimate decision maker, her fate lie with her employers, i.e. towards social conscience or profits.   A profit driven company’s drive must meet their targets and thrive in situations where they exploit their workers.   Ethical principles demand beneficence , and the decision maker is expected to do what is right and good. This should be priority; performance of a good deed and from the excerpt, a good deed is choosing the humane conditions over the competitive edge.  The justice principle states that decision makers must focus on those actions that are fair to certainly those people are involved. Ethical decisions must be consistent with ethical theory save for extenuating situations that can be justified which exist in this particular case.

Failure of Real-Time Online Facility Assignment

Failure of Real-Time Online Facility - Assignment Example These major changes and other significant measures require a complete devotion and perfect dedication from the management, administrative department and particularly the Information Technology department to stabilize the performance of our online school and take our pride from good to best in the online school (Linda 1995). Everybody was appreciating and praising the performance of our online school before the advancement of technology introduced by our one of the closest competitor in the online school sector. Ever since this improvement has been presented by the competing firm, a steep decline has been observed in the size and magnitude of the market share of our online school. Profits have stuck somewhere, lowering from 8% to 5.5%. Faculty turnover ratio has increased substantially from 4% per annum to somewhat 16% annum. Increased customer complaints received more than 6% from the previous period. Things are pointing a major problem in our processes and demanding a significant solution to overcome that problem. What actually is that problem? How is it showing its effects and implications on the management and other departments of the business? What are the possible remedies to rescue? What would be the consequences of this operation clean sweep? Who is going to gain and who is going to lose? These all critical questions will be probed in the following discussion. Since the inception, the main focus of our online school has remained on providing the education to our students in a virtually â€Å"real-time† online environment. Students always liked and valued this methodology of teaching as it provided them the core benefits that they always needed. This methodology provided the students with an opportunity to interact with their tutors and mentors live on our online web portal, group forum and other live chat and discussion platforms. This helped the students in tackling with their study curriculum related issues with their tutors and share their problems in an online streaming session conducted via our live web portal.

Military Tribunals and the American Court System Essay

Military Tribunals and the American Court System - Essay Example International agreements define the proper treatment of prisoners and the acceptable treatment of civilians during times of war. This has had a practical reason as it has traditionally prevented field commanders from committing atrocities that would so inflame the enemy that they would seek widespread revenge on their opponent. To assure that armies would keep war civilized, special processes have been set up to deal with those that transgress the rules and prearranged agreements. A court martial is often used to prosecute individuals of one's own armed forces. However, when the enemy is conquered and has violated the principle and sensibilities of the victor, they can become the defendants in a military tribunal, a seldom used process to handle unusual cases in unique situations. This paper will explain the process of the military tribunal. It will discuss the history of US tribunals and their relevance to international events and conventions. It will define the difference between civilian courts, courts martial, and the military tribunal. It will further explore the requirements and rationalizations for holding a military tribunal as opposed to civilian courts. More importantly, it will discuss the constitutional evolution of the military tribunal and will examine key cases from the past. ... This paper will not form any legal opinion on the constitutionality of the military tribunal. It also will not offer a social or political opinion of the process. These are beyond the scope of this research. It will, however, offer the rationale used by the courts and government officials to arrive at their various opinions. It will include both sides of the controversy as seen by those that are most directly involved. It will highlight the unusual cases in history that have created the controversy over congressional and presidential power with respect to military tribunals. To begin a discussion of the military tribunal, it needs to be put into the context of more conventional and familiar court systems. The military tribunal differs from our civilian courts and a court martial in their purpose, approach, rules of evidence, and method of operation. Court martial is used to prosecute members of the military for criminal offenses that may be a violation of the articles of war or crime such as theft, violence, or criminal activity. They are similar to civilian courts in their guarantee of rights except that they make no allowance for a jury of peers. The jury is composed of appointed military officers. They do follow the same rules of evidence and due process for the defendant. Where a civilian court is used to prosecute civilians who violate the civilian law, tribunals have historically been used for the purpose of prosecuting an armed service's personnel who have violated the articles of war or international agreements. However they have occasionally been used in extraordinary situations to control the civilian population. The war on terror has brought about new definitions of 'enemy combatant' and the current

E-government. bpmn module Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

E-government. bpmn module - Assignment Example On eligibility at this level, the request is taken to the ministries of commerce and finance where the commercial eligibility is then checked. The request is checked against the ownership of any other property, inheritances and company information before being passed to the interior ministry to check on crime history. A clean record is returned to the finance section for confirmation, approval and notification to the client. Evidently as noted, considering that it is a manual process, so many places are visited. The processes indicated and explained in the flow chart are physical and involves the client submitting the documentation to the authorities for the checks indicated. Such a process is time consuming and wastes a lot of money as the person applying is supposed to travel a lot as they submit the documents to the departments, in person. In the approval of a housing grant and a financial loan, the beneficiary needs to follow the same process right from the start to the end, which wastes more time to the persons, and can be very frustrating. The processes are too bureaucratic. Before one is allowed to have the grants, the beneficiary is required to transverse a lot of government departments, following a series of protocol. Within the process as described in the current flowchart, the acquisition process involves some repetition of some steps. This repetition adds to the overall time required and the expense of handling the requests. Such a procedure leads to the very many delayed requests within the various government departments, leading to millions of pending applications (Arab News, 2013). Another disadvantage of the manual applications is high propensity to loss of documents, and thus a repeat of the whole application procedure. This is frustrating to the applicants who can as well lose trust in the government. A manual system, despite being tedious and discouraging, has a potential of preventing many potential

Abelard Meets Heloise-Dante and the Three Kingdoms Essay

Abelard Meets Heloise-Dante and the Three Kingdoms - Essay Example This particular piece depicts purgatory, hell, paradise on earth (the Garden of Eden where Adam and Eve lived) and the earthly spheres. Michelino took the name of his teacher and used it as his own Leighton was the son of an artist by the name of Charles Blair Leighton. Edmund was born in London and was known in his adult years for his extremely skillful craftsmanship. He central medium of use was paint and he mainly focused on works depicting regency and medieval subjects. His particular piece known as Abelard and His Pupil, Heloisa depicts a taboo encounter between an instructor and his pupil. The painting shows a beautiful Heloisa leaning slightly into the left side of her seated master Abelard. The body language is the indicator of the manner of their relationship. This particular love story is said to be the saddest love story to ever be told. Raffa, Guy P. â€Å"Dante World: A Reader’s Guide to the Inferno† Chicago, University of Chicago Press, 2007. This particular work is specific more to understanding the almost otherworldliness which Dante’s writings contained. This writing was then translated into numerous forms of medium and are still assimilated with religion today. Understanding the premise for Dante’s views allows the observer to discern more detail and meaning in the recreation of Dante’s world done by Michelino. Snell, Melissa. â€Å"Peter Abelard: Article from the 1911 Encyclopedia† The New York Times, 2008. This particular article provides details as to who Abelard was. It describes him as a scholar of Philosophy who eventually fell in love with his pupil, Heloise. By understanding this love affair and who these individuals were, one can better grasp and appreciate the artistic rendering of them by

The Vietnam War affected America Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Vietnam War affected America - Essay Example The Northern Vietnamese were communists and consequently had the support of the USSR and its allies, while the South received support from the US given that they were capitalists ideologically. Even though the war was fought outside the boundaries of the US, the USA got involved in it following the pursuit of the Marshall plan. This plan provided for military and financial assistance to countries that were at risk of being coerced to accept communism policy that the US was vehemently against (Anderson 86). Effect of the War on America Economy The Vietnam War had several significant effects on the US ranging from heavy economic expenditure during the war to loss of substantial number of solders in the military combat. As recognized in the Marshal plan in the United States countries that are under coercion by the communist allies would be accorded military and monetary help to come out of their situation, the US in these regard spent billions of dollars in fulfilling their commitment i n the Vietnam situations. Within the period of the war, the US spent close to $ 170 billion dollars. This was incurred in terms of the military support and financial aids during the war to the southern Vietnam. This expenditure was more than anticipated and in the eventual consideration, it had a negative impact on the economy of the US where it was pushed to the limits, and it should be noted that the expenses were only incurred in a span of 11 years in which the war was fought. The amount of money that was spent by the US mainly was incurred in military related costs; for instance, it was used mainly in the purchase of military equipment, training, and general logistics of managing a military combat, and this is according to the congressional research information following the end of the war in 1975. The hefty cost incurred in the war is a manifestation of how directly the war led to economic down falls in the US. Indirectly, the war also led to economic hindrance in a more disgui sed manner (Moyar 41). Obviously, during the times of war, there is persistent demand of military equipments and other materials. The fact that industries are always in the business of making profit given a looming demand of a product, they will not waste any of such opportunities to make money. In this relation, most companies in the US that were involved in manufacturing of other products switched their production to conform to the then military equipment demands, which included ammunition and bullets. In the end of the war, the companies had no opportunity for the markets as they had configured their companies to suit production of military materials at the expense of other economic goods. This situation led to widespread inflation in the US, leading to economic problems in the country because of the Vietnam War. Division in the US In the initial periods, the US citizens approved the Vietnam War on the basis that it was championing for the ideological freedom of the nations and o bjected the unlimited spread of the communism by the Russians-a period before the media started making coverage of the situation in the country. When the situation of the war was transmitted via television to the citizen and horrors of the war became apparent, many of the US citizens appreciated the need to end the war as it subjected humanity to unnecessary suffering that could be avoided. Through television, the US

Strategic Management and Leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words - 8

Strategic Management and Leadership - Essay Example That year it multiplied abroad deals to turn into the #1 air payload organization. In 2001 Fedex hit an arrangement with the United States Postal Service to transport mail shipments and Fedex drop boxes were set in post business locales. Today, Fedex has more than 275,000 individuals worldwide with a normal day by day volume of 7.5 million shipments. It serves in excess of 220 nations. Fedex Corp today positioned number one in client fulfillment in the Express Delivery industry. Our discussion would be the strategic analysis of Fedex as a company and in the event of doing so we will be looking into the business model, sustainability issues, the leadership approach, competitive advantage and the value chain infrastructure of the firm. Fedex is a worldwide shipping enterprise that gives services to purchasers and organizations around the world. Headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee, Fedex is headed by Fedex Corporation, which "gives vital heading and merged monetary reporting for the working organizations that contend altogether under the Fedex name around the world: Fedex Express, Fedex Ground, Fedex Freight, and Fedex Services." These organizations work under the aphorism of "work freely, contend on the whole and oversee synergistically." By working autonomously, every Fedex organization can center solely on conveying the best service for its particular market and abstain from squandering time and assets on issues unaffiliated with its centre business. Contending on the whole under the well-known Fedex name guarantees that the greater part of the working organizations profit from being a part one of the worlds most distinguished brands. Fedex is presently a $29 billion organization and posted incomes in abundance of $35.5 billion in financial 2009. From shipping only 186 bundles on its first day of operations in 1973, the organization has

Shakespeares portrayal of Hotspur in Act 3 Scene 1 Essay Example for Free

Shakespeares portrayal of Hotspur in Act 3 Scene 1 Essay With close reference used to dramatic methods, discuss Shakespeare’s portrayal of Hotspur in Act 3 Scene 1. Hotspur has several ongoing characteristics in the play, with the main one that is constantly being brought forward is his egotism that shows in his interaction with other characters. In line 16, after listening to Glendower’s boast, Hotspur feels that his ego has been threatened. This character development tells us that Hotspur doesn’t like to be outshone by others. â€Å"Why, so can I, or so can any man, but will they come when you do call for them?† Hotspur’s taunting tone is shown here as he claims anyone can do what Glendower says he can do, but questions if it will actually work, belittling him. â€Å"Methinks my moiety, north from Burton here, in quantity equals not one of yours.† Hotspur believes he deserves more, and he would re-route the channel to get his way; â€Å"And here the smug and silver Trent shall run in a new channel, fair and evenly. It shall not wind with such a deep indent, to rob me of so rich a bottom here.† Hotspur wants more of what he has already got and isn’t grateful for his shares, with this showing his self-centered and egocentric personality. Hotspur constantly speaks in a derisive tone to others and often rudely interrupts them in pieces of dialogue. In this particular scene, Hotspur is being portrayed by Shakespeare as a disrespectful character. He bluntly denies Glendower’s boast about his magic powers and mocks him when he mentions the meteor shower that occurred on the night of his birth, â€Å"Why, so it would have done at the same season if your mother’s cat had but kittened, though yourself had never been born.†, which lets his antagonistic ego to foster friction between his allies. His obvious opinions is not necessarily a bad trait however, as this shows us that he wears his heart on his sleeve, and is very honest with others; whether it be negative or positive. â€Å"Let me not understand you, then; speak it in Welsh.† This recurring characteristic adds character development to Hotspur. When it comes to plot development, Hotspur forgetting the map at the start of the scene shows that he is impractical and has a lack of foresight. Also, his lack of sophistication and refinement is shown when he insults literature, meaning Shakespeare portrays Hotspur as very uncultured. His fiery and argumentative side is exhibited with his use of imagery in the scene, however his political naivety in also revealed as he allows personal feelings to intrude on his personal relationships, and presents his lack of diplomatic maturity. Hotspur’s arrogance is exposed when he begins arguing for the sake of arguing after interaction with Glendower in a battle of wills makes Hotspur boast after Glendower gives in, and once again feeds into his egotistical side. Another thing established in this scene is Hotspur’s reputation, as after more interaction with Glendower, he reveals what others say about him and that he has a renowned, infamous and fearsome reputation. Hotspur is known to be a brave, ruthless warrior in battle. His short temper and reckless attitude has not only gained himself a nickname, but also a rash status. Hotspur’s best trait, his boldness and quick temper, is also his worst flaw, as he may be valiant in battle but cannot manipulate or work with allies, and is very tactless. His quick temper causes him to alienate Glendower, one of his family’s most important allies, which is not a smart move. Hotspur is not only rude to his allies, but also his Lady. He jokes to her â€Å"Come, Kate, thou art perfect in lying down. Come, quick, quick, that I may lay my head in thy lap.† He later says â€Å"Come, Kate, I’ll have your song too.† To which she replies â€Å"Not mine, in good sooth.† Instead of letting it go, Hotspur becomes enraged at Lady Percy; â€Å"Not yours, in good sooth! Heart, you swear like a comfit-maker’s wife!† He tries one last time to convince her â€Å"Come, sing.† But she still won’t, to which he leaves in anger; â€Å"I’ll away within these two hours, and so come in when ye will.† and leaves her in tears. Hotspur disregards other’s feelings and wishes, even his Lady’s. This brings up Hotspur’s cruel ways and his childlike actions when he does not get his way, along with his selfishness, and his irresponsibility towards his personal relationships. In this scene, Shakespeare continues to portray Hotspur with a mocking attitude, a hot tempered mind, his open mind and the fact that he is a ruthless fighter, and starts to bring up his self centered, impatient and immature acts, that is mainly brought to our attention through his interaction with other characters and his actions during heated and normal moments, from battle, to conversations in the Boar’s Head Tavern.

Defining Rural Literacies

Defining Rural Literacies The term rural literacies can conjure up a variety of images-that of a young woman teaching students of mixed ages and grades in the one-room schoolhouse, a farm wife mending socks or preparing meals by the fireside, the farmer working in bucolic fields, or the racism and bigotry of small-town rednecks. Many of the images rural literacies bring to mind, positive and negative, are based on established stereotypes and inaccuracies about rural people and what counts as literacy or a misguided understanding of the sameness of rural populations (Donehower, Hogg, Schell, 2007, 2012; Green Corbett, 2015). Understanding how rural literacies are defined and operationalized can offer an avenue for getting beyond stereotypical thinking about rural places and reconstructing new rural literacies to confront global change. There is lack of scholarly work around rural education and literacy studies (Brooke, 2003; Donehower, Hogg, Schell, 2007, 2012; Green Corbett, 2015). In fact, researchers have long wrestled with whether examining education through a rural lens is of value (Biddle Azano, 2016). Modern literacy research is often skewed towards urban or suburban sites and participants (Donehower, Hogg, Schell, 2007), and education policy largely reflects an urban or suburban bias where reformers and policy makers wrongly assume that what works in these places will work for rural schools as well (). Many rural researchers are calling for an increased focus on the rural context of literacy studies (Azano, 2015; Donehower, Hogg, Schell, 2007, 2012; Edmondson, 2003; Green Corbett, 2015). Donehower, Hogg, and Schell (2007) state, rural literacies are not something for only rural people to pay attention to; rural should not be seen in opposition to urban but as part of a complex global economic and soci al network (p. xi). They go on to suggest that in order to understand the connection of rural, urban, and suburban areas, we must examine rural lives and literacies and challenge the commonplace assumptions about rural people and rural places that deem them lacking in opportunities for literacy work and community engagement (Donehower, Hogg, Schell, 2007, p. xi). At this moment in history, scholarly insight into the role and significance of literacy practice in rural societies may be more important than ever. The incipient story of rural America in the 21st Century is one of change, challenge, promise, and uncertainty. Multiple elements, including environmental, economic, and political factors, contribute to this story. Globalization and technological advancements have transformed industries that traditionally characterize rural places (Edmondson, 2003; Green Corbett, 2015; Schafft Jackson, 2010) while simultaneously changing rural peoples connection to a global world (Bonanno Constance, 2003). Environmental factors, including fracking, strip mining, clear cutting, unsustainable hunting and fishing practices, and corporate farming, further alter rural landscapes (Tieken, 2014). Population demographics are shifting as well, with 80% of nonmetropolitan growth between 2000 and 2010 resulting from an influx of racial and ethnic minorities (Johnson, 2012). The proportion of white rural residents is dropping while the Hispanic population rises (Tieken, 2014). Outmigration experienced in some rural communities as young people leave to seek perceived economic and social benefits (Carr Kefalas, 2009; Corbett, 2007) and influx of baby boomer retirees (Cromartie Nelson, 2009) further contributes to a changed rural America. The question of how rural literacies are defined and operationalized in a globalized world is the focus of this paper. Green and Corbett (2015) explain, Rural literacies are multiple, mutable, and mobile, and ever relational. They inevitably float in a global sea (p. 12); yet little attention to date has been given to the distinctive features of literacy in rural contexts. The phrase rural literacies is, however, used in rural research (Donehower, Hogg, Schell, 2007, 2012; Edmondson, 2003; Eppley Corrbett, 2012; Green Corbett, 2015; Pyles, 2016; Sohn, 2006), but answers to questions of what the term means, how to go about researching rural literacies, and whether there is an actual relationship between literacy studies and rural education are ambiguous. The purpose of this paper is to synthesize literature on rural literacies in an attempt to offer a description of how rural literacies are defined and operationalized and what role, if any, they play in literacy instruction. I will describe the theoretical framework for rural literacies studies, the difficulties in defining rural literacies, and endeavor to synthesize proposed definitions of rural literacies. Conceptual Framework for Rural Literacies Guiding an understanding of the meanings of rural literacies are three strands of thinking: place-conscious pedagogy, New Literacy Studies, and rural studies. Place-Conscious Pedagogy While educators tend to understand the importance of context for learning, practices of standardization deemed more fair and equalizing have typically been more valued in schools. Schafft and Jackson (2010) explain that standardization is a code for the erasure of difference and assimilation to a norm often set by the standards of urban, middle class life. Federal mandates ignore the rural context and define for rural communities the literate practices needed to succeed. Donehower, Hogg, and Schell (2007) state that standardization movements take away the decision-making power of local communities for their schools. They write that national standardization movements, remove from local schools the possibility to define what constitutes literacy and how literacy should be valued in ways that could best integrate literacy practices into the needs and life of the local community (Donehower, Hogg, Schell, 2007, p. 26). At the root of place-conscious pedagogy, however, is the idea that th e most powerful forms of learning provide relevance by engaging students in issues of importance in their local communities (Green Corbett, 2015). Place-conscious pedagogy is an approach intended to ground learning in local phenomenon and students lived experiences (Smith, 2002, p. 586). Woodhouse and Knapp (2000) identified five characteristics of place-conscious learning: 1) learning emerges from characteristics of place, 2) learning is multidisciplinary, 3) learning is experiential, 4) learning connects place with individuals and their communities, and 5) learning is designed to educate, and potentially offer solutions to, problems in their communities. Place-conscious pedagogy in relation to rural literacies allows for a valuing of rural literacies that simultaneously foster a deep connection to place and identify those aspects that may require action for local sustainability. Considering rural literacies with regard to place-conscious pedagogy allows for viewing rural literacies with an eye towards sustainability and relevance rather than seeing rural literacies from a deficit perspective. For more than a century, the common public perception regarding rural literacy was one of lack-rural people lacked the same mental fortitude and valued education less than their urban and suburban counterparts (Donehower, Hogg, Schell, 2007, 2012; Schafft Jackson, 2010; Tieken, 2014). Considering how the rural is depicted in literature and the literacies used in place in rural communities helps to define and understand various rural literacies. New Literacy Studies The New Literacy Studies viewed literacy as not just a cognitive act, but a sociocultural one as well (Gee, 2010b). People learn a given way of reading and writing by participating in the distinct practices of a social or cultural group. Two main premises underlie the New Literacy Studies. First is the understanding that literacy has changed from that of the past and will continue to change in the future. These changes happen because of social, cultural, and technological changes meaning that literacy is always situated in a context. Second, understanding how people use literacies in their everyday life can provide insight into how to improve formal literacy learning in school (Gee, 2004). The New Literacy Studies position literacy as a social act and examine how people use situated literacy skills in practicing multiple forms of literacy (Gee, 2010b). Literacy as a social practice means that what counts as literacy is expanded to include reading, writing, speaking, and listening and is not limited to printed text on a page. The ways literacies are read and written by the individual are guided by the values of their social or cultural group (Gee, 2010a). The New Literacy Studies, then, offer a guide for studying rural literacies by examining the ways rural people participate in social and cultural groups. Gee (2010a) writes, follow the social, cultural, institutional, and historical organization of people (whatever you call them) first and then see how literacy is taken up and used in these organizations, along with action, interaction, values, and tools and technologies (p. 5). The sustainability of rural life requires a variety of literate behaviors from rural resid ents revolving around how to make decisions about growth and change in rural communities (Collins Blot, 2003), and examining these literacies can guide educators in understanding to what extent the texts produced in rural settings are representative of rural cultures. Rural as a Field of Study Rurality as a field of study has been debated throughout United States history, and a recent literature review of the rural school problem by Biddle and Azano (2016) documents, in part, the evolution of thinking around rurality as a field of study. These authors found that researchers, educators, and reformers have fluctuated in their focus on rurality as a field of study over the past 100 years. Green and Corbett (2015) argue for the current imperative for rural studies, writing, The question of (dis)advantage is crucial here. Thinking through the relations between space and equity, education and poverty, literacy and social justice, is clearly a matter of some urgency. Addressing the rural in these terms is crucial (p. 5). Rurality is often characterized as the other, different from the norm. This characterization stems from a long history of stereotyping and stigmatizing of rural peoples. Beginning in the 19th Century, publications spoke of the backwardness of rural life and people while advocating for the sophistication of city life (Theobold Wood, 2010). This idea of rural people as lacking education and sophistication continues to be seen in modern television shows like My Big Fat Redneck Wedding or My Name is Earl. Recognizing the complexity of rurality, confronting and critically examining stereotypes, and conceptualizing rural literacies in a globalized world is important for the sustainability of rural places and for rurality as a field of study. Difficulties in Defining Rural Literacies Donehower, Hogg, and Schell (2007) explain that, in their attempts to define rural literacies for their book of the same name, they could not find a specific definition in literacy research. Part of the difficulty in defining rural literacies arises from the complex, differing, and broad definitions of their component parts. Because the words rural and literacy are loaded terms with multiple definitions offered, it becomes challenging to concretely define rural literacies. The following sections describe the complications in defining the terms rural and literacy and thereby the difficulty in defining rural literacies. Defining Rural Many people can offer definitions for the term rural; however, these definitions are usually vague and varied from person to person. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) acknowledges this incongruity, stating, For some, rural is a state of mind. For others, rural is an objective quantitative measure. (Reynnells, 2016, para. 1). Quantitatively, rural is defined by what it is not-namely, anything that is not urban or suburban is rural. The United States General Accounting Office Fact Sheet for Congressional Requesters (1993) states, Metro/urban areas can be defined using several criteria. Once this is done, nonmetro/rural is then defined by exclusion any area that is not metro/urban is nonmetro/rural (para. 1). In general, rural is determined quantitatively by using population numbers and/or analysis of amount of open countryside (Reynnells, 2016). The most common Federal definitions of rural come from the Department of Commerces Bureau on the Census, the White Houses Office of B udget and Management, and the USDAs Economic Research Service. In choosing a particular definition, the USDA advises selecting based on the purpose of the activity on which the definition is based (Reynnells, 2016). Donehower, Hogg, and Schell (2012) suggest that these demographic methods of defining rural as anything not urban lead to the homogenization of rural people as the other while elevating urban and suburban to the norm. It is a mistake to regard rural America as homogeneous as the myth of rural homogeneity masks underlying diversity among the people who have historically lived in the American countryside (Davis Marema, 2008, para. 9). While many people may think of rural America as made up of primarily white, working and middle class individuals, the proportion of white rural residents is decreasing while minority populations, particularly the Hispanic population, are growing (Housing Assistance Council, 2012). Definitions of rurality should acknowledge the complexity and diversity of rural populations. Rural can also be understood as a way of identifying oneself or a group. People may identify themselves or others as rural regardless of their current location. In other words, someone can live outside of a rural area and still identify themselves as rural. Howley (2009) relates that it is the meanings associated with rural life and community, not geography or demographics, that qualifies rurality. It is, therefore, important to define rural not only geographically and demographically, but culturally as well (Donehower, Hogg, Schell, 2007, 2012; Tieken, 2014). Defining Literacy Like the term rural, the term literacy also conjures up a variety of definitions from the basic, functional skills required for reading and writing to knowledge in a specified area, i.e. digital literacy or country music literacy. The literacy valued in todays schools is typically constrained to a back to basics mentality advocating systematic reading instruction (Edmondson, 2006). Cook-Gumperz (1986) suggests that a standardized notion of literacy tied to schooling leads to a belief that what counts as literacy is that which can be assessed, measured, and compared to the norm. This version of standardized, systematic literacy, it is argued, ignores the context in which literacy occurs. Others argue for broader definitions of literacy which encompass more than grapho-phonic relationships and traditional texts (Cope and Kalantzis, 2009; Gee, 2004; Lankshear and Knobel, 2007; New London Group, 1996). Green and Corbett (2013) suggest that a range in what constitutes literacy is to be we lcomed as it conjures up possibilities for new realizations and articulations of literacy, rurality, and education and helps in rethinking the [] literacy practices of the school, and thereby in enriching both praxis and inquiry (p. 4). Defining Rural Literacies The broad and differing definitions of the terms rural and literacy help to explain the difficulty in defining rural literacies. Any definition of rural literacies should elucidate the role and significance of literacy practices for (and perhaps unique to) rural communities while also acknowledging the diversity of different ruralities and the complex nature of a globalized society. Donehower, Hogg, and Schell (2007) propose a definition for rural literacies that takes into account the rural context and has as its goal the sustainability of rural areas when they define rural literacies as the particular kinds of literate skills needed to achieve the goal of sustaining life in rural areas (p. 4). Their concept of sustainability stems from the 1987 World Commission on Environment and Development definition, which defined sustainability as the ability to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs (Donehower, Hogg, Schell , 2007, p. 4). This definition has guided how rural literacies have been operationalized, which will be discussed next. Conceptualizations of Rural Literacies In reviewing literature on rural literacies, it became evident that no fixed qualities exemplify rural literacies. In part, this is because the diversity and breadth of rural areas precludes a concrete definition. The particular literacy practices valued in one rural area may not be those valued in another area. Three broad conceptualizations of rural literacies, however, have been offered by scholars (Donehower, Hogg, Schell, 2007; Edmondson, 2003; Eppley, 2013). Although scholars have not referred to these conceptualizations by the same terms, they can be synthesized under the categories: traditional rural literacies, neoliberal or modern rural literacies, and new or postmodern rural literacies (Donehower, Hogg, Schell, 2007; Edmondson, 2003; Eppley, 2013). Traditional Rural Literacies Both Edmondson (2003) and Eppely (2010) refer to their first category of rural literacies as traditional literacies. Traditional rural literacies reflect a nostalgia for the past that is read in opposition to the conditions of todays modern life. Often idealized, traditional rural literacies envision a simpler, more moral life strongly connected to place and attached to the land (Edmondson, 2003). These literacies advocate a return to so-called glory days as a way to solve the problems of modern rural life. Dominant traditional rural literacies are based on the ideal of the family farm- rural families making their living off the land and stoic farmers characterized by a belief in taking care of their own (Donehower, Hogg, Schell, 2007, Edmondson, 2003; Eppely, 2013). In traditional literacies, the farm and its land are symbolic of the very best way to be American; yet this dominant understanding of traditional rural literacies is misguided and ignores the fact that not all tradition al rural literacies are agrarian (Eppely, 2013, p. 81). In fact, small farms have been radically changed due to globalization. Of the 60 million people who reside in rural areas, less than 2% earn their primary living through farming (USDA, 2012); yet, for many people, the ideal of the farm still exemplifies rural America. Preservation of rural culture is typically offered as the solution to modern rural problems by those who envision rural literacies as primarily traditional. Preservationists recognize rural culture as something apart from urban life and see the need to preserve its difference (Shapiro, 1978). In schools, oral history projects and other preservation projects which isolate the particularities of rurality are often used as a way to educate students concerning traditional rural literacies and as a way to preserve the past (Donehower, Hogg, Schell, 2007). While these types of projects which educate students about traditional rural literacies can be beneficial, Donehower, Hogg, and Schell (2007) caution teaching traditional literacies with an eye only toward preservation. They write, We must interrogate the source of our desires to preserve rural places and be ever-conscious of the danger that lies in preservationist models that seek to make of rural places a monolithic symbol of a collective American heritage for those who live in urban and suburban areas, rather than vital and diverse communities that can adapt to economic and demographic shifts. Preservationist projects that seek to turn rural communities into museums essentially ensure that those communities cease to exist, as no one actually lives in a museum. (p. 44) Giroux (2004) advocates using public memory not as a museum to cultural perfection but as an opportunity to critique and debate the complexities of that memory. Modern or Neoliberal Rural Literacies Another way to conceptualize rural literacies is what Edmondson (2003) terms neoliberal rural literacies and Eppely (2010) describes as modern rural literacies. Modern/Neoliberal literacies see a rural way of life as ill-equipped to meet the needs of people in a global economy (Edmondson, 2003; Eppely, 2010). Mass production, efficiency, and neoliberal principles should characterize rural life where rural communities are seen as vehicles for reducing production costs. Agribusiness, free market logic, and capitalism are king while literacy is reduced to a generalizable set of practical skills necessary for economic participation as employee or consumer (Eppely, 2010, p. 85). Neoliberalism/modernism, then, insinuates that education for life in place is not sufficient for rural students, and the solution to the inadequacy of rural communities is to modernize rural education (Edmondson, 2003; Shapiro, 1978). Local literacies are disregarded in the face of standardization, and the purpose of public education is narrowed to ensure American economic success in a global economy (Eppely, 2010). Shafft and Jackson (2015) write, public education serves the economic imperative of capitalism by severing attachment to place and producing mobile, adaptable youth flexibly responsive to changing labor market conditions (p. 2). Green (2013) writes that the idea that location plays no part in the delivery of instruction leads to contemporary arguments that introducing new digital technology into schooling overcomes many of the difficulties and disadvantages of rural education (p. 20). Technology is seen as a way to solve many of the inadequacies of rural schools despite s trong assertions that place matters. Standardization removes from local school systems the ability to define what constitutes as literacy for their communities, and neoliberal/modern interpretations of rural literacies do not allow the opportunity for local places to determine how rural literacies can best be enacted to sustain local communities. New or Postmodern Rural Literacies The inadequacies of traditional and modern or neoliberal rural literacies in encapsulating contemporary rural literacies necessitates a third conceptualization of rural literacies in a globalized world. A new conceptualization, termed new (Edmondson, 2003) or postmodern (Eppely, 2010) rural literacies, has been suggested that proposes ways of understanding literacy as a resource for democratic citizenship that shapes the potential for rural communities to experience the economic prosperity, environmental protection, and social equity desired to make rural communities sustainable places (Donehower, Hogg, Schell, 2007, p. 12). The key to this conceptualization is the idea of sustaining rural places rather than preserving an ideal rural culture or modernizing rural places so they resemble urban and suburban areas. An important understanding of sustainability is that economic systems are interlinked-the consumer practices of urban and suburban people affect rural communities (Donehower, Hogg, Schell, 2007). Postmodern rural literacy practices enable people to critically examine their communities, including taken for granted truths about rural people and life, and communicate with others both their potential and limitations (Eppely, 2010). Postmodern rural literacies also allow for critique of modern assumptions that new is always better (Edmondson, 2003). Rural literacies become a tool for citizens to deconstruct and critique their own literacy practices to determine how they want to live together. Donehower, Hogg, and Schell (2007) write, rural people can and do make conscious, informed choices among different alternatives for practicing and valuing reading and writing, acknowledging literacys important functions in navigating the complex economic and social realities of rural life (p. 68). Defining and understanding new or postmodern rural literacies is essential in shaping relationships both inside rural communities and with the outside world. This conceptualization acknowledges multiple forms of rural literacies and encourages Add more here about Prairie Town identification among rural, urban, and suburban citizens. In Prairie Town, Edmondson (2003) advocate for a critical public pedagogy that questions and renegotiates the relationships among rural, urban, and suburban people in order to sustain rural communities (__). Instead of placing rural, suburban, and urban communities in opposition to one another, new rural literacies enable examining the ways literate practices can connect communities and ensure a sustainable future for everyone (Donehower, Hogg, Schell, 2007). Conclusion It is a myth that rural literacies are based solely on traditional models of literacy. Examining the literature on rural literacies shows the complexity of literate practices in rural communities that reflect a mixture of traditional, modern or neoliberal, and postmodern or new rural literacies. Rurality is not defined by images of a one-room schoolhouse, a farm wife mending socks, a farmer working in bucolic fields, or an uneducated hillbilly. The realities of rural literacies are that they are complex, multiple, and evolving in relation to a globalized world. As Donehower, Hogg, and Schell (2007) conclude, the phrase rural literacies should suggest reading and writing as social action that supports and sustains diverse communities trying to cope with complex, often interlinked economic, social, cultural, and environmental issues (p. 193). Rural literacies research that addresses these issues and contributes in the ability of rural communities to address these issues is essential. References Azano, A.P. (2015). Addressing the rural context in literacies research. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, 59(3), 267-269. Biddle, C., Azano, A.P. (2016). Constructing and reconstructing the rural school problem: A century of rural education research. Review of Research in Education, 40, 298-325. Bonanno, A., Constance, D.H. (2003). The global/local interface. In D.L. Brown and L.E. Swanson, eds., Challenges for rural America in the twenty-first century, 241-251. University Park, PA: Pennsylvania State Press. Brooke, R. (2003). Rural voices: Place-conscious education and the teaching of writing. New York, NY: Teachers College Press. Carr, P.J., Kefalas, M.J. (2010). Hallowing out the middle: The rural brain drain and what it means for America. Boston, MA: Beacon Press. Cope, B. Kalantzis, M. (2009). Multiliteracies: New literacies, new learning. Pedagogies: An International Journal, 4, 164-195. Corbett, M. (2008). Learning to leave: The irony of schooling in a coastal community. Black Point, Nova Scotia, Canada: Fernwood. Cromartie, J., Nelson, P. (2009). Baby Boom Migration and Its Impact on Rural America. Retrieved from USDA website: https://www.ers.usda.gov/webdocs/publications/ err79/9346_err79_1_.pdf Davis, D., Marema, T. (2008). A rural perspective. Grantmakers in the Arts, 19(3). Retrieved from http://www.giarts.org/article/rural-perspective Donehower, K., Hogg, C., Schell, E.E. (2007). Rural literacies. Carbondale, IL: Southern Illinois University Press. Donehower, K., Hogg, C., Schell, E.E. (2012). Reclaiming the rural: Essays on literacy, rhetoric, and pedagogy. Carbondale, IL: Southern Illinois University Press. Edmondson, J. (2003). Prairie Town: Redefining rural life in the age of globalization. Lanham, MD: Rowman Littlefield. Eppley, K. (2013). My roots dip deep: Literacy practices as mirrors of traditional, modern, and postmodern ruralities. In Green, B. Corbett, M. (Eds.) Rethinking rural literacies: A transnational perspective. Basingstoke, UK: Palgrave Macmillan. Eppely, K., Corbett, M. (2012). Ill see that when I believe it: A dialogue on epistemological difference and rural literacies. Journal of Research in Rural Education, 27(1/2), 1-9. Gee, J. P. (2004). Situated language and learning: A Critique of traditional schooling. London: Routledge. Gee J. P. (2010a). A situated-sociocultural approach to literacy and technology. In Baker E. (Ed.), The new literacies: Multiple perspectives on research and practice (pp. 165-193). New York: Guilford. Gee, J.P. (2010b). New digital media and learning as an emerging area and worked examples as one way forward. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. Giroux, H.A. (2004). Cultural studies, public pedagogy, and the responsibility of intellectuals. Communication and Critical/Cultural Studies, 1(1), 59-79. Green, B., Corbett, M. (2015). Rethinking rural literacies: A transnational perspective. Basingstoke, UK: Palgrave Macmillan. Housing Assistance Council. (2012). The rural data portal report: Demographic data, 2010. Retrieved from Housing Assistance Council website: www.ruraldataportal.org/ search.aspx Johnson, K.M. (2012). Rural demographic change in the new century: Slower growth, increased diversity (Issue Brief No. 44). Retrieved from scholars.unh.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi? article=1158context=carsey Lankshear, C., Knobel, M. (2007). Sampling the new in new literacies. In Knobel, M., Lankshear, C. (Eds.) A new literacies sampler (pp. 1-24). New York, NY: Peter Lang. New London Group. (1996). A pedagogy of multiliteracies: Designing social futures. Harvard Educational Review, 66(1), 60-89. Pyles, D.G. (2016). Rural media literacy: Youth documentary videomaking as rural literacy practice. Journal of Research in Rural Education, 31(7), 1-15. Reynnells, L. (2016). What is rural? Retrieved from United States Department of Agriculture website: www.nal.usda.gov/ric/what-is-rural Schafft, K.A., Jackson, A.Y. (2010). Rural education for the twenty-first century: Identity, place, and community in a globalizing world. University Park, PA: Pennsylvania State University Press. Shapiro, H. (1978). Appalachia on our minds: The southern mountains and mountaineers in the American consciousness, 1870-1920. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press. Silver, R., DeYoung, A.J. (1986). The ideology of rural/Appalachian education, 1895-1935: The Appalachian education problem as part of the Appalachian life problem. Educational Theory, 36(1), 51-65. Smith, G.A. (2002). Place-based education: Learning to be where we are. The Phi Delta Kappan, 83(8), 584-594. Sohn, K.K. (2006). Whistlin and crowin women of Appalachia: Literacy practices since college. Carbondale, IL: Southern Illinois University Press. Tieken, M.C. (2014). Why rural schools matter. Chapel Hill, NC: The University of North Carolina Press. Theobald, P., Wood, K. (2010). Learning to be rural: Identity lessons from history, schooling, and the U.S. corporate media. In K. A. Schafft A. Y. Jackson (Eds.), Rural education for the twenty-à ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ rst centur

How Do Pre 1914 Writers Create Mystery And Suspense Essay -- English L

How Do Pre 1914 Writers Create Mystery And Suspense In Their Short Stories? Common themes in the stories of the nineteenth century are horror, mystery and the unexplained. This is because in the Victorian times, people were concerned with problems such as superstition and witchcraft. Common features of Victorian short stories are paranoid characters. The stories ‘The Withered Arm’, ‘The Red Room’ and ‘The Signalman’ teach a modern audience the results and consequences of superstition and paranoia. The Withered Arm was written by Thomas Hardy. It is about a woman who is trying to bring up her illegitimate son while she tries to overcome her jealousy as her sons father brings home his new beautiful wife. The main message that Thomas Hardy is trying to get across to the reader is that you should be careful what you wish for as it may come true. Also that what goes around comes around. The main character in this story is Rhoda Brook, the mother of farmer Lodges son. In the story she is described as ‘a thin fading woman of thirty’ this shows that she is slowly wasting away. Rhoda Brooks is a mysterious character because the reader doesn’t know whether Rhoda is a witch or not, Thomas Hardy doesn’t reveal this fact because it makes the story mysterious and leaves the reader wondering. Another reason why Rhoda is mysterious is because of relationship with farmer Lodge and their baby together. Rhoda is also mysterious because she was once beautiful ‘The radiance lit her pale check, and made her dark eyes, that had once been handsome, seem handsome anew.’ The Red Room was written by H.G Wells the story is about a man who is trying to find out whether a room in the Lorraine castle is haunted or not. The mess... ...on, pathetic fallacy and has more descriptions in it. Also because it enables the reader to visualise the settings better. I think that the setting in The Signalman represent loneliness. The setting in The Red Room represents paranoia and terror and the setting in The Withered Arm represent fear and superstition. Therefore, Victorian writers successfully created mysterious short stories through using chapters, less characters and detailed setting. The most effective story is The Withered Arm this is because it has the most imaginative and interesting story line. Also because Thomas Hardy doesn’t reveal everything to the reader as it lets them debate over whether Rhoda is a witch or not. It shows a modern audience the effects and consequences of superstition. The moral or message of the story may have been be careful what you wish for as it may come true.

Allegory and Truman Show Essay -- Allegory Cave Truman Show Essays

Allegory and Truman Show The Allegory of the Cave has many parallels with The Truman Show. Initially, Truman is trapped in his own â€Å"cave†; a film set or fictional island known as Seahaven. Truman’s journey or ascension into the real world and into knowledge is similar to that of Plato’s cave dweller. In this paper, I will discuss these similarities along with the very intent of both of these works whose purpose is for us to question our own reality. In his Allegory Plato shows us how a man ascends from the darkness of a cave to the light of the outside world. In this ascent Plato’s man passes through four distinct stages of cognition: from imagination, to belief, understanding, and finally knowledge. Imagination In this first stage of cognition, the cave dweller is shackled and can only see shadows of figures on the wall in front of him. His reality is based on his imagination of these figures. â€Å"To them, I said, the truth would be literally nothing but the shadows of the images.† Similarly, Truman’s reality is based on this imaginary world where his parents, wife, and everyone else around him are hired actors. Early in the film Truman seems to be happy although he is already starting to imagine himself in Fiji which he points out is the furthest place from Seahaven. Belief In the second stage, the cave dweller can now see the objects that previously only appeared to him as shadows. â€Å"Will he not fancy that the shadows which he formerly saw are truer th...

Dr. Phil and Maury

In 2008 over 30 million people in the United States admitted to watching day time TV talk shows, and that number is progressively climbing. These talk shows range from cooking secrets, to bizarre life situations, to more serious national news stories such as interviews with the parents of Treyvon Martin. Two of these TV talk shows include: the serious psychologist, Dr. Phil McGraw and the syndicated tabloid talk show host, Maury Povich. Although, Dr. Phil and Maury are both national TV talk shows, they differ in content, targeted audience, and national news.The most noticeable difference between Maury and Dr. Phil is the content of each talk show. Maury is a bizarre, outrageous talk show that includes topics such as; paternity test, lie detector test, shocking sex secrets, controlling and abusive men, out of control teenage girls, transsexuals, and transformations. The most famous topic is paternity testing; for instance, a mother appears on air in an attempt to prove or disprove tha t a man is the biological father of her child or children. Usually the man is certain that the child is not his, acts with hostility, and accuses the mother of being a lair.On the other hand, Dr. Phil covers a wide variety of topics, including weight loss, financial planning, errant children, mental health issues, drug abuse, depression, suicide, child abuse, domestic violence, personal and social issues; however, the list continues on and on. For example, Dr. Phil has taken on the task of interviewing the family of Treyvon Martin and the best friend of the accused killer. Since there is a huge content difference, naturally there is also a difference in the viewing audience. Right now, Maury has the youngest audience of any talk show out there.His targeted audience is between the ages of 18 and 35; the younger audience is drawn to the real life comical drama the show brings. While not as popular and not in as many markets today as it once was, Maury maintains a solid audience base; thus, has led to its contract renewal through 2014. Dr. Phil is a clinical psychologist who would often appear on The Oprah Winfrey Show, so those who viewed Oprah also tune in to Dr. Phil. Dr. Phil often tops the TV talk show viewer ratings, and has been nominated for multiple Daytime Emmys because of his dynamic and hard hitting topics; therefore leading him to the #1 Day Time talk show in the ation. Dr. Phil’s topics range from bullied children to war veterans suffering from PTSD; consequently his viewers are ageless. Another difference between the talk shows is the National News stories. While Maury in his early days focused on National News stories such as, interviewing one of the jurors of the OJ Simpson trail; he no longer tackles those issues and focuses on his amusing drama. Dr. Phil on the other hand, has created more than 1,500 hours of national television devoted to helping people create better lives and families.Because of his broad education, training and experi ence in the field of psychology, and his unique ability to effectively communicate in common sense language. Dr. Phil is repeatedly called upon for his expert opinion on current events by major national and international news outlets, including the  Today  show,  Good Morning America,  The Early Show  and  Anderson Cooper 360. (Dr. Phil Biography) Some examples of Dr. Phil’s tackled national news stories are: football star Terrell Owens, the mother of Lindsay Lohan, Olympic swimmer and model, Amanda Beard and many more.Many people from all walks of life enjoy Daytime TV Talk shows and it’s the differences that make them entertaining. Some may enjoy the serious, informative content of The Dr. Phil Show; while others find the wacky situations and outcomes of Maury humorous. Although, both shows deal with real life situations they are obviously not the same because of the content, target audience, and national news stories. Maury may have the younger viewing a udience focusing on laughter and the shock effect, but I would much rather broaden and enrich my mind with compelling stories from Dr. Phil. How about you?

History of Typography Essay

First of all, what is typography? Typography is the art of letter forms being organized into certain words or sentences. Typography came from the Greek word typos which means form and graphe which means writing. Most people would agree that a German man named Johannes Guttenberg was the one who invented typography. Before Guttenberg, everything had to be scribed by hand which was very time consuming. Guttenberg also created blackletter, the first ever typeface. Since blackletter looked very compact, a man named Nicolas Jensen invented the first ever Roman typeface during the 15th century. Since Jensen’s typeface was made of straight lines and regular curves, it was easier to be read compared to the blackletter typeface. After Roman letters, the italics typeface was created during the late 15th century by Aldus Manutius. During the 18th century, a man named William Caslon created a typeface called Old Style. A few decades later, John Baskerville created a variety of typeface which is now called Transitional. A few years later, a French man named Didot and an Italian man named Bodoni created typefaces that are classified as Modern. During the second industrial revolution, advertising needed new typefaces. Letters got taller, wider, and even weirder. Since the typefaces during the 19th century were so complex, the early 20th century brought something simple. A man named Paul Renner from Germany created a typeface called Futura which was based on simple geometric shapes. In 1957, Helvetica was introduced. Some would call this the world’s most favorite typeface. The world of typography changed with the introduction of the computer – and it will continue improving since technology is constantly improving too.

Love to the Country

Nationalism. Custom Nationalism Essay Writing Service || Nationalism Essay samples, help The concept of nationalism is quite complicated, and many scholars still debate about it in academic circles. Nationalism has been defined differently by scholars who have developed various schools of thought about it. â€Å"Nationalism involves a proper classification of a group of people with a political unit stated in national terms†Ã‚  (Allan, 2004). It can also be explained as a unifying factor since it aims at uniting a group of people who share common social and cultural values.Many historians believe that nationalism began in the post medieval period in Europe. According to Kohn, nationalism began in 1642, while Acton believes that it started developing during the partition of Poland in 1772. However, Kedourie contends that it began in 1806 in Berlin. Many scholars believe that it originated during the French Revolution that took place in 1789. â€Å"This is because the French Rev olution introduced the aspects of nationalist ideas, which were brewing up during the past two centuries†Ã‚  (Smith, 2001). Trevor Roper traces the origin of nationalism in Germany, and Hungary.From these territories, it was spread to Eastern and Southern Europe by intelligentsias. The idea of nationalism later spread to Asia and Africa. This paper seeks to discuss how nationalism led to European interest in both Africa and Asia. Nationalism became one of the major developments that took place during the period of 19thcentury. â€Å"During this period, nationalism was witnessed in various European territories such as Italy, Germany and France†Ã‚  (Allan, 2004). The 19th  century was also characterized by despotic regimes like Germany, which dominated international politics.In 1871, there was a significant development in Germany, which changed its role in world affairs. In this case, it became unified, and this made it more stable than before. Just like other freshly f ormed states, Germany increasingly became nationalistic, and it wanted to assert its self both politically and economically. In this case, Germany had to seek extra territories overseas. This condition was exacerbated by the fact that the German merchants wanted more commercial opportunities abroad. Hence, they encouraged their government to acquire more territories on their behalf.This trend prevailed among other European powers including Britain. France also found it necessary to engage in overseas expansion owing to the circumstances it had found itself in during the Franco Prussian War. Due to the humiliation it suffered during this war, France decided to replace its lost provinces by seeking territories overseas. Hence, France shifted its focus to Africa. For example, it occupied Egypt for sometime before the British it. On the other hand, Britain keenly examined these new developments, and it became concerned about the increased European activities in Asia and Africa.Thus, it went a head and established more territories in Asia and Africa. For instance, it annexed India due to its commercial potential. It then annexed Egypt and the East African Coast because they were strategic. Other than commercial interests, possession of many colonies was associated with pride and power. Consequently, many European powers strived to acquire many colonies in order to prove their political strength. Indeed, this was a significant aspect of nationalism during this time frame.Lastly, nationalism also coincided with industrial revolution, and this caused a great need for markets and investment opportunities in foreign territories. Conclusion The spread of nationalism did not stop at the end of 19th  century, but it continued even in the 20thcentury. Many African countries fought for self determination after the Second World War, and they mainly used the nationalist ideologies. Nationalism is still being practiced even at present. For example, a wave of nationalism recen tly emerged in Arab countries such as Egypt Yemen, Tunisia, and Libya.These revolutions clearly demonstrate that despotic regimes still exist, and many people are still fighting for nationalism even after achieving independence. Nationalism, therefore, remains one of the greatest developments that started in 19th  century. Love for one’s own country Loving one’s own country is closely associated with patriotism. Patriotism is a loyal feeling which one has about his own country. one must have a deep and passionate loyal feeling about his country. One of these feelings of one man in a country is upsurge and unhonoured. The feeling has kindled many dormant nations into actions.History is filled up with instances where patriotic people under able leadership have saved their land. Our father of nation Mahatma Gandhi bought for the freedom of our country with a burning patriotic zeal. One must take pride in the culture and beauty of one’s own country, the rivers, mo untains, hills, valleys, deltas must inspire one’s patriotic feeling. He has to encourage the art and    trade of his country. He must support his country as his duty. He shall never do anything that would bring down the fair name and image of his country. In the present context of the world the narrow patriotism is nearly out moded. ountry however powerful or rich can stand isolated. The world is shining with the fast mode of communication and no country is too far away. The complex economy of the world has every country dependent on one another. Self-contained condition is only a thing of past, every culture today is what it has rowed from culture. No culture can boast of being pure. so there is no meaning in narrow nationalisation . it is safe to conclude that fantastic patriotism is bad though loving ones country for beherment and good deals is a noble act. Being proud of India is not enough. Resolve to do something in your lifetime that India will be proud of

Lord of the Flies: Can Someone Be Innately Evil or Innately Good? Essay

The difference in the way humans perceive things is part of the complexity of mankind. What is thought of as evil to one person can be seen as good to another, and vice versa. The issue of good and evil is brought up in William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, when innocent boys are set on an island to bear the weight of society on their backs. What happens to them? How do past influences effect them? Are their actions good or evil? The actions of the boys were not a matter of being good or evil, but were actions for survival. A man’s environment does not influence him towards good or evil, nor is he born with it inside. Man has instincts and inner drives that are not matters of good and evil, but of survival. Humans are always, by natural instinct, going to do what is best for them and their survival. Animals, much like men, kill when in need. For instance, when they feel they are backed into a corner, they will attack, and when they need food, they will kill to eat. In Lord of the Flies, Ralph was being hunted by Jack’s tribe, and in a desperate attempt in his defense, he thrust his spear through a crack at the inspecting savages. Ralph attacked someone of his own kind for his own survival. It can be believed that man is the derivative of others animals, and as such, they have certain instincts that were instilled from birth. The boys on the island later began to resemble the behavior of animals. â€Å"At once the crowd surged after it, poured down the rock, leapt on to the beast, screamed, struck, bit, tore. There were no words, and no movements but the tearing of teeth and claws† (153). William Golding’s description of this scene leads a reader to believe that these boys took on animal like qualities. What kind of human tears with teeth and claws? The boys mistake Simon for their beast and result in ruthlessly killing him. In their state of mind of savagery and hunting, they saw themselves in danger of this â€Å"beast† and their first instinct was to kill anything in sight that had the possibility of being it. Humans and animals have a natural instinct to protect themselves in the face of danger, like attacking when backed into a corner. Instincts are innate, but indefinite characteristics such as good or evil are not. The significance of moral values does not apply to actions in a situation for survival. Instincts are not about being good or evil, because the issue of being good and evil is undefined. Whether an action or situation is good or evil depends on who it is and how it is being perceived. This makes this issue uncertain due to the way it is viewed from person to person. Since the way it is seen will differ, man cannot be exclusively evil or exclusively good. Consider the following example: A dog constantly jumps on the window of a door in an attempt to get the attention of the family inside. He is doing this in hopes to be let back inside the house. Someone inside the house could view this as being evil, which would be different from the view of an animal lover. They would not consider this evil and would claim that the dog had not caused physical harm and just didn’t know any better. The dog doesn’t believe that it is evil because he is only obeying environmental stimuli. He’s been inside before and knows that it is much nicer than outside, and wants the attention that is inside. The dog has tried to jump on the door before, and had received the attention of someone who thus let him in. This leads the dog to believe that what he is doing is the â€Å"right† thing to do. After all, he just wants in, right? So the dog is evil because someone inside says he is, but then he is not evil because he doesn’t think he is. The opinions on what is evil and what isn’t disagree with each other because of how it was perceived by each side. In Lord of the Flies there is a situation that deals with Piggy’s glasses, which is the key to fire on the island. The glasses are stolen in the middle of the night that leads to a brawl in the dark among the boys. Of course the fact that the glasses were stolen, and that they were Piggy’s only seeing aid, can be seen as evil, but what about Jack’s side? Jack acts upon his need for fire to cook the pig he slaughtered with his tribe to fully enjoy their prize. Ralph and Samneric engage in a fight with whoever they can touch first, not even attempting to reason. Which is evil in this situation? Humans are simply complex animals that respond to complex stimuli, and their behaviors are influenced or are a product of everything that they learn starting from the day of their birth do the day of their death. Society sets a mold for the â€Å"good† and â€Å"bad† conditions that humans are learning from day to day. The role of society in being good or evil is that it acts as this guideline for that long lived dream of acceptance. It’s where what’s good gets you in, and what’s evil is what will make you repulsive. The ideas of power and the abuse of that power are not learned from the environment. The environment is used as a resource to abuse that power. Jack manipulates the boys into joining his tribe and sets up his territory on the island. He threatens people to join his tribe, and hunts those that refuse to. Jack’s tactics are an example of how he abuses power by using the environment and how he sets the society guidelines of acceptance. A society could not exist where people are brought up to know what they define as right or wrong, and could stick to that without problem. â€Å"We decide things. But they don’t get done†(79). On the island, the civilized rules of having drinking water, shelters, and having a spot for a lavatory are not followed. The boys were brought up having rules like these, but they did not stick to them due to the problem that they didn’t have a strong enough authority figure to instill them. Society acts as this needed component to life, and if it’s not there then it needs to be made. The creation of society begins with people who have the power to set the rules of acceptance, and they are the ones who establish what is good and what is evil. Society may manipulate others into believing what is good and evil, but those that manipulate society create that belief. It’s not that man is innately good or innately evil, it’s their natural instinct that drives them to do those evil or good deeds based upon what society leads them believe. Man can not be exclusively good or evil because the state of good and evil is undefined. People are born with an instinct that drives them to do what is necessary in extreme measures. This instinct over takes any other preceding thought and becomes the need for survival. In Lord of the Flies, it wasn’t whether or not the inhabitants were evil or good, it was their human reaction and instinct in the case of survival.

Walmart ethics

For our assignment we picked walmart ,and here a brief introduction about the company. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. is an American multinational retail corporation that runs chains of large discount department stores and warehouse stores. The company is the world's second largest public corporation, according to the Fortune Global 500 list in 2013, the biggest private employer in the world with over two million employees, and is the largest retailer in the world.Walmart is also the largest grocery retailer in the United States. Walmart remains a family-owned business, as the ompany is controlled by the Walton family, who own over 50 percent of Walmart. It is also one of the world's most valuable companies. Walmart has 8,500 stores in 15 countries, under 55 different names.The company operates under the Walmart name in the United States It operates in Mexico as Walmex, in the United Kingdom as Asda, in Japan as Seiyu, and in India as Best Price.. The Field of Company: Retail The Ethical dile mma or issue which faced the company : The Consequences of ethical dilemma : The solution or the end of the ethical dilemma : Assignment The solution or the end of the ethical dilemma :

Principles and Functions of Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Principles and Functions of Management - Essay Example This theory focused upon the achievement of short term objectives as a means to fulfilling the long term goals of the organization. (Birnbaum 2000:43-52). Employees in every department were to set out short-term objectives, which were to be achieved within a certain deadline. Companies such as General Motors and RCA Foods adopted this method of management. However, in actual practice, this theory failed to take into account the political bickering and rivalry that existed between various departments. In actual practice, the departments rarely bothered to make and adhere to short-term objectives and the theory was soon scrapped by 1985, because it was found to be ineffective. The reason for this was because the theory failed to take into account the unpredictable human factor, that often results in problems arising with the practical execution of a management theory that may be sound good on paper but fails in practice. Managers therefore failed to make use of this theory on a wide ra nging basis, because while it sounded good as a theory it was not effective in actual practice. This is a commonly used management practice today and the tool through which it functions is commonly known as the SWOT analysis. This theory was also derived from Peter Drucker’s rational approach with an attempt to also include political inputs. This method involves the analysis of the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats to a business. This was a management technique that was set out with the purpose of identifying a particular niche for every business. The aim and objective behind this management theory was to enable an organization to survive and compete effectively in a rapidly changing, globalizing environment. According to this theory, the SWOT analysis helps to analyze external and internal data within the organization and compare it with others in the industry in order to evaluate the exact

Accountants' Ethics in Shaping the Companys Financial Reality Assignment

Accountants' Ethics in Shaping the Companys Financial Reality - Assignment Example An accountant working for a public company must also abide by the standards set forth by the Sarbanes Oxley Act (SOX) of 2002 and all other Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) regulations. There specific ethical challenges accountants may face that can change the revenues of a company. For instance, if a company switches from LIFO to FIFO depreciation, it can overestimate or underestimate the revenues of the firm.   Whenever a change occurs in depreciation method accountants are supposed to reveal the change in the notes to the financial statements. The accounting profession requires people that have high moral and ethical standards in order to properly serve the best interest of a corporation.The financial services industry has been under heavy scrutiny in the United States ever since the government gave the banks a bailout package worth over $700 billion. There are ethical challenges the industry faces in multiple segments of the industry. Prior to 2008, the banking industry acted unethically in many of its decisions because it gave out home loans to people that did not qualify for loans under normal credit criteria. The risky loans created the housing bubble. The housing bubble was one of the main factors that led to the global recession. The supply for housing exceeded demand. The realtors acted as brokers instead of facilitators and they sold homes to people based on speculative price appreciations. Full compliance with the Sarbanes Oxley Act can help accountants comply with the highest ethical standards possible since SOX covers accountability, internal controls, and prevention of fraud issues. The top executive management teams are subject to prison terms of up to 25 years if the financial statements of public companies have material error or fraud. Overall financial risk can be mitigated in the financial industry by using sound diversification strategies.

Distinction between Data, Information and Communication Research Proposal - 1

Distinction between Data, Information and Communication - Research Proposal Example Both the concept could be explained with a simple example. The result of the questionnaire could be said as data which does not convey any meaning until it is analyzed. After analyzing the data, it would provide meaning and could be further used to complete the report or survey. This analyzing is called Information which converts raw facts and figures into something meaningful which could be used for many purposes. Communication, on the other hand, means to exchange information between individuals and groups to provide them with knowledge regarding the information collected and to help them in decision making based on their experience and judgment. The information could be communicated through presentation, reports, speeches etc (Grey, 2009). Using data, information, and communication to increase efficiency and effectiveness Data, information and communication play an essential role in increasing the effectiveness and efficiency of an organization. Data provides the organization with raw facts and figures which doesn’t have any meaning or sense until the raw material is converted into something useful. This conversion includes processing, analyzing and presenting the data into a meaningful form. Once the data is converted into something useful (information) it is then communicated to all the employees included in a top, middle and bottom management (Hunsaker, 2005). Data, information, and communication each have their own importance. If data is not collected accurately it might lead to ineffective decisions as all the other steps are based on data. If the information is not properly processed, organized and analyzed it might change the direction of the organization. If the information is not communicated accordingly, there is a high chance of conflicts between the management and employees (Rees and Porter, 2008). Thus it could be said that data, information, and communication have their own importance in increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of the organization. Taking an example of a questionnaire focused to gain insight from customers regarding the company’s product could explain the importance of data, information, and communication in an organization. If the company conducts research to gain insights into customers through the questionnaire, the facts and figures collected are called the data. If even a single factor figure is misjudged, the whole data collected would be useless. For a company, it is essential to collect the data according to the requirements. Gaining accurate facts and figures means that the process of analyzing and converting the facts and figures into meaningful information would be beneficial for the organization. It would provide the organization with information that it seeks. Communication plays an important role in the effectiveness and efficiency of an organization. Once information is gained it could be communicated with the management to make their judgment based on the information that is received through completed questionnaires. By this communication, the management is able to take effective and efficient decisions which enhance the chances of growth and success of an organization in the industry (Knights and Willmott, 2007).  

What is Epistemology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

What is Epistemology - Essay Example The link of epistemology into ontology and the way epistemology shape social research in general. According to scientists, there is a significant difference between too expressions: â€Å"I know that† and â€Å"I know how†. For instance, it is well-known that 1+1=2, however, here we could think not only about the result, but about the process itself: how there two numbers should be summed up. When we state that we â€Å"know† something, the question arises why we â€Å"believe† that. When we â€Å"believe’ in something we usually think that this â€Å"something† will not make us disappointed, for example we may believe in our national basketball team and its victory. However, epistemology considers â€Å"belief† from another point of view. For example, when we believe that the grass is green that means that we consider the statement that the grass is green to be correct. Every statement is simply a preposition of someone else and it does not mean that everybody must believe it .At the same time, if something represents a real fac t, it is true. The main controversy in this area is concentrated on study of the nature of knowledge and its connection to related concepts: information, conviction, and rationalization. It is connected with the method of knowledge acquisition and uncertainty about various statements. The different arguments of rationalism and empiricism and the controversy that occurs on the base on this difference is connected to different experience of the people in their attempts to obtain knowledge. According to rationalists, there are significant methods to obtain information autonomously of experience at the same time as empiricists consider experience to be very essential in knowledge acquisition (Fodor 1975). The vision of rationalists is usually built in the following way: they state that sometimes our knowledge obtained through intuition is more reliable, than that obtained from experience. Then,

Time Value of Money Calculations Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Time Value of Money Calculations - Assignment Example Capital budgeting decisions are based on an evaluation of the cash flows expected from investing in a specific project (Emery et al 2007). Projects are evaluated using methods such as: net present value (NPV), internal rate of return (IRR), payback period (described as simple payback) and discounted payback period. These methods can assist management in deciding which project among a set of options yields the best return or whether a particular project should be undertaken. The NPV is the net balance of the initial investment after deducting future cash flows at present values. The implication of a negative NPV indicates the failure of the project to generate enough funds to pay up the initial investments as well as to facilitate some returns to shareholders. Information contained in the Appendix indicates that the project has a positive NPV of $16,692. This implies that the project would be beneficial to the organization The IRR is the discount rate that equates the present value of a project’s cash flows with the cost of the project (Brigham and Ehrhardt 2005). This occurs when NPV is equal to Zero (0). If used appropriately it is a valuable tool in the selection of projects (Hazen 2003). The IRR of the Server Update project is 10.13 per cent. This is 2.13 per cent above the organization’s cost of capital and therefore offers a positive return to shareholders. See Appendix 1 for the solution. According to Brigham and Ehrhardt (2005) the simple payback period indicates the time period over which the project recovers the initial investment. In performing the calculations the annual cash flows are set off against the initial outflow until there is a positive balance. Investments with long payback periods are considered to be risky compared to those with relatively short payback periods and so this method has a bias for short term projects. Additionally, the simple payback method does not take into account the time value of money since it