Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Identify and Evaluate those key elements which Essay Example

Identify and Evaluate those key elements which Essay Example Identify and Evaluate those key elements which Essay Identify and Evaluate those key elements which Essay Identify and measure those cardinal elements which are of import to the development and endurance of music as an industry, the influences that have brought about these alterations and the current responses to them The industry that has developed around music is one of the most important sectors in concern. In the UK entirely, the music industry is deserving about ?5 billion per annum and has about 126,000 full-time employees. It is hence of import for the economic system that the industry remains active, non merely in Britain, but worldwide. Prior to the 19Thursdaycentury, British musical civilization had two clear strands: the oral/aural civilization of common people and popular vocal and the more formal written/read civilization of church music, the concert hall and opera house and those employed by the nobility. In the 18Thursdayand first portion of the 19Thursdaycenturies, the latter failed to boom in Britain, which was referred to as ‘das Land ohne Musik’ ( the land without music ) . The continent had a more booming written/read civilization, peculiarly in what is now Germany. At that clip, Germany was divided into many little princedoms, each with its classical music locales, many of which still flourish today. In the 21stcentury, Britain is a taking participant in the planetary popular music industry, buying more recorded units per caput than in any other state in the universe and besides let go ofing more albums than any other state except the US ( www.bpi.co.uk ( 1 ) ) . It is besides cardinal in the planetary classical music industry. This is mostly due to the manner it has successfully responded to many of the chances of the last century. The alterations most impacting the music industry can be divided into several cardinal classs: socio-cultural alteration, technological developments, interaction with other media, legal developments, political developments and commercial alterations, peculiarly to the construction of the industry. By sing these countries separately, a full image of the complex influences on the music industry, to which it must react, can be built. One of the biggest alterations in the 20Thursdaycentury was the outgrowth of a youth civilization in the 1950s, but the musical environment leting this evolved in old decennaries. In the 1930s and 1940s, markets in the US became perceptibly segmented. Large set music formed the nucleus of mass entreaty popular music. At the same clip, the possible market for niche audiences was recognised taking to a development of the music industry into black music ( referred to at the clip as ‘race’ music ) and hillbilly ( a precursor of state ) . Stylistic influences from black and hillbilly music were a major component of the following major music revolution: rock’n’roll. The reaching of the musical manner of rock’n’roll coincided with important societal and technological developments which interacted with it. A market emerged of immature people with disposable incomes and the replacing of shellac with vinyl enabled record companies to bring forth more lasting, longer-playing recordings. These three factors interacted to bring forth a immense chance for record companies who cashed in consequently. At the same clip, the UK had its ain typical musical subculture in the 50s in the signifier of skiffle sets, with a DIY moral principle that has been compared with hood. Skiffle music was a mix of popular and common people manners, with lively vocals played on home-made instruments. While there were mainstream skiffle stars – most notably Lonnie Donegan – it is important that the skiffle scene flourished on its ain footings, proliferating in java bars and nines. Although possibly non cashed in on to the extent it could hold been, skiffle no uncertainty helped set up the UK as one of the biggest participants in the international popular music industry because it provided easy entree to music-making and inspired so many people to take portion. Among them were members of the Quarrymen, who went on to organize the Beatles. Subcultures have provided many chances for the music industry. It will shortly be discussed how the reluctance of the big leagues to go involved with hood provided the chance for an addition in little independent labels which have continued to stand for a important proportion of the music industry. Some musical subcultures have arisen through migration and improved communications: there are now ample markets for bhangra music and universe music. Furthermore, musicians’ consciousness of a greater scope of manners has led to cross-influences. These provide chances for the music industry to provide to niche audiences and besides to take new music to a wider audience. At the same clip, selling to subcultures may necessitate a different scheme to those that have proved successful in the yesteryear. The hip hop group Wu Tang Clan’s record company, Loud, adapted its selling scheme in acknowledgment of a ‘street’ music, described by During ( 1995: 129 ) as â€Å"swamping select sites in the immature, urban, black populace sphere – hoops games, local shops, schoolyards, nines – with gross revenues material.† A current challenge that the music industry has is in the selling of classical manners. Personality-based publicity, such as that of the Three Tenors or Russell Watson, has generated grosss in unrecorded public presentations and recordings. However, for many ensembles and soloists seeking to gain money from unrecorded public presentation, there is a challenge in how to show themselves to audiences in the current cultural environment. Classical music is widely perceived in the UK as for older audiences. Should classical performing artists continue to show their public presentations in the traditional formal concert hall scene, or are new methods likely to increase audiences? Although assorted methods have been tried ( the Kronos String Quartet, for illustration, frock less officially than many classical performing artists and include a version of Jimi Hendrix’s ‘Purple Haze’ in their repertory ) , it is arguable whether any important discovery has been made in this manner to a larger, younger audience. Media Developments A first measure towards a mass amusement industry was the development of Music Hall in the UK in the 19Thursdaycentury. The music halls provided locales for a broad scope of performing artists, including comics, acrobats and wonders, but chiefly musical public presentations. It provided a vehicle for the development of popular vocal for a mass audience and for publishing houses who would sell sheet music of the vocals outside locales. Some classical plants were performed excessively: the Alhambra in Leicester Square on a regular basis put on concert dances and light operas, and Gounod’sFaust( 1859 ) was introduced to British audiences through infusions performed in music halls. A considerable displacement in the music industry took topographic point around the bend of the century with the coming of the gramophone. For the first clip, public presentations were available in the place to those without any musical accomplishments or the resources needed to use instrumentalists. Broadcast medium was the following major development to impact the turning music industry. Commercial wireless services, which were peculiarly widespread in the US, led to an addition in record gross revenues as music began to have airplay and hearers bought the records to play on their ain gramophones. The big multinationals that are so influential in the music industry today were set uping themselves in this early portion of the 20Thursdaycentury, including RCA, which became one of the first multi-media companies when it diversified into film, in portion to set up itself in the proviso of movie soundtracks. Branston and Stafford ( 2003: 256 ) argue that although Hollywood took advantage of the promotion created by the music industry, utilizing music stars in movies, small was done to use the music itself within the films’ content. It appears the music industry failed to capitalize on the chances of the film until the late sixtiess, when the coming of the soundtrack album created a synergism between the two media: the vocals of Simon and Garfunkel helped advance the movieThe Graduate( 1967 ) and frailty versa. Television has provided another vehicle to advance music, through programmes such as Jukebox Jury and Top of the Pops, but more widely through MTV and other orbiter channels enabling viewing audiences to pick a channel playing their preferable manner The recent Pop Idol phenomenon takes interaction to a new degree: the viewing audiences audition to look ( those neglecting doing as compulsive screening as the successful ) , the Television companies generate advertisement gross, phone companies generate gross from the vote and industry experts have considerable control over the short list, from which they will subscribe the eventual victor, holding already secured extended promotion for them and gauged public support. This would look to be a riskless attack for record companies: nevertheless, it relies on the public picking the creative person the record company wishes to work with. In 2003, the choice of Michelle McManus was infamously non so, and public involvement in her besides qui ckly waned. The new moving ridge of guitar sets conveying immense success to enter companies – Keane and Franz Ferdinand for illustration – have taken more conventional paths. The innovation of the gramophone in the late 19Thursdaycentury saw a cardinal alteration in the manner music was consumed. Prior to entering engineering, music hearers had to go to a public presentation or have the accomplishments to execute themselves. The chances for an emerging music industry were immense and many of the companies that recognised this have evolved into the well-known companies of today: HMV and Deutsche Gramophon, for illustration. Initial recordings were made on wax cylinders or wax-coated phonograph record which could keep a really limited sum of music. The innovation of the mike in the 1920s enabled a more intimate manner of singing than had been possible antecedently, and the ‘crooning’ manner became popular as a consequence, boosted by the innovation of 78s in the 1930s. Made of shellac, 78s were still delicate and still offered limited playing clip. The consequence was that the industry focussed on individual vocals and short infusions from classical plants. The innovation of the long-playing ( LP ) format in the late fiftiess revolutionised the music industry as it offered double the recording clip of the 78. Record companies could now run in the album and singles market. Stereo offered further originative chances for 60s creative persons and enhanced the moneymaking album market. Magnetic tape engineering had been invented at the very terminal of the 19Thursdaycentury utilizing wire. Early tape machines were big and unmanageable, and seldom used outside entering studios. However, in the 70s a more compact cassette format quickly gained popularity, and caused industry alarm as it was possible to copy LPs and singles to tape and portion them with friends, non unlike downloads and Cadmium combustion today. As a consequence, many states introduced a clean tape levy to counterbalance for lost royalties, although the UK resisted this. The 1980s saw a figure of technological progresss. The Sony Walkman offered a far more portable manner of listening to music than had been available earlier. This boosted the popularity of the cassette still further. It was barely surprising that record companies were acute to advance a new medium: the Compact Disc, or Cadmium. Promoted for its far superior sound quality when compared against vinyl and cassettes, the Cadmium had the added commercial advantage that it could merely be obtained through a record retail merchant as Cadmium combustion was non at this clip available to the populace. A Cadmium album in the UK in 1984 retailed for around ?12-13, while the same album on cassette or vinyl would be ?5-6. The differential far exceeded any difference in production costs. Since its coming, Cadmium gross revenues have reflected both first-time purchases of an album and the purchase of the Cadmium format to replace a listener’s worn cassette or vinyl transcript, once more hiking record company grosss. However, this is a diminishing tendency for two chief grounds: foremost, there is a finite figure of vinyl LPs that have been purchased and that the proprietor wants to replace with a Cadmium transcript ; and secondly, there is now the option of downloading paths and firing them onto Cadmium at place. This is a major revolution in music ingestion and provides both a menace to and chance for the music industry. Although the cyberspace has existed in some signifier since 1969, its usage beyond academe and authorities was rare until the early 90s. The spread of place computer science and launch of the Mosaic web-browser in 1993 generated involvement in the engineering, and as the populace began to recognize its possible as a beginning of information, its usage quickly increased. The cyberspace is of immense benefit to the music industry. Sites can advance single creative persons and their recordings and public presentations. Recordings and ware can be sold through web sites. However, the cyberspace has besides had a negative impact on music industry grosss. The cyberspace offers music listeners the opportunity to portion music files and to interchange vocals digitally, downloading them to a Personal computer and firing them ( i.e. entering them ) onto a Cadmium. The Napster site was set up in 1999 to supply an easy-to-use database of music. However, this infringed right of first publication and the proprietors of right of first publication proverb no grosss. Martin James, laminitis of Beggars Banquet summarises the positives and negatives: â€Å"I think the web is the authoritative menace and chance combined. For the sort of music that we do its a antic tool because it offers a manner of people happening and detecting music and passing on the word about it†¦ Having said that †¦ we d be stand foring our creative persons severely if we allowed their music to be given away freely † ( www.beggars.com/banquet ) The RIAA ( Record Industry Association of America ) has been aggressive in its reponse to file-sharing. In 2001, they gained an injunction against Napster on the evidences that its operations violated copyright jurisprudence ( hypertext transfer protocol: //www.riaa.com/news/newsletter/press2001/021301.asp ) . The site has later been relaunched to run lawfully. Other sites continue to run illicitly, boosted by the promotion environing the Napster instance. RIAA’s legal instance against a 12-year-old illegal downloader, in which she was fined $ 2000, generated much unfavorable judgment against what was seen as industry heavy-handedness. Hackers sympathetic to illegal downloaders have targeted the RIAA’s web site on several occasions. In the UK, legal action has besides been taken, with 23 illegal downloaders settling with the BPI in March 2005 and a farther 31 instances pending ( Gibson 2005 ) . Prior to this, legal proceedings had non been instigated, and the British music industry has been acute to concentrate on the chances of filesharing. Downloads are now included in the music charts, and downloaders are encouraged to utilize legal sites such as the iTunes and the relaunched Napster. Research shows that in 2004, 9 million legal downloads took topographic point in the UK ( www.bpi.co.uk ( 2 ) ) , demoing important grosss for the music industry. However, the users of these downloads represent merely 11 % of the population ( Hanman 2005 ) , and merely 4 % of this 11 % are adult females. There is still clearly a big market for Cadmiums, hence, and the rise in Cadmium gross revenues ( www.bpi.co.uk ( 2 ) ) demonstrates this. This has helped the UK’s public presentation compared with other states with a high music ingestion: music markets in the USA, France, Japan and Germany shrunk between 2000 and 2004, while the UK’s grew by 3.4 % in the same period ( www.bpi.co.uk ) . This may partially reflect the success of the UK economic system in recent old ages across all sectors, but besides shows a healthy music industry despite the many recent challenges. Further grosss are being generated by the licensing of nomadic phone ringtones. It is of import for the industry to recognize an of import displacement in music as cultural capital taking topographic point. Expression of individuality through music is still of import, evidenced through the popularity of ringtones. Yet downloading removes this component from music ingestion. The entering becomes paramount, and the packaging’s importance is decreased. This is a displacement from the tendency since the sixtiess, when album covers offered a big infinite for graphics, with album screens such as Dark Side of the Moon ( Pink Floyd ) every bit iconic as the music looking on the album. Cadmiums excessively offered a similar infinite, with brochures inserted as screens and some Cadmiums – for illustration, Ministry of Sound Annuals – coming with a thicker brochure necessitating an extra composition board instance to keep the CD-booklet battalion. A popular music industry with instrumentalists working to protect their involvements through sole acting rights grew around music halls. By the ulterior 19Thursdaycentury, it was common for a music hall star to be associated with peculiar vocals, which would be bought along with sole executing rights from a songster through a one-off payment. Action would be taken against anyone executing another singer’s vocal: Marie Lloyd, though frequently associated with ‘The Boy I Love Is Up In the Gallery’ , was prevented from singing it by Nelly Power who owned the public presentation rights ( Gillies 1999: 18 ) . Simultaneously, there was turning acknowledgment of the demand to protect those doing a life through the industry. In 1912, the 1911 Copyright Act came into force. Although right of first publication had existed in some signifier for over 200 old ages to protect plants of literature, the 1911 Act incorporated alterations that recognised for the first clip the demand for right of first publication to use to music. Songwriters, who had frequently been dissatisfied by the demand to go through over all rights to the buyers of their vocals, became eligible for royalty payments shortly after. The Performing Right Society was established in 1914 to roll up royalties for songsters, composers and publishing houses as it continues to make today. It works alongside the MCPS ( Mechanical Copyright Protection Society ) : the MCPS collects and distributes royalties originating from the copying and distributing of music as ‘hard copy’ , while the PRS collects and distributes royalties originating from public presentation and broadcast medium. Hence a cardinal component of the supply of music gained support and protection. This was further boosted through Phonographic Performance Limited, set up in 1935, which licenses locales and broadcasters. The administration has a wide range: for illustration, if a freelance aerobic exercise teacher runs a category utilizing a local school hall, the school must hold a PPL license as the locale, and the teacher must besides hold a PPL license to air copyright recordings. Failure to hold the appropriate license can take to a significant mulct. The National Lottery was launched in 2004 as a manner of making extra support chiefly for athletics and the humanistic disciplines. In England, ?1.86bn of lottery money has been spent on the humanistic disciplines ( Moss 2004 ) . Moss describes how ab initio, grants were frequently big and controversial ?78m to the Royal Opera House, for illustration – but since the Labour Government has been in power, this has changed to make more, smaller awards with regional instead than centralised control. However the support is distributed to musical undertakings, it is in consequence direct support for the music industry. Many more recent undertakings have focused on interfaces between, for illustration, professional instrumentalists and school kids, which, when combined with authorities policy on music instruction, may make a broader grasp of music and involvement in engagement in future coevalss. Music in instruction has historically varied harmonizing to local authorization precedences, in peculiar willingness to fund extra-curricular activities such as Saturday forenoon orchestras. In 1999, the UK authorities announced a support programme for music in schools, assisting to pay for instruments and music lessons. In 2000, new Schemes of Work were introduced into the National Curriculum for music, demanding that a wide scope of hearing, public presentation and composing took topographic point in the schoolroom. In UK Primary schools, few instructors are music specializers. Many have the extra challenge that kids in their category, peculiarly at the top terminal of junior school, may be talented instrumentalists with greater ability than the instructor. For music publishing houses specializing in schoolroom stuffs, this could be seen as a immense chance. Certain publishing houses, such as Music Gross saless and IMP, produced schoolroom stuff with ushers for instructors and Cadmium or cassette recordings for those without entree to a piano or piano player. Publishers were, nevertheless, loath to bring forth music specifically aiming National Curriculum demands, as the lifetime of these merchandises would be unpredictable as it would depend on consistence of authorities and policy, and the clip and cost of fixing them would be important. Commercial Changes The music industry has been characterised through much of the 20Thursdaycentury by the laterality of a few big companies runing aboard a big figure of smaller, independent administrations. Competitive advantage swung towards mugwumps in the 1970s. It is possible that the recording industry, progressively dominated by a few major participants, had become self-satisfied, and failed to recognize the commercial chances of hood. Martin James, a laminitis of the Beggars Banquet label describes how â€Å"this was 1976 and at that point there were nt really many labels, and each one had already signed their one hood set and that was it, † ( www.beggars.com/banquet ) traveling on to depict how a market demand greatly transcending supply enabled him to let go of a figure of successful hood singles with small competition. Beggars Banquet was one of the first little independent record labels in the UK. Their success was to some extent dependant on larger companies. When a distribution trade with Island fell through, the label about folded, but was rescued through a licensing trade with Warners. James attributes the label’s go oning success through its rapid acknowledgment of new tendencies and manners and development of a group of labels, each with its ain specialization, to sell a broad scope of music. However, the ‘indie’ ticket applied to music has caused confusion. ‘Independent’ in its rigorous use refers to music distributed independently of the major record companies. Without entree to their logistics, independent labels have struggled to vie on gross revenues, so hold developed niche musics and nurtured new creative persons. In early 1980, an Independent Chart was compiled which helped make involvement in the independent labels and the music they were bring forthing. Many independent labels went on to hold considerable mainstream chart success, viing with music from the major labels. But ‘indie’ is besides used to mention to the manners common among creative persons signed to independent labels, who were frequently more experimental in their musical attack and considered by many to be less accessible. From around 1990, the big leagues began working to recover control in the market operated in by independent labels. Major labels bought independent labels or put up their ain ‘indie music’ divisions to sell music in an ‘indie’ manner, administering via independent distributers in order to be eligible for inclusion in the Independent charts. Iain McNay, a laminitis of Cherry Red records whose thought the Independent Chart had originally been expresses the feelings of many in the independent music industry: â€Å"The word indie had become a selling word that was banded around and had perfectly nil to make with either the original purpose of the chart, or even the significance of the word.† ( www.cherryred.co.uk/crzone/cherry_story.htm ) Additionally, several buyouts resulted in a really little figure of large industry participants globally: Time Warner, Sony, RCA, MCA and EMI. Merely EMI is strictly concerned with music: all the others are multi-media companies. This increases the range for interaction between different media, the possibility of immense multi-media selling runs and besides the strength of the administrations lawfully. However, it could be argued that this makes it harder for smaller companies to vie and last, and as a consequence is damaging to the industry as a whole. Decision The above illustrations show how a broad scope of influences impact on the music industry. While some have strengthened the industry – right of first publication jurisprudence, for illustration – others still supply a challenge, most notably illegal downloading and the sustainability of a classical music industry seeking to appeal to a broader audience with a wider demographic. The hereafter of the music industry depends on how challenges such as these are met over the following few old ages. Bibliography Branston G. and Stafford R. ( 2003 )The Media Student’s Book3rdEdition ( Routledge, London, UK ) Breen ( 1995 )The End of the World As We Know ItinPopular Music Style and Identityexplosive detection systems. Shaw W, Johnson S, Sullivan R and Friedlander P ( Centre for Research on Canadian Cultural Industries and Institutions ) During S. ( 2005 ) Cutural Studies: A Critical Introduction ( Routledge, Abingdon, UK ) Frith, S. and Marshall, L. ( 2004 )Music and Copyright( 2neodymiumEdition, Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh ) Gammond, P. ( 1991 )The Oxford Companion to Popular Music( Oxford University Press, Oxford ) Gibson, O. ( 2005 )Song swappers forced to pay upinThe Guardian5ThursdayMarch 2005 ( hypertext transfer protocol: //www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0, ,1430990,00.html ) Gillies, M. ( 1999 )Marie Lloyd: The One and Merely( Gollancz, London ) Hesmondhalgh D ( 1995 )Is This What You Call Change? Flexibility, Post-Fordism and the Music IndustryinPopular Music Style and Identityexplosive detection systems. Shaw W, Johnson S, Sullivan R and Friedlander P ( Centre for Research on Canadian Cultural Industries and Institutions, Montreal ) Middleton, R. ( 1990 )Analyzing Popular Music( Open University, Milton Keynes ) Moss, S. ( 2004 )Luck and BrassinThe Guardian4ThursdayNovember 2004 ( hypertext transfer protocol: //www.guardian.co.uk/arts/features/story/0, ,1342950,00.html ) Muikku J ( 1995 )Money For Nothing? The hereafter of copyright wage for the usage of phonograms in wireless and the clean tape levy/feeinPopular Music Style and Identityexplosive detection systems. Shaw W, Johnson S, Sullivan R and Friedlander P ( Centre for Research on Canadian Cultural Industries and Institutions ) Price S. ( 1993 )Media Surveies( Longman, Harlow, UK ) Stokes J. and Reading A. ( Editors ) ( 1999) The Media in Britain: Current Arguments and Developments( Macmillan, Basingstoke, UK ) Web sites hypertext transfer protocol: //www.intellectual-property.gov.uk/std/resources/copyright/history.htm hypertext transfer protocol: //www.ipsos-na.com/news/pressrelease.cfm? id=2550 hypertext transfer protocol: //www.pamra.org.uk hypertext transfer protocol: //www.mcps-prs-alliance.co.uk hypertext transfer protocol: //www.mcps.co.uk hypertext transfer protocol: /// www.prs.co.uk hypertext transfer protocol: //www.ppluk.com hypertext transfer protocol: //www.bpi.co.uk imperativeness releases: ( 1 ) Britishers are the world’s greatest music fans ( 22/3/05 ) ( 2 ) BPI release 2005’s first quarterly reappraisal: 7:4:2005 hypertext transfer protocol: //www.beggars.com/banquet hypertext transfer protocol: //en.wikipedia.org.wii/Napster hypertext transfer protocol: //en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet hypertext transfer protocol: //www.riaa.com/news/newsletter/press2001/021301.asp hypertext transfer protocol: //www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0, ,1430990,00.html

Saturday, November 23, 2019

The Best SAT Reading Practice Tests and Questions

The Best SAT Reading Practice Tests and Questions SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips When preparing for SAT Reading, it’s crucial to use high-quality practice materials that accurately reflect the content of the real test. In this article, I will go through the best resources for SAT Reading practice materials, both online and in printed prep books. Why Are High-Quality SAT Practice Materials So Important? If you practice with low-quality materials, you’ll end up with low-quality results no matter how long you spend studying.Many test-prep companies release their own versions of SAT questions that are supposedly comparable to questions on the real test.DO NOT use these questions exclusively for practice! The SAT creates questions in a very specific standardized format, and if you’re not used to it, you could be in for a rude awakening on the test.Additionally, using mostly unofficial practice materials will invariably give you a skewed sense of your expected SAT score.You don’t want to think you’re scoring at a certain level and then be faced with a nasty surprise when your scores on the real SAT are much lower. For the Reading section, it’s doubly important to find practice materials that are high quality because there are always two components: the questions and the passages.Even if the questions are in the same format as questions on the real SAT, if the passages aren’t at the same difficulty level, you won’t be getting great practice (and vice versa). On top of using high-quality materials, you should also use realistic time constraints when you take practice tests.If you don’t time yourself accurately, you will not be able to reliably predict your scores on the real test.Time is a huge factor on the SAT, and learning to manage it properly is key to earning a high score. For the SAT Reading section, you'll have 65 minutes to answer 52 questions. In the next couple of sections, I'll list some of the best resources for SAT Reading practice materials. Free Printable Official SAT Reading Practice Tests This first set of printable official practice test PDFsaccurately reflects the material currently covered on the SAT: Practice Test 1:Questions|Answers|Answer Explanations Practice Test 2:Questions|Answers|Answer Explanations Practice Test 3:Questions|Answers|Answer Explanations Practice Test 4:Questions|Answers|Answer Explanations Practice Test 5:Questions|Answers|Answer Explanations Practice Test 6:Questions|Answers|Answer Explanations Practice Test 7:Questions|Answers|Answer Explanations Practice Test 8:Questions|Answers|Answer Explanations Practice Test 9: Questions | Answers| Answer Explanations Practice Test 10: Questions | Answers | Answer Explanations You also have access to four other printable tests that are from before the 2016 SAT redesign. You can still use those if you run out of materials, but keep in mind that the test has changed significantly. Stay familiar with the most up-to-date format and content even if you use some passage-based reading questions from these old tests for practice. Note that Sentence Completion questions are no longer part of the Reading section, so you should skip over them if you're using older practice materials. Official SAT Printable Practice Test 2013-14:Questions|Solutions Official SAT Printable Practice Test 2012-13:Questions|Solutions Official SAT Printable Practice Test 2007-08:Questions|Solutions Official SAT Printable Practice Test 2004-05:Questions|Solutions Online SAT Reading Practice This section goes over the best SAT Reading practice you can find online. It includes both official and unofficial sources. The College Board Official College Board questions are the best way to practice for the SAT, so their online resources in terms of practice questions are the best ones you can find.The website gives you immediate feedback on whether you answered a question correctly as well as answer explanations (though these explanations are not always as thorough as they should be in terms of explaining why wrong answers are wrong). The automatic scoring is great, but it isn’t a substitute for taking a real timed practice test with pencil and paper,so make sure you supplement with printable tests as well. Khan Academy Khan Academy has partnered directly with the College Board, so they useofficial SAT questions to help you practice. That means the materials are some of the best you can find outside of the College Board website itself. You cansign up for a free account here. One negative for this website is that thetotal number of practice questions is limited,so you will probably have to supplement it with other resources. It's especially sparse on Reading questions for the time being. It also doesn't include test-taking strategies, and its lessons and answer explanations aren't quite as in-depth as they should be for students who don't understand the questions. However, it does include multiple videos, which some people find more helpful than written explanations. You canread more about the pros and cons of the Khan Academy program in this article. PrepScholar Not to toot our own horn, but toot.We offer a free five-day trial of our test-prep program.The program will assess your strengths and weaknesses and give you practice questions to fit the specific areas where you need improvement.Basically, it does all the hard work of SAT studying (analyzing your problem areas and zeroing in on where you make the most mistakes) for you! The downside of this is that the questions are technically unofficial, and you do have to pay to sign up for PrepScholar after the free trial. However, our test experts have worked very hard to make the questions as similar to material on the real SAT as possible, and you'll get your money back if you don't improve by 160 points or more. CrackSAT.net There are a ton of free SAT Reading practice tests on this website that you can download. It will give you answer keys along with PDFs of the tests so you can print out, take, and score everything yourself.This means you’re going to have to rely on your own hard work to understand your mistakes, which takes a little more time, but it’s rewarding in the end. Ivy Global Test-prep company Ivy Global offers two full-length unofficial SAT practice tests. Although these tests weren't made by the College Board, theystrongly resemble official SAT practice tests in both form and content.This is a great resource to use if you exhaust all official practice tests but still want some additional SAT Reading practice. Want to learn more about the SAT but tired of reading blog articles? Then you'll love our free, SAT prep livestreams. Designed and led by PrepScholar SAT experts, these live video events are a great resource for students and parents looking to learn more about the SAT and SAT prep. Click on the button below to register for one of our livestreams today! SAT Reading Prep Books You can find further practice tests and materials in SAT prep books, although they can also get expensive. The Official SAT Study Guide ("Blue Book") The old edition of this book includes10 official SAT practice tests. If you get that version, you can practice your skills with the passage-based reading questions, which are still relevant today. The version of The Official SAT Study Guide thatwas released for the current SAT(pictured above) is not quite as helpful- it has eight practice tests, but they're already all available online for free. SAT Prep Black Book, Second Edition This book doesn't include its own practice materials, but it's full of great strategic advice for the SAT. The Black Bookreferences questions in the first four official SAT practice tests, so if you buy this book you should also download those four official SAT practice tests (for free!). The Black Book is particularly helpful on the Reading section, with a list of particular meanings of words like "anticipate" or "counter" that you'll need to know to answer Reading passage questions. Itwill also give you in-depth answer explanations for all the sections and insightful tips on how to get around the tricky wording of the questions. The Complete Guide to SAT Reading by Erica Meltzer This book is consistently one of our top picks for SAT Reading prep work.It breaks down the types of questions you’ll see, teaches you the skills you’ll need, and shows you how to consistently eliminate three out of four answers on every question.The sample passages in the book are also high quality, closely resemblingwhat you’ll see on the real SAT, so they’re great for practice! How to Get the Most From Your SAT Reading Practice Tests Now you know where to get the best SAT Reading practice tests, but you also need to know how to use them properly. Below are three tips to help you get the most out of your SAT practice tests and quizzes. Use Strict Timing It'simportant to follow official SAT time limits on practice tests. If you give yourself even just two extra minutes on the SAT Reading section, it could raise your section score significantly. Because you have more time to answer questions,your practice SAT Readingscore becomes inflated and doesn't give you an accurate indicator of your actual ability. The SAT Reading section lasts 65 minutes. That gives you about 75 seconds to answer each of the 52 Reading questions. Stick to this timing when you take practice tests! Review Your Mistakes Practice tests aren't just good for learning the format of the SAT Reading section- they're also great for helping you learn from your mistakes. For every practice SAT Reading section you take, spend time reviewing both questions you got wrong and questions you got right. If you don't know why you missed a question, don't just skip it and move on; doing so will keep you from learning what kind of mistake you made, raising your risk of making it over and over again. This habit can hamper your score pretty drastically. It's better to take three Reading sections with detailed review than 10 sections withoutreview. Don't Forget to Take a Complete SAT Although this article is specifically for SAT Reading practice, you'll want to take at least two complete SATs(and ideally four) during your study program so you'll be prepared for every section and know how well you hold up after several hours of testing. Check out our guide for free and official SAT practice tests. Summary: How to Use SAT Reading Practice Tests In preparing for SAT Reading, it's so important to use the best possible practice materials available to you.This means materials that most closely resemble what you’ll see on the real test. The best way to do this is to use mainly official SAT questions that come directly from the College Board.You can access these through a number of free printable PDFs of past full-length tests, SAT practice websites such as Khan Academy, and official prep books.If you want even more practice, you can use unofficial Reading questions, as long as you understand that these will not be as accurate as official questions. If you work on understanding your mistakes on questions that closely resemble the ones on the real test, you’ll be on your way to a great SAT Reading score! What's Next? Now that you have all these practice resources, read this articleto get some of our best tips for boosting your score on the SAT Reading section. More of a science and math person who's worried about the reading section? Take a look at my article on how to do well on SAT Reading for science- and math-oriented students. Also, read my article on the fundamental strategy of SAT Reading to learn about the #1 rule to keep in mind when answering each Reading question! Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points? Check out our best-in-class online SAT prep program. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your SAT score by 160 points or more. Our program is entirely online, and it customizes what you study to your strengths and weaknesses. If you liked this Reading lesson, you'll love our program.Along with more detailed lessons, you'll get thousands ofpractice problems organized by individual skills so you learn most effectively. We'll also give you a step-by-step program to follow so you'll never be confused about what to study next. Check out our 5-day free trial:

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Contemporary Theories of political Economy final essay

Contemporary Theories of political Economy final - Essay Example Thus in order to fathom the basis of the economical crisis that emerged during the late 1060s and the early 1970s, a more thorough and wide-ranging approach needs to be taken. At the start of the 1970s, the opinionated left had created strict doctrinal views about the purpose of capitalism. They believed that capitalism was inherently a system of exploitation and oppression (Jà ¸rgensen 125). The global and economic activities that took place in the 1960s were largely the result of capitalism as it had emerged since the Great Depression. However the 1970s were witness to a crisis and transformation of capitalism, initially displaying its faults but later on escaping the clutches of the left. Indications of a crisis were being sighted in the late 1960s, attributable not merely to the global unrest of 1968 but also due to the fact that the economic system was not fail-proof to the pervasive effects of crisis in capitalist systems. One of the major effects of the protest cycle that had initiated in 1968 was the emergence of newly revived working class militancy (Jà ¸rgensen 125). This militancy was responsible for shattering the peace of the labor market that had been present for a long time now. The time period between 1968 and 1972 attested to a series of strikes in Western Europe, specifically characteristic of wildcat strikes that were held beyond the structural setup of negotiation. Jà ¸rgensen observes that â€Å"the official trade union leaderships were more often than not taken by surprise by their members’ militancy† (125). The unrest occurring during this time period, along with the fall of the Bretton Woods system and the dollar crisis, cumulated together and made the global crisis into an impending reality. It was in 1973 that the crisis finally struck, and the hopes of stable capitalism as a reasonably organized perpetuum

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Managing people Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Managing people - Essay Example In the current business environment, organizations encounter stiffer competition from rivals. This is because of globalization and free markets. To counter competition, firms have enacted various strategies. Efficient utilization of employees denotes one of the numerous strategies that firms apply in countering rivals. The human resource is the most imperative resource that an entity has at its disposal. Therefore, increasing efficiency in its utilization will enable an entity improve its competitive advantage and realize its targets. Managing of the workforce is a tough challenge to human resource (HR) managers. Managers encounter various constrains owing to the firm or the environment. The internal constrains would entail reducing overheads associated with the workforce. It is vital that any profit-motivated business maintains its profitability. Irrespective of an entity’s motivation, one of the key managerial obligations entails ensuring that remuneration expenses do not sp iral out of control. The organization and the HR department encounter various challenges from the external environment in managing this vital resource. The challenges relate to recruitment, remuneration, and maintaining employees. Companies invest heavily in the employees through training and refresher courses to improve their productivity. Subsequently, an entity that invests heavily on its employees will seek to ensure that it retains such employees. However, this may be challenging owing to the presence of organizations that offer better terms. The above situation denotes one among the countless external challenges that organization encounter in management of personnel. (Deckop & Deckop 2006, p. 78). The challenges that the HR departments encounter fall into various distinct categories. These categories include political, economic, technological, and legal. These denote broad categories, which contain various distinct challenges. The political category contains various factors, s uch as the government policy on workers and industrial actions. Entities are always aspiring to increase their profitability. Thus, they adopt employment terms that will reduce the costs. As such, most entities prefer to employ on casual or contract bases. This has been a factor, which has triggered legal battle between companies, governments, and labour unions. Hiring employees on a permanent basis will results in higher costs since the company will have to pay numerous costs. These costs include health care contributions and union charges. Consequently, most corporations will opt to employ on contract basis or casual terms. The government’s directives, which lean towards permanent terms for employees, affect HR departments significantly. The HR departments have to enact such governmental directives. This may require the company to adjust various departments to accommodate changes. This may culminate in reduction of employees. As such, companies may opt to realign department based on the work force constrains. Employment conditions are key external factors, which affect entities in a massive way since some entities will opt to mechanize. This would require massive initial capital outlay. Nonetheless, the entities will reduce their overheads on the long run. Mechanization also results in criticism since it shows that entities are unwilling to hire human labour owing to their profitability ambitions. However, the company can address these costs in various ways (Werner, Schuler & Jackson 2012, p.90). In the tasks that require high human labour, the entities can outsource. This would ensure that specialist who will deal effectively with human labour intensive activities undertake tasks. Outsourcing would ensure increased efficiency in the entity since it would reduce employees in the entity. Additionally, outsourcing may increase the quality of work. Companies can adopt organizational structure which will reduce the volume of employees required. Under the political categ

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Emotions make the world go round Essay Example for Free

Emotions make the world go round Essay Emotions are one of the unique traits of humans. Not all living things created by God were able to have emotions, only men are permitted to feel and express. Although animals have the ability to sense some things, it is not as powerful and as expressive as that of the humans. Human emotion speaks a thousand words†¦ in silent mode. What we have to understand when it comes to emotion is the reality that it comes from different factors which affects the cycle of emotion and feelings. Organism and environment has something to do with this but it is always linked to the question, â€Å"how do you feel? † which basically means that in emotions, feelings are essential (Kuhl, 1986). Do you ever wonder why a new born baby cries after his or her birth? Scientifically speaking, babies cry after birth because they are cold but there is a long story behind this one which we will not elaborate anymore. Looking in another aspect, away from science, babies cry because it signifies their ability to live. It serves as a sign that they are alive and it assures the people inside the delivery room about the baby’s existence. Looking at this situation through science’s perspective, an infant’s emotion is more likely associated with both conditioning and stimulation. Remember that around four (4) minutes before the baby is born, something happens inside his or her body which triggers the crying when the time to get out of the mother’s womb comes (Morley, 2002). On the other hand, when the baby is already born, we all know that the doctor taps the baby which ignites a little sense of feeling or sensitivity on the baby’s side. Therefore, conditioning and stimulation happens before and after the baby is born, thus, it is clear that there is really an effect both inside and outside the baby’s body. Although science can explain almost everything in life including emotions and feelings, in the end, it does not really matter that much when you were used in feeling and not thinking too much. Emotions are reactions in everything which happens to you. Others might associate it with adrenalin rush but thinking outside the box, emotions were proofs regarding your humanity. It is not the basis of weakness but instead, it is the sign that you are alive and doing well. Many people were not able to express their emotions like anger, fear happiness and sadness and decide to go to medical doctors for check ups. Perhaps, this is one proof that emotions are not just a thing in our life but ability. Works Cited Kuhl, J. (1986). Motivation and information processing: A new look at decision making, dynamic change, and action control. In R. M. Sorrentino E. T. Higgins (Eds. ), Handbook of motivation and cognition: Foundations of social behavior (pp. 404-434). Chichester: Wiley. Morly, G. M. (2002). Why Do Babies Cry? The Anatomical and Physiological Changes During the Moments After Birth. http://www. cordclamp. com/Why Do Babies Cr1. htm

Thursday, November 14, 2019

The Story of Joshua and the Battle of Jericho Essay example -- The Hol

â€Å"When the trumpets sounded, the people shouted†¦(and)†¦ the wall collapsed† (Joshua 6:20). This is the account of Joshua and the people of Israel when they entered the Promised Land known as Canaan. As the Lord commanded they entered the land and conquered all the cities there, beginning with Jericho. The story of Joshua and the Battle of Jericho is a famous one. Everyone who has ever attended Sunday school has heard this famous Biblical account. What is overlooked in Sunday school is the passage after the walls fall down, â€Å"They devoted the city to the LORD and destroyed with the sword every living thing in it – men and women, young and old, cattle, sheep and donkeys† (Joshua 6:21). This is one of the more difficult passages in the Bible. It raises many questions, questions that are not easily answered. In fact, scholars today still debate them. Reading this section of the Bible, found in Joshua chapter 6, you ask yourself: how can we worship a God who permits His own people to slaughter innocents? How did the Israelites justify breaking one of the Ten Commandments (or ‘Words’ as is the more accurate translation)? If God is just, then how can he allow the slaughter of innocents? Is God really a just god? Such are the questions that come up whenever the slaughter at Jericho is brought up. Further seemingly brutal violence is found within God’s own people. If you read on an Israelite named Achan steals some of the bounty from Jericho when God commanded them not too. He was stoned along with his whole family! God seems to be a violent, harsh god in these passages. How can this be if He is supposed to be the God of love, compassion and mercy? Israel, at this point in their history is very young as a nation and a people. Actually, it ... ...e question him? Yes, because Yahweh has a true desire for us to know Him personally and have a personal relationship with Him. How can we do that without asking questions and studying His word? We can’t. In the end it comes down to the fact that He is in contro1, He is always right and He is a just god! Works Cited Davis, John J. Conquest and Crisis: Studies in Joshua, Judges, and Ruth. BMH Books. Vinona Lake, Indiana. 1969. Hamlin, John E. Joshua - Inheriting the Land. Wm. B Eerdman’s Publishing Co. Grand Rapids MI, 1983. Jensen, Irving L. Joshua: Rest-Land Won. Moody Press: Chicago IL, 1966. Paul Heinisch, Theology of Old Testament. Liturgical Press. St. Paul MN, 1955. Pink, Arthur W. Gleanings in Joshua. Moody Press: Chicago IL, 1964. Yahweh. The Holy Bible: New International Version. Broadman &Holman Publishers: Nashville, TN, 1973

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Anagene Inc.

Anagene is a biotechnology firm started by Mark Hansen and Harold Bergman in 1993. Hansen and Bergman planned to combine microelectronics and molecular biology to develop products that would have broad commercial applications in genomics and other fields. Anagene’s mission was to facilitate breakthrough genetic analysis. The company went public in the year 1998 and raised $42. 9 million. The company’s core product was a cartridge which had to be analyzed with a Anagene-designed workstation. Management anticipated a long string of cartridge sales following the sale of each Anagene workstation. Product Information WORKSTATION Anagene’s first major product was a proprietary platform technology – The Anagene Molecular Biology Workstation. This included a loader (which could load four cartridges at a time), a reader (which read and analyzed one cartridge at a time) and a disposable cartridge that contained the company’s proprietary microchip. The product was priced at $160,000 – each workstation shipped with four cartridges. CARTRIDGES Anagene also sold disposable cartridges – priced at $150 each. Each cartridge contained an electronic chip that held test sites laid out in a geometric grid called an array. Cartridges could perform up to 99 tests on any single sample. As the company sold more workstations, it expected the demand for its cartridges to increase rapidly. MANUFACTURING Anagene’s management decided to outsource the production of workstations to Hitachi. Hitachi and Anagene would work together to cut costs through value engineering thereby enabling the transfer price to continually decrease. Initially, the final testing would be performed at Anagene’s facilities. As the company grew, this activity would also be outsourced to Hitachi. Anagene built its own manufacturing facility for the cartridges in order to capture the profits from the very high forecasted sales of its product. STANDARD COSTING SYSTEM AT ANAGENE DURING 2000 Anagene’s cost system calculated standard costs once a year. The process started by estimating the budgeted variable costs per unit – materials, direct labor, outside processing (several manufacturing steps had been outsourced), and scrap. Plant level overhead costs were allocated among cartridge manufacturing, instrument manufacturing, and R&D. These assignments were determined by the manufacturing department. The cost driver that was used to obtain overhead cost per unit was â€Å"budgeted production volume†. Machines used in the production process were assigned to different manufacturing steps which allowed for easy allocation of depreciation as an overhead expense. The standard cost per cartridge was then calculated by adding up the direct material, direct labor and overhead costs. Some other costs associated with the sale of cartridges included the unit cost of royalties and estimated returns expense. These standard costs were used for financial reporting purposes, assessing product costs and profitability. ISSUES Because of the infancy of the company and the genomics market, it was difficult for Anagene’s management to correctly forecast the company’s future sales volumes and thereby their gross margins. This led to frequent revisions to previously submitted estimates. In one instance, the company revised its estimate for the FY2001 that showed standard costs increasing by 40% and gross margins dropping from 65% to 45%. One of the main reasons identified for this reduction in margins is the increase in overhead costs due to reduction in budgeted volume. In the early quarters, sales are difficult to forecast and the company has experienced fluctuating production volumes and unpredictable gross margins, which has upset the board of directors. The purpose of the case study is to determine a new costing approach based on capacity. With large amounts of unused capacity, the decision of how to apply capacity costs is critical to the company's management and its reporting strategy with analysts. DIFFERENT TYPES OF CAPACITIES Essentially, there are four different kinds of capacity. Theoretical Capacity: -This is the volume of activity that could be attained under ideal operating conditions, with minimum allowance for inefficiency. It is the largest volume of output possible. Practical Capacity: – It is the highest activity level at which the factory can operate with an acceptable degree of efficiency, taking into consideration unavoidable losses of productive time (i. e. , vacations, holidays, and repairs to equipment). Normal Capacity:-It is the average level of operating activity that is sufficient to fill the demand for the company's products or services for a span of several years, taking into consideration seasonal and cyclical demands and increasing or decreasing trends in demand. Master-Budget Capacity :- It is similar to normal capacity, except it is a short-run level based on demand, it minimizes under- or over applied overhead but does not provide a consistent basis for assigning overhead cost. Per-unit overhead will fluctuate because of short-term changes in the expected level of output. Currently, Anagene is using this method. THE GAME PLAN Strategic cost management dictates the use of â€Å"practical capacity of resources rather than budgeted manufacturing volumes when calculating standard costs. If forecasted activity levels are used to calculate cost driver rates, a death spiral may launch in an organization. That is if the cost base (the overhead expense) is fixed, then any decrease in the activity level (the cost driver) will lead to a higher overhead cost per unit. This is a simple arithmetic response to a decrease in the denominator with an unchanged numerator. Using this new high cost driver rate to compute costs will lead to lower gross margins. This may lead the company to set higher prices. These high prices may cause product demand to lower leading to lower activity rates which are again fed into the system causing the cost driver to go up. This creates a vicious cycle. The cost driver rate should reflect the underlying efficiency of the process which is measured better by recognizing the capacity of resources being supplied. Anagene should use practical capacity which could be estimated by subtracting from the theoretical capacity the expected time required for normal maintenance, repairs, startups, and shutdowns. The case provides numbers on equipment depreciation, machine capacity, and manufacturing overhead to allow calculations for different overhead rates based on assumptions about how the plant's capacity costs should be assigned to production quantities.

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Criticism of the Church in the Canterbury Tales Essay

The Canterbury Tales, a collection of tales by Geoffrey Chaucer, was written in Middle English at the end of the 14th century (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2011). It is considered to be the best work of literature in English in the Middle Ages (Johnston, 1998). Chaucer uses literary devices as no one had ever done. In addition, he chose to use English instead of Latin. This masterpiece is structured in a similar way as Bocaccio’s Decameron. The tales are organized within a frame narrative (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2011) explained in the General Prologue by the narrator: a group of pilgrims that are going to visit St.  Thomas Becket in Canterbury’s Cathedral. These pilgrims are from different estates of the medieval society: nobility, the church and peasantry (The Norton Anthology, 1993: 76). Through the characters, Chaucer reveals some aspects of the society he lived in. In other words, instead of creating typical role models, the characters are exaggerated individuals very different from the prototypical idea. The author uses hyperbolic characters and irony to create humour and criticism. For example, the knight is not the typical medieval soldier the reader would expect. He avoids conflict being a very romantic person. In a similar way, the characters that are part of the Church are also very peculiar. At the time when Chaucer wrote this poem, the Catholic Church was very powerful and rich. The clergy enjoyed great fortunes and a high quality of life compared with the peasantry who was starving and dying. In this essay, I’m going to deal with the criticism towards the Catholic Church analysing the ironic portrays of the Prioress, the Monk, the Friar and the Pardoner. Chaucer begins writing about the hypocrisy of the church in the General Prologue when the Prioress is introduced. The Prioress is a nun with very good manners (e. g. she wipes her lips before drinking, lines 133-134) that behaves as if she were a lady of the court (e. g. she speaks French but with a very bad accent, lines 124-125). The Prioress is also very romantic as we can see in her brooch and her motto: â€Å"Amor vincit omnia† -â€Å"Love conquest all†- (Dr. Melillo, 1996). She is also very kind and sensitive. For instance, she cries when a mouse falls in a trap and feeds her dogs meat so they do not starve. This image of nice person contrasts with the reality of the time. If her words and actions are analyzed, the audience can understand that this was not the typical behavior of a nun. She is more worried about her pets than the commoners who actually did starve and rarely ate meat. The narrator is portraying her as a very naive person in a very nice tone that hides the irony. Nevertheless, the audience was aware that she is not fulfilling the aim of the Church: take care of people (The Norton Anthology, 1993:76). The Monk is the following pilgrim described in the General Prologue. According to his description he is very interested in hunting and in horses (line 166). A monk should not be riding and hunting but obeying, praying, copying and studying. In addition, the Monk is fully aware that his order does not allow these practices and he admits that he does not follow the rules of his order (Jokinen, 2010) (lines 174-175). When the portrait of the Monk finishes in the General Prologue, the man described is bald, fat and well-dressed. Any person in that time that heard this description would immediately think about a lord not a monk. Although the narrator likes the life style of the Monk and his description is not very acid, we can see how Chaucer is criticizing some monk’s lives. Monks are supposed to be obedient and to embrace vow of poverty not to reject rules and live the life they want. After analyzing two characters against who the narrator does not show great rejection, I am going to analyze the Friar and the Pardoner who the narrator describes in a very ironic and bitter tone. A friar is a roaming priest that begs for living whose goal is to help beggars and lepers selflessly. On the contrary, this friar really detests this kind of action because he does not get any benefice from it (lines 242-247). He likes to enjoy life and pleasures. He shows that he is not like a normal friar implying that he is above (lines 210-211) like an aristocrat (Knapp, 1999). In this sense, he acts like the Prioress does, pretending not to be who he really is, a beggar. The reader also knows that he accepts bribes and gives easy penance for extra donations so he can live better. He justifies his conduct explaining that giving money is a sign of repentance. Nevertheless, the Friar, as the Monk, is supposed to have done the vow of poverty. Contradicting any preconceived ideas the reader may have about friars, he has a good quality life thanks to keeping the money he should give his order nd receiving extra incomes. In the description of the character, the audience understood how Chaucer is condemning the abuses of the Church by creating a person who does not follow any of the prototypical characteristics of a good Christian friar. Finally, I am going to explain in detail the character of the Pardoner. The Pardoner resembles the Friar in the fact that both get money from people (with a religious reason behind) for a living and keep it for themselves. However, there are some differences: the Pardoner is not part of an order whereas the Friar is; and he does not believe in what he does either while the Friar justifies it. The Pardoner is considered the most hypocrite character of all because he embodies all the sins he preaches against. He sells papal indulgences in exchange of donation that he keeps for himself showing avarice (lines 389-391). In addition, he admits that he does not feel guilty and that the relics he sells are a fraud. Furthermore, he tells the other pilgrims his tricks implying that he lies and manipulates people to get money. Ironically, after he has admitted that he is a liar, the Pardoner gives a kind of sermon against gluttony, drunkenness, gambling and swearing. Moreover, his tale can be considered an exemplum (Patterson, 1976) that warns against avarice and drunkenness. He gives an instance of the kind of person he is when he tries to sell one of his relics to the Host even when he has already told them they are forged and useless. Apart from being described as, what we would call now, a con artist and a sinful person, there are allusions to his condition of homosexual and eunuch (Jokinen, 1998). All these characteristics make him appear in the margins of society. As I said before, this character is the one that better represents the hypocrisy that Chaucer shows in this work. As I said, he represents all the sins he preaches against: he drinks (his finishes his drink before stating the tale); he lies (about his relics, line 394), and he is greedy (he keeps the money, line 409). Through this character, the author shows a very sinful and corrupt church away from their goal. To conclude, Chaucer shows a very hypocrite and selfish members of the Church in The Canterbury Tales. In the 14th century, the Catholic Church was very influential and religion was present in everyday life. The purpose of the Church was supposed to be the caring of the people. Nonetheless, the characters in this poem do not worry about anything else that themselves and their actions are directed always to their own benefit. Through their words and actions described ironically by the narrator, the characters reflect their sins and their corruption and by extension, the sins and corruption of the Church. It can be concluded that in The Canterbury Tales, Chaucer makes a social criticism showing the dishonesty of the Church. However, it should be pointed out that the characters are an exaggerated version of the original people because the main aim of this work is to be enjoyable for the audience.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Organization Study at Sarathy Motors Kollam Essays

Organization Study at Sarathy Motors Kollam Essays Organization Study at Sarathy Motors Kollam Essay Organization Study at Sarathy Motors Kollam Essay AN ORGANIZATION STUDY AT SARATHY MOTORS, KOLLAM A report submitted in partial fulfillment of requirement for the award of degree of Master of Business Administration (CSS) of Kerala University Submitted by ASWIN M (Register No: 1105612) Under the guidance of Faculty guide Project guide Mrs. ANJU MURALEEDARAN Mrs. DEEPA M Institute of Management of Kerala University of Kerala Kundara September 2012 DECLARATION I, Aswin M, hereby declare that the project report titled â€Å"Organizational Study at Sarathy Motors in Kollam District has been done by me under the guidance of Mrs. Anju Muraleedaran , Faculty member of Institute Of Management, Kundara centre, University Of Kerala, I also declare that this project report had not been submitted by me, as fully or partially, for the award of any degree or diploma. Place: Kundara Aswin M Date ACKNOWLEDGEMENT First of all I thank Almighty God for all his blessing and for giving me strength, wisdom, and presence of mind in successfully completing this project. I would also like to thank G. Rajesh, Coordinator IMK Kundara, for giving an opportunity to experience a working environment of Sarathy Motors. I am grateful to my faculty guide Anju Muraleedaran for his great support for doing my work. I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to Mrs. Deepa M, HR Manager, Sarathy Motors for her helpful attitude to me. Finally I would like to thank all those who encouraged me in the completion of my project report. Aswin M LIST OF CONTENTS SL. NO| CHAPTER NAME| PAGE NO. | 1. | INTRODUCTION| 1-5| 2. | INDUSTRY PROFILE| 7-24| 3. COMPANY PROFILE| 25-33| 4. | ORGANISATION STRUCTURE| 35| 5. | ANALYSIS – OBJECT WISE| 36-62| 6. | SWOT ANALYSIS, PEST PORTER’S FIVE FORCE MODEL ANALYSIS| 63-72| 7. | FINDINGS, SUGGESTIONS ANDCONCLUSION| 73-76| 8| BIBLIOGRAPHYAPPENDIX| 77-80| LIST OF TABLES AND CHARTS SL NO| TABLE/CHART| PAGE NO| 1| ORGANIZATION STRUCTURE| 35| 2| STRUCTURE OF HR DEPARTMENTS| 38| 3| STRUCTURE OF FINANCE DEPARTMENT| 46| 4| STRUCTURE OF SPARE DEPARTMENT| 49| 5| STRUCTURE OF SALES AND MARKETING DEPARTMENT| 54| 6| STRUCTURE OF SERVICE DEPARTMENT| 58|

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Smoke Magic Trick - Smoking Fingers

Smoke Magic Trick - Smoking Fingers Would you like to try a simple smoke magic trick? It easy to make your fingers smoke when you rub them together and glow in the dark. All you need is a matchbox and a way to burn the striker portion. Theres also a video of the smoking fingers project, if youd like to see what to expect. Difficulty: Easy Time Required: about a minute Materials The key materials for this project are matches, a matchbox with striker, a metal surface, and a way to make the metal cold. Matchbox of safety matchesCold water faucet or chilled panScissorsLighter One easy way to get cold metal is to run cold water through a faucet. If the water out of your tap isnt particularly cold, another option is to refrigerate a metal pan or set it onto a dish of ice. Perform the Smoke Magic Trick Cut out the striker portion of a matchbox from a box of safety matches. Trim off any paper around the striker.Fold the striker in half, striker-sides facing each other.Set the folded striker on top of the running cold water faucet or a refrigerated metal pan.Use a lighter to set fire to the striker. Ignite both ends. Then run the lighter along the length of the folded striker. It wont burn to ash, which is fine.Discard the burned striker.You will see a brown residue that has been deposited along the top of the faucet or metal pan. Run your fingertip along the residue to pick it up.Slowly rub your finger and thumb together. If you do this in the dark, your fingers will have a greenish glow. Very, very cool. Tips for Success Wash your hands after doing this, and try to avoid breathing in the smoke. The trick probably involves white phosphorus, which can be absorbed through your skin and is toxic.If you dont have scissors, you can do this trick by tearing off the striker portion of the matchbox with your fingers. Its just easier to cut out the striker, if you can.You could use the matches in the matchbox, rather than a lighter, of course. How the Smoking Fingers Trick Works Are you interested in the science behind this smoke trick? Its commonly believed the smoke is vaporized white phosphorus. Heres how it works: Phosphorus is a chemical element that can take several forms, called allotropes. The type of phosphorus in the striker of match boxes is red phosphorus. When you burn the striker, the phosphorus is vaporized and condenses into a solid onto the cool metal surface. This is white phosphorus. The element has not changed identify, just the structural arrangement of the atoms. Rubbing your fingers together produces enough heat from friction to vaporize the phosphorus into what appears to be smoke. The smoke glows green in the dark. While you might assume this is phosphorescence (since youre using phosphorus, after all), its actually an example of chemiluminescence. Phosphorus reacts with oxygen from air to release energy in the form of light. The reason scientists know the red phosphorus from the striker vaporizes into white phosphorus is because of the green glow. Only white phosphorus glows in the dark! White phosphorus readily reacts with oxygen in air to form a flammable compound. Because of this, one of the earliest uses of the purified element was to make matches. Early friction matches have been around since Robert Boyle made them back in 1680, although they did not become popular until 1830. The early phosphorus-based matches were dangerous, containing enough phosphorus to poison a person. Modern matches are called safety matches because they dont use highly toxic chemicals. Smoke Trick Safety The smoking fingers trick used to be a popular school science demonstration. It is not performed much any more because of concerns about the risk from the phosphorus, but if you do the trick infrequently, the dose of phosphorus is small. While red phosphorus is the form of the element that is essential for human life, white phosphorus can cause chemical burns and have a negative effect on bones. You can lessen the exposure by wearing thin, disposable gloves and taking care not to breathe the vapor. Disclaimer: Please be advised that the content provided by our website is for EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. Fireworks and the chemicals contained within them are dangerous and should always be handled with care and used with common sense. By using this website you acknowledge that ThoughtCo., its parent About, Inc. (a/k/a Dotdash), and IAC/InterActive Corp. shall have no liability for any damages, injuries, or other legal matters caused by your use of fireworks or the knowledge or application of the information on this website. The providers of this content specifically do not condone using fireworks for disruptive, unsafe, illegal, or destructive purposes. You are responsible for following all applicable laws before using or applying the information provided on this website.

Sunday, November 3, 2019

The Lottery Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The Lottery - Essay Example his own trip up to the box to pull for his new family, he had stopped plotting with Nancy and now Davey who had become old enough to discuss the plan to stop the lottery. Davey didn’t remember Tessie nor remember the warm nights on the porch sipping lemonade that she made from tart lemons sweetened with sugar before pouring the water into the pitcher. Davey didn’t know her loss in a real sense, only through the pain of his sister and brother. He knew the pain of his father who sat in a chair staring out over the fields in silent resentment, cold and stoic as he accepted the fate of his wife, but not his own fate of raising three children on his own. It was Davey who moved to make their plans a reality. He had seen others who had fell to the stones, sacrificed for the good of the town. He sat for hours trying to see the connection between the horrific act of stoning the one and the success of the fields. He tracked the harvests year after year, noticing that some years were good and some were bad, never relating to the person who was stoned. He tried to show Mr.Summers that the lottery did the town no good. However, Mr. Summers had an excuse and argument to counter every point that Davey made. When Mr. Summers died, he tried again to speak to his father who surprisingly took over in running the lottery year after year, as if he could reconcile Tessie’s sacrifice by deeper participation. This didn’t change a thing. Nancy came up with the idea. The town gathered, the children made the pile of stones, and the tense, polite conversation began to murmur through the growing crowd. Bill Hutchinson raised hands and smiled, quieting the crowd to ready for the lottery to begin. The year before had been brutal as the five year old child of the village teacher had been the sacrifice, and mothers were noticeably more protective of their young ones, cradling them in their arms and turning slightly away. Janie held her a Bill’s child close, her lips kissing repeatedly

Friday, November 1, 2019

Capstone project Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Capstone project - Research Proposal Example It is the mandate of all nurses who deals with such patients to ensure that their safety if prioritized. This proposal seeks to address this issue by making sure that it is mandatory for all practicing nurses who deal with such patients of stroke, to administer dysphagia tests immediately a patient is admitted in the hospital before giving them any food substances. For this project, I will use an evidence based model. For effective results, in this research, I have used the conduct and utilization of research in nursing model (CURN) since the model seeks to carry out a research which gives findings to s particular behavior which improves the patients’ health outcome. (Scmidt, 2014)Similarly, conducted over a period of two weeks, this research seeks to prove that Dysphagia screening saves lives of persons who suffer from stroke on admission to hospitals. Many stroke patients need critical attention. Ensuring their safety while they have been admitted is one of the nurses’ most important things. The manner in which stroke patients are handled on arriving at the hospitals needs to be addressed. Most of the nurses do not carry out dysphagia screening as recommended for all stroke patients in the AHA/ASA guidelines (Stephenie, 2013). Some nurses go to the point of giving these patient foods without having the swallowing tests done on them prior to this. According to the data collected from my experience, only 3 out of 4 patients go through the swallowing tests. This means that the safety of the remaining patients is not prioritized. For the reason that nurses fail to carry out this necessary test, an estimated 50,000 die every year due to aspiration pneumonia after stroke. Evidently, most of these deaths can therefore be avoided by carrying out this test. The problems with swallowing in these patients are associated with a higher mortality rate (Jeff, 2013). Moreover, technologies have evolved which enable the patients to be screened for dysphagia