Saturday, December 28, 2019

Theme Of Eyes In The Great Gatsby - 864 Words

Behind closed doors, something familiar can present itself as completely different. The nine chapter, American classic The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald has meaningful motifs, themes, and various writing techniques used to express Fitzgerald’s ideas. The book follows Nick Carraway, a young bondsman, who documents the deadly affair between Daisy, who is married to Tom, and Gatsby, a bachelor who lives across from the Buchanans. Gatsby refuses to give Daisy up without a fight, which ultimately leads to his demise. Fitzgerald brilliantly uses tone in recurring motifs to express how appearances can be deceiving. The most prominent are the use of eyes, flowers, and heat. In The Great Gatsby, eyes have a strong symbolic meaning. Eyes†¦show more content†¦At the beginning of The Great Gatsby, flowers represent purity, but later comes to represent the masking of moral corruption. When Gatsby first meets Daisy after five long years, he brings â€Å"an excessive, unnecessary amount of flowers as an offering,† (84). Gatsby brings flowers as a reminder to the innocent love Daisy and him back in the day. This artificial replacement is suffocating, and represents how Gatsby thinks the appearance of purity will actually influence the situation he and Daisy are in. What Gatsby wants is not pure, it is an affair. Similarly, â€Å"I could only remember, without resentment, that Daisy hadn’t sent a message or flower† (174). After Gatsby’s death, at this point, Daisy stops caring. The socialite does not send flowers, a sign of compassion, because of her new, total devotion to Tom. Although Daisy still may love Gatsby after his p assing, her financial security is more important, â€Å"For Daisy was young and her artificial world was redolent of orchids and pleasant, cheerful snobbery† (151). Flowers, a sign of wealth and purity, have always been apart of Daisy’s life and identity. However the reader knows the woman has a corrupt, money-driven heart, the artificial world Daisy lives in makes her seem pure to outsiders, which makes them desire her. Fitzgerald uses flowers, which represent sweetness and purity, to mask less desired thingsShow MoreRelatedThe Theme Of Owl Eyes In The Great Gatsby1147 Words   |  5 PagesFitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby, narrator Nick Carraway spends a summer at Long Island where he befriends Jay Gatsby, a mysterious man of new money with an undying love for Daisy Buchanan, Nick’s cousin and the wife of Tom Buchanan. As Nick inadvertently becomes privy to the secrets of the corrupt world of the elite, he also becomes increasingly disillusioned with the moral decadence of high society. Through symbols such as Owl Eyes, Doctor Eckleburg’s eyes, and other recurring eye motifs, FitzgeraldRead MoreUnrealism In The Great Gatsby Essay706 Words   |  3 PagesNovember 17th, 2017 The Big Blue Eyes and the Bright Green Light Would a novel without any symbols be as interesting and effective as a novel with lots? Most likely not, symbols are like hidden treasures throughout a novel which help to convey an idea and without symbols, these themes would be harder to identify. In F.Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, the eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg are used to develop the theme of â€Å"god is always watching over you, even throughRead MoreThe Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald1278 Words   |  6 PagesThough The Great Gatsby was not very popular when it was first released it has made up for lost time and is now one of the greatest classics in American literature and being read in classrooms all across the United States. What actually denotes a book as a classic or great, though? In my opinion, a lot of it has to do with what a person needs at the time. According to James L. W. West III, leading Fitzgerald scholar and English literature professor at Pennsylvania State University, â€Å"[Gatsby] never seemsRead MoreThe Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald1412 Words   |  6 PagesScott Key Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby showcases the American society during the Roaring 1920s. During this time period many longed to be rich and become a member of the upper class. It became one’s dream to obtain good social standing rather than to achieve freedom and happiness. Fitzgerald creates characters, such as Daisy Buchanan and Jay Gatsby, who are more concerned with wealth than what truly makes them happy in life. Therefore, many perceive the theme of this novel to be achievingRead MoreMoney for Moneys Sake in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald804 Words   |  3 Pagescaptures the essence of the theme that I have come to for The Great Gatsby. The theme I see most strongly reflected in the book is this: Although greed and lust are human nature, they are often used as a substitute for happiness, but almost always lead to decay. I will provide examples of this theme by looking into events and the behavior of characters throughout the plot of the book. One main event in the book that I believe strongly represents the theme is when Gatsby is shot while floating in theRead MoreThe Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald Essay983 Words   |  4 Pagesof becoming rich. F. Scott Fitzgerald, the author of The Great Gatsby portrays the general feeling of the 1920’s through complex characters such as Jay Gatsby, Tom and Daisy Buchanan, and Nick Carraway. Fitzgerald uses symbols such as the billboard, the green light, and the valley of ashes to convey themes and propel the plot forward. T.J Eckleburg’s giant eyed billboard is an essential symbol in The Great Gatsby. Eckleburg’s watchful eyes are a representation of God that observe the people who liveRead MoreThe American Dream : The Great Gatsby Essay1568 Words   |  7 PagesTamera Fox Enc 1102 Professor Himmel November 21, 2016 The American Dream: The Great Gatsby The Great Gatsby is a tragic love story on the surface, but its most commonly understood as a suspicious critic of the American Dream. In the novel Jay Gatsby overcomes his poor past to gain an incredible amount of money and a limited amount of social cache of in the 1920s NYC, only to be rejected by the â€Å"old money† crowd. The focus of my paper would be the pathway towards the American Dream and howRead MoreThe Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald756 Words   |  3 Pagesactions justified? Or does love and passion simply bind one’s self from the immorality and repercussions caused by one’s actions? These types of questions directly encompass the character, Jay Gatsby from the novel, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. The actions taken by Gatsby support one of the major themes prevalent in the novel: immorality. Immorality at the time this novel takes place-- the 1920’s-- seems to reflect not only the characters in the book, but also relate t o the changing socialRead MoreHumanities Through the Arts: Artistic Criticism Essay examples1063 Words   |  5 Pagestime of exuberance like none other, where people and America’s society focused on self-indulgence and happiness like never before. The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is the ideal portrayal of this time era. In a time shortly after war, this novel captures the audience, forcing them to participate in the setting and with the characters. Jay Gatsby, the focal point of this novel, is used as a representation of this era in American history and as an example of the pursuit of the AmericanRead MoreThe Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald1330 Words   |  6 PagesThe famously written book, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, provides many details, which help to provoke the meaning behind this narrative. The use of symbolic objects helps to connect the significance of the story on a deeper level and eventually reveal its literal meaning. Many symbols portrayed throughout The Great Gatsby, such as the green light, the eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg, Gatsby’s Mansion and the weather help to uncover one of the main themes–the American Dream. First, the green

Thursday, December 19, 2019

Religion Is A Social Control Tool - 1394 Words

Aram Mardiros Religion is a Social Control Tool Throughout history, religion has proved to be the main source of social stability in different communities and cultural groups. Everything that is part of a societal system, including law, is influenced by religious beliefs and practices of that society. This being said, most religions are based on the theory that there is a single more powerful entity, that has control over aspects of which humans do not. For the longest time in history, sociologists have argued that peer group, political movements, schools and most importantly, the family to be agents of socialization. Because of this reason, they have ignored the role played by religion in the perpetuation of cultural as well as social†¦show more content†¦Religion tends to derive preferred lifestyles, ethics and morality from the ideas of human nature. Scholars have studied religions and categorized them into three main categories. These categories include the indigenous religions, transcultural as well as the internatio nal faiths. To understand the religion as a social control tool, it is necessary to understand the term socialization. Many sociologists have placed more focus on defining the term socialization. Ward (2011) defined the term socialization as the process through which an individual acquires the ways of a social group or a society so as he or she can fit in it. In his invitation to sociology, Koenig (2013) defined the term ‘socialization’ as the process through which acquires knowledge of how to become a member of the society. It is only through socializing that an individual is able to learn normative values, skills, beliefs, languages as well as other essential arrangements of action as well as thoughts significant for any given social life. Socialization and Religion It is only through socialization where any individual is integrated to the meaning of societal structure. As argued by Berger (2011), there is a need for a life to have a meaning. As an initiation process into the society, religion is an absolute hinge of socialization. For this instance,

Wednesday, December 11, 2019

Canadian Economy and Monetary Policy Effectiveness

Question: Discuss about the Canadian Economy and Monetary Policy Effectiveness. Answer: Introduction The paper intends to study in detail the economy of Canada. The paper will look at the various aspects of central bank functioning in the country; economic situation in the country. The economic scenario of the country needs to be looked in conjunction with the central bank and its measures. The central bank of aggressive economies generally front loads interest rate cuts to fuel economic growth. However we will discuss all this aspects in relation to the Canadian economy. We will all discuss views on recent comments by Mr. Morrison (Australian Chief Treasurer) and see how and if fits the Canadian economy conjunction. The paper also intends to look at how central banks and its chief measures which is the monetary policy as a tool becoming less effective. Some recent major economist have over the last few years have commented on how monetary policy as a tool is becoming really ineffective. The other concern which has been ailing the markets has been the results of the presidential ele ction in United States. Markets were expecting that democrat candidate will win the election and there will be no major changes or stance shift in the economy of United States. However the unexpected win of Republican Candidate Donald Trump, has increased uncertainty in the global markets. Market participants are jittery over the unexpected turn of events and capital flights has already started towards safe haven assets. The other concern which is line with the uncertainty, is the stance of Federal Reserve in upcoming times. Will the Federal Reserve be able to maintain the continuity in the system or the market participants are in for a surprise are some of the key questions which need answer in the near future. Role of Central Bank in the economy The Central Bank of Canada is known by the common name Bank of Canada. As any other Central Bank the core function of the bank is to maintain low level of inflation in the economy. As a developed nation this is not a major challenge, the major challenge for Bank of Canada lies in maintaining the growth momentum in the economy alongside minimum level of inflation. As per the charter of Bank of Canada, it is defined that four major functions of the bank is to maintain proper monetary position using monetary policy; creating a safe and sound financial system in the economy of Canada; design and issue currency of the country from time to time as per the requirement of the nation; and finally manage the funds for the government. At the end of the day Central Bank of the country is actually a chief banker to the government of the country. It manages the fund on behalf of the government and maintain financial stability of the country. Mr. Morrisons view on effectiveness of monetary policy In one of the recent interview with ABC television, Mr. Morrison (Chief Australian Treasurer), indicated that it is not possible for Reserve bank of Australia raised concern about the inability of the bank to reduce rate further in the economy. He also questioned whether the current day monetary policy tools are effective enough to do what they are intended to. This discussion on monetary policy and its effectiveness has been doing rounds after Wall street Journal published an article carrying out analysis of monetary policy and its current economic impact. Economists globally has questioned whether the monetary policy remains an effective measure anymore to reach to ailing economy. A recent journal released by International Monetary Fund, questions and studies the impact of monetary policy. The research highlights how monetary policy are now becoming ineffective even if the Central Bank of the country is front loading the policy rates. The reason sighted is the ultra-loose monetary policy maintained for too long and also the increase impact of global events across the world. Nowadays no country lives in isolation and the opening up of economies has brought in growth; but it also bought in concerns related to how economies and local markets reach when the going becomes tough in the larger economies. Countries like Britain, regions like Europe and Middle-East are still in fragile condition. The excessive use of Quantitative easing is also not helping matters, however economist over the world believes that QE is still a better measure for Central Banks than monetary policy. Discussion on effectiveness of the monetary policy In its last monetary policy review, Bank of Canada maintained the long term interest rate in the economy at percent. The corresponding bank rate stands in the economy at 0.75% and the deposit rate in the economy stood at 0.25%. This is a situation of an ultra-loose monetary policy which has been the stand for most of the developed nation since the events unfolded post 2008 recession across the globe. As per Bank of Canada, it is expected that global economy will gain traction in second half of 2016 and early part of 2017. It is believed that solid consumption theory and wave will take the momentum in the economy forward. The Bank of Canada is of the view that they will continue to be accommodating monetary policy conditions till most of 2018. The fiscal measures will also be in line with accommodative monetary policy stance. However as per Mr. Morrison view, it would be interesting to see how effective such monetary policy stance is under the current global economic scenario. Concern on the growth rate of the country and housing market troubles Recent macroeconomic data has suggested some amount of weakness in the economy. The Bank of Canada has failed in predicting the rate of growth in the country. The same fact has been acknowledged by Bank of Canada in its recent monetary policy review which was announced in October 2016. The main reason attributed for this slowdown or unpredictable growth rate is the unstable housing market. The housing market has been facing huge slowdown in Canada and that has been one of the major concern for the economy. The federal Government of the country has taken string initiatives to increase stability in the housing segment, however as of now no major improvement indicator has been visible. This is a situation of an ultra-loose monetary policy which has been the stand for most of the developed nation since the events unfolded post 2008 recession across the globe. As per Bank of Canada, it is expected that global economy will gain traction in second half of 2016 and early part of 2017. It is believed that solid consumption theory and wave will take the momentum in the economy forward. The Bank of Canada is of the view that they will continue to be accommodating monetary policy conditions till most of 2018. The fiscal measures will also be in line with accommodative monetary policy stance. Major economic indicators Recent macroeconomic data has suggested some amount of weakness in the economy. The Bank of Canada has failed in predicting the rate of growth in the country. The same fact has been acknowledged by Bank of Canada in its recent monetary policy review which was announced in October 2016. The main reason attributed for this slowdown or unpredictable growth rate is the unstable housing market. The housing market has been facing huge slowdown in Canada and that has been one of the major concern for the economy. The federal Government of the country has taken string initiatives to increase stability in the housing segment, however as of now no major improvement indicator has been visible. The Bank of Canada is of the view that they will continue to be accommodating monetary policy conditions till most of 2018. The fiscal measures will also be in line with accommodative monetary policy stance. As per estimates from Bank of Canada it is expected that real GDP of the country will grow by 1.1% in 2016, followed by 2% in both 2017 and 2018. The core inflation in the economy is currently standing at 2% and it is expected to be nearby that number for a while now. What are the estimates of growth for the country? As per World Bank report it is expected that economy of Canada will grow by 1% in 2016 and 1.8% in next two years. The housing market has been facing huge slowdown in Canada and that has been one of the major concern for the economy. The federal Government of the country has taken string initiatives to increase stability in the housing segment, however as of now no major improvement indicator has been visible. The Bank of Canada is of the view that they will continue to be accommodating monetary policy conditions till most of 2018. The fiscal measures will also be in line with accommodative monetary policy stance. As per estimates from Bank of Canada it is expected that real GDP of the country will grow by 1.1% in 2016, followed by 2% in both 2017 and 2018. The core inflation in the economy is currently standing at 2% and it is expected to be nearby that number for a while now. What are the global issues which are hurting the economy? There are many global issues which are ailing different economies of the world. At the one end of the world it is the BREXIT which is keeping the investors at bay, and on the other end it is the uncertain environment post the presidential election results in United States. BREXIT is now a known phenomenon, however whether the world will see a soft BREXIT or hard BREXIT is ailing the world markets. The stability has been hurt and markets are jittery. The world markets have reaped benefits of open economy system for years, and the referendum results in United Kingdom has raised question whether the world is moving towards a situation when closed or semi open system of economies again start gaining traction. Recently the Italian referendum results have added fuel to the debate. A hard BREXIT and supposedly similar reaction in different countries of Euro group has the capacity to bring havoc in the European Region. It is widely believed that in such a scenario, it is possible that the Eu rope Union will break and single region benefits will be lost. The other concern which has been ailing the markets has been the results of the presidential election in United States. Markets were expecting that democrat candidate will win the election and there will be no major changes or stance shift in the economy of United States. However the unexpected win of Republican Candidate Donald Trump, has increased uncertainty in the global markets. Market participants are jittery over the unexpected turn of events and capital flights has already started towards safe haven assets. The other concern which is line with the uncertainty, is the stance of Federal Reserve in upcoming times. Will the Federal Reserve be able to maintain the continuity in the system or the market participants are in for a surprise are some of the key questions which need answer in the near future. Deposit taking institutions in Canada There are many deposit taking institutions in Canada. They are regulated by the Bank of Canada, however the banking act do not have the same reporting standards for the same. A company which is issuing Commercial Papers dont need to provide any asset and liability management report on the daily basis. There are many payment banks which strives in keeping some small deposits of customers and help in meeting the payment needs digitally. Recommendation The Canadian Economy is facing huge concern in the housing market. This is one major concern for the economy and the resultant effects are already visible in the growth rate of the country. There is a need of strong fiscal measure and government policies to stop foreclosures in the housing market. Some amount of QE in the system can help the country revive back to predictable growth measures. As the article of Mr. Morrison suggested, the monetary policy effectiveness now needs to be questioned and studied. The housing market has been facing huge slowdown in Canada and that has been one of the major concern for the economy. The federal Government of the country has taken string initiatives to increase stability in the housing segment, however as of now no major improvement indicator has been visible. In one of the recent interview with ABC television, Mr. Morrison (Chief Australian Treasurer), indicated that it is not possible for Reserve bank of Australia raised concern about the ina bility of the bank to reduce rate further in the economy. He also questioned whether the current day monetary policy tools are effective enough to do what they are intended to. He highlighted in era of globalization and such low interest rates, in some cases even negative interest rate, monetary policy as a tool has lost its impact. This discussion on monetary policy and its effectiveness has been doing rounds after Wall street Journal published an article carrying out analysis of monetary policy and its current economic impact. Economists globally has questioned whether the monetary policy remains an effective measure anymore to reach to ailing economy. Conclusion The Bank of Canada has failed in predicting the rate of growth in the country. The same fact has been acknowledged by Bank of Canada in its recent monetary policy review which was announced in October 2016. The main reason attributed for this slowdown or unpredictable growth rate is the unstable housing market. The housing market has been facing huge slowdown in Canada and that has been one of the major concern for the economy. The federal Government of the country has taken string initiatives to increase stability in the housing segment, however as of now no major improvement indicator has been visible. In one of the recent interview with ABC television, Mr. Morrison (Chief Australian Treasurer), indicated that it is not possible for Reserve bank of Australia raised concern about the inability of the bank to reduce rate further in the economy. He also questioned whether the current day monetary policy tools are effective enough to do what they are intended to. He highlighted in era of globalization and such low interest rates, in some cases even negative interest rate, monetary policy as a tool has lost its impact. This discussion on monetary policy and its effectiveness has been doing rounds after Wall street Journal published an article carrying out analysis of monetary policy and its current economic impact. Economists globally has questioned whether the monetary policy remains an effective measure anymore to reach to ailing economy. A recent journal released by International Monetary Fund, questions and studies the impact of monetary policy. The research highlights how monetary policy are now becoming ineffective even if the Central Bank of the country is front loading the policy rates. References Cao, L., Hosking, A., Kouparitsas, M., Mullaly, D., Rimmer, X., Shi, Q., Stark, W. and Wende, S., 2015. Understanding the economy-wide efficiency and incidence of major Canadian taxes.Treasury WP,1 Georgiadis, G. and Mehl, A., 2015. Trilemma, not dilemma: financial globalisation and Monetary policy effectiveness Hanif, M.N. and Iqbal, J., 2016.Assessing Monetary Policy Effectiveness in Rich Data Environment(No. 80). State Bank of Pakistan, Research Department Imam, P.A., 2015. Shock from graying: Is the demographic shift weakening monetary policy effectiveness.International Journal of Finance Economics,20(2), pp.138-154 Li, E.X. and Li, P.S., 2016. Immigrant Enclave Thesis Reconsidered: Case of Chinese Immigrants in the Enclave and Mainstream Economy in Canada.Journal of International Migration and Integration,17(1), pp.131-151. Manalo, J., Perera, D. and Rees, D.M., 2015. Exchange rate movements and the Australian economy.Economic Modelling,47, pp.53-62 Morissette, C., 2014.The Underground Economy in Canada, 1992 to 2011. Statistics Canada Rees, D.M., Smith, P. and Hall, J., 2016. A Multi?sector Model of the Australian Economy.Economic Record Rey, H., 2015.Dilemma not trilemma: the global financial cycle and monetary policy independence(No. w21162). National Bureau of Economic Research Robinson, T., Tsiaplias, S. and Nguyen, V.H., 2015. The Australian Economy in 201415: An Economy in Transition.Australian Economic Review,48(1), pp.1-14 Schneider, F., 2013. Size and development of the shadow economy of 31 European and 5 other OECD countries from 2003 to 2013: a further decline.Johannes Kepler Universitt, Linz, pp.5-7 Sheen, J., Trck, S. and Wang, B.Z., 2015. Daily Business and External Condition Indices for the Australian Economy.Economic Record,91(S1), pp.38-53 Sims, C.A., 2016, August. Fiscal Policy, Monetary Policy and Central Bank Independence. InDesigning Resilient Monetary Policy Frameworks for the Future: A Symposium Sponsored by the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City Smith, A., 2016. Unrelenting: a media-focused political economy analysis of antidepressant use in Canada Southcott, C. and Walker, V., 2015. A portrait of the social economy in northern Canada.Northern Communities Working Together: The Social Economy of Canada's North, p.21 Wu, J.C. and Xia, F.D., 2016. Measuring the macroeconomic impact of monetary policy at the zero lower bound.Journal of Money, Credit and Banking,48(2-3), pp.253-291 Zhang, H.E., 2015.The sustainability of European Monetary Union. Evidence from business cycle synchronisation, monetary policy effectiveness and the Euro fiscal dividend(Doctoral dissertation, University of Bradford) Rey, H., 2015.Dilemma not trilemma: the global financial cycle and monetary policy independence(No. w21162). National Bureau of Economic Research Robinson, T., Tsiaplias, S. and Nguyen, V.H., 2015. The Australian Economy in 201415: An Economy in Transition.Australian Economic Review,48(1), pp.1-14 Schneider, F., 2013. Size and development of the shadow economy of 31 European and 5 other OECD countries from 2003 to 2013: a further decline.Johannes Kepler Universitt, Linz, pp.5-7 Sheen, J., Trck, S. and Wang, B.Z., 2015. Daily Business and External Condition Indices for the Australian Economy.Economic Record,91(S1), pp.38-53 Sims, C.A., 2016, August. Fiscal Policy, Monetary Policy and Central Bank Independence. InDesigning Resilient Monetary Policy Frameworks for the Future: A Symposium Sponsored by the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City Smith, A., 2016. Unrelenting: a media-focused political economy analysis of antidepressant use in Canada Southcott, C. and Walker, V., 2015. A portrait of the social economy in northern Canada.Northern Communities Working Together: The Social Economy of Canada's North, p.21

Wednesday, December 4, 2019

Ecommerce and Marketing Regional Tourism Organisations

Question: To investigate how digital communication mix ( email marketing , mobile marketing , SEO, Search Engine Marketing , Display Advertising ) can be used as marketing techniques to target potential customers. To identify how the features of E-Commerce can be used to reinforce brand identity. Answer: Introduction Communication is a very important aspect for the business to grow and at the same time also create a relationship and strengthen the efficiency of the company. It also helps the companies to learn more and more from one another (Burgess et al, 2011). There are number of technologies like internet, social media and CRM systems and it also impact the way companies contact the potential customers. The new kind of communication is completely transforming the overall landscape and different type of messaging strategy that businesses uses (Burgess et al, 2011). To investigate how digital communication mix (email marketing, mobile marketing, SEO, Search Engine Marketing, Display Advertising) can be used as marketing techniques to target potential customers. There are number of consumers and organisations that look for information and at the same time also connect with other kind of people and organisations from their electronic items like phones or computers. People can easily access so many sources of data or information online and a space in interactive media and customers also have to collect more and more information related to product comfortably (Burgess et al, 2011). Environment and work space are changing and so many people are now creating offices virtually and communicating on social media websites like LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter (Bosomworth, 2013). As landscape and media work ethics are changing and the money that is spend on different kinds of communication is also changing. When companies reach a developed stage it is important they change their way it communicates and at the same time communicate the values and advantages of the overall offerings the present and potential consumers (Bosomworth, 2013). Integrated marketing communications is an approach that is designed to deliver one message consistently for buyers through different promotion strategies that may utilise all different types of media sources like TV, magazines, internet and different social media platforms (Allisat, 2014). In order to deliver information to the targeted audience consistently helps the company to establish an image in the mind of the current customers and also the future or potential customers along with target audience. IMC is helping the organisations to coordinate this process or the message that helps in brand building and also develops a strong customer and company relationship and achieving customer satisfaction (Allisat, 2014). People these days especially the youth have become an integral part of the millennial generation and the youth is driving and actively supporting the changes towards new and unique communication technologies (Gangeshwer, 2013). People opts to receive promotions through mobile marketing and from different stores on the mobile phone while shopping or through different mobile gaming machines that permits them to connect to the different websites and platforms. For example, advertisement on Facebook or Twitter has become quite popular as organisations are actively participating in different social media platforms. Today, traditional sources of media like newspapers, television and magazines are competing with Internet, mobile phones, social media platforms; various users based contents like blogs and at the same time YouTube as well as advertising based on out-of-home like movable promotion or billboards (Gangeshwer, 2013). This is why, all kinds of marketing media sources are bound to c ome up with some innovative ideas in order to remain important and relevant. Today, the relevance of Segmentation, targeting and positioning (STP) has become relevant for digital marketing since application of marketing strategies can help in developing more relevant and important digital communication with the help of alternative tactical customer segmentation approaches (Mohammed, 2015). In addition to this, STP also aims on developing the effectiveness and at the same time selection of most important segment for the company and further developing a marketing mix and position of strategy for every segment. With the help of segmentation, companies can recognise different niches with particular needs and also have a mature to identify new and potential customer, apply a more focussed and efficient marketing message (Mohammed, 2015). The overall need of every segment is quite similar and so is the marketing message that must be designed in a manner that every segment can focus on different advantages and also features the important points rather than a common approach for all kind of customers (Mulpuru et al, 2011). To identify how the features of E-Commerce can be used to reinforce brand identity. It is very crucial to put the brand strategy that can help in defining the customers and see the business and the product from completely new and different angle. It has become important for the companies to become or achieve the important or winning difference. Another thing which is very important is how it helps the companies to be unique in the crowd and at the same time also avoid a competition on price (Mulpuru et al, 2011). Building ecommerce stores and brand strategy for the same is a very strong and powerful marketing and retention of the customers and achieves different loyalty techniques and it is important for any new and established business especially ecommerce businesses (Adam, 2011). The company must decide the brand strategy and also position it before getting in other aspects of businesses. Or else, companies will have to work in backwards in order to get the business in touch with the customers (Gilaninia et al, 2011). The Ecommerce companies must understand the nature of business and the market. This can be done by asking some relevant questions like the mission and vision statement, how company solves the challenges related to product, current customers perception, and potential customers thought process and the standards that the customer deserves to get attracted with (Gilaninia et al, 2011). It is important to get the answers of above question and then promotes the messages on the store. After that market research is very important and the companies must try to get in the mind of the customer and also know the business (Mistry, 2011). This can be done through emailing the survey to the present customers or apply the survey and its functionality within the store. Companies must decide a unique or distinct selling proposition and this is the most fundamental step for any good brand strategy. The aim is to have a differentiated brand from the competitors and make some loyal customers by giving them a strong reason to purchase companies product (Tonkin et al, 2011). The story must be highlighted on all sources of media with unique philosophy and certain goals for the business as well as the product. The company will also have to use brand product quality as a main tool for marketing and in a most effective is to build the brand loyalty. This is not an easy process but this process leads to a definitive result (Tonkin et al, 2011). These days if the product or services businesses are not designed by keeping quality in mind, than the customers will not return and in fact the customer will express open dissatisfaction across many social media platform openly and this may adversely impact the image of the company. It is important to maintain the quality and also remain consistent in it so that the company can build some or many lifetime customers (Jun-long, 2010). Conclusion The knowledge of customer these days is quite high and with high customer expectation from the product and also the explosion in various engagement channels; marketing manager today is facing a challenge to deal with sprawling matrix of many disconnected and vague figures to understand (Ljungmark and Bernhardsson, 2011). There are some tools today that provide a more proper and consolidated view on different figures. There are two possible categories in the modern marketing where there is one who get it and have proper intricate systems in place in order to calculate and also act on the intelligence given by different channel metrics. Then there are those who view this metrics as a check box on the list of requirements and have something that they know they need but have no clue for leveraging effectively (Mllern, 2011). Collection of metrics actually means completely going beyond the tracking process and having business objectives. In order to leverage the metrics in most strategic manner it is important to create more loyal and engaging clients and have a business that needs to look at creating a more consolidated and have personal thoughts on varied customer and their span channels (Mllern, 2011). The company needs a metrics that can put together to help in painting more perfect picture to have end-to-end client relationship and also show how to get better target messaging in order to drive more engaged audience. Marketing managers will have to find a way to break down the elements and then connect different data sources (Mllern, 2011). This way, the manager will manage to have complete view of the customer and various interactions with them in order to leverage the data in order to build strong relationships. Reference Burgess, L., Parish, B. and Alcock, C., 2011. To what extent are regional tourism organisations (RTOs) in Australia leveraging the benefits of web technology for destination marketing and eCommerce?.Electronic commerce research,11(3), pp.341-355. Bosomworth, D., 2013. Mobile marketing statistics 2015.Smart Insights site. Allisat, W., 2014. 20 years of online retail: How has ecommerce changed marketing?. Gangeshwer, D.K., 2013. E-commerce or Internet Marketing: A business Review from Indian context.International Journal of u-and e-Service, Science and Technology,6(6), pp.187-194. Mohammed, D., 2015. Ecommerce: Ongoing Challenges.The Journal of Internet Banking and Commerce,2010. Mulpuru, S., Harteveldt, H.H. and Roberge, D., 2011. Five retail ecommerce trends to watch in 2011.Reproduction, pp.1-8. Gilaninia, S., Mousavian, S.J. and Rezvani, M., 2011. INTERDISCIPLINARY JOURNAL OF CONTEMPORARY RESEARCH IN BUSINESS.IJCRB,3(2), p.142. Mistry, J., 2011. Performance Measurement In The eCommerce Industry.Journal of Business Economics Research (JBER),1(11). Adam, C., 2011. Influence of adoption factors and risks on ecommerce and online marketing.Marketing From Information to Decision, (4), pp.21-35. Tonkin, S., Whitmore, C. and Cutroni, J., 2011.Performance marketing with Google Analytics: Strategies and techniques for maximizing online ROI. John Wiley and Sons. Jun-long, L.I., 2010. Network Marketing Countermeasures for Agricultural Products [J].Journal of Sichuan University of Science Engineering (Social Sciences Edition),4, p.020. Ljungmark, P. and Bernhardsson, E., 2011. Facebook as a marketing channel: A study of eCommerce retailers Facebook page ambitions. Mllern, T., 2011.Facebook as a marketing channel. A study of ecommerce retailers Facebook page ambitious(Doctoral dissertation, Master Thesis, Internationella Handelshgskolan, Jnkping, Sweden). Retrieved from https://www. divaportal. org/smash/get/diva2: 426534).

Thursday, November 28, 2019

River King Review Essay Example

River King Review Paper Essay on River King It is said that children can be very cruel. After reading the novel by Alice Hoffman River King, I can not disagree. Perhaps nothing criticized the famous TV series School (and, perhaps, why scold). It is really a lot of truth, though, I have not had to deal with childhood cruelty. So, teenager Gus Pierce came to study at the elite school in a small town. And everything is good, but thats just he was very unlucky too, and besides, unlike the others. Only one girl knew and loved him a true friend Carlin Leander. Also black sheep in the team. But once they had an argument. The next morning, Gus was found dead in the river. What happened that night? Is the young man was so upset that he took his own life? Or maybe he was killed, but who? And why the police did not want to intervene in this matter? We will write a custom essay sample on River King Review specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on River King Review specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on River King Review specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer If you think that this is a detective, then perhaps you are not quite right. Its still a book about love and betrayal, stiffness and mercy, and yet how hard to survive the loss of a loved one. Accept the fact that more never see him again, not Pohorje And yet, all the while thinking that if youre in a moment acted differently, the tragedy would not have happened My first encounter with the work of Alice Hoffman was unsuccessful. The book What would that be left me completely indifferent. I remember, I was not even able to finish it. All the time asleep. But it took some time, and I once again decided to take up the creation of Alice Hoffman. This time, everything turned out more than well. The novel River King I liked him a lot more. Maybe he just got in the mood, but definitely left a mark in my heart. He forced sincerely empathize with the heroes. After losing a loved one is very difficult. But you should try to be strong to survive the grief and move on, if so ordered life. By the way, based on the book by Alice Hoffman River King in 2005. The film was shot. It is called Death on the river. Id love to see a picture.

Sunday, November 24, 2019

Word Choice Which vs. Witch - Proofeds Writing Tips

Word Choice Which vs. Witch - Proofeds Writing Tips Word Choice: Which vs. Witch There are up to a million words in the English language. We probably shouldn’t be surprised, then, that some of these words sound similar to one another, such as â€Å"which† and â€Å"witch.† But although â€Å"which† and â€Å"witch† sound alike, they have very different meanings. So to avoid errors in your written work, check out our guide below on how they should be used! Which (Relative Pronoun and Asking Questions) In American English, â€Å"which† is mainly used when introducing a non-restrictive relative clause. This is a clause given after a comma to add extra information about something. For example: I’m going to the see the movie, which my brother directed. Here, â€Å"which† introduces a clause that provides extra information about the movie (i.e., that my brother directed it). Be careful only to use â€Å"which† with non-restrictive clauses, as â€Å"that† is typically used for restrictive clauses (i.e., clauses that help identify something) in American English. Another use of â€Å"which† is to ask questions. In particular, we use it to ask for information that specifies one or more people or things from a group or collection. For instance: Which movie are you going to see today? In this case, we’re asking which among all of the movies currently showing someone is going to see. Witch (Woman with Magic Powers) Traditionally, a â€Å"witch† was a woman thought to have magic powers. The standard image we have of a witch these days, for instance, is an evil old woman with a pointy hat and a broomstick: My daughter dressed up as a witch for trick-or-treating last year. Most people don’t believe in â€Å"evil† witches anymore. However, there are some who follow the Wicca religion who refer to themselves as â€Å"witches.† They don’t all wear pointy hats, though. Please refrain from Salem-like panic if there is a Wiccan in your neighborhood. Which or Witch? These words are very different in practice, so it is important not to mix them up! One way to tell them apart is to think of â€Å"which† as a question word. This can help because it starts with â€Å"wh-,† just like other words we use to ask questions, such as â€Å"what,† â€Å"why† and â€Å"where.† Even if you are introducing a relative clause, this technique can still remind you which word is correct. â€Å"Witch,† meanwhile, typically refers to a female magic user. Remember: Which = Relative pronoun or asking questions Witch = Woman with magic powers

Thursday, November 21, 2019

RENAULT ACQUIRES NISSAN Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

RENAULT ACQUIRES NISSAN - Essay Example oblems for the management such as language problems, culture difference and also there was a lot of physical gap between both the countries physical process and also attributes of people. The alliance between both the companies did prove to be profitable for both the companies as Renault used Nissan plant in Mexico to build cars and Nissan used Renault’s plant in Brazil and also there distribution networks (RENAULT, 2014). But in the starting the management of the company faced a lot of problems related to the cultural difference among the two companies and in bringing together both the companies to work together. In 2005 Carlos Ghosn was appointed as the CEO for both the companies and the major task in front of him was to overcome the cultural differences. He was the leader of Renault which was a French company and the management of employees was easy their and he was a successful leader then, but the scenario was completely different in Nissan as it was a Japanese company. T he culture in the Japanese organizations are completely different as people in Japan look to work individually having a individualistic characteristics on the other which affected the company to work as a single organization as all the departments used to perform their duties in the perfect way but when the different department were made to work together the output used to never be a good one as there was no team work and unity among the employees. On the same way When Carlos started to close all the additional plants of Nissan and also shutting down the assembly lines to make it more concentrated process was not liked by the employees as Japanese people believe over lifetime employability plans so for them this was a big change that was made (Nissan Motor Corporation, 2014). Carlos also got the cultural difference in Nissan in the form of promotion where in his previous environment promotions were made based on the performance whereas in Japanese organization the promotions were ma de based

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

The movie style of David Fincher Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The movie style of David Fincher - Essay Example Quotations from the film have been cited independently in the bibliography. Fincher’s choice and portrayal of protagonists merit some attention. Frequently, his lead characters are men in a stressful or otherwise unfulfilling job, at odds with the world they inhabit, and with complex and unstable psychologies. Detective William Somerset in Seven is on the verge of retiring from a long career in the police. He repeatedly speaks about the oppressive nature of the city he lives in and how he would like to travel ‘far [a]way from here’. In Fight Club, the unnamed protagonist suffers from insomnia and has to join a slew of support groups to feel like a victim and find his emotional release. He is later revealed to be suffering from Split Personality Disorder as well. In Zodiac, the cartoonist-detective becomes obsessed with trying to solve the Zodiac’s codes and can think of nothing else, leading his second wife to leave him. The Game features millionaire Nicholas Van Orton, who, in his brother’s words, was ‘becoming such an asshole’ that he needed an extraordinarily complex and dangerous prank played on him for him to be able to feel again. The Social Network also fictionalises its real-life lead Mark Zuckerberg as someone not really ‘likeable’. Film critic James Lewis Hoberman, in his review of The Social Network, describes the character as ‘a sort of mildly autistic Sammy Glick with a grim 1,000-yard glare’. In the movie itself, the final lines are also directed at Zuckerberg’s character: ‘Youre not an asshole, Mark. Youre just trying so hard to be one’. The social and psychological alienation of his protagonists then, are a recurrent feature in Fincher’s films. Another thematic concern that pervades Fincher’s oeuvre is contemporary society as a locus of apathy and emotional numbness. In Seven, Somerset repeatedly expresses his dissatisfaction with the society he inhabits

Sunday, November 17, 2019

GUCCI Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

GUCCI - Essay Example Exhibit A and Exhibit E show in the new 2006 Ready to Wear advertisement that GUCCI Blouses are far advanced in terms of trends and fashion design as compared to many of its blouse competitors like DKNY, D & G, BCBG, Burberry, Diesel, and others. The financial statement of DKNY shows that the net profit is only a low 8% of the net sales. (www.edgar-on-line.com) The key functions of buying and merchandising and other liaison with retail and marketing include ranging, pricing, promotions and space allocation. Buyers also identify market opportunities to meet changing consumer needs The market opportunity, based on the trend forecast, shows that GUCCI blouses are one of the top fashion statements that many of the "rich" clients love to keep as display items both on their person and at home. In accounting, the projected Income statement is estimated by first projecting the future sales. In this case the blouse sales have been estimated to be 2.5% higher than its previous 7% per year. To get the sales for three months, the annual sales of 7% of 210 million pounds is multiplied 3 months and divided by 12 months. The months are July, August and September. Therefore the estimated sales are 4.99 million pounds for the three month period. The projected sales as stated in the problem is 210 million and blouses took 7% of the sales. This year you are looking for a 2.5% increase and you are expected to operate on 8 weeks cover. This will translate to ([210 million x (.07+.025) ] x (3/12) = $1.322 million for the 3 month period. Therefore the buying department will have to spend 1.322 million pounds for the entire three month blouse purchases. Exhibit C shows the balance sheet for 2002 to 2004. The blouses will then be presented to the brand director for approval. After approval from the brand director, the blouses will be presented to the retailers for display in its regularly assigned store shelves and show rooms. Exhibit D shows the WSSI estimates. The retail stores prefer companies, like GUCCI, that have fast moving items since most retail stores base their commissions on total sales. If the sales are slow, then the retail outlets will have lower commissions. GUCCI, also, has its own fashion galleries and stores plus its many catwalk presentations that will increase sales. Buying price ranges for each Gucci blouse (Eicher, 2003) is 30 pounds, 40 pounds, 50 pounds, 60 pounds, 70 pounds and 80 pounds. These will be respectively sold at 113 pounds, 150 pounds, 188 pounds, 226 pounds, 264 pounds and 300 pounds respectively. Gucci products are being sold in over fifty countries. This includes United States, Europe, Asia, Canada and others. Regarding the retail marketing it does against competitors etc, "Companies like Gucci and Max Mara, with their own stores and no-frills management style, may be better fixed than others. And as Mr. Maramotti said after the Max Mara show, with its romantic peasant blouses, sashed dresses in men's-wear fabrics and crisp Sergeant Pepper jackets, 'we make nice clothes for real people.' '' (http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.htmlres=9501E1DA123DF931A35753C1A9679C8B63&pagewanted=print) Gucci product ranges include fashion jewelry,

Friday, November 15, 2019

An Analysis of Beyond Parental Control (BPC)

An Analysis of Beyond Parental Control (BPC) Over the years, parents seeking Beyond Parental Control (BPC) order from the Juvenile Court has increased drastically, in particular during economic downturns. When Singapore was gripped by an economic recession from 2008 2009, the number of applications for BPC increased. 744 applications were filed last year, compared to 720 in 2008 and 673 in 2007 (Eisen, 2009). In any case, it is worthy to note that the perennial issue has seen an increased in delinquent girls forcing parents to apply for BPC and handing over to the court to take control of their daughters. This essay will attempt to discuss the background of BPC and critically analyse the issues faced by the parents and youth. The second part of the essay will define the relevant theories which will be applicable to the issue and relate examples to further illustrate the theories. Thirdly, media effect and their role of reporting the juvenile crimes especially on the problematic girls will also be discussed upon. Last but not l east, recommendations on the way forward for juvenile crimes and prevention methods will be deliberated. Background and Trending of BPC In light of the increasing juvenile crimes over the years, the Beyond Parental Control order was instituted in 1997 and Singapore is the only country in the world which instituted such an order to deal with juvenile delinquency (Balhetchet, 2010). According to Ministry of Community Development Youth and Sports (MCYS, 2010), Children Beyond Parental Control refer to children below 16 years of age who is observed to display certain behavioral problems in school or at home. The gathered statistics proved to be alarming as the number of BPCs applied by parents or guardians has tripled over the last decade. In February 1999, one of the Subordinate Court research bulletins (1999) highlighted that an average of 200 BPC complaints were lodged at the Juvenile Court annually. However, in comparison, an increasing trend of BPC applications was observed for the past 3 years (2009: 744, 2008: 720, and 2007: 673). Moreover, the statistics gathered seems to suggest that an economic downturn between 2008 to 2009 could have attributed to the incremental trend. This was also observed during the recession in 2001 when the number of applications for BPC doubled from 244 to 598 cases in the following year (Eisen, 2009 Serene, 2010). According to another set of statistics from Singapore Police Force, there was an increase of 1.2% in the overall crime rate for the last 2 years (SPF, 2010). Elsewhere in United States, while arrests of male juveniles have increased since 2002, statistics for female juveniles have spiked alarmingly. According to US federal statistics in 2003, 25% of the arrested juveniles were females. In comparison to ten years ago, female juveniles only clocked approximately 10% of the arrest made by the police (Geoffrey, 2005). Social Demographics of BPC cases One of the researches conducted by Subordinate Courts in 1999 studied on 379 BPC cases. To understand the nature of the complaints filed, the study includes their family and social backgrounds and demographic profiles. From the research, 49% of the juveniles parents were married, while a substantial figure of the juveniles parents were either divorced (37%), widowed (7%), single parents (3%), separated (3%) or cohabiting (1%). Most of their parents are low-skilled workers and the average household income is less than $2000. The reported figures somehow lead to the assumption that more than half of the BPC cases came from low income and broken families. Most of the parents already spend so much time earning for a living so that the earned money can be given to their children. As they have been working and tend to neglect their children, they have little energy left to gain their attention and communicate with them (Serene, 2009). However, Dr Carol Balhetchet, director of Youth Service s at the Singapore Childrens Society feels otherwise. She shared that the generation has evolved and in recent years, most of the problematic children who face court orders or under warrant arrest by the police come from a complete home (Joan, Chia, He Ong, 2008). Similar to Dr Carols claim, 69% of new probation cases (according to MCYS) in 2006 involved delinquent youth who come from 2 parent families. Another worrying data collated from the study by Subordinate Courts revealed that a total of 65% of the BPC cases were committed by girls whereas male only constituted the remaining 35%. Although a recent trending (as of Sep 10) by Youth Services Centre as elaborated by Dr Carol during a face-to-face session with her, revealed that BPC cases involving girls has generally decreased over the decade (boys: 49% and girls: 51%), 267 BPC cases (out of 523 cases) involving girls is definitely of a concern not only to parents, but to the society as well (Balhetchet, 2010). The next part of the essay will critically discuss and analyze some of the causal factors and problems faced by parents, the children and the society. Why did it happen and who to blame? One may ask, why are some of the girls wilder and getting into trouble? According to a social worker, the sharp increase of problematic girls could be a result of changing attitudes towards bringing up daughters (Roaul, 1997). While parents claimed that they will raise their daughters no differently from their sons, studies by experts have shown that boys and girls are nurtured differently due to the fact that by virtue, boys and girls behave differently due to the genetic differences (Ames Haber, 1989). Boys are perceived to be active and often get into trouble, but when their daughters behave similarly, parents gave up and hand them over to the Court. This may breed resentment in the girls and inadvertently cause Parent-Child relationship to be severely strained. Henceforth, the girls may run away from home and skip school (Roaul, 1997). A typical case is that of a 13-year old girl whose parents applied to the Juvenile Court for BPC order when she is reported to have skipped schoo l and hang out with men twice her age. She became resentful and stay away from home when she is aware that her parents have handed her to the Court (Radha, 2008). Moreover, girls running away from home are often susceptible to committing a variety of crimes, such as shoplifting, rioting, theft and even to the extent of prostitution to survive (McCormack et al., 1986; Phelps, McIntosh, Jesudason, Warner, Pohlkamp, 1982).When a child commits a deviance act, parents tend to ask why do you do that? Based on the Control and Social Bond theories, control theorists hypothesize that crime and deviancy is a natural occurrence in the society simply because all human beings have an innate to commit crime (Jones, 2009). Therefore, when parents need to deal with their deviant children, they should explain to them Why you should not do that. Similarly, Hirschi (1969) claimed that there is no requirement to explain why people commit such acts because delinquency is not caused by beliefs that requ ire delinquency but rather, it is only possible by the absence of effective beliefs that forbids delinquency. In essence, child nurturing starts from young and good child rearing practices will definitely facilitate positive socialization process within the family and the childs circle of friends. Conversely, bad parental skills and negative influences are contributing factors to deviancy acts committed by their children. Studies have revealed that the quality of parent-child relationships is largely associated with some of the high-risk health behaviours such as consumption of alcohol, smoking, drug abuse and sexually risky behaviors. For instance, several large-scale pediatric surveys have discovered that parents who are smokers themselves are more likely to have children who smoke (Green et al., 1990). Another research by Berk (1997) has shown that family members behavior and habits, socialization patterns, environmental influence and a childs inborn personality traits will shape the childs cognitive development and behavior as they grow up. In addition, positive parenting styles with a balance of control and warmth are very beneficial to the childs development in which a rational and consultative approach by parents and children rights are mutually agreed and respected (Subordinate Courts, 2001). On the contrary, parents who are only interested in making money and neglect their children unknowingly must bear the responsibility when their children are recalcitrant and belligerent. A study by Ozawa and Loh (2000) analyze that most fathers of the juvenile offenders appear to be uninvolved, neglecting and permissive towards their child. Generally, fathers, being the bread winners of the family are often not involved in their childs growth and development. The treatment for gender differences is that fathers tend to exert more authority on boys whereas for girls, fathers are usually more permissive and leave it to their mother to handle. As for mothers, they ar e generally observed to be permissive. Although mothers tend to be more caring and loving, their permissive attitudes could ultimately lead to teen delinquency because they may not be exercising control over their children and thus indirectly allowing them to continue with their misbehavior. From the analysis made by Ozawa and Loh, it appears that a deadly combination (which is common in the society) of permissive-neglecting and uninvolved father, matching with a permissive mother is a formula for disaster to happen at home. What we can hypothesize is that low control of children especially female juveniles can potentially lead to delinquency. Behavioral Problems of Youths Nevertheless, looking at another perspective, the parents may not be entirely at fault because the children could be influenced by the environment. According to the Anomie and Strain theory, Merton (1997) described the materialistic dream of being successful and wealthy. Not everyone is entitled and have the opportunity to achieve the goal. Hence, this dissonance between the goal of being wealthy and the structural limitations that prevent people from achieving the goal causes strain within the community. Such strain will therefore cause people to commit deviant acts illegitimately to achieve such desires. As the cognitive development of a juvenile is still premature at this stage, the thought of committing crimes to fulfill certain desires will supersede the moral values that are taught in the school. Accordingly to statistics, the top 3 crimes committed by juveniles are shoplifting, theft and rioting (Subordinate Courts, 2004). When they are in need of money, they will resort to st ealing, extortion and bullying, and prostitution for girls. Typically, a case of a 13-year old girl joined a gang and inherited all the bad habits such as smoking, drinking, glue-sniffing, stealing and rioting. When her father applied for Beyond Parental Control and eventually remanded in Girls Home, she was only 14 year-old (Joan, Chia, He Ong, 2008). Besides that, more girls, as young as 10, are also experimenting with sex. In 2006, teenagers constituted 12,000 abortions that were done in Singapore. Girls who turned to prostitution gave reasons such as financial problems and needed money to buy branded goods. For instance, a 15 year-old girl who needed money and turned to prostitution was pregnant (Carolyn Kimberly, 2009). Many girls have reported that sexual exploitation has somehow affected their eventual entrance into prostitution (Silbert Pines, 1981). At times, they might have been wronged or abused by their parents or guardians as much as they have done wrong. Take it for instance, a girl who had run away from home, was molested by her father before she turned to prostitution. Before she was even 16, she has had slept with countless men and contracted Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) (Serene, 2010). But in the eyes of the law, having sex with girls below 16 years old can be charged for statutory rape. If found guilty, offenders can be jailed up to 20 years and fined and caned. More parents are giving up on their delinquent daughters than sons and seeking assistance from the Juvenile Court. According to the Research Bulletin from Subordinate Courts (1999), some of the more serious delinquent behaviors that were encountered are beyond control, running away from home, involve in gangs, taking drugs and unlawful sexual experiences. Other problems such as rude and violent to teachers, smoking and play truancy in school were also observed in the study. Another aspect of delinquency is the youths exposure to various media such as the internet. In the current Information and Communication Technology (ICT) era, the child and even the parents are constantly engaged in their I-phones, laptops and internet. Because of such exposure and freedom to use the internet, Professor Winslow, a psychiatrist said that teenagers find it a thrill in obtaining and watching pornography on the internet and they are far more sexualized (Shuli, 2008). Besides that, coupled with lack of parents or adult supervision and boredom, things can get complicated when teenagers are left alone. Even when parents are at home, they have little energy left after a long day at work especially when both parents are working. Some parents faced the difficulty of gaining their childrens attention, who even if they are physically at home, are preoccupy with their online games, chatting with friends online and surfing the internet. Gone are the days where children and parents share a family phone, television, or even computer (Serene, 2010). Problems and issues between the children and parents begin to escalate when there is a lack of proper communication as well as mutual trust and support. The cognitive development of a child is largely dependent on their parents. Juvenile delinquency is often traced back to the youths family and social life. Other than trust and support, parents must show that they are keen to engage in their children. Such care and concern from parents would definitely enable their children to open up and share their woes and problems (Jonathan, 2010). Besides medias influence on juvenile, cyber bullying among girls is another worrying trend, abetted by the constant usage of the Internet and mobile phones today. Victims are exploited and bullied by unknown culprits hiding behind the computer screens. For example, on the blogs, victims are abused using expletives and obscene messages, pictures are vandalized and vicious rumours about the victims are broadcasted and made known to everyone. Studies made by Janssen, Craig, Boyce and Pickett (2004) proved that these groups of people are often victimized. In addition, children who are labeled as having lower levels of social acceptance and higher levels of social rejection among their peers are often found to be victims of bullies as well. (Salmivalli, Lagerspetz, Bjorkqvist, Osterman, Kaukiainen, 1996). As the internet is easily available and as simple as one click, the bully does not need to face the victim and their doings can spread like wildfire (Joan, Chia, He Ong, 2008). However , cyber-bullying does not constitute to be a crime. Where cyber-bullying could be serious and consequential, it may be relevant and appropriate for the law to step in to impose penalties on bullies. Under the Penal code, the only law that can be associated is Non-Physical Acts under Section 13b of Cap 224 where offenders display any writing, sign or other visible representation which is threatening, abusive or insulting may be fined not exceeding $2000 (Singapore Statutes). Likewise for other countries like Australia, under the NSW Crimes Act, harassing or intimidating a school student while the student is at school is considered a criminal offence. But this offence has its limits as it can only be applied to traditional off-line bullying and activities happening in school (Abrahams Dunn, 2009). Although laws are institutionalized, but such laws do not bring charges to cyber-bullies. That is why victims have been reported to retaliate against the bullies, in horrifying ways elsewhe re (Boulton, 1993). In one of the reports by United States Secret Service cited by Dake, Price, and Telljohann (2003), students who were involved in those deadly shooting in United States cited bulling as one of the strong motivation factors to commit such crimes. The report highlighted that 25 out of the 37 school shootings examined, involved attackers who felt marginalized, bullied and persecuted before the attacks took place. Some even reported that such bullying and harassment had in fact been ongoing for awhile (Dake et al., 2003; Mayer, Ybarra, Fogliatti, 2001). On the other extreme, there were cases reported that children committed suicide after being bullied by classmates. In fact, numerous cases of such incidents have been reported in the media (Kumpulainen et al., 1998; Smith, Talamelli, Cowie, Naylor, Cauhan, 2004). Medias Influence and Portrayal of Crimes Even in Singapore, a newspaper reported a 16-year old girl who committed suicide after being bullied by classmates for several years (The New Paper, 26 September 2005). Sometimes, one may wonder why such incidents were not spotted by the schools especially by the teachers. Had this incident be spotted by the teachers timely, it could have been prevented. In such incidents, the medias portrayal of crime transmits a strong signal to the public and at times, may have amplified the deviance. Such messages are crucial to serve as a warning for schools or parents to observe their children if there are certain tell-tale signs that indicate their children have encountered bullying cases. However, medias amplification of a criminal or deviance acts may result in moral panic and warrant greater scrutiny by the relevant authorities. The generation of moral panic will instill fear and public outcry within the community. For example, the recent incident of a teen who was hacked to death by 4 yout hs at Pair Ris Downtown East, amplified the criminal act (Straits Time reported the incident 5 days in a row in the headlines) and cause public outcry on such incidents (The Straits Time, 31 Oct 4 Nov 10). This would have an effect on the judges as they cannot ignore public opinion and hence might be influenced when passing the sentence (Jones, 2008) in view of media or public pressure. Studies from Leslie (1964) and Stan (1972) have shown that media is seen as an agent of deviance amplification and has the capability of influencing the publics opinion. In fact, the media does not have a role in the criminal justice system and they are supposed to only disseminate to the public about certain crimes and the governments official response to such crime. The media often uses phrases like the public is alarmed by or the public demands that. Ironically, the editors or journalists do not have a direct line to the publics opinion and they are seen to be the creators of opinion and not refl ecting the right message. An interview with a few people from the public does not necessarily represent the opinions from the entire population or the nation (Jones, 2008). Punishment and Treatment of Youths Beyond Parental Control As highlighted previously, Singapore is the only country that has instituted BPC order in Juvenile Courts. Essentially, these children are neither criminals nor offenders, but their rebellious and uncontrollable behavior may warrant serious attention by parents in which they apply to the Court for assistance to manage their children. By doing so may adversely strain or affect the parent-child relationship if such complaint made to the Court is successful. When the parents or guardian of a child can prove to a Juvenile Court that they are unable to control the child, the Court judge, under the Children and Young Persons Act Cap 38 Section 49, may order the child to be (1) remanded to an approved home not more than 3 years or (2) placed on Statutory Supervision for a specified period, of up to 3 years, under the supervision of a social worker (Subordinate Courts, 1999). Punishments meted out by such system are usually acted as a form of deterrence to juvenile from committing wrong doin gs and may eventually commit more serious crime when they grow up. Therefore, this kind of system is more inclined towards a classical approach as this theory is very policy oriented and concentrates on establishing and operating a criminal justice system that is rule-based, consistent and predictable (Joyce, 2006). End of the day, classicism focus on the act rather than the person committing. Unlike a criminal justice system where criminals are punished for their wrong doings, BPC act is not classified as a crime. As such, classical and positivist approaches are usually applied to such acts. During the process of the BPC application (which is seen to be positivist approach), parents and child will be advised to seek further assistance and treatment in the school or other social services such as Family Service Centre, Community Development Council, religious institutions and Youth Service Centre. Besides that, the child can also be referred to Beaconworks (a 6-month structured progr am) for counseling program. In addition, the Juvenile Court Judge has the prerogative to send both the parents and the child for additional counseling program with Singapore Children Society for a 4-week program (BPC, 2009). Rather than focusing on the law and the offence committed, the positivist approach (during the BPC application) looks into the contributing factors leading to deviance act committed by juvenile. It advocates treatment and rehabilitation over punishments (Jones, 2008). Ultimately, a deviance act may not be a product of rational choice but, rather, due to factors such as prematurity, influence from parents and peers over which juveniles have no control in. As youths who are still undergoing the process of growing up and maturity, the BPC order, which perceived to has a combination of punishment and treatment approach is appropriate and will therefore reduce overemphasis on rationality and idealistic, and yet do not overly concentrating on healing and treating the juvenile when the need arises. For example, when the child do not learnt the lesson and continue her delinquent act despite efforts made to treat her, the Juvenile Court will order her to be remanded in an approved Girls Home. Certainly, to prevent juvenile from leading astray and eventually being convicted, prevention measures must be implemented to arrest such situations from further developing. Recommendations and Preventions Problems and heated argument arise when there is a lack of communication and mutual support between youths and their parents. The development of a child is very much dependant on whether both the parents and the child have mutual understanding and support. When Juvenile delinquency is traced back, it is often the actions of the parents that ultimately will affect how the child behaves (Jonathan, 2010). If a child has established a positive relationship with the parents, it is postulated that they are more likely to disclose information to parents (Trost, 2000). Therefore in order to do so, parents must constantly show that they are keen in the childs interests. In essence, parents who are warm and supportive in interactions with their children are more likely to establish a positive parent-child relationship. In addition, it is also noted in one of the studies conducted by Steven and Daniel (1998) where greater parental involvement will improve the childs academic performance in scho ol. To put myself in a position of the role of parents, we should play an active role and constantly involved in our childs education, consistently demonstrating good parenting skills, interested in the childs development and show love, tender and care to their children. Furthermore, education, socialization and transmission of good values to the child should take place within the family environment. Values such as filial piety, respect, honesty, responsibility, contributing to the society, are critical building blocks that parents must advocate to their child (Zaleha, 2005). Nevertheless, youths cannot be strapped and controlled by parents all the time. Excessive control of their child might result in counterproductive and could lead to recalcitrant and belligerent behavior. Sometimes heavy-handed methods may not work for stubborn and strong headed youths. Therefore, parents should explore other methods and avoid using authoritarian style to deal with their child. Sometimes, treating yo uths as adults may be useful and they are given sufficient time and space to ponder the consequences of their actions (Ng, 2010). While parents play an imperative role in child nurturing, many are still being blamed for being incompetence in handling parenting challenges of this era. Increasingly, parents are facing difficulties domestic issues such as stabilizing their marriage, generating sufficient incomes for the families, taking care of their children and at the same time educating and nurturing them (Zaleha, 2005). However, such issues should never be part of parents excuses to dish out their parental responsibility to others such as appointing a guardian for their child, grandparents or even to the government. According to Dr Carol, too many parents are seen to farm out their parental responsibility to the State. In 2007, out of the 676 parents who applied for BPC orders, only 44 parents agreed to join the Beaconworks counseling program. Most parents cited reasons such as wor k commitments and since the counseling program is targeted for their child, they see no reason attending. One of the suggestions would be mandate parents to attend such counseling programs together with their children because parents may not realize that they also require professional help. In order for a mandatory counseling program to be effected, the Children and Young Persons Act (CYPA) is recommended to be reviewed and amended to exert tighter rein on parents. Another recommendation would be imposing fine on parents if they fail to fulfill their parental responsibility. In UK, parents of delinquent children are fined up to  £1,000 (S$2,670) if they fail to improve their childrens behavior. Current in CYPA, parents may be fined if they fail to comply with any court order pertaining to BCP cases. Perhaps the Juvenile Court can look into imposing such orders into the CYPA to deter frivolous and irresponsible parents (Radha, 2008). Conclusion In summary, ever since BPC order was introduced in 1997 to curb juvenile delinquency, the number of applicants for BCP cases has increased drastically, from an average of 200 complaints in the 90s, to an average of 700 cases over the last 3 years. However, it is worthy to note that although number of BPC applicants has increased, the number of BPC cases awarded by the Juvenile Court has dipped dramatically in the recent years. According to Dr Carol, more than 50% of the BPC applications were dismissed due to lack of concrete evidence to proof that the child is beyond parental control. In most cases, the child could return to normalcy after counseling sessions are conducted. While it is unclear that the statistics gathered can commensurate to the effectiveness of BPC order, the uniqueness of BPC order in Singapore does help and enable juveniles to build self-confidence, self-esteem, positive outlook and instill sense of social responsibility. Besides that, counseling and training prog rams for parents and youths such as Parent Management Training, Parent Support Group, Youth Mentorship Support Program, Beaconworks Program and etc were introduced by the Singapore Children Society to assist parents and youths in terms of counseling, psychological or psychiatric consultations and more importantly, to harmonize the parent-child relationship that might be strained previously.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Switzerlands Financial Outlook :: essays research papers

Switzerland’s Financial Outlook   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Located in between Italy, France, and Austria, Switzerland is home to a population of 7,450,867 (World Factbook, 2004). In 1848 Switzerland became a federal state that now has 26 cantons and half cantons. Switzerland is a melting pot, consisting of various cultures imported from the several surrounding countries. Languages spoken include French, German, Italian, and Romansch (World Factbook, 2004). For the amount of diversity among its people, it is quite impressive that Switzerland has been the leading European country with the lowest unemployment rate for years (World Factbook, 2004). The Roman Catholic and Protestant faiths are the two prominent religions among the Swiss. Switzerland is a member of several economic and finance organizations: European Free Trade Association, World Trade Organization, World Bank, International Monetary Fund Organization for Economic Co-Operation & Development, and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 2001). Despite Switzerland’s many financial alliances, it is a country that has long practiced an axiom of neutrality. Switzerland refuses to join any alliance that will obligate her to take military action in the event of war, (which rules out NATO membership) unless the country itself is being threatened. Some would argue that the policy of neutrality that has helped Switzerland to continually show signs of a ongoing prosperity. Nevertheless, Switzerland has long struggled to remain a non-participant during the wars that ravaged Europe in the twentieth century. Its citizens seem perpetually divided amongst themselves about the value of remaining a neutral count ry. Whatever the case may be, over recent years the country has demonstrated they have the potential for a strong and prosperous future. Major Industry   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Switzerland’s economy is divided into three sectors: agriculture, industry and services. Fifty percent of the population is employed in services, with banking being the dominant service in the country and arguably, in all of Europe. Switzerland’s financial sector employs 220,000 people and contributed to 10.9% of gross domestic product in 2000 (Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, 2002). Forty percent of the population is employed in the machine, metal, and textile industry, which account for a large number of their exports. The other ten percent of the population works in agriculture. Due to the under whelming number of people left working in agriculture, it is strongly supported by the government. In recent years, advancements in medical technology have led to creation of many small pharmaceutical companies throughout Switzerland.

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Beneath the Hunger Games

Kate Raffety 22nd of May, 2012 BENEATH THE HUNGER GAMES The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is an insightful allegory set in a post-apocalyptic future. Through a gripping plot and intriguing characters along with rich intertextuality, symbolism and themes, she raises concerns and gives her opinion on issues in our communities and governments, taking many to the extreme to reinforce her message, while keeping it a fast passed fictional story. Government control of people is the most prominent theme in The Hunger Games, as it is featured throughout the novel in a variety of ways.Propaganda, censorship, inequitable distribution of wealth, and manipulation are some of the many ways in which the Capitol controls people. All the wealth and resources flow to the Capitol and it is in control of everything. It uses propaganda and censorship to influence and direct public opinion, and the only information the districts receive is from the Capitol. The government broadcasts are compulsory viewi ng and all of it is extremely biased and misleading.Sometimes half the truth is just as effective as a lie, with the capitol only selecting parts of the information to release, in this way it is easy to guide people’s opinions. This technique is used on the districts, with all of the information they receive, and on the people from the Capitol, with the information they receive about the districts. Together the districts could easily overthrow the Capitol, so it is important that they be kept weak and separated. The most important of the Capitol’s strategies for gaining and maintaining power, however, is the age-old technique of divide and conquer.It involves breaking up larger concentrations of power into chunks that individually are isolated and weak. The Capitol has absolute power over the districts, which is ultimately demonstrated by the games themselves. â€Å"Taking the kids from our districts, forcing them to kill one another while we watch- this is the Capito l’s way of reminding us how totally we are at their mercy. [ ] To make it humiliating as well as torturous, the Capitol requires us to treat the Hunger Games as a festivity, a sporting event pitting every district against the others. (pg 22) The districts are battling starvation, while the capitol lives in luxury with anything they want at their disposal. At first glance the novel and our society seem quite different, but in reality there are many similarities. Whereas extreme inequity and class separation are noticeable in the novel, they are also prominent throughout the world, with great disparity in standards of living among and within countries. The Games are enjoyed as reality television for the people of the Capitol.Their acceptance of it as entertainment, and their lack of compassion towards the tributes is an example of voyeurism and desensitisation. These are two challenges that younger generations face with technology giving them access to television, the internet, video games and movies. They are becoming faster paced and increasingly violent and explicit and emotional responses can become dampened. Reality television is becoming common with people living vicariously through the drama and becoming detached from reality. The standards of humanity in this novel are quite low.There are key aspects of the novel, however, that show that human beings are essentially good when left to their own devices. After her father died, Katniss had to provide for her mother and younger sister. Katniss was searching for any morsel of sustenance to bring home to her family one night around the bakery when Peeta’s mother yelled at her to move on. Peeta, seeing her situation, let two loaves fall onto the coals of the oven and was punished for his carelessness. When he was told to feed them to the pigs, he instead slipped them to Katniss.The next day they caught each other’s eyes and when she looked away her eyes fell on a dandelion, which reminded h er of how her father taught her to live off the land and thus she realised how she would support her family. Peeta saved Katniss and she felt this was a debt she owed him that may never be repaid. He wasn’t obligated to help her, in fact he could have been penalized for it; he did simply because it was the right thing to do. Katniss cares about her family more than anything, especially her little sister.But against all odds her sister is chosen for reaping, and Katniss, driven wild with fear, volunteers to take her place. â€Å"In District 12, where the word tribute is pretty much synonymous where the word corpse, volunteers are all but extinct† (pg 27). Katniss believes certain death now awaits her in the arena, but knows that the loss of her sister would be far worse. While in the arena, Katniss meets Rue, the tribute from district 11 and the two form an alliance. Katniss protects and helps her as best she can, giving her food and her precious sleeping bag while she carries the majority of the responsibility.Rue can give little to Katniss for her to truly benefit from their partnership, however Katniss sees that Rue, the youngest of all the tributes, is vulnerable and does her best to keep her safe from harm, even if it means putting herself in danger. When Rue dies Katniss shows great respect for her and district 11. Katniss then finds Peeta, who has been severely injured and begins to nurse him back to health. He is too weak to sustain himself so Katniss takes on the full responsibility of providing for him, dressing his wounds and taking the majority of the night watches.It would have been much easier for Katniss to leave Peeta and escape up a tree where she feels secure, but despite this she does all she can to help him. She risks her life to save his when she goes to get the medicine and would have died if Thresh, the male tribute from district 11 hadn’t felt the need to repay the debt of helping Rue. Thus, both Thresh and Katniss s aved someone in a last-man-standing battle. This shows that they see themselves as more than just a pawn in the Capitol’s games, they never loose touch with their humanity.Inhumanity is portrayed in many ways in the novel including the Capitol making minors fight to the death, making previous victors mentor them, and inequitable distribution of wealth. In selecting minors as tributes, the Capitol’s message was plain, â€Å"look how we take your children and sacrifice them and there’s nothing you can do. If you lift a finger, we will destroy every last one of you† (pg 22). Taking children who are hardly considered old enough to fend for themselves and putting them in this position is inhumane on many levels.The Capitol sustains power by fear, granting minimal rights to district citizens, no freedom of speech, and harsh punishments for disobeying their many strict rules. They treat their people as chattels who exist only for their benefit. Whereas this them e has been exaggerated in the novel, it still has parallels to our society. There are many ways in which governments treat their people and how the people treat one another that Collins has commented on with The Hunger Games. The novel teaches us that the tyranny of a cruel and powerful government is a threat for which we must always remain vigilant.Collins raises concerns about the path that society is travelling down with her novel. In some ways The Hunger Games is a warning, the message simply being that society should never end up like the one in the novel. Throughout her novel Collins comments on government control, inequity, class separation, reality television, humanity, inhumanity and the path that society has taken. She has taken many of the themes in her novel to the extreme, but this only makes what she has to say stronger. Collins, S. 2009. The Hunger Games, Scholastic, London. 454 pg.

Friday, November 8, 2019

House to reject ration Essays

House to reject ration Essays House to reject ration Essay House to reject ration Essay Essay Topic: On Liberty Lord Simon held that ot was open to the House to reject ration (iii) and, indeed, the decision does so. Since Lord Tucker did not decide that there is a substantive offence pf corrupting public morals, it seems clear that the ratio must be taken to be (ii). It is therefore uncertain whether an agreement to corrupt public moral is a statutory conspiracy; but judges of first instance may consider themselves bound by the decision of the Court of Criminal Appeal to hold that it is. Shaw was followed by Knuller where, Lord Diplock dissenting, the House held that an agreement to publish advertisements to facilitate the commission of homosexual acts between adult males in private was a conspiracy to corrupt public morals, although such conduct is no longer a crime. Lord Reid maintained his view that Shaw was wrongly decided but held that should nevertheless be followed in the interests of certainty in the law. Given the existence of the offence, he thought there was sufficient evidence of its commission here. there is a materialdifference between merely exempting certain conduct from criminal penalties and making it lawful in the full sense I read (the Sexual Offences Act 1967) as saying that, even though it may be corrupting, if people choose to corrupt themselves in this way that is their affair and the law will not interfere. But no licence is given to others to encourage the practice. In Shaw, Lord Simonds used language which suggested that the House was asserting the right to expand the scope of criminal law. In the sphere of criminal law I entertain no doubt that there remains in the courtd of law a residual power to enforce the supreme and fundamental purpose of the law, to conserve not only the safety and order but also the moral welfare of the State, and that it is their duty to guard against attacks which may be the more insidious because they are novel and unprepared for. In Knuller however, the House was emphatic that there is no residual prower to create new offences. That is a task for Parliament. What the Courts can and should do is to recongnize the applicability of established offences to new circumstances to which they are relevant. Moreover, a finding that conduct is liable to corrupt public morals is one not lightly to be reached. It is not enough that is is liable to lead morally astray. Lord Simon of Glaisdale went so far as to say that The words corrupt public morals suggest conduct which a jury might find to be destructive of the very fabric of society. 2. ) Conspiracy to outrage public decency A majority of the House in Knuller (Lords Reich and Diplock dissenting) held that there is a common law offence of outraging public decency and, consequently, it is an offence to conspire to outrage public dencency. The particular offences previously recognised -keeping a disorderly house, mounting an indecent exhibition and indecent exposure were partucular applications of general rule. It is not an anser to show that outragiously indecent matter is nonly on the inside pages of a book or magazine which is sold in public. But outrage like corrupt is a very strong word. Outraging public decency goes considerably beyond offending the susceptibilities of, or even shocking, reasonable people The offeence is concerned with recognised minimum standards of decency, which are likely to vary from time to time Notwithstanding that public in the offence is used in a locative sense, public decency must be viewed as a whole; and the jury should be invited, where appropriate, to remember that they live in a plural sociaty, with a tradition of tolerance towards minorities, and that this atmosphere of tolerance is itself part of public decency. Lords Simon and Kildbrandon (Lord Morris dissenting) thought that the jury had not been adequately directed in accordance with these principles and, accordingly the convicion must be quashed. Major Problem: No defence Def of indecency Now wider III. Evaluation of the status quo 1 Mill, On Liberty, cited in Richard Stone, Textbook on Civil Liberties, p. 194 2 Hart criticizing Devlin in Social Solidarity and the Enforcment of Morality in Essays in Jurisprudence and Philosophy, 1983, cited by Helen Fenwick, Civil Liberties, 2nd ed. 3 Lord Devlin, The Enforcment of Morals, 1965, cited in Helen Fenwick, Civil Liberties, 2nd ed.

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Which Year of High School Is Most Important for College Applications

Which Year of High School Is Most Important for College Applications SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips To figure out which year of high school academics is the most important, it helps to think of high school as a marathon. In order to win a marathon, of course you have to run the whole time – if you stop running, then lots of other people will pass you. But because you’re human, when you’re running a marathon, you can’t really run at the same speed the whole timed. Instead, you learn to pace yourself early on, and then really bust out your best sprint when it counts – at the finish line. So which part of high school is that all-out sprinting finish line? Read on for our answer. All Years Are Important Before I tell you which is the most important year of high school, let's be real: you can't really snooze your way through any of these four important years.High school is designed so that every year is a building block for the next. In other words, the classes you can take junior and senior years depend in large part on what you’ve been doing the previous years. This means that 9th and 10th grades are the setup years: this iswhen you take the prerequisite classes you need to take high level classes later, and also when you join the activities that you will hopefully rise to a leadership position in. On top of that, freshman year can be a reallyhard adjustment year. You suddenly have high school-level demands, much more academic and social pressure, not to mention the wild ride of adolescent development and the surge of hormones that comes with it. Actually, 9th grade is so hard that research shows that itis the make it or break it year – the year that determines whether kids stay to finish high school or drop out altogether. That awkward moment when your hormone surge turns you rabid. 12th grade is also not the best time to start slouching. Even though the GPA colleges will see is made up mostly of grades from the first three full years of high school,first-semester senior year grades are sometimes sent in with your transcript. This means that 12th gradealso needs to be stacked with impressive classes that build on what you accomplished junior year. What's more, if you really slack off senior year, your acceptance could even be rescinded Finally, if you’re taking AP classes, good grades on AP exams can get you college credit or at least place you out of intro college classes. Every AP class in every year matters - and you will most likely take the most number of AP classes in 11th and 12th grade. Junior Year Is the MostImportant If you were paying careful attention, you might have noticed that the last section kind of gave short shrift to 11th grade. That's because junior year is so important that we need to talk about it separately. Show off your academic chops The main reason that junior is the most important year for your college applications is because it’s the last full year of high school that colleges see. It also represents you atyour most mature -since teens grow a lot year by year, junior year is the best way forcolleges to extrapolate what you'll be like as an adult. Because you want to demonstrate your full capabilities, 11th grade should be the hardest course load year on your transcript.It should most closely approximate a college course load, so that colleges can get a sense of how you would handle that level of work. So, my advice is to take the highest level courses that you can reasonably handle (meaning get a B or higher in). Remember, this is the time to really push yourself, especially in classes that are your strengths, that you are passionate about, or that you can see yourself pursuing in college. Since you will be doing such intense and impressive work in your challenging classes, your 11th grade teachers are probably going to be the teachers that will write your college recommendations. Definitely come to class ready to impress. (Get a more detailed scoop on letters of recommendation in our guide.) Artglass: raising the bar onbringing your teacher an apple. Make up for past mistakes Another key reason that junior year is socrucial is that it can be the time when you redeem a lackluster freshman or sophomore year. Colleges like to see one of two things from your academic career: either a strong performance that is maintained throughout, or an upward trend of doing better and better each year.If you got reallygood gradesin 9th and 10th grade, then nice job! And, 11th grade needs to be more of the same - great grades in even harder classes. But if you had a tough time in 9th or 10th grade, then 11th grade is the year when you can show colleges the full range of your abilities by pulling off a banner year of good grades. Imagine an admissions officer seeing at a transcript with mediocre grades in 9th grade, followed by a junior year of challenging classes and good grades. This officer will see a student who rises to the challenge and has the perseverance to keep going even in the face of a setback. Time to erase those early bad grades from the admission officer's mind. On the other hand, a bad junior year canmake a good freshman or sophomore year look like a fluke. Now picture that same admissions officer seeing a transcript with a bunch of 10th grade A's, followed by 11th grade B's and C's. This time, the officer is likely to conclude that the strong sophomore year performance is not really an indicator of the student's ability. Want to build the best possible college application? We can help. PrepScholar Admissions is the world's best admissions consulting service. We combine world-class admissions counselors with our data-driven, proprietary admissions strategies. We've overseen thousands of students get into their top choice schools, from state colleges to the Ivy League. We know what kinds of students colleges want to admit. We want to get you admitted to your dream schools. Learn more about PrepScholar Admissions to maximize your chance of getting in. Crush upcoming key tests At the same time, 11th grade is the year of important testing. Of course, you will take lots of tests every year of high school, but your junior year will most likely be full of statewide and nationwide tests that will matter a lot on your college application. AP exams that will end up on your college applications (check out ourfull list of available AP exams). If your state has a required exit exam, you will likely take it at the end of junior year. The PSAT – a test that is called â€Å"practice† but that you have to take very seriously because it couldqualify you for the National Merit Scholarship program and givea sense of howyou will likely score on the SAT (learn moreabout the PSAT here). SAT subject tests that will end up on your college applications (here's a breakdown of everything you need to know about SAT subject tests). And, of course, the SAT itself, which you will most likely take for the first time in late winter or early spring of your junior year.Learn why a high SAT/ACT score is the best single way to improve your chance of admission to a competitive school. You will be weighed. You will be measured. Hopefully you won't be found wanting. Be a leader Because junior year is also the last full year of extracurriculars that colleges will see, this might be the perfect time to prove your ability to lead and manage others. So run for that student council election, audition for that starring role, or work your way up to first singles on the tennis team! Can you be elected an officer of your club or student organization? Can you become captain of your sports team? Can you headline a performance, stage an exhibition, or get a lead role? Can you assumelarger responsibility for a volunteer project, like orienteering others or organizing donations? Is it Rumplestiltskin? Plan your future Finally, junior year is the year of the college search! This is when you will decide on where and how you will spend the next fouryears of your life. If you're curious how that process works, read our explainer. What If I Screwed Up My Junior Year? If you've been reading this and panicking because your junior year didn't go according to plan, don't worry. You still have some good options. You can explain what happened on your college applications, try to make up the grades through some hard work, or even just chalk it up to experience and move on to do better in the future. Did something happen in your personal life to derail you? Anything like your parents divorcing or losing a job, a serious illness or injury, or any other tremendous life upheaval is a completely understandable reason for grades to fall.If this happened to you, the key thing is to explain to colleges exactly what you were going through. Use either your personal essay or the â€Å"tell us anything else† space on your application to let schools know your circumstances. Additionally, for extra impact, ask your counselor or the teacherswriting your recommendations to also narrate these adverse events in their letters Are you still in the middle of your junior year? If you are still in the middle of 11th grade and have just noticed that your grades are slipping, there is probably still time in the year to undo the damage. Remember, your mid-year grades aren’t going to be seen by colleges, so you still have time to mitigate the situation. This is the time to ask the teachers whose classes you are struggling with for help, for extra credit assignments, or anything else that can help boost both your grade and their opinion of your work ethic. Also, if you've been taking it easy, this is the time to hit the books. Without overwhelming yourself, and without depriving yourself of sleep (7-8 hours a night is what the doctor ordered) or your sanity, spend some extra time assessing your study habits and improving them. Think about letting your social life take a bit of a backseat for now while you study – trust me, your future is worth a little hermitbehavior. Is hermit behavior anything like hobbit behavior? Because I think I could really get used to elevensies and second breakfast. Another way to make the case that you haven’t actually performed up to your potential is to really do your very best on the SAT or ACT test. A high score will show that you have untapped potential. We havedetailed advice on raising your GPA fastand on getting a full 2400 SAT score. Are you planning to recommit to academics in the future? Sometimes what happened in high school should just stay in high school. If you let your work slip,butnow have come to you to a sudden realization that you need to refocus on academics, then what you really need issome more time to show what you can really do. Then this might be the time to rethink your target schools, and then try to transfer midway through your college career. For example, you could first go to community college for one or two years, and then apply to a state or private university as a transfer student. Another great option is to seek out a university system and first enroll at aless selective campus, eventually transferring to one of the more selective ones.Explore your options in our guide to applying to college with a low GPA and our roundup of the best collegeswith low GPArequirements. What’s Next? Thinking about planning your high school curriculum? Then check out our discussion of the classes you should take in high school. If you’d like to see what a rigorous course load would look like, read our article on planning a challenging curriculum in high school. To learn more about how your GPA is calculated, read about how your GPA works and the difference between a weighted and unweighted GPA. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now: