Black and Decker free essay sample

There has not been any more vital time to understand the cause of this setback. This urgency lead him to ask Joseph Galli, the vice president of sales and marketing at Black and Decker, to conduct a thorough research to develop a marketing plan for the year 1991/1992. The new plan is developed to target the major problem in the Professional Tradesmen segment: Low market share among comparatives and no profitability. After a detailed situation and consumer analysis and evaluating the alternatives, John Galli concluded that professional tradesmen segment needs to be repositioned. After a careful product assessment, Galli realized the professional quality of items produced by Bamp;D is above their major comparatives such as Makita and Milwakee. However, the brand is poorly differentiated from the lower grade products in the consumer segment; the segment which Bamp;D holds the most solid market share among comparatives. The permeation of Bamp;D in consumer segment has tarnished brand perception in professional tradesmen segment; both product lines are offered in the same color: Charcoal Grey! Additionally, due to the already established and extensive negative recognition of professional tradesmen segment among professional buyers of power tool products tagging any product to this brand won’t generate the drastic results that Bamp;D is pursuing. We will write a custom essay sample on Black and Decker or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Furthermore, it was Black and Decker’s weak presence in Home Depot, the rapidly growing professional tradesmen product outlet, which was contributing to the problem. They needed to strategically enter this market while emphasizing their position in Home Center and Two-Step distribution channel. Following these realities, Galli knew with almost no profitability in this segment asking for advertising allowances and rebate money is not an option. As a result, he introduced a marketing plan revolving around repositioning the professional tradesmen segment and establishing a new brand entry, backed by Bamp;D service and warranty handling and differentiating products from consumer segment by colorization. 1 Introduction Black and Decker is one of the world’s largest power tool manufactures and the leader of power tool market in United States. In 1991, Black and Decker’s sales record was over $5 billion and the company ranked 7th in brand recognition throughout U. S and 19th in Europe market. The nation’s power tool company leader divides in three segments: consumer, professional industrial and professional tradesmen. The consumer tool segment is offering products for â€Å"at home† use and is the most popular division with proximately $250 million in revenue in 1990. The professional industrial targets the corporates that purchase tools in large quantities for the use of professional employees. The revenue for this segment is estimated $110 Million as well. The professional tradesmen segment is the $420 million size division which represents products that professional individuals such as carpenters and contractors purchase to use on the job sites where they are required to take their own tools. However, this segment generated only $35 million revenue in 1990 with almost no profit. Both consumer and professional industrial segments owned a solid position in the market with 45% and 20% segment shares in power tool market. However, this success did not transfer to the professional tradesmen segment. In 1990, Bamp;D roughly held 9% market share in power tool market in United States. This highlighted the presence of the competitors such as Makita and Milwaukee with 50% and 10% market shares to the senior management of Bamp;D more than ever. Professional tradesmen segment was clearly suffering and falling behind in the dynamic and competitive power tool market. Joseph Galli, the vice president of sales and marketing in Black amp; Decker decided to conduct an extensive research to find the root of this problem and conclude an alternative. In this research, the problem highlights itself as the professional tradesmen segment’s low market share, no profitability and desperate need to reposition for this segment. Following is the situation analysis of Black and Decker supporting the idea of repositioning the professional tradesman unit. 2 Situational Analysis Internal factors By virtually creating the power tools industry, Black amp; Decker holds primary strength in the consumer and industrial segments, proved by being ranked #1 in those respected market share positions. By holding large amount of equity in the US and Europe, DeWalt can aggressively be put into the professional tradesmen segment to take the market lead from Makita. Although Black amp; Decker only holds a 9% share in the current professional tradesman segment, Black amp; Decker holds the title of being one of the best producers of high quality goods. By repositioning the DeWalt name in the rapidly growing professional tradesmen segment, that 9% market share will quickly increase with the support of our brand recognition and image. With the strong internal factors, the Black amp; Decker Company has strong potential in building an admirable image in the $420 million professional tradesmen segment. External Factors The professional tradesmen segment, although relatively new, has rapidly been growing compared to the consumer, 7%, and industrial, no growth, segments. Having high market shares in the consumer and industrial parts, Black amp; Decker holds a strong 30% of the total market share. Also growing in importance, are the home centers, The Home Depot being the largest of the quickly growing chain stores of home improvement. Buyers of the professional tradesmen tools also heavily patronize emerging retail distribution outlets, such as The Home Depot and Lowe’s. Competitive analysis Despite the fact that Makita does share 50% of the current market, the current position they hold in brand image is not nearly as positive as Black amp; Decker. Consumers have regarded Makita as, 3 â€Å"arrogant† and â€Å"dictatorial. † On the other side, Black amp; Decker has been put in the top ten in the U. S in the aspect of brand strength. One of the main reasons why Makita has grown much success in the past decade was with the help of the new rapid development of home center outlets. A common characteristic shared within the top three manufacturers of the professional tradesmen segment was that all three offered broad product lines, offering approximately 175 SKU’s each. Consumer Analysis Black amp; Decker Corporation as a Power Tools Division has been ranked low in the professional tradesmen market. In efforts to increase awareness and market the power tools division in a more competitive way, a consumer study was established and processed. Consumers of different ages, sexes, and races that work in the professional tradesmen field and the general public were asked a series of non-bias questions in order to gain a competitive advantage in the future sales opportunity. In order to do so we needed to study the current trend of consumer awareness and behavior as well as the pre conceived opinion of the Black amp; Decker product reputation both past and current trends. The following segments were used: Young Adults (ages 15-25), Adult Women (ages 26-60), and Adult Men ages (26-60). Young Adults (ages 15-25): The young adults being mostly single, college age living at home with parents or with roommates who typically don’t use power tools were vaguely familiar with the Black amp; Decker name and not associating as a Power tool brand. Adult Women (ages 26-60) usually homemakers, single moms, have advanced education, professional, and work both outside the home as well as in the home. Of the Adult females surveyed 75% were familiar with the Black amp; Decker name and had purchased a Bamp;D power tool over any other brand. Of those women, 75% also choose durability over cost when compared to similar items. While most women appear to be more in tune to actual cost of household products such as a Dust Buster when compared to professional grade tools, they still have a more realistic estimate of actual cost when compared side by side. Most women rate 4 Black amp; Decker as a good-excellent power tool product and would recommend to a friend and purchase additional Bamp;D products. Adult Men (ages 26-60) Most with a higher level of education and with more experience using power tools. In some instances adult men and women shared the same opinion but when asked, men choose warranty over compatibility. 56% of adult men rated Black amp; Decker as a poor choice for a power tool. While women were found to be more willing to purchase additional power tools with the Black amp; Decker name only 10% of males said they would and most would not recommend Bamp;D as a power tool option. With the above data collected it is determined that dropping the Black amp; Decker name instead of just Sub branding would better benefit the goals of the company and gain a larger advantage in the market. Having such a negative appeal from the current state is not only discouraging but also provides a more complete analysis of how the consumers view the Black amp; Decker name, regardless of the quality of an actual item. Alternatives, Pros and Cons The first alternative would focus on Bamp;D consumer and Professional-Industrial market segment which it already maintains the #1 market share. The professional-Tradesman segment would become an afterthought for Bamp;D, instead focusing primarily on profitability at the expense of market share. Bamp;D research had shown that their tools were highly regarded in the professional industrial segment, for high quality. Bamp;D field test of their products with all identifying marks removed against competitors products which also had all identifying marks removed, showed that product quality was strongly competitive with other brands. This would greatly diminish the Black and Decker brand by deemphasizing the quality in the professional-Tradesman segment. The result would be a negative effect on consumer and industrial segments as well. Brand loyalty and image would suffer greatly while gaining market share for the Professional-Tradesman segment. The second alternative would be to sub-brand Bamp;D product. The brand would have a new name for its professional tradesman products, but would also state â€Å"by Black and Decker†. 5 This alternative would not entirely clear all negative brand perception in the Bamp;D Professional Tradesman segment. Professional Tradesman segment viewed the Bamp;D brand as a product for home instead of job use. This alternative would still carry the negative perception of the Bamp;D brand in the Professional Tradesman segment of the market. Bamp;D quality perception of suppliers quality would remain first to last based on company research. Color was generally regarded as a product differentiator and this alternative would not make any changes in this regard, keeping the Bamp;D tools their respective traditional colors. This alternative would do little to increase market share and revenue. The third alternative, which has been chosen for the best possible outcome, would be to use an entirely different brand name for the Bamp;D Professional-Tradesman segment of the market. The brand name chosen is DeWalt, the brand has storied history in the stationary wood working business since the company was founded in 1918. DeWalt products were permanently installed on many lumberyards, garnering awareness of the brand, verified by research at 70% and also positively viewed as one of the best by 63% of the professional-tradesman segment of the market. The company was purchased by Bamp;D in 1960, so the brand name could be easily assigned to a Bamp;D product. The color option eventually chosen was yellow, a familiar sign of caution used on many construction sites. The yellow coloring would also differentiate the DeWalt product from many other brands including Bamp;D and many other successful brands in the professional-tradesman segment. This option would theoretically double the market share within three years; operating income would also increase by 2%. Recommendations The product chosen to replace the Bamp;D nameplate in the professional tradesman segment is the DeWault. DeWalt brand would position the Bamp;D professional tradesman products a step higher in product quality and reliability, relieving the negative brand association in the respective segment. The color yellow chosen for the product would create instant awareness of the brand amongst its immediate competitors Makita and Milwakee. The price of the DeWalt Professional-Tradesman product would be positioned comparably to the Makita and Milwakee brands. Milwakee and Makita are priced 5% and 10% respectively over current similar Bamp;D products. 6 The distribution channels that will be used include home centers, which include The Home Depot and Home Club. Home centers are increasingly becoming a popular source for professional-tradesman tools. Home centers have a combined yearly sale of 8. 5 million dollar in the professional-tradesman market. DeWalts rise in the marketplace will greatly depend on these types of distribution outlets. Two-steps will be used for distribution as well, including Ace and Servistar. DeWalt will not be offered in discount oriented membership club stores, as they are perceived to be positioning themselves as a â€Å"fathers day gift† The DeWalt brand has an existing 70% awareness rating among Professional-Tradesman, and a 63% positive view by tradesman. The company was founded in 1918 and has been a permanent fixture in lumberyards since, the presence over the years has created most of the existing promotion of the brand. The yellow color of DeWalt tools will help it differentiate itself form other products and also promote itself as being the only yellow tool for Professional-Tradesman on the market. Conclusion The purpose to conduct this marketing plan was to find an alternative to Black and Decker’s decade long failure to own large enough market shares in professional tradesmen segment. Black amp; Decker has succeeded to position the consumer and professional industrial segments in the top ranked market share among comparatives however, professional tradesmen segment has failed to reach anywhere beyond %9. The internal factor for Bamp;D is that, this company is one of the world’s largest power tool producers and in the comparison product analysis Black and Decker’s products win over the competitors. This means Bamp;D has the potential to earn the top brand perception that is missing. On the other hand, consumers are the external factor who prefers using Bamp;D products for home use rather than on job sites this is while Makita and Milwaukee are the two preferred brands in professional tradesmen segment. Galli is coming up with three alternatives. The first option is to harvest professional tradesmen channels. This option is vetoed because professional tradesmen segment is growing more rapidly than consumer and industrial segments. Dropping this segment will lead to a huge loss in a long run. The second alternative is to sub-brand. This alternative is ruled out as well since releasing any products under any brand while still tagged to Bamp;D will not lead to increase sales due to extensive negative brand perception in professional tradesmen products. The third alternative is to drop the tainted Black and Decker name and produce a line of products under DeWalt brand, the brand owned by Bamp;D with already established market share and good brand perception. Even though, building a new brand from the ground up takes time (proximately three years) this alternative is highly recommended. DeWalt brand saws have a very high brand recognition and durability. Additionally, this product line will be offered in a new color: Yellow. The color that indicates safety and can easily be recognized and differentiated by customers. Timeline Spring -begin advertisements with print by using our sub-branding method -sub branding would emphasis on the new name De-Walt -prepare for manufacturing and distribution of product for upcoming summer Summer -hold a press conference inviting various professional tradesmen, small and large corporations such as construction companies and small business owners to introduce the new product line and hold demonstrations -offer sample test tools to professional tradesmen set up workshops using the new sub-branded power tools to generate a buzz and interest in the new products which would be available for purchase soon -begin distribution among large retailers as well as club stores -increase advertisement both in print, radio and television September -evaluate sales -take market surveys of those using the new sub branded product line December -continue to offer demonstrations on the use of the new line -decrease advertisement efforts -offer holiday packages to encourage families to purchase the new product lines for their husbands, fathers, brothers etc. for the upcoming holidays -have successfully created a positive outlook and increased market share and sales of the new sub branded product line by the end of the year

The History of the Palladian Window

The History of the Palladian Window A Palladian window is a specific design, a large, three-section window where the center section is arched and larger than the two side sections. Renaissance architecture and other buildings in classical styles often have Palladian windows. On Adam or Federal style houses, a more spectacular window is often in the center of the second story - often a Palladian window. Why Would You Want a Palladian Window in a New Home? Palladian windows are generally enormous in size - even larger than so-called picture windows. They allow a great deal of sunlight to enter the interior, which, in modern times, would maintain that indoor-outdoor intent. Yet you would rarely find a Palladian window in a Ranch style home, where picture windows are common. So, whats the difference? Palladian windows project a more stately and formal feeling. House styles that are designed to be informal, like the Ranch style or Arts and Crafts, or created for the budget-minded, like the Minimal Traditional home, would look silly with an overly large, Renaissance-era Italian window like the Palladian window. Picture windows often come in three sections, and even three-sectioned slider windows may have grids with circular tops, but these are not Palladian style windows. So, if you have a very large house and you want to express a formality, consider a new Palladian window - if its in your budget. Definitions of Palladian Window Window having a broad arched central section with lower flat-headed side portions. - G. E. Kidder Smith, Source Book of American Architecture, Princeton Architectural Press, 1996, p. 646 A window of large size, characteristic of neoclassic styles, divided by columns or piers resembling pilasters, into three lights, the middle one of which is usually wider than the others, and is sometimes arched. - Â   Dictionary of Architecture and Construction, Cyril M. Harris, ed., McGraw- Hill, 1975, p. 527 The Name Palladian The term Palladian comes from Andrea Palladio, a Renaissance architect whose work inspired some of the greatest buildings throughout Europe and the United States. Modeled after classical Greek and Roman forms, such as the arched windows of the Baths of Diocletian, Palladios buildings often featured arched openings. Most famously, the three-part openings of the Basilica Palladiana (c. 1600) directly inspired todays Palladian windows, including the window in the 18th century Dumfries House in Scotland shown on this page. Other Names for Palladian Windows Venetian Window: Palladio did not invent the three-part design that was used for the Basilica Palladiana in Venice, Italy, so this type of window is sometimes called Venetian after the city of Venice. Serliana Window: Sebastiano Serlio was a 16th century architect and author of an influential series of books, Architettura. The Renaissance was a time when architects borrowed ideas from each other. The three-part column and arch design used by Palladio had been illustrated in Serlianas books, so some people give him the credit. Examples of Palladian Windows Palladian windows are common wherever an elegant touch is desired. George Washington had one installed at his Virginia home, Mount Vernon, to illuminate the large dining room. Dr. Lydia Mattice Brandt has described it as one of the houses most distinctive features. In the United Kingdom, the Mansion House in Ashbourne has been remodeled with a Diocletian window AND a Palladian window over the the front door. The Wedding Cake House in Kennebunk, Maine, a Gothic Revival pretender, has a Palladian window on the second story, over the fanlight over the front door. Source Serliana, The Penguin Dictionary of Architecture, Third Edition, by John Fleming, Hugh Honour, and Nikolaus Pevsner, Penguin, 1980, p. 295

Why school lunches should be picked up by the childrens parents Essay

Why school lunches should be picked up by the childrens parents - Essay Example Balanced diet not only helps them in their physical growth but also ensures mental alertness that facilitates their academic advancements. Also, the increasing concern of rapidly growing obesity amongst children in America has emerged as major social problem. In US, in the last three decades, and obesity in children and adolescent has nearly tripled (HHS News, 2001, ref.1). At the same time, lack of proper nourishment amongst children coming from impoverished families of immigrants, have compounded the problem of academia where children are not able to cope with the stress of the education curricula. In such a scenario, school lunches serve as vital linkages for creating facilitating environment for improved academic results and healthy eating habits. Thesis statement School lunches would help inculcate better eating habits amongst children and thereby help arrest the increasing tendency of obesity amongst American children. Rationale for the proposal Good nutrition and healthy food significantly contributes to a child’s proper growth and general well being that helps to improve his or her academic achievements. In the increasing pluralistic society, the diversity of race, income and nationality has brought forth huge social problems of conflicting ideologies and wide income disparity. The children living in impoverished conditions in the neighborhood colonies have inadvertently become innocent victim of the time. Delgade (2005) asserts that in 2000, 35.7% of Latino population was less than 18 years of age and therefore, in 20 years of time, there will be lot more younger Latinos. There is huge number of dropouts because of many reasons, not the least important being poverty and lack of will to educate themselves. US census corroborates his statement and confirms that that by 2050, Latinos will reach 25% of the total U.S. population (US Census, 1999). This is staggering number could create mammoth social problem if the low literacy problem amongst childr en of the immigrant and impoverished families is not addresses urgently. Mid day lunch in schools would provide them with healthy food and help meet their physical, mental and emotional need when they would be better able to contribute positively to their academic grades. Obesity amongst children of mainstream American population is another worrying aspect which must be tackled in more effective manner. CDC data reveals that from 1980 to 2008, childhood obesity had increased from 6.5% to nearly 20% for 6-11 year olds and 5% to 18% for 12-19 year olds. Studies have shown that fat intake of children in US has inadequate amounts of fresh fruits, vegetables, and complex carbohydrates, but excessive amounts of fats. The increasing tendency towards fast food promotes sedentary lifestyle which causes obesity (Ebbeling et al., 2002; Smith, 1999). The widespread ramifications of obesity considerably increase risks to life and health. Diseases like high blood pressure, heart problems, diabete s are some of the major by products of obesity. The children therefore must be encouraged towards healthy dietary habits and active lifestyle. Solution to the problem The advancing technology has covertly promoted sedentary lifestyle amongst children as children have become addicted to the computers, television and mobile phones. This has also resulted in bad eating habits and erratic schedule. The increasing consumption of fast food and aerated drinks by amongst children and adolescents are the major causes for their obese and overweight problems as they are high on calories and low on nourishment. The policy of school lunch for students during school hours, therefore, becomes highly relevant for children as it would encourage healthy diet at the right time. The

Is painting relevant in the contemporary art world Essay

Is painting relevant in the contemporary art world - Essay Example The essay "Is painting relevant in the contemporary art world" discusses the relevance of the painting to the contemporary art world. This medium is painting. Although painting has continually reinvented itself throughout modern history (from the Renaissance to Modernism), it has slowly fallen out of the spotlight in major art competitions as technique has regressed behind the initial idea and aesthetic quality of a particular piece. Despite this, art in general has the innate ability to transform itself continuously and fluidly throughout the course of history in the western world. â€Å"We can see the destruction and de-construction of painting throughout the progression of movements that we have endured over the past 80 years† (Pearce). But is painting dead in today’s art world? Painting is constrained by numerous limitations which the artist is confined to work within. A painting lacks motion, is bounded by only two-dimensions and is confined by space, size and mobi lity, as the work is restricted by the choice of canvas. Because or despite these limitations, contemporary artists have taken a drastically different approach to painting. â€Å"Fast-forward to today’s modern art scene, where young British artist Damien Hirst can knock out ‘spin paintings’ – haphazard blurs of color scattered from a stepladder – in a matter of hours, and then sell them for $18,000. While he at least put paint on canvas, Hirst’s most famous pieces are light years away from the brush work of the old masters†.

Rising Oil Prices Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Rising Oil Prices - Research Proposal Example Fuel prices have risen and affected every nation in the world since the early years of this decade. Nandia Mongia (2008) reports that crude oil prices have increased in the world market from 22 U.S. Dollars up to almost $90 U.S. Dollars per barrel. This affected the prices of petroleum products like diesel, kerosene, propane, and gasoline and hit lower-income households. Figure 1 shows the rising trend of oil products from 2000 up to 2006. Mongia (2008) mentions five (5) reasons for the rising of oil prices: (1) increasing demands for oil in the world market, (2) reduction of buffers, (3) uncertain oil supply, (4) assumption in the global oil market, and (5) lack of investments on exploration and refining. Robert Hirsch et al. (2005) mentions the notion of oil peaking. They note as perceived by geologists, oil is a limited source found under the earth's crust and its production will soon reach its peak or maximum and from there production will decline. They also emphasize that oil peaking is not related with running out of oil but it only describes the maximum production rate of an oil reservoir when half of its oil is recovered. (Hirsh et al. 2005) Oil peaking can be attributed to rising oil prices since the decreasing supply of oil may not meet the required demand so prices will go up in order to decrease the demand. Figure 2 explains the shift of the supply curve (S1 - S2) and the rise of equilibrium price ($1 - $2 ) because of the decrease in oil production. Figure 2 C. Implications of the Rise in Oil Prices Mongia (2008) finds that the macroeconomic effects of the increase in prices of oil are not yet seen. As shown in Figure 3, the inflation brought by the increase in the average price of crude in 2000's was matched by the growth of the world's real GDP although signs of slowdown were seen. For the developing countries in Asia, the effects of inflation hampered GDP growth which has not changed since 2004. (Mongia 2008) Oliver Blanchard and Jordi Gali (2008) prove four (4) reasons for the mild impacts of the recent oil price increase: (1) lack of adverse shocks which happened in the 1970's, (2) lesser share of oil in production, (3) highly flexible labor markets, and (4) enhancements in the monetary policy. Figure 3 (Real GDP Growth, Crude Price 1990 - 2006) On the other hand, the microeconomic effects of the rise in oil prices were experienced by the poor. As stated by Mongia (2008), many developing countries are oil dependent and spend more resources on importing oil. Poor households use petroleum products like kerosene, liquefied petroleum gas, diesel, gasoline, and chemical fertilizers in their daily living. The rise of in the prices of oil will force them to use other sources like biomass or fuel wood and crop remains. These effects will harm some Millennium

The Great Big Turnip | Analysis

The Great Big Turnip | Analysis Introduction: Our choice of storybook is The Great Big Turnip edited by Bob Williams, published by KohWai and Young. This book is appropriate for children aged four to six as it is specially designed and created to assist children who have mastered basic reading skills. Marchado (2010) states that the success of any book for young children depends on its presentation of basic human tasks, needs, and concerns based on childrens perceptions, and at a level at which they can respond (p. 289). Thus, after examining our selected choices of books, we decided to choose The Great Big Turnip because it has met many aspects of selecting the right book for young children. The story revolves around a farmer who had discovered a giant turnip in his garden. He could not pull it out alone hence he sought help from his family members and other animals in the house. Together, they managed to pull the turnip out of the ground and enjoyed plenty of food for many years. From this synopsis, the story is able to inculcate the value of teamwork in the readers as it teaches that joint effort makes it easier to complete a task. Its print and vibrant illustrations had captivated us instantaneously. The language used is age appropriate for children to learn and comprehend. The moral of the story is that we should always help others when they are in need, even if you may think that your help is insignificant. Literary elements: Plot: The plot is good because it creates suspense in the story to develop the childrens interest in reading the book. It is also simple and straightforward as it focuses on how the farmer gets help to pull the giant turnip out of the ground. Machado (2010) states that simple plot necessitated by the length of a picture book allows young children to become involved immediately in action, discover problem, and understand the resolution (p. 289). The story is in a chronological order as it unfolds sequentially. In the beginning on page 3, it talks about the farmer planting turnip seeds on the ground. In the middle on page 7, the farmer asked his wife for help when he could not pull the turnip out all by himself. Eventually, they still needed more people to help out. On page 14, it reveals how the turnip was pulled out from the ground. From the plot, readers are able to pick out problem-solving skills from the characters, such as asking for assistance. The climax of the story happens on page 13 when six more characters were involved in pulling the turnip out of the ground, and it arrests the childrens attention to find out how the characters overcome the situation. Characterization: The characters in the storybook are life like as they appear like normal living being. Machado (2010) states that characters should be portrayed realistically and have experiences and emotions with which children can immediately identify (p. 289). Thus, this book has definitely met the book selection criteria. The protagonist in the story is a farmer. As the story continues, other characters develop one after another throughout the story to help the farmer. The story does not talk about the characters past, present and future as it focuses on how the farmer gets help from his family to pull the big turnip out of the ground. Based on the farmers dialogue, it shows that he is a jovial person. On page 5 and 7, the farmer was elated to find out that his plant had grown into an enormous turnip. At the end of the story on page 16, the farmer shows a sense of happiness as it states that the happy farmer ate turnip for years (William, 2002). Besides, this book also portrays an array of emotions based on the other characters dialogue on page 7, 9 and 11. It shows excitement yet their struggles in pulling out the turnip. Setting: The farmers garden is the main location where the story took place during daytime. Based on a western context, readers are able to visualize a realistic event that occurred in the story which helps to build on their prior knowledge of the images. Theme: The theme of the story is able to relate to childrens understandings, needs and interests because underlying concept educates the importance of teamwork and unity. The farmer would not be able to pull the big turnip out of the ground without the help of his wife, son, daughter, dog, cat and mouse. It shows the significance of working towards a goal in harmony; oneness of mind. Style and Diction: The language used is simple and age-appropriate for children aged four to six. The language used is able to create mood from text such as exclaimed, cried and excited. The story involves a careful choice of words and rhythm such as they all pulled and pulled, but the turnip still would not come out! With a predictable text, children are able to participate by reading aloud to themselves or a storyteller. And the book contains good diction as it contains phrases like eyes popped out from her head, luckily, fell backwards in a heap. Point of View: The author used a third person point of view to write the story using pronoun like He, She and They. Objective point of view was used in the story as the author only tells what happen without stating more than [what] can be inferred from the storys action and dialogue (Literature, No Date). Stereotypes: It is not reflected in the storybook. Personification: It is not reflected in the storybook. Visual elements The picture-books visual variety would kindle the interests of the children and arrest their visual attention. It is slightly smaller than an A4-sized book which words inside are of Arial font and appropriate font size. The space in between words and line spacing are not cluttered. Hence, this popular fairytale facilitates easy one-on-one readings and independent reading. Cover page: On the cover page, yellow, embroidered images on the borders of The Great Big Turnip give volume to the title and front illustrations. Every word in the title is capitalised and dark turquoise in colour. Below the title is a bright and colourful cartoon of the climax of the story, which is also slightly similar to the cartoon on page 14 and page 15. The clever illustration will intrigue readers as it shows just the giant turnip spinning out of the soil and several characters falling behind. It allows readers to think about what happened in the story. Texture: Illustrations are two-dimensional which gives a visual texture and promotes imagery development. Line: Heavy lines used give more precision and curved lines used depict fluidity which brings the characters to life. Jagged lines can be found on page 15s illustration of the spinning turnip, which enables the readers to sense danger. Colour and Shape: Furthermore, the cartoon characters stand out more as additional colours and geometric shapes are used to allow the reader to clearly differentiate all of them. Illustrations from page 13 are good examples, as when the characters are pulling the turnip out, the reader would not focus on other things such as the house far away or even the forest in the background. Colours such as brown used compliment the settings like the farmers wooden house and the soil in his garden. There is also more assertion and rigidity in the illustration of the farmer due to the geometric shapes used (Scott, 1989). Free-form shapes such as the cursive ends of the turnip on page 15 enable the reader to imagine the great amount of force when the turnip was pulled out (Scott, 1989). All in all, the visual elements of the picture-book nurture visual literacy which builds on the language development of child. They allow the facilitating readability and influencing recall of the text (Machado, 2010).

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee Essay example -- English Literatur

To Kill a Mockingbird Test Question 1 As readers, we saw Scout mature and grow as our narorater and as a person. She learned many things, but also lost many things. As she grew up and changed, she began to see how things really were, and gained the knowledge of the pure hate that one man can show another. Scout lost her innocence when she found this out. She began to see how cruel the world can be to someone who is a little different or strange. She saw this in the prejudice that was shown to Tom Robinson, Walter Cunningham, Miss Maudie and even herself. She gained the wisdom of the world outside her back door and began to see how society works. Although this may not have been a good thing, she could now see how unimportant it was. Who cared if one was not up high on the social ladder? Atticus taught Jem and Scout to be polite, caring kids. He instilled in them a great sense of love for their neighbor and told them things that would help them get on in life. Scout was very lucky to have someone to guide her along the way. Although she was faced with â€Å"the real world†, she had lots of people who would willingly explain to her and guide her. Scout really matured during the course of this book. She went from a six year old child with no knowledge of the real world to an about ten year old who had a lot of life’s most important lessons shown to her at a very young age. She had to learn, very quickly, that life would not always be easy and fun. She learned of the horrible ways men can treat other men and of the ugliness of station, poverty and hate. To say that Scout would of never found out about these is incorrect. She would of found out about them within due course, but to find out at nine or ten must have been a culture shock for her! Scout was a very brave little girl to accept, reflect, and reject this ugly knowledge that she gained. If she had just been able to keep the innocence of childhood that she lost, she would have been much better off. We cannot let children face the ugliness that Scout learned of. It was too much, to fast, even for someone so smart. We must show love to everyone so that our children will show love. To Kill a Mockingbird Test Question 2 The author, Harper Lee, picked an interesting person to narrate the story. This had some advantages and disadvantages as the story progressed. This writing te... ...o the story. Without him, the story might have been about Atticus prosecuting Tom instead of defending him. To Kill a Mockingbird Test Question 8 Harper Lee once called this book ‘a simple love story’. Critics today call it an icon of American literature. Why can we not call it both? The book is a love story between the children and Boo Radley. But critics say it was so mush more than that! It truly was. Harper Lee used so many literary tecniques, characterizations, relationship developments and so many other things even the greatest literary master probably couldn’t tell you what this book means. But why can’t a book be both? A Wrinkle in Time is a great adventure book but it’s also a great Newberry award winner. So can Harper Lee’s simple love story between three children and a man not wanting to be pulled into society’s drowning currents be one of the greatest books ever written? A book that has so many hidden and double meanings be one of the most well respected and loved books in all of America? Can a book that touches on so many issues that are still alive today and that peaks to every one of us in a special way be on of the most sold and read books in the world? Yes.

Simple Pendulum Lab

The Simple Pendulum Objective and Background Objective: The Objective of this experiment is to examine the simple harmonic motion and to determine the value of the acceleration due to gravity from the analysis of the period of the simple pendulum. [1] Background: There are three equations that will be used to calculate the period of motion of the simple pendulum. They are the slope of the line of the graph of T? against L, and the gravity of the pendulum motion.The period of the motion is the time needed for one complete cycle that a pendulum bob swing from the initial position to the other end, and then back to the initial position. [1] The equation to calculate period is, T = 2? Lg Where, T = Period of the motion, measured in s. L = Length of the pendulum, measured in cm. g = Acceleration due to gravity, measured in m/s2. The slope of the line in the graph of T? against L can be used to determine the gravity of the pendulum motion. It is because, y = mx m = T? L= 4 g = Slope of the line in the graph T? /L. Therefore, to find the gravity of the pendulum motion, we can use the slope of the graph.The slope of the graph is given by the formula, g = 4 m g = Acceleration due to gravity, measured in m/s?. Procedure and Observations Materials: * String * Metre Stick * Stop watch * Stand * Pendulum bob Procedure: 1) Materials listed above were taken for the experiment. 2) The pendulum bob was tied tightly with the string. 3) The string with the pendulum bob was hung on the stand. ) A meter stick was used to measure the distance between the centre of mass of the bob and the top of the string. 5) The distance was recorded in the observation table. 6) The pendulum ball was held at a distance from the centre and it was released. 8) A stop watch was used to time the time needed to complete ten cycles. 9) The time was recorded in the observation table. 10) Steps 4-7 were repeated four more times with different lengths. Observations: L (m)| 10T (s)| 0. 185| 9. 01| 0. 39| 14. 13| 0. 595| 15. 04| 0. 79| 17. 58| 1| 19. 67|Diagram of the Pendulum Figure [ 1 ] Calculations and Results Method 1 – Graph of T2 vs. L Data collected L(m)| T2(s2)| 0. 18| 0. 81| 0. 39| 1. 99| 0. 59| 2. 37| 0. 79| 3. 09| 1| 3. 86| Hand drawn graph ?x ?y Figure [ 2 ] The slope can be determined by m=? x? y. So, by taking a value for x x = 0. 4 cm y must then be y = 1. 4 cm m= 1. 4 cm0. 4 cm m=3. 5 The error would be given by ?mm= ? x1x12+ ? x2x22 ?m= m 0. 051. 42+ 0. 050. 42 ?m= 3. 5 0. 051. 42+ 0. 050. 42 ?m=0. 45 The acceleration due to gravity is given by g=4? 2m g=4? 23. 5 g=4? 23. 5 g=11. m/s2 Calculating the error for g would yield ?gg= ? mm2 ?g= g 0. 453. 52 ?g= 11. 30. 453. 52 ?g= 1. 45 m/s2 g=11. 3 m/s2 Â ± 1. 45 m/s2 Solving for the percentage deviation would give % deviation= Actual value-Expected valueExpected value* 100% Expected value=9. 8 m/s2 % deviation= 11. 3 m/s2-9. 8 m/s29. 8 m/s2*100% % deviation= 11. 3 m/s2-9. 8 m/s29. 8 m/s2*100% % deviation= 15. 3% Me thod 2 – Linear Regression Excel graph Figure [ 3 ]The equation of the line is given by T2 = 3. 53L + 0. 33 Where m=3. 53 The acceleration due to gravity is given by =4? 2m g=4? 23. 53 g=4? 23. 53 g=11. 1 m/s2 Solving for the percentage deviation would give % deviation= Actual value-Expected valueExpected value* 100% Expected value=9. 8 m/s2 % deviation= 11. 1 m/s2-9. 8 m/s29. 8 m/s2*100% % deviation= 11. 1 m/s2-9. 8 m/s29. 8 m/s2*100% % deviation= 13. 2% Conclusion By comparing these two methods of calculating the acceleration due to gravity it is clearly noticeable that there is a difference between the two, when it comes to the accuracy. When calculating g using the hand drawn graph method it yielded =11. m/s2 Â ± 1. 45 m/s2. However, when using the linear regression method on excel, it yielded g=11. 1 m/s2. This is clearly closer to the expected value of 9. 8 m/s2. There are several reasons contributing to the conclusion that linear regression is more accurate, than meas uring calculating the slope off of a hand drawn graph. First of all, computers are much more accurate than humans. There is no denying the fact that humans are not perfect and no hand drawn graph will be as precise as a computer drawn graph.A ruler was being used, which may lead to believe that the line is perfectly straight, whereas it is actually not. This is clearly noticeable when one zooms in on a hand drawn graph. Another problem with the ruler is that no matter how hard one tries to measure the distance between two different points, one will never be able to get the exact distance. Computers however, Excel in this case, draw perfectly straight lines. Also the location of line of best fit line, in the hand drawn part of the experiment, was estimated, which obviously leads to an inaccurate result.Excel however, uses the calculation of linear regression to draw the line of best fit and this is extremely accurate, since the exact slope is being calculated by Excel. It is clear th at the method of linear regression is more accurate by looking at the percentage deviations for each method. The % deviation for the hand drawn graph yielded 15. 3%, whereas the percentage deviation for the linear regression method only was 13. 2% Even though the linear regression method was more accurate than the hand drawn method, there was still a pretty significant difference, between that value, namely g=11. m/s2, and the expected value of 9. 8 m/s2. This is due to a few sources of error when this experiment was conducted. One of the errors that contributed to this difference was that the length of the string was not exactly measured. Thus, the relation between the length and the period was wrong, leading to false results. Another reason that contributed to the inaccuracy was the fact that when the bob was not swinging the way it was supposed to. It was only supposed to have a linear motion, but it had a slight circular motion, which of course lead to a longer period.This again resulted in a wrong relation between the period and the length, leading to a wrong result. There was another major aspect to the experiment that lead to this result. Namely the fact one could not tell where the bob actually started its swinging motion exactly; therefore the exact period could not be measured with the stopwatch. It is evident however, that if these errors could have been avoided, the acceleration due to gravity could have been calculated very accurately using the method of linear regression. References [1] PCS 125 Laboratory Manual, 2008

How to Say Thank You in Japanese by Using Arigatou

How to Say 'Thank You' in Japanese by Using 'Arigatou' If you are in Japan, you will probably hear the word arigatou (㠁‚り㠁Å'㠁 ¨Ã£ â€ ) used on a regular basis. It is an informal way of saying thank you. But it can also be used in conjunction with other words to say thank you in Japanese in more formal settings, such as an office or a shop or anywhere where manners matter. Common Ways of SayingThank You There are two common ways of saying thank you formally: arigatou gozaimasu and arigatou gozaimashita. You would use the first phrase in a setting like an office when addressing a social superior. For example, if your boss brings you a cup of coffee or offers praise for a presentation you gave, youd thank her by saying, arigatou  gozaimasu. Written out, it looks like this:  Ã£ â€šÃ£â€šÅ Ã£ Å'㠁 ¨Ã£ â€ Ã£ â€Ã£ â€"㠁„㠁 ¾Ã£ â„¢. You can also use this phrase in less formal settings as a more general expression of thanks, either for something someone has done or will do for you.    The second phrase is used to thank someone for a service, transaction, or something that someone has done for you. For example, after a clerk has wrapped and bagged your purchase, you would thank him by saying arigatou  gozaimashita. Written out, it looks like this: 㠁‚り㠁Å'㠁 ¨Ã£ â€ Ã£ â€Ã£ â€"㠁„㠁 ¾Ã£ â€"㠁Ÿ. Grammatically, the difference between the two phrases is in the tense. In Japanese, the past tense is indicated by adding mashita to the end of a verb. For example, ikimasu (è ¡Å'㠁 Ã£  ¾Ã£ â„¢ ) is the present tense of the verb to go, while ikimashita (è ¡Å'㠁 Ã£  ¾Ã£ â€"㠁Ÿ) is the past tense.

Free Essays on An Ethical Dilemna

An Ethical Dilemna Dilemma- Taken from: Business Ethics - Ethical Decision Making and Cases A Real Life Situation pages 62-63 By: O.C. Farrell Sandy was one of only a handful of women who had broken through the â€Å"glass ceiling† and made their way into management. She had proved to the men around her that she deserved the job, and she was now being toasted by assistant managers from other plants across the country John, her boss, had been her advocate with the company. He had personally lobbied upper management in her behalf. Unity Welding and Construction is a national firm with twenty fabrication plants, primarily in the South. The company does contract work for other companies that require welding or fabrication of metals into items used in the construction of aircraft, ships, bridges, and component parts for consumer durables. Each plant caters to specific industries. Sandy’s plant produces parts primarily for the automotive industry and is located in Arizona. Arizona is perfect f or Sandy because of her acute asthma problems. As a teenager, she once visited relatives in Atlanta and had to be hospitalized because of her reactions to the different plants and foliage. Sandy’s doctor told her at the time that she would have fewer problems with her asthma if she resided in one of the arid regions of the United States. Six months had passed since Sandy’s promotion, and her first performance rating from John was excellent. John told her that if she continued this type of performance, she would probably be a plant manager in three to six years. Sandy developed some innovative ways to increase productivity during her six months on the job. For example, she successfully implemented a â€Å"team concept,† which gave responsibility for certain proje... Free Essays on An Ethical Dilemna Free Essays on An Ethical Dilemna An Ethical Dilemna Dilemma- Taken from: Business Ethics - Ethical Decision Making and Cases A Real Life Situation pages 62-63 By: O.C. Farrell Sandy was one of only a handful of women who had broken through the â€Å"glass ceiling† and made their way into management. She had proved to the men around her that she deserved the job, and she was now being toasted by assistant managers from other plants across the country John, her boss, had been her advocate with the company. He had personally lobbied upper management in her behalf. Unity Welding and Construction is a national firm with twenty fabrication plants, primarily in the South. The company does contract work for other companies that require welding or fabrication of metals into items used in the construction of aircraft, ships, bridges, and component parts for consumer durables. Each plant caters to specific industries. Sandy’s plant produces parts primarily for the automotive industry and is located in Arizona. Arizona is perfect f or Sandy because of her acute asthma problems. As a teenager, she once visited relatives in Atlanta and had to be hospitalized because of her reactions to the different plants and foliage. Sandy’s doctor told her at the time that she would have fewer problems with her asthma if she resided in one of the arid regions of the United States. Six months had passed since Sandy’s promotion, and her first performance rating from John was excellent. John told her that if she continued this type of performance, she would probably be a plant manager in three to six years. Sandy developed some innovative ways to increase productivity during her six months on the job. For example, she successfully implemented a â€Å"team concept,† which gave responsibility for certain proje...

Two topices you can choice (The finance of public transportation or Essay

Two topices you can choice (The finance of public transportation or The implementation of recycling programs) about ubran studies - Essay Example What the core problem is that a society in which a recycling program is considered ineffective; actually lacks experience, for these programs provide better and better results with proper development with time. What happens with a common household ‘dustbin’ or a ‘garbage-can’, as most people would refer it to, is that after being filled to its brim it starts to spill the waste out, evidently due to the limited space it has for the purpose of storing garbage. But space doesn’t matter nowadays, does it? One can clearly incinerate the garbage and use the dustbin for collecting more garbage and then incinerate that too, but would the ‘effects’ of that burning garbage be healthy for the environment? Of course most people don’t tend to care about it and consider using their resources to better purposes than caring about the environment, but would the ‘cost’ of constantly burning that garbage, the ‘energy’ used in clearing the bin and the transportation of that garbage be so minor to be easily sacrificed? Our planet is the metaphorical ‘dust bin’ and clearly we (humans) have polluted it for long, but it is only now that emphasis is being laid on the preservation of our resources and our environment; reflecting that our environmental condition has reached a critical point. The latest effort to preserve what’s left of our once rich environment and to clean what we have messed up, includes recycling; the reprocessing of materials to save fresh raw materials, energy and save the environment from numerous pollutants. Recycling programs are methods or ways we adopt which consequently help us recycle. To address the issue of their implementation in urban areas we must first consider the importance and the need of recycling programs in urban areas. Developed cities tend to be more artificial with respect to the natural environment and the more different they are the more harm they cause. Take a big metropolitan

Mild Mental Retardation Related focused on pediatric population and Research Paper

Mild Mental Retardation Related focused on pediatric population and communication disorders - Research Paper Example To establish a diagnosis of mental retardation, the intelligence has to be atleast 2 standard deviations less than the mean intelligent quotient. Mental retardation can be categorized into mild, moderate, severe and profound based on the intelligent quotient and of these, mild mental retardation (MMR) accounts for more than 85 percent of the cases. The intelligent quotient is between 50-55 to 70 and the standard deviation below mean is 2-3. According to Reschly (2009), "MMR was the official designation of a level of MR that involved current intellectual functioning performance between 2 and 3 standard deviations below the population mean and significant limitations in some, but not all, facets of everyday adaptive functioning." The DSM (2005) criteria for mental retardation includes "significantly sub-average intellectual functioning- an IQ of approximately 70 or below, trouble with functioning in multiple areas of life and onset before age 18." Since those with MMR do not have much biological or physical involvement, there is no biological stigmata associated with the diagnosis (Nadelson, 2001). On the other hand, in those with levels of mental retardation beyond MMR, the diagnosis is often made in preschool years and the setting of identification is usually a health care system (Reschly, 2009). The comprehensiveness of the individual is poor and affects performance of the individuals in all social setting and also functional roles. Biological stigmata is always present with the diagnosis (Reschly, 2009). Diagnosis of MMR is often complex and also controversial because of lack of unequivocal symptoms and signs (Hegde and Pomaville, 2008). The diagnosis of MMR was recognized formally about a century ago and has been described in the earlier versions of American Association on Mental Retardation Disabilities (Reschly, 2009). When compared to other levels of mental retardation, MMR is usually not diagnosed until the child attains school age and the diagnosis usua lly occurs subsequent to referral from the class teacher of the child for suboptimal academic performance. Individuals with MMR typically do not exhibit any physical characteristics, neither do they have much impairment of comprehension (Reschly, 2009). When compared to other levels of mental retardation, MMR is usually not diagnosed until the child attains school age and the diagnosis usually occurs subsequent to referral from the class teacher of the child for suboptimal academic performance. Individuals with MMR typically do not exhibit any physical characteristics, neither do they have much impairment of comprehension (Reschly, 2009). Recent formulations for grading the severity of mental retardation are based on the levels of support needed rather than intelligent quotient. This is because; support levels are anyway related conceptually to impairment levels. Four levels of support are described in this regard and they are analogous to the four levels of impairment used earlier (Reschley, 2009). In this essay, communication problems, their evaluation tools, and treatment will be discussed with reference to MMR. Since there are several causes of MMR and it is beyond the purview of this essay to discuss them, one cause of MMR, the William syndrome will be discussed. Speech and language characteristics of the disorder The permanence in MMR is variable and its identification is unlike during preschool age period and adulthood.