WTS Migration Plan To Develop E-Business Capability Essay

WTS Migration Plan To Develop E-Business Capability - Essay Example Many commentators refer to e-commerce as all electronically mediated transaction between an organization and any third party it deals with. By this definition, non-financial transaction such as customers’ requests for further information would also be considered to be part of e-commerce. E-business or e-commerce refer to the technology/ system integrate with commerce i.e. purchase of goods and services over world wide web via secure servers with shopping carts and with electronic pay services like credit cards payment authorization. Impact of e-business on organizations is happening right before our eyes a vast and rapid reconfiguration of business on an unprecedented scale. Impact of e-business on almost every part of the organisation is evident. Choosing the important infrastructure i.e. appropriate technology and service provider is of utmost importance. Service providers and IT groups directly affect the value of the enterprises. E-business needs whole lot of infrastructur al change. The technical infrastructure element of e-business consists of Internet and server technologies, hardware and software. Apart from the infrastructure needed for any business i.e. man, money and machine, e-business needs some specific infrastructure to succeed which are known as business application infrastructure which supports e-business design by providing the software functionality required for the business design to work. E-business infrastructure, which has been needed by WTS, could be classified

Final Exam Study Guide Essay Example for Free

Final Exam Study Guide Essay 1. The Final Exam is open book, open notes. The maximum time you can spend in the exam is 3 hours, 30 minutes. If you have not clicked the Submit for Grading button by then, you will be automatically exited from the exam. In the Final Exam environment, the Windows clipboard is disabled so you will not be able to copy exam questions or answers to or from other applications. 2. You should click the â€Å"Save Answers† button in the exam frequently. This helps prevent connection timeouts that might occur with certain Internet service providers and also minimizes lost answers in the event of connection problems. If your Internet connection does break, when you reconnect, you will normally be able to get back into your Final Exam without any trouble. Remember, though, that the exam timer continues to run while students are disconnected, so students should try to log in again as quickly as possible. The Help Desk cannot grant any student additional time on the exam. 3. See Syllabus Due Dates for Assignments Exams for due date information. 4. Reminders You will only be able to enter your online Final Exam one time. Click the Save Answers button often. If you lose your Internet connection during your Final Exam, log on again and try to access your Final Exam. If you are unable to enter the Final Exam, first contact the Help Desk and then your instructor. You will always be able to see the time remaining in the Final Exam at the top right of the page. 5. Assessments With Multiple Pages Make sure you click the Save Answers button before advancing to the next page. (We also suggest clicking on â€Å"Save Answers† while you are working.) Complete all of the pages before submitting your Final Exam for instructor review. Do NOT use your browsers â€Å"Back† and â€Å"Forward† buttons during the Final Exam. Please use the provided links for navigation. 6. Submitting Your Final Exam When you are finished with the Final Exam, click on the Submit for Grading button. Please note: Once you click the Submit for Grading button, you will NOT be able to edit or change any of your answers. 7. Exam Questions There are 11 randomly selected multiple-choice questions each worth 5 points for a total of 55 points. There are seven randomly selected essay questions each worth 35 points for a total of 245 points. The Final Exam covers all course TCOs and Weeks 1–7. The Final Exam contains two pages, which can be completed in any order. You may go back and forth between the pages. The Final Exam questions are pooled. This means that not everyone will have the same questions. Even if you do have some of the same questions, they may not be in the same order. These questions are distributed amongst the TCOs. The entire exam is worth 300 points. On the essay questions, your answers should be succinct, fully address each part of the question, and demonstrate your knowledge and understanding in a concise but complete answer. Most essay questions require answers that are a couple of paragraphs (not a couple of sentences) that directly speak to each part of the question. Some students opt to work on the essay questions first due to their higher point value and length of time needed to adequately address each question, but this is entirely your choice. Remember to always use proper citation when quoting other sources. This means that ANY borrowed material (even a short phrase) should be placed in quotation marks with the source (URL, author/date/page #) immediately following the end of the passage (the end quote). Changing a few words in a passage does NOT constitute putting it in your own words, and proper citation is still required. Borrowed material should NOT dominate a student’s work but should only be used sparingly to support your own thoughts, ideas, and examples. Heavy usage of borrowed material (even if properly cited) can jeopardize the points for that question. Uncited material can jeopardize a passing grade on the exam. As a part of our commitment to academic integrity, your work may be submitted to turnitin.com, an online plagiarism checking service. So please be VERY mindful of proper citation. Essay questions: The essay questions included in this test focus on the key questions the network designer will face. For  example, a question might ask you which of several different ways to solve a problem you would select and why. A question might ask why a network design is done in a certain way. What are the advantages and disadvantages of the design? Finally, a question might ask you to apply some part of a commonly used design methodology, such as the top-down network design method. 8. Some of the key study areas are below. While these are key areas, remember that the exam is comprehensive for all of the assigned course content, and this study guide may not be all inclusive. 9. Areas that were discussed in the threads will be prime targets. 10. Assignments will also be prime targets for revisiting. 11. Reviewing the TCOs, which I have listed below for your convenience, will also be a great preparation for the Final Exam. 1 Given a set of requirements for a modern enterprise business organization, diagram and simulate network solutions consisting of functional modules and hierarchical layers with respect to intelligent network services, protocols, and topologies using a network design and simulation tool such as NetCracker or OPNET. 2 Given a team situation and top-down network design tools, analyze and document customer organizational and technical goals, policies, requirements, and constraints as inputs to the network design process. 3 Given a team situation and a set of network design requirements for a modern enterprise business organization, design and connect the hierarchical and enterprise composite network models into specific topologies that meet customer requirements using a network design and simulation tool such as NetCracker or OPNET. 4 Given a team situation and a set of network design requirements for a modern enterprise business organization, select and design enterprise campus network topologies consisting of multi-layered-modularity, geographical borders, existing traffic flows, and planned application traffic flows using a network design and simulation tool such as NetCracker or OPNET. 5 Given a team situation and a set of network design requirements for a modern  enterprise business organization, select remote user and redundant service access technologies that meet project design requirements. 6 Given a team situation and a business case for an enterprise business organization, select a voice over IP (VoIP), IP telephony, or multimedia solution appropriate for a converged network design that meets project goals. 7 Given a team situation and a set of network design requirements for a modern enterprise business organization, assess legal compliance; disaster recovery; and security risks, threats, and vulnerabilities within each modular block of the enterprise composite network model. Finally, if you have any questions for me, please post them to our Q A or e-mail me. Good luck on the exam!

Great Literature - What Makes it so Great? Essay -- Expository Definit

Great Literature - What Makes it so Great? What is "great" literature? What makes it so great? Who decides it is great? And, most importantly, why should people read it? The answers to these four questions tell their own story, the story of the grandest works ever written. Great literature is what has stood the test of time. This time frame can be as long as many thousands of years, and as short as twenty. What is important is that the piece of literature has been thoroughly analyzed and scrutinized, studied and talked about, criticized and scoffed at--and still survives. From the essay "What is a Classic?" from Aerie Books Ltd. an excerpt reads, "They've set aside that word [classic] solely for books that have passed the test of time, that really are among the best works of their kind ever written" (Aerie Books Ltd. 295). Time is the most important factor contributing to a book's greatness. What makes great literature "great" is the feelings, emotions, and philosophical reflection that the reader experiences, long after having read the piece....

Native American Literature Essay

This piece of literature, â€Å"Superman and Me† by Sherman Alexie, reflects what it means to be an Indian in today’s culture written in first person. Alexie utilizes memories from his childhood to develop his thesis: reading and writing saved his life and allowed him to overcome poverty and be successful. They were an Indian family and his father owned an enormous amount of books. He learned to read at an early age with a Superman comic book. He writes about the stereotypes of Indians expected to be stupid and fail in the non-Indian world. He, on the other hand, declined this pity and refused to fail; he was a smart Indian that read as much as he could. He grew up to be a writer and visited the schools unfailingly to save the lives of Indian children. The purpose of this article is to improve the lives of Indian children. LaFarge, Oliver. â€Å"Myths that Hide the American Indian. † Historical view point. New York: John A. Garraty, 1991. 3-5. Print. In this essay, Oliver La Farge writes about the true civilization of the American Indian in â€Å"Myths that hide the American Indian. † Europeans made inferences without understanding them. La Farge describes the impact of the white men’s negative perception of Indians as ruthless, faithless, savages, drunken, and lazy good-for-nothings. The most important influence the Indians had on western civilization was their political economy where they had one ruler. Later, England formed a constitutional monarchy. All in all, this article’s purpose was to illistrate the Europeans’ views of Indians as savages was wrong; they were merely advancing to civilization. â€Å"The World on Turtle’s Back. † McDougal Littell Literature: American Literature. Evanston, IL: McDougal Littell, 2008. 34-40. Print. â€Å"The World on a Turtles Back† describes the world before land, creatures, or people. The Sky-World consisted of multiple gods, a great ocean, birds of the sea, fish, creatures of the deep, and most importantly the Great Tree that grew right in the middle. The author states that a couple was expecting a baby in the Sky-World the man went to fetch some bark from the roots of the Great Tree. He accidently dug a hole through the Sky-World and his pregnant wife fell through capturing a piece of the bark’s root. The woman planted the roots, and as she walked around the earth it grew into nurturing food. Later, the lady gave birth to a baby girl, and when the girl got older she had twins. the right handed-twin appeared to be god-like, while the left-landed twin comply with the devil. Both twins possessed their own powers; however one twin would use it to perform kind acts, and the other used it to pursue evil. They fought till the end, but both had to exist to maintain balance in the world. The purpose of this story is to show there has to be evil in the world to balance with the good. Momaday, N. Scott. â€Å"The Way to Rainy Mountain. † McDougal Littell Literature: American Literature. Evanston, IL: McDougal Littell, 2008. 52-58. Print. N. Scott Momaday’s â€Å"The Way to Rainy Mountain† utilizes imagery to enhance the impact of his deceased grandmother’s life and old customs while he makes his journey to her grave in Rainy Mountain. Aho, Momaday’s grandmother, belonged to the last tribe that migrated to North America. The Kiowas made a legend that explained that seven sisters form the Big Dipper. Aho honored the sun by attending the Kiowa Sun Dances. Prayers kept her memory since she was always praying even when she died. Momaday believes his grandmother’s death was whole and eternal for her to have lived and died in the same place: Rainy Mountain. The purpose of this story is to inform the reader about the cultural history of the Kiowa Indians. Tempus, Allie. â€Å"A Tribal Tragedy: Suicide Rates Soar Among Native Americans† New America Media November 29 2010 Posted. Web. Native Americans’ suicide rates are evaluated in Allie Tempus’, â€Å"A Tribal Tragedy. † They have the highest rate of all other ethnic and racial groups. The suicides are traced back to their mental health, including depression. Poverty and family issues resulted in depression which led to drug and alcohol use. Many users experienced an abusive childhood and turned to drugs to alleviate the pain. Native Americans involuntarily lost the balance in their lives as their traditions and customs died out, but today there are prevention efforts made to reduce suicide rates. The purpose of this news is to inform the reader about the history and hopeful future for Native Americans’ suicide rates. Popick, Jacqui. â€Å"Native American Women, Past, Present and Future. † Lethbridge Undergraduate Research Journal. 2006. Volume 1 Number 1. Jacqui Popicks’s â€Å"Native American Women, Past, Present, and Future† is an informative article that evaluates the different generations in the life of a typical Native American woman. In the past, women were treated equal and with respect because they have the power to give life. In present day, a drastic changed occurred because women face sexism, racism, and they are not generally respected as well as before. The Bill of Rights finally gave women their rights after a long, hard battle but that was not enough. As time progressed, Native American women initiated programs of awareness, AIDS, suicide, violence, prevention, and education to renew lives and overcome the feeling of hopelessness. The purpose of this journal is to show a comparison of the treatment of Native American women in the past and present, as well as goals for the future.

Over-crowded Classes

The background to the studyThere was a shocking difficult of overcrowded classes in public primary schools of Mangaung, due to an high residents as it is in central part of the province Free State. One class can be having over forty learners, and this makes the learning process to be ineffective and difficult. This difficult causes a major poor performance in the school academics as to one in such a huge number. In such large classes, the teacher cannot concentrate on all learners in class for attention The statement of the Research problem There was a shocking problem of over-crowded classes in public primary schools of Mangaung, due to an elevated population as it is in central part of the province Free State. One class can be having over forty learners, and this makes the learning process to be ineffective and difficult. A class can have about fifty learners and effective learning become hard. This devastating problem make the performance of learners to drop, the teacher cannot concentrate on all learners in class for attention. Research questions 1. Does overpopulation in school affect learner's academic performance? 2. What are the problems both teachers and learners face in overcrowded classroom in teaching and learning process in primary schools of Mangaung district? 3. Does overpopulation affect the efficiency of teachers in the process of teaching? 4. Howdoes the size of class influence in learners behavior? 5. What are the solutions to the problems both teachers and learners face in over-crowded classrooms in a primary? 6. Is classroom management possible in overcrowded classrooms?The purpose of the studyThe general purpose of this study is to inspect the effect of overcrowded classrooms on the academic performance of learners in public primary schools. The purpose of the study is also to disclose the impact of classroom overpopulation on performance of learner's academically To inspect factors affecting teachers to fail classroom managementThe significance of the studyThis study is very important to supply the school management with information to recognize the challenges faced by teachers and learners in overpopulated classes. This study will make known the extent to which overpopulated has affected learners academic performance. It also tells the other issues affecting learner's performance. In addition, this study will help the school leaders and teachers to propose procedures to reduce the effect of overcrowding in public primary schools. The result of the study will help teachers of primary schools to understand the product of over-crowding in classes, and to find out ways of how to teach the class of more number than the required. The study will provide support for additional research in education and it will be in the best sign of the learners, teachers, and government.Definition of key termsAcademicWord used to describe things that related to the work done in schools, colleges and universities.Over-crowdedFull accommodation or a space beyond what is usual or comfortableClassroomA building constructed for organizing students for learningClassroom managementThe essential part of the teaching and learning process, the methods, strategies and skills teachers use to maintain classroom environment.Delimitation of the studyThis study is performing in Mangaung district at Botshabelo where two primary schools will select a case study. The primary schools participating areNthabiseng Primary School and Pelong primary school who have more over-crowded classrooms.REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATUREIntroduction Most of South African school's leading difficult is overcrowded classrooms. This affects the learner's performance and teachers' motivation as well. There is a need to look onto how hard it is for both learners and teachers to cooperate and make it through in this tough situation.it is impossible to learn and teach when there are many learners and one teacher in class. The teachers experience every day (Davis, 2013).Teaching challenges in overcrowded classroomsOverpopulation in classrooms affect learners as much as it affects teachers, in long run this will affect the department of education as majority of learners' academic achievements will drop. Teaching in overcrowded classrooms face big challenges of having to create a productive learning environment for learners. De Corby, 2005 states that physical teaching teachers are challenged in engaging in important physical activities and because of overcrowded classrooms this is difficult for them. Most of the subject such as life orientation and sciences in terms of practical suffer a lot due to the class size, even the laboratory is not available. This is mostly experienced in South African schools. For example, the study of Guardian Africa Network found that some schools in the Eastern Cape have more than 120 packed in one classroom into one classroom and teachers are obliged to present lessons with their backs pressed up against the blackboard (Guardian Africa Network, 2013). During the practical experience I acquired from the Central University of Technology, I noticed that in Free State this problem is huge. Having to teach more than 50 learners for 30 minutes per period is not enough. Some of the problems are small space and no resources and equipment needed in some subjects. Teachers cannot practice a variety of methods, such as higher-order questioning methods and active learning methods due to lack of space. The science teachers cannot perform the practical, learners do not concentrate, and discipline is not there due to the number. In fact, teachers are effectively limited to the ‘chalk and talk' instructional method (Opoku-Asare et al., 2014:128). This also give teachers challenge in terms of how to finish the curriculum, resulting in teachers being guided by the books and work schedule or weekly plan but not teaching for the learners to understand. The teachers give over less time to instruction and give learners lot of notes on the board resulting in learners not even writing those notes because of their number the teacher cannot even tell who participate and who does not. Tasks such as checking presence of learners, and managing their performance take lot of time of content and lessons. Time teachers give to individual students is affected by class size as well as the social self-motivation among students. The teachers are challenged a lot because as much as they want to help all learners, it is impossible and very sad. Class sizes are a problem in the Free State and even present problems to student teachers in conducting learners centered lesson methods. Large class size gives practicing teachers only one option of teaching style that is convenient that requires learners to be passive recipients of knowledge during lessons. This does not allow for learner teachers to interaction (Mtika, 2010). The quality of learning and teaching for them is lost and this can emotionally drain them, leaving them with doubts of continuing the teaching career. There is a lot of noise in large classes this being an outcome of an increasing number of learners in the classroom. Noisy classrooms translate to the distraction, making it more difficult for learners to learn and for teachers to teach. No concentration in class and more time wasted trying to make learners keep quit instead of teaching. There is creation of stress for teachers making it difficult for them to handle the learning needs of learners (Oliver, 2006). This creates a hurt on the bond between the teacher and the learner. Most of the time spent is at school than at home, teachers supposed to know the learners and their ability more than their biological parents do and the lack of bond leads to problems and disruptions in the classroom. This can create a negative learning environment for the teacher and learner. Behavioral problems, absenteeism and high failure rates are experiences in overcrowded classrooms (Gibbs ; Jenkins, 1992). Gibbs and Jenkins (1992) indicate that dealing with overcrowded classrooms leads to high teacher absenteeism, teacher laziness and teacher stress. The research that is presenting an international perspective has shown that teachers internationally are finding difficulty in managing overcrowded classrooms.Disciplinary problems in large classesOvercrowding increases classroom issues of discipline. More learners provide more opportunities provided for personal conflicts, tension and general disruptive behavior. Even the best teacher or the principal cannot control the overcrowded classroom effectively , teachers find themselves spending more time to manage the class that they spend the time to teach. It is easy for learners to misbehave in large classes because teachers cannot keep their ey es on one person the whole time. Most of troublesome learners comes from overcrowded classerooms, troubles such as bullying, disrespecting and violence. Teachers are involved in failure to maintain classroom management by coming to class with no lesson plan. This learners most of them have problems from outside classroom that make them to misbehave. According to Mustafa (2014) more number of learners in classroom the more misbehavior increase and classroom management become difficult. Corporal punishment is not legal in South Africa. It is not easy for teachers and principals to discipline the learners and give the penalties. Every doing is according to the laws no matter how long it will take. The permissions available to the disciplining learners are very few. Beyond talking to learners as their teacher, and short of transferring or expelling them, disciplinarians hold students out of class, contact their parents, or enforce one to five day suspensions. Official responses to misbehavior are, thus, limited in training to either a simple reproof, holding the learner in the office until the next class period, or a suspension, this is still not enough for every minute a learner spend outside is loss of education. The most easily front runners' problems for suspension are class troubles, failure to attend classes, disrespect, leaving the school during school time. The other common types of disciplinary problems found mostly in schools as mentioned by Donnelly (2000) are fights, and disbelief of the organization. McManus (1995) lists several types of misbehaviorsthat make the work of educators difficult. These include; Repeatedly asking to go to the toilet; Missing lessons, absconding; Smoking in the toilets; Pushing past the educator; learners playing with matches in class and making rude remarks to the teacher when the teacher stops them. The noisewhen the learner is supposed to be writing; this happen a lot when learners are writing formal tasks and it distract other learners who are concentrating. Other misbehavior includes : talking while the teacher is talking, failing to raise hand before talking, Being abusive to the educator; fighting in class; Chasing one another around the classroom; Packing up early, as if to leave while the teacher is busy with the lesson. This thing of taking the educator's property without the permission is bad because it is associated with stealing. The mentality of wearing private clothes and not the school uniform especially during winter seasons is one of the misbehavior that teachers and principal deal with all the time. Leaving class early; and Commenting of wanting to go home while the teacher is busy is what most of the learners always do and it really irritate the teacher and make other learners to lose focus. The absence of parents on their children's school life play a huge part in the discipline of learners, this starts as early as in primary school level. Learners are coming to school with bad attitudes towards life and school. Lot parents are not involved in the education of their children, they do not even check the books, they do not attend parents' meetings, and these cause poor results, and learners dodging school. Louw and Barnes (2003) clarify that there is no problem child, there are only problem parents, those learners who behave badly at school are not taught respect at home. Rossouw (2003) regards the failure in discipline in most schools as originating from the communities rather than from schools. What causes the parents of learners to be absent in their school life is that, they are single parents at home and having lack of parental dominance over the house. Children who are walking and playing in croups influence each other in the discipline and misbehavior. These learners increase the problems of discipline negatively These groups effects on what are the child principles, what he or she knows, and learns. The amount of this influence depends on other situations such as, age and personality of children in the group and the nature of the group its self (Harris, 1998; Hartup, 1983). There are no doubts that the peer pressure and groups affect the aupport the growth problem of youth behavior. According to Seita, Mitchell and Tobin (1996) â€Å"When the family and loved ones of the children are absent in their lives, someone will play their part for them and advice the child†.MethodologyResearch methodology The study is descriptive in nature. It is an attempt to investigate the problems faced by the teachers in overcrowded classes and suggested some measures to settle these problems.Research designThe research captures the structure of case study. Case study is helping in making the results more vigorous, worth natural setting and context. Teachers are able to elaborate further in where the ‘how' and ‘why' questions are discovering. For this study, the case study is to search a specific group of teachers, in two public overcrowded schools in order to explore their experience in overcrowded classrooms.The research instrumentsThe study is developing appropriate tools for the collection and analysis of necessary data. Close ended questionnaires that are unstructured for teachers.The population and samplingPopulationThe population of the study included two government schools. Ten teachers of different gender and age are part of the research.The sampleThere are ten participants i n the study and two classrooms are going to be part of observation. Five teachers are from Nthabiseng Primary school and five teachers are from Pelong primary school. One classroom each school for observations. Both schools are public schools in Mangaung disctrict, Botshabelo, Free State province Sampling technique / procedurePurposive samplingOnly the teachers of two overcrowded schools are participating. Between those two schools, only teachers who have overcrowded classrooms participate so that the research can gain accurateinformation for the experiences in the overcrowded classrooms. Convenience sampling is used, the teachers who are readily available to contact will participate. The technique participants from Nthabiseng Primary are easily accessible to generate data from the schoolData collection proceduresThe research is using the unstructured questionnaire and observation as the methods of data procedure and data generation.Unstructured QuestionnaireIn this study, a questionnaire is a primary data tool for collecting data from the teachers. Open-ended questions for respondents because they impose no restriction and they allow foe any response to questions provided to the respondent. This type of questioner is preferred because the respondent will express themselves freely with no restrictions. The questioner generates personal opinions, beliefs, emotions and experiencesObservationsThe observation method helps in taking the live data from the natural occurring social location. The teachers' observation will take place while they teach one classroom it is impor tant to observe these classrooms so that they could be included in in sample so that the researcher could also have first-hand experience into what happens in overcrowded classrooms of different schools, observing learner-teacher interaction and the attitudes of both learners and teachers. This is a preferred method as it allows the researcher to gain insight information into teachers' experiences with overcrowded classrooms. The secondary data collections are from review of literature, a study of documents and books.Data Analysis TechniquesFor the purpose of this research, there is carefully and thoroughly reading, transcribing, and analysing of data. Thematic analysis will ensure the rich description of the data set.Ethical ConsiderationThe principal will receive the written letter asking the permission to use their school for the research. Explaining the purpose of the study and asking the permission to make class observations while teachers work Approval from the Department of B asic Education informing them of the plans to use Nthabiseng primary school and Pelong primary school in this research All the participants as well as the school involved in the study privacy and secrecy will be with respect.Limitations of the StudyMost of the sources are old therefore; the present study literature is limited. The sample size that is the number of teachers is also limited, reason being they must be in classes teaching not answering questioners. During data collections under observation method, the teachers do things different from when the researchers are not there.

Dell Inc Company Strategic Marketing

Dell Inc Company Strategic Marketing Abstract This research paper will delve into a scrupulous analysis and discussion of the modern drift in strategic marketing probing deeper into how it interlocks with the overall organizational goals and objectives.Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on Dell Inc Company Strategic Marketing specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More For the purposes of this study, Dell Inc, a colossal company offering a wide assortment of computer products and services will be reviewed bringing forth its kind of products and services, suggestions will be offered on how its marketing programs should be generally manned and executed. The study will however veer towards the researcher’s attained views and concepts, thus the information used will not necessarily second copy the actual data from Dell Inc. A keen attention will be given on how the suggested marketing plan will garner a complete overhaul of the business processes and profitabil ity. The paper will further analyze the risks involved in the marketing plan and how to counter those risks by implementing control measures in the wholesome business plan. Finally, a reflective section elaborating on the significance of undertaking this assignment will be highlighted followed by a brief conclusive section to summarily capture the key points established in the research paper after which the research will be wrapped up. Introduction In order for a marketing plan to succeed it must be based on the key goals established in the business plan. This call for the strategy formulating staff to sit down have a thorough review and understanding of the business plans in order to have a formula on how to blend the marketing plans with the business plan. Many first-time business industrialists hold the fallacy that by appending an ad on a local dairy or on a commercial television channel would have the potential buyers flocking into their premises to purchase goods and services offered. This trend is true, but only to certain degree. A cluster of people may well learn of the business enterprise, purchase products for some period but a huge latent clientele base may never learn about a business if it fails to develop and implement a passable marketing program. Any potential business owner who intends to stay germane in the business arena must design a thorough marketing program, maintain it, understand it and maximize on it to extract myriad advantages form the market place.Advertising Looking for assessment on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The key to acquisition and holding on to numerous and loyal client lies in the strategic marketing plan. The business owner must gyrate over diverse strategies and techniques until he fully understands them. After understanding the strategies it is important for the business owner to customize them and fit them in his business situa tion. Once the strategies a re implemented and maintained they help a business enterprise to attract and retain a stable group of loyal customers. Moreover, the business garners innumerable advantages such as reduction of risks accrued to market shifts and augmentation of profit margins. How Marketing Plan Supports Strategic Objectives Organizational Strategy And Marketing Plan Practitioners in the marketing field are mired by innumerable tasks. Often marketers find themselves entangled with the responsibility of running and maintaining marketing programs, staff supervision and sales this may sometimes obliterate their thinking from the real picture; however marketers are advised to gain little perspective via engaging in serious strategy formulation. The broad spectrum of business plan considers details like the products and the services being offered by the particular company, the numerous markets being served by the products, environmental factors, the production process, the com pany finance, research together with the other elements necessary in order for a business to succeed. The American Marketing Association defines marketing as a planning process comprising of execution of the conceived ideas, appending the right prices to the products, promoting and distributing goods and ideas for the purposes of satisfying the organizational objectives (Fill 2005.p.23) In essence it can be stated that the marketing plan endeavors achieve the overall organizational goals by ensuring that products are offered at the right price to the accurate potential customers. Once implemented, a marketing plan plays a crucial role in ensuring that the business attains success since it ensures business continuation and sustenance of business competitive edge in the market place. A business plan sets a pace for the business, determining the direction in which the business will be steered. In order for the overall plan of a business to succeed it must work in harmony with the marke ting strategies and tactics implemented in the business. A marketing plan works in consensus with the strategic objectives of the overall business.Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on Dell Inc Company Strategic Marketing specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Its is the marketing plan which determines the degree of business promotion (Davies 1998.p.82) According to Kotler a marketing plan designs structures and devices tactics on how the business will be advanced and propped up (2006, P.67) This element helps the marketing plan to supplement the overall goals and objectives of the business. Fill established the fact that marketing plan is the driving force behind client base build up (2005.p.56). Marketing plan goes into the details on how the percentage of the clients will be increased and how the degree of loyalty will be augmented. Moreover, a marketing plan comes up with the right tactics on how the business will gar ner more profits to enhance growth. Thus the business growth intent is further bolstered through the marketing plan. The strategy on how to capture new market opportunities is intrinsically interwoven in the marketing plan and this aids the business in growth and advancement. Components Of A Marketing Plan. Each business designs it’s a marketing plan depending on its size, and the stage of growth it’s going through. The process of preparing a marketing plan is acutely important as it determines the effectiveness of the plan laid down. Preparation of a marketing plan plays are major role in establishing what the business goals would be and how those goals can be attained. As a business organizer I would design a marketing plan in the following systematic steps. Executive Summary: This will form a preamble into the whole marketing plan and will highlight the major points of the over all plan. In nutshell, the summary brings into light the major services offered and the p roducts of the company. Finally, the summary states the overall mission and the objectives of company (Kapferer 1997.p.45) Current situation:Advertising Looking for assessment on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Current Situation: This section offers information concerning the business locality, the customers targeted to purchase the product together with the competitive environment. Further, this section offers information on the business viability in the locality and the encompassing threats which are likely to daunt its operations. Competitor Analysis: This facet includes the information on the other businesses operating on the same wavelength as the business under review and the competitive advantage or disadvantage they have over the business being analyzed. In this section, the business highlights other similar businesses offering similar products as your business. Other potential challenges to the business such as government regulations could also be high lightened on this section. Marketing Objectives And Strategy: In this section the aims of the business are written and the formula to attain them is explained. Further, the game plan on how to achieve profitability through marketing is noted. The marketing strategy explains how the stipulated objectives will be attained (Kotler 2006.p.17) Product: This offers detailed information on the product or service offered for sale and its features and the benefits garnered by using it. Price: This section offers detailed information on how much the customer will offer in order to get the product, payment policies are also indicated here. Promotion: This is detailed information endorsing the product to the potential buyers bringing out the salient features which give the product an edge in the market place. Place: This is the locality of the business in relation to the competitive environment. Action Programs: These ere rigorously structured and planned agendas stating what the company plans to do concerning the promotion of a product, and how and when they will be put into use. Budget: this offers the total cost that is going to be incurred in order for the marketing plan to be implemented. Measurements: This is quanti fication of the numerical targets for measuring achievement of the targeted results such as sales increase by 5% in 3 months. Supporting Documents: These are documents offered to back up the information provided in the marketing plan, such documents include research results, spreadsheets, budget sheet amongst others. Risks Within A Marketing Plan. In a time of finely tuned sensitivity to marketing competence a momentous effort should be made to ensure that the money pumped into the marketing plan achieves the best returns possible. Time and again, the best laid plans fail or are derailed by sudden or under-estimated forces that despoil the projected returns razing professional reputations. The negative forces which endeavor to thwart the marketing plan are termed as risks. As Davies elaborates risks are likely events that will considerably decrease the quantity base, hoist the expenditures and affect margins of the market share in adverse ways (1998.p.59) Myriad factors raging bad w eather to marketing channel interference and financial gaffs could sap the acuity of a well calculated marketing plan. Some factors which pose great threat to the success of the marketing plans include: Competitive actions, once a product or service is launched in the market place for instance in the case of Dell Inc after launching a plasma screen monitor for the computers. Chances are very high that Hewlett Packard, and Compaq will do the same; they would try to duplicate the product and add on some extra accessories which could easily cause the Dell’s monitors to be discredited. In order to avoid being choked up by competitors Dell has to endeavor to produce perfect products which will be hard to duplicate and which will stand out in the market place to give them edge over the competitive computer markets. Financial Blunders, Poor budgeting could lead to paucity in the money allocated to implement the marketing plan and this could deter the performance of the whole project or cause compromise in the quality of the expected results. Poorly managed and unmitigated risks sap the credibility of a well planned marketing plan and this could disappoint the company and frustrate the efforts of the marketers as they try to steer the organization into a fruitful territory. Operational risks are also known as the short term risks and they cover the pricing strategy and the quality of the product or service offered in the market place. Poor pricing could stall the rate at which the product or service is consumed, it could also garner losses for the business if the returns obtained from the product or services are too low (Chisnall1997.p.54). Poor quality products give the competitors a chance to trample over the business since customer always seek to buy the best products which are offered at their convenient prices. Strategic risks, these risks concern the business in relation to the immediate environment. They concern the producer as he relates to the longer t erm forces (Brassington 2006.p.98) some key risks entombed in this category include poor buyer power. For instance if Dell Inc wants to launch a new and sophisticated power saving, fast and reliable computer machine in order to cater for the production cost incurred it will have to hike the price and this will be difficult for the buyers since they may not be acquainted with buying computers at high prices. Evolution of consumer demand, is also another strategic risk, the market demands keep on changing due to increased technological changes in the market place hence a product might be phased out due to buyer’s disinterest or change of preference causing the business to incur massive losses. Policy changes could be another bottleneck to the marketing plan. Some government policies implemented such as increased taxes on the production materials or regulatory measures on how the product is sold and transported could deter the rate at which a service or product is consumed. In o rder for the ill effects of risks associated with marketing plan to abate marketing planners should device a contingency plan to buffer any ill effects accrued to the marketing process (Booms Bitner 2001.p.74). Although the planners have very little to do to avoid the occurrence of the risks they are supposed to be prepared financially, and be psychologically prepared and have action plans on what should be done incase of uncertainties. Construction Of Marketing Plan. Executive Summary Dell Inc is a complex IT multinational company which offers a wide assortment of computer products and services. Further it sells computer servers and other accessories used to aid in computer networking. The marketing plan endeavors to market Dell servers in Middle East where the competition has not yet taken root. The company will be working on a budget of approximately Three million dollars for a period of six months in order to break even in the virgin market Business Overview. Dell servers are po werful computer machines used to offer back up for other computers in a networked computer environment. Servers provide a link through which computers networked though a LAN (Local Area Network) or WAN (Wide Area Network) can communicate, share information and achieve data. A typical server capable of supporting 50 computer work stations goes for $400. The companies which pose competition to this kind of product is the Microsoft inc and Hewlett Packard. In the Middle East the company projects to acquire a pool of over five hundred thousand users since computer usage is gaining prevalence in the region. Target Market. The market cluster targeted for this kind of product include the ISP’S (Internet Service Providers), colleges and learning institutions, producing companies, government institutions and the religious institutions. In the case of the ISP’S who need to offer a lot of services to the initial customers, the company will offer high specialized servers to ensure that they can hold innumerable Gigabytes of data. Marketing Goals. To increase computer usage in Middle East by introducing highly powerful servers this could aid in provision of internet bandwidth to the potential clients. To bolster clientele base by venturing into new markets. To offer more training programs on computer usage in Middle East in order to create a viable market for the company servers. To establish a permanent working legal relationship, with the Middle East Information regulatory department. Marketing Strategies. The strategies will be used to venture in Middle East with new products include, customer incentives whereby for every Dell server machine purchased customers will be given free training on how to use them and also get free programs for running the server. There will also be free laptop offer for the first hundred clients in order to increase the rate at which people will purchase the products. Implementation Tactics. Foremost the Dell Company will advert ise on Television channels and News Papers the presence of its chiefly available products and the advantages accrued to usage of its products. Moreover, the clients will be compelled to know that it is the best offer in the market. Budget The whole practice which is supposed to last for three years is supposed to cost $six billion dollars. The budget is projected on the assumption that the potential customers will embrace and purchase the offered products (Blythe 2004.p.65). Further, it is assumed that the legal regulatory mechanisms will not inhibit the Dell Company from carrying out its business objectives in Middle East. Result Evaluation. The company will be able to realize the acquisition of its goals if there will be 10% reception of the product in the first three months. Further, if the company will be able to acquire five hundred clients inn two months it will be in a course of achieving its goals. The Importance Of Each Marketing Plan Component The executive summary of the marketing plan offers brief summary of all the activities which will be carried in order to make the whole plan a success. Business overview will be the second part of the plan explaining the general operations of the business and the objectives in relation to the outlined marketing plan (Baker 2000.p.43). The targeted market curves a niche for the business to identify the needs of the people who need to purchase the product. Marketing goals and strategies will help the business to have a vision on what it aspires to achieve and how it will achieve it. The marketing tactics are the procedures which will be followed in order to realize the set goals. The budget will highlight the overall cost of the marketing plan. Result evaluation will help to gauge the credibility of the plan. Mitigation Strategies For High Risk Components High risk components include the budget and the targeted customers. The budget may be minimal in comparison to the needs established, the planners will have a c ontingency plan by budgeting for hidden costs and uncertainties. Further, the team will have a reserve of finances for miscellaneous costs like training costs and the verbal promotion costs. Customers And Competitors The targeted customers who are likely to buy the Dell server machine include ISP’S government institutions and learning institutions this is because they are likely to have numerous computers in their working environments which are networked. The companies which are likely to offer stiff competition include Microsoft Inc and Hewlett Packard. Promoting Marketing Plan In Support Of Strategic Objectives Supporting Dell’s Strategic Objectives Dell has got a strategic objective of venturing into a new virgin market to promote its servers. The driving force behind the move is in endeavor to attain more customers and also to improve awareness of its products. Moreover, Dell will assert efforts towards improved sales and customer relations. My marketing plan will help to create awareness of the product through Television promotions and the Daily newspapers hence increasing customers’ proclivity towards Dell’s commodities. On the other note the marketing plan will offer incentives like free training and free laptops a factor which will create customer loyalty and bolster improved sales. Approach To Gain Agreement For The Marketing Plan In order for my marketing plan to gain credibility to the business managers I will foremost project to them the anticipated benefits of the whole marketing program. I will convince them that the move to market products in Middle East will help the company to dominate the computer servers market before competitors creep in. I will keenly establish the significance of marketing as it will help to give the company an edge in the cutthroat competitive computer market. Publicity And Promotion Strategy The strategy to embrace in order to gain publicity for the product is by using mass media channels lik e the internet, the Television channels and the daily Newspapers this will ensure that the information will reach numerous potential clients within a short period. Reflective Statement This research paper has stretched my credulity helping me to develop a different perspective towards the marketing facet of the business. I have realized that in the contemporary business hurl, a business’s constancy in the market place is determined by its knack to formulate and implement strategies in order to remain at par with the demands exerted by both internal and external environments. A business must devise a strategic plan which looks far beyond the instantaneous circumstances bringing to clarity the focal point of the business and its vision for the future. Strategic marketing considers the customer’s point of view when planning a marketing campaign. Moreover, it blends the customer’s situations, such as what they want and why they want a product or service, with the ge neral company’s direction. I have realized that marketing plan plays a massive role in aiding the entire businesses attain its core objectives. It offers positive solutions on how fast and effectively the business can achieve its projected project margins. The success of any business endeavor is so depended on the marketing plan that it why it should be formulated so accurately giving a key consideration to both the external and internal parameters. The existing customers are well retained through marketing plan when loyalty schemes are established, again new customers are acquired and retained thorough the plan if it is properly formulated. All the businesses which intent to remain afloat in the highly competitive arena must have on their fingertips all the information concerning their consumer needs and how to satisfy those needs. Marketing veers towards the consumer needs and how to satisfy them this is the surest way of making sure that the brands produced have credibilit y in the market and address the urgent consumer needs. Marketing is all about devising products which intrinsically satisfy the needs of the potential market at the same time offering a challenge to the competitors. Conclusion Business success depends on formulation of attainable strategies and achieving the specific objectives of the strategies. In order to achieve the objectives in accordance to the stipulated timeline is important to have a marketing plan which blends with the business goals and objectives. The plan will cultivate an ample environment through which goals will be achieved. A marketing plan must put into consideration the targeted market its needs and preferences (Hoyer 2001.p.34). The plan should bolster both loyalty and increase customer satisfaction which will draw in more customers and augment the business growth. The secret of success in business is devising a realistic marketing plan, executing it in relation to the business goals steering the business into f ruitful terrains. Reference List Baker, M. (2000) Strategic Marketing And Management (2nd) edition. NY: Macmillan press. Blythe, K. (2004) Essentials of Marketing (Ist Edition) 2nd edition. Chicago: Prentice Hall publishers. Booms, C.H. and Bitner, D.J (2001) Strategies In Marketing Ventures and organizational structures for service. American Marketing Association. Vol 6 Brassington, F.G. (2006), Principles of Marketing Management. (1st) Edition. Chicago: Prentice Hall Publishers. Chisnall, K.P. (1997) Key Issues In Marketing Research. (3rd) Edition. London: McGraw-Hill. Davies, M. (1998) Understanding The Heart Of Marketing.(1st) edition. London: Sage Publishers:. Fill, C (2005) Marketing Contexts, communications and applications. Harlow: Prentice Hall Publishers. Hoyer, J.K (2001) Consumer Behavior, (2nd Ed) NY: Houghton Mifflin printing press. Kapferer, J. (1997) Strategic Brand Management. London: Kogan Page Publishers. Kotler, P.V (2006) The Principles of Marketing. (4th) Editi on. Harlow Prentice Hall.

Full Review of Every SAT Test Date 2018-2019

Full Review of Every SAT Test Date 2018-2019 SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips There are multiple SAT test dates a year, and choosing the best one can be tricky. If you choose a test date too early, you may not be fully prepared, but if you choose one too late, your scores may not arrive in time for college application deadlines. You also need to take your own schedule into account as well. Will there be certain times of the year when you’re extra busy with a sport or club, or times when you’ll be too busy studying for your classes?The SAT is already difficult enough, and you don’t want to make things harder on yourself by choosing a test date that doesn’t fit your schedule. Fortunately, we’re here to help you choose the best SAT test date for you. This guide covers all the SAT test dates for the 2018/2019 testing year, and we offer specific advice on each test date for sophomore, juniors, and seniors, so you’ll be able to decide exactly when to take the SAT. 2018 SAT Test Dates The fall 2018 SAT test dates are generally best for juniors taking the SAT for the first time and seniors getting in one last SAT before college application deadlines. We don’t recommend current high school sophomores take the SAT on one of these dates because it’ll likely be too early in your high school career for you to score your best. August 25, 2018 Registration Deadline: July 27, 2018 Late Registration Deadline: August 15, 2018 Sophomores This exam date is too early for sophomores. At this point, the beginning of your sophomore year, you’ll only be about halfway through high school, and you won’t have studied many of the concepts tested by the SAT yet. Juniors This is a great test date for juniors to take the SAT for the first time. You’ll have all summer to study so you can be well prepared on test day, and if you’re not happy with your score, you’ll still have plenty of time for retakes.Many students end up taking the SAT more than once in order to get their desired score, and taking your first SAT early on in your junior year puts you in a great spot to do this. Seniors If you’re a senior and you’re still not happy with your SAT score, this is a good test date to give it one last shot. By taking the SAT on this date, you’ll still get your scores back in time for college application deadlines, including early action and early decision deadlines (which are usually in October or November). Also, by taking the SAT early on in your senior year, you’ll avoid trying to balance studying for the SAT at the same time you’re trying to complete college applications, and you’ll have all summer to study for the test. October 6, 2018 Registration Deadline: September 7, 2018 Late Registration Deadline: September 26, 2018 Sophomores This test date is still too early for sophomores. However, if you want to get in some testing practice, you can take the PSAT which will be offered on Wednesday, October 10, 2018.Only juniors who take the PSAT are eligible for National Merit awards and scholarships, but taking the PSAT as a sophomore can help you be more prepared for both the PSAT and the SAT in the future. You’ll get an idea of what the tests will be like and what areas you should focus on in your future studying. Juniors As a junior, you have the chance to take the PSAT this year and compete for National Merit scholarships. The PSAT is on October 10th, so if you’re already putting in a lot of prep for the PSAT, it may make sense for you to take the SAT just a few days before it, since the two tests are very similar. Even if you aren’t taking the PSAT, this test date is still another good choice for you to take the SAT for the first time and still have plenty of time for a retake. Seniors If you’re a senior, you can take the SAT on this test date and still be able to send your scores by the regular application deadline of most colleges (typically January 1).If you’re applying early action or early decision, this test date will still likely be OK for getting your scores in for those deadlines, but double check your application deadlines first to make sure. Also note that this is the absolutely last SAT test date for getting your scores in by those early deadlines. November 3, 2018 Registration Deadline: October 5, 2018 Late Registration Deadline: October 24, 2018 Sophomores This test is still too early for sophomores to be well prepared to take the SAT, but if you’re really interested in seeing what the test is like (or you’ve taken the PSAT and want to start SAT studying), you can take some SAT practice tests to get a sense of how you’re doing and where you need to make improvements. If you’re unhappy with your practice test scores, remember that you still have plenty of time to get more studying done, and with an efficient study plan, you can make big jumps in your SAT score. Juniors This another solid test date for juniors, and if you’ve just taken the PSAT, you can keep your studying going for just a few more weeks and take this November SAT test date. Seniors This test date is too late if you’re applying early action or early decision, but your scores will be back in time for most regular decision deadlines.Just remember that, if you plan on taking the SAT on this date, you’ll likely be working on college applications at the same time and will have to juggle SAT studying, applying to colleges, and regular schoolwork at the same time, so you may not get in as much SAT study time as you were hoping. December 1, 2018 Registration Deadline: November 2, 2018 Late Registration Deadline: November 20, 2018 Sophomores While we still don’t recommend sophomores take the SAT this early, you can begin prepping for the PSAT 10, if you’ll be taking it.The PSAT 10 is a version of the PSAT designed specifically for sophomores, and, if your school administers it, you’ll take it sometime between the end of February and the end of April. The PSAT 10 is somewhat easier than the SAT (since it’s for younger students), but the two tests are still quite similar in terms of format and content tested. This means that studying for one test can help you do well on the other. Juniors You’ll likely be studying for finals around this time, so we don’t recommend this SAT test date for juniors as much as the other ones offered during the 2018/2019 school year.You can definitely still take the SAT on this date, but make sure you won’t be overloading yourself between your SAT study plan and your regular schoolwork. Seniors For most seniors, this is the absolute last date you can take the SAT and still get your scores in time for college application deadlines. For some schools, it may actually be too late, so be sure to check the deadlines of each of the schools you’re applying to in order to make sure you don’t miss a key deadline! And remember, if you’re unhappy with your SAT score, there won’t be another chance for you to do a retake. Even if this date still works with your college deadlines, you’ll likely be studying for finals and putting the finishing touches on your college applications during this time. For most seniors, we recommend choosing an earlier test date so you have enough time to devote to studying before the SAT. 2019 SAT Test Dates These 2019 SAT exam dates will be too late for seniors, but they can be good options for sophomores or juniors. March 9, 2019 Registration Deadline: February 8, 2019 Late Registration Deadline: February 27, 2019 Sophomores You may have taken or be taking the PSAT 10 around this time, but you can also take the SAT on this date if you want to. This is still pretty early in your high school career to be taking the actual SAT, so if you do decide to take it, don’t put too much pressure on yourself to get a great score, especially on Math, where you may not have covered some of the concepts yet. Juniors This is another solid test date for juniors to take the SAT for the first or even second time if you took it in the fall and have been able to put in a solid amount of studying since then.By now you’ll know most or all of the concepts tested on the SAT, and you won’t be studying for finals at this time. Seniors This exam date is too late for seniors planning to attend college in the fall. May 4, 2019 Registration Deadline: April 5, 2019 Late Registration Deadline: April 24, 2019 Sophomores High-achieving sophomores can take the SAT on this date since by now you will have covered many of the subjects tested on the SAT.However, it’s rare to reach your SAT goal score this early in your high school career; so don’t worry too much about a top score right now. Instead, if you take the SAT on this date, use this score as a baseline to figure out how much you need to improve and in which areas.If you have finals around this time though, you may want to choose a different test date so you aren’t taking on too much, especially if this is your first time taking the SAT. Juniors If you haven’t taken the SAT yet, we recommend you take it on this dateso that, if you want to retake the test, you have the entire summer to study and several test dates during your senior year for potential retakes.However, this test date may conflict with your finals, and if it does the March or June dates will likely work better for you. Seniors This exam date is too late for seniors planning to attend college in the fall. June 1, 2019 Registration Deadline: May 3, 2019 Late Registration Deadline: May 22, 2019 Sophomores This is another good test date for high-achieving sophomores, especially if the May test date conflicted with your finals. With this test date, you’ll still get your scores back by mid-summer and can get in a lot of studying before school starts again so you’re well prepared to take the SAT again in the fall of your junior year. Juniors By taking the SAT on this date, you’ll get your scores back in mid-summer so you’ll have several weeks to study and be well prepared if you need to take the SAT again early in your senior year. However, again, make sure this SAT test date doesn’t conflict with your school finals before you register for it. Seniors This exam date is too late for seniors planning to attend college in the fall. Review: SAT Test Dates 2018 - 2019 There are seven SAT test dates for the 2018/2019 testing year: August 25, 2018 October 6, 2018 November 3, 2018 December 1, 2018 March 9, 2019 May 4, 2019 June 1, 2019 For sophomores, the best test dates are those at the end of the school year: May and June.These later test dates will give you the best chance of knowing most of the information tested on the SAT. However, just make sure you don’t choose a date that conflicts with your finals. For other SAT preparation, you can take the PSAT 10 and/or the PSAT. For juniors, pretty much any test date will work. We recommend taking your first SAT in the fall of your junior year and doing a possible retake in the spring.This gives you plenty of time to study for your retake and possibly take the SAT again in the fall of your senior year if you need to. You can also take the PSAT in October as additional SAT practice and to compete for National Merit. For seniors, we recommend taking your final SAT in the late summer or early fall: August or October.You can study for the SAT over the summer so it doesn’t conflict with filling out college applications, and you’ll be able to meet school deadlines, even early action/decision deadlines, with either of these dates.If absolutely necessary, seniors can also take the November or December test dates, but be aware that you may not get your scores back in time for all your college applications if you choose one of these dates. What's Next? Now that you've chosen an SAT test date, the next step is toregister for the SAT.Our detailed guide offerseasy-to-follow instructions to helpwalk you smoothly through the registration process. Hoping for a top SAT score?Check out our in-depth guide to getting a 1600 on the SAT, written by an expert full scorer! Are you also thinking about taking the ACT?Check outour complete guide to choosing ACT dates for 2018 and 2019! Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points?We've written a guide about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Homer Simpsons Figures of Speech

Homer Simpsons Figures of Speech English? Who needs that? Im never going to England! Woo-hoo! The immortal words of Mr. Homer Simpson- beer-guzzling, donut-popping patriarch, nuclear-power-plant safety inspector, and Springfields resident rhetorician. Indeed, Homer has contributed far more to the English language than just the popular interjection Doh. Lets take a look at some of those rich contributions- and along the way review several rhetorical terms. Homers Rhetorical Questions Consider this exchange from a Simpson family symposium: Mother Simpson: [singing] How many roads must a man walk down before you can call him a man?Homer: Seven.Lisa: No, dad, its a rhetorical question.Homer: OK, eight.Lisa: Dad, do you even know what rhetorical means?Homer: Do I know what rhetorical means? In fact, Homeric logic often depends on a rhetorical question for its expression: Books are useless! I only ever read one book, To Kill A Mockingbird, and it gave me absolutely no insight on how to kill mockingbirds! Sure it taught me not to judge a man by the color of his skin . . . but what good does that do me? One particular type of rhetorical question favored by Homer is erotesis, a question implying strong affirmation or denial: Donuts. Is there anything they cant do? Homers Figures of Speech Though sometimes misjudged as a complete moron, Homer is actually a deft manipulator of the oxymoron: Oh Bart, dont worry, people die all the time. In fact, you could wake up dead tomorrow. And our favorite figure of ridicule is actually quite handy with figures of speech. To explain human behavior, for instance, he relies on personification: The only monster here is the gambling monster that has enslaved your mother! I call him Gamblor, and its time to snatch your mother from his neon claws! Chiasmus guides Homer to new levels of self-understanding: All right, brain, I dont like you and you dont like meso lets just do this, and Ill get back to killing you with beer. And here, in just five words, he manages to combine apostrophe and tricolon in a heartfelt encomium: Television! Teacher, mother, secret lover. Of course, Homer isnt always familiar with the names of such classical figures: Lisa: Thats Latin, Dadthe language of Plutarch.Homer: Mickey Mouses dog? But stop snickering, Lisa: the language of Plutarch was Greek. Simpson Repeats Like the great orators of ancient Greece and Rome, Homer employs repetition to evoke pathos and underscore key points. Here, for example, he inhabits the spirit of Susan Hayward in a breathless anaphora: I want to shake off the dust of this one-horse town. I want to explore the world. I want to watch TV in a different time zone. I want to visit strange, exotic malls. I’m sick of eating hoagies! I want a grinder, a sub, a foot-long hero! I want to LIVE, Marge! Won’t you let me live? Won’t you, please?† Epizeuxis serves to convey a timeless Homeric truth: When it comes to compliments, women are ravenous blood-sucking monsters always wanting more . . . more . . . MORE! And if you give it to them, youll get plenty back in return. And polyptoton leads to a profound discovery: Marge, whats wrong? Are you hungry? Sleepy? Gassy? Gassy? Is it gas? Its gas, isnt it? Homeric Arguments Homers rhetorical turns, especially his efforts to argue by analogy, sometimes take odd detours: Son, a woman is a lot like a . . . a refrigerator! Theyre about six feet tall, 300 pounds. They make ice, and . . . um . . . Oh, wait a minute. Actually, a woman is more like a beer.Son, a woman is like a beer. They smell good, they look good, youd step over your own mother just to get one! But you cant stop at one. You wanna drink another woman!You know, boys, a nuclear reactor is a lot like a woman. You just have to read the manual and press the right buttons.Fame was like a drug. But what was even more like a drug were the drugs. Yes, Mr. Simpson is occasionally word challenged, as in the malapropism that punctuates this distinctively Homeric prayer: Dear Lord, thank you for this microwave bounty, even though we dont deserve it. I mean . . . our kids are uncontrollable hellions! Pardon my French, but they act like savages! Did you see them at the picnic? Oh, of course you did. Youre everywhere, youre omnivorous. Oh Lord! Why did you spite me with this family? Consider as well Homers eccentric (or perhaps dyslexic?) use of hypophora (raising questions and answering them): Whats a wedding? Websters dictionary describes it as the act of removing weeds from ones garden. And now and then his thoughts collapse before he can make it to the end of a sentence, as in this case of aposiopesis: I wont sleep in the same bed with a woman who thinks Im lazy! Im going right downstairs, unfold the couch, unroll the sleeping bauh, goodnight. The Master Rhetorician But for the most part, Homer Simpson is an artful and deliberate rhetorician. For one thing, hes a self-proclaimed master of verbal irony: Owww, look at me, Marge, Im making people happy! Im the magical man, from Happy Land, who lives in a gumdrop house on Lolly Pop Lane! . . . By the way I was being sarcastic. And he dispenses wisdom with dehortatio: The code of the schoolyard, Marge! The rules that teach a boy to be a man. Lets see. Dont tattle. Always make fun of those different from you. Never say anything, unless youre sure everyone feels exactly the same way you do. Next time you catch The Simpsons on TV, see if you can identify additional examples of these rhetorical concepts: analogyanaphoraaposiopesisapostrophechiasmusdehortatioencomiumepizeuxiserotesisfigures of speechhypophoramalapropismoxymoronpersonificationpolyptotonrhetorical questiontricolonverbal irony

The Indian Child Welfare Act Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Indian Child Welfare Act - Research Paper Example This comprised of only 0.3 of the entire population, with most of them surviving on reservations and exercised a minimal level of self-government. In the course of the 19th century, the natives had been alienated much of their possession, specifically land by compelled removal westwards, using subsequent treaties that were always ignored by the white authorities as well as the armed forces defeat by America as it extended its power over the American West. The biggest mainstream of land or the reservations was communally held. This means the residents could not get precise title to the land in which their home was located, one reason for the plenty of mobile homes on these reservations. Consequently, this made it difficult for Natives to set up credit and borrow loans to enhance their homes since they couldn’t use the land as security and investing in something that has no value does not make any sense (Tsoi 220). Markets had not been permitted to operate in reserve lands. Indi ans had been legislated out of American economy. If one lacked individual rights, he could not build, he couldn’t be bonded, and neither could he pass on wealth. Many small businesses never flourished because people were unable to leverage assets to raise funds. Further, at present, the issues facing Native Americans go well past citizens not having the correct incentives for upgrading their surroundings. Even casinos have not considerably benefited the many set reservations that have established them. Inventors and companies always become reluctant to carryon business operations the reservations. Indians have for a long time possessed a number of reservation resources and land over which Whites have cast jealousness. Most of this property was continually lost, and consequently, the Native Americans’ history is always presented as a morality story. White Americans acted as bad guys deceiving Indians out of their resources and land. On the other hand, Native Americans a cted as the good guys trying to hold on to their conventional way of life much more in unity with the environment and nature than the widespread capitalism of the Whites, but with no power to defend their desires and wishes (Cornell & Kalt 93). In relation to the socio-economic levels in the Native American Reservation is the Indian Child Welfare Act. Under this act, formal U.S Indian policies led to the cultural or physical assimilation or extermination of native people. Viewed as the most obviously offensive was the wholesale private and public Indian elimination of Indian children out of their respective homes, looking down upon Indian families, and intimidating the Indian culture and tribal survival. Worst of all, the Congressional hearing dated in the 1970s highlighted the national crimes such as: placing Indian children for adoption or foster care thrice more than the rate placed for children of the non-Indian nature; and removal of about 40% of all Indian children from their habitats and taken to adoptive institutions or homes. In addition, individual states reported incidents of higher levels of Indian child removal. The acts were validated by the supposition that Indians lacked moral standard and they were supposed to be civilized. Ethnic communities learned that children who

The impact of social media on our society Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The impact of social media on our society - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that the emergence and popularity of online social networks in recent years has changed how living beings interact with each other and has made society undergo profound changes. The popularity of and easy access to social media has definitely contributed to the society in a positive way, bridging gaps between different communities and helping people to grow and market their businesses. Social Networks have made it possible to instantaneously share data within no time, with no space limitations. Be it social activism, promotion of one’s business, a community networking former schoolmates, social media has helped humans to discover their potential and creativity in new ways. Social media sites propping up on a daily basis contribute to â€Å"all phases of the content value chain including production, processing, distribution, and consumption. It also originated and brought to the multi media sector a new underestimated and now a criti cal aspect of science and technology: social interaction and networking. The importance of this new rapidly evolving research field is clearly evidenced by the many associated emerging technologies and applications including online content sharing services and communities, multimedia communication over the Internet, social multimedia search, interactive services and entertainment, health care and security applications. It is evident that this medium isn’t limited for entertainment use only, but also facilitates societal change in a faster and convenient way.

Teams and organizations lead by two leaders Essay

Teams and organizations lead by two leaders - Essay Example Of course, initiating and sustaining morale among teams are not an easy task to do. Organizations need great leaders such as participative and transformative types of leaders to ensure sufficient levels of morale abound. Teams led by both transformative and participatory leaders have their morale bolstered. On the one hand, participatory leaders inspire creativity and encourage members of a team to engage in both decisions and projects. As a result, team members develop high levels of morale, job satisfaction, and productivity. Participatory leaders can motivate them to work hard by making team members feel in control, (Montero, 2013). On the other hand, transformation leaders inspire teams since they expect the best results from them. This leads to high engagement and productivity from all the people in the organization or teams (Donna, Middleton, Montana, & Simpson, 2006). Therefore, both participatory and transformative leadership spur open communication that develops team motivation. To this end, transformative leaders and participatory leaders can work together to motivate teams within an organization. Although both transformative and participatory leaders can work together seamlessly, evidence shows that transformative leaders serve organizations better than participatory leaders. Police heads who choose to inspire, give intellectual stimulation, and set a vision, are more effective than those who do not do that. Also, evidence shows that transformative leaders can have a greater positive impact on their subordinates than other directors. On the other hand, limited evidence exists regarding the impact of shared leadership initiatives exhibited by participatory leaders (English, 2006). In my view, transformational leaders are more influencing compared to participatory leaders. If directors apply transformational leadership styles with integrity, they can

Security - Network Design Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 13500 words

Security - Network Design - Essay Example Literature Review reveals that there is more to security than just putting up defences. It also relates to the psychology of security that adds to the threat instead of obviating it. Technologically security measures and intrusion capabilities are advancing alongside each other and the race is yet to be decided. Hence it is imperative to tackle this issue more seriously an in a practical way. A case study has been examined to highlight the most common threat of stealing of data for misuse. The findings show that human carelessness and not giving priority to security measures coupled with psychological factors of not being open and forthright mix to result in huge losses. Business across the world is embracing Information Technology for collecting and dissemination information. This requires Networks to connect various information centres for transfer of this information. The increase in connectivity provides access to larger and varied resources of data more quickly than ever before, and it also provides an access path to the data from virtually anywhere on the network-based environment (Seleznyov, 2001). The Network is usually on Local Area Network (LAN) which is an arrangement of communication between hardware, software and communication devices in a closed area. Generally LAN’s connecting devices are located within a 2,000-foot radius for maximum effect. LAN’s generally have higher transmission rate than PBXs and use bus or ring topology. The Network itself may be spread worldwide like the World Wide Web. This arrangement makes it possible for the data (text, voices and graphics images, and more recently video clips) to flow between different types of hardware such as mainframes, PCs, terminals and input/output devices through use of various software. Since a LAN is spread over a defined work space, however large it may be, it is secured by various means against any external intrusions like viruses and malware. Of course no LAN can be

What type of creative person are you IN other worlds, How are you Essay

What type of creative person are you IN other worlds, How are you creative How does your creativity benefit you - Essay Example In terms of creativity, I am a person who pays attention to detail. In any situation, paying attention to the small things that any ordinary person would overlook enables me to always come up with creative solutions. In terms of artistic ability, I have done some poems and drawings which showcase my creativity. However, I can assertively state that creativity is not like talent; it is not naturally acquired. In contrast, it is an art which one has to learn to nurture. Once one gains the creative aspect, it becomes part of own lifestyle. My creativity benefits me in many ways. First, life presents different challenges that would require creative decisions to overcome. In such instances, I have always found solution to most of my problems through creativity. For instance, I was not born in a well of family. Consequently, I did not have enough pocket money as my classmates in high school. However, I made up for the money I did have by selling some paintings at a fee whenever there was an opportunity to do so. Besides, school work always demands creativity. Most of the questions asked during exams in subjects like mathematics or social sciences require engagement of some creative thoughts. In such cases, applying the knowledge gained in class is usually accompanied with some creativity. It is in such instances that I have come to appreciate creativity. In fact, in studies not requiring theoretical knowledge as a background, I have always excelled. The most significant aspect of creativity that has benefited me most is in my social life. Being a foreign student, it is a little bit different to get integrate with every student. However, as a creative being, I find myself easy while interacting with other students. During my first days in school, communication was not so easy given the speech impediment that I had. However, this did not bar me from communicating with my colleagues as I always came up with creative means of talking to them.

German Development issue Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

German Development issue - Essay Example Indeed, Germany had openly supported the employment and financial reforms that were introduced in the meeting actually aimed to deal with monster rising unemployment and credit issues. â€Å"Unions were however heartened by the fact that German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who met a trade union delegation in Toronto on 26 June, supported trade union demands to reference the recent G20 Labour Ministers meeting in Washington in the final statement, and said that Germany stood ready to host a further G20 Labour Ministerial during the next year† (ITUC, 2010). The above is the evidence that German government authorities are eager to cooperate and coordinate with various trade unions and worker unions so that they could negotiate to reach a consensus for welfare and well – being of employees. Indeed, the meeting with Labor ministers of G – 20 nations would enable the concerned authorities to define the present state of labor market and to discuss possible measures for further improvement. Germany has also endorsed the idea of enhancing mutual macroeconomic cooperation and collaboration with other G – 20 member countries to successfully implement the new reforms that would help avert global financial crisis in future. Indeed, there is dire need to implement this framework to ensure survival, growth and sustainability of financial and economic institutions across developed and developing nations. Germany supported the idea to repair existing international financial system in the light of suggestions from authentic financial institutions such as IMF and the World Bank. For instance, there has been immediate need to develop a relatively flexible financial system that will help ‘reducing systematic risk and moral hazards’. As a result, the probability that the world may face another credit crisis in future could be reduced. (OECD,

What type of creative person are you IN other worlds, How are you Essay

What type of creative person are you IN other worlds, How are you creative How does your creativity benefit you - Essay Example In terms of creativity, I am a person who pays attention to detail. In any situation, paying attention to the small things that any ordinary person would overlook enables me to always come up with creative solutions. In terms of artistic ability, I have done some poems and drawings which showcase my creativity. However, I can assertively state that creativity is not like talent; it is not naturally acquired. In contrast, it is an art which one has to learn to nurture. Once one gains the creative aspect, it becomes part of own lifestyle. My creativity benefits me in many ways. First, life presents different challenges that would require creative decisions to overcome. In such instances, I have always found solution to most of my problems through creativity. For instance, I was not born in a well of family. Consequently, I did not have enough pocket money as my classmates in high school. However, I made up for the money I did have by selling some paintings at a fee whenever there was an opportunity to do so. Besides, school work always demands creativity. Most of the questions asked during exams in subjects like mathematics or social sciences require engagement of some creative thoughts. In such cases, applying the knowledge gained in class is usually accompanied with some creativity. It is in such instances that I have come to appreciate creativity. In fact, in studies not requiring theoretical knowledge as a background, I have always excelled. The most significant aspect of creativity that has benefited me most is in my social life. Being a foreign student, it is a little bit different to get integrate with every student. However, as a creative being, I find myself easy while interacting with other students. During my first days in school, communication was not so easy given the speech impediment that I had. However, this did not bar me from communicating with my colleagues as I always came up with creative means of talking to them.

Managing a Banks Sources and Uses of Funds Essay

Managing a Banks Sources and Uses of Funds - Essay Example The essay "Managing a Bank’s Sources and Uses of Funds" provides an overview of the principal types of deposits offered by TD Bank. Direct deposits offered by TD Bank enable the account holder to avail the designated salary amounts payable through salary checks or social security checks without having to wait for the checks to clear. Funds are made available to the account holder on the designated date. Remote deposits are yet another product offered by the TD Bank. This enables the account holders to deposit their checks from their office by scanning the check and sending the image to the bank. The bank captures the image and the funds are available to the account holder on the very next business day. It has been voted as one of the best national banks that offers its customers high-quality services and convenience in banking through odd hours. The Bank offers competitive rates of interest on its deposits. The bank’s interest rates on savings accounts and other deposit accounts are much higher than other banks. The bank offers its customers a number of value-added benefits that include a waiver on charges on access to online statements for 7 years, free online banking, free bill pay services, access to mobile banking with free mobile deposits, and waiver on purchase fees for a gift card. The non-deposit liabilities of the TD Bank include mortgages, capital notes, and debentures. The interest earned from these products is much higher when compared to the market rates offered by other financial institutions.

The Merchant of Venice Essay Example for Free

The Merchant of Venice Essay The Merchant of Venice tittle has been carefully chosen and it is apt and suggested. There has been some controversy among the critics that the tittle belong to Shylock or Antonio. This controversy arose because in the first entry the play had been named The Merchant of Venice or The Jew of Venice. Later on the double tittle disappeared and it was named The Merchant of Venice. So critics supposed that it is Shylock who is real merchant of Venice and the play is slightly named after him. They pointed out that Antonio is passive and has a colorless personality in the play and remains in the background with very little appearance on the stage, whereas Shylock has a dominant role in the play. Therefore it is said that Shakespeare must have had the Jew in his mind and not Antonio while naming the play. However a superficial reading of the play makes it clear that Antonio is the real merchant of Venice. His name is referred repeatedly as the royal merchant and good Antonio and also in the main trail scene Portia asked pointedly which is the merchant which is the Jew. From the beginning of the play Antonio is presented as a rich merchant and a world trader who sent argosies to various countries. On the other hand Shylock is never referred to as a merchant but sketched as an usurer and a cruel money lender. Though Antonio is a passive figure we can say that the play is rightly named after him. It was Antonios action that gave rise to the plot of the drama and indirectly he is related to the casket story, the second main plot of the drama. The bond story rises directly out of his execution of the bond. The casket story is indirectly but vitally related to him as he is the person who enters into the bond, borrows money from Shylock and helps Bassanio to reach Belmont as a suitor. In the final scene the battle is fought over his fate and every incident of the play converges this scene. Hence the play can be aptly be called The Merchant of Venice after him.

Damning Of The Masses Essay -- essays research papers

Damning of the Masses   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  That if you confess with your mouth, â€Å"Jesus is Lord,† and   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  you will be saved. --Romans 10: 9  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  From the time we are small children sitting in Sunday school not able to fully grasp the love of God that we sing simple songs about, we are taught that Jesus was sent to earth to love us no matter what. The Puritan congregation listening to Jonathan Edwards’ sermon Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God in 1741 were not being taught of this wonderful gift. Though Edwards’ intentions were sincere and good, he put far too much emphasis on the side of judgment that is to be greatly softened by the lesson of love Christ came to earth to make known. This made his invitation to salvation very appealing, but only through the avenue of fear of what might happen otherwise, not through sincere love for Christ. Because of this, Edwards’ call to Christianity and repentance is not complete.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In Edwards’ sermon, emphasis is placed on what will happen if we do not put Christ on in baptism, enslaving ourselves to sin. He uses the fear of God that is emphasized so much in the Bible and twists it just a bit. The fear we are...

An Army of One: Me. Essay -- Psychology, Self-esteem, Generation Me

Feeling good about oneself is an inherently good thing; however when this is intensified so severely that it becomes the focus of everyday life, complications and consequences may occur. Jean Twenge tries to warn today’s â€Å"Generation Me† about the dangers of their obsession with the self in her piece, â€Å"An Army of One: Me.† This desire to look out for only the individual has dramatic effects on the direction of today’s society. What has also evolved out of this self adoring society is a seemingly endless need for argument, especially in the educational field, an issue addressed by Debora Tannen in her essay, â€Å"The Roots of Debate in Education and the Hope of Dialogue.† Of course, no researchers or educational experts expected the negative results such as narcissism and argumentative culture that followed from these teaching methods. These are unintended consequences and displaced risks, just as the types addressed in Edward Tennerâ€℠¢s, â€Å"Another Look Back, and A Look Ahead† but applied to a different subject. In effect, one problem causes another as an excess of self-esteem more often than not leads to narcissism. That development of narcissism promotes an argumentative culture in which everyone thinks they are right because confidence in oneself is far too high. Revenge effects may include constant irritability and excessive sensitivity, a lack of obtaining a good education, or in some cases pure laziness. Through a flawed system of education and the development of Generation Me, the attitude of the United States has unintentionally drifted towards narcissism and discontent. In many ways, people who are incapable of accepting criticism have developed narcissistic tendencies. Graduate students, discussed by Tannen were almos... ...the flip side of intensity† (Tenner 709). Narcissism is this revenge and it has negatively impacted education and society in general. By aiming too much at self-esteem educators have changed the way Generation Me children look at themselves. They act the way they do because they do not know any other way of thinking. The progression of US society has become increasingly more individualistic every generation. Twenge’s analysis of Generation Me accurately depicts the way people today are more irritable and inclined to argue when their points are challenged. Similarly, the argument culture discussed by Tannen has taken over the American education system in part due to this rise in narcissism. Overall it is clear while one was not meant to lead to another, the argument culture and narcissism are not only related, but they unintentionally grow off of one another.

Data Collection Activities in Algebra 1

Algebra has long been taught in the same way. This usually means teachers rely heavily on the textbook. Though some textbooks have changed in recent years, the central focus is till on paper and pencil, memorization of rules, and use of algorithms. The Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics (NCTM 1989) asks mathematics teachers to seek activities that â€Å"model real-world phenomena with a variety of function† and â€Å"represent and analyze relationships using tables, verbal rules, equations, and graphs†.The standards also urge teachers to give students the opportunity to be actively involved in math through data analysis and statistics that are integrated into the curriculum. My hope is to show that these types of activities can be incorporated into an algebra I course as a way of teaching slope, y-intercept, and linear equations. I plan to teach a unit on linear equations during the third nine weeks of an eighth grade algebra I course next semest er.The project will begin with one class learning the material typically covered in most algebra textbooks. I do not plan to pretest the students because this is new material for them. This class will also go to the computer lab and complete a lesson on the computer covering linear equations. In addition, they will work in pairs using T1-82 graphing calculator to explore slope and y-intercept. All of these methods are what I have typically taught over the past 5 years.Another eighth grade class will be given several data collection activities as a unit of study for linear equations. The primary resource for this class will be Algebra Experiments I by Mary Jean Winter and Ronald J. Carlson. My focus will begin with a whole class participation data collection activity. The class will perform â€Å"the wave† in small sections at a time until the entire class has completed it. As a group will record the number of seconds it takes (for example) 3, 5, 8, 13, 15, 20, etc. to complet e the wave.Students will then use a prepared activity sheet that requires them to draw a diagram of the experiment, describe the procedure, identify the independent and dependent variables, create a table of data, graph data, choose two representative points to connect and create a â€Å"line of best fit†, find the slope and y-intercept of this line and describe it algebraically and verbally, then interpret the data through certain questions designed to create understanding of the purpose of the data and using the data to make predictions. This same format will be used for all subsequent activities uring the unit of study. The authors of the book say â€Å"Algebra Experiments I reflects the basic philosophy of the NCTM standards for learning, teaching, and assessment. Students have an opportunity to work collaboratively, to interact, and to develop communication skill. † The whole idea is to â€Å"bring the real world into your algebra classroom. † I plan to req uire the class that does the experiments to keep a daily journal. It will include hot they felt about the daily activities, a description of any specific new topic or topics they learned and a list of questions they still have.Each day the class will address any concerns from the previous day's activity. After several activities have been done by hand, I will instruct the class on how to analyze the data on the T1-82 graphing calculator. They will then be given the opportunity to use the calculator on another experiment. This class will also do the same graphing calculator activity on slope and y-intercept that the other class will do. I will give each class the same test and compare scores. I will also give each class a survey to compare attitudes, interest and understanding of the use of the material in a real-world application.My hope is that the students in the experiment class will have grasped the basic concepts of linear equations as well if not better than the other class an d be able to relate this knowledge in a very real way. My search for articles about my proposed topic was lengthy and I have chosen to comment on a few. My goal next semester is to read and use each of these articles in my actual action paper. I have only read one article in its entirety. What I gathered from the abstracts was the importance of using real-world applications and incorporating the use of the graphing calculator.Since my goal is to show that data collection activities can provide a way to teach the basic concepts of linear equations in a real-world setting, I tried to find articles that would bear this out. Mercer (1995) presents lessons that teach slope-intercept concepts of linear equations through the use of the graphing calculator. Held (1995) uses Computer-Intensive Algebra (CIA) to focus on the use of technology and real-world settings to develop a richer understanding of algebraic concepts. Dugdale (1995) has written about technology and algebra curriculum refor m. She focuses on â€Å"current issues, potential directions, and research question†.Assessment issues are addressed. Algebra is â€Å"a way of reasoning involving variables/functional relationships, generalizations/modes of representation and mathematical investigation/argument. Harvey (1995) was the keynote speaker at the Algebra Working Group of the Seventh International Conference on Mathematical Education in Quebec City, Canada. He spoke of how important technology was in new algebra curriculum reform based on the NCTM standards. Bell (1995) was also a speaker at the Quebec conference. He suggest curriculum modifications and reviews research on students' performance.Menghini (1994) â€Å"claims that, to be meaningful, algebra must be linked to real-work problems. † Wallace (1993) offers a data collection activity similar to one I have used in the past. I would like to include this one in my lesson plans. It â€Å"compares the trends of women's and men's world re cords for the 800-meter run using the linear and power Regression capabilities of a graphing calculator. A very promising article by Magidson (1992) â€Å"addresses the challenges, risks, and rewards of teaching about linear functions in a technology-rich environment from a constructivist perspective.Describes an algebra class designed for junior high school students that focuses on the representations and real-world applications of linear functions. † I hope this will help me next semester as I begin to encounter problems. References Bell, A. , (1995). Purpose in school algebra. Journal of Mathematical Behavior, 14 (1), 41-73. Dugdale, S. and others, (1995). Technology and algebra curriculum reform: current issues, potential directions, and research questions. Journal of Computers in Mathematics and Science Teaching, 14 (3), 325-57. Harvey, J. nd others. (1995). The influence of technology on the teaching and learning of algebra. Journal of Mathematical Behavior, 14 (1), 75- 109. Heid, K. (1995). A technology-intensive approach to algebra. Mathematics Teacher, 88 (8), 650-56. Magidson, S. (1992). From the laboratory to the classroom: a technology-intensive curriculum for functions and graphs. Journal of Mathematical Behavior, 11 (4), 361-37. Menghini, M. (1994). Form in algebra: reflecting, with Peacock, on upper secondary school teaching. For the Learning of Mathematics, 14 (3), 9-14.Mercer, J. (1995). Teaching graphing concepts with graphing calculators. Mathematics Teacher, 88 (4), 268-73. Wallace, E. (1993). Exploring regression with a graphing calculator. Mathematics Teacher, 86, (9), 741-43. Example 2 Use of Algebra Tiles to Enhance the Concept Development of Operations on Polynomials and Factoring in Ninth Grade Algebra Students The purpose of this action research project is to find out if the use of Algebra Tiles will enhance the concept development of operations on polynomials and factoring in ninth grade algebra students.Mathematics teachers a re guided by the Arkansas State mathematics Framework. The following three student learning expectations are covered by this research project. 2. 1. 5 Describe, visualize, draw and construct geometric figures in one, two, and three dimensions. 2. 3. 7 Represent problem situations with geometric models and apply properties of figures in meaningful context to solve mathematical and real-world problems. 2. 3. 8 Represent one, two and three-dimensional geometric figures algebraically. Algebra Tiles allow students â€Å"hands-on† experience with polynomials.The tiles give students the opportunity to model, to create a mental image, to draw, and to then symbolically manipulate polynomials. They are based on area and multiplication concepts that students are familiar with. Howden (1985) states â€Å"It is generally recognized that understanding the meaning of a mathematics concept, as opposed to merely performing the associated computation, is an essential element of true learning and achievement† and â€Å"research shows that modeling and visualization promotes such understanding†.Two units on polynomials will be taught in ninth grade algebra. One focusing on operations on polynomials and the other focusing on factoring. Two teachers will teach the same material using the same methods and tests. No pre-test will be given because ninth grade students have had no previous experience with these concepts. Both teachers will teach two of their own classes each of these two polynomial units. One class will receive traditional instruction by symbolic manipulation only. The other class will use the Algebra Tiles along with the traditional method.The student's scores for each unit using Algebra Tiles will be compared to the scores based on the traditional method only. Differences will be compared and noted. In addition, students receiving instruction with the tiles will keep a journal each day describing how they feel about using the tiles. According to Sharp (1995), students using algebra tiles â€Å"found it easy to think about algebraic manipulations when they visualized the tiles† and â€Å"the majority of students stated that the tiles added a mental imagery that made learning `easier. † Another possible comparison will be to see if there is any difference in scores or perception between boys and girls using the tiles. The goal of this research project is to see if Algebra Tiles or â€Å"modeling† will enhance the understanding of polynomials and make the process of factoring â€Å"easier†. References Howden, Hilde. Algebra Tiles for the Overhead Projector. New Rochelle, NY: Cuisenaire Company of America, 1985. Sharp, Janet M. Results of Using Algebra Tiles as Meaningful Representations of Algebra Concepts, ERIC search, 1995. Related article: â€Å"Study Guide Algebra†