Labor Day, literally

Labor Day, literally Today was moving-in day, where I moved all of my stuff out of storage and back into my dorm room. Moving-in day is my second-least-favorite day of the year, after moving-out day (which additionally involves cramming all of your things into a bunch of tiny boxes). Me driving my stuff back to my dorm in a giant U-Haul truck I always dread having to move my stuff. Im not entirely sure why. I always think that moving is going to take much longer than it does (usually I split a storage unit with a friend and it takes around 3 hours). I think its because there are so many steps to the process, and all of them are inconvenient and involve lots of sweating. Its also pretty sad to think about all the effort youre expending to move an entire dorm rooms worth of stuff back and forth, back and forth along a one-mile stretch of road every summer for four years. But regardless, moving is a perennial part of my back-to-school experience, so this year I decided to document the process. Since Im from LA, I do not have a car nor family in the area. So the way I usually handle my summer storage is by renting a storage space at U-Haul for the summer and then renting a truck at the beginning and ends of the school year to transport stuff from my dorm to the facility and vice versa. But different students choose to store their stuff in a lot of different ways. Some people have friends or family nearby that can store their boxes or help them move, which simplifies the process. Some people hire moving companies to transfer and store the boxes for them. MIT dorms also offer a storage plan that covers up to 6 boxes of storage in the dorm itself (usually in basements or suite closets), but unfortunately I have waaaay more than 6 boxes of stuff. So let this be a warning to all pre-frosh deciding how much junk to bring to college. ;) My amazing friends Yida and Sarah agreed to help me move my things. Yida and I moved out together at the beginning of the summer and shared a storage locker, but she got back to school earlier to particpate in sorority recruitment, so by the time I showed up she had already moved her things out. I typically move into my dorm on Labor Day, the day before Reg Day, which is when you meet with your advisor to choose your classes. A lot of people are already moved in at this point, but I always try to maximize my time at home with my family. Us at dinner a couple of hours ago! Yida and I had stored our stuff in a storage locker at the U-Haul in Central Square, which is about a 15-minute walk from my dorm. I think this location is the most convenient for students living on campus. I tried a different storage company last summer farther away from MIT because it was cheaper, but ultimately the lower rate was not worth the extra hassle of driving over there and dealing with their policies. The inside of the U-Haul. Our storage locker. Yesterday, I tried to reserve a 9-foot covered cargo van from their website, but there were none available at that location (presumably because of the hundreds of thousands of college students flooding into Boston right now), so I reserved a 10-foot truck instead. Fortunately when I walked into the location today they had one of the cargo vans available. If I ever need a 10-foot truck to fit my dorm room stuff, Im going to need an intervention. First we moved my stuff out of the storage unit into the back of the truck using the dollies they have in the storage facility. Then we drove over to MIT! Turns out its exactly one mile between MacGregor and the U-Haul. So much packing for so little displacement :( Our truck! Then we had to get the stuff from the truck to my room. Most of the dorms have either dollies or carts available that students can use to wheel their luggage in. I was able to use one of MacGregors carts to get my boxes up the elevator. Unfortunately, the way MacGregor is set up, the elevator only stops on every third floor. So Yida and Sarah helped me carry my boxes from the elevator down a flight of stairs and down the hallway to my room. My boxeshome at last :D In total, the whole process took less than two hours, and was probably the least stressful moving day Ive had so far. That is 100% thanks to my amazing friends who were willing to lend their time and biceps to give me a hand. In total, renting the truck came out to be about $35 (U-Haul advertises a price of $19.95, but they kind of nickel-and-dime you on insurance, equipment, etc. The good part is that you pay by the mile, not by the hour, so you can keep the truck all day if you need to or want the flexibility). We paid $84.95/month for the storage unit for four months (U-Haul doesnt prorate and summer is approximately 14 weeks), so that comes out to ~$340/2 = $170/person. That said, I feel like after doing this 3 times I should share some of the valuable wisdom Ive learned about moving and storing my stuff. Anelises Tips for Summer Storage Bring less stuff. I am being a total hypocrite in saying this because in case you couldnt tell from the picture above, I have a ton of stuff. A lot of it is clothes. I really like clothes so I feel like its worth hauling my wardrobe around in order to have fashion diversity on a day-to-day basis. But that is definitely a calculation you should make before bringing everything you own to college. Put the stuff that you do have in smaller boxes. From someone who has tried to move with both A) a handful of really big, heavy boxes and B) a plethora of small, manageable boxes, the latter goes faster and is much less exhausting. I promise. Find friends, if you can. Moving really works out better when you have multiple hands and can split labor, a storage space, and a truck. Plus, friends are friends :D There was one good thing about moving in I got to move back into my entry from last year! This is actually the first year I have moved back into the same place I lived the year before. I am currently living in D-Entry in MacGregor and I really like it. Today, we went to lunch at Yamato, a sushi place in Back Bay with an all-you-can-eat buffet, in order to welcome the new freshmen. Im glad to be back in D Entry, and heres to a great year! Post Tagged #moving #storage

Using the German Dative Reflexive and Parts of the Body

Essay about The Jungle is Upton Sinclair - 1405 Words

The Jungle is Upton Sinclair’s novel that narrates the tragedy of Jurgis Rudkus and his family, Lithuanian immigrants who travel to America to work in Chicago’s meatpacking plants. It is a grim story of suffering and hardship. This family undergoes considerable difficulties that vary from the appalling and unsafe working conditions, to poverty and starvation, in addition to merciless businessmen who extort their money as well as dishonest politicians who generate laws that permit the existence of such scandal. Furthermore, the narrative traces Jurgis’ transformation when he meets the new political and economic system of socialism. The novel also uncovers, in one of its parts, the sickening and disgusting methods of the meat processing†¦show more content†¦The increase of the family’s living costs obliged both Ona and Stanislovas, one of Teta Elzbieta’s young children, to work. However, jobs in Packingtown entail a very exhausting labor, bec ause it is carried out in dangerous conditions without any care for individual workers. Yet, the packinghouses are filthy and unhealthy places where every part of the animal is exploited for the sake of profit. Moreover, marking moldy meat as good for consumption and sending it out for sale is regarded as a common practice. Many of the old or rotten pieces of animals are sold, and even the waste from drainage is thrown into the pile of meat destined to be canned or made into sausage. In some of the factories, even dead rats are added to the meat. The workers do not worry and the factory bosses allow themselves to do whatever they can to speed up the production of the meat. In addition, in order to maintain wages control and to keep them down, most of the time the factories employ additional workers. Often, work offers are less than the demands of people in search for jobs, so the majority of workers only gain a few cents per hour. Along with all those hardships, corruption and crime are additional burdens on the immigrant community. Dede Antanas, Jurgis’s father, could not find a job unless he accepted to grant a third of his wages to another man for helping him getShow MoreRelatedThe Jungle By Upton Sinclair1526 Words   |  7 Pagessocietal and government reforms did â€Å"The Jungle† call for. Do you feel this novel was effective in bringing about any of these reforms. â€Å"The Jungle†, written by Upton Sinclair, is an astonishing novel informing readers about the devastating truths involving impoverished life in America, particularly Chicago. This novel gives the reader an inside look into to the struggles of numerous European immigrants as they ventured to America during the early 1900 s. Sinclair depicts the disturbing and emotionalRead MoreThe Jungle By Upton Sinclair986 Words   |  4 PagesThe life of Jurgis Rudkus, from the novel The Jungle by Upton Sinclair, shares many parallels to the life of the working class in American society during the period 1865 to 1910. that limits the freedom of the working class. Even though it is stated on paper that working class citizens such as Jurgis are equals and just as free as the upper-class citizens, society limited the the freedom of the working class. People like Jurgis are not truly â€Å"free† because the social and political forces at the timeRead MoreThe Jungle By Upton Sinclair 1155 Words   |  5 Pages8/10/17 The Jungle By Upton Sinclair Book Review The working conditions in the US in the 20th  century were diffcult since workers had to struggle to survive on the daily bases.The Jungle written by Upton Sinclair does not only highlight the life of American workers but also uncovers the infleunce of capitalism in the US, where workers and employees were destined to fight for a living, while the upper-class reaped the benefits of national wealth.The Jungle gives many examples of theRead MoreThe Jungle by Upton Sinclair651 Words   |  3 Pages This book is called The Jungle. The Author or this book goes by the name of Upton Sinclair. The Jungle was published on February 26, 1906. Upton Sinclair is an American author with almost 100 books which are based on many different genres. Sinclair is a journalist, novelist, as well as a political activist. Sinclair is most famous for this book. The Jungle is a novel that is based on the disgusting conditions of the US meatpacking industry, and the hardships of the labor that immigrant me n and womenRead MoreThe Jungle by Upton Sinclair1400 Words   |  6 PagesWhat are the major issues Sinclair addresses in The Jungle? The Jungle by Upton Sinclair is a vivid account of life for the working class in the early 1900s. Jurgis Rudkus and his family travel to the United States in search of the American dream and an escape from the rigid social structure of Lithuania. Instead, they find a myriad of new difficulties. Sinclair attributes their problems to the downfalls of capitalism in the United States. While America’s system was idealistic for Jurgis and hisRead MoreThe Jungle By Upton Sinclair1210 Words   |  5 PagesThe Jungle by written by Upton Sinclair Book Report This report is based upon the book The Jungle, written by Upton Sinclair. This book was published by The Jungle Publishing Co. New York in 1906. Introduction of Author: Upton Sinclair was born on September 20, 1878, in Baltimore, Maryland. He belonged to a family off southern aristocracy but once Sinclair was born, his family went into poverty. Sinclair was a very smart boy and graduated from high school at the age of fourteen to go on and attendRead MoreThe Jungle by Upton Sinclair 792 Words   |  3 PagesCritics often argue that Upton Sinclair, author of many classic American novels including The Jungle, was cynical and bitter even. However if one were to dig just a bit deeper they may realize that Sinclair was spot on in his idea that this â€Å"American dream† that our country sells is actually a work of fiction. In his book The Jungle, Sinclair, points out the flaws of the American dream. Many immigrants traveled thousands of miles aboard, cramped, disease infested, ships with hope of coming to thisRead MoreThe Jungle By Upton Sinclair1260 Words   |  6 Pages The Jungle by Upton Sinclair was published in 1906. After reading two-hundred and ninety-four pages, it is evident that humans have been shaping the world over time and the world has been shaping us as well. A lot has changed since the industrial revolution, the time frame in which this novel takes place. Our food industries have improved, money value has risen, and job opportunities have expanded. Throughout The Jungle the reader follows an immigrant family on their journey of hardships andRead MoreThe Jungle By Upton Sinclair937 Words   |  4 PagesThe Jungle, by Upton Sinclair and Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, by Frederick Douglass both bring forth personal or fictional events that capture t he interest of the the reader. The use of pathos in their writing along with true events questions the ethics, morality, and human rights of each individual at the time setting for the publication. In the book, The Jungle, Upton Sinclair advocates for the overall elimination of oppression and exploitation of workers andRead MoreThe Jungle By Upton Sinclair1334 Words   |  6 Pages1900s there were already more than 10 million immigrants living in America. Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle reveals the struggles and hardships of a family that immigrated to the United States from Lithuania during the 1900s. Although many immigrant families came to America in search of a better life, soon most found themselves barely surviving with no job, food, shelter, or money. As is the case of the family in The Jungle. The novel not only unveils the corruption of the political and economic system

Structure of Language Free Essays

string(113) " children are born with a universal grammar, which makes them receptive to the common features of all languages\." he Structure of Language Language is a system of symbols and rules that is used for meaningful communication. A system of communication has to meet certain criteria in order to be considered a language: A language uses symbols, which are sounds, gestures, or written characters that represent objects, actions, events, and ideas. Symbols enable people to refer to objects that are in another place or events that occurred at a different time. We will write a custom essay sample on Structure of Language or any similar topic only for you Order Now A language is meaningful and therefore can be understood by other users of that language. A language is generative, which means that the symbols of a language can be combined to produce an infinite number of messages. A language has rules that govern how symbols can be arranged. These rules allow people to understand messages in that language even if they have never encountered those messages before. The Building Blocks of Language Language is organized hierarchically, from phonemes to morphemes to phrases and sentences that communicate meaning. Phonemes Phonemes are the smallest distinguishable units in a language. In the English language, many consonants, such as t, p, and m, correspond to single phonemes, while other consonants, such as c and g, can correspond to more than one phoneme. Vowels typically correspond to more than one phoneme. For example, o corresponds to different phonemes depending on whether it is pronounced as in bone or woman. Some phonemes correspond to combinations of consonants, such as ch, sh, and th. Morphemes Morphemes are the smallest meaningful units in a language. In the English language, only a few single letters, such as I and a, are morphemes. Morphemes are usually whole words or meaningful parts of words, such as refixes, suffixes, and word stems. Example: The word â€Å"disliked† has three morphemes: â€Å"dis,† â€Å"lik,† and â€Å"ed. † Syntax Syntax is a system of rules that governs how words can be meaningfully arranged to form phrases and sentences. Example: One rule of syntax is that an article such as â€Å"the† must c ome before a noun, not after: â€Å"Read the book,† not â€Å"Read book the. † Language Development in Children Children develop language in a set sequence of stages, although sometimes particular skills develop at slightly different ages: Three-month-old infants can distinguish between the phonemes from any language. At around six months, infants begin babbling, or producing sounds that resemble many different languages. As time goes on, these sounds begin to resemble more closely the words of the languages the infant hears. At about thirteen months, children begin to produce simple single words. By about twenty-four months, children begin to combine two or three words to make short sentences. At this stage, their speech is usually telegraphic. Telegraphic speech, like telegrams, contains no articles or prepositions. By about age three years, children can usually use tenses and plurals. Children’s language abilities continue to grow throughout the school-age years. They become able to recognize ambiguity and sarcasm in language and to use metaphors and puns. These abilities arise from metalinguistic awareness, or the capacity to think about how language is used. Ambiguous Language Language may sometimes be used correctly but still have an unclear meaning or multiple meanings. In these cases, language is ambiguous—it can be understood in several ways. Avoid biting dogs is an example of an ambiguous sentence. A person might interpret it as Keep out of the way of biting dogs or Don’t bite dogs. Theories of Language Acquisition The nature vs. nurture debate extends to the topic of language acquisition. Today, most researchers acknowledge that both nature and nurture play a role in language acquisition. However, some researchers emphasize the influences of learning on language acquisition, while others emphasize the biological influences. Receptive Language before Expressive Language Children’s ability to understand language develops faster than their ability to speak it. Receptive language is the ability to understand language, and expressive language is the ability to use language to communicate. If a mother tells her fifteen-month-old child to put the toy back in the toy chest, he may follow her instructions even though he can’t repeat them himself. Environmental Influences on Language Acquisition A major proponent of the idea that language depends largely on environment was the behaviorist B. F. Skinner (see pages 145 and 276 for more information on Skinner). He believed that language is acquired through principles of conditioning, including association, imitation, and reinforcement. According to this view, children learn words by associating sounds with objects, actions, and events. They also learn words and syntax by imitating others. Adults enable children to learn words and syntax by reinforcing correct speech. Critics of this idea argue that a behaviorist explanation is inadequate. They maintain several arguments: Learning cannot account for the rapid rate at which children acquire language. There can be an infinite number of sentences in a language. All these sentences cannot be learned by imitation. Children make errors, such as overregularizing verbs. For example, a child may say Billy hitted me, incorrectly adding the usual past tense suffix -ed to hit. Errors like these can’t result from imitation, since adults generally use correct verb forms. Children acquire language skills even though adults do not consistently correct their syntax. Neural Networks Some cognitive neuroscientists have created neural networks, or computer models, that can acquire some aspects of language. These neural networks are not preprogrammed with any rules. Instead, they are exposed to many examples of a language. Using these examples, the neural networks have been able to learn the language’s statistical structure and accurately make the past tense forms of verbs. The developers of these networks speculate that children may acquire language in a similar way, through exposure to multiple examples. Biological Influences on Language Acquisition The main proponent of the view that biological influences bring about language development is the well-known linguist Noam Chomsky. Chomsky argues that human brains have a language acquisition device (LAD), an innate mechanism or process that allows children to develop language skills. According to this view, all children are born with a universal grammar, which makes them receptive to the common features of all languages. You read "Structure of Language" in category "Essay examples" Because of this hard-wired background in grammar, children easily pick up a language when they are exposed to its particular grammar. Evidence for an innate human capacity to acquire language skills comes from the following observations: The stages of language development occur at about the same ages in most children, even though different children experience very different environments. Children’s language development follows a similar pattern across cultures. Children generally acquire language skills quickly and effortlessly. Deaf children who have not been exposed to a language may make up their own language. These new languages resemble each other in sentence structure, even when they are created in different cultures. Biology and Environment Some researchers have proposed theories that emphasize the importance of both nature and nurture in language acquisition. These theorists believe that humans do have an innate capacity for acquiring the rules of language. However, they believe that children develop language skills through interaction with others rather than acquire the knowledge automatically. Language, Culture, and Thought Researchers have differing views about the extent to which language and culture influence the way people think. In the 1950s, Benjamin Lee Whorf proposed the linguistic relativity hypothesis. He said language determines the way people think. For example, Whorf said that Eskimo people and English-speaking people think about snow differently because the Eskimo language has many more words for snow than the English language does. Most subsequent research has not supported Whorf’s hypothesis. Researchers do acknowledge, however, that language can influence thought in subtle ways. For example, the use of sexist terminology may influence how people think about women. Two ways that people commonly use language to influence thinking are semantic slanting and name calling. Semantic Slanting Semantic slanting is a way of making statements so that they will evoke specific emotional responses. Example: Military personnel use the term â€Å"preemptive counterattack† rather than â€Å"invasion,† since â€Å"invasion† is likely to produce more negative feelings in people. Name Calling Name calling is a strategy of labeling people in order to influence their thinking. In anticipatory name calling, it is implied that if someone thinks in a particular way, he or she will receive an unfavorable label. Example: On the day a student buys a new desk, he might say, â€Å"Only a slob would pile junk on a desk like this. † This might help ensure that his roommate keeps it free of junk. Bilingualism Although people sometimes assume that bilingualism impairs children’s language development, there is no evidence to support this assumption. Bilingual children develop language at the same rate as children who speak only one language. In general, people who begin learning a new language in childhood master it more quickly and thoroughly than do people who learn a language in adulthood. Language and Nonhuman Primates Some researchers have tried to teach apes to use language. Because of the structure of their vocal organs, apes can’t say words, but they can communicate using signs or computers. Using these means, apes can make requests, respond to questions, and follow instructions. The Case of Washoe the Chimpanzee Researchers at Central Washington University taught a chimpanzee named Washoe to use American Sign Language (ASL) to communicate. She could sign not only single words but also meaningful combinations of words. She could follow instructions and respond to questions given in ASL. Later, Washoe’s foster child, Loulis, learned signs just by watching Washoe and other chimps that had been trained to use language. Some research even suggested that language-trained chimps may use signs spontaneously to communicate with each other or to talk to themselves, although this behavior is not thoroughly documented. Skepticism about Ape Language Critics of the idea that apes can learn and use language have maintained several arguments: Apes, unlike people, can be trained to learn only a limited number of words and only with difficulty. Apes use signs or computers to get a reward, in the same way that other animals can be taught tricks. But learning tricks is not equivalent to learning language. Apes don’t use syntax. For example, they don’t recognize the difference between Me eat apple and Apple eat me. Trainers may be reading meanings into signs apes make and unintentionally providing cues that help them to respond correctly to questions. Clearly, communication in nonhuman animals differs drastically from language in humans. The spontaneity, uniqueness, and reflective content of human language remains unmatched. Nonprimates Can Communicate Researchers have taught nonprimate animals, such as parrots, to communicate meaningfully. Parrots that participated in language acquisition studies learned to identify dozens of objects, distinguish colors, and make simple requests in English. One famous example is Alex the African gray parrot, owned by Irene Pepperberg from the University of Arizona. Alex can â€Å"speak† hundreds of words, but what makes him more unique is that he appears to do more than just vocalize. Though Pepperberg does not claim that Alex uses â€Å"language,† she does believe that when Alex talks, he is expressing his thoughts, not just mimicking. The Structure of Cognition Cognition, or thinking, involves mental activities such as understanding, problem solving, and decision making. Cognition also makes creativity possible. The Building Blocks of Cognition When humans think, they manipulate mental representations of objects, actions, events, and ideas. Humans commonly use mental representations such as concepts, prototypes, and cognitive schemas. Concepts A concept is a mental category that groups similar objects, events, qualities, or actions. Concepts summarize information, enabling humans to think quickly. Example: The concept â€Å"fish† includes specific creatures, such as an eel, a goldfish, a shark, and a flying fish. Prototypes A prototype is a typical example of a concept. Humans use prototypes to decide whether a particular instance of something belongs to a concept. Example: Goldfish and eels are both fish, but most people will agree that a goldfish is a fish more quickly than they will agree that an eel is a fish. A goldfish fits the â€Å"fish† prototype better than an eel does. Cognitive Schemas Cognitive schemas are mental models of different aspects of the world. They contain knowledge, beliefs, assumptions, associations, and expectations. Example: People may have a schema about New York that includes information they’ve learned about New York in school, their memories of New York, things people have told them about New York, information from movies and books about New York, what they assume to be true about New York, and so on. Theories of Cognitive Development Cognitive development refers to the change in children’s patterns of thinking as they grow older. Jean Piaget’s Stage Theory The scientist best known for research on cognitive development is Jean Piaget (see pages 72–75), who proposed that children’s thinking goes through a set eries of four major stages. Piaget believed that children’s cognitive skills unfold naturally as they mature and explore their environment. Lev Vygotsky’s Theory of Sociocultural Influences Psychologist Lev Vygotsky believed that children’s sociocultural environment plays an important role in how they develop cognitively. In Vygotsk y’s view, the acquisition of language is a crucial part of cognitive development. After children acquire language, they don’t just go through a set series of stages. Rather, their cognitive development depends on interactions with adults, cultural norms, and their environmental circumstances. Private Speech Vygotsky pointed out that children use language to control their own behavior. After children acquire language skills and learn the rules of their culture, they start to engage in private speech. They first talk to themselves out loud, and then, as they grow older, silently, giving themselves instructions about how to behave. Current Research on Cognitive Development Current research indicates that children have complex cognitive abilities at much younger ages than Piaget suggested. As early as four months of age, infants appear to understand basic laws of physics. For example, a four-month-old infant can recognize that solid objects cannot pass through other solid objects and that objects roll down slopes instead of rolling up. At five months of age, infants can recognize the correct answers to addition and subtraction problems involving small numbers. These observations have led some researchers to speculate that humans are born with some basic cognitive abilities. Critics argue that researchers who find these results are overinterpreting the behavior of the infants they study. Quick Review The Structure of Language Language is a system of symbols and rules used for meaningful communication. A language uses symbols and syntax and is meaningful and generative. Language is organized hierarchically from phonemes to morphemes to phrases and sentences. Children develop language in a set sequence of stages. Theories of Language Acquisition Behaviorist B. F. Skinner strongly supported the idea that language depends largely on environment. Skinner believed that people acquire language through principles of conditioning. Critics argue the inadequacy of behaviorist explanations. Some cognitive neuroscientists have created neural networks that can acquire some aspects of language by encountering many examples of language. They think children may acquire language in the same way. Noam Chomsky is the main proponent of the importance of biological influences on language development. Chomsky proposed that human brains have a language acquisition device that allows children to acquire language easily. Some researchers believe that language is both biologically and environmentally determined. The linguistic relativity hypothesis states that language determines the way people think. Today, researchers believe language influences, rather than determines, thought. Two ways that people use language to influence thinking are semantic slanting and name calling. People master a new language better if they begin learning it in childhood. Nonhuman animals can learn some aspects of language. Language and Nonhuman Primates Some researchers have tried to teach apes to use language. Apes can communicate, but researchers are divided on whether this communication can really be considered â€Å"learning language. † The Structure of Cognition Cognition involves activities such as understanding, problem solving, decision making, and being creative. People use mental representations such as concepts, prototypes, and cognitive schemas when they think. Theories of Cognitive Development Jean Piaget believed that children’s cognitive skills unfold naturally as they mature and explore their environment. Lev Vygotsky believed that children’s sociocultural environment plays an important role in cognitive development. Some researchers have shown that humans are born with some basic cognitive abilities. Problem-Solving Problem-solving is the active effort people make to achieve a goal that is not easily attained. Three common types of problems involve inducing structure, arranging, and transformation. Some approaches to problem-solving are trial and error, deductive and inductive reasoning, use of algorithms and heuristics, dialectical reasoning, creation of subgoals, use of similar problems, and changes in the way the problems are represented. Researchers have identified many obstacles to effective problem-solving, such as focus on irrelevant information, functional fixedness, mental set, and assumptions about unnecessary constraints. Decision-Making Decision-making involves weighing alternatives and choosing among them. Additive strategies and elimination strategies are ways of making decisions about preferences. Using expected value, subjective utility, the availability heuristic, and the representativeness heuristic are all ways of making risky decisions. Using the representativeness heuristic can make people susceptible to biases, such as the tendency to ignore base rates and the gambler’s fallacy. Using the availability heuristic can make people susceptible to overestimating the improbable or underestimating the probable. In an effort to minimize risk, people also make decision-making errors, such as the overconfidence effect, the confirmation bias, and belief perseverance. Creativity Creativity is the ability to generate novel, useful ideas. Creativity is characterized by divergent, rather than convergent, thinking. Some characteristics of creative people are expertise, nonconformity, curiosity, persistence, and intrinsic motivation. People can best realize their creative potential if they are in environmental circumstances that promote creativity. 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The Scarlet Ibis Essay Example For Students

The Scarlet Ibis Essay In The Scarlet Ibis Essay, James Hurst develops the universal idea that determination enlightens using simile, metaphor, and personification. Hurst develops the theme that determination enlightens using similes. First, Hurst compares Doodle to an old worn out doll. When he tries to crawl, Doodle .. .pushes himself (156) but keeps falling down .. . (157) like a half empty flour sack (157) from lack of strength. Doodle is determined to walk because of the enlightenment of brother who is embarrassed to have a five year old brother who cant walk. Finally, Hurst compares success to a pot of gold. After the winter, Brother uses the summer to teach Doodle everything and thought Doodles Success.. . (159) is like a pot of gold at the end of summer.. . (159). Doodles determination to learn how to swim and row, he is enlightened by his goal to learn by the end of summer. .

Marketing Business Plan

Introduction A marketing plan refers to a blue print that is developed and implemented by organizations for execution of their marketing strategies. It is a well-coordinated plan for orchestrating organization’s marketing functions (Applegate, Johnson, 2007).Advertising We will write a custom proposal sample on Marketing Business Plan specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The organization aims at developing a marketing plan that is well-aligned with the organization goals and objectives. The retail chain of stores operates in Indianapolis with outlets, such as the Carmel, the Greenwood Park and the Circle Centre Malls. The company has been in business for the last 5 years. Due to the significant growth of its sales in the past two years, it has managed to become one of the leading retail stores in Indianapolis. Indianapolis has a high level of population, and it is located in North America. The company under the study stocks sp ecialty toys, gifts, and clothing among other products for customers in the region. Currently, the price of the products ranges from $ 20 to $500. In line with the organization’s goal of achieving growth, the company aims at extending its market coverage to five other cities by establishing 2 or 3 stores in all those places during the period of the next 2 years. After that, the organization plans to focus on its further expansion to cover a larger market in Indianapolis. This paper aims at presenting a marketing plan for the company’s development. Market Analyses Overall Marketing Strategy The overall marketing strategy will be based on the organization’s goals and vision which will also be aligned with the organization’s corporate strategies. In this case, the organization presents varying types of goods with different price levels ranging from $20 to $ 500. This implies that organization’s marketing strategy will be aimed at enhancing sales as we ll as market share of the company due to a wide price spread. The organization’s strategy will thus be tailored in such a way so as to offer the needed services to the mass market.Advertising Looking for proposal on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Discount pricing strategy will guide the generic strategy adopted by the organization in its overall marketing strategy. This will enhance the ability of the organization to extend its operations to diverse markets in Indianapolis. Situational/Environmental Analyses There are a number of factors that determine the cities in which organization should initiate its operations. One of these factors includes the level of population in the city. Higher level of the population in such cities means a wider market for the company to sell its services and goods as well as higher level of revenue. The organization will equally prefer to operate in cities that are pol itically stable. It is worth noting that different cities or countries have a different level of social and political stability. Thirdly, the organization will run its business in the cities where the level of income among residents is high. This will increase the customers’ ability to purchase the organization’s products. It will also expand to the regions where the local authorities’ regulations are in line with the organization’s operation goals and objectives. The company will equally identify areas to enter where the level of competition is low. Finally, the organization will assess and enter into a market where the level of demand for its goods, specialty stores, as well as other products is high (Young et al, 2008). Product Category Although the organization presents a wide variety of product lines in the market, these products have different levels of profit margin as well as demand. The organization will engage in margin analyses for different pr oduct lines. It will assess the level of demand for each of its products in potential markets it is to enter in two years, as well as in those in which it is to operate in five years. Once the levels of demands in each potential city are determined, the cost of producing and marketing such products will be defined.Advertising We will write a custom proposal sample on Marketing Business Plan specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The price for such products will thus be set considering the unit cost, desired margin levels, as well as the average market price for such products in these cities. Selling price that is less than unit cost of different products demanded in different cities will give the company contribution margin. Such margin will be multiplied by the respective product demand in these cities. Products generating the highest level of profit will be launched in such markets (Young et al, 2008). Target Customers A marketing pl an should have an objective that it is aimed at achieving its goal. Such a goal will include financial targets, such as growth in profit and sales revenue, among others. On the other hand, a marketing plan may be aimed at growing the organization’s market share as well as its effectiveness in terms of communication. It can be tailored to achieve a certain price level, enhance quality of products and ensure customer satisfaction, among others. Before the organization engages in its new outlet promotions and marketing campaigns, customer targeting will be carried out. There will be a need for the company to split the market into different sectors that share homogeneous characteristics. The organization will segment the market and adopt the following targeting strategies, either differentiated marketing or undifferentiated marketing strategy. In this case, since the organization aims at presenting its product as a mass product, it will engage in undifferentiated marketing. Undif ferentiated marketing is indicated in the diagram below: Advertising Looking for proposal on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Source: Learn Marketing.net (2012). Under the above category, the organization will not focus on a certain segment of demographics in the city. It will target all the customers who demand its products presented in the different cities, regardless whether such customers are in the high or low end market. The organization’s focal point will be on the low end market. Nevertheless, in its market communication strategy, the organization will ensure that such communication reaches the target customer. This implies that when advertising its goods (toys in this case), the organization will develop advertisements that will easily get noticed by young children. It is worth noting that children are one of the main influencers in decision making in the toys market. Branding Stores Branding is one of the key drivers of success in organizations. It aims at increasing customer loyalty to organization’s products; enhancing the positive image of the firm as well as its products, beside s generating positive brand image. In its marketing plan, an organization carries out competitors’ analyses. The strengths of its competitors as well as their weaknesses are studied, and the companny then develops a mechanism on how to increase its competitiveness in the market. The availability of substitutable products is carried out. This helps the organization in developing mechanisms on how to thrive amidst competition and promote its products in a market taking into account competing produces. The baseline to the problem of substitutes is for the organization to develop innovative products for the next three years that would satisfy the needs of customers better than those of the competitors do (Young et al, 2008). In this case, the organization will present quality products as well as quality services to its customers. This will significantly enhance their satisfaction. Responding to their queries in a timely manner will equally promote their brand loyalty. On the othe r hand, to boost customer appreciation, a loyalty scheme will be established where customers earn redeemable points once they buy an item from the organization. This will discourage them from buying such products from other sellers. Finally, to enhance customer retention, the organization will engage itself in reminder advertising as well as purchase software that manages customer relationships. This will increase the chances of repeat purchases in the organization by maintaining positive awareness and brand image after purchase. Marketing Strategy In the development of a marketing plan, the organization has an option of employing various marketing strategies in its operations. Such strategies include mass marketing as well as target marketing. Mass marketing refers to market delivery of homogenous solutions based on the premise that consumer needs are similar. The organization can develop toys which are affordable not only by the high end markets but also the lower market segments. This implies that organization’s products’ promotions as well as its distribution channels will target the entire market. This has the potential of increasing the market share in which the organization sells its products. On the other hand, it presents challenges where the consumer needs are rarely homogeneous. This implies that a company cannot fully meet the needs of its customers in the market by offering them a homogeneous product. An organization has an opportunity of engaging in target marketing, which can involve niche marketing. Identifying a viable niche (a group of potential clients sharing similar characteristics), the organization can achieve this through segmentation. Pricing The bottom line to the marketing planning process is making sales. The organization needs to ensure that a price is set in order to maximize its returns, while remaining competitive in the market. Nevertheless, the price for the organization products may vary later on due to changes in macro economic variables that affect inflation, demand for toys, gifts, clothing and other materials as well as supply for raw materials to produce those goods as well as other products. Nevertheless, since the strategy for the organization in the next three years is to serve both the low and the upper market segments, its price needs to be differentiated accordingly (Young, et al, 2008). Promotion Promotion refers to one of P’s used in marketing of products that demand for effective communication regarding a product to customers in the market. This does not only help in creating awareness about a product in the market, but also serves as a reminder to existing customers to encourage them to purchase the product. The company has used its website ‘our organization.com’ in the past, to promote its products worldwide, but due to the wide coverage usually presented by websites, the organization needs to move a step further and effectively enhance its customersâ₠¬â„¢ awareness of the website in the market. The organization will also need to ensure that the medium of communication used reaches the target market. This includes reaching the target market that is currently comprised of young people that are technologically savvy, willing to take the repositioned organization products which now will be computer based. The organization can use TV, newspapers, billboards or even magazines to communicate to the market. The baseline to this is that whichever product is selected, it must be capable of reaching the target market. Promotion of the organization products needs to target two groups of people in the market, which are influencers and decision makers (Applegate, Johnson, 2007). Social Responsibility and Its Communication The organization will operate in a socially sustainable manner. To attain this goal, the organization will ensure that all of its products meet the health and safety requirements. The company will also engage in recycling o f worn-out products collected from customers as well as other waste. This will enhance its ability to protect environment. Finally, the organization will adopt carbon reduction strategies in its operations. This will reduce its carbon emissions by 30% in the coming year and 10% annually in the subsequent years. This will significantly boost environmental sustainability in Brunt Land regarding the sustainable operations and development, where firms exploit current opportunities and resources without jeopardizing the ability of future generations and firms to exploit the same. Implementation Implementation of a marketing plan is the starting point to the achievement of organizations objectives. Irrespective of how good a marketing plan may be, if the plan is left unimplemented, it will remain a mere dream. The organization needs to classify its marketing objectives into corporate, functional and tactical ones. Once the organization leadership provides the corporate level with resource s needed to execute the marketing strategy, the marketing team needs to implement the functional level strategies including indentifying distribution channels, running promotion campaigns, working together with the production department to assign products the intended price as well as ensuring that products in the market are of the right quality. Once these objectives are achieved, then the next step involves the development of action plans. Individuals are assigned tasks that they are supposed to carry out within a set time frame. Its strategies are converted to actions. For instance, if the suggested promotion strategy is to set up of billboards, its actual implementation should be carried out. Sites are secured, and the billboard is erected or hired with the rest message on it. Implementation of a plan leads to the achievement of outcomes, which may or may not tally with what is projected (Armstrong Kotler, 2010). This calls for comparison of the plans with the laid out goals an d projections. It is the marketing team’s role to ensure that significant deviations from the expected outcomes are quickly rectified in the light of the new information in the industry. Budgets will be based on the unit and fixed cost of production. Advertising costs will be maintained at 5% of sales. Conclusion The above presentation indicates the immense need of a marketing plan. It calls for the marketing units in an accounting entity to align with the marketing campaigns and the organization’s goals and objectives. It equally shows the need for marketing managers to understand market conditions, as well as country’s factors, which may have influence on the success of their products in the market. An effective marketing mix is critical to the success of an organization’s marketing strategy. Nevertheless, in pursuit of increased sales or market share, there is increasing need for the organization to operate in a socially responsible manner. This signif icantly boosts its sustainability in the long run. References Applegate, A., Johnson, A. (2007). Cases in advertising and marketing management. Toronto: Rowman Littlefield. Armstrong, G., Kotler, P. (2010). Marketing: An Introduction: Global Edition. New York: Pearson. Learn Marketing.net (2012). Market targeting options. Retrieved from http://www.learnmarketing.net/targeting.htm Young, et al. (2008). Principles of marketing. UK: Rex Bookstores. This proposal on Marketing Business Plan was written and submitted by user Cristian Bowman to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Del Monte Provides secure Connections for Telecommuters Essay Example

Del Monte Provides secure Connections for Telecommuters Essay Example Del Monte Provides secure Connections for Telecommuters Essay Del Monte Provides secure Connections for Telecommuters Essay Name: Course: Instructor: Date: Del Monte Provides Secure Connections for Telecommuters The primary concern of making a private network available to employees who are outside the office is for security purposes and reliability. When an organization opens up connections over the internet, it makes its network more vulnerable to hackers. Furthermore, in terms of security, the private network requires internet connections that are more stable so that it can get a reliable service as time and quality is a necessity in the Del Monte. Therefore, supplying them with the necessary information enables them to have access to information systems such as the corporate enterprise resource planning (ERP), data warehouse, and customer relationship management (CRM). This is because Del Monte required a system that employees could use to access the corporate network so that they could work as effectively as the employees in the corporate offices could. Technologies employed by Del Monte to address this primary concern include firewalls, encryption, IPSec, and AAA Server. Firewalls are used to offer strong barrier private network and the internet. Firewalls can be set as a restriction to numbers of open ports, the type of packets passed through and the protocols that are permitted through. Therefore, it should be noted that a person could have a good firewall first before implementing a VPN, although a firewall can also be used to destroy the sessions of VPN (Hoover 195). Another technology used is Encryption, which is a process that takes all the information that one computer sends to another and encodes it into a form that only the other computer will be able to decode. IPSec which refers to as internet protocol security protocol has the main function of providing improved security features like better encryption algorithms and extra significant authentication. Lastly, Del Monte employed another technology known as Authentication, authorization and accounting servers (AAA). This technology is mainly used to provide more security in a remote-access VPN surrounding. AAA checks the identity of the person sending a request, provides permission on what to be done, and then accounts for what a person actually does. Therefore, Del Monte employed these technologies in order to set up a secure website for the employees and partners to access the any internet connections. These technologies could keep hackers out and permit the authorized users’ in. The users are enabled to access only the parts of the network and data that they have been authorized to access. In addition, Del Monte supplies its employees with even secure connections for employees that work at home. The benefits enjoyed by both Del Monte and its employees include the speed of communication. Extranets provides access of information from anywhere especially from home in an effective and efficient manner to all partners by connecting intranets for urgent access to critical data. For instance, salesperson traveling far from the distributor is able to access information very fast and securely over the extranet, rather than calling a distributor for information. An extranet offers access to information in a very affordable price. For instance, companies are able to spend a very small amount in establishing and printing information for suppliers, distributors, and customers. Extranet also helps in reduction of hassles especially for an IT professional. It is sometimes hard to keep equipment and connections, while attempting to stay ahead of the access technology changes. Therefore, extranets tries to reduce these frustrations by permitting the IT organizer to outsource the difficult physical infrastructures. Extranets also tries to reduce long-distance phone charges. Hourly access fees charged by ISPs are up to 50 percent cheaper than the best available negotiated toll-free rates. Employees have a Cisco ASA 5500 Series Adaptive Security Appliance, which is a network device that offers a firewall and intrusion prevention system to keep hackers out and virtual private networking to encrypt and safeguard data flowing over the network. The device also enables the professionals to stay in contact while at home. If I were to choose whether to work at home or in a corporate, I would prefer working at home. This will thus enable me to work, at the same time attend meetings and do my own work at home. The company benefits from the devise in the general saving of money by allowing the company to erode expenses. I would prefer working at home rather than based in corporate office because it is easier to balance my personal life with work. For instance, working in an office requires daily commuting to and from work, which is hard to deal with when with children requiring to taken care of. Working from home also saves money and time and most of the time home environment is cool for working with no distractions from work mates, and I can plan my work in more organized manner. There is flexibility when working at home. My job can become flexible as long as I choose to be committed and reproductive. For instance, I can choose to work over the weekends, during the night and any time I am free. Therefore, working from home is very flexible since am able to make my own schedule and follow it to achieve the set goals. Working at home also gives time to spend with family members and friends. Hoover, Nicholas. Telecommunication: the internet, intranet, and extranets. New York, NY: Press, 2008.