Entrepreneurship and small business management Essay - 1

Entrepreneurship and small business management - Essay Example (businessdictionary.com 2013). I believe that acquiring a franchise is better than starting your own business because you benefit greatly from using the name of the franchiser to sell your products and in the end profit in a great way because of it. For example, KFC is a renowned international fast food joint. Its franchiser here gets to profit more than his competitors do simply because there is that standard that KFC has in the global world and it has kept in all franchises in the world. This standard gives an assurance to the locals or visitors that it’s the same quality of food sold there (Shepherd, 2009). Question 2 Metal supermarkets have been in business since 1985. Since then, it has grown in numbers due to its franchising family. Metal supermarkets have taken the franchises under their wings by providing support in establishing their business model and system in a suitable area. It also provides leadership as well as guidance of its system in an effort to maintain a s tanding position in terms of leadership across all franchises. Customer service is a key factor in Metal supermarkets and they ensure that, it is the key factor in all its franchise partners (Hodgetts, 2008) . They ensure this by giving them customer care training. In a bid to keep a progressive growth in its franchise business, Metal supermarkets ensures that they give grants to the most qualified candidates who meet the level that they have set for all franchises. Metal supermarket training is compulsory for new franchise and it is held in its corporate head office in Toronto. The training includes a 5-day classroom class, where they are taught about the operation of the business, the products, and how the system works. From there, they go to a 5-day in-branch training in Toronto, where they learn and build their confidence. 10-day job training is also provided when the franchisee’s Metal supermarket is opened ( Shepherd, 2009). The effort made by Metal supermarkets to its franchisee helps them in being successful. It has helped some who have not any prior knowledge of how to work with metals to be profitable in the end with some of them making more than a million a year. It also has given a good option to people who wanted to start their own metal supermarkets to join their franchise and in this way, the franchisee is assisted in starting up as well as given the necessary assistance in preventing basic mistakes, which most new business people go through . In the end, most of the franchisee makes a good amount of money unlike when they would have opened their own business because people trust the products that are sold by Metal supermarkets therefore customers trust the products being sold by the franchisee’s supermarket (Hodgetts, 2008). Question 3 Ian Parsons, a franchise owner of Metal supermarkets, West Bromwich, bought the franchise from its previous owner, who was retiring from the business. Ian parson thought of buying the franchise afte r weighing between looking for another job or buying the franchise. This is actually the main reason for him to buy the franchise. He used his savings and some cash from his property re-mortgage to buy the supermarket. The transition was smooth because he had worked in the franchise for 8 years and well conversant with the operation of the supermarket. He however had problems with accounting but the previous owner was able to assist him. He later went to Metal supermarkets’

Henri Cartier Bresson And Terence Donovan Photography Essay

Henri Cartier Bresson And Terence Donovan Photography Essay To discuss the contextual differences of two artists. To compare and contrast two images by two different photographers. The two artists I have chosen to look at for this investigation are Henri Cartier Bresson and Terence Donovan. To compare and contrast the two images I have chosen by these artists, not only must the images be deconstructed, but the artists background. The aim is to develop an understanding of why the photographer took the image, whether social pressures or cultural pressures had anything to do with the reasoning behind the image being captured. Henri Cartier Bresson was born in the early 1900s where as Terence Donovan was born 1936, which gave Bresson 30 years head start in his photographic career. Both artists lived throught World War II. Due to very different upbringings the images are totally different. Henri Cartier Bresson was a French documentary photographer whereas Terence Donovan was a British fashion photographer this is the most obvious and clarifying reason for the different style of photography. They both became inspired by the world of the photographic image in very different ways. In the 1960s for example, the cultures differences between England and France were huge. France where Parisians were revolting against the boundaries of normal society and Britain which was the height of fashion and culture. Henri Cartier Bresson would have been considered fairly wealthy, in that era, simply because his was born into wealth, this gave him the opportunity to pursue his career in photography and the arts, which may not have been made possible otherwise. Bresson also had a full and extremely beneficial education, attending University, and afterwards doing his mandatory service in the French Army. Bresson matured both artistically and as a man during a turbulent cultural and political era. This is reflected in many of his images, because of his documentation of the worlds great events during his lifetime, such as Gandhis funeral, the final stage of the Chinese Civil War and many other great historical events. Terence Donovan on the other hand, was born into a working class family, but had a true passion for the photographic art from a young age. Donovan attended a school specifically aimed at improving photographic knowledge in young minds. After attendance at school and experience in a stud io, he opened his own photographic studio and began image making. Terence Donovan was born in 1936 just before the Second World War started, and took his first photograph at a young age. The bomb-damaged industrial landscape of his home town of Stepney, became the backdrop of much of his fashion photography. Terence Donovan achieved so much at such a young age. He had his own photographic studio by the time he was in his twenties. He became particularly distinctive in the swinging London of the 60s. An era that can only be described as the first time young people wanted to be themselves. Terence Donovan had front page covers in magazines such as; Man about town, Vogue, Marie Claire, Nova, Queen and Elle, who were attracted by his versatility. Donovan became far more personal with age and was much more expressive than at the beginning of his career when he was more revolutionary. However, he did not just photograph the era, he helped shape it. The youth of the 60s was becoming far more outspoken and craved attention. However this was a static era in which models posed in prescribed ways. This was when and possibly why Donovan launched a defiant break from the norm of the time. With established standards of glamour and elegance as well as his close attention to detail, could be what lead to Donovans his elevated to celebrity status. Donovan was one of the first celebrity photographers, and became just as much as a celebrity, as those people he photographed. Where as Henri Cartier Bresson was born in 1908 his career in the arts began at a young age, but he did not discover the medium of photography until veiwing another artists work, which inspired him to become a documentary photographer. He did photograph some celebrities, such as Gandhi. The two photographers differ in this respect, because Terence Donovans photographs made people famous, whereas Henri Cartier Bresson photographs made him more famous, rather than the people in his images. Henri Cartier Bresson has a skill at envisaging an image, even when simply walking through the streets of Paris, his compostion is second to none, the rule of third is a compostional technique, captured in most of his images seems almost flawless. The fact that his camera is hand held, he manages to capture images, without camera shake, with good compostional skill, with the lighting being natural and without the subjects even realising they are being photographed. Once a subject realises they are being photographed they become far more formal and adapt and unnatural behaviour. The fact his subjects are completely unaware of the image being taken, makes his photographs far more pure and untainted and therefore even more spectacular. Especially so in this image, the couple being photographed are kissing, and are clearly unaware, if they were, this image would have lost its natural beauty, because the image would have been posed for. The small camera Bresson used when taking this speci fic shot, gave him the ability to get very intimate with this couple without there knowledge. In comparison Terence Donovans work is clearly set up and each photograph he takes he plans each sitters pose. In the majority of his portraiture, the sitter is making direct eye contact with the viewer, meaning the sitters attention is directed at the camera, and not elsewhere. Donovans photographs are always completely in focus which attracts attention. His photographs are artificially composed and are orderly which makes them even more spectacular. One photograph in particular of Terence Donovans stood out in my eyes. His photograph of the well-known actor Terence Stamp is, in my view, visually stunning. His face is defined so clearly by the contrasting colours and the light is directed upon his facial features, this adds sharpness and obvious clarity. This photograph has masses of detail and atmosphere because of the negative space and the mood of the sitter. Terence stamp looks very aware, determined, and undisguised because of the bluntness of his stare. The light is coming slightly from the right of the sitter so shadows appear on his face which emphasises his facial features. The picture makes the sitter look demanding and as though he commands respect, this makes Terence stamp look iconic. Henri Cartier Bresson work is in it own right, iconic, because it captures culture and the time period in which it was photographed beautifully. The subjects in Bresson work are not looking at the camera, which gives them a certain anon ymity and disguises them. In comparison to the image by Terence Donovan, Bressons work has more detail, because it has a stage, a background, where as Donovans work simply has negative space. A simplistic but striking image, His versatility attracted me, shooting in mostly black and white; his professional, intelligent style sets him apart from other photographers. His use of tone and the quality and depth of the monochrome he uses, particularly the gradations from light to dark, were so striking and iconic. Donovan uses two highly contrasting colours black and white; this makes his photographs look professional, having little or no bright colours makes the photo less complicated. His photographs have so much atmosphere that colour would be an unnecessary addition to his photographs. The same of which can be said for Henri Cartier Bressons work, who also shot in black and white, but because his images were on the spur of the moment, they engage the viewer differently. His style is graphic but simplistic, so makes a big impact in an effortless manner. Having this style makes the photograph less complex and cluttered, having some negative space adds a sense of mystery, and makes the photograph far more dramatic. The crispness in all of Terence Donovan photographs adds precise detail and brilliantly defined lines. Where as in Henri Cartier Bressons work is far more complex, he could not make people in the streets pose for him, he had to be extremely patient to capture his images as well as being subtle. He was not able to pose people in the image, as he would have lost his entire ideology of capturing people in there natural environment which is what documentary photography is. The images I chose represents both artists work well because it gives an insight into how exactly they created and captured there images and also gives an example of some of great street photography, and studio photography. As well as helping to prove that both artists socio-cultural identity did affect there work in many ways. Henri Cartier Bresson photographed very ordinary things of the time period, but because he was documenting an era, whereas Terence Donovan photographed fashion at the time. The world in which these differing artists were raised and brought up in is definitely apparent in there images especially those taken in there native Cities, England and France. This exploration into both Henri Cartier Bressons work and Terence Donovans past and subsequently there image making helps substantiate that there upbringing and the social climate in which they existed probably made a significant impact on there work, and lifestyle.

Comparing HD-DVD and Blu-ray Technology Essay example -- Compare Contr

Comparing HD-DVD and Blu-ray Since 1997, DVD has been the #1 top selling format for home entertainment, crushing VHS within a five year time frame. But technology is forever changing and it’s only a matter of time before DVD’s go the way of VHS. With two new formats (High Definition-DVD and Blu-ray) on the horizon, which one will win the race? Both formats use blue laser technology, which has a shorter wavelength than red (DVD), allowing it to read the smaller digital data "spots" packed a lot more densely onto a standard-size disc. In other words, they hold a lot more memory than your standard DVD’s. â€Å"The comparison chart shows that HD-DVD and Blu-ray disks will be pretty similar. Both should be able to fit a high definition movie onto one side of one disk, and both HD-DVD and Blu-ray players will play old DVD movies.†(Boutin, Paul) it’s still too early to call the race with both technologies about a year away, but my money is on Blu-ray.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  HD-DVD is more user friendly in terms of its name, with the title holding a name closer to DVD. (Carnoy, David) â€Å"Toshiba, NEC, and a couple of other upstarts will be pushing for HD-DVD.† HD-DVD is capable of holding 30GB or a full-length high-definition movie, plus extras, on a prerecorded double-layer disc (compare that to today's limit of 9GB for standard double-layer DVDs). Plus the cost of making a HD-DVD is on par with the cost of today’s DVD’s, making it a smoother transition for the big companies to deal with. Toshib...

Plot Summary I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings follows Marguerite's (called â€Å"My† or â€Å"Maya† by her brother) life from the age of three to seventeen and the struggles she faces – particularly with racism – in the Southern United States. Abandoned by their parents, Maya and her older brother Bailey are sent to live with their paternal grandmother (Momma) and crippled uncle (Uncle Willie) in Stamps, Arkansas. Maya and Bailey are haunted by their parents' abandonment throughout the book – they travel alone and are labeled like baggage. [20] The community of Stamps, Arkansas, is the setting for most of the book. Many of the problems Maya encounters in her childhood stem from the overt racism of her white neighbors. Although Momma is relatively wealthy because she owns the general store at the heart of Stamps' Black community, the white children of their town hassle Maya's family relentlessly. One of these â€Å"powhitetrash† girls, for example, reveals her pubic hair to Momma in a humiliating incident. Early in the book, Momma hides Uncle Willie in a vegetable bin to protect him from Ku Klux Klan raiders. Maya has to endure the insult of her name being changed to Mary by a racist employer. A white speaker at her eighth grade graduation ceremony disparages the Black audience by suggesting that they have limited job opportunities. A white dentist refuses to treat Maya's rotting tooth, even when Momma reminds him that she had loaned him money during the Depression. The Black community of Stamps enjoys a moment of racial victory when they listen to the radio broadcast of Joe Louis's championship fight, but generally they feel the heavy weight of racist oppressions. A turning point in the book occurs when Maya and Bailey's father unexpectedly appears in Stamps. He takes the two children with him when he departs, but leaves them with their mother in St. Louis, Missouri. Eight-year-old Maya is sexually abused and raped by her mother's boyfriend, Mr. Freeman. He is found guilty during the trial, but escapes jail time and is murdered, probably by Maya's uncles. Maya feels guilty and withdraws from everyone but her brother. Even after returning to Stamps, Maya remains reclusive and nearly mute until she meets Mrs. Bertha Flowers, â€Å"the aristocrat of Black Stamps†,[21] who supplies her with books to encourage her love of reading. This coaxes Maya out of her shell. Later, Momma decides to send her grandchildren to their mother in San Francisco, California, to protect them from the dangers of racism in Stamps. Maya attends George Washington High School and studies dance and drama on a scholarship at the California Labor School. Before graduating, she becomes the first Black female streetcar conductor in San Francisco. While still in high school, Maya visits her father in southern California one summer, and has some experiences pivotal to her development. She drives a car for the first time when she must transport her intoxicated father home from an excursion to Mexico. She experiences homelessness for a short time after a fight with her father's girlfriend. During Maya's final year of high school, she worries that she might be a lesbian (which she equates with being a hermaphrodite), and initiates sexual intercourse with a teenage boy. She becomes pregnant, and on the advice of her brother, she hides from her family until her eighth month of pregnancy in order to graduate from high school. Maya gives birth at the end of the book and begins her journey to adulthood by accepting her role as mother to her newborn son. ird sings

History of News Papers

The StatesmanThe Statesman is one of India's oldest English newspapers. It is a leading English newspaper in West Bengal. It was founded in Kolkata in 1875 and is directly inclined from The Friend of India (founded 1818). The Englishman (founded 1821) was merged with The Statesman in 1934. The Delhi edition of The Statesman began publication in 1931. The Statesman is a founding member of Asia News Network The Statesman has distinguished itself through objective coverage of events, its value as an honest purveyor of news highlighted at times of crisis such as the Bengal Famine of 1943 and the infamous internal Emergency of the mid-1970s. The Statesman succeeded, as the truth must prevail, and remains a favorite of readers in Kolkata and other parts of India. The Statesman is committed to the cause of the environment and supports the use of recycled newsprint.Amrita Bazaar PatrikaIt is the oldest Indian-owned English daily. It played a major role in the evolution and growth of Indian j ournalism and made a striking contribution to creating and nurturing the Indian freedom struggle. In 1920, Lenin described ABP as the best nationalist paper in India. It is born as a Bengali weekly in February 1868 in the village of Amrita Bazaar in Jessore district (now in Bangladesh). It was started by the Ghosh brothers to fight the cause of farmers who were being exploited by navy planters. Kumar Ghosh was the first editor. In 1871, the Patrika moved to Calcutta, due to the outbreak of plague in Amrita Bazaar and functioned as bilingual weekly, publishing news and views in English and Bengali. The Patrika became a daily in 1891. It was the first Indian-owned English daily to go into investigative journalism. The Patrika backed the cause of communal harmony during the Partition of India. During the great Calcutta killings of 1946, the Patrika left its editorial columns blank for three days.Malayalam ManoramaIt was found by Kandathil Varghese Mappillai at Kottayam on March 14th, 1 888 , Manorama has earned the distinction of being the largest regional language  newspaper in India. The name came out of an elite brainstorming the great poets Kerala Varma and Raghavan nambiar . Manorama was sealed on Sept 1938 ,after it reported how the police assaulted and shot people agitating for civil rights . Its Editor K.C Mammen Mappillai was jailed and he walked out of jail two years later. He built Manorama again after the country attained freedom , Today, 125 eventful years later that showcases an almost unparalleled story of courage and conviction, now Mr Mammen Mathew is the The Chief Editor Manorama.LokmatLokmat was founded by a group of Indian freedom fighters, in 1918, from Yavatmal, a town in the state of Maharashtra. In 1952, Lokmat was acquired by, Late Shri Jawaharlal Darda, who was also a freedom fighter. Late Shri Jawaharlal Darda launched Lokmat’s first daily edition on December 15, 1971 from Nagpur, Maharashtra. It is largest read & circulated Mar athi language newspaper. 1973 Lokmat Newspapers Private Limited acquired the Lokmat newspaper . Lokmat Aurangabad started on 9 January 1982. Lokmat Samachar started on 27 July, 1999. And recently 2013 Lokmat Samachar launches its 7th edition from Chhindwara, Madhya Pradesh.Hindustan times‘Hindustan Times' was founded in 1924 by Master Sunder Singh Lyallpuri, founder-father of the Akali movement and the Shiromani Akali Dal in Punjab K. M. Panikkar was its first editor with Devdas Gandhi (son of Mahatma Gandhi) on the editor's panel.Sadar Panikkar launched the Hindustan Times as a serious nationalist newspaper Birla took full control of the paper in 1933. The paper continues to be owned by the Birla family.The Delhi-based English daily Hindustan Times is part of the KK Birla group and managed by Shobhana Bhartia,Rajya Sabha member of Congress party and daughter of the industrialist KK Birla and granddaughter of GD Birla. It is owned by HT Media Ltd.Hindustan DainikIn 1918 Incorp oration Company as The Behar Journals Limited' by individuals including Dr. Rajendra Prasad, Mr. Sachidannand Sinha and Mr. Syed Hassan   Imam, who were the founder Directors Commencement of printing and publication of Hindi daily Pradeep' at Patna. In 1986 it began the printing of Hindi daily Hindustan’ and the English daily Hindustan Times' on behalf of The Hindustan Times Limited' at Patna and termination of printing and publication of the Hindi daily Pradeep'. In 2009 Hindustan Media Ventures Ltd is Acquired of Hindi business‘ from HT Media comprising of Hindi daily newspaper, Hindustan' including Ravivasriya Hindustan'; magazines Nandan' and Kadambini'; and internet portals of the said publications, including all assets, liabilities and employees pertaining to the said Hindi business.Amar UjalaAmar Ujala was started in 18 April 1948 in Agra. It is a Hindi regional daily newspaper in India. Launched at the dawn of Indian independence, the objective of Amar Ujala w as to promote social awakening and introduce a feeling of responsibility among citizens. It circulated in Chandigarh, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and New Delhi. The Amar Ujala motto is â€Å"Saar se vistaar tak† (A complete detailed knowledge.)Anandabazar PatrikaThe paper was founded in 1922 by its inaugural editor Prafulla Kumar Sarkar and the founder proprietor. It comes out as a four/page evening daily. A cartoon strip appears , In 1 923 Anandabazar Patrika becomes a morning daily. It ties up with Reuters, Associated Press and the Free Press of India. A bi-weekly Anandabazar starts for suburban readers. In 1954 Anandabazar Patrika becomes the largest circulated newspaper in the country published from one location, according to the Press Commission report. It is an Indian Bengali language daily newspaper published in Kolkata, New Delhi and Mumbai In September 2010 it entered into a license agreement with ABP Group. Deccan ChronicleDeccan Chronicle Holdings Limited (DCHL) is the publisher of largest circulated English Newspaper in South India – ‘Deccan Chronicle’ with a circulation of over 1.45 Million Copies per day across Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala with Eleven editions from Hyderabad, Vijayawada,  Rajahmundry, Vishakapatnam, Anantapur, Karimnagar, Nellore, Chennai, Coimbatore, Bengaluru and Kochi. The newspaper's name derives from the originating place, the Deccan regions of India.Deccan Chronicle is also published from Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala. The company started its operations in AP as a partnership concern in 1938. The late T Chandrashekar Reddy took over the operations in 1976 after the earlier promoters declared bankruptcy Mr Reddy subsequently handed over the operations to his two sons T Venkattram Reddy and T Vinayak Ravi Reddy , who have been managing its operations since late 1970sIndian ExpressIn 1931, the Indian Express was started by an Ayurvedic doctor, Perumal Varadarajulu Naidu, at Chennai. Soon under financial difficulties, he sold the newspaper to Swaminathan Sadanand, the founder of The Free Press Journal, a national news agency. In 1935, when The Free Press Journal finally collapsed, and after a long and controversial court battle with Goenka, (where blows were exchanged between some of the parties), Sadanand lost ownership of Indian Express. The Indian Express is an Indian English-language daily newspaper. The Indian Express gave India a voice of opinion that was fearless and true. From a single-edition paper in Madras in 1932. The Indian Express grew into a multiple-edition paper influencing thought and policy across the country. At a time when India was struggling for her freedom, oppression was rife and the press virtually gagged, one voice dared to break the silence.Dhina ThanthiIt was founded by S. P. Adithanar, a lawyer trained in Britain and practiced in Singapore, with its first edition from Madu rai in 1942. The publication spread over Tamil Nadu and the neighbouring states of Puducherry and Karnataka. Daily Thanthi became one of the largest Tamil language dailies by circulation within a few years; it has been a leading Tamil daily since the 1960s Dinathanthi has been a tool for the students of Tamil Nadu in securing good marks in their board exams. It is the highest circulated Tamil daily in Bangalore. It issues a book called 10th, +2 Vina Vidai Book, on every Wednesday during the second part of the year.The TelegraphThe Telegraph was launched on the 7th July, 1982, The designer director of Sunday Times, London Edwin Taylor designed the newspaper provided a standard in design and editing published by the ABP group of publications. The Telegraph in its short life span of 26 years has become the largest circulated English daily in the eastern region published from Calcutta. The Telegraph is the only English newspaper launched in post independent India which has overtaken the established market leader in the region.Dainik BhaskarDainik Bhaskar was started in year 1958 from Bhopal, the capital city of Madhya Pradesh. As of 2012,It is an Indian Hindi-language daily newspaper published by D B Corp Ltd.. It its National Editor is Kalpesh Yagnik who operates from Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh . The newspaper was launched in year 1956 to fulfill the need for a Hindi language daily, by the name Subah Savere in Bhopal and Good Morning India in Gwalior in year 1957, it was renamed as Bhaskar Samachar In 1958, it was renamed as Dainik Bhaskar which in 2010Dainik JagranThe genesis for Dainik Jagran was in the year 1942. The year when the freedom struggle of India reached its crescendo and found expression in the â€Å"Quit India movement†. Dainik Jagran was launched during this time with the vision of our founder Shri Puran Chandra Gupta, to â€Å"Create a newspaper that would reflect the free voice of the people†. This vision was as much a reflection of th e time when it was propounded as much as it is relevant to us today. Dainik Jagran is the flagship brand of the company. In today’s dynamic media world, where consumers have an unprecedented array of choices, Dainik Jagran stands out as a brand that is the choice of millions of Indians .Deccan HeraldDeccan Herald is a leading English-language daily newspaper in the Indian state of Karnataka Deccan Herald was started in 1948, with the famous  journalist Pothan Joseph as its founding editor . The heady days just after the nation's independence Mr. Guruswamy had dedicated his life to truth and impartiality and he started The Printers (Mysore) Private Limited and its publications – Deccan Herald, Prajavani, Sudha and Mayura. An institution that has completed 50 glorious years of chronicling the joys and sorrows of the people of Karnataka, India and the world.EenaduEenadu was launched from Vishakhapatnam in 1974 by Ramoji Rao, a businessman with other successful enterpris es,Eenadu is an Indian Telugu-language daily newspaper which is the largest circulated Telugu newspaper in Andhra Pradesh . Initially, the circulation of Eenadu was limited. When launched in the city of Vishakapatnam, it wasn't able to sell more than 3,000 copies a week. Eenadu found itself struggling to become a daily publication ranked amongst other popular rival publications.

Black Mexicans essays

Black Mexicans essays The history of slavery in the Americas normally covers the situation of the blacks in North America. However, recently there have been increasing numbers of historical studies conducted about Africans in Latin America, specifically Mexico. Blacks were present as slaves of the Spaniards as early as the 1520s, when Mexico was known as New Spain. Over the next 300 years, the slave trade brought approximately 200,000 Africans to the colony. In fact, there were more slaves than Spaniards. Numerous blacks were born in Mexico and followed their parents as slaves. Slavery was not abolished until 1829, but today the descendants still live in Mexico and their cultural heritage remains in music and dance and the arts. The Spanish invaded Mexico in the early 1500s and soon exploited local labor for its needs for mining and agricultural efforts, so there was little initial interest in African slaves. Soon, however, disease and depopulation of local labor made the Spaniards look elsewhere for their workers. The Spaniards had an excellent supply of precious metals as well as a healthy trade balance with Europe, so could easily afford to bring African slaves into the country to fill in the regions abandoned by Amerindian laborers. They were also able to rely on these African slaves to make up for the lack of poor city workers among the Spaniards in the new imperial cities of America1. African slaves were advantageous since they had no kin in the country and were completely mobile. Because they had their own multiple languages and would only have the European language in common when arriving in Mexico, the African slaves would be forced to adjust to Western norms. To the contrary, Indians were a detri ment because they could not be moved from their lands on a permanent basis and already had an established culture and language. In addition, the Africans did not need to learn new skills, because they came from communities with extensive agriculture,...

The Complete Guide to the AP World History Exam

The Complete Guide to the AP World History Exam SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Before you start studying for the AP World History exam, you should get the inside scoop on its format and content. The types of questions you'll see might differ from your expectations. It's especially smart to practice writing essay outlines based on past questions before you're faced with fresh prompts on the test. In this article, I'll go through the structure, content, and question types on the exam and provide some helpful tips for acing it! How Is the AP World History Exam Structured? The exam is 3 hours and 15 minutes long in total, with two sections. Section 1 Format: Total time: 105 minutes 55 minutes to complete55 multiple-choice questions (worth 40 percent of your score) 50 minutes to complete four short-answer questions (worth 20 percent of your score) Question Breakdown: Era Percentage of MC Questions Technological and Environmental Transformations: Up to 600 BCE 5 Organization and Reorganization of Human Societies: 600 BCE - 600 CE 15 Regional and Transregional Interactions: 600 CE - 1450 20 Global Interactions: 1450 - 1750 20 Industrialization and Global Integration: 1750 - 1900 20 Accelerating Global Change and Realignments: 1900 - Present 20 Section 2 Format: 90 minutes Two essay questions: Document based question (50 minutes, which includes a 10 minute reading period) You’ll integrate an analysis of ten historical documents with your discussion of a topic in world history. This question is worth 25 percent of your score, Long essay (35 minutes) You'll choose between two different prompts for the long essay question. This question is worth 15 percent of your score. This section, as a whole, makes up the other 50 percent of your final exam score. Content Background for AP World History The content is divided into five themes that can be traced through six historical eras. Knowing the themes can help you get a better sense of which historical trends the test will ask you to examine (this is especially helpful when writing free-response essays). The six eras are also important to know for the test because they provide an easier way of organizing information and events. As you'll see in the multiple-choice question example in the next section, your ability to make the right answer choice often depends on your memory of how these eras differ from one another on a large scale. The five themes are: Theme 1: Interaction Between Humans and the Environment Demography and disease Migration Patterns of settlement Technology Theme 2: Development and Interaction of Cultures Religions Belief systems, philosophies, and ideologies Science and technology The arts and architecture Theme 3: State-Building, Expansion, and Conflict Political structures and forms of governance Empires Nations and nationalism Revolts and revolutions Regional, transregional, and global structures and organizations Theme 4: Creation, Expansion, and Interaction of Economic Systems Agricultural and pastoral production Trade and commerce Labor systems Industrialization Capitalism and socialism Theme 5: Development and Transformation of Social Structures Gender roles and relations Family and kinship Racial and ethnic constructions Social and economic classes The six time periods, which I also listed briefly in the first section of this guide, are: Period 1: Technological and Environmental Transformations (Before 600 BC) Key Concepts: Paleolithic era hunter-gatherer societies Neolithic Revolution and early agricultural societies Foundational civilizations (ex. Mesopotamia, Egypt, Olmecs) The first states Development of urban planning and culture Systems of record keeping and legal codes New religious beliefs Trade expansion Period 2: Organization and Reorganization of Human Societies (600 BC - 600 CE) Key Concepts: Codification of religious and cultural traditions New artistic expressions in literature, drama, architecture Further development and consolidation of states and empires (ex. Persian Empires, Qin and Han Empire, Roman Empire) Decline and collapse of large empires New networks and means of communication and exchange Period 3: Regional and Transregional Interactions (600 CE - 1450) Key Concepts: Further expansion and intensification of networks of communication and exchange Migration of peoples leads to linguistic and environmental effects Diffusion of new crops and new diseases along trade routes Emergence of new types of states after empire collapses Contact and conflict between states and empires leads to technological and cultural transfers Increased productive capacity in agriculture and other industries Urban decline and revival Period 4: Global Interactions (1450 - 1750) Key Concepts: Global networks of communication and exchange Technological advances make long sea voyages possible Age of exploration Columbian Exchange Religious spread and reform Increased labor demands (peasant labor, slavery, growth of plantations) Restructuring of gender, racial, and ethnic hierarchies State consolidation and imperial expansion (both land and maritime empires develop) Period 5: Industrialization and Global Integration (1750 - 1900) Key Concepts: Industrial Revolution; fundamental changes to the way goods are produced Transoceanic empires established, decline of Spanish and Portuguese influence Influence of imperialism on state formation around the world Social Darwinism, other racist ideologies facilitate/justify imperialism Enlightenment Revolutionary movements Global migration Period 6: Accelerating Global Change and Realignments (1900 - Present) Key Concepts: Rapid advances in science and technology Impact of population expansion on the environment Dissolution of empires and restructuring of states Military conflicts on a global scale Different responses to new economic challenges States, communities, and individuals grow more interdependent Challenges to old assumptions about society and culture, human rights movements Consumer/pop culture goes global Although we still have a ways to go in accepting the devastating impact we've have had on the environment. Remember whena congressperson threw a snowball in the House of Representatives in an attempt to prove that global warming doesn't exist? We're doomed. Sample AP World History Test Questions Let's go through examples of each of the four types of questions you'll see on the exam. Multiple Multiple-choice questions on the AP World History exam are organized into sets around the analysis of a piece of historical source material in the form of a text, map, or chart.For this question, you’re asked to examine a map that will inform your answer: There’s a lot going on in this diagram, but you can pretty much use your intuition to figure out the correct answer. Choice A is too specific and too early.We see a much wider variety of trade routes on the map than this choice indicates - China is clearly in on the trading action.The dates mentioned are also before technology had developed to the point where the long sea voyages indicated on the map could take place. Choice B seems more likely.This was the period when trading amongst Europe, Africa, and Asia really started to take off.This choice also mentions the growth of new cities, and many cities are labeled on the map. Choice C, like choice A, is too specific.There’s a lot of other trading going on here that doesn’t involve China at all, and the map doesn’t seem to indicate Chinese dominance of the networks. Choice D is a little harder to rule out, but it’s also incorrect.It mentions an era when these trading networks were already well-established, and the Columbian Exchange with the Americas became a significant factor.Also, it’s hard to see how the map is demonstrating any changes in trading networks. This choice points to evidence that just isn’t there. The answer is B! The key to answering multiple-choice questions correctly is a careful reading of the source material and the question itself. Your answer should be informed by your background knowledge in world history, but it should be finalized through your understanding of the given context. Short Answer Question Example Short answer questions (new for the test in 2017) ask you to consult source materials and your knowledge of world history to provide concise responses. In a multi-part short response question, each part should only require a 1-2 sentence answer. If the question doesn't have multiple parts, your response should still be confined to no more than a paragraph. Here's an example from the latest course description: A good answer to part (a) would briefly describe how the Meiji restoration and industrialization contributed to Japan's increased military capacity during the late 19th century. For part (b), you would need to point out a specific example of how the painting shows a shift in Japanese cultural identity - for example, the Western-style military uniforms. For part (c), you would need to give an example of how increased militarism in Japan affected relationships with other countries at the beginning of the 20th century. You could talk about the impact of the Russo-Japanese war of 1904-05 on the Russian Revolution or the increase in Japanese imperialism and militarism in the 1930s contributing to the start of World War II. Frees There are two free-response questions on the exam, one document based question and one long essay question. I'll give you an example of each type of prompt. Document Based Question Here’s a sample document based question: And here are two of the accompanying documents so you can see the types of materials you’ll be asked to integrate into your answer: A great answer forthis document-based question would analyze the documents by making multiple groupings around patterns of mechanization in Japan and India, examining similarities and differences.Groupings might include the growth of mechanization in both areas, the dominance of female labor in Japan and male labor in India, and testimony about peasant labor in both areas. You could use a single document as evidence for a variety of characteristics of mechanization and weave it into the essay at appropriate points.You should also create subgroupings within overarching themes.Don’t just say working conditions were â€Å"bad.† Make a distinction between different types of badness, for example, dangerous conditions versus low wages.Your essay should also analyze perspectives in at least two documents, explaining the contextual reasons that an author might have the opinion or point of view presented. You'll need to identify the additional document asked for in the question, and explain how it would contribute to your analysis.For example, there’s no document that provides the perspective of an Indian worker, so that would be good additional evidence. You could earn extra points for mentioning more than one additional document, explaining why the additional document is necessary, or weaving the potential addition(s) into your broader analysis.Incorporating outside knowledge of the historical context beyond what is presented in the documents is also a plus.For example, you might compare India’s status as a colony with Japan’s status as an independent imperial power, which would help explain why only one of the Indian sources comes directly from an Indian author. For document based questions, the central goal is to use all the documents in ways that relate to your thesis and bolster your supporting points. If you can do that in a cohesive essay that flows well, you'll earn most of the points available for this question. Long Essay Question Here's a sample long essay question (remember, you'll be able to choose between two of these types of questions on the test): Question 2: Evaluate the extent to which the emergence of Buddhism in the fifth century B.C.E. can be considered a turning point in world history. In the development of your argument, explain what changed and what stayed the same from the period before the emergence of Buddhism in the fifth century B.C.E. to the period after the emergence of Buddhism in the fifth century B.C.E. A strong answer for this question would include a thesis that makes a claim about the extent to which the emergence Buddhism was a turning point at this time in history. The thesis should go beyond just saying that Buddhism was or was not a turning point - state the reason for your claim in your thesis. Your argument should be supported throughout the essay by specific examples that show changes and continuities that occurred between the period before the emergence of Buddhism and the period afterwards. The similarities and differences between the two periods should be woven together to make a larger statement about the impact of Buddhism on world history. Examples supporting Buddhism as a major turning point include: The challenge it presented to existing caste and gender hierarchies in Southeast Asia Promotion of Buddhism by the Mauryan Empire was associated with the first large centrally administered state in South Asia If you're arguing in the opposite direction, that Buddhism wasn't a major turning point, you might describe the continued significance of religions like Daoism and Shintoism in East Asia both before and after the fifth century B.C.E. Make sure your argument is supported and qualified by other developments during this time period that had a scope beyond Buddhism. This might include: Overall formation and expansion of empires Origins of Confucianism Impact of Upanishads in development of what would eventually become Hinduism You might say that these other developments played a greater role in establishing the fifth century B.C.E. as a turning point in world history than Buddhism did. Or, if you're arguing that Buddhism was a signficant turning point on its own, you might say that these developments were all secondary indicators of the change that would come about with the spread of Buddhism. To take your essay to the next level, you also need to synthesize your points and expand the argument you're making. A smart way to do this would be to compare the emergence of Buddhism to other turning points in world history. In making these comparisons, you could bolster your argument for Buddhism as either a major turning point or a less significant development in world history depending on how it compares to these other major cultural shifts. How Is the AP World History Exam Scored? Raw scoring for multiple choice is simple.You will earn one point for each multiple-choice question you answer correctly for a maximum of 55 points.No points are taken off for incorrect answers, so you should fill in an answer bubble for every question. Each short answer question is worth three points (one for each task you're asked to complete in the question). That means you can earn a total of 12 raw points for your responses to short answer questions. The document based question and long essay question vary in point values. It's more significant to remember that the document based question is worth 25 percent of your score and the long essay question is worth just 15 percent. After the graders determine the number of points you've earned in each section, they'll calculate your two scaled scores based on the exam curve (which changes year to year).Each section gets a separate scaled score (one scaled score for multiple choice/short answer and one for the two free response questions). Then, the two separate scaled scores are added together for a total scaled score, which is converted to a score of 1-5 on the AP scale. The scoring methodology is a little less clear right now because of the significant changes that have been made to the exam for 2017. More information will become available after students take the revised test for the first time. What’s the Best Way to Prep for the AP World History Exam? Here are a few of the most important prep tips for AP World History. If you want even more advice, take a look at this article that delves into more detail on the best study strategies for this exam. Tip #1: Make Connections to Themes (and Memorize Examples!) This is a course that covers so much information that it can be hard to think of specific examples that relate to your arguments in essay questions.You should be able to elaborate on one or two concrete events from each period that relate to each theme of the course.If you can preserve this bank of information in your mind, you’ll be able to support your answers to any essay questions the test throws at you. Tip #2: Use Outside Information Selectively Providing specific historical examples in your essay is a way of showing your mastery of the material, but you need to be cautious.This test is less about how much you know and more about how well you understand the connections and underlying themes that connect historical facts.For example, in the last essay question example, even if you knew a million things about Buddhism and listed out a bunch of very specific facts in your essay, you wouldn’t necessarily get a good score.Each fact that you mention should have a purpose. It needs to tie directly into what the question is asking and what you’ve stated in your argument. Tip #3: Learn to Read Multiple-Choice Questions Carefully You can get into some trouble if you don’t understand exactly what the multiple-choice questions are asking on this exam.You’ll only find the correct answer if you stick to the specifics of the question.Otherwise, you could get tripped up by choices that are accurate statements about history but inaccurate answers to the question being asked.In the multiple-choice question we answered above, all of the choices represent valid historical events and trends, but only one provides a correct description of the map.Practice your skills in selecting answers that directly pertain to the evidence presented in the question. STICK to the specifics of the question! Also, I admire the sacrifices this woman made for the sake of a stock photo both in terms of her dignity and in terms of the pain she must have experienced when ripping that tape out of her hair. Summary The AP World History exam contains55multiple-choice questions, four short-answer questions, and two free-response questions. The two free-response questions include a document based question, which asks you to incorporate ten real historical documents into your response, and a long essay question. The exam questions address five major historical themes over six eras that stretch back to the beginning of human history. While this is undoubtedly a lot of information to study, it's important to realize that long-term trends are more important than small details. You can do extremely well on this test if you just master the major events of each era and understand their essential causes and effects. What’s Next? Looking for some practice materials? Check out our article listing all the AP World History practice tests available online. It's a smart idea to practice your writing skills on document based questions before the exam. Learnabout the best places to find DBQ examplesand how you can write an excellent response to these tricky questions. Which AP classes should you take in high school besides AP World History? This guide will help you decide based on your goals, academic interests, and schedule. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Dispose Objects in Visual Basic

Dispose Objects in Visual Basic In the article, Coding New Instances of Objects, I wrote about the various ways that New instances of objects can be created. The opposite problem, disposing an object, is something that you wont have to worry about in VB.NET very often. .NET includes a technology called Garbage Collector (GC) that usually takes care of everything behind the scenes silently and efficiently. But occasionally, usually when using file streams, sql objects or graphics (GDI) objects (that is, unmanaged resources), you may need to take control of disposing objects in your own code. First, Some Background Just as a constructor (the New keyword) creates a new object, a destructor is a method that is called when an object is destroyed. But theres a catch. The people who created .NET realized that it was a formula for bugs if two different pieces of code could actually destroy an object. So the .NET GC is actually in control and its usually the only code that can destroy the instance of the object. The GC destroys an object when it decides to and not before. Normally, after an object leaves scope, it is released by the common language runtime (CLR). The GC destroys objects when the CLR needs more free memory. So the bottom line is that you cant predict when GC will actually destroy the object. (Welllll ... Thats true nearly all of the time. You can call GC.Collect and force a garbage collection cycle, but authorities universally say its a bad idea and totally unnecessary.) For example, if your code has created a Customer object, it may seem that this code will destroy it again. Customer = Nothing But it doesnt. (Setting a an object to Nothing is commonly called, dereferencing the object.) Actually, it just means that the variable isnt associated with an object anymore. At some time later, the GC will notice that the object is available for destruction. By the way, for managed objects, none of this is really necessary. Although an object like a Button will offer a Dispose method, its not necessary to use it and few people do. Windows Forms components, for example, are added to a container object named components. When you close a form, its Dispose method is called automatically. Usually, you only have to worry about any of this when using unmanaged objects, and even then just to optomize your program. The recommended way to release any resources that might be held by an object is to call the Dispose method for the object (if one is available) and then dereference the object. Customer.Dispose() Customer Nothing Because GC will destroy an orphaned object, whether or not you set the object variable to Nothing, its not really necessary. Another recommended way to make sure that objects are destroyed when theyre not needed anymore is to put the code that uses an object into a Using block. A Using block guarantees the disposal of one or more such resources when your code is finished with them. In the GDI series, the Using block is put to use quite frequently to manage those pesky graphics objects. For example ... Using myBrush As LinearGradientBrush _ New LinearGradientBrush( _ Me.ClientRectangle, _ Color.Blue, Color.Red, _ LinearGradientMode.Horizontal) ... more code ... End Using myBrush is disposed of automagically when the end of the block is executed. The GC approach to managing memory is a big change from the way VB6 did it. COM objects (used by VB6) were destroyed when an internal counter of references reached zero. But it was too easy to make a mistake so the internal counter was off. (Because memory was tied up and not available to other objects when this happened, this was called a memory leak.) Instead, GC actually checks to see whether anything is referencing an object and destroys it when there are no more references. The GC approach has a good history in languages like Java and is one of the big improvements in .NET. On the next page, we look into the IDisposable interface... the interface to use when you need to Dispose unmanaged objects in your own code. If you code your own object that uses unmanaged resources, you should use the IDisposable interface for the object. Microsoft makes this easy by including a code snippet that creates the right pattern for you. Click Here to display the illustrationClick the Back button on your browser to return The code that is added looks like this (VB.NET 2008): Class ResourceClass   Ã‚  Ã‚  Implements IDisposable   Ã‚  Ã‚   To detect redundant calls   Ã‚  Ã‚  Private disposed As Boolean False   Ã‚  Ã‚   IDisposable   Ã‚  Ã‚  Protected Overridable Sub Dispose( _   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  ByVal disposing As Boolean)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  If Not Me.disposed Then   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  If disposing Then   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Free other state (managed objects).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  End If   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Free your own state (unmanaged objects).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Set large fields to null.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  End If   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Me.disposed True   Ã‚  Ã‚  End Sub #Region IDisposable Support   Ã‚  Ã‚   This code added by Visual Basic to   Ã‚  Ã‚   correctly implement the disposable pattern.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Public Sub Dispose() Implements IDisposable.Dispose   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Do not change this code.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Put cleanup code in   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Dispose(ByVal disposing As Boolean) above.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Dispose(True)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  GC.SuppressFinalize(Me)   Ã‚  Ã‚  End Sub   Ã‚  Ã‚  Protected Overrides Sub Finalize()   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Do not change this code.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Put cleanup code in   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Dispose(ByVal disposing As Boolean) above.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Dispose(False)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  MyBase.Finalize()   Ã‚  Ã‚  End Sub #End Region End Class Dispose is almost an enforced developer design pattern in .NET. Theres really only one correct way to do it and this is it. You might think this code does something magic. It doesnt. First note that the internal flag disposed simply short-circuits the whole thing so you can call Dispose(disposing) as often as you like. The code ... GC.SuppressFinalize(Me) ... makes your code more efficient by telling the GC that the object has already been disposed (an expensive operation in terms of execution cycles). Finalize is Protected because GC calls it automatically when an object is destroyed. You should never call Finalize. The Boolean disposing tells the code whether your code initiated the objects disposal (True) or whether the GC did it (as part of the Finalize sub. Note that the only code that uses the Boolean disposing is: If disposing Then   Ã‚  Ã‚   Free other state (managed objects). End If When you dispose of an object, all of its resources must be disposed of. When the CLR garbage collector disposes of an object only the unmanaged resources must be disposed of because the garbage collector automatically takes care of the managed resources. The idea behind this code snippet is that you add code to take care of managed and unmanaged objects in the indicated locations. When you derive a class from a base class that implements IDisposable, you dont have to override any of the base methods unless you use other resources that also need to be disposed. If that happens, the derived class should override the base classs Dispose(disposing) method to dispose of the derived classs resources. But remember to call the base classs Dispose(disposing) method. Protected Overrides Sub Dispose(ByVal disposing As Boolean)   Ã‚  Ã‚  If Not Me.disposed Then   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  If disposing Then   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Add your code to free managed resources.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  End If   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Add your code to free unmanaged resources.   Ã‚  Ã‚  End If   Ã‚  Ã‚  MyBase.Dispose(disposing) End Sub The subject can be slightly overwhelming. The purpose of the explanation here is to demystify whats actually happening because most of the information you can find doesnt tell you!

Corporate Finance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Corporate Finance - Essay Example I agree to this because diversification spreads the risk over the different types of assets. Given the fact that the two assets are uncorrelated to each other, it would be rational to invest in both assets. The higher risk of asset S will be compensated with the less risky return of asset B. 2. I totally disagree to the statement; it is quite opposite of the fact that there is a direct relationship between correlation of the portfolio assets and its risk. The higher the correlation between the portfolio assets, the more chances will be that the downside movement of one asset will accompany the same in the other and thus the investment will turned to be the worst. Thus, a rational investor should invest in uncorrelated or atleast less correlated assets in order to reduce the overall risk of the portfolio (Ross et. al, 2013). 3. I agree to this argument. Since the expected return of portfolio is the weighted average of the expected returns of the individual assets, it must lie in betwe en the range of these two individual expected returns. . However, the standard deviation of the return on portfolio doesn’t need to be in b/w the individual standard deviations of the two assets, especially when the stocks are uncorrelated, because the standard deviation of a portfolio is not just the weighted average of individual standard deviations but is computed using the standard deviation formula to the return on portfolio assets rather than just the returns for one asset... al, 2013). 4. I agree to this statement. When capital market consists of all risky assets, a rational investor should hold large number of assets in portfolio in order to diversify risks to a large extent. Risk diversified over the large number of stocks will tend to reduce the portfolio risk more significantly because a large portfolio tends to behave more like the market portfolio which compensates unsystematic risks (Ross et. al, 2013). 5. I agree to this statement. The variance of the return on a portfolio is function of both the component variances of the individual assets as well as co-variances among the assets’ returns (Ross et. al, 2013). That is, even if the individual variances of the assets are very low though their returns are highly correlated, the portfolio will be highly volatile and risky and there won’t be any advantage of such diversification. 6. I disagree. Although increasing the number of assets reduces the variance of portfolio return because of d iversification, the reduction in risk occurs at a diminishing rate (not at a constant rate) with the increase in number of assets in the portfolio. It is even said that to attain the maximum benefits of diversification, 10-15 assets are enough for a portfolio since this amount of diversified assets can resemble the market portfolio. Adding more assets won’t contribute to any further reduction in the portfolio risk. So, the variance will be more or less same but won’t be zero even when N is very large. Also, it’s not just the added number of assets which reduces the portfolio variance but the correlation between the assets does that too. Theoretically, a mix of negatively and positively correlated assets or a mix of uncorrelated

Sports Marketing Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Sports Marketing - Assignment Example Sports marketing takes different forms. For instance, television networks sell airtime during main sport events. Marketers buy advertising spaces in stadiums to put their advertisements. Famous athletes also sell their images to marketers as celebrity endorsers. Sport is used to reach specific segment of a population. In most cases, the target market is men. This is with exception, however, from women sports such as netball and figure skating that attract female audience (Marketing Schools). Marketers choose to use sports for marketing because they find already developed market. They take advantage of the devotion and popularity that fans have towards their sports men and teams. It is assumed that marketers gain instant credibility in the fans minds if the marketer associates with the fans’ team or favourite sportsman (Marketing Schools). The marketer is considered a sponsor since the revenue goes to the team. Coca Cola Company for example, is always associated with Olympics (Fullerton & Merz p. 91). One disadvantage with sports marketing is that advertisements may be overlooked. This is because the sports marketing industry is so large, and there are very many advertisements. To avoid this and ensure effective brand marketing, a comprehensive marketing plan has to be developed. The plan encompasses estimations of resources and budget needed, time frame for the campaign, marketing objective, and the target audience and how they can be reached. The marketer needs an analysis of the entire marketing landscape to identify the most promising opportunities. Based on research findings, creative professionals will put types of advertisements that are in line with what the company wants to achieve. Brand marketing requires efficient market research. The professionals have to work hard to ensure the content of the adverts, connect the product and the sport. The adverts have to speak to the target population (Marketing Schools). This also helps in reducing ego

Dominant Cultures and Subcultures Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Dominant Cultures and Subcultures - Essay Example Subcultures are mainly possessed by minority groups in the society and, therefore, have little or no influence to the dominant culture. Understanding the impact of culture is essential since one is able to learn people’s behavior. In essence, understanding the impact of culture facilitates proper planning of activities. In addition, one can study the behavior of others and make a proper judgment regarding people’s ethics. There are various avenues where cultural differences are clearly shown in the society, for instance, on religious matters and social structures. In many instances, people in the society have varied religious faiths and believe in different social constructions. Dominant cultures seem to control the political, socio-cultural and economic structures in the society. These differences in cultural constructions stress the need for comprehensive studies on culture diversity in order to know how to live harmoniously in a cultural diversified society. In order to embrace cultural diversity, the society should accept all cultures and provide a common ground for both the dominant and subcultures. In addition, proper education structures should be developed so that members of the society can learn the importance of cultural diversity. In summary, cultural diversity is an important feature for steering development in any community. In this regard, diversity should be encouraged in all spheres of

Organizing Function of Management Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Organizing Function of Management - Case Study Example Managers distribute responsibility and authority to job holders in this function of management" The physical resources contribute to the greatest part of the balance sheets of the FedEx Kinko's Inc. Thus, the physical resources must be organized carefully. The division of those resources must be planned, coordinated and above all, inline with the organizational goals of efficiency and effectiveness without compromising the customer satisfaction. In the words of their ex Chief Executive Officer, the centre of FedEx Kinko's are organized in the pattern of hub and spoke. Just like all the spokes are connected through each other using the hub, likewise, in a region, all the braches are connected through a 'hub'. These branches, each being the integral part of the network, work in close coordination with the hub to form the setup in totality. Hub locations are opened round the clock and have greater domain of services to offer, thus containing greater number of products, services and equipments. Spokes, the local branches, offer self-serving and full-serving capabilities, but forward higher-volumes to hubs for over-night or specialized production. In order to determine that which stores should be the 'round the clock' stores, they have used a '15 minute rule', the rule used by most of the round the clock businesses. According to this rule, the store which is made the 'hub' must be accessible to the customer within the drive of 1 5 minutes. On one hand, this ensures the efficient use of the existing resources, while on the other hand, this also ensures the increased customer satisfaction and targeted use of the round the clock hubs. While on one hand, this service will attract a great number of individual customers, this will also enable FedEx Kinko's to attract those corporate clients who have bulk of production demand, with complex specifications. To make the customers aware of any changes in the locations of the 24/7 stores, customers are notified through signage, with bag inserts and by FedEx Kinko's team members. If a store is no longer a 24/7 one, the next closest locations are indicated through the signage. Their website is also very useful in providing those information regarding the locations of the stores. Thus, it this way, FedEx Kinko's has maximized the use of its physical resources beyond the traditional store hours, in order to create a value addition. (FedEx Kinko's website, press release) ORGANIZATION OF KNOWLEDGE RESOURCES: In today's rapidly changing world of information technology, knowledge management is one of the crucial issue for all the organizations, since the appropriate amount of knowledge sharing to the appropriate person at appropriate time with appropriate frequency is essential, besides the collection and filtering of the 'knowledge asset'. At FedEx Kinko's, two information systems are being used in order to properly organize the information, related to core as well as support functions. Both the

Case Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 8

Case Analysis - Essay Example I look up to him because he does things which are practical and does not boast about them at all. He is a well-behaved man who does not say anything which is below his level (Stewart-Sicking 2008). His personality is so dignified that people want to remain close to him and get snapped with him. He is an excellent orator who can speak for countless hours, without any script. Obama is ideal for me because I envision success if I follow him in the most literal sense. He started his life with a purpose to set things right around him, and this is exactly what he is doing at the very present. The best thing about him is that he believes in himself which inspires me endlessly. It gives me strength and confidence to know that the most powerful man in the world can be so relaxing in his personality and connect with people on a one to one level (Rist 2001). As far as I am concerned, an ideal virtuous person is one who believes in the people he lives or works with. Obama’s example is no different. He knows what the American populace is all about and how it can give its very best even in the most trying of circumstances and situations. Obama is a living legend because he has changed beliefs of the people worldwide. He has lived a life that is filled with struggle yet done his very best to take care of the American people. He has met world’s leaders with the same amount of zest that he shows for commoners. This is such a huge aspect of his personality that puts the celebrities to shame (Thiroux 2009). Even though he is regarded as one of the best visionaries in the modern world, he has remained humble in his plans all along. Obama has however made it clear to everyone that he means business when he takes charge of his office everyday. I adore his personality with each passing day as Obama is the symbol of modern world. He is one leader and indeed one individual whom I can safely regard as the most ideal virtuous

British museum Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

British museum - Essay Example This museum has the greatest collections of human cultural history and its main objectives include becoming a museum of the world for the world, providing services to the curious and the studious and collecting culture for the benefit of the entire world (Williams, 2013). To this end, this essay focuses on the issues that affect the British Museum operations. Particularly, the essay focuses on the cultural issues affecting the British Museum operations and the cultural impacts of the museum to the British culture. Cultural Issues affecting the British Museum British Museum, like other museums, faces numerous cultural challenges that affect its day-to-day operations. To begin with, Jenkins (2008) points out that the issue of handling human bodies in the museums is a cultural affair that is largely affecting the operations of the British Museum. Many museums have collections of human remains that aid in scientific research. However, the presence and the handling of these remains in the museums raise numerous cultural questions. According to Musiol (2013), displaying or exhibiting human remains in modern day museums leads to the emergence of new challenges relating to the ethics and morality of the museum professionals and stakeholders. In the UK, the Human Tissue Act 2004 regulates the display of human remains that are less than 100 years old in the British museums. Nonetheless, this regulation has minimal impacts on museum collections in the UK as it provides some museums with the freedom to exhibit human remains that are less than 1000 years old (Jenkins, 2008). The UK DCMS has a publication â€Å"Guidance for the Care of Human Remains in Museums† that provides museums with guidelines on how to handle human remains. In line with these guidelines, museums in the UK cannot display human remains if these remains have no significant contribution to a particular interpretation. All these restrictions are affecting the display of human remains in the British M useum. To counter these negative effects, the British Museum has created its own policies regarding the display of human remains. In its policies, the British Museum is protesting against the regulations of displaying human remains in the museums claiming that it was among the nine museums given the freedom to display human remains that are less than 1000 years old (Jenkins, 2008). The other cultural issues affecting the operations of the British Museum result from controversies. Selim (2011) is of the opinion that a collection of historical artifacts that hold great cultural significance cannot exist without controversy. There have been several controversies with negative impacts on the operations of the British Museum. One of these controversies revolves around the Parthenon sculptures from the ancient Greek. The Parthenon sculptures are decorative art works that were found in the Parthenon; they represent the cultural artwork of the ancient Greek. The members of the public have t he misconception that all the sculptures from the Parthenon are in the British Museum. This misconception affects the operations of the British Museum negatively as numerous individuals visit the museum with the intention of viewing these sculptures only to be disappointed by the fact that half of these sculptures are lost and the remaining ones are found in museums of six different

Case Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 8

Case Analysis - Essay Example I look up to him because he does things which are practical and does not boast about them at all. He is a well-behaved man who does not say anything which is below his level (Stewart-Sicking 2008). His personality is so dignified that people want to remain close to him and get snapped with him. He is an excellent orator who can speak for countless hours, without any script. Obama is ideal for me because I envision success if I follow him in the most literal sense. He started his life with a purpose to set things right around him, and this is exactly what he is doing at the very present. The best thing about him is that he believes in himself which inspires me endlessly. It gives me strength and confidence to know that the most powerful man in the world can be so relaxing in his personality and connect with people on a one to one level (Rist 2001). As far as I am concerned, an ideal virtuous person is one who believes in the people he lives or works with. Obama’s example is no different. He knows what the American populace is all about and how it can give its very best even in the most trying of circumstances and situations. Obama is a living legend because he has changed beliefs of the people worldwide. He has lived a life that is filled with struggle yet done his very best to take care of the American people. He has met world’s leaders with the same amount of zest that he shows for commoners. This is such a huge aspect of his personality that puts the celebrities to shame (Thiroux 2009). Even though he is regarded as one of the best visionaries in the modern world, he has remained humble in his plans all along. Obama has however made it clear to everyone that he means business when he takes charge of his office everyday. I adore his personality with each passing day as Obama is the symbol of modern world. He is one leader and indeed one individual whom I can safely regard as the most ideal virtuous

How and why has your experience and understanding of gender changed Essay

How and why has your experience and understanding of gender changed through this exploration of gender and popular culture this quarter - Essay Example I had romanticized obsession with popular culture as a mark of civilization and being up-to-date with things happening in the world. In my school experiences, individuals with more knowledge of the popular culture appeared more fashionable than the studious types. Popular culture, in this sense, is a concept that traverses commercial advertisements, sports, television, movies, internet products, and other related concepts. I realized that popular culture is an element that individuals have followed due to its allure. The efficiency and convenience of using internet products such as social networking sites distract individuals from evaluating whether such concepts corrupt our conscience. This suggests that popular culture is not a wholly beneficial concept. For instance, although commercial advertisements promote our awareness on products, they use certain images that promote a distorted view of sexuality. In addition, social media is a platform that can fuel hate messages about certain forms of sexuality. In this sense, critics of media content may be sometimes ignored because individuals are drawn to the entertainment perspectives of popular culture. One of the assumptions that support this campaign argues that analysts should view popular culture superficially. This suggests analyzing popular media in its intended realm. For instance, an advertisement on a beauty product promotes analysis from an aesthetic perspective. I have learnt, however, that popular culture is not as superficial as it seems. This is because media content submerge into our conscience. Repeated commercial images eventually inform how individuals perceive the world. In addition, such images infringe on the rights of individuals who deserve perception in their unique ways. For instance, commercial advertisements may not give a comprehensive view of how women feel. This is because they do

The Social Mobility Of My Family

The Social Mobility Of My Family The following paper includes research of Social mobility within social classes and how this has affected my family. This is a controversial issue whether socioeconomic inheritance or the class one is born into plays a role to the social mobility of the individual in one direction or another. I will give examples of my familys social mobility for the past four generations. Some may argue that starting off at a lower social class can restrict one from social mobility. From this perspective, it is thought that not having access to education or many opportunities for success make it much harder to get out from under a life of always working from paycheck to paycheck. On the other hand, others argue that we all have the same opportunity to advance our social status and move up or down the class structure within generations. The textbook spells out several different philosophies in regards to social class. Karl Marx believed that social class was created by a persons relationship with labo r. Marx separated people into those who own the means of production, and those who sell their labor (Henslin 188). Another concept the textbooks talks about was established by Joseph Kahl and Dennis Gilbert, and they based their opinions on Max Weber. Weber alleged social class is a large collection of individuals who are categorized carefully to each other in property, power and prestige (Henslin 202). Kahl and Gilbert added to this notion to include a persons education or lack thereof. Kahl and Gilbert state that today the quality of education that an individual receives also denotes the capabilities a person may possess. Kahl and Gilbert created a class social structure that contained of capitalist, upper middle class, lower middle class, working class, working poor and underclass. The higher one is in social class the greater their property or income is, along with prestige of the university they attended and the power they hold in their occupation. After analyzing the two diffe rent ideas of social class structure, I believe the most adequate structure is the social class structure of Kahl and Gilbert. Their structure allows for more wisdom and inconsistency in social class as well as superior means for explaining the difference of classes. My familys story My analysis of my familys social mobility starts with my mothers grandparents. Prior to the great depression they were that of upper middle class and would have been considered very well off. They had several farms a very large house with servants and over 1000 acres. My grandfathers part within the family of 8 was to work on the farms with his older brother getting a management role and other siblings going to college and waiting to be married. My grandfather was a very hard worker and fell into the role to handle the farms and such even though he was from the same class as the rest of the family he was seen as lower because of his younger age and hardworking mentality. Much of the family looked down on him for getting his hands dirty. His father did not allow him to continue school and he dropped to work the farms in the 8th grade. His older brother and father handled the money and management of the farms operations until the Great Depression occurred in the late 20s. After a fire which resulted in them losing several animals, a house and barn as well as other circumstances from the depression they ended up losing it all. My grandfather ended up renting a farm being a time of the dust bowl he was unable to raise sufficient crops so he began buying horses and cattle that were in poor health for very little. He would clean them up train the horses and sell them back months later for a large profit. He did this several time until he eventually saved enough to buy back the family farm where he began to milk cows and cash crops as the land was much better. My grandmother came from a very low social class but did get to go to college as her oldest sister and her husband made it possible by paying for all of their siblings to go to college as well as they both became professors and continued to live very frugal lives never having children and having a very giving life. My Grandmother graduated college at 16 and soon met my Grandfather they had 5 children with my mot her being the youngest. My grandmother started teaching soon after the children were out of diapers. A very large age gap made it so that my mother was still young when the oldest brother joined the navy during WWII. A few years later my mothers other siblings went off to college as the economy recovered as a result of the war. My mother and father started dating while my mother was 16 and they married soon after meeting and had my oldest sister at age 17. They moved into a small house just down the road from my grandparents farm and had three more children. Eventually my father built us a house on the family land that my grandmother gave them. My father is a very hardworking man and worked as a farmhand then a machinist and a carpenter until an accident in 1975 that left him disabled and unable to work. This along with a recession in the 1980s hurt my parents financially. After struggling to make things work they divorced in 1981. My mother, brother and I moved to an apartment in M adison. My sisters moved out by themselves or with boyfriends and got working class jobs as my parents did not have the means to help pay for college. Our income, status and social class level dropped to the poverty level. Living in a single parent household led by the mother we experienced the Feminization of Poverty (Henslin, p. 206). My father was on disability with very little means to even care for himself let along his children. My mother took on several jobs but with no education it never seemed to be enough. I started working to pay for food and such and help out with clothes and such. I was washing dishes and odd jobs mowing lawns. On my fifteenth birthday I decided to move out on my own. My mother had met someone and they were getting married. He had moved in and I did not get along with him or my mother very well. I tried to do well in school but trying to make rent made that a difficult task. I did try and go to college but never having enough money for rent or food made that impossible. I eventually dropped out of school and took on construction jobs. I guess I inherited some of those skills from my father and I am not afraid of hard work so I focused on that. I did well in construction and eventually married and had two children. During the 2000 construction boom I flipped several houses and built myself a very nice house. I had moved my family back up to middle class life. After my children were born my wife struggled with depression and eventually it got so bad that we decided to separate and were divorced in 2002. I had decided I would not make my children go through what I went through with my parents divorce so I decided to give it all to them and my ex-wife so we would not have to sell the house and make them possible change schools. I had paid down the mortgage to around 100,000 on a house that is worth well over 500,000. I took all other bills credit cards and car payments. I felt with my skills that I would be able to rebuild my life and they would be taken care of. Then a recession hit slow at first with construction getting slower and slower and eventually in 2008 the economy got really bad. It has been hard to turn around and the recession could not have hit a worse time. I have actually moved several times in the past years downgrading to a lesser quality home and car to save money. With very little work and the economy slow to recover I decided to apply to go to school. This is my second semester at Madison College and I am doing well. I am on the deans list with a current 3.9 GPA. Being the only one of my siblings going to college it is important that I finish. I am hopeful that the US economy turns around and I can find a decent job or get my business back making money. The problem is that I am now somewhat stuck not making enough to borrow money to buy my way out and with no college education to get a great paying job while the construction market is saturated and not coming back very fast. Having circumsta nces affecting each generation has had an impact on the social mobility of my family in a negative way starting with the great depression and continuing with the current recession. I feel that education is a key factor for social mobility. In the past younger siblings lost out on getting to go to college and getting to take over families businesses with the oldest male child usually taking over. My view My own view is that while there is a real disadvantage with education and opportunity advantages it is still possible to move up or down within social class that we were born into but for some it is very hard if not impossible. Though I concede that this may be a hard thing to overcome and defiantly harder for the lower class than within the middle or upper class. I still maintain that good work ethic and faith can increase the success of social mobility. For example my grandfather took an approach to find new innovative ways to make money and save for the right opportunity to come and then follow through. Although some might object that upper middle class and upper class should not have to pay for those born into lower class. I would reply that it is our social responsibility to give everyone an education and increase the opportunity for success for each and every individual within the United States. The issue is important because of how we are evolving humanity and making everyone so they can contribute to their potential is better for all. The alternative is that many will go on welfare or break laws and end up in prison as they have no way out of the life they were born into. This cost is much higher than the cost an education would be. Family disruption or economic loss The experience of family disruption during childhood substantially increases the odds of ending up in the lowest occupational stratum as opposed to the stable families having a better chance to be in a high class. Family disruption also weakens the association between dimensions of occupational origins and destinations. The socioeconomic destinations from nonimpact family backgrounds bear less resemblance to their socioeconomic origins that those from intact backgrounds. Those from traditional two-parent homes exhibit a stronger pattern of intergenerational occupational inheritance than those from disrupted families. Upward income mobility has decreased to such a point that the United States appears to have the highest rate of income inequality in the industrialized world, according to the non-partisan Congressional Research Service. Longstanding partisan battles in Congress about policy issues such as instituting a more progressive tax code, the tax treatment of capital gains and in heritance, and the expansion of social welfare benefits like food stamps and healthcare in recent years have not ended very well for the nations poor. Empirical analyses estimate the United States is a comparatively immobile society, that is, where on starts in the income distribution influences where one ends up to a greater degree than in several advanced economies (Cite). Reports suggest the U.S. is no longer, if it ever was a nation where the poorest can feasibly lift themselves up by their bootstraps. If income were equally distributed, each fifth household would account for 20 percent of total income. The poorest of these has long since accounted for far less than its proportionate share, barely budging from about 4 percent in recent decades, according to the U.S. Census Bureau (Cite). Meanwhile, since 1968 the middle class has seen its total income share decrease steadily, while those among the top-fifth of earners particularly the top 5 percent have seen their incomes skyr ocket. For instance, the top 5 percent held 22.3 percent of the nations wealth in 2011, up from 16.3 percent four decades earlier. The advantages offered by an affluent lifestyle clearly influence an individuals chances for economic mobility, the CRS reports. According to an analysis of empirical data, the study authors estimate there is a positive relationship of about 0.5 between a parent and adult income. Children of parents with above-average salaries are more likely, on average, to also bring in high incomes. Half the economic advantage the children of well-off families enjoy comes from having been born into wealthy families in the first place. On top of that, the chances of adults moving up from their initial income economic position has decreased or remained stagnant in recent decades, which is of particular concern since most Americans still believe economic mobility in the U.S. is completely within their reach. Americans may be less concerned about inequality in the distrib ution of income at any given point in time partly because of a belief that everyone has an equal opportunity to move up the income ladder. Different types of family structures experienced during childhood have varying effects on socioeconomic attainment and social mobility. Those within the middle class will, statistically, experience some economic mobility. According to a study by the Pew Economic Mobility Project, 43 percent of children whose parents were born in the bottom one fifth remained at the bottom when they became adults. In contrast, 40 percent of children born to parents at the top one fifth were also at the top as adults. The study compared intergenerational mobility rates between 1984 to 1994 and 1994 to 2004. Conclusion The topics of particular importance in contemporary sociology seem to be the inequality of educational opportunity and mechanisms of social mobility or immobility. Also the effects of the households saving behavior and the implication of this behavior for the distribution of wealth and the relationship between the extent of free enterprise and opportunity in the economy and socioeconomic mobility, that is, the movement of families across wealth classes over time. Some studies suggest that as technology advances, lower income workers do not have the skills or educational requirements to keep up with changing labor needs. The demand for highly skilled workers trained in engineering or information technology has elevated, while the need for lower skilled and middle skilled workers has diminished which is one of the casualties of globalization. The philosophical battle over how to achieve economic growth and social mobility has escalated to a point that conservatives have resisted attemp ts to direct more investments in programs such as early childhood education and college tuition aid. The battle continues as Democrats are pushing for more investments in social safety net programs while Republicans are calling for a self-reliant approach. Education gap creates more inequality and arguably promote equality in the opportunity to move up the income ladder, which an increasingly unequal distribution of income may suggest a lack of and which may itself curb the potential productive capacity of the economy an education gap is one of the main reasons commonly offered to explain the nations widening income inequality. Although many still firmly believe, and constantly argue, that Americans have an equal opportunity to move up the economic ladder, the researchers conclude that opportunity is far from equal.

Differentiating the Renaissance Period and Middle Ages Era in Europe Es

The Renaissance was a time of change and prosperity. The decision was made depending on the difference of two eras. Unlike the Renaissance, the Middle Ages were a thousand years of ignorance and superstition. The Renaissance men were leaders in an era of rebirth and learning looked to the Ancient Greeks and Romans for models of advance. Many historians felt that the Middle Ages and the Renaissance were one era. The debate centers around whether the Renaissance was a unique age or a continuation of the Middle Ages. â€Å"Was the Renaissance a period distinct from the Middle Ages, or was it a continuation?† Par my opinion I feel that the Renaissance was a distinct period of change and prosperity. â€Å"The world is waking out of a long deep sleep†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Doc. 5) A.J. Froude finds specific examples that lead him to the understanding that their was distinction between both periods. The Life and Letters of Erasmus say that the church was a corrupt place and there was no religious teaching. Erasmus is trying to say in his book, directed tot the Prince, that he should bring back the respect of the Church and religious aspect to give the Church power again. These statements written by Erasmus show the want by townspeople for change. In the Middle Ages many people disregarded the advancement in society and only thought about the world and they were not humane. Erasmus shows how humanist actions begin. â€Å"In the Middle Ages both sides of human consciousness lay dreaming or half awake†¦the Renaissance we find artists who in every branch created new and perfect works†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Doc. 2) From The Civilization of the Renaissance in Italy by Jacob Burchardt he identifi es that medieval man was childish, half-awake controlled by faith and defined by his group of membe... ... life in the early modern period. â€Å"Thus, from the beginning, the double conception of medieval darkness and subsequent cultural rebirth was colored by the acceptance of classical standards†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Doc.1) Writers and thinkers were inspired by the classical culture of the Greeks and Romans. They found their society much more â€Å"fascinating† than feudal and religious literature. They re-identified architecture, astronomy, medicine, and math. They corrected the order of the Church and began to believe again in karma, reincarnation and moksha. Renaissance men advanced the knowledge of human body, scientific calculations, and changed building attributes. As the change of these amenities came a change in the social structure. More men and women became literate, resulting in the increase and need for universities. Education. The Renaissance has a long and complex historiography.

Proprioception Loss: Blinding the Mind From the Body :: Medicine Medicinal Medical Essays

Proprioception Loss: Blinding the Mind From the Body Proprioception can be described as the mind's awareness of the body. Proprioception provides the central nervous system unconscious information about the body (Bluestone, 1992). The "awareness" of our body may be difficult to understand until we have lost our proprioceptive sense. Researchers concerned with proprioception have usually directed their studies toward identifying in what processes proprioception plays a major role, and what processes may be hindered if proprioception loss is severe. Unfortunately, not much is known about proprioception, or how much proprioception contributes to functional accuracy (Gordon, Ghilhardi, & Ghez, 1995). Sherrington (1961) declares that the proprioceptive receptors, the nerves associated with proprioception, are effective at determining changes inside the organism; which is where the term "proprioception" originates. He explains that proprioceptive receptors are used especially in muscles and their accessory organs. Proprioceptive receptors and some receptors in the labyrinth (equilibrium detector located in the inner ear) work together to form our receptive systems. Finally, Sherrington shares that proprioception is responsible for continuous reflexes in skeletal muscles. In other words, proprioceptive receptors are responsible for detecting when an area of the body is out of its natural state and prompts the muscles to return the area to a resting state. Proprioception may be best understood by looking at cases of proprioceptive loss. To illustrate the profound effects of proprioceptive loss, Oliver Sacks documented a clinical case of a woman who lost all proprioception (1985). Sacks declared that the sense of our bodies relies on three things: vision, the vestibular stystem, and proprioception. His client lost all proprioception and could not walk without watching her own legs, or talk without listening to her own voice. She could not truly determine if she had a body. The patient could not perform any motor movements most people would deem natural without relying on environmental feedback to achieve the simplest maneuver. Oliver Sacks' clinical story reflects how much the mind depends on proprioception for even the most rudimentary actions not thought consciously considered. The following research demonstrates the importance of proprioception. A group of researchers conducted a study to determine the deficits caused by the lack of neck and body proprioception (Blouin et. al., 1995). Their experiment consisted of normal individuals as well as a patient who had permanent and selective loss of neck and whole body proprioception. They determined through clinical tests that the patient could not "maintain upright posture without losing balance [or] perceive passive body rotations with the head stationary" (p.